Wedding Updates :)

I am so bad at updating our wedding website but here are the items that we have checked off our wedding checklist (I feel like we have a lot done, but there is still so much more to do...):

Place: Beacon Hill Golf Club, Commerce Twp (ceremony outside unless the weather is bad)

Date: Saturday, October 2, 2010 (10-2-10 is easy to remember)

Ceremony and Reception Time: Ceremony 5:30pm - 6pm, Cocktail Hour 6pm - 7pm, Reception 7pm - 12am

Reception Food & Beverages: Appetizers, Ceasar salad, Alfredo pasta, Filet (prepared medium rare to medium) and Chicken, potatoes, and vegatables. Late night pizza and open bar closing at 11:30pm

Officiant: Rabbi Kolton (she does inter-faith ceremonies)

Ceremony Music: Harpist

Cocktail Hour and Reception Music: DJ - Star Trax

Photographer: Rawlinson's Photography (already did our engagement session and loved them!)

Wedding Gown: I Do Too in Plymouth (unfortunately I can't show a picture of the dress because Ryan will see it)

Veil and Head Piece: Elegant Invitations and Bridal

Unity Sand Kit: Elegant Invitations and Bridal

Wedding Party:
Matron of Honor - Kristin Rolfe (cousin/friend)
Bridesmaids - Maria Batchelder (friend), Erica Kissau (friend), Jessica Johnson (friend), Lori Tapper (Ryan's sister), Cortney Toler (cousin/friend)
Flower Girl - Emily Vesschemoet (step-niece)
Greeter - Kristen Palombo (friend)

Best Man - Adam Tapper (brother)
Groomsmen - Jason Batchelder (friend), Steve Schulist (friend), Stuart Solomon (friend), Daniel Lerner (friend), David Fienman (friend)
Ring Bearer - Johnathan Ramsey (Melissa's brother)

Bridesmaid dresses: David's Bridal - color Lapis (dark purple) http://www.davidsbridal.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplayView?storeId=10052&catalogId=10051&catentryId=6097284

Bride and Bridesmaids Hair: Sarah from Luna Studio

Bride and Bridesmaids Makeup: Bridal Beauty on Locaiton

Wedding Bands: Tapper's
Ryan's ring - http://ritani.com/products/view/1069
Melissa's ring -

Our Engagement Story...

Ryan proposed on Tuesday, August 25, 2009! He picked up the engagement ring that day and couldn't wait to propose! He was planning to go the place where we had our first date, which was Bravo, an Italian restaurant and mini golf and go karts, but he couldn't wait.

We were eating dinner at our house (just the 2 of us) and we didn't have the air conditioning on that day. So I asked Ryan, while we were eating, if he would mind going upstairs to get a fan because it was too hot to finish eating. When he went upstairs, he asked himself "should I do it now?". So then, he came downstairs, set the fan down and got down on one knee right in front of where I was sitting at our kitchen table and asked me to marry him. I don't remember everything he said because I was so surprised that he was asking at that time, but I remember him asking me to marry him and telling me how much he loved me and wanted to take care of me :) It was perfect because I wanted to be surprised :)

Our Engagement Party!

My Aunt Kay and her husband Ken throw us an engagement party at their house on September 20, 2009. It was a great party! We had our closest family and friends there to help us celebrate and we had cocktails and appetizers.


Ryan and I and my girlfriends....Maria, Rosie, Sarah Kollar, Kristen Palombo, Jessy, Kristin Rolfe, Erica, Jennifer, and Andrea















The future Mr. & Mrs. Tapper




















Ryan and I and his guys...Stuart, Steve, Jason Batchelder, Kyle, Jason Fox, and Travis
















Kristin and I




















Jessy and Jason




















Travis and Kristin




















My Aunt Kim and my Mom

Wedding Location: Beacon Hill Golf Club!

After looking at 4 other places this past weekend, Ryan and I finally decided on a place and a date (October 2, 2010) to get married :) We showed this place to my Mom and Bob and Debbie and Jeff. They all loved it there! This place is in Commerce township and is so beautiful...the ceremony will be outside unless the weather does not cooperate and then, it will be inside. Our reception will 100% be inside. The following is a quote from one of wedding documents we received from the banquet coordinator (it describes the ceremony site exactly):

Have your ceremony at one of the most beautiful outdoor wedding sites in Oakland County!

Beacon Hill Golf Club and Brentwood Golf Club and Banquet Centers are proud to show you our outdoor wedding ceremony sites. Imagine walking out of our two-story clubhouse and completing your trip down a curved brick pavers aisle to your future husband waiting below. Your guests are seated in white chairs on a tiered lawn in a beautifully landscaped setting. You reach your destination where your bridal party awaits; a white open air pergola with the blue sky above you and a 35 acre lake in front of you or at Brentwood awaits a beautiful white gazebo with our golf course as your backdrop.

The First 10 Steps for Wedding Planning

Now you have your website and an article about the first 10 things to do once your engaged to get you started! I love you guys and I am so happy for you!
Love, Kristin:)

1. Enjoy being engaged
Kiss each other a thousand times. Jump up and down saying "We're engaged!" Stare at the engagement ring. Take the time to write down in detail how you got engaged. Contemplate the wonderful things ahead of you. Take pictures of yourselves with the engagement ring. Kiss each other a thousand more times. Read more about making your engagement special

2. Tell your parents
You should tell your parents of your impending nuptials before anyone else. (Unless of course, you are estranged.) Both of you should be present and ideally you will tell them in person - they'll have a chance to see your happiness up close, look at the rock, and start talking about the wedding. Traditionally the bride's parents know before the groom's do, but any order is really fine. Then share the news with a few close friends - the ones who are likely candidates for maid/matron of honor and best man, or definite attendants in some capacity.

3. Purchase a journal if you don't already have one
This will be a time of ten thousand moments you won't want to forget, as well as some frustrating times that you'll need to vent about, and not necessarily to your partner. The journal you keep while planning your wedding will not only help you through this time, but it will be something you cherish for the rest of your life. If you're internet savvy kinds of folks, you may also consider doing this journaling online at a site such as Livejournal.

4. Announce Your Engagement
Tell everyone the good news! There are many ways of doing this, and no way is more correct or better than another.
Read about engagement announcement etiquette and see samples of engagement announcements.
Consider:

• Announcing your engagement in print publications
• Mailing announcements to your family and friends
• Creating a wedding website

5.Set the Date
One of the most important decisions you will make as you plan your wedding. Not only will it be the first question everyone will ask you, but you'd be surprised how difficult it will be to make any progress on planning your wedding without knowing the date. How to Set Your Wedding Date

6. Set the Tone of Your Event

4. This is the time to decide if you're having a formal wedding, a casual affair, or a theme wedding. It's also the time to decide on having a religious or secular ceremony. In short, you need to decide what you want your wedding to feel like. A good way to begin is to sit down with your partner and do some free writing about your ideal wedding. Look at the adjectives that each of you write and use them as a starting point. You should also check out my wedding style pages and Should You Have a Religious Wedding? for some helpful hints.

7. Set the Budget
Start off by using a printable wedding budget worksheet. Look at your finances and figure out how much you already have in savings, and how much you can save each month. Talk to each of your parents and ask them if they'd like to contribute to your wedding, and either how much they'd like to give you, or what specific things they'd like to pay for. Lastly, decide how much you feel comfortable going into debt. I strongly advise couples to avoid debt as much as possible. Since married couples fight about money more than anything else, why start marriage with debt on your backs? At this time you may consider opening a new credit card just for the wedding that will earn you airline miles, cash back, or other incentives. It's a good way for you to keep track of wedding expenses, and can help you pay for your honeymoon. Just try to pay it off in full each month.

8. Choose Your Attendants
As your attendants do a lot more than just stand next to you on the day of the wedding, now is the time to get them involved. While some couples opt not to have any attendants at all, especially if they're having a casual event, most choose between 2 and 12 members of the bridal party. Look over these lists of responsibilities for bridesmaids and groomsmen before you make your final choices. If they live nearby, its nice to ask someone in person, but a phone call is fine for those who live far away. You may also want to read How many bridesmaids and groomsmen should you have? or How many bridesmaids and groomsmen is too many?

9. Start Looking for Venues for Ceremony and Reception
Many venues are booked a year in advance, so the further in advance you start looking, the more likely you are to get the time, date, and cost that you've planned for. Read more about finding your venue.

10. Get Support
The successful bride and groom do not plan their wedding alone - they get help! This may be from professionals, respected publications, or trusted friends who've planned their own weddings.

• Consider hiring a wedding planner or consultant. Especially if you are a busy person, or just feel a little lost, a professional can be invaluable in putting together your ideal day, and can often save you money.
• Visit our forum to chat with other engaged couples, the marriage forum to get advice from couples who've already walked down the aisle, and the honeymoons forum to plan that trip of a lifetime.
• Use online checklists - they're free, and especially helpful if you're planning with your mother or future spouse in another state. The most important of these forms is the overall wedding checklist which will help you stay on top of all of your important todos.
• If you're like most couples, you'll come home from the bookstore with a few thousand pounds of wedding magazines - why not throw in a wedding planning book as well? While the internet offers many useful tools, a book is portable when you visit vendors and can accommodate the many brochures, swatches and other items you'll be collecting. If you are budget conscious, purchase a three ring binder, and build your own planner with printouts from the internet.

Now that you've made all these decisions, you have a solid foundation for your wedding! It's now time for the fun stuff - dresses, tuxes, flowers, music, favors and more! Remember to use a checklist to help yourself stay organized and on top of it all.