Venues ups and downs

So in the last week, I've spent quite a few hours researching and calling various venues in which to hold our reception and maybe our ceremony too.

The options I looked at were:

-Glebe Community Centre - Cupola Dome and all
-> Booked for anything near our prefered times and they make you kick out your guests by 1am

-St. Brigids - they just didn't get back to me

-nor did the Legion

-nor did the Polish Combatants Hall

-SAW Gallery did get back to us and we were ready to book with them under a special provision that our event effectively fundraise for their awesome mandate
-> until we realised how tiny it is - it only seats 65 and my extended family is that big alone. My heart broke. And then broke again when I saw that their rate included all the AV equipment we could imagine.

Some other options:

- Museum of Nature on Argyle (seems pricey)
- Library and Archives Canada (seems more pricey)

And finally:

-Mac Hall at Bronson Centre
-> They are available for all our prospective dates - just waiting now on pictures being taken by a valliant friend. I'm pulling for this venue, especially in that it is right between Chinatown and all the awesome union hotels that we'd be recommending anyhow... Did I meantion that we could have the whole day and that it's only $50/hour... Here's hoping it looks alright.

More to come on the great ring search, on the possibility of using a honeymoon registry and on some fun and some nerdy ideas for the reception (big thanks to my coworker Linda for some great ideas)...

Need a Little Help from my Friends

I've never been one to thumb through bride magazines, the exception being when I was trying to help a couple of friends of mine when they were planning their weddings. So now I am a bit overwhelmed with all the options between venues, dresses, and rings. Do we want to go the traditional route or do we do do something a little more off-beat?

I'm already a little off-beat in that I don't like diamonds. We've been looking for engagement rings without diamonds and I didn't realize how challenging that would be. It's hard to find a precious gemstone ring without a few/several diamonds alongside. We like platinum but we also have discovered a likeness for palladium and cobalt. Most cobalt is mined in the Congo so cobalt is out, palladium or platinum it is then.

Brenden found the Scott Kay website and I like most of his "vintage style" engagement rings: http://www.scottkay.com/main.html. These designs are of the band so I can choose whichever gemstone I like. If anyone knows of any other designs that may suit, I would appreciate any recommendations.

All of my closest friends are far from me so I hope this blog allows us to share ideas and to get feedback. Hope to hear from you all.

Four days after the Question and the Answer.

Four days ago, Erin and I were hanging out and making gooey faces at each other and saying things that were too nice and it seemed like a good time, so I said what I had been thinking for a while that maybe 50 years wouldn't be enough and then... asked her to marry me. And... she said yes and I smiled and we cried and made out like teenagers.

Which brings me to this point, that after looking at rings and dresses and talking buffets and menus and venues and cities and relatives, we realised that we could not have a wedding as geeky as we are without teh nets being involved, and so this WedBlog was born.

It will be a good way to update people about things and get feedback etc. We are also pleased that we got such a sweet domain name for it. So, check back and as details become clearer, or at least in trying to clarify them, we'll post here. Erin and I will be posting from our own accounts and we'll add other interested parties with posting and modification permissions as time goes on.