Big News

My mom isn't going on her trip during the wedding weekend. She didn't tell me her reasons for cancelling, but I think it is partly due to my wedding and partly due to her sister who is very ill with lung cancer. My mom is flying out this weekend to be with her sister, who has basically given up on life and is making her funeral preparations. Please continue to pray for her healing: she was doing much, much better, but has suddently taken a turn for the worse.

To put this matter to rest, I would like to ask everyone to give my mom grace that I did not give her. As Chad mentioned in his comments, there is another side to the story. I do not think I was wrong in what I was wanting (my mother by my side in planning the wedding), but I was definitely wrong to make it a public display and open my family up for ridicule. I can't take anything back, so please forgive me for being unwise with that matter, and don't think ill of my mother. I love her, and I definitely need her during this time. Thanks, ya'll. :oD

Cake!

We really liked French's today. The White cake with Fresh Strawberry filling was especially yummy, and is likely what we will go with. They even had a very pretty display cake in the window that I think was perfect. We still want to try Rockwells to get one more option (and more free cake ;oD).

Let Them Eat (More) Cake!

Tomorrow Jason and I are going to check out French's to see what they have to tell us about cakes and such. We are going to try White cake with Fresh Strawberry filling, Yellow cake with Chocolate Mousse filling, Marble cake with Bavarian cream filling, and Chocolate cake with Raspberry filling. All will have American Buttercream frosting. I'll let you know what we like.

Jason says we should try at least one more after this. I think maybe has an ulterior motive (yummy cake). If so, I'm right there with him. :oD

Deleted!

I have decided to delete the posts and comments about my mom. In my mother's defense, she is going through a lot right now because her sister in Texas is very sick, and may not have long to live. (Consequently, this sister's anniversary is the day I am getting married, which is another reason I did not want to change the date.) Unfortunately, I do not think this absolves her, but I was wrong to make a public display, and for that I apologize.

Moving Right Along

We were able to book the chapel at the same location as the reception. This has been up in the air since I decided to change the ceremony location. Jason found out today that the chapel is available, and we're on the books 'tentatively' (pending $100 for deposit).

This was very good news to hear today amidst all the other drama that has been going on.

Bridesmaid's Dresses

So far, everyone is dressed except for the bridesmaids. Here are some options that I like.

Cake

We went to Beverly's Best yesterday. Yummy! There was a bit of discussion about what flavor to do the cake. I liked the Marble cake with Bavarian Cream filling and American Frosting. Jason liked White cake with Chocolate Mousse filling and French Frosting. If we go with Beverly's, I think we are just going to do both cake flavors, but have the American frosting.

We are going to try French's and Rockwell's, just to have a comparison on price and taste. Rockwell's is really close to the church, so maybe the delivery price will be different. It's also just fun to go in and try all the cakes. Heheh. I can't do too much more of this: I'm trying to at least maintain my weight for the wedding. :oD

Invitations, Flowers, and Cakes

Saturday was a very fruitful planning day. First, we went to a stationary store to get some ideas for invitations. I have been planning to make my own, in order to reduce costs, so we were basically just going in for some ideas. The lady was very helpful (and very pregnant, it must be something in the water around here), and showed us lots of options for making our own or for ordering something premade. Based on what we saw there, we pretty much settled on what we want to do, using an Envelopments pocket-fold similar to this, and buying cardstock to embelish. The pocket is a bit pricey (almost $2 per invitation), but the concept is really neat. I think we should be able to keep it under $2.50 per invitation total.

Next we went up and down Brea Blvd trying to find Beverly's Best to find out about cakes. We finally found the bakery, and the line was out the door. We were able to set up an appointment for Friday for a consultation. We will probably check one other place, just to have another option.

Our final task for Saturday was to check into flowers. I have really been leaning toward having someone else do the flowers, even though I think it would be cheaper to do them myself. I heard about a place in Fullerton that had a $99 special, so we stopped in there. The package is a pretty good deal, but neither of us were really very impressed with the flower shop overall. Jason also wanted to check somewhere else, so we stopped by Conroy's flowers, which just happens to be right next door to the church. They have a $99 that is very similar to the Fullerton flower shop's special. (Quick tip: if you are looking for wedding flowers, ask for a package. Otherwise they give you the book with $100+ bouquets, etc.)

They also have another wedding package for $395 that includes the bride's bouquet, MOH bouquet, 2 bridesmaids bouquets, groom's bouteniere, BM bouteniere, 5 groomsmen/usher/father boutenieres, 2 coursages, 2 alter arrangements, and a large head-table centerpiece. The arrangements are simple, but that is ok with me. I think this is a screaming deal, even though we would need to add a couple more items. Plus, they will deliver and set everything up for $10. We should be able to get everything we need for around $500. I'm pretty sure this will be our solution for the florals.

Rehearsal Dinner Goodness

If all goes as I hope, we will be having the Rehearsal on Friday evening at the church where the wedding ceremony and reception will be held on Saturday. This got me to thinking: since we already have the reception room on Friday night for decorating, why not just use it for the rehearsal dinner. We could do a simple potluck, or have something catered, and then have everyone stick around to help with decorations.

So, we were at Wood Ranch with Jason's parents last weekend for my birthday (Wood Ranch is currently my favorite place to eat). I noticed that they have a Catering Service. Since Jason's parents will be paying for the dinner, we looked over the options, and they thought it sounded great. We will probably look into a couple other restaurants, just to know what the options are, but it seems like this is what we will be doing:

- Famous Tri Tip Roast (1-2 slices per person)
- Choice of Ribs (Baby Back or Beef) (3-4 baby back ribs or 2 beef ribs per person)
- Fresh BBQ Chicken Breast (6 oz piece per person)
- Skillet Baked Beans
- Original Peanut Coleslaw
- Macaroni & Cheese
- Freshly Baked Garlic Rolls

The price is very reasonable, especially for what you get. It is actually cheaper than eating at the restaurant! And, it's YUMMY! :oD

Let Them Eat Cake

Jason's grandmother has offered to pay for our wedding cake. We were originally thinking of having a simple two-tier display cake, and get cheap Costco cakes for serving to the guests. This would be a relatively inexpensive way to feed everyone. But, Jason's grandma and aunt want us to have a nice cake that will feed everyone.

Personally, I think it is a great idea to have the 'kitchen cakes' for ease of serving. I want to have a nice three-tier wedding cake, but have the 'kitchen cakes' for everyone to actually eat. This just seems so much easier, since you can have people in the kitchen cutting the cakes and plating up the pieces for quicker service. Otherwise, everyone has to wait for us to cut up this massive round cake, dish it up, and pass it out to 200 people. Ugh.

I'm pushing for my idea, even if we don't do Costco cakes. The cake lady I emailed with a while back said they will make the kitchen cakes from the same recipe as the tier cake.

So, anyone know a good cake-baker? His grandma wants us to get something nice and of good quality. Any suggestions?

This Week in Wedding Planning

Well, actually, this all happened today.

Jason booked the photographer. The guy did pictures for a friend of his from work, and they were good. The neat thing is that he gives you all the film at the end to do with as you please. The only downfall is that we then have 11 or 12 rolls of film to deal with. I think it is a good choice, though, and it's done.

My pastor called me today to tell me he is resigning ... and will probably be unable to officiate at my wedding. This throws a large kink in the plans, since I was planning to have the ceremony at my church with my pastor. However, this does free me up to change the one thing that has been bothering me for a while ... having the ceremony so far from the reception. I know that people don't mind driving 10 miles, but it sure does seem like a hassle. It would be one thing if we were having the reception at some nice place with dinner and dancing, but that's now what we're doing. The reception is only going to be cake and punch in the Social Hall of Jason's church. So, I've been toying with the idea of just having the ceremony there, too. We will be looking into this more next week. I think it will ultimately be a much better solution, and will definitely reduce stress for me and the guests on the 'big day.'

Well, I guess that actually is all. Jason made some other phone calls today, but nothing has been confirmed, yet. He is looking into possibly booking a D.J., and will call about cakes when I get more info. I need to get flower and cake info from a friend at church. She was working on a really tight budget and gave me some good ideas last weekend. I hope something works out in that area. I need to get the ball rolling on some of these things.