Wedding Wednesday: Ceremony and Reception

*Gah, I thought this posted last night before I went to bed-- false.  So here's my wedding Wednesday, a day late :)

As soon as we were engaged, questions came from every which way as to where the wedding would take place.  My Texas family thought that it needed to be in Texas, and Massachusetts folks assumed it would be here.  Logistically, Brian's entire family is in New England, my dad's side of the family is all in Connecticut, and my mom's smaller side of the family and my friends are in Texas.  Any way we looked at it, a group of our guests were going to have to travel, and it just made more sense to have everything take place closer to where 3/4 of our guests live, and have 1/4 of the guests have to travel, versus the other way around.  

The detail that sealed the deal?  For as long as I can remember, I've wanted a fall wedding in New England.  I didn't know how it would happen, how I could have a wedding in New England living in Texas, how I could convince my someday groom that it would have to happen because on earth could I meet someone living in New England if I was across the country... and so on.  Well, I moved, I met my Brian, I've had the pleasure of experiencing six glorious fall seasons here in Massachusetts, and I could not be more confident in our decision-- funny how things play out, yes?  We got engaged at the end of August and there wasn't an ounce of my wedding planning dreams that considered any other time of the year than a month in the range of September - November so that we could grasp onto some kind of foliage in our pictures.  And I love the weather-- it could rain on my wedding day, and I would still be completely okay considering I won't be sweating and hot and I won't be ragey because of humidity.  Wedding day PERFECTION.

Which brings us to where it's all going down!

Ceremony: St. Mary's Catholic Church - Scituate, MA 

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St. Mary's is the church that Brian grew up in, the church that his family still attends, and the church that everyone in his family since his parents has been married in.  To say that it was a no-brainer would be the understatement of the year.  The outside looks so New England-y to me, and I swoon all over again every time we're there for Mass.  It makes my heart happy, which is pretty much the only thing that I could hope for on our wedding day.

Reception: Black Rock Country Club - Hingham, MA 

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The biggest challenge that we ran into when looking for a reception venue was finding a place where we hadn't already attended a wedding.  We knew that we didn't want a wedding actually IN Boston, which drastically narrowed down our options, and at the beginning I had a really specific idea of what I wanted for a venue, which eliminated all country clubs.  Well, once we crossed off places where we'd already attended a wedding and places in Boston, we were left with a very tiny number of options.  Cue the bridal panic.  

We sat down and really thought about what type of feel we were going for, how we wanted our guests to feel, and the logistical stuff-- what would be feasible for guests not from the area to locate easily.  That brought us to two places-- the Duxbury Maritime Center and Black Rock.  If we were planning a spring/summer wedding, Duxbury would have been beyond perfection-- right on the water, amazing views, a gorgeous lawn area outside... basically the opposite of what I'd imagined for a fall wedding in New England.  

When we went to Black Rock, just upon walking in, I think we knew that that was our place.  The coordinator is on her A-game 24/7 and that puts this OCD bride's mind at ease BIG TIME.  If the weather is warm enough and if it's sunny, cocktail hour will be outside on the patio, which I just love (and yes, I have two back-ups in case it's rainy but warm, and if it's rainy and cold).  The ballroom is a pretty standard ballroom but has exposed wood beams at the top, which brings in just a tiny bit of the rustic feel that I was hoping for.  

I'm starting to get a feel for this Wedding Wednesday deal!

Managing Monday

Wouldn't it be perfection to have a three day weekend every week, and just skip Monday?  

When my alarm went off this morning, I'm not sure if I have ever more strongly felt the need to throw my phone clear across the room.  Didn't go to bed late, slept pretty decent... just not feeling the whole "Let's start a fresh new week!" approach.  Example?  As I walked to the elevator at work this morning, I saw a co-worker also waiting and made a sharp left into the ladies room because the thought of having to make conversation at that very moment was unbearable.  Kudos to those of you who are Monday people.  I mean, as I scrolled through my blog roll this morning, I scanned over a scattering of new post titles that allude to the fact that their content is going to tell me to embrace my day, throw open the windows, put a smile on my face and love every minute of this very moment, so I know that you're out there, you cheery weirdos, and this is my response:

I embrace that it's Monday; it's unavoidable.

It's going to snow; windows are closed.

Coffee made me smile.

I do love every moment.

Ways that I'm making my Monday a little bit more manageable?

... a gym sesh accompanied by back-to-back episodes of Say Yes to the Dress.

... my mani, painted while half-watching the Super Bowl last night.  It's the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics brand from Sephora, and I'm kind of obsessed-- the color is "Strumpet," and this line of nail polish is 100% vegan and cruelty-free.  I'm a huge Essie and OPI devotee and am always a bit hesitant to branch out, but Brian added this to my Christmas Sephora order as a surprise and it's a GREAT polish!

... my new Simplified Planner.  When I opened the box on Saturday afternoon, it was like the heavens opened and angels sang.  This is going to take my organization obsessiveness to an entirely higher level, and I'm thrilled, especially with all of the wedding crazy that's going on this year.  And?  It's just so PRETTY.

... most importantly, my large iced coconut coffee, snug and cold in my Dunkin Donuts coffee koozie.  There is no shame in my caffeine game.