La Luna de Miel: A Room with a View

The buzz of the alarm clock came all too soon. Over the course of our three day wedding weekend, I probably clocked about eight hours of sleep. The reason for my insomnia: a steady stream of adrenaline through my bloodstream. I was just too excited to sleep. But after the wedding was over, I crashed. So, when the alarm clock woke-up us up at 3:00am to catch a 6:00am flight I was one sleepy cookie. I slept the whole flight down to Mexico, and I don't sleep on airplanes. But when I awoke, we were in sunny Puerto Vallarta and we were ready for some much needed R&R.

After a quick taxi ride, we reached the Villa Premiere Hotel and Spa and our room with a view.

We splurged on the honeymoon suite with a private balcony, jacuzzi, and hammock -- worth every extra penny we spent. The above photo is not a PR photo, this is a photo Mr. Cookie took of our private balcony. I LOVED that balcony, especially at sunset.


Our room not only had a spectacular view, but we were always excited to see what goodies the maids would leave for us. From towel sculptures....




...fruit...
...champagne...
or this fabulous plate of caramelized pecans, dried mango, and chocolate chip cookies. YUMMY!

After unpacking, we made a beeline to the beach for a nice relaxing walk. Mr. Cookie and I have been land-locked for most of our lives -- evidenced by our pale skin. For us, walking along a beach is a real treat.




During our honeymoon, we spent the mornings on excursions and the afternoons back at our hotel where you could find Mr. Cookie and I at one of two places. The pool...




...or on our balcony. I especially loved to lounge in our hammock with a magazine and ice-cold Mexican Coca-Cola.

Besides our last evening in Puerto Vallarta (which I will save for another post), we always watched the sunset from our balcony...

... and as the sun would fade into the horizon, that was our cue to prep the jacuzzi. Two bottle of bubble bath later and this little cookie has up to her shoulder in bubbles. BUBBLES!


Add in a margarita (on the rocks with salt) plus your new, slightly sunburned husband and you have the ingredients for a perfect relaxing, romantic evening in Puerto Vallarta.

Although, we probably could have been happy recluse honeymooners, but we didn't just want to be secluded in our hotel room. Up next: The Cookie venture Downtown Puerto Vallarta.

And the Dream Came True...

YES, WE CAN!

What is different about being married?

Lately, we are getting this question a lot: So, what is different about being married? And to be honest our reply is, “Absolutely nothing.” This question has got Mr. Cookie and I wondering why we got legally married.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Mr. Cookie with all my heart and soul, but we really didn’t need a piece of paper or a pastor pronouncing us husband and wife to seal the marriage deal. We were married in our hearts a long time ago.

Sans a marriage certificate, we’ve been leading a nuclear family lifestyle. We eat breakfast and dinner together every evening – I do the majority of the cooking but Mr. Cookie knows his way around the kitchen! I clean up the bathrooms, while Mr. Cookie has doggie poo duty. Mr. Cookie pays for the mortgage, while I pay off my student loans. And we both take care of our beautiful Pomeranian. We called it domestic partner bliss.

But Mrs. Cookie isn’t one of the advantages to getting married a tax break? Actually, not for us Cookies. Ever heard of the marriage penalty? Well, the marriage penalty is going to hit us hard this year, and that means no tax breaks for the Cookie. If you would like a longer explanation of the marriage penalty ask Mr. Cookie, he is the financial analyst in the relationship.

Besides love, what motivated us to get married?

A little over a year ago, Mr. Cookie and I were passing through United States customs after a vacation to Europe – the vacation were Mr. Cookie proposed to me. In the six countries we traveled though, we were always allowed to go through customs together and never once asked if we were married. We approached the United States customs counter together and were promptly asked by the customs agent, “Are you married?” Mr. Cookie replied, “No, but we are engaged.” The customs agent looked directly at me and said, “Madam, you are going to have to wait behind the yellow line.” Ok, so I get the need for security, but we were both a little taken aback by the incident. Mr. Cookie is my partner. He is my family. Why couldn’t I pass through security with him? Six other countries had let us, without question. But without that little piece of paper we were not recognized in the eyes of the United States Government as anything but single. Legally, without that little piece of paper we had no rights as a couple.

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Joanne Mock, left, and Beth Kerrigan speak to a reporter in front of the Connecticut State Supreme court in Hartford, Conn., on Monday, May 14, 2007. The two are part of the court case Kerrigan & Mock et al v. Connecticut Department of Public Health, which deals with same-sex marriage and will be argued before the state Supreme Court.

In a 4-3 ruling, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Friday that gay couples have the right to marry. The ruling follows behind Massachusetts and California, and Connecticut will be the third state to allow same-sex marriages. To read more about the ruling, I encourage you to read the Associated Press article.

Before getting engaged and our experience through customs, gay marriage wasn’t a matter I paid much attention to. It didn’t seem relevant to my life. However, after our customs encounter Mr. Cookie and I understood what that little piece of paper meant, especially for gay couples, and the right to be married to the person I loved seemed more relevant to my life than ever before.

If there is anything I have learned in my relationship with Mr. Cookie is that sometimes we have to agree to disagree. So, for those the sake of this post, let’s agree to disagree.

Mr. Cookie and I got married because we love one another. We are each others family, we want to be with each other for the rest of our lives, and we want to have the right to be recognized as a married couple in the eyes of the government. I couldn’t even imagine being denied the right to recognized Mr. Cookie as my husband or me as his wife.

Why did you and your partner decide to get married?

The Economic Downturn of Our Guest List

Image © IN Photography

Back in November 2007, we signed the contract for our venue. At that time, gas was inching toward $3 a gallon, and the Feds were still in recession denial. But how could we predict that in the next eleven months the global economy would go from bad to worst? Although, Mr. Cookie and I are yet to feel the pinch of the credit crisis (fingers-crossed), the economic downturn had a hand in slicing and dicing our guest list.

Mr. Cookie and I wanted an intimate wedding – our maximum limit was 100 but expecting no less then 75. I thought with over a 150 invitees, and figuring in an already 40% rejection because for most of our guests this would be a destination wedding, I was almost positive our guest count would no be less than 75. Boy was I mistaken.

As the RSVPs started rolling in around mid-July, we received a steady stream of “declines with regret.” At first Mr. Cookie and I tried to make light of the situation --especially since the declines were from relatives we hadn’t seen in years. However, when some of our “unless the economy was in a crisis, wouldn’t miss your wedding for the world” guests started to decline I knew it was something more than people not liking us or thinking we smelled bad.

My assumption about the economy playing a part in our guest count was confirmed when I called my florist. When I gave her a centerpiece count that was well below my estimated number she simply said, “Don’t’ worry. You are not the only bride that is experiencing a decline in her guest count.”

At first Mr. Cookie and I were devastated not only emotionally but because of the monetary impact. Our venue, Ten Mile Station, has a food and beverage minimum – which included set-up, wait staff, linens, china, tables, chairs, ect. With 75-100 guest, the price of the minimum for the whole shebang was a not cheap, but wasn’t expensive either. Around the middle of August and our guest list hovering around 55, we had to beef up our meal to four courses to even touch our minimum. To this day, I am still struggling with the per person cost, because as a nonprofit event planner, I know I could have done our wedding for so much cheaper.

I was talking to my MOH one day about our guest count, and she put it into perspective, “With the majority of your guests being from out-of-town, the average American vacation time being two weeks, high gas, airline, and food prices how can we ask those that our struggling to come to a wedding?” And she was right, how could I ask those that are trying to make ends meet spend an ever depleting disposable income and vacation time on attending our wedding? It seemed selfish.

In the end, we got our very intimate wedding with a final guest count of 63. To be honest, that number was perfect for us. The love that surrounded us on our wedding day was infectious, and during the ceremony there wasn’t a dry eye among the congregation. Between the pig roast, wedding, and brunch, we got to really talk to and spend quality time with all our guests and especially those who had traveled from afar to witness our nuptials. No matter if our guest count was lower than I expected, our wedding was still magical.

How has the economy impacted your wedding? Is/was your guest count lower than expected?

I'd Have Married Mr. Cookie Without Cake! or No Cake for YOU!

Image © IN Photography

The weeks leading up to the wedding were stressful on varying accounts, but that stress was only exacerbated by a variety of vendors that backed out on us. Yes, you heard that right backed-out!

First, it was my hairstylist. Luckily, she had taken the initiative to already book me with another stylist.

But the icing on the cake, so to speak, was our cake baker.

A month before our wedding, I emailed and/or called all our vendors to confirm details, payments, and whatnot. I emailed our cake baker to confirm delivery time and last minute floral changes. This is the email I received:

"So I'm a little concerned about your cake. I know I have emailed you about it and I never received anything back from you.... I can probably find the email if you need reference. I do require a deposit to save the date. But unfortunately, after I didn't hear back from you, I agreed to be in a friends wedding in Minnesota that weekend and booked a plane ticket. Sorry for any inconvenience..."

Knowing that I had not received any emails, I asked her to send me the emails:

“Can you please send me the emails you emailed me, with the timestamps of when you sent them, as soon as possible! Thanks! Miss Cookie”

Her response:

“I can't seem to find the email... regardless I am not available for your date... I own a small business and require a deposit to save a date. Sorry for any inconvenience.”

A little back story: Per our agreement with Breckenridge Lodging and Hospitality for the use of Ten Mile Station and the catering, the cake was included in our food and beverage minimum. At the time of the contract signing, they had an executive pastry chief on staff that we were required to get our cake from.

About a month after signing the contract, I was told by the catering manager that the executive pasty chief would not longer be providing cakes for Ten Mile Station. They had found another preferred vendor, but we were not required to go through their preferred vendor. We decided to go with the preferred vendor.

At our cake tasting, there was much confusion as to how the deposit for the cake would be handled by the cake baker, the catering manager, and ourselves since the cake, at time of contract signing, was to be paid for through our payment to Breckenridge Lodging and Hospitality. We told the catering manager and the cake baker to work out the deposit and payment of the cake between the two of them, but that we were not going to pay more than agreed upon in our contract. Not hearing another word on the matter, I naively assumed everything had been worked out.

Fast forward to a month before the wedding, and I have just received an email from our now former cake baker. We immediately called the catering manager to inform her of the situation, and in turn she personally called the owner of Blue Moon Bakery to get use another cake in time. The owner, Chief Ben Reil, was a godsend and confirmed that he would be able to back a cake for us. However, with four other weddings that weekend could not deliver it to Ten Mile Station. So, my mother and father were put to the task of picking-up the cake on the wedding day. Also, since the road to Ten Mile Station is gravel road straight up the mountain, our cake had to be modified from the design below for stability purposes.

Image from The Knot Colorado

Image © IN Photography

In the end, at least we had cake. It looked and tasted fine, but I was a little bummed that it wasn’t what I had envisioned. What got my goat about the situation was the unprofessionalism by the cake baker. She had my cell number; she could have called me to discuss the deposit. We potentially would have been without a cake on our wedding. Although, Mr. Cookie put it all into perspective when he asked me, “Honey, would you have married me without a wedding cake?” To which I replied, “Sweetheart, I would marry you without wedding cake any day.”

Did you have any vendors back out at the last minute? Or did a wedding detail not turn out as you had envisioned it?

Reflections on an Autumn Day

My poor, poor personal blog. I am so sorry to abandon you!

I've had a request, in light of eHarmony's purchase of Weddingbee, to re-post my recap for those who no longer visit Weddingbee on my personal blog. How could I refuse? Here is a post I did, pre-eHarmony announcement, but it really is the introduction to my recap. I hope you enjoy!
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We’re back! And two sun toasted Cookies later, it’s back to the daily grind.

Puetro Vallarta was amazing, slow, scenic, and overflowing with tequila. And after our whirlwind wedding weekend, it's just what us cookies needed. A tropical paradise with nothing to do but just be! Perfect!

I can only describe our wedding as magical. I know cliché , but that was seriously how we both felt. Once I saw Mr. Cookie for the first time as I was walking down the aisle -- tears streaming down his face -- the world melted away...

However, the closer and closer we got to the wedding, the more crazy life became. So, I've got a lot of back stories to share with the hive. But before I get to our honeymoon, bachelorette fiesta, or pig roast I must share with you this photography tease.

Ever since we returned from Mexico, we have been getting a steady tease of wedding photos from our fantastic photographers Mark and Michele, IN Photography. Seriously, you guys rock my socks off! Here's just a quick tease. If you like to see more, check out IN Photography's blog.

All images © of IN Photography

The Favour of your reply...

It's August 1, so that means RSVP are due into my grubby little hands. Please, if you have not done so, put your RSVP in the mail. Also, please circle a meal preference on your RSVP. Merci Boucoup!

Wordle my Vows

So I've been putting together my personal vow to Chris, and here is a visual idea of what it looks like. Enjoy

In Neglect

My poor little blog is in such neglect :( For my 2.5 readers, I'll be back to my old posting self in 4, 3, 2, 1 -- much better. Posting will resume on its regularly scheduled broadcast -- just as soon as I figure out what to blog about!

Knock on Wood

I'm weather stalking Breckenridge! I know it seems a little soon to start the weather stalking process, but I am!

Even though Colorado's climate is dry-as-a-bone, it threatens to storm or rain everyday on cue around 4:00! I kid you not! Breckenridge boast 300 day of sunshine, but afternoon thunderstorms are common. We chose the location because of the picturesque view of the Ten Mile Range, and although I have been assured by the venue that only two ceremonies last year had to go into Plan B action, it's still a little concerning! Especially when, at a recent party that Chris and I attended, I met a bride whose September wedding was interrupted by SNOW! EEK!

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I know I can't control the weather, and we've got Plan B in place. Yet, I took a deep breath when I saw on The Weather Channel's website that September in Breckenridge has the most clear days! But no matter how much I stalk the weather, pray or do good karmic deeds, whatever low pressure system decides to rear its ugly little storm clouds on our day will. So, I've resorted to knocking on wood that the skies will be a bright, brilliant shade of blue for good luck! Also, it doesn't hurt to RSS feed Weather.com in my Google Reader.

Dancing in Three Quarter Time

My dad is an old timer. His first car was a 57' Chevy, and I remember growing-up and listening to the Beach Boys on vinyl. Being the spunky old fart that he is, he loves to retell his glory days playing college football over and over again. Transitioning into the modern age of technology is not my dad’s thing. He has a computer that he barely knows how to use and doesn’t own a cell phone.

Now reaching his mid-sixties, my dad loves to dance! He knows the jitterbug like no on else and dances like an old pro. Needless to say, picking a song for our Father/Daughter Dance has been a challenge. It would seem more apropos to my dad’s personality to have an upbeat song to dance to, but being the only girl in the family our wedding is very sentimental to him. We’ve narrowed it down to two songs, “Fathers and Daughters” by Paul Simon and “One More For My Baby (And One For the Road)” by Frank Sinatra. Which song do you think we should choose?

“Fathers and Daughters” by Paul Simon


“One More For My Baby (And One For the Road)” by Frank Sinatra

Our Wedding Brought To You By Dr. Pepper and Snapple

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Weddings are expensive, and it seems like every time Chris and I say "wedding" the price seems to triple, if not quadruple. I think what is even worse is the nickle and diming -- corking fees, cake cutting fees, food shortage surcharges, photography usage fees -- it's vendors trying to squeeze every last penny out of you! Chris and I want to have a nice wedding, but we don't want to auction off our first child to do so! But one bride did just that! Well, not auctioning off her first child, but auctioning off a spot as a bridesmaid on Ebay to pay for her wedding.

Have you seen this article? It came across my RSS news feed yesterday. Apparently, a bride in Virginia auctioned off a spot as a bridesmaid to the highest bidder on Ebay in order to pay for her $7,000 wedding. With a combined income of $32,000 and a 1-year old, the couple was on a tight budget, so they turned to Ebay to offset the expenses. Who is the lucky winner? Dr. Pepper and Snapple! Not only did the company up the bid to $10,000, but is launching an online competition to decide who the bridesmaid will be -- with talk of a surprise celebrity. I have to give the couple major props for being creative! Now, they can not only afford the wedding, but the honeymoon as well.

This article begs asking the question --is this the new bridal trend: corporate wedding sponsorship? Chris and I are really trying hard to stay on budget, but I know that I couldn't have a corporate brand plastered among our decorations to offset expenses. I know the bride didn't mean for Dr. Pepper to be their wedding sponsor, but I have to admit my antidisestablishment side is fuming. What next is in the corporatization of America?

Hi Ho, Hi Ho...It's Off to Breck We Go!

Since none of our families had seen our venue, we decided to take a little trek up into the mountain to Breckenridge on Saturday. Like I said in yesterday's post, when Chris and I toured the venue in November it was ski season – not only was the patio where we would get married buried under snow, but the dinning room was converted into a café for skiers. Now that all the snow had melted and ski session was over, we could get a better picture of what the location would look like on our wedding day. So, my FFIL, FMIL, FSIL, my mom, Chris, and myself piled into our cars and drove up to Breckenridge to look at Ten Mile Station. The hour and half drive along I-70 is stunning!

When Chris and I toured the venue in November, we took the chair lift up to the Ten Mile because the road was buried in 6 feet of snow. Now that all the snow had melted, we could take the dirt road up. I am really glad we did this because finding the road in town is really, really tricky. Addition to my to-do list: 1. Make signs to point our guests in the right direction.

First off in our tour of Ten Mile: Inside. Lucky for us, they were setting up for a wedding, but unfortunately I couldn't meet with my coordinator, Britton, as she was hosting another wedding at one of the other Breckenridge Lodging and Hospitality sites. Another coordinator, Helen, graciously gave us a little tour of the facility and answered all of my questions.

Above, the bar/cocktail area. I really like how it is off to the side and separate from the dinning room. If too full, guests can spill off onto the patio. I did a count of the tables and after counting 8 High-Tops (I thought there was only 4), the Michael Miller Dandy Damask linens might be cut for cost. GRRRRRR! I want to think of a way to incorporate the fabric. Any ideas?

In the pictures is my FFIL, as well as our guest book table, escort card table, monitors for a slideshow, and table for appetizers. A some point in the evening the table for appetizers will go away and this area will be used as our dance floor. Off to the right hand side and not pictured is a little alcove for the DJ.

The big issue that we discovered were the tablecloths. In our pricing basic tablecloths are included, so I just went with them; however, this is what the basic tablecloths looks like --unpressed and dropped only a few inches off of the table. Although, I could potentially look past this, it just doesn't look good. Addition to my to-do list: 2. Hunt for better linens. Next up on our tour: Outside.

Above is a photo of Chris, his parents, and his sister.

This is the patio where Chris and I will get married. I love, love, love the long walk down the aisle! And the mountains in the background! *sigh*

In this photo you are seeing my FFIL and myself discussing the grate issue. Right were I will be standing there is a grate that I could potentially get my heels caught in. I can just image myself happy, tearful Cookie blissfully staring into Chris' eyes and then !!!!BAM!!! nose dive into the pavement. Although the aisle runner will cover it, there needs to be something hard underneath to prevent heel and bodily damage. Addition to my to-do list: 3. Cover for grate.

A photo of Chris and myself in the exact spot where we will get married. *sigh*

And finally on our tour I leave you with this: my sunburn. That's right, on Friday I did a whole post about the altitude, but did I even think of putting sunscreen on my shoulders, no! Although, I did put it on my face! I was only out in the sun for 30 minutes max, but at 10,000 feet the sun is 40% stronger. I am really hoping it will fade by September, but I have a tan line from a burn last year on my back that still hasn't faded. Oh, well. Addition to my to-do list: 4. Apply aloe vera to burn liberally.

A Little Something Special

Yesterday, Chris surprised me with a dozen Black Magic Roses. Unbeknowst to him, these are the exact roses that will be in my bouquet. They are beautiful, stunning, and a I cried when he gave them to me. I don't really need or want a lot of material things, but once in a while it's just nice to get some flowers from my honey! I truly love this man!

At Altitude

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Since Chris and I are getting married at an elevation of 10,234 feet, I feel it's necessary to warn your about the possibility of altitude sickness. To be honest, I don't think anybody will get sick. I am really more concerned about the affects of altitude on our older guests rather then the younger ones, but it affects people differently. And with all the debauchery, shenanigans, and inebriation that I know will ensue at the wedding, I thought I would give you guys a heads-up.

What is altitude sickness? The above photo is a of the sign from Mount Evans, one of Colorado's Fourtenners, warning about the dangers of high altitude. According to WebMD, "Altitude sickness occurs when you cannot get enough oxygen from the air at high altitudes. This causes symptoms such as a headache and not feeling like eating. It happens most often when people who are not used to high altitudes go quickly from lower altitudes to 8000 ft or higher. For example, you may get a headache when you drive over a high mountain pass, hike to a high altitude, or arrive at a mountain resort.
Mild altitude sickness is common. In the United States, more than 20% of people visiting the western mountains have it.1 Experts do not know who will get it and who will not. Your age, being male or female, and how physically fit you are play no role in whether you get altitude sickness."

Really the best way to avoid altitude sickness is to acclimate, which is the process of adjusting to the decreasing levels at lower altitudes before accending to high ones. Unbeknowst to you, we have devised a plan to acclimate you to the altitude. Since many of you are traveling from sea level or slightly higher, we asked that youstay a night in Denver before heading up into the high country, not only to acclimate, but to enjoy our rehearsal dinner. At 5,900 feet (the elevation that Chris and I live) you will begin the acclimation process while dining on roasted pig without even knowing it.

Also on our web site, I have a devoted a special page to all topics related to mountain health: altitude sickness, the affects of alcohol and caffeine at altitude, weather, and sun exposure. Although none of you are climbing Mount Everest to get to our wedding, I want all you to have a good time. The last thing I want is for you to be stuck in their hotel room sick and miss all the fun!

The Short and the Long

I have always had straight, short hair. When I was five, my mother cut my hair into the infamous Dorothy Hammil haircut. Although, I had several different hair-dos --including really bad perms in the early 90s --for the next fourteen years of my life I had nothing but straight, short hair.

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In college, my short hair was fantastic. I would roll out of bed, grab a quick shower, blow dry my hair, toss a little product, and run out the door. No fuss, no mess. I loved it! To illustrate how short my hair was, below is a photo of me, circa 2005. Please note the differences and similarities to the Dorothy Hammil do.

After college and right before I met Chris, I decided out-of-the-blue that I was done with the straight, short hair and decided to grow it out. So long Dorothy Hammil! Now, this was a major decision, hair altering decision considering I had spent almost 24 years with short hair. As my hair grew longer, I started to play around with all the different styles: flat, curly, and up-dos to see what I liked best. For my friend's wedding--where Chris and I would meet -- I decided to go curly. Below is Stacy(future bridesmaids) on her wedding day and myself.

Remember, Chris and I were in a long distance relationship. In between the day we met and the next time Chris saw me again was six gruelling weeks. Literally, the second phrase out of his mouth the moment we saw one another again was, "I thought you had curly hair? You had curly hair at the wedding." Subsequent photos and baby pictures would convince him otherwise.

When thinking about my hair style for the wedding, I thought back to the day we met and my curly hair. Now, my hair is longer than I have ever had it, and would be perfect for some long loose curls. So, I took the below image of Katherine McPhee hair at her wedding this weekend to my hairstylist for a pseudo hair trial.

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Here is how it turned out, and me trying to get a good hair shot in our bathroom mirror. I love it! My veil won't be done until the middle of July, but when I go for my cut and color in August I'll be able to take it to do the real hair trial. Below is my hair, eight hours later. The curls fell out a little more than I would have liked, but I think it still looks good.

Although, my long hair is defiantly growing on me, I am half tempted just to chop-off my hair after the wedding and go back to my short hair days.