Greetings from Hoboken

Greetings from Hoboken!

I'm baaaack!

I'm sorry for the short break from blogging. From the start, I set my goal to blog every week day & I try to stick to that schedule. Real life has gotten in the way lately! Let me tell you, the break isn't due to shortage of things to share. That means there are some fun posts coming your way!

On our wedding front, we have tons of awesome things happening. We chose & booked our reception site! Literally today. How exciting is that?! The goods news will be shared soon. In the meantime, I was determined to move beyond that pesky Item Number Six on our wedding planning timeline. We skipped ahead a bit & started shopping for a fabulous photographer & a rocking band. Those things are works in progress with details to follow. This Saturday, my fiance & I are thrilled to have an engagement photo session with my talented brother-in-law, Tim of Timothy Glenn Photography. I have drooled over his engagement & wedding photos for years & it's such a thrill to be the subject! Last but not least, I started working on our web site which is a bit more work than I expected. I hope to have it wrapped up before too long.

At Koru Wedding Shoppe, things are in full swing as well. Tons of great wedding invitation orders arrived & I'm excited to post them here. Unfortunately, that good intention, those invitations & my camera are never in the same place at once. I'm staging a photo shoot at Koru on Thursday so be on the lookout for those invitations. Plus I feel so lucky that I have meet with some incredible couples in the past few weeks for invitations so more beauties are in the works.

Phew, what a busy, fun time! Today is just a short, sweet Greetings from Hoboken!

Hint: This will be seen again for our wedding!

The Best Laid Plans

Our official wedding timeline. Someday, we will move beyond number 6.

Our wedding timeline poses with a few of my other wedding planning essentials

One of the first things I did as a Soon-to-be Mrs. was create & print a wedding planning timeline. It's a basic, step-by-step guide to successfully get from "Yes!" to "I Do!" that I personalize & give to my full planning clients. The planner in me was really excited to have a wedding timeline that is ours, all ours! I envisioned effortlessly tackling our timeline task by task until we are married.

Well, that was the plan. We're permanently stuck in the "First Things First" category. Specifically, item number six: Reserve a Reception Site. You know we chose three contenders based on our preferences & visited Chart House, W Hoboken & Hyatt Regency Jersey City. Our first road block was one site had our wedding date on hold for another party. We quickly learned a lesson in patience as we waited to find out if the other party booked. After over a week of waiting, we received the green light that the other party had not booked & we could proceed to consider this site. We carefully reviewed our options & chose a winner for our reception.

Great, right? You must be wondering why I haven't posted about our chosen reception site as I promised. Let me tell you, nothing is ever easy. Although we have a clear favorite, there are some details to be ironed out before we sign on the dotted line & officially book this reception site. Back & forth & back & forth we go. Who knows, everything could fall through & we may go with one of our other options. I don't want to make an announcement until it's a done deal. With each day that passes, I glance longingly at item number seven & I hope we get to it someday. Soon!!!

Even a wedding planner can fall behind.

Hello Spring

My home stretch of Seventh Street in Hoboken

Look at this gorgeousness that is Spring!

As we walked home from church on Easter, we passed under this canopy of flowered trees on the last stretch of Seventh Street before reaching home. I had to stop & take a photo, since this floral beauty doesn't last forever. I wish it could but then it wouldn't be so special. Like so many things in life.

A sunny, warm Easter. Pretty, flowering trees overhead. Warm laughter wafting through the air from an outdoor cafe. My fiance by my side. I think I fell in love with life in Hoboken all over again.

Vow Wow

The details are amazing: the stained glass windows, carved columns, painted walls, etc

We will exchange vows at this altar! Here, it's all dressed up for Easter.

The view as you leave the church

The stained glass windows glowed in Sunday's sunlight

Way back when we booked the Church of St. Ann for our marriage ceremony, I promised photos of the inside of our beautiful, historical church. We finally had the chance to snap a few photos after Easter Sunday service. Here they are! Don't you agree this church is gorgeous?

I can't help but think "Wow, this is where we are getting married!" every time we attend church.

One Dress, Two Dresses

Ballgown for the ceremony: Carina dress from Amsale

Casual Elsa dress for the reception: The Little White Dress made famous by Amsale.

Interesting tidbit from the April issue of Brides magazine: 5% of Brides buy more than one wedding dress, according to a survey from The Wedding Report. I get it. You wear a big, princess dress for the formal ceremony. Then you slip into something stylish & comfortable for the fun reception. I have planned weddings for Brides who have a costume change between the ceremony & reception. It's a cool idea.

Wait: there's more! 3% of those Brides purchase two gowns & 2% buy more than two gowns. More?!

Wow. As a Bride, I see things a bit differently now. I'm overwhelmed at the thought of finding one perfect dress, let alone two or more!

Happy Easter!

A simple version of my Easter cards

I decorated these paper eggs!

My final creations when I ran out of the other cardstock

I made this card first, then decided to make each card a bit different

No envelope leaves my hands without a seal or sticker

Here are my Easter cards that I created! Do you like them? I'm happy with the final products. It's a bonus that I had so much fun making them! I hope my family & friends enjoy them.

I was short two envelopes & I took the cards with me to the store to find coordinating envelopes. When the saleswoman saw my creations, she told me I should go into the card-making business. For a moment, my mind starting racing. Then I returned to reality & remembered my hands are quite full with my baby, Koru Wedding Shoppe. I thanked her for her compliment & went on my merry way.

Happy Easter & Happy Spring to all~

Gucci Baby

Gucci & I taking a walk on a summer day

Gucci coming or going, I can't tell, sporting his winter coat

Gucci is so happy to be riding shot gun, his preferred spot although he was supposed to stay in the backseat

Gucci working hard at Koru. Luckily, he didn't demand a high salary.

One of our final photos of Gucci.

Today I'm going to take a break from weddings & dedicate a post to our beloved dog Gucci. He was known & adored for his sweet nature & love of human food, especially hamburgers. Gucci was my furry best friend, my biggest fan & my loyal sidekick. For about fifteen years, he was my dog as we navigated life together. I couldn't even begin to write about the countless adventures we shared. I was lucky to have him by my side during the good & the bad. For the past three years, he was our dog after he successfully wrapped my boyfriend (now fiance) around his paw. Our life revolved around Gucci- not one day was planned without careful thought to Gucci's feedings, walks & care. Now our days seem a bit empty. We love & miss Gucci so much!

Gucci is missed at Koru Wedding Shoppe as well. He was the official shoppe dog from day one. He decided he was in charge of guest relations. Gucci made sure every guest was greeted at the door & every Groom had the chance to pet him while their Brides looked at wedding goodies. As old age slowed him down, Gucci ran the show from his doggie bed & preferred that people come to him. I always teased that I could make a fortune if I could have charged guests for petting Gucci.

About two and a half months ago, we received the heartbreaking news that we should put Gucci to sleep. I was fortunate to spend the last week with him, spoiling him with hamburger meals & showering him with unlimited love. My boyfriend (now fiance) came home early every day & spent as much time with us as he could. When Thursday came, our final, full day together, I could hardly believe it. Suddenly, 18 years had gone so fast, too fast! That day passed even more quickly. Our daily ritual of Gucci's night walk was tinged with deep sadness as we realized it was the last walk all of us would take together. I still get mopey on Thursday nights. Nevertheless, we are grateful we had the opportunity to give Gucci the send-off he deserved; we sent him with lots of love.

So, Gucci, this one is dedicated in memory of you! For our readers who have a pet(s), please give them a big hug & yummy treat in Gucci's honor~