How to turn me into a ...

BRIDEZILLA!

(From organizeddoodles.blogspot.com)

No not really. But I did get really mad and in front of my soon to be Mother in Law recently due to some miscommunication at the cake bakery. It was kinda embarrassing. But I think I did pretty well considering I unleashed my wrath not at the poor lady that just came back from vacation, but outside on the streets of Coral Gables.

What happened? Well, with our venue, we have the option of getting our cake at Cake Designs by Edda, which is an institution in Miami. They even have 4 locations in South Florida. In March, I went to taste some cake in their Doral store. They were really busy and didn't treat me so great. So, I figured I would try the Coral Gables store while I was visited Miami in June. I called them up to make sure that they would have all the flavors and fillings I wanted to try. The lady strongly assured me that I needed no appointment and that they would have all those flavors and fillings. This is cool because it is actually posted on their website as a FAQ's:

3. When can I come in for a tasting? Anytime, but it is always best to call in advance to make sure we have specific flavor available for tasting.

	4. Do I need an appointment? Appointments are not necessary, though recommended for special occasions. Appointments can be made Monday through Friday at any of our store locations.

So me, my mom, Ralph, his mom and her partner all stroll in the store on a Monday to eat some cake. Cue to the poor lady who just came off of vacation, she tells me that they have no cake and that the cakes for tasting won't come in until the afternoon. WHAT? They have no cake? All the moms drove an hour for nothing? She finally offers us their signature flavor cake (Vanilla Rum), which I decline since I already know Ralph hates rum cakes. I ask Ralph to please "take care of this" so I won't bite this persons head off. He gets us a firm appointment for the following day, while I yell an obscenity outside.

The following day... all come again, except Ralph's mom's partner who has to work:-( The lady at the counter kindly tells us,' Oh no, we only do tastings on Wednesday.' WHAAAA? That isn't posted anywhere? What the hell? I just look at Ralph, who then asks for the poor vacation lady. Poor vacation lady comes out behind the counter and knows that I am pissed (I have a hard time hiding those sort of facial expressions). She then very kindly takes care of us and even gives us second helpings to bring home to those who actually work. The cake is good, damn good. It is a good thing too. I was at the point of 3 strikes and you are out. Although, I have to admit that I am quite concerned that they will screw it up. End the end, we are supposed to get a very simple 3-layer round buttercreme cake with strawberry jam filling (how hard is that to mess up?). Now I just I have to bribe someone into decorating it like this for me:

(theknot)

So will it work with all green orchids? Should we have sprung the extra $ for sugar orchids instead?

Checks!!!!

My last post was on my slight compulsiveness to stay on track of those checklists. But we have done so much already, 3 months into planning, that I thought I would share:

1) We have got a venue and wedding date that we like (we did get scooped for ideal date), but that is ok.

2) We have a caterer and cake baker (ok they were included in the venue, but it still counts as 2 checks).

3) I have a dress that I am so in love with (ok not as much as my fiance or cat).

4) We have colors! Yep, we are going for pool blue, lime green, and ivory. No, we aren't having a pool blue-lime green-ivory wedding , but those colors will be in our centerpieces and invites. And with no bridal party, I don't have to make my girlfriends and family wear those colors, although it might be fun to do that to them too (go go bridezilla).

5) We have a guest list that makes us both happy.

6) We have witnesses/"the signers"

According to theknot, I have completed 42 checks, and have 184 to go. That means I have done 18.5% of the work in 19.8% of our engagement (yes I am a nerd). Damn, I totally thought I was well ahead of the game! It is amazing what a little bit of math can do for your self-confidence. Well, I am still trying to stay on the ball at the very least, as I am off to drag the fiance to get the rest of our very simple vases at 50% off.

Since this post has no pics, I thought I would share my bridal "inspiration"

Planning is HARD yo!

As much as I told myself that I wouldn't lose myself in wedding planning, I have! Part of the problem is that we (or should I say I) want to get married in March next year. Normally, this would be no big deal - you have 14 months and it is in the off season. But nooooo, in Miami, it is high season. See, February and March are the cooler months and have the least probability of rain. The other brides caught on to that - damn! Anyway, all the cool, not crazy expensive places are starting to get booked. So I need to get on it and find a place asap.

I have 8 days to find a venue. While I am in crazy ass MIA, I decided that I might as well interview photographers, caterers, and cake bakers since I won't be able to come back until June. So in the meantime, I am doing the legwork to find good affordable vendors, getting preliminary proposals, and scheduling meetings. Yikes!

Places up for consideration:
The Deering Estate- a gorgeous historical park that was the home of one of Miami's early prominent businessmen. It is located on the Palmetto Bay and has beautiful tropical hardwood hammocks. The place couldn't be more perfect, except that we could only afford to invite 75 people. Beyond that and the price jumps up 3 fold.


The Ancient Spanish Monastery - A true Spanish Monastery built in Segovia in the 1100's, it was brought to Miami brick by brick and rebuilt. William Randolf Hearst commissioned it in the 1920's. It is beautiful and has lovely gardens and is a little out of our price range.

Cauley Square- A funky collective of historic homes, now serving as a artisan village, surrounds a tropical hardwood hammock. It is a bit of a drive and maybe a tad too rustic.

The Miami Beach Botanical Garden - What can I say it is a garden that we can afford (Fairchild is sooo out of our budget). It isn't as lush as I would like and the reception room is pretty bland. But its location is great for our out of town guests - they will be happy to stay on the beach.

Jungle Island - A pretty new location that was the old Miami tourist attraction Parrot Jungle. It is now located on its very own island on the way to South Beach. This place is all inclusive, and does the catering for you. It is all new and shiny pretty and very Miami-ish, but is a theme park at the end of the day. They have a damn LIGER - yep as well as crocs, monkeys, and their ubiquitous parrots. It is shockingly in our budget, but the Fiance isn't up for the theme park business.

So I am headed to Miami soon enough and will check out all these places. Hopefully the one I decide on will be free for the dates we are interested in.