James & Ali

“Wow” is, I think, about as eloquent as our response to the events of the past weekend are likely to get for a while. It was absolutely amazing, and we are delighted that we were able to share it with so many special people. Right now, we’re very much still processing everything, so expect a more considered response at some point down the line.  We know that many of you had cameras with you, and while we wait patiently for Gabi, our awesome photographer, to sort out the 2,000+ shots she took, we’d absolutely love to see what the weekend looked like from everyone else’s perspective. If you would be willing to share (and we’re not just looking for perfection here – candid shots of croquet are as valid as soft-focus group shots), we’ve set up a gallery where you can register and upload your photos for everyone to see.  Thanks again, for helping to make this the best weekened of our lives bar none.  Much love, James & Ali.

Wow, is it September 17th already?! We can’t believe that it is almost the Big Day! Still, preparations are largely complete, and we are sooo excited to be seeing everyone this weekend. Just remember, your mobile phones will not work in the mountains, so print out those directions and call us today if you have any questions.  We’ll be leaving tomorrow (Thurs. 9/18), so if you need to get in touch with us after that, call the Full Moon at 845-254-5117.  Next time we update this website we will be husband and wife!

We’ve also been getting some questions lately on what to pack, and what the weather will be like.Usually the weather in the Catskills in September is glorious. Expect warm sunny crisp clear days (please, gods, no rain!!) and cooler nights. The days may still feel pretty hot and summery (70s F/ 20s C), so bring a range of warm-weather options: t-shirts, shorts or skirts, and suncreen. The nights will get much cooler (think 50s F/ 11-15 C), so you’ll probably want a few jumpers/sweaters, and possibly a jacket. I’d also advise bringing some bug-spray with you.

If you have musical instruments, feel free to bring them to the bonfire. You never know…there’s always the possibility of late night drumming or guitar sing-alongs, or maybe even some fiddle music. We’ll be bringing our instruments (djembe and fiddle) if anyone wants to play with them.We’ll also be bringing a frisbee with us, and possibly a soccer ball (Brits: football).
Alas, our friend who was going to bring his croquet set is no longer coming to the wedding (and we’ll miss you!), so if anyone else has a croquet set they’d like to bring, please do! We promised everyone croquet. Otherwise, bring whatever else strikes your fancy. We just bought a croquet set, so fret not!

Finally, there will be bar service on Friday night from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm.  After that point, you are welcome to drink whatever you have brought with you at the bonfire, so if you would like to bring a six pack of beer with you, or a bottle of wine, please feel free to do so.  Again, we hope this helps. If you have any more questions, feel free to post them on the Discussion Board.

We’ve heard it on the grapevine that we made something of an omission when designing our invitations, namely that we neglected to mention any standard of dress for the event. This has sent some people into a tailspin of confusion, while still others are rejoicing at the opportunity to break out that Hawaiian-print unitard they’ve been dying to find an occasion to wear. We don’t have a particular costume in mind, but for those looking for a little guidance, here is what we’d suggest:

• Friday evening is a casual BBQ, we will be wearing jeans.
• Saturday daytime is mucking around in the woods, kicking balls around on the lawn, or splashing around in the (open, but unheated) pool. Again, casual attire is the name of the game.
• Saturday evening is a wedding, the bridal party will be dressed to the nines, we’d like our guests to be smart but comfortable – men in shirts, maybe ties, jackets for those that want; women, we know you have a range of options, so whatever you feel is equivalent.

Hope that helps!

Hello! With under five weeks (count them – five!) until the big day, things have been more than a little busy around here lately. We’ve been collating responses, assigning rooms, choosing rings, arranging formalwear, putting the honeymoon together, looking at ceremonies, chatting to the band, the photographer, trying to sort out rideshares, to name but a few of the tasks that have been swallowing our evenings and weekends. It is shaping up to be an awesome party and we’re so excited to be seeing everyone so soon! This is just a little message to remind you that we’re thinking of you, but that updating this website hasn’t been high on our list of priorities. Hopefully we’ll have a few snaps from our recent photoshoot to share soon, but until then do let us know if we can help, and be sure to make use of the discussion board, confirm your reservation with the Full Moon, and generally get excited for September…

We’ve been getting a lot of questions, and have been trying to answer the questions as they arrive. However, I just updated the FAQ on the Discussion Board with more information on camping and accomodation costs for the weekend (Budgeting for the Weekend). If you have any further questions, feel free to post them on the Discussion Board. Thanks!

So, hopefully by now you’ve received your invitation!  We originally wanted to send these really gorgeous letterpress invitations, but after we found out the pricetag for letterpress, we began to explore other options.  After looking at a few other styles without falling in love with anything, we eventually decided to try our hand at making them ourselves, and boy are we glad we did!  Not only did we save some money, but the actual design process and the making of the invitations was much more creative and fun than anything we anticipated.  The bulk of the invitations were put together in a weekend-long marathon session of stamping and measuring and printing and cutting.  We took some photos along the way for the archives, so check them out when you get a chance:

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Hi, everyone. So, our invitations are in the mail and wending their way towards you, if you haven’t gotten them already! However, we’ve already started to get a few questions regarding accomodation at the Full Moon, and we felt we needed to clarify just a bit more.

Rooms at the Full Moon will not be available to book until AFTER July 31st. This is because the process is such that we need to receive everyone’s RSVPs, then tell the Full Moon which rooms are needed by which people, and then assign the rooms to each couple/ family. Because it’s not a hotel, and everyone will be staying in cabins or in the Bed & Breakfast, we’re basically taking over the entire resort for the weekend. Once we’ve figured out the room assignment (i.e. by July 31st), folks will then be able to call the Full Moon and complete their reservation process.

We’re trying to be as fair about the room assignment as possible, but as we mentioned in the invitations, a few people may need to stay off-site. This basically depends on how many people RSVP yes, and how many people opt for staying in a cabin versus camping. The Full Moon can hold 80 guests comfortably in the cabins/B&B, and approximately 90 if we stretch to fold-out beds and cots. However, as we mentioned in the invitations, there is very convenient and lovely off-site accomodation only minutes from the Full Moon by car which is also available. We will be getting in touch with those guests who will need to book off-site accomodation personally, and will provide them with information on the off-site options at that time. If you don’t hear from us prior to July 31st, please assume that you will be staying at the Full Moon, and call the Full Moon accordingly to book your reservation after that date.

As you can see, a lot of the room assignment depends on the RSVPs, so please RSVP promptly by July 15th so that we can complete the room assignment by July 31st.

Also, to answer another question about the camping option: the facilities at the Full Moon are available to campers, so there is no need to worry about use of the restrooms or showers etc.  Campers will have to pay a nominal facilities fee and book their meal package (breakfast and lunch on Sat. and breakfast on Sunday), but otherwise, camping is a more economical option for those who wish.

And finally….this wedding has been designed as a weekend event.  We know that we asked for you to RSVP to both the Welcome BBQ on Friday night and the wedding itself on Saturday as if they’re two seperate events, but it’s our most sincere hope that you’ll come to both!  Booking a room at the Full Moon requires both a Friday and Saturday night stay, due to the fact that they won’t reserve rooms as part of our wedding party if both nights aren’t booked.  In other words, if you’re not planning on staying at the Full Moon on Friday, they’ll give the room to other interested third parties (i.e. not guests at our wedding), and they can’t promise that the room will be available for you on Saturday.  Their goal is to have their rooms fully booked both Friday and Saturday night, of course, and we’ve promised to fill them with wedding guests for the entire weekend.  If you only plan on staying Saturday night, then the better option would be to stay at one of the nearby off-site accomodations for that night only.  But again, Friday night will be fabulous, the BBQ will be amazing, and we’ve really planned this wedding as a weekend affair, so please make your plans to the best of your ability with Friday night in mind.

Feel free to e-mail or call with any further questions, or post questions to the Discussion Board.

Invitations are going in the mail on Monday! Our Discussion Board is up for talk of sharing rides and other matters! We hired a photographer! Excitement all round.

Just a quick note to say we went up to the Full Moon on Saturday to taste the menu we had chosen for the wedding dinner and wow, we were impressed! Our only regret is that we stopped off for lunch on the way up so weren’t able to do the mean justice. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but suffice to to say I think everyone is going to be very well fed! Having the menu finalised also feels like a big piece of the puzzle put away, so the balance of excitement about the big weekend versus stress at having so much to plan is, at least for now, restored.