What's for dinner?

One of the biggest decisions we were recently faced with was catering. What to eat? Who to hire? How do I get the most food for my money? I don't consider myself a foodie but I definitely had some opinions of what I like and don't like - especially when it comes to wedding food! For instance, I have a serious aversion to eating warm pasta outside in the summer. (weird? Probably). We also don't have an unlimited food budget, so I needed to find someone who could stretch our money.

So I met with/emailed a couple of local caterers with my  No Pasta! rule. After all my research, I finally met with a caterer who helped me jump way outside the "traditional wedding food" box - within budget-  and we are both so excited! I'm not going to reveal the exact menu (lets leave some surprises!) but I can tell you, its going to be so scrumptious!

So drum roll... who is the caterer? We have chosen A Midsummer Night catering! I really feel like we are getting a lot for our money by hiring Betsy and her staff. I love that we will be having a cocktail hour (included in her catering packages) and how on board she is with our unique menu.

With our catering decision, I'm really feeling like the wedding is coming together! I've got almost all the big pieces in place and I'm feeling so excited! Less than 9 months to go folks!

How did you choose a caterer? Did you think outside the box?

Setting up House

One To-Do I have been looking forward to for awhile, is setting up our registries. It feels like shopping, but I'm not spending any money... its perfect! I've been really looking forward to setting up a registry at Crate & Barrel (my all time favorite) and we also added a few things at Target (for the Yakima locals).

But we were feeling torn - we have been living on our own for quite a few years but we are definitely still in housing limbo. Renting apartments and moving around a lot, we don't really need fancy dishes and decorations at this point in our life. Plus, I'm sure some of our guests would much rather gift us with an hour of snorkeling with sea turtles to a set of new bath towels. Solution? We set up a honeymoon registry in addition to our more traditional ones!

"Skip the blender. Create lifelong memories with your honeymoon registry. Our service is similar to a traditional wedding registry, but rather than offer gifts such as housewares and fine china, Traveler’s Joy helps you register for the honeymoon of your dreams."

After researching a bit, I decided I liked Travelers Joy the best for our registry. But there are a lot of good options! I'm sure you remember Kadee set up her honeymoon registry with HoneyFund. Honeymoon registries are becoming more and more popular and guests really seem to appreciate being offered a choice of gift options. I think the key is to set up a traditional housewares registry in addition to a honeymoon registry, give your guests choices!

According to Travelers Joy, a honeymoon registry is similar to a traditional wedding registry, in which you sign up for the gifts you would like to receive for your wedding. With Traveler's Joy, you build a registry with your anticipated honeymoon activities and experiences. Guests contribute monetary gifts towards your dream honeymoon activities and experiences listed on your registry page.

So what do you think? What are you doing for your registry? Traditional? Or spicing it up with a honeymoon registry?

Working on my Fitness

I've been very blessed in that I can pretty much maintain my weight without too much effort. But lets clarify - being slender does not equal being in shape. So although I don't have a need to loose lots of weight before the wedding, I do feel like there is no time like the present to get my booty in shape finally. Plus, I figured regular exercise would definitely help my stress level as the wedding gets closer.

I've been itching to learn how to run over the past few years and decided now was the time! I did some research and ended up buying an app for my phone called "Couch to 5k" (the program is available online too, so don't fret if you're Android/iPhone-less!). Its a 9 week running program, three days a week, and by the end of the program, I should be running 30 minutes straight (a little over 3 miles = 5k). So far, I have been really pleased with the program! I feel like I can handle the workouts, and as you may know, learning how to run and getting into shape is sometimes a very mental process. I feel like I am accomplishing my goal and I feel good about my progress. Success!

As added motivation, I signed myself up for a 5k run here in Seattle on September 11th. I'm going to be really excited when I run that whole race!

To me, getting in shape right now is more than just fitting into/looking good in a wedding dress (although, that is definitely a factor!) - I want to do this for myself, to feel good about the progress I've made, and the fitness goals I can accomplish. I want to be able to run! And with the wedding coming up, it is a perfect excuse to finally get going!

What have you been doing fitness-wise to prepare for your upcoming wedding?

Remember me?

Hi Blog! I disappeared for a bit but I'm baaaaaack!

Wedding planning has taken a really fun turn recently. Now that we are under a year until the wedding, I actually have tasks that need to be done. I have planning to do! Yay! Its actually been really fun and has made the wedding feel a bit more real. I'm finally counting in months (not a year + months)!

Let me catch you all up -

1. Save the Dates go out in less than a month! I can't wait to show you all what they look like. It makes the wedding feel so close knowing I'm sending them out soon.
2. We have made a decision about catering! I am really excited about this too. We really thought outside the box and I seriously love it. We found the perfect caterer who is just as excited about our unique menu and plan as we are. (I will write more about that later too!)
3. On a trip home to Yakima this month, my mom and I headed out to buy local strawberries and raspberries...and then we canned almost all of our jam favors! I can say first hand, they taste delicious. Our wedding favors will look so stinking cute all tied with bakers twine and kraft hang tags. Fun project! I'm so glad my mom was on board and helped me make jam favors a reality. (Thanks Mom!)
4. We also started our gift registries - which was definitely more fun for me than Nate. :-)
5. I've ditched the veil I bought in February for a much better option... my Aunts wedding veil! Its incredible, I'm still speechless at how gorgeous it is. Its cathedral length with a stunning lace around all the edges. So its like my old lace mantilla veil, but a different length - and way more jaw dropping beautiful! It means a lot to me that I can wear my aunts wedding veil (41 years later!) and I'm in awe at how perfect it is.

I think that is all that is going on currently. I'm just putting finishing touches on our wedding website, sending out our Save the Dates, and finalizing more of our catering information.

What are all of you up to? What kind of projects are you working on? 

Side note: have you all gone out and gotten the new issue of the Yakima Bride magazine?? Do it!

Welcome Willkommen Bienvenidos

In preparation for our Save the Dates to be mailed out, I've been working on our wedding website. Its not finished yet (so you'll have to wait to see it) but the reason brides have been making websites is really for the convenience of the wedding guests. Its important to just take a moment to recognize the special effort made by those guests who will be arriving by planes, trains, and automobiles in the days preceding the main event. The wedding website holds all sorts of information - like directions to the ceremony and reception, registry information, weather, local attractions, and really importantly, information about hotel accommodations.

You can start making your guests feel appreciated even before they arrive in town by reserving a block of rooms at a local hotel (or two).  A hotel room block is a group of hotel rooms that have been temporarily held for the convenience of wedding guest. Many hotels offer reduced group rates, and since you know the area better than out-of-towners, booking accommodations in advance is an all-around great idea. A room block is arranged by a contract between the engaged couple and the hotel then guests book and pay for the rooms themselves. Unreserved rooms are released back to the public after a specified date, such as one month prior to the wedding. Hotel blocks are also nice because then guests stay in one location, making it easier for them to socialize and making transportation and other issues easier.

We are wanting our wedding to feel kind of like a family reunion and so we are encouraging family and friends to come into down a couple days before the wedding - lets all have some fun together! Its important to us that our guests have a great all around experience in Yakima, not just at the wedding. So, I just recently called and arranged our hotel blocks and we decided the Hilton Garden Inn!  The Hilton hotel is right downtown Yakima, close to wine tasting, restaurants, and shopping. They gave us discounted rates per night and have reserved 10 room blocks (but will add more rooms if/when all 10 rooms are booked). I feel really good about the hotel, the area of Yakima it is in, the discounted per night rate, and the Hilton offers personalized websites so that guests can book their rooms directly through that site. We want to make it as easy as possible for everyone to be able to come!

Want to know what else is fantastic about the Hilton Garden Inn? Their customer service. I have spoken to two different ladies and they both were so helpful, easy to work with, and friendly! So if you're undecided about where you want your guests to stay the weekend of the wedding - do yourself a favor and call Alysia Cantu, their Group Sales Manager. She is fantastic to work with!

Another way to make guest feel really appreciated is to have Welcome Bags. The front desk may distribute OOT Welcome bags to guests in the room block. Welcome gifts are a wonderful way to extend a special thank-you to those guests who have traveled long distances to join you on your big day, and there are lots of options to choose from beyond the standard fruit basket. With a little extra time and energy, you'll not only be able to help your guests find comfortable lodging, but pull together a present that brings a smile to your travelers' faces (without placing a sizable dent in your wallet). Whether you opt for humorous, helpful, or just plain delicious, you will ensure that your friends and family remember the wonderful time they had at your wedding, not the stress and aggravation of the preceding journey.

Here is my list of things to include in our Welcome Bags : 

1. A Welcome note.  Include important phone numbers and addresses.

2. Water bottles.

3. A map (they’re often free). Also, directions from the hotel to the venue and information on shuttles.

4. Mints and snacks.

5. Decent coffee (or tea). The Starbucks Via coffee comes in small packets of 3 and there’s also a pack of 48 for $34.95 on their website.

6. A weekend timeline if OOT guests are invited to rehearsal dinner and/or other wedding events.

7. Advil or Tylenol (for the morning after the wedding)

Other cute additions I thought of - 

1. A bottle of wine from a local winery 

2. A couple little bottles of 5 hour energy

3. Homemade treats - like a couple cookies or brownies

4. Coupons/gift certificates for restaurants or spas within walking distance of the hotel. 

5. Shout wipes and a list of local dry cleaners (accidents happen!)

6. A list of local shopping malls (for the guest who forgot some article of clothing)

Did you reserve hotel blocks? Did you make OOT Welcome bags?