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7/7/2007

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Selkie

Selkie

Ideal_Rock
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Jan 11, 2006
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In thinking about wedding dates for next summer, I realized that July 7, 2007, is a Saturday. At first I thought that would be a really cool date to get married (7/7/07, no forgetting THAT anniversary) and then I realized that it would probably be very popular for that reason. Has anyone chosen that date? Have you had trouble getting vendors, even this early? Has anyone else decided to avoid it for that reason? I imagine Vegas will be a madhouse with all the crazy newlyweds trying to take advantage of Lucky 7s.

Now I think 7/14 is my first choice. I think of 14 as a lucky number for me-both my brother and I were born on the 14th of the month, and several friends as well.
 
I''m SURE its going to be a VERY popular wedding date. Early July is like the most popular wedding time anyway.. and the fact taht the 7th of the 7th month falls on a saturday in 07 is gonna make brides go crazy. I had a friend who was planning on having that date.. but she has since changed it.
 
Selkie, thank GOD you posted! hehehehe

I owed you a response, and didn''t get it to you before the administrative changes, so I''ll do it here.

You asked me about the Thomas Lannon and tips about the ceremony/reception aboard. You asked:

"I was wondering if you had any tips about doing this, particularly whether you had alternate plans in case of bad weather. "

Yes, we did have alternate weather plans, but my wedding was really small (29 people including us!), so if it had rained, we were going to move my ceremony to a friend''s house (in Bradford, MA - different direction totally!) in front of her fireplace in the huge room in her house. We could still have had the reception on board because they have a biminy tarp to put over. Still, I don''t think I''d have opted for that to be honest.

That said......you are marrying the same time of year I did. We married on July 11. We knew that the best time to hedge bets on an outdoor wedding in New England is the first 2-3 weeks in July. Yes, it still can rain, but WAY less likely then.

I''m guessing your wedding will be fairly small as well. The maximum passenger capacity (including caterers, crew) is 49. There were 4 staff aboard and 2 catering folks in our case.

Also, did you have a local caterer? I like the lobsterbake option they offer, but am thinking about other possibilities as well.

Many of my guests are not seafood lovers, and a lobsterbake is a little more messy than I could envision in my dress....especially with my incredible lack of grace! LOL! We hired a caterer out of Charlestown....Wildflour Catering (http://www.wildflourcateringinc.com), and they did a fabulous job.....cake included (more on that in a second). Their prices were really reasonable; they provided all the linens/dinnerware, and they were one of the few caterers that could accommodate the "no sterno" requirement for the boat. Also, they were willing to be flexible in the event of rain and drive to my friend''s house to serve there instead if it rained too heavily to be enjoyable on the boat.

One key thing: people won''t be seated at tables to eat, so I was VERY specific that I wanted all the food in bite-sized pieces. We did steak tips in red wine sauce and chicken marsala, and they were cut bite-sized. There aren''t tables to set your plate on (other than the benches next to you), and I wasn''t keen on folks trying to coordinate a fork/knife on the lap. We also went with a pasta salad, rice, shrimp cocktail, and roasted veggies, cheese/fruit platter. They brought WAY more than enough food, and it was outstanding. We still get compliments on the food.

It will work well for you if you don''t have your heart set on a fru-fru cake. Depending on what time of day you want to charter, they are likely to have other public events that day, and it could be tough to coordinate a bakery delivery. That was another plus for our caterer - they also bake, and they did a fairly simple 2-layer cake for us adorned with real roses. If you need to coordinate flower delivery or bakery delivery, you might be able to work something out with the Gloucester House Restaurant (which is where the boat is docked). Also, that might be a good back-up for you in the event of rain.

How long a sail did you have?

You have to allow 1/2 hour for caterer set up, so we did 3 hours total. We married at 4 p.m. in a local rose garden in Beverly - planned a half-hour for the wedding, pictures for an hour, and then half-hour drive to boat. So, we wanted to sail for 6 p.m. and we wanted to catch sunset at 8:15.....so we hired from 5:30pm to 8:30 pm.

We chose not to marry aboard because I wanted to see beautiful colors and lush green in the wedding photos. We chose a rose garden in Beverly, but there is a local park in Gloucester called Stage Fort Park that has a rose garden and gazebo, and it rents in 2-hour increments for just $50! Something to consider if you''re anal about what you see in the photos! (http://www.gloucester-ma.gov/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=84&MMN_position=112:107)

We chose to marry on a Sunday because the rates for everything were better and less competition for vendors. Lannon''s weekend rates (Friday sunset to Sunday afternoon) are higher; their weekday rates apply for the Sunday sunset sail (after 5pm), and saved us a full 30% of the rental fee! Also...less crowded! Keep in mind that New England coastal towns are huge tourist attractions in July, so if you do go with a Saturday, plan accordingly and build in a little flexibility on travel time.

Other cool things: They fired off the cannon in our honor during the champagne toast - that was really cool! Also, they can stock the boat with nearly anything you wish - we did beer/wine and soft drinks.....caterer brought iced coffee/tea as part of their package.

Hubby and I did our first dance on the boat, as well as parent dances. Tight quarters, but we made it work (we were firsts on that!).

Tell your guests to wear suitable shoes and bring a summer jacket...it can get breezy! That said, it offers WONDERFUL relief from the humid summer heat. My husband''s grandmother and one of my friends are a little skittish about boats, so the captain stayed in the protected portion of Gloucester Harbor for an incredibly smooth ride. Reassure your guests you won''t be sailing the regatta as a 50-degree angle!
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Our guests still talk about how unique our wedding was, and it was a really awesome way to share our day.

If you''re interested in seeing pictures, reply back here and perhaps we can put together a North Shore get-together. Most of the Boston ones are just too far for me on a weeknight. I work in Danvers, live in Merrimack Valley, and can manage nearly anyplace on the North Shore. Any other ladies in the area could join us, too! I know Heart Prongs married in Gloucester at the Ocean View, and there are a few other North Shore folks!

Hope this helps - I''ll add if I think of anything else.
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That's one heck of a long post, Al!

That would be a cool date to get married, but yeah, I am sure every other 07 bride is thinking the same thing.
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I really want to get married on the 3rd just because its my lucky number and June 3 was our first date, but there are no fall 3rds on a weekend day. My FI's family wants us to get married on the 10th just because both of his sisters were married on the 10th, but no fall 10ths either.
 
Hey Al,
You''re awesome, thanks for all the info. I didn''t want to bug you again with PMs, then they took away that option anyway. I''m glad you spotted my post.

J and I met while volunteering as crew on a schooner, and are very big into sailing and nautical history, so it was pretty much a given we''d tie the knot on a boat (heh.) I''ve sailed on the Lannon (in the Schooner race in 2001), and my parents have been on their lobsterbake sails, and we all really like the boat. I live in Los Angeles currently, but I really want to get married back East, so the Lannon was the natural choice (I grew up in Georgetown, my folks still live there. Hi neighbor!). We definitely want the ceremony and reception all on the boat, and have no problem with the restrictions that places on a lot of the typical reception things (NO cheezy DJ playing the *&#)! CHICKEN DANCE, yay!). Good suggestion on the cake, I was thinking about individual cupcakes, or even just getting one of those awesome Alden Merrell chocolate cakes and decorating it. I LOOOOOVE Alden Merrell...

The guest list is about 34, currently, and won''t get much bigger. Luckily, my family is small, and although his is large, he''s fine with only the most immediate members coming. Having been crew on many charter sails before, I know that is a good number even if the boat technically holds more. More room for everyone to spread out and relax. We''re definitely emphasizing the casual aspect for our guests. I''ve been going back and forth on Sunday vs. Saturday for $$ reasons. I didn''t really even think about the tourist-town issue, though I should have because I''ve lived in many of them.

I figured they probably had a bimini tarp, which is something to consider. Personally I love sailing in the rain (if it''s not freezing), but most of the guests might appreciate more comfort. I was thinking of finding a local small Inn or B&B that would allow us to rent the whole place for the weekend, so most of the out-of-towners could stay locally, and so that we''d have a nearby place to get ready. It would be great to find a place that could also serve as a backup location in case of weather.

Did you have the open bar option, or cash, and did they let you choose what brands of beer/wine to have? How did it work out?
Did you bring CDs?

I probably won''t be in Mass again until this July, but it would be cool to meet up with you and other North Shore PSers.

Thanks again! Sorry to be so long winded!
 
I think it''ll be a very popular date, but I would email some vendors in your area now to see whether they''re booked. OT, but that''s my DF''s birthday!
 
I think it''s a fabulous date, but I agree with the other posters that it will be quite popular, best to get your calls in now! I have three 7''s in my birthdate (5-17-77), hope that''s not posting TMI online, but whatever. I have always loved the number/name "seventeen" for a baby''s name! My husband will NEVER go for it, but oh well. I don''t play the lottery, nor do I buy lotto tickets, but I have always felt that the three 7''s in my birthdate have brought luck to me, for what it''s worth.
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Our best man, My hubby''s close friend...is getting married 7/7/07. They have been engaged since february 05 and booked it right away. It is a very popular day for some reason.
 
i didn''t pick my date specifically for the date and it isn''t as neat as 7/7/07 but i LOVE that it will be easy to remember for anniversaries -- it''s 7/8
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i am completely horrible with numbers and dates (can''t even remember my own phone number half the time) and i loved that the date of our wedding is almost impossible to forget..if you can count!
 
Date: 3/1/2006 12:13:01 AM
Author: XChick03
That''s one heck of a long post, Al!
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I know, I know....but I didn''t have another way to get the information to her, so oh well.....it is what it is.
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Selkie, while I agree that 7/7/07 will likely be a popular date, I think that will be more of a concern for folks planning a traditional style wedding (150 people in a much desired rental locationl). I think it would very much less of a concern for the type of wedding you''re envisioning (small, held aboard a boat).

Having said that, though, I''d say that the week of July 4th is probably the heaviest tourist week up here, so the 14th may be a bit more sane in terms of getting around/travel. If you are planning to rent out an entire B&B for a few days locally, though - no sweat, I''m sure.

HOLY COW - you grew up in Georgetown? Neighbor indeed! Before I met my husband, I lived in a great apartment for five years in Bradford, and drove through Georgetown on the way to I-95 to go to work every morning! We bought our house in Haverhill off Rt. 97....nice quiet area. We''ll DEFINITELY have to get together when you come back east in July!

Funny......I''ve sailed on the Hawaiian Chieftain a few times, and my first pick would have been to marry aboard her. However, she was based out of San Francisco (berthed at Sausalito, actually), and there is just no way my dad''s flying ANYWHERE. It would have been outrageously expensive for everyone to get out there when everyone is from here. It was that ship that inspired us to marry aboard one here, though. That, and the fact that both of us have strong ties to the ocean....both dads were in the Coast Guard, and both of us grew up near the ocean.

And yes, a *huge* draw for us was the ability to avoid some of the....ahem....less adored features that can come with a wedding!!! I TOO loved the fact that we could avoid the dreaded Chicken Dance! I hate that! Plus, no seating chart worries and no DJ cost! YAY! You and I sound like kindred spirits - I don''t go for all the fru-fru stuff - would rather be surrounded by a few genuine intimates and enjoy a down-to-earth event.
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Yes, we brought a few CDs to do our dances with, and they encourage you to bring anything you''d like to hear.

You''re right about less than full charter allowance being more comfortable. We had 25 people aboard (two couples couldn''t come to the reception), and it was perfect. Plenty of room for folks to move around and enjoy.

Regarding the drink options, they serve a chardonnay, merlot, and Sutter Home White Zin, as well as beer and soft drinks....all are for purchase. They have a liquor license (but I don''t believe they carry hard liquor), so yes, you can choose brands. If you want something they don''t normally carry, they can get it for you from their distributor. You just need to let them know in advance. If you ask for 3 bottles and you only use two, you don''t pay for unopened bottles. We asked them to stock 2 bottles of champagne for our toast (which we used.)

For us, we decided to cover all drinks since the wedding was so small and because half of them don''t drink booze anyway. We simply gave them a few hundred cash when we arrived, and they kept a tally. At the end of the sail, they gave us back the leftover funds. Another wedding party chose to pay for the soft drinks only, which they can do too.

The B&B idea is a good one, and one I considered too. However, we really didn''t have enough folks from out-of-town to warrant renting the inn. Here are a few that might work for you:

http://www.juliettahouse.com/ - This one does full-house rentals :-)
http://www.inngloucester.com/index.htm

Regarding the Sunday thing.....if you can do it, absolutely do it. Not only does it save a good chunk of money, but it''s a saner pace. The sunset cruise is breathtaking.

There are a few florists in town, but you likely won''t need a lot, so you may want to consider Stop N Shop in Gloucester. You''d have to pick up the flowers, but they do an incredible job.

Oh, and they are really good about scheduling a time for the caterer you choose to come aboard sometime prior to the wedding to get a lay of the "non-land".
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Let me know if there is anything else you need....happy to help!
 
Date: 3/1/2006 8:29:32 AM
Author: lovelylulu
i didn''t pick my date specifically for the date and it isn''t as neat as 7/7/07 but i LOVE that it will be easy to remember for anniversaries -- it''s 7/8
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i am completely horrible with numbers and dates (can''t even remember my own phone number half the time) and i loved that the date of our wedding is almost impossible to forget..if you can count!
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That''s a cool date also!

I considered waiting until 7/7/07 because I''m a total #s girl, but there was no way I was waiting another year and a half to get married.

In order to alleviate any fears of forgetting, I just had our dates engraved in the wedding bands . . . now he has NO excuse.
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Lauren engraving was clever!
 
Hey Al, out of curiousity, is one of your wedding photos on the Lannon website? I thought I saw a pic you''d posted here in an old thread, but can''t find again. If so,that''s pretty cool!

Oh my god, I know a ton of people who have worked on Hawaiian Chieftain. Did you know it was actually sold to a guy from Cape Cod last year, and was sailed to Mass? Sadly, he committed suicide and the boat is now back on the west coast.

Were your fathers based in Newburyport? Love that town. You''ve probably even driven past my parent''s house, it''s across from the entrance to the Georgetown Club on 133. I REALLY want to move back east within the next couple of years. I just have to convince my Florida/California raised fiance that he won''t die of the cold.

Thanks for the B&B links, somehow I had missed them. Julietta House looks great. I''ll definitely have to contact them to find out if they can accomodate a small wedding/reception.
 
Date: 3/1/2006 2:25:49 PM
Author: Selkie
Hey Al, out of curiousity, is one of your wedding photos on the Lannon website? I thought I saw a pic you''d posted here in an old thread, but can''t find again. If so,that''s pretty cool!

Oh my god, I know a ton of people who have worked on Hawaiian Chieftain. Did you know it was actually sold to a guy from Cape Cod last year, and was sailed to Mass? Sadly, he committed suicide and the boat is now back on the west coast.

Were your fathers based in Newburyport? Love that town. You''ve probably even driven past my parent''s house, it''s across from the entrance to the Georgetown Club on 133. I REALLY want to move back east within the next couple of years. I just have to convince my Florida/California raised fiance that he won''t die of the cold.

Thanks for the B&B links, somehow I had missed them. Julietta House looks great. I''ll definitely have to contact them to find out if they can accomodate a small wedding/reception.
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Selie - yes, we are there.....lol Was gonna say that, but hate pointing it out in public! We actually blew that up to a 16x20 picture that hangs in our living room!

Yes, I did know about the Chieftain. In fact, when I honeymooned last year in CA, Ian (the owner) was in the process of selling her....and they stopped running their public sails literally 2-3 DAYS before my husband and I arriaved. I was SO SO disappointed as I had wanted to take him sailing on the bay.

Then I spoke to Donna in the H.C. office, and she told me that it was sold to the guy from Yarmouth. He sailed it back here and painted it (which I was bummed about - the old color scheme was much better!). I have 2 friends here who have been to CA with me and sailed on her with me, and I was going to surprise them by driving to the Cape to show them she was here....but then sadly, the capt. did commit suicide. He had lost a boat of his that he spent 26 years building from scratch, and he never really got over it. The chieftain was supposed to fill the void, but I guess it didn''t. I did recently hear that it was bought by the Lady Washington (out of San Diego), who had done some reenactment battles with her up in the SF Bay area.

No, our dads weren''t based in Newburyport. My dad did serve some time through there, my husband''s father didn''t. He was only in for 3-4 years; my dad was a 20-year man.

Yes, I used to travel 133 to work every day, so I''m sure I''ve passed your folks'' house! What a small world. I have to vote with your FI, though - don''t move back! It''s too cold here! I''d LOVE to relocate out your way, but just too many ties up here at this stage in my life.
 
"Funny......I''ve sailed on the Hawaiian Chieftain a few times, and my first pick would have been to marry aboard her. However, she was based out of San Francisco (berthed at Sausalito, actually), and there is just no way my dad''s flying ANYWHERE."

____________________

Priorities Priorities! If you woulda had it in Sausalito then I coulda come!!! I would have even walked you down the aisle.
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I really like that photo, everyone looks like they are having a great time. I hope you don''t mind that I mentioned it here! Did you have a photographer for both the ceremony and reception?
 
Date: 3/1/2006 4:25:02 PM
Author: Selkie

I really like that photo, everyone looks like they are having a great time. I hope you don''t mind that I mentioned it here! Did you have a photographer for both the ceremony and reception?
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Yes, we hired a photographer. I''m very into photography to begin with, but more importantly......years after the day has passed and the food has been eaten/drinks have been swilled (lol), that is what you have left. Photos that evoke the memory and feeling of the day.

She was awesome - she usually does outrageously expensive packages, but when I called her, I explained that we were a really small group. There are only so many ways you can shoot folks, yanno? Especially when no one''s doing the chicken dance!
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She covered us for 3 hours at an hourly rate. She covered the ceremony in the park, and she shot the group/formal photos immediately after the ceremony in the park....then she drove to Gloucester. When we boarded, we immediately did our first dance together and dances with parents. Then we cut our cake, and she took photos of us at the ship''s wheel. Then, she set up that group shot and took the picture as she disembarked. (That one was actually taken by someone with my digital camera, but it''s the same photo she took). She went on her way, and we set sail.

The hourly rate included our proofs, and we can buy the negatives this year (2nd anniversary). We still have to place our order with her, but we will pay separately for the album.

We didn''t want a videographer....too much $$ for something that seldom gets viewed. Maybe I''d feel differently about that if we were going to have children to show it to, but to me, the photographs are classic, and you can see them on the wall every day. Better use of the funds, to me.
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Date: 3/1/2006 4:07:22 PM
Author: Mara

Priorities Priorities! If you woulda had it in Sausalito then I coulda come!!! I would have even walked you down the aisle.
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HAHA - you''d have likely walked me off the plank instead!
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Al,
Would you be willing to give me the name of your photographer? We are trying to do this on a budget too, and I've come up with several area contacts, but it would be great to know of someone who (at least in the past) was willing to work within budget constraints. I'm also debating not hiring a photographer, since I have one friend who has been a professional, and my brother and several other people are great with a camera too. I'd kind of like to save as much room on the boat as possible. I think I might try to find someone who would be willing to come for an hour or two prior to the sail to take pictures in various locations.

By the way, if you want, maybe we can convince the Pricescope Powers That Be to let us exchange email addresses somehow? Then I wouldn't be wasting bandwidth and boring other people to death with all my questions. Let me know what you think. Thanks!
 
Date: 3/1/2006 8:37:42 PM
Author: Selkie
Al,
Would you be willing to give me the name of your photographer? We are trying to do this on a budget too, and I''ve come up with several area contacts, but it would be great to know of someone who (at least in the past) was willing to work within budget constraints. I''m also debating not hiring a photographer, since I have one friend who has been a professional, and my brother and several other people are great with a camera too. I''d kind of like to save as much room on the boat as possible. I think I might try to find someone who would be willing to come for an hour or two prior to the sail to take pictures in various locations.

By the way, if you want, maybe we can convince the Pricescope Powers That Be to let us exchange email addresses somehow? Then I wouldn''t be wasting bandwidth and boring other people to death with all my questions. Let me know what you think. Thanks!
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Sure, Selkie.....you can find her here: http://www.photographybylinda.com/

We made sure it was Linda who would be taking the pictures - her work is fabulous.

Hey, quick question. Your parents'' house on 133.....what style and color is it? Is it RIGHT across from the club....directly? I could drop off a picture or two in an envelope in your mom''s mailbox that your mom could forward to you.
 
That would be great, if you really don't mind doing that.
Thanks!
 
How strange is that? I woke up thinking about getting married on 7/7/07. I am a july birthday born in the seventies so I love the #7. We''re not officially engaged yet and I''m sure that my options would be limited financially but I''d love that date...7/7 - i get excited when I see the same #s together...I''m a dork, I know...lol
 
The fiance and I are getting married on 7-7-07 in Las Vegas. We''ve been talking about Vegas for awhile now and when I realized the date was a Saturday that sealed it. We LOVE Vegas and we love the gambling theme. We are getting customized playing cards and poker chips for favors. We just couldnt resist the theme.
 
Date: 3/1/2006 12:13:01 AM
Author: XChick03

I really want to get married on the 3rd just because its my lucky number and June 3 was our first date, but there are no fall 3rds on a weekend day. My FI''s family wants us to get married on the 10th just because both of his sisters were married on the 10th, but no fall 10ths either.
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Girl, when was the lst time you looked at a calendar?
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September 10th, 2006- Sunday
November 3rd, 2007- Saturday
November 10th, 2007- Saturday

My lucky number is 7, but I also really like the number 5. Right now, our date is 5/5/07. That seems pretty good to me.

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I think it''s a great date!! It''s my birthday- hee hee
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Cool birthdate, Kaili.

I think we''ve decided against 7/7/07 as a date, but are still considering 7/14 and 7/28. The great thing about the 28th is that it''s a full moon, and we are having an evening wedding/sunset sail. The moon will be coming up while we are still on the water, and if we''re VERY lucky it will be a clear night.
 
He he, my first thought when I saw this was that a certain book is rumored to come out that day... I am such a nerd! I would not worry about other people having their wedding the same day. July is such a popular month to get married as is the summer season that people will have plans. The only concern you might have is that if that is the weekend people are going to have their 4th of July plans on, since it will be on a Wed. Your intended guests might have other plans.
 
Hey Matatora,
That book wouldn''t happen to be the seventh in an EXTREMELY popular series, would it? I hadn''t heard that rumor, but it makes sense! Well, that solves that question, it wouldn''t be very seemly for me to spend my wedding night waiting in line at a bookstore.

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We decided June of last year to get married on 7-7-7, especially after we pulled the calendar out and saw it was a Saturday! We actually picked the date before he even proposed! We wanted to have a backyard tropical wedding, so the date fit in perfectly. Plus, we met online and feel so lucky to have found each other...what a perfect day to celebrate!
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Date: 3/6/2006 12:22:22 AM
Author: Selkie
Hey Matatora,
That book wouldn''t happen to be the seventh in an EXTREMELY popular series, would it? I hadn''t heard that rumor, but it makes sense! Well, that solves that question, it wouldn''t be very seemly for me to spend my wedding night waiting in line at a bookstore.

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Selkie, I dont know what you are talking about...
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. I swear I am not that big of a nerd.
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.....If you order it from Amazon you can pay extra and have it delivered the day it comes out, then you could be reading instead of waiting in line.
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