Future In-Laws <3

I got to spend a great weekend with my future father-in-law and I've been doing some thinking about family and in-laws. I think there's always some people that end up loving their in-laws and others that end up wanting to spend as little time with them as possible. Jess and I have been comparing notes on what we think about the whole "two families joining" and in-laws aspect of preparing for marriage. We are both incredibly blessed to be marrying men who come from amazing families. I truly feel lucky to be entering a strong family who I have come to love deeply over the last few months.

When Brode and I first got engaged we'd barely spent time with each others families. (Gotta love long distance relationships.) Brodie had met my parents a few times and I'd met his once and his brother Joe a few times. Suffice to say it's not like our families knew much about the other one or even their soon to be son-in-law or daughter-in-law. However, the last few months have been an amazing time for Brodie and I to really spend some quality time with each others families. Brode and Jess hadn't even formally met until earlier this month, crazy- I know! Next month our parents will finally get the chance to meet. Richard and Paula (Brodie's parents) will be up in Seattle next month visiting his older brother who lives in the area. We are both really looking forward to spending some quality time with our families and future in-laws during this week.

I couldn't end this posting without saying that Brodie's sisters Janet and Julia have quickly become some of my best friends. I can't tell you how great it has been to have these two amazing women to turn to for anything really. Brodie is the youngest of four kids and I'm the eldest of three and I have to say it's been nice to have someone a few years older who has walked down this road before and who can offer advice. His brother Joe and Joe's wife Kara are also incredible. They live in Bellingham so we've gotten to spend a little more time together. Richard and Paula have also become amazing "second parents" to me. I have loved every conversation and chance I've gotten to spend with them! It's even nice being the "new little sister" in the fam. I have to say I really feel like I lucked out in the in-law factor.

Santorini, Athens, and Rome!

Okay, so first many of my friends have birthdays in March and this month has gone by way too fast! I can't believe its almost over. I know I missed a number of b-days and I'm sorry to all my friends that I did miss!! I love you all :)

So now onto the other news, Brode and I finally got our tickets to Greece and Italy for our honeymoon. Also I've decided I think the word "honeymoon" is weird and I don't really like it. But anyway, if you're looking for a good place to go this summer we suggest the Mediterranean. Our tickets were really affordable at about $1200 per person round trip from LAX to Athens (total including taxes). You have to go and return before July 1st though. Seriously, not bad at all!

Now for where we're going, if you haven't already guessed by the title of this post. We'll be spending a week in Santorini, an island about 40 minutes from Athens. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world with traditional Greek villages. Check it out: www.santorini-greece.biz

After Santorini we'll be spending a few days seeing the sights in Athens and then on to Rome for a few days and then we are going to spend the remainder of our time wine tasting and exploring the vineyards in Tuscany.

Hire a wedding coordinator....

I highly recommend either appointing someone to be your point person for the day of your wedding or hiring a wedding coordinator for all or part of the wedding. (Note: this is my plug for hiring event coordinators and why we are worth the money.) I think most people think that hiring a wedding coordinator means hiring someone to do all the work for you and make suggestions. Traditionally coordinators are there from the beginning planning stages to the end to help suggest vendors and make sure every detail is taken care of. However, numerous wedding coordinators offer services and packages that include just the day of the wedding and sometimes rehearsal dinner. While this is an added cost, a wedding coordinator can save you money in the end. They tend to have access to vendor discounts and also save you lots of time and make for a stress free event. Think of them as someone who can over see all the little details to make the day perfect for you. I know the last thing I want to do on my wedding day is have to think about who is letting in the caterers or when the cake is delivered and who's setting up the flowers, etc. You want your coordinator to be the person in charge of making sure everyone has schedules and knows where they are to be on the day of the event.

At first, I wasn't going to hire a coordinator because I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on the details, but since we finalized having our wedding in Santa Barbara I re-looked at the idea. Since most our guests are coming in from out of town and Brodie and I will be getting in the week before it just seemed a lot more relaxing and easier to hire someone to oversee the final details. We chose to hire La Fete Weddings and I feel really fortunate that we were able to secure them for our wedding. Kaitlin is going to be our main coordinator on our wedding day. I sat down with her Thursday and she was very helpful and immediately put me at ease. Kaitlin is going to be our point person not only the wedding day but available to help us throughout the week. One of the many things I loved about La Fete and Katilin was their flexibility, knowledge, and I felt like I was talking with an old friend. We felt it was important to have someone familiar with Santa Barbara and the area available on the day of our wedding who is not part of the bridal party or one of our family members. We're positive that having Kaitlin as our coordinator during our wedding will make it a lot more enjoyable and relaxing for everyone.

Here's the link to there website with some more information about what a wedding coordinator can do and offer for you too. www.lafeteweddings.com

Santa Barbara!

Brodie and I have been busy meeting with all our vendors and putting together some of the important details. We're down in La Jolla visiting Brodie's dad and relaxing on the beach this weekend. Paula, Brodie's mom, is actually over in Vietnam touring with some of her friends and in her own words, "avoiding the stresses of tax season". This was a last minute trip or she would be here with us too :)

Today we met with our wedding photographer, Chris Humphreys and his wife Katie. They both graduated from Westmont and Katie and I were in the same dorm section our freshman year. Today we did a a short engagement photo shoot and Brodie got to know Chris and Katie a little too. I have to say it so nice working with good friends! I'm so happy they are free to capture our wedding. Chris has actually worked with a number of my friends and there is no one I trust more with this task. Check out his work because it is amazing at www.chrishumphreys.com

While we were in Santa Barbara we also got to do a few cake testings and picked a baker, Bella Dolce. So now we just have to decide on flavors and which design we like best! We're thinking about their Summer Berry cake and Chocolate Layer cake with either raspberries or Kahlua. We seriously wish we could choose all of them :)

I decided on Cody Floral. I loved sitting down with Laura and talking about flowers, colors, and designs. If you need a good florist in the Santa Barbara or Los Angeles area check her out too!

We also got to roam around the Biltmore and future site of our wedding! We absolutely love the this hotel and area. We met with the hotel's wedding coordinator and caterer. Now comes the task of finalizing a menu and deciding on the dinner buffet and what kind of food. It is our dream venue come true! You get the beach, gorgeous gardens, fabulous buildings, and amazing service. Visit their website and check out the scenes www.fourseasons.com/santabarbara

It is so nice to finally be able to start to put together all the details and really begin to picture everything.

California here we come!!

As you've probably guessed, we finalized our decision, well we actually finalized it all a couple weeks ago I just haven't had time to update. We will be getting married at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara! Save the dates with some general information are on their way soon!

Brode and I will be going down there soon to meet with vendors and start doing some major planning... it feels great to at least know where we will be getting married and have it locked in. We are really excited to be getting married in Santa Barbara. This city is incredibly special to me (it's where I attended undergrad) and also the perfect setting for a wedding. It just felt right and we can have the kind of wedding we've pictured.