Venue Shopping: Cazenovia

This week's visit took us to Cazenovia Park and the Cazenovia Casino. We had been looking at some of the parks and spaces in the Olmstead Parks Conservancy, but had yet to take a trip out to this West Seneca park.

Here's what we found:



The park itself is really pretty, so we were excited to take a look the building.
Yeah, it looks nice from afar, doesn't it?


A little closer... not so much.




Yeah, those windows are boarded up.

A peek inside the window..

I don't know, what do you think, Joe?

Yeah, no.

Honestly, this place doesn't even warrant a pros/cons list. It's really rundown. It could be beautiful, but it's just not taken care of. There's graffiti, garbage, crumbling bricks, and Big-Brother type surveillance signs, all of which show what kind of neighborhood you're really in here. Worst of all, it looks like the only available bathroom facilities are port-o-potties. Conclusion: absolutely not.

Too bad.

Love,

Gabby

Venue Shopping: Botanical Gardens

Every week we will be visiting a different potential site for the wedding ceremony and/or reception. We’ll be keeping track of the pros and cons of each on the blog, and we welcome your suggestions, comments and advice. While much of Buffalo is falling apart, there are still some great hidden treasures and much potential.

This week’s adventure brought us to the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. This is the first venue that Gabby contacted for information and it showed a lot of promise.


(click to enlarge all photos)

Here's the rundown:

Pros
- Pretty
- Benefits of outdoor wedding, without being subject to weather
- Photographs well
- Includes admission, stuff to see
- Tandoori’s on catering list
- Includes ceremony

Cons
- Expensive
- Small reception space
- Not really a space for a raucous party
- Wet, humid
- Not actually as nice as photographs let on (dirty, rusty, peeling paint)
- Construction going on outside (project won’t be done by wedding date)
- Expensive catering list
- South Buffalo sucks









We had actually found this room set up for a wedding reception. So I guess here's sort of what it would look like.


And even on a rainy day, it was so nice outside.






In closing:
It's a fantastic space, with a lot of character.
It's cozy and impervious to bad weather.
But we definitely have more options to consider.



Sincerely,
The Joe

Engagement Announcements, Part Deux

Now that the prints have made there way out into the world, I thought I'd post them.

I had some studio time at the end of the semester after my exhibition went up, so what better way to spend it? This project didn't involve the purchase of any new materials, so it was a total DIY win. The paper, the linoleum block, and ink were all supplies I had left over from studio. Actually, the only thing we paid for was a couple books of stamps. That said, there were some epic printmaking fails. I started with an edition of 70, which was whittled down to about 40 because of problems like bad registration, an unevenly adjusted press, and some horrible printmaking travesties of which I dare not speak.

Anyway... this is what we came out with. And I say "we" cause Joe was a super duper help (he painstakingly cut out all the text stencils, which we only ended up using for like the first three prints).

The main print came from this photo.
You can see the original on my flickr here.


After some sketching and the magic of graphite transfer...


...and some careful carving, the image becomes printable!

Those are actually all the process photos I have. I didn't really have the blogger foresight to document this project, because, well... we didn't have this blog yet!

Anyway, we had fun making these to share with everyone. So we hope they were all delivered safe and sound, unravaged by the elements or angry postal workers.



Love,
Gabby

The Ring

It's usually the first thing people ask about, besides "have you set a date?" So I thought I'd share, if you haven't already seen on Facebook or real life or elsewhere.

We had this ring custom made by a jeweler on Etsy, Jill Anish. You can find her shop here.

The diamond is raw (uncut) and set in a hand-tapered silver band. It's unique and handmade, and totally perfect for us, for me. Couldn't be happier.

Our Story, as told by Joe

Twas an extraordinarily odd arrangement, as I ventured across the state line with a dear and close friend. Being 15 myself, and far from outgoing, some twist of fate brought me to join him, to meet a friend of a friend of a friend. The surprising part wasn’t that I was quickly taken by her charms, but rather that our parents somehow managed to enable this cross border relationship, as neither of us could drive ourselves.

Beyond that hurdle, lied many more. Yet through the trials and tribulations, the “stumble, stumble, fall, stumble, stumble, don’t fall” what we had was enduring. And not only enduring, but growing.

If a journey across the state line wasn’t daunting, a journey across the country surely was. We packed the car surprisingly lightly, and left my parents driveway, setting out on our own great adventure. Had it not been for a grueling pace, dysentery, cholera, and loss of oxen, we may have seen more of the country. What we definitely saw was more of each other. And it was good.

I haven’t had all the opportunities in the world, but I know I’ve had this one. And that’s something I’ll never let go.

Our Story, as told by Gabby

We met in high school, though not the same one, and through mutual friends who are no longer friends. I think I was 14, maybe 15, and Joe a year older. A sweet, perhaps non-committal coupling at first, we stayed together, officially or not, through those years. We lived weekend to weekend when we could see each other, when our parents were willing to drive the 40 minute distance, and we filled the gaps with phone and online conversations, however heartfelt or inane. It was fun and dramatic and hard and silly and I loved it every minute of it.

When Joe graduated and left for college in Buffalo, I waited. In my school search, I was led to Canisius, the Jesuit haven in the sketchy heart of Buffalo. It was not my first choice. But they offered me a hefty scholarship (one I apparently was not worthy of at NYU or Smith), so I visited. And it was right, the school and the city; and I’m sure Joe had nothing to do with it.

As a sophomore, and him a junior, we decided to live together, much to the dismay of his four male roommates. We will never do that again. After that treacherous semester, we found our own space, downtown in the colorful Allentown neighborhood. We could be creative and crazy, messy and clean, all in our own little place. And we felt like real adults, together.

We’ve been together 6 years now, almost 7. And right now, between graduations, engagements, and other life events, I feel as though everything is changing. But I stand at an impasse with the most important constant in my life, my Joe. I will love him forever, madly, stupidly, sweetly, and deeply.

(photo: circa 2006)

Announcements

I just wanted to post a little detail of the print edition I've been working on the last couple weeks. Engagement announcements! (People do that, right?) Just the first project in a series of many, I'm sure.



Well it seems like the news has been effectively spread, but we just wanted to put something in the mail to the people we love. A little memento of this spectacular occasion.


Once they're all mailed out, I'll post some process pictures of printmaking goodness.

Email me your address if you want to be sure to get one!

Engaged

Hey! It's us!

And we're engaged!

Isn't that great?

We hope this blog will document what will surely be an interesting year. Follow us as we attempt to plan a sweet wedding on a teeny budget. With a little help from our friends and family, and lots of DIY, we think we can make it a great day (hopefully without exhausting our student loans).

Love,

Gabby and Joe