Weddingbee Blog

Mad props go to the ever-fabulous and inspirational Emily from Once Wed for turning me on to Air B&B today. Air B&B is a vacation rental company that rents out some ultrafabby spaces, from private rooms to entire residences for PENNIES. Now, I’ve heard of couch-surfing before, but I’d much rather have my own space, especially if on a romantic vacation with my honey.

The site features listings that are reputation-based, allowing for comments and ratings by past renters, so you can get the dish before your commit. But chances are, you’re going to have a better experience than at a hotel, and you can cook your own meals for a double-savings bonus. This shiz is too good not to share!

Could you imagine honeymooning in one of these spots? I’m drooooooooling. They even have eco-options…. le swoon!

The Mushroom Dome Cabin in Aptos (Santa Cruz), CA - $75/night
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We got the idea to register for vintage dishware after seeing the plates of our dreams on set at a television sitcom taping we attended. I was flat out drooling for them, and even Mr. M gave them a hells yeah. We scampered over to check the stamp on the plates, ran home to Google it, and mentally filed it away. After a long and painful search for something new (and more readily available) that we loved just as much, we finally decided to go our own way and register for the first dishes to steal our poppy lovin’ hearts.

Wild Poppies - Metlox: Aren’t they dreamsicle?!?

It was the perfect decision for us, and we love our dishes more and more every time we use them. In fact, we ended up buying vintage silverware to go along with it!

The benefits of vintage dishware are threefold:
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Hey LA brides! Come on down to the Soi-Meme eco-bridal salon event tomorrow, featuring loads of ideas on how to walk down a greener aisle. I’ll be speaking on the Green Media Maven panel at noon - hope to see you there!

From their site:
“Soi-Meme” – a French word meaning “oneself” – characterizes the spirit of the modern couple searching for affordable, do-it-yourself solutions to planning a wedding with unique style. Following the success of last year’s “Love is in the Air” eco-luxe bridal salon, Pink Cloud Events is once again hosting a fabulous day-long salon for eco-conscious DIY brides and grooms to connect directly with the most inspiring eco-friendly wedding products and service providers.
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There are few things that make me feel more pampered then a nice meal out when I don’t have to worry about every penny going into it; and few gifts please me better than that of good food for free. Let’s be real - who doesn’t love eating out? But honestly, who wants to pay full price? Not this broke-ass!

When I lived in Chicago, my favorite “in the know” deal was that a local radio station’s website had a 1/2 off section where you could score restaurant gift certificates for, you guessed it, half price! They had some of the best grubs in Chi-town on there… we even went to the uber-romantic Signature Room on our 3rd anniversary for half-price dinner!

Now there are tons of resources for similar deals in dining and entertainment, all over the US - and I’m all over that like curry on tofu! Many local radio and TV affiliates have the same kind of resources - so poke around and see what you can find! Try Googling “half-price deals + your city”. I also find great results when I Google “your city: mediawebconnect.com” like these for Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago.

Another super-duper deal resource is Groupon.com - which lists a new amazing deal in each of its 17 cities (and growing) every day! The trick is that enough people have to want the deal for it to become available, so bookmark this site and make sure you give props to the best deals! But it doesn’t take many to get something available, and the savings are fantastic.
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Pssst, if you missed part 1 - get it here. We left off a week before the wedding.

Four days before our wedding, Mr. Meatball had run out on an errand, and called to ask me to come upstairs to the car and help him with something. I could tell he was crying. Terrified that he had been hurt, I tore upstairs to the street to find him crumpled in the driver’s seat of our car, an emotional wreck. He had just gotten off the phone with his parents, and told them the news about our name change decision.

Suffice it to say, it did not go over well, and I had never seen Mr. M so upset in our seven years together. There’s just something about Mr. M that’s so pure; seeing him hurt or in pain is utterly heartbreaking.

The details are unimportant, but basically his parents saw our decision as doing exactly the opposite of what we had intended it to mean. They felt betrayed. That it was a rejection of the family name. That it was a slap in the face of their history. And Mr. M, who has always enjoyed a very open and supportive relationship with his parents, was devastated both by the severity of their reaction, and the fact that we were now in a crucial position to either go with what they want, or to follow our own compass. Having both been raised by families that encourage innate compass-following, it was a very conflicted feeling for both of us.
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I’ve been meaning to address this issue for quite a long time. I wrote the post below the day we got our marriage license, a week before our wedding. But, before I published it, we hit a roadblock that has kept me from publishing it since. You may remember 2 days before the wedding, I mentioned we had our first pre-wedding crisis. Well, c’est ca, yo!

I’m posting about it, in large part because it’s an issue I’m hearing more and more couples talk about, and I hope my story will help from a practical standpoint. I’m writing about it, in small part to address some of the emotional issues involved (both yours and mine), which is equally important to consider.

So, rather than retelling the whole story, we’re going back in time and reliving the first half here, as written in that moment, unedited. Stay tuned for the conclusion, written from today’s perspective.

And away we go….
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Honestly, I’ve never wished that I lived in Texas. But if it meant being half as cool as Jamie & Joe, or getting to do a shoot with a photog like Jason Speros, I’d remember the Alamo forever, yo.

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Every once in a while (or, if you’re like me lately, every few days) a time comes in a person’s life when splurging is simply the requirement of the day. Your day’s splurge might be thanks to the blues, a celebration, hormones, boredom, entertaining, or any number of worthy (or unworthy) reasons…. but if you’re going to do it, you wanna do it up RIGHT.

Periodically, I happen upon a splurge so good that I want to share it here, but then I think to myself: ;Self, this is not a healthy recipe! What will all the readers who look to you as a good example of fitness and diet savvy think?; But after a few recent splurges too-good-to-withhold, I have decided that from time to time, I’ll share a favorite naughty recipe with y’all - because you deserve it! I mean, why should you suffer because of my guilt? It’s just too delicious to be nutritious!

To kick it off - my newest obsession….

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It’s been a roller coaster the past couple of weeks at Casa Meatball. I’ve let you in on my various health issues a bit (the major cause of my broke-assery), and while things have been blissfully quiet on that front for a while, I’ve had a scare that I just can’t shake.

Long story short, each of my eyes is experiencing a different cause for concern at the moment. I won’t bore you with the details, but let’s just say it’s not so yum. While neither of these issues are life-threatening or unmanageable, they just plain suck. I’m under close watch, trying new medication, and under orders to rush in if anything suddenly changes. I feel like a time bomb, ready to go off at any moment, without a hint of warning.

Rocking an eye patch, after emergency glaucoma surgery last June.

The hardest thing to manage about my illness is its unpredictability.
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Having friends over to eat is one of our super bad ass budget and diet tricks. It gives us control over the menu, the cost, gives us incentive to keep our place presentable (which, clutternuts that we are, is quite helpful), and allows us all to enjoy a leisurely meal and great conversation in a cozy atmosphere. Some people find entertaining to be a high-stress race against the clock, but I have found that with some creativity, doing dinner in can be easy, breezy, and, well, entertaining!

The other day we had planned a lovely meal for some friends who had to cancel at the last minute, but we didn’t let that put too much of a damper on our plans - we just turned it into an impromptu, light and refreshing date night in! It’s hot as an oven here in LA, and we were coming from across town to make dinner in a hurry, so we had already honed in on light, fresh, no-cook dishes that take less than 5 minutes to make.

The menu:

• Marvelous Minted Pea Soup (served chilled)
• Heavenly Herbed Heirloom Tomato Salad
• Mouthwatering Watermint delight

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Holy feathered goodness! While I could wear one of these beauties every day of the week, methinks they’d look especially bad-ass on a bold bride. Little Von Loo makes clips, bands and combs that range from dainty and sweet to fierce and fabulous. From their site, it appears that down the road they’ll also offer custom designs; and with prices ranging from about $28-$130 - there’s something for any budget. Props to my mom, for turning me onto these and spawning a whole new obsession.

Better put a napkin down to prepare for the drooling that’s about to ensue…

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A few things you need to know about, rightnowthisveryminute.

At Amazon.com -
1-year subscription to Real Simple Magazine for only $5
Jilian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred on sale for $6.49
Jilian Michaels’ No More Trouble Zones on sale for $6.49

Around the ’net -
Ever wish there was a Priceline for wedding dresses? Your wish is granted. Name your price on all designer and sample wedding gowns in stock at Bridal Warehouse. Free shipping and free veil or tiara included!

Bored with your current playlist? Get Love and Logic’s awesome new album for free here. If the girl in the band looks familiar, its because she’s Mrs. Poppy!

Does your inner model need feeding? Chris Austin (of Trash the Dress amazingness) is seeking a married couple in the Las Vegas area to do a wedding gown shoot at Red Rock or a dry lake bed, on August 18 or 19th for free! Email Chris if its your cup of tea.

Enjoy! (Or as they say in France, enjoi!)

I’m thrilled to bring you the “party time” edition of my bestie MaPo’s Fairie Tale Wedding! Missed Part 1? Wondering what a MaPo is? Find it all here!

But before we get to the partying - and oh, was there partying - let me rewind to quickly highlight a few wonderful details of the rehearsal that I left off the last post!

For instance, MaPo’s drop dead perfect Charlotte York inspired rehearsal look:

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Hot Diggity DIY! Break out your bangs and glasses, indie chicks, it’s time to get crafty.

The first ever Renegade Craft Fair in LOS ANGELES will take place this weekend, (JULY 11 + 12) from 11AM – 7PM, at the California Market Center.

From their site:
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This weekend, I’m going to experience some very happy wedding deja vu. My Bride$hare buddy is getting married, and Mr. Meatball and I are thrilled to go back to the Bungalow Club for the first time since our wedding 6 weeks ago, and enjoy some of our decor, drink delicious mojitos, and dance our faces off, for the 2nd time around.

These are the fateful paper lanterns that spawned the whole idea! (Photo by Dan Chen)

Way back when, Rebecca saw a blog post of mine lamenting the desire for paper lanterns to spruce up the space at our venue, and she contacted me to suggest we go in on them together and share them. That was just the beginning.
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