Hiring a photographer for your wedding is no small task – you need to make sure, not only that they take great photos – but that their style and process fits in with your day. These photographs will last you a lifetime – you need to make sure that in 50 years when you’re sharing them with your grandchildren – that they are still photographs you can, and will be proud of!

We had a face to face appointment with our photographer this weekend. He went through his process with us from step one and wanted to make sure that we knew exactly what we were getting.. and to be up front with us on the whole deal before we made a decision on using him.

He uses himself and a partner. He takes the main.. ‘important up front’ photographs and his partner is what he called his ’shadow’ – - this guy stays in the background, for the most part – taking pictures of things that we won’t necessarily be seeing, or paying attention to on our big day. Our wedding is at 3:30pm – but he is arriving at 10am so they can set up and start taking pictures of the preparations. Then, they are staying until 1am to get pictures of the entire day – all the way through to the end of the reception.

I’m very excited and can’t wait to see the results. His name is Randy Tay and he owns Khayman Photography and comes highly recommended!

We’re back from NYC – - no SMALL thanks to the weather on the flight back home that had us rockin’ and rollin’ in our seats the entire way. We got so much done for the wedding – I’m feeling like this is ACTUALLY going to happen at the time, place and way we planned it. Damn, that is amazing, really! I thought the weekend was going to be a bust when we first found out that the caterer couldn’t meet with us at all that weekend because she got called away for a funeral that she had to attend.

We moved on and met with the photographer at a Starbucks in Union Square – and he was just great. He went through his whole process with us, and I’m feeling confident we’ll have some great shots of the whole day.

From there – I had my dress fitting and happily found that the dress would be taken IN rather than let OUT, based on my measurements since November. This is good. I brought home a yard of the fabric because Mom is making my daughters dress and will be using that yard to make a sash or some nice kind of accent for her dress made out the same fabric as mine. Too cute, aint’ it? (I know, I know… gag, right??)

We have decided on the deserts that are being made – and those are set and ready to go.

We shopped for hours in Chinatown and bought gobs of stuff. Pretty white chinese lanterns to hang from the trees in the garden. Gorgeous hand painted paper chinese umbrellas that will also be hung from the trees – - in varying sizes.. hand painted with flowers and butterflies. Jane found some great, tall glass candles for a buck a piece that will line the pathways of the garden.

We milled around her yard and decided the ceremony will be held on the island, the reception with champagne immediately following in the garden and then the dinner on the patio – - followed by endless drinking and fun for the rest of the night wherever anyone can find to plant their butts and consume many martinis (pictures of the areas below the fold).

I have my bouquet on order – - of peonys.

I have ordered and delivered Leanne’s plane ticket so that she is present and accounted for (she better be! I’ll go insane if she’s not!)

I have more things on my to-do list between now and June – - TONS of things really.. but it’s all coming together amazingly enough. I was beginning to doubt, quite honestly – - even a small wedding like ours … there is really a ton of planning involved.

It will be fun, though – - we have folks flying in from England, Atlanta, Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin and California. There are only 48 people coming. We have everyone from Americans, Malaysians, French and English – - straight, gay, republican, liberal and all points in between. It’s probably the most eclectic grouping of people imaginable – - and me? I’m just going to sit back with my martini and watch the fun.. this should be interesting.

Pictures of the planned site of the wedding below the fold – it’s kinda long

The ceremony is being held on an ‘island’ behind her house. There is a stream that splits into two – - and this ‘island’ is the piece of land between the 2 streams. These pictures take you on the path from the house – to the island:

This is the beginning of the path to the ceremony from the house. There are two bridges to cross in order to get across the streams to the actual place where the ceremony will be held – this is bridge number one:

This is a picture from bridge number one – looking at bridge number two:

And (are you snoring yet?) A picture across bridge number two down to the ceremony area;

This is the island where the ceremony will be held. The top part of the island is where the guest will be… the lower level is where Chris and I will be.

A close-up of the tip of the island where we lose our singlehood: