Meaning

Yesterday when I came across this New York Times article on heirloom wedding rings, I felt my stomach pulse a bit.  My own wedding band is a ring that my grandmother gave to me less than a year before she passed away.  It's one of my most treasured belongings.

The ring wasn't actually my grandmother's originally. It was given to her mother, my great-grandmother, by my great-grandfather on their 25th wedding anniversary.  When they first married, he didn't have money to buy her a ring with a diamond so he wanted to get her a fancier one after all those years.  Eventually, she gave it to my grandmother, one of her four daughters.

I'll admit that I was hesitant to take the ring at first. My grandmother wore this ring every day--as she grew older and her fingers more frail, she even added several layers of tape to the bottom of it so that it fit tighter and she wouldn't worry about losing it. Taking it from her made me feel like I was stealing her favorite possession.  But after several back-and-forths, I agreed and she looked so relieved that I instantaneously felt guilty for not taking it as soon as she offered.

This article definitely focuses more on the money saved when using a family heirloom or vintage ring, but that really wasn't a factor for us. This ring had been loved by people that I loved and who had long, happy marriages;  that's a pretty solid foundation if you ask me.

And now for my favorite part of the ring: it's engraved inside with my great-grandparents' initials and the date that the ring was gifted. It's so tiny that you can barely see it on the rounded surface, and it's  nearly impossible to make out the actual words. My grandmother had worn the ring for years and never noticed the message.  When Anthony and I took the ring to be sized, the goldsmith casually asked, "Do you want to keep the engraving?" We said yes, obviously.

A few of my friends have been judgey about my wedding band choice. They think I should have bought a bigger ring, a fancier ring, or a ring without any history (also referred to as the hideously-named 'virgin rings').  I've never regretted my decision though. Family and marriage are continuums. I'm reminded of that every time I look down at my hand.




Photo credit: New York Times

It's All in the Details

I've started to organize our wedding photos, making prints and photobooks for our friends and family. It feels so weird to mail people a stack of photos since everything is digital now but I know I would be thrilled to receive prints from a friend so I keep sending them out. When you attend a wedding, you pose for an unbelievable amount of pictures and never see the results so it's been awesome to share these memories with our loved ones.

Our photographers captured every little part of our day in April. The random shots that I loved the most were the ones of our gift table and the tables. I spent a lot of time (too much, I will admit now) painting the table number frames and making our guest book, but from the photos, it looks like these personal touches really turned the venue room from generic into a fitting location for our event.

The unofficial theme for our wedding was chalkboards. I used them as table numbers and as signs on the gift table and sweetheart table. 

I actually made this envelope box for my bridal shower and decided to use it for the wedding as well. It's a modern take on a wedding cake using square cardboard hat boxes.

It's kind of 80's but we had matchbooks made up with our names and wedding date. They are adorable and I'm happy there were a bunch leftover so we can use them in the future.

I used our engagement photos to create the guest book. Bonus: because our guests tucked the little cards into envelopes, their messages were kept private until we read them the next day.

Our favors were small glass jars of candies in navy and pink. I made the labels and then used gold baker's twine to secure the tags.

There were a few other things that I wanted to do but at the end, I ran out of time. Our dinner was a buffet, and I planned to write the menu on a framed chalkboard so I could place it on an easel at the start of the line but the project never came together. Also, our reception venue didn't allow place cards but I used them at the rehearsal dinner instead. No one knew that I was planning on these things so they weren't missed at all.

The details are what made our wedding different from everyone else's wedding--our DJ sucked (he forgot our names several times throughout the night, among many other things), but I'll always cherish those few seconds after our first dance ended and the next song began. Anthony and I chose to morph right into "Tongue-Tied" by GroupLove and didn't tell anyone; it was mostly because we wanted that communal happy feeling right after the official 'first' stiff slow dance. Our guests didn't expect the upbeat transition but it definitely got everyone on the dance floor right away. And Anthony and I were able to dance carefree in the middle of all our favorite people.

Our guests might not remember any of these things, but they are surely the things that I remember. As of now, our envelope box, cake topper and guest book are displayed in our apartment and hopefully, we'll keep them out for a while. Anthony and I will never forget our wedding day but I love how all of these momentos remind us of it daily. xo

Weekend Recap: Love and Marriage

I love weddings. Have I ever mentioned that? This weekend, Anthony and I attended our first wedding as a married couple and it was a lovely night of celebrating with friends, drinking champagne and dancing on a full dance floor.  The bride and groom were beautiful and just so in love.  I must say that it's so much easier to be carefree when it isn't your own wedding, and I know that from experience now.  I've never had such a wonderful time with my husband; I feel like I fall in love with him more and more every day, and Saturday night was no exception. 

And yes, I did cry. It's always the toasts that push me over.

The country club was sprawling; I had to resist the urge to walk around on the golf course. I also really wanted to lounge in one of these Adirondack chairs (did I mention it was hot outside?) but I thought it might be frowned upon since I was in a fancy dress at a very fancy place.  The men weren't even allowed to untuck their shirts, forget about undoing their ties. It was kind of a sweat fest.

But we totally rocked Table 12.  Oh, and we did a pretty good job at the sundae bar too. 

There's nothing better than a twirly, whirly summer wedding. xo

Photo Love

 
I met with our wedding photographer last night and came home with three discs filled with photos. That's right, we have our wedding photos after a mere two months! Anthony and I did a quick click-through last night and they are just beautiful. I think I photograph quite poorly most of the time, and even though not every picture is great, there are some wonderful ones with dear friends and family. And best of all, most of them are candids, which was one of my only requests.

I plan to post about our day soon, complete with photos of the details that made it all so special (and that drove me kind of crazy up until the week before). It took a lot of work to make this event reflect our personalities but I think we succeeded in the end.

In the meantime, I've gathered all of our honeymoon photos and I'm putting together an album and also plan to post a travelogue soon. During our nine days in Canada, we took about 500 photos. So many are blurry around the edges or a bit unfocused (damn iPhone camera!) but just looking through made me want to jump in the car and head north.  We were lucky to spend so much time in both Toronto and Montreal, and there is still so much left to see.

It feels weird to almost be done with this chapter of our lives, the "Engagement, Wedding and Honeymoon" period, but at least we have beautiful memories along with pictures to prove that it all actually happened. xo

Grilling Indoors

I found registering for gifts before our wedding to be a really difficult task. We wound up registering at only one place because everything we needed could be found at Macy's and seriously, we live in a tiny, one-bedroom apartment. Where are we expected to put all of these presents?

There was one thing on our registry that I was coveting big-time and in the end, it was one of only five things that were left unpurchased.  I figured I would just go and buy it after the wedding but a few days after returning from our honeymoon, a box showed up from a good friend (actually, the UPS notice showed up on our door since we weren't home but that's neither here nor there). And of course, she bought us the gift I'd wanted all along.

Tonight, I used the brand-new grill pan to make these amazing chicken jalapeno cheddar burgers. The pan actually left grill marks on the burgers. I'm in love, and I'm totally in the process of making a list of other things I can cook in the grill pan (french toast?).

 

By the way, these burgers were unbelievable. They were super cheesey and then, I added more cheese on top. Cheddar rules. xo

Tea Party Time

I went to a bridal shower in New Jersey today for a friend from college.  Per the invitation, I knew that the shower was being held at a tea room so essentially, I was walking into a tea party for grown-ups.  I fretted for days about what to wear; I am totally unprepared wardrobe-wise for an event like this.

But even though I showed up in a regular dress and black cardigan, sans a fascinator, it was a real experience to sip fancy tea and eat scones all afternoon. I don't like cucumber sandwiches but I sure do love jam and clotted cream.  And this was the first time that someone used my married name, although I haven't officially dropped my maiden name yet. (I might hyphenate--any thoughts?) I even won a bottle of wine in a raffle, although to be fair, every attendee won something.

Joyous celebrations always make rainy days better.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Here's hoping for a great week ahead. xo

One Month

 

At this time exactly one month ago, I was saying my marriage vows to Anthony in front of a church filled with friends and family.  I actually don't remember as much about the ceremony as I thought I would. Between my dress and shoes, it took a lot of effort not to fall over on the altar, and I was very aware of the group of people in back of me watching my every move.

I was also very aware of Anthony though, so close next to me in his suit with the polka-dot tie that we picked out together. That was just the beginning of a new chapter in our lives; we're not erasing all of the wonderful years that we've already been a couple, we're just adding to those memories.

So, happy one-month anniversary to my husband. I know that time goes by quickly but I promise to try to take advantage of every minute. And as long as we're with one another, I know I'll be forever happy. xo

Topping It Off

Weddings cost so much and while we were planning, I found myself really thinking about every purchase that I made. Some things just seemed ridiculously priced ($1,500 for four hours of DJ services when Anthony and I were choosing all of the songs? Does the DJ double as a cardiac surgeon?). Other things I knew I would never use again but still thought they'd make a difference on our actual wedding day, like my beaded headband from Anthropologie. There's no disputing that this has been a very expensive year.

One thing that I am happy that I purchased is this kickass cake topper from Etsy seller Lollipop Workshop. At the time, it seemed silly to buy such an extravagant accessory for a cake that would be on display for mere hours, but this personalized topper is really special to me for some reason.  Maybe it's the care that I know went into creating it especially for us. I already have a place for it on top of a bookcase in our living room.

Thanks so much to the Lollipop Workshop for creating this cake topper in our likeness (seriously, there was a really long form to fill out for all of the minute details, right down to the polka dots on Anthony's tie). We have a wonderful memento that will be on display for years to come. xo

'Just Married' a.k.a. Finally Back to My Regular Life

That's right, my dears. Anthony and I are finally married.

Here we are in the limo right after the ceremony. It was only two weeks ago but it feels like so much longer. The day was wonderful, filled with love just like we wanted.  There was also a broken necklace (beads all down my strapless bra apparatus), the DJ calling my brother the wrong name during the reception intros (umm, it's Dan, not Don), and two hours of walking barefoot in my gown while we took photos on the seawall. 

Now, wedding planning is over. I read some article last year (I'm using the word 'article' loosely here) about how a majority of brides are depressed after their weddings. What do they do now? What else can they plan? Personally, I did a little jig when it was all over. I can write and read again. We can travel on weekends if we'd like. I don't have to visit ninety-seven stores every weekend looking for the perfect sparkly accessory that I'll probably never wear again.

And my favorite part is that my best friend is now my husband. The end result made it all worth it. xo

Last 'Single' Night

Tomorrow, I'm getting married. Tonight is my last night as a single woman. Look at how happy we are after a successful rehearsal dinner.

After months of preparation, our wedding is mere hours away, and I honestly can't wait to be married. It's a weird feeling to know that I'll be legally bound to someone forever though.  I guess I'll have the rest of my life to get used to it.

The room tonight was so full of love. Most of my anxiety disappeared once I realized that everyone was so truly happy for us. Hopefully, the rest of the festivities will be just as joyous.

Also, in true Crystal-fashion, I messed up both of my thumb nails about ten minutes after I got my nails done. Hopefully, our photographer won't be very interested of close-up pictures of my thumbs. Not even a wedding can get in the way of my clumsiness.  xo

Spotted: Lunch-Hour Edition

During my lunch-hour yesterday, I walked over to the place where we are having our rehearsal dinner to make sure everything looked okay--it's a nice room and I think it'll work well and there's a good view of a parking garage. On the way back to my office, I noticed this outside of New Haven City Hall:

Yes, folks, that's right. It's a Nuts 4 Nuts cart! My favorite $1 New York City treat is camped out three blocks from where I work. Perhaps I'll be walking down there more often for afternoon nom noms.

Also, since I was right near Chipotle, I stopped for lunch to-go. I've never had Chipotle before and, although I don't want to sound like an idiot, the menu is kind of confusing. After waiting in line for ten minutes behind the most obnoxious Yale Hockey players, I finally ordered a burrito. Good news is that I really liked it. The rice and corn were awesome. Bad news is that I still have the urge to cut my burrito in half like I'm eating a wrap. I'm obviously not eating enough burritos. xo

Surprise

I'm on the fence when it comes to surprises. No one has ever thrown me a surprise party, and I've never been to one when the guest of honor wasn't actually already aware that a party was being thrown for him or her.  Surprises are hard in a world where it's nearly impossible to keep secrets.

But yesterday, I was surprised. My office put together a bridal shower-type party for me in our conference room complete with cake, champagne and gifts. Our overhead projector was decorated with streamers and over 30 people showed up. I've been at my current job for about eight years, and needless to say, many of my co-workers are close friends.  It was so touching, and I love how an entire group of people kept the secret for over three weeks.

I spend so much time at my desk set in a corner on the sixth floor of an office building, perhaps more time than I spend even with Anthony.  It's comforting to know that I have a small work family that is truly excited about our wedding, and my life in general outside of the office. This wedding has been a bit difficult to plan, but one of the best parts has been celebrating with supportive friends and family. After all, that's what love is all about.

I only wish I can convince someone to keep these decorations up in our conference room year-round. xo

A Little Bit of Housekeeping

Today was one of those rare weekdays when Anthony and I both were off from work. We actually planned this a while ago so that we could get some of those pesky wedding errands done. Both the bride and the groom need to be present to get a marriage license, and with the wedding about a month away, we haven't been able to get together while the fickle City Hall is open.  In fact, when I put up my away message on my work email, it told me that the last time I took off time was at the beginning of August 2012. That made me sad.

After returning several 'doubles' from our gift registry but before getting my wedding band sized, we stopped for a much-needed lunch at Katz's in Amity. I remember coming to this deli when I was younger but have really wanted to bring Anthony ever since our short visit to Katz's on the Lower East Side. He was totally up for it; I really didn't think he would say 'no' to cured meat anyway.

Our sandwiches were awesome. We got hot brisket on marble rye and pastrami on pumpernickel, and shared. I already have a bunch of items from the menu that I want to try on our next trip.

We accomplished everything on the list, unbelievably enough.  And our boring 'housekeeping' tasks wound up being kind of fun, except for the crazy daytime drivers on the road (no one uses turn signals anymore, and I realize that saying that makes me sound old). Now all I can think about is how much great our honeymoon is going to be: ten full days with one another. xo

Blur

 The cat at the florist fell in love with Anthony.  It's almost like she was attracted to him 

because she could tell he was allergic to kitties. I named her 'Skedaddle.'

Here is a summary of the last couple of weeks:

Proofing wedding invites. Finalizing rehearsal dinner. Standing in line for postal stamps. Going to 50+ stores looking for a dress to wear at my bridal shower.  Panic. Deciding on flowers. Getting quotes from limo companies. Dreaming about our honeymoon. Worrying that people won't have fun at the wedding. Table numbers, favors, centerpieces. Sending out wedding invitations.

Anxiety.

I know our wedding day is going to be just wonderful, unforgettable and full of love, but I'll be very happy when we can stop planning the wedding and just be married.  xo

Sunday Project

Look at what arrived in the mail:

Our wedding invitations from Minted are here! And honestly, they are beautiful.  Tomorrow, I'm going to start addressing the envelopes and hopefully, we'll be able to mail them this week.  The countdown is on--there are less than two months until our wedding day.  Once the invitations go out, that pretty much makes it all official. xo

She's Crafty

 
I love craft stores, but my favorite thing about them is how nice people are within the confines of this magical place stocked with yarn and glitter galore.  Tonight, I bought two yards of mesh netting at Joann Fabrics and the lady at the cutting counter could not wait to ask me what I was making.  She offered suggestions and told me to be confident about completing my project.  The entire time I was in the store, I had been doubting my decision to make my wedding veil instead of just buying one, but after a short conversation with this woman, I felt like I could really make something beautiful.

Crafters are just genuinely interested in what their fellow crafters are up to.  So the next time you find yourself in the check-out line holding a stack of multi-colored felt and the woman behind you asks what you are making, don't be ashamed to share.  (Yes, that happened.  I was sewing a felt banner for Thanksgiving).

P.S. Martha Stewart rules. xo


Photo via Babble

Canada-Bound!

We booked our honeymoon this weekend: four nights in Toronto, five nights in Montreal. Neither of us have ever been and we're both so looking forward to it.  I have lists of things I want to do in both places, and our hotels in both cities look gorgeous. Now, we're not only excited for the wedding but for the long well-deserved vacation that will follow.  How romantic, albeit chilly, Canada will be in April! xo

Photo courtesy of Official Montreal Tourism site

Love is in the Air

I always cry at weddings, and I know I'm not the only one.  Anthony and I were both in the bridal party of a wedding this weekend, and yes, we both teared up at the rehearsal dinner and the church.  The last three days were crazy, jammed-packed and exhausting, but they were filled with love and that's what really mattered.

Here we are in our bridal party outfits, Anthony in a James Bond tux,

 me in a two-piece, Malibu blue, one-shouldered get-up.  Also, I have this really cute

side french braid thing happening, which was being held in by 36 bobby pins.

Here's the ballroom the night before the wedding.  The party potential is palpable.

How adorable are these blowfish hanging from the ceiling at the nail salon?

Congrats to the happy couple, Mike and Annie! It's hard to believe that the next wedding Anthony and I will attend will be our own.  There's so much still to do, but I just can't wait until April. xo

Pinterest is My Friend

Usually when I'm planning something, I collect ideas from magazines and websites and put it all in a folder.  I like having everything handy at all times too, but that doesn't always work with a bulky file of glossy pages.  While in the early stages of planning a wedding, which is really just the ultimate party in my opinion, it's really hard for me not to get overwhelmed by all of the options the bridal industry is throwing out there.  People expect me to be losing my mind with worry about flower arrangements and shoe colors and limo rides, and I'm just really concerned about having a great time celebrating with my family and friends and my new husband. 

So I've decided to go about narrowing down my favorites in a new way: Pinterest.  I used to love scrolling through Pinterest looking for new dinner recipes or really lavish desserts.  A few months ago, I created a new board called "Wedding" and have been posting ideas and photos of things that I can definitely picture us having at our wedding, which means I'm selective.  Scratch that, I meant to say I'm very selective.  I don't want any pins of things that I only kind of like; this is THE inspiration file.   I love that all of the original sources are right there. And the best part is that I have the ability to access the board at any time on my phone so I can show people my ideal hairstyle instead of just describing it to them.

I never thought that I would ever enjoy having an electronic scrapbook of sorts (I'm still attached to my paper calendar), but sometimes I just scroll down and look at all of these tidbits I've put together over the last six months.  I can't believe how happy that makes me.  Even if I'm not sure about the DJ or the cake flavors, I am positive that we're going to have a beautiful wedding and a wonderful life together.

Check out some of my favorite pins:

All these pins plus more can be found here

The Perfect Wedding Accessory

Last week, I got something special in the mail:

It's my ila purse, which I ordered from 100 Layer Cake's Pop-Up shop in May.  It's navy blue,has just the right number of ruffles and is absolutely perfect.  I cannot WAIT to use it next April at our wedding.  xo