OOT Bags

First - a quick little show-out to BM Momma...she is turning another year older today!

Now, it is time to talk about the OOT's - the Out Of Town Bags.  Since our wedding will be a destination for (almost) all 100 guests, we are planning on making ~50 OOT bags.  Every guest will get one in their hotel room (or at the front desk upon check-in).  We want to use canvas bags so people can re-use their OOT bags as green grocery bags.  However, canvas bags are expensive, and our budget is tiny, so we are planning on just grabbing as many "free" canvas bags that we can over the next few years.  Then, I will sew a "patch" onto each bag, saying something like "Rocks Huggers, Keys 2012" so that, even though everyone has a different bag, they will all come together (I hope).  Also - be on the lookout for free canvas bags!  If you are at any event or out and about and see some canvas bags, grab a bunch!  I will be much appreciative!

Bag Count as of Jan 2011 - 10 Bags.....40 left to find!  I will keep posting updates as we get more bags!

Now comes the next question....what to fill the bags with?  Mr. Rocks and I have made a tentative list....
2 Bottles of Water
2 bags of salty snacks (snack-size bags)
Travel Size Suntan lotion
Orange
Breath mints
M & M's
Lip Balm
Travel Toothbrush/floss
Self-stamped/addressed CD for people to mail their wedding pics back to us
Itinerary and Maps
Our Fav Restaurants
FL Keys Tourism Bureau Pamphlet
Personalized Do Not Disturb Sign - like this....

So, what do you guys think our OOT Bag list?  Of course, we still need to price everything out, so most likely a few things might get cut.  But it is a start!  If you have any other ideas of things to add, I would love to hear them!

I Blame BM Momma

I blame BM Momma.  It is all her fault!  So, BM Momma is so named because she is my only BM with kids...who are going to be my ring bearers.  She is also very artistic.  For that matter, so is BM Artista.  BM Artista is a very good painter (IMO...I have one or her painting hanging in my house).  So I guess BM Artista and BM Momma can share the blame here!

See, I wanted to make something for my BM's...a little "will you be my BM" gift.  True, I have already asked all of my BMs to BE my BMs - and they have all graciously agreed to trek down to FL with me when we get married.  But I wanted to give them something a little extra.  Something neat.  Something that fits in with our theme (whatever that may be).  And I wanted to create this thing, this gift, as you will.  Something that comes from the heart, something that would look good, something that won't cost an arm and a leg, and something I could have done by Christmas.  Well, 2 outta 4 ain't too bad.... is it?

So I have been working on this thing....I won't tell you what it is yet, because I want to give it to my BMs first.  But I will tell you it has to do with sewing.  Hence the blaming BM Momma part.  See, a little while ago, BM Momma showed me this really pretty skirt that she made.  I still remember her exact words...."It was so easy to make!"  Damn you BM Momma!!!  So, after hearing those fateful words, I thought "Wait a minute...I have a sewing machine, and if BM Momma can do it, then so can I!"  HAH!  Famous last words.  Add to that the encouragement I often get from BM Artista, and it is just a recipe for  disaster.  A DIY disaster, if you will.  :)

In reality, it is not that horrible.  The trouble is, it is just taking forEVER to finish these things.  I have 2 out of 6 things finished.  Just 4 left to go!  Hopefully I will finish before spring break.  And I will hope that they look decent.  Even if they don't, please just lie to me.  :)

PS - Once I finish them all, I will post pictures - promise!  I just don't want to ruin the surprise.

Maybe I should take this as a warning for other DIY projects?  nahhhhhh

Flippy-Floppies

So, it is snowing and sleeting, and Mr. Rocks and I decided to head home early before our mountainous roads turn into an icy nightmare.  I finally heard back from the Sunset Grille folks - apparently the lady had some personal issues to deal with, but promised me a quote by the end of the week.  So we are going to hold off making a venue decision until we hear from her. 

(I am also waiting to hear about a certain Greek wedding date - hint, hint BM NZ!!)


In the meantime, lets talk for a minute about footwear.  No, not mine.  And yes, I concede the point that wearing chacos with my wedding dress might not be the best fashion decision ever.  But I am talking about everyone else's tootsies.  Or at least the girls.  So, to get from the parking lot to our ceremony site (the bridge), everyone has to walk on a trail.  And it is not a paved trail.  It is dirt.  With shells.  And rocks.  Aaand I am guessing most of the (female) guests will be wearing some sort of lovely, fashionable heel.   So, I have decided to give everyone a choice of flip-flops on the big day.  The plan is to have a bunch of flip flops in a bunch of sizes in a pretty basket near the start of the trail for anyone that wants a pair. (Probably with a volunteer and a pretty sign.)  And if there are any left after the ceremony, we will bring them to the reception for people to dance in.  Make sense?  They should look something like this...

(Photo from 7SEVENJ9)

So, the buzz from the wedding boards is that most people get Old Navy shoes when they gone on sale, one day in late May.  Normally Old Navy flops are $3.50 (ish) and during the sale, they are $1 a piece.  Old Navy Flops are pretty comfy, and they come in just about every color under the sun, so the possibilities are endless.  BUT, there are a few problems here.  First, well, we just don't have wedding colors.  Yet.  Maybe we never will.  And I use "we" lightly. Cuz Mr. Rocks pretty much does not care about color.  And second (and this is the biggie) we really can't afford the full price Old Navy's.  And everyone is limited to 5 flops during the sale. So I would have to coordinate with a bunch of willing people (yep, I am looking at YOU) and we would all have to fight the crowds.   There has to be a better way.....


And then I found this site, where they sell bulk flops at discount prices.  Here is a bamboo pair I found for only $1.08 a pair.  The catch?  I have to buy at least 50.  

(photo from Dollardays.com)

But I was planning on buying 50-ish.  I mean, if we are expecting ~100 people, about 1/2 of them will most likely be women, right?  So buying 50 is not that big of a deal.  And the 50-pack comes in a variety of sizes.  Another thing....I have no idea how comfortable these guys are.  And the colors are just called "assorted."  I like the 2 colors that are shown, and I guess the main color would be tan, but still.....

On the plus side, they are made from bamboo, which is (a bit) greener than rubber.  On the minus side, they are probably made in China.  Which does not help our economy at all.  But we are poor, and while it would be nice, we really can't afford a pair of Toms for everyone.  So what do you think?  Know of any other cheap flip-flop sellers?  I am all ears!

Decisions, decisions....

So, we had gone through an exhausting few days in paradise looking at bad venues.  (Oh, the horrors!).  Tee - hee.  Luckily, we still had a few places to look at.  The first was a place we just happened to find by happenstance.  See, when I was in the Keys for MOH 30th, BM Lil' Dudette and I went venue searching one afternoon.  We drove, we talked to people, we ate, we drank, and we made quick stops when one of us was like "Wait!  Turn here and check out this place!"  (Its ok, though, because we are both fabulous drivers!)  One place we found was a restaurant, the Sunset Grille, right on the water just north of the 7-mile bridge.  It was a tiki-bar style, and it looked like it could be a neat place.  I only have one picture of it, though, and it is not the best, sorry....

So, fast-forward to January.  Mr. Rocks and I arrived in the Keys at 4PM after driving for 17 hours.  We took a nap, showered and refreshed, and decided to go out to dinner that night at the Sunset Grille.  Well, the food was a-MAZ-ing.  I mean: really, really tasty!  I had ahi-tuna, and Mr. Rocks had Mahi-Mahi - both were fab.  So, we asked our waitress, who also happened to be a manager, about holding our reception there.  We told he that we would pretty much take over most of the restaurant, and we told her what our budget was, and she said she would talk with the chef and send us a quote/contract.  Well, we are still waiting to hear back from her.  It has been 3 weeks now.  It is a little frustrating to have not heard something by now.  Especially since I have re-contacted her since we got back home.  We shall see.

The plusses of this place
- It has the tiki-bar cheesiness
- They have Yeungling on tap (score!)
-They do both sushi and cooked food.
-They are On. The.Water.  Nuff said.
-They have a big screen if we wanted to do a slide-show.

The minuses
-The floor is wooden slats (so heels might be a problem)
-The space might be a bit cramped
-They are not near a hotel, so we will need a us.
-They are being unresponsive......(so far).

But, we also looked at the Key Colony Inn.  I found this place online, and I have been in touch with their dude for several months.  BM Lil' Dudette and I looked at this place back in November, but the dude could not meet with us at that time (he was out of town).  But we did manage to get some pictures of the reception room - check it out:

I think this place is classic "Colonial Keys" style.  I love it.  So Mr. Rocks and I made sure we could meet with him during our January trip.  We really liked their dude - he was easy to talk to, and he really had his shit together.  Which was a nice change in pace from most of the people I talked to.  And they have held many receptions there, so he knows everyone else in the biz, and is experienced.  Which is a huge plus!!!

So, here are the plusses to this place:
-It is indoors - which means we can have AC.  In FL.  In June.  This is good.
-The walls are all made of doors, so if it is a nice night, we can open the doors and have fresh air.
-Plenty of space.
-They already own tables and chairs, so we should not need to rent any.
-The place is really pretty and won't need too many extra decorations (the place already comes with plants and tiny white lights).
-There is an outside patio and plenty of green space, for guests to wander if they choose.
-It is in our budget, but at the top.  And we will probably go over a bit because we want things like a second bartender.  And a veggie tray during cocktail hour.

And here are the minuses:
- It is not on the water.  At all.  It is next to a golf course.  But no sunset views during dinner.
- There are no hotels nearby.  And they are really strict down there when it comes to D & D (strick as in they can through you in jail that night).  Which means we will have to rent a bus to transport everyone.  -- And convince everyone to stay at the hotel where the bus will be.

So, what do you guys think?  Should we hold out for the tiki bar, or go for the classic look at the KCI?

(All pictures in post are by me.)

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

Onto the good stuff - the venue choices!  The place where we will hang out most of the night.  The place where we will eat.  We will drink.  And we will dance.  (Dance, magic, dance!.....anyone?.....anyone?)  Mr. Rocks and I spent 2 days in the Keys over winter break checking out venues.  And we have narrowed it down to two.  Two fabulous places where we will spend a crap-ton of moola.  And should I show them to you?  Oh, you know me - would I just give it up that easily? (Ok, don't answer that!!) I would rather be a bit of a tease.  :)

So, I will instead start with the places we decided were not for us (for one reason or another).  Let's start with my personal favorite, the Elk Lodge on Marathon.  Now, nothing against the Elkers.  And their lodge is perfect for them.  But not for us.  So not for us that, when I was looking back on the notes I made while in the Keys, I actually wrote "abso-frigging-lutely not!"  (But I did not use frigging....).  Here is why this place is not on our list....

Too dark, too dismal, too "not really what we had in mind." At all.  Oh well, onto the next stop, the Moose Lodge. (What can I say, Mr. Rocks has a thing for ungulates.  Seriously, ask him about his special ungulate beer glasses.  This is what I live with folks.)  Ahhh, the Moose Lodge.  Actually, the Moose Lodge was in much better shape than the Elk Lodge.  There were actually "nautical" themed decorations in their banquet room.  And the room was big enough, we think.  Take a look.

But the front of the building was .....  ummm....ok, there is no nice way to say it - the front of their building made Munich architecture look extravagant.  Seriously, take a look.

Elk Lodge

No frigging way - the Moose Lodge is NOT what you want to see when you spent your hard earned money and vacation time to travel to FL to see Mr. Rocks and I get married.  So, it was onto site #3 - the Tiki Bar behind the Holiday Inn.  At first blush, this seemed like it could be the place....it had the requisite cheesiness of the Tiki Bar, it was AT the hotel (sweet, no bus rental!) and it seemed like it would be a nice place, once it was finished.

This picture was taken in November, when I was in Key West for MOH 30th B-day.  Turns out, the place was a LOT smaller when we went back - the "restaurant space" was only 1/2 of the tiki bar - the rest of the space was taken up by bathrooms, bar, kitchen, etc.  So, no joy.  Maybe for the rehearsal dinner, but not the actual reception.

So, lets move onto the Cabana Club.  First off, the lady we met with annoyed the crap outta me.  A LOT.  But, there was a hotel next door, and I talked to other brides who have gotten married there and have given positive reviews, so I was willing to stick it out.  But (1) they were a little out of our price range and (2) (and this is the biggie) they wanted us to have the dinner and reception in the pool area.  As in "1/2 of the tables on one side of the pool, and 1/2 of the tables on the other side of the pool."  And it seems like they have other space that would have accommodated us.  And I kept saying how I was not really keen on the whole pool idea.  But she brushed that comment aside, saying how it would cost more to rent extra space and blah, blah, blah.  Whatev.....this lady did not seem to interested in working with me.

So, moving onto the Banana Bay Resort.  Again, this place looked good on paper...hotel onsite (and cheap rooms) and we could have the reception on this sandy peninsula overlooking the water.

So I met (briefly) with the guy, and he gave me his email address, and I was going to give him our budget and he was going to give me a quote (which would have included renting tables and chairs and tents).  Well, he never did.  We actually stayed one night in one of the rooms at Banana Bay and I love the charm of this room.  BUT, there must have been something funny in the AC, because both Mr. Rocks and I had terrible headaches after sleeping there one night.  We really don't want to make our guests sick....that would be no bueno.  Between the Room That Made Us Sick and the lack of communication from the venue guy we decided to nix this place.

So what were we to do?  Would we have to bail on the FL plans all together?  Would we have to significantly up our budget (and cancel our honeymoon) and find a place in Key West?  Should we just do a quick and dirty BBQ down by the beach?  What to do?  What to DO?  (Oh the drama!)  Weren't there any places in Marathon that would be good for a venue for us?  Stay tuned to find out!  Till next time, same bat time, same bat channel.

(All photos in post by me.)

Side note

Just a quickie ... so, I was thinking about going for this look for the wedding party - waddy'all think?  :)

(photo from Sam Frost)

A cabin by the sea....

On an unrelated note - Mr. Rocks and I went over the guests list and (we think) it is finished!  We have a total of 121 people who we think will show up.  I know people have said that you can expect 20% to decline for a normal wedding, and 40-50% to decline for a destination wedding.  We have no idea what to expect, since we have talked to just about all of our guests, and we expect just about all of them to show up.  But sometimes, "life" comes up, so I am guessing about 20 - 30% won't come.  If everyone comes, then great!  We will be surrounded by lots of people who love us.  We will have plenty of space in the reception hall and can easily fit everyone.  But if some don't, then great!  We can save some $$.  Its all about keeping positive, folks. :)

So, I wanted to show you guys the cabins at Bahia Honda.  Lets start with the view out the front door.  

Nice, huh?  So, we need a place for the boys to sleep the night before.  However, these babies are $130/night, and it is a 2 night minimum over the weekend (bummer!!).  But, on the plus side, we would have a "home base" at the park.  On the minus side, it is pretty far away from the bridge....and it feels like we would be wasting $130 for the Saturday night when no one is there.  But that is to be figured out (worried about) later.  Who know?  A solution might present itself.  Lets check out the inside of these cabins.

All cabins have a "living room" with a pull-out couch.  Might I add, there is no TV or intertron at these cabins.  But it could be a great place for Mr. Rocks and his guys to hang out the night before, drink beer, and be men.

On the other side of the living room is the kitchen area - aka the place we store the water and decorations.  Who knows, maybe the buys can have Death Star shaped pancakes in the morning of the big day.

Here is one of the bedrooms.  We saw two cabins - one had two bedrooms with a queen-size bed in each room.  The furnishings are a bit sparse, but doable - I would not want to get dressed here with the girls, but for the guys, I think it is fine.  Well, Mr. Rocks thinks it is fine, which is good enough for me.

  The other cabin we looked at just had one bedroom (with 1 queen bed and 2 bunk beds)...BM Momma - I was thinking about you guys for this picture!  If you guys were still thinking about staying here, I was thinking this would be a good idea for you and the ring-bearers.

Here is the bathroom - again, it is nice and clean, and would be fine under normal circumstances, but not for putting on my wedding finest!

So that about covers it for the cabins at Bahia Honda.  They are nice, but not as cheap as I had hoped for.  Still not sure if that is the best option for Mr. Rocks to stay at, but it is an option.  Also, the cabins get booked very quickly (apparently Bahia Honda is the most popular state park in FL).  You can book the cabins 11 months in advance (so July 1, 2011) so we have a few months to decide, but if we want to do this, we will have to act fast in July! 

(All photos in post by me)

Let's head down to those little latitudes....

So, on a completely unrelated note, our ice cream scoop died today.  As I was getting Mr. Rocks some cookies & cream ice cream tonight (for his sore teeth, poor guy) the scoop just snapped in half.  Bummer.

But anyways, back to the wedding stuff...

So, after giving the southern VA wedding industry the big 'ole middle finger, we packed it up headed down to FL.  OK.  I lied.  I wish we could have just packed up and headed to FL.  But we have lives in VA.  And jobs.  And cats.  (Always with the cats!)  But I let my "fingers do the walking" and did some internet searching.  And Mike and I have been to the Keys several times.  We decided we wanted to get married at Bahia Honda State Part (pronounced BAY-ah HON-da).  On the pedestrian bridge.  Seriously, (I think) it is the most beautiful place.  And I promised BM Artist and OOPJ (Our Own Personal Jesus - aka, our friend/officiant) bridges if they traversed down to FL for us.  So bridges it is.  And, without further adieu.....

Here is the pedestrian bridge viewed from afar.  You see the split in the middle?  On the left side is the actual pedestrian bridge.  The right side is not accessible (it is a bit run down).  Now lets get a closer look....

This is near the start of the trail leading up to the bride.  Here is where we will most likely need to pass out flip-flops to all of the ladies, since the trail is a bit rocky and sandy.  (More of the crazy Old Navy Mission later).  We might also pass out some water, depending on how hot it is.  Its a bit o' a walk up to the bridge.

But after strolling through the trees (I love the tree archways!!), everyone eventually gets to the bridge.....

Imagine this, but with ~100 white chairs, maybe an archway at the end, and maybe some white stuff on the railings.  We don't want to do too many decorations because (1) it is very pretty on its own, and (2) We have to trust the boys to do all the decorations, and while I love the boys...well...I can see a pile of ribbons and them saying "what the hell is this for?"

Here is the view from the other end, where everyone walks up from.  I really like it up here.

Here is a close up of the front, where all the action will take place.  You can see the other side of the bridge in this picture.  I am a little concerned about that side of the bridge looking not so great.  Part of me wants to try to cover it up, but part of me just thinks "meh" and it is just part of the natural look of the place.  We'll see.  We's gots time.

A view from off the bridge.....I love it!!!!

And to end it with a picture of the happy couple....Awwwwwww...

Coming up next?  Who knows?  Whatever I feel like writing about tomorrow night, folks!  I'm thinking either cabins at Bahia Honda, or pics of the venue.  We shall see.. stay tuned!!!

Venue Fails

So, without further adieu, lets dive right into our venue adventures!  So, Mr. Rocks is from Chicago, and I am from Pennsylvania - we figured out early on that no matter where we got married, it would be a "destination wedding" for at least 1/2 of our guests.  We initially looked around SW Virginia.  We liked the idea of getting married close to where we live (it would make planning very easy).  But we would want a place that had a geologic "wow" factor, and a place that was relatively cheap.  So we first looked at the Mountain Lake Resort (it is the place where they filmed most of Dirty Dancing).  So, it definitely would have a cheese factor (always a good thing!).

(Photo by me)

This is another wedding at MLR, at the lakeside gazebo - it was pretty, but the lake is dried up.  Not really the "wow" we were going for.  The reception hall was very pretty too.

(Photo by me)

Actually, pretty does not cut it.  "Quite Beautiful" is a better term.  I really love the look and feel of the reception hall.  BUT, they were pretty pricey, and, even though they have a hotel onsite, the hotel was also pricey, and they would have required everyone to stay at least 2 nights.  So, sorry Dirty Dancing place, but we'll have to say adios.

Next up was the Natural Bridge.  Here, we had the geologic "wow" factor.  See for yourself....

(Photo by me)

Stunning.  Really, really stunning.  BUT, this place also had problems.  First, there were logistical issues getting down there without guests seeing the bridal party first. 

(Photo by me)

Here I am contemplating the logistics of the bridal party needing to get down to the "back" about an hour before the guests start arriving.  With no where to sit without getting dirty.  Hmmm.  Also, in the event of rain (which the venue decides, not me) they would move the entire wedding to the reception hall.  And the reception hall was nothing to sneeze at.  So "nothing" that I did not even take a picture of it.  BUT, if we did go here, our guests would be greeted with this lovely statue....

(Photo by me)  

Who doesn't love a cowboy riding a dinosaur?!?

We also looked at Silver Hearth Lodge.  I don't have any photos from this place, but check out the website - the views are A-maz-ing!  Great views!  And the coordinator was nice.  And we could bring in our own food and booze, so it could be affordable.  And it was the entire top of a mountain, with plenty of places to for our guests to roam around.  And fire pits!  How cool would it be to end the night roasting marshmallows?  But, alas, it was not meant to be.  First of all, the road up to the venue is not the best road - very steep, very twisty, and gravel.  And the biggie - there are no flush toilets.  Yep, thats right, everyone would have to use porta-potties.  So, nope, sorry.  Not for our guests.

We also looked at Breaks Interstate Park and Hungry Mother State Park. Both were ok, but not spectacular.  And all had issues - either price, or no hotel onsite, or well, some of the people we talked to just annoyed us.

But the final "nail in the coffin" was a conversation I had with BM NZ.  I was talking about these places were we looking at and how none of them were "just right" and at what point did we start compromising.  And, in her great British wisdom (is that an oxymoron?!?), she said, "Why don't you have it in the Keys, like you were originally planning?"  (See, when were first got engaged, we though the Keys would be a great place to get hitched, but somewhere along the way, decided maybe VA would be better.)  "Besides," BM NZ said, "it sounds sooo much cooler when I tell people I have to go to a wedding in the FL Keys.  Telling people I have to go to a wedding somewhere in VA just sounds lame."  (I may be paraphrasing this conversation a bit).

So, its all for you, BM NZ!  Well, there may have been several other circumstances that involved us deciding to get married in the Keys (like actually finding a venue we liked!).  But we had decided, it was Keys or Bust!

Next up, places we looked at in FL!

Hello World!

Well, this is my first (ever) blog post!  So, hello world!  Well, hello "people who may be vaguely interested in hearing about my wedding planing process."  So, a little bit about me and what I aim to accomplish here. First, me!  So, I am 33 years old (dear god), I recently earned my Ph.D. and I teach intro geology classes at a university in SW Virginia.  I have 2 cats (both of which are currently trying to push my laptop off my lap so they can sit there instead) - one is fat and one is stupid.  I enjoy outdoors-y stuff (camping, hiking, kayaking), riding my Harley (I hate being a backrest!), reading and cuddling.  2010 was a great year for me - not only did I get my Ph.D. (I am still pretty psyched about it), but I also got engaged in March.  On the top of a Mountain.  At Sunset.  (My man did good!).  More on that later.

So, I am planning a wedding for June 2012, which will be the main topic of this blog.  I am from PA, Mr. Rocks is from Chicago, we met in Florida (and are getting married in Florida), so we have friends from all over the world that are in our wedding.  (Well, ok, mostly just all over the country, but we do have Bridesmaid (BM) New Zealand (NZ) representing the Southern Hemisphere - represent!!).  So, I figured a blog would be a good way to keep whomever is interested in the planning process - bridesmaids, moms, aunts, and close friends: feel free to comment on what we are planning!  For the most part, Mr. Rocks and I are fairly easy-going people.  Mr. Rocks just wants music, dancing, and bacon wrapped appetizers at the wedding.  I have a slightly longer wish list, but, as we all know I completely lack any sort of fashion.  So let us bumble along together as I try various do-it-yourself (DIY) disasters, dealing with vendors, and trying to keep this whole she-bang as cheap and green as possible.

Oh, and by the way, Bridesmaids, as you read this, realize that I am posting this as a way of procrastination to get out of finishing your "will you be my bridesmaide?" gift.  Sorry ladies, it will be a bit late.  Really sorry BM NZ - my intention was to send your gift before the new year...I am hoping I can get it to you by at least your birthday!!