I know, its corny, but as I sit here working through my insomnia, I look to my right and there he is: my fiance. Snoring. And even though its not the most pleasant sound in the world, I'm filled with love. In this string of blogs I talk a lot about money and cost and balancing that with inspiration. The one thing I think I failed to mention is that my biggest inspiration is by wonderful fiance. So for all the brides out there, everywhere, I want to say this: money doesn't matter as long as you have love. I would much rather have a cheap, tacky, meaningful wedding than the most fashionable event in the world without a bit of heart.
And you know what? I'm completely lucky. I have this wonderful person with me always, who puts up with my love of weddings, and my crazy DIY projects, and constant conversations. Poor guy, he's not a wedding enthusiast, but he tried so hard for me. I love him very much for being such a good sport. Another thing to remember, dear brides: an interested and involved fiance is better than any amount of money.
As for updates. Well, we got a lot done.
First was the confirmation of the ceremony site. (I can't remember if I already covered this, so I'll do it again) The church we have been attending was going to be busy on our date, so we went with our second choice: the Historic Chief Theatre. I've worked the past 7 summers during the Paul Bunyan Playhouse Summer Stock season. Some may say it is a little tacky, but I know and love the place. Theaters are like churches to me, and when I see an empty stage, I see a blank canvas. So I called upon my dearest friend, Barry Nelson, to help me out with lights and sound, and I think we can make this work to our advantage.
Next was the Cake Consultation. Hmmmmmmm! The meeting did not go as planned, but we got to eat cupcakes, so everything was fine in the end. When we scheduled the consultation, we got to pick 4 flavors to try. Ahren is in charge of the cake, so he chose Triple Chocolate Fudge & Peanut Butter, Chocolate with Salted Caramel, Red Cashmere, and French Vanilla with Madagascar Vanilla Bean. I was hoping he would branch out more, but hey - the man knows what he likes, and you can't fault him for that. I think we really threw the company for a loop because we told them all we wanted was a "Sweetheart" cake. One layer just for me and Ahren to cut. We did not plan on feeding all of our guests with the cake. But they took it in stride.
I will say that I learned a lot from this consultation. #1: don't be surprised if your expectations are not met on a first meeting. I watch too many wedding shows, so I was expecting someone with a sketchbook and an artistic soul. Nope. She took copies of some pictures that I had of cakes I collected since I started planning this wedding (which, now that I think about it, was not an accurate representation of what AHREN wanted) #2: Don't get me wrong, I love cupcakes, but I don't think they are an accurate portrayal of a cake. For one thing: obviously the actual cake part is usually much more compact. And, with frosting the way it is these days, they pile it high on stop. Which would be great except, I have a BIG problem with too much sweetness. So, you can't really get a good feeling for what it is exactly like. Oh well. #3: You NEED to be PREPARED!! Ahren was running the show, and, try as I might, I don't think I prepared him enough for all the things he was going to be asked. #4: Prices will always shock you. I had no idea that some bakeries charge by the slice. NO WONDER cake prices average around $1000! I was floored! So our little one layer cake is looking to be around $100. #5: you can't be intimidated. Poor Ahren was so over his head with this appointment that he got nervous, which made him very quiet, so I had to step in, which I was not prepared to do, which I think made the consultant probably think that we didn't know what we wanted. #6: stick to your guns. Don't feel bullied into doing something you don't really want. #7: do your research! Come to find out 2 of our choices don't make great wedding cakes. (see, I was right with #2!) Caramel only works drizzled on top of a cake, not inside it, and the cream cheese filling can be a problem if it gets too warm. And did you know that blue and purple in fondant is hard to do? Apparently it is, because in our contract, they specifically state that they are not able to guarantee those colors.
In the end, they suggested that we come in for a follow up meeting a couple of months before the wedding. So, by then I will put all of this new knowledge to good use, and Ahren will come in with more definite ideas. Let's hope everything goes okay!
Next: reception venue. We went to check out a couple sites when we were in for the tasting. A couple store fronts down from the tasting was the (technically) 4 level Elks club. It's not a fancy venue, but the bartender who was in really sold us in the place. The only down side: no elevators. But the 4 levels are that bad, the longest jot is from the entrance (level 1) to the first lst floor (level 2). It's like a split level home, except it's a dining room, a lounge/bar, and a ballroom. We're having a lot of fun trying to figure out how to make this all work, but I think, in the end, it is going to be just perfect for us. The rental is amazingly cheap, and they were so adaptive to just about anything we would need. We called to place a hold on the date today. So YAY! We've finally got BOTH venues set!
Last thing to cover in updates is the veil. I liked ... correction, LOVED the idea of wearing a veil from someone in the family. I really, really, am hoping for my mom's veil. It would be so perfect for my wedding gown, but its kinda MIA right now. My grandma says that my mom has it, but my mom has no idea where it would be, and has no memory whatsoever about having it. So, I am hoping beyond all hope that it is in storage somewhere. If not, I did ask my sis-in-law if she still had hers, and she's pretty sure she does. It is not as perfect as my mom's is, but it still is a part of the family, so I am thinking it will be perfect either way.
So, next topic to be discussed at length: the Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and a Sixpence in Your Shoe. This is something VERY important to me! So, I am on the lookout for the perfect things for each of these. I have some options, so I am going to try and make it all work.
But enough for now, because I think I'm actually getting tired!!
Hugs and Kisses from the Future Mrs!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
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