The Party's Over...

It's time to call it a day... Ok, that is a vague musical theater reference! But alas, the wedding is over and we are back in Minnesota and we truly did have the time of our lives!!! Everything went so well, it's just hard to believe. And it did what everyone said it would and went by REALLY fast! I can't wait to get pictures back because half the time I think I was out of body.

All of our planning and hard work and decision making paid off in a big way and a few people even told us it was the best wedding they've ever been too! The best part of it all was getting to see all my friends back together again! I know everyone was having a great time hanging out, catching up and reminiscing about the old days. It's also fun to see old friends meet new ones. We had a rental house (which was amazing, by the way) and it was 50/50 California folks and Minnesota folks and thankfully it turned out to be 100% fun!! Everyone really got along, and that means a lot to me.

The rehearsal dinner at The Crane Melon Farm was so much fun! There were even tractor rides and homemade food cooked by Mrs. Crane herself (the farm's wife)! All in all it was an amazing time that I know Christian and I will cherish for the rest of our lives! Thank you to everyone who took part in our wedding week!

xoxo,
Mr. & Mrs. Oestreich

2 Weeks Until the BIG Day!!!

And Christian and I are leaving for Santa Rosa! We can't wait to see everyone and finally get to show you all what we've done for the wedding and for what we have planned for the days before and after the wedding! I mean how bad can wine tasting, lunch at Coppola Winery, brunch after the wedding and trips to the redwoods and beach be?!?! Can't wait.... xoxo, Lisa Harman (for now)!

Happy Labor Day (20 days away...)

Wow, wow, wow... We are in the home streatch or as Christian says, "The hay is in the barn!"

1 Month until our Big Day!!

Ok folks, we are at T-31 days until the wedding!!!

If you haven't RSVP'd by now, you are late!! But don't worry, you can still RSVP, please send us your response card and also give us a call or shoot me an email... I think a few of you will be receiving a phone call from me, my parents, or Christian in the next couple of days... We also suspect that a few response cards have been lost in the mail, which is a bummer!!

We finally booked our flights, we have some of our paper products in the works, the bridal party has outfits, Tina (my sister in law) is all over the candy buffet, our wedding 'day of' coordinator Lindsey is awesome and both of our wedding bands are finished and in our hot little hands!! There are a lot of other things going on too, but I won't bore you with them!!

It's all very exciting! Please visit our website, as we hope to keep adding this and that over the next couple of weeks!!!

xoxo,
Lisa

Move over TomKat and Brangelina!

Try this 'Name Game' to see your celeb-style moniker, then tell us what it is in the comment box!!

http://www.weddingchannel.com/thenamegame.html#

http://bit.ly/9AKleu

XOXO,
Lichristian Hoestreich (yes, I guess I said HOestreich...shoot!!)

Invitations are OUT!!!

And response cards are already coming back to us! It's great that people have been responding so quickly, I'm just curious who I'm going to have to call before the wedding and say "Hey, are you coming or not?!?" Tee hee... We were a few invitations short of our guest list but we were able to order a few more invitations and we hope to get those out ASAP.

It's all happening! This week I am determined to figure out what we are going to do for what I call the 'paper goods', programs, menu, favors, guestbook, etc... Wish me luck!

Also, we are at a three week countdown for Christian's Ironman race in Northern California! I'm heading down to Southern California after the race to visit friends and have a little 'Bachelorette Party' with my SoCal girlfriends! Should be a good time! I can't wait to go hiking and see the ocean and I can't wait to see everyone! It's been over a year now since I've been in Southern Cal!

This summer in Minneapolis has kept us busy as well... It seems that our weekend schedule every weekend is booked solid! We have wedding showers, birthday parties, happy hours, Bachelorette parties, visits from out of town friends (Hi Ashley and Sarah) and family (Hi Mom and Auntie Char), and triathlon races almost every weekend (at least that's what it seems like)! Summer in Minnesota is embraced and loved by all! I just hope we have enough time to get ready for the wedding (and maybe some time to relax too while we're at it)!

Happy Summer and talk to you again soon! I will post a few pictures from our trip when I get back!

OMG, the wedding seems "real" today.

I have been on the phone and communicating via email with vendors all day! I've talked to everyone (it seems), I've talked to our day of coordinator, the party rental company, the DJ, the ceremony musicians, and I've spend the most time talking to my fabulous 'Local Arrangements Person', Sue Harman aka Mom. She is awesome and so is my Dad!! They are so helpful and I couldn't do all of this without them. They are always willing to help and happy to go look at something or share their opinions about things (which I actually do appreciate)! So THANK YOU both!!!!

Also, Mom, I think we should start a party planning business!! What do you say? We have good ideas and when we put our minds to it, we get things DONE! We just shouldn't start working too early in the morning as neither one of us is a morning person....

Let the good times roll!

Ever Seen a Sushi Wedding Cake?!?

Me neither... But here is one, just for fun!!! We will NOT be having this at our wedding.

Every Bride To Be's must have's.... (repost!!)

So, summer is upon us and I can't wait to go lay in the sun (something I haven't been able to do for about 6 months here in Minnesota)! But wait! My dress is strapless, I can't have tan lines!! That got me to thinking about a lot of our bridal needs....

Here is my short MUST HAVE list for the modern bride to be.... ENJOY!

1. The Bandeau bikini top. I recommend Victoria's Secret online, they have a ton of mix and match colors of swimsuits and they are very affordable!

2. SUNSCREEN. Seriously, all summer long, no matter what you are wearing, ladies, we need to keep our skin beautiful for our big day! I love my Lancôme SÔLEIL ultra expert sun care, SPF 50 (it's intense but great to mix with your face lotion in the morning)!!

3. Aveda Dry Remedy Moisturizing Conditioner. I use it once a week! I need it since I'm trying to grown out my hair for the big day! Really, I just love all of Aveda products.....

4. A Vampire Novel. Ladies, we have a lot on our minds right now! Planning, calling, booking, budgeting, shopping, searching, crafting, the list goes on! You don't need to bog yourself down with deep, meaningful, intellectual novels! You need sexy, blood sucking boys and the girls who love with them (no matter the cost)! At least until after the wedding.... I recommend The Vampire Diaries, The Twilight Series, and my personal favorite The Sookie Stackhouse Series (aka TrueBlood). Have I read all of these? Maybe. Do I own some of them? Maybe. Do I have one on my bedside stand right now? Maybe.

5. Date Night!!! Christian and I now plan a weekly (ish) date night so that we actually get to spend some time together! Date night doesn't mean "wedding planning night" either, it means going to a movie, dinner, walk in the park, or just hanging out in the backyard! We've had some fun one's too, including bike rides, a play, farmer's market trip, walking along the river and movies at the cheap theater (hey two month old movies are still new to us)!!

I hope this list helps everyone (my future brides Alicia M. and Jenn L. specifically). Enjoy your summer and enjoy the wedding planning because they both go by very fast!!

Some Links to help you get started:

http://www2.victoriassecret.com/landing/?cgnbr=OSSWMZZZZZZ

http://www.consumersearch.com/sunscreen

http://www.aveda.com/products/CATEGORY10515/Hair_Care/Shampoo/index.tmpl

http://www.amazon.com/Sookie-Stackhouse-Books-Charlaine-Harris/dp/0441017770

http://dating.about.com/od/dateideas/a/frugaldateideas.htm

http://www.coolestdates.com/

Engagement Shoot...

Our wedding photographer Michael B. shot our engagement photos a few weeks back and we just got the pictures! We shot in and around the Guthrie Theater and outside of the Mill City Museum (down by the Mississippi river)!! Please visit our wedding website (www.vinowedding.com) where we have some of our favorite shots posted right on the main page!! I'm always nervous taking pictures but I'm happy with the way they turned out. Enjoy!

My Lovely Bridesmaids.... A Photo Journey.

We are working on our website, getting it all cleaned up and ready for you all to come look at it and I decided to look through some pictures of my lovely ladies, so I figured, let's post some fun pics shall we!?! Enjoy....

3 Month's Until... Our Wedding!

Today marks three months until Christian and my wedding date! We are very excited about this...

We've been keeping busy this summer! We've been up to the cabin and I went fishing for the first time since I think I was 12 years old. Christian completed his first full Marathon and then 6 days later he completed his first Half Ironman race!!! He did very well in both races though I think if he were to do it again, he would allow more recovery time in between the two very demanding races. I have a few pics from the Marathon but none from the Ironman (because it was pouring rain out all day and poor Christian limped in at the end after a slight injury to his IT band). We've been to a Twins game at the new stadium and we try to BBQ as much as possible! I heart summer food. Here are some summer event pictures....

Christian & I at the new Target Field!

Christian & his Dad Tom after the Marathon

Christian finishing his first full Marathon!

Lisa's first catch (a lil guy)!!

Christian's 2 Walleye from the Launch trip to Lake Mille Lacs

As for me, I made a trip to Denver to visit one of my bridesmaids who just finished grad school! We had a great time in the city and even got to do some hiking up to the top of the Flat Iron Mountain range!

I've been enjoying the warm weather, working in my garden (which is filled with tomatoes, beets, swiss chard, basil, jalapeno peppers, sage, thyme, and chives)! I will post a pic of some of the great stuff from our garden soon...

I've also been working out A LOT! You know, I'm going to be a bride, I guess it's time to get off my butt and work! It's been going well, I'm feeling a bit more toned and strong and I do have more energy in general! And of course I've been neck deep in wedding stuff... It's amazing how much work you can make for yourself if you try, but it's coming together and I feel like we are in good shape. I don't want to stress about this party but I suppose a little stress is in my nature.

Keep an eye out for an invitation in your mailbox... I'm just saying...

Congratulations to my Brother & New Sister in Law!

Congratulations to Eric (my brother) and his new wife Tina! We had a wonderful (and busy) wedding weekend! Thursday was Tina's wedding shower hosted by her Mother Sally, Friday night was the rehearsal dinner at Johnny Garlic's Restaurant hosted by Larry and Sue Harman and then Saturday was the wedding!!!

Christian did a great job as wedding officiant and we got through our song, Lucky by Jason Mraz! Eric and Tina seemed very happy! Here are a few pictures from my Mom's camera:

The Cake made by the groom! Yes, Eric made his own wedding cake!

Ceremony

Ring Bearer, The "Best Pet" Buddy!

The Harman's

Christian, Me, Tina, & Eric

Eric & The Bridesmaids....

Table Arrangements (By the bride, Tina!)

Christian & I singing 'Lucky' by Jason Mraz

The Bride, Tina, about to toss the bouquet in front of Dad's Cobra!

Every Bride To Be's must have's....

So, summer is upon us and I can't wait to go lay in the sun (something I haven't been able to do for about 6 months here in Minnesota)! But wait! My dress is strapless, I can't have tan lines!! That got me to thinking about a lot of our bridal needs....

Here is my short MUST HAVE list for the modern bride to be.... ENJOY!

1. The Bandeau bikini top. I recommend Victoria's Secret online, they have a ton of mix and match colors of swimsuits and they are very affordable!

2. SUNSCREEN. Seriously, all summer long, no matter what you are wearing, ladies, we need to keep our skin beautiful for our big day! I love my Lancôme SÔLEIL ultra expert sun care, SPF 50 (it's intense but great to mix with your face lotion in the morning)!!

3. Aveda Dry Remedy Moisturizing Conditioner. I use it once a week! I need it since I'm trying to grown out my hair for the big day! Really, I just love all of Aveda products.....

4. A Vampire Novel. Ladies, we have a lot on our minds right now! Planning, calling, booking, budgeting, shopping, searching, crafting, the list goes on! You don't need to bog yourself down with deep, meaningful, intellectual novels! You need sexy, blood sucking boys and the girls who love with them (no matter the cost)! At least until after the wedding.... I recommend The Vampire Diaries, The Twilight Series, and my personal favorite The Sookie Stackhouse Series (aka TrueBlood). Have I read all of these? Maybe. Do I own some of them? Maybe. Do I have one on my bedside stand right now? Maybe.

5. Date Night!!! Christian and I now plan a weekly (ish) date night so that we actually get to spend some time together! Date night doesn't mean "wedding planning night" either, it means going to a movie, dinner, walk in the park, or just hanging out in the backyard! We've had some fun one's too, including bike rides, a play, farmer's market trip, walking along the river and movies at the cheap theater (hey two month old movies are still new to us)!!

I hope this list helps everyone (my future brides Alicia M. and Jenn L. specifically). Enjoy your summer and enjoy the wedding planning because they both go by very fast!!

Some Links to help you get started:

http://www2.victoriassecret.com/landing/?cgnbr=OSSWMZZZZZZ

http://www.consumersearch.com/sunscreen

http://www.aveda.com/products/CATEGORY10515/Hair_Care/Shampoo/index.tmpl

http://www.amazon.com/Sookie-Stackhouse-Books-Charlaine-Harris/dp/0441017770

http://dating.about.com/od/dateideas/a/frugaldateideas.htm

http://www.coolestdates.com/

Shoe Update...

Here is an update: I just posted about my wedding dress and finding shoes to go with my dress before alterations begin! Well I found a pair of shoes that I LOVE but they don't make them in the color I want anymore! Ugh... I've been online hunting all morning, calling stores, checking every shoe website in North America and no shoes.

Finally I checked out ebay where I found, for sale, ONE pair of the beautiful Badgley Mischka shoes (in my size), they aren't the correct color but we can work around that! The only thing was, that the auction was ending in 45 minutes! I tried to call Christian but he was at lunch and I couldn't get a hold of him. See, I don't have an ebay account nor do I know how to use ebay! Are they trusted sellers? How do you win? How do I set up an account? I was starting to panic! I tried Christian again and the poor guy was just back from lunch when I explained my stressful predicament! He was a Rockstar and got onto Ebay and checked it out for me. We agreed to a max price that we were willing to pay and he started the bidding. One other person was out bidding him every time and finally that person went just above our price agreement. Shoot! But, it's ok, I'll find a different pair of shoes! Then I looked again just 5 seconds before the auction closed and there was a new bid and it won. It was from Christian!!! He is the best, and he won my shoes (at a good price too)! They are beautiful and they fit like a glove (if gloves had 4 inch heels). Now I just need to figure out how to dye them.... But, that's another post! What a great Fiance I have! :)

Wedding Dress!

Well my wedding dress was set to arrive at Starlett Bridal Shop on April 20th! I hope I get a call from them soon... We are keeping our fingers crossed that in is on time since I will be in Sonoma County from April 22 through the 29th!

I can't wait to see it again. I hope I love it as much as I did the last time I saw it, I think I will but I still get nervous thinking about it! It's going to be like Christmas morning seeing it...

I hope to start any alterations while I am home as we are not scheduled to be back in California until the end of July (just over a months before the wedding). My main concern regarding alterations is, that I'm having trouble finding wedding shoes that I love. I've been shopping a few times and Edith graced me with her shoe expertise a few days ago but we agreed there wasn't a great selection this time of year. It's Minnesota, we had boots and only boots for the last 6 months, maybe it's just taking them a while to restock with open toed, pretty high heels! I will keep trying this week before we leave for Cali! Wish me luck!!

Edith also suggested I try looking online at shoes.com and endless.com. If you see anything that looks interesting, I'm all ears!

Eric & Tina's Wedding!

On Thursday Christian and I leave for California to attend my brother Eric and his fiance Tina's wedding! I can't believe it's only a week a way! It just goes to prove that time flies (especially when you are planning a wedding). I'm sure we will stay pretty busy all week.

Thursday night is Tina's wedding shower, Friday night is the rehearsal dinner and Saturday afternoon is the wedding! Did I mention that Christian is marrying Eric and Tina?!? Well he is... And we are singing a song in honor of the Bride and Groom at the reception so we are both a little nervous/excited! Between now and Saturday I think I will be observing a lot of "Do you take this woman to be your...." rehearsals in the bathroom mirror!

We look forward to visiting all of you family/friends in Sonoma County! Can't wait to see you all! Dum, dum, dum dum.... (insert bridal March here.)

Happy Birthday Mark Seelye!!!

Happy Birthday Mark Seelye!!!

Happy Birthday Andy Monson!!

Happy Birthday to Christian's younger Brother (and groomsman) Andy Monson!! He is 20 years old today!

Happy Birthday Sue Boorujy!!!

Happy Birthday to our Smallest Bridesmaid Miss Sue Bee!! Hope you have a wonderful day pretty lady...

Happy Birthday Michael Cameron!!

Happy Birthday to Christian's Best Man, Michael Cameron!!

Michael with his daughter, Sadie.

Michael, Sadie & Edith!

Studio Vincent.

Christian and I did a bit of wedding band shopping this weekend! I was excited to take him to one of my favorite Jewelers here in Minneapolis, Studio Vincent! I've been meaning to take him there for months but we kept putting it off (because it's one of those wedding things that CAN be put off, at least for a little longer then other wedding decisions)! What was crazy is, it was Studio Vincent's LAST day at their location (of 18 years), which we didn't know going in! I guess we have pretty good timing... They still have a Studio in the arts/warehouse district and you can make an appointment to visit but it was the last day of having a store.

Here is a link to Studio Vincent's blog and they are also on facebook, if you just do a search for 'Studio Vincent'. After some thought, I might want get a ring from them too! Are matching rings tacky or kind of nifty? (Yes, I said nifty.)


http://www.studiovincent.blogspot.com/

Fun and Funny Wedding Blogs

I just thought I'd share a few wedding blogs that I've come across during our wedding journey!


This is my favorite Blog:

http://ruffledblog.com/


And, this just made me laugh (and is Christian's favorite blog???):

http://offbeatbride.com/


ENJOY!

Happy Birthday Lisa Guzman!

Happy Birthday to one of our lovely bridesmaids, Lisa Guzman!!!

To learn more about Lisa, please visit The Wedding section and look under, Wedding Party, The Girls!

Let them eat CAKE (at our wedding)!!!!

So, the decision is made. Cake is good. Cake is pretty. We want Cake!!

We look forward to our appointment at Patisserie Angelica (featured in 'Brides Magazine' as The Best Wedding Cakes of the Year)!!

Our appointment is one day before my brother's wedding! We figured a little cake would be a nice way to start the day before my parents host a rehearsal dinner for my brother and his future bride!

Here is a link to the Patisserie Angelica website if you'd like to check it out!

http://www.patisserieangelica.com/patisserieangelica.html

The ribbon cake on the left is from Patisserie Angelica's Brides Magazine shoot!

This cake is from a 'real' wedding in Napa, CA!

Engagement Pictures

I think we are going to get our engagement pictures done soon. We have a call in to our wedding photographer, Michael B.! Maybe a few outdoor Spring shots since we are so excited for the Winter to be over and done here in Minneapolis!!! I hope to have them posted on our website so you can all enjoy them too...

Does anyone have a fun idea of what we can do for our shoot? I think it would be great if we could show off some of the cool Minneapolis scenery and maybe incorporate some of our wine country themes. Food for thought.

Registry 101

Yesterday Christian and I went window shopping at Macy's and Crate and Barrel for our future wedding registry! It was fun to look at all the cool stuff and think about all the possibilities, but it was also a bit daunting to realize we will soon have to make so many decisions!!! Wow, can you say overwhelming for this Libra Bride?!?! Not to mention the fact that I kept asking myself "Do we need that?" "Do we want that?" "Will we like this in 5 years? 10 years?" "Is that too trendy? Too boring?" "Will that work in any house?" Geez.... At least we agree that basics and simple designs will stand the test of time!! I guess you will just have to wait and see what we pick out... ;)

Bridesmaid Dress Success!!

I'm very excited because I think I have the Bridesmaid Dress picked out!!! I'm just waiting to hear back from my (very busy, mother of two) Matron of Honor, to make sure she likes it!! I think I'll refrain from posting a picture of it online so (like my bridal gown) you can be surprised on the day!!!

I'll tell you it's from Priscilla of Boston. It's very pretty and a little atypical for a bridesmaid dress, which I really like about it!!!

YAY!!! One more big thing to knock off the list....

7 Months to GO!!!

(I'm posting this a bit late...)


We have exactly 7 months until our wedding, today!!! WOW. It has seemed like a long time off until now, but 7 months isn't that long and it goes by very quickly!! I am happy to report that we are in very good shape with regard to planning.

Now I'M starting to get into good shape with a Personal Trainer!! This was my first day training and I look forward to the next 7 months of work (well looking forward to the results at least).... Thanks Colin, for kicking my butt!!!

7 Months to go.....

The Hunt for Bridesmaid Dresses is ON!!!

I'm so excited to go bridesmaid dress shopping with one of my lovely bridesmaid's Edith-Nicole!! We have two appointments that just happen to give us enough time to have lunch in between and discuss what we have found...

I have 8 bridesmaids and I want them to all feel good in their dress so it's a big decision! I have some ideas in mind going into tomorrow's shopping trip, but you never know what you're going to like until you try it on! That was the case with my wedding gown, I had one idea about what I wanted and ended up going in a different direction! And I'm VERY happy with what I picked!! If you are wondering if I will blog about my gown, I will not. I am on lock down for discussing the wedding gown, per Groom's orders!!! He doesn't want to hear anything about it before the wedding. All he knows is that it's Ivory. I think it's cute that he feels so strongly about that! :)

Wish Edith and I luck tomorrow!!!

PS. If you are dying to know more about the gown email me and I might send you a picture.... vino.wedding@gmail.com

Vacuuming = Fun Time!!

This doesn't really have to do with the wedding but we just invested in a new vacuum cleaner!! I nice one, not a cheap one that doesn't work!! The best part is that we got it home and Christian opened the box like a kid on Christmas morning then proceeded to vacuum MOST of the house (at 9:30pm). You gotta love it, it just reaffirms that his is the the right guy for me! Here it is, and it's purple which is kind of fun!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

We had a relaxing day that included coffee, Thai food, laptop shopping with Tom and Mel and then we both fell asleep!! We just woke up and it's snowing outside! I had some pretty grand thoughts about dinner but we are both so hungry that I think it's going to be a frozen pizza and salad night (which always makes us happy anyway...) Maybe I'll make some cupcakes for dessert to be special... Got to love the 'reality' of Valentine's day! ;)

Cake Vs. Dessert Bar! What's a Bride to do?!?

So, I keep going back and forth regarding our wedding dessert!

For a long time I didn't want to have a cake (I felt like at weddings I've been to in the past I was too busy chatting and dancing to enjoy the cake). I thought instead of cake, it would be fun to have a dessert bar with lots of different treats (that you, the guest, could pick and choose what you wanted for dessert, or skip it all together)!

As of a few weeks ago I started to think about cake and traditions and I thought about how pretty a decorated cake can be... So, I'm waffling back and forth! I think I'm leaning toward CAKE.

Thoughts on this topic anyone???

PS. Our Pastry Chef/Woman is AMAZING and she makes both cake and desserts so either way it will be top notch and first class!!! ;)

Our 1 Year Engagement Anniversary!

Yes, one year ago today Christian and I were in the middle of a WONDERFUL Maui vacation with my parents....*sigh*

We've had a great (and busy) year this year!

Happy Anniversary Love!!!

Here we are the night Christian proposed to me, I was so surprised!!! He really caught me off guard!!

And, here is us, one year later (and much less tan)!! We went out to our favorite TexMex place, just for fun....

Our "Duckface" pose...

Hello Wedding World (that is a joke for all the computer nerds out there)!!

I keep switching back and forth between my TWO gmail accounts and it's all very confusing... Like, I'm not sure which one I'm logged into at any given time, and apparently these blogs are directly linked to the email address... I am not savvy in the ways of the web/computer/technology!!

SO, I decided to start a DIFFERENT blog altogether on our vino.wedding account in case anyone is interested in wedding plans and info!!

Welcome to Christian and Lisa's wedding blog (not to be mistaken with our website which is the one found on our Save The Date cards)!!

Hi!

How are you today?

We are happy and healthy (if not a bit cold, come on Spring, anytime now, we miss ya)!!!

Love,
Lisa and Christian (1st blog post)