I Got Mine

The Pain au Chocolats are married! Although we tied the knot almost two weeks ago, the wedding bliss just continues!



Our wedding was absolute perfection. Neither of us would change a thing. So how did it go?

One barefoot best man, two guests still in need of a designated driver the next day, one very fast convertible, one broken nose, one sprained ankle, two shiny new rings, one "borrowed" sailboat, 42 hairpins, one spontaneous combustion, 250 photo booth pictures, one wardrobe malfunction, two nights of professional fireworks... and one beaming bride!



Hive, you were with me in spirit throughout the whole day! I thought of you especially in the morning of the wedding, when I was torn between setting up all my DIY projects/getting ready and composing my last post as an unmarried woman (and bee). There were no quiet moments in the whirlwind of days prior... so I just surrendered myself to it all and soaked in every last glorious minute of it.

It's good to be back!

Forget-me-not

(Not trying to be a Debbie Downer with this post - bear with me, it gets better.)

Early in our engagement, Mr. P's grandmother passed away followed a year later by his grandfather. Finding a way to honor loved ones who are no longer with us became a priority. I suggested a photo display of portraits and weddings to Mr. P and he thought it was a lovely idea.

Mrs. Jellyfish's elegant photo table, one of my favorite examples
A few weeks ago, I had an ah-ha moment. Our photo table will have an extra layer of detail and sentimentality. (We're determined to make our guests cry...) For each grandmother that has passed, a single bloom of her favorite flower will be interspersed among the photos with a tent card explaining the significance.


My great-grandmother, Granny Greene, loved pink peonies ("panhk" with her southern accent), which grew in abundance around her Arkansas home.

We need a wedding

Our holiday weekend in New Jersey was meant to end on Friday morning, but it's late Monday night and we're just now returning. Tragedy struck Thanksgiving night. Mr. P's grandfather suffered a fatal heart attack, which we unfortunately (and fortunately) witnessed. This is the third Thanksgiving in a row that we have spent in mourning. (It's the fourth death in 3 years for the family.) I'm beginning to think there is a black cloud over the holiday and our engagement.

To say we are exhausted is putting it lightly.

Happy Engage-iversary

In what simultaneously feels like yesterday and a lifetime ago, Mr. P got down on one knee in the middle of a Philadelphia park and asked me to marry him.
Cheers!
We're heading back to Philly today to remind us of the what and why behind our decision while remembering our past and planning for the future. (My camera is coming with me this time!) As I type this, the church bells at St. Thomas are pealing. I can't help but think of weddings every time I hear the bells.

Engagement pictures are in!

My palms are clammy. I'm so excited I can't see straight. And if I weren't at work I'd be running around in circles. What has gotten into me?!

Our engagement photos are in! Heather has posted a teaser on her blog, but I have decided to wait until I’m home to look at them with Mr. P. Bonus excitement: he just got home after being away for a few days!

An hour has never felt so long!

What irks me

I have a newfound pet peeve: wedding guests posting pictures on Facebook (or some other public site) without running it by the bride or groom. And this new pet peeve runs counter to my previous position. Before we got engaged and I started paying attention to what is/is not polite, I didn't think anything of uploading wedding pics. (In fact, I did it as recently as New Year's Eve 2009.) So what changed my hypocritical mind?

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Blue laws and bridal stores

Every time we're in north Jersey visiting family, we drive past so many stores I'd love to go into. But they're always closed! WTH?! Because of the county's blue laws, retail establishments selling non-perishables are not permitted open on Sundays. Well, that is really inconvenient for this out-of-town shopper! I'll look forlornly at my favorite furniture and home goods stores, parking lots empty. But recently I've noticed bridal stores whizzing past. Let's stop there instead!

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Lucky me when a Saturday morning opportunity presented itself. Next to the Container Store was Bijou Bridal. That's just cruel, making me choose between those two stores!

Something old...

When FMIL visited for Valentine's Day 2010, she presented me with her mother's Bride's Magazine Summer issue from 1941. The magazine hadn't seen the light of day in decades. Sadly, Mr. P's grandmother passed shortly after our engagement in November 2009. The magazine was found when she and her sister were sorting through her things with their father. And it disappeared soon after - before anyone could look at it! FMIL thought it was gone for good. She asked after it and her father said he knew where it was and had a plan for it. She chalked it up to forgetfulness. Until... he produced it some months later explaining he had tucked it away for the new bride (omg, that's me) and instructed her to pass it on.

I was afraid to touch the envelope and magazine without white gloves to keep oils off the 70 year old pages. Instead of socializing with Mr. P and everyone else, I discretely spun my chair around to look at the pages in private. What a relic! A calla lily from her bridal bouquet was pressed between the pages. "That flower is way older than me..." I couldn't believe what I was holding. Instant family heirloom.

Less talky, more pictures.

My, oh my. How things have changed.

High-fives and Hugs

After striking out at so many venues, we started to question if we'd ever find a place to get married. Location is the all-important decision that determines so much: date, attire, food, colors... on and on. If we caved on location, would our wedding still reflect us? And what else would we have to settle for?

Bridesmaid R and I discussed the pros/cons of the many venues. Nothing was clicking. We were running out of viable options. She had seen photos of a friend's wedding at this gorgeous venue, but couldn't remember the name of it. I'd forgotten about it in a week's time, but she followed through (beseechingly emailed the bride) and recommended I check it out. Okay, many well intentioned friends and associates have recommended venues/vendors and none of them panned out. Things were about to turn around!

The mysterious venue was revealed to be...

Get this veil off me... or Dress Shopping with Mom, II

With the traumatic experience of the first store behind us, Mom and I bolstered our spirits over lunch. I ordered one of the heaviest meals on the menu - a Monte Cristo. Screw it, I thought. Who care if I'm dress shopping. I've never had one and I'm hungry. (The women in my family get cranky when not fed - a lesson Mr. P quickly picked up on.)
Mmmmm
Between bites of the deep-fried goodness, we discussed the varying levels of Fail! at the last store to better prepare for the next stop. Although it wouldn't take much to create a better experience, the next salon immediately assigned us an attendant who explained their system for pulling dresses: place your allotted 6 colored rings on the dresses you'd like to try on and we'll bring them to you. (Color-coded and labeling - I'm in!)

Dress shopping with Mom

My parents live 8 hours away. Family bonding time is limited to the 3-4 times a year when we see each other. If we're lucky, there's a week-long vacation somewhere in the mix. I knew when I returned home for Christmas that Mom and I had some Serious Wedding Business to attend to - all within 4 days. Priority #1 was dress shopping.

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Armed with my wedding binder full of dresses, flowers and cakes (all carefully curated to showcase our ideas), I set forth to show Mom what we were envisioning. Most of the dresses were well received and there was general enthusiasm all around. At times, she looked like she might pop out of sheer joy. Mom deserved the honor of being with me on the first dress shopping trip. Looking back, I am thankful it worked out this way. I needed someone on my side who knows my personality, stress indicators and has the stamina to shop for hours.

Breaking the news to our friends

As much fun as it was to devise a clever "We're engaged!" story for my mom, we brainstormed even harder when it came to our friends. We came up with some creative ways to surprise them, but my favorite "spill the beans" story has to be when we told our good friend R.

The engagement was still a secret. The few family members that knew promised to keep it a secret (and off Facebook) so we could share the news in person with close friends and distant family.

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