Miss Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
* Title courtesy of Leigh Miller; I love a lady who puns.
As I mentioned in my previous post, prior to Weddingbee, I had no clue what engagement photos were. And I’m fairly certain that Mr. HC still has no idea what an engagement shoot involves. But now that we are scheduled to have an engagement shoot, I thought I’d better do some research on how to get ready for this event. I asked our photographer, Leigh Miller, for some tips on how to prepare for an engagement shoot. She had such good advice that I thought I’d share it with the hive. (Bonus: This gives me an excuse to show more of my favorite e-pics.) Read more…
Miss Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Let’s split up this year into two epochs: BWB and AWB (”before Weddingbee” and “after Weddingbee”). BWB, I used to get work done on my dissertation. AWB, what dissertation? BWB, I’d never heard of engagement photos. I mean, what do we need engagement photos for? Proof of engagement?! I guess I figured that people take an engagement photo to put in, say, a wedding announcement, but the idea of taking a whole series of photos with a professional photographer before the wedding was… um, inconceivable? weird? a seeming waste of money?
Miss Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meaning can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
This was the beautiful quotation that my friends Lauren and Michael used on their wedding invitations, and I pretty much knew from the moment I saw this quotation that theirs was going to be an event that reflected their values, commitments, and personalities. Let’s just say that I was not disappointed.
I blogged about their extraordinary wedding vows the other day. And if you liked those vows, you’ll love the other creative, personal touches they had throughout their wedding! Read more…
Mrs. Daffodil, San Francisco/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 26, Nonprofit Strategy ConsultantFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Resident PhysicianEngagement Date: December 29, 2006Wedding Date: May, 2008Blogging Since: August, 2007Venue: Church w/ floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Valley; Westin in downtown LAAbout Me: I moved around a lot growing up, but consider myself a Southerner at heart. I love scrapbooking, dancing, doggies, and diet coke. I am all about personalizing everything and hence, I'm a DIY bride who is just loving the entire wedding planning process! Mr. Daffodil and I met in our college fellowship group and were "just friends" for three years before we started dating. We've been together for four years now and can't wait to get married in sunny SoCal, Mr. Daffodil's hometown.
I’ve gotten some inquiries into the specifics of my wedding day look so I thought I’d do a post on the entire get-up!
Dress:Amy Kuschel’s Rachel gown. I bought mine at the Amy Kuschel store, and lucky for me, they had a sample that had only been tried on a few times that was in my size! My sash was white, but it is usually available in gold. It retails for about $3,900 but I got mine for a little less than ~$2,000 before tax. Read more…
Miss Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Let me start off this post by thanking the makers of Kiss Me mascara. Without this miracle invention, I would have spent much of Sunday afternoon looking like a reject from a Lifetime movie casting. My dear friends Lauren and Michael got married Sunday afternoon on a dock in the middle of Piedmont Park in Atlanta. And their vows, which they wrote together, were so beautiful and articulate that even a jaded wedding guest like me (theirs was like the twentieth wedding I’ve been to in the last two years) was reduced to a puddle.
Here’s in part what they vowed to one another: Read more…
Miss Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Confession: I’ve missed more than one deadline in recent weeks. So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I had a nightmare last night, in which Mr. HC and I forget to get our marriage license — indeed, didn’t even know we had to get a marriage license — and thus couldn’t be legally married on our wedding day. [Gulp.] Read more…
Mr. Mango, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 27, Stem Cell/Nanotechnology ResearcherFiance's Age and Occupation: 21, Political ScientistEngagement Date: June 12, 2008Wedding Date: December 2008Blogging Since: August 4, 2008Venue: Picking between 2About Me: It's not who I am underneath, but what I do, that defines me (cheesy Batman reference). I'm a Pakistani-American who lives his life as a nerdy scientist by day, and a nerdy artist by night. According to many, I'm as "metro" as they come, and that's probably why I'm so interested in all this wedding business. Honestly, I've become a bit of a "groomzilla". I'm here to prove that we, as grooms, actually can work a Gocco, plan a wedding meal, create breathtaking centerpieces, and rock a dress, just as good as my female counterparts (well maybe not the last one).
Now that we are getting closer and closer to the big day, I feel this overwhelming guilt because I don’t want Ms. Mango to feel like she’s getting a raw deal. Sure, I’m a great guy, but I’m a guy. I feel like there are a few things that every woman should know before getting married. “Like what?” you ask. Well, here are a few examples:
#1. You will have to become a lead guitarist in his dream band.
Get ready to live the rock star life; well in your living room at least. Chances are the future hubby is a video game addict and you will be going one step beyond air guitar-ing and actually picking up a guitar controller and belting out a few tunes on Rock Band. All while your hubby carefully examines the TV screen making sure not to miss a virtual rim shot. If you are rhythmically challenged, please refer to the following tutorial. Read more…
Miss Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Did you catch Project Runway last night?!! The designers’ final challenge was to design a wedding dress and a bridesmaids dress. Holy Heidi hauteness! Don’t worry, Tivoers; I won’t reveal who got auf’d. But how could I resist reviewing the designs?
Let’s go in the order of fug to fabulous:
1. Jerell’s designs. Say you got caught in the wedding aisle at Michaels in the middle of an earthquake. And the glue gun you were going to buy with your 25% off coupon exploded, covering you with adhesive from head to toe. And you had to climb through the rubble in order to reach the safety of the Martha Stewart aisle. This is probably what you’d look like.
[Photos, unless otherwise marked, courtesy of Bravotv.com]
Oh, and your maid of honor was there too. Only she got caught in that special clearance aisle where they sell Grey Gardens-inspired tablecloths for fortune tellers. Read more…
Miss Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 30, 2008Wedding Date: March, 2009Blogging Since: April, 2008Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del ReyAbout Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
Let me make this clear: I am not a feather person. In fact, the thought of feathers usually makes me want to curl up into a fetal position — a little PTSD from when I was growing up in Hong Kong and the teachers would threaten to beat us with a feather duster if we were being naughty.
(Just for the record, I was a perfect angel. Except for that time in first grade when I stole some kid’s glue because I forgot mine for art class. Yeah, you read that right: my first crime was indeed craft-related. And I’m betting it won’t be the only craft crime I’ll have committed by the time my wedding planning is done.) Read more…
Mrs. Caramel, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 24, Art Gallery/MuseumsFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, EngineerEngagement Date: January 8, 2007Wedding Date: October 6, 2007Venue: a beautiful church and hotel receptionAbout Me: I love dancing, singing, eating out, eating in, surfing on the net, and brainstorming fantastic ideas. I also love cats, coffee, and know every quote written on Sex & the City. I'm known to laugh really loud and have really crazy hand gestures while I talk. My fiance writes songs and I take pictures. What else? We're just a crazy young couple in love, trying to make a fabulous wedding!
Mr. Caramel and I are on opposite sides of the coast on our 1 year anniversary. I’m not that sad, since we will be together soon in NYC, but I also wanted to share our anniversary shoot!
I had to pressure Mr. Caramel to do an anniversary shoot with me… I know he isn’t fond of doing lots of cheesy photos with me, but this shows how much he loves me! I knew that since we were moving to NYC, we’d probably not see our California campus for a very long time. Since we took so many formal shots, I wanted to capture our good ’ol casual days on the campus.
I blogged about their extraordinary wedding vows the other day. And if you liked those vows, you’ll love the other creative, personal touches they had throughout their wedding!
