Friday, September 2, 2011
Chairs
Turns out the woman at Berger Park overestimated how many chairs they have available for our use. Between that and our growing guest list, we're short about 15 seats for the ceremony. If you can bring your own chair/blanket, if you're ok standing for the 45 minutes or so the ceremony will run, or if your small child won't need his/her own seat, please let us know. We're excited to have everyone celebrate with us and we want you to be comfortable!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Updates!
Is the wedding really 3 weeks from today?! Holy crap. While we continue hyperventilating, here are some things you might want to know.
HOTELS: The time to get the group rate at SpringHill Suites has passed. As I understand it, there aren't any rooms available at the regular rate either, though if you are still looking for accommodations we encourage you to check there first. See the hotels post below for some other hotel options.
PARKING: We've gotten 10 visitor parking permits from the Sacred Heart School, across the street from Berger Park. Contact either Bri or Nikki to claim one. If those run out, you can get street parking on one of the nearby side streets. Residential streets (like Kenmore Ave) are free if you can find a spot, and more commercial ones (like Granville) are $1.50/hour. Of course, we still encourage public transportation; the Granville stop on the red line is just a 5 minute walk to the ceremony.
For the reception, there are lots of options, some much cheaper than others. The lot right next to the Portfolio Annex is $20 valet parking, and there are many other valets in the area for anywhere from $12-$18. If you're staying at the SpringHill Suites, parking in their garage is $38 for 24 hours, which includes in/out privileges. But the best deal we found is also in their garage - if you're in by 4pm and out by 7am (perfect if you're coming to the reception but not staying overnight), you can buy a parking pass in advance for only $8 at http://www.greenwayselfpark.com/. There is another parking lot with a similar "overnight" deal at the corner of Kinzie and Clark, which is just across the street from Greenway.
If I can figure out how to do it, I'll get a map up here with some of these spots labelled.
CEREMONY FUNTIMES: We like this song, "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. You should listen to it a couple times - it might make an appearance during the ceremony (hint hint).
HOTELS: The time to get the group rate at SpringHill Suites has passed. As I understand it, there aren't any rooms available at the regular rate either, though if you are still looking for accommodations we encourage you to check there first. See the hotels post below for some other hotel options.
PARKING: We've gotten 10 visitor parking permits from the Sacred Heart School, across the street from Berger Park. Contact either Bri or Nikki to claim one. If those run out, you can get street parking on one of the nearby side streets. Residential streets (like Kenmore Ave) are free if you can find a spot, and more commercial ones (like Granville) are $1.50/hour. Of course, we still encourage public transportation; the Granville stop on the red line is just a 5 minute walk to the ceremony.
For the reception, there are lots of options, some much cheaper than others. The lot right next to the Portfolio Annex is $20 valet parking, and there are many other valets in the area for anywhere from $12-$18. If you're staying at the SpringHill Suites, parking in their garage is $38 for 24 hours, which includes in/out privileges. But the best deal we found is also in their garage - if you're in by 4pm and out by 7am (perfect if you're coming to the reception but not staying overnight), you can buy a parking pass in advance for only $8 at http://www.greenwayselfpark.com/. There is another parking lot with a similar "overnight" deal at the corner of Kinzie and Clark, which is just across the street from Greenway.
If I can figure out how to do it, I'll get a map up here with some of these spots labelled.
CEREMONY FUNTIMES: We like this song, "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. You should listen to it a couple times - it might make an appearance during the ceremony (hint hint).
Monday, June 20, 2011
Welcome!
Thanks for visiting our wedding website! We'll be updating it with more info as we get closer to our big day, so come back often.
Here's what we know so far:
WHERE AND WHEN
Saturday, September 10th, 2011 (9/10/11)
1:30 PM Ceremony at Berger Park, Chicago (map)
5:30 PM Reception at The Portfolio Annex, Chicago (map)
You can RSVP below.
GETTING THERE
Chicago has two main airports: O'Hare and Midway. O'Hare is one of the busiest airports in the world, but certain "budget" airlines (like Southwest and AirTran) only fly into Midway. Whichever airport you choose, there are easy routes by expressway to downtown Chicago. If you're relying on public transportation, O'Hare is the better choice, though both are doable.
We are currently figuring out the parking situation for Saturday, but it looks like parking will be at a premium. Carpooling is highly encouraged, and both the ceremony and reception are accessible via the CTA Red Line.
ACCOMMODATIONS
We chose to get married in Chicago because so many of our loved ones live there already, but we have a fair number of guests coming from out of town too. Even locals like an excuse to stay at a hotel! Check out the hotels post for info.
WHAT TO DO IN CHICAGO
Coming into town for longer than Saturday? What a great idea! Chicago is an incredible city with lots of things to see, do, and eat. We'll list some of our favorites here.
GIFTING
We like hugs! Getting some from all of our loved ones on the 10th will make us very, very happy.
If you'd like to give us actual things, we are registered at Target (who seemed to have fixed their website) and Crate and Barrel.
If you'd prefer to help us have an adventure, you can contribute to our honeymoon fund.
Here's what we know so far:
WHERE AND WHEN
Saturday, September 10th, 2011 (9/10/11)
1:30 PM Ceremony at Berger Park, Chicago (map)
5:30 PM Reception at The Portfolio Annex, Chicago (map)
You can RSVP below.
GETTING THERE
Chicago has two main airports: O'Hare and Midway. O'Hare is one of the busiest airports in the world, but certain "budget" airlines (like Southwest and AirTran) only fly into Midway. Whichever airport you choose, there are easy routes by expressway to downtown Chicago. If you're relying on public transportation, O'Hare is the better choice, though both are doable.
We are currently figuring out the parking situation for Saturday, but it looks like parking will be at a premium. Carpooling is highly encouraged, and both the ceremony and reception are accessible via the CTA Red Line.
ACCOMMODATIONS
We chose to get married in Chicago because so many of our loved ones live there already, but we have a fair number of guests coming from out of town too. Even locals like an excuse to stay at a hotel! Check out the hotels post for info.
WHAT TO DO IN CHICAGO
Coming into town for longer than Saturday? What a great idea! Chicago is an incredible city with lots of things to see, do, and eat. We'll list some of our favorites here.
GIFTING
We like hugs! Getting some from all of our loved ones on the 10th will make us very, very happy.
If you'd like to give us actual things, we are registered at Target (who seemed to have fixed their website) and Crate and Barrel.
If you'd prefer to help us have an adventure, you can contribute to our honeymoon fund.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Suite Dreams - Hotel Info
We've reserved 10 rooms at the River North SpringHill Suites, which is literally around the corner from the reception at Portfolio Annex - an easy walk, even in heels! There are two types of rooms: 5 king suites ($179/night) and 5 double suites ($209/night). Both types come with a pullout sofa, so let us know if you want help finding some suitemates.
The group rate is available for both Friday and Saturday nights. To reserve your room, just call the hotel (866-905-5355) and tell the representative you're with the O'Reilly/Pashka wedding. Reservations must be made by August 10th, but we recommend doing it sooner - and please let us know once you've done so, because if we fill up those rooms early, we might be able to get more at the same rate.
Obviously, Chicago has tons of hotels to choose from, and you don't have to stay with us. Here are some others we like:
The Orrington Hotel in Evanston is close to the Berger Park ceremony site.
The Wyndham Blake is in the River North area, and is a little cheaper than the SpringHill Suites.
The Hotel Felix is a more "luxury" hotel nearby. They're eco-friendly!
And there's always Trump Tower!
The group rate is available for both Friday and Saturday nights. To reserve your room, just call the hotel (866-905-5355) and tell the representative you're with the O'Reilly/Pashka wedding. Reservations must be made by August 10th, but we recommend doing it sooner - and please let us know once you've done so, because if we fill up those rooms early, we might be able to get more at the same rate.
Obviously, Chicago has tons of hotels to choose from, and you don't have to stay with us. Here are some others we like:
The Orrington Hotel in Evanston is close to the Berger Park ceremony site.
The Wyndham Blake is in the River North area, and is a little cheaper than the SpringHill Suites.
The Hotel Felix is a more "luxury" hotel nearby. They're eco-friendly!
And there's always Trump Tower!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Our Honeymoon: The Great West Coast Adventure
We miss road trips! As young(er) lovebirds in college, we logged a lot of miles in the car, but being "grownups" with "jobs," we tend to take planes a lot more now. But there's nothing like a brand new road trip mix, some gas stations snacks, and a decent probability of getting lost. Combine our lust for the open road with the fact that we've also heard wonderful things about the Pacific Northwest but never been, and we have our honeymoon plan: fly into Seattle, drive down the coast (camping when possible, maybe crashing with some friends), and finish in Los Angeles.
We looked into signing up for one of those honeymoon sites, but most of them want you to book through them. This can not only incur lots of hidden fees, it also requires you to know exactly when you're going - which we don't. The hope is either right after the wedding, or in Spring 2012 when the weather starts to warm up enough for camping again. Until then, we'll be saving our pennies - and if you'd like to help, you can! (If you want to paypal, Bri's account is barefootdj@hotmail.com. She promises NOT to spend honeymoon money on baseball.)
We're hoping to do it for about $3500, which will cover flights, rental car/gas/tolls, a few hotel nights, and food. Wanna give something specific? Here are some thoughts:
View Larger Map
We looked into signing up for one of those honeymoon sites, but most of them want you to book through them. This can not only incur lots of hidden fees, it also requires you to know exactly when you're going - which we don't. The hope is either right after the wedding, or in Spring 2012 when the weather starts to warm up enough for camping again. Until then, we'll be saving our pennies - and if you'd like to help, you can! (If you want to paypal, Bri's account is barefootdj@hotmail.com. She promises NOT to spend honeymoon money on baseball.)
We're hoping to do it for about $3500, which will cover flights, rental car/gas/tolls, a few hotel nights, and food. Wanna give something specific? Here are some thoughts:
$250 - one night in Hotel 1000, a fancy hotel in Seattle
$200 - one of our flights, one way
$200 - one of our flights, one way
$125 - rental car and gas for a day
$65 - dinner for 2 at Stone Brewing Co's Meatless Mondays (one of our fave breweries!)
$50 - a day of wine tastings in Napa Valley
$48 - our daily coffee (Starbucks or otherwise)
$36 - admission for 2 to the Space Needle
$65 - dinner for 2 at Stone Brewing Co's Meatless Mondays (one of our fave breweries!)
$50 - a day of wine tastings in Napa Valley
$48 - our daily coffee (Starbucks or otherwise)
$36 - admission for 2 to the Space Needle
$10 - vehicle fee to camp at Rogue River National Park, OR
Here's a preliminary version of the trip:
View Larger Map
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