Save the Date

Well, Emily Post is probably rolling over in her grave right now...but, yes, I'm going to use this blog post as a save-the-date of sorts. Pat and I opted not to do save-the-dates because I felt lazy and broke and figured everyone knew the date. What I didn't really think about was how save-the-dates also give people the 411 on travel and lodging, which tons of people have been asking me about. D'oh!

So, anyway, here's the scoop.

First, our wedding Web site, which has the venue addresses and ceremony and reception times.

Travel by Plane/Renting a Car

You can fly into Portland, ME, Manchester, NH (1.75 hrs), or Boston, MA (2 hrs). (Technically, you could also fly into Bangor, ME, but you probably won't want to.) Obviously, flying into Portland will get you closest to the wedding, but it is also probably the priciest option. You'll probably want to rent a car (and carpool), regardless, because the ceremony is in a small town that's about a 20-30 minute drive from Portland. If you opt not to rent a car, just let me know and we'll make sure you get where you need to be! I can definitely help coordinate carpooling.

Hotels

First, a helpful link: our Wedding Mapper. This map shows hotels, attractions, and restaurants in the area (and the airport), as well as the ceremony and reception locations. We only included the five hotels closest to the reception venue in the map: the Regency, Eastland Park, Portland Harbor, Hilton, and Holiday Inn. All are in walking distance of the reception venue (though in fancy shoes, it might be a trek), so here are some details about each:

Regency: Pretty pricey, but it is literally across the street from the reception venue. Across the very narrow, cobblestone street. It's also where Pat and I will be staying. We have rooms blocked there until April 13, so get 'em while they're hot.

Hilton: We also have rooms blocked there, mostly due to proximity, but it's kind of pricey.

Holiday Inn: Actually really nice and definitely the most affordable! I've stayed there before and I endorse it. They wouldn't let us block rooms, but I recommend them anyway.

Portland Harbor Hotel: I was at an event for work there once. Definitely very nice. Probably expensive.

Parking

Parking on the street in the Old Port, as in all cities, is a challenge. You'll probably want to go to the ceremony, park your car at your hotel, and then walk or get a cab to the reception. Or, if you choose to stay further out of town, here's a list of parking garages. I've also included 8 of the closest lots/garages on the map. Basically, though, if you just circle around the venue there are multiple garages within a couple of blocks. The closest is the garage at the Regency, which you can park at even if you aren't staying there.

First Dance Lesson Tonight!

ETA: I originally wrote and attempted to post this entry this morning but that clearly didn't work out, so now I have to add that we've had our first dance lesson! It was wicked fun! Our first dance is going to be a foxtrot. :)

I'll blog more generally about what I've been up to these days later, but for now I'm going to do an entirely wedding-centric post. A few things have happened in the last couple of weeks that have sent me into wedding overdrive and I'm just getting really excited. Still, I'm going to try to contain as much of my wedding gushing to this blog as possible so that I don't drive everyone nuts.

The things that have sent me into this wedding-obsessed state are: hitting the three-months-'til-wedding mark on March 13; being a bridesmaid in my friends Ian and Michelle's wedding (it was beautiful and I had so much fun!); and...picking up my wedding dress! I did that on March 8 and here's what Pat and I have been up to in terms of wedding planning since then:

• I selected and have started acquiring bridesmaid gifts. Details, of course, will have to remain a secret here.
• My tiara arrived in the mail--it's even prettier in person!
• I bought my foundation garments. A huge shout-out here to Kate, who was extremely patient during this process, and the Nordstrom's salesperson, who was super helpful.
• Pat and I signed up for dance lessons--our first one is tonight! We also just decided on our first dance song in the last month or so.
• Pat sent my engagement ring to the jeweler to be recoated. White gold is really an alloy of yellow gold and some other metals so it tends to yellow over time and has to occasionally be recoated. I really miss having it so I hope they send it back soon.
• We've also done some really unexciting things like following up with our baker (who has not returned my e-mail, much to my frustration); booking a hotel in Boston for the night after our wedding night; and making some decisions about favors and programs. Thrilling, I know, but it's just amazing to me that even when it's a boring or mundane little thing, we're now at the point where we are doing something wedding-related nearly everyday.

At this point, now that I've got my dress, tiara, and foundation garments, I've pretty much got everything for my "look:" dress, underthings, shoes, jewelry, tiara. I do still need to sort out the whole "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" thing, but I'll get there. I also need to decide what I'm going to do with my hair and makeup.

Bulleted List

Quick recap of a good week:

• Received many wonderful things in the mail (and one textbook, not wonderful): necklace for wedding, rehearsal dinner shoes, GAP cardigan (in wild rose), beautiful birthday gift from Pat's mom, and an invitation to Michelle and Ian's wedding!
• Conducted official Sesame Street business, which made me feel really important.
• Got exciting loot at Half-Price Books, both in really good condition: a hardcover edition of Avalon High by Meg Cabot, so now I'm ready to stalk her at TLA, and the second book in Van Reid's Moosepath League series. The Van Reid books are hard to track down, so that was especially exciting.
• Had many good phone conversations with friends.
• Got lots of wedding stuff done.
• Had a successful program at work (A New Year, A New You: Get Organized, 16 attendees).
  
• Actually made plans for next week's trip to Boston and those plans include seeing a BU/BC hockey game!
• And best of all, spent lots of QT with friends: Fiesta Bowl victory and frozen custard with Al and O on Monday; Labyrinth and pizza with blue cheese on it that I actually ate at the Mitschkes' on Tuesday; spicy peanut noodles and lots of conversation with Kate on Friday; and then today a very lucrative trip to San Antonio with Al and O (who were exceptionally gracious about me being the third wheel multiple times this week) followed by veggie chili and three episodes of Buffy with the ladies. I'm pleased to announced that I did enjoy Buffy and am now going to try to make it through the series. After I get caught up on BSG, that is.