After spending Easter in Kernville, I spent the next 2 weeks in SLO enjoying just being and not having to stress about anything. Yes, there were projects I had planned on tackling and assignments for this term I wanted to get a head-start on, but I decided I should rest up as much as I can before heading into this next term. So what did I do to fill my time? To be honest, mostly wedding stuff. I will get to the wedding updates later, but I'll finish everything else up so those who are not interested don't have to skim through it.
I got in a visit to the place I had my rotation back in the fall. They had rearranged the clinic and hired some new faces. Nice to keep my foot in the door so they don't forget about me. I also got names of recommended orthopedic surgeons for Jeff's knee. He's had appointments and images taken, and was going back this morning to have his MRI read. We'll see if surgery is in his future, and if so, hopefully scheduled soon so he's ready for playing in Hawaii.
We also attended the wedding of one of my roommates from undergrad, Kristin. She had the ceremony at the mission in downtown SLO. The reception was at a restaurant in Pismo along the cliffs where there were windows all around for panoramic views of the ocean. This was the first "friend wedding" that Jeff and I had been to, so it was interesting not really knowing many people there. My other roommates from Cal Poly were there as well, and I recognized a few of Kristin's friends who had come over. But other than that, they were all strangers. Very different from family weddings where you know a large portion of the people there. We had fun, made friends with the people at our table and tried to keep the dance floor alive despite the mostly older crowd. Kristin looked beautiful and it was so great to see her after so many years. Congrats Kristin & Andrew!
We also were visited by Jeff's old roommate David and his new wife Jeannette. They just got married a couple weeks ago. They had decided not to deal with the stress of planning a whole wedding and instead rented a villa in Italy and got married over there with their immediate family. After a week with their family, they spent their honeymoon in Capri and Rome. They took some amazing pictures...my travel bug is biting! We also saw pictures of all the before's and after's of their new fixer-upper house. Amazing what a little elbow grease (and money) can do. It was great seeing them, and hopefully we'll get to visit them soon once their house is finished.
Other than that, I didn't do much else exciting besides get lost in the wedding world. A trip to Farmer's Market and my favorite eateries in town, and just hanging out with Jeff. So now for the wedding updates...
We have a photographer! I bit the bullet and booked the photographer (Katie DiSimone) that I have been in love with (and a little bit obsessed) for a while now, and the one we met with a few months ago. I know she's on the spendier side, but no one else's pictures compare. Plus, the photographer is probably the thing I care most about for the entire wedding (besides the fact that I'm marrying Jeff) and thus, something I'm willing to spend more money on. You can check out her work on her website or on her blog. I can't wait to see the pictures she takes of our BIG day!
We have a florist! My mom came up for a day to meet with the florist because I was really nervous about it. Flowers (and catering) are what people always say they underestimate how much they'll cost. So I figured it couldn't hurt to have someone who knows about flowers by my side to suggest cheap options if need be. This florist had been recommended by our photographer and was the florist at Kristin's wedding. And I love her! She was so easy to work with and was completely honest and upfront about the costs of everything. We went through every little detail of the entire day, and wrote everything up, and we came in under budget. I didn't know that was possible in the wedding industry! The flowers will be hydrangeas, stephanotis, gerbera daisies, and stock in shades of pink, purple, and white. You can see her website here.
We have a DJ! I met with DJ Bob, who we had met at the wedding fair back in October. He's also gotten rave reviews from tons of vendors, and has never once tried to sell himself. He actually makes you feel like he cares about your wedding. Amazing. Plus, we get a discount for a Sunday. Woohoo! Jeff and I know the importance of a good DJ...it'll make or break your reception. And we feel we'll be in good hands. We'll meet with him when it gets closer to go through our music selections, including the "must play's" and the "do not play no matter what's".
We went cake tasting! Well, my mom and I did. Jeff got some leftovers. :) I had figured out what I wanted and how much it was going to cost from one bakery, until I went to set up a tasting with them and found out that they don't do Sundays. Darn it all! So it was back to square one, and my mom and I went tasting at The Cakery. They have some amazing chocolate ganache. I was in heaven. But they are on the spendy side, and we'd have to get a pretty small cake in order to afford them. Our florist recommended another baker who is more affordable, Christine's Cake Creations. Her cakes were not quite as decadent, but were still tasty. She has even more flavors than are listed on her website, and we definitely will be able to afford a bigger cake with her. And who doesn't want more cake?! The size we get will depend on how much catering costs.
Which brings me to caterers. They are the bane of my existence right now. Why are they so impossible to get a hold of? Do they not want to cook for me? Are they not hurting for business? If you remember, in order to get a discount on the venue we need to use one of their preferred caterers, otherwise we pay full price. I finally got a hold of Blacklake Catering, and they seemed pretty reasonably priced. Until all the hidden fees (destination, cake-cutting, rentals, set-up, clean-up, bartenders, etc.). We'll see if we can afford them. And I've just about had it with the other preferred caterer, McPhee's. The person I apparently need to talk to, Bob, never seems to be there. And no one will take a message. I'm starting to wonder if Bob really exists. I'm pretty sure they'll be more expensive than Blacklake, but I don't know if they have hidden fees. So, after being frustrated by these darn caterers, I decided to look into one of the caterers we liked at the bridal fair, Phil's. On his website you can develop your own menu, what services and rentals you'll need, etc. and they'll send you a proposal back. I did this at around 11 pm last night, and by 7:30 this morning I already had a proposal waiting for me in my inbox. McPhee's...you might want to take notes. He's very reasonably priced. So if he ends up being over $1000 less than the other two (which it's looking very likely), we may end up using him and pay full price for the venue. Decisions.
That about wraps it up. Tomorrow's the first day of class...8 hours of it. Bleck. Will write about this term later...I think I've written enough already! :) Can't believe it's almost May...and my birthday!
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