Charles and I have been delinquent in writing our wrap-up, but, as excuses go, ours are pretty good: in the week following the wedding ("the honeymoon"), Charles found out he lost his job, we got in major car crash (we're fine, the car is not), and I got shingles. Sadly, I'm not making this up.
But moving onto week 3, all is well now. And I'm here to testify! You will, however, have to navigate my scattered comments.
AUFRUF
The fun began on Saturday with a service at Hillcrest Jewish Center - the aufruf - Charles and I were invited up to the bemah and given an Aliyah. Then, without warning, the rabbi and cantor grabbed us, started a small circle dance, and led the congregation in singing "Siman Tov, Mazel Tov" while people threw things at us. (It was candy.) My mom said my face was bright red. Afterward, we had a hearty lunch that Charles' mom organized for everyone at the temple.
OUT-OF-TOWNERS' DINNER
We wanted to do something special for out-of-towners and originally planned on a BBQ at our place. Fortunately, common sense got the better of us and we opted for eating out. The cheapest place we could find was Ben's Deli. I had zero expectation of quality -- the decor wasn't my thing -- but in the end couldn't have been happier. The food was great; we had a comfy private room; and our families and friends got along famously. It was a total blast. The bill? About $18 per person, including drinks, tax and tip!
MUSIC
Processional: "Theme from True Romance"
A comedy of errors. The aisle was too narrow -- especially considering Charles and I were each walking down with our parents. I kept tripping over my dress; my dad picked up the train so I could get through but it ended up like a leash (never wear a dress with a train - terrible!); we ended up stuck mid-aisle when the music ended. Everyone laughed and my parents and I scooted up to the Chuppa for the ceremony.
Recessional: "Mena Mena" from the obscure softcore film Sweden: Heaven or Hell, later made famous by The Muppets. This one really worked. People dug it.
CATERER
Wow. Hoomoos Asli did an awesome job....though, again, I had fairly low expectations. Prices for full-service caterers *start* at $100/head for dinner. And if you want kosher? Forget it. $125 and up. That price was so out of our league that we threw all caution to the wind and went with Hoomoos Asli -- a hole-in-the-wall Israeli joint -- for $25 per person (not counting drinks, which we did ourselves). I think we also paid $1,000 on top for labor. The caterers arrived over an hour late, negating our cocktail hour -- but who cares, they were great. (Charles can say more about the food. That's his department.)
Loved it. Everyone did, except the guy who fell and shattered his hip.
DJs
Joe Garden (DJ Apertif), Anita Serwacki (DJ Meat Mistress), and Chris Karwowski (DJ Digestif): we love you!
MY FAVORITE THING
Hava Negilah. A beautiful moment. The DJs segued between different versions, including one with Connie Francis. I waited until a couple of minutes before the music started to warn my mom that she was going to be lifted up on a chair. (If I had given her more notice, she would have truly panicked.)
IN SUM
In the weeks leading up to the wedding, I seriously regretted going such a traditional route, at times even DREADING the actual event. But it ended up being the best time I can ever remember having. To have all (actually, most) of your friends and family in the same place at the same time was, literally, a once-in-a-lifetime thing. (It's all downhill from here.)
Thanks to everyone who came and especially to Kristen (my right-hand gal), Alexandra & Jim, Ryan, Michael & Carter, William Moree and Om Rupani (photographers), Steven & Wendy for all of their help. And to our parents for, well, everything.
Mazel tov!
Posted by: Barmaid Blog | 09/26/2006 at 09:41 AM
Congrats! Should have had the Archers' "Might" on the favor, though!
Posted by: john | 10/10/2006 at 06:37 PM
Hillcrest Jewish Center? No way! That's where I go to synagogue. My stepfather used to be the rabbi there.
Mazel tov!
Posted by: ilana | 10/11/2006 at 12:02 PM
Pictures, pictures, pictures! I want to see more pictures!!!
Posted by: me | 10/11/2006 at 02:30 PM
I want to know more about that cardboard cutout up there! Hilarious!
Posted by: Anne | 10/13/2006 at 07:30 AM
Congratulations on you wedding! Thanks for sharing!
We wish you the best!
Tim and Lisa
Authors of Wedding Planning on a Budget
Posted by: Tim and Lisa | 10/22/2006 at 05:11 PM
Hey i love reading your posts, you really put all this wedding bull in perspective! i was wondering though,(i too am on a tight budget for my own wedding) what was the cost for the venue rental?
Posted by: Antonette | 08/13/2007 at 03:25 AM
When we signed, Gary's Loft was $3,200 for a Sunday (Saturday costs more)... but then we had to change the date to Labor Day weekend and we had to pay the premium rate, $4,000.
Check out this thing I wrote about cheaper venues:
http://www.anotherfuckingwedding.com/2005/10/index.html
Also, I know of two more options that are substantially cheaper than Gary's Loft, so I'll post about them later today.
Posted by: carrie | 08/13/2007 at 10:11 AM
Found your hilarious blog while searching for pics of Gary's Loft and was wondering if you could share how many guests you had. Saw the space last week and am in love with it, but am worried that 150 guests might feel like a few too many in it.
Posted by: Lauren | 09/14/2007 at 11:36 AM
We had 120 people. We used the lower floor for the ceremony and the penthouse for the reception. There was plenty of space for our sit-down dinner upstairs, but the lower floor was a bit tight.
Gary says most of the weddings in his place don't do sit-down dinners. (I guess bc it's more of an "alternative" space than a traditional venue.) With a more informal setup, I bet you'd have enough space upstairs.
Posted by: carrie | 09/15/2007 at 12:12 AM
Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Ślubne | 01/25/2008 at 04:47 AM
I loved this blog...I am in the process of planning a christmas wedding-2008...I really found some of the ideas helpful.
http://navillus99.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Navillus99 | 02/15/2008 at 03:48 PM
Thanks for sharing. Some of the pics are priceless. Congrats!
Posted by: Wedding Photographer | 03/14/2008 at 04:20 PM
Cute wedding pictures! I especially like the woman in the blue pants suit with all the guys around her hahaha
Posted by: Jo | 03/27/2008 at 06:34 PM
Found your hilarious blog while searching for pics of Gary's Loft and was wondering if you could share how many guests you had. Saw the space last week and am in love with it, but am worried that 150 guests might feel like a few too many in it.
Great job
Posted by: Wedding Favors | 02/23/2010 at 12:18 PM