julie & tracy's wedding site

relocating

2006-10-31T06:31:00.000-08:00

i'll leave this blog up for a while longer, but likely won't be posting on it any more - so if you're interested in updates on our newly-married life, i invite you to check out our other blog. thanks!

more pictures! (can you believe it?)

2006-10-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

jan, who's finally back from aruba, says it's ok to send hordes of people over to his website where he's posted another excellent batch of pictures from the wedding weekend.

thank you thank you thank you! :)

and...more

2006-10-04T12:18:00.000-07:00

pictures from katie! here.

some of the best:

more pictures!

2006-09-28T05:49:00.000-07:00

from sam (thank you!!). the rehearsal dinner, saturday's reception, and sunday brunch. sam says there are probably too many pictures of The Boy (son nathaniel) but doncha know, kids are what make weddings fun! (& he's so adorable in a tie!)

few of my favorites:

hitched!

2006-09-26T06:15:00.000-07:00

how blessed we were to have you with us for a full and fabulous weekend! it's still a bit overwhelming...too much to describe.

the first pictures are up - so i'll let them tell the stories (password: Black Mountain ). SO many thanks to mike for these! how can 2 people know so many fantastic photographers??

we love you all! thank you SO much for being with us (at the inn or in spirit)!

CRIKEY! 5 DAYS

2006-09-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

"crikey!" was my favorite exclamation on the RSVP - from my cousin david. just made my day. unfortunately it arrived right about the time we lost the crocodile hunter (but we can still use it in his honor).

programs are printing...wine & other beverages in josh's trailer ready to be hauled...my dress is in its bag...boxes are by the door. must be coming up soon! can't wait to see you all!

seriously? bring a sweater. and maybe an umbrella (we have tents but really, you never know). and don't forget your instruments!

also, in case you've misplaced those directions...
bella luna inn is at 99 terry estate drive, black mountain.

from I-40 (either direction), take exit 64 to black mountain.
head north on broadway (hwy 9)
take the first left (at pizza hut) onto terry estate.
the inn is at the top of the hill on your right. pull into the drive, and someone will help you with parking.

fred's speakeasy is at 122 college street, downtown asheville.

from I-40W, follow exits for asheville via I-240.
take exit 5B to downtown.
turn left onto charlotte street
turn right onto college street
fred's is on your right (under the cottonwood cafe)
parking available at the pack place garage (pass fred's and turn left on market street)

8 DAYS.

2006-09-15T06:05:00.000-07:00

(you know, just in case you don't feel like counting yourself). 8 DAYS. a week from now we'll all be getting ready for the rehearsal dinner - doing a walk through of the ceremony, hanging twinkle lights, reliving our newfound singing talents, posting tiki torches, eating pizza, catching up with family we haven't seen in a while and getting to know everyone we don't on the "other side."

something i'm particularly looking forward to: getting the real story of how "pressley" becomes "presley" or vice versa, and if everyone in asheville with some variation of that name is actually related. good thing my uncle gene is related to me by marriage, as tracy's uncle bill is to him - it's nice to find some connection in your families but at this late date it wouldn't be so nice to find blood relation!

but speaking of blood relations, tracy and i went over to his cousins lisa & david's house last night. it just doesn't seem fair for one couple to have florists, professional musicians, audio technicians, AND a wedding coordinator all in their own families. but it's true! we'll (ALL) be very lucky to have lisa guide us through the transitions on saturday, telling us important things like "eat!" and "dance!" :)

we're working lots (mostly at our jobs, which have chosen an especially busy time to be unusually demanding) to get everything ready - why didn't we heed the advice of our married friends who said IT WILL BE CRAZY? luckily, we have lots of help and support. but jobs or not ;) we're heading up to asheville next tuesday. so if y'all need anything over the weekend - have any questions - give us a call.

10!

2006-09-13T06:31:00.000-07:00

10 DAYS. weather in black mountain is looking promising. keep your fingers crossed! (and maybe bring something warm).

can't wait!

12 DAYS.

2006-09-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

12! 12 days! y'all start prayin' for NO RAIN!

time to count down!

2006-09-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

17 DAYS. (ack!)
busy busy around here!

BTW, if you're planning to join us at the "rehearsal" dinner and have specific requests for PIZZA TOPPINGS or (non-alco) DRINKS, drop a note. we're still getting those details worked out and would be happy for input.

also, we just realized we didn't say anything about attire for these events. please know that the whole thing is very casual - LOVE and FUN is the point, not high fashion. on saturday, i'm pretty sure ginger (maid of honor) is going barefoot (i would too but my dress is too long!). if you're a khaki fan, those would be fine. so are ties and jackets. skirts, dresses, dancin' pants for ladies - anything goes.

ok! we're excited! let us know if you have any questions - we're waitin' by the phone!

bachelorette party! woohoo!

2006-08-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

a few brief introductions.

jen, jaclyn, katie: the greatest lifelong friends a gal could ever ask for (aka amazing beauties. aka supreme event planners).
ginger: crazy cake-making fool (aka julie's sister. aka the maid of honor.)
mardy: asheville's most inspiring photographer (aka jen's mom).
bill: photo-montage master (aka jen's dad).
julie: the luckiest gal, ever. (that's pretty much it).

evidence of our adventures in asheville la st saturday. you need no more detail. ;)

are you suffering from wedding exhaustion?

2006-08-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

summertime! nytimes article today about "wedding season." i had no idea.

and they're off...

2006-08-16T06:14:00.000-07:00

invitations are in the mail. you should be getting yours soon!

what fun these were to make. my mom hand-wrote the invitations and she, ginger, tracy and i set up an assembly line in our little beach house last week to put them all together. (and can i just say, even after wading in america's wedding world for the past 8 months, i still found it surprising yesterday when the post office gave us wedding stamps. stamps, for your wedding. it's crazy.)

if you have any questions or want to rsvp, call us at (919) 260-1570, email trulieweb@mac.com, or leave a comment here.

it's getting so close! only 5 1/2 weeks away!

song requests

2006-06-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

we'll be dj-ing our own music friday and saturday. please leave a comment and let us know what you'd like to hear!

the wedding weekend

2006-05-31T07:03:00.000-07:00

a rough schedule of the weekend. we'll send out the real deal with invitations, but here are our initial thoughts. in the meantime, let us know if you have any other ideas!

thursday (sept. 21st) - karaoke at fred's speakeasy, downtown asheville (the bar where tracy used to work). in lieu of a joint bachelor-bachelorette party - this is must-see entertainment for anyone who hasn't heard tracy sing.
friday - we'll have a "rehearsal" dinner at the bella luna inn, for everyone who's in town (no real rehearsal - just a few preparations for saturday). low-key, probably pizza.
saturday - the ceremony is at 3:30, reception right after.
sunday - tracy and i had our first date (six years ago!) at the flying frog (a.k.a. new french bar), downtown asheville. we'll be having brunch there sunday morning & would love for you to join us!

pictures from mari's

2006-05-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

we had great weather and such great company at mari & keith's on saturday. friends and family together with dogs, hoola hoops, ducks, dried mango, "how-i-know-them" name tags, intoxicating peanut butter brownies, embarassing stories, and lots of marital advice from those we love (which we've stored away to open after the big day). so many thanks to everyone for joining us and for sharing such a fun evening (& yay jan & my dad for the pictures)!

accommodations!

2006-05-16T06:52:00.000-07:00

you'd never believe all the events taking place in black mountain on september 23rd! blocking off rooms for our beloved out-of-towners was more difficult than we thought (and so was sticking to our idea of local-only). but after a lovely weekend tramping around in western north carolina, we have a few great locations to share...

the inn around the corner. 800-393-6005. they can't hold rooms here, but if you call after may 31st you'll likely find a room available. this is a small bed & breakfast almost literally "around the corner" from the ceremony & reception. rates run between $100 for a room to $150 for a suite.
the monte vista hotel. 828-669-2119. as my dad says, this one's for the more adventurous! it's a grand old hotel in downtown black mountain with a lot of history - that shows. what it lacks in modern conveniences it makes up for in personality. we've held the farmhouse, which has all combinations of singles, doubles, and suites - give them the kowal/hackney name and ask for what you need. rates run from $67/night for one person to $97/night for three or more.
the holiday inn - biltmore. 828-298-5611. this is the only (only!) "regular" hotel near black mountain with rooms available saturday night (some motorcycle convention is taking up the rest!). about a 15-minute drive from the bella luna inn, it's cozier than most holiday inns i've been to, newly renovated and with a very friendly staff. mention hackney/kowal and you're looking at $89/night.

if you know for sure you're going to join us in black mountain on september 23rd, we encourage you to book your room as soon as possible - it's peak season (for leaves and for baptists!) and we'll have to release the holds at the end of july.

please let us know if you have any trouble or any questions! we'll find you a place, in a palace or on a futon... julie (919-260-1570) or tracy (919-259-2638).

rings

2006-05-10T13:39:00.001-07:00

we chose our wedding bands! here's what we'll exchange on the big day - simple and sweet.

tracy has to return his, actually, because either he's lost a lot of weight in his fingers :) or their size 10 isn't really a size 10. his will be titanium - weird weightless stuff! and i'll have two small bands, one on each side of the engagement ring. crazy to think such a simple decision determines what we'll have on our fingers for the rest of our lives...

our first real-live wedding event

2006-05-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

we're so lucky! to have mari and keith and brody, such generous friends... not only did mari lead us expertly through our first homebuying experience, she and keith and tracy's best childhood friend brody are hosting a we're-getting-married party for us next saturday! they have this awesome house on a couple of acres outside of chapel hill, with a pond that has its own island, and chickens and ducks and a barn. yay. so what would be a "bridal shower" if it were just for the gals, or a "wedding shower" if we were more into protocol, will instead be a great outdoor party for everyone we love here in the middle part of north carolina. it's the first full-fledged celebration of our intention to marry...now we really have to go through with it! ;)

(thanks to crystal for the picture on the invite!) we'll post some pictures later for those of you more distant friends who may not be able to make it.

flowers!

2006-04-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

thanks to tracy's dad, we've decided on flowers (the picture isn't the best; they're orange dendrobium orchids). That's NOT my dress! just the flowers. :)

decorations site

2006-03-24T07:51:00.000-08:00

thanks to pat for recommending cudge.net for candles, etc. very helpful site!

save the date

2006-02-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

september 23, 2006

we'll be at the bella luna inn in black mountain, nc.

mark your calendars!

welcome to the "other" blog

2006-02-13T08:21:00.000-08:00

tracy and i decided we'd set up a new blog just for wedding info. please use it to check in on our decisions, as we make them, and for updates on things you need to know about our celebration!

and hey, about this celebration. we've thought about it a lot, over the past several months, and agree that the whole point of a wedding - ours, anyway - is to share our love with our family and closest friends...to celebrate this gift with you...to ask for your support as we dedicate ourselves to each other. we've got the "us" part going every day. the point of a wedding, really, is YOU.

while we're doing the "us" thing, tracy and i throw around ideas and give each other a lot of advice. what we don't get to do is hear ideas and advice from you! so here is your forum. be opinionated, be sentimental, tell us where we're overlooking something, or just say hi. we're up and running and open to your ideas for the next 8 months!