whatcha working on?

[sillyberry]

So fellow brides, what part of wedding planning is currently taking up your brain space? Anything we can help with? Big or small?

 

[sillyberry]

For me, I'm focused on our rehearsal dinner.

(What? The Groom's family is supposed to take care of this so the bride doesn't have to? Really? Who knew! )

Anyway...our hotel is in downtown Chicago, so I'm finding that hosting anything nearby is like having a second wedding. Which we really really don't want. Given that, the thought is that we'll have a BBQ somewhere with a softball game as well as bags (otherwise known as cornhole from other parts of the midwest). I'm from Texas, so doing my hometown food would make me happy. The wedding caterer said they could do drop-off delivery of BBQ, although I still need to get a quote.

Two questions:

First, the field I'm hoping to get is .6 miles walking. Does that seem reasonable that people could get themselves there (or take a quick cab if they can't handle that distance)?

Second, the only kids we are inviting to the wedding are my six nieces and nephews (all over the age of 5). Otherwise, no kids. A bunch of his friends do have little ones, mostly babies and toddlers, and most of them live in town (or if they are traveling for the wedding, their families are in town) so setting up babysitting isn't likely a problem. Would it be appropriate to tell everyone that kids are invited to the welcome dinner if they aren't invited to the wedding itself? I figure it is easier to get a babysitter for one night instead of two, and since the alternative is no kids at either, this was better. But perhaps I'm thinking about this wrongly?

 

[Rae~]

I've just started looking seriously for a photographer since my first AND second choices are already booked....

And I need to work out some options for invitations so I can discuss them with FI. We aren't planning to send them out until about March (and aren't doing Save The Date cards) but I just *know* Xmas is going to take a huge chunk out of my planning/research time.

Oh, and we said we'd start this weekend looking for a post-wedding breakfast/brunch location, given we may have some out-of-town rellies attending and it's a good chance for everyone to get together.

Otherwise? Ummm... ongoing avoidance of wedding dress shopping and bridesmaid dress shopping.

 

[Rae~]

Oh how rude, I didn't answer your questions. Sorry!!

For #1 - 0.6 miles is just under a kilometre, which seems quite a long distance to walk in heels. Will cabs be hard to find? Is this the walk from a parking area to a venue? (ie if they don't get a cab, and drive themselves, will they have the walk anyway?) Sorry, not quite visualising this one properly, I fear.

#2 - How long before the wedding will the rehearsal dinner be - the night before? Actually, my answer doesn't really change according to the answer, but I was still curious. I agree that is might be easier to only arrange babysitter/s for one night rather than two, but I also think whether the toddlers should be "invited" or not depends more on the venue. Is is even semi-kid-friendly?

 

[Guilty Pleasure]

I think people should be fine to arrange their own transportation to the softball field, either by their own cars, their two feet (I'm assuming they're dressed in softball playing attire), or by cab. I also think that it sounds like a very family friendly event, and children would be a nice addition even if they are not invited to the wedding. I'm sure their parents would appreciate it because realistically, only one member of the couple would probably come and the other would stay home with an uninvited child since they'll be paying for a sitter the next evening. I might recommend that if possible, only the participating members come to the rehearsal portion with spouses and children joining for the game and BBQ afterward.

What a fun idea! I think everyone will have a blast!

 

[vc10um]

I think people should be fine to arrange their own transportation to the softball field, either by their own cars, their two feet (I'm assuming they're dressed in softball playing attire), or by cab. I also think that it sounds like a very family friendly event, and children would be a nice addition even if they are not invited to the wedding. I'm sure their parents would appreciate it because realistically, only one member of the couple would probably come and the other would stay home with an uninvited child since they'll be paying for a sitter the next evening. I might recommend that if possible, only the participating members come to the rehearsal portion with spouses and children joining for the game and BBQ afterward.

What a fun idea! I think everyone will have a blast!

BBQ softball rehearsal dinner!??! Can I come, SB???

I 100% agree with GP on this one. It's family friendly, I'm sure the kids will love the opportunity to run around, and the parents will appreciate not having to get a second sitter or split up to have one stay at home. And 0.6 miles isn't too far to walk in casual attire...that's less than 15 minutes, even walking at a snail's pace and getting stuck at all the crosswalks.

Knowing where your wedding is...any chance said softball fields are over by UIC's campus?

ETA: I'm *also* working on our rehearsal dinner right now. Oh, and trying to get FI to book our honeymoon.

 

[sillyberry]

Rae, bummer about your top photographers being booked. Someone I loved got booked the night before I was set to meet with her and I was so sad! But it worked out perfectly in the end and I'm sure you will find someone awesome who fits your vision!

I'm glad you ladies think my plans for the RD will work! If I can pull it all together, I think it'll be a lot of fun. Now I have to navigate the Chicago bureaucracy... The field is actually at Lake Shore Park, just north of Chicago Ave on LSD. The next closest fields are down in Grant Park at Balbo, but that's twice the walk. So fingers crossed!

vc, what is your rehearsal dinner looking like? And where do you want to honeymoon?

(btw - did I tell you how much I LOVED KC bbq? The lamb ribs at Jack Stack's were some of the best food I have ever eaten. And Sheridan's! Oh my! If I already mentioned all this, ignore my leaky memory!)

I think we're going to do a mini-moon right after the wedding (which he has to plan all by himself without ANY help from me!) and then a longer trip to Asia late-summer/early fall (depending on when I start work). That one I'll be involved with planning, since I'm ordinarily the trip planner extraordinaire, but I wanted him to do SOMETHING for this darn wedding!

 

[vc10um]

I'm glad you ladies think my plans for the RD will work! If I can pull it all together, I think it'll be a lot of fun. Now I have to navigate the Chicago bureaucracy... The field is actually at Lake Shore Park, just north of Chicago Ave on LSD. The next closest fields are down in Grant Park at Balbo, but that's twice the walk. So fingers crossed!

vc, what is your rehearsal dinner looking like? And where do you want to honeymoon?

(btw - did I tell you how much I LOVED KC bbq? The lamb ribs at Jack Stack's were some of the best food I have ever eaten. And Sheridan's! Oh my! If I already mentioned all this, ignore my leaky memory!)

I know exactly where those are! It seriously sounds like so much fun!

For our RD I'm trying to get the Chianti Room at Brio in Country Club Plaza. It's right down the street from our venue, has amazing food, and the room just looks so swanky!

Our reception is actually at Jack Stack's private dining room south of KC proper, and the lamb ribs will probably be on our buffet. Along with beef burnt ends, sliced beef brisket, smoked chicken, baked beans, cheesy corn bake, 2 other sides TBD, and the Fried Mushroom Caps off their appetizer menu. I WILL be eating at my wedding, thankyouverymuch.

 

[nicoleben]

I am still making my save the dates but I have a while to finish them, I will not be sending them out until the end of January, but they are all homemade by me so it will take some time.. I also sometimes make the flowers for my reception throughout the weeks, but they do not need to be done til the actual wedding which is in october, so not too overwhelmed right now

 

[Rae~]

sillyberry, the other posts after mine clarified a few things I didn't understand (or obviously skipped over when reading your OP) so apologies if my response seemed to be off on a tangent, because I had the completely wrong scenario in my head! That's what happens when I post when tired, sorry!!

The RD-come-softball-BBQ sounds like a fab idea and I think everyone will have a ball (boom-tish!). Best of luck!

 

[Amys Bling]

I think .6 may be too far to walk, does the hotel provide shuttles?

I am working on arranding the rehearsal dinner- finding places, etc....

and writing the ceremony! I have so much time, but I feel the ceremony piece gnawing at me while I am trying to relax at night!

 

[sillyberry]

Ha, no worries Rae! I often post when tired (or, um, drunk) and then the next day go "huh?" I love your pun!

No shuttles from the hotel. We already plan to provide transportation for the wedding, since the location is out of the way with no nearby hotels, so our budget won't allow us to do both. I think most people are pretty hale and hearty for the walk in shorts and tennies, and cabs should be super cheap and plentiful if someone didn't want to or couldn't walk, so I think I'm just going to have to go with it (provided the city of Chicago wants to cooperate, of course!). Thanks for the input everyone!

Amy, the ceremony! Agh! I'm totally putting that off for awhile. What are you using to craft it?

 

[Amys Bling]

Ha, no worries Rae! I often post when tired (or, um, drunk) and then the next day go "huh?" I love your pun!

No shuttles from the hotel. We already plan to provide transportation for the wedding, since the location is out of the way with no nearby hotels, so our budget won't allow us to do both. I think most people are pretty hale and hearty for the walk in shorts and tennies, and cabs should be super cheap and plentiful if someone didn't want to or couldn't walk, so I think I'm just going to have to go with it (provided the city of Chicago wants to cooperate, of course!). Thanks for the input everyone!

Amy, the ceremony! Agh! I'm totally putting that off for awhile. What are you using to craft it?

I found two books- One I found 2 readings I absolutely adore, the other has great wording for the various parts of the ceremony- (the one reading I love talks about facing each other and holding each other's hands- as these are the hands that will comfort you when upset... stroke you when sick...etc... I find it moving!

http://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Cerem...3438/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1291687326&sr=8-3

i have to search for a link to the other book...

 

[Amys Bling]

here is the other book I am using for readings...

http://www.amazon.com/Your-Wedding-...3745/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1291688416&sr=8-8

 

[vc10um]

Ha, no worries Rae! I often post when tired (or, um, drunk) and then the next day go "huh?" I love your pun!

No shuttles from the hotel. We already plan to provide transportation for the wedding, since the location is out of the way with no nearby hotels, so our budget won't allow us to do both. I think most people are pretty hale and hearty for the walk in shorts and tennies, and cabs should be super cheap and plentiful if someone didn't want to or couldn't walk, so I think I'm just going to have to go with it (provided the city of Chicago wants to cooperate, of course!). Thanks for the input everyone!

Amy, the ceremony! Agh! I'm totally putting that off for awhile. What are you using to craft it?

I found two books- One I found 2 readings I absolutely adore, the other has great wording for the various parts of the ceremony- (the one reading I love talks about facing each other and holding each other's hands- as these are the hands that will comfort you when upset... stroke you when sick...etc... I find it moving!

http://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Cerem...3438/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1291687326&sr=8-3

i have to search for a link to the other book...

AmysBling, I'm using that book as well! So many wonderful and meaningful passages to cut/paste/use as they are! There are so so many segments that speak to me in that book, it's going to take awhile to sift through it all and make a cohesive ceremony (and not an hour long!)...but I know FI and I can do it!

 

[sillyberry]

I've read the first (it is actually late being returned to the library...oops!) but not the second. Would you recommend it?

And I agree about the hands passage - it is really touching (no pun intended!).

 

[Amys Bling]

I've read the first (it is actually late being returned to the library...oops!) but not the second. Would you recommend it?

And I agree about the hands passage - it is really touching (no pun intended!).

I really like the second book because I loved so many of the readings in it- the first book is pretty much helping me put together the whole ceremony.