one less thing on our bucket list

exhibit at a bridal show? CHECK!

as of last sunday, we can now officially say that we have been there done that. it was our first time out, and what an awesome time it was.  orfila vineyards threw a wonderfully intimate planning party for local brides to be, on their beautiful patio overlooking the winery (can you say jawdropping views?). and for me, it was a complete honor to be a part of it all.

that morning, fighting a stressball the size of san diego.. my husband and i headed out to set up, with all my little props in tow.. including two [not so little] 50lb bags of sand. in the midst of everything... i completely forgot my dress clothes, so we turned around a couple miles from home to retrieve them. relieved, we drove straight out to the winery... only for me to realize upon our arrival, that i also forgot my dress shoes. awesome. thankfully there was some time, so after helping me with the heavy lifting and unloading, my knight in shining armor (MKSA) made the trek back home to find said shoes. while he was away.. i started to fiddle around with things in order to distract myself.

almost there...just a few more tweaks...

got everything done (AND got my shoes thanks to MKSA) by the deadline, 30 minutes prior to showtime.. and then the fun began. started at a trickle, but by mid afternoon there was a steady stream of visitors, wine glasses in hand -- brides and grooms together, brides with their parents, brides with their entourage of friends (and bridal parties).. and one fearless groom who was there by himself on assignment for his bride, who was busy kicking butt at a soccer tournament.

a few highlights, in no particular order:
• connecting with many of the other incredibly talented vendors
.... and along those lines - finally getting to meet the absolutely amazing lori ruedi of paper and thread
• experiencing the photo-booth craze (fun photo strip coming soon!) with my dear friend reverend powers
• chatting with numerous excited and inspired couples
• my number one fan, MKSA, delivering my dress shoes... along with every other pair of heels i own, just to be sure he brought the right ones
• stepping out of my comfort zone and being ok with it
• seeing familiar faces in the crowd who came to show their support (you know who you are. thank you tons and tons!!)
• strawberry & basil infused water from behind the scenes catering.. unique combo, but incredibly tasty and refreshing.. ESPECIALLY after standing for 4+ straight hours... in those darn dress shoes
• the beautiful, sunny spring weather free of showers (thank you mother nature)
.... and along those lines - the fierce sunburn i got as a result of it

it was truly an awesome experience from front to back, and hopefully the first of many similar opportunities in the future! now on to the rest of our bucket list...

** big big thank you to steffi and emma of orfila vineyards, for searching us out and inviting me to be a part of such a fantastic event. congratulations on the success of YOUR first show, and look forward to next year! :) **