Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Later this week, I’ll be posting photos of our invitations. But first I thought I’d start by posting about all the things we forgot to think about when creating our invitations. May our foibles bring your laughter or wisdom… or both.
Mistake #1: Don’t forget to ask someone to help proofread your text… especially if you can’t read the language that the text is in. In law school, I served as what was basically a glorified copy editor for my law journal, and as an English Ph.D. student, I teach writing for a living. So when it came to the text of our invitations, I was feeling pretty confident. Silly Hot Cocoa.
We had a tri-fold invitation with a Hebrew panel, an English panel, and a Chinese panel, and I’m only literate in English. Yeah, you can see where this is going.
We had a company that specializes in Jewish wedding invitations throw together the Hebrew text for us, and for some reason I got so delighted with the aesthetics of the Hebrew that I completely neglected to proofread it. Thank goodness at the eleventh hour I recovered enough sense to ask one of our groomsmen who knows Hebrew to look over the text for us, because I got this delightful email from him: “Your guests who know neither English or Chinese might wind up a bit confused, as your wedding hotel is identified both as being in Tucson, AZ, and Marina del BEY, CA.” D’oh.
And all that confidence I had about the English text?
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Let me make this clear. I looove cupcakes. I live cupcakes. I’d like to be reincarnated as a cupcake.
(Um, how sweet are these cupcake cars from the Maker’s Faire?
With matching cupcake helmets? I’d trade my wheels for these any day.)
NYC has Magnolia’s, which does have all da bomb frostins (and even better banana pudding). Boston has Kick Ass Cupcakes, which has a mojito cupcake that is dreamy. Our wedding, however, is in LA, so while I was out there this week I had the task of finding a delicious cupcakery to provide the baked goodies for our wedding. It was hard work, but someone had to do it. Read more…
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
The last time I had my hair and makeup done was at my aunt’s wedding twelve years ago. The stylist (a so-called “pro” from Neiman Marcus’s salon) spackled on a jar’s worth of foundation three shades too light for my skin tone (I think she didn’t get the “I’m Asian” memo), put a shade of lipstick on me that only a Bratz doll could love, and gave me a hairdo that was a lopsided hairdon’t. (Those caterpillars above my eyes, however, are entirely my fault; I don’t think I understood the concept of tweezing yet.)
I looked pretty hot… for a hairy drag queen.
I was therefore somewhat anxious about my makeup and hair trial with Lin Breller and Rachelle Luczynski of Joyce Luck Style, though I probably wasn’t as anxious as Lin and Rachelle must have been when I rolled into Lin’s place after a two-hour typical LA-morning traffic nightmare looking like this: Read more…
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Wedding favors. Just invoking the words makes the hair on my beastie arms stand up on end. I have emerged from many a Chinese wedding with doodads that I didn’t know what to do with but felt bad for chucking: a small gold paperweight with the bride and groom’s names, wallet-sized pics of the happy couple, an acrylic medallion etched with the couple’s likeness… Chinese weddings are a veritable crap-bag — I mean, grab-bag — of useless tchotchkes.
Haven’t you always wanted an acrylic swan mini sculpture?
I was thus determined not to have favors. Maybe a candy or cookie buffet, but no tchotchkes. But when I revealed this awesome cost-savings plan to my mom, she balked.
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Ahhhh… MOO mini-cards. They are so darn… cute. And printed on the silkiest, most delectable cardstock. (I am typing this with a straight face because it’s true.)
After months of pining over them, I finally figured out a way to use them! Read more…
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
On Sunday, there was a snow storm that blanketed Boston in a foot of wet, clumpy, hard-to-shovel snow. But not even a blizzard could keep me from meeting up with Mrs. Margarita and Mrs. Corn to see “Bride Snores” — I mean, “Bride Wars”. Miss Latte, the newest of the Boston Bees, joined us afterward for (what else?) coffee. Poor Mrs. Toucan was sick, and her presence was missed by all.
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
For the evening portion of the event, my fab bridal party, a.k.a.
(can you tell I just watched “Love Guru”? I’m trademarking everything!), organized a dinner at Tapeo, a tapas restaurant in Boston. (An aside: I don’t speak English with an accent, but somehow whenever I say “tapas,” someone hears “topless.” What’s up with that? And it’s clearly not wishful thinking on their part, since I don’t got much to show up there.) While we’re totally off topic, let me assure you that this post is totally safe for work; my bachelorette party was 100% penis-free!
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Once upon a time, there was a girl who grew up in the Valley.* All the coolest kids in her class had rad bar and bat mitzvahs, and she was like, totally jealous. She too wanted to have a huge party, with an awesome theme like “Dance!” or “Hollywood”, and to invite all the cute boys in her class to do the Electric Slide and drink Shirley Temples with her in a fancy ballroom. And she’d wear a super chic dress that was off-the-shoulder and made of taffeta and velvet. Oh, and there was going to be this huge posterboard with her picture on it, on which everyone who was anyone was going to write their deepest, most sincere thoughts, like “Stay kool!” or “Friends 4-eva”. It was going to be soooooo awesome!
That girl, of course, was me. I ended up getting the taffeta and velvet dress, which I wore to almost every one of the twenty or so bar and bat mitzvahs I attended. But I never got the rad bat mitzvah of my dreams… Read more…
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
As I mentioned in my teaser post yesterday, my amazing bridal party threw me a fabulous Bat-chelorette Shower-Mitzvah. Wonderful women from all parts of my life braved an impending snow emergency to travel from New York, Connecticut, and D.C. to Massachusetts to celebrate… me! I was so touched and awed by the experience that I felt slightly out of body the whole afternoon/evening.
The shower portion of the day was craft themed — designed to inspire my inner Martha. Of course, while my Martha is deep deep inside of me, my friends have no problems channeling their inner Martha. Behold the chic, DIY details:
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
While I’ve been lazing about during the holidays, eating, shopping, and generally being a non-productive member of society, the crafty Lo (of Etsy store LoBoheme) has been hard at work on a fabulous hairpiece for me to wear with my wedding qipao. If you’re not familiar with her store, Lo creates the most beautifully constructed vintage-inspired fascinators, floral and feather hairpieces, and headbands. For me, she designed a piece in shades of mauve, violet, and aubergine. And she’s paired it with a number of different centerpieces that I’m hoping you’ll help me decide between!
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Greetings from Hong Kong! Today Hot Mama Cocoa, Sister Hot Cocoa, and I went to pick up my qua from Koon Nam Wah. A qua is the traditional Chinese wedding outfit, which consists of an uber sexy boxy jacket over an uber sexy boxy skirt. For a while, the qua went out of fashion, as many modern brides preferred to not look like they were wearing a red potato sack on their wedding day. But in the same way that “vintage” or “retro” wedding aesthetics are increasingly popular in the U.S., the qua is making a come back.
Although it’s definitely not the foxiest outfit I can imagine wearing, I want to wear a qua in honor of my family’s Chinese heritage and because it’s an amazing work of art — lavish, three-dimensional embroidery, done entirely by hand by little old Chinese men with no sweat glands.
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Hot Mama Cocoa, Sister HC, and I went to Shenzhen, China, today to pick up a few more wedding-related items. We returned with the most adorable outfits for our flower girls! Get ready for some mega cuteness, Asian-style:
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Happy hanukkah! Tsing dan fai lok! In whichever language, it’s the holiday season, which means that I, along with sister Hot Cocoa and Hot Mama Cocoa, am in Hong Kong, shopping and eating. Somehow, between all of the shopping and eating, we’ve managed to fit in a number of wedding-related tasks. I got fitted for my qua and qi pao, picked up our invitations, found gifts for my bridal party, sourced trimmings for future DIY projects . . . . Details of all of our adventures are to come.
But first I thought I’d share with you what I accomplished today, which is to purchase the “pastry cards” that are included with the invitations we send to friends and family in Hong Kong.
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
When I first started wedding planning, I was determined to be a “no video” bride. Mr. HC and I are among the last of our friends to get married, and at almost every wedding we’ve been to with videography, I have been annoyed by how distracting the videographers were. At one otherwise beautiful wedding we went to, the videographers literally stood three feet in front of the couple, completely blocking the audience’s view. At another wedding, the videographer stood in the middle of the dance floor, “interviewing” the, ahem, more well-endowed ladies while forcing other guests off the dance floor or within tripping distance of his cables. Oy.
But I think wedding videographers have gotten a bad rap. I mean, they can’t be faulted for much of this behavior. Some of their aggressiveness should be attributed to the bride and groom or their families, who either really wanted every single moment of their nuptials to be captured perfectly on film or neglected to communicate with their videographers ahead of time about how conspicuous they ought to be in recording the events. Some of it can also be credited to culture and custom; many videographers serving Chinese wedding markets, for example, are used to dealing with families for whom documentary evidence of the event is often more important than the experience of the event itself. (Hence the popularity of uber-cheesy pre-wedding “let’s pretend to be marrying!” photos from Hong Kong studios. Mom, if you’re reading this, Mr. HC and are NOT getting those photos done, ok? )
Mrs. Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
I was therefore somewhat anxious about my makeup and hair trial with Lin Breller and Rachelle Luczynski of Joyce Luck Style, though I probably wasn’t as anxious as Lin and Rachelle must have been when I rolled into Lin’s place after a two-hour typical LA-morning traffic nightmare looking like this:
Unique Wedding Favors
And here’s me at my own bat-chelorette shower-mitzvah almost 19 years later:
)
