CLAMP Campus Adventures

I expect while I’m planning this wedding, updates are going to come and go based on my busy-level. Right now it’s very busy. Here’s how things have gone since the engagement.

First thing I needed to do was work out with my parents just where the wedding was going to be. New Jersey or Massachusetts? After a bit of drama, the decision to have the wedding in Massachusetts was made. I had originally wanted to do things in Southern New Hampshire or Southern Maine, but it was declared this was “too far away” or too far away in peoples’ perceptions. Just so you know, I can drive to Southern Maine in about 40 minutes without breaking the speed limit. Some things to note. The NH coast between MA and ME is merely 18 miles long. Until the Missouri Compromise of 1820, Maine was actually part of Massachusetts. Oh well, the wedding was decided to be in or near Boston.

I had already planned to take the week of Columbus Day (October 9) off. Since my insane car repairs ate my kitchen counter-top project budget, I decided to use the week to look at potential wedding venues instead. So, the week before, I called every hotel in the city of Cambridge or Boston, MA I could think of. The ones that got back to me (there were several eliminated by not returning calls, including such illustrious places as the Fairmont Copley Plaza and the Sheraton Boston), I arranged to visit between October 7 and October 13. Around this time, we were also discussing the best time to have the wedding. Since a Jewish ceremony could not be on the Sabbath and there were going to be a good amount of out-of-town guests, I decided a three-day weekend with a Monday holiday would be best. Carl’s sister is also getting married next July, so I wanted to distance myself from it. Despite my mother’s suggestion we do it Thanksgiving weekend next year (Carl works retail, don’t forget), we decided between Columbus Day or a backup date of Memorial day weekend depending on availability of venues.

K joined me for my first few tours of hotels on October 7. We saw the Royal Sonesta first, which I really liked, then moved onto the Sheraton Commander, which I did not like (more details on opinions about venues I visited can be found in our wedding wiki for now, eventually the wiki will be passworded and we’re going to make that a wedding information site for our guests). We also had an aborted visit to the Four Seasons. Then between then and the next Friday, when I was scheduled to go visit my parents in NJ, I also visited The Charles Hotel, the Four Seasons, the Lenox Hotel, the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, and the Omni Parker House.

I really liked the Omni Parker House best with The Royal Sonesta second ranked. I liked the Hyatt Regency but it had some aspects I couldn’t wrap my mind around including a literal dance pit. Gorgeous views though. The Charles Hotel, I liked it but I didn’t like the way the wedding would flow between floors and the way the cocktail hour would be stuck in hallways. While there would be a pre-function area outside the main ballroom at the Omni Parker House, it was very separate from the hallways and basically had it’s own area. Flow was very important to me.

On Friday the 13th, armed with Boston Cream pie from the Omni Parker House (OPH), I went down to my parents with Carl. This was the first visit since the engagement. Saturday, my mother and sister took me wedding dress shopping. I liked the second dress I tried on. After going to another store and trying on more, I decided there was no point in really continuing to look. I liked the dress, and that’s what I wanted, so why waste time continuing to look?

We went back home to Boston on the 16th and I went back to work on the 17th. Not much of a relaxing vacation, but I did get a lot accomplished. I went to visit one more hotel (the Radisson Boston) the next Saturday, but I didn’t really care for it. My parents were coming up to view my final choices and meet Carl’s parents on the 28th (last weekend), so a week of frantic cleaning ensued. We got everything presentable by the time my parents arrived for dinner on the 27th.

I also called around and got a price locally on the wedding dress I wanted. It was $100 cheaper in MA plus I wouldn’t have to schlep to NJ for fittings. Sold. I bought the dress with a 50% down payment on the 23rd. It’s likely I’ll get the bridesmaids dresses at the same shop. I’ve decided the bridesmaids will all be in floor length dresses of their choice, so we’re going to have to order them all from the same shop and same designer in order to match the color (get the same dye lot). Right now Alfred Angelo is the designer in the lead, but I’m going to let the bridesmaids really make the final decision because as long as they’re burgundy and floor-length, they can pretty much do as they please.

By dinner on the 28th, I had nearly convinced my parents on the OPH. Dinner was provided complimentary of the Four Seasons at the Bristol Lounge on Saturday night. It was delicious and the hotel was extraordinary, but some previous experiences had clouded my perception of the hotel already. My parents did go look at the rooms with me on Sunday before they returned to NJ, but my decision was already made. I was more comfortable at the OPH.

So, this past Tuesday, my mother signed the contract and it was official. The wedding will be on October 7, 2007 at the Omni Parker House. It’s likely it’ll start around 3 or 3:30 pm with cocktail hour between 4 - 5 pm. This will have our guests eating dinner between 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm, which I think is fair. It’ll also have the reception ending at about 9 pm, which is nice for guests traveling home that evening.

It’s still crazy. I need to find an officiant for the ceremony now. I have a meeting with a rabbi on Sunday and am in contact with two other possibilities. I also have to start working on vendors. While having the ceremony and reception at a hotel covers a lot of bases in one fell swoop (catering, cake, linens, insurance, etc are all included), I still need flowers, decorations, a band or dj, etc. Thank God for wedding planners you can purchase and sites online like the Knot.

Meanwhile, I’ll likely remain very busy for some time ahead.