Okay, let me begin by saying, I realize this is about 2 weeks late. Turns out, life got busy! With that said, Trey and I spent Columbus Day (a furlough day for teachers) hashing out wedding details! So, let's start with the beginning...
Our day started at Judy's house. (Judy is Trey's aunt FYI...) Apparently, she is quite the little event planner (little did I know). So as she pulls out her wedding book, notes, bible...I immediately realize we are in for quite the morning! We discussed chairs, tables, linens, my dress, a bridesmaid dress, tuxes vs. suits, flower, centerpieces, food, drinks, cutlery, shoes, dress shops, my bouquet vs. the bridesmaid bouquet vs. Mom's bouquet, designs for the bride's room, designs for the groom's room, traveling in the morning, cakes, lawn games, and I'm sure there was more...but quite honestly, I can't even think of it at this moment. I will admit though, one of my favorite moments of this visit with Judy was shoe shopping in her closet! (Thank you for the Tori Burch shoes!)
After our productive visit, we headed up to Smithgall to review the ceremony location because as it turns out, the lovely field where we intended to host our ceremony...isn't flat. And while it's a GORGEOUS field, I simply do not have balance THAT good, and I'm prefer my guests were having to sit sideways as well. (You can thank me later!) On our way we stopped for lunch at CUPCAKES at Truelove Celebrations. Now, I must admit, our tasting with the caterer was wonderful, but the cupcake tasting was MUCH better! Trey and I each grabbed one of their homemade salads to sample (I chose the chicken salad...which if you are ever in Gainesville and nearby...try it. You won't be disappointed!) and 3...yes THREE, cupcakes. We sampled Pumpkin, Strawberry and Italian Cream. When I tell you amazing, I am not even exaggerating! We were in the car fighting over who got the last bite of each one! We enjoyed them so much, we got two more on the way home! (Thankfully, I've got 6 months til the wedding! Won't be having many more of those trips!) We ended up deciding on Key Lime and Italian Creme cupcakes with a strawberry cake for us to cut, while Trey's cake will be either the Spice or Pumpkin! I promise, if you don't love them, we aren't friends anymore! :) With that said, take a peek at their page and make a visit to Gainesville for some deliciously sweet indulgence!
http://www.facebook.com/truelovebakery
On our way back from Smithgall, we ran by Lanier Tent rental to look into cupcake tiers, table, chairs, and linens. When I say "stuff is expensive," I mean, THIS JUNK IS EXPENSIVE! We were pleased with the individual cost of the chairs...until we realized that we needed 100! Thankfully, we aren't having many tables (and in turn, many linens) because once again...that stuff is EXPENSIVE! Now, with that said, we aren't renting a ton of stuff, so it's not going to be outrageous, but we talked with them about a recent wedding at Smithgall Woods where the couple rented $11,000 worth of stuff! ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS PEOPLE! That's simply out of control! We...welp, we're going for under a grand! Woo Hoo!! We were very pleased with the company and they had exactly what we wanted! Check that off the list!
We ended our day at Christopher's Bridal and Tuxedo Rentals. My favorite part of this shop was the shoe section! If you buy shoes from Christopher, he will dye them for FREE! CHA-CHING! Now, the trick is finding shoes that I LOVE! (That's being saved for another shopping adventure with Mom!) We were able to get some great ideas for Trey, the groomsman, and the man of honor! I can't wait to go shopping with them, because let's face it...this is simply not like my dress shopping. I get a say in what those men wear! :)
After a busy, exhausting, exciting day, we headed home feeling very accomplished and productive! I continue to hope that the rest of our planning goes as easily as these first several months!
So after looking at what felt like a million venues....everything else has been a piece of cake! (And with that said, we are going to look at cakes, CUPCAKES on Monday!) The photographer could not have been easier, and next up...catering!
Now, I'll admit, this was hands-down the part we were looking forward to the most. Let's be honest, who doesn't like to sample a variety of yummy foods? WE DO! Being novice "foodies," it's silly to say we do anything but enjoy a nice, long, delicious meal! Now with that said, before we actually make it to meet with the caterer, my mother leaves me with the wonderful bit of advice..."You aren't going to have any of those fancy foods you guys like so much? Think of your guests, Sarah!" Well, lucky for dear 'ol Mom, those fancy foods didn't fit with our feel for the day...or our budget! (Turns out wedding planning...it's NOT cheap!)
After multiple phone calls with our potential caterer (because we had to set a menu of food choices that provided us a selection...and multiple things to taste!....and a variety to keep our guests' bellies full and happy!), we finally decided on a date, time, and food selections. On our drive up to Cornelia (yes, Cornelia....our attempt to avoid travel fees, and find some good 'ol Southern food!), we discussed questions we had for the caterer, what they could cover and take care of for us to elimate some of the "smaller" food-necessary items, and what we were going to do about drinks!
As we arrive, we are immediately sat, drink orders taken....and then the trail of food begins! They were bringing it out faster than we could taste it! (Needless to say, lunch was NOT a necessity after this outing!) We tried such a multitude of different treats, that we had a difficult time deciding what we wanted! Thankfully, like a solid caterer should, he came to us and asked what we wanted and they would create a menu for us! CHA-CHING! So, after much deliberation, we decided on EIGHT...yes, eight (I'm a little bit overly excited to admit this because quite frankly, we know some of our guests like to eat...and we want them to be securely filled up!) different finger foods! I won't tell you what they are just yet...I want there to be some surprise! Just know...most everything can be eaten off of a skewer or a toothpick! Finger foods...at their finest!
After deciding on the foods, we moved on to drinks, tables, set up, times, etc....the uneventful stuff! We left with Greg (our caterer) letting us know they'd put together a cost for a menu and get back with us the following day! So now the waiting begins...
We were really hoping to get away with going UNDER budget somewhere, and this was the area it happened! By avoiding a full meal, we were nearly able to cut our food budget in half! (With plenty of food to still go around!) When he called the next day, I could not contain my excitement as I called Trey to tell him the good news! Not only did their amazing price cover the food, but also table set up for the food, 6 different drinks, glass plates, cups, and silver...and even a bartender! WOO HOO!
So, of course, since this was one of the parts we were looking forward to the most, I made sure to ask Trey if he would prefer to try out another place before making our final decision...and come to find out, apparently we are the lazy wedding planning couple, because it only took the one and we were sold! For all ladies currently planning your wedding, outside of finding our venue, everything else has been so easy! We attribute that to going with something when we got a good feel for it...not deciding to see multiple photographers or caterers just because! Hopefully the cupcake tasting (the part I'm most thrilled about) will be a hit too! Fingers crossed!
With that said, we've decided to use Food Factory on Main out of Cornelia, GA! Take a peek at their menu! YUM!
http://www.foodfactoryonmain.com/
