Wedding Day Details

Comment Here!

2008-09-06T14:00:00.000-04:00

Hi! You can leave comments here if you'd like!

I Need Your Addresses!

2008-06-03T15:24:00.005-04:00

Hi there!
Just a quick note - I'm going to need updated addresses for everyone so that I can get these invitations out sometime later this month! We're so excited to have such loving friends & family come to visit us on our very special day. If you get this message in an email, it means that I don't have your most recent address and would really appreciate a response whenever you can.

~~~

95 days left and counting! Our traditional Catholic ceremony is right around the corner, and also there are only 130 days until our Hindu celebration! We can't wait!!!

Best wishes!

4 Months Left

2008-05-07T02:43:00.002-04:00

Wow, this is so exciting. We only have about 123 days left before our Catholic wedding ceremony. When we were up north for Easter, we visited St. William. Father Leonard has been having some health issues, so we're hoping those clear up and that he is in good health very soon. We met with Charlotte, the organist, and discussed some musical options. We also discussed floral decorations, and we're excited about these new floral candle posts at the end of various pews which will line the center aisle. They are taking them down now that the jubilee celebration is over (50 years!), but we can rent them and have them set up again for the wedding, which I'm sure we'll do. Mom and I are already getting psyched about putting together the little floral wreaths to go on top around the candles. Sweet!

More later... ;)

Excited!!!

2008-03-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

Wow, we're 6 months away from getting married!!! How crazy is that??? I fully realized this yesterday as I was STILL pondering dresses! That's been a bit of a roller coaster, but I know all our hard work will definitely pay off. I owe a huge thanks to my parents for taking me to the ends of the earth to find the dress for me. They've been tireless to help me in this and every single aspect of the wedding, and I'm forever grateful. :-)

I'm hoping perhaps for Easter or the Sunday afterwards that we can go to St. William for mass, since Naveen and I will be in town. And great news since my last post - there is a new food tasting scheduled at Country Springs for the week after Easter week!!! Naveen unfortunately will be back in Orlando by then, but at least I'll get to go check out the food myself and take a lot of pictures.

I'm so thrilled... things are finally starting to come together. It's been quite a ride to get here, and even though there have been some rough spots, I have to emphasize how absolutely wonderful it feels to have such a great support system of loving, caring family and friends!!! You all are the best!

Taste Testing

2007-12-15T10:25:00.000-05:00

Hiya!

Well, mom and dad got a pretty good taste of things at Country Springs, but unfortunately it looks like Naveen and I won't be able to. They only have them so many times per year, unfortunately, and we couldn't fly to Milwaukee for the November one. Oh well. I'm confident my parents will pick some awesome stuff!!!

More updates later. Happy holidays!

Lifetime Happiness Ranks High Over Wedding Day Bliss

2007-11-08T19:22:00.000-05:00

It's kind of unfortunate, but there is only one food tasting at the Country Springs Hotel between now and our wedding, and it's happening next week, on the 14th.

I'm very thankful that I have such a tremendous family who is going out to the location for that, since I'm in Orlando and I already have a flight booked to Fort Wayne for Thanksgiving on the 16th. If I had known way back whenever that there was a tasting on that day, I would have flown directly into Wisconsin, or possibly to Fort Wayne first and then driven with my family up north to attend the event.

There also happens to be a Waukesha Bridal Expo on the 10th, which really might have been great for finding vendors. So actually, my parents are being extra super wonderful, driving all that way and staying for both events.

It sounds like they will enjoy it, which is great, and I'm very thankful for that, and of course I trust their judgment when it comes to making these wedding decisions. I am trying my best to stay positive about the whole thing, because in truth, it is disappointing to me that Naveen and I won't be able to taste and select our favorite menu items for our own wedding. Nor will either of us be available to do cake tasting or other vendor selecting, so it seems. It's easy to sometimes feel like we're just going to show up without having to put in any decisions - which would probably be a blessing (considering how busy we are trying to nail down our careers), except it would be nice, in a perfect world, to be able to provide input and be a part of the process (especially at our age - I think if I were younger I would go along with things more readily without worrying or feeling so distant).

Naveen seems to have already accepted that things will be decided for us - not simply "because he's the guy" - he knows that there's nothing he can do with his strict school schedule to compete with. On the other hand, I sometimes feel like a speck of dust floating around, attracted to many destinations but not enough to really land anywhere yet.

Generally I've been very happy here in Orlando with Naveen, especially this past month or so, as we've been finishing our marriage prep classes and developing good habits together (working out, taking care of chores, spending quality time together and separately, etc). But all this came up tonight while I was trying to buy plane tickets home for Christmas. We're flying into Fort Wayne, probably separately for schedule reasons, but after the holidays, Naveen must come back to school and I'm going to San Francisco for my graduation from Animation Mentor. Beyond that, I'm not sure whether to fly back to Orlando or to go back to Fort Wayne and stay there indefinitely - job hunting, packing up my old room at my parents' house, and possibly taking trips up to Wisconsin to look at whatever vendors I can.

I think ultimately that's what's going to happen, but it's amazingly difficult to imagine being apart from Naveen again, even if only for a month or two. Home is where the heart is, that's for sure. Just the thought of being away for a few weeks is hard to take. But the reality is, he has a major project class coming up then (like he had this summer), and there's a good chance it will get lonely and quiet around the apartment. Other realities - I'm going to be turning 25 on January 16, and as much as I'd like to spend time with Naveen on my birthday, I'd also like to spend it with my family and friends (maybe a last big bash before I forget about birthdays altogether)! I'll need to spend some time at the BMV of course. And, assuming my parents sell the house, I'll really need to have things taken care of up there. Who knows - maybe I can be back to Orlando by Valentine's day - but we'll have to wait and see.

This wedding above all is going to mark the beginning of our life together, strengthening the powerful connection we already share, and I should remember that. I have to realize that unfortunately I can't invite everyone I could possibly want to be there that day, and I can't taste-test the supposedly wonderful foods we're going to eat that night, but I can decide here and now how much I am loved and how much in love I am, and if I've prepared correctly for our whole marriage and not simply the first day of it, I think I'll be happy no matter what.

Got it!!!

2007-08-12T01:00:00.000-04:00

Woohoo!

Mom and dad put a deposit down on Country Springs! We finally have our date!

September 6, 2008 - Catholic Wedding
St. William Catholic Church - Ceremony
Country Springs Hotel - Reception

So excited!!!

Also, the Nattams put the deposit down for the Hindu Celebration at Landmark, so I'll keep you posted on that too!

A Step Backward

2007-07-28T20:32:00.000-04:00

Most unfortunately, I got word of some unfortunate news tonight. You see, my awesome parents are back in Wisconsin yet again, helping me by looking at the halls and checking out vendors; and this weekend, they are also checking out other nearby hotels that might offer more reasonable prices for blocked rooms. They stopped somewhere and looked at the hotel and liked it, and the guy at the front desk inquired about the weekend we were looking at so he could estimate the price. After mentioning Aug. 30, 2008, the guy proceeded to tell them that entire weekend was already booked up because of the 105th Anniversary of Harley-Davidson Event. He also showed how rates for that hotel and others nearby were being raised in the area of 50% to increase the profit margin during the celebration.

So, I'm almost totally bummed. We were so close, and now, between the higher prices and the fact that there will be motorcycles roaring everywhere throughout that weekend, I think we'll have to move the wedding date.

It's crazy how attached you can get to the sound of a single day when you're under the pressure of an upcoming wedding. I'm trying to be extremely laid back about everything, but it's still disappointing to hear about this news - and aggravating that the reception hall people never mentioned this Harley convention (although it seems from the article above that the event was just announced officially about 3 weeks ago).

On a somewhat positive note, my folks ate at a restaurant tonight called the Thunder Bay Grille and apparently loved both the atmosphere and the food, suggesting it might be a fun spot for a rehearsal dinner.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Looks Like We Have A Date!!!

2007-07-24T21:47:00.000-04:00

After consulting with many of our friends and family, we have decided that having our wedding take place over a three-day weekend would be best, so we chose Labor Day weekend of 2008 - making our official day August 30, 2008!!! OUTDATED INFORMATION: DATE IS NOW SEPTEMBER 6, 2008!!!

The great thing is that the church we like, St. William (in Waukesha, WI), is available and celebrates only one wedding per weekend - so there will be no rushing around or conflict with another party. A Eucharistic wedding ceremony will take roughly 45 minutes, and the latest they will perform a ceremony is 2pm, so most likely we'll go for that, considering it will give people time to eat lunch and get there without being rushed, and if we're leaving there by 3pm, everyone should be arriving at the reception hall within 15-30 minutes after that.

Another great thing - I think we're going to book the Country Springs, which is this really pleasant hotel / waterpark / conference center. We'll probably celebrate in the half ballroom, although we might step up to the Grand Salon to have a more private setting. I'll wait to post pictures until everything is set in stone, but for now we're starting to get contracts drawn up and it's exciting.

Finally, as of this evening, we also have a Hindu ceremony date as well - October 11, 2008. You can read about that here. ;)

Location & Accomodation - Almost Finalized!!!

2007-07-23T22:25:00.001-04:00

St. William Parish - 440 N. Moreland Blvd., Waukesha

Country Springs Hotel - 2810 Golf Road, Waukesha

I'll let you know as soon as we've finalized the contracts!!!

Possible Wedding Locations In Wisconsin

2007-06-30T21:00:00.002-04:00

Here are some possibilities we've explored so far:

St. John The Evangelist - 8500 W. Cold Spring Rd, Greenfield

Basilica of St. Josaphat - 2333 S. 6th St, Milwaukee

St. Mary's - 9520 W. Forest Home Ave, Hales Corners

Sacred Heart Monastery - 6889 S. Lovers Lane, Franklin

We'll keep you posted.