8 Months to the Wedding and Counting

This wedding is finally starting to take shape. I recently sent out "Save-the-Date" cards. Hopefully, all of you tuning in have received one. Please contact me, if you have questions that my ramblings have not answered. ;)

This weekend, Mom and I are going to research items for the favors. We already have all the Champange flutes, we are looking into netting, flowers, ribbon, etc. I am really excited. This party store, Fantasticos, has just about everything. Plus, it is right next door to the flower mart. When I hosted a party for my parents 25th, I got all the favor supplies there. Mom and I are both looking forward to the excursion.

Rob and I are meeting with a potential Photographer this Sunday. Please check out her website and let us know what you think. I really enjoyed her wedding photos. The best part, she is the wife of a former co-worker of Rob's. Rob states she is a real sweetheart and I am looking forward to meeting her.

So far, we have decided on a DJ for the Ceremony and Reception. Rob and I were very impressed with his ability to work with us. He spoke to our needs and offered solutions to meet them. Aaron, DJ, will coordinate the entire day to make sure everyone is on task. He also gave us suggestions for music we had not thought about. I had a very good feeling from him.

As far as the flowers go, Mom and I met with a very nice woman a few Saturdays ago. She, too, was willing to work with us, making sure the flowers fit our needs and our budget. The budget part is a bit difficult, since I chose Calla Lillies. They are not grown locally in November and have to be imported. Yay, for me! :( I have not made any final decisions in this department, but we are getting closer.

Well, enough from me. I have to leave something for Rob to tell you all about. ;)

Danielle

Dani and Rob are officially Engaged!!!!

So, as you can tell, my Valentine's weekend was pretty awesome. :)

I had planned for us to go to Carmel to celebrate Rob birthday, which is today. (Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!) We stayed a cute little B&B called the Green Latern Inn. This place was nice. Not totally sure I would stay there again, but it was great for picking it off the Internet. Even though, I planned this to be special for Rob, it ended up being very special for me, as well. :)

To keep it short, Rob proposed on Sunday 2/16/03 in Monterey. The spot he chose was a place where we saw jellyfish right off the shore, not in the museum, 3 years prior. Ever since then, Monterey has always been special to us. He chose a place that was very meaningful to both of us, therefore the best place.

Thank you very much, Rob. I love you!!

Danielle

Hello & Good day! The reason you have not heard from me in a while is because I have not had a lot to share. According to the wedding checklist, I am 4 months a head of schedule. Dress has been purchased, church & reception site chosen, bridal party selected, etc. Both Mom and Grandma tell me I need to get moving, "You have less than a year, now, Danielle." Trust me, I am fully aware of the time frame, especially since no one will let me forget. :)

This weekend, Sin (maid of Honor) and I are going bridesmaid dress shopping. Granted, we already have the dress chosen, but we want to make sure it will look good on everyone. I have tried the gown on myself, so I do not think there will be a problem. Who knows, we may find a better one, although I doubt it. ;)

Mon and Dad are now working on finding a caterer. Now that Dad is working full time, he does not believe catering ourselves is feasible. Rob & I still want a Mexican theme. However, the tricky part is to find someone that does it well. We are hoping to have a decision made by the end of next month.

Rob is working on the photographer, music (you well know) and honeymoon. These decisions also need to be made by the end of next month. We have some good prospects for a photographer. I will be very happy with any one that he chooses.

Music, we are still working on. I do not think we have done enough research on this subject ot make a decision right now. I still like the DJ idea, but Rob is more partial to a band. Of course, I am voting for country, but again, no one will let me. Whose wedding is this, anyway? :)

Thank you very much for listening to me. I feel better, now. (hee, hee) :)

Danielle

Hey, Groom-to-be here again. Got a question for y'all, re: music.

Originally, I had envisioned this classy, upscale post-ceremony shindig with elegant champagne flutes and black and silver everywhere. To complement this, I wanted to hire a jazz quartet, maybe with a singer, to play some traditional jazz tunes: My Funny Valentine, Key Largo, The whole Gershwin songbook, etc.

But Dani didn't dig the black and silver (We're Niner fans, after all). Then we realized that you actually only listen to jazz music, as it can be tricky to dance to. And, in the end, I'm really the only jazz fan in the family aside from my dad. So, that sounded like less and less of a possibility.

So, we've been entertaining various ideas. I vetoed country (not as big a fan as Dani) and the avant garde-style jazz I like is out for the reasons mentioned. We've talked to a band that does a really nice Motown kind of set, a member of whom is a friend of a friend of ours. We've talked to a band that does some sixties rock. And, most recently, we've looked at a band that does New Orleans-style jazz, which is kind of cool to us primarily because we spent two fun-filled weeks in Louisiana a year ago and we'd like to recapture some of that.

As the people who will be dancing and listening to this music for several hours, I'd like to hear what you have to say about this. Suggestions? Comments? Know of a good band yourself? Drop me a line and let me know what you think.

Rob "The Music Man" Zazueta

I know many of you have been anxiously awaiting an update. You enthusiasm is appreciated. :)

Lately, Rob & I have been busy with work & the holidays. We drove to my grandma's house in Chico for Thanksgiving, where the whole Tokarski family attended for a celebration. Grandma was very happy to share her house with the whole family. The only person missing was my brother, Zack, but he is always MIA. He had to work the next day.

Tried on my dress, again, while we were at Grandma's. It was nice for my mom to be able to see me in it. I totally made the right decision. (Yay, for me!) This gown is, still, everything I wanted it to be. I get teary every time I look at it.

Good News - I purchased my shoes for the wedding. Whee Haw! The Bridal shop I purchased my dress from is going out of business. The owner is retiring. This being the case, I purchased my shoes at a discount. The shoes were something I was going to wait on until at least September, but since they were the ones I like best, nothing wrong with getting them, early.

Rob & I have been talking about Honeymoon possibilities, again. :) New to the mix is Montana. I think since we are getting married so close to winter, we should go to the snow. Besides, there is something totally romantic about being snuggled up by the fire with snow outside. We were also talking about Vermont, because I have always wanted to go to Vermont during snow season. Problem here is, it does not snow until January or late December, if you are lucky. Remember the movie White Christmas, the hotel was going to go out of business because it had not snowed yet that season. Anyway, looks like Montana, Australia or Costa Rica. Call me crazy, but I am leaning toward Montana. :)

Other that all that, we have not been doing a lot of wedding stuff, lately. I was beginning to stress out myself, not to mention everyone else. :)

Danielle

After calling around for a bit the other day, I was able to find a store in San Leandro that carried the Bridesmaid's gown (Alfred Angelo 6302) I want. Rob (with little persuasion) & I drove over there yesterday, only to discover the dress was the wrong size. UGH! I tried it on anyway & absolutely love it! This gown is just what I am looking for.

More news on the home front, I just joined Curves, a focused workout for women. Auntie Pam has been going to one in Roseville & just loves it. Mom had been talking about it, so when I saw one open near work, I had to join. The greatest part about this program is the fact I can complete a workout in 30 mins. Can you believe this? (applause from the crowd)

Workouts are done in a circuit. There are approximately 6 workout stations & six rest stations. After 30 secs or so, you change stations. The constant moving from station to station keeps the routine from getting boring & before you know it, it is over. At the rate I was going, there was doubt my wedding dress would still fit in November of 2003. I will keep you posted on my progress, especially since I am the new poster child for Curves. :)

Please sign up to day at the center nearest you! :)

Danielle

The Groom Chimes In

Just a quick message to let you all know that poor Danielle is not getting married alone. I have been left in charge of music, food (usurped by parents, which is cool by me), officiant (Wanna officiate? Go get yerself ordained.), transportation and the all-important honeymoon.

Ahh, the honeymoon... I have been told by my lovely bride-to-be that it should be romantic and tropical. After listening to Danielle's parents rave on about their trip to Costa Rica, that seemed a likely destination. But I'm being told it rains there during November. A lot. After working for the Victorian Business Government Office for a couple of weeks, they brainwas convinced me that a trip to Australia and the "greht steht of Victohrieh" may be a good option. Eventually I'll have a poll here or on our future site that will allow you to help me make a decision.

Where would I be without the Internet?

Rob Z.