Monday, February 02, 2009

Ode to our Wedding

Kate

It’s been 16 days since our Wedding Day,
There are so many things I still need to say.

My beautiful dress from Couture, now hangs in my room,
With memories of my first dance with my new groom.

To dear Channel 10, we hope there’s no regret,
For picking this crazy couple, only once you had met.

To our friend Steve Passarelli, from A Better Sound,
No more of your cameras to run from, all around town!

No more appointments to set up, by our good friend Christine,
No more stopping for an occasional cocktail, a few times in between.

The invitations came out beautiful by our friends at Crosstown Press,
Gorgeous hair and makeup by Joseph of Celebeautique, done without a bit of stress.

My ring from Providence Diamond really glistens in the light,
The flowers and decorations from Chad Michael Peters, what an amazing sight!

Our freezers full of Wedding cake, made by Jennifer from Sin,
The coasters (favors) from Arie gifts, always give me an instant grin.

Steve’s stylish tuxedo from Waldorf, now with a tear in the knee,
We laugh when we think how it happened, what a great memory!

All the great food and service, from The Crowne and NYLO,
Thanks to Anyplace Travel for our honeymoon to Mexico.

Thank you family and friends, we hope you had fun,
At our Amazing Wedding, we were lucky enough to have won!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Happily Married!!!!!!!!

Steve

Hello All,
    Well, it’s been about a week and a half since the “Big Night” and it feels so great to be married to the woman of my dreams!!!!!  We are back to life’s everyday routine and I have to say, it just feels better being married.  As you know, I work in the boating industry for the Bassett Boat Company http://www.bassettboat.com, here in Warwick, and you can imagine that with last year’s economy, we weren’t actually breaking any records with boat sales. It seems like the luxury items just weren’t in the cards for many families.  I’m not sure if I mentioned this before, but the day before NBC 10 announced us as the Free Wedding Giveaway Winners, I was laid off from work…….for the first time in my life…..I have to say its not a great feeling.   So here I am thinking, well, this really puts a damper on the “original wedding plans” and really slows everything down……..it left me wondering, are we ever going to get married?  Planning a big wedding does take money……a lot of money. We never expected we would be the winners of a contest like this………Then, the next day, WE WON…………..we really couldn’t believe it!!! It was like this wedding was meant to be and I have to say, the wedding was absolutely perfect!!!!! 
      In the last Blog, Kate thanked many or the vendors and spoke about how incredible the entire night was, and I completely agree, the night was incredible. There are still a few more thanks I would like to add.  First, I would like to thank Providence Diamond Company http://www.providencediamond.com. The rings they supplied were absolutely beautiful. I even had to purchase some new sunglasses just to look at Kate’s ring………the phrase bling, bling doesn’t even come close……WOW is it beautiful!!! If you’ve never been to Providence Diamond in Garden City, you have to check it out. They have an incredible selection and a great staff on hand to help you. Then, there were the tuxedos………. all the tuxedos were supplied by Waldorf Tuxedo http://www.waldorftux.com  in Warwick and I have to say that Bob and Jeff Quirk were fabulous and very accommodating.  For instance, one of the groomsmens’ trousers were a little too long when we picked them up…….…so, I’m thinking, oh no, here we go, day before the wedding and the pants don’t fit……what are we going to do? WRONG...……..this was not an issue what-so-ever…….…Bob took the pants in the back and hemmed them right on the spot.  I was really impressed by their great service and all the tuxedos looked terrific!!!!!!  I even got to keep my tuxedo and it’s a good thing because I tore the knee wide open with one of my patented dance moves, but that’s another story ha-ha…….John Travolta eat your heart out!!!!!!! 
    We really felt like royalty the entire night!  The Crowne Plaza even had champagne and rose petals scattered all over our room after the wedding!  They didn’t miss a thing. If you’re ever considering getting married at the Crowne Plaza………. please don’t hesitate.  Michele, Peggy, and the entire staff could not have done a better job. You can’t imagine what it felt like to have all 125 guests served at the exact same time with zero wait…….and the Paraded Baked Alaska was a show all its own…………absolutely fabulous……Thank You!!!!!!!! We were surrounded by cameras the entire night…..I mean a lot of cameras!  Once again, Steve Passarelli, of A Better Sound http://abettersound.com and his staff were great!!!  Steve made sure that even with all the cameras around, they never interfered with our Wedding or made us feel like this Wedding was being filmed for TV……Steve and his staff were very professional and absolutely fantastic!!!!!! We can’t wait to see all the pictures, video and our Wedding on NBC 10 on February 13th at 11:00am!!!!! The 13th can’t come soon enough. 
    We would also like to thank Sleepys, “The Mattress Professionals” http://www.sleepys.com . We will be visiting them this week to be fitted for our new KING SIZE “Kingsdown” mattress…….we can’t wait to get it!!!!!  Also we would like to thank, Anyplace Travel http://www.anyplacetravel.com, which we will be visiting again next week. We will finalize our honeymoon plans to Mexico!!!!!!!  Since everything was so last minute, we wanted to go away sometime in March. We visited Anyplace Travel before the wedding and they allowed us to disassemble their entire office to make a great little skit for the Wedding on TV…...Steve and his cameras have some great ideas……..you’ll have to wait and see!!
      Funny story………..the day after the wedding, we decided to get away for just a couple days to catch our breath…….keep in mind putting a wedding together in 37 days does tire you out even with the fabulous help of Christine Clark http://plannedtoperfectionllc.com and we weren’t planning the real Honeymoon until March!!!!! So we went to the Cape for a couple days. Saturday morning after getting home from the Crowne Plaza we found a place online that looked great http://www.baysideresort.com so we called and made reservations. When we arrived and were checking in, we noticed all the guests had on Hawaiian shirts and there were at least 150 KIDS IN THE POOL. Not that we don’t love kids, but our quiet couple of days wasn’t looking so relaxing at this point…..they were extremely apologetic for not telling us ahead of time. We found out that this was their annual beach party weekend!!!!!!  Soooooo, needless to say, we weren’t thrilled with the whole idea….. and it certainly didn’t look relaxing.   Then, as we spoke to the reservation specialists at the front desk and they were sooooo nice and accommodating we had to stay!!!!!  We weren’t in the room 10 minutes and there was a knock at the door. They delivered a bouquet of balloons, two bottles of champagne and some chocolates. They really made us feel at home and the kids running in the hallway were great……..sounded like they were having a blast and thats always a great sound. The resort was very clean and the service was fantastic!  I think we have found a new tradition for our anniversary each year!!
      Well, that’s all for now……these two fingers can only type for so long……
Please feel free to visit me at The Providence Boat Show this Thursday thru Sunday. I would be happy to help you find the perfect boat and after reading all these blogs, you don’t have to buy your next boat from a stranger.

Blog to you soon.
Steve

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Thank you just doesn’t seem like enough…

Kate

          Ok, it’s been a few days since the wedding, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to show my gratitude to all the vendors who really went above and beyond for our Wedding!  Seriously, when you watch the Wedding on February 13th at 11am on NBC 10, it’s going to blow your mind!  The flowers were absolutely exquisite.  From the ceremony, to the BEAUTIFUL centerpieces, everything was stunning.  Chad, you were so AWESOME to work with, thank you for making the flowers, décor, tables, and everything fit for royalty!  Please check out his amazing website at http://www.chadmichaelpeters.com
      I have to say, with the help of Couture Bridal http://www.couture-bridal.com , Vivian http://www.vivianstailorshop.com, Joseph and Grace http://www.Celebeautique.com , I didn’t look to shabby either!!!  The dress fit perfect, and looked amazing.  “The crystals, down the back of the train, were glistening like icicles” (that’s what one of the guests told me) I’m assuming that’s a compliment, right?  My make-up, thanks to Grace, looked like I was ready for any fashion magazine!  Really, it looked phenomenal!!!  I felt like such a diva with my fake lashes, and glammed up look…WOW!  Ah yes, the hair, my hair, my beautiful hair…Joseph Farias from Celebeautique, made me look ready for the runway.  My hair looked absolutely perfect, and once he put the veil on, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room! (Luckily, Grace used waterproof mascara!)
      Christine Clark, http://www.plannedtoperfectionllc.com was running around like a mad woman all day!  You have been everything from a Therapist to a Tennis star (thank you, Nintendo Wii for helping us relieve some stress!!!) in these past few weeks.  Thank you for making everything look, sound, and be PERFECT! 
      Ah, Steve Passarelli, http://www.abettersound.com our Master of Ceremonies.  Master he certainly is!  He did such a great job of keeping everyone incredibly entertained!  I don’t want to give too much away, but “The Love Story”, soooooooooooooooooo good!  The music, the “games”, the dances…So AWESOME!!!  Steve’s staff from A Better Sound felt like part of the family.  I didn’t want to say good-bye to ANY of them.  Thank you to all the fantastic photographers (Mike Dean in particular!!!) Videographers, and very talented DJ’s!  This night was incredible because of you guys!!! 
      Michele and Peggy from The Crowne Plaza I can’t thank you guys enough.  The accommodations worked out perfect.  All our out of town guests couldn’t say enough nice things about your staff and the hotel.  The food for the wedding was superb, I mean really fantastic!  Thanks for sending our dinners upstairs for a late night snack!  YUM!  You guys are stuck with us for life now… http://www.crowneplaza.com
      Thank you Kim Reis from NBC 10 for making us feel so special.  We really appreciate everything you have done for us and for making our dreams come true. 

Friday, January 16, 2009

The BIG DAY is here!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve

Wow, the phrase,“Time flies when you’re having fun!!!!!!” Isn’t that the truth………

          We are down to about 8 hours to go until our Wedding Ceremony begins!!!!! I’m not to sure how I am finding the time to write this blog so I will keep it brief. EVERYTHING IS DONE AND WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!!!!
      Last night we had our rehearsal dinner at NYLO and it was fantastic. We had wild mushrooms potage with grissini sticks fraiche (creamy mushroom soup), Caprese salad with hand pulled mozzarella, fresh basil and first press olive oil, petite tenderloin of beef with gorgonzola stuffing wrapped with applewood smoked bacon covered in a red wine demi that was sooooo tender ………..no knife needed!!!!!!! I mean this Filet just melted in your mouth and for desert a roasted fig stuffed apple!!!! Everything there was so delicious and the service couldn’t have been better. If you’ve never been to NYLO for dinner WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR………..IT’S FANTASTIC!!!!       
      Kate stayed at the Crowne Plaza last night with her sisters and her family from out of town and I stayed home with my brothers, my niece, my nephew, and my two beautiful daughters. We stayed up until about 3:00am all excited for the big day!!!! You know it wouldn’t be right to see the Bride on the day of the Wedding!!!! But we did talk on the phone several times……and of coarse she called me early this morning with a scare for me that the cameras are on their way……GET OUT OF BED!!!!!! She was only joking, I hope, as I peek out my window……….I don’t see any Cameras….

WE CAN”T WAIT FOR TONIGHT!!!

        For the first time in over a month I feel ZERO STRESS…….. It was calming for me to go through the wedding rehearsal last night and realize the wait is over and everything is done!!!! I’m not sure why I got so worked up in the first place………did I actually think with Christine Clark from Planned to Perfection and Steve Passerelli from A better Sound that NBC 10 would have a wedding on TV and everything not be perfect.

  Time for me to run……….I’m getting excited to ride in the Limo this afternoon with all the groomsmen, having the party of a lifetime, and most of all, THRILLED to be spending the rest of my life with KATE!!!!!!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

“Going to the Crowne Plaza and we’re gonna get maaaaaaaarried”

Kate

    So, the song, “Going to the chapel and we’re gonna get married” keeps playing over and over in my head.  I changed it to The Crowne Plaza instead of Chapel…What do you think?  I know you’re humming it right now… pretty catchy!  2 days from now, I will be walking down the aisle, not tripping of course, and becoming Mrs. Stephen Prickett!  Whoa!  I’m nervous, excited, happy, and everything in between! 
    I am so eager to see how Chad Michael Peters, http://www.chadmichaelpeters.com, will transform the Ballroom and Rotunda room of The Crowne Plaza.  He had brilliant ideas, so I can only imagine how it will all unfold…Uh oh, I feel another song coming on…”I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it, I’m about to lose control and I think I like it!!!!” Sorry, I feel the need to break into song every now and then, hope you don’t mind! 
    I can’t believe after picking my dress up from Couture Bridal on December 27th and dropping it off to my seamstress, Vivian, on the 28th that the dress is ready for me to wear!  Brides usually have their dresses at least 6 months in advance and start their alterations immediately…With the great work from Annemarie at Couture Bridal http://www.couture-bridal.com and Vivian my “Alteration Specialist” http://www.vivianstailorshop.com  , the dress looks perfect!  Uh oh, another song…”I feel pretty, oh so pretty, I feel pretty, and witty and gay…”
    The stress has been lifted.  Thanks to none other than Christine Clark from Planned to Perfection, http://www.plannedtoperfectionllc.com , she has been an absolute God send!  I have to say, I’ll be sad when we’re not talking on the phone 12 hours a day!  Christine is way more than a Wedding Consultant, she’s a great friend!  Of course this goes without saying, but Stephen Passarelli, from A Better Sound, http://www.abettersound.com, has not only been our Phenomenal Videographer, Photographer, and Ultimate Disc Jockey, he has been our mentor and friend …Uh oh, I feel another song coming on… “I want to,  thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank youuuuu!”  And for my final performance tonight, I’d like to sing…“Celllllll e brate good times, COME ON!“

Monday, January 12, 2009

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5………WHAT!!!!!  5 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5 DAYS!!!!!!!! Well, time is really, really, really moving fast………..only 5 days to go……..5 DAYS……….I am getting Married ……THIS FRIDAY NIGHT!!!!!!! Did I mention 5 days……………..YES 5 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok Steve……deep breaths…..everything will be done ………..we hope!!!!!! I’m finding that it’s very difficult to type, breathing like this, or not breathing like this…..OK Steve breathe…........ahhhhhhhhh….....that’s better…..……NOT...........that has got to be the phoniest AHHH I’ve ever heard. Why is there no real AHHHHHH with a sigh of relief you ask??????BECAUSE EVERYTHING ISN”T DONE YET!!!!!!!!!

Ok, Ok……..deep breaths……..deeeeeeep breaths.  We are currently working on the place cards, and the guests seating charts, and still waiting for the wedding rings, and still waiting for the brides gown………WHAT!!!!!!!!! NO WEDDING RINGS OR BRIDES GOWN or place cards!!!! Where are people going to sit or what is the bride going to wear, or what rings should we use if their not done??? All of these things are critical to this wedding taking place……its Monday and we are getting married on this Friday. I’m told they are on their way, but…….how can we truly relax until they are done and we see them, and they fit ok???? What if they don’t fit??? We are almost out of time, so needless to say we are STRESSED BIG TIME………for instance,  this morning I was trying to hang up my razor on the toothbrush rack,  where is doesn’t belong,  or dipping my toothbrush into a bottle of hair gel like I did a few days ago, or last night,  I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and after making the sandwich for some reason decided to spread peanut butter on the outside of the sandwich after there was already peanut butter on the INSIDE!!!!!! ,  it was a messy sandwich,  but I got through it!!!!  I seem to be having LOTS and LOTS of moments like this when I can’t even think to perform simple daily tasks……

      On a more positive note, we did meet with Steve Passerelli of A Better Sound and Christine Clark from Planned to perfection this past Saturday. We discussed with Christine more of the final details of the wedding and tied up a few more loose ends, you know, all the little stuff. We LOVE Christine, she has been FANTASTIC. Then we worked with Steve on all the video stuff that goes into the final Television video that will be aired on February 13th at 11:00 am on NBC 10. Stuff like interviews with family, and Kate and I,  we put our song list together, etc. I have to say that Steve was once again fantastic and gave us some great ideas with the music!!!! I guess after being a major part 6 or 7 THOUSAND weddings, you start to really know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to the music. He really made everyone that wasn’t feeling so comfortable feel very comfortable.  Steve is a true professional. Christine Clark was responsible for keeping the nieces quiet(not really….ha,ha) while we took turns filming in the other room. We eventually hooked up the Nintendo Wii system for them to play downstairs, which when we finished, turned into quite the tennis match between Kate and Christine!!!!! Very, very, funny to watch…..for a minute I thought I was watching Serena Williams vs Lindsay Davenport…..ha,ha.

    So stayed tuned for the next blogs as we pray this all comes together within the next 4 days. I think I’m going to go sign up for a yoga or meditation class today.

Friday, January 09, 2009

Choices????

Kate

    Yes, that’s right, I said choices!  Since our wedding was planned by the vendors and viewers, Steve and I really haven’t had anything to choose for our wedding until…the other night at The Crowne Plaza!  Michele and Peggy gave us a menu to choose hors d’oeuvres for our cocktail hour.  We were giggling like school kids at the chance to pick 5 delicious appetizers.  However, was it difficult!  They have so MANY different varieties, and we can only pick 5… this was going to be tough.  With a lot of help from Michele and Peggy, we picked out some of the most decadent appetizers.  YUM!  (I hope pictures don’t take too long that day, so I can have some of these yummy treats!)  Michele and Peggy make an amazing team at The Crowne Plaza.  The work they do is exceptional, and you can tell they have a great time doing it!  Steve and I had a blast with them the other night and it really got us amped for the big day!  They are bending over backwards for us, and really treating us like royalty!  A sincere thank you to Michele and Peggy, for having fun with us, and treating us like friends…
    Another choice we were thrilled about was our favors.  Maria Mignanelli from Arie gifts, contacted Christine Clark from Planned to Perfection, our wedding coordinator, and told her that she would like to “donate” our favors.  We were able to peruse this fabulous website http://www.ariegifts.com and pick out any favors we wanted.  What a great selection!  Please check out her website, it’s not only wedding favors, it’s much much more.
    And our final choice?  Pronuptia bridals, in Worcester.  We were lucky enough to order the Bridesmaid dresses here.  Smart decision on our part!  Sue, at Pronuptia, really kept things in order, and kept everyone’s mind at ease with this whole process.  The dresses came in on time, and the alterations were done in RECORD time.  Thank you very much, Sue, for making “my girls” look BEAUTIFUL!!! http://www.pronuptiabridals.com
    Only 7 days to go…

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

“Get to Know Kate and Stephen”

Steve

Hello Again Everyone,

      I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but some of the banners displayed on http://www.turnto10.com are titled “Get to know Kate and Stephen”. So I was thinking today about the last 20 or so blogs we have written ………….is anyone really getting to know us, or are they just hearing about this Fantastic Free Wedding Giveaway?
      Throughout our blogs we have talked about all the great vendors and how wonderful NBC 10 has been, we’ve talked about the craziness, the drama and once in a while added a little comedy.  This has truly been an incredible experience and honestly we wouldn’t change a thing….........well, maybe an extra month or two would be nice….....   We want to THANK EVERYONE involved in the NBC Turn to 10 and A Better Sound Free Wedding Giveaway!!!!!
The rest of this blog, I would like to talk about us a little, to help you “Get to Know Kate and Stephen”.
      To start, I have lived my entire life in Rhode Island and I don’t think I would ever want to live anywhere else.  I absolutely love Rhode Island.  It has a little of everything from beautiful bays, the ocean including one of the most beautiful coastines on the entire east coast, the country, the woods, and of course the great city of Providence. Most people don’t realize RI is still 75%  undeveloped WOODS and there is a lot to see in this little state!!!!!  There are over 400 miles of coastline…….that is unbelievable!!!!  I love that there is so much water around!!!  Kate and I are fishing fanatics and it’s just perfect for us.  For those of you that don’t know, I make my living on the water.  I am a Master Boat Captain, licensed by the US Coast Guard, to run boats up to 50 Tons or approximately 100 feet long.  I work for the sales department of the Bassett Boat Company here in Warwick.  I get to sell, deliver and give, on water orientations to all the excited new owners on their beautiful new boats.  Check us out at http://www.bassettboat.com and give me a call if a boat sparks your interest!!!!

Ok enough about me.  I would like to talk about three very special ladies in my life.

      For those of you that know Kate…..I’m sure you love Kate.  For those that don’t know Kate, let me begin.  She is the funniest, most thoughtful, kindest, considerate and most wonderful woman I have ever met!!!  She works as an Activities Director at the Smithfield Senior Center.  So it’s her responsibilities to make sure all the members are enjoying themselves with great programs, activities, trips, parties, dances, fundraisers, etc., and she really does a great job of keeping them active!!!!  She has constant high energy for them.  The Smithfield Senior Center has a great group of members and I have been fortunate enough to accompany them with Kate on a few trips and have gotten to know many of the members.  The games, movies and songs we sing on the bus trips are fantastic and everyone has a great time!!!!!  She is constantly doing stuff for other people. For example, we can’t cross The Newport Bridge without her paying the toll for the car behind us…(people she doesn’t even know).  She is a huge believer in random acts of kindness and participates in numerous fundraising events throughout the year.  I don’t think we have ever thrown a family party and Kate hasn’t created some kind of game we all play with a prize for the winner.  I think she probably sends out over 100 cards a year to people she loves for every occasion.  She makes life fun and I couldn’t be happier that she is marrying me in 10 days!!
    The other two very special ladies I’d like to talk about are my two daughters, Jessica and Kristen.  Jessica is a sophomore in High School and will be 16 years old in 8 days… soon to be driving!!!!!   Kristen is 14 and a freshman in High School.  They both excel in school and participate in many activities that make me so proud!!!!  They have grown up so fast and I miss the days of coaching their soccer teams and going to father daughter dances. They have both become two beautiful young ladies. We spend a lot of time together on our boat….like almost every weekend.  They are learning the waters as I did at their age, and they both love to take the helm and drive the boat.  They will both be in the wedding as junior bridesmaids!!!!! 
  Kate’s mother is just finishing MAKING Kristen and Jessica’s dresses for the wedding. Tonight we went for a final fitting and they look FANTASTIC!!!!  I guess raising 4 daughters and having many granddaughters’ makes for a spectacular dressmaker and seamstress!!!

    I promise the next blog will be about the Wedding since there are only 10 days to go and so much left to do!!!!!!!!! I think we received the last invitation back today!!!!!  YEA!!!!!

Monday, January 05, 2009

Say…“CHEESE”

Kate

    Saturday afternoon, Steve and I had our engagement photo session with Steve Passerelli from A Better Sound.  I have to tell you, I was really nervous!  Posing in front of a camera is not my idea of a fun afternoon!  “Photophobia”, I think that’s what I may have.  I’ll have to talk to my doctor about that…ha ha   We went down to Greenwich Bay, thinking the snow and water would make such a pretty backdrop.  Looking at some of the pictures Steve took, the back ground looked gorgeous!  The sun was setting in the distance, snow on the beach and boats, and the sky was so clear and blue.  We, however, with our red noses, shivering bodies, and clenched teeth took a while to get used to the “Paparazzi”!  I think I might have to give Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford a call and see how they handle their photo shoots!  (Yeah right!!!)  Steve really made us feel like movie stars!  All the different angles, poses, and backgrounds it was done very professionally.  We even did a wardrobe change!  (Not really, we had our winter coats on, and then tried a few shots without them… ha ha)  All in all it went very well, and I’m very excited to see what Steve will do to them.  (I’m hoping there will be some air- brushing and photo shopping done to the pictures!!! wink wink)  A special thank you to Christine Clark from Planned to Perfection for being Steve’s “assistant” that day! 
    Oh, and speaking of cheese…I just want to say, thank you to our always fabulous breakfast joint, Nick and Joan’s on Warwick Avenue in Warwick.  They truly have the best breakfast in RI.  I kid you not!  Always good, always friendly, always made with TLC! 

    Stay tuned for more cheese…oh, I mean blogs!

Saturday, January 03, 2009

3 HOURS OF HAIR AND MAKE-UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve

    Ok, so last night I went with Kate to Celebeautique in Newport to meet with owner Joseph Farias. This was another trial run for the bride’s hair and first time with make-up. Kate and I planned to meet a couple friends in Newport afterwards so I figured sure I’ll go with her to Celebeautique. I had no idea what to expect and figured it would only be about an hour to an hour and a half.  This was the first time I had ever been inside a REAL Hair Salon. I have to say, it’s much different than the barber shop I usually go to…..Chuck’s Barber Shop in Apponaug, Warwick.  I always thought Chuck performed miracles for 12 bucks….and he does, but nothing like the experience we had last night at Celebeautique. I have to say Joseph was fantastic!!!!! I actually felt very comfortable watching Kate transform in front of my eyes.  Joseph was quick to serve me a cold beer and Kate a nice glass of wine which made me feel right at home. Don’t get me wrong, I think Kate is beautiful already, but she looked ABSOLUTELY incredible when Joseph finished with her new hair cut and when Grace finished with the make-up. Grace was fantastic and really made it look easy. I’ve never seen Kate with make-up professionally done. So, I’m watching this go on and thinking….GEESH ……why is this beautiful woman marrying ME!!!!  I guess I’ll have to wait 13 more days and see if she shows up to this big event!!!!!!!!  Anyhow, three hours later we were done and I was proud to show off my soon to be bride to my friends.
    Today we will be meeting with Steve Passerelli owner of A Better Sound and with Christine Clark owner of Planned to Perfection. We will be shooting our engagement portrait.  I hope Steve can take some magical photos to make me look as good as Kate looked last night!!!!  Hopefully he brings some extra cameras, I’ve been known to break a few over the years……ha, ha. After looking at Steve’s website http://www.abettersound.com I am confident the pictures will be great!!!
    We have received MOST of the wedding invites back but are still waiting for approximately 15 guests to respond. We need to have a count and menu choices ready for The Crowne Plaza on the 7th … four days!!!!!!!!!  I hope these last invites are in the mail and on their way back.……….PLEASE!!!!!! 
    That’s all I have for now, but will have more to talk about soon, as things are really starting to get crazy around here…..we are running out of time and there’s still a lot to get done!!!!

Blog to you soon,
Steve

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

The nails, the shoes, and of course the dress…

Kate

    I would like to start by saying thank you to my friend Amy Songen, of Hair Designs on Post Road in Warwick.  She was able to make my very bitten nails, because of the current status of my life, into beautiful French manicured pieces of art.  Wow, I actually like looking down at my hands while I type this!  That’s a first!
    Ah, the shoes…You know how people always say, “The shoes make the man” well, I think the shoes make the wedding dress!!!!!  My mother, sister and I moseyed over to Krystal shoes, in Cranston (where else would you go to buy wedding shoes) and encountered a lovely saleswoman named Marilyn.  She assisted my mom in finding shoes for her dress.  She brought out so many selections I think Carrie Bradshaw would have been impressed!  (Carrie Bradshaw=Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex in the City)  Then it was my turn.  Poor Marilyn had to deal with my gigantic “man feet”!!!  She started bringing out the most beautiful shoes, and I looked at her and said, “Do you really think these will fit my skies for feet”?  Low and behold they did!  It amazed me, as soon as I slid my foot into the 3 inch NINA heels, I knew they were the ones.  Really sexy and super comfortable.  Did you think that combination of sexy and comfortable even existed?  Thanks Marilyn for making my HUGE feet super sexy and comfortable! 
    And of course, the dress.  Just think about how you would feel if you NEVER saw your wedding dress in person until 2 ½ weeks before the wedding day.  A little nerve-wracking, right?  LUCKILY, it was beautiful.  Of course it was going to need some work, and that’s where “Wonder Woman”, oh I mean, Vivian comes in.  If you ever need ANYTHING done, from a zipper, to a full length evening gown, Vivian is your lady!  She had me in and out of the Wedding dress in no time.  Let it out here, pin it up there, and voila, gorgeous!  I’m looking forward to meeting with her again next week!  Vivian, you’re a life saver.  Check out her website at http://www.vivianstailorshop.com  Only 17 days to go!!! 

Sunday, December 28, 2008

19 Days to Go!!!!!!!!

Steve

    To start, I would like to congratulate my future in-laws. Today they celebrated their 40th Wedding Anniversary!!!!!! Forty years!!!!! Let’s see, in forty years I will be 78 and Kate will be 73. WOW!!!!!!!!! APPLAUSE FOR THEM PLEASE!!!!!!!! By then Kate and I will probably be members at the Smithfield Senior Center……most likely enjoying a nice game of bocce or maybe going on a trip to the Casino together…….ok….that’s a long, long, long, long time away and I am definitely getting off track with this blog.

    Back to the Wedding

  Christmas has passed and I feel a great relief in our house already. Don’t get me wrong, not that Kate and I don’t love Christmas……its our favorite Holiday and we REALLY love getting together with family and friends and eating, and eating, and drinking, and sometimes a little more eating. Keep in mind, Kate is half Italian and half Irish…....so that’s what we do…...eat a little…...drink a little…....eat a little…....you get the point. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. This year was just a little more hectic than years past….......just a little…...…NOT!!!!! Remember this Wedding is the 16th of January. Lets see, where does the hectic part come in? On December 10th we found out what all the elements of the wedding would be. So, nothing could really begin until then. That left us with 37 days to put together this entire wedding. I know, I know you’re all saying but they have Christine Clark from Planned to Perfection, and Chad Michael Peters doing the flowers and everything must be all set, its all being done for them…..ha, ha. We just found out two weeks ago what invitations we were even using!!!!!!!!!!! We would like to thank all the vendors. They have been doing a fantastic job with everything with such little time to work with. I understand wedding plans usually start a year or more in advance…….GULP…......Ya, 37 days should do it…...no problem.   By putting together I mean, getting fitted for tuxedos, waiting for invitations, ordering the brides gown, etc. Imagine just ordering the brides gown with a month to go and it still needs to be fitted!!!!!! It has been crazy wondering when we will have everything in place and time is flying by!!!! 

    We finally sent invitations out this Tuesday just before Christmas……TUESDAY…….22 days before the WEDDING……. WHAT……..THIS IS CRAZY!!!!! Our poor wedding guests have been patiently waiting wondering if an invite is coming in the mail or not. I hope people don’t take more than 30 seconds to decide on Surf and Turf or Chicken Florentine!!! They need to get them back to us ASAP, like yesterday!!!!! Kate picked up her Wedding Gown today from Couture Bridal with her mother and sisters. They all seemed thrilled when they got home so I GUESS they really like it???? I won’t get to see the actual dress until the big day……….who started that tradition anyway? Now this week, the fitting of this dress can begin….19 days to go!!!
    So, we will patiently wait for 125 invites to respond to our wedding invitations. By the time we get them all back it will only be two weeks or so to the Wedding. Now, that’s cutting it close………wiping my brow……….. That’s all for now, there is still SOOOOOOO MUCH that needs to be done. Unfortunately the Patriots won’t be there with me every weekend anymore.

Blogging Soon,
Steve

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Shower me, please!!!

Kate

    Sorry it’s been a few days since our last blog, but Christmas came soooo fast, and we really needed to get a little bit of shopping done.  Actually, a lot of shopping done!  We hope everyone had a great Holiday!
    I had quite a surprise today.  My family and friends threw me my very own Bridal Shower!  Before I talk about this amazing party, let me tell you how I got there.  Steve told me that Christine, our Wedding Planner, scheduled us to meet with her and Steve Passarelli, our Videographer, Photographer and DJ.  So, we were to meet them at Chelo’s in East Providence at 12:30.  Chelo’s in East Providence, I’m repeating it, because there seems to be 2 Chelo’s restaurants in East Providence.  In we walk to Chelo’s next to Rumford Pets, and Steve has a very puzzled look on his face.  He leaves me inside and runs outside to make a few phone calls.  I was starting to suspect something was up.  He returns and says we need to go to the Chelo’s on Newport Ave.  Ah yes, the 2nd of the two Chelo’s restaurants in East Providence…OOPS!  We had a good laugh about it, anyway. 
    I’d love to know who invented this fun Bridal Shower party idea…Let’s see, I get to pick out gifts at a few different stores and have people actually buy them for me, eat lots of great food, hang out with friends and family, drink endless cocktails, play crazy games, and it’s all catered around me!  So Fabulous…  It was so great to see friends and family I haven’t seen in a while…  Thank you for everything, everybody!
    Tomorrow, I finally get to pick up my dress!!!  YIPPEE!  Less than 3 weeks away…WOW!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

26 Days to go!!!!!!!! No problem!!!!!

Steve

    Sorry it’s been a couple days since our last blog, but we have been a little bit busy. There are 26 days to go and everything is great….not a single bump in the road…....just smooth sailing……..everything is on time…….all the guests have been notified……just completing the finishing touches…….NOT!!!!!!!   If you believe that, I have a great deal on some swamp land for you down south!!!   You would think everything is all set and we are just waiting for the big day, but NO!!!  Stress is starting to set in!!!!!!! The brides’ dress hasn’t been fitted yet because it just came in. The bridesmaid dresses just came in and haven’t been fitted and the junior bride’s maid’s dresses are being handmade and will also need to be fitted. The invitations haven’t been mailed out; we need to have our meal order in to the Crowne Plaza a couple weeks before the big day, etc…  Don’t forget this process couldn’t even begin until 10 days ago after the VOTING was complete. We didn’t have much time from the start. So, do you think we’re in a panic? OF COURSE WE ARE!!!!!!!!!! There are 125 people out there that aren’t sure when the wedding is……..or if they are even coming????? YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whew……ok……deep breaths…….. I think we are going to start Christmas shopping soon, after all it is the 21st already…....ha-ha……..you think I’m kidding….. Honestly, we have barely begun and we finally put up a Christmas tree the other night. Believe me, there hasn’t been much free time. (Not that I’m complaining, we’re having a blast!!) We have some great vendors working with us and Christine Clark from Planned to Perfection has a handle on everything. We are confident everything will be great in the end.

Ok, that’s all for now, I need to get ready for some Sunday Night Football!!!!!!!

Blog to you soon, Steve

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

“Pretty Woman Moment”

Kate

    Last Saturday my mother and I went shopping for her “Mother of the bride” dress.  We figured we’d hit all the fancy boutiques in RI, Boston, and Worcester.  Have you ever had that Pretty Woman moment?  You know the one I mean, when you walk into an upscale boutique, they look at you from head to toe, and give you that disapproving stare?  OK, so my face hadn’t completely healed from the Chemical Peel, so I still looked a bit like Leather Face, from Texas Chainsaw Massacre!  However, we were dressed cute, and really needed to buy a dress!  So my mother (so funny) feels the need to tell the “snooty” ladies that I am the Channel 10 Dream Wedding Bride, and that my wedding will be on television.  It’s amazing how their attitudes did a 180!  I was “all set” with the snobby ladies (you know who you are…tsk tsk) and we went on our way. 
    My mother had heard about a store in North Providence.  A friend of hers had bought a dress there, Botticelli, the store for the curvaceous woman!  Well, from the moment we walked in, we were welcomed with open arms, and glasses of wine!  (nothing wrong with shopping AND an occasional beverage!!!)  Janet Tanury, just started pulling dresses off the racks, started a fitting room for my mom, and took the time to get to know us.  She REALLY knows how to dress a woman.  I mean, from head to toe!  I think it was the 4th dress my mom tried on, she knew it was THE one!  My mom had her own pretty woman moment in the mirror, the one where you actually like the way you look in something, and you feel sooo pretty!  She looked stunning in the dress!  A special thank you to Janet Tanury of Botticelli for making my mother feel special, she deserves it!  Check out their store at http://www.botticelliri.com