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Monday, November 26, 2012

Keep Calm and Deck the Halls!

I don't know about you guys, but I love pulling out the Christmas boxes and jumping right in to decorating my house the week after Thanksgiving. So for myself and all of those who will be putting up tons of decorations this week...


I found it while browsing Etsy and couldn't resist :)

Happy Monday!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Original Wedding: Sandy & Tony

The first weekend of November, right after hurricane Sandy swept through the DC area, Sandy & Tony said "I Do" at Fort Myer. They had a perfectly elegant ceremony, complete with the Arch of Sabers, followed by an intimate brunch for their friends and family. Sandy & Tony even played the shoe game, much like the newlywed game, where the DJ asked questions and guests cheered as they picked the right answers! Not a single person could have been enjoying themselves more with the amazing view of DC in the background, the delicious breakfast sandwiches and omelettes and the entertaining atmosphere.

My favorite things:
  1. The officiant breaking out in full on Spanish the second time we ran through the ceremony at the rehearsal. Talk about catching you off guard-- SO entertaining!
  2. The groom's cake! Sandy had a baseball cake made for Tony since he used to play, currently coaches, and Sandy & their girls love cheering him on at games.
  3. The fact that Sandy was up at 3am to get in her morning jog before getting ready for a 10am wedding ceremony!
Things I learned:
  1. Military ceremonies have the potential to run very ahead of schedule. So...
  2. Anytime the Honor Guard is involved in a wedding ceremony, make sure you keep them close enough to be on call at any time. When Sandy & Tony's ceremony ran ahead of schedule (40 minutes ahead of schedule) it was really handy that they were right around the corner!
  3. Guests really don't mind being up for a 10am ceremony followed by a brunch reception. Out-of-town guests had plenty of time to make their way home and it was just a great atmosphere all around!







Sandy & Tony-- I loved being a part of your big day and helping to pull everything together. You have a beautiful family and I wish you nothing but the very best!

Oh and fun fact-- Ironically enough, the tropical storm right after Hurricane Sandy was Tropical Storm Tony! Sandy & Tony. Who would have thought?!

Coordinator: NoLo Weddings & Events
Photographer: Steve Canning
Wedding Cake/ Groom's Cake: The Cake Guy

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Wedding Dress Woe

On Sunday I did something I had been looking forward to doing for weeks. I took my wedding dress out of my closest, removed it from it's bags, carefully stepped in to it and slowly zipped it up. And then I cried.

I tried my dress on when I picked it up from the bridal shop a couple of weeks ago, but there were quite a few other people in the shop and I didn't have the space to stare at myself in the mirror for 20 minutes, nor did I want to look THAT full of myself! So I took a few glimpses, made sure there were no stains or rips and packed it back up to take home. I finally got the chance to try it back on this weekend and I wasn't thrilled. To my horror, I hated it. Hated it. After about 10 minutes of breaking down, my 5-year old cousin hugging me while telling me I looked pretty and my mom talking me through it, I warmed back up to it. My problem was, I was looking at the dress as it was. I wasn't taking into consideration the alterations that still have to be done and the little changes that I want to make to it.

When I tried the dress on originally, the smallest they had was a size 10, so of course they had it clipped tightly on to me so that I could see what it would look like in my size. And of course it looked great-- It hugged me perfectly. But my dress does not. I have next to no shape and felt as though I looked like a bit of a marshmallow with all of the extra fabric that has yet to be taken off. After I calmed down a bit and started playing around with holding the fabric back here, and tucking a piece in there, it started looking like the dress that I remember loving in the shop.

So why am I sharing this? Definitely not so that I look like a crazy person who is overly emotional (although I felt a little like that on Sunday), but so that I can save maybe just a couple of brides from the "I hate my dress" breakdown! My message here-- When you try on your newly purchased dress at home, remember all of the things that still need to be done to it. Unless you have a model's body, chances are it's going to need some alterations and will look completely different on you afterwards. I for one cannot wait to get my dress altered, and I'm going to make sure that I have a darn good seamstress when I do because every bride deserves happy tears the moment they step into the most expensive dress that they will probably ever buy!

P.S. Just try to stay sad with this little darling telling you "You are so beautiful. Are you okay?"... you just can't do it.


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Original Wedding: Jenny & Michael

The last weekend of October, with the threat of an incoming hurricane, Jenny & Michael pledged their love to one another and it couldn't have been more wonderful. The couple took everything in stride as we changed the ceremony location and moved things around to accommodate Hurricane Sandy. Even as the rain started and winds picked up on Sunday evening, the guests remained as excited and happy to be there as ever. With the ceremony moved indoors, the reception space took on a cozy feel and guests were able to shed their coats and umbrellas. Afterwards, a folk band, complete with banjos, entertained the crowd during cocktail hour. Between cloudy weather and wind gusts, Jenny & Michael were even able to continue with pictures outside (which was great considering the AH-mazing scenery surrounding Smokey Glen)! Hurricane and all, Jenny & Michael's wedding was fabulous-- Although I have to admit, I was bummed that the weather prevented guests from the lawn games (including zip-lining)!

My favorite things:
  1. Smokey Glen's scenery. There is something about fall colors and tons of hills that just make a wedding that much better!
  2. The music! With a rustic wedding, you really can't go wrong with banjos during cocktail hour.
  3. The cake topper. The MOH designed a cake topper to reflect Jenny & Michael and it was adorable!
Things I learned:
  1. Don't underestimate the time that it takes to hang paper lanterns on twine-- It's a good thing we started earlier than originally planned!
  2. If people love you, they will make it to your wedding! Even with Hurricane Sandy starting to beat down on the East Coast, only a few people cancelled last minute, and even those were because of flights being cancelled, not personal choice!
  3. If you are doing an "iPod reception", have 3 back-ups. Not 1. Not 2. 3. You will need them. Luckily, the groom provided us with just that many!

















Jenny & Michael-- I absolutely loved every minute of working with you both and wish you nothing but the best in your life together!

Vegetarian Caterer: Everlasting Life
Florist: Mary-Ruth Chapin
Wedding Cake: Bakeshop

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Election Day-- Yay!

You know...As I was standing in line to vote this morning, I got to thinking--We really do have a lot of freedoms as an adult. This may seem 100% random but it stemmed from Abby's blog post from yesterday about hosting her own Thanksgiving and how "grown up" life has it's negatives but it really has it's freedoms too.

I'll be honest, the last couple of days I've been a little off. My life was filled with "grown up" things like Josh having surgery, getting a cavity filled (I've never had a cavity in my 24 years of life and I was pretty upset/ nervous about it), trying to figure out some paperwork issues with buying a house and re-working my weekly budget after not working much last week. But, between reading Abby's post yesterday and realizing how awesome it was that I was in line to vote today, I started thinking about all of the greatness that surrounds being an adult. First off, I get to vote! Then there are the small things, like not having to be in bed by a certain time, no homework waiting to be done, deciding that I don't have to eat things like meatloaf, and the big things, like choosing to go on vacation when I have free time, feeling like I can actually make a difference in the world and deciding where to live. So yes, being an adult has tons of freedoms, and I am going to do my best to focus on those the next time that I'm having some off days thanks to "grown up" things.

Josh may have had surgery, but he is perfectly great and has two weeks to relax and that's more time we can spend together. I had a cavity filled, but it was itsy bitsy and I made it WAY worse in my head than it actually was. The paperwork is frustrating, but we are buying a house!!! And yes, my paycheck will be a little short this week thanks to hurricane Sandy, but I also had a mini vacation last week thanks to those days off. Life is what you make it my friends.

Happy Tuesday, and more importantly, Happy Election Day!