Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
I’m so sorry! I have truly been an absentee (”absen-bee”) blogger over the last few weeks. Life really got out of control, and to be honest, it got the best of me. I was just way tooo overwhelmed with all the things going on and couldn’t find a spare moment to blog. Worst of all, I missed you all dearly. Whenever I had a spare moment (or a rare fifteen minutes of internet access), I would read your blog posts, and your loving comments and wonder how I lost my way…
After four glorious months in Amsterdam, Mr. P and I finally moved back to NYC and we had exactly two weeks to move into our new apartment, finish DIY projects, get beautified, graduate from law school, etc. etc. etc. If that wasn’t enough, I spent the first two days back in NYC hotel room without any luggage, proceeded to get really sick, then my computer broke. I know these are all just excuses…
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
It’s sprrrrrrrrring!! I love spring. Let’s be honest, I really just LOVE the sun! I adore the sun, so much so that Mr. P often calls me “solar powered.” I love being hot. Not just warm, I love being a little too hot with a slight breeze. Although I’ve enjoyed traveling Europe, it turns out there isn’t nearly as much sunlight as I need.
This is really the longest I’ve ever gone without tropical weather.
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
Today was my very last day of class…EVER!! Like, seriously, I am officially both a JD and an LLM! TWO graduates degrees under my belt…how did that happen!!?!
OK. Well. Not “officially.” I still have to finish my thesis, submit one paper and take a final…but I’m oh-so-close. Once I’m done with that I can FINALLY focus on the wedding.
Speaking of which, we are getting married in ONE MONTH!!!! WOOOHOOOOOOOO.
As a little celebration, today after class, I decided to stop by a great little antique store on my way home. Here’s what I picked up:
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
I’ve been doing A LOT of vintage posts recently. From my love for vintage mismatched plates to my obsession with vintage hankies, I’ve been vintage crazy! Now, as a change of pace, I want to talk about my Cake & Champagne reception.
As you may recall, we will be having an early morning wedding. Originally, I wanted to get married at sunrise (it’s been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember) but we decided to spare my guests the agony of waking up at 5AM…. sooooo we are having the wedding at 9. (I know, I know… but the invites are out so it’s happening at 9!) After getting married down on the beach, the guests will join us back at the villa for an amazing brunch!
One of the common complaints about brunch weddings is that people can’t really “party” at 11AM! After much thought, we decided to also host a Cake & Champagne reception in the evening. At first we were going to do it in the main living-room but the space seemed like it may be too large for our group and there is something so special about dancing under the stars, so we decided to take it upstairs! If you remember the rooftop terrace at the villa, we’ve decided to hire a DJ and turn that area into a lovely dance/lounge space.
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
First of all, I want to apologize for my absence the last few days. That being said, our wedding is NEXT MONTH!!
Despite all the wedding planning I should be doing, and thesis writing I should be finishing, in the last month, I have been to Spain, France, Belgium, and Germany. Along the way I’ve managed to collect a number of great little trinkets to include in our big day. I’ll blog about all the great stuff I’ve picked up, but today I just want to talk about vintage hankies! Read more…
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
As everyone knows, one of the best things about having a destination wedding is getting to have your wedding and honeymoon at the same time. Unfortunately, Mr. P’cakes and I won’t be able to enjoy Costa Rica or the post-wedding glow the way we had hoped. As it is, my law school graduation takes place the Monday before the wedding (which I will be skipping) and I start bar review classes three days after the wedding. So, we’ve decided that we’ll do our honeymoon after I take the Bar at the end of July. At that point we’ll be able to take 2-3 weeks to travel to some exotic location like Bali, South Africa or the Maldives. (A girl can dream.) Read more…
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
Mr. P and I are soon-to-be a homeless married couple. Right now, we live in an adorable one-bedroom in the center of Amsterdam, overlooking a lovely canal filled with swans and ducks, but come May 2nd we’ll be HOMELESS! The reason I am telling you all this is because I LOVE vintage plates. I am head over heels obsessed with vintage plates. BUT, since we don’t have a home, we really aren’t in a position to accept a lot of traditional gifts. We literally have no idea where we’ll be from May to October but chances are that we’ll be living out of suitcases and a storage unit. (***I would love to be in Latin America, but we may be in NYC, DC or LA.) That being said, we have to be careful about what we buy and what we register for. Read more…
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
This will be a very short post. I just wanted to follow-up on my invitation post from yesterday!
Yesterday, I posted my invitation suite but as many of my fellow bees pointed out, I didn’t post a picture of the invitations themselves. oops! I apologize for the repeat post but here is the whole suite, inside and out!
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
First of all, I have to say that I have the BEST bridesmaid in the world. (You may remember her from my save the dates.) So before I moved to Amsterdam in January, I went to her house in Stamford Connecticut and dropped off my HUGE box of wedding crap. Read more…
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
Some of you may remember the Christmas blizzard of 2010. If you don’t, it took place the day after Christmas and dumped over two feet of snow on New York City. The thing was that my family (two sisters, one niece, one nephew, and my mom!) had come to stay with me (and Mr P.) for A WEEK in our tiny ONE-BEDROOM APARTMENT. Now if you aren’t Chinese, you may not understand how you end up with three adults and two children staying in your living room, but it if you are, you understand how impossibly hard it is to say no!
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
After months and months of looking at wedding invitations, I finally decided to create my own design. I really wanted something unique, personalized, and whimsical. Basically it needed to be something that I felt would reflect the feel of our wedding. I kept telling Laura (my bridesmaid and personal wedding designer) that I wish I could just handwrite an invitation to each of our guests. Finally, we decided that I would handwrite the invitation and then send it out to a press and have it letterpressed! Genius, I know! The design part didn’t take that long. Laura used her fancy-pants design program to figure out the lines and spacing. Then I traced the invite and gave it my own personal touch so it would look like my handwriting.
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
If you are currently planning or have ever planned a wedding, you are well aware of how much money a wedding can cost. It’s really quite ridiculous, and sometimes it feels so unnecessary and super selfish. I am currently working on an LLM (Masters of Law) in international criminal law at the University of Amsterdam, so I spend my days reading about the most horrendous crimes on earth (i.e., mass rape, genocide, torture, etc.). After hours of that, I feel so silly spending hours looking at wedding porn! I totally need the escape but end up feeling crazy-guilty.
The more I thought about it the more I realized there has to be some way to have my wedding and eat it too…so to speak. I know that a lot of people donate money on behalf of their guests in lieu of favors, which I think is great! On the other hand, why take the money from your guests when you can take it from corporations? Here are some of the great organizations I found that totally make that possible:
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
As you may or may not recall, I want to be able to use the word “bride” as much as possible on my wedding day. I know a lot of people prefer to go the “Mr. & Mrs.” route, but I figure I have my whole life to be a “Mrs.” So, I had originally planned on doing simple chalkboard bride-and-groom chair signs tied with some burlap, lace, and pink ribbon. Simple and sweet. Done and done.
Then, during a sort of sale-induced Michaels shopping frenzy, I picked up these large (about 10 inches tall) white wooden letters on sale. They were only $1.50 each, plus I think it’s kind of sweet that our initials spell “DO.”
I literally had no plan. I just bought them and hoped I could work them in somehow. Now, I am thinking they might make great chair signs. However, I am not entirely ready to give up on the bride-and-groom signs. I have collected a series of inspiration pictures and am kind of hoping I can incorporate these different elements into a cohesive design. (Hang in there. I know there is A LOT going on!)
I really like the sweetness of these signs. We are also using a lot of whimsical calligraphy at our wedding, so signs like this but smaller might work.
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
MY DRESS IS HERE!!! So I may or may not be wearing my wedding dress as I type this post. At first I considered not opening it at all. Who was I kidding!?! I ripped it open like a kid on Christmas morning. First of all, it fits like a glove. I don’t even know if I need alterations.
Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa RicaAge and Occupation: 26, Law School StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy AnalystEngagement Date: March 12, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Casa Punto de VistaAbout Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
Spring Wedding Favors
Here are some of the great organizations I found that totally make that possible:
