Sarah & Eric

Hotels and Motels

We've gotten some complaints that the hotel/motel information was a little difficult to scope out on here, so at Sarah's request I am reposting said information along with the explicit prices. Remember, for the Martha Washington you have to tell them that you would like a room with the Surak/Smith bloc and, for the Holiday Inn the SSW bloc.

Other general knowledge? Well, we have room blocs reserved in three hotels in Abingdon. In order of descending costs:

The Martha Washington Inn

$149

http://www.marthawashingtoninn.com/

150 West Main Street
Abingdon VA 24210
276-628-3161

The Holiday Inn Express
$75

940 E. Main St.
Abingdon, VA 24210
276-676-2829

The Alpine Motel

$49

882 E. Main St.
Abingdon, VA 24210
276-628-3178

Note that all these hotels are clean, have good service, and are very close to (or the home of, in the case of the Martha Washington) the reception and no more than about fifteen minutes on the interstate from Emory & Henry College, where the ceremony will be held.

Tuxedos

This is another letter I sent out to the wedding party, though this one was specifically for the groomsmen . . . the data, however, is equally relevant for Sarah's bridesmen.

Gentlemen,

I am writing with the tuxedo information. First and foremost, the tuxes will cost $124, including the vests, ties, shoes, and so forth. If you’re wondering, we’ll be wearing four-button tuxes with vests. The store data is:

Johnson City After Hours
Store # 732
3135 Peoples St., Space 200
(Adjacent to David’s Bridal)

http://www.afterhours.com

423-929-2200

That said, you can either call and give them your measurements or you can send them to me and I’ll holler at them for you – regardless, though, if you could let me know you’ve called if you’ve called, that would be better than great.

Gracias,

Eric

For Eric's Wedding Party

I sent this out in e-mail form a couple of weeks ago - I figured it was worth a repost - the only key changes are a few of the e-mails of guys who have moved or for whom I had typos.

Gentlemen and Scholars of the Wedding Party:

The time for planning has come. As ya’ll all know, I will be marrying Miss Sarah Marie Surak on Saturday, November 4^th in Emory, Virginia. Well, after much arranging, work, and re-arranging (my chief problems? Dissertation and then starting again from scratch after loosing all my contact info when my hard drive went south) we’ve come up with some lists . . . some of which are essential, some of which are less essential. Read on.

First, for everybody:

The general here and there of the weekend goes as such. First, on Friday, the rehearsal will be held at Memorial Chapel (http://www.ehc.edu/about/chapel.html) on Emory & Henry’s campus at 6:00 PM. Hopefully it’ll be fairly brief and we can move on with speed to the Groom’s Dinner, which will be held at the Greenway Haven Party House in Abingdon, just south of Emory.

After that, well, I imagine we’ll hit a local watering hole for some color, probably the Tavern or the Baja. On Saturday, well, the ceremony is at 6:30, again in Memorial Chapel. We’re not sure what time we’ll need everyone for photos or what sorts of diversions we’ll enlist in earlier that day, but I’ll get that to you in the near future. After the ceremony, we’ll be moving on to the Martha Washington Inn in Abingdon for the reception for good times.

Other general knowledge? Well, we have room blocs reserved in three hotels in Abingdon. In order of descending costs:

The Martha Washington Inn

http://www.marthawashingtoninn.com/

150 West Main Street
Abingdon VA 24210
276-628-3161

The Holiday Inn Express

940 E. Main St.
Abingdon, VA 24210
276-676-2829

The Alpine Motel

882 E. Main St.
Abingdon, VA 24210
276-628-3178

I’ve personally stayed in all of them at one point or another – they’re all clean, they all have good service, and the Holiday Inn and the Alpine are both just down the road from the Martha Washington.

If you want to fly directly into Abingdon and don't have a private plane, well, yeah. Sorry. I think the word is "unlikely."

That said, you have a couple of real options. One, you can hit the Tri-Cities Regional Airport (http://www.triflight.com). Tri-Cities in, however in Blountville, TN, around 25 miles from Abingdon. Thus you'll probably want to arrange a pick-up or rent a car.

Both Knoxville (McGhee Tyson Airport http://www.tys.org) and Roanoke (Roanoke Regional Airport http://www.roanokeregionalairport.com) have slightly larger airports. The cost-benefit ratio should be obvious. Flying into one of these larger airports might save you money on the ticket (substantial money, even) but you're going to have to deal with the two hours of driving involved in getting to Abingdon, and that probably means renting a car unless you have a definite ride from one of those two locales. If you're thinking about flying in somewhere further away (e.g. Washington, Richmond, Nashville, etc.) know that these are not nearby. That said, if you want to pick up some other regional culture, well heck, go for it. Oh, and drive a lot.

Also, Sarah has set up website for us on the Knot.com, specifically: http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/view/co_main.aspx?coupleid=3266960342220000

It has a lovely color scheme and other assorted data. She’s entered some of it a little off, and I’m gonna’ try to get that fixed in the next couple of days.

Okay, here is the more particular data. Of key importance? I want ya’ll to check out your details – make sure I have your name written the way you want it (titles, etc.) and that your contact info is right. Awesome.

For the groomsmen:

First, the list and contact info -

BEST MAN - Trevor D. Smith, MA – 276-698-5827 soulsownspeech@hotmail.com

R. Lee Campbell – 804-366-3581 dynabodybylee@aol.com

Christopher T. Catron – 276-970-1950 buyardo@hotmail.com

Jason M. Clayman – 276-614-0935 jclayman@radford.edu

Joseph W. Hodge, Jr. – 336-456-1778 joehodge2@msn.com

Robert E. Jones – 804-366-3581 bjones@petroleumtransport.com

Tyler G. Kidd, Esq. – 804-915-7621 tkidd@williamsmullen.com

Robert Schutt, MD – 804-441-4770 rob.schutt@ttuhsc.edu

Robert M. Stallworth, III - 804-402-8122 rstallworth@hotmail.com

Not to mention the ringbearer, my little cousin Brett Baker, and our flower girl, little Emma Hodge. To your adoring parents – Brad and Leslie, we’re going to have tux data here in the next little bit, and Joe, we’re actually checking to see if my step-aunt might be interested in making the dress for us. More soon.

Second, whenever you can get it to me, I need you to get fitted for a tux. Right now I’m planning on getting the tuxes at the Johnson City After Hours Tuxedos – I am, however, checking out the prices on one establishment in Abingdon. Also, I’m trying to get the final approval on some tuxes from the boss (e.g. Sarah) and I’ll let you know more on the costs as soon as I can. I can tell you I’m planning on tuxes with vests and neckties, rather than bow ties or cummerbunds.

Also, we’re trying to get the layout for the groomsmen up-front in the chapel – to do that I’ll need your heights. Awesome.

For the Ushers:

First, the list and contact info -

Capt. Jay S. Burns, Esq. – 423-329-0767 jayburns@gmail.com

Dep. Michael Christian – 540-537-6552 mchristian421@cox.net

Capt. Matthew Davis – 304-290-5851 mattdavis3232@yahoo.com

Dep. John G. Gunter – 304-952-9266 johngunterjr@yahoo.com

C.H. Riley, III, Pharm.D. – 843-971-3612 carnchr@comcast.net

Capt. Richard Schermer – 808-225-4257 richandang@hotmail.com

Sean C. Taylor – 919-225-8591 sctaylor@king.edu

Brian White, MA – 607-351-8429 bwhite@csl.cornell.edu

Your arrangements are a little simpler. Just a suit (preferably black, but gray or brown will work) or, if you’re a cop or military, your uniform. That’s the long and the short of it. I know a couple of you are far, far away and may not be able to come, and I don’t want you to feel over-pressured, but I would dig it if you can be here – just let me know when you know.

The Readers:

Titus Oxley – 540-907-2941 titusoxley@yahoo.com

Rev. Christopher E. Raines – 973-822-3239 ceraines@hotmail.com

The Honoraries & Folks With Other Jobs

Okay guys, here’s the mishmash – I am blessed with entirely too many friends for me to have everyone in the wedding. Its already a little insane, as you can plainly see. That said, dig – you’re invited to the rehearsal dinner. Buya.

Michael Armbrister – 276-685-6031 armbristers@yahoo.com

Sgt. James Atkins – 865-335-5625 jatkins@utk.edu

Wesley B. Boggs – 865-696-0299 wboggs@utk.edu

Chuck Clark – 423-367-2822 ckclark@chartertn.net

Vaughn W. Garland, MFA (Program Designer) – 804-869-0065 vaughnwg@hotmail.com

Brian Gillespie (Rehearsal Dinner Photographer) – 276-614-0267 bgillespie@ehc.edu

Neal Hutton – 276-614-5903 tnealhutton@comcast.net

Seth E. Jennings, Pharm.D. – 423-646-8167 sjennings@charter.net

Adam Kennedy – 276-356-2627 blzlambs02@yahoo.com

Stephen E. Long – 423-341-5839 blzgump@yahoo.com

Michael Mason – 540-230-9409 mmason@swva.net

Hank McCarthy, MA – 919-599-0936 karatecop@hotmail.com

Teddy Warren – 703-403-1912 teddy41@gmail.com

Jonathon G. Whittaker – 423-912-8640 JonathanGWhittaker@hotmail.com

Stephen Wiley – 276-608-0891 blzwiley@yahoo.com

Jimmy Woods – 276-356-2857 jimmywoods@bvunet.net

Allen Worrell – 276-733-4465 aworrell@thecarrollnews.com

Wedding Registry

Sarah and I have successfully narrowed down our gift registry to just three stores. First, Paper and More in Bluefield, VA - a nice little store where we did a full walkthrough. Second, we registered for our china (formal and informal) at Belk. . . . we recommend you look at the website and print out an image of the pattern before you go in to shop, if only because there seems to be some confusion among sales representatives from time to time. Finally, we registered at the legendary Bed, Bath and Beyond. Huzzah!

Flying to Abingdon

If you want to fly directly into Abingdon and don't have a private plane, well, yeah. Sorry. I think the word is "unlikely."

That said, you have a couple of real options. One, you can hit the Tri-Cities Regional airport. Tri-Cities in, however in Blountville, TN, around 25 miles from Abingdon. Thus you'll probably want to arrange a pick-up or rent a car. If you want to map it, well, the address is:

2525 Highway 75
Blountville, TN 37617

Both Knoxville and Roanoke have slightly larger airports. The cost-benefit ratio should be obvious. Flying into one of these larger airports might save you money on the ticket (substantial money, even) but you're going to have to deal with the two hours of driving involved in getting to Abingdon, and that probably means renting a car unless you have a definite ride from one of those two locales. If you're thinking about flying in somewhere further away (e.g. Washington, Richmond, Nashville, etc.) know that these are not nearby. That said, if you want to pick up some other regional culture, well heck, go for it. Oh, and drive a lot.

Driving to Abingdon

While the details towards the end of your trip will change according to where you're staying - specifically you'll want to take exit 17 if you are heading to the Martha Washington or exit 19 if you're headed to the Alpine or Holiday Inn.

From Bluefield and all parts West Virginian: Take I-77 south, then take the I-81 south exit (exit 40) toward Bristol. Depending on which Abingdon exit you'll be taking, you'll be on I-81 for 55 to 60 miles. (alternative route: take highway 19 south to downtown Abingdon)

From Clemson and all parts South Carolinian: Take I-26 west until you merge with I-81 north (towards Bristol). You'll be on I-81 for 35 to 40 miles depending on your destination in Abingdon.

From Roanoke and all parts northwestern and northern Virginian: Take I-81 south - from Roanoke you'll be on I-81 for 125 to 130 miles, depending on your destination in Abingdon.

From central and eastern Virginia: Take I-64 west to I-81 south (the Lexington/Roanoke exit). From Richmond you'll be on I-64 west for about 100 miles, from Norfolk about 190 miles. After heading south you'll be on I-81 south for 205 miles depending on your destination in Abingdon.

From Knoxville and east Tennessee: Take I-40 east for around 34 miles until you reach the I-81 junction, then take I-81 north towards Bristol. You'll be on I-81 for around 90-95 miles (from Greeneville, also on I-81 north, you'll be 40-45 miles) depending on your specific destination in Abingdon.

From Asheville and southeast North Carolina: Take I-26 west for about 55 miles, then merge onto I-81 north towards Bristol. You'll be on I-81 for 35 to 40 miles, depending on your stopping point in Abingdon.

From Charlotte: Take I-77 north to Wytheville, then take the I-81 exit south. You'll be on I-81 for about 65 to 70 miles, depending on end destination in Abingdon.

From Winston-Salem and the Research Triangle: Take highway 52 north to I-77 north. When you reach Wytheville, take the I-81 exit south. You'll be on I-81 for about 65 to 70 miles, depending on end destination in Abingdon.

From Wise and all parts deep southwestern Virginia: Take highway 58 east (alt) until you reach highway 19 south. You'll be on highway 19 about 12 miles before it spits you out into downtown Abingdon.

From Texas, New York, Singapore, etc.: Get in a Plane.

Accomodations

The Abingdon/Emory area has a plethora of good hotels and motels. If you'd like a general overview, I recommend the Washington County Chamber of Commerce page. That said, of course, Sarah and I have reserved blocks of rooms at three Abingdon locations - The Martha Washington Inn (276-628-3161 or 888-888-5252), the Abingdon Holiday Inn Express (276-676-2829 or 800-465-4329), and the Alpine Motel (276-628-3178). I won't try to put directions to all on here, however in case you do use an internet map/direction generator, the addresses are:

The Martha Washington Inn
(Location of the Reception)
Block Name: Surak-Smith Wedding Block
150 West Main Street
Abingdon VA 24210
Phone: 276-628-3161
Cost: $149/night for standard room (one double bed or two double beds) $159/night deluxe room with one king bed (+tax)

Holiday Inn
Block Name: SSW
940 East Main Street
Abingdon, VA 24210
Phone Number: 276-676-2829
Cost: $75/night + tax

Alpine Motel
882 East Main Street
Abingdon, VA 24210
Phone Number: 276- 628-3178
Cost: $49/night

As you can see, all three are on Main Street and, if you haven't been to Abingdon, thus are easily accessible to I-81, or if you're more adventurous, the Lee or Hillman Highways.

Times, Dates, & Places

Drumroll, please.

The Rehersal: The rehersal will begin at 6PM on Friday, November 3rd at Memorial Chapel in Emory (more details on the Chapel below). For those participating, think business casual. Afterwards we're off to the Greenway Haven Party House in Abingdon. The Greenway is where my fraternity (Beta Lambda Zeta) used to hold its fraternity rushes and is home to some of the best food I've ever put in my mouth (when I called Ms. Janson to reserve the facilities and mentioned I was a Lamb, she laughed and said, "well, I know what you'll want - homemade macaroni and cheese and hot rolls." The latter are so good that we developed a reputation for pilfering them. . . but that's a different story. . .). After the rehersal, well, there's always the Tavern. . .

The Ceremony: At 6:30PM in the evening on Saturday, November 4th we'll be strolling through Memorial Chapel (which is the home of Emory United Methodist Church) for the Wedding. The chapel is physically and metaphorically in the center of Emory & Henry College's campus. Consider this quote from EHC's website:

Although Memorial Chapel is not old enough to be labeled historic, it is considered by many people to be one of the College's most handsome buildings. Constructed in 1957-58, the building was made possible by numerous gifts, large and small, from alumni and friends of the College. The building was named so as to be a memorial to everyone who has been connected with the life of the College. Memorial Chapel is perfectly aligned with Wiley Hall, reflecting the College's dual commitments to intellectual attainment and religious commitment. The entrances of the two buildings are lined up, and the Chapel steeple reaches a height exactly equivalent to the top of the Wiley Hall bell tower. The Chapel is the focal point for many of the College's religious life activities, many of which are aimed at service to the community beyond the College campus. Students take part in retreats and youth programs off campus and in Habitat for Humanity, a nationwide program that constructs housing for low-income families. Other religious life activities include Bible studies, Campus Christian Fellowhip, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Campus Christian Weekend, and Kerygma.

Did you get all of that? On a personal note, its special to me personally because not only has it played a key role in numerous events of my life (my graduation, uncounted cultural experiences, the emergency location for my Non-Western Religions class with Dr. Kellogg after the great leg-breaking, etc.) but it is the home to a piano (which will be incorporated into the ceremony)dedicated to my mother's memory. . . having it there is kinda' like having my Momma' right in the middle of things.

Reception: We're going to be having the reception at the Martha Washington Inn in the Ballroom (and East Parlor) immediately following the ceremony. That's right, we'll be celebrating right where Sarah and I got engaged. The Martha is absolutely gorgeous; all stars and columns. To quote their home page:

Originally built in 1832 as a private residence by a Virginia General, The Martha Washington Inn has seen many different uses. From private residence it evolved into a finishing school for young ladies. When the armies of the Civil War battled in and around Abingdon, the building served as a hospital for wounded soldiers, and romantic stories of nurses and soldiers still endure to this day. After the Civil War The Martha became a women’s college and today is an elegant hotel, paying homage to its gracious Southern roots and enduring historic legacy.

If you're wondering, my Great-Grandma' graduated from ol'MaWa in 1904. Kinda' cool

Engagement

So, I had been saving since late April or early May, putting my pennies aside. Finally last week, about Tuesday, I was able to make a purchase - an emerald and diamond engagement ring on a platinum setting. I had promised Sarah white gold - the difference in price delayed the engagement for a month, but I think it was worth it. Regardless, I had been prepping for a month to propose to Sarah in a complicated but (I think) awesome way. I was going to convince her we were going to tour the Sunsphere in Knoxville, but then, well, another opportunity appeared. Let me explain.

Sarah and I were on our way to the Martha Washington Inn in Abingdon, VA for a Patrick Henry Society dinner - a black-tie for donors and friends of Emory & Henry College. I had the ring hidden and in tow (I had picked it up that day) to show it to Trevor and my Dad. Sarah and I started talking about the wedding and I lamented that I didn't yet have enough money to purchase a ring yet. Sarah of course told me that she didn't care what the ring looked like or how much it cost, she just wanted to get engaged, and I was like, well. . . that doesn't matter. I have picked a ring out and by-God I'm going to get it to you. Remember, all of this is a lie, and the ring is less than a foot behind Sarah.

Sarah gets frustrated and, frankly, a little angry. By angry I might mean she didn't talk to me or look at me for the hour left in the drive to Abingdon. In that time I realized I was never going to get a better chance: not only is the Martha one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, but more to the point, when would I ever have Sarah more completely off-guard than in this instance. Well, I go into the hotel to check-in and get the front desk to order a dozen roses for me for immediate delivery. I get Sarah in the room, she cleans up, then she sees a note on a table in the room:

Sarah Marie, will you marry me?

Her response was poetic:

ERIC DRUMMOND SMITH, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?

I got down on one knee and proposed formally. She cried and smiled and laughed and said:

Of course I'll marry you!

There were other permutations, but there it is. That night we went to the dinner with my family then hit the Martha's Presidents' Club with Dad, Karen, Trevor and several old friends from Emory. There were champagne toasts and numerous hugs.

True story.