Wedding Vendors

Wedding planning is hard; harder than you think it's going to be; harder than it sounds when people tell you about it. Even with an extreme level of organization, it's simply not possible to get through the entire process without any frustrations or unexpected setbacks. My best piece of advice is to find vendors who you connect with, who you're comfortable with, and who are easy to communicate with. Let your vendors know up front what level of interaction you need from them so the expectations are set right from the beginning. 

I absolutely have to brag on our wedding vendors because each and every one of them completely blew me away with their quality of work and day-of execution.

VENUE
Young's Vineyard

   - When we were shopping around Shenandoah Valley for a winery venue, Young's Vineyard became our clear choice from the moment we set foot on the property. The vineyard owner, Annette, is friendly and easy to work with and can almost always be found in the tasting room alongside her employees. We highly recommend their port, zinfandel and chardonnay! 

CATERING & RENTALS
Clark's Corner Ione

   - Clark's Corner's event coordinator, Jessica, is the most personable and enthusiastic caterer I've ever worked with. Jessica was open to developing a menu that met our taste and style rather than pushing us into any already developed packages. The entire staff seemed genuinely excited to be a part of our wedding and never gave off an "I'm just here to work" vibe. Jessica also orchestrated all of our table, chair, place setting, and linen rentals through Party Smart. Clark's Corner wasn't just a vendor, they were a part of our wedding!

MUSIC
DJ Maestro

   - Abel had a website where our guests could request reception songs ahead of time. There were no hidden fees for sound equipment, as his base package includes his table, two speaker stands and a lapel mic for the officiant. Abel was good about sticking to our day-of timeline and was flexible when necessary. Abel has seamless transitions, good volume control and uses the clean edits of songs.

POPCORN STATION AT COCKTAIL HOUR

Popcorn Wagon Frankenmuth

   - Popcorn Wagon has a wide selection of drool-worthy flavors! The website has a guide that helps customers determine the appropriate volume to order. It was easy to schedule our delivery. The popcorn arrived on time and tasted fresh. Their prices are extremely reasonable for the quality of product!

OFFICIANT

Galen Dalrymple

   - Galen has known me since I was five years old, and he and his wife have remained some of my parents' dearest friends all my life. It was important to Scott and I that we have someone officiate our wedding who was and would continue to be invested in our lives and marriage. Galen provided pre-marital counseling during our engagement but was never intrusive. He was open to conducting the ceremony in a way that Scott and I were comfortable with. I couldn't have been more pleased! 

PAPER SIGNS AND BANNERS

My incredibly talented bridesmaid Erin Yamashita-Urevig (soon to be on Etsy!)

   - Erin isn't available to you just yet, but I'll be sure to let you know as soon as she is! Erin's creativity and quality of work never ceases to amaze me! Her banners were the perfect finishing touch on our decor, and tied our theme together in such a Pinterest-worthy way!

Wedding Music

I can hardly believe our wedding was already four days ago! We had an amazing time celebrating with our family and friends, and were so pleased with how all of our hard work, planning and crafting came together. I'll post more details and photos over the next week. 

I'm already getting lots of questions about our music so I wanted to get that up for you guys first!

Ceremony:

WEDDING PARTY PROCESSIONAL - Ben Harper "Forever"
BRIDAL PROCESSIONAL - Ben Harper "I Shall Not Walk Alone"
RECESSIONAL - Bruno Mars "Marry You"

Reception:

FIRST DANCE - Ed Sheeran "Kiss Me"
CAKE CUTTING - Michael Kiwanuka "I'm Getting Ready"
BOUQUET & GARTER TOSS - Kelly Clarkson "Tie It Up"
LAST SONG OF THE NIGHT - The Mowglis "San Francisco"

A sampling of music played at our cocktail hour:

Adele "Love Song"
Alexi Murdoch "Love You More"
Amos Lee "Shout Out Loud"
Beirut "Nantes"
Ben Howard "Only Love"
Brett Dennen "Make You Crazy"
Bruno Mars "Just The Way You Are"
Chairlift "Bruises"
Dierks Bentley "Come A Little Closer"
Don Henley "For My Wedding"
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Heroes "Home"
Edwin McCain "I'll Be"
Faith Hill "Give In To Me"
Frank Ocean "Thinkin Bout You"
George Harrison "What Is Life"
Hunter Hayes "Wanted"
Ingrid Michaelson "Can't Help Falling In Love With You"
Ingrid Michaelson "You and I"
Jimi Hendrix "May This Be Love"
John Legend "Stay With You"
Keith Urban "Only You Can Love Me This Way"
Keith Urban "Your Everything"
Kenny Chesney "You Save Me"
Led Zeppelin "Going to California"
Lee Fields "You're The Kind of Girl"
Lynden DAvid Hall "All You Need Is Love"
Matchbox 20 "Overjoyed"
Matt Kearney "City of Black & White"
Mat Wertz "I Will Not Take My Love Away"
Mindy Gledhill "I Do Adore"
Mumford and Sons "I Will Wait"
Musiq Soulchild "Don't Change"
Passenger "I See Love"
Phillip Phillips "Gone, Gone, Gone"
Phillip Phillips "Home"
Ray LaMontagne "You Are The Best Thing"
Royal Wood "I'm So Glad"
Ryan Adams "Desire"
The Black Keys "Dearest"
The Honey Trees "To Be With You"
The Lumineers "Ho Hey"
The Lumineers "Stubborn Love"
The National "Don't Swallow the cap"
The Neighborhood "Sweater Weather"
Train "Marry Me"

The Tallest Man on Earth

Last night a friend and I went to the Fox Theatre in Oakland to see The Tallest Man on Earth. As if he isn't already brilliant on his album, oh my, you should hear this man live! As it turns out, he's actually a very small man, an unassuming hipster type with knees so knobby when he dances behind his guitar he appears almost childlike. His voice is hauntingly beautiful and his musical talent extends beyond the guitar, as he performed several songs on the piano as well.

We started out our evening with dinner at Betelnut. We've both been before, but I never tire of the interesting menu and open air bar seating. There was a seasonal tomato and curry chicken dish available, that turned out to be an excellent choice. It paired well with a South African Chenin Blanc.

 

Considering that shows nearly always start late, we were surprised when a long haired man and an unassuming drummer walked out on stage at 8 on the dot. They didn't introduce themselves, they just started right into a song. Half way through the set, the singer/ guitarist said between songs, "We should get to know each other better," which I assumed meant he'd introduce the name of his band, but he didn't, he just called out his drummer and then proceeded into the next song. I was so glad when The Tallest Man on Earth took stage and thanked his opener as Strand of Oaks, because the music was so interesting I was dying to know who to search on iTunes after the show.

 

 

Ozomatli and SMOD at Stern Grove

Stern Grove Festival is celebrating its 75th season! 

Yesterday, a few coworkers and I watched SMOD and Ozomatli from our company's sponsor table. It was quite a different experience from the previous week, when the SF Ballet performed. SMOD opened the show with such energy that concert goers immediately poured down to the front of stage, jumping and clapping to the French African beats. At the end of the show, Ozomatli gave an encore from a large rock in the middle of the park. Fans swarmed around them cheering and dancing.

 

Warm Wispers

It's driving through the countryside on a warm summer night with your arm out the window and soulful acoustic music blaring. It's sitting on a dew soaked hillside in South Africa as the sun peaks into view, the crisp breeze turning your cheeks pink from the chill. It's free falling from an airplane at thirteen thousand feet and closing your eyes because you don't care about the view, you just want those weightless sixty seconds when for once the world isn't falling down on you, but you're charging at it with every ounce of your being.

I don't know if the feeling is the same for everyone, or if we all experience it differently. But for me it's that moment when you know in your soul that there is something right in the world. When your fickle friends and your difficult family and your frustrating career can't touch you, because you, in that moment, are at peace. In that moment you are filled with the realization of the wonder that is around you and the strength that you have by embracing rather than rejecting it.

Missy Higgins - "Your warm whispers, out of the dark they carry my heart. Your warm whispers, into the dawn they carry me through. I'm weeping for honey and milk yet you stay surrounding me. Your warm whispers, letting me drown in a pool of you. Your warm whispers, keeping the noise from breaking through."