The WHERE of it all...

We've found our wedding venue!!! :)

That sounds kind of weird to say... Where I come from, there isn't really such a thing as a wedding "venue"... The last few weddings that have occurred in my area were either

1) in a large field with hay bales as seats

2) in the middle of the rodeo arena under a tent

3) in the church

In other words... It's a small, small town which means FEW choices!!!

All of the above mentioned choices turned out to be really unique and lovely... But in this case, most are just not what we're going for.

I've ALWAYS wanted an outdoor wedding. Or at least an outdoor ceremony.

I'm just not a "Going to the Chapel" kind of girl.  

I'm not gonna lie, we were considering getting married in a field in my hometown, and maybe setting up a tent. But we got real and realized that a "field" venue would require port-a-johns... (Which should have NO business being in a lovely wedding blog such as mine... heehee, right?!) Probably a VERY expensive tent, some way to provide electricity for the lights and music, just a whole lot of things that we really can't afford.

Turns out we're really lucky and happen to be family friends with the amazing couple that owns the Alpine Golf & Country Club in Alpine, Arizona.

(Alpine is just over the stateline from my hometown, so we're golden on the distance issue!)

Not actually the Alpine Country Club... But it looks like this...
It's so small, I can't find any good pictures online...
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Amazingly enough, Mr. M has not had a single strong opinion on any of the wedding decisions thus far... He's pretty cool with whatever I come up with... EXCEPT, for some reason, he really wanted to get married at the country club.

Now... Don't get confused with the idea of a country club and our western/rustic wedding. It will all mesh... I promise. Alpine Country Club is not your run of the mill, need an exclusive membership to get in, kind of country club... It's out in the mountains, surrounded by huge pine trees! It's run by a hilarious golf playing gentleman that would rather join you for a round of golf than hang out in the clubhouse, running the business.

 Like I was saying... it fits us. And Mr. M really wants it...

So I called and booked it for June 18th!

Actually the owners had offered it to us awhile back, but we hadn't really decided until now... But anyway, another milestone on this wedding planning super highway!

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FYI: Just for fun, a quick story on our history

with the Alpine Country Club and Golf Course!

I don't play golf. I have played a few times at Putt Putt... But until Mr. M, I hadn't even swung a real golf club. He played a little in high school, and is a fairly decent player.

So we (Mr. M, my 2 brothers, and my sister) all went to the Alpine course for a round of golf a few summers ago. Again, keep in mind I had NO idea what I was doing...

But even still, I made a HOLE in ONE! That's right. I did.

The thing was though... It was in the wrong hole... :)

At the 2nd hole, the tee is right next to the 1st hole. I hit the ball, aiming for the 2nd hole, it bounced off a nearby pine tree, and went right into the 1st hole!!

All that to say, we do have a special history there... It's not like we just chose a random spot for our wedding. Not that random isn't good, but in this case, we wanted some meaning.

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Did you have a history with your wedding venue? Are you looking for a unique wedding venue? Did your hubs to be have any special input on the WHERE?

Wedding Registry Tips

A few days ago I received a Facebook message from my sister, who is also my Maid of Honor. She is awesome! She is taking on her MOH duties with full gusto!

The message was in regards to registering for wedding gifts, because apparently you're supposed to include the registries in the pre-party invites, so everyone knows where to buy and what you would like to receive. It also seems to be a personal favorite of hers, because she's super excited about it... love her!!! Basically, the point of her message was,
"Sister, registries... Get your behind in gear!" Aye Aye!!

So last night Mr. M and I had a discussion on registering for wedding gifts. The whole idea seems to make him a little uncomfortable... He doesn't want to ask for things from our family and friends. Which I get... But a wedding is one of the few times that it's allowed!

I tried to explain that they'll be buying us gifts anyway, it might as well be something we want, and something that's easy for them to find. Right?!?

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So again, a quest for wedding planning knowledge!

I found several sites online where you can set up registries. Almost any chain department store has this option as well as tons of specialty stores. So I started checking them out.
But wait... Just FYI there are some things to keep in mind BEFORE registering for wedding gifts... In my own words. As learned from several online sources...

1) Register soon after enagement! (Ok, I'm late, I didn't know... oops!) This gives everyone that will be purchasing gifts for the two of you in the near future, an idea of what you want early on. Also if you're having an engagement party then there are some options available in case someone wants to buy an engagement gift.

2) You aren't bound by the traditional wedding registry standards. If you need and WILL use a set of fine china, then sure. But if you'd prefer a new BBQ grill, go for it. Ask for what you want and will make the most use of.

Also, if you've been living together and already have everything you need for a home, it's cool to ask for the fun stuff.. i.e. golf clubs, board games, etc. Or even go ahead and ask for new stuff. In my and Mr. M's case most of our stuff is hand me downs, or yard sale scores. It wouldn't hurt to have some new stuff of our very own! ;)

3) Register as a team! The gifts you will be receiving for your wedding are for the both of yas! So don't be the stingy stinker and register for only things you want... Let your fiance in on the registering fun! It's also totally acceptable to register for a few items of only his choosing and a few items of yours... i.e. I may register for a sewing table, and he might choose a poker set. Everybody's happy in the end!

4) Before choosing where to register look into each store's policies... And check the message boards on wedding sites! Other brides will let you know if they had trouble with a specific store, something that the main wedding websites won't tell you so as not to play favorites. Some stores have better return and exchange policies than others. Some keep WAY better track of your registries i.e. what's been bought and what hasn't so that things don't get bought over and over.

5) Three seems to be the magic number of registry sites. Definitley choose more than one so guests have an option of where to shop. At the same time more than that can get a little overwhelming... And takes alot of time to shop through if someone is looking for a gift for you.

6) Register for items in several price ranges. Each gift buyer will have a different idea of what they want to spend for your gift. Make sure there's several options in each price range so that they feel they have some choice over what they choose to purchase for you. 

     

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7) On those same lines, register for more gifts than guests, again, to provide choices! You can always add more to your registries as time progresses. Especially if something new comes along that you really would like to have... Go ahead! Add it on there!

8) Check in on your registries after they've been created. Make sure things are being updated there when someone purchases a gift from the list. Otherwise, you may receive multiples of the same gift on accident.

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9) You can absolutely register for gift cards. Wedding ettiquete says directly asking for cash is a no-no, but gift cards are acceptable. If you do prefer cash, it's best to tell your wedding party and ask that they politely spread the word.

10) Say thanks! As soon as gifts start coming in, start writing thank you notes. This way you can write notes throughout the whole process without getting behind. Setting up a system to keep track of what came in and who it's from is a GREAT idea. Also, spending a little to purchase some nice thank you notes will let your guests know that you care enough to say thanks properly!

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I feel better about registering for our wedding gifts with these tips in mind.

Hope they're helpful to someone else! If they are, I would love to hear about it!

Also, know any registering tips I left out, that are important?? Please share!!!

Place Cards??

So Thanksgiving FLEW by!!! I spent some time with my family at home over the long weekend AND some time with Mr. M's family. One of his sister-in-laws has been working on some of the cutest little centerpiece additions!!! They're made from wooden blocks, wrapped in denim and then have a little wire sticking out of the top to hold pictures, place cards, etc. Then they're accented with pink bandana material and a turquoise star! They fit my theme perfectly!!! What do you think???

I'm pretty sure we won't be using place cards on our tables... Most of the weddings I've been to just don't... They kind of let you fend for yourself as far as seating goes... I'm thinking maybe we'll do a "Reserved for Bride and Groom's immediate family" or something to that affect on the two or three closest tables to the head table.

Anyone have any suggestions as far as using or not using place cards?? I just feel like they're unneccessary... But if you feel really strongly for or against, I'd love to hear from you!!!

It's almost a shame I'm not that into the idea, because there are some SUPER cute options for place cards out there... Like these using horseshoes...

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Here's another GREAT use of horseshoes for place cards, in the bottom picture!

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Hmm.... on second thought maybe I will do place cards... Just so I can use the horseshoe ideas... So cute! ;)

I LOVE the little horseshoes holding their name cards in the top left corner!!! And the twine is a nice touch!

Meet Kassi and Mr. M

Introducing the bride and groom! <3

The Bride - Miss Kassi

I am 25 years old... Just getting started in the "real" world having graduated with my MBA in December 2010. I actually have a day job, which is a wonderful thing in this economy, and I really love! Blogging, and all things Internet really, are my fun things to waste time and just enjoy myself. :)

I love bright colors, fun with my friends and most of all spending time with Mr. M and our two dogs.

The Groom - Mr. M

Mr. M is my cowboy. He rides and trains horses for a living (at least for right now). We have the same Bachelors degree in Agricultural Science. Mr. M's passion is team roping. He'd rather be roping than doing anything else. Which is great! Gotta love a man with a passion for something!

We have known each other since we were  young (10-11 years old). We reconnected in college and "dated" off and on for the first two or so years...

Our anniversary, at least the one we use, is the first time we said I Love You, because we're not sure what other date to go off of... :) It'll be 5 years since that day this coming April.

Nate proposed April 2010 on our "anniversary" and since then I have been in wedding planning mode! So far I know I would like a western-ish theme and bright, beautiful colors! That being said, I've already changed my mind once from an original idea... But I feel like western/bright is really who Nate and I are as a couple. 

We both come from small towns in the southwest (NM and AZ) so a small town, western, but still fun and bright wedding is right up our alley!!!

Nice to meet you! Um... blog style. :)

Welcome to my wedding blog!

Hello!!! I am Kassi and this is my wedding blog, "My Road to Mrs"! Welcome!!

I'm fairly new to the blogging community, having just started my first blog a few weeks ago... But I already LOVE it! With that said, in getting acquainted with the blogging world I discovered several blogs where ladies (and gents) share their wedding planning experience. I think this is a GREAT idea! So here it is... my wedding planning, documented for prosterity. :)

I would've loved to call this blog Kassi and Mr. M (as I will refer to my fiance): Our Road to Mr and Mrs, but my guy isn't the blogging type. They say you marry someone like your father and Mr. M is very much like my dad (which has its advantages and its drawbacks...) Dad can barely use an Internet Search Engine.... Mr. M has mastered the art of e-mail, but that's as far as his Internet interest takes him. Which is ok by me! I need to have MY own thing anyway... :)

So again, welcome to my blog! I hope you enjoy reading about my wedding exploits as much as I enjoy blogging about them!