Our Wedding: One Year Later

Happy Halloween! It's hard to believe we were up in the Hudson Valley getting hitched a year ago. Time flies.

The will be the very last - I promise, post from the wedding.


We're number Six!
Our photographer submitted photos from our wedding to a Wedding Photography Magazine. One photo won sixth place for "Reception Dancing"



Cheese on Film
Our videographer is using our wedding on his website, marketing etc. If you need some extra cheese, check out Goshen Videography

Fabulous Stationary
For our first anniversary, the "paper" anniversary, J. commissioned Beth Perry - my maid of honor and fabulously talented designer to make me some custom stationary. Check it out here:


Happy Halloween! xo, J, Caroline, Sugar & Ziggy

Sugar tap dances for chicken

Happy Labor Day! Below are two videos that shows one of the best ways to use leftover chicken from a cookout.

Ziggy high jumps for chicken

California

We made it across the country - avoiding the Iowa floods and the California fires. Getting settled and unpacked.

Ridiculous things about San Francisco:
A. It is really cold here. Who wears jeans, a sweater, and a fleece on 4th of July? People in SF.

B. We have a clan of skunks in our backyard. Like 10 of them every night. When we called animal control, they told us - no joking - that " The skunks were here long before the humans and that we have to peacefully co-exist" - I'm not sure the same thing would happen in Brooklyn. or anywhere else for that matter.

Our new address is
251 5th Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94118
Come visit!

Here are some photos of the trip and SF so far.

Super 8 Movie

Click on the photo or link below to view a short three minute video of the wedding shot on Super 8 film. Enjoy!

http://web.mac.com/richardruggiero/iWeb/jcaroline/Caroline%20%26%20J.html

Photobooth Pictures!

Below find the slideshow of photobooth pictures -
...If you do not see yourself in this slideshow, we didn't get a copy of your picture. We would really, really appreciate you scanning your hard copy and sending it to us. So please scan and email it to us!

You asked - We Tell!

Happy Halloween. Sugar is Pocahontas and Ziggy is a Dinosaur with a caveman riding on top. We got a few emails asking the same thing so we're posting them here.
A. Our new address is 851 Orange St, New Haven, CT 06511. We both kept our NYC cells.

B. The Mix CD wedding track listing below.
1. Chicken Payback - The Bees
2. Rave On - Buddy Holly
3. A Higher Power - Jonathan Richman
4. A Place in the Sun - David Isaacs
5. That's how strong my Love is - Otis Redding
6. Keep Dancing - The Ronettes
7. Wait Til the Summer Comes Along - The Kinks
8. California Stars - Wilco
9. Southern Girls - Cheap Trick
10. Tell Me - The Rollings Stones
11. Red Tan - The Ravonettes
12. Danny's Song - Kenny Loggins
13. Tango Til They're Sore - Tom Waits
14. Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory - Guided by Voices
15. Descending - The Black Crowes
16. With a Girl like You - The Troggs
17. Sloop John B - The Beach Boys
18. Believe What You Say - Ricky Nelson
19. Queen Bitch - David Bowie
20. Incident on 57th Street - Bruce Springsteen
21. Forever in Blue Jeans - Neil Diamond
22. Disco 2000 - Pulp
23. Ignition (Remix) - R. Kelly

Karaoke Welcome Party Friday Night

Friday Night - Karaoke Party

Rehearsal Dinner

Saturday Rehearsal Dinner

Welcome Party Video & Pics including Ruggieros Playing

Welcome Party - Pics & Video of Party including J performing with his Dad & Brothers

Wedding Day Photos from fam & friends

Wedding Day Photos Taken by Friends & Family

Bridesmaid Luncheon - Ya Ya Sisterhood Style

Bridesmaid Luncheon

Weekend Overview

Our Wedding will be over Columbus Day Weekend 2007.

Friday: Early arriving Guests are welcome to join us for a low key Karaoke party at nearby Crystal Run Bar & Grill. Come hear J. belt out some Bon Jovi!Attire: Casual

Saturday:
Daytime, Go to a wine tasting, check out nearby Storm King Art Center, Do the upstate country thing & visit the pumpkin patch & apple farm (where we got engaged!), or play a round of golf at the nearby country club.

Evening:
Rehearsal Dinner (for wedding party members, etc) will be held at Cena 2000 from 5:30-8:30. Transportation to & from the hotel to dinner will be provided.Attire: Cocktail. Ladies - Sassy, Gents - Coat & Slacks. Directions from the Marriott and Hampton Inn can be found here: Directions

Welcome Party -All wedding guests are invited to a Welcome Party Saturday night at the Olde Erie Brew Pub from 9:00 pm to Midnight. J., his brothers, and his Dad will be performing a few tunes for us! Directions to the pub can be found here
Directions

Sunday: The Wedding & Reception will be at the Round Hill Estate at 5 p.m. on Sunday, October 7, 2007. Attire is black tie optional. Transportation to the ceremony and reception at Round Hill can be found on their website, or directions from the Marriott and Hampton Inn hotels specifically can be found here: Directions Directions from points East in CT (from I-84) can be found here (ignore the stated distance you are on I-84, the starting point was an arbitrary spot on 84W) Directions from CT

Travel & Hotel Arrangements

Fall is the peak tourist season in the Hudson Valley which is known for breathtaking views of leaf turning. We strongly encourage you to make your hotel reservations because of the Columbus Day weekend.

Getting There:
Washingtonville is located about an hour and a half north of New York City, and about twenty-five minutes from Stewart International Airport. Taxi fare from the airport should be about $35. Metronorth railroad also goes to Middletown. Take the Port Jervis line to the Middletown/ Wallkill stop. Taxi to the hotel from here is about $7.00. You can also choose to fly into one of the NYC airports and rent a car.

There will be a shuttle service to and from the Hampton Inn and the Marriott Courtyard and the wedding ceremony & reception.

Where to Stay:
We have made group reservations at hotels located in nearby Middletown, NY. The Wedding Party will be staying at the Courtyard Marriott (845-695-0606). We have blocked 20 rooms at this location at a rate of $154 double queen / $144 king. Across the parking lot is the slightly less expensive Hampton Inn (845-344-3400) with 20 rooms reserved at a group rate of $134.

A new Microtel hotel just opened in across the parking lot from the Marriott and Hampton Inn. The phone number is (845) 692-0098. Shuttle will be provided from this hotel as well.


If you are unable to get a room at the preferred hotels, we have made an overflow reservation at the Holiday Inn (845-343-1474). There will not be shuttle service to it but it is near the main hotels.

If you are interested in staying at a B&B or country inns in the area, email us and we will send you a list.

How We Met & Got Engaged

How we met:
J and Caroline met while volunteering at the deaf, blind, three legged dog infirmary at Coney Island. Just kidding, it is far less exciting than that. We've been dating for four years and recently left New York for New Haven, CT this summer following Caroline's graduation from B-School at NYU. J. is in his 1st year of his medical residency and Caroline is currently a traitor to NYU, working at Yale's Business School. When J is not at work, we enjoy life in the burbs with our two dogs, Sugar & Ziggy. We will be heading out west to San Francisco next summer for the next leg of J's residency in ophthalmology at UCSF.

How we got engaged:
We went on a day trip to upstate New York to see the foliage and get out of the city. I decided to surprise Caroline with a trip to a pumpkin patch since she loves Halloween so much.

It was there that I asked her to marry me. I think I said something like "You're every woman in the world to me. Even the days are brighter, when someone you loves beside you. Even the nights are better, since I found you".