One step forward, two steps back

Last weekend, we gathered a group of friends together to go and have dinner with a caterer we were trying out.  Everyone was very excited and we all arrived at 6:30.  However, when we arrived, the doors were locked and the chef was no where to be found.  I gave her a call and it turns out that she has two calendars and only wrote our appointment in one and not the other.  She has offered to waive the tasting fee of $200 for her mistake, so I have rescheduled the dinner for next weekend.  In the meantime, I am contacting other caterers.  Not sure how much I trust this one, but we shall see if we can find a better deal elsewhere.

The food is the last big item that needs to be found.  After that its only the details.  This upcoming Friday, a bunch of friends are coming over to start working on some of the decorations.  I will post pictures next week!

We have a dress!

Friday the 13th was a lucky day for me in dress shopping!  My mom and my Matron of Honor, Laetitia drove up to San Francisco to Marina Morrison Bridal Salon.  Walking into the place, I knew that it was where I would find my dress.  The fact that they carry Claire Pettibone's line of gowns was just a bonus.

I tried on about 6 or 7 gowns, and they were all gorgeous and lacy and romantic.  The second dress I tried on though, was 'the' dress.  Its very simple and romantic and perfect for the garden wedding.  In four and a half months will be my first fitting for the dress.  I can't wait!

Say 'yes' to the dress...or just 'maybe'

The dress shopping process has begun.  While there are several gowns that I have seen pictures of and really liked, there has been a voice in the back of my head saying "But how does it look on you?".  So today, I attempted to answer that question.

I am not a big fan of the popular strapless, mermaid, flair style that is out there in all the magazines.  I've always been attracted to more of a vintage, whimsical style.  Several years ago, I stumbled across Claire Pettibone.  I immediately fell in love with her "Forget Me Not" dress as well as several others.  When I found a San Francisco boutique that carried her line, I knew that when I started shopping I would have to go to this shop and try some of the CP dresses on, which I will be on April 13th!!!

Ms. Pettibones dresses are rather expensive, so I decided to try and look into a few other designers that were whimsical like her.  There really aren't that many out there, but I was able to find a boutique in San Mateo called, Nouvelle Vogue.  This past Friday, my mom and I headed over there to try on some dresses.  Here's what I learned:

Empire waists with a plunging neckline are very flattering on me.  I tried on 6 or 7 gowns and only two really flattered my body type.  One Jenny Packham gown had the empire waist and was chiffon and silk.  A very romantic style that was very comfortable.  It was definitely a dress that I could imagine me walking down the aisle in, but it didn't say "this is it!".

The other dress was a fun ruffled skirt that could be adjusted to show some leg, with a fitted bodice on top also by Jenny Packham.  It definitely showed off my curves and was very cute on me, but I decided that I didn't want to be wearing a corset all night long.

The ladies that own the shop were trying to make the sale and pressure me into making the purchase that day.  After reading several articles and talking to friends who have recently gone through the dress buying  process, I knew that I shouldn't feel pressured into making a decision, plus I still have my appointment at the San Francisco boutique.  If I can't find anything that speaks to me (and my pocket book), I will probably go back to the romantic empire waisted Jenny Packham gown.

Since I have less than 6 months, the pressure is definitely on for finding the gown, but I am going to really try to not rush into anything.  Cross your fingers for me!  The hunt continues!

Checking off Wedding To Do's

Slowly, but surely we are getting vendors lined up.  We have a magician for the cocktail hour, a DJ, and a photographer.  This week, I am calling more caterers to try and find a better deal and hopefully, I will start making appointments for the wedding dress.

We are also planning all the pre-wedding festivities like the engagement party, the bridal shower and of course, the batchelorette party!

Thats really all there is to update right now.  According to my check list on TheKnot.com, there are 180 days left!

Lodging

We've been busily planning and pulling things together for the wedding.  The first DIY night is set and many of our friends have offered to come and help with the multiple projects I have in mind!  Photographers, DJs, caterers and other entertainment has been contacted and a few have been booked.

Of course, there are always the speed bumps to deal with in the planning process.  The latest bump is lodging problems.  With 200 guests, most of which are out of town, it hasn't been easy finding a hotel that isn't booked for another wedding.  We have found blocks of rooms at a few different locations, and we are still looking for more.  For anyone reading this, we will be getting the discount code for the Holiday Inn Express in Windsor .  There are also rooms available at the Geyserville Inn and we are trying to negotiate a lower price for those rooms as well.  What we have been told is that if you call again in July, more rooms will be opened up, so here's hoping!  We will keep you all updated as we figure it out!

On to securing a photographer for engagement photo's and then the Save the Date!

We have a date!

On March 11, Robert and I took another day trip to the wine country to see a potential venue.  This time we went a little further and ended up in Geyserville.  

The venue is called The Little House and its a privately owned home that the couple rents out for weddings 6 times a year.  The owner had both her sons weddings there and decided it was a lot of fun, so she opened it up to the public.  

We were greeted by her and her two dogs Felix and Olive, and were taken out into the gardens.  It was beautiful!  Lush lawns with a quiet pool surrounded by large oak trees, and all around the gardens we saw vineyards and hills and beautiful landscape.  I fell in love with the place.  Robert made me wait a few days before deciding for sure if this was the spot.  Had to way the pro's and con's.  Here is everything I had to think about:

Lodging:  Healdsburg and Geyserville are the closest cities to the venue.  They are about 20 minutes outside.  Not too bad.  Roberts task is to look into hotels and book a block of rooms and then arrange a shuttle service.

Parking:  Not a lot of parking.  Have to have a valet service and/or shuttle service to bring guests to the location.  It will be an added cost, but at least we won't have to worry about anyone driving home when they shouldn't.

Set up:  We will have to rent our own tables, chairs, and a dance floor which is another added cost.

Food/beverages:  We get to pick our own caterer and bring in our own alcohol and soft drinks.  This will ultimately save us money.

Vendors:  We get to bring in any vendors we want which has been a problem at most of the spots we have looked at.  They all require their own florists and bakers and caterers to be used.  Understandable since those vendors know the spot, but those vendors always tend to be a little more expensive.

Location:  Its charming, quiet and exactly what I was looking for.  There is even a play structure in a grove of trees that my "little" guests can play in while the grown ups party!

So, the pro's out weighed the cons (but really I loved the place and would make it work any way I could!)

So...save the date.  September 29th, 2012!  Here are some pictures of the place:

The view from the one of the lawn.  It will have a lot more color and foliage in September.

As guests walk in they will see this view.

A view of the lawn where ceremonies usually take place.  

Stairs leading up to the other lawn.

A view from the second lawn.  This is usually where the receptions are

The back part of Little House

The kids play ground

The pergola leading to the front entry.

Now I'm off to locate a photographer and a caterer!!!

Picking a theme for the wedding...

One of the first things I started thinking about (besides finding a venue) was the theme for our wedding.  I wanted something that really fit both our personalities and described our relationship.  Whenever we went on long car rides, we would chat about what theme we would like for the wedding and came up with a few, but none really clicked or seemed cohesive with other aspects of the wedding.  We thought of using romantic theatrical plays or operas, Shakespearean plays, and book titles, but it just wasn't clicking.  As I was perusing through a bridal magazine, I saw an article on "storybook" themed weddings and I showed it to Robert and we both loved it right away.

Now I'm sure you are asking, how does this describe their relationship?  Lets go back a ways; one of my favorite Disney movies and the "princess" that I connected with the most was Beauty and the Beast. A few years ago, my mom found a Lennox figurine set with Belle and the Beast, however she felt that having the Beast on the cake was a little offensive to Robert and wrote to Lennox that they should create a set with Belle and the Prince.  A year later, they came out with that figurine, so my mom bought it as well.  Also, for our one year anniversary, I told Robert not to buy me any gifts, but to make me something.  He made me Storybook cookies and pulled them out one by one and told me the story.  Here are a few of the cookies:

The final piece of the puzzle was the television show we were watching when he proposed, "Once Upon a Time".  Funny enough, the episode was the Beauty and the Beast episode.  It was meant to be.