honeymoon shoes

Tomorrow we leave for Italy...at last. It was nice not leaving for the honeymoon right away and waiting a couple of weeks. Time to clean, time to pack, and it left something else to anticipate. Especially since all the wedding things seemed to go by so quickly. We still have wedding pics and videos to look forward to seeing when we get back. Yeah! I have been trying to buy all the various necessities we will need for our trip. I purchased two pairs of walking shoes, some luggage, and still need a good travel messenger bag.
For shoes I got a black pair of Privo's and a bronze pair of Josef Seibel's. Both are delightfully comfortable while being perfectly cute. They are both ballet style flats with lots of cushion. Who knew there were so many brands of walking shoes. Before my hunt for shoes I only knew of Merrils, but there is Privo, Josef Seibel, Ecco, Keen, Cole Haan, Borne, Clarks and many more. I will also pack flip flops and the gold ballet flats I purchased for the wedding to wear on a nice dinner out.

this time last week

This time last week I was at my mom's house with my bridesmaids getting ready for the tea ceremony. Now I'm in the midst of a messy apartment and just taking in the whole experience. The comment most often said to us this last week..."you two should be wedding planners." And we would be in a heartbeat. It was super fun and in all actuality not that hard. That's saying quite a bit considering our wedding was was a three day production. I don't know how people have cake and punch weddings...no offense, cause everyone's style is different. But a cake and punch wedding is over too soon and it simply doesn't have enough details to plan.

wedding olympics..."The Opening Ceremonies"

It's starting to sink in now that all the wedding chaos is all over. It's crazy, but being engaged was actually super fun in retrospect. I loved the anticipation. I loved the expectations. I loved the planning and all the details, even if it meant that there was fighting and awkwardness now and then. Our wedding was definitely more stressful than most. We nicknamed it the "Wedding Olympics." This pic is from Thursday, the tea ceremony. We called it "The Opening Ceremonies" It was definitely a tearjerker. It was definitely the most elaborate tea ceremony I have ever been to, and I've been to quite a few. Michael's family was just so big. They had seats set up like we were performing a traditional wedding at the house. The family speakers were very moving. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. Every person that came up for us to serve tea gave us very heartfelt wishes. And even the men cried. It was truly beautiful. To be honest I worried a lot about this day, because normally tea ceremonies are chaotic. No one knows what they are doing. The videographer often directs the show talking over everyone. People stand there somewhat confused. And despite all the pomp and pageantry with the traditional clothing and the presentation of gifts, somehow it always seems super informal because people just stand around. But I have to admit, Michael's family was super organized. I actually want to watch a video of it, because everyone's speaking was really impressive.

wedding details

Wine bottles are a key element in our wedding. We're using wine bottles as part of the centerpieces and designing custom labels (my fiancee's hobby) that will have the menu and reception program printed on them. They will also display the table number. These are the bottles after he scraped off the labels. They are still sitting in the guest bathroom as I type.

And so the countdown begins...

I get married on a Thursday...then again on Saturday...it's crazy, I know. Why would anyone subject themselves to multiple days of this? Well, fortunately I love weddings and I love wedding planning...so I suppose for me it isn't so bad. At least some days, and then other days I remember why it was a completely ridiculous thing to agree to but, anyway....why I'm really posting. I got my new shoes in the mail yesterday. I know. I know. I already bought shoes, and they were flats and they are fabulous. But I purchased a short Priscilla of Boston number for the end of the night, which means I need some fabulous dancing shoes...heels, of course. So they came in and I am in love. They have cushioned soles and are oh so comfy.

and then there were 3

Well, there are only 13 days until my wedding and now I'm down to three bridesmaids. One got pregnant, and now another has to drop out for health reasons. I swear...I should have known something like this would happen. It's not a wedding unless something bad happens. So now I have extra groomsmen, spent money on dresses that won't be worn, and have to figure out what to do...but what can be done at this point?

one wedding down, two more to go

Okay, my favorite couple just got married this past weekend. So much fun! It was beautiful, they were beautiful, it was simply fantastic. Now on to my wedding....which I am not really looking forward to right now because I know that I will not be as laid back as my friends were this past weekend. I'm a bit more of a bridezilla, admittedly. So let's see how it goes. I would post pics some of my wedding details, but somehow I keep getting an internal error. Oh well, next time.

4th of July

The first holiday celebrated in the new place. Fourth of July. I'm not really into Fourth of July festivities. The Fourth conjures up images of lakes, picnics, and barbeques. Not a big fan of any of those things, mostly because I think of bugs when I think of outdoor summer time activities. Our Fourth did not consist of any of these things. Woke up to rearranging, cleaning, and working. Not particularly fun, but not bad either because I am strangely in the mood to clean. Basically because I am procrastinating. The day did end on a nice note though. Our building has large balconies on the 18th, 19, and 20th floors. They opened up the 18th floor balcony to everyone in the building. It was really nice. We could see pretty much every fireworks show in the Oklahoma City and the surrounding suburbs and exurbs. It was really nice.

Moving In and Moving On

Last Friday we moved into our new apartment. It's lovely. The views of the city are so nice, that for a moment I forget that I live in Oklahoma City. I'm not completely moved in though. Half of my clothes, none of my shoes, nothing but furniture and some kitchen items for now. Not even my dog. We spent Friday and Saturday painting the apartment. Just a touch here and there. A red wall in the living room, some stripes in the bedroom. It was a bit of a fiasco because he decided he didn't like the green we picked out for the stripes. We spent Tuesday night repainting the stripes "black currant" - a purply brown. The biggest ordeal of all was going to IKEA on Sunday. I love IKEA. I could live in IKEA. But going to IKEA is oh so bittersweet. You get there all pumped with a plan, but then you go in and it is endless. By the time I get downstairs for the real shopping, I'm exhausted, I don't care anymore, I just want to leave. But when you get downstairs you're barely half way and it keeps going. We left with a bed, dresser, entertainment unit, and some random kitchen accessories. Not nearly everything we wanted, but that's okay. We'll be back. The thing about moving is how much you end up leaving behind. The hardest thing for me right now is riding the line of acceptability with my parents about this whole thing. I get married next month and I'm moving in...prematurely in my parent's eyes. My parents are of the mindset that one does not live with a boy...not even the boy you are engaged to. Although, they have taken it fairly well there is a comment here and there that makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable about the situation. Like I should keep it a secret that I will soon be living here permanently. It may seem odd, but my parents are Vietnamese. To them this is the problem with kids growing up in America. Too much independence, and not enough respect for family and traditional values. I respect them. I even believe it is important to uphold the traditions from the old country. Because if I don't, how will there be any connection with our relatives in Vietnam. It would be disrespectful beyond measure. But I'm also a 27 year old attorney who has never truly lived on her own. Sure, there were those four years in college, but I brought my laundry home on the weekends and they paid for my living expenses...so that doesn't really count. Now is the time that embark on something just for me.

Cupcakes

Last night I made cupcakes for my friend's shower today. I think they turned out pretty good. Piping frosting out of a bag is fun but is a pain to clean, especially if you're piping red colored frosting. I will start to experiment with decorating options next time. This time I figured rosettes were safest.

wedding favors

My friend from work does catering on the side. She is making us these fabulous lime sables for favors. It's a Martha Stewart recipe. Yum. It's super summery and great with tea. The presentation of the cookies will be different, and a little more modern, but you get the idea.

wedding cake

We have changed our cake design so many times I can't count anymore. Here is the new cake design we've settled on. Talk to me next week and it might be different.

86 days

So Michael and I went to Will Rogers today to finalize some of the details for our reception. I'm starting to get excited. Only 86 more days. The head chef is great to work with and so is our event coordinator. The space is a pretty much a blank canvas so there is a lot we can do with the space. They are super flexible and the price includes so much stuff its really nice. We are serving a cold plate appetizer platter at every table then serving 5 courses - individually plated - none of that asian family style business. Our menu is kind of a french-vietnamese/chinese fusion. We're going to offer champagne, beer, soda, and punch for drinks. Now I get to think about the fun details like decorations, favors and entertainment. Although its starting to get fun to think about, I still can't wait until its all over so we can go on our honeymoon!

most amazing renovation ever

this is after, you won't believe the before
check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/telstar/sets/47931/
by far the most amazing renovation ever!

what i love right now

Instead of a ring pillow...why not a ring bowl? They are customizable. They have a string to tie the rings to. And when you're done you can keep the bowl to store your ring on the nightstand or you can hang it up on the wall and display it as a keepsake.

Decorating Obsession

So Michael and I will be moving into a new place soon, and we're excited about the prospect of decorating and showcasing our style. We are definitely into modern and contemporary design with a mix of the traditional. We're moving into The Classen. It's a highrise with floor to ceiling windows with great views of OKC. It's got an urban luxury type of vibe. It's only 1000 sq. ft. which is smaller than I'm used to, but after visiting my new favorite website... www.apartmenttherapy.com - I realize that smaller can be so much better. Small spaces means money can be spent on some really nice pieces instead filling up a big space with a bunch of mediocre stuff. What I love right now...chairs, chairs, chairs!

love me if you dare

My new favorite movie! It has an Amelie/Pushing Daisies like quality. Super romantic, super sad, super crazy....I can't get enough of it.

more wedding purchases

bridesmaid shoe
and
flower girl
dress

Sacramento...plus honeymoon plans

I just came back from a very busy trip to Sacramento. I'm exhausted. But it was well worth it. I still haven't gotten the hang of traveling for work. It's almost double the work because I was working in Sacramento on the project we were handling, but I was also constantly anxious about what work I should be doing (work that I would be working on if I were at the office). On a more interesting note...we booked our honeymoon!!! Two weeks. Italy and Greece. Rome, Florence, Venice, Olympia, Mycenae, Athens. We even have an overnight in Miami before we head back to OKC.

Phoenix

Because I was in Phoenix I missed this year's Tau Kappa Omega Founders' Day. It is the first Founders' Day I have ever missed, so I was sad. I saw pictures and was super bummed that I wasn't there. There is always next year. And next year there will so many of us married. I suppose because of all the weddings this year I will see everyone again soon.

upcoming wedding to dos

1. Pick a florist. I am leaning towards New Leaf, only because it is my next appointment and I don't want to make another appointment.
   
2. Finalize the menu. We set up our meeting with the chef at Will Rogers. He is designing a custom menu for us. Hopefully the tasting goes well. We can make whatever changes we want, so I assume it will go fine.
3. Finalize the cake. We are using Ruth's Sweete Justice who I saw featured on Food Network several times. I love their cakes! They are so beautiful. I just need to have a final tasting and decide on a flavor and design.
4. Order the favors. We've decided on our favors...which will be a surprise so I won't say. But it requires a bit of assembly and multiple orders. I hope everyone likes it.
   

wedding shoes

So I just purchased my wedding shoes. I wasn't sure what to get at first. But then I thought about...no one will see these shoes. It's unlikely at least. But if they do they need to be cute. But I will standing all day, so they need to be comfortable. So after much deliberation I decided I would bite the bullet and purchase....flats. I know what you're thinking. Flats? On your wedding day you should wear heels. They need to be formal and flats aren't formal. But I don't care. I love flats. I wear flats all the time. I love heels too. But they hurt like crap, and I'm slightly clumsy. Michael insisted I get ballet flats, because he didn't want me complaining that my feet hurt all night. If this were an ordinary event where I was standing for two hours at most, then I would go with heels, but this is for my wedding day. I will be running around, completely stressed out, and standing all day. So yes, I did it, I will do it, I will wear ballet flats.

5 months and counting

There are only 5 months left until the wedding, and I'm starting to feel like nothing is done. I think I am getting bogged down with all the wedding details. I can't seem to make any decisions anymore. Cakes, flowers, programs...does any of it really matter? Although I am currently obsessing about whether I should use dahlias or ranunculas and whether the cake should be square or round, will anyone even notice? At the same time this is Michael and I, and we are probably the biggest critics in the world. But the fact that I am overly obsessed with details makes it impossible for me not to nitpick about everything.

Besides that I'm impossibly busy with work, which means that even though it is Sunday I should be working. It's Sunday and I have been feeling guilty that I haven't done any work? How do I finish work and have any time to go back to the baker, schedule an appointment with the florist, figure out entertainment, schedule a tasting for the reception, purchase and assemble the favors...