How to Plan a Wedding in Two Weeks: The Photographer

You can't have all this wonderful eye candy of a venue and a dress without someone to capture it! A photographer was desperately in order!

The Photographer:

The search for a photographer started out bleak. (i.e. Expensive!)

Her planner wanted her to hire the best of the best, Ayres Photography.

And you have to admit, their photos are amazing...

All photos copyright of Ayres Photography.
But not their $4,000 price tag... o.0

To be fair, Miss Boa realized that the package her planner was suggesting to her was much more than she needed--12 hours of coverage and a (rather pricey) wedding album was not necessary! The engagement photo shoot, however, was going to stay!

Still, $3,000 for their 8 hour package wasn't exactly affordable either...so the search continued!

The pricing of Kaz Photography appealed to her instantly, and the photos were just as eye catching!

All photos copyright of Kaz Photography.
The Premier Plus package sounded perfect, 8 hours of wedding coverage, a DVD of all images with copyright release, $100 print credit, and an engagement shoot for $2,450!

Sadly, Kaz Photography was booked for the day of her wedding :( So Miss Boa went on to the next contenders...

Since I may oogle at wedding photos that show up on my facebook feed from time to time, :P , I suggested Tess Moran Photography because those photos really stuck out in my wedding-crazed mind!

Great photographs...

All photos copyright of Tess Moran Photography.
...with packages that start at $3,000. Darn it! Nevermind then I told her, keep looking!

While finding photographs of the reception rooms in Templeton Landing, Miss Boa discovered Knight Studio Photography.

She liked their style of photography:

All photos copyright of Knight Studio Photography.
Their pricing was alright starting at $2,500, however to include the engagement photo shoot she wanted, the price would have to rise to $2,850.

Plus this company was also booked for her wedding date. XP

Needless to say she was starting to worry a bit about booking a photographer in time!

Determined to find someone who would fit their budget and schedule, Miss Boa did a very, very through search, considering eight other various photographers, all starting at $3K for what she wanted.

Till she found Robin Fox Photography!

*cue heavens parting*

All photos copyright of Robin Fox Photography.
Photographs that take your breath away, 10 hours of wedding coverage, DVD of images with copyright, 5-10 prints, an engagement session AND a wedding album for a grand total of $2,150.

o.0

I almost didn't want to tell you about this photographer so maybe Robin Fox would still be up-and-coming (and thus still affordable,) by the time I get married! XD

Being available for Miss Boa's special day, it was settled! The photographer was booked!

There still were some big elements still missing from Miss Boa's wedding, find out which next post!

Weddingbee is IMPOSSIBLE to Catch Up To

EDIT: Okay so Weddingbee hasn't updated their "Miss Bloggers" list yet. XD It appears that there has been a Miss Boa Constrictor since the start of the month! (How strange, at the same time pretty much XD) I've updated the post to reflect that!

---

As a random detour, I have been reading Weddingbee posts in chronological order in my free time to catch up with all the lovely Bees that I had abandoned last summer for my sanity and wedding-less peace of mind.

(What? You gotta read them in order!)

S-L-O-W-L-Y but surely I got to the end of August, and realized they already had a boa constrictor icon:

XD

That's what I get for coming up with a new icon before I knew what existed!

Good thing it's "Miss Boa" and not "Miss Boa Constrictor"! Plus I like my icon better, tee hee.

At least no bride has claimed that moniker yet, but still I apologize in advance to anyone who gets confused. :P

So recap:

Miss Boa = my awesome engaged friend
Miss Boa Constrictor = one very lucky duck who will someday be is blogging for Weddingbee

Got it? Good :)

Now let's hope there's no "Miss Boa" the fashion accessory in existence XD

How to Plan a Wedding in Two Weeks: The Dress

While searching for the all important venue, Miss Boa went to track down a very important wedding purchase--

The Dress:

Now, to start off, I have been sworn to secrecy on the dress. Sorry guys!

(But, I'll be sure to post the stunning beauty the day after the wedding! XD)

What I can tell you, is the process Miss Boa went through to find the dress in just two appointments!

She first went to Alfred Angelo to give herself a general idea of what she was looking for.
She quickly confirmed that she didn't like over-the-top, billowy ballgowns...

Pretty, but not for Miss Boa
...but became a bit confused about what she did like, and who can blame her?! There are a LOT of gorgeous dresses out there!

The very next day, she went to Victoria's Bridal Shoppe, which was highly recommended, and by the end of our appointment, we could see why!

The women there were very friendly and warm, and after a few dresses they understood what Miss Boa was looking for. They pulled something that was just perfect for her!

The fog of confusion was lifted and the dress was purchased!

Next item on the to-do list...the photographer!

How to Plan a Wedding in Two Weeks: The Venue

Miss Boa got engaged in December, and set her sights on a summer 2012 wedding. She knew this did not leave her with much time, but with finals and projects coming due, wedding planning was simply not in the cards yet.

But, once the last page of classwork was complete, she set her sights on getting this wedding show on the road! (And onto vendors' calendars!)

The first things she went to tackle:

1) The venue
2) The dress
3) The photographer

The Venue:

Miss Boa and her finance's search for a Buffalo, NY venue evolved as they conducted their search, at first they were going for a sophisticated reception locale and an outdoor ceremony.

They visited the Delaware Mansion first.

They didn't like it.

While the building was charming, the interior was not their style. They didn't like that the dance floor was separate from the banquet room, and the couple could only have a sweetheart table, so this diminished the fun atmosphere they were looking for.

Tie in the high price tag and no tasting of the food beforehand...this venue was out!

Next was the Niagara Country Club:

Miss Boa loved the outdoor location for the ceremony, the look of the reception rooms, and the stunning view of the grounds! The price was reasonable and the food was good, BUT...

...they needed a sponsor from the Country Club in order to have their wedding there.

Apparently, not knowing too many golfers, :p their search continued...

Next stop on their venue travels--Pearl Street Grill and Brewery:

This one stood out from the other choices due to its more modern atmosphere. Plus the building had tons of character, outdoor patio space, and really tasty food!

But by this point Miss Boa snagged herself a wedding planner for a steal! (Cost of invitations through the planner plus $50/hour for day-of coordination! o.0) And with some discussion she and her finance decided that one location for their ceremony and reception was best for them and their guests.

And Pearl Street simply did not have a large enough ceremony space.

Her planner suggested Templeton Landing for their next consideration:

The venue was on the waterfront of downtown Buffalo, and had fabulous views of the water and pier!

A large dance floor was the center of the room, bringing in a cozy and mingling type of environment. The decor was tasteful with gorgeous chandeliers and stone facade on the walls.

The ceremony would be done by the water on the neighboring grounds:

Not to mention it had a really cute outdoor patio:

Then include reasonable pricing and great food, and it was clear. Miss Boa declared that this was it! She would get married at Templeton Landing!

(Can you believe she viewed all these venues in a 1 week timespan?!?)

Now she would cross her fingers, pray for good weather, and move quickly on to the next step: the dress!

Introducing... Miss Boa!

Since I am a Weddingbee fanatic, I will like to refer to my engaged friend in the proper Weddingbee style, not only because it's crazy fun, :D but also because it helps protect her identity and all that jazz.

She will now be referred to as Miss Boa! (the snake not the feather accessory XD)
(Yes, Miss Boa, I know this is probably a cobra or something, but it was the cutest snake drawing I could find! XD)

Why Miss Boa? Well, Miss Boa is an animal lover, to say the least. She has studied animals extensively during her undergrad career, tended to exotic animals during her trip to Africa, and owns about a dozen different snakes! (Plus a couple rabbits, a lizard or two, a scorpion, a dog, and probably some other pets that I'm forgetting!)

So it made perfect sense that the ring her finace proposed to her with, (which was custom made by the way), was a coil of two snakes surrounding the diamond!!! And the heads are anatomically correct boa snake heads.

That way I could choose "Miss Boa" without insulting her other snakes! XD

Well, now that I have a proper way to reference her, this is the scoop on Miss Boa's wedding plans:

Basically, due to elderly parents, Miss Boa wants to get hitched this summer, leaving about 7 months to plan the whole shindig.

Now add graduate school to the mix and you have a crazy few months of wedding planning! o.0

Good thing she has a VERY enthusiastic (i.e. wedding-crazed) bridal party to help her plan out all the details!

One bridesmaid is getting married this summer as well, another bridesmaid just finished a previous bridesmaid experience, and the man of honor (yes, man of honor), has been studying up on weddings and how to be a proper right hand man for the bride! :D

And ME, (yea for being a bridesmaid!!!) just a crazy girl who is once again focused on weddings! XD

And so, armed with gathered wedding knowledge and advice pouring in from all fronts, Miss Boa prepares for wedding bliss!

ONWARD HO!