Countdown

Wow, can’t believe the wedding is only 2.5 weeks away! Putting that in writing makes it sound even crazier.

Sorry I haven’t written in a while – I’ve been too busy planning! It seems like the more things I take care of, the more things pop up that I realize I need to do. My mom asked what is there really left to do, so I made a five page document listing all the things to do between now and the wedding. And the worst part is that I’m adding more things than I’m crossing off. There are just so many details!

I’ve been reading about these crazy diets that brides are doing. Meanwhile, I’m sitting at my desk eating so many Cheetos that my fingers may be permanently orange on the day of the wedding. I asked Damon how his exercise plan is going, and he said, “What exercise plan?”

But seriously, I have been trying to do some sit-ups and some laps around the block. Partly because I want to look my best on my wedding and honeymoon, and partly because it helps me deal with the stress.

I’ve gotten my (hopefully) final guest count in, so now I’ve been updating vendors with that information (i.e. getting fewer rental items and flowers centerpieces). I’m working on table seating, and I apologize in advance if you are unhappy with where you’re sitting – I’m seriously trying to do my best and put guests where they either know people, or where they might get along with other people.

This coming weekend is my friend Megan’s bachelorette party. We’re going to a spa, so hopefully that helps me relax!

If I don’t write again, I’ll see you at the wedding! After all the planning is done, it should be really fun! Prepare yourself for an awesome time! J

- Soon to be E^2

T-Minus One Year!

Note: The following entry was written May 12, 2011 but not posted until later.

T-minus one year!

This time next year, we'll all be dancing up a storm! I hope the weather next year is as nice as today was.

Today Damon and I biked to Starbucks because they are having a half-off frappuccino happy hour special this week from 3-5pm. Biking back to work, we noticed that this hour next year, we'd almost be getting married! I asked Damon, "Do you think next year around 3:00, we'll be thinking about how last year we went to get our happy hour frappuccinos and wondering what May 12, 2012 will be like?" Damon said, "The only thing I'll be thinking about is you." Just kidding, I made up that last part. But he said something like, "Of course not! We will have totally forgotten about the frappuccinos!" Damon has a short-term memory. Not really kidding about that part. Sorry Damon, I don't think you read my blog entries anyway. ;)

But seriously, he's probably right. We'll be so in the moment that we won't be thinking of anything else. But, since I'm writing this here blog entry, maybe I'll remember what it was like to ponder the Big Day. And realize that it's not just some distant thing in the future that may eventually happen. It's one year from now. And it will happen (I don't want to lose my deposits). ;) That idea is crazy to me. I guess that's what happens when you have a long engagement - you feel like you'll be engaged forever.

This morning Damon and I put each other's ring on the other person's hand. Like we will next May 12th. Of course, Damon's fingers have swollen up since we bought the ring last year. We couldn't get it off this morning. I briefly wondered if we would go to work with his ring on. People would think we were already married! I heard that saliva helps get rings off, so Damon stuck his finger in his mouth, and it worked. So much for that. We'll have to get it resized before the wedding. But we already got it resized and he hasn't even worn it yet! Oh boy.

Almost time for The Office. See you next year. :)

Finalizing the Venue

Well, as I hoped from my previous blog entry, I found a venue! The ceremony will be at the Santa Barbara City College, and the reception will be at the Cabrillo Arts Center. Yay! It took a while to figure out the date though. May is my favorite month, so naturally I wanted to get married then. But there are not a lot of options in May. The 26th occurs during Memorial Day Weekend, and I think that would make everything more expensive (especially for the out-of-town guests). The 5th is Cinco de Mayo, which would be a little weird, but either way, the Cabrillo Arts Center was booked for that day. And the 19th is such an ugly number (even numbers are way better, and come on, it’s way too prime for me). Plus, the City College graduates during that weekend.

So that left May 12th. Which was perfect. The only problem was... that the Cabrillo Arts Center was booked on that day! :( So I considered it doing it in early June, but we have a lot of fog here in June and even in May sometimes, and June just doesn’t have the same appeal as May. As for April, that’s a beautiful month, but Damon’s birthday is on the 24th, and he didn’t want his b-day write next to the wedding (although it could be cool, right?) Anyway, there was no need to go with a foggy day in June or a day too close to Damon’s b-day in April.... Why is this, you ask? Because after asking multiple people multiple times about the May 12th booking, they finally called up the people who had booked it originally, and turns out they didn’t need it on that day anymore! So it was all mine :)

I had a ten day hold on the Arts Center after I found out the good news. Next step – to book SBCC on that same day. The first time I called, they said they only book 6 months in advance! :( That was hardly anything in wedding time. But then I talked to a different person, who eventually gave me a contract to sign. That took forever too though, since she’d only responded to my inquiries about once a week. So on Thursday, I finally was able to give the deposit (who knew it was so hard for people to accept money when I was willing to write the check and just do it already).

May 12, 2012... it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Yay! I just put it on my Outlook Calendar. ;)

Next step... look for a caterer :)

Wedding Sites

Ok I'm getting excited - yay!

Damon and I are kicking our wedding planning into gear. Everybody says it's early to be planning for a Spring 2012 wedding, but as I've unfortunately discovered, some places are already booked on the date that I wanted (May 12, 2012 - lots of twelves, plus even numbers are way better than odd, and the only other even numbered Saturday in May is during Memorial Day weekend - not going to happen).

We started making appointments and checking out places two weekends ago. As it turns out, things start getting exciting when you can actually go see places, rather than just reading about them online. The experience is totally different. Anyway, here are the places we have seen so far (in order of viewing):

Rincon Beach Club - I have no doubt that we would have an amazing wedding here. The staff seems really professional, and they even offer complimentary wedding reception coordination. You can have your ceremony in the garden or on the beach. It's never been my dream to have my wedding on the beach though - too much sand after spending hours on your appearance. But the garden could be nice. The reception can be indoors or outdoors. If you do it outdoors, they string lights/lanterns around. Dancing and lounge chairs are still available indoors. The Rincon Beach Club is in Carpinteria - just south of Santa Barbara. Parking could be a problem with the beach right there though, not to mention traffic would be bad. They offer a Friday Winter discount, so we might have to do that. Rincon is still in the running for a possible location.

Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort - I really wanted to have my ceremony here and then have the reception at the Cabrillo Arts Center (see next paragraph). They have a beautiful outdoor plaza that is framed by the hotel's archways with the Pacific Ocean in the background. However (sad face), I found out the hard way that you are required to have your reception there too. Bummer. So that is out, as the reception would cost waaaay too much here.

Cabrillo Arts Center - A perfect place for a reception. I would still need to figure out a ceremony site (see next few paragraphs). Located in downtown SB, the Cabrillo Arts Center is located literally as close to the beach as possible without actually being in the sand. There are large windows that overlook the beach. Plus, there are two outdoor patios that would be perfect for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. However, unlike any of the other places that I've looked at, I would need to rent pretty much everything (linens, glassware, china, etc.). I would need to find my own caterer too, which I'm starting to look into. But the upside is that I could go to Costco or wherever and provide my own alcohol. And boy, I could have quite a nice selection. So this place is definitely being considered.

Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club - I guess I was expecting more from this place. It's got a nice lawn with a beautiful backdrop of the Santa Ynez Mountains. It's also in Carpinteria. The site fee is quite reasonable ($3K), but we would likely have to rent a tent for the reception outdoors. Seems like you'd have to be a polo fan to appreciate this place. It's out of the running. On the upside, we did score 12 tickets to see polo events. Let me know if you're interested in going to one of their events (as 12 tickets is quite a lot). They start up in May again (through September, I think).

Shoreline Park - This is a possible ceremony location if I went with the Cabrillo Arts Center for the reception. The park overlooks the ocean and has a breathtaking view of the Santa Ynez Mountains and downtown SB. However, we would be lacking privacy, as this is a public park, and there are plenty of people milling about.

Santa Barbara City College - This is also a possible ceremony site to complement the reception at the Cabrillo Arts Center. See everything I wrote about Shoreline Park, but add in the fact that it's quite a bit more private than the Park, especially on a Saturday. When we visited this site last weekend, I got all excited. I could really see myself getting married here. It is soo beautiful. Plus, you could totally hear the waves when you are pronounced husband and wife. There is a small fountain and a stone area where we could get married. The out-of-town wedding guests would really get the Santa Barbara Experience with this and the Arts Center. Both locations are close to each other, so the guests could leisurely drive down the palm tree-lined boulevard from the ceremony to the reception. It could totally work.

Santa Barbara Zoo - The Santa Barbara Zoo is the most beautiful zoo I have ever seen (not that I've seen a lot, ok maybe two including this one, but still). It's got a spectacular view of the mountains, and you can even see the ocean from a distance. They offer really cool things like leaving the animals out late and letting your guests ride around in the zoo train. It would no doubt be an unforgettable experience for everyone. The downside... it costs a lot. Too much, really. Plus, it would all be outdoors, and I'm always cold anyway! I would have to rent a bunch of heat lamps. Oh well. So this is out. We did get to walk around the zoo after we met up with the wedding coordinators, so as we've started noticing, planning weddings certainly has its perks.

Glen Annie Golf Course - My mom's goddaughter got married at a golf course a year or two ago, and it was really nice. The Glen Annie Golf Course is located in the hills in Goleta. There are peaks of the ocean throughout the course. However, the reception would have to be outside. Again, I'm worried about the cold. But all the heat lamps and everything is actually included. There would some amazing photo opps too. Nice bridges and lakes located throughout the course. This is a definite possibility.

Other places that I will look at this coming week include Sandpiper Golf Course (probably too expensive, as it's over $100 just to golf there), the Santa Barbara Mission (as a ceremony site), and the Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens (also a ceremony site).

So the question remains - do I want to have everything done for me and go to Rincon or Glen Annie, or do I want to customize things myself and rent everything through the Cabrillo Arts Center? Most of the places I've seen are roughly around the same price. So it comes down to what I (and Damon too) want. We will see... Maybe my next blog will have the answer :)

My First Blog!

Well we finally put a blog up. :) This is my first blog ever. Gotta give it a try someday, I guess, and what better time to do it than now.

My dad said he was checking the wedding website every now and then to see if it was updated, so I made a couple changes last week. The main being that I put 2012 as the year instead of 2011. May is my favorite month, so I would really like to get married then (although March is a possibility if we want to go a slightly cheaper route). But if we don't get married in May, then we've got to have a kid in May, haha ;)

So anyway... let's back it up a little here to January since I haven't written anything until now. When we got engaged, everything was so crazy. We had bought the house and got engaged within the same week! As if one of those wasn't enough excitement alone. I couldn't sleep for several days. Talk about a lot to celebrate. I kind of felt like I wasn't giving as much attention to the wedding planning as I should since I was dealing with all the paperwork that comes with buying a house. Even after escrow was closed, there was so much to do in terms of moving, taking care of small repairs, finding roommates, and just adjusting to the new life as a homeowner.

Anyway, I kind of went on a tangent there, but I eventually found time to concentrate on the wedding. We were originally thinking of getting married in 2011. So that meant I had a little over a year to plan. And knowing me (it takes me a while to make decisions, small or large), I needed all the time I could get. So I started looking into venues. Who knew that would be so difficult? In fact, all the things that go into making a wedding perfect... they're endless! There are so many things to decide on (venue, food, dress, flowers, cake), and for each of these areas, I have to decide what I want. I started feeling overwhelmed... Then we decided to have the wedding in 2012, which gave me more time. My new approach was to not make any official plans, but to gather ideas from wedding magazines and websites. My mom brought me magazines practically every time she visited (which is a lot). I looked through them a bit, but I started losing motivation. I have never been a fan of calling people or making appointments, and that's all it seemed like wedding planning was about. Is there something wrong with me? Am I not supposed to be all excited and want to do this? To me, it just feels like a big chore. Something that's got to be done. :(

Oh dear, I sound all depressing now. Happy thoughts. Hopefully I'll feel motivated again as the day gets closer. I better talk about something exciting now to end on a happy note.

I'm trying to grow out my nails (again). My mom said that her sister stopped biting her nails when she got married. Maybe I could do that too. My friend Aymiee's bachelorette party is coming up this weekend. We're going to get manis and pedis. So this past week I've been trying to grow my nails so the salonist (is that the word?) isn't super appalled. I'm thinking of joining a support group (no, seriously). I've been googling ways to stop. Wish me luck.

Well I guess that's all I'll talk about for now :) How did I do for my first-ever blog? I feel like I should end with a snazzy saying like, "That's all folks" or something like that. I'll work on it. Bye for now.