Knot 2 Many Weddings

The Silence is Over

  Thanks to one of my genius techy friends, I am now able to blog again.  Yeah!  This is the first time I’ve been able to log in for a few weeks. 

  As usual, lots has been going on and I’ve wanted to tell you about it… but was unable to.  Quite honestly, you’re lucky b/c last nights post would have been a real bitch session about how Save the Dates have turned into a big ordeal (and should not be.) Sigh.

And with that, I’d like to raise my glass to http://ballstothewalloch.tumblr.com/ for talking me off the ledge and getting me back into my tumblr account.

Cheers!

Cake cutting? Let’s “cut it out”

  (Did anyone else read the title “cut it out” and think of Dave Coulier during his Full House years?  If so, you’re welcome.) 

  Cake Cutting… in my 2^nd blog post (ever) I posted about how annoying I think it is that venues charge a $5/person  (and up) cake-cutting fee.  So lame.  Even more lame than that is having everyone watch you cut a cake with your new spouse.  Like, really, do you want to come over and watch me cut into my steak, too? How has this turned into a photo-op?  I used to take pictures of the cake-cutting when I attended weddings until I realized, “I have pictures of cake… that I didn’t eat and that I will never see again.  WTF did I take this picture?”

  Recently at work, we celebrated a co-workers birthday.  Cake was cut, served and eaten.  Not one person stopped to oohhh and ahhh over the lady who was plating the pieces for everyone.  So why do we now add so much importance to that at a wedding?  Because we’re “suppose” to?  But, why? 

  So I googled this… as I do with all of life’s important questions.  I found some interesting info about how the cake cutting symbolizes the husband & wife’s first act as a couple.  (what a crock of shit.  for real.)  That you want to cut all the way through to the bottom layer to show the relationship’s endurance.  Excuse me?  I really hope that  my relationship with B is not hanging in the balance our cake-cutting skills.

  Cake… what a waste of money.  Please just pass me a loaf of white Wonder bread and be prepared to see me scarf that whole thing down in one sitting.  Now THAT is worthy of a photo-op.

And with that, I’d like to raise my glass to knowing that I’m marrying a fellow carb-aholic.

  Cheers!

March Madness… for real

  People.  I’ve been MIA even more than usual.  I have a ton of stuff to tell you, but never got around to it in March.  I have several excuses why:  March Madness, missing a friend of mine, St. Patrick’s Day, giving up alcohol. 

  Um, yeah.  You did not read that wrong.  I gave up alcohol for the month of March.  What was I thinking, right?  The girl who LOVES an open-bar, gave up alcohol for 31 days!  (As a friend of ours said, “After the first 10 days, you finally get rid of the shakes.” It’s a joke, Uncle J.  I really do NOT have a drinking problem.)

  So, I have lots to tell and will be working on getting it all on here, but for now… I’ll leave you with awaits me this coming weekend:

  My B and 4 friends are heading up to Sonoma for wine tasting over the Easter weekend.  Should be fun… especially since my tolerance is now zero.

  And with that, I’d like to raise my glass to being able to raise my glass again.

  Cheers! 

Whitney… my reception pal

  There are just some songs that are classic wedding reception songs.  The kind that make you want to dance and scream each and every lyric of the song.  You know what I’m talking about. 

  Well, at one of the September receptions this past fall, one of the DJs was a bit lack-luster and I begged him (that should be read as “DEMANDED”) that he start taking song requests if he wanted revive the dance floor.  He took one of my suggestions and what immediately occured was an almost-all girl dance/karaoke  party.  Please click on the link below (I hope I did this whole link thing correctly..):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQYenm9z70U

(I’m the girl with a sparkly bracelet on the right hand, which has a vodka-soda locked in a death-grip, and my left hand is in the sky and all over the place.  Apparently, when I dance, my left hand feels the need to point and be up in the air.)

  Seriously, such a fun song and a fun memory.  Other than… I’m pretty sure I can hear my voice above EVERYONE else’s… singing with Whitney (RIP.)

And with that, I’d like to raise my glass to the fact that no one but Whitney, should sing Whitney (including me.)

  Cheers!

Marriage Equality

  I’ll keep this brief.  I think people should be able to marry who (whom?) ever they want.  Gay, straight, whatever.  Love who (whom, seriously I don’t know how to use who and whom) you want, marry who you want, etc.  Just be happy. 

  It would be devastating to me if someone told me that I did not have the right to marry my B.  So, I can’t imagine how it must feel to actually have to fight for the right to marry.  Crazy. 

  And can we please just get real about something?  Gay marriage will not ruin the sanctity of marriage.  Heterosexuals have already taken care of that with a 50% divorce rate.

  Here are 2 pictures someone shared with me (you can find these all online.)  Yes, I’m aware that they play into stereo-types, but they also show that people have a sense of humor.

  And with that, I’d like to raise my glass to my friends: gay, straight, whatever… I love you!

Cheers!

Wedding Venue Shopping (Day 2)

  Oh my.  Looking for a venue to host a wedding reception is not for the faint of heart.  What an ordeal this has turned out to be.  There has been a lot of fun in doing all of this, but also a lot of stress.  Like I was having nightmares about it for 5 consecutive nights…. for real. 

  After a wine-filled Saturday, I dropped our 2 guests off at the airport and B and I were off to meet my parents in Laguna Beach.  We looked at 2 more reception venues.  They weren’t exactly us.  From the moment we met up, we all decided that we weren’t loving the venue we signed a contract on the day before.  (My Mom:  “I didn’t hardly sleep last night because I was stressing… I was trying to imagine ways we could decorate those bathrooms.”  Me:  “Omg.  I’d make fun of you, but I know you’re being serious.”)  Per Mr. Falcon, we had 2 weeks before he deposited the money and we were locked in.  This meant, that my parents, B and I had 2 weeks to figure this whole thing out.  Time was ticking and we were all on a mission.  Before we all headed out, we did find time to top and grab a drink. 

  My dad spent 3 hours that  night online looking for places, B called and talked to 4 vendors, I spent the better part of a (work) day looking at stuff online, my mom was getting suggestions from friends, etc.  It was full blown craziness and I’m amazed at how much we accomplished.  From Sunday-Tuesday, we looked at: Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort, Hyatt & Hilton in Huntington Beach, Laguna Cliffs, Tivoli Terrace, Tivoli Too, a couple of country club places, Giraci Vineyard.  B and I even went and stopped by 4 places (in one night), after they were closed just to see if we were interested enough in going back to see these places in the daytime. 

Please keep in mind, we already looked at and ruled out:  Wiens Winery, Ponte Winery, South Coast Winery, Rancho Las Lomas, Balboa Bay Club. 

  I was feeling like Goldilocks.  This one’s too beachy.  This one’s too stuffy.  This one’s too big.  This one’s too small.  Where the hell is the one that is “just right?”

  During all of this craziness, I had exchanged texts with one of my childhood bff’s, Mr. Bustin. 

  He is getting married in August, so he can relate to what we are going through.  I got this text from him which made me want to hug him through the phone:

Mr. Bustin:  “Any luck on the venue?  That part was the biggest bitch of the whole process.  Most stressful part.”  

  And with that, I’d like to raise my glass to knowing even groom’s find this venue stuff stressful. 

  Cheers!

Wedding Venue Shopping (1)

  My B, my parents and I picked a day (February 4^th) to go wedding venue shopping.  It had been 6+months that we were engaged and had done nothing to plan a wedding, still not even sure we wanted one.  But we decided to make a day of it and go see some venues.  Guess what?  It was a blast!  Seriously, we had such a good time.  We saw 6 places that day, so it was a lot to remember, but there were at least 2 places that B and I left saying, “We could definitely have our reception there.” 

  The day in itself deserves some attention.  We all hopped into B’s truck and had all 6 addresses ready to go in the GPS.  We headed out so prepared.  My mom was reading each site’s proposal and package information to us as we drove to each location.  My highlight was her saying this:

  “The package also includes a dessert table, a coffee station, bottled water… what?  Oh who the hell cares about that?  No one in our group will drink that.” Hahaha (true!)

Saw lots of options.  Outdoor venues, indoor venues, fancy tents, more rustic feel, more formal feel, etc.  But I loved loved loved the idea of having a fancy tent with chandeliers.  It’s just something different than the usual outdoor California wedding.  And I love chandeliers almost as much as I love champagne.  Almost. 

In addition to being quite the comedian that day, my mom also turned herself into a flight attendant.  After 2 venue tours and 2 hours into our day, she whips out a cooler and snacks for everyone (“I figured we’d be too busy to stop somewhere so I  just brought a few things.”)  Cheese & sausage slices, 5 kinds of crackers, apple slices, drinks, desserts, etc.  No peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for this family!  We have freaking appetizers in the car.  Ever the hostess!  (Mom, we of course loved this and thank you for being you.)

At the end of the day, we were all pretty excited.  B and I really liked the first place we saw so much, that I asked them to put a hold on the wedding date and give us a week to think about it.  As the week wore on, the more B and I liked the venue and started to get behind the idea of having a “wedding.”  I didn’t want to go look at more places, since: 1. We already liked this place 2.  I didn’t want to confuse myself. 

So a week later, my parents picked us up and we all went back to the first place to put a deposit down and sign a contract.  On the car ride there, I could sense my parents were less excited then the week before.  Then, they started telling us about a few of the reviews they had read online.  Some things to question and consider.   I was glad they brought the info to our attention, but kind of felt like Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer. (“Gee, you know that information… really would’ve been more useful to me YESTERDAY!”) 

 Here are the 3 biggest concerns:

-The bathrooms.  My mom thought they looked “institutional.”  Needed to be remodeled.

-The time.  The music MUST end at 10pm.  No negotiating around it. 

-The wine.  My parents were very underwhelmed with what the listed wine option was.  To help ease any fears about the wine, Mr. Falcon sent us home with a bottle of Chardonnay and bottle of Merlot. 

At any rate, we all powered through it:  we went to the venue, met with Mr. Falcon, signed a contract and money was put down.  We left with our 2 bottles of wine and were feeling very un-excited about the whole thing.  I think B and I had previously were so gung-ho and now, we knew some of the concerns were valid.  What had we done?  Did we just make a mistake?  Were we over-thinking it?  Could this place really still be great?  Or is this a sign we should keep looking? Ahhh!

To make a long story even longer, we headed back to my apartment where Cousin Crazy and her BFF, Miss Agent were waiting for us (they were in for the weekend from Minnesooooota.)  They had champagne waiting for us all to cheers and celebrate having a wedding date slash venue picked.  The champagne was great, but we were like, “Um, so we’re not so set on the venue….”  But the 8 of us now continued on to a wine tasting event.  Great!  Then to the Newport Beach harbor for our own personal sunset booze cruise.  Great!  We tasted the wine Mr. Falcon sent us home with.  Not great.  Not even 3+ hours of pre-drinking could make this wine okay.  Everyone took a few sips and we were all trying to like it and be so polite.

Me: “Um, the white is a little sweet.” 

Dad: “I already dumped mine out.”

Mom: “We can’t serve this to people.”

Dad: “No.”

Group:  (hysterical laughter)

Mr. Falcon and his venue were not looking so good anymore.  After several more glasses of wine at home with B, Cousin Crazy and Miss Agent, I headed off to bed.  I don’t remember saying this (re: wine), but B told me the next day that as I was falling asleep I said, “We’re not having our reception there.”

And with that, I’d like to raise my glass to being indecisive & drunk, at the same time. 

  Cheers!

Inadequate Bride

  I don’t mean to sound like Debbie Downer here, but… I feel like such an inadequate “bride-to-be.”  (and let’s take a moment to ponder what an obnoxious term that is.)

  My B got a phone call last week from one of his best buddies, Mr. Redneck, asking him to stand up in his wedding.  Cute, right?  Well, part of this makes me feel so inadequate.  These people just got engaged on New Years Eve!  And now, not only do they have a wedding date (set for August 4th), they are calling people and asking them to be in their wedding!

  I, on the other hand, have been engaged for 6+ months and am still trying to decide between 2 states to have a wedding… a date comes later… and a bridal party comes even after that.  ahhhh.

  How are other people so on top of this stuff? 

  I’ve decided the best way to cope with my bridal inadequacy is to follow Cousin Crazy’s advice and “drink through it.”  So, B and I cracked open a special Malbec we’ve been saving and are sitting around doing nothing to move this whole wedding thing forward… although, to be honest, we’ve made great strides on this front lately…. but that’s a story for another day.  Back to my Malbec.

  And with that, I’d like to raise my glass to Miss OPI for her giving us these glasses so we have something with which to drink said Malbec.

  Cheers!

Falling into the Industry Trap

Take a look at the picture below:

There are a few things you should know about the stack of magazines:

1.  That’s about 1/3 of the magazines I’ve had since I got engaged.

2.  I did not buy them all.  Several were given to me.

3.  If I had bought them all, you are looking at a photograph containing about 90+ dollars worth of bridal magazines.

  Holy sh*t!  Isn’t that outrageous?  And bridal magazines are pretty much a waste (although I do find them hard to pass up.)  I mean, for the most part, they are just filled with advertisments and not actual ideas.  Plus, the ideas that are in there, are not even new to me… I saw them ALL this past year.  So ridiculous.

  And with that, I’d like to raise my glass to knowing all of the above and still buying a new bridal magazine tonight.

  Cheers!

And so it begins…

  The bridal showers of 2011 ended in August so I’ve had a break from the PRE-wedding events…. until last night.  In my mail, I had an invitation for a bridal shower that is in a few weeks.   (I can already hear the clanking of champagne glasses.)  I’m actually glad I can make it to this shower because I can’t make it to the actual wedding.  Shocking, right?  I mean, how did I make it to 11 weddings last year and not have a single conflict (other than “being broke”)?  And now, I start the year off by not being able to make it to my first wedding of 2012? 

  So what does this mean?  I’m back to looking at bridal registries.  I mean, it has been a few months so I’m long over-due.  The people at Crate & Barrel and Bed, Bath and Beyond must have search parties out looking for me.  Surely, they must be wondering why I haven’t been in there for a few months.  I’m so happy I can step back into these stores and relieve their fears. 

And with that, I’d like to raise my glass to knowing I have a Sunday in my future filled with good food and lots of booze.

Cheers!