Finding THE one

I'm talking about dresses! A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to not just go dress shopping for myself, but also for my bestie, whose wedding is the month before mine. We both had a few people come along with us, and it was such a blast!

Beautiful dress,
but not THE one

When I lived (much too briefly) in Seattle last winter, my bus went by I Do Bridal everyday, and I salivated at their window displays every time. This was our first stop on the journey to find the perfect dress, and they did not disappoint. Being a somewhat large group, with two brides, I was a little nervous as to how our appointments would go, but the gals there were awesome in every way. They had beautiful dresses, just right in my price range, and at the end of the day I found one I needed to think about. For me, making snap decisions, especially when a lump of money is involved, is really hard. The bestie also found a gorgeous dress to think about; which she later on went back and purchased! Yay!
We had a mid-day pit stop for lunch at The Cheesecake Factory (yum!), then went off to David's Bridal. I don't have much to say about this part of the day. We were tired, and the store in general was just frustrating. Needless to say, we could've went elsewhere and had a better time.

Had to try a fuller skirt!

That was all the dress shopping planned for the weekend, but we couldn't give up that easily since I had driven all the way over from Ellensburg. So on short notice, the gang met back up on Sunday at All That Shimmers near Tacoma. Their dress selection was huge, but it was a bit intimidating walking in there and seeing racks and racks of white. We walked in, without appointments, and were able to rummage through all the racks on our own. The nice thing about that salon was the laid-back atmosphere. They also let us take pictures, which a lot of bridal salons won't do. That being said, the customer service was night and day compared to our experience the day before. While the gal there was friendly and answered our questions, we had no help searching for dresses, putting them on, etc. In the end, though I found it. I found my wedding dress! It wasn't at all what I had originally envisioned, but it turned out to be a combination of all the things I loved about the different dresses from the whole weekend. It was the first dress that, as I stood there in the mirror, made me think that this whole wedding thing is actually real. It's happening. Oh my gosh, I'm actually getting married. Married. It was exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time.

Greetings from...

I haven't posted in awhile, but there hasn't been too much to post that's wedding related. In case you were on the edge of your seat about what happened at the photographer meeting from the last post, we did end up going with her. Her name is Stephanie Haller, and even though she's based out of Issaquah, she travels for weddings. Lucky us! I am in a friend's wedding that's coming up quickly. And by quickly, I mean in two weeks! I had a slight panic attack last week when I realized this, because I needed to get my bridemaid's dress altered. Somehow I found a seamstress in Ellensburg that did it quickly for me. I just picked it up today, and it fits great! Thank you Edna at Custom Cut Clothing!
Other than that, I'm starting to get my ducks in a row: making lists about everything. I'm a habitual list-maker. I list out my bills every month, make grocery lists, and when traveling I click down a mental list of what I need and write it down. I've found that more often than not, if my head weren't attached to my body I would inevitably leave it somewhere. Hence my unrelenting list-making.
Speaking about travel list-making... Chris and I paid a visit over this past weekend to sunny California, and boy was it sunny!  We spent four days in Central California (almost exactly halfway between LA and San Francisco) wine tasting, going to local festivals, and kayaking with real wild sea lions! It was an adventure for sure. And now that we've somehow, on short notice, spent a total of 10 days vacationing in the past month, we are back to the grind. Someone's gotta help pay for this wedding, right?!

Morro Bay

 

Sea lions are everywhere!

Capturing the moment

We have been so lucky in that there are several large parts of the wedding that we either aren't having to pay for, or the cost is minimal. With that being said, we haven't had to deal with vendors at all... yet. Although the wedding seems so far away from now, I know we need to book a couple important aspects- one being photography.

Photography was about the first thing I started looking at when we first got engaged. I'm a photo junkie.  I love taking pictures, and I love seeing what others are doing. As I started looking on the internet at different photographers, I realized I gravitated to the photojournalist-style. I really don't like the cheesy poses, and just unnatural look of some of the wedding photography out there; I appreciate a much more candid and relaxed feel of photos (even if they are posed, they don't necessarily look like it).
I've come to find a few photographers that are absolutely amazing... and so are their prices! I understand that hiring a professional for a service would cost some money, but I had no idea really how much wedding photography can be. So we decided to sit down and figure out our photography priorities. Pretty much our number one is quality over quantity. During my searches, I've found many photographers who offer everything under the sun for a bargain. But the catch is that the photos aren't necessarily the best quality. Meanwhile, I've found others that offer a bit less for a higher price, and with that higher price comes better quality photos. So do we go with the full-time teacher who just loves photography and does it on the side, or a professional who has all the right equipment? Since we are on a budget, that was a point in which we had to make a really important decision. In the end we stuck with quality over quantity. 
We're going to meet our very first potential photographer on Monday. Yep, as in 3 days! I've been emailing back and forth with her for about a month, and decided it's time to meet. If everything goes well, she'll go on our short list. We'll probably talk to one or two more people, and then make our decision. It's all so exciting! I know I'm being really picky about this specific topic, but after the music is gone, decorations are put away, and the cake is eaten, photos are all we're going to have left. And they're not just for us, but for family and beyond. It's sort of an exciting thought that in the distant future, a relative could be holding our wedding pictures, asking who's who in them, much as I have done with other pictures of my own family.

Roadtrip!!!!!

There has been absolutely no wedding planning going on the past couple weeks.  I can't even lie about it.

Literally the middle of nowhere. So hot!

There has been; however, an awesome road trip. We drove from Washington to Las Vegas.  On our way there, we drove down through Idaho, out into the middle of nowhere eastern Nevada.  Just open desert and highway.  It was a sight I've never seen before, and to be honest, one that I really don't need to see again.

Left: View from our sweet suite. Right: View while
laying poolside

Vegas was amazing.  I had never been there before, and it was crazy! Upon check in at The Paris, the nice lady helping us asked if we wanted to upgrade to a suite for a nominal price. Of course we said yes. I had never laid in a more comfortable bed in my life. This suite was literally as
large as our small house, complete with a jacuzzi tub, walk in closet, and bidet. How to actually use the thing, I don't know and wasn't adventurous enough to try. I thoroughly enjoyed walking around and people watching all the while drinking my yard of margarita. Our time in Vegas was short (only 2 nights) but it is definitely somewhere I have to go again just to see more sights and take in a show or two.

The Village in Mammoth

Our return trip home was a bit different. On our way out of Vegas, we stopped at the In-N-Out Burger. Never having been down in California (save for a trip to Disneyland when I was 4), we HAD to stop and eat there. Everything I've ever heard about the place was true. Cheap and delicious. We made it to Mammoth Lakes, Ca for our overnight stop. It's definitely somewhere we want to go back. We ate at a local restaurant called Base Camp Cafe. Yum Yum! I highly recommend if you're in the area. We mosied around The Village before heading back to the hotel for the night.

Chris' idea for the next day was to drive through Yosemite.  At first I was reluctant because it was going to add a couple extra hours to the day of driving, but am I glad that we did! The park was absolutely gorgeous! We stopped along the highway that goes through the park for some photos, and continued on our way.  We eventually met up with good old I-5, stopping for dinner in Medford, Oregon. It took us a little while to find somewhere to eat, but we settled on Kaleidoscope Pizzeria and Pub. On our adventures we try to support local businesses when possible, and so far we haven't been disappointed. Kaleidoscope has a wine list with about 100+ wines, and somewhere around 12-15 microbrews on tap. Needless to say, Chris was a happy camper. Not only was the food fairly priced, but the barbecue chicken pizza we got was mouthwatering. When dinner was finished, we continued our last leg of the trip for the night. We pulled into Hood River, Oregon at about 2:30am, waking my good friend up to let us in her house.

I love Hood River. It's a small, tourist town, but the atmosphere is definitely chill. We stopped for lunch at the 6th Street Bistro and Loft which is known for its organic, local menu and beer selection. Since Chris had never been there, I gave him the abbreviated tour passing by the expensive gift shops, all-natural eateries, and yuppie sports shops.  We did stop at Dog River Coffee Co. because it's my favorite. The atmosphere is hip and modern mixed with retro details like the old coffee and hot chocolate push-button machine. The walls have pieces by local artists for sale along with a guitar hanging next to a sign that reads "Play Me." I admit I was sad to leave Hood River, but knowing we were only three hours from home was good motivation to get back on the road.

We left Hood River so late that we decided to stop in Yakima for dinner before we made it the rest of the way home. If you don't want to go to a typical chain restaurant in Yakima, head to Miner's Burgers in Union Gap. It is the quintessential burger joint. The Big Miner is quite literally as big as my face! They put a whole tomato on each burger, and the fry sauce is killer. As our last "vacation dinner" it did not let us down.

Home again, and back to work, but this was a great trip that we will forever talk about. "Hey, remember that first big road trip we went on? How much fun was that?!"

PS: my camera is super special and won't load onto my computer. So all I have are pictures I took on my phone. Never fear though, I documented everything!

Summer Lovin

My fiance and I received our first wedding invitation for the summer season sometime in May.  Then we got another one.  And another.  And another.  Literally, three weddings in the month of July, miraculously all on different days.  Then we got one for the first Saturday in August, and another for later that month.  I think everyone we know was getting married this summer!  
Despite all the driving, budget gift-giving, outfit picking time it took for these weddings, they were all for dear friends and wouldn't have been anywhere else.
Ok, sappy.  Other than the fun that we had, the man and I had a lot of conversations about what we want out of our own wedding.  On the car ride home from every event, the dialogue went something like this:
Me: So... what did you like?
The Man: The ceremony was really short.  That was good.
Me: So... what didn't you like?
The Man: They really needed a person instead of just an iPod.
and so on...
It gave us great insight into what we wanted.  We were able to see what worked and what didn't work.  The experience, though sometimes stressful, was a wonderful way for us to really get a grip on what's in store for our own wedding and planning process.  Not to mention, it proved a great way for me to use retail store promotions, sales, and rewards for gift giving! Yay!
To celebrate our summer of love, I rounded up some photos of fun ideas we took away from some of the weddings. 

I love the idea of doing a photobooth at the reception.  It really gives guests a sense of involvement, especially for those of us who cringe when they call for all the single ladies to converge on the dance floor to catch the bouquet!  Something else I also cringe at are favors.  You know the kind: a bottle of bubbles, a badly scented candle with the special date on it, etc.  I was so pleased when our friends gave out these sweet teapots with a simple tag.  It was a nice nod to the bride's Chinese heritage.  The yellow and gray quilted centerpiece, I fell in love with.  There was one on every table for this backyard potluck reception.  A couple mason jars with flowers, and voi la!  An utterly adorable, non-fussy centerpiece. Did I mention twinkle lights and champagne? Yes, please!  So, not only was Mickey and Minnie Mouse the centerpiece for one of the tables at this last wedding, but they also served as a substitute for table numbers.  The bride sculpted each clay centerpiece after famous couples: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Calvin and Hobbes, Kermit and Miss Piggy, Johnny Cash and June Carter... you get the idea. It was fun to be able to walk around looking for my table (Fred and Ginger) seeing all the cute characters.

Photobooth pic by memory montage productions

My First Blog

Once upon a time, I had a journal.  An actual, open the book, write in it with a pen, journal.  As I've gotten older, I've realized how outdated this kind of writing has become.  A modern idea of journaling is now tweeting and clever status updates on Facebook.  I admit that I've been on Facebook for some time now and am completely addicted.  I will also admit that I'm one of those "lurkers." You know, the people who rarely post updates but looks around to see what all their online friends, friends of friends, and total strangers are up to.  It's a sickness, really.

With that being said, and if you missed the "About Me" section to side, I'm getting married.  As soon as the man and I got back from our engagement trip, I started poking around the internet for wedding ideas.  I've come across several wonderful blogs that I look forward to reading almost everyday (check out "My Favies").  I decided I wanted to take a stab at the blogosphere and have my very own.  If anyone is going to read it, who knows!  Whether it's good, or bad, or somewhere in between, I always feel better after I get my thoughts out.

So, this will now be my journal.  Instead of opening a book, I will be opening my laptop, writing about my wedding planning, inspirations, and hopefully a good story or two every now and then.