Shoes, hair and makeup ... oh my!

I can't believe it's been nearly two months since my last wedding update. It's not that I am behind but more that I am so ahead there hasn't been too many changes. The latest big change came about a month ago when I was having lunch with a long-time girlfriend Eryn Matson and I found out her mom, Corkie, is certified to marry people. This was great news considering I have been close to them for YEARS and I have always wanted to be married by someone near and dear to the family. We have exchanged e-mails here and there with ideas but now it is a matter of setting a time to meet. I cannot wait to do so.

Other than that, the bridesmaids' dresses have been officially ordered and we are moving forward with figuring out their shoes, hair and makeup. I came across the following updos for them thanks to The Knot newsletter and am allowing them to choose their favorites.

I am being pretty lenient with what they choose in terms of hair, shoes and makeup since I know everyone has different comfort levels and I don't want them to have to shell out a ton of money if they don't want to. My only request is the hairdos are similar to one of the three and the shoes are a bronze metallic. If they feel comfortable doing hair and makeup on their own, I am fine with that. I am just blessed to have them be a part of my special day.

As we head into the holidays, I plan to put the wedding planning on hold for a while which is OK considering so much is already done. But I will post updates accordingly. Happy Holidays all!

We said "I Do" to I Do Wedding Cakes

For the latest in our wedding planning ventures, Aaron and I visited Morgan Hill Bakery and I Do Wedding Cakes in Morgan Hill, California, just minutes away from our venue Gilroy Gardens for a cake tasting on Monday evening.

We dined French style that evening by having our dessert first followed by dinner on the way home after.

We arrived early to our 6 p.m. appointment at 5:30, expecting to hit much more traffic than we actually did. While waiting for Baker and Owner Debbie to ready the five cakes we would be tasting that evening we looked at displays there and then sat down at a table to flip through different books displaying the work they have created throughout the years. The picture above (one of our personal favorites) was one we came across in a book. We loved the style. No surprise there considering we both love Disney. But the "eerie" thing was that the couple have the same initials as the two of us. So I found it particularly fitting to share this picture with you all. 

Shortly after coming across this picture, Deb came back out for us to try five different cake flavors: 

-Carrot cake with buttercream filling

-Chocolate with raspberry mousse filling

-Vanilla with lemon custard filling

-Spice with apple filling

-Picasso, their specialty, with banana filling

We loved all of the flavors, making it particularly hard to choose, and how fresh, moist and lightly frosted they were. The company does a two-day process (at most, depending on the filling) in making the cake before they deliver it for the wedding. Because it is a family-run business, you can tell it is quality work and their prices are incredibly reasonable.

Aaron's favorite was the spice with apple filling and mine was the picasso with banana filling (though we loved each other's favs too) which made it easy to decide. We are going to have Aaron's choice for our cake (expected to serve 75 people) and my flavor for a sheet cake (expected to serve another 80 people). Doing sheet cake saved us a TON of money and depending on the bakery I highly encourage other couples to do it.

After working out the details of the flavor, we worked out a design for the cake. Aaron and I were in agreement, which made it very easy to do, so we decided on a three-tiered box cake (rather than the traditional circles) with detail scrolls along the sides and a Disney-esque saying that will truly capture our special day. I am really looking forward to seeing how it turns out. I am sure it will be here before we know it...

Vendors

The wedding really just seems to be falling into place, which really is quite the relief. In the past couple months I have focused my energies on finding a photographer, florist and DJ. I have decided to piecemeal the project so I don't get overwhelmed by the intensity of planning a wedding. And it seems to be working out quite perfectly. Once I send out deposits later this week (of which the vendors assured me I am already on their calendar) that will be three more things off the list. From there I am going to move on to finding Aaron's wedding band, a baker, hairstylist and makeup artist. Then, believe it or not, the majority of what I need to do will be pretty much done. It is nice to have so much out of the way eight months before the wedding. I know it seems silly to do it so early on but I would rather it be early rather than late. I am doing everything I can to ensure I will not become bridezilla and it looks like I can breathe a sigh of relief - along with Aaron - that this is the case.

I am incredibly happy with my finds for DJ, florist and photographer and will be sharing links in the hopes to entice some of you to use their services in the near future if the need arrives. Unfortunately the DJ doesn't have a website but here is information for the other two:

-FLORIST, The Wild Geranium: Lindsay Catterton is a laidback, professional, innovative person who works hard to bring your visions to life. In the business for 27 years, her work is incredibly reasonable and absolutely beautiful. Her pictures at the website definitely don't do her justice. But I knew I had to have her after meeting with her, seeing a ton of photo albums of her work and thank you cards praising her.

-PHOTOGRAPHER, Jennifer Hosler/Candid Moments Photography: Jennifer is super easy to get along with and captures beautiful "candid" moments, exactly what Aaron and I were looking for. In a day and age where wedding photographers charge an arm and a leg, she is reasonable. Not looking to nickel and dime you but make sure she can capture the wonderful moments leading up to and on your special day.

The bridesmaids dresses

UPDATE: So after having my last two bridesmaids try on dresses over the weekend, I decided on the beautiful two-toned dress (pictured below) for them. My sister will be the only one in a different dress since she is the MOH. Here is a sneak peek at how beautiful the girls look in the dress, and this is without it even being the right colors or sizes. Yay for playing dress up with them. So much fun...

UPDATE: So after having two of my bridesmaids try on dresses last night, the options have been narrowed down to...

The second is actually a new selection. But after seeing the fabrics in person and how they look on the girls, these are both my favorite. My sister plans on trying on dresses in Wyoming within the next couple days and I am getting together with two more of my girls in a couple weeks before I make the final decision...

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So after scouring page after page on the Internet yesterday, the bridesmaids dresses have been narrowed down to the final fab fiven from Alfred Angelo. My personal favorite is definitely the last. There is no wiggle room on the colors since it is a part of our overall color scheme. As seen, the dress is espresso with citadel green trim; an absolutely gorgeous color combination.

But I am allowing the girls to cast their votes and narrow it down to their favorite three. From there they will be able to pick whichever dress best fits their liking. Point being? So they have a dress they will actually wear again in the future. They are also incredibly reasonably priced at $100-150. Very exciting to see which three they choose. I like them all for incredibly different reasons. Love is in the air indeed. ;)

The color scheme

Deciding on a color scheme for Aaron and my wedding is probably one of the easiest things I had to decide on. It helps that we have similar tastes, that's for sure. So rather than have to take two completely different perspectives into account, it really just meshed into one.

Green is both of our favorite colors so that was one color down and then, being we wanted something serene, whimsical and natural, like us, brown seemed like the perfect earth-tone fit. So there I was, with green and brown thinking I had it sealed up in a nice neat little bow. Until people started asking me what shade of green and what shade of brown. I must say, before the wedding planning began I never realized how many different shades of each there are. But after much internet research (almost obsessively) I decided on apple green and chocolate brown.

Because we are going to get married in the spring, I originally thought I should probably throw in a lighter color ... like yellow. Especially because based on my bridesmaids skin tones and body types I decided on chocolate brown for the dress. I know green should be the natural choice but I want a dress the girls feel they will be able to wear more than once. But after doing my research, I found there are beautiful ways to incorporate the lighter greens with richer chocolates. Yay for the power of the internet, Knot.com and other blogs out there. Here is a look at my color palette of inspiration for the wedding...

The Venue - Gilroy Gardens

This is Claudia's Garden at Gilroy Gardens, where the wedding ceremony will be held. Aaron and I will be exchanging our vows right above this beautiful waterfall as long as the weather cooperates with us that day. (view from the top)

Claudia's Garden at Gilroy Gardens (as it will be viewed by attending guests).

Creekside Terrace at Gilroy Gardens, where the reception will be held. We will all be eating and partying here after the ceremony as long as the weather cooperates with us that day.

Creekside Terrace at Gilroy Gardens (close-up of a section).

Events Plaza at Gilroy Gardens, where the ceremony and reception will be moved if *heaven forbid* the weather doesn't cooperate. If that is the case, they line the inside with topiary and other plants the entire way so there is only one exit and entrance and it doesn't look so mechanical. There are also thousands of beautiful Christmas lights hanging diagonally above.

My wonderful bridesmaids

Hello Ladies!

After sending an e-mail yesterday informing you all that Aaron and I have set the date for our wedding, I decided to create a blog which would allow me to share some things I have come across and absolutely fallen in love with for the special day. As you all know at this point it will be Sunday, May 22, 2011 with a ceremony at 3 p.m. and reception to follow around 5 p.m. at Gilroy Gardens.

Now that the date has been picked and the venue booked, there are fun fun times ahead! I will be looking for my wedding dress with my mom in Sacramento in a couple of weeks. From there I will start looking for bridesmaid dresses. What I can tell you at this point is that the dress color is going to be chocolate brown and I will have apple green accents, whether it be flowers in your hair, etc. Those details will be worked out eventually.

This is just one more way we can all stay contacted and share our thoughts about the big day. You better believe I will be calling on your help for things like making centerpieces, wedding favors, just getting your opinion on something, etc. and I will post most of my thoughts on here as well. I promise to try and maintain it as regularly as possible.

You have all been chosen to be a part of my bridal party because I trust you immensely and love you all dearly. Thanks for coming together to be a part of my special day. I definitely wouldn't be able to do it without you ladies.

Much love,

Shannon Barry (future Carr)