hotel

We have reserved a block of rooms at the Castleton Comfort Inn & Suites for Saturday 10/10 and Sunday 10/11 (Sunday is the big day).

A shuttle van will transport anyone interested from the hotel to the reception site and back on the day of the wedding.

The wedding ceremony will take place at 2:00 in downtown Albany, and the reception will follow afterwards, with time to make a stop at the hotel if you would like. The reception site, Le Jardin, located at 1110 Route 9J, River Road in Schodack Landing, NY, is about 10 minutes from the ceremony site, the First Presbyterian Church of Albany at the corner of State and Willett Streets in downtown Albany.

Susan

registry

We now officially have registries at Williams-Sonoma and at Bed Bath & Beyond. They are not complete yet, but some people have expressed an interest in them, so there they are. Hopefully soon we will get a chance to look at place settings and linens in person and we can round it out a bit.

Thank you very much in advance to anyone who gets us anything.

Rob

update!

The wedding dress is in - I hope to pick it up today!

Senta's planning a shower for July.  :)

no wedding party (posted by Susan)

There are many wedding traditions that I do not enjoy, appreciate, or think are tasteful.  One of these is the garter toss.  Another is the dollar dance.  One tradition that is often overlooked as an optional item is the wedding party.  I'm opting out because I feel that everyone in attendance should feel equally important, that it's a waste of worry and money to have people dress in uniform for this event, and that the people who help plan, as well as the people who participate in readings, etc., do these things because they want to and care about the couple, not because they feel obligated due to their assigned role.

I want everyone who is at the wedding to feel that they are important to us.  This is why we are having a smaller wedding and inviting all would-be wedding party members.  Rather than setting a small group of people apart and labeling them as "the best friends" in front of the others who didn't make the cut, I prefer to avoid the separation and impress upon all those present their vital role in supporting us during the wedding day and throughout the marriage.  Ideally, I prefer a wedding ceremony that allows for participation among the guests in order to reinforce that role - joining in song, responsive readings or prayers, and so on.  

I've witnessed a few weddings where having a wedding party has created undue pressure, worry, or stress.  I believe that avoiding it altogether is best.  If anyone wants to wear a similar color or outfit, then go for it.  We're going to decorate in fall colors, so if you want to wear something red, maroon, orange, yellow, or the like, feel free.  You can post a comment to this post to organize it if you want.

Rob & I are indebited to many friends and family members already for their help and offers to help as the date draws near.  We appreciate your efforts very much!  And if you offered but we haven't called on you, we will.  :)  I don't want to force you to wear funny clothes and separate from your date at the wedding in exchange for your help.  I will thank you, toast you, and express my gratitude to you in a heartfelt way.

As we are making decisions for the wedding day, I'm trying to be mindful of the role of tradition.  There are many beautiful wedding traditions.  Some are old and established for a reason and some are new, thoughtful, and fun.  The wedding party is out, but I hope that the importance it is intended to bestow is extended to everyone present.

Thank you for reading and understanding. 

booked!

We have officially booked Birch Hill catering for the reception. :)  

We are also ready to commit to John Seakwood as our photographer.  Check out his site.

catering

Susan here, writing from Biddeford, ME, where Rob & I are visiting Senta, Steve & Rosie.  

Our next big step is to pick out a caterer, and we have set up an appointment with a company that is local to the reception site:  Birch Hill.  We'll be going there in early March for a tasting and to ask lots of questions.

We're also thinking of going with a DJ instead of a band and are weighing the pros and cons of each.  We'd like to do some kind of 'open mic' time combined with the traditional cocktail hour, when everyone is milling around at the reception site waiting for things to get started.  This is an idea I got from Cara & Andrew's wedding, and it was really great.  With so many talented friends & family members, we'd love to give everyone an opportunity to play/sing/read/share.

Meanwhile, Save-The-Date cards have been sent out, and I hope to go for a trip to NYC in the near future to look at some dresses with Rachelle, Cara, Cat, and Senta, if she can make it.

Thanks to everyone for their support as we are making these important plans!

Trip to the Reception location

We visited the location of the reception this weekend to go over some details and take another look at the grounds.  It was very informative and we both felt like things were really starting to happen.

You can see the layout of the grounds here, and some pictures below.

Susan enjoys a walk  on the trails around the house.

The view of the Berkshire Spur of the NYS Thurway, railroad tracks and power lines crossing the Hudson River.  This is where one of the trails leads.

This is where the tent will be setup.

Claudette, one of the owners.

Another angle of the house.