Bachelor/Bachelorette Party Recap

Ry and I returned from our respective Bachelor/Bachelorette parties unscatthed--well, with only minor injuries. Ryan is currently recovering from 4 days of amazing music, sun (a severe farmers tan) and bacheloring at Summer Camp music festival in preoria IL...while I spent the better part of last week recovering from a long weekend with my girls in Las Vegas. It was about Thursday before my boss declared I had my color back...

Let me just say here that all pain and suffering that follows such a weekend of partying is well worth it! I know Ry would agree...

I got to spend time with the most fantastic crew of ladies who made our time in sin city a memorable blast. The perfect combination of cheesy bachelorette activities, amazing shows (saw LOVE the most amazing production I have ever seen and The Thunder From Down Under--which was of "lesser quality" but memorable in its own right to say the least!) pool relaxing, clubbing, eating etc.

The cast of characters can be viewed in selected blog-appropriate pics below. (Ry will hopefully get pics from friends to include...I admit I banned him from bringing our camera on his RV extraveganza--as ryan, a beer and a music festival=lost camrea :)

Enjoy!

Five Weeks Is All...

There is not a whole lot of news to report just yet, so sorry for the lack of reading material. Jess is back from the big bachelorette party in Vegas this past weekend and we are heading out for the bachelor party over memorial day weekend. We're headed to a music festival in lovely Peoria, Illinois. Thankfully, the forecast is for mid 70s and sunny all weekend. Cross your fingers. We'll get some pictures up soon of both of the weekends very soon.

Also, I tried my best to leak the food menu, but Jessica shot that down immediately. Rightfully so, that should probably be a surprise. I will say that I think we nailed the menu. Between Jess's, her dad, mom, sis, and me, I think we have one of the strongest menus in the history of the world. I promise you that we will not disappoint.

You'll be the judge.

In the meantime, here are some more videos.

First up, I stumbled upon this one because I liked this song on a commercial. It turns out some guy used it to propose to his wife via a powerpoint presentation. A little weird, but it seemed appropriate.



Next, here are a few of the bands I'm excited to see this weekend.







We'll see you soon...

Sure We'll Come to Your Wedding

We saw these clowns last night. They didn't play together, but Mssrs. Anastasio, McConnell, and Fishman all graced the stage in various formats.


Also, I'm only doing this because my mom insisted that it is useful. We are registered at Crate and Barrell, Williams Sonoma, and Bloomingdales. You can find them all from this link at the Wedding Channel. Sorry if that's tacky, but I swear it was her idea. What we'd really like is matching pairs of those purple pants like the ones in the above picture.

Just in Case You Get in a Jam

As you may have heard, the Big Crapple can be a dangerous place. So, just in case you happen to find yourself in harm's way, our friends Maura and Pete have passed along an instructional video of what to do in case of emergency. Not only will this teach everyone exactly what to say in a pinch, but it also includes an inspired Casio groove and complementary aerobics routine.

Jessica's Shower Montage

Wierd hat-making traditions aside, who knew a bridal shower could be such a blast?

My Aunt Mimi threw a bridal shower for me at the Water Club this weekend. It was in an amazing room over looking the east river. Even on a semi-cloudy day the room was bright and beautiful!

We spent time eating and drinking cocktails and then sat down to a buffet of all my favorite brunch foods--including eggs any style, pancakes, berries, bacon, french toast belgian waffles, mini bagels, cream cheese, lox (not for me--but for some a crucial brunch ingredient!) The food was really really good and followed by chocolate covered strawberries and molten hot chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. AMAZING!

The food was good but the company was great! I 'm a lucky lady to have such amazing friends and family.

During the meal we played one game--which was just the right amount--of Ry-Guy trivia--which I am proud to say that I nailed. I am terrible at trivia--as in I could forget my mothers name when put on the spot--so I was a little nervous. But, it turns out, I know my guy very very well.

After the meal, I did open gifts--and most attendees said I did quite well....keeping a good pace while making thoughtful (even witty I am told) comments on each gift. It was easy--the gifts were truly amazing! and I know watching someone open presents for hours could get anyone nuts.

A few highlights included a work of art from my dear friend Chelsey Bronner-- a bucket decoupaged with pics of me and ry through the years and filled with clothing designated with bride and groom insignia, a Mrs. Demler Bikini amongst other treasures. Amazing.

An adorable Mrs. Demler tee from non other than Cary Dembinsky, my future mother-in-law. Shes really that cool. This Demler thing is really taking on a life of its own.

A pop-up guest book--one of 100 made by the artist, which will be at the wedding for you all to check out and sign. Some great lingerie and of course beautiful and much needed items off our registry.

Perhaps the most special thing to come out of the shower was the scrapbook. Thanks so much for all the amazing contributions. The book is truly a wonderful keepsake.

Note from Ry:

Also, extra-special thanks to Gideon, Tom, and Jonathan for providing a really fun day as well. We planned to go watch the Yankee game together during the shower and they surprised me by inviting my friends along for a really fun afternoon of ping pong and chewing the fat while the ladies did their thang.

Alright, on to the festivities...

The hat really was strangely pretty...




Literally 10 people called me after the shower to say how great my mom looked! Way to go Edie Nads--lookin fabulous.

Brief Item of Some Import

Typically, when people visit us in NYC, questions arise about transportation from the airport upon arrival. There are several options actually (none of them actually being very good). One tip that will help you avoid confusion: the whole city is largely a grid of streets and avenues, so try to know the intersection closest to your destination. The address will suffice, but the intersection is safer to avoid mixing up streets and avenues.

1) The best bet, particularly if you can coordinate with one or more additional passengers is to arrange a car to pick you up. They will wait for you at baggage claim with a sign, so you can feel really big time. The price is just about the same as a cab and you won't have to wait in the line for cabs. The numbers are easy to remember. You can do either: (212) 666-6666 or (212) 777-7777. The price varies depending on the airport, but it's in the neighborhood of 40-50 bucks. Obviously, the more people the better.

2) You can take a cab. This is pretty easy too, but the line can be somewhat long at times. Even still, it moves fast. There's also some "freelance" cab drivers, who will probably stalk you to let them drive you in their 1987 Ford Windstar. This is probably not a greaet choice.

3) Outside the baggage claim at every airport are buses that take you directly to either Grand Central Station (east side) or Port Authority Bus Terminal (west side). This is $11 bucks one-way or $20 bucks round trip. This is a good cheap way to go if you are travelling solo. The buses outside JFK and LaGuardia are called Airport Express and the one at Newark is called Olympia Trails. I've taken them all and they are totally reliable.

4) You might see some signs for the Air Train, but don't bother. This thing is worthless. It takes you to another train station that is far away and involves connecting to more trains and subways.

5) Finally, it's probably worth checking with your hotel. They might have a free shuttle.

What is "The Hora?"

For those of you have never attended a Jewish wedding reception, we need to prep you with a little training here for the wild ride known as the Hora. The Hora happens to be Jessica's favorite part of going to a wedding, so it's important to get it just right - particularly, if you happen to be a male over 180 pounds who can lift stuff.

The Hora is the segment of the reception where the bride, groom, and their parents (yep, that means you mom and dad) get hoisted high the air in a chair and everyone circles around in a festive tornado of mayhem.

The fist step to understanding how this works is to familiarize yourself with the song. Spelling errors aside, the song is called is called Hava Negilah. I bet you didn't know the Beatles performed this on the Ed Sullivan show.



OK, that was fake, but this one actually does include Bob Dylan on harmonica.



Next, all you have to do is follow these simple instructions.

1) Place two chairs in the center of the dance floor when the music begins, and call the bride and groom up to the dance floor to sit in them.

2) Gather and dance in a circle around the couple.

3) A few strong guests lift the bride's and groom's chairs into the air in the midst of the guests.

4) Allow the taller carriers to hold the front of the chairs; shorter ones should hold the back, so that the bride and groom are tilted slightly to help prevent them from falling. This will allow the couple to have their hands free instead of holding on for balance. (It's a good idea to practice lifting the chair in advance so you are prepared.)

5) Provide a scarf and ask the newlyweds to each hold one end. Under tradition, which prevents males and females from dancing together, this allows them to connect without actually touching.

6) Watch the bride and groom dance with the scarf waving between them for a while, then suggest they take turns passing their ends on to others to hold, so special guests can dance with them as well. For instance, the bride might dance with her father, the groom with his mother.

7) Put the poor kids down and make their parents go up there.

Here's the finished product. We have two small requests: 1) don't laugh at us and 2) don't drop us.