Wedding Blog
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Registry
We’ve been asked several times what we want for our wedding, and we have no clue.
But, to stop people asking, we now have a wedding registry on Amazon.com.
Thing is, we’re both the kind of people who buy the things we want when we want them, so we’re not wanting for much. Therefore the list has lots of different stuff on it. From DVDs, to kitchen stuff to electronics.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Wedding favours
Now, I don’t know if this is because we don’t do them in the UK, or because I’ve never come across them before, but I had never heard of wedding favours.
Just to remind the others looking at the screen blankly ... a wedding favour is a gift from the bride and groom to the guests.
Now, usually wedding favours are something small and cheap. A scented cadle or some chocolate. We didn’t really want to go that route. We want to give something a bit more memorable than that ... a keepsake. We don’t have a huge number of people, so we can do that.
There is a gentleman on Pugvillage.com who makes the most amazing wood carvings of animals. So we got in touch and commissioned him to make some wooden carvings of Brutus, Buddy and Nikki. They arrived yesterday, and they are fabulous. Here are some really bad pics taken by me.
This is Brutus.
This is Buddy.
This is Nikki.
All the pieces are nothing but natural wood. No paints involved!
Here is a much better photo he sent to us.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Yet more progress
I think we have the contract for the place sorted, so we can start paying on that. She was really receptive and all, so I feel much better about that.
Lizzie and I also went shopping at Michael’s today and got the flowers for our bouquets. They are going to look awesome!! She got some beautiful blue flowers with light blue, orange and black accents, while mine are all red and black. We also found silver bouquet holders which are really nice. I’ve taken one out to look and they are proper metal, and not plated tin like I was half-expecting. At some point we’ll sit down and get those put together, but at least we *have* them. 
I looked at some of the invites that they had there, and except for maybe the handmade paper, I wasn’t all that impressed. I can totally see doing that I did before and making my own style on grey paper or something. I know I should start thinking about the invites, especially for the UK folks.
I have to say, this weekend saw some HUGE progress. I think this means I can slack off for another month or so now.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
More progress
We made a bit of progress on wedding plans this weekend. As you can see below, we made the arrangements for Paul’s tux. He is going to look so hot in that!!
I am starting to think about my bouquets now. I’m going to Michael’s tomorrow with Lizzie on a scouting mission. I know what I want, so it should be fairly straight forward to make. I don’t want to do fresh flowers, even though I love fresh, just because I want to keep the bouquet to remember. I tried Joann Fabrics yesterday and that was a total bust. The flowers there were just - ICK. They didn’t even look remotely real. So hopefully we’ll do better tomorrow.
We’ve also worked out what to do for wedding favors. I’m also in the process of getting a cake topper, just to put on the top of the cupcake tree.
The cupcake tree looks pretty easily obtainable. I saw several on Ebay and on-line so that should be easy to sort.
At some point I’ll get the rings sorted and work out what I want to do for my necklace. I should get a go on that soon.
I’ve started looking for cupcake trees and they are all over Ebay so I’m not worried there.
The tux
Diosa had been fretting that she wanted to get my suit for the wedding sorted out, and I’m not one to want her to fret. So last night after work we headed over to Mens Warehouse, a rather nice suit / clothing retail chain. They also happen to do Tux rentals (and this being the US, you have to have a tux for your wedding).
A manderin style tux and shirt. No tie. Much more me! The red vest to match Diosa’s dress too 
It’s a rental, and if anyone else is interesting in renting something for the wedding let me know, we can get you hooked up. You can be measured up to the day before for $20 extra (but they’ll hate you for it!).
If you want to see their selection, head on over here.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
On the lookout for…
a puggy cake topper.
I know we aren’t having a cake, but I thought it would look cute on the table in front of the cupcakes. If I don’t find one it’s not a big deal, but if anyone happens on one, let me know.
We really haven’t done that much lately on the wedding. I’m still trying to get the contracts all squared away, but for the moment, there really isn’t much more we can do. Six months is such a ways off that we just aren’t really giving much thought to it. I guess we could start thinking about the invitations, but again, plenty of time.
Monday, March 21, 2005
Honeymoon
After a few days of umming and ahhing, and throwing different locations around for our honeymoon. It’s done, booked and ready to go.
We thought about driving to Montreal or somewhere in Canada, but driving isn’t a relaxing honeymoon.
We thought about the Caribean, or Jamaica or somewhere like that, but they tend to be over priced.
We thought about Europe ... Southern France, Greece or somewhere hot like that, but Greece is a 16 hour flight for me now ...
In the end, we started looking at Mexico, and have just booked a venue in Cancun
http://www.cancun.com/Cancun/Hotels/Blue_Bay_Getaway/
The hotel is “adults only”, which suits us to the ground ... no families, no kids. It’s an all inclusive deal, which should be very nice. I’ve been on an all inclusive before, and if you make sure you’re not bound to the hotel, it works out nicely. Dave and Lizzie did an all inclusive in Mexico for theirs, and had rave reviews, so we started looking at it too.
It looks like a great location too!
So, Tuesday, October 18th through to Wednesday October 26th we’ll be sunning it in Mexico! WOO!
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Wedding update
Things have been fairly quiet on the wedding front lately. To be honest, we’ve been so busy with other stuff we haven’t really thought that much about it. But we got our contract signed and returned, so that’s been sorted (finally. ) and I did a follow up call with Hilary today about the meal. It sounds really good, and everything I wanted. The menu is:
Beef tenderloin with gravy
Roast chicken breast (this way it’s pre-portioned, so no carving station necessary) with gravy
Roast potatoes
Yorkshire puddings
sugar snap peas and carrots
I decided to forgo the salads (Salads?! We don’t need no stinking salads!!) and just stick with that. We talked about the black bottom cupcakes and I gave her the recipe for that. I forgot to mention the change in the toast to her the last time I talked to her, so I brought up that it was to be non-alcoholic apple cider only. I also wanted to skip the hors d’oerves and just get on with the food. I mentioned the wines I wanted (a pinot grigio and a pinot noir) and arranged for non-alcoholic beer, soft drinks, mineral water and beer. She’s going to talk to Michele so we can get the pricing and contracts for that all set.
So the big things to buy/arrange still on the list are Paul’s tux, the rings, my shoes, and the cupcake tree. I am still thinking about making my bouquet, but it’s *way* too early to be putting that together. Also the candle holders for the place. Just need a few of those. At some point we’ll think some more about music for the thing and more about the honeymoon .
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Spoke to the Chef
We had a phone call from the Chef at the Tavern this weekend, and Beth had a chat with her about our meal requirements and wants ...
Fortunately, she got it. She has English family, so understood exactly what we wanted.
Basically our meal plans are for a roast dinner buffet. Impressive? No. Complicated? No. Fussy, overpriced and fancy? No. But it is us. It fits our “theme” well (Olde English).
We described our seating plan to her ... two big round tables, with the buffet against the wall. No seating plans or restrictions ... even us, the Bride and Groom will be wandering around with everyone else. The idea is for this to be a social mix. Family will mix with friends, people will sit next to people they don’t know.
The Chef got this, as have the venue staff. It’s not the typical kind of wedding they deal with, and thats how we want it 
Friday, January 07, 2005
My dress arrived today…
and it’s beautiful. It really is everything I hoped for. It came with the shawl which I was pleasantly surprised about. I didn’t think it would.
Now I just need to get shoes.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
More wedding stuff
Smeg mentioned that I bought my dress already. I did. Here are the pics of it:
I know it’s not your “traditional dress” but it is totally me. I don’t like white dresses, never did and especially on me. I really wanted something that stood out and that really spoke to me. I looked at several dresses on eBay, but this one I just fell in love with. It was $99 on eBay and only $15 to ship. So all in it was $115 for my dress.
I also asked Smeg’s brother Andy for a very special favour. I don’t have any male relatives to walk me down the aisle or any variation on that theme. I had been kicking this around for a few days, and decided to call him tonight and ask if he would escort me up whatever passes for an aisle (or out onto the veranda if it’s nice out) and welcome me to the Jones family. It’s not the “giving away” so much as “Welcome sister-in-law”. He seemed happy to do it, so I really hope he didn’t mind me asking.
The next thing to get are the rings. I can still get jewelry stuff wholesale, and found some beautiful Titanium rings. They should only run about $100-$125 for both with shipping. I know how much they go for in the shops, so believe me, it’s a bargain.
I also plan on making my own bouquet, and Liz’s. I have some plans, but I haven’t decided on flowers or anything like that. They will be silk flowers. I can’t justify spending lots of money (even $150) on real flowers that will die.
I’m still stuck on the idea of a cupcake tree/tower and making black-bottom cupcakes. The only thing I haven’t worked out is how to decorate them. I’ll keep thinking on it.
We will need to schedule time with the chef at some point. I have a definite menu I want - a roast dinner. It’s not a challenge to the chef’s per se, but it will be interesting to see if they can get back to their roots so to speak and make more simple food. Roast beef and or roast chicken, yorkshire puddings, herbed roast potatoes, maybe some mashed for the Ohio contingient, roast veggies, and gravies. Just yummy simple food.
I loved the idea of the sparkling apple cider toast. I’m not a big big fan of champagne, and this way everyone can partake. Besides, it will be October.
So things really are moving along nicely. We have lots of time for everything. Mental note: must go tux browsing to see if I can find the one I have in mind. It’s a collarless shirt, so no tie nor cumberbund. I think that should work nicely. So we’ll have to do some scouting, me thinks.
Officiant
As you can see in the last entry:
Officiant: Any ordained ministers or clergymen, and justices of the peace may perform weddings. Out-of-state clergy need to obtain a Certificate of Authorization from the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth before the wedding ceremony. A non-minister or non-justice of the peace (such as a relative of family friend) may receive from the Governor, for a $25 fee, special one-time permission to perform a marriage.
Basically, anyone in Massachusetts can get a one time, one shot license, allowing the to marry a couple, legally. We’ve decided we want to take advantage of this, and to make the ceremony mean more, and be more personal than if we asked a random stranger to do this, we’ve asked Dave if he would do this for us. It would mean a lot more to us!
Handy wedding information link
http://www.cornerstonehealingcenter.org/marriage_license_laws.htm
Massachusetts
ID Requirement: Proper identification is necessary. You may be required to show a certified birth certificate.
Residency Requirement: You do not have to be a resident of Massachusetts. License can be used anywhere in Massachusetts.
Previous Marriages: No special requirements.
Covenant Marriage Option: No.
Waiting Period: Three-day (3) waiting period. You may go to court and obtain a court order to waive the three-day waiting period. If either of you are close to death, or if the bride is near the end of her pregnancy, a request by your attending physician or clergyperson would suffice and the clerk can issue the license immediately without a court order.
Fees: Between $4 and $15. Each community can set their own fees.
Other Tests: You will need to bring the report of your Pre-Marital Blood Test. It has to be done no longer than 30 days prior to your marriage license application. If either of you are close to death, or if the bride is near the end of her pregnancy, the blood test can be waived if a request by your attending physician or clergyperson is given to the clerk.
Proxy Marriages: No. However, if one of you is in the military, or is incarcerated, the other may make application for the marriage license for both of you.
Cousin Marriages: Yes
Common Law Marriages: No.
Same Sex Marriages: Yes, as of May 17, 2004. However, with legal challenges to the new law, some local jurisdictions may have residency requirements and/or not issue marriage licenses to gay couples. Check with your local authorities to see how they are handling this issue.
Under 18: If you are under 18 years old, you will need a court order from either a probate court or district court in the locale where you live in order to apply for a marriage license.
Officiant: Any ordained ministers or clergymen, and justices of the peace may perform weddings. Out-of-state clergy need to obtain a Certificate of Authorization from the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth before the wedding ceremony. A non-minister or non-justice of the peace (such as a relative of family friend) may receive from the Governor, for a $25 fee, special one-time permission to perform a marriage.
Witnesses: Witnesses are not required.
Miscellaneous: License is valid for sixty (60) days.
Registry of Vital Records and Statistics
Department of Public Health
150 Mt. Vernon Street
Boston, MA 02125-3105
(617) 740-2600
Monday, January 03, 2005
Not your typical wedding!
While the wedding itself is a long time off, the plans are coming together already, and so far, I am loving them.
One of our favourite parts of this wedding is that it is going to be so much smaller, intimate and casual than what a wedding is expected to be. And this suites us *fine*
Neither of us enjoys formal environments. Neither of us enjoys being obligated to do things a certain way.
So we aren’t. It’s our day, and it’s going to be planned exactly how we want it to be.
From the people invited, the venue, even down to the decor and cake, we want to it be something personal to us, or something we have put thought into. We want people to go away and have lasting memories of how appropriate (wether thats good or bad 
) the wedding was for us.
It’s our day, we’re going to do it our way ... I hope everyone will appreciate this and let us make the choices to make it a wedding that will reflect us the best.
Flight prices
So, now we have a date, anyone inclined can start looking at prices from the UK to here.
So, just to find out what they were, I checked http://www.ba.com for a price from Heathrow to Logan.
Leaving on Thursday the 13th Oct, returning anytime after the following Tuesday through to Friday (including the week after), flights can be had for a very reasonable 310 GBP ...
The sooner you book them, the cheaper it will be!