The Carnegie Institute of Washington, DC

Just when DC seemed too expensive and no additional venues exist in our price point, The Carnegie Institute comes through!  With turn-of-the-century, exquisite architecture and a stunning rotunda, The Carnegie manages to impress and inspire, all within our budget. 
Tables and chairs are included, and pricing is a-la-cart for the venue.  You want the rotunda but not the auditorium? You can price it like that.  Or maybe you want the portico added on but not the board room?  They can do that too.  The staff is helpful, pleasant, and agreed to meet with us the same day I requested information.  We even ran into Ralph Nader.  Mike suggested I introduce myself as someone who actually voted for him (story for another time), but I chickened out.
Back to the venue.  It's gorgeous, in Dupont (an area of DC we frequent and live close to), and does not require shuttle buses, tents or anything extra.  They offer a 2 week courtesy hold, after which you can choose to make a deposit or cancel.  However, now Mike and I are wondering if a Memorial Day weekend wedding might be better for his grad-school schedule? At any rate, we are currently in love with The Carnegie Institute:

Only a few days left to help us win a $100K wedding!
VOTE FOR US! (and then tell your friends)

My old journal

I went looking for my old journal from high school, the other day, and flipped through the pages.  I was such an emotional teenager, I swear I don't know how my parents kept up with me.  All the time I thought was the one dealing with it alone.
At any rate, while thumbing through the pages I came across an entry entitled "Read at Wedding."  The date reads 1/29/2000, 10:24pm, while babysitting at the Saxtons.  (At this point, as a single girl, I wrote this as what I wanted from a "man.")

"I wonder how solid and definite I am when it come to certain topics.  There's love waiting somewhere and yet I don't know where.  I want it.  I want simple bliss and overwhelming euphoria.  I want my soul to long for that person.  I want a surge of excitement to flow through me when I see his face.  I want the comfort of knowing I can rely on him for anything.  I wan physical contact and sweet kisses.  I want to run into his arms and cry.  I want to roll down grassy hills and laugh 'til it hurts.  I want daisies for no reason and cards just because.  Most importantly, I want to feel wonderful and never second guess how loved I am, because with another to take me in every way I will be complete and devote and safe."

Looking back at that I feel silly knowing I wrote that.  Again, my teenage years were slightly emotional and dramatic. Still, it's not that far off.

Only a couple days left for us to potentially get into the top-50 and win a dream wedding!
VOTE FOR US!

My dream dress!

Mike, stop reading.
Even though I know you will not fully comprehend what I'm writing about (I'm not trying to downplay your intelligence - wait, Mike are you still reading this? Seriously. Turn away - I want to surprise you on TBD)

We may not have a venue, or even a date, but I know what I want in a dress and I found her!
I love fit-n-flare, love lace, love embroidery, love silk organza - and that is everything in Dylan.  I'm not one to spend hours making a decision, so it is very fitting that it only took me 5 stores to find My Dress.
When my sister, Marlo, visited we (with Kathryn and Diana) went to Hitched and Carine's in Georgetown, which all put me in dresses over my price point.  While this was a huge tease, it did also help me to see what works and what doesn't.  Ruching is hugely forgiving and flattering, lace is elegant but overpowering at times, and true-white brings out the blue tones in my skin and makes me look pasty.  From there we tried Priscilla's of Boston and David's Bridal.  At David's my sister forced me try on a poufy dress that make me look like a duck. It was horrible and funny all at the same time.  However the quality in David's fabrics leave a lot to be desired after looking at so many designer dresses.  Priscilla's of Boston had  my heart and just 3 days later I was back at their sample sale trying on every dress in the sale.
My bridesmaid Diana came, along with my work-wife, Julia. Diana picked out great dresses (and dresses that were a reach, but still good to try) while Julia helped me in and out of dress-poufiness.  Ladies, if you ever find yourself at a sample sale be prepared with the proper bra.  I'll spare you my bra-craziness.  I tried on Dylan first and liked her immediately but with 50 other dresses on sale, why stop there?  We kept going and trying and modeling and loosing my bra... then I saw a dress in my pile with eye-lit embroidery on silk organza, with a drop waist and huge potential. I squealed, "Oh, what about that one?! Have I tried that one yet?"  Turns out that was Dylan, the first dress I already tried.  I was admiring her on the hanger, which says a lot for some wedding dresses, and put her on again.  We took pictures and emailed them to my sister.  While waiting for a response we tried on other dresses. None compared to the unique quality of Dylan, which meets every detail I want in a dress.  I put on Dylan again and the consultant gave me a mesh face veil - perfect!  When I called my mom to tell her, I was nervous she might tell me not to buy it, since we never tried on dresses together.   We emailed her pictures and she loved it too.  At 75% off the discounted price, how could I go wrong?
As a sample Dylan needs minor work:  three buttons to replace (or move others around), a small snag which should relax with pressing/cleaning, a small tear in the small train (which can easily become another embroidered eye-lit), and the bow.  Good-lord the bow.  It's a saggy, ugly mess.  Not to mention it's a BOW.  I don't do bows.  I instead envision a feather and mesh accent with a black or navy rhinestone/gem center and a headpiece to match.  I plan on finding a seamstress that specializes in wedding dresses (already have one recommended and the name of the costume designer for The Kennedy Center in waiting too).  To cover my shoulders during the ceremony I envision a lace shrug -- all very vintage and elegant.
So, I've got my wedding dress!  How surreal!  Now Mike and I can elope in style... just kidding!
(no pictures, in-case Mike does read this...which he SHOULD NOT!)

Only ONE WEEK LEFT to get into the top 50 -- we're not far away.
Please vote for us to win a $100K wedding from Crate N Barrel. 
Blog it, post it, tweet it - pass it on and help us win!

What I want from a wedding...

Many people ask me what I want our big day to look like, and I honestly have no major desires, aside from friends, family and a good times.  However if you want me to get down to the nitty-gritty here are random thoughts of what I think is nice:
*a fun feel, nothing too fancy (but it's a wedding so no shorts or jeans, please!)
*definitely not black tie (prob no tuxes, more like suits for the guys)
*nothing stuffy or uppity because that's not who we are, we are relaxed
*no color scheme yet, but leaning towards: brown/turquoise or shades of purple
*I want blue shoes for my something blue
*If we can accent the wedding with a vintage vibe, that would be cool
*my flower girl (niece) might wear a tu-tu
*fish & fishbowls would make a fun centerpiece, with a few flowers around them
*I could care less what chairs or silverware  are used/look like
*Mike wants a band, I am leaning towards a DJ but am cool with the idea of a band
*the photographer is very important to me and is budgeted accordingly
*we don't have a huge budget, but considering DC is one of the most expensive places to get married, our budget is on the medium-high end for other places (just medium for DC)
*I'd like to have matchboxes with our names on them b/c I like taking them from others' weddings :)
*I want a chocolate cakes because that is my all-time favorite dessert
*the cake will have white icing still
*I have no idea about flowers, but I like daisies and peonies
*Paper lanterns make nice decorations
*a V-neckline with empire waist style of dress is flattering on all body types and one of my favorite styles, so I am leaning towards that for the girls, but am not opposed to having them all wear different styles at their comfort levels
*my girls (bridesmaids) will wear knee length dresses
*we will have a rehearsal & rehearsal dinner the night before
*the bachelor/bachelorette party will both be in DC and NOT immediately preceding the wedding

Ta-da!
We need over 650 votes to move on to the next round for the $100K wedding.  Only one week left!
VOTE FOR US, and pass it on, please!!!

Up

Last night Mike and I watched the Pixar flic Up.  Maybe this seemingly long week (on the brink of spring break) intensified my need for couch-time, or perhaps this head-cold brought out extra sappy emotions, or as the case may be Up just makes you cry.  I recall four separate times I cried.  Once I even full on, let go, cathartic-ally wept.  (I'll let Mike defend the few drops of moisture that crept out the crevice of his eyes.)
I struggle with the thought of older folks being alone, or even feeling alone.  Hell, I'm lying if I deny that personal loneliness scares me.  The first ten minutes of the film build up such strong character bonds between the couple, that when {SPOILER ALERT} Ellie dies, I found myself a mess.  When Shady Oaks came for Carl I felt so helpless for him, and surprise, cried.  Oddly, Russell expressing his desire for more attention from his dad (was his dad dead?) caused me to well up again.  Then towards the end when Carl finally lets the house go to stand simply as a structure, and not a vessel for memories, tears gushed from deep inside.
Mike turned to me, held me and so sweetly said, "I'm excited to grow old with you."  More tears.
The Beatles song "When I'm 64" came to mind and I sang a little bit, through tissue blown sobs.
I'm excited for our adventures as we embark on the rest of our lives together, but I'm never watching Up again unless I want to bawl.  It's going on my mental bookshelf next to The Story of Us and Stepmom (the movies I never watch again but enjoy just because they caused me to emote in some strong way).
Time for some Annie Hall.

"Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be"

-Robert Browning
















Oh, we still want to win that dream wedding, but need about 150 more VOTES!

Decatur House, revisited

After visiting The Arts Club and deciding the house's layout leaved a lot to be desired, we sped over to The Decatur House to check it out again.  You may recall my earlier post about the Decatur House, where we were not entirely in love with the back-and-forth idea of ceremony outside, cocktails inside, and dinner/dancing back outside.  Well The Arts Club makes that arrangement seem like a cake-walk!  Concerned they closed soon, we rushed in and announced that we must see the place again, this time without an open bar and cake samples.  The lady at the desk looked at us and said "sure."  They stay open until 4 for tours...no need to rush, but somehow we needed  to see Decatur House again.  It HAD to be better than The Arts Club!
It was, or rather, is a better deal than the broken up, multi-level historic house aforementioned. 

So here's a picture montage of the venue for your viewing pleasure.  While we were very excited about this place after seeing it again, the tent rental is the main drawback.  Sugar Plum Tent Company has the exclusive rights as the tent vendor for Decatur House, which is great because of the discount.  Did you know that tent rentals are ridiculously expensive?  And did you know that if you want the poles covered, or tent lined with pretty poofy stuff, or sparkly lights added - it costs a pretty penny, to boot?
While the rental cost of the actual space is reasonable, the required addition of the tent is $3,000.  Put together, Decatur House will cost the same to rent as The Women's Museum.    The Women's Museum holds more of my heart than The Decatur House.
Decatur House, you're a beauty, but you're out.

Untitled

Just as pubescent girl succumbs to the straps of her training-bra, seemingly so oddly placed and in need of constant adjustment, I too no longer notice 'it'.  I remember first trying to wear those things and how they just bothered me.  Why adorn this thing that stands as a derailment of my youth?  Now I no longer think twice and rather notice if 'it' is not there.
The same, sadly, happened with my ring.  (No, I  did not loose it.) 
The first time I tried on my engagement ring was magical.  I stared at it forever, so shiny.  I even wore  it over my glove (it needed to be sized), easily flashing my new favorite piece of jewelry to everyone who asked, or didn't. But honestly the band bothered me. Not the style, or color, or any aesthetic detail, rather it stuck out as a new object I needed to get accustomed to wearing.  The thickness oddly rubbed between my fingers and my mind was always on the fact that it was there.  Someone told me that 4 prong rings hold diamonds less perfectly than 6 prongs.  I then became obsessed with checking to make sure the diamond was still there, that the prongs still held my precious.
Now, twice, I looked down at my left hand to make sure the sparkle remained and it winked back at me.  I expected not to see it.  I felt like it was gone, but it was there.  My hand, body, and mind accept this once foreign object as a permanent resident.  Instead of second guessing it fell off, I know my ring, my symbol of betrothal, I know it's there.
However, I now notice when I take it off, if I take it off.  My hand, body, and mind expect this ring to remain on my hand.  I feel naked without it.
I look forward to putting on a wedding band and the feeling of newness and adjustment.  Mostly, I look forward to never taking it off and noticing when I do.  I anticipate the feeling of knowing those symbols stand for my commitment to Mike and our bond of togetherness, forever.  I love it, just as I love Mike.

Now pass along this link and vote for us to win a $100K wedding!
A few more venue posts to come, after this weekend of dress hunting with my sister!