hey guys! thanks to everyone for the warm welcome back. definitely was great to hear from everyone and read what you’ve been up to. wow, sounds like a lot is happening in so many of your lives~ super exciting!!
before i dive into the details of this post, i want to mention something horrible. terrible.
no good.
VERY bad.
the last day in mexico, i dropped my DSLR camera because i am a moron. so it is broken, not functional, getting it fixed. anyway, that sucked.
THEN..on monday morning, i went to grab my point and shoot camera to take with me so i could take photos throughout the day. except it was nowhere to be found. i was racking my brain, trying to remember the last place i had it. i know we had it the morning we left mexico. we had breakfast at a local restaurant on the beach.. then back to to hotel and then to the airport. masrshall is sure we were looking at some photos of the trip while on the plane. my only guess is that the camera fell out of my carry on bag while on the plane.
it’s gone.
i’ve called multiple lost and found locations.. it’s gone. i am one sad newlywed. at least we do have some photos from the trip—the ones taken on the DSLR camera—but most photos were taken with the point and shoot because it was easier to take that along with us. the feeling i have inside whenever i think about those lost photos is horrible. it is just sickening. sigh. i had to get that off my chest. i’ve been crying lots about it and i just thought i would mention it, maybe a few prayers will miraculously recover the camera? probably not, but hey.. you never know.
onto the details of the rehearsal dinner! a few bits of advice:
- even if you think it will be fun to plan a rehearsal dinner menu and make it yourself, don’t.
- even if you think it will save you money by doing your own rehearsal dinner rather than going to a restaurant, don’t.
- even if you think it is a better idea to do the rehearsal dinner yourself so you can accommodate the vegan friends, don’t.
- even if you realized you’re in over your head and think it will be a breeze to buy a bunch of pre-made items, there will still be a lot to do, so just don’t even try.
what i am saying here, folks, is the DIY rehearsal dinner BBQ was definitely FUN and delicious.. but it was also A LOT OF WORK. all day friday was spent preparing things for the rehearsal dinner! when we could have just had it catered or gone to a restaurant and used that whole day to do something else for the wedding (because, believe me, there was plenty to do!). so, in hindsight, i would have done it differently. but none of that matters now.. and it actually was fun getting everything ready with my mom, sisters and kristen. and the outcome was a hit! which is all that matters :)
here are some photos of us prepping:
on the menu, i will specify the work put into each item in case you wondered:
- grilled chicken breasts (i hand trimmed and seasoned these)
- burgers (bought from costco)
- chik’n patties (vegan, store bought)
- garden burgers (vegan, store bought)
- lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, red onion, organic ketchup, mayo, veganaise, mustard (all store bought)
- white & whole wheat buns (both vegan & not, store bought)
- greek pasta salad with chicken (bought from costco)
- chipotle lime pasta salad (made from scratch, vegan)
- momma b’s famous potato salad (made from scratch, totally calorie free…)
- assorted vegetables (bought from costco but we sliced & diced them)
- ranch dip (made from scratch)
- dill dip (vegan, store bought)
- tortilla chips & salsa (vegan, bought from costco)
- sabra hummus & stacy’s pita chips (vegan, bought from costco)
- BBQ kettle chips (bought from costco)
- LOTS of fruit!! (store bought and then sliced..no, we did not grow our own fruit ;) )
- tiramisu (store bought from gourmandise bakery in SLC)
- vegan tiramisu (store bought from cali’s market in SLC)
- strawberry shortcake (made from scratch by momma b.)
the dinner was set up outside in my parents’ backyard, it was a tad windy but the temperature was perfect!
the tablecloths and dishes were in tune with the wedding colors, of course.
trying to keep the tablecloths from flying off the table from the wind~ 
once everyone arrived, those in the wedding ceremony stepped inside to rehearse. oh man, i was tearing up at the rehearsal.. i knew i was doomed when the actual ceremony arrived! 
it was fun and chaotic, we paired everyone up and even the flower girls practiced their part.
my brother in law, eric, was the man of the grill!
we were excited to finally eat~ after smelling the deliciousness coming from the grill!
some photos..
me & my maids~
the groom & his men~ 
me & j5~
the tiramisu was definitely the best part!
i said my goodbye to marshall.. the last night as boyfriend & girlfriend!!
after everyone left, we cleaned up (special thanks to kristen and rory, the cleaning machines!!) and goofed off. momma b and her 4 girls!
can you tell which one is not related by blood? haha. 
all in all, the rehearsal dinner was a fun time and a huge success. it was nice to be in a casual environment and just visit with everyone, which is what we were going for. but it was a lot of work, so i sort of wish we’d had the event catered. just a word of wisdom for all you brides-to-be!!
up next.. the wedding day! hopefully i will get around to that post sooner rather than later.
unfortunately, there have been no photos of recent meals & moves.. since one camera is lost and the other is broken :( luckily i do have quite a few wedding/honeymoon recap posts to do before getting back to regular blogging.. and hopefully my camera is fixed before that time comes! fingers crossed. oh, and say a prayer for my missing camera. please and thanks.
for the record, i still haven’t worked out. i think it’s been almost a whole month since i worked out. that is pretty crazy! i do miss the euphoric high that i get from a workout, but i have been so busy with everything and going to the gym is just not an option right now. for the record, i have been eating white bread, full fat cheeses, mayo, french fries, ice cream popsicles (creamies, to be exact), fingers full of peanut butter and 80% of my diet has been completely made up of carbs. i don’t have a kitchen right now and i just have been eating whatever is around. oh, and also for the record, i haven’t gained a bunch of weight from eating whatever and not working out. yes, i miss eating home cooked meals (because i like to cook and i like to eat what i prepare) and i miss working out (because it is fun).. but i promise, you guys, it is not the end of the world if you miss workouts and eat whatever is around. don’t feel bad and don’t apologize. and also, go read melissa’s thoughts on the matter. she wins at life.
plus, on the upside, when i don’t work out.. i only have to wash my hair like every 3 days ;)
okay, enough out of me, i sure didn’t lose my knack for rambling.. did i?!
ha. until next time :)
Qs~ 1. married folks: did you have a rehearsal dinner? what did you do for it? engaged folks: what is your plan for the rehearsal dinner? folks that this question does not apply to: what’s your favorite side salad? (hey, i gotta include everyone!)
2. what is the most valuable thing you have lost? my answer is definitely the memory card that was in the camera i lost. i couldn’t care less about the camera itself, but the photos on that card are irreplaceable. and i am so, so sad about it.
xo. janetha g.
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I’m glad you’re back :) I missed your blog too!
My in-laws hosted the rehearsal dinner in their backyard. It was nice and casual. I had a chance to talk with everyone ( you can’t do that in a restaurant) and I didn’t do any of the work. :) I think we had italian.
I lost my wedding ring. Sooo sad. My husband bought me a “replacement” ring. Sooo sweet.
Oh Janetha. I’m so so so sorry. I briefly saw this on FB today and wondered if that is what had happened. I’ll say a prayer you get your camera back.
I love that close up photo of you. Beautiful.
We had our rehearsal dinner at a restaurant. It was nice and relaxing. You were BRAVE to do it yourself.
http://ifoundyourcamera.blogspot.com/
You have to check out that website. Post a message to it. You just never know who might have found your camera.
I thought I’d lost my engagement ring a few weeks back. We’ve broken up, but the ring still means a lot to me, so I was devastated. I was sure that someone had stolen it – we’ve had a lot of tradespeople coming through our house lately as we’re having major renovations done, and I was kicking myself for being so stupid as to leave it in a visible place.
Then one night I dropped my book down the side of my bed – the wall side, where a gap of about two inches had formed.
Low and behold, I found my ring, snuggled into the very furthest corner of the room from where it had initially been.
What I’m saying is, don’t give up hope. Your camera might turn up in the craziest place.
Janetha, my heart aches for you! I once had a hard drive crash scare and thought I lost everything–all my photos EVER taken. There were a lot of tears shed but you have to remember that farrrrr worst things could have happened. You now can make memories with Marshall for the rest of your life. I know, that’s not the point but you just gotta think positive. It sucks but it’s over you know?
Oh girl. I hate hearing your camera is missing and the other is broke. I can only imagine your heartache right now. Wow–don’t even know what else to say.
I really hope you can find it!
ArGh! Condolences on the camera- it’s amazing what being without photos can do to your desire to blog! :-( (or mine anyway)…
OK I hope that the sister on the right is a blood relly of Mom’s because she looks like her identical twin.
Tiramisu- little bit of drool down my chin.
Favorite photo of you ever ever ever ever: the one where you are smirking (and you can just see the tip of a beer bottle of something)- it’s frame-worthy- it’s magazine-worthy.
Love you!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome back!
PS We never had a rehearsal dinner- we were pretty unconventional, and only had two attendants each. And it was pretty low-brow;…held at my Mom’s home- her life- long dream was to watch me cascade down the curved Mediterranean staircase :-)
I cannot believe you did your own rehearsal dinner – the food looks amazing! My MIL did ours at her home and it was partially homemade / partially store bought items as well. I can’t imagine doing it myself! So sad to hear about your cameras :( Praying for a miracle with your point & shoot.
Girl I am so sorry about the lost camera! That is such a bummer!!
You are a G. That is some serious cooking there!! You have so many awesome friends around you to help too. You are truly blessed girl.
Sorry to hear about the camera though. I would be so mad/sad if I lost mine WITH pics on it. I won’t mention it anymore. It’s like throwing coal in the fire.
“Last night as boyfriend and girlfriend.” Ahhh that even made me tear up. Tooooo cute!
oh no i hate losing photos, like you said, they are irreplaceable! :(
Ah hun, I’m so sorry to hear about your camera. I’m definitely sending up some prayers for you. Can’t wait for more wedding details! You guys look so happy and cute in all the pics I’ve seen so far! I hope that if/when I get married, me and the lucky boy are just as loved up and made up as you two clearly are! x
Losing your honeymoon photos is definitely dissappointing, but I’m sure a million prayers are going up for you today! Let’s have faith that it will work! My favorite side dish, the Asian inspired coleslaw with Ramen noodles and slivered almonds which my mom makes. Most valuable thing I’ve lost? A cameo ring I bought in Italy on my first trip abroad when I was 18. No clue where I even lost it.
ugh- so sorry to hear about the camera situation. I’m going to keep my fingers crossed that your point and shoot miraculously turns up. Glad you still have pictures. The rehearsal dinner looks amazing. I can tell just how much work went into it- but at least it was SO you guys and SO perfect for your friends and family. Your mama is so darn adorable. You two are like two peas.
Qs~ 1. married folks: did you have a rehearsal dinner? what did you do for it? Yes, we had a big ole buffet style dinner with lots of different options to accommodate everyone. If I were to do it again- I’d do something even less formal.
2. what is the most valuable thing you have lost? hmmmm Not sure…
Have a good one <3
Hi Janetha, you look so beautiful in all the rehearsal dinner pics :-). I’m praying with you that you get your camera or just the pics back. How wonderful would it be if by some miracle you got them, maybe years from now? But they are just pics – you got the trip with you forever anyways. I know it sucks anyway though – I lost a camera with film from a significant journey once too, so I’m hurting with you. I am just getting an idea, really whenever you bring a camera on holiday you should start out by photographing your name and adress – I’ll try that next time and hope if I lose the camera someone will look through the pics and find me…?
I’m sorry about the camera!!
What a spread this dinner looks like it was relaxed and fun. Stuffy dinners always look uncomfortable and weird. I’d rather enjoy my wedding time like this.
The camera…I can one-up your story to hopefully make you feel better. My sister’s wedding. The professional very pricey swanky chicago photographer she hired….well the woman did something with her digital camera settings and basically my sister’s ENTIRE WEDDING DAY PHOTOS never saved to the camera. So, my sister schlepped around chicago in her wedding dress, with her bridal party, the actual ceremony, the party afterwards, dancing, drinks, all the shots the photographer took of the guests. NONE OF THEM were saved. My sister’s entire wedding pics consist of what guests took on their own cameras and sent her…but b/c they all thought this photographer was amazing, no one took that many pics and so she has very few.
To top that story, I HAVE EVEN LESS photos of my own wedding. 10 yrs ago, Las Vegas wedding chapel, 24 exposure digital camera. 24 shitty pictures were snapped, of those, about 18 turned out. That’s my wedding. That’s all I have. There was no rehearsal dinner, no afterparty and dancing and guests and cake and bridesmaids…I have 18 pics from start to finish of my wedding. I have more pictures of LETTUCE SALADS that i eat daily for my blog than i have of my wedding.
So hopefully those two stories make you feel somewhat better…that both my sister and i have shit for pics from our weddings.
Love you and hugs!!!!!!!
xoxox
I am so sorry about your cameras and pics. :( I really hope the point and shoot turns up!
OH ya, we definitely catered our rehearsal. It was on my father in laws coffee farm in hawaii, sweet! There was no way I was cooking. At that point you just want to sit back and eat, haha.
I’m sorry about your camera, I’ve lost mine twice! And it was when I was traveling too.
Thats the cutest tiramasu!! COngrats to you both and I am SO glad you are happily married!
OHHH NOOOO!!!! I can’t believe that happened to your DSL! I broke my point and shoot this weekend too, but it was old and I needed a new one anyways.
I can’t believe you did your own rehearsal dinner. Usually people opt to do this for you, so I am beyond impressed that you had enough energy to pull this together the night before the biggest day of your life. Well then again, you are an amazing woman with super powers so I guess I’m not that surprised! ;)
We had our rehearsal dinner at an Italian restaurant that we could BYOB and had a buffet style so it was all you can eat. With a room full of Russians, you need to have every event contain endless amounts of alcohol and food. ;)
Oh I could not imagine doing the rehearsal dinner on my own. It looks great, but I bet it was stressful.
I love you eating Marshall. Too funny!
I really hope your camera shows up. I think pictures are one of the worst things to lose.
Wow, that spread of food looks wonderful! You out did yourself, Janetha. :) And, you looked so cute at your rehearsal dinner. I love the dress! I bet it was hard to say goodbye to Marshall that night, especially since it was your last night being bf/gf. But, I am sure you were anxious/excited all the same for the next day!
Oh, and that SUCKS about the cameras. Just remember that you have the memories in your heart and when it comes down to it, love is much more than pictures. :)
Aw, so sorry about your cameras!!! I know there are no pictures, but your memories will always stay with you :)
You put on a mean DIY rehearsal dinner, girl! YUM!
I am SO impressed that you hosted your own rehearsal dinner!! Can’t say I envy you, but wow that is impressive! It looked like all the hard work paid off…I love the chocolate with your names on it. :)
We did have a rehearsal dinner and my mother in law did most of it. Well…we had to do a lot because everything took place in Houston and she was in FL but she paid for it. We had it at an Italian restaurant that I can NEVER remember the name of! How sad..he he he!!!
Favorite salad – right now I’m thinking something warm and spinachy with walnuts and feta cheese…mmm….
PS – Someone stole my cell phone the DAY before our wedding and the day of our rehearsal dinner. EVERYONE was coming from out of state (myself included) so I lost everyone’s numbers. I was freaking out and standing in the Sprint store desperately trying to get another one. Then I still had to re-program as my #s back in it as I could….it sucked!! I do think losing your camera is worse though….I’m so sorry! :(
The thing I lost that has meant the most to me was my wedding rings. They were stolen out of our apt our first year of marriage. I was so sick. But alas ten years later I have truly learned that “things” just dont matter as much as they used to. I will prob never have a real wedding ring again. Dont get me wrong if my husband re-bought me my beautiful princess cut platinum ring again I would be excited but its not something I am going to go out and rebuy anytime soon.
Many Blessings to you and your new marriage!
Hello love : )
I saw on fb that you lost your camera : (
I have been saying prayers since then, it makes me sick that someone would do that and steal someoneelses memories, just plain sick.
Loved the recap of the rehearsal dinner, I can tell it was alot of work, and thanks for the advice about it too, I think we are going to have our rehersal dinner at a restaurant, but I think its nice how you could do yours in your moms backyard, it turned out wonderful from what I see : )
the cake looked amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tiramisu is the best EVER!!!!!!!!!!
thanks for sharing love : )
Aw I’m so sorry about your camera! :( Stay as positive as you can though, you still had a wonderful trip and I’m sure you will never forget the experience <3
I've lost two rings before, both of which my mom and I cherished. I still feel like a moron about it, even though I was like 10 years old when it happened.
Oh no! I am so sorry about the camera! But at least you still have the amaing memories and you will get wedding photos!! I did have a rehearsal dinner…we just rented out a room at a resturaunt…less stress! I can’t believe you did it yourself! Kudos to you!!! WOW!
Ugh…so sorry to hear about your camera, girl! That’s awful. I’ve almost broken mine at least half a dozen times. I hope it gets fixed soon!
(p.s. GORGEOUS photos! Everyone looks like they had a blast. :D )
omg love the pics and missed you! so sorry to hear aboyut your camera that is quite stinky! well this wasnt really mine that I lost but it cost me an arm and a aleg. I borrowed my friends 400 dollar sunglasses (umm…yeah) and I went into the ocean, a big wave came and BOOM gone…I had topay her some major dough!
I am so glad you are mrs marshall :) the pics are beautiful and your parents backyard is awesome!!! can’t wait to hear more!
oh and I am not married :)
I’m SO sorry you lost your camera!
I also can’t believe you did your own rehearsal dinner food. Impressive!! It looks all delicious!
We had our wedding dinner at Mimi’s Cafe. Don’t get me started on it…irrrrghhhh.
I am so sorry about your pictures, Janetha! You will always have the memories, and at least you’ve preserved a few of the vacation photos on the dslr.
I really like the homecooked feel of a backyard rehearsal dinner, but I’m sure it was stressful. I guess catering is the answer! Speaking of which, that tiramisu looks AWESOME.
I totally know what you mean about not stressing out too much about eating and exercising. Of course, clean eats and sweat makes you feel good, but not doing so doesn’t equate instant weight gain. I don’t think it’s worth the stress being TOO scrupulous about one’s diet.
How adorable is that picture of your mom and her daughters? SO adorable. Can’t wait to hear the wedding details!
I’ve just started reading your blog and am hooked!! Your dinner looks fantastic, and that is just amazing of you to go out of your way to provide SO MANY vegan alternatives (I am vegan and truly appreciate it when people consider that – and I live in Kansas, so not many people do).
I have to say – THANK YOU for writing what you did about not worrying so much about missing a workout or eating a few extras. I really needed that!!
Favorite salad … I LOVE potato salad. Everyone in the world likes pasta salads except for me, I think. So I would totally go for potato over pasta. Our wedding was pretty tiny (no more than 100 people invited, and not all came), and we didn’t even have any attendants, so the rehearsal dinner was tiny – just us, family, and our officiant. My father-in-law grilled pork chops and I had a veggie burger!
I’m so glad you’re back!! The homecooked food was probably worth it, right?! I am soooo sorry to hear about your cameras! I will send a little prayer for your point and shoot! Oh and I’m not a huge fan of side salads.
I read your blog every day, but never commented… so forgive me. =)
I understand the feeling of the lost camera. My camera was stolen in New Orleans several years back… on the last day of our week long trip… FROM OUR HOTEL ROOM (yeah the hotel reimbursed me for the cost of that and the other items taken and I got a new camera etc, but the pix were gone gone gone). I was sick, I cried and cried… it was me and my then new bf’s first long vacation together, we had a blast. I’m so sorry you had to lose your honeymoon pix!! Maybe somewhere someday your camera will turn up. :(
Now I am susie psycho with the pix – I bought a netbook last year. I take that with me on long vacations and download all my memory cards daily to it… and ALSO back that up to a memory stick/thumb drive that I keep in my purse. So I figure even if someone steals the camera and the netbook I still have the memory stick. I’m sick, I know. But 3 years later and I still fret bout those pix. :P
1. we had our rehearsal dinner at a restaurant and i am so thankful for that! i wanted to be cooked for haha
2. i lost my cell phone coming home from our honeymoon. i left it in puerto rico! oops! had to get a new number and switched providers but wait until after my name change went through. that was a rough 2 weeks since i didn’t have a land line!
I am so sorry about your camera – I know that bruised heart feeling that you’re talking about. My fingers are crossed for you!
LOVE the cake!
1) My MIL did our whole rehearsal BBQ. It was at our house and she and her family prepared everything and cleaned up. Otherwise it would have been at a restaurant!
2) I can’t really think of anything valuable that I’ve lost but there is one thing that I accidentally threw away that breaks my heart. I had all of the wedding cards from everyone in a box and one day I was spring cleaning and I threw the entire box away! I knew sort of what I was doing but I really wish I had gone through and saved the card from my mom and dad. It was filled with so much love and they said so much….now it’s all gone. I cry just thinking about it.
I am sorry to hear about your DSLR camera :( That has to really suck… I know how attached I have become to mine. I hope that it gets fixed asap.
Your rehearsal dinner looks absolutely fabulous! Especially the tiramisu… and you look positively glowing girl!
I hope you have a good day! xoxo
Janetha,
I am so so so so so so (times infinity!) sorry about your camera and all your photos:( I would be so heartbroken, too! But, just think- you have your real-live hubby for the rest of your life to make new memories. I know it won’t replace the memories you made during your wedding and honeymoon, but there will be a thousand times more memories to share in the future:)
My sweet husband and I had our rehearsal dinner at my parent’s house. It was so perfect! We *did* have it catered, though, and the food was better than our wedding dinner! We got married 7 months after we were engaged and did a lot ourselves, but there are just some things we were not willing to do and the cooking was one of them! (The women in my family aren’t know for our culinary skills HAHA!)
I’ll say a pray your camera turns up!!!!
So sorry about your camera! That sucks. I lost all my photos from my year abroad in Austin including all my travels within that time and it breaks my heart STILL! I feel your pain. But you will always have the memories – you can’t lose those!
The rehearsal looked so fun – love Marshall and all his vegan homeboys. You two are a lucky pair!
We are having our rehersal dinner at a resturant after reading your post I’m so glad we decided to do that. Also thanks for the it’s okay if you diet and workouts go astray I have not been working out at all and have been eating what is convenient too.
you are so ambitiious. I applaud you. And all of the work put into that—go you. All the food looks great though.
and I love that first picture of just you.
and Im so sorry about your cameras :(. Just try to remember all the memories you made and forget about the pictures!
Oh girl, that really sucks about your cameras. But think of it like this… pictures are just material things, yes they’re nice, but the memories that are forever in your mind are what’s most important. I never look through my wedding album… but I think back to it in my mind all the time and relive those amazing memories.
Your rehearsal dinner looked like so much fun and such yummy food!! I’m impressed!! We had our’s in a mexican restaurant, haha!! We both LOVE mexican food and wouldn’t have it any other way!! :)
ugh i know that feeling – my dad lost his camera at my graduation dinner this may so i only have like 2 photos with my diploma from college that my uncle took on his iphone :-/
i’ll pray for you to find it!!
love all the rehearsal din pics. you are so beautiful!
Sorry about your camera!
Great photos from the rehersal dinner, sounds like it was fun!
Ohnoooo, I am so sorry to hear about the camera situation :( Just think – you and Marshall will now have to make many more and better memories to replace the lost photos ;) When Chris and I went to Cuba a couple years ago, he lost his point and shoot somewhere between taking off in Cuba and landing in Canada. In the end, he was pretty convinced it got stolen out of his suitcase at one of the airports. It was in a front pocket that was easily accessible. Sucked bigtime.
As per usual everyone looks amazing in the rehearsal dinner pics!!
Oh, and I’ve been eating and drinking merrily for many weeks now – to the tune of 5lbs gained over 3 months. I cannot believe that’s all I gained, and I’m already slowly starting to lose it. Just more proof that eating lots and not exercising for a short period of time is not the end of the world.
LOVE YOU JG!!!!
I’m soo sorry about your lost camera! It is definitely in my prayers. Maybe the power of prayer and positive thinking from the entire blogworld can bring it back.
The rehearsal dinner, while obviously ALOT of work, came out looking GREAT! I love that you guys had chocolate bark like things with eachother’s names. Adorable =)
Nicole G
PS. That picture of you (headshot) where you’re alone, is gorgeous. You look really stunning!
Oh no!! Janetha–I love reading your blog and have become quite a dedicated follower since May! You take some amazing pictures and really have a way with words. I can’t believe you lost your camera, I definitely know how heartbreaking that is. Last winter, I studied abroad in China and then had my camera stolen at a bar on my last night there. A month’s worth of beautiful, fantastic, amazing, unbelievable memories are now in a strangers’ hands. I hope your camera is lost but will one day be found! If you can’t have your memories no one else should, :p. Best wishes!
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