This one is dedicated to Mr. K:
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Mr. Ducky likes infomercials. I’m not really sure why, but he just is extremely entertained by them and usually wants whatever they are offering. Well, one day the roles reversed when I watched an infomercial for the Cricut. It was this amazing papercutting machine that could make anything! See the video below for a quick demo of the Cricut in action:
As I watched the infomercial I could only imagine the amazing things that could be created with the Cricut. I eventually forgot about the Cricut because it was simply out of budget, and I had already spent way too much money at Michaels. Then… for my birthday, Mr. Ducky surprised me with my very own Cricut!! And it is just as awesome as the infomercial said it was! (I sound like such a craft nerd right now.) It is really easy to use, and the detail of things that it can cut out is amazing. For example, I had it cut out a cityscape and it cut out tiny little windows for all the office buildings.
I wish I could remember where I found this idea. I saw it on an amazing blog and lost the favorite link (if anyone sees it please share!). The version I saw was using vellum envelopes to enclose magnets and I loved them. I decided to create my own version. After months of designing, a few weeks ago we got to work.
Step 1: Creating a magnet
Let me start by saying I am not the biggest magnet fan. I hate flimsy magnets (picky, I KNOW!). I like sturdy magnets and went on a hunt. I found a few versions, but finally found business card magnets that you DIY. It is easy really… you just create a business card and stick it to the magnet. I went through about 2 months of designing the magnet and finally settled on one. I headed to New Hampshire so Mr. Apple Cider could help with the project. On the coldest weekend of the year (-15 degrees), we holed ourselves up in the apartment and got to work.
We printed all of the images on white cardstock using a laser printer from Kinko’s. Then we got to cutting. After cutting 100, and then re-cutting and re-measuring (it had to be perfect), we were ready to stick them on the magnets.
I realize that my last post was also about cake… but really, I can just never get enough of pretty cakes, no matter how long ago our wedding was! The cake design was one of those details that had me stumped for the longest time throughout our planning process, so I still enjoy finding unique designs that may inspire some of you.
This cake immediately made me think, now why didn’t I think of that?
One of the very few wedding-related tasks that I completely delegated to Mr. Latte was researching and reserving blocks of hotel rooms. I made up some lame excuse about why he should take care of it… something about how his friends were the ones that would need the hotel block, and since he knows them better than I do, he should be the one to do it. I know, super lame… but it worked! 
In reality, I did not want to have anything to do with this aspect of wedding planning. I had heard horror stories from friends about hotels not honoring discounted rates, high minimums and unrelenting customer service representatives. I just didn’t want to deal with it! And to be honest, I just can’t get that excited about a hotel. I am not a fan of sleeping in strange beds, in strange rooms and hearing strange noises at night. This is unfortunate because I travel a lot for work. Sure, I’ve stayed in some really nice hotels, but it just takes a lot for me to get excited about a hotel stay.
But when you can say “bunk bed,” “hammock,” and “sunken bed,” all in 1 sentence, how can you be anything but excited? Yup, these can all be found at the NU Hotel in Brooklyn. A new boutique hotel (opened in July ’08), this hotel boasts fresh designs that looked so cool online that I had to go see it in person. I immediately loved the trendy feel of the lobby, and the clean look of the rooms. Check out these pictures from their website:
(NU’s lobby)
Their standard rooms are nice, but check out these suites:
Read more…
Featured on Weddingbee
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
“Make an elegant invitation statement without the fuss. Stylish invitation sets with matching envelopes, reception and response cards included.”
Now, I know we’ve had our ups and downs. As you may remember we recently had a big fight that left us not on speaking terms. Yet, just like any solid friendship, time heals all wounds and eventually we made up. I’m speaking, of course, of my true best friend, J.Crew (who happens to be good pals with many of the other bees!).
I had been a bit distraught lately as the perfect wedding shoes kept eluding me. I’d searched bridal sites, high-end department stores, bargain outlets, EVERYWHERE to no avail. With my tail between my legs I trotted back over to the Crew site to test the waters and see what I could find. Within minutes I found a pair of beautiful Italian-made heels (with an ankle strap! Hooray!) and the perfect matching clutch. Crew and I made up, I placed the items in my cart, checked out, and called it a day. Except 2 days later I had yet to receive a confirmation email. Now, I’ve ordered enough items in my day to know the confirmation email comes pretty darn quickly. Damn you, J.Crew, are you still trying to spite me?!
I quickly called the customer service line and spent the next 30 minutes chatting with the most professional and genuine CSR I have yet to encounter. I previously had a VERY BAD experience with an ahem, gentleman, during the bridesmaid dress fiasco (side note, yes, she has found the dress!) and I was wary of a repeat performance leaving me accessory-less. Luckily I hit the CSR jackpot and was connected to a dude who (seemed) to actually care about his job and my shoes. Read more…
While I am on the subject of rings and wearing them or not, I thought I would write about one related subject that was on my mind.
Mr. G and I have friends who got married a few years ago. A couple of months after they got hitched, her new husband stopped wearing his ring. First, he said it didn’t fit properly. So she offered to have it re-sized. Then, he said he was just not the jewelry/ring wearing type of guy. So now he goes everywhere—without it. He never wears his wedding band.
I know I just wrote a post about my ring and not wanting to feel dependent on wearing it. I proclaimed that I want to be able to walk into a room, and feel the same way, regardless of whether I have my ring on or not.
But what if your man wants to go sans ring? What then? Does he not want to feel dependent on his ring either? Is he not a “jewelry person”? Does he want to appear single? All of these questions, I would think, would be common reactions for a woman whose man decides he doesn’t want to wear his wedding band.
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Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
I don’t really buy makeup products often, but I’m a total hair product junkie. I love to color, perm, cut, and straighten my hair, so I try to take decent care of it.
Here’s a glimpse of what’s in my shower right now: Kerastase Nutritive Nutridefense conditioner, Neutrogena Triple Moisture Hair Mask, VO5 hot oil treatment, Freeman’s Peppermint and Plum foot scrub, pumice stone, My Melody mini bucket, Dermalogica: special cleansing gel, daily microexfoliant (purchased after Miss Lemonade’s review), and skin prep scrub, Alterna Moisturesilk Caviar Shampoo, Terax Crema Ultra Moisturizing Daily Conditioner, and Tom’s of Maine toothpaste. (Isn’t this kinda like peeking in my medicine cabinet? 
)
…..was on TV on Thursday!
Check it out - I edited this to exactly his scene. Look for his handsome, hand-crafted afro-puff (courtesy of moi!). I’m so proud of him… I could just burst!
It’s fascinating how accomplishments for one of us, become pride-filled events for both of us. It reminds me that relationships (and especially marriage) are a melding of much more than hearts, homes, families and material belongings. They are a merging of the spirit, of identity, of intention, and soul. When he succeeds, I succeed. When I am raised up by joy, he feels it just as strongly. Or in times of disappointment, we share the burden equally.
We brave forth into the world for common goals, and even if we shared little interest in each other’s passions - we’d still be equally invested in their outcomes together. It somehow goes beyond teamwork, in my mind. Actually, there are times I find myself more inclined to help him than myself, and I’ve seen the same in him. The selflessness that love inspires… it’s just plain fabulous.
It reminds me of two things:
Read more…
And by brewing, I mean The Arbor Brewing Company. We have a rehearsal dinner location!
Imagine the brewing company’s historic storefront, minus the snow and cloudy sky. I can’t wait until spring!
Mr. Taffy and I went over to the brewing company with his parents today to have some lunch and meet with the manager to discuss our event. The Arbor Brewing Company has great beer and great atmosphere. The food is also good; they are committed to “ridding their kitchen of processed foods”, and use local organic ingredients. They also have great vegetarian options.
I know that many brides pick a theme and they carry it throughout their wedding planning process. They use it as a guide and means for organization.
I wish we had a specific theme, but our inspiration comes from a photo I saw months ago by photographer Jessamyn Harris (www.jessamynharris.com).
I have always been a fan of DIY. I think it is an amazing way to express your personality and get a certain level of satisfaction in knowing you created something. My perfectionism also comes out in DIY, which is not such a good thing, but I am working on it. Mr. Ducky and I are both DIY people, but with different talents. We are hoping to DIY as much as we can at the wedding to not only save money, but also to share a part of ourselves that day with friends and family. We hope that people can walk away from our wedding saying, “That was so Mr and Miss Duckling,” or just feeling like they know us a little bit better. My first DIY project of the wedding has been creating my “Will you be my bridesmaid” cards. I have not quite finished them yet, but I will share them this week as soon as they are completed and mailed out.
I was on Martha Stewart Weddings website this weekend and loved these candles she had featured in her fall favors. What perfect candles for the fall!
I then figured out that they are DIY!
Read more…
Me: Do you think we should try to do our own calligraphy?
Mr Piggy: Oh I took calligraphy classes in high school. I can do it.
Me: (1 week later) Hey! I bought a cheap calligraphy set. I’ll start practicing.
Mr Piggy: Here here here, give it to me. I’ll show you. I’m gooooood. You angle the pen like this. See?
Me: (peeking at his writing) What’s that say on the bottom?
Mr Piggy: My name. Mrrr Pig. Mrrrr Pig. Mrrr Pig. Mrrr Pig.
Me: Umm. I’m going to practice. Maybe you should, too.
To Miss Kitten’s point in her recent post, I love that Mr P is so involved with the wedding planning; hoooweeverrr, I’m not sure if calligraphy will be one of his responsibilities. 
Has your fiance volunteered for a wedding task that you wished you’d have just done yourself?
In my previous post, I told you all about my J.Crew letdown that left my special ladies without special dresses. So we decided to go the old-fashioned route and actually went to a store to try some dresses on. I wish I could tell you that we went to 1 place, found our dresses and were done, but c’mon, this is the Latte wedding. Remember me? The one with the 4.5 part dress saga???
Yup, I dragged my poor BMs to 6 shops before finally deciding on some dresses. I know, I’m one meanie bride. But it gets worse. I dragged them out in the snow. And changed my mind. A lot.
Honestly, I would’ve been happy with any of the dresses we tried on. But I really wanted them to like, no, LOVE their dresses. I know what you’re thinking… that’s impossible! No BM loves her dress! And who cares… she’s never going to wear the dress again anyway! Well, I think it IS possible and I care! I want them to feel special and beautiful on my wedding day, and ladies, we all know that when you look good, you feel good!
Now the challenge was finding a dress they would all love and feel beautiful in. And although we fought the good fight, we lost. My BMs have different body types and style preferences, so finding one dress that would be perfect for all of them was next to impossible. So we changed up our game plan, and decided to look for two styles in the same color and fabric. The search continued… but finding two coordinating styles was harder that we thought!
That is, until we walked into Allegria Bridal in Belmont, MA. With the help of THE most wonderful consultant, Barb*, we found four perfectly coordinating styles! They all have similarities that tie them together (empire waists, strapless, full skirts) but are different enough to fit each girl’s style and body shape. BM H doesn’t like strapless, so she can add spaghetti straps. My MOH can have the rouched top that she loves.
They are all from the Jim Hjelm Occasions line so we are assured that the color and fabric will be the same. So without further adieu, here they are!
(Yes, I Photoshopped the dresses together. I’m a visual person.)
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