Kate the Bride

Goodbye!

2010-05-17T19:30:00.000-04:00

And with that, I'm off, ladies! This ends my time as a Knottie Blogger. I've enjoyed every second of it- and I hope you did, too! I hope wedding planning is a joy for you. Don't stress too much! If only to keep your face from getting too wrinkled.

Pro Pictures: NYPL and Bryant Park

2010-05-17T19:00:00.000-04:00

All photos by Jim Kocis Photography.

Pro Pictures: Two brides in Times Square

2010-05-17T18:30:00.000-04:00

We arrived at our first portrait destination- Times Square!

Right out of the station, we spotted this guy:

And of COURSE, he spotted us! I must say, as far as crazy looking guys go, he seemed in his right mind- he didn't try to touch me or take anything from us. He greeted me as a sister, and we posed for a picture.

Then it was off for a few portraits, just the two of us!

All photos by Jim Kocis Photography.

Pro Pictures: The trip to the city

2010-05-17T18:00:00.002-04:00

After our reception, we went into the city for portrait shots! And how do New Yorkers travel but by subway?

Good question!

I didn't want to sit down and wrinkle my gown! I barely sat down all day. This makes a girl quite tired.

All photos by Jim Kocis Photography.

Pro Pictures: Reception

2010-05-17T17:30:00.001-04:00

All photos by Jim Kocis Photography.

Pro Pictures: Ceremony

2010-05-17T17:00:00.000-04:00

My gorgeous sister.

My gorgeous Mom.

All photos by Jim Kocis Photography.

Pro Pictures: More Portraits

2010-05-17T16:45:00.000-04:00

My sweetie GJ and I!

Our sassy ushers, Chris and Leon.

Colin and I.

My cousins, mother, Grammy and me!

All photos by Jim Kocis Photography.

Pro Pictures: Portraits

2010-05-16T10:27:00.000-04:00

On my way in for pre-ceremony photos! I was so glad we met before the ceremony to get our portraits done.

My family.

My Maid of Honor Heather and I.

Marc (right) and his twin Best Man, John.

Marc's family.

All photos by Jim Kocis Photography.

Lisa Leonard Giveaway!

2010-05-14T10:32:00.004-04:00

Check out designer Lisa Leonard's blog- she's doing a great giveaway today to celebrate the end of "Wedding Week". How cute is her stuff? I love her custom necklaces- they'd be great for bridesmaids or mother gifts!

Thank you notes- CHECK!

2010-05-12T14:24:00.001-04:00

I don't want to brag (oh wait, yes I do), but we are done with our thank-you notes. Been done for awhile, in fact- I spent April 13th on a note writing frenzy. It was the perfect task for that day- it was the first day in a long time I had nothing to do, no family to run around and tend to, and I was exhausted. So I tucked myself into bed with my laptop streaming some MTV shows (I love you, "16 and Pregnant"), and got to work. Marc did a number of them, too, and before long, we were caught up with everyone! Except the mysterious giver of the Pyrex 12-piece storage set. We have yet to figure out who gave this to us; when we opened it, it had no card attached, and attempts to figure out the giver so far have turned up nothing. I think I saw someone holding it in the pro-pictures of our receiving line, and I am pursuing that lead. Hopefully we'll be able to write a note for that one soon!

Vendor Review: Ardesign flowers

2010-05-10T14:59:00.000-04:00

I posted back in November on our flower vendor: Ardesign from Etsy. We ordered our flowers last year, and they arrived gorgeous, just the way I had hoped they would look. Check, done and done. I must admit I had some moments of doubt about fake flowers- will they look bad? Will everyone notice? Will I end up hating them? Will I wish I had shelled out the cash for real flowers? But I persevered, telling myself, you don't want to spend that kind of cash, having fake flowers is one less thing to worry about on the day of, and nobody will notice or care.

And I was right! Not having to work with a flower vendor on the day of the wedding was great; one less thing to worry about. Everyone loved the bouquets, particularly the spotted brown feather trim. And if people noticed they were fake, nobody mentioned it. I was discussing the bouquets with my grandmother while my parents were standing there, and my Dad was like, oh, well, the bouquets are fake, but this boutonniere is real, right? No, Dad! That's fake, too. He was surprised.

I should mention that my Dad looked very handsome- he wore a bow tie and cumberbund that he personaly selected from Beau Ties Ltd. The colors went perfect with everything! Good job, Dad.

Pro-Pics are HERE!

2010-05-09T14:57:00.001-04:00

Well, they're online, anyway. We get the non-watermarked versions sometime this week, at which point I will start posting for your enjoyment :D

Vendor Review: Tricia from Ten Hair and Makeup

2010-05-05T15:40:00.003-04:00

You all remember my makeup trial back in November with Tricia from Ten Hair and Makeup. After that magical makeover, how could I not book her? I was a little reticent to hire someone to come to my house for hair and makeup- it seemed so indulgent! I reminded myself that I was the bride, that I kept the rest of the wedding very simple, and that I *deserve* to look good on my wedding day. So the price would be worth it- or so I hoped!

And it was! Tricia arrived right on time the morning of the wedding and got to work. I don't know how she did it- you should've seen the madness that was my apartment that morning!

The dog, my sister, her friend, my friend, piles of wedding gifts and suitcases and toast for breakfast and CRAZINESS. Tricia was able to ignore it all and get straight to work!

My makeup and hair looked incredible, and I'm not kidding when I say it lasted all day long.

Here I am at the beginning of the day:

And here we are at the end of the day (photo by my friend Jan, notice my tired smile):

My face is still looking good! Heck, some of that eye makeup was still on my face after my shower, it was just that good. I loved my full strip of fake lashes, they were so comfortable! Thank you, Ten Hair and Makeup, for keeping my beautiful on my wedding day! You get an A+ and a gold star.

And now the waiting...

2010-05-04T13:46:00.001-04:00

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our pro pictures! Our photographer has 6 weeks to deliver them, but said he'd probably have them in 3. It's been 3 weeks and 2 days... ahhhhhh, I can't wait!!!

Our dessert buffet

2010-05-03T08:17:00.000-04:00

The caterer did such a great job on the food- everyone loved it. There was lots of variety, and everything tasted great! There was more than enough for everyone, which made me so happy- I was so worried that we were going to run out of food.

Never give up!

2010-04-30T11:45:00.000-04:00

He's out there!

Pictures of us in Boulder City, Nevada

Our "junk food" buffet

2010-04-28T07:27:00.000-04:00

One of the cute trends I picked up from reading wedding blogs was the candy buffet. We got our glassware at IKEA, candy from Oriental Trading and Costco, and Marc and his brother set everything up the morning of the wedding. We figured it would be a sweet addition to our dessert reception, and it was totally a hit, the guests loved it! I even saw a Facebook status a few days later where someone said they were enjoying their Fun Dip from the wedding.
I call ours a "junk food" buffet, because we added a few non-candy items. My little sister loves Goldfish crackers, and they're easy to buy in bulk. And anyone who knows me knows my obsession with Nacho Cheese Doritos! How could I celebrate my special day without my favorite chip? UNPOSSIBLE!

Yum yum!

A few reception photos

2010-04-26T10:48:00.000-04:00

We opened a Flickr account and made cards inviting our wedding guests to upload pictures from the wedding. And they did! Here are some of my favorites from the reception.

My mother with our pastor.

Oh, Leon!

I'm back from Vegas!

2010-04-24T19:26:00.000-04:00

Our honeymoon was great! Wish I wasn't still on Vegas time. I'll be sharing more photos, vendor reviews, and stories as the days go by!

Our Ceremony: The Kiss!

2010-04-23T10:25:00.001-04:00

While I'm on my honeymoon in Las Vegas, I'm sharing videos from our ceremony!

Our Ceremony: The Vows

2010-04-21T11:58:00.000-04:00

While I'm on my honeymoon in Las Vegas, I'm sharing videos from our ceremony!

I cannot lie, I have one thought while watching this video- I wish my butt was not quite so flat.

Our Ceremony: The Readings

2010-04-19T09:33:00.002-04:00

While I'm on my honeymoon in Las Vegas, I'm sharing videos from our ceremony!

Ruth 1:16-17 and Revelation 21:1-7. I love both of these, and was very glad to avoid the dreaded 1 Corinthians!

Our Ceremony: The Bridal Procession

2010-04-17T10:51:00.001-04:00

While I'm on my honeymoon in Las Vegas, I'm sharing videos from our ceremony!

Note that I spend the whole procession looking around and smiling at guests. It wasn't until I was almost at the front that I realized, oh yeah, I guess I should look at my husband-to-be. So many people to look at!

A few ceremony photos

2010-04-15T11:21:00.001-04:00

A few getting ready photos

2010-04-13T11:25:00.002-04:00

We're Married!

2010-04-11T18:08:00.002-04:00

We did it! We are married!

And exhausted! I'll be back after a nice rest to share photos, recaps, vendor reviews, and more!

Tomorrow's the wedding!

2010-04-09T20:54:00.002-04:00

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!

I've had dinner and now I am in the for the night! Here's my plan for the evening:

*Welcome my friend Jess, who is crashing at my place tonight. She took the bus from Maine! Bless her heart.

*Drink a lot of water.

*Do a Mint Julep masque.

*I sense there will be some "Sex and the City" watching.

*Take a shower.

*Take a Claritin and go to bed.

Hair and makeup starts tomorrow at 9 a.m. sharp! My sister Lee in China will be beaming in via iChat.

Operation Get Nice Nails: The Final Visit!

2010-04-09T14:37:00.003-04:00

Today was my last trip to the nail salon! And I had a few folks come along!

My sister! We both got pedicures, just to treat ourselves. Sister refuses to pose for pictures, so I have a lot of shots of the back of her head.

My mother! So many colors, so little time.

Even Marc came and got a manicure!

Me! I don't get all these brides that look all cute the days leading up to their wedding. All I have energy for is sweats! And my "Soon to Be Mrs." hoodie.

My final manicure! I am very pleased. Note Twinkie trying to sneak into the shot.

Hanging the Pom-Poms Time!

2010-04-09T00:15:00.004-04:00

This afternoon, before our rehearsal, my sister and I decorated the reception hall with the famous Martha Stewart Pom-Poms. We got into a good rhythm- sister put the pom-poms together and fluffed them, I cut fishing line, strung it along the ceiling, and hung pom-poms. They really do come together fast once you get into it. Hello down there, sister!

The ladder of doom! Seriously, pretty sure the church bought this ladder when they built the building in the 1920s. The wood was rotting, there were screws hanging off, and it shook back and forth every time you climbed it. It's amazing I'm still alive!

My major tip? Don't drop your spool of fishing line on the floor from the top of a ladder, breaking it and tangling all the fishing line. That took a lot of time for the rest of the afternoon, untangling the blob everytime I needed some. Fishing line is about $6 a spool, save yourself some heartache and buy two.

Girls Night Out!

2010-04-08T11:13:00.001-04:00

Bachelorette party last night! Dinner at the Brick Cafe and then karaoke at Karaoke Shout! What fun we had!

Work Shower

2010-04-06T19:10:00.003-04:00

Today was my last day at the office before the wedding, and the girls at work organized a shower for me! So sweet. It's pretty stressful being the guest of honor at a shower, though- opening all the gifts, everyone looking at you. They were so generous and it made me feel like a terrible person! Does this make me crazy? This is how I feel at present parties- insufficient. And the room felt like it was about 100 degrees! Putting that stress aside, I had a lovely time. They really put together a lovely spread!

How much do we love my fabulous bow hat! I might just wear it to the airport tomorrow to pick up my family. I had such a slew of gifts, I had to take a cab home! Once home, I showed little Twinkie one of the cards. In typical dog style, she was not overly impressed.

Guestlist Mixup 2, and this one's a doozy!

2010-04-05T22:56:00.002-04:00

We realized we forgot to send out an invite to a dear friend back in March, so I figured we had worked out all our guest list kinks. Wrong! We forgot somebody else, too. Our church is currently between pastors, and we've had a number of guest pastors in the interim period. One has been a great friend to us, particularly in the last few months as Marc thinks about attending seminary. I would say we forgot to send him an invitation, but that would imply we thought of it in the first place. He's just one of those random floating people, you know- not in our church directory, not a regular attendee we see every week out in the pews, not a Facebook friend. We made an announcement at church that all of our church family was invited, but he didn't happen to be there that week. He was doing all of our Holy Week services, and I realized Thursday night, uh oh, we totally forgot Pastor. Then Marc heard Friday from one of the old ladies that Pastor had mentioned to her that he wasn't invited. Ouch. That made it even worse- then when I gave him an invite on Saturday (7 days before the wedding!), he probably thought I only did it because he mentioned it to somebody, and that's not true at all! Oh well. Pastor, if you're out there, know that we love you and your presence is much desired at the wedding!

Operation Get Nice Nails: Week 3

2010-04-04T15:44:00.004-04:00

Week 3! And I finally found the perfect shade for the wedding day- Adore-A-Ball. The Essie website describes it as "A sheer soft pink, perfect for a french manicure." To me, it's the perfect balance of pink and nude, sheer and opaque. To you, it probably looks just like the colors from the two previous weeks. That's probably good for me to keep in mind, though- in the end, any shade is going to be just fine. Boring blog post, but lesson learned! If only I were searching for blues or oranges or purples.

This is about as I let my nails get before I cut them off, so this is going to be a weird week, as I get used to having nails. This is what I get for having really deep-set fingernails; it takes me FOREVER to grow them to a length that looks "normal", forget long. They are already getting in the way of my typing a little bit. If they weren't done up, they'd probably already be breaking. Wish I was living a life where getting a weekly manicure every week made sense!

Burning Down the House

2010-04-01T13:05:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday, I put some bread in the oven to toast (because, like I said, I don't have a toaster). I was in a rush to eat and get out for errands, so I put the oven on "Broil". Then FedEx came with a wedding gift. Oooo, china and flatware from my aunt! She's so sweet, I can't wait to see her. I should pull out my stationery and write her a thank-you note. And I'm so excited about my new Abstract Expressionist stamps. They're art for my envelopes, literally! Better make sure I write the addresses small so there's room for the stamp- Wait, what's that smell? You guessed it. I burnt the toast- and probably my face, too, while I pulled the charred pieces out. Thank goodness Marc has a high tolerance for burned things. Me, if it's even a little brown, I don't want it. He'll practically eat charcoal. Which he did, with some turkey and avocado on top. Yet another reason we need a toaster! In the meantime, I'll be turning off all cooking appliances when distractions arrive in the mail.

Lack of Cute?

2010-03-31T12:34:00.001-04:00

I really should stop looking at wedding blogs at this point. I keep seeing cute stuff and thinking, ahhhhh, why am I not doing that? Like, look at this FREAKIN' ADORABLE WEDDING (the bride's blog is here). I want it all! I want the decorations, I want the mustaches, I want the food setup. I want all the little random bits scattered around to set a mood. Like, look at that bucket of cowboy hats- I didn't realize I needed something like that until I saw it. I don't think I have any of that kind of stuff. I may have to go on a shopping spree this weekend to see if I can find.... something. I don't know. I really should stop looking at wedding blogs at this point.

Keeping an eye on the weather

2010-03-29T11:30:00.002-04:00

Now that I'm past the two-week mark, I've started to look at the weather for our wedding day. Accuweather.com does 15 day extended forecasts, and naturally, I've been looking at ours every day. Thankfully, we're well past the point of worrying about snow (I hope!), but you know the old saying about "April Showers". Who cares about May flowers! I don't need 'em, I need flowers for April 10 and then I really don't care anymore. That's why the rain today, and tomorrow, and the next day, won't get me down. Good! Rain all you want, sky! Get it out of your system before my family arrives next week. The extended forecast for the week in general is looking good- no rain, highs in the 60s, lows in the 50s. The forecast for our actual wedding day shifts every day. Yesterday, it was going to be sunny, high 60s/50s. Today, it's going to be cloudy, low 60s/40s. I do hope the sun wins out in the end! And PLEASE, no rain!

Operation Get Nice Nails: Week 2

2010-03-28T10:09:00.002-04:00

Back to the salon for my second manicure before the wedding. My nail have grown out a little! I think my fingers are already looking more sophisticated. Several of you gave me nail color suggestions, and I had them all in mind- but my salon didn't have any of them in stock! Boo. I ended up picking something I thought would look nice- essie's "It's In The Bag". Really not liking the color- you can't tell in the picture, but it's very pink. My dress is ivory and champagne, so something this pink would really POP in a bad way. At least in person- it looks fine in the picture I took, and would probably look fine in all the other pictures, because who cares other than me? Nobody. I'm still getting a nude color next Friday, though.

The Wedding Night!

2010-03-26T12:30:00.003-04:00

Close your dirty minds, people!

Just about two weeks (!) until the wedding, and I've had a change of heart regarding our wedding night accommodations. I always thought money was going to be very tight, and so I figured staying at my apartment on our wedding night would be a reasonable way to save money. However, as the day approaches, our budget improves and my apartment gets messier and messier, the thought of coming back to my basement cave after our wedding makes me very depressed. Particularly considering what it represents- I had really been looking forward to moving into a new apartment right after our wedding, but now, we will not be moving for several months, opting instead to have Marc move into my place in the interim. My place is already small, smaller every time a wedding gift gets delivered (not that we mind the gifts!), and I think once he moves his stuff in, it's going to be a total nightmare. For one night, I'd like to be able to pretend I'll be living in the lap of luxury.

Why are hotel rooms always bigger and nicer than my apartment?

So, I'm looking at hotels! Leaning toward the Waldorf-Astoria, so we can do the decadent Sunday Brunch at Peacock Alley the next morning. Seriously, look at this menu. Incredible! After weeks of closely watching my diet to make sure I don't put on any last-minute pounds, 6 kinds of Eggs Benedict sounds like just what the doctor ordered.

Giveaway Winner!

2010-03-24T22:43:00.003-04:00

Thanks to all who entered the giveaway for a copy of What Do We Do Now: Keith and the Girl's Smart Answers to Your Stupid Relationship Questions. The winner is mom2mna. Congratulations! Please e-mail me so I can ship you your book! And everyone else- run out and buy a copy of this book! You will be glad you did.

A hand for the toaster

2010-03-23T18:39:00.004-04:00

Isn't this a lovely toaster?

When did toasters go out of fashion as wedding gifts? When did they suddenly become the butt of every joke? "Hope you don't end up with 16 toasters!" "Gotta register, or all you'll wind up with is toasters!" You're looking at a girl who does not own a toaster. I've been coasting by for years just toasting things in the regular oven, but now that I'm going to be a married lady, I've decided I would like a toaster. I cannot lie: the main reason I want a toaster is so I can make Eggo Waffles. You can't make an Eggo in the oven! As a result, I haven't had one in years, and I am craving them hardcore. I was just thinking today about how I ate them for breakfast when I was younger. An Eggo Waffle with rainbow chip frosting. Yes, my mother let me have a waffle with frosting for breakfast. And it was delicious. Probably couldn't stomach it now, but I hope to have a toaster soon so I can find out!

Giveaway Extension!

2010-03-20T12:29:00.001-04:00

Hey- I'm extending my book giveaway deadline until Sunday, March 21st at 9 p.m. You still have a chance to win!

Operation Get Nice Nails Commences

2010-03-19T21:37:00.002-04:00

I've never been big on nails- I was a nail biter way back in the day, so for as long as I can remember, I've kept my nails trimmed very, very short. But that just won't do for the wedding day! I'd like to grow my nails out a little to make my sausage fingers look a little longer.

New York City is a great city to care about your nails. There are nail salons everywhere! And because of the competition, services are wicked cheap. I got a pedicure AND a manicure tonight for $18 (plus a nice tip).

I'm going to get a manicure every week (or as needed) until the wedding. That sounds like a lot, but it's only 3 weeks away! AHHHHHHH! I was reading some book the other day that suggested you get weekly manicures for 3 months before the wedding. I'm vain but not that vain.

I'm hoping to use my weekly manicures as a trial period for different polish colors. Tonight's color is "Blushing Bride"- and yes, the name is totally why I picked it. It's very sheer and subtle- a little too subtle for my taste. I want a simple, subdued color, but I want something that looks like more than a clear polish. It's good for this first week, though.

Beauty Time! First up, facercise!

2010-03-18T16:06:00.003-04:00

With the wedding a mere ::gulp:: 23 days away, it's time to start getting beautiful! Well, let's be serious, I'm always working to get more beautiful, but now the task seems ever more urgent! The first item on my beauty to-do list is a bit controversial- face exercises.

Yeah, that's right, I facercise. Scoff all you want, that stuff WORKS. I did a 30-day stint last year, and I could definitely see the improvements when it was all done. Which begs the question, why don't I do it all the time? Laziness, pure and simple. It's not like the results were astounding- no one came up to me and said, my word! Look at your new, improved face! I couldn't pinpoint one thing in particular that changed for the better; all I know is that after I had been doing it for awhile, my face looked fresher and more alive. Which is important when you're an olive-skinned girl, particularly at this time of year. I don't want to be green at my wedding! Even if the positive results are all in my head, that's good enough for me. So anyway, if you happen to spot me on the bus in the coming weeks, squeezing my eyes shut and moving my eyebrows up and down, know that it's all being done for a good cause!

ZOMG Gift Time!

2010-03-16T21:53:00.000-04:00

Look what we got in the mail from one of Marc's best friends!

Not the dog, or the dog chew sticks. A Wii! Marc's roommate has a Wii, and we thought it would be fun to have one, so we added it to the registry as something of a gag, but I never thought someone would actually get it for us! I'm totally embarrassed by the generosity! And by the fact that we don't even own a TV between the two of us. I guess that's next on our shopping list!

Keith and the Girl Relationship Book Giveaway!

2010-03-14T23:13:00.005-04:00

*Edit: I've extended the deadline for entries through Sunday, March 21st at 9 p.m. Enter now!*

I had a great evening tonight- I went to a bingo event at Lolita Bar hosted by the two funniest people on the internet, Keith and Chemda from the internet radio show Keith and the Girl. I have been a huge fan of their show for years- I was listening back when they did show #100, and now they're past 1100! They do 5 hilarious shows a week, that I put on my iPod and laugh along to on the bus. Laugh at something everyone can hear, and the world laughs with you. Laugh at something only you can hear, and you'll get extra breathing room on the bus.

Tonight's bingo event was extra-special because Keith and Chemda are celebrating the release of their relationship book, What Do We Do Now? Keith and the Girl's Smart Answers to Your Stupid Relationship Questions. My pre-ordered copy arrived earlier this week, and it is hilaaaaaarious and insightful. The questions are answered in a conversational style, with little icons that let you know if you're hearing from Keith or Chemda. The chapters are organized by topic- "Money", "Sex and Kink", "Household"- there's even a chapter on "Marriage"! You definitely want to hear their answers to tough questions like, "Should I take out a loan to buy my girlfriend the engagement ring of her dreams?", "Does a prenup mean we don't love each other?" and "Should I push my live-in boyfriend into proposing?"

I am so pleased that I can give away this book as my first-ever Kate the Bride giveaway! You can enter from right now until Saturday, March 20th, at 12 noon ET. You can get up to 3 entries, by doing the following three things:

1. Go to KeithAndTheGirl.com/book, read the chapter of the book posted on the website, and leave me a comment with your favorite question.

2. Tweet about the giveaway including a link (http://tinyurl.com/yzvrnkr), and leave a comment below with a link to your tweet.

3. Blog about the giveaway including a link, and leave a comment below with a link to your post.

That's it! The winner will get one copy of the (soon to be New York Times Bestseller, I can just feel it in my bones) book, and some cute stickers, too. Get to it!

*Disclaimers: You must comment directly on my KateTheBride.blogpost.com entry to win- comments left on TheKnot.com will not be counted. Yes, you can leave all 3 entries in one comment. Winner will be chosen at random. There will only be one winner. If you win but I can't figure out how to contact you or you never get back to me with your mailing address, I will chose another winner. Will only ship to a US address (including APOs/FPOs, because military people deserve it). If you try to cheat me, you will be subject to Keith's Justice, and let me tell you, it ain't pretty.

Cake Time!

2010-03-12T19:07:00.002-05:00

Ugh, I have had NO TIME lately for wedding stuff. And it's coming up so fast! So fast that all my little computer counters have lost their minds. According to them, it's somewhere between 27-29 days to the wedding. Some even said "Wedding in 29 Days (30 Days)" yesterday. Hey, little tickers, get it together.

Tomorrow, we will be ordering our sheet cakes at Costco! I am SO FREAKIN' EXCITED about these cakes. You have to understand, I'm not a big sweets eater. I find most desserts to be too rich or too sweet to truly be enjoyable. But a few months ago, we got a Costco cake to say goodbye to a dear church friend as she moved to Chicago, and this cake was INCREDIBLE! Vanilla cake, vanilla cheesecake filling, and cream cheese frosting. I wanted to bring it home and eat it every day (but settled for finding excuses to eat it from the church fridge for 3 days in a row). I'm so excited to share it with our guests!

Now, to decide which little pictures I want.....

Our tasting: behold the goodies!

2010-03-10T06:29:00.004-05:00

We met with and signed a contract with our dessert caterer- check out these yummies! I look forward to stuffing my face with all this goodness.

Cookies!

Scones with lingonberry jam and buttercream frosting!

Little cupcakes!

Guilty confession: A mixup on the guest list

2010-03-08T10:44:00.002-05:00

A friend from church mentioned to me the other day that she hadn't gotten her invitation yet. It's been two weeks, so it totally should have arrived by now. No problem, I said; I have a few extra, I'll send you another one. I went onto our wedding website to pull up her username and password and.... she wasn't on the list. I had forgotten to send her one in the first place! Eeeeee. That's embarrassing. Don't know how it happened; I got her mailing address and everything. At least I found out before the wedding. My friend got the "replacement" invitation in the mail already. Don't think I'll tell her about the mixup :D

Don't mess with the judge

2010-03-05T07:37:00.000-05:00

A little Friday fun for you- a bride, a photographer, and Judge Joe Brown. Moral of the story: don't mess with the bride!

I Am A Stalker

2010-03-03T19:49:00.003-05:00

Hello, my name is Kate the Bride, and I am a registry stalker.

Registry stalking, for those who don't know (and if you're crazy enough to read wedding blogs, you know, so don't play), is where you regularly check in on your online gift registries, to see what's been purchased. I personally look at mine every day. I can't help it! It's so exciting! People are BUYING ME THINGS- we've gotten 4 gifts so far, all from our Bed, Bath and Beyond registry. Some might say, oh, but that ruins the surprise, but I don't think that's true. I already picked out all this stuff, no gift from a registry is a surprise. It's seeing who gave the gift that is the really exciting part. I try to guess before opening a gift who it's from, and I never guess right! People have been so generous, it's really sweet. And I'm letting each and every one of them know via thank-you note!

Licensed and ready!

2010-03-01T09:39:00.001-05:00

We got our marriage license! I got off work a little early, and booked it downtown to the Manhattan marriage bureau. Of COURSE the train I was on was wicked slow, but thankfully, I did arrive with about half an hour to spare (it closes at 3:45? Really? Come on, that's cruel). It only took about 5 minutes once we were there- you fill out the registration form at home, and bring in a copy of your confirmation number, so all there really is to do is double and triple check that everything was entered correctly, and pay your $35. The woman we worked with was surprised Marc was taking my surname, saying that rarely happens but it's the second groom she had do it this week. Once you have your license, you can sit back and watch the bride parade! Young and old, all in white- short dresses seemed to rule the day, despite the blizzard outside. I bet it would be fun to spend a whole day at the marriage bureau. You're probably not allowed, but I'd do it if I could!

Wedding Party: The FASHION!

2010-02-26T10:30:00.000-05:00

The final part of the Wedding Party was a fashion show, in two parts. The first was a Bridesmaid show from the Wedding Library. I had a hard time getting pictures of a lot of these dresses, as the models didn't do a great job of holding a pose, but I still managed to capture a few of my favorites:

The Short Straight style by twobirds. This is one of those dresses that wraps, where you can wear it about 15 billion ways. This model had hers with a slightly open X in the back, and it looked great.

Lela Rose. I think this look could even work for a bride! Think Vegas.

Next up, bridal fashion by VERA WANG. VERA MUTHAFUCKIN' WANG. I was so excited. I don't know how I ended up at a Vera Wang runway presentation, I'm not fancy enough to be in the same room as a Vera Wang gown, that's for certain. And yet, there they were! Every dress divine, every model KILLING IT- walking tall, proud and slow enough that you had a chance to drink in every detail.

Didi, Spring 2010 Collection. Get thee to the Vera Wang website to see this full length, incredible. I love that Vera will showcase a dress in a bright color even though she only sells it in white and ivory.

Look at all the detail! All those fluttery pieces- I have no idea what the proper name for them is, but they look like petals. Perhaps petals will be the new pickups? If Vera says so, it must be true.

Devon, Spring 2010 collection. I love this shrug- you know me, I love all shrugs, boleros, wraps. So classic and lovely (and this one better be, because it cost more than my wedding dress- yes, just the shrug). This is the last picture I got, because my camera decided to DIE ON ME. At a Vera Wang fashion show! How cruel is that? You need to get thee to the Vera Wang website and look at the Spring 2010 bridal collection to get the full collection. The dress on the bottom row on the right was my favorite- Diana! You should've seen her come down the aisle. Gorgeous!

Wedding Party: The decor

2010-02-24T10:15:00.001-05:00

There were so many beautiful things to see at the Wedding Party- I only wish I had taken more pictures (of course, I ended up finding out that my camera had a limited lifespan, but more on that later).

A napkin display from ForYourParty.com. I love the color grid!

A pretty in pink table by Macy's. I believe I overheard someone say that the china was by Martha Stewart. Is there anything Martha can't do?

How gorgeous is this table? Makes me wish I was doing a completely purple wedding. Sadly, I cannot remember who exactly put this display together- I believe it was Bentley Meeker (check out the weddings on their website, they are INSANE). If you know I'm wrong, please correct me! I give credit where credit is due.

I also saw a demonstration of a Smilebooth and I really want one. Can I afford it? Not really. Would it even work in our venue? Probably not, because the reception is down stairs and there's no elevator. Does any of that make me want one any less? Nooooooooooo. Pictures, pictures, pictures!

Wedding Party: CAKE!

2010-02-22T09:31:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the gang over at 100 Layer Cake, Marc and I had the chance to attend the Wedding Party yesterday at the New York Palace. What an incredible afternoon it was! I'm going to be blogging bits and pieces of the experience all week. First up, Marc's favorite part: the cake. That was the whole reason he wanted to go, was so he could eat cake. He worried beforehand, what if I get there and there is no cake?? A groom's nightmare. Thankfully, the sweets selection did not disappoint. It seemed every other vendor had some sort of cake, cupcake, candy, or chocolate to sample.

Gorgeous display from One Girl Cookies. Everything looked so beautiful, we weren't sure if we were allowed to sample, but they encouraged everyone who walked by to help themselves!

This was just a display- but the whole thing is edible, sugar flowers and all. You may recognize this from the cover of the Winter 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings. Cake by Sylvia Weinstock.

The in-house catering at the New York Palace.

Marc says, don't mind if I do!

Possible Menu

2010-02-18T19:24:00.002-05:00

A friend heard we were having a dessert reception, and passed along the name of a friend of hers who is a dessert caterer. Score! We had thought about self-catering from Costco and the local bakeries, but having someone in charge who knows what they're doing would take a load off my mind. We've been e-mailing back and forth, and today, she sent me the proposed menu. How good does this look??

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Mini cupcakes (to contrast with the vanilla sheetcakes; choose 1)
- Devil's food w/Italian buttercream
- Red velvet with cream cheese frosting I love red velvet cake! My new dessert obsession.

Cookies
- Rainbow (aka tri-color)
- Mini chocolate chip
- Vanilla spritz I had to Google what these are- nice!
- White chocolate oatmeal OMG favorite.
- Cherry almond biscotti

Brownie Bites

Cinnamon vanilla blondies w/white chocolate and almond

Scones (choose 2)
- Plain
- Cranberry Yessssssss!
- Lemon

Rugelach (choose 2)
- Chocolate
- Raspberry
- Brown sugar cinnamon Yessssssssssssss!

3 lbs Dark or Milk Chocolate Fudge

Fruit Platter For the healthy people, I approve. I like fruit as well.

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I am so excited about this menu. Meeting in two weeks for a tasting and to nail down the contract. I can't waaaaaaaait. And Marc really can't wait. He loves dessert. Check out some assorted shots below he's taken of desserts we've eaten. You can feel the love radiate through the lens. If he didn't have me around to keep him in line. he'd probably weigh about 700 pounds.

The RSVPs are rolling in

2010-02-17T22:57:00.002-05:00

The invites we sent last week have mostly arrived. The RSVPs are beginning to trickle in to the website- it's all I can do not to stare and refresh the page all day long. I've also gotten plenty of verbal RSVPs, mostly from older people at church (although some have gone on to the website, too, so mad props to the Greatest Generation). Right this second, we're at 47 people who are coming, 7 people who can't make it, and 122 invites (not people, so, umm, yeah, we've got quite a guest list) that are still unknown. It's funny, I look at the list and think I know who will make it and who won't, but I think it's possible there are some surprises in store. An ex co-worker who I love moved to California a few months ago, but I wanted to send her an invite anyway just to let her know I cared. I talk to her online tonight, and what do I find out? She's moving back to New York AND she's reuniting with her ex (a guy I loved; I was heartbroken when they broke up)- just in time for the wedding! How about that! I've been stressed and a little down the past few days (nothing wedding related), but that warmed my heart. That and my sister's text from this afternoon- "Remember, always the brideZILLA, never the bride." We have a running joke via text, where she calls me a Bridezilla and I claim the title with relish. I'm certain that I'm not one, but it's fun to pretend.

Registry Incentives = Free Stuff

2010-02-15T11:38:00.000-05:00

We got something else in the mail this weekend- one of our registry incentives! Have you looked into this? This is one of the coolest things. You register for certain stuff at stores, and just for registering for those things, the company sends you something for free! FREE STUFF! I love free stuff! And somehow, getting something for free just for making a list of other stuff you want people to buy you seems EXTRA COOL. Check out the incentives available anywhere you register- both Bed, Bath and Beyond or Williams-Sonoma were offering us some great incentives. We got a petite Le Creuset red casserole dish just for registering for 6 pieces of Le Creuset bakeware.

Vanna Kate.

You may be thinking, Kate, what are you going to do with a casserole dish that small? You are totally missing the point. It's free! And so adorable! Functionality is not required. Although I think that little pot could hold the perfect midnight snack's serving of any number of cheesy potato dishes. Or maybe it'll just sit on my dresser and hold all my rings. Who knows.

Little pot in the big pot.

WEDDING GIFT ALERT!

2010-02-12T19:04:00.004-05:00

We got our first wedding gift!! I can't believe it. NOW WE REALLY HAVE TO GET MARRIED.

Le Creuset, Le Creuset, how I love Le Creuset! I've never owned one before, and I am raring to go! Julia Child, here I come. The friend that sent it hasn't even gotten his invitation yet- he was discussing the wedding with another friend, who showed him our wedding website, and he just went ahead and bought it for us! His note with the gift said that if you care for cast iron, it will last a long time- kind of like a marriage. Awwwwwwww. I love you, GJ!

Ben & Jack's for your wedding dinner needs

2010-02-11T06:35:00.002-05:00

Marc's roommate is a food & drink writer. I tell you, this is a good friend to have in your arsenal. She always knows what to drink, she always knows the bartender, and every now and again, she can get you into a killer event. Last week, she was invited to a press tasting at Ben & Jack's on Fifth Avenue, and invited me to join her. And I'm like, oh yeah, free dinner! I build my life around where the free food is. One reason I like my job? Lots of free food left over after events. My church does food every Sunday. Heck, I even like weddings because of the food.

We arrived during a light snow flurry. We were seated (away from the door, like I like- nothing worse than when you go a restaurant and they try to put you right in the draft) and handed menus. After briefly wondering if they remembered we were comped, we just said, oh well, we'll just order what we like and hang the consequences. We started with slices of beefsteak tomatoes and mozzarella, which I could eat all day long. I also had some incredibly hot French Onion soup that stayed hot for an incredibly long time. And then, STEAK. Sweet, buttery, rare filet mignon. With some 'taters and creamed spinach on the side. Top it all off with some lemon sorbet and a hot fudge sundae (off which we mostly just ate the whipped cream), and we were two very full girls.

After dinner, we had a chance to check out the private room upstairs. I don't think it was the steak telling me that this place would be a PERFECT wedding reception or rehearsal dinner location, for a party of practically any size. They have 5 rooms that can accommodate parties of 10 to 250- in seclusion. That's my favorite part- that I could have a party with just 9 other people, and still not have to listen to the people at the next table. Some of the rooms even had TV, if you didn't want to listen to the people you came with. If you're still looking for a wedding dinner spot, check out Ben and Jack's!

Away we go!

2010-02-09T11:48:00.001-05:00

Invites are going out this week. I've been taking them to the mailbox in batches- mainly because I didn't think I could do all 150 at once without dropping some of them on the ground. Two months to go! I've never understood the wide range of proposed timelines for sending out wedding invitations. TheKnot.com's checklist was telling me to mail them at 3 months out, which I think is way too early (particularly for an early April wedding, since your card will arrive when people are still hungover from end of the year festivities). WeddingWire has the task listed under February. And Miss Manners says "four to six weeks prior to the wedding is acceptable in this age of scattered families and erratically discounted airfares". Four weeks? That seems way too late. I've already had a few friends subtly inquire about their invitation status, and they were relieved to learn that it wasn't that they weren't invited, it's just that we haven't mailed out invites yet. Can you imagine how nervous people would be if I waited until 4 weeks to sent out the invites? At that point I probably wouldn't have any friends left!

Cake Talk

2010-02-05T08:50:00.002-05:00

The scene: Marc is sitting on the couch, looking through this month's Brides magazine. I'm sitting at my computer.

Marc: You know, dear, what's going to be really hard once we get married? I mean really really REALLY hard?

Kate: What?

Marc: Keeping cake in the freezer for a whole year and not touching it.

Kate: Whaaaat? We're not going to do that.

Marc: We're not?

Kate: No, of course not.

Marc: So I can bring home all the cake and eat it before the honeymoon?

Kate: Of course.

Marc: You're the best, dear! That's why I'm marrying you.

To book or not to book?

2010-02-03T10:28:00.000-05:00

Last summer, we were visiting Marc's parents in Colorado. I love going out to the suburbs- that's civilized country. Chain restaurants and strip malls as far as the eye can see. That's something I miss living in New York. First thing I do when I get off a plane is go to Wal-Mart and Chili's. Anyway, I had heard that there was Martha Stewart Wedding stuff at Big Lots, so we popped in one day. Among other things, I was able to pick up a simple, classic white guestbook for $1. Score! Checked it off the list. Thank you, Martha.

Of course, part of giving Martha her due is recognizing that I am no Martha. I wish I was, truly I did. When I got laid off earlier this year, I figured I'd use my free days to turn my house into a domestic paradise. Guess what? No, I didn't. My house stayed in roughly the same condition it's in when I'm employed. Because that's how much I care. The only thing I cannot stand is clutter. I am constantly fighting the battle against having too much stuff, and in a small NYC apartment, the battle is constant. There's nowhere for stuff to hide. Given that I am planning a wedding, I now have mountains of wedding materials all over my apartment. And it's driving me crazy. I can't wait to get all this stuff out of my house!

Which brings me to the topic of the guest book- am I really going to look through it after the wedding is over? Probably not. Is it just going to sit in some box or on some shelf taking up space? Probably. I'm not all that in love with it- it is what it is, a plain simple book. And do people really enjoy signing the book when they go to weddings? I've been to a decent number of weddings, but I've never heard someone yell, "Ooo, the GUESTBOOK!" with the same enthusiasm they reserve for the bride or the cake or the bar. I'm tempted to cut it. Weighing the regret of not doing it versus the annoyance of having to lug the thing around for the rest of my life. Amazingly, knowing me, I think it's the latter that will bug me more.

Give My Regards to Broadway

2010-02-01T11:36:00.003-05:00

One of my wedding day dreams is to get away after the reception for a little while to do some city shots. Any spring or summer Saturday, you see brides and grooms out and about in the city, getting great shots in Central Park, next to the Brooklyn Bridge, or outside The Plaza. Kella MacPhee featured a couple awhile back who went to my #1 dream photo spot- Times Square! This might ruin my New Yorker cred, but I love Times Square. The lights, the colors, the excitement! People from all over the world standing around, captivated. All sorts of New York weirdos running around, trying to get their money. And me, sitting on the steps of the new TKTS booth, watching it all while I kill time before seeing a Broadway show or meeting a friend for dinner. I can think of no better place to be in love. The Naked Cowboy agrees- he wants to open a Times Square Wedding Chapel! A Times Square full of brides 24/7- now that's an idea that wins my vote.

Stamp of Approval

2010-01-29T07:19:00.000-05:00

Starting to the get the invites organized for stamping and sealing. WHY AM I SENDING OUT SO MANY INVITES? Oh right, because I love all these people. It's a good thing, because sorting the piles alone exhausted me. I addressed over the course of a few days, so this is the first time I'm seeing all the invites stacked together. Already think I need another sheet or two of stamps.

Meanwhile, Twinkie did her part to help the stamping process. No, Twinkie, that wasn't the kind of stamping I was talking about.

Shower Time?

2010-01-28T09:48:00.008-05:00

Ok, so this entry is for my online friends only. Real-life friends, stop reading now! There's some general whining that I need to get out, and I want to do it without feeling like it will be interpreted as a passive-aggressive cry for help.

Are you gone?

Ok. So, no one here in NYC has made any grand moves toward throwing me a shower, and I can't lie, I'm a little bummed about it. I'll throw a shower anytime, anywhere, for anyone. Proper etiquette says that people can't ask for showers (perfectly understandable!), so I want to be there to host for my friends. Unfortunately, most of the people who would definitely have been there for me moved away in the past year. My Maid of Honor lives in Florida (and she did host a small family luncheon for me back in December, which was lovely), along with all of my extended family. I have some other friends here, but nobody's clearly stated "Oh yes, I will definitely throw you a shower". I had one friend show a little interest, but she seemed to be waiting for me to take the lead, which I really can't do, because I can't exactly host my own shower.

It's not the end of the world, I already had one lovely shower with my family. And it's not even about gifts, it's more about feeling like somebody cares enough about me to put a little shower together. I'm sensitive about parties, I always have been- from a young age, I always felt like other people always had people throwing them parties and that never happened for me. And maybe it's because I act like I don't care because I don't want to be a spoiled brat, but on the other hand, who doesn't love a party? I feel like it's going to the come to the wedding day, and people will be like, why didn't you have a shower? And I'll have to be like, because I have no friends, I'm a looooooooooooooser.

Watch, I'll find out in two days that there is a shower in the works for me and then I'll feel like a jerk instead of a loser.

My Image of Me

2010-01-26T10:51:00.002-05:00

There was a great thread the other day on TheKnot where people shared their best dress advice. My favorite was definitely "Everyone has an image of how your should look on your wedding day, but the one that matters is the one you have of yourself." I have very set ideas about what I like and don't like. For example, I'm not big on letting it all hang out in a strapless gown. They often don't fit me right, I feel like they cut me off and make me look short, and I prefer to be in something that's covering my shoulders. The dress I ended up buying is strapless but comes with a long-sleeved lace jacket. Perfection! I had imagined I would crop the jacket, but once I saw the pictures of the full look, I was transfixed. Grace Kelly, the classic bride! Perfect for me- getting married in my church, taking on this next adult step in my life. I realize this isn't the dream look for everyone. But their opinions aren't important to me. I don't understand the brides I see on message boards posting pictures of themselves in 10 dresses and saying, ok, strangers of the internet, pick my wedding look for me! Are these the same people who end up turning to the internet to name their children? When it comes to things of that nature, I want full editorial control. Because in the end, I'm the one who has to be happy with how I look on my wedding day. Everyone else will be fine, a bride is never ugly to others on her wedding day. Which is why I'm focusing on making sure I'm happy with how I look. Sorry, internet voters, you'll have to save your opinions on another bride!

Over there, Over there, send the word, send the word, over there!

2010-01-24T20:20:00.001-05:00

Mailed the international invites. And my sister's invite to Florida, because I told her that was her birthday present (Happy Birthday, Sarah!) EEEEEEE. They're out there! Look out, China, Romania, Brazil, Italy, United Kingdom and Canada! Your invites are coming! And yes, I'm talking about the WHOLE COUNTRY. Hope we registered for enough stuff.

I have the rest of my stamps sitting with the invitations. Stamps are so pretty- is it because they're money on paper? It could be more than that- I love the Kelp Fish stamps we ended up buying, the little sea creatures are SO cute! I'm so excited about putting the stamps on the rest of the invites that I'm putting it off- delayed gratification! Plus, like I said before I bought them, you never know with the USPS. Do you know after I bought the stamps online, they held the package at the post office for signature?? Not sure if they "tried" to deliver it and failed (despite Marc always being here), but yeah, he ended up having to go to the post office to pick up the stamps I bought online to save us from having to go to the post office. Oh well. I tried.

Bridal Dress Up Time!

2010-01-21T08:43:00.000-05:00

I played bride dress up the other night for the first time in a long time. Every now and then I like to remind myself that I am the most beeeeeuutiful bride in the world. A few observations:

*I am unable to zip my gown up myself. I suppose this is what people have attendants for!

*There is a SMALL STAIN ON MY GOWN! CALL 911! It's a teeny, tiny copper smudge near the bottom. I noticed it right when I was pulling the dress on. Hopefully they can get it out during alterations.

*In other bad news, I noticed some little rips and holes in my mother's veil. I suppose that's to be expected, since it's over 25 years old, but it's still a bummer. Will not play with it anymore until the wedding!

*Speaking of alterations, I really need to call and make my appointment(s) this week. I definitely need a bustle, and I think I'm going to need a little nipping around the waist. Thankfully, I think the length is perfect!

*I also need to work on making sure my shoes are worn in- the bottoms look pretty slick. Perhaps wear them around the block a few times during dog walks?

*Still trying to figure out how exactly I'm going to style myself for the day. I'm set for the ceremony- the long-sleeved bolero that came with the dress and my traditional veils. I love this look, I feel so Grace Kelly. But I still think it might be fun to switch things up as the day goes by. Do I take off the veils and put in the flower I bought? Do I take off the jacket, do I buy a new short-sleeved jacket, do I grab a pashmina, what? I suppose I have all day to do things, I could do one change an hour! Like some sort of award show host- look at this, look at this, look at this.

We Have Stamps!

2010-01-19T09:20:00.008-05:00

I finally bit the bullet and bought the stamps for our invitations, since they're mostly addressed in anticipation of being sent out in about three weeks. I don't know what I was waiting for- the fear that the USPS would suddenly raise rates? It seems they do that a lot! I remember when you could send a letter for 24 cents. And now it's 44 cents! That's still really cheap. Sometimes, I am in awe of modern technology. For less than a dollar, I can send a piece of paper from my neighborhood to pretty much anywhere IN THE WORLD. And they'll bring the responses right to my house! Incredible! I couldn't decide on just one stamp, so I went for a few different things.
First up, the Grand Teton National Park international stamp. International invites go out this week! That's probably a little early for the faster countries, like Canada and the UK, but I figure some of the other invites (Brazil, China, Romania) will definitely need the head start.
Next up, the Wedding Rings first class stamp. I figure I'll use these for the traditional crowd- my grandparents and aunts, the old ladies at church.

How fun are these Celebrate first class stamps? I couldn't resist these, for the younger crowd- I'm saying, hey! We're getting married! You better celebrate!
Last but not least, the Nature of America: Kelp Forest first class set. The sheet itself is a picture, and on each sheet, 10 pictures of fish or wildlife pop out. Isn't that cute? I have some science-minded friends who I think would enjoy getting a wedding invite with an otter on it.

And best of all, I was able to order all of these from the comfort of my own home on USPS.com. I am never going to the post office for stamps AGAIN. Can't believe I used to stand in line for an hour every holiday season to get fancy stamps! Oh, I love the internet.

The new Miss Manners wedding book

2010-01-14T18:35:00.003-05:00

A friend just gave me a fabulous treat- the new Miss Manners wedding book!

She didn't even know that I am a HUGE MISS MANNERS FAN, she just figured that it might be appropriate for me as a bride-to-be. Or maybe it was a hint. I don't know. However it got here, I don't care, I'm a happy girl! Thank you Margaret! I love you Miss Manners!

I'm sure once I get down to reading it, I'll have lots of share with you :D

What's going on? Nothing.

2010-01-11T23:03:00.003-05:00

This is one of those weeks where there really isn't much wedding stuff going on. We're doing a little here and there- I'm still collecting addresses and putting invitations together, and we booked a restaurant for our family to eat dinner at after the wedding. But my mind is elsewhere- work, church work, staying warm from the cold. It's strange, part of me is like, ahh, it's coming so fast, slow down time! And another part is like, ugh, it's so far away, there's stuff I want to do that I can't, hurry up time, bring it closer!

Real Weddings: CJ & Ashley

2010-01-09T11:05:00.004-05:00

Like many other Knotties, I enjoy a little "real wedding porn" every now and then (ugh, but can we please start calling it something else??) Any time someone on a message board posts a link to pictures of their wedding, I have to look. It's very rare to see someone I know staring back at me in the pictures. But that's exactly what happened in this case! Ashley was a fellow poster on what was then called the "Planning & Etiquette" board. She dropped a link, and what groom do I see staring back at me in the pictures? CJ, a guy I knew in high school! Picture Ashley sitting in front of her computer, waiting for the compliments to roll in, and the first comment on her post is, I KNOW YOUR HUSBAND. Ominous. But I quickly explained that I knew him from high school, we did some shows together, had some classes together and were even the founding members of the fan club for our math teacher ("McKee's Radicals: Mr. McKee is #10 to the 0 power"), so I know what a great guy he is. And how gorgeous were their Las Vegas nuptials? All photos by Randi Anzevino of Reflective Souls Photography. Vegas, vegas, here I come!

Are you on The List? Let me know.

2010-01-06T10:08:00.001-05:00

I'm so glad we didn't do Save The Dates, because now that I'm addressing invitations, I'm adding or removing somebody from our guest list every other day. I hear other brides complain about people assuming they're invited to the wedding, but honestly, I could use a little help in knowing who really wants to come and who's going to open the invitation and say, oh @#&%, another social obligation.

I consider myself a laid-back bride, and I think it's safe to say we're putting together a modest affair, and part of the reason we wanted to do that was so we wouldn't have any limitations on who we invite. But then I wonder if people read more into wedding invitations than I think they do. If I'm sending someone a wedding invitation, it's because I like them well enough (or I'm socially obligated- come on, you know you have a few of those, too) and I would like them to be in attendance at my wedding if being there would make them happy. That's it. But what if some of the people I don't know well but like a lot assume that I'm inviting them because I want a gift, or need to fill seats, or something? And then what if someone I assume doesn't want to come actually does, and gets hurt that I don't invite them? I can't lie, sometimes I see friends' wedding pictures on Facebook and wonder why they didn't invite me. We're not talking about weddings I would have gone to, but I hate feeling left out.

I'm probably over-thinking it. I'm sure it'll all turn out OK. That said, if there's anybody out there who I have yet to put on my guest list who wants to come, this is my plea to the universe that they show their interest in the next few weeks, or before I run out of invites, whichever comes first.

The Name Game

2010-01-04T11:12:00.003-05:00

My best Christmas gift was a white jeweled "Soon to Be Mrs." hoodie from my sister. The part that makes it the best is that it includes my current last name. The perfect gift for a bride-to-be who's keeping her name, no? We joked that it could also make a good gift for my mother. Isn't it strange than no matter who changes their name when they get married, somebody turns into somebody else's parent? Marc is taking my last name, which makes him the same "Mr." as my father. Weeeeeird.

People keep asking (and by people, I mean my mother, over and over again) how we decided that Marc would take my last name. It was pretty easy. I wanted to keep my last name, because I like it (it's very rare- pretty much all the people in the US with it are related to me). Marc wanted us to have a family name and didn't feel particularly tied to his last name. And New York state is one of the few where a man can change his name through a marriage license as easily as a woman. So that was that.

I haven't heard too many negative opinions of this decision (although I'm not sure the word is totally out yet). My grandfather was pretty confused, but I'll give anyone over 80 a pass. And what I find particularly funny is that anyone who meets us in the future will see our matching last names and assume that I took Marc's last name. A revolutionary in disguise!

Our Naked Peggies Cake Topper

2010-01-01T16:16:00.001-05:00

It just occurred to me that I haven't shown you our cake topper yet! I can't believe I would forget something like that, particularly considering how in love with it I am. It sits on my desk every day, and I often pick us up and play with us. I briefly substituted us in my nativity set for Joseph and Mary- we looked very out of place there in the stable in our formal clothes.

We purchased the topper from the Naked Peggies shop on Etsy- we sent in pictures of ourselves and what we'd be wearing on the big day, and she hit it right on the head! We're so cute.

100 Days to Go!

2009-12-29T07:43:00.000-05:00

Seriously? Seriously? I'm getting married in 100 days? Really? I'm pretty sure yesterday the count was something like 459 days. AND NOW IT'S AT A HUNDRED AHHHHH!

It's getting to be crunch time, people. There were all these things that I was waiting to do "someday". Like, I dunno, find a place for my family to have dinner the day before and directly after the wedding. Or setting up a meeting with our officiant to plan the ceremony. Or send in our newspaper wedding announcement. Or nag Marc to get his tuxedo altered to fit properly. "Someday" I was going to do all those things and many more. And now someday is here! Frightening!

I better go be productive now. Addressing some invites maybe? Although naturally, at least two of the people whose invites I've already addressed have moved or will be moving. People, once I address your invite, you are legally bound to continue living at the same location, do you hear me??? I only got 25 extra envelopes! Would it be bad to start handing out invites sans envelopes, just to save paper? Don't answer that.

My family bridal shower

2009-12-28T21:45:00.000-05:00

Saturday was my family bridal shower! My grandmother, aunts, and cousins came over to a local country club to shower me with cupcakes and some nice gifts..

I got some Pampered Chef stuff include a stone pie pan and a deep-dish covered baker, some gift cards for Williams-Sonoma and Bed, Bath and Beyond, a Dustbuster, crisp, white towels and Dog Corn Holders. I'm going to start eating corn every day just to enjoy those! Between corn and the nightgown I got from my grandmother, that "covers it all".

Thank you family! I love you!

Bridesmaid dress shopping

2009-12-25T10:57:00.001-05:00

My beautiful cousin and maid of honor Heather lives here in Florida, so while we're down for the holiday, we popped over to Nordstrom to see if we could find a dress for her to wear for the wedding. That's the good thing about having one attendant- major flexibility when it comes to what they wear. I knew what I didn't want, but was pretty open when it came to the idea of what I did want. With the help of a shopping assistant, we ran all over the Formal section and found all sorts of things to try on.

I loved the color of this one, but the ruffly cut wasn't very flattering in the tummy area, and the overall style didn't wouldn't match with my dress very well.

This dress looked pretty cute on the hanger, but on? No, no, no. Waaaay too Mother of the Bride for this young lady. Plus, I wasn't crazy about black in the first place (I already told my mother I'd rather she not wear black to the wedding), and this confirmed that. That big smile was part of our hysterical laughter about this one.

The color and cut of this was so great (I'm so into purple right now), but in the end, we decided this was more appropriate for a cocktail party then a wedding.

Getting closer! After we saw this, we knew long was going to be the way to go. So sophisticated.

The winner! Calvin Klein. Love the bright blue color, the flow, the length, the pleats. I truly do believe that she could wear this again (though doesn't ever bride think that? Allow me to labor under this delusion). And if she doesn't, I will!

Sassy shoes to go with! Jessica Simpson.

One more thing done! This whole thing is actually coming together, it's wild. 106 days to go. Lawd, have mercy!

Family Traditions

2009-12-23T19:04:00.003-05:00

Part of the fun of getting married is seeing your family reflected in the eyes of your partner and realizing, "We are all crazy!" This is Marc's 4th Christmas with my family, so he knows how things go. Here's his reflection on our annual celebrations.

Notice my leading questions during the gift question-and-answer section. "Undershirts, right, you want undershirts? You better want them, because I already bought them at Wal-Mart, you toot". What you cannot see or hear on the video is my panic when he says that the thing he wants the most is the UV lens filter- the only thing I haven't bought yet! I was going to, and then the price of the item went up $20, and now I figure I'll just wait until the price goes back down again.

Wedding Nightmare

2009-12-21T09:47:00.002-05:00

I have the craziest wedding dreams. Last night, the dream went as follows- first, I was serving a homemade dinner to my guests, and I started to run out of food. We had some of the desserts we wanted, but not all of them. Then, all these people I didn't know were showing up. I'd go up and ask them, hi, who do you know here at the wedding? And they'd be like, uhhhh, ummm, we know the couple. OH REALLY? Because I'm standing here in a white dress, and I do not know you. Do you know who else showed up? John Edwards and his alleged mistress Rielle Hunter. Pretending to be other people! Please, dream John Edwards, I'd recognize you anywhere! Then the dream transitioned to my being in a Gossip Girl episode, and Chuck Bass was there..... love him. Happy ending to a bad dream!

Real Weddings: Evan & JulieAnn

2009-12-18T09:00:00.004-05:00

JulieAnn and I did theatre in college together- in our most famous collaboration, we were monkeys writing Shakespeare. She is a joy to be around. Can't you just tell from the smile on her face? Her wedding in Maine looked so laid-back and fun. Aren't those sunflowers great? The perfect flower for my beautiful, sunny JulieAnn. All photos by Joles Photography.

I also have to share just one shot from her trash-the-dress shoot (also with Joles Photography). How fun does this look? SPLASH!

Changing My Mind on Bridal Attire

2009-12-16T11:30:00.002-05:00

I made my bridal attire decisions early. Bought my dress in December 2008, and all my accessories in the following months. I imagined that I would have two bridal looks- a long-sleeved jacket and a veil for the ceremony, and a short-sleeved jacket and a fascinator for the reception. Individually, I love all the pieces I bought. But the more I look at pictures of everything together, the more I don't think the reception look works. The pieces I bought just don't go together. Or maybe it's that I don't love the reception look as much as I love the ceremony look, which is SO perfect. I'm generally a very stubborn person, and I don't like to change my mind, but I may just have to in this instance. One look is enough for a bride, no? I'll probably wait until the last minute to truly decide. This is the sort of thing I wish I had family in the area for!

Colors of the Wind

2009-12-14T10:13:00.002-05:00

I got an e-mail from the aunt planning my bridal shower this weekend asking about my "color schemes". Eeeeeeeee. I don't know. I never fully committed to a color scheme for the wedding. I sort of took things as they came. Many months ago, a sweet girl on The Knot was offering inspiration boards, so I told her a bit about my wedding and the things I was imagining for the ceremony, and she made me the board below. That girl, by the way, shortly thereafter started a wedding inspiration-board blog The Perfect Palette, a blog I still have in my RSS reader.

I love the classic, traditional look of this inspiration board. It fits very well with my vision of our wedding ceremony- light colors, everything very natural, very earthy, but still very sophisticated.

That said, I'm not married (pun intended, yuk yuk) to that board. I'm incorporating other colors elsewhere- like our purple pom-poms, and our rainbow candy buffet (which I'll show you another day). My wardrobe is the same way- there's a definite foundation (black), but I like to bring in whatever colors I can. Pops of colors. POP. POP. And what pop will I be feeling for the shower? I don't know. It is a mystery!

Exciting Wedding Reality TV News!

2009-12-13T20:36:00.002-05:00

A friend from the UK was telling me about this BBC show that sounded AWESOME. They take 4 brides, and they all go to each other's weddings, and judge and rate the weddings of the other brides. I'm sure it's bitchy and catty to the extreme! And then the girl whose wedding is rated highest by her peers wins a honeymoon. I thought it sounded just FANTASTIC, but alas, they don't show it in the United States.

UNTIL NOW. TLC has picked up the concept and is doing a US version! I saw the commercial and started screaming, I was so excited. Four Weddings starts next week (though I think that's just a sneak peek, and full episodes start in 2010). Ahhhhhhh, I can't wait. I love wedding reality TV. Say Yes to the Dress, Happily Ever Faster, Don't Tell the Bride, and now, Four Weddings! Oh, TLC, thank you for this early Christmas gift.

Real Weddings: Kyle & Jess

2009-12-11T08:55:00.000-05:00

A dear friend from college got married this fall in the Berkshires. I had the honor of being a bridesmaid. We had such a great trip- the drive up was gorgeous, the foliage was in peak form. Jess was in such a great mood- it's so nice to be a part of a wedding party when the bride is laid-back, soaking in all the fun and joy. All pictures by Marc.

A little pampering the night before.

Beautiful fall leaves.

The venue- which is a ski lodge during the winter months.

Gorgeous fall bouquets.

Jess and I bought green shawls for all the bridesmaids in Chinatown together; I think we visited every vendor to find the perfect shade of green. Totally worth it!

They say "I Do".

Group shot. You can barely tell that the bridesmaids bought their dresses separately- we all looked for short, chocolate brown dresses, and it worked out great. Mine was $50 at Century 21.

First Dance.

Marc never met a cake he didn't like.

Cutting the cake.

Cutting a rug!

The thing about babies

2009-12-09T11:18:00.007-05:00

I just found out that my aunt is hosting a bridal shower luncheon for me in Florida when I'm home visiting the family. Yay! That'll be nice- just a small group of the ladies of the family, and possibly a friend or two. I mentioned to my mother that a friend has a baby about the same age as my cousin's baby, and that they could play together (or, more likely, stare at each other), but my mother said, Oh, well, there won't be any babies at the shower, they aren't invited.

Lil' cousin and me!

I forget that a lot of people keep wedding events child-free. Our church is very laid-back about children. We don't even have childcare during the Sunday service, so you often hear little noises throughout the service. I've gotten used to it. We never thought about not inviting children to our wedding. For starters, we really don't know all that many small children. It would be one thing if we knew dozens, but of all the guests on our list, there were only 5-10 little children (and I define little as "anyone not yet practiced at sitting still for an hour"). We're having an afternoon wedding with a dessert reception, so there's no big formal to-do for a child to ruin. And honestly, it's not little babies who are the biggest trouble-makers. It's toddlers. A baby sits on a lap, sleeping or drooling or chewing on something, and is perfectly content most of the time- and if they're unhappy, whatever, you run them out of the room. A toddler, no matter what mood they're in, wants to run around and bang cars on the pews and talk loud. I see a lot of people worrying about babies on message boards, but if you're going to choose to focus your worry, focus on the 2-year old, not the 2-month old.

I hope there won't be any major breakdowns during our wedding. But hey, if it happens, it happens. You can't control the weather, and you can't control a two-year old. Of all the things I've chosen to worry about (and there are many, the latest one being "Why are my eye bags looking so big?" and "Gee, I'd sure like some money to fall from the sky"), this is one I can't be bothered by. Worse comes to worst, I throw a tantrum that outshines them all. I'M THE BRIDE I'M THE BRIDE I'M THE BRIIIIIIIIIIIDE GIMME THAT CANDY.

A Wedding That's Very Mii

2009-12-07T09:10:00.004-05:00

Marc's roommate got the WiiFit and the WiiBoard, so our past few Friday nights have been devoted to playing WiiSports. This is much better for us, I'm sure, then the usual Friday night routine of laying perfectly still, stuffing our faces. Actually, I did both tonight, and the game playing is definitely better. Though not after the face stuffing, that was definitely a bad choice. I had to lay on my left side for a little while before I was truly ready for game playing.

Our Miis!

I was thinking, what with all the viral wedding performances going around, why hasn't any done a Mii wedding? Put it up on the screen, have them do some sort of dance or activity? Think of that hula hoop game where you shake your butt around. That could be fun in a wedding gown! And after your performance is done, your guests could play with the Wii. Just thinking of crazy ideas for you, dear readers.

Ring Dishes on Etsy

2009-12-04T08:55:00.002-05:00

We're not having a ring-bearer, but I still like the idea of displaying our rings in a special way before and during our wedding ceremony. Ring dishes were something I had never heard of before I started reading wedding blogs, but I think they are so adorable. Search "wedding ring dish" on Etsy for 10,000 examples.

I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing to do with a ring dish, but that didn't stop me from asking Marc to get me one for Christmas (asking people for wedding stuff for Christmas = killing two birds with one stone; I love killing birds). A day or two later, he showed me what he chose for my approval- clearly, we're a couple not big on surprises. It's generally a rare thing for either of us to unwrap a gift we didn't personally pick out and see before the wrapping. Fine by me, I like to get what I want! And he did such a great job- he chose something I had never seen before, the Hugs and Kisses Ring Bowls from BaileyBowls on Etsy. How adorable are these little bunnies? Ours will be custom with our names. I love the idea of having two dishes! I can see them sitting up on the altar before the wedding, each ring in its bowl. And we'll be able to use them after the wedding on our dressers, for jewelry and coins and special trinkets.

Pom-Pom Decorations

2009-12-02T10:00:00.008-05:00

One of the first fabulous wedding things I learned about reading the blogs was the famous Martha Stewart Tissue Paper Pom-Pom.

I had a chance to go to a taping of the Martha Stewart Show (which was so fun, BTW), and they even have a few hanging in the studio! I knew I'd want to use these myself. They're such a cute touch, and the reception hall at our church has the perfect ceiling fixtures to hang them from.

I also like that they're so affordable to make. I bought the Martha-recommended 20x30 tissue paper from PaperMart (tried it with smaller paper, which didn't work so well), and some floral wire and a nice pair of scissors at Michael's. Total cost? Something like $30. And now I'm all set to make 60 pom-poms. Or, you know, a more reasonable number plus a full tissue paper wedding ensemble.

I ended up going with lavender for the pom-poms- I really like purple, and wasn't sure if I'd have a chance to incorporate it anywhere else in the wedding, so I'm glad I have a chance to get it in here. Marc, as you can see, is also very, very glad, as he models my trial lavender pom-pom on his head.

Bit by bit, putting invites together

2009-12-01T22:31:00.002-05:00

A sample of our invites from Costco.com (not any of our info)

I started addressing wedding invitations last night. Ok, so I only did one. That's a start! Maybe tonight I'll do one more. I don't get why they suggest starting to address wedding invites so early- I've seen it suggested that you start 3, 4 months before the wedding. You're talking to a girl who did 100+ Christmas Cards last year- it didn't take me 3 months. It didn't even take me a month! So, yes, I'm probably going to put this off as long as possible and then write a crazed WHY DID I PUT THIS OFF SO LONG post that will make you cry. Or maybe my slow and steady approach will help me win the race. It'll definitely help with my handwriting.

In the meantime, I'm also working on updating my address book. I generally do a big holiday card mailing this time of year (not this year, invites are enough), so my address book is in decent shape, but there are lots of new addresses to throw in there. I'm enjoying seeing how many different countries we'll be sending invites to- in addition to the US, we're sending invites to folks in the UK, China, Brazil, Canada, Romania, Italy, and South Korea. Looks like I'll be needing a lot of 98 cent stamps! Thank goodness for Shop.USPS.com. I bought stamps online last year for the first time, and I'll tell you, I did not miss wasting an hour standing at the post office one little bit.

Trial with Ten Hair and Makeup

2009-11-30T09:05:00.001-05:00

I had a hair and makeup trial with Tricia Catenaro from Ten Hair & Makeup on Saturday. Marc, my sister and I went out to her apartment in White Plains, where we were greeted with bad reality TV, clementine oranges, and a cute canine. These are a few of my favorite things!

Here's my before picture. I cannot even believe I'm sharing this picture with you! Truly terrible. My eyes are generally not quite so puffy; it was all the holiday merriment that did me in!

Tricia goes to work on my hair while Willow and I hang out.

Makeup done! Love the bright eyes and the muted lips. Exactly the romantic look I'm going for. I'll want to wear some fake lashes on the day of, but we didn't do those on Saturday.

Shots of the hair!

The trial wasn't the only thing I did on Saturday. Afterwards, we took the train into Grand Central, and went ice skating for an hour in Bryant Park. Great rink- Marc and I went late one Saturday night last year, and had a ball then, too. There were a lot more bad skaters on the ice during this year's daytime visit (not just children- some of the parents were lousy, too, and a full grown man skating with his girlfriend nearly pulled me down during a shaky bit). Then, we went back to my house and I cooked our All Potato Feast in a broiling hot kitchen for an hour. Taking all this into consideration, I think my makeup held up remarkably well.

So I'm sold! I sent in my request to book. It's weird, I didn't imagine I would book anyone at all for makeup, and I figured I would go to a salon for hair, but now that it's all set, I'm very much looking forward to not having to run around the morning of the wedding. Instead, I'll be home, with my dog, my music, my friends, and some bagel and lox. A bride's paradise!

All I Want for Christmas.... is gifts!

2009-11-27T09:02:00.000-05:00

Now that we've gotten that pesky Thanksgiving holiday out of the way, it's time for CHRISTMAS! Are you ready for parties, gift-buying, present-wrapping? Ugh, not me. It's so much work. And by "it", I mean finding a gift for my mother. That's the hardest thing I do every holiday season. I've done very well for Mom the past few years, thanks to some clever sample sale shopping (A DVF wrap dress, a LuLu Guinness handbag), but between the wedding and six months of unemployment, I'm working with a much smaller budget this year. Sorry Mom! I'll try to think of something!

And while I do that, I will think of some things I'd like for myself! I've already come up with a few wedding-related ideas. When it comes to making my Christmas list, I often think of things I was hoping to buy anyway. The first thing I'd like is my wedding day fragrance- what's more bridal then smelling like roses on your wedding day? I totally love the Rosewater Eau Fraiche from Crabtree & Evelyn- so romantic and lovely.

My Sister is Here!

2009-11-25T11:38:00.002-05:00

One bad thing about planning my wedding in NYC is that none of the rest of my family lives here. They're all down in various parts of Florida. I'm enjoying wedding planning, but I know without a doubt it would be more fun if my family was here to help me out. This is just one reason I am so glad that my youngest sister Sarah is here for Thanksgiving!

We are going to have a ball. We have some wedding stuff lined up- hair and makeup trial on Saturday, a few dress-up sessions in my dress, one at a bridal store to get her opinion on a crinoline, maybe some department store makeup counter visits. We're also seeing a Broadway show (White Christmas), making our very first trip to the Macy's Parade, having Thanksgiving dinner with some dear friends, going ice skating, and most importantly, having our first ever All Potato Thanksgiving Feast. The name is somewhat misleading- we're not doing it on Thanksgiving proper, and we are allowing a few non-potato items to sneak in, but the purpose of the event is a celebration of our favorite food on earth, the Potato, so the name fits. I can taste them now!

This picture is several years old (notice my shaved head!), and it's my favorite picture of the two us. I love our faces, and the fact that the picture contains a version of our favorite food, the Potato.

Growing out my nails

2009-11-23T13:05:00.000-05:00

One of my new favorite blog reads is The Daily Nail. She's attempting to do 365 different nail designs in 365 days. Her designs are a riot- bacon nails, Vegas nails, Twilight nails, she does it all. I wish I had the energy to do all that, but I don't. She must have an amazing nail polish collection!

In my regular life, I keep my nails trimmed as short as possible. I am going to try to grow them out for the wedding, with the help of the nail salon down the street. Here's a funny thing about New York City: for all the talk about how much more expensive things are here (and plenty are), there are some things you can get wicked cheap, like manicures. The nail salon down the street, which is clean, sophisticated, and stocked with all the good magazines, will do a manicure for $6. I figure I'll get two or three before the wedding to help my nails grow properly, so by the wedding day, my nails will be long enough to balance out my short, sausage fingers. Bacon nails and sausage fingers, there's a healthy duo.

My nails for Jess and Kyle's wedding- loved that vivid blue!

Cookies? No, FROSTED cookies.

2009-11-22T22:00:00.003-05:00

I don't talk a lot about wedding planning with my friends, but I really should start doing it more often. I figure they'd be bored by it because they aren't wrapped up in it like I am, but it's that exact reason that makes them the ones with all the good ideas. Today I was telling my friend Jocelyn about our Milk & Cookies idea, and she was like, oh, you mean like a Frost Your Own Cookie bar? Yes!!! I did not know I wanted that until you said it just now!! A few containers of frosting, some sprinkles, and BAM! Inspiration is everywhere, people.

My Miss Bride Shirt from CAKE

2009-11-20T19:15:00.005-05:00

I won a giveaway over at The Lazy Bride's Blog a few months back- a free Miss Bride T-Shirt from the CAKE line at Inkbox Design Boutique. Isn't it cute? CAKE has some really cute stuff- they do a Dog of the Bride shirt! I've been wearing this shirt like crazy- the cotton is so soft and light, it's perfect for lounging around the house, or throwing over a cami and hitting the town!

Virtual Makeovers at DailyMakeover.com

2009-11-20T18:30:00.005-05:00

I found this great website, DailyMakeover.com, where you can virtually try on hairstyles! My sister was looking for some hairdo inspiration, so I helped her out.

You can upload one picture for free, and try on a great selection of celebrity and pre-set hairdos. The tools are great and really easy to use, you can really make the hairdo fit (although sometimes I was too lazy to do so).

As you can see, I had a lot of fun playing around. Ignore my super serious expression; the picture was originally me trying to capture my eye makeup.

This is how I see my hair for the wedding- soft updo, sweep in the front.

Do blondes have more fun? Sadly, I'll probably never know.

Wish I had curly hair!

Sassy! Love it!

I have a hair and makeup trial scheduled a week from tomorrow; hopefully I'll look at least half as good as I do in these shots, yuk yuk yuk.

Bridging the Divide between China and our wedding

2009-11-19T23:07:00.005-05:00

Speaking of my sister Lee, about six months after her wedding to Jon, the newlyweds moved to China to teach English. So far, they are having a ball- making new friends, seeing new places, feeling like millionaires. Life is a lot cheaper in China! Unfortunately, that doesn't extend to airline flights back to NYC for, say, your sister's wedding. It's looking like my sister will not be making it back for the wedding. Unless one of you fine readers wants to sponsor the trip? I'm sure you all have a few thousand bucks lying around that you're just dying to get rid of.

A pic Jon took during a recent snowstorm.

I've been thinking on ways to keep my sister involved in the wedding process. I've asked for her opinion on several issues- she's the one who found my perfect wedding shoes on eBay, and helped me decide on a color for the tissue paper pom-poms for the reception. I don't just want to include her; I trust her taste. We did come from the same mother, after all, and Mom's taste is a force to be reckoned with.

Now I'm starting to think on the wedding day itself. We weren't planning on hiring a videographer, but do you know how cheap and easy to use video cameras are these days? This is not the breadbox with VHS tapes your father had to rest on his shoulder. A friend of mine has a Flip camera, and that thing is amazing. She let me use it to shoot video a few months ago at a karaoke party, when a bunch of us were screaming along to "Don't Stop Believin'". I figured the whole thing would be a dark, thunderous blob, but when she posted the clips to Flickr, it was amazing. I could see everyone, and hear individual voice parts- I heard things on the video I hadn't heard in person!

Source: theflip.com

Marc and I are hoping to save up enough Amazon.com credit card reward certificates to be able to at least substantially subsidize purchasing one of these suckers. I could video blog the wedding day in real time! Imagine that. "Here's me in my Bridezilla robe!" "Here's me with no makeup on, AHHH, I'm scary!" "Here's me having a panic attack, get me some bagel and lox, stat!"

Kate the Bride

Sponsored Post by Abazias.com: Don't Fall for the Jewelry Switcheroo

Goodbye!

Pro Pictures: NYPL and Bryant Park

Pro Pictures: Two brides in Times Square

Pro Pictures: The trip to the city

Pro Pictures: Reception

Pro Pictures: Ceremony

Pro Pictures: More Portraits

Pro Pictures: Portraits

Lisa Leonard Giveaway!

Thank you notes- CHECK!

Vendor Review: Ardesign flowers

Pro-Pics are HERE!

Vendor Review: Tricia from Ten Hair and Makeup

And now the waiting...

Our dessert buffet

Never give up!

More video from the wedding!

Our "junk food" buffet

A few reception photos

I'm back from Vegas!

Our Ceremony: The Kiss!

Our Ceremony: The Vows

Our Ceremony: The Readings

Our Ceremony: The Bridal Procession

A few ceremony photos

A few getting ready photos

We're Married!

Tomorrow's the wedding!

Operation Get Nice Nails: The Final Visit!

Hanging the Pom-Poms Time!

Girls Night Out!

Work Shower

Guestlist Mixup 2, and this one's a doozy!

Operation Get Nice Nails: Week 3

Burning Down the House

Lack of Cute?

Keeping an eye on the weather

Operation Get Nice Nails: Week 2

The Wedding Night!

Giveaway Winner!

A hand for the toaster

Giveaway Extension!

Operation Get Nice Nails Commences

Beauty Time! First up, facercise!

ZOMG Gift Time!

Keith and the Girl Relationship Book Giveaway!

Cake Time!

Our tasting: behold the goodies!

Guilty confession: A mixup on the guest list

Don't mess with the judge

I Am A Stalker

Licensed and ready!

Wedding Party: The FASHION!

Wedding Party: The decor

Wedding Party: CAKE!

Possible Menu

The RSVPs are rolling in

Registry Incentives = Free Stuff

WEDDING GIFT ALERT!

Ben & Jack's for your wedding dinner needs

Away we go!

Cake Talk

To book or not to book?

Give My Regards to Broadway

Stamp of Approval

Shower Time?

My Image of Me

Over there, Over there, send the word, send the word, over there!

Bridal Dress Up Time!

We Have Stamps!

The new Miss Manners wedding book

What's going on? Nothing.

Real Weddings: CJ & Ashley

Are you on The List? Let me know.

The Name Game

Our Naked Peggies Cake Topper

100 Days to Go!

My family bridal shower