Venue and Date Booked

So, unfortunately, my mom got very sick last week, so MJ and I couldn't go to Reston. Besides being concerned about her, it was too bad because MJ couldn't see the venue and it was our last chance to talk through things with my dad before he left for a 2 week trip to Germany. But the good news is we agreed on a contract with the venue last week and booked Rose Hill Manor for August 21st! And my parents talked to the pandit in Austin we wanted and he's available as well!

The pandit is actually a family friend we've known for a very long time. My mom was very close to him and his wife (she used to call my mom her other daughter), but his wife recently passed away. He conducts weddings for most of our family friends in Austin and is very good - the perfect blend of religious gravity and inclusion of non-Hindus. As an added benefit, he's Marathi, like MJ's family! So they're really happy that he'll know their traditions as well.

Another side effect of my mom getting sick is that we put the Save the Date on hold until she was better to give an opinion. I don't mind the picture thing as much anymore and we're still looking around for the right look. I want it to look Indian, but kind of through a Western artsy lens. Hopefully we'll get it ready soon. The other thing I've been realizing lately is that most couples seem to put a picture of themselves on their Save the Date, something I hadn't even thought of. That puts an added level of pressure on it, because we'd have to find the right type of picture and then also make sure we both look good. Or we take a new one to send out, which will definitely make us both nervous!
Speaking of pictures, our really good friend, who's an amazing photographer, agreed to take some engagement pictures of us. Unfortunately, the weather's been so gross that it hasn't been possible. I'm really looking forward to it though, as I think they'll be so personal and beautiful! A lot of people also recommend getting engagement portraits done by your wedding photographer before the wedding, so that they can get to know the couple better and you can use the pics at the wedding for display and to add personal touches. So I've also started researching photographers.

In other fantastic news, I've already lost 4.5 lbs since MJ and I got engaged!!! And this is after only going to the gym once! I've just changed my eating habits and it made that much of a difference. I still have a very long way to go, but it's very motivating. Unfortunately, I seem to have sprained my knee on Saturday, so the full force gym action is a little slower than expected. I went this morning and had to hobble home in pain after a lackluster workout. I'm trying to convince MJ it's ok to take Alli to help me lose weight, but he's dead set against it. I'm not even sure if I would, but it would be nice to have some help, especially as a vegetarian.

We've also started condo hunting in my neighborhood. We're not sure whether we should look for a 2 bedroom or a large 1 bedroom, though we're leaning towards the latter, especially if it has a den/office space we could use for guests if needed. We figure we'll be staying there for 3-5 years, so it's not like we need to find the place we plan on staying in forever and raising kids in it or anything. Kids? Yikes! Let's take it one step at a time!

Location, Location, Location

Whew! What a weekend! After being in and out of work since the Tuesday before, I finally returned on Thursday. Then, right after work on Friday, my family came from DC. We haven't seen each other since I got engaged, so we had some major discussions all night about what everyone was thinking for the wedding. MJ's family came over for tea right after lunch on Saturday, where we had some similar (but less intense) discussions together. Both families also brought some sweets and gifts, so the whole thing ended up feeling like an official blessing from the parents. Within 30 mins of his family leaving, my family had changed clothes, cleaned the apartment, packed, and was in the car. We then drove to DC in record time (4 hrs door to door with a stop for gas on the way) and had dinner at home. We left around 9:30 on Sunday morning and were out the entire day looking at venues:

• The Westin
• Sheraton Premiere
• Algonkian
• Meadowlarke
• Cherry Blossom
• Raspberry Plains
• Rose Hill Manor

 

The funny thing is I went to DC for this whirlwind trip to see Foxchase Manor, but after talking to my family and seeing these, we decided it wasn't even worth the drive to see it! We also checked out some hotels close to Raspberry Plains and Rose Hill Manor to get an idea for costs for our guests, transportation options, and possibilities to have a meeting room nearby. My family also rented out two community centers for the wedding weekend, so my dad showed me those as well. So we saw a lot in one day!

 

Alright, so you saw a lot... did you like anything? Drum roll please... 17 days after I got engaged, we've already found a wedding venue! Some of them aren't even worth mentioning, but Meadowlarke is gorgeous but not available any Saturday in the summer and it would be a bit tight for 200 people. I got the feeling my family liked Algonkian, but I thought it was a bit drab and uninspired. Raspberry Plains had gorgeous grounds and views, but the inside of the house was over-decorated and the lady seemed extremely inflexible and hard to work with.

 

We decided to check out Rose Hill Manor due to its proximity to Raspberry Plains, though we had the feeling it was too small for us. And we all absolutely loved it! The grounds and views are also really beautiful, but the house is very open and grand while somehow still feeling intimate. It feels like you're in you're own house, but just way nicer ;) There is also a great courtyard in the back with a pool perfect for floating candles during cocktail hour. It will be a bit tight and we cannot go a single person over 200, but we all loved it! There's a great balcony and we won't need to decorate as much as the walls are yellow and red. The guy was also really great to work with and they've had Indian weddings there before. One of my criteria was to be able to take pictures on the grounds and this will be just gorgeous! We can also have the DJ and dance floor a bit separate from the dining tables to allow people to move around and do what they want to do. There's even an area that's perfectly made for putting in a mandap! Basically, it was the best of all worlds and had everything we wanted. It was also available on the date we wanted and was within (or at least close to) our price range. So we have a contract and my dad's putting in the payment today! Woohoo! (ok, to be fair, we're going to wait to make everything official until MJ looks at it next weekend, but he's guaranteed me he won't say no!) ;)

 

So 18 days into being engaged, we have a location and I'm getting married on August 21! I've started telling a few close friends (and, you, obviously), though I know I should wait until the contract is in. It's just that so many people will have to fly in that I want to make sure they reserve the date well in advance.

 

Ok, and, yes, maybe I'm starting to get a little excited... Seeing the venues and both families together made it all seem a little more real...