The Donnelleen Drink?

Sean and I are not cocktail drinkers. We love visiting wineries and brewing our own beer. But we think our wedding needs a signature cocktail we can call "The Donnelleen." We'd love to hear from you on your thoughts on what should go into this cocktail! So please make some comments with suggestions!

Colleen Tapping her First Keg

Catching a Moment of Romance

at the Kluge Winery

Sean getting ready to bottle the

Birthday Pale Ale of Summer 2010

The Wedding Party

The Wedding Party

We are blessed to have so many unique and amazing friends between us that it would be impossible to pick a small wedding party among them. So, we decided to go small!

The role of Maid of Honor will be played by Christine Gilbert, who has been the

best sister anyone could ask for and without whom this engagement might never have happened.

The Best Man is Sean's good friend Kevin Myers. (Picture forthcoming!)

And the Officiant at our wedding is Jonathan Netek, a best friend to Colleen whose many contributions to this wedding have made it a beautiful event.

Accommodations

We've got room blocks at two hotels.

The Hotel Viking has rooms available at the rate of $199.00 a night, and a two night stay is required. The hotel has recently been renovated and the rooms are quite nice. It's also located in town and you can walk pretty much everywhere. Plus, it's the site of the wedding so no travel is involved. To reserve a room online, follow the following steps:

1) Go to www.hotelviking.com

2) Click on Reservations

3) Click on Enter Negotiated Rate Code

4) Enter code: 1JP8G9

Or you can just call and give them the negotiated rate code.

We've also reserved a block of rooms at the Comfort Inn at Atlantic Beach at the rate of $89.00 a night. This hotel is right across the street from First Beach and there are some restaurants and pubs within walking distance there, as well. If it's a nice day, you could even walk to the Hotel Viking for the wedding -- it's about a mile and a half though. Otherwise, it's a short cab ride or drive away. To reserve there call the hotel at 401-847-5330 and tell them you're reserving for the Gilbert/Donnelly wedding.

Each hotel is different and has something different to offer -- the Viking is in town and the Comfort Inn is more relaxed and on the beach. If neither of these suits, however, there are many other hotels and B&Bs that I am sure would be grateful for your business at that time of year! And in Newport everything is close by.

the Wedding

The ceremony will be at the Kay Chapel in Newport and will start at 3:45pm. The chapel is a part of the hotel in which we're hosting the reception, where we also have a block of rooms, and it's about a block south of the hotel. A very easy walk even if it's raining out.

The Cocktail Hour will begin at 5:30pm in the Colonnade Room at the Hotel Viking, and the reception will follow at 6:30pm in the Belleview Ballroom.

For those who might be driving to the event, valet parking is available for $8, and there is also a lot that is free and close by. Given the time of year, parking there shouldn't be a problem.

There will be about an hour and a fifteen minutes in between the ceremony and the start of the Cocktail Hour. The hotel is located in downtown Newport and there are plenty of pubs and other places to visit within walking distance, and also the bar in the hotel is very nice. We agreed that we didn't want to see each other before the ceremony, so that time will be when we're taking pictures.

For more information about the Hotel Viking, including the address, visit their website:

www.hotelviking.com

We are registered at Macy's and Williams Sonoma, and our registries can be accessed online through their websites. Just search by our names and they should pop right up!

Welcome! This website -- named Donnelleen as a clever combination of our names -- will provide you with all the information you should need for our wedding on November 12, 2011. We don't have all the details just yet, but we'll update the blog as we go along, so please be sure to check back in from time to time.

After the wedding, we'll hang onto this blog and keep it updated as we get settled as newlyweds, buy a house, and whatever else the future is kind enough to hold for us.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in Newport this November!