Lots of little things.....

With the wedding only 35 days away, we have been checking a lot of the little things off our list.

We have yarmulkes, place cards, place card holders, cocktail napkins, a runner, favors, and hospitality baskets (we will soon buy the contents).

We are working on our song lists (for ceremony and reception), program and transportation schedule for the buses on Saturday evening. Our rings will be picked up from Joel, our jeweler, when Karen is in FL on Tuesday for her (hopefully) last dress fitting. Michael is arranging for our dance lessons.

So much work, but it's all coming together!

Bridal Shower Weekend

This past weekend was the bridal shower in NJ, hosted by Karen's bridesmaids - Aimee, Janine and Etta. Karen did not know anything about the weekend other than there was a shower in NJ at some point in the weekend. Michael had arranged everything with the girls and the families, while keeping it all a secret from Karen!

We drove up on Friday morning and got to NJ earlier than expected. We checked in and bought a few of Karen's favorite cookies at Calandras in Fairfield. Then we picked up Nina and Cindy at the airport. Dinner on Friday was with a small family crowd - Beth and Michael, Nina and Cindy, Grandma Eve and the happy couple. We had good Italian food, which we can't find in NC.

On Saturday, Karen had some time with the girls. Aimee, Janine and Karen got their nails done, had lunch and walked around Montclair while Michael drove Nina and Cindy to shopping and picked up good friends from NC, Landa and Missy, at the airport. Karen thought the shower was on Saturday and spent most of the day thinking it was coming next. When Aimee and Janine dropped Karen off at 3 and said be dressed up and ready to leave with Michael at 4, Karen thought the shower was coming next. Nope!

So for dinner on Saturday a small group of adventurous eaters (Nina, Cindy, Karen and Michael) went into the city (Manhattan) to have dinner at Tau, which was amazing. It's an Asian fusion place on 58th, near the Plaza and 4Seasons. The food and mixed drinks were spectactular and we had to be rolled out the door!! Unfortunately there were no sightings of Beyonce or Jay-Z, who have been known to frequent Tau.

Saturday evening, Aimee, Janine, Etta and Karen had drinks together. This meant there was drinking Friday with dinner, Saturday with lunch, Saturday before dinner and at dinner, and Saturday evening after dinner!!! Yikes!

Sunday morning we got bagels because Karen can't go to NJ and NOT get a bagel. Then Michael and Karen hung out a bit before Karen ended up taking a nap. Of course, during this time Michael was shuttling guests from the hotel to the shower! At about noon, Michael woke up Karen and brought her to the shower, which was in a Chinese restaurant in Denville. There was a dining room that was closed off for just our group. Michael went bowling with his Uncle Joel and cousin Paul during the shower.

The shower provided an opportunity for all friends and family to meet and mingle. We had guests from CT, FL, NY, VA, MA and of course NJ. The shower was run perfectly! Guests ate great food and then participated in party games. The first game was a Q&A. Karen had to answer questions about Michael and she knew most of the answers! For each correct answer, Karen got a gift card to Bed, Bath and Beyond. Michael and Aimee had previously met up and recorded video responses of Michael's answers, which were played one at a time as Karen answered each question.

The second game was a team effort. Karen's 3 mother figures in the room (Beth, Nina and Landa) had to choose teams and build a dream wedding dress using just toilet paper. Everyone had a good time with this. After the games, Karen opened gifts. Thank you so much to everyone who planned or attended the event. It was absolutely spectacular! We look forward to seeing friends and family in 39 days in Asheville.

A Busy Month

We've taken a few trips this month that have to do with the wedding. About a week and a half ago, we went to Asheville with our florists/friends from Ninth Street Flowers - Larry and Lea (pronounced Lee). We did tablescapes (putting linens, flowers, plates, silverware, etc. on the table). As a result, we now have our linens and flowers for all events!

Karen did the trial run for hair while in Asheville and LOVED the way Anthony styled it.

This last weekend, while Michael was taking a class in Durham, Karen went to Florida. A lot got accomplished, but of course, there are more dress fittings to be done. We now have our kiddush cup that we will use at the wedding and all family events to come. It was given to us as a gift by Cindy, who is Nina's best friend (Nina is Michael's mom).

Karen chose a veil and headpiece and figured out that the shoes she likes best work very well with the dress. Going into the dress shop with 3 pair of shoes, you would expect one would work!

Joel the Jeweler has Karen's engagement ring in order to make a mould for the wedding band, which will fit flat against the engagement ring.

We're having a great time working on the details of the weekend. Responses have been pouring in and the hotel log is reflective of everyone else's excitement for the weekend, as many people have been booking rooms.

When making travel plans, please remember that everyone attending the wedding receives a ticket to tour the Biltmore house. Be sure to set aside a few hours to tour it!

100 days out...

So we are officially 100 days away from the wedding. How did we celebrate this occasion, you ask? We decided to mail our invitations and go out for a sushi dinner!

(Yes, we know we're earlier than the standard 8 week protocol for invitations, but keep in mind that we have lots of teacher friends who will go away for a month at a time this summer!)

Here is a photo of us at the post office. It's totally corny and not really flattering for any of us in the picture, but a moment worth cherishing forever!

Caribbean, here we come!

We have a honeymoon! Our honeymoon is going to be in December since Karen gets a long vacation from school at that time. The bad news - none of you who filled out the survey of where we should go, won the $50,000 jackpot. We will be going on a two part vacation. The first part will be a 6 night stay at Excellence in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Michael is really excited because it's all you can eat and Karen is excited because there is a restaurant dedicated exclusively to lobster! We will be able to swim up to our VIP room!

The second part of the trip is a 7 night cruise that leaves from San Juan, Puerto Rico. We will travel to various islands, including Barbados, Dominica, St. Kitts, St. Croix and St. Thomas. We'll celebrate New Years on the cruise.

It was so surreal to be booking our trip under "Karen and Michael Pearlmutter!"

Our calligrapher has notified us that the envelopes are going to be ready this week. Now we just have to start stuffing the envelopes and they will be in your hands shortly! Our response card has lines where you'll need to mark how many are attending EACH event that weekend so we can get an accurate count for EACH venue/meal.

Michael has picked out a tux. It's powder blue with a frilly pirate shirt underneath. It will match Karen's blue feather dress. Just kidding! He did pick out a tux but we won't divulge anything about the dress or the tux yet.

We are in the process of looking for rings.

The menu has been established for the rehearsal, wedding and brunch. We're keeping it a secret but nobody will leave hungry or disappointed!

It's all coming together!

Last week we picked up our invitations at the stationery store and we are so pleased with them. It was the first time that we saw our names together in print other than on our contracts for vendors. It was pretty surreal and very exciting. Next step -envelopes will be going to the calligrapher later this week.

We spent this past weekend in Asheville with Nina (Michael's mom). We stayed at the newly opened Bohemian Hotel, just as we will the week of our wedding. The hotel had amazing guest rooms, complete with 21st century technology. The rooms not only have wireless internet (free) but a tech system that controls everything - internet, radio, room service, billing - on the television! The beds were super comfortable and the massages at the spa were heavenly. We really enjoyed the deep tub in our bathroom. The ballroom, where will we have Friday dinner and Sunday brunch, was magnificent. The hotel prides itself on personalized service. We knew most of the employees by name, they greeted us by name each time, and they were all so helpful. Their commitment to customer service was apparent. If you are reading this, Parker, thanks for everything!

Our food tastings at both the Biltmore and the Bohemian left us fat and happy! We knew the food would be delicious, but we were blown away! Remember that we're providing meals for Friday dinner, Saturday dinner and Sunday brunch. The Bohemian has an $8/day ($15/overnight) valet fee so please keep that in mind when traveling over for the Friday dinner and Sunday brunch.

Today we met with our florist and family friend from Ninth Street Flowers in Durham. The flowers will be absolutely beautiful!

Our next trip out to Asheville will be a lot of little details - choosing linens, hair trials, etc. Only 151 days to go...

Exciting times!

These are exciting times now that we're less than 6 months from our wedding day.

We have ordered our invitations! They should arrive at the shop in approximately two weeks. Judging by the proofs, the invitations will be spectacular.

We have also set up a weekend in April to go to Asheville. Michael, Nina and Karen (as well as our wedding planner, Gwenn) will be tasting food at both the Biltmore and the Bohemian. We have had a difficult time narrowing down the options, but you will be quite pleased with our decisions. No one will be hungry the weekend of the wedding!