One step closer

Last night Jason and I went to our first appointment with a caterer. We didn't know what to expect but we did know we were going to be tasting some food and I brought my wedding books and a list of questions I wanted to make sure to ask the caterer.

(I don't want to name names, or the company... since we are checking out a few different caterers)

I chose three caterers from a list that the Vine Hill house provided. They work very closely with the vendors for the weddings they host and like to use the same vendors that they know will be very professional. Jason, unaware of what caterers we were going to meet, came home the other night excited about a caterer one of his clients highly recommended. When he told me the name, I laughed and said, "That's the caterer we are meeting with tomorrow night." Jason was then more excited because of the high recommendation and the fact that he could name drop.

Once we arrived we met with the owner and she showed us to a picnic table, set under a great oak tree, with two table placings. She had opened a bottle of Syrah and had us sit down and pour some wine. (Already I was loving this, Jason too) She is an extremely nice and very professional woman. She has owned this company serving Sonoma County 30+ years and has done parties for Governor Davis as well as other high-profile clients. The chef came out shortly after we arrived and introduced himself as well. He was Bobby Flay's sous chef when he lived in New York and came to work for this caterer when he moved out here about a year ago.

We talked a little about what Jason and I do and Jason was able to tell her of the client that recommended her and she was thrilled to hear it. Apparently he uses her for every type of event he hosts, so she knows him very well.

The chef then brought out some appetizers for us to taste, (this menu we were tasting was based on an event they were preparing for today, they customize menus based on what the clients want so they don't have a "set" menu.) a salad and then the main dishes. Everything was wonderful and we were able to talk to both her and the chef about the ideas we have.

She is really particular to how we want the wedding to flow, where we want the food to be, when the food should be out, etc. They run on a timeline and will let us know when to do the toast, first dance, cutting of the cake, etc. so we (or our guests) don't have to think about it. She also told us how much she loves the Vine Hill House and how they make sure that everything is perfect and runs smoothly throughout the night. They take care of all the rentals, the set-up and break-down, the servers and the bartenders which is great because once we settle on a caterer I can cross off a million things off my list.

All and all we really enjoyed our time with them, loved the food and look forward to seeing the proposal they will make up for us next week. Although Jason was getting a little carried with all the food he was suggesting so I think we'll have to revise it a bit to bring down the cost to consider.

We had so much fun and are looking forward to our next meeting. We are going out to Calistoga this coming Monday to meet with the next caterer at 4pm. I thought it would be fun to take the convertible for a nice drive and go a little bit earlier so we can sit outside at the Calistoga Inn and have a cocktail. Now that we have already done one meeting we know what to expect so it'll be interesting to compare.

I was finally able to talk to my (very popular) Uncle about performing our ceremony. He's a musician and has been touring a lot so we have been emailing back and forth but haven't had a chance to talk on the phone. So we had a very nice conversation this morning and we he will do the ceremony! Jason and I are very excited! Another thing taken care of! :)

Tonight Jason and I have two parties to attend. The first is a sangria party which we'll be arriving late since we both work but we'll at least be able to hang out for an hour or so. Then we are going to Matt and Laura's for Laura's birthday party. The are good friends of ours and we haven't hung out in a while so I'm excited to see them.

Tomorrow after work I'm going to Kela's bridal shower which will be so much fun! Whew! And then the week is over! It goes by so fast! :)