< 3 Months

85 days to be exact and it is crAzy! I realize I have not written in 2 weeks ... quite pathetic. This isn't just a wedding blog so there really is no excuse. Well actually there is a pretty good one in MY opinion.

See I sometimes (ahem, ALWAYS!) do my blogging while at work, sitting on the phone waiting for a call to pick up. It get quite boring sitting there mostly getting yelled at and turned down so it helps pass the time plus it relieves some of my stress. So anyways about 2 weeks ago the big boss decided to go on a rampage about people using the Internet and email for personal use ... they started accessing people computers and taking screen shots of them so needless to say I have not TOUCHED the Internet or email in 2 weeks be cause they have threatened corrective action and I have worked there a year and have not once gotten in trouble [knock on wood]. We are even unable to use word documents at this point in time because apparently my boss has transformed into Hitler and we now work for Nazi Germany ... I feel like Anne Frank except I don't even have a word document to wrote down my thoughts.

It's just something that happens every time there is a slow month, they like to try and blame it on anything and instead of the weather and lack of need they say "oh it's because people are emailing and on google too much!". I'm not saying they don't have a right to be mad but let be honest and not go on witch hunt.

So anyways lots have happened and changed since last I was on here. My mother finally (FINALLY!!!) found her dress.
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That is the color as well and i think its going to look so great! Now we just need to get these darn suits!!!

My parents also reserved the rentals FINALLY! Just today I kid you not but at least it is done. I have started getting people saying they will not be coming to the wedding so the guest number has dropped a bit but the less the better because that is less money!

We have also decided that we are no longer going to Hawaii for the honeymoon. There are 3 reasons; First reason is because it still really bothers me Patrick went to Maui last week. It was really hard, I think I cried a lot while he was gone and leading up to it but than halfway through his trip I apologized to him for feeling the way I did. I said I could not help the feels I had but I could at least not let it effect us any more than it already had AND tarnish his well deserved vacation. I also decided that Maui had lost that special feeling for me ... I think I had to in order to stop being such a crazy person about him being there. Also we were becoming painfully and stressfully aware that we have no idea how we are going to pay for us once we get there. So i thought of another place that I know we both have never been and want to go ... The Riviera Maya! Not only is is beautiful but it is ALL-INCLUSIVE!!! Not to mention it has some of the best scuba diving! Way better than Maui. I didn't spend all those hours taking certification after certification to NOT go scuba diving. I am 3 certs away from being able to be a Scuba Instructor ... something I have wanted to do since my first class 9 years ago. Anyways we are both feeling less stressed with this decision and happier there for making things with us GLORIOUS!

Oh also my parents apparently HATE the style of seating I want for the reception. They want round tables and I want the family style seating .... my mother said with a round you can talk to everyone around you but at a long table you can not ... I do not see this logic being as the rounds would be too far away to just casually talk to someone. Anyways my caterer (god bless her) suggested maybe doing both. We would do the head table really long to fit the entire party but then have a mix of rectangle and rounds for all the other guests .... I just don't know. It was just so much easier to do a seating chart when I have 6 long tables: One for the bridal party, one for the Bride's family/relative, one for the Groom's family/relative, one for the Groom's parent's friends, one for the Bride's parent's friends and one for both of our friends .... sooo EASY! I even did the chart already lol. But my parents are really unhappy with it. So I am torn between doing what I had dreamed and doing what makes my parents happy.

THOUGHTS PLEASE!!!

Oh also I still don't have a place booked for our rehearsal dinner LoL

Our Caterer = Bliss

Have I told you yet how much I love our caterer?

When I first started my search for a caterer I was a little worried. I didn’t know if we would be able to afford the food we wanted. See having an “off-site” reception is a little different from having one in a reception hall. The food has to come to you and most of the time (95% of the time) it comes pre-cooked and then reheated before it’s time to serve … soooo many things can go wrong, the pasta gets mushy, the meat can get over done … it can be a nightmare, so you have to make sure you either go with food that holds up well or find a caterer that cooks on site.

From the beginning we knew food was at the top of what was important to us …. That and our photographer, he is amazing and another story all together. We had planned on using about 30% of our total budget for the catering and I think we did pretty darn well at staying close to that … there was a brief moment where I thought we were pushing it but thanks to Emily she was able to help us change things to better fit our budget.

Probably from the time I set eyes on her website I knew Emily’s Café & Catering was the one … or at least I was willing to hope she was. The food and feel of all their events was exactly what we were going for. Everything is beautifully prepared, the flavors were unbelievable and yet so simple. They use a lot of fresh local and in season produce, you might not think it makes a difference but it really does.

In July I flew home to meet with caterers, Patrick was not able to get the time off from work so my mom did all the meetings with me. First off Emily was the only one who actually did a tasting on the first meeting. (All the caterers knew our situation but still chose not to do a tasting) Emily and her husband (who is also the chef … lucky gal) own Emily’s Café which is located on Main Street in Pennington, NJ. It is a small café that has this rustic, “neighborhood corner café” feel to it. If you are ever in the area stop by for lunch and some hot chocolate which Patrick described as “rainbows in a cup” …. I pictures rainbows as fruity but he apparently imagines rainbows tasting like yummy chocolaty goodness …. to each their own. Emily is the sweetest woman I have dealt with in this entire process. She just has this really soft-spoken voice that’s makes you feel like everything is going to be alright. I deal with her mainly through email but I can almost hear her calmness through her emails. I know that every time I have a question or concern she is right there is answers and options and never makes me feel like a pain.

As we arrived Emily got us drinks and started us off with some hors d’oeuvres. I had picked out some prior to the tasting but she had added some different ones and one was a date and goat cheese on an endive leaf, drizzled with some balsamic … OMG I can not even describe how amazing these were … it was so smooth and sweet with just a little tang … wow … needless to say it made it to our final menu. Then we were served a Caprese salad … fresh mozzarella layered with red and yellow tomatoes, fresh basil and balsamic vinaigrette …. This is one of Patrick and my favorites. Since we are going with a buffet/station style dinner Emily suggested we serve the salads plated so people go to their seats, kind of bringing everyone together. (see what I mean .. love her!)

The next course they brought out Three Cheese Ravioli in a tomato pesto basil sauce …. Now I am using the word “sauce” lightly here because it was so much more than a sauce. The ravioli were mixed in the “sauce” but it wasn’t a sauce because there wasn’t much liquid … the cherry tomatoes halved and sautéed in EVOO, garlic, pesto and then the raviolis were tossed in it just coating them … the tomatoes were just as much a feature as the raviolis in my opinion and I can honestly say I have never had a better ravioli dish. Next we had our meats which were Grilled Flank Steak served with sautéed baby spinach, garlic and shallots (YUM!) and Pablano Chilli Glazed Grilled Chicken Breast served with vegetable orzo (again YUM!) Everything was so GOOD!

Now you are probably thinking “Megan the food is not going to be that good at the wedding … it’s going to be pre-cooked and then reheated once they get to the site.” WRONG! Emily’s caterer cooks everything ON-site so if it fresh when served. Now you may think “Well the price is probably so much more that way!” Nope … at least it wasn’t for us because we had another caterer we were kind of considering and she was the same price … I even did a price break down and yes Emily’s food was pricier, the other caterer’s service/supplies was more money and so the difference between the two was a mere $6 … I kid you not. I also didn’t factor in that Emily’s includes the wedding cake (of your choosing of course) and the other caterer did not. I do have to rent the outdoor stove but the coast of the cake cancelled that out. So for the same coast as a caterer who cooks everything off-site I get food that is going to be made fresh on-site and that tastes AMAZING.

We are also having a mashed potato station where you can choose between Sweet Potato or Red Bliss Potato mash and all the fixings you can think to go on them! I am sooooo excited about that! Patrick also HATES spinach (as well as peppers, onions and most vegetables I love lol) so we are having a mixed seasonal vegetable side as well.

So here is a break down of our Finalized Menu :-)

As Guests Arrive for Ceremony
Freshly Brewed Iced Tea
*with mint sprigs in mason jars to garnish
Strawberry Lemonade

Cocktail Hour
Passed hors d’oeuvre:
Smoked Salmon Canapé
with crème fraiche and chives

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tartlet

Shrimp Cocktail
with lemon wedges

Endive Spears with Dates and Goat Cheese
with a honey balsamic glaze

Mini BBQ Chicken Quesadillas
with a sour cream dollop

Petite Lamp Chops

Plated Salad:
Heirloom Tomato and Mozzarella Caprese
layered with sweet basil
*microgreens garnish

House Made Rosemary Focaccia Bread

Buffet Main Fare:
Chimichurri Marinated Grilled Flank Steak
sautéed baby spinach on the side

Poblano Chili Glazed Grilled Chicken Breasts
over herbed vegetable strewn orzo with citrus zest


Pasta Station:
Three Cheese Ravioli
made to order with:
Plum Tomato Basil Ragu

Wood Grilled Summer Garden Vegetables
with a basil pesto drizzle


Mashed Potato Bar:
Smashed Red Bliss Potatoes and Maple Whipped Sweet Potatoes
with mixers:
candied pecans, Monterey Jack cheese
chives, crispy shallots, bacon


Oh did I mention that she has been featured in New Jersey Bride (TWICE) and on the all-inspiring Style Me Pretty!!! If you want check out their blog ... they have some really creative ideas they do for weddings and events!

PS: I had a horrible nightmare 4 months ago where everything went wrong; it rained, people came in jeans and t-shirts, no one wanted to dance and just went inside and watched tv, my photographer said it was the worst wedding he had ever photographed. But then the caterer arrived and the sun came out and the food was amazing and then I woke up. Thank you Emily's Catering for being the saving grace to my wedding nightmares!

Procrastination = Death ... of my Wedding

I mentioned in a previous post Décor Obsession, that I wanted low and long centerpieces. Now I have been trying to find pots or any container really that has the measurements I want and fits the price range. Now size wise I would like each centerpieces to be is 3 feet long by 6inch high and 6inch wide at the bottom, and I would like to stay in the $5 range. This is seriously impossible. I can’t even find 2ft long ones in my range. So I decided I was doing to make a Home Depot run and try and make the darn things myself…. well just one darn thing lol I can’t make them all here in Texas because I need them in PA.
So I got a 48x48 board, some wood glue and wood nails …I did this 2 weeks ago and they are still sitting in my garage! Seriously what is wrong with me lol! I have 4 days off last week and I didn’t make the darn thing? Dear god my wedding is doomed!

I’d like to blame it on the troll that live under my couch … yes I know, you thought they live under bridges and eat billy goats, but that’s just one TYPE of troll … this troll steals motivation and lives under couches and/or beds. He must be extremely fat because I have NONE this past month.

Realistically though I think it’s the fact that the wedding is almost 3 months away … 101 days to be exact … FREAKIN OUT … still. The thing is my lovely followers, is that what I thought was our budget and things I thought were IN that budget … well I don’t know if it will work or happen. Patrick tells me it’s going to be fine but I worry because I think he just tells me these things so I do NOT worry … but I do regardless.

I think the whole idea of getting married feels less real now than it did 6 months ago. Which is strange … shouldn’t my impending nuptials be more real as the time grows nearer? I have yet to order my invitations for the love of baby Jesus! My mother has yet to find and order her dress and we have not gotten the suits yet … but Patrick says that is something that does not need to be bought now … I say why not buy them now so I don’t worry about us not being able to find one.

….. hmm I feel like I have blogged about this before so if I did and you are sitting here reading this and thinking “Dear god I have HEARD this before, ENOUGH already!”
I am sorry … sometimes I actually have to go back and see if I have written a blog on a certain topic before … This post was actually suppose to be something entirely different … about my centerpieces actually but as I was typing all this poo-ha came out instead lol so I went with it.

On another COMPLETELY random note; if you have never seen Bob’s Burgers on Sunday nights on the FOX network then you are missing out my friends. OK so I really LOVE this show … I’m pretty sure there have only been two episodes and there hasn’t been a new one in like 2 weeks … but it feels more like a month. It might be a little abnormal how much I love this show… I mean lets be honest here is it normal to think about a show everyday and which you could watch it’s gloriousness? (btw did you know that gloriousness is a real word? Cause my spell check says it is and that makes me happy)

Wow this post has gone to the birds … and to think I had such a lovely wedding related post yesterday … and then this ::sigh::

To an AMAZING Man...

Thank you!

I just need to write a short entry commending my amazing fiancé.

He had a rough day today … he was hoping for some good news but got bad news instead. When I ask him what happened and I tell him I love him and cheer him up do you know what he does? He tries to cheer ME up by making jokes. He doesn’t tell me how he’s sad or disappointed he is or that things are tough right now. He makes the best of what he’s got and even though this was mainly about him, it would have affected our life and wants to make sure I know it’s going to be alright.

He is honestly the most amazing man I have ever known and maybe it’s sappy but his love, caring and selflessness he shows me every day, especially on the hardest days, makes me realize how lucky I am.

Thank you little baby Jesus for such an amazing man to share my life with :-)

Bouquets, Boutonnières, Corsages: OH MY!

I think bouquets are a good place to spend a good amount of your flower budget on. I am using half the flower budget for ours BUT I think it’s important not to skimp on the bouquets because those are carried around all day and in pictures. I’m saving money by using local and in season blooms so that helps. There are some flowers out there that are seriously tempting to use but I have to remember we have a BUDGET and every time I catch myself google’ing pictures of ranunculus and peonies I say NO lol plus I would have to break my no white rule, which I possibly made so I wouldn’t be tempted by these beauties. It’s such a shame too because peonies are one of my favorites! But they are a budget buster if I ever saw one.

For the bouquets I did countless searching on BING, GOOGLE, and The Knot. After what seemed like eternity of looking as lots of boring bouquets (ok some where beautiful but just not my style) I came across this bouquet that I just fell in love with. It looks like you are holding a mini meadow in your hands!

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Ok maybe that’s a little silly to say but that’s what it looks like to me! This was what I was going to base my bridesmaids’ bouquets on …. Ok you got me I want them to look EXACTLY like that lol. THEIF! THEIF! I know, I know and I don’t care, besides you can’t paten a flower arrangement so ha-HAA!

The thing is I have no idea what to do for MY bouquet. I want mine to be a grander version on that but I just can’t picture it. I want more purple and bigger flowers, maybe some green spider mums and purple football mums (I kind of have a mum obsession lol I love the textures). I love purple tulips but they don’t go style wise. My florist suggested cool water roses which are beautiful I just have an aversion to roses in general but I probably will use them. Maybe I should just forget mine looking anything like the bridesmaid bouquets …. Nahhh.

Then there are the boutonnières. I found one I love that goes with the girls bouquets perfectly...

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but I didn’t think about the groom’s having to be different lol or the fathers and my florist also said the best man has to be different as well …. WTF! Who knew because I sure didn’t? Anyways my florist and I came up with some great options like using purple lisianthus which I love and are in the bouquets.Source

I had suggested maybe using grape hyacinths but our wedding is at the end of the season so we shall see … I just think they are more of a “manly” flower if a flower can be called manly lol. Source

That picture of course is the LEAST manly picture ever!

I’m still not sure about the best man but the fathers are possibly wearing purple freesia...Source

It’s simple and I love the look of it BUT if those grape hyacinths are in season I will most likely do something with them instea…. Both our dads are a true "man's man" if you will and sometimes I think pinning delicate freesia, in purple non the less, might be a little silly. The mothers though I will probably definitely go with freesia, I mean seriously it’s beautiful AND smells good lol. I’m not concerned about people having different flowers and not being SUPER matchy matchy, it is a garden wedding after all ;-)

Mother Nature is a Tease

Last week it was 70-78 degrees and then almost over night it dropped 50 degrees! around 1am on Tuesday we got a crazy sleet storm and it was so windy I thought the dishes on the roof were going to get torn off! In Texas they don't have salt so it is still all over the roads. Yesterday there were clear patches wore down by cars but now it is all covered by snow because last night it started snowing and we now have 3 inches of gorgeous fluffy (perfect for packing) snow covering everything. I feel bad for all the people who came for the Super Bowl thinking it was going to be nice and instead they have this. I know all the Pit and Green Bay fans are laughing at us thinking how ridiculous it is that we don't have any roads or parking lots cleared. Really one big reason why they don't have salt down here is because the roadways are all cement instead of asphalt and the salt will eat away and the cement thus destroying the roads. So I have worked one day this week LOL so crazy to me.

Patrick's parent's flew in last night and are lucky they made it. They had a stop in Chicago too so they are REALLY lucky lol they got like 3 FEET of snow ... I'm actually jealous and would much rather have 3 feet of snow than 2 inches of ice lol.

Today looking at the snow falling I couldn't take it anymore and decided I had to go play in the snow with Penny and make me a snowman :-) Patrick and I had a mini snow ball fight to which he got me in the head but then i got him smack in the bum LOL. Good times :-)

Penny is hating me for making her play with me in the snow!

Wanting to sit but not knowing what to do lolMy little Eskimo Penny....

My snowman has hair!

I think he's pretty darn cute even if he is smokin a cig....

Me and Penny by the pool...

The Big Up-Do

So I have always had this picture in my head of what my hair would look like on the day of my wedding. Romantic, whimsical are what I am going for in my wedding and of course I want my hair to match.

I always tell people what I want but have never shown anyone pictures so this will be a first. I like to mess with my mom so I told her I was going for the "Marie Antoinette look" the like big hair all up and in curls with birds and flowers in it. LoL this tickles me because it terrifies her but to be honest I really no love her hair. It's a work of art to get hair like that. Don't worry I have no intention of actually doing that but I like the feel of it just the same. If you have ever seen Kristen Dunst's Marie Antoinette it's beautiful. Most people don't like the movie, not much of a story line but I love it. The fashion, the style, the food!

LOVE her! And as much as a ADORE her hair i would look ridiculous if that is what I chose to have for my wedding let's just be real here. So began the almost endless search for something more practical and more "me".

Well finally I found what I think to be exactly what I envisioned! I used two different styles since I love the front of one and love the back and side of the other.

Front

Side

Back

I know some people aren't crazy about Taylor Swift but I think she is adorable and her hair is always that natural, romantic, loose style I love so much, even when her hair is down ... just gorgeous.