tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79113236892967078152024-03-13T14:35:10.247-04:00Doubly Happy TooPlanning (and Living) a Chewish MarriageUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-13464138027788673222011-05-25T19:50:00.001-04:002011-05-25T20:10:24.815-04:00New blogHi! I'm now blogging over at <a href="http://doublyhappy.blogspot.com/">Doubly Happy</a>. Please visit me there!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xhm7Tf3q0h4/TTyOIHm-NDI/AAAAAAAAEt0/6Vv9yh59gfQ/s1600/DKantor-Amanda-illustration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xhm7Tf3q0h4/TTyOIHm-NDI/AAAAAAAAEt0/6Vv9yh59gfQ/s400/DKantor-Amanda-illustration.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-81713282715655302342011-01-23T22:50:00.002-05:002011-01-24T11:35:34.460-05:00Love IllustratedI've often thought I'd make a good cartoon: I have a cartoonish face (big eyes, smushy nose, buck teeth) and a cartoonish life (I swear an anvil* nearly dropped on my head the other day), and I've got all types of silly schemes I am looking forward to implementing against an evil nemesis.<br />
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* Ok, it was a hammer, but close enough.<br />
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But since Tom already has Jerry, and Jem the Misfits, I have to satisfy my desire for an illustrated life elsewhere. Our friend's sister, Dina Kantor, made me this sweet illustration based on <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/03/28/%E6%84%9B-vey-one-year-ago/">our favorite wedding photo</a> after I fell in love with the whimsical illustration and photography work on her <a href="http://samandgertie.blogspot.com/">blog</a> and <a href="http://samandgertie.com/">website</a>. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TTyOIHm-NDI/AAAAAAAAEt0/0yY1MrFvx1Y/s1600/DKantor-Amanda-illustration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TTyOIHm-NDI/AAAAAAAAEt0/0yY1MrFvx1Y/s640/DKantor-Amanda-illustration.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration by <a href="http://www.samandgertie.com/">Dina Kantor (Sam and Gertie Photography)</a></td></tr>
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Since our second(!) anniversary is coming up, I was thinking of maybe having the illustration printed on canvas or simply framed as part of an anniversary gift -- sort of like this framed version of an illustration Dina created for my sister- and brother-in-law to commemorate the arrival of our niece:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gUGZDG3x5IU/TOg03lZzJvI/AAAAAAAAAXo/GkPuf37m6Pc/s640/DKantor-Illustrations-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gUGZDG3x5IU/TOg03lZzJvI/AAAAAAAAAXo/GkPuf37m6Pc/s640/DKantor-Illustrations-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image source: Dina Kantor (<a href="http://samandgertie.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-illustration.html">Sam and Gertie Photography</a>)</td></tr>
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It's pretty awesome, right? (I particularly like how the illustration picked up on all the details important to my BIL and SIL: the framed photo of our parents dancing and the Dylan and Springsteen prints.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gUGZDG3x5IU/TIf9uWG0dAI/AAAAAAAAATI/umLWDAY-0B8/s640/DKantor-FamilyDisplay2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gUGZDG3x5IU/TIf9uWG0dAI/AAAAAAAAATI/umLWDAY-0B8/s640/DKantor-FamilyDisplay2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: Dina Kantor (<a href="http://samandgertie.blogspot.com/2010/09/all-about-my-illustrations.html">Sam and Gertie Photography</a>)</td></tr>
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For her own wedding, Dina created a display of illustrations she made of family wedding photos. It's such a charming and modern take on a traditional concept. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gUGZDG3x5IU/TIf5h6pm0nI/AAAAAAAAASw/u-0_56rD5cA/s640/DKantor-4by6Display.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gUGZDG3x5IU/TIf5h6pm0nI/AAAAAAAAASw/u-0_56rD5cA/s640/DKantor-4by6Display.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: Dina Kantor (<a href="http://samandgertie.blogspot.com/2010/09/all-about-my-illustrations.html">Sam and Gertie Photography</a>)</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The most genius touch, though, is that she made a framed illustration of each of her wedding guests, which doubled as favors and escort cards. I so wish we could have had something personal and fun like these instead of the <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/01/26/reluctantly-in-favor-of-favors/">semi-useless tchotchkes</a> we imposed on our guests. <br />
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Sigh. Maybe for the next wedding. ;-P I kid, I kid.<br />
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What are your favorite personalized gifts? Any additional ideas for second anniversary gifts?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-57313197610812759902010-12-16T10:13:00.001-05:002010-12-16T10:14:16.540-05:00Our Wedding Album!We got married eons ago, but look at the gorgeous surprise that arrived at our door this week: our wedding album!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TQj3PsOyMZI/AAAAAAAAD24/ROitSsrwubg/s1600/None" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TQj3PsOyMZI/AAAAAAAAD24/ROitSsrwubg/s640/None" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Our wonderful photographer, <a href="http://leighmillerphotography.com/">Leigh Miller</a>, created so many beautiful images of our wedding weekend that it took Mr. ADD and Ms. Procrastinator forever to choose the photos for the album. I must say, though, that it's actually kind of fun to have the album come so many months after the wedding. Not only were we wedding'd out for a while, we were also so saturated with media from the weekend that I don't think we would have appreciated the album quite as much. Now that some time has passed, it's lovely to have a chance to reminisce about the wedding itself (and to curse the pounds we've put on since).<span id="fullpost"><br />
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<span id="fullpost"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TQokclv9YDI/AAAAAAAAD3U/vYJmzoDKyXk/s1600/IMG_1285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TQokclv9YDI/AAAAAAAAD3U/vYJmzoDKyXk/s640/IMG_1285.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Leigh uses <a href="http://www.cypressalbums.com/albumtypes-cypress.php">Cypress</a> for her albums. The company's bookbinding and matting work is meticulous, and their album designs are timeless and beautiful.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TQokdRjPftI/AAAAAAAAD3Y/8m4DtFIF1q0/s1600/IMG_1293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TQokdRjPftI/AAAAAAAAD3Y/8m4DtFIF1q0/s640/IMG_1293.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
We ordered the "Cypress Album," which is a ribbon- or library-bound album in a presentation box.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TQokep-YZDI/AAAAAAAAD3k/dzcH23hdagU/s1600/IMG_1302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TQokep-YZDI/AAAAAAAAD3k/dzcH23hdagU/s640/IMG_1302.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Cypress has an array of sumptuous fabric and ribbon colors. We chose to go with a monochromatic palette that reflects our wedding colors. The album cover is in "light plum," the silk ribbon is "plum," and the box is covered in "plum brocade." My photos don't do the fabrics justice: the album cover has the shine and texture of silk shantung.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TQokd9BxFrI/AAAAAAAAD3c/UDtT53nuCvI/s1600/IMG_1295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TQokd9BxFrI/AAAAAAAAD3c/UDtT53nuCvI/s640/IMG_1295.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Leigh designed the layout, and Cypress individually mounted each photo onto matted pages. Of course, for a paperphile like me, the deckled edges and thick, luxurious feel of the album pages are totally swoon-worthy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TQokedzsVEI/AAAAAAAAD3g/tbg1YfhO4b8/s1600/IMG_1301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TQokedzsVEI/AAAAAAAAD3g/tbg1YfhO4b8/s640/IMG_1301.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Over all, we're really excited about how the album turned out; it's a special heirloom that we hope we and our kids and grandkids will enjoy long after 3D holograms replace digital photography. <br />
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The only downside to using Cypress is that their albums don't come cheap. I'm not sure we would have splurged on such an extravagant keepsake, but we were lucky to have been given the album as a wedding present by a group of very generous wedding guests.<br />
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Did you end up getting a wedding album? And where do you keep it in your house? I feel like we need to build some museum-quality showcase for something this pretty! Our place is so not worthy of housing such a lovely item.<br />
<span id="goog_165433169"></span><span id="goog_165433170"></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-32061747624612464752010-09-23T11:49:00.001-04:002010-09-23T11:53:04.179-04:00Bridal sale at Rue La La!Popping out of blog retirement to say that Rue La La is having a wedding-themed sale today.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ruelala.com/images/content/events/24488/24488_hero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="http://www.ruelala.com/images/content/events/24488/24488_hero.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ruelala.com/event/24488">Image Source</a></td></tr>
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A number of gorgeous Nicole Miller dresses are on steep discount, including this Grecian number, which I will be wearing in the fantasy wedding in my dreams:<br />
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Click <a href="http://www.ruelala.com/invite/ateo047">here</a> for an invite if you need one.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-17715252664902823662010-06-20T23:22:00.001-04:002010-06-20T23:27:28.661-04:00Celebrating the "we" in weddingEven though I'm a decrepit old bee, every once in a while a kind reader indulges me by pm-ing me a question. Recently, someone asked me how I went about "honoring relatives" at our wedding. Relatedly, a current <a href="http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/any-jewish-wedding-traditions-others-can-be-involved-in">post</a> on the Judaism board asks for ways to involve more people in the ceremony. I'm sure many brides and grooms have this question, so I thought it'd be fun to invite the whole Weddingbee community, even those who aren't Jewish, to share their suggestions.<br />
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I'll kick it off by sharing what we did to involve our friends and family in our crazy Chewish wedding:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TB3ZMmt894I/AAAAAAAADWM/dLVJvYxUz5Y/s1600/1094a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TB3ZMmt894I/AAAAAAAADWM/dLVJvYxUz5Y/s640/1094a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TBGMqm0blzI/AAAAAAAADNs/92dFZJItbno/s1600/0072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TBGMqm0blzI/AAAAAAAADNs/92dFZJItbno/s640/0072.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>First of all, we had large, coed wedding parties, which allowed us to have our siblings and our dearest friends from all stages of our lives <s>be at our beck and call</s> hang out with us all day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TB3z7kpj56I/AAAAAAAADWY/N80mYS4VIlw/s512/None.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TB3z7kpj56I/AAAAAAAADWY/N80mYS4VIlw/s640/None.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
My lovely "friends of honor" helped me into my wedding get-up. But if you have a small bridal party or no bridal party at all, you could invite friends to the bridal suite to help you get dressed. The very creative Mrs. Lovebug (my bee crush) even made adorable "<a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/01/25/backstage-bridal-passes/">backstage bridal passes</a>" for the friends who were invited to be "bridal chamber maids."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TBGMhPRR8SI/AAAAAAAADMk/iBteyJiAiD8/s1600/0018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="372" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TBGMhPRR8SI/AAAAAAAADMk/iBteyJiAiD8/s640/0018.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our wedding parties took part in the Chinese <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/26/%E6%84%9B-vey-door-games/">groom's games</a> on the morning of the wedding. I'd imagine that even if you didn't have a big wedding party, groom's games (or any kind of pre-wedding hijinks, such as a tisch for a Jewish wedding or a barat for a Hindu wedding) would be a fun way to involve friends. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(Relatedly, other pre-ceremony events, such as a rehearsal dinner, might be a good time to recognize or involve friends and family. All our out-of-town guests were invited to give a roast or toast at our welcome dinner, and I've been to weddings where instead of having multiple speeches at the wedding reception, close friends or siblings were invited to toast the couple at the rehearsal dinner instead.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TB3eEDfDXeI/AAAAAAAADWQ/-1kW6zZYs7I/s1600/None" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TB3eEDfDXeI/AAAAAAAADWQ/-1kW6zZYs7I/s640/None" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>The bonus of having an intercultural or interfaith wedding is that you often get multiple ceremonies in which you can ask friends and family to participate. For our afternoon <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/07/07/%E6%84%9B-vey-the-tea-ceremony/">tea ceremony</a>, we served tea to both our families. Although the ceremony had the most formal significance for our Chinese relatives, it was really lovely to have both families involved: not only did it mean that our ceremonies felt more cohesive (and less like a Chinese ceremony followed by a Jewish ceremony), it also gave our families an opportunity to interact with us in a more intimate, less "ceremonial" way. We sent out <a href="http://doublyhappytoo.blogspot.com/2009/03/not-your-mamas-tea-ceremony.html">explanatory "programs"</a> to our non-Chinese family ahead of time, so they'd know what to expect and would feel more comfortable participating.<br />
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For the sake of time, we kept our tea ceremony to our immediate family, but you could do much more elaborate, lengthy ceremony in which elders of all types (incl. distant relatives, employers, friends of family, etc.) are involved.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Stau_MSxvmI/AAAAAAAACIk/oT_x-sF96Zo/s1600/1054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Stau_MSxvmI/AAAAAAAACIk/oT_x-sF96Zo/s640/1054.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We asked our sisters to sign our civil marriage license.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TB34e4U5AsI/AAAAAAAADWs/wMDEbvGj1uE/s1600/None" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TB34e4U5AsI/AAAAAAAADWs/wMDEbvGj1uE/s640/None" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Two of Mr. HC's oldest male friends -- both Jewish -- signed the ketubah. But we also asked our grandmothers, only one of whom is Jewish, to sign. Who can act as ketubah witnesses depends on the particular flavor of Judaism you subscribe to and on your rabbi's preferences. Some rabbis, for example, require the two male witnesses to be fairly observant Jews (shomer shabbas); others have no preference as to the gender of the witnesses, so long as all are Jewish; and still others say that you can have anyone sign, regardless of gender or religion. For our purposes, our ketubah was "kosher" so long as at least two male Jews signed. For good measure, in addition to our grandmothers, our rabbi and the two of us signed as well. The more the merrier!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mr. HC and I ended up reading our ketubah aloud to each other, as vows. But you could also involve one or two people in the ceremony as ketubah readers. At a friend's wedding, I was asked to select and perform a reading that explained the significance of the intertwining tree motif on their ketubah, while another friend was asked to read the text of the ketubah itself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S0pZltS2itI/AAAAAAAACf0/4rML4U1kktA/s1600/0078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S0pZltS2itI/AAAAAAAACf0/4rML4U1kktA/s640/0078.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We asked our guests to write wishes to us and hang them on our <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/11/16/%E6%84%9B-vey-were-going-to-the-chuppah-and-were-gonna-get-married/">chuppah</a>. But I could imagine your asking a small selection of friends and family to do so, or perhaps to help create the chuppah (or mandap or similar structure) by autographing or decorating small squares of cloth or the like. (We used Mr. HC's late maternal grandmother's tablecloth for the roof of our chuppah.) And while our chuppah was stationary, many Jewish couples ask four special people to hold the chuppah poles. I love the symbolism of having friends and family be a part of the "home" that the chuppah represents.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TB4VKovUflI/AAAAAAAADXE/3WeQCCANH8A/s1600/None" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TB4VKovUflI/AAAAAAAADXE/3WeQCCANH8A/s640/None" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For our <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/11/16/%E6%84%9B-vey-were-going-to-the-chuppah-and-were-gonna-get-married/">ceremony</a>, we were able to involve an additional fourteen(!) of our friends and family by asking them to read the seven blessings (sheva brachot) in English and Hebrew. At other Jewish ceremonies, I've seen couples include friends and family by having them act as additional readers or singers -- one of our friends asked her cousin, an opera singer, to sing "dodi li" during the processional. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And here's another ceremony idea I love but didn't get to use myself: Instead of walking down the aisle with a pre-made bouquet, how about giving a select group of friends and family single flowers that they would hand to you as you made your way to the altar or chuppah? Another person could have the honor of tying the flowers together into a bouquet.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the ceremony, it's customary for Jewish couples to spend some time with each other in seclusion (yihud) before rejoining their guests for the party. Traditionally, two or more people would guard the door to the yihud room, making sure that nobody else got in the room and that the couple spent the requisite amount of time in yihud. This could be a "fun" role for two rule-loving friends (lawyers? police officers? grammarians?).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx1kRCMUw3I/AAAAAAAACas/pS46YbkRR4U/s1600/1781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx1kRCMUw3I/AAAAAAAACas/pS46YbkRR4U/s640/1781.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">During the reception, aside from speeches, you can have close friends or family members participate by leading the blessings over the wine (kiddush) and bread (hamotze) -- or the equivalent in a non-Jewish wedding. At our wedding, Mr. HC's uncles (my MIL's brother and FIL's brother) had the honor of making kiddush and hamotze.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TB4QDePz3iI/AAAAAAAADW8/JOMQU0oH-fE/s1600/None" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TB4QDePz3iI/AAAAAAAADW8/JOMQU0oH-fE/s640/None" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also involved close friends in our <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/11/25/%E6%84%9B-vey-this-is-the-hora-that-never-ends/">hora</a>. Two of Mr. HC's good friends from their Hebrew School days coordinated a schtick -- a performance to entertain the bride and groom during the hora -- in which they hula-hooped, chugged pomegranate juice(!?), and organized our friends to do a med school v. law school v. business school v. grad school dance off. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Turns out our nerd friends have moves. It was a riot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TB4ssnRVYhI/AAAAAAAADXI/zQ_Keffn0qw/s1600/None" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/TB4ssnRVYhI/AAAAAAAADXI/zQ_Keffn0qw/s640/None" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, how about some select photo ops? It's customary among alums of my college to take a group shot for the alumni magazine, so we gathered for the "Locomotive" (our dorky alumni cheer) and a photo. We took similar group shots with friends from our various graduate programs and work places. Asking a friend to coordinate the group shots or just having a small group of friends pose for a special picture could be a way to make their presence feel especially welcomed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Whew. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That was a much longer post than I expected! Though I guess it makes sense, since it was important to us that our wedding be as much about our getting married as about celebrating and honoring the wonderful group of family and friends whose support made "us" possible.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ok, now it's your turn. How will you make -- or how have you made -- your friends and family a part of your wedding? </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-65414727866875422602010-06-16T11:30:00.000-04:002010-06-16T11:30:35.697-04:00Floral perfectionDon't get me wrong: I loved our wedding <a href="http://doublyhappytoo.blogspot.com/2009/11/vey-welcome-to-no-rose-zone.html">flowers</a>. But every once in a while, I happen upon an arrangement on <a href="http://www.saipua.com/">Saipua</a>'s <a href="http://saipua.blogspot.com/">blog</a> that takes my breath away, and I get just a little bit jealous of the New York brides and grooms that have access to all this beauty:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4682602553_7f6ce9c8f7_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4682602553_7f6ce9c8f7_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image <a href="http://saipua.blogspot.com/2010/06/wedding-march-continues.html">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4683230780_f9cc527b60_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4683230780_f9cc527b60_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image <a href="http://saipua.blogspot.com/2010/06/wedding-march-continues.html">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4683227872_3b50011eb7_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4683227872_3b50011eb7_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image <a href="http://saipua.blogspot.com/2010/06/wedding-march-continues.html">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div>Am I the only one who tortures herself with vendor crushes that are geographically and temporally incapable of being requited?<br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-85202158980348019652010-06-10T12:22:00.000-04:002010-06-10T12:22:45.379-04:00If the shoe fits . . .Hi all! Haute Cocoa dropping by for another bargain fashion announcement: Guiseppe Zanotti's are on sale for 3 days only at <a href="http://www.ruelala.com/invite/ateo047">Ruelala</a>.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ruelala.com/images/product/131161/1311612020_RLLD_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.ruelala.com/images/product/131161/1311612020_RLLD_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ruelala.com/event/product/22057/1311612020/1/DEFAULT">Giuseppe Zanotti Ivory Satin Peep-Toe Pump</a> ($299 from $795)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ruelala.com/images/product/131158/1311581580_RLLD_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.ruelala.com/images/product/131158/1311581580_RLLD_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ruelala.com/event/product/22057/1311581580/1/DEFAULT">Giuseppe Zanotti Ivory Satin Open-Toe Dress Pump</a> ($329 from $805)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Am thinking about the open toe pumps in silver -- I <i>need</i> them, you know, in case some <i>very</i> special occasion comes up, like having to go buy milk at the corner store.<div><br />
</div><div>Happy bargain hunting! Toodles.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><br />
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</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-63300291500479318092010-05-27T12:56:00.000-04:002010-05-27T12:56:58.922-04:00Style I Do!Don't blink or you'll miss another Haute Cocoa cameo: Just breezing by the hive with the news that <a href="http://www.ruelala.com/invite/ateo047">Rue La La</a> is having a wedding-themed sale today. There are items for brides, grooms, and guests. From my quick scan, the sweetest bargains seem to be Nicole Miller wedding dresses, at 1/2 to 3/4 of the retail price.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ruelala.com/images/product/141160/1411608359_RLLD_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.ruelala.com/images/product/141160/1411608359_RLLD_1.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicole Miller Antique White Silk Gown ($499)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Like <a href="http://www.gilt.com/invite/ateo">Gilt Groupe</a>, Rue La La is invitation only. If you're not a member, you can get your invitation <a href="http://www.ruelala.com/invite/ateo047">here</a>.<br />
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Oh, the sale is only through Friday, so go now!<br />
<br />
Ok, I gotta get back to retirement. See you!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-9458495721994174062010-03-27T20:13:00.000-04:002010-03-27T20:13:43.602-04:00愛-Vey! One Year Ago . . .One year ago, on this date, we had a pretty awesome Chewish wedding.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S1kMsQJWd6I/AAAAAAAACkQ/-XUF3YDsgCE/s1600-h/0103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S1kMsQJWd6I/AAAAAAAACkQ/-XUF3YDsgCE/s400/0103.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
In the last 364 days, we bought a house and moved in together after almost fifteen years of long-distance dating; one of us started an exhausting medical residency, while the other had on-again, off-again relationship with a Ph.D. from hell; our families celebrated weddings and reconciliations and survived difficult illnesses and hospitalizations . . . .<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S66b8KMhToI/AAAAAAAAC5U/cz4Xi9uIE40/s1600-h/1319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S66b8KMhToI/AAAAAAAAC5U/cz4Xi9uIE40/s400/1319.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
With so many changes and crises, it's been a challenging year in so many ways. But somehow we laugh . . . a lot. And even when there are tears, we manage not to feel alone.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S66bPExpwNI/AAAAAAAAC5I/jIZFHeM1xJg/s1600-h/0693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S66bPExpwNI/AAAAAAAAC5I/jIZFHeM1xJg/s400/0693.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We're not always capable of being our most charming selves with one another. But somehow we love each other, even when there are occasions when we might not like each other.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S66bqS0rbyI/AAAAAAAAC5Q/WsJVJQNKboQ/s1600-h/0862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S66bqS0rbyI/AAAAAAAAC5Q/WsJVJQNKboQ/s400/0862.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
One year ago, on this date, we had a pretty awesome Chewish wedding. But somehow even if that day had sucked, what's important now is that we have a pretty good Chewish marriage. <br />
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Because that's really what matters, right?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S66dnHZK0BI/AAAAAAAAC5c/6cbEgWqQr-s/s1600-h/0086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S66dnHZK0BI/AAAAAAAAC5c/6cbEgWqQr-s/s400/0086.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Happy anniversary to my husband! And happy anniversary to all the other 3/28/09 couples! One year down, a lifetime more to go . . . .Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-92064324450001516312010-03-06T14:09:00.001-05:002010-03-07T16:10:01.818-05:00Don't blink or I'll be gone!Hello! Just popping by because I saw that <a href="http://www.gilt.com/invite/ateo">Gilt Groupe</a> is pairing up with Martha Stewart Weddings for a Wedding Weekend.<br />
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From their announcement:<br />
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<blockquote><blockquote>Love is in the air … and so is the flutter of show-stopping bridal gowns, bridesmaids’ dresses, wedding gifts and so much more. As part of Gilt’s Wedding Weekend with Martha Stewart Weddings, from March 12-14, we'll be bringing you everything you need, want and can’t imagine walking down the aisle without — from beribboned silk heels to the perfect topaz necklace. (Something blue? Done.) We’ll also have sharp suits for the groom, get-pretty prep packages for the bridal party, dreamily decadent lingerie, and stuff-of-dreams honeymoon packages courtesy of Jetsetter. And if your head’s spinning with the task at hand, chin up — wedding editor Darcy Miller is on hand to offer her expert advice. This is your weekend to sit back, sign in to Gilt, and create a wonderful wedding at jaw-dropping prices. Enjoy the calm before the storm.</blockquote><blockquote>Join the party! Shop sales from Thread, Amsale, Carolina Herrera, Temperley London, Prive Salons, Judith Leiber, Tara Pearls, BluePrint Cleanse and more.</blockquote><blockquote>Gilt's Wedding Weekend starts Friday, March 12, at noon ET.</blockquote></blockquote>I can't believe they didn't have this back when I was wedding planning. Oh how I would have fawned and drooled over a Temperley wedding dress!<br />
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If you're not yet a member, here's an <a href="http://www.gilt.com/invite/ateo">invitation</a>. Buy something fabulous on the cheap so that Haute Cocoa can live vicariously. (Oh, and just remember that if you want to get your hands on something great, you'd probably want to click on right at noon. It's going to be a virtual Running of the Brides.)<br />
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Ok, I'm going back into retirement now. Feel free to come visit me at the <a href="http://doublyhappy.blogspot.com/">old age home</a>. I'll keep a few Werther's Originals in my pocket for you youngsters.<br />
<br />
P.S. And in related news, did you hear that <a href="http://fashionista.com/2010/03/anthropologie-wants-to-help-you-plan-your-wedding/">Anthropologie is also coming out with a wedding line</a>? Oh how I wish I were a summer 2010 bride!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-80618830564021937742010-01-24T20:29:00.000-05:002010-01-24T20:29:24.521-05:00Ring Pillow Giveaway on Doubly HappyGuess what?! Etsy seller and crafter extraordinaire <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/BusyButtons">BusyButtons</a> and I are doing a giveaway of a fabulous ring pillow on my personal blog, <a href="http://doublyhappy.blogspot.com/">Doubly Happy</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ny-image2.etsy.com//il_fullxfull.94974550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com//il_fullxfull.94974550.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<span style="color: #76a5af;">Visit <a href="http://doublyhappy.blogspot.com/">Doubly Happy</a> and click on the <a href="http://doublyhappy.blogspot.com/2010/01/inaugural-giveaway-marie-antoinette.html">giveaway post</a> for instructions on how to win this charming pillow!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-29066817135103228952010-01-18T13:34:00.001-05:002010-05-25T17:08:25.805-04:00愛-Vey! 愛-Revoir!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Alas, I finally have to write the post I've been putting off for weeks, the one where Mr. HC and I take a little bow and wave goodbye to the hive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S0pcayazDvI/AAAAAAAACgY/xiGAZ-dOt_M/s1600-h/0055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S0pcayazDvI/AAAAAAAACgY/xiGAZ-dOt_M/s640/0055.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our wedding whooshed by so quickly, in such a blur. So it has been especially amazing to have the chance to reexperience it through these recaps. Your warm, generous comments have made us feel like we had a large group of friends celebrating our wedding with us virtually.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S1Nr2UNqVUI/AAAAAAAAChU/u9ATtQbT9Cc/s1600-h/0095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S1Nr2UNqVUI/AAAAAAAAChU/u9ATtQbT9Cc/s640/0095.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thank you for laughing with us during those moments when we laughed so hard, so uproariously our pants almost burst,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S0paZNG1CiI/AAAAAAAACgE/GSrLzt19Nzo/s1600-h/0019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="372" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S0paZNG1CiI/AAAAAAAACgE/GSrLzt19Nzo/s640/0019.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">for helping us appreciate the special details . . .</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S1Nuiyq7tPI/AAAAAAAACho/h6maQMYE27Q/s1600-h/0115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S1Nuiyq7tPI/AAAAAAAACho/h6maQMYE27Q/s640/0115.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">especially the ones I spent way too much time on and probably no one else noticed,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S0pZltS2itI/AAAAAAAACf0/4rML4U1kktA/s1600-h/0078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S0pZltS2itI/AAAAAAAACf0/4rML4U1kktA/s640/0078.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
for celebrating with us . . . wildly and unabashedly,<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S0pZmu58s2I/AAAAAAAACf8/k65D8oXFlLA/s1600-h/1712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S0pZmu58s2I/AAAAAAAACf8/k65D8oXFlLA/s640/1712.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
for reveling in those moments that surprised and touched us,<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S1NxCHM3cKI/AAAAAAAAChw/X32ZJXyPrdg/s1600-h/1888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S1NxCHM3cKI/AAAAAAAAChw/X32ZJXyPrdg/s640/1888.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
and for being thoughtful and supportive during the contemplative times too.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S0paZ56D9lI/AAAAAAAACgI/GqkKjuMeDh0/s1600-h/0034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S0paZ56D9lI/AAAAAAAACgI/GqkKjuMeDh0/s640/0034.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Our wedding has never been about <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/10/06/jewish-wedding/">just one day</a>. It's been about learning to negotiate between <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/11/10/auspicious-date/">two cultures</a>, two families, and multiple identities without losing a sense of self; about my <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/11/14/choosing-judaism-part-ii/">converting to Judaism</a>, our <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/11/12/converting-to-judaism/">becoming Chewish</a>, and creating a multicultural household; and about grappling with an institution that while beautiful, is also deeply <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/10/11/the-third-party-in-our-marriage/">normative</a>, <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/11/03/marriage-rights/">political, and exclusionary</a>. It's also been about far less weighty things, like finding a <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/12/23/%E6%84%9B-vey-haute-cocoas-wedding-lookbook/">luxe look</a> despite my compulsive <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/08/05/the-internet-is-not-just-for-porn/">bargainphilia</a>, or getting the <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/12/09/%E6%84%9B-vey-all-in-the-details/">details</a> <i>just so</i>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S0pabXlC7YI/AAAAAAAACgM/0P4suoAC3NM/s1600-h/0102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/S0pabXlC7YI/AAAAAAAACgM/0P4suoAC3NM/s640/0102.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
And through all of this, the Weddingbee community has been there to support, challenge, and advise us. How lucky are we? And how awesome are you?<br />
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I'll pop by occasionally to post on any wedding-related items that come my way. In the interim, please drop by to say hello at my blog, <a href="http://doublyhappy.blogspot.com/">Doubly Happy</a>, where I dream about food and fashion and kvetch about dissertation and writing woes. If I know you're coming by, I'll post early and often. ;-)<br />
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Smooches!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Photos by<span style="font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://www.leighmillerphotography.com/">Leigh Miller Photography</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.lunaphoto.com">Luna Photography</a>, and <a href="http://www.dellachen.com/">Della Chen Photography</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-10063682065977821172009-12-23T09:13:00.001-05:002010-05-25T17:08:46.094-04:00愛-Vey! Haute Cocoa's Wedding Lookbook<div>Remember my alter bee-go, Haute Cocoa? She for whom the only thing worse than not wearing something fabulous is paying full price for it?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzDy8tgMO6I/AAAAAAAACeg/M2BIf16-nYg/s1600-h/0060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzDy8tgMO6I/AAAAAAAACeg/M2BIf16-nYg/s640/0060.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I thought I'd show you the results of <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">my</span> her luxe-for-less obsession in one mega wedding fashion post, linking back to the original post(s) on each item as a reminder of how all of these looks came together.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Look 1: Welcome Dinner Outfit</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzD1Te6vmEI/AAAAAAAACeo/IyDyPZd8z2k/s1600-h/Welcome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzD1Te6vmEI/AAAAAAAACeo/IyDyPZd8z2k/s640/Welcome.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Photos by Hottest Sister Cocoa</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div>For our first wedding-weekend event, I wore a cream Badgley Mischka tulle empire waist dress. I'd lost a little more weight than expected before the wedding, so the dress ended up being about a size too big. But I was still totally gaga over it -- not just because it was a frothy little confection of a dress, but because it was my savviest wedding-related purchase. The dress was already a bargain on <a href="http://www.gilt.com/invite/ateo">Gilt Groupe</a>* at $198, but after using the $150 referral credit I had saved up, this saucy number was mine for $48 plus shipping!<br />
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See my triumphant post on this find here: <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/08/27/you-cant-get-away-from-me-this-time-badgley-mischka/">http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/08/27/you-cant-get-away-from-me-this-time-badgley-mischka/</a><br />
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* <i>Want an invitation to join Gilt Groupe? Just click on the link.</i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Look 2: Tea Ceremony and Reception Outfit</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzD6vIdv3YI/AAAAAAAACew/yp2f5jRj1ck/s1600-h/Tea%20ceremony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzD6vIdv3YI/AAAAAAAACew/yp2f5jRj1ck/s640/Tea%20ceremony.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
For our Chinese tea ceremony, I wore a traditional <i>qua</i>, which was hand-embroidered and custom-made at <a href="http://www.koonnamwah.com.hk/main03.php">Koon Nam Wah</a> in Hong Kong. At a non-negotiable price of HK$10,000 (just over US$1250), this was a total bargain hunting fail. To compensate, I wore the <i>qua</i> twice -- both at the tea ceremony in the afternoon and as my second reception outfit. I'm contemplating wearing it to the supermarket, dry cleaner's, and while out shoveling snow too . . . gotta recoup the costs!<br />
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For the answers to your burning questions -- such as "What sexy underthings does one wear under that embroidered potato sack?" and "What do little old Chinese tailors think of the size of Ms. HC's American-sized ass?" -- see my original post: <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/12/30/chinese-wedding-dress/">http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/12/30/chinese-wedding-dress/</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzIniGQSI8I/AAAAAAAACfM/O3ARH1cJFbY/s1600-h/Delman%20Siana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzIniGQSI8I/AAAAAAAACfM/O3ARH1cJFbY/s320/Delman%20Siana.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I paired the <i>qua</i> with these surprisingly comfortable Delman "Siana" peeptoes, which I got for $140 at <a href="http://www.bluefly.com/Delman-Shoes-gold-knotted-detail-Siana-peep-toe-slingbacks/cat840234/301060502/detail.fly">Bluefly</a>. If you're in the market for gold heels, they are on clearance now for $99.99!</div><div><br />
</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Look 3: Ceremony Dress</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sy-GbNu8QcI/AAAAAAAACeI/cI_gLT6e2x0/s1600-h/Dress%20front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sy-GbNu8QcI/AAAAAAAACeI/cI_gLT6e2x0/s640/Dress%20front.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I sashayed down the aisle in "Mona Lisa," an oh-so-very-lovely Monique Lhuillier sample dress, purchased off the internet from <a href="http://www.dreambridalla.com/">Dream Bridal LA</a> for $1700! I'm not a love-at-first-sight kind of gal, but with her delicate capped sleeves, vintagey beading and embroidery, and sassy fit-and-flare silhouette, Mona had me at hello. And at a fraction of the retail price, I could afford to take her home to meet the fam.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sy-GbKs0PlI/AAAAAAAACeM/uuX5PZJsFYI/s1600-h/Dress%20bw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sy-GbKs0PlI/AAAAAAAACeM/uuX5PZJsFYI/s640/Dress%20bw.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Sigh. To this day, she makes my heart go pitter patter.<br />
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Mona's the ultimate realization of my luxe-for-less vision. Every time that snooty consultant Carmel on SYTTD scoffs at a bride with a less than $2000 budget, I scream obscenities at the screen and fantasize about showing her Mona and yelling "How do you like dem apples?"!<br />
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For those of you eager to stick it to Carmel with a designer dress bargain of your own, some of my early posts might come in handy: before I found Mona, I contemplated <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/07/27/bargainphilia-and-other-bridal-disorders/">purchasing a dress from China</a>, scoured the racks at the <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/07/28/a-melissa-sweet-at-a-sample-sale-would-be-as-sweet/">Melissa Sweet</a> and <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/07/29/say-yes-to-the-sample-dress/">Kleinfeld</a> sample sales, visited sample sale boutiques like New York's <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/07/30/charitable-shopping/">Bridal Garden</a> and Boston's <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/08/02/bridepower/">Vows (aka Bridepower)</a>, and obsessed over the stock at about twenty <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/08/06/project-virtual-runway/">websites</a>. My best finds were at Dream Bridal LA and popular Ebay seller My Dream Dress; my review of both is <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/08/05/the-internet-is-not-just-for-porn/">here</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sy-SsQRfa0I/AAAAAAAACeQ/WnzDIRPvM1w/s1600-h/Veil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sy-SsQRfa0I/AAAAAAAACeQ/WnzDIRPvM1w/s640/Veil.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
To give Mona the spotlight she deserved, I went with a simple chapel-length drop veil. At $125, it was more than I wanted to spend on a piece of tulle, but I had a store credit I had to use at <a href="http://www.bridepower.com/">Vows</a>, so I didn't have much of a choice. Seamstress extraordinaire <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/02/19/bustle-and-flow/">Anahit</a> cut the veil down a bit in the front, so that it wouldn't completely overwhelm my teapot frame (i.e., short and stout).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzCA61djGqI/AAAAAAAACeU/LeGUxPSByb0/s1600-h/sederaby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzCA61djGqI/AAAAAAAACeU/LeGUxPSByb0/s640/sederaby.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Choice, however, was not the problem with shoes. Budget was. My most insane wedding splurge was this pair of Manolo Blahnik "Sederaby" d'orsays. That iridescent purple silk shantung was so very very gorgeous that I couldn't take my grubby little hands off these shoes once I saw them at Nordstrom. They were $700, and after using a $200 gift certificate and getting a 5% rebate on my purchase via <a href="http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=ULJ4nqSEEQJuypTAPfhLZw%3D%3D">Ebates.com</a> (my new favorite $$-saving site), I ended up spending a little under $500 for them. I've already worn them a few times after the wedding, but the bargainista side of me still feels guilty for having gotten them.<br />
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Here's my original post on these beauties: <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/11/25/manolo-blahnik-wedding-shoes/">http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/11/25/manolo-blahnik-wedding-shoes/</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Look 4: Reception Dress</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzF6psp7sXI/AAAAAAAACe4/8aEnTVJIv_I/s1600-h/Third%20dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzF6psp7sXI/AAAAAAAACe4/8aEnTVJIv_I/s640/Third%20dress.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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For the end of the reception, I rocked a modern <i>qi pao</i>, which I had made in Shenzhen, China, for around US$85. It had a pinkish-mauve satin underlay and delicate silver lace on top. And while the top was cut in a fairly traditional Chinese pattern, the bottom was slightly fit-and-flare to accommodate my generously sized badonkadonk.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/01/lo7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://www.weddingbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/01/lo7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Photo by Lo</span></div><br />
Accessorized with the <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/01/02/help-me-choose/">feather fascinator</a> I purchased from Etsy seller <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/LoBoheme">Lo Boheme</a>, the whole outfit felt very Shanghai twenties chic. ;-)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzH3wKUXsdI/AAAAAAAACfA/7t5HVN6WOZc/s1600-h/Mom2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzH3wKUXsdI/AAAAAAAACfA/7t5HVN6WOZc/s640/Mom2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Speaking of <i>qipaos</i>, a few readers have asked about Hot Mama Cocoa's. Both her tea ceremony and evening dresses were made in Shenzhen, for under US$100. Unfortunately, neither of us recall which tailors we used, but both were in Lo Wu Commercial Center, located right across the border from Hong Kong. There are hundreds of tailors there, so if you're in the market for a cheongsam, you can just wander around until you find one whose designs, fabric choices, workmanship, and price you like.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Look 5: Farewell Brunch Outfit</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzDpAeWoO1I/AAAAAAAACec/spFgo_R7el4/s1600-h/DSC00856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzDpAeWoO1I/AAAAAAAACec/spFgo_R7el4/s640/DSC00856.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Photo by Hottest Sister Cocoa</div><br />
For the farewell brunch, I rolled out of bed and threw on a Cynthia Vincent mini dress, which I found while shopping in my closet. I think I bought the dress a year ago in the middle of a snow storm while hallucinating about warm sun and sandy beaches. It was an overpriced $130 from Gilt Groupe. I like its slightly Grecian/architectural bodice, though I'm less enamored with how the gauzy material is almost sheer, thus leaving me feeling very exposed the whole time. Trust me, no one's ready for this jelly.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzIgdkujN7I/AAAAAAAACfE/RQK0EzXDxW8/s1600-h/End.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="394" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SzIgdkujN7I/AAAAAAAACfE/RQK0EzXDxW8/s640/End.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
That's it. Five outfits. Three days. One accessorize-everything-with-a-ridiculous-smile bride.<br />
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When it comes to wedding fashion, are you a fashionista, bargainista, or a little of both?</div><div><br />
</div>Photos, unless otherwise credited, by<span style="font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://www.leighmillerphotography.com/">Leigh Miller Photography</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.lunaphoto.com">Luna Photography</a>, and <a href="http://www.dellachen.com/">Della Chen Photography</a>.</span><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-89983676537091729732009-12-08T23:33:00.001-05:002010-05-25T17:09:02.136-04:00愛-Vey! All in the Details<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now that you've seen documentation of our ginormous <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/12/08/%E6%84%9B-vey-getting-toasty/">challah</a> and crazy <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/11/25/%E6%84%9B-vey-this-is-the-hora-that-never-ends/">hora</a>, how about a few details that are less "holy crap" and (hopefully) a little more "ooh la la"?</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx740Rqqx7I/AAAAAAAACcg/6pQHzUgJ19Q/s1600-h/0642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx740Rqqx7I/AAAAAAAACcg/6pQHzUgJ19Q/s640/0642.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Remember the papercut <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/03/04/papercut-table-numbers/">table numbers</a> we commissioned from Etsy seller <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/papercutdiecut">papercutdiecut</a>? They stood out beautifully in the $1 acrylic frames I purchased from the Christmas Tree Store.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx75mKWvBEI/AAAAAAAACcs/kLMw_9o6dDg/s1600-h/Menu&Number.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx75mKWvBEI/AAAAAAAACcs/kLMw_9o6dDg/s640/Menu&Number.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I loved the shadows cast by the pinspots and the votives. The latter were ordered from Candles4less.com for $4.91 a dozen. And on the left is a close-up of our gocco'd <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/03/12/me-n-u/">menus</a>. I'm happy I decided at the last minute to bling them up with a gem; it added a little somethin' somethin', you know?<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx75mC-cubI/AAAAAAAACcw/jX3tsW2_XNo/s1600-h/Placesetting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx75mC-cubI/AAAAAAAACcw/jX3tsW2_XNo/s640/Placesetting.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The menus were tucked into napkins and garnished with orchids. The purple pouches contained our his-and-her keychain <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/01/26/reluctantly-in-favor-of-favors/">favors</a>. The tags, which say "thanks" in English, Chinese, and Hebrew, were printed on my home printer.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx75mejHVzI/AAAAAAAACc0/j67BT_8S1QE/s1600-h/0604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx75mejHVzI/AAAAAAAACc0/j67BT_8S1QE/s640/0604.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Here's the guest's eye view of the place settings. As you can see, we decided to forego fancy chivaris and use the hotel's regular ballroom chairs. <a href="http://www.loveandsplendor.com/">Angel</a> recommended our getting pinspotting on all of the tables and amber and purple uplights. I loved the romantic and warm glow they cast over the room.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx76Joli6RI/AAAAAAAACdE/U3jNZG5aIRQ/s1600-h/Tall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx76Joli6RI/AAAAAAAACdE/U3jNZG5aIRQ/s640/Tall.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.katebakerflorals.com/">Kate Baker</a> created some seriously gorgeous tall centerpieces for the three long family tables. The glass hurricane vases were filled with miniature plums and pears. "Capping" each urn was a collar of the chinoiserie fabric I got in China and some pink hydrangeas, which served as a base for a generous spray of cherry blossoms.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx76J2znkpI/AAAAAAAACdI/9TjpMZ1k_yI/s1600-h/Tall1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx76J2znkpI/AAAAAAAACdI/9TjpMZ1k_yI/s640/Tall1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I told Kate that I wanted each of the tables to look lavish, but a bit wild . . . sort of like a lazy afternoon garden luncheon in a crumbling Italian villa, where the lady of the house has gambled away most of the family fortune and is forced to make do with tarnished antiques and fallen fruits found on the grounds. She did a spectacular job translating my whimsical musings into reality by creating table vignettes with trailing vines, miniature fruits, and loose blooms.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx76Jy3I7WI/AAAAAAAACdM/Kdh85RGU5_o/s1600-h/Tall2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx76Jy3I7WI/AAAAAAAACdM/Kdh85RGU5_o/s640/Tall2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For an extra dash of whimsy, she also embedded lilacs into the hurricanes and attached amethyst and clear crystals to the cherry blossom sprays.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx77A3iHJNI/AAAAAAAACdY/qexh4fZ3aN8/s1600-h/0631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx77A3iHJNI/AAAAAAAACdY/qexh4fZ3aN8/s640/0631.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The rest of the tables featured short centerpieces in bronze urns. Kate created loose, organic arrangements in bronze urns of varying shapes, for an Anthropologie-esque "found object" look.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx77J0bBSbI/AAAAAAAACdk/a3oI9jsu7YU/s1600-h/Short.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx77J0bBSbI/AAAAAAAACdk/a3oI9jsu7YU/s640/Short.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To tie the short centerpieces together with the tall ones, Kate created similar vignettes with vines and miniature fruits on all the round tables.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx7-usOS5vI/AAAAAAAACds/rkesDzlnGWM/s1600-h/D1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx7-usOS5vI/AAAAAAAACds/rkesDzlnGWM/s640/D1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you're like me, flowers are nice but food is better! Since I'm all about choice, we opted to have a dessert buffet and cupcakes in lieu of a plated dessert or wedding cake.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx7-uiF2ltI/AAAAAAAACdw/vziQMh5T8Wg/s1600-h/D2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx7-uiF2ltI/AAAAAAAACdw/vziQMh5T8Wg/s640/D2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
The buffet included cheesecakes on skewers (those ugly but oh-so-delicious purple discs on sticks!), s'mores shooters, mango with sticky rice, lemon meringue tarts, purple macarons, and miniature bread puddings. [I'm sorry, I just drooled on my keyboard.]<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx7-u3CTmfI/AAAAAAAACd0/kE0-MLhuyv8/s1600-h/D3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx7-u3CTmfI/AAAAAAAACd0/kE0-MLhuyv8/s640/D3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
Our <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/01/30/i-love-those-cupcakes-like-mcadams-loves-gosling/">cupcakes</a> were from <a href="http://www.vanillabakeshop.com/">Vanilla Bake Shop</a>, and they came in an array of delectable favors, including red velvet and meyer lemon raspberry. I thought they were awesome at the <a href="http://www.vanillabakeshop.com/">tasting</a>, and I can only imagine how delicious they would have been at our wedding . . . . Alas, Mr. HC and I were so busy toasting and dancing and schmoozing that we didn't get to the dessert table in time for the cupcakes. We fed each other lemon meringue tarts for our "cake cutting photo" instead!<br />
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** Tip: Chinese ladies love to pile dozens of desserts on huge plates "for the table." At the end of the night, after the dessert buffet was depleted, the tables with our Chinese friends and family still had platters full of dessert. If you're ever in a buffet situation with little Asian ladies, run, jostle, elbow . . . do what you gotta do to get to the buffet table in front of them or else your little tummy will be very empty and very sad!<br />
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This was such a fun post to write, since I got to pull together creations I had discussed in previous posts and show you how they turned out! Sadly, this also means that my recaps are almost over. I'll discuss fashion details in my next post, but after that I might be d.o.n.e. Sniffles.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Photos by</span><span style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://www.leighmillerphotography.com/">Leigh Miller Photography</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.lunaphoto.com">Luna Photography</a>, and <a href="http://www.dellachen.com/">Della Chen Photography</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-37660156013237472009-12-07T17:14:00.001-05:002010-05-25T17:09:14.410-04:00愛-Vey! Getting Toasty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After surviving our <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/11/25/%E6%84%9B-vey-this-is-the-hora-that-never-ends/">neverending hora</a>, our guests deserved to be fed. But first we asked Mr. HC's two uncles to perform the blessing over the wine (<i>kiddush</i>) and bread (<i>hamotze</i>).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx1nX4vHhOI/AAAAAAAACa4/nb1XqFhmjTM/s1600-h/Challah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx1nX4vHhOI/AAAAAAAACa4/nb1XqFhmjTM/s640/Challah.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When we asked for a challah for 200, we weren't quite expecting a five-foot-long monstrosity. But there it was. In its full, phallic glory. Seriously, this thing could have had top-billing in its own x-rated video.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As you can probably tell from the face I'm making, the challah tasted like burnt cardboard.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx1kR4Ol1pI/AAAAAAAACaw/FFgiB1Zrs0U/s1600-h/Speech.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx1kR4Ol1pI/AAAAAAAACaw/FFgiB1Zrs0U/s640/Speech.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Over the salad course, there was a warm welcome speech from my grandfather and a beautiful toast from FIL HC. We were so touched by both of their toasts that we forgot to eat, which was probably a mistake, since right afterward I was spirited off for my first wardrobe change.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx1pmg3NVVI/AAAAAAAACa8/SXqK4qx_qd0/s1600-h/Change1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx1pmg3NVVI/AAAAAAAACa8/SXqK4qx_qd0/s640/Change1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Chinese brides often change several times during the course of a wedding banquet. Sounds fun in theory -- three dresses! -- but unless you've got the ability to presto chango at the push of a button (or earring, a la <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jem_(TV_series)">Jem</a>), the custom is actually less truly truly outrageous than truly truly exhausting. Ever see the backstage sequences at a fashion show, where dresses and shoes are flying, models are running and changing at the same time, handlers are putting on new accessories with one hand and taking old ones off with the other? Sort of like that.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx1tn_07WHI/AAAAAAAACbA/pHdCN8PoYj8/s1600-h/1868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx1tn_07WHI/AAAAAAAACbA/pHdCN8PoYj8/s640/1868.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
We then participated in yet another Chinese wedding tradition: toasting all the tables. My family was very insistent that this happen early on in the evening, as it's considered impolite in Chinese culture to allow guests to leave without a proper thank you. My grandfather, who I'm sure was a sprinter in a past life, took this task very seriously, speed-toasting from one table to the next like his shoes were on fire. <a href="http://www.loveandsplendor.com/">Angel</a>, wedding planner extraordinaire, guided us from table to table, making sure that we hit each one.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx1v9CuBD6I/AAAAAAAACbI/aZDFiNB_4PM/s1600-h/Liztoast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx1v9CuBD6I/AAAAAAAACbI/aZDFiNB_4PM/s640/Liztoast.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
SIL HC then gave the most touching toast, in which she talked about how, growing up with Mr. HC as twins, she always thought that they were going to be married . . . because they wanted to be living together forever, just like mom and dad.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx1w2EAMtDI/AAAAAAAACbM/mcY8nAJg0HE/s1600-h/Kristoast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx1w2EAMtDI/AAAAAAAACbM/mcY8nAJg0HE/s640/Kristoast.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Hottest Sister Cocoa then sent us into tears of laughter when she brought out the AP Chemistry review book that Mr. HC got me for our one month dating anniversary (as compensation for the fact that our four-hour-long conversations every night were seriously tanking my performance in chem)! She brought down the house by reading the dorky inscription inside: "Best of luck to you with the remainder of class, and happy four week anniversary!"<br />
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Sigh. Nerd love is so embarrassing!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx15cSBx8gI/AAAAAAAACbs/nWgxWCuS3FM/s1600-h/adamtoast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx15cSBx8gI/AAAAAAAACbs/nWgxWCuS3FM/s640/adamtoast.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
The love and joy were so abundant! Mr. HC's best man, a poet, touched us with his eloquent, heart-felt toast.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx10maejpFI/AAAAAAAACbY/3iVjMuvzB_M/s1600-h/Dance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx10maejpFI/AAAAAAAACbY/3iVjMuvzB_M/s640/Dance.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One last outfit change and ten more tables to toast later, I was ready to shed my bridal obligations and spend the rest of night enjoying the party. Thank the open bar that our friends were a bit toasty themselves and ready to make fools of themselves on the dance floor.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx11OcuRI4I/AAAAAAAACbc/W-DPSbqHpmA/s1600-h/2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx11OcuRI4I/AAAAAAAACbc/W-DPSbqHpmA/s640/2017.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Here are my college friends spontaneously busting out into the Princeton Locomotive (a ridiculous cheer that gets ever more hilarious when one is a) at reunions, b) drunk, and c) wearing orange). I think they (and by "they," I might mean me) might have also sang a rousing chorus of "Old Nassau," the Princeton college song.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx128C8QpNI/AAAAAAAACbk/tj2dbDDWd1A/s1600-h/dessert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx128C8QpNI/AAAAAAAACbk/tj2dbDDWd1A/s640/dessert.jpg" /></a></div><br />
And somewhere, in between the dancing with wild abandon and making fools of ourselves, my husband and I managed to fit in some dessert . . .<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx14RFABN0I/AAAAAAAACbo/oKCYmg7MzWo/s1600-h/dance2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx14RFABN0I/AAAAAAAACbo/oKCYmg7MzWo/s640/dance2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
and dancing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx17hj8earI/AAAAAAAACbw/B7-sACXC2Cc/s1600-h/dance3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx17hj8earI/AAAAAAAACbw/B7-sACXC2Cc/s640/dance3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
It was an amazing night. A there's-no-place-I'd-rather-be, no-moment-has-brought-me-more-joy kind of night.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx18MCtK4HI/AAAAAAAACb0/JHhr0a7dDMs/s1600-h/2026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sx18MCtK4HI/AAAAAAAACb0/JHhr0a7dDMs/s640/2026.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
A please-don't-let-this-end, but-if-it-must-at-least-I-get-to-go-home-with-my-new-husband-(yay!) kind of night.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Photos by</span><span style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://www.leighmillerphotography.com/">Leigh Miller Photography</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.lunaphoto.com">Luna Photography</a>, and <a href="http://www.dellachen.com/">Della Chen Photography</a>.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-15819020752764958252009-11-29T13:20:00.000-05:002009-11-29T18:22:41.713-05:00My Take on PWC<div style="text-align: left;">Quite a few bees have had PWCs (post-wedding chops). But since short hair makes me look like a muppet, I went for a post-wedding curl instead.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's right. I did what I said I'd never do again after a hairtastrophe that I shall call the "poodle perm incident of 1988." (No offense to Mrs. Poodle, who has a lovely hairstyle.)</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: nnnpx;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SxLDhxjRIjI/AAAAAAAACZs/dZwtrNZv9HA/s400/scan0103.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409601087429747250" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">"Don't cry. I'm not a poodle, I'm your new big sister!"</span></div><div><br /></div><div>I got a perm. A digital perm.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SxK_oGyQcZI/AAAAAAAACZc/pCjDsJSP_6c/s1600/Magazine.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: nnnpx;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SxK_oGyQcZI/AAAAAAAACZc/pCjDsJSP_6c/s1600/Magazine.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409596798162465170" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Inspiration photos scanned from Japanese hairstyling magazines</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Turns out perm technology has advanced significantly since I was in sixth grade. I found out about the digital perm from <a href="http://loveandsplendor.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/fab-finds-for-permed-hair/">Angel Swanson</a>, wedding planner extraordinaire. Instead of the tight, uniform curls of 1988, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_perm">digiperm</a> can give you relaxed, sexy waves, like the inspiration photos above. But after my middle school humiliation, I was pretty freaked out about submitting my hair to the vagaries of chemicals. Plus at almost $250, the digital perm was a very expensive experiment.</div><div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SxK-Zu5AlqI/AAAAAAAACZU/9fKOctNuogA/s1600/Before.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: nnnpx;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SxK-Zu5AlqI/AAAAAAAACZU/9fKOctNuogA/s1600/Before.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409595451718538914" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was so tired of the straight, shapeless hairstyle (above left) that I've had in the last few years, though, that I decided to risk it. Not that I'm out to escape humiliation entirely, since I'm showing you evidence of how totally insane I looked with the digital perm device hooked up to my head! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I got my digiperm at the <a href="http://miehigashimoto.com/">Mie Higashimoto Salon</a> on Newbury St. in Boston, with Fumiko, my regular stylist. She and her assistant were really comfortable with the equipment. My hair was washed, then cut, then prepped and rebonded with the first round of chemicals and washed again. Then they put curlers in, which were connected with leads (picture a cyborg Medusa) to the digiperm machine. When they first took the curlers out, I looked like a Hassidic rabbi, with tight coils. Horrifying. But then they applied a another round of chemicals, and after a quick wash, the curls relaxed into soft waves. The whole process took a little over three hours.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Fumiko used a combination of medium and large rollers to create a natural effect, and she started the curls above my cheekbones, so that the perm wouldn't look sad while it was growing out. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SxK9IlyH1lI/AAAAAAAACY8/oLrYlQHcHM0/s1600/Twist.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: nnnpx;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SxK9IlyH1lI/AAAAAAAACY8/oLrYlQHcHM0/s1600/Twist.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409594057704330834" /></a>With the digital perm, if you're in a hurry, you can scrunch in a bit of mousse and just air dry; the results will be loose waves. For relaxed curls, my stylist taught me how to blow dry while twirling small sections of hair with my fingers.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SxK9Iftu67I/AAAAAAAACY0/Gcyn2bf2MUE/s1600/Drying.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: nnnpx;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SxK9Iftu67I/AAAAAAAACY0/Gcyn2bf2MUE/s1600/Drying.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409594056075307954" /></a>In the photo on the left, I just sprayed a bit of Frederic Fekkai wave spray and then blow dried the hair while twirling it. To get big, neat curls, like those on the photo on the right (and the curls in the top left inspiration photo), I still have to supplement with a curling iron. But whereas my curls would usually fall out after a few hours, with the digital perm, the curls last until I wash my hair again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Although it's not the wash-and-go hair that I was hoping to get out of the process -- I have to blowdry and hand style or else my hair gets frizzy -- I definitely like the fact that my hair finally has style and lots of volume. Plus I think it's shinier and healthier-looking because of the rebonding!</div><div><br /></div><div>If you're considering a digital perm, here are some sites I found particularly helpful in my research:</div><div><ul><li>Digital Perm <a href="http://forum.purseblog.com/the-beauty-bar/considering-a-digital-perm-opinions-313720.html">thread</a> on Purse Forum</li><li>Angel Swanson's <a href="http://loveandsplendor.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/fab-finds-for-permed-hair/">blo</a>g</li><li>I am Style-ish blog (posts <a href="http://www.iamstyle-ish.com/2008/07/im-getting-perm.html">1</a>, <a href="http://www.iamstyle-ish.com/2008/07/perm.html">2</a>, <a href="http://www.iamstyle-ish.com/2008/11/q-digital-perm.html">3</a>)</li><li>Pinkfish Pie <a href="http://pinkfishpie.blogspot.com/2009/04/digital-perm.html">blog</a></li></ul></div><div>Are you considering a style change for your hair? </div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-89860886714824384612009-11-25T22:20:00.000-05:002009-11-25T23:19:41.925-05:00Executive InspirationNow that we're married, I know I should stop seeing "wedding" everywhere. But I saw these gorgeous photos from the White House State dinner, and my inspiration radar just went up.<div><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 615px; height: 340px;" src="http://i.usatoday.net/news/gallery/n091124_statedinner/statedinner1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i.usatoday.net/news/gallery/n091124_statedinner/statedinner2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 615px; height: 340px;" src="http://i.usatoday.net/news/gallery/n091124_statedinner/statedinner2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 615px; height: 340px;" src="http://i.usatoday.net/news/gallery/n091124_statedinner/statedinner9.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/White-House-State-Dinner">Source</a></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/ap_state_dinner_decor_091124_ms.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: nnnpx;" src="http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/ap_state_dinner_decor_091124_ms.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/ap_state_dinner_decor_091124_ms.jpg">Source</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-091124-stateDinner/ss-091123-stateDinner-10.ss_full.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: nnnpx;" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-091124-stateDinner/ss-091123-stateDinner-10.ss_full.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-091124-stateDinner/ss-091123-stateDinner-10.ss_full.jpg">Source</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The emerald and fuchsia! The gold and amethyst! The stunning chandeliers, chic menus, and elegant chargers.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Drool.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mtblog.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2009/11/25/1125michelle-obama-naeem-khan_fa.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 495px; height: 594px;" src="http://mtblog.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2009/11/25/1125michelle-obama-naeem-khan_fa.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mtblog.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2009/11/25/1125michelle-obama-naeem-khan_fa.jpg">Source</a></div><div><br /><div></div></div><div>And while we're at it, let's just appreciate the gloriousness that is Michelle's dress. I'd wear that as a wedding gown. In a heartbeat. </div><div><br /></div><div>On this Thanksgiving, like a little magpie, I am thankful for beautiful things!</div><div><br /></div><div>Are you finding wedding inspiration in the Obamas' style?</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-55869824427799204862009-11-24T19:31:00.001-05:002010-05-25T17:09:31.945-04:00愛-Vey! This Is the Hora that Never EndsBeing a bride and groom is a bit like being a cute baby: people applaud you for doing completely banal things, like entering a room. After garnering huge applause for managing to get onto the dance floor without falling on our faces, Mr. HC and I snuggled up for our first dance.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407834064255493810" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Swx8bfQ0prI/AAAAAAAACWA/cgriw9Wgzo4/s1600/0119.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" />We did the sixth-grade sway to Springsteen's "Drive All Night," which we selected as a romantic allusion to our fourteen years of long-distance dating. <br />
<div><br />
<div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407834069658626450" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Swx8bzZB6ZI/AAAAAAAACWI/VvAju2TniJc/s1600/0120.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" />Since we knew our awkward nerd moves would not be particularly entertaining, we asked our band leader to invite the rest of the wedding party and all the other guests onto the dance floor after a minute. But to our embarassment, one minute became two, two became what seemed like an hour. Mr. HC looks like he is smiling adoringly at me in that photo, but I'm pretty sure he was muttering under his breath, "When is this going to end?" And I was whispering back, "I wish we had some moves! We need moves!"</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407834055066671634" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Swx8a9CCWhI/AAAAAAAACV4/nIEx2NhVcfU/s1600/1618.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /><i>Finally</i>, after what felt like days, our wedding party came to save us from humiliation. And soon enough our dance floor was packed with couples far more graceful than the two of us.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407843503231575890" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwyFA6MFp1I/AAAAAAAACXg/ClrCU0QzXBc/s1600/1595.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">As soon as the last notes of Springsteen faded away . . .</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Swx8-YyCoAI/AAAAAAAACWY/FCJPedaUSlM/s1600/0127.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407834663811194882" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Swx8-YyCoAI/AAAAAAAACWY/FCJPedaUSlM/s1600/0127.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a>the familiar, joyful sound of the hora began. And what an unbelievably fun, ecstatic, and loooooooong hora it was!</div><div><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407842053422843058" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwyDshOwBLI/AAAAAAAACXI/tG0JnuNY2Jo/s1600/1710.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /><br />
<div><div style="text-align: left;">I was a bit nervous about whether our horah was going to be off-putting to some of our guests. So many of our Chinese guests had never been to a Jewish wedding. Would there be a split in the room, with half our guests feeling left out, alienated, or confused?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407843047179492898" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwyEmXQzHiI/AAAAAAAACXY/W-pTzOBD9TU/s1600/happy.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" />To our great joy and amusement, almost all of our guests joined in! Jewish bubbies, adorable Chinese grandpas, boys and girls of all ages . . . everyone piled right on the dance floor and started madly circling like a drunk Yiddish dance troupe. And, judging from the photos, all seemed to have as much fun as we did! </div><div><br />
</div><div>It was a supremely awesome Chewish moment.</div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Swx89nN7gnI/AAAAAAAACWQ/c2CXjxfu9pc/s1600/0129.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></div><div><br />
</div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407850339083618498" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwyLOzuOCMI/AAAAAAAACXw/cMZz5QfSKLY/s1600/0125.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Seriously, it was beyond fantastic. And I can objectively say that it was the horah to end all horahs. Not only because it rocked -- which it did -- but because it lasted for more than 20 minutes.</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407850332558218962" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwyLObacVtI/AAAAAAAACXo/90Av70C-qoQ/s1600/0128.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">You see, the hora is Mr. HC's favorite aspect of a Jewish wedding. And when he requested a thirty-minute hora from our band leader, I thought he was just exaggerating out of exuberance.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwySdrY9UVI/AAAAAAAACYQ/v_8EbVxbKG4/s1600/1712.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407858291126391122" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwySdrY9UVI/AAAAAAAACYQ/v_8EbVxbKG4/s1600/1712.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">But he was serious. And so was our band leader.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407839463368579826" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwyBVwhsWvI/AAAAAAAACWw/DADfi9YWIZY/s1600/Lift.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">About a third of the way through the insanity that was our hora, we got put on chairs -- chairs with <i>no arms</i>! -- and lifted up.</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407834650506396274" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Swx89nN7gnI/AAAAAAAACWQ/c2CXjxfu9pc/s1600/0129.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: 600px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">I nearly peed in my pants.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwyMM0xHTwI/AAAAAAAACX4/28_WBSYTsHw/s1600/1699.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407851404516085506" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwyMM0xHTwI/AAAAAAAACX4/28_WBSYTsHw/s1600/1699.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a>I think my mouth was open in that ridiculous expression of horror and laughter the whole time.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwyMqk4gXPI/AAAAAAAACYA/LJonFnHoQvU/s1600/1701.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407851915648195826" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwyMqk4gXPI/AAAAAAAACYA/LJonFnHoQvU/s1600/1701.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a>And then they wanted me to let go and hold onto the damn napkin? Do I look like I have a death wish?</div><div><br />
</div><div>Apparently, yes. (By the way, how hilarious is the look exchanged between groomsman E -- of the purple yarmulke -- and friend J -- of the black yarmulke? They appear to be cursing us for consuming a whole platter of hors d'oeuvres before being lifted up.)</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407843038171524770" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwyEl1tIbqI/AAAAAAAACXQ/jvO0LgBsJ-c/s1600/point.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Finally, they set us down, and a very kind soul brought me some water and brought Mr. HC a napkin to mop up his copious schweatiness. But just when we thought it was over . . .</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407840674646447026" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwyCcQ4107I/AAAAAAAACW4/H4oV2JRG0FU/s1600/1711.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">a very familiar looking purple flag appeared! It was the flag that Mr. HC had used at his election as Junior State Governor fifteen years ago. (Some of you might remember that <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/08/12/how-the-cocoas-came-to-be-hot-for-each-other/">we met</a> through the Junior State, an organization for high school politics geeks.) One of his best friends had secretly gone to Mr. HC's parents' house, dug through the garage, and unearthed this archeological artifact!</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407841243312278626" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwyC9XVVzGI/AAAAAAAACXA/_iPDKhPmxxY/s1600/1722.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The flag was part of the "schtick" that Mr. HC's groomspersons had planned for us. At traditional Jewish weddings, the groom's party would perform a funny routine to entertain the bride and groom. As you can tell, Mr. HC's friends were very entertaining indeed.</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407839454107873202" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwyBVOBxL7I/AAAAAAAACWg/fR3VOTErwEQ/s1600/Battle.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">They even staged a "horah-off" between our groups of friends -- the MD/MBAs (representing Mr. HC) and the JD/Ph.D.s (representing me).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwySddUR9AI/AAAAAAAACYI/dGoZKlSytZo/s1600/1760.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407858287348675586" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwySddUR9AI/AAAAAAAACYI/dGoZKlSytZo/s1600/1760.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Eventually, I think one of my dear friends-of-honor, seeing that we were about to collapse from hora-induced exhaustion, signaled the band leader.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Alas, even the hora that never ends, had to end. But wow was it amazing while it lasted!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Photos by</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://www.leighmillerphotography.com/">Leigh Miller Photography</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.lunaphoto.com">Luna Photography</a>, and <a href="http://www.dellachen.com/">Della Chen Photography</a>.</span></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-48771249794577495002009-11-21T23:28:00.001-05:002010-05-25T17:09:44.058-04:00愛-Vey! You had me at . . . eggroll.Once the <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/11/16/%E6%84%9B-vey-were-going-to-the-chuppah-and-were-gonna-get-married/">ceremony</a> was over, Mr. HC and I, per Jewish custom, giddily scrambled off to <i>yihud. Yihud </i>means "seclusion," and it refers to a tradition in which a newly married couple spends a bit of time on their own immediately after the ceremony. In ancient times, this is the first time the couple would be alone with one another and when they'd get it on for the first time.<br />
<div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div>In honor of the custom, Mr. HC and I engaged in some hot and heavy activity of our own . . .</div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406773692933697698" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Swi4BwQ9cKI/AAAAAAAACSw/YEkrNbiwYHw/s1600/Cocktail.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 184px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">by ravenously devouring the plate of hors d'oeuvres that had been delivered to the yihud room for us. Over a platter of sushi, satay, and fried artichokes, we giggled over the amazing and wonderful fact that we were <i>married</i>!</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwmknBOAiOI/AAAAAAAACVQ/p5hrju24K8I/s1600/1514.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407033817884035298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwmknBOAiOI/AAAAAAAACVQ/p5hrju24K8I/s1600/1514.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 600px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: nnnpx;" /></a><br />
<div>Meanwhile, our guests were enjoying a festive cocktail hour full of Chewish delectables, including mooshu duck, smoked salmon on blini, yaki soba served in Chinese takeout containers, and sliders. (Ok, there's nothing Chewish about sliders, but food in miniature is just so darn delicious!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwmmZAjlwxI/AAAAAAAACVY/_rBAn4o4AN0/s1600/escort.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407035776211206930" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwmmZAjlwxI/AAAAAAAACVY/_rBAn4o4AN0/s1600/escort.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Some managed to drag themselves away from the food and drink long enough to pick up their escort cards, which were laid out under the orchid arch that <a href="http://www.katebakerflorals.com/">Kate</a> created. Kate also put together darling cocktail vignettes of giant peonies and dahlias nestled in Chinese teapots and bamboo steamers, but sadly we can't seem to find any close-up photos of them.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After we emerged from yihud, there was a lot of this:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div></div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407037322711218162" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwmnzBt7N_I/AAAAAAAACVg/iNYfTwYQd-U/s1600/1527.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" />"Holy crap, you guys are <i>married</i>!!"<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>And some of this:<br />
<div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwmnzcWfz_I/AAAAAAAACVo/HdxArWCApqg/s1600/1535.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><br />
<div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwmnzcWfz_I/AAAAAAAACVo/HdxArWCApqg/s1600/1535.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407037329860710386" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwmnzcWfz_I/AAAAAAAACVo/HdxArWCApqg/s1600/1535.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a>"Yeesh . . . even our socks matched!" (Groomsman E did not seem to have gotten my memo about shaving.)<br />
<br />
</div><div>But mainly, there was a lot of this:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwmphiQKIQI/AAAAAAAACVw/-VB-DWKSNgs/s1600/Entrance.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407039221230346498" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwmphiQKIQI/AAAAAAAACVw/-VB-DWKSNgs/s1600/Entrance.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">"Holy crap, <i>we're</i> married!" </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Yes, my facial expressions are beyond ridiculous.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Up next, a horah to end all horahs. Grab your Gatorade and hang onto your hats. There will be no rest for the weary.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Photos by</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://www.leighmillerphotography.com/">Leigh Miller Photography</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.lunaphoto.com">Luna Photography</a>, and <a href="http://www.dellachen.com/">Della Chen Photography</a>.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-47477769050030036592009-11-21T22:24:00.001-05:002010-05-25T17:09:56.702-04:00愛-Vey! Welcome to the No-Rose Zone<div style="text-align: left;">I adore flowers, but I have to admit that I wasn't one of those brides who obsessed about the personal flowers for the wedding. I had more of a "feel" than a concrete vision: I pictured slightly wild, romantic, not overly-manicured florals -- more Grey Gardens than <a href="http://www.hahgarden.com/HAHslideshow/Trip01.html">Cantitoe Corners</a>. <a href="http://www.katebakerflorals.com/">Kate</a>, our awesome florist, took my vague suggestions and made prettiness happen.</div><br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406781026293157810" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Swi-snKGj7I/AAAAAAAACTI/j8Asq-RocNk/s1600/0070.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /><br />
<div>The bridal party bouquets were each composed of a single type of mauvish or purplish flower, with minimum greenery. I don't know how the ladies ended up picking their bouquets (I like to think that arm wrestling was involved), but each seemed to have ended up with a flower that suited her personality.<br />
<div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406785369819016082" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwjCpcDXa5I/AAAAAAAACTQ/DY8heDp9BdE/s1600/BMbouquet.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" />What tied the bouquets together, other than the color scheme, was the bit of Chinoiserie fabric that Kate wrapped around the stems. I purchased the fabric in China, and it was used not only in the bouquets but also in the reception centerpieces. I loved how Kate found a flower to correspond with each color in the fabric.</div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406803372165855378" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwjTBUBUeJI/AAAAAAAACUg/7H67xzrs5Ps/s1600/1103_2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div>The variety in the bouquets, I thought, would deemphasize the matchiness of the dresses.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406785737027611298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwjC-0At6qI/AAAAAAAACT4/tx0ugxmCugE/s1600/0532.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">As for my own bouquet, I wasn't too nitpicky about it. The only rules I gave Kate were: 1) no roses (I'm sorry for being such a rosist, but I am not a big fan), and 2) don't make it too perfect. I wanted a vintagey, freshly-gathered-from-the-rambling-country-garden-out-back look. I loved what Kate came up with. The dusty miller picked up the silver in the sisters-of-honor dresses, and the peonies, ranunculuses (ranunculi? LOL), and dahlias were gorgeous. The overall style was very close to that of my favorite New York florist, <a href="http://saipua.com/">Saipua</a>.</div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406804017843172354" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwjTm5WydAI/AAAAAAAACUo/Ul0cL-sSKx4/s1600/Bouquet.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Even though I loved the bouquet, I still managed to forget to take it back with me down the aisle after the ceremony. My mom ended up doing the recessional with two bouquets! All in all, I think I had my bouquet with me for about 1% of the day. That was an expensive 1%!</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407029609487371698" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwmgyDuDjbI/AAAAAAAACVA/nHjtKqDrESU/s1600/MILnosegay.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Speaking of Hot Mama Cocoa, she and Hot Grandma Cocoa, as well as as MIL HC and Bubbie HC carried single-flower nosegays. MIL HC and Bubbie HC picked dinner-plate dahlias, while my mom and grandmother chose orchids.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407029616367791874" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwmgydWebwI/AAAAAAAACVI/nXLzsWTzXrI/s1600/Momnosegay.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In traditional Chinese weddings, even female family members usually wear boutonnieres (with -- ugh -- red ribbons labeled with their title), but my mom and grandmother would have had a conniption if I were to suggest that they make tiny holes in their outfits with pins. Whew. Thank goodness that in my family, vanity beats tradition every time!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwjWQllkHsI/AAAAAAAACUw/BARgD6Q6Q0o/s1600/Bouts.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406806933114199746" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwjWQllkHsI/AAAAAAAACUw/BARgD6Q6Q0o/s1600/Bouts.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">The groomspersons also sported single-bloom boutonnieres. Each, like the bridal party bouquets, was unique, while at the same time picking up the lilac shades in their Banana Republic ties.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406785381563140402" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwjCqHzYiTI/AAAAAAAACTg/hTDrc83l4_c/s1600/1129.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I like to think that here they are smiling out of their love for their chic bouts. More likely they were laughing at my forcing them to wear matching lilac argyle socks.</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406790110610399602" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwjG9Y4HIXI/AAAAAAAACUQ/gEJNo8wq-8E/s1600/Groombout.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" />Mr. HC's boutonniere had a bit of dusty miller and a few mini versions of the blooms in my bouquet.</div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406790105521115218" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwjG9F6u0FI/AAAAAAAACUI/sD5-NzMooEU/s1600/1117.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" />What's up, good looking?<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwjG9Y4HIXI/AAAAAAAACUQ/gEJNo8wq-8E/s1600/Groombout.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>How specific were you about your personal flowers? How would you describe your floral style?</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Photos by</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://www.leighmillerphotography.com/">Leigh Miller Photography</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.lunaphoto.com">Luna Photography</a>, and <a href="http://www.dellachen.com/">Della Chen Photography</a>.</span></div><br />
</div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-60804399705286206282009-11-15T22:59:00.001-05:002010-05-25T17:10:13.598-04:00愛-Vey! Our Ketubah<div style="text-align: left;">The Hot Cocoas may look sweet, but don't be fooled: Mr. HC is an MBA, and I a JD, so we are <i>fierce </i>negotiators. And when it came to hashing out the language of the most important contract we'd ever sign -- our ketubah -- we brought all our haggling skills to the table . . . .</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404547577497219570" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwDPYyBrcfI/AAAAAAAACSg/gCbQWZwFpto/s1600/1442.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div><br />
</div><div>But I'm getting ahead of my self. Let me tell you how we got to that negotiating table in the first place.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Backing up. Beep. Beep. Beep.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The ketubah is the traditional Jewish marriage contract. Historically, its purpose was to document the "acquisition" of the bride by the groom and to lay out, in terms likely progressive for the time, the "rights" of the bride. For a feminist scholar like myself, this history was enough to a) give me the hives, and b) send me deep into the stacks of the library, searching for an alternative.*</div><div><br />
</div><div>While I wasn't exactly comfortable with the original purpose of the ketubah, Mr. HC and I both really wanted to honor and embrace our traditions. For various reasons, we also wanted to have a "kosher" ketubah -- one that would be recognized by many Jewish institutions. When we approached our rabbi with this little conundrum, she challenged us to write our own English "interpretation" of the traditional ketubah -- to revise and personalize the tradition rather than abandoning it entirely.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Great, in theory. But what could we say that would encapsulate the whole of the commitment we were making to one another? Oy vey, indeed.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Despite our initial trepidation, the process of drafting the ketubah turned out to be one of the most memorable parts of our wedding planning. We each wrote our own draft and then came together at a diner to negotiate the final language. The process took hours . . . actually, days. It gave us a chance to talk (and argue! oh boy, did we argue!) openly and honestly about what was important to the two of us, and how we imagined our futures. These conversations -- about how we wanted to raise our children, what we imagined a Chewish household to be, how we expected to care for our parents in their old age -- were a reminder that we were planning a life together, not just a wedding.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So, in addition to the traditional Aramaic text, which has bound Jewish brides and grooms since ancient times, our ketubah featured our own English "interpretation":</div><div><br />
</div><div><div></div><blockquote><div>On the first day of the week, the fourth day of Nisan, in the year 5769, corresponding to the twentieth-eighth day of March, in the year 2009, Mr. Hot Cocoa, son of FIL and MIL Hot Cocoa, and Miss Hot Cocoa, daughter of Hot Mama Cocoa, join each other in Marina del Rey, California, before family and friends to make a mutual covenant as husband and wife. With love, Mr. and Miss Hot Cocoa each vow to the other:</div><div><br />
</div><div>"We establish today a partnership of equals. We promise to accept and treasure each other’s individuality and to be patient with each other’s idiosyncrasies; to challenge, inspire, and support one another in our independent pursuits, while experiencing each other’s dreams, laughter, and tears as our own.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We commit ourselves to making our relationship a priority; to being sensitive to each other’s emotional, physical, and spiritual needs; and to striving for the intimacy, openness, and honesty that will allow us to realize these promises. As we grow old together and our love matures, may we always be kindred spirits, holding on to the passion, affection, and respect for each other we feel today.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We endeavor individually and collectively to achieve balance between our professional and family commitments, and we vow to care and provide for one another and for any children with whom we may be blessed.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We declare our intention to raise our family in a household rich with the traditions of our Chinese and Jewish heritages, and to create a home amid the community of Israel—a home filled with curiosity and learning, goodness and generosity, community and compassion.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We honor our families and ancestors and all that they have sacrificed to make life so rich with possibility for us. We pledge to uphold the specific vision of intergenerational responsibility passed onto us by our Chinese elders, and accordingly commit to caring for, and opening our homes to, our parents and grandparents in their old age. May this union be blessed with a love as profound and enduring as that they have shown us all these years.”</div><div><br />
</div><div>We joyfully enter into this covenant and solemnly accept its obligations. All this is valid and binding.</div><div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div>As for the design of the ketubah, we couldn't find a commercially available one that we loved. So we had <a href="http://www.ketubah.com/ketubah-gallery/product-details/index.cfm/id/4261/Search/-You/Design-Your-Own-(Arch-Shaped-Text)">ketubah.com</a> print our custom text onto fine art paper, and SIL HC, a very talented artist, will be painting it and creating for us a one-of-a-kind original! Since she had her own wedding to plan, the artwork isn't finished yet. But soon enough we'll have our ketubah in our bedroom, ready to remind us, in good times and bad, of all the commitments we made to one another.</div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404560755233407858" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwDbX060Q3I/AAAAAAAACSo/dOayEUHkBtE/s1600/Gordon+%26+Teo+Ketubah+Text.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 600px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: nnnpx;" /></div><div>Will you be writing your own ketubah or vows? Did you have a wedding-related task that reminded you of the life -- not just the wedding -- ahead?</div><div><br />
</div><div>* Anyone interested in alternatives to the ketubah should read <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Engendering-Judaism-Inclusive-Theology-Ethics/dp/0807036196/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258345776&sr=8-1">Engendering Judaism</a></i>, by Rachel Adler. Adler, a feminist theologian, lays out a ritual called "brit ahuvim," which offers an alternative to the ketubah that is rooted in partnership, rather than contract, law.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Photos by</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://www.leighmillerphotography.com/">Leigh Miller Photography</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.lunaphoto.com">Luna Photography</a>, and <a href="http://www.dellachen.com/">Della Chen Photography</a>. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-56353786915668473982009-11-15T20:05:00.001-05:002010-05-25T17:10:28.590-04:00愛-Vey! We're Going to the Chuppah, and We're Gonna Get MarriedI faintly remember that our ceremony was lovely, though I can't be certain, because as soon as I heard the first notes of Mr. HC's stirring <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/10/30/%E6%84%9B-vey-walking-to-the-beat-of-my-own-processional/">processional</a> music, I had an out-of-body, giddy-like-a-schoolgirl experience.<br />
<div><br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404504568568930626" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwCoRVSG4UI/AAAAAAAACQQ/m1Oix-Iy1ao/s1600/0094.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /><br />
<div>Somehow, I floated down the aisle and made it to the <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/10/21/%E6%84%9B-vey-before-the-first-note/">chuppah</a>, where Mr. HC and I were to circle each other, per Jewish custom. For most couples, this is a solemn and beautiful moment, signifying the the reorientation of their lives around each other. </div><div><br />
</div><div>For us, of course, hilarity ensued.</div><div><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwCopWbvxOI/AAAAAAAACQo/XwZbCT8tH8o/s1600-h/Circling.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><br />
<div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwCopWbvxOI/AAAAAAAACQo/XwZbCT8tH8o/s1600-h/Circling.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404504981194654946" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwCopWbvxOI/AAAAAAAACQo/XwZbCT8tH8o/s1600/Circling.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: 600px;" /></a>The chuppah poles were really close together, so instead of gracefully circling one another, we performed what can only be described as an "I gotta go potty" dance around each other. I did the quickstep, my steps made less quick by a veil that attached itself to every branch on that chuppah (which I named Audrey, after the plant in "Little Shop of Horrors"). My soon-to-be husband, who didn't have to drag a silk train and my large caboose around with him, somewhat nimbly jumped around me. Imagine a drunken polka over hot coals, and you'll get the idea.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwCz57tAc8I/AAAAAAAACRY/g7hGC5Jokck/s1600-h/1306.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404517360704975810" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwCz57tAc8I/AAAAAAAACRY/g7hGC5Jokck/s1600/1306.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a></div><div>For our finale, we held hands and circled together, ring-around-the-rosy style. I don't know why there was so much laughter. Our moves were awesome.</div><div><br />
<div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwCopHeKzlI/AAAAAAAACQg/NSsVSSA0-Zc/s1600-h/0103.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404504977178283602" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwCopHeKzlI/AAAAAAAACQg/NSsVSSA0-Zc/s1600/0103.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a></div><div>Dance performance over, our wonderful rabbi began the ceremony, with words that were as touching as they were funny:</div><div><br />
</div><div><blockquote>So there were seven circles. Seven circles only the two of you could make seven circles. Because there are seven layers to a person's soul, and the dimensions of each other's soul are revealed to each of you through the love that has deepened during the years that you have been walking toward this chuppah. Dimensions of the soul revealed in the music that Miss HC encouraged Mr. HC to write for this processional -- beautiful music that reflects longing, love, and gratitude for arriving at this moment in your journey. And I know that I speak for everyone when i say that this journey has taken a <i>really</i> long time. Sixteen years? Fifteen years? Who's counting?</blockquote></div><div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404509267695071090" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwCsi25Fb3I/AAAAAAAACRA/mqX1WGiC5Dw/s1600/Looks.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Although we'd only met our rabbi a few months before the wedding, her words to us were so warm, and so perfectly captured our relationship; it was as if she'd known us as long as there was an "us." This sounds so cheesy, but her ceremony made us feel even that much more in love with each other.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwDG0SrBLAI/AAAAAAAACSY/YZ60f8tlRuI/s1600/ketubah.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404538154512362498" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwDG0SrBLAI/AAAAAAAACSY/YZ60f8tlRuI/s1600/ketubah.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">As the <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/03/10/curses-daylight-savings-curses/">sun set</a>, we read from and signed our ketubah,</div></div><div><br />
</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404537235394504258" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwDF-ysPpkI/AAAAAAAACSQ/d5S3QF1IWTI/s1600/kiddush.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">drank ceremonial wine out of a Chinese tea cup,</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404520142949109570" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwC2b4Xsz0I/AAAAAAAACRg/rnXwLYo0o60/s1600/1448.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">and exchanged rings.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwCsjIzEWFI/AAAAAAAACRI/9bxALFm4ZeA/s1600-h/Blessings.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404509272501672018" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwCsjIzEWFI/AAAAAAAACRI/9bxALFm4ZeA/s1600/Blessings.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Then came the sheva b'rachot, the traditional seven blessings. We asked fourteen of our closest family and friends to read the blessings in Hebrew and English. It was as though a chorus -- a whole community -- of the dearest people in our lives came together to bless our marriage.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwC49eLfRfI/AAAAAAAACR4/rTjA_pzoYhs/s1600/1477.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404522919057376754" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwC49eLfRfI/AAAAAAAACR4/rTjA_pzoYhs/s1600/1477.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Mr. HC then broke the glass, to shouts of "mazel tov" and "gung hay" (congratulations in Hebrew and Chinese).</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br />
</span></span></div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404521712833792242" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwC33QpYCPI/AAAAAAAACRw/AOPiaKcb_DA/s1600/0106.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwCtNSv9HSI/AAAAAAAACRQ/nRn5Yw1TCwA/s1600-h/1492.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></div><div>We kissed,</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwCtNSv9HSI/AAAAAAAACRQ/nRn5Yw1TCwA/s1600-h/1492.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404509996727475490" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwCtNSv9HSI/AAAAAAAACRQ/nRn5Yw1TCwA/s1600/1492.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a></div><div>fist-bumped, Obama style,</div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwDBNlByfAI/AAAAAAAACSA/GdfuGz46GYg/s1600/0107.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404531991866670082" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/SwDBNlByfAI/AAAAAAAACSA/GdfuGz46GYg/s1600/0107.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a><br />
<div><br />
</div><div>and, at long last, were blissfully and finally married! (Or at least I look blissful . . . Mr. HC looks like he's scared! Hee hee.)</div><div><br />
</div><div>I know that often the ceremony takes a backseat to the rest of the wedding. For us, though, the ceremony was the centerpiece of our celebration: it was an occasion for us to honor our cultures while at the same time combining them into something unique and truly "us," and it was an opportunity to involve and honor the friends and family who supported and sustained us. Writing our ketubah, translating the program into Chinese, thinking of the small touches, like using the Chinese tea cup for kiddush . . . it was a lot of work, but the smiling faces of all of our friends and family as we walked down the aisle as a newly married couple proved it was all worth it.</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Photos by</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://www.leighmillerphotography.com/">Leigh Miller Photography</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.lunaphoto.com">Luna Photography</a>, and <a href="http://www.dellachen.com/">Della Chen Photography</a>. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-81086497775613310482009-10-30T03:24:00.001-04:002010-05-25T17:10:39.068-04:00愛-Vey! Walking to the beat of my own . . . processionalAs a wedding present, Mr. HC composed the music for both the wedding party's processional and the bride's processional. Try as I might, I just can't figure out a way to do justice to the music; in fact, I've been putting off this post for a very long time because I can't come up with the words to describe that moment when I heard the first notes from the strings. <br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Instead of words, then, I present you with this short slideshow. May it bring a bit of joy to your Friday!<br />
<div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
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<div><br />
</div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Photos by</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://www.leighmillerphotography.com/">Leigh Miller Photography</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.lunaphoto.com">Luna Photography</a>, and <a href="http://www.dellachen.com/">Della Chen Photography</a>. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Music composed by Mr. HC and performed by <a href="http://www.proeventmusic.com/">Bruce Garnitz Entertainment</a>.</span></div><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-48835138951839575102009-10-20T20:57:00.001-04:002010-05-25T17:10:56.358-04:00愛-Vey! Before the First NoteWhile we were getting misty-eyed at the <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/10/16/%E6%84%9B-vey-ill-cover-you/">bedecken ceremony</a>, our guests were beginning to arrive at our ceremony site on the marina. But don't let the fancy phrase "on the marina" fool you: our ceremony site was a glorified tennis court.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Oh well. When the hotel gives you tennis court . . .</div><br />
<div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394867373577218802" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/St5rSwRqKvI/AAAAAAAACOo/8xJaE8rgOoY/s1600/Picnik+collage+2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div>just direct the guests' eyes upward by means of colorful lanterns and hope that it gets dark fast enough that no one notices the tarping and the green floor! While in Hong Kong over the summer, I bought seven dozen paper lanterns on the cheap from a vendor that was happy to get rid of off-season products. (No one uses lanterns there until the Mid-Autumn Festival in the fall.) I made throwies (using Mrs. Tiramisu's <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/06/17/lighting-lanterns-with-led-throwies/">instructions</a>) and <a href="http://www.loveandsplendor.com/">Angel</a> painstakingly tied the throwies onto the lanterns, then the lanterns onto monofilament for hanging.</div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394867378879016706" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/St5rTEBtLwI/AAAAAAAACOw/ZYob3bgiFlk/s1600/Picnik+collage+3.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div>As guests arrived, they picked up <a href="http://www.mazeltops.com/">kippot</a> and <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/05/01/our-programs-or-how-i-learned-to-make-do-with-fine/">programs</a>.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394867386929779874" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/St5rTiBKFKI/AAAAAAAACPA/8eku4ZKgWTU/s1600/Picnik+collage+5.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Since we had to delay our ceremony long enough to allow us to sign our ketubah (marriage contract) after the end of the sabbath (remember our <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/03/10/curses-daylight-savings-curses/">timing snafu</a>??), we were worried that our guests would get restless and grumpy. I've been Chewish long enough to know that nothing good comes of keeping Chinese people and Jews away from the promise of a good dinner! But from the photos, it seems like they were placated by the non-alcoholic beverages, the musicians tuning up, and the opportunity to catch up with each other. Though the more adorable guests did seem less than impressed with the pre-ceremony entertainment.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394867383908868162" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/St5rTWw6oEI/AAAAAAAACO4/zDlqWBY-MN0/s1600/Picnik+collage+4.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div>Some guests occupied themselves by signing our <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/02/24/the-hot-cocoas-the-first-fifteen-years/">guest book</a>, while others wrote beautiful wishes for us and hung them on the branches of our chuppah. Ah to be married beneath an awning of good wishes!</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394867709031758194" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/St5rmR8QOXI/AAAAAAAACPI/BJBrkvHA2gU/s1600/0547.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 600px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: nnnpx;" /><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Speaking of the chuppah, our florist <a href="http://www.katebakerflorals.com/">Kate</a> did an amazing job translating my Chewish vision into reality. I wanted to construct a Jewish wedding canopy out of recognizably "eastern" materials. The branches of the chuppah were made of cherry blossom branches, on which were hung delicate candles and crystals. And the base of each leg of the chuppah was filled with gorgeous peonies.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394867369752208354" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/St5rSiBtI-I/AAAAAAAACOg/OQKV1-gm_m4/s1600/Picnik+collage+1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">What was most special about the chuppah, though, was that its roof was made from a tablecloth that Mr. HC's maternal grandmother embroidered. Bubbie was an expert knitter, sewer, and embroiderer, and this tablecloth -- a gift from her to Mr. HC's mother -- was what she was working on around the time she passed away. This beautiful, half-finished tablecloth was a reminder of her and a symbol of possibility and loss.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394878221759599042" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/St51KM540cI/AAAAAAAACPQ/tcA9ubIW7EM/s1600/1192.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">While our guests were schmoozing, FFIL HC was giving Mr. HC a final pep talk -- "Okay, son, put your left foot down, then your right foot." -- or, more likely, the two doctors were chatting with each other about some esoteric study that just got published in the <i>New England Journal of Medicine.</i></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394878870406322226" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/St51v9TUWDI/AAAAAAAACPg/-sqo7Fywtco/s1600/1186.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /><br />
<div>Hot Grandmama Cocoa and Hot Mama Cocoa were lining up and getting ready to walk their amazingly youthful, unfairly photogenic selves down the aisle.<br />
<div><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/St51wK4x_KI/AAAAAAAACPo/E0Vl0fls4L4/s1600-h/1257.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><br />
<div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/St51wK4x_KI/AAAAAAAACPo/E0Vl0fls4L4/s1600-h/1257.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394878874053115042" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/St51wK4x_KI/AAAAAAAACPo/E0Vl0fls4L4/s1600/1257.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: 600px;" /></a></div><div>And my truly fantastic bridal party were cozying up to keep me warm. Notice that Grandpa HC seemed to be enjoying their closeness even more than me! Yowza!<br />
<br />
</div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/St53Tq7f9ZI/AAAAAAAACPw/WAFKx8VjEDM/s1600-h/1212.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394880583461500306" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/St53Tq7f9ZI/AAAAAAAACPw/WAFKx8VjEDM/s1600/1212.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: nnnpx; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 600px;" /></a></div><div>And then the first few breathtaking notes of the wedding processional that Mr. HC composed began, and all fell quiet . . . .</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Photos by</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://www.leighmillerphotography.com/">Leigh Miller Photography</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.lunaphoto.com">Luna Photography</a>, and <a href="http://www.dellachen.com/">Della Chen Photography</a>.</span></div><br />
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911323689296707815.post-38444507999299804842009-10-15T01:04:00.000-04:002009-10-15T02:12:22.875-04:00愛-Vey! I'll Cover YouFor Mr. HC and me, the most emotional part of our wedding day was not the vows or ring exchange, but rather something that happened before the wedding ceremony: the bedecken.<div><br /></div><div>Bedecken is a Yiddish word that means "to cover." In traditional Jewish weddings, the bedecken is a ritual in which the groom veils the bride immediately before the ceremony. The custom is attributed to the biblical story in which Jacob, intending to marry Rachel, is tricked into marrying Rachel's sister Leah. To prevent such epic switcheroos, the story goes, a groom ought to personally veil the bride and thus have the opportunity to ascertain that she is, in fact, the person he intended to marry.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: nnnpx;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/StauPh1HEhI/AAAAAAAACIM/8a1-NjpmVoU/s1600/1060.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392689185625149970" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>While alluding to the Jacob story, our rabbi explained that the custom should be understood metaphorically: here, before our closest family and friends, and just before we were to walk down the aisle, we were given a moment to look into each other's eyes and confirm that <i>this</i> was the person with whom we wanted to share the rest of our lives.</div><div><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: nnnpx;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sta1pypLC8I/AAAAAAAACIs/qoTz0rYTJPM/s1600/1061.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392697333396474818" /><div><br /></div><div>"Look into each other's eyes and imagine what you will feel on your tenth wedding anniversary. At the birth of your first child. At that child's bar or bat mitzvah. Or when that child is standing under the chuppah, about to marry his or her intended."</div><div><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: nnnpx;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/StauM1BPvaI/AAAAAAAACH0/UBVS1vC6G-c/s1600/1069.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392689139236715938" /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/StauOqlDPDI/AAAAAAAACIE/fPrFBjYHUVI/s1600-h/1062.jpg"></a></div><div>I wish I could describe in words how I felt at that moment . . . .</div><div><br /></div><div>But I can't, so all I can share is a spectacularly ugly cry face.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/StauOqlDPDI/AAAAAAAACIE/fPrFBjYHUVI/s1600-h/1062.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: nnnpx;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/StauOqlDPDI/AAAAAAAACIE/fPrFBjYHUVI/s1600/1062.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392689170793839666" /></a><br />With that, Mr. HC placed the veil over my face . . . schmeared makeup and runny nose and all.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/StauNj8Pl1I/AAAAAAAACH8/q5yueUFMMFU/s1600-h/1065.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: nnnpx;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/StauNj8Pl1I/AAAAAAAACH8/q5yueUFMMFU/s1600/1065.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392689151832201042" /></a><br /></div><div>And to make the custom egalitarian, I placed Mr. HC's kippah over his head.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sta4_eHfGkI/AAAAAAAACI0/KrtBaeuy7AI/s1600-h/1072.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: nnnpx;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rTWMU1dqLCk/Sta4_eHfGkI/AAAAAAAACI0/KrtBaeuy7AI/s1600/1072.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392701004378479170" /></a><br /></div><div>A "let's go kick some ceremony ass" kiss, and we were ready to go.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Photos by</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic;font-size:small;"> <a href="http://www.leighmillerphotography.com/">Leigh Miller Photography</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.lunaphoto.com">Luna Photography</a>, and <a href="http://www.dellachen.com/">Della Chen Photography</a>.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In previous episodes of the Hot Cocoa Chewish Wedding Recap Extravaganza:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">- We had a <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/05/12/%E6%84%9B-vey-our-chewish-welcome-dinner/">welcome dinner</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/05/18/%E6%84%9B-vey-our-chewish-welcome-dinner-continued/">Hilarity</a> ensued.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- I got <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/05/29/%E6%84%9B-vey-getting-prettified/">prettified</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- We played <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/26/%E6%84%9B-vey-door-games/">games</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- Mr. HC got <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/06/29/%E6%84%9B-vey-accessorizing-my-brand-new-car-i-mean-groom/">accessorized</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- We had a tea party . . . I mean, <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/07/07/%E6%84%9B-vey-the-tea-ceremony/">ceremony</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- I got <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/07/27/%E6%84%9B-vey-from-hot-to-haute/">haute</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- I giggled and Mr. HC <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/07/29/%E6%84%9B-vey-whats-a-first-look/">looked</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- He <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/09/11/%E6%84%9B-vey-wedding-portraits-behind-the-scenes/">smelled my cheek</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- I had a <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/09/24/%E6%84%9B-vey-my-meltdown-moment/">meltdown</a>.</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1