A ShelleyWed with a Cherry on Top

Much to our delight, the venue was all inclusive. Yep, had everything WE needed, depending on how much we really wanted. First off, the venue had a full kitchen, two large rooms, a fireplace, a club house, a park, a gazeebo, museum. Whip it all together and what do you got? I super awesome wedding with a cherry on top!

Who couldn't be happier? Mr. Shelley in a gazeebo. I had him at Foresthill Road.

All we needed was a little insurance, chairs, and some minor equipment if we so dare cared. The Assembly of God Church and the local school district were prepared to assist with donating chairs for our outdoor wedding on the lawn by the gazeebo, though it became a bit stressful to think about the logistics and number of people who would be involved in setting it up, let alone asking them to be responsible for the equipment being outdoors and securely packing it up after the wedding.

We considered standing, then hay bails, then logs. I'm still diggin the logs with plank seating idea, but I feel bad for the boys that I'd be recruiting to lug them on and off their trucks.

During one of my Foresthill love fests and oogling the pictures we took while there, I came across one hidden little gem. Take a looky here...... a little baby chapel!!! Not only was there a cherry on top, but also a CHAPEL? It can't get any better than this.

It All Gets A Little Easier With Time
At this point, I'm so glad we didn't rush towards the fall wedding that we really wanted. It takes time to come up with clever ideas for a frugal, DIY wedding. After enough research, ideas start popping in and out of your head about what a modest wedding really looks like and means. Even when I thought we were being the most frugal and we couldn't pinch any more paper out of a penny, there we still opportunity to push it a little but further, and there still is to this day....it's all about finding the balance about the things that matter to you most and your vision. Secrifices aren't sacrifices, they are usually modifications or realizing that the ice sculpture just really isn't meaningful. I'm only kidding..... we never wanted an ice sculpture.

The Chamber hooked us up with the contact at the Chapel. I have to remember to speak slowly when I call there or I sound like the overly eager bride. I already feel silly enough that I pack my big planning binder with me to our meetings and that Cathy at the Hall has encouraged me to breath on more than one occassion. Although she probably thinks I'm quite silly, I find her endearing and she gives great hugs and has some impressive ideas that fit along nicely into our plans. Although Foresthill is not far from Sacramento, it's like stepping back in time. These folks have no where to be and nothing but time, and stories to share. Steve and Cathy are now on my "Christmas card list" and a little dear to both of our hearts.

Steve got us set-up on a very small donation requested basis for use of the chapel, which just so happens to be community owned (and now we are proud keepers of the keys too...how's that for trust). Seating problem solved, mission accomplished, guest list being built (they say build the guest list then find the venue that will fit your guests. My advise for the frugal fiances.... find your perfect venue and then figure out who is most important to you to fit into your space.)

To Share or Not to Share
I won't overly share too much about the exact costs involved until after the wedding, but I can give tidbits on where we scrimped and saved. It all began with a spreadsheet.

Next, we won't be posting a lot about the actual details that will be seen at the wedding, because we want it to be magical when our guests arrive, but will share places that we discovered our little gems.

And finally, I want to tell the WORLD about Foresthill and at the same time I don't. We learned that the road leading to Foresthill didn't get paved until the 1980's. Until then it was a dirt road. There's no commerce in Foresthill, with exception to some wedding$ at two popular and exclusive location$, and about three total weddings a year usually by local folk at our venues. I fear that it will become corrupt, or that someone will come in and build. What I hope is that it will stay so quaint, but that Ma and Pa store owner and deli can stay in business at the same time.

Paving the Way
We already knew that we wanted a primarly DIY/handmade wedding, but because of Foresthill's generosity, we wanted to take it a step further and support the small town, local, and then eventually be as eco-friendly as possible when it came down to the details in our wedding. Finding our venue and our new friends in Foresthill paved our way to what we now think of as our dream wedding.

Enjoy the ride and read on for more.....