Cupcake Tasting

Yesterday M and I decided to do some impromptu cupcake tasting.

(Yes, cupcakes. We're not really into traditional cake, and cupcakes are cute and easy.)
(And yes, they're popular right now, but apparently Utah is a little behind the times, and we'd actually be setting the trend, not riding it. Who knew?)

These were impromptu because we just walked into store-fronts, we didn't make appointments. So we didn't really get the full "cake-tasting" experience, but we saw enough to count. lol (And who knew cupcakes could cost so much?!?)

The first bakery simply drew us in because they are ENTIRELY GLUTEN FREE. Yes, for celiac folks, you read that right, GLUTEN FREE!

Which is important (to me, not so much M) because several guests and one member of the bridal party are Celiac*, so I need to make sure I have something for them to eat so I'm not poisoning them day of. :) 

Their storefront is a little different, they are in an industrial area, and their "cafe" area is a little confusing. (When you first walk in you are faced with a hallway to a door to the backroom. You have to go through a different door to get to the "cafe" area.) M was a little skeptical, they make a lot of claims about the quality of their gluten free cupcakes, namely, that no one will be able to tell the difference. We tried a vanilla-strawberry cupcake and a peanut butter cupcake. Well folks, it would be tougher than usual, but at the end of the day you are still eating a gluten-free cupcake.

They were good, especially for gluten free. (Which usually is very dense and drier than a usual cake/cupcake.) The icing was killer, which is saying something because neither of us like a lot of icing. But M's cupcake was closer to a muffin, and tasted like a cookie. And they just weren't killer. So although we'll keep it in the back of our minds for providing for our Celiac guests, I don't think we'll be ordering too much from there.

The other bakery we visited is a little bit better set up. It's in a strip mall, and they've got better branding. (It's the graphic designer in me. :D) And their shop is really cute!

We tried peach cobbler, lemon raspberry, and cheesecake. Our definite favorite was the peach cobbler! So tasty! The lemon (icing) raspberry (cake) was good, but it needed just a tad less lemon. The icing overwhelmed the cake. The cheesecake was okay. But not killer. It was more like an ordinary cupcake.

I've had other cupcakes from this location before, so I know the cheesecake cupcake is a fluke. :)

We still have a couple places that we are trying to get in contact with to do real tastings, so the adventure continues, but I think we're off to a good start!

We've established...

... that I stalk wedding blogs and have for years right??

Ok, just checking. Just making sure that everyone is aware of my obsession. lol

I've been on vacation for the last two weeks, hence the absence, and when I came back my Google reader had 1000+ items waiting for me. Yes, you read that properly, 1000+ (1194 to be exact, well, as of the first time I checked the total - it could have been more).

And that is after I logged on twice during my vacation and read around 500 items. Oy.

Anyways... I am slowly working through my 1000+ items, (but in the last three days I have yet to get below the 1000 mark. Why? Because people keep posting!) and today I read this really great post from Meg over at A Practical Wedding. She's awesome. Seriously. Check it out. I'll wait...

Back? Ok. So, she posted basically two weeks ago about how she went and tried trapeze flying, but her post is about pushing through the fear that comes with something new. (It seems to have started with a fear of dancing lessons that someone else brought up... I think.)

It really struck me. She specifically mentions how as adults we never push ourselves, and I immediately thought back to the vacation I just took, and how my mother talked me into cliff jumping. Into a river.

She didn't really press too hard, but I wouldn't have done it if she hadn't suggested it, and waited to watch and take a picture. Why? Because. Because I had never done it before, because I was too busy doing nothing, because it was outside of my comfort zone, and I never would have thought of it.

I did it, and it was totally fun. (sorry everyone, no pictures yet...) I'm not saying there wasn't one moment of "well, crap... this is really high..." but I needed my mom to make that initial push. And I'm usually the one pushing for the oddities and doing things just to be able to say "I did that!"

So, in the end, Meg is right. As adults we don't step out on that limb enough, we don't push ourselves enough, we take the easy road. Even those of us who enjoy the road not taken.

Now I really want to find something to go into the wedding that we'll make us both step outside of our comfort zones. Hmmmmm... flash mob anyone?

Own it.

So I'm a little quirky. (weird, odd, whatever...) This is something that my fiance knows and loves about me, but that doesn't mean it doesn't come with it's own struggles.

I had this little speech (such as it is) for M the other day when we looked at me like I was crazy for wanting Chucks for the groomsmen, but then I turned around and needed it myself when I found myself waffling between two decisions for the sake of what's normal.

So I'm going to put it here in case anyone else needs it, or, more specifically, if I need it again. (And I'm sure I will.)


No matter what you are doing, what decision you are making, what centerpieces you choose to have - be they navy, plum, or pink-polka dotted - If it is you and you own it not one person will second guess.

This is coming from a girl that wore red Chucks to her senior prom, with a prom dress. (I even still have them.) The only person to raise an eyebrow was my mother, because she always wants me to be a lady, but even she had to admit, it was very me.

And as we tried on dresses, I lean towards the more vintage-y vibe, including a bird cage veil. Again, no one thought twice but my mother, and only because it wasn't her style. Her exact words? "It's very you."

So own it. All of it. Whatever you decide, it is yours to have and hold and love forever. Not one person will remember it later, except you and your SO. So do whatever you want, and if it's different, quirky, or even a little odd, that's okay, because most likely you are a little different, quirky, or odd.


I'll step off my soapbox now. Just remember...
OWN IT

We have a dress!

Well, we have a piece of paper that says we purchased a dress. I don't actually have one in hand.

And I don't have any pictures to show you either. My good friend, bridesmaid Mi, brought a camera and took lots of pictures as I tried things on, but won't let me see any of them. So, I don't even have anything to look at, other than my memories of actually wearing it.

BUT, it does exist, it is coming, and I'm excited!!

The consultant at the salon was so sweet and so great. My mom was flying in for the weekend, and I really wanted her to see me in a particular dress (and I really wanted to see me in that dress). So I called the salon, they close at 6 and my mom's flight didn't arrive until 5, and asked if they would mind if I dashed in just to try on one dress. The consultant spent a few minutes confirming that they had the dress, and then agreed.

To hedge my bets, I also made appointments at a couple other locations, just in case my dress ideas didn't work out.

We walked in the salon at 5:45, and the consultant told us that she'd be happy to stay and let me try on as many as I'd like.

Wow, really?

So I picked up the one that I was there for and half a dozen others and headed to a dressing room. There were definitely a couple maybes, and I saved the one I wanted for last, so I wouldn't be comparing them all to that one.

Once I put on the dress I was there for, it was obvious. This was the one! I would have taken it home and slept in it had it been the proper color (it was Ivory). lol

It won't be here until December! (I guess that happens a lot with this designer...) but until then I can still admire the pictures online right? :-D

We have a date!!

I won't be sharing the exact day here for, well, privacy reasons. I don't want anyone to crash our wedding!!

We're not sure where yet, but the decision has been made for March.

It was actually rather easy.

See, I went in to try on dresses at a David's Bridal in SoCal.* (I went home for my birthday, and, um, COMIC CON. Yes, I'm a geek. :D) At the end of the appointment, the consultant tried to confirm the date that I'd given them when signing up for their website. It was sometime in May, mainly because I didn't have a date.

May doesn't work for various reasons, so I laughed and told her that it was probably more like March, and then arbitrarily picked a weekend that I knew M didn't have to work.

Turns out, this is the same day that my mom has been giving the vendors she's calling, for different various reasons.

It's like the clouds opened up and angels sang. Ok, not really, but it seemed a really easy decision. I came home, discussed it with M for 2.5 seconds, and the decision was made.

Now for a venue, and the big stuff is almost done. :D

*And no, I didn't find a dress. But there were a couple of serious contenders. lol

Easy. Peasy. Done.

Some decisions have been really easy.

I mean ridiculously so. I bring it up, we discuss for maybe 10 minutes, tops, decision gets made.

Easy. Peasy. Done. lol

Which decisions? 

Favors: We will not be doing favors. I know I had this great idea but apparently no one in Utah does favors, M had never even heard of them. As I mentioned before, I understand that they are a kind of "Thank You" for the guests, but I have a hard time deciding to fork out $3 to $5 for a knickknack that most will forget, and we will end up throwing away. While we both really like the donation idea, if favors aren't really necessary, we would rather invest that money back into the wedding.

Cake: Traditional cakes are beautiful, don't get me wrong. Gorgeous even. How could you not love visions such as these?

I don't even like pink, but this is beautiful!
Photo by o'holysweet! on Flickr

I love square cakes! So cool.
Cake from pinkcakebox.com

We even know someone who is an AMAZING cake artist, and needs to go into business (**hint, hint** you know who you are....:D )

However, traditional tiered cakes bring in a whole new set of costs. More plates, more utensils, someone to cut it... So, we're nixing that in favor of cupcakes. Oh, we'll have some kind of small round for us to cut and share, but for everyone else? Cupcakes. Delicious and beautiful cupcakes. Mmmmmm...

Groom and groomsmen attire: Tuxes are a bit stuffy, and not really "us", and the rentals don't fit well. Suits are a good stand-in for some, but again, not really "us" and not all of the guys would use it again if we asked them to purchase one. Not to mention that M and at least one of his groomsmen are tall guys and not all shops carry tall sizes. (Which is a travesty.) So, we're going to go with some kind of vest and slacks/khakis/jeans, and I'm thinking Chucks, but that's yet to be determined. M is not on board for Chucks, I might get outvoted on this one. (So this one is not quite finished, but the big decision is made, so it counts right?) I'm thinking something like these...

Image via ruffledblog.com

Except they'd all match, well, maybe match. lol
Image via greenweddingshoes.com

Photo Booth: Perhaps a bit overdone in some circles, it's still a novel idea here in Utah. And everyone I tell is super excited. Although he says otherwise, I don't think M was entirely sold on the idea right up front. He was willing to go along with it, but was unsure of the success. That is, until a coworker of his said that he'd seen it at a wedding, and it was a complete hit. And then M's mom got in on the action and said that she a) LOVED THEM and b) thought it was a fantastic idea. So, while the cost may become an issue for this one, we're totally on board if we can swing it. (And we're planning on heading to the local goodwill store for some cheap props, because they can only make it more awesome!)


See? Four decisions, DONE. :D

Now to decide the big stuff. (You know, when and where... lol)

But but but but.....

...I wants it!!

Obviously, being engaged is making me look more carefully at all the shows and blogs that I frequent.

And I'm making Excel spreadsheets with pricing, and lists of potential ideas, and venues, and, and, and trying to figure out exactly what I want. (Which is more difficult than it sounds, simply because I know a lot of the gamut of what's available. *le sigh*) Don't believe it when people say that planning for yourself is easy when you've done it for other people, they lie. lol

And though, for now, my spreadsheet lists prices that are pulled mostly from thin air (we'll call them "educated guesses") some of the items I'm pricing out are coming in very close to what I hoped was a *high* estimate. Discussing them a bit with M, he of course had the very sensible attitude of "we'll just cut non-essentials, or bring them down drastically" to which I had the equally opposite albeit internal response of "but I WANTS it!!"

Because I do. Just the way I'm envisioning. I really want that dress (which could be on sale by the time I'm buying) and I want those photographers, from Florida, nevermind that we live in Utah, and it's expensive to fly them out here. I. Want. Them. And I don't want to sell my coveted dress afterward, because I think it would be fun to have a "trash the dress" session. Very in vogue right now, but I think it would be totally fun, especially given that M is a HUGE baseball fan. Can you imagine playing in your wedding dress? :D

Kind of like this... (without the sliding, I'd break my ankle, haha)

Video is The Ultimate "Trash the Dress" Session by Keith Cephus from Vimeo.

All of this dialogue takes place in my head, of course, in a matter of moments. My inner two-year-old and my semi-sensible-adult duking it out, but still both leaning towards the more spoiled-brat side of, but why NOT?!?

M then stated his main point. A very good point. Simply that, although he doesn't want me to look back and think "I wish we had done this" (one which I'm sure my mother would agree with) and he really wants me to have everything I want (because, and I quote, "at the end it is your (meaning me) day, not just ours, and you should get exactly what you want") he also wants to make sure I keep my eyes firmly planted on the fact that this is a celebration of the life we would be beginning together. Not the photo booth that would be totally fun, but pricey, or the centerpieces that have yet to be designed, but the fact that we love each other, and will be spending the rest of our lives together.

Everyone together now... awwwwww

I'm glad that he can kick my crazy planning in the rear and bring me back. Because he's right. It's not about the bridesmaids' dresses. It's not about whether or not he wears a tux or a suit, or whatever, or even the venue. It's about us.

So while my inner two-year-old fights the good fight, M is amazing, and will bring me back. And at the end of it all, it will be amazing and I will love it.

Sorry two-year-old me. Certain things are more important.
(Including not turning into the biggest bridezilla ever. :D )

What about you and your plans? Anything that you crave? Anything that you've had to remove for cost reasons?