I am one lucky girl - 10 of the best girls I know got together in Charlottesville over the weekend to send me into married life in style. My sister planned the event and did not leave out a single detail. She booked rooms at the Omni - perfect location for walking to restaurants, stores, and bars at the walking mall - booked a limo bus for winery tour, and made reservations for dinner - Zocalo = delicious! She had adorable favors for everyone and did it all from WI!
Our winery tour started at Barboursville which was beautiful. We did a tour and tasting here and our guide, Bill, was quite the history buff. He told us about Thomas Jefferson (TJ), Mr. Barbour, Patrick Henry - the whole lot! Here we wanted to know about wine but got a history lesson first. It was amusing. We tasted their wines - 19 of them! - and they were delicious. Our second stop was at Horton Vineyard - a gorgeous outside view but the inside didn't go...the wines were good but the atmosphere and the staff weren't quite up to par with Barboursville. Our final stop was at Keswick Winery where we got to do our tasting outdoors - the staff brought us our wines while we took in some sun. The picture below was from outside Horton.
Coming back from dinner we made drinks, got ready for dinner, and I was spoiled with gifts! We headed out to dinner at Zocalo...we were dressed for our night out and got a few looks as we headed to dinner at 6:30 - oh well! Zocalo was DELICIOUS! Moderately priced and a great atmosphere, it was an excellent pick. I had the chicken and it came with a sauce that was so good.
From there we went to Skybar where our bartender Mike was amazing - we kept giving him "I want something sweet and don't like...gin" and he'd come back with something delicious! He was awesome! He took great care of us. From there we bar hopped a bit, I met a new grad ATC who I thought was the coolest, and danced the night away. I paid for it the day after, but we had an amazing time - I'd recommend all of the places we went. My girls spoiled me - but I'm ready to trade in the single life for marriage to my man...can't wait!
After we got home, and I slept a lot, Laura and I DIY'd some gifts and other things for the wedding and we doubled checked all the things I've already gotten or have planned. I think the details are coming together and the big day will be here before we know it! I'm getting more ready for it - for awhile I was kind of scared/nervous for it. All the planning and ideas, preconceived notions of how things will be and poof - all done so quickly. It was also hard for me to actually picture myself in the day - but I'm getting there and see myself in that dress walking down the aisle!
I have been informed (by my father!) that I haven't updated my blog lately, so here goes:
We are 40 days from the wedding and my to-do list keeps getting longer. James and I have looked at our wedding ceremony readings and music, kept spreadsheets of RSVPs as they come in, and ordered last minute items and gifts.
Before I sent the RSVP cards in the invitations, I saw a number of posts online that suggested numbering them on the back so that if someone forgets to write their name, we know who it's from. One even suggested doing it in ink only visible under a black light! I decided against doing this thinking it might not be necessary - and it has not been a problem at all! People have been writing their names and making dinner choices. The bigger problem has been initialing next to the entree option people want. We are having a seated dinner and I need to make place cards for our guests that include their dinner choice, and allergies if applicable. We have had to contact a number of family and friends to clarify - read instructions, people! You are as bad as my middle schoolers! (Ok, scolding over...)
The other big thing I have learned in the past few weeks is to read vendor reviews on Etsy! I do this routinely on Ebay but didn't really think about it on Etsy. We ordered out guest book from Etsy with minor customization and the product information said 2 weeks for custom orders: plenty of time. The confirmation email said 4 - 6 weeks: cutting it close. I sent an email inquiring about the difference without a response for a week! I got worried so I looked at the reviews - repeated comments about the poor communication and extended wait time. NOT OPTIMISTIC. The comments do say that the books are nice, so I am hoping that it comes on time and is as we envision. BLEH....lesson learned - read reviews!
So, I keep adding to my to-do list, little things, and I'm getting things done... I'll try to be better about updating. Bachelorette party this weekend, so I'll share what's appropriate next week!
