Celebrity Wedding blah, blah, blah

Just as expected, the girl I didn't propose to has banned the actor formerly known as "he who sought skin flute lessons from Sexual Chocolate" from her upcoming nuptials. Ahhhh, poor wedding guests. Bartender. Scotch. Please.

Fellas....check out who's in said skin flute actor's new movie - D-A-M-N and OMG. Move over Scarlett.

And in two degrees of a SAG award and an awesome TV show, Wilhelmina's favorite seamstress-to-hate just got hitched. Damn, I hope that accent is legit. Grrrrrrr.

Continuing with the 'sexy' theme (this one's for the ladies though) - our favorite member of Menudo is off to India at the behest of long-time friend, DJ Aqeel, for a mega par-tay.

Wedding Related Mashup

So, I was going to start this witty blurb on what couples do when they first get engaged like register on The Knot and subscribe to all of those wedding rags so they can receive every piece of wedding spam under the sun - and moon - we're very yin-yang since getting engaged, but instead, I'll just cut to the chase and tell you about a great wedding-related mashup I've discovered - via SPAM of course - Wedding Mapper.

But first, you ask, "What's a mashup?" Easy one - a mashup is a website or application that combines information and functionality from multiple sources into one integrated tool. Read more about them here and here.

It seems like everyone and their mother is mashing Google Maps with some other genre of information. You won't hear me complain that's for sure. FYI, there are some awesome real estate mashups out there. Either way, I think it's pretty clear what Wedding Mapper mashes.

It's a new product and still needs some work but check ours out linked to the right under "Guest Resources" or here. Pretty sweet, huh? I thought so.

Did we leave anything off?

More on music..

So, we've just spent a couple hours of the day reviewing 3 CDs that wedding bands have sent us: Renegade, Arcadia and Hot Pursuit. Given the time I'm beginning to devote on watching band CDs, I think I've pretty much accepted the fact that a DJ will not happen. Hear that wallet??

We each bring to the table different wedding band mandates. Coco's only request is that at least one band member be in the vein of Marvin or Aretha - large, black and soulful. Similarly, well almost, I want a sultry and sexy lead singer. One like her or her. Or herrrrr. Purrrrr. (Note to reader: the 3 bands referenced in the first paragraph do not satisfy my mandate.)

That's all I want. I've tried to justify it to her this way: "If a cutie baby-sitter is off limits (when the time comes for one, of course), at least allow me a cutie wedding singer." I'm not sure how its going to play out but I think my chances are pretty good.

More "Now What?"

Next topic up for discussion - the music. Friends have said that you only really need 4 things for a great wedding: an unlimited supply of booze, good music, and a bride & groom. With a date and venue locked up, we've shifted our dinner discussions to what we're going to do about 'music'. Coco would love me Full Metal Jacket style if I could make him happen but let's be real - I'm not G-d or the JC. Sorry baby.

Psssst....and I don't mean this JC.

So, with only 2 choices there's a 50-50 chance we do either one. (Am I the only one who finds that last sentence fun to read? Hope not.)

Well, in rounding out the MySpace links/plug/whathaveyou with my take on the next MySpace if you happen to be Korean, Chinese or Indian. They do say it comes in threes. Social networking rocks.

So, where was I headed with this post? Music. Our wedding. That's right....back to my point: It's going to be a battle....

"And in the blue corner, showcasing the latest in digital technology, ipod in the left hand, mixer in the right hand, and Sennheisser headphones in tow.....ladies and gentlemen.......the DDDDDDDDDDDDDDD JJJJJJJJJJJJ."

"And to my left, the red corner, weighing in at a combined weight of almost 1200 lbs, Training out of Long Island, schooled in Swing, Jazz, Rock, R&B, 70’s Classics, Funk and able to hit the notes that Christina Aguilera misses and JT avoids.....put your hands together for.......the......WEDDING.......BAND."

Thoughts? Opinions?


Check back to see who comes out on top.

Brooklyn Wedding News

It seems that the lead in one of my favorite movies has Boerum Hill teenage hearts (read: girls AND boys) all a flutter with recent news that he is officially married. OK, maybe it's not official yet. I wonder if what's his name is J-E-A-L-O-U-S??. This video is a must see!

How fitting that a former lover has a similarly themed 'It' piece floating around this Internet/web/thingy space.

And you-know-who's place of business says this. I concur wholeheartedly.

And in even-more-exciting-i-heart-nick-news.

OMG - I just don't now how Josh Duhamel does it. Personally, I think the vixens of Casino (gratuitous NBC plug) are way hotter. Come on Josh - where is the love?

We've got a date and a venue....now what?

Mark your calendars....
Book your tickets....(wait for the invite....wait for it...)

September 19th - its a Friday. And it's official for those who are in denial and just catching on to the whole 'blog' thing. If its on the blog, its official - right HS?

The start and end times are still up in the air but as party people, ending at 1 am without a bump in price is very attractive. Very attractive.

So, we've booked Carlyle on the Green and we've set a date - now what? Silly question. We've been given homework if you can imagine that: officiant, music, food, attire, etc.

Choosing the officiant should be easy (we hope) since the ceremony will be non-demoninational - I mean, non-denominational. We're spiritual people and have friends or family with ties to Abraham, G-d, and the JC. We've been to baptisms, christenings, bat/bar mitzvahs, baby namings, mixed-faith weddings, Catholic weddings, Jewish weddings and sadly, funerals of each faith where loved ones were revered and honored.

I'm sure I've left something out. Oh wait, I know what I've left out. My 3rd grade science project, entitled "From Noah's Ark To My Dinner Table - The Prevailing Cosmological Paradigm Explaining The Origin And Expansion Of The Universe From Within The Walls Of The Old City", was my first (and obviously last) attempt at explaining the unexplainable. Personally, I think Danny Zuko and Maverick have it right.

Respect in the form of capitalization. We don't discriminate - ya heard.

Weird (& Celebrity) Wedding News

Can you imagine if I had to forfeit the deposit because of this!

Or if Mr and Mrs. Big A were like this?!

No guns allowed. Even you know who.

Wedding dress due diligence is a must.

Holy Sh-t! Wedding Day hair nightmare. Fast forward to 1:38 and watch from there. Jeez! It's like a bad train wreck - I just can't look away. Who brought the scissors?? God bless the girl who kept filming. God bless her. She deserves some sort of award. Is it bad that I can't stop laughing? See it here.

It also seems that the woman-who-I-didn't-propose-to's wedding will be missing one, sorry two, guests. Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn.

The Early Bird Catches the

Carlyle On The Green.

We have our second meeting with Cynthia to go to contract for a date in September, 2008. Throughout the entire venue due diligence process we didn't run into many spaces that were really booked so we think we're a step or two ahead in the game.

I have some issues with the contract that I hope she can amend to the existing contract. They are:

I'm not sure how many of you actually know but Bethpage is hosting the 2009 U.S. Open (again). The dates are set - June 15-21. I'm worried about the amount of construction that could be going on in September, 2008. I would suspect that any changes to the clubhouse or surrounding grounds would happen the fall before, no? Any thoughts?

Also, we need to make sure the premium bar includes some essentials: Campari for Big A, Wild Turkey (gobble, gobble...have some wild turkey Gillott! hahaha.) for her mother, and some Black Label. I'll have them list the liquor available since everyone's definition of 'premium' varies.

I think her dad might have another request or two regarding the service but I'm not sure of what the specifics might be. (He used to work in catering for his father.) I was very impressed with his line of questioning and immediate request for a cup of coffee this past Monday. (Note to readers: if the coffee ain't hot, the dinner won't be either!)


On a non-contract-related note, we spent a good deal of time trying to justify a Sunday night wedding. Sunday's were $20 per head cheaper - achem - more affordable, so the potential savings just had to be taken in to account. If you're thinking of a Sunday night wedding, keep the following in mind:

a) Is there an event before yours?

b) If so, will the grounds be just as clean and manicured if it were a Friday night?

c) If so, are you (or the band! or the florist!) limited as far as showing up X number of hours earlier? This was definitely the case and an hour and a half set up time for either the band or DJ or the florist just didn't seem like enough time. Can you imagine if 'something' happened?? Oh yeah, we don't know yet what we'll do about music but you can be sure it'll be a post.

d) If so, are there certain rooms that you will not not have access to. This happened to be the case with both the primary bridal suite and the groom's room.

e) Will any part of the grounds not be available for pictures? It just so happens that we would have to avoid the current event's 'space' and not really know what we would not be able to use as the perfect backdrop would surely limit us.

f) Is any of the staff working both events? Can you imagine working a double for weddings or other events? I can't.

Those issues pretty much sealed the deal
for us. Am I missing anything? Are these even necessary concerns, I mean we're dealing with professionals, right?!?

Stay tuned for our food selections for the cocktail hour and reception!

Celebrity Wedding News

Sugababes vixen Heidi Range (who you ask?...the white one...and note the missing 'R', please) plans on gettin' hitched to her TV show partner. No date has been set but Ralph might not feel like dancing and return to OZ with Mama (or Mary or Laura or Mr. Heather Mills) when he finds out they are g-a-y.

Also, in similar co-star habit and live from SOB's, Basement Bhangra and DJ Rekha report (sike!) that Bollywood babe and CBS' "Most Beautiful Woman", Aishwarya Rai is fit to be tied (& married.)

For the record, CBS did not run the MBW by me. We all know who that would be if the competition was rigged the right way. Word. Older folks........wait for it......look here. Carry on.

The Weekend in Review

With season 6 of AI underway, I'm free to comment on the venues Coco's family and I visited on Monday. In order of visit:

The Watermill
"The bouquet is red". This is the code phrase Coco and I had to come up with so that when either one of us was talking to the other on the phone and needed to subtly say "No" in front of the venue rep; AKA - "Not gonna happen". Briefly, the grounds were nice - but average nice, so the ceremony and cocktails hour would be 'nice'. However, the room that would be housing the reception seemed straight out of Buffalo circa 1990.

Carltun on the Park
"The bouquet is not red". For those following, I hope I don't have to explain what this means. The grounds were gorgeous and green and lush even on a dreary, gray MLK Monday. For sure little in the way of decorating would be needed come 'D' day except for the thousands of candles Coco demands; that's how regal and elegant this place looked without being all dolled up. It still amazes me how good a golf course can look in the worst of weather. Also, this was the first venue that actually had a Groom's Room...fellas, don't let your bride-to-be tell you otherwise -they DO exist....and this one just happened to be right down the hall from the...............wait for it............cigar vault. Say it with me, Big A.......cigar vault. Do I need to say anything else?

Carlyle on the Green
Similarly, "The bouquet is not red". There wasn't much that I didn't like about this place either except that if the ceremony is outdoors, it will be on grass. Not ideal conditions for the 3 and 4 inch stilettos that Coco is, achem, "mandating" but that ain't my problem - I'm wearing these. Did I mention the venue sits within spitting distance of the famed Black Course. Needless to say the "Her Way Or The Highway Outing" will involve the services of some golf course, some where. In other circles its referred to as the "The Day of Reckoning Outing". Make sure outing emails don't land in your SPAM mailbox.

And In Wedding News Around The World

My How Registering Has Changed
Today's Times has an interesting blurb on how registering has evolved. There's slim hope, lol, that we'll go this route if she has anything to say about it. Seems rather fitting given the weekend's agenda, no?

Wedding Mandate
There aren't many stipulations that I bring to the wedding scheduling process, but the correlation between the fact that she wants an October wedding and this find is uncanny.

Celebrity Wedding News
Looks like the person I didn't propose to has modified her lifestyle a bit to ensure everything goes 'on' without a hitch. Kudos to her. I hope it works out.

And in "6 degrees of Heidi Fleiss news" there's this. I wonder if you know who will play at the wedding? Or maybe he'll show up. Either way it goes down I'd love to hear what the best man has to say.

Gate Crashers
OMG. Can you imagine if something like this goes down on my wedding day. Jeez. Gate Crashers? We don't need no stinking gate crashers.

Wedding Website?

As much as this will follow me up to the wedding I'm not sure if I want to set up one of those free sites and direct people to that for all of the juicy details. Here are some options:

WedQuarters

MyWedding

eWedding

Wedding Channel

Wedding Window

The Knot

What do you think? Did you find it helpful?

Weekend Plans

So, I've been told that I'm doing the visiting following at some point this weekend:

The Watermill

Carltun on the Park

Carlyle on the Green

I'm game for seeing them all as long as they don't conflict with Jack. He's back from China and he's not happy .

Breaking News!!

Boylan Studios is out due to the fact they we would have to rent all of their lofts. Because of such they would kindly cut the fee on the smallest (Loft C) in half down to $1,250. So for all three it would be $11,250!! Gasp.

And rumor has it that Tribeca Rooftop is her fav not West Side Loft. Pardon me.

In wedding news around the world...

Cameroon's government has organised a mass wedding of more than 50 couples, most already living polygamously. Read about it here - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6254935.stm

...and if you happen to be in Toronto, starting January 12th, 2007, and running until the 14th, the show plays host to anyone interested in all things wedding related. The Wedding Show


In TomKat news, here's the real reason why Andrea Bocelli didn't croon for them.

Loft 11 & The West Side Loft

So, we finally saw her favorite space. It was definitely nice but I seem to have a problem with practically every space we've seen - a logistical problem at that. We were greeted by Micheal Miller. Nice guy. Very engaging and started out by asking the right questions. He also had hair like the Gotti boys; not to their extreme but I'm sure you get my drift. And the shoes he wore just didn't go with the suit he had on. They looked like boots and he reminded me of Herman Munster when he walked around - at least from the shin down. I was thinking about telling him very matter-of-factly but I know Coco would've killed me. I was sold - we couldn't even think about using this space because of his foot apparel.

But seriously - both spaces allowed for good traffic flow considering the "order" - ceremony, cocktails, reception. I want to insert a lil lovin' somewhere in there (no pun intended) but, again, Coco would kill me. Something about not ruining her dress. Imagine that. Does she even plan on wearing it again. As if.

Oh yeah, back to the space. Loft 11 (on the 11th floor) really won't be able to accommodate more than 150 heads and if we even get close to 160 I'd be stoked. The best thing about this space was the slate-floored fountain room. He sold us this space as a 'smoking' room throughout the night which will make Big A and his cigars happy. G and Boogie will gladly partake a puff out there, too. I've ruled the first space out even with this room in mind.

However, the West Side Loft (6th floor) could easily handle a target size of 175. Again, if we can hit this number I'd be stoked. One of the downsides to this space was the size and proximity of the bridal suite. Michael did suggest that if another space of their's on the 7th floor wasn't used that they would gladly offer it as a better bridal suite at no charge. Great suggestion but I would only take the space IF the room came also. I'm not sure what it will cost to reserve the space in itself but this might detract from the space based on budget alone. We'll see.

They had a huge mirror on one of the walls but it definitely would get in the way of photos and whatnot if it were the backdrop of the ceremony. They could always take it down and re-hang it afterwards. What really seemed to eat up the space was the fact that whatever DJ (or band - not sure about that idea BTW) comes in speakers will be needed. I like my music and I like it loud so I can totally imagine square footage going bye-bye. Most of them use speakers on a tripods, right?

I'm picturing a 'squarer' space. Something less long and narrow as this one. Any ideas out there that I might have missed?

Thank G-d I didn't propose to Elizabeth Hurley!

Rumor (and Now! apparently) has it that her bridal party have to wear traditional pink saris. I'm all for the sari but pink? Does she mean light pink? hot pink? I wonder if she'll consult Pantone (c)?


Read about it here!

http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/celeb_news/Elizabeth_Hurley_wedding_pink_nowmagazinecom_article_105700.html

Breaking News!!

As expected Studio 6, Abigail Kirsch's place at the Crooklyn Navy Yard is out! Way too much cash. I mean, come on, the woman has a monopoly on weddings in the tri-state area - you know you're going to pay top dollar.

The Registry

My last post of the day - maybe - but last night was our first real sit down to discuss what to register for. Man, did it bug me out. I swear I felt my blood pressure jump 20 or 30 points. I wouldn't say I'm a 'minimalist' but I'm definitely a 'functionalist'. Not, however, the traditional functionalist associated with crime causal theories or societal views and norms. I'm the "if I have it I'm not sure I need it so let's get something else" functionalist. The kind that can make do with the Crate & Barrel forks, knifes and spoons that I already have, 7,8 and 10, respectively.
The kind that can be fine with hosting for dinner 6 with a place setting for 4. Am I in the minority or the majority?

Wedding Venues

This is just a quick list of places we either have seen already or will see in the upcoming months. I've also 'bluedotted' a bunch toward the bottom. [What is 'bluedot' you ask? go here - http://bluedot.us/ ]

Without much further ado....and in no particular order:

Tribeca Rooftop - http://www.tribec.com/

Bridgewaters - www.theglaziergroup.com

The Altman Building - www.altmanbldg.com

BOYLAN STUDIOS - www.boylanstudios.com

The Faculty House - www.columbia.edu/cu/fachouse/

Stage 6 (Abigail K) -www.abigailkirsch.com/stage6.html

The Carlysle - http://www.carlyleatbethpage.com/

her favorite as of 1/10 - http://www.lofteleven.com/the_lofts/west_main.htm

and some others:

http://www.loft11.com/index.htm

http://www.metropolitanevents.com/index.html

http://www.peterwhitestudios.com/studioA.htm


BlueDot Special -http://bluedot.us/users/brmcnamara/friends/dots

The Altman Building

Date: Tuesday, January 9, 2007

URL: www.altmanbldg.com

Representative: Amanda Jassin

Address: 135 West 18th Street (btw 6th and 7th Avenues)

Details: A former carriage house, the 10,000 sq. ft. space is located on the first floor. Don't get confused and actually enter 135 West 18th since the space is right next door. Beautiful arching windows welcomed us into the space - the largest blank canvas we've seen to date. They have a selection of ceiling-length curtains that can be situated according to the desired layout between unobtrusive columns. There is a 3,500 sqft 'gallery' space down stairs that could easily double a location for cocktails.

I'm not one for messing around so I tend to see how event space will fit the different aspects of the wedding: ceremony, cocktail hour, plated dinner, catering, coat check, restrooms, valet parking, view, etc.

Being relatively new at this I'm not sure what to expect - better yet, what caterers expect - as far as space requirements go. Water supply, stove/oven, counter space, etc. This place didn't have much in the form of stove/oven fixtures but had two (1 on the ground floor and 1 in the gallery) galleys that Amanda sold as adequate water supplies and set-up space for a caterer.

The site space was $5,500. This includes the use of either the galley space and/or the main floor space. Additional $$ is needed to cover the used of mandated building security and AV/sound equipment. Valet parking isn't really an option since most of the garages in the area have monthly tenants. Coco starting chatting up a party bus which I quickly put an end to.

Long and short, we walked out thinking we had to either do too much. The lack of an adequate kitchen and valet basically turned us off.

Tonight we're seeing the West Side Loft - Coco's personal favorite. Wish me luck! www.lofteleven.com/the_lofts/west_main.htm