Married!

I've really dropped the ball on posting on this blog but I'll give you the 'executive summary' of what happened since the last post. First, I successfully defended my thesis at Caltech on June 11th. Whoo! I'm not technically done with my graduate career there but I'm 99.999% done. Second, we moved to Colorado Springs on June 15th. We drove out in one day with the car filled with wedding and computer stuff (so if our professionally moved stuff got lost, we still could have a wedding and Bryan could still telecommute). We had about two weeks to settle and start to unpack (a painfully slow process) and then it was wedding time!

It was scheduled to rain (30% chance) on our wedding day and so I was stressed out the entire week. On Tuesday, I went to the Broadmoor Spa for a relaxing facial/body wrap (oh, wonderful, wonderful spa!). That night, my family was in town and we had a fun dinner at the Macaroni grill. They gave us our gifts afterwards- thank you so much! In addition to the standard wedding gifts, my grandparents gave us a beautiful statue of a bride and groom made out of Waterford crystal, my Aunt Melanie gave us an I.O.U. on a Christmas ornament, and my Great-Aunt Bonnie gave me a very special gift- a knitted and beaded shawl that I decided to wear on the wedding day.

On Wednesday, we had the parents brunch at the Egg and I. The meeting was low-key, which everyone appreciated. The food was tasty and everyone had fun. That afternoon, after running a few last minute errands, we met with our ceremony coordinator, Danielle, and the Broadmoor catering manager, Lindsey, and did the walk-thru. Bryan then went over to his parents' house to go over the ceremony program while I tried to relax and not stress out about the wedding :)

On Thursday, things started getting hectic. Bryan went back over to his parents' house to print the place cards for the reception while I started packing up for the wedding. I remember being so busy that I was starving by the mid-afternoon. I finally made time to eat a veggie burger and it felt like a rock in my stomach afterwards. Yeah, I was starting to get nervous! We had the rehearsal at 4 pm at the Broadmoor. It was crazy to see everyone finally there! The rehearsal went well and it was a really good use of our time. The kids, especially, needed help learning what to do and where to go. Afterwards, we had the dinner at Marigolds Cafe and Bakery. It was really tasty! My out-of-town friends showed up to the dinner and it was great to finally see them! Almost everyone who would be at the wedding was at the rehearsal dinner so it was a lot of fun.

On Friday, I got up early and went to breakfast with my friends (again, at the Egg and I- love that place!). We got mani's/pedi's at a place called Nail Vogue II. I'm sorry to say, I wasn't too impressed with my manicure (I think I got the worst nail technician there) and I started to worry about my hair and makeup as well.

My friends drove me to the Broadmoor and we checked into the room, which had an awesome view of the lake and mountains. I ordered some Martinelli's sparkling cider (real champagne would have made me immediately tipsy and bright red) and we enjoyed the room before my hair/makeup appointment at the Broadmoor salon. All of my worries about how my hair/makeup would look disappeared immediately when I met the stylists. They are truly pros!

Once we got back to the hotel room, the dress and veil had been delivered from the Broadmoor dry cleaners. Danielle and the photographers showed up pretty quickly afterwards. My friends helped me into my dress and the photographers took a lot of pictures in the room. Outside, Bryan was waiting for me and was instructed to look at the mountains (so he couldn't see me approaching). I saw him out of the window in the hallway and my heart started pounding. They positioned me a few feet behind him for our first meeting. He knew I was there (there's nothing stealthy about a giant dress filled with tulle!). Finally, the photographers told Bryan to turn around and when he saw me my eyes filled up with tears. Bryan kept saying the same thing over and over, "you are so beautiful".

We took couples photos all around the lake and the front of the building. At no time did it seem like it was going to rain. If anything, it was sunny and hot. The session lasted for almost 2 hours! I don't have the pictures yet, but the photographers did post about the wedding on their blog. Towards the end, we accidentally bumped into my family arriving-whoops! Then it was time to assemble for the wedding ceremony. We all congregated into the lobby next to the South Terrace. Guests were also coming in to so I think everyone saw me before the ceremony. I could barely see the decorations outside and couldn't hear the string trio we had hired. Finally, someone herded people to their seats. I heard Pachabel's Canon start and saw the processional start. Emma, the flower girl, turned back and we chatted a bit before it was her turn to walk. She was so excited to be the flower girl! At last, it was dad's and my turn to walk. It was very surreal because everyone had their cameras out, snapping away. I felt like a celebrity going out to eat at a trendy club or something!

Once at the front, the ceremony began and it was very beautiful. My dad gave a parent blessing, which he memorized, and I was on the verge of tears the entire time. Bryan's mom, Jan, and his sister, Jaime, also recited beautiful readings. Bryan and I recited our vows without a hitch (although I'm pretty sure my friends giggled when I pulled out the large sheet of yellow paper which had my vows hand-written on). At the end, we kissed, whispered "I Love You" a few times and kissed again. Apparently, the Broadmoor clock started chiming when we kissed (I didn't hear it go off). We started the recessional back into the building. At some point, Bryan thrusted the bouquet back in my hand (everything was such a blur).

A lot of hugs followed and the formal family pictures were taken. Since I was immobilized in my dress, people had to assemble around me while I just stayed in the same spot. Afterwards, we went up to the Penrose Lounge for drinks. Danielle talked to the jazz band there and coordinated when to do the first dance. The dance started and I quickly learned that it was impossible to dance in my wedding dress. My heel kept snagging on the tulle in my dress and both of us were stepping on it. At the end, I burst out laughing because I was sure I looked like I was drunk trying to do our choreographed dance.

Next, everyone was seated for the plated dinner. The table arrangements looked great and the Penrose Room service was as excellent as expected. Both my dad and Bryan's step-dad gave beautiful toasts and we signed the marriage license. The photographers captured everything and we did a quick cake cutting before they had to leave. I found out that my dress was so tight, my stomach couldn't expand so I couldn't eat very much (lesson learned- I should have changed into a reception dress!). At the end of the night, I was so exhausted.

The next day, Bryan and I had room service breakfast and it was excellent. The weather on Saturday was cold and gloomy (Saturday got the bad weather instead of Friday!). That afternoon, we went to a BBQ hosted by Bryan's family. Afterwards, my friends and us went to Seven Falls so see the falls lit up at night. It was pretty but I'll never climb those steep stairs in the dark again! On Sunday, we enjoyed the Broadmoor's fabulous Sunday brunch, checked out, and enjoyed a Couples Massage (my wedding gift to Bryan) at the spa before leaving. The only hitch during the entire weekend was that it took the Broadmoor almost an hour to locate the remnants of our wedding cake. Other than that, Bryan and I had a wonderful time. Here's a picture of us on the balcony of our hotel room on Sunday. We are both so happy and I want to thank you for reading my little wedding blog!

Love, Bonnie

Bridal Bag

I did a little DIY project today and here it is:

It's a little bridal bag for holding things like the hotel card key and lip gloss. I found the pattern from this site. This was my first lined bag (super easy) and my first drawstring bag (pretty easy too). I didn't know how the bag would come together so I followed her directions to a T and got... a really small bag. Cute, but small! It's wide enough that a lip gloss can fit in it sideways so I'm not complaining. The entire cost out the door from JoAnn's: less than 10 bucks. If you subtract the materials I didn't use, the total cost was probably five bucks. Time to make it: 1.5 hours. You can buy expensive bridal bags that look awesome but what can you do with a stark white, beaded purse with little bows all over it after the wedding?

The PCH and Shirt Shopping

Things have gotten really, really busy here. I'm defending my thesis this Wednesday (yikes!) and the movers are coming on Friday (double yikes!). Luckily, things are going smoothly in the wedding department. My dress is completely altered (no weight gain for me now!) and Bryan got his suit shirt and tie today.

Bryan is going to look so sharp with his silver tie! Last weekend, we drove up the PCH (that's the Pacific Coast Highway for you non-Californians). It hugs the coast and you can see so many gorgeous beaches. We stopped at Point Mugu (a Navel base) and snapped some pictures of the planes on display there. Bryan's favorite movie is top gun. So, B, this picture is for you!

House Hunting Trip

This week, Bryan and I went to Colorado Springs to find a place to live and finalize our wedding plans. Menus are planned (hope ya'll like chicken, beef or bass- all done in a fru-fru, fancy way), cake is designed (two tier square cake, strawberries and cream on the bottom and chocolate raspberry on the top, our initials on the side, and fresh flowers on the top), flower arrangements picked out. And we just signed the lease to our first (rented) house!

This is the rental website photo and it's hard to see the color of the house (yellow). The house costs $225 LESS per month to rent than our current 1 bedroom apartment in Pasadena and has two EXTRA bedrooms! There's also a little washer and dryer (a luxury!), a gas range, a cute backyard with a separate dog run, and a 1 car garage in the back. It's a block away from a park and about a mile from grocery stores/restuarants/etc. It's 30 minutes from my job but that's because Shriever AFB is out in the boonies. Every room is painted a very different color (dark red living room, bright yellow kitchen, blue bedroom, taupe hallways, etc) and it's cute as a button. Yay! I'll have the new address printed on the wedding programs!

Choregraphy

Yes, our first dance is now officially choreographed. We're officially through the looking glass now!

Simply Stunning

A friend made me a ring pillow. She e-mailed me today to say it was ready. She thought the ring pillow didn't turn out great so she said she wouldn't be offended if I didn't use it. Holy cow, this pillow came out amazing!



The top is a lace doily that she handknit using crochet thread and needles not much thicker than toothpicks.



The doily was whipped stitch to a silk pillow she sewed together. Whipped stitched so the doily could be removed after the wedding and kept forever. There are no words to describe how beautiful this pillow turned out. This is a friend that I've knitted with for a few years now and looking at this pillow made me think of so many memories of us knitting together. It is truly an amazing gift. Thank you so much.

Brauhaus

My veil is scheduled to arrive tomorrow and I'll try to take a picture of the whole ensemble for ya'll. In the meanwhile, check out my eyebrows!

I just got them done at a new salon called Brauhaus in Pasadena. After a couple of eyebrow mishaps several years ago where I would leave the salon without my skin intact, I started doing my own brows. It was a pretty good system- I saved a ton of money and I never ripped any skin off. But my brows were starting to become asymmetric and losing their arches. I googled brow waxing and found this salon in Pasadena that just does waxing and makeup. And wow! I can't tell you how pleased I am with the results. The stylist tinted, she waxed, she plucked, she trimmed, she applied brow gel and makeup afterwards. They are so much more symmetric and the perfect thickness. We have a game plan to make them better next appointment. Have you had one of those beauty experiences where the results just blow your mind??

Sorry for the delay

I know a few of you are interested in seeing the dress. I did get it and it's perfect: right color, right size (well, slightly too big and too long). I tried taking pictures of it when I got it with my camera's auto-timer but they didn't come out the best. It's really hard to press the shutter button then run twelve feet away and try to pose when you are wearing an enormous dress. I'm not meeting my seamstress until May 15th (yes, she assures me it will be completed by June 12th at the latest) so I'll try to drag a friend over to take some pictures or try the auto-timer thing again in the meanwhile.

And actually, I have a confession to make. The reason that the wedding blog posts have been few and far between is that I've been really, really stressed out. I finally got the OK from my boss yesterday to defend my thesis on June 11th. Until yesterday, I was in PhD limbo. Do I have to keep doing more experiments? Would I graduate before my wedding? If not, what am I going to do about my job start date? And what about moving to Colorado??

Coupled to that stress, I've had a string of recent disappointments in my grad school career. I'm having a lot of trouble trying to get a paper published on my project that was my pride and joy. I did a ton of work on another project and there's been drama on where I would end up on that paper's author list. I caught my boss on an extremely bad day and he sent me a scathing e-mail that highlighted his disappointment in my research accomplishments.

Bryan has tried to be supportive but he has been given a lot more responsibility at work and has been extremely busy. Now that I've been given permission to finish up in June, I feel that a huge weight has been lifted. But there's so much work to be done. Half of my thesis still needs to be written (~75 more pages) and proofread by the end of May. I have to run around campus and get various people to sign a bunch of paperwork. I have to prepare an hour long seminar on my thesis and be prepared for the tough questions. And on top of that, I have the wedding and moving stuff. Dress fittings, hair appointments, dentist appointments, finalizing menus and cake design, two more dance lessons, printing wedding programs, packing all of our crap, filling out forms for my new job. I feel like I'm at the end of a looong rollercoaster ride going down the biggest hill of my life.

Anyway, sorry for the long rant. I ordered a veil this morning and once it comes in, I will try to take pictures of the whole ensemble. Thanks for reading and thanks to those who have been so supportive!

The Dress is Coming!

That's right, folks, I got the confirmation e-mail that it's being UPS'd to me!! ETA: Next Wednesday. Yay!!!

Bridal Undergarments

I mentioned earlier that I had a interesting experiences when I went to get my wedding dress undergarments. My seamstress recommended a bra store near me to get a strapless longline bra to wear with my dress (if you don't know what one is, Google it). Like my shoe shopping experience (see below), this store is locked during the day and you have to be let in by the owner. I went to the store on a weekday afternoon and a tiny, old Japanese woman let me in. The store was impossibly crowded with merchandise, a lot of it still in plastic bags, ranging from classy to stuff that um, made me blush. She immediately handed me a baby-wipe to clean my hands with. I also saw her do this with other customers. I told her what I needed and she ushered me in to the back room, equally crowded with rows and rows of what looked like old shoe boxes. She starts picking out bras (that apparently ship in these boxes) and hands me another baby-wipe- this time to wipe down my, um, torso! I tried on several styles- rather this women put them on me. She was very concerned with keeping the mechandise clean. None of the longline bras were the style I really wanted. I found a halfway decent one (that made my waist cinch down to nothing!) but it was in a very yellowish ivory. I was willing to order it in white but the woman insisted that I "call the dressmaker and check to see if the ivory bra would work" and that there was no guarantee that the white one would fit the same if she ordered it. The dressmaker?? I guess she didn't realize that I don't have a personal relationship with the manufacturer of my dress.

As I was leaving (empty-handed), the woman asked me if I knew how to run a computer. She presented me with a computer CD and asked if she needed to peel the label off the top to get it to work, yikes! I ended up helping her install some insurance program on her computer (she deals with mastectomy patients a lot), which took an hour. I guess the storekeeper's business partner had died that Sunday and I could tell thing were a mess right now. I felt bad I couldn't do more for her but I didn't want to buy something I didn't feel good wearing.

I eventually went to another store in town that was more my style and got everything I needed and was a much more positive experience. Here's my something blue:

Wedding Shoes

Since I didn't have a picture the last time I posted, here are my wedding shoes:



They are from Grace, which makes some very elegant bridal shoes. Like I said in an earlier post, I thought Grace shoes looked great and wanted to order some online. However, I hate returning things so I decided to try on a pair first at an actual bridal salon. There happens to be a bridal cottage a few blocks away from Caltech so when I had a break from work, I walked over there. The bridal store was a tiny place and one of those places that are kept locked and you have to knock to be let in. The storekeeper let me in and showed me the bridal shoes. They didn't have the shoes I originally wanted (the ones with the simple bow on the front) but the lady gave me this pair (above) to try on. As I was trying them on, the storekeeper casually asked me questions about the wedding and myself. She finally asked about my heritage (I get this a lot) and I confessed that I was half Korean. She (herself Korean) lit up like a Christmas tree: "I knew it! You are like my daughter! Awwww! I give you a discount on these shoes! I'm trying to get rid of them anyway." She quoted me a price and I told her that I had to ask my mom if it was OK for me to buy these. I excused myself outside of the store and immediately called Bryan. "Bryan, I need you to Google these shoes and get me the online price- NOW!" The woman had indeed given me a generous discount and so I bought them. Yes, I got the Korean discount! They are white silk just like my dress so they should match well. Now, if my dress would only arrive....

Registry

It's been a while since I've blogged but a lot has happened. I got my bridal shoes... not the ones pictured below but from the same brand. It's a weird story and I'll devote an entire blog entry about it (with pictures) once the Foot Petals I ordered arrive.

I also got my wedding dress undergarments. That is also a very weird story which I will blog about soon.

We've also have our invitations. I don't have a picture yet but they will be sent out on the week of the 21st- stay tuned!

And we're starting a dance class (beginning foxtrot) this Saturday. When I called about the class, the owner of the studio, Francisco, answered. When I told him that the song we picked for our first dance was 4 and a half minutes, Francisco gasped, "Even as a professional dancer, I will not dance for more than 3 and a half minutes. It will feel like you are dancing for an eternity!" Um, that's great.

Lastly, I've started the registry. We're registered at Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond so far. We will probably also register for luggage at Macys too. Check out our website for more details. I couldn't get find this knife set at any of my registry places but if someone has a large chuck of cash burning a hole in their pocket, I would love to receive this :)

Wedding Shoes

These are so impractical but aren't they precious?!

They are sort of pricey and you can't even dye them (not that dark blue pumps with little bows are any less ridiculous than white ones). But I still love them! They are 3.5" tall, which isn't that bad for me (you can't date someone over a foot taller than you without getting used to high heels). I love the closed toe and the simple bow- it's like a poor gal's Vera Wang shoe!

But then again, how comfortable would I be in these:

Bridal platform flip-flops... who woulda thunk?

Wedding Programs

I got a wedding program DIY kit from InviteSite. The cool thing about InviteSite is that they are a Pasadena company and they are only a few blocks from my house. I learned about them because they also have gorgeous DIY invitations. The company is internet-based but I called them and made an appointment to see the programs in person. They were nice enough to pull out ones that would coordinate with my wedding colors (lavender and brown). These are the ones I choose- cream, handmade paper with a lavender raffia ribbon.

The inside is a nice heavy cardstock:

I ordered the kit for 50 programs and they called me the next day to tell me it was ready to pick up- very quick! I got over 50 sheets of both paper, a hole punch, 50 yards of ribbon, two glue sticks, a MS Word template, and a bone folding stick (which makes folding paper easier). I'm impressed with the quality of the materials and the price (~$1 per program). We'll see how easy it is to do the printing.

Wedding Colors

There's a bizarre website called COLOURlovers. People on the wedding message boards are using it to post their wedding colors (I have no idea what the site is really for- people just post about their favorite color combinations??). Anyway, here's what I was thinking for my wedding:

These colors were chosen because they appear on the wedding invites and the programs. Since colors differ on every monitor, the colors are: lilac (just like from the "Save the Date" cards), white (or "diamond white", my dress color), chocolate brown (also from the STD cards), cream (from the programs- I'll post about these tomorrow), and black (Bryan's suit). I'm not a matchy-matchy girl at all, but I think it would be good if the wedding decorations can somehow coordinate (or at least not clash) with these colors. I hope these colors do not offend your eyes!

Charity Wedding Favors

I wasn't planning on getting favors for the wedding. The only favors I really like anyway are edible and I think we're providing enough food at the reception already! (Those personalized M&Ms are cute, though...)

I guess it's becoming very popular to make a charitable donation in lieu of a traditional favor. Usually, it's mentioned in a placecard, like this:

There are several charities that will even print these cards for you. I think it can be a nice touch, especially if it has special meaning to the bride and groom (like in honor of a family member). However, it seems like there are mixed opinions on this. Several online comments I found thought that the donation favor was pompous and charitable giving should be kept private. Other people were worried that the guests would be offended by the choice of charity or that they would be upset that they didn't get a real gift.

I don't really understand the last points. Who would get offended by a charity that plants trees, for instance? I do think that these favors could come off as pompous though, depending on how the favor placecard is worded.

What do you think? Is this gesture gracious and meaningful or will guests feel gypped out of a memento and worse, see this as bragging?

Wedding Hairstyle

I got my hair trimmed today and my hairstylist and I discussed my bridal hairstyle options. I told her I wanted to avoid the big and piled on the top of my head look (that's just not me). She pulled out some bobby pins and started playing. It turns out my hair is not just slippery, it's extremely slippery. Now you know why I never wear my hair up. Normally, she advises brides to wash their hair the day before (not the day of) so that the hair is a little more grippy for up-dos. She asked me, "does your hair ever look visibly dirty? Could you go more than one day without washing it?" Apparently, I got to get at least a couple days of dirt in it to make it grippy enough to stay up!

Here's a rough approximation of how she styled my hair from the front (ignore her crazy expression and that feather thing):

My stylist kept a small part in my hair then brushed the rest of it back. By the way, theknot.com claims you get this kind of hair volume by using a golf-ball sized dollop of mousse. Uh, no. You get it with back-brushing (or teasing), lots and lots and lots of back-brushing. My hairdresser teased a large mound on my head and it actually looked nice and natural. In the back, the bottom of my hair was french-twisted and the middle was just clipped- I don't have the hair length yet to finish the style.

Unfortunately, my slippery hair texture rules out the super sleek styles. My stylist warned me that halfway through the wedding, the ends of my hair would start poking out- definitely not what I want. Probably, the back of the hair will be a bit messy, maybe pinned rings. For my last appointment with her in June, she'll do a trial-run with my hair and photograph it so that there's no problems with getting it done the way I want in Colorado.

Venue Confirmed! Invitations Ordered!

The wedding ceremony and reception sites are now confirmed! Can you believe that we had to put down a deposit back in November just to hold the date, not the location?? The Broadmoor reserves the right to "bump" weddings from their chosen site in the event that a larger (read: wealthier) group needs it. Luckly, no conference group wanted my South Terrace or The Penrose Room locations that day and the hotel's room occupancy goal has been met so we were able to put down the second deposit to that guarantees the locations (that is unless there's something sinister in the fine print...).

Since the location was confirmed, I went ahead and ordered the invitations! I got a lot of positive responses on my "Save the Date" cards so I went ahead and ordered the matching invitations and response cards. I know they aren't thermographed with vellum and ribbons (and embossed swans and calla lillies-bleh) but they are simple and sweet and I like supporting a company that designs creative, indie wedding invitations. Plus, I'm saving significant money without having to print and assemble them myself. I should get the invitations in mid-March- expect to see yours in late April!

Youth, where are you going?!

I've gotten some feedback by people who are reading this blog... and I think only females are reading this. So, let's talk beauty, ladies! I think a few years ago, I studied my face and noticed that one or two tiny lines had appeared under my eyes. I really didn't think much of it and started using Philosophy's eye cream, "Hope in a Jar". Fast forward to the present and I was studying my face again... and those under-eye suckers have multiplied. Congregating and becoming less-than-tiny wrinkles. Yeah, those have to go. So I ran over to Macy's, told the makeup lady that I wanted "to blast my wrinkles away by June" and got this:

This is Lancome's eye cream for people in their twenties. It's not a thick cream like the Philosophy stuff and supposedly contains pure vitamin E which "helps protect the fragile eye area from premature aging factors so it’s free to repair itself" - whatever that means. I'm not sure it's working but when I bought this, I got a (tiny) free sample of this:

This eye cream is Lancome's heavy duty stuff- for ladies in their 40s and 50s. I've been using the Primordiale Eye stuff in the mornings and the R.A.R.E. stuff at night. Holy crap- I think this stuff actually works! I've only been using the creams for about 5 days now but my fine lines have significantly soften. Surprisingly, I think it's really helped my dark circles too! Also, the skin under my eyes is much softer than when I used the Philosophy stuff.

I won't lie, the eye creams are pricey... but I think the full size jar will probably last 8 months to a year and even the trial size jar should last almost 6 months. I'm impressed enough that if the eye creams are still working in a month or so, I might treat myself to some night face cream too. Lancome is owned by L'oreal so maybe the L'oreal eye creams are just as effective? Anyway, does anyone else have any skincare recommendations?

Wedding Day Jewelry

While my dress is being made, I've started to think about the bridal jewelry. I can't picture wearing a tiara and I don't want to be dripping in fake rhinestones (but apparently, a LOT of brides do). Pearls are always a classic choice and I've been looking for the right balance of classy and bling. Recently, I found an online shop that sells some nice, handmade jewelry and this necklace caught my eye:

It's made of freshwater pearls and swarovski crystals. Here are the matching earrings (the crystals aren't the right color in the picture):

Both pieces are really affordable but I'm not sure if I could wear them again after the wedding. Another option is to go the pearls only route like this pearl strand from Blue Nile:

I could definitely wear this again but the price is much higher. The pearl earring options are much plainer too:

The last option is to go the borrowing route. A friend of mine has offered to let me borrow some of her jewelry and she has quite the collection. I'm just worried about borrowing something waaay out of my price range and then losing or damaging it. Does anyone have any opinion on what I should do?

Ceremony Musicians

I've booked ceremony musicians! It's a string trio. I booked them through The Broadmoor (this is the only vendor I booked through them) and I'm worried that I'm overpaying. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to do my research and call a bunch of area musicians since I'm busy finishing up my graduate work. I think they'll do a fabulous job so for those coming to the wedding, please show up early and enjoy them!

My Big Redneck Wedding

I was pretty sick this week so I spent most of my time parked on the couch watching TV. I discovered a show called "My Big Redneck Wedding" on the Country Music Channel (I'm not a fan of country music, but the channel is right next to the Food Network and FX). Man, did I get sucked into this show. We're talking about weddings where the entire wedding party is wearing camo. Wedding receptions that have a mud wrestling pool (and the groom wrestled his mom and took her down!). And lots of obscene french kissing. I mean, is there a Hershey Kiss lodged in the back of her throat or something?! And the best part of it is that it's hosted by Tom Arnold and his comments are truly merciless. It's must watch TV for me (and much better than those crappy "My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding" type shows) and it really goes to show how when it comes to weddings, or any other special event, it's really to-each-their-own.

Save The Dates

My Save The Date cards have arrived! I ordered them from weddingpaperdivas.com and I'm very impressed.

Seamstress to the Stars

I started calling around for seamstresses in the LA area in case I bought a different wedding dress (it turns out Bridal Stores don't like it when you bring in dresses to be altered that wasn't purchased at their store- especially if they carry the same brand). I found this one woman on the West Side from some sort of Clothier Union website and called her up. What resulted was the weirdest one hour conversation of all time.

Me: Do you do wedding dress alterations?

Her: Yes, but I'm booked up for two years.

Me: Really??

Her: Yes, I design and alter a lot wedding dresses and evening gowns. This is an especially busy time for me because of all of the award shows.

Somehow, we got to the topic of wedding dress costs and her philosophy was that any dress under 25-30 THOUSAND DOLLARS was cheap and a good deal. I also learned over a course of an hour that: she used to be an architect, wedding dresses are based on a really old style and that's why people don't know how to alter or wear them correctly, $600 for alterations is really cheap, bras became popular in the 40s, if I learned how to make my own clothes I would look fantastic, I should consider renting a wedding dress, I should consider a non-white dress, I should consider a wedding non-dress (that would be a bustier and skirt), alterations is a lost art, alterations require different skills than clothing construction, she gives private sewing lessons, she once made a wedding dress with a dark green lining, could she have my contact information, and she didn't know if any other seamstresses that I could contact.

Yeah, she talked a lot. And I didn't have the nerve to ask what celebrities she worked for. But since she has my contact information, who knows, maybe she'll call back ;)

Dress Shopping

I've been doing a little bit of dress shopping lately. I went a sample sale in downtown LA this weekend. Bryan was so worried about my safety (downtown LA can be really scary) that he went with me. The dress shop turned out to be near Koreatown and very, well, Korean. One of the Korean shop ladies tried to convince me that this Paloma Blanca dress was perfect for me.

The dress fit me like a glove but the beading was too tacky for me in person (it does look good in the picture). Also, there were snags all down the front of the dress, which Bryan didn't like, regardless of the good price.

Today, I went back to Mary Linn's in Pasadena (the expensive bridal shop here). Big mistake! I found my dream dress! And then I looked at the price tag :( I'm going to try and find it for a better deal at another store but I'm not going to get my hopes up.
Look at the alencon lace on the skirt! So pretty...