Questions for wedding guests

So Ian and I were just sitting here feeling excited about Jancy and Bobbi and Dan and Patty and Cameron and Ken and ... oh - Ian is rolling his eyes and telling me to just leave it at that for now and get to the point. Anyway, we were wondering about those of you who were going to plan on being here for 10 or more days, and if you wanted to plan trips to other European cities together while you're here.

We would suggest one of the following: Paris, London, Rome, Prague, Berlin, Budapest, Madrid, Barcelona or the Swiss Alps. The above are in no particular order, but none are too far from us. We can get information about cheap flights, hotels, etc. for you. We've found that for travel in Europe, it's much cheaper to get the tickets here, if you buy them in advance. Current flight prices are about 70 Euros to get to Switzerland (1 Euro = $1.22 today), 50 Euro to get to London, 150 Euro to Madrid, 60 Euro to Berlin, and 110 Euro to Prague. You can also get to all of these places by train, and it will be less.

We'll probably do a day in Amsterdam for anyone who wants to come along, but we also know that you may want time away from everyone and explore by yourself. If you want to explore on your own, don't worry - nothing is mandatory.

There are also tons of places and things to do in The Netherlands. At the time of the wedding, there should be some beautiful gardens with flowers in bloom. As an example, you can visit http://www.keukenhof.nl - their site says: "Keukenhof was originally the herb garden ("keuken" means kitchen in Dutch) of the Countess of Holland, Jacoba van Beyeren (1401-1436). In 1840, the horticultural architects Zocher, a father and son, designed the park that forms the basis of the current Keukenhof. They also designed the noted Vondelpark in Amsterdam." Keukenhof is near Leiden.

As for accomodations here in Utrecht, we're going to start researching that towards the end of this week.

Let us know what you think - if you post a comment by clicking on the envelope link at the end of this post, everyone will be able to see it.

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Flights

We chose the date of our wedding for a couple of reasons. The most important reason we chose April was because of the balance between flight prices and weather. In the winter flights are less expensive , but it's cold and raining. The weather is better in May and June, but the costs of flights are astronomical and there are more tourists, so the city wouldn't feel quite as intimate. Finally, Ian picked the date and time because of the numbers. It's at 1:00 pm on the 23 day of the 4th month in the 2005, or 12345.

But this post is supposed to be about flights. There are a number of good search engines for flights. Looking in April, Travelocity has round trip flights any Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday in April or May, from Kansas City or Wichita to Amsterdam, starting at $621 per person. From Denver, the fares start at $655 per person, from Minneapolis $595, and from Rochester, NY or Houston it's $521.

If you find cheaper fares, let me know and I'll post them. Also, I haven't checked from Japan, Australia or South America. Anyone having good fares from any of these countries, let me know and I'll pass them on.

As to when to book, I'm not sure. Frequently flights go down a bit about 3-4 months from the departure date, then they start to climb again as the date gets closer. It would be worth monitoring. As to airlines, from the Midwest I like British Air the best, followed by United and then the others.

Again, let me know if you find good deals or have a question. Oh - and for those who aren't sure they're coming yet but think they might - go ahead get a passport if you don't have one yet. It will save the frustration of wondering if it will get there in time if you wait until before you go.

As for housing, I'm still looking into hotels and hostels. For those who know you're going to be coming and would like housing with our friends, let me know and we'll match you to someone here and give you their email address or contact information.

If there's anything else you want to know about, send me an email or post your comments!

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Wedding plans

Wedding plans are underway. (At the bottom of this post is the little envelope thing where you can write your comments or questions regarding flights, hotels and all of that stuff. I'll update this post as time goes on, so check back.)

It's been fun thinking about a wedding, but at the same time I've got to admit that every once in awhile I start to think, "My God - we fought for this?" I know this is not news to you heterosexuals who happen upon this page, but it's astounding to me how the planning and expenses never seem to end. I'm told it's all worth it in the end, but I keep thinking that a quick elopement and an around the world cruise might be more fun and just a little bit less expensive. Enough of the Scrooge mentality, though, we're going to enjoy this!

Frankly, the most difficult part of this is not knowing how many people are going to come. I'm not sure the traditional notions of percentages of guests who actually show can be counted on here.

Oh, sorry. Back to the enjoyment place now.

A couple of words about Dutch weddings. They're done a little differently than we do them in the States. Instead of a wedding and reception, here they have the wedding, then a reception/high tea, then a dinner for the family and wedding party, then a party for everyone. Different people attend each event. Many who attend the party don't make it to the wedding, and vice versa. We went to a religious Church wedding in Utrecht last Saturday afternoon and a wedding party for a different couple in Belgium later that evening. (I'll post pics and story eventually. . .)

Interestingly, The Netherlands has a true separation of church and state. Because of this, there are frequently two weddings. It is against the law to be married in a church wedding before you're married in a civil ceremony, complete with all the formal requirements, including the required Registrar and witnesses. So everyone has a civil wedding first - or they pay up to a €2,500 fine. Those who are religious have a church wedding at a later time - frequently a couple of days or even a week or so after the civil wedding.




We have reserved the hall in the Utrecht University Academic Building for our wedding. It's very old and beautiful - The Netherlands was founded in the room in the building where the wedding will take place.







Our Civil Wedding will take place at 1 pm on the 23 of April, 2005, (no church wedding is planned), the reception will follow the wedding and will be in a cloistered courtyard garden outside the wedding hall. It is an herb physic garden, and will probably be starting to bloom in late April. That will probably be from 2 until around 5:30 pm.




After the reception, from 5:30 until about 8:30, the family and wedding party dinner will be on a boat that will circle the canal surrounding Utrecht.




Finally, the boat will dock at the catacombs, where the party will be held. It's right on the canal.







As far as when to come to Utrecht for the wedding, I'm not sure. I would try to get here at least a couple of days before the wedding. If you're coming from the US, expect a day or two of jetlag once you get here. Some of you may want to keep in mind that the 30th of April is "Queen's Day." It's when the country celebrates the birthday of the beloved Queen Beatrice. One of the ways they celebrate is to have garage sales. The entire country sets up outside stalls and has a countrywide flea market. I guess it's the largest celebration in The Netherlands.

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