Catering!

Well, our last big decision is very close to being checked off. We met with Gallucci's Catering today and went over menu options and an itemized list of what we need. We were given a price quote, with which we are happy. The next step is to set up the in-home (yes, they come to our house and cook our menu for us!) tasting. 

Here's the menu:

*Turkey

*Mashed potatoes and gravy

*Stuffing

*Sweet potatoes

*Corn

*Rolls and honey butter

Appetizers:

*Cheese spread with domestic and imported cheeses, crackers, and crusty bread

*Smoked salmon spread

We were very happy with Ron, the owner, who we met with this afternoon. He's a very nice guy who gave us a great deal. It's very exciting to have this decision made (well, almost). We will likely sign the agreement and pay our down payment when we set up the tasting in the next couple of days. The best thing about it was that he went over all these tiny details that we would have never considered. We both feel a lot more confident now that these little things are taken care of. We went above our budget, but not by that much, and since Nick's parents are paying for the majority of it, we feel pretty good about the remaining balance. 

A couple of things we still need to deal with:

1. Purchase the wine and champagne

2. Get the banquet license so we can serve the alcohol

3. Book the cake person (we need to do a few tastings for this)

 

One other note: DO NOT book Twelve Baskets catering. While their food was delicious when we sampled it at the Seattle Bridal Show, their staff is rude and obnoxious. We sent them an email with our menu and proposed budget (for food ONLY, we did not include linens and service in this cost when we emailed them), and they called us a few days later. The man I spoke to informed me that I could not feed 100 people at Taco Bell for this price (it was $2000, which was only a portion of our catering budget). I was so angry that I told him he didn't need to worry about my budget or my business and I hung up. He did not ask me what I expected that money to pay for, or if that was my budget for all the catering costs. He also informed me that, as they are based in Kirkland, I should maybe look in Tacoma or other "low budget" areas for "cheap" food. He was a condescending jerk and I will be spreading the word that Twelve Baskets is a horrible company.

Beyond the Twelve Baskets fiasco, things are good. We are so ahead of the game and it feels great! Give me a few more weeks though and I'm sure I will be freaking out about something new. Ah, the joys of wedding planning.

(Even though it is stressful, I am having so much fun doing this! I wish I could work in this industry. It really is so interesting and fast-paced. Maybe in the future . . . )

Fun Times

The Tacoma Bridal Expo was this weekend and I decided to go. I thought it would be good to set up tasting appointments with a few places (and I was obsessed with having another baby red potato from Twelve Baskets). Nick and I asked his friend, Austin to go with, ostensibly to find him a "cute bridesmaid." Now, imagine me walking into the bridal show with Nick (and a groom sticker one of the ladies at the door stuck on him) and Austin as we are surrounded by brides, their mothers, and their friends. It was hilarious. I came with two boys. I think some people thought I was nuts. 

Things only got funnier as Nick and Austin started looking around and became overwhelmed. This show was 1/4 the size of the Seattle show, so I thought they could handle it. I finally had to lay down the law about not accepting photographer, gown, and venue brochures as my bag was starting to fill up and they were taking anyone that was thrown at them. Then Nick became obsessed with talking to every travel booth about Tahiti, the Mayan Riviera, and Paris. Every time I turned around he had disappeared and then would reappear with an armful of travel brochures. 

They were both food obsessed, and I don't think I've seen Nick light up quite as much as he did at the Famous Dave's booth, which was giving out free samples, including ribs. By the time we were done with the show, Nick was full. And we still hadn't booked a caterer or a cake designer. Eh, I'm not going to stress about it. I know that I need to take care of the catering situation, but I refuse to be rushed at this point. I am ahead of the game and things are going so well. I feel very lucky. Next time there's a bridal show; however, I think I will just take my mom.

Oh, and we didn't find Austin a "cute bridesmaid." The girls at the Tacoma show weren't as cute as the ones at the Seattle show. Austin had fun though. And so did Nick, even with the stomachache he developed from the BBQ. Gotta love the boys!

Decisions

My mom was talking about the wedding with one of her co-workers and she told this woman about my stress with the whole bridesmaid situation. Mom's co-worker asked why we didn't just forego attendants altogether. Now why didn't I think of that? Geez.

So, the decision has been made: no attendants. No groomsmen, no bridesmaids. It's perfect for our wedding, which is very family-centered anyway. Nick's brothers, Jacob, and Nick's friend Austin can be ushers and we will come down the aisle (separately of course-and me with my dad) after the family is escorted in. On the mantle will be the pictures of the grandparents and the wedding photos from Nick's and my parents, so it's like they will be our attendants. Plus, the altar area is very small, so the focus will be completely on Nick and me. No flower girl or ring bearer as well, which means we are going to save a ton of money on flowers with all these eliminations. Things feel like they are starting to fall into place. 

I'm also pretty set on a child-free wedding. I'm thinking that we will include a note with our invitations about our love for the children in the family and the hope that the parents will understand that, due to the nature of the venue, it would be more appropriate for children not to attend. Besides the fact that too many kids running around in that beautiful mansion scares the crap out of me, this will also open up about 15 spots for guests. There are some people I would be very sad to leave off my guest list due to space limitations. I just hope that people RSVP like they are supposed to, otherwise I'm going to have to throw down when the wedding gets closer!

Next up: Dave and Sariah's wedding this weekend and another bridal expo at the Tacoma Dome on Sunday with Nick and Austin (we're going to try to find him a girl there-maybe some bride's cute bridesmaid!) to do some wedding cake and caterer tasting. It's so nice that the food is the only big thing left on my to-do list. Other things:

*Chapel length plain ivory veil

*Make the favors-the bookmark idea won't leave my head, so that's it. It's a perfect statement from Nick and I since it is such an integral part of our lives.

*Flowers

*Dress cleaning, bustle, and alterations

*Book caterer and cake person (one of my students has a family member who is an amateur cake maker and I'm going to be calling her! Can you say cheap? And good!)

*Create centerpieces (tall vases filled with coffee beans and willow branches with hanging ivory and burgundy votives-maybe)

*Little things: guest book, unity candles (?), wedding rings

*Big thing: book our engagement session with Ryan! I really need to remember to do this soon.

*Call Marcella's about a good dress cleaner and alterations person here in Pierce County (Marcella's is in Seattle)

*Some Nana stuff

Is that it? That seems manageable. I can do this now that the crisis with the bridesmaids has been averted.

P.S. I'm still so in love with Nick's family for helping us with food. They are amazing!

So Blessed!

A couple of weeks ago, we asked Nick's parents if they would be willing to pay for the food at the wedding and they said yes, but we never talked about a specific amount of money. We got a phone call from Nick's mom, Gloria, tonight. She gave us an amount, and it is so generous and wonderful! I am so blessed to have such amazing almost-in-laws! Now the food, cake, and rehearsal dinner will all be covered and I am going to sleep a lot better tonight, thank goodness and thank Gloria and Brad!

In other news, Nick and I have decided that we may actually have the Catholic ceremony before our November wedding date. Since I will not be working full time, my insurance will lapse in September. Therefore, it makes sense to be legally married before that so that I can be covered by Nick's insurance. Now we have to find a priest and figure out what we need to do for that ceremony. Many Catholic priests require some marriage classes before they will marry a couple. We are also not sure if we can just be married in his chambers with our immediate families, or if we will be having a full ceremony in a church. It all seems crazy, but then I remember that Nick has allowed me to have Weston officiate our ceremony, so I am going to go through with the Catholic ceremony as part of the compromise. We've got this whole 50/50 thing down! It's a good day and I am blessed.

304 Days!

Tomorrow, January 7th, will be 10 months from our wedding date. When we got engaged in September, it felt like it would take forever to get to the big day. Now we are getting closer so quickly! I know I have a lot of time left, but I am already getting a little stressed with the amount of "stuff" I am dealing with. Besides my job, family, and all the daily issues I have to handle (seriously, 125 10th graders means DRAMA), I am also getting overwhelmed with the wedding stuff.

First off, we were supposed to be saving a large chunk of money every month for the house fund. That's not happening like it should be. I also never really nailed down a budget and having paid off the photographer, the venue, and buying my dress all in the span of a few days made me realize just how expensive this wedding is going to be. We might not be able to afford our Paris honeymoon, which would be a big disappointment to us both. Then there are all the little things. Here's another list:

1. Hurt feelings. We have a small venue that can only hold 100 comfortably. Nick has a large family with a lot of kids. I would like this to be an adults-only wedding, but I know that request could potentially cause an uproar. 

2. More hurt feelings. My (extended) family. For those of you who know me, that's enough said. Inviting your relatives to your wedding should be a happy thing. For me, not so much.

3. Even more hurt feelings. People are not going to be invited to this wedding who think they are definitely coming. There is no way around this. And I'm sure I will be made to feel guilty about it at some point. 

4. Bridesmaids. Nick has it so easy with his two brothers and Austin. Ready-made groomsmen that he will still be in touch with 5-10 years down the road. I've never been good at staying in touch with people and I want bridesmaids that are special and meaningful to me. I really want my mom up there, but then she doesn't get to see the wedding from the angle she deserves. It's very stressful and I know I am just going to put off making the decision and asking anyone, which is just going to make it worse. I'm actually considering not having anyone at all.

5. Other people's feelings in general. It makes me very angry to know that the massive majority of my stress is coming from other people's feelings. This is my wedding and it's the only one I will ever have. Why do I have to worry so much about other people?

6. Money. Asking your future in-laws for it is a daunting task. Please pay for catering so my parents aren't paying for everything!

I think today is just a bad day. I'm sick (thanks to my lovely father who coughed all over the place and didn't have the courtesy to cover his mouth), which makes me more emotional and apt to complain/whine. Everything is fine, nothing is insurmountable, and I will just breathe and let it all go (at least, that is what I am going to tell myself).

THE Dress!

Well, Mom and I survived the Bridal Show in Seattle. We got a lot of good ideas and are going to set up appointments at Twelve Baskets Catering and a few cake places for tastings. I had the most amazing roasted baby red potato with cream cheese, dill, and chives from Twelve Baskets. So good! Mike's Amazing Cakes was also great. Peach schnapps cake-WOW!

We are also going to get a videographer. One place in Kent called Millstream Video Productions was having an amazing special, so I am going to be setting up an appointment to save the date and put a down payment on our package. We are spending A LOT on photography, but I think the additional cost of a videographer is worth it. What a wonderful way to remember such a special day. Nick and I did pay off Ryan (our photographer) and our venue, Thornewood Castle on Thursday. It feels good to get that done!

And now the main topic of this post: THE Dress. I got it! Marcella's in Seattle was having a sample sale at their boutique, which was only a few blocks from the bridal show, so Mom and I went to have a look. We didn't intend to buy, but that wasn't meant to be. Marcella's has discontinued their Reem Acra line, so all that designer's gowns were deeply discounted. My $3500 gown was only $1200. I put it on and Lindsey, our consultant, put on a veil, tiara, and earrings and Mom and I started to cry. Mom asked if they took Mastercard, haha. The gown is an ivory ballgown with a chapel length train, silk taffeta (not that cheap polyester crap-yay!), with a small amount of beading under the bust and at the waistline. The rest of the gown is plain, but when Lindsey turned down the lights, you could see the material shimmer, which is going to look amazing with all the little white lights at Thornewood. Now begins the diet!

The only thing that could have made this day better was Nana's presence. Mom got very emotional as I stood there in my wedding dress because Nana would have loved to be there. She would have had a ball at the wedding show, as well. I miss her so much. She would have thought this gown is beautiful. I hope she was watching.

Flowers and the dress

The bouquet:

Here's the dress (I think!)

Reem Acra Angel

Additional ideas:

1. Photos of Mom and Dad's wedding and Nick's parents' wedding on the mantel.

2. Coffee beans in the centerpieces! Mmm, Starbucks gingersnap latte . . .

Tomorrow Mom and I are going to the Seattle Wedding Show. I know that this year they are catering to "budget brides," which is perfect for us, as we're on a budget! 3 of our selected caterers are there as well, so I will hopefully be setting up some tastings. I am also hoping to try on a few gowns and get an idea of my size and the style of the gown (ballgown, a-line, trumpet, etc.). I need to make a decision on color as well: white, ivory, or champagne. Tomorrow is going to be stressful and overwhelming, I'm sure. Lots of decisions in a short amount of time . . . hopefully.