October

Where has the time gone? A month ago today we were just returning from Barbados and two months ago from tomorrow we were getting married! I am not sure where all that time went! And yes, we know you are wondering, we have not gotten our wedding photos yet (please, don't get me started) but word is they will be in our hands (okay, online, so our virtual hands) early next week.

Other updates from the McDade house:

Oliver is getting big! He is 7 months old and having the time of his life torturing his parents and eating mushrooms in the back yard. His most proud accomplishment: learning how to jump on the couch.

Blackie hasn't changed much, she has been grouchy lately due to Oliver's most proud accomplishment, but nonetheless continues to amaze us with her creative napping postures.

Andrew is in his third week of 2nd year Vet School. Lots of -ologies to cover this year, but not a lot of class time (though apparently, still a lot of work.)

I am still working at the hospital and loving it! I have also had the opportunity to start doing things that are fun (!) i.e. not school or wedding related. I have taken up yoga, eating (and cooking) vegetarian dishes (but meat is still okay on pizza and in potstickers right?) and I am training for my first 5K which is the Sunday (10/10/10.)

Honeymoon in Barbados

Well, we are back in the country. It took 1 1/2 days to get to Barbados and 22 hours of straight travel to get back, but it was so worth it!

While we were in Barbados we got to try and do so many new things. One of the highlights was definitely the food. Most of the cuisine in Barbados is based off of seafood, spices and carbs (and of course lots of fresh veggies.) Our favorite meal was when we went to Oistins, a little fishing village where on Friday nights there is a big party and lots of fresh fish. We had Marlin and Tuna, fresh off the grill as well as grilled potatoes. We also ate a lot of macaroni pie, like mac & cheese but better.

Another highlight was, of course, the rum. We got to go to the Mount Gay Rum factory for a tour and a tasting. The even better part of all this is that Mount Gay is the well drink of choice in Barbados. Lots of cheap and good liquor was consumed on this trip.

For my birthday we got to go out on a catamaran boat to go snorkeling with turtles and sea a ship wreck. The boat ride was the best part as there was an open bar and by the end of the trip, the deck had turned into a dance floor.

There will be more on Barbados on my travel blog which I am starting soon, I will link you to it when it is up, no worries.

Now it is time to get back into the groove of school, work and spoiling our pets.

We're Married!

We had such a beautiful ceremony and reception, we could not have asked for more. We are so happy that all of the most important people in our life could be present as we exchanged vows and celebrated our new marriage. Our photographer Ben has posted some pictures on his blog and you can find them here:

http://powersoregon.blogspot.com

I will keep updating this, especially more about our upcoming honeymoon to Barbados!

One Week!

There is only one week to go until the big day! We are getting so excited for our wedding!

The final few details are coming together. The dress in finished, the catering is set, the decorations have been purchase, almost everything has been payed for... The biggest thing that we have left to do is set the menu for the rehearsal dinner, the people at the restaurant are being kind of slow about getting back to us. We also need to finalize the "day-of" plans and figure out who will set up everything, although I have a pretty good idea of it.

We can't wait to see some of you on Friday, more of you on Saturday and Sunday and all of you on Monday!

Getting Closer

The Wedding is getting so close, only 18 more days! We are definitely enjoying the ride, but at the same time will be glad when all of the stress of this big event is over. I am not sure what we will do with all of our free time!

Last weekend, Amber threw me the most amazing Bridal Shower. It was truly fantastic. Almost all of my favorite women were there to share the day and help make it a success. I had an awesome time!

Today we went up to Vista Hills for the final walk-through with Kat and our caterer Eric. We are getting every last detail set and I think all we have left to do is fill out our alcohol agreement for what we want to serve!

I have been so busy trying to figure out who can help with what and who goes where, especially on the day of and days proceeding the main event! It is a stressful, let me tell you!

We are both getting very excited to see everyone!

Five Weeks to Go!

Wow! A lot of wedding stuff has been going on lately... this really going to happen!

Update on restaurants: Nick's was fabulous, but unfortunately way too small for the number people that will be attending. The Dundee Bistro was terrible! It was a total tourist trap with overpriced food, terrible selection and even worse service!!! Don't ever go there! However, we did stumble upon La Rambla, a Spanish tapas restaurant that was amazing for lunch. That's the direction we are headed now.

After a minor disaster last weekend (don't ask if you don't know), things are going smoothly again and we just need to talk to some people and do a few (or a lot) of little projects. I have a to-do list (with deadlines) and a full-time job, so if you want to help, inquire.

50 Days!

Wow! Only 50 days until the big one!

Today we met with Ben, our photographer, to discuss wedding day logistics. He is so laid back and flexible about everything. I am so glad that he is our photographer. I am really, really excited about the wedding photography, even if it does cost an arm and a leg.

Our rings have arrived and I just need to go pick them up and make sure that they are perfect.

Over the next few weeks we have a lot of meetings and phone calls to make for last minute details and to make sure everything is going smoothly. We need to pick out the music for the strings duo to play as well as chose a site for our rehearsal dinner. We are thinking maybe Nick's Italian Cafe in McMinnville or Dundee Bistro. I guess we will just have to go eat at both to figure out which one is best!

Even though it seems as if we just have some little things to finish up, I am starting to really stress out about everything! Just gotta keep my cool for another 50 days!

Two Months to Go!

Wow, the wedding is two months from today!

I feel like I still have so much to get done, but really it is just all of the little pieces. Phoebe, Rebecca and Amber have been great about party planning and I am glad that I don't have a thing to worry about there!

A couple of weeks ago I had my first dress fitting. I have lost some weight since buying it (a good thing right?) and it needs to be altered just a little more than I thought. It should still turn out perfect though. After seeing both regular and french bustles, I am going to have a permanent french bustle made. We all know how much I hate trains! Next appointment is at the end of June :-)

I also bought the favors for the wedding today, but I'm not going to give that away!

Rings!

Two weeks ago, when we were in Portland, Andrew and I picked out our wedding rings at Tiffany's. I told him that he got himself into this mess after buying me a Tiffany engagement ring and that we had to get our rings there. Besides that fact, I love shopping at Tiffany's! There is the sparkle factor when you walk in the store, but they are also some of the nicest salespeople ever!

Here are the rings that we picked out:

From Amy and Andrew's Wedding

From Amy and Andrew's Wedding

Less Than 100 Days ?!?!?!

Okay, apparently time is flying by. There are only 95 days until the big day!

Latest news: we have picked out tuxes (yay!), finally. We decided that Andrew is going with the standard black tux (tie and vest) and that the groomsman will have red ties and vests. Also, sweet ivory shirts to match my dress.

I am so glad that is done. Just about the last "big" thing. I need to make my seamstress appointment next week to start getting my dress altered. I am a little nervous to try it on, since it has been so long! I am also not sure what I am going to wear underneath it (if you know what I mean!)

In other news, I know that awesome people in our wedding party are working on party planning. We also need to decide on our rehearsal dinner time/meal as well as wedding weekend plans. Ideas? Suggestions?

Time to put together all of the little pieces now!

Less than 4 months and counting!

I can't believe that the big day is getting so close! I am starting to feel the pressure of all the little things that we need to get done. I am waiting until I finish my internship and I have some down time to start really pulling the pieces together and delegating more tasks!

A few weekends ago we went to Vista Hills to pick out the wine for our wedding. We decided to go with half pinot gris and half pinot noir. While we were trying the 2007 Treehouse Estate we started talking to the server about the 2008 vintage (which is supposed to be phenomenal.) Apparently it had just been bottled, but not yet released. The server went in the back and actually found a bottle of it for us to try. And it was definitely phenomenal. We decided to buy half a case of the '07 and half of the '08. That way there are two different pinot noir's and the wine snobs in the crowd will appreciate the difference. We also got a case of the Treehouse Pinot Gris. In addition to wine, we are considering serving beer as well (no hard A allowed at VH.) Well, they get a good deal on bottled of beer from Golden Valley Brewery. We rounded off our wine tasting trip by stopping by Golden Valley to sample their different beers. They have a great variety and some that will work well with our wedding.

We have also reserved a block of rooms at the Red Lion in McMinnville for the night of the wedding at a discounted rate. In addition, you can also get the discounted rate for the night before (space permitting) if you call soon enough. For more details either call the hotel or visit our wedding website.

Next up: Tuxes! We are going to hopefully pick them out this weekend!

Less Than 5 Months to Go!

Wow, I can't believe that there are less than 5 months until the big day. I am starting to think more and more about all of the little details that need to be done. I actually have a running list that keeps getting bigger. Lucky for me, I have a lot of people on my side that are dedicated to helping us pull off this wedding!

Today we are headed to Portland to update our registry at Macy's at a "sip-and-scan" party. Basically, they give us free champagne and food and tell us to register for the most expensive stuff in the store. We are also going to go wedding ring shopping. I know exactly which one I want, but Andrew has yet to pick one out. We will probably fit in some other shopping as well.

I am in the process of getting a block of rooms reserved for a discounted rate at the Red Lion in McMinnville. As soon as I have all of the details, that information will be posted on the wedding website. If you lost your save-the-date (which I hope not, because they were beautifully hand-crafted by my favorite ladies,) just email me and I will tell you the website.

Ceremony Music

The only thing we have really done lately (besides send out save-the-dates) is book music for our ceremony. We decided that having live music would be worth the extra dollars, because let's face it, we only get to do this once! The music we decided on is a cello and violin duo. The name of the act is Duo con Brio and they are based out of Portland. I am pretty excited about it, I think they will be good.

Other than that, I am trying to get a block of rooms for guests at the Red Lion in McMinnville and still need to find a seamstress! Andrew also needs to get the tux ball rolling...

In the Mail

Well, the save-the-dates are already to go in the mail soon! I will probably mail them sometime in the next few weeks. I guess then that really makes this wedding official right? Yikes! No, just kidding, we are unbelievably excited for our big day!

So I didn't know this until the other day, but if you go to the Post Office website, you can order all kinds of stamps and they only charge you $1 for shipping. I think paying $1 is way better than going to the post office for pretty stamps. Anyway, they making wedding stamps (!) and you will just have to wait and see them. They are awesome!

I am also just about finished with the wedding invitations as well. Would it be crazy to have them all addressed and sealed by the end of February when I am not going to mail them until June?? Anyway, I just need to find some way to make a card to enclose that includes our website. I already have: invitation, response car, map. Anything that I am missing????

Wedding Cake

On Saturday Andrew and I went back to the bakery in Portland to taste more cake (why not?) and place our order. It was such a tough decision, they were all really good. However, we can only have one wedding cake and so we chose red velvet with bavarian cream. Just you wait, it is going to be delicious! They also have amazing buttercream frosting. The frosting will be white with some red filigree design on the cake. I have a picture of our "inspiration" that I will upload eventually. Hopefully we will also have Lisa (the florist) put a few fresh flowers on the cake and we also need to find a cake topper. I hope it turns out to be pretty. I mean, I am sure it will, it's just something so hard to choose!

We also went to the Portland Bridal Show. It was a lot of fun, but also a lot of chaos. I think I liked the one in Eugene better for getting to talk to vendors in a low stress environment. However, at the Portland show they were pretty much shoving the free cake at you. That was the best part, lots and lots of free cake. But overall it was good, we got some more free wedding books and magazines. It would have been great to go to the show sometime last year because then I would have had a lot more resources for planning, but oh well! We are still going to have the wedding of the year!

Wedding Show Galore

Yesterday, I went to the Oregon Wedding Showcase in Eugene with my mom. It was a blast! Not only do you get lots of freebies and discounts to take home, you get to try so much food! I had no idea that all of the bakeries and caterers have samples to hand out. Although, now that I think about it, that does make a lot of sense. And, on top of all of that everyone has at least candy for you to take. My advice: go early and have lunch for the price of your ticket :-) Another piece of advice: Don't mix the heavier food with all of the desserts. Sample from the caterers first, and then go around and get dessert (or do the reverse, just don't mix and match!) My favorite thing that I tried was a chocolate cake with fudge filling with buttercream frosting and raspberry compote. So delicious! Although I don't really need too much more for the wedding day, I did find a couple of cool things. Discounts on tuxes was one :-) I did a little favor for the groom there. Also, I found a local company that makes guest books. They will put together all of your photos from your relationship into a nice hardcopy book for your guests to sign. I think that this could be really cute. I entered to win one, but might have to give in if I am not lucky. I also found some good references for a seamstress. I need to investigate a little bit further and talk to some references about them, but it's a good start. That was the thing I was looking for the most!

Well we have less then seven months to go! It seems like time is flying by and before we know it the big day will be here. We are going to order our cake next weekend and maybe go to the Portland Bridal Show. I haven't decided yet. Can't wait to taste some more cake!

Save The Dates, Invitations, Catering and More!

Well, I have been a bad blogger over the winter break but I have been a busy wedding planner.

First lets start with save-the-dates. Phoebe and Amber were gracious enough to come to Corvallis for a weekend and help with this project. We all think the save-the-dates turned out great, and they definitely would not look as good without their help.

Over Christmas, Andrew's mom Sandi and I assembled all of the wedding invitations. She had some great ideas of how to spruce up our very simple DIY kit. I think they turned out great, but you will all just have to wait and see. It feels so great to have those done and (almost) ready to mail!

Right before Christmas, Andrew and I went up to Portland to meet with the caterer and have a tasting. It was so much fun to go have a tasting with the caterer! They prepared a full little plate of goodies for us to sample. We really wanted to have salmon served at our wedding, since it is a NW thing and goes well with wine. However, the salmon wasn't that great (farmed Atlantic salmon to lower the cost) so we decided to go with mango chicken instead. I think it will be a great, light summer dish. We are also going to serve seasonal vegetables and a NW salad (wine-poached pears, walnuts and blue cheese) with the dinner along with some yummy appetizers.

We also had the opportunity to go cake tasting at a bakery in Wilsonville that Lisa (our florist) recommended. Their cake was really good! We are definitely planning on having them bake our cake and we have another consultation to taste more cake and place our order in January. Our favorites were the chocolate cake with a fruit filling (strawberry or marionberry) or red velvet cake with either cream cheese or bavarian cream. Did I mention that they have the most amazing buttercream frosting??

As you can see, it has been a busy break for us! We have accomplished a lot, but still have a lot more to go!