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| August 9 - Wedding Rings |
| When it came to wedding bands, we turned once again to our friend Shawn Humphreys who had done such an outstanding job on the custom engagement ring. Our main priority was that our wedding bands were a matching set. Shawn found several sets for us to choose from that went nicely with my engagement ring. Interestingly, all the ring sets he sent us had German names. In the end, we chose a set from "Ingwer", which is the German name for the spice Ginger. The set complimented my ring nicely while still being understated enough to suit a guy. Additionally, Shawn tells us that due to the simplicity of the design the rings will be easy to polish and touch up in the future. So, they will continue to look great through the decades. |
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August 3 - Honeymoon |
| For months we'd planned to drive around Europe in the new convertible, but the closer the wedding got, the less I liked the idea of driving or sight-seeing or doing anything at all with a predetermined schedule. So a few weeks ago, we discussed other options and considered Santorini (an island in Greece) or the Maldives (a string of atolls near the equator in the Indian Ocean. Both are popular destinations from Europe, but the Maldives is much more private and has a better climate in October. So, with a destination decided, next began the decision of which resort to stay at. Each of the 90+ resorts in the Maldives is on it's own island, and the resorts as well as the islands themselves have different atmospheres... different kinds of sand, different kinds of reefs, different level of amenities, different sports and activities, different distances from the airport, and different price levels. Eventually, we picked a favorite and today we booked the entire package. Wednesday, Sept 26 we will board a direct flight to Male International Airport in the Maldives. Upon arrival, we'll have a drink in the resort's air-conditioned airport lounge while they retrieve our luggage and load it onto the seaplane. Then we'll hop on the sea plane for a scenic 40 minute ride over the many atolls to our hotel, the One & Only Kanuhura. Eight short days later, we'll have to say goodbye to the Maldives and return to Frankfurt, where we'll stay one night before our Oct 5 flight back to Boston. Pictures and details of the resort are available here. |
June 29 - Reception Dinner |
| We've decided to go with a buffet for the reception. This way we can provide a good variety of options, satisfy both our vegetarian and non-vegetarian guests, and ensure everyone has their fill and can eat at their preferred pace. It's a multi-course buffet, so the first offerings will be salads and appetizers, replaced later by a buffet of main dishes, and eventually by various deserts. The caterer has it posted in German here: Carl Theodore Buffet I and below is my translation: |
Salad and Appetizer Buffet
Eggplant tartar with stuffed tomatoes
Cous-Cous salad with pineapple and fennel
Potato-Pesto salad with parmesan
Greek salad with olives and feta
Tomato-mozzarella with basil (a.k.a. caprese salad)
Pasta salad with lentils and curry
as well as house salads
Main Course Buffet
Regional herb pork roast with potatoes
Broiled sliced duck marinated in honey and sesame
Baked pike with spinach
Vegetarian Potato-Crepe rolls on lentil ragout with apple and pumpkin
Dessert Buffet
Mousse from elderflowers with sponge cake
Oven-fresh apple strudel with vanilla ice cream
Compote of fresh fruits with vanilla flavor
Ice cream cakes and torts
The buffet also includes a small selection of regional cheeses, as well as bread in the form of a wagon wheel and rolls, and oven-fresh pretzels. |
June 24 - Groom's and Groomsmen's Attire |
| We've matched fabrics, colors, and styles for a look that fits the venue and time of day. Peter has test driven and approved the picks, so now we just need the guys' measurements and we can place the order. |
| Peter is in a cutaway jacket with platinum vest and black pants. It's a blend of day and evening styles since the ceremony occurs at the transition between day and evening and it's color neutral to match the bride. Groomsmen, fathers, and ushers are in coordinating black tuxedos paired with gold vests to compliment the bridesmaids' dresses. All have white, wing-collar shirts and long black neckties. Pictures of the coats, shirts, vests and ties appear below, and as always, you can click on any picture for a larger view. |
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June 5 - Bridesmaids' Dresses |
| Okay, it's done! I found a manufacturer with styles and colors that fit the wedding. I sent all the girls dress options to pick from and got all their measurements for sizing and ordering. I'd planned for each girl to have her own dress/outfit, but all in the same color. However, with a total of 19 unique options, 3 of the 4 girls all picked the same dress. It would have been fine if each was different, or if two matched and I could put a different outfit between them, or if the maid of honor was different and the rest were the same, but none of those were the case. Since I didn't want 3 of a kind and one random mismatch, we eventually decided that all 4 bridesmaids would wear the same dress. So much for individuality! |
| I thought that would be the hard part, but when I called the only bridal shop in Huntsville, Alabama that carried the dress line I began a week long ordeal attempting to place the order. First, the shop told me to call back the next day because they had a company policy that each bridesmaid needed to come in and sign for their order before it could be placed (with bridesmaids from Germany, Alabama, Florida, and Alaska, that wasn't an option). When I called back I was told they wouldn't take the order because they didn't do international sales. I explained this was not an international sale. I'm a US citizen, with a US credit card, placing an order over the phone that will be picked up personally from their store. The salesperson agreed that this really wasn't an international order and told me to call back the following day after she could double-check with the owner. When I called back I was then told that they wouldn't accept my order over the phone because they wanted a signature with the credit card order. I offered to fax them a signed order form along with a copy of my driver's license or passport, both of which have my legal name and signature, for comparison. But it was futile, after a week of stringing me along, they refused to even take the order. I guess the 21st century hasn't reached Alabama yet. |
| Ultimately, the saga had a reasonably happy ending when I was forced to try another bridal shop further away. That shop happily placed my order the same day and charged me a total of $230 less for it. The only minor hitch is that we'd planned for Tiffani to bring Felicia's dress when she flies to Germany in July, but after this delay the dresses may not be ready by then. We can just mail it in August, though and hopefully there will be no customs delays or misrouting problems. |
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May 23 - Prague Proposal |
| Our jeweler finished the engagement ring last week and yesterday Peter flew to Germany with a very sparkly package in his carry-on! After picking him up from the airport we drove to Nürnberg to tour the old town before catching the night train to Prague, where he placed the most beautiful ring I've ever seen on my finger! |
| Even though I knew Peter was bringing the ring to Prague for me, I was still caught by surprise. We had dinner reservations at a beautiful restaurant called Kampa Park, right on the river next to the historic Charles Bridge. Of course, I'd expected he would present the ring there, but he had something else up his sleeve. We dressed early for dinner and took a walk in the nearby park. We stopped for a moment at a spot with a beautiful view of the city and while I peered at the sunset-lit towers of Prague through my camera lens, Peter set the perfect stage behind me and waited for me to turn around. I never suspected a thing! Dinner afterwards was still lovely, but it was no longer the highlight of my night. Peter managed to completely surprise me after all. |
| Pictures can't do it justice, of course, but they'll give you some idea. It is the brightest, most sparkly ring I've ever seen. It just glows. Our jeweler Shawn is a close friend, but I've never seen him in "his element" before. He is truly an amazing artist! |
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April 16 - Wedding Gown |
| I found it! My sister Debbie took me to some bridal shops in Massachusetts and after trying what seemed like a ton of big white dresses on... we finally tried on *the one* that was clearly unlike any other for me. It was at David's Bridal and was one we had both skipped over in the catalog, but the consultant recommended it, so I tried it. There was no question! And, what was even better, with Debbie's awesome sense of style, she was able to then find just the right veil, blusher, hair accessories, necklace, earrings, and even purse. And the dress was in stock in my size. So rather than waiting 5 months to order, I walked right out of the store with everything! Just like that, I went from having nothing, to having a complete wardrobe. What a stress relief! |
| Here are some catalog photos of the dress and veil. The one on the left is more representative and you can click them to enlarge. |
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March 28 - Wedding Colors |
| Yay!!! I have a plan! Thanks to all of you for your great input, you were terrific! I've taken a few elements of various ideas and merged them with my own tastes a bit, and I have a vision now that I really like and suits all the requirements. I am feeling really good about this! |
Here is what I have in mind. Rather than trying to fit one color to everybody, I'm leaning toward complementary colors. The girls can be in a nice dark green, with maybe a bronze ribbon or other accent. The guys can do black suits with bronze vests and black ties, with a dark green boutonniere. They will each have accents of the others' color. This scheme meets all my initial requirements:
- Compliment the strong colors already in the chapel
- Compliment all three of my bridesmaids and their very different skin and hair tones
- Not be too "girly" or "foo-foo" for the guys
and it's a little more unique than typical colors, appropriately formal for the Castle setting, and suited to the season, being just on the cusp of fall.
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