Denise and Christopher tie that knot.

Interactive Wedding Map, Hotels, and Registry Details

2010-06-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

**This is a "sticky post" : it will remain at the top of our blog to help assist our guests.
To see our latest posting, please scroll down. Thanks!**

We have created an interactive map to help our guests with their wedding plans.

The full interactive map can be found at this site.

Please bookmark the site so you can visit often as you plan your trip.

From this site you can create unique driving directions, find the addresses and contact information for all of our wedding sites, find local airports, bus stations, and train stations, and familiarize yourself with the Precision Valley of Vermont.

***

For our accommodation information (and a list of fun Vermont activities) please click here.

For our registry information, please click here.

Huzzah!

2009-10-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

Today my husband turns 28.
We are still recovering from the crazy, zany lovely Wedding Weekend.

We love all of you so very much, and are excited to share the memories from our wedding and photographs!

Our photographer, Christa, put the initial photographs online. Visit her blog to see her teasers!

(Two of the three adorable Warren children)

Three Days!

2009-09-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

This is the 70th post I have posted since our engagement. Fittingly, this is our last post before the wedding.

I've included our most important blog postings below in case you missed a few. Enjoy!

Our Engagement Story

About my heirloom ring

Our reception site, The Hartness House Inn

Our ceremony site, The First Unitarian Parish of Chester

About our Wedding Party, Clayton and Kimberly

About gown shopping

About our florist and flowers

About the Chalice I made for our UU wedding ceremony

About our Hymn, "Let It Be A Dance"

About our honeymoon plans to Greece click here and here.

About our engagement photos

Thank all of you for being a part of our lovely union!

Love, Denise and Christopher

Chester

2009-09-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

With just four days to go, I wanted to share a bit more about Chester.

The Chester Town hosts a fairly informative (but rarely updated) town site. Visit it here.

A good local spot is MacLaomainn's Scottish Pub. Alan, the owner, appears to be legitimately Scottish with a brogue. They have great beer and cider on tap, indoor/outdoor dining, an a friendly multi-generational atmosphere. You can read a review here.

"The Pub" is easy to find on Chester's Main Street, located near St. Joseph's Catholic Church. St. Joe's has a 10:30am Sunday Mass.

If you'd rather attend a Unitarian Universalist service, our church service begins at the First Unitarian Parish of Chester 9:30am. Chris will be attending the service, and I am sure he'd welcome the company :)

The Heritage Bakery and Deli, on Rt. 103, is a bit pricey... but they do have scrumptious baked goods and good coffee. Their website is here.

My Dad has requested information for the "best local bookstore." My favorite is Misty Valley Books, located right on the Chester Town Green. The Green has great shopping, including a wonderful celtic silver and giftshop and two bookstores. Misty Valley is the larger of the two locally owned shops. Their hours are Saturday 10 am -5 pm and Sunday 11 am - 4 pm. Their website is here.

A quick drive away, Springfield has the best local diner. The Springfield Royal Diner is a tasty spot, but Chris and I can only vouch for breakfast. They have a good, quick breakfast... including a mostly authentic biscuits and gravy. Chris enjoys their feta and spinach omlettes. You can view their menu and hours here.

Springfield also has a few tasty pizzareias. If you want a hearty meal, however, we'd direct you to Penelope's and McKinley's. On Main Street, they have recently opened after a devastating fire. Penelope's (upstairs) and McKinley's (the pub downstairs) are both local favorites. We'd advise you to avoid the 56 Main Street restaurant; they are tasty, but overpriced.

Most of the larger restaurants, chain shopping, and 24-hour pharmacies are located a thirty minute ride away in West Lebanon, New Hampshire. West Leb, a quick drive from our apartment, is a tax-free shopping oasis. It is a bit of an industrial eyesore, but well appreciated and useful.

Any other destinations you'd like to learn more about? Let us know!

Sposa Bagnata, Sposa Fortunata

2009-09-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

In case you do not know the Italian,

"Wet Bride, Lucky Bride."

In Spanish, "Novia Mojada, Dicha Asegurada." In French, "Mariage Pluvieux, Mariage Heureux."

I'm not sure if you have seen the forcast for next weekend, but all of New England should be in for some rain. Well, a lot of rain.

According to tradition, I could pray to St. Clare to avoid the rain. Give one dozen fresh eggs to a local convent and pray the day away. Or, alternately, I could hang a rosary outside of my bedroom window to avoid a downpour. I do not mind rain, though. :)

Really, I like to believe in the "good oman" of a rainy wedding: good crops and healthy children.

In light of the current weather reports, I offer the following update on our Dress Code:

Please remember to bring an umbrella. Perhaps we should plan on packing solid shoes.

Dress Code

2009-09-19T15:13:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

I've had a few family members ask about our dress code.

Our wedding dress code is non-existent. We welcome our friends and family to be comfortable.

I assume many of our guests will be wearing what is apparently now known as "Wedding Casual." Dressy, but not draped in emeralds. I sort of think of "Wedding Casual" as "Nice Sunday Church Clothing." Slacks, ties, jackets. Suits, skirts, or sweaters.

Our evenings have been quite chilly, and all guests should bring a sweater or a jacket. Sunday afternoons, even if sunny, can be quite breezy in late September. I am sure the weather will be cold after the reception.

Little Details

2009-09-19T04:08:00.000-07:00

Eight days until our ceremony, and six days until some of our family and friends arrive in Vermont!

We had our final meeting with our Pastor, Telos, last night. Our ceremony is finished. Yippie!

Chris and I have begun to finalize those little details.

He is picking out his outfit for the Rehearsal Dinner and looking through the hundred ties he owns to select two for the "wedding weekend." I am not exaggerating. He owns over a hundred ties, compliments of a fantastic Christmas present last year :) He is confident one of them must match.

I've been coordinating the last few phone calls, checks, and delivery details. With the exception of a few manageable tasks, we are almost done. I have a few phone calls still to make tonight, a few plans to drop off at the Hartness House, and a few friends to call back and shower with love for their support.

I am so very thankful to our family and friends for helping us to have what will be a very lovely, very fun wedding shindig.

Autumn is arriving late this year...

2009-09-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

Typically, autumn in Vermont breaks around my birthday. Our weather this summer is making our "fall foliage" progression a bit wonky. We may not be even in "early color" during the wedding. Once the color does break we will have very intense reds and oranges in our maples due to our rainy summer. We're going to have one heck of a pretty October.

I only learned recently why the leaves change colors. I did know this phenomena brings thousands of tourists to New England each fall. In case you are curious too, I've found this page from the Weather Channel. It explains the science behind fall foliage.

Kindergartners in Vermont learn about maple trees, the process of "tapping maples," and the fact that leaves change colors. It is in our educational state standards!

I hope a few trees will have burst into their fall colors for our wedding weekend.

Flowers-- Check!

2009-09-15T17:18:00.000-07:00

Today I went to visit our friendly neighborhood florist, Morgan from Valley Flower Company, to turn in our last payment. Did I mention her shop is lovely? Flowers everywhere, the room smells wonderful, and she has great funky gifts in her shop.

You can peek at her designs at her blog, here. She has great photos from her summer weddings!

Chris's boutonniere will be something funky, too. It's going to have a fabric leaf, maybe like the ones below, and great non-floral elements. He could not imagine wearing a rose and I do not blame him. While his boutonniere is geometric, the Kim and I have more traditional arrangements. Kim's bouquet and my bouquet will be put in little vases I bought so they can double as arrangements during the reception.

Craft'a'palooza

2009-09-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

We had a very successful "crafting weekend."

Chris was very good moral support and even wielded a corner rounder to help; Marsha and Don were excellent company, kept us laughing, and made delicious munchies.

We made signs for the ceremony and reception, 2/3 of our wedding programs, little "reserved" ribbon cards for our immediate family, and other assorted craftiness.

A bit of a preview:

14 Days!

2009-09-14T16:38:00.001-07:00

Oh, the time is ticking away!

Chris and I peeked in the mail today and, to our surprise, our rings arrived on the same day!

You see, Chris' ring was made in Ohio... and my ring was made in Ireland. We could not believe they arrived together. Chris was particularly excited; he has never owned a ring, and he wanted to check that it fit! We kept them on long enough so we could make sure they were comfortable.

I had the inside of Chris' ring engraved. He tried his best not to peek...

We snapped two photos to share!

Chris' Ring

2009-09-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

I purchased Christopher's wedding band from an craftsman named Andros.
We found him through the online marketplace Etsy. Etsy allows us to purchase handmade and handcrafted goods. It is like an enormous, online farmer's market.

Andros has created videos of him creating silver and gold rings. Chris was impressed with Andros' transparency as an artist and his skill. He makes all of his rings as custom orders.

If you'd like to see Andros' blog--and videos of him creating gorgeous rings--check out his blog.
You can see his shop--and browse his rings for sale--at his Etsy shop.

Sweet Treats!

2009-09-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

Chris decided the only thing he wants at our wedding is a candy buffet. Yum!

Oh, and he also wants a wedding ceremony. That is a vital component.

Ours will not be so... opulent... but ours will be tasty!

The Cape!

2009-09-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

We stayed with Mark and Margaret at Days' Cottages over Labor Day Weekend in North Truro, Cape Cod. I absolutely understand why four generations of Warrens have stayed in those cottages!

(The red canoe marks their cottage!)

The cottages--petite, charming 1950s anachronisms--are directly on the beach. North Truro is just four miles from downtown Provincetown, and the "Ocean side" is just a short bike ride away.

We spent our time catching up Mark and Margaret, playing with Benjamin, and relaxing. We've had a fairly stressful week*, and Chris needed to spend some time building sand castles with Benjamin, taking out the canoe, and wandering around Ptown.

I got a particular kick out of the fact that their cabin was called "Dahlia." As I've already blogged, I simply adore Dahlias. Chris thought that we may stay in that cabin, and he got a kick out of the coincidence as well.

We had a wonderful two days at Cape Cod. I've never been to Cape Cod and, much to my chagrin, I enjoy the beach at Cape Cod more than the Jersey Shore. The Shore is loud and crowded. It can, at times, be dirty. While the sand at Cape Cod is very coarse and pebbly, the beaches--even in Provincetown on a holiday weekend--are quiet, pristine, and calm. Also, there are SEALS. How cool is that?

We had to return on Monday to resume our daily lives, but I absolutely understand Christopher's Grammie and Grampie's love for Cape Cod. At their recent 50th Anniversary party, Christopher's aunt Denise crafted the most lovely centerpieces. She made mini cottages, painted to look like Days' Cottages, and paired them with crafted beach-themed candles. Cute!

*understatement of the year

23 days!

2009-09-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

It is 23 days, 19 hours, 48 minutes and 24 seconds until Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 3:30:00 PM (Montpelier time).

And we are absolutely feeling it! 23 days until the ceremony begins, and 21 days until family begins to arrive in Springfield!

EEEP! So much still to do!

Dahlias!

2009-09-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

(Isn't this lovely? I discuss it at the end of the post).

I went for my hair trial last Sunday afternoon. Kim and Marsha came with me for moral support and to make sure I did not walk out of the salon looking like I belonged in the broadway show "Rock of Ages."

Jenn, the stylist, was a wizard. She turned my mostly unmanageable poofy hair into pretty, polished, soft curls.

I did, however, learn something very important during the trial. I thought I was just going to be able to see what my hair would look like... but I learned to take my delicate skin seriously. Allergies are serious business.

At the last moment, she sprayed me with her long-lasting hairspray... and I got hives. Weird, long-lasting, puffy hives on my cheeks from where the spray had landed.

I am so very thankful we learned this during the trial... and not on the actual wedding day. It's an easy solution--I'll just bring my own hairspray--but still, pretty funny in retrospect.

I am succumbing to a recent "bridal fad" to complete the hairstyle. A few decades ago, brides wore tiaras to accent their hairstyle. And then, large ornate hair bands. And then, a few years ago, they wore ornate hairpins. Last year, they wore 1920s "hair fascinators" and bird-cage veils. Recently, the fad has been the "big arse hair flower."

Our wedding is heavily featuring dahlias. They are my most favorite flower. We're having a single large dahlia decorate our otherwise simple buttercream cakes, and both Kim and I will have them in our bouquets.

I found an artist, through www.etsy.com, and she makes custom clay dahlia hair clips. She makes each petal by hand, without using a cookie cutter, and carefully textures, tints, and assembles the flower petal by petal. The dahlias for the hair clips contain 102+ petals... she stopped counting after she got to 102. They are lightweight, will never wilt in the Vermont humidity, and are extremely affordable.

(Can you believe this is fake? Check out the petal textures!)

She makes each dahlia by hand for each client; my flower will be white with a light pink center. She is so very good at her craft: I cannot even tell this is a fake flower! After the wedding, I'll be able to capitalize on the fad and sell it quickly through a second-hand bridal site, like BravoBride.

Something Old, Something New...

2009-09-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you know the rest. :)

I want to share with you what I've gathered to participate in this old tradition.

Something Old
I have a silver claddagh anklet. My mother gave it to me when I was a teenager.

The claddagh is a powerful Irish symbol of love and friendship. In case you are not familiar with the story, I'll include the symbols and interpretation. According to IrishNation.com:

"The Claddagh Ring originated in the Claddagh fishing village near Galway City in the West of Ireland. The ring shows two hands (representing friendship) presenting a heart (representing love) adorned by a crown (representing loyalty) and it is thus the traditional Irish wedding band.

The motto associated with the ring is 'Let love and friendship reign'. "

I have always loved the symbolism of the Claddagh. I wear a silver Claddagh band as my "daily" engagement ring, so I do not harm the family ring Chris gave to me for our engagement.

Something New

Chris has told me, with a grin, that he has bought me a piece of jewelry as a birthday present. He wants me to wear it during the wedding. I've gathered that this is a necklace--because I am unable to wear most earrings--and assured that it will be "wedding appropriate." He told me he even tried the necklace on... to make sure it was the proper length. What a sweetheart!

Something Borrowed

I'm not sure what to borrow... or from whom!

Would you like to lend me something to wear during the wedding ceremony... or something I can sew into the seams of my dress? Please let me know :)

Also, I need to find a sixpence...

Something Blue

While I'm not a fan of the concept of the "garter toss," I did decide to go with tradition and wear a garter. I'll will be wearing the garter shown above. It is accented with pale blue... the same pale blue as included with our wedding invitations.

Where did the "bride's good fortune" rhyme originate?

The best answer I could find was from Ask.com:

"As for the colorful item, blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color. Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced in proverbs like, "Marry in blue, lover be true."

And finally, a silver sixpence in the bride's shoe represents wealth and financial security. It may date back to a Scottish custom of a groom putting a silver coin under his foot for good luck. For optimum fortune, the sixpence should be in the left shoe. These days, a dime or a copper penny is sometimes substituted, and many companies sell keepsake sixpences for weddings."

Making It Legal...

2009-08-17T18:48:00.001-07:00

We are going to the Hartford Town Clerk this week to obtain our marriage license!

It is valid for sixty days; we can fill out the paperwork and jump through the hoops now, and keep the certificate safe with our Pastor until our wedding.

Thankfully, the Town Clerk is just a quick two block walk away. Vermont does not require blood tests, and we should not have to wait for any reason. It is an easier (and cheaper) process than it is in Pennsylvania.

(Also, Vermont allows second cousins to marry? Odd. The odd things you learn when you have to read all of the fine print).

Next on our paperwork list: Christopher needs to apply for his passport, and I need to have mine renewed.

Greece Plans and Festivals...

2009-08-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

My grandparents gave us a suitcase collection for a Shower present, and I am so thankful!

We were wondering if we should pack Christopher's hiking pack for our trip to Greece, and now we have a more manageable (and more attractive, lol) option.

Thinking of our trip, I've been reading Rick Steves' Athens and the Peloponnese. We were given a copy of the travel guru's guide from Peggy, a close family friend. Steves' has a lengthy section devoted to Nafplio.

Writes Steves':

"Note that the town's name can be spelled a staggering number of different ways in English: Nafplio(n), Nauplio(n), Navplio(n), Naufplio(n), Nauvplio(n), and so on. This makes it tricky to look for information online; try all the variations until you find one that works."

Our apartment is in the Old Town section of Nafplio. We are staying near St. George Square, named for the large cathedral dedicated to St. George. It was the neighborhood church of King Otto.

St. George is the Patron Saint of Greece, and we will be in Greece on his Feast Day: April 23rd. Christopher and I are not sure if we will be able to participate in a small local festival, or an enormous local festival. Either way, we're sure to have fun and enjoy a colorful Mass.

According to Steves':

"Back outside, surveying St. George Square, you get a feel for an old Nafplio neighborhood. Well-worn Neoclassical buildings date--like most of Old Town--from the boom that followed the city's rise to prominance when it was Greece's first capital. During the 1820s and the 1830s, Nafplio became a haven to regufees from other lands still threatened by the Ottomans."

Pennsylvania!

2009-08-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

Christopher and I got home from Pennsylvania earlier today.

What a joyful, humbling, and whirlwind weekend! My Aunt Marykathryn and Grandmom Donaghy threw me a Bridal Shower in my Aunt MK and Uncle Sean's lovely home! I had known they were planning a small family party, but I was still totally in awe of the lovely party they threw in my honor.

There were homemade wraps (yum!), sandwich fixings, so many options of salad, and tasty appetizers. Most importantly, there were mini Philly pretzel bites and Yuengling-- something I've missed so much! My family and I enjoyed a tasty supper, excellent company, lots of laughter, and a pound cake decorated to match our wedding colors.

We were able to get a ton of great family photos because the men of my life were invited: my Dad, my PopPop, my brother Eric, my stepfather George, and--of course--Chris. :)

We also had other fabulous party guests! My cousin's Katie and Kerri attended with their mother, Donna. Katie is my cousin closest to my own age, and we used to work together in summer camps during our early 20s. It was great fun to jump into the details of the wedding, and chat their ears off during the party.

Also, in a great surprise, my mother's oldest friend Peggy attended! Peggy used to be our neighbor when I was a small girl, and my mother and Peggy have stayed close ever since. It's great to know my Mom has had Peggy's love and support for all of these years. She gave us some great Greek travel guides, and I will be blogging about them shortly.

It was such a shame, but we had to leave Pennsylvania very early Monday morning. We had a fabulous time staying with my dear friend Brittany Saturday night, and we had hoped to see my high school friends again on Sunday night but we had to leave so early to beat the traffic and the heat. Hold fast, Tani! We'll see you at our wedding in FORTY DAYS! :)

Our Proofs.

2009-08-11T17:16:00.001-07:00

Christa put our proofs online!
If you'd like to peek visit this website. Enter the password: DC8909

Like any photo session, we have eight or ten stellar photos and about sixty so-so photos.

We'll be incorporating these stellar photos into our wedding. :) Enjoy!

More Engagement Photos...

2009-08-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

We'll have the rest of the photographs tomorrow night!

Engagement Photos!

2009-08-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

We made it back from Mass just in time for our Engagement photos. We actually had them taken! It started to rain the moment we finished our photos.

Christa, our photographer, was very personable, professional, and fun! She helped us feel very natural, and we weren't asked to do any artificial poses. Chris and I actually had a lot of fun.

We just got our "sneak peek" photos from Christa; that woman works fast!

You can peek at the other initial photos over at Christa's blog.

The Beach!

2009-08-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

Chris and I returned this afternoon from our Massachusetts mini-vacation.

I am *very* thankful Mark and Margaret arranged a spur-of-the-moment "family day" and took us to Revere Beach. Known as "the oldest public beach," Revere Beach is a fun place to spend a sunny afternoon. Or a sunny morning. Or a whole day.

Bostonians are so lucky. They can live in the city--or, like Chris's parents, live just outside of the city--and be at the beach in twenty minutes.

After we ate lunch, walked the beach, got our toes wet, laughed

watched Benjamin explore, and took a hundred photos, I was treated to a quick tour of East Boston.

I've heard Chris share his memories of his old neighborhood, and it was good to be able to see the neighborhood. :) It is fun to see the similarities between our fathers: if I'm driving with my Dad through Philly, he always dips back into the "old neighborhood" to point out the homes my grandparents lived in, his favorite spots, and other landmarks. :)

Last, we stopped by the USS Constitution Museum. I could spend *hours* there. I've always loved military history. So cool! I knew we were all sort of fading (especially Ben), so I didn't rush right into the muesum. Chris and I will have to steal Margaret to get a tour before winter.

I forgot to mention-- Chris went with his Dad to get a suit for the wedding! They went shopping before we all went out to the beach and harbor. Chris felt really confident in his suit, and why wouldn't he? He's so handsome.

50 days!

2009-08-09T15:48:00.001-07:00

We are getting married in fifty days!

Oh my goodness, there is so much to do!

We've selected all of our vendors and service providers, planned with family and friends, and organized. Now, I just have to pull together all of the minutiae.

For example, we have our music professor from Green Mountain College slotted to play during our ceremony. We booked Paul months ago--at a very reasonable and thoughtful rate--but now we actually have to sit down with him and figure out exactly what instrument(s) and music to play.

Honestly, we're probably going to tell him, "Please play something beautiful. We trust you."

Our Rehearsal Dinner!

2009-08-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

Mark and Margaret have been awesome enough to offer to host our Rehearsal Dinner, and Chris and I finalized most of the details last night.

Our Rehearsal Dinner will be held at the Stonehearth Inn and Tavern. Francy and Sheldon are the very hospitable innkeepers, and they have lovely grounds. A few young couples we know from Church go to the Stonehearth Inn for dinner and drinks, and we've only heard good things about their family-style suppers.

From their website:

The Inn features many of the original details including wide board pine floors, original fireplaces, and exposed beams reminiscent of its' days as farmhouse. Named for the beautiful "Stone Hearth", our friendly Inn features a spacious common areas for guests to unwind and catch their breath. Relax by the "Stone Hearth" fireplace, play a game of pool, read a book, or enjoy a libation in the tavern before enjoying a meal in our dining room.

They are a certified "Green Hotel" for their carbon footprint and practices.They also have very spunky, fun dogs.

And air-hockey. And a fire pit.

The eve of our wedding is also my 26th birthday, and I think it would be fun for some of our family and friends in town to gather at the Inn after the formal Rehearsal Dinner to enjoy the grounds, pool table, and maybe even s'mores. Francy said she'd start us a fire after dinner if the weather is nice. I can't think of a nicer way to enjoy and relax the evening before than to sit on their well-appointed deck and watch a fire and stars with Christopher, my family, and friends.

Roadtrips!

2009-08-06T05:54:00.000-07:00

(I don't think Chris has ever been to Love Park. I must rectify this situation).

I have twelve days left of "summer." How unreal. I have twelve days until I have to be back at work full-time, and I have just twenty days until school starts again in Vermont. Those poor kids.

Our goal for the next two weeks is to try and squeeze in as much summer vacation as we can.

We will be visiting Mark, Margaret and Benjamin this weekend in Massachusetts. It is a surprising quick 2.5 hour trip down, and we're so looking forward to visiting! Kimberly and Michael will be visiting as well, and I anticipate a fun trip for Benjamin and 4 large playmates to the local pool. The weather is supposed to be lovely on Saturday!

We will be visiting Pennsylvania the following weekend. We'll get into Philly around 11pm on Friday evening. I hope to spend Saturday with my Dad and the Donaghys, Saturday night seeing a film with my Doylestown friends, and Sunday with my Mom and George. We'll wrap up by getting breakfast with my friends on Monday morning, and driving back to Vermont Monday night.

I am pretty sure there is some sort of "Woo-hoo, you're getting married" party planned, but I don't want to push for too many details. :)

I'm bringing down an ENORMOUS box of wedding-related things, a hefty pile of wedding-related photographs, and some DIY paper-craft projects to Pennsylvania.

I truely value the opinion of my parents, my family, and friends. It has been difficult planning such a joyous and sacred event so far away from my family, and I want to involve as many of my family members as I can. It has been difficult living in Vermont; my family reads about updates in my life, hears updates on the phone, but it is not the same as being able to experience life together. I'm so blessed to know, through those fun RSVP cards, that many of my family members and close friends will be travelling to Vermont to share in our wedding day!

Wedding Map FAQ

2009-08-05T04:59:00.000-07:00

Howdy! We've had a few questions about our online Wedding Map. We've posted the Q&A here as well to help our family and friends navigate the Wedding Map website.

1. Why do you need a Wedding Map?

There are several user-friendly free map websites on the internet, including MapQuest. If you are unfamiliar with the town--or even state!--MapQuest can be tricky because there could be many names for the same road in rural areas. With this map, all the directions you need are in one place.

I was worried about directions to our Church, especially, because the official address is listed simply as "North Street, Chester Vermont." To a person living in the Chester-area, that address makes perfect sense. To my family driving from Pennsylvania or Massachusetts, maybe not. In the case of our church, I actually had to set the map location to a shop--Bonnie's Bundles--across the street in order to set a street address.

2. How do I get Driving Directions?

Go to our Wedding Map and click on any destination marker that you want to get to/from.

Destination markers are small icons representing wedding events or important places. For example, our Reception Site--the Hartness House Inn--is marked by the icon of a wedding cake. There is a list of destination markers and location names on the left-hand side of your screen in a list called, aptly, "Location List."

Chose the destination marker and click "Get Directions."

Directions will appear in a new window for you to print or to copy down by hand.

3. What other information is provided on the Wedding Map?

Chris and I provided information for the closest two bus stations, the closest train station, and the closest airport. All of these services can be found by clicking on their destination icon from the "Location List."

When you click the destination marker for the "WRJ Amtrak Station" you can read:

This station is along the Vermonter line, with service from Philadelphia. This is the closest train station. If you'd like to take Amtrak to our wedding please let us know so we can help to arrange travel from the station.

Call 1-800-USA-RAIL for rates and details.

We have included additional information for each of the transportation destinations to help you make your travel plans and save time.

4. Can we ask you to add locations to the Wedding Map?

Absolutely! Would you like to know the location of the closest Catholic Church so you can attend Mass on Sunday morning before the wedding? We can add that location.

Would you like to take your wife on the Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour or perhaps the Vermont TeddyBear Company Factory Tour? We can add those locations.

Would you like us to add the location of your Bed&Breakfast so you can get directions from your B&B to the wedding locations? Maybe the locations of a few nice restaurants?

Let us know--by calling, emailing, writing, or commenting on this blog--and we will add your location.

Engagement Photos, Take 5

2009-08-02T06:32:00.000-07:00

Vermont has had one wet summer. It has made haying near impossible, and our loggers our suffering from both the weather and the economy. On the homefront, our garden is sluggish and stunted.

We had hoped to have our free engagement photographs taken at Kent Pond, as I blogged back in May. We'd set up a weekend with Christa and her second-shooter, Ashley, to meet us at Kent Pond... and then it would pour. And pour. Our photographers cannot ruin their equipment, and a marshy bog of a park isn't exactly the most romantic spot.

Finally, after canceling several times, we decided to have our photographs taken at the Tip Top Building here in White River Junction. Chris and I both work inside the Tip Top Building, and the space has been converted from a much-loved bakery into an artist community space.

The Tip Top houses several print studios, a community television station, an eco-aware publishing company, my pottery studio, Chris's work, several holistic health practitioners, a few gallery spaces, and the studios of many local artists. Matt--a friend of Chris and a wedding guest--is a cartoonist and has a studio upstairs that he shares with other Center for Cartoon Studies graduates.

They have art hanging in every hallway, including large sculptures. The walls are painted in fiercely bright colors. I've emailed Christa a few photos of the space, and she is really excited to take some artistic and funky photographs of us. In case you've never been inside the building, I'm posting them below. We've scheduled our photos for next week. At least we can't get rained out!

Kim's Dress and Clayton's Tux

2009-07-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

Kimberly, my Maid of Honor and all around rad lady, has picked a dress to wear for the wedding.

Of course, Kimberly is much more pretty than this model... but the official Alfred Angelo press photo will have to do. :)

The dress is taffeta, has a bubbled skirt, and is in a color called "peacock."

Bubble skirts are very in right now, and Kim and I have both fallen for this trend. We giggled today on the phone because there is a very large chance that, in ten years, we'll both look back in horror at this dress. For now, it is gorgeous. It's more than gorgeous; it is perfect.

Not too accidentally, "peacock" is my favorite color. In fact, I am wearing the same rich deep teal as I type. If you'd like, you can read an article about James McNeill Whistler and his "hotly debated and now famous Peacock Room in London." Or you can read your choice of these two articles discussing the use of "peacock blue" in wedding this year: #1 and #2.

If you haven't had the fun of meeting Kim, you can read her bio here.

* * * * * *

Clayton, Chris' Best Man and dear chum, has sent us photographs of the tuxedo he will wear for the wedding. Now, Clay is the most dapper man I have ever met. Seriously. The man can dress. He has real character.

Like Chris, Clay harks to another era. Unlike Chris, that era is not the future. :)

Check these gorgeous photos out. Clay poses with his wife, Jillian, and his truck:

Classic.

If you haven't had the fun of meeting Clayton, you can read his bio here.

Chris's Suit

2009-07-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

Chris spent a lot of time trying to find the inspiration for his wedding outfit.
He went to a classic source of inspiration: pop culture!

First, he thought he'd find a tux similar to Indy's...

and then he decided to wear something more similar to The Doctor's brown pinstripe suit.

The Dr. Who suit is handsome, and Chris hopes to find a similar suit this weekend in Massachusetts. We're going to spend the weekend with Mark and Margaret...and Benjamin and Kim, too!

Mark and Chris are going to go suit shopping, and I know Chris is actually excited to find something dapper to wear for this "wedding outfit," as he has been calling it.

I'm not surprised he turned to Dr. Who for inspiration. It is one of our favorite science fiction television shows, and it is exceedingly well written. Sometimes I feel like Chris channels Dr. Who in our everyday life; he finds one small tool in the back of a toolbox and magically fixes every broken mechanical item in our neighborhood. His own version of the sonic screwdriver. :)

Faux-Photoboth Fun

2009-07-19T18:25:00.000-07:00

I am tickled to use my theatre training, every now and then.
For example, I can build a theatre flat (a fake wall) in about a half of an hour.

You can imagine how excited I was when I saw this photo!

(source)

A cheap roll of discounted wallpaper, a few frames, some canvas, and a few nails. It is a really quick project, with a great result.

I think it would be a bit an easy way to help our guests mingle, giggle, and create some memorable art and memories together.

We wouldn't be able to build it until the week before the wedding, just for storage sake, but it wouldn't have to be wider than five feet. :)

I'm thinking of putting "props" out too... like faux mustaches and a top hat, or two...

Remember...

2009-07-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

In case you have not ventured back to our posting from 2008...

you can see photos of our ceremony site--our home church, the First Unitarian Universalist Parish of Chester--here,
and you can see photos of our reception site--the Hartness House Inn--here.

Mini-Vacation, Part II

2009-07-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

Chris and I are spending this week in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. I am attending the AP Institute to earn my Collegeboard AP Literature training (and earn re-licensing credits), held at the St. Johnsbury Academy campus.

SJA is one of the foremost private boarding academy high schools in New England, and costs nearly $40,000/year for a boarding student. It's a darn steep price for students, but the accommodations are lush for the conference. We've been treated, in particular, to the best food I've ever been able to eat for free*. We had ostrich and bananas foster for lunch, yum.

Chris took his vacation from work this week, and he has spent the days drawing by the pool and cartooning in the hotel. I've spent eight hours each day in a dynamic, very helpful course. We're both in heaven, and it is GREAT.

Also, the Institute gave us nearly $500 in free books. Of course, the publishers hope we will, in turn, buy classroom sets... but I adore pre-press copies and old classics.

(These are not my books, but I feel like I got just as much loot to bring home to my classroom shelves)

*We are paying a mere pittance for our hotel room (discounted conference rate), and everything else has been paid by my school district. It is a nice perk! They lead free nightly activities (canoeing, theatre trips, skeet shooting, trivia bowls, hiking, poetry readings, etc) for participants and their families, too.

Suffice to say, the wedding planning has not been at the front of my mind :) I will provide photos of some of our new purchases and planning details once we get home. Promise!

Registry Information

2009-07-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

I've been asked by a few family members and friends to post Registry information on our wedding blog. I've been hesitant to post this information, but I've had a few more questions since the invitations were mailed and I thought I'd finally acquiesce.

The very best present we can receive is your presence at our wedding and your love and support as we embark on this adventure.

We recognize that especially for those of you coming from far away, simply attending our wedding will already entail spending money on travel and hotel accommodations. Homemade and handmade gifts are welcomed and appreciated; so many of you are so very talented!

Many of you are contributing your time and energy to this event, and for the gift of your participation we thank you.

If you do decide to go the more traditional route, we are registered at Kohls.com and at Amazon.com.

Our Kohls bridal registry can be found here, or at the store you can shop for Wedding ID # 1109850. Our Amazon registry can be found here, or simply search for either of our full names on this page. Amazon offers great free shipping on many items.

Our Kohls registry is mostly things for our home, and our Amazon registry is mostly things for our adventures. The Amazon registry features camping equipment, travel supplies, a kitchen composter kit, and books.

Mini-Vacations

2009-07-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

Chris and I just got back from the Stanford B&B in Enfield, NH. The owner of the B&B is a co-worker of mine, and they have a wonderful cabin on Crystal Lake*. I won a discounted night in our annual Christmas Silent Auction, and knew we'd love a night away.

Chris got out of work two hours early, we drove just twenty minutes, and celebrated the 4th of July weekend with a canoe and a campfire.

I had never been in a canoe before (I'm such a City girl) but it was amazing fun. I've kayaked around before, but I had a lot of fun rowing a canoe. And so did Chris! I have photographic evidence...

Isn't he handsome?

** See a comic about our trip over at Flamejob.

Tickets!

2009-07-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

We've bought our tickets for Greece!

Our flights are already 1/2 booked for economy, can you believe it? Ten months in advance. I'm hoping that if I can find some sappy "His & Hers" luggage tags, I can wiggle an upgrade into business class.

We'll be flying American Airlines from Boston to Heathrow, and then Heathrow to Athens.

Our honeymoon is now 2/3 paid in advance, and I am so thankful! Penny-pinching (and interest bearing accounts) do pay off. :)

I did get "trip protection," just in case the ticket price drops significantly. I'll be eligible to receive a portion back. I did get a pretty good rate, though.

Also, Chris wants to stay in this hotel on our last night: the Hotel Central. It is in the Plaka section of Athens, and has a hip rooftop terrace bar and jacuzzi.

Thankfully...

2009-07-06T16:22:00.001-07:00

the invitations are actually in the mail. Phew!

It took a far bit longer than I expected.
You see, the USPS stopped hand-canceling any first-class envelopes.

When mail is not hand-canceled, each envelope is run through a machine.

If the envelope
1) is too bulky
2) is not acceptably flexible
3) has too little postage, even by one cent

then the envelope may be
1) shredded by accident
2) accidentally opened/compromised
3) stamped with "return to sender"

*sigh*

I've had nightmares of our lovely invitations--the invitations created during a fun family party and entirely hand-crafted--would be destroyed by the USPS.

I admit, the invitation-anxiety is entirely linked to the phenomena known as "being a Bridezilla." I refused to accept that the local post offices refused to hand-cancel my invitations. I have friends in PA who have had their invitations hand-canceled this year. I have an acquaintance who was allowed to hand-cancel her own invitations, under the supervision of the Post Master, because the Post Master acknowledged the only reason the USPS stopped hand-canceling was due to the time it takes to apply each stamp.

Finally, I've decided to live "dangerously," as our local Postwoman said, and just drop the darn things into the regular mail. Some may have even arrived today. I sincerely hope none arrive looking as if a puppy played with them.

***Incidentally, "Bridezilla" is my most favorite portmanteau word: bride + Godzilla. It is memorable for my students, fun to say, and has delightfully satiric connotations.

Domain Name!

2009-06-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

Christopher is clever. (This is not a surprise!)
He is also quite web-savvy, and he was getting sick of typing our long blogger account name :)

He just bought (for a pittance) www.TheWarrenWedding.com

If you type www.TheWarrenWedding.com into your browser, it will instantly re-direct you to this website.

Please do not feel you need to update your bookmarks!

It just made it easier to put the wedding blog url on our invitations.

* * *

Speaking of invitations, we are FINALLY ready to mail them out. They will be mailed on Monday. We were waiting on the rest of the calligraphy, one insert, and our custom stamps.

* * *

How excited are we? We will be driving to Massachusetts on Saturday morning to attend Christopher's Grammie and Grampie Warren's 50th Wedding Anniversary party! We'll get to visit with the couple, the whole family, and have a weekend out.

It is very comforting to know a couple who have been together for fifty blessed years, and to know their wonderful (and pretty darn hilarious) family. Their eldest grandson turned out okay, I guess. :)

Honeymoon Plans!

2009-06-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

We've booked our honeymoon rental!

We will spend seven nights/eight days in Nafplion, Greece! We will travel during April, 2010.

(The gorgeous Nafplion, from above)

The most costly component of the trip will be our plane tickets, but prices (at the moment) for April, 2010 are around $800 for a round trip flight. Considering what international tickets could cost, this is do-able. We're still waiting, though, to see if the flights dip even lower. I've taken a second-job/summer job to, in part, pay for our honeymoon. Work hard, play harder!

(The home! We'll be staying on the ground floor)

Nafplion was initially suggested by a childhood friend of mine from Masterman, Christos. I asked him, "Can you think of a town on the water within driving distance of Athens with only a small tourist population in the Spring? Can it be a spot the Greeks use for vacation, and not drunken French frat boys? Can it be large enough to have at least one vegetarian restaurant still open in the off-season, but not teeming with trinket shops along the beach?" He suggested Nafplion, his family's favorite vacation spot.

Nafplion was the first capitol of Greece. The small Peloponnesian port town is in the shadow of the Palamidi Fortress, a 999 step bohemouth built by the Venetians in 1714.

From our vacation rental's website:
Its long history is evident in attractive period buildings, narrow bougainvillea-filled streets, and a wide range of shops, tavernas and museums. It is perfect for those who want both a beach and historical holiday. The apartment is in a quiet part of the old town, yet very close to all the amenities.

Nafplion is also known for the Bourtzi, a fortified islet just off shore. It was originally built to protect the town from pirates, but it now is simply a lovely site for photography.

(Notice the home in the foreground, square roof?)

We will be staying on a small side street in an apartment owned by a British ex-Pat poet, Margaret. Margaret hosts poetry workshops at her home throughout the year, but also rents the home to vacationers during the Spring and Summer. The apartment is extrememly affordable! (Seriously, less than $50 per day) She will be living upstairs while we are visiting so we will have an English/Greek translator and a poet tour guide.

(this kitchen is larger than our current kitchen and our bedroom)

The apartment has a full kitchen, stocked with a stove, large fridge, pots, pans, dishes, a small laundry machine, and an enormous bookcase. We will be cooking at least two meals each day to save on costs and save Christopher's vegetarian stomach... and the apartment is down the street from a large market. There is a full bedroom and full bath, as well as a sitting room, an outdoor furnished porch, and "under terrace" parking.

Nafplion is a two-hour drive from Athens. According to a tourist site,

"It is also your ideal home base for day trips to the ancient sites at Argos, Nemea, Mycenae, Tiryns, Epidavros (the ancient theater is a must-see!), and Ancient Corinth."

Chris and I haven't decided what historical locations we'd like to visit, but it is nice to be staying near historical sites without staying in busy, zooming Athens.

He wanted to stay in a very rural small village, but I was worried we wouldn't be able to find 1)vegetarian-friendly restuarants 2)air-conditioning 3)doctors. Hopefully, Napfplion will be a nice compromise.

Also! Chris and I are being measured for our wedding bands tomorrow.

Our Chalice

2009-05-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

According to the Unitarian Universalist Association website,

"'At the opening of Unitarian Universalist worship services, many congregations light a flame inside a chalice. This flaming chalice has become a well-known symbol of our denomination. It unites our members in worship and symbolizes the spirit of our work.' -Dan Hotchkiss

Hans Deutsch, an Austrian artist, first brought together the chalice and the flame as a Unitarian symbol during his work with the Unitarian Service Committee during World War II. To Deutsch, the image had connotations of sacrifice and love. Unitarian Universalists today have many different interpretations of the image. To many, the cup represents religious community, while the flame represents ideas including the sacrificial flame, the flame of the spirit, and more."

A chalice is lit at the beginning of a Unitarian Universalist service and extinguished at the conclusion of the service. Our parish also has a children's chalice; this is lit by one of our younger parishioners before the children go downstairs for Religious Education.

Chris and I discussed the popular ceremonial aspects of contemporary wedding ceremonies. Chris wasn't interested in unity candles, pouring sand into glass bottles, water ceremonies, wine ceremonies, or handfasting. I agree.

The only two ceremonies that appealed to both of us are the ring ceremony and the lighting of the chalice. We've asked our friend Emily, a fellow UU, to light our chalice during the ceremony.

I glazed this chalice last week. We'll use it in our ceremony. It's the first time I've used traditional pottery glazes, and Chris likes the way it turned out. It is just large enough to fit a tealight. :)

His Ring

2009-05-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

(source)

I just wanted to share: Chris wants a steel wedding band.
They are fairly easy to find, and pretty darn durable.

He works with his hands so much--printing, inking, tinkering with computers and cars--that he should have a scratch and scuff resistant band. :)

Kent Pond

2009-05-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

(source)

We're having our engagement photographs taken next month. Christa, our photographer, suggested we use Killington's Kent Pond for our photography site. How lovely!

The area features a small waterfall, a bridge, a small beachy area, a view of the mountains, and the wonderful pond shown above.

Showered! (and exhausted)

2009-05-17T17:11:00.000-07:00

(We clean up pretty well in our fancy-clothes)

Christopher and I got home from Massachusetts earlier today.

What a fabulously fun, humbling, and joyful weekend. Kimberly coordinated, and Cristina hosted in her cheerful home/pre-school. Her students made the most delightful decorations, including mini-umbrellas! (Get it, shower?)

There were homemade lavender-filled vintage lace sachets, teeny favor boxes filled with candies, teeny cucumber sandwiches, ambrosia, tons of other tasty food, excellent company, lots of laughter, and a home-made punch called "Sweet Dee." Oh, AND a telescope for Christopher.

This woman is fantastic, and I love her. I cannot wait for her to move back to Vermont.

Did I mention Chris and I bought a couch tonight? We got a super good deal (we bought it at the NH tax-free Big Lots) and we feel like adults eating homemade Indian food in our newly pimped-out apartment.

My Hairstylist Broke Up With Me.

2009-05-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

I feel like I just got dumped... in an eighth grade sort of way.

My talented and very nice hairstylist told me, in a letter, that she will be out of town the weekend of our wedding. The odd thing, though, was that the letter was delivered by a fellow parishioner at church last week. Chris thinks the stylist was afraid to call me on the telephone. I'm not a very "Bridezilla" sort of gal, but I can understand how it could have been an uncomfortable phone call. Or perhaps she lost our address and our phone number?

The whole situation is sort of funny.

Regardless, I've been thinking recently about hairstyles.

(source)

Considering hairstyles, shoes, jewelry, and all of the other required bride regalia makes me feel silly. I have a professional job, but I still just pull back my hair each day in a black band to make a messy chignon. I bought my first hairdryer last August, and I hardly ever find the occasion or the patience to use it. I do enjoy the thought of dressing up, but I'm not to stellar at pulling it off.

I tend to look like I'm trying too hard. The fun thing, however, is that I'm expected to "try hard" for the wedding and wedding-related functions. It's expected, and encouraged.

I'd like to wear a neat, curled chignon if I wear my hair up. It is a simple retro style, and it would be easy to clip in my veil for the ceremony and a decorative pin for the reception. The photo above gives a good idea of how classy a chignon can be... much better than my daily work choice!

(the fabulous Dita Von Teese! Her website may not be work-friendly, however, because she is a famous contemporary model and burlesque performer.)

(I can't find the source, but I know it is from OBT)

If I wear my hair down (which Christopher likes better) I'll go for smoothed waves. My hair, in its untamed state) is very thick and wavy. I hold a curl easily, and I think it would be fun to have retro-inspired large curls.

I would just have to pray for a cool and breezy September day, rather than an 85 degree and humid September day.

Let It Be A Dance

2009-05-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

We decided there ought to be singing during our wedding ceremony. Not just the typical Unitarian Universalist singing, either. An actual hymn.

According to the Rev. Dr. Fred Anderson,

St. Augustine reminds us that the words of our hymns are prayers and, when we sing them, we add to them a further dimension of honor and praise--we pray twice.

Sung praise seems to be God's favorite form of prayer; fifteen times the Old Testament tells us to "Sing to the Lord." In addition, the Bible instructs us to come into God's presence with singing, make melody to the Lord and enter God's courts in song; there are some 242 such exhortations in the Old Testament alone. Add the twelve New Testament citations and you get a pretty good picture of the importance of song to God.

We sing because singing is what the people of God do in God's presence.

You can read the rest of his sermon here.

Chris and I looked through our Unitarian Universalist hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition, to try to remember our favorite hymns. I wanted to go with "Holy, Holy, Holy," but then Chris pointed out "Let It Be A Dance." It is his favorite hymn, and as we sung it in Church together he was swaying so much we both just had to giggle.

"Let It Be A Dance" was written by the late "troubadour UU minister" Ric Masten. The inspiration for the song was bittersweet, but you'd never be able to tell by the upbeat tempo and life-affirming lyrics.

Let a dancing song be heard.
Play the music. Say the words.
Fill the sky with sailing birds.
Let it be a dance. Let it be a dance. Let it be a dance.

Every body turn and spin.
Let your bodies learn to bend
Like a willow in the wind,
And let it be a dance.

A child is born. We all must die.
A time for joy, a time to cry --
So, take it as it passes by,
And let it be a dance. Let it be a dance. Let it be a dance.

Let it be a dance we do.
May I have this dance with you?
For the good times, and the bad times too,
Let it be a dance.

If you'd like to hear the hymn (with singing!) please click here.
If the link won't work, please comment and I'll fix it!

* * *

In other news, my Bridal Shower is this weekend! Yippie!

I'm far too excited to see everyone, enjoy excellent company, and wear my new dress. I've heard buzzing that the party is truely a group effort, and Chris and I are so thankful for the time and thoughtfulness his family has shown to us.

My Mother won't be able to attend the Shower, but she mailed us our first genuine wedding gift. She's delightful, I miss her, and I know she'll be there with us in spirit.

Production Party!

2009-05-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not writing earlier this week... but, PHEW, school has been so very busy!

Last weekend, Mark and Margaret hosted an Invitation Production Party at their home. I am humbled and overjoyed by the Warrens' support! It was a real family effort: Margaret, Grammie Cathy, Grandma Jane, Aunt Karen and Aunt Cristina, and his younger cousins all helped us compile our invitations. I thought we had brought a lot to complete, but after the first hour we began to run out of things to do! Kim arrived just in time to "oooh and aaah" at the invitations, and help us wrap up the last few details.

(Chris captured a photo of the proccess and the enormous "mess" on the table)

I'm sorry, but I don't want to post too many photos to ruin the surprise of the invitations! Suffice to say, they are LOVELY and I am glad to remember the "community effort."

Christopher spent a good deal of Thursday evening printing, measuring, and cutting our invitation enclosures. We had thought we'd use the CCS printer, but we suspect the printer had a faulty drum because the colors were over-saturated and streaky. It cost a few extra dollars to have our stationary printed at the local Kinkos, but the quality was impressive.

(Benjamin enjoying his ice-cream. What fun!)

After the family left on Saturday evening, Chris, Kim, Michael, Mark, Margaret, Benjamin and I enjoyed a delicious eggplant parm supper and ice-cream at the Dairy Dome.

I almost hugged the Mailman.

2009-04-23T09:40:00.001-07:00

The first batch of our calligraphy arrived today!

Fit and Healthy

2009-04-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

(Source)

While this may not appear immediately to be wedding related, it is!

I'm going to be competing in a 5K, "Dog Run Dog," the weekend before our wedding!
You can visit the website for the Norwich race here.

Why a 5K?

Many of you know I have lost about six dress sizes. When I started Weight Watchers, I wore a size 26 jeans and a size 24 shirt. Now, I wear either a 16W or a 16-regular depending on the store.

My weight-loss stalled (and later ended) during the stress of my first year teaching. I've been complacent and, well, lazy. :)

Weight Watchers recently launched the "Walk It" campaign, working with Active.com, to encourage members to train for a 5K. Participants receive small goodies--a magazine subscription and a silver sneaker charm--and a free interactive eight-week training guide.

In addition, my good friend Emily has committed herself to a June 5K in Burlington, VT. We were already WW buddies, and now we are Training buddies as well.

I've thrown myself into training. I biked nineteen miles today, a personal best. I've roped Christopher into walking a few miles with me each night. He's endlessly supportive.

I want to feel healthy, strong, and fit at our wedding. While I do not want to be one of those "crash diet brides," I do want to be the most beautiful version of me at our wedding.

To Do: April and May

2009-04-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

I belong to The Knot, a popular website and magazine for "modern" and "hip" brides. It's a fairly helpful website. I purchased The Knot Book of Wedding Lists after a recent trip to the Chester town bookstore.

The Knot provides an enormous "To Do" List for brides and their families as they plan a wedding. It has helped the entire process feel less daunting: I can divide tasks into manageable monthly lists.

As I update friends and family on the planning I've already tackled, I hear a common refrain: "You've got so much done! You're so ahead of the game." The credit goes to my Stage Management experience and those fabulous The Knot lists. Their schedule allows the last two months before the wedding date to be as relaxing as possible. I'd much rather get planning finished now, crafts finished, and vendors paid well in advance.

To Do: April/May

Meet with Rev. Telos in April to finish membership orientation.

Visit Chris's family in Massachusetts in late April and craft our paper goods with the Warren women. I'll be able to visit with Chris's step-mom, grandma, and aunts. Fun!

Chris and I join as members of First Parish Unitarian Universalist in early May.

Attend my Bridal Shower in Massachusetts in mid-May: what fun!

* * * * * * * *

Finalize the guest list. Send guest additions to Agnes, the calligrapher.

Compile packages for out-of-town guests with hotel reservation and city information, and print/craft to include with invitations.

Compile invitations. Order lots of gluedots and borrow papercutters. Print inserts at Kinkos.

Chris should decide on his attire. Research locations in MA, VT, or NH to find his suit.

Ask Chris to go to a formal wear shop to be measured.

Ask Chris to think about any accessories we will need for the fathers: ties? bowties?

Finalize our wedding favors: most likely something practical but pretty.

Confirm delivery date for my gown and schedule fittings.

Buy a poofy underskirt and the lingerie my gown requires in time for first fittings.

Think about who we would want to do special performances or readings as part of the ceremony.

Calligraphy = Sanity

2009-04-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

I'm an English teacher. I've mastered the skill of writing neat cursive on a whiteboard.

When I try to write on envelopes, however, I get all shaky from worry.

My mind begins to race: Is my envelope centered on my light box? Will my pencil guides erase completely? Is my lettering consistent? Do all of my "e"s look alike?

In other words, I get a bit weird. Weirder than normal.

I've hired a calligrapher for my own sanity. Her name is Agnes, and she is also an enormous fan of Firefly and the work of H.P. Lovecraft. She is getting married next month and is buried in her own DIY projects.Above is the test sample she created for our stationary. It is curvy and classic, and I love the "chubby" ink.

For some brides, calligraphy is an extravagant expense. If I was having a more traditional "Irish" wedding with over 200 guests... it would be an extravagant expense. But we're inviting less than sixty guests, and we only need to create about forty invitations. I've also hired her services for our placecards.

Inner and outer envelope sets seem charming, don't they?
(Or is the belief that stationary can be "charming" or "cute" another symptom of bridal-craziness?)

I ordered A-7 Ecru unlined envelope sets from LCI Paper. I may make my own envelope liners to accent our invitations. The inner envelope measures 5 7/16 x 7 7/8, almost one whole inch larger than our A-7 5 x 7 invitations. This provides plenty of room for our invitations, rehearsal dinner invites, RSVP postcards, and our over-sized foldout Vermont maps. Stellar!

Now, I just need to order some Forever Stamps before the May postal stamp price increase. I just realized if I didn't, the RSVP postcards wouldn't have enough postage and would be returned to sender! LOL

Maps!

2009-04-09T17:49:00.001-07:00

Chris has been busily inking his own comics; I didn't want to pester him with our map. I resisted the urge to include a Googlemaps Map and the urge to hire a local cartoonist.

Fifty minutes, icons from Wedding Mapper, and a bit of Photoshop guidance... I present our wedding map:

(click on image for larger view)

We will be printing directions on the back of the map. Most of our guests will be traveling north (from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania), and we will include contact information for Amtrak and Greyhound.

Cake for Breakfast (and a poll!)

2009-03-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

I laughed and laughed when Chris said this to me, as we were leaving the bakery:

"If I had realized this involved free cake for breakfast, I may have been snatched up years ago."

* * *

We were treated to teeny servings of double layer cake. So many varieties, in fact, I'm not sure I remember all of the flavors. The tasting took place in their main dining room, and customers waiting in line for their coffee and bagels congratulated Chris and I. I'm sure they were hoping we would share.

Chris, the man who "didn't care" about cake, selected the decorations style for us. Truthfully, it is the style I would have selected, too. It is modern, but still fanciful. It isn't something I've seen at other weddings, or in any magazines.

It is modeled after a Martha Stewart cake style, a fact I find hilarious. (Chris likes "The Martha"? Who knew?) The decoration style is known as Transferware, and reminiscent of the 18th century pottery technique. Transferware ceramics typically have black, blue, or brown detailing. Our cake will have black detailing, similar to the cake below.

(source)

Could you help us select flavors?

Please vote for your favorite cake flavor. The poll is located on the right side of your screen.

Invitations!

2009-03-18T17:52:00.001-07:00

Photo Sources: 1. Walk on Gold, 2. La Bunici - 2008, 3. Bel Air -Red Scarf-DSC_6054, 4. Seat at the meeting, 5. Macro Photography - Cadbury Dark Chocolate, 6. IMG_5994, 7. Spring Greens!!, 8. October Gold, 9. I caused it to be

For the curious. This is a closer approximation of our wedding colors. They've changed a bit. We're going to use chocolate brown and ivory, with accents of gold and spring green. I had a bit too much fun using the Mosaic Maker.

* * *

Today we ordered the supplies for our invitations. How exciting!

We ordered the majority our of stationary from Paperandmore, and our envelopes from LCI Paper. No design notes, sorry! I don't want to give away too much information to ruin any surprise. Christopher has been helping me learn Photoshop to facilitate the design process.

Most custom invitation suites (invitations, RSVP cards, and one enclosure card for either the directions or the reception information) cost $5-7 per invitation. Plus envelopes.

For $2.06 per person (including shipping, but not including postage for the invitations), we'll have supplies to create our ceremony programs, pocketfold invitations (including RSVP cards, three enclosure cards, map, decorative elements, and envelope set), and menus.

I'm excited to start crafting. I have a week off for Spring Break in April. What a perfect time to find a large table at the Cartoon School, set out our paper-cutters, adhesives, t-square, bone folder, corner rounder, and MP3 player loaded with the Steve Miller Band and Three Dog Night.

Cakes!

2009-03-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

[Source: The Knot]

Our first cake tasting is scheduled. We're meeting with the owner of The Baker's Studio, also named Chris, on Saturday morning. Our plan is to find the "perfect" baker to create eight small table cakes for our reception.

The Baker's Studio is a small bakery in downtown White River. They serve coffee and breakfast sandwiches each morning, and quiche, salads, and sandwiches in the afternoon. In addition, they run a full-scale bakery. Their cakes on display look tasty--perhaps too tasty for a dieting bride--and I'm sure their presentation on Saturday will be impressive.

[This photo is not from the Bakers Studio. It's from the Internet. But doesn't it look tasty?]

Chris and I browsed through their portfolio a few months ago, as we noshed on breakfast bagel sandwiches, and they do fairly traditional decorations very well. Lovely lattice-work, nice swiss dots.

I considered, for only a few days, trying to DIY our desserts. Do-It-Yourself weddings have become very popular, I do enjoy baking, and I worked as a cake decorator for a few months. And then, with a little help from my friends, I snapped to my senses. Baking eight small cakes would be a tiresome and tedious process, and I'd rather leave it in the sugar-coated hands of a local artisan baker.

Christopher is excited: Free cake! I'm excited as well, but honestly I'm more eager to discuss cake pricing. Many bakeries in Philadelphia price their wedding cakes at $8 per slice, and it is not unheard of to charge $15 per slice. Isn't that insane? From my research, many bakeries in Vermont charge a relative pittance of $2/3 a slice.

It is a Win/Win situation. If we don't enjoy their cake or their prices? We schedule another cake tasting! Second on our list is the Heritage Deli and Bakery in Chester, Vermont.

It's Almost Spring!

2009-03-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

(Clockwise: lisianthus, mint, fiddleheads, chocolate cosmos, phlox, hydrangea, and dahlias)

We're experiencing a typical March here in Vermont. I wore sandals on Saturday, enjoying sunny skies and a temperature of sixty degrees, only to wake up to five inches of snow on Monday morning. To help postpone the "winter will never end" blues, I've decided to post some florist updates.

I'm not exactly sure the colors we'll use for each particular variety... but here is a sampling of some of the flowers we will be using for our ceremony and service. I love the texture of these flowers together. Soft, round, meticulous layers of petals. We'll be using shades of cream, spring green, and chocolate brown.

I've also learned I love zinnias! These lime green zinnias are perfect. So lovely.

* * *
In other news, Christopher updated his comic website. You can now find his work at flamejob.org

He has been posting three times per week, debuting the first chapter of "Poser." He's busily inking the second chapter of "Poser" to debut at SPX, the Small Press Expo. We accidentally scheduled our wedding for the weekend of SPX; his friends from CCS will be selling the chapter two--"Study Buddy"--for him.

Flowers!

2009-03-06T17:23:00.000-08:00

(Pardon my webcam photography, but my digital camera died).

I've been researching local florists, comparing prices and talent. There are many, many options.
It could be exhausting, but I think I've found our florist.

Morgan, owner of Valley Flower Company, simply rocks. Her work was recently featured in La Bella Bride magazine and New England Bride magazine, and you can view her gallery at her flickr account. She's working within our budget, has fresh floral (oh, pun) ideas, and Chris and I can support a talented, young local artist. You can view Morgan's blog here.

The photograph above shows a representation of my floral inspiration. We're* thinking of crisp colors: greens, dark browns, and accents of ivory. We're thinking lots of soft texture, and modern round shapes. When I get our floral quote tomorrow, I'll be able to more adequately share the flower types.

(source)

I know we discussed soft, round flowers. I'm not a fan of very structural floral shapes, be they orchids, delphinium, tulips, celosia, or calla lilies. I do, however, find dahlias, ranunculus, zinnias, and chocolate cosmos simply lovely.

To help with costs, a lot of our flowers will serve double duty. Why would we use thoughtfully constructed arrangements just once? My bouquet will be placed into a vase for our reception. Our pew decorations will double as table arrangements. Our altar floral arrangement can be placed on the fireplace in the Hartness House. Ingenious!

*"We're" does not mean "Chris and I." It means, "my florist and I." LOL
Chris doesn't care about flowers, but he recognizes I do care. He does, however, think fiddleheads are cool for boutonnieres.

Dress Success!

2009-03-01T07:06:00.000-08:00

I had the most positive dress shopping experience!

If anyone in the Vermont is getting married, I strongly suggest Christine's Bridal in Hartland Four Corners.

The owner, Chris, was my attendant and she was very warm. She and I chatted about our common interests and this set me at ease: she has a background in graphic design and animation, and we share a love of community theatre.

Kim and Marsha had to wait in the room next to the fitting room, but we were close enough that we could occasionally laugh through the doorway as I was being laced. The gowns were not nearly as heavy as I thought they'd be, and the crinoline underdress I wore was both comfortable and not-too-foofy.

Lesson Learned: Always trust your saleslady. I had gone shopping thinking I knew exactly what sort of gown I wanted. The dress shapes I thought I wanted were very unflattering. I thought I was anti-train, but the gown I selected has the most lovely chapel-length train. The gown I selected was a dress I would not have selected for myself.

I found "the one," the dress that made me feel the most lovely and the most statuesque. It is a dress from a local designer, and only sold at this boutique! It was the second dress I tried on, too. The attendant was very patient, helping me into several dresses only to hear Kim, Marsha, and I sigh together that the other dress was the nicest.

No photographs for this post, sorry! I want everyone--Christopher included--to be happily surprised in September.

Gown Shopping!

2009-02-22T14:41:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to announce I will be going dress shopping next Saturday afternoon. We have an appointment at a local shop--Christine's Bridal of Hartland--and I'm relieved I may be able to find a classic gown without needing to leave the Upper Valley.

I've asked Marsha--Christopher's mom--to join me for the appointment and the fun! Kim is driving up from Boston to join us; I'm so relieved Kim can lend her fashion sense and keen judgment.

I wish my Mom could be there too, but I know I'll be surrounded by Marsha and Kim's love, support, and eye for fashion. Christopher obviously gives his love and support, but he is not allowed to see my gown before the wedding. :)

At first I thought I'd be able to buy a dress online (there are many sites specializing in used or discounted gowns) or perhaps have a gown made, but I'm eager to see what styles and fabrics the Gown Consultant will suggest for me. I hardly ever have occasion to wear a dress yet, much to my chagrin, I'm very giddy about this component of our wedding.

I'll let the blog'o'sphere know how things go!

Our Wedding Party!

2009-02-22T07:11:00.000-08:00

We wanted to introduce our Wedding Party!

Kimberly Warren, Maid of Honor

Christopher's ever charismatic and classy younger sister, Kimberly, is my Maid of Honor. A distinguished 2008 graduate from Green Mountain College, Kim and I shared an apartment and two kittens during our Senior year. Kim is sharp, witty, gorgeous, and well-read: just ask this 2008 Miss Vermont USA contestant about Yoknapatawpha County. She is a blessing in our lives, and a very close friend.

Kimberly currently resides in Boston, working for an Ophthalmologist and fighting crime. This wedding can be entirely blamed on Kim, as she encouraged our new relationship and gave her blessing. This photo was taken of Kim and her boyfriend, Michael, at Groundhog's Day, 2009.

Clayton Hunsdon, Best Man

Chris once hit Clay with a Bible during a high school Philosophy class. A graduate of Champlain College, Clay is currently stationed with the US Army in Oklahoma. He is very good at DBZ, the CCG, but terrible at the bass. Clay and Chris have been “quasi-roommates,” and Clay married Kimberly’s old roommate (fellow GMC graduate) Jillian.

Chris counts Clay as his closest friend, and he cannot wait for Clay to complete his requirement with the Army and hopefully move to our part of the union.

The photo of Clay and Jillian was taken at their wedding!

Vendors!

2009-02-15T18:10:00.000-08:00

We've already found a few vendors, and made a few small wedding purchases. How exciting!
I hope these sneak peeks do not spoil the final event for any of our family and guests.

We're trying to use local Vermont vendors, but we've also found a few sweet deals online.

(image copyright: Christa Pidgeon Photography)

Our photographer, Christa Pidgeon, was booked a few months ago. She's a new Rutland-based photographer with a lovely and vibrant portfolio. Christa has recently increased her prices, but we booked her last Fall to secure a low rate AND a free engagement photo shoot. Check out her gallery!

I highly recommend Salon 2000 in Chester, Vermont. Sarah, the salon's talented founder, will be helping with the "girly preparations" on our wedding day, including hair and makeup. Salon 2000 is a great establishment; they offer classic spa services--massage, facials, manicures, tanning--in a friendly warm space. Bonus: they are a block away from our Church!

We've been finding small decorations at excellent bargin prices online. Our newest purchses are these blown glass golden gorgeous goblets. (Oh, the alliteration!) We'll be using them as toasting flutes, and we found them for 80% off market price.

Happy St. Valentine's Day! Chris wants me to type that he just sung me a love song, and he wants me to remind you he does this all the time... and not just on romantic holidays!

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

2009-01-13T15:23:00.000-08:00

(from left to right: Christopher, Denise, Michael, and Kimberly)

We've had a delightful holiday!

We were able to travel to Pennsylvania and Massachusetts to visit our out-of-state family and friends. We visited with all of our parents, and spent time with my brother Eric while he was on leave from the National Guard. We were thankful to spend time with Kimberly, my Maid of Honor (and Christopher's sister!) and their little brother, Benjamin. We enjoyed exploring Boston with Clayton, Chris's Best Man, with his wife Jillian.

Wishing you a wonderful rest of your winter!

Love, Denise and Chris

(P.S. Chris did actually help write this post! He wanted me to remind you all of that. *grin*)

Accommodations! Sights!

2008-12-21T11:32:00.000-08:00

Again, we suggest our guests visit the Chester Vermont Innkeeper's Association website to find a local, affordable Bed & Breakfast. The local B&Bs are often cheaper than the only hotel in town, the Holiday Inn Express, and most are in lovely, historic homes.

Yet, we do have a block of rooms reserved at the Holiday Inn under the Warren/Donaghy wedding. Please let us know if you'd like assistance as you search for lodging.

Please let them know if you require one queen bed or two twin beds, any additional roll-away cots, room upgrades, or military discount. The Holiday Inn Express is the most affordable quality hotel in the immediate area, a short twenty minute drive from our ceremony site. The Holiday Inn has wi-fi, a swimming pool, and a fitness center.

These rooms are at an adjusted “wedding rate,” but you may be able to get a lower rate using AAA, a military discount, or savvy online searching.

If you decide to stay in The Hartness House Inn—our reception site—we encourage you to stay in their Victorian Main House, and not in their addition. The Hartness House has breakfast included, and a small museum to explore.

There are many other delightful Bed & Breakfasts in the area, most notable the Chester House Inn, the Stone Hearth Inn, and the Park Light Inn. These accommodations are in downtown Chester, a very short drive (or walk!) from our ceremony site.

The Stone Hearth Inn is the site of our Rehearsal Dinner, and it is quite nice. They have a pub on-site, a family style restaurant, a game room (with pool table and fireplace), and nicely appointed rooms.

We encourage you to make your reservations during the summer. The fall is "Foliage Season" in New England, and many out-of-state tourists visit to "leaf peek" and enjoy nature. Rooms books quickly. Yet, this is a beautiful season for a wedding!

----

Even though the slopes will not be open in late September, there is still plenty to do in Vermont!

You can play a round of golf at the Crown Point Country Club in Springfield, or pick a bushel of apples at Springfield’s Wellwood Orchards.

You can explore the craft shops near Chester’s historical Stone Villiage, or stop by Springfield’s Art Gallery at the VAULT to peruse hundreds of gifts crafted by local and regional artists.

The Toonerville Trail is a three mile biking/walking path along the Black River, just a quick walk from downtown Springfield. If adventurous, you could hike and explore the 1,000+ acres surrounding North Springfield Lake.

A short drive away in Charlestown, NH, The Fort at No. 4 offers a Living History Museum inside a reconstructed 1740 settlement. They have authentic hearth cooking demonstrations, military drills, and promise an ‘authentic’ peek into 18^th century life.

For those willing to drive north, tours are available at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, Ben & Jerry's Factory, and the Cabot Cheese Visitor's Center.

Adults can hit up Harpoon Brewery or the Longtrail Brewery. Both feature tours, tastings, and tasty pubs.

Colors!

2008-12-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

For the curious,

(Photo credit: Snippet & Ink, a fabulous wedding inspiration and DIY blog!)

We are having a white and gold wedding.
Perhaps hints of pool blue.

The goal: a classic and clean aesthetic with loads of whimsy.
And comics.

Our Ceremony Site!

2008-12-03T17:21:00.000-08:00

We’ve chosen the First Unitarian Church of Chester, the historic "Old Stone Church," for our wedding ceremony.

The 1845 building is located in Chester's notable "Old Stone Village," and on the National Register of Historic Places.

From the official Chester Town website:
"Chester is a quaint New England town with a population of 3,044...Chester offers opportunities for bicyclists, boating enthusiasts, great restaurants, comfortable B& Bs, interesting shops, including many antique stores, lovely art galleries, and a tranquil atmosphere for those who are looking for a quiet respite."

The delightful Rev. Telos Whitfield is the Minister of this warm Unitarian Universalist congregation, and she will be officiating our ceremony. She will be meeting with us four times before the wedding to craft our ceremony.

Chris and I were embraced by the small parish, and we've been making the trip to Chester most weekends to attend service. They are a kind, expressive congregation and I thoroughly enjoy their company.

In addition, the church is quite lovely! Carefully crafted stained glass windows line the walls of the sanctuary. A small wooden spiral staircase descends into the cozy parish hall. And, it already feels like home. I feel blessed that we can have our ceremony in a place we enjoy so much.

Our Reception Site!

2008-09-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

We’ve chosen the Hartness House Inn, a restored 1904 country mansion in Springfield, VT, for our wedding reception. We will be married on September 27^th, 2009.

Springfield, Vermont may be known best for two things: The Simpson’s Movie world premiere, and that the town was #7 on Hitler’s list of “Cities to Bomb” due to the contribution of the Precision Valley to the Allied efforts during WWII.

We had several criteria as we searched for reception sites:

1) A meaningful location in Vermont, preferably in the Upper Valley Vermont area.
2) Affordable vegetarian-friendly cuisine
3) Quirky aesthetic, whimsical decor

The Hartness House is located less than a mile from Christopher's childhood home. (check!)

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Hartness House is the 35 acre estate of former Vermont governor and inventor James Hartness. Converted to a Bed and Breakfast, the Hartness House also is the site of the first Equatorial Turret (Tracking) Telescope. Gov. Hartness was an amateur astronomer, and constructed an elaborate astronomy observatory on his property.

From the Hartness House website (italics are my own):

“This country inn is unique in that it features its own museum, astronomy observatory and antique telescope with a unique equatorial drive system. More unusual is the secret tunnel system built by Hartness to access the observatory, museum and his secret workshop.

Guests of the Hartness House Inn have an opportunity to tour the secret tunnel, view the private workshop of Mr. Hartness, and see the observatory and telescope.”

How neat is that? There are over 400 feet of underground tunnel, including a secondary secret exit onto Common Street.

An underground tunnel AND a ballroom! (check!)

We’re planning an intimate reception to be held in the Governor’s Ballroom. The room features quirky Art Nouveau chandeliers, warm wood tones, and many bright windows. We’re anticipating oodles of merriment, dancing, and (mostly) vegetarian cuisine.

We sampled their tasty, tasty food during our overnight stay. They had numerous vegetarian offerings, and their garlic gnocchi were scrumptious! Christopher even called them "tasty," and he is SO picky.

Our Cocktail Hour will be held in the Parlor. The room is handsomely appointed with Victorian furniture, and photos from the glory days of the “Precision Valley” evoke an historic atmosphere. An enormous bay window frames the space.

The Ring!

2008-05-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

The gem is a fire opal. It belonged to his Yia Yia (his Greek Grandma) and the ring was given to her when she was nine years old by her Godmother. The gem is well over 100 years old.

Opal is from the Sanskrit "upala" meaning "precious stone."

"Fire opals are unique in the lush world of the opals. They were already admired as symbols of the most fervent love in ancient times, in India and in the ancient Persian kingdom, and among the peoples of Central America and the Amerindians. It was believed that a gem that bubbled over with vivacity to such an extent as the fire opal could only have been created in the waters of paradise." --from gemstone.org

Fire opal is more of a hard gel than a gem, and it is a low-temperature mineral and thus very brittle. You actually store fire opals in water. As opals age, they can become cloudy and cracked due to a loss of moisture. This fire opal is encased in glass, a common practice similar to doubleting. The glass supports the fragile opal.

The only way to tell if the gem was done well is to see if the gem lasts. That's it. No other test. Since this gem is still beautiful and clear-- I can assume it was done very well.

Fire opals were all the rage for Victorian love tokens. Most of the opal rings were really small slivers of opal, and my stone is fairly large. For the time it was created, it was worth a pretty penny then. It's worth a lot now, but it means so very much to me because it is a heirloom.

The setting of the ring is new, and a contemporary take on Art Deco. It showcases the opal beautifully, and suits my personality. I love that it is a quirky ring. The colors in the gem change depending on the lighting, and maybe even my mood! It contains pink, blue, green, purple, gold, and orange.

The gem was set at Von Bargen's Fine Diamonds and Jewelry, a three time winner of Harper's Bazaar "Best place to shop for jewelry in America."

Christopher obviously had some fun in Photoshop with the photos below.
Bling is shiny! Ka'pow!

Green Lantern ain't got nothin' on me.

We're Engaged!

2008-05-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

We became engaged on May 17th, 2008.
That Saturday was a particularly busy day for both of us.

In the morning, Christopher graduated from the Center for Cartoon Studies (White River Junction, VT) earning a Master of Fine Arts degree.

The same morning, I finally graduated from Green Mountain College (Poultney, VT) earning a Bachelor of Arts in English, with grades 7-12 Teacher Certification. Christopher's sister Kimberly--my close friend and roommate--also graduated that morning from GMC.

After commencement, my father, mother, step-father and I drove across the state of Vermont to attend Christopher and Kimberly's graduation party. The party was held at their mother's residence in Springfield, VT. When we arrived, I was happily exhausted. On the porch his step-father, Don, was BBQing up some mean ribs.

***

I thought he asked, "Are you mad at me?"

Christopher was whispering and, well as many of you already know, Chris hardly ever whispers.

I was distracted by all of the people on his Mother's porch, and exhausted from my graduation and the two hour trip to Springfield, Vermont.

Chris and I were standing on the steps of the porch, able to watch the awkward mingling of our parents without having to participate.

I thought he asked, "Are you mad at me?" and I replied, 'What?"

I'm such a romantic.

Christopher asked again, this time with better enunciation, and I saw the box and his cheeky grin and nearly fell off the porch. I obviously said "yes."

In less than four hours, I received both my diploma and an engagement ring!