this is a hilarious website from officemax! you can personalize the adobe flash with your own face (and others, up to 4) and see the cute elves DANCE!! everytime i look at this, i can't help but have a big smile on my face!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1155569351
happy holidays!
hooray! first real snow day of the year!! and my friend from san francisco was visiting. how perfect.
now that i have a dress, i've been thinking about SHOES. yes, wedding shoes. it's one of those things for me where it's not *that* important in the grand scheme of wedding planning. it's not like i'm going to wear keds or anything, although there's nothing wrong with that. but, hello, they're going to be covered by the dress anyway! so in my random web surfing and link hunting, i came across this beautiful pair on kate spade! beautiful, dainty and feminine! not quite the shoes that i would have picked but somehow... it seems to fit! it's elegant and simple, kinda like my wedding dress. :-)
the only thing is, i'm having a garden wedding. i don't really feel like airing the grounds with the heels! what to do??
i went to a volunteer networking (and also membership drive) event last night at the madison in the flatiron district with a couple of friends. i wasn't quite sure what to expect and didn't even know that much about the organization. what i did find out was that step up women's network is an amazing group of dedicated volunteers and programs for women and teenage girls. i just checked out their website and am really impressed with their mission:
"Step Up Women's Network is a national non-profit membership organization dedicated to strengthening community resources for women and girls. Through teen empowerment programs for underserved girls, women's health education and advocacy, professional mentorship and social networking opportunities, we educate and activate our members to ensure that women and girls have the tools they need to create a better future."
the rest is here....
not surprisingly, the girls/women that i met last night were cool! most importantly, i really agree with their mission and what they stand for. so i joined! now i'm a member! can't wait to get started...
omg. true bride confessions, this website is a guilty pleasure! i looove it!
and here some fantastic blogs i found today:
cupcake blog
daisy chain
a $10000 wedding
brooklyn bride
sf girl by bay
after 5 gluttonous and glorious days in the bay area i didn't want to come back to new york. i wanted to stay with my fiancee, friend and family. to mom's yummy cooking. because you know, new york is COLD, wet and low-carb food. well, it'd be back on the low-carb diet! back in california, people WANT to feed me, serve me seconds and tell me i look thin. (well, which is a good thing.) in new york, it means the treadmill, eliptical machine and even possibly a spin class or two. but, after my 2nd day of my usual routine, i love new york again!! i love living in new york city, the people, the craziness of life in the big apple, the commute up metro north to tarrytown and well... being in the "center of the universe"! what am i going to do? i'm getting married next august. i'm gonna have to move back at some point. that's what d and i have decided. me moving back. why does this seem so unfair???
it's time to be realistic... i honestly don't think i can spend $300 on the erin cole organza hair pins that i have fallen in love with. *sigh* but i think i've found great alternatives on ebay. i've bid and won these two flower/feather hair pins last week! (feather flower not shown...) they are less than $10 each from a great ebay seller called "pampered bride". it's such a good deal. they arrived while i was away for thanksgiving and found them in the mail when i got home this morning! they are SO cute. i think i may need another organza flower because it's beautiful... i am already envisioning two of these flowers at lower right side of my hair (which i think will be put up in a loose romantic bun of some sort...)!
i bought a wedding dress this past weekend!!! (i even wrote a review on yelp about my buying experience!) i can't believe i have a bridal gown. it's surreal. the dress is perfect. it's absolutely beautiful. so simple and elegant! i knew it as soon as i put it on. i absolutely love how i look in it! it's a maggie sottero dress, called "vernice" from their fall 2007 collection. it's not quite the alison dress from the previous post but it's pretty close!
i am in LOVE with this bridal gown. it's made by berketex and the style is called alison. it's so gorgeous, simple and elegant, perfect for my garden wedding! the problem is, you can only get it in great britain. they don't sell internationally, apparently. :-( here's my dilemma:
1. should i fly to great britain to buy this dress? i have to think about the cost of the flight, lodging, food and the actual dress. that busts my dress budget!
2. i can get this dress custom made... i've contacted two dressmakers. one dressmaker in san francisco quoted me $500 more than the actual dress cost. but she does fabulous custom made dresses! the other (who i found on cragislist) quoted me HALF the cost of the dress but it'll be farmed out to bolivia and i won't see it until it's complete. i've seen samples of their work but how do i know the 2nd dressmaker is legit?
i'm doing more research and asking lots of questions.
in the meanwhile, i am going to the bridal garden in new york city and also sak's fifth bridal sample sale next week! when i'm in san francisco next week for thanksgiving, i plan to hit up glamour closet!!!! so excited. (a few weeks ago, when i was in the bay area, i went to trudy's brides but didn't really find anything that i loved...)
hello again! goodness, it's been a long time since i've posted. so much has happened since my last update. i'll give a brief update: i got engaged! officially! my fiancee (boyfriend at the time, heh) took a week long trip to paris and florence and he popped the question on this bridge at sunset! it's called 'ponte vecchio' and literally it means old bridge. which is true because it's the oldest bridge in florence! it's been about two months now and i've been busy researching and planning for the wedding. i must have bought every wedding magazine in the industry. i'm just clipping away! that's about it, though. i haven't done a whole lot, i have to say. but it's been wonderful, though. half the time, i'm too busy staring at my ring! :-) we're still doing the bicoastal thing, which has been tough but we survived over a year doing this long distance. i am definitely planning on moving back to the bay area right now... not sure exactly when but i am making this sacrifice to be with the man i love! i sure am going to miss new york city.
 clipped from www.weddingpaperdivas.com
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i am in LOVE with this ring. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. i first saw it inside the cover page of the elegant bride magazine (current summer edition) and couldn't stop staring at the simplicity of the ring. it's so beautiful. it's part of the de beers bridal collection but not sure what it's called... and it sure does look expensive!
ok, i know i posted a few weeks ago about my dream wedding gown but i take that back! i think i've found a new one. it's absolutely perfect. very dreamy and perfect for a garden wedding! the dress is called "daphne" and created by alice padrul, a designer from chicago. i love this dress. it's whimsical and not too serious.
i fell in love with palmdale estates the moment i laid my eyes on the photos that were posted on augie chang's blog. (augie is a friend who also is a wedding and baby photographer. let me just say he is an amazing photographer and he's going to be my wedding photographer next year!) photo on the left is a sample from the palmdale's website. i've been dreaming of a garden wedding in the sf bay area and this is just the place. as a matter of fact, a week ago, when i was in the bay area, d and i made an appt to go see palmdale estates. i love the grand palm trees on the premises, the quaint tudor mansion, the beautiful gardens and the entire ambience of the venue! it's exactly what i'm looking for. as soon as i stepped on the sunken garden (or starr garden) i knew it was absolutely perfect. we're thinking august 8, 2008! too bad it's on a friday but it coudln't get any better than 08/08/08. it's as if destiny planned it. :-)
i am in love with these beautiful erin cole organza flower hairpins! very romantic, soft and chic. these cost a pretty penny at perfect details but they might be just the hair accessory that i am looking for!
this hat really deserves it's own post. really, it's gorgeous. sure it's $60 but it is worth it. hello, sun protection! not only that, it does frame my face rather well... can't wait to use it at the beach!
i got the white hat with the navy blue piping! i didn't see the green one at the store but that's also a lovely color.
i love street festivals! and union street festival in san francisco is definitely my favorite street fair. beer gardens, street barbeques, unique vendors from all over the bay area and lots of people watching! what more could you ask for? i stopped by the fair yesterday and it sure didn't disappoint. the fair itself seemed smaller than previous years but there were still great vendors (from all kinds of fashion accessories to wood carvings to eclectic handmade stuff) and delicious food. i had lunch at park chow in the sunset district right before so i wasn't that hungry but i did end up at the "killer brownie" booth. i sampled a few brownie chunks and also shared their triple chocolate heaven ice cream. it was gone in 5 seconds flat. (that is, after it thawed a bit.) i also got soaps and a really beautiful sun hat (with a wide brim, perfectly called the nantucket sun hat) at jest jewels for my martha's vineyard vacation in july. apparently, this hat was featured in oprah's mag as one of her favorite things.
the weather was great! i was happy to escape the heat and humidity of new york city for a short weekend. san francisco, as usual, had the cool summer fog and the weather was bordering chilly. but i loved it. on saturday night, d and i went to my favorite thai restaurant in the east bay: sabuy sabuy in oakland. this understated, quaint, almost-hole-in-the-wall thai restaurant serves the best chicken laab salad and pad thai. it was soooo good. i miss this this place so much!
omigosh, i think i found my dream wedding dress! it's by monique lhuillier (i can barely spell her name) from her fall 2007 collection! i love the modern feel of the dress, the ruffels by the neckline and the belt detail. wow... if i could, i would wear this in a hearbeat! more views of the bridal gown here.
i don't even know where to begin. first of all, can't believe it's friday already. thank goodness for short work weeks! my parents came and gone this past weekend and we had a blast. our whirl-wind new york tour was fabulous. niagara falls was magnificient and all the touristy things in nyc left us enthralled but extremely tired. i think d and i slept a total of maybe 8 hours over 3 days. i was exhausted back at work on tuesday and had boat-loads of work and major project deadlines yesterday. needless to say, i am so happy it's the weekend again.
tonight, i fly out again back to sf. it's another 3 weekender treats where we get to see each other 3 weekends in a row. maybe it was poor planning on our part but you don't see me complaining!
yesterday, i tried to make birthday dinner reservations for d on july 4th. his birthday is on the 6th but since we'll be in martha's vineyard that weekend we won't be able to celebrate in nyc, which is what i want to do. i called nobu, one if by land two if by sea, among few other "nice" restaurants and apparently they are not open on Independence Day. Oh well. I got lucky and tried per se by chance and got a table at 10pm! woohoo. yeah, it's late but we can go after we catch some fireworks or something. :-)
sometimes, i am so amazed at how easy things are with d. this has been the easiest relationship i have ever been in. i mean, no doubts, no questions, no struggles. i am absolutely sure of how he feels about me and where we're going. we have been in the same place and understanding every step of the way. today marks 7 months that we've been dating. albeit long distance but it has been the happiest 7 months of my life. i think about him and my heart gets warm. i think my temperature rises a bit and my heart feels full. i know this sounds cheesy but i feel like every love song and romantic comedy was made for me and d. i know, barf, right?? we talk for hours at a time sometimes and i don't want to hang up. and as soon as i say good bye to him i want to pick up the phone and call him back. i want to talk to him while i do the most mundane things during the day because i want him to be a part of my life, in every aspect. for the rest of my life. because when i'm with him, i feel like i can get lost in him and everything disappears. i have never felt this way before. this kind of electricity, chemistry, love and happiness.
