Monday, August 17, 2009

parking

For those of you who have been asking about parking near the ferry .... as far as I know there are at least the three lots identified on this map. Last time I checked, number one was the least expensive, followed by numbers 2 and then 3. Of course, it would be even less expensive to park somewhere else and take transit! I think that there is also a lot under the Westin Harbour Castle, and there are probably others I don't know about.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Hooray! The strike is over!

Thanks to the negotiation whizzes, we can now stop worrying about how to get you all over to the island if the city strike was still happening. And I can tell you how to get to the Algonquin Island Association from the ferry.

1. The Toronto Island Ferry Docks are located at the foot of Bay Street and Queens Qay, just West of the Westin Habour Castle Hotel. If you come by TTC you can take either the 509 Harbourfront or 510 Spadina streetcar - from either you can get off at a stop on Queens Quay right by the ferry terminal. There are also a number of places to park nearby.

2. Take the Ward's Island Ferry (as opposed to the Centre Island and Hanlan's Point ferries) from the ferry terminal. See here for schedules and details.

3. Arrive at Ward's Island and follow the little blue trail on this map. Walking it will take you 10-15 minutes.

4. Directions in detail:
As you step off the ferry, head right on Cibola avenue. Follow Cibola for about 400 m, then turn right to head across the bridge to Algonquin Island. Once on Algonquin, you can take any number of routes to get to the AIA, the shortest being to turn left on Omaha and take it until it ends. Then turn right on Wyandot, and follow it until it ends. You will see the lane into the AIA on your left at the bottom of Wyandot. If you fall into the lake you've gone too far. We will put up some signs to direct you along your way.

Looking forward to seeing you all in person!

Friday, July 17, 2009

We finished making our rings last night. It was way easier than we thought it would be and I highly recommend it. Tosca at nanopod was very helpful and also left us alone to do our own thing when we needed to. I wish we could say we came up with the design on our own, but we borrowed it from a couple who had made previously made their rings at the studio. Anyways, both Steve and I are really happy with the result and are thrilled to have avoided another wedding related shopping expedition. Also, according to this story in the Globe & Mail, making your own rings and getting married on the island is what all the cool kids are doing. Good to know we're keeping up with the trends (I swear we made these decisions before this article came out).

Thursday, July 2, 2009

little details





After sending the invites we've realized that they maybe don't include some important information that you may be wondering about. So, here are some answers to questions we've been getting.


1. Plus ones ...

We thought it might be weird to write 'and guest' on the outside of the envelopes, and since we don't have inner envelopes (inner envelopes?! how much paper can one invitation take?) it might seem a bit unclear just who we're inviting. So, if your invitation is addressed to only you but you are seeing someone special that you'd like to bring along, just put their name on the RSVP card when you send it back.

2. Little ones ...
If you've got little kids you are welcome to bring them. Three of our favourite nieces will be participating in the ceremony, and we've got a couple of babysitters lined up to entertain and supervise the little ones during the cocktail hour and reception. And since the venue is a daycare during the week, it even comes with a playground!

3. Ferry strike ....
I have to admit, I'm going with the 'cross that bridge when we come to it' philosophy on this issue. Oh right - the issue is that there is no bridge. 8) I've been assured by people in the know that there is no way the strike will still be happening by Labour day weekend. And if it does, we could always take the suggestion of one helpful guest and build a land-bridge out of all Toronto's uncollected garbage!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

T-minus 94 days ...

Well, things are moving along at wedding HQ and there are a few things we wanted to share with everyone.

Number 1, Places To Stay.
If you're coming from out of town for the wedding, please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you find somewhere to stay. We've got a list of hostels, B & Bs and hotels in a range of prices that we'd love to share with you. Or you can check out helpful sites like tripadvisor for their suggestions. Unfortunately, the limited number of bed and breakfasts on the Toronto Islands are all booked up.

Numero 2, The Timing of Things.
Invitations will be in the mail some time soon, but here is one important advance detail: the ceremony will be starting around 4:30. On summer Saturdays the ferry leaves the terminal on the hour and half hour and arrives at Ward's Island at quarter after or quarter to the hour. It takes 10 or 15 minutes to walk from the Ward's Island ferry dock to the Algonquin Island Association hall. So, the last ferry you will be wanting to take will be the 4 p.m. ferry. Given that it will be Labour Day weekend and the ferry might be busier than usual, we encourage you to take a ferry earlier in the day and spend some time exploring the islands before the wedding starts. The first post has links to sites telling you all about the fun things to do on the the islands.

One important note - be sure to take the ferry to Ward's Island, not to Hanlan's Point or to Centre Island. We'll post detailed maps and instructions a bit later on.

Nombre 3, La Musique!
We're lucky to have two wonderful friends who are going to DJ for us. But, we don't want to have them stuck behind the turntables (aka laptops?) all night, so we also encourage you to bring along any music you think would be fun to dance to. Note to Nathan: this doesn't include Merzbow.

Monday, March 9, 2009

T-minus 179 days

Okay, here we go with the first blog post ever ...

If everything worked and your email program didn't filter us out as junk mail, then you've been directed here after receiving an email from one of us. If you somehow ended up at this site after clicking on a link asking for your personal banking information, please send your name and credit card number to the addresses below. 8)

First things first - we're getting married on Labour Day weekend. We're really hoping that you will be able to make it, so hopefully six months notice is far enough in advance. Apologies to anyone who normally goes camping or to the cottage - it was tough finding a date that fit into our field work and family schedules, and this is what we came up with.

Second, we're really excited about the location we've got booked, which is at the Algonquin Island Association Clubhouse on Toronto Island. Here is what the yard looked like a few weeks ago, covered in snow:












It's got a great view of the city, a big deck, and a lot of indoor space in case of rain.

Toronto Island is one of our favourite places in the city, and it has been part of both our lives since we were kids. If you've never been to Toronto Island or want to know more about it, check out the City of Toronto park website and the Toronto Island community website.

One very important detail is the ferry schedule, which can be found at City of Toronto link above. We're going to post more information on the ferry times and ticket details later.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Send one of us an email if you've got any questions, and feel free to check back here every now and then to see if there are any developments (although we can't promise we'll update this all that often!)

Cheers,
Laura & Steve