Wedlam

Honeymoon on Ice!

I've finally finished posting and captioning our honeymoon pictures, at least the digital ones. (The digicam ran out of juice about halfway through and Jay took a roll of film which we'll scan 'n' post eventually.) Iceland was delightful—jaw-dropping scenery, pristine environment, fascinating history, easygoing people. I could go on and on, and in fact, I do: Take off to the great green north.

Pix!!!

Not the ones our hired photographer took (that'll be another few weeks, stay tuned), but those of some of our guests who were sweet enough to take them and post them online--thanks y'all!

Pearl's photos

(Note: these albums are posted on the Ofoto site; you'll need to register for a free account there to see them.)

Jessie's photos
David's photos
Amit's photos

lost & (hopefully) found

The following items were picked up around BSEC after the wedding. Can some guest claim them?
- Two small children's books, The Little Red Hen and The Tale of Benjamin Bunny
- One finger puppet, Minnie Mouse dressed in pink
- June 2004 issuse of Consultant, addressed to Assaf Yosha, who evidently saw the need to slip us some info about urinary incontinence, ingrown toenails and the like.

The following item was reported missing:
One Canon Digital Elph camera in a navy blue case

If you've found it, please let us know ASAP, Catherine would really like it back!

Vows, verbatim

For those of you who didn't get to hear what we said to each other, because Brooklyn's a noisy city and while Jay and I spoke from the heart, we neglected to speak from the diaphragm:

ANDREA: Jay, we've had some time to grow with each other and around each other, to learn one another's values, passions, quirks and ways of meeting the world. Our time as a couple has meant so very much to me, and I'm so happy that we're spending our lives together.

I promise to give you the best of myself that I can give, in the times when that's easy and also when it's not. I'll support you in any way I can, listen to you and share with you, work at understanding you and enjoy just being with you. As you said to me years ago at the start of another journey, we're partners.

JAY: We *have* had some time in which we've lived, grown, and learned together. In that time, we've made agreements with and promises to each other, some spoken and some unspoken. What I say now is not a new promise to you, but a confirmation of a commitment that has grown over time, and that will continue to grow.

Andrea, I join my life to yours, and I will devote all the energies I have to that joined life. I offer you my support and encouragement in all that you do and become. I will share your joys and your sorrows, and do my best to increase the former and diminish the latter. And I give you all my love.

The short walk home

Well, it's going to take a quite a while for me to fully process the extent of my joy and ecstatic happiness about yesterday. I have so many lovely memories, the highlight reel in my mind is already hopelessly overlong and I still can't stop adding footage. You may have noticed, if you keep an eye out for these things, that while at many points during the wedding my voice got choked up with emotion, I never really cried. This morning I made a run to the deli to pick up some suddenly needed Gatorade (Apparently one loses key salts and electrolytes dancing the night away with 84 of one's closest family and friends.) All up the way to Seventh Avenue, every crevice of the sidewalk was filled with gingersnap rose petals. I bawled to put seven babies and toddlers to shame. Thank you all so, so much, I don't know if I can ever thank you enough.

Our so-called dresscode

This is an outdoor/indoor, garden party style wedding, so dress to be comfortable, dressy but not formal.

You should be prepared to be outside for the ceremony (if it doesn't rain), inside for the ceremony (if it does), outside for dinner (regardless - i.e. we'll be under a tent rain or shine) and inside for dancing (which will hopefully get pretty raucous). The indoor space is a small meeting hall with moderate, but probably not titanic, a.c.

Guys:
Jay will wear a suit and tie, and most guys will be in suits. Probably most will wear ties, but it will be quite acceptable to remove those as the evening goes on.

Gals:
No need for major evening wear. One caveat about the color of your outfit: Andrea will be wearing tones of peach and salmonish rose and the flowers will have a similar color range. She personally doesn't mind if your dress is a color in that range, but you may be mistaken for a bridesmaid! (In point of fact, we don't have a bridal, or groomal, party, though we do have many supportive family members and friends who have been so helpful and celebratory that we've hardly noticed the absence of attendants!)

Can't wait to see you all!

Well, finally.

After 16 years of friendship, over 13 years of courtship, long distance, short distance and life on two coasts, Andrea and Jay are getting married! And the best part is that we get to share the occasion with all of you! (That and Andrea getting a decent health plan ;))

Below is some information that we hope will answer the logistical questions you may have about the wedding. If you've got other questions (e.g., "Why now?" "Why there?" or "Who is this [Andrea/Jay] person, anyway?") or just want to talk, please e-mail andrea at panix dot com or call us at 718 832 7021. Or you could refer to the invite, which tells our story at length.

Thanks for your patience, and we can't wait to see you on the 27th!

Love,
Jay + Andrea

p.s. About those invites: They were created by Peter Arkle, one of our favorite illustrators and an all around good guy. If you want to read stories by Peter that are NOT about us, you can subscribe to his very entertaining personal newsletter, fittingly titled the Peter Arkle News. You can see examples of his work in the online magazine Flaneur.

p.p.s. Not that we were in doubt, but the RSVP cards we've received so far have confirmed that our family and friends have an enviable flair for adverbial phrases! Among the ways you filled in the "will_______attend" blank: "be happy to", "be delighted to", "be pleased as punch to", "gleefully (and hopefully not too noisily)", "most definitely", "absolutely", "enthusiastically", "of course" and our favorite, "Man-oh-man, can you bet your sweet bippy", that last ingeniously utilizing the M on the previous line.

This must be the place.

The wedding ceremony and reception will be held at The Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, which occupies a turn-of-the-century mansion and garden at the corner of 2nd Street and Prospect Park West in Park Slope, Brooklyn (map). The closest subways are the 2 or 3 train at Grand Army Plaza, the Q train at 7th Avenue and the F train at 7th Avenue/Park Slope.

BSEC is close to several wonderful Brooklyn attractions, including Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Grand Army Plaza. BSEC is also just 2 and 1/2 blocks from Jay and Andrea's home. We're taking advantage of this proximity by having a wedding walk--see the wedding day schedule below.

Sunday Sunday Sunday!

Wedding festivities will begin at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture at 4:30. At 4:00, Andrea and Jay and all who wish to join them will take the short, two-and-a-half block walk along 2nd Street from Andrea and Jay's apartment (at 420 2nd Street) to BSEC. Meet us on our stoop at 4, and strew flowers in our path as we go! (We mean that--we've got the rose petals and everything.)

The ceremony will start at 5:00, followed by cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, with dinner at around 7:00. Then we shall dine and dance well into the night, or to be exact, 'til 10:00.

Saturday night pizza party!

The night before the wedding, everyone is invited to join us at 8:00 for dinner and lots of introductions at John's Pizzeria at 260 West 44th Street (map). Take the subway to Times Square/42nd Street.

We'll be sending out an E-vite for this event soon, please let us know if you can make it.

hotels

There is one major hotel in Brooklyn, the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, but it isn't much of a bargain. Better deals can be found in Lower Manhattan. For example, some of Jay's folks are staying at Club Quarters Downtown, a business hotel in the financial district that offers reduced rates on weekends. You can also watch the web for cheap rates, especially in Midtown. Here's a page that often has good ones.

registry

Andrea and Jay are registered at Crate & Barrel, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Sur La Table, and (for local folks) at Matter, a design store at 227 Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn. For that registry, call Matter at 718 230 1150. All the others are online.

Plus, here are some things that we can't officially register for, but that we'd love to get:

- Donations to Prospect Park or The Brooklyn Public Library
- Memberships in the BAM Cinema Club
- Courses at the Institute of Culinary Education
- Prints from former New Yorker (and wedding guest!) Lisa Gidley's Station to Station series of photos near subway stations (Two of Andrea's favorites: Flushing/Main St. on the 7 line and Beach 67th on the A line)
- A drawing by Gary Panter