Wedding Plans

No, I am not planning to blog every other day. It just so happens that two days after my previous entry that I had more information to post. Yesterday, Sarah and I went into Durham to handle some wedding business. Sarah's mom also went with us. Our 6 hours in the area were more than productive.
We had an 11:30 appointment with a bakery, Ambrosia Cake Creations, at a coffee shop. She had her own bakery, but we met her at a random coffee shop because she was there for another business she runs. As weird as that sounds she was a pretty cool lady. She had a number of binders with cake ideas and she even provided us with samples. This lady was all over it with her paperwork and everything. The hardest thing was that eventhough she had 5 binders for us to look through, there was not one picture that was everything we wanted. We had to bookmark a whole bunch of pages and then piece our cake together. It was hard to describe what we wanted because it seemed like we were saying things like, "we want this in a different color" or "we want this in that shape." By no means was it the baker's fault, it was just difficult. We left there with a solid idea of what we wanted.
We then went off to the second cake appointment across town with Edible Art Bakery, a bakery that we had tasted at a bridal fair. This place does pound cake and I remember being real impressed with the sample at the fair. It was real ironic because the lady at the second bakery was nowhere near as warm or friendly as the first baker. I am not a business major and so what I know about running a business you can fit into a thimble, but I know that you should come out and introduce yourself. The lady at the second place did none of that. I guess that doesn't really matter because it is not a niceness competition. The question is who makes the best cake and the second place does by far. We are having a three-tiered pound cake and a small groom's cake. The top layer of the main cake is the only chocolate tier, but you don't serve the top tier. The tradition is that the couple freezes the top tier and eats it after their first year of marriage. Well, there will be a chocolate cake for me and my guests at my wedding and that is where the groom's cake comes in to play.
Once we had the cake all figured out Sarah and her mom went to a wedding dress shop that Sarah found online, A Bridal World. She went there because they carry the dress maker that made the dress that she liked in Stockton. Since it was dress related business I had to get the heck out of there. I had the car at least, but I was in Raleigh. It is a nice town, but it is pretty big and it is not like I knew the area. So what is a cheap, tightwad like me to do with 90 minutes on my own? I found a free activity that chewed up plenty of time: touring apartments. The girls who work these places have nothing better to do anyways. I emphasize girls because I challenge you to go look for apartments and tell me how many guys you see working behind the desks as customer service, not maintenance. It seems like it has to be the #1 employer for young women aged in their mid-20s. In my mind I can see these girls in the office of their high school guidance counselor. Their counselor says, "well, you are relatively good looking and have no real ambition, have you thought about working at an apartment complex?" Back to the point. Sarah called me and said I could come pick them up.
After I left them at the bridal shop one of Sarah's bridal party members came by and helped with the dress process. I am not sure who was more excited to see her either: Darlene or Sarah. The major accomplishment of the day was that Sarah found a dress and veil. She is beyond excited about it.
After the dress shop we stopped by a Whole Foods Market and asked their floral department if they did flowers for weddings and they do. This excited us to no end because actual floral shops charge an arm, a leg, and a kidney (just for good measure). Besides, we are getting married in a garden. It is not like we will need as many flowers your normal wedding would need. After a late lunch or early dinner at Jimmy John's (delicious, by the way) we headed home. Overall, a very productive day.