89 Days and Counting...

We are officially at the 3-month mark before the wedding. It's so hard to believe that it's 89 days away. With all the commotion of the last few months of buying/selling the houses, the wedding got pushed to the back burner. It's back to the front again as we are back in the swing of wedding planning (well, at least I am). I think Ryan really enjoyed not having to think about wedding planning these past few months so he's having a hard time getting back on the wedding track. Quite frankly, I think he's just plain over it. We're working on all the little details now, and I actually think this part is much more fun than the big picture stuff. A few weeks ago, I went with some of the bridesmaids to the florist to pick out our flowers. We are using Amour Flowers (http://www.amourflorist.com/) in Frederick, which is the florist my mom used to work for. Pierre, my mom's former boss, always told me that when I got married, he was going to do the flowers for my wedding. I was so excited to call him and tell him the good news after we had gotten engaged. And, of course, meeting with Pierre to go over the arrangements was great - he seemed to really get it, and I know he will do an amazing job! I cannot wait to see how everything turns out.

We have also finally booked the transportation. We will be providing shuttles from the hotel to the church and back after the ceremony so that our guests will not have to deal with parking at the church and will only have to park once at the hotel. The shuttles will begin running at 4:30pm and will pick up from the Pier 5 Hotel. That's about it on the wedding front. Ryan is working on putting the finishing touches on his latest project, so hopefully I'll be sharing that with everyone soon!

The Search for the Perfect Dress

This past weekend, Ryan and I headed up to PA to spend some quality time with his family. Today is Ryan's Dad's birthday - Happy Birthday, Rich! We went up to PA to celebrate his birthday, but Ryan and I had our own separate agendas for the weekend. Ryan and his dad did some work around the house working to re-install cable so that if Verizon Fios ever makes it to their neighborhood, they will be ready for it. Ryan's mom and I spent some real quality time together on Saturday searching for the perfect Mother of the Groom dress. We left the house at 9:15am to go and meet Alexis for our first appointment at 10am. As soon as we got onto the highway, we quickly discovered that the cars in front of us were barely moving (if at all). Apparently, Saturday was the day that they were doing construction on a bridge about 4 miles down the highway... The left lane was closed and merging into one lane was just too hard for the people in front of us. It took us about 2 hours to get past the construction.. yes, you read that correctly, 2 HOURS - we literally went 2 miles per hour. Talk about some serious mother-in-law/daughter-in-law bonding time. At one point, I thought Linda was going to get out of the car and walk to see how far she could get before I caught up with her! Once we finally made our way past the traffic, it was too late to meet Alexis, so we headed to our 2nd appointment that was scheduled for noon. From there, we made a lot of progress and stopped at 3 more stores where Linda tried on about 12-15 dresses. We also stopped at the furniture store, had lunch and went to the wicker store to pick up the baskets that we'll be using as our "hospitality" baskets in the restrooms at the reception. Despite trying on quite a few dresses, we didn't find the "one" - there were a couple that were maybe's but we weren't quite sure about. So, the next day we headed out to our 3pm appt, this time with Alexis, where Linda found a beautiful dress. And, even though we got home and the house was a little messy, Ryan and his dad had done a good job running the cable and not cutting any holes in the wallpapered walls! All in all, a great weekend spent with the LeNoirs!

Does Anyone Have a Big Cardboard Box?

We might need to use it if we can't find a new house to move in to! The past few weeks have been a bit crazy, so while Ryan is off in Atlantic City celebrating Andre's bachelor party, I thought I'd have some "me" time on a Friday night. I'm watching the O's beat the Yanks (let's go O's!!), and I thought I'd update the blog for the goings on of the past few weeks.

About three weeks ago, we put our house back on the market. Aside from the fact that we had to list at a cheaper price than before, I actually took the whole "selling the house" thing quite well. There weren't any tears this time! Don't get me wrong, I still love this house, but I'd love it more if it wasn't in the city and was closer to my family. We've had quite a bit of activity - 7 showings this time compared to the 1 showing that we had when it was on the market in November. And... this week, we received an offer and signed a contract! The house sold... in 3 weeks!! According to that contract, we will be settling on May 28th, so Ryan and I are now frantically searching for a new place to live so we won't be homeless! We've already seen a few houses that we like and plan to visit a lot more tomorrow. We're hoping to put an offer on a "grown-up" house in the burbs early next week. Many thanks to Crystal for rushing home from work last night to go and check out some houses with me.

On the wedding front, we had a meeting with our wedding coordinator to pick out the menu and talk about details for the cocktail hour and reception. The food was great, but my favorite part of the tasting was definitely the cake! We were lucky enough to be joined by both our parents for this event, and it was so nice to have them there with us. I actually had no concept of how many questions the wedding coordinator would be asking, and I can't thank both the Lindas enough for sharing their wisdom and advice related to the important decisions (napkin colors, centerpieces, seating arrangements etc.). Ryan's parents also spent the rest of the weekend with us, and we had a chance to show them the church and discuss the options for the rehearsal dinner. Time really is flying and the wedding will be here before we know it! It will be 5 months away on Sunday!

With This Ring...

Yesterday, Ryan and I spent some time at my favorite jewelry store picking out our wedding rings. It actually took a little longer than I thought it would. Ryan really doesn't wear jewelry - he usually has a watch on, but that's it. So, needless to say, Ryan's decision was a tough one. After trying on about 10 different rings, Ryan was able to find one that he thinks he can live with. It's not too heavy, not too wide and not too shiny. As for me, I tried on 2 rings and was able to make a decision in a few minutes. Unlike Ryan's ring, mine is a bit heavier and a lot more sparkly! I love it and cannot wait to wear it. When we were in the car leaving the jewelry store, Ryan says to me, "Ok, no more jewelry until after the kids get out of college." Ouch... guess those rings cost a little more than we had expected. Totally worth it though.

We Passed!!

As you can see from the certificate in the picture above, Ryan and I successfully completed Pre-Cana, and it appears that they might actually let us get married. We spent 4 hours on each of the past 2 Sundays with 7 other couples getting to know one another better and discussing the important topics such as communications, decision-making, intimacy, finances, and spirituality. Despite our expectations and what we'd been told by other couples who had been through it, it actually wasn't as hard as we expected. And, I think we actually learned some new things about each other - specifically, that Ryan thinks I'm disorganized. For the record, I am NOT disorganized... Just because I lose my keys every once and a while doesn't make me disorganized!! Anyway... I'm not bitter or anything.

I know I've been slacking on keeping the blog updated, but work has been pretty busy (as expected). But I have some good news and this working-like-a-dog thing should be changing soon - I have resigned from my job at E&Y and will be working in financial reporting for a former client in downtown Baltimore starting March 10th! I always said that if I left E&Y, I would love to work for this Company, and I could not be more excited. 3 mile commute, here I come!

While I've been busy working late, Ryan has been keeping himself busy with the new Wii and at his woodworking class. When Ryan found out that I got the new job, his response was that he got a raise and that we should get a Wii! I have to say that I wasn't exactly on board with this purchase, but it has been a lot of fun to play. It is pretty pathetic that our arms get sore from playing - guess we should start hitting the gym so we can keep playing the Wii without the soreness. Ryan is busy practicing so the next time he hangs out with his cousins, he'll have a better chance of making it competitive! Ryan seems to be enjoying his woodworking class and within the next week or so, he should have a new, completed project that I can share with everyone!

Guess that's about all the excitement for now. Stay tuned for more wedding updates. I can't believe it's almost 8 months away!!

New and Improved Wedding Website

Check out our new wedding website where you can find all the details for the wedding!!
http://www.chick-lenoirwedding.com/

Meeting with the Deacon

Last weekend, we had a meeting with Deacon Bauerschmidt from Corpus Christi. We attended mass first so we can start becoming more familiar with the church. The mass was nice and spending some time in the church helped us to start thinking about our ceremony. I really wish I could have taken some pictures of the inside of the church so I could share how beautiful it is, but unfortunately, I think that would have been inappropriate to do during mass. After mass, we met with the deacon to get to know him (since we actually met with the priest the first time). During this meeting we found out that unless someone books a last-minute wedding, we might end up being the first wedding ceremony that he has performed, and we have every reason to believe that we'll have a perfect ceremony! After our short introductions, Ryan and I were split up so he could ask us the required questions to determine if we were both eligible for marriage. This was a little nerve-wracking for me because I had no idea what to expect, but we passed with flying colors and it looks like they are going to let us get married! The deacon also gave us a book that will help us plan the ceremony so we can discuss it at the next meeting which is scheduled for early August.

A Year of Being Engaged...

It was this day last year that Ryan was down on one knee asking me to marry him, and I was saying "Shut Up! Really? Are you sure??" I can hardly believe that we've been engaged for a year. The time has already gone by so fast and before we know it, we'll be walking down the aisle! What a great year it has been - it's so much fun to be engaged and wear a sparkling diamond! Our official wedding countdown clock tells me that we have 286 days to go! Pretty crazy!!

There really hasn't been too much wedding activity lately. We're meeting with the Deacon next Saturday to plan the ceremony. We have also sent in our registration for our Pre-Cana Marriage preparation classes that will take place in February. I have been getting a few questions about the hotel options so I thought I'd re-post the info for the hotels where we have a block of rooms.

Pier 5 Hotel http://www.harbormagic.com/Pier5/pier5_default.asp

Admiral Fell Inn http://www.harbormagic.com/AdmiralFell/admiral_fell_default.asp Brookshire Suites http://www.harbormagic.com/Brookshire/brookshire_default.asp

Rates are as follows:

Pier 5: 2 night minimum, $239/night;

Admiral Fell Inn: no minimum, $199/night;

Brookshire Suites: no minimum, $189/night, Breakfast is included
There is a free shuttle that runs between all 3 of these hotels. To make reservations, call 1-866-583-4162 and ask for the group rate for the Chick/LeNoir wedding.

Courtyard Baltimore Downtown/Inner Harbor, no minimum stay required, $199/night (see the link below to make reservations) - within walking distance (about 3-4 blocks from Pier 5)

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bwidt-courtyard-baltimore-downtown-inner-harbor/?groupCode=CLWCLWA&app=resvlink

The following hotels are others in the area that are within walking distance of Pier 5, but we do not have a block of rooms (or a discounted rate):

Baltimore Marriott Waterfront: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bwiwf-baltimore-marriott-waterfront/

Hilton Garden Inn Baltimore Inner Harbor: http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml;jsessionid=GWJLLN0HYTSWQCSGBI12VCQ?ctyhocn=BWIIHGI

Homewood Suites by Hilton Baltimore: http://homewoodsuites1.hilton.com/en_US/hw/hotel/BALHWHW-Homewood-Suites-by-Hilton-Baltimore-Maryland/index.do?brand_id=HI&brand_directory=/en/hi/&xch=107758763,GWJLLN0HYTSWQCSGBI12VCQ

A Happy Day...

Yesterday, Linda, Crystal and Becky came to Baltimore to go dress shopping with me. First, we made a stop at Pier 5 Hotel so that Crystal and Linda could see the reception space. Becky had already seen it, but of course she was a good sport and came to check it out too. After a quick lunch at Potbelly's in the Harbor, we headed to Francesca's Bridal in Parkville. I found Francesca's because they are in the same building as our photographer and videographer. We arrived right on time for our appointment and had a few minutes to kill while our salesperson (Jeri) finished up with another customer. We made ourselves comfortable and Becky and I started wandering around the salon to look at dresses. I found a dress that I liked and told Becky that I really wanted to try that one on. We met with Jeri and talked about the kind of dress I was looking for and my budget, and she started pulling dresses off the rack. Off we went to try them on, but the first dress I looked at with Becky was not included in the selections. I could not have been more nervous - it's not every day that I get to play dress-up with bridal gowns. Turns out as I was trying on the first gown, another bride grabbed the one that I liked so much and had it on for quite a long time. I tried on about 4 gowns, and each had aspects that I liked, but I had not found the ONE. As I was taking off the last gown, Becky came back to the dressing room with the gown that I was dying to try on. I tried it on, and it was THE ONE! When I walked out of the dressing room and looked in the mirrors, I knew it was exactly what I wanted. Jeri turned the lights down so there were little lights shining on the dress, and it was absolutely perfect. I was even more convinced that it was perfect when I saw and heard Linda, Crystal and Becky's reactions. Linda told me that the dress had been made for me, and then Becky says "Wendy, it's so beautiful, I want to marry you!" Before we knew it, we all were in tears. So... we bought it!!! I have a wedding dress!!! A big thank you to Linda, Crystal and Becky for giving up their Saturday to come dress shopping with me. I could not have done it without you all - It really meant the world to me to have you all there and I am really very lucky that you are a part of my life!!

If anyone knows someone who is looking for a wedding dress or bridemaid dresses, I highly recommend Francesca's Bridal. Our salesperson, Jeri, was amazing. She was wonderful! She really took the time to get to know me and understand what I liked and didn't like, and never once was she pushy. She also made a point to only show me dresses that fell below my budget. What a great experience!! 307 more days until I get to wear the dress!! I can't wait!!

A Sad Day....

For Wendy. We put our house on the market today. I can't believe we're actually doing it, but here goes. I've already cried a few times about the decision. Ryan, on the other hand, couldn't be more excited. Don't get me wrong... I'm excited about the prospect of a bigger house with a yard and a parking spot where drunk people don't graze my bumper when they try to pull out of their parking spot on the street, but I LOVE this house! It's so cute and it's our very first house together. What can I say, I get emotionally attached. I can't help it! At the very least, having the house on the market will be a true test to see how neat and clean we can keep everything - we even have to make our bed every day!! We have an awesome realtor, but if you know of anyone who wants to buy a cool house in Canton, send them our way!

On the wedding front, we booked the videographer this weekend. We decided to go with Perskie for this - should make the whole process of videos and photos that much smoother (we hope). We also found out that the rooms at the Courtyard Downtown are now available to be booked (since we're less than a year away). If you'd rather book a room online instead of calling Marriott, please let me know and I can send you the link. And.. more exciting news, the date is set for the first round of Dress Shopping -- November 17th! I can't wait!!

On a different note, we'll be doing the 1-mile walk for the Race for the Cure this weekend in honor of my brother-in-law's mother who would have celebrated her 60th birthday on Sunday. If you're interested in donating to the Susan G. Komen fund for our team (Team Betty Boop), click on the following link: https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=229427&lis=1&kntae229427=8BBA81FDA6FD418CB3992F8EACF652BA&supId=188821327

Finally... We Have a Church!

Today, Ryan and I met with Father Rich at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, and we are very excited to announce that we have a place for our ceremony! The meeting with Father Rich went really well. Corpus Christi is located in a beautiful neighborhood in Baltimore called Bolton Hill, and the church is gorgeous! Our ceremony will be at 5:30pm (which I've been told is good luck) and will be performed by Deacon Fritz Bauerschmidt. Ryan was excited to hear that he teaches Theology at Loyola College. It's starting to feel like it's all coming together. Click on the following link for a website for the church. http://www.corpuschristibaltimore.org/

Also, now that we have a church and a place for the reception, we will begin working with Pier 5 to design our personal wedding website within the next few weeks.

Yay for Bridesmaids!

So... It turns out I actually have friends (other than Ryan). I asked all my bridesmaids and believe it or not, they all said yes! :) Asking my girls has actually been one of my favorite things I have done so far. So, to pop the question to the bridesmaids, I had love2bcreative make some bridesmaids "invitations" for me (See the picture to the left). At the top it said "Will you be my bridesmaid?" and then under the dress (yes, you have to lift the dress up to see it - get your mind out of the gutter, Jordan!), they said "Hard to believe that in just a little while, Ryan and I will be walking down the aisle. And nothing would give me such joy and pride Then to have you there by my side!". I also gave them all a framed picture of us together. Although it was fun, asking my bridesmaids was more nerve-wracking than I thought it would be, but it got easier as I went along. I was so nervous when I asked Crystal (she was the first to be officially asked) that I kind of felt like I was proposing. Even though I thought she'd say yes, a part of me still was a little worried... Guess now I understand how Ryan felt when he had to propose. In addition to the "invitation", I gave them all a Bridesmaid's Contract which I have included below. When I decided to ask everyone in the way that I did, I really thought that I'd be able to keep a straight face and give them the contract and make them all sign it (as a joke of course). But... I guess I didn't do a very good job with that, because each time I gave the 'maids the contract, they all just laughed in my face, most of the time while I was trying to hold in my laughter. At the very least, the contract was good for a laugh - I'm glad they know that I'm trying not to take this wedding thing that seriously!!

*Bridesmaid’s Contract*
Let me just say again how happy I am that you are going to be a part of my special day! Below are just a few guidelines for the wedding that I’d like you to review. Please initial by each point and sign at the end. Just want to make sure they’re aren’t any surprises! Thanks so much! Love ya!
-Wendy
______ My hair will remain at the length it is now or longer.

______ I will not change my hair color without first consulting Wendy and providing a sample photo or hair swatch for consideration.

______ I will use Sally Hansen’s “Maximum Growth-Daily Nail Growth program” every day for the 4 months before the wedding day.

______ I will not gain more than 5 lbs from the weight I was when I was asked to be a bridesmaid.

______ I swear to attend all showers, (bridal & bachelorette), to arrive in a timely manner and do everything in my power to support and “be there” for the bride.

______ I will purchase the bridesmaid dress selected by Wendy within 6 months of the date of the wedding (and not complain about the style or the color selected).

______ I will NOT knowingly get pregnant without notifying Wendy at least 4 months prior to the wedding so a suitable alternate can be found. I will also give my purchased bridesmaid dress to the alternate bridesmaid selected.

I do hereby swear that I will adhere to all of the above & other understood bridesmaid duties for the wedding on September 20, 2008
X_________________________
(sign, print and date)

The 'Maids are as follows:

Becky - the MOH (my best friend from middle/high school)

Crystal - my sister (who will keep me in line and not let me make any ugly decisions!) :)

Stacey - my niece (who is all grown up now!!)

Val - my best friend from E&Y (even though she left me)

Alexis - my soon to be sister-in-law

Melissa - my friend since kindergarten

So, to my bridesmaids... I want you all to know how thankful I am that you are a part of mine and Ryan's lives. You mean so much to us, and we are very excited that you will be a part of the big day!!

As for the groomsmen, Ryan is slowly asking - I think he's about halfway through, but he isn't doing anything as fun as I did... Boys will be boys.

More Wedding Progress

We've checked some more things off the list.... Woo-hoo. The DJ is booked - we're going with Music Masters. Given the way that the Harbor Club room is set up with the DJ booth above the dance floor, these guys were pretty much our only option for music, so we thought we'd go ahead and book them. Please send any special requests for music to me - Ryan loves country music and line dances, so the more we play of that, the happier he'll be (haha!).

We have met with 2 photographers, Klose Photography and Perskie Photography. We have decided to go with Perskie for the wedding. We met with them yesterday and gave them our deposit. We all know how much Ryan hates having his picture taken (we've already warned the photographers that Ryan is like Chandler on "Friends" when it comes to pictures) and also looking at wedding pictures, so I think this is one aspect of the planning that he is grateful to be done with. He has been a really good sport about everything so far though... as much as he hates to admit it, I think he has finally come to terms with the whole marriage thing and might be starting to get excited about it. Of course, all the excitement is on the inside, so the only way I know he's ok with the wedding stuff is because he isn't too grumpy when we are talking about all the details. I'll take that though - no complaints here. I have included a link to Perskie's website below and also a direct link to an album for one of the weddings that they shot at Pier 5.
Perskie's Website http://www.perskie.com/
Pier 5 Sample: http://www.perskie.com/samplealbum/pier5/start.html

We have also started asking our family and friends to be in the wedding party and hope to have this completed within the next few weeks. Stay tuned for a blog post about that. We have narrowed the church list down to 2, and are just waiting until our #1 choice will let us actually book the date and make it official. August 20th is the big day for that since they won't let us book more than 13 months in advance! More details to follow shortly...

Updated Hotel Information

We wanted to let everyone know that we've added an additional hotel to the list for the wedding. We have blocked off rooms at the Courtyard Baltimore Downtown/Inner Harbor for Saturday night (9/20/08). We were able to get a rate of $199/night, and there is no minimum stay required. The hotel is within walking distance of Pier 5 - It's less than .5 miles away and probably a 5 minute walk. We realize that the 2-night minimum and rate at Pier 5 isn't ideal, so hopefully, this will make things a bit easier for our guests. Ryan and I will be staying at Pier 5 for the wedding, and of course, we'd love for all of our out-of-town guests to stay there (it's a beautiful hotel), but we understand that the Courtyard might be a better option. I have included the link to the Courtyard's website below:
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bwidt-courtyard-baltimore-downtown-inner-harbor/

Information for reserving a room is as follows:
Individual guests will make sleeping room reservations directly with Marriott reservations at 1- (800) 228-9290 on or before Wednesday, August 20, 2008. When making your reservation, please identify yourself as part of the Chick-LeNoir Wedding rooms group staying at the Baltimore Downtown Courtyard.

And the Winner Is....

After much anticipation, we have finally picked a reception place! We signed the contract on Wednesday! We will be having the reception on September 20, 2008 in the Harbor Club at the Pier 5 Hotel. We looked at so many places, and all had really great and different characteristics. There are many things we like about Pier 5 - it's in the Inner Harbor (where we had our first date and got engaged), it's on the water and the Harbor Club has many windows, it's very unique and is not a huge corporation (which will hopefully allow us some flexibility), and most importantly, we can almost afford it! We are so excited (well, I think




I'm probably a little more excited than Ryan, but that's ok). It's almost starting to feel real. Next step is to pick the church... stay tuned...

I know it seems kind of early for this, but I have included information for booking a hotel room for the wedding. We have blocked off rooms at 3 hotels in Baltimore which are all owned by the same company and have a free shuttle between all 3. Unlike a Marriott or Hyatt, these hotels do not have more than 100 rooms each, so we want to make sure that our guests get a room if they think they want to stay downtown for the night of the wedding. You do not need to put a deposit down to book the room - you just need a credit card to hold your reservation. The links for each hotel are included below:
Pier 5 Hotel http://www.harbormagic.com/Pier5/pier5_default.asp
Admiral Fell Inn http://www.harbormagic.com/AdmiralFell/admiral_fell_default.asp
Brookshire Suites http://www.harbormagic.com/Brookshire/brookshire_default.asp

Rates are as follows:
Pier 5: 2 night minimum, $239/night
Admiral Fell Inn: no minimum, $199/night
Brookshire Suites: no minimum, $189/night, Breakfast is included

If you would like more information to make your reservation, please email me at chick-lenoirwedding@comcast.net and I will give you the phone number and additional information that you will need to book a room with the rates above.

Still Looking... But We're Almost Done!

Since the last blog, we have looked at 5 more places: Hyatt Regency Baltimore, Admiral Fell Inn. Pier V Hotel, Evergreen House, and the Belvedere.

Every new place that we look at makes the decision that much harder, but it's been an interesting experience to see all the different set-ups, decors, etc.

We looked at the Hyatt in Baltimore on Friday afternoon. It was pretty and it would be plenty of room for our little wedding of 125. The one drawback with this place is that there really isn't anywhere to go outside (i.e. for cocktail hour), but otherwise, it's still on the list. Click the link below to see pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/udchickie/BaltimoreHyatt

We looked at the Admiral Fell Inn and Pier V Hotel on Saturday. The Admiral Fell Inn is a historic hotel and it has a ballroom that takes up the entire 5th floor. It also has a rooftop terrace/deck/balcony that wraps around the ballroom on the 5th floor and has great views of the water and city. We aren't sure if the ballroom has the capacity for us, but it's definitely an option. We hadn't actually planned to look at Pier V, but it is affiliated with the Admiral Fell Inn, and it ended up working out well. Pier V is a much different atmosphere than the Admiral Fell. It's completely modern, has bright pretty colors, a mural in the lobby, but it was really cool. We looked at the Harbor Club Room which is on the 2nd floor of the hotel and also has a balcony/deck that wraps around the ballroom and has great views of the Inner Harbor and the city. The dance floor also has a disco ball! Click on the links below to see pictures of Admiral Fell and Pier V.
http://picasaweb.google.com/udchickie/AdmiralFellInn
http://picasaweb.google.com/udchickie/PierVHotel

We also looked at the Evergreen House which is actually a museum owned by John Hopkins University. The gardens were gorgeous and are an option for a ceremony location. Receptions are held in the Carriage House which is just down the hill from the gardens. A tent is attached to the Carriage House and the entire area is used as the reception venue. The one downfall is that the tables are kind of separated from the dance floor, but otherwise this location was beautiful! Click on the link below to see pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/udchickie/EvergreenHouse

The last place we looked at was the Belvedere. This place was gorgeous and is a historic location (it has A LOT of chandeliers). The room for the cocktail hour is interesting - it has a lot of dark wood and huge mural of Baltimore on the walls (way back when). The ballroom is great - it's big and has lots of room. We also found out that this place wasn't as expensive as we had expected. Click on the link below to see pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/udchickie/TheBelvedere

Ryan and I definitely have our favorites, but we would love to hear everyone's thoughts so please feel free to email me with your opinions! Only 2 more places for us to look at. We hope to make a decision within the next 2 weeks!

So Many Places, So Little Time...

We visited our first potential reception site on Saturday, April 28th. The Cambridge Hyatt was absolutely beautiful. It has a lot of options for the ceremony, which can be held on the lawn near that 18th green or in the Breakwater Pavilion which is on the pier. The Cambridge Hyatt is basically a mini-destination wedding - it would be a mini-vacation for anyone. Click on the link to see pictures of our tour of the Hyatt.
http://picasaweb.google.com/udchickie/CambridgeHyatt

On Saturday, May 5th, we went to see the Kent Manor Inn and Chesapeake Bay Beach Club. The Kent Manor Inn was gorgeous, and more intimate than the Cambridge Hyatt. Since they are not owned by a big corporation (like the Hyatt), it seems like they have the ability to be a little more flexible with the arrangements. Click on the link to see pictures of our tour of the Kent Manor Inn.
http://picasaweb.google.com/udchickie/KentManorInn

Like all the others we've looked at so far, the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club was wonderful. This place was a regular wedding factory. It overlooks the Bay and has a great view of the Bay Bridge. With up to 3 weddings going on at once, it could be a real party! I now understand why this place was chosen for the Today Show wedding! Unfortunately, this one might fall just above the budget, but it's always nice to dream. Click on the link below to see pictures of our tour.
http://picasaweb.google.com/udchickie/ChesapeakeBayBeachClub

We visited the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel on Monday, May 8th. While still near the water, this location definitely has a different atmosphere than the others. It was very nice though! See the link below for a couple pictures of our tour (the meeting was at 8am - too early for me to focus on taking pictures!).
http://picasaweb.google.com/udchickie/BaltimoreMarriottWaterfront

Can we just set a date already?!

Ok, so we've been engaged now for a whole 2 months. I wish I would have kept track of how many times I've been asked over the past months if we've set a date. If I had to take a guess, I'd have to say that it's at least 40-50. I'm guessing Ryan doesn't get asked this nearly as much as I do because he doesn't not seem to be the least bit concerned about doing this. And, I must say, it is getting quite annoying. Every time someone new finds out we've gotten engaged, I usually hear "oh, what a pretty ring" (which is great, and I love hearing it), and "have you set a date yet?" (not so great, getting tired of hearing it). I know it's the next logical question to ask after oohing and ahhing over the ring, but I just don't have a great answer. I guess I should be thankful. Ryan is wonderful, my ring is beautiful, and we have at least figured out the month we will be getting married. Of course, I'm not really sure Ryan had much say in this anyway. I have my heart set on a September wedding, so the most logical timing for the wedding would be September 2008 because 2007 was just too soon for us. Anyway... we now have 2 dates that I like (9/6 and 9/20) and have asked Ryan to consider. Let me take a step back and explain that we supposedly made a deal after we got engaged that we wouldn't start officially planning the wedding until April 16th (after my busy season and tax season for Ryan) - ugh, the joys of being accountants. Ryan swears that I agreed to this on the night we got engaged, but I have no recollection of this due to the shock of the engagement. I guess I should define "official planning" as planning the wedding with Ryan's involvement because I already spend about 90% of my free time thinking about ideas for the wedding, reading my 4 Bridal magazine subscriptions, which have started to arrive this month, and looking online for various things like wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, CDs which have wedding music on them, photographer portfolios, and pretty much anything else that relates to the wedding. Of course, none of this is "official" because Ryan wants nothing to do with it... won't even talk to me about anything that I have found. This certainly doesn't mean that I don't try though... Anyway, back to the wedding date. Ryan has this idea that when we start looking at reception places, we should go with a few dates in mind, and in a sense, let them choose our wedding date for us (i.e. if they have availability or not). I'm not sure I completely agree with this. I think the wedding date that we choose should be something that we have chosen for a reason, and we should go with that date in mind when we are looking for reception places. I know September is becoming a very popular month for weddings, but I think if we start looking in April/May, we shouldn't have a big problem. I guess if we find a place that we absolutely love, and they aren't available on the day we pick, we could be flexible, but for now, I think we should stick with one date and go with that. I say this knowing that all this is just pretend for now as the real wedding planning has not begun... So, for now when I get I asked if we've set a date, I just laugh and say "Oh, September of 2008 - we have plenty of time." as I pretend that it doesn't bother me at all.

Who knew bridal shows could be so overwhelming?

On Sunday, Feb 4, 2007, my sister, Crystal, and my stepmom, Linda, and I spent the day looking at more bridal stuff than we realized existed. After a fulfilling brunch at Claddagh's Pub in Canton, we headed off to the Convention Center for our first official wedding planning event. What a day. I am so grateful they were there to keep me company and keep me from feeling as overwhelmed as I would have been without them there. Between the vendors asking me if I had hired a photographer/videographer, picked a location, hired a florist or better yet, had we set a date yet, I thought I might lose it. My favorite were the vendors who wanted me to sign a contract with them on the spot. Are they crazy? Anyway, despite all of the stress, we did get a lot of information which might prove to be helpful down the road. Just ask Crystal how much information we got - she was the lucky one who got to carry the heavy bag with all the brochures, business cards, honeymoon info, and DVDs with sample videos and photos.

I think our favorite part of the day had to be tasting wedding cakes and oohing and ahhing over how absolutely beautiful they were. Although we have made no decisions yet, our favorite cake places were Woodlea Bakery (www.woodleabakery.com) and SugarBakers (www.sugarbakerscakes.com). I also found a custom invitation designer called love2bcreative (www.love2bcreative.com) and fell in love with her invitations. In fact, I've already contacted her for some additional information. Crystal was a big fan of her invitations as well - she almost tried to pocket one of the displays so we'd have an example! We watched part of the fashion show and were quite surprised to see some of the styles of wedding dresses that are "in fashion". These fashionable dresses had, as Crystal calls it, a "ruffled ugly foo-foo look" for the skirt. If that's fashionable, I guess I won't be in fashion because I was not a fan! All in all, it was a great experience, and I can't wait for the next one!