My having been one of the rare grooms-to-be to post on The Knot’s DC message board has brought some traffic to this website.

While posting on The Knot isn’t the most masculine thing I’ve done (that would be when I did a tough-guy shot: snorting salt from the back of my hand, downing a tequila shot, and squirting lemon juice into my eye), I’m not embarrassed about it. I was hoping Margaret would see my posts there and think I was actually helping us plan our wedding.

Anyway, if you’re visiting this site for the first time, here are some of the most popular posts for you to check out:

• Songs we don’t want to hear at our wedding reception: Meet a do-not-play list
• What the groom will be sporting
• It’s my special day—everyone says so

When we still were deciding where we would hold our wedding ceremony and reception, we learned that as soon as the word “wedding” was mentioned, the charges increased.

So instead of telling people upfront that I was hosting a wedding, I said it was a reception. I didn’t lie; if asked I said it was a wedding. Regardless, eventually, the venue’s coordinator would ask for specifics. When I said that it was a wedding, I usually was told that the price he or she quoted me earlier no longer applied; the facility had “special rates for weddings.”

When I pressed for the reason behind this special rate, I had some interesting exchanges:

• “We’ve charged all of our other weddings more money and it wouldn’t be fair to those brides if we charged you less.”
• “We give special attention to weddings.” When I asked if that meant that they didn’t give special attention to their other customers, there was silence
• “Mothers of the bride are difficult to deal with.” I found it offensive that they were prejudging my mom. And sheÂ’’s easy to deal with.

Regardless, all of their responses centered on the concept of “my special day.”

You see if “my” day (never once “our” day) was to be special, I would need extra attention and that required more money. Time and again people tried to sell the notion that the day must be perfect and for a little bit more they could make the wedding of my dreams come true.

I am not the bride-to-be who has had a vision since childhood of what her wedding day would be like. I assumed that there would be a groom and depending on who the groom was, members of my family would be in attendance (thankfully they’re still showing up, despite it being Zach).

I knew, however, somethings that I did not want

• poultry—my beef is not with the bird, but rather with the industry where the big processing companies exploit small chicken farmers
• a traditional cake—(you’ll have to see what weÂ’re substituting for cake at the reception)—Zach and I don’t like cake that much, ergo no cake
• a veil—just a personal decision; I don’t want to wear one

Funny thing is though, no matter how clear I had been with potential caterers and dress shops, they don’t listen.

One catering company, listed as one of the best in Washington, DC, by the Washingtonian (”brides like this 79-year-old company’s food and service; an ‘event designer’ is assigned to each wedding”) submitted a potential menu of chicken lurking under wild mushrooms, as well as an elaborate multi-tiered cake encased in spun sugar flowers.

And while looking at dresses at a snooty Alexandria, VA, bridal shop (Hannelore’s), one salesperson ignored my refusal of a veil and plopped one on my head.

She then said, “See, don’t you look beautiful with the veil?”

I said, “I think I’m beautiful anyway” and left.

The Hamilton Crowne Plaza hotel, where we secured a discounted rate for our wedding guests, just sent us the list of rooms already reserved on our block. As of this morning, half of it is full. So if you haven’t made your accommodations and are planning on staying at the Hamiton Crowne Plaza, you might want to do so soon.

Also, the hotel has been extending the discounted rate to additional nights should you want to stay longer to enjoy Washington, DC. Margaret and I aren’t leaving for our honeymoon until Monday, September 24, so if you’re thinking of staying over Sunday (or even just leaving late that day) please let us know. We’d love to hang out with you!

Of course, if you’d like to save even more money, you could just sleep on the Metro.

Thanks to those of you who sent us the link to the article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, “Wedded Bliss: Brides and Grooms Online.”

As for why we weren’t mentioned: Margaret blames the liberal media’s bias.

Anyway, here’s my favorite part of the piece:

Marisa Stones, manager at a financial-services company in Bermuda, used her wedding blog to keep friends and family members up to date on her engagement ring: “The ring has a three-stone setting. The middle stone is a princess-cut diamond, .74 carats, clarity of VS1, and color E,” wrote Mrs. Stones. “The side stones are amazing sapphires that weigh about half a carat altogether.”

While I like the ring I bought Margaret, if she blogs its specs, it’s coming off her finger and going on eBay.

In the next few months we’re profiling all of our wedding’s food. Check back to get the dish on the dishes.

Margaret and I are not fans of traditional wedding cake. And while she’s not a fan of meat either, she does support hunters. And I, of course, have never been known to pass up a good meatloaf.

So behold one of the cake options we are considering.

Yes, that cake is meatloaf, covered with mashed-potato frosting and ketchup.

If you’d like the recipe, check out the Black Widow Bakery (via Digg).

*not scheduled to be served