Gift Registries, etc

Greetings! We would like to update you on our wedding plans and give you some info about our gift registry options. First, the registries:

GIFTS

Crate and Barrel

Macy's

Target


DONATIONS

City Year, where Shannon is currently employed, unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full time service giving them the skills and opportunities to change the world.

Appalachia Service Project, where Shannon and I met in 2001, is very near and dear to our heart. ASP provides vital housing services to low-income families living in Central Appalachia as well as transformational life experiences to those we serve, volunteers offering their service, congregations involved with ASP, and entire communities.


The wedding weekend itself is coming together nicely...

-Our amazing, incredibly talented arrangement of musical talent has been finalized: Joe Fox and Alex Newton on Guitar, Marit Johnson on Violin, and Emily Feuerstein on vocals.

-Let there be GOLF! For whoever is interested, there is a block of tee times at the Crowne Plaza Golf Course (~$30 green fee) on Saturday, August 8th between 8 and 9 am. I'll be there and so should you.

-For those who are staying for an extended weekend and want to check out the area, this is a great website to start your planning.

-Our ceremony is tentatively slated to start at 5 o'clock in the evening. Please note this when making travel arrangements.

Hotels

Crowne Plaza Resort

One Resort Drive

Asheville, NC 28806 [View Map]

Reservations: 1-800-733-3211 (refer to Philmon/Ritchie wedding)

Additional Info: The “Crowne” is a full-service resort just a few minutes away from downtown Asheville. We have reserved blocks of rooms ($139/night) and villas (studio, 1BR, & 2BR with prices ranging from $132 - $219/night) for our guests. You must speak to a representative at the hotel for these special rates.

Haywood Park Hotel

One Battery Park Avenue
Asheville NC 28801 [View Map]

Reservations: 1-800-228-2522

Additional Info: This is a great option if you are interested in staying in downtown Asheville. It is a beautiful, boutique hotel located within walking distance of the area’s finest restaurants, shops, coffee houses and galleries.

Holiday Inn – Biltmore West

435 Smokey Park Highway

Asheville, NC 28806 [View Map]

Reservations: 1-877-863-4780 (or via website)

Additional Info: This hotel is about 8 miles west of downtown. There are many attractions nearby such as the Biltmore Estate, NC Arboretum, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Chimney Rock State Park. This is ideal for guests who will be renting cars or driving.

On the road to...

It's been a while since I've updated the site so I thought I'd let you know where we stand with the planning process.

We've secured our officiant -- His name is Reverend Tim Auman and is the Chaplain at Wake Forest University, where Shannon attended. We're looking forward to working with him to develop our ceremony.

Speaking of the ceremony, two of our guests (so far) have generously offered to perform a ditty or two. Marit Johnson, my cousin, will be on violin and Emily Feuerstein, Shannon's cousin, will be singing.

And now, I'd like to introduce you to our wedding party!

Katie Curfman, Brittany Laughlin



Lori Fox



Sheila Kori



Kelsey Johnson (with her husband, Matt)



Michael Neff



Evan Philmon (with his Sister, Shannon)



Ryan Philmon



Patrick Ritchie



Taylor Ritchie (with his wife, Stacy)



Alexis Rollins



Christopher Schroeck (with his wife, Kerri)



Gabe Vogler



Ben Wiegers


*special thanks to Facebook for the pictures

The Band

No, not that band.

We've selected our entertainment for the evening. We are pretty sure they will sufficiently rock the barn and get you all on the dance floor.

Orange Krush



Hotel info will be coming soon...

Save that Date

TRAVEL - The Asheville Airport

Here is a quick list of the cities that have direct flights to Asheville, NC.

• Minneapolis/St. Paul via Northwest
• Atlanta, Orlando, and Cincinnati via Delta
• Charlotte and Washington DC via US Airways
• Newark via Continental

I think that this covers almost everybody that will be flying to Asheville. If you don't see your city, take it up with this guy.

I hope everybody had a safe and enjoyable Labor Day. We took Beesly (our new puppy) to the Esplanade and then this happened while waiting for the bus:

Here we go.

Well, folks, we did it.  We can now answer the question that we've been asked tens of times over the past eight months.  

Shannon and I recently returned to our apartment in Boston after a long, exhausting pretty enjoyable trip to North Carolina.  We visited a few venues and, ultimately, decided on:

• Claxton Farm
• Saturday, August 8th 2009

The site is in the mountains, 10-15 minutes north of Asheville, NC, and is breathtaking.  I'll update this site with information regarding travel, leisure, registry, etc so stay tuned and thanks for visiting.

-Carl (The Groom)