SO glad we booked the St. Julien

[caption id="attachment_343" align="aligncenter" width="473" caption="18" of the 23" inches we got over 48 hours"][/caption]

If it snows like this, I know for sure that we can get married inside without messing up any plans or schedules.

Visiting the Venue and Weather Warnings

When I first got there, on 10/9/09 around 3:45 PM, it was slightly gloomy out and there was a big white tent on the [ceremony] lawn. I wandered around taking photos for a while, called a friend and chatted on the patio for a good 30 minutes, saw a hawk (and took it's photo), before heading home via the grocery store to prep and cook shabbos dinner.

The next day (Saturday the 10th), it snowed. That's not quite true, it started at about 9 PM the night before. There were about 2" total after 1.5" overnight and flurries all day. The temperature never got above 24ºF and it was COLD. Just to remind you all, that new record low (17ºF) set that day was set on our -1 year anniversary.

BE PREPARED AND CHECK THE LONG RANGE FORECAST BEFORE PACKING TO VISIT COLORADO. It would be unfortunate if you say packed a sun dress to wear to a wedding accompanied by the first snow of the year, or if you packed something fall/winter appropriate only to find it sunny and 75ºF.

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first catering meeting

Ben and I met with Tiffany, the catering coordinator at the St. Julien Hotel on Friday. I'd asked her to draw up some estimates/proposals for us on how they can work with our budget and IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING TO WORK OUT WELL!!!! Huzzah!

[caption id="attachment_101" align="aligncenter" width="576" caption="ceremony lawn :)"][/caption]

We were hung up on the prices for a while, and seriously considered other venues, but this one had everything we wanted (most important being a weather-proof ceremony backup plan), and the fewest restrictions (out by 5 PM, not 2). It was also the priciest, but as long as they understand that the budget is strict, it shouldn't be a problem. Plus, Sunday lunch can be WAY cheaper than Saturday dinner, the typical wedding meal.

Ben's favorite venue was the Chautauqua Dining Hall, which would have been perfect if 1) the patio could seat more than 75 people for the ceremony 2) we hadn't had to stick with either 9:30 AM-2 PM or 5-9:30 PM hours. Blocking out the afternoon like that was the straw that broke the camel's back when we noticed that it would stomp out our afternoon wedding party ideas and mean that we'd have to have the ceremony at 10:30 in order to have lunch and be out in time. Sorry, but I'm not waking up at 6 AM to get my hair/making done on my wedding day.



Tomorrow (Monday) we're meeting with a potential wedding coordinator whom I found via The Budget Savvy Bride, a blog of DIY tutorials, wedding photos, and price break-downs of weddings held all over the country, submitted by brides (and maybe some grooms too?). Anyway, we're going to chat with her tomorrow about helping us pull it all together, herding cats (AKA relatives), and vendor references. Plus, the St. Julien requires we have a coordinator if we also have the ceremony there. I guess Tiffany, the catering lady, can only hold down the fort in one space at a time.

We still need: lighting, photographer, a DJ (who will mic the ceremony too), to finalize my dress with the seamstress, and to pick out a kettubah. I've tasked Ben with picking out the wording of the ketubbah, I trust him to find a nice egalitarian text, where the English isn't too far off from the Hebrew/Aramaic, and includes the Lieberman Clause.

St. Julien site visit

Here's my report on my visit to Boulder's St. Julien hotel yesterday morning:

This is the view that we'd have for the ceremony (imagine the retaining wall with a lattice work the hight of the taller posts, to block the street view better). The chuppah would be in the corner, with a table over the electrical access plate, and the isle running diagonally across the lawn.

This gazebo is where a lot of people set their ceremony. How dull. Who wants a view of a the hotel? The mountains are a much better backdrop than the hotel, IMHO.

This is the far end of the ballroom. There are 3 parts, this is the smallest.

This is one the chandeliers that are in the ballroom. Just thought I'd show off how the ballroom is more modern/contemporary, and less East Coast opulent.

Here's the closer/front of the ballroom with breakfast table settings on cream cotton waffle table linens.

Here's a picture of the carpet. It's a dark bluish charcoal with a leafy motif. Definitely not the plushy paisley  we were seeing on the East Coast.

Here's the view from the lobby. I LOVE BOULDER!

This is the lobby. The window looking area on the left is a HUGE gas fireplace. It has broken industrial glass on the bottom, instead of the fake logs that you usually see. The reason it looks like a window is that it can be opened on the other to provide a fireplace for the patio (where we'd have cocktails).

The main entrance. I like being pampered at nice hotels. It's a great touch when they open the door and greet you as you're coming and going. Such a nice touch.