Another month officially in the rear view!

Things were definitely heating up this month, and I found myself with much more to accomplish. Among those tasks, I was also plagued with several wedding nightmares… this time, Covid related. Here’s hoping we won’t have to purchase custom masks for our guests!

January.

Things are getting… real. John spent most of the month consoling me, sharing optimistic thoughts about the spread of the vaccine. Planning a wedding right now is a full on rollercoaster ride- Will it happen? Will guests be able to travel? Can everyone stay home until the vaccine is more available?? So many questions.

Attempting to put those thoughts in the back of our minds, this is what we worked on this month:

• Start thrifting vases and dessert platters
• Design our cake
• Pick wedding shoes
• Work on Bridesmaid dresses + colors
• Select a tasting menu for Park Winters (our venue)
• Finalize Honeymoon!

Thrifting Thrifting Thrifting!

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE to have something to shop for (my momma taught me that!). Searching for vases and dessert platters has been right up my alley.

John and I recently went up to Sacramento where we stumbled upon the LARGEST Goodwill I have ever seen. In.My.Life. I immediately struck gold and went home with several new vases and dessert platters.

Not all of them will work, but at ~$3/vase, it’s no biggie (plus re-purposing is ~so fun~).

We are going to continue to look for vases and platters in these colors (so if you see anything on FB Marketplace, hit ya girl up).

Cake Designing!

We are so lucky to have such a creative dessert vendor, because I have zero talent in this department.

After our tasting last month, we picked our flavors and selections, and our vendor, Kellie, got to work on the design.

I spent some time pinning other wedding cakes I love on Pinterest, and she put together the perfect design.

We want to go with a more simple cake base, with some texture in the frosting (I hate the fondant look, too boring). She’s going to bring in some of our colors and Dutch elements to make the cake uniquely us. The cake will feature a cascade of colorful ‘sugar flowers’ (frosting flowers that look incredibly real!) and some fun patterns on the bottom layer. I can’t wait to see this design come to life!

Shoe Shopping!

I order approximately 1324 pairs of shoes from Nordstrom so that I could try everything on in the safety of my own home. It ended up being a pretty easy choice, and I’m excited about my shoes! I wanted to find a pair of comfy flats so that I wouldn’t have to worry about aching feet on the wedding day.

My lovely Maid of Honor then pointed out how fun it would be to also find a pair of bright blue pumps for funsies as well. I wouldn’t wear these all day, but it would add a lot to the photos! I also saw a picture of bedazzled converse… So I’m going to have to have many shoes, I have decided. Final decision: Unclear.

Bridesmaid Dresses + Colors

When I first decided on our color palette, I had a very clear vision in my mind: all 5 of my bridesmaids would wear a different ‘citrus’ color in a different type of dress. This was my inspo:

I ordered some swatches from Azazie.com, a popular bridesmaid dress website, and quickly found that the colors IRL were veryyyy different from the colors on the website. I showed John all of the swatches and he immediately put together the perfect color palette. So not only is my future hubs sweet, smart, and kind, but he would absolutely be a fashion designer #proud.

I eventually decided to stick to 5 different colors, as I originally imagined. I’m leaving the style of the dress up to my lovely ladies (their comfort is my first priority!) and I can’t wait to see what they pick!

I love Azazie because bridesmaids can order different dresses to try on before committing (and they’re only $100 each, so nobody will have to spend a small fortune on a dress they may never wear again!).

Anotha Food Tasting *drool*

The BEST part about planning a wedding is all the food you get to try! I’ve slowly been trying to convince our cake designer that we need another tasting… because we have been deprived since our original tasting.

Luckily, we have a food tasting with our venue coming up in February!

Park Winters is known for a lot of things… One being the incredible food they make on-property. I LOVE that I don’t have to find an outside caterer, but get to enjoy the fruits of the farm.

We are in the unique position of having to choose two separate menus, since we are transforming our rehearsal dinner into a full-on pool party BBQ (I’m extra, I know). Therefore, here is what we will be trying in February!

Entrees

• Roasted chicken
• NY strip steak
• Braised lamb shoulder
• Lasagna

Salads

• Caesar
• Park winters farm greens salad
• Farro and Cous Cous

Appetizers

• Hot chicken and waffles
• Goat cheese tart
• Lamb meatballs
• Edamame falafel

Veggie

• ‘From our Farm’ Veggies

Starch/ grain

• Gnocchi

Ya girl is SO READY.

The Honeymoon

The moment you’ve all been waiting for…. the honeymoon!

It has been FINALIZED!!!

We went back and forth trying to figure this out.

First we wanted Bali. Then Mexico. Then Greece. Then Bali. Then Greece again. Then Hawaii.

Planning a honeymoon during a pandemi lovato is ROUGH.

Plus, when we saw the final price for our Greece trip, we just couldn’t imagine it. I would basically need to sell a kidney to go on that honeymoon (I mean… sign me up though….).

John and I really didn’t know what to do.

Then I started to research the Caribbean… It seemed to have everything we were looking for.

We stumbled on a couple all-inclusive (couples only!) results in Antigua, and we were sold.

Antigua means several things for us: Relaxation, an easier flight than Bali/Greece, and a lower price tag. Plus, an all-inclusive means not having to pull out our wallets for the duration of our honeymoon. Win:win:win.

We selected one of their beachfront cottages, complete with a private pool, our very own Bali loungers on the beach, and his & hers outdoor showers. Talk about romance!

After tons of research on this place, we discovered that everyone thought the food was amazing (a must), the staff is super sweet (we love making friends), and this small resort is actually perfect for Covid. Many actually came here to socially distance themselves and spend time in the sun. Since we’ll have our own little cabin, complete with our own pool and section of the beach, we won’t really need to leave. I love knowing that if, Heaven forbid, covid is still in full force in September, we’ll still be able to go on this vacation (we did purchase full insurance just in case… ;)).

Cannot WAIT.

February is sure to bring SO MUCH more to do! Here’s what’s on my short list:

• Book guitarist for ceremony/ reception
• Finalize popsicle vendor for pool party!
• Begin Bachelorette Party preparation
• Park Winters Tasting
• Continue the hunt for accessories

Stay tuned, and be sure to watch my Instagram to see various wedding updates during the month! See you next month!

xo,

Hannah