Thursday, July 28, 2005

Argh!!!!

This whole wedding planning thing is frustrating! Every time I think Mike and I are on track, we're always thrown a curveball. :(

Our first major hurdle was whether or not religion would play a part in our wedding. I said "no," Mike said there was "no other way." Ok, fine, I'll give him that. Not particularly fond of it, but I can do that for him.

Next, it was about the time of day. I wanted a late morning wedding with an afternoon reception. Perhaps an afternoon tea? Mike says no, he wants a reception to last into the night so people can party. Which leads us to problem number 3...

Alcohol. I would be perfectly happy with a champagne toast only or a minimally stocked bar. Mike says half the reason people come to weddings is to drink. Looks like you all get to get sloshed on us.

Then there's venue. Because of the religious aspect, I am forced to look at churches. Mike's favorite -- Grosse Pointe Academy Chapel (he went to school there for 2 whole years) -- is way too dark and dismal for my liking. I went on my own to see it first, then back with Mike. We snuck around trying to turn on any possible light, but it was still dim at best.

I love the idea of a reception at the Eagle Tavern. And guess what?? Mike actually agrees! So what's the problem?
1. They only do evening weddings unless we want to get married in the off-season (Jan-Mar), which we don't. (Our biggest worry for evening really, is daylight for picture taking.)
2. Their chapel, though perfect in size and beautifully simple and white, is non-denominational which equals pain in the you know what trying to find a priest to agree to marry us there.
3. Our chosen date, August 12, 2006, is unavailable because it is during the extended summer hours season.

We've decided to work with that, though, because we're both kinda stuck on it. Sooo, I've given up my day wedding. I'm actually fine with that now. For me, the place was more important than the time. Also, as it turns out, Mike and I both might have connections to a priest who just might agree to the ceremony there. And as for August 12? Well, there really was no important meaning behind that date, so we're flexible.

Sounds like we're on track, no? Well, we are. Possibly "were" after I talk to Mike when he gets home from work.

We've decided on an October wedding, kind of in keeping with the historical aspect of the Eagle Tavern. (It's an old stagecoach stop from the mid-1800s.) They offer an historical menu and bar package. How fun would it be to have a harvest ball theme? Think The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I could have a dress with period influences. Perhaps Civil War Era? Think Gone with the Wind or Little Women. Yay! We're both excited! So what's the next step? Call and check availability.

Weekends in October, starting the 14th (the date we were thinking of because my dad's birthday is the 7th), are "Hallowe'en Nights in the Village." Their wedding coordinater isn't sure if that date would be available or not because of the special event. It may be, though, but if it is there will be gravestones in front of the chapel. There will be scarecrows and a headless horseman or two. There will be pumpkins and fall/Halloween decorations everywhere. And don't forget about the roughly 2000 kids who will be trick-or-treating throughout the village that night.

I honestly don't think it's too hopeless, as long as it's available. If you think about it, it's in keeping with our theme and will already be decorated accordingly. Plus, if our guests wanted to (especially the ones with children) they could participate in the trick-or-treating. So there's a potential for built-in entertainment, too. I just don't think Mike will go for it. One of his initial issues with Greenfield Village was that he didn't want the public part of his wedding. A bunch of trick-or-treaters is definitely the public. They would not be allowed into the chapel or the Eagle Tavern, but they would be roaming the village.

I know it's not hopeless yet, but I feel like I practically need to start back at square one.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Home again, home again jiggety-jig...

Hi all. I was home in Michigan till yesterday evening. Well, technically I was home in Michigan until Monday morning. Then I hopped in my car and drove to New York. State. Not city. I stopped in Williamsville (near Buffalo) and visited with some of my future family -- Mike's sister, Jean, her husband, Jerry, and their adorable little girl, Molly. They were a lot of fun to hang out with for the day. I've pretty much known them since Mike and I started dating, so it's not like this was going to be an awkward-I-hardly-know-you thing anyway. It was great hanging out with Jean especially, though, because she wanted to know all about how the wedding planning is coming. She is very excited about it all which is awesome. :)

I left Jean and Jerry's yesterday morning and rolled into Taunton around 6 o' clock-ish. I think all of western Massachusetts got rain yesterday. I was traveling with the storm, so it was a riot. I was lucky to experience almost all degrees of rain, from the annoying light mist to the visibility-blocking downpour. Yay. I made it safely and soundly, though...to an empty apartment. :( I knew I was going to beat Mike home, but it was still kinda sad and lonely to come back to a place with no one there. Especially when you think about the fact that I was coming from a place where I was never alone once. Someone is always home in Michigan. Ok, so maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but seriously, not by much. Rare are the days you call my house back in Michigan and there isn't a single person there to answer the phone. If you don't get an answer, the more likely culprit is a phone with the ringer shut off. (My mom gets sick of the phone if we get too many phone calls in one day. Or if she's trying to watch TV.) Anyway, the point of all of this is, I missed my family. I was home for a little over a month and there were things I wanted to do that didn't get done. My mom and I were supposed to see The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and I was supposed to take Nick (my lil' bro) to the big mall he likes. I'm sure I'm probably making them to be more important than they really are, but I hate saying I'm going to do something and then not doing it. I don't like letting people down. Especially when I know it will be months till I see them again. And it wasn't just family stuff that didn't get done. I didn't get to see my friend Jenna or most of the people I wanted to visit with at Whistle Stop (my former place of employment). I was hoping to get a visit in with Rita (my neighbor down the street). Sorry to everyone I missed...I'm aiming for the next visit for sure. Somehow times just slips away and you don't even know where it went or what you did during it.


I know I'm glad I did what I did, though. I got to have the video game night at Adam's. I had a few family game nights at Lucy and Hassan's. I spent a night in Grand Rapids with Mary and Andy. (Nick even got to come for that one!) I played a LOT of video games with Nick -- Sonic, MarioParty, WarioWare. I had some fun really late nights with Laura. My parents and I talked about wedding stuff and they even came with me to a couple of potential ceremony and reception sites. It was fun.

Now I'm back in Taunton, trying to motivate myself to not be lazy and waste the rest of the summer. I know school will creep up on me awfully fast. I'm practically counting down to semester break already.