Love Gives Life

This weekend we were treated to sunny skies and the wedding of a good friend and her Mister.  The bride and I have known each other since Kindergarten, played soccer together, and even went to colleges just minutes apart; she is an amazing person and we are so happy that she has found someone who loves her and makes her happy.  The wedding was simple yet very beautiful and chic in its own way: it was on the beach, just steps from the ocean, there was handmade signage throughout the wedding, a finger print "family tree" in lieu of a sign in book, all white blooms on handmade table runners, and a shaved ice truck to provide cool refreshments for all the guests.  

Nothing says I Love You like Bacon

A very Happy 1st Valentine's Day to my Mister!  

I love you more than bacon.  ;)

Happy Birthday to you!

It's been a while, okay a long while, since my last post.  What have I been doing? Well, I've gone on a  couple of getaways: to Lanai and Maui, got pampered at spas, went out for some fabulous dinners and coffee dates, spent time quality time with the most important people in my life, and yes, I got married!!  By my side, through it all, has been my friend, "Queenie."  

Today is Queenie's birthday!  

Queenie, I know that I am lucky to have a friend like you.  Someone who is a good listener, who makes me laugh, shares my passion for food and travel, and is loyal and dependable.  Thank you for being a forever friend.  I love you!  Today, on your birthday (the Mister and) I want you to know that we are thinking about you and wish you all the best!  I wish you lots of laughter, good times and good health, success in your studies, and love.  And as you blow out your birthday candles I hope you wish BIG...  you know, for the stars :)  XO!

Wedding Wednesday - Uplighting

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Up-lighting is a great and relatively inexpensively way to enhance the ambiance of the room in an elegant way. Up-lighting can be placed on a floor to shine up columns or walls, or behind plants, and can even be used to give the illusion that a room is taller than it actually is.  The Mister and I plan to use up-lighting throughout the rooms of our reception to set the scene lounge-vibe for our wedding!  Here are a few of our favorite looks!

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If I had $6000 to spend on a Wedding Dress...

YES, I have already selected my wedding dress.  

NO, I am not having dress envy, second thoughts or buyer's remorse. 

I *might* still be obsessed at looking at wedding dresses... 

Lazaro Style 3007

The Countdown to A Royal Wedding

Guess who took off from work to watch the Royal Wedding?!  ME! 

An invitation card for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton is seen at Buckingham Palace in London

I may not have an invitation to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding but I definitely plan to watch it - all of it - including the pre-wedding and post-wedding coverage, beginning at 10 p.m. local time!  

I wasn't around for Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding but from all of the footage, and by what people have told me it was INCREDIBLE!  It was a once in a generation event: the crowds, the fanfare, and of course, the dress and incredible train!  

As a bride-to-be who is obsessed with everything wedding, and a person who has been bitten by the Royal Wedding bug, this is a wedding I cannot miss!  

The "Instrument of Consent," which is the Queen's historic formal consent to Prince William's forthcoming marriage to Kate Middleton, is displayed at the Crown Office at the House of Lords on April 21, 2011 in London, England

The British Union Jack hangs over London's Regent Street on April 20, 2011, in preparation for the wedding between Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011.

Herald Painter Robert Parsons sketches the new coat of arms for Kate Middleton's family at the College of Arms in London on April 18, 2011. Middleton will use this coat of arms until her April 29 royal wedding to Britain's Prince William, when it will be merged with his coat of arms.

Master Taylor Lance Sgt. Matthew Else checks the cut of an Irish Guardsman's uniform during an inspection in Windsor, United Kingdom on April 21, 2011. Irish Guards soldiers are preparing for ceremonial duties during the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29. William is the Colonel of the Irish Guards.

Household Cavalry prepare for Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate MiddletonA state Helmet is polished during preparations for the royal wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton, at Hyde Park Barracks in central LondonA state helmet is polished during preparati0ons for the royal wedding

Wedding Wednesday - it's almost Invitation Month!

My wedding schedule had May labeled as "Invitation Month." With April drawing to an end I was becoming incredibly anxious and excited to get started on our invites!  Unfortunately my excitement was unexpectedly transformed to a major panic attack when the person I expected to do our invitations had to cancel on us.

::  Y I K E S !  ::

I tried to be calm but I couldn't help freaking out.  It scared me that I would have to start all over again: search the net, look through magazine clippings for preferred vendors, look at samples, read reviews, email and speak with potential vendors, etc...

Begrudgingly I began the process of selecting (another) stationary vendor.

It was very important for me to select a great vendor.  After all, the invitations are the first taste the guests will have of the wedding!  I want something simple (no pockets, please) and classic, but also chic and modern (gimme some invitation bling!).  

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Thankfully, after hours and hours, of research I think we are extremely close to selecting an invitation vendor (again)!!  No deposits have been paid just yet, and I am still communicating with a couple of vendors but *fingers crossed* we will be back on schedule for a successful "Invitation Month." 

Fabulous Friday - Floral Blooms

Fresh flowers are a beautiful way to celebrate that spring has sprung! 

My absolute favorite flower is the peony: it is romantic, delicate, and luxurious!  Along with the peony,  here are a few of my favorite flowers!  -all of which will be incorporated in my wedding bouquet!

peony perfection

ranunculus. beautiful.

light pink garden roses

hydrangea

lovely lisianthus

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend! 

A Cake (almost) too Pretty to Eat... almost.

I may not have decided which cake company to go with, but I definitely have an idea of how I'd like our  wedding cake look.  My cake must-haves are:

• (White) Fondant
• Round cake tiers although I am amenable to a petal-shape tier 
• A white / silver color palate 

My cake "wanna-haves" are:

• sugar flowers (personally I don't like real flowers on a cake)
• sugar lace - I love how simple and delicate it looks 
• thin, neat, and even piping
• simple cake topper (if any)
• a little bit of bling or shimmer 

Here are a few cakes that are inspiring our wedding cake design:

cake by Sweet and Saucy Shop 

via The Caketress

cake by Sweet Cheeks Baking Company

cake by The Caketress

cake by My Wedding Concierge

cake by The Wow Factor Cakes

cake by Sweetopia

Wedding Wednesday! - Cake Tasting

Mmmm... CAKE!  Cake tasting is a wedding planning highlight.  I mean, how can you go wrong when you are treated to delicious samplings of (free) cake! The Mister doesn't really care for cake but thankfully, I haven't had to go to my tastings alone, Mother has stepped up and is a FABULOUS cake tasting buddy! 

At Paradise Pastries our cake tasting was driven by cake and filling flavors that I was interested in.  The combinations included the following:

Vanilla cake with Guava Cream 

Yellow cake with Strawberry Cream

Coconut cake with Ganache

Chocolate cake with Haupia (Coconut)

Red Velvet cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese

Yellow Cake with Pineapple 

The white chocolate cream cheese frosting was really good! The white chocolate was very subtle but it added a nice flavor boost.  

While I'm not a huge fan of pineapple the flavor was light and complemented the yellow cake well.  

At A Cake Life I was not able to choose the cake or fillings in the tasting; the tasting selections were based on their best sellers.  

The cake tasting included the following flavor combinations (left to right) as shown below:

Yellow cake with Strawberry Cream 

Yellow cake with Lilikoi (a tart fruit)

Chocolate cake with Oreo Cream Cheese

Chocolate with Chocolate Raspberry Cream

Guava Cake with Guava Cream 

Red Velvet cake with Cream Cheese

 I really liked the yellow cake with strawberry cream filling! 

Although I wouldn't choose the Oreo cake for my wedding, I think it would make a delicious birthday cake.

 Nom. Nom. Nom! 

Although I have narrowed down my cake search (from 4) to these two companies, I haven't confirmed with either yet.  Currently, I am leaning toward A Cake Life based on the overall consultation and design feedback.  But solely based on the tasting, I'd have to choose Paradise Pastry simply because I was able to taste (and liked) the flavor combination I plan to order (White cake with a Coconut filling) while I wasn't able to taste either flavor with A Cake Life.  Decisions, decisions, decisions.  

Do you think it's important to taste a wedding cake before you commit and put down your deposit?

Has anyone ordered their wedding cake without tasting it? 

Fabulous Friday - Etsy.com

The more engrossed I become in wedding planning the more inspiration I am finding on etsy.com!  Here are a few of my favorite finds that may find their way into our wedding!!

via ourhobbytoyourhome

via myambercolouredworld

via lovegrowsbygiving

via luxedeluxe

via beachhouseliving

via tiers0fjoy

Does anyone have etsy finds/inspiration they want to share? :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo