how to plan a wedding

thanks to planning and resources (various books, magazines, websites, direct vendor referrals, friends, family), and primarily due to Esther's diligence, we are well in to our wedding planning and have accomplished quite a bit.

we had another marathon day on saturday, but we've become better and better educated about the planning process. one thing that could potentially monkey wrench the whole deal would be: procrastination...especially when it comes to reception/ceremony venue, caterer, hotel/accomodations and music, probably in that order. But we are in very good shape, somewhat due to luck, but mostly due to the aforementioned diligence.

I admit, I may have gotten a little annoying in the car repeating 'that's so RANUNCULUS' over and over, but after 10hours of driving around, you get a little loopy. we giggled together a bit more amicably with an exchange of 'moops!...moors!...it was THE MOOPS!'.

We capped off the 12 hour day with a very nice early dinner with esther's cousin marsha...and a 2.5 hour drive home. I'll leave you with a couple snaps from the day. The first was a breakfast at 2PM and the second, looking through color palettes at a Connecticut florist.

The Caterer

We’ve made our decision and couldn’t be more excited! For anyone who’s ever been “entertained” by us, you probably recognize how important food is to both JC & I so we knew choosing a caterer would be the most difficult part of this process (yes, more important than even my dress!). I think if JC were left to his own devices he would actually attempt to cater our wedding himself. As it is, he’s already making all of the beer. I’m still not sure I’ve talked him out of bartending.

We interviewed the 3 local caterers (who’ve all worked weddings at Saltwater Farm) that the vineyard owner recommended. I had a looooooong phone conversation with each of them before scheduling the tastings. Here’s a little bit of advice: don’t plan 3-course dinner tastings the days before AND after Thanksgiving. I also don’t recommend a 9am dinner tasting, no matter how much you like filet mignon.

Anna, the owner of Gourmet Galley, was the first caterer I spoke to and was really great about fitting us into her schedule the afternoon before Thanksgiving, since JC & I were going to be in Connecticut. She worked w/ her chef to put together our menu on just 3 days notice. We met Anna and her chef at her house, where she has a full catering kitchen built on as an addition. Everything was amazing, but I think we didn’t realize how impressive it was until we had finished the other two tastings. The dishes were all obviously prepared to order for just JC & I, but the other two caterers actually tasted like “catered” food, rather than made-to-order restaurant fare.

It took almost two months (holidays and all) of going back and forth drafting menus and proposals, but we decided to go with Anna and Gourmet Galley because of the quality of the food, their approach to service, and willingness to work with us on the menu. JC has opinions (lots of opinions) about what we’d like to serve and how we’d like the food presented and Anna loves it. I’m really excited to work with her as we get closer to finalizing the menu and JC & I both feel completely comfortable letting her run our big day.

Next up: CAKE TASTING!

wedding beer(s)

We have the green light from Saltwater Farm and our caterer to serve my (our) beer at the wedding! For those of you who are not aware, I make, among other things, beer.

We'll go with three different styles for our special day to ensure adequate variety for our guests, #1 Esther's favorite belgian honey wheat (a sort of hybrid witbier),
#2 an american pale ale, which will essentially be a toned down version of my IPA (pictured...the carapils malt and heavy hand with the hops contribute to the mighty head retention)
#3 will be voted on by ...YOU

Since we've already chosen crisp and clean beers, the options for the third have a bit more of a malty and roasted character, but will still be quite 'drinkable'.

So, click on this link, to vote for your preferred style, and check back to see the vote results, the pictures of/details on the brewing, and eventually some sneak-peak tasting notes. You can also leave your email address, and I'll send you updates, if you like.

Cheers! JC+ E