First Gift!

We got the call! The Bay called to tell us that our first registry gift had been purchased! How exciting!

Mini-Moon

Rob and I get along very well. We are not the kind of couple that bickers. In fact, we almost always agree on almost all things. A honeymoon destination, however, is not something we can agree upon. Cruise? Mexico? Mexican cruise? The possibilities, although not quite infinite, are plentiful enough that we are faced with the choice of too many choices.
We have managed to decide that the full-on honeymoon will be next year, sometime in the summer, most likely coinciding with a trip to visit our families in Ontario. In the meantime, it seemed so uneventful not to do something, go somewhere, so we have chosen a mini-moon: a 4 night stay at a relatively nearby location so we can bask in the delirium that is undoubtably going to be the result of all the planing, the dizziness of the day itself and the the days and days of visiting and parties.
So where are we going? I thought you'd never ask.
We will be spending 4 nights at the
BlackRock Oceanfront Resort
and we're very excited!

The Penguin Suit

So, being that the wedding is only 84 days away, the time has come for the guys to get in gear, literally.
Here's what wikipedia tells us:

In the spring of 1886, the Prince invited James Potter, a rich New Yorker and his wife, Cora Potter, to Sandringham House, his Norfolk hunting estate. When Potter asked the Prince's dinner dress recommendation, he sent Potter to Henry Poole & Co., in London. On returning to New York in 1886, Potter's dinner suit proved popular at the Tuxedo Park Club; the club men copied him, soon making it their informal dining uniform. The evening dress for men now popularly known as a tuxedo takes its name from Tuxedo Park, where it was said to have been worn for the first time in the United States, by Griswald Lorillard at the annual Autumn Ball of the Tuxedo Club founded by Pierre Lorillard IV, and thereafter became popular for formal dress in America. Legend dictates that it became known as the tuxedo when a fellow asked another at the Autumn Ball, "Why does that man's jacket not have coattails on it?" The other answered, "He is from Tuxedo Park." The first gentleman misinterpreted and told all of his friends that he saw a man wearing a jacket without coattails called a tuxedo, not from Tuxedo.[2]


But wow, are tuxedos ever confusing!

In brief, the traditional components are:

A jacket with silk facings (usually grosgrain or satin), called the dinner jacket
Trousers with silk braids matching the lapels
A black cummerbund or low-cut waistcoat
A white dress shirt with either a marcella (piqué cotton), stiff, or pleated front
A black silk bow tie
Black dress socks, usually silk
Black shoes in patent or highly polished leather, or patent leather court shoes

Jackets can be single or double breasted, pants can't have belt loops (what do you use? rainbow suspenders?), if there's no cumberbund there must be a vest, which can have a back, or not (!), shoes can be patent leather or velvet and are referred to as opera pumps ... the list goes on ...there are as many exceptions as there are rules.

Maybe suits will be easier ...

Ruby Tuesday

I've had the song Ruby Tuesday stuck in my head all day so I figured I'd better just go with the flow ...

Setting the table

It makes sense when putting together the elements of an event like a wedding that you want your guests to be comfortable because comfortable guests are happy guests, and happy guests don't leave right after dinner. I don't care if I flub my vows or lose my footing going down the aisle. I could even stand to dribble wine on my beloved dress (note to self: white wine only!), but I would be heartbroken if, after all these months of planning and organizing, everyone left early.
So following the logic that happy guests are also comfortable, we have made sure that the drinks will be flowing and the dinner will be delicious. Moreover, the room won't be too crowded and the chairs provided are remarkably comfortable. So what else is there to consider when making 100 or so people feel comfortable for an evening?
When I think of the last 4 weddings I have attended, one of the yet unmentioned things that always stick with me is the tables. As a guest you spend most of your time there or on the dance floor. Even if you get up and mingle, you inevitably end up pulling up a chair to a table even if it is not the one you were assigned to.
In this way, it makes sense to invest some time and thought into the aesthetics of the tables. Not only will they help carry through your colour scheme or theme, but they make pretty backdrops, and provide opportunities to be creative with decorating.
Here are some looks I'm liking that would look great in our black and white (with red) scheme: