Weddingbee Blog

Months back, we found out that our California pastor-friend was not legally allowed to perform marriages in Hawaii.

Well, after a few letters of recommendations and some official filing business done right before the due date of two-and-a-half months prior, he is now allowed to perform one marriage on one specific day in Hawaii. And I sure hope it’s ours. (Kidding!) I’ll have to figure out a good thank-you gift to give him and his family for going through all this legal tape on our behalf!

With that major victory finally won (yay!), I think it’s best to see what other legal hurdles we’ll have to jump over before the wedding day.

First, we’ll need the Hawaii marriage license application. It’s good only for thirty days, so we’ll have to apply for it when we get to Hawaii in July. Luckily, we picked up one of the forms on our trip in December, so we can at least fill it out beforehand. (Though, I found out that the same form is also available online.)

“You want me to change my name to what?!”

Actually, there isn’t anything about name changes on the form. But there is something else that interested me:
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Someone I met at CTY (which stands for “Can’t Tell You”, duh) a million years ago writes a beautiful blog, and this jumped out at me today:

“When two people meet and fall in love, there’s a rush of magic. Magic is just naturally present then. We tend to feed on that gratuitous magic without striving to make any more. One day we wake up and find that the magic is gone. We hustle to get it back, but by then it’s usually too late, we’ve used it up. What we have to do is work like hell at making additional magic right from the start. It’s hard work, especially when it seems superfluous or redundant, but if we can remember to do it, we greatly improve our chances of making love stay.”

-from Still Life with Woodpecker, by Tom Robbins*

At our meeting with our minister last weekend, she said, “There will be times when you don’t like each other. Love is not enough to make a marriage work. What you need is trust and respect. That is the core of the marriage.”
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I’ve sat down to write this post about 60 times. It’s hard!

We didn’t get very many pictures of the ceremony. It’s not the photographer’s fault. Our church was very particular about where she was allowed to be, and where she wasn’t. Life goes on, right?

So, we probably should have practiced that walk with the big poofy skirt on. Seriously, my mom kept stepping on my dress and by the time we got down the aisle to the altar, my parents were so far away from me, it looked more like a prisoner being led to her sentencing.
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The Time: Summer 2008

The Place: New York City-San Francisco

The Moods: Happy Together/Annoyed and Apart Again/Needing a Change.

The summer of 2008 was one of confusion and action for me. I was deeply unhappy in my restaurant job meant to support my acting career, and Mr. Thimble was enjoying a summer of getting wined, dined, vacationed and well paid in his summer associate position at a law firm. I was in a dark what-am-I-doing-with-my-life place staring into a dark immediate future of 6 weeks sans Mr. T while he worked the second half of his summer at the firm’s San Francisco office, enjoying a new city where he’s always wanted to live while I stayed behind.

There was one thing I knew was good and bright in my life, however: We Thimbles were coming up on 6 1/2 years of “us”. And I wanted the one great amazing thing in my life to be nailed down and constant.

The morning Mr. Thimble left for SF, I came up with a plan.
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I think I waited until a month before our wedding to show you guys my dress because I was secretly worried some readers would criticize me for picking such a ubiquitous dress. Yuppers, mine is an extremely popular one… as the bridal shop informed me, and the alterations place, and many people around wedding blogosphere.

Actually, my seamstress ever-so-slightly-passive-aggressively informed me it is not popular anymore. So maybe I have nothing to fear! According to her, it’s practically vintage! She got, and I quote, “thousands, literally thousands of this dress like two, three years ago.”

Sweet! Not only has everybody and her sister worn my dress, but now it’s old, too!

You know what I say to that? What-freakin’-ever! I fell in love with my dress two years ago after seeing it in a magazine, and despite trying on dozens of others, I couldn’t find another I love more.

And so without further ado, I give you, arguably one of the most popular dresses of the ’10s, (and for good reason):
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We’re back, and boy does it feel AMAZING! I can’t say enough how wonderful it feels to be home. They always say: it’s nice to go, and it’s nice to come home.

The past day or so has been spent organizing, unpacking and relaxing. The husband (oh how I love calling him mah husband) and I have been exhausted. And I have to admit, I have been avoiding answering emails as long as possible. I’ve enjoyed my break from the Internet, however little of a break I actually took. But now it’s time to get back to business.

But first, before I start recapping the most amazing week/day/moment of my life, I’d like to start with this adorable photo shoot our wedding photographers, the wonderful Ben and Amy of Starks Photography, did of Mama Dolphin (Mr. Dolphin’s Mom) and her husband, Western Cowboy (father of Western Sistah, whom you met in my Bridal Shower post). Mr. Dolphin and I gifted them with a gift certificate towards a photo session with the Starks’ and they finally had the chance to use it before their move out West (we’re gonna miss them) {sad face}. Check out these sweet pics the Starks’ grabbed:

So cute!

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Whew! After my brunch shower with Mr P’s dad’s family I had a brief rest before going to my second shower of the day, a 1950s themed shower with his Mom’s family.

Notice Bridesmaid M’s adorable pregnant belly! Amazingly she is 8 months pregnant in this photo.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous for this shower.

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Remember how I was all into running and stuff, and even managing to complete a little race called the Boston Marathon? I thought it would be the perfect way to get in shape and look dynamite for the wedding. And yes, training for the marathon buffed up my bod like no other workout will.

And that’s the problem, folks. Now that it’s been more than a month since the marathon, I just can’t find the willpower to work out much. But I’m still downing pints of Ben and Jerry’s like I’ve run 10 miles that day. Anyone else see what’s wrong with that equation?

So yes, sadly, I’ve actually gained a bit since the marathon, completely derailing my plan of getting in shape and then maintaining that physique from race day to wedding day. It’s hard to force yourself to go for a run when there’s a lovely, cold glass of white wine and a hunk of brie waiting for you out on the patio when you get home from work (the bonus of having an unemployed fiance!).
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So where were we? Oh yes, the final picture of the ceremony rehearsal…

It looks innocent enough. The boys are over it, Mr. Cloud is intently listening to final instructions and our Priest is about to get to the part where we are introduced as husband and wife and practice the walk back down the aisle. But what you can’t tell from looking at this picture is that I am panicking. Remember back to the bridal tea when I told you how when I am nervous or stressed I react in a strange way? Oh yes, I’m going there. It was happening: I was about to get sick.
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I have recently had the pleasure of attending three bridal showers - one for my Friend Y, for whom I will be a bridesmaid in July, and two for moi! I have picked out some of the highlights to share with you from all three showers.

1. Serve delicious food. This may seem obvious, but it can come in so many different ways! Friend Y served sushi, dumplings and salads and it was deliciously unique. My Syracuse shower featured homemade food from nearly all the attendees - there was too much to choose from! My family shower had a smorgasbord of bagels, spread, fruits and desserts, and everyone left happy and full. I would say that the food was integral to all three events, and though different, always delicious.

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Some wedding decisions should be easy.

This is one of those decisions.

But that doesn’t mean I didn’t debate it for months, get lured in by all the pretty dessert tables around the blogosphere, and turn F Stripes’ desire to cut the cake into the need for a full blown cake table extravaganza.

Then last week she mentioned that cutting the cake wasn’t really very important to her. And just like that, our paramount wedding dessert decision was made.

Cool Haus Ice Cream Sandwiches. Custom-made for our guests and nestled in an edible wrapper with a logo/graphic (cue chorus of angels) of our choice. Rad, right?

Here’s how it all works. Cool Haus rolls up with 5 cookie choices and 7 ice cream choices, and our tipsy guests get to gorge themselves on all-they-can-eat custom-made ice cream sammies. YUMTASTIC.
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FutureMrsWalker and her fiance shot their beautiful e-pics surrounded by the blooms of spring.

Keep on loading your inspirational wedding pics to the gallery to see them featured here on the blog! Remember, your images must be under 1MB in size, or they won’t load.

Last Sunday, my beautiful bridesmaids blessed me with the most adorable bridal shower!

I’ll share more details tomorrow, but I really wanted to devote a whole post to the stunning flowers that my “Bridesmaid Julz” designed for the centerpieces.
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Being adopted, I don’t have documented information on my exact genealogy or family heritage. Somewhere it was written that I am a combination of English and Irish (and perhaps French). But for me, family has always been about people and love and those you choose to make a part of your life - and little to do with blood relation. I grew up calling Mama Seashell’s best friends “auntie”, and their children “cousins”. I looked up to my childhood babysitters like they were my big sisters, and holidays were spent with loved ones - “family” or not.

Just as we have embraced friends into our family, they have done the same in return. Years ago, my childhood best friend (now my BM) Carrie and her family went to meet her mother’s birth family in Greece. Soon after their initial meeting, we took a trip to Greece to “meet the family” as well. We were overwhelmed with love and acceptance, and were made to feel like an extension of their Greek family.
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Congratulations to our winner, Satin!

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We have a great giveaway today from one of our favorite jewelry designers! From classic to modern, couture to vintage, Tejani carries unique jewelry designed especially for brides. Their ENTIRE line of jewelry is available in four finishes, making every piece they make customizable to your bridal style. And today Tejani is giving away their best-selling earrings, valued at $220 to one lucky Weddingbee reader:

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