Real Wedding: Dutchess Golf and Country Club In Poughkeepsie Coming Soon Summer 2010 
My fiance and I have been dating for nine years, so our engagement was a long time coming! During that time, I imagined various scenarios of what our wedding might be like someday. Then he proposed…which almost instantaneously propelled my brain into overdrive, until I developed what resembled a panic attack at the mere glimpse of a wedding magazine.
This unnecessary stress caused me to scrutinize my fiancé for the most ridiculous reasons (like having an opinion.) Eventually, I began to simply talk to him and came to realize that “I” was not planning a wedding, but “WE” were planning it together.
At that moment, we set out to enjoy ourselves through the overall planning process. We talked about our expectations, our vision, our limits; which made all of our decisions that much simpler. From there, everything just started to come together naturally.
I am in no way implying that there haven't been any “bumps” in the road, but during this overwhelming, and at times, all-consuming process, I found it important to remember that we are not attempting it alone…just like the rest of our lives.
The Location – Dutchess Golf and Country Club
With that in mind, we are truly confident that we have found some of the best vendors in the area. We decided to have our wedding at the Dutchess Golf and Country Club in Poughkeepsie, due to its convenient location (close to several hotels), gorgeous grounds, and spacious (we expect about 250 guests) clubhouse overlooking the golf course. The event coordinator, was incredibly accommodating with both menu and pricing options. We coordinated with her and their experienced culinary chef to create a package that easily suited our exact needs and expectations.
The Officiant – Hudson Valley Ceremonies
Our wedding ceremony will also be located on the golf course, so one of our first agenda items was obtaining an officiant. We contacted Hudson Valley Ceremonies and booked Rev. Debra Romano, who vowed to work with us as closely as possible to create our own personal and unique ceremony.
Little did we know, making that call would be one of the best decisions we ever made! Since then, we have worked with the wonderful (and life-saving) Jeanne Stark to order our save-the-date magnets, invitations, and even booked our honeymoon to St. Lucia! She is always professional, provides valued advice from years of experience, and has been so incredibly helpful in getting everything we have needed (with discounts to boot!). We consider her our "Jeanne"-of-all-trades.
The Dress – The Bridal Cottage
When it came time to order my gown, I went to the Bridal Cottage in Kingston. Although I originally found the dress elsewhere, I had Gladys specially order it there. Not only is she one of the most adoring people to work with, but she is also an experienced seamstress with an impeccable eye for how clothing should fit and look on your body (her counterpart Arnee has dubbed her, "the boob lady.")
I was so impressed that I decided to have my bridesmaids dresses ordered there as well. These ladies have made each of my girls feel comfortable and confident that they will look amazing for our
wedding.
Photos – Duane Beyer Photography
Video – Kennerson Productions
As with most couples, documentation of our wedding was important to us. We feel incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon both our photographer, Duane Beyer Photography, and videographer, Kennerson Video Productions. They offered quality, exceptional work for a fraction of the typical cost.
Both Duane and Michael were incredibly accommodating, experienced, and most of all, genuine. They simply just love what they do, which is demonstrated with every piece they produce.
The Colors: Black & White with Bright Jewel-Tone Flowers
Our ultimate goal was to have the wedding reflect our personalities. We like the idea of simple, yet elegant design, so we decided on black and white (damask pattern accents) with bright jewel-tone flowers.
As far as wedding details, I read an article written by Stephanie Padovani, "37 Easy, Cheap Ways To Wow Your Guests With A Wedding That Is Totally You". We were able to use this as a guideline and came up with different ideas, such as having the guest book surrounded by photographs of our family (I got the frames at Hobby Lobby at 50% off!). We both love to play games, so we are adding touches of "fun", like field games for the kids and personalized decks of playing cards for our favors.
My bridesmaids and I are also planning on collaborating to hand-make our ceremony programs, menu cards, and maybe even our centerpieces (that depends on how creative we can get!) We hope that these touches will create that personal effect to surprise all of our guests.
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|Registered |2010-01-26 16:16:34 Aunt Rita - I can't wait!
You know that I love you guys and whatever you do and how ever you do your wedding, it will be wonderfully special and I will be there with smiles and to wish you much happiness. Abundant blessings for you both,
Aunt Rita
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|96.32.21.xxx |2011-01-20 23:16:35 Joann Vazquez Durant - Congratulations!
Michelle wow how exciting, I'm so happy for you! I lost your e-mail address so I tried to see if you facebook and it promted me to your article. Congratulations to both you & Dan, may God bless you guys. You are going to make a beautiful bride. Well as for me I became a momma to an adorable little girl a month ago, Mia looks alot like her daddy but has my spiciness so I will be paying for all the hell I gave my parents, lol! Well good luck & enjoy every moment of your special day it will be here before you know it.
