About the Keeler Tavern and The Cass Gilbert Garden House
(The ceremony will be held behind the Tavern in the Cass Gilbert Garden House)
The
Keeler Tavern's Official Website 
The Secret Garden at Keeler Tavern
The Bridal Party
Bride
My two sisters, Erica and MaryAnne, will be Bridesmaids.
Ryan Christopher, my nephew, will be Ring-Bearer. Chris's cousins, Danielle and Alyssa Starace will be Flower-Girls.
Groom
Peter Carlton is my Best Man- He has been a great friend since we met on a bicycle ride shortly after I met Cara.
My brother Bob and my friend Craig Moskowitz, whom I've known since junior high school will be my ushers.
Cara's Profile
(For those on Chris's side who don't know me)
I'm 32, and grew up in Ridgefield, CT. After getting my bachelor of fine arts in painting from S.U.N.Y.@Purchase I taught children's art classes for an art center. After working with special education students I decided I would get my masters degree in special education. Now I'm teaching middle school students in Hawthorne, NY. I continue to paint when I can, but spend most of my spare time outside on my bike or hiking. I became even more fanatical about cycling since meeting Chris.
Chris's Profile
(For those on Cara's side who don't know me)
I'm 28, and was and raised in East Lyme, CT (Near New London and Mystic). I do technical and administrative support for Standard & Poor's Real Time Stock Data Division in Harrison, NY. I graduated from UCONN, Storrs with a BA in Political Science and Spanish. After college I spent two years in the Peace Corps in Benin, West Africa. I have created a web site dedicated to my experiences there if you are interested in learning more: Fon is Fun...Really! I love to travel and I enjoy foreign languages. I speak French, Spanish and Fon. I am an avid cyclist, as is Cara.
How we met
Cara and I both love cycling and we belong to cycling clubs that organize group rides. We ride several times a week almost year-round and log about 3,000 miles a year. We both belonged to separate cycling clubs when me met in Oct 1998. We met on a 40 mile ride organized by our respective bike clubs that left out of New Canaan, CT. I rode up next to her and my very clever opener was, "So do you ride with this club often?" and it has been a fun ride ever since! We got engaged on our two year anniversary and will be married on our 3 year anniversary.
Meet the other side of the family:
The Starace's- My parents (Kathy and Tony) currently live in East Lyme, CT. My dad was a mechanical engineer at General Dynamics in Groton, CT and now he is enjoying an early retirement. My mom is a home economics teacher at Ledyard Jr. High School in Ledyard, CT. I have one brother, Bob (age 22) who is very interested in music and is a great guitar player. My parents were born and raised in Queens, NY. When they married in 1972, they moved to New Paltz, NY for a year before settling in East Lyme. They currently love to travel and have been taking trips to Europe now that the nest is empty.
The Viggiano's- My parents (Ronnie and Vince) still live in Ridgefield, CT in the house where I grew up. Dad works for the City of Waterbury and Mom works with Special Education Students at Ridgefield High School. My sister Erica is living in Denver Colorado, and my brother, John lives with his family in southern California. My parents met in a ski club in the early 60's and were married in 1964. My siblings and I grew up skiing and and enjoying many of the activities Chris and I do in our spare time today.
Honorary Guests
When I (Chris) was in the Peace Corps in Benin, West Africa, I made many close friends with whom I still correspond by mail. I miss them greatly and would love to have them at our wedding. Alas, they are very poor and cannot afford to come. Since I left I have wanted to return to Benin to visit as well as share Benin with my future spouse. Much of who I am today I owe to Benin and all the people that I met there. Sharing Benin with Cara will help her know me better. We have tentative plans to go to Benin for two weeks in August, 2002 and we will celebrate our marriage with my Beninese friends then. In their honor we will incorporate a traditional African religious rite into our wedding ceremony.
I would like to share with you an excerpt from a letter that I received from my friend Angelo (translated from French):
"When I announced the news concerning the marriage between you and Cara, there was an explosion of cries and chants all over Adjacome (my old neighborhood). We saved up some money to buy the necessary items, and we went to make libations on the altars of the Voodoo gods Heviosso and Dan so your marriage will hold strong....The gods Ja, Heviosso, Agassou, and Tohosu will be behind you and Cara, and you will have a successful marriage.
Click Here to see some pictures of my friends and neighbors:
Photo 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Directions to the Ceremony and Reception
Exit 15.
North on Route 7. Expressway ends after 2 miles. Right at light.
Left at next light staying on Rt. 7 North. Continue about 3 miles and go
left on Route 33 West for about five miles. After passing the
fountain on the left Keeler Tavern will be on the right.
From I-84
Exit 3.
South on Route 7 about 3 miles and then turn right on Route 35 east.
Continue on Route 35 through Ridgefield (Main Street). Keeler Tavern is on
the left just past the center of town. If you pass a fountain on your right you
have gone too far.
Directions to the Reception
Turn right as you exit Keeler Tavern. At third light, turn right on Prospect Street. Italian-American Center is on the right before top of hill.
Hotel Information for Out of Town Guests:
Ridgefield Motor Inn
296 Ethan Allen Highway (route 7)
Ridgefield, CT 06877
(203) 438-3781
$85.00 per night. Rooms have two double beds.
To get to Keeler Tavern go left out of driveway onto route 7 south. After less than a mile go right onto route 102. Follow for 3.5 miles and go left onto Main Street. Keeler Tavern is up the street on the left. Less than twenty minutes from ceremony and reception.
Hilton Garden Inn
119 Millplane Road
Danbury, CT 06811
(203) 205-2000
$99.00 per night. One king size bed or two double beds.
To get to Keeler Tavern go left out of driveway onto
Millplane Road. Follow to I-84 east. Take exit 3 and follow directions as above.
About 30 minutes from ceremony and reception.
We have already reserved a few rooms so when making reservations, mention Cara Viggiano or Chris Starace. Please reserve by Sept. 1st.
Links to Our Gift Registries
Pottery Barn (store locator only)
Honeymoon
We're going to Merida, Mexico for a week the day after the wedding. Merida is a small city on the Yucatan peninsula west of Cancun. We're going to spend a few days in Merida, a few days at the nearby beach and a few days visiting Mayan ruins.
Please contact us to say hello or if you need any more information. We're looking forward to seeing you on our big day!
