Rehearsal Dinner, part 2

I received an email earlier today from Calvin's mom with some exciting news- the rehearsal dinner is booked!

You may recall from my earlier post that we have checked out a couple of places. Over Thanksgiving weekend, we went out to another wonderful dinner with Calvin's parents to Lola, (the new!) Iron Chef Michael Symon's flagship restaurant. Calvin and I had already been to Lolita and loved it, and we were really looking forward to visiting Lola.

Expectations were high. I've been to Lolita twice, and both times was thoroughly impressed by my meal. When Lola moved from Tremont (an area in Cleveland with lots of restaurants and galleries) across the river to E. 4th st. (by the House of Blues and other restaurants and nightlife; this is right downtown), Symon turned Lola into Lolita- a more casual, friendlier on the wallet version of Lola. But Lola is arguably the best restaurant in town, and Symon won "The Next Iron Chef" between the time that we made are reservation and actually ate our meal.

Sadly, I do not have pictures of our evening, as I left my camera at home and my cell phone is camera-free.

We were seated promptly at our table; at a neighboring booth was none other than Michael Ruhlman. Calvin's mom and I were discussing whether the chef himself would be working that night, but that question was quickly answered- he was. It turns out that Chef Symon spends a significant amount of time at each of his restaurants when they are open, and he tries to talk with every.single.person that sits at his tables. Yes, we did get to meet him(!) and talked with him briefly about having our rehearsal dinner at Lola. (Eeee! The teenage girl foodie in me is still really excited- this is the first celebrity I have ever really talked to!) Naturally, he thought it was a great idea.

After dinner, we met with the manager and saw the private dining room. Chic, modern, wonderful. The only question was whether it would be large enough. (At this point in time, we had decided it was either Lola or Lolita. Lola's dining room seats 30, and Lolita's, 45). We decided that only those directly involved (and their significant others- or parents, in the case of the flower girl and ring bearer) in the wedding would be invited to the rehearsal dinner- which leaves us at 27 for dinner. Given the close proximity of the restaurant to the hotel where guests will be staying, we figure that we can set up a time to meet guests at the bar after the rehearsal dinner.

So Lola it is.

And I am more than ecstatic about getting to taste some of the wonderfulness that comes out of that kitchen the night before I get married. (Holy cow! I'm getting married!)

Where are (did) you having your rehearsal dinner? Are (did) you including out of town guests, or restricting it to those involved in the wedding?

Fabulous Dresses

I want to share with you one of my favorite places to get dresses: Trashy Diva. Most of the dresses are silk, and are made in vintage styling and vintage inspired prints. The quality is excellent. Plus, it's based in New Orleans, which can still use any bit of help that it gets. But not to worry- if you aren't near NOLA, you can also order the dresses online. Some of my favorites:

Alexa Dress

Sweetheart Dress

1940s Dress- I tried on this one in the store, and it is amazing. If I'd had an excuse to by the dress at the time, I would have.

There are even some wedding dresses in the sale section (all are $200 or less!)

Amanda Dress

Obi 3 Dress

Where are some of your favorite places to get dresses?

Rehearsal Dinner, part 1

In thinking about the rehearsal dinner, Calvin and I knew a couple of things that we wanted: in the city, locally owned, and amazing food. We also knew that the numbers for the rehearsal dinner would be on the smaller side, since we are inviting only those involved in the wedding.

Fortunately for us, Cleveland's local restaurant scene is absolutely amazing- it is in my mind one of the best things about the city. Unfortunately for us, that means there are lots of good options, which means that we had to go out to dinner to a number of them. Darn. But you do what you have to do for the sake of wedding planning. :-D

Our first stop was Jac's, located in the Warehouse district. The location is great, especially since it is only a couple of blocks away from the hotel where many members of the bridal party will be staying. A fairly new restaurant, it serves Mediterranean cuisine. Reviews of the food were good, although reviews of the service was mixed. So we decided to check it out.

Photo of Jac's

And while the food was good, service was absolutely abysmal. I worked as a server in college, so I understand when things are outside of the control of the server, but this was the worst service I have ever experienced anywhere, especially since the restaurant was mostly empty. Needless to say, we did not want to hold the rehearsal dinner there.

The next place we checked out was Fahrenheit. Located in Tremont (an area known for its art galleries and amazing restaurants), it has received excellent reviews.

Photo of Fahrenheit

The food was really good; I had the pumpkin ravioli, which was an excellent vegetarian dish. In this search for a good rehearsal dinner restaurant, it is important that there be at least one really good vegetarian option- the best man, after all, has to enjoy his meal. The atmosphere was nice, and the banquet room looked really good. Fahrenheit was definitely the frontrunner in the rehearsal dinner search, until this past weekend...

"I've got to get busy writing - busy, busy, busy!"

Image found here

Just like Professor Hinkle in Frosty the Snowman, I've got to get busy writing. We've got the final wording of our invitations to edit, as well Christmas cards to write and then address. I've got the added "benefit" of writing a final paper and grading as well. In addition, of course, to the non-writing tasks that lay before us, like shopping for presents, and taking care of miscellaneous wedding details, like ordering cardstock and envelopes. All in all it makes for a busy time for Calvin and I.

Now, my way of coping with all of these thins to do is to make endless lists of all of the tasks I need to do. I have post-it notes on my computer, a to-do list in my planner, and various notes to myself placed in strategic locations so I don't forget to do the things I need to do. The lists are for everything- the wedding things we need to take care of, the specifics of how much of what wedding related things we need, what assignments I have due and when I plan to work on them, what things around the house I need to take care of before this weekend, and what I need to pack in my suitcase when I leave in a couple of hours to go back to Cleveland. What can I say? I am a list maker.

Now, I know that not everyone makes lists for every.single.little.detail, so I'm really curious to hear about your organizational strategy. How are you staying organized with all of the responsibilities that are present at this time of year?

Weekend away

Things have been pretty hectic for Calvin and I over the past couple of weeks. Not only are the holidays quickly approaching, but so is the end of the semester- for me and my students. Which means that not only do I have papers to write, but I'm also spending quite a bit of time helping students with their papers, reading drafts and the like, before I find myself under a pile of papers to grade. Not to mention final exams.

Needless to say, between the school work, the impending holidays, and the busyness that is wedding planning (seriously, who knew that it would take so much time?), we haven't taken a whole lot of time for ourselves.

My parents suggested last week that we go up to their cottage on Lake Erie for the weekend. We could get away for a bit, and my parents could come up for Saturday afternoon for the game. (I may live in Michigan, but I bleed Scarlet and Gray. I always go back to my people for the game.)

My dad and I in Columbus last year for the game.

But the important thing was that Calvin and I really got a chance to spend some quality time together. Since the cottage lacks internet access, we didn't whittle away the time browsing the web, and instead talked, laughed, played games and explored the area. All the things that we really like to do, but haven't done recently because we have been so busy. We returned home yesterday afternoon feeling greatly revived, both individually and as a couple, and are ready to tackle all of the various things that need to be done between now and Christmas. Both of us agreed that we really needed this past weekend to reconnect and remember why we're getting married in the first place.

What are you doing to recuperate from wedding planning and all of the other stresses of life at this time of year?

Ken Blaze

I just had to share photographs of another wedding our photographer shot during the summer.

The wedding of Amanda and Thomas, as seen by Ken Blaze.

Welcome to...Cleveland?

How do you welcome out of town guests to cities or towns that are not, shall we say, tourist magnets? If we were getting married in New York, DC or Orlando, it would would pretty easy to recommend interesting things for people to do, and interesting places for them to go. But Cleveland? Not so much- or at least not as many obvious places.

Calvin and I spent a long time generating a Google map for our website highlighting some of our favorite places. Favorite places including restaurants like Fahrenheit, Paladar and Lolita (owned by Cleveland's very own Iron Chef, Michael Symon).

Michael Symon picture found here.
Museums like the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Rock Hall image from here.
And and other area attractions like the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Rainforest.


Cleveland Rainforest pictures found here and here.

But how else could we showcase our town? We've thought of doing some sort of out of town welcome bag or packet, but don't really want to invest too much time or money in doing that. What are you doing to excite out of town guests about the location of your wedding- especially if it is in a "less desirable" place? And anyone have other thoughts about tourist attractions in Cleveland?