coming together

Well, we are at the three month mark before our nuptials and most plans are still a mess but I'm not sweating because the important items are checked off. We have our ceremony and reception venues booked; we are getting married at Sage Chapel at Cornell and having our reception along the waters of Cayuga Lake at the Ithaca Farmers Market. I booked both in December and I am not only very, very excited about the locations, but I am somewhat smug because the Farmers Market quickly became booked for all months in the summer and autumn not long after I made my booking.

In a side story, SB and I were originally going to get married in the Adirondacks but I made the huge error of leaving him in charge of booking the venue that he has wanted to get married at for 30 years..and he in his procrastinating wisdom decided that there was no urgency. He didn't make the booking in August when we were actually in the Adirondacks at the venue, nor in the months following. When he eventually phoned in late December, he was shocked, just shocked that both of their two allowed summer bookings were taken. At the time, I was devastated but also highly annoyed but now I think that Ithaca is a blessing because a surprising number of international guests are coming and it would have been far more difficult to travel to the Adirondacks for people who can't drive. On a side note to the side story, can I just share how delighted I am that our international invitees are coming? I have become a watering pot about how wonderful it will be to see so many of our friends.

So this is where we are getting married: http://www.cornell.edu/tour/Sage_Chapel_Organ.

The bonus is that the bridal party will be assembled in the "Memorial Room" which is what I think that Cornell renamed the crypt to reassure squeamish brides. Being in a room filled with sarcophagi will send my vampire loving best friend into spasms of delight. 

And this is our venue: http://www.ithacamarket.com/


While I went into wedding planning with no known preferences, I discovered very quickly that I had some internal bias. As we looked at venues I discovered a strong preference to outdoor settings. This worked well with SB's desire to get married in his beloved Adirondacks. Unfortunately I also discovered a mild aversion to tents, which I knew that I needed to suck up because the weather in the Adirondacks involves a lot of sudden rain showers, even on the sunniest of days. Once our top choice became untenable, we began looking at venues at the Cornell Plantations and Ithaca wineries, but many included the need for a wedding tent. The perfect location was right there under our noses but we didn't see it. SB and I often visited the Farmers Market, but during daytime when the booths are full of vendors. Then I Googled "Ithaca wedding" and came across dozens of gorgeous images of the market at night. I knew that it was perfect. It was on the lake, sheltered from rain, and without walls so that we could enjoy the beauty of an Ithaca evening. SB was more than willing to agree to my request to bump down the level of formality in our celebration from semi-formal to cocktail/dressy casual attire and I happily phoned the farmer/manager of the market. 

And that, folks, is how I discovered that a "dream wedding" or at least a "dream location" had been lurking inside of me. 

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