Home Stretch

25 days to go! We have everything booked, and ready to go. All we have now is to get the last of the RSVP's back and order name cards and meals. We have a ton of stuff going on in the next 25 days so they are going to fly by.

I went for my final dress fitting 9/25, good news, it fits :) I left it with them to press it, then I pick it up on 10/16.

Let's see, what else is going on? Tim and I are getting all of the small details in order. We still need to find out who is staying where and when. Its pretty much coming together.

Are we there yet?

Wow, almost month left. I am getting really excited. I can't wait to be married to Tim. We have picked the photographer and reception music provider, so we are starting to get into the final strech. All of the bg items are done, and what a relief.

We went shopping this weekend and got the pillow and basket, and a few other small items. We have been getting the RSVP's back too. We love checking the mail these daysand finding out who's coming. We have a pretty busy shedule with wedding stuff, races, and work so we are going to be more than ready to kick back and have a good time on the 23rd.

I don't have much to report, just nailing down the final details. I should have more to post later this weekend.

Peace out!

Dance Dance Dance

Tim and I started our dance lessons yesterday. It was actually a lot of fun. I learned that I can not talk or lauch with out messing up though :( Tim has a lot more rythm than I do. The class was an hour long, and at about 50 minutes in, I think we statred to get it. They teach the same dance all month, so by the wedding we should have mastered the Fox Trot and the Tango. We are also thinking of taking a private lesson or 2 to dance to our wedding song.

Also, for anyone interested, there is a link on the right to learn the Napolean Dynomite dance. Tim is going to be out of town for a long weekend early October. I am planning on spending much of that weekend mastering these steps :)

By the time of the wedding, I should be a dancing machine!

Dining and Evening Activities in LA

Los Angeles is host to MANY wonderful restaurants. Tim and I try to eat at different ones as often as possible so that we can truly experience LA dining. Some have been fantastic, some not so much. Anyway, here are a few recommendations of ones that we like, some that we frequent, as well as some fun night life activities that we have enjoyed.

Let's start with family friendly and/or affordable restaurants.

Pink’s Hot Dog- Pink’s is a famous LA spot located on the outskirts of Hollywood. If you can put it on a hotdog, Pink’s offers it. The hotdog’s all have fun celebrity names too. There is usually a line, but don’t worry it moves fast. If you’re crazing hotdogs, this is the place to go.
Carney’s- Carney’s also sells hotdogs, as well as burgers, fries, frozen chocolate covered banana’s and so much more. Carney’s does have a twist. Everything, except the ice cream, comes with chili on top. Carney’s is located in the middle of Sunset Blvd. If you plan on hitting Carney’s, be sure to bring along the Rolaids.
Hamburger Hamlet- Hamburger Hamlet is a chain all around the LA area. Just like their name implies they have great hamburgers. They also have salads, chicken, and a pretty good selection of healthy and non on the menu. Hamburger Hamlet is a family restaurant, and very affordable.
Mariasol- Mariasol is located at the very end of Santa Monica pier. With such a great location, and in my opinion the best Mexican food around, you would expect this place to be packed. However, we have gone on many different day’s of the week, and have never had any trouble getting a table right away. Good Mexican food, kid friend, fabulous location, and reasonable prices. Margarita’s aren’t to shabby either. If you can do it at sunset, the view is amazing.

Maybe you would rather do a little nicer for dinner, we have a few suggestions for that as well.

Carmine’s II- My FAVORITE!!! Carmine’s II is a very small, maybe 10 tables total, Italian restaurant in Century City. The food is great, the have a decent wine list, live music, and Carmine I was a friend to the Rat Pack. The walls are covered in old photos and the singer is the granddaughter of Dean Martin. Everything we have had here has been wonderful. Be sure to call ahead if you want to go, with only 10 tables they run out fast.
Trader Vic’s- Trader Vic’s is located in the Beverly Hilton. Great place for groups, or for 2. Hawaiian food with an Asian flair. They serve drinks in large bowls and bring out straws for the entire table to share. It’s a lot of fun. If they don’t bring out bread, be sure to ask for it. They have a peanut butter spread that is wonderful, even to the non peanut butter fans.
The Standard- Located directly across from Carney’s on Sunset Blvd The Standard is actually a hotel. The hotel has shag carpet, swinging chairs, and ‘The fish bowl’. It’s a really run place to go for dinner. Not a ton of menu options, but everything on the menu is very good. They have a poolside bar that overlooks LA as well. Great spot to have a drink after dinner.
Dan Tana’s- Another Italian restaurant, but also a place to see stars. Just like Carmine’s, Dan Tana’s is VERY small. You have to call ahead if you want to get a table. The restaurant is located in West Hollywood, and is know for feeding the stars. Everytime we have gone we have seen ay least one. The food is really good, service is FABULOUS, price is a little high, but not too bad.
Enterprise Fish- Just like you would guess, seafood. They have some of the best seafood in town. Great prices, lots of selection. Enterprise is located in down town Santa Monica.
Monsoon- I figured I would add at least one sushi spot. Monsoon has good sushi, as well as a full Asian menu. Monsoon also has great drinks, and even sponsor’s salsa dancing a few days a week. Monsoon is located on the North end of the Santa Monica promenade.
Duke’s- Duke’s Barefoot bar in Malibu is a bit of a drive, but well worth it. The bar nacho’s are enough to feed a small family. The drinks are great, and the view is unbeatable. The menu is mainly fish. All types prepared in all fashions. They also have a special Hawaiian dessert that is pretty great. If you are looking for a place to spend some time, have some drinks and just kick back, Duke’s is the place.

Maybe you just want to have some drinks and entertainment.

Laugh Factory- There are a few really good comedy clubs in LA (The Improv, The Comedy Club, etc). The Laugh Factory has a few shows a night. Go to the 10, it’s the best. The 10 often features Dane Cook. He is really funny. We have seen some bad ones in the 12 show, as well as the 8. We have also seen some stinkers at the Comedy Club. The Improv is a little smaller, but it shows some really good comedians as well.
Brass Monkey- The end all of be all in the karaoke market. A small bar that is SOOO much fun to watch people sing, and try to sing. All types will be here. If you get in early enough, you may even get to sing yourself. Be sure to get your name on the list early. Anything after 9:30-10 won’t get in by closing time.
Gotham Hall- Very trendy pool hall located on the promenade. A bunch of tables, so normally everyone gets to play. The have sofas, bar tables and chairs, music, and normally show you a good time.
There are a ton of other places in LA, but these are just a few of our favorites. Hope this helps.

Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.

Day Time Activities in LA

LA, like most cities offers the usual pastimes (putt putt, bowling, hike & bike trails, tennis, paint ball, etc). I am sure everyone that is interested in doing these type of activities can find what they want in the yellow pages. I am going to offer up some LA fun for you all.

Santa Monica is a great place during the day. We have FANTASTIC shopping on the promenade (3rd street). We also have the pier (Ferris wheel, bumper cars, etc). The pier and promenade are just a few blocks from each other. There is a really good Mexican restaurant at the end of the pier, and a bunch of dining on the promenade (from a mall food court to some really nice sit downs and everything in between). The promenade has a lot of street performers as well. Sometimes there are some good acts, but sometimes they are pretty bad. Also with in walking is the beach. The beach includes the boardwalk. On the boardwalk you can rent bikes, skates, etc. The boardwalk stretches out toward Malibu (too far to walk there though) then the other direction leads to Venice. It's probably just over a mile (maybe 2) from the Santa Monica Pier to Venice. Venice is great for people watching. We see some of the most interesting folks down there. Venice also has some shops and dining. A lot of people head to Venice to buy designer knock off bags as well, sometimes you can find them, but it's not a sure thing. Venice is also host to 'Muscle Beach'.

If you head north on the PCH (the highway that runs along the coast) you will come to Malibu. Depending on traffic it can be a 20-45 minute drive. Malibu (and Venice) offers surfing. You can rent wet suits and boards, as well as instruction. You can also rent kayaks in Malibu. If the surf is rough, they can be a challenge to get launched, but if the water is calm the kayaks can be a lot of fun.

If you head south from Santa Monica you first hit Venice, then Marina Del Rey. The wedding will be in Marina Del Rey, and I think most of our guest will be staying in Marina Del Rey. In Marina you can rent kayak’s, and it’s in a harbor so the wake is not a problem at all. I really enjoy kayaking around and reading all the funny boat names. Tim and I saw a big seal in the harbor one day. There is an area near the hotels to rent bikes and/or skates. The boardwalk that goes through Santa Monica and Venice does reach out to Marina Del Rey. If you are feeling energetic, you can take a long bike ride up the coast. Also in Marina is 'The Fisher Man's Warf'. There is not a ton of stuff here, a few touristy shops, and some good restaurants. This is where you rent the kayaks as well. If you have a full day (or at least most of one) you can rent a sail boat in Marina Del Rey and head up towards Malibu. This takes 4-5 hours, depending on the weather. You can also rent jet skis (I think).

If you have a full day to kill, Catalina Island is fun. You have to take a ferry (Long Beach is the nearest). The ferry is about an hour. Once you are there Catalina has great shopping, a candy store, kayaking, biking, golf cart tours (you rent the cart and drive it yourself), golf, and much more. Catalina has a large scuba community as well. There are not any full size cars in the pedestrian area, its all by foot or golf cart. There is a really nice beach and harbor here too.

Long Beach is a bit of a drive, but being that it will be near Halloween, I feel I HAVE to mention one more thing in LB. The Queen Mary. During October the Queen Mary has a big haunted house set up. There are about 5-7 different ones; these are the type you walk through and people jump out or come after you with chain saws and stuff. The haunts are not on the boat, but actually in an area in front of the boat. They also have a big dance area that a lot of people hang out after they go through all the haunts. I am sure all the ghost fan knows that the Queen Mary is said to really be haunted. There is said to be a lot of sightings in the pool area. We have not done this yet, but there is a special pass you can get that will actually take you on tours of the Queen Mary (I am pretty sure it includes the pool). There are restaurants and a hotel on the ship as well.

If you want to get off the water, there is plenty to offer inland as well. Beverly Hills can be fun to drive around and look at all the amazing homes. You can stop on Rodeo for lunch and/or shopping. We rarely buy anything, but the stores are fun to check out. The La Brea tar pits are near Rodeo (La Brea & Wilshire). We have not been to the tar pits, but I have heard they are pretty cool. Also Grey Stone Mansion is in Beverly Hills. A lot of movies were filmed here, and I just love this place. It's open to the public (sort of). You can park and walk around the gardens and decks, and see the great views. The house is normally closed up, but you can look in the windows. I just think its beautiful and peaceful to visit.

There is also Hollywood. At Hollywood & Highland there is a HUGE parking garage. You can park here and with validation (you can get it with as little as a coffee) I think its $4 for the first 3 hours or so. Grauman's is here (the hand prints and foot prints). You can see a movie at Graumans. I know you can see a movie anywhere, but this theater, as well as El Capitan (directly across the street) are really worth going to. El Capitan is a Disney theater and they normally have stuff before or after the show about the show (they had a princess tea party after Princess Diary 2, they had a skating rink for Ice Princess, etc). Grauman's doesn't have themes or anything, it's just an awesome place to see a movie. There is a big mall attached to the garage, and a VERY trendy LA style bowling alley (hidden around the corner). There is a wax museum, Ripley's, and the Hollywood entertainment museum in the block as well. We have gone to a few of these. Kind of boring and a waste of time if you ask me, but if you are into that sort of thing, by all means. Also in the block (in from of Grauman's) you can take Star Tours. Star Tours are apx 2 hours, and a lot of fun. The drivers will show you all kind of star homes and other star related locations. If you want to see how the star's live, you will enjoy a star tour.

There is also a few amusement parks in the area. Universal Studios, Disney Land, Lego Land, Knott's Berry Farm, Magic Mountain etc. If you want to visit one of these, you probably already know the one you want. I can't offer much on these other than that they are here.

Another fun thing to do during the day is catch a show taping, or take a studio tour. The studios are spread all over LA, some close to Santa Monica, some not so close. You can check online if you have show in mind to see if it is taping while you are in town. Most shows are free; they just require you to get a ticket in advance. If you don't care which show you watch, you can get tickets for what ever they have in front of Grauman's, or in Venice at little kiosk vendors. If you take the studio tours, I think you can get show tickets for shows taping after the tour as well. The studio tours do charge, but I am not sure how much.

LA offers a lot of museum’s as well. The Getty is really nice, I really like the garden. I have not made it to any other's yet, but I know there are at least half a dozen in the area. Just check online if you want to do a museum, I am sure you can find info on what each one will be showing while you will be here.

This should be enough to get you started for day activities. If none of these sound like what you are looking for, just Google LA and some key words closer to what you want. I am sure there is something for everyone.

Travelers

So many of you have made your travel plans and are getting ready for the trip. It looks like a few of you will be coming in a few days early, or staying a few days after to make a vacation out of the event. I am in the process of collecting some info on local events, cool places, hidden spots, great food, etc. I will post something in the next few days to share some of Tim and my favorite LA spots, as well as some great tourist deals and hidden treasures. Come back soon and it should be online for you.

Tux - Check!

So back a few months ago Ken, Jen, Tim and I went to Men's Warehouse (Since it is an option that we thought everyone would have access to) and picked out the tuxes. Tim didn't find exactly what he was wanting, but close. We made the reservation for Tim and Ken's tux and they were planning on going back later this month to get fitted.

We finished the wedding party selections and went back to MW on Sunday afternoon to pick out and reserved the tuxes for the ushers and ring bearer. While we were there the man helping us told us that not only could they not add the 3 tuxes to our order, but that the 2 already reserved were not available either. No one bothered to call, nothing. We were livid. Here we were thinking it was a done deal and now we were back to square one. Tim told the people there that not only are we extremely disappointed in their service, but that we will not be using them, or any time in the future.

What a mess! We had no clue what we were going to do. Luckily, there is a tux shop near our home (After Hours Formal) and we decided to run in. The girl working there was SOOOO helpful. She went out of her way to show us many different options and work with us to get exactly what Tim wanted. It worked out in the end, and we got a much better tux style and price. We did learn a lesson though, no more MW.

While the girl at After Hours was helping us she told us the week before she had a wedding party come in 3 days before the wedding. MW had not only given them the wrong style, but also the wrong color. Thank goodness we went in this weekend and not the one before the wedding.

The tuxes that we chose are great. Tim, Ken(best man), Travis(ring bearer) will all be wearing a suit style tux (black) with black vest and a black tie. Then John and Sanjoy (ushers) will be wearing the same base, but the vest will be back and white instead of just black (pictured). They look really sharp.

Keep us informed

Many of our guests have started, or will be starting soon on travel arrangements. Once you know the dates you will be here, and where you will be staying, please let us know. Either give us a call or send us an email with your info. We will be using this to try and make things easier for you all. Many of you will be in the same location or close to each other, and many of you will be coming and going to the same events. We will be trying to help you all know who else is there so that you can all share rides, meet up for lunch, etc. Please just let us know as soon as you have it all set up. Thanks!

Invitations - Check!

Zenvitations called Tim earlier today. The invitations went out a few days ago. Guest should start getting them any day now. The invitation will probably make sense to you, but just in case you have any questions:

1- The complete meal description can be found under 'Guest Details' on our official site, see link on the right.
2- Pictures of the main selections can be seen on this page in a previous post.
3- The RSVP is 3 fold.

Part 1 says 'Name:' in the line behind this please enter the first and last name of the head of household (we don't need everyone's name in the household, just a way to identify the group). Do not just put your last name, please. Most of the guests are family and all share the last name. Please be sure to include a first name for the household as well.

Part 2 indicates if you are accepting or declining. This is a check box, not a count, not a question. Just check one or the other.

Part 3 list out the different meals available. Chicken, Beef, Veggie, or Child. The space next to the menu selection is for you to enter the number of plates. If you and a guest are coming, and you want chicken and your guest wants beef, you will but a '1' in chicken and a '1' in beef. If you have a family coming and you and your spouse both want beef, your teen child wants chicken, and your 6 year old will be having a child plate you would put a '2' in beef, a '1' in chicken and a '1' in child. When you add up the numbers for meals, it should equal the number of guest in your party attending.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE be sure and return these. We need to get the selections and names back to the chef and printer as soon as we can.

The ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception are all in the same location. We will be trying to find out where everyone is staying ahead of time to help coordinate carpools. If you do happen to drive, valet parking is in the front main entrance. Just keep your ticket and we will have a way to validate it for you.

There is a direction page in the invitation as well. This will give you directions to the Ritz from a few common locations. You can also use the map in the link on the right, google maps, yahoo maps, I am sure the hotel you will be staying in can offer directions, or you can call the Ritz directly.

If you have ANY other questions regarding the invitation after you get it, please do not hesitate to call or send me an email.

Honeymoon - Check!

So many people have wanted to know where we are going on our honeymoon (including us). We tossed around all kinds of ideas. We thought about heading to Europe and seeing London and Paris, we thought about Hawaii, we thought about an Alaskan cruise, we thought about Mexico. You name it, we probably considered it.

We went over all the different options, and decided to keep it simple. We REALLY want to buy a house in the near future. We also really want to have a nice wedding. We decided that we are going to head to Vegas for a few days after the wedding and just relax. Vegas was the first vacation we took together (nearly 5 years ago) and we always have fun when we go.

We are going to eat at our all time favorite restaurant, get a really nice room, probably treat ourselves to a morning at the spa, go see 'O' (I have been wanting to go to that for so long). Of course we will do some gambling as well, but probably not a lot.

And the best part, we will not spend half our time on the plane. It's such a quick easy flight from here to Vegas. We will leave Monday @noon, so we will get a good night's sleep after the wedding then be on our way.

Tim just booked it, so yea, one more thing to mark off the list :)

Almost there

We had a great time in Chicago this past weekend. Tim did great in the tri, and so did his brother (Ken). It was great to see the family and catch up. Tim's mom, Tim's brother Larry, Ken's family (including his in-laws) and Tim's brother Dave and his family were all able to make it in. We had a really nice time. Both Tim and Ken did so good. I was so proud of them.

While we were in town we were able to catch a soccer game too. We drove out of town a little bit close to where Tim grew up to see Ken coach his daughter Allison's soccer game. Everyone on the team was under 6. It was really cute. One little boy got the ball right in the goal area; all he had to do was just a little kick and it would have been done. Instead he got the ball and ran it all the way down the field and scored in the other goal. Everyone yelled, 'Go the other way!' but he was in the zone and then so proud of his goal. Allison scored 2 goals, one for Tim and one for me.


Tim and I had been talking about having a flower girl and ring bearer after all. We decided on who we wanted to ask, so while we were in Chicago we asked his niece (Allison) to be the flower girl. She was so funny. Before we asked her she told us what a great job she did at her aunt Tina's wedding, and wanted to know why we didn't have one. Then after we talked to her parents and then told her she said no and started to cry. It was really funny. She came around though, so all is set. Her mom (Jen) took her shopping this week and found a great dress. I am so glad they were able to find something so quick, and it looks like a great match.

After we got back in town I called my brother (Matt) and talked with his wife (Jennifer) about having their son (Travis) as our ring bearer. We are going to pick out a tux for his this weekend and get them the details.

A friend of mine that was married earlier this year referred her photographer to us. I really like what he did for her wedding, so as long as he is available and we can get his for a reasonable price we should have the photographer booked in the next few days. I called him earlier today and I am now just waiting on a call back.
Tim and I have also narrowed down the band search. We expect to have the band booked in the next few days as well.

We have a conference call set up for next week with the Ritz. We have a few final details to work out with our coordinator. Other then these last few details we are rounding the final corners. It feels really good to be so close to ready.