The Jasmines then…
It’s been two years! For those of you who don’t remember me, I’m an old-timey bee from Ye Olde 2008. I realized that it has been entirely too long since I caught up with my beloved bees, so I just wanted to pop in to say hello.
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I will never forget the first time I received flowers (sorry Mr. J, but they were not from you). It was a lush bouquet of peach roses lightly tinged with pink. Even after they wilted, I picked off all the petals and kept them in a jar (hmm, maybe this story is more about the boy who gave them to me and less about the flowers themselves). Anyway, flowers have always been meaningful to me and I knew they would play a special role in our wedding. It was a challenge, however, finding a floral designer who shared our vision and worked within our budget.
We were so lucky to have Eddie of Commerce Flowers. Our online research returned glowing reviews of Commerce and the proposal they provided was well within our budget. The best part, however, was working with Eddie. He went above and beyond to make me and Mr. J happy– I truly felt as though he cared about our wedding. Even with the vague and constantly shifting guidelines I gave him, he produced magic on our wedding day.
My wedding bouquet: pure white peonies tied in thick white satin. I’m so glad I went with an all white bouquet. It didn’t compete with the rest of the florals or the colors in my lengha. The soft peonies just shone all on their own.
But I recently made a small exception for the newest issue of Martha Stewart Weddings…
Hello bees! I know, it’s been far too long. I have to admit that I’ve been hibernating in our Chicago apartment, thoroughly enjoying married life. I spent the weekend devouring the Martha Stewart holiday issue, cooking from my new Indian cookbook, and snuggling with Mr. Jasmine. For all of you in the midst of wedding planning stress, take heart: a relaxing, blissful married life awaits you!
Last week, I took a big (belated) step: I finally changed my name. It was very strange to see “Jasmine Married Name” on my social security card, but I was also overjoyed. That is, until I realized what a pain it is to make sure your maiden name and your married name are “linked up”. For example, I was updating my resume with my new name when a thought occurred to me: what if a prospective employer does a background check? They won’t find record of a “Jasmine Married Name” at any of my previous schools or jobs. I finally decided to add “formerly Jasmine Maiden Name” to my resume, so hopefully that solves that problem. But it’s still confusing for work matters where I started a case with one name, but will now go by another name.
For those of you that changed your name, how did you connect your maiden name and married name in your professional life?
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By the time our honeymoon in July rolled around, Mr. J and I were exhausted. We’d gotten through our wedding, plus a second reception. We’d also attended two out-of-state weddings and I finished moving into Mr. J’s place. We were SO ready for some rest and relaxation and luckily for us, Hawaii was just the place for that.
Here are some highlights from our vacation:
Kauai Highlights:
Captain Andy’s Tour:
Sailing along the Napali Coast in a beautiful catamaran was definitely one of the high points of our trip. While the water was sometimes choppy, the views were absolutely incredible. I also had the opportunity to snorkel for the first time—although I was kind of a wuss about it. They also served an incredible dinner, and we met some really fun people (and fellow honeymooners!).
Now that I share a shower with Mr. Jasmine, he’s become privy to my dirty little secret: an unhealthy obsession with beauty and bath products. Our shower stall overflows with shampoo, conditioner, various scented body washes, scrubs, etc. But I have to admit that despite the frightening collection of bath products, I loyally stick to Product Body every time I get in the shower. I’ve posted about my obsession with Product Body before and months later, I’m still a happy devotee. The “champagne Crush on You” scrubbed my skin into glowy submission before the wedding and honeymoon. Months later, I’m still thrilled with its satisfying consistency, dreamy scent, and unbelievable softening properties.
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Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
Hello Bee readers! I want to apologize for the temporary lull in the “Jasmine Wedding Story“. Mr. Jasmine and I are off on a big trip tomorrow:
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Previously in this series:
A Jasmine Wedding Story: A Reception to Remember, Part One
A Jasmine Wedding Story: Cocktail Hour
A Jasmine Wedding Story: We Do
A Jasmine Wedding Story: Beauty and the Bride
A Jasmine Wedding Story: The Mehndi
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Dancing works up an appetite, so after a couple hours, our wedding guests were ready for a sweet treat. Enter a delightful confection courtesy of For the Love of Sugar. Our red velvet wedding cake was charming and delicious — did I mention Mr. J and I already ate the top tier!?!
I’m interrupting the Jasmine Wedding Story to ask the Hive for some help. Mr. Jasmine and I want to order one large wedding print to frame and hang in our home. We might order several smaller prints, but we want one large one to baby (custom frame, mat, and hang in a place of honor). But we can’t decide which one to order! We’ve narrowed it down to these– which one would you choose?
Number One: The Nuzzle
Previously in this series:
A Jasmine Wedding Story: Cocktail Hour
A Jasmine Wedding Story: We Do
A Jasmine Wedding Story: Beauty and the Bride
A Jasmine Wedding Story: The Mehndi
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Mr. J and I lined up outside the ballroom doors for our grand entrance. My heart beating wildly, I was still feeling a little overwhelmed from our rushed cocktail hour. I took slow, deep breaths as Mr. J’s parents, my parents, and then our brothers were announced to the joyful applause of our guests.
Finally, it was our turn. As our DJ spun a pumped-up remix of U2’s Beautiful Day, Mr. J and I burst through the ballroom doors to thunderous applause and ecstatic yells from family and friends.
Previously in this series:
A Jasmine Wedding Story: We Do
A Jasmine Wedding Story: Beauty and the Bride
A Jasmine Wedding Story: The Mehndi
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**
For what felt like the first time in years, I exhaled deeply. The ceremony was a blur of nerves and anxiety; I couldn’t help feeling relieved that it was over. I was finally Mrs. Jasmine and as I looked gleefully into Mr. J’s eyes, I knew that the best was yet to come.
Previously in this series:
A Jasmine Wedding Story: Beauty and the Bride
A Jasmine Wedding Story: The Mehndi
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Fidgeting nervously with the beaded trim of my lehnga, I made small talk with our wedding coordinator’s assistant (and sister), Anna. She talked animatedly about clothes and tattoos, doing her best to keep the conversation light and bubbly. I tried to be equally responsive, but my nerves were getting the better of me. I’m sorry to say I wasn’t the best conversationalist at that moment!
Finally, Angel gave us word that it was time. Anna and I made our way downstairs to the lobby. My brother, who would be walking me down the aisle, was waiting for me. He grinned broadly and we exchanged a few big sister-little brother compliments about how great the other looked. Meanwhile, hotel guests stopped to congratulate me and even take photographs. It was as close as I was ever going to get to being a celebrity.
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Previously in this series:
A Jasmine Wedding Story: The Mehndi
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When I opened my eyes on the morning of my wedding, my attention drifted to the Grant Hill poster on my bedroom wall. When I was fifteen, I was sure I’d marry Grant Hill. We’d live in a fancy Detroit suburb and have beautiful (his genes), athletic (his genes also) children together. Seeing the slightly faded poster of my girlhood crush brought a bemused smile to my face. Things had changed a lot since I lived in that room. I was now a lawyer, living halfway across the country in a big city. I was going to marry a man better than anyone I could have dreamed for myself. In those brief moments, I felt truly blessed.
The morning was a whirlwind of congratulations and hugs, a light breakfast for my still-queasy stomach, and a flurry of packing. We were running almost an hour late, which was unusual for my punctual-to-a-point family. I knew that everyone followed the lead of the bride, so I did my best to be cheery and light-hearted, even while my insides churned with nervousness.
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I’m armed with professional photos and finally ready to share the story of our wedding celebration: the mehndi, the wedding, our minimoon, the valima, and our honeymoon! I’m going to start with the story of our mehndi the night before the wedding. All mehndi photos were taken by family and friends.
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Our wedding celebration was to begin the Friday before the wedding with a mehndi at my parents’ house in Los Angeles. The Thursday before, I met my coordinator Angel for lunch and a pre-nuptial pow-wow. We laughed and chatted, but I barely touched my entree, which I chalked up to jitters. On the drive home, however, I started to feel extremely nauseated and I had to pull over. By the time I reached my parents’ home, I’d developed a high fever and spent the rest of the night alternating between my bed and the bathroom floor.
At this point, my parents were in a full-fledged panic. As they frantically wondered if they should somehow cancel or postpone the wedding events, they heard from my father-in-law, who is a physician. He wrote me a prescription for antibiotics, which quickly brought the fever down and appeased the nausea. I woke up the morning of my mehndi completely exhausted and weak, but at least I was keeping crackers and 7-UP down.
Mr. Jasmine and I are back from our honeymoon, many pounds heavier and much tanner. We had an incredible time in Hawaii and I’m putting together a couple of recap posts for all of you, with lots of cringe-inducing pics of the Jasmines in swimwear.
Much of the honeymoon was spent lounging by the pool/beach with a good book. Mr. Jasmine and I love to read, but unlike him, my tastes run from high-brow to so-called chick lit. I try not to be a book snob and in my little world, a good read is a good read, whether it’s Russian literature, a British classic, or a twenty-first century tale of dating in the big city. I chose books of the latter type for our honeymoon since I couldn’t process anything more weighty than that. Some of them I loved, some of them were just meh, and some of them….well, read on:
Books I Loved:
Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and Baby Proof, all by Emily Giffin:
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Mrs. Jasmine, Chicago/LA Age and Occupation: 25, Attorney Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Attorney Engagement Date: March 24, 2007 Wedding Date: June 7, 2008 Blogging Since: September 20, 2007 Venue: Hotel on the westside of Los Angeles About Me: I'm a happy-go-lucky, imaginative spirit trapped in the body of a lawyer. I love reading, shopping, dining out, and exploring my beloved adopted city of Chicago with my fiance. We're planning the wedding of our dreams in my hometown of Los Angeles and we're excited to incorporate our cherished Indian/Pakistani customs and traditions.
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