wedding wednesday

this year, my birthday was a very special one, because the day after was my bridal shower!

 

 

 

it was at the tin roof bistro in manhattan beach, ca. i had never been there before, but lisa (my stepmom) and carmella (my maid of honor) both had, so i trusted their judgment. i loooved the feel of it - rustic and cozy. my shower was in a private room that was next to the outdoor dining. it felt like we had our own little restaurant! carmella and lisa did the decorating, which was girly and adorable, which is pretty much everything i love!

 

 

 it wouldn't be a bridal shower without games! we played a celebrity couples game where we were given clues about a celebrity couple and had to match it up with the right pair. my obsession with all things celebrity news was definitely an advantage for me, but i took myself out of the running for a prize, and my friend jackie ended up winning! then we played "who has the groom?" each person gets an envelope; inside is a picture of a celebrity, but one envelope contained a photo of randy. the person who 'has the groom' wins, and it ended up being my 'aunt' skylar! (i say 'aunt' because she's my stepmom's sister, so technically she's my aunt, but we're only 5 years apart, so we're more like cousins). we had a big joke that we were keeping it in the family ;)

 

 

 

 

then the moment i had been dreading/preparing for:

right before i opened gifts, carmella sat me down and surprised me - she had sent randy some questions and i had to guess what his answers were! i have to say i got most of them right, and his answers were so sweet and brought back so many memories from when we were first dating! like how the first thing i cooked for him was chicken (which i actually don't remember but totally believe), and the first thing he cooked for me was spaghetti (which i do remember).

 

 

here is the only decent photo of me opening gifts. i love how gift photos are always kind of terrible because you're always mid-expression or blurry from all the moving around.

 

noah was the only boy allowed!

 

 

my maid of honor, carmella

 

my bridesmaids: jackie, carmella, veronica, and skylar

family shot: my 'aunt' skylar, my stepmom lisa, and my 'grandma' pamela

 

it was such a great afternoon! a big thanks to lisa and carmella for hosting, and everyone that came! i can't believe i'm getting married!!!

 

 

 

wedding wednesday

the day before my birthday, randy and i had our food tasting with the caterer for our wedding reception. and i will be honest - food tasting is my favorite part of wedding planning so far!

the caterer we booked is dj's california catering. they service ventura, los angeles, and santa barbara counties and, in addition to weddings, can cater pretty much any event that requires food/beverages. when we decided to book our venue, i was immediately scouring yelp, google, and the knot for local caterers. for randy and i, food was something that was on our non-negotiable list. dj's was a recommended vendor from camarillo, but also has ridiculously great yelp reviews, so i immediately asked for a quote.

i sent an email to doug, who is the owner of dj's. doug is super helpful and very quick in responding to emails, which is a quality i find invaluable in a person! we paid the deposit and then anxiously waited until a more appropriate time to have our tasting.

what you see here: mashed potatoes, pasta, tri-tip, chicken, and vegetables (i had already eaten most of the vegetables by the time i took the photo)

the tastings are held in their kitchen, which is basically a big warehouse building. there's a separate section where there are tables set up, so it looks kind of like a mini-restaurant (there's a photo of our table at the end of this post). i have to admit, it's a little bit awkward - imagine being in a restaurant by yourself. luckily, they gave us space to try the food, so it's not like they were watching us eat. everything we had was delicious! we started with a garden salad and some fresh rolls. then we got to try all of our entree selections (pictured above). we are still torn about the beef option, but everything else was spot on!

chicken stuffed with tomato, basil, mozarella, and avocado in a roma pink sauce

tagliatelle pasta with fresh tomato, parmesan, and basil

not only was the food good, but i'm totally excited about the service we will be getting at our reception. for our wedding, dj's is setting up the chairs for the ceremony (and then moving them in for the reception), setting up tables with linens, configuring the layout of our reception space, setting up cocktail hour + snacks, setting up a water station for the ceremony.. i was so much more at ease after i found out everything they would be doing at the wedding. i have to admit, the biggest thing i've learned throughout my wedding planning experience is that people are here to help you. i'm pretty independent and usually a "to get it done right you have to do it yourself" type of person, so asking for help isn't one of my strongest qualities. but between the caterer, our day-of coordinator, the florist, and my parents, i feel so much more comfortable that our wedding will turn out exactly as i imagine it will. when i started the planning, i just imagined myself with my wedding dress hiked up setting up centerpieces!

 

so what's left for us before the wedding? so many little things! my stepmom and maid of honor threw a very beautiful bridal shower for me (which i'll be posting about soon), and randy's bachelor and my bachelorette parties are coming up in early-february. after that it's venue walk-throughs with the coordinator, confirming the vendors, finishing the favors and escort cards, getting my dress altered, making sure everything is in order.. the list seems endless! but i honestly can't wait for our wedding day to get here already!

 

 

wedding wednesday

the bridal shower: an excuse for ladies to get together and gab all morning/afternoon while sipping on some type of fruity alcoholic drink and tell the bride how fabulous she looks and how amazing her wedding is going to be.

umm, yes please!!!!?!?!

here are some cute shower ideas i've found:

how disgustingly adorable are these mini wedding cake molds??!! we already know anything mini is to die for, but for a bridal shower, these are practically a must-have! you can find yours here on amazon.

while we're talking about things that are small and made of cake, these mini cupcakes are also very sweet. the secret: use ketchup cups. my local in n out better watch their ketchup stations very closely when i'm around..

technically, this game was designed for a baby shower (my bridal shower will not be animal themed..), but i think this would be a hoot for the bridal shower guests to play! we all know us ladies keep tons of (mostly unnecessary) crap in our purse, so why not get points for it?

do i even have to explain why these are amazing?

i lovelovelove this idea! the whole reason for the shower is to celebrate the wedding, so why not let your guests know exactly how many days are left 'til the big event?

this is probably my favorite thing ever. have your guests put their lip print on a large piece of paper and everyone can sign it. a super fun and girly guest book!

yes, yes, & yes!

last, but certainly not least. this is so ridiculous that it's pretty much amazing :)


for more fun things, you can always follow me on pinterest!

 

image sources: mini cake molds, mini cupcakes, what's in your purse game, donut rings, wedding count down, lipstick guest book, mimosa bar, bride & groom tp.

wedding wednesday

not that i've ever had to notice before, but i feel like this year i'm seeing so many cute newly-married christmas cards! it's too bad randy and i aren't getting married before the holidays. maybe i'll send out a newly-married happy easter card?

married & merry! by minted

kraft ribbon new year's by minted

mr. & mrs. by magnet street

elegent union holiday flat card by smitten on paper



classic love decorative cut by smitten on paper

wedding wednesday

randy and i are not having a candy buffet at our wedding, but i could look at pictures of them all. day. long.

first of all, smitten on paper has the cutest little favor bags! they can be customized to say whatever, so you could also get some for a bridal shower or baby shower.

now for the bread + butter:



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wedding wednesday

happy halloween, readers!

since it's wedding wednesday, i thought we'd have a little fun :]

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happy haunting, and please be safe!