The most awkward meal ever...

Have you ever eaten a meal where you felt you were being scrutinized by chef? This is a common fear in my house I assume, as I am still in the "experimental cook" phase, but nothing tops the awkward moment of apprehension that occurs during your wedding meal tasting.

I was not worried that the food would suck, but more that my comments and praise of the chef would be inadequate. It was not our caterer's fault at all, but moreso the setting and atmosphere that created the uncomfortable tension. There we were, at the official catering kitchen, and in case you've never experienced it before, they are not exactly 5-stars in decor and atmosphere. This is good, it means I am not paying for showmanship. But I just couldn't get past the fact that my purse sat atop a stack of linens and the glasses were towered precariously close to my head.

Then the meal started. It was divine. Not to ruin any surprises, but we chose a fish and beef main course, with a vegetarian and kids option, and some amazing passed appetizers. My favorite part, as always, was the bistro salad with warm goat cheese. If I get nothing else but that during my reception I'd be a happy girl. Along with this, we got to taste 1/3 of our cake. After completely stuffing our faces, and feeling like we weren't going to be able to fit through the door, we were satisfied with our menu selections.

Pinterest

During the meal, the bizarre part was having the chef watch from across the table as we took each bite. I felt like I was taking some sort of test. I know really that he was the one being tested, but I just didn't want to take a bite and grimace. Luckily, the food didn't suck. He did teach us about how each item is made, where he gets his ingredients from, and how he plans to present and serve each item with his staff. I now better understand what party planners and food critics experience.

The last awkward moment was finishing my 10th glass of water (it is altitude, it is really dry!) and then realizing there was no obvious bathroom. Luckily we found a nice flower shop next door that let us use theirs. To think, on my wedding day those bathroom emergencies will require helpers, due to my dress!

Knowing when it's right...

I may have led you astray in that title, because I am not here to talk about knowing when you are ready to marry the right man, as the famous cliche would allude. I am sharing with you the lesson this past 6 months of wedding planning have taught me, that I need to just go with my gut. I shared with you that I just knew that I needed to retry on my wedding dress (the one I chose) because I couldn't get it out of my head. Then I also shared how I subconsciously did not pay for the first officiant we found and liked because he seemed rather pricey.  Well, all has fallen into place as we wrapped up another week of wedding planning in Colorado last week. We hired our officiant, Josh, and spent a wonderful hour and half at our favorite local joint, the Dam Brewery, outlining what is set to be an amazing wedding ceremony that captures our humor and fun-loving personality as a couple, but incorporates the very real love we share and want to express to each other in front of our closest friends and family. We also got our contract with our caterer, who is by far the best deal we've scored so far in this wedding planning, and after the tasting we had (more to come), is not just a value but a talent! We got a videographer, a florist, and a rehearsal dinner lined up as well, and all because I stopped worrying about doing "the right" thing and started to go where my heart led me. After all, it is how I found Kyle, why couldn't it also apply to our wedding vendors?

Lake Dillon, CO as the sun rose our last day. It is the only time we've seen a glassy frozen lake, due to lack of snow.