FAQ Session 2: Travel

According to Wikipedia, Frequently Asked Questions, or FAQ are a list of questions and answers that pertain to one common subject. When it comes to big shindigs, anyone whose planned a party will tell you people ask a lot of questions - and generally they're the same ones. FAQ Sessions will be posted here for the purpose of answering questions that frequently pop up. If you have any specific questions or concerns feel free to leave a comment or drop a line at our blog e-mail: ACMEWedding@gmail.com. I'm sure we won't be able to think of everything you guys will end up asking us, so feel free to suggest subjects we should touch upon.

----

200 years ago it would take days to travel to the nearest town in a rural area. 200 years ago it would take weeks to get from one state and into the next. 200 years ago it took MONTHS to get from one side of the continent to the other, suffering frost bite, malaria and dysentery along the way (Oregon Trail anyone?). Good thing it's not 200 years ago.

Travel is regarded by many as a luxury, or that bane of some poor businessman's existence. Either way, Travel can be fun and it doesn't have to be as expensive as people tend to assume it is. You have several options, depending on how much time you have and how much money you'd like to spend, going from road trip to train to flying jet plane.

Your best friend in any search for bargan travel is the internet. There are slews of websites that can offer you quotes on travel costs for tickets from buses to planes.

One of the things Alan and I really enjoy is traveling together so here's some tips we came up with to make sure you get the best bang for your buck. The majority of tips here are assuming that you will be flying, though many are transferable between methods of travel.


1. Travel Light. No. Seriously. TRAVEL LIGHT. You really don't need five pairs of shoes. If you can manage it, try to pack something the size of a basic carry on item. All airlines have a limit of two carry on items per person. Small rolley bags are fine for carry ons. Traveling light also keeps you from having to pay luggage fees. That's right. Luggage fees. As of this writing, US Airways is asking $15 per checked bag. So in the long run, traveling light could save you a few bucks. 'Travel size' toiletries are your best friend (if you're packing bags as a carry on, make sure your liquid/gel items are under 3oz and packed in a clear plastic baggie according to TSA standards) when packing light; However, keep in mind that if the hotel is going to provide it anyway, why are you bringing it? Hotels now have complimentary everything, fromthe standard fair of shampoo, conditioner, soap and lotions - to tooth brushes, razors and toothpaste. Check with the hotel you're staying at and ask about what items they offer should you forget something.

2. Maine is a cold, rural, and beautiful place. Please pack accordingly. Long sleeve shirts, light jackets, warm socks and maybe a pair of mittens and a scarf - and for the love of all things awesome, PLEASE DO NOT PACK HEELS. You're gonna be in MAINE, OUTSIDE. Heels will not keep your feet warm, so toss the nice 'formal' shoes and slip on a pair of boots or sneakers under that pretty dress, or swanky slacks.

3. Wear your jacket, don't pack it.

4. Buy your tickets well ahead of time to save yourself a few bucks.

5. Be open to leaving on an odd day or at an odd time. Flights that leave around noon can have more seating avaliable, and give you more time to get ready (and beat traffic for that matter) aside from saving you a couple bucks. When booking your flight, departing and returning on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thrusday can also save you cash. At the present moment, ticket prices can dive from $50 to nearly $100 less if you travel on these "off days".

6. Eat something, or bring something with you on your plane to snack on. Because of 'cost cutting' most airlines now won't even give you a cup of water without charging you $2 bucks, much less a bag of peanuts. Belive it or not, travel, even the 'hurry up and wait' kind, can really drain the body of a lot of energy because of stress or anxiety that builds up. Accelerated heart beat, worrying, running to gates, keeping an eye on the kids in the terminals, etc etc etc. Making a small purchase of a bagel or a sandwich with a bottle of water or a cup of fruit to bring on the plane is a good idea - especially if you're traveling with little ones. Understand that the TSA has got it out for liquids and gels now, and they won't allow bottles of water/cups with water in them into the terminals. As far as food is concerned, pack a bag of chips, or non perishable snacks in your purse or second carry on if you'd rather not buy.

7. On the note of food: Bring an empty water bottle or normal sized travel mug with you. Throw it in your purse or laptop bag. Water fountians are avaliable at most restroom areas, and these things don't have to be thrown away. So if you're jonesing for a drink save the two bucks and help the enviornment at the same time.

8. Shop around for ticket prices. Yeah this is probably a given, but still I figured it needs to be said. Finding the best price can take time and patience, using websites like farecast.com help with telling you when to buy your tickets. Airline ticket prices go up and down constantly, farecast.com keeps tabs on the trends and predicts when the best time to buy is going to be. So check it out. I've found the best prices on a website called cheaptickets.com.

9. Travel with a group. Some airlines, like Delta, offer discouts on prices for groups of 10 or more. You can contact Delta's group travel information at 1-800-532-4777. Other airlines do group travel and discounts as well so if you find an airline with a great price online, call the airline directly through their normal website and see if you can get an even better deal, with more company along the way. If a lot of you are coming from one area why not make a party out of it?

10. Make sure you have ample time between connection flights. Getting a direct flight is nice, but it's not always avaliable, so more often than not you're gonna have to switch planes. Planes headed for Portland, Maine tend to stop at Philledelphia, Washington, New York, and on the rare occasion Boston. Have at least an hour layover between your flights as this leaves ample time for you to get to your gate and decompress before taking off again.

11. Bring a book, or something for entertainment while on your flight. Having a book, something to knit, a handheld game to play, or just something to do, can really help the time on your flight whizz on by. Of course there's always the option of just looking out the window at the world below, or talking to those around you as well. Most people on planes are desperate for something to do, as some won't be as prepared as you - so it's easy to find someone to talk to. . .sometimes rather you want to or not.

If any of you have any other tips that may be useful for travel, or you're trying to get a group together feel free to drop us a line at ACMEWedding@gmail.com and let us know about it so we can share!

. . .And I have to wrap it up here as this:

. . .keeps staring at me, making pathetic noises & demanding to go out.

Must obey the Corgi.

- Carrie.

Accomplishing Stuff!

YAY! Stuff is getting accomplished!

I got back from Maine (where said stuff was accomplished) Thursday evening. After two weeks of me without any Alan and Alan without any me, it's an understatement to say we were happy to see one another again.

So far we've got several things done and out of the way.

Number 1 being our caterer!

Yes that is a barbeque. Yes we're having barbeque . No, you're not allowed to touch the barbeque cooker unless you're name is Mark, and you happen to run a business known as the Olde Kennebec Wood Cookery. That's right people, YANKS can do the barbeque too! Mark's been at this biz for a few years, and does his thing for the love of the culinary art. Dishes are prepared hours a head of time slowly cooked over a split wood fire. Mark's set up looks something like the love child of a steam engine and a caboose, but it delivers a quality of food that leaves people raving. I looked long and hard for a person that would be able to fit the bill of our catering needs - the majority of people I contacted were very professional but just didn't have the mind set that I thought would be necessary for the party we're trying to throw. So I kept looking only to find Mark and his mastery of wood cookery. So when you're walking down to the reception site and you can smell the thick mouthwatering smell of spiced,wood cooked food wafting through the autumn air, know that Mark is there eager to give you a taste of his slow cooked culinary masterpieces. You can find out more about Mark and his work at his website.

We've also got the tent stuff figured out. The New England Tent & Awning Co. is a family run business that's been around since the 1920's! They really worked with us to give us the most for our money, and were happy to see that the location for our reception wouldn't be as bad as I was making it out to sound.


This is a picture of the reception site from the main house. The red barn, generally houses boats
during the winter. On our wedding day, the barn will instead be housing the music, any dancing, and sofa's to chill out on. A few feet away in front of the barn is where the tent will be placed with plenty of room to sit and enjoy Mark's delicious food. Heaters will be inside both the tent and the barn for optimum comfort for all. Come October snow shouldn't be an issue, so no worries.

I got a buncha other stuff accomplished too but hey, I gotta leave some stuff to write about later.

- Carrie

It's All About Mood

As Carrie and I have been pulling together our thoughts and plans regarding the wedding, we've been very concious of the mood and tone we're trying to set.  As you may have picked up, Carrie and I aren't the kind to follow the herd, for better or (generally more amusingly) for worst.  We've been very interested in making our wedding less a retread of the "classic" wedding meme, and more of a exploration and celebration of our love and our shared future.  For those worried we're planning on going overboard and half-expecting clowns in rocket packs: fear not,  no rocket propelled clowns.  We also want our wedding to be a highly enjoyable and inclusive experience, where everyone can leave feeling like they've participated in something positive and memorable.  So stay tuned as our ideas start gelling and we'll let you in on a bit of what we have in store for you!

-Alan

FAQ Session 1: Why Maine?

According to Wikipedia, Frequently Asked Questions, or FAQ are a list of questions and answers that pertain to one common subject. When it comes to big shindigs, anyone whose planned a party will tell you people ask a lot of questions - and generally they're the same ones. FAQ Sessions will be posted here for the purpose of answering questions that frequently pop up. If you have any specific questions or concerns feel free to leave a comment or drop a line at our blog e-mail: ACMEWedding@gmail.com. I'm sure we won't be able to think of everything you guys will end up asking us, so feel free to suggest subjects we should touch upon.

---

I understand that with our wedding a lot of people will have a lot of questions, because lets just face it - this isn't going to be a run of the mill, uninspired and cookie cutter wedding. Alan and I just aren't the run of the mill, uninspired and cookie cutter, type of couple. We like traditions. We love to wave at them as they pass by. Unless they happen to be particularly functional, or meaningful - then we'll highjack them like the pirates we are.

Some of you may have wondered why we're having our wedding in Maine - others, may not care as long as you get cake and booze. Either way, lets talk about the reasoning behind our "destination" wedding.

Most traditions have the wedding couple head to the brides hometown and get the deed done there. Well . .as much as I love my family and friends in North Carolina I can't stand the state. Any of my friends will tell you that upon graduating high school I literally pounced the opportunity to be anywhere else. Through my trips back and forth from school in Atlanta to home in NC I was surprised to actually find myself missing the stupid sand pit where I grew up. It took me a while to realize this glaringly obvious fact that it's the people you love who tend to make you stay someplace you'd otherwise flee. Frustratingly, they also tug you to come back, and you do! You do come back to that place you loathe because you miss them and you love them and you want to see them again. It didn't take me long after that to figure out that it wouldn't matter where we had the wedding because all that mattered was having those loved ones there. I don't care about the stupid state, I care about them. So not being particularly attached to my home, it didn't feel right for us, and was pushed from the listing.

Then there's Atlanta, where Alan and I currently reside. To be honest we thought about it for a split second or two. Venues there (because of the 'big city' factor) are several shades, and several thousand bucks on the side of uncomfortable. The city is nice, but the traffic is awful, the heat is abominable, and finding your way around Atlanta can be extremely confusing if you're not used to it. Peachtree street is an inside joke in the Big Peach state because those city builders just couldn't stop naming streets after that silly peach. Peachtree Dunwoody, Peachtree Chamblee, Peachtree Battle, Peachtree Crossing, Peachtree Circle, Peachtree Corner, Peachtree, and eventually you'll find the Pitts Road too. And as long as we've lived in Atlanta, we don't really like it. Wedding places should feel special, and as cool as Atlanta can be, it just doesn't feel like the right place for us. So Atlanta was also pushed from the listing.

So then we came to the thought of Maine, and we liked the idea. Alan grew up in Maine. The roads are easier to navigate as they don't name everything the same. The scenery is beautiful. The people are awesome. The ocean is everywhere, and most importantly it's special. It feels like home. As the Shire is to Frodo and Bilbo, Maine is to Alan and I. We love it here.

Many of you may think along the lines of my own mother, "But if you do it in Maine everyones going to have to travel there!" True. Travel is a very real issue - but here's the problem in thinking this way. No matter where we have the party, people will have to travel. We have friends and family all over the place, and travel is just something we can't really get around no matter where we do this.

But one of the big reasons we decided to have our wedding in Maine actually comes straight from the lips of some of our friends and family. Something we noticed as we went about talking to people is that everyone has the same thing to say when we mention Maine, "It's so pretty up there, I wish I could go someday." Well, now you have an excuse!

Understandably some of you may not be able to make it. However, please don't automatically decided you 'just can't do it' without looking into it. Fear not, for we have a travel agent tied up in the closet and he will dish the goods eventually. We are doing everything in our power to pull together ticket info, discount pricing through group rates, and other methods of mayhem to get you there. We'll be posting more information as it becomes available. Info should include travel tips, cost saving ideas, discounted rates, and options for those willing to travel in groups.

Thanks for reading!
- Carrie.

So. . .Who is this Person You're Marrying?

Many of you may know one of us. Perhaps some of you know both of us - either way we may as well introduce ourselves to those of you that don't know the other half and reintroduce ourselves to those who do.

About the Guy in the Suit

5-year-old Alan, Lands End
Bailey Island, Maine
Hello there, folks! My name is Alan Tupper, and I'm the lucky guy who is engaged to Carrie. Here's a little bit about myself. I'm from the small coastal town of Harpswell, Maine, where the summers are foggy and the winters require therapy. My parents are Christopher and Helen Tupper, and I have one younger sister, Emily, currently finishing up at the University of Maine Orono. I'm a animator and artist by trade, but my interests go all over the place and include music, robots, space, politics, fuzzy animals, and experimental cooking.
I look forward to getting to meet all of you who I haven't met yet, and for those I have met, I apologize humbly in advance should I forget you name.
-Alan

About the Chick in White

5-year-old Carrie,

Emerald Isle Beach North Carolina

Hi! My name is Carrie Whittier and I'm the lucky chick who somehow landed the awesome guy, Alan. Don't ask me how I managed it, because I'm still not sure. I was born in England to my mom Ann, and my dad, Steve. Eventually I moved to and lived all over North Carolina. I was raised by my mother and my grandmother, Wonnie. Mom remarried to my step dad , Patrick. I have six step siblings, (oldest to youngest) Brea, Sarah, Zack, Londyn, Jacob, and Mitchell. I'm also an animator and artist. I have a ton of interests including folklore, ancient & world cultures, reading, politics, crafts, baking, music & animal behavior. I'm really eager to get to know those of you I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet! For those of you I do know, love to all of you.

- Carrie

Hello World

...and friends and family and distant relations.  Also a shout out to the completely random strangers looking at this for no apparent reason.  As you may have deduced this is the info-blog for the wedding of Alan Tupper and Carrie Whittier.  We're going to try and keep this updated on a fairly regular basis to keep you, the participants of said wedding, in the loop.  Expect odd questions, amusing commentary, and general shenanigans!  

-Alan