Monday, June 29, 2009

same day edits

hubby just sent this to me! looks like he's not over our wedding either. we wish we could have done so much more with our wedding! a same day edit would be like the final touch!

This is Wikipedia says about the Same Day Edit: (Also called a wedding day edit or wedding encore presentation) A short video produced from the footage of the wedding shot earlier in the day, usually only incorporating footage from pre-ceremony, ceremony and post ceremony, that is then showed at the reception as a recap of the wedding.

Joyce + Raymond || special edition SDE from Casey Warren | MIND CASTLE on Vimeo.

source: Irvine Housing Blog

i'm over our wedding

NOT! <-- yea, i guess i do still say that. shut up.

anyways...lack of posting due to it was my berfday last week...on the day that MJ passed away, to be exact. =(

i have been nonstop celebrating with my wonderful family and friends!

i am trying to recover still...from my birthday, from the wedding, from everything! you know, get back in the groove...start reading the books i said i was going to read, start selling some wedding stuff we no longer need, get back into shape again cuz i still want to be able to fit into my wedding dress...just in case i convince hubby to take day-after pix...

looking forward to the short week. i'm heading up to big sur this weekend to camp with friends!

oh, and i'll be the featured knottie on The Knot Live this Wednesday, July 1, 2009. yep!!! they thought our wedding was something special. it's been so much fun talking about our day again and sharing pictures and special moments and just reliving it!


i just love this behind the scenes photo. photo taken by friend, Lan.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

on financial lockdown.

ah, the married life. not as grand as i had imagined. i mean, it's grand, but we're grown up now! it's not about me anymore...it's about us, our bills, our dreams and our goals, our life! i'm essentially responsible for another life. it's kinda scary peeps...seriously, it was kinda freaky when he first introduced me as his wife. anyone else feel that way?

we've consolidated finances...really scary! i've set up my direct deposit into our joint account. we're working on paying down the rest of our (read: my) debt together. <-- he loved me that much to marry me when i still have debt.

so...i'm trying to cut down on my spending. it's hard, but not really since we put all my credit cards away. if i want to spend money, he'll see it. yikes!

so i'll be trying to utilize everything i own...luckily for me, i don't wear all my new clothes at once; i let them sit in my closet so that one day i can stumble upon with pleasant surprise. =) the same goes for my shoes...i have tons that have yet to be christened.

i'll be really figuring out what i really need and what i can live without (can i really?)...

and i'm determined to be able to use the sewing machine well! i have a lot of clothes that no longer fit me [well] as a result of my weight loss (back down to the weight before i met him!) over the last 2 years, and i still love these clothes! but oh the alterations they'll need...the cost of those alterations...sigh.

why the sacrifice? well, we hope to have a place of our very own by february 2010.

here's to the married life!

Sweaty Palms Update: 3 months

Remember my little (read: HUGE) problem with my sweaty palms. During my fittings, I couldn't even touch my dress because my hands were so wet. After receving the botox treatment at the IHHS conference in Frisco, TX, life has been a little bit sweeter. Let me recap a bit:

before:
-excessive sweating in hands and feet by doing nothing
-wetting papers including important documents and books
-stiffness in my fingers (sometimes preventing me from typing)
-cold hands and feet (can you imagine..they're wet too)
-ruined shoes
-unability to wear some shoes (and I LOOOOOove shoes!)
-constant wiping on my clothes
-afraid to meet people for fear of shaking hands
-reduced confidence (how ever did I score Dee?!)
-difficulty in applying makeup (blending with my fingers was impossible)
-my lap top would make me sweat like crazy
-any activity would make me sweat...e.g. shopping
-difficulty in driving, as in holding the steering wheel
-etc., etc., etc.

after:
-increased confidence
-less distracted by my hands in the office, at home, in a social setting, etc.
-i could wear my shoes without fear of ruining them!
-i can use my touch phone with ease
-i can type without sweating all over the keyboard
-i can hold hubby's hand without having to pull away because of the sweat
-i can touch paper and hold money without drenching and ruining it
-etc., etc., etc.

However...with 3 months past, I am starting to feel the sweat seeping its way to the surface of my hands. It scares me! I don't want to go back to constantly worrying about it again. Back to my search for a doctor who can treat me!

I was quoted in a USAToday article that came out yesterday, June 22, 2009. I'm a little sad in the shortness of the article and how mine and others' suffering isn't really emphasized. People still don't get that this isn't something we can control.

And on our wedding day...while standing before of our family and friends, i only pulled my hands away to wipe the tears out of my eyes (instead of pulling away to wipe my sweaty hands).




All photos taken by { j a c }

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The Flower Girl

We only knew one little girl, and her mom volunteered her for the job early in our engagement. So we took her. I was a bit afraid that she would steal my thunder though because she is sooooo adorable!

When it came to choosing a dress for her, all I knew was that I did not want her in a white dress. I think only the bride should be the one wearing white. How did it come about that the flower girl wears white too? Anyways, I was overwhelmed with the many styles available for flower girls...some of them are super fancy too...like a mini wedding dress. what the heck?!

Then I looked through this LA Knottie bio, and I was inspired! She was getting her flower girls tutus! How fun! I wanted it...but where to look. Why, Etsy, of course!

Ordered her dress from Etsy seller Sweet Plume. Here's the style I wanted:


Sweet Plume gives you the option of ultimate customization! You pick the colors and the flower on the belt. She makes suggestions on what could work, and you make all final decisions. And Flower Girl's mom loooved the idea! So we did it! I picked the colors to the best of my ability, and I sent Sweet Plume my inspiration board so that she could make it work!

I didn't get to see the dress until the rehearsal which was the day before the wedding. I was both excited and nervous...but it turned out great! Here's my flower girl dress!



And she was a big hit at the wedding...almost as popular as me, almost. =) I'm not into the whole too matchy-matchy look; I like coordinating rather. Look how well my flower girl coordinates with my bridesmaids. They are a beautiful bunch!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Jimmy Choo & H&M team up


Check out H&M on November 14th! Jimmy Choo is launching a collection of shoes, bags, and clothes for both men and women! Excited? I'm super stoked!!

Source: here

I'm green with envy

Okay, I have PTWS. I'm slowly unsubscribing to wedding blogs so as to not think about what more I could have done on my wedding day. *sigh* I still can't believe it's over.

I think every bride believes her wedding was the most beautiful thing ever, but damnit, I'm totally envious of this one. She's an LA knottie I know well as a frequent contributor (less now) to the LA knot board. Congrats Jessebel! You're wedding was freaking amazing girl!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Sumo Savings at MAC

25% off MAC! woo hoo!

Monday, June 15, 2009

wedding recap - My seamstress would kill me!

So pro pix will have to wait for a while as our photogs will send all our hi-res files after creating our wedding album...but I have some great things to share nonetheless...

Our reception was so much fun! and I loved that the dance floor was packed most of the time. And even if it wasn't, I was still dancing. I wanted to enjoy every second of it.

I love that someone got this video of me (you may not see the video if you're reading this through a feeder)! Enjoy! My seamstress may not smile at first...but she did such a great job with my dress because it held up all night, throughout all my dancing, and I danced all night until the very end! and while i did feel some people stepping on the dress...my bustle did not fall out. woot!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Rachel Getting Married

didya see the movie? dee and i adored the type of wedding Rachel had...eclectic and all about fun and all about them. great array of live music during the ceremony and reception. loved the bride's procession. loved their vows. i wish they were a real couple who got married!



i don't really want to ruin the movie, but it was such a special wedding. i particularly loved the rehearsal dinner (and the show before rehearsal). watch it to watch the wedding!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

DIY Invitation: Jill

I adore this!! Posted here.



DIY Invitation: Jill & Matt

Posted using ShareThis

wedding recap - rehearsal

The day before was probably the most stressful day of wedding planning. I was kicking myself in the rear for not sending out a formal notice of the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.

Rehearsal was at the Hilton Irvine. I checked into my room. We were to go over the timeline there, then go over the ceremony outside in the patio area. People were late. People claimed they didn't know. People who weren't supposed to show up...showed up. I went bridezilla.

But with my coordinator, Linda of Grand Soirees, there...I was able to calm down. She planned for all this. There were timelines for everyone...specified to their role in the wedding. So we all went over the timeline, then we headed downstairs to the patio to practice the processional walk.

I did get emotional. I couldn't believe that we were getting married the very next day. It was really hard to keep the tears in, but I managed to.

my girls

with me and my flower girl

Then we all headed over to Newport Seafood for dinner...where you can bring your own alcohol...woot! I did not have any though.

me and my girls

the boys

had to stick this one in...i love my cousin (far left throwin up the gang sign)

And the night did not end there. Dee and I decided to meet up to go over our dance. It was getting me really nervous! I had to memorize 2 dances!!! TWO! The father-daughter dance was choreographed too...at which we did not have the chance to practice much that week...

And then I went back to my hotel room to meet up with some of my 'maids; it was about midnight. We stayed up until 3AM, finishing up last minute projects, not believing it was that day, reminiscing. And then I fell into the most excited sleep I've ever had.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

hello new obsession

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON trailer

Our "1st look" site

We chose UCI as the campus was very close...a short drive down the street, and they we were...where we used to share our school days together...though i finished mine at Cal State Fullerton; go Titans!!

Nonetheless...it was a great place to go do our "1st look" pictures. The campus is beautiful as it's centered around a park. It's all very visually pleasing...to keep the students' minds off the fact that they're probably not going to pass that math class...again. Anyways!!

Check out some of potential spots:

this is looking over the bridge on ring road heading to the humanities area.

the Science Library where we spent many a day (and night) studying...

love this pathway through to the bio sci area...i think. it's changed so much since we'd been there.

School of Engineering...

and so much more! It took me an hour to walk around ring road...then another half hour to walk around the circle around the park.

It really is such a lovely school...I could't capture everything though...and almost everything about UCI has changed...except Social Sciences...just though that was funny...or maybe I didn't notice what changed.

If you're in the OC, I suggest you take some time to check out the campus. It'll give you some peace of mind...if only for an hour and a half.

Monday, June 8, 2009

the week before

was soooooooooooper busy!! I can't believe it went by so freakin fast. I feel like I hardly got anything done.

My cousin flew in from the Philippines on Saturday evening.

how gorgeous is she?? would you believe me if i told you she's the big 3-0...and she has 2 children?? crazy, right? yea...unbelievable!

We showed her around the OC...mostly where to shop. And then I had to drag her along to do my wedding chores which I had set out to finish before the week was over.

We went to Janet's to pick up my dress, but lo' and behold, I had lost some inches...and Janet needed to take in my dress one more time. Sprinkles cupcakes, grease, and late night Mexican food could not keep the pounds from falling off...i was staying up into the wee hours of the morning trying to straighten out our guest list...finalizing the seating chart...practicing our 1st dance, practicing the father-daughter dance...etc, etc, etc. Don't worry though...I believe I'm back to regular eating habits!

Okay...so while we were at Janet's, we also picked up my mom's dress:


How great does the color look? However...dilemma...my cousin got a dress custom-made for my mom in the Philippines...it was a lovely shade of plum...decorated with jewels in the front, rouched to be form fitting, accented with flutter sleeves, and it looked exactly like what a mother-of-the-bride should wear. I'll share those pictures when I get the pros back.

And after a second trip to Janet's...I got to pick her up and take her home!


Here she is...all done and ready to go...and perfect! Check out Darci's (With This Ring) post on my dress! She's got a great before and after shot of my gown. Janet added these final touches: added my mom's buttons (originally on the cuffs of her dress) to the back, sewed the flowers down on my top, and she also added delicate button loops. It truly was the gown of my dreams!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

let's backtrack

Since I'm soooo not over the fact that we're married yet...I know I shared links to our photographers' blog, but let me share some of our pro engagement pix from { j a c } .









Tuesday, June 2, 2009

STOP EVERYTHING NOW!

OUR FAB PHOTOGRAPHERS, { J A C } JUST BLOGGED SOME OF OUR PICTURES!!!

CHECK IT OUT HERE.

AND THEN CHECK OUT THEIR SLIDESHOW OF THEIR FAVORITES!

gifting the guys


Dee got the guys fedora hats (in natural) from American Eagle Outfitters (he got himself a black one), suspenders, and argyle socks in a variety of colors. We hoped these gifts would make for great pix during the wedding (pro pix to come soon...).

The girls had some fun with them too!

And hopefully, the guys appreciate Dee's gifts enough to use them after the wedding as well!

gifting my girls

Each of my girls got:

1. a canvas tote, which can also be used as a shopper bag

2. a purple jumper, to wear while getting ready for the wedding; just pull up and over, and then back down...to not disturb their hair and makeup


I got one for myself, of course.

3. flat sandals, to wear with the jumpers...some of the girls wore 'em during the reception for dancing

4. some purple heels...i like to call them slut shoes. i was searching for a pair of colorful shoes to contrast their dresses, but in the end, these looked a lil too trashy to me. but i already had them, and they were 6 pairs for $40 at Footsies. so i gifted them.

5. earrings made by yours truly..beaded tassels.

laid out in prettiness...

Monday, June 1, 2009

paper flowers

With the help of slaves (volunteer fiance, sister, mom, and friends), over 200 hundred beautiful paper flowers came to life!


this was when we started...

but it started out as just plain tissue paper. purchased from paper mart.

my fab coordinator customized martha stewart's directions to fit our needs. the tissue paper was cut down to size, folded, wired, and then made to bloom!

Step 1: Cut out 8 sheets of tissue paper 6 inches by 10 inches. Stack the tissue paper on top of each other and turn it so that the 6 inch side is parallel with your stomach. Accordion fold the paper into 3/4 inch wide folds, creasing at each fold.

Step 2: Fold a piece of 5 inch floral wire in half, and slip over the center of folded tissue; twist. Trip the ends of tissue with sharp scissors into a half circle shape.

Step 3: Separate the layers, pulling away from the center, one at a time. Your goal is only to make a half sphere, not a full sphere. This step is crucial, the more you fluff and pull away the layers, the better the flowers look. Your end result should be a dome.

The initial use was decor for the napkins, but a last minute change made these a great accessory to our favor. Not to mention that it really complimented the centerpiece!


The flowers definitely had multiple purposes! My girls wore them as corsages later on. I also heard that at one table, there was a 10-15 minute conversation on how our guests were trying to figure out if the paper flowers were real or not.


It was a lot of work...but worth it...just like Heather, of "we met in a bar," said in her post on these lovely paper beauties! Heather posts her own tutorial. Or, you can check out Martha Stewart's tutorial here.

wedding hair prep

So I didn't get a chance to blog a lot before the wedding on getting ready for the wedding. I took the week off before the wedding from work. My mom knocked down my laptop, in which I had placed it to be an unsafe spot, and my laptop's power source no longer worked. =(

Anyways...I jacked my dad's netbook and trying to work off of that thing instead for now.

So...I got hair extensions again! The hair style I want requires a little more hair than I have now.

See below for my hair length now.


I was taking a picture of my reflection from the back of the TV in our hotel room at the Mondrian Hotel.

And here I am with the extensions!

front

back

side


Yvone of the Lorian Salon at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach did another amazing job! She also did my wedding day 'do.