Sorry and A Give Away

Sorry I've been beyond MIA. Work has been nuts and I spent most of last weekend cooking up a storm for our super bowl party. I promise to get back on it after this weekend (my first dress fitting!!)

On to more exciting news...my bloggy pal, Random Reflections of a Perfectionist is hosting a fabulous give away.

Quick...scurry on over there and enter the sexy little giveaway now!

Drool Worthy Moment: Peony Pomander

I never really understood the fuss about pomanders. That is until I stumbled across this beauty on one of my most favoritest blogs...Erin ever After

Seriously...I'm drooling.

The Perfect Bouquet II

2 days in a row.

It must be fate...or coincidence!

via 100 Layer Cake

Wedding Puppy

Our 2 year old beagle, Edison is the love of my life (second to M...at least until we have children). I am so sad that given the many circumstances, we will not be able to include him in our wedding. We really wanted him incorporated somehow but given the flight to Chicago (he's too big to go under the seat) and the venue (surprisingly enough, museums tend to not allow dogs on their property), it just did not make sense.

He's my baby though and I will miss him. I'm still looking for some cute way to include a snippet of him along the way. We'll see.
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I love looking at wedding posts that have dogs in them though. It makes me slightly envious but happy for those folks who can include these fantastic family members in their big day.

Sugar Doll!

Jenn over at the awesome A Bride's Brain gave me the Sugar Doll Blogger Award. Go check out her funny and inspiring tales of wedding planning, if you haven't already.

So on to 10 facts:

1. I have recently discovered the joy of cooking and baking - I am on the verge of making both M and I extremely overweight for our wedding!

2. I always wanted to be a writer when I was growing up...somehow I ended up in a completely different profession but blogging has brought me back to my roots.

3. I have an odd fear of wax museums.

4. I spent 6 months living in Florence when I was in college and I would easily move back to Europe for 6 more months if the opportunity arose.

5. I'm a fiercely competitive board game player...my personal favorite is Scattegories.

6. I save all of my fashion magazings (pack rat much), I have Vogues and Instyles from 2004 still in my apartment.

7. I have an obsession with vintage French advertising posters.

8. I have seen every single episode of Friends, Seinfeld, and Sex and the City.

9. One of my favorite authors is Faulkner...although at times the thought of trying to re-read some of his work terrifies me.

10. I am an art history buff who wishes that she was an artist.

Phew...that was harder than I thought it would be! Okay I know that this award has been looping the blogger circuit for some time but I wanted to pass along to some of my fave daily reads (sorry if you've already received!).

Behind the Knot

Chicago Bride to Be

Just Lovely

Not Really Blogging Material

Oh Me, Oh My Wedding

Prosecco and Lemonade

Random Reflections of a Perfectionist

That Bride's Got Chutzpah

Victoria With Roses

Wed in the White City

Wedding Planning During Times of Sadness

The process of planning a wedding is a long and winding road. Throughout a year plus long engagement many different life events can occur. Some very happy like new babies being born and some on the sadder end. It can be a strange road for a bride to be.

My family has gone through many sad events over the course of my engagement. I know I'm not alone in this as I have read similar stories from my fellow bloggers. I have seen their stories of grief and hardship as they attempt to continue to plan their wedding and they have all inspired me with their strength and hope in love and their future. It is an on-going emotional roller coaster while planning a wedding, a milestone in itself. So it is an interesting conundrum when we are faced with these times of grief and struggle as we continue to plan for this event that symbolizes happiness and life.

In speaking with my mom tonight, her thoughtful words truly crystallized the struggle. I spoke to her about how selfish it felt at times to worry about such frivolous details while my loved ones are grappling with the sudden decline in multiple family members' health and the loss of two beloved dogs. My mom reminded me that a marriage is about a hopeful and promised future, between not only the wife and the husband but the extended family. It is a renewed vow to truly cherish the loved ones that you are surrounded by everyday and a reminder to always let them know the impact they have on your life.

Lighting Inspiration

I desperately want to incorporate long strings of the rotund lights for our reception or ceremony. Some might think that this lighting would be better suited for an outdoor soiree and I may have been previously inclined to agree...but the more and more that I see of them I must have them! Inside or Out!

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Are you bringing any uniquely outdoor inspiration into your indoor venue? Or vice versa?

Engaged And It Feels So Good

I know I have yet to tell the story of our engagement. I don't know why that is...I think it's partially because I'm bummed that there are not any pictures of the fantastic event and the story is so simple that it feels like it needs something! Regardless, it was one of the happiest days of our lives so it's worth telling with or without illustration.

M and I had been living together for a little over a year and while we had chatted about marriage, he went out of his way to ensure that I did not think it was happening anytime soon. One blustery March Friday evening, M and I were trying to figure out where to go for dinner after work. He was acting a bit strange and kept shooting down my request to go for greasy burgers in South Boston. We finally decided on Joe's at the Waterfront, which is one of our favorite restaurants perched right on Christopher Columbus Park at the Boston harbor. As we drove towards the restaurant, Beyonce's Single Ladies came on the radio, and if I remember correctly I waved my hand in front of M's face a number of times singing "If you like it than you should have put a ring on it". Little did I know...

Blurry iPhone Picture Courtesy of M

We arrived at the restaurant and started walking towards the door, when M took a slight detour right and steered me towards a park bench on the harbor. As we were walking he pulled a ring box out of his pocket and asked me to marry him. Everything that happened after that was a blur. I remember screaming and apparently asked him if he was joking a number of times before he finally asked me if I was going to say yes. We spent the rest of the night staring at my ring...staring at each other...calling our friends...and of course eating Joe's quesadillas for sustenance.

What's your proposal story? Were you as surprised as I was?

All About the Boys

After a heated debate (on-going since we were engaged), M and I have finally decided on the attire for the boys. Now, M has been saying all along that this is the ONE decision that he truly wanted to be a part of. Okay fine, I guess that is a reasonable request.

We considered the formal tux but it felt a bit too stuffy and old school for our outdoor plaza ceremony, especially with the bow tie. We want the boys to look modern yet chic (well, the the chic part may just be me but a girl can hope, right?)

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I had always envisioned the boys in amazing gray summer suits. Yet after much time spent searching online, we found limited options for suit rentals.

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We did not want to ask everyone to buy new gray suits, so we settled on the classic black suit. M will be buying himself a new one (finally getting rid of those front pleated pants from his college suit) but we have told all the other guys that they can wear whatever black suit they have on hand. No need to be so matchy matchy. They'll wear plain white shirts and we'll gift them with the tie and pocket square to complete the look. Yes, I love myself a good pocket square!

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With that decision made, we easily finalized the bridesmaids dresses...remember these? We decided on the silver as we think it will look really fun with the black suits. I cannot wait to see our besties all dressed up and ready to go.

How did you decide on your wedding party's attire? Did you go back and forth as much as we did?

My Best Friends' Weddings

I'm lucky enough to be planning my wedding at the same time of two of my dearest girlfriends, who happen to be my MOH and bridesmaid. It is such an amazing experience to share together and so perfect to have each other as sounding boards when our soon-to-be-Mr's cannot bear the indecisiveness any longer.

The most interesting part of planning has been how our personalities have so distinctly differentiated our wedding plans. I've gathered "faux" inspiration boards for our 3 weddings as an example.

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Bridesmaid S is having a modern chic wedding with a hot pink flare.

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My peach and apricot faux inspiration board.

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MOH is having an elegant and classic affair, lit with champagne accents.

Are you planning along side your besties?

A Bridesmaid Dress Outing

I arrived home yesterday from a fantastic visit to Chicago. I was able to spend some quality time with my oldest and dearest girlfriends, many of whom I also asked to be bridesmaids. (P.S. They adored these, seriously so perfect tied around a mini-bottle of champagne).

I asked two of my girls to visit a few bridesmaid dress stores with me. I wanted them to be involved in the actual choosing of the dress, although I had a pretty strong idea of what I was looking for. We started at Bella Bridesmaids on Oak in Chicago. The store was cute albeit crowded with a couple of bridesmaid groups during our appointment. After trying on several designer collections (everything from Lela Rose to Simply Silhouettes), we found the dress.

The dress is from Coren Moore and the style is called Nolan. I wish that we had taken pictures but it somehow slipped my mind as I was gabbing and enjoying spending time with my girls. The dress was flattering on both body types and I had no problem imagining each one of my 8 ladies donning the frock. It is fitted at top with a slight sweetheart neckline and then a flirty skirt. It feels more cocktail dress than bridesmaid dress which I was digging.

All Photos from Coren Moore

As for the color, we saw it in the silver color above and I fell immediately but in looking through the different swatches, I think that the dark sage will be more fitting with our color and location (imagine it accented with apricot bouquets...swoon).

How did you find your bridesmaid dresses?

Someone Else's Inspiration Board

I have yet to create my own inspiration board. I think I'm almost paralyzed by the sheer volume of inspiration pictures I've collected. How could I possibly whittle those down to just 5 or 6? So I've begun searching for other people's inspiration boards to call my own.

Is that cheating?

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I love this apricot & pink inspiration board from Green Wedding Shoes. I would weave in some light green accents and pump up the vibrancy of the apricot a bit. But this will do for now.

Labor Day = Backyard BBQs

I hope you all have enjoyed a fantastic long weekend filled with friends, family, and backyard bbqs. Labor Day Weekend is always bittersweet as to me it represents the last summer weekend. Next year we have two (count 'em 2!) weddings Labor Day Weekend so we will not be participating in the typical Labor Day traditions.

We're thrilled though to celebrate with two of our best friends (and hoping that we can swing it with one wedding in Denver and the other in Boston).

Lastly, to all of you lovely ladies who celebrated your weddings this weekend...congratulations!

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Alchemy This

What bride does not love Etsy? I've spent hours oogling the beautiful hand made wedding wares on the site since M and I were engaged. I only recently learned about the Alchemy option after reading about it on a recent Miss Star entry.

Some of you may remember my Etsy search to find the perfect bridesmaid card to ask my lovely ladies to join my wedding party. I just wasn't totally sold on the idea and wanted to do something a bit more "me" to ask my girls.

So I decided that I would ask them with a bottle of sparkling wine and a custom gift card. Because who doesn't enjoy a little bubbly. And thus, I went on an Alchemy hunt. I posted my request this morning and before 2PM I had 22 proposals.

After sorting through them all, I immediately fell for these tags by eMeLLes

So sweet...vintage and lovely. Perfect for my girls. And eMeLLeS has been fantastic to work with so far. I should receive the tags next week...just in time for my visit to New York to ask my best friend to be in the wedding. I promise to post the "final" DI-Someone Else product.

How did you ask your ladies to be in your wedding?

Navy Obsessed!

I had my mind set on a matching bridal party. I loved the idea of my girls all wearing the same fabulous dress that went so well with my Vera.

Until I saw this.

Gabriel Ryan Photography via Grey Likes Weddings

So chic. The navy is classic and each dress conveys a sense of the bridesmaid's individual style.

How fabulous does the bride look?

Aisle Decor

As I mentioned before, we'll hopefully have our ceremony on the plaza out front of the CHM which overlooks the park. I had initially been thinking that we could simply hang silver buckets filled with fluffy hydrangeas on the chairs that lined the aisle. Until I saw this on Elizabeth Anne Designs from Divine Light Photography

How perfect? Colors et al!

Isn't Moving the Worst?

I know...I've become one of those absentee bloggers who clogs up your Google Reader with old, stale posts. We have been in the midst of moving over the past few weeks and for some reason it has taken over our lives. But the good news is that we are finally in our apartment and after we go back to our old apartment on Saturday to do a last clean before the inspection, we'll be in the clear!

And I'll be back for good. I promise.

It's In His Kiss

Ah...the kiss pictures. They can be the sweetest of the day or they can make others gag. I personally think that I look a little funny when photographed from the side while making a kiss face. But that will have to be forgiven...as I hope that our photographer can catch a smooch or two on our day.

Love Storm

Trust me. Le Love will be your new blog obsession.

Sweet Home Chicago

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I'm on a mission to gather the most fantastically inspirational Chicago wedding images. I miss being in my hometown and I'm so looking forward to getting married there. I want to make sure we have some true Chicago pictures with a twist.