1. We found someone to make the cake I designed myself for only $300! (Here's a pic I added from the wedding day) For those of you who know wedding cakes, you know that's a great deal. Especially in California. And Fatema, the woman making the cake, is from Pakistan! Nigel was super excited to find that out.
2. We found a great Christian couple to do our photography. And they have common friends with Nigel from a church they attend that Nigel used to. Check out his website at http://www.joelflory.com . It will be fun to work with them! And they were about half the price of some others that do the photojournalistic style in this area.
3. The site we are getting married at, Garre Winery. It is beautiful, in the country, and used to be a horse ranch so it has a rustic feel about it. Being from South Dakota, that's awesome. And Nigel and I fell in love with the place from the moment we saw it.
4. My hair appointment. My goodness, after the first two people fell through, I panicked last week. Then I called a cute little day spa in Danville called Chateau de Sable, decorated like a French chateau, and their prices were $30-40 below all the other salons. So I met with Chris, and she's doing my makeup, too, and giving me a deal!
5. Friends, and their able hands and eagerness to help. I've only lived here for a year and a half, but I have AMAZING friends. They have jumped in to help with everything from coordinating the ceremony, making programs and favors, gluing paper cones, and stamping a TON of stuff, to helping me design the reception and shop for and assemble all the flowers. And giving me a place to call "home" until the wedding.
6. Our rings. Nigel and I wanted to get our wedding bands at Simayof in San Francisco, where he bought my engagement ring. I of course was really hoping to get the matching diamond band for my ring, but knew it was out of the budget. The day we chose to go they happened to be having a big sale. Not only was his ring 30% off, mine was 50% off and put the diamond band under the budget Nigel had set for a plain one! So that was an easy choice!
I have a million more stories I could tell, and maybe I will at some point. For now, I am looking forward to becoming Mrs. Nigel Clemonds on October 8th, and then relaxing in Hawaii for a week. Yippee!
