THE MUSICIANS.

For the most part, the FH and I had decided that we wanted an iPod wedding. We love music so much, we wanted to be the ones creating the playlists - as well as have friends and family DJ and perform throughout the night. That would ideal. However, there's a chance that Olive Hill will not have power and will not allow for electronic music devices.

This led to our discussion of what types of musicians we might like to have during the ceremony. The FH came up with a fantastic idea - the Surprise String Quartet! We would disperse the quartet amongst the guests in their seats and when the music began, they would stand and play - therefore surprising our guests! Sounds like fun, eh? Now it's just a matter of figuring out how to execute it.

THE BRIDESMAIDS LUNCHEON PART DEUX.

My heart goes out to the Elusive Bridesmaid, who recently broke up with her boyfriend of two years. I am so sad that she has to go through this right now - as I know it sucks. We will totally miss her this weekend, as she will be moving into her new place. :(

On a brighter note, I put together a PPT, on the recommendation of Miss Canary from WeddingBee fame. It should help keep the David's Bridal helpers organized - and will help me rank the dresses based on the girls tastes. Here's a sample of one of the slides:

THE DATE.

We got our date!

Late last week I received a phone call from the Tasting Room Manager, who informed me that the bride (who had previously been interested in our date) had called to release the date and congratulate me. We immediately sent out the deposit and contract and waited with baited breath for confirmation of it's arrival.

It arrived today! It's ours! Our official wedding date will be October 4, 2008.

Which is pretty awesome if you consider the fact that our anniversary will be 10-4 - as in, "roger, over and out, 10-4" of walkie-talkie speak. I love it!

THE CATERING.

Now that we've made our decision regarding the venue, I have been informed by my wedding planner that the next stage of planning will be the catering. She and I discussed our culinary tastes and she recommended three local caterers: All Seasons All Reasons, Capital City Catering, and Culinary Specialists (of Mulvaney fame).

I sent RFPs to all three, in hopes of finding a menu that somehow "stood out" to me. I requested both a buffet and plated style menu as we were unsure as to which route we wanted to take. Buffet, being the most economical, meant that we would take up a large portion of the Tasting Room with the long table and would leave very little space for socializing throughout the night. Plated was usually rather expensive, and as much as we would love to serve this style, I'm not sure it was in our budget.

The last of which I am most excited about - as I am a huge fan of Mulvaney's Building & Loan, a local midtown restaurant I've raved about for months to friends and family - suggested that I try an alternate means of serving: family style. Wait staff would bring large platters of food to each table, therefore eliminating the need for extra plate rentals between courses, long lines for food and freeing up the Tasting Room area for more tables and chairs.

I think this idea is fantastic! It encourages people to socialize at their table - in passing food - and makes sure heavy eaters get what the light eaters won't. But is it classy enough?

Which is best?
The economical buffet.
The plated splurge.
The family-style twist.

THE BRIDESMAIDS LUNCHEON.

I'm really looking forward to this next weekend. The girls will be coming over to have lunch and then we will run off to try on bridesmaids dresses at Davids Bridal (hey - we're on a budget). That evening we will be having a Girls Night Out including girls not in the bridal party and the following morning we will be brunching - hopefully, with a few mimosas if necessary.

Every waking moment has been in preparation for the company arriving this following week. Laundry, laundry, laundry - I swear, I'd die a happy girl if I never had to fold another piece of clothing! The back bedroom is starting to take shape and Salvation Army will soon have many a bag of freshly cleaned clothes that I will donating for a good cause (and tax deductions).

This weekend I will be driving up to Yuba City to work on the surprise gifts I will be presenting to the girls at our lunch. I'm really excited because my mom is so creative and I know they will turn out awesome! I will post more on these surprises after the lunch, just in case there are sneaky BMs lurking around here.

THE LOCKET.

The gorgeous detailing on the back of the photo frames mirrors the damask pattern of my wedding. Rectangle silver gate locket, The Fine Art of Family, $750

As of February, two years ago, I no longer have any living grandparents. Most of them passed away when I was rather young, around 8 or 9 year old. My Memere only recently passed away and it pains me to know that not only will she not be present but my Grandma Florence will not be there as well.

Could be my something blue - but pricey!
14K White Gold Diamond & Blue Sapphire Vintage Pendant, JewelryAdvisor.com, $568

I had heard of ways that people had incorporated a deceased parent into the ceremony details, but grandparents always seem to get a simple framed photograph. I wanted to do something more than that, to symbolize their presence with me as I walked down the aisle: a locket. On one side, will be my mother's mother, Memere and on the other side, will be my father's mother, Grandma Florence. So, I started shopping for the "perfect" locket to hold their remembrance wrapped in my bouquet ribbon.

A simple sterling silver heart-shaped locket that could easily be engraved.
Heart locket, Tiffany & Co., $350

I also have a Celtic locket that was given to me by Ken's mom on our first Christmas together, but I think it's told hold perfume and not pictures. I'll have to see if there is a way to rig it for photos, as that would be a nice symbol of the melding of our two families.

An option with exterior photos.
Silver and Glass Locket, Uncommon Goods, $42.00

THE VENUE PART CINQ CONTINUED.

Right now I'm on edge waiting to find out if our favored date has been taken. When I last spoke to the RHP Tasting Room Manager (TRM), she had stated that another bride had been looking at my date. What happened to me being "so early to be looking at October dates"?

The TRM stated that she would give the bride a call to see if she was still interested and to let her know that it would be swooped out from underneath her if she didn't pay her deposit soon. I'm crossing my fingers! To be continued...

THE VENUE PART CINQ.

I was excited on the drive up to R.H. Phillips in Esparto, CA - it was beautiful. Rolling, dry, fuzzy hills; tattered barns spotted along the landscape; the random cow traipsing along - it was endearing to my farm town upbringing. However, when we arrived at the winery, my heart skipped a beat - it was modern, nicely landscaped - quite the hidden gem! An oasis of grape vines and olive groves met us as we turned down the county road.

While some may be offput by the industrial nature of the winery structures, we embraced them. It matched our modern architectural tastes and the Wine Tasting room (shown in the forefront above) was beautifully designed with lofty ceilings, exposed wood beams, treated cement floors and warmly painted walls. The gigantic doors that lead you inside were incredible, as they were anchored mid-door to swing open. They will make a great textural background for photos. The patios were open, gravel-covered and speckled with trees and two artisan fountains. I might offer lucky pennies for the kids to make wishes for our marriage.

The "rustic" wine-barrel fountain.

The "modern" fountain surrounded by slate tile and highlighted by it's sculptural center.

We loved the outdoor atmosphere - as we stayed for the Wine Pairing lunch. We sat on the patio in the warm sun, enjoyed the breeze with a glass of their Night Harvest Cab and dined on a small plate of farmers market squash, mashed potatoes and well-marinated trip-tip. It was quiet and serene. We could only imagine the ambiance that a few strings of lights in the trees and a couple of tea lights on the tables would provide in the evening.

It's major selling point, however, was the ceremony site at Olive Hill. Olive Hill was situated walking distance across from the winery. A short walk up the hill and you will arrive at a beautifully lush lawn surrounded by grape vines over-looking the entire valley. The view was incredible. We couldn't imagine getting married anywhere else. I mean really, what can compete with this?


The day after the Old Sugar Mill debacle, we headed home and emailed the Tasting Room Manager at RHP immediately to request a contract be sent. While she had said that I was pretty early to be looking at October dates, I wanted to be sure we got our ideal weekend to avoid bad weather. To be continued...

THE VENUE PART QUATRE.

Over the weekend, FH and I had a plethora of venue tours (as I had blogged about before). I'm going to blog about the two we saw a bit out of order - as the third pretty much sealed the deal in the decision making process. And when I say, sealed the deal I mean it in the way that an ex-boyfriend does when he acts so hideously the first time you see him again after your break up. You know you made the right decision.

Wine & Roses was gorgeous - but pricey. Therefore we thought we'd check out alternative, yet creative venues that we thought might bear less of a cost burden. With that said, we headed to the Old Sugar Mill about 30 miles outside of Sacramento in the town of Clarksburg, CA.

The drive was fantastic! The view of the beautiful autumn leaves was incredible along the backdrop of the riverside country. The parking lot was situated across the street from a large vineyard - a great photo op! Grapes also surrounded the large facility - as it was home to about six wineries.

We headed inside and took a peek at the galleria - it was gorgeous and it's glass ceiling swept brick walls were laden with local art. Several of the barrel rooms that lined the sides had opened it's doors to the public, offering wine tastings throughout the day. Long sweeping curtains hung from floor to ceiling creating a dramatic effect.

Where was the coordinator? After searching aimlessly around the winery tasting rooms, we asked a gentleman who looked like he might work there for the location of the coordinator - her office was two buildings away. We headed over, taking in the decrepit sugar mill structures that had not yet been restored on the way. She was running late and had not yet headed to the galleria - how was I to know where she was?! Thank goodness for my nosiness.

She led us through the galleria, showing us the empty barrel room that could hold the catering facilities, dance floor, lounge - or whatever and explained the procedures related to the galleria. Weddings are allowed to begin no earlier than 6 or 6:30 PM due to the tasting hours throughout the day. Setup would begin at 5 PM, giving only 1.5 hours for table setup and decor and possibly during the ceremony.

Guests would be directed through the junky old building to the wedding site - as the galleria was still being set up. The site was beautiful - well, the arch was beautiful, echoing the lines of the large buildings behind it - but the site was still so unfinished that they had to curtain off large portions of the courtyard. Piles of dirt and metal scraps hid behind the curtains.

As this was a newer venue and with it's current in-renovation status, we thought we might have a hard time deciding between our two top venue choices as we had assumed that the rental fee would be dirt cheap. I mean, compared to Wine & Roses, this place was a dump! Charming, with character - but nonetheless, a dump.

We left, our decision easily made after hearing the bottom line figure - $5,000. Humorously, I noted that this was the price of our original top choice, The Crocker Art Museum, and the amount of class lacking at the venue left me reeling for that figure. Again, it must have been meant to be, as it ultimately made our final decision an easy one.

THE FLAKY BRIDESMAID.

I'd be naive to think that every wedding party didn't have one: the Flaky Bridesmaid. Unfortunately, in my wedding party, this also happens to be my half-sister.

Flaky BM recently sent me an email stepping down from the position of Bridesmaid in my wedding party - which was heartbreaking for me to say the least. I wrote her back entailing the reasons behind my heartbreak - along with much more heartfelt blabber that I won't get into here - and asking her to reconsider. We have a year to plan for and I hope that she has some time to warm up to the idea and realize that college homework will not stunt her ability to walk down the aisle with me on my important day. With this dilemma, I had to make a decision: how do I handle a missing Bridesmaid in the wedding party should that come about?

I had already accommodated yet another possible wedding attendant in the plans ahead. My FBIL is in the Marines, will be deployed to Iraq and we will have no idea if he will be able to be a part of the Big Day as the tour schedule seems to change daily. To solve this, we made my younger FSIL, who will be 12, a Junior Bridesmaid and she will accompany my FBIL down the aisle should he be able to make it. The solution for my sister will be the same: she will now be a Junior Bridesmaid and will either walk with my FSIL or the FBIL will accompany both sisters down the aisle if he can make it.

I love this idea - and while I hope it's not offensive to my sister, it seems more age-appropriate. It will avoid messing up the coordination of the processional and accommodates her taking her time to make the big decision of whether or not to participate. Whew! Less stress for everyone!

THE PLANNER.

One of the first things [that was purchased for me] when I got engaged and started planning was the infamous Wedding Planner. Not the person, but the book.

Being the book aficionado that I am, the fact that I used to work at a bookstore, and my habitually reading mother - this was a big decision. We spent an afternoon at Barnes & Noble (my old store, in fact) looking through our options: The Knot Wedding Planner, Emily Posts' Wedding Planner, Brides Year Ahead, Martha Stewart's Keepsake Wedding Planner - all had beautiful photographs, pictures and places to keep all my paperwork. It was hard to choose!

Until - we stumbled upon the Bride's Essential Wedding Planner: Deluxe Edition. While it may not be the most beautifully illustrated or decor inspiring, it had what I really wanted: a list of questions for EVERY vendor you could possibly think of - and a place to document their answers when you interviewed them. They are even laid out in a fashion that would make it very easy to compare and contrast the pros and cons of your competitive vendor options. Sold!

I've since used it several times. Each time, I've received complements on how thorough my interview was - that most people don't think to ask such questions. Some even said, it was a first to feel truly "interviewed" by their prospective bride. I've left each meeting feeling like I could make a well-educated decision based on the answers because I knew I hadn't forgotten anything.

The only downside for me, is that it's a tad cutesy for my taste. This is easily solved, as the pages are all 3-hole punched and could simply be transfered to the binder decked in the design of your choice.

Damask and Stripe Print Binders, $18 at www.seejanework.com

If you're planning the wedding or your dreams - or if it's starting to feel like the wedding of your nightmares and you know you need to get organized - you can pick it up on www.bn.com for only $17.95 (members $16.15).

THE CRAZY.

Thank goodness for Firefox, I'm now able to post at work again! WOO!

God knows, I'm unable to post anything at home these days. In the next three weeks, the following is planned to occur:

This Saturday

• Bridal Boot Camp.
  
• Venue tours at R.H. Phillips Winery & The Firehouse.
• Blonde Bridesmaid's Son's 5th Birthday Party at McKinley Park - it's super awesome ninja themed. :D
• Clean & organize house to prep for upcoming company.
  

This Sunday

• Venue tours at Grand Island Mansion, Old Sugar Mill, & Sacramento Grand Ballroom.
• Clean & organize house to prep for upcoming company.

Next Saturday

• Bridal Boot Camp.
  
• Hair appointment where I will be cutting as little hair off as possible, but somehow keeping it cute while I grow it out.
• Clean & organize house to prep for upcoming company.

Next Sunday

• Meeting my mom up in the YC to scrapbook the remaining Engagement Party pages and work on my Super Secret Bridesmaids Luncheon Surprise!
• Clean & organize house to prep for upcoming company.

The Following Friday

• The Elusive Bridesmaid arrives - she travels 75% of the time and is making a special trip up to spend the weekend with me!! Can't WAIT!

The Following Saturday

• Possibly Bridal Boot Camp.
  
• Bridesmaids Luncheon & Dress Try-On - I will be treating the girls to lunch and then we will go try-on dresses to see what everyone likes!
• Girls Night Out - bridal party non-inclusive girls only event!

The Following Sunday

• Sunday Brunch for anyone who can make it.
• Fly to North Carolina for a week of vacay on the beach and most importantly, to welcome soon-to-be-brother-in-law back from Iraq!

Yes, there is a slight pattern in the above events: the cleaning and the organizing of the house to prepare for upcoming company. Not my favorite thing in the world. It's a must-do month worth of activity - but with the prospect of both the Elusive Bridesmaid and STB BIL possibly coming to visit after our NC stay...it just has to be done.

This post might have been a much more interesting entry had I thought to include a "before" photo of the Guest Bedroom/Informal Neighborhood Dump. Instead, I chose to improvise with the following internet find.

Yes, that's about right. I've got my hands full....

THE GROOMSMEN.

A quick Tuesday afternoon note: I'm really digging the idea of the Groom's side of the Bridal Party all wearing black & white converse. It would VERY much be my FH's style. How cute is this?!?!

THE VENUE PART TROIS.

This past Saturday, we took a tour of the local wedding venue, Wine & Roses. With the longest drive of our options, the FH was pretty skeptical. However, once arrived, he was in wedding mode - which was totally cute! There was a wedding that afternoon, so preparation had already begun, Maids were running around with centerpieces and staff was setting up chairs in the tented cocktail reception area. We headed over to the Sales Office to begin our tour.

Angela was a pretty thorough host, grabbing me a bottle of water before heading out to give us a walk-through of the property. First, we headed to the wedding gardens which was set up with nice white folding chairs for a group of about 200 people. Also included was a wrought-iron arch and two large topiaries. Two huge pines lumbered above and a historical barn sat to the right of the grassy aisle. These were options for ceremony focal points that this bride hadn't chosen.

Then we headed to the patio where the tented cocktail reception was set up with more white folding chairs and several white tablecloth laden tables. This was only steps away from the wedding garden and also in the center of the beautiful Tuscany inspired courtyard. Angela pointed upwards to a large window in a second story room above that showcased a hanging wedding dress waiting for the afternoon's ceremony. This is where the Bridal Suite was situated - and it normally held around 30 people seated for dinner - perfect for the entourage.

Finally, we headed to the Garden Ballroom - a nice expansive neutrally-toned room with exposed wood beams, a grandiose fireplace and granite bar to the right. We would have plenty of room for dinner, dancing, drinking and cake-cutting if we chose this venue. I think the room held up to 350 people for a reception.

Once the grounds tour was completed, we headed back to the Sales Office to "run the numbers". While the venue was gorgeous and paired itself with fantastic guest suites on site, an attached full service spa and wine tasting area - it's at the top of our budget. The FH is convinced all-inclusive is the way to go (even though we have a coordinator to worry about that) - and figures that we could make it work. However, once I heard that they would, in fact, still be charging me a Cake Cutting Fee ($3.50 per person) if I chose to bring in cupcakes from an outside baker - OR they would charge me $6 per person to make them in house, I was a tad less enthused.

Our coordinator pointed out that their catering fees might be steep, but they are fantastic in both service & quality and are well worth it. I still need convincing!