Here are some early pictures of our fantastic wedding in Florida! More pictures to follow once we receive our photographers pictures.

Much Needed Update!!

We have been slacking on updating our blog- but not on the wedding plans.  We have been busy with that, hence no blog posts.

9 Days!!! (we are down to single digit numbers)

Here is the information for the shuttles from ECP to the property, for those of you who are not getting a rental.

1. Rock and Roll Transit    http://www.rockandrolltransit.com/Book_Airport_Transit.php    850-270-7433   

I believe they charge $20 from the Wyndham Bay Point Resort to the Airport each way.

 2. Sunshine Shuttles     http://www.sunshineshuttle.com/     850-650-6333


There is boat on the property that will take you across the lagoon each day to Shell Island. 
The Hotel website states it departs 4 times a day but do not list those times.Inquire at the Front Desk if you are interested.

We probably won't post again until after the wedding, so the next time you hear from us we will
be newly weds!

We are extra, super, over the top excited to see you all in about a week!

1 month,

One month from today's date (4 weeks from Saturday to be exact) is our big day!  Are you as excited as we are?

We will be posting hotel information (such as shuttle information if you are not getting a rental car) in the next few weeks, but not much else to report.  We have everything planned (we just paid off the photographer and cake lady and florist-WooHoo!) and under control (plus we can't post everything as there has to be some element of surprise!).  Now just need to pray and hope that there is no rain in Panama City Beach on April 28 so our ceremony can be outside on the beach. 

This weekend we are traveling to Ohio for our bridal (and groom shower- George is going to be present at the shower). 

We are almost there!

6 weeks and 2 days left to be exact!  We have some exciting news to report and some reminders.

First, the reminder - Please RSVP!  Tomorrow is the last day.  If you can't come, we understand, but please RSVP.  It probably is normal for all couples to go through this before their wedding to have to track down people to confirm definitively from the non-responders they are not coming, but you can save us a lot of  time if you just go online and RSVP.  We even made it electronic so you don't have to drive to the post office and drop off mail! (If you are not coming and you RSVP'ed, we appreciate your effort!)

Now to the good news-  The hotel was able to set us space for a patio cocktail hour!  We are super excited about this one.  Originally we had said wedding reception was immediately following the outdoor beach wedding ceremony.  Then, we met with our FABULOUS photographers when we were in Florida in January and they gave us some great ideas.  We started to draft a timeline for taking pictures and one of the fantastic idea was an outdoor cocktail hour.  This event will be great for 2 reasons, 1) the Palm Terrace outdoor patio area is one of the most scenic areas of the resort, with beautiful surroundings, so it will be a great area for our guests to continue to enjoy the great Florida sun and mingle with each other and enjoy the property.  2)  Even though we will be taking some post-ceremony pictures on the beach, you will still see us from the terrace so we won't have completely vanished.  Our guests will enjoy Coconut Fried Shrimp with Pineapple Curry Dipping Sauce, Brochette of Beef with Bell Pepper Peppercorn Sauce, and Petit Crab Cakes with Creole Remoulade for appetizers during this cocktail hour, all with open bar, around one to two hours before sunset!  We have a feeling our guests will be happy with this new setup. :) 




Airfare and Flight Cost Comparisons

In case you are one of the last minute people who still need to RSVP for the wedding, and you really want to attend, but airfare tickets are just too outrageous for you to do so, here is a tip that may save you some money.  Buy roundtrip airfare to ATL (Altanta) airport from your local airport, which should be much cheaper than flying into ECP (nearest airport to Panama City Beach).  Then rent a car and drive around 5 to 6 hours to Panama City Beach.  Yes, it will be a hassle to drive that many hours, but if you have a family of at least one child or more, the difference in airfare flying into Atlanta may be worth the hassle.  Car rental, if rented from ATL airport and returned to ATL airport, should be a hundred to two hundred dollars, depending on how many days you stay, but the cost savings in airfare for a family will be more than worth your while.  However, if you are planning to travel alone or with just 2 people, this method may not be worth it.  Just try out airfares using both locations and compare. The closest airports to our wedding resort (from closest to farthest) are ECP, VPS, PNS, then ATL.  Good luck price shopping and if you have any questions, feel free to ask us!

RSVP!

If you haven't already done so, Please Please Please RSVP!  We need a head count for the cake and catering people. 

The RSVP can be done at the website below:

http://www.anrsvp.com/?snydertochen428

It'll only take a few seconds. 

The RSVP deadline is Friday, March 16, but if you need a few extra days after that to finalize your decision, just let us know.

If you can't make it, we understand, and you'll be missed.  If you can't attend, we are still asking you to RSVP 'No', so we have an accurate count and provide the right amount of food to feed everyone who is coming.

Thanks!

Purple Haze

Our wedding is entitled Purple Haze.  EVERYTHING is going be a shade of purple.  We are requesting khaki and sundress attire, and if you you really want to go a step further...then wear something purple.  We have bought so much purple wedding stuff I think we can name almost every shade of purple known to man. 

If you don't believe us, here is a list:

Royal Purple (Primary Purple)
Electric Purple (Hot Purple- with a pink tint)
Fuschia Purple (we bought lanterns in this color so it counts!)
Mulberry
Lavender
Lilac
Eggplant
Violet
Grape
Majestic/Regal Purple (similar to royal purple- but not always as we have bought stuff with a slightly different tint in this shade)
Amethyst
Orchid
Plum
Pansy
Wisteria

There are probably more shades, but you get the hint. 

Your mission...if you choose to accept...is to be in Florida in a shade of purple (and if you need help with a color, refer to the list above!).  So go to your closet and dig out something royal or plum or lavender....

These cows have nothing to do with the wedding.  But they are purple, and since Sherry is from Ohio, there is some degree of connection!?!





Cake AND Cupcakes

We blogged about getting a cake or cupcakes and we decided to do both- double yumm!

We are having 4 types of cupcakes- white, chocolate, coconut and lemon rasberry.

The cake lady we found, Andrea who is awesome is going to decorate them to match our purple haze theme- purple frosting, purple sprinkles and pretty patterned purple liners (you probably think we have too much purple going on, but trust us it's going to be fabulous).  She is even gonna dye the coconut purple for on top of the coconut cupcakes.

The cake we are getting is gonna be small, just enough for us to cut for a picture as we are going to pig out on cupcakes.  It will be 4 layers of white cake dyed purple sort of like the picture below.

And the cake topper, honoring George.

It's the Chinese Symbol for happiness. 



2 Months!

All the planning and preparation is for 1 day 2 months from now.  Will you be joing us?....  :)

Area and Hotels

We are getting married at the Wyndham Bay Point Resort, which is in Panama City Beach, but it's literally on a golf course away from all the hotels where all the spring breakers get their party on.  Here is the website for the resort.

http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/ECPWR/main.wnt?page_id=93

To give an area overview, the Bay Point Resort is located at the A ballon (the one above the blue balloon). The spring break hotels (which is what people think of when they think of Panama City Beach) are the red balloons in the Northwest area of the Bay Point. There are 3 red Balloons by Bay Point, and these are the closest hotels to Bay Point (approx 2-4 miles aways) if you are looking to stay close but not at the resort, and the lone red balloon in the northeast area is where the Panama City Hotels are (about 10 miles away) as opposed to Panama City BEACH.  The Panama City Hotels are about half the price of the hotels in Panama City Beach area but definitely requires a car.

The good news about our hotel is it has a private beach.  So the beaches along the strip mentioned earlier when people think of Panama City and spring break and all those partiers...we won't have that.

The bad news is because the hotel is a little farther out, there aren't many hotels within walking distance.  It's a resort, so it's secluded, but that also means more privacy for our big day.

The Bay Point is off of a main road with grocery stores and restaurants.  All the hotel rooms at our resort have mini-fridges so it's a good idea to stop at the Winn Dixie if you want to fill up on snacks while staying there. Also, there are Waffle Houses about every 2 miles along the road in the area.  Bad for for your arteries, but cheap, fast service and oh so tasty. 

The Bay Point Rate is about $149 a night, if you prepay it's about $134.

2 miles down the road and a right turn later is the La Quinta Inn on Thomas Road, they are about $99 a night, warning: if you are not getting a rental car it's a hike.  (For all of you from Ohio there is a Bruster's Ice Cream Parlor right in front of the La Quinta, Sherry was SO excited when she saw this!)

If you want a more econmical room rate you will need to cross the bridge from Panama City Beach to Panama City (Northeast of Bay Point).  It's about a 10 miles drive (15 minutes or so minutes in the car), but the prices drop to about $60-70 a night (see map area around lone balloon NE area).




When coming in from the Airport this is the road you take to the Bay Point.  Going RIGHT takes you to the Bay Point (the sign says Thomas Drive - Bay Point), going LEFT takes you over a bridge and into Panama City where the cheaper hotels are outside the beach areas. 



Panama City Beach Websites

While we were in Florida we picked up some brochures containing information on the area.  Check them out:

http://www.visitpanamacitybeach.com/do/

http://www.pcbeach.org/

http://www.pcbgov.com/visitors.htm





Room Reservations

In case you were wondering, we currently do not have a block of rooms reserved at our wedding reception resort, Bay Point Wyndham. As we are currently unsure of how many people will be attending our wedding, we were not sure if the block of rooms needed to get a preferred rate will be fufilled with our current invitees.  In addition, since our families are all staying for 3 nights, they took advantage of the "Stay 3 Save 30%" deal mentioned in an earlier post, which made their rooms $118 with an upgraded view, cheaper than the blocked room rate with a regular view. As of today, (2/15/12) the base rate for a room for Saturday night 4/28 is $149 and if you prepay, it's $134.10, making the prepaid rate right around the preferred rate if we would get with the block of rooms.  Once we get all our invites RSVP'ed, we will reassess whether the people attending would all want to stay at the resort, and potentially get a block room rate then if it is needed.

Airports Near Panama City Beach

The closest airport near Panama City Beach is Florida Northwest Area Beaches (ECP), but only Southwest and Delta Airlines fly into ECP.  If these 2 airlines serve your neighborhood airport, this will be your best bet and there is a hotel shuttle from our wedding resort that can pick you up at this airport for a $25-$30 one way fee.  The other airport options within 2 hours of Panama City Beach are Pensacola (PNS) and Fort Walton (VPS).  If you don't mind driving a little, you can also fly into Tallahasee (FL), Mobile (AL), Atlanta (GA), or New Orleans (LA).  All these are within a 3-5 hour drive to Panama City Beach.  The closest airport with all major airlines serving it will be Pensacola Airport (PNS).  This will probably your most bet if you need to fly American or United Airlines (89 miles to Panama City Beach).  Parking will be plenty and free at the Wyndham Bay Point Resort if you will be driving from any of these airports to the resort.  Let us know if you have any questions on airports venues and flight options if you plan to join us for our wedding!

Pictures of Wedding Resort and Panama City Beach

Attached are some pictures taken from our end of January weekend trip to our wedding resort, Wyndham Bay Point Hotel, and the Panama City Beach area.  Hope these pictures will give you a flavor of what you can expect on 4/28!


Standard Resort View Bedroom




Second Floor Overlooking Lobby





Discovery Room Behind Lobby





Outside Pool Area of Resort

Walkway to the Private Beach



Private Beach Area of Resort




Walkway from the Private Beach

 

Picture at Panama City Beach



Hope You Will Join Us In the Panama City Beach sunshine on 4/28!



Wyndham Special

Right now the Wyndham Resort Group is running a sale, stay 3 nights and save 30%. 

http://www.wyndham.com/main.wnt

The good news is the bayview room is $118 a night, but the catch is you have to stay 3 nights, which may not help if you only plan to stay one or two nights.

In you are interested in this deal, call The Wyndham Bay Point Hotel in Panama City Beach, Florida at 850-236-6000.

Reception Dinner Menu Choices

Invitations will be going out the second week of February and on the RSVP, six food choices exist on the RSVP website for reception dinner.  There will be 3 adult dinner choices and 3 kid dinner choices.

Adult Dinner Choices:

1) Sauteed Chicken - Boneless Chicken Breast, Sundried Tomatoes, Black Olives, Capers, Baby Carrots and Asparagus, with Parmegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

2) New York Strip Steak - Cognac Demi Cream, Mushroom Ragout, Seasonal Vegetables, with Parmegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

3) Baked Atlantic Salmon - Filet of Salmon, Fennel Butter, Seasonal Vegetables, with Parmegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Kids Dinner Choices:

1) Hot Dog - French Fries, Potato Chips or Fresh Fruit

2) Grilled Cheese - Choice of Bread, Choice of French Fries, Potato Chips or Fresh Fruit

3) Chicken Fingers - French Fries, Potato Chips or Fresh Fruit

In addition to these dinner options, hors d'oeuvres will be served during the first hour of reception that include such choices as:

Coconut Fried Shrimp, Pineapple Curry Dipping Sauce
Brochette of Beef, Bell Pepper Peppercorn Sauce
Petit Crab Cakes with Creole Remoulade

After dinner dessert will include an assortment of cupcakes, including:

Lemon cake with Rasberry icing
Chocolate cake with Chocolate icing
White cake with Buttercream icing
Coconut cake with Buttercream icing and coconut on top

And of course, there will be open bar for at least the first 2 - 3 hours of the reception.

Sunshine

We are back from a quick weekend visit and are SO happy with our choices :D  :D  :D (triple smiley face).  If you don't know already, we booked the hotel based on the nice catering manager Hillary and picture on the website, but we are so happy with our decision.

We met with our photographers, the amazing Meg and Charles Baisden. We talked with them for about 4 hours on Sunday when we were down there and they gave us all kinds of fabulous ideas- another excellent choice made!

Not to say planning a wedding from a picture, phone call and web photo is a good idea, but it all worked out for us (if you recall Sherry bought her dress without trying it on and is very happy- lady luck is on our side)

We will post information on the area- hotels, food places, stores and brag more about our other vendor decisions later. Right now we have to work like suckers.

Here is picture of the beach taken from our phone.  We will post the camera pictures later, they are better but we haven't had time yet to download and then upload.

This is not the beach we're tying the knot at, but it is part of the beach that spring break will be taking place at.  Our beach is much more calm and secluded with no partying college kids.  But's it's typical of the emerald isle- blue/green water and white sand, that's why we picked the Florida panhandle. 

3 months, Florida Visit and Birthday Weekend!

What an exciting day! 

We will walk down the aisle in 3 month AND we are traveling to Florida today to check out the Panama City Beach area AND one of us is turning the GREAT 3...X! (We'll let you guess what that X number is)

We will be in Florida for a quick weekend, but hopefully will have copious amounts of knowledge about the area when we return so we will post it all then.  Along with some pictures, of course.

Now we are off to enjoy the Sunshine State, the white sand of the gulf beaches, and birthday cake!

Registry

With our wedding date approaching, you might be thinking to yourself...where are Sherry and George registered at?  Well, we will give you one guess, and also a big 'target' for that guess.

We are only registered at 'Target', or 'Tarje' if you are french.  If that store is inconvenient for you, check, cash, and gift cards are also welcome!  :)

Visit Countdown- 1 week!

One week and we will be in Florida to visit our wedding location, do some food tasting, and get out of the cold midwest winter (peace out down jacket, flip flops here we come).

Sharp Dressed Man

Since Sherry gets all the hype about her dress it's only fair to give George props for picking out a pimpin' suit.

Here is the scene:
Macy's, October 2011.  George goes into the dressing room with a grey Michael Kors suit.  Comes out as a dang sharp dressed man! (ZZ Top could be heard on the speakers through out the store). Even the sales man was like..."that's the one, that's it".  So you are thinking, yeah yeah yeah the salesman is in sales and he just wanted a sale so the compliment wasn't genuine.  However, George bought 2 suits and tried on 6 suits AND this one wasn't even the most expensive one, so the compliment was legit.  If you want to see what he looks like in this suit...you'll need to be in Panama City Beach on 4/28/2012!

Say Yes to the Dress

Sherry said yes to the dress back in October.  The dress, which is AMAZING if she does say so herself (to keep with traditional George has not seen it), was ordered from a website call 'In Wedding Dress'.

You can view the site here, take a stab at which dress it is-
http://www.inweddingdress.com/

The ordering instruction stated it would take up to 12 weeks to receive.  So she ordered and the dress showed up 2 weeks later, straight from China.  Her dress has traveled farther over the ocean than many people have.  the dress showed up in an envelope...shrink wrapping can work wonders.

Here's the skinny on the dress.  Sherry is frugal.  She finds a dress at David's Bridal, then searches the internet to find destination dresses and finds a dress on the In Wedding Dress site that is similar to the David's Bridal dress.  She was almost set on buying the David's Bridal knock off, but then she finds "THE DRESS" on the site.  She has nothing to benchmark the dress with - at least the one she tried on at David's Bridal was similar to the first dress, but with THE DRESS she has nothing.  However, since the dress was such a steal AND In Wedding Dress site gave her a coupon code to save money...she buys. 

George takes her dress measurements based off of a Your Tube video and some simple drawings on the website:
http://www.inweddingdress.com/measure.html

And the rest is history. 

The dress ended up being a little big at in the waist, but nothing a seamstress can't fix. 

The veil is Sherry's mom's veil, modified for 2012 (her mom got married in 1975 and the veil is 8 feet long with lace and a fancy lace crown).  The only thing left to buy is a garter.

We are definitely moving forward with the planning. 

2012- is here

And it's in full swing.  It's our wedding year ('12) and we are fine tuning the planning- the best part planning the honeymoon!

Dress Code

We are enforcing a strict dress code for the wedding--- CASUAL!  Khakis, polo, sundresses, and barefeet (shoes are recommended for the reception, however). We will be getting hitched on the beach in the paper white sand, so unless you REALLY have strong feelings to show up in a suit or evening gown dress, don't do it! 

This is what we envision- men in polos and khakis, females in a nice dress or equivalent.  It will not be T-Shirt casual, but not formal wear either- if you wear this you WILL be more overdressed than the bride and groom- big taboo!