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Sunday, March 18, 2012

Our Lives Stilled



When we took our engagement pictures we compiled a bunch of stuff that we thought, would not only look cool, but would represent who we are. I thought I'd share what we brought to let everyone know our little inside information.

As many people know, Adam and I love going to different antique faires and antique-ing around. Some old antique-d stuff:

  • The little, round, white table
  • The glass bottle dated somewhere around the 1880's
I also threw in there two little teacups. We have an ever growing collection in our house of fancy mis-matched tea cups I like. I admit we don't use them that often because I'm always afraid they'll break. I've had these particular two since around 2009 when Adam and I first moved in together and first got engaged.

In the glass bottle are three of Adam's oil painting brushes.

My OneStep Polaroid camera that I use fairly often (I bought it for only $5 at an antique fair!)

We also brought a typewriter! It was my first ever purchase from ebay like 6 years ago. Adam helped me while I very carefully took it apart, sanded down the old paint, and repainted it one of my favorite baby blue colors. We spray painted a bunch of stuff that day.

We also brought three books:
  • A journal of handmade paper made in Spain Adam brought back for me when he was in Paris.
  • A first edition of a signed Gabriel Garcia Marquez book Adam bought as a Christmas gift for me a couple of years ago.
  • My copy of 100 Love Sonnets by Pablo Neruda. This book means the most to us. It's been with us on every vacation we've gone on. We've both read it in English and Spanish together and by ourselves. The poems and this book will be used throughout our wedding!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Planning Planners

I have a question.

How the heck does one choose a wedding day of / month of planner??

We aren't going to be able to go down to SLO and meet ALL of them.

Do we choose by who has the nicest website? Who is the fastest email responder? Who has the best price?

None of these factors ensure a good planner.

What are the right questions to ask a possible planner?

Sneak Peak!

In case anyone couldn't contain their excitement I thought I'd share this picture I found while browsing around on the internet:



Did you know that our venue is so cool there's a wikipedia page about it? oh yeah!

Planning updates:

  • We have a tasting with a caterer in a couple weeks.
  • We're getting into the low down nitty gritty of picking and contracting or florist. Hopefully that'll be done with by the middle of next week.
  • We're currently browsing planners in the SLO area checking package prices and what's included.
  • We're almost done with the Save-The-Dates so hopefully those'll go out soon.
  • Final stages of ordering our wedding bands (Yay!! I'm so excited for this part!!)
  • Bridesmaid dress shopping
  • Suit shopping for Adam and co.
Things I personally am currently working on:
  • Stop making five million To-Do lists with little to no progress.
  • Stop trying to wedding plan after 8 pm.
  • Start sleeping.
  • Stop stressing out right before bed about things I can't do until tomorrow or weeks from now.
  • Being calm enough to actually get things done rather than plan to plan to plan to get things done.
Good night! Stay tuned for losing my sanity!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

This is what Planning looks like

While I'm waiting for my dentist appointment I figured I'd start in on a little planning.

This is what's going on:

- Month view calendar opened with almost every weekend booked.
-Planning milestone guide from a magazine that is actually a 12 month professionally made to do list.
- three different To-Do lists: one of things that need to be done in the immediate, one of things to be done by the end of the month, and one for things that I need to keep on my mental radar because they need to be done in the next 2 months or so. These lists are constantly changing and being updated.

I'm trying not to feel overwhelmed and crazy but we're at the sort of planning pinnacle right now. If we can get through the next 2 months then like, 80 - 90 % of planning is done. Then it's all easy street.

Here's what's on deck:

- finalizing florist
- finalizing caterer
- finishing and mailing save-the-dates
- planner
- DJ
- registry
- accommodations

And then once those are done:

- invitations
- cake
- hair & makeup
- official wedding website
- honeymoon planning

The cooler head I can keep the more things get done.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

SIX MONTHS!!

Today not only marks the official SIX MONTHS UNTIL OUR WEDDING!!  date which induces some panic, anxiety, and stress.

But it's also our 8-and-a-half-versary! When we get married it will be our 9 year anniversary and on our first wedding anniversary it'll be our TEN year anniversary.

We picked our anniversary as our wedding date for obvious reasons but also because:

  1. I don't know how people rationalize picking a random saturday in the summer to celebrate for the rest of their lives. I started getting all nutty about it, wanting even numbers or other OCDlike thoughts.
  2. I don't understand what people celebrate: when they first met/started dating or when they were married and how they're ranked in importance of each other. I think most people only celebrate their wedding anniversaries and half remember their dating anniversaries. We've been dating so long that the day has grown in importance and I didn't want it to be forgotten or overshadowed by our wedding day.
  3. What better way is there to celebrate our love than to get married??
We've spent the last 8.5 years growing up together. I can't wait to keep growing closer together and grow old with each other.


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Confession

Wedding planning... takes time. And patience.

It's a been a 100% learning process for me, and without Sydney's ideas, vision, and hours upon hours of hard work, this wedding would be leading up to a pizza party in a garage. 

Also, many of you know that me and sydney have been together for quite some time. It'll be 9 years on the day we're married. And we've been through a lot together. But each day, month and year of being together, i've known that what we have is special, and will never be less. But keep growing and changing as we grow and change. 

Now that being said, I'm not the type of guy to act "tough," nor am i an overly sensitive guy. But wedding planning brings out a lot of things in you that your not always ready for. Specifically, i'm talking about something that happened over our big wedding planning trip this weekend. We were sitting and talking with a florist in a small room that stood alone from the the florist main house. The sun was shinning, the doors and windows wide open, birds chirping and the smell of fresh flowers was unavoidable. And we're picking flower that ultimately for the bouquet that Sydney will carry down the aisle on our wedding day. 

And that's when occurred to me that we're getting married. 

And it was a feeling of deep and total happiness. And I know, after 9 years, it's only the beginning.  
<3

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Planning

Well,

After the cream on thursday (which was a ton of fun) and our engagement pictures friday, the actual planning-planning for the weekend has begun.

We left LA early this morning and drove the three and a half hrs to make our 11 am appointment.

We've just finished meeting back to back with two florists. They were both really great and nice and have a lot to offer. We'll just wait a week or so to hear back from them with their proposals. Hopefully then we'll finally have our florist!!

We're currently in the parking lot (as pictured). We're waiting for our next appointment, a catering tasting, to start.

I can't wait to have everything in place! Stay tuned for more wedding updates!! They should be coming really fast now that our wedding is so quickly approaching!!!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Engagement pictures!!!!


Today we went out to Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills (southern ca) to take our engagement pictures with Yuna.

We dressed our snazziest but I bet you all of the pictures turned out just as good as these ones we just took at the hotel using Adam's computer.... We're really good at looking natural for the camera.

It was mostly a lot of really awkward posturing and me (sydney) feeling really gawky while Adam tried to feel really cool. Hopefully Yuna will be able to work her photographic magic and we'll get at least a few where I'm not making a dumb face....

We should get them in a week or so and we'll be sure to share them!!

Photo session

We've. Got something fancy to do today!


Our goodies!

We bought a couple things at the Cream event! A bow tie for me and shoe chips for Sydney


Our goodies bags



Get down boys playin'


Thursday, March 1, 2012

The dance floor!!!

FlashDance DJs
Geronimo Balloons
Found Rentals

Lasagna Cupcakes!!!

We've had quite a lot of yummy snacks here tonight!!

If our tasting tomorrow doesn't work out, I'm excited that we'll have already tasted a ton of back-up caterers!

It's pretty amazing here...

The Rue section. Features Heath Ceramics!

Tied

Adam getting tips on how to tie a bow tie!

Cream

Hanging out at the Cream event!


The Cream Event

We're currently waiting to go to into The Cream!

It's a sort of fabulous wedding expo!

Stay tuned for more pictures from both Adam and me!!

And tomorrow? Our engagement photo session!!!