Rehearsal Dinner and Reception Venue: Back Horse Restaurant

D and I ate at Black Horse two out of the three nights we were in PA last March (had I my druthers, we would have gone all 3 nights, but D wanted to try out another place).  The food at Black Horse is incredible; there wasn't a single thing we had either time we visisted that I wouldn't order again.  Plus, they serve beer from a microbrewery in Ephrata (where the Inn is located) that I absolutely love.

Once we settled on Smithton Inn for the wedding venue, we immediately decided that we wanted our reception at Black Horse.  After bandying about a few ideas for rehearsal dinner venues - and finding that a lot of the places we looked at were unwilling (or, shockingly, unable!) to work with us nearly exclusively via e-mail, or wanted us to use a particular bakery for the cake (and then the baker was unwilling to work with us via e-mail) we talked to Tara at Black Horse about having both the rehearsal dinner and reception there. 

Two consecutive nights of dinner at Black Horse?  Yes, please and thank you! 

http://www.atblackhorserestaurant.com/

Indian Echo Caverns (Or: Who DOESN'T Want to Take Wedding Portraits in a Cave?)

During our trip to PA in March of this year, D and I toured Indian Echo Caverns -despite being somewhat claustrophobic, I am a SUCKER for running around in caves - in Hummelstown (less than an hour from the Smithton Inn).  We both loved it, so much so that we briefly considered having our wedding IN the caverns (we asked - they do allow small weddings to take place in the caverns themselves, and there is actually a section of the cave system called the "Wedding Chapel" - the top photo is from that "room").  However, since there are 70-odd (if memory serves me well - there may be more than that) steps to get down into (and therefore back out of) the caves, we opted to hold the ceremony at the Inn itself.

That said, we are so going to the caverns in our fancy clothes to take some pictures the day after the wedding.  :)

For more information about that caverns, visit http://www.indianechocaverns.com/

The Wedding Venue: Historic Smithton Inn

D and I visited the Historic Smithton Inn in Ephrata, PA in March of this year.  Nestled in the heart of Amish Country in Lancaster County, it was a great jumping-off point for several locations - Hershey, Indian Echo Caverns, and Gettysburg - we wanted to visit during our stay in PA.

The Inn is amazing!  Not only is the location fabulous and the decor lovely (each of the rooms is a different color - think Sage, Yellow, Chocolate, Blue Bird, Red Rose, Crimson Dove - although we stayed in the Tailor's Cottage, which is actually a spacious, two-story suite), but Rebecca, the Innkeeper, is an incredible chef who makes the most scrumptious breakfasts.  As a non breakfast-eater, it says a LOT that I eagerly polished off everything Rebecca served me.  :)

We had been engaged a little under two months when we visited the Inn, and we immediately started talking about how cool it would be to have the wedding there (Rebecca mentioned they offer wedding packages).  (Sidebar: We actually considered getting married in Indian Echo Caverns - more on that another day - but with 75+ steps to go down/up to get into and out of the caves, it wouldn't have worked for some of our guests)  While we were there, we discovered that the Inn was featured in "1,000 Places to See Before You Die", which we thought was really cool.  At 249 years also, it's also got a really cool history, something that D and I both appreciate.

The wedding will take place in the garden on the grounds of the Inn.  We have the entire Inn for the weekend, so it's super-convenient to get dressed and just walk outside for the wedding.  And don't worry: we rented a tent in case the weather decides not to cooperate with our plans.

Want to learn more about the Inn?  Check out http://www.historicsmithtoninn.com/

Wedding FAQ's: The 12 Questions People Keep Asking About Our Wedding

  Here they are: The 12 most commonly asked questions about the wedding!

  1.  What is the "theme" of the wedding?
       There is no theme.  We're just getting married.  :)
  2.  What colors have you chosen for the wedding?
       Peacock (dark teal) and Cognac (think of a coppery-chocolately color) from
       David's Bridal/Men's Wearhouse.  Although that may change...
  3.  What kind of favors are you doing?
       We aren't.  Most people don't really seem to care much about the favors after the
       fact, and we'd rather spend the money on having a lovely ceremony and
       reception.  :)
  4.  What flavor is your cake?
       We'll let you know when we figure that out.  :)
  5.  Where are you registered/registering?
       Right now, Bed Bath and Beyond is the only place we have registered.  We plan
       on registering at at least one other store, but with two moves and a new job, we've
       been a little busy.  Please be patient with us.  :)
  6.  Are you planning on changing your name?
       Yes.  After the wedding, I will officially be Kristen Paul.
  7.  Why wasn't I/so-and-so invited to the rehearsal dinner/wedding?
       We are having a very small destination wedding and are inviting only immediate
       family and a couple of close friends (such as the ones who introduced us).  We
       wanted something small and intimate.  As far as the rehearsal dinner goes, we are
       only inviting family - the wedding weekend will be the first time our two families
       meet, so we want a chance for them to chill and chat before the wedding.
  8.  What are you doing for bachelor/bachelorette parties?
       We aren't.  Having them, that is.  Just don't want to. 
  9.  This is all happening very quickly/aren't you two rushing things?
       While we understand that meeting and marrying within the span of less than a year
       may seem really quick, we are deeply in love and have absolutely no doubt that
       we want to spend the rest of our lives together.  That said, why wait?
10.  Where are you honeymooning?
       We aren't.  At least, not right away.  D just started a new job, and I'm not even a
       year into mine and have very little leave accrued due to having been sick a lot (and
       having surgery!) this year.  We might do something later on, but for now, we'll be
       happy just being married!
11.  Why aren't you having a "traditional" wedding party?
       We don't want or need anything fancy.  We just want to be surrounded by family
       and friends.  My niece and nephews will be serving as "flower girl" and "ring
       bearers" - they are the only 3 children that will be at the wedding, they are
       adorable, and it will be fun to see them get all dressed up and be a part of the
       wedding.  :) 
12.  Why are you getting married in Pennsylvania?
       Most of D's family (save for his parents) is in Kentucky.  Most of my immediate
       family (parents and both siblings and their families) are in Minnesota.  D and I
       both live and work in MD.  He and I visited PA in March of this year and fell in
       love with the bed and breakfast we stayed at, so we decided to get married there!

Family Meets Darrell Meets Family

The hardest thing about living so far away from most of my family?  Not being able to see them (at least physically - Skype is a wonderful, wonderful thing) very often.

It's strange to think that we're only 47 days away from the wedding (!) and almost no one in my family has actually met the person that I am going to spend the rest of my life with.  That's what happens when you meet someone, fall deeply in love with them, and decide to marry them... then, as a couple (collectively), you have an organ removed (her), start a new job (him), move (him), move (her), and set a wedding date (him/her) less than 3 months before you want to get married.

We were blessed last weekend to be able to spend some time with my oldest brother, Jon, and my sister-in-law (his wife), Sara.  Jon was in Charlotte, NC - roughly 9 hours away from where D and I live - on business for a couple of weeks, and Sara got to join him for a few days.  Since it wouldn't really be feasible for Darrell and I to get to them and back - or them to get to us and back - within the relatively short window we had to meet up, we decided to meet somewhere "in the middle".  The "middlest" place we could find was Greenville, NC.

We met for coffee/dessert/late lunch at a little cafe, then headed to a (really, really sketchy!) "Fun Park" for a little mini golf.  Thanks to some fabulous timing from Ma Nature, we got through 6 of 18 holes before a really spectacular thunderstorm - complete with hail - drove us indoors.  After a little SkeeBall-ing/arcade-gaming, we headed to Wasabi 88 for dinner.  A couple of hours (and some pretty tasty food and drinks!) later, Jon and Sara headed back to Charlotte and D and I headed for a hotel just north of Greenville (FWIW: You can save a boat-load of $$ by not choosing a hotel in Greenville itself).

Very, very grateful for the chance to have at least some of my family meet D before we all meet in Ephrata for the wedding.  :)