80 days to go!

Save the Date courtesy of Karen Smith Claffey!

Photographer:
George Koroneos of GLK Creative is doing our photos.
www.glkcreative.com
George is the genius behind our engagement photos, like the one above.
George and his wife Allison are not only friends of ours, but incredibly talented. We couldn't have hoped for a better team.

DJ:
We decided to go with Elegant Ensembles, based out of Closter, NJ.
www.elegantensembles.com
They came highly recommended by The Madison Hotel and when we went to speak with Mark, the owner, he LISTENED to what we wanted. Never once did he try to "sell" us anything. When I said I don't want leis, big sunglasses, and giant blow up guitars thrown around at our wedding, he laughed and said it wasn't a problem. When I said I don't want The Electric Slide, a conga line or the chicken dance, he didn't look at me like I had 3 heads. When Chuck said he wanted death metal played that day, he said, "just give me a list of what you want played, we'll find it and play it". (Death metal is still up for debate between Chuck and myself) :0)

Florist:
Joey from Riverside Florist is a frequent guest at California Pizza Kitchen, which is where I met him. We didn't need to go with a high end florist, as we only need the florist for the chupa and the bouquets (centerpieces will be discussed later). We needed someone who understood our needs and was able to provide them for us at a reasonable price. Besides - flowers DIE. I refuse to spend thousands of dollars on something that will die in a week.

Videographer:
Our cousins Heather & Russell recommended Shooting Stars Pro to us.
www.shootingstarspro.com
We were debating using a videographer, as we didn't want them to get in the way of our photographer, and we didn't want someone who gave us a video that looked like total cheese. Heather & Russell are both pretty cool cats, so we know that we won't be disappointed.

Hair & Make up:
Our hair will be done by my stylist Jackie O. from Bangz Salon
www.bangz.net
Our make up will be done by Alyssa, owner of Blush Make Up, based out of Hawthorne. She did such a FANTASTIC job for our engagement shoot!

Venue:
Duh!! It'd be nice to know where and when the wedding is, huh? I don't think I gave all the details yet.
The Madison Hotel in Morristown, NJ
October 9, 2010
11:30
Feel free to stay and party with us after the wedding. The hotel has a restaurant/bar where we will be hanging for the rest of the night, with anyone who will join us!

Dress:
My amazzzzzzingly talented aunt, Virginia Wentoworth is making my dress for me so it is one of a kind :0) Please don't ask for details though - they're under wraps!

My personal party planner:
My cousin Jennifer DeChristopher has turned into my personal party planner :0) She will be making our non-floral centerpieces for us, and has been a TREMENDOUS help when it comes to bouncing ideas off of her. She will be doing all the set up for us the morning of, which is a HUGE load off our backs. I can't thank her enough for all her help.

Oh! And we will be having a special (semi-secret) guest at our Cocktail Hour!!!! So don't miss it!!

So we are getting uniforms

Time to get suited up. Tara and I went to Mens' Wearhouse on Route 46, because according to George Zimmer, "I will like the way I look."

We sat down and spoke with Leslie and she was very pleasant and patient with Tara and I, mostly me. We went through the book they had there and she showed me all the tuxedos they offered. The catalog had very friendly looking models in it, one of them looked like Bradley Coooper.

What I realize I truly do want is to learn how to play Baccarat. So I asked Tara if we could go on a cruise somewhere so I could wear a white suit since, I will not be wearing a white tux. This was decided because, I might look too much like Miami Chuck of the Colombian drug cartel and Baptist Preacher.

They offered me Chuck Taylors to wear, perhaps because my name is Chuck. I told them no, because James Bond would not wear Chuck Taylors. If you look really hard at this picture you can almost see my brain through my left nostril.

Our wedding has fan art!

Lilli Dolan made the video with very little help.

Thanks Lilli!

Love,

Tara and Chuck

Introductions are in order.

Putting together a team can always be a challenge. These are some of the finest men I know. Some of the best teams in history were ones of seven, from the magnificent to the samurai. All know the importance of the their role.

Joe Puchalik. I met Joe in on the road to Clermont, which at the time was 30 plus miles behind enemy lines. Hitler’s war was raging through Europe. A fan of drinking wine, eating cheese, bridge building and large loud machinery. Truly the war horse of the group.

Shawn Dillon, a truck driver with a heart of gold. Always ready for an adventure no matter how little the appreciation you get for it. People can be heard saying, "You know what ol' Shawn Dillon would say at a time like this?" Do those people even know how great that man can be?

Dan Noriega. I hired Dan as a bouncer for me in 1976. His business card read, "Next to God there is no greater protector than I." Since those days we have been on many adventures and remained lifelong friends.

George Collazo, came into the offices and asked me for a job. His credentials are extraordinary holding multiple degrees in human psychology and musical therapy and a Ph. D. I told him there was a steady paycheck and I would teach him everything that I know. Today, 17 years later he has the tools and the talent, and has taught me more than I could imagine. Never to be under estimated.

Matt Roman, businessman, metal head, and family man. Matt Roman is the owner of the very successful King Kamehameha club is constantly surrounded by beautiful women and danger. Master of 7 different styles of self-defense Matt has made a life of keeping it cool in a tense situation. Have a drink on Matt, he owns the place.

Sean Fritsch. Little is known about the background of Sean. As a race car driver he spent most of his adult life as, the greatest race car driver in the world, and solider of fortune. He is thought to be lost older brother to Tara Fritsch, but this has yet to be confirmed. His presence gives the group the mystery that is needed in every team.

Andrew Lupien, a freelance agent for the division of the CIA known as the FIRM. Andrew has been a helicopter pilot for many years. Having first flown missions of valor in 1975 during the fall of Saigon where we first met. His steely gaze, and frank demeanor gives the group a well-rounded feel of order.

These are the men are truly some of the finest men I know, together we can do the impossible.

It's been a long road.....

Wow. Planning a wedding can SUCK. We're super excited about all of this, but the guest list is killing me!!! We've spent the last 2 months staring at the list, and trying to figure out who we have to (unfortunately) cut. We have too many friends and family, and we just can't afford to invite them all. My biggest mistake - getting way ahead of myself and asking people for their addresses on, oh, the day AFTER we got engaged! So many of those people have been taken off the list after we realized how big it was. My advice to anyone who is thinking about getting married (SEAN AND BETH, LISTEN UP!!!!) - before you get others' hopes up by asking them for their addresses and telling them it's for your wedding, is this - 1. write down everyone you would like to invite 2. figure out your budget 3. cut the list to where YOU need it to be to remain sane 4. THEN ask people for their addresses. This way there are no hard feelings. You won't have to apologize to people later, like I will surely be doing. :( We were able to cut the list a couple of ways.......we decided that unless someone is dating someone seriously, they are not invited with a plus one. Sorry guys - but I don 't want any strangers at my wedding. Then, and now this is the super sucky part - those friends/family who ARE dating someone, but we really don't know them.....they're also not invited with a plus one. Eeeeeeeeek!!!! I know that's probably awful wedding etiquette, but right now we have no other choice. We CANNOT invite 300 people to this wedding, we just can't, and that's where we would be if we didn't make these cuts. Yeah yeah, everyone says 20% of the people you invite don't come, but even so - that's still A LOT of people. So I am apologizing in advance to the ones I will offend because they won't get an invite, AND the significant others I will offend who are not invited. Unless we somehow win the lottery, this is how it has to be.

The Bridal Party!! (Tara's side)

Here's a brief description of my half of the bridal party, so you can begin to picture them in beautiful bridesmaids dresses. Um.....just not in a creepy way, k?

MATRON-OF-HONOR

Melissa Miranda Sabbagh

I really hate using the word "matron", it sounds, well, motherly. I prefer the term "Maid-of-Honor", but alas, Melissa is married, and, a mother, so I guess "Matron" it is. Melissa has been my best friend since high school. We were brought together by a mutual friend, Donna, who was best friends with Melissa's sister, Erica. The four of us spent most of high school pretty much attached at the hips. I could fill this page with tons of inside jokes, but that seems unfair to anyone who isn't Mel. I'll just include one small one that a couple of people may get, "Is it wet or is it cold???" Now, back to things that interest the rest of you.....The picture on the left shows Melissa, her husband, Basel, and their two beautiful children, Eva Marie and Julian. Julian appears camera shy here, but he is a chunk of adorableness if I've ever seen one. Unfortunately, Melissa and I will not share my birthday together for at least 16 more years, as her amazing daughter was born on my birthday two years ago, but I could not have asked for a better present. :) One small random bit of info - Mel and I both met our husbands at Willowbrook Mall. Ah.....Willowbrook Mall - a place for lovers!

BRIDESMAIDS

Lea Hoffman

Lea and I also met at Willowbrook Mall (this will be a recurring theme.....). She worked for the WBM Hot Topic, whilst I worked at the Garden State Plaza location. We would see each other occasionally at Assistant Manager meetings, or if either one of us would go shopping at the other's store. Then in June of 2003 I was promoted and transferred to the Willowbrook location. Here is where our friendship blossomed. Lea became not just a co-worker, but a lifelong friend. Her compassion, honesty and sense of humor are things I envy (in the good way, not the crazy jealous way) :) Lea is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to competitive board and DVD games, just don't give her a taboo card that reads bonzai. Or was it Bosnia? :)


Elizabeth O'Donnell

Elizabeth, or Beth, as we call her, is the newest addition to my crew of friends, as well as family. She is my brother Sean's fiance (they got engaged on February 23rd). She makes Sean so happy, and that, in turn, makes me happy. I want only the best for my "little" brother, and he sure found it. Beth fit in with our family incredibly easily (which says a lot! ha! we're a wacky bunch...) and is bringing an amazing family along with her to join ours. Beth also took it upon herself to make a trip, all alone, using NJ Transit, to meet up with me and her fellow bridesmaids. THAT is a heroic effort, if I've ever seen one :) I can't wait to finally have a sister!!!!

Maraley Santos

Mara and I go waaaay back - almost 10 years, where we met while working at dELiA*s, at......wait for it..........the Willowbrook Mall! Mara was a fresh faced recent HS graduate, while I was an almost 22 year old, looking to do something else with my life besides make pizza (which is funny, since I've spent the past 2 years serving it...but that's besides the point......). We immediately hit it off and I haven't looked back since. Mara is my Puerto Rican Princess, plain and simple, and there's no one who can take her place. She sat next to me while I bawled my eyes out watching Brokeback Mountain, and suffered through an aching shin after being hit with a beer can at one of Chuck's band's shows. Mara is there for me whenever I need her, just don't challenge her to a Janis Joplin sing off at karaoke - she'll kick your butt and good!

Toni Ann Raissis Topps

The funny thing about Toni and I is that neither of us remembers how we became friends, it just sort of happened, but when I told both Chuck and my mom that I was asking Toni to be in the wedding party, they both said, "of course you are!!!" as if there was no other option! I think if I didn't ask her, they both would have done it for me! Toni and I spent many evenings with our friends B! and Erica (the same Erica who is Melissa's sister) in the parking lots of Dunkin' Donuts and Baja Fresh (which was a lot more fun and not nearly as trashy as it sounds. Seriously). She was known throughout Hot Topic as "Pregnant Toni", and can still be referred to as such, even though her son Alex (the adorable boy she is kissing in the picture) is over 3 years old now. :) Oh! and if Bon Jovi is in town, you will find Toni and I there (next date - May 29th).

Dana Vorbach

Dana is, by far, my oldest friend. We have been friends since 4th grade (9 years old). Even though she has spent most of the past 10 years living in Florida (and now Denver), she is still one of the most important people in my life. It's really hard to come by friends at such a young age that stick with you throughout life. In fact, she is really the only one I have. Sure, I keep in touch with others (thanks, Facebook!) but Dana is the only one that I continually speak to and see. Let's see - Dana and I have traveled to Aruba and Florida together, and she has made trips out to Vegas and San Francisco to see me, as well as surprise other friends (Mel O. and Scott - that's for you). I bet if I were to call Dana up right now and said, "Detroit. 2 weeks. I'll see you there", she'd sure as hell be at the airport to meet me. Any time, any place, Dana will be there, and when she shows up, you're guaranteed a good time. It means the world to me that she said yes when I asked her to be in my wedding party, and I can't wait to see her again!

Cat Wdowiak

Last, but not least is Cat. Oh Cat......the little sister I never had. Cat and I met at Garden State Plaza (not quite Willowbrook, but a celebrated NJ mall none the less). Cat used to work next to Hot Topic at dELiA*s (a mere coincidence, even though I used to work at the Willowbrook location, I had left the company before Cat worked there). She would come into HT to shop and I always said to myself, "why is that adorable girl with the glitter eye shadow working for dELiA*s and NOT HT???) As luck would have it, Cat quit dELiA*s and I immediately went into stalker mode (I'm quite good at that...) and spoke to one of the managers there to get Cat's info. I called Cat at home and said, "Hi Cathy! (this was before I learned she preferred to be called "Cat") This is Tara. I'm an Assistant Manager at HT at GSP - do you want a job?" and the rest is history. Cat and I have a lot in common - she's a vegan, I'm a vegetarian; we both love a LOT of the same music, as varied as it is (LL Cool J, Ben Jelen, Dashboard Confessional, Jay Z, etc.....); Veggie Heaven; Starbucks; the list goes on and on. What I love most about Cat is her constant optimism and her incredible outlook on life. Cat can show up in the same room as you, flash that amazing smile, and no matter how badly your day has been going, you immediately know that it has gotten better, thanks to her. You'll see it at the wedding. Her smile will light up the entire room.

And there you have it! Those are my girls!
Now......maybe Chuck will do one for the gents...

The Proposal

For those who have been asking, here's how it all went down.....
Chuck and I were heading over to our friend Stu's for NYE. We were hanging out, eating, drinking, having a good time amongst friends. Stu and company have this great NYE tradition to celebrate "out with the old, in with the new" after the ball drops, where the oldest person at the party leaves the house first, followed by everyone else there, and the last person out of the house is the youngest. So there we are, all running around the outside of Stu's house (Chuck, for the record was the first one out, which also made him the last one in, as the youngest person becomes the first one in - get it???). We get back inside, music is playing (courtesy of Stu's iPod and playlist), drinking has commenced, and I am having an incredibly random conversation with our friend Dave Trainer about my inability to snap well. All of a sudden, Mr. Brightside by The Killers comes on. Little known fact - this song is unofficially "our song". This is a song that came out when we first started hanging out, and seemed to always be on one of our radios while we were talking to each other, and just reminds us of each other. So, when the song came on, I turned to Chuck and said, "Awwww.....Mr. Brightside!!" and then he says, "Yeah...Mr. Brightside....." Next thing I know, he's taking off his glasses, his hat, and is getting down on on knee. He is holding out the most beautiful engagement ring I had ever seen (ok, I may be biased.....) and says, "I love you SO much. Will you marry me?" Of course, I said yes. :) It was absolutely perfect. I couldn't have asked for it to happen any other way. Oh! And just in case you didn't realize it, Stu was in on the whole plan (hence Mr. Brightside was playing). AND Stu is also going to be the officiant at our wedding.
This is Chuck and Stu, chit chatting away, before the deal went down. If you look closely, you can see the ring in Chuck's pocket.......unbeknownst to me, he had it in his pocket all night.

This is Chuck and I after :) No pic of the ring yet, as my digital camera is the suck and isn't made to take pictures of jewelry. I'll have to wait for our photographer, George to take some for me.