Home Sweet Home

I flew home a week ago to see my family and handle wedding business (and celebrate my birthday!). After looking at the house on Bear Wallow, and I realized that there is no way in hell (or without lots and lots of work) we can fit all our guests there. Mom and I scoped out another site with flat space, and were lucky enough to book it. So, here are some pictures of spring in the Blue Ridge and the new site.

I forgot how pretty the dogwoods are.
The porch of the main house at the Farm.
The ceremony site. Afterwards, we can play a little badmitton.
The best part of my trip was spending my birthday with my Nana. This woman was in a hospital 4 days before this picture was taken. She's the best! I'm so happy she's feeling better.

Now we're really cooking with gas!

After completely freaking out and almost losing it last week, I've come to a peace with the wedding. I decided I really want to get married in North Carolina. As much as I love Big Sur and the idea of a simple wedding, I know I will regret not doing more just because it is cheaper. And how much cheaper? I can't believe I am saying this, but what is $5,000 in the big picture? Of course, we'll probably spend more than that, but my dad is giving us some money and his dad gave us some money. After some discussion, or what I would consider to be the closest we'd gotten to a fight, he agreed to support my female desire to have a wedding.

In an effort to cut costs so we can still afford a house, we decided all but the closest friends and the family are being invited. We moved the ceremony to my mom's mountain house, which sounds much fancier than it is. It's a great house. Not huge, but with a spectacular, breathtaking view. And the view is what we are going for. The list is cut, the location fee is cut, the frivolous nonsense I was stressing on is cut.


I'm not sure how the whole thing will be pulled off, or if it will end up looking a little white trash in the process. I have ideas for white lights on the deck and a few trees. Some tiki torches lighting the way down the otherwise pitch as black driveway. Maybe even stringing up some mason jars with candles in them a la Martha Stewart. Maybe white trash meets Martha? She'd die. No, I seriously think we can pull off a pretty wedding for a decent price. When my mom suggested picking the wildflowers ourselves, I had to say no. I can cut the list and the nonsense, but hell if I am stomping through woods looking for flowers to cut so we can save $100. I mean, I still have some dignity and hello! I am asking people to FLY to the wedding. I also put a kabosh on the potluck idea. All fine and well when you live in town, but I'd love to see my friends traveling and driving to Ingles to attempt to get their ingredients to make their special dish. I have a feeling they'd just get bread and I don't think 60 loaves of bread makes a good meal. So yes, I am still paying for the caterer. If my fiance had it his way, we would be having 60 loaves of bread.

I guess it is best if one of us is more responsible with money, but COME ON!

Now we're cooking with gas!

I can check something off the long, long list from Martha! After a month of fretting over wedding details like wondering what I'm going to wear, what we are going to serve, how the flowers will look and what favors to give to people (does anyone remember them?) and oh, where to have the wedding, we FINALLY confirmed our location! A farm! In true small town, know-your-family sense, Annie is sending me the contract, which she says is little more than a notebook paper with her signature on it. We pay her the day of the wedding.

My desire to make everyone I love fly to western North Carolina stems from wanting them to see where I go all the time and what I rave about. I want to be able to tell them stories from my childhood. For them to meet some of the people who I love so much and also to see a section of the country that will always be part of me. My fiance was a little hesitant to pay to rent a farm for our wedding since his family has a farm in Germany, but he has come around. He hasn't met theClarks yet, but I know when he does, he'll know why I wanted the wedding there.

Annie and her family have run their farm for as long or longer than my family has been in the area (1920s). Our families have known each other for years. One time, when I was home from college, my mom dragged me to the Clark's for a square dance. I thought it was going to be incredibly lame and boring. A bunch of hicks circling about. I had the BEST time. I danced with the 80 year old Clark patriarch who was also a Congressional representative. I danced with five year old girls. I got spun around by Clark boys my age so many times I almost fell down. My face hurt I was smiling so big. Lame it was not.

Ever since that fateful night, I have dreamed of having a wedding as much fun as that square dance. I am not sure if I can replicate that, but I am hoping that saying my vows on a rock in the middle of one of their apple orchards will be a good start. I think a few rounds of square dancing wouldn't be too bad either.