Yes yes! Tremendous news. We tied the knot, drank wine, and smashed the glass! Yes, we are married. I’m happy to say that the ceremony went off without a hitch. Top notch. It was a good day. Great weather, good friends, and great food and celebration. We’re so happy that everyone attended our wedding and took part in our celebration!

Here are some pics that our friend Jessica took of the event.

[Show as slideshow]

Click through the thumbnails. You can see Dan and I looking a little nervous, wondering if the bride will show. A little panic set in, and then there she was. See our adorable ring bearer, then see us drink wine. Check out that amazing dress that Amy bought! So perfect, I wouldn’t change a thing! And yes, we danced. After a danceless relationship, I found that my bride was hiding something from me–even though I’m dancing impaired, that girl can move!

It really was a tremendous occasion. More to come soon!

Bring your sunglasses!

Our plans have changed for the better!

We are expecting beautiful weather on Sunday afternoon with a high temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The original plan was to have our ceremony in the glass pavilion at the Antrim. We are now planning to have an outdoor ceremony in the rose garden. If it does rain (and it is supposed to  rain Sunday evening) everything will be moved inside to the glass pavilion. It is too early in the season for roses to be in bloom. Daffodils have appeared at my house, so I’m hoping there will at least be a few daffodils peeping through the ground on Sunday in Taneytown.

The beautiful weather we’ve been having is amazing! I always wanted to have an outdoor wedding, but we never expected we’d be able to do that in March. You never know what Mother Nature will hand you in March in the Mid-Atlantic–high winds, snow, rain, cold weather, warm weather–it’s a gamble. We were hoping for an unseasonably warm day on March 21st, and it looks like that what we will get. We are so excited!

Jesse and I have one week left to be single individuals! I can’t believe how fast our engagement period has passed. We are working hard to tie up loose ends and smooth out all details for the wedding day.

Here is a schedule of events for March 21. Times are approximate; except for the start of the ceremony.

3 p.m. — Ceremony starts in the rose garden at the Antrim
3:30-4:30 p.m. — Cocktails and hors d’hoeuvres in the mansion
4:30 p.m. — Reception begins in the glass pavilion
8:30 p.m. — Reception ends

Our region was blasted with a record 3 blizzards this winter! All winter I was worried that it would snow on March 21. There are now no concerns about snow, however I am really worried that it will rain that day. WE DO NOT WANT RAIN!

Whatever Mother Nature decides to throw at us, we are still looking forward to sharing our special day with our close family members and friends!

We survived the snowstorm. We’re quite amazed. Our neighborhood stood up to the power outages and terrible issues that surrounded our area. Luckily we are warm and we can almost get out of the house. We’re just waiting to see what the storm on Tuesday the 9th will bring us. Here’s a pick of Amy after we borrowed our neighbor’s snow blower. That machine is amazing!

I had my first bridal gown fitting this afternoon. It was nice to see my actual gown. I had printed out a picture of it a few months ago from the manufacturer’s Web site, but I think the dress looks even better in person.

My sister Lisa and niece Lacy visited today, and they went with me to the appointment. Lisa is going to make my veil. We spent the afternoon shopping for veil fabric and supplies, and had a nice lunch together. They also shared some do-it-yourself wedding ideas with me. I now have a cute, colorful  project to work on this weekend. You will all find out what it is on the big day!

That’s what we thought when we were kids! However, we were hit with 15 inches plus of the white stuff on Saturday! It made for an amazing view outside of the window, with the fireplace roaring and with great bread and biscuits baking in the oven. Wow, what work it took for the two of us to unpile our cars and sidewalks! Finally, minutes ago, the plows just came down our residential street where the cars are parked. Oh wait. That means it’s time to get out and shovel more! There’s a price to be paid for the beauty of a white Christmas! I look forward to the reactions of those I love and the gifts they’ve received! 

Here are a few pics of the fun and shock of the beauty of the snowstorm!
 
Snow in the front!

Snow on the side!

Jesse and I did one of the “sweetest” things recently–we ordered our wedding cake!

We had a cake tasting with a cake baker named Karen Rodkey in Littlestown, Pa. She made 3 fabulous mini cakes for us to try. They were some of the best cakes I’ve tasted. We had fun working with her to create the cake design that we want.

The empty plate below is an indication of how much we liked the cakes.

After our visit we stopped by an antiques store. Jesse found some old tools that he liked. I happened upon this lamp:

Does it look familiar? It’s a replica of the classic lamp that was a highlight of “A Christmas Story” movie! We thought it would be fun to have in our basement, but it wasn’t for sale.

On our way home we stopped at an orchard where we purchased tons of jam, apples, and apple cider. We both loved the pumpkin pyramid next to the parking lot.

Over the weekend, we took another trip to the Antrim to finalize some details. This time, it was the menu. Since we already had our complimentary dinner, we had to make a visit to make menu decisions, but for this visit there were no samples, so we had to stop to pick up some lunch before the visit. We stopped and saw this sign. Kinda appropriate.

We’re going to keep our decisions a mystery, but we can say that this meal will be tremendous. I’m quite excited about what we will enjoy. This will be a special evening! Before creating this post, I had dinner, and I’m salivating thinking about the menu to come!

We took a few snapshots of the Antrim while we were there and thought we’d share! Here’s a shot of the back of the Antrim 1844, just look at that blue sky!

This is the building where the ceremony and the dinner will occur,  it seats well over 200, but our event will be much smaller than that! It’s really a great space, it’s a fairly new building, so it has everything, air conditioning, it’s own kitchen and more!

Here’s me and Amy looking at menu choices. This page was just supposed to be inspiration. The chef was amazing and said he could make anything! He trained in France and has a tremendous love and appreciation for the artform of food! As we discussed possibilities, I thought if I had the ideas and inspiration about art that he has about food, I’d be drowning in art at home! Over two hours of discussion! Too much fun.

We have to announce, as of today, it’s been 6 years since I’ve known Amy. It’s been a tremendous whirl wind of a relationship, and today I told her, you know, in the time we’ve been together, we could have had another Bachelor’s degree and a masters, and in fact we have. That is, a masters in figuring each other out, and there’s so much more to look forward to.

We celebrated the occasion tonight with a home cooked meal and hopes of passing out candy to trick or treaters! We carved two amazing jack-o-lanterns, roasted the seeds, and I carved out a bunch of pumpkin to cook two loaves of bread and a batch of chicken soup with a vanilla pumpkin broth! Now we’re stuck with two bags of left over candy and a ton of soup to last.

I know .. I know, in the long range of things, we should celebrate with jewelry, fine dining, and a myriad of surprises, but in the end, some times, it’s so nice to have someone to just relax with.

We’ve reserved a block of rooms for our wedding guests at the Antrim Hotel. This block of rooms will be on hold until Nov. 21, 2009. Please book your room by this date to receive a discounted rate. Our guests are guaranteed to get the lowest rate if a room is reserved by Nov. 21. The rooms are available for the night of our wedding on March 21. You can view a description of each room and the room rates here.

You need to call the Antrim directly (410-756-6812) to make the reservations. Ask to speak to Robin Bowman.

There are other hotels nearby if you do not wish to stay at the Antrim:

1. Sleep Inn Emmitsburg in Emmitsburg, Md.
2. Best Western in Westminster, Md.
3. Country Inn & Suites, Gettysburg, Pa. Gettysburg has many hotel options.

Taneytown (pronounced tawny town) is in Carroll County, Md., and is approximately 1.5 hours from Northern Virginia, 1.5 hours from York, Pa., 140 miles from Philadelphia, 35 miles from Baltimore and half an hour from Frederick, Md. The closest airport is BWI, about an hour away.

Civil War history buffs may be interested in visiting Gettysburg, Pa., 10 minutes north of Taneytown. Frederick, Md., is half an hour south and has a cute downtown area that contains the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

I went to college at Mount St. Mary’s College (now a university) in Emmitsburg, Md.–15 minutes west of Taneytown–so of course I can recommend some great spots to visit in that area! One of my favorite places is the National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes, located on the mountainside behind the college campus. Daily masses are held outdoors next to the “cave” in warmer months and year round at the indoor glass chapel. You can stroll down “Rosary walk” and view the lovely marble statues, pray, or capture gallons of the Grotto’s famous holy water from a spring. Yes, I said gallons! I’ve seen people fill wagons with gallon containers of the water to take home because they believe it has healing powers. I know this may be too much talk about Catholicism for some of you, but even if you aren’t Catholic you can appreciate the beauty of the surroundings and the peace and quiet. I used to go there quite a bit to study when the weather was nice. There used to be a 3-mile hiking trail available to the public, but the last time I was there last year it was closed.

Cunningham Falls in Thurmont, Md., is 20 minutes south of Taneytown. It is very close to Camp David and has a gorgeous 78-foot waterfall. It’s a great area to hike, picnic or swim.