The etiquette books say that you are not supposed to mention a deceased parent on an invitation because it might make people sad, for an occasion that is supposed to be happy. From the first moment I read that, I knew it was written by someone who had not lost a parent. It angered me, at the very suggestion that my Mother would not be appearing on this invitation, because, well, she would have been on the invitation if she was alive.

But the more I read, and the more times I heard that etiquette repeated, the more it started to sink in. It was probably an inevitability. We met with someone at our local invitation store, and she once again reiterated that it was not a good idea to mention a deceased parent because, “Dead people don’t host parties”.

Eric and I were sitting at dinner, after the meeting, and I was clearly upset at what she had said. And then Eric, in the sweet way he always knows what I’m thinking, said very directly, “I don’t care if people get sad when they read the invitation. We’re sad everyday. If reading the invitation gives them a hint of sadness, then guess what? That’s exactly what this wedding is going to be, an extremely happy event with a hint of sadness.” I love this guy.

So, we’ve decided to ditch Emily Post (at least on this point) and use a wording which mentions my Mother on the invitation. We hope that seeing her name sparks a happy memory and a smile, instead of sadness.

However, it is important to note that my Mother would probably not be in favor of this decision, and, if she were here, would have told us to stick to etiquette and not make such a big deal over her. Too bad, Mom, you’re too important to leave out.

http://robotwedding.com/hotels/

Just today though we heard of a Groupon deal for another hotel in the area, the Mayfair Hotel and Spa.  They are offering 2 nights in their Parlor Suite for only $269, valid for the dates around our wedding .  The deal expires on Monday 8/22, so if you want to take advantage of it act fast.

http://www.groupon.com/deals/ga-h-mayfair

If you have any questions about hotels or booking don’t hesitate to ask!

When we arrived we were greeted by Grace, who got is started with some giant binders full of cake designs as the samples were being prepared.  She came back a few minutes later with a tray of about 10 different samples, with flavors ranging from the mundane to the exotic.  They are known for their vanilla rum cake, which we found to be subtle and delicious.  Their amaretto flavor was a favorite among Christine and her sister, with it’s velvety smooth and rich taste.  I personally was a fan of the guava cake, as I am partial to fruity desserts and I thought it fit the tropical locale.  All of their cake was incredibly moist and our consultant Grace was pleasant to deal with.

Which flavor did we choose?  What will the cake look like?  You’ll have to wait till the wedding to find out!

A lot has happened in the last couple of months as we continue preparations for the wedding.  Luckily all of the big stuff is now settled, and we’re just working on minor details.

First, and most important in my book, is that we have secured a band for the wedding.  Higher Ground, of Tropics Entertainment, will be playing for our wedding.  We had a lot of long debates, with a lot of people, about the pros and cons of DJ versus Band, but in the end when we saw Higher Ground play in person, we knew they were going to make sure we had a great party.

I also bought a wedding gown, which I won’t be describing on the blog. (You’ll have to come to the wedding to see it!)  The process of buying the dress was not as bad as I thought it would be.  With Catherine, maid of honor at my side, we actually had a pretty fun day.  My favorite part of the day was when one of the sales people said, “Ok, Christine you stay here.  Cat, why don’t you come with me and let’s pick out some dresses for Christine to try on.”  Perfect!  Please, let my sister do all the work!  I love that.

We also had a fun day with my bridesmaids picking out bridesmaids dresses.  I decided early on that I wanted to do something a little different with these dresses.  I picked the color and designer of the dress, but I let each girl choose her own dress style.  I’m hoping this will mean that each girl is comfortable in her dress, and I think it’s going to look really cool in the pictures!  We’ll see.

There’s still a lot to do, but we’re getting closer and closer.  Can’t wait for November 4th to come!

At some other weddings we’ve been to we’ve found the photographers to be too intrusive.  Standing right in the middle of the dance floor, getting in the way during important moments, etc.  As an amateur photographer I know that being at the right place at the right time is important, but we also want to make sure that the presence of the photographer doesn’t detract from the moment itself.

Christine was a member of the wedding party when our friends Ali and Logan got married, and she enjoyed the professional yet unobtrusive work of Jonathan Scott.  After seeing the beautiful photos online a few weeks later we were ready to pull the trigger.  We are happy to be working with Jonathan, and he will have his work cut out for him trying to get Christine to smile naturally!