Weekend report

It was a great weekend - exhausting, yes, but also really fun and (gasp!) productive. Let's run down the list of what we needed to get done:

• Dessert. At the menu tasting, a variety of desserts were prepared by the Sanderling staff. I took the chef aside and told him that we'd been instructed to go to an outside vendor for all desserts at the wedding, even though we don't want cake. He rolled his eyes, handed me his card, and told me that we'll work it out. On the spot he dreamed up a luscious strawberry/blueberry dessert that we can serve alongside a delicious chocolate-coffee mousse we sampled with creme brulee. Check!
  
• Event rentals. Someone from an event rental company was at our table for the tasting, and her daughter is named Maggie, too, ensuring that she won't forget me. Check!
• Day of Coordination. We're feeling better about going without a Day Of Coordinator as long as we assign select tasks to a few family friends and are hyper-organized with our decor plan and the ceremony "script." 3/4-check.
• Cookout Catering. Our preferred place is closed until Valentine's Day weekend, like lots of beach vendors. We're sure he'll be fine so will go ahead and call him (bonus: he's my aunt's next-door neighbor), and I'll be sure to sample on my next trip. As if I need a reason to sample barbecue. 3/4-check.
  
• Hair/Makeup. I never had a chat with the venue spa about specifics, but I feel pretty sure they'll be fine. I'll go ahead and book spots for the wedding day and do more quality control on my next trip. 3/4-check.
  
• Music. Trevor had a good chat with the DJ at the tasting and has a better feel for how that will go down. We also talked through some bagpiper stuff, but still aren't sure what other music should be played for the ceremony. Half-check.

Other updates...

• Food + Drink. We sampled lots of great food - really, it was all good, such a relief! - and although we didn't really nail down the menu while we were there, I think we do have a much better feel for the quantity and selection that will be appropriate. The wine price list was the only huge disappointment of the weekend. The selection to choose from is great, but the markup is outrageous to the point of being offensive. Bottles that we buy all the time to drink at home were listed at exorbitant prices - well beyond what you would pay at restaurants for the same thing. I'm going to try and get over this if negotiation goes nowhere, meaning that everyone will just have to suck it up and drink cheap(er) wine than we normally enjoy. And really, who attends a wedding and expects to drink fantastic wine anyway? Because even my most wine-tastic friends would agree that a $55 bottle of Conundrum is lunacy.
  
• Decor. We played around with the box of fabric samples my mom brought with her, some centerpiece looks, and various bud vases. We're getting much closer to nailing the table and tent ceiling designs. Plus, my sewing whiz aunt agreed to make the tablecloths for us. It's time for the two of us to visit some local fabric stores for our final selections. After that, we really need to begin thinking about ceremony decor.
  
• Flowers. We put faces to names with the florist we hired, and thankfully, still really like her work. We'll discuss specifics on the next trip.
• Ceremony. Did a little re-work on our thoughts for entrances/exits at the ceremony site. We'll need to continue to tweak it until it feels right.
• Engagement Photos. Done! It was actually really fun and not at all awkward, like I'd feared. We should see them sometime this week, so fingers crossed!
• Guest Accommodations. Lots of our friends made their accommodation/travel plans this weekend, which is a huge relief. I think about half of everyone attending has booked a room or house already - yay!
• Wedding Party Attire. When my sister discovered she was pregnant, she returned her perfect-fitting bridesmaid dress for one two sizes bigger. She tried it on for us this weekend and we all think it will be perfect - there is a ton of room in the belly, skirt, and bust. So much room for a seamstress to work with that we all breathed a sigh of relief. As for the guys, we had to nix a groomsmen attire idea last week that we'd hoped would work and are back to square one, waiting for everyone's spring/summer suits and fabrics to come out.
  

Back to OBX...

• I'm going to plan on returning for these next-level discussions with vendors in the spring. I'm sure we could manage a lot of this on the phone, but so much of what will be left is visual, that as annoying as the trip from here to there is (we got home at 2 a.m. eastern time this morning due to delays, for example), I know it'll be worth it.
  
  

Progress!!!