Weddingbee Blog

More than two years after the wedding, the thing that stands out to me most among all of the small details (and posts about those things) was my bouquet. Learning that making bouquets was really easy was a big stress-reliever, and I was really proud of how everything turned out.

Not only was I pleased with how it all turned out on that day, but I’ve since gone on to make bouquets for the weddings of both of my brothers. The time spent with each of my sisters-in-law the day before their weddings was truly special. And my bouquet making skills, as you can see, improved with each.
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We’ve been married for almost a year and a half. In that time, we’ve found a lot of uses for some of the items for which we registered. The plates, glasses, cups, flatware - we use them every day. The pots and pans, most days in a week. The mixer, about once a week.

But none of those things really changed our lives. We did just fine without them; our lives aren’t any different because we got them. Prettier, perhaps, since everything matches, but it didn’t change things.

There is one gift that we got, however, that has really changed the way we do things around our house. It wasn’t on our registry, and was actually a shower gift.

How to Cook Everything
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A couple of people asked on my last post about how the dance floor got so packed so quickly. I must say, the same thing happened at my younger brother’s wedding this summer - and didn’t happen at many of the other weddings we have attended. It seems that there are a few things that can make a difference.

1. The bride and groom must be happy.

If they are happy, it is much easier for everyone else to be happy.

2. The right music is crucial- and live music helps.

Of the three weddings we’ve attended with live music, 2 had tons of dancing. Of the DJ or iPod weddings, roughly 25% (2 of 8, I think) had a lot of dancing. Regardless of how the music is played, it should be music that everyone, from grandparents on down, should be able to tap their feet to. Our big band played standards from the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s; my brother and his wife had a funk band that played classics from the 1970s through today. But in each case, most people knew most of the songs.
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There were two things that our photographer, Ken Blaze, said about our wedding that he had never seen before at a wedding.

1. The dance floor was immediately packed following my dance with my dad.

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After dinner, it was…

… time for dancing! (Big surprise, I know. No way you guessed that one.)

My youngest brother, pianist extraordinaire, played the song for our first dance. Ben Fold’s “The Luckiest”, which may be a bit cliche- but is one of my brother’s signature songs that he plays whenever he is around a piano.
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My mom and I are planning a bridal shower for my brother’s fiancee. My own shower had a theme of “Around the Clock”, where guests brought gifts that corresponded with something that I would be use at that time of the day.

But we’re stuck on what to do as a theme for the shower. Her mother throws fabulous tea parties, so that is out. We’re planning on having it on a Saturday afternoon in May.

So, what was the best themed shower that you have been to?

Yes, I know, long time no post. One of these days I really will get around to finishing my wedding recap…

Anyways, on to more practical wedding planning things! I’m a bridesmaid in my brother’s wedding, and his lovely fiancee sent out an email earlier this week about appropriate attire.

An excerpt is as follows:

“I think I have talked to all of you about possibly getting dresses from J.Crew, and it seemed like everyone liked the idea. So, I have created a survey to find out which styles and colors you all prefer. We do not have official wedding colors so things are pretty flexible… all we know is we want things to be colorful and summery! On the survey I choose the 4 colors that I liked the best initially… but feel free to comment on other colors if you like something else (I don’t pretend to have good taste).
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We had only two toasts, both scheduled before dinner.

My dad went first…
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Marisa Gindi, the utterly fabulous hotel coordinator, gave us a sneak peak of the ballroom before guests entered.

We were blown away.

At the entrance to the ballroom

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Thanks for all who commented on my last post- I will indeed continue with the recap.

After taking time for our pictures, we headed for the reception in time to catch cocktail hour. (When we arrived, though, I didn’t head directly for the food. I first stopped in the bridal suite to change shoes into something that was more comfortable. For those looking for a comfortable option that isn’t flip-flops, I highly recommend ballroom dancing shoes.)

The cocktail hour was held in the lobby area of the Renaissance Hotel’s Gold Ballroom.

Scoping out the beverages…
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Following Penguin’s example, I thought I’d share my own secret. (Not that it is much of a secret, if you’ve noticed my absence of posts.)

I’m completely, totally, 100% over weddings - planning, recapping, blogging. Don’t get me wrong- our wedding turned out great, it was one of the most fun days of my life - but being married is so much better.

Writing picture-filled posts recapping the wedding takes time, and since I started working, time has been a precious commodity. And the recap posts that I have done have generated only a small amount of interest, which doesn’t help my minimal motivation to post.

So there you have it—my not-so-secret secret. Please let me know if you are interested in seeing more wedding pics; if there is enough interest, I’ll continue the recap.

Early in the wedding planning, we knew that we wanted to take some time in between the ceremony and the reception just for us. I don’t generally like being the center of attention, and it was important for both of us to get a bit of a break and have a little time just for us.

First stop was a tea house on Murray Hill that we would visit when we were just friends.

And some chess—since that was how we initially got together. No, that’s not a beer—I opted for iced tea.
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We’re finally settled into our New York digs, which means that it is time for the wedding recap to begin again. Who knew working a real job (that involves a lot of travel!) would be so crazy?

We made it to the end of the church, and proceeded to kiss some more.

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As soon as we’re done moving!

Image found here.

That’s right, next week Mr. Dahlia and I are moving to NYC! It’s been quite a whirlwind since he received the job offer on Friday, but I promise once we have relocated to the East Coast, I will post about our reception as well as the surprises we had in store for our guests.

In the meantime, anyone have any tips for surviving an inter-state move?

And then it was time for the ceremony.

First the moms:

Mr. Dahlia’s parents

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