wedding

I can hear the bell

Posted on April 19, 2015 by robynbird

YBW and I went out to Naked Mountain yesterday. The weather was gorgeous, more like later on in May than the end of April. The winery was jumpin’ with folks on blankets and adirondack chairs on the big hill.
Wine club members are still picking up their orders and we got a bottle of wine and a charcuterie plate just for showing up. We sat on the small deck for a while before going about the business of purchase.

On the way we stopped off at the church where we’re getting hitched.

The church is honestly one of the most precious places I’ve ever seen! I love the church building and the graveyard. I can’t wait for the photos to be taken in the fall. I think it will be even more gorgeous than it is now!

There is a bell in the side yard of the church. I was so excited to ring it yesterday and have visions of the most perfect photos of us ringing it on the say of our wedding.

We’re closing in on six months…I say, “Bring it!”

Categories: wedding | Tags: adirondack chairs, church, church bell, getting hitched, gorgeous, graveyard, happy, love, married, Naked Mountain, Naked Mountain Winery, spring, wedding, wine club, YBW | Leave a comment

save the date

Posted on April 12, 2015 by robynbird

I had this idea for what our save the dates would look like for a really long time.
It finally came down to what shoes I would wear. I had several boxes on my bed, a different shoe on each foot and nothing seemed quite right.
Then YBW said: You should wear your flip flops.
It was an AHA! moment!

When I was in SC I pretty much lived in my Havaianas. YBW has always teased that they’re not “proper shoes” and I should cover my feet. (I have pretty feet, just so you know.)
So when he suggested I wear my favorite rubber flip flops it felt so natural to me. The photo represents us accurately. I feel like it celebrates our playfulness as a couple and our differences as individuals.

The date runs up the right side on the actual card in bold white numbers. 10.24.15

The best part was the actual photo shoot, we two in our side yard with the camera on the small tripod on one of the kitchen stools me running back and forth between setting up the shot and being in it.
We laughed so much!
It was so very “us”.

When I was visiting in Arizona, my friend’s husband said to me: Tell me about YBW, all I know about him is that he has red shoes.
This amused me.
It also confirmed what I already knew, our save the date card playfully represents who we are as a couple and was absolutely the right choice.

Categories: wedding | Tags: flip flops, havaianas, love, photo shoot, playful, red chuck taylors, save the date, shoes, wedding, YBW | 6 Comments

cake topper

Posted on February 17, 2015 by robynbird

One thing YBW and I discovered early on in our relationship was that we both love Firefly.
I love it because I’m a tried and true Whedonite. YBW loves it because he’s a big fan of Alan Tudyk. (Actually, YBW looks quite like Alan Tudyk and I’ve always wondered if that’s why he’s a fan, even if he doesn’t know it.)
I started with Whedon’s Buffy (the TV show) and YBW started with Tudyk in A Knight’s Tale but we both ended up at Firefly.
After we’d been together for a while, YBW began to compare us to the beautiflly written and acted married couple aboard Serenity. He maintains that he’s Wash (the funny one) and I’m Zoe (the one who can kick your ass). That I love him because of and in spite of his wacky antics, and he loves me because I have the patience and kindness but also the ability to get the job done no matter what.
YBW always looks surprised when I am “the funny one” by making an inappropriate remark or doing something ridiculous. I say to him: You’re not ALWAYS the funny one.
To which he replies: Of course I am. I’m the wacky pilot and you’re the warrior woman.

Our love for Firefly and our similarities to these characters caused YBW to suggest we find Wash and Zoe action figures to be our wedding cake topper. While I adored the idea because it’s just so “us”, I honestly wasn’t sure I could find them. I have action figures of Mal and Jayne, but have never seen the others. A quick google search lead nowhere and I moved on to other ideas.
That is until Thing 2 sent me a snapchat of a ‘Pop! Funko’ Zoe she saw at the comicbook store. Now, I discovered she sent this last week as we left the winery (and I’d had more than a bit of a tasting). YBW and I went to dinner and before we even looked at the menu, we’d found there was also a Wash and Amazon had them both and they could ship via Prime. With a couple clicks of my phone, they were on their way.
When they arrived, I put heart stickers on them and called them Valentines.

We wonder if folks will question the little black doll on our wedding cake…
I hold the boxes in my hand and giggle. It just feels right.
YBW is crackin’ the wise and that shows me how pleased he is with them.

We kind of are Wash and Zoe…here’s a bit of the script from the episode Bushwacked that pretty much nails their relationship and ours:
Commander Harken: Is there any particular reason you don’t wish to discuss your marriage?
Zoe: Don’t see that it’s any of your business, is all. We’re very private people.
(in Wash’s interrogation)
Wash: (enthusiastic; animated) The legs!
(chuckles)
Wash: Oh, yeah! I definitely have to say it was her legs. You can put that down! Her legs. And right where her legs meet her back. That – actually that whole area. That and – and above it.
Wash: (very enthusiastically) Have you seen what she wears? Forget about it. Have you ever been with a warrior woman?

I’m not really a warrior woman and I’m not quite that private about our relationship.
YBW really is that enthusiastic about my legs. (Why thank you, sir!)

Categories: wedding | Tags: Alan Tudyk, Amazon Prime, cake topper, Firefly, Joss Whedon, love, Serenity, silly, the funny one, Wash, wedding, wedding planning, YBW, Zoe | 2 Comments

choosing a photographer and the s’mores bar

Posted on January 26, 2015 by robynbird

Wedding planning is in full swing.
I’m equally excited and anxious. That’s normal I suppose…but somehow doesn’t seem quite right.

The most important things to me are a photographer and the venue.

The venue is sorted, Naked Mountain Winery. (Beautiful inside and out and such delicious wine! Sundance especially loves the fact our invitations will contain the word ‘naked’.)

The photographers I had my heart set on are booked on our day. (Though I didn’t stamp my feet, I did have a teeny moment of pouting, with the protruding lip and everything.)
I rallied quickly and began the search, eventually settling on three photographers.

I sat with YBW and looked at their online portfolios…I’m not all that sure it was easy for him. In his defense, he admits it’s not as important to him as it is to me, and he’s also quick to point out my eye is very different than his. But I noticed he made pretty astute observations and had enough feedback to help me understand where he was coming from.
I spent Saturday afternoon and evening emailing with our top two picks setting up appointments to meet with them this week. The first one Tuesday, the second on Thursday. I like the idea of meeting with the both in one week, it will be easier for me to make my decision.

Been emailing with the caterer too. She’s absolutely spectacular! We’re going to meet with her a week from Sunday for a tasting and to discuss the contract.
When we talked originally, I told her how fall was my favorite season and YBW and I have this quirky love of chicken pot pie. (Of our children, only Thing 2 enjoys this dish, and only recently. So it’s normally just we two.)
She presented us with a sample menu filled with delicious looking foods including roasted root veggies and roasted brussel sprouts. (Yeah…that’s pretty much just me.)
But the thing (apart from the pot pie) that piqued our curiosity is the inclusion of a s’mores bar. Handmade marshmallows, handmade graham crackers and artisan chocolates. (Um…yes please!)
Looking forward to meeting with her and trying some of these yummies and goodies!

All in all now that the planning is active and not preliminary my excitement is growing exponentially. I think YBW’s is too. Obviously different aspects are more important to one of us than the other, but it’s been fun to plan with him. I like hearing his ideas. I enjoy sharing mine.
I’ve learned he’s much more traditional than I am when it comes to the idea of a wedding. We’ve had more than one conversation about how cupcakes are a great alternative to a fancy (and expensive) wedding cake that nobody will eat. (Duh! S’mores bar!)
I suggested letting Thing C wear Chuck Taylor high tops because they are his daily shoe and I want the personalities of our children to be represented. YBW wasn’t too sure about that…but I think he’s coming around. He was very specific about writing our own vows, something I hadn’t even thought about.
I’m adamant about being “prayed over” or “blessed” and he has no care about this one way or another.
We’re figuring out how we want to present the joining of our lives the the people we love. We’re figuring out how we want to do this together. One step at a time. We’re walking these steps together and that’s really all that matters.