The Patient Man & The Wedding Vendor Extravaganza

I promised a quick story about The Man and the wedding catering & vendor event. There was an event hosted by the wedding event management group where we are hoping to have some of our wedding festivities. It included a tasting of the menu there as well as a conference room full of vendor booths.

It worked out that we were going to be in San Diego the day of the event, so I rsvp-ed for us and was happy that The Man was willing to go along. I didn't tell him too much about it only so that he wouldn't be wary of going -- I kind of tied it into dollar signs, "if we're going to spend the money, we want to make sure it's good" kind of thing. See, I'm thinking on a man's level.

He got off work and we were in a rush to get there. He was hungry so it was great to tell him how much food there would be there for him to try. He was instantly happy. We got there, paid the entrance fee and headed inside to tables and tables of food. It was fun to sample things with him and talk to other guests about how they were approaching keeping track of everything they liked. We were given a sheet that we could keep notes on, which was helpful.

After we'd tried everything and made our notes, all while sitting on a beautiful patio overlooking downtown San Diego from across the bay, we headed upstairs to the vendors. I was a little intimidated. No one loves the pressure of talking to vendors who really want your money. I was actually glad we don't have a date yet, because that was the first high pressure question everyone asked and it was clearly a lead in question to getting the sales pressure pitch.

So we started wandering around and soon lost track of each other. I had a list of questions I needed to ask the site manager. This was my chief goal & priority so I headed there first. Then I was ready to make a quick round to a few photographers and cake bakers. The Man and I caught up about that time and he started giving me the heads up on vendors I should visit and handed me a handful of business cards and vendor brochures. I loved that -- he had sincerely been checking things out and had recommendations.

Then he wandered off again to check out more vendors and get more cake samples. I stopped in and chatted with one of the photographers he liked and when the photographer asked me to sign his email signup sheet, as I hemmed and hawed, I looked down and noticed I had already signed it...at least someone else had signed my name. Then at the next vendor I saw again, that I had signed up there too. I started to get worried. And in my head, I laughed that maybe this was The Man's underhanded way of getting back at me for bringing him there. But happily I have not been inundated with emails from high pressure vendors.

I thought it was pretty cute that he was signing me up for things he liked that he thought I would like. He made good choices and it was another one of those moments where I was amazed that I found a man who is artistic and creative AND a rugged outdoors type. What a perfect match for a girl with such varied interests herself.

Just as I was hitting my limit for smiling, acting interested and giving a darn, The Man came to me and said, I'm going to wait for you out on the back patio and pointed toward the door he was exiting. Even his exit was peaceful and perfect. In minutes I was ready to leave too and headed out to see him walking amid the trees with the gorgeous view of the bay and city behind him. Romantic. A perfect way to end the night. I was so pleased with him. It was the equivalent of him taking me to a gun show and I dare say he performed much better than I would at the gun show. I don't think he knew how much this meant to me, even when I tried to tell him, but it meant a lot and I really loved him for it.

image by kalanicut