Will we have sun?

the 10 day forecast almost includes Oct 3rd

fingers crossed!!!

DANCE CARDS- are you ready?!

Ok so have you heard? We are going to have DANCE CARDS!!

For our wedding this means we'll be handing out little booklets with ribbons attached so you can stick them in your pocket or wear them on your wrist. Dance cards help you keep track of who you promise to dance with.  They list the name of the song, the band, and a suggested dance style. Both men and women will have them (to avoid confusion and double dance bookings). 

We're still working out the details but we think it will be a super fun way to encourage dancing, especially with lots of different people...maybe even some handsome stranger!

It might say:
1) "Hotel California", The Eagles (waltz) ____________
2) "End of the Road", Boyz II Men (slow dance) ________
3) "Ace of Spades", Motorhead (headbang) ___________

According to Wikipedia (which is basically the New York Times of the internet, no?):
A dance card (also known by its German-language name, Ballspende, plural Ballspenden) is used by a woman to record the names of the gentlemen with whom she intends to dance each successive dance at a formal ball. They appear to have originated in 18th century, but their use first became widespread in 19th century Vienna, especially at the massive balls during Fasching before Lent.
An actual dance card is typically a booklet with a decorative cover, listing dance titles, composers, and the person with whom the woman intended to dance. Typically, it would have a cover indicating the sponsoring organization of the ball and a decorative cord by which it could be attached to a lady's wrist or ball gown. From the 19th century until World War I, dance cards for the elite of Austria-Hungary were often very elaborate, with some even incorporating precious metal and jewels.

A dance cards from back in the day:
(click to see larger)

It takes a village

Today Walter and Sue helped me fit my dress and assemble skirt adornments.
Tomorrow Walter and Emily are coming over the apartment for a full scale dress power down. I plan on fueling them with Nick's Crispy Tacos and lots of caffeinated beverages. It's coming together so beautifully- it really is the dress of my dreams.
I can't wait to wear it!!!

In related news i've been getting updates about everyone's dresses and ties and suits. And wow!! You all are going to be a good looking group.
Keep your eyes on the weather for shawl/coat advisements...

much love,
sarah

the "other" wedding website

in case you missed the fine print on the wedding invitation we have an "official" wedding website that we gave out to everyone.
that website is:
http://theknot.com/ourwedding/sarahfrye&christophervalencius

on that website you'll find registry information, photos, and party details
(though it's still missing driving directions from Boston...in case anyone feels like sending me some...)

invitations & rsvps

All the invitations should have arrived by now. Please be sure to send back the RSVPs because we are using them at the wedding ceremony as decorations.
Like this:

hang tags!

James is the talented printer that made our invitations and he sent me these photos of the process. I waited to put them on the blog because i didn't want to ruin the surprise of opening the envelope. But now I can share:

Meet Ilan & Casimir- bearers of rings

Meet Ilan. ring bearer. curly-haired 8 year old son of best man matt. has stated that he "mostly likes sitting around". this is, obviously, a clever ruse to insure maximum surprise and effect when he struts into pete's candy store in his custom designed vest and tie. an energetic and strong-willed lad destined to give jude law a run for his money in the looks department, he has been known to break a bone and not let on. for days. you wish you were that tough, but you're not. 

Meet Casimir.  ring bearer. winner of The Longest Eyelashes on Planet Earth contest six years running. cas is an often quiet, reserved gentleman who has written his uncle chris' most favorite ever book about the devil. when not giving the impression that he may likely grow up to paint beautiful pictures while simultaneously penning extraordinarily thoughtful poetry, he is running around like a monkey with his older brother Ilan and younger sister zara.
(boys, forgive us this outdated image. it's just too endearing to pass up)

Wonderful Weekend!

(click photos to enlarge)
(l-r: chris v., marilyn v., paul v., linda f., sarah f., chris f., lamar f.)
This weekend we met up with our parents in Brooklyn. We had a great time introducing everyone and checking out all our favorite haunts. This photo was taken at the end of the weekend while we were having brunch at Enids. (vegetarians take note- meat-free sausage w biscuits & gravy- yum!) And we have to say how thankful we are to have such awesome parents- everyone was so generous with their time & help, and SO creative helping us with venue ideas. Thanks everyone!
And though she is not pictured above we'd like to send a special shout-out to Aunt Rosie! She has been driving up to new york every time we've been in town planning, using her party planning expertise to help us navigate this often confusing journal. Thanks Rosie!

We also got a lot of loose ends tied up- caterer, florist, hair, etc. With only about a month and a half to go it seems things are coming together beautifully!

HOTEL LE JOLIE- group rate

Hotel Le Jolie

(718) 625-2100

235 Meeker Ave
Brooklyn NY 11211

$159.00/ night + tax, Group Promotional Code: SVW
to reserve a room, call the above number or email Lisa Haines (sales@hotellejolie.com)

HELP WANTED

Seeking 2 ring-bearers for the evening of October 3rd. Should be able to walk in straight lines, look good in a vest, and enjoy eating cupcakes. Previous experience not required, though being a nephew of Chris and Sarah would be preferred.
Any two people from the photo below would be work.

If you or anyone you know fits this description, please contact chris or sarah as soon as possible.
thanks!

la petite fille d'honneur

meet zara. flower girl. distinguished niece. little sister of ilan and cas. a curious, perceptive, and nurturing little lady we think she will probably go on to do great work for humanity, though we'd settle for her being the 3rd woman president. chris suspects her of being a tiny wizard with great powers. sarah is excited to have her as part of her bridal party. 

meet dana

Meet Dana. We are so very excited to announce that Dana will be the minister at our wedding! Dana came into our lives when she married Sarah's high school friend & fellow OM participant Sean. We attended their wedding almost 6 years ago on the weekend of the last big new york city black-out. More recently Sean & Dana made a trip to our foggy city of San Francisco, and we had a fantastic time getting reacquainted. It also gave us a chance to talk to Dana about all the amazing work she does for her church and she is undoubtedly one of the most inspiring people we know. Liberal + Activist + Minister = Awesome.

We think you'll agree so we are including a link to her church where you can read (and watch) some of her sermons. 

Hancock United Church of Christ

Thanks Dana!

(dana & sean)

west coast engagement party

bridesmaid jane and myra
sarah's coworkers (and wedding dress helpers) walter & emily, bridesmaid sarah
sarah, matthew, james, gigi and jane
chris and groomsman matt
groom & bride
matthew and james (who is printing our wedding invitations!)
groomsman spencer

(click any photo to enlarge)


went through about 40 photos from the party trying to find one of Brad, our wedding photographer, but his is obscured in every photo. somehow i doubt this is a coincidence

icing on the cake

i've been emailing with our baker to revise our cupcake flavors
they will include:
sweet & salty caramel
coconut cream
holiday spice (which has orange egg nog buttercream icing)
lemon drop
oopsy daisy (peanut butter & chocolate)

also on order are some delicious pies: bourbon pecan, pumpkin & apple

YUM!

Accommodations Update

I spoke to Hotel Jolie and they offered me a group rate of $159/night + tax
which is not the best price you can find online for that hotel.
So if you are considering that hotel I'd advise you to get your tickets from:
www.booking.com
www.hotel.com
or use www.kayak.com (which searches all sites for the best rate)

For our August trip to new york, we used www.booking.com (which we found through the Kayak website) and booked a room for $154/night after tax.

not too shabby

Accommodations, Part 2

This option is for the more adventurous at heart.

2. Renting A Loft

You can look into this at: AirBandB

If you use this search website, be sure to specify the dates, "entire place" and "real bed".
Then scroll though the listings and search for Williamsburg.

Here are some examples of listings I found:
$109/night Williamsburg


$395/night Williamsburg


Use the website to contact the apartment owners with questions, read reviews, and be sure to go over the rental agreements & security deposits. Each place is unique in it's arrangement.

Accommodations, Part 1

I am going to start writing about hotel and accommodation options.
As I write about each place I will mark it off on the previously mentioned map.
(oh and i'll know about group rates in the next couple days. )

1.Hotel Le Jolie




Visit Hotel Le Jolie's official site by clicking HERE

Hotel Le Jolie is by far the closest hotel to Pete's Candy Store and pretty centrally located. Though lacking in scenic surroundings, the rooms are great. The hotel is new which is nice, though be aware that the rooms are small and can only accommodate 2 people. Chris and I stayed during our east coast visit and really liked it.
While you could probably find more spacious digs by renting a loft or a hotel in LIC, this place would allow you to not worry about cabs or transportation.

Read more about the hotel from these links:

New York Magazine Hotel LIstings

yelp.com reviews

Trip Advisor

And for more about the neighborhood, ask us! It's our past and future home, and we are happy to answer any questions.
My favorite neighborhood website: FreeWIlliamsburg
It has countless restaurant and bar listings.

The Neighborhood

I started a map of Williamsburg to get people oriented for the wedding. I will update it with all of our favorite bars, restaurants, wedding location and accommodation.
Have any suggestions about what to add? Let me know!
(click link below for full map & key)

View Wedding in Williamsburg in a larger map

you've got mail

i am addressing and mailing our 'save the dates' today!

getting dressed/inspiration

There have been many questions from everyone about what to wear and Chris and I have been defaulting to "dress for a cocktail party" and "something that makes you want to dance and feel great".
But since we've been throwing the word "cocktail party" around so much, i started to wonder- what exactly is a cocktail dress?
So I did some research.

The simplest definition came from 'fashion.about.com':
Cocktail Attire means short, elegant dresses for her and dark suits for him.

Wikipedia gets a little more specific about hemlines:
A cocktail dress or cocktail gown is a woman's dress worn at cocktail parties, and semi-formal occasions.
The length of cocktail dresses varies depending on fashion and local custom. The length ranges from just above the knee to touching the ankle. When it is about 5 cm (2 inches) above the ankle it is called tea length and when it is almost touching the ankle it is called ballerina length, although ballerina length dresses usually fall into the evening gown category.

And there is a fun 'history of cocktail dresses' slideshow on the new york magazine website here:
The History of the Cocktail Dress

If you're stuck here is some inspiration:
(click on photo to enlarge)

little black numbers from jcrew.com


bold colors from net-a-porter.com


some crazy 1960's dresses:

Visiting Brooklyn in August

Some exciting news. Chris and Sarah will be in nyc the weekend of August 8th...and it looks like our parents will be too! All of them!

Some things we hope to accomplish that weekend:
+ book hair and make up places
+ nail down decorations and florists
+ plan ceremony (like "blocking" in theatre)
+ figure out procession route from hotel to Pete's
+ meet with musician for ceremony

Probably more, hopefully not too much less.
Let us know if you'll be in the area that weekend.

Lastly- color swatches going out in mail today!

much love!

SAVE THE DATE

Saturday October 3rd, 2009
6pm
Pete's Candy Store
Brooklyn, New York

final contenders for location

we've narrowed it down to Relish and Pete's Candy Store

Pete's Candy Store:





Relish Diner:




ETA-
we added a few more pictures...
hard to find good pictures for these places. (that show, for example, that relish is fairly pristine since they use it for film shoots all the time) but you can see that they definitely give out the vintage feel we were looking for. They also booth look really nice in the evening. Of course we'll be adding a lot- linens, flowers, etc. Atmospherically speaking, they booth provided really good bases to start from.

something to consider

Our ceremony will be outdoors. Maybe we should move the wedding to October 3rd so we could have warmer weather. It's something to consider.

travel dispatch from sarah

(photo by steph!)

Just got back from a whirlwind 6 days in Philly & Brooklyn. 

It was wonderful to see family & friends...visiting home always makes me feel overwhelmingly lucky.

some wedding planning highlights included:

- cupcake tasting with Tatiana. After 6 cupcakes, one coffee and one glass of milk it was officially decided that Baked in Red Hook, Brooklyn will be our baker. mmm. you have some very delicious frosting to look forward to. 

-dress shopping with mom & steph. tried on some very beautiful gowns. steph snapped one million pictures. hopefully i can use some of the details i saw as inspiration. 

-venue hunting with Steph & Aunt Rosemary, event planner extraordinaire. we did a lot of pavement pounding and i think we narrowed it down to two places. I am only slightly concerned about the weather in October but we are nothing if not risk takers! And whilst scoping out one venue I got a potential lead on a florist... (also sometime during this day Rosie bequeathed Steph with a new moniker: OP. that's right, Optimus Prime. i love it.)

After some terrible flight delays I arrived back at SFO in the wee hours of the morning. Chris V, my knight in shining armor, was there with a zipcar to rescue me. exhausted & happy to be home after such a busy week. looking forward for the next trip east (late july?) and hoping to bring my betrothed with me next time. 

meet steph

meet steph, sarah's MOH (that's bridal magazine speak for maid of honor). bff since 1999. very tough. probably dangerous. has out biked everyone i know. known to illustrate whales, boats, bunnies. likes to whale on drums. (hates puns) recently relocated from brooklyn to westport, ma. well versed in calming sarah's nerves before parties. (thank god)

meet matt

meet matt. best man. chris' big brother. as if being a harvard graduate could not possibly have been enough, he is also an expert banjo/guitar player, a master sailor, a highly awarded IBM employee, and a baker of delicious holiday pies. suprising that he didn't build the massachusetts house he lives in with his cool wife and three genius children.

meet jane

meet jane, bridesmaid. fabric artist. fashion warrior from the future. hails from the oregon, baltimore, texas, and california. often coconspirator in mayhem and debauchery. tiny and friendly but beware of whip-smart humor. you might be funny, but you're not jane-funny.

meet lamar

meet lamar. groomsman. little brother of sarah, though not in size. lover of sports, organization, and monogamy. prone to bombastic and hilarious acts of physical comedy. always the first to organize drinking games, he prefers the embarrassing performance oriented sort. also a fan of the friendly good-to-see-ya-back-pat. so beware. his hands weigh, like, 80 lbs or something.