Erin and Jimmy's Big Score

It's now three months until the crazy shindig known as the Erin/Jimmy nuptual extravaganza goes down, and things are getting pretty real. This is about the time when all the wacky ideas that have been brewing in our collective grey matter for the last half a year (or more) start to get put into action.

I don't want to give any of the specifics away, but last week Erin's father, the amazing Mr. Geof Huth, came through with a truly fantastic design for our invitations, and is getting them printed for us as we speak. Geof is, for those who are unaware, a quite accomplished visual poet with a staggering intellect for linguistic deconstruction and a great eye for typography, but was thankfully willing to slum it in the practical design world as a favor. We had investigated several of the mass-produced templates that are available from printers online, and even found a few that we liked, but really we wouldn't have wanted these things done any other way, and ultimately I enjoy the fact that our invitations are going to arrive at our guests' doorsteps with both a style that is uniquely our own and a personal family touch.

So I just wanted to devote this post to all of our friends and family we have putting their creative abilities to work to help us make this wedding awesome. Again, I don't want to give too much away by getting into specifics (I'll try to give some more personal shout-outs after the fact), but we've got folks helping us out with everything from the food to the decor to the music, and we couldn't be more excited. I don't think we could make this into the kind of event that we could stand behind without their help.

Also it fulfills my action/heist movie fantasy of assembling a ragtag team of misfit specialists to pool their skills to make something impossible happen. I just hope when this is all done they're not disappointed with their cut of the loot.

Geekin It Up

Let me start this post by saying that I'm immensely grateful to be marrying a woman who openly makes both Star Wars and Simpsons references in everyday conversation (even if my Indiana Jones and Back to the Future references are consistently lost on her).

This weekend Erin and I went up to Schenectady to, among other things, pick out wedding bands and meet with one of the owners at the Stockade Inn to discuss some of the logistics of our wedding. We've considered many ways in which to incorporate our collective geek obsessions into our wedding, but have generally decided in the interest of good taste and not freaking our respective families out to keep the nerd allusions to a minimum (though rest assured we haven't eliminated them entirely). So with that in mind, I would like to pay tribute to our geek brethren who boldly (and often sadly) used their weddings to play out their fantasies.

Nick sent Erin, Jon, Evan, and me this link the other day. . .

Though I was curious what Nick was doing cruising bridepop.com, it is undeniably awesome. The best part is obviously the Admiral Ackbar and Mon Mothma figures to the side (despite the fact that neither character was at the battle of Hoth - duh).

Naturally, Erin's first response was that it should instead be a Tauntaun cake (sort of like a cake version of this sleeping bag) so you could cut out the guts and warm a person inside (did I mention I love that Erin knows Star Wars). Sadly our wedding package already includes a cake from Villa Italia that probably doesn't include free animal intestine sculpting. Plus we learned that somebody else has already beaten us to the punch. . .

The folks at Gizmodo also graciously directed us to these amazing confections.

Alright, so pretty much I'm just into Star Wars-themed wedding paraphernalia. Though we did find a page for a Firefly-themed wedding that we felt was pretty sweet. . .

Probably Erin just wants a situation where she gets to pretend that she's getting married to Nathan Fillion. I only object to their suggestion that it's okay for guests to come as Star Trek or Battlestar Gallactica character (c'mon, what kind of loser would want that crap in their wedding).

I also commend the folks behind this wedding for their shockingly tasteful use of classic Nintendo iconography. . .

So I'll leave you to guess at what fun pop culture referencing we'll be including in our ceremony and reception, but just so you don't get your hopes up too much, we're nowhere near as dedicated as these folks. And though their conservative aunts and uncles have probably disowned them, we still salute them.

Meet the Wedding Party: Anna and Jon

Name: Anna Hendrick (Anna Ban, Bannz)
Job: Maid of Honor
Relationship: BFF to Erin (Rinnzy/Rinnz, ee)
How We Met: Anna and Erin officially met one fateful afternoon in 1999 when Anna when a freshman at SHS and Erin was a sophomore. The girls were thrown together by chance (and, probably a little, on purpose) and were virtually inseparable after that day. They navigated high school together and kept each other going by always gossiping, always watching TV, always laughing and usually talking about Destiny's Child/Beyonce (some things never change). They were separated for a few years because of college but that didn't stop them (thank goodness for the internet) and now both girls live in NYC and even run a Twin Peaks-themed Etsy shop together. They're still trying to figure out a way to put "Anna Ban & Rinnzy" in lights. It'll happen. Erin doesn't know what she would do without Anna to talk to, do crafts with, come up with book ideas with, obsess over TV shows with and just generally have hilarious times with.

Since we're both such hams...here are some photos of us throughout the years. Don't even pretend like you're not amused by them.



Let's get serious, Anna is my best friend in the world and I don't say it enough but I love her dearly and am so glad that she is willing to participate in our wedding in such a big way. I seriously can't wait to see what hilarity ensues at the reception (perhaps an "Empire State of Mind" rap-off...P.S. she would win).




Name: Jon Lewis
Job: Best Man
Relationship: Hetero Life Partner to Jimmy
How We Met: Jimmy met Jon on the first day of fifth grade, when, according to legend (which Jon can explain in elaborate detail if you get enough drinks in him), Jon complimented Jimmy on the obnoxiously colored Woodstock '94 t-shirt he was wearing at the time. When Jon asked Jimmy if he went to the concert, he simply responded, "No way. I got it at the mall." The rest is history. And though their lives have gone through countless permutations and they now find themselves on opposite sides of the country, they're no less close today than when they were still playing marathon games of Goldeneye in Jimmy's mom's living room. Jimmy is glad that Jon could take a break from his Salingeresque state of reclusivity in the Land of Enchantment to lead this rag-tag group of misfits know as Jimmy's wedding party, and he hopes that Jon takes his title as literally as possible.

Meet the Wedding Party: Evan and Nick

Name: Evan Cochnar
Job: Groomsman
Relationship: Consigliere to Jimmy
How We Met: Jimmy and Evan met in the cutthroat world of high school forensics, where they took joys in tearing apart their opponents with screwball debate cases and gonzo student congress legislation (not to mention a legendary two-man dramatic interpretation of the Star Wars Trilogy). In spite of their current lack of geographic proximity, they still find time to riff on episodes of The Sopranos and discuss the comparative merits of the Tarantino oeuvre.


Name: Nick Robbins
Job: Groomsman
Relationship: Accessory before, during, and after the fact to Jimmy
How We Met: Though they crossed paths several times in high school due to mutual connections in the Albuquerque punk rock scene, Nick and Jimmy didn't start hanging out until they both came to NYU for college. There they bonded over a mutual affinity for obscure indie bands of the 1980s. When not watching never-ending Simpsons marathons in their dorm, they used their proximity to the city to see many excellent bands (along with a few that kind of sucked). And while they still catch a good show from time to time, it's unlikely that any will top the epic Ween/Walkmen double feature of '03.

"Do Not Play" List

As you can see from the rest of this blog, we've gotten a pretty decent head start in the planning of this shindig. We've already got a place, a date, a photographer, and Erin even already has a dress. But as far as I'm concerned, this show will live and die with one thing: the music. As such, Erin has given me the task of organizing all of the music for both the ceremony and the reception.

We decided very early on that we absolutely do not want a DJ, as this would probably result in me getting in a physical altercation with this unfortunate individual by the end of the night. And while I've always thought it would be awesome to have a live karaoke band for the reception, the logistical and fiscal demands of such a plan make it ultimately more trouble than it's worth. If I had the technology I'd probably try to clone myself (a la Multiplicity) and just DJ my own wedding, but, barring any breakthroughs on that front in the next 8 months, I've resigned myself to just making a 5 hour playlist of all the songs I think will make for an awesome Jimmy and Erin-themed party. I'd like to have some fun surprises in there for everyone, so I don't want to give too much of a sense of what music will be played, I do want to do a quick rundown of some wedding standards that will not be played. . .

1) "Electric Slide" / "Achey Brakey Heart" / "Chicken Dance" / "Macarena"

The fact that any of these gimmicky one-off dance fads has endured decades after its initial popularity is as surprising as it is pathetic. There's frankly no way to not embarrass yourself while doing any of these these so called "dances." The ability to perform any of these with any grace or competence is just as sad and lame as any amateur attempt to keep up with those that can - especially since there will likely be both photographic and videographic evidence of your shame.*

2) "Celebration" Robert "Kool" Bell has written many brilliant pop tunes, and this is no exception, but c'mon, this is just lazy DJing. It's as if the DJ just admitted to the entire reception that he can't remember whether this is a wedding or a bris.

3) "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" The proliferation of this song by wedding DJs is just perverse. It's like a theme song for passive-aggressive brides that want to gloat over their single friends.

4) "White Wedding" This song is problematic for two reasons. If you happen to be naive to accept the chorus of this song on a literal level, it's incredibly trite. If not, it's just in poor taste to send off the new couple into wedded bliss with a song about going on a coke bender**

5) "Wonderful Tonight" I've just always hated this song. Can't really explain why.

*I've expressly omitted "YMCA" simply because I find the idea of conservative baby boomers getting down to a song that's expressly about gay cruising hilarious.

**I'm willing to make an exception here if your wedding reception happens to involve liberal cocaine use.

Meet the Wedding Party: Jessie & Christina

Name: Jessica "Jessie" Kravitz
Job: Bridesmaid
Relationship: Partner in Crime to Erin, Rap Battle Ally to Jimmy
How We Met: Erin and Jessie became friends while studying abroad in Dublin their junior year at NYU. They ended up directing 2 music videos together while there and spending most hours of most days together doing a combination of goofing around and working. That began a hilarious partnership that usually ended with someone in a wig. They've remained close friends despite being on two different coasts and can always be found talking about TV, watching hilarious movies or just chatting about nothing, on the computer.

Jimmy also met Jessie during the famed Junior year jaunt to the Emerald Isle. They bonded over their mutual appreciation of mid-90s hip hop and masochistic fandom for ursine Chicago sports franchises.


Name: Christina "Stina" Mar
Job: Bridesmaid
Relationship: Partner in Crime to Erin, Musical Moron Twin to Jimmy
How We Met: It was 2002 and the NYU Freshman Film Department was sent to the Poconos for "Camp Bug Byte." Stina and Erin spent some time paddle boating together while there, realized they had a lot of classes together, and the rest is history. Stina and Erin ended up having many many more classes together after that and Stina ended up in Dublin too! Their time together has been lots of silly movies, lots of TV and lots and lots of theme nights. Thank goodness for instant messaging so even when they're on opposite sides of the country, they are in constant contact.

Jimmy met Christina when they were living next door to one another in the NYU apartments on Fishamble Street in Dublin. While Jimmy often used this proximity to get closer to a certain criminal accomplice, they also found a shared interest in pretentious indie music and medieval fortresses-turned-hostels in Western Germany. Though they now live thousands of miles apart, they continue to discuss the overratedness of every band on Pitchforkmedia and talk shop about the cutthroat world of nonlinear video editing.

Here are some Jessie/Erin/Stina picture gems from the past (isn't it creepy that we're in the same order in all 3 pictures?!):




Besides the fact that Jessie and Stina happen to be two of our closest friends, we're also very excited for them to be in the wedding party because they were present at "the beginning." They are part of a very small number of people who remember when Jimmy and Erin weren't "Jimmy and Erin" and we're really excited for them to be there with us. And, also, we can't wait for the hilarious pictures that will ensue.

Meet the Wedding Party: Tim & Claire

Name: Tim Huth
Job: Groomsman (Do we call those ushers? Or is that just a job they have day-of? I think we call them Groomsmen)
Relationship: Brother of the Bride
Age: 20 (will be 21 at time of wedding...thank goodness) Please Note: We are only putting this category for Tim as we are excited he will be legally allowed to drink at our wedding.
How We Met: Well, Tim and Erin met in 1989 when she was just a selfish 5-year-old who did not want another child getting in the way of her center-of-the-world-status. He was a newborn with a full head of hair and though their relationship started off rocky, Erin and Tim are cool now. Phew.

Erin is delighted that her little brother is willing to take time out of his last year of college to be in the wedding. She couldn't ask for a better brother and is happy that he is willing to listen to her talk about wedding details with no complaints.



Name: Claire Long
Job: Bridesmaid
Relationship: Sister of the Groom
How We Met: While Jimmy is hazy on the details, he's pretty sure he and Claire met very shortly after his birth, when she was already a solid year and a half into her own existence. Being this close in age predictably resulted in no shortage of conflict and sibling rivalry, but relocating to the first and second cities (respectively) has given Claire and Jimmy the necessary room to air their grievances and become bona fide BFFs.

Jimmy is very excited to have his big sister take some time out from her busy schedule of running, biking, swimming, and generally kicking ass, to come out to the Empire State and make sure her little brother gets hitched properly.

It's a date

After already contributing two posts to this blog, Erin insisted that I take the reigns for a change (this is Jimmy btw). I can't believe it's only been a week since we started this whole wedding planning madness (to be fair, Erin's been kind enough to bare most of the burden for that), but we already have a place and a date. We decided pretty quickly that having the wedding upstate near Erin's folks' place in Schenectady was key, both in the interest of convenience and making it a meaningful event.

We'd looked into a number of places in the Capital District, and found a handful that seemed both tasteful and affordable (not an easy task), but without question our favorite was The Stockade Inn in Schenectady. Located in Schenectady's historic district, the decor is rustic and cute (with super sweet wood molding) and, equally important, Erin and her family had eaten there before and could vouch for the quality of the food. We were pretty much ready to book it based solely on the website, but we figured we'd come up here and check it out to be sure. The staff there took us on a full tour of the space, including the accommodations at the inn (very nice), and gave us a full rundown of what we could expect in terms of both the ceremony and reception.

Everything there seemed pretty standard (in a very cute, tasteful way) as far as I can tell from the few weddings I've been to, with enough flexibility that we feel like we can actually make it our own, and with a few little extras (can you say 'antique billiard room') to sweeten the deal. It's also just the right size that it can comfortably fit everyone we're expecting to come, but small enough that we'll pretty much have free reign of the place. And they were still available for most of the dates we wanted. So it might seem silly to not look at any other places, but we didn't see any point. We were sold.

So, folks, mark your calendars. Saturday, October 9, 2010 (that's 10/9/10). Stockade Inn. Schenectady, NY.

Erin and Jimmy get hitched.