Okay...I left off where I was telling you about the accommodations and the officiant.
So about the original accommodations; Shambalah Ranch. It was a blessing that they were able to book the ranch for another wedding so we got the entire deposit back. Very good and timely because who can afford to lose $1500?
Early in the summer, Isa and Sean took a trip to Washington to fit her wedding gown and to visit the groom's man Brandon Lanich. They brought back the gown and I thought it was beautiful. It was designed by Wai Ching. http://www.wai-ching.com/
Sean ordered a Barong Tagalog from the Philippines. This is the traditional formal wear for men. I always thought that it was influenced by the Spanish colonials but it turns out I was wrong- it is interesting that it may have been a precursor to the guayabera. If you trust Wikipedia, check it out...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barong_Tagalog
You'll see for yourself when I finish how beautiful and appropriate the gown and barong looked!
The Officiant and Photographers
As I mentioned the original officiant couldn't make it and gave us the name of an alternate; Kate Sample. We had major communication issues with Kate, a lot of course exacerbated by the fact that the wedding was getting closer and Isa just wasn't getting the warm and fuzzies from Kate.
We reviewed the new proposed photographer's work (Sealight Studios) and although it was comparable, again it was just challenging dealing and accepting the change.
We settled with both, we didn't have a lot of choice in the matter but I wasn't too worried- I wasn't the bride, only the bride's mother.
One thing we didn't settle for was the florist that Kate had been working with. This is something we had control of so we chose another Kauai North Shore florist and got a better price and we were very clear on what we were getting.
You will see later on how this all worked out. I especially recommend the photographers.
Celebrations
Well we had several planned.
1. A barbecue the day before the wedding - the rehearsal dinner
2. The wedding reception in Kauai
3. The wedding reception in Ben Lomond
Invitations and Save the Dates
This was not a traditional wedding, therefore we used non-traditional forms of invitations including email "save-the-dates". They are big Chagall fans as I am and we used Chagall's Enchantement Vesperal. I'm sure he wouldn't have minded the small edits and I'm sure I haven't broken any copyright laws as it was only sent to a small group of friends and family.
It fit the color theme of orange, turquoise and brown perfectly! Oh and I had crazy dealings with Kinkos and finding the right paper color and labels that were out of stock. You know, the usual-nothing is ever as you plan or expect. The good thing is that really it all turns out for the better. This IS the big lesson.
Storm Warning
Tropical storms alerts for Hurricane Felicia were being posted early in the week. Oh no, let it not rain on August 9th! We checked the weather site frequently and called Kate Sample to see if we had a back up plan should the hurricane hit. Do we really need to add this to the mix? There is already enough anxiety. Well, Kate simply said that this is what is to be expected of Kauai weather. Again- we just had to accept in and hope for the best.
For mothers out there and others planning weddings, just know there are gadzillion details!
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