So...it's been a while...

WOW. I guess it’s December now.

Let’s review what we’ve accomplished:

…no that’s depressing.

Let’s take a look at what we’re working on right now:

1. Save-the-dates! Yes! Be expecting those this Christmas!
2. Wine-making – we’ve picked out the place we’re using. Now we just have to figure out which ones we want! Anybody knowledgeable with wines wanna put in their 2 cents? We’re having trouble deciding which ones would be good to eat with Chinese food!
3. Dress-shopping – this has been put on hold until the New Year because that’s when White Day has new stuff out! =D
4. Gift registry – well, we’ve got a bit of a start on this one – we’ve registered at The Bay! We’ve now gone twice to scan stuff in…and we’ve scanned in a grand total of 4 items! …you laugh now, but you’d be surprised how difficult it is to pick out household appliances! AND the craziest part is, I’ve learned that Sunny is even picker than me!! (I know what you’re thinking, and I’ve asked him. The answer is: no, he’s it not gay.)
5. Cake – going to get a quote from the place I want it from
6. Flowers – found waaay too many places in Surrey – any recommendations?
7. And last but not least, FLOWER FOLDING – thank you in advance for all the people who have volunteered! We’ll be having folding parties soon enough! Special thanks to Dave who picked up origami paper for us from Granville Island!

Okay, that’s enough to keep my head spinning for now!

209 days

Photographer Booked!!

Ok, it’s been a while since we’ve worked on anything for the wedding. I guess it’s because we’ve been more focussed on the condo!

Today Sunny and I finally paid our deposit for the photographer to secure our date! That’s really exciting! The rates have actually gone up a little bit since the last time we were there! We’re lucky she gave us the old price! =D We’re probably gonna take our engagement photos in April. Sunny, that means we have 6 months to get fit again! Sorry Greg. No more all-you-can-eat fish and chips. You’re just gonna have to get cancer without us! =P

Not much more’s gonna be going on in the next while. I won’t be dress shopping again until January. Sunny and I are going to be working on the artwork for our save-the-dates soon, so we should have those done in the next few weeks!

273 days - omg.

Thanks Everybody!

Thanks for coming out for dim sum everybody! I guess the first wedding party meeting was a success!! THANKS!!

Now for the REALLY fun part…HONEYMOOOON!!!!

So we’re thinking of going on a Mediterranean cruise! We both want to see Europe, but being the lazy people we are, we don’t want to have to deal with moving from one hotel to the next and we DEFINITELY don’t want to be staying at hostels for our honeymoon, for many MANY reasons. Soo, cruising Europe seems to be the best solution! We basically travel at night on the ship and get off at a different port each day!

Sounds great so far, but the bad part about it is that we only get ONE day in each city, which might not be enough for some places. So I think we might add on a few more days in Europe either before or after the cruise so that we get the most out of this trip. To all the Europe-experts out there: where do you guys think we’d want to stay for more than one day?

Also, the cruise that we find most appealing so far is with Royal Caribbean. I know Mike and Tracy had a great time on their cruise with them so I’m not too worried, but I do want to get more opinions on them! Has anybody else travelled with them before or know people who have? Are there any issues that I should watch out for? Thanks guys!

325 days

Bouquet Madness

So for those who don't already know, I've kinda picked out a flower for my bouquet! It's a natural blue flower called the aquilegia vulgaris or the common columbine.

I picked it because of its colour and because it's the flower of Venus! Pretty cute eh!

I found the flower yesterday at a few small flower shops downtown so I bought a small bundle. The bad thing about them is that I'll have to have a bouquet holder for sure, because they don't last long without water. :( But otherwise, I like it! It's really different! AND, it has a story! You KNOW how I love it when things have a story! ^_^d

333 days

Final Call for Photography Referrals!!

Sunny and I finally went back to Whiteday Weddings (the last place I was talking about for photography) and he really liked it! BUT, we still want to compare it to other places that have similar services. We have yet to find a place that offers the range of services this place does. Whiteday offers:

- 2 Gown and 2 tux rentals (one for engagement photos and one for the wedding day), including accessories from head to toe (e.g. shoes, veil, jewellery)

- 1 dress for the reception and 3 other outfits for the engagement photos

- AWESOME photography! They cover us from the tea ceremony in the morning to the end of the night (i.e. no time limit). The wedding package we want, also includes engagement pictures with outdoor and studio pictures.

- Hair and makeup for both days for the bride AND GROOM! …Oh yes. I’ll get an all-day assistant to help me do makeup touch-ups and change my hairstyle throughout the day!

- They also have other random wedding accessories that they provide without any extra costs. E.g. ring bearer pillow, flower girl’s flower basket, cake knife, etc.

- 4 Photo albums

- 2 Framed enlargements

- They could also do wedding coordinating/planning for me for free, depending on whether or not I want her services. So for example, they can take care of chair rentals and flower arrangements if we wanted. We’ll probably ask them for estimates for everything and then decide.

So that’s it! What do you guys think? Do you know of any other places that are able to do journalistic styled photos and are experienced with Chinese weddings? We have looked at a few places, but they just seem to be lacking in one area or another. This place seems to have it all. But please do give us suggestions! Thanks!

335 Days!

The Wedding Gown Virgin is DE-Virginized!

WOW! Dress shopping was sooo much fun today!! Today we explored the bridal strip in New West and did WONDERS in 4 hours! There are two dresses that I am absolutely in love with. There is one that I’m thinking about buying and the other, I’m thinking about renting just for our engagement photos. That way Sunny doesn’t see me in my wedding dress before THE day!

The unplanned bonus of the day was that I found an awesome place for photography! We wandered into Whiteday Wedding (see: http://whiteday.ca/) looking for gowns and realized their photography was even more impressive! It’s funny how you find things when you least expect it! Anyway, all of us (especially my sister) really fell in love with the photography there. And you all know how important photography is to me! So Sunny and I are going back on Monday to take a more detailed look at their services. I’m so excited!!!

**A special thanks to my girls: the cosplay-bride-to-be, the girl-who’s-moving-back-to-Van-next-Summer and of course the cripple, for being so supportive and patient! I had such a fantastic time today! I’m so glad you all were there! MUAH!

338 Days!

Cocktail Reception Activities?

Can anybody tell me what goes on at the cocktail reception after the wedding ceremony? Are we supposed to have things planned (e.g. speeches, games) or are we just supposed to let people mingle? I'm thinking the bulk of the games will be done at the dinner reception, same with the speeches. So what do we do then?

Two down, one more to go!!

This was a really productive weekend! We’ve put a deposit down for our reception venue! It took hours of gruesome negotiating (and eating!), but it’s all done! And I’m very happy with the way things turned out…sooo, YAY!

As for the second place we’ve got picked out, we chose Vandusen Gardens as our photo spot in the afternoon for the wedding party! It’s gorgeous there! I’ve actually never been there before this weekend and I was really impressed! Sunny and I are going to go back sometime this summer and take lots of pictures to get some ideas for photography that day! SO EXCITED!!

The last big thing we need to do is book the ceremony site. I think we’re pretty set on Northview Golf (in Surrey, on 168^th). I guess we just need to work out the kinks and we’re all set! WOW! I guess there’s no turning back now eh? .. .. … ….. . .. HAHAHAH JUUUST KIDDING!

Of course there’s time for turning back! ^_^v

Heh heh heh. Ok just kidding! Don’t kill me Sunny! O.o

Northview: 2 Thumbs Up!

WOW! I’m so impressed with Northview! I’m glad I didn’t overlook it because it’s in trailer-trash Surrey! =P

So we have a few more places to see on Saturday (University Golf, Mayfair Lakes and Golf, Van Dusen, Celebration Pavilion and Greenacres Golf…yes all of them on Saturday, plus a couple possible photo spots!), then we’ll be putting a deposit down! It’s going to be a hectic day, so wish us luck!

OOoooOOOooOo!! We’re getting close!!

Northview Golf and Country Club

I actually found a decent golf course in Surrey!!! As you’ve probably read in the title, it’s called Northview. (Check it out! http://www.northviewgolf.com/showPage.php?id=96 ) Has anybody been there? Sunny and I will be going for a site tour tomorrow afternoon and we’ll see how it goes!

As far as pricing goes, it sounds FANTASTIC! They don’t have a minimum foods and beverages requirement so we’re basically just paying for the space and the ceremony! We get the place from 10-3 and it's able to accommodate 200 guests. Sounds good to me! Please don’t let it be nasty looking!!!!

If anybody’s been there for golf or a wedding OR have heard any rumours about this place, I’d love to hear it!

Open Call for Musicians!

Sunny and I are looking for a string quartet or trio to play at the ceremony! Please let us know if you have any referrals! Students are ok too, as long as they are somewhat decent! =D

Reception Update

OK, so scratch everything that I’ve posted previously! I think we’ve found the place for the reception!!! (…I keep saying that don’t I…) Anyway, it’s called “HUNG WUN” in Chinese. It’s in Richmond on #5 and Cambie Rd. For those who know what I’m talking about, any thoughts or feelings on the place? Here’s what we thought:

Pros:

- Big open space with a high ceiling

- Fully equipped with dance floor, sound system and lights for dance floor

- Good bride’s room (not a big deal, but it has a lock and that’s important)

- Big parking lot (shared with a 24hr Shoppers Drug Mart)

- Fairly decent décor – they’re currently putting in the new chandeliers. Although, they’re not as nice as some other restaurants like Shiang Gardens and the Sharkfin Place.

- Decent food

- It’s AVAILABLE for our date!!!

Cons:

- It doesn’t look that fancy on the outside

- The name is kinda “lo to” as Carol has pointed out!

We’ll be going there again for dinner on Saturday to check it out with my family. I’ll give an update then!

Also on Saturday, we’re going to check out University Golf Club and probably Mayfair Lakes as well. Newlands’ ceremony ground was a bit of a let down, so wish us luck on these places this week!

Reception Venue Confirmed!!! (…almost…)

So the Lien and Chiu family finally got together for dinner at the Neptune Seafood Restaurant (aka “the sharkfin place”). That’s the place in Richmond right beside Sammy J’s on #3. And for those who REALLY aren’t paying attention, it’s the place that is fairly decent, but has a really low ceiling. Okay, now that we’re all caught up, does anybody who attended the dinner or has been to this restaurant have any comments? If there aren’t any objections, I think we might put a deposit down on this place. So if there are any issues with the place, now’s the time to bring them up! Good or bad, I wanna know!!!

Venues, venues, VENUES!!!

Who woulda thunk finding the right place would be so difficult?!?!?? Sunny and I need all the help we can get! We want to get married outdoors (preferably a place that has an indoor option as well. JUST IN CASE!) and have the reception at a Chinese restaurant. We’ve seen quite a few places, but still haven’t been able to decide. Here’s what we’ve come up with so far…

For the ceremony:

- Cecil Green Park (at UBC) – this would be great, but we can only book 6 months in advance =(

- Park by Horizons on Burnaby Mountain – too hilly and too public…the view is pretty though.

- Mayfair Lakes Golf and Country Club – looks great! My mom likes it too, but they have a food and beverages minimum that I’m worried about.

- Diamond Alumni Centre (at SFU) – not outdoor =(

- Queen Elizabeth – too public

And for the reception:

- Shiang Gardens – almost everything was good here, but there are a lot of rumours going around about this place going bankrupt. I don’t think I’ll risk it!

- Radisson (Richmond) – nice, but too many restrictions for its cost.

- Hyatt (on Burrard) – this place is a no because they give priority to businesses. Meaning, we can only book the place 6 months in advance AND even then, they can kick us out if they need to.

- We’ve been to a few other smaller Chinese restaurants but most of them fell short. Many were just way too small or way too UGLY! Some that had nice décors were oddly shaped and/or had pillars in the way (e.g. Fisherman’s Terrace and Kirin). The best one we’ve seen so far is Neptune Seafood Restaurant. The one thing I really don’t like about this place is its low ceiling. But otherwise, it’s not too bad. Has anyone been there before? It is in a plaza on #3 Rd in Richmond, right beside Sammy J Peppers.

Please give us some suggestions for other places and/or comments on the places that I’ve mentioned! Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks guys!

363 more days! =D

Happy One Year PRE-Wedding Anniversary!!!!

*WARNING: The content below has a Cheese-Factor Rating of PAINFULLY NAUSEATING. Continue at your own risk.*

Wow sunny, we’ve only got one more year until our big day! And you know what that means? It means that every day of this year will be the LAST that we spend as UNmarried folk!!! We will never have another June 30^th again as single people! <=0 It’s scary and exciting at the same time! I CAN’T WAIT!!

Happy one year pre-wedding anniversary LG! =D

Thank You and Welcome!!!

Hi everybody!!

Thanks for reading me (Liz) and Sunny's WEDDING BLOG!!! Throughout the next months we're going to be posting wedding ideas and progress reports, from decorations to vows to cake and marriage counselling!! :P Please help us out by posting comments and ideas! I know it's going to be a fun (but hectic!) year and we would love for all of you to be a part of the process! Thank you all for being such great friends (and family, WOODGIE!)! Sunny and I are so grateful for all your love and support.

And now....LET THE GONG SHOW BEGIN!!!!