amanda & ben's wedding

Welcome to Our Wedding Blog!

2007-03-01T18:05:00.000-08:00

Hello there, wedding blog visitor! We're so excited for the wedding weekend, and we hope you'll be able to join us for the big day. We wanted to have a place to post important wedding information, and maybe not-so-important wedding information. Check back often, because you never know what kind of good stuff you might find here.

Also, please feel free to leave us a comment by signing our Guestbook!
See you soon!

Hotel & Transportation

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Hotel Information
The wedding ceremony and reception will take place at the Maison Dupuy Hotel in the French Quarter. Call 1-800-535-9177 and mention the Abrams-Dorfman wedding to reserve a room at the discounted rate of $169/night. (For anyone arriving early or staying late, the weeknight rate is $129.) Book your room as soon as possible since a limited number of rooms are available! You may request a room overlooking the courtyard where the ceremony and reception will take place, but keep in mind that these are smoking rooms.

Rooms are also available at the St. Christopher Hotel (just 9 blocks away). Call 1-800-645-9312 and mention the Abrams-Dorfman wedding to reserve a room at the discounted rate of $119/night. Don't forget to book your room as soon as you can!

Even if you're not sure if you will be able to make it to the wedding, please book your room early anyway. There is no penalty for cancellation more than 48 hours in advance, and if you book your room now you will be guaranteed to lock in the lower rate.

Transportation Tips
- If flying to New Orleans, the New Orleans International Airport is listed under the code MSY. Don't be fooled by travel websites that tell you Gulfport and Baton Rouge are "nearby airports." They aren't. We recommend periodically checking Kayak.com to find the best airfares. Southwest and Jet Blue also travel to New Orleans, so don't forget to look at their websites. Airport Shuttles to the French Quarter are availble. The rate is usually $13/person each way.

- Unless you feel strongly about having a car for the weekend, we encourage you NOT to rent a car. Parking at the hotel or in other French Quarter lots can be expensive. All of the wedding events will take place in the French Quarter, and everything is within walking distance. Just about anything else you might want to do in New Orleans is only a short cab ride away!

Weekend Events

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Thursday Night
Open House - For those of you arriving in New Orleans a little early, there will be an Open House at 7:30 p.m., graciously hosted by Alisa, Linda and Neil Baum, and Marci, Jeanne and Mark Juneau, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Juneau. If you are planning to be in New Orleans in time, we hope you'll join us in kicking off the weekend celebrations! Attire is casual (i.e., jeans are ok). Address to be provided at a later date.

Friday
Shabbat Services - There will be optional Shabbat Services at 6:00 p.m. before the rehearsal dinner. If you've never been to Shabbat services or if you attend each week, we'd love for you to join us! Guests of all religious backgrounds are welcome to attend. The service will be reminiscent of the style from the summer camp that Amanda and Ben attended as kids. Time and place to be provided at a later date. Attire is dressy-casual.

Rehearsal Dinner - The rehearsal dinner will take place at the Musee Conti Wax Museum 7:00 p.m. The museum tells the story of the history of New Orleans through wax sculpture - it's quite a site! Directions from the Maisonat Dupuy Hotel to the museum will be provided upon your arrival in New Orleans. Attire is dressy-casual. Hosted by Robin and Luis Dorfman

Saturday
Wedding and Ceremony - The wedding will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the courtyard of the Maison Dupuy hotel, with the reception immediately following. Dress is cocktail attire. The reception will end at 10:30 p.m., with a special surprise at the end of the night. Make sure you stay 'till the end, because you won't want to miss this!! Hosted by Puddin and Charles Abrams.

Sunday
Brunch - There will be an optional brunch on Sunday morning in Dominique's restaurant at the Maison Dupuy Hotel. Join in wishing Amanda and Ben farewell and grab a bite to eat before heading home. Attire is casual. Hosted by family and friends.

Our Story

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How We Met...
We attended the same summer camp as kids. Amanda claims that we didn't know each other, or even speak during the summer we were both on staff, but Ben thinks otherwise. After spending our college years in different parts of the country, we reconnected in New York City following dinner with a mutual friend. We hit it off so well that we walked back to our respective apartments without uttering a word to each other, spending the entire walk on our cell phones. A few weeks later, our first official date took place over sushi and a concert in Central Park - a true New York experience! The rest is history...

The Proposal...
Whenever Ben tries to surprise Amanda, she's always sees it coming a mile away. This was the lone exception. Amanda had been studying in Germany for a few weeks, and when she returned, Ben had plans for a nice "welcome home" dinner. Amanda suspected nothing out of the ordinary. We arrived at the restaurant on time, only for Ben to reveal that we were in fact early and suggest that we walk to the beach to watch the sun set. Standing on a grassy area overlooking the Santa Monica beach, Ben nervously unleashed an unrehearsed barrage of compliments and sweet nothings to Amanda. Even after dropping on one knee, Amanda still did not fully realize what was happening and tried to pull Ben back up. Finally, Ben showed her the ring, at which point Amanda figured out what was going on, and luckily for Ben, she said yes!

The Wedding Party

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Maid of Honor - Carrie Zaslow - Amanda's friend from College
Bridesmaid - Alisa Baum - Amanda's friend from High School
Bridesmaid - Andrea Dorfman - Ben's Sister
Bridesmaid - Michelle Dorfman - Ben's Sister
Bridesmaid - Marci Juneau - Amanda's friend from High School
Bridesmaid - Tracy Minkoff - Amanda's Sister
Bridesmaid - Abby Rosen - Amanda's Sister

Best Man - Jeremy Gold - Ben's friend from College
Best Man - Jeff Walker - Ben's friend from High School
Groomsman - Joshua Abrams - Amanda's Brother
Groomsman - Stephan Abrams - Amanda's Brother
Groomsman - Alan Cohen - Ben's friend from Camp and College (and Amanda's cousin)
Groomsman - David Rosen - Amanda's Brother-in-law
Groomsman - Lenny Sawyer - Ben's friend from High School
Groomsman - Thomas Weissinger - Ben's friend from High School