I'm sure we'll have much more on this subject in the coming months, but we wanted to tell you about a couple things we've been working on, transportation-wise.
1. We are planning on providing a shuttle for everyone to travel from the hotels to the wedding site and back at the end of the night, so that people who so choose will not have to worry about driving. We're looking at a single coach bus that will make a few stops: one will definitely be at the Blue Bay Inn and we'll figure out the others as people book rooms at the hotels. Looping past all of the hotels would take a long time, so we're going to try to strategically choose the stops to serve as many people as possible while making the loop as short as possible. The shuttle will probably make two trips both for the pick-up and drop-off, so anyone can choose an early or late arrival/departure. Look for information about this on the RSVP card (when we send out the invitations).
2. For all of you who are based in New York City, you could think about taking the Seastreak ferry, which has a couple stops very close to the wedding site (we'll try to time a shuttle bus stop at the ferry terminal to bring you the rest of the way to the wedding). The problem is that it does not provide late-night return trips, so we're looking at the possibility of hiring a boat to ferry you all home at the end of the night - thus eliminating a hotel stay for you after the wedding. It would be a single trip at the end of the evening and would make a single stop somewhere in Manhattan (hopefully near a subway). I'm told the trip takes 30-45 minutes. We currently have no idea how much this would cost, so it may be prohibitively expensive, but we're hoping to find out more details soon. When we do have more information, we'll be better able to sketch out a plan for those who are interested.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Accommodation Update
It's now only 3.5 months until the wedding, so we hope all of you have already made reservations or are planning on making them soon. Remember that August is a very busy time of year on the Jersey Shore and you may have trouble finding accommodations if you wait too long. We've blocked off rooms at various hotels (see our previous post) to ensure rooms for you all, but remember that those rooms will go back to the general public 30-60 days before the wedding - make sure you take them before the end of June.
We described most of the accommodation options in our first post on this subject, so use that as a more detailed reference. Most of the rooms at the Blue Bay Inn are already taken, so you should move quickly if you'd like to stay there. As for the Holiday Inn, only yesterday did I realize that they didn't have our block in their records. Oops. That problem has now been fixed (please email me if you call them and they still don't know what you're talking about when you mention the Isani-Martin Wedding), and I'm sorry to anyone who called them previously. In addition to the places we've already mentioned, we forgot to tell you about the Molly Pitcher Inn:
Molly Pitcher Inn
88 Riverside Avenue, Red Bank, NJ
800.221.1372
http://www.mollypitcher-oysterpoint.com/mollypitcher/
This is a very nice hotel on the banks of the Navesink River - we even considered this as a site for the wedding. Though they don't offer room blocks or reduced rates for weddings not hosted in their hotel, the prices seem totally reasonable for the area ($180-$200 per night) and there is no two-night minimum. Red Bank has one of those cute downtown areas that are great for a leisurely stroll in a summer afternoon, and it's walking distance from the hotel. The Molly Pitcher Inn is slightly inland (though not as far as the Best Western in Hazlet); it would take maybe a 15 minute drive to get to the ocean, with another 10 minutes to get to Sandy Hook. NO 2-night minimum.
We described most of the accommodation options in our first post on this subject, so use that as a more detailed reference. Most of the rooms at the Blue Bay Inn are already taken, so you should move quickly if you'd like to stay there. As for the Holiday Inn, only yesterday did I realize that they didn't have our block in their records. Oops. That problem has now been fixed (please email me if you call them and they still don't know what you're talking about when you mention the Isani-Martin Wedding), and I'm sorry to anyone who called them previously. In addition to the places we've already mentioned, we forgot to tell you about the Molly Pitcher Inn:
Molly Pitcher Inn
88 Riverside Avenue, Red Bank, NJ
800.221.1372
http://www.mollypitcher-oysterpoint.com/mollypitcher/
This is a very nice hotel on the banks of the Navesink River - we even considered this as a site for the wedding. Though they don't offer room blocks or reduced rates for weddings not hosted in their hotel, the prices seem totally reasonable for the area ($180-$200 per night) and there is no two-night minimum. Red Bank has one of those cute downtown areas that are great for a leisurely stroll in a summer afternoon, and it's walking distance from the hotel. The Molly Pitcher Inn is slightly inland (though not as far as the Best Western in Hazlet); it would take maybe a 15 minute drive to get to the ocean, with another 10 minutes to get to Sandy Hook. NO 2-night minimum.
Directions to the wedding site.
Directions to the rehearsal dinner.
Directions to the brunch.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Accommodation Information
We worked hard to get a good list of accommodation options for the wedding weekend. A few notes before the actual places/descriptions:
- The NJ shore will be beautiful but BUSY! Beach-goers are going to be streaming in from NY, NJ, Philly, and the World, and all those people are going to want to take your hotel rooms. So please, book rooms ASAP. Better yet, book them yesterday, if you can.
- If you're driving in, beware of the traffic. Although Sandy Hook is 1hr 15min away from NYC, it can take hours on summer Fridays or Saturdays.
- Buyer beware~ because of the demand, many hotels (referring to hotels, B&Bs, motels, etc) require a 2-night stay. There are some options on our list that don't, but be sure to ask if you're planning on staying for only Saturday night. Also, make sure you understand their cancellation policies with regards to getting your deposit back.
- We'll get you more details about this later, but we're planning an event for Friday night for everyone in town. We may throw something together for Sunday morning too.
- For the wedding, we're planning on organizing a shuttle from the main accommodation locations so that everyone who so chooses can take full advantage of the open bar. We'll solidify this later, but if you find other accommodations you may need to get yourself to the wedding or one of the pickup sites on your own. None of the accommodations is within walking distance of the wedding site as it is at the tip of the "hook" of the national park.
- The rooms that we have blocked off for the wedding will generally be released 1 month before the wedding, at which point you will no longer get a break on the price. That said, we still recommend booking NOW if you can as none may be left in July.
- We know some of you still have to figure out details of vacations and can't book yet. If you book late and are having trouble, email or call us to see if we have anything up our sleeves.
Here is the actual list:
Blue Bay Inn
51 First Ave., Atlantic Highlands, NJ
732.708.9600
http://www.bluebayinn.com/
This small boutique hotel is located in Atlantic Highlands, about 8 minutes from Sandy Hook. We reserved rooms here, so mention our names. We visited this hotel and it looks great, with a nice restaurant right next door. The rooms range from $199 (a Deluxe Queen) to $229 (a Deluxe Double, with two double beds) with a complimentary continental breakfast. On their website, they have AAA discounts, so ask them if you can combine the AAA with the wedding rate to save more. 2-night minimum stay
Directions to the wedding site.
Directions to the rehearsal dinner.
Directions to the brunch.
Sandy Hook Cottage Bed & Breakfast
36 Route 36, Highlands, NJ
732.708.1923
http://www.sandyhookcottage.com/
We haven't visited this B&B, but it looks nice and it's very close to both the beach and the wedding site. It seems like you could probably walk/ride a bike to the beach if you wanted to; if not it's not even a five-minute drive. Since it's a B&B, we couldn't block off any rooms, but they do still have availability: 2 rooms for $219, 1 room for $299, and a suite for $299. This B&B is going to be within walking distance of some important locations for the wedding. 2-night minimum stay
Directions to the wedding site.
Directions to the rehearsal dinner.
Directions to the brunch.
Fairbanks Resort & Marina
344 Ocean Avenue, Sea Bright, NJ
732.842.8450
http://www.fairbanksresort.com/
The term "resort" is a little bit of an overstatement. It's essentially a motel, but it is a stone's throw away from the beach - you literally walk across the road and you're on the sand - and it has beautiful bay views from the rooms on the opposite side. It's also close to the wedding site and compared to some of the other options it's relatively cheap: $120 for a single Queen, $140 for a single King, $170 for a two-double bed, $190-210 for the "suites". They don't really block off rooms for weddings, so these rates are the public rates. We visited this place in person -the hotel is definitely worn and is not luxury by any means, but it has a clean bed to sleep on . So if the words "cheap" and "beach access" appeal to you, stay here; if you're looking for a real hotel, try something else. 2-night minimum stay
Directions to the wedding site.
Directions to the rehearsal dinner.
Directions to the brunch.
Best Western Hazlet Inn
3215 Highway 35, Hazlet, NJ
732.888.2800
http://www.bestwesternnewjersey.com/hotels/best-western-hazlet-inn/
Now we're getting farther away from the beach. We blocked off 15 rooms here, all of which have either a single double or a single king bed (no two-double rooms available, sorry). They are giving us a wedding rate of $110 (double or king, doesn't matter), but only if we book 10 or more rooms as a group; otherwise the rooms are $159. When you call to book a room, give them this code to identify the wedding: "CGRYAN". This hotel is in a commercial area (highway with strip malls) and is a 20-minute drive away from the beach (and thus the wedding site). If you don't mind driving and don't mind the lack of scenery, this is the cheapest option we could find. NO 2-night minimum
Directions to the wedding site.
Directions to the rehearsal dinner.
Directions to the brunch.
Holiday Inn Express
294 Highway 36 East, West Long Branch, NJ
732.542.1234
http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel-directory/new-jersey/west-long-branch
This hotel seems fairly new. We blocked off rooms here, too, so mention our wedding to get the rate of $179 for the rooms with 2 double beds or $199 for the 2-room suites. The location of this hotel is fairly close to the Long Branch beaches (a 10-minute drive), but it's farther south than the other options above; it would take probably 25 minutes to drive to Sandy Hook. It's also on a busy highway. There is probably a complimentary continental breakfast. NO 2-night minimum stay
Directions to the wedding site.
Directions to the rehearsal dinner.
Directions to the brunch.
Ocean Place
1 Ocean Blvd, Long Branch, NJ
800.411.7321
http://www.oceanplaceresort.com/
This place is too spendy for us, but we mention it for all you high rollers out there. Ocean Place is a nice hotel/spa that is literally on the beach - no walking across the street required. The rooms are also upwards of $400 per night (no wedding discount). It is right next door to a mid-to-high-end shopping area with a number of good restaurants. It is a 10-15 minute drive from Sandy Hook. 2-night minimum
Directions to the wedding site.
Directions to the rehearsal dinner.
Directions to the brunch.
If we find any other good options, we'll update this post. There is a smattering of other B&Bs, motels, and far-away hotels in the general area, but these are your best bets. We're hoping that everyone will be concentrated in a couple of these places - to enjoy the communal atmosphere of a wedding weekend - so organize with your friends. And if you're having trouble or need further advice, please feel free to get in touch with us - we know the area much better now than we ever expected to.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Believe it or not, we're actually going to have a wedding
Well, it's now been almost 10 months since we became engaged and after lots of time spent alternatively a) looking at sites and not deciding on anything and b) doing absolutely nothing for the wedding, we finally have a date, a site, a caterer, and a photographer. Sara gets much of the credit for spending most of her two-week vacation in February trying to really answer some of the big questions in this whole wedding thing. And now, after writing and mailing no fewer than four different checks to vendors, we can officially say that we're getting married on August 23, 2008 in Sandy Hook, NJ.
I know, I know, six months isn't much time to plan a wedding. So I hope that in between panic attacks Sara really listens to and hears me when I assure her that we will be able to get everything done by then. Really, I think we can. Okay so maybe we'll have to forgo a spectacular skydiving entrance. And dance lessons. And an immediate honeymoon. But Sara will have a dress (we hope - fingers crossed) and we do have the rings and some wildly accommodating friends who will be able to join us on semi-short notice, so that's all we need. Well, that and free booze and uninhibited dancing (see caterer [check] and site [check] above). We'll post more details here as we get them, but for now wish me luck in finding affordable lodging for the aforementioned accommodating friends.
I know, I know, six months isn't much time to plan a wedding. So I hope that in between panic attacks Sara really listens to and hears me when I assure her that we will be able to get everything done by then. Really, I think we can. Okay so maybe we'll have to forgo a spectacular skydiving entrance. And dance lessons. And an immediate honeymoon. But Sara will have a dress (we hope - fingers crossed) and we do have the rings and some wildly accommodating friends who will be able to join us on semi-short notice, so that's all we need. Well, that and free booze and uninhibited dancing (see caterer [check] and site [check] above). We'll post more details here as we get them, but for now wish me luck in finding affordable lodging for the aforementioned accommodating friends.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
We're Engaged!
For anyone interested in how it happened (and so I can proudly wave my geek banner), you'll find below a footnote-riddled, choose-your-own-adventure-style description of how it all went down. You can drill down on as few or as many of the gag-me-with-a-spoon details as you'd like.
Yada1, yada2, we went out to dinner3 in the City4. Yada, yada saw a show5. Yada6, yada7 I asked8 for her hand9. Yada, yada she kindly agreed10.
(1) These medical people and their crazy schedules1a. back
(1a) I had the ring in February and asked her when she could guarantee me a free day so I could plan something. She said May. back
(2) We started the day2a at the Met2b, walking through an exhibit on Barcelona2c artists and architects2d. I thought it would be nice to reprise our recent trip there2e. back
(2a) Saturday, May 12th. back
(2b) The Museum, not the Opera. back
(2c) A great place to visit, if you ever get a chance. back
(2d) Decent show, though if you have a week to waste instead of an hour, you'd be better off visiting the city2h,2c and skipping the exhibit. back
(2e) This was the same trip in which we had a conversation where she said she didn't want to get married in the next 5 years2f. back
(2f) She thought she was being crystal clear2g. back
(2g) I took this to mean: she'd reconsider when actually asked the question. back
(2h) Barcelona, not New York. back
(3) Gramercy Tavern3a, loved it3d. back
(3a) Had the vegetarian3b tasting menu3c. back
(3b) I know, right? Most places outside NYC, we have trouble just finding vegetarian options. Inside NYC, restaurants have entire tasting menus for us. back
(3c) Our favorite dish: the spring onion risotto3e. back
(3d) They even gave us wrapped coffee cakes to go, for "breakfast tomorrow morning." back
(3e) Yes, we have become those annoying people who have shared favorite dishes, TV shows, bands. We have stopped being independent persons. Except when it comes to baseball teams3f. back
(3f) Or so says Sara. I say: pretend that footnote never happened. back
(4) Around here4a "the City" only refers to New York City. back
(4a) The northern mid-Atlantic. Correction, the WORLD!4b back
(4b) Sara's correction. back
(5) "Inherit the Wind,"5a currently on Broadway5b. back
(5a) Sara loves the play and had never seen it performed. back
(5b) This production was pretty good, though not best-play-I've-ever-seen good5c. back
(5c) That would be "Long Day's Journey Into the Night,"4b sharing one of the same leads5d. back
(5d) Brian Dennehy. back
(6) Okay, up to this point, she wasn't suspecting anything6a. back
(6a) Not bad, IMHO6c, especially since I told her I was planning something and didn't bother explaining any more than vaguely referring to it as a "surprise"6b. back
(6b) Plus, we had dinner at Gramercy Tavern3 which should have set off "Warning! Warning! Proposal incoming!" sirens in her head. back
(6c) In My Humble Opinion. back
(7) We went to the "Top of the Rock"7a,7b - this started to make her wonder. Then the security guard saw the ring in my jacket pocket in the x-ray machine and made a jokey but not-so-subtle, "You sure you want to do this? Good luck." comment7d. back
(7a) The recently re-opened observation deck on the top of the NBC building in Rockefeller Center7c. back
(7b) Okay, so I successfully managed to avoid the Valentine's Day, anniversary, birthday, Christmas and vacation proposal cliches, but I did fall into the NYC-landmark cliche7e. Oh well. back
(7c) It was drizzling and we were already wet from walking there. I was thinking we could observe nighttime New York from an indoor vantage point; it was all outdoors up there. back
(7d) Which then set off the sirens in Sara's head6b. So she excused herself to the bathroom. Ten minutes later7f, she was still in there7f and I knew she knew what was coming7f and was on the phone7f with Andrea7f. back
(7e) The rain7c at least kept the crowds away, so we had a corner of the roof all to ourselves. It did, however, make everything wet. As rain does. back
(7f) Freaking out. back
(8) Too late, in her opinion. Once she knew it was coming7d, the wait in the rain7e went on longer than she would have liked. But, hey, I was a little nervous. back
(9) Yes, I did the knee thing despite the elements7c. back
(10) Apparently, as I was saying my little speech she was distracted by some other people nearby10a and barely heard what I was saying10b. The ring10e fit, we had someone take our picture10j,10f. back
(10a) I was focusing on the speech, so I was oblivious. back
(10b) She just tried to focus on the intonation of a question-mark-terminated sentence. Which was her cue to say "yes"10c. back
(10c) Which was not so much a "YES!"10d as a "yes". back
(10d) Sorry, that was a college in-joke, true Hargadon-style. back
(10e) Sorry, I won't divulge specs here. back
(10f) In the rain, all wet, but not entirely caring10g. back
(10g) She seemed to care10h a lot more an hour later10i, when she resumed freaking out7f and threw herself into an asthma attack. back
(10h) Care, that is, about the whole proposal/wedding/marriage thing, not the rain. back
(10i) Don't worry, she got over it, and the next morning, she was still saying "yes"10c. back
(10j)
back
Yada1, yada2, we went out to dinner3 in the City4. Yada, yada saw a show5. Yada6, yada7 I asked8 for her hand9. Yada, yada she kindly agreed10.
(1) These medical people and their crazy schedules1a. back
(1a) I had the ring in February and asked her when she could guarantee me a free day so I could plan something. She said May. back
(2) We started the day2a at the Met2b, walking through an exhibit on Barcelona2c artists and architects2d. I thought it would be nice to reprise our recent trip there2e. back
(2a) Saturday, May 12th. back
(2b) The Museum, not the Opera. back
(2c) A great place to visit, if you ever get a chance. back
(2d) Decent show, though if you have a week to waste instead of an hour, you'd be better off visiting the city2h,2c and skipping the exhibit. back
(2e) This was the same trip in which we had a conversation where she said she didn't want to get married in the next 5 years2f. back
(2f) She thought she was being crystal clear2g. back
(2g) I took this to mean: she'd reconsider when actually asked the question. back
(2h) Barcelona, not New York. back
(3) Gramercy Tavern3a, loved it3d. back
(3a) Had the vegetarian3b tasting menu3c. back
(3b) I know, right? Most places outside NYC, we have trouble just finding vegetarian options. Inside NYC, restaurants have entire tasting menus for us. back
(3c) Our favorite dish: the spring onion risotto3e. back
(3d) They even gave us wrapped coffee cakes to go, for "breakfast tomorrow morning." back
(3e) Yes, we have become those annoying people who have shared favorite dishes, TV shows, bands. We have stopped being independent persons. Except when it comes to baseball teams3f. back
(3f) Or so says Sara. I say: pretend that footnote never happened. back
(4) Around here4a "the City" only refers to New York City. back
(4a) The northern mid-Atlantic. Correction, the WORLD!4b back
(4b) Sara's correction. back
(5) "Inherit the Wind,"5a currently on Broadway5b. back
(5a) Sara loves the play and had never seen it performed. back
(5b) This production was pretty good, though not best-play-I've-ever-seen good5c. back
(5c) That would be "Long Day's Journey Into the Night,"4b sharing one of the same leads5d. back
(5d) Brian Dennehy. back
(6) Okay, up to this point, she wasn't suspecting anything6a. back
(6a) Not bad, IMHO6c, especially since I told her I was planning something and didn't bother explaining any more than vaguely referring to it as a "surprise"6b. back
(6b) Plus, we had dinner at Gramercy Tavern3 which should have set off "Warning! Warning! Proposal incoming!" sirens in her head. back
(6c) In My Humble Opinion. back
(7) We went to the "Top of the Rock"7a,7b - this started to make her wonder. Then the security guard saw the ring in my jacket pocket in the x-ray machine and made a jokey but not-so-subtle, "You sure you want to do this? Good luck." comment7d. back
(7a) The recently re-opened observation deck on the top of the NBC building in Rockefeller Center7c. back
(7b) Okay, so I successfully managed to avoid the Valentine's Day, anniversary, birthday, Christmas and vacation proposal cliches, but I did fall into the NYC-landmark cliche7e. Oh well. back
(7c) It was drizzling and we were already wet from walking there. I was thinking we could observe nighttime New York from an indoor vantage point; it was all outdoors up there. back
(7d) Which then set off the sirens in Sara's head6b. So she excused herself to the bathroom. Ten minutes later7f, she was still in there7f and I knew she knew what was coming7f and was on the phone7f with Andrea7f. back
(7e) The rain7c at least kept the crowds away, so we had a corner of the roof all to ourselves. It did, however, make everything wet. As rain does. back
(7f) Freaking out. back
(8) Too late, in her opinion. Once she knew it was coming7d, the wait in the rain7e went on longer than she would have liked. But, hey, I was a little nervous. back
(9) Yes, I did the knee thing despite the elements7c. back
(10) Apparently, as I was saying my little speech she was distracted by some other people nearby10a and barely heard what I was saying10b. The ring10e fit, we had someone take our picture10j,10f. back
(10a) I was focusing on the speech, so I was oblivious. back
(10b) She just tried to focus on the intonation of a question-mark-terminated sentence. Which was her cue to say "yes"10c. back
(10c) Which was not so much a "YES!"10d as a "yes". back
(10d) Sorry, that was a college in-joke, true Hargadon-style. back
(10e) Sorry, I won't divulge specs here. back
(10f) In the rain, all wet, but not entirely caring10g. back
(10g) She seemed to care10h a lot more an hour later10i, when she resumed freaking out7f and threw herself into an asthma attack. back
(10h) Care, that is, about the whole proposal/wedding/marriage thing, not the rain. back
(10i) Don't worry, she got over it, and the next morning, she was still saying "yes"10c. back
(10j)
back
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