Weddingbee

*All photos courtesy of the amazing Angelica Glass, unless otherwise noted. Please note that the photos have only been color-corrected and not fully retouched.

Our fabulous party bus (from Double Diamond Limos) took us to Bryant Park Hotel in Midtown, where Mr. Canary and I both had to change into our Western wedding attire. Mr. Canary had to change and run out, so that Angelica could capture our actual “first look” moment (even though we had already seen each other) later.

We decided to stay at the Bryant Park Hotel because of the spare, minimalist rooms, filled with light that would be perfect for photo ops, and it was also conveniently across the street from one of my favorite New York spots, Bryant Park. Book nerd that I am, I was psyched that we might get a chance to shoot near the New York Public Library, until I learned that we couldn’t photograph anywhere near it unless we were having an event at the library. Oh well.
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*All photos courtesy of the amazing Angelica Glass, unless otherwise noted. Please note that the photos have only been color-corrected and not fully retouched.

Alas, I embark on my recap journey… close to three months after the big event. Did any other bees and brides get extreme post-wedding fatigue? The weekend after the big day, Mr. Canary and I dove right into the home improvement projects that we had neglected while planning the wedding… and then came our fabulous honeymoon (which Mr. Canary will be writing about in the near future!).

And now with our pro-pics in hand and our brains back from vacation, we can fully relish in the best day of our lives.

The week leading up to the wedding was one of the most hectic: guests from all over the world arriving, last minute projects, and even dance lessons! But all our hard work paid off and our day went off without a hitch (mostly thanks to our super coordinator, Christine Viola, who was able to make our crammed schedule feel stress-free and even relaxed.)

My day started with a 5AM wake up call.
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Music was a task that Mr. Canary took full ownership of, since he loves music and it’s his passion and hobby. He spends about three nights a week out checking out new or local bands. Initially we had considered a band, but after much thought, we decided to go with DJ Gaza after we had heard some of the mixes he sent us. It was like he raided our iPods and CDs because there wasn’t anything we didn’t like. And ultimately, we wanted to hear our favorite songs in their original arrangements and not as a cover by a band.

DJ Gaza was great to work with. We only met once and corresponded throughout the entire process by email. He made sure that the music would work with the flow of the entire event and had an uncanny knack for reading the crowd– which was important for a Sunday wedding.

When it came time to create our play list, as usual, we deferred to Google Docs and created a master spreadsheet with the following categories:

- When?
- Artist
- Song
- Notes

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While Mr. Canary and I are listlessly waiting for our honeymoon trip and professional photos, we have decided to get one final wedding task out of the way… writing thank you notes. Normally, I am a very prompt thank you note writer, but in the afterglow of the wedding, it just seems so daunting. Although by Emily Post standards, we have a year… I just hate having things looming.

To make it easier, I decided to pre-write a few “phrases” so if we should need the “inspiration,” it’ll be right there. Plus, no one is going to compare notes, so I’m not worried about two people getting the same thing! And now I can share the fruits of my labor with the hive so that thank you note writing won’t be such a chore.

CASH

Dear ___________,

Thank you so much for your generous gift. We are saving for [our dream honeymoon/additions to our/down payment for a new home] and thanks to you; we’ll be [traveling to_____/sprucing up our apartment/purchasing a house] very soon. Again, many thanks for thinking of us and for sharing our special day.

Love,
Mr. and Mrs. Canary
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While waiting to post my pro pics, I thought I’d share some photos of my hair and makeup application by Sachiko Yanase for my day-after photoshoot with Angelica Glass. I had called Sachiko eons ago to try and book her for the wedding, but it was during the holiday season of last year, our schedules were colliding, and I never got a chance to meet her for a trial. But from all the internet buzz, I knew Sachiko was great and decided to book her for the shoot.I showed Sachiko some photos of my hair and makeup from the wedding. I asked her to emulate a similar down do (since I wanted a more relaxed tone for these photos) and natural makeup that could withstand an outdoor shoot. Here is what she came up with:

Under the garish bathroom light. Though it looks questionable, I am not naked, but wearing my strapless wedding gown!

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At the wedding, we wanted a subtle but meaningful way to honor my uncle, who had passed away a few months ago. I asked our florist for some ideas and he suggested a photograph with rose petals or a small votive candle. I was against the photograph because I thought it may be too morbid and shrine-like and also get people very emotional upon seeing an image of my uncle. I also wanted the item to be placed in lieu of his place setting where he would have sat.

In the end, I decided to make it myself– which helped me positively cope with the fact that he would not be present at the wedding. Instead of a photo or flower arrangement, I decided to create a votive arrangement that would include his favorite color: light blue. I purchased all the supplies at Michael’s.

In the candle holder department, Michael’s has a great selection. Most designs were priced from $5-$15. I settled on a two part holder that would allow me to fill the base with some decorative detail and a separate holder for the candle, which would make it easier to transport and be less susceptible to breakage during transport. I also purchased milky white glass “stones” to fill the base and some dark blue satin ribbon to attach a card with text.
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I have been saving this post for the longest time considering that I finished a majority of the bridesmaids’ gifts in December! I wanted all the items to be a complete surprise for my lovely ladies (a few of whom are regular readers of Weddingbee) so I had to wait until after the wedding.

I wanted each gift to be practical yet personal, particularly because they each have such different style preferences. I also didn’t want any of the bridesmaids to feel obligated to “use” any part of the gift on the wedding day (hence, why I didn’t buy coordinated jewelry or clutches, although I was certainly tempted to every time I saw cute jewelry or purses!)

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I am a huge fan of birdie cake toppers a la Lauren Alane (my personal fave) and Ann Wood. While checking out Sarah Neuburger of The Small Object and her blog, I noticed the launch of some new wedding cake toppers to add to my list of faves!

Image from here

Are these adorable or what? Earlier in the month, I had purchased a vanity mirror that included a clothespin girl from The Small Object booth at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn, so I can vouch for the quality and workmanship behind Sarah’s pieces. They’re so cute and super well-made.

On her blog, it says that if you’re interested in custom options, (since the one above has already sold) you can just email her. You can even add a flower girl or ring bearer!
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Me striking a pose for some pre-ceremony shots before heading down to see Mr. Canary for our “first meet.”

It did! At the end of our perfect and amazing day… all Mr. Canary and I could say was, “It’s over… already?” We were busy having so much fun and visiting with all our friends and family that the day really flew by.

I’m glad we don’t leave for our honeymoon until September, because I am still in a trance and trying to get my bearings. I feel like I’ve been drunk for the past week and getting over my hangover!

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Our dessert from our dinner (a wedding gift from one of our groomsmen) at Daniel last night.

Hello, hive!

Sorry for being delinquent in posting. I have been one very bad bee but a very productive bride. I promise to fill you in on all the details after the big day. We won’t be leaving for our honeymoon until September, so I will have plenty of wedding withdrawal that will require lots of catching up on Weddingbee! I have missed you all and am looking forward sharing all the details I haven’t had a chance to blog about.
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