We've got an officiant

JC & I decided to have a civil ceremony for our wedding so we've been searching for officiants in the Stonington area. Connecticut laws state that we can only get our license in Stonington, and Justices of the Peace are elected in Connecticut, so we had a short list to interview. Fortunately, Chaz Zezulka was on the top of that list.

To open our first phone conversation, Chaz told me that he'd met me a few years ago at a David Copperfield show at Foxwoods. Apparently we go way back! He also asked me close to a million questions that I didn't have answers to, making me acutely aware of how little JC & I have planned for this part of our wedding. I guess we thought we'd show up, a little man would say "Man and Wife", and then we'd have food, friends, and fun!

(Chaz actually mentioned that he doesn't say "Man and Wife," he says "Husband and Wife" because, really, how archaic is that?)

Clearly JC & I have some more planning to do but we can breathe a sigh of relief now because Chaz has performed hundreds of ceremonies and is more than happy to help us along the way. He's pretty fun, too, which should make for a more interesting ceremony. Doesn't he look fun??

Finalizing the Menu

I spent 2 1/2 hours last night on the phone w/ Anna, our caterer, finalizing the wedding menu. (Ok, we actually only discussed the menu w/ JC for one hour and then Anna and I chatted about anything and everything for the next 90 minutes...honestly, I love her! My new best friend...)

JC & I had a lot of input into our menu (shocker) since the food is so important to us. I'll leave most of it for a surprise, but expect classic JC & E: Fresh. Local. Seasonal. Delicious. I'm talking fresh off the boat New England seafood (lobster, crab, scallops), local farm cheeses (Cato Corner Farm), artisan breads (no, I'm not letting JC bake the bread because I don't want to be sneezing for our whole wedding), and late summer seasonal fruits and vegetables. My mouth is already watering!

Connecticut's hottest dj

I can't believe we actually did this, but we booked our dj without even talking to him, let alone hearing/seeing his work.

For 2 people as obsessed w/ data and research as JC & I, to not even interview or research another "music" option for our wedding seems crazy at best, scary at worst. The music is half the party! JC & I both hate the traditional "wedding songs" and we have different taste in music so I was concerned that this would be one of our toughest decisions. Nope.

Every vendor we've spoken to in CT has referred us to the same person: DJ Doug Jastremski of Power Posse Productions (yes, that is actually the name...apparently he started the company when he was 14 with a boombox and some cassette tapes he recorded off the radio). Caterers, florists, photographers...everyone knows DJ Doug. In small towns like Mystic and Stonington, people in the same industry (Weddings) have probably worked with everyone else at one time or another. They are really quick and happy to give referrals and let you know if they think another vendor would be a "good fit" for your personality and wedding style. During every vendor meeting we've had so far, when the subject of music came up the first and sometimes ONLY reference we got was, "Oh, you have to book DJ Doug." or "You should call Power Posse Productions as soon as possible." Really??

So last week I left a message for DJ Doug and got a prompt return call from Mia in his office (30 minutes on the phone and I find out Mia is Doug's wife). Surprisingly, they don't have a website or media package but apparently they only work off referrals, do no advertising, and are slammed with business. Doug did the Victoria's Secret fashion show after party, Kevin Bacon's 20th wedding anniversary (ha! 2 degrees of separation), a Rockefeller wedding, and a party for Justin Timberlake at 50 Cent's CT mansion, among other big names. They have a small staff of dj's and production people but fortunately, Doug was actually open for September 6 so Mia penciled us in and told me she'd send out a hard copy of their proposal. In the time it took to get the package, we were referred back to him by 3 more vendors. Time to make the call.

Ok, I literally just got off the phone with Doug and he's great. Done deal. Actually, I spent 45 minutes on the phone w/ Doug and then called Mia and I just got off the phone w/ her after another 45 minute conversation. I love these two! I feel completely confident that our wedding is going to be so much fun and you're all going to have the best time ever!

how to plan a wedding

thanks to planning and resources (various books, magazines, websites, direct vendor referrals, friends, family), and primarily due to Esther's diligence, we are well in to our wedding planning and have accomplished quite a bit.

we had another marathon day on saturday, but we've become better and better educated about the planning process. one thing that could potentially monkey wrench the whole deal would be: procrastination...especially when it comes to reception/ceremony venue, caterer, hotel/accomodations and music, probably in that order. But we are in very good shape, somewhat due to luck, but mostly due to the aforementioned diligence.

I admit, I may have gotten a little annoying in the car repeating 'that's so RANUNCULUS' over and over, but after 10hours of driving around, you get a little loopy. we giggled together a bit more amicably with an exchange of 'moops!...moors!...it was THE MOOPS!'.

We capped off the 12 hour day with a very nice early dinner with esther's cousin marsha...and a 2.5 hour drive home. I'll leave you with a couple snaps from the day. The first was a breakfast at 2PM and the second, looking through color palettes at a Connecticut florist.

The Caterer

We’ve made our decision and couldn’t be more excited! For anyone who’s ever been “entertained” by us, you probably recognize how important food is to both JC & I so we knew choosing a caterer would be the most difficult part of this process (yes, more important than even my dress!). I think if JC were left to his own devices he would actually attempt to cater our wedding himself. As it is, he’s already making all of the beer. I’m still not sure I’ve talked him out of bartending.

We interviewed the 3 local caterers (who’ve all worked weddings at Saltwater Farm) that the vineyard owner recommended. I had a looooooong phone conversation with each of them before scheduling the tastings. Here’s a little bit of advice: don’t plan 3-course dinner tastings the days before AND after Thanksgiving. I also don’t recommend a 9am dinner tasting, no matter how much you like filet mignon.

Anna, the owner of Gourmet Galley, was the first caterer I spoke to and was really great about fitting us into her schedule the afternoon before Thanksgiving, since JC & I were going to be in Connecticut. She worked w/ her chef to put together our menu on just 3 days notice. We met Anna and her chef at her house, where she has a full catering kitchen built on as an addition. Everything was amazing, but I think we didn’t realize how impressive it was until we had finished the other two tastings. The dishes were all obviously prepared to order for just JC & I, but the other two caterers actually tasted like “catered” food, rather than made-to-order restaurant fare.

It took almost two months (holidays and all) of going back and forth drafting menus and proposals, but we decided to go with Anna and Gourmet Galley because of the quality of the food, their approach to service, and willingness to work with us on the menu. JC has opinions (lots of opinions) about what we’d like to serve and how we’d like the food presented and Anna loves it. I’m really excited to work with her as we get closer to finalizing the menu and JC & I both feel completely comfortable letting her run our big day.

Next up: CAKE TASTING!

wedding beer(s)

We have the green light from Saltwater Farm and our caterer to serve my (our) beer at the wedding! For those of you who are not aware, I make, among other things, beer.

We'll go with three different styles for our special day to ensure adequate variety for our guests, #1 Esther's favorite belgian honey wheat (a sort of hybrid witbier),
#2 an american pale ale, which will essentially be a toned down version of my IPA (pictured...the carapils malt and heavy hand with the hops contribute to the mighty head retention)
#3 will be voted on by ...YOU

Since we've already chosen crisp and clean beers, the options for the third have a bit more of a malty and roasted character, but will still be quite 'drinkable'.

So, click on this link, to vote for your preferred style, and check back to see the vote results, the pictures of/details on the brewing, and eventually some sneak-peak tasting notes. You can also leave your email address, and I'll send you updates, if you like.

Cheers! JC+ E