Wedding planning part I

Oh, lots and lots to write about regarding Dan and my impending nuptials! I guess we should start at the beginning!

Around Valentine's day, Dan and I went to Chicago to get some things sorted out; we wanted to interview florists and DJs, sort out the invitations, get my dress fitted, find wedding shoes, choose our cake, and photograph the wedding sites (so that we can plan things like the flowers).

First stop was Ixia Flowers in Evanston. While they could not make any appointments to discuss our wedding when we were there (duh, Valentine's day! bad oversight on my part!), Barbara Bellamy did provide us with photographs of thier work, and some very basic price ranges (nothing too illuminating, as they can't give a quote when they don't know what I want!). They had some *gorgeous* potted orchids; some of the most interesting I have ever seen. Their style is fairly modern, and they seem to have a good eye for line and color.

After that, we went to the Crest of Fine Flowers in Wilmette, where they actually *did* sit down and chat us up for awhile. The man that talked with us was very friendly, and I liked their policy of not adding *any* additional stress (ie. if we need an extra arrangement at the last minute, they will do it). Their flowers were beautiful, and they have obviously done some extremely ornate pieces; however prices were a little high (for our budget; it might be low for some people on the North Shore, lol), however, so I am not sure if we will be able to afford them.

I then went shoe shopping, and had absolutely no luck (although a woman made me consider for half a second that Christian Louboutins would be a fabulous addition to my outfit, and well worth the $700. Thankfully it was only half a second :)

The next day I tried on my dress, which is unfortunately still a tad snug. Hopefully they can let it out in the appropriate places. Even more hopefully, I will not gain any weight (probably should have passed on the free cookie today!).

Speaking of weight gain, we did pick out our cake. It will be fabulous, I think! We are buying it from Three Tarts in Northfield; it will be a combination of vanilla and banana cake, with chocolate ganache and banana filling, and white buttercream icing. Yum! For those of you who aren't cake fans, there will also be another dessert at the wedding.

After the cake tasting (which, btw, is a good enough reason to get married!), we picked out our invitations, which my mother ordered on Friday (yay!). So we can also check that off of our list! We also took photos of Sunset Ridge and St. Francis before riding off into the sunset! I will post some of these pictures as soon as I get the chance!