Happy Holidays!

I'm on a hiatus for the holiday season - lots going on. We plan on visiting the 19th Century Club in Oak Park soon, but thier office hours are closed until January 5th... Hope everyone has a great holiday season!!

xoxo Jamie

19th Century Club

Here is the Club's front.

another place...

I want to check out 19th Century Club in Oak Park.... Can rent by the room or whole facility. I like the look - here are some pictures I have found online:

nothing new

i have no updates. i have made a GIANT list of possible chicagoland locations; going through and eliminating by tons of factors (too small, too far, etc..). One place I want to look at around here is CD&ME; I'm not totally sold on the idea of it but it could hold at least 225 people (think max is 250). It's pretty far "out there" and not a hotel for at least 6 miles - I'd like accomodations to be closer, and I am waiting to hear from them if they decorate for xmas. That would be a deal breaker if not! Here are a few pics from their website. I'm starting to lean towards making our guest list smaller to fit in KLM - the idea of a more intimate wedding (150 pp is still not small!!). We'll see!

square 1

so pretty much back to square one - we love the Lodge but unless we do some serious refining of the guest list and some mad trimming, it will not work. I think I needed JT to say that, but sometimes it's hard to hear when you like somewhere a lot? But he's probably right; ouch, that's hard to say too, ha! On a bright note, here's a nice pic from our engagement soiree when we got back from FLA at my future MIL's house - white star compliments of my 'rents

second appointment

tomorrow Josh & I have an appointment together for KLM so he can go see it. Should have some more information on Wednesday - - I hope to get some pictures from a wedding Emily (Josh's sister & my good friend) did make-up for on Saturday at the University Club in Chicago. It was UNBELIEVABLE (just from the pictures...). I will get them from her to post.

ahhh a break!

on a non-wedding note, I just finished my final project for my last class this semester (which is my FIRST semester of grad school). I have class tonight (shortened my professor promised!) and then I'm off for a month! whoo hoo! I hope to use this time to start my wedding planning, shop for xmas decorations after xmas (for the wedding), and get our apt ready for the Xmas walk that Josh has signed us up for on 12/21...

looking good!

I am happy to report I loved the KLM Lodge! I arrived just before 5pm last night to do a walk-thru; there was a wedding reception just about to begin (actually some guests had already arrived...) so I got to see it all set up. It was spectacular and just how I'd imagined! Josh wasn't able to go with me b/c he had to work late, but as soon as we can we will go back together, but I cannot imagine him not liking it :-) So it's looking like 12-12-09 at the Katherine Legge Memorial Lodge in Hinsdale! I wish I could have taken more pictures but I felt like I was intruding on the wedding and the host was rushing me around... next time.

winter wedding accessory

i have been reminded that i am planning on getting married in December, and it's cold, but that will not stop me from choosing a dress [like below] that may not "fit" with winter.. I have planned on getting a faux fur stole like <--- here :-)

my dress.... got $6,000 to give me?

ha! so just random searching - i LOVE this dress (of course I have not tried it on). Priscilla of Boston shows the models walking down the runway on their website. Just a little out of my price range, but it's ok to admire...

first visit to possible location

We are still swirling with ideas of where to hold our wedding reception (and possibly ceremony as well if it would work out). This is the first place we are going to look at on Saturday - it is the Katherine Legge Memorial Lodge in Hinsdale, IL. It has some fun history with both of our mothers, as it used to be a "women's retreat" and they remember going there as young girls. I like the significance :-)