Judy and I were married at the Manor Tavern in Monkton, MD on August 19th, 2006. It was a wonderfully fun ceremony that could not have gone any smoother. Below is a listing of people and services we would like to thank for making this day memorable and extremely enjoyable.
Early on, we both agreed it would be best to hold the ceremony and reception at the same location. Judy spent weeks researching the best venue that would accommodate a modest number of people and a similar budget. After visiting a few mansions and restaurants, we both fell in love with the Manor Tavern.
Our point of contact, Robyn Emkey, was absolutely fabulous! She started our experience with a tasting from the menu that was out of this world. She was constantly available and politely handled our barrage of questions. She was an absolute delight to work with. Additionally, the staff was flawless as everything was presented on time and well prepared.
The restaurant itself was elegant yet comfortable and required very little decoration on our part. The only flowers needed were the bridal party's bouquets and the table centerpieces. Remarkably, considering the atmosphere and quality of the food, the event cost was the most economical of any of the locations we checked. The total cost was easily half of what a major hotel would have charged.
We have nothing but praise for the handling of the entire process by Robyn and the staff of the Manor Tavern.
http://www.weddingswithdignity.com - Ray Ciccone
http://www.mdofficiant.com - Dina Ciccone
Since Judy and I wanted a non-denominational service (for now), we used references given to us by the Manor Tavern. The first Reverend to respond was Dina Ciccone. At first, Dina was going to perform our service but unfortunately had to cancel due to an emergency. Fortunately for us though, her father, Ray, was available.
Since we didn't have a bridal party, Judy and I decided not to have a rehearsal dinner. This decision worried me, however, as I didn't know exactly how the service was going to proceed. Step in Reverend Ray. Ray met me an hour before the service and went over all the details. He then briefed Judy when she arrived. Ray was very cool and relaxed. Even when Judy walked down the aisle to "Killer Queen", Ray calmly started the ceremony with, "That is the first time I ever started a service to Queen". He even took the time to ask if I was OK (during the service) as I continuously wiped the sweat from my brow.
All we can say is, Reverend Ray Ciccone was wonderful! Dina you picked a perfect replacement - we loved him!
(410) 942-0222
Once again we utilized the references provided by the Manor Tavern and first visited Sweet Temptations. While their pastries were awesome, their cake was OK. Since it was two weeks prior to the wedding, I just told Judy, "It's wedding cake, it's only for show." But Judy, demanding more for her money, decided to try a couple more places.
The next day, I came home from work and was asked to try a couple samples. I was floored by the wonderfully awesome taste of the samples. Judy and I both knew right away that Rita's would be making our cake. We heard nothing but raves in regard to the wedding cake. Not only was it beautiful, it was DELICIOUS!
Needless to say, the entire cake was eaten including most of the anniversary top. We couldn't see wasting a perfectly delicious cake in the freezer for a year so, we saved one piece for our anniversary.
See his pictures here.
I've known Ed for quite some time. We both worked at the MD Air National Guard until I transferred to DE in 2005. Ed is one of the multimedia specialists on the base and used to do weddings on the side. I called Ed a couple months before the wedding to see if he or any of the other folks in his shop still did weddings. His reply was "No, but I can do it for you."
When asked how much he wanted for his time, Ed said "Nothing." - that's how Ed is. Of course we paid Ed something and were extremely pleased with his work. Ed had to put up with a screwy schedule and a lot of delays but, as usual, Ed handled it extremely well. Ed made sure that a deviated schedule didn't keep him from capturing the important and priceless moments.
Unfortunately, Ed doesn't do weddings anymore but, if he did, we would highly recommend him.
Additionally, Ed brought his wife, Claudette as a guest. I had the brilliant idea (insert sarcasm) of letting our video camera run throughout the service and reception without considering how the heck I would have the time to move it while being pulled in 50 million directions. Step in Claudette! Claudette operated the camera throughout the evening and captured everything.
THANKS ED AND CLAUDETTE!
I LOVE SMYTH! I first used Smyth to purchase Judy's engagement ring and refuse to shop anywhere else for jewelry. They don't show you the diamonds through a loop - they use microscopes!
Judy and I went to Smyth a month prior to the wedding. We thought we would just check out some rings before going to some other stores for comparison. We were assisted by Craig Kissel who patiently worked with us as we went from case to case. Before we left, we had ordered both of our rings and even had some great birthday gift ideas.
I pretty much assumed that because of the service and convenience, we would pay a little bit more at Smyth. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the same rings we ordered were more expensive elsewhere. In the case of my ring, I saved $60!
We met with Tom about a month before the wedding and were very impressed. For one, you can make your payments, submit your personal information and select all of your music from his website - it was too easy!
Secondly, our ceremony was anything but normal and Tom's DJ, John, accommodated all of our last minute changes. We originally submitted our "Killer Queen" processional request too late but, John gladly played it for us anyway. Because the ceremony and reception were performed at the same location, we omitted some of the events on the schedule due to impracticality. John politely checked with us before each event in the ceremony to clarify what would be performed and constantly accommodated delays due to picture-taking and socializing to provide a smooth and fun service.
We had already taken a vacation in June so we decided to just get away for a couple of nights (for now). After reading numerous poor reviews about local hotels I found a wonderful reference to the Wayside Inn on tripadvisor.com. Every review was extremely positive and, most importantly, it received the highest romance rating of any of the places I had seen.
To start, Susan and David (the Innkeepers) are two of the nicest people we have ever met. They truly love what they do and it shows. They created a simple wedding package for newlyweds that was the perfect way to end our busy day. We arrived at the Inn just after midnight and were greeted with a chilled bottle of champagne, a dozen red roses and a tray of fruits and crackers.
Our stay included a complimentary breakfast but, we were too exhausted to get up early enough the next morning to attend. David had no problem with this and graciously accommodated us the following morning with a fruit medley, French toast, sausage, coffee, tea and various juices. The toast was made from a cinnamon bread from a local baker in Ellicott City that was out of this world. I usually pour syrup on everything but did not need to pour a drop on this meal.
The Inn itself is romantic, extremely relaxing and charming but, the best part of the stay was chatting with David. He is a natural salesman for Ellicott City and typified the charm of this wonderful town. To truly describe the experience of our stay would take pages of text so, I will sum up with a recommendation to simply check out Susan and David's website and try the Inn for yourself - you won't be disappointed.