Weddingbee Blog

No, no — I’m not pregnant (although I’m thrilled with all the baby bees around here). In November of 2007 (just two months after we got married) I posted about searching for our first home. I was sure I didn’t want to live anywhere but Manhattan, just like I was sure I wanted lace on my wedding dress. Things don’t always work out how you first envisioned them… they usually end up even better! We bought our first apartment in Brooklyn and my wedding dress had no lace in sight!

We made an offer at the end of last summer and closed in mid-October, 2008, which was a year after we first starting seriously looking. We learned so much in that year about the real estate market in NYC, its huge potential swings (Wall Street went nuts about the time we closed), what we wanted, and the joy of building a home together (even if it’s only 768 square feet)! We have spent the last year “nesting” and saving up to renovate our kitchen (it’s a pre-war building), which we hope to be ready to do about this time next year.

Here’s a quick look inside.

Living room/entry as it was when we found the apartment:

Painting in progress and railings removed:

All painted, windows from Vermont Salvage installed and curtains up:

With a lot of hard work:

You realize… you’re never “done”. But after seven months, we finally felt ready enough to have a housewarming party.

It felt like the next big step in our lives and we’re proud to have made an investment in our future and our life now.

Did you own an apartment or house before you got married? Is it something you plan to do together after your wedding? I’m sure this is on a lot of your minds as the real estate market has dipped in the last year and perhaps this made it possible for you to consider buying. I’d love to hear about your search, purchase and renovation/decorating of your new place.