Photo taken at the 2010 Seattle Wedding Show

Wow! There is so much to do. The good news is that I am getting things done. This month I have a couple of meetings with different vendors. I’m trying to remind myself of the following details for each meeting:

1. Florist

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As a business student the wedding industry makes me feel powerful! Lilac Dude and I are the first in our circle of friends to tie the knot. One of our friends proposed to his girlfriend today and she said yes! It got me thinking about how many newly engaged (or almost engaged) couples have come to us for recommendations. In the past six months, 10 different couples that we know have become engaged. (And we have a few friends who we predict will be popping the question soon!)

Lilac Dude has counseled several guys on engagement rings and we counted ourselves lucky to help another friend figure out how he wanted to propose to his lovely lady. I find myself talking dresses, flowers and photographers with different brides to be. This is where I have power, I can recommend using certain vendors and recommend steering clear of many others (David’s Bridal for one).

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While browsing through Weddingwire’s vendors the other day, it dawned on me that I should probably start thinking about a place to get my hair done the day of my wedding. You see, I’m kinda a tomboy when it comes to getting my hair done (though I’m trying to get better about it) and am not that into my hair in general (most likely because it does not really do much), so I do not have a real hair stylist in D.C.

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Today was our first cake testing…I booked two weeks ago and planned to take a day off of work to attend the 10 AM appointment.  I brought my folder with printed out ideas of cakes, cake stands, cupcakes, decorations, etc… in high hopes that this established bakery would be IT.  I envisioned yummy little square samples of tasty and exotic cakes…but sadly we had none of that today.

This is what I envisioned the samples to be like at our tasting. Look at all of the cakes, fillings, and frostings to choose from.

We also had our first meeting with a baker for our wedding cake this weekend. Unfortunately, that did not go as well as the meeting with the caterer. We chose to meet with this particular baker first because she is recommended by our wedding venue. And if we choose her, the cost of the cake can be bundled into the money we pay the venue. It wouldn’t necessarily be cheaper, but it would certainly be a bit more convenient.

However, she seemed a little disorganized from the beginning. It took several attempts at contacting her before she responded to me. Also, 2 days before our scheduled appointment she called to let me know that she had accidentally double booked and needed to move my appointment time! She was having some temporary problems that led to her office not being available for a meeting, so she asked us to meet at a Panera, which was a little strange, and resulted in our only being able to taste three basic flavors of cake. Her website boasts many additional flavors, so I’m not sure how we were supposed to be able to make the choice based on that. Lastly, she was late to our rescheduled meeting and she brought her daughter and husband with her, which led to divided attention on her part.

From cakewrecks.com

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The first thing I learned when planning my wedding was that the traditional wedding guide is for the average gal. I was planning my wedding in a medium size college town (Madison, Wisconsin), in the busiest month of the wedding and football seasons (October), and with a head count that includes all of my very large extended family (220 or so). Nine months was not enough! I called around and found out that the most popular places were taken 13 months in advance! This sent Dahlia Dude and I into a frenzy of trying to book everything we could, site unseen before our planned trip home a few months later.

I know we could have found a place, regardless of the planning window, but we were committed to having a wedding that was both fun to attend, and eco-friendly. I will share details of the wedding shortly, but I’m glad to say that we found the perfect place, for both the reception and ceremony, and guests will not need anything but two feet to get there.

Has anyone shared similar experiences? Have you had trouble finding vendors available on your day?