Catering Tasting, YUMMM....

I've been waiting for THIS DAY for quite some time now...

TODAY we had our official CATERING TASTING & SELECTED OUR RECEPTION MENU for our Wedding! I can't tell you how good it feels to type those words, considering choosing and booking a caterer was one longest things on our "TO DO" list of things we've had to do so far.

We began our search for the perfect caterer at the beginning of February and met with 4 companies.  All were good and we knew all would do a great job at catering our event.  When it came down to price, we had it narrowed down to 2 companies: Millenia Catering & Big City Catering.  I've posted about these two companies before and to be completely honest Mr. Hess and I teetered on who to choose between the two by going back and forth every day for about a week.  It finally came down to a deadline to choose and BAM on the day we needed to make one comes an offer to throw in an additional few menu items, beverages, and $1,000 discount = SOLD!

MILLENIA CATERING was the company for us! I have mentioned them before, but you can find more information about them and visit their website at: http://www.milleniacatering.com/

Excited to respond to this offer, Mr. Hess and I contacted Chef Lo right away to let him know we had finally made a decision.  We got on the books to do an official tasting and boy oh boy let me just say, after today we are 200% POSITIVE we made the right choice!  The food was incredible, Chef Lo went above and beyond to provide unique and personalized choices, and everything we chose is EXACTLY what we were hoping for.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE everything about Millenia Catering and I know the food at our reception will be simply amazing!

Our personalized Tasting Menu - how cool is that?!

I was thinking about the food we were going to experience the entire day at work today and couldn't wait to preview what will make up the menu at our reception.  We were finally on our way to the appointment for a tasting and I was extra excited that for the first time in a long time we got to include my dad in the planning!  Well, he had plenty of time to get acquainted with Chef Lo, because a detour on the way there set me, Mr. Hess and my mom back 30 mins. and we were late!  Figures....right?!  After calling and apologizing for the detour, we finally arrive hungry and ready to pick out our favorites!

My parents, ready to test out the dinner menu!

The entire time, Chef Lo and his assistant Rhonda were SO nice and accommodating.  Right away, I was greeted with a glass of wine, and the table was set up so cute with place settings and fresh flowers.  They really went out of their way to make us feel like we were special, and that was such a great feeling knowing we will feel exactly the same on our SPECIAL day!  So, we started with a fruit & cheese tray, pretty standard you might say, right?  I thought so, but then when it was all said and done even Mr. Hess and I decided to jazz THAT up a little.  I can't wait to see how the final touches will be added to make everything made for US.  I'm not going to give you much more details than that, but let's just say our menu for the wedding reception is one like I've never seen before...It is very out-of-the-ordinary and anything but the traditional "Beef or Chicken?" plated dinner...(Not traditional? Us? SHOCKER, I know.)

Ready to pick out a fabulous dinner menu, and...this is just a "taste" of the fruit tray! :)

What started with a few Hors d'oeurves and dinner options turned into what felt like an 18 course meal.  We covered all ends of the spectrum with from different meats, seafood, and appetizer bites to veggie options, pastas and wines to make sure we have a variety of everything we wanted for our guests.  We were very impressed with the amount of samples Chef Lo provided for us to try and it was truly a treat to get to experience such a private dining experience, just for us. 

Today was one of the first days I could truly begin to picture what the experience at our reception will be like.  I've always said that flowers and photography are my biggest "has to be perfect"categories for our BIG DAY, and I've always said that I will be happy as long as our catering is "good."  It wasn't a priority of ours that we serve filet mignon & sea bass, but instead to provide our guests with a food experience that is one they will surely walk away from remembering something about.  You'll see what I'm talking about once the BIG DAY finally gets here, but until then I can only leave you with one hint...Check out our choice of salad - BOTH were amazing...but the set up is what we fell in love with!

YUMMY....which one to choose?!

Needless to say, by the end of the night all 4 of us were completely STUFFED!!!! I could barely finish the last few things on the menu, and for those who know me well know that in itself is an accomplishment.  Thank you Chef Lo for an amazing tasting experience and I am SO EXCITED to see everything come together at our reception.

Yup, this was the point where we started feeling the food comas coming on...

98 days until the REAL tasting begins! 

Can you BELIEVE we are under the 100 day mark?! WHOOO!

Presh

Engagement Photos are HERE!

Finally!!! After 4 months of anxiously awaiting our Engagement Photos we have the glorious CD with rights...IN HAND!

I did a post with a preview to our photos back in February, and you have probably seen our Official Save the Date Photo post as well, but I couldn't be MORE EXCITED to show you more of our photoshoot we did back in January!

When Mr. Hess and I were looking for our Wedding Day photographer, we knew we wanted someone who could do a great mix of romantic, contemporary, and journalisitc photos.  We searched for a while online for Orlando photographers, asked friends who have gotten married, and even read tons of wedding blogs and reviews to find who and what company would represent our style the best.  After seeing how our Engagement Photoshoot or "E-session" turned out, I know we are in great hands for the BIG DAY!

Showing some EI love & photo credit to all photos below go to Elegant Imagery.

The company we hired is called Elegant Imagery, and our photographer's name is Victoria.  We saw them at a Bridal Show last October, and fell in love with the bright and artistic type of photos displayed at their booth.  So we talked to a few different companies, and kept going back to EI and a few weeks later, we hired them! The day of the shoot, Victoria's dad even showed up to help get different angles of photos, as well as help brainstorm to get exactly what we wanted! This was a pleasant surprise, and both were such a joy to work with that day.  So far, I would recommend them to any bride and you can click below to find their website & blog:

http://www.elegantimagery.com/
http://www.elegantimageryphoto.blogspot.com/

So without further aideu, here are the highlights of our Engagement Photoshoot!  There were a total of 68 pictures, but these are most of my favorites.  We started off the day in the private area of one of our favorite restaurants, Civeche in downtown Orlando.  I loved how these turned out and especially loved the eye and vision our photographer had here!  After the resaurant, we moved to the rail road tracks at Church Street Station and I loved how these turned out as well!

This one was actually shot from a reflection in a mirror!

After this, Mr. Hess found an amazing grafitti wall that he said changes almost weekly from local artists or grafitti goers, if you will.  The work is actually pretty detailed and everytime we drive by we are very surprised on how often it changes!  It just so happens that during this time we found a perfect spot that also displayed something to represent the Orlando Magic - an organization that means a lot to us!

Now, I said the Orlando Magic was important to us right?!  Well one might say the sports team and organization plays a HUGE role in our lives... because that's how we met!  So you probably won't be surprised to find out our final two locations for the day: the rooftop of the Amway Center and then on the actual Magic Court!  10,000 brownie points to Mr. Hess for getting us VIP access to these areas...love you buddy! :)



AND...THERE THEY ARE!!!! I am SO happy with how they turned out and I think our photographer hit the nail on the head with capturing our fun and contemporary style.  We are planning to incorporate these into our BIG DAY, so keep a look out! :)

103 days until our next SHOOT! <3

Until Next Time,

Presh

Ash's Bachelorette Weekend!

BACHELORETTE WEEKEND....ALREADY?

Not mine, of course, but one of my bridesmaid's!  Ash is getting married about a month and a half before me, and I am honored to be standing by her on HER big day coming up June 4th! It's just about 2 months out...I KNOW...CRAZY TALK...and we thought it was a very appropriate time to celebrate HER and her last few months before she becomes a MRS!

Friday morning, I met up with 2 of the other bridesmaids and we carpooled down to Ft. Lauderdale for a wonderful weekend getaway with the girls!  Ash knew what city we were going to and what weekend, but that was IT! She had no idea about any of the details, and boyyyyyy was she in for a surprise! :-D

We all arrived about the same time, but we tried to stall Ash as much as possible so we could decorate her room.  We had about 30 minutes to spare, so we were rushing to get everything perfect.

WELCOME to Ash's Bachelorette Party Weekend! <3

Come on out and enjoy the view....

The Atlantic Resort & Spa - view from our balcony...such a great hotel!

As Ash arrived, she was truly surprised and had no idea where we were going to be staying!  I have to say this hotel was on the nicer end, and we truly felt like we were "getting away" the moment we stepped inside.  Immediately, we went downstairs and enjoyed Happy Hour to kick the weekend off right, and we became instant friends with one of the Hotel workers, Jeffrey.  He was a "cutie patootie" as some of the girls put it, and helped us with suggestions of what to do and where to go!  After unwinding for a little bit, it was time to get ready to go out in our "Ashley's Heartbreaker's" Bachelorette T-shirts!  Another bridesmaid coordinated theses bad boys, as well as matching koozies with our names on them - simply adorable.  Unfortuately, both Ash's "Future Mrs." koozie and my camera did NOT make it through the weekend...so I don't really have a good picture of them, so bare with me! :( (I stole all of these pics from Facebook, so thanks girls for posting them!)

HM, Ash, and Me.  Besties since high school! <3

Bachelorette Party Koozies!

Ready for Night 1 on the town!

There we were, all ready to go with scavenger hunt cards in hand...ready to make sure Ash had an amazing weekend!  For the most part, this night was fun and under control, and she got a lot of points racked up! :)   

Bachelorette Weekend Fail 1: Ash's "Future Mrs." koozie disappears! One minute it was in Britt's purse and the next it's not.  Throughout the entire weekend we kept "missing" stuff and we think there was someone following us around waiting to take something each time we aren't looking!

 

The other bridesmaid spent at least 30-45 minutes looking for the beloved koozie, but didn't have any luck.  This brought us to back to the hotel, sad, but still ready to have a great weekend!  Day 2 arrives and we are all excited to go out to brunch!  We ate at a great crepe place called Un Bonne Crepe and we couldn't stop saying "HOLY CREPE" when we saw the size of these things! (Again I had a picture of this...but obviously can't upload it!) :( I guess you can use your imagination on this one...

Next on the list? BEACH TIME!!!! It felt SO good to finally catch some rays and take a load off.  I have to say it's always interesting going to the beach with a big group of girls because you never know what kind of  people will walk up to you.  Well, I have to say the guy that chose to say hello to us on this trip certainly boggles my mind the most...picture an extremely dark complexion, swimtrunks down to his knees, and boxers that literally say "COUNTY JAIL" on the bottom of them, and that's our guy.  He chose to use the opening line of "Hey, do you watch 90210?" and I knew from then on he was going to be a joke.  Man...that was funny.

Beaching it with the ladies!

So the BIG NIGHT was finally here! We packed up our stuff and went upstairs to get ready for Ash's NIGHT OUT ON THE TOWN!!!! She had no idea what was in store for her, and I know she definitely had a good time!  We started out with dinner reservations at a great Hawaiin/Polynesian restaurant called Mai Kai. It was SO good I want to go back!  Not only was the food fantastic, but the restaurant was really cool...it looked like we were actually in Hawaii and during the middle of dinner we were entertained by a 45 minute hula and belly dancing show!  Of course, at the end they called Ash up on stage and she got to shake her money maker for everyone...YAY!  Stuffed, giddy, and ready to move on to our next destination, we all piled back to the hotel to drop our cars off and head to the real show!

Ready to celebrate a FUN NIGHT OUT with our favorite Bride!

GREAT dinner & show @ Mai Kai!

Let's just say, Ash really put her dancing skills to the test during this outing, and we ALL had a fantastic time!  By the end of the night, I was proud to say that my friend had completed almost every single check off of the real Bachelorette Scavenger Hunt we gave her.  She was such a great sport about everything we did and proved to be a true champion. 

Bachelortte Weekend Fail 2: HM lost her iPhone either on a taxi ride or inside of a club.  We are thinking it was at our "VIP" area, and once again it was there one minute and gone the next.  We were really beginning to think someone (or a klepto!) was following us!

After a few more stops, we headed to an Irish pub and was entertained by a live band that played great music!  We had so much fun - singing and dancing and taking a bazillion pictures.  And, what do you know...Jeffrey showed up!  I know he was feeling pretty good being surrounded by 7 beautiful ladies.  It was this point of the night that I was finally pleased with the amount of photos I took and knew I would have TONS to share with you all when I got home.  I put "the brick" down (as we all named her...she's a little on the bigger side but takes really clear pictures!) for 2 seconds and before I knew it...she was GONE!!! UGH!!!!! REALLY?!?!? WHO steals a camera? And as Jeff said "who goes for the brick when there are plenty of smaller cameras on the table next to it?" :(  

 Bachelorette Weekend Fail 3: R.I.P "the brick" camera!!!! It figures that as timing would have it, I am just going to keep having random extra expenses come up this year, of all years.  I was so sad to report to Mr. Hess that our beloved cam was gone, including over 2,000 pictures on our memory card! It still makes me sick to think about how much $$$ I really just lost...UGH klepto person, I think we've had enough already!

Despite our losses, we are STILL having FUN! :)

Even though we had to get through 3 Bachelorette Weekend Fails, we all had an amazing time! I love getting away anytime, but I especially love getting away as a Bridal Party and getting to know the other girls that will be next to Ash on her BIG DAY!  She has some sweet friends, and we all got along really well.  Her Bridal Shower is only a little over a week away, and I'm sure that will be just as nice of a day getaway.  

LOVE YOU ASH! I'm so glad I got to celebrate your "Final Fling before the RING!" I'm also so happy that we get to celebrate such a great event in our lives together!  You are such a great friend, and I can't wait to be your bridesmaid in just under 2 months from now....BFFAEAEAE! (8th grade flashback, ha!)

Love, Clothes, and CHI Straighteners,

Presh

This one's for YOU, Mr. Hess!

We all know that March was a little crazy, and a tad bit on the busy side.  Well, hello April, you sure did come here with a BANG if you know what I mean (hint to my previous Bride of Frankenstein post)!  As we head into April, I can't help but feel a little overwhelmed at everything we "missed" on our TO-DO list from March and I shared some of these worries with Mr. Hess this morning.

Somehow through all of this, he remains completely cool, calm & collected.  I'm starting to realize how different we can be, but at the same time how much we can compliment each other in every way needed.  Today, I realized I really have found my life partner and I wanted so much to share with all of you WHAT exactly is so great about this Mr. Hess guy.

Lake view from our balcony at home: where these thoughts all started tonight!

Well, to begin with, I'm not sure if all of you know exactly how we met.  It was through work, and since that story is long enough on it's own I'll try to keep it short and sweet...

In August of 2007, I came on board to a great company in sports and met Mr. Hess a few weeks afterward.  I had met him a few times, and apparently he had already shared with his department that he was "going to marry that girl." I felt flattered, but really didn't think I was ready for any kind of relationship, much less one going towards marriage.  After a few months, we got to know each other pretty well and became best friends.  Movies and dinners turned into getting ice creams and mini golfing and before we knew it we were dating.  I had never dated someone like him before, and knew every day with him would be some kind of adventure.  New Years is our anniversary date, and we will be married after 3 and a half years of dating!

Okay, now you know the background.  I don't want to bore you with a bunch of sweet and sappy love stuff, but it just feels so great to be writing this and getting this all out.  Since my "incident" 2 days ago I have been laying on the low side and have spent some time home, thinking about what's in store for our future...and I'm getting pretty excited!

What attracted me most to Mr. Hess was how much he let me into his soul.  He is the type of person who will more times than not be funny and joke around with you, give you a hard time, have a fun time, and will rarely let his "sensitive" side out to most.  He is perpetually known as being a "goofball" as well as notorious for "pushing people's buttons"...but there's a side I get to see of him that only a select few see as well, and sorry in advance Mr. Hess but today it all comes out!

YOUR WISDOM: Maybe this is because you have a few years on me, but you are always teaching me life lessons and usually do it in a very nice and caring way.

YOUR GENEROSITY: You would literally give the shirt off your back to anyone, and have a "big brother" type of caring quality that a lot of my friends get to see.  You always put others before yourself and I know anyone close to you can call you no matter what time of day it is, and you will be there to listen and help anyone through anything.

YOUR LOVE: I have never been loved in such a way where I feel like everything I do is for you, everything you do is for me, and everything WE do is for US.  I wasn't exactly sure this type of relationship existed and I am so lucky to have found it.  When you show your love for me, it's in such a genuine and reassuring way and I feel like I am the luckiest girl in the world.

YOUR FAITH:  You have been such an inspiration from day one for me and my relationship with God.  You talk with me and pray with me and I know our growth with God together will only deepen as time goes on.  I strongly believe everything happens for a reason, and God put you in my life at the exact time I needed you.


YOUR WORK: You may not have the most conventional "9-5 job" in the world, but you have an amazing work ethic.  You make something that could be so simple so fun and exciting to watch and I get blown away by how creative you can be.  Planning a wedding with you has been more FUN and CREATIVE than I ever thought it could be, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

YOUR FAMILY QUALITIES: I know you are going to be an amazing husband and father.  It's no lie that you don't have the same connection with babies, but when it comes to kids I can never tear you away from having a good time.  It's so fun and comforting to watch how much kids love you and how much you go out of your way to make sure they have a good time.  It's truly adorable.

YOU: Everything about you...well almost! (just kidding!) ;) You have kind eyes, a loving heart and a crooked smile.  You have hands that fit perfectly into mine.  You have a gentle kiss and an embracing hug.  You love the arts, theater and have a huge appreciation for dance.  You love to drive with the windows down and sing at the top of your lungs in your car and in the shower.  You love me for ME.  The list could go on and on....

We found lime green (can't really tell) and pink roses! Randomly coming home with flowers makes our home so much happier!

It's obvious to me that I have found THE ONE I am going to spend the rest of my life with, and I spent a lot of today thinking about that.  I feel so blessed to know that someone will be there for me from here on out, and I am soooooo happy to not only take his last name, but take HIM as my partner, my best friend, my husband, and my life.

I'm sorry that I just did exactly what I said I didn't want to do with the sweet and sappy love stuff, but I just couldn't help it.

I LOVE YOU MR. HESS!!!!!!

And I think I just wrote my wedding vows...

108 days until I'm MRS. Hess,

Presh