Guest Blogger: Fishboy

Editor's Note: Fishboy was getting jealous that he hadn't had a chance to tell the story of how we met so I decided to give him the chance to tell his side, even though we all know the REAL story can be found here

The very first time we met, my father and I were dropping of a ladder at the neighbor’s house. And a friend of mine introduced us. The funny part of this is Fishie remembers my father dropping off the ladder, but not me.

Probably a year later, Fishie texted me for something; what I don’t remember. That’s not the important part though. Well we got to talking then Fishie invited me to her apartment. I sat and chatted with her and her roommate for a couple hours while we watched a couple of movies. We continued to talk, off and on, for months after that. One night we were chatting while I was in Rice Lake for school and she was at her apartment in Chippewa Falls. She wanted to see a movie, so we did a little arguing about which theater to go to and eventually Fishie ended the argument by saying “Get in your pretty little car and drive!” So I met Fishie at the theater in Rice Lake for our first official date. We went to see “The Dark Night.” And yes I know what you’re thinking that’s a very appropriate movie for a first date. But I think it went great. We said good night and I headed back to my apartment. No kiss, yep I know I wimped out.

A month or so after that, we started making the trip to each other’s towns to meet for dates few movies, dancing once,and Irvine Park in Chippewa once or twice. What triggered us to say we were really boyfriend/girlfriend officially one night we were sitting at my apartment watching movies with my roommate, Alex, he was on the phone with someone, then stopped and said “I don’t know let me check.” He proceeded to ask Fishie and myself if we were boyfriend/girlfriend. I looked at Fishie and said “do you want to?” Fishie said “sure”. There you go its official we are boyfriend/girlfriend.

That brings up a pretty funny story. If you ask me I said the date above was Wednesday August 20th 2008, but if you ask Fishie she thinks the date was Thursday August 21st 2008. We’ve argued over this fact numerous times. Fishie’s reason for Thursday was on every Wednesday I headed to Chippewa to mentor at my church. Don’t tell Fishie but I think she is right after thinking about it. But shhhh don’t tell her, super secret.

This also brings up how we picked the date to get married. Fishie said I had to pick the date; I did some serious waffling on this. I didn’t know when to pick it I proposed why should I have to pick this one too. Anyway after arguing again on what day we started officially dating on. I happen to notice my day August 20th was on a Saturday in 2011 so thus that’s the date I choose to get married. But then, we changed the date later for a number of reasons to August 19th.

The proposal is a great story, I had all kinds of all ideas, some of which were hinted from Fishie. But anyway I hear about a good one of putting a ring on the cat’s collar. Right away I had a thought run though my mind of our cat jump up on the bed and show her the note and there be no ring, and then we spend the rest of the night looking for the ring. So that one is a no go. So I had this thought of making Fishie dinner and get her sitting down and watch a movie and then propose to her. But Fishie shot me in the foot with that one by starting supper on me, so all I got to make was the easy part the instant mashed potatoes. Then we started watching the movie Fargo, just because it was on the TV. Also being nervous I just handed her the box. If you ask Fishie she says I threw it at her, but she’s crazy like that. Anyways then I asked her if she would marry me. Again if you ask her, she says that I threw the box at her and said “you have to say yes first.” She responds with “you have to ask me a question first.” Then I asked her the question “will you marry me”. But as we all know Fishie remember this funny. So believe whatever story you like. Just remember that I’m right.

While  I was proposing to Fishie, my parents were in New York City on vacation. Right after I proposed we called the parents. Well Fishie called her parents and family, I texted mine. Anyways my mom runs to my father, all excited, and said “Andrew proposed!” my father’s response was “he proposed what?” To be honest if my mother ran to me and said the same line I would probably say the same thing.

Side story that just happened in January 2011, Fishie is a big Katy Perry fan so I was going to get her tickets to a concert in Michigan in June. Well we were sitting here at her dads place and all of a sudden she start showing me Katy Perry tickets to a concert in the cities in July. So I kind of make it look like I didn’t want to go, to throw her off the trail. Well I ended up buying the tickets right in front her then tell her that was going to get her tickets for Valentine’s Day. Well she felt horrible after the fact because she egged me on for not wanting to go with her. I find this story funny thought I just throw it for you reading pleasure.

You Drove HOW Far?

I admit it; I drove almost 2 hours to buy...wait for it...PAPER! 

 Saturday morning, Fishboy was kind enough to indulge my desire for pretty paper. He woke up at the crack of dawn (otherwise known as 8:30am) and drove over 100 miles to Anchor Paper in Plymouth Minnesota (btw Minnesota/Wisconsin brides if you want pretty paper I highly recommend driving out Anchor Paper) first we stopped at Paper Depot, a scrapbooking store in Minneapolis, but since our invitations are going to be a little larger it wasn't going to work just using regular 12x12 paper which is what Paper Depot sold. 

  We ventured onto Anchor Paper where we wandered into their craft supply storefront first and then...we hit the motherlode! Otherwise known as Anchor Paper's warehouse! Fishboy and I wandered back into the warehouse looked at the paper and told the lady what we wanted and she cut the paper while we waited. We walked out $200 poorer with gorgeous paper and envelopes. 

Added bonus? Since we had the paper custom cut we were able to keep all of the scraps from the cutting so we have enough paper to last us throughout any paper projects we could possibly come up with.

Did we go to far? Yes, we could've ordered the paper online Anchor Paper does sell their paper online. However, A) we saved money going to the warehouse and picking it up and B) I thought I was going to get 80# paper and wound up with 105# paper and since they don't allow returns I would have been up chocolate creek without a popsicle stick.

Cakes Vs. Desserts

I have a confession to make...I don't like cake. There, I said it. I do not like cake, in fact I'm not a huge sweets fine at all. Fishboy on the other hand has a pretty decent sized sweet tooth. In comes the new trend hitting weddings, dessert bars!

I love me some cheescake, brownies are yummy, rice krispy bars don't stand a chance around me, and if you add scotcheroos mmm I'm hooked. Fishboy likes almost all the same things except for the cheesecake, plus he loves pie.

Now, here's the problem. I'm torn between the dessert bar and cake. Mostly because cake is traditional and our wedding could use a little bit more tradition, plus with my family there are certain things you don't mess with and their traditions are one of them. I love love love the idea of serving a bunch of our favorite desserts but at the same time I have a few reservations...

1. Time; will I have time to cook up enough desserts for 200 people before the wedding?
2. Money; can we afford to have a bunch of different desserts?
3. Legal; will the reception site let us bring in our own desserts?
4. Tradition; how can I still have the cake cutting without the cake?

What's your opinion? Should I go with my gut and serve desserts or stick with tradition and serve the cake?

Shhh...be vewy vewy quiet...(part 2)

Alright so when we last left off Fishboy, and I along with his parents for one session had traipsed around the Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls area looking for the "perfect" venue for our kick ass reception. What we found was bad 1980's flowers on the wall, crowded basement banquets, and deer asses on the walls.

Need some visual reminders?

 Make note of the flowers hanging from the lights-yeah, bad 1980's flowers on the wall.

 It's not encouraging when they can stack the chairs almost all the way up to the ceiling-crowded basement banquet.

This one is pretty self-explanitory-deer ass on the wall, and from the looks of it I think it needs to go to the bathroom.



What do bad flowers, crowded basements, and deer asses mean for our kick-ass reception? Well, Fishboy and I had to go back to the drawing board and do some more internet searching. I don't have many pictures from the other sites because well, Fishboy's camera needed to be used for work and always wound up with a dead battery.

We looked at 2 other golf courses, a historic ballroom, and finally gave up on the Eau Claire/Chippewa area and decided to look closer to home. 

Where we found a diamond in the rough-the Off-Broadway Banquet Center which is attached to The Stout Ale House here in Menomonie. The Stout Ale House is home of some of the BEST burgers I've ever tasted and even better they serve Macaroni and Cheese with 3 different kinds of cheeses...mmmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Our families will tell you, the Ale House has quickly become one of our favorite restaurants. There was one week that we ate there at least 3 or 4 times. How did we eat there 3 or 4 times in a week? Well, the first time was because it was Monday and they have 2 for 1 burgers on Monday, then we ate there for fishboy's birthday, and the next day we ate there with Fishboy's parent's for his birthday and finally we ate there with MY family to celebrate my little bro starting college. Can you tell we LOVE the Ale House? When I found out they have a banquet center I figured it would be PERFECT for us.

Fishboy's mad photoskillz strike again, panoramic shot of the site. The green walls aren't really doing it for me but I can deal with a paint color.

 
 Way in the back you can see me talking to the site manager Jay, who's been incredibly awesome by the way. But, more importantly we're standing by the bar-in the room! No having to leave to get drinks but since it's attached to the restaurant the guests can still go out and grab a special drink if they want.




 



I love love love, the light fixtures. I think the tulle was taken down after we toured which is fine with me.






 

 The dance floor is on the opposite side of the room from the bar, which I like just because then I don't have to worry about drunken guests trying to boogie down and spilling their drinks everywhere.

Another example of Fishboy's photoskillz, panoramic shot from the back.




Well, let's hear you're opinion of our venue. Granted the pictures don't really do the place justice. No one really liked it in pictures but once the families got to see it in person they were loving it. 


Pros

• Very self-contained. Bar, buffet, dancing, everything happens in this one large room
• There's our own private bathrooms
• They'll serve their fabulous burgers on a build your own burger buffet

Cons

• Ceremony is in Chippewa Falls, 40 minutes away from the reception
• Sorry, but I can't think of any other cons for this place!

Yes, we're serving burgers and fries at the reception. I've already cleared it with the reception site! What's your opinions of this place? Is a 40 minute drive too much or just enough?

STD's Follow-Up

Every responsible person knows that STDs require follow-up care-you can't let them just fester and not take care of them right? Well, my follow-up care is trying to get over the fact that no one has taken the time to acknowledge them. This makes for a very sad Fishie... 

I sent my cute little cards out into the world and granted I didn't expect flourishes of phone calls, texts, emails, or what have you but it would be nice to hear from someone that all my hard work was totally worth it.

In case you've forgotten, here's our lovely cards...
 

How could no one tell me how awesome they are? Not just that but how can I know if the ones we mailed made it to their intended targets? Grr...it's frustrating and kills my DIY buzz all in one shot!
Have you ever not gotten a response when you wanted one? Should I let this kill my buzz or just move on and keep on with all the projects I have planned?

Dressing the Princesses

 Remember when I told you here that Groomswoman Mulan made for a verry interesting dress shopping experience? Well, since Groomswoman Jasmine was home from college this past week I gathered the 3 bridal party princesses that I could and we made a trip out to the Bridal Shoppe in Eau Claire where I bought my dress. Shannon, the same woman who's helped me pick out my dress, the tuxes, and even our flowers (she owns Chippewa Valley Floral too, if there are any Chippewa Valley brides looking for their gowns I HIGHLY recommend Shannon and the Bridal Shoppe)  was kind enough to help these princesses find their dresses.



Groomswoman Jasmine trying on a black one shoulder. The only requirements I gave the girls was that the dress had to be black. I told them I preferred tea length but if they weren't comfortable with it being that short I understood. Was I too lenient with the girls? Probably but like I kept telling them-I wanted them comfortable and wearing something that made them feel fabulous.









 Groomswoman Jasmine trying on the strapless version of the one shoulder dress. 









Groomswoman Mulan, in the one blurry photo I was able to capture of her wearing a dress. Poor girl, none of the sample dresses were quite in her size so she wasn't really able to find anything that she was comfortable in. Plus, what she likes style-isticly wasn't quite fitting her figure. Since she NEVER wears dresses, she wasn't quite sure what she wanted. I helped her figure it out though so by the end of the day she had a little better idea of what she should be wearing.




Bridesmaid Ariel tried on a gorgeous purple halter that would be ordered in black. This was my favorite for her but I could tell it wasn't her favorite and that's what really mattered












Ironically, Bridesmaid Ariel and Groomswoman Mulan both liked this brown dress. They decided it looked better on Ariel.











This was Groomswoman Jasmine's favorite dress. I wasn't too keen on it but I couldn't get past the salmon color even though I knew it'd be ordered in black.





 
 
 Bridesmaid Ariel gave me her best "fierce" model pose. All three girls tried on at least one version of this black dress, it came strapless, halter, and one shoulder.












After we left the Bridal Shoppe, I treated the princesses to some lunch at Panera Bread. Once we were properly fed and refueled we headed over to Oakwood Mall and hit up Macys, JC Penny, Deb, Yonkers, and couldn't find ANY black dresses that looked even remotely appropriate. Since it was the day after New Year's weekend they had short skimpy New Year's Eve dresses and Old Lady Matronly dresses. Not appropriate for a group of 20-ish sassy women. Then we went to David's Bridal and although the girls could all find dresses they were all kind of chintzy quality and not flattering at all. 


All in all we had fun and it was a good bonding experience. What do you think? Was I too lenient with the girls, should I just pick a dress for them?

Ode to the USPS

Blogger Note: I meant to write this post back when I mailed out our STDs but my bridal ADD kicked in and I got distracted.

Oh, United States Postal Service, you have become the bane of my existence. Why must you keep increasing rates and coming out with butt ugly stamps for me to put on my pretty Save The Date cards? Why must you have completely unreasonable office hours and no available parking spots that make it impossible for me to get there in time to buy the butt ugly stamps? 

Now, I'll admit it-I don't necessarily blame to post office for having to raise their rates. With email, facebook, texting, and what not the art of actually sending mail has gone by the wayside. But, that doesn't mean that I have to be saddled with butt ugly stamps.

I walked into the Post Office wanting this stamp. Pretty wedding cake stamp, perfect amount of postage for what I needed.  

Instead the post office wanted me to walk out with this stamp...

 Now, I'm not racist and it wasn't the fact that it was a black man on the stamp that made me not want it-it was the fact that it WASN'T the pretty wedding cake stamp that I wanted. I almost had a bridezilla moment and tried fighting with the poor postal worker over the stamp but instead I bit my tongue and tried to find a compromise...

The compromise was the pretty "Love" purple flowers that don't go with our theme but it's an envelope and most people are just going to throw it away anyway. We just have to add the ugly blue big horn sheep stamp and then it's enough postage to get our magnets out the door and on their way to the right people.

As for the crappy hours and parking spots? Yeah, ummm who the heck closes the post office at 4:30 in the afternoon? Not only that but if you walk through that door at 4:29 they're already closing up shop and won't even sell you stamps. Their parking lot was a one way and I couldn't figure out which was the "right" one way. 

Did you have problems with the USPS? What do you think of the compromise stamps? Should I have just sucked it up and put the ugly black man stamp on the envelope? Which reminds me, anyone know who that guy is? I know I could google it but I figure if someone else knows that'll save me some time.

Our Princess Army

Fishboy and I have been blessed to have been surrounded by some wonderful women in our lives who've been there for us through thick and thin and whom we cannot imagine getting married with out them standing up there with us. And since every little girl dreams of being a princess on their wedding day, and to protect their fragile anonymity, I've decided to give our ladies the names of some of the most famous princesses I know- the Disney Princesses. So...without further ado I present, our very own army of princesses!

We'll start with his side of the aisle and yes, he's having women on his side cause we're non-conformists like that. 


First up...Groomswoman Mulan, aka: Fishboy's best friend and the only other woman other then me that he hangs out with on a regular basis. why Mulan? Well, I'm pretty sure that if you cross her she could kick your butt plus, Mulan spends most of the movie dressed like a man and GW Mulan hasn't worn a dress since she was a youngster. Which made for a verrrry interesting dress shopping experience (another story for another post).

Next, Goomswoman Jasmine, aka: Fishboy's younger sister. Why Jasmine? Well, cuz Jasmine didn't need Aladdin to save her, she saved herself from Jafar and was able to stand up for herself to the Sultan. Making her a very strong and confident woman just like GW Jasmine...but not afraid to put on her sassy pants and let you know exactly what she thinks.









And on my side...well, I have three very sassy women of my own. Bridesmaids Belle, Ariel, and Snow White.



 First, Maid of Honor Belle, aka: my older sister. Why Belle? Well, other then the fact that her FAVORITE movie of all time is Beauty and The Beast-she can tackle any beast that comes her way, especially when that beast is a certain sister with an upcoming wedding. She can calm me down and reminds me that at the end of the day it's my wedding and I'm the one who has to be happy.

Next in line, we have Bridesmaid Snow White. Snow and I have been best friends since she moved into my Grandmother's old house and we used to play hide and seek (my favorite spot was in the shower, unfortunately I managed to injure myself in a particularly competitive game) Why Snow White? As you can see, she has a knack with wild furry critters. Including a wild and crazy bride to be.

Last but by no means least, we have Bridesmaid Ariel. Ariel is my cousin but we're as close as sisters. Her parents are my godparents and my parents are hers so we've always joked that we're "godsisters". Why Ariel? Because she's always dreaming of being part of someone else's world. She's very empathetic and caring, which is a good thing since she's going to school for psychology.








There you have it! We've assembled an army of strong, confident, sassy women. Even if it's non-traditional to have women on both sides of the aisle we're comfortable with the women we've chosen and can't imagine having it any other way.
Is it a bad thing to be non-traditional and have men and women on both sides of the aisle? Yup, we're having men on both sides too-but that's another story for another post.