Nick and Jasmine
Just another WordPress.com weblogArchive for September, 2008
Big Fern gives the A-Okay!
Today I showed my dad the dress I had picked out and purchased this week. The conversation sort of went like this:
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Papa Villavecer: “How come green?” (translation: “Why did you pick the green colour?”)
Me: “Because I like green and it’s different. I think it’ll look nice for a summer wedding.”
Mama Villavecer: “You should see it on her. It looks so elegant.”
Papa Villavecer: “What kind of shoes will you wear?”
Me: “I was thinking maybe yellow or purple peep-toe pumps.”
Papa Villavecer: “Maybe a tennis.” (translation: “Maybe you should wear tennis shoes” – in Fernando Villavecer terminology, ‘tennis shoes’ refers to any rubber soled shoe, i.e. running, basketball, walking, etc)
Me: “I wanted to find a pair of green and white Air Force Ones!”
Mama Villavecer: (looks at my dad) “Are you kidding?”
Papa Villavecer: “BASI MA DANLOG!” (translation: “SHE MIGHT FALL!”)
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One point green & white Pumas, uncomfortable pumps, zero!
Shoutout.
Shoutout to the blog’s most avid readers – my beautiful, soon-to-be sister-in-law, Jessie, and her boyfriend Nikola!
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Things are beginning to fall into place. I’ve heard through the grapevine that the minister we had in mind has agreed to marry us, however we haven’t heard confirmation from him yet, but I hope that will come soon. Everyone has been so excited for us and been asking when the big day is, but we’re hesitant to say until we know for certain. This Tuesday Nick and I will be heading over to our potential reception site for our first tasting and to discuss the menu. I love food almost as much as I love life, so this will be a great experience!
I realize I will be making my best friend and cousin very angry by publicly admitting this, but I’ve already purchased my wedding gown. I fell in love with a certain dress – to be honest, I didn’t know what I was going to do if this dress didn’t fit right or looked crazy – luckily it was just as beautiful on me as it was in the catalogue. I don’t want to ruin the surprise and post the picture, but let’s just say it isn’t your typical white bridal gown. My mom was vehemently opposed to it as soon as she saw the picture, but had a change of heart at the fitting. Her opinion was the only one that mattered to me, and I knew she wasn’t going to inundate me by giving me dozens of dresses to try on. I knew what I wanted and I went with the first and only dress I tried. The choice was made in ten minutes. Now the only thing I need to find are shoes…
Yes, I am serious about these three. I would go with the Pumas (so fresssh) in a heartbeat (baaaaaaallin’), but my mother would throttle me. Oh well…we still have a few months. I might be able to change her mind, hee!!!
The flower girls…might steal the show!
My name is Talisa Joy, and I will be four. I love princesses, ballet, singing silly songs and getting dressed up in pretty dresses! I am a pro – this will be my second time being a flower girl and I am so excited!
And I’m Arianna Lyn! I might look small, but I will be toddling and hopefully have more hair by the time the wedding comes! I have a big deep voice, so watch out for me!
Details.
Did some impromptu drop-ins at local florists today. It wasn’t anything planned, but my cousin Grace had mentioned that there were great bridal bouquet arrangements available at local grocery stores.
I checked out both Zehrs and Sobey’s on my way home and found the following:
Zehrs does three different floral packages, priced at $399, $499 and $599. Because my bridal party is quite small (only one MOH and two flower girls, to be exact!), I don’t need all the extras. However, the $399 package includes:
- one hand-tied bridal bouquet
- three attendant’s bouquets
- a flowergirl bouquet
- two mother’s corsages
- three sweetheart rose corsages
- one groom’s boutonniere
- seven wedding party member boutonnieres
Not a bad little package, considering they do this one with white calla lillies – a choice I had wanted all along. I checked out Sobeys and they did not offer a package like this, but instead had single bridal bouquets available from $160 and up. Not enough bang for my buck, sorry to say. I am going to make an appointment tomorrow to discuss the details with one of the managers.
Also dropped in at a new local pastry shop, located right around the corner from Nick’s house. I really love the idea of a tiered wedding cake, namely something along the lines of a cupcake cake, but instead of cupcakes I wanted something even more tasty…
So I thought of cheesecake. New York cheesecake, to be exact.
I spoke to the owner of Bear’s Cheesecake Company (new restaurant on Wyandotte, in between Esdras and Reedmere) and she was more than happy to discuss wedding cakes. She is able to do 150 mini-cheesecakes, and cheesecake lollipops, all for the low price of $1.50/piece. Depending on what I want, she is able to dip the lollipops in Belgian chocolate, drizzle it with white chocolate and dip it in either crushed nuts or coconut.
Haven’t committed to the cheesecakes yet, only because I found out that a new Chinese bakery has opened up on University…and if there’s anything I love more than cheesecake, it’s mocha torte! I’ll keep ya posted!
I will pay!
I’ve always considered myself pretty crafty. At work my unofficial job title is designer of all things necessary, probably because I am the only person who enjoys Photoshop and Publisher. Doing up posters and advertisements has always been a way for me to showcase my creativity in a seemingly rigid, logical, scientific environment.
Last week I made the trip out to Michael’s to buy various cardmaking materials: paper trimmers, embellishment paper, glue, eyelet punches, stamps, etc…all in the hopes of setting out to make my own wedding invitations. I had shopped around town and found that the average price per invitation was between $3-$6. I figured that I could likely spend the same amount on materials and make my invitations my way, adding my own artistic flare.
I attempted one invite, almost hammered my fingernail off, struggled desperately with the eyelet punch and setter, and came to the conclusion that paying someone $3-$6 might be well worth saving my sanity. I may attempt making my own programs and menus – that seems a bit more realistic.
Weddings are expensive.
We are learning very quickly that it is difficult to be thrifty while at the same time try to pull off a wedding that doesn’t look absolutely ghetto. Prices are absurd. It is a challenge to look at the money we will potentially be spending and not say, damn, we could’ve put a good chunk of that towards the mortgage, or we could’ve done some great home renovations, gone on vacation, etc, etc…
But in the same token, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event. It is something my parents have saved for for a very long time. Despite his at times apathetic demeanor, I know my father has waited to walk me down the aisle and, as Nick so observantly describes, “Shake hands with lots of people and drink expensive scotch”.
Wedding planning is going well, I am happy to report. I have the neurotic drive to want things done yesterday, and despite us still being ___ months away from our date, big ticket bookings (reception area, ceremony area, officiant, honeymoon destination, etc) are all I can focus on. Today we met with the owner of a potential restaurant and discussed menu and prices. I failed the beginning of the discussion almost immediately, low-balling my price range miserably and looking like quite the cheap-ass fool. Luckily for me she was understanding and willing to take the time to discuss more reasonable price options. Good food is high on my list of essentials, perhaps because I tend to judge the success or failure of a wedding on the quality of what is served. If we are going to pay good money I would rather it be on top-notch cuisine and vino than decoration and frill. She rattled off what seemed to be never-ending menu options, and we will be meeting with her in a few weeks for a tasting.
And all-you-can-eat sushi is back at Teka! Wheee!
Quick thoughts.
Well, it’s been a little over a week since the proposal. As excited and thrilled as I am, I am becoming more and more familiar with the following words:
pressure: n. a constraining or compelling force or influence: the social pressures of city life; financial pressure.
stress: n. a specific response by the body to a stimulus, as fear or pain, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism.
The demands of planning a wedding are great and numerous. Despite trying to maintain a lifestyle and attitude that goes against the grain of society, I catch myself falling into the traps: daydreaming about fairytale dresses, colour motifs and tear-jerking speeches. Fantasizing about happily-ever-after and wedded bliss and perfection.
This was not me 2 weeks ago.
Everything I love about Nick and I can be summed up in the following words:
simplicity: n. absence of luxury, pretentiousness, ornament, etc.; plainness: a life of simplicity.
contentment: n. the state of being contented; satisfaction; ease of mind.
We have never been ones to demand much or expect anything. We live simply and take pleasure in the small things: a good meal, a good laugh, friends and family, thought-provoking books, the beauty of the outdoors. But when it comes to planning a grand event like a wedding, there are certain expectations – internal and external – that I am having a difficult time coming to terms with.
The last thing I want is for this wedding to be a misrepresentation of what we’re all about. I have no one to impress; I am marrying the one person who is both my polar opposite and my complement. Perhaps the way I was raised causes me to constantly seek the approval of family.
Dr. Seuss said it best: “Be who you are and mean what you say, because the ones who matter don’t mind, and the ones who mind don’t matter.”
My dream wedding dress…just kidding.
It’s all balloons!
I have yet to begin looking for a dress, but I came across a fashion show in which all the designers used balloons for their creations.
WE HAVE A DATE!
We spent last night crunching numbers and figuring out important details.
Happy to report we have a date, but we are waiting to confirm with venues before we announce it.
I am also very happy to report that Nick is great to plan with. My goal is to remain an “Organized-zilla” as he so lovingly named me!
A very special thank you to my parents, Fernando and Lilia Villavecer, and my aunt, Nilda Belo, for their gift. It is going to make this event a whole lot easier!
