{Holidays 2012} Crafting for Our Heroes

To kick off the festive holiday season, I was really honored to spend the day crafting for a good cause with Jen, Emily & Louisa.  Jen kindly hosted us at her place where we gathered with mimosas, treats, & craft supplies galore to make holiday cards for Holiday Mail for Heroes, a great Red Cross program that distributes cards to veterans, military families & active duty service members around the world.  Crafting is always fun but crafting for a worthy cause is just plain wonderful. 

Not only did these ladies bring their amazing talent, they brought enough awesome craft supplies to make a well-stocked craft store blush.  You name the holiday-themed supply & we had it: stamps, punches, stickers, ribbons, embossers, etc, etc:

I have a real soft spot for snowflakes so all my cards featured snowflakes:

When the fun day of crafting came to a close, we made over 40+ beautiful cards for Holiday Mail for Heroes!  Here is a small sampling of the handmade holiday cheer that will be spread to our heroes:

A big thanks to Jen & the always adorable Humphrey & the too pretty Mila for hosting us in their beautifully holiday-decorated home.  As you can see, Humphrey & Mila are as cute as can be:

Last year, I sent one card to Holiday Mail for Heroes & I was so excited to send 40+ cards this year.  Big thanks to Jen, Emily & Louisa for making it happen!  If you would like to show your support & send holiday cheer to our military, it's so easy.  By Friday, December 7, simply send a signed card to:

Holiday Mail For Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capital Heights, MD 20791-5456

For more information & complete instructions (no glitter!), please visit Holiday Mail for Heroes.

Here's to hoping everyone's holiday season is merry & bright!

ever green

This weekend, we have big plans to put up our Christmas tree & decorate it until it sparkles & shines so I have evergreens on my mind.  Speaking of which . . .

Isn't the evergreen ring shot just perfect for the season?  I imagine a warm, snowy Christmas wedding held at cozy ski lodge going quite perfectly with this ring shot.  Or perhaps a casual, mountaintop wedding held at a woodsy camp site for an outdoorsy couple.  The ring shot is very natural, very pretty.      

Do you have the holidays on your mind today?

Photography: Kyle Hale Photographer via

heart marks the spot

Did you enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving?  Mine was just wonderful, blessed by good company & good food.  Now I officially plunged into holiday mode & started dreaming of Christmas . . .

I wouldn't mind finding a gorgeous, sparkly pair of Jimmy Choo heels under my Christmas tree!  But what I truly love here is the red felt heart.  Very simple.  Such a small, sweet detail for a Bride.  I can just imagine the Bride's excitement & anticipation for the wedding as she carefully applies the heart to her bridal shoes.  The heart may not be seen by many, may not even last long after hitting the pavement & perhaps that makes it even more personal & special.  After all, a heart marks the spot!   

Photography: Cly Creation via

{Holidays 2012} still thankful

2012 has been a difficult year as my husband & I have struggled to expand our baby family.  Now that Thanksgiving is near & I'm taking stock of the blessings in my life, I look back on the tough times with gratitude & hope.  I am so very grateful for family, old friends, new friends, blog friends & even complete strangers who reached out to give me support & prayers.  It means the world to me!

Most of all, I am thankful for my husband.  RZ is as heartbroken as me, yet he somehow manages to walk beside me, keep me strong & make me believe our dreams will come true.  Because I don't think I could possibly say it any better & the words ring true one year later, here is a rerun of my thankful 2011 post:  

Thankful.  Very, very thankful.

My husband RZ is at the tippy top of my gratitude list this Thanksgiving.  I dedicate this post to him.  

I am thankful to call you my husband.  I am thankful for the beautiful moment we clasped hands, looked into each other's eyes & pledged our vows in front of our nearest & dearest during our marriage ceremony.  I am thankful for the fun, rockstar party that followed.  I am thankful for our sunny, dreamy Hawaiian honeymoon.  I am thankful for the incredible, lovely newlywed times that came after our wedding & honeymoon.  & for the times that were not so happy or easy, I am thankful we weathered the storms together.  I am thankful for our sweet home we share with our sweet pup.  I am thankful that I look forward to the moment you walk through the door every night.  I am thankful for every big & small moment that we make special.  I am thankful for this amazing life that is ours. 

More than words. 

* * * * * * * * * *

Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours!

Photography: Timothy Glenn Photographers

 

pretty

Just a pretty Autumn bouquet today because sometimes just a little pretty is enough.

Image Cluney Photo via

{Mrs. Monday} Holidays 2012

With Thanksgiving just days away & Christmas right around the corner, I have the holidays on my mind.  It's not all blissful thoughts of love, family & laughter with a nice amount of holiday cookies & cupcakes mixed in.  No, before we can get to the celebration of the holidays, we must face the nitty-gritty logistics of where we are celebrating the holidays. 

Every couple we know has a different approach.  Some host the holidays.  Some spend Thanksgiving with her family, Christmas with his family.  Some split each holiday between her family & his family.  Some spend the holidays with their friends.  There a million different scenarios & the magic trick is finding the one that works best for your baby family.

After years of experimenting, we may have found the perfect solution for us!  RZ & I are following the same formula as last year: Thanksgiving with his family, Christmas Eve with his family & Christmas with my family.  In reality, we consider both our family- I say my family & his family just to for explanation purposes.  This holiday formula worked last year with us spending quality time with all of our loved ones while keeping the travel & stress to a minimum.  Now once we have kids, I'm not so sure the current plan will work anymore but we will cross that bridge when we must.  We will enjoy it while we can!

How do you navigate the holidays? 

Photography: Bring to Light Photography via

Wedding Wheels, Dedicated to Fin

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic on the subject of cars today because very early this morning, we watched my husband's flood-damaged car being towed away for good.  I have to admit, I was a little sad to see it go.  I remember the first time my husband, obviously just a guy I was dating back then, picked me up in that car.  Even as I remind myself it's just a car and others lost much more from Hurricane Sandy, I can't shake the lingering touch of sadness.

So today's Wedding Wheels post is dedicated to Fin.  Yes, I name my cars- did you really expect anything less from someone who loves cars?!  While Wedding Wheels celebrates all unique and unusual wedding getaways including cars, boats, bicycles and more, today's post is all cool cars, in honor of Fin.   

I love me a good old yellow cab but I'm digging this retro white taxi:

You can never go wrong with a classic, cherry red Mercedes convertible:

Hello, you incredible Great Gatsby beauty:

 Ah, a hot rod getaway car has the same spunk & spirit as Fin:

An antique blue beauty that oozes 1950's style:

Just as these awesome wedding wheels took these couples to great places on their wedding day, our Fin took us to countless great places.  We'll miss you, Fin buddy!

Photo 1: via; Photo 2: via; Photo 3: via; Photo 4: via; Photo 5: via

{Real Fall Colorado Wedding} Michelle & Chris

Well, my Koru friends, the time has come- our very last real wedding post for 2012.  Can you believe it?!  For the remainder of the year, I'm going to concentrate on a fun mixture of holiday, personal & plain old (not real) wedding posts.  I'm pretty excited!

I saved a real beauty for last, a wedding that reflects what I truly love about weddings: the love & joy.  The autumn wedding with an outdoor ceremony & manor reception has a few simply beautiful peach & chocolate brown details.  But Bride's happy, bright smile . . . well, let's just say it's the kind of detail that really matters.  Her lovely smile graces every moment in every photo!  Show us the love, Black Forest Photography:

My Favorite Moment: The Bride & Groom laughing during speeches- too cute!

My Favorite Detail: While I'm loving the perfect number that is the Bride's peach rose bridal bouquet, I have to vote for the Bride's smile.  It shows so much joy & love!

Congratulations, Michelle & Chris!

VENDOR LOVE:
Photography: Black Forest Photography  /  Submitted via Two Bright Lights  /  Reception Venue: Briarhurst Manor

naked

True story- once or twice or many times, I took a tub of cake frosting & a bag of animal crackers & called it dinner.  Yes, I am a huge fan of cake frosting!  Buttercream frosting, cream cheese frosting, vanilla frosting- you name the frosting, I love it.  Still, unfrosted wedding cakes are really growing on me.  I'm not sure I would want to eat one but the naked wedding cakes sure are pretty!

In the prettiest shades of purple, the mini-ombre cake is just fabulous:
 

The three-tiered cake lets its natural beauty shine through with just a perfect dash of powdered sugar, fruit & daisies:

Red velvet cake is a new love of mine; naturally, I adore an unfrosted one that lets its red roots show proudly:

If you're taking the unfrosted wedding cake route, go big or go home with an amazing naked wedding cake display:

Sometimes unfrosted cakes seem a bit messy with the frosting between layers having a mind of its own but here is a clean cut, unfrosted wedding cake decorated with berries & flowers.  A real winner in my eyes:

Naked wedding cakes have never looked so good!  Are you a fan?  More importantly, have you ever eaten cake frosting for dinner?  Please don't let me the only one.


Photo 1: via; Photo 2: via ; Photo 3: via; Photo 4: via; Photo 5: via  

{Hurricane Sandy} Scenes from Recovering Hoboken

Hoboken is a beautiful town with a gorgeous waterfront overlooking the incredible NYC skyline & quaint side streets boasting wide, shady sidewalks lined by brownstones.  Beagle Bailey & I love to meander the side streets on a daily basis, admiring each street's unique personality, beauty & vibe.  These post-Sandy days, all the side streets share the same look & feel: disaster & recovery.

Two weeks after Hurricane Sandy flooded our streets with the Hudson River, Hoboken is still trying to get back on its feet.  The sidewalks are piled high with flood-damaged debris; as fast as the garbage trucks pick it up, another home or business adds its losses to make another giant pile.  I get the saddest when I spot children's toys or old photographs among the debris.  The streets are littered with flood-damaged cars marked with an ominous "X", a clear sign they are totaled & waiting to be towed.  We have one such car.  Disaster recovery teams with their bright orange trucks & hazmat gear are common sights.  I'm more likely to run into a disaster worker than an actual resident.  Telephone poles once stapled with For Sale condo flyers now display FEMA & other disaster-related information.  I barely recognize my hometown.

& yet.  Hope is flourishing & strength is palpable- that is the Hoboken I know & love!  Hobokenites are struggling but they refuse to give up.  People, whether it be a neighbor from next door or a stranger from Georgia, are pitching in to lend helping hands, kind words &/or generous donations.  It's pretty amazing.  I know when Hoboken's recovery is all said & done that I will never see the Hoboken I once knew again- it will be better than ever!

Hoboken is just one small town of many still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Sandy.  Please consider donating to the Rebuild Hoboken Relief Fund,  New Jersey Relief Fund or American Red Cross.  As always, thoughts & prayers are appreciated too!  Thank you so very much!!

home very sweet home

Downtown Hoboken on our Wedding Day

One week & one day (but who's counting?) after we were displaced due to Hurricane Sandy, my husband & I came home last night.  It felt so good, so right, so sweet to be home again.  Hoboken, we missed you so much.  If there was a way to wrap my arms tight around our home & give it a big kiss, I would.

Hoboken means the world to us not only because it is our home, also it is the backdrop to our love story.  My husband & I met in Hoboken, dated in Hoboken, tied the knot in Hoboken, live in Hoboken & hope to start our family in Hoboken.  Not to mention that my business, Koru Wedding, was started in Hoboken.  The streets of this town tell our stories & hold our memories.

Right now, our beloved little town is still hurting so we hurt too.  There has been remarkable recovery in the past almost two weeks since Hurricane Sandy but there is much, much more to be done.  Fellow Hobokenites can't come home because their home & their belongings were lost to the flood waters.  Many of our favorite businesses remain shuttered because they were severely damaged & ruined.   I walk around the neighborhood that is familiar yet different.  I see the sadness & I feel the hope.   

& this is a familiar scene all across our area.  Staten Island, Breezy Point & Jersey shore towns to name a few.  RZ & I have pledged to do what we can to bring Hoboken & other areas back better than ever.  We will shop, dine & volunteer local & we know many others who have the exact same plan.  We are Hoboken Strong AND Jersey Strong!  

Photography: Timothy Glenn Photographers

    

{Hurricane Sandy} Scenes from Hoboken

 

Well.  What. a. week.

I wrote all my posts in advance last week because rumor had it that Hurricane Sandy was going to hit Hoboken & the surrounding areas.  RZ & I prepared: we stocked up on batteries, we bought non-perishable food & we filled the car with gas.  We prepared for the worst & hoped for the best.  By Monday evening, it seemed like Hurricane Sandy had spared Hoboken of anything more than heavy winds.

Around 10:30pm, things went really wrong really fast.  Power was lost.  Water came gushing down our street, turning our street into a rushing river & the first floor of our building into a pool.  Fire alarms started blaring.  We needed to get out of our building but we couldn't get out because of the water.  Panic set in.  The worst had arrived!

After getting through that scary night, we woke up still trapped in our building.  We had no power & no gas.  We couldn't leave because of the flooding.    

Instead of pavement, this murky river greeted us beyond our front door:

Further down our street, the flood waters were much deeper:

 

As Tuesday progressed, our little slice of Hoboken started looking much better.  Flood waters were receding in one direction:

 

The other direction still didn't look so good but we hoped & hoped & hoped some more we could leave in the morning:

For other images of the devastation in Hoboken, please see other residents' photos on Hoboken Girl Blog.

Thanks to our lucky stars, we were able to leave Wednesday morning & we were welcomed into our brother & sister-in-law's home.  For the first time, we could see the Hurricane Sandy coverage & truly understand her wrath.  National Guard rescuing stranded Hobokenites from still-flooded areas.  People surveying the burned spot where their home once stood.  The ocean obliterating my favorite spots on the Jersey shore.  Every single image & report broke my heart. 

We received word that Monday is the first day we may able to return home.  I feel very lucky & blessed that we have a wonderful place to stay & a home to return to at some point.  My heart remains in my home sweet home of Hoboken & I can't wait to go home.  To Hobokenites & others affected by Hurricane Sandy- stay strong!!!!

November 5 Update: We're still not home yet we are still feeling very lucky & grateful.  Blogging may be spotty for the next week or so; please be patient.  Our hearts, thoughts & prayers remain with everyone affected by Hurricane Sandy.  Hoboken Strong AND Jersey Strong!

leftovers

* Due to a little miss Hurricane Sandy headed our way, I am writing all posts in advance this week.  My thoughts & prayers are with everyone in her path.  May you be safe & well!

  

 

Wondering what to do with your leftover Halloween pumpkins?  Well, wise Martha Stewart suggests hallowing out your pumpkin, filling it with Fall flowers & surrounding it with votive candles.  Here you've got a gorgeous arrangement in lovely Fall hues; you could easily use carnations or another affordable flower for a similar look.  If you really attempt this Fall beauty, before putting your flowers in the pumpkin, use floral foam or place your flowers in a glass before placing them in the pumpkin.  Your pretty flowers will stay watered & fresh-looking for as long as possible.  Easy, peasey.

Too bad I drew on my pumpkins with Sharpies!

Image: via