I did nearly zero research for Chris' wedding band. My lovable ADD ridden fiancee shouldn't have too many options, so I only gave him one. Go to Icing on the Ring downtown and pick something. I barely even research the place. It came so incredibly and highly recommend from multiple brides on The Knot that I knew I could trust them. And plus, downtown is so overwhelming. All the people. You can choose among approximately 500,000 jewelers. No joke. And then each store has hundreds of rings. Chris got one store with a couple hundred rings!
And it was the best choice we ever made!
I had to work one Saturday, so I sent Chris down to look around by himself. He choose a few that he really liked and then I went back with him the next week to decide for sure. This place has an AMAZING 20% off sale twice a year. I planned it so we were there on their 20% sale day! WOOP!
Their customer service is extraordinary. There prices super low (or so I've heard from folks who comparison shop).
We decided to get an engraving. We got our H monogram and the wedding date. But Chris wanted it to be super special, so it's a mirror image. Why? I don't know. So instead of 01.19.08 we wanted 80.P1.10. But we accidently wrote 80.P1.01. And APPROVED IT!!! About a month later, when the ring had come in, but before it was engraved, Raffi called me.
Raffi: You're getting married 01.19.08, right?
Me: YES!
Raffi: You don't want the mirror image to ready 10.19.08, right?
Me: NOOOOO!
They caught it before we did! But when we went to pick it up the next week, it was wrong! We were getting married october 19, 2008. They fixed it free of charge and within a few days! I also got the posts changed on my earrings and changed one pair from gold to white gold. They look fantastic.
I'm an Icing on the Ring convert and will recommend them until I'm blue in the face. I've already sent along another bride-to-be with a $50 off coupon. Want one? I'll send it over!
Monday, November 12, 2007
My Favorite Producer Produces Me
Chris is a Casting Director/Producer. Basically, his job is to find the craziest, most extreme, most ridiculous, amazing people to exploite themselves on reality television. He spends most of his days in interviews, coaxing people out of the shells (or sometimes putting them back in!)
So, our wedding video & wedding slideshow are going to have a unique feel in that they will be very television-esque. He is currently uploading/downloading/importing/exporting/storing/etc. the tons of video that we've taken from our wee days in high chairs to current day. And there's lots of it! So much that he NEEDED to buy a new hard drive, upgrade his memory and buy a bunch of other crap that makes no sense to me. Oh yeah, and it's a "wedding expense". Ha!
This weekend we started with the interviews. You know before Biggest Loser where they have the home tapes and then the snippets of the Loser Hopeful, off center, talking about themselves. We did that yesterday. It's really hard! Much much much harder than it looks. He asks a question, then I respond (not looking at the camera... it's really hard not to look at it!) using his question to begin my answer.
Chris: What do you love about your fiancee?
Me: He's so amazing to just be...
Chris: No, say "I love my fiancee because he's so amazing..."
Me: BLAHHHHHHHHH.
And you don't really think about why you love people. You love them for them. My brain was a big empty container with no words to put together into formidable sentences.
Me: I love my fiancee because...err... he's... umm... good to... uhh... be with.
On the other hand, it was amazing to see what he does with all that time that he's not with me. His job is challenging, fun, creative, interesting and soooo much better than mine!
I can't wait to see the finished product.
So, our wedding video & wedding slideshow are going to have a unique feel in that they will be very television-esque. He is currently uploading/downloading/importing/exporting/storing/etc. the tons of video that we've taken from our wee days in high chairs to current day. And there's lots of it! So much that he NEEDED to buy a new hard drive, upgrade his memory and buy a bunch of other crap that makes no sense to me. Oh yeah, and it's a "wedding expense". Ha!
This weekend we started with the interviews. You know before Biggest Loser where they have the home tapes and then the snippets of the Loser Hopeful, off center, talking about themselves. We did that yesterday. It's really hard! Much much much harder than it looks. He asks a question, then I respond (not looking at the camera... it's really hard not to look at it!) using his question to begin my answer.
Chris: What do you love about your fiancee?
Me: He's so amazing to just be...
Chris: No, say "I love my fiancee because he's so amazing..."
Me: BLAHHHHHHHHH.
And you don't really think about why you love people. You love them for them. My brain was a big empty container with no words to put together into formidable sentences.
Me: I love my fiancee because...err... he's... umm... good to... uhh... be with.
On the other hand, it was amazing to see what he does with all that time that he's not with me. His job is challenging, fun, creative, interesting and soooo much better than mine!
I can't wait to see the finished product.
Crissy Farah is a Genius
I'd never heard of Boudoir shoots before. I had no idea what they were. Then like so many other things that I was blissfully unaware of, The Knot came along and shed light on an amazing piece of art. And Crissy is the genius behind it in LA. She didn't create it, but she's constantly perfecting it.
I gave her a call in September and we set the date for November 5. I knew I didn't want to go to a hotel and do the sexy I'm-naked-under-these-sheets peek. I wanted something exotic and different. I wanted to go outside!!! So we did. We met at El Matador State Beach and had a fantastic time. This woman is amazing. I felt so incredibly comfortable and not the least bit awkward... except that I'm not really all about the sexy... so that took some pushing and prodding from her, but I got there. (Suck-Arch-Push).
I'll make a MyPublisher book and give them to Chris at our last dinner together before the family arrives. I hope he loves them as much as I do!
Where did September go? And October?
... And it's the middle of November?! Holy Crap! I'm not going to lie to you, I kind of forgot about my little blog project in the mayhem that has become my life. All of that wedding laziness that I was feeling has completely gone by the wayside and with 68 days to go it's in full swing.
Invitations were perfected, printed, assembled, addressed & are awaiting delivery to the post office. I thought I would be SOOO ready to just kick them off the balcony and hope that the post man would be by to pick them up. After spending hours and hours and then a few more hours I'm not really ready to let them go. I love them. I'm afraid that the post office is going to take them and do something bad to them... like fold them or bend them. If I could hand deliver them I might seriously consider it.
However, I decided to splurge and buy some seriously adorable custom stamps from Zazzle.com. Now that I've paid 76 cents for something that is worth 58 cents (Chris isn't quite sure how I got duped into that... it's freakin' cute ok) I feel that I must get my values worth. They will be going to the post office tomorrow!
Invitations were perfected, printed, assembled, addressed & are awaiting delivery to the post office. I thought I would be SOOO ready to just kick them off the balcony and hope that the post man would be by to pick them up. After spending hours and hours and then a few more hours I'm not really ready to let them go. I love them. I'm afraid that the post office is going to take them and do something bad to them... like fold them or bend them. If I could hand deliver them I might seriously consider it.
However, I decided to splurge and buy some seriously adorable custom stamps from Zazzle.com. Now that I've paid 76 cents for something that is worth 58 cents (Chris isn't quite sure how I got duped into that... it's freakin' cute ok) I feel that I must get my values worth. They will be going to the post office tomorrow!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
God Wants Me to be a Haute Bride
God is watching out for this money-hoarding-bride-to-be! I fell in love with Haute Bride jewelry approximately 1 day after we got engaged. It's just stunning!
I went down to As You Wish Brides in the OC a few weeks ago and was astounded at the shine and the beauty of each and every piece. I had hit the jackpot... SAMPLES FOR SALE!
I went down to As You Wish Brides in the OC a few weeks ago and was astounded at the shine and the beauty of each and every piece. I had hit the jackpot... SAMPLES FOR SALE!
I love it so much I wore it around the house, doing chores, packing, etc. and the mess that is myself broke the large pearl strand on one side. I hadn't decided what to do about it yet.
Then today, when I should have been working, I stumbled upon a PSA on Wedding Bee. 30% OFF ACCESSORIES SAMPLE SALE! Holy Crap. I'd been eyeing a stunning pair of earrings for MONTHS! But, not being a huge jewelry person, I thought I could get something at a better deal... I mean, this beauties weren't cheap at $160.
The second I saw the post my hand jumped from the mouse to the phone while the other hand quickly pounded out the numbers. "DO YOU HAVE IT!?" and they said "YES!" WOOOOOO! I got my beauties at a discount :-)
I also mentioned my stunning bracelet that I ADORED and that I had already broken. "Send it in now and we'll fix it and send it to you with the earrings". Beautiful jewelry and stunning service. Gotta love it. Love it a lot.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
What Matters In The End?
I believe that weddings bring out the best and the worst in people. The perfect, extravagant wedding often leaves the most bitter taste because we get so worked up in the details that we forget what really matters. More on that to come. Trust me, you're in for a ride.
It is in the simple affairs that the true meaning of the event comes out. Chris' grandfather died last week and we spent five days in Boston. Bumpy was a vivacious 82 year old. A die hard karaoke fan until the day he died. He was Irish and created a big Irish family. Us Irish folks know what to do in death... celebrate life! The term "memorial reception" doesn't quite describe what happened after this man's funeral. I would call it the "After Party".
I walked into the American Legion. It smelled slightly stinky... a bit like butt. There were round tables with paper tableclothes, trays of deli sandwiches, cookies, an open bar in another room where lots of people were drinking and smoking (at 12:00 in the afternoon on a Friday) and a cake with his Marine photo. There was a karaoke set up in one corner, the lights were dim (for romanticism?!) and I thought "What the hell is happening here?!".
But it wasn't these details that matter. It was the fact that his friends and family had gathered to celebrate the life of a karaoke legend. Chris' mother was tipsy and running all over the dance floor. There was a male karaoke friend with super long blonde hair that sang a rockin song called "Dirty White Boy" in which you scream "DIRTY WHITE BOY" at the top of your lungs for 3.5 minutes straight. There was also some hair whipping during the instrumental. There were lots of cowboy hats as Bumpy always had one and was thus called "The Wrangler". My favorite had a rattlesnake head and was covered in feathers.
Point is, I think we get so wrapped up in the details of our big life events that we forget what matters. It doesn't matter if my mother wears a veil to my wedding. It doesn't matter if the groomsmen's tuxes don't match. (well, maybe it does, but I'm not going to let it get to me now!). All that matters is that these people are with us to celebrate our new beginning.
I'm super-excited for the ridiculous mishaps, the disasters and the imperfections... because really, who wants to be perfect and unhappy?
It is in the simple affairs that the true meaning of the event comes out. Chris' grandfather died last week and we spent five days in Boston. Bumpy was a vivacious 82 year old. A die hard karaoke fan until the day he died. He was Irish and created a big Irish family. Us Irish folks know what to do in death... celebrate life! The term "memorial reception" doesn't quite describe what happened after this man's funeral. I would call it the "After Party".
I walked into the American Legion. It smelled slightly stinky... a bit like butt. There were round tables with paper tableclothes, trays of deli sandwiches, cookies, an open bar in another room where lots of people were drinking and smoking (at 12:00 in the afternoon on a Friday) and a cake with his Marine photo. There was a karaoke set up in one corner, the lights were dim (for romanticism?!) and I thought "What the hell is happening here?!".
But it wasn't these details that matter. It was the fact that his friends and family had gathered to celebrate the life of a karaoke legend. Chris' mother was tipsy and running all over the dance floor. There was a male karaoke friend with super long blonde hair that sang a rockin song called "Dirty White Boy" in which you scream "DIRTY WHITE BOY" at the top of your lungs for 3.5 minutes straight. There was also some hair whipping during the instrumental. There were lots of cowboy hats as Bumpy always had one and was thus called "The Wrangler". My favorite had a rattlesnake head and was covered in feathers.
Point is, I think we get so wrapped up in the details of our big life events that we forget what matters. It doesn't matter if my mother wears a veil to my wedding. It doesn't matter if the groomsmen's tuxes don't match. (well, maybe it does, but I'm not going to let it get to me now!). All that matters is that these people are with us to celebrate our new beginning.
I'm super-excited for the ridiculous mishaps, the disasters and the imperfections... because really, who wants to be perfect and unhappy?
Monday, August 27, 2007
My (slight) Obsession
I am completely, totally and utterly obsessed with shoes. I love the height I get from heels. I love the conversations I start with random people about my shoes. I love bright shoes. I love sparkly shoes. I love pointy shoes. I love old shoes. I love new shoes. I love shoes. In general. I love shoes.
So, wedding shoes. I knew I wanted to splurge on something FABULOUS for the wedding. I also knew that I wanted something I would wear after the wedding. And I knew I wanted some color.
I started flipping through ebay. One day I happened upon a fantastic pair of Christian Louboutain's that I fell in love with. Thank God for my itty bitty tiny feet because at a 35.5 I was the only bidder! This was also my first foray into ebay territory. Scary. I got up at 6:00 am and hit refresh every 2 seconds. At 6:35 am I woke Chris by jumping on the bed.... I WON! It was an amazing victory!
So, wedding shoes. I knew I wanted to splurge on something FABULOUS for the wedding. I also knew that I wanted something I would wear after the wedding. And I knew I wanted some color.
I started flipping through ebay. One day I happened upon a fantastic pair of Christian Louboutain's that I fell in love with. Thank God for my itty bitty tiny feet because at a 35.5 I was the only bidder! This was also my first foray into ebay territory. Scary. I got up at 6:00 am and hit refresh every 2 seconds. At 6:35 am I woke Chris by jumping on the bed.... I WON! It was an amazing victory!
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