now that we’ve met with some people ~ I feel like I can actually picture our wedding better, which is comforting.

Yesterday, we met with the Unitarian lay chaplain and we both really liked her, which is a huge relief. The booklet they give you to help with the initial ceremony planning is really helpful and gives us lots of good ideas to work with. We’ll spend a while going over it together and then will email her again so she can start on the first draft. Overall, her fee is higher than we had initially budgeted for but I think it’ll be so worth it as she sets the tone for the ceremony and is committed to making it beautiful and personal and resonant. She gets the whole simple low-key thing. We’ve sent her deposit to book the date and are really happy with our choice.

Today we met with one of the caterers. We had a slight miscommunication, so we thought we were going to be able to taste food but actually it was just a meeting. No worries. We were happy with the fact that the events coordinator was not pushing expensive options but was completely flexible and willing to work with our requirements and budget. After we meet with the second caterer (where we actually get to do a tasting), we’ll make a decision – and if necessary send someone to taste the food there.

We also visited a local cheese shop here and were very excited that they knew what we meant right away when we said that we were looking to build the “cake” for our wedding out of cheese! The woman behind the counter was quickly able to show us some sample wheels that we might use for this, weigh them, and suggest an approximate price. We’ve emailed them and they’re going to send pictures of a cake they made for another customer. Very excited about the shop in general and the prospects of getting something really lovely from them.

While walking around town, we also got some more ideas for things to put on the website for out-of-town guests and some local items to give as wedding favors or put in welcome bags. We also spent some time at a cafe working on the website, guest list, and other issues. I’m still hopeful that within two weeks, we’ll have settled the officiant, venue, and caterer, and also will have the website live and will have sent out Save-the-dates. Once all that is done, it really will be a load off my mind. That’s really all the most important stuff at least underway.