Happy Wedding/Anniversary/Christening/Birthday!
When your wedding date falls on someone else’s birthday or anniversary, there are a few ways you can react:
- Pretend like you don’t know. Feign surprise when people toast to them at your wedding.
- Ask them to celebrate it on a different day. Feign surprise when people don’t toast to them at your wedding.
- Plan a sweet and sneaky surprise like this couple:
Source for both photos
We don’t have any special occasions on our exact wedding date, but we do during the week before and after. We’ve chosen to celebrate them at our wedding, because we stink at feigning surprise. And because we love these people!
When we first chose our wedding date, I realized how close it was to my brother and sis-in-law’s wedding date! It will be their third anniversary, and I’ve been planning a little surprise for them since I started planning our wedding. I’m motivated by love and a little twinge of guilt. You see, I was born on my brother’s second birthday, which means he never got a birthday to himself. And now, I’m nearly taking his wedding anniversary! He just can’t get a special day to himself. I want to honor their anniversary at our wedding to thank him for sharing all his celebrations with me so graciously.
When we told my mom our wedding date, she suggested we have my nephew and niece’s christening the following day. Our extended family will be in town, which never happens anymore, and it’ll give people another reason to celebrate! Adam and I loved the idea. Unfortunately, the church wasn’t available that day. It was worth a shot—it would’ve made for an awesome weekend!
When we told Adam’s mom our wedding date, she asked if she could bring a birthday cake for Adam’s little sis, who is turning 21 the week before our wedding. Of course, we encouraged her to do so! I’d love to present the cake, like the couple pictured above.
Are you celebrating someone else’s special day during your wedding or wedding weekend?
The Select Few
I tried to narrow down my floral inspiration pix. Really, I did! It’s just that…I have so many. And they’re all so beautiful.
My auntie called yesterday to schedule an appointment to talk about my wedding flowers, and she asked me to bring some pictures. I wonder how many qualifies as “some”…cuz there’s a lot more where these came from! I’ve narrowed it down to the following photos.
For my bouquet, I would love a giant, yummy-smelling fluffball. Key word being fluffball.
We could add light hints of our wedding colors—pink, orange, and yellow:
Or stick with what I know best—pink pink pink! (Isn’t Mrs. Daffodil so beautiful?)
Onto the bridesmaids’ bouquets! The ones below have just the right pinkness, softness, and roundness; but they look so heavy! We might go a tad smaller. I don’t want anyone’s arms falling off during the ceremony.
You can see all the creamy, petal-y gorgeousness in this close up. We wouldn’t have purple anemones in ours.
What about my dashing groom? A mini calla lily on its own looks classic and dignified—not too flowery or fluffy. I’ll have to okay this with Adam, but I think it’d be the perfect accent on the men’s tuxes.
A cheery, vibrant arrangement could welcome guests when they enter the reception venue. If we have two of these, they could work double-time as altar arrangements!
The centerpieces will be bright and homey.
If the ones above are too pricey, I’ll ask her what she thinks of this “loose” arrangement.
Unwrapped, this bouquet would be my perfect centerpiece. All our colors are represented in a mix of fun and luxurious florals:
For the cocktail hour, we’ll place some simple pieces on the high tables and on the bar.
And finally, here is my cake inspiration that I posted about long ago. It’s just perfection.
Picture Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
15?! This might be too much. I want to give my auntie a complete idea of what I like, but I don’t want to overwhelm her. When it comes to sharing your ideas with vendors, how do you find the line between helpful and overwhelming?
A Different Kind of Dessert Table
I have special plans for our dessert table. Like most, it will be filled with yummy treats in bright colors and cute, bite-sized morsels. Unlike most, it will include goodies like this sweet, pillowy, candy-colored delight. Can you guess what it is?
Mmmmm, Korean rice cake~ The main event of all my childhood birthdays. Soft, sweet, and smells like heaven. Did you guess correctly? 
These are not your average supermarket rice cakes. These are steamed rice cakes (or dduk or tteok) that can be flavored, filled, and colored to your heart’s desire. My family eats a plain, savory kind in our New Years soup, and our church always had a huge spread of sweet dduk for special occasions. They’re a natural part of our celebrations! My plan is to have a spread of rice cakes with different fillings, flavors, shapes, and colors. I’ll show you a few examples.
Above: Dduk in individual cups. Below: How do people make these shapes?
These next ones are a family favorite. These dumpling-like balls are usually filled with mung bean and red bean pastes. My uncle and I love the ones filled with sugar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Sounds weird, but tastes incredible!
A variety of flavors to pop in your mouth. (One at a time, people! Those “How Many Can You Fit in Your Mouth” contests always end in coughing fits.)
And hopefully when everyone fills their plate, they’ll return to their tables with something as lovely as this:
Okay, it probably won’t be quite so lovely, but it’ll be hecka yummy! I’m trying to contain my excitement, since we still need our venue’s approval to bring these in. If everything works out, this will be a fun surprise for my side of the family and give Adam’s side a taste of our culture.
Are you including any of your favorite foods at your wedding?
Sunday Bunday!
Speaking of gift registries, I was walking around Macy’s looking for dinnerware to add to ours. I studied one plain, white collection after another, and then something cutesy and colorful caught my eye:
Don’t you worry—this isn’t the collection I picked! I just appreciate their tribute to the cotton-tailed kind. Look at that adorable bunny creamer! And this sweet bunny sugar bowl:
I dunno about that rooster, though. I just can’t see what he’s so surprised about. And what’s with the creepy cat? ”Don’t mind me, human. I’m just watching you bake. Yeeeeessss, mooooore sugarrrrrr.” *Taps toes mischievously along rim of bowl*
I dig the country bunnies, though—mostly because they’re the only bunnies I’ve seen in the dinnerware section. If Lenox comes out with sleek, contemporary bunnies in the next few weeks, you know they’ll be on my wishlist! Happy Sunday Bunday, and have a fantastic week!
From Wishlists to Registries
Every Christmas since I was a little girl, I’ve made my parents and brother a collage of things I want (and definitely do not need). It started with My Little Ponies and Lisa Frank stationery and has progressed to this crazy thing you see below. I would stop, but they ask for it every year, and who am I to keep secrets?
(It’s slightly embarrassing how greedy I am. I’ll comfort myself in knowing this was two Christmases ago, and I’ve scaled it down since then. Kind of.)
See, I’m pretty good at knowing what I like and want at any given moment. But none of these items are necessary. And my tastes change so fast! Probably the only things on there I’d still want are the bike and bowls. Oh wait, I’d take that Flip cam, too. Anything from Tiffany’s wouldn’t hurt either…
Wait, okay, so my next point is: When it comes to things that I *need*—things that I’ll like *forever*—my brain comes to a screeching halt.
Which brings us to my problem with registries. We thought of a few places to register; I got all website-clicking-happy; and then I froze! One night, I added 20 things to our registry and took them all down within minutes. I kept asking myself, “Am I going to like this in 20 years?” and, “Is black here to stay?” and, “Shouldn’t I read just one more review…about every single option?”
The hardest part is that we don’t have anything to start with. When we move in together, we’ll both be moving out of our families’ homes, which means nothing is really ours. The dishes, the chairs, the knives—they all stay with our families. But I feel like I’m choosing everything in our future home during this one fleeting moment in which I love delicate details, clean lines, and black and white. What happens if my tastes change toward vintage or bold colors?
I’m at a standstill right now. Any advice from those of you who have already registered? How did you approach the task?
The Veil-Slash-Guilt Show
A while back, the ladies at my dress shop said a veil designer was having a veil show at the shop, so I made an appointment to try on my dress with all different veils. My BFF, my Auntie J, and my brother’s family came with me, fully expecting a veil show. It was not a veil show.
Let me preface this by saying: I love my dress shop. It’s one of a kind and altogether lovely. It took me a long time to write this post, because I don’t want to write anything negative. In order to make this negative experience into a positive, I’ll tell you what I did in this situation, and what I should have done to make it a better situation.
I put on the sample of my beautiful dress, and the sweet shop owner introduced me to…well, let’s call her Ms. Veil. Ms. Veil was the veil designer, but she didn’t seem interested in veils. Instead, she was really adamant about me purchasing some of these:
What I Did: Half-croaked half-whispered, “So pretty! But I can’t! No thank you.” Normally, I would cry out in fear of metals touching my bare skin, but I’d lost my voice to laryngitis and didn’t want to hurt her feelings–she handmade each piece. Auntie J explained how badly allergic I am.
What I Should’ve Done: Cried out in fear. Gets the point across faster.
But Ms. Veil had to find something I could buy. Earrings? Bracelets? Sterling silver? Glass beads with a teeny tiny metal clasp?
What I Did: Croaked, “So sorry, I can’t.” Kept shaking my head no when she replied more loudly with more options. BFF and Auntie J tried to speak up, but she talked over all of us. My throat was throbbing from all the croaking, and I was getting weary.
What I Should’ve Done: Pretended I was mute from the start. Would’ve saved a lot of vocal strain.
My BFF deftly took off all the jewelry and directed Ms. Veil’s attention back to the veils. We finally started trying on different styles. Three switches later, we ran out of veils. She then showed us hair pieces that we could purchase along with the imaginary veils.
What I Did: Acted completely understanding that she only brought four veils. Let her stick things in my hair.
What I Should’ve Done: Gotten back to the subject at hand. Asked to see pictures of the lengths and edgings she talked about.
I asked Ms. Veil if we could use a tulle that lies softly against me (her sample veils were rough against my skin). She said every company uses the exact same type of tulle, so I would never find a veil that does not feel exactly like her veils.
What I Did: Tried on a veil from the bridal shop’s supply. Felt how much softer it was. Kept my mouth shut.
What I Should’ve Done: Said something!
At the end of the night, I felt horribly guilty about not being able to wear her jewelry, so we bought my veil from her. I didn’t want her to feel like she wasted her time. After we cut the check, she went over to her jewelry table to put things in order. The sweet shop owner came over and asked, “So how’d things go?” And Ms. Veil snapped, “She’s not buying a thing! She can’t wear a single piece of my jewelry! She’s allergic to everything!” Um. I was standing at the table with them.
What I Did: Felt even more guilty from her verbal explosion. Said it was all so pretty, and that I was so sorry I wasn’t getting anything. Left feeling crummy as heck.
What I Should’ve Done: Recognized that it wasn’t a good situation from the start; rescheduled; and left the moment we got there. Maybe we were all just having a bad day.
I’m a little nervous about seeing her when she finishes my veil. I hope our second meeting is a million times better than our first! Have you had any crummy wedding planning experiences? Did you handle it the way you wanted to, or do you wish you could go back and set everything right?
Sunny, Beachy, Pretty
The perfect words to describe our honeymoon. Post-wedding, we will be in Hawaii for 12 sunny, beachy, pretty days! My future in-laws, who also honeymooned in Hawaii, did a great job of convincing us to go. Here was their reasoning:
- “It’s the perfect excuse to go! And you may never have another excuse.”
- “Don’t you want to relax after all the wedding excitement?”
- “We wanted to stay there. To live forever. We’re serious.”
As if I needed convincing—any vacation with water, sun, and sand works for me!
Adam and I decided to spend half of our time in Maui and half in Oahu, to get a taste of more than one island. I chose a low-key, cost-effective resort for our days in Maui and left Oahu up to Adam.
Before you think I am the most self-controlled honeymoon-planner ever, please know that this was a strategic move in my “Yes to Turtle Bay!” campaign. I first heard of Turtle Bay Resort in the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which made it stand out from the other, unfamiliar resorts in all the Hawaii books and catalogs. The more I read about it, the more my budgetary defenses melted away, and the more I slipped the words “turtle” and “bay” into daily conversations (subliminal messages may not have worked for Zack Morris, but I figured it was worth a shot!).
When decision time came, I knew my campaign had worked. Adam chose the perfect place to bask in our newlywed bliss:
A snippet from their website:
Set on 880 oceanfront acres on the legendary North Shore, Turtle Bay Resort is the only true full-service luxury resort on the breathtaking island of Oahu. Its natural, unspoiled beauty can be found at every turn. Find yourself surrounded by the history, culture and majesty of the island. Five miles of pristine beaches and 12 miles of ocean trails await you.
As for the living space? We’re spending the last days of our vacation in a breezy, beautiful beachfront cottage:
So there you have it—the piece of Earth I’ll be dreaming about for the next three months. I can’t wait to share about our adventures in relaxing when (if?) we come back!
How did you decide where to go for your honeymoon? Did you or your SO have to campaign for your dream location?
Sunday Bunday!
Yesterday, we officially started apartment-hunting in the city! I already have my fingers tightly crossed for one beauty. I know I shouldn’t—it’s so early in the search—but if you had seen the dark wood floors and the entire wall of windows…well, you’d be the one with the finger joints a-poppin’! When I came home, I began research on interior design ideas, which somehow led to research on whether or not bunnies make good apartment pets. Which led to pictures of adorable bunny faces.
Which is when I realized there’s only one thing cuter than a little bunny face.
[Pause for comedic timing.] A little bunny booty!
May I please have this printed on all of my correspondence from now on? Or at least on the leasing contract that we’re signing in my dreams?
Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!
Sneak Peek
A sneaky peek at our invitations! It’s just a little one. Don’t get too excited!
Mmmmm, swirls and dots and stuff…
As you can see, our entire invitation suite will be pink. I love it, and it’s cost-effective to have only one color, since we opted for letterpress (squeeeee!). However, our other colors are grievously absent. I posted this inspiration board before, but just as a reminder, our complete palette includes bright yellow, pink, and orange:
Spring-y, cheerful, and fun! I’d like to showcase all three colors in our invitations to give guests a better sneak peek of what’s to come. I’ve thought of a few ways to add sunny spots of yellow and orange:
- Yellow or orange envelopes
- White envelopes with bright paper liners
- Ribbon tied around invitation suite
- Paper belly band
- Fabric pocket for invitation suite
I’m losing steam with all the invitation decision-making. I hope you can help me out! I’m going for maximum impact on minimal moneyz. Which option should I use to brighten up our invitations?
The Parfait ‘Maids
“If you were a parfait, what flavor would you (predominantly) be?” I asked my bridesmaids in an email. Their responses ranged from delicious to ridiculous, and from them, I chose their anonymous bloggy names. So now, I am honored to introduce you to my five beautiful bridesmaids!
Pi Pie Parfait is my maid of honor. If you’re a High School Musical fan (there ain’t no shame!), you know that the Wildcat boys gave the girls a cake right before their Academic Decathlon. And on the cake was…the Pi symbol! They called it a Pi Pie, although it was clearly a cake. She’s a self-proclaimed math nerd, so her moniker is perfect for her! We’ve been BFFs since high school, roomies all four years of college, and the closest thing to sisters that two girls without sisters could ever have.
Pumpkin Parfait is my other BFF! We’ve been friends since fifth grade, so she’s been an important part of all the important parts of my life. She’s the artistic one, while I have two left hands (that needs to be a real phrase); and she’s adventurous, while I’m a little more ‘fraidy cat. It’s a good balance—who else could convince me that a thunderstorm is the perfect time for a leisurely stroll? Here she is in a Pi Pie Parfait and Miss Parfait sandwich:
Sunshine Parfait is my sis-in-law (my brother’s wife). We know, it’s not a flavor, but it’s so fitting for her “I Love Sunshine” personality! We live together, as she and my brother took me into their home when I finished school. Probably the last thing a young married couple needs is a long-term house guest, but she’s been so gracious and sweet. Here she is in sunny Florida with her son, my one and only nephew. He picked that baby grapefruit right off our neighbor’s tree—with permission, of course!
Papaya Parfait is Mr. P’s little sis. She loves animals, is super smart, and has the most contagious laugh—what’s not to love? She is too cute for words, so I’ll just stop talking.
Snickerdoodle Parfait is Mr. P’s sister-in-law (his brother’s wife). We’ve bonded quickly over our love for good deals, great food, and our awesome last names (well, my soon-to-be last name!). She wore a cottontail at her wedding to celebrate her new last name, and I’m tempted to do the same. I really wish I had a better pic of us, but this blurry one is the best I have:
I wanted to choose bridesmaids who would still be in my life when I’m old and gray. My SIL and future SILs definitely fit that description, and I wanted to start our lifelong relationships on a positive note by inviting them into my bridal party. My two dear friends have stayed close to me even when we’ve lived on different sides of the country—this is the first year since high school that we’ve all lived in the same state! I’m thankful I can say that wherever these five girls are, we’ll always be a part of each others lives.
How did you choose your bridesmaids?
