Working on the Wedding! 

Since it is still so early in the Northeast camping season, meaning our preferred CG isn’t open yet, Michelle and Derek graciously offered to let us stay on their driveway for the 10 nights we will be here.  It is actually very convenient since we have so much wedding stuff to do!   

Bill got us parked with minimal damage to their grass – which was only damaged because it had rained for a few days and the ground was wet and squishy.   Had it been dry there wouldn’t have been any damage at all.  It wasn’t a big deal though, Bill smushed it back down into place with his foot.


The wedding is now 6 months away!  So much has been done but so much still to do!  It’s so exciting!  

First up was a tasting at the venue.  Bill and I, along with Michelle and Derek met up with Tracy (Dereks Mom) and Autumn (Dereks sister and Best Lady) for our 4pm appointment.   Having never done this before, I didn’t know what to expect.  Teresa (the owner and wedding planner) confirmed what we would be tasting, and it all sounded wonderful!  

We started with a cup of corn chowder – all guests will be having the same soup and this one is Dereks fav.  Good choice – it was amazing!  Next up was the spinach salad with bacon vinaigrette and goat cheese – very yummy!  

There were 6 different dinner entrees being served family style, so we each got 1/6 of each dish to try.  The goal was to eliminate 3 dishes and then be able to offer 3 options to guests.  

Oh!  And we also sampled 3 white and 3 red wines, from which one of each were chosen to be offered during dinner.   

All dishes were delicious and very much enjoyed.  To me, it would be perfect to have 2 or 3 bites of each meal on the day, but neither Michelle or Derek wanted a buffet, and honestly, I’m glad as I prefer a sit-down dinner at a wedding.  

The bride has chosen to have bison for her dinner, while the groom decided to have the duck.  I have to tell you – both were perfect! – but it will different options for the rest of us.  We have to choose between Filet Mignon, Chicken Cordon Bleu and Stuffed Portobello Mushroom – which is the vegetarian meal.  


That was fun!  

The following day was no less busy – my dress had come in a while back and I wanted to see it!  Back in November I had tried it on in navy, but it actual color is cranberry.   It fits for the most part, needs to be altered just a little bit (including a hem) but it’s too early for that, plus I need shoes.  

After my dress was safely back upstairs at the dress shop we headed to Jos. A Bank to shop for the father of the bride.  Bill was a very good sport, and it didn’t take long to have his wedding day outfit picked out and ordered.  Michelle decided it was a good idea to just go ahead and get Billy’s clothes also.  We estimated his sizes as best we could, and when we see him, we will exchange at his local store as needed.  I think he will be happy with what his sister picked out for him! 

You might think 2 days in a row was enough but no!  The next day Michelle and I were up and out early for the first planning meeting at the venue.  We met Teresa at 10am and 1 hour 45 mins later we were back on our way home, initial decisions made and starving for lunch!  Teresa was very organized and walked us through what the entire day would be like, decisions being made for each step.   What time would the bride arrive?  We ordered some food to be served for lunch for Michelle, Jaime and myself for while we were getting ready.   What time would the groom and other VIP’s need to get there?  Who’s been hired for photography, floral, officiant, cake and DJ?  Who’s walking who down the isle and in what order?  So many details!  

For the reception – more decisions!  Food for dinner had already been chosen, but what about appetizers while photos are being taken?  What beverages would be offered?  What time would things happen?  Who’s going to be offering a toast?  Will we be doing the western PA “money dance”?  I don’t even know what that is!  

Believe it or not, there are still more things to decide – like music – for the ceremony, first dance for bride and groom, father/daughter, mother/son, etc.  

Even though invites haven’t been sent yet, Michelle and I spent a few minutes talking about seating arrangements, as an “in the future” decision will be how many tables and what sizes?  Teresa will actually draw out where the tables will go, what size will they be and what numbers will go on them.  

While doing all these very important things with my daughter, I’ve been remembering my own wedding.  I’m not fully sure if it’s just so long ago (coming up on 32 years!) but I don’t recall all these little details.  They had to have been taken care of and my assumption is my Mother must have done a lot more than I realized at the time. Even when I was my sisters Matron of Honor – I don’t remember all these details.  My Mom must have handled a lot there too.   Thanks Mom!

It is somewhat more challenging being Mother of the Bride while not living nearby.  How busy we were this week is evidence of that.   I’m here a week so things cannot be spread out, checking items off the list a little here and there, it needs to be condensed into a shorter time span.  We will have more of this condensing when Jaime, the Maid of Honor, and I plan a couple of days out here later this summer – probably early August.  The upside of our lifestyle is we will be here 100% for the month before the big day – plenty of time to make sure the planning list is fully complete!  

Of course, Michelle is doing some things on her own, she is making a display box for cards, she has hired all the needed vendors, is updating their wedding website.  Just the other day, after dinner options were chosen, she ordered the invitations.  If any of you are getting married or know anyone who is, she has found a website called “The Knot” VERY helpful.  


How cute is that?  

In other news – I am very happy and relieved to report that our son and his roommate finally signed a new lease!  Whew!  It’s in a great location for him – close to his job; also great for us as it’s closer to the Ephrata Elks!  Awesome!  

Our driveway surfing days in Berlin, PA passed by quickly, but all the wedding planning boxes for the week were checked! I even got the fall leaf garland put together!  

We enjoyed meals together – my daughter has become quite the cook!  We watched some movies, including Bridge of Spies with Tom Hanks. Bill and Michelle planted trees one day, Michelle had ordered them off the Arbor Day website.  Bill put together a new filing cabinet Michelle ordered – there’s was a lot accomplished!


I think he misses putting things together sometimes


Apparently a visit to western PA wouldn’t be complete without some snow!  We had hoped we were late enough in the spring to avoid the white fluffy stuff – but NO – we had about 2″ fall during our stay!  Thankfully the below freezing wind chill didn’t last very long and temps quickly returned to normal for this time of year. 

Our last full day arrived and we decided to check out a Farmers Market type place about half hour away in Grantsville, MD.  What a great find!  They had homemade jams, candies, fruit and veggies, spices and stuff for baking.  All that and the prices were really good! 




We are very excited to moving on to our new Jersey Shore home.  We will be working at Country Oaks Campground in Dorothy, which is near Mays Landing and about 30 minutes from our fav boardwalk, Ocean City!  We already have some friends dropping by for visits – if you are in the neighborhood – look us up!  New Jersey is our ole stomping grounds and we’d love to show you around!  

20 thoughts on “Working on the Wedding! 

  1. Did you know that Hank (of Hank and Shirleen) is from Ocean City? He said we have to eat some Thrasher’s French Fries. 🙂 I totally game for that!!

  2. Kelly, sounds like you have been having a blast. Planning a wedding is a lot of work but a lot of fun at the same time. The next six months will fly by. I know when my son was planning his wedding that time flew by and now it has been almost two years since that day. I loved the taste testing the best LOL. Especially the cakes. I hope the new job works out well for the two of you. We hope to meet you this summer. Safe travels, Take care,
    Chris

    1. It is a lot of fun doing the wedding stuff! My daughter especially likes checking things off her to-do list! Hope our planned get-together works out!

  3. It sounds like you might be having as much fun wedding planning as your daughter. 🙂 Glad you guys have been enjoying yourselves. We just have to come visit the Jersey shore someday and let you show us around your town. Have fun camphosting!!!

    1. I am definitely enjoying being Mother of the Bride! Bill and I would LOVE to show off our home state – let us know when you think you will be heading this way! I think the camphosting is going to be really good!

  4. Wow!! You guys got lots of stuff crammed into a short amount of time!!! So productive!! Bummer on the snow!!

    1. We did have a very productive time! Michelle especially likes getting things checked off the list! Thankfully the snow didn’t last long at all – less than 36 hours!

  5. Hi Kelly! This past weekend was our son’s wedding reception in PA. We came up north early to help them with things so I can relate! We will be about 45 minutes south of you for two weeks in May at Seashore Campsites in Cape May. Would love to connect with you and Bill!

  6. Oh, I know about wedding planning myself finally. My son and his gf just got engaged! So happy we’re in CA to help with the planning. Not till 2018 so far.

    1. How exciting! Congrats! Michelle and Derek got engaged last year – July I think – so this has been in the works for awhile. I hope you sons fiancé lets you help and be involved. It is so much fun!

  7. My daughter got married May 30, 2015 and I had such fun helping her plan the wedding and throwing her a bridal shower! Now she has given me my first grandchild, a son who is 3 months old! See what else you have to look forward to?

    1. Congrats on your new Grandson! How exciting! I’m not in any hurry (yet) for a grandchild, but yes – someday – that will be awesome!

  8. Had to smile about all the details. Theresa sounds like a gem! What a great driveway for you to park in. How awesome is that. Glad you had family time sweetie.

    1. I knew you would love that! Teresa is making our lives so much easier! They do have a great driveway – it was so convenient!

  9. Sounds like you guys have a lot on your plate but are having fun doing it. I remember doing all the tastings for our daughters wedding. That was certainly an interesting experience.

  10. We are enjoying the whole process! Well – saying Bill ENJOYED trying on a bunch of clothes might be overstated – ha! but it’s all good!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *