Final band line-up…..

Posted on 09/06/2010 by Brook. Filed under Uncategorized.

Here’s the final band line-up for the Chicago wedding on October 16th! Woohoo! This is the show in the Reggie’s Rock Club venue (the big room). The “wedding” will still be in Reggie’s Music Joint (the bar). You might notice that Joe’s band Division is playing as well! I’m really excited about this since they haven’t played in quite a while (5 years!!!!) and the band is basically what led us to meet each other. We will also have a dance party in the bar later that night……

THE RETURN OF SIG TRANSIT GLORIA- $10/$12ADV

SIG TRANSIT GLORIA

http://www.myspace.com/sigtransitgloriaband
An awesome Chicago band featuring Nate, Pat, Mike, and Jason!

FINISHING SCHOOL

http://www.purevolume.com/finishingschool
Tony Tintari – Bass, Vox Jesse Haskell – Guitar, Vox Mike Brunette – Drums. Tony used to play drums in Holy Roman Empire, Shai Hulud and for a short time in Rise Against too. They are a Jawbreaker / Fifteen influenced punk band from the Homewood IL and have quickly been playing and getting their name out in the area.

KITCHEN EXPERIMENT

http://kitchenexperiment.bandcamp.com/
Kitchen Experiment is a Chicago based punk rock band with deep Kankakee roots. Singer/songwriter Nate Meads has played in numerous bands throughout the years but none have been as personal as Kitchen Experiment. This longtime project is the result of countless hours of hard work and unbridled passion. If you are a fan of Drag The River, Jawbox and The Descendants you’ll find something you’ll love in Kitchen Experiment. Download their record for free at http://kitchenexperiment.bandcamp.com/

DIVISION

http://www.divisionmusic.com/
FIRST SHOW IN FIVE YEARS!

Somewhere between pop, punk, and emo is Division; a three piece rock outfit hailing from the western suburbs of Chicago with a knack for designing catchy, well thought out tunes with soft, sweet melodic vocals, exceptional musicianship and just the right amount of noise courtesy of distorted guitars and driving drums. “Comparisons to the Smoking Popes would be a no-brainer, but after listening to [Division] a bit more, it’s apparent that they are a bit better. Sure it’s pop punk, but it’s moodier and a bit more progressive, creating a somewhat newer being in a sea of similar-sounding bands following the same formula. Look out Alkaline Trio, Chicago may have a new favorite son.” – Punk Planet – www.divisionmusic.com

The big day is getting closer…..

Posted on 08/20/2010 by Brook. Filed under Chicago.

The big day is getting closer….. or should i say the big DAYS are getting closer. Planning one party is stressful enough let alone planning two at the same time! Joe & I are super excited about how everything is coming together. We have finally started to solidify bands that will be playing the Chicago party in the main room of Reggie’s (Reggie’s Rock Club). This will be in a different room that the party (party is in Reggie’s Music Joint) but all of our guests will be able to attend the show for FREE if they wish. It’s all about the rock you know……

Here’s the facebook link to the show information to those that are interested….

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=137471249628691

And the TicketWeb link to tickets to the event if who aren’t invited to the wedding would like to go to see the show….

http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3059925

Later that night in Reggie’s Music Joint after we have all eaten some delicious food and got our drink on for a while, J+J+J (and friends) will be spinning jams to dance to as well as performing. This fun will start after 10pm and go until ????

Here’s J+J+J’s info for anyone who wants to check it out….

http://www.jplusjplusj.com/

http://www.facebook.com/jplusjplusj

If all this rock is too much for you, Rob tells me that the rooftop beer garden should be ready by October. Depending on the night (and the weather), it may also be a fun place to hang out. No matter what, we will have a blast!

Joe & I are soooo excited about the parties!!!! Woohoo!!!!

Hotel information for Arizona

Posted on 07/23/2010 by Brook. Filed under Arizona and Hotel.

I’ve been promising to post several hotel options for guest traveling out to Arizona, so here you go! These are just some places Donna (Joe’s mom) helped us gather info for that are close to the house. We haven’t stayed at any of them and don’t have any rooms blocked at any of them either. Everyone seems to have different price points so we decided just giving people a lot of options would be the best thing. So here you go!!!

Hyatt Place Phoenix/Gilbert (This is most likely where Joe & I will be staying)

Approximately $120/night

3275 S. Market Street

Gilbert, AZ 85297

480-899-5900

http://gilbert.place.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/place/index.jsp

Radisson Hotel Phoenix-Chandler

Approximately $75-110/night

7475 West Chandler Blvd.,

Chandler, AZ 85226

480-961-4444

http://www.radisson.com/hotels/azchanrd

Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort

Approximately $102/night

One San Marcos Place

Chandler, AZ 85225

480-812-0900

http://www.sanmarcosresort.com/

Best Western Inn of Chandler

Approximately $80-90/night

950 N. Arizona Avenue

Chandler, AZ 85225-6709

480-814-8600

http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=03134

Windmill Inns & Suites

Approximately $70-90/night

3535 W. Chandler Blvd.

Chandler, AZ 85226

480-812-9600

http://www.windmillinns.com/CHANhome.html

Neglecting the blog…..

Posted on 07/09/2010 by Brook. Filed under Arizona, Chicago, Food, For the Fashionistas! and Planning.

It’s been a busy few months and I feel like I’ve been neglecting the blog. Joe & I have sent out the official invites for the wedding via email, so if you haven’t received yours make sure to check your junk folder. We will be resending them again as the dates keep getting closer and closer.

We both have been trying not to stress over the wedding plans, but that’s easier said than done. Between work and wedding planning, we’re exhausted. I think we both just want everyone to have a good time at both the celebrations.

Joe is still working on booking bands for the Chicago party. Things on that front are moving very slowly. Shows are notoriously difficult to put together. This age-old truth is proving itself all over again. We both have faith that everything will come together in the end.

As for the Arizona party, it looks like we’re gonna have a big crowd! We’re so excited that so many people are willing to make the trip for the wedding. Many people are turning it into a vacation and why not?!!?!? Sounds like a perfect excuse for a few more days of R&R to me…….

I have my first dress fitting at the beginning of August. We’ll see if I still fit into both of them….. I’m not exactly the “watch what I eat” sort of girl. My definition of “watch what I eat” is taking a good look at it before cramming it in my pie hole!

Speaking of food, our friends Nate & Elaine of Fritz Pastry will be creating some delicious goodies for dessert at the Chicago celebration. More to follow….. Check out their site: http://fritzpastry.com/

I will be adding some hotel information for the Arizona celebration to the website soon in case anyone needs it. I hope to have a variety of options close by the Chavez household. We WON’T be blocking any rooms or anything like that since everyone has different needs and budgets.

My friend/bridesmaid Jenn came by the condo a few weeks ago to help out with some arts’n’crafts projects. We created my bouquet for Arizona and planned out the table decorations for Chicago. I’ve known that Jenn is resourceful (she is a CVT after all), but man can that girl craft!!!! We will be getting together again in the near future to finish the rest of the crafty projects….. I can’t wait!

I think that’s all for now. Joe & I still have a lot to do and the parties are quickly approaching….

2 months and 24 days until we get hitched?!?! Holy Crap!

Update! Wedding Pants, Food, Photography, and More!

Posted on 04/10/2010 by Brook. Filed under Arizona, Chicago, Decoration, Food, For the Fashionistas!, Photography and Planning.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted because we’ve been busy, busy, busy! Joe got both pairs of his “wedding pants” last weekend and he’s lookin’ snazzy. He also got a bunch of nicer shirts for work and a few pairs of jeans. He basically has a whole new summer wardrobe for work. Lucky duck.

On the Arizona food front, the Greek place we were gonna have cater the festivities shut down their Arizona location and we are now looking for other options. It’s a slight speed bump, but we still promise delicious food!!!!

I’ve also ordered/bought all kinds of decorations for the Chicago festivities and for my DIY bouquet. Now I just need to figure out how I’m gonna make it all work together!

I also just made the last payment to our Arizona photographers- Simply Knot Photography. That is a HUGE weight off my shoulders. But I still have the Chicago photographers to pay now…. Whoever doesn’t admit that the money part of weddings is most of the stress involved is just kidding themselves…..lol

Next on the agenda is designing the invites. We are sending the official invitations out through email only to cut costs and save the environment (two of my favorite things to do). So keep your eyes peeled and if you haven’t already added our wedding email addresses to your address book, please do. We are also planning on sending the email invites a few times and from our different email addresses to minimize lost invites. We’ll see how it goes. Keep your fingers crossed that technology doesn’t fail us……

For the record….

Posted on 02/17/2010 by Brook. Filed under Arizona, Chicago and For the Fashionistas!.

I have been getting lots of inquiries about the gold dress….. As bold and awesome a fashion choice that would be, for the record I will NOT be wearing that sexy gold dress at either ceremony. I know everyone will be sad (lol), but don’t worry I will be wearing orange/rust instead. And fashion statements will be made…..

Dresses should be arriving soon…

Posted on 12/18/2009 by Brook. Filed under Arizona, Chicago and For the Fashionistas!.

I just contacted House of Brides and my dresses should be arriving in January! I can hardly wait!!!

gold_dress

I’m sure everyone can’t wait to see this gold goodness!!! SEXY! Ha!

Arizona food!

Posted on 12/18/2009 by Brook. Filed under Arizona, Food and Uncategorized.

We’re having casual Greek in Arizona!!! I love falafel and humus!!! And don’t worry all you meat-eaters…. we’ll also be having kabobs of all kinds! Delicious!

Arizona Photographer Chosen!!!

Posted on 12/13/2009 by Brook. Filed under Arizona, Photography and Planning.

Today Joe & I meet with a great couple that we will be having photograph our wedding in Arizona. Denise and Ryan Gotcher of Simply Knot Photography were super nice and talented. They really understood what we were going for and seemed like a great fit. We couldn’t be more excited to work with them!!! Check out their website and their blog for a taste of what they do. Their blog contains the most up-to-date stuff they have done.

This is their main site:

http://simplyknotphotography.com/index2.php?v=v1

And this is their blog:

http://simplyknotphotography.com/blog/

Arizona Marriage License….

Posted on 12/08/2009 by Brook. Filed under Arizona and Uncategorized.

I’ve been researching the rules and regulations for obtaining a marriage license in Arizona and wow, way easier than Illinois. Illinois has a crap load of crazy stuff you have to make sure is all taken care of. Arizona is literally a valid ID, $72, both people present, and no waiting period. You get the certificate the same day you apply and it’s good for 1 year!!! Awesome!!!