(Almost) All of Your Wedding-Related Questions Answered

Below are responses to questions I have received or think might be good to know. However, I'm sure this is not exhaustive, so PLEASE let us know if there is other information you would like to have.

Without further ado...

Schedule of Events
Friday, 20 April -- Rehearsal Barbecue, Chez Bea -- Time TBA
The rehearsal dinner is going to be a very casual affair, graciously hosted by my extra mom, Bea, at her lovely home outside of Annapolis. Bea's address is on the outside of everyone's invitation (I don't want to put it here in the public domain -- I'm sure Bea has enough admirers without strangers showing up in her yard). If you no longer have your invitation envelope or for some other reason need Bea's address, please contact me via email or phone.
The menu includes braised oxtail, pate kode, rice and beans, and the usual BBQ fare, mixed with some Haitian-ish selections. Of course a full bar will be provided (or at least large barrels filled with ice, booze, and mixers). Casual attire is best, as are flip-flops or sneakers. Children and pets are welcome.
We have not yet set a time, as I will have my swearing-in ceremony for the Foreign Service that day and do not know what time that will finish. I will know early next month when I start training and we will let everyone know with plenty of advance notice.

Saturday, 21 April -- Wedding!, Kent Manor Inn -- 530pm
PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME. We're being very American about our start time... ;)
The ceremony will last less than 20 minutes and will be followed by a cocktail hour. Bea, Stephane, and I tried the hors d'oeuvres and the main plates a couple of weeks ago and we are in for a treat! I won't ruin the surprise for cocktail hour, but my advice would be eat a small lunch and come hungry.

A seated dinner will be served, as both Stephane and I hate 1) standing in long buffet lines for an hour waiting for food; and 2) not having a definite seat to go back to when you need a break after too much booty-shaking. Please be sure to return your RSVP card with your meal selections by the date indicated. We would hate for anyone to be without a chair and a meal!

As you will see on your RSVP card, there are four meal selections, which are described here:
Haitian Griot -- For all the blans (that's Creole for non-Haitian, we're not calling anyone Whitey), this is a dish of pieces of fried pork, which have been marinated in sour orange juice and spices.
Seared Tuna Steak -- This option is slightly spicy and VERY tasty. We tried it, we know. :)
Vegetarian -- Having suffered through many a bland vegetarian wedding plate myself, I specifically told the venue I did NOT want something with less depth than Melba toast. The chef did not disappoint: This plate consists of a phyllo dough 'purse' filled with flavorful couscous, with a tomato coulis, accompanied by purple mashed potatoes and asparagus wrapped in carrot. Yum.
Children's Plate -- Not exactly sure what this is, but I think chicken fingers were mentioned. I'm sure it's good.
All meals are served with either mais moulu (similar to grits, but savory and in this case slightly spicy) or rice and beans, as well as carrot-wrapped asparagus.

Full bar will be available for both cocktail hour and the reception, including a limited (but large) quantity of Barbancourt rhum.

Dress code for the wedding is semi-formal. Suits for men, something nice for women (ladies, you know what to do), feel free to be fancy if you want, but be aware that the ceremony will be held outside and the ground may be soft. (I will be wearing small heels, as opposed to my normal mini-skyscrapers.) Stephane wanted his grooms to rep Tet Kale and wear hot pink tuxes, but that idea was vetoed....

Lodging
Kent Manor Inn (wedding night only)
http://www.kentmanor.com/index.php
410.643.5757
The Kent Manor Inn is offering a special rate for any guests of the Grier-Villatte wedding for the night of 21 April. I am not sure what this rate is, but you can call them at 410.643.5757, tell them you are a guest of the Grier-Villattes, and they will set you up....Until they run out of rooms, anyhow. The Inn, a historic mansion, has only 24 rooms, so it is first come, first served. There are no rooms available the night before the wedding; see below for more information on other lodging options.

Bea, Stephane and I gave the Inn a test drive the other weekend and LOVED it! It is very cozy, with the comfiest beds I have ever slept in and 24-hour snacks and (non-alcoholic) beverages in the sitting room on the first floor. They do have a bar and restaurant on-site, as well, staffed by a very nice woman named Alethea whose ethnic origins puzzle me everytime I see her. Try the chicken pot pie if you get a chance -- it is indescribably tasty, unlike most things called 'pot pie.'

Other hotel options include:
Country Inn and Suites Annapolis
410.571.6700
(~$120/night)
All-suites hotel close to the HUGE Annapolis mall, which has many (chain) restaurants and shops. The hotel is directly across from a strip mall with a grocery store and several shops, as well as a Japanese steakhouse/sushi place, an excellent local Thai place, and a local restaurant that serves only breakfast (best meal of the day!). My preferred manicure/pedicure place is also in that strip mall.

Marriott Waterfront Annapolis
http://www.annapolismarriott.com/
410.268.7555
(~$200/night)
Right on the harbor in Annapolis, great in-house seafood restaurant, walking distance to all that historic Annapolis has to offer (and that's a lot!).

Historic Inns of Annpolis
historicinnsofannapolis.com
410.263.2641
(~$100/night)
Actually a conglomerate of several smaller hotels housed in (mostly) historic buildings in the same area of historic Annapolis. Great location, good price.

Loews Annapolis
loewsannapolis.com
410.263.7777
(~$140/night)
A little further away from the center of things, but still within walking distance of great restaurants, shopping, and sites.

State House Inn
statehouseinn.com
410.990.0024
(~$150/night)
Historic inn in a great location. I've heard nothing but great things about this place.

O'Callaghan Annapolis Hotel
ocallaghanhotels-us.com
410.263.7700
(~$100/night)
I don't know much about this place, but it's in a good spot with a good price for downtown Annapolis. Looks nice enough, anyhow.

Please note that we have not blocked off rooms or worked out any special rates for the above locations. I would recommend Expedia, Priceline, or Orbitz if you're looking for a deal. Some people have found good deals on Living Social, too, though those are time-limited. Annapolis is about 30 minutes on the highway from the wedding, 15-20 minutes on back roads from Bea's house.

Registry/Gifts
Stephane requests that all gifts come in the form of checks payable to 'Stephane's Ferrari Fund.' Together, we can make this young man's dream a reality!!!

Haha!

For those who would like to give a gift, we are registered at Target and Macy's. We may add one more store; if we do, I will note that on the website. However, please know that 1) gifts are not required or expected, and we will be pleased simply to have you with us as we celebrate our big day, and 2) if you would like to give a gift, we will be happy with whatever you choose, it does NOT have to come from our registry (e.g., Stephane's Ferrari).

What to do when not wedding-ing it up with us
Annapolis is a great town for visitors! Shopping, food, history, water, close to DC and Baltimore...Something for everyone! Below is a SMALL sampling of possibilities, but please do a little Google search of your own if you have time -- I'm sure you'll find something I miss.

Restaurants
-- Chart House
An Annapolis institution, you can take a water taxi to reach this not-too-expensive establishment.
-- Pusser's Caribbean Grille
Located in the Marriott, this is a perennial seafood favorite with locals and tourists alike. But the 'Caribbean' part of the name is more suggestive than strict; don't go in there expecting to taste Haiti (or Jamaica or St. Lucia...).
-- El Toro Bravo
Tex-Mex done very well.
-- Joss, Nano, or Tsunami
Sushi places, I know people who like all three. Do a taste test and let me know which one is best.
-- Level Small Plates Lounge
Innovative and delicious, with mostly locally grown ingredients. Even the drinks are surprising (try the sweet basil martini -- yum). It does, however, get loud in the evening and it is somewhat small, so a reservation is probably a good idea.
-- Lemongrass
Best Thai in town! Young hipster servers, but authentic food. A little small, but they can generally squeeze you in.
-- Katana
This sushi restaurant's only weak spot is its unfortunate location, near-ish to the Annapolis Mall, a bit of a drive from historic Annapolis. But you won't regret it if you go!
-- The usual assortment of chain restaurants also proliferate, but why not enjoy the famous local seafood and support local businesses?

Shopping
-- Annapolis Mall
H&M, Lord & Taylor, Nordstrom, Macy's, Express, Guess?, Banana Republic, Apple Store, AMC Movie Theatre, Red Robin, California Pizza Kitchen, Johnny Rockets....There's not much a shopper could want that you can't find here.
-- Annapolis Town Centre
Target, Whole Foods, Bed Bath and Beyond, Restoration Hardware, Coldwater Creek, Anthropologie, Brio Tuscan Lounge, Gordon-Biersch, others...This outdoor mall offers a good walk and interesting choices, including some small, locally-owned stores.
-- Downtown Annpolis
Small local stores abound in historic Annapolis, including some fantastic boutique clothiers and shoestores. You can (and I have) spend an entire day wandering up and down the street, darting from shop to shop, wondering at the end how so much time passed without you noticing.

Sites/Kids
-- The US Naval Academy
As beautiful as it is prestigious, the Academy continues to accept visitors from the general public on a daily basis. They have a good museum and you can walk the campus at your leisure (for the most part). Look out for the beautiful faculty housing -- it made me want to become a professor just so I could teach there! Be prepared to show ID and go through a metal detector when you arrive at the gate.
-- Maryland State House
Once home to the US Continental Congress, this is the oldest American statehouse in continuous use. It is quite lovely and open to visitors. Again, be prepared to show ID and go through a metal detector. The nearby, very pretty Governor's Mansion is worth a couple of walks around (not generally open to visitors).
-- Annapolis Harbor
Just a nice place to sit and watch the world -- and boats -- go by. Plenty of open-air restaurants and ice cream shops nearby. Simply pick your corner and enjoy.
-- All of downtown Annapolis
Historic Annapolis is a great place for walking. Various forms of well-executed historic architecture line the quirky streets, with plenty of places to stop in for shopping, eating/drinking, and/or learning.
-- Pirate Adventures on the Chesapeake
GREAT activity for kids ages 3-11 (and their adults, too!). I did this w/my little brother and sister and we had a fantastic time. The cruise itself is about an hour, boarding in downtown Annapolis. Kids get to pick their pirate props and get a 'tattoo' before boarding ship to find a sunken treasure!
410.263.0002
-- Ghost tours
There are a few versions of this. I've never done one myself, so I can't make a specific recommendation, but you can check out Annapolis Ghost Tours, Ghosts of Annapolis, and Watermark Cruises (they do walking tours, haunted and not, as well as boat tours). Annapolis Ghost Tours appears to offer a Haunted Pub Crawl, as well, which I might just have to check out myself for you. I mean, it would be a tough thing for me to have to wander around Annapolis, drinking and hearing creepy ghost stories, but this is what I am willing to do for you, most beloved guests. ;)

I think that about covers it for now...But please let us know if we can answer any other questions. Very excited to see you all in Maryland soon!

The blog works -- I promise!!

Obviously, the wedding blog has not turned out as planned!

But, like so many things in Haiti, the blog was dependent on one weak mechanism to succeed: in this case, the Internet. We had no Internet at the house for about five months. My friends and family were thrilled with my e-silence, you can imagine. And by the time we got it back, I had (finally) started working again and generally come home too exhausted to even think of turning my brain back on -- haha.

In sum, se pa faut mwen! ;)

Now the wedding fast approaches, the invitations are out, and I am sure there are many questions from everyone. So my plan is that this weekend, I will answer all of the questions I have received and all of the questions I can think of, and hopefully not everyone has thrown out their little seed packets w/the blog info on the back and a few of you will read this information and get excited about what is going to be an awesome wedding!!

Welcome to our wedding blog!/Byenvini nan blog maryaj nou!

Yes, the moment you have all been nagging about, er, asking about is finally here -- Stephane and I are engaged *and* we set a date!

We will be sending out our Save the Dates soon and wanted to start a blog where we can share both the rigors of the wedding planning process, as well as fun and useful information about our wedding.

We are excited to share our wedding with you all and look forward to 21 April 2012!

I will be writing the blog in English and Stephane will write it in Kreyol!

Wi, moman nou tap tann lan, nou tout tap mande pou li a depi lontan, rive kounye-a! Stephane ak Julie fek fyanse e nou chwazi yon dat !!!

Nou pral voye 'Save the Date' nou yo byento e nou vle koumanse yon blog kote nou kap pataje planifikasyon koken chen evenman lan epi infomasyon itil ak interesan sou maryaj nou.

Nou vreman kontan pataje maryaj-nou avek ou e na va pran plezi pou retwouvew 21 avril 2012!

Mwen pral ekri blog-sa-a nan angle e stephane ava ekri-l an kreyol !