You're gonna be a friggin mess by the time you get married. Unless...

After moving to New York, I started processing things that happened to me there by turning them into cartoons. I hadn't kept a diary in years, and this was more fun. Less navel-gazing. Here's a wedding-related one I made after joining a gym near my office. If you click on them, you can see a slightly bigger version in which you might even be able to decipher my chicken scrawl.

And because some of you might be more interested in what the place looks like (sans me)

This is the ground floor where the reception/party will be happening.

It's Over!

The search, I mean. Here I am, right after handing over our deposit check at the Montauk Club in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I'm squinting, not winking. But I guess it works either way. Nick and I signed the contract that locks down our date, September 6th, 2009 (the Sunday of Labor Day weekend). So mark your calendars, boys and girls. An official save-the-date will arrive via e-mail in a few days.
Love,

J and N

Two different places, still the best we've seen...

So J & I had dinner last night at the Montauk Club. Food was quite good. The service was very friendly. And the wedding coordinator on-site (Sanya) was super-friendly and helpful. Furthermore, our waitress was named "Jana", though pronounced "Jay-nuh". A sign perhaps?

We're one small step from making the decision final (simply signing the contract, putting down the deposit and taking it back to the Club).

For all that the Montauk Club offers, they still don't have an online commercial like this:

http://grandprospecthall.com/

It's the best commercial we've seen. We just kept watching it. This place makes your dreams come true.

But we're with Montauk instead.

N

Wedding Venue Option Number Fünf

There is a dark horse wedding venue candidate: The Montauk Club in Park Slope. According to their website, it's "inspired by a palace on Venice’s Grand Canal" (to which Jana would like to inquire "What is this, Vegas or somethin'?") It also says the place was built in 1891 and has a "Gatsby feel" to it. Nice. And hopefully not Vegas-esque. The MC is a private club near Prospect Park (which is superior to Central Park because there are fewer people there and, well, it's fairly close to our apt) that has nice old wood interiors without feeling too stiff. We could do the ceremony and reception there and the food is good according to what we find on the internets.

http://www.montaukclub.com/home.cfm

The thing with wedding venues is that they don't always write you back. Even after you fill out their "Tell Us About Your Event" form. Twice. Within 2 or 3 months. Then found the manager's email on their site, wrote last night and cut out the middleman. Got an email reply within hours.

Going this afternoon to scout it out, then hit a Chinese New Year party in the same neighborhood.

Classic.

The Knot magazine's entrance song recommendation for the "Casual Twosome":
"Unbelievable," by EMF.

This is wonderful, on so many levels. Not least because of these lines from the song (burned into my impressionable middle school brain):
You burden me with your questions You'd have me tell no lies. You're always askin' what it's all about, don't listen to my replies. You say to me I don't talk enough, But when I do I'm a fool. These times I've spent, I've realized, I'm gonna shoot through, and leave you.

Ha! Maybe the DJ could just shorten the song to a few repeats of: "Oh! You're Unbelievable" and edit out everything else. I can't begin to imagine that anyone would choose this song for anything, really. Though they also recommend "Have I Told You Lately that I Love You" by Rod Stewart for the mother-son dance. 'Cause that's not awkward.