Big Wiener

We have a winner in the LargeFormatPosters.com Giveaway!

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Timestamp: 2009-04-30 13:56:27 UTC

Congrats to HOLLY P from A Small Town Bride!

My Venue: Tribeca Rooftop

The venue search is finally done and if I am honest I will tell you .... I knew would love Tribeca Rooftop long before I even went to go see it because if I were to create wedding venue from scratch, well ... this would be it.

It is modern, clean, classic, full of huge windows looking out on to my beautiful city. It has an urban industrial feel but it does not feel cold. It's actually warm and inviting because it comes with warm amber lighting, candles along the windows, and comfy lounge furniture (all included in the price).

I was afraid to visit this venue because I know that it is a bit pricey but you know your girl stays on the hustle ... by that I mean that before I even started looking for venues I chose the cheapest month and the cheapest day in that month! The Big Guy and I wanted a winter wedding and we are totally fine with getting married on a Sunday so immediately the price is way lower for pretty much any place. Once I got there I realized that the Tribeca Rooftop package came with more food and extras than any other venue we had been too thus far. The price ended up being $165 per person but before you pass out just know that we won't need to add anything to the menu because of how much food they are including and they even threw an extra appetizer in for us after some negotiation. This is higher than we wanted to spend but the Big Guy and I debated and decided that we loved it and that it was perfect and that we will sacrifice other aspects to be able to have this venue .... so here we go with that hustle again ...
And finally the two big questions ....

Vodka on the tables??? Hell yeah! We will be partying it up Ruskie style all night long.

Extra hour??? Ummm ... also yeah. They do charge for extra time but if you let them know right off the bat that your going to want the extra they will give it to you for half price, that is the cheapest extra time quote I have gotten thus far so we are going with it. Since it will be a Sunday it won't go super late (gotta close up shop by 2AM right?? Ok ok earlier!) but now we will have enough time for all of the crazy toasts and still have time to dance.

Sooooo, what do you think of our spot???

My venue

I signed the contract this morning and the Big Guy is faxing it in today ... so in exactly 270 days, 19 hours, 35 minutes and 20 seconds I will be saying beautiful words to my beautiful man at the beautiful TRIBECA ROOFTOP. I will do a full detailed post on the venue tomorrow but in the meantime I am off to squeal with joy!

For love is infinitely strong,
Many waters cannot quench love;
No flood can sweep it away.
I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.
- Song of Songs

Sample Sale Alert

Hey all you NY brides, you know Kleinfeld's right? Yeah, I thought so. Check out the sample sale to get the best of both world's: the amazing Kleinfeld's dress selection without the annoying sales lady hovering over you and the insane price tag. Happy shopping.

Canvas Print Giveaway

Don't forget to enter the 16 x 20 Canvas Print Giveaway by leaving a comment here.

My Wedding Workbook

Ok close your eyes and picture a typical wedding planner ... wait forget that closing your eyes might make it very difficult for you to keep reading. Ok do over ... keep your eyes wide open and focused on the screen so that you can see my newest obsession: My Wedding Workbook. This ain't your granny's wedding planner. That's right people, no more giant pink binders with huge rings and pictures of Martha Stewart wagging her finger at you for being a bad bride. No more carrying around bulky notebooks filled with loose papers and to-do lists. That all ends now because on My Wedding Workbook, you can keep everything organized without all that extra paper (see its eco-friendly too!). The site offers a comprehensive wedding planner with lots of features: you can use it to organize guest lists, figure out your budget, put together a task calender, keep tabs on your to-do checklist ... and I think there is also a feature that yells at your wayward drunk Uncle when he starts hitting on you're very married future mother-in-law ... ok maybe not but I am sure they are working on it!

So go check it out and while your there check out the very cute story of how the site started.

Giveaway time!

I'm back! Sort of. There is still at least another day's worth of unpacking to do but I have internet and life is good. Since I am all about the home furnishings due to my new digs, I figured I would kick off my return with a canvas print giveaway. Ahhh, free stuff, it's just .... so great ...

The friendly folks over at LargeFormatPosters.com are giving away a 16x20 Canvas Print! Thats right just giving it away. Now we can all have a canvas of .... well, anything ... hanging in our living-rooms (or bedrooms, or kitchens, or .... bathrooms - I don't judge). All you have to do is leave a comment below explaining how you would use your 16x20 Canvas Print OR write a post on your blog linking the giveaway post and the website (just shoot me an email and let me know you posted it and you get entered in the contest twice).

A little side note on shipping: its free for winners in the US and Canada. If the winner is from elsewhere they will have to pay shipping but the print will still be free!

The contest ends next Wednesday April 29 and the winner will be announced Thursday. In the meantime go check out the LargeFormatPosters.com site. They make canvas prints, photo on canvas prints, and poster prints too .... you never know when you will need an embarrassing and large poster of your best friend for her bachelorette party people!

On the schedule today ...

Moving .... all day long. I will be back to blogging in full force as soon as the internet is set up in our new apartment.

:)

Houston ... we have a venue!

Thats right!!! We have chosen a venue .... it finally feels like we are making forward progress! 

I am not going to tell you exactly which venue we chose .. . yet! Not because I am cruel but because I am Russian! And Ruskies, we are a superstitious bunch. So, until the paperwork is signed and the deposit ... umm .. deposited, it will be my little secret but as soon as its all done ... you will all be the first to know!!

Sandals Giveaway

Hey ... so you like vacations right? Yeah, me too! Click here to enter for a chance to win a 3-night honeymoon vacay at a Sandal's resort .... here is the pitch straight from the horse's mouth:

You can win a three-night Dream Honeymoon for two at one of Sandals tropical resorts. Sandals has been voted World's Best Honeymoon Resort for the past eight years in a row. Imagine scenic settings where the ultimate of everything is within your reach. Including the most luxurious rooms and suites with exquisite views, along with thoughtful amenities. Each Sandals resort features a wide choice of international gourmet dining experiences, complimented by free-flowing premium spirits, served by a staff whose greatest pleasure is making you smile.

The Sandals Dream Honeymoon Giveaway will end on May 20th, 2009 at 11:59 P.M. ET. The drawing for the giveaway will take place on or about May 22nd, 2009.

*** One last thing. There is a $25.00 fee applicable per room per night that the winner must pay to redeem the 3-night stay at the Sandals or Beaches resort. So technically, this means the grand prize is not technically free, but it means the winner will only be paying $75.00 for a 3-night stay for two at an all-inclusive resort!

Click here to enter!

Headpiece to swoon over

Yummy and under $5 ... yeah, you heard me under $5 bucks ... check it here. 

Signing the lease today!!!

Yep we are a moving on up ... well down ... technically we are moving south of where we live now. And this is where the Big Guy and I are moving to ...

Ok, ok, we aren't actually moving into the Russian Vodka Room but we are moving into the building right above it (you see a glimpse of the white brick in the picture). So we get all of the perks of living above this fabulously yummy drinking establishment but none of the noise pollution cause in this sense we really are moving on up ... to a really high floor!!! Bye 1st floor walk-up ... hello doorman, elevators, and view of the city!

Image Source

Save the Date Idea

Ummm, adorable, no??? Yes. Find them here. 

Oly Wedding

I am back from my cross country extravaganza and excite to get back into hardcore planning mode ..... well that is after we get this whole new apartment thing squared away. 

In the meantime, check out these gorgeous photos taken in Olympia, WA, where the Big Guy was born and raised. Most of the shots were taken at this super cool pizzeria called Old School Pizza. Enjoy ...





All photos from One Love Photo.

On the road ...

I started my day in Wyoming and I am now laying down to sleep in Idaho and tomorrow we will arrive at our final destination of Olympia, Washington... but I had to take a second before going to bed to say ....

Read the coverage here. Way to go Vt! I knew you had nice mountains and cheddar cheese but now you also have that whole promoting equality for fundamental rights thing going for you .... I think you are gonna be very popular, at least you are with me!

oh and ps: I am kind of going through wedding blog withdrawal right now, I had no idea I would miss posting and reading everyone else's blogs so much ... when I get home I will be reading and commenting on all my fave blogs like a mad woman ... we gotta get this wedding in gear people! 

Yay for Iowa!

{Image source}

Day 1 of the road-trip is done and I am in a motel in Kentucky but I just had to get a computer and show some love to Iowa (where I will actually be tomorrow visiting V-Dawg!!!) which took our country one more step forward by legalizing same-sex marriage... check it here and here.

Cause I'm leaving ... in a rental car ...

Ok so I know that's not how the song goes, but that is what I am doing ... tomorrow morning the Big Guy, Yevs, and I are embarking on our whirlwind ten day road-trip extravaganza! If you are interested in our charted course it looks approximately like this ...

On our way we will visit Artsy Bridesmaid in Chicago and one of the Big Guy's best men (and my best friend of over 20 years) V-Dawg in Iowa. Then for Yevs's bday we stop in Wyoming for some snowboarding action. To finally end up in Olympia, Washington the Big Guy's hometown for first seder with his fam.

I will try to post every now and then from our trip but there will definitely be a lot less postage. Hope ya miss me!

Venue: The Players Club

"We do not mingle enough with minds that influence the world," Edwin Booth said of his fellow actors,"We should measure ourselves through personal contact with outsiders … I want my club to be a place where actors are away from the glamour of the theatre." And two years later The Players Club was formed as just that place. The Club is right across the street from Gramercy Park (and they have the key to the park ... can you say pictures! I know you can). 

This venue piqued my interest, its not my usual style (I tend to go for that modern minimalist thing) but I figured I would give it a shot since it looks so unique and interesting and I gotta say ... its pretty cool. It looks like the house of an eccentric millionaire who is obsessed with theater ... its full of paintings, statutes, old books, leather chairs, and old rugs.

The price is high but pretty reasonable ... for NYC. There is a site fee of approx $4500 and the catering costs about #135 per person (the caterer is Elegant Affairs). But you don't need to rent anything, all tables, chairs, linens are included and you definitely do not need much in the way of decoration because the place itself is so elaborate.

Unfortunately, it gives the classic wedding place time limit but on the bright side to add time they do not charge per person, but just a flat rate for every extra hour.  Also, a big pro in their favor, they said they would put vodka bottles on the table (woohoo!) but for an extra fee per bottle (booo!). All in all, it is definitely on the short list of potential venues.

One of these men is my Big Guy ....

And the others are our friends .... I hope you find this video  as hilarious as I do .... enjoy!   

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