Friday, November 30, 2007

VENDOR REVIEWS!!! ...the limo

Back in April (6+months before the wedding) I researched costs of transportation before I settled on Executive limo. It seems like the most reasonable and in the price range.

When dealing with them on the phone, they were nothing but helpful! Come the day of our wedding, the limo arrived prefectly on time and the bar was stocked for our entertainment! :)

We were able to pile thirteen people with lots of room to spare!

We had a complete blast driving to our photography shoot between the ceremony and the reception!


All in all, I'd have to give them 4 Stars, an A, and a 10 out of 10!



**photos were taken by one of my BMs Kim!

Oh the places we'll go!

A few weeks ago, the husband and I carved out our tentative plans for traveling for the next two years. I know, TWO YEARS? Sounds like along time but really, time flies and if you wanted to do anything big, you kinda have to save up for it! Because I really want to go to Europe, I figured that would be in the 2 year plan, but towards the end since there is soo much we want to do and the pocket book and vacation time won't let us go anytime before then.

On the list are Costa Rica or Argentina, the Southern Caribbean Cruise next summer, a trip to Florida, and Europe (Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and Greece). Sounds like a lot of traveling but since we started dating we've loved to see new and exciting places! Just a few: Bali, Singapore, Vancouver,BC, NYC, Seattle, Vegas, Napa, New Mexico, New Orleans, Mexico, and lots more.

Now I'm patiently waiting for my new Eyewitness Travel Guides of Washington DC for this holiday season while trek back east to NYC once again. We've gotten on of all the new places we go to and LOVE these books! With this and Virtual Tourist I can go anywhere and feel comfortable about what is there do and see!

What places do you dream of getting too in the 2 year future?

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Uncontrollable...

From the beginning of planning once we picked our venue, I was worried about the weather. I knew that it was the one thing out of my hands and it would play a HUGE part on our reception. When the time came to checking the weather, I became obsessed with weather websites. I checked 10 times a day, blogged about how it changed from one site to the next. But in the end it didn't matter, I still couldn't control the weather.

The morning of the wedding, I stood by the door of the salon with my hair all in curls, watching the rain drizzle down on the streets. By the time I got the church, I waiting in the limo because the rain didn't want to let up. After the vows were said, and I kissed my husband for the first time, we walked out to beautiful grey skies and the rain finally let up.

With this chance to finally go take photos, we threw our bridal party into the limo and headed over to Channel Islands State University to take some photos and the colors were just soo vibrant! After we were done, we went back for our bridal party lunch and waited till it was time to go to the reception. By this time, the rain found us and blessed us with more of it.

On the trolley ride, my new husband's tux got drenched with dirty muddy water from the side of the trolley and while I thought I would freak out, I laughed. We got off the trolley with our guests under their own umbrellas and under anything else that looked like refuge while I waltzed around without a care in the world. By the time it was dinner, the drizzling subsided and we took our slightly wet chairs and started to have a great time.

By the time it was our first dance, I looked up and noticed the stars came out to join us. Throughout such a emotional day, the rain blessed us and made it so very memorable! Now if I could go back to change it, would I want it differently?

Not in a million years!

**photo of me and a few of the groomsmen and was taken by one of my BMs Kim!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

OMG...

First the countdown was 200 days till the wedding.

Then 100 days...

Then 20 days...

Then 1 day...

Now it's 30 days AFTER the wedding!

Happy One Month Anniversary Honey! I love you!

p.s. With the holidays on us, We've been traveling all over California seeing friends and enjoying ourselves. Sorry for the lack of posts. I'm still waiting on photos... until then, I'll think up something to talk about!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

early start...

Little Miss Planner, the Husband and the teddy bear (the dog) are taking off early for turkey day. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

VENDOR REVIEWS!!! ...the music

I have to say if it wasn't for the amazing work of Mike, the owner of Ambassadors of Sound, I don't think I (or our guests) would have had as much fun as we did! He played everything we asked for and kept the party moving. He was an amazing MC too! If you live in Southern California, I'd HIGHLY recommend him!

Here is a photo of us dancing our first song to "Cheek to Cheek" by Sinatra



Photo from my friend Frank! :)

Grade: A++++++

Monday, November 19, 2007

Shout out...

Happy Birthday to my loving husband! :)

You're the best!

Friday, November 16, 2007

Calling all shoppers...

Kate Spade is having their sample sale online and boy do have some beautiful bags on sale!

Cannes Swing Bag Price $295.00 sale price $149.00
Wedding feather puff bag price $445.00 sale price $269.00

So if you are in need of a little bag for your wedding, these two are just soo elegant and beautiful!

They have soo many beautiful bags that at one point I think I have four bags in my shopping cart. Good thing about the Internet is that you can always abandon your cart in the middle of a aisle and not buy a thing! Anyhow, go browse and see what goodies they have!!!!

Thursday, November 15, 2007

The honeymoon

Lots of couples out there have SO much on their plate when they are planning a wedding. Some buy houses, some move in together, some change career paths. They do a lot and many people wonder why most engaged couples look stressed out like you wouldn't believe. Well, on top of all that, many plan to take a trip after the vows have been said and the party has died down. This little trip is the honeymoon.

We started thinking of going to one place and ended up somewhere completely different. Somewhere exotic and SO out of our comfort zone. Because we did that, we had the trip of a lifetime. We went to Singapore and swam with sharks that were bigger than me where I even got to hold a few in my arms while strangers took photos of me doing so! We fed sting rays (and if you've been a faithful reader, you know how much I HATE them). We let bats hang from our hands. Stood at the bottom of the southern-most point of Continental Asia. Swam in the Indian Ocean. Had a 2.5 hour Ayurveda - Chakra Dhara Massage, followed by another 6 hours of pampering at a Spa. Rode an elephant. Cycled through rice fields and rafted down a raging river. We laid out at the resort and even played water basketball. We did everything and nothing in a matter of 10 days and I am SO happy we did so.

Here are some photos I just had to share:

Tip of Asian Continent

Bali

The hubby cycling through a village

Me and a 60 year old turtle

Us and our guide and our elephant Ollie!

Balinese Dancers

Season Greetings in the mailbox...


The hubby has mentioned on more than a few occasions that after we got married he wanted to send Holiday cards out to people. Now it's that time of the year, he got all excited when he saw a box of them at Costco (of course) and wanted to get them. :| Stunned, I figured all this time he wanted to send out photo cards. I mentioned this and he got more excited than felt a little down since he didn't have addresses to people. HELLO! We have every one's address we'd send a card to... from the wedding!

Now in my search to find the best deal for photo cards, Costco has 5X6 cards in a box of 50 for 15.99$. (Also a great deal if you wanted to use them for Save the Dates!!!) Talk about amazing. I also found great deals at Zazzle.com depending on how many who want to send out! Because we wanted to use photos from the wedding on our thank you cards I thought it would be weird to use them again for this, so I'm thinking perhaps a mini photo session at the beach with our trusty Sony Digital camera and it's awesome 10 second timer, I'm sure we can get a great shot of us! Now I just have to figure out what to wear!

I'm really excited about this, for the first time I'll be sending out cards, and it will be with my new formed family! Oh the little things in life make me SO happy!

Many things...

I have a list in my head of what I want to talk about but for the last week, I can't seem to get it all on paper. So what did I do? I upgraded our wedding website to a family website (It really wasn't a transformation, I just made a brand new website and kept the wedding website, but changed the homepage name). After many hours of trying to remember html code, it slowly starting coming back to me. I know, coding? I'm a geek at heart where when I figured out how to move over a column I was stoked. Lame!

Anyhow, I've been busy on the nets fixing stuff that you don't really see or might not even notice but I'm around. Seeing as how I didn't get any questions I guess I talk about the honeymoon and finally post the photos I finally uploaded. :)

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Waiting Patiently...

I have to admit, it's a little hard to post many reviews or details of the wedding without my pro pics. It's only been a few weeks so I'm not worried about not having them yet. So I have to admit when I said I'm back with a vengance, I slightly exaggerated that. I will be posting but not as often as I would if I had photos.

So I know open the floor to you... Do you have any questions or thoughts you want to hear about in particular about the wedding? Anyone? Anything?

With these hands...

Our Ceremony was far superior than what I had imagined. I pictured readings that were just read, not felt. I pictured the minister to rush through it and it be so impersonal. I pictured myself crying the entire time. I pictured a wedding that I wouldn't remember.

What I got was a smiling bride and groom at times, readers who read from their hearts and meant every word they said, a minister who made me feel like he was my oldest friend in the world. I got a dream wedding. A friend told me when she saw me for the first time, when the doors opened up, I looked serious. What she didn't know is that I was trying memorize everything I saw so I wouldn't forget it. An aunt came up to us later and told us she never saw two people enjoy themselves as much as we did during the ceremony. She noticed how we kept smiling at each other. It's these little things people told us that made me remember more of that moment. And as much as everyone says that your day is a blur, it can be true. I'd have to say that about our reception, but our ceremony, I remember it all! There even was one moment where we were knealing infront of the alter and Father Jim was giving his homily. At one point he picked up something that was shiny and you could see your reflection. I saw me in my dress and my husband in his tux. I saw people behind me but couldn't make them out. I saw us getting married and if I had to lose every memory from that day and keep one, it would be that one.

During our Engaged Encounters (our mandatory pre-marital counceling), our host couple read this to us and it really hit home. Right then, I realized I wanted it to be read at our ceremony. It hit home on so many levels that I felt like I needed to share it with everyone. We asked his father and my sister to read it for us. Now I can share it with you!

The Hands of the Bride and Groom
My Sister reads:
Bride’s name, please face Groom’s name, and hold his hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you. (Bride and groom should be facing each other, the groom’s upturned hands resting in the brides’.)
These are the hands, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.
These are the hands you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too, feels his child stir within your womb.
These are the hands that look so large and clumsy, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time.
These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled completely with his overwhelming love and desire for you.

His Father reads:
Groom’s name, please hold Bride’s name’s hands, palms up, where you may see the gift that they are to you. (Bride should now place her upturned hands in the Groom’s hands.)
These are the hands, smooth, young, and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she pledges her love and commitment to you all the days of her life.
These are the hands that will hold each child in tender love, soothing them through illness and hurts, supporting and encouraging them along the way, and knowing when it’s time to let go.
These are the hands that will massage tension from your neck and back in the evenings, after you’ve both had a long hard day.
These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.
They are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick or console you when you are grieving. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.
These are the hands that will hold you in joy and excitement and hope, each time she tells you that you are to have another child; that together you have created a new life.
Perhaps these are the hands that will comfort you when you are told you cannot have a child, and will convince you that together you will create new life in other ways.
These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams. Together, as a team, everything you wish for can be realized.

Clergy reads:
Dear Father, bless the hands that you see before you this day. May they always be held by one another. Give them the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their love.
Help these hands to continue building a relationship founded in your grace, rich in caring, and devoted to reaching for your perfection. May Bride’s name and Groom’s name see their four hands as healer, protector, shelter, and guide.
We ask this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you now and forever. Amen.


So with all the heart ache and tears I had dealing with the church people, my ceremony was a dream come true!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

oh Happy Day...

One of my favorite days of the year is upon us and so I am up late enjoying a beer! (Partly cause of the special day, but solely I am still on Bali time!)

It's my birthday! Little miss Planner has entered her last year as a twenty-something! :) Am I sad about that? HECK NO! I'm the happiest I've ever been and married to my best friend!

Friday, November 9, 2007

Total counts...

Something I did right was give a lower count than what we expected to the caterers. Below are our final counts:
Sent out 100 invitations...

* 80... RSVPs received
* 20.. RSVPs AWOL
* 126...Yeses
* 140... TOTAL Yeses (from RSVPs or just told us)
* 2... unknowns
* 15....Nos
* 31... Nos (from RSVPs or just told us)
* RSVP DATE has PASSED!!!

What was the real number who finally came? 130. There was about 10 people who RSVPed yes that didn't show up. Some I knew wouldn't make it cause of the fires in the area, others I have to admit I was a bit surprised about.

In the end, we ended up paying for 1 extra meal! :) Not too shabby!

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Yummy vendor review Part 1

Since early on, we went with cupcake idea and wanted to find a local bakery. We found TC Bakery and everything fell into place. We even sent photos over of our ideas of what I wanted and I think they did a great job! Everyone LOVED the cupcakes and they were soo moist and tasty I was bummed after the reception I didn't get have more! Luckily someone packed some up and my wish for cupcakes were fullfilled!





Photo came from my dear friend Frank! Danke Frank-uh!

On a grading scale, TC Bakery gets an A!

May I present to you the Mr. and Mrs. Bobbleheads!

A few months ago I blogged about wanting bobbleheads as our cake toppers. We ordered them from a great company called Whoop Ass Enterprises! When they came they were a bit heavy so they decided put on the table!



Photo came from my dear friend Frank! Thanks Franks!

HOLLA....

I'm back with a vengeance, one thing people never really tell you about honeymoons is that you tend to have a lot of time to look back on your wedding day and depict it into a million little pieces!

Tomorrow I should be back up to my normal postings... about what happened, what I thought... blah blah blah...

Anyhow, until tomorrow... this little planner is going to catch up on some zzzz's!