Happy Friday!

I'm so happy that it's finally Friday! We're planning on having a little hen's night tomorrow in NYC. The plan is dinner, followed by some bar hopping and then wrapping up the fun at a club for some alternative 80's dancing. Sounds like it will be a blast! Only problem is I'm sick again and J just came down with the same thing so I'm not sure that we're going to be up for it. I think it's going to have to be a last minute decision.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Image: found here

Ravishing Ruffles

How much do you love this ruffly belt I came across at 100 Layer Cake? Sooo gorgeous. I'd love to incorporate that into my wedding somehow. It really would go with the flowers I'm wearing in my hair. But the only girl wearing a sash is my flower girl and I already have a flower for her. It does look killer with an everyday dress too though, doesn't it? Oh just add it to the list of things to do :)

Where To Get Dressed Distress

The past few days has revolved around us planning the flow of the day. Where and when will we each be getting ready? The whole thing is a bit tricky because we don't have confirmation that we will have early check into to the bridal suite at the hotel on the day that we get married. Also we were trying to get early check-in for our wedding attendants so they would have a place to get ready but it looks like that wont be feasible because the hotel will be booked. It just happens that it is the US Open that weekend and many of the tennis players stay at le Parker Meridien. Oh how convenient...

So then you ask, why don't you book a room at the hotel for the night before the wedding to avoid all the stress and confusion. Well that's not going to work because we are doing hair early in the morning at a salon near our apartment so we should just sleep at home that night to avoid a mad rush downtown from the hotel the morning of the wedding.

Another layer of confusion is where and what time will we be getting makeup done? We were planning to do it at the hotel but, like I said, we don't have guaranteed early check-in. We have to be ready for pictures at 2pm and I think right now they're guaranteeing a 1pm check in. I was hoping for more like 11am. I'm hoping we can convince them to accomodate us.

So as of now 2 of our sisters have reserved rooms at the hotel for the night before the wedding so that they at least have a place to get ready. You would think that we could just get ready in one of their rooms but unfortunately the rooms are on the small side and it won't be possible to pack a bunch of people in the rooms.

Can you tell that I'm in stressed out bride mode yet? We have a To Do list a mile long but I'm just going to take a deep breath and sit back and try convince myself that it will all work out :)

Image: Angelica Glass

City Chic

I fell in love with these photos the second I laid my eyes on them. How perfect would this be for a city wedding? Especially a NYC wedding like (ahhhem) mine! So chic & elegant & audrey! Kinda makes me second guess my color palette, but now is definitely not the time for regrets with the wedding being only 5 1/2 weeks away. I guess I'll just have to plan another fabulous swanky affair one day soon :)

Images: Angelica Glass

Sneak Peak

As promised, here's a lil glimpse of my dress from the fitting last week. J doesn't want me to show too much before the big day but I know I promised you guys so here it goes. Et Voila!

Monday Madness

Happy Monday lovelies! Sorry for posting late today. I've had a hellish morning. It's seems as if the wedding anxiety is really getting to me so I had to go to my cardiologist this morning to address the palpitations I've been having non stop for 6 days. No worries, I'll be fine, I think it's just stress. After we left the doc I found out that J asked the doc for an Rx for xanax for me but he said that he doesn't write those. Oh well, at least she tried ;)

So now it's less than 6 weeks till the wedding. We're really coming down to the final stretch. Our diet & fitness routine is in full force. But unfortunately (or maybe it's really a blessing) our scale broke this weekend. And we're currently debating whether or not to replace it. I mean do you really need to know the number? It's kinda liberating not to have one. I know there have been times in my life that I really get obsessed by the number on the scale & I obsess over it which tends to lead to rather unhealthy habits. Isn't it better to judge how well you're doing by how you look and feel? What's a number really? Muscle weighs more than fat and your weight fluctuates depending on the time of day and month. But I do have to say, I think I'd be more likely to get a new one if this is what it read when I stepped on it :)

So who here is a scale person? What do you guys think I should do? Yay or nay for a new scale?

Image: via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Happy Weekend!

I watched Mamma Mia! again last night and it had me once again dreaming of a Greek wedding. I've always kinda fantasized about getting married in Greece. I am part Greek and I visited family many years ago when I was a teenager and I've always wanted to go back. There's something about the white washed buildings and turquoise waters that just grabs a little piece of your heart forever. Oh well, it's always good to have dreams, right? One day I'm going to take J there to have her experience the magic with me.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Images: 1, 2-5 Ben Chrisman found here

Most Perfect Processional Ever!!!

And They're Off!

So here they are! The final product, as promised. We sent them off last week and we already have been getting a ton of responses. All yeses so far! Yeah, I know that the nos probably wait till the drop dead date to reply but that's ok - it's still super exciting! We can't wait to get home every day to check the mail!

We had our first fittings last night and they went great. J looked absolutely gorgeous in her dress. It needs a lot of alterations because it was too big on her but that's never a bad thing, right? :) And mine fit perfectly. I was hoping it would be a little big, but I guess it's ok... Pics coming soon!

Things Are Lookin Up!

Ok so over the past few weeks J & I have taken turns having MAJOR panic attacks over what's left to do before the wedding. I have to admit that I'm thankful that we've been taking turns and not having them at the same time since one always calms down the other. But getting back to the point I was trying to make, one of the major things we've been panicking about is not having a makeup artist.

Now this is something I really haven't spoken about because everyone who knows me outside of the blogosphere can't believe that I'm having a hard time with this. I mean I've worked in the cosmetics industry for 15 years now. You'd think this would be a piece of cake. But the truth of the matter is that I don't really work with cosmetic artists all that much. I've worked with a few on photoshoots in the past and I have worked on developing some products with Laura Geller a few years ago but I either didn't hold onto their contact info or I didn't really feel all that comfortable asking them to do my wedding day makeup. I don't really know why, but that's the way I felt.

So about a month ago I had a makeup trial with an artist that I had heard rave reviews about. I was really excited about the trial and couldn't wait to go. Unfortunately I absolutely HATED the way it turned out. And I'm not really the type of person to freak or complain much but I totally looked grey and unnatural and really just not like me at all. Many people agreed with me as I'm sure you all would. Not good!

The girl kept saying how I'm so much darker than anyone she's ever worked with before. And I mean, come on, I'm really not all that dark now. I have a tan but big deal. Don't lots of girls?

So I decided not to book her even though I spent around $180 for the trial. And the whole thing was just freaking me out because I didn't have an alternative. I had other options for more trials with other people but how much money would I have to lay out? It was starting to get ridiculous. Especially when you consider that we're two brides so you're looking at around $400 per bride on top of the cost of a trial.

So I decided to turn to my sis for help. I absolutely LOVED how my makeup turned out at her wedding last year. The girl was just fantastic. And none of us, including my sis (she's really brave), even had a trial with her. She just showed up the day of and worked her magic. Just amazing!

Anyway, my sis had been having a hard time tracking this girl down. She only had the salons contact info. The owner is a friend of a friend. And the owners been on vacation for a while. Once she got a hold of her she found out that the makeup artist no longer worked at the salon but that she still does freelance work for them. The owner just had to get in touch with the girl to see if she was available.

So fast forward a few WEEKS (I didn't think it would take so long to find out someones availability!) and MANY panic attacks later...I just found out that she's available to do our makeup for the wedding! I'm beyond thrilled! No trial necessary and she's just amazing! Makeup meltdown avoided! Or at least halted. Whew!!!

Next meltdown I hope to avoid is one tonight at the dress fitting. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Hopelessly In Love

I'm loving this vintage inspired silk lingerie line out of Australia, Hopeless. Each luxurious piece is handmade to order and they even take custom requests. The bow tie and ruffle details are just fabulous!

You can check them out in their Etsy shop or on their website.

Starting The Week Off Right!

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Today is my 21st (wink wink more like 37th) birthday! (how did that happen????) I had a wonderful weekend with friends & family and actually even took a break from wedding stuff. It felt like I was on a mini vacation!

I'm happy to say that our invites went out last week and we're getting a lot of positive feedback which is great. I promise this week to post some pictures. I didn't want to put anything up until after our guests received them.

There's much more to do on the wedding list this week. We have dress fittings on Wednesday. I'll have to try to restrain myself from eating too much at my bday dinner tonight. It's really not right to have a dress fitting during birthday week, now is it? ;)

And we're supposed to have our e-session tomorrow but it looks like it may once again get postponed due to weather. J thinks it's a sign that we shouldn't do one but i'm not convinced of that! It'll happen one day in the next 6 1/2 weeks. I'm not giving up!

Image: via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Beach Baby, Beach Baby!

Happy weekend everyone! I'm packin up and headin to the beach for a little fun in the sun. We have a lot on the plate next week including my birthday (fun fun:)), engagement pix (i know i've spoken about this a few times before but it always seems to get rescheduled for one reason or another. Last time was the weather...) and dress fittings on Wed (we've been in the gym for three days straight!)

Hope you all have a great one!

Image: Anna Wolf

A Few of My Fave Things

I was tagged by two wonderful ladies, the oh so fab Bridechka & the lovely Honey My Heart to name six things that make me happy. Well to start off, being tagged makes me happy but I won't include that on my official list :)

So here are the rules...

• Tag and link back to the person who tagged you.
• List six little things that make you happy.
• Tag six bloggers and let them know they're “it".

1) Of course this list must start off with the love of my life, Jen. I don't think I would know the meaning of the word happiness if she weren't in my life.

2) The beach. Nothing relaxes me more than being in the water or feeling the warm sun beat down on my body and I just loooove the end result. Bronze away baby!

3) Vacation. Kinda the same as number 2, but I also love to travel beyond the sea. Be it the mountains, like the spectacular Canadian Rockies - i can never ever get enough of those turquoise & emerald green lakes & snowcapped magestical mountains, cities - especially foreign ones...Paris (see below pix) anyone? or even the desert - Scottsdale - go ahead and bake me baby! Any chance I get to skip out of town, I'm there! I love to see and explore new places & cultures and nothing beats the feeling of being on vacation. It's a time to relax, reflect & just have fun!


4) My family & friends. I cheated by having to combine these two but I do love them with all my heart. My siblings are the most important people in my life besides J. I have a brother & two sisters and I would do anything in the world for them. And then I have amazing friends & cousins & family who always make me happy.

5) Sunsets. The pinker & orangier (is that a word???) the better. And we've been getting some good ones lately!


6) Ooooh, it's hard to pin it down to just six! Hmmm....let's see. I guess I'll just say minty things. I love love love Bigelows Ultra Mentha Lip Shine. I have numerous tubes within arms reach at any moment. Can we say addiction??? And I'll take a Starbucks Mint Tea Misto any time of day.

And yeah! now it's my turn! It's hard to narrow it down to just six. But I do know that this has been going on for a while and a bunch of you have already been tagged so it makes things a bit easier. Well here it goes...I tag the following fabulous bloggers :

• Erin Ever After
• Anna and the Ring
• Confessions of an Obsessive Planner
• BEL from And Stanley makes Three
• Chris from c is for CHARMED
• Lake Jane

Speaking of Tossing Things....

What about the garter? We're definitely not going to do the whole garter removal & toss thingie but what about wearing one? I haven't spoken to J about how she feels about it but I'm definitely leaning towards wearing one. They're just too pretty to pass up. I've spent hours scouring over Etsy looking at tons of gorgeous garters like this one from GarterLady.

So what do you guys think? Are you doing the garter toss? Is it ok to wear one that won't really be seen by anyone but us?

Catch Me If You Can!

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about bouquet tossings. It's kinda funny since we're two girls. And we both would have bouqets to toss. And what would we do? Have both girls & guys up to catch them? I mean we'll have a bunch of single guys and girls at the wedding and I wouldn't want to leave any one sex out. Kinda a funny thought, right? Although I have to admit it would make for a GREAT photo op.

But then, on the other hand, since the bouquet toss is all about "who will be the next one to marry?" business I think about our thoughts on marriage and we're really not the kinda people to force the idea marriage on people. Or even the idea of coupledum, for that matter. Like you have to be married or at least coupled up to be a worthwhile person??? And we're not really very traditional, after all, so I don't really feel the need to do all the typical thing that happens at every other wedding.

So what do you guys think about this one? Yay or nay for tossing the bouquets?

Image: found here

Bubble Mania

I have a new appreciation for bubbles. Can't get enough of them. I guess it all started back on our wedding day June 27th. Our JP had us blow bubbles at each other for a little photo op on the beach after we were married. Since then I've encountered children blowing bubbles on two separate occasions and both times I was in rather unpleasant/stressed out moods and they instantly cheered me up. I wish that we could have bubbles at the wedding but the ceremony is taking place indoors so I don't think that's a possibility. Guess I'll just have to go out and buy some to play with on summer fundays like today.

Hope you're all having a great weekend. Oh and I got the invite on Friday. Just LOVE it! Sneak peak is comin soon :)

Image: via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Happy Friday!

I'm so happy it's finally Friday. The weeks seem to get more and more hectic the closer we get to the wedding. We're only a little more than 8 weeks away now and I'm starting to feel the noose tighten!

Well the good news is that are invites are in! Our planners sent one over to us in the mail yesterday so hopefully we get to see them later on today. Maybe I'll even post a sneak peak of them next week.

And we finally set up our dress fitting appointments. That's a big relief & a huge stress at the same time. We're so undisciplined about our diets now that the weather is finally nice here. All we want to do is sit outside at a sidewalk cafe and eat & drink all day long. Guess we have to get our butts in gear!

Anyway enough stressing. It's finally the weekend and time to kick back & relax! Hope you all have a great one!!!

Image: found here

Sole Savior

Now we can all kick off our heels and go straight to heaven! I'm just looooving these flats and I think they would make an amazing attendant gift! SpareSoles are foldable ballet slippers that come in their own little bag that fits comfortably in your purse or can even be used as a wristlet. They're also waterproof, washable and have skid resistant soles. And they're only $25. Not bad, right? I don't know you but I know I'd pay almost any price when I'm need of some fast foot relief. I'm placing my order PRONTO!

In Memory

I've been obsessed the past few days trying to figure out ways to honor the memory of our loved ones who have passed at our wedding.

Since I really want the wedding to be a happy occassion and celebration, I don't want to do something overly depressing, like leaving a few chairs empty, or displaying large pictures, but I definitely want to do something to honor them and have them with us.

I have always like the idea of memory charm hanging from a bouquet. I think it's a subtle yet beautiful way to carry those people close to us all day. And it's also great because we can keep the charms as a keepsake after the wedding.

I've found a few on Etsy that I like, one from Grandhorse, another from Designsby Tami and one from Sweetsassafras1. I'm not sure which one we should go with though because we each have more than one photo we'd like to hang from the bouquet. I will have three pictures, our best friend, my grandmother & Jen's father and Jen will have two, her dad & our bff. I'm thinking we should have a double sided frame or a locket so you can fit two pictures in one piece. I don't want the bouquet to be too bulky.

Another option we're considering is having memory candles lit before the ceremony and having our Reverend briefly say a few words to acknowlege them.

And lastly, our best friend recently passed away after a brave fight with breast cancer. Another way we were thinking to honor her is to have her daughter, our flower girl, carry and scatter pink rose petals in her memory. I'm also considering adding the color pink to our wine & aquamarine color palette as an accent color.

So what do you guys think of our ideas? How are you all remembering your loved ones on your special day?

Image: found here

Lela Rose Bridal Sample Sale

Calling all NY area brides. Lela Rose is having a sample sale on over 15 different wedding gown styles. Prices range anywhere from $500- $3,000, that's up to 80% off!!! You can't beat that!

What: Lela Rose Wedding
When: July 15-17. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: 224 W. 30th St., between 7th & 8th Aves., 13th floor.
Contact: 212-947-9204 ext. 11

Today's the Day!

We're finally having our engagement shoot later this afternoon in the Flatiron District. Sooo excited for it. I just hope the rain holds off! We're supposed to have scattered thunderstorms today. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Oh and we got a disc in the mail last night from the Justice of the Peace who married us on Saturday. She took a ton of pix and even shot some video. Here's a little sampling of a few of them. I like the cheese factor with the sign and the heart in the sand. What do you guys think?

Happy Canada Day!

I don't know if I've mentioned this before but I absolutely ADORE Canada & all things Canadian. Like really adore...like in I would really seriously live there if I could.

So to all my northern friends out there, i hope you all have a wonderful holiday! I'll be celebrating with you all in spirit.

From your wannabe Canadian friend :) xoxo

Image: found here