Tom and Amy's Wedding

Did you see the rotating banner graphic I put at the top of the site? That's the Spinnaker Restaurant, where we're having our reception. Gorgeous, isn't it?

I've been really behind on updating the blog. It's not because I don't have anything to say, more that I'm so busy I run out of steam by the end of the day. Here's a quick update on where we are so far:

Ceremony and Reception site - done long time ago!
Dress - ordered (see scary story below!)
Official Wedding Website - continuously updated (see sidebar list for the link)
Hotel Block & Airline Discount - reserved (see previous posts or the wedding website for more info)
DJ - verbal agreement, waiting on the contract
Save the Dates - mailed out

FOCCUS "test" - we met with Fr. D'Angelo a couple weeks ago and we only had a few areas where we didn't agree with each other or with the "preferred" answer. I think we're supposed to meet with him again soon... I should call and find out...
Photographer - verbal agreement today, Tom is meeting with him tomorrow
Rehearsal Dinner - while it's not officially on my plate (Danna's hosting it), we have booked the restaurant!
Engaged Encounter Weekend - this is required to get married in the Church. We could either go on a weeknight for 5 weeks (not feasible with Tom's work schedule) or one weekend. We're scheduled to go May 19-21 in San Juan Bautista.
Honeymoon & Registry - next on the list, working on getting them locked up in April.
Flowers - lots of ideas, nothing finalized yet
Bridesmaid dresses - still figuring out who likes what, I really want to get this item crossed off soon
Cake - we have a few leads, looking forward to some tastings!
Gym - I haven't been good about going. Too much work, overwork by my trainer when I do go, and I'm not feeling well at the moment. Only 5 months to go so I better get a move on!
Anything else not mentioned - not on my radar!

Scary wedding dress story
I'm really glad that 1. nobody was hurt! 2. I wasn't in trying on dresses that day, and 3. my dress isn't in yet to get damaged!

Ooh, we got a few more responses to the poll. Please vote for everyone in your group. If we don't hear very many responses we may just cancel the idea of the shuttle bus, so please help us out by letting us know your plans.

This is one of the most important decisions we need to make for the wedding. After all, the photos are the only thing that remains after the ceremony and the party are over.

Sunday we went to San Francisco to interview a photographer we met at the San Francisco bridal fair the other weekend. I should have known when he told us that he customizes packages for each couple that he would be spendy - especially since his images are just gorgeous. When we got to his house - nice big one in the hills in San Francisco, we were getting the clue. But when we were seated in front of his HD widescreen monitor to watch a slide show, complete with music, and he told us he was the "photographer of choice for Grace Cathedral" it was obvious he was setting us up for the big $$. The prices really aren't astronomical, but his most reasonable package for us was still $1k more than we can spend, and we wouldn't be getting any negatives :(

So I've set up a couple more appointments this week with photographers who already provided their price list, so we know that we can afford them, and that also do beautiful work. Hopefully we can get that taken care of soon so it's one less thing to stress over. The closer we get to the wedding the more good photographers are booked up, and we're less than 6 months away!

We're off this weekend to Phoenix, to visit my good friend Vivian from grad school, who moved there a couple years ago. My other grad school friends Keelyn, Mike, and Will are joining us, and we'll be catching some rays and hopefully some fly balls at Spring Training. We're watching 3 games in 3 days, and going to dinner at the big hangout restaurant. Last year Tom's nephew Brandon was in the bathroom next to Bud Selig! I'll catch up when we get back.

We are considering renting a shuttle bus for the wedding day for our guests, taking you from the Maxwell Hotel to Holy Name Church on the other side of town, then across the Golden Gate Bridge to the Spinnaker Restaurant in Sausalito for the reception. We would have multiple departure times heading back to the Maxwell during and after the reception.

It is easy to get around San Francisco the rest of the weekend by taking public transportation, so you won't need to rent a car unless you plan to head out of town.

Please help us out by taking the poll on the right side of the page - vote once for everyone in your party. Thanks!

We've got the hotel and airline discounts locked in. You can get all the details on our "official" site: mcmullenandkay.weddings.com.

We have a 10% discount code through Alaska Airlines for everyone flying in. You need to fly into San Francisco (SFO) and use the discount code CMR8708 either on the website http://www.alaskaair.com/ or phone reservations at 800-ALASKA-AIR. There is a 3-day window around the dates of September 1 to SFO and September 4 home to allow flexibility in travel.

We have a room block reserved at The Maxwell Hotel under the McMullen/Kay Room Block. Built in 1908, the Maxwell is a stylish restored masterpiece with a Deco flair located in the heart of Union Square. The newly redesigned lobby and handsome guestrooms reflect the décor that is a timeless blend of theatrical and Art Deco influences. Max's on the Square Restaurant features New York deli-style cuisine. The Powell Street Cable Car line is one block away and travels to Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown and North Beach.

We have blocked 20 rooms at this location at a rate of $119 Standard (Q/Dbl/Dbl) $149 Executive Suite (K/Q), $159 Junior Suite (K/Q). Reserve by August 11, 2006 to guarantee these rates.

We are looking into transportation on the wedding day from the hotel to the church, then to the reception and back to the hotel. More information will be provided when we have the transportation reserved. Please let us know when you RSVP if you will be using the transportation we provide so we can reserve a vehicle large enough for everyone.