Weddingbee Blog

I am a photography newbee (heh heh). I just point my pretty pink camera towards the subject, press the button, and pray that the picture comes out clear. Mr. Latte, on the other hand, really enjoys photography and is always on the hunt for new lenses and other fancy-shmancy equipment for his camera. So when it came time to find the photographer for our wedding, I left the big decision up to him.

He did a very extensive search of photographers in the greater NYC area and found the super talented Todd Laffler of Laffler Photography. Mr. Latte and Todd spoke over the phone, and after bonding over skateboarding, we booked him right away. Check out his work and you’ll see why!

We love the vibrancy of the colors in his photos. The colors in this picture just POP!

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Last week, Mr. Latte flew into town (yay!) for his spring break. But the poor sucka was fooled (muhahaha) as there wasn’t a beach or pina colada in sight. Instead, he found himself in the windy and (still) chilly East Coast weather, being dragged from location to location and city to city to get some wedding stuff done. Poor guy.

Our first stop? To visit Jeannie, our florist, and to (finally!) see a mock-up of our centerpieces! You’ve patiently followed along with me (part 1, part 2) and my emotional roller coaster ride through flower-land. And now you shall be rewarded with a sneak peek at the goods. Woohoo!

We are planning to have 16 tables (max!), half of which will feature tall centerpieces and the other half to feature low ones. I’m not a big fan of tall candlesticks, and those big floral arrangements that sit atop long, thin vases scare me (how do they not topple over?!?), so we had very few options to work with. Jeannie suggested using branches, orchids and hanging votives, which turned out beautifully!

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I left off in Part 1 with me in dreamland, skipping down a yellow-brick road, a big binder overflowing with pictures in tow. Images of pink and white fluffy flowers (peonies, ranunculus, garden roses, oh my!) floated in my head as I headed off to my floral vendor meetings. I arrived, sat down and opened up my binder to reveal my inspirational pictures and organized list. I sat back and waited for my gold star when instead, I was given a swift kick, and just like that, I was thrown out of dreamland and into (sigh) reality.

Reality #1: Our chosen wedding date is after “pretty flower season”. And by pretty flowers, I mean peonies, ranunculus and garden roses. NOOOO! I knew that our early July wedding would be cutting it close, but c’mon people! We figured out a way to get a man on the moon… why can’t we figure out how to grow peonies in NYC in July!

Reality #2: Apparently we can. But they’re expensive. And by expensive, I mean way-out-of-the-budget-that-there’s-no-hiding-it-from-Mr. Latte expensive. So out the window go my beautiful pink peony and ranunculus bouquets, centerpieces and boutonnieres….and my broken heart.

Reality #3: The flowers that are in season and therefore much more affordable? Calla lilies, hydrangeas and roses. Now, I know that most brides would be jumping up and down at this point conjuring up new dreams of modern calla lily bouquets and poofy hydrangea centerpieces, but I guess I’m the anti-bride, because I’m not a big fan of… you guessed it, calla lilies, hydrangeas and roses. I know, I know… and I call myself a bride.

The look of shock, horror and disappointment must not have gone unnoticed because florist #1 told me that she may be able to get peonies for my bouquet, and my bouquet only.
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I love flowers. I love the way they look, the way they smell, and the emotions they can evoke. I like them on trees, in bushes, in vases, and even as decoration on my sushi platter. Mr. Latte took note of this love early on and won many points by sending me lots of flowers during our dating relationship. My coworkers still joke that he must have stock in proflowers.com.

Not surprisingly, I was super excited to start thinking and planning out the flowers for the wedding. I opened up my “wedding ideas” folder (both on my computer and in my wedding binder) and uncovered files upon files (and magazine cutouts upon cutouts) of bouquet and centerpiece ideas. Pretty overwhelming… except that they were all pictures of pretty much the same flowers. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, here’s the inspiration board I created for our wedding party newsletter:

(sources for all pictures here)

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Hi hive! I know I’ve been MIA recently, but now that work is slowing down a bit, I can finally crawl out from under the piles of college applications to say hello. Hello! Wheeeew… (stretching arms)… that feels good!

I definitely fell victim to the wedding planning “BLAH” period. You know, the period of time when you just don’t want to hear, think or see anything wedding-related. Over the past month, my answer to the ever so popular, “How’s the wedding planning going?” question has been, “Eh…it’s OK.” After we booked all our big vendors, I was pooped. All the research and agonizing over costs and details tired me out BIG time. But now that we’ve reached the 3-month mark (WOAH!), it’s time to buckle down and start putting ideas into action. And I have much to share!

In the next couple of weeks, the Lattes will be taking our e-pics, meeting our florist for a mock-up, booking a rehearsal dinner venue, and starting to work on the little details that will make our wedding US. So there will be lots of sharing of information and ideas… as well as desperate pleas for advice and suggestions. There may even be some begging involved… ain’t no shame in a little begging.

But there will be no begging today, as I want to share something FUN!
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I am not a morning person. I’m a professional snoozer and (too) often wake up late. But there are a couple of things that will get me out of bed in the morning: the smell of a strong cup of latte, and the hope and promise of a good sale! Set that alarm for a good black Friday sale and I’ll wake up smiling. Get up super early to run like a crazy lady for a fabulous dress? No problemo.

Yesterday I woke up BEFORE my alarm, showered, and got ready in record time for a sale like none other… the Priscilla of Boston Blowout Sample Sale! OK, I can see you now… shaking your head and pointing your finger at the screen. I know you’re thinking that I’m some crazy wedding gown maniac who should be banned from all dress stores. What the heck is this 2 1/3 dress bride doing at yet another wedding gown sale???

Well, it wasn’t for me, I promise!!! I accompanied my newly-engaged co-worker to the sale! This lucky lady is just starting the wedding planning process, and what better place to start than finding the dress!

And c’mon, I can’t pass up an ad like this!!!

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Head out of the gutter, hive! We’re talking suspenders here.

I know, not as exciting. I wasn’t excited either… until I saw pictures like these:

These guys crack me up

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I admit it. I have, without a doubt, a Type A personality. And for a Type A-er, admitting this is hard stuff. I like lists that I can check off, I work best under pressure, and I’m incredibly task-oriented. I exhibit Type A behavior in most situations… in a meeting at work, a night out with friends, and especially in wedding planning.

But lately, a little bit of Type B is creepin’ in. The reception dinner location hasn’t been booked (gasp!), the groomsmen’s attire hasn’t been ordered (gulp!), and the invitations? Non-existent. Woah. Deep breaths, Latte.

Instead, I’ve been mindlessly surfing the web, daydreaming, excessively sighing and staring googly-eyed at pictures like this:

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Being in a long-distance relationship is hard stuff. Besides the obvious things like the physical distance, relying on the phone for communication, and (for us) the time difference, wedding planning brings on a whole new set of challenges. Our short visits are now packed with appointments, our phone conversations are often wedding related, and the time difference makes it hard for Mr. Latte to contact East Coast vendors, adding more items to my never-ending “To Do” list.

The distance has forced us to think of creative solutions to some of the inevitable wedding related problems that arise. Do the pink socks Mr. Latte bought perfectly match my pink shoes? Let’s Skype and find out! We both need access to our budget document? Let’s share it on Google Docs! The wedding party is scattered across the country and will need to meet each other before the wedding? Let’s make a wedding party newsletter!

We all know that a fun wedding party = a fun partay. And parties are always more fun when you’re with friends. Since most of the guys are on the West Coast, and all the ladies are on the East Coast, having them become the best of friends just wasn’t going to happen. (Yes, I realize that doesn’t happen in real life either.) But even having them meet face-to-face before the wedding was next to impossible. We needed a creative way to have them “meet” each other. Cue newsletter.

Following the lead (and borrowing the ideas) of Miss Piglet and many of the other Bees before me (thanks ladies!), the Latte newsletter was born. I call it… SCOTHEOOP. “The Inside Scoop”. Get it? Yeah? I know, cheesy… don’t judge.

Here’s the cover:

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(source)

It’s March! For most people, this is a good thing. It means that the long winter is almost over (although definitely not here in Boston!) and spring is just around the corner. The days are getting longer, so walking out of work at 5PM just isn’t as depressing as it used to be. And it also means that Opening Day is that much closer… and that’s a BIG deal over here.

For others, March is one of the busiest months of the year. Accountants like Papa Latte are in the middle of tax season, and are working hard for long hours. And college admissions officers like myself are buried in applications from high school students around the world.

Working in a career or an office where a “busy season” exists develops a special sense of community and camaraderie amongst the employees.
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It’s 6PM, 30 minutes into my weekly Bosu class. At this point, my legs feel like Jell-O and I’m checking the clock every 5 seconds willing it to go faster. I put my head down and press on… and suddenly feel an extra jolt of energy. My arms pump harder, I add a little hop to my step and…what’s this? I’m even singing along to the song coming through the sound system. The source of my new found energy? “Umbrella” by Rihanna.

Yup, I love Rihanna and her umbrella. I know it was totally overplayed back in 2007, and I, too, have fallen victim to the so-annoying-but-ever-so-catchy “ella ella” that you just can’t get out of your head.
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This past weekend, a couple of girlfriends came over and we baked up a storm. I love to bake. I love measuring the ingredients, mixing them up, and (the best part) EATING them. We baked for about 3 hours straight and had brownies, Rice Krispies treats, cupcakes, and (yum) lemon bars to gorge on, er… I mean, taste. In addition to the mixing, scraping and baking, we also did a lot of washing… and re-washing our 2 mixing bowls, 1 rubber spatula and 2 bake pans. There were MANY times when I thought to myself, “I can’t wait to get ____ off our registry.”

Mr. Latte and I registered at 4 different stores and learned a lot through the process. We learned how to tell the difference between bone china and porcelain (hold it up to the light) and what 18/8 and 18/10 stainless steel means (percentage of chromium vs. nickel). We learned why so many couples register for big-ticket items (that discount on all items that haven’t been purchased is awesome!). We also learned there are a lot of free gift offers when you register for certain items.

A couple of our favorites:

• Wusthof 10″x14″ hardwood cutting board when you register for $450 or more of Wusthof items.
• Le Creuset cookbook when you register for 6 or more Le Creuset pieces.
• Calphalon non-stick 8″ fry pan when you register for $600 or more Calphalon products.
• Shun 3 1/2″ paring knife when you register for $450 or more of Shun items.
• Serving spoon or fork when you register for 5 Yamazaki Hospitality serving utensils.

There are even more completion incentives! For example, when your guests purchase Wusthof products from your registry that totals $450 or more, you receive a Wusthof Classic Straight Paring Knife (Mr. Latte is keeping his fingers crossed for this one).

The items that I’m keeping my fingers crossed for?

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I love wedding websites. I love to read about the couple’s story, learn about their wedding plans and look through their pictures. I will often check back for updates and send emails to the couple. I even let the wedding song on the site run over and over again in a loop… and will not press pause or stop. I realize that I am probably (definitely) in the minority. I think I especially love wedding websites because they give you an idea of the couple’s style and provides you with a glimpse into their relationship. I couldn’t wait to get the Latte wedding website up and running.

I naturally thought that Mr. Latte would jump all over the idea of becoming the “webmaster” for our site. He was an IT Consultant in his past life, and could probably survive for weeks just off of water and the internet. So I asked him to create the website… without a plan. What kind of a plan, you ask?

See, I’ve had to devise numerous plans in the past to “gently guide” him into agreeing to help out with some wedding related tasks. Remember that lame excuse I used to get him to research and book our hotel blocks? That was all part of the plan. And that time I used the free food and gift trick to get him to come with me to the Crate & Barrel event? Yup, all planned out ahead of time. But I thought I had this one in the bag.

He said that he wasn’t interested in making our website and I was caught off guard.
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…and the Latte wedding party is complete! As promised, Mr. Latte went to visit his favorite little girls this weekend, and with felt bouquets in tow, asked them to be our flower girls. They said yes and I’m so excited that they can both make it out to NYC for the wedding! They are so cute and will definitely steal the show on the big day. Don’t be surprised to see me up at the altar, turning around to sneak a peek at the cute girls all dressed up!

You saw our special little guys last week… are you ready for more cuteness???

(It was Valentine’s Day so Mr. L tied heart-shaped balloons to the bouquets.)

Now comes the fun (edit: hard) part.
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A while back, I posted about the special little ladies we hope to have as flower girls at our wedding. I say hope because Mr. Latte still hasn’t asked them! Remember those felt flower bouquets I made? The personalized ones with the ceramic initial letters and pretty pink ribbon handles? Yup, they’re still sitting in the trunk of Mr. Latte’s car.

Now before we start getting angry at the Mr’s in our lives (I can see this turning into an entirely different kind of post), it’s not entirely Mr. Latte’s fault. Both Mr. Latte and the girls’ family have been super busy so they haven’t been able to meet up for him to pop the big question to the little girls. He has promised me that this is THE weekend, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Anyway, I wanted to do something equally fun for our special little guys. These two boys are brothers and they hold a very special place in my heart… I’ve watched them grow from tiny newborn babies into big boys that love to run around, crack jokes and make people laugh. The older one, “N”, is super smart, has a stellar memory and is friends with THE John Malkovich. (No joke). The younger one, “J”, loves to play sports, helps clean up around the house and is going to be the biggest heartbreaker one day.

What could I do for these Star Wars, basketball, and Lego-lovin’ kids? Well, since Star Wars scares me, basketball bores me, and “N” can out-build me with his eyes closed (he’s really THAT good), I decided to go the boooring route and make them something wedding related.
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