Halloween Wishes

Spooky Black Cat Photograph
Available on Etsy at afiori's shop

Happy Halloween!

Bloody Punch

Bloody Rum Punch
from About.com:Cocktails

How are RZ & I celebrating Halloween this year? We're enjoying the perfect Halloween cocktail!! The Bloody Rum Punch is a spooky take on traditional sangria. The eerie dark red color is sinful & simply add a fake spider or eyeball for the ultimate scare. Trick or treat!

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Style

Have you decorated your pumpkin for Halloween yet? I have to admit that RZ & I are way behind on the Halloween bandwagon this year. We haven't visited our favorite farm to pick out our pumpkin & load up on goodies like hot apple cider yet due to a busy October schedule. When we find our perfect pumpkin, we need easy, no-fuss alternatives to decorate it.

Real Simple to the rescue! Who knew there were so many spooky & cool options?

The sophisticated, metallic spray paint pumpkin rates as my favorite:



The scary, simple bat pumpkin is quite cute & only requires a black Sharpie:


Did you know they make chalkboard spray paint now??!! Your pumpkin is now the perfect canvas for your creative outlet:


All you need for these personalized, fun pumpkins are tacks- genuis! I'm saving this idea for next year when I can decorate our pumpkin with our married monogram:


How did you carve or decorate your Halloween pumpkin?

All above images via Real Simple

Fall Ring Shot

Image via Brides.com

Clearly, I love weddings. Yesterday, I admitted that I love Halloween. This photograph, the wedding ring shot, is a perfect marriage of my two loves. The wedding rings are perched upon a glittered white pumpkin for a Fall wedding (as if you can't see this for yourself). Priceless.

For a Halloween Glam wedding that fits seamlessly with this pumpkin, visit the Inspiration Board on Creative Odds n' Ends today!

Trick or TREATS

Am I the last one in the world to find out about Cake Pops from Bakerella? I stumbled upon these delicious cuties a week ago. Now I'm obsessed. By obsessed, I mean visions of making Cake Pops as favors for our rehearsal dinner dancing through my head. This is coming from the girl who only has a kitchen because the condo came with one.

Adorable. That's all I can say. Since I have the upcoming, fun holiday of Halloween on my mind, check out the Cake Pops all spooky & sweet for Halloween:

Image from Bakerella

Image from Bakerella

Image from Bakerella

Image from Bakerella

I told you they were adorable!! If I had to pick a favorite, I'd go with the sassy black cats. Cute, cute.

The real question is if I'm brave enough to give Wedding Cake Pops a shot!

Very Soon-to-Be Mr. and Mrs.

We're next!

The 2010 Wedding Season was packed professionally & personally. I coordinated weddings for several fabulous couples & I celebrated weddings for several dear friends. My Wedding Season came to an official end on Saturday evening with Marisa & John's incredible wedding. As the Last Dance faded & the lights came up, RZ & I shared a smile. Nothing needed to be said.

We had attended our last wedding as an engaged couple. The next wedding is ours!!

Aloha

Oh, how I adore palm trees!
Oahu

Breathtaking sunset at Waikiki Beach
Oahu

We lost count of the pretty rainbows we spotted
Maui

Maui as seen from the water
This is my favorite photo from our Hawaii vacation

RZ & I went to Hawaii in 2008, spending time with family in Oahu & spending time solo in Maui. We loved, loved every moment & we knew we would be back someday. In Maui, everyone assumed we were on our honeymoon. We politely informed the well-wishers that we were simply vacationing. Little did we know that three years later, we would be in Hawaii on our honeymoon!

That's right, we chose Hawaii as our honeymoon destination!!!!

Hawaii is perfect for us because it's a tropical getaway where we can do as little or as much as we please. There isn't much we enjoy more than relaxing on the beach &, obviously, we can be beach bums in Hawaii. However, there is plenty to do should we choose. Personally, I'd like to go on a whale-watching trip & see a whale after many failed attempts. RZ is looking forward to surfing again. Oh, and there's the Pearl Harbor Memorial, the Road to Hana, etc, etc. Our honeymoon is going to be awesome!!

Everything is in the hands of our travel agent, the wonderful Carmen of All About Honeymoons. Carmen has hooked us up with our South Beach & Cabo San Lucas vacations & we trust her with our honeymoon. She's arranging 2 nights in Oahu, 5 nights in Maui & 5 nights in Kauai. Doesn't it sound glorious?!

Invitations: Calligraphy

Our Snow white envelopes with Taupe script font
Calligraphy done by Marsupial Invitations

Our wedding invitation envelope!

Let's face it: I love anything & everything stationery. This means I've been known to drool over an outer envelope addressed in gorgeous calligraphy. True story.

So it was a huge surprise that I didn't care about the addressing of our wedding invitation envelopes. I considered writing them myself since I have nice handwriting. However, I'm a bit of a perfectionist & I knew the pressure to write beautifully in a straight line would be too much. That idea was quickly scrapped. The next option was hiring a calligrapher & I happen to know Hoboken's best calligrapher, Diane of Inksong Calligraphy. But now that I see much in terms of budget, budget, budget, skipping calligraphy seemed like an easy way to save a few bucks. Not to mention, I was not taking the time to have our envelopes hand-canceled to ensure that gorgeous calligraphy wasn't ruined in the mail.

That's the long way of saying we opted to have our Snow white envelopes addressed by Marsupial Invitations. Many stationers offer computer calligraphy at a low cost. We filled out a template, sent the template with our order & our wedding invitations arrived with addressed envelopes. Pretty cool, right? We chose the same formal script & the same Taupe font color used on our wedding invitations. Everything coordinated perfectly without spending a fortune; we were pretty pleased.

The downside? You're on your own for changes & additions. For example, I discovered we had spelled one of our guest's names wrong. Also, one of our guests moved between the time we submitted the order & we received the order. I can't exactly send our envelopes back to California & have a few envelopes done. So I'm on my own for any extra envelopes we need addressed. Thankfully, we were smart enough to order plenty of extra envelopes (always, always order extra envelopes!!!). And, well, my nice handwriting comes in handy!

Go Koru Wedding Shoppe!

I work hard at Koru Wedding Shoppe to bring my Brides & Grooms the very best wedding invitations, gifts, accessories & planning. I give my all & then some to go above & beyond whether it's assisting with a wedding invitation or coordinating a wedding day. All I need is the smiles & thanks I receive from my Brides & Grooms. But sometimes, it's really nice to get a little more.

I'm proud & happy to announce that Koru Wedding Shoppe is named the Best Bridal Shop of Hoboken 2010! The second year in a row- yippee! The U.S. Commerce Association recognizes Koru as an outstanding local business through its tremendous service to its customers & community. Koru's selection reflects not only its hard work but the many people who support & contribute to its success. THANK YOU!

For the full story, the official press release can be viewed here.

3 to 1

Stamps available here

Today's task was simple: go to the post office, weigh our wedding invitation & buy the appropriate postage. Easy, right? Haha. Not so much.

I show up at our small, neighborhood post office with an assembled wedding invitation & the kind postal clerk weighs it & declares I needed a 61-cent stamp. And how wonderful, there is a 61-cent wedding cake stamp just for Brides like me. Unfortunately, they don't have any in stock. She suggests I go to Hoboken's large, main post office. Okay, no problem.

I troop across town & wait in a long line for about 15 minutes before it's my turn to get some love & attention. I make my polite demand for the 61-cent wedding cake stamp & the postal clerk asks to weigh the invitation again. I hand it over & watch as he measures it, weighs it & pushes it through a fake mail slot. My heart starts to sink; I'm worried that our wedding invitation is failing the post office test.

"It will be a $1.39 to mail this invitation," he tells me. What??!!

I explain I was told it would a 61-cent stamp to mail this invitation just 30 minutes ago across town. He explains that our invitation is considered parcel post because it is not flexible. This includes a lovely demonstration of how an plain envelope bends, a cardboard box does not bend & neither does our invitation. I ask what postage has to be used for $1.39. He says two wedding cake stamps plus some other random stamps. I have a horrible vision of paying way more than I expected on postage & of our beautiful envelopes cramped with four stamps.

I ask for a second opinion.

Now our wedding invitation becomes a fun game for the postal workers. I watch helplessly as our wedding invitation is passed from clerk to clerk. He asks the clerk next to him what she postage she would pick for our wedding invitation. 61-cents, she says. 1 to 1, he says to me. Actually, 2-1 counting the very first opinion, I remind him. He glares at me. Next, he hands it to another clerk. 61-cents, she says. He continues to glare at me. 3 to 1! 3 to 1! I win, I win!!

I'm the proud owner of 100 wedding cake stamps!

E-Session Results

"What are you going to do with a bunch of photos of yourselves?" asked a fellow Bride-to-be when I told her we were having an engagement photography session. I didn't have an exact plan. What I did have were my reasons for wanting an e-session:

1. RZ & I always try to have a nice photo taken of ourselves when we go glam for a wedding. Usually, we fail. In our last attempt, we looked great . . . as we posed in front of someone's car.

2. RZ & I were alone on a winter beach in the Hamptons when we got engaged. We took a few self-portraits but we have no official engagement photographs of us. This is a special time we want to remember.

So we had our e-session out & about in Hoboken with our photographer, Tim of TGP. Despite his camera-shy subjects, Tim captured countless fabulous photos. First things first, we framed some in our home. Here's one of our favorite photos hanging in our hallway:


Here's a grouping of our favorite photos displayed in our living room:


And that was that for our e-session photographs. Until Tim suggested using our engagement photos to create a personalized guest book. Well, well. No blank cream pages for us. Colorful, creative layouts of our favorite engagement photos instead. Our photos + our guests' notes = a very special keepsake. Good idea!

Our guest book arrived last week & we are beyond thrilled. Take a look & see if you agree:




Isn't it lovely?

Happy Weekend!!!

The Story of Koru Kate

Who is the woman behind the swirl? Would you like to know Koru Kate? Here's a few, fun tidbits:

Who I am: owner of koru wedding shoppe * wedding planner * wedding stationer * fiance of an amazing man * daughter, sister, cousin * doggie mom to bailey * sweet & kind * die-hard wedding fan * Jersey girl (a real Jersey girl, not anything like the tv shows)

What I see from the windows: charming Fourth Street * iron gates * Patricia's Yarn Shop * couples & families * parking meters * cars * trees * someone's backyard

Why I work in Hoboken: it's home * walk through a picturesque park to get to work * work with my dog * quaint & modern * good people * other fabulous businesses here * two blocks away from the amazing NYC skyline * plethora of delicious cupcakes available

What I dream about: doing my best always as a business owner, fiance, friend, family member & pet mom * writing * starting a stationery line * beach house * end of cancer & animal cruelty, among many other things! * opening an etsy shop

I will never grow sick of: beach * weddings * stationery * crafts * animals, especially dogs & cats * green * family & friends * hot apple cider * warm, soft pretzels

What do I love: happy clients * my fiance, friends & family * koru wedding shoppe * writing * napping * swirls * ocean * long afternoon with a good book * Hoboken * almond champagne * palm trees

Note: All of the above are written in random order.

Disclaimer: I stole this idea from Bella Figura who use it to reveal more about their letterpress company.

Perfectly Imperfect

Perfectly Imperfect
Much like Life, Much Like Wedding Planning
Photo available at Etsy in NaturalCharmPhotos' shop

I've been thinking about our wedding planning. A lot. First, I read this honest post on A Practical Wedding about how the planning is different than we expect. Then I read this raw post on Hey Gorgeous about how the wedding is far from perfect. My mind started reeling. What did I expect from our planning & what did I get thus far?

I thought our wedding planning would be thrilling & messy. I'd been through the process too many times with planning clients to think that every last moment would be beautiful & memorable. While my wedding mantra is sweet & simple, I counted on sour & complicated too. That's Life. So I was prepared for the good & the bad, right?

Wrong. I was blindsided. I expected a few glitches but the actual glitches stunned me. Deeply hurt me in some cases. How about a church who is unwilling to answer the simplest questions about our ceremony so we can't plan the most important part of our wedding? Then there's the bridesmaid lost over the bridesmaid dress store. Oh, a personal favorite, is family that critiques & gossips about every decision & plan we make. Don't forget about missing people, like my Dad & Grandpa, & wishing they were here to celebrate with us. A hearty welcome to the many, many new gray hairs over how the wedding is so freaking expensive, even for a wedding planner with a winter wedding. & so on. Etc, etc, etc.

Worry. Sadness. Stress. Heartache. All part of the wedding planning game no matter how you play it. We're not there yet- hello wedding!- but I have faith that it's worth it in the end.

(p.s. if you're not reading A Practical Wedding or Hey Gorgeous! . . . why not??!!)

6:02pm

As promised, expected & anxiously awaited, our wedding invitations arrived last Wednesday at 6:02pm. Here is the big, brown box that put an instant smile on my face:


I ripped through this adorably-branded packing tape:


And there, nestled among the packing peanuts, were two boxes:


I pulled out the two boxes tied with chocolate brown ribbon:


Inside the boxes were our wedding invitations:


Our perfect, perfect wedding invitations. They're so beautiful (better than I imagined!) & meaningful. We have been carefully & lovingly planning our wedding for eight months & to see our wedding plans in print . . . it feels very real & very official. There it all is, spelled out in detail. This invitation speaks to the promise we've made to each other & the vows we're going to make to each other.

To some, our wedding invitation may just be another piece of paper. To us, it's the invitation of our lifetime.

Book Photographer: check!

Hand-in-Hand Engagement Photograph
Image by Timothy Glenn Photography

Do as I say, not as I do.

Shortly after booking the venue, I urge my planning clients to book their photographer & music as quickly as possible. Both are important parts of the wedding day & both can only participate in one wedding at a time. Florists are another biggie but they can handle multiple jobs in one day. Once a photographer & band are booked, they're booked. For the best selection, book early!

I'm shamed to admit that RZ & I booked our photographers, Timothy Glenn Photography, about two months ago. In the wedding planning game, we were very, very late. We knew we wanted TGP to photograph our wedding from Day One of our engagement because there is nobody's wedding photography we admire more. The catch is that TGP consists of the talented duo of Tim Camuso & Glenn Maida; Tim happens to be my brother-in-law. Would it be possible for Tim to work & enjoy our wedding?!

Indeed, when there is a will, there is a way. It did take some time to iron out the details. In the meantime, we forged ahead with our planning, certain that a solution would work out for hiring TGP. We had a great Engagement Session in Hoboken with Tim that produced some lovely photographs. Then along came the final solution: Tim will photograph the ceremony & post-ceremony photography session, while a second photographer will take over for Tim at the reception. We'll have amazing wedding photographs & Tim will have fun (we hope). Yipee!

We've worked hard to assemble the perfect team to make our wedding dreams a reality & we're very, very excited that Timothy Glenn Photography is a part of it.

Don't follow our example: BOOK EARLY!!!!!!

Wednesday To Remember

Hello! I have to apologize for the radio silence the past two days; real life got in the way of blog life! However, I did have a Wednesday To Remember that I must share with you. With no further ado . . .

Sloooooooow delivery, or so it seemed
Available at Etsy from nutandbee's shop

6:02pm: Our Wedding Invitations arrived! Yipee! It truly seemed like the day stretched on forever & ever until the much-anticipated package arrived. Let me tell you, the wait was well worth it. I couldn't be happier with our wedding invitations; they are perfect for our Winter wedding. I can't wait to send them to our wedding guests!!

I will write more about our wedding invitations but I won't be showing them on the blog for awhile. Much like our save-the-date invitations, I want our wedding guests to see them first. There is always an exception to the rule! Hint: if you're a local, stop by Koru Wedding Shoppe to see our invitation :-)

Wouldn't you miss that sweet face?

Approximately 9:00pm: Bailey was released from the animal hospital! Our curious Beagle Bailey had eaten something that made him very sick & landed him in the animal hospital. Besides being so worried, we missed having our boy with us. It was a triumphant, happy moment to bring him home!! Thankfully, everything has gone well since he came home & he's out of the woods. Phew.

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! I'll be back on Monday with more of the wedding beat!!

Out For Delivery

Patience, patience: Blah, Blah
Print available at Etsy from TheTwitterpatedToad's shop

This is what UPS has to say on the matter: Out For Delivery.

Good things come to those who wait. Patience is a virtue. Whatever!

Normally I'm a patient person. Not today! Not on the BIG day that our wedding invitations arrive at Koru Wedding Shoppe!! I can't wait to tear open that brown box & see our wedding invitations!!! I have watched the magical moment when a Bride holds her wedding invitation in her hands & reads it for the first time; it's such a special, quiet moment. Now it's my turn :-)

Don't mind me as I sit here & count the hours, minutes & seconds until the package arrives . . .

Picture Perfect

RZ & I had the pleasure of attending our good friends' wedding this weekend. The entire affair was beautiful & memorable. We started with a lovely ceremony at St. Joseph's Church in Bronxville, New York & continued to a fun reception at Fox Hill Inn in Brookfield, Connecticut.

At the reception, we were greeted with gorgeous tables boasting bountiful, blue & white hydrangea centerpieces:


Now look closely at our place setting to see our steal-worthy favor:


A framed photo of me & RZ! We loved it so much!! Ours is a photo from our vacation in Hawaii. Everyone at our table passed their photos around so everyone could admire them; people smiled & laughed at the images. It was such a nice, personal touch that everyone enjoyed. We were still talking about it at the brunch the next morning &, well, obviously I'm still talking about it :-)

I'm semi-tempted to steal this idea for our wedding, except that RZ & I have another plan. It's along the same lines of being very personal & very sweet (we hope). It will take some time & effort, much like these photos, but it will be well worth it to our guests. Sometimes you don't have to spend big bucks to make a big impact!

Oh So Lovely

Someday soon, I shall be headed to this quaint spot in the West Village of New York City . . .

The Great & The Lovely-
Lovely Bridal Shop

I got the unexpected, happy news that my wedding gown is HERE! One month early!! Thank you, thank you, Lovely Bridal Shop for the great surprise!!! Be still my racing heart, the good news just keeps coming.

Lovely's line-up of pretty, pretty dresses

Now I really wish I had my perfect shoes to try on with my wedding gown!

Coming Soon!

Vintage Mailbox
Available at lindaleann's shop on etsy

The notification came late Wednesday night. An 18-pound box from Marsupial Invitations was headed to Koru Wedding Shoppe to arrive on October 6. Could this shipment be our wedding invitations?!!!!!!!!

I casually mentioned to RZ that our wedding invitations could be, right this very second!, on their way to us. RZ tends to maintain his cool at all times, unless the Yankees or Jets are involved, & he flippantly answered that's nice. Since I had no confirmation yet, I tried to match RZ's cool. It became clear to me that there was absolutely no way I was waiting until October 6 to find out what the box contained. I fired off an email to Marsupial Invitations to confirm the shipment was ours.

The next day, I had everything I needed to know: It's your invites!!!

Cue the Happy Dance. I can't wait to see our wedding invitations!!!!