Long Distance Brides

i noticed there were a few of us on here ... so i figured i'd start this

i'm planning from california and finding that i can't do anything but force my FH to go out there and do the work. i wish i could just go out there for a month and plan everything!

so where are you planning from ?

Re: Long Distance Brides

Northern Virginia. What a pain! And what an even bigger pain for you
Good luck!

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I planned my Long Island wedding from Boston. You can do it! :o) Just takes a few very well scheduled weekend visits...

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Florida here. Plan a weekend or two on LI and jam everything in. I also decided that if vendors would not be a little more understanding with me then I would not deal with them. In the begining I spent a lot of time on the phone calling vendors and if they would not quote me prices then I decided not to use them.

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I planned my wedding from the DC metro area and it is definately doable. You have to designate people to do things. My mom and others were very busy for me up in NY.

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I'm in NJ. It's not that far...I'm around the Princeton area but it's still hard to come out to LI often. I plan on coming to LI the next few weekends to try and do the church and look at possible reception locations. I know it won't be as easy as we hope but I am looking forward to it. I agree though...pick a couple weekends and try to do as much as you possibly can!

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I feel for you ladies...I am planning from NYC for a hamptons wedding and that seems like long disctance most of the time!!!

AimDom - I graduated from St. A's too...but in '92. (My fi's brother graduated in 95, I think.)

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Hey St. A's here too! I graduated in 94, my sis in 91, my cousin in 90 and another cousin in 87!

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I am also planning my LI wedding from Boston. I have crammed in a lot of appoitnments on weekends that I visit. It is hectic, but I always feel like a got a lot accomplished when I am done. I have found some vendors to be very helpful and accomodating while others were not. Those that were not helpful, I did not even bother to meet.

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I'm planning from Texas. Just cram a bunch of things into two trips. We took one trip to visit sites for the reception. For everything else I have depended on suggestion from other brides on this website and the wedding channel website. I don't know what I would have done if there was no internet.

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I'm planning from the metro D.C. area as well. I was home briefly for the holidays and was able to secure the reception hall. I'm compiling my list of vendors to contact, and what I can't take care of over the phone/e-mail I'll be cramming into a couple of visits to L.I. Thank goodness for this site and all of the great reviews from fellow brides!!!! It has been such a great resource!

Re: Long Distance Brides

this is great advice girls .. i doubt i'll be able to get 2 trips in before the wedding .. but hopefully i can make the appointments for FH and have him narrow them down - and then i can go out and finalize.

im surprised there's so many of us

Re: Long Distance Brides

sonia, this board should make your job very easy. The more specific your questions the better in terms of receiving help. For instance, there was a post here yesterday asking everyone first and second choice of photographers. That isn't helpful as far as I'm concerned -- you have no idea about the tastes and budgets of the brides. A better question would have been: I am looking for a studio that has both portrait photographers and photojournalists, as I would like to hire one of each. However, I can only afford $5000 and need 2 parent albums in addition to my own. Do you know some photographers that I should consider? OR: I need a photographer that can do both color portraits and black and white candids. I don't want to hire two photographers, as I can only spend $4000 but want huge albums. Etc etc. Look for brides getting married at similar places to you, and drill them for impressions. (I visited 9 photographers, and could certainly tell you which among them would be appropriate to each of the sample questions above) Make sense?

Re: Long Distance Brides

Good point Valenia!

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Planning from DC here too! We just did a marathon wedding planning week (more like 3 days) while up there during the holidays! You can definitely do it, but I agree that you have got to be focused!! and if a vendor gives you trouble and doesn't want to work with you over the phone/email, go elsewhere. There are plenty of vendors that are awesome to long distance brides! And i just don't know what i would have done with the internet (and this site in particular!)

Plus, work with your reception site. they should have set vendors that they work with a lot (and even more that they are willing to tell you about). Plus, depending on who it is, they may have awesome ideas. Lovin Oven has been positively fabulous!!!!!!! GOOD Luck!!!

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I planned from CA as well - San Francisco. Where are you?

It definitely made for hectic trips home, but it also allowed us to keep our lives while planning the wedding. We weren't totally consumed by it.

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Planning from Baltimore... I was home for a week at Christmas, and it was a blur of Photographer interviews- I called it my 'working vacation'. Planning long distance is challenging, but this board is so tremendously helpful, it aids in narrowing down choices of vendors etc... Good luck!!

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valenia ~ great advice

lisat ~ im in san jose

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I'm planning from San Diego California and going out at the end of March to do EVERYTHING before my July wedding. I've got 3 days to meet with my florist, dj, reception hall - to pick menu, do a hair trial, have my bridal shower and bachelorette party, limos, I can't remember what else but it's going to be stressful alright.

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WOW! I can't believe there are so many long distance brides!! Planning from Rochester, NY...every visit down to LI is a working vacation...we usually try to schedule appointments on long holiday weekends. On a side note, did you guys know that most major holidays fall on Fridays and Mondays for 2003? Memorial day, the 4th, Labor day. Woo Hoo! So, for you '04 brides, book some long weekend visits. Last memorial day weekend we saw 12 reception halls! Next trip down will be the photographer hunt!