Wedding Planning

Ok, so I think I am just going to stop apologizing for being a bad blogger because by now all my readers probably are aware of my sporadic posting.

Anyways…let me update on the wedding plans. We have actually done quite a bit in the last 3 months since we have been engaged. We picked a venue about a month ago after narrowing down to our top 2 finalists. We will be getting married at David Girard Vineyards in Placerville, CA, on June 11, 2011. The official countdown begins, we are less than one year away!!

I bought a dress. Then I bought another one, well the same one but a different size. Then I returned one. I absolutely love it. It’s simple elegant and it’s exactly what I wanted. The dress is going to be a secret to Matt and my Dad until the day of the wedding. But I will say that I bought it at JCrew…and got a great deal with an online coupon (always a bargain hunter). Now, honestly I did not think that I would be buying a dress this soon. I had gone to the J.Crew in Los Angeles and tried on a variety of the dresses they have. Fell in love with one and then emailed to find out about the availabilty…turns out when the inventory sells out, it’s gone. So I bought a dress…like a month ago. Here is as close as Matt will get to seeing it before next June :).

{isn’t it wrapped up all pretty??}

Other items checked off the list…photographer. Carrie Richards Photography to be exact. Carrie and I have been friends for over 10 years now, but friendship aside, she is an amazing photographer. She has such a great eye and is so much fun!! We did engagement photos up at the Lair of the Bear this past weekend, on our -1 year anniversary actually. Carrie got in the grass, set up wonderful shots and found the best lighting. She has posted some teaser shots on her Facebook page…a few of my favorites are here. Can’t wait to see the rest!!

I am planning to hand-make save-the-dates with some inspiration found online, but I will post photos of those as they happen…I have to keep some stuff a surprise to the guests!!

Maid of honor and bridesmaids* have been asked, and all accepted. Here is a shot of how I asked them. I used Photoshop {or Gimp rather, my free open-source alternative to Photoshop} to create the card design. Here is Brittany, my Maid of Honor and best friend since we were 6. {She’s pregnant now, due in November…doesn’t she look fantastic?? She’s got that glow!!}

*even though most of my girls are married, I refuse to use the term Brides-matron or Matron of honor…I think it sounds weird.

I used a small hole punch that I got at Paper Source and strung through my new favorite craft accessory, blue & white bakers twine, tied in a nice little bow. It better be my favorite for a while because I bought a large (LARGE) spool online at a bakery supply store. I couldn’t pass up the deal…but now I have 3,300 yards of blue & white baker’s twine! If anyone wants some please let me know, we can work out a deal! Curious what 3,300 yards of baker’s twine looks like? It’s HUGE.

More decisions made. Dessert…Matt’s sister, and one of my bridesmaids, is getting her Pastry Certificate/Degree at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) {side note: SO proud and excited for her}. And is going to make our dessert…cupcakes!! So so excited, mostly because I love that we have a personal touch for so many details of our wedding so far.

Oh, and since I last posted about wedding stuff, my ring has been completed. We were able to use diamonds from my grandmother’s wedding ring and are still working on getting the “something blue” in as well, but that may not happen…I  kinda like it how it is now :). I worked with our good friend Marlene, who works at Pave on College Ave in Berkeley. It was so fun to design it from scratch and see it through the entire process. For example…I didn’t that platinum wasn’t naturally smooth. I’m not sure what I really thought, but learned about the polishing process and was able to try on a wax mold before it was cast in the metal. It was a great experience and I can’t thank Marlene enough for her help. It’s absolutely perfect, I love it!!

Ok…well that’s about all for now. We have been pretty busy the last 3 months, and are busy continuing into the fall. We have been to 3 weddings so far, with another one next weekend, and 2 more this fall; 6 in total. They have all been amazing and we are getting more and more excited for our big day. I helped plan and throw a baby shower. Finished up my 5th of 6 classes for my Graduate Certificate in Marketing from UC Berkeley, extension. Plus that little thing called my job which is in its busiest time of year. I will update again when there is update-worthy material. Until then…