Thousand Words

RZ & I having a good ol' time at our Reception
Photo by Timothy Glenn Photographers

Oh yes, Koru loves, a picture is worth a thousand words!

I was reminded of this very fact when RZ & I received the good word from our fabulous photographer, Tim of Timothy Glenn Photographers, that our wedding photos were available to view at Pictage. Oh happy day! We had viewed selected professional photos from our wedding, not to mention our guests' photos. But this. This we had been waiting for with excitement!

RZ & I spent the night reviewing our wedding photos- what fun! Tim & his crew had been with us from the time we got ready to the moment the last guest left & they captured every moment beautifully. Each photograph brought us back to the love, joy & beauty of our wedding. We were in complete awe as we relived our wedding day.

Do you know what surprised me? The wedding planner in me loves the details. I live for good ring shots, bouquet shots, table shots, etc. Check, check, check- we have them all & they are stunning. But the Bride in me adores our family & friends. The photographs of people smiling, laughing, dancing & singing their way through our wedding touch my heart. Years from now, I (probably) won't care much what the tables looked like. I will forever cherish the look on RZ's face when he saw me walking down the aisle, our parents' faces as they watched our First Dance & our family & friends as they sang along to Livin' on a Prayer.

Those wedding pictures are worth a thousand words!

Honeymoon: Sleepy in Oahu

The Monday after our wedding, we kissed our cold, snowy home good-bye & jetted off to Hawaii for our 12-day honeymoon. I slept for the first two days of our honeymoon, no lie. The two weeks of little to no sleep caught up to me! I barely remember one moment of our 10-hour flight to Oahu because I was asleep before we left the runway. It was a dream come true to wake up to the paradise of Hawaii.


But I was still tired. The warm air, the swaying palm trees & the gentle waves weren't enough to rouse me. We checked into our beautiful oceanfront room at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach (FREE! thanks to our Reception at Hyatt on the Hudson!!) & I'd never seen a bed look more inviting. I couldn't very well spend the first night of our honeymoon sleeping so RZ & I headed to an old standby, Duke's Waikiki, for our first honeymoon dinner. All I see in this photo below is pure exhaustion!


The next day dawned cloudy but warm. We were (yes, still) tired from our wedding & our travels yet our spirits were bright. Oahu was a brief stopover for us on our way to Maui & Kauai & we felt very little pressure to do much because we'd spent 5 days here together a few years ago. We lunched, napped on the beach & walked miles along the coast. Our regular life is so planned & regimented that it felt amazing to see where the day took us. Very carefree, very wonderful.


The day ended on our oceanfront balcony with complimentary champagne from the Hyatt. The perks of being newlyweds! We toasted to our honeymoon naturally. I was the happiest girl in the world with my husband by my side, bubbly in my hand & waves in my sight.



We were treated a gorgeous, pink ribbon sky sunset:


For our final honeymoon dinner in Oahu, we went to Duke's Waikiki again for fresh fish & tropical drinks under the stars.


Our time in Oahu was brief but important. It gave us the luxury of recharging for remainder of our honeymoon. When we departed Oahu the next day, we were fresh & excited to enjoy Maui!

The Look

The Look of Our Winter Wedding
Ivory Linens, White Flowers, Glowing Candlelight
(Photo by Friend)

There are countless ways to approach the design of your wedding. We took the venue-driven route. We chose venues that, among other things, were so stunning they require little to no decor. We wanted to keep things simple & elegant to enhance, rather than distract from, the venues' true beauty. Simple & elegant became our wedding mantra. If the idea didn't fit simple & elegant, it didn't belong at our wedding.

The snapshot of our sweetheart table & wedding cake best showcases our wedding look. The simple, bunched carnation bouquets with ivory swirl ribbon. My long, sleek calla lily bouquet with ivory swirl ribbon. Striped ivory linens with simple white napkins. Votive candles glowing. Magnolia menu cards with peony purple backers & matching shades of peony purple ink, including our swirl motif. Our pretty purple toasting flutes. Our square, white wedding cake with orchids spilling down the side. All set against the glittering backdrop of Manhattan. Simply elegant!

Now I realize some of the things I'm describing, you can't see well in the photo above. I'm working with guest snapshots to tell our wedding story; later, I'll go into every last design detail with TGP's crisp, beautiful photos. But you get the idea hopefully.

The Manhattan Ballroom took my breath away when I saw it for the first time. I was so happy to see our design ideas come to life so beautifully. But in the end, it wasn't the flowers or the linens or the menu cards that mattered. Our friends & families who celebrated with us made our wedding shine!

The View

The glittering, glorious skyline of Manhattan was the shining star of our winter wedding.


This was carefully planned. RZ & I are lucky enough to enjoy stunning views of Manhattan from our beloved hometown of Hoboken & we wanted to share this experience with our guests. So the Manhattan Ballroom at Hyatt on the Hudson, with its fabulous skyline views, was booked. The flowers & decor were kept simple & elegant. The prayers to the Weather God were made for a clear evening.


On January 15, everything fell into place & the Manhattan skyline lit up in full glory.



Imagine dining on delicious food with sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline. Imagine dancing to a fun song with the bright lights of Manhattan surrounding you. Imagine celebrating a joyous occasion among the ultimate backdrop of Manhattan. So beautiful, so romantic. You're imagining the very night of our wedding!


It was a dream come true to treat our wedding guests to the dramatic Manhattan views. In my mind, the skyline was the star of the show & she's never shined brighter or more beautifully!

(Skyline Photos from Our Wedding
Taken by Wedding Guests)

Livin' on a Prayer

Eat, Drink & Be Married. Check, check, check. What is missing? DANCE!!!!

Thanks to the talents of The Love Jones Band, there was a good old dance party during our wedding! While I tell my planning clients to provide their band or DJ with a Must Play/Don't Play list, RZ & I trusted The Love Jones Band & let them work their magic to fill the dance floor. Boy, did they deliver!

Here are some guests' snapshots of the fun:

Dancing Queens & Kings!

Party, party!

RZ's (well, our) relatives know how to have fun!

The happy crowd surges the stage!

The Groom & the Best Man in the party spirit!

The Love Jones Band saved the best for last: "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi, aka the Jersey Anthem. They handed the mic to RZ (as seen in the last photo) & he took it away. Our guests went wild! They cheered. They sang. They danced. It was awesome!! The energy & love in the room was more than I could ever hope to describe. We were on top of the world!

It was the perfect ending to our perfect wedding!

. . . and Eat It Too!

Look, we can cut cake!

And feed each other nicely!
(Photos by Friends)

As beautiful as our wedding cake was, the time came to cut, serve & eat this beauty.

RZ & I cut the cake to the tune of "How Sweet It Is" by James Taylor (First Dance song runner-up). It's kind of an odd feeling to be cutting cake with a million eyeballs on you. Thankfully, we managed this simple task together without ruining the cake or cutting any fingers. I can't remember who feed who first but both bites were given nicely. We hadn't discussed cake smashing being off-limits but it was an unspoken, understood rule. Then came the obligatory, post-cake kiss. It was all fun & good but this Bride wanted to sit down & enjoy her yummy cake!!!

Because it was delicious!!!!! Our wedding cake was a black & white cake with chocolate fudge filling, a dirty layer of buttercream & an outer layer of white fondant. We'd had a hard time choosing between the black & white cake or a red velvet cake but I can safely say we made the right choice. OMG, it was finger-licking good! I enjoyed my first bite, then my slice at our sweetheart table & finally, my last slice as a late night snack in our hotel room.

I'd enjoyed cakes from Carlo's Bakery before & they never, ever disappoint on looks or taste. I may be a tad biased but I'm positive our cake was the best ever!

Have Your Cake . . .

Our Wedding Cake by Cake Boss

The delicate orchids decorating our wedding cake

Sitting Pretty!
(Photos by Friends)

A wedding cake should look good & taste even better. It's that simple. With our little old local bakery, Carlo's Bakery (aka Cake Boss), making our wedding cake, I was confident ours would be pretty & tasty!

Let's talk pretty first.

Our wedding was simple & elegant so we chose the cake design that best fit this vision. Our four-tier, square cake was covered in white fondant with white orchids cascading down the side. Oh so simple, oh so elegant.

Every last detail of our wedding cake was carefully planned & executed. The four tiers were suggested to feed our 125+ guests. The square shape was an absolute must for me; I'm a huge fan of square cakes & their clean lines. The all-white color scheme matched our winter white wedding. The white fondant was a different shade of white from the white orchids to keep the cake from blending into white nothingness.

Our pretty cake was surrounded by votive candles on a table with ivory linens directly behind our sweetheart table in the Manhattan Ballroom. It was a simply stunning display!

How did our wedding cake taste? Details tomorrow!!

One Moment

Continuing the photo theme this week . . . Another Sweetheart Table Photo! (Photo by Friend)

Weddings pass quickly, like a shooting star in the night sky. There is nothing you can do about it. The best advice I received from married ladies was to be present & enjoy every moment.

I rocked that gem of advice like it was my job. I didn't worry about how fast our wedding went or panic about how little time we had left. I stayed in the moment, focused on the joy & love present.

One of my favorite parts of our Reception was when RZ & I paused & appreciated a special moment together. I believe this happened during the First Course, perhaps the second. We were seated at our sweetheart table with its expansive view of our Reception. Our friends & families were seated around us at the simple, pretty tables with twinkling candlelight. Our awesome band played soft, dinner music. NYC glittered across the river as the ultimate backdrop to our evening.

This was our Reception. This was our positive new beginning. This was all we'd dreamed of for eleven months & it was beyond perfect.

We breathed it in, every last detail washing over our grateful hearts. We counted our blessings & voiced our gratitude.

Then the action started again & we were swept away into the night. But that little pause, that little moment to appreciate our celebration? It's one of my biggest memories.

EAT, Drink & Be Married

Bride & Groom enjoying their Entrees
(Photo by Friend)

Many Brides eat little to nothing at their Wedding. I was determined not to be that Bride. I believe in the "Eat, Drink & Be Married" philosophy. Much like life, there is a time for everything at a wedding: a time to dance, a time to laugh, a time to drink & a time to EAT. Our four-course Wedding Feast was near & dear to my heart & I'm happy to say we enjoyed every last bite.

Shortly after toasts, the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake appetizer was served. YUM! I'm a picky eater & my family teases me that my diet consisted solely of grilled cheese & chicken fingers until college when I added crab cakes to the mix (thank you, Maryland). They're exaggerating a bit but they're right that crab cakes are one of my favorite foods. As such, it was added to our tasting menu upon request & chosen for our wedding because it was delicious & reflected my tastes. Mmmm, great choice.

Next, the Apple, Endive and Feta Salad. The salad was a beautiful presentation of green apple slivers, purple endive slivers & pops of white feta cheese. RZ raved about it at our tasting & raved about it again at our wedding. While the appetizer was all me, the second course went to RZ. I can't speak to the taste of the salad because I, Mrs. Picky Eater, was served the Caprese Salad because I don't like feta cheese. I was quite happy with my tasty fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes & pesto.

We offered three entree selections: Tenderloin of Beef, Pan Seared Salmon & Pork Loin Medallions. There was also a vegetarian option available. We made our selections shortly after being seated at our Reception & we ordered the Tenderloin of Beef. It was our clear favorite at our tasting &, as far as we can tell, at our wedding too! We haven't talked to one person who didn't order & love the tenderloin. Although the theory of ordering two entrees & sampling our wedding food was tempting, we couldn't resist the tenderloin which was melt-in-your mouth good.

Last, but never least, was dessert. Zeppoles & cake which as far as I can tell are a match made in heaven. Oh zeppoles, how I love thee. I've been known to wait on line for over 30 minutes to get the famous zeppoles at our church's annual street festival. We were thrilled to add these doughy little balls of heaven to our wedding menu. When our zeppole basket was delivered to our sweetheart table, RZ & I almost knocked each other over to get to them first. They were piping hot & absolutely divine!!!

Are you wondering about our wedding cake from the Cake Boss?! Full details coming soon when I post about our cake cutting :-)

Will (or did) you eat at your wedding? Does your wedding menu reflect the food you enjoy?

Our Wedding Feast

Bride & Groom enjoying the Second Course
(plus a sneak peek at our cake!)
(Photo by Friend)

RZ & I celebrate everything with food- relationship milestones, job successes, family triumphs, etc. We toast the latest good news, then dive into a delicious appetizer, entree & dessert. It's our way.

As such, food at our wedding, our biggest celebrations to date, was a huge deal. We chose the Hyatt on the Hudson for many, many reasons & one important reason was the food. We didn't regret this decision one bit as we worked hand-in-hand with the Hyatt to create a custom wedding menu to reflect our personal preferences & tastes. This was one of our favorite parts of planning our wedding.

Here is our four-course Wedding Feast chosen by our hearts & our taste buds:

Appetizer:
Jumbo Lump Crab Cake

Salad:
Apple, Endive & Feta Salad (Caprese Salad for Mrs. Picky Bride)

Entree: Guest Selection of
Tenderloin of Beef, Pan Seared Salmon,
Pork Loin Medallions or Chef's Choice of Vegetarian Entree.

Dessert:
Zeppoles & Wedding Cake

My tummy is rumbling at the mere mention of this yummy food! Tune in tomorrow for the full report on our Wedding Feast!

The Missing Dance

Me (in pink) with my Dad, Sister & Crazy Dog (no, really she was) KoKo

Mother/Son Dance

You may have noticed that RZ & I included most traditions at our Reception & did them immediately to get the formalities out of the way of the party. Grand Entrance, First Dance, Toasts.

Did you wonder about the Father/Daughter & Mother/Son Dances?

I had a tough time planning the Parent Dances because my Dad died when I was younger. My feelings about these dances grew more & more complicated as our Wedding drew near, making a final decision that much harder. RZ knew I was struggling & offered to skip the Mother/Son Dance but that wasn't an option. RZ, his Mom & their relationship deserved that moment &, later, that memory.

One option was a Bride/Someone Dance. My sister danced with my Grandpa at her wedding but he is no longer with us either. Still, I could be hip & dance with my Mom. Or dance with my Uncles who walked me down the aisle. Sweet, definitely. My fear was I would get sad & emotional wishing my Dad was there to dance with me. I had no desire to be a crying, slobbering Bride at our Wedding.

The other option was a Mother/Son Dance only. Now this had to be handled delicately as well. The dance had to be perfectly placed so it garnered attention but not so much fanfare that I got sad about my Dad & our missing dance. Was this mission impossible?

Just in case you're worried that I'm a crazy mess, I'm truly not. One thing I've learned is that you learn to live with the death of a parent but you never get over it. On an emotional day like my Wedding, I expected it might be a day when my heart sobbed at the knowledge of my Dad being gone.

I have a lot of people to thank for their patience & understanding over this issue. RZ who would have done anything I wished to keep me smiling. My bridesmaids for listening to my worries & reassuring me it would work out. Gary of The Love Jones Band for not pushing me to decide whether "What A Wonderful World" would be a Bride/Someone Dance or a Bridal Party Dance. Eileen of An Affair to Remember for taking my feelings into consideration, offering suggestions &, ultimately, scheduling the Mother/Son Dance to best fit my needs.

In the end, RZ & his Mom danced to "In My Life" by The Beatles as the Second Course was served. Our guests were seated & able to focus on them while I could drown my sorrows in my Caprese Salad. My cousin/bridesmaid joined me at the sweetheart table to keep me company throughout the dance. I wasn't alone with my thoughts which was a good thing. With the proper placement of the dance & my bridesmaid by my side, I didn't feel much sadness. I felt mostly joy in my heart & I knew the angels were near. All's well that ends well.

Toasts of the Town

Sister of Honor Toast

Best Man Toast
(All Photos by Friends
Ugh, not loving these two photos but they'll have to do for now!)

"What A Wonderful World" ended & the band invited our guests to take their seats for toasts. RZ & I settled at our sweetheart table, ready for the games to begin.

First, my Sister of Honor. My only sibling, my older sister & my best friend. She took the mic with her toast handwritten on her monogrammed stationery (bonus: she gave it to me as a keepsake) & she nailed it. My SoH had made it quite clear in advance that she wanted to give us a toast, not a speech. Then she proceeded to prove just a few, thoughtful words about our close sisterhood & my new marriage can pack a powerful punch.

Second, RZ's Best Man. RZ's only sibling, his younger brother & his best friend. The Best Man approached the mic with his typed speech in hand &, like my SoH, he nailed it. Unlike my SoH, the Best Man had a few, fun stories to tell to illustrate their strong brotherhood & to toast our new marriage. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house when the Best Man explained he chose the same nickname as his older brother because he wanted to be like him (long story but yes, these two brothers have the same name). There were tears, there was laughter.

Our Sister of Honor & Best Man approached things differently yet produced the same result: loving words to toast our marriage & carry in our hearts always.

Let Me Play Among The Stars

"Fly Me to the Moon

Let Me Play Among the Stars . . .

In Other Words, Please Be True

In Other Words, I Love You"

(All Photos by Friends)

Cocktail Hour is over . . . now our Wedding Reception!

The Love Jones Band launched into "Beautiful Day" by U2 (RZ's favorite band). Pair by pair, our Bridal Party made their Grand Entrance into the magnificent Manhattan Ballroom & formed a semi-circle around the dance floor. Soon, we were the only ones left outside the ballroom. I squeezed RZ's hand & took a deep breath.

Upon the announcement of Mr. & Mrs., RZ & I burst onto the scene as our guests cheered & clapped. What a triumphant moment!

The band began to play "Fly Me to the Moon" by Frank Sinatra as we transitioned smoothly into our First Dance. We chose this classic song for its sweet lyrics, Sinatra's tie to our beloved hometown of Hoboken & its blissfully short running time (you may remember this song was my first choice!). For this shy Bride who doesn't appreciate attention, especially when I'm dancing, a short song was key. I did my best to enjoy twirling in the arms of my new husband. I really tried. But mostly I was thinking that the band may have added an extra chorus because the song seemed awfully long. Almost endless.

I couldn't have been happier when I heard my favorite song "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong start. Our Bridal Party & their partners joined us on the dance floor. Instantly, I felt at ease among the crowd of our dear friends & family. It got better & better as more & more couples took to the dance floor for this lovely song.

& it truly was a wonderful world as I danced in my new husband's arms on our wedding night with our family & friends dancing beside us.

Cocktail Hour

Our cutie Flower Girl enjoys a treat during CH

The Bride chats with friends at CH

The Bride & Her Bestie/Bridesmaid at CH

Our family's table full of food & drinks at CH!
(All Photos by Friends)

Thrilled! RZ & I walked into our Cocktail Hour in the Manhattan Ballroom & we were thrilled. Candles flickered in the floor-to-ceiling windows with views of downtown Manhattan & the Statue of Liberty. Small arrangements of tightly clustered white carnations & bear grass-wrapped bases decorated the cocktail tables covered in striped ivory linens. Jazz standards wafted through the air courtesy of The Love Jones Band piano player on the grand piano.

Oh, there's more! Our beloved raw bar (done by special request as it's our favorite), our pasta station & our cheese & fruit station. Our colorful martini bar. Waiters & waitresses offering trays of cleverly-displayed hors d'oeuvres.

&, best of all, our family & friends. Eating. Drinking. Talking. Laughing. It was a dream come true.

I knew instantly that RZ's idea to enjoy a mini, private Cocktail Hour was beyond brilliant. We were happy, relaxed & full. We mixed & mingled as we pleased without a care. We didn't have to worry about getting food, balancing a plate & drink or being caught with food in our mouths which was quite priceless. We worked the room, giving hugs & accepting congratulations. It was our version of an informal, fun Receiving Line as we got the chance to chat with almost every guest. Such a fun time!

I could hardly believe the evening was young & it was just going to get better & better!

Cocktails for Two

I don't have any photos of our private Cocktail Hour
Instead, here's a blurry favorite of us with the taxi
(Photo by friend)

RZ & I didn't want to miss our Cocktail Hour & we designed our wedding day carefully to make sure not one lobster bisque, lamb chop or mac & cheese was served without us. We had fallen behind when our ceremony started late but we caught up during our photo session. Sure enough, our vintage taxi delivered us to the Hyatt on the Hudson minutes before the start of our Cocktail Hour.

Then the plan went haywire!

"Let's go to the Bridal Suite & relax," RZ suggested. I panicked. This wasn't part of the plan, the minute-by-minute schedule that Eileen was managing for us. Then I realized we hadn't spent one second alone since getting married a few hours ago. Screw the schedule. I agreed.

Best. Decision. EVER.

We were greeted at the Bridal Suite by our butler, Daniel, who had wisely set up a private Cocktail Hour for us. Yes, our butler! Let me just say the Hyatt rocks! The delish spread included two or more of each of the passed & station hors d'oeuvres. Daniel confirmed that we had the drinks & food we wanted before leaving us in peace.

I look back at that quiet half hour we stole as pure perfection. I hugged my Groom, telling him how handsome he was & how happy I was to be his wife. He said similar things to melt my heart. Then we sat down & relaxed. We toasted our wonderful wedding & enjoyed the delicious food. We reflected on the wedding thus far, talking about this & that. We felt so blessed that everything had been so wonderful &, quite honestly, we were amazed that we had so much more to look forward to at the Reception.

Sufficiently refueled & rejuvenated, we clasped hands as husband & wife & left the Bridal Suite to join our fabulous guests at our Cocktail Hour in the Manhattan Ballroom Foyer. Cheers!

Last Night as a Bride-to-be

Bride & Groom Thank You Speech
The windows behind us overlook downtown NYC & Statue of Liberty

Me & My Bridesmaids
These ladies rock!

Bride & Groom with my Uncles
They walked me down the aisle :-)

True story: we were one hour late to our rehearsal dinner. Only us! Minus that little detail, my last evening as a Bride-to-be was perfect.

RZ & I were greeted by the applause of our family & friends who had gathered to celebrate with us. Maybe they were simply glad we showed up but I prefer to think they were cheering for us, for our love, for our future. I could feel the love in the room & I will remember it forever.

The evening was fun & casual, just as we'd hoped. Everything was simple with hotel-supplied cocktail tables, black linens, votive candles & house music. The buffet & open seating allowed our guests to eat, mix & mingle as they pleased. Conversations & laughter floated in the air. I ate my fair share of funnel cake, I chatted with our guests & I posed for plenty of photos. Looking back now, I'm very grateful for this extra time to spend with our guests because the wedding went so quickly!

This was our golden opportunity to thank our bridal party, families & friends for their presence, support & love during our engagement, at our wedding & always. I'm not a good public speaker & RZ doesn't love it either. We kept the speech short & sweet, then handed out our thank you gifts. I'm not sure we could ever thank everyone enough but we tried.

The next thing I knew, it was time to say good-night after a wonderful rehearsal diner. RZ would be spending the night in the cushy hotel suite while I would be returning to the comforts of our home. Lots of couples talk about sad tears & heartfelt talks as they separate for the night. Not us! RZ was excited to watch tv & relax in the suite & I had a few things on my to-do list to tackle. But there was no mistaking our happiness: the next time we saw each other, I would be walking down the aisle!

Planning Nightmare

My exact sentiment about planning our rehearsal dinner
Print available on Etsy in breedingfancy's shop

Okay, I wanted to share the story of our rehearsal dinner with you today but I can hardly talk about the dinner without mentioning the planning of the dinner . . .

The planning of our rehearsal dinner was one of our biggest challenges. It took us five months, not to mention plenty of blood, sweat & tears. The premise seemed so simple: a casual dinner to celebrate with our bridal party, families & out-of-town guests. Sounds easy, right? Nope, not in Hoboken. I started out focusing on our favorite restaurants, then tried anything & everything. Most restaurants are too small for private parties & the few that can accommodate large parties charge a fortune. Frustrating.

After getting nowhere fast, we decided to host our rehearsal dinner at the Hyatt on the Hudson to keep things easy for ourselves & our guests. The Hyatt offered us the Harborside Room, a good-sized room with pretty views of the Statue of Liberty. We were on the right track! But it wasn't as easy as we hoped. We didn't like any of the plated or buffet dinner options because they were too formal, very similar to our wedding menu. We wanted the rehearsal dinner & wedding to be vastly different especially now that the venue was essentially the same. I began to wonder if McDonald's would mind a party of 50.

The Hyatt sent me their complete corporate & private catering menu in what I can only guess was sheer desperation. I stumbled upon a "themed snack break" of soft pretzels, french fries & funnel cake. My stomach growled at the mere thought of my favorite foods. We were on to something! With the easy additions of salads, 3 choices of pizza & 3 choices of sliders, we were set. We sent out easy, cute invitations from Pingg & called it a day. At last, we had managed to create the fun, casual rehearsal dinner of our dreams!

Check in tomorrow for the scoop on my last dinner as a Soon-to-Be Mrs.!

Dream Team

RZ & I have been happily married for one month & counting (quickly approaching two months!). Upon our return from our relaxing honeymoon, I began to struggle with the best way to share our wedding story. I want it to be perfect, much like the day itself. I finally came to the conclusion that, like anything in life, I just need to start the story.

One Happy Couple!
Image by Timothy Glenn Photographers (for more, click HERE)

Let's start with our vendors: our amazing, amazing vendors! I must thank our fabulous vendors for making our wedding dreams come true by their talent & efforts. They're simply the best!

Alterations/Veil: Ally Bridal & Tuxedo
Attire (Bride): Celestine by WToo at Lovely Bridal Shop
Attire (Bridesmaids): Cynthia Rowley at Bella Bridesmaid
Band: The Love Jones Band
Cake: Carlo's Bakery
Florist: Elizabeth Koleto Designs

Hair & Make-up: Ashimoto
Honeymoon: All About Honeymoons
Hotel: Hyatt on the Hudson
Invitations & other paper goods: Marsupial Invitations at Koru Wedding Shoppe
Jewelry (Bride): Bracelet by J.Crew & Earrings borrowed
Jewelry (Bridemaids): Earrings & Bracelet by Cookie Lee, Necklace by Chico's
Photography: Timothy Glenn Photography
Transportation (Limo): Santos VIP Limousine
Transportation (Vintage Checker Cab): Film Cars
Tux: Men's Wearhouse
Venue (Ceremony): Church of St. Ann
Venue (Reception, Rehearsal Dinner & Brunch): Hyatt on the Hudson
Videography: document this! productions
Wedding Planner: An Affair to Remember

Some I had worked with before wearing my hat as a wedding planner, some I had been introduced to while planning my own wedding. RZ & I expected the best from them & they delivered. Without exception, our vendors exceeded our expectations. I can only wish & hope to work with each member of our dream team again!

DIY Project #3: K & R

Painted K, Naked R

My final DIY wedding project was our initials, K & R. Because RZ & I branded everything from the spot in the sand where he proposed to our wedding invitations with our initials, I wanted to continue the theme at our wedding reception. I picked out the perfect spot for our initials on a site visit at Hyatt on the Hudson: our guest book table. The guest book table would be against the wall & the letters would add a bit of height & personality. After the wedding, we could hang the letters in our home as a wedding memento. Now all I needed was to complete the project!

K & R in Progress

This DIY project was the quickest & easiest. I bought two wooden letters, one ampersand, two bottles of ivory paint & one bottle of mocha paint at AC Moore. I briefly considered painting the ampersand purple because I had added touches of purple, like the bridesmaid dresses, throughout the celebration. In the end, I went with mocha for the simple reason that it would look best in our living room when the wedding was said & done. I took my supplies home & painted the K & R with about five coats of paint over a period of a few days. I applied the final coat of paint the night before the wedding :-)

The snag was the guest book table wasn't placed against the wall as the catering manager had told me. I went through three catering managers at Hyatt on the Hudson &, unfortunately, the second one who led me on a site tour may not have known everything about the cocktail hour set-up. It never occurred to me to confirm the guest book table placement with my third, final & best Hyatt contact. At our wedding, the guest book table was placed in an excellent position near the ballroom entrance- just not against a wall. I hadn't bought letters that could stand on their own so the initials were awkwardly propped up somehow on the table. For a fleeting moment as I entered the ballroom & noticed the table, I considered putting on my wedding planner hat & trying to fix the problem, then realized it wasn't a big deal. At all.

K & R in our home today

For the record, as you can see above, our initials look just right on our living room wall!

DIY Project: Welcome Bags

Our Wedding Welcome Bag

My Mom is a gift basket-maker by trade. She makes creative, beautiful gift baskets for charity raffles, first-time home owners, wedding gift bags & more. Give her a theme & she churns out a perfectly-themed gift basket. By the time we tackled our wedding welcome bags, we had less than one week to the wedding & a never-ending to-do list. We never considered skipping the welcome bags because we still wanted gift bags to greet our guests at the hotel & provide them with information & treats. We had to make welcome bags & keep our sanity intact. My Mom was probably a tad disappointed when I told her the theme for our welcome bags was "simple."

But she went with the flow as she realized I may have a meltdown otherwise & we kept it simple. The basic idea was a plain bag decorated with our leftover "Greetings from Hoboken" save-the-date postcards tied with an easy bow & filled with a welcome letter, wedding itinerary & plentiful snacks. We snagged glossy, white bags & white grosgrain ribbon for an awesome price at AC Moore. We went to Sam's Club & grabbed anything & everything that looked good- water, apples, granola bars, cookies, pretzels, chips, etc- also for a reasonable price. We bought white paper decorated with silver swirls at Staples. I had already collected Love mints & wedding tissues.

Thank goodness this project was not so much DIY as DIT- do it together. While I worked on the letter & itinerary with our painfully-slow printer, my Mom & cousin/bridesmaid worked the bag assembly line. I can't thank them enough for their valuable support & help! Each had to be tagged with the postcard, hole-punched for the ribbon, stuffed with the treats & information &, finally, tied with a bow. Between the shopping, the assembly & the delivery, this DIY project ate a lot of time. Quite a project even on a simple scale!

The hardworking welcome bag team

Yes, I wrote "Welcome" on every treat

The tagged welcome bags waiting to be finished

The welcome bags may not have been as fancy as my Mom would have liked but I thought they were just perfect. With the "Greetings From Hoboken" postcard, they managed to perfectly welcome the guests to our beloved home & carry through our hometown theme. Plus they looked cute & simple, they were filled with yummy snacks & they had pertinent information. What more could you ask for from a welcome bag?! RZ & I delivered them to the hotel on Friday afternoon to be placed in each of our out-of-town guests' hotel rooms as a hearty welcome to our wedding weekend. The fun was just beginning!

The finished product- I loved them!