Weddingbee Blog

The Knot and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts have teamed up to bring you The Wedding Event.

When
Sunday, April 9
11:30 am, 3:30 pm

Where
Four Seasons Hotel New York
57 East 57th Street

Cost
$65 per person
Meal Included

RSVP
online or call 1-800-975-0937
Tickets are limited.

Just to want to say that when I read, “I pind por you!” I cracked up - seriously.

I just discovered WeddingBee and I’m so sad I didn’t earlier with this whole wedding process. If you want to help me with my dilemma, I would more than appreciate it. My wedding dress is red (traditional Pakistani gear) and my event is black tie and in a tent. I wanted to have red/orange flowers, and I’m using white square plates but I don’t know what linens to use. The dinnerware would probably look better with a colored linen, but I don’t want the room to be overwhelmingly red and orange.

Any ideas? Is this crazy that I’m even asking you for this advice? I don’t know what’s gotten into me - I never thought I would care about linens! Anyway, laugh at me or help me - either way, I’ll still read your site!

Nadia

……………………………………………………………………………..

Nadia, Nadia, Nadia,
I’ll help you but I’ll still laugh at you. J/k. No I’m not. I’m laughing at you.

I love that you picked red and orange. I think the colors will come out amazing in your photos. As for the table linens I totally know how you feel. Pre-engagement you talk about how you want your wedding to be with your home girls and you’re thinking “Linens-shminens! Who cares!?” Then 3 months into your wedding planning you’re thinking more like “I’m looking for 25, 6×6 table linens in pear green. Not apple green, or celadon green, but pear green! The fabric HAS TO be dyed by the monks of Tibet and sewn by the nuns of the Saint Boniface Convent using 55% cotton and 45% linen.”

So here I am, sitting at home with much to do, since my wedding is only a month, away thinking about Pakistani weddings and your color theme. I actually think brown will compliment your colors really well. I’ve seen photos of orange and red bouquets with brown accents and they look really good incorporated together. If you think that color’s too harsh then I suggest ivory but brown is my first choice if it’s in Sep-Nov. If it’s anywhere in the summer I’m thinking definitely go with the ivory to contrast with the white plates.

Hope this helps.

Here are some Knottie Bios I found that may help you even further on getting ideas for you wedding:

Orange theme
Pink & Orange theme
Fall Bio 1
Fall Bio 2
Brown Bio

I love, love, love decorative paper. I mean I buy wrapping paper when I don’t even need it just because it’s pretty. Since I decided to go with my Martha Stewart style centerpieces I’ve been researching sites like a mad woman. I know some of you were also interested in this idea as well so here are some of my favorite resources. Appreciate me or I will bitch slap you or punch you in your forehead like Rick James did to Charlie Murphy. UNITY!!!!!!

I’m only going to feature some of my favorites and for others I’ll list on the bottom of this posting.

Paper Mojo - This is by far my favorite one that I came upon. The one that I originally wanted was $9 per sheet. Now, I’m crazy but not that crazy, shoot. Out of all the stores I’ve visited and all the online sites I’ve researched they have the largest and best selection.

Kate’s Paperie - My 2nd favorite! Especially the one located in Soho which carries the largest selection of decorative paper out of all their locations. They have lace paper in assorted colors. I thought that might be a good for the cylinder vases if you put vellum paper underneath. Just a thought someone can steal.

Luxe Paperie - They carry a HUGE assortment of Snow & Graham wrapping paper.

Paper-Source - How can I forget them?! This is where I purchased my envelope liner templates and also the brown patterned paper for my save-the-date envelopes which I also used for my centerpieces.

A few other stores to check out if you’re in NY are:

Paper Presentation (This is where I got my green paper. I love this store!)
23 West 18th Street (Between 5th & 6th)
NY, NY 10011
212.463.7035

Print Icon
7 West 18th Street (Between 5th & 6th and a few stores down from Paper Presentation)
NY, NY 10011
212.255.4489

Other Resources:
Hollander’s
Blick Art Materials
Paper.com
Handmade-Paper
Paper Origins

Want a fun, easy, cheap way to do save the dates? How about vintage New York Postcards! $12.50 for a book of 30 at White Aisle. Plus your guests will love a little personalized message from you.

Carolee offers a nice line of very affordable bridal jewelry. This vintage inspired crystal flower necklace would look great with a strapless wedding dress. ($58)

Pearls are Carolee’s trademark. She punches them up with different adornments like the pearl crystal necklace pictured below. ($45)

Her charm bracelets with customizable charms would also make an excellent bridesmaid gift.

Carolee’s jewelry can be purchased online and at major department stores like Nordstroms and Macys.

Although our one year wedding anniversary was this past Sunday, we didn’t eat the wedding cake we had saved because we were in Boston. So last night we went to dinner at Del Frisco’s (delicious ribeye and impeccable service), and then came home and ate our cake.

White cake with chocolate raspberry mousse. Was it good? Haha not really. It was delicious on our wedding day though.

Here are some tips on freezing your cake:

1. Freeze your cake for a couple of hours to set the frosting. Be sure to remove any cardboard first.
2. Take it out and wrap it in plastic wrap.
3. Double bag it in freezer bags and suck all the air out with a straw to get a tight seal.
4. Place the cake in a bakery box or tupperware.

This will keep your wedding cake as fresh as possible for you to eat on your first anniversary.

(source: ivillage)

I booked my photographer and videographer!! Woohoooo~!!~

5 West Studios

In total, I met with 4 photographers, and 2 companies that do both photo and video. Although almost everyone that I met with were within my original stated budget, the studio that I chose was the most cost effective. This company, I felt, had the best quality for the money that I would be paying. Plus, the photographer would be Spencer from Iris Cinema, so I am happy to say that I will be working with him again - cuz he rocks!! (He did video for my friend’s wedding.)

Funny story - while I was watching a video clip from 5 West Studios, the couple on the video had chosen to play the Braveheart theme during one scene. I looked at Spencer and said, absolutely not for me. Ew.

Then, Mr. Butterfly went to go see the clip too (we had to go at separate times). I had totally forgotten to tell him about the Braveheart theme song - and he comes home to tell me that he LOVED it!

Yeah - sorry Mr. Butterfly. It ain’t happening.

———————————————–
Onto dress shopping and flowers!!

I had my first fitting at Mark Ingram’s Bridal Atelier. The ladies at the store are so nice… although they did make me take the dress off eventually.

I also tried on a few veils and I think I will go with a simple fingertip veil. They had one for around $200, but the veil I want is so simple, that I think I can get it for much less online. The Jimmy Choos match the sash perfectly! But the ladies said I can’t switch into ballet slippers when my feet hurt; I’ll destroy the dress; I’ll need to get something comfy that gives me a bit more height.

… to be honest, I loved (loved!) the dress in person, but don’t love the pictures;-(. Maybe I’ll need to do something different with the sash and I definitely want to lose 5-10 pounds (although the skirt fit perfectly and the top had to be pinned).

Here is a teaser picture.

I’m always surfing the net for anything and everything wedding related and recently I’ve come across quite a few wedding blogs:

• Bridalicious run by Papergirl
• Manolobrides brought to you by Manolo’s Shoe Blogs
• Fresh Bride - Fresh ceremony ideas
• Bridesclub
• Here Comes the Blog
• 123 Affordable Weddings
• New York Observer Bridal Blog
• Dahlia’s Day
• Bridesmaid.com Prodblog
• Veiled Conceit
• Don’t be that bride
• Christina and Brian
• Korean Adoptee Bride
• Big Fat Chinese Wedding
• Wedding Plans for Casey and Todd
• Bridezilla Weds Groomzilla

I’ve been using bloglines for over a year to keep the 100+ blogs I’m subbed to organized (that’s not even including the 200+ blogs I’m subbed to through xanga!). It’s really changed the way I use the internet - I feel like I’m so plugged in! I suggest you sign up for an account because blogs are here to stay!

In the past week, I’ve been asked by two different brides whether it’s ok to use address labels on wedding invitations. Almost all etiquette sources say that you should never use address labels on invitations because they are so impersonal (yes even the clear ones!). I’m a pretty traditional gal so I’ve always followed this train of thought.

(image: morethanpaper)

What about printing addresses on your computer? Traditional etiquette experts will say that using a computer shows a lack of effort on your part and lends an impersonal air to your invitations. I’m inclined to disagree about the lack of effort part because manually feeding each envelope, searching for the perfect font, adjusting the alignment, can take just as much effort if not more than hand addressing invitations.

If you have a nice invitation appropriate font, I think it’s ok to use a computer to address your invitations. But please keep in mind that you’ll probably need extra envelopes for any mistakes you make. I’ve received several invitations that were printed at home and all of them arrived smudged. I would keep that in mind and be careful about testing your envelopes for smudgability before printing on them.

So what are your options when it comes to addressing invitations?

• Handwrite them (if you have bad handwriting, ask a friend or family member who has nice handwriting to help).
• Hire a calligrapher.
• Have them computer calligraphered.

It’s funny that computer calligraphy is accepted etiquette-wise when it actually takes less effort to send invitations out to be computer calligraphered than it does to print them yourself. We opted to use computer calligraphy for our invitations because it was much more affordable than regular calligraphy and we were really happy with the results.

I know sometimes you think all these etiquette rules are stupid and just want to do what’s easiest. Honestly most people probably won’t even care if you use address labels. Except for annoying sticklers like me.

PS - What about save the dates?! I think save the dates are much less formal than invitations and are often home made. So address labels on them are a-ok with me.

PhotoTrek offers private tours around New York City with a professional photographer. As you tour the city’s top sights, your personal photographer snaps pictures of you… including your proposal!

(via: nycvisit)

One of my fantasies has always been to have a personal stylist. They work miracles transforming celebrities from average looking people into fashion icons (Nicole Richie for instance). Ah to dream…

But did you know that you can hire a bridal stylist for your wedding? Your wedding day is one of the biggest days of your life and of course you’ll want to look your best. The Stylish Bride, a New York based bridal stylist company, can help you achieve your ideal wedding style.

Owner Julie Sabatino’s customizable services include helping you select the perfect dress, the right accessories, hair-style, make-up, and she can even be there on your wedding day. Julie also offers a New York Experience package for out of town brides that want to come to New York to find their perfect wedding dress.

She’ll be at the NYJL’s Wedding Day Event if you want to meet her.

This truly intrigues me - it could have fulfilled my dreams to finally have my own stylist! Alas… too bad I’m already married.

(via: insideweddings)

We’ve talked about flip-flops and sneakers but there are 2 more options for (relatively) comfy wedding shoes out there - wedges and espadrilles! These $937 Versace pair combines the best of both worlds - half wedge, half espadrille.

(via shoewawa)

The New York Junior League is hosting its 10th Annual Wedding Day next Saturday, March 18th.

Some highlights include:

All proceeds will go to the charitable activities of the New York Junior League, a non-profit “organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.”

Advance tickets must be purchased by March 16th.

(via hitchny)

This was posted on the NYC message board on The Knot.

Our wedding cake will be a combination of vanilla and chocolate cake with fudge frosting (yum … I’m getting hungry just thinking about it), but I love alllllllll desserts… other than banana cream pie. I wonder what that means?

ANGEL FOOD CAKE… Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all warm and fuzzy items. A little nutty at times. Sometimes you need an ice cream cone at the end of the day. Others perceive you as being childlike and immature at times.

BROWNIES… You are adventurous, love new ideas, and are a champion of underdogs and a slayer of dragons. When tempers flare up, you whip out your saber. You are always the oddball with a unique sense of humor and direction. You tend to be very loyal.

LEMON MERINGUE… Smooth, sexy, and articulate with your hands, you are an excellent after-dinner speaker and a good teacher. But don’t try to walk and chew gum at the same time. A bit of a diva at times, but you have many good friends.

VANILLA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING… Fun loving, sassy, humorous. Not very grounded in life; very indecisive and lack motivation. Everyone enjoys being around you. You are a practical joker. Others should be cautious in making you mad. However, you are a friend for life.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE… Romantic, warm, loving. You care about other people and can be counted on in a pinch. You also tend to melt. You can be overly emotional at times. And sometimes can be annoying.

CHOCOLATE ON CHOCOLATE… Sexy; always ready to give and receive. Very adventurous, ambitious, and passionate. You can appear to have a cold exterior but are warm on the inside. Not afraid to take chances. Will not settle for anything average in life. Love to laugh.

ICE CREAM… You like sports, whether it is baseball, football, basketball, or soccer. If you could, you would like to participate, but
you enjoy watching sports. You don’t like to give up the remote control. You tend to be self-centered and high maintenance.

CARROT CAKE… You are a very fun loving person, who likes to laugh. You are fun to be with. People like to hang out with you. You are a very warm hearted person and a little quirky at times. You have many loyal friends.