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...
Sunday, July 22, 2007
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.
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.
Some Other Wedding News - Congratulations, Dad and Linda!
I thought I'd change gears a bit and instead of talking about our wedding plans, I thought I'd say Congratulations to my Dad, who got married himself! He and Linda tied the knot on July 3, 2007 while we were in Nags Head, and it was absolutely beautiful. My sister, Crystal and "aunt" Tracy took care of the planning, and I don't think anyone was disappointed with the way it all turned out! Good job, girls!! I also wanted to say thanks to Becky for bringing the fancy camera and playing "wedding photographer" for the day and taking a grand total of 639 pictures of the wedding. What fun it was to go back the next day and re-live the wedding by looking at all the pictures. We spent hours doing that, and it was so great to go back and see how beautiful the decorations were, how beautiful everyone looked, and how much fun everyone had! I have posted just a few pictures below so you can see some of the highlights. Crystal and Tracy did such a good job, I'm beginning to wonder if they missed their callings. Either way, I will be signing them up for my wedding!
Tracy and Crystal - The Wedding Planners
Dad, Crystal and Me - This is one of my favorite pictures from the day!!
Our Family
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
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!
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!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
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
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
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Another Project Completed
This time it's a full-length mirror! I was not very good at taking pictures of the progress this time, but I have posted the pictures of the finished product below so everyone can see how well it 
turned out. I am quite impressed with Ryan's skills and am beginning to wonder if this was his true calling. For those of you reading this blog for wedding updates, I promise there will be more posts soon as we have started planning and are going to our first reception place this weekend!
turned out. I am quite impressed with Ryan's skills and am beginning to wonder if this was his true calling. For those of you reading this blog for wedding updates, I promise there will be more posts soon as we have started planning and are going to our first reception place this weekend!
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