Some things to do near Ringwood, NJ

We've been putting together a list of things that people can do while they're visiting for our wedding :)  Here's what we've come up with so far:

Playground...there is one very close to the hotel (about a 2 min. drive) - it's attached to Delazier Field in Bloomingdale, NJ (the playground is near the Chestnut St. entrance).

Restaurants...there are some wonderful places to chow down near the hotel & the house...here's a list of our favorites...
Thatcher McGhee's (where we got engaged!) - 6 Wanaque Ave., Pompton Lakes, NJ
www.thatchermcghees.com - it's an Irish Pub, best fish & chips in the area! (also very close to the hotel)
Dee's Thai Cuisine - 246 Wanaque Ave., Pompton Lakes, NJ (the best Thai is in West Milford, which is about a 20/25 min. drive, at Khun Thon Thai, if you're interested, but this place is close & pretty good, too).  www.deesthai.com
Bella Serra - 60 Main Street, Bloomingdale, NJ - great Italian food! Very close to the hotel (even closer to our apartment!), a BYOB that my parents have been to on several occassions :)
Ringwood Pizza - 55 Skyline Dr., Ringwood, NJ - Michael swears it's the best eggplant parm in the world, and the pizza is beyond compare! It is definitely more of a take-out than eat-in, but the food is amazing!
Kafe Neo - 650 Union Blvd., Totowa, NJ - This cafe is a bit of a drive (about 20/25 mins.), but the crepes are unbelievable! If you like cafes (or just love crepes!), this is the place for you!  www.thekafeneo.com

Movies...the closest theatre is in Kinnelon, where there are actually two :) The bigger theatre is at 25 Kinnelon Rd. and the "Arts Theatre" is at 1451 Route 23 South (they are the same company, and practically adjacent).

New York City...it's so close! There are many ways to get into New York, NY...we prefer the train, btu the ferry is fun, too! Here's a link to NJ Transit's site so you can look up train info if you'd like: www.njtransit.com and here is a link to the Waterway site for ferries: www.nywaterway.com
We usually take the train from the Ramsey Route 17 Station because it has tons of parking and it's right off the highway, though you could start from any of the close stations. There's so much to do in NYC, I don't feel I could give a complete picture of it, so you can Google things you like to do & see where you'd like to go :)

We'll be updating this list, of course, but, for now, that's all folks!
-Julie & Michael

New Pics, Shower News, & Invitations!

We've had been so busy working & moving & getting ready for our wedding, but we have had time to get out, too! This picture was taken at the NJPAC where we went to see Herbie Hancock perform, an excellent show!

Mom and I at someone else's Bridal Shower :) But the surprise was blown for mine, so I know where it will be & when (but not all the details, don't worry!). If you have questions about the shower, feel free to email my bridesmaids at: bridalshower25@yahoo.com, or you can email our wedding email at: julsandmichael@yahoo.com

Invitations are being sent out ASAP! They are plantable invitations, so you can plant them & they grow Wildflowers!!! Plus, they're beautiful :) Please respond by May 5th, 2012 so that we can coordinate with the catering company, etc. as to how many people will be attending. Thanks so much! Love to all!
~Julie & Michael

Hotel Info for the Wedding!

This is the information for the hotel at which we've blocked off rooms for the wedding:

Holiday Inn Express - 303 Union Ave., Haskell, NJ 07420
phone - 973.839.4405 or toll-free 888.465.4329
website - www.hiexpress.com/haskellnj

Let them know you're reserving room(s) for the Wells-McQuarrie Wedding.

$99 per night includes breakfast. They also have wireless internet and a small indoor pool.

We are having a breakfast with everyone Sunday morning after the wedding at the hotel as well.

Can't wait-
J & M

Registry Number Three...for your convenience :)

So it seems that shopping online is not for everyone, and there are some appliances that we could not find on any eco-friendly websites. I did some research to see which mainstream department store was the most "green", and it turns out it's Kohl's! They have received several awards for their commitment to the environment...who knew?! So we've set-up a registry there as well. Feel free to check it out :)

Link to the store website:
http://www.kohls.com/

Link to our registry (registry ID number 1642819):
Julie & Michael's Registry at Kohl's


Love to all~
Julie and Michael

Registry Number Two!

Wool Tree of Life Tapestry

We've done our second registry! It's at Ten Thousand Villages, a wonderful fair-trade retailer with stores all over the US, and a great website. The site address is: http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/giftregistry/view/index/id/0e9b3489b843840f12083e1488fbc70d/

We hope you enjoy perusing these goodies...thank you for thinking of us!

Much love-
Julie & Michael

Registry Number One :)

Potter's Mixing Bowls at GBG

It's started! We set up our first wedding registry, located at The Green Bride Guide online store, http://www.greenbrideguide.com/content/wells-mcquarrie-wedding-registry is the site address. We're listed under the "Wells-McQuarrie Wedding Registry".  (As a sidenote, if you haven't checked out the book from which this website developed, The Green Bride Guide, you should! It's helped me so much with my planning our green wedding, and could help anyone plan how to be green in everyday settings as well!)

I'll let you know as soon as we setup our second registry...we'll keep you posted!

Much love,
Julie and Michael

It's Official! Now Let's Party!

Michael and I are now officially engaged :) It became official this past Sunday, 11.13.11, and it was adorable!  I'll post pics of the ring so you can all see it, we had it made at The Image Gallery in Wayne, NJ, the jewelers are friends of the family, Ruth and Shimon Zimmerman. We used stones we already had, rubies for the flower on the top (two of the rubies came from a pair of earrings my parents had given me as a child, and one of the rubies came from a pendant my late Aunt Joan had given me). The diamonds on the sides of the ring came from a yellow gold ring of my mothers, and the engagement ring itself was made in white gold to match my great-grandmother's platinum eternity band, which will be my wedding band...as of June 30th!

We're having a small engagement brunch for those who live in the area on 12.11.11, at my parents' house, from 12:30pm-4:30pm. It'll be fun, so come out if you're around :) I sent out an e-vite but I didn't have everyone's email address, so don't be offended if you weren't "officially" invited. (Come anyway...I would!)

We're sending out the Save the Date cards asap, so you'll be getting one soon! Can't wait to see y'all at some point!

Much love,
Julie & Michael

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