As we neared the three-month mark until our wedding, Mr. M and I knew we’d have to schedule one last planning trip up to Montreal before the big wedding weekend. We’ve decided to go next month, and on this trip we will be taking care of the following things.
Food Tasting
Finally! I’ve been waiting one year for this (ever since seeing the delicious menu). We’ve skipped the dessert that was originally in our package to get more hor d’oeuvres during cocktail hour—we’re doing this because we’re having an outside baker bring in our cupcake tower, so we didn’t feel like we needed additional dessert. I’ll write a post about the food details after the tasting.
Wedding-Day Scheduling with Planner
We’ll be meeting with our wedding planner in person to discuss the nitty-gritty details regarding vendors and scheduling for the wedding day. She sent us these forms to fill out (at least to the best of our ability at this point) as a way to start coordinating everything, which we’ll be reviewing during our meeting next month.
Hair & Makeup Trial
As I mentioned in my engagement shoot post, I had a hair & makeup trial with my stylists the morning of the shoot so I could see how well everything would hold up during the day (and how it all would photograph as well). The hairstylist did a fantastic job, and I was really pleased with how my hair turned out.
For makeup, I really liked what the makeup artist did with my eyes and lips; however, the foundation color she used was a little off—it was just too light for my skin. I was able to fix it after she left (I had a darker shade with me), but you better believe that will not be happening the day of the wedding—hence the necessity of this final trial. More on hair & makeup inspo for the big day in my next post.
Viewing Rental Items in Person
We hired the company who will be providing rentals for the wedding day all via email. The rentals include white spandex chair covers, teal chair sashes, teal napkins, and gold table runners (the venue already includes white tablecloths). It’ll be great to see the actual setup in person so there won’t be any surprises on the wedding day. As I mentioned in this post, this is the closest image I could create in regard to how I’m envisioning the tablescapes;
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My Virtual Tablescape (Teal and Gold) / Created on BBJLinen.com
We’ll also be checking out some restaurants we haven’t yet been to, adding to the growing list of recommendations for our guests to check out throughout the wedding weekend.
For you destination brides, how many planning trips did you take to your location before the wedding day?
Wow, I can’t imagine all of the logistics that go into planning a wedding-planning trip for a DW! Sounds busy!! But I’m sure the tasting is going to be fun 
I live in Pennsylvania and am having my wedding in Vermont (FI’s hometown), so it’s a good 8 hour drive. Add the fact that FI is in the Army and can’t make the trips with my and you have a good time.
First trip: December – I met FI in Vermont while he was home with his parents for Christmas. Although I hadn’t seen him in 6 months, we had no time to relax. We met with all of the vendors I had booked over the phone – the florist, the venue, the wedding coordinator, rentals (preliminary…it was kind of a useless venture that early on). We also had our engagement photos taken.
Next trip: May – Going with my parents to have them meet his family for the first time (yikes!). Will meet with rentals again, have my hair and makeup trial, do another walk-through of the venue, possibly meeting with the caterer
Last trip: August – Solo trip, one month before the wedding. Tying up all loose ends. Meeting with the photographer, solidifying rentals, meeting with the coordinator to set the timeline…whatever isn’t done lol.
It’s a lot of work in that short period of time, but I might honestly prefer it to small wedding tasks every weekend.
@Mrs. Wallaby: It’s definitely stressful! But fun 
@FutureMrsWeston: WOW props to you girl! Sounds like you have it all under control and are getting alot done on each trip!
Food tastings are the best – delicious fun is the best kind of fun, if you ask me. I bet you’re going to feel so accomplished when all of this is done! So awesome.
Miss Mongoose, New Haven, CT Age and Occupation: 28, Digital Advertising Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Business Development Engagement Date: November 19th, 2011 Wedding Date: May 2013 Venue: Hotel Nelligan in Montreal, CA About Me: I was born and raised in Queens, NY (though you would never know due to my lack of a "real" New York accent) but currently live in Connecticut with my fiance. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a crazy obsession for planning and organizing things, so it comes as no surprise that I'm currently obsessed with planning our wedding. I love dancing, music, traveling, reading fiction novels, cooking, the color blue, cupcakes, all things space science-related and TV shows created by Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams. My fiance and I have been together for seven years and are so excited to finally get married next year. We are planning a peacock-themed destination wedding in Montreal, one of our favorite cities in the world, with 100 or so of our closest family and friends. While we may look very different on the outside, we have eerily similar personalities (probably due to the fact that we share the exact same birthday) and share very similar passions. But above all else, we love each other and love to have FUN!!!
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