Shay & Tom’s Wedding Blog

ATTENTION!!!!!!! The Brownstone has informed me that, despite what our contract says, our wedding is scheduled for 11AM NOT 11:30AM as all of the invitations state. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope that we will still see you there.

Time has flown by. I can’t believe our wedding is only 16 days away! It has been a stressful process with misprinted invitations, venue mix-ups, family drama, apparel shopping, and a lot of ebay. But it has all been so worth it.

This week we are finalizing all of the details. If you don’t know where you’re staying or how you’re getting to the venue, please drop us a line. Someone will find something for you. Our DJ is going all digital for our wedding, so those with iPods or other MP3 players bring them along just in case we have room for requests.

We’re getting down to the tiny details now. Who’s standing when? Who walks behind who? When is the first dance? When do we throw the bouquet? If Tom smooshes cake in Sharon’s face during the cutting of the cake, will she knock him silly for getting cake on her absolutely gorgeous dress? You know, that kind of stuff.

The flowers have arrived and are beautiful…in color. I damn my allergies because there is nothing like fresh flowers. Some of the flowers were crushed in transit. I am waiting for my mothers arrival along with the miracle I am sure she will bring with her. We have yet to decide the final details of decor but, again, that is a miracle my mother keeps in her purse.

We have also received a few wedding presents already. A big THANK YOU goes out to the senders. Btw, the new gift registry link works fine.

That’s all for now. I hope all are well and we see you sooner rather than later.

Peace.

Filed under: Planning, Travel, Uncategorized, Wedding by Shay
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The time has come for those of you traveling from various places outside New York to find hotels. I wanted to help with that search by providing a few of the hotels near The Brownstone and Newark International Airport and the stats that go with them.

We do not recommend any one hotel over another. These are just the findings. Ratings and rates are from Hotels.com. We do suggest that, to ensure the pricing listed here, you book with their website.

These are the rates AS OF MARCH 10TH!! and are subject to change/rise so book quickly.

Hotels Near The Brownstone

Holiday Inn - Totowa, NJ (We get a free night here but don’t know yet if we’ll take it.)

Price Range/Night: $104-135
Stars (out of 5): 3
Hotels.com Rating (out of 5): 2.5
Distance to Wedding Venue: 4.4 miles/11 minutes
Distance to Newark Int’l Airport: 22.1 miles/31 minutes
Distance to Laguardia Airport: 29 mi/40 min
Distance to JFK Int’l Airport: 35 mi/53 min
Distance to NYC:17.1 mi/27 min

Ramada Inn - Rochelle Park, NJ

Price Range/Night: $55.30-122.50
Stars (out of 5): 2
Hotels.com Rating (out of 5): 3.3
Distance to Wedding Venue: 7.9 mi/14 min
Distance to Newark Int’l Airport: 20.3 mi/29 min
Distance to Laguardia Airport: 20.5 mi/30 min
Distance to JFK Int’l Airport: 31.5 mi/44 min
Distance to NYC: 18.4 mi/26 min

Hyatt Place - Fair Lawn, NJ

Price Range/Night: $89-99
Stars (out of 5): 3
Hotels.com Rating (out of 5): 4.1
Distance to Wedding Venue: 15.3 mi/14 min
Distance to Newark Int’l Airport: 20 mi/23 min
Distance to Laguardia Airport: 21.4 mi/31 min
Distance to JFK Int’l Airport: 32.5 mi/46 min
Distance to NYC: 19.2 mi/30 min

Hotels Near Newark Int’l Airport

Hilton Newark Airport - Elizabeth, NJ

Price Range/Night: $85-109
Stars (out of 5): 3
Hotels.com Rating (out of 5): 3.9
Distance to Wedding Venue: 20 mi/3 min
Distance to Newark Int’l Airport: 2.9 mi/5 min
Distance to Laguardia Airport: 22.7 mi/40 min
Distance to JFK Int’l Airport: 31.4 mi/51 min
Distance to NYC: 17 mi/26 min

Holiday Inn Newark Int’l Airport - Newark, NJ

Price Range/Night: $56
Stars (out of 5): 3
Hotels.com Rating (out of 5): 3.9
Distance to Wedding Venue: 21.3 mi/33 min
Distance to Newark Int’l Airport: 4.1 mi/8 min
Distance to Laguardia Airport: 20.3 mi/37 min
Distance to JFK Int’l Airport: 31.4 mi/47 min
Distance to NYC: 13.5 mi/21 min

Crowne Plaza Newark Int’l Airport - Elizabeth, NJ

Price Range/Night: $75.66-129
Stars (out of 5): 3.5
Hotels.com Rating (out of 5): 4.2
Distance to Wedding Venue: 20.7 mi/32 min
Distance to Newark Int’l Airport: 3.4 mi/6 min
Distance to Laguardia Airport: 23.2 mi/40 min
Distance to JFK Int’l Airport: 35 mi/49 min
Distance to NYC: 17.6 mi/27 min

No, these are not the only hotels in the area. These are just the hotels I believe to have the best rating, price, and/or amenities. Please CHECK ALL OPTIONS FOR YOURSELF before booking. The rates listed above are the same as if we were booking as a group. If you find something better, please let us know or comment on this post.

Thanks,
Sharon Wade (soon-to-be Drapeau)

Filed under: Planning, Travel, Wedding by Shay
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By now many of you have gotten your invitations. If you haven’t gotten them, hold tight. If you think we don’t have your correct address, drop us a line.

Those of you here to R.S.V.P. please do so at the link to the right. Let us know how many will be attending and feel free to leave us a message. You can even let us know who’ll be joining you.

We apologize that we can respond directly to each R.S.V.P. but it doesn’t mean that the messages aren’t getting through.

We look forward to seeing you soon,

~Sharon, Tom, and David

Filed under: Uncategorized by Shay
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by Wendy G Photography

So we’re having trouble, mainly due to lack of time, finding the right vendors. Do we want the $5000 package from the lady who has a great photography portfolio? Do we want a DJ or do we use an iPod? Who’s going to man the cameras for videography?

We also don’t have our stationary picked out yet. Who should we buy from? What should the colors be? Should we have programs? Should we have menus? Do we do individual place cards or should we just have a seating chart at the reception table? Should we have the favors at the reception table or at each place setting?

What are we suppose to do? We’re not paying someone to tell us what we want. Someone who wants $2000 for an hour worth of work. No thank you. I’ve learned more from GetMarried.com and their live bridal chats than I ever learned from the books and planners.

I guess I’m just annoyed at how much everything costs and how you can’t have a conversation with these vendors to get the job done. No, they want you to come into their office and chat for over an hour about what you want only to find out that they’re $2000 over your budget. They say, “Well you want the best for your special day.” I say, “I can take these pictures myself and get a photo book from Shutterfly.” What’s the difference really? Photographers don’t even give you all the pictures they take. The ones I’ve spoken to say that they take about 200 pictures an hour but my album would only consist of 40-100 pictures total and I would only get 200 proofs. At a 5 hour event I want all 1000 pictures you took. That way I know for sure that you actually were taking 200 per hour and I get to choose which pictures I like later.

Anyway, lack of time is the main reason our vendors aren’t booked yet. Hopefully that’ll change.

Until next time…

Filed under: Planning, Vendors, Wedding by Shay
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I got my dress!! A beautiful, ivory gown with a sweetheart neckline with a beaded bust and jewelled pick-ups on the skirt that will be bustled. I’d love to show you pictures here but Tom frequents this site. Some of you will just have to wait. And those of you that have seen it, NO GLOATING.

Filed under: Attire, Dress, Wedding, Wedding Gown by Shay
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Hi there. This blog is meant to be a central place for folks to come and celebrate the greatness that is Shay & Tom getting married. We should have some useful links around on the right hand side, and there will be plenty of posts between now and the wedding date where witty comments would be most welcome.

Enjoy the blog!

Filed under: Wedding by Tom
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