The joy of txt blogging...

...is that I can write posts from my phone where ever we may be! We've been in NYC for just a few days and just having a ball. Today we finally made our way to Museum of Natural History and had probably one of the best meals in a long time at the legendary Delmonico's. At the end of the day, we walked over 17,500 steps!

Tomorrow we are headed to Washington D.C. Hooray!

my 300th post...

A year ago today we were traveling to our New Orleans/Carribean Cruise trip. We just got engaged and we barely told a soul. Today, we are married and in NYC, on the 49th floor watching the rain hits the streets of Manhatten. Life has changed soo much that I can't imagine ever being like it was just one year ago. I'm married and though it feels soo different, life before it seems so distant. I'm 100% happy with my life and know it will only get better.

For Christmas, we did the usual, 24th dinner at his uncle's, went to midnight mass (at 1030pm) and opended presents! Then on Christmas morning at his parents. It's like tradition now. This year we brought our little rugrat in his santa outfit to spread a little joy. He even got presents! :)

I'm just so thankful for everything and everyone in my life. My relationships with my friends have grown tremendously and I can't even express how much I love each and every one of them. My relationships with my family and his have developed beyond my wildest dreams. My love for my husband is kinda mushy and gushy and if I didn't know us and saw us on the side of a street, I'd be sick of how in love we are! haha

Anyhow, I wanted to say thank you also to all my readers! Thank you for following me on my little journey through love and life!

Happy Holidays,

Little miss Planner

after a million miles of

after a million miles of traveling we finally made it to NYC. soooo tired. but i guess it's time to get up and go shop! :)

Trying something new...

We'll be leaving on Christmas day to trek all the way to other side of the country to see why the east are whiny bears about the winter season. Oh, may I add yesterday it was around 70 degrees out?! Okay okay, I'll be nice and not rub it in! ;)

I've decided I'll set up shop on my little computer phone (I feel like gadget) and blog while on vacation. I'll attempt to send photos and little things I see along the way. When I get back, I will finally get to the last of my wedding posts I've been sorta pushing off.

Hope everyone has a very berry and merry christmas!

ttfn

~~little miss planner

You better watch out...

You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why...


Santa Dog is coming to town!

Yesterday the CEO decided to give us the afternoon and I figured it was a perfect time to get my Hubby's last Christmas Present. I trekked down the Social Security office and made it official... I changed my last name. :)

I took the receipt and put it in a little box had it ready under the tree. Late in the evening I couldn't stand it and gave it to him! He knew I was going to do it but he was still surprised and happy!

I have to admit it was a great feeling. I thought I'd be sad about losing my last name, I think I'll always be the vigilante in my heart and was ready to take this step! I love my husband!

Thank you's...

Now that I have access to photos, I started to play around with them and realized I LOVED way too many... How can I just pick one for my thank you card?

Then I came up with this:



I sent it to the printer to see how it turned out... That, and get approval by the Hubby... :)

UPDATE: THE PHOTO DIDN'T TURN OUT AS WELL AS I HOPED... I THINK WE'LL PICK JUST ONE PHOTO INSTEAD.

Blurb = booo!

So yesterday night, my husband brought in a thin package and it happened to be the photobook I made with Blurb of my Bachelorette party. Let me just say, the only thing good this company has got going for them is the sleeve of the book! It made it look professional! As for what was inside, my printer could have done a better job! The photos looked like they were Xeroxed.

So with the limited design software, the uploading issues, and the book itself, I'd give them a D.

If you are looking for a photobook company for your wedding photos, keep searching!

Next book will be bought from VioVio to test out!

In the order of who I think is the best so far as far as consumer photobook companies:

1. Picaboo
2. Kodak Gallery
3. Snapfish
4. Blurb

Speechless...

Late last night, my photographer, Toby, send over photos for me to see from the wedding! All I can say is that I am speechless how amazing they are! Here is just a few I stole from the site ;) to show you!



He gets a A+++! Thanks toby for such an amazing job! :)

sugar hangover

In the midst of my baking extravaganza, I'm having a bit of a sugar hangover. Too many cookies! I'll post more photos of the how are the wedding mixer, one of my best friends, my nieces & nephew, the oven, and I worked later on in the day.

In the meantime I leave you with these fabulous shoes!



Delman Shoes
silver nappa ruched 'Ritz' pumps

retail value: $355.00
bluefly: $159.99
sale: $143.99

YUM!!!!

Shipping soon...

My Book from Blurb is getting shipped on 12.17! Yiippiee!!!!

Watercooler chit-chat

I just ran into one of my colleagues whom I don't get a change to chat with that often. He was asking where I'm headed for vacation during the holidays:

Me: We're going to NYC and DC.
HIM: Oh, great, who's we?
Me: My husband and me.
HIM: WAIT, when did you get married?
Me: ~~blushing~~Oh, just a little over a month ago.

heheehehe... I loved it. I just love saying my husband! :)

My to do list...

is almost done. Every year I make a "to do" list. It's filled with new places I want to visit to physical events I want to do. This year I wanted to get married, and I did! I wanted to do two half marathons, CHECK! I wanted to go to a different continent, DONE!

At the moment I'm compiling my list. Year ago it was 21 items, but now I've shortened it to 10-15.

What are the things you want to do next year?

p.s. I'll post my To-do's later soon!

Obessed...

A few years ago, I came across a distinct looking photo what was shot by a Holga camera.

The Holga is an inexpensive, medium format 120 film toy camera, originating in China, that later came to be appreciated for its low-fidelity aesthetic.
The Holga's cheap construction and simple meniscus lens often yields pictures that display vignetting, blur, light leaks, and other distortions. Ironically, the camera's quality problems became a virtue among some photographers, with Holga photos winning awards and competitions in art and news photography..[3] WIKI

I was fascinated by the colors and it's simplistic design I ended up ordering one for myself. I used the camera no more than a handful of times and it's just sitting collecting dust.

Last night, in a random moment of enlightenment(or lack of sleep), I started to obsessively thing about my poor little camera and how it never was modified for regular film (Holga's come being able to shoot in 120). So today I found directions and will be busting it out to get it ready for our trip back east.

Lomography, what holga is a part of, is just a fascinating form of photography that I see more and more photogs going for. I love how they are making weddings and portraits into art pieces. It's funny to think that all this started from a toy camera!

Source of shots

I've just realized that it's all this photobook, waiting for proofs, seeing friend e-pics, that have made me because obsessed again with photography. Uggh...

Photo Books... Part 2

Part 1

I ended up making a 20page book of my Bachelorette party using Blurb. I have to admit, I was less than thrilled with their software to make the book. Then again I'm sorta snobby when it comes to this stuff. There were limited templates and the software just felt basic. I guess I shouldn't expect to be wowed by that but I was hoping. The price is cheap but then again, I'd rather pay more and get a higher quality book.

I just found a few other sites: Viovio.com and PhotoWorks.

In a forum I found the following little tidbits:

• Photoworks is very "consumerish." Photoworks also redoes the color of all of your photos. So if you're a pro who is very careful of your colors, contrast, etc etc.. you don't want some one-size-fits-all curve adjustments being applied to your photos. I emailed photoworks and they said they cannot exempt any photographs from going through their "special" kodak processing.


• I have tried about 15 different ones. The best ones I have found for my own shots are the coffee table books, soft cover from viovio.com. You can get a very nice 80 page book for $25. They print there logo and website on the back also. What I have done when I have made them for other people is to stick a label with my website over top of the one that they printed, then they will call me.


• Also I have ordered books from Cornerstone. They have the Art Deco coffee table books. Real nice and the price is fairly reasonable although significantly higher than picaboo. But the quality is significantly better.


• fyi - mypublisher.com provides color profile details for you to use when submitting the images. They don't color adjust.


• i ordered a hard cover photo book and a soft cover photo book from shutterfly and i must say that while i am happy with both, they are not (imho) professional level products. that is, i think i'd look for another vendor if i were making something for a business client.


• VioVio and Asuka book seem to produce high-quality books at very reasonable prices. I believe viovio deserves to be seriously considered by anyone who appreciates a quality product. I do not believe anyone would be reluctant to show a book from viovio to a client.

I could go on and go but really, what's the point. I read countless comments and I think VioVio is next book I'll test out with our upcoming trip to Manhattan and D.C. I can't seem to find the link to Cornerstone because if it's better than Picaboo books I'm there. MyPublisher has had a lot of hit or miss comments so I think I might have to end up making an album to test that one out too. As far as Asuka Books, you need to be Pro to gain access to ordering books so they are out.

I should be getting the Blurb book back by Christmas. And will post more about this subject.


Source of Forum thread,Here and Here

Taking a moment...

I wanted to take this moment to say congrats to one of my favorite people in the world on her engagement!

:) Welcome to the world of wedding planning!

Just had too!

You know when the holiday season comes around you aren't suppose to buy anything for yourself? Well, I did.

I was browsing Macys.com looking for something for the house when I stumbled across this:

# COLOR DESIGN: Sensational Effects Lipcolor Smooth Hold (Full Size) in Ooh La La! and Sugared Maple
# LE ROUGE ABSOLU: Reshaping & Replenishing LipColour (Full Size) in Champagne and Amande Sucrée
# JUICY TUBES JELLY: Ultra Shiny Lip Gloss in Miracle
# JUICY TUBES SMOOTHIE: Ultra Shiny Lip Gloss in Simmer
# COLOR DESIGN: Sensational Effects Eye Shadow in Filigree, Makeover, Provence, The New Black, Guest List, Chic and Daylight
# BLUSH SUBTIL: Delicate Oil-Free Powder Blush in Cedar Rose and Rose Fresque
# LE CRAYON KHÔL: Eye Pencil in Black Coffee
# DÉFINICILS: High Definition Mascara (Full Size) in Black
# BI-FACIL: Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover (Full Size)
# RÉNERGIE: Double Performance Treatment Anti-Wrinkle Firming
# Cosmetic Case
# 3-Piece Brush Set
# Lancôme Signature Train Case

All for just 48.50$
Source

It wasn't like I went looking for makeup or anything. It really was just on the side of the screen. It found me!!! (and that's the story that I'm sticking to!) I justified this purchase because I needed a new powder and if I was going to buy it, I might as well buy it now so I can get a train case (that I needed) and all the other free (FULL SIZE) goodies! Then more rationalization set in, I also needed to get "random household item" and I order now, it's FREE SHIPPING so I should just order it now... and I did.

I'm patiently waiting (and anxiously jumping for joy in my head) for my little items!

Darn internet making it easy to find things to buy!!!

Stuff...

I find myself uncovering leftover OOT bags, ribbon, STD's that I forgot to put away, and lots of other little random things. Now the question is what do I do with them? I'm putting away a little "time capsule" of our wedding day. Okay, you got me, it's just a Rubbermaid bin that will end up in the garage. :) But what do you do when you have more than you need left over? Just dump it?

Also... I have my bouquet still. I really wanted to give it to Matt's Grandma who couldn't make it but that never happened. It ended up outside where it dried out and now it's sitting on one of our wine cabinets. Do I keep it? Do I chuck it? I've decided to see if people will really vote... so I will test out the little poll system!

Please vote. What would you do?

VENDOR REVIEWS!!! ...the travel agent

I hate writing less than admirable reviews about people but sometimes you gotta help out the fellow bride or just anyone in general. We're going to work backwards for this one and start with the grade: "C" for Fiji Travel.

I worked with one of the agents at the company to book our honeymoon and while we had a great time, there was one reason they received such a low score, their customer service. Before booking I repeatedly told them EXACTLY what time we needed to fly out. After they agreed, we sent out our deposit and all was good. One month later I got a weird thought and wondered if they could send us the itinerary. When I opened it up, they booked us to fly out the NIGHT of the wedding, not the day I requested (the day after). At one point, I was yelling in the phone (if you can tell, I really am not that pushy) telling him HE was the one that made the mistake. For 45 minutes, I wasn't budging and was pushing the point he screwed up. I even had the emails to prove it. He finally changed the flights to the correct date.

If it wasn't for this one event, they would have received a better grade. The trip they booked primarily consisted of airfare, one hotel (that I picked out and found prices for), and transport to/from airport at destination. I did the rest of the work picking our our excursions. Would I ever recommend them to anyone? No. I'm not afraid that they would make the mistake to them, I'm afraid they would treat them as poorly as they did to fix it.

Decorating for an evening outdoor wedding!

Outdoor receptions can be soo magical! With the little touches of light here and there, it just makes the place sparkle and feel soo romantic!

When we looked at a venue for our reception, we saw this estate where the dancefloor would be nestled under two huge oak trees! If we had it there, I would have loved to hang something from them. Something like this:

Directions:
Tools and Materials
Drill with 1/8-inch drill bit

18- to 36-inch lengths of 3/4-by-1/4-inch wooden lattice strips

50- and 100-bulb strands of green wire mini lights (use 50-bulb strands for short icicles, 100-bulb strands for long ones)

Black all-weather electrical tape
Monofilament

Icicles How-To
1. Drill 1/8-inch hole at top of wooden lattice strip.

2. Tightly wrap lights around strip, starting a few inches from prong end and being careful not to let bulbs touch. Tape to secure at top and bottom of strip.

3. Loop monofilament through hole to hang.

Source

Oh sweet goodness!

My fascination continues! Look at all these super cute cupcakes! I LOVE the snowman even though I can't quite figure out how to eat it without beheading him first?!

These would be amazing for a shower as a favor (in a cute chinese food box all decorated up!)!!!!

Maybe I'll make some of the snowmen for my husband's office! :)






That Martha is just soo crafty!
Source

Little things I Learned along the way...

When planning my wedding, I felt soo lost at times. You get into a territory that is a world of its own. You don't know what is worth the stress and what isn't. You learn what you should skimp on and what you shouldn't. Sometimes you get hung up on minor details you forget that NO ONE will notice what color the ink is on a menu or that you didn't drink from personalized flutes (or that you didn't drink from them at all --like us).

**The lists below are showing my own personal opinion.

Venue -- When looking at locations, think about the little things like, if you want to dance where will that go? How about a bar? How many tables? Is there special lighting in the room (dimming or areas that spotlight)? What do the walls look like? Also, what is in the surrounding area outside? What is the food like? Do they have the options for serving you prefer? How much time do you REALLY have at the site?

I think you should feel comfortable with what the price tag is with what you like. Spend what you need!

Photography -- These photos are going to last you a lifetime. Not only are they yours, they are your kids, grand kids, parents photos of your wedding! When you start researching, start making a list of what style you like best. Then start narrowing it down by that. Also ask for details about who owns the copyrights of the photos, do you get proofs? How many? What about albums?

It isn't soo much of a splurge item... but it is definitely a necessity.

Videographer -- Even if you hate yourself on video, think about how your kids and grand kids would love it! Even if you don't hire anyone, at least, get someone to tape it.

I didn't want it at first but I remember one of my favorite things growing up was watching my parents video of their wedding. And when I found a videographer who shoots the style like my parents video, it was fate! Now our children will be able to watch their parents get hitched...again and again and again! I definitely wasn't cheap on this part for me!

Flowers -- Whatever you do, make sure you ask to see a mock up of the centerpiece before the wedding...even if you have to pay! Outline EXACTLY what you want and make sure to get multiple quotes. Find ideas of the style you like and take them with you.

I was timid with our florist and my flowers suffered. I'm a perfectionist and this is my one regret, not speaking up. Spend the cash to get what you want. If you want them professionally done, great, if not, research on what type of arrangements you want and price it out. Anything is possible! Realize that your centerpieces are going to be the MAIN thing your guests will be noticing during the reception!

Stationary -- Invitations, STDs, programs, menus, etc etc etc. Most importantly invitations. Realize that by making your own you might not be saving THAT much money. The programs and the rest, if you have the time to make them, great, if not, who cares! No one will be mad if you don't make them!

From start to finish, all my stationary supplies cost around $$$$. It would have been less expensive for me to just order than and save me the heartache and time!

Favors -- What is someone going to do with that thing after your wedding? This should always be your number one question.

We wanted to complement our mood with our favors: Mumm's Sparkling Wine in velvet bags, little mini velvet bags with chocolate coins, and a candy buffet. We spend a GOOD chunk on this and frankly I thought it was worth it for me. It brought in both styles I wanted to convey.
Finally...

Attire -- Find the style of dress you like! And if you are saving money, there ARE alternatives to David's Bridal! Check out local boutiques and even higher end stores for their sample sales. And when you shop, only try on dresses in your price range. Why hurt yourself if you fall in love with a $5k dress when you only have $1000 to spend. Don't settle either. Find the dress that you LOVE!

I found the dress I loved in the price range. It gave me the excuse to splurge on the shoes!

..........I know there is a ton more to talk about these are always the biggest things! When you first set out, before making a budget, talk to a few others who just got married. Learn what the basic costs of things are. THEN set your budget! Also budget for MISC. You never know what may come up!

In the near future, I will be posting my budget and how it came out but it will be after I finish up posting about everything else!

New Traditions

Last night, the hubby and I decided to make a gingerbread house. Okay, not really make one, we bought a premade one and just put it back together. We quickly found out WE ARE NOT master gingerbread house decorators! We did have a good time and will make this a tradition!



I added the border to hide our mistakes! While we aren't the best at it, it was fun! I think all those Food Network Challenges got me thinking I could soo do that... well, from this little experiment, I know that isn't the case!

What fun holiday traditions do you have or think you'll start with your S.O.?

Trash? I think not!

My husband bribed me with P!nkberry tonight if I went through all the magazines in the bin and threw the old ones away. I did get rid of a lot of them but I found myself holding onto my bridal magazines...wait, it's more like my Better Homes and Garden and Martha Stewart Wedding Magazines. I just can't seem to toss them since they have SUCH GREAT IDEAS on party planning. These are the moments I wish I could have glamorous affairs at least once a year. At the moment, I'll have to just make due with dinner parties and my table as my stage!

Anyone else feel like this towards a magazine?

If only I'd known...

...about the Anne Taylor Celebrations line for bridesmaids, I sooo would have sent my girls there to pick the right dress!





Source

All these dresses are on sale for under 80$. I love their new line too!

Oh well...my girls looked beautiful anyway! :)

19 days til Christmas?

While most people are just starting their holiday shopping, we finished ours, put up our (real) tree, decorated the house with lights (in 90 degree weather...don't hate me!), and even bought all the goods for my "DAY 'O BAKING" that happens a week before Christmas.

Talk about being on top of it all! I even am 75% done with my cards to send out for card swap I joined over at Bklyn Bride. I think this weekend we are going to wrap up presents so we can just be done and enjoy the rest of the holiday season!

I love the holidays and I'm really excited about this one since it's our first year married and in our new house. What's your favorite part of the holidays?

Source of ornament

Swing... miss....

That was me about 1/4 of the time last night when my Hubby took me to the driving range to break in my golf clubs! Okay, I didn't break them all in, just my 9 iron. But it being my first time, I hit the majority of the balls correctly and got air on a ton of them! I must be a natural! :P

Then after we got home, I quickly got the chicken ready and put it in the oven and went for a run with the fur ball. I was jogged, ran, sprinted, and walked...while even throwing in some luges in there for two blocks! I'm not too sore today but I think after tonight (going to Bikram Yoga) I think I'll be done for. I also want to get another run in before tomorrow because of the rain.

I think I'm going through a need something new to exercise phase. I think next up will be some form of boot camp. We'll see if I last at that!

Photo Books... Part 1

Since we got engaged, I've used every excuse to order a photo book from different makers testing out the quality before I make a decision to go with one for my actual wedding photo books for our parents (and ourselves).

I started with my bridal shower through Picaboo and because it was my first purchase, I was able to receive a free book. The quality of the book was amazing. From the binding to the colors of the photos! My only con was the paper of the book wasn't as thick as I wanted.

Next I ordered my husband a book as a present from Kodak Gallery. It was filled with photos from all the trips and events we went on. The binding and the paper were good. The cover was great but the colors of the photos were eh.

Thirdly, after two of my BMs sent me photos of the wedding, I created a book through snapfish. The book was just okay. Nothing to brag about. The binding was decent but again, the colors were not to my liking. Also the paper wasn't very thick.

Then I found an a good article from Slate: Which Photo Web site creates the best photo album?. While it lists five or six sites, it doesn't evaluate the newer websites. (article written in 2006) I also found a great forum debating pros and cons of ALL the sites out there and a great article from New York Post. Lastly, here is a message board feed from Weddingbee debating all this.

I think I might make a little photo book of my Bacholerette Weekend through Blurb to test it out. We'll see how that goes! :)

Finishing things up...

Over a month ago I got married and I'm still dragging my feet about all things wedding-ish! I have vendor reviews to do (reception site, food, photographer, videographer, and florist) and just waiting for my proofs from the wedding to talk about them! I have one last DIY project: my thank you cards but I sorta have to wait to send them out since I need a photo from the wedding to go with them.

With these last little things, while it's a little sad to finally wrap up everything, I'm happy to share and finally be done! It's been a long journey and I'm finally seeing the end of it all!

Beautiful treats!

While I was trekking around the Internet, I found this super-cute site called Never Bashful with Butter! (Don't you just LOVE that name?!) She wrote a great blog article about making these amazing cookies! Now, I HAVE to make some on my dessert making extravaganza!

These would be great for winter weddings as favors or even holiday parties! YUM YUM!

20$ off!!!!

My favorite store EXPRESS just sent me a 20$ off coupon when you spend 60$ or more. And if you only spend 20$, you get 10$ off!

Here's the link for the coupon!

It starts tomorrow and ends December 11. Now Go SHOP!

Travel deals

When booking our honeymoon, I made sure we did our research! I wanted the best we could afford and the joy of the Internet, you can easily find those deals! We booked our honeymoon six months before our date but with soo many great sites out there looking for a last minute or 1 month to go deal isn't that difficult.

I've grown to love Travelzoo Weekly Top 20. Not only have I found amazing prices but it's also opened up a world of possibilities of places I now want to go to! There is also Sherman's Travel Top 25. Both sites send out emails and post the new deals every Wednesday!

Here's my favorite day for this week:

$269 -- Bahamas All-Inclusive Wyndham Getaway w/Air
Freeport, Bahamas

Top 20 deal - sells out quickly!

Travel dates: Jan. 8-31

By Mary Ann Dickerson
Travelzoo Staff
Here's an unbelievable CheapCaribbean deal that will have you enjoying blue Bahamian skies at the beachfront Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach for just $269 per person. You'll spend 3 all-inclusive nights at this resort with air -- at a savings of more than 50%.

Here's everything that's included:

* Roundtrip air on a major airline (see below for details)
* 3 all-inclusive nights at the beachfront Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach
* All your meals, drinks (including alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and nonmotorized water sports
* All tips and gratuities

YEA!!!

My ultra geek wants to fight!

I woke up this morning like any other day (running late as usual), I attempted to grab a cup of coffee but alas, all the travel mugs were dirty. I think it was the cosmic universe saying to either:

• A. Hire a maid


• B. Buy more travel mugs


• C. Do the dishes

While I like A and B the most, I think my wallet prefers C and well, wallets usually win battles 98.3521% of the time! Anywho, after I realized such the travesty that I would have to wait 20 minutes till I get to work to drink my first cup of coffee I passed a calendar and noticed it was December 5. OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!

It's International Day of the Ninja!!

Of all the things to notice and get excited about. It isn't like it's September 19 (Talk Like a Pirate Day)! Still, I smiled and hopped into my car and thought of all things ninja. Now, if you are intriqued about ninjas, head on over to Ask a Ninja. I think all women are ninjas at heart, we just don't know it!

Just another example of how geeky I can be sometimes! :P

Oh pretty cupcakes!

I have no clue how I stumbled onto this but by gollie... this is amazing!

I'm going to have to have dinner party to make these! Maybe in the springtime!


These would be great for a garden wedding or even a bridal shower!

I do love cupcakes!!!! And what do I love more, pretty and creative looking cupcakes!!!!

My very own...

My husband loves to play golf. When we moved into our new home, one of the main draws was the country club in it. He really wanted me to learn to play so as one of my wedding presents he gave me, he searched high and low for a female left-handed set of golf clubs. Now, if you ever looked, you'll know they NEVER have them in stock and take FOREVER to get.

So after a month into our marriage, my set (that he ordered a month before the wedding) finally arrived! They are sooo shiny and pretty! Now I just have to figure out how to play! I'm dragging him to the driving range tonight to break them in!

Have you ever picked up a sport from your S.O.?

Website upgrades...

We (as in I) are (am) in the process of updating/upgrading the website. I'll be adding a few other little neat things but it'll take some time...

so bear with me and thank you for visiting my little corner of the super highway!

:)

I got Tagged?!!

I have been tagged by Jessica Lynn at tying the Knot

First, here are the rules:1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. 2. Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself. 3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. 4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I do wall push ups everywhere I go... When I'm waiting in line and next to a counter, I throw out a few push ups. I rationalize it that by doing this, I'm making up for the fact I "forgot" to get up in the morning to go run.
2. So that song I humm underneath my breath that I think no one hears?... well, it's from Nightmare before Christmas, "This is Halloween." I hum it ALL YEAR LONG!
3. I find myself writing codes in my head to figure out simple math problems. So when someone asks me how much money I lost last weekend in Vegas, I mentally respond: 'select sum(cash) from wallet;' I'm that geeky!
4. I may be geeky but gosh darnit, I better be looking stylish while thinking said codes! I'm a sucker for fashion magazines!!!!!
5. Every Monday I get super excited for the new lists of postcards on PopSecret! I always want to send in a secret but can never think of anything juicy!
6. I HATED Martha Stewart growing up! Now, I have my very own subscription!
7. Same goes for cooking shows. To the point I'd leave the room when my Mom flipped to them. Now, my husband is the one that leaves the room and I'm flipping to the food network! My favorite? The Barefoot Contessa!

I'm suppose to tag people now? ...I'll update with names!

VENDOR REVIEWS!!! ...the limo

Back in April (6+months before the wedding) I researched costs of transportation before I settled on Executive limo. It seems like the most reasonable and in the price range.

When dealing with them on the phone, they were nothing but helpful! Come the day of our wedding, the limo arrived prefectly on time and the bar was stocked for our entertainment! :)

We were able to pile thirteen people with lots of room to spare!

We had a complete blast driving to our photography shoot between the ceremony and the reception!


All in all, I'd have to give them 4 Stars, an A, and a 10 out of 10!



**photos were taken by one of my BMs Kim!

Oh the places we'll go!

A few weeks ago, the husband and I carved out our tentative plans for traveling for the next two years. I know, TWO YEARS? Sounds like along time but really, time flies and if you wanted to do anything big, you kinda have to save up for it! Because I really want to go to Europe, I figured that would be in the 2 year plan, but towards the end since there is soo much we want to do and the pocket book and vacation time won't let us go anytime before then.

On the list are Costa Rica or Argentina, the Southern Caribbean Cruise next summer, a trip to Florida, and Europe (Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and Greece). Sounds like a lot of traveling but since we started dating we've loved to see new and exciting places! Just a few: Bali, Singapore, Vancouver,BC, NYC, Seattle, Vegas, Napa, New Mexico, New Orleans, Mexico, and lots more.

Now I'm patiently waiting for my new Eyewitness Travel Guides of Washington DC for this holiday season while trek back east to NYC once again. We've gotten on of all the new places we go to and LOVE these books! With this and Virtual Tourist I can go anywhere and feel comfortable about what is there do and see!

What places do you dream of getting too in the 2 year future?

Uncontrollable...

From the beginning of planning once we picked our venue, I was worried about the weather. I knew that it was the one thing out of my hands and it would play a HUGE part on our reception. When the time came to checking the weather, I became obsessed with weather websites. I checked 10 times a day, blogged about how it changed from one site to the next. But in the end it didn't matter, I still couldn't control the weather.

The morning of the wedding, I stood by the door of the salon with my hair all in curls, watching the rain drizzle down on the streets. By the time I got the church, I waiting in the limo because the rain didn't want to let up. After the vows were said, and I kissed my husband for the first time, we walked out to beautiful grey skies and the rain finally let up.

With this chance to finally go take photos, we threw our bridal party into the limo and headed over to Channel Islands State University to take some photos and the colors were just soo vibrant! After we were done, we went back for our bridal party lunch and waited till it was time to go to the reception. By this time, the rain found us and blessed us with more of it.

On the trolley ride, my new husband's tux got drenched with dirty muddy water from the side of the trolley and while I thought I would freak out, I laughed. We got off the trolley with our guests under their own umbrellas and under anything else that looked like refuge while I waltzed around without a care in the world. By the time it was dinner, the drizzling subsided and we took our slightly wet chairs and started to have a great time.

By the time it was our first dance, I looked up and noticed the stars came out to join us. Throughout such a emotional day, the rain blessed us and made it so very memorable! Now if I could go back to change it, would I want it differently?

Not in a million years!

**photo of me and a few of the groomsmen and was taken by one of my BMs Kim!

OMG...

First the countdown was 200 days till the wedding.

Then 100 days...

Then 20 days...

Then 1 day...

Now it's 30 days AFTER the wedding!

Happy One Month Anniversary Honey! I love you!

p.s. With the holidays on us, We've been traveling all over California seeing friends and enjoying ourselves. Sorry for the lack of posts. I'm still waiting on photos... until then, I'll think up something to talk about!

early start...

Little Miss Planner, the Husband and the teddy bear (the dog) are taking off early for turkey day. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

VENDOR REVIEWS!!! ...the music

I have to say if it wasn't for the amazing work of Mike, the owner of Ambassadors of Sound, I don't think I (or our guests) would have had as much fun as we did! He played everything we asked for and kept the party moving. He was an amazing MC too! If you live in Southern California, I'd HIGHLY recommend him!

Here is a photo of us dancing our first song to "Cheek to Cheek" by Sinatra



Photo from my friend Frank! :)

Grade: A++++++

Shout out...

Happy Birthday to my loving husband! :)

You're the best!

Calling all shoppers...

Kate Spade is having their sample sale online and boy do have some beautiful bags on sale!

Cannes Swing Bag Price $295.00 sale price $149.00
Wedding feather puff bag price $445.00 sale price $269.00

So if you are in need of a little bag for your wedding, these two are just soo elegant and beautiful!

They have soo many beautiful bags that at one point I think I have four bags in my shopping cart. Good thing about the Internet is that you can always abandon your cart in the middle of a aisle and not buy a thing! Anyhow, go browse and see what goodies they have!!!!

The honeymoon

Lots of couples out there have SO much on their plate when they are planning a wedding. Some buy houses, some move in together, some change career paths. They do a lot and many people wonder why most engaged couples look stressed out like you wouldn't believe. Well, on top of all that, many plan to take a trip after the vows have been said and the party has died down. This little trip is the honeymoon.

We started thinking of going to one place and ended up somewhere completely different. Somewhere exotic and SO out of our comfort zone. Because we did that, we had the trip of a lifetime. We went to Singapore and swam with sharks that were bigger than me where I even got to hold a few in my arms while strangers took photos of me doing so! We fed sting rays (and if you've been a faithful reader, you know how much I HATE them). We let bats hang from our hands. Stood at the bottom of the southern-most point of Continental Asia. Swam in the Indian Ocean. Had a 2.5 hour Ayurveda - Chakra Dhara Massage, followed by another 6 hours of pampering at a Spa. Rode an elephant. Cycled through rice fields and rafted down a raging river. We laid out at the resort and even played water basketball. We did everything and nothing in a matter of 10 days and I am SO happy we did so.

Here are some photos I just had to share:

Tip of Asian Continent

Bali

The hubby cycling through a village

Me and a 60 year old turtle

Us and our guide and our elephant Ollie!

Balinese Dancers

Season Greetings in the mailbox...

The hubby has mentioned on more than a few occasions that after we got married he wanted to send Holiday cards out to people. Now it's that time of the year, he got all excited when he saw a box of them at Costco (of course) and wanted to get them. :| Stunned, I figured all this time he wanted to send out photo cards. I mentioned this and he got more excited than felt a little down since he didn't have addresses to people. HELLO! We have every one's address we'd send a card to... from the wedding!

Now in my search to find the best deal for photo cards, Costco has 5X6 cards in a box of 50 for 15.99$. (Also a great deal if you wanted to use them for Save the Dates!!!) Talk about amazing. I also found great deals at Zazzle.com depending on how many who want to send out! Because we wanted to use photos from the wedding on our thank you cards I thought it would be weird to use them again for this, so I'm thinking perhaps a mini photo session at the beach with our trusty Sony Digital camera and it's awesome 10 second timer, I'm sure we can get a great shot of us! Now I just have to figure out what to wear!

I'm really excited about this, for the first time I'll be sending out cards, and it will be with my new formed family! Oh the little things in life make me SO happy!

Many things...

I have a list in my head of what I want to talk about but for the last week, I can't seem to get it all on paper. So what did I do? I upgraded our wedding website to a family website (It really wasn't a transformation, I just made a brand new website and kept the wedding website, but changed the homepage name). After many hours of trying to remember html code, it slowly starting coming back to me. I know, coding? I'm a geek at heart where when I figured out how to move over a column I was stoked. Lame!

Anyhow, I've been busy on the nets fixing stuff that you don't really see or might not even notice but I'm around. Seeing as how I didn't get any questions I guess I talk about the honeymoon and finally post the photos I finally uploaded. :)

Waiting Patiently...

I have to admit, it's a little hard to post many reviews or details of the wedding without my pro pics. It's only been a few weeks so I'm not worried about not having them yet. So I have to admit when I said I'm back with a vengance, I slightly exaggerated that. I will be posting but not as often as I would if I had photos.

So I know open the floor to you... Do you have any questions or thoughts you want to hear about in particular about the wedding? Anyone? Anything?

With these hands...

Our Ceremony was far superior than what I had imagined. I pictured readings that were just read, not felt. I pictured the minister to rush through it and it be so impersonal. I pictured myself crying the entire time. I pictured a wedding that I wouldn't remember.

What I got was a smiling bride and groom at times, readers who read from their hearts and meant every word they said, a minister who made me feel like he was my oldest friend in the world. I got a dream wedding. A friend told me when she saw me for the first time, when the doors opened up, I looked serious. What she didn't know is that I was trying memorize everything I saw so I wouldn't forget it. An aunt came up to us later and told us she never saw two people enjoy themselves as much as we did during the ceremony. She noticed how we kept smiling at each other. It's these little things people told us that made me remember more of that moment. And as much as everyone says that your day is a blur, it can be true. I'd have to say that about our reception, but our ceremony, I remember it all! There even was one moment where we were knealing infront of the alter and Father Jim was giving his homily. At one point he picked up something that was shiny and you could see your reflection. I saw me in my dress and my husband in his tux. I saw people behind me but couldn't make them out. I saw us getting married and if I had to lose every memory from that day and keep one, it would be that one.

During our Engaged Encounters (our mandatory pre-marital counceling), our host couple read this to us and it really hit home. Right then, I realized I wanted it to be read at our ceremony. It hit home on so many levels that I felt like I needed to share it with everyone. We asked his father and my sister to read it for us. Now I can share it with you!

The Hands of the Bride and Groom
My Sister reads:
Bride’s name, please face Groom’s name, and hold his hands, palms up, so you may see the gift that they are to you. (Bride and groom should be facing each other, the groom’s upturned hands resting in the brides’.)
These are the hands, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.
These are the hands you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too, feels his child stir within your womb.
These are the hands that look so large and clumsy, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time.
These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled completely with his overwhelming love and desire for you.

His Father reads:
Groom’s name, please hold Bride’s name’s hands, palms up, where you may see the gift that they are to you. (Bride should now place her upturned hands in the Groom’s hands.)
These are the hands, smooth, young, and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she pledges her love and commitment to you all the days of her life.
These are the hands that will hold each child in tender love, soothing them through illness and hurts, supporting and encouraging them along the way, and knowing when it’s time to let go.
These are the hands that will massage tension from your neck and back in the evenings, after you’ve both had a long hard day.
These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.
They are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick or console you when you are grieving. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.
These are the hands that will hold you in joy and excitement and hope, each time she tells you that you are to have another child; that together you have created a new life.
Perhaps these are the hands that will comfort you when you are told you cannot have a child, and will convince you that together you will create new life in other ways.
These are the hands that will give you support as she encourages you to chase down your dreams. Together, as a team, everything you wish for can be realized.

Clergy reads:
Dear Father, bless the hands that you see before you this day. May they always be held by one another. Give them the strength to hold on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their love.
Help these hands to continue building a relationship founded in your grace, rich in caring, and devoted to reaching for your perfection. May Bride’s name and Groom’s name see their four hands as healer, protector, shelter, and guide.
We ask this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you now and forever. Amen.

So with all the heart ache and tears I had dealing with the church people, my ceremony was a dream come true!

oh Happy Day...

One of my favorite days of the year is upon us and so I am up late enjoying a beer! (Partly cause of the special day, but solely I am still on Bali time!)

It's my birthday! Little miss Planner has entered her last year as a twenty-something! :) Am I sad about that? HECK NO! I'm the happiest I've ever been and married to my best friend!

Total counts...

Something I did right was give a lower count than what we expected to the caterers. Below are our final counts:
Sent out 100 invitations...

* 80... RSVPs received
* 20.. RSVPs AWOL
* 126...Yeses
* 140... TOTAL Yeses (from RSVPs or just told us)
* 2... unknowns
* 15....Nos
* 31... Nos (from RSVPs or just told us)
* RSVP DATE has PASSED!!!

What was the real number who finally came? 130. There was about 10 people who RSVPed yes that didn't show up. Some I knew wouldn't make it cause of the fires in the area, others I have to admit I was a bit surprised about.

In the end, we ended up paying for 1 extra meal! :) Not too shabby!

Yummy vendor review Part 1

Since early on, we went with cupcake idea and wanted to find a local bakery. We found TC Bakery and everything fell into place. We even sent photos over of our ideas of what I wanted and I think they did a great job! Everyone LOVED the cupcakes and they were soo moist and tasty I was bummed after the reception I didn't get have more! Luckily someone packed some up and my wish for cupcakes were fullfilled!





Photo came from my dear friend Frank! Danke Frank-uh!

On a grading scale, TC Bakery gets an A!

May I present to you the Mr. and Mrs. Bobbleheads!

A few months ago I blogged about wanting bobbleheads as our cake toppers. We ordered them from a great company called Whoop Ass Enterprises! When they came they were a bit heavy so they decided put on the table!



Photo came from my dear friend Frank! Thanks Franks!

HOLLA....

I'm back with a vengeance, one thing people never really tell you about honeymoons is that you tend to have a lot of time to look back on your wedding day and depict it into a million little pieces!

Tomorrow I should be back up to my normal postings... about what happened, what I thought... blah blah blah...

Anyhow, until tomorrow... this little planner is going to catch up on some zzzz's!

is it really true when they say...

your wedding day is the best day of your life?

Well... I have to say, it is!

Sooo much to talk and write about but for now, all i have to say is that it was everything i dreamed it would be. It was perfect, even with the rain!

...eternal love...

5 days...

that's all that's left and I'm completely obsessed with these websites:

Accuweather.com


Weather.com


and MSN Weather

I guess the consensus is that it will be partly cloudy. I guess I can live with that.

The blog will be a little quiet from now till 11/9. I will try to post but no guarentees. All the projects are pretty much done and now I am sitting back and just relaxing! :)

p.s. somewhere in the middle of the night, I hit my 5,000 visitor! :) Hooray!

Mother nature...

Apparently she likes to pull my leg...

Now both weather.com and accuweather.com say it will be sunny.

I feel like I can relax again and breathe!

:)

Seat Guru...

I'm happy to report that all the tables are filled up and the tables have been arranged! Since I HATE wondering around where my table is for weddings, I decided I'll need a map for our guest to find their spots.

I present our table arrangements:



Now... on to where I need your help... we ordered FIVE heat lamps. You think we should order more? And if so, how many?

A tradition I wish I would do...

Turkish Shoe Signing Tradition

Try a who-will-marry-next tradition that Turkish brides have been practicing for generations. Before you start down the aisle, have your single bridesmaids (or any female friends or relatives who've yet to marry) autograph the sole of your bridal shoe. After you've danced the night away (and tossed your bouquet), legend has it that the person whose name has faded the most will be the next to marry.

Hmmm... while I really love this tradition because all it takes is a signature from your BMs, I won't be dancing the night away in my first pair of shoes. Do I make them sign the second pair? Or do I do the first pair cause they are really the shoes you're suppose to do them in? Or, just not do this at all just in case I want to wear the shoes again... what am I kidding, I won't re-wear them again!

Okay, I've become over analytical on this in a the matter of a few minutes of me even thinking about posting this. (I blame the the dueling weather sites giving me opposite information thus turning my tummy into knots!) I think I'll see how I feel that morning and if I chuck a pen at a BM then I guess they're signing the soles of my shoes! :)

Find any fun traditions you thought about doing?

OH NO........................

10 day Forecasts are up... One site says one thing, the other says the opposite!


Weather.com

Accuweather.com



Who do i believe? I never am one to ask for help... but PLEASE send over some "rain rain go away" vibes my way for next weekend! I need all the help I can get!

Wishful thinking...

I love taking old items and spinning them into new creative decorative pieces. One of the many thing I wish I could have used was parasols. Not just for me or my guests, but for decoration.

Is there any type of decoration you wish you could do but just can't put into your wedding?

Spell that last name again?

I just talked to my good friend Marc and asked what his FI's last name is.

His response was his own last name.

me: "NO, I know YOUR name, what's her last name?"

His response was his own last name.

Apparently he just eloped on Monday.

:) Congrats to another pair on newlyweds!

I HEART AccuWeather!!!!!!

Source


~~dancing the "rain rain go away" dance with a great big SMILE on my face!!!~~

Riding in style...

About a million months ago, I booked our transportation to the church and for photos off site. When I kept doing the math, I realized we would need two small limos or one big one... well... we got the big one! I present to you the Super Stretch Hummer:

Our Hummer Stretch is the perfect choice for weddings, wine tours, sporting events, corporate excursions, and many other special occasions. With seating for up to 18 people, you can ride in style with its plush leather seating and state of the art interior.
Features:

* Seating for 15-18
* DVD/CD with Surround
* Plush Leather Interior
* Tinted Windows
* Lounge Style Seating
* Starlight ceiling
* 3 Bar Stations

Source
Seriously... does someone really need 3 bar stations? A part of me wants to bring a DVD just to see if it really works! :P I'm not knocking it's extravagance, it just seems odd that I'll be "going to the chapel" in this kick @ss monster of a vehicle!

What else?

Just when I found a new place for the rehearsal, the old place calls and says we can have the private room... oh okay.

Back to the first joint! :) Fantastic, I love italian food!

Unintended...

I just remembered that I wanted a v-neck wedding dress for my wedding. Like, for the past 11 years of me thinking about weddings, I ALWAYS wanted a v-neck wedding dress. And for some reason, I COMPLETELY forgot about this the ENTIRE time during my engagement. When I say just remembered, I really mean, about two minutes ago, it dawned onto me that I didn't get the dress I dreamt about my entire adult life. :|

This doesn't mean that I don't love my dress, because honestly it perfect and me, but when I dreamt about gowns it never was strapless. Talk about weird to have this revelation...and 11 days before the wedding!!

Did you end up going a different path with your dress then the one you dreamt of? Or am I the only weirdo out there that completely forgot what they always pictured for themselves and went a separate way??

10 day forecasts...

Did you know a 10 day forecast includes today's weather? Why is that? It should be tomorrow and the nine days following that.

The wedding is in 11 days and the 10 day forecast goes through next Thursday. If the reception was indoor, I wouldn't care, but OUTDOOR RECEPTION... HELLO!!! I need my forecast for next Sunday!

:| In the meantime I will be a "rain rain go away" dance!g

Wardrobe changes...

Some brides change dresses, I'm changing shoes.... three times!

I just got my reception shoes. Since with grass and gravel and everything that despises heels, I figured I should buy another pair so I could walk around. I found these babies for 55.95$ at Zappos with shipping included. At first I wasn't too crazy on them but then I remembered I'm not really showing these shoes off too much and figured if I hated them, I could always return them for free. When they came, I quickly put them on, and low and behold they were comfortable and the correct heel length (3.75in) and passed the grass test.

Source

Though I doubt I might not wear them again I'm very happy with this purchase! This will be the first pair of shoes for the reception, the second pair I'll have are my trusty old navy white flip flops! :)