Day 415

So today might be 415 days until our wedding but we have some other exciting events coming up too! 

413 Days until our stag and hen party (bachelor/bachelorette).

197 Days until spring break where we are going to check out our wedding venue (mini vacation on the coast...hola').

69 Days until we go see one of our favorite bands in concert, Red Hot Chili Peppers.

5 Days until we go to Disneyland!

We are getting so excited for our upcoming trip. I thought this would be a perfect time to discuss save the dates since I am sending one to some celebrities and royalty I might be seeing next week!  I hear if you send them an invitation they will send you a little something back! I love mail, we have extras and I think it is a cute idea. 

I got our save the dates on Etsy and we are sending them out next month. However, since I am on a break from school and my job apparently does not feel the need to give me very many hours. I have been working on tons of miscellaneous wedding stuff in between unpacking boxes and cleaning.  

My calligraphy skills are improving but I am no professional. Can't wait to see if we hear back! 

Day 419

This week we have been looking at a lot of wedding stuff! From photographers to the dress. Here are some of our thoughts on the different topics

Photographer
We are booking with Acorn Studios which I found online at myoregoncoastwedding.com. The prices are very reasonable and Kacey's work is ranked as one of the top 10 wedding photographers in Portland. Which sounds pretty creditable to us since Portland is a pretty artsy city. So far she is professional and wonderful with communication. Not to mention her family has a weekend home on the coast and she wont be charging us for traveling. We are pleased to have made this connection.

I love her on location wedding shots at the beach that are displayed on her website.

For the reception we will ask people to download this app to use on their smart phones to take pictures and upload them to a designated website. You can also upload your digital camera photos afterwards to our album online. That way everyone can become the photographer and have access to the photos! I saw this idea on Pintrest and thought it was very clever. I think its called wedding snap.

Favors
Alright now I know I already said I was going to make pumpkin-apple butter as our wedding favors.  However, my baby girl Eren had the most brilliant idea for us.....drum roll...... home brewed beer! Well for the adults that is. Danny is some what of a beer aficionado so this is a perfect way for him to give thanks. When Eren suggested this idea to us Danny's face lit up. I am excited to design all the labels. Pretty swell!

Dress
Since the beginning of this engagement everyone has been asking me about the dress!! For some reason I have not been as excited as everyone else. Recently though, I have been getting more amped up for the dress! I am looking for a simple ivory lace dress that is  long and flowing. I have found some beautiful ideas online. I want to post my ideas but Danny would really like this aspect to be a surprise. I am torn, should i share?

Caterers
Ok so this is the next area we are jumping into. For this I know nothing about. When we went to the coast in May(our engagement trip) we dined at this wonderful restaurant called Pig N' Pancake. So I know what your thinking, Pig N' Pancake? That is really romantic!

Here is the deal, breakfast is my favorite meal. Anyone who knows me knows this is true! When Danny is not home and I have to fend for myself you can bet I am eating breakfast! Danny is also wonderful at making us delicious breakfast creations. This is how he got the nickname Special Potatoes.

Pig N' Pancake has the second best pancakes I have ever had in my life. The first belonging to my Grandmother Pat, her hotcakes have stuck in my memory since I was a little girl. Danny got a scramble and the eggs were fluffier than my mom's.....see what I'm getting at? I am a breakfast/brinner expert and I say they are delicious!

It is a family restaurant that has locations up and down the Oregon Coast. I recently found out they cater, here is to hoping they respond and it is reasonable!

I found this helpful website written by a women who had $4000 to put on her wedding for 245 guests. She had a lot of ways to cut corners. She only hosted a dessert bar but had tons of cakes and pies. I am looking for ways to do the same thing. Our budget is close but our guest list is shorter. I am anticipating that catering will be the biggest expense. I am not sure what to do, only serve dessert? Hors D'Oeuvres? buffet?

Any ideas or opinions would be helpful!

Day 425

Hello Hello!

The past day has been spent researching one of the most important aspects of a wedding in my opinion and that is the photography. Boy was I clueless to how expensive wedding photography could truly be. I read in Real Simple magazine that brides should expect to spend between $2000 and $6000 on photography. Holy cow that is so much! For me, photography is on the top things I want to focus on. However, I think it is outrageous so spend that much. I know everybody has to make a living too. I did find a reasonable photographer who is willing to travel without added expense. She seems very eager and nice. She is even willing to skype with me to meet for the first time.

One of my best friends from childhood takes beautiful photos for her church. I have seen some of her work at weddings and it is wonderful. I would ask her to do this special job for me however she is moving to Africa in the next couple months and wont have a return date. Therefore, she might not make it to my wedding :(

My baby girl Eren is another creative person but we already have a role in mind for her and if we asked her to do this I am afraid we would have her double booked for the day. To me, I would rather her relax and have a great day than anything else.

Danny also hates to have his picture taken in a controlled environment so it is important to create a personal relationship with our photographer to help us relax and feel natural.

We are going to ask Eren to help us with engagement photographs. I don't really see the point of them but from what I understand they are a standard. So I have a question, are there any "must have" poses or pictures?

Day 432

Danny had to go to work while I was already at my job. I just got home and this is what I found.

 Here is what his note says in case it is hard to read:

Dear Tricia,

You are the love of my life and you are my shining star. I miss you and cant wait to come home to you! Sit back and relax; cheers is cued up for you and there is a cold beer in the fridge. I will see you very soon. With all the love my heart can give

Danny "Legosoup" Sorensen

I am so blessed. I know its cheesy and probably pretty lame but I totally go all butterflies in the tummy when he does little things like this. What more could I ask for than a man who finds little ways to make me feel wonderful whenever he can. That is pretty swell. Not to mention he left me set up with our TV show and beer! I am so glad to be on my summer vacation so I can back to wedding choices.

Here are some other things I am considering:

Another sign I would like to make

Instead of rice or bubbles we are going out with a spark!

This is my solution to our tight-ish budget. Boys will wear starfish instead of flowers :)





Im really not into the wedding garb but for some reason I really want this tank!

Day 435

Though I am not sure how I made it out of the last week alive and I sure thankful it is over! Let me explain, Monday started my last week of the summer quarter. Thus it was finals week. I had one large paper (6-8 pages) on the researched topic of my choice which was the importance of sex education. One medium paper (1000 words) about the musical dynamics of the opera La Boheme. Then I had to do a presentation on my sex education topic and take a final test for musical appreciation.

I have been sick all week and still feel pretty nasty right now still. At first I thought it was strep throat but now I am convinced it is a sinus problem. Danny has been taking great care of me, like always. To celebrate the newly finished quarter  and my sickness we ate mac and cheese for dinner with a side of FROZEN YOGURT!! That's right, I have lived in my new place as my own "grown up" and I am eating a meal that 3rd graders dream of.

Tomorrow we are driving to Seattle to help celebrate my grandfathers 80th birthday by attending a Mariners baseball game. Along the way we are also joining my uncle and his fiance for lunch which will be nice to visit with them.  It will be a great way to begin my month long summer vacation!

Off to snuggle and watch some Cheers!

Day 440

Well here we are in our new place! I don't think it has it me yet that this is the real deal. I have been sick all weekend and Danny had to work so it has been a slow process. I have just been walking around like a zombie randomly hanging things on the wall. I kept wondering when I am going to wake up, or when someone is going to barge in with bad news. I think this is one of the first times in my life where all of my belongings are under the same roof and it happens to be the one i reside under too. It sounds so silly but it is such a treat. Danny and I cooked our first homemade dinner of shepherds pie last night. I have never personally mashed potatoes before, so it was a new adventure.

This is finals week so things will settle down by Friday afternoon I cant wait until then to practice my calligraphy on the save the dates. I found out my wedding budget today so we will know what we are up against. I am going to contact the event planner at the inn to get some names so I can start running down caterers. I also should start considering what I will be doing about the flowers. So much to think about! As always, any suggestions?

Day 445

T minus 3 days until moving and life has become quick! As of right now I just got home from work and finished unpacking our dresser (my second mom is going to refinish it for us so it matches, thank you Tona), we are sitting down to eat while the 104 degree heat cools down so we can go to my sisters and walk her dogs then instantly return home because my dad is bringing over more boxes for us! I have an essay to finish and I have been up since 4 am. Phew! I also have a swollen lip from an evil canker sore! 

 I am glad to have Danny, because I would have eaten today, especially not so well, if he wasn't around helping out. Through all the madness he found time to cook a delicious meal for us. Split baked potato, organic bbq chik'n (non meat protein source for us vegetarians), peppered broccoli and a 2009 Merlot. He takes wonderful care of me.

I am off to do as much as I can before the day is over.  I can't believe its already almost Wednesday!