20% Off Sarah Perlis + Eternity Ring Love

I never got a wedding band (we opted to use the money to get the boy the gold wedding band of his choice) so whenever I see that Sarah (who made my engagement/wedding ring!) having a sale my heart skips a beat. Isn't this one just lovely?

[Yellow gold bezel eternity band]

Sigh...maybe one day??

Go visit Sarah's website here for more beautiful jewelry.

Wedding Magazines

[The boy's copies of Cell are being crushed by my collection in the living room.]

Aside from the occasional Martha Stewart Weddings, I have stopped purchasing wedding magazines and have been relying on blogs for my inspiration. I still however have a mountain of magazines that I inherited from a friend, and they can be seen in the living room, on the bookshelf, and on my desk. Basically if a stranger came into our apartment, it wouldn't take much to figure out that we are engaged. Especially when I have this written on our chalkboard.


Did you ever purchase a lot of wedding magazines? Or do you find them to be a waste with the same ol' content?

Possibly Maybe THE Shoes

[Hello Kate Spade, what's in the box?]

[Ooooooh. Let's take them outside with better light.]

[Much better.]

[A close-up of the jewels on the toes]

These have been sitting in a box by my desk for the past month. I bought them on a whim at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I wasn't planning to buy anything, but while my mother and sister were trying on shoes, I saw them and immediately thought of the wedding. They were...

1. flat. Perfect so that I won't be taller than the boy.
2. ultra feminine
3. {roughly} 50% off
4. Kate Spade

The "maybe these are my shoes" part stems from the fact that they'll be sitting in a box for an entire year waiting to be worn. I'm afraid that I'll just find something better later on. Luckily, these shoes will be able to be worn with other outfits, so I think I might just keep them even if I do find a different pair.

What do you think? Cross shoes off my list? Or keep my eyes open for another?

[Kate Spade Faith Ballerina Flat]

Where's Everyone At?

Thanks to everyone for your sweet comments on my hair and makeup trial! The check is {almost} in the mail for my hair and makeup deposit, which means that I get to check it off of my list! That's the best feeling, writing in big letters "DONE" next to a "to do" on my handy dandy Operation Wedding checklist.

Time to assess where we're at before I enter the craziness that is work+internship+grad school come September. Woohoo!

So far, here's what we've got at a year out (you can view the links in my sidebar!)
+Venue
+Photographer
+Dress
+Asked family to be bridal party
+Asked friend to be officiant
+Hair and Makeup!!!

In the immediate future, we will hopefully...
+Book a caterer (we're thinking of having a pasta bar, bruschetta, and lemonade)
+Send email save the dates and finish up the website (this has been on my plate for a few months and I really want to push it off, haha)

And in another few months...
+Find shoes
+First dress fitting
+Order bridesmaid dresses
+Find something for the boy to wear (this won't be easy...will blog about it!)

And a couple months after that...
+The invitations, which I foresee being a huge project since I am doing them myself!

And then everything else...decor, flowers, other paper products, the rehearsal dinner, honeymoon research/booking, the cupcakes/desserts/pies, fabric for the photo station, the ceremony, the music, dance lessons, booking a hotel suite for the wedding night, feeding my cat, brushing my teeth, sleeping...

For those of you in early planing mode, what progress have you made? For those of you at the end of planning, what more do you need to do?

Lollipop Events: planter name tags

[Eco-chic table setting by Lollipop Events via Wedding Chicks; photo by Cary Pennington]

Another adorable idea in blog land that I love--individual mini-planters that act as favors, decor, and name tag in one. They could probably be in the middle of the table until people arrive and sit down, but then the middle of the table would be empty once people take their planters. That probably wouldn't matter very much, would it?

Hm. Mentally adding this to the "think about this for wedding" part of my brain.

This tablescape was created by the talented ladies at Lollipop Events and Design, a San Diego vendor! They break down how to create this table in their diy section--sweet!
Also, check out their blog here, it's adorable.

The Photo Booth: Drop It Modern

[All images from Drop It Modern]

Our photographer, Jessamyn Harris, sent me this link to Drop It Modern a while back and I just keep going back to it because the backdrops are really vibrant, bold, and appear to be of great quality--I don't see any wrinkles in the fabric!

Despite being a splurge item, I think having one would really be a striking backdrop for all of our guests to take pictures in front of. This is one of my favorites because I think it would go well with our red/green/pink/white/shabby chic/picnic/vineyard/vintage wedding. *Phew*

[Retro Rosebud backdrop from Drop It Modern]

We will be having a photo station with a backdrop, but I haven't decided what type or color of fabric, or if we should have props. Pretty chairs? A chalkboard? Feather boas?

I hear that Urban Outfitters is a good place to look as well, so I'll be stalking their bedding section for something that will work.

Any suggestions to make our photo station the best photo station in the whole wide decorative world?

Trudy's Annual Sample Sale

For those of you in the SF Bay Area, Trudy's in Campbell, CA is having a sample sale!
I had a great time at Trudy's, and despite not finding my dress there, my consultant was incredibly patient and really took the time to listen to what I was looking for.

Trudy's is not paying me to say this, I promise. (Actually no one I feature on this blog pays me to say any kind words, so you can be guaranteed that this is really what I think!)

If you're in the area, go visit! They have an incredible selection to begin with so I can imagine there being many gowns at sample prices.

Eating with Bambu

[All images from Bambu]

I know, forks and knives aren't the most exciting of topics. I promise, this summer is going to be chock full of eye candy, including my save the dates, website, hair/makeup trial, cake tasting, bridesmaid dress shopping, my engagement party, AND my sister's wedding. *Phew*

But for now you get forks and knives, sorry.

I received a catering quote today, and I didn't see anything mentioned on there about silverware or dishware. Obviously those things are important to the meal. Well if the forks and knives and whatever ware aren't included at a reasonable price, perhaps we could fork over (pardon the pun) some moolah for Bambu. They're an alternative to the paper plate and plastic fork, and are organic, disposable, and decompose in 4-6 months!

I also think the natural color would be cute with our general decor. The fork, knife, and spork (they come in sporks!) tied with a red ribbon, super cute.

Too Good to Toss

[From top to bottom: Martha Stewart Weddings, Summer 2008, p. 248, bouquet designed by Jackie and Daughter Flower Shop; i heart peonie's bouquet designed by Petal Play Design, photo by Dean Thorsen; Yuli's bouquet designed by Saipua, photo by Robert Sukrachand]

Ah, flowers. It seems as though on my budget spreadsheet, flowers and cake are hanging out together begging me to pay attention to them. Research us! Look at us! Why do we have so little money attached to our cells!

My excel sheets talk to me, don't yours?

We probably won't be able to have a florist make centerpieces, but I'd like a pro to make my bouquet, two bridesmaids' bouquets, a flower girl bouquet, three bouts and five corsages. Wow that sounds like a lot more when you write it down!

Here are some of my inspiration pictures so far. The sister calls them "wild". What do you think?

Working on the Website: Part I

Awhile ago, Carly wrote a post about productivity when being away from your S.O. I commented on that post, apparently I already knew the boy would be gone this month back in April! My how time flies.

While the boy is gone for two weeks to live like a hermit at his parents' house to study for the board exams, it's going to be just me and the cat. Me me me me me. Me. And me.

And the website. w00t!

I'm in the thick of working on it, but so far I just have a design and I need to add content.

Here are the sections I am including:

About Us (how long should our couple bio be? Do people actually read this? Do you think people actually care where we went to school, how we met, and what we do?)

Event Details (time and date, directions, other pertinent details)

Travel and Hotel (we're working on getting a discount)

Things To Do: San Diego (Dolphins! Surfing! All the Mexican food you could possibly eat!)

Registry (we won't be working on this for a while, but I see dishes in our future!)

FAQs (what is the weather like in San Diego? How far away is Disneyland? Are you having vegetarian/vegan options?)

Contact Us (I'm hoping people will click on this to RSVP. There will also be a separate section on the website that directs people to email us to RSVP.)

Can you think of anything I missed?

The SMP Crate and Barrel Giveaway

Ok, who else signed up for Crate and Barrel registry today just for the 4k giveaway?? It's a little early for us to be registering, but I just couldn't help myself with the amazing prize at stake!

If you haven't heard, read all about the giveaway at the newly designed Style Me Pretty here.

"That's a Waste of Money"

...to which I like to reply "According to you!" and then I throw a pie in the person's face.

Ok I don't actually do that. In real life I probably say "you think?" and then end up shelving whatever I wanted to purchase in the first place due to guilt. Oh money.

I feel like I've been hearing this a lot since we started wedding planning, because there are so many impractical pretty things in wedding world. It's like the boy's (who is probably one of the most practical people I know) worst nightmare, all wrapped up in one big event. If he's the one saying "that's a waste of money" it's usually proceeded by "why do we need this?", which, don't get me wrong, is a good thing because we can't exactly be willy-nilly about our dollars and cents. He's not a doctor yet and I haven't won the lottery or written that million dollar children's book.

Where is this little rant going? Oh yeah. The boy thought stds were a waste, so...

I have created an email newsletter instead. I paid $0 for it, and even though the older generation won't be receiving it due to a lack of an email address, I'm going to make it a point to ask their children to show them.

It will link to our website, which I am also working on, and the whole kit n'caboodle should be done mid-summer so that people can "ooo" and "awww" and start daydreaming about swimming and kayaking and general San Diego merriment.

I can't wait to show you!!

Is there anything WIC-endorsed that you absolutely refuse to pay for and deem a "waste of money"?

Marrying into an Organized Family

About a month ago, I asked the FI's aunt if she could send me a list of relatives from their side of the family with their contact information.

If I asked my mother to do this, it'd be scrawled on a paper napkin with various parts of addresses missing and complete names missing. No Mom, I can't address the envelope as "Uncle Kevin's Mom". It just does not work that way. [Side note: I love my Mom, I really do.]

Imagine my complete surprise when I received a spreadsheet with all of the FI's relatives, grouped by families, with COMPLETE email addresses and mailing addresses. Not only did the FI's aunt include all names of family members, but she included how they were related to the FI (and very soon, to me!) She even included notes for me that might affect the guest count, such as "Cousin Judy is expecting in August". It was such a huge help that I felt like I should be paying her!

Now...if Excel could have some sort of import function for paper napkins...ya hear me Microsoft researchers?

Congratulations to R+M!

[Did I ever tell you about my mad tambourine skills?
Summer days circa 2003.
[L to R] Mo, Jenn, and Ro busting it out to Mariah Carey's Vision of Love.]

My college roommate and dear friend, Rosanna, just got engaged! She is the first of my friends to get married, and I am honored that I will be a bridesmaid in the wedding. It's almost like I've been reading training guides for years now due to my obsession with wedding blogs. If anyone's prepped and ready to be a bridesmaid, it's me. Although I could probably take a lesson or two from The Professional Bridesmaid!

We lived with our friend, Jenn, and the three of us occupied an old dilapidated apartment on the south side of Berkeley, CA for three years. Let's just say when I had friends visit they would say "THIS is where you LIVE?"

Ah, good times. I can't wait to make more memories in the next year while helping plan her wedding. Congratulations Rosanna! I will wear anything you want me to!

Picking a Dress for the Party

Since it will just be my two sisters as bridesmaids, picking a game plan for their outfits was relatively painless. I didn't really feel comfortable just telling them what to wear, I wanted their input so that they would be comfortable and not want to clobber me over the head with one of their dyed shoes.

After 30 email messages (sometimes we work, I promise) they told me what they liked and didn't like.

Note: Remember the dominant color is poppy red, with accents of green, pink, and white.

The criteria:
-"I don't do pink" (that eliminated one of the wedding colors)
-"No bare shoulders" (armpit fat runs in the family)
-"Can it be knee length or longer?" (sure thing)
-"Poppy red? Hm. poppy red. I could do poppy red."
-"Green is one of the colors? Green! Please let's do green!!"

Ok. So I needed a green knee-length dress with sleeves. Easy, right?
Do you know how many dresses out there have sleeves? Not many!

I proposed having them wear a shrug or cardigan to hide their arms. To my surprise, they LOVED the shrug idea. Since we're all huge Elizabeth Dye fans, I thought this was the perfect excuse to get two made by her. I haven't contacted Elizabeth Dye yet, but I hope to place my order soon. This is my treat to my sisters for helping me out.

[Antique ivory silk taffeta ruffle bolero by Elizabeth Dye]

The official bridesmaid outfit:
+shrugs in ivory (I'm taking care of this)
+any green dress. any shade. any length. of their choice. If they feel strongly about pants, they can go ahead and wear pants, I just want them to choose something they'd actually want in their wardrobe.
+prints are fine, it can even be a print of a different shade, with just a hint of green.
+any shoes

Their response to this?
"Any green dress, hmmmm? So lime green terry cloth is acceptable?"

Ah. Sisters.

Picking a Party

Oh boy, the bridal party. Or bridal brigade. Or group of people close to us who will walk down the aisle and stand up with us and do lots of things to help us out because they looooove us.

We had a tough time with this concept. We probably came up with every possible scenario in the book--large party (around 12 people), medium party (about 8 people), siblings only party, and for a while it was "to hell with it! Why do we even need one!" which resulted in a couple weeks of no party. [As a side note, on brides.com they will tell you in the etiquette section that you NEED bridesmaids. Really brides.com? Do I really? I'd like to see you stop me.]

After much discussion, we've come to a compromise which will hopefully keep us sane and make things simple.

We're keeping it all in the family in terms of a bridal party--my two older sisters and his younger brother will stand up with us. My adorable niece will be the flower girl. And of course our parents and my grandmother will walk down the aisle as well.

But we didn't want to leave out close friends, so I've asked my two close friends from college to give a toast, and we're planning to ask other friends to be ushers and one person to be our officiant. We have yet to decide who that might be.

I'm really happy with this decision. My sisters are my best friends, and as older sisters, they have really helped me out throughout my entire life. I want them to be up there with me.
[Another side note: everyone thinks we look alike. Even the boy confused me with sister 1 in a photo! I hope people actually know who I am the day of my wedding.]

Yay for another decision made! Venue? Check! Photographer? Check! Dress? Check!

Maids of Honor/Bridesmaids/Awesome People We Love/My Sisters and Confidantes? Check!

[Sister 2 and sister 1 last summer]

[Sister 1 getting married! Wasn't her bouquet gorgeous? Notice she's fixing my necklace, since I clearly can't dress myself, while sister 2 gives her the "are you kidding?" staredown. Image from Gelston Dwight.]

Registry Finds: Elsewares

[Green Glass Boylan Soda glasses by Elsewares]

[Thomas Paul dinner plates from Elsewares]

We haven't decided the how what and where of our registry, but unlike other couples I read about who are settled and have everything, we actually NEED stuff. My sister actually sent me towels because when she stayed with me she didn't think we had enough.

Sister: "Where did you buy your towels? I can buy you more from wherever you bought the others."
Me: "Buy? Dude, I didn't buy these, these are Mom and Dad's. You can steal more from Mom and Dad, I saw some new ones in the linen closet last time I was home."
Sister: *shaking head*

There was a package of purple towels at my doorstep a week later. Sweet.

I already have these, which I got as a White Elephant gift. They provide us with our salt and pepper needs. And I love them.

[Mint Hug Salt and Pepper Shaker at Elsewares]

I love most everything at Elsewares, my only concern is that my taste will change as I mature and the Boylan soda glasses won't be my style anymore, or appropriate for a nice dinner party, if we ever have one. We're thinking of the standard Target, Crate and Barrel, and Macy's, but where are all of you registering, if you are in fact having a registry? Any tips for a newbie?

Done Playing Dress Up: The Wedding Dress

I bought it. (!!!!!!)
I always pictured myself like those brides on Say Yes to the Dress where they cry and wipe away tears while their bridal entourage also dabs away tears, and then there's hugging involved and lots of sighing and twirling in front of the mirror.

But that didn't happen. When I put it on all I could really say was "Yup. This is it. Do you take VISA?" So, no tears, but I'm very happy with the purchase!

It was also a very lovely day because my co-worker Melissa came with me (thank you Melissa!) and we made a date out of it and went back to the venue to take a quick tour of the winery and bask in the sun.

They said it should take approximately 7 months (!!!) and that alterations will take about 1.5 months. So I guess shopping early was a good idea!

Ok I've typed enough text, ready for some shots of someone other than the model in the dress?

***Trumpets***

Ta-da! I'm getting married and I have something to wear to the occasion!


[The middle beading is crooked because they pinned it tighter since I have no boobs. I also look like I'm practicing my vows in this picture. "I, Mo, take you, very adorable boy, to be..."]

[I'm standing on a stool--it was the only way not to trip over the dress while I was in front of the mirror. The tailor is going to be my best friend. This is also an idea of what my hair would look like up. What do you think, hair up or down?]

[The back--scandalous! Instead of the silicone cups they suggested I sew some fabric cups into the dress, so I may just do that.]

[The detail on the bottom]

[Miss a beat? Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV]

PS: This is my 200th post! Woohoo!

Cute and Casual.

[Suzi Chin Maggy Boutique Sleeveless Rosette Hem Dress]

I think this dress is super cute and would also make a great wedding dress. Short, breezy, no fuss, easy to accessorize, and the best part is that it's $118!

If Kitty Chen falls through...

...hello Marc Bouwer gown! Le sigh.