Monday, December 26, 2011

Giveaways?

Everybody loves winning stuff, right? Well guess what? You're all in luck because starting the first week of January I'll be running some giveaways on the blog. So stay tuned!


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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Updated vendor reviews

After seeing the sneak peek and getting to look at the raw video footage I updated my reviews for photo and video.


Check it out and stay tuned for a sneak peek video.

Woot! Woot!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Sneak Peek?

Indigo Foto


Oh snizap! Our photogs just dropped us a note that our sneek peek is up on their blog.

Here are a few of my favs:

Thursday, December 8, 2011

What a deal!

True story - There's nothing on my walls. They are however painted some very bright hues. Purple for the bedroom, blue for the living room, pinkish-redish for the dining and kitchen areas. It's really quite lovely, it just sounds worse than it is.


See...

Friday, December 2, 2011

Photo prop idea

Personal pic


This was a completely accidental idea we came up with on the day of the wedding. On a previous shopping trip to Target I purchased a pack of foam hearts.

Source


It must've been late January or early February because I was thinking of doing something for the cake business ( Shameless plug: Con Amore check out the blog.. new pictures are up!).


Then I thought....


Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Programs

Despite my best efforts I was still working on the programs the week of the wedding. 

Here’s why:

1) RSVPs took a bit longer than I anticipated so I was still trying to finalize guests and seating.

2) My computer went into a coma and I needed to get her fixed in order to do the programs. (Sidebar: I always back everything up but my little princess of a computer spazzed out right before I could back up my latest work. )

3) Of the three sets of eyelets I bought to use, only one set worked properly so the last weekend before the wedding I was in Michael’s buying more.

So that’s the back story and here’s the final product.


personal pic


Monday, November 28, 2011

Sign up to be Down

Alice in Wonderland is full of great quotes and I tried to utilize quotes on a lot of our signage. I honestly didn't realize how many things needed signs. It's a good thing I went overboard on frames. Here's a sampling of some of our signs.

Personal pic

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Great Vendors Make Great Weddings - Part 3

This is part 3 in a three part series of vendor reviews.

Here's the final set:


I couldn't find a pic earlier in the day. This is a guest pic.



Hair - Salon 718

How good does my hair look?? I know!!! Super awesome salon experience. They made all us ladies look amazing and they were able to wrangle a less than cooperative flower girl. The pricing was less than I expected and the service was unparalleled. They even provided munchies and mimosas. It was a great way to start the day.  If you are in Brooklyn check them out!

  
Grade: A+



Monday, November 21, 2011

Great Vendors Make Great Weddings - Part 2

12/22 updated to change Photo & Video reviews
This is part 2 in a three part series of vendor reviews.

Here's the second set:


Venue - Brooklyn Museum of Art

The venue itself was gorgeous, stunning & just plain wonderful. Some of my experiences over the past two and a half years? Not so much. It's a museum so they have some strict rules and regulations.They were also influx on some things. The special events staff were great though. They were all extremely helpful, understanding and generous with their time. I know it must've been hard on them having to deliver not so good news. No regrets about the venue.

Grade: A/A-

Reception picture


Friday, November 18, 2011

Great Vendors Make Great Weddings - Part 1

This is part 1 in a three part series of vendor reviews. All of my vendors were incredible. I sent a mass thank you the day after the wedding and then mailed personalized thank yous on Monday. I can't stop raving about them. 

Here's the first set:


DJ - DJ Gaza (Gary Hoffmann) Ceremony, Cocktail & Reception Music

I. Love. Our. DJ. He was absolutely amazing from beginning (first email) to end ( latest email.) He's the epitome of professionalism. He's the most reliable DJ you will ever meet. Guests kept commenting about how great the music was, how talented he was at mixing the music and how they couldn't stop dancing. He's extremely organized and you always know what you need to give him and when. He makes the process as easy as possible. He's very responsive and a pleasure to work. Easily one of the best vendors. He really did have me at hello. Don't ask just book him. He's that good. Seriously. That. Good.

Grade: A++



Guest pic of the packed dance floor



Day of Coordinator -- Katie Berger of Sara Kate Events

She did a superior job. Another easy vendor decision. Best part? She works with DJ Gaza regularly so they had the flow of the reception covered. Katie had an assistant the day of and they set up all of the little detail things beautifully. There were some things that I was specific about and then others where they had total freedom.They made everything look wonderful. Katie also ran the rehearsal and was there to tell us where to go and what to do from ceremony to finish. I didn't have to think or stress about anything all night. If you are thinking of hiring a Day of Coordinator, I recommend it. If you can you should hire Katie. She's a gem!

Grade: A+



Florist -- Midtown  Florist

So my sister has the hook up with Midtown and they came through in a BIG way. Sister did most of the talking with them but they were always receptive to our crazy ideas and were rather accommodating. No matter how many times I changed my mind they went with it. Barry, the owner, did the walkthrough of the venue and suggested pipe and drape for the ceremony. It was the perfect touch to really finish and dress the space. They did a test run of the centerpieces for our tasting so we could see them with the linens. They went above and beyond with my florals. Everything was exquisite. My bouquet was the most gorgeous thing ever!!!! Great choice for a florist at very reasonable prices. Incredibly easy to work with.


Grade: A+ ( They don't do email though.)



Next up...venue, caterer, photo, video

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Thank you India...

 We did it! Whew! There was a post on Weddingbee about this and now I feel a bit guilty posting this. We finished our thank yous. Well most of them. We have a couple left that I need to find addresses for and two new ones to write because the gifts arrived Monday/Tuesday.




Why the rush?

Monday, November 14, 2011

Guest Pics

Here are a few pics my friend (J) took on Friday. She's awesome!!! I was so looking forward to seeing some pictures.

Enjoy!!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Just Checkin In

Friday was amazing! We loved our wedding! It was perfect! I'll be following up with vendor reviews and last minute projects before we get into full blown recaps.


Woot!! Woot!!!


Friday, November 11, 2011

This is the Moment

Okay, well not right this moment. But we've reached zero hour. Hurricane Alice has made landfall at the Brooklyn Museum. Everyone stay indoors and enjoy the ride.

This is going to be EPIC!!! (hopefully)

I'm going to try and remember all the good advice given. I'll try to eat, and I'll remember to let go and enjoy the day!

I'll be in recap mode shortly. I've got some last minute projects I'll be updating on next week.

Peace out Blog Friends!!!

*note the time stamp, what!!! 

Thursday, November 10, 2011

The Sequins of Things

So in the last minute planning stuff I've noticed an unintentional trend emerging. Sequins!
I knew there would be some glittery things but not sequins.

Where's the sparkle?

DIFM Strikes Again!

I just realized I haven't posted in days and I totally meant to post every day this week. Hmmm... what could've gotten in the way? Perhaps it was this pesky party we are throwing tomorrow. What!!What!!!!

Help me! Sister makes us work too hard!


In case you forgot what DIFM stands for, here's a refresher. If you didn't click,  it means Do it for Me. As in, I know some very crafty people (HCC 4 Life) and they've been very instrumental in helping us git er done. It's like a wedding militia! There's family and friends working feverishly on all on my silly ideas. They are waaaay too good to me!

Look at what we've been up to:

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

What agwan?!!?

Ack!! It's like less than two weeks! It's 10 days today. I can now start stalking the weather. Apparently it snows now. Go fig!


What have we been up to?


Remember our invites?


If you don't,  check out the video.



*Song credit: Hey Na Na by Katie Herzig




Well the programs are pretty similar and they're in jeopardy.
Why you ask?


Cause my computer, with all my files, is in a coma.
Holy hell muffins!!!


Thanks Mr. H for letting me use your Mac.


I was so close to finishing them.  Holy frustration Batman!


There's still hope. If the part comes in today or tomorrow I can still get them printed and assembled in time. 


Wish me luck!! 

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Productivity!

A sign from our last Atlantic City visit


Earlier this week we did a walk-through of the venue with  most of the vendors. It was a hassle to work out a time that fit everyone's schedule but I thought it was useful. 

It was great for everybody to see the space, get all of the technical info, ask questions and get a global picture of the wedding beyond their area of expertise. I definitely appreciate the vendors who showed up (shout out to Kiss the Bride Films, DJ Gaza of 74 Events, Sara Kate Events, Midtown Florist).

Monday, October 24, 2011

Change of plans

Sooo..... I bought another pair of shoes.

Flats.
For dancing at the reception.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Food is Yumz

Soooo full






We had our tasting earlier this month. It was A-mazing! There was so much food.

It was a little excessive. Everything was served exactly the way it would be on the day. I was expecting smaller portion sizes but nope. Everything was full size and delicious.


Wanna see?

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Just the FAQs

Source
It's time to add a FAQ page to our wedding website. I figure we're right about the time when people really start thinking about the wedding and formulating questions in their head. Why not have a whole page dedicated to these queries.

I've come up with the following questions:

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Planning Plateau


My pup

I.  Am. So. Over.  It.  I’ve hit a wedding plateau. Granted, I have been planning since 2009. There’s still plenty of little stuff to do. (Like writing our vows, picking accessories, deciding on hairstyles, making the schedules for the day, blah, blah, blah). Part of the problem is that the big stuff is settled.  I can get myself revved up about programs and trolleys but it’s just not the same. People keep asking if I'm excited. Truthfully, I'm like inches away from whatevering the wedding.



Alas, this too will pass.

On a lighter note: I'm considering using this cutie doxie as my "ring bearer pillow".

Source


Thoughts?

Friday, October 7, 2011

Pretty hands, Pretty feet

A lot of stuff is going on folks. It's crunch time!

I made good on at least one promise. Remember this post?
Breaking news!!!!

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

A Helping Hand

Ack!!!

It's almost October! What's up with that?!?


Mr. H got in on the DIY thing this week.
Look at his handiwork!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Retro post

So it's a high happy birthday to me today. Woot Woot!!

What's that mean?

It means I need to find myself a present. Back in the day I used to "treat" myself to a book from the library as my b-day present.

How about something a little more flashy?

Monday, September 26, 2011

Etsy Wonderland

Etsy darling, have I told you how awesome you are lately?

Let me count the wonderland ways.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Wedsite

So what goes on a wedding website? That's a good question. Here's what mine looks like.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Details Details Details

You've seen the bits and pieces but how about some close up shots.  

Last invite post?  Maybe.

*All the names are changed on the invite. I didn't want to blur anything.


Thursday, September 15, 2011

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Assembly Required

These weren't the most complicated invitations to put together even though the entire process, from design to mailing, took about 9 months. And umm... I'm going to be posting about these like all week. Sorry?




Here's how it went down.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Time flies...

when you're sending wedding invitations. 

We mailed them out last week Tuesday and by now most of our guests should have received them. RSVPs are trickling in. Huzzah!! There are a few stragglers I still need to send out but a girl's got to buy postage first. Doh!

I now present our wedding invitations! 


Thursday, September 8, 2011

Music to Entrance to

ETA: Lil Sis wrote the most amazing post on the cake blog today. Please go check it out. Warning: It might make you drool on your keyboard.

-=---=-=-=-=-=-=
Well I think I've found the perfect song to entrance to. We'll probably choreograph a little something-something for it. 

I put up the video because a) it's US Open time - Go Tennis! b) it's cute and funny.  

'nuff said now watch the video.


So maybe this song isn't your cup of tea. You want some other options?

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Happy Bloggerversary. . .

to me!!!

Source



I started this blog a year ago today. My how time flies! It's been pretty awesome. I've met some cool blogger brides and I love following everyone's blogs and reading their comments.

It's retro time! 

Monday, September 5, 2011

Musical Musings


This isn't our first dance song but I thought it might make a cute choice for an alternative thinking couple who wanted to do more than just sway.
 
The lyrics are what really sell this one for me:

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Contest update

If you haven't done so yet, stop by my sister's cake blog to get entered in their giveaway. The contest has been extended to midnight (EST) on September 5th.

YUMS!
In other news. . .tick tick tick  . . invites are going out very soon which means I'll be posting pictures in a week or so.  Stay tuned!


Did You Know. . .

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September is National Preparedness Month!

In the wake of Hurricane Irene, which has caused widespread damage up the East Coast, I encourage everyone to use this month to think about making yourself and those you care about better prepared for all types of emergencies.

FEMA is an excellent resource for information about preparedness but you should also check with your local emergency management office/agency for info specificc to your area.

For all you NY city dwellers

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

August Wrap-up & September Gear Up

Ladies and Gentleman, it's about to get craaaazy!!!

Look at that sexy beast!


I present the August accomplishments!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Soho!

It's always been one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city. I was strolling through a day or so ago and there were so many wedding wonders. Be still my heart!! So many treasures!

Methinks I found a pair of flats for the reception. Check out these lovelies!

Source
These are Madee by Steve Madden. They come in a variety of colors and patterns.





Source

Bonus! I think they kinda match the shoes I already bought.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Giveaways & contests

1) First the shameless plug for the family cake business, Con Amore. Lil Sis works tirelessly to create posts for the blog. Please stop by and leave a comment. The cakes are pretty too. I promise!  Plus she'll be over the moon if you follow the blog.  As an added incentive they are running a giveaway - $50 credit to use however you wish on baked goods and treats and things. Head on over and enter the giveaway!

2) Sparkle & Hay is hosting a giveaway featuring the work of the Twisted Twig Etsy shop. Check out the shop and enter the giveaway. Just in case you need more convincing (from Twisted Twig):


I kinda really want these!!!

I'll Drink to That Again

Mock-up of the bottles w/tags



The other part of this is what goes in my sweet beauties. I like a little mystery. Primarily the bottles will function as decor on the tables and speak to the theme but some of our guests are an inquisitive sort, motivated by curiosity and a sense of adventure. They should be rewarded with a tasty concoction, don't you think?

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

I'll Drink to That

Guests beware! Ya'll are getting a lot of junk (aka priceless mementos) at our wedding but only if you want to take them home. Remember the theme? Yeppers peppers, it's Alice in Wonderland. You guys are so smart! 

I'm trying to stay away from saying themed wedding because people seem to expect costumes or something. And that's not really the direction I was heading. 

Not that there's anything wrong with that! 

I'm learning how to say "inspired by". It softens the theme-iness. But I digress.

Source


I made mention previously about these lovely little bottles I purchased. What ever will  I do with these bottles? Now that I've reminded you about the theme err. . . inspiration, you can probably guess.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Addressing the Group (Part 2)



Since I had to enter names anyway I decided to get creative. Some of the invites will veer from convention and Emily Post will most likely be dismayed. C'est la vie!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Addressing the Group

Source

Way back in April I sent out my save the dates as a way to start collecting addresses from our guests. I'll update you on the process and our progress.  Some guests have informed us that they are unable to attend (which is good to know earlier rather than later) but I still want their address so I can send them an invite. Recently I sent out a little more encouragement via email. 

It went like this:

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Music to get Ready To

Source

Being a fan of most music, it's hard to narrow down my song list. Plus, I have a few guilty pleasures and eclectic eccentrities that I'm sure the majority of our guests aren't so interested in.

To set the mood as we get prettified I've chosen some girly anthemic party thumping tunes as well as some slinky sexy feel good jams. This may not be accurate descriptors of the sampling I'm providing below but just trust me.

Here's my PSP (Pretty Sexy Playlist)

You'll notice there's some Britney, a dash of Beyonce and a sprinkle of Madonna. Can you say Girl Power?

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Blogging Runs in the Family

We just launched our Con Amore cake blog over at www.bkconamore.com. Check it out! Lil Sis is in charge of the blog content and Sister and Mumsie do the decorating and baking. If you get a chance to stop by drop us a hi, hello, how are ya!

Sister is also running a giveaway for the 25th follower.

May the cake be with you!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

I'm Such a Tease

I was totes nervous about the E-pics. I wasn't sure we looked okay. I've never been a fan of me own face. But OMG they came out so  well even with us as subjects. LOL!


Wanna seeeee????*

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

It's Only a Matter of Time

Ladies & Gents (?) the last piece of my invitation suite has arrived. Huzzah!!! Let the assembly line begin! And begin it did. This past weekend the fam ( Sister, Lil Sis, Daddy, Mumsie, Mr. H and Cousin Shay Shay) helped out ( read: did most of the work).

Hey, somebody's got to supervise. I kid, I kid. So the invites have been packed and are now awaiting wrapping and postage.

Soooo excited!!!

I'm not sure if I can hold off sending them out till September.


In other wedding related news. . .

Monday, August 8, 2011

Up on a Mountain

I've been super bummed lately. Remember that disappointment train? Well I got off. I was in a valley but now I'm on a mountain. The view from here is pretty good.

Source


In life it's all about perspective and I've decided to change mine. Plus I've had some good fortune come my way which helps.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Sway with Me

I'm of two minds as we get closer to the wedding date. One part of me is all spend spend spend anytime I see a new pretty decor related item. The other part of me is thinking about the budget and is all cut cut cut. With this dueling dichotomy raging war in my bride brain, I still haven't made a decision about taking dance lessons.  

That is...until today!
 
Mr. H and I are totally doing a choreographed dance. You want to know who our fabulous choreographer is going to be?

Sunday, July 31, 2011

July Wrap-up & August Gear up


Oh Snizap!

We got quite a bit accomplished this month. All of the big stuff is set and almost all of the vendors are booked.


Lighting? - Check! I finalized the quote and the lighting guy said I didn't have to put down a deposit until September. 

Hair & Makeup ? – Check! Did a sort of hair trial (loved it!) and going to do the official makeup trial in August.

Bridesmaid dresses? - Check! As in mailing out a check this week.

Groomsmen attire? - Check! Put down a deposit at Men's Wearhouse.

DOC? - Sister has to make a decision next week and then that's done.

This will surely be an august August.
Big tings agwan! Big tings!!! Bupp! Bupp!

Caterpillar - Need to get the fabric and start sewing. We also need to figure out the hookah and the mushroom. Big Tings!!!

Invitations - This is invitation assembly month. I thought they were pretty simple but there are sooo many steps in the assembly process. It really will take all month. Still waiting on a vital part of the invite suite and if I don't get it in the next week....OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!!!


Newsletter -- I can finally send this out now that I have the info for the groomsmen. Bupp!!! Bupp!!!

Decor stuff -- Time to get the votives! And the picture frames, a basket for the flip flops ( I have an idea about this one...hee hee) and whatever other random knicknacks I decide I have to have.

What big tings agwan wit you?
 

Friday, July 29, 2011

Cause Heels Hurt

I finally got around to buying flip-flops at Old Navy. I wasn't prepared for the $1 flip-flop sale and missed it. You really have to get there early. That sale is insane. I managed to get to an Old Navy store late in the afternoon on the day of the sale and pretty much all of the flip flops were gone. The only things left were the ones for guys.

I did get an interesting tidbit from the sales guy though. He said I could pick up some random ones at the $1 price and just exchange them for the size and color I wanted later. At the time I should've taken him up on that offer but I just wasn't ready to commit to the flip flops yet.


Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Did you forget something?

Way back when, I mentioned something about the guest experience and bathroom baskets. I've been stalking the dollar section at Target so that I can scoop up a deal or two. The other day I found the perfect bathroom baskets. 

That Target is a tricky store and you have to pay attention in their dollar section. You know why? Because some things cost more than a dollar. Boo hiss! Anywhos, I found these grayish mesh baskets and a couple of wooden Hs that I just couldn't pass up. Wanna see? 

Monday, July 25, 2011

Discover the Possibilities

Source


I'm using my Discover card for the majority of my wedding purchases, some medium things and some small things. Don't be alarmed! I knew I was going to do this in advance and came up with a plan. 


Around February/March I called up Discover to see about getting a more favorable interest rate. Prior to the call I made sure to pay off my balance and I didn't put any purchases on it for a month. 

Credit card companies are strange creatures.  They want you to use your card.  Since I wasn't using it for a month they were more interested in enticing me to use it. They gave me a promotional rate of 3.99% through the end of November which was perfect. 

The other good thing about Discover is that you get to earn cash back which can be redeemed for rewards. I've been racking up a lot of cash back which I've used to get gift cards. I can redeem my cash back for cash but gift cards are way better. 

Depending on the store you can redeem $25 and get a $30 gift card or redeem $40 and get a $50 gift card. Now of course this plan would've been way better if I could have gotten an even lower promotional rate but I don't think I did so bad. It's all about leveraging your buying power. Later on this week I'll let you in on which gift cards I'll be using.    

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Wanna Play a Game?

Today marks 111 days till 11.11.11! Just thought I'd point that out.


Source


In other news. . .

So I had this idea. Just go with me on this one. I'm nixing the caricaturist and I'm not doing a photobooth. Ideally I'd like everyone to just dance, dance.




But. . .

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Imma a Divaaah!


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Yesterday was awesome! I hope the pictures turn out well. I tend to make funny faces sometimes. It's a terrible habit I hope I was able to control.
So I got my nails done on Monday. That was awful. I'm super ticklish and the pedicure was NOT relaxing. Plus I have the worst alligator feet EVER. Mumsie banned me from posting a pic on the interweb but just trust me on this one. By the time it was over the nail tech and I were both exhausted. The manicure was much better. My hands still need a lot of work though. Such is life.

My morning started out with my hair appointment. I love love love my hair. The salon is going to do us girls up for the wedding so SCORE! I did get to try on some clip on hair extensions which was way cool. Then it was on the MAC counter at Macy's to get my face did.

Mad props to Michelle at MAC who did such an amazing job on my makeup!  

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