Domain Name!

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.

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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!

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


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


(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


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)


(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.

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.


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.