um, well, I'm obviously not a documentarian
Well, obviously I held well to my plans to be the ultimate documenter of our wedding. :)
The whole event was absolutely amazing, but this last month has been a blur of activity. We've just started to digest everything, and being married is becoming...well, REAL.
I really do hope to add a lot of picture albums to the site soon (probably this weekend). I've just been busy hitting the job trail. When we do add them, they'll be on a web service so you can order your own copies.
In the meantime, you can see some pictures at my mom's Barr Hopping site. And the photographer has put up online proofs that anyone can order from. The website is here. Chooser "loper-barr" as event, and enter the password, which is "trudy".
(not much) calm before the storm
Trudy and I drove into Tuscaloosa on Saturday. On Sunday, we spent time around Trudy's parent's house and opened the presents that were waiting for us. However, we spent most of Sunday recovering from the 17 hour trip. Then the work began...
On Monday, we had back-to-back meetings with various Important People We Needed To Talk To, including the organist, the caterer, the florist, the reception hall manager, and the photographer. In a lot of ways, Trudy and I are less concerned about a lot of the details surrounding the wedding as EVENT; we spent a long time creating the ceremony we are comfortable with, and that is the only truly important thing. Everything else, if that is there, should fall into place.
That afternoon, we shared with Norman and Helene Hibbard (Trudy's grandparents) an excellent bottle of 1990 Bordeaux Grand Cru from their extensive cellar. We talked for a good while with them, and then went out to dinner with them and Trudy's great aunt, Joan.
On Tuesday, it was more busy-work. Trudy and Marie (one of her bridesmaids) spent the morning at the salon, meeting with Trudy's hairdresser for Saturday and getting Trudy's nails done. Mitchell and I ran several errands in the morning, and then met them for a late lunch at the Globe. After lunch, Marie took Trudy and I to get our marriage license (and ponied up the $40 cash for it, since we hadn't been to the bank yet!) and ran some errands for us. Then Marie and Trudy went for a makeup consultation while I ran several more errands.
That evening, we had dinner at Helene (Trudy's mom) and Susie's house to meet members of Susie's family. It had rained all day (remnants of a tropical storm that were passing through Tuscaloosa, thankfully, more quickly than expected), but the sun peaked out for the party--which was a good omen. After the party, Trudy and I had dropped by the Hampton Inn to see my parents, who had just gotten into town.
The next morning, Trudy and I were already exhausted. We had a morning meeting with Carole Henry (the church's wedding coordinator) and a few others at the church. Then Trudy ran a few errands and then went home to take it easy. I met my parents and helped my mom shop for food and decorations for the rehearsal dinner cookout. Later that afternoon, Trudy and I opened presents from the Springfield shower, and then we went out to dinner with my parents and Trudy's mom, brother, and Susie. After that, Trudy and I crashed out. We decided that we will need a little "alone time" between ourselves to make it through the next few days. Over the last few days, we have barely seen each other.
Anyway, the events start in earnest today. We'll take a collective deep breath, and then attend some day gatherings--a Bridesmaids Luncheon and Guy's Meet and Greet. This evening, we have a Kitchen Gadget and Tool Shower at Trudy's mom's house. We're excited to see everyone who's coming into town.
June 26, 20039 days to go...
I'm sorry it took so long, but I finally updated the albums. I'll do my best over the week to come to add some photos of events--I'll definitely blog them, but the photos may come a few weeks after the honeymoon!
Last night, Trudy went out for a nice dinner and "girl's night out" with some of her co-workers. I stayed home and gathered some stuff to pack and sweltered in the heat. :) It's been unseasonably hot here--topping out in the mid 90s, which is too much when you don't have an air-conditioner. At least it's prepared us for the hot weather that we are sure awaits us in Tuscaloosa.
We leave to drive to Tuscaloosa on Saturday. We have tons of appointments on Monday and Tuesday. We're not nervous at all--but we're sure the tension will mount a bit at the beginning of the week...
June 10, 2003New events!
Well, obviously it's been a bit busy here--as the lack of posting here indicates! I'm going to add a few things over the next few days: the proposal album, pictures our friend Jeremy took for the engagement announcement, and a scan of the announcement from the Springfield paper.
Two additional showers have been planned for us, which we are so grateful for.
Mollie Burris, Carolyn Lyons, and Rita Preston are hosting a garden party in honor of Trudy on June 17 in Springfield. Separate invitations have been sent for this event. We tried our best to arrange to be there, but the airlines were plotting against us with outrageous airfares. Instead, Trudy and I will try to teleconference in via web cam and telephone. The shower has an interesting twist--the guests bring unwrapped gifts to wrap there! We cannot tell you how much we want to be there in person--not in the least because we'll miss Carolyn's fabulous desserts!
On the Thursday before the wedding (July 3), Helene Loper and Susan Lowe are hosting a tool and kitchen gadget shower at their home in Tuscaloosa. Separate invitations are being sent for this event. We're glad they are throwing this, because it will give out-of-town guests a time to come together and get to know one another before the weekend completely kicks off. We don't want to "cookout-out" everyone (the pig roast is the next night), but Trudy is requesting her mom's famous ribs, and the affair will be a casual, festive affair.
Over the next few days, we'll add some pictures: the proposal and engagement announcement photos (to start off with). Check back by Saturday!
invitations & site changes
Well, we went out the invitations a few days ago, and now we realize that we forgot to stamp the response envelopes! We're adding it to the list of "if this is the worst thing that happens, we'll be JUST FINE!" (Look for the list to make an appearance on this site soon.)
Here are some other things that will be added to the site soon:
- A brief bio of us--how we met and what we are doing these days
- Some information on the bridal party
- Some recommendations of things to do in Tuscaloosa
- Information on upcoming showers as they are planned
All comments are forward to us by email, and I've also added my email to the contact page if you want to contact us via email.
April 19, 2003preparations, preparations
This is the first entry in this mini-weblog, which Trudy and I will update as the wedding gets closer.
It's been kind of difficult planning the wedding from afar here in Rochester, New York, but we think the weekend should be a fun time for all involved. We'll add as much information here as we can to make coming to the wedding an easy task.
Please let us know if there is information you need by posting a comment to any entry in this blog. And check back frequently for updates!