mrs

we did it!

and what. a wonderful. week!

it was seriously so fantastic i want to do it all over again. to be in our favorite holiday spot and share with our family and friends. sigh. it was amazing. and worth every breakdown, every tear, and every penny.

when i thought about my wedding, all i could think about was the favors, the menus, the paper fans at the ceremony, the program, the centerpieces, my bouquet, my hair, his socks, my makeup, his cufflinks, the father/daughter dance song, the wedding cake, the shot list, the table runners, the welcome bags, the family dinner, and all the rest of the details.

i forgot to think about what my father would look like seeing sea lions up close on a boat tour of land's end, the smiles on the girls when i tried to name who brought my each pair of underwear and forced to chew a piece of gum for each fail (read: i was up to, like, ten pieces), watching my brothers during their readings, yoga with my mom and brother, hearing our event planner telling us about how few weddings touch her heart, winking at beloved friends during the ceremony, clinking margaritas, singing karaoke at miguel loco's, dirty dancing at cabo wabo, friends telling you over and over how beautiful you look, watching the husband and his friend get knocked over by a huge wave in a cove, seeing my family's sunburns, having lobster at edith's, the wave knocking over half the tables at the dinner reception, and the tears on the bf's face while i walked down the aisle.

i know now why they say that all the details don't really matter.

because they don't. the big stuff does. our family and friends. sharing our moment. absolute perfection in imperfection.

i'll never forget it.

we are blessed.

and this is our happily ever after.

off

we leave tomorrow!

cabo or bust! :)

y

i am trying not to lose it. i really want to keep it together this week. i really need this.

i went to the dentist this morning - regular cleaning but for the past three days my teeth and gums have been throbbing like holy h. no cavities. but because i have severe allergies here, i have been breathing out of my mouth while sleeping. hear? i am a mouth-breather.

so now, i can either try try try to control my allergies (it hasn't worked for 32 years, why would it work now?) or put vaseline on my gums at night (ew). yippee!

also, my mom has decided that this is the BEST time to ask me for our resort information as all of a sudden her friend's daughter also wants to plan her wedding in cabo. wtf? now?! why can't she let me have this moment?! all i ask is for. one. week.

plus, there is a last minute guest that is still UNDECIDED. listen lady, if you are undecided four days before the wedding, please don't make my life miserable by coming so that i have to freak out about place settings and placecards and upping the guest list. please. don't. attend.

argh.

dis

what people don't tell you about planning a wedding is the unhappiness you will inevitably encounter along the way.

don't get me wrong, planning a wedding can be blissful, and fun, and surreal. and totally girlie.

all things that i love.

it can also be a major exercise in disappointment.

like it or not, there will be people who will not rsvp by the date requested, some not at all. not ever. some people will not respond to your follow-up call/email/text. people will not send in their rsvp even if a follow-up is made. even if it is specifically requested. there will be unknowns. great friends will miss your wedding. and you will unfairly place blame. and you will feel sad. and disappointment. and regret.

hey, it is an emotional time. and boy, is it an emotional ride. it's super high highs, to fantastic zen moments, to uncharacteristically low lows. it spans the spectrum of everything you can think of in feelings.

i'd like to think that it's the feelings that stay with you. the good ones. the ones where you realize that even though everything isn't working out the way you want it to, it is working out the way it supposed to be.

so you let go. and release. and give the negative energy away.

you+me

and it's may day!!

i don't even know if that's one word. grin.

it's the final month of our engagement. and i'm reflective today. it certainly has been a whirlwind of emotions. don't get me wrong. our engagement has been full high highs and extremely low lows. i thought that spinning myself a web of wedding would keep me safe. and keep me sane. by keeping the bf away.

but i forgot that the wedding is about two people. not all our guests. certainly not only about me, although the jokes about my wedding never get old. it's about the bf and me. you + me. we always said that no matter what, at the end of the day, it is just you and me. getting through it all together.

and no matter what communication breakdowns we endure, no matter what disagreements we have, no matter how many concessions and compromises we make, we will always have each other.

and that's what matters.

bachelorette

goodness! the days are just flying by.

this weekend was my time with the girls!

and it was lovely. i treated myself with a stay at this place. and it was totally worth it.

saturday

noon: the dress fitting.

afterward, a small group at salut for a late lunch.

six: the girls at beaujo's.

delightful! e did an amazing job with the decor, the champagne, and the favors. how fun! i love the little touches - i feel like they completely make the event!

kudos, my dear, kudos.

dinner was lovely; then out to king's, and closed down nye's. the girls sang chapel of love and it was ador-able. we sang and sang. i tried to take some dude's shirt off because i thought he wasn't straight and he was from california. i tried to convince him he was my bachelorette present from the girls. no-go. wink!

it was truly an unforgettable night for me. i feel lucky to have such wonderful, gorgeous friends.

mwah. you know who you are.

deets

i know you're sick of the wedding gabber, but i thought of a FUN idea yesterday when i was perusing through etsy (it has been an absolute lifesaver).

here's the situation. our resort events manager likes to charge us. a lot. for everything. so when she quoted $50 - $150 per tablecloth (i need 12 - 14), i was all, uh-uh (waving finger back and forth), i don't think so.

i dream of black and white striped tablecloths.

but apparently no one else does.

so, i went on etsy. i am going to get plain white tablecloths (14 for $100 on ebay, thank you very much), and get table runners in these patterns:






fabulous!

she also tried to charge me $180 per centerpiece, when all i really want are peonies in a black square vase.

so, i bought 14 matte black ceramic square vases for $117 (including shipping!) and will be shipping them down.

anyway, here's the fun idea:





getting these for fun photos! :)

capella

we got it!

our wedding ceremony will be here.

and i am SO ecstatic about it.

[happy]

elum

sorry to be so wedding-focused but i ordered our invitations today!

i am SO happy about that.

another thing checked off our list!

in the shop today, we picked out the suite, colors, and language. i am absolutely giddy about what we chose. you see, i'm a paper freak. like, freak. i'm the girl that could spend hours just feeling paper. touching letterpress. choosing colors. matching envelopes. sigh. so lovely.

anyway, it's all set. we still have to nail down details (oh, like resort and time) but i'm not worried.

white letterpressed invitations with black ink. the hot pink? a super slim ribbon to tie it all together. like, wow.

and the stamps?

i'm considering:




a little andy warhol. a little bit fun. and a lot of personality. it's too much!

dinnerware

so i really like this whole idea of registering:




i know the two dinnerware sets above are similar - i'm just having a hard time deciding. the portmeirion set can only be found in the uk, but the eva zeisel is expensive. what to do..what to do...

the bf is no help. surprise. :)

dress

we went dress shopping today.

i. love. my. dress.

i knew it was mine the minute i put it on. i almost burst into tears when i opened the dressing room door and stepped out onto the platform.

my mom. his mom. his sister. friend e.

i knew. it just. felt. perfect.

a beautiful gift from my mom. it makes me so happy thinking about it.

such a happy day. merry xmas.