7 months to go!

Okay, forget theknot.com when it comes to checklists! Swann Soirees (our day-of coordination team) has supplied us with the greatest checklist ever!! It is MY kind of list - very thorough, detailed and organized. And for a second, we were behind! (so much for a Holiday break from wedding planning!) But it's OK - luckily, I got one awesome party-planning fiancee...so we got back on track. Either way, we're trying to enjoy Christmas and the New Year, but got a few things done - since Jon is leaving for the Philippines for 3 weeks on January 9, 2011.

• Pick Bridesmaid dress: When we first got engaged, I had my heart set on the ladies wearing sexy cocktail dresses, so they can look cute in strappy shoes in the summer time. Then Jon and I decided that the attire for our wedding would be "formal" - so it just wouldn't look right if our family and the God-Parents were in gowns and the BMaids were in less-formal cocktail dresses. And then I saw this dress in The Knot magazine, and I suddenly changed my mind to have them wear floor-length dresses. (it's so classy and elegant! Timeless!) And now, they can wear whatever style of grey/nude shoes they want, since we won't see them anyway- it'll save them a few $$, right?:

• Begin researching your honeymoon: We are going to Cancun!!! Our lovely reception package from the Omni includes a complimentary honeymoon stay at the Omni Cancun Resort and Villas (4 night stay, 15% off food and beverage). All we gotta do is pay for our flight. Not bad huh? I'm really excited!
• Meet with Officiant: The pastor of St. Mary's Church (and a very close friend of the family), Fr. Dennis, will be officiating our wedding ceremony. We attended the Diocese Marriage Preparation class - it was such an eye-opening experience! Jon and I enjoyed it and it opened up A LOT of lines of communication for us. I'll blog about that separately. We're so honored and lucky to have Fr. Dennis marry us - he's been there since the beginning of DiJon!
  
• Research Accommodations for Out-of-Town guests: we have a room block with a great rate at The Omni. However, I need to look for rooms that are more "economical." Although the rate of $179 is GREAT for an upscale, Downtown hotel - it may not be for our guests that are staying here for 3+ days. I've contacted Gillian again from the SDCVB and she is helping me look for room blocks at other hotels. I'm particularly interested in the Best Western Marina Gateway (off of the 5 freeway). It's down the street from the Church and just a few miles from Downtown. Another option (well, mainly for my mom's family) is to rent a vacation house for the week. My darling friend Trixia told me about Vacation Rentals by Owner - and I was searching for homes. I found this awesome estate in Bonita that has 5 bed/5bath, (perfect for the 5 families that are coming here from Reno). Here is a picture of the game room! But can you see why I'm a BIT HESITANT to even inquire about it??

Our Save the Dates are done!! I'm going to hand write the names and addresses on them, so that will be my ongoing project for the next few weeks (plus I don't have everyone's addresses yet). I know the month of January will be a busy one - lots of items on the checklist!! And with Jon gone for 3 weeks, that may be a good and bad thing. Okay, I'm craving some Ramen right now.

Inspiration: Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino

How could you not love the simple elegance of white orchids?? I love it!

This definitely serves as inspiration for our centerpieces...
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8 Months to go!

The whole month of November went by so fast!! We didn't do a lot of wedding planning since we were traveling so much and we celebrated lots of birthdays (Jon's, our best man Marc's, My Dad and his Dad)! But here were the few items on our checklist that we were able to take care of:

• Register for gifts: We haven't registered for gifts yet (we're looking forward to using that scanner!), but we did choose the store where we will register for gifts: Williams-Sonoma!

... it's a tad "bougie" - but Jon and I are a couple that constantly cooks and bakes. Jon has owned the house for about 3 years now, and it's filled with all the necessary household items. I guess we're at that point where we want the quality kitchen tools... instead of going back to Ikea or Target repeatedly and replacing a wisk or strainer or spatula because it breaks or gets rusty.

• Choose a Wedding Cake: The design of our cake has been chosen. It will be a very simple one, decorated with flowers. We have yet to go cake tasting and choose a baker - but I feel this is one of the simpler tasks. Jon doesn't have a sweet tooth, and I don't think he can tell the difference between chocolate ganache and chocolate mousse. So I may have to take the lead on this one...

• Plan Table Decor: ..and this one is done too! The style of the centerpiece has been decided. Jon really likes the look of charger plates, but that would definitely put us over budget. Love the look though! We'll have Menu/Reception cards and the table numbers will be framed. Oh and of course, lots of candles to create a romantic ambiance.
  

Like I mentioned earlier, the planning has been put on hold. Not much wedding chatter this month. We went to Kansas City, Missouri to celebrate Jon's Grandma's 95th Birthday. There are a ton of Teopaco's in Kansas City (remember his Dad has 9 siblings) and it was my first time meeting a lot of them! And my first time flying east of Las Vegas. I can't describe how awesome it is to have a big family... I had TONS of fun! We're looking forward to seeing them again at the wedding. Here are a few photos from the party:

Happy 95th Birthday, Lola Irene!

The Teopaco Family - and this isn't everyone!!!

My Future In-Laws :)

And then, for the Thanksgiving Holiday, we went to Reno, Nevada to hang out with the Gerodias Family (my mom's side).

Thanksgiving Dinner at the Sapico House

On the Ferris Wheel inside Scheel's (Sparks, NV)

With my cousins...

We were really lucky to spend lots of time with the families in Reno and Kansas City - since the next time we will see them will be at the wedding!

This post is dedicated to my Dad - who turned 60 on November 22nd (same birthday as Jon's dad!). He's been the most helpful Dad, in terms of wedding planning, and although he always jokes around that he can't wait to "get rid of me" or that he "feels sorry for Jon" -- deep inside, I know it will be bittersweet for him to give me away. I'll always be a daddy's girl! Now, we gotta teach him how to dance - he is totally not a dancer!