LJ and DeWayne Engaged

I love photography blogs for so many reasons. I love to see current glimpses of the photographers work and I love to see my couples. Here is a shot from Borrowed Blue of LJ and DeWayne one of my "other" Nearlyweds. The shots were taken in NY a few weeks ago. I really love this shot in particular. Can't wait for their wedding this summer. Borrowed Blue is of course shooting that too. You should check them out they are awesome!!

Wedding Fun from Stella Marrs

I love these slightly irreverent postcards from Stella Marrs. Just order and print your info on the back with your home computer. $1 for 1, $15 for 20, or $60 for 100.


^If I was having a more casual wedding I would totally use this one for my Save The Date.

^This one would work as well


^Bachelorette Party invitation anyone?


^This would be a great invite to a shower (your own or mixed) ...or even to a bachelor party if guys actually sent invitations to anything.

Before or After?

I've always had the picture in my head, walking down the aisle, FI seeing me for the first time, the look on his face, it gives me goosebumps thinking about it!However, after talking with photographers and reading other web sites I am starting to see the appeal of taking pictures before hand. Not only do you save time after the wedding, so you can better enjoy the cocktail reception with your guests, but if you are having a late wedding, you might have better lighting if you take the pictures early on.

What are your thoughts on this? Personally I think we will still be taking pictures after the wedding, but I'm interested if this is a new trend? Below is a picture I found that I think shows a positive aspectof taking pictures before the wedding.




^ This picture provided from Flickr I feel shows the brides excitement at seeing her groom for the first time that day, it is a great shot! It also all owes a sort of spontaneity and excitement that wouldn't be able to be captured in a typical church setting.

Keeping it in the family

Husband2be and I have become "those people" who call their pets their children. I KNOW. I never thought I would become one of "them" but it's happened and I have no idea how. You know what? I've learned not to fight the flow. I'm going with it. But as with anything, you can't always take it too far.

For as much as we'd like to have our cat AND our dog in the wedding, it's not going to happen. It would be... interesting? But, I'm not so interested (or obsessed) with making such a statement that would inspire some serious chaos. The two of them can barely be in the same room together let alone walk down the aisle for something so serious as a WEDDING.So in an effort to include, we are planning to have their likenesses represented in the form of plush animals that the two littlest members of the wedding party shall "escort."

A couple of months ago I was lucky enough to find a plush cat on ebay right around the time of Halloween (so convenient) that looks just like our all black cat!!! Here is a picture from the ebay listing.

I'm not sure that I ever took/posted a picture of the actual plush cat that I got but it's very much like our lovely "little girl." My only complaint is that the tail is this weird shape like that of a beaver - wide and short. *shrug* It's a small thing that is not worth fussing about in my opinion.

And then there's our lovely "baby boy" who we just adopted a month or so ago. He's a German Shepherd and can I just tell you what a time I've had trying to find a good plush animal that represents his likeness accurately??? You'd think that German Shepherds were common enought that I wouldn't have such a problem. Well... think again.

But alas - Earlier this week I was finally successful!!! StuffedArk.com has an extensive inventory of all kinds of animals and even a couple of different variations of plush German Shepherds! It's down to these two for me:



The top one comes in only a 12" version but our little ring bearer who will be holding it might not look right with something larger. It's $15.50 plush S/H but from what I've seen, that's a pretty decent price.
The bottom one is a lot more accurate in the coloring to our "baby boy" but it doesn't come in 12" and rather 16" or "10". The cat that I got is 12" so that wouldn't make any sense since the dog is already bigger than the cat. The 16" version would be $18.50 plus S/H but that's the best one for us so far, I think.
Whatever we end up with, I think using the plush animals will work well for us. The littlest flower girl will be carrying the cat and she is only 1.5 and the littlest ring bearer will be 3.5 and he will be carrying the "puppy." The two older ones will be carrying the traditional ring bearer pillow and flower girl basket. I will at least be tying ribbons on the plush animals to make them a little more decorative/"wedding-y."

Subtle Fox

If the below designs from Foxy Originals are too bright for your taste make sure you check out her more subtle pieces. All available at Snazzy Girl.

Foxy Bridesmaid Gifts

I love this colorful jewelry from Foxy Originals. They would make great bridesmaid gifts and they come in so many colors it would be easy to coordinate. You can buy them at Snazzy Girl and I haven't seen anything over $40 so they are very reasonable.

Bang...

No this is not an inappropriate blog, this is the name of my salon. Bang Salon and Spa . The reason why I am sharing this information with you , is of course in case you are interested in finding a salon to do wedding hair/manicures/pedicures. The people here are very friendly, and its reasonably priced. It is located across from Rosa Mexicana across from the Verizon center, so its easily metro accessible, and you can grab a great dinner afterwards!

They have some GREAT packages I recommend trying out--one in particular that appeals to me and will probably appeal to you is the Bridal Bliss Package-this package consists of a 10 minute soak in one of the Japanese soaking tubs, an HOUR massage ( what bride could not use this :) ), a 30 minute facial, and then full attention from one of there wonderful hairstylist to find a style that works for you!

My kind of "glass slipper" - Part two

Converse have come such a long way since my days of being stuck with only high tops in the neutral shade!!! Some people have expressed distaste/disapproval up my choice to wear them but I think that they will be a lovely little surprise underneath my rather tradtional dress. And as a wedding photographer myself, I can tell you that they will help make for some lovely and memorable pictures. My photographers were THRILLED when they heard that I was doing this instead of something more traditional. Why by super classy when you can be super sassy??? One can never have enough sass! And don't even get me started on my inability to wear anything but "sensible shoes" these days. I have no idea how I wore stilettos for as long as I did in my younger years.


Anyway, it's come down to these last two pair. They are both completely different in style but I could see both working for me and my dress. The first pair was found on Zappos and the second on Ebay.

Now, I just LOVE these!!! In a crazy way, Converse has put a sweet little spin on their design that almost could make these look "dressy." They are the lace-less/slip-on kind but I would actually take some satin off-white ribbons to tie them up anyway. The stitching that they've used to detail them is just amazing! And, of course, as it goes - you pay for it!!! These babies are about $100!!!!! *raises eyebrow* Uhmm... I like them. But I don't know that I could justify paying that much money for Converse no matter how pretty they are.

Then there's these...

Not to kill the anticipation or anything, but I'm probably going for these. I found them on ebay and they will be somewhere around $40 with shipping/handling. But aside even from the price, I really love them. Why? Follow me...

1. They are elephant themed. I have a secret thing for elephants. The only thing I can say about it is that I love them because they have incredible memories that are proven even by Science! Elephants mean a lot to me so to "wear" them on my feet on one of the biggest and most memorable days of my life? It's a big deal.
2. The color combination is bright and happy!!! I liked the sheep ones but there's something about these that seem a little cheerier to me. And the brightness would work a lot better overall for the Spring wedding that we are having. Also - look at the additional laces they come with! Not sure that I would change them out but you gotta love the option of pink laces. Seriously!
3. They remind me of something that I totally would have worn when I was six. Six was a very special age to me. It was also a time when I wore little pink satin Roos. These would have been my other sneakers that I would have worn on the days I didn't wear my Roos.

I have not placed my order yet but they are "buy-it-now" from a seller with a well established ebay store and I will likely take care of getting these within the next few weeks.

I'm still not a "shoe girl" by a long shot but I can tell you that I have really enjoyed looking at and choosing these. Have fun finding Your "glass slippers"!

Leah C. Couture Millenery

If you liked Jackpot76's wedding hair flower posted below make sure you check out the site of its designer Leah C. She has some beautiful wedding accessories. I won't lie...they are pricey (flowers will set you back a few hundred dollars) but they sure are lovely.


^ Style B18- $395

^Style B17 - $375

^Style PBM - $250

^ She also makes unique Boutonnieres for the guys. At $50 this is pricey compared to your average $10 boutonniere from a flower shop...but I see no reason why you couldn't pin this into your hair, which makes it a steal compared to the other hair accessories.

Real D.C. Weddings

Another great Real D.C. Wedding popped up on the D.C. Knot board last night. Knottie Jackpot76 had a blue hued wedding at Woodend Sanctuary with subtle Asian accents. Check out her bio for all her great vendors and wedding advice, and check out her photo slideshow for some bigger images from her photographer Mark Bettinger at Rodney Bailey -Picture Perfect Wedding.

All Photos Below Credited to Mark Bettinger at Rodney Bailey -Picture Perfect Wedding

^Veil from MyWeddingVeil.com ; Hair Flower from Leah C in NYC

^Flowers from Petal's Edge

Hair Flower from Leah C in NYC

^Flowers from Petal's Edge

My kind of "glass slipper" - Part one

I am not a shoe kind of gal. I'm much more a purse gal. But every time someone finds out that I'm getting married the third question that they usually ask me after what the date is and if I've found my dress is what shoes I'm gonna wear. Call me crazy but this isn't what I think about when someone tells me they are going to get married.

Anyway, I'm wearing sneakers. Yeah - you read that right! But actually, I'm not wearing just any sneakers. I'm wearing Converse. As it so happens, my brothers and I have grown up with a real "thing" for Converse. When they were still in their junior high and high school years they had a crazy wardrobe of any kind of Converse that were sold. And I, being the classic little sister, HAD TO HAVE Converse like them. Unfortunately, they only ever sold them in my size in the neutral/white color. But I wore them proudly just the same.

Over the years as my feet finally grew, I built my own lovely wardrobe of Converse stylings. My best/favorite pair so far is actually a pair that is made of bright red corduroy. *swoon* They are just about on their last legs but I still wear them and WILL. NOT. Pitch them!

So, naturally, on my wedding day... I'm wearing Converse! And my ring bearers (my brother's sons) will also be wearing Converse. :)

For myself, I have a few options (all are in the neighborhood of $45 from Zappos) :

There's also the possibility of getting some custom-made direct from Converse. They would be about $70 and I've already played around with the shoe designer online and come up with something that is a blue/green/yellow colorblock-type design. Could be cool but there's still a few more designs that I'm very seriously considering more than any of these.

Stay tuned...

Erin Condren Design

I really like the mailing labels over at Erin Condren Design. All her stationery is personalized, but don't think you have to limit yourself to just your own name you can put in whatever name or phrase you want and they will print them up. You could design a label with "Your Name & His Name" or "Your Last Name & His Last Name" and send them out on your wedding invites. Shipping labels are $30 for 23 so it would be an easy way to jazz up a boring outer envelope.

The Dress...

So while Home last time I found a dress I loved it was at a boutique in Rochester, NY Julianas Bridal , if anybody is from the area or ever visits I HIGHLY recommend it, it is personable, unique and they have an amazing selection of dresses.

I found a dress there that I really think is going to be the one. I know I have said this before, but now I have tried on many dresses, and this is a feeling I have not felt before. The way it fits is amazing, the fabric is to die for, I literally felt like I was wearing silk pajamas, it is the softest fabric I have ever felt. I also just felt like a princess, but not so much that I wouldn't be able to dance or sit...anyways without further ado..here are pictures of the dress I think I will be purchasing in a month, My Mom and Aunt are coming to DC this weekend and we are going to make the rounds at the different bridal boutiques ( I will report back of course) but if I don't find anything comparable, this is the dress..


* MR.ALEXANDRIA PLEASE DO NOT READ ANY FARTHER!!!*



































^It is very elegant and I am not sure if you can tell in this picture, but the buttons go all the way down the back of the dress. Also, the sash does not come with the dress, I tried on one with a sparkly brooch that looked amazing!

This Dress is a Monique Lhuillier

Looks can be deceiving

As far as I know, cameras don't lie...



About an hour ago I did my (just about) weekly squeeze into my wedding gown. I do this actually not because I enjoy so trying on my dress but more so I can gauge my weight/size. I used to be the type of gal who could eat whatever I wanted without gaining an ounce but in the past couple of years I've lost the "girlish" figure I've always been known for and developed a shape a little more swervy and curvy. Honestly, I can't complain because I've always wished to be fuller figure than what my body seemed to allow me to be. And so it's worked out that way.

This past Thanksgiving meant two big meals for me - because that's what husband2Be's family does. The amazing thing is I'm not even a desserts kind of gal and so all I ate was just the main course stuff! But when you do that twice, well, it can get outright painful!!! I'm serious! After the second night of feasting, husband2Be and I laid down to sleep and were actually so full that we could barely breathe and get comfortable. It was not a restful night of sleep.

Anyway, today we're back home and my body is STILL recovering from being so ridiculously stuffed. Now, some people say that they don't expect to eat at their weddings but I am the opposite because we happen to be having a major feast planned of our very favorite foods ever for our reception. Granted I won't be stuffing my face but I do plan on enjoying the food! So this is why I've made it regular practice to try on my dress with a full stomach.

The crazy thing is that for as much as I thought I would be uncomfortable in/with my dress, it's actually still quite comfy. And however it's happened, the five or so pounds that I've managed to gain over the past month or so has made me more of an hour glass figure than going to the places that would make me look more like a pretty and lacy human sausage! There IS a God!!!

The right picture above is one I took in a mirror in my bedroom just a bit ago and the left is one my dad took months ago when my dress first came in the mail. The difference in how I look in the picture could be attributed to a myriad of reasons - angle of the mirror, him using a wide angle lens instead. Whatever the case, I recommend you try on your dress on a regular basis if you are one who is gaining or losing weight. Scales can tell you one thing but the cut/fit of clothing can tell you something completely different.

The verdict is in

"But the veil would look so much prettier with your hair up!" "I'uhm wearin' mah hair down 'cuz Jackson likes mah hair down!"

- Steel Magnolias

Hair debates finally ended last night for me. A couple of days ago I mentioned my recent indecision about what to do with my hair (so I can start looking for a stylist and do tests) and so I asked husband2Be what he prefers. "It really doesn't matter. You look beautiful however your hair is!!!" Won't he be just a terrific husband??? He's awesome! But in this case, opinions that feed my ego just don't cut it. I need to make some kind of a decision.

After some conversation he did end up picking an updo over leaving it all down. He knows little about my dress other than that it's very formal such that he can pull off a tux with tails! For this reason, he's said that it makes more sense for me to wear my hair up.

Makes sense.

So last night I holed up in our bedroom for the fifth time in probably the last two weeks to try on my veil with my hair down and then up.



I was happy with my hair down and the veil on. Definitely I would need some teasing at the crown and a really good blowout but it could work nicely. And I felt like my hair down framed my face a little nicer than when I have it up and it looks big.

Then I sort of pulled my hair back and piled it up. And I felt like it actually looked better. And considering the fact that my dress is strapless and has a sweetheart neckline and my veil is so full anyway (it actually has four layers if you include the blusher), the way it will come down around my face will frame my face similarly to the way my hair does when it's down.

Verdict: My hair will be up in some "classic and timeless" probably French twist-ish style.

One more thing down, and (what seems like) a million more still to go! *phew* Next up? Engagement pictures... I think.

Worth a Try?

Spotted on the Weddingbee Classified Board -
---------------
Free engagement/family portrait session in metro DC/Northern VA
posted

I'm a loyal Weddingbee reader and a hobby photographer - my friends and I want to start building our portfolio for portraitures since one of them wants to move into wedding photography eventually and I'd like to do portrait sessions on the side. We recently started a blog, which includes a post on a portrait session for a co-worker, her boyfriend, and their dog http://www.withbigcameras.com/ You can also check out my flickr for my favorite pictures that I've taken http://www.flickr.com/photos/icygracy/sets/72157603020858232/ We are located in Northern Virginia and are willing to do a 2-hour engagement/regular portrait session somewhere outdoors in the metro DC area at a location of your choice. You just have to pay for our travel if it's more than 20 miles away from Tysons Corner. Please E-mail us at withbigcameras at gmail dot com if you're interested, thanks!

Edit: The listing will be closed after 3 couples/families have signed up. This is on a first come first serve basis!
posted by Gracers
-------------------------------

Hey it might be worth a try. You can get a free e-pic session and they can get some experience. She posted the message on Tuesday, November 20 at 5 p.m.

Cyber Monday???.....!!!!!

I do believe I am feeling this. Now I must give the caveat that when I expressed interest in this to my techie-IT-husband, Mr. Nearlywed, he said "I would go for the drawings but not to shop online as some hacker is going to have a field day scooping up credit card information from everyone shopping on an open connection". He had a point, but I still think it would be much fun, even if you don't do as much shopping as schmoozing. I like it.

Monday, November 26th from 11am to 2pm

ESPN Zone at 12th and F Streets, NW

Shop.org is going to provide computers (or bring your laptop, they'll have wireless available), Internet access, a Catalog Center, and lunch! And every 30 minutes, they will raffle off more than $7,500 in gift cards from retailers like Barnes & Noble, Sierra Trading Post and Zappos.com.

So let's see... free lunch and all I have to do is shop online with the possiblity of winning stuff? See what I'm saying? Thanks to DC Concierge for the update.

With these rings... we do!

Last weekend we made a special trip down to my parents' neck of the woods to eat dinner with them and make payments on our wedding bands!

When we originally discussed wedding bands we decided that we wanted them to be a matching set. After a marathon "browsing" trip at several jewelry stores, we finally found exactly what we were looking for at Helzberg Diamonds. And as it turned out, we didn't get a matching set though we got bands that (closely enough) complement each other with their individual designs.

[top picture is courtesy of Helzberg, bottom was a random Google image search]

The top one is my band and it's actually a right-hand ring. My engagement ring is a completely original design (by us!) and so it was very difficult finding something that worked well with it. But we found the shape of the band to completely match the shape of my engagement ring. I'll wear my engagement ring on my right hand and my wedding band on my left - European style!

His ring is actually not the ring pictured but I couldn't find a picture of it exactly and the one pictured is close enough. It's two-toned and engraved with diamond-style cutting/engraving (see how it's shiny in some places? diamond cutting!) and the designs are likened to the filigree in my engagement ring/wedding band.

All together our rings were a little over $700 - his was actually six times the cost of mine!!! And mine was so "cheap" because it wasn't a wedding band. You know how it works with adding "wedding" to anything and the price gets hiked? Yeah! Be open-minded and consider right hand rings. *wink*

BTW - if I could offer a tip? Try on bands with your futureHusband!!! The styles you like in pictures might be far from what you like on your hands. Trust me - we completely were surprised by what we ended up getting but it turned out to be exactly the look that we were going for initially.

Sugar Paper Discount - 25% Off

So you get engaged and suddenly you have more paper needs then you've ever had in your entire life. Save the Dates, Invitations, Menus, Place cards, Thank-you cards, Change of Address cards, Stationery with your new name (for after the wedding!), Christmas cards from the "both" of you, and your mom and maid of honor want to know what you want your engagement party and shower invitations to look like. Never mind that before your wedding you couldn't even name a paper store much less been in one.

Well you might not cave in and get all the "must haves" but if you're looking for some paper get 25% off at Sugar Paper with code DCSUGAR. Thanks to Daily Candy.


^Letterpress Stationery with your new married name

^Change of Address cards because you gave your place up, or he gave up his, or because both of you did

^Chocolate Branch Thank You cards from Snow & Graham

Reindeer Christmas Cards from Hello! Lucky

Celebrations at the Bay Part I

I guess it's time that I shared our reception venue with you. I started out with several searches on The Knot and Brides.com for places that interested me. There were several criteria I wanted to fullfill. First, I didn't want anything with carpet, especially salmon, burgundy or dark green. I was really looking for nice hardwoods or tile.

Second, I wanted it to be open and airy with windows. I wanted to step away from the traditional ballroom that has no windows whatsoever.

Third, it had to be a clean, minimalistic room with no dominating colors like the ones I mentioned above. Plum and aubergine don't look so hot with dark green and red.

So that's when I found...drum roll...Celebrations at the Bay's Chesapeake Ballroom.



When I first saw it, I just hoped and prayed it was in our price range. Soon after, I called and spoke with Kevin McTigue, the absolute nicest and most informative person I've spoken to since my planning adventure started. Since I couldn't make it out to Celebrations to speak with him in person any time soon, he was nice enough to go through the ENTIRE package with me on the phone.

Celebrations is owned by Catering by Uptown, which was founded by Kevin's Uncle Ray. The entire operation is family-owned and run. Celebrations offers everything but the flowers, the DJ and the photographer. They have 5 (if I remember correctly) types of china to choose from, ranging from contemporary square plates to classic ivory with gold rims. The stemware is crystal. They have 25 linens to choose from. They provide hurricanes and votive holders. Cake is included in the cost of the rental, and it comes from SugarBakers, which I've heard great things about. The bar is premium and open. You also get a coordinator for the 3 months leading up to your wedding, not to mention tons of discounts from their huge network of partner vendors.

They have also built out the back deck and it now has a white, wrought iron gazebo-type structure for a ceremony and room to seat 125 guests. The outdoor chairs are white, high-quality folding chairs and for indoors you have your choice of black or gold chivari chairs.
When Mr. Shirlington and I finally had a chance to get out to the site, the day was beautiful and there were almost 30 sailboats in the bay. We fell in love instantly. We set up a tasting for the following Tuesday and chose a filet and lobster gabrielle from their super-extensive menu to try (ALL BEFORE WE EVEN BOOKED).

It was kind of a make-or-break for Mr. Shirlington and I because Celebrations was significantly out of our budget. But, because we hadn't seen anything else that even came close, we decided that if the food was amazing, we would go for it. And it was. We went for the filet knowing that if there's one tell-tale sign of bad wedding food, it's when you get a crappy filet. We were so incredibly impressed. We felt more like we were in a steakhouse than a catering showroom. We booked that night.

I hope to get out to Celebrations sometime soon to take more pictures! The only downside is that it's 34 miles from our church. We booked both places knowing it would be a hike for our guests, but because we're dealing with only close friends and family, we knew they would appreciate our choices anyway.

The spread of my wedding addiction

The following is a conversation between me and Mr. Shirlington that just made me smile so much I had to share. He was in the kitchen and I was on the couch in the living room searching the internet for table linens, since we've decided the ones we've seen so far are too burgundy.

me: Baby, what are we going to do about the linens? It's really starting to stress me out and I just can't find anything like what I'm looking for. What should we do?

him: We should not worry about wedding stuff until after Thanksgiving. We still have 11 months to worry about these things.

-long pause- and other random conversation about our days.

him: You know what I could NOT stop thinking about today?

me: What?

him: How much I love your wedding shoes. They just look so comfortable, but sexy!

It made me so happy that while I'm working so hard to bring together all these little details, he really appreciates the time and effort I put into picking just the right thing. And even though he tries to act like it's not consuming his thoughts (probably so I'll stay sane), he really does think about our wedding throughout the day. :)

Haste makes Waste..

I have to admit, one of the places I was too hasty in acting was with our save the dates, I had them ordered and arrived before FI and I had even been engaged a month! ( I guess that's what you call hitting the ground running) Unfortunately, it was a hasty decision, and I don't particularly like our save the dates. Now don't get me wrong they are nice enough, but they don't fit in with our theme, style, FEEL of the wedding. Thankfully they were relatively cheap, cheap enough that I would rather do it right...and if I do it that way then I'm not risking a financial loss. Personally I feel that the Save the Dates are the first thing our guests are going to be receiving that reflect our wedding, I feel it gives a "preview" of what to expect, and now that I'm a wedding "pro" I know I want all of our stationary to have a common theme. I LOVE Letterpress, love love it, but since it is very expensive I was thinking of just having our invitations letterpressed, our place cards, escort cards, menus, programs and save the dates can use thermography or engraving. I would like to add that FI was baffled that we needed menus, his response was "they don't get to choose what they are ordering" ahh men, they are cute :) With that in mind, my sister-in-law and brother are throwing FI and I an engagement party Dec 22nd in upstate New York. They are having our invitations designed by Bella Carta-Studio . Just because I'm a curious lil bride, I decided to check out there website, and I love them! Mama Alexandria and I are meeting with her on the Friday after thanksgiving ( after getting up Insanely early, as is tradition for black Friday). Here are some examples of her work, I know she is located in Upstate NY, but she has been featured on the Knot!

^ I love the elegance of the design, everything fits together, it's very classic.

^ This design I think is unique--also what is interesting about this design is the story behind it--here is an excerpt from the website explaining it "This bride had a special request to match the exact color green of her bridesmaids' dresses. After much searching, we found a beautiful textured paper from India, had it sent to Envelopments, and they made it into these 4x9 pocket folds. The colors of the wedding, green and fuchsia, were brought together with the gorgeous fuchsia double-faced satin ribbon from Midori, and a metallic fuchsia card stock backing and return envelope. This bride was thrilled with the results"

I will have a better report once I meet with her on Friday! Hope that everyone is having a safe/fun holiday week!

Faking it

I have so many blessings to count in my life. Unfortunately, long "baby doll" eyelashes are not included. Certainly, I don't want to look like a completely different person on my wedding day but I would like to have a little but more in the eyelash department if I can pull it off. I've known this from the beginning of my wedding planning but since yesterday when I mentioned this to someone, they told me that I should actually start getting accustomed to wearing false lashes because of how heavy they can make your eyelids feel. Makes complete sense but I NEVER would have thought about such a thing had it not been mentioned to me.

So now I'm researching false lashes. From what I understand of my eyes (I'm Asian), I should get individual lashes instead of full strips. I also understand that when you wear them you still wear a little bit of mascara. *Please correct me if I'm wrong on this stuff!*

I'm planning on getting my make-up (like my hair) done for the wedding and I'm sure the make-up artist that I hire will have their own preferences/suggestions for false lashes but for my own "practicing" I have found "Make up for ever Individual lashes" from Sephora. There's also "ModelCo Lash Out: False Single Lashes."

Has anyone ever used these before? I'm curious how they would be for me to apply with my very novice abilities.

New Rules Strikes Again

Terrica has outdone herself this week with the New Rules. I literally am unable to breath or see from laughing so hard. I LIVE THIS!!!!!
Everything she has alluded to is perfectly on point and I have heard brides utter these words in complete seriousness, so that I "understand their Vision".
Terrica is my new hero. Everyone subscribe to her blog. Enjoy

New Rule: Let’s cease and desist on telling people you have a designer wedding dress. You got it for $22 off of eBay. The tag even says “Oscar de la Rented“. And seriously, no one believes you anyway– you’re spending a total of 7,000 for your entire wedding with 250 guests, yet have the money for a designer gown? Ok. Sure. If you want a nice term for it, say your gown is “designer inspired”.

New Rule: No more going to bridal shows for the food and freebies when you have 95% of your wedding planned. Why are you entering to win a free 10X14 from XYZ photographer when you already have paid off the photographer for your own wedding? Oh, and FYI– eyeballing vendors’ tables while sucking the life out of a chicken bone and pawing their pictures and brochures is so uncute. Ask me how I know.

New Rule: Your wedding planner really doesn’t need you to give her a timeline. Believe it or not, she does this for a living. Giving the planner a timeline is like giving your surgeon an anatomy book. Think we’ve pretty much got it covered. Should the heavens fall and the oceans run over, thank goodness we have your timeline to fall back on.

New Rule: If you put any type of plastic on your reception tables (tablecloths, cutlery, plates, etc.), that’s an automatic 5 years in a maximum security prison. If you then say at any time, “…because I want a real classy event” while doing the above, your sentence is then changed to life with no parole.

New Rule: Stop cutting corners for your wedding! You can’t expect the very best when you get everything for your wedding at Ray Ray’s Chicken and Weddings. Anyone who claims to put “Clazz” or “Stylez” in your event is LYING TO YOU. You’ll be lucky if you don’t have the police at your wedding. The giveaway should’ve been when they showed you the birds for the dove release after the ceremony…and they were pigeons. Or maybe it should’ve been the illegal craps game going on in front of the door. Not sure. Take your pick. Public Service Announcement: Ray Ray cannot be your caterer, photographer and DJ too. Splurge a little. Get three SEPARATE vendors.

New Rule: She’s a four year old flower girl, not a Stepford Wife. Why is she in a huge replica of the bride’s dress? Furthermore, she only has an inch of hair– why do you have 30 rhinestone barrettes in it? She has on more make up than a burn victim and her head looks like a disco ball. If I were her mother, I’d probably fight you. No one will say “Oooh”, they’re probably saying “Eeewww”.

I'm really getting married!

We booked a church! Our church. The church.

Fiance and I will exchange vows at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown. I'm excited about this for many reasons, most of which are personal and religious in nature. However, there's also a part of Holy Trinity I love because it's a beautiful place of worship.

Since our guest list is under 75 people, we have the option of using the chapel, which is an extremely traditional, beautiful building that sits atop a tall hill on N Street and 36th. (Look at me talking like a true DC resident!)

Inside, the main worship area is as modern as they come. It's a simple area and can be set up with the altar literally in the middle of the room and all the chairs facing toward it, versus the front of the room. I don't know yet if this is how we'll do it, but it's a fresh idea, nonetheless.

The main church is also beautiful and it's the place I really see myself marrying Mr. Shirlington.


I can't believe it. At this point, everything else is just a detail because when it comes down to it, this is the only part of my planning that really matters. As long as we can walk down that aisle, I can breathe a happy sigh of relief.

On second thought

In this whole wedding planning process, I've had my fair share of ideas that have and have not come to fruition for a number of reasons. First and foremost reason for their undoing has been that whole thing that goes a little like this, "Well, it seemed like a good idea..." We all have moments like this and definitely when it comes to wedding planning, it becomes easier and easier to take things to levels that we never would have considered in "real life" - that being any time outside of a wedding.

Though none of these are my own failed ideas, I present to you the top three items that (after discussion with one of my own wedding vendors) have been tried but bombed miserably at other people's weddings. Let's all learn from the mistakes they made on the "happiest day of their lives":

1. DIY Ice Cream Sundae bar: You know the drill - big cartons of ice cream are set out alongside a buffet of toppings for people to go buckwild on to indulge their inner children/sugar freakishness. It's definitely a novel idea. I mean who doesn't love a good Ice Cream Sundae? What person can resist creating their own perfectly shaped mound of whipped cream that is just right for a beautiful bright red maraschino cherry??? It's irresistible. It is. But it's also MESSY. And I don't mean just a little bit messy but the kind of messy that leaves everything sticky and smelling like sweetened sour cream. Good idea but not for a wedding. If you want to indulge your guests with confections, stick to the newest fad of a "candy bar" that is much more like visiting a good old fashioned "penny candy" store.
2. Singing a solo to your new spouse: *sigh* Love is a many splendid things but even if it is your wedding day, there's no reason to become Celine Dion all of a sudden. How often is something like this done? Never. And there's a reason for that! Perhaps it's because that one time when it happened (you should have been there because it was TERRIBLE), it was so uncomfortable and awkward that people (guests) didn't know what to do with themselves during the singing and afterwards. Even if the person is good, there's still something odd about having it happen. Save the praises for your spouse for your honeymoon and during your newlywedded bliss. Seriously.
3. Having an Interactive DJ: Ok, having a bad DJ can make or break a party. This goes for any event and is certainly not limited to a wedding. But as it goes with anything, you don't want one extreme or the other. And there is too much of a good thing. You don't want a DJ trying to start the Macarena or doing Y-M-C-A (I'm talking out on the floor BY HIMSELF, centerstage!) when all of the guests are clearly not into dancing in any capacity. You also don't want a DJ that will do crazy things like take his shirt off AND NOT PUT IT BACK ON in the middle of your reception! This sounds completely crazy but it's not an exaggeration of a DJ who is way too interactive. Get recommendations from people. Look at sample videos of your DJ in action. Don't let your DJ be the reason why people don't enjoy your reception!

So there it is. Some wedding planning wisdom. I guess if this were Cosmo magazine or something this would be the Wedding do's and don'ts. Whatever the case, when it comes to wedding ideas, think long and hard about some things because it will make a difference in the long run!