Fa-la-la-la...A Christmas Beagle

It's Edison's favorite time of the year...all the ornaments he can break and tree water he can drink.

Something Blue?

The hunt for my wedding day kicks begins now. I will need them for my first fitting in February (gasp) and I'm incredibly beyond ridiculously picky when it comes to footwear. I dream of Loubs for the wedding day but alas I'm being realistic (blah).

Martina Satin Peep Toes in Bright Hydrangea, $235

I found these beauts on J. Crew. What do ya think?

Letterpress, Yes!

I've been doing some serious bloggy oogling of the 2010 letterpress calendars that are being created. So I decided that they would be the perfect holiday gift and ordered one from Pistachio Press to give to my dear mamacita for Christmas. Eye candy! After receiving it today after just 2 days, I have decided that I must purchase one for myself also.

Bittersweet Wedding Cake

As I mentioned last week was a whirlwind of wedding planning. This planning included meeting with 4 different local bakeries in Chicago to taste some wedding cakes. What could be better than that? We met with two bakeries in the suburbs and two in the city. The city bakeries were clear winners not only in presentation and cake testing atmosphere but also in the modern designs that they had available.

We ended up deciding between Bittersweet Pastry Shop and Alliance Bakery. I recommend checking out both shops if you are a Chicago bride. The staff are fantastic at both and they really make the cake testing an experience! There were dishes of delicious fillings such as mocha creme and salted caramel buttercream that we lavishly spread on deliciously spongey mini-cakes such as banana, red velvet, and dark chocolate fudge.

source

Both experiences were truly decadent but Bittersweet Pastry Shop really took the cake (no pun intended). Sue Ann led us through our cake testing with such ease and fun. The flavors were delicious and most of all the cake designs that they had in their portfolio were modern and glam at the same time.

source

Our cake design is simple - 3 tiers with white on white flourish design and topped with a few peonies to tie in with the color scheme of the wedding. We have alternating layers of cake, one will be almond cake with vanilla creme brulee filling and fresh strawberris and the other will be almond cake with dark chocolate mousse. I'm salivating just thinking about them. Bittersweet offers a great option of side tiers so that we were able to have a smaller decorated cake that would feed approximately 100 guests out for cutting and 2 side tiers (undecorated by the same height and flavors) that will be in the kitchen to feed the remaining guests. Oh and they also will send a freshly baked top tier of our cake to enjoy on our first wedding anniversary...so we can avoid the freezer burn experience.

Flowers, Flowers, Flowers

I have to admit that meeting with florists last week may have been one of the most exciting parts of wedding planning so far. It was the first time that I felt like I could actually picture the day. All of the florists we met with were fabulous and they totally understood my vision for the day.

I am hoping to use the flowers as the pop of vibrant color against the neutral palette of the gray silver bridesmaids dresses as well as to liven up the classic sculptural feel of the Chicago Room at the CHM. We're now waiting anxiously to see the proposals that come back.

I cannot lie that one event designer / florist that we met with in particular really understood everything that I was thinking about for the design of the space. I felt like they could take it to a whole new breath taking level. Fingers crossed...if and when it works out I'll do the grand reveal.

Haus of Gaga

On a completely non-wedding related note, last night I went with friends to see Lady Gaga's show and I cannot stop saying how amazing it was. The crowd was fantastically eclectic and she sure can put on a great show. I highly recommend it to all you Gaga fans out there.

Fantabulously Frugal Giveaway

Fantabulously Frugal has 3 amazing holiday giveaway packages, including amazing gifts such as:

• $50 Gift Certificate to BeautyTicket.com
• Warm Vanilla Sugar Triple Moisture Body Cream from Bath & Body Works
• Gucci Buckle Sunglasses
• Voluspa Yuzu Rose Bubble Bath Candle
• Pencil case from Etsy seller Made by Hank stuffed with little goodies
• Paper Source note cards
• Gold leather Kate Spade passport case
• Gold Amrita Singh twisted hoop earrings

Check, check, check it out...because who doesn't need a little holiday cheer?