Convenience or cost?

We've been looking at banquet halls feverishly in an effort to secure something a year in advance. The issue that's coming up is convenience vs. cost. Having your wedding in the New York City area presents several problems.

1. Space. There are plenty of places to have your wedding. The question is, what do you get for the money? Some places are literally empty rooms - warehouse lofts - where you can do whatever you want, but the cost is for rental of the space only. Translation: you've got to rent tables, chairs, linens, dinnerware, glassware, decorations.

2. All-in-one banquet halls. Again, what do you get for your money? Some places have stereo equipment built in, while others require renting DJ equipment. Some places include floral arrangements, others do not. Some places have a wedding chapel onsite, others do not. A place to take photos, party favors, cake - may or may not be included.

3. Is the place convenient to parking garages and cheap hotels? NYC is notorious for outrageously expensive hotels with tiny rooms. Parking on a weekend is sometimes hard to find (if it's tourist season) and expensive.

4. Traffic! We were going to have our wedding on a Tuesday (it was an anniversary date of significance to us) but that means people will have to fight rush hour traffic. Even for people coming by subway, rush hour is a major hassle. So, we will have a Sunday wedding instead.

Even by having a Sunday wedding, we're still balancing the problem of convenience for most travelers vs. cheaper cost for us. We love 202 East in Manhattan. It's a wonderful space that includes most rentals. All we have to do is get some flowers, a caterer, and possibly cake. The stereo system is built into the room so we can "plug and play" music from our iPods. But because we're dealing with 2 vendors - the space and a caterer, the cost goes up a bit. We're also considering Dante Caterers in Queens - a bit remote, but does that matter if people are traveling on a weekend? They handle all of the rentals, flowers, food, cake, and all for a bit less money. But is it less money when we consider that there is no music equipment in the rooms? This forces us to rent a DJ or haul over our own music equipment and set it up ourselves and who wants to do that on your own wedding day?

I'm curious to hear other people's opinions and wedding stories. I hope you'll consider leaving a comment! And soon, since we hope to make our decision in the next 2 weeks. Thank you in advance!

Raising the Dough

Bruce and I both recently became debt-free. It's a great feeling! Credit cards are tools of the devil! get rid of yours NOW. They are nothing but money makers for banks with all legislation in their favor. If you think the government is concerned about Americans struggling with debt, think again. Everyone everywhere wants you to spend, spend, spend.

"But Alison, aren't you begging for our money now?" Yes, I am! But I'm not charging you interest. We've tried to make this sales effort as easy as possible by including shipping costs. I hope you're not buying our t-shirts with your credit card. These days, who needs them? A debit card allows you to make credit purchases without being a credit card transaction. I urge all of you to read "America's Cheapest Family" for all kinds of money-saving ideas. It inspired me to keep my wedding costs down. I don't think a wedding should be paid on credit. That's not a good way to start your life together. Bruce and I are also working on our new business, which we will also attempt to keep "credit card free" as long as possible. Every t-shirt you buy before we launch the line next year really helps us spread the word about our designs!

In the spirit of raising cash, Bruce and I have been selling various things that just take up space. A big part of today's recycling generation is about giving away or selling your unwanted or unused items. If you've ever lived in New York City, you know that space is a premium!!!!! And sometimes you just get bored with things you own. You've got to get rid of the clutter. We've been busy posting CDs, DVDs, books, and collectible toys on Amazon and Ebay. I also started a "virtual" yard sale at Domesticsale.com. I haven't yet figured out how I could post links in this blog. But in the meantime, let me tell you how much I love Domesticsale!

If you're like me, you've noticed that Ebay is getting too commercial. It's getting harder and harder to find those one-of-a-kind, bizarre knick knacks that you could bid on for pennies and probably end up buying for a few dollars. There are so many great online classified ad places now where you can post things for FREE. And Domesticsale let's you do this - with pictures - for a whole year - for FREE!!!!! So empty out your closet and start selling stuff! I'm already at almost $100 just from Amazon. I can't wait to see what happens on Domesticsale. We know these classifieds work because we have sold our t-shirts there. You might see our ads for Mexican Wrestling Squirrels there. But please pretty please consider buying from us directly. It's cheaper for you and we get the money directly - no middle man.

More news as it develops, but I hope you're inspired to sell! I always get a kick hearing from my Ebay customers. What a neat internet world we live in! You can talk to people all over the world and share your hobbies. I'll let you know what happens on Domesticsale - I'll be posting stuff there over the next few weeks. After that, I can blog about what I'll be buying for my wedding.

Peace and Prosperity to you!

Sci-fi theme chosen!

Why are we having a science-fiction themed wedding? Because we're sci-fi geeks! There was no question about what type of wedding we'd have, only what kind of sci-fi wedding. We're both very creative, non-traditional people. As artists, we'd like something different, something that expresses our love of art and science fiction.

We thought about "Star Wars." But Princess Leia's dress is pretty plain and frumpy. Any type of Queen Amidala dress would be costly. Bruce wanted a "Battlestar Galactica" theme because we looooove the new series. But the costumes are drab and also unavailable. Same for "Farscape" or "Firefly/Serenity." We want this wedding to be affordable for everyone, so we thought about what costumes are easily available. "Star Trek" was a thought, but I don't want to wear pants to my wedding, and any cool dress would be from an obscure character (and also not readily available). My friend Mike suggested "X-Files," since I already have Agent Scully hair. But that's too plain - no far out sci-fi costumes there, just regular clothes.

It finally hit us - "The Matrix"!!!!! Not a typical romantic film, but neither are any of the other sci-fi hits. The costumes are slick, a bit futuristic, and our guests could create something for themselves that would "fit" the movie's decor. Oh yes, there will be participation in our wedding! We're having a Matrix Rave Party Wedding!

Anyone who knows Bruce has heard him create his own mobile rave party by "beat boxing" rhythms wherever he walks. Alison has always been a fan of dance music - house, freestyle, hip hop, techno, electronica. We want people to dance and have fun, so it just all seems to fit. Think of the "cave rave" in the 2nd Matrix movie. Except instead of a cave, we want DJ lighting, neon, glow sticks, candles.

So, Bruce has chosen a fitted Neo button-down coat with Asian styling. I don't want to wear black, or anything skintight, LOL! I have chosen an Asian style dress. At this writing, it looks like my Dad will be Morpheus! And I'd love our wedding party to be all Agent Smiths. Why not? I have no bridesmaids. My brother John will be my Man of Honor, and my 3 best friends happen to be guys - cousins Nick and Jeff, and best friend Mike. Bruce has his brother Romeo as his Best Man. Groomsmen are Uncle Carlos, and best friends Tony and Susan. Everyone is enthusiastic about the idea! Probably because they all know us as sci-fi geeks. And some of them are sci-fi geeks, too! A lot of our guests are sci-fi geeks too, so we can expect some them to dress in costume as well. What a nerdy but awesome party this will be!

Not your traditional wedding, but then I never wanted a traditional wedding. As a teenager and a fan of Billy Idol, I used to tell people I wanted to be married in a white leather mini skirt (so I could wear it again - so practical!) and ride to the church on a Harley. In college, Las Vegas was getting popular for crazy themed wedding chapels - you could be married by aliens! I joked that I wanted to be married in Vegas by a black or Chinese Elvis impersonator. Having a Matrix wedding just fits. To me, this IS my perfect wedding. It's a creative expression of things we both enjoy - art and sci-fi. Many people have commented that Bruce is the male version of myself, that we are "two peas in a pod." I have always wanted to marry my soul mate. And I have never compromised on that dream. I've waited a looooong time to get married - but Bruce was totally worth the wait!