Kyra's Wedding
September 08, 2009 by: Ursula
After 28 years of planning (yes, she has been dreaming of this day for as long as she can remember!), Kyra’s childhood dreams finally came true last weekend. On Sunday, Kyra tied the knot wearing the perfect dress, in the perfect church, with a perfect reception, and most importantly with the perfect man.
Being involved in the wedding industry, and this being my sixth wedding of the season, I can recognize and understand all the work and details that go into such an affair. And from my first hand experience last weekend, I can tell you that Kyra put her heart and soul into every last piece of this wedding and it did not go unnoticed.
Bachelorette Bash
September 04, 2009 by:
I never understood the enticement of co-bachelor/bachelorette parties. Well, that isn’t entirely true since I do understand the concept I just have never attended one so I don’t really know what they are all about. They’re probably super fun and I have totally been missing out. Hint to one of my newly engaged friends—please have one and invite me!
Even still, I do think there’s something to be said of a girl getting her alone time with her favorite ladies and guys being allowed to hang with their best buds. What’s more, is I would never want to spoil the surprise of the “big unveil” by allowing my fiancé a sneak peek into the honeymoon lingerie…ooh the anticipation!
Maid of Honor
August 26, 2009 by:
Call me old fashioned but I believe there are some things worth waiting for. Since living with my fiancé before we were to be married was never an option for me personally, to save money I heavily considered moving home. But then I just couldn’t bring myself to leave this magnificent city before it was really necessary! Truth be told, I have a pretty fabulous roommate too so it would have been even harder to leave her.
See, I’ve been living with the same person for nearly 10 years. People often joke that we have a little marriage of our own. We look totally opposite, we definitely have our differences in opinion but in the end we are so entirely alike our lives often run parallel. We met freshman year of college and it has been years of fun filled happenings ever since. We’ve seen each other through many of life’s burdens (bad grades, terrible breakups, loss of loved ones, stubborn mothers…) and joys (graduations—plural for Kelly, friends’ weddings, friends’ babies, meeting Mr. Right…); all the while our friendship and love for one another continues to grow stronger and stronger. She is my best friend and much more than just my maid of honor, I consider her my sister.
You are cordially invited...
August 15, 2009 by:
Along my engagement I have picked up many tips. One piece of advice that I have let carry me through this wedding planning process was given by wedding extraordinaire, Collin Cowie, who once said, “pick five things and do them well.” This tip reigns true for multiple reasons but most applicable to me because I have a tendency to want “everything.” My fiancé and I agreed that we needed to pick and choose our spots. As it turns out, what was once most important to him, has turned out be one of the things I am most proud of—our invitations.
Many years ago I stumbled (okay so I blatantly purchased without even having a boyfriend) across a bridal magazine and came across the most gorgeous of invitation suites created by a company called Ceci New York. They have an amazing ability to create the most unique of invitation spreads working with the finest of papers, inks and creative genius. No detail is left out and their specialty is letterpress and embossing. So I began to collect various invitation designs with the hope that some day I too would be blessed to have the ladies at Ceci craft my own invitations. Because every invitation design is entirely custom and no two are alike, the cost for such beautiful work is quite expensive. So it seemed working with Ceci, would have to remain in my dreams (tear).
Day 66-Piece of Cake
July 02, 2009 by:
Ah, the wedding cake. Such a focal point at the reception and yet it’s often a huge after thought. But perhaps that is just my procrastination kicking in. I did preliminary research right on schedule but I wasn’t fully ready to commit. I’m familiar with the bridal timeline so I am well aware that I should have booked my baker 5-6 months ago however with so many other things to focus on, I completely let this task fall by the wayside. After reading so many budget saving tips, I was convinced that I would find a baker who could create a cake using fake tiers. The idea being that only the bottom layer would be made of edible cake which would serve its purpose as we “broke bread” at the reception. Our lovely cake would then be whisked away to the kitchen and prepared slices of sheet cake would be served to our guests. The idea was so simple and no one would be able to tell the difference, right?
In theory this plan makes perfect sense but as I spoke to baker upon baker, there was no cost saving occurrence whatsoever. It was repeatedly explained to me that the cake batter itself was not costly but rather the decorating fee was what really drives up the price of a cake. So whether I wanted a four tier cake made of Styrofoam layers or four tiers of the authentic good stuff, I would be paying the same amount of money. It was further clarified that Styrofoam tiers can actually be more expensive. Ugh, the let down.
White's First Bridal Shower
June 18, 2009 by:
White has proven to be a beautiful backdrop for many events and this past Sunday the store was no different as it played host for my very first bridal shower. At various points during the party I looked around the room to find my dear friends and family chatting, smiling, laughing and even gazing through the gown gallery (a delightful perk to working in a bridal salon—how much more fitting can you get for a shower!?). Reflecting on the effort that was made, I have truly been blessed with the most wonderful friends on the planet. Quite honestly they entirely out did themselves. I am still beaming with delight from all the pretty details they managed to pull off. From the flowers to the food, the games (such a blast!) and décor, my lovely ladies showered me like a queen and I cannot begin to thank them enough. It was truly a wonderful experience and I simply wanted to give a shot out to my girls as a big THANK YOU!! Such a great time was had by all which makes it that much more exciting as the wedding fast approaches. So much love to you all!!
Xoxo,
93 days and counting...
June 05, 2009 by:
In these economic times, I’ve found my taste for the luxurious isn’t exactly supported by my dwindling bank account. Thus I decided very early on that I would not strive to push aside my glamorous desires but rather I would dedicate more time to decipher how I could get away with it on the cheap. But how can one begin to afford such prestige in a city known for catering to brides with budgets of six figures? You gotta do your research…
Large and small, you name a venue and I’ve looked into it. When it came to making a final decision, I was surprised to discover that my dream location was often overlooked when it came to weddings. Turns out in fact, the menu prices available were quite reasonable and the reduced stress of not having to find/trust caterers, rent napkins, ovens, etc (I looked into it, believe me) really spoke to me, especially since I did not want to hire a wedding planner. As an added bonus, because the venue was not officially finished we were able to negotiate a discount off the room rental fee. Also to our benefit was the fact that we were getting married over a holiday weekend so choosing a Sunday wedding was even further in our bargaining power.
Kyra's Countdown...100 days to go!
May 29, 2009 by:
Hola my fellow Brides-to-be!
I suppose it was only a matter of time before you would find me gushing into cyberspace about my love for all things bridal. It is believed my affinity for weddings began at the early age of five. My family still remembers finding me after my Aunt’s wedding, draping myself in the extra flower girl cloth pretending to be walking down an aisle with my sister by my side. That moment was magical for me. During that very instance, I began to dream about my own wedding someday.
