The only hitch going in to the day… 100% chance of rain and 100% chance of cloud cover. We would like to thank anyone that crossed their fingers for good weather for us, because we didn’t see a drop of rain, and the sun was even shining during our vows (it tired to peak out a few other times too.) Our marriage must be meant to be!!!

Jamie looked stunning (of course) — I had high expectations (based on what she had told me), but they were exceeded! I’m told that I looked quite dapper, but… I was also told I was just a prop (but not by Jamie!)

We are looking forward to seeing everyone as soon as we can, and will hopefully have pictures to share in 3 weeks or so. (Our photographer, Robert and his assistant Christy, were absolutely amazing, so I’m sure the pictures will reflect that!).

Our wedding day was perfect! We are giddy with marital bliss!

… there is some fascinating material in there.

It continues to be a whirlwind of work and activity to pull everything together — And only a little more than 2 weeks to go!

I have decided to forsake the (rented) tuxedo in favor of nice black suit. The rentals don’t fit me (and my skinny body!) very well, and we didn’t like any of the rental places all that much. With that in mind, plus the fact we’re having an outdoor ceremony, and that I could use a nice suit, it seems like the best way to go. Now I get to go to a ‘fitting’, just like Jamie!

We have also chosen a musician for the ceremony — Antonio (Tony) has been very nice and accommodating for us, and our small ceremony.

• We bought our wedding rings awhile ago, and they should be in next week; Jamie’s will match her engagement ring exactly (they are a set.) Mine is a bit less flashy than hers …
• We chose a florist; again, it was tough to find someone willing to work with the size of our wedding and our budget, but we got a good deal, and what we were looking for in the end.
• Jamie had her 1st fitting for her dress last week! All I know is that it went well - I don’t want to know anything about it other than that!
• We have chosen our photographer (Robert, who we mentioned below) — We’re just waiting to receive the contract to make everything official.
• We are talking to a solo guitarist; he seems nice, and sounds good, so we’re just trying to work out the details. Poor Jamie got emailed from about 100 musicians after she put an ad on the Berklee website (thanks for the tip, Liane!) One option was a brass duo (or trio) — I think that would have been a bit overpowering for our event.
• I almost have a tux — it’s a bit confusing going through this process, as most of the stores aren’t very helpful (one wouldn’t even let me see it in person, or try it on, before paying for it!)

Still plenty of details to iron out, so we’ll be keeping busy for the next few weeks  still. That said, we have pretty set ideas of what we’re going to do, we’re mostly ironing out the details, and making final decisions.

In other news, the honeymoon is booked now! At least the flights, inter-island flights, hotels and cars — I’ll post another update with more details soon.

We have found a justice of the peace (also the Town Clerk!) — She also took care of our marriage license when we met her. It’s a little strange that we didn’t need to even show ID– We did need to confirm that we’re not blood relatives (we’re not!) though.

• We are in the process of finalizing the contract with the wedding site; a little slow and confusing at times, especially since our event is different than what they typically host, but I think we’ve cleared up all the confusion now.
• We have (pretty much) chosen our photographer: Robert Mirani, his work looks great, he is very nice, and has been very flexible and accommodating to us — He also seems quite interested to capture our wedding! Robert has been, far and away, the most professional vendor we have worked with. Thanks, Robert!
• Jamie has a “finalist” for the music at the ceremony; he is even making a recording for us of some wedding music, so we can hear his exact rendition. That’s good service!
• Best of all, we found a wedding cake baker! I Dream of Jeanne Cakes was nice and tasty. We had a few too many pounds of butter-cream during our tasting though… We didn’t feel too well afterwards! Jeanne makes great looking and tasting cakes.

ill plenty of decisions to make!

A few major items accomplished:

• Flight is booked — 1 stop through Chicago — just under a 9hr flight to HNL! Maybe we can finagle our way into 1st class?
• Kauai hotel booked — Thank you Hotwire! The Grand Hyatt looks awesome — It even has a waterslide! It is right on Poipu Beach, recommended by a few people.
• Flight to Kauai for Maui is booked — Thankfully Aloha Air has direct flights (Hawaiian Air does not), so it’s only a 20 minute flight. We don’t actually have a way of getting to Maui yet, but, we’re working on that!

Next on the list:

• Choose a hotel on Oahu — The newly renovated Hilton looks nice, and has good rates right now.
• Decide how we are getting to Maui — There is a new ’super ferry’ service  that just started running that looks promising — but it leaves at 6:30am and takes 3 hours.  The flight would be cheaper, quicker and leave later… but the ferry ride could be an event unto itself.
• Choose a hotel in Maui — Hoping for some good finds on Priceline or Hotwire again; I am looking mostly at the (highly recommend by all!) Ka’anapali Beach area.

Once the logistics are done, we can focus on what we’ll actually do while we’re there — I can’t believe it’s only 6 weeks until the wedding (and the honeymoon) !

• We’re going to Hawaii
• We are going October 12-22nd
• (Almost) decided I will book it all myself; I guess I just like to be in control!

Well, I’m 99% sure on the dates (I’d love to squeeze an extra day in!)

We’re also pretty sure on the islands we want to go to:

• Oahu:
  • I would hate to come all this way and miss Pearl Harbor and at least see Waikiki Beach
  • We were considering stopping over in LA/SF/SD for a day or two — but why not adjust in Hawaii instead?!
  • It’s (slightly) easier to fly into — Who knew you could fly directly from CA/AZ directly to most of the islands (not me, apparently!)

• Maui:
  • Still plenty to do
  • Lots of nice beaches
  • A mellower and more romantic place than most of Oahu
  • Maybe I’ll run into my old neighbors Ari and Dave! (OK; this is pretty low on my list [no offense, Ari and Dave!])

• Kauai:
  • I’ve been told by many people this is the most romantic of all the islands
  • It’s the ‘garden’ isle — I love the greenery and waterfalls and all that great stuff!
  • It’s not TOO rustic (it’s our honeymoon, not Survivor)

What about Big Island?? Kilauea?? Volcanoes?? Lava?? It’s not looking like it fits in with our plans — I don’t want to try to do too much on the honeymoon, and tire us out — I guess we’ll have to come back again. (I really just want to see the Lava!) — Plus Paul tells me this is his favorite island! Sometimes, hard decisions have to be made …

Now, where to stay? We’re trying to find one ‘upscale’ place to stay, but a lot of the prices are sky-high (even in October) — But it seems like there are some deals to be found. I can’t really stomach doing Priceline or Hotwire for a hotel room on this trip, maybe there will be some deals as we get closer, and we can make some changes. There is a local chain called ResortQuest; they seem to vary a lot, but a few seem to be pretty nice and in our budget. I am also looking through vrbo.org, which lists thousands of condos for rent (thanks for the tip Nate!)

To be continued …

We thought we would give everyone an update on our wedding plans. We have decided to have a small, private ceremony near Boston. The official date is October 10, 2007. Yes, quick we know but we are planning an outdoor ceremony and I’m sure you all know that in New England, October is about as late as you can go! We will be getting married at Misselwood Mansion at Endicott College. The ceremony will be held outside on their grounds, overlooking the ocean.

We have asked our two close friends, Paul and Liane Silevitch, to be there for the wedding. Paul and Liane were there the first day that we met and even encouraged us to go on our first date! After the wedding, we will then be heading off to Hawaii for our honeymoon from Oct 12th to Oct 22nd!

Below are some pictures of our wedding site, so that you can all be a part of the wedding plans. When we see everyone next, we will be the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Bill Slack!

Love,
Bill and Jamie

I have a little catching up to do at this point, so there will be a flurry of posts coming; especially some with pictures. I’m writing on my laptop right now, so I don’t have very many images — but I do have the one that kicked-off the wedding (the ring, of course.)

More to come soon …