Check, check and check!

(Photo credit: me)

It's so awesome to get things checked off of your to do list. It makes you feel so accomplished. Ned and I had a very wedding-y day that lead us to checking off quite a few things from our list. I'm so proud of us.

Today was the first Independent Wedding Fair in Minneapolis. Normally I go to the wedding fairs with Ama***, but this one I wanted to take Ned with me because it was held at FIVE Event Center- the venue where our reception is going to be. We love our reception venue so much that any excuse to hang out there is perfect. We got so excited over the venue all over again. They have such a great space and I love being there. Not to mention the most amazingly friendly staff.




(Photo credits: me)

The fair itself wasn't that big of a deal. I mean, it was really nice, don't get me wrong. And honestly, I probably enjoyed it a lot more than the huge crazy fairs held at the convention center or wherever with all the vendors pushing stuff at you and getting you to sign up for junk mail that never ends. But there wasn't a lot there. If you want to get a huge selection of vendors with lots of things to try and check out, then this really isn't the fair for you. But for us, it was great. Not just for 1 reason, but 3. We found 3 new vendors that we want to book! How cool is that?

We still need to meet with them and discuss the finer details and everything, but we found a florist, event planner/decorator/coordinator, and a baker all at this fair. I had found a florist and a baker at previous fair that I wanted to check out some more, but the vendors today blew them completely away. Especially the florist. Some of her stuff took my breath away. Her style fits me perfectly. And we even booked a tasting with the baker for later in the month.

Seriously, look at these bouquets! The colors and textures are incredible. I love the use of the green feathers in the first one and the grass in the second. She really has some neat ideas. I can't wait to meet with her again and see what she can come up with for our wedding.



(Photo credits: me)

Another fun thing about the fair was getting to chat with a vendor we already have booked that was there- The Original Traveling Photo Booth. I just adore these guys. I'm so glad we already have them booked. I also love any chance I can get to use their services. Ama and I have at a couple of the other fairs and at The Knot party last fall. This was the first time Ned and I got to use their photo booth together.



And one last check for us today. After the wedding fair, we swung by Patina, a favorite store of mine, and picked up our wedding cake topper. I don't have a picture of it at the moment so it'll have to wait for another post.

***I usually go to the wedding fairs with Ama because we have so much fun doing it together, not because Ned isn't interested. He is enjoying the wedding planning as much as I am and is totally up for going to any wedding events that are going on.

- Gan

Was it Shakespeare?

Wasn't it Shakespeare who said, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"? Well that's swell, but who goes to a wedding to smell the flowers?  

Me?  I want color.  In fact, I want, like, SHAZAM!, kind of colors.  Nothing to upstage the bride mind you (like that would be possible) but something that can bring the magic and dynamic of the outdoors through precise and careful placement.  

And what better way to do this, in my humble opinion, than flowers or maybe I should say "colorful" flowers to be precise.    

Gan and I had no easy task finding colors that we wanted so late in the season.  We wanted the pop of spring but the sophistication of late summer.  And we wanted to do this while trying to avoid the fall, pumpkin Halloween colors.  So, we focused on royal colors that would contrast well against the "PARTY ON" green and give the event the prestige it deserves.  

So, I'm always on the lookout for colors, especially in flowers, and especially in a season that is almost a year away from our special day.  

I snapped this picture today with my cell phone at the farmer's market on Nicollet Mall downtown.  It's slightly over-exposed and this washed out the richness of the color, but you can get the idea.  Darn close to our colors without getting too trick or treat-ish.   

Now, in truth, this flower is a little too round for me and doesn't go with the lilies and other flowers that Gan and I were looking at.  At least, for the main table, this isn't the right flower. But the colors... ah yes... I think they would make great decorative flowers for other areas where we wanted a splash of color.  (Bathrooms, distant bar tables, Uncle Mike's why-didn't-I-get-one corsage, flower pedals for the flower girl to throw, etc.)  

I have no idea what KIND of flower it is, but as for colors... well this flower is pretty damn nice.