Honeymoon Booked!

Despite being excessively organized for some parts of the wedding, we've been very unorganized and spontaneous about other parts.  Take for example our honeymoon.  Most people have been pretty shocked when we tell them we dont know where we're going or what we're doing.  Well today, we BOOKED our trip. In 8 days we're getting married and in 10 days, we'll be in the crazy and wild jungles of Belize.

For backstory, we weren't sure if we were even going to take a honeymoon. Restricted funds and time meant that our dream dream trip may have to be put on hold. But, after getting a new job and being allowed time off to Honeymoon, we decided we should take advantage of the time off and go somewhere. 

Some of us wanted to go to Asia, while others of us wanted to go to the Caribbean, we compromised and decided to go to Central America.  Initially we looked at Costa Rica but ultimately settled on beautiful Belize. We did extensive research on where to go and what to do and found a few hotels we liked...we booked the flights on Monday and the Hotels today.  So excited to go!

Yeah!

-MW

PS.  So the additional backstory on this is that after we booked the flights, I went to go look for my passport which i havent seen since my Japan trip a year ago.  Looked all over and for two days could not find it.  I went into panic mode and started researching how to quickly get another one while both Andy and I tore the house apart looking for it.  Just when we were about to give up, we looked in teh garage, and the 10th box buried under all our junk was another box.  BINGO!  Passport found!  but now we're two days behind on  wedding things...

Official?

Now that Andy is back from RAAM, wedding planning has gotten into full swing.  With only 31 days left the pressure to get everything figured out (and under budget) is maddening. 

Yesterday we had a full day.  In the morning, we went down to Van Nuys to get our marriage license.  Andy figured out that we could do part of it online and then just go down there to pick it up.  Theoretically it saved us some time but it still took us over an hour of waiting for our turn and swearing that we were who we said we were.  I'm actually glad that it was only an hour, it had the potential to be a complete and total nightmare.  Now we have a temporary license that says we have to get married in the next 90 days.  So I guess we're more or less on the hook.

In the afternoon we met with Candice our wedding coordiantor.  She had a whole list of questions that we had no answer to (like, where are we getting ready?  who is doing hair and makeup, etc. etc. etc.) After that stress of not having all the answers, we grabbed dinner and came home to DIY.  Of course, that turned out to be too much wedding stuff for a day so we ended up inviting the Bandich sisters over and we ended up eating dinner, going to get ice cream and renting New Moon.

Today's a new day and now its off to errands, reordering bridesmaid dresses, and getting on the same page about how this wedding thing is going to be.

Need to Vent

Thats what blogs are for, right?  To vent one's frustrations in a public forum but still able to act passive aggressive if one needs to? 

So, I've built my dream team.  Every vendor that I'm working with has been amazingingly supportive and on board to work with us on our "vision".  All the vendors, but one.  Now, I could go on a public rant (which I will) about this vendor but I can't call them out because, quite frankly, I need them.  I need them to provide me with a service and I need them to do it without fearing retribution. So, I'm stuck right?  I've realized that this one vendor is the one that is feeding my stress over the event.  Its the reason I can't sleep at night, its the reason that I have anxiety about what will happen next.  This one vendor has single handedly cast a dark cloud over the wedding.  Yes, I'm working to get over it.  Yes, I dont want one person/business to ruin this special event but quite frankly, they're doing a good job at it.

This wedding planning hasn't been perfect but its been manageable with the exception of this one thing...I cant wait until after the wedding when I get to post my flaming review.

Blogging

Well, whats the point of a blog if you never write anything...or if you end up writing things only every other week.  I've always felt that Blogs should be read almost daily and updated almost daily with relevant and interesting news, rants, etc. I've felt an enormous amount of stress the last few days trying to figure out which wedding ideas will work and fit with your budget...oh to have an unlimited budget...In the last two weeks, Andy and I have taken our engagement photos at the Huntington Gardens, found a person to marry us, finalized groomsmen outfits, narrowed down bridesmaid outfits (yes I know we are 38 days away) and started writing thank you notes.  It took us awhile but we finally got all the invitations out and while there is still alot to do, I feel a bit better about where we are.  Now, we have to figure out our DIY projects and  go from there.  Andy gets back on Monday from Race Across America and I hope he knows what he's in for - our house has turned into a little mini sweatshop...

PS.  You can follow some of Andy's adventures at http://raamdoc.blogspot.com/2011/06/enjoy-view-if-you-can.html

And, We're Back!

After a brief hiatus (where we moved, didnt have internet, celebrated my birthday and Andy's birthday, and I accepted a job offer) we're back on the wedding planning train.  With less than 58 days to go, some of us (i.e. me) are beginning to panic that we dont have all the details figured out. And, with Andy leaving to do RAAM for 17 days (thats filming it, not riding in it) there is alot to do before he leaves.  So,  next up is marriage licenses, tuxedo fitting, and final decisions on bridesmaid dresses.  We also have a walkthru, engagement session, and some craft projects to do too. Whoosh, I'm tired just thinking about it.

- MW

Crimes Against Bridesmaids

My friend Gretchen recently posted a link on her blog "On the Tart Side" an interesting article entitled "Crimes Against Bridesmaids".  I have to say, I found myself cringing before I even clicked on the link.  Was I going to be one of these offenders?  Sure I have an opinion, sure I want things to be a certain way but man, I hope I don't become a bridezilla.  Keep your fingers crossed.

- MW

We have a caterer

We've been looking for the perfect caterer for our wedding and its been much more difficult than I had anticipated.  We asked about 10 caterers for proposals and were lucky to attend several yummy tastings but trying to find a company that can take your vision and translate it to something delicious (while staying in your price range) was not as easy to find.

Andy and I got very lucky when somebody recommended Kensington Caterers to us.  They catered several events that my parents had been to and their experiences were very positive.  When I reached out to Richard and Jennifer, they were super nice and extremely easy to work with.  At our tasting, Richard entertained us with fun stories and we realized how many people we both knew. (Richard seriously knows everyone. I can't believe we'd never met before, although we may have hoisted a round together at a now-hazy St Patrick's Day party...)  Richard and Jennifer got our vision right away and  formulated a wonderful menu that I think everyone will enjoy.

We met with Kensington yesterday to do a walkthrough of Cravens Estate.  They had such amazing suggestions and were so supportive, I can't wait to see how the wedding comes out.  If you're looking for a caterer, try Kensington and tell them that Melissa and Andy sent ya.

- MW