Happy Halloween!

Image: found here

Have A Ghoul Weekend!

Hope you all have a great Halloween and get to enjoy some yummy treats! Unfortunately I caught H1N1 from J so I'll be laid up in bed all weekend long. No trick or treating for me :(

Image credits:
Top row from left - cupcakes, Chanel pumpkin, ghost
Middle row from left - candy corn, girl, dog with pumpkin
Bottom row from left - house, pumpkins, candy corn boo

Our Wedding - Bouquets

I know I said my next post was going to be about the reception decor, but I just realized that I forgot to show you the bouquets.


J & I each had white bouquets. I went back and forth for a while deciding if I wanted a dark wine colored rose & calla bouquet or if I should carry a white bouquet. In the end I decided to go light since I didn't want such a stark contrast between us. My bouquet consisted of white dahlias, scented geranium & white roses and J's was lily of the valley and white roses.

We both had charms hanging from our bouquets to remember our loved ones who had passed. I had 3 charms...one for my grandmother, one for my best friend, and another for J's father.

And J had two...one for her Dad and another for our best friend. It was a nice way to remember them.

Our attendants held wine colored bouquets. Honestly I didn't have a chance to see them until the wedding...for some reason they weren't included in our flower sample. I might have changed them somewhat if I had a chance to preview them but I guess they turned out ok.

And our flower girl had a flower hair wreath...her mother wanted her to wear one so we were sure to honor her wish. And she carried pink petals in a basket in memory of her mom.

Next up for real this time is reception decor!

All images: Daniel Krieger

Our Wedding - Hotel Shots

As our guests were enjoying the food & beverages at the cocktail hour, we were taken outside the room for some photo ops. The hotel has an absolutely gorgeous atrium so it was a great backdrop for the photos.

Next up - Reception decor

All images: Daniel Krieger

It's Award Time!

I was so excited & honored to receive a few blog awards over the past few weeks from a bunch of wonderful ladies.

Thank you sooo much ladies! I'm really so flattered. Sorry that I'm just getting around to it now...I was busy with the recaps for a while there. But I figured now was a good time for a little recap break and time for a little fun :)

So here I go...

Tina from We Wed 09.19.09 gave me the Kreativ Blogger award. And she wrote such a sweet message that I had to share with you guys. It seriously made me well up!

Dawn @ Alternative Bride is the epitome of a FABULOUS blogger. It also makes me want rally against prop 8 even more. Her blog is not only creative and fashionable but really defines true love. Her planning to the alter has been an amazing journey that i can truly say i felt blessed daily to be a fellow blogger along for the ride. Her sense of style and vision for her big day is well documented and truly inspirational.

I also received the Kreativ Blogger award from the wonderful Cyn City from Confessions of an Obsessive Planner & Amy-Jo from the ever inspiring Bride Chic.

And the fun didn't stop there. One of my alltime favorite blogging buddies Chic 'n Cheap Living gave me a choice of awards...the Kreativ Blogger or the Sugar Doll award. I think I'm going to take the Sugar Doll since I already received the Kreativ Blogger. The more the merrier, right? :)

So here are the rules...

Kreativ Blogger
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know be it fun, interesting, or even embarrassing.
5.Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they’ve been nominated .


Sugar Doll
Tell everyone 10 interesting facts about yourself & pass the award onto 10 other bloggers.

I think I'm going to combine the two because I don't know if I can come up with 17 things to say! So I'll just settle on 10 :)

1 - I'm a hockey fanatic. I just can't get enough of the sport. Most people find it strange that #1- I'm such an avid hockey fan & #2 - that I don't care about other sports. I mean I live in NY and we have a bunch of great pro sports teams and hockey is definitely the least popular of all the sports so why would I even pay it any attention. Well, it started way back in the 80's when I was a young girl growing up on Long Island. It was the Islander dynasty years and I was hooked right from the start.

I've traveled to cities throughout the US & Canada just for the sole purpose of seeing a hockey game at a new arena. I even got Ranger season tickets this year...I had them for about 6 or 7 years but gave them up for the past 4. But this year I was weak and bought them again...I figured I could use a distraction from the post wedding haze.


2 - I have a ridiculous oral fixation. I must always have a piece of Dentyne Fire (recently renamed Spicy Cinnamon....I don't know why, was there a negative connotation with fire or something???)in my mouth and you'll find me constantly reapplying my Bigelow Mentha Lip Gloss. It's a problem...

Source

3 - I adore soup. Can't get enough of it. I could eat it for lunch and dinner every day of my life. I've even been known to eat the same exact soup for a few meals in a row. Oh and not cold soup. Soup needs to be hot.

Source

4 - And I guess this goes along the same lines as being a creature of habit. I can listen to the same song or playlist over and over again without getting bored. It drives J crazy. I've ruined many a song for her. Sorry babe....

Source

5 - I have an irrational fear of cotton balls. Like I seriously get goose bumps & my ears burn when I see them. Forget feel them. I have to wet cotton balls and qtips before they can touch me. You should have seen the state I was in searching for a picture to post!

Source

Oh and I also have the same reaction to Smart Cars. I can't explain it...something about the size & shape drives me crazy in the same exact way! And I can't explain why I never had that reaction to cars in Europe....

Source

6 - Ok now here's a big one...my dirty little secret...I've been doing it for probably about 25 years now. I compulsively rip pages out of magazines and keep them. And I file them in some weird order but I never ever go back to re-look at them. Horrible compulsion! It's really overwhelming. I'm surprised that I've been able to keep a mate all of these years. I used to be the same way about taping things on tv. Happily I can say that I broke that habit...now it's time to break this one.

Source

7 - Foot massages are one of my greatest pleasures in life. Don't worry...I don't have a foot fetish. I won't even post a photo of a foot because I know some people are sensitive about such things :)

8 - My job has enabled me to meet & work closely with a bunch of "celebs" - Kimora Lee Simmons, Dr. Robert Rey (Dr. 90210), Joan Collins, Joan Rivers & Adrianna Lima to name a few. And surprisingly, for the most part, they've been really super sweet and some of them have been pretty normal people...i played with Kimora's kids at her house & she even made me try on some her rings as I sat next to her on her couch. She's really approachable & cool which I found surprising. It's kinda interesting to get to see a glimpse into their lives. But I have to say, as glam of a life that a celeb lives, I would never in a million years give up the normalcy & anonymity that I have in my life.

9 - I have naturally curly hair but most people would never know it. You only know my secret if you've seen me on the beach ;)

10 - I have flat feet but again you'd probably only know it if you've seen me on the beach. No orthopedics for me. I love shoes too much!

Source

So now it's my turn to pass the torch! I know a bunch of my favorites have recently been awarded either of these two awards so I'm awarding the prize of choice, Kreative Blogger or Sugar Doll award to the following:

And Stanley Makes Three

Honey My Heart

The Professional Bridesmaid

The Bowie Bride

wheresmydessert

Anna and the Ring

Dustjacket Attic

Bridechka

A Cupcake Wedding

Westside Wedding

Our Wedding - Cocktail Hour

Hope you all had a great weekend! I was cooped up in the apartment all weekend taking care of my sick wife who came down with the flu this past Thursday. The poor thing still isn't better yet. Good news is remarkably, somehow I haven't gotten sick. Knock on wood!!! I'm gonna keep up the positive thinking :)

I figured I'd continue along with the recaps this week. Today we're onto the cocktail hour. Immediately after the ceremony the guests we're escorted into the cocktail room for some delicious bites & cocktails.

Here's what we served. It wasn't a ton of food...I didn't want to stuff people with a bunch of stations...I preferred offering a bunch of super delicious pass arounds and only a couple of stations.

Passed hors d'oevres
Cold

Shredded Beef Filet served with Blue Cheese on Endive Leaves

Honey Marinated Salmon with Noodles served in Chinese take-out boxes
Figs stuffed with Mascarpone and Walnuts
Shrimp Bandelliras

Hot

Mac and Cheese Phyllo Cups
Baby Lamb Chops

Mini Crab and Goat Cheese Empanadas
Bacon wrapped Sea Scallops

Mangia station
Olives, cheese, tomatoes & other assorted antipasta

I wish I could have been there the entire time, but J & I were taken in and out of the room a few times for some photographs so I feel like we missed a lot of it. Nonetheless everyone told me they had a great time so that's what matters most.

Cocktail room

My sister Lisa enjoying our signature drink The French Kiss

The French Kiss - vanilla vodka, chambord & pineapple juice...delish!!!

The Mangia Station

Mingling with our guests

Our centerpieces which were actually recycled from our shower. My sister used peonies at the shower but we had the florist supply fresh dahlias for our wedding.

My step-mom enjoying the honey marinated salmon noodles. They were a huge hit!

Shrimp Bandelliras

Bacon wrapped Sea Scallops

Next up...see what we were up to for the majority of the cocktail hour.

Images: 1-3 & 5-13 - Daniel Krieger, 4 & 14 - Nat :)