One thing down.... Almost two!

Ceremony
Jim and I met with the priest at St. Gertrude's yesterday and scheduled our ceremony for 1:00pm on 9/19/09. Father Grassi said we're all set until around next February, when we should call to set up another meeting with him to begin all of the paperwork. So, at least we've got one thing scheduled!

Marriott Chicago Downtown
We've also chosen a reception venue! We were very close to choosing the other site under consideration, Embassy Suites. After almost two weeks, the coordinator from the Embassy finally got back to me and advised that the date we requested was no longer available and asked if we are flexible on the date. Which we are, but that's not the point. She had agreed to put a "24 hour hold" on that date for us, which means that the date was on hold for us and that if someone else came along who wanted to contract for that date, she would call us and we would have 24 hours to either contract or release it. After she told us, we exchanged a couple of emails in which I asked her to tell me exactly what happened and why the date is no longer available. What did she respond, you ask? Nothing. She completely ignored my questions. Very annoying.

So, Jim and I were pretty torn, because if this is the service she gives us while she's still trying to get the sale, what is going to happen once we've signed the contract? We asked our family for their opinions, and they all unanimously said to stay away from the Embassy, which was what our own instincts were telling us.

I contacted the sales rep from the Marriott on Friday and let her know that we decided to chose their venue and right now we are in the process of working out the contract. The contract should be signed by the end of the week, I hope! We liked the Marriott better, anyway, so all in all this is probably for the best. Plus, the Marriott has a little bit of significance in our relationship, because that is where Jim and I spent our first New Years Eve together. Here are a couple pictures of the ballroom!




Bridal Expo Scam
I have decided I'm not going to another bridal expo. Firstly, I didn't find the one I attended all that useful. Secondly, they expo sells your info. I specifically did not give any vendors my contact information. But, when you register, you register for the tickets you have to give your address and phone number to the show itself. So far, in the last week, I've gotten spam emails and mailings from one of the vendors that I didn't even stop to look at. And to top it all off, I got a call on my cell phone from a known scam! I received a voicemail from an Eileen with 21st Century Concepts advising my name was one of 5 chosen at random from attendees at that bridal show and that I had one "some prizes" which are only available for a "limited time." I never win anything, so I was pretty skeptical and decided to Google the phone number before calling back. Sure enough, I found multiple web pages advising that phone calls from this number are a scam (see this page and this one for info). Its already annoying if they sell my info to wedding vendors, but to sell it to a scam? Unacceptable! If you're considering going to a bridal expo, I would advise strongly that you do not give them ANY contact information, if possible.