Even more venue searching...

This weekend was full of venue searching - we went and saw St. Elias on Friday, Orchard View on Saturday, and Kanata Golf & Country Club on Sunday.

St. Elias started off rocky, as the guy didn't remember the meeting we had set up and then informed me that the dates he had previously said were available were booked! But, unlike the jerk from St. Anthony's, he apologized profusely and at one point even joked, "I can't believe you're still interested in having your wedding here!"

The space itself was a gorgeous banquet hall, complete with massive chandelier in the center of the room - and they were about to start renovations in January to update the whole space (new carpet/window coverings/paint job).

The potential deal breakers about the location were chiefly that we'd have to change our date to November 4th, and there isn't a space to have a ceremony onsite.

Orchard View
Is beautiful. However, we'd (again!) have to change our date to November 5th in order to afford it. And I'm just not ready to do that, especially when we have a perfectly acceptable venue that we both agree on (Camp Fortune) being able to give us our preferred date. Also, they want a 25% deposit, which we would have a hard time coming up with.


Kanata Golf & Country Club
Perfectly acceptable space, except I totally forgot to ask about rental space fee and deposit schedule and Keith thinks the room is a little claustrophobic. And again, it just pales in comparison to Camp Fortune.

We have two more venues to see over the next week, but it's looking more and more like Camp Fortune is going to win out. I will say this though: I wish we could be able to afford Stanley's. It's an amazing, beautiful, gorgeous venue and we are both in love with it. Both Keith and I fully agree that if our budget was the typical size a couple spends on a wedding, we would have already signed on the dotted line. I guess you know where we'll be if we win the lottery!

And yes, it makes me sad that we can't afford our dream venue, but I knew sacrifices and adjustments would have to be made because our budget is so small. I'm happy with Camp Fortune, don't get me wrong. I just need to wallow for a few days, and then I'll be over it. Promise.

Thank you. Really.

I just wanted to post a quick note to thank Heather for her totally amazing, incredibly generous gift:

Our cake toppers!

Aren't they just the most adorable thing you've ever seen? The colour of the accessories (and the accessories themselves) are fully customizable. I may not have my cake yet - but damnit, I have my cake toppers! And of course, you know the reason behind choosing elephants.

I can't wait to order them. Thank you Heather. Thank you so, so much.

More Venue Searching

Thank goodness, we can cross not one, but two venues off our list.

Cartier Place Suite Hotel - this meeting didn't even happen. I made the mistake at looking at 'reception' instead of 'banquet' when I enquired about availability, and the only room they had big enough for our guests had no availability on the dates we wanted. So regretfully I had to call off the meeting..

But I didn't take a day off - I scheduled a meeting with St. Anthony's Banquet Hall instead.

Jesus. Bad. So bad. We didn't even stick around for the costs discussion. The guy we met didn't even reach to shake my hand, he forgot that we were coming for a meeting, and he passed us off almost immediately to someone else to show us the room. Plus the room was run-down, with dark red carpets (can you say clash?) and just...not very good. Keith was not impressed.

Capone's Catering will have to be rescheduled because of Remembrance Day - I'm hoping to reschedule for sometime this weekend so we can get this process over with. This is NOT the fun part of wedding planning, let me tell you.

We have St. Elias on Friday & Orchard View on Saturday, and I'm waiting to hear back from Capone's Catering and then there's 2 more golf clubs to arrange meetings with. AND THEN, BY GOD, I AM DONE.

Inspiration Board

Why yes, our colours are silver/pewter and orange. How did you guess?

Made with Mosaic Maker

Budget bride

I used to think I needed a big wedding. Then I went to the opposite end, because wedding planning stresses me out and I really didn't think we could have a nice, classy wedding on our budget.

Which, by the way, is ridiculously small. And since we're not using credit or a loan, we simply cannot pay for something with money we don't have.

And yes. We are pretty much funding this wedding by ourselves. Keith's dad will help out if/when he can, and my dad will probably give us a nominal amount, but 95% of the total cost will be us.

What's that? You want to know what we've decided on so far? WHY CERTAINLY!

• I found a photographer. She's amazing, I love her work, and her rates are beyond reasonable. We're hoping to book her by Christmas.


• I asked my brother to DJ for the reception. He's a professional who makes his living in the music industry, and he was very happy to be asked. Other than the cost of renting the equipment, he'll do it for free, which translates into significant savings.


• I asked my maid of honour's sister - who recently graduated from Graphic Design - to design our wedding stationary (invitations, programs, menus, thank yous, etc). She said whatever we can afford to pay her will be fine, and will leave the printing up to me. We also aren't sending Save-The-Dates.


• We've changed our date from a Saturday to a Friday, because most venues offer discounts for weekday weddings. And while the idea of having an off-season wedding (early November or late March are the only times I would consider) is attractive, budget-wise, I just really want a fall wedding.


• No kids. By not inviting whole families, our guest list goes down by 13 people. That's huge.


• Our budget does NOT allow us to have an open bar, all night long. We just can't. Right now we're thinking of providing wine for dinner and having a wine/beer/signature cocktail bar. We're also floating the idea of charging a nominal amount per drink, which covers about half the actual cost, instead of a full-on cash bar. Here in Ontario, they have to charge on a per-consumption basis. No exceptions.


• Small guest list. I'm trying to keep it under 80, but Keith keeps adding people. Still debating this; I really hope we can cap it at 80, or even under.
  
• If I can get a reasonable quote for flowers - and we aren't having floral centerpieces, or boutonnieres, so it's just bouquets/corsages then we'll go with a florist. If not? There are tons of video of how to DIY bouquets, and since I'm just having gerberas & roses, it's not that big of a deal.
  
• I'm going to do my own hair and makeup. Or if I decide to go "professional" the makeup counter at Sears will do just fine.
  
• The favours are going to be a help-yourself candy bar. Ta-DA! Kill two birds with one stone there.
  
• We can wait to take our honeymoon for a few months. That's not a huge deal to us at ALL. Besides, Keith will most likely be starting a new job around that time, and probably couldn't take the time off anyways. Not to mention I'll still be in school.

Venue searching

We've started the wedding planning process.

Now, please excuse me while I go bang my head against a wall. Repeatedly.

We're venue hunting. Oh my ever-loving freaking God. We've seen 3, and have another 3 meetings lined up this week, and I'm waiting to hear back from another 5 to see if they have the date available/set up meetings. So yes, I might have gone a little crazy, because that's 11 in total.

The reason we have so many is because we aren't firm on if we want ceremony + reception together, or just a reception space. I'm still deciding if the added stress and money needed to have a ceremony site separate from reception space is worth it. We also have very different tastes when it comes to wedding venues; Keith wants golf club-type of feel, and I want classy rustic. We both don't want it to look cheap or tacky (aka no Legion halls, thanks), but I'm more laid-back as to what classifies as acceptable, whereas Keith? Not so much.

So we're looking. We've looked at The Ark, Stanley's Maple Lane Farms, and Camp Fortune so far.

The Ark is completely out. It's 50 minutes from Ottawa on the Quebec side and it was just horrible. When we went for our meeting the guy was rude to me and the actual space looks like somebody's basement. Not to mention the price: 2,000$ for ceremony + reception + officiant. Catering is done by an outside party, decor is extra, bar is byob.

Maple Lanes is by far our favourite so far, but we can't agree on a specific venue within the farm. I like the Stonehouse, Keith likes their main lodge. Both are completely beautiful, just different. It's about 20 minutes outside of Ottawa on the Ontario side, in Metcalfe. The price gives me heart palpitations, but its a very comprehensive package that I'm sure can be tweaked. Plus he quoted me on 100 guests, and we won't have that many. Still, for just over 11.5k we get ceremony + reception + audio system + officiant + reception decor + linen's/chairs/tables + catering + cocktail hour + serving staff, plus a bridal attendant for the whole day. If we went with the Stonehouse, it's about 2,000$ less. The stuff I don't like is the guy we dealt with was kind of an asshole, and I'm sure I can get the reception decor for less than the price we've been quoted, but they don't allow outside vendors. Deposits are 1,000$ to reserve the space, 1,000$ both 6 and 3 months before, 65% of the remaining balance due 3 weeks before and the remaining 1 week before the wedding.

Camp Fortune is squarely in the middle. It's a gorgeous lovely ski lodge on the Quebec side, about 20 minutes from downtown Ottawa. We would get the entire lodge (2 huge spaces) for ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and dancing. They have an exclusive in-house caterer, and we'd have to bring in our own decor. The deposit system is amazing; 500$ to reserve the space with 50% of the catering bill due 3 weeks before and the other 50% due within 30 days after the wedding. Plus I just liked dealing with the event coordinator; very friendly, easy to talk to, down to earth, informative, etc.

This week we're going to see 3 reception sites: Cartier Place Suite Hotel on Tuesday, Capone's Catering on Thursday, and St. Elias Centre on Friday. The biggest disadvantage to these ones is that I would probably have to find a separate ceremony site, and to be honest, I'm not sure I'm up for the added cost and stress. We'll see though.

And yes, in case you're wondering, I have made Keith promise that we'll power through the remaining venue meetings, and make our decision by the end of November.

Artwork

I've been wanting to post this forever, but had to finish that 30 days of me challenge.

Earlier this month, Keith & I got tattoos to commemorate his mom. She loved elephants - collected them all over her house. So it felt natural to honour her with one:

Mine, on my upper back. It says "for life's not a paragraph and death, i think, is no parenthesis" by e.e. cummings.

Keith's, upper arm. The characters say "elephant" and "DJW" were her initials.

(I am so lucky to have a best friend whose fiance is a tattoo artist; he did these for minimal cost.)

#30daysofme - #27, #28, #29, #30

Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge

I wanted to see if I could post every day for 30 days. Fail.

Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?

Left: Keith & I at my graduation in June. Probably at my heaviest.

Right: Literally today, 73 pounds lighter. What a difference!

Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned

I've learned that Keith actually cares where we get married and is willing to trade in his dream of an open bar to do so. WTF?

Day 30- Your favorite song.

Uhh. Don't have one overall, but I do like Michael Buble's "Hollywood", Pink's "Raise your glass" & The Ready Set "Love like woe" currently.

#30daysofme - #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26

So clearly I suck at this posting everyday thing. Damnit. Here's the last 6 days, to catch up.

Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy

Rainy fall days are awesome. I love this season.

Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else

Absolutely nothing. Seriously. I am unique, just like everyone else. Thanks Barney. That was a valuable life lesson.

Day 23- Something you crave for a lot

Snuggles. Lots and lots of snuggles. There. Now you know our secret. I'm gonna have to kill you. Sorry.

Day 24- A letter to your parents

Dear Mom:
It was lovely to see you this weekend. Can we go to The Magic Flute at the Four Seasons Performing Arts in Toronto this winter?

Love you

Me.

Dear Dad:

Are you in Mexico for the winter yet? I can never keep track.

Love you

Sarah.

Day 25- What I would find in your bag

Currently, you would find a pink wallet, a nearly empty case of dentyne intense gum, covergirl lip gloss with moisturizer, a black elastic, scented hand cream, a requisition for blood work, my hospital bracelet from surgery this summer, a little black lighter, keith's paystub, a couple of receipts & my old bus pass stuff. When I go out, I just add my phone, a pen, cigarettes & keys. And if I'm going to school, I add my voice recorder and a notebook.

Day 26- What you think about your friends

I think they're sooper. :)

#30daysofme - #20

Day 20- Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future

This guy. He's pretty awesome. :)

#30daysofme - #17, #18, #19

Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why


I think I'd like to switch lives with my cat. Honestly. He has it so good: Gets to lie around looking insanely cute, doors open and close for him on command, sleeps a lot, doesn't have to worry about paying rent or bills. Yeah. Cats have it all, man.

Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have

Have a Bernese Mountain dog. I want to graduate University and have a job I enjoy afterwards. Get married the way we dream about. Be able to buy a decent-sized house. Keep my friends. Get pregnant easily and carry to term. Be able to financially work part-time while I raise my kids. Just a regular, decent life. That's all I want.


Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them


I actually have no nicknames to speak of. Yeah, I'm lame. It's okay.

#30daysofme - #16

Day 16- Another picture of yourself:

Right before going out
for our 3rd anniversary (I threw on a sweater after this photo)

#30daysofme - #15

Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play.

Man, I suck at the posting suggestions this week. Would you believe me if I said I've never had an iPod?

Scratch that, I've never actually owned any Apple products. I'm kind of proud of that fact - I want to see how long I can go without buying one. Steve Jobs is rich enough, I don't need to pad his pockets any.

I do have a voice recorder (I use it for my lectures) that can also hold audio files. The music can't be put on 'shuffle', and all the music currently on it is - at minimum - 2 years old.

So again. A massive fail. Woops-a-daisy. Maybe tomorrow will be better?

#30daysofme - #14

Day 14- A picture of you and your family

My mother would kill me if I ever posted a picture of her on here. She even forbids me to tag her in photos on facebook.

I also feel uncomfortable putting a picture out there of people whom I know aren't exactly kosher about the whole deal.

So I fail at this challenge. Sorry folks.

#30daysofme - #13

Day 13- A letter to someonething who has hurt you recently.

Dear thighs:

Please stop being whiny bitches and help me out a little here. I'm trying to be active. Your constant complaining isn't helping.

Peace out,
Me.

#30daysofme - #9, #10, #11, #12

Woops, posting everyday kind of got away from me. Here's the days I missed, and regular posting will (hopefully) resume on Monday.

Day 9- Something you’re proud of in the past few days

I went to the gym three times last week. And yet, only Sunday could be called an actual workout. Monday I went to yoga, and yep, I was the girl who sat on the floor for a good 20 minutes because there was absolutely no way in hell my body was bending that way. Oh well. Try again next Monday I guess. (what I did Tuesday doesn't even deserve a mention).

Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad

This is sooo hard. Basically right now I'm listening to I love Cee-Lo Green's "F**k You", Katy Perry's "Teenaged Dream", Eason Corbin's "A Little More Country than That", Sugarland's "Stuck like Glue" and Darius Rucker's "Come Back Song". I don't have any music on this computer, so I rely on youtube or I stream the radio, which means I don't listen to old favourites, like Michael Buble or George Strait. And I definitely don't listen to certain songs for certain moods.

Day 11- Another picture of you and your friends

Arrgh. You're kidding. We are not picture taking friends. I reserve the right to post an updated picture later. My blog, my rules!

Day 12- How you found out about Blogger and why you made one

Would you believe me if I said I don't remember? I do remember my first blog was called Sockjuice, and I blogged from November 2002 to the following July with my then-boyfriend at the time (seriously, check out the very first post, it's all kinds of awesome). It was a way to keep in touch when we lived 45 minutes away from each other and neither of us drove. Ha. I'm just re-reading my 15 year old self. My god I was a lame kid.

#30daysofme - #8

Day #8 is something about short term goals for the month & since September is nearly over, I'm going to say these goals are for October, okay?


- go to every class. I tried last week and ended up missing 2. I was just so tired.
- to not provoke/be provoked into a fight with my mother when I go home for Thanksgiving.
- buy Tat flowers when she graduates.
- go to the gym 3 times a week, every week. (excluding Thanksgiving).
- to not stress if I don't see a certain number on the scale at my 3-month appointment.
- burn my new fall candles every day, just because they make me happy.

#30daysofme - #7

Day 7 is a picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on me, which would be my RnY (2nd picture) without question:
I just want to preface this by saying I am far from a model patient, but please refrain from any judgements - if you want to do that, go have the surgery & then we'll talk. I'm just telling it like it is.

Take yesterday, for example. I woke up and immediately hopped on the scale to see what I weighed. Then comes the vitamins and medication - I take one chewable multivitamin with 18mg of iron now and one right before bed - in total I get 36mg of iron a day. In the mornings I also take 40mg of omeprazole and a B12 with at least 500 mcg.

I go out for a venti skinny cinnamon dolce latte, 160 calories & 15 grams of protein. I add 6 splenda's. I come home, do a load of laundry and a load of dishes, and take my calcium - 2 tablespoons of liquid calcium citrate with vitamin D. I have to make sure it's citrate and not carbonate since I don't absorb the latter, and I take a total of 1,000 mcg (of calcium) and 400IU (of vitamin D) per day.

I head out again to pick Keith up from work, stopping on the way to grab another latte. Then we deviate from the norm; we go to the mall to grab a few things, like a new gym bag for me (soooo pretty). We order two snack wraps (chicken caesar) from Tim Hortons. I take 2 bites of the actual bread itself and immediately feel pain in my upper chest. I then proceed to pick out the lettuce and chicken and leave the bread for Keith - but not before struggling to breathe in Sears and having to run back to the bathroom in case it comes up. It doesn't, but it's just another lesson learned; my body absolutely cannot handle bread products. I don't know the actual caloric value of the wrap since I didn't eat the bread, but it does have 13 grams of protein.

For sake of brevity - and the night really doesn't bear repeating - we order KFC for dinner. It's the first time since before surgery; the difference between couldn't have been more vast. Before I could have easily put away five or six pieces of chicken, half an extra large fry (both doused in gravy) and healthy dollop of potato salad, all washed down by a Diet Pepsi.

Tonight? I barely managed 1 and a half pieces of breast. I didn't eat the skin. I had a forkful of fries, with a little gravy, and I didn't even touch the salads, or the drink. And then I lay down on the couch and felt like complete and utter shit for close to an hour after, all the while wondering why I even bother eating at all. Total protein was 43.5 grams though, which is huge.

I track my food consumption daily on livestrong.com. Total calories for the day was 740 - and this was a really high day. (I included the entire wrap but not the fries, to balance it out).

But I don't just deal with calories. I also track other things - for example, today's totals were: 87 grams of protein, 67 grams of carbs, 13 grams of fat, 44 grams of sugar (really high, from the milk in the lattes), and 3 grams of fiber.

I never used to do any of this. I just used to eat. I didn't avoid carbs, or sugar, or consume protein first. I just ate. It impacts every single waking second of my day because I am constantly thinking about the logistics of eating. It's exhausting.

#30daysofme - #6

Day 6 was hard for me; I don't have a favourite superhero in the traditional sense, so at first I was really stumped to come up with an answer.



Then it hit me: Do mythological gods count as superheros? I vote yes.


When I was a little kid, we had this amazing illustrated book on Norse mythology. Odin. Loki. Freya. Thor. I learned about them before I learned about their Roman & Greek counterparts - and it's just so much more interesting then the same old Jupiter/Zeus/Hera/Juno dynamic found in the Mediterranean.


Nordic culture believed that the world was made up of nine worlds, all connected by an immense ash tree called the Yggdrasil. They built a bridge between Asgard and the Earth called Bifrost, and they ride it daily. It appears in our world as a rainbow. There are dragons, a giant wolf, and a female Hel.


Simply put, they are awesome bedtime stories.

#30daysofme - #5

A picture of somewhere you’ve been to:

The Globe Theatre in London, England.

First time travelling overseas solo. Got the money for the trip from an unexpected source before Reading Week in 2007 and within 2 days I was on a plane to London.

I'd never done anything like that before & I doubt I will ever be able to do it again. Literally, a once in a lifetime opportunity to just book a plane ticket and go.

I can't wait to go back with Keith and experience it with him.