We're at the point of planning where things are starting to progress faster and faster. When we first got engaged {1.5 years ago, this Sunday!} we planned very slowly and took our time with everything. Now that we're getting closer, it seems like things are picking up.
At the end of March, D's parents came down to Eugene for the day so that his mom and I could drive around and find a rehearsal dinner venue. The boys stayed at the apartment while us girls went out all afternoon and visited several spots we thought might be nice. We had a lot of things to consider when choosing a location, given that our guest list for the dinner would be around 30 people {that's half our wedding!} and it would need to be somewhere that wasn't too far from either the winery or the hotel our guests would be staying at. We wanted something nice, comfortable, and with very little effort on our parts since we didn't want to have to worry about it the day before the wedding. We narrowed it down to a couple of places but we finally chose McMennamins on the riverfront. They have this awesome room that's a bit removed from the rest of the restaurant that will fit 30 people very comfortably. It has large windows that overlook the river, and is the perfect balance of casual but nice. D's mom and I visited there last and when we arrived it just so happened to be happy hour, so I treated her to a beer and some tots while we chatted. It was a really nice time for her and I to talk and bond a bit, and I have to say I am so incredibly lucky to have a mother-in-law that I enjoy spending time with! I shared with her the story of D and I's first date, which happened to be at McMennamins, and makes the venue we chose for our rehearsal dinner that much more special. :)
April was bridesmaid month! I struggled for awhile on what would be the best way to find dresses for my girls, seeing as how they all are super busy and live far away from each other. My MOH, Sarah, is my best friend from college and lives in Texas with her husband. It's been hard doing all the wedding stuff without her, especially since I remember fondly doing lots of fun stuff with her when it was her wedding almost 6 {!} years ago, but I wouldn't have anyone else to stand by my side but her! My bridesmaids are D's sisters, Becky and Ellen, and I consider myself very lucky that I also get along well with my sister-in-laws! Becky lives up in Seattle with her husband where she is doing her residency, and Ellen lives with her boyfriend in Vancouver just a few minutes from where my mom lives. I decided to choose a weekend where Becky could come down from Seattle and meet Ellen and I in Portland to do bridesmaid dress shopping. We also had Sarah on standby via text, and my good friend Megan {who is also my brides-Megan} drove up from Eugene with me as extra help! We met up with Ellen for lunch and then headed over to David's Bridal as a jumping off point for dresses. David's bridal gets a lot of crap from people, but if you go into it with the right attitude I think it is a very reasonable option for people in positions like us {with all my girls around the country}. We ended up with the same consultant I had for my dress appointment {I was hoping she would forget the fiasco that happened last time with my noisy sister!} and she was incredibly helpful.
We ended up deciding on 3 different dresses in the same color and the same fabric. The color I chose for my girls was plum, because I thought it would go nicely with our "winery-inspired" theme {thanks to D for coming up with that one!} and their sunflower bouquets would really pop against the deep purple. The fabric is a light cotton sateen fabric that is nice but not super formal looking. I think it fits the venue well because our venue is also elegant but comfortable. I was really happy that all three girls found dresses that they felt comfortable in, and I didn't care at all that they were not identical. What's most important to me was that they coordinated and that they felt good in what they were wearing, and I think we were successful!
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| My beautiful MOH! |
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| ...and my beautiful soon-to-be sisters! |
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| At least he got our last name right ;) |
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| This one made me laugh... hahaha. |
In addition, my running partner Erika {who I just ran a half-marathon with! Woo!} is going to be making our wedding cake/cupcakes, and officiating the ceremony. D's uncle is going to be building the arbor that D and I will be getting married under, and also gifting it to us so we can put it in our backyard when we get a house and have it as a reminder of our wedding day. :) My former band mate from college has a small trio called Heart Strings Music with her sisters and will be performing the ceremony music. It will be so great to be surrounded by gifts from our friends and family for the ceremony and I think it will make it even more special than it already will be!
Last but not least, we visited Silvan Ridge winery a couple of weeks ago for a wine club release party, and we were able to see these amazing renovations that they did to the banquet room! Lucky for us it was just in time for our wedding! ;) An extra special treat was that the band we hired to play the reception music, Michael Radliff quartet, were also there playing live music! So we got to hear them play! And it was amazing.
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| Michael Radliff Quartet! |
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| Newly renovated banquet room... new doors and windows! |
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| :) |
Wheew! I told you April was a busy month. I can't imagine what the next 4 months are going to be like! :)
<3 STBW
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