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

Here We Go Again...Brideshows

I love tradeshows.  Any kind.  Car, electronic, entertainment, video games, travel, hospitality, construction, and even teacher shows.  So, it's no surprise that I love bridal shows.  Everything about them is fun to me.  Meeting people, seeing all the cool displays, getting new ideas and most of all entering the contests and picking up all the free stuff.  (I guess this is how I end up with a lot of pens, pads, etc. )

I've gone to a number of shows over the last few months including many of the larger cookie cutter ones and a few of the smaller boutique ones and I have to say that in the last two weeks, I've gone to the worst bridal show:  The Wedding Salon (http://www.weddingsalon.com/events.cfm?id=92) and the best bridal show: Unveiled: Bridal Event  (http://www.unveiledevent.com/what.html). 

Granted, I've been to a few shows where it was just a cattle call and despite being a bride, I may not have been the target demographic but my last two events truly defined what a good event vs a bad event should be.

Here's how I evaluate a good bridal show and what Unveiled had:
- variety of vendors
- unique vendors
- vendors that want to talk to you and staffed with enough people that you can find somebody to speak with.
- decent venue and setup
- enough room to walk around
- decent free giveaways- whole cupcakes (thanks Wolfgang Puck!), mini pies (thanks Simple Things!)
- fantastic samples (lobster salads)
- decent contests (not required but definitely pushes a tradeshow over the top)
- deliver what they promise

Despite going to a number of shows, this one had vendors I've never met before who were all friendly and helpful.  The caterers provided some wonderful tasting food and the drinks were filled to the brim!  Samples were generous.  And, last but not least it wasn't super crowded and the venue and weather were perfect...Well worth the money that I paid to attend. 

Here's how I evaluate a bad bridal show and what The Wedding Salon had:
- overcrowded venue
- standard vendors
- no variety in vendors (i.e. having too many of the same type of vendor)
- bad giveaways; bad contests
- total disregard for the patrons
- expensive
- not delivering what they promised
- spamming you with tons of email before the show
- providing "free" stuff but then charging you for them

I can go on and on about how horrible the Wedding Salon event was.  Like, they give you a free ticket but then make you pay for a gift bag.  Pay?  for a free bag of stuff from a vendor??  Really?  Or, they promise great food and wine tasting and all they give you is a little cheese on a cracker and a sample of prosecco.  It was just way over hyped and delivered too little.  It also seemed like a a underhanded, poor marketing way to make a quick buck.  I talked to a vendor that was at both events and they were appalled to hear that we were charged for the gift bags. 

But, I want to leave this blog post on a good note.  I met some really great vendors at the event tonight and I hope I can work with them.  These include:

Simple Things Sandwich & Pie Shop (http://www.simplethingsrestaurant.com/)
2 Hearts B 1 (www.2heartsb1.com)
Flite Design (http://www.yelp.com/biz/flite-design-pasadena)

- MW

Re-Grouping

Yesterday was a busy day for us.  Andy met with another DJ, we went to a cake tasting, and we visited a stationary store on the westside.  We realize that we need to start making some decisions soon and in the next week we'll need to finalize (in no particular order) the caterer, the DJ, the wedding coordiantor, the photographer, and the cake.  We'll also need to start working on the invitations.  As part of that, we both realized that we need a theme of some sort.  Either of a specific color, a plant of some sort or a symbol that we can carry through all our materials. This has proven to be more difficult than we thought and we're now taking suggestions if anybody has any.

- MW

Skin in the Game

Well its official.  We dropped off contracts and deposits at Cravens Estate and at Alina Pizzano's.  So we're now contractually obligated and financially invested in the location and the wedding dress.  We also had our first meeting with a DJ.  They're significantly more expensive than we had anticiapted but we want everyone to have a fantastic time and a good DJ is an important part of that. And, based on our conversation with the DJ, we're now considering switching the dance floor with the lounge area.  Not sure it will work but we're going to play it out.

Say Yes to the Dress

With Andy out of town, I thought I could use the time to get a significant amount of wedding planning done. Turns out, I've done very little.  What I have accomplished, however, is finding a dress.  That's right.  I've finally found one.  Kinda.

I've always thought the wedding dress was over hyped.    I was never a huge fan of the wedding dress and I decided this was where I wanted to cut corners and save my budget for something else.  Yes, I want to look nice. Yes, I would like the dress to be pretty but other then that, I'm pretty indifferent about wedding dresses.  In fact, I started the entire dress shopping experience because of peer pressure.  "You havent ordered your dress?" and "You're going to run out of time" were two phrases I heard frequently.  I had planned to rent a dress or just get something easy but quickly realized that, that idea might not be possible.   Finally on my trip to NYC a few weeks ago, I decided to check out a few dresses.  I went to four places - Saks, Lovely Brides, J.Crew, and Bergdorfs.  Of course, the first dress I tried on at Saks was perfect.  I loved it and so did my friend Reena who came with me but of course, you can't love the first one and stop there, so I kept looking. Trying on about 30 more dresses.

I continued looking for dresses in Los Angeles, visiting sample sales, the Ivory Suite in South Pasadena, and even breaking down and visiting David's Bridal. I found a few I liked but nothing special.  That is, until I meet Alina Pizzano  (http://www.alinapizzano.com/).  My classmate Annjanette recommended her to  me and I decided to check out her recent trunk show.  I really enjoyed meeting Alina and felt that she understood what I was looking for.  Her price fit my budget and I'm very happy to say that I have now started the dress process. 

Next up, invitations, caterers, and photographers...

- MW

Our Blog - An Intro

The Intro
It seems that many brides-to-be start a wedding blog that chronicle the journey from single life to a married one.  While I liked reading them, I originally thought it was something that we would never do.  But then we started putting the wedding together and I realized that I had a lot to say.  There's an awful lot that happens when planning a wedding - or at least the kind I plan - and I realize that I wanted to remember most of it, years from now.  In fact, I wished that I had started this years ago when I was helping my sisters and friends plan their weddings.  So, even though Andy and I are two months into the planning stages of our wedding planning, I've decided to start a blog so that we would have a journal of the process.  Of course, I could have kept a private one but what fun would that be for all of you?

I'm also hoping that by doing it this way, Andy will feel compelled to write an entry or two.  Since most of this is informal, please excuse odd spellings, punctuations, and grammatical liberties. 

What is this WuFirs business?
Several years ago - maybe in 2003?  - Andy and I started playing a joint game of The Sims, a computer fantasy game that allows you to create characters and control their lives and actions. We decided to create Sims in our likeness with our astrological signs and personality traits.  We had to name our imaginary couple and the WuFirs were born (other names, FirWu, MelAn, lissaDy were all rejected in the naming process).  We quickly found that while we were compatible, the house got messy very quickly, we didnt make enough money, and we kept arguing about what type of furniture to put in the house.

As a sidenote, we no longer play Sims.  Our game playing ended abruptly one night when, while trying to cook dinner, the Andy WuFir caused a house fire and imploded. We decided never to play the game again.

- MW