The Guys Get Groomed

* note, all recaps going forward feature the photography of Jessica Morrisy!  *

While the ladies and I were getting all gussied up, the men were… relaxing.  Eating sandwiches and drinking beer, and eventually, putting on their tuxes.  J. in particular looked pretty dapper, so Jessica pulled him aside to capture his look.

Jessica also took some time to show John his wedding present- an album of boudoir photos of yours truly!  I absolutely love how they came out and had such a hard time keeping them a secret from John, so it was great that she could be there to capture the moment he opened his book!

Of course, little M. was unimpressed by all the commotion.  He was busy pretending to be a ninja and avoiding hugs from all the bridesmaids.  It’s tough being so cute.

But the rest of the men were in excellent spirits.  I love how great the tuxedos looked with the handmade bout’s!

It probably didn’t hurt that I sent some cigars over either…

Eventually the guys rallied for some official portraits, and first came a key shot: J. with his best man and brother, D.

Followed by some cute, cheesy, and traditional hand shake shots.  The top two, and bottom right shots are of J. with my brothers.  I really like how amused they look (you know they are thinking “joke’s on you buddy!”)  But hey, they looked great!  And PS, the bottom left photo is J. with our brother in law, S!

With all this serious portraiture going on, the men did not let it get to them… J. had plenty of folks around to make sure he didn’t take himself too seriously enjoyed himself.

Including J.’s dad of course!  (Where was my dad, you ask?  Taking the vintage Packard to church, so we’d have it in case of snow… more on that later).

With that, a few more photos of the dudes in action… what a handsome group!

And then they were whisked back to their hotel rooms for a while, so we ladies could come do pictures too!

And how did we get here?  Checking In;  Practice Makes Perfect: The Rehearsal!; The Rehearsal Dinner!; The Rehearsal Dinner Slide Show; Girls Gone Wild!; Got Mah Hairs Did

Free Money For Shopping You Do Anyway…

I have seen other brides blog about this in the past, but I have no idea what took me so long to get on the bandwagon.  Well, I’m on it now.  I signed up for Ebates.  Ebates is this website that gives cash back for shopping, only you don’t have to pay for anything or get any email spam in order to participate.  Here’s how it works (1) go to Ebates, (2) look for the retailer you want and click on their name, (3) Ebates will reroute you to the retailer’s website where you make your purchase as usual, (4) four times a year they will send you a check.

For example, I just bought some custom postage for shower invitations at Zazzle, spent about $100, and since they give 10% cash back I’m getting about $10 for it.  I also buy online from Sephora pretty often, and they give 4% back. See how this could add up?  My personal rule is that I don’t use the service unless it is for something I need to buy anyway and the coupons make it all make sense- which has been more often than I expected.

I am also a big fan of Ebates because they have coupon codes on their website, which you can use for even more bargains.  And of course, once you have started shopping, there is nothing to prohibit you from using other coupon codes.  So my Zazzle purchase, for example, I used a code for 12% off, a code for $20 off, and a code for free shipping, so with the extra $10 from Ebates, my fancy postage became much more affordable.

My favorite stores on Ebates include:

The Apple Store (1%)

Ann Taylor and Loft (3%)

Barnes and Noble (8%)

Bliss Spa (4%)

Borders (4%)

Crate and Barrel (3%)

Gap (4%)

iTunes (3%)

JoAnn (5%)

Kate Spade (3.5%)

The Land of Nod (4%)

Nordstrom (3%)

Payless (3%)

PetFoodDirect (5%) – I use this one a LOT

Red Envelope (6%)

Target (3%)

Urban Outfitters (2.5%)

Vera Bradley (3%)

Victoria’s Secret (2%)

Vistaprint (5%) – HEY BRIDES, SEE THIS?!

White House Black Market (2%)

1-800-FLOWERS (5%)

And the list goes on.  It’s also a great place to book travel (car rental, hotels and airfare) for cash back too!  I will definitely be hooking this up for my next trip.

In the interest of full disclosure, I want you to know that if you sign up for Ebates by clicking on a link in this post, I get a referral credit- so signing up through this post would be very nice of you- but if you would prefer not to do so, you can navigate to Ebates directly in your browser, and I think in either case you will be happy you did!  I don’t really mind if you use my referral link or not- I just think this is an easy way to watch pennies- and I think this would have been extra handy when planning our wedding, since we bought SO much stuff online!

Dating and Engagement: How Long is “Right” And When Should You Ignore Conventional Wisdom?

I’m going to say it up front: I don’t pretend to know the answer to the above question.  But as February comes to a close, I’m primarily just curious to know if there even is a right answer.  The reason why?  One of my besties just got engaged!  To someone who she had not been dating for very long (i.e. weeks, not months- and yes, she has a serious rock, it is for real).  My attitude?  We’re all quite grown up and capable of making decisions, and she will always have my love and support.  Besides, if she is happy, who is anyone else to judge?  Frankly, if we all accepted conventional wisdom, most of us would be too frightened to ever even get married.

Just think of all the rule breaking that goes on these days.  I know happily married people who had kids before they were married.  Or people whose parents thought a 6 month engagement was too short and thus, a bad idea.  I know people who married someone who has been divorced.  And I know people who’ve been harshly criticized for meeting their spouse online.  Plenty of people poo-poo on these matches, and yet these are very happy couples, as far as I can tell.  And some of the plain vanilla, so called “perfect” marriages I’ve seen have completely fallen apart.  Is it all a crapshoot?  Does it come down to hard work?

What do you think?  In a society of increasingly fuzzy boundaries, are there any dating/marriage rules that just shouldn’t be broken?  Or is it just more gray area to give us more gray hair?

image source

Free Fonts and Why I Love Them

I love me some free fonts.  They come in handy so often these days for various projects, from shower favors to thank you notes.  Adding an element of professional polish to even the most basic of labels, and making me look a lot more like a graphic designer than I am (which is not at all).  I have a pretty nice version of Microsoft Word at home, but my favorites were all downloaded from DaFont for FREE.   All you have to do is move your downloaded font into your computer’s “font” folder, and it will be available to you in Power Point, Word, and more for use on special projects.

What fonts do you love?  Do you have any good tips for how to find great free fonts?

We’re So Famous!

We are officially famous.  Don’t believe me?  Let me give you my most lawyerly argument which indisputably proves how famous we are! 

First, J. and I were in the NY Times wedding section a few weeks ago!  I didn’t blog about it in order to preserve our anonymity (or what little of it is left) but it was so cool to share and enjoy with friends and family!

Second, President Obama sent us a congratulations card.  (What, you say everyone who invites the President to their wedding gets one?  Psshhh, please, you know nothing about how famous we are).

Third, of course you know our wedding was featured on Wedding Chicks, with incredible photos by Jessica Morrisy.

But did you know we were also famous on our honeymoon?  Well ok technically, it was after our honeymoon, but  nonetheless, the good people over at the U.S.S. Bowfin (an incredible WWII submarine we visited at Pearl Harbor) read the blog and saw some photos from our trip and now we are featured on their facebook page!

It makes me want to talk like a pirate or something.  Ahoy!  So anyhow, I have to say, we really enjoyed our time visting the Bowfin museum and are overjoyed to have some of our photos featured on their page.  Hooray for American history, vacations, and new cameras!

Arghhhh

Matching ‘Maids, Not Poor ‘Maids

For example, my dear friend R. recently chose shoes to go with our navy blue Jenny Yoo bridesmaids dresses.  The dresses are super swank, but the shoes are cheap n’ chic.  From none other than Lela Rose for Payless!!  I heart these shoes.  And I can vouch that they look even better in person, if that is possible! 

$29.99 (click for source)

But of course you don’t have to limit yourself to just Payless.  Check out these hot pink lovelies from, yes, Target! 

And don’t forget the junior’s stores.     Charlotte Russe, for example, carries this great shoe in teal, gray and black, and I am loving the bling!

$34.99

 And these peacock flats are to die for.  Am I right?

 Even Baker’s has some cute options (and I have’t shopped there since I was 14).

$29.99

 And don’t forget chains like DSW, TJ Maxx and Marshall’s either.  Just make sure you buy fast – they carry limited quantities- so your ladies aren’t left shoeless!

Got Mah Hairs Did

On our wedding day, I woke bright and early (due to an unfortunately noisy heating unit in my hotel room) and excitedly threw on my special “getting ready outfit”- a juicy couture track suit (got it on sale of course, thanks Bloomingdale’s!) with a “Bride” tank top I’d scored on sale from the Wedding Chicks in my favorite color- pink!  Armed with my most comfortable duds, I met up with my ladies and got ready to get my hair and makeup done!

For hair and makeup, I told the ladies that I would be getting myself made up at Panico salon in Oradell, NJ.  I told the girls they could do their own hair and makeup or join me- and most of the bridesmaids did.  Those who didn’t actually had hair that was easy to style, so I was perfectly content to let folks choose for themselves, and in the end everyone looked lovely!

We got to Panico at 9 am and I was there until a little after noon- so yes, it was a long morning.  But as you can see, it was fun girl time!  One lesson I did learn in the process, however, was that I should  have built in more time.  We had a very tight schedule, and because we didn’t stick to it very well, I ended up feeling rushed when I got dressed.  Did it matter?    Not really, no– but if you’re planning your wedding, take note!

The most important thing was that we all bonded, and we all really loved the way we looked when we walked out of there.  You’ll see even more once I start posting the recaps with pro pics, but suffice it to say, Panico rocked it out!

Pre-'Do

Taming my mane into submission

Look how cute my girls are, even pre-polish!

Makeup time!

We were all smiles as our looks came together

A couple of final poses before we were on our way!

And how did we get here?  Checking In;  Practice Makes Perfect: The Rehearsal!; The Rehearsal Dinner!; The Rehearsal Dinner Slide Show; Girls Gone Wild!

Old School Disposable Cameras

With the advent of the digital camera, it seems that fewer people are jumping on the disposable wedding camera bandwagon.  It’s like, soooo 1998.  But much like the year 1998 (the year of Savage Garden, K-Ci and Jo Jo, and also Backstreet Boys!) I have a hard time accepting that people don’t find them fun anymore.  In fact, in light of bridesmaid C.’s wildly successful experience with these for her 30th birthday party (a “Doble Quinceanera”) I think they could still be vogue- at least in the right context.  I know her party pals thought they were fantastic- and took awesome pictures to prove it!

It appears that we old school camera lovers are not alone.  I ran a google search and found that they’re still beloved by brides and party planners alike!  C. made hers by tracing the outline of the disposable camera’s sleeve onto vintage travel posters from Mexico- nice touch for a fiesta, don’t you think?  But this could easily be done using homemade papers, coordinating card stock, scrapbook or magazine finds, maybe even fabric.  Miss Cola over on Weddingbee even created a free template you can print out on your paper before you cut, if you want to make your life even easier.  Miss Cola is one crafty diva!

Miss Cola's final product (image from WB)

A view of Miss Cola's template (also from WB)

Of course, I’m partial to C.’s because I know all of the other touches that went into her big party… and look at them in action!  It would appear that Miss C. even made tri-fold table cards (remember when I made those for my Rehearsal Dinner menus?)  that she embossed for some extra spice in her theme color- blue.  Based solely on having seen this picture, I am absolutely, without a doubt, definitely planning to use this idea in some shape or form at one of the umpteen showers that are being planned this year.

Nice, right?!

Would you include old school disposable cameras as a part of your special event?

Oahu-moon revisited!

I don’t think I ever showed you any highlight photos from our last few honeymoon days in Oahu, so I thought now would be a good time to share!  After all, it’s still too cold and I could use a little reminder of happier times without so much work!  So without further ado, some highlights of our time in Oahu-woo-hoo!

I check out the view of Honolulu after hiking to the top of Diamond Head crater!

Perfect. Rainbow. Perfect.

Pipeline surf contest, north shore. For reals.

Another gorgeous Hawaiian senset, as viewed from our room!

Hitting the decks of the U.S.S. Bowfin at Pearl Harbor.

And wrapping up our trip, paying respects at the Arizona Memorial.

J. and I are so fortunate to have been able to start our new life together with such an incredible vacation.  In these times when so many people are going through so many real, heartbreaking problems, having the means and ability to take this trip is not something we take for granted.  Every moment is precious and we will certainly treasure these memories.

Girls Gone Wild: Post Rehearsal Fun!

After the rehearsal dinner, we were all pretty beat.  But that didn’t mean we went to bed like the responsible adults we’re not.  Nooooo.  My ladies and I stayed up, drank a little wine (or fancy bottled waters) and visited.  After all, so many good friends were here from out of town, and I knew our wedding day would be nuts, so it was a good time to get some visiting in.  And so those who had a little energy left headed back to the big suite for some fun… in the form of goofing off, as all good friends do!

C. shows off the water, bottled with love by J. and I.

J. and B. unwind and laugh at the rest of the foolishness.

M., B. and I smile and try to look like grown ups for the camera!

E. and C. work on their goddess poses.

Note, that at this point, there actually were quite a few guys in the room.  But they were sitting and talking and catching up like normal people.  Unlike we ladies, who are clearly NOT afraid to look stupid in front of boys.

S. and I channel our inner Carlton Banks by recreating the scene from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air where Tom Jones sang "It's Not Unusual." I know you know what I'm talking about.

C. and I show off our matching shirts; and later I show off my new pearls from J!

Meanwhile, lil sis B. tried to keep her big sis in line.

While other bridesmaids finished opening up their swag bags... and felt just a little sad to have destroyed the wrappings.

But eventually the time came for me to say goodnight to J... and so I did so via interpretive dance. As you can see, he was not taking my dance seriously. So we said goodnight- and didn't see each other until I walked into that aisle the next morning!

It probably does not come as a surprise to you to hear that the next morning, despite our good intentions to get up and get a work out in, we did not do so. Oh but it was worth it!  A little silliness goes a long way to easing pre-wedding nervousness!

And speaking of silliness, that last picture, dear friends, is rock solid evidence of how much I love you all.  I look like a total nerd

And how did we get here?  Checking In;  Practice Makes Perfect: The Rehearsal!; The Rehearsal Dinner!; The Rehearsal Dinner Slide Show