Success!

A venue has been selected!  It's funny, yesterday as we revisited our final two selections, I really thought we'd both lean towards a certain one. 

To our surprise, we found that the more modern looking facility with fabulous views actually lacked space.  The venue was set for the exact same amount that we anticipate.  The chairs and tables were so close together it would make moving about quite the task.  Second negative...the dance floor was much smaller than we remember.  No way Jose...we need dancing space!  My girls and I need to get our boogie on!  Over to the other venue, wow, what a difference decor makes.  We've seen this venue undecorated and were slightly underwhelmed with the little details (carpeting, window treatments).  I kept trying to see past those and seeing the venue decorated yesterday provided just the umph we needed to see it for all it's worth.  The wrap around patio is by far my favorite feature...all the windows in the room are actually sliding glass doors (which we'll probably have open) that open to a lovely patio with views of the golf course below.

That being said, we actually selected the very FIRST venue that we looked at.  Now...the negotiation process begins.  Wish us luck, I think my very financially savvy fiance will be able to ink a deal by week's end.

Up next...Honeymoon shopping.

The Great Debate

Really it's not a great debate in this house, but I know this is a touchy subject with a lot of folks. So here it is...Children or No Children at the wedding/reception?

We have thought about this for some time now, but have not made a decision. We see the pros and cons for the parents, but we also see the cons for our wedding (I know a little bridezilla, but darn it, it is my one day after all).


What we like about the "No Kids" rule:
Parents get to enjoy a child free night
No strange noises durig the ceremony
No barrage of children hijacking the candy bar (yes, we are having a candy bar)
People can drink, swear and dance the night away as they so desire


What we don't like about the "No Kids" rule:
We might offend someone
Someone might not be able to find child care


See that list it shorter...lol.

We have thought about hiring someone and putting them up in a hotel room (or someone's home)to be the official "nanny" for the night. Drop your kids off and pick them up after the wedding and tip the nice nanny. We'll pre-stock with snacks and drinks.

Of course some of our out of towners might take this as an opportunity to have a mommy/daddy only vacation, in which case child care wouldn't be an issue.

Married folks...please feel free to share your thoughts. :-)

One Year Count Down

Tomorrow (April 20, 2012) will mark the official one year countdown start until the wedding. I am so excited! Actually - WE are so excited. We talk about it often and occasionally ask "Do you still want to marry me?" The answer is always a resounding "YES!!!" Good, because we are perfect together. Since the last post not a ton has actually happened. But, things are starting to pick up. This Saturday we are visiting two venues (again) for the last time before we make a decision. In the running, Sierra La Verne, the very first place we looked at. They were very nice, helpful and informative, not to mention they set the bar really high for the rest of the venues we looked at. Pricing is great, and you really get a lot from them. Many perks that other venues simply don't offer, or do for an additional charge. The second venue is Brookside in Pasadena. GORGEOUS views and a very nice room. This weekend both are having weddings similar in size to what ours will be so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get another look at the venues all gussied up and set for about the same amount of people. Yes...we are wedding crashing! LOL, no not really, we're visiting both just before their ceremonies start. Once we make a decision we'll get to the good stuff like centerpieces, decor, cake, food tasting, etc. LOL I can't wait.