Last weekend was Tony’s last weekend off for the foreseeable future; he officially started work this week, for which we are endlessly grateful (and still pinching ourselves about). Of course he won’t be working seven days/week, but it’s safe to say he’s going to be pretty busy and can’t exactly jet up to Lake Tahoe for a leisurely weekend of wedding planning. (*And by “jet,” I mean 9 hours in the car – each way – with three farting dogs and me blasting Taylor Swift. And by “leisurely,” I mean working on various DIY wedding projects until 2am.) So, I forced him to spend his last days of freedom holed up in a cabin without internet access, selecting the menu for our rehearsal dinner, as well as the location for the Porta Potties, amongst other pressing decisions.

{Tony pointing at the remnants of a tree that fell down in a recent storm, that I would like him to turn into tables to put on the beach. DIY!!!!}

{Tony posing in front of the Porta Potty location}

{Three farting dogs}

Tony was a real trooper. There was barely any snow on the ground, making it hard to justify spending $125 on a lift ticket, so skiing was out. And my parents and their two obese dogs, who my mom refers to as my “brother and sister,” tagged along, and Tony got to play referee while we hashed out the wedding weekend. Such discussions included my mom pondering, “What should we do for the Thursday night party?” while my dad popped heart pills like popcorn (keep in mind, we’re having a rehearsal dinner and all-inclusive welcome party Friday, the wedding Saturday, and an all-inclusive brunch Sunday). Which was promptly followed up by her suggesting a No Gift policy for any bridal showers and asking for donations to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles instead (which, for the record, I think is a great idea), so I don’t look “ostentatious.” Because four days of parties doesn’t look ostentatious… That match has not yet been called.

{Tony and me, at the tasting for our rehearsal dinner}

But, I’m relieved to say, the decision for the rehearsal dinner has been made! We are having it at the West Shore Cafe & Inn, one of our favorite restaurants on the lake. The menu hasn’t been settled yet, but here are a few of our favorites from the tasting:

{Deviled eggs with candied bacon – or, my version of crack}

{Pomegranate salad}

{Truffle mushroom ravioli}

{Kasu marinated Chilean sea bass}

{Carrot cake with brown butter frosting, key lime pie, chocolate peanut butter cake and lemon cake with cream cheese frosting}

The dream menu for the welcome party on the side lawn of the west shore cafe would be candied bacon everything: drinks with candied bacon straws, chocolate-dipped candied bacon, just candied bacon… The more realistic menu is mini-grilled cheese sandwiches dipped in tomato soup shooters, mini candied bacon sandwiches (WIN!), mini milkshakes, mini cupcakes, and a few other TBD mini items. My dad’s dream menu is a BYOB and BYOFood in the free parking lot.

{Me and my co-Maid of Honor, Jax. I turned Tony’s thumb on the top left of this photo into a rainbow}

{Me, describing the very grand entrance I intend to make. Jax, approving.}

{Besties since we were babies}

Despite the fact that it’s January and it was practically warm enough to walk the dogs T-shirts, the weekend was a blast. My co-Maid of Honor Jax and her hubs Taylor joined us on the last day, and Jax and I pored over Pinterest, dreaming of wedding details, while Tony and Taylor tried to fix the broken internet and wished they were skiing instead. We all went back to the West Shore Cafe for more candied bacon, and Jax and I accidentally had three cocktails, trying things out for the party. (Each.) Tony and Taylor drove us home, and we spent the rest of the night googling “hot male celebrities wearing tuxedos,” for wedding research. It was a success.

Have a happy long weekend! And if at any point it’s not happy, just google “hot male celebrities wearing tuxedos,” and that will turn things around. You’re welcome in advance.