Nov 10, 2010

South Jersey Fare

For our second ceremony, we'll have Italian sub sandwiches, baked ziti, mashed potatoes, and green salad. My mom is also getting a crudite platter and providing birch beer soda. She will making the party favors with our neighbor, and saved the cranes from our wedding to use at this event. With our sheet cake from my favorite bakery in Bridgeton, Century Bakery, the afternoon will be a yummy time!

Nov 4, 2010

Countdown to Reception Number Two

We'll be having our NJ reception for family and friends on the East Coast soon. People that will be coming are those we couldn't invite or could not make it to California in September. This reception will be less formal (Italian subs, pizza, salad). I don't even know if there will be table cloths!

We need to pick up my wedding dress and his suit from the cleaners. Other than those items, and a few cranes that made it to NJ with my mother, the look of the day will be completely different. It may be rainy and cold, compared to the beautiful outdoorsy weather we had for our wedding. I'm not carrying any flowers. I'm not having a bridal party. We are walking down the aisle together hand in hand. We will face each other and the minister's assistant will congratulate us on our marriage, affirm our values (Buddhist on my side), and send us on our way to a happy life together. Short and sweet.

I'm looking forward to meeting some more of J's family and friends on the East Coast as well as hanging out with a dear friend that is flying in from the Mid-West to make it.

Oct 7, 2010

On to the Next Reception

Now that our California wedding and the wonderful honeymoon are over, I am on to planning for our New Jersey reception in November. I sent out the invites the other day after talking with my mom, who was wondering when the invites would go out so she could order the food.

There will be a short ceremony to "bless" the marriage and then a lunch reception featuring Italian subs and pizza and whatever else my mom plans on having. There will be cake, too. And maybe taiko drummers.

We need to make our hotel reservations for the nights we will be there. We decided against going to a concert or hockey game in Philly because that is the only night that we could spend extra time in NJ with friends and family.

My mom saved some of the origami cranes from the CA wedding reception to use at the NJ ones. I wonder how that will work since I am not gathering branches for this one!

Sep 30, 2010

More Honeymoon Pics















Relaxing on the beach on Moorea at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort and Spa















Snorkeling off the deck of our overwater bungalow















That's my shadow on the beach















What's a trip to Polynesia without going to a Polynesian show?















On our ATV ride through the inner-island

The Honeymoon


Hinano girl --the national symbol of Tahiti and the Islands it seems.

Moorea in French Polynesia.

The InterContinental on Tahiti Nui with views of Moorea.

Tahiti Nui from the water

Sunset on Tahiti from the infinity pool with swim-up bar

Aug 30, 2010

J Rocks


One rock is missing because J is labeling the backside of each in marker so the groomsmen in charge of laying out this heart will get them in the right order. :-)

Hooray for Beer and Wine

Hooray for Chopsticks

Test Run with Cranes

Aug 24, 2010

Flowers Ordered, Hair Colored, People Seated

In the last few days, some other items were checked off the list of To-Do's. I got my hair colored and cut at Urban Soul in the Glen Park neighborhood of San Francisco (on Chenery St). The woman is really friendly and I've been really happy with the results the two times I've been there. I plan on going to her for haircuts in the future as well. I also ordered my wedding day flowers. After debate about longevity of cut flowers in heat, I decided on the calla lily. Boutonnieres will be small white calla lilies and corsages will be spray roses. The bridesmaids will hold a single white calla lily stem wrapped in ribbon, and my bouquet will be a bunch bouquet of medium sized white calla lilies. I had wanted to mix in some other flowers, but Andre at French Tulip (24th St./Sanchez) advised against mixing flowers if I was going to make the bouquet myself. I can see his point: I could get stressed on the wedding morning as I am trying to arrange flowers if something falls out of place or doesn't look properly spaced, especially with so much else to do.

Last night J and I worked on a draft of the seating arrangement. I bought little wood frames for the table numbers and cut the table numbers out of the "decline" postcards. So in some way those who could not be at our wedding and returned their reply card, will in fact be at our wedding. Now I have to "patiently" wait for the favors I ordered to arrive. I keep checking the website and it says "processing". Does that mean they are being made or the order hasn't even begun yet? I'm procrastinating (which got us in this spot in the first place) on calling and putting a rush on the order. I'm holding out for the miracle for another day I think.

Eight Months Ago Today

Today marks eight months since I got engaged. We have 12 days until the wedding in Berkeley, California, and 16 days until we leave for our Tahitian honeymoon. The summer has flown by with chores and wedding tasks to be done every weekend since mid-July. And looking back, the year has also flown by in general. It is all pretty spectacular and exciting. I am trying not to get overwhelmed with stuff (people making suggestions, I don't want to hear them) but it is hard when you have a vision in your head and fear something won't work out to match that vision. I feel like we made quite a few compromises on our initial vision (or at least MY initial wedding vison). As the day draws near I can relate more easily to the show "Bridezillas" and as I watch the TV I feel as though it is therapy in order NOT to become like them. I can try to take things as they come all I want, but I know some things will penentrate my skin. Being a Taurus and a Tiger, if the Bridezilla does emerge, you better watch out.

Aug 18, 2010

Wine, Wine, Everywhere There's Wine

Over the last week we checked off some items on the list. All of the cranes are folded and if they are going to hang somewhere, they are strung and waiting on paper bags. We left some free so we could place them on tables randomly.
I picked up my dress and my veil. We met with our ceremony musician, Bryan Olson, to go over the songs to be played before the ceremony and during the processional and recessional. We arranged for the parking at the event (although the numbers are wrong and our contact is currently on vacation which makes me nervous). Now we have to let folks know which other guests they should meet with to discuss carpools.
Also ordered the cupcakes for the reception (5 flavors!) and we tasted wine and ordered that for the cocktail hour and lunch (slightly over budget). We didn't order any bubbly though, which I didn't think about until this morning. We need some bubbly!
What else... made my hair cut appointment for Saturday and will also be ordering the flowers then, too. Not at the salon. :-) Made the reservation for a manicure and pedicure at Glamour Salon in SF for the Friday evening with three of the bridesmaids.
Oh, and the biggie! We got our marriage license a few days ago! We bought into the system. And in a few weeks I'll have a new last name (at least on one piece of paper).

Aug 13, 2010

Taking Time for Us

During this whole process we haven't really taken the time for ourselves, to love and do what we love together. At the beginning we said we would but we haven't. And now that there is about three weeks until the big day, we need to really keep the promise. For some bridal shower gifts I received cash from my bridesmaids. I used the money to buy tickets to a music festival in our city of San Francisco. Music Festival tickets as a bridal gift? Yes. Technically, I spent the money on something that we will need when we are married--happiness and connection with each other. Music festivals and shows have been a base in our relationship. We met because of music. Our first vacation was to a music festival, and subsequent vacations have revolved around festivals in other cities. So I'm taking time for myself this Sunday to reconnect with the man that I love and enjoy what we love doing together. :-)

Aug 4, 2010

Post-Wedding Cake Ordered


Most of my birthday cakes when I was growing up in New Jersey came from this bakery. Most of my birthday cakes also had images of cats on them. While my post-wedding cake for our ceremony in NJ will not be adorned with felines, it will come from my childhood sweet spot. Half chocolate, half white cake with buttercream frosting. :-)

Atlantic City Bachelorette Gathering





Atlantic City Bridal Shower





Jul 23, 2010

The Wedding Dress Alterations On the Way

I dropped off my wedding dress at Brigette Dry Cleaners and Alterations on referral from Forget Me Knots Bridal. Brigette is in San Bruno. The woman who marked my alterations seemed very nice. Her name is Linda. My bridesmaid Jen and her two-year-old daughter also came with me to get measured. The women in the store didn't seem to mind that we had a toddler with us, but then again, the little one was well behaved. Jen took pictures of me in the dress during stages of the pin-up so I know what I agreed to. I am getting an American pickup as my bustle. I pick it up in a few weeks. It's getting close....

Jul 13, 2010

Wedding Bands

Wedding dress? Check. 1,000 cranes folded? Check. My wedding band? Check. His wedding band? Has arrived. We ordered J's ring at David Clay Jewelers in SF not even three weeks ago. And it has arrived! The link is to a similar ring and style but the pattern we ordered.

Jul 8, 2010

It's For Reals

While I still can't show you the dress, you might be happy to know that it has arrived early at Forget Me Knots Bridal in San Francisco. I am to go on Saturday afternoon to try on the dress and see where, if any, alterations are needed. I bought an extra-padded strapless bra but the owner warned me not to take off the tags because it might show in the back. Because my dress has a corset, I should only need maybe some extra pads put into the chest area. Also I ordered it in a petite size so I might need an inch or two, depending on my shoe height, taken off the bottom.

I am excited. In addition to sending out the invitations, this arrival makes the day seem so much closer to happening. With all of the planning thus far, it was like we are just spending money with nothing to show for it. The return of the invite reply postcards make it so, yes, other people are now involved in this event! The wedding dress will be yes, I just spent a small boatload on one dress, so I better wear it somewhere. :-)

Jun 29, 2010

Yes, I'll Get Engaged to You All Over Again

J picked up my wedding band from Diamond Design Co. in downtown San Francisco. It is a platinum knife-edge ring that is a little wider than my engagement ring, which we got at Brilliant Earth, and it is a little taller, too. The cut doesn't exactly match the knife edge of the engagement ring, but it looks fine together.

When I came home from work yesterday, I opened the door to find J on bended knee with an open ring box and my wedding band inside. He asked me to marry him again. :-)

Jun 24, 2010

Maybe She's Born with It...


I really need to download photos from my camera and upload some pictures to this blog. I took some new ones of the ceremony site a few months ago, but do have them up--no. I had a hair and makeup trial a few weeks ago, but did I upload those photos? Not yet...

In any case, I am getting my hair and makeup done by a professional stylist for my wedding day. I went back and forth with this decision, especially since it is an additional cost that we didn't budget for. And, a professional stylist is pricey. I am going for a brighter, natural look for the photography and my hair will most likely be half-up and half-down to complement my dress and the environments. My stylist is Veronica Sjoen, and I met her through a contact at my work who worked with a colleague of Veronica's. In addition to liking her work, I think Veronica is a cool person, too. Hooray!

Jun 16, 2010

Showering Is Complicated

Part of the bi-coastal event is that I am having two bachelorette-y gatherings: one in California and one in Atlantic City, NJ.

I received my invite to my NJ shower/party from my matron-of-honor Lisa. We're doing a beach picnic with a happy hour to follow. It's potluck for the food. I've requested of my mom to bring cut-up hot dogs in soy sauce and rice balls, just like the bento we used to bring to Ocean City when I was a kid. Some things still need to be determined though. Are we staying in A.C. that night? Can we afford to? I assume Lisa and Jeannie (NJ bridal party members) will provide the plates and utensils, but I have yet to discuss it with them.

In California, Jen and Amanda will be organizing the day event to the Santa Cruz area. Wine tasting and boardwalk time are planned. Similar to the NJ event in that the beach is involved, but logistics will definitely be more complicated for this leg of the bachelorette tour. How is everyone getting from place to place, when/where will food be eaten, etc. Maybe there should be a Lost Boys theme to this one. Red wine to represent David's blood and rice from Chinese containers. :-)

Jun 2, 2010

We Have Cake



I just called Love at First Bite bakery in Berkeley, California, and put a hold on the wedding date. We will be ordering 10 dozen cupcakes of various flavors as our wedding cake. Yummy! Any special requests??

Coming Soon: Invitations and Wedding Rings

We are under 100 days to the wedding now. Days seem to be moving faster! We received the labels for the reply postcards and need to purchase a few more stamps before sending out the second batch of invitations. I put a good amount in the mail today. Hopefully I didn't screw up the weight issue (when I went to the post office two weeks ago the lady assured me the envelope was fine, but you never know).

We also began our search for wedding rings this weekend. We have an appointment at Diamond Design Co. in San Francisco to see their knife-edge band for me. I didn't really think about how hard it would be to match my engagement ring, but very few places have knife-edge designs (but Tiffany's has one on hand). A few places could customized a plain band for you, but I don't want to spend even more money on the simple band. Platinum, as is, is pricey. Plus, we are the hunt for the perfect band for J. He doesn't know what he wants, and since he doesn't wear jewelry usually (including the watch I bought him), I am weary of buying him a platinum band no matter how great the design is. We did see a nice titanium band at Simayof.

We had our second meeting with Bob regarding our wedding ceremony and vows. Our next assignment is to write down all of the things we love about each other and our relationship. Those thoughts might be worked into the vows or some part of the ceremony.

May 21, 2010

3 Months and 2 Weeks, But Who's Counting

Tonight I pick up our wedding invitations at the printer in Oakland! I bought envelopes and some stamps for reply cards last week, but need to still go to the post office, weigh the complete package, and buy additional stamps. Our invitation is a postcard-esque design with us holding a California "postcard", which is the item in focus, on the front side. The printer thought we had a low-res file because our image was blurry (on purpose). The backside is designed like a postcard you would send, the info for the ceremony on the left, and the addresses for the sites on the right. Included in the envelope will be directions and the reply cards, which are regular postcards.

Also in the works are the bachelorette shower plans for the last weekend in July. Beach picnic in Atlantic City, anyone?

Bridesmaids have all ordered their dresses so now we really need to start thinking about accessories and shoes for them. I got my hair cut yesterday and the lady told me how this one wedding party she did had the bridesmaids wanting to go all out with hair and makeup while the bride was more laid-back. While I don't really care how they wear their hair, I guess I do need to consider it so it doesn't look more done up than mine, which at this pojnt I don't really feel like doing up at all....

Last week I ventured to New Jersey to discuss with my church there the ceremony in November. I want that to be short and sweet. We'll walk in together, a sutra will be chanted in Japanese, we'll use some incense, and then go downstairs for the lunch. I am hoping a local Japanese drum group can perform, too, as our entertainment. We'll have pizza, sub sandwiches, birch beer, and hopefully, a cake from Century Bakery. YUM!

May 7, 2010

Invites Designed, Photography List Estimated

This week has been full of ups and downs. Our friend Taya designed our wedding invitation to my specs and used a photo our friend Kristy took for us. It turned out great! Now we need to find a place that will print the postcard invites (they won't be mailed as postcards, but were designed to look like one) for a good price. We only need about 75 really, but most places start at 250 or 500! 4by6.com I found had options for 100 and 75, but haven't checked out rocketpostcard or psprint yet.

This week also had us meet with Bob O'Magic, our officiant, to go over the wants of our wedding day. It was a nice dinner and productive meeting with Bob. In addition to the day's outline and timeframes, I thought more about the photos I wanted taken at the ceremony, before it, at the reception, and after the festivities were over. Then on Thursday we met with Jamey to discuss lighting at different spots in the grove, garden, and reception hotel. Another productive meeting!

We also found out a little more about the sound system at the Bancroft, and I measured the railings at the grove site. 18 sections on the top, so we'll need to only use 14. Instead of 5 cranes per strand as originally envisioned, the railing isn't that high so only three will probably fit and look fine. So that means instead of 50 strands of 5 cranes to be hung, I think 85 strands need to be tied to the railing. Good times ahead for the wedding party... :-)

Apr 30, 2010

128 Days to Go!

The wedding website is on The Knot and every time I go on to check the checklist, it reminds me just how little time we have before the big day. It's just a little over 4 months. Which is a third of a year, and that makes it seem not so close after all.

A few weeks ago, J and I went to look for flowers for my bouquet and the corsages. I am pretty much decided on hydrangeas and maybe white roses. I think the bridal party will carry white roses (single stem). Aside from the bouquets, there won't be any cut flowers at the wedding. Wedding flowers are EXPENSIVE. Of the four places we visited, two said the price is $175 for the bride's bouquet. That's $125 for two hours labor and $50 for the flowers. Yikes! One place said he wouldn't charge for a labor if it was going to be a bunch of hydrangeas but the cost per stem is $15 and you would five of them to be full enough. Still $75 seems more reasonable. I guess I could wait until the last minute to get my flowers (and just order the boutonnieres and corsages) and wrap up some random stems.

We've hit a lull with the planning it seems. We've folded about 500+ cranes. We booked our photographer, Jamey Thomas, and are in the process of getting our invites designed by Taya Harden. We plan to have our initial meeting with our officiant, Mr. Bob O'Magic, this week to discuss the ceremony. But nothing seems pressing (well, getting the invites coordinated, addressed and mailed is, but I'm not worried about getting it done immediately) and that seems odd.

Apr 16, 2010

Moorea and Tahiti, Here We Come... in September


J and I are headed to French Polynesia for 7 days, 7 nights for our honeymoon. We will be leaving a few days after our wedding so we can spend some time with our out-of-town guests after we get married. An overnight flight, five days in an overwater bungalow on Moorea (hopefully with the glass in the floor to see below), a day on Tahiti, and back in time for another friend's wedding!

Mar 29, 2010

Bridesmaid Dresses and Wedding Invites

This weekend ended with my decisions on bridesmaids dresses from Davids Bridal. All four of my gals will be wearing something difference on my wedding day. I picked the color (marine) and the approximate length (knee), but I am glad I let them try on whatever dresses they liked and felt good in. I know not everybody actually looks good in dresses that say they are flattering on anyone. And styles that one woman might pick for herself might look awful on another body type. So I gave them directions this morning via e-mail to buy the dresses from their ranking. (I had them select their Top four picks.)

This weekend also had J and me taking our wedding invite photo with our friend Kristy. We went to Stern Grove and took advantage of the beautiful sunny weather in the Sunset. Next stop, pick the photo we want to use for the invitation.

Mar 18, 2010

Checklist Update

We've folded 350 cranes so far!

What we've completed:
Ceremony reservation
Reception site reservation
Bought bridal shoes
Bought wedding dress
Reserved our hotel room
Submitted agreement for group rate
Selected the bridesmaids
Selected wedding colors (not so much a theme)
Bought rsvp cards
Asked our officiant

Things in progress:
Bridesmaids dresses
Save the Date e-mail
Invites and envelopes
Photography
Crane production
Branch collection
Music for wedding and reception
Event insurance (gotta remember to purchase this for the ceremony site!!)
Reservation of NJ reception/blessing

On the horizon:
Cake selection (cupcakes?)
Flower selection
Groomsmen selection...
Groom and groomsmen ties
Collection of table numbers
Collection of rocks :-)
Honeymoon location/date selection

Still in the distance:
Catering menu
Beverages purchase
Placecard purchase and creation
Car rental to get the ceremony
Hair "design" and veil purchase
Makeup purchase
Jewelry purchase
Rehearsal dinner arrangement
Bridesmaids luncheon
Catering for NJ (pizza and sub sandwiches)
Plane tickets to NJ

How am I doing??

Mar 6, 2010

And the Winner is: Forget Me Knots

Yesterday I took a half day and went for round two at Forget Me Knots and La Boutique Des Brides with my bridesmaid Jen. It was a great day. I tried on a sample dress in lace (not me at all) and another one that I don't think I tried on during my first visit. I had been set on not buying my dress there two weeks ago, but the one dress kept creeping up in my mind. It was the first one I really liked and it was what I was comparing everything else to. But it was over my price range (as I mentioned in a previous post).

I tried it on again, mostly to get more information on it in case I bought it online. It fit well, beading didn't bother me, and it looked as good as I remembered. This time was a much better experience. I found out about their one discount that they do give, which turned it into a possible option! Pricing-wise their discount put it in the same ranks as the dress I liked at La Boutique Des Brides.

We headed to Hilda's store for a late afternoon appointment. She is so enthusiastic and proud of her dresses it is almost contagious! The dress I was considering was a lovely Maggie Sottero, classic look with a modern feel. I loved the stitching and long lines of the front. I wasn't a fan of the embellishment or the span of the mermaid/a-line bottom half, but the top looked great. The dress was also too big, so it was hard to envision what it would look like if it fit properly. I decided with Jen's help that it was a little too formal for the time of day anyway and made the choice to go for the dress that had already captured my heart.

This afternoon I called FMK and went back to get fitted for a size. I paid for it, and this summer I will have the beautiful dress that I will marry J in. :-)

I never got the ultimate take-my-breath-away/hand me a kleenex moment as I tried it on. But I felt beautiful. I got more of the nervous, nausea feeling and a little choked up as I headed to the boutique to buy it. I think maybe that is because while you can reserve a place for a party anytime, you buy a dress for your wedding (hopefully) once. That part of me made me sentimental and emotional (the fact that I am getting married to a wonderful man and now I am one step closer to it) rather than the dress itself. Although I am going to look smokin' hot! :-)

Feb 24, 2010

The Party Grounds

We are having our lunch reception at the Bancroft Hotel in Berkeley. It is green-certified and serves a sustainable menu. It is a Arts & Crafts style building across from the UC Berkeley campus. It used to be a Women's Club and then a sorority house until the 1990s. As you can see from the photos, there is dark wood with an old English library feel. The windows have stained glass in them at the top and there is a mosaic above one of the fireplaces. The Great Hall is made of three levels. The level closest to the street (the photo where you can see the fireplace mantle) is where we will have our cocktail hour. The "sunken" middle section is where the dining will take place. At the far end of the other photo is the dance floor. This section is also a few steps above the main section.

Feb 21, 2010

Confusion of a Wedding Dress Shopper

J--Skip this entry if you are reading the blog!!

So, I attempted four times to find "the dress" this weekend. My first stop was Bridal Image on Sixth Street in San Francisco. My consultant was very nice and patient. I was really overwhelmed when my friend Sylvia and I walked in and had to pick four dresses I wanted to try on. The consultant suggested picking four styles that were different (the other places also suggested this). Since this was my first stop, I felt really unsure and indecisive, even though I have looked at styles that I thought would nice on me or that I liked in pictures. I liked one of the four dresses "enough" but it was $375 over my original price point of $500. This price point is slipping, by the way.

My second stop was the Glamour Closet in North Beach. They do not take appointments, but they also only have one dressing room so you have to wait. The wait would have been an hour and half had I liked anything in there to try on. Most of their dresses were 50% off but were still over $2,000. No, thanks. And they were big, fluffy things, had tons of beading, or both. Nothing was my style in there. Not that I have any idea of what my style is.

After a disappointing first day, I set out today determined to find it. It was raining most of the day. I don't know if that is a good sign or just added to my impatience with not finding what I was looking for in the price range I wanted.

Sylvia and I went to Forget Me Knots in Cow Hollow earlier in the afternoon. It is a small boutique, with a limited selection. But what they have is nice. I tried on several dresses, and even ventured into different styles (trumpet skirts are nixed--it felt funny to walk in it). I tried on one style that was a halter-ish top but then the consultant suggested one that was similiar but strapless. I liked it alot but it is $750, before tax and alterations. I would need to make a decision soon since they need to order the dress and then immediately I would need alterations started for an early September wedding. It has some beading around the top, but it is sort of tucked away and the front is ruched loosely. It has an internal corset which when it was tight it was very figure flattering. Now I just need to get over the price tag. I really like the ruching and that is a soft a-line cut.

Later in the afternoon I met up with another friend, Murli. We went to Davids Bridal, my default place because I know they have dresses for my price point. I don't know if it was because I just went to two boutiques but I wasn't particularly impressed with anything there. A few fit fine, but there was nothing close to what I had seen in the other places. It was like there was very simple or over the top. The last two dresses I did like. The last one I liked less, although it was probably closer to my vision when I started looking. It had a lot of beading, but it was fine on the bodice area. It had ruching under the beaded top area and beading down the side. It was traditional a-line and strapless. It wasn't bad but looking back it felt overdone.

The second to last dress is not the material I originally hoped for, but I like it better than the other dresses. It was more of a column fit, with a ruched waistline and beading above and below it. The waist was empire which I liked. And it was sort of pleated, but with flowy chiffon, in the front to hide the imperfections below the waist. The back was really nice though. I don't know after the corset dresses, I thought I would prefer something more structured. So those are what I've narrowed it down to. It's a Structure vs. Flowy debate now. I need to go and look at some more dresses I guess to find out it that is really my problem. Help!

Feb 19, 2010

It's a Date!

The ceremony site contract is signed and in the mail for September 5, 2010 in Berkeley, CA. We are getting married at the Redwood Grove in the UC Botanical Garden above campus. The ceremony will take place around 11:30 am, with the cocktail hour and luncheon reception to follow elsewhere in Berkeley.

We haven't confirmed the room rental yet with the reception hall, which makes me tons nervous. We had a nice tasting yesterday and I expected to talk a little more about the next steps, but the next steps seem slow-coming. I want to give you money, lady! So I've e-mailed her with my understanding of what we want for the date. I am hoping to get a proposal back soon. I'm a little confused as to whether we are supposed to just go ahead and book the room with the deposit that she outlined in a previous e-mail and THEN she draws up the rest of the stuff for the event. That doesn't seem right to me, but then again it is Berkeley. :-)

Feb 13, 2010

Let the Folding Begin!

Yesterday J and I went to Japantown in San Francisco and bought the origami paper at Paper Tree for our 1,000 cranes. We will have two sizes: 3 inch folded and 4 5/8 folded. The larger cranes will be strung on nylon thread and tied with ribbons to the railing of the amphitheater at the ceremony. The smaller cranes will be strung and hung from branches as table centerpieces at the reception. We bought both metallic/foil paper and matte finish. Hopefully it will all work out. The owners of Paper Tree offered their daughter's service for our large project: she had photographs of some elaborate patterns of 1,000 cranes displayed above the paper selection. We declined, but know we have a big task ahead of us. What am I doing blogging?! I should be folding right now.

One for the Money, Two for the Show...

The wedding shoes have been purchased! I got them on sale at DSW in San Francisco. I was not looking for blue suede shoes originally but c'est la vie. These shoes fit, they have a strap to hold in my upper foot, and the heel is not so tall that I can't walk comfortably. Next stop--wedding dress shopping.

Feb 7, 2010

Nice Wedding Spots We Didn't Pick

To preface, these places all were great locations for a wedding but were too much for our personal budget. We decided to look closer to home instead of the Santa Cruz area.
Kennolyn
This place is on Glen Haven Road, next to Soquel Vineyards in Soquel. Even though it was raining the day we visited and we got lost (with shoddy cell phone reception), the hacienda was pretty with a Spanish-like tile patio. The ceremony would have taken place facing the back of the building in front of a fountain (not the one in the next photo, which is on the front patio area) because even though there is ultimately a great view, the immediate view is a tennis court. Uh...
But that didn't stop of us from considering this place. The inside where the reception would take place was nice, too, as you can see from the photo. Simple but open and airy. And there's that patio. That's where the bar, dancing, and music would take place.

Carrie, the wedding coordinator, is very nice and helpful. I think we may have looked at this place too soon. We hadn't figured out what we could afford when we looked in Santa Cruz. And a Saturday, even in the day, turned out pricier because of the site fees.

Fairview Manor Bed and Breakfast in Ben Lomond, CA

This home was a former house owned by the Wilder family. Gael currently runs the B&B and holds weddings and other events on the property. Since we visited in the winter you can see the neighbors' homes through the trees, but I believe her when she said the leaves and brush thicken in the spring and summer. This is in the middle of a close-knit neighborhood so you might expect strangers stopping by during your reception. There is a concrete pad (a basketball court in off-season) for dancing and hookups for power. There is also the yard and gazebo, seen above, to hold the ceremony. Or if your party fits, you can use the small redwood grove in front of the house. You must rent out the property if you hold a Saturday wedding here.

Monarch Cove Inn in Capitola

The woman who runs the place, Lonna, is very nice and honest. We didn't originally expect to visit this property but a friend introduced us to Lonna and we were considering this venue after visiting.

It is situated almost on the edge of a cliff that faces Monterey (you're facing East really so you can watch the sunrise over water if you stay in a room with a view). The grass is lush and well maintained. There is a large area for ceremonies and then a large wooden deck for receptions and dancing. This is a garden wedding spot so music must be over by 6 pm. But then you can head down to Capitola Village! If you have your wedding here on a Saturday, I think like most B&Bs, you have to rent out the whole place. Monarch Cove Inn is actually a large B&B. There are old Victorian rooms and cottages, so you would need to get or pay for others to spend $200 a night (you would need a buyout for both Friday and Saturday nights). We stayed in the Lilac Room and it was charming. The one problem was the room to room noise. It being an old building the walls and floors were thin. The upstairs guests were a bit loud.

Sand Rock Farm Bed and Breakfast in Aptos

Probably my favorite of the locations going into this search, it made me sad to realize that we couldn't afford a wedding here. This property in Aptos is situated uphill from a busy road that creates a lot of street noise when the leaves aren't on the trees. J had an issue with this, so that paired with the costs, I silently let this site go. I really liked the redwood grove and especially the historic barrel cellar (the photo with the Japanese lanterns). The barrel cellar would be too tight for a reception and dancing inside of it, but look how nice it looks! I guess logistics also played a part in why we decided against this place. But Kris is very informtive and seems to know her stuff with how the coordination is handled. The rooms are lovely as well (especially the rooms in original structure).


Chaminade Resort and Spa in Santa Cruz

This was a dark horse on the list from the beginning. The whole resort thing is not either of us, but I was lured by the inclusive package and view from the patio. They have a nice menu selection to fit varying tastes and budgets. I think they start at $49 a person, plus a beverage package. They also offer a kids menu and non-alcoholic bev package too.

Originally when we were looking back in the San Francisco area, the Strybling Arboretum and Stern Grove came to mind. Turns out the Botanical Garden in SF doesn't have a space conducive to the wedding size we are envisioning and the rentable areas do not fit. I imagined using the Moon View Garden near the Asian plants but there is a walkway right before the arches. And this area isn't listed on the reservable spaces of the Parks & Rec dept. I guess you could have a mob spontaneously appear if I wanted it badly enough.

Stern Grove in San Francisco

Stern Grove was wet. And that is not only because it rained a boatload this week. The location in the bowl never really dries out, and while there is street noise from 19th Ave right above, it isn't too bad. It was about the same I think as at Sand Rock Farm. The meadow nearby had more noise. However, even if we could get by this because the price was right, the building itself was a lot smaller than we expected. The main room did not look as though it would hold 100 people plus an area for dancing. The bar was in a separate small room. It is definitely a place for a more intimate reception. C'est la vie. So we kept looking. On the other side of the Bay...