My Pet Rooster
June 20th, 2008 @ 1:22 pm by Miss Peacock
In honor of my little monkey’s third birthday, I thought I would formally introduce you all to Margaret Thatcher Peacock, aka Maisy.
A Heartfelt Gift
June 20th, 2008 @ 11:04 am by Mrs. Jasmine
About a month ago, Mr. Jasmine and I were taking a walk in his West Loop neighborhood. We passed by a store, Smitten, that was to open in a few weeks. I peeked through the windows and to my delight, I found that it was a wedding store. I could see a beautiful frame inside and I vowed to return when the store opened so I could buy it.
On Smitten’s opening day, I returned with Mr. Jasmine to buy the frame. What can I say? I’m a super-focused shopper. I was obsessed with having this frame for our home. Then, Mr. J had to reveal some news: he’d already contacted the owner of the store to purchase the frame. It was going to be a wedding gift for me. I was a little bummed that I’d ruined the surprise, but also ecstatic that he had purchased the frame for me! And that only meant he ended getting me another wedding gift 
The frame arrived today and it’s every bit as beautiful as I remembered. It features a line from one of my favorite e.e. cummings poems:
The Cupcake Tree
June 19th, 2008 @ 2:09 pm by Miss Peacock
I was practically begging Erin to give me something to do before her wedding. She finally relented and passed off the stand for her cupcakes. She had ordered a Cupcake Tree and wasn’t sure what to do with it. It arrived at her home as a box of white cardboard pieces. If you aren’t interested in decorating it, the tree is quite easy to put together. But this tree was going to Erin’s wedding, and that white cardboard wasn’t cutting it for either of us. She gave me very few instructions. The cupcakes were going to be decorated with primary color flowers made of icing.
I enlisted my mom’s help because she is super crafty. We were struggling with the primary colors. We wanted it to be fun and whimsical to match the cupcakes, but we didn’t want it to be childish. It was a very fine line! We decided to make it look like grass so that the cupcakes seemed to be growing out of the stand. We came up with a million different ways to do it, but our favorite method became covering the levels with green plastic tablecloths and then hot gluing pieces of paper grass to the edges.
Margaritas and Mexican, My Favorites!, Part II
June 18th, 2008 @ 5:51 pm by Miss Peacock
Mr. Peacock and I are still buzzing from our Mexican themed shower last weekend. The sun was out, we were surrounded by friends and family and all the party details were absolutely perfect. Even the guys had a good time- at a bridal shower!
Engaging Photos
June 18th, 2008 @ 9:24 am by Mrs. Jasmine
I’m going to backtrack a little while I wait for our professional pictures to come back…
In May, Mr. Jasmine and I met our valima photographer, Laurie Tennent, in Millenium Park. My mother-in-law wanted to create a photo guestbook for the valima and she asked us to take some engagement photos with Laurie. We met Laurie in the park on a *ridiculously* cold day for May. I was all bundled up in a black coat which I threw off to take pics and would throw back on between shots. I felt very much like a ANTM contestant 
I’ve featured some of my favorite shots below. Laurie was such a joy to work with and I think she really captured our personalities. I would definitely recommend her to any Michigan area brides looking for a photographer!
Read more…
Erin and Jeff, The Finale
June 16th, 2008 @ 2:40 pm by Miss Peacock
I know that I have been talking a lot about Erin’s wedding, almost as if it were my own. I can’t help it! I am so excited for them. We spent almost two years planning together. It was so exciting to see all the details that we had spent hours discussing come together. And now, the grand finale… the pro pics.
Erin and I share many things. Chatty mothers named Diane (although mine is a Dianne). A love for a day in the sun with a margarita. Catholicism. Our hair dresser. The occasional “going out” top. The list goes on, but lately we have shared one very important thing- our photographer. Dean Thorsen has impressed us more and more with every wedding, and he totally blew me away with these beauties.
The Belden Stratford in Lincoln Park. It was pretty and comfortable, but the customer service was severely lacking.
I Have Issues With Food
June 13th, 2008 @ 1:33 pm by Miss Peacock
We picked our caterer very carefully. It is, by far, our biggest expense. There are quite a few good caterers in Chicago, each with a unique perspective on cooking and serving. After emailing the ten caterers on our venue’s preferred caterer list, we requested sample proposals from the six that responded. We read through all of their materials and menus and considered the customer service that we had received thus far. We narrowed the list down to two.
Both were large catering companies, well known in Chicago, with very experienced head chefs. One of my bridesmaids worked for Company A at the time, although she was in their marketing department and we were assigned a different sales person. Company B’s sales person blew me away with her customer service and their take on fresh, local products really impressed me and Mr. Peacock. They also have an “assistant” who is, basically, at our beck and call that evening- setting up place cards, making sure that Mr. P and I have drinks and appetizers and packing up our gifts at the end of the night. Sweet, right?
My Pseudo Hair Trial
June 10th, 2008 @ 1:15 pm by Miss Peacock
I absolutely loved the way that Livia Caporale styled my hair for Erin’s wedding.
I loved the style and the way it framed my face, without being in my face. I loved the products that she used. And I absolutely loved that it still looked pretty darn good 13 hours later, after crazy winds (there were tornado warnings), high humidity, 90 degree heat and lots of hugs. The wind was the most important factor in a potentially ruined style because we walked around Lincoln Park for almost two hours taking pictures. Yet, here are some photos that Mr. Peacock took for me when we got home at 1:00 am.
My Best Friend’s Wedding
June 9th, 2008 @ 5:01 pm by Miss Peacock
I have a few photos from Erin’s wedding! Everything was so beautiful. Of course, there were a few snags, but in the end everything was perfect.Erin and her bridesmaids spent the night before the wedding at a hotel in Lincoln Park. I loved that! We were up late with girl talk and then up early watching the Weather Channel together. We were also ready to go when the hair and make-up team arrived at 9:00 am.
Doesn’t she look so happy and excited? It really was her day.
Erin’s Big Weekend
June 6th, 2008 @ 11:28 am by Miss Peacock
My best friend Erin is getting married this weekend. I cannot believe it! She and her high school sweetheart (sorry Erin!) got engaged a few months before Mr. Peacock and I. We both decided on long engagements, so we have spent the last year or more planning together. I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful it has been. I feel so lucky that we got to experience this crazy time together, particularly since she and her husband (yay!) are moving to Cincinnati right when they get back from their honeymoon.
Photo from Thorsen Photography
