You Inspire Me #2 - Aqua & Red Wedding

Pin It now! if i could do it all over again, i would use aqua and red as my color combo. i absolutely LOVE the colors together, especially for a summer wedding. it's so refreshing and modern.

{michelemwaite photography, sugarcups, martha stewart, two brides, michelle brusegaard on etsy, green wedding shoes, valentino}

not so happy budget

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{source}

we've been good about sticking to our budget. i just hope that all my diy and frugal ways have paid off...we booked through elite sound entertainment who is affiliated with our photographer, jessica lauren photography. that combo got us a second photographer. i also asked the dj company for a quote sheet prior to the initial meeting and the 2009 prices increased from the 2008 prices i was emailed and he had to honor that. my dress was a steal since i didn't go with a designer. my chinese dress was bought in HK. my hair and makeup will be done by a family friend. i semi-diy'ed the invitations (thanks to my artist brother!). i'm making the favors, the menus and place cards.

it's amazing how much weddings cost. in the nyc/nj area, it's amazing people don't go broke! on the project wedding forums there are polls that ask how much each of the ladies' weddings cost. there are girls that live in seattle and spending $15,000 for 200 people! i wish! i know nyc's standard of living is higher than almost everywhere else in the country, but give me a break here.

happy registry

Pin It now! when i first got engaged, everyone asked what i was going to put on my registry. i wanted to collaborate with fi, but eventually it ended up with me putting everything i wanted and fi not wanting anything. i felt bad, but then realized that i would be using most of the stuff anyway so he didn't care less (or as he likes to to say "i don't have a preference").

since i'm never created one before i didn't know where to start. do i put lots of little things like whisks and mushroom cleaners and have people wonder why i don't already have these? do i put lots of big things like (hopefully-to-be-mine) kitchen-aid mixer or a dyson vaccum cleaner and force people to shell out lots of money to stock my kitchen/apt? i did both, but my friend told me i have to add more stuff to it. who knew making a wishlist for your apartment could be so difficult.

one thing that's good is that the bridal shower is one thing i don't have to plan. my darling sister and mother are doing the whole thing. i guess it's supposed to be a surprise, but i already know when and where it is.

and my last thoughts on the registry...i have to admit that i'm excited to get gifts BUT i'm dreading opening all of them in front of people. i've always hated people singing happy birthday to me while i cut my cake. now, even worse is present-opening! i really am not looking forward to the attention.

hair & makeup trial

Pin It now! i had a hair & makeup trial with my mom's friend's angela. the half up/half down do came out better than i expected, and i love it! the updo was good too but i really had my heart set on leaving my hair down.




my makeup came out good too. we'll have to tweak it the day of and make it cleaner. i need to find a darker foundation and start with eye shadow primer, but otherwise i was pleased.


*edit* does anyone notice one eye is bigger than the other?! haha, i noticed when i took the picture during the trial. i never knew it was that much bigger than the other. i guess i'm just be self-critical. i bet you see it now though!

You Inspire Me #1 - Vintage Wedding

Pin It now! i love how romantic vintage weddings can me.

{vintagedress.co.uk, stephanie williams, zazzle, source, ring blog

sakura photography, once wed}

btw, this is my very first inspiration board. i'm not sure what took me so long. i'm on it though, and there's more to come!

happy memorial day!!

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my own sneak peek

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my brother came over this weekend and helped me put together the invitations. here's a sneak peek. hopefully they'll be done by next weekend. i'll post more pics once they're sent out and everyone has had a chance to check them out.

9th Ave Food Festival

Pin It now! this isn't wedding related, but i couldn't gloss over the best food festival in nyc! this weekend was the 9th avenue food festival that runs from 42nd street to 57th st. it's not any street fair. it's 15 blocks of the best samples of international food in the city. every year me, fi and our gluttonous friends prepare for it. there were the delicious regulars - fried oreos, alligator sausage and jambalaya from delta, gyros from uncle nick's, bbq from dalton's, thai food, fruit smoothies, grilled corn on the cob. there were also new additions that were just as yummy - skirt steak sandwiches from chimichurri, brazilian food food from bossa nova and deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. i can't wait until next year!

keys to my heart

Pin It now! what girl doesn't LOVE tiffany's? i pass by the store on 57th st & 5th ave pretending i'm audrey hepburn or wish i were reese witherspoon in "home sweet alabama" or just myself and drool over the gorgeous jewelry in the windows.

tiffany's new item is its key design. again...i LOVE them. they're timeless yet modern. they're sleek yet vintage. i'll have to hint to fi that i want them for a wedding present or at the least my birthday/christmas present.

sneak peak

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it's not my sneak, but i had to post this peak of an invitation from we met at a bar. it's gorgeous! i love the colors and the different layers.

i can't wait to post our invitations. they're almost done...

Spring Flowers

Pin It now! rockefeller center is having a fabulous display of tulips by the skating rink. tulips are my favorite flowers! i think because they bring in the spring and they're so dainty and colorful. winters in nyc seem so long and seeing the tulips remind that warm weather is coming.

carved in stone

Pin It now! a few weeks ago they repaved the sidewalk on the corner of our street. what else was i supposed to do except to carve our letters into the concrete (and take a picture of it and post it to the blog)?! fi thinks i'm totally cheesy.

happy mother's day!

Pin It now! we just got back from brunch with my parents, brother and sister for mother's day at la bottega in the maritime hotel. the food was really good. we couldn't sit outside because it was too windy, but we'll have to make a trip back again to enjoy the outside terrace.

(here's a picture of my mommy at my sister's graduation a few years ago. aren't we cute?)

the french

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the french manicure of course...i don't usually do my nails and haven't had a manicure in a few years. it's a combination of being frugal and just plain lazy. so for the wedding, i was thinking of getting tips, but realized that i wouldn't look right on me. i did a test-run of the french manicure yesterday and i love it. simple, classic, formal.

you're invited

Pin It now! our invitations are supposed to be delivered on thursday. after a few disasters, i'm crossing my fingers that they come out beautiful and worth the money we spent. i'll blog more about it on thursday and the whole process...for now, here's some inspiration

{weddingpaperdivas}

{pica press}

sweet tooth

Pin It now! i love the idea of a candy buffet. it's so fun and can be so classy.

{source farfalla wedding, the bride and groom., hostess}

honeymoon booked!

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{source trip advisor}

yay! fi booked our honeymoon last night. we'll be at the riu palace in aruba. all inclusive!! that means we can eat eat eat and then sit in the sun the whole day. i'm so excited!

hair and makeup trial success!

Pin It now! i had my trial with sissi chan yesterday and it went really well. i was really nervous on how i would look, but was really happy with it.

before:

here's me after...

i wasn't used to being so made up. fi thought i looked like a better version of myself which is great because most of this is for him anyway.