So I decided to get some pricing. I figured, red could be cute. But if its too expensive then I would just let them use the plain white ones the venue provides free of charge. I really should not even look. This is a budget wedding so why not use the free ones. Then I found the perfect cocktail napkins. A little more than I wanted to spend but how could I resist? It had double happiness on it! I ordered red with the personalization in gold. I can’t wait to see them! And I can’t wait for you to wipe your mouth

And the crowd goes wild!

So, coming from a really small town where the economy has never seemed all that great, I always thought that some of the things that get done for a wedding seem, well, pretentious.  Things like rose petals and chair coverings and limos.  Not to mention, these often add significant cost to a wedding, which is kind of counter to the whole “Wedding on a budget” mindset.

Well, I guess it is time to call myself pretentious.

Kim and I had an appointment yesterday with a linens place, and we ended up with some colored satin linens for the wedding.  Lots of red and gold, and because of that, I also thought we should mix it up just a bit where we could.  My first idea was called “dizzying” by the linen consultant and Kimmie.  I toned it back a bit,  so now below we have the two arrangements for our chair coverings, the red with gold sash for the guests, and the gold with red sash for us.

And below, you will now see an example of our guests’ tables: red tablecloth with gold overlay.  There will be red napkins for the guests.  Ours will be reverse from this, and the cake table will simply have the red tablecloth.  More on the cake to follow.

So what is all this finery adding to our costs?  About $230.  But it looks so pretty, and it was something I heavily participated in!!!  And we think it will look striking at the venue. We went with First Impressions (http://www.firstimpressionsrentals.com/).

And, since I mentioned it above, it is time to talk cake.  Yes, we did this yesterday as well.  We had sampled some of the preferred providers at a recent food tasting at Payne-Corley, and one of the bakeries had some cake that very much tasted like the cakes my mom used to make.  They were all good, but, I had to consult with that bakery.

Our appointment went well, and we’ve already gone ahead and paid for our cake ($313).  It will be a three tier white cake with white buttercream frosting, the top tier on a pedestal.  On the top of the of second layer, flowing down the side will be roses made from frosting, and each layer will have a soft rolling design in red.  Finally, the cake will be topped with…

Nah, I’m going to wait to tell you what’s going on top — we don’t have them yet, but we’re working on it. 

Kim is fine. I only stepped on her foot once during the whole dance class.

Doubters.

So we both realize we might not be very good.  I might be a little better than Brian.

Today, I officially signed us up for Ballroom Dancing for beginners. Hopefully that will give us a good base to work with. Going to the club is one thing. Formal couple dance is a totally different story. Classes start Nov. 2 and run for 6 weeks. Wish us luck!

We are taking it through a local instructor that holds group classes at county parks. Her site: http://www.allaboutballroom.net/

If all goes well then we might take the intermediate class after the first of the year. If we really like her then we’ll get some private time for her to help us with a dance for our first song.  Should we do a traditional dance or change it up and bust some moves?!?!??!?!

We need to start sending the nice little Save the Date cards Kimmie created, and we’re looking to start integrating some bits and pieces of our cultures/families into things.  Yes, more of the double happiness symbol above, of course.

Wow. And then there’s the week following with food tasting at the venue, followed up with the weekend we help friends move, followed up by a Shakespeare Tavern visit for 6.

We apologize if we’re not posting as much.

The good news is this DJ had nothing but excellent things to say about our venue, both from his professional experience as well as stories he has heard about other weddings there, so we are very confident our venue was the right choice.