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.
Ceremony Decor
October 7th, 2007 @ 2:48 pm by Mrs. Jasmine
Our ceremony will be held outdoors in the garden of our venue, the InterContinental Los Angeles. It’s a really beautiful blank canvas for us to work with (I wish I could find a picture of the garden undecorated– sorry about that!). I’m imagining a classic, clean look with lots of vibrant colors in shades of burgundy and dark pink.
By a stroke of good luck, I came across this picture of the InterContinental garden decorated for an Indian wedding (images courtesy of Andrena Photo).
Too Big, Too Little… Just Right
October 5th, 2007 @ 3:56 pm by Mrs. Jasmine
Our search for a venue was like a scene out of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. One venue was too expensive, one was too modern, one was too rustic, etc. It was difficult to find a venue that was “just right” for us.
For example, I loved the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hills in Pasadena (Mrs. Pearl’s venue!):
Same Day Edits
October 4th, 2007 @ 7:09 pm by Mrs. Jasmine
One of the newest trends in wedding videography are “Same Day Edits”. Videographers edit footage of the ceremony and the bride and groom getting ready into a video to be shown during the reception. Initially, I wondered if it would be boring for guests to view footage of a ceremony they just saw, but after seeing demos of some truly fabulous same day edits, I’m a believer.
Father (and Mother!) Know Best
October 4th, 2007 @ 2:12 pm by Mrs. Jasmine
Pictures of You
October 3rd, 2007 @ 5:55 pm by Mrs. Jasmine
Picture credited to Marisa Holmes
I’m embarrassed to admit how difficult it was for me to choose a wedding photographer. I’m notoriously indecisive and this felt like a monumentally important decsion to me. It didn’t help that I was choosing someone from thousands of miles away, with no opportunity to meet him or her in person. I actually laid awake one night, completely unable to sleep, because I didn’t know who to choose. But in the end, I did choose someone fabulous and I’m going to share how.
Why I Need A New Dentist
October 3rd, 2007 @ 10:32 am by Mrs. Jasmine
Picture courtesy of Learning and Teaching Scotland
Several weeks ago, I visited a new dentist for a teeth cleaning. I’m still relatively new to Chicago and this dentist, who I will refer to as Dr. Judgy, came highly recommended by a co-worker.
As I leaned back in Dr. Judgy’s dentist chair, trying not to flinch as the glaring light shined into my eyes, he noticed my engagement ring.
Vera Wang Chicago
October 2nd, 2007 @ 8:32 am by Mrs. Jasmine
Picture courtesy of Chicago Magazine
I always knew that I would be wearing an Indian outfit for my wedding. Growing up, I definitely indulged fantasies of donning an elaborate Vera Wang gown for my nuptials (with Will Smith as the groom of course!). But I think I always knew that wearing an Indian bridal outfit, something that really honored my background and culture, was very important to me.
We Want Prenup!
October 1st, 2007 @ 11:01 am by Mrs. Jasmine
Mr. Jasmine and I never seriously discussed signing a prenuptial agreement. We definitely joked around about it, particularly since we’re both lawyers and Mr. Jasmine even practices family law. As lawyers, it’s something we would advise our clients to consider, particularly clients who have amassed considerable pre-marriage wealth and/or have children. But (maybe hypocritically), we just didn’t see it as necessary for us. We’re entering into our marriage with a fairly clean financial slate and a prenuptial agreement seemed unnecessary. Additionally, it would certainly be frowned upon from a cultural prespective. While divorce is becoming more and more acceptable in South Asian culture, it is still strongly looked down upon (except in cases of abuse or fraud). It woud be certainly considered inappropriate, not to mention inauspicious, to be contemplating the consequences of divorce before we were even married.
Do you agree? Do you think prenups are the death knell to romance or a must-have in our divorce-happy society?
Tale of a Football Widow
September 28th, 2007 @ 9:30 am by Mrs. Jasmine
Picture courtesy of Babble.com
Mr. Jasmine doesn’t just love football, he looooooves it. He would marry it if he could. He loves college football, professional football, football video games, football paraphernalia, football trivia, football message boards, etc. He crushed my dreams of a lovely fall wedding by saying it would be practically blasphemous to have a wedding during football season. “What about our friends with season tickets? And how can we possibly work around the schedules of all the teams? No matter what Saturday we choose, it will inevitably be during a very important game!” Not wanting to deal with a groom who is checking his iPhone during the ceremony for scores, I happily agreed to a spring wedding.
The Proposal: Part Two
September 27th, 2007 @ 11:31 am by Mrs. Jasmine
I was so grateful that Mr. Jasmine made sure to propose privately. Even though that kind of proposal isn’t really part of our South Asian culture, he knew that it was an important part of my American culture. Like most women brought up in the United States, I’d been dreaming of my proposal my whole life!
