Letter to the Bridal Party

Dearest man-friends,

I write you today because wind has broken of Ashley and I finding a site for our wedding. I just wanted to let all of you (who are going to be in the wedding!) know what the skinny is. First of all, we haven't officially reserved the site yet, but we do have a soft hold on it, and it's very likely that we will seal the deal within a week. If we do so, then here is the information.

The date: Saturday, August 21st, 2010
The venue: Brass Heart Inn, located in Chocorua, NH. http://www.thebrassheartinn.com

You won't be surprised to find that the place has a barn. :) We just visited yesterday and found that the photos on the website don't do the place enough justice. It's quaint and outdoorsy, the people are SUPER nice, and they are very flexible! Anyway, we know it's a bit of a drive, but we don't have many options at this point that are (a) in our price range (2) fit our aesthetic, and (d) within a reasonable distance. But hear me out cause this is the cool part -- we would have the place for the whole weekend! So... people could optionally rent rooms at the Inn (*) and crash there the night before and the night-of the wedding. The owners even said we could have a bonfire on the 20th (Friday night) in this clearing behind the cabins. It'll be like freakin' Woodstock! Okay, maybe not Woodstock, but think about how much fun it could be to turn a wedding into a weekend vacation with friends. After breakfast on Saturday morning, we can work to get things prepared for the wedding and punctuate it by tossing a frisbee around in the rolling fields. Then there's a short ceremony, and a long, booty-shakin' reception that we can stumble away from and it's just a few paces back to our cabins.

(*) Rooms at the Inn start at $80/night /2person room and increase to $240/night for a 6-person cabin, which is pretty rad. There is also other lodging available in the area that people can seek out if they're interested.

Ash and I personally toured ALL of the rooms and cabins, so we can have an idea of what would suit people. Personally, I thought the cabins were pretty rad since they had their own bathroom and little kitchen, but ultimately, it's just going to be a place to crash, and the most important thing is that we get to spend time with all of the people who come, which is why we like the idea of having everything in one place with the option of having many people stay with us the night before and the night after.

Alright, I'm going to stop rambling since I have to get to bed. Just wanted to update you all. Let me know if anyone has questions/concerns that we should be thinking about. Obviously this is our first time doing this and we can't think of everything.

-Adam

Thinking about songs to dance to...

Fly Me Away - Annie Little

Silver moons and painted dreams,
Faded maps and shiny things.
You're my favorite one man show,
a million different ways to go.

Will you fly me away?
Take me away with you,
My love.

Painted scenes, I'm up all night,
Slaying monsters, flying kites
Speak to me in foreign tongues
Share your Secrets one by one

Will you fly me away?
Take me away with you,
My love.

Now I can't think what life was like
Before I had you by my side
Can't say what I'd I do without you,
Knowing what it's like to have you

Hidden walkways back in time
Endless stories, lovers cry
In my mind Ive been set free
Will you take this journey
You and me?

Will you Fly me away?
Take me away with you,
My love.

Fly me away with you,
My Love.

Take me away with you,
My Love.

*Two Weeks In*

Ashley:
Well, Adam "popped the question" two weeks ago just this past Saturday....and yes, I can't stop staring at my bling! This shiny little token of love and affection is just so much prettier than I anticipated, and it's nice to have it there as a reminder that Adam and I are wholly committed to one another and on a wild and crazy adventure together: WE'RE GONNA GET MARRIED!

The proposal couldn't have been better, and wedding planning is in full swing now. We took a look at a few venues on Saturday, and while we fell in like with The Barn at Gibbet Hill, we're just not sure it's in our budget, so we need to explore other possibilities. We would absolutely love to be married on a farm or in an orchard, but there are so many facets involved in conducting a wedding ceremony and reception (ideally in the same place); it's proving to be harder than I thought it would be, not to mention time consuming and not just a little stressful!

Oh, so I already found my dress----yahoo!! One important thing down, many more to go....! The dress is not one I anticipated liking or wanting, but once I put it on, saw myself in the mirror, saw Jackie's reaction, and saw the price tag, I knew that was the one. It made me feel beautiful and bride'ish (and thin!) I had kind of been dreading the whole wedding dress shopping thing, for fear of feeling and looking like a moron, but I wound up having a pretty good time, just me and my Maid of Honor. I'm so pleased to have found and purchased my dress (and veil...and fabulously supportive strapless bra!) already....though now I find myself wanting to put it on and dance around the living room! Maybe I will...when Adam's not here.... ;o)

I'm anxiously awaiting the wrap-up of my Masters program with Lesley University---just 4 more weeks!!!---and THEN I can really dedicate myself to organizing / planning all this wedding whoopla. We still have a lot to discuss / investigate, but I feel like we're doing a pretty good job thus far----we have a tentative theme, some tentative dates picked, and plenty of connections to consider. Glee!!

From Fiends to Fiend'ancés

Adam:
It's been 4 days since I popped the question, and it still feels a little surreal. I feel like we've hit the ground running. We're looking through wedding magazines (not that Ash wasn't before), discussing potential dates, travel arrangements for friends and family, and even visiting a vineyard as a potential venue. The reality has only been amplified by having Ashley's parents here from California for a week.

To be honest, I'm surprised at how fast things are moving. I guess I expected a latent period while Ashley is finishing up her Masters. Still I couldn't be happier with how wrong I was. It turns out that thinking about our wedding is a really exciting and enlivening thing! Trying to manifest our love and uniqueness in one event is such an awesome task, that I'm only slightly terrified of the price tag associated with it. :)