Food Galore!

I wasn't quite sure what the food tasting would be like. Turns out: AWESOME!

We were seated in the Country Club dining room, and since it hadn't yet opened for members, we had the room to ourselves. We had a lovely view of golf course and it was our only opportunity to sit in there. We'll never be members. Ha.

Food tasting has got to be one of the best parts of wedding planning. Although, in my book, cake tasting is number ONE. Here's just a little taste of what we stuffed our face with.

Yummy Spinach Salad:

Hors D'Oeuvres: Samosas, Beef Tenderloin on toast, Seared Ahi Tuna, Crab Stuff Mushrooms, and Bruschetta.

Oregon Salmon

Free Range Chicken with Rosemary Sauce

Afterwards we were stuffed. I highly recommend going to taste food, it's so fun!

Thinking about Favors, Paper, and Wedding Galore!

Well the reality of the California state budget as well as the nation's economy has really hit home, in terms of wedding stuff. As of April 1, 2009, our sales tax will be going up by 1% to 9.75%! I guess we have to fund the state somehow, but who likes to pay for it?

I finally got my invitation designs in the can! I just have to post them. I will be ordering my paper from the fabulous online retailer: PaperandMore.com. They offer cutting services for just $5 for the first package, plus $2 for each additional cutting service. Awesome! They also have precut 5x7 sheets for half price of the regular 8 1/2 x 11 sheets.

For our favors, I was considering making the favors do double duty - act as escort cards and favors. Murphy's Orchards (I believe in NY) offers personalized favor jars of Jam and Fruit Butters, so cool! I had considered making the jam myself, but I'm not Martha Stewart, nor do have that much free time on my hands!

I also really like this idea that WeddingBee Member Pelikila made for her wedding:

So cute! My fiance liked this idea better than the jams. We'll see, maybe we'll do half and half!

Food Tasting this weekend!

I'm really excited about this weekend. We get to sample FOOD!

We'll see how it rates against the cake tasting, because let's face it, I love cake.

Planning a wedding with a long distance fiance has been a little trickier, but completely doable. We just have to schedule and plan a lot more than couples who reside in the same general vicinity. This may just be his last trip out before the wedding, as a ticket from Texas isn't cheap.

I will post pics of our food sampling after this weekend!

I love Etsy!

While I was perusing Etsy, I found a flower for my hair and my ring bearer pillow!

I've been a lurker of Etsy for the last few months. What I mean is that I never registered to be an Etsy member, until today. I decided that it was going to be a fantastic one-stop shop for handmade and UNIQUE items! I'm so excited!

Here's what I found:

Ring Bearer pillow:

 

by Etsy member YandeBridal

I love the big flower on top of the pillow. It gives it a unique look, without being overly froufrou. I really like the look of big open flowers, and this one fits the bill! Yandebridal has loads more designs in her Etsy shop. Be sure to check it out!

Next, the flower for my hair:

by Etsy member QGDesigns

I decided against using Gardenias for my wedding because I have some family members who are highly allergic to fragrant flowers. Instead, I went on a quest to incorporate a Gardenia someway, somehow. We are using Gardenia illustrations for our invitations that I designed. And I always wanted to wear a flower in my hair. Perfect! There are other designs as well, so pretty! Check out the Etsy shop here.

Yay! Things I can check off my list!

Etsy rocks!

Super Cute Welcome Bags!

How cute are these bags? I think they are a wonderful idea for anyone who a) loves their city, b) has a lot of out of town guests, c) loves bags!

I found these cute bags on Bliss Weddings Market. While as $14.99 each they teeter between the "affordable" and "expensive" depending on what your budget looks like, I think they'd make a fantastic gift for your guests that are coming the farthest or making a vacation out of your wedding weekend. I have family coming from the East Coast and my fiance's family is from the South, and I know that it's their first time to the San Francisco Bay Area. I just might have to get a couple!

all photos from Bliss Weddings Market

Garter? What Garter?

I definitely think I'm on more of the traditional side of the fence when it comes to the bouquet and garter toss. I TOTALLY want to do it. I am the first to get married amongst my friends, so to me it makes complete sense to include this tradition. Plus, it'll be fun!

I've got my toss bouquet squared away with my florist, however, I still need a garter. I hadn't even thought about it until yesterday, when I saw Miss Ballet Flat's post about finding her garters! I absolutely love Etsy and it's a wonderful resources for all things handmade. I'm so glad that this post was shared yesterday, because I may just be able to cross another thin off my list!

Here's one that matches my colors:

One for the damask-lovin' bride:

One for the fun, flirty, and wild bride (I LOVE IT):

Be sure to check out Garter Lady's Etsy Shop here. She has so many designs and also offers custom designs and plus-size garters! Each garter comes with a toss garter, so no need to buy two! Awesome!

All photos from the Garter Lady!

A Square Cake!

That's right, we're having a square cake. I'm really excited about it. While round cakes are technically "easier" to make, I wanted our cake to be a little different from what our guests might be expecting.

Here was my inspiration:

photo from Gracefull333

I'm loving the look of a square cake. I also like how the middle tier is slightly twisted to add a little more style.

 
 

Photo by kelannfuller

 

I love this cake. It's in our colors and so bright and different. We're going to have a blue cake.

Photo from brookecorpus

I also like the idea of fresh flowers for the cake. Flowers are a great addition and add color!

I'm working with the wonderful Jen Kwapinski of Jen's Cakes in San Jose. They are a wife and husband team who have been rocking out wedding cakes for the last few years. My coworker referred me to Jen after booking her for her own wedding. She said that her cake was the hit of their reception. Sounds good to me!

If you are in the Bay Area, definitely consider checking out Jen's Cakes. She's super nice and her cakes are SUPER good! My mom and I went to the tasting, and it was the best vendor meeting ever!

One year ago...he popped the big question!

I can't believe that we have been engaged for a year now. It was one year ago that my fiance got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. And I said, "YES!" It's amazing that we've been through all this planning, preparations, and the big day will be here very very soon. I can't believe that 12 months past so fast. I thought that with 16 months to plan it would be plenty of time. I'm glad that I had all that time, but now time is ticking down!

Some big DIY project are coming up on the blog. I just completed some bulletin boards for our guestbook. Something great is cooking up for that!