Jesse and Phil are Getting Married!

On August 2, 2008 in Blakeney, Ontario, Jesse and Phil will be tying the knot. After 5 years together we are ready to take on this next step.

Our goal, in planning our wedding was to be environmentally sensitive and true to our values and ethics. Therefore, we started out with an idea for our wedding theme based on the "100 mile diet". We are trying to source the majority of the food, beer and wine from local producers and all the flowers are being grown in Chandler's garden. Furthermore, we are planning to prepare our own food with the help of friends and family and are minimizing garbage where possible (notice how the postcard invitation didn't produce any waste?). It is our hope, that these small details will minimize our environmental footprint.

While this all sounds very serious, it is our intention first and foremost to have a casual, fun-filled celebration with all our close family and friends.

If this is your first time to our blog, please check back regularly as we will try to update it as we get closer to the date. Also, please feel free to leave comments if you like and if possible, please RSVP as soon as possible!

Wedding Day Itinerary

On our invitations we have asked you all to arrive at 3pm. We are planning to start the ceremony at 4pm sharp and would like for you all to be there for the start time. Between 3pm and 4pm we will be serving light snacks and drinks and this will be an opportunity for you all to meet each other and check out the amazing site. Chandler's yard is right on the Mississippi River and is great for swimming, so if it's a hot day, bring your swimsuit, canoe, kayaks and other water sport toys!

After the ceremony, we will launch right into dinner, which will be a casual, buffet style picnic. There will be music and dancing into the evening. We are crossing our fingers for a good, hot, sunny day, but on the off chance that it rains, we'll be holding this event regardless. So make sure you wear comfy clothes and shoes appropriate to the backyard (no heels!).

Directions and Map

The wedding will be held at Jesse's mom, Chandler's house # 178 Blakeney Road, Blakeney, Ontario, just outside Almonte.

From Ottawa head west on the 417 (Queensway) towards Arnprior. Take exit 155 for March Road heading towards Carp/Almonte. Turn left at the stop sign onto March Road. Continue along March Road for approx 13 km until you reach Almonte. Continue along March passing through 1^st set of traffic lights until you reach Martin Street (2^nd set of lights). Turn Right and follow Martin Street for 6km until the four way stop. Turn left on Blakeney Road and follow around the bend and down the hill. House #178 is on the left hand side. If you come to the bridge you have gone too far…..

Click on the link below for a map.

View Larger Map


Transportation and Accommodation

First and foremost, it is crucial that there is no drinking and driving at our wedding. Please make accommodation arrangements for yourself if you plan on driving to the party and will be drinking. Otherwise ensure that you designate a non drinking driver. We will provide a shuttle service to Almonte and possibly Ottawa, depending on the demand.

We will have tents set up in the yard for those who want to camp. Please bring your own camping supplies if you are able, but we will have some available as well. Other options for sleeping include a few B&Bs in Almonte (contact us to find out about these because they are short supply and are going quickly) and there are a few hotels in Kanata (15 min drive) and obviously plenty more options in Ottawa (30 minute drive).

Please contact us if you need a ride to the wedding. Many people will be coming from Ottawa, so it will be easy to arrange some ride sharing.

Gifts

What do we NEED? NOTHING!!! What would we like? LOTS!!!

After our travels overseas to places like Nepal, India and Thailand, we have both realized that we are lucky to live in Canada and spoiled with our good health, supportive families, education and lots of STUFF! However, despite all the stuff we do have, there always seems to be more that we would like!

Some people have expressed a great desire to be provided with a list of gift ideas. If you would like to give us a gift, we would be most grateful, but it is not expected. There are some items for our home, particularly the kitchen, that would be great to have. We have a gift registry set up with The Bay.

Another part of our life which will require a few new items is our trip overseas. Yes, we are going AGAIN! The plans so far are not completely secured, but we are planning to visit Nepal and India and possibly much of South East Asia. For this trip we need good warm sleeping bags for our trek in Nepal for example, and a few other things to keep us warm and safe on our travels. We are looking into setting up a registry with MEC, but not sure about that. If you are interested in helping us out with things for our trip, we'd be most grateful!

Another option, if you are thinking about a gift, is to make a donation on our behalf to Child Haven International. This is an amazing organization based out of Maxville, Ontario (www.childhaven.ca) that does great work helping disadvantaged children and women in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Tibet. Jesse volunteered with them in Nepal.

Gift or no gift, the most important thing is that you will be joining us for our wedding celebration!