New Website Design

Since WeddingWire added some new templates, I decided to pick another template more in keeping with the colors of our wedding.

McCausland Wedding

Tid Bits

Martha Stewart Weddings has a wedding expo a few weeks ago. I attended for one of the two days and got some terrific tips and ideas. I'm FINALLY getting around to documenting them.

For The DRESS:
-make sure when shopping for the dress you keep in mind the location and time of year of the wedding. You wouldn't want to get a heavily threaded dress for a beach wedding.
-normal dress appointments are 1 and 1/2 hours.
-the budget on your dress should included accessories, fittings/alterations and the dress.
-shapes that are good for most shapes are A-line and Princess-line.

COLORS:
-2 to 3 colors in your color palette is normal.
-use shades or "tones" of those colors.

POSSIBLE DISGUISE FOR THE HOT TUB:
- a "softwall" show at Taylorcreativeinc.com. I thought this might a good option and I really stumped them with this question. LOL I was pleased they had a possible solution.

MAKE-UP:
-the best brushes to use are synthetic brushes
-Really good video on the website called "Getting Gorgeous" although I can't seem to locate it on the website now. Figures.
-use better foundation due the length of time you'll be wearing it and all of the photographs that will be taken. Opt for more of a covering foundation.
-The order in which you want to put your make-up on is:
1) Foundation
2) Eye shadow (don't save for last)
3) Eye liner (use a liquid brown)
4) Mascara (obviously use WATERPROOF in Dk. Brown or Black)
5) Bronzer on forehead, cheeks and under jaw bone. Blend into ear. Use the shape of the #3 for this movement on forehead, cheeks and jaw bone.
6) Blush (pink) on the apple of the cheek. 2 shades darker (?)
7) Lips
8) Individual Fake Eye Lashes if wanted. Might have some issues with my glasses, but would like to try these.

RECEPTION FOOD:
-a buffet style allows people to mingle. We're opting for this.
-sit-down doesn't. Although with the size of our reception I have a feeling people will mingle anyway.

ENGAGEMENT RING:
I was embarrassed to ask this, but they were great. I wasn't sure what I do with my engagement ring during the ceremony. Do I wear it on my ring finger? Do I put it on later? I was told it could be worn on my RIGHT hand during the ceremony or there is such a thing as a "ring enhancer" that I could wear.

Balloons vs. Flowers

Another good idea that would be a less-expensive option than all flowers for decorations is to use balloons. Preferably helium-quality ones.

Filling a room with flowers isn’t the only way to set the scene. Creatively displaying colorful balloons can also transform a space -- and for a fraction of what you’d spend on a large floral display. On average, a couple will spend 10 to 15 percent of their wedding budget on flowers. Imagine what else you could to do with all that cash you’ll save!

I think balloons are sounding a little better now.

Wedding Dress: Strike #2

I really wanted to try a wedding gown on without having to deal with all of the store and shopping situation because I wasn't really sure how I'd look in one, so I found a really nice dress online. I was refusing to purchase a gown online because it's very risky, but I'm able to return it, so I thought "why not".


I found this at RomanticGowns.com. I like that it was simple, but elegant and wasn't technically strapless. I was looking for an A-line gown. I liked the sweetheart neckline and the soft English net embroidered with a cotton lace overlay.

Well, it came in the mail via FedEx in a regular plain old brown shipping box. I have to say I was a little disappointed it wasn't even in a wedding gown box, but oh, well. I shouldn't expect TOO much for a dress that was originally $999 and marked down on their site to $329. Only $29 over my price limit, so I didn't think that was too bad. I'll have to pay the charge to return it, but still better than spending $1,000.

I did love the dress however and it gave me hope that I'll find one I like out there. I liked how it fit and looked in the bodice, but it was far too long and the arm holes were horribly small. Wow, have my arms gotten huge!! I guess I better start toning up. And it was a beautiful ivory and the embroidery was really, really pretty.

Wedding Photographer Booked!

Very excited! After several months of searching and only finding a few photographers whose photos spoke to us, I found a link on a catering website to Coni from On Location Photography out of Olean, NY.

Dave and I both found her photos beautiful and full of life. She has mailed out the contract and I look forward to seeing the photos she'll take of our special day.

A Test Favor

Last night I picked up an inexpensive bouquet of carnations to try out the idea I have for part of my wedding favors/table assignments.

I'll want to get darker purple flower and perhaps LARGER ones as this one pail took about a dozen carnations and that could get pricy, even for only 20 people.

It's a start!

2nd Wedding Dream

I had another wedding dream last night.

It was the day of our wedding. We were getting married at the old homestead on 4th Street back in NY again. There was a brief rain shower, which totally depressed me, but it didn’t last long thankfully.

I was all by myself. Mom was downstairs. I kept trying to get my makeup on, my dress on (didn’t get a good look at the dress in my dream) and fix my hair all alone. I kept wondering where everyone was. I assumed at least one of my sisters would be around to help.

I looked out the upstairs window to check on the weather and there was a small brush fire behind the neighbor’s house. The wind suddenly whipped it up and it ran straight into the backside of the house catching the house on fire briefly. I yelled to call the fire department…I ended up doing it. They arrived quickly, but the fire was already out. Crisis averted on my wedding day.

I STILL didn’t know where everyone was, when Dori suddenly showed up and said she’d drive me to my wedding “site”. I was a little ticked off my plans had changed, but went along with it. We were in our old navy blue 1973 Mercury with the electric back window. LOL

Dori drove me to a pretty lousy looking campsite. I guess this was where my wedding was going to be. As we approached, it sure didn’t look like anyone was waiting for a wedding to take place. I saw Rhonda and Jenny, both dressed in dark blue, formal bridesmaid attire realizing I was here and running to get into place. I’m pretty sure there was a big-ass party going on, which ticked me off. It’s my wedding day people!

Then as Dori pulled up to our wedding “site”, it was pretty much a cleared out area of the campsite with a clothesline all the way around it to indicate the “aisle”. There were beer bottles hung along the entire length of the clothesline….ala one party that was held at our house once. The aftermath was a clothesline full of beer bottles. I understood the “historical” signifigance of it for my family, but didn’t appreciate it at my wedding.

BUT, I tried to think positively that this was my wedding day and I was so looking forward to seeing Dave in his kilt. I saw him in the center of the clearing and he had the full kilt garb on, but the kilt was pretty darn short. He hadn’t tried on the rented kilt until that morning. Really? So, right before we exchanged vows, he changes clothes into his chinos and tan shirt looking more like an army private than a Scottish groom. I was NOT happy. LOL And he wouildn’t stand up, but insisted on sitting in a chair. Not sure WHAT was up with that.

I then woke up. I’ll need to do some dream analisis and find out why I’m so fixated on my family taking over my wedding! LOL Probably because the wedding will be back in NY and I’m here in Maine.

Centerpiece Idea

Hmmm...I certainly have enough tea tins. I like this idea.

Tea-Tin Centerpiece
With their beautiful ornamentation and lettering, biscuit and tea tins bring old-fashioned charm to a reception table.

SOURCE: Martha Stewart Weddings

Spring-Themed Menu Ideas

Via theknot.com

Spring Wedding Catering Ideas

Money Saving Tips

Reception:
-Cut the guest list. This will slash your catering costs and save on invitations and even the number of centerpieces.
-Hold your ceremony and reception in one spot -- it will cut travel time for vendors you pay by the hour.
-Have bigger tables so you need fewer centerpieces and tablecloths.

Flowers:
-Use more greenery than flowers
-Swap out costly flowers -- did you know peonies can be five times more expensive than roses?
-Stick to just one or two kinds of flowers.
-Buy flowers that are in season

Food & Drink:
-Skip the main course -- apps and drinks are fine too
-Offer beer, wine, and a signature cocktail instead of a full bar.

Cake:
-Order a small one or two-tiered cake and then supplement cake with a larger sheet cake (hidden back in the kitchen).
-Use fresh flowers, not sugar ones.

Stationary & Favors:
-Get single-page invites to save on postage.
- Email your save-the-dates.

SOURCE: TheKnot.com

Holding Pattern

Well, wedding plans have kind of come to a screeching halt. Dave has been consumed by planning and arranging the walk in his niece's honor and to benefit the Brain Aneurysm Foundation and I've been horribly busy and tired with the design and organization of the 2010 Johnny's Selected seeds catalog and calendar and this and that and those and these.....

We contacted a few photographers that we're interested, but I'm now fearing because we're waiting, the dates will have become booked before we signed them up. June is the big wedding month.

Once the catalog is done, at least I'll be able to be relaxed enough and be a tad more rested so I can look into things again and start to look for a dress. It won't be fun shopping by myself for one, but that's the hand I'm dealt. I just don't feel close enough to any woman here in Maine to go with me and my family and friends live in other states and countries. So, it's me again the wedding dress world! LOL I would have asked Dave's niece Kim, to go with me. I think it would have been something fun for both of us. Instead...we'll be having an internment service next week to bury her ashes. Very sad.

Then we'll have my 3rd anniversary of my own ruptured aneurysm a few days afterwards. Hopefully I'll be able to concentrate on the positive. I'm here, I'm alive, my Maine Man and I will soon be husband and wife and I have all my faculties so I'm able to work, drive and garden. Although all three of things continue to tire and stress me out. LOL

The wedding is something happy to look forward to for both our families. I want it to be special and fun for everyone. Yeah, no pressure. :-)

Favorite Show is Back

My new favorite bridal show "Say Yes To The Dress" is back with new episodes. Very entertaining and a little distressing to see what some of these brides have to deal with when their unruly mothers and family members don't let them get the dress THEY love. Really sad.

TIP: Wedding Shoes

If you're worried about your white shoes getting dirty while you wear them in, put a pair of thin socks over them to protect them.

Dos and Don'ts For Summer Weddings

From The Knot

Food Tips

For Warm-Weather Summer Weddings:

Cool Appetizers
Icy apps can help hot guests cool down during your cocktail hour or reception. Shrimp cocktail on ice is always refreshing. While ice sculpture raw bars remain popular, if that's not your style, consider serving individual shrimp set on cups of shaved ice.

More ideas: Anything miniature is hugely popular for weddings of all seasons. For a summer wedding, think of seasonally inspired options like shots of gazpacho served in carved-out cucumber cups or mini Caesar salads.

Sizzling Entree Selections
Summer is the season for barbecuing, so consider serving a grilled entree for instant seasonal style. Rather than going for heavier fare like steak or pulled pork, stick to the lighter side with chicken or fish. Bringing in fruity flavors will add even more seasonal flair -- think chili-lime rubbed chicken breasts or grilled tilapia topped with mango salsa.

More ideas: Go for upscale picnic-style fare, which is both a low-maintenance and high-style way to go. One example menu we love: coconut-fried chicken served with dipping sauces, red bliss potato salad, and mandarin orange and mesclun salad with raspberry vinaigrette. The options are endless (and delicious!).

Desserts Double as Decor
Serving a dessert in addition to the wedding cake is more popular than ever and a great way to season-ize your menu. Give your dessert double impact by choosing a sweet treat that echoes the ambience of your event. Consider serving a mini-scoop trio of sorbet that mimics the colors of your wedding. With so many flavors to choose from -- melon, lime, raspberry, mango, and more -- you're sure to find something yummy that suits your style. Hmmm.....I like the sounds of that. Using one small scoop of mint ice cream, next to small scoop of black raspberry ice cream next to one piece of brownie with a sprig of mint. The mint and raspberry colors would be close to my color scheme of sage green and purple.

More ideas: Create "dessert gardens" by having your caterer attach small pieces of cheesecake or chocolate to lollipop sticks and displaying them in a fresh bed of wheatgrass. They're as cute and chic as they are easy to eat for a late-night snack to polish off a perfect evening.

SOURCE: Theknot.com

Money-Saving Tips

1) Throw a Tea Party

There's no rule that says weddings must be held on Saturday evenings. Providing an afternoon spread of tea sandwiches and sparkling wine is a sophisticated alternative to the typical dinner reception. Save even more money by scheduling it on a Sunday.

2) Cheat With Sheets

Here's how to have your pretty cake and afford it, too. Buy sheet cakes (ours are from Whole Foods Market) in whatever size and shape you like, and stack them yourself. Use standard cake dowels, available at baking-supply stores, to keep layers from collapsing, then decorate with thick chocolate shavings or fresh flowers and fruit.

3)Keep it Bottled

"One of the hugest wastes of money is the Champagne toast: Fifty percent of people won't touch it, and 25 percent have a sip just because it's there," says planner Cianci. Her advice: Keep the bubbly at the bar to serve anyone who asks for it.

SOURCE: MarthaStewartWeddings.com

Ceremony Decor Idea #1

Since I'm not able to view any photos of any other weddings at the chalet, I'm just kind of winging it on decor ideas and how we could potentially decorate the "alter" area of the upper deck.

So, to give Dave and myself a better visual of that idea, I removed the furniture off the deck using Photoshop and added my own "touches" to the deck. Ironically, I found some flower pots with flowers that are in my color them in them!

Chalet Photos

Some photos that Dori took of the chalet that helped seal the deal on this one for Dave and I. Both links go to the same photo albums, just in different locations.

Chalet in My Gallery

Chalet in Picasa

Booked and Ready to Go!

I got the word from Patti, the realtor, that the owner of the chalet won't be using it next June, so we're go to rent it! Patti will be sending us the lease and my sister, Dori, has already paid the deposit down for us as an engagement present. VERY thoughtful of her. We'll have two more payments in March and May of next year. Now the real planning can begin.

Garden Arch Gift

My sister, Dori, bought us a garden arch yesterday to use at the wedding. Obviously, we'll need to see it first before we decide, but she said she'd send us the photo that's on the box. It's 6.5" tall and is a dark color. I know Dave could built one very easily and make it suitable for transport, but this will be nice. I hope it's something I'll like. Awfully sweet of her to do that. I think she's excited about the wedding and helping me "plan".

Highland Disappointment

Dave and I went to the annual Maine Highland Games yesterday. I had hoped we'd find a bunch of small, cutesy things with his tartan on it that we could use at the wedding, but ended up leaving empty-handed. I know in the past we've seen a lot of ribbons and decorative items with tartan on them. Perhaps they're not as popular, so now I'll need to look around online no doubt. I was excited to have something to really LOOK for throughout the vendor tents, but very disappointed nothing showed up.

Dave DID try on a kilt though. He wanted to see what size he took and how to put one on. He got several good pointers from a few folks. The kilts weren't that expensive, but you'd need so many accessories than the price would no doubt be well over $300 in total. So, renting the entire kilt outfit for $125 is looking more and more like the way we'll go. Not sure.

We also entered 12 tickets into the raffle for a free trip to Scotland. we left before the drawing, but you didn't need to be there to win. So far, 24 hours later, we haven't received a phone call that we won, so I guess we missed it again. :-(

Venue Chosen

We found the chalet where we'll be having our wedding and reception in Ellicottville, NY. With the help of a realtor and my sister Dori, we decided to tie the knot here. There's room not only for us, but for Dave's sister and her friend and for Dave's friend Roger, should he be in the country at the time. We'll be close enough to my family that they can simply drive over for the day.

I think this will work out great. There are two large deck areas to choose from and if the weather is bad, there is room inside for our small 20-person wedding & reception. More details to come, but if you want to take a look at the photos, click the link below.

Chalet

David's Bridal

Ah,ha! I just discovered there IS a David's Bridal in the state of Maine and it's in Portland. I might schedule an appointment once the Johnny's 2010 catalog is printed. Will give me something to look forward to after all of this stress.

David's Bridal
374 Maine Mall Road
Maine Mall
South Portland, ME 04106
Phone:207-772-6366
Alteration:207-772-4159

Regular Store Hours:
M-F:10:00AM - 9:00PM
Sat:10:00AM - 7:00PM
Sun:12:00PM - 6:00PM

Anyone out there?

Does anyone read this blog?

Possible Invitation Design

Based on the color theme we've selected, we've come up with this possible design to use for our invitations, save-the-day cards and name cards at the reception.

Color Theme/Style Picked Out

I have finally decided on what colors to use throughout the wedding, reception and on our invitations: Sage Green, Purple, and Cream

I made up a coupe of collages using those colors as well for inspiration.

I have the sage colored tin pails that I bought for reception favors/decorations and some of the decorations used to decorate at our engagement party were the exact same purple.

'Cuz it's my wedding!

I've been having some fun going through my massive iTunes library looking for songs I'd like played at our wedding reception. We're not planning on having a dance floor, or even know if we'll have room at the chalet, but if dancing should happen....so be it! I'm a child of the 70's and 80's, so I have quite the mix of everything from disco, soul, R&B, country-rock and rock. And if anyone at the wedding doesn't like it...too bad! It's my wedding! LOL Uh, oh....am I turning into a Bridezilla???

Do, do, dooooo!

First purchase for the wedding reception. These little cuties were on sale on Myweddingfavors.com and in a color that I'm potentially going to use....sage green. So I bought 24 of them at around .60 cents a piece.

Buddy's Cakes

We're having such a small wedding and this guy is in New Jersey and I no doubt can't afford him, but his cakes are sooooo beautiful! I wonder how much over-night shipping to Ellicottville, NY would be?? LOL

Carlo's Bakery

And if you get TLC (The Learning Channel), he's on a show on Monday nights at 10 p.m. called Cake Boss. I think he does some amazing work and is a true artist. His flowers are beautiful.

Embracing my Curves - sort of!

It's been tough looking at wedding dresses. I haven't bought a real dress in years (haven't had a reason to) and I keep looking at dresses that would have looked great on my size 4, 115 lb. frame. However, I no longer HAVE that frame.

After having a desk job for 10 years, turning 45, and difficulty in doing strenuous exercise since my ruptured aneurysm, I now, for the first time in my life, have real CURVES and weigh.....well, let's just say I'm a long way from 115 lbs, which for my height was not healthy anyway.

I'm now dismissing dresses that are sheaths or have fabric that is too clingy. I'm beginning to look at a-line dresses with either halter top neckline, or a v-neck. Something that's asymmetrical with some ruching at the waist looks nice too.

That's all assuming I can get my butt into an actual STORE that sells wedding dresses. It's no fun without a family member or a close girlfriend here with me to enjoy this fun time. Oh, well. It'll just mean when I finally find THE dress, it'll be totally my decision and I won't be swayed by anyone else, right?

Surprise Engagement Party

I completely forgot to update my wedding blog about this.

Last Sunday, as Dave I were supposedly heading down to a picnic, we had to stop at a friends house for a moment. I decided to join him and lo and behold, it turned into a surprise (for me anyway) engagement party.

What a nice surprise! Wonderful food, friends, drinks, laughs and special moments. My first wedding related event!

PS: And I tried my first Moxie soda ever! I can't say it's something I'd specifically request again, but it wasn't horrible. Just strong!

My First Wedding Dream

I had my first dream about our wedding...and it was a doozy! Thought I would share.

It was the day before my wedding. We arrived at my home town of Little Valley, NY only to discover that my family had taken over my wedding and decided to not only have it in the lawn of the house I grew up in, but plan all of the food for the reception and entire ceremony.

If you’ve ever seen the TV show on the BBC America channel, Don’t Tell The Bride, we watched that before going to bed last night, so I think that’s where some of this came from.

I really didn’t want to have my wedding in the lawn of our old house, but my family had gone to the trouble of setting up chairs and an area under an awning where the ceremony would take place. I found out the wedding would be in the late afternoon at least. LOL I thought I would be freezing because my dress was for our late June wedding and I guess it was a different time of year for this wedding in my dreams. It seemed nice out. LOL

As I walked around town that day, I soon discovered the entire town had been invited. Good Lord….that’s more than the 15-20 people I was expecting at the ski chalet, where we obviously WEREN’T getting married now. I was a little ticked off about that, but didn’t want to disappoint my family.

The rest of that day was spent trying to make people realize that I didn’t what our wedding photos taken of us at the house. That crappy old garage was still standing by some miracle and I didn’t want that in our wedding photos. And on the other side, our lovely neighbors had thrown and old white toilet in the shrubs between the houses and I didn’t want THAT in my wedding photos either. Everyone, including Pete Nutile, the photographer from Johnny’s, said to not worry about it. Hmmm…..why was Pete there??? Hmmmm….maybe they hired him to take our wedding photos. Cool!

Then on to the reception hall, which was the Congregational Church in LV. When Dave and I arrived the night before, the whole place was full of people from the town, many of whom I don’t know anymore, but they were getting the HUGE place prepared for our wedding. It wasn’t exactly a church either…it was more like a lodge.

I was obsessed with making people understand I didn’t want our wedding photos shot at the house. I was able to get a woman try to come up with an idea and she thought they could take the photos here at the church, but the spot she chose was pretty small. I wasn’t too happy, but I just had to deal with it.

I was venting to my sister Dori, who completely simpathized and said “Let’s see if Dad has any ideas”. Just as she said that, my father (who passed away in 1994) came up to me looking healthy as ever and said ‘First of all, I’ll be marrying you…..”, at that statement, I threw my arms around him and kissed him. I couldn’t wait to tell Dave that my father would be marrying us. Dad said he’s get it all straightened out for me. I knew he would. I then asked him if he knew if Kim (Dave’s niece, who passed away 7 months ago) and Nancy (Dave’s sister) would be coming. He said he could only do so much and that Nancy didn’t make the trip. Kim, I later discovered, was at my Mom house waiting to go through wedding stuff with me, which we did until all hours of the morning. I was going to show her my wedding binder, but figured, why bother…..my family has taken over, so I don’t even know if the colors I wanted will be used. LOL So we just drank some wine and laughed.

Wow!! What an amazing dream. To not only have Kim there sharing this with me, but that my Dad was so vividly THERE in a green shirt and his thick glasses and that he was going to marry us. Even though that won’t happen, I had such a smile on my face when I woke up. Although not having control of my own wedding scared me, the other aspects of this dream were wonderful and not scary in the least.

Some other plans

Dave and I had a chance to get out on the boat on Saturday for several hours and did nothing but chat about the wedding. It was great to have each other's undivided attention without any distractions other than the loons and the fish jumping.

We're still looking at chalet's to rent in Ellicottville, NY. We've started to narrow down exactly what we're looking for in space, rooms and price, so that's good. I have found a few more places on some different websites that look promising, but it's so hard to tell from photos online. Luckily, I think I can rely on some family and friends to go check out some places in person for us.

I still want to incorporate a Celtic theme in some fashion into the ceremony and reception decor. I was quite surprised, when my mention of Dave possibly wearing a kilt, seemed to intrigue him and I found him first thing the next morning looking at kilt rentals online. The entire outfit for a wedding was surprisingly inexpensive. Something we might be able to look into.

We won't be hiring a band or musicians (at least at this point) to perform at the ceremony or reception, but I have asked my sisters and niece if they'd like to sing a song at the wedding for us. They all have terrific voices. And I think we'll just load up our iPod with all of our favorite tunes and play that after the wedding. I might be able to rely on a couple of people to "run" the iPod for me. I have a portable speaker unit that should work fine. Hmmm...I'm just remember my niece has a karioki machine. Hmmm....

And I've tentativly asked my friend Deb to cater the wedding, but we're still in the discussion stage on that. I'd rather she come and enjoy the day, but she's a terrific cook and I know her food wouldn't dissappoint. I am looking at a few catering options in the area, but it's limited.

The other big money item Dave and I discussed was our honeymoon. Instead of traveling to NY for the wedding and having to pickup and travel again for the honeymoon, we've decided we'll stay in The Berkshires a couple of night on our drive back to Maine. The Berkshires hold some special meaning to us as it was a half-way point for us to meet when I still llived in NY and Dave was in Maine. It's such a beautiful area and the end of June should be beautiful there. We stayed in an inexpensive hotel there once and it appears they're still open.

THEN, we'll plan and save for the real honeymoon in Scotland further down the road. I wasn't dismissing the idea, but we'll need to really plan for it and save.

The time spent on the boat was wonderful and I think we both really needed that. It suddenly became beautiful and sunny. As soon as we docked the boat, the clouds rolled back in. Must be God wanted us to spend some quality time together too. :-)

Or...

...I'm now thinking "Plaid & Pansies"...or "Plaid and Posies"...or "Plaid and Peonies". I'm afraid if people see the "Tea" in our theme that they'll think they will be forced to take high tea. Nothing would please me more, but I think almost 95 percent of the people we're inviting don't care for tea. LOL And saying it's a "Scottich Garden Wedding" would imply we'll have some sort of flower theme, so leaning towards something with a flower in the theme name might be better.

Or....we won't even have a theme. See how organized I am????

Tea & Tartans: A Scottish Garden Wedding

Tea & Tartans: A Scottish Garden Wedding is a theme for the wedding that I dreamt up. I'm visualizing the invitations and other items throughout the wedding and reception already.

The McCausland family is a sept of the Buchanan Clan in Scotland. The plaids for that family are, to say the least....BOLD! LOL See this link.

The Magee family (my mother's maiden name) is a sept of the MacKay Clan that was in Ireland and moved to Scotland...or something like that. Their plaid is much more subtle. See this link.

I'd somehow like to incorporate one of the plaids into the ceremony, but not in a big way. Subtle. I love tea, so I'm thinking of using tea tins to hold flowers on the reception tables and I love gardens, so I might be looking for a thistle or heather scheme.

We'll see. This too, could change in a month! LOL

Possible Wedding/Reception Venue

We're tentatively discussing having the wedding and the reception at the same place. Discussion and research has begun on renting a ski chalet for 5 to 7 days with multiple bedrooms for any out of town guests to stay and room enough for a small wedding and reception.

The advantages I see to doing this are many.
-we save money on renting our own place. We don't have to rent a wedding venue, then a separate reception venue.
-it's close to everyone in my family so if my 83 year old mother gets tired, she can either get a ride back to her apartment, or she can rest in one of the rooms at the chalet for as long as she wants.
-everyone can come and go as they please during that time and we could be comfortable and stay as long as we want without having to rush out for another wedding or event.
-we wouldn't have to pay for a liquer license
-if the weather turns ugly, we can have the wedding inside right there instead of planning for a 2nd optional building or location.
-out of town guests don't have to worry about paying for a hotel because they can stay with us. I just want everyone to be comfortable and enjoy their time.
-we don't have to eat out for every meal. Pick up groceries and have our own meals.

And there are many more!

The price for chalets in June are far less than they would be during the ski season and although neither Dave or I are skiers, we're very familiar with the Ellicottville area and the view of the mountains at their most lush would be terrific. If my family all can't come to Maine for a seaside wedding, we'll take it to them. I'm very lucky that Dave is willing to do that for me.

Great News!

Dave and I were both thrilled to hear that his sister Nancy was very interested in going to NY for our wedding. With everything she's been through since January, we were both prepared for her not to be going if Kim couldn't be here to join her, but she seemed very excited about going and will be traveling with her best friend Nancy.

I'm very excited they're going to make the trip and happy that Dave will have family there for him as well. I want Nancy to meet my family and for them to meet her.

The Wedding Blog

So far all I have to report is that yes, Dave and I are engaged. We've tentatively set a date for late June of 2010 in Western NY.

It will be a small ceremony with only immediate family attending.