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Another round of snapshots is available from Steve's Uncle Frank, (a.k.a. Uncle Teddy) the famous singer of "My Way" on the Wine Tour!
These are the best shots we've seen so far of all the action on the dance floor! And no, I am not yelling at my new husband in the very intense photos, I think I am singing to him. Scary.
Thanks Eileen for forwarding! We'll be posting our own birds-eye view of the week onto a photo-sharing site any day now. Really, we promise! Stay tuned ...
Well, don't look at us ~ you guys have all the pictures!! ;-)
Seriously, we know everyone is anxious to see snapshots from the wedding, and of course we are all holding our breath for the day we get to see the photos from Frank DiMeo and Shai Eynav. However, I think we are all in agreement that those shots will be well worth the wait!
Until then, here are all the links we have to everyone else's photos to tide us over 'til the pros release their prize shots. Actually there are quite a few prize shots in here! We know that a lot of you have already shared these with one another (and that is just so darn cool of you!) but you might not have seen them all...
Thanks again to everyone for sharing. Please feel free to forward these links, or post a comment here with a link to your own photos if you haven't already!
From Atlas, our fabulous band (seriously, how much did those guys ROCK?!) We must have rocked their world a little bit too, cuz they posted these pictures for the whole world to see!
From Suzy, amazing bridesmaid (and awesome dancer and photographer, as evidenced here.) Don't ask about the final shot ...
From Eileen and Sean, Steve's cousins (Eileen and her sister Chrissy - next link - were clearly side-by-side when they shot most of these ... these are like twin image slideshows from slightly different perspectives, but worth every separate click).
From Chrissy and Ed, more of Steve's cousins
And these shots below are from our friend Stephanie, our favorite photographer-and-copywriter-creative-type, who took over our camera on Wedding Day so we could have some of our own pictures to take with us to Mexico!
We are back from Mexico (more on this later, although I'm not promising much in the way of details ;-)
I have about 5 blog entries competing for attention in my mind, so I will take the easy way out this evening, and publish one that was half-written before we left for Puerto Vallarta. I was narrating our wedding week, and I left off talking about Wednesday afternoon, when we had our final planning meeting at the winery.
Mom and DougH were graciously delivering our welcome bags (don't let them fool you, they were enjoying every moment together while they celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary!) Steve and I were on our own that afternoon, so we wine-toured by ourselves. We bought a case of wine at Heron Hill, and then went to Dr. Frank's Vinifera Cellars (or something like that). Dr. Frank's is very well-known in the region, and they didn't disappoint. We had perhaps one of the best-educated tasting guides we've ever had, who regaled us with the wines' histories and mysteries. Then we went to Hunt Country, because, believe it or not, the most over-researched and over-planned wedding couple in the history of the world had in fact never set foot at the winery where we were planning to bring 50 friends and guests in just two days' time. Again, we were not disappointed. We knew Hunt Country would be an amazing stop for our group.
That evening, we had the first of many family dinners as we enjoyed an evening with with our immediate families and wedding party at Hammondsport's Village Tavern. That was when things started to get really exciting for me because both families were there, and our group was growing in size, and it was starting to get rather real!
Thursday we went to heaven and back, to borrow Stephanie's words. Mirbeau was even more fantastic than I remembered it. Maybe because this time I arrived in a limousine with my best friends, ate lunch in my bathrobe, and soaked up every honey, oil, and champagne-drenched moment. Or maybe because the ride itself was so memorable, with a wine tasting stop on the way and our best Aretha Franklin duets on the way home, which were nothing compared to my apparently accurate imitation of the "hip, hop, hippity hop" song by the little old lady in the Wedding Singer. My fantastic bridesmaids brought a custom soundtrack for the ride, a selection of hot fall nail polish colors, some really fun games, and to top it off, they gave me some sexy little outfits for Mexico.
Friday was nerve-wracking rehearsal in the morning (just look at the concerned - and then happy - faces!), followed by a fantastic showing at the SAMJAM (Steve-and-Marti-Just-About-Married) Wine Tour. Special thanks go to Sally and Josh Witkowski for the hilarious "He Said, She Said" game and to Uncle Frank for the "My Way" solo on the return trip. I looked out the window as we passed Heron Hill, while listening to 50 of our closest friends and family sing "I did it my way" and I felt like Steve and I were being blessed by everyone for all our decisions on doing this wedding our way. I'm going to cry again just thinking about it.
Friday night's rehearsal dinner at Snug Harbor was a wonderful, emotional, delicious affair, thanks to Steve's parents. We enjoyed a little laughter and a lot of tears along with some amazing food. Steve gave me a framed copy of our wedding invitation, and it turned out that Barce, the invitations' famed designer, was enjoying dinner downstairs! I was able to show him the framed version and enjoy his response in person, which was an additional treat.
Rachel spent the night with me Friday night, and we enjoyed some girl time and chatter and laughter before falling asleep. She even woke with me around 3 a.m. to talk some more, and I am grateful for her listening and her soothing words. She is well on her way to being a great mother.
And as for Saturday, well, please stay tuned for THAT entry ... I will get around to writing that day eventually.
It's Monday morning, and we're back in Ohio for 1 day before leaving on our Mexican honeymoon. I'm at the computer, wondering how I will ever write a blog post that captures last week. My new husband (HUSBAND!!!) is in the next room, whistling "Getting Sentimental Over You" while he fixes our dryer vent. I've heard stories of newlyweds having a steamy return home, but not in the laundry room!
There are about a thousand different adjectives I could use to describe last week, each more lavish than the last, and yet I don't think they could do justice to what I really mean. So instead I will try to write what I remember and to share the moments that meant the most to me.
If anything should flow more generously than wine, it is laughter.
I've told you the story of the Adirondack Chairs. See for yourself how beautiful they are. That was the first moment last week that I could really feel Grandpa with us, and it wouldn't be the last.
On Tuesday night, we had dinner with my parents in Hammondsport. All 4 of them. The Pumpkin Festival was nothing in comparison to the Potato Pun Festival we had at the dinner table that night. I knew that something special was happening when my writer fiance was stumped by my mom's comment that all our potato puns were au gratin. (My apologies if that's not exactly how it went, but we were laughing so hard, it's difficult to remember.)
After dinner we treated the citizens of Hammondsport to a preview of our Father/Daughter dance. The gazebo in the Village Square was a perfect rehearsal dance floor where we could practice laughing at ourselves in preparation for the real thing!
After dancing, my 4 parents went to party without us, and we had time for a little champagne on the deck of the Champagne House by the romantic light of some candles and our very own Trick-or-Treat flashlight (thanks, Mom!) ;-)
Wednesday was a work day. The Bridezilla Factory was back in full production as we assembled welcome bags on the dining room table of Hammondsport's Blushing Rose B&B. Then the drivers (including Dick Ellenburger, the B&B's proprietor and host extraordinaire) left on their delivery routes while we delivered decorations and details to the winery.
Steve and I finished our official business at Heron Hill and suddenly the whole wedding shifted from my shoulders into Doni McCann's capable hands. I was so relieved and relaxed after that meeting that when the waitress walked away from our lunch table after sharing the specials, Steve asked me what kind of soup she had mentioned and I just looked at him and said, "Soup? She mentioned soup?" We sat outside and drank in the wine and the scenery and feasted on clouds and photos for dessert.
We woke up this morning and I found myself squealing, "It's leave-for-the-wedding day!" Honestly it felt like Christmas morning.
Steve and I walked to the plaza near our house for a last-minute trip to Staples. Then we allowed ourselves about 45 minutes sipping coffee outside at a nearby coffee shop before walking back home. Again the temperatures defied the calendar - we were sweating in 87-degree air.
The day flew by. We did the last round of everything. And then we did the final things. And then we finished the last-minute things. And then we STILL had things to do! I have re-written my list 3 times in 2 weeks onto clean sheets of paper (mostly because I kept adding things faster than I was crossing them off).
We packed. And we packed. And we joked that we are practically moving to NY. And still we packed. And then we started the checking of the packing. I walked back into my closet twice and added clothes to Steve's suitcase, which still had room. I checked my list, checked the bathroom, checked the closet, checked my jewelry box, and checked my list.
Throughout the day, my groom was patiently and persistently stopping every 5 minutes to burn and print another CD favor. He has been painstaking about the entire process and I love and admire him for it.
We left at 6 p.m. and made one more last-minute stop at a mall north of Columbus. We found out our errand would require us waiting an hour on our merchandise, so we enjoyed a relaxing dinner and a little window shopping before we got on the road for my mom's.
Arriving here at 9:30, it started to feel like this Wedding Week is officially underway. And we weren't here 10 minutes before we got a wonderful, beautiful wedding gift surprise from Mom and DougH! We walked into their gazebo to find a huge pile, covered with a blanket, with our recent nicknames for each other (Gride and Broom) on it.
What was under the blanket? Indulge me for a moment while I tell you the back story.
My grandfather, a finish carpenter and gifted tradesman, had somewhat specialized in his lifetime at building Adirondack chairs (or, as we like to call them, Out-Around-Back chairs). When he died, our family had 6 - my mom has 2, my uncle has 2 and my little sister gave a good home to the remaining set from Grandpa's garage.
When Mom was cleaning out Grandpa's paperwork, she found a Bill of Materials for Grandpa's Adirondack chairs, so she had a set of chairs specially made for Steve and me by her cousin, Keith, a skilled carpenter in his own right. They are redwood, and boy are they handsome!
Mom said it was like that paperwork was planted for her to find. And when we sat in the chairs, it really felt like we were getting a hug and some wedding congratulations straight from Grandpa himself. I can't think of a more fitting or meaningful gift from our family.
I woke up this morning, at 7 a.m., and I thought, "I am getting married this week."
What an unbelievable feeling. I have spent 13 months dreaming of this week, and I cannot comprehend that it's actually here. We leave tomorrow for my mom's house, then Tuesday we leave with Mom and DougH for NY. My dad is leaving Indiana tomorrow, too, to make his way to NY by Wednesday.
That's an incredible thought, isn't it? Starting tomorrow, people all over the country are heading for our wedding.
Steve and I have had a great weekend finalizing millions of details and starting to pack. I have stopped several times today to just bask in these final days of prep and planning, to really savor the fact that we are here. I know the week will gain speed until the weekend is just a blur, so I am trying to take little pauses here and there so I can remember this feeling.
We are in really good shape - we have ironed out so many tiny things in the last 48 hours and put so many of our finishing touches into play. It's been really great. And we've mixed in a little fun, too, so the weekend felt much like any other weekend in the past year.
I baked pumpkin bread this morning. This is one of my fall rituals, and it was a very calming experience to know that my annual ritual is in place. I also walked back and forth to the grocery store (in 80-degree temperatures!) and it was awesome to be outside breathing fresh air and just really living this day. It doesn't yet feel like fall here, but the weather is supposed to turn this week. Hammondsport is due for several days of moody, cloudy fall skies and I am so excited - the clouds above the Finger Lakes are usually spectacular things, brooding and shifting and hiding. I can't wait to see the pictures!
As some of you know, the weekend of our wedding is the Hammondsport Grape Pumpkin Festival. That means that Friday the Village Square will be very congested with vendors setting up their booths and tents.
So, we have decided that the wine tour on Friday, October 12, will depart from the Vinehurst Inn rather than the Village Square.
The address of the Vinehurst is 7988 State Route 54, Hammondsport, New York. There's plenty of parking there. The Vinehurst is about a mile south of Hammondsport, across the street from the Pleasant Valley Inn.
The bus will be there at 12:00 noon. We are hoping to leave by 12:30 p.m.
On Saturday, the wedding shuttle will still make 2 stops each at the Vinehurst and the Village Square - we ask for your patience as the bus driver maneuvers through the festival around the square!
Our wedding is 8 days away. And so will end this amazing year of being a bride. Now, don't get me wrong, I am very excited to start being a wife. But I must admit there's been something very special about being a bride.
Back in February, I drafted a blog post that I never published. Here's what I wrote:
I work for one of the smartest women in business, Kelly Mooney. She's our president, our Chief Experience Officer, and also a really cool person and friend. Kelly has 7 sisters. Her family is the size of most focus groups!
A couple weeks ago, Kelly shared with me the opinion of one of her single sisters about engaged women. Here's the theory:
The engaged woman, the bride, has the highest ranking social status in our society. Everyone woos her for attention, dollars, admiration and advice. After she's married, everyone pays her less attention.
Kelly told me to see if I agreed with this theory as I moved through my engagement year. Well, now that I find it drawing to a close, I think I must agree with Kelly's sister. I have just enjoyed more than 12 months of being the center of attention and topic of conversation at many social gatherings and office whisperings. People walk by my desk and say, "How many days?" I've heard the word "Congratulations" at least 500 times. My appearance, my diet, my workouts, my clothing choices, my makeup purchases have been the topic of hours of obsessing and through it all, everyone says, "It's okay, you're the bride." Or, "Enjoy it, you're the bride." Or, "You deserve it, you're the bride."
Behavior has been excused on my bridal behalf: Distracted at work? Grumpy at home? Needy? Weepy? Over-excited? All is blessed away with, "You're the bride."
It's an amazingly special, protected feeling. Especially for a girl who thought, 13 months ago, that she wanted nothing to do with the fairy tale of the princess-y "bride."
I will miss this incredible glowing feeling of being surrounded by such a special force field. I will, of course, find a way to continue my blogging and my writing, and I will settle into my role as a wife. Life will slow down quite a bit, and while I will enjoy taking a break and a deep breath, I will always think of this year with amazing fondness and nostalgia.
Thank you, to all you readers and family and friends, for making this such a special year for me.
October 12-13 is important to us, but it's also a big, big weekend in Hammondsport. It's Homecoming weekend, and the Hammondsport Grape Pumpkin Festival is taking place the day of our wedding! The good news is, that will be really fun and will guarantee some great photos and fun for our guests. You can get your face painted, stomp some grapes, even take a hay ride!
The bad news is, the proverbial "Village Square," where we've given instructions to meet for the wine tour and the wedding shuttle, will be crawling with people and vendors and tents and chaos. We are trying hard to work out an alternate pick-up location with the Village offices and the (one-man) Police Dept.
Please stay tuned to this blog, and our web site, for udpated information. We'll post it as soon as we know it. You may have to spread the word to other family and friends to make sure no one gets left behind.
We wouldn't want anyone to miss the wedding fesitivities. But, if you show up at our ceremony with a pumpkin in your hand or your face painted, we'll know you're having a great weekend really enjoying Hammondsport!
