The big day is over!

No, not the wedding, I'm sure that will be plenty busy. But today we got the deposits down on photographer and reception/dj. It all started with a little trip to Macarthur's bakery. Mom had called ahead and ordered samples of their buttercream icing and the fondant icing. So when we got there the lady went into the back and came out with two full size cake boxes. Free. Each contained a 6" cake (about an inch tall), one was amaretto with fondant, the other was white cake with strawberry filling and buttercream icing. So 9:15AM this morning we sat at the breakfast table downing...er sampling and reflecting upon the cake. The poor photographer, by the time we got to his place a touch early for our 10AM appointment, the sugar had really kicked in. Woohooo! Fortunately he's a really nice guy, and he put up with Mom and I being super rowdy for the first 15 minutes or so. I'm sure he wanted to ask "Are you DRUNK" To which the only response would have been "No,dude, it's all about the icing!"

Then after we gave our deposit to hold the date with the photographer, we ran to the mall (not literally although, that was a good possibility) for a bit of shopping & lunch. Lunch with as little sugar as possible. Then it was off to Royale Orleans. We got the grand tour, figured out that I really may need limited flowers for the reception hall AND that they require either the DJ to be theirs or a live band. As their prices were right in line with what I've seen elsewhere, that's great.

All in all, it was a very good day. Prices were in line with or lower than I expected and the DJ was definitely an added bonus to have done.

Off to dinner...no dessert of course as we have 2 cakes still sitting in the fridge...
- posted by cam @ 4:28 PM (0) comments

 
I've been in St Louis an hour, and the first wedding decision is made. Our invitation is "shimmering roses", and you'll just have to wait for the real McCoy to see what it looks like. Chris - it's the first one that we both liked.

Off to catch a few zzz's before tomorrow's flurry of activity.
- posted by cam @ 10:50 PM (0) comments

 
"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy"

Or in yet another non wedding related blog post...Alas poor washing machine... My 14 year old washing machine has finally, officially kicked the bucket. At least the timing was good, I just got the tax refund. Now I wish I had my bridesmaid Christine in town. We bough our washing machines and dryers in Asheville together. She worked the angles to get us a good deal while I rode her coattails. But even though Chris is getting DTs at the very thought of appliance shopping, I think we'll be able to work on this brave new world together. :)

On the plus side, from Fred's point of view, while I was dealing with the repairman, Fred escaped from his pen to chase deer. Fortunately the neighbor saw him and got me. Even more fortunately for all concerned, he came when he was called. But he didn't have any venison to make it all worthwhile.
- posted by cam @ 2:39 PM (0) comments

 
This weekend, my cousins were in town for a graduation (my cousin Jim is leaving Pittsburgh this summer after graduating from Steubenville). Normally this wouldn't appear here, except that my cousin (not my brother) Bill and I were talking about the wedding. He may have suggestions for ceremony musicians as well as ceremony music. Since he's in his own multi-religion marriage, I figure he might have some good pointers on music that's palatable for both sides of the aisle. So further conversations will follow.

And the really cool, non wedding related news from this weekend...

Chris was announcing at a National Race Calendar race this past weekend. For cycling, NRC races are the races which draw the bigger names in domestic cycling. His co-announcer is a guy who's announced at the BIG cycling races - San Francisco Grand Prix, Athens Twilight, etc. So Dave, the co-announcer, told Chris that he should come to USPro in Philly this year. Chris told him that he was. Dave said "Well if you get to Lemon Hill, look me up!" and Chris told him that our game plan this year was to watch from Lemon Hill. At which point Dave told him that he couldn't pay him, but if Chris wants to announce.... Heck Ya! Announcing at the biggest bike race in America, sign him up! It's an exciting opportunity! He won't be on tv, yet, but it'll be quite an audience.
- posted by cam @ 1:22 PM (0) comments