Wednesday, February 20, 2008

“At Last”

Christopher

Well, it looks like we’ve made it.  Our first song, Etta James “At Last” could not have been a more fitting title.  We were looking forward to last Thursday with so much anticipation it was almost painful.  The night before, I felt like a child waiting for Christmas morning.  Alison and I were both staying at the Hotel Providence, obviously in different rooms.  She had a suite on the second floor and I was in a king room on the seventh floor.  My room had a beautiful view looking down Matthewson Street towards the Providence Performing Arts Center.  At nightfall the PPAC lights came on, though a few of them had not lit.  The “NCE” on the left side of the sign was out, as if the city was giving me pre-wedding advice.  It read “PROVIDE---PROVIDENCE”.  I have been trying to keep that message in mind.
I could have never imagined how fast the next day would go by.  At 9:00 the morning of the wedding there was a camera man in my room filming shots of my groomsmen and I for the broadcast later on.  Then around 9:30 Sooozie Sundlin from East Greenwich Photo was in the room with her team and we did a photo shoot for about an hour.  That woman’s energy was endless!  She was in Alison’s room at 8:00 that morning and didn’t stop working until 8:00 that night.  Talk about a full shift!
Chuck from AAAirline Limousine gave my groomsmen and I a ride over to the Federal Reserve around 12:45.  That was when I started to get nervous.  The restaurant looked stunning.  Everything was in perfect place and ready to go.  Bob Burke, the owner of the Federal Reserve, came over to calm me down and it was instantly like he was one of the guys.  He entertained us with some funny stories and then taught us how to properly tie a bowtie.  I was not aware, but a man is not allowed to wear a bowtie unless he can tie said bowtie.  Then Stephen Passarelli, owner of “A Better Sound” played some classic “New Kids on the Block” and we really started loosening up.  Before I knew it there were guests filling the seats and sound checks being done.
The broadcast went perfectly, and to be honest with you, Alison looked so beautiful that I didn’t even notice the cameras.  NBC 10 did an unbelievable job of making sure that even though all of Southern New England was invited, the day remained our special day.  After our vows, things really started to speed up and have become kind of blurry in my memory.  It was fantastic to have all of our friends and family eating, drinking, and being merry together in such lavish fashion.  Everyone I have talked to had an unbelievable time and so did Alison and I. 
Even though this was a most unconventional wedding, it was amazing.  I cannot imagine it happening any other way.  Thank you so much to NBC 10, Kim Reis, Bob Burke, all of the sponsors and thank you New England.  I don’t think any of our guests will ever forget what they did on Valentines Day 2008, we sure won’t. 

Monday, February 11, 2008

3 days, 2 hours, 19 minutes and 35 seconds

Christopher

I am officially getting anxious.  The big day is right around the corner and the last minute details are being ironed out.  One of my groomsmen is beyond sick and sounds roughly the same as Bea Arthur.  Our flower girl isn’t feeling well either.  We may need to switch the champagne toast to Nyquil.  I hope they feel better by Thursday. 
Tonight we have our rehearsal at the Federal Reserve.  I can’t wait to see the restaurant decorated for the wedding.  It is such a gorgeous location, everyone will love it.  Alison still can’t stop talking about the menu.  All of our guests are going to have a great time. 
We visited the Hotel Providence on Friday night for a black tie dinner.  This was my first time in the hotel and the service was amazing.  I didn’t get a chance to see any of the guest rooms, but I am sure they are more than perfect.
This afternoon I am heading back to East Greenwich photo to pick up our signing board.  I have never seen one of these before, but they sound like an excellent idea.  Instead of having the guests sign a book, they sign the border around a large picture of Alison and I.  This way it is something we can keep displayed in our home to remember the day.  Also, they made a DVD of over one hundred pictures of Alison and I.  I get to see it today with music in the background for the first time.
Then I am off to Waldorf Tuxedo to pick up my suit.  I still can’t believe I get to keep my tuxedo!  Bob and Jeff Quirk have been excellent to me and the rest of my groomsmen.  I will definitely be using them again in the future.

It is time for me to get moving so I can get all of my errands done before tonight.

See you Thursday!
Christopher

Friday, February 08, 2008

Enjoy the Moment………

Alison

This is what everyone is telling me.

But………… I’m ready to get married!! 
I’m ready to walk down the isle!!

Our lives have been so exciting with all of the commercials on Channel 10, and the news articles.  We even get noticed on the streets or when we are having dinner out.  But, I am so excited for the day to be here.  I can’t wait to be surrounded by all our family and friends.  The anticipation of seeing Christopher standing at the end of the isle waiting for me to walk towards him is driving me crazy.

It’s less then a week away, and I can’t think of anything else.  I want to enjoy all of the choices that Southern New England picked for us.  See all the smiling faces.  Savor the wonderful menu.  Drink a little bubbly.  Dance the night away………

I feel like I’m 5 years old waiting for Christmas morning…….I just can’t wait.

But everyone is telling me to stop, and enjoy the moment……

It’s so hard but……..I’ll try.
 

Thursday, February 07, 2008

7 days, 2 hours, 19 minutes and 54 seconds

Christopher

Well, we are officially one week away.  The rings are in, the tuxes fit and the guests have RSVP’d.  Things are pretty crazy around our house this week.  I cannot imagine how things would be if we had to plan the entire wedding.  We have been going through our final meetings with all of the vendors.  You can definitely tell their levels of nuptial experience by the calmness in their voices.  Alison and I have never done this before and a certain level of nervousness is to be expected.  I think it hit me this weekend that I was actually getting married soon.  This didn’t bother me one bit.  I love Alison.  She is amazing.  I couldn’t marry anyone else.  I am not nervous about marrying her at all, but we are doing it in front of SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND!!!!  I then calmed myself down, rationalizing that I have been in front of the camrea quite a bit lately.  No need to be worked up........but wait.......I HAVE TO DANCE ON CAMERA!!!!!!  I have never been much of a dancer so the thought of doing this in front of not only our guests, but everyone in watching NBC 10 is a good cause for worry.  But I digress......
This afternoon Alison and I are going back to see Soozie Sundlin at East Greenwich Photo.  They have prepared a slide show of our childhood pictures so our guests can take a stroll down memory lane during the cocktail hour.  They have done such an amazing job with the engagement photos.  We even did an on location photo shoot in downtown Providence!  I think I like being a big shot.
Back to work for now, but Alison will check in with you tomorrow to let you know how things are on her end.

See you all soon,
Christopher

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

30 Days and Counting

Alison & Christopher

Time for the play-by-play for another week of our whirlwind wedding planning.  Within the last week we were able to get a few things accomplished but there is still a lot left.
Last week we went to Waldorf Tuxedo on Warwick Avenue to see what the boys would be wearing.  We met with Jeff Quirk, one of the owners, who was patient and hospitable.  He told us that his family has been in the Rhode Island tuxedo business for over 70 years.  Who can argue with that kind of experience?  The tuxedos were a beautiful Calvin Klein Super 100’s wool.  The groomsmen are going to look dangerously good.
First thing Saturday morning, we headed to East Providence to meet with Stephen Passarelli at his company, A Better Sound.  They had an extremely impressive showroom.  He took a lot of time to tell us about his company and his “A-List Clientele”.  He was very patient.  I cannot imagine a better DJ service to have at our ceremony and reception.
Later that day we went to Wedding Supplies Unlimited in Warwick.  Robin Columbo’s options for wedding odds and ends were truly unlimited.  We look forward to seeing the custom gift tags she ordered us for our favors.
Late Saturday afternoon we received a call from Pat at RSVP Stationary.  She had our invitations done, and a week before expected!!!!  I don’t know how they did it, but everything was flawless and the invites went out yesterday.

We will be checking back in shortly!

Alison and Christopher

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Flowers and Menu’s and DJ’s OH MY!

Alison and Christopher

Hello Everyone!
It is another hectic week in our pre-wedding lives.  We had the pleasure of seeing Golden Gate Studios on Monday evening.  Jay Lane and his wife did a beautiful job taking every idea we had and producing fantastic arrangements.  You wouldn’t expect such a large event florist to be based out of the storefront in Edgewood, but his experience speaks for itself.  He took the time to show us album after album of possibilities for our ceremony and reception.  We highly recommend visiting his store or website if you have an upcoming event or space that needs decorating.
Thursday we are going to Waldorf Tuxedo in Warwick.  We are anxious to see the tuxedo the viewers chose first hand.  All of the possibilities they chose for the competition were classic and stylish.
Then on Saturday morning we meet our DJ, Stephen Passarelli at A Better Sound.  We have been doing our homework the past few nights trying to figure out a playlist that will keep the mood an ambiance we want, but also get people on the dance floor.  NO CHICKEN DANCE!!!!!!!

Back to work we go!  Hope to hear from you soon!

Alison and Christopher

Friday, January 04, 2008

It’s Starting!!!!

Alison and Christopher

Happy New Year to all of the loyal NBC 10 viewers!
Our Holidays were great.  We really enjoyed spending time with our friends and family, but it is back to work now.  We are extremely excited with the selections you made for our wedding.  It is truely going to be an amazing day.  We still can’t believe this is happening to us!  This afternoon we have a meeting with the ladies over at RSVP Stationary in Cumberland.  They normally have alot more time to get the invitations ready for a celebration, but we are putting them down to the wire.  You wouldn’t know it by talking to them because they have been nothing but sweet and attentive and seem up to the challenge!
Tomorrow afternoon we are meeting with our wedding planners at the Federal Reserve.  It is a beautiful venue.  We are completely at ease knowing that they are taking care of every detail to make sure that our wedding day is flawless.  If you have never been to the restaurant, we highly recommend checking it out.  They also have a website with pictures of the location http://www.federalreserveri.com We can’t wait for our guests to have the Rhode Island Menu!!!
Tomorrow evening Alison gets to try on her dress for the first time.  The ladies at Alexandra’s are taking care of everything on extremely short notice.
Monday evening we are going to Golden Gate Studios in Cranston to see the floral arrangements.  How do they make the roses float like that?  We have some questions for them and look forward to seeing their studio as they come highly recommended.
What a weekend?!!!!
Thank you all for reading and log on next week and we’ll let everyone know how our busy wedding planning weekend went.

Thanks again for all of the votes!!

Alison and Chris

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Happy Holidays!!

Alison and Christopher

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and our wedding preparations are soon going to be in full swing. There are only six days left to choose from all of the excellent selections for our dream wedding! If you haven’t gone to vote yet, please do!! We need your help! Each time we log on, we are amazed by all of the beautiful choices our vendors have put forward. Just this morning we were in the studio at East Greenwich Photo with Soozie Sundlin having some of our engagement shots taken. What a great experience! Soozie and her staff were so warm and accommodating. They made us feel at ease from the second we stepped foot inside their store/studio on Main Street in East Greenwich.
We are anxiously anticipating the reveal of the wedding selections. One more week until the bride gets to see her gown for the first time!

Everyone we talk to has a lot of questions for us. The most popular is whether or not we mind not having a say in all of these decisions and our answer is a resounding HECK NO!!!! Before we won this wedding we could barely decide on a date, let alone the location, dress, tux, menu, photography, dj, limo, flowers, favors........It was mind boggling. Now we rest at ease knowing that our fate is in the hands of the loyal NBC 10 viewers and we are fine with that!

If anyone else has questions or suggestions for us, please do not hesitate to ask!!

Thanks again Channel 10 and thank you Southern New England, Happy Holidays.

Alison and Christopher