Help Wanted

Planning an international wedding in a new city presents a few occasional challenges. Since neither Niels or I have planned a wedding before--though we've both enjoyed many--we realize we could use a little help in finding some of the things we're looking for.

We've started a list. If you have any ideas, suggestions, items for us to borrow, buy or trade, please let us know! Thanks!

1. A Twisted Pachira Plant. We would like to use this plant in our ceremony.

2. Wedding Bubbles. For after the ceremony. We would like about 150. They come in boxes of 24 for about $6, but if you know of where we might get a better price, or have some to sell, we're interested!

The world's worst kept secret is revealed

The fact that this blog is now public should give you a clue what just happened... ;-)

Read all about it at: on My Europe Trip - Part VI on the Clog Files.

Another Busy Week

We shifted gears to house stuff this weekend. On Monday, our frig and microwave arrived, and I spent the rest of the week packing up Niels' apartment.

This weekend we're attending the FamilyLife "Weekend to Remember." What a great way to starting thinking about the marriage we want to create.

The Wedding: Dates & Details

A quick guide to who's who and what's what on our big day:

The Bride: Jen Abbas
The Groom: Niels de Jong

Matron of Honor: Steph Rossing (Jen's college friend from MI)
Bridesmaid: Jen Vande Vegte (Jen's friend from MI)
Bridesmaid: Sara Kennedy (Jen's friend from China, formerly MI)
Bride's Personal Attendants: Carisa Rasmussen & Liz Abbas (Jen's sisters)

Best Man: Joel Vriend (Niels' friend from Canada)
Groom's Man: Chadwick de Vries (Niels' cousin from Canada)
Groom's Man: Pascal Bloemers (Niels' college friend from the Netherlands)

Groom's Parents: Jan & Kitty de Jong
Bride's Mom: Eileen "Chi" Manthei
Bride's Dad & Stepmom: Elmer & Carole Abbas
Bride's Stepdad & Stepstep Mom: John & Pat Hemza

Groom's Usher: Ingrid de Jong (Niels' sister)
Bride's Usher: Chris Abbas (Jen's brother)

Honor Attendants: Trevor & Angie Price
Vocalist: Liz Abbas (Jen's sister)
MCs: Jared Coleman & Jason Staten (friends of J&N)

DATES & DETAILS:

February 16-21: Jen's mom comes to Ohio to meet Niels (and Niels asks for and receives her blessing)
March 9-11: FamilyLife (pre)marriage conference, sponsored by Jen's publisher
March 15-25: Jen & Niels go to Holland to meet Niels' family and friends.
March 19: Niels, Jen, Jan & Kitty, Jen's Dad, Carisa and Liz (Jen's sisters) and Andy (Carisa's husband) meet in Amsterdam (and Niels asks for and receives her Dad's blessing)
March 20: Niels proposes to Jen at the base of the Eiffel Tower in Paris!!! (and she says yes!!!)
March 24: Niels' parents host an engagement party for Jen & Niels.
April - June: Premarital counseling
May 26: Reception in Minneapolis
June 16: Jen's girly shower (afternoon), Grand Rapids reception (evening)
July 2?: House church blessing
July 3: Ohio couples shower
July 22: The Dutch contingent arrives
July 28: Rehearsal in the morning for the wedding party, Open house and Catan-o-rama for any and all at Niels' house (12p-8p), Bonfire and worship (8p-10p).

Sunday, July 29, 2007: THE WEDDING!
1:30pm
Lakeside Banquet Center
5525 Leona Ave SW
Navarre, OH 44662
330.484.0210

Local Hotels:
Sleep Inn in Bolivar, OH: closest to the ceremony/reception site (9 miles), great for one night stays, our negotiated rate is $75 USD/night (regular rate $90, applies if not booked before July 1)
Days Inn in Canton, OH: allows pets, 12 miles from c/r site, starts at $43 USD/night
Hilton Garden Inn in North Canton, OH: closest to the Akron/Canton airport, free shuttle to the airport, 17 miles from c/r site.

Things to Do:
Canton:
Pro Football Hall of Fame
McKinley Presidential Library & Museum
National First Ladies Library
More Attractions

To the North:
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland (approx. 60 miles North)

To the South:
Amish Country

The Dress

I bought my dress today!!!!!!!!!!!

(yes, I'm excited. And Angie says it's stunning so I know it will be!) It should arrive toward the end of May so I can start alterations with time to spare.

And that's all I have to say about that...unless you're a bridesmaid or mom, then you can email me and I'll send you a link so you can pick out your dress.

Our Ceremony & Reception Site

While Mom was here, I was able to show both her and Niels our wedding site. It was a cold day, so it was a little hard to imagine how different it will look at the end of July. What I love about this site is the gazebo where we'll say our vows.

The gazebo sits on a pond, with a bridge leading to it from both sides. Kinda fitting for a bride and groom coming together from other sides of The Pond.

Another cool things about this site is that there are benches for family to have seats up close and personal. The rest of the guests will be seated on the side of the pond. There's a speaker system so everyone can hear the ceremony.

Busy Week!

Last weekend was a whirlwind of meeting Canadian friends and family. It was nice to finally meet some of Niels' good friends.

This weekend, I've spent some quality time at the house to let all manner of folks in to set up cable, internet, and make a few repairs. We moved in a rug and air mattress, and last night Bailey and I were able to spend the first night in the new house. She was quite neighborly, engaging in a little late night "chat" with the neighbor dogs. Sigh...

Today I stopped at a dress shop on my way to Niels' apartment and I think I found The Dress. I'm taking a day to think about it, but it's only $10 over my budget so I think we're going to go with it! I was pleasantly surprised the my Dutch boyfriend was more okay with me going over budget than I was, but I also know and appreciate that he understands how sentimental the dress is and more than anything else but maybe the rings, is the thing that seems to symbolize the day. I think the wedding will really feel real when I decide on the dress.

Tonight we met with Terry from 831 Photography. Besides the dress, I've been most nervous about the photographer. With Niels' parents owning a photography shop and him being SO talented, I really want to make sure our photos live up to their standards. Niels has been a great groom, and I'm happy to let him take the lead in this area. We've both been pleasantly surprised that our styles match and I think we have a winner with Terry. We'll see how the estimate comes in!