Sugar and Spice

And with that...

2010-01-26T11:28:00.000-08:00

I am moving on.

My entire wedding adventure has been shared. We made it through the rabbit hole and came out smiling, and more in love then ever.

I wish you luck on your journey, and please continue to follow my adventures here.

Love and kisses, Sugar (aka Mrs. Peep Toe)

Love by the Bay: The End of a Journey

2010-01-25T10:23:00.001-08:00

What to say, what to say.

I've been on this wedding blogging journey for well over a year now. My goal was to finish this adventure in a year, but alas, my heart wouldn't let me finish my recaps. So I set my goal to finish by Feb 2010.

I've been married for almost eight months and I've shared my ups, my downs and a lot of the in between with the Hive. I've loved it. Each. And. Every. Second.

But I kinda, sort of, maybe lied to you. I didn't blog about our entire wedding day.

I've left one part to the end, but here we are.

At the end.

So it's time....

The sun had finally gone down on our wedding day. The lights had begun to flicker to guide the way. So our fabulous photographer (I really can't recommend her enough), grabbed us and said it was time to leave the Hotel:

While it pained me to leave the Party just as it was getting started, these pictures alone make the whole day worth it.

So a toast to you.

For those just starting the wedding journey- may your days be full of wedding splendor.

For those of you on the verge of getting married- may your day be perfectly yours.

And for those who have already tied the knot- may your days get sweeter and your love grow deeper.

So that's it, the end of the Peep's wedding journey.

Sorry for the sappy good bye, and I promise that I'll still be poking around the hive. Feel free to follow me on twitter at @mrspeeptoe or follow my new blog about Modern Organic Living. I'm still working on finding my voice, but maybe with a little support from you, I'll keep the blog train rolling. Thank you to my fellow bees and readers, may there always be more love in the world to celebrate.

And just in case you missed anything:

Love by the Bay: The End to a Perfect Day

Love by the Bay: The Icing on the Day
Love by the Bay: Dancing and Toasting
Love By the Bay: Wake up, It's Mr. and Mrs. Peeps
Love by the Bay: Us.
Love by the Bay: Celebrating over Cocktails
Love by the Bay: Mazel Tov
Love by the Bay: Our Vows
Love by the Bay: The Ceremony
Love by the Bay: We're Ready to Go
Love by the Bay: An Old, But New to Me, Tradition
Love by the Bay: Portraits of our Peeps
Love by the Bay: A First Look
Love by the Bay: The Ladies
Love by the Bay: It Took a Village
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

oxox, Peeps

Love by the Pacific: Hometown Love

2010-01-19T19:54:00.000-08:00

Mama and Papa Peep loved that we had a small wedding in S.F., but Papa Peep loves a good party and he wanted to celebrate with everyone of his friends.

So, right after our big day, Mama Peep sent out invites for an LA reception:

(Invite from Wedding Paper Divas)

And a few weeks later, Mr. Peep and I drove down, albeit a bit hesitantly, to LA to party it up with 80 or so hometown peeps.

Once again, in different outfits, my family gathered:

Mr. Peep's family gathered:

And we were given a bit of a chance for a wedding do-over. You know- a chance to get all those pics that we missed in the chaos of the big day:

With hometown love, comes hometown friends. Mama Peep asked the Best Man from my brother's wedding to play a little music, which to him meant to pull together a profession jazz band to play all night:

Which also meant there was a lot of dancing:

Home town love also meant hometown presents!! Whoo hoo.

But as we all know, no present can compare to homemade presents. My Aunt is in the midst of breast cancer treatment, and she took the time to quilt us an amazing picture of our favorite City:

And since, Mama Peep knew that most of the folks didn't know Mr. Peep and I that well, and since Brother Peep loves embarrassing his little sister, Brother Peep and SIL Peep planned a short 'Get to know the Peeps' speech.

Never have a professional writer, who is also related to you, sum up your relationship. It was a cross between a toast and a roast. Yes, we still like to watch Gilmore Girls together.

And yes, Mr. Peep was almost arrested once for stealing his neighbors life size Santa- so he ran with a 'rough crowd' when he was 12.

I will say that it was a great way to share a bit about ourselves without having to say anything.

And talk about hometown love, everyone in this picture also attended my baby shower over three decades ago.

The party also gave Papa Peep to dress up in his snazzy sear-sucker
suit. Really, he never looked so good, or so happy:

Mama Peep did a great job planning the whole party-
I just wish there were more pictures of all her great details.

She went uber chic and had succulent centerpieces.
Unfort, this is the best pic I have:

Overall, the party was a massive hit.
We have to send a big thank you to Mama and Papa Peep:

Our hometown reception at the PV Interpretive Center was perfect.

I'd recommend the facility as a gorgeous,truly affordable LA reception
and ceremony location in a heartbeat:

If you are ever hesitant to keep the party going or to throw a
hometown party- do it.Never turn down a chance to celebrate with your
loved ones, especially when your celebrating with the love of your life:

So as the sunset, so did our wedding festivities:

Despite our initial misgivings with all the parties-
starting in August 2008 and ending in July 2009-
all the celebrating really did make us feel truly blessed.

Are you overwhelmed with all the pre- and post-wedding festivities?

Are you going home for a hometown party or reception?

Panama Adventure: The Caribbean

2010-01-15T04:31:00.000-08:00

After our amazing time in the hills, we jetted off to the East Coast of Panama:

To Bocas del Toro, or Bocas:

And water taxied:

To our over water bungalows at the spectacular and eco-friendly Eclypse de Mar:

As we checked out our room:

We were greeted by some new friends, Crabby the Crab:

And Ginkgo the Gecko:

Snacks arrived:

(for some reason we will never know they loved pringle chips and green olives??)

And I settled in:

Each night we headed to the 'Hotel' Restaurant for an amazing meal.

These were appetizers with coconut bread, green peppers and some sort of coconut milk sauce- gasp, I'd fly down there right now just to have these:

And of course we had to have the chocolate dessert with organic chocolate grown just a few islands away:

For the next three days we headed out by boat on various day trips around the Bocas del Toro Archipelago with our trusty guide, Salsa.

We went every where, every ounce if it was amazing!

We started off at Dolphin Bay in the South-eastern-ish corner of Isla Bastimentos:

Then headed to the marine reserve at Cayos Zapatilla for snorkeling:

And a walk through a deserted island:

We visited 'Bird Island' on the Northwest side of Isla Colon:

And Star Fish Beach on Isla Colon:

And on our last day Mr. Peep secured us a visit to the organic chocolate farm mentioned above. Run by an expat couple from Portland, OR, they do everything themselves. And at the end of the tour you can buy bars of 100% chocolate and a recipe book on how to use it. Rest assured, we pretty much bought the place out and I've since made THE best brownies for my family and friends. Here's the raw/fresh cocoa straight off the tree:

Did I mention that all the islands have poison dart frogs?

They change color depending on what island you are on. And the brighter the color the more poisonous they are. I didn't get a pic of the red ones. But the guy at the chocolate farm assured Mr. Peep that the green ones were the least poisonous.

And while it rained almost every afternoon:

It always provided the perfect opportunity for our daily naps.

And it always cleared up just in time for cocktails and sunsets:

And in general, we had the time of our lives:

Really, I can't recommend Panama or taking a honeymoon enough. I've traveled a fair amount, but traveling with my Husband for two straight weeks with barely a care or a bicker in the air was the perfect way to solidify our life long journey. And while I know a marriage is measured by how you handle the hard stuff, it sure is wonderful to reminisce in the best times together.

Even if it's just for a few days, take sometime to warm up the marriage with just the two of you.

Pamana Adventure: Coffee Country

2010-01-14T09:52:00.000-08:00

Are you addicted to daily roasted Coffee and Adventure??

If so, head to the hills:

To the beautiful town of Boquete, Pamana:

And to the Coffee Estate Inn to be exact:

I don't know where to start with this adventure because it was beyond what we could have ever imagined. I really can't recommend the Coffee Estate Inn enough; Jane and Barry, the owners, have truly set up a mountain paradise. You arrive to fresh fruit, flowers, coffee and scones waiting for you in your room:

Here's the view from the porch:

Where you can check out the ridiculous amount of all the flora and fauna on their property:

And I can't begin to tell you about all the butterflies:

And all the exotic plants:

Next, you explore the surrounding area by hiking near the volcano:

To be surrounded by such greenery was amazing:

The best part was the beer and local 'mexican' fare waiting for us at the end:

After all that, you better rest up so you'll be ready for your next adventure. Does Mr. Peep look worried here?

I told him that we were safe since we had helmets, right?

But really, how could he be nervous with views like these:

After a quick hike:

Our zip line adventure began:

Yep, that's me in the pic above.

And if you really want to get a feel for our honeymoon adventure:

Does anyone know what he's saying at the end? Who knows. Hopefully it is PG rated, but I can't be sure.

Despite Mr. Peeps misgivings, we both survived; here he is accepting a certificate of completion to prove it:

Truly, a beautiful adventure:

We followed that adventure with only the BEST 'date night' EVER. The owners come and set the table in your room with fresh flowers from the garden just for you, and they cook you up one ridiculously good meal (sigh, I wish I was there right now):

And if you are lucky you get some coffee liquor made on site:

Don't forget to ask for them to set up in-room massages.

And to have Barry take you on a tour of their 'gentlemans' coffee farm.

Where you get to watch the beans roast:

And at the end they package up the coffee for you to take with you.

But don't fret, you too could have your own piece of paradise:

Next up, we head off to a Caribbean adventure.

How adventurous were you on your honeymoon?

Panama Adventure: We arrive in Style!

2010-01-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

So so sorry for the long absence. Ekk. It's been two months. Does anyone remember little old me?

I have been inspired to start (and finish) our honeymoon recaps by the new year, and the fact that a year ago today I wrote this, and eight months ago today, I was here:

On our fabulous adventure honeymoon in PANAMA!! For those of you who want a bit more than beach and sun, I can't recommend Panama enough. Located just south of Costa Rica; it's just like Costa Rica, but with better roads and they take the American dollar (bonus). Panama really is a beautiful country with such a diverse environment.

So hold on,here we go....

We left on Tuesday after our wedding so we were bright eyed and beaming as our adventure began:

Unfortunately, right before the trip we finally bought a new camera. I took it out of the package, threw, scratch that, recycled the User Manual, and left for our trip. Tip 1: read your camera manual. Now over half of our honeymoon pics have an incorrect date and time stamp on them. Super lame. Moving on.

Tip #2: Save your miles and go First Class!!!

Here's our first glimpse of the Panama Canal:

And unfortunately that's the only glimpse you'll get- we went to the canal on our last day in Panama and we had no more room on our memory card. Tip #3: bring a back up Memory Card.

Because we were rolling first class style, we had a taxi waiting for us upon arrival to take us to our hotel, the Canal House, a small (and beyond awesome) modern three bedroom B&B.

While we had booked the smallest room, Mr. Peep quickly upgraded us to the Killer Suite. So amazing that Daniel Craig stayed in the same room when he was filming 007!! Umm, yeah, I said we arrived in style!

Tip #4: Take every chance you get to tell people that you are on your honeymoon!!

Another view of our room from our upstairs den:

Mr. Peep checking out our balcony:

The bubbly Mr. Peep ordered as he was upgrading our room:

After our bubbly and a long nap (tip #5: don't be afraid to nap- a lot- your adventure will wait for you), we headed to dinner. Everything we read recommended Manolo Caracol, and located just two blocks from our hotel, we couldn't resist. I think it was $20 each for 12 courses!!! (plus wine, of course). Ridiculously AWESOME. I'll spare you the 80 pictures of the evening that we took (I told you we needed an extra memory card), and just show a few:

Can you tell Mr. Peep was already in Vacation Mode. I promise he doesn't usually unbutton his shirt so much.

The first of many great cups of coffee:

The next day, we woke up early and explored our neighborhood. I am not going to lie the neighborhood was in transition, so it was a bit run down, but still beautiful.

Tip #6: Don't be afraid of an up and coming neighborhood, but at the same time, be aware of your surroundings.

But really, the culture and vibe of the neighborhood was great:

Can you tell I loved the doorways?

I loved all the colors and people:

The massively changing skyline of Panama City:

The amount of high rises that were being built was astonishing.

Tip #7: Don't always listen to your husband.

It was hot and muggy, but Mr. Peep wouldn't let me wear shorts because he didn't want to look too touristy!! I was sweating like an overweight ninja and I stuck out like a swore thumb.

After another nap and a quick change into a much more weather friendly outfit, we went to check out Old Panama- or Panama Viejo.

This was Panama City until the Pirates of the Caribbean, yes they did exist, burnt it down.

That night, our dinner didn't measure up to Manolo, but we did get a great introduction into the Caribbean Rum!

The Canal House had a library with an Honor Bar. So Mr. Peep created his own little rum tasting, while I pretended to be interested and watched old re-runs of the OC (total guilty pleasure and a perfect honeymoon activity).

Here's the winning rum:

And Mr. Peep bringing me lime water and fresh cookies before bed time:

Up next, we head to the Hills and the adventure really begins.

Where are you going on your honeymoon and why?

Yo, the Peep's Budget Breakdown and Vendor Review

2009-11-06T09:59:00.000-08:00

I was never planning on doing this post. It seemed less evasive to show you a picture of Mr. Peep in bed the day after our wedding than showing you the nitty-gritty details of our budget.

BUT a few weeks ago Mama Peep commented that every penny spent on our wedding seemed well spent. So maybe this post is an ode to my good work- my hours and hours of hunting for the best vendors and feeling like we really did spend 'our' money well. I say 'our' money because most of it really was a no strings attached gift from our beyond generous parents.

That said, here is a rough estimate of all the gory details.

Budget: Originally I wanted to keep it under 20,000, but then we got an unexpected boost from our in-laws. So overall goal: $25,000.

Venue, Rentals and Reception: Budget: 50% or 10,000k.
Actual: ~$11,000
Venue: $1,000

Rentals: $200
Reception: $9,692, which included:
Hor d'ouves, Dinner, Wine and Beer (+ Wedding night suite included):
$125 per head * 60 people (+ 3 kids) + tax (9.8%) +service charge (20%) Plus valet parking for our vendors.

Hotel Vitale: A+. They even threw in a free massage the day before the wedding! I am not going to lie, we got a Friends and Family discount at the Vitale. The service was beyond top notch.

Added expense: Bringing in our own wine. Since Mr. Peep is in the wine industry, this was really improtant to us, and well worth the cost.
Out of the Peep's personal collection and budget: ~$300.

Cupcakes: Budget $200.
Actual: $300.

Miette: A++. I would have been able to stick to the budget, but Mama Peep was worried we'd run out, so I added another 50 or so to the order. In the end, we had a TON of cupcakes left over.

Paper Goods: Budget: $300
Actual: $581.
Save the Dates: $96.

Baron Cards: A. I loved our eco-friendly save the dates, and I really do think they set the tone for our San Francisco wedding.

Invites: $450

This may have been one of my biggest wedding mistakes. I love'd our invites, but we spent too much on them!

Programs, Escort Cards, Menus, Signs: $35. Thanks to a 50% off sale a Paper Source, I got most of our paper goods on the cheap!

Dress: Budget for everything bridal: $2500.
Actual total: $2,760.
Dress, including alterations: $2500 + Tax= 2,700.
Amy Kuschel Dress: A+. The hit of the party; I felt 100% beautiful.

Veil: Free, upcycled my Mom's veil.

J. Crew shoes on sale: $60.

Jewelry: Gifts and borrowed.

Grooms Attire: Paid by a Proud FIL Peep: $850, suit, shirt, tie, and shoes.

Photographer: Budget: $2,500.
Actual: $2,500 plus tax= $2,700.
Blueberry Photography: A. I HEART Amanda, best deal for our money. How can you put a price tag on someone who captured every great moment of our day?

Our package included: an engagement shot, 7 hours on the day of the wedding, an engagement and wedding slideshow, and all images on disk.

Florist: Budget: $1,200
Actual: $1,450

Huckleberry Karen: A. I heart Huck Karen. Not only do we share the same name, but our dog's name is Huckleberry. It was a perfect match.

Music: Budget: $1,000.
Actual: $1,229
Ceremony Cellist: $230
San Francisco Music Conservancy: A. I never did get a chance to introduce myself to our Cellist, but from what I remember he was great.

DJ: $999.
DJ David Carvallo rocked the dance floor all night long!! Amazing!

Gifts: Budget:?? Ekk, I don't think I ever really made one.
Actual: $900.
Guest Gifts: Welcome Bags, Carbon Offsets, and Chocolate favors: ~$300. Carbon Offsetting our wedding was my favorite 'thing' we did.

Wedding Party and Parents: ~$600. Includes: clutches, earrings and wraps for the ladies, and ties and converse shoes for all the men. Plus, a great pen for Papa Peep and I think this includes Mr. Peep's wedding gift- Dodger Stadium cuff links. Go Blue!

Good thing we got some extra cash for this category. It seems like a lot, but these extra touches to our loved ones were really worth it. And again, look at how happy our guests where:

Officiant: Budget: $300.
Actual: $800.
Yo, Rabbi's aren't cheep, but Rabbi Shriebman was well worth it.

Jewish Ketubah (Wedding Contract) Actual: $200.

Makeup: Budget: ??
Actual: Not totally sure as Mama Peep paid the bill on the day of the wedding, guessing ~$200. I really tired to spend less on this, but c'est la vie. At least I felt beautiful!

Day of Coordinator: Budget: $0. Actual: $0. I wish I would have hired a professional. Sigh. Lesson learned.

His and Her Wedding Bands: Budget: $1,500
Actual: $1,200 plus my extra band which was a gift from Mr. Peep. hehe. We love our rings.

Drum Roll....
Actual Spent: $23,869!!!

This does not include the Rehearsal Dinner and the Honeymoon- both were made possible by our Mr. Peep's rents. Nor does it include the day after brunch at the Americano, but I am pretty sure that ate up the rest of our budget.

So there ya have it- the nitty gritty of the Peeps budget. What do you think is your best wedding budget 'deal'?

Inspiration vs. Reality

2009-10-24T07:21:00.000-07:00

I've probably read thousands of posts on Weddingbee, but one post that always stood out to me was Mrs. Flamingo's post-wedding post on her inspiration vs. reality.

I think one of the very best things you can do as a Bride is choose a color scheme and a feel for your wedding, and then stick to it!!! I really think sticking to my guns made the whole wedding decision making process easier

BUT did I do it? Did I follow my own inspiration board???

Here's my original inspiration board that I did over a year ago:

Pic 3 and 6 are from J. Crew. Pic 5 is from Real Simple Weddings. And Pic Sixteen is from Miette. All other images from Project Wedding.

And here's my real wedding:

All pictures from Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

So, what do you think? Did I turn my inspiration into reality?

A Spoiled Rotten Nightmare.

2009-10-14T15:04:00.000-07:00

Hi, I am Mrs. Peep Toe, and I am spoiled rotten.

A few months before our wedding, I *might* have mentioned under my breath (which might have also been ridden with alcohol) that my engagement ring would look even more perfect flanked by not just one band, but two. Yep, I was that girl that asked for it all up front.

Opps, did I do that??

So the day before our wedding, while I was getting the VERY BEST massage of my life, Mr. Peep was not just getting my ring cleaned, but also getting another friend for my finger (thank you tax return).

I have no pictures of us exchanging our presents, but I did take a picture of all three rings while I was basking in post-bridal bliss the morning after the wedding.

And yes, that is Mr. Peep in the background blissfully sleeping, and yes, I have a totally crazy pinky finger, and yes, the time stamp is totally wrong and annoying (more on that later).

Anyway, the best part is that it is slightly different than my wedding band so I can always tell the two apart. And now I can just wear my bands or just my wedding ring with my engagement ring, or all three together, etc., etc, etc. The point is that I am a spoiled rotten girl with options.

But as the title states- there was a small nightmare. A few weeks ago, I dropped Mama Peep off at the airport, ran a few errands, and on my way home, I looked down at my hand and saw this:

Diamond gone. Enter nightmare.

I pulled over, called Mr. Peep and tried not to freak out.

But this nightmare has a VERY happy ending. Insurance would pay for a new stone, and since we have a rider just for my ring- it would be free. AND I found out today that they will pay for a brand new setting for the whole ring- apparently I had faulty prongs.

And the even better news, I FOUND the diamond!! Oh yes!! Amazingly, it was on our bedroom floor under our chair. So, in a couple of weeks, I will be spoiled rotten again with all my BLING, BLING.

Until then, run don't walk to your insurance agent to add your ring to your home owners insurance. You will thank me later.

Has anyone else had a ring nightmare? OR look down at your left hand and feel spoiled rotten??

Reviewing Our Registries

2009-10-14T13:51:00.001-07:00

We began our registry over 15 months ago at Williams-Sonoma; fought our way through registering at Crate and Barrel; and jumped in joy when we found some common interest at Bloomingdales.

I spent a lot of time getting our registries just right before the wedding. And over the last four months, I have spent even more time returning, exchanging and re-thinking our registry- seriously, why did I think I needed three mini-butter dishes??

And at the end of the day- not all stores or registries are created equal. So, I thought I'd give an account of each of my registry experiences and throw in my favorite items at each store for good measure.

Up first, Williams-Sonoma. Grade: A-. WS is great, the people who work there are super nice, and it helps that the flag ship store is only blocks away from where I work. That said, their on-line and in-store departments are completely separate. So, for example, if Aunt Mary buys you something on-line and it's shows up broken or if you didn't register for it in the first place, they'll return the item in the store, but they have to mail you a Gift Card.

*You MUST register for a good set of knives- and these Globals Rock!

The good news, while very few of their main stay items go on sale, you get unlimited use of your 10% completion card for the first six months after your wedding, and they track who buys you what and have a Thank You card manager.

And an even better perk, you can use your WS gift cards interchangeable at Pottery Barn and West Elm, which is AWESOME.

Next, Crate and Barrel. Grade: B-/C. Oh Crate and Barrel, how I love and hate you all at once. I will say that the majority of our gifts were from C&B. The worst part about registering at C&B- you can only use your 10% completion once on-line and once in the store. Since I've been buying and returning bits over time, I've found this very limiting.

*Love my new organized kitchen shelves thanks to these babies.

The best part, if you return items under $99 they will give you cash. And you can use their gift cards at the much more affordable CB2 and the C&B outlet.

*Thanks to gobs of gift cards we got a much needed new rug for our living room at CB2, you like?

The absolute worst part about C&B- they don't really track who buys you what. Again, let's say Aunt Mary goes to the store and buys you glasses off your registry and she buys a pizza stone for herself. The pizza stone will show up on your registry as bought, but it wasn't actually for you and you have no way of knowing who bought that present, if it was for you or if it went missing. C'est la vie- we never did get that pizza stone. I also forgot to write down who gave me a platter, but since it was bought in the store- I will never know.

Bloomingdales. A+. I never wanted to register at Bloomingdales, I thought it was too pretentious, but really Bloomingdales is a Brides dream. They will let you return pretty much anything and you have unlimited use of your 10% completion discount.

*This puppy saves us a lot of trips to Peets and Starbucks.

And the sales, my oh, my the sales. Everything on our registry has gone on sale multiple times over the last 14 months, which means our guests were able to take advantage of the sales. And on top of that, they often email you 20% off completion codes, or even better, an additional 20% on top of your completion discount. Since we didn't register for china or silver or crystal- at the end of the day, things on our Bloomies registry were often cheaper than our C&B registry.

And finally, I have to say the service at Bloomies was top notch.

I also want to give an honorable mention to Bed, Bath and Beyond, while we didn't register there, they are great about returning items- with a receipt you'll get cash- without you'll get store credit. And you can't pass up the 20% discount cards.

*My absolute favorite wedding purchase. Worth. Every. Penny.

Did anyone else have similar experiences? What would you rate your registries??

Love by the Bay: The End to A Perfect Day

2009-10-13T23:07:00.000-07:00

Ekkk. It's been almost a month since my last recap. I totally have to admit, I've been avoiding this recap. It was the end of the night....

We just finished cutting the "cake," and it was time for the Best Man and Papa Peeps speeches.

Best Man J was with us when we met and has been Mr. Peep's friend for almost 30 years!!

So obviously, he means a lot to us.

And Papa Peep.

Well, like the master Peep he is, he could have talked for hours. And he did talk for awhile.

But it was heartwarming to hear how proud he is of both of us.

Fortunately, I escaped crying for the 1098098098 time that day, and got ready to shake my booty. I had been talking DJ David up for almost a year.

And let me tell ya, even though we only had 60 guests, the dance floor was packed all night.

People were seriously busting a move:

We couldn't even keep the pregnant ladies off the dance floor:

And of course I had to get in on that action.

Along with everyone else.

And check out Brother Peep and his wife getting down. I hadn't seen them party that hard since Sister Peep's wedding five years ago.

And here's the pic that I have on our fridge. All my siblings seriously busting a move.

But where was Mr. Peep in this Pic you might ask?

He had finally got into the whole picture thing.
And of course he had to get a pic of the boys with their connies:

Oh, and let me tell you about our parents.

I kid you not, at one point, I looked over and saw MIL Peep next to Mama Peep, and they were both belting out, "No, No, No" to Amy Winehouse's Rehab. I almost died. I so wish we got that on camera.

Unfortunately, at this time in the night, Amanda of Blueberry Photography left, and we missed getting the mini-mosh pit that Mr. Peep created during our last song on camera. Although, I think some things are better left undocumented.

At the end of the night, folks didn't want to go. So, naturally, we kept the party going.

Pic by SIL Peep

Pic by SIL Peep

After a few drinks at the hotel bar, we headed up to Tosca's for a night cap- which was fitting since we went their on our first date in San Francisco.

Pic by SIL Peep

Pic by SIL Peep

Finally, I looked at Mr. Peep and told him that it was time to call it a night. Our day had been fantastic, and I wouldn't have changed anything for the world.

And the best part, our hotel suite was totally decked out.

Yes, if you are wondering, I grabbed my camera for the first time all weekend just so I could show the hive how seriously awesome the Hotel Vitale was.

And after ordering some room service, which I ate in 10 seconds flat, and rehashing the highs (walking into the reception) and lows (ending the dance party) of the night, I gave my husband a kiss and said good night to our wedding.

Up next: Panama!!

Pictures by my favorite photographer: Amanda at Blueberry Photography. Unless otherwise noted.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: The Icing on the Day
Love by the Bay: Dancing and Toasting
Love By the Bay: Wake up, It's Mr. and Mrs. Peeps
Love by the Bay: Us.
Love by the Bay: Celebrating over Cocktails
Love by the Bay: Mazel Tov
Love by the Bay: Our Vows
Love by the Bay: The Ceremony
Love by the Bay: We're Ready to Go
Love by the Bay: An Old, But New to Me, Tradition
Love by the Bay: Portraits of our Peeps
Love by the Bay: A First Look
Love by the Bay: The Ladies
Love by the Bay: It Took a Village
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: The Icing on the Day

2009-09-15T09:02:00.001-07:00

Our reception felt like a Whirlwind. I can say I enjoyed every moment, but the moments went by WAY too fast. I also so wish I could show you pictures of the food- but no can do. I will say that it was amazing and our Friends are still talking about it.

Before, I dive into the reception, let's put some music to the party to set the mood:

After the food, we got a chance to visit each of the tables:

We showed off Mr. Peep's new bling:

Gave some hugs:

Posed for lots of pictures with our Peeps:

But most importantly, I laughed my ass off:

Showing off Mr. Peeps awesomely-fabulous custom Converse shoes:

And well, had some moments that words can't describe:

(While my face is as ugly as it comes, it shows that even on my wedding day, my friends are able to shock and amaze me.)

And all of a sudden it was time for the Cake Cutting.

Miette, I will love you 4-Eva.

Especially since Miette let us borrow those fabulous cake plates for no extra charge!!!!

Of course, with the Bride's permission, my Niece was the first to get in on that action:

Then we stepped up to the plate:

While I was leary of Mr. Peep, he was the perfect Husband:

Me on the other hand.

It really wouldn't have been a perfect party if someone hadn't gotten at least a little cake on their face!??

Of course I helped kiss it off:

I am pretty sure the cupcakes were a hit!!
(Picture by SIL Peep)

And with that, two more toasts and then we shake our booty.....

Any one else secretly planning on planting a little icing on your Husband's face???

Pictures by my favorite photographer: Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: Dancing and Toasting
Love By the Bay: Wake up, It's Mr. and Mrs. Peeps
Love by the Bay: Us.
Love by the Bay: Celebrating over Cocktails
Love by the Bay: Mazel Tov
Love by the Bay: Our Vows
Love by the Bay: The Ceremony
Love by the Bay: We're Ready to Go
Love by the Bay: An Old, But New to Me, Tradition
Love by the Bay: Portraits of our Peeps
Love by the Bay: A First Look
Love by the Bay: The Ladies
Love by the Bay: It Took a Village
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: Dancing and Toasting

2009-09-14T12:42:00.001-07:00

After our ridiculously fantastic entrance, we walked straight onto the dance floor and had our first dance.

Our first song was a hit, everyone loved it:

Although our 7th grade sway left a lot to be desired.

So it was a very good thing that we were distracted:

By the cutest little girl in pink.

And her equally cute Cousin:

Later my sister apologized for the interruption, but I gleefully thanked her for the distraction.

Before the song ended we did get a couple moves in:

While I love the tradition of the first dance, I will say it was a bit awkward- I wonder if dance lessons would have helped?? Oh well. C'est la vie.

The song eventually ended, and a very proud Papa Peep came to the dance floor.

I don't know if I mentioned it before, but Mama Peep let us borrow her and Papa Peep's song- I Left My Heart in San Francisco- which was ridiculously fitting for the moment- and also the same some song that Sister and Papa Peep danced to 5 years ago at her wedding.

A few minutes in, I was more than happy to share the moment with Mr. Peep and MIL Peeps.

And even more happy to invite all the other Father/Daughter Couples up to join in the fun:

At least I know my niece was having fun:

After our only official dances of the evening, Big Brother Peep said a quick blessing:

FIL Peep came up and said said some of the sweetest words.

Which really meant a lot to Mr. Peep:

I was nervous about what my Sister/MOH might say about how I use to follow her around like a little puppy dog.

And true to form, she kept us in stitches when talking about how I demanded to hang out with her and her friends.

Of course, I still love her all the same:

And finally, it was time to eat some amazing food:

Are you nervous for your first dance? Or any of the toasts??

Up next, the celebration continues.

Pictures by the always fantastic Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love By the Bay: Wake up, It's Mr. and Mrs. Peeps
Love by the Bay: Us.
Love by the Bay: Celebrating over Cocktails
Love by the Bay: Mazel Tov
Love by the Bay: Our Vows
Love by the Bay: The Ceremony
Love by the Bay: We're Ready to Go
Love by the Bay: An Old, But New to Me, Tradition
Love by the Bay: Portraits of our Peeps
Love by the Bay: A First Look
Love by the Bay: The Ladies
Love by the Bay: It Took a Village
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: Wake Up, It's Mr. and Mrs. Peeps

2009-09-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

I promise the day is progressing quickly and the wedding day recaps are almost* over. But I must say, we are finally at my very very very FAVORITE part of the day- Joining the party.

Before, I get ahead of myself, let's set the scene. Our amazingly talented DJ started the music:

(You might have heard this song recently- here)

The guests had signed our guest book:

The flowers and table numbers had been admired:

The menus had been read:

The favors had been set at each place:

The cupcakes were waiting to be eaten:

In all their swoonworthy yumminess:

Our chairs were waiting for us:

And most importantly, Mr. Peep and his men had changed into their Connies:

Finally, the DJ announced Mr. and Mrs. Peeps. And we had the most perfect moment to a most perfect day:

While I was most looking forward to our first look on the wedding day- being announced as Mr. and Mrs. Peeps was hands down my favorite moment of the day- and despite my misgivings- maybe even my life!!!!

You've heard it before, but enjoy every second of your big day!! This by far is the one moment I could live over and over again!!!

What was your favorite moment of your wedding day??

Up next, our first dance gets interrupted.

*But don't worry the honeymoon is still yet to come.

Pictures by the fantastic Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: Us.
Love by the Bay: Celebrating over Cocktails
Love by the Bay: Mazel Tov
Love by the Bay: Our Vows
Love by the Bay: The Ceremony
Love by the Bay: We're Ready to Go
Love by the Bay: An Old, But New to Me, Tradition
Love by the Bay: Portraits of our Peeps
Love by the Bay: A First Look
Love by the Bay: The Ladies
Love by the Bay: It Took a Village
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: Us.

2009-09-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

I was really bummed that we had to leave our cocktail party. In fact, it might be my biggest regret of the day. BUT it did mean that I got some alone time with my new husband (that is if you call being followed by a photographer and her assistant being alone).

Out of all the shots that were taken, my favorite ones were when we didn't take ourselves too seriously.

Because after our saccharine sweet ceremony, we just wanted to have fun:

I loved that we kicked up our feet:

And relaxed:

We took time to walk around San Francisco:

Awkwardly holding hands:

And being in love:

And just when I started getting tired, Mr. Peep made me laugh until my body hurt:

I won't lie, once the party was over my whole body- espeically my face- was sore and tired from having the time of my life.

Up next, the best part of the day- Joining the Party as Mrs. Peep!!

Of course, I have to shout out to our Photographer: Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: Celebrating over Cocktails
Love by the Bay: Mazel Tov
Love by the Bay: Our Vows
Love by the Bay: The Ceremony
Love by the Bay: We're Ready to Go
Love by the Bay: An Old, But New to Me, Tradition
Love by the Bay: Portraits of our Peeps
Love by the Bay: A First Look
Love by the Bay: The Ladies
Love by the Bay: It Took a Village
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: Celebrating over 'Cocktails'

2009-09-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

Are you sick of our mugs yet?? Well, keep holding on because we are just getting to the Party!! Whoo hooo.

Of course, we had to take a couple super quick extended family portraits:

Before we could finally enjoy the setting and properly begin the celebration with our guests.

The music continued to play gently in the background:

And the bubbly was served:

Which meant it was time to immerse ourselves with our favorite Peeps:

It was so easy to sit back and have an amazing time:

Especially when you get to see friends that you haven't seen in months:

You get to show off your beautiful bouquet:

And some very new bling, bling:

And how could I forget the ridiculously fabulous food was passed around:

Which seem to be a hit:

Even Papa Peep couldn't contain himself from hamming it up:

What I love about looking back, is that our guest truly look like they were having an amazing time.

And of course, Love did seem to be in the air:

Up next, better late than never, Mr. Peep and I sneak away for some pictures of us...

Of course the pictures are from our favorite photographer: Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: Mazel Tov
Love by the Bay: Our Vows
Love by the Bay: The Ceremony
Love by the Bay: We're Ready to Go
Love by the Bay: An Old, But New to Me, Tradition
Love by the Bay: Portraits of our Peeps
Love by the Bay: A First Look
Love by the Bay: The Ladies
Love by the Bay: It Took a Village
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: Mazel Tov

2009-09-07T13:22:00.000-07:00

After our sentimental vows, the Rabbi declared us Man and Wife. And Mr. Peep broke the glass.

We kissed.

The music struck up:

We headed back down the aisle to cheers of joy

And couldn't believe we were Husband:

And Wife:

So we sealed it with another kiss:

And started celebrating with our loved ones:

But it wasn't long before we headed back out to our guests:

So we could all gather:

Smile:

And properly shout cheers of joy:

Up next, The Celebration Begins.

All pictures by the uber talented: Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: Our Vows
Love by the Bay: The Ceremony
Love by the Bay: We're Ready to Go
Love by the Bay: An Old, But New to Me, Tradition
Love by the Bay: Portraits of our Peeps
Love by the Bay: A First Look
Love by the Bay: The Ladies
Love by the Bay: It Took a Village
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: Our Vows

2009-09-03T09:51:00.001-07:00

After sharing two glasses of wine, exchanging rings, a reading, and 7 blessings by our Peeps, it was time to read our vows.

As I stated months ago, Mr. Peep insisted that we write our own vows, which scared and challenged me. Needless to say, this personal touch was what made the day perfectly ours.

Again, I'd love to add some music to this post, so please listen below, and read our vows.

First up, Mr. Peep:

You are the only one I love and have ever loved. I knew that very day I told my Best Man I was finished dating that I wanted to be with you forever. I joke and say how did you ever end up with me, but it is the other way around. To spend the rest of our lives together is a blessing I never knew existed until you entered my life.

Your brilliant smile, your spunk, your affection have invaded my heart, my soul- where everyday I am reminded how vivacious and amazing you truly are. I cannot remember how I could have ever lived with out you.

You are my ground, my rock, my little girl, my love. I vow to always be your perfect partner, your perfect lover in between the hard times and the great times. I will forever sing your praises and gladly shout from the rooftops how truly, madly deeply I am in love with you. I promise to shower your with affection, joy, kisses, cuddles, whatever your heart desires, as long as it's within my Grad school budget.

To quote the movie you love,
"You have bewitched me, mind, body and soul and I love, love, I love you. I never wish to be departed from you from this day on."

The quote made me lose it- enter- the ugly cry face. But I had to compose myself quickly- it was my turn:

I promise to try to make you smile and laugh every day because each day you make my heart beat wildly with excitement and joy.

I promise to hold your hand today and every day until it’s wrinkly and aged because I can’t count the number of times that your hands have provided me with comfort and support.

I promise to strive every day to be the women that you inspire me to be because you are the man that I’ve only dreamed of meeting. And now I dream that our grandchildren will take after you.

I promise to love you on your best day and I promise to love you even more on your worst day.

I promise to take care of your heart because somehow you’ve captured my heart, and each day I love you more.

As you can tell there wasn't a dry eye in the house, and with that we had successfully created a small intimate ceremony that was US and no one else.

Up next, we break some glass and get the party started!!

All photos by our super stellar photographer: Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: The Ceremony
Love by the Bay: We're Ready to Go
Love by the Bay: An Old, But New to Me, Tradition
Love by the Bay: Portraits of our Peeps
Love by the Bay: A First Look
Love by the Bay: The Ladies
Love by the Bay: It Took a Village
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: The Ceremony

2009-09-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

Last I left you, I think we were here:

Please forgive me- to this day, thinking about our Ceremony makes me feel like a sappy fool in love.

But when it feels this perfect and natural to stand next to someone, it makes you start to wonder if he wasn't chosen for you long before.

And while I tried to listen to the man in front of me talk about the importance of our Ketubah and the reason we were gathered together:

I couldn't help but think about how lucky I am to have found a Man that I love so much.

I wasn't brought back to reality until the first sip of wine, which was handed to us each individually from the Rabbi:

Mr. Peep didn't really understand what a sip was and went for a couple gulps:

Papa Peep read Corinthians:

We exchanged rings. Although, we'd forgotten that the ring was to be placed on the right hand, and then we'd individually put it on the left. Don't quote me, but I believe it's a sign that we've taken this step knowingly and willingly. Opps.

I can still feel my nervous excitement:

The Second Glass of wine was interrupted by a quick blessing from the Sun:

Followed by the Seven Blessings- with a spin. We had our loved ones write the blessings for us, based on a word or idea.

Happiness was represented through a quote from Charlie Brown:

An Apache Wedding Prayer spoke perfectly about nature:

While a good friend provided a funny quip on joy and frivolity:

Which was followed by a message on the human spirit:

Some sweet words on Peace and Faith:

And finally, a fabulous duo spoke on the importance of marriage and hoped that in 35 years we'd be asked to do a blessing on marriage too:

The seven blessings weren't only sentimental, but a joyous way to include more of our family and friends into the day.

Plus, each was a moment that I will forever hold in my heart (see, I told you was a big old sap).

Up next, bring on the waterworks as we exchange our vows.

How are you incorporating important family and friends into the ceremony?

All photos by our amazing photographer: Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: We're Ready to Go
Love by the Bay: An Old, But New to Me, Tradition
Love by the Bay: Portraits of our Peeps
Love by the Bay: A First Look
Love by the Bay: The Ladies
Love by the Bay: It Took a Village
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: We're Ready To Go

2009-08-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

Finally, it was time for the ceremony to start.

The Cellist was ready to go:

And he started playing:

Please indulge me and listen to the sound track of the event.

The glasses and wine were set, one glass from my family and one from Mr. Peeps.

The guest had been seated:

The Programs had been handed out:

The Rabbi entered with our Chuppah holders.

As did our Groomsman, Groomswomen/SIL Peep, and Best Man:

FIL Peep and Step-MIL Peep entered.

At that moment, Mr. Peep asked his Mom to help hold him up.

To help get him down the aisle.

Hugs were exchanged.

Mama Peep made her entrance with BIL Peep:

The girls walked in:

MOH Peep walked in with her suddenly shy daughter (who was still carrying her bouquet):

And finally, the show stoppers, Flowergirl Peep:

Followed closely behind by her little brother.

And then, I found myself alone, with Papa Peep.

It was our turn to take the walk down the aisle.

I tried to look around and take in the moment:

But I could only focus on one person:

And after a quick hug:

I found myself in the moment I had preparing myself for the last 16 months or was that 29 years?

The feelings overwhelm me to this day. It was everything I could ever imagine.

Up next, the Ceremony starts, and I try to stay focused.

All photos by my favorite photographer: Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: An Old, But New to Me, Tradition
Love by the Bay: Portraits of our Peeps
Love by the Bay: A First Look
Love by the Bay: The Ladies
Love by the Bay: It Took a Village
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: An Old, but New to Me, Tradition

2009-08-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

When deciding that we were going to have a Interfaith-Jewish wedding there were a lot of Jewish traditions that were new and intriguing. For one, the Ketubah signing.

I am far from the first Bee to post about this 2000 year old tradition, but for a little background, I found this link and this link helpful. To sum it up, back on the day, the contract was used to protect the wife, to ensure that she is provided with basic life necessities and to solidify her dowry.

For us, we used the Ketubah as a way to document our love in a contract and so we could hang in our home as a reminder of our love and commitment to one another. It doesn't hurt that Ketubot are beautiful works of art and today there are a lot of options out there for more modern, less traditional, interfaith couples.

So, about 30 minutes before the wedding, we gathered our Family and wedding party in the Hospitality Room to witness the signing, and seal our marriage. Since the pictures speak for themselves, I've included the text that we choose for our interfaith Ketubah:

As we embark on life's journey, we promise to love, cherish, encourage and inspire one another. Our hearts fuse together, creating a unique bond with friendship and compassion at its core.

Through this union, we vow to value and support each other, always striving to show sensitivity to each others needs. We shall nurture one another emotionally, spiritually and intellectually, embracing our respective qualities, strengths and heritages.

May we continue to grow together, maintaining the courage and determination to pursue our desired paths. We promise to celebrate life's joys and grace and overcome life's adversities with tenacity.

May we maintain the intimacy that fosters trust, honesty and communication. As life partners we shall strive to build a home emanating love, peace, charity and tolerance. Through each others eyes, we see the world anew: may we be better together.

Instead of realizing that both the Ketubah and marriage license were signed and that we were officially married, it was the first time all day that I started to really relax. I forgot I was a Bride, and I tried again to be 'cool' Auntie Peep:

You can dress the girl up, but you can't take her anywhere.

While my very first Ketubah signing was successful, we were suppose to have 15 minutes to go back to the suite, freshen up and relax, but I hadn't planned on the fact that the guests were arriving right outside our door. We were stuck. To make things worse- I had to pee and I had forgotten my vows upstairs.

Uggg, the dramas of a bride. At this point MOH/Sister Peep kicked it into high gear and went running (in four inch heels no less) to the suite on the other side of the hotel to find my vows. While, FSIL Peep truly became family and came to my rescue. Peeing in a bathroom next to a room full of people is officially my worst nightmare, but she held my dress as I peed. And it goes without saying that I'll love her forever.

Moments later, MOH Peep was back with the Vows, and after a quick hand off to the Rabbi, I gave my brightest smile to the photographer:

And we were ready to go!!! Whooo hooo.

Did you do any traditions on your wedding day that were new to you??

Up next, it's taken a long time to walk down such a short aisle.

All photos by my favorite photographer: Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: Portraits of our Peeps
Love by the Bay: A First Look
Love by the Bay: The Ladies
Love by the Bay: It Took a Village
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

A Bee's Life: Mrs. Peeps

2009-08-26T08:56:00.000-07:00

When I become engaged, I found myself trying to stay afloat in a whole new pool that I had never been in before: Wedding Planning. Ekkkkk. I was totally out of my element. But with a long engagement planned, I figured I had long enough to figure this whole wedding planning thing out. It's just like planning a super duper party, right???

Of course I turned to the web for help and suggestions, and pretty early on, I found myself being drawn into Weddingbee. But unlike those Bee's who dove right in, I lurked and lingered. I ate up all the posts, but very rarely commented.

At about nine months before the wedding, Mr. Peep started school four nights a week and I felt like I had all of these questions and decisions to be made and no one really to bounce ideas off of. Sure, my family is super supportive- but I didn't think anyone could love me enough to listen to my own personal drama associated with everything wedding.

I also started to really relate to a few of the new bees in the Hive and I become a bit jealous that they got picked to tell their story- yep, Snappy, PowderPuff, Taffy, Meatball- I am talking about you! Being the slightly competitive person I am, I started to think I had something to offer the Hive. I wanted to continue Mrs. Pinot Noir's journey as a Green Bride, and I needed someone to bounce ideas off of.

So just like some of the other bees- I started a blog so I could apply to be a Bee. I dove right into the wedding blogging world, and loved it. It helped me learn to swim in the crazy wedding planning pool that up until now, I had just been wading in.

Blogging helped me find my inner Bride, yet at the same time I didn't tell anyone!!! I'd ask the wedding blogging universe questions like what dress was best, which shoe should I wear, etc. But until I applied to be a Bee, no one had read my words. My blog had entered the ether, and no one had replied.

Luckily, Pengy loved my words, and a few weeks into blogging I received an email welcoming me into the hive!!! I was shocked. More over, I had to let out my blogging secret - well at least to the Mr. Not surprisingly, he was beyond supportive (and maybe even a bit jealous).

As for my icon, you have Mr. Peep to thank for my icon choice. Once he wrapped his head around me referring myself to an inanimate object, he knew for sure I should be Peep Toe. And Pengy was so great she changed my shoe from Purple to a much more "me" color- Green.

Today, I marvel at the fact that I've shared my story with you. I don't know how I would have made it through the wedding without the Hive. Little do you readers know, but us Bee's thrive from your comments and get discouraged from your silence. We totally value your opinion, your suggestions, and even more importantly your compliments. Blogging takes time, a lot of time. Some posts takes hours, days, weeks to get posted, while others just pop out on the screen like that.

With recaps halfway done, I've really tried to my best to include you on our big day. And I love that each recap lets me relive one of the best days of my life. So thank you, thanks for indulging me and letting me share my story.

Wedding planning is a crazy big pool without rhyme or reason, but some how Weddingbee really helped me gather my thoughts and get my glow on. So don't be shy. Start writing your story today. I can't wait to hear about your journey. Or become totally jealous of your cute new icon!!

Love by the Bay: Portriats of our Peeps

2009-08-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

I am going to make this one short on words but full of portraits. They may not be that exciting to you, but these are our Peeps, so they deserve some attention.

We started off in the lobby of the fabulous Hotel Vitale with the Bridal Party:

I remember this moment vividly in the day. Mr. Peep sensed my stress from being off our time line. He looked me in the eyes, held my hand and said, all that matter is us. Then he smiled, and of course, I smiled right back:

From that point on, I started to melt like butter and decided to enjoy the ride.

Of course we couldn't forget the littlest peeps:

This is the point in the day where my littlest Niece discovers her Mom's bouquet- and doesn't really ever let it go...

Then we took a little walk. My dress caused quite a ruckus of honks and stares and cheers and best wishes!! Being cheered on by a City of strangers was one of my favorite parts of the day (what a surprise, I liked the attention- he he):

Seriously, being a bride is so much fun. I now make it a point to congratulate or cheer any bride I see!!

After our walk, we gathered near the Ferry Building:

We stopped and smelled the peonies:

Got a picture with Mr. Peep's Peeps.

Got one last shot of all the ladies together again,with some cheese on top:

Made the boys get in on the cheesy action:

And then headed back to the hotel to meet up with the family:

While family portraits seem like another formality of the day: If you do them right, they are your one chance to capture a moment with that person, so do try your very best to soak it all in.

I adore this series with Proud Papa Peep:

We couldn't forget about Mama Peep:

Or Mr. Peep:

At the end of the day, these photos of Mr. Peep with his Mom and Pop are some of my favorite shots:

Finally, enter in the rest of my Peeps:

Switch out for the rest of Mr. Peep's peeps:

And we are done.

Wait, one more picture.

Awwwww. Those J. Crew sale dresses were seriously one of my favorite purchases of the entire event!!

Notice the time- two minutes to four!!! While we missed our window for pictures of just us, we were right on track to go meet the Rabbi.

Up next, a 2000 year old tradition!!

All photos by my favorite photographer: Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: A First Look
Love by the Bay: The Ladies
Love by the Bay: It Took a Village
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: A First Look

2009-08-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

The first look was the part of the day that I was most looking forward to, but in reality, it ended up just being a quick moment for the two of us to reconnect for the day.

I tried to stay calm.

But in reality I was trying not to burst at the seams:

I couldn't believe I was seeing Mr. Peep dressed up as a Groom:

Doesn't he look handsome?

And Mr. Peep was overwhelmed that I was dressed up to be his Bride:

He was totally shocked by the dress (see, I can keep secrets!!).

After a quick spin:

He approved.

And I got all teary eyed too:

At that point, I realized that my spin had gotten dirt all over my train, so we were off to find the bridal party to bustle it up:

Unfortunately, bustling my dress was quite the task.

Again, Bridal Entourage to the rescue.

Whatever you do, make sure that someone is really paying attention when you go to the Bridal Salon to learn how to bustle your dress.

While our first look was memorable, there were so many other more memorable parts of the day.

So, I ask you- what part of the day are you most looking forward too? And who are you appointing to bustle your dress??

Up next, we skip the pictures of us, and go straight to the bridal party and family pics...aka a lot of portrait pictures.

All photos by my favorite photographer: Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: The Ladies
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: The Ladies

2009-08-20T10:04:00.001-07:00

Last I left you, I was ready for my close up. Here's my only attempt all day to not smile:

From that point on, I didn't even try to hid my glee:

In fact, I could barely contain myself:

I will say that even if a shot feels AWKWARD- go with it:

And while I love a good posed photo:

Our photographer knew that I'd much rather frame a photo of us having fun:

Don't forget Mama Peep:

Finally, we were still running late, but I was off to meet my Mr.

No one could stop me now!!

All photos by the spectacularly talented: Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: It took a Village
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: It took a Village

2009-08-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

Last I left you, I was glowing through the chaos of our room. How could I not smile- it was my wedding day!!

It was that time of the day for me to put on THE dress:

Of course, after almost 30 years of dressing myself, I couldn't possibly do this alone.

It took a village to get me ready.

Mama Peep took on the challenge of getting me into my dress:

Didn't I say getting dressed was a challenge? Mama Peep struggled for a good 10 minutes to get the bow and my Grandmother's brooch just right on my dress:

All the while, I was struggling trying to remain calm (yo, we were still running late):

Again, the fabulous wonders of photography- I look perfectly centered and calm.

One more task for Mama Peep:

Come on Bridesmaid J, I need your help.

I felt useless not being able to put on my own shoes.

I think if I had asked Bridesmaid J in 7th Grade to put on my shoes- she would have asked if my arms were broken!? But here she is, all dressed up, helping me to look my best:

Right at that moment, I had two special guests.

SIL/Groomswomen Peep:

And Papa Peep:

For a man who doesn't stop talking, he's never looked more lost for words.

At this point, my nerves started to get the best of me. I struggled big time to do such a simple task.

Can you see the nervousness in my face?

At least it was all starting to come together.

And with one final touch from Bridesmaid Kat:

And a little lipstick.

Oh, wait, you want cheese, I can do cheese:

Finally, I was ready for my close up:

Dare I say that I was ready to go??

Up next, me and my ladies.

As always, photos by my favorite photographer: Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: Details in the Midst of Chaos
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: Details in the mist of chaos

2009-08-18T11:47:00.001-07:00

While getting all prettified at the Salon was super spectacular, we were late. I couldn't believe that my meticulously planned time-line was already off.

And getting stuck in traffic, a few blocks from the hotel no less, really threw me off. I wish I could say that I was a zen bride that let it roll off my back, but yo, we were late and in traffic. No bueno.

Thankfully, after hoofing it the last few blocks to the hotel, our rockin' vendors were already ten steps ahead of me. The flowers had been delivered and the photographer was already in the room capturing some amazingly awesome detail shots. So while I was trying not to freak out, the details shots make everything look like perfection!!

Without further ado, pre-wedding details.

Talk about a magazine worthy photo of my fabulous Peep Toe Sandals, which I comfortably wore all night:

And a pic of my something blue (my grandmother's aquamarine ring), our wedding rings and my engagement ring:

Oh wait, you want to see the invite with our rings, well here ya go:

And did I say something about flowers being dropped off??? Ahhh, Huckleberry Karen, you make my heart swoon...Check out the peonies, mums, roses, and dahlias in the bridesmaid's bouquets:

And my ridiculously perfect and gorgeous bridal bouquet- with my hand picked ribbon. The smell lingers in my mind:

Seriously, check out those plate size peonies!!

Mr. Peep still talks about my Bridal bouquet (and he even swears to get me a similar bouquet each year on our anniversary, le sigh, has it been a year yet??)

Well, during all these pictures, chaos ensued in the room. The ladies had the WORST time zipping up their dresses and I just went into spaze mode. Mama Peep was shocked when she came into the room, check out the look on her face:
Really, the raising of the eyebrows says it all.

Fortunately, we had our own entertainer to get me to relax:

My half naked Niece had the time of her life running around getting dressed!!

Up next, it really does take a village to help a bride get dressed. Here's a sneak peak:

For those married ladies, what kept you calm on the morning of the wedding?

All Photos by the Spectacularly Talented: Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: Hair Stylin' and Profilin'
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay:Hair Stylin' and Profilin'

2009-08-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

The morning after the Rehearsal Dinner, I woke up early and thought to myself- Game. On.

It's FINALLY our wedding day!! Whoot Whoot!!

To my bridesmaid's chagrin, right around 6:30am, I declared the day officially started and jumped out of bed. Sensing my nervous energy (really I wasn't hiding it), Sister Peep suggested a trip for coffee and treats at the Ferry Building's Saturday Farmers Market.

Seeing as that is one of my absolute favorite things to do- I bounded out of the hotel with her to pick up some amazingly appetizing treats. For the first (and most likely last) time in my life, we were at the Farmers Market before the stands even opened. I loved doing one of my favorite things, in my favorite City, and watching everything come alive. A perfect way to start an unforgettable day.

So my love for the Ferry Building's Farmers Market and San Francisco is not really what this post is about, but I had to provide you with a sense of how I started my wedding day. And even Anthony Bourdain loved the farmers market, just sayin- it's awesome.

Back to the wedding day- at the much more reasonable time of 10am- The Peep Gang headed to OxenRose to get our hair and make up styled and profiled.

I hope my ladies don't hate me, but here we are starting the day, sans makeup and hair:

OxenRose was an awesome place to kick off the party, we were the first ones to utilize their new events space. With an awesome patio and some delicious treats, we were more than happy to be the first group to enjoy it.

Bagels and coffee anyone:
Or is bubbly more your style:

After treats, it was time to get down to business and get prettified, here I am getting my make up done:

From where I was sitting I could see all the ladies getting their hair done.

Even my Nieces got in on the Big Girl action and got their hair done:

Of course my little niece had to be persuaded to sit in the chair by a cookie:

I even threw my hairdresser for a loop and asked for something completely different than my hair trial. Opps. But she took it all in stride. She took hair that started out like this:

And created a perfect side updo:

Here's a side view of the hair and makeup done- sans lipstick- (she was instructing Bridesmaid K on how to do the veil back at the hotel):

And because you deserve to see the final outcome, here's my hair with the dress and a fabulously large gardenia.

Picture from Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Umm, yes, I loved how my hair turned out.

{PSA on Live Flowers: I loved wearing a real flower in my hair, but I would suggest to any Bride to switch it out to a fresh flower before the reception (which I had, but didn't use). At the end of the night, aka 2am, after lots of dancing and pictures it was wilted and brown.}

Oh, and just because I LOVE it (ha ha). Here I am ready to go in my wedding day zippy. It was 50% off at Macys and oh so appropriate for the big day:

In the end, we all looked gorgeous, and I still want to know how Bridesmaid J's hair and makeup looked absolutely perfect all night.

Are you going to the salon on your wedding day, or having the salon come to you?

Up next, Pre-wedding details amidst chaos.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

All pics by Mama Peep unless noted.

Love by the Bay: A Room Full of Love

2009-08-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

My one regret about the Rehearsal Dinner - it was too short.

At 7:45, we jumped in a cab and headed over to the fantabulous Coco500 for our Rehearsal Dinner.

Which was closed just for us!!

I can't describe how it feels to walk into a room full of your favorite people. It was a party with all the coolest people we know.

It's impossible to put it into words the love that took over the restaurant- unless this picture of my 'Holy Crap, I think I am going to pee in my seat because all my favorite people are here' face - counts:

After mingling, drinks and dinner (which the guests are still talking about by the way):

After our appointed MC (FBIL Peep) made some notes:

And welcomed everyone to the dinner and welcomed me into the family, FINALLY!!

Mama Peep kicked off the toasts in style with a toast crafted around one of our favorite songs, Better Together by Jack Johnson. She pointed out that our ancestors lived miles apart a hundred years ago in Eastern Europe and again half a century ago in Kansas, yet it wasn't until 2006 that we became Better Together.

Seriously, Mama Peep Amazes Me!!

MIL Peeps toast made both Sister Peep and SIL Peep ask her for her secret to having such a great relationship with her son!!

And our friends reminded us of why they are the BEST people in our lives.

Even if it embarrassed us a wee bit.

We'll always love them.

So as our friends raised our glasses to US.

We raised them right back,

and realized how ridiculously lucky we are!!

After a night like that, I was so upset at midnight when Sister Peep told me that I was about to turn into a pumpkin, so I said good bye to Mr. Peep with joy in my eyes.

Gave him my last single girl kiss.

And went to a slumber party with the Bridesmaids.

What are you planning to do the night before your wedding??

Up Next, the big day Finally arrives and we get prettified.

Previously on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: Cheers to our Peeps

2009-08-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

One thing I am so glad we did during our wedding weekend- we took time to thank our loved ones.

Our rehearsal was at 4:30pm and the Rehearsal Dinner didn't start until 8pm, so it gave us a chance to have some Sparkling Wine delivered to the Terrace (made by Mr. Peep no less):

And a chance for us to Toast to our Peeps:

Mr. Peep gave the Men their ties for the big day. Lovingly wrapped by Mama Peep I might add:

We think they were a hit:

And he also gave the Groomsmen their reception Connies to match his own:

I gave my ladies their earrings, clutches and wraps:

Which was totally fun because they were totally blown over by my clutch making skills!!

And of course, we gave the little ones their gifts:

My favorite part was giving our Flowergirls matching necklaces with their initial on the front, and 'Love, Auntie Peep' on the back- you can see them wearing them here:

They loved them, but I think they loved the bracelets and cool magnet thingy that Mama Peep picked out for them even more:

And it gave us a chance for some great Pre-Wedding Family Pictures, The Peep Clan (minus the napping nephews):

I think we clean up pretty well. What do you guys think of Papa Peeps styling suspenders??

And the Peeps with FIL and Step-MIL Peep:

Overall the weather was beyond perfect, and it was so amazing to recognize all the important people in our lives. Even if just for a second.

How are you recognizing your Wedding Day Peeps?

Up Next, The Rehearsal Dinner.

Previously:
Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: Peeps Guide to Running Your Own Rehearsal

2009-08-11T13:27:00.001-07:00

Before I dive into the rehearsal, I have one suggestion for you up-and-coming brides: The day before the wedding- do at least one selfish thing! Get a mani/pedi, a massage, go workout, eat french fries, etc. Just do one thing just for yourself- or maybe follow my footsteps and do the whole list. Put yourself first- for at least 20 minutes. Personally, it's what got me through the weekend.

Ok, now that that is out of the way- back to the Rehearsal.

Most brides are lucky and they have someone to help guide them through the rehearsal, be it a Wedding Coordinator or DOC, someone from the Church or Synagogue, a Pastor, Rabbi, or family friend. But some Brides, aka this one, are left to run their own Rehearsal.

I've only run one rehearsal in my life, but here's Mrs. Peep's guide to running a rehearsal.

Pre-rehearsal:

1. Email all the folks that need to be at the rehearsal one week in advance with the date and time (If you are getting married outside- set the time exactly 24 hours before you get married that way people will have a feel for the light and the weather).

Mr. Peep and BIL Peep

2. Decide the order of folks walking in, and who will walk in with whom. This takes more forethought than you can imagine. AKA if Brother Peep is in the wedding then will his wife, who is not in the wedding, walk down the aisle?? For us it was even more complicated because we had such a narrow aisle that we couldn't send down sets of three.

Mr. Peeps and MIL Peeps

In the end our order was: the Rabbi and Chuppah Holders, Groomsmen/women, Grooms Parents and Groom, Mama Peep with BIL Peep, Bridesmaid/MOH, Flowergirls and Ringbearer and Papa Peep and Me.

Me with a Proud Papa Peep.

3. Delegate one person on each side of the aisle the MASTER set up plan (aka a map of who is standing where) so they can answer side questions if need be.

A horrible picture of me, but you get the point.

During the rehearsal:

1. As the Bride, start the rehearsal off by 'nicely' asking for everyone's cooperation and to listen for just a few brief moments. Hopefully, you can use the- I'm the Bride, listen to me card- if need be.

The Flowergirls listening attentively.

2. Set everyone up where they will be standing and/or sitting during the ceremony.

3. Have everyone process.

(Bridesmaid J and SIL/Groomswomen M laughing that they have to Process together)

4. Have everyone walk back in to their spots to make sure they know what they are doing.

Humm, Did I ever tell you about the lace Chuppah I made? Maybe next time.

5. Congratulate everyone on a VERY successful rehearsal and break open the champagne.

In the end, running my own rehearsal was fairly painless, but I will say it did detract from me enjoying the moment (as I forgot to grab my shower bouquet), but since it only took 20 minutes it did not detract from the day or the reason. So if you have to run your own rehearsal- fear not- just be organized, short, sweet, and stay on task.

Do you have your own rehearsal tip? I'd love to hear it.

Up next, Cheers to the Wedding Party

Previously, on Love by the Bay:
Love by the Bay: Kickin' it Off

Love by the Bay: Kickin It Off

2009-08-10T20:50:00.001-07:00

After my bridal glow moment, it was so fun to go to the hotel and see that a lot of our family and bridal party had already started swarming the hotel.

With 90% of our guests being Out of Towners, a lot of folks decided to make it a four day weekend. So I decided (aka Mama Peep Toe told me) that we needed to organize dinner for Thursday night.

Goal: Casual, Close by, and Kid Friendly.

Solution: Taylor's Refreshers for Burgers and Beers.

My ability to organize was running out of steam, so I just told everyone to be there at 7pm, and I guaranteed a good time- and if they didn't have a good time at least they'd have some ridiculously fabulous curly fries!!

Who can resist with an offer like that??

Taylor's is only two blocks from the hotel so when 7pm rolled around, I grabbed my two bridesmaid and we walked over:

(Pic by Mr. Peeps himself)

It was heartwarming to be with all of our family, and Taylor's was a perfect choice because everyone could pony up to the counter and order what they liked and chow down.

I told you the fries were good; even my niece loved her burger and fries:

Everyone was so excited to be there; we took over most of the restaurant and we hung out long after we finished eating:

It was the perfect chance for the boys got good boy time in:

While I relished hanging with my niece:

We even got a frame worthy pic of Mr. Peep and his Best Man:

And finally, it was time to head back to the hotel for a few drinks. Well, not all of us went to the hotel bar:

It was the perfect way to kick off the weekend. With my bridal glow in hand, I was seriously feeling the love of our family and friends. Finally, I gazed at Mr. Peep and told him that it was time to call it a night, we had a whole weekend of spectacular events awaiting us...

From Wedding Meredith

Up next, we rehearse...

One more thing, thanks to Mama Peep for all the fabulous pictures

How are you kickin off your party?

Capturing the Glow

2009-08-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

I've written three whole posts on finding my bridal glow. My search started back on January 1, and it took almost 150 days to find it.

If you're keeping track- two days before the wedding, I was still searching for it.

But as I've said from the beginning, I did eventually find it, or did it find me??

Let me set the scene:

Who: Miss Peep Toe with Mama and Papa Peep

When: Two days before the wedding

Where: Amy Kuschel's Bridal

Why: Final Dress Fitting

I had spent the morning dropping Mr. Peep at work, picking up Papa Peep from the Airport, dropping off two car loads of 'stuff' to the Hotel, and picking up Mama Peep from my house so we could all make it to the dress shop by 11am.

Talk about an exhausting morning. Yet as always, walking into Amy's was like a dream. Isn't it so pretty:

Before I tried on my dress, I showed Papa Peep the runner up:

And we got a chance to go up to the 6th floor and see where they make all of their dresses, (the shop/show room is just one floor down on the 5th floor):

Look at all those dresses just waiting to be worn!! Any AK brides waiting to pick up your dress? I bet it's in the picture some where!! He he.

I even got to meet Amy Kuschel herself who was gracious and gorgeous (love the fringe):

Finally, I got to try on my dress. Unfortunately, the dress was still a tad long, but they assured me that I could pick it up the next day and it'd be ready to go, which it was.

I don't know if it was Papa and Mama Peep's presence or that the dress fit perfectly (minus the hem), but I finally was able to envision my walk down the aisle towards Mr. Peep, and I couldn't wait!!

My Bridal Glow hit me like a two ton truck.

It was the kind of glow that makes you smile so much you feel like your face is going to fall off.

That makes you laugh with your whole body (a la Mrs. Cheese).

That makes you cry tears of heartwarming joy (hello, ugly cry face).

And that makes you smile towards the heavens because you know you've found the one.

I looked into myself and felt like a Bride, I felt like running towards my Groom and becoming his Wife. I felt it from the inside out, and from that moment on, I was ready to get the party started!!!

With that. RECAPS!

When did you finally find your bridal glow? Or are you still waiting for that moment?

The first 5 pictures are taken by the lovely Mama Peep and the last four are from the super duper talented Amanda at Blueberry Photography.

Pre-Wedding Frenzy: Tying it all together

2009-08-07T08:15:00.001-07:00

It's finally time to show you a few other last minute details that tied everything together.

First up, my Goodwill Frame Project. Much like the fabu Miss Mouse and the newly crowned- Mrs. Joey, I purchased some frames at Goodwill and spray painted them a nice Green color.

Here they are from the store:

Here is how I used them:

A Drink Menu for our "Signature" Drinks:

A polite note to get guests to sign the guest book:

A list of all the amazingly delicious cupcakes that we served:

And my favorite DIY frame project, a frame for the Escort Cards. Recognize the paper? It's the envelope lining from our invites.

Here it is:

And here it is in mock form, so sorry for the awful picture quality:

From Feb and March

Oh, and I almost forgot, our Card Box. I took this basket that I got on clearance at Christmas for $3.99:

I removed the metal bow, spray painted it, and added our own bow, so it looked like this:

So there you have it. My final Frenzy DIY Products that really made the whole event POP. And I really liked that they were clean, simple, and modern touches. You can tell from the pictures that close up they aren't perfect, but honestly no one really looked that close.

Other than the escort cards and tying the bows on the chocolates, these little touches were so freakin easy, and VERY popular during the wedding.

What theme or inspiration did you use to tie it all together?

Pre-wedding Frenzy: The Programs and Menu

2009-08-05T22:48:00.000-07:00

So, I have already posted on our embossed Escort Cards and our perfectly quoted chocolate. Now, it's time to show you two more projects I finished the week of the wedding: Our Programs and Menus.

First up, the programs. Since we were having an interfaith wedding I wanted to make sure that all of our guests understood the various components of our wedding. I also knew that I wanted to make the programs short and sweet.

The good news, I had purchased about six packets of Paper Soure's Eco-White #10 Note Cards at 50% off around the holidays. So at about $2.25 for 25 note cards, the whole project cost about 5 bucks. (I think for 60 guests-- I made about 45-ish programs).

Before I printed them, I also ran them by our Rabbi to make sure he approved. He loved them.

Here's the inspiration picture (I wish I had the source, but I've had this picture saved on my desktop since January. Anyone know where it is from??):

And here's the wording:

Love.

Friends and Family, Thank you for joining us on our wedding day. We hope our inter-faith ceremony is a harmonious mix of both of our backgrounds.

We will be standing under a Chuppah to create an intimate space, symbolizing the open home that we will share together. The sides are left open to signify that all friends and family are welcome into our new life and home.
Ketubah Signing: Before the ceremony, we held a Ketubah signing ceremony, which is a two thousand year old Jewish tradition documenting our love as a marriage contract. Our interfaith Ketubah will hang in our home as a reminder of our love and commitment to one another.
The Ceremony: The Ceremony will be lead by Rabbi Dr. XXXXX, a Comparative Religion and Ethics Professor from XXXXXXX University.
Reading: Papa Peep Toe will be reading: The Greatest of These is Love, A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians (12:31-13:1-8a).
The Wine: Wine to us symbolizes the happiness, depth and richness of joy on this day. During our ceremony we’ll share two glasses of wine- one glass was provided by Ms. Peep's family and other Mr. Peeps. When the second cup of wine is poured, the ‘Seven Blessings’ are recited. We’ve asked family and friends to interpret these classic seven blessings with themes that include joy and happiness, nature, the importance of marriage, and the human spirit.
The Breaking of the Glass: At the end of the ceremony, Mr. Peep will break a glass wrapped in cloth. This ritual punctuates the end of the ceremony. May we always remain delicate and fragile with each other. (A broken glass cannot be mended. Likewise, marriage is irrevocable.) It is a transforming experience that leaves individuals forever changed. While there are many other interpretations of this practice, it signals an end to the ceremony with shouts of:
“Mazel Tov!” (Congratulations!) Let the party begin!

The back of the Note Card listed all of the members of the wedding party, our parents, the Chuppah Holder's names, and the wonderful people who did the Seven Blessings for us.

We also stole a quote from the amazing Hot-Cocoa, J.D.

The opportunity to establish an officially recognized family with a loved one and to obtain the substantial benefits such a relationship may offer is of the deepest and utmost importance to any individual and couple who wish to make such a choice.
In re Marriage Cases, 183 P.3d 384 (Cal. 2008)

None of our guests commented on the quote, but it felt good knowing that we recognized the inequality of marriage in the State of California.

We also asked our guest to stay on the terrace after the ceremony so we could take a group picture.

I never did take a picture of the final product, but we did get a picture of it in action:

These inspired the rest of the printed materials we used. I've told you all what we would be serving but I never got the chance to show you the menu:

Again, I used my 50% off #10 Eco-white Paper Source Note Cards. And I used the oh, so popular quote, Eat. Drink. Be Married. At the wedding Guests ate the menu's up with the meal.

Did you have a tough time with your program wording? Are you doing a short and sweet version, or something grander??

The last two pictures are from the amazingly fantastic Blueberry Photography.

Movin on down the Check List of Life

2009-08-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

So it's been a few weeks since I've posted. I know I've left readers hanging on how I eventually found my bridal glow- just in time to walk down the aisle I might add. And I started Part One of the Pre-Wedding Week Frenzy Recaps. I promise everything is coming soon- including the highly anticipated Recaps (well, at least I am highly anticipating them!!)

The reason for my absence, well, we been moving. And right now I am surrounded by a lot of this:

And this:

Since Mr. Peep got a new job in March, we've been patiently (or not so patiently in my case) waiting to find the right moment to move. Not only that, but discussions circled around where to move and if right now is the right time to buy.

When you finally get married folks often assume that the next step is to buy a place, and since we are no spring chickens, a good number of our friends are already happy home owners.

I wish I could say that we bought a fabulous place that fit all of our criteria. But after some practical financial and life discussions, we've put this major life decision back on the shelf for the next few years.

I can't tell you how envious I am of Newlyweds that get to buy a place and make a perfect home right out of the gate. But I realized that I was living on the 'should do' list bandwagon. The list that says you go to college (check), find a guy (check), get married (check), buy a house ( ), have babies ( ) and live happily ever after...

While I am 100% certain that we will get their some day, our happily ever after includes renting the perfect apartment and living in our favorite City. This decision is going to allow us to remain standing on our feet and even more financially secure in the future.

The best part- we did find the perfect apartment that fit each and everyone of our requirements. And I am finally getting the chance to unpack our wedding presents. Even more importantly, I've got Mr. Peeps and our two animals, so our new apartment already feels like home.

Anyone else out there putting some major life decisions on hold? Or anyone else throwing the checklist of life out the window?

Bagged, Borrowed, and Stolen

2009-07-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

A few weeks before the wedding, Mama Peep told me an entire story about her unsuccessful adventure to find the perfect bracelet for her wedding day outfit.

I listened attentively and realized that the bracelet she was describing was exactly the same bracelet that my ridiculously talented friendor had made me for the wedding. It was a clear and brown crystal bracelet that dangled just so.

I also told Mama Peep that I was afraid that my yellow earrings, brown bracelet and pink shoes might just be too much random color. So, I offered to let her wear the bracelet on the big day, and I'd look for something that coordinated better.

At this point, I was also still looking for a perfect clutch and pair of earrings to go with my rehearsal dinner dress.

Enter: Bagged, Borrowed or Steal.

Or as I like to say, Bagged, Borrowed, or Stolen My Heart!! Seriously, have you checked out this site.

If you haven't seen Sex in the City, here's the premise: You pay a nominal fee and they let you 'borrow' an item for as long you like (or can afford). And if you really love something, you can steal it, aka Buy It from the Company.

The items listed are usually pretty great quality and some are VERY high end.

For awhile, I envisioned wearing this ridiculously gorgeous $11,000 bracelet on the day of the wedding:

But with the $237 a week price tag to borrow it, it was way out of my price tag.

But I did borrow three items.

I was unsure about this bracelet, but all of the other bracelets that I wanted to borrow had a wait list. And at $20 bucks a week, Mama Peep said it was worth the risk.

Ironically enough, the bracelet didn't go with my wedding dress, but it did go with Mama Peep's rehearsal dinner outfit. Are you noticing a trend??

The next two things I borrowed were perfect.

These earrings added the perfect amount of color to my green rehearsal dinner dress, and they only cost me $17 (yet retail for over $300):

And this purse, well, let's just say it was love. It was my splurge at $43 for the week, but I used it for both the Rehearsal Dinner and the Wedding. And if I could have scrounged up the $700 to steal it, I would have. Ahh, c'est la vie.

At least it was mine for a whole week.

In the end, I would totally recommend BB&S. I was able to outfit my champagne tastes on a bud light budget. In total it cost me just under $100 and I would it again in a heart beat.

If you are thinking of doing the same, here are a few tips:

1. Use the Live Help. If something you heart is wait listed, you can chat with someone to find out how many people are on the wait list. I loved one bracelet, but then I found out that someone had been borrowing it for over 6 months, so I quickly realized that it would not be returned in time for me to borrow it.

2. It takes awhile to get something delivered. For our May 30th wedding, I ordered the items on May 19th, so the items would be delivered on Tuesday, May 26th. I just wanted to borrow the items for one week, so I had to make sure that I returned them (with the return labels provided) by the Tuesday following the wedding.

3. Become a member. For me, the one month $9.99 membership fee was worth it because I saved about $40 by becoming a member for the month. Just don't forget to cancel the membership.

4. The items change. Don't get your heart set on a certain item. I coveted a certain bracelet and the day I went to borrow it, it was no longer available. So be flexible or be willing to borrow it a week early.

Has anyone else taken a chance and used BB&S??

Pre-Wedding Frenzy: The Favors and the Perfect Quote

2009-07-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

Alright, Hive, the Monday before our wedding was a holiday and a big old frenzy at the Peep household. And I haven't had a chance to post about any of it.

First up, the Favors.

Something that I've never shared with you- my old roommate works for an amazing organic chocolate company in San Francisco. Which means we got the most perfect chocolate favors. On top of that- we did a lovely exchange of wine for chocolate... So basically, we got the perfect organic chocolate flavors for free!!

Just to get your mouth watering, everyone got a Fleur de sel:

source.

And either a Peanut Butter Puck

source.

or

A Chocolate S'more .

Of course, I wanted to spiff up the favors as any good DIY Bee, and I find this picture perfectly inspiring.

Source.

In case you can't read it, the quote is: Life is unpredictable. Eat Dessert First. Yet, I wanted find out who said/wrote the quote; so a few google clicks later, I found out the exact quote is:
"Life is short, eat dessert first." by Ernestine Ulmer.

Humm, I don't know about you, but the real quote made me think of dying, so I didn't really want to use it.

That put me on the hunt for something better. Again, a few clicks later, I found it. THE perfect quote.

Before I tell you about the quote- remember when I posted about how we Carbon Offset the impacts of the wedding. But I never did tell you how we were going to let our guests know about our carbon offsets- honestly, because I didn't know until I found the quote.

At this point, I think pictures do the chocolates more justice.
Here's the final package of what people found at their table:

In case you can't read the quote it says, "Save the Earth. It's the only planet with chocolate."

Luckily, I had an extra packet of Paper Source's Eco Paper Escort Cards. So the quote went on the outside, and the inside said:

Reduce what you can.
Offset what you can't.*
In honor of our time together,
we have offset the weekend
through a donation to carbonfund.org.

We punched a whole in the corner of the card and tied a lovely bow using ribbon from Mama Peep.

And that's how we created the VERY perfect organic favors.

They were so popular at the wedding that one of my best guy friends traded his away for one of my best girlfriend's phone number. Maybe we'll be attending their wedding in a few years?? Wink, wink.

Are you doing a traditional favor?

*which is Carbonfund's tag line.

Chopity, Chop, Chop, Chop

2009-07-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was a big weekend for this Bee. To get the weekend started off right, I went straight to the hair salon. Yep, that's right, I finally got a post wedding chop.

Here I am on Thursday at work (don't I look all serious like and business-y in my glasses- ha ha, what a lie):

And here I am this morning:

Can you tell how excited I am to have chopped it all off!?

Here's a side view:

Before I chopped it off I told Mr. Peep that I would probably never have long hair again- and he said go for it!! He loves the new do so much he couldn't stop talking about it all weekend. Aww shucks- I knew there was a reason I married him!!!

Anyone else growing your hair out for the last time?? Or are you long hair for life?

Thank you- to wait or not?

2009-07-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hive, I need your opinion. It's been 6 weeks since our wedding and I have yet to send a single thank you note!!! And as each day passes (and the wedding becomes more and more of a distant memory*) the pressure to send them out is flying out the window.

I know I need to send them, but I feel like I am going through an internal struggle about what Thank Yous to send.

Here's the conversations that I have been having with myself (yes, I am part crazy lady, with multiple personalities):

Responsible, rational Peep: You need to start writing and sending Thank You notes STAT.

Crafty, lazy Peep: But wouldn't they be so much better if they were crafty like Mrs. Corn's:

Or had an uber cute wedding photo on them like Mrs. Daffodil's:

Responsible, Rational Peep: Yes, but you already own a bunch of Thank Yous that would do the job just fine. Remember those fabulous note cards that you bought from On a Limb Paper back in November?:

Crafty, lazy Peep: Ok, I'll start to work on them.

Responsible, Rational Peep: Good. Can't wait to get home and tackle them tonight!!

Crafty, lazy Peep: Wait, we're moving, wouldn't it be better if we waited to send out thank yous in a few weeks with our new address information??

Responsible, Rational Peep: Humm, maybe you are right??

Crafty, lazy Peep: And look at these super cute moving cards you could send from Etsy:

source.

Or these oh so hive appropriate ones??

source.

So Hive, what's a Bee to do. Do we wait until we have a new address and send thank you/we've moved cards? Or do I start getting crackin on these puppies before I forget about them entirely??

I can't decide.

*Without all our photos it still seems surreal!

Finding my Bridal Glow, Part 3

2009-07-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

Last I left you, I had one month left to find my bridal glow. I had been working on my Plan of Action for four months. I was doing pretty well, I hadn't lost that much weight, but I felt strong and lean. And more importantly than weight, my pants were failing off me. Literally. I could pull most my pants off without unbuttoning them. WHOO HOO!

Yet with 30 days to go- my search for my bridal glow changed dramatically.

First, after my second fitting I was told not to lose or gain an ounce of weight. Ok- not really what a bride trying to lose weight wants to hear, but from that moment on- in order for my dress to look good- I had to maintain, maintain, maintain. Which in my mind also meant tone, tone, tone.

Second, I took a good look in the mirror- and let me tell ya, I was looking shabby. Not shabby chic, but the rough around the edges shabby.

While I never really had acne, I have been prone to 'women related' breakouts my entire adult life. Basically one to two craters a month that last about 2 weeks. I thought I was taking care of my skin, but honestly the only time in my life I was ever on a skin care regime was when I was 14, and that was when Mama Peep bought be the Clinique Skin Care Line with my first introduction to real makeup!! Since then, I have been washing my face once a day with some sort of acne skin wash with salicylic acid. I have really dry skin and washing my face always dried my skin out so much that my skin could never handle any more than that.

Yet after reading about what all the other bees were doing to get their bridal glow on, I decided that there had to be something better out there.

So on May 1, I ran into Origins, explained my problem, and begged for help. I guess I really could have ran into any Skin Care store, but I like that Origins uses natural products and it's the closest skin care store to my office.

I listened and watched the women wash my hand with a whole suite of skin care products. And like a kid drinking kool aid, I bought all of it.

This was my first big bridal splurge on myself, and man was it worth it. I followed the regime religiously morning and night. And by week two, Mr. Peep started commenting on how much better my skin looked. Which sort of surprised me because I never really thought I looked that bad, oh well, lesson learned.

Here's the awesome regime:

Twice a week start with a dry face and scrub on Modern Friction: 'Natures gentle dermabrasion.'

Dry your face and gently scrub on Clean Energy.

Dry your face one last time and use their toner. You'd think with all this washing and drying- my face would be dry as a bone- but surprisingly it was clean, fresh, and oh so soft.

In the morning, I'd apply a SPF Face Moisturizer and their Youthtopia Eye Cream.

Two months later, I've barely put a dent in the Modern Friction, Clean Energy or the Youthtopia products and my face looks so much better, so I feel like it was money VERY well spent.

With my face clearing up, I started noticing a tinge to my teeth. Damn coffee and tea addiction!! After reading the boards on teeth whitening and a little on-line research, I went and bought Mr. Peep and I each a pack of Crest Premium White Strips. They were kinda pricey at $35 each, but once you start drinking the bridal kool aid it's hard to stop.

The claims are right, you do start seeing results after three days. So much so, that Mr. Peep and I split one pack of these babies and by the end of the week- our teeth were the pearly white we were looking for.

With one week to go before the wedding, my glow was peaking through. Yet I noticed it was getting lost with all the extra hair that was here:

Here:

And oh my, here:

So, the Monday before the wedding, the Mr. and I went for a little waxing. Yep, Mr. Peep came with and had some of his own help here and her e. (But don't tell him I told you! he he).

After all that, I was starting to feel a bit pampered. Oh, and did I mention my big bridal opps- the last month, due to stress and possibly some minor (strike that) major toning work outs. I lost another 5 pounds. With days to go, I had reached my goal weight without even realizing it.

Even with a five month POA, I was still waiting to feel Bridal. But that didn't happen until the Thursday before the wedding. I'll let you know what sparked the glow next time.

What bridal kool aid have you been drinking to find your bridal glow???

Finding my Bridal Glow, Part 2

2009-06-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

Last I left you with my six month POA. Since so many of you liked the idea of creating your own POA- I've sprinkled throughout this my best Lessons Learned.

Source.

Come January I was ready to go with my POA, and how could I fail? I only had to go to the gym twice a week. This turned out to be super simple for me. I found two classes that I adored- one was Total Tone and the other was Core Fit (which used the famous Bosu Ball).

Even though the classes were at 6am, by starting off my flab to fab plan easy, I was able to put 110% into each workout. And not drinking during the week, super easy. I drink mostly water with dinner, but when I needed something different- flavored bubble water usually did the trick.

Lesson learned #1: Be Realistic.

By February, I was feeling confident in myself and added one day to my workouts. This resulted in two days a week of class and one day of cardio machines and weights. I was feeling good. I hadn't lost any additional weight but I started feeling fitter (which isn't really a word, but whateve that's how I felt!). And more importantly, my clothes were starting to feel a little loser.

At the end of February, I was feeling really good about myself. The guy at the gym knew me by name and started to comment on how consistent I was! In those first two months, I didn't miss one scheduled workout.

Lesson Learned #2: Find a gym that you like. It's the only way you will ever go!!

This is right around the time that my Brother and Sister-in-law came to visit. I knew that my brother had lost a bunch of weight recently, but I was blown away by my SIL. She had lost 30 pounds since I had last seen her at our engagement party in August.

Here we are at dinner. Can't you tell that she already has her glow on!:

(Brother Peep, SIL Peep and Me- sorry for the boob shot)

Her trick? No trick really, just Weight Watchers. After hearing her talk all weekend about how easy WW was, I was on board. I signed up for a three month subscription to WW On-line. With 90 days before the wedding this was exactly what I needed! If she could do this with two kids at home, I could do it too!

My first week on WW was super duper successful. Not because I lost a ton of weight, but because I realized what I was eating. Every day for a week, I tracked EVERY little thing. I wasn't eating horrible, but I found that if I swapped a few things here and there, I had a much healthier diet.

Example #1: Swap Cous Cous or Quinoa for Lentils (the microwavable kind at Trader Joes)

Example #2: Stop eating toast (with jelly/butter/or peanutbutter) for breakfast. And swap regular flake or cheerios type cereal in the morning for Fiber Rich Cheerios (again, found at Trader Joes).

Lesson Learned #3: It's all about the Fiber!

As for the March workouts, going to the gym four days a week was tough. For the first time, I missed a workout.

Then one Saturday I had another gym break through: Only go to the gym for as long as it's fun (or should I say, bearable).

Leason Learned #4: If you don't want to do it, do something else. The gym has to be your friend not your enemy!!

Since my fourth day a week workout was turning into a Saturday workout. I realized that I only needed to stay for 20 to 30 minutes. Usually, I focused on weight training and toning on these days- lots of back, stomach and arm exercises. Since I am no expert on weight training, I won't go into specifics, but I will say that taking time to tone these areas TOTALLY paid off!

At the end of March I hit a milestone: My second dress fitting! At this point, I was going to the gym consistantly three days a week, and while I was no longer tracking what I was eating, I was paying attention to what I ate.

Results: I had lost 5 pounds and an inch at my waist!! Awesome.

But this is the same time that I hit a bump in the road. Mr. Peep got a new job which allowed us to carpool together to work, again awesome for us, but not for my POA. This put an end to my 6am workouts and my two very favorite classes ever.

Determined not to be derailed, I searched out evening classes, which I found and liked, but by no means did I love them.

Lesson Learned #5: If you can, find a gym with a TV on each machine. Watching a guilty pleasure while working out significantly helped.

Overall, April was a rocky month for my POA, but the change in my eating habits and the groundwork for my workouts allowed me to basically stay on track. By May, I had three very solid workouts a week- mixing between classes and cardio/weight training on my own. I kept to things I really liked to do.

Since May was the month of my wedding my POA and search for my bridal glow changed completely, so I'll wait to tell you about that next time. And just in case you think that everyday was a good day:

Lesson Learned #6: When I really, really didn't want to be at the gym I closed my eyes and envisioned my dress. Try it, it works!!

What is one Lesson Learned that you've found to help motivate you??

Finding my Bridal Glow, Part 1

2009-06-29T09:28:00.001-07:00

I have to say that one thing that I will never forget about our wedding (and weekend) was how I felt. I can honestly say, that from the inside out, I glowed. I felt it in my bones, I felt it in my skin, and by the end of the day I could feel it in my smile because it was so tired.

Unlike the Ultra-fabulous Meatball, BalletFlat and Joey, I was a bit more covert about my plan to find my bridal glow and my flab to fab plan. I think it stems from years of feeling self conscious about my body and my weight. But I think it's about time I shed my inner fear and let you all in on my adventure to get my glow on.

Here's Part 1 of my Flab to Fab Plan:

Growing up I was an uber athlete, I did gymnastics for 30 hours a week until I was 16 and then my body just started to hurt. I could tell that the bending and flexing was putting a strain on my body. It took a knee injury to unearth the truth, a MRI confirmed that I had the knees of a 40 year old women!! AT 16!!! I kept up workouts and exercising until I went to college.

My first year of college, I stop exercising and started eating and drinking. The pounds came on and on and on.

source.

It wasn't until I graduated that I realized how unhealthy I'd become. I quickly became a workout machine and lost almost 30 pounds. I even ran a half marathon. Unfortunately, it didn't last. I had lost the weight by eating too little and working out too much.

A bad breakup and two years of grad school later, I was a heffer once again. School allowed me to justify eating a ton of food. Luckily, after graduation I moved to a City of walkers and stopped justifying the binge eating study sessions- I no longer had anything to study for!!

When I met Mr. Peeps, I had lost about 10 pounds of my grad school weight. And for the first 3 years of our relationship, I stayed at a steady 10 to 15 pounds lighter than my highest weight.

Maintaining that weight was never that easy for me, while I rarely denied myself anything to eat, I worked out a lot. I did a crazy boot camp at 6am for 6 months; I trained and ran another half-marathon- and hurt my knee again; I tried Bikram Yoga (the hot crazy yoga) for awhile; and then I tried just going to the gym on my own.

Finally, come January with about 6 months before the wedding I created a POA- a Plan of Action!! Each month I'd make one resolution and stick to it. Here's the break down:

January- go to the Gym two times a week. Stop drinking during the week.
February- go the the Gym three times a week.
March- go the the gym four times a week and join weight watchers.
April- go to the gym, keep following weight watchers and tone up.
May- tone, tone, tone.

My goal was to lose two inches in my waist or about 10 pounds. Since I love keeping the hive in suspense, you'll just have to see how my 5 month POA worked out.

Did you set a wedding day goal? How's it coming along?

Good Times at the Bay Area Bee Meet Up

2009-06-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, I finally got to attend my first Bee Meet Up. I left Mr. Peep on the couch with the fan on (it was a record high of 100 degrees at our house yesterday!!), and made my way over to Triple Rock in Berkeley. After reading Weddingbee for over a year and writing for it since November, I couldn't believe I was going to meet up with others who love Weddingbee just as much as I do.

We talked for over three hours non-stop, and I have to say, Bay Area Bees are pretty fantastic. I was so fun meeting a bunch of super smart, fun ladies. Plus, there was pink beer to boot, check it out:

Pictured: msprettyinpink, Bean, Pengy, fizicsGirl, ktrain, and tea.

And just to prove that I was there, here's a quick pic of Pengy and I.

I never thought in a million years that I'd be meeting up with a bunch of people that I met on the internet, but seriously I now heart Weddingbee that much more.

Can't wait for the next meet up!!

Have you attended a Bee Meetup? If not, why not!? Do it. They are so fun!

PS Ladies, I want to see pictures of your dresses!!

Bay Area Bee Meet Up

2009-06-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

A do not miss event!!!
Come see a Penguin in Peep Toe heels.

No really:

+ = A fantastic Bay Area Meet Up!!!!

Come join Mrs. Penguin and Mrs. Peep Toe this Sunday, June 28th
at 3pm at Triple Rock Brewery in Berkeley.

Hop on over to the local boards and let us know if you can make it.

It's sure to be a fun time!!!

A Peak into the Peeps Wedding by the Bay

2009-06-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has taken so long, but I hope you all are ready for this.

Here are a few teasers from our AMAZINGLY fantastic photographer, Amanda from
Blueberry Photography:

I can't tell you how much I love them. More to come in the next month or so from Amanda. In the mean time, I hope to start blogging about the week up to the main event!!!

Put a fork in me. I need your help.

2009-06-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

I am done. The wedding is over*, the marriage license was signed, toasts were made, the cake has been cut, but the Peeps still have a party to plan.

As I said before, Mama and Papa Peep are throwing a home town reception for all of our Southern California loved ones. Up until now, Mama Peep has been graciously planning this shin dig, but during a bout of post wedding energy, I asked Mama Peep what I could do to help.

My task: inspiration pictures for the centerpieces to provide the florist. It sounded fun and exciting on the phone, but now, now I am totally uninspired.

So hive, I need you to point me in the right direction. Help me give Mama Peep some super fabulous Post-Wedding Reception Centerpiece Inspiration.

Here's what we got so far: A causal, beach side family and friends reception.

The Invitations:

The Room: Looks out over the ocean, a light house and palm trees. It is mostly navy with some gray. The linens will either be light blue or navy. There will be eight tables for guest to causally graze on the buffet throughout the party. And unfortunately, we can't use candles, bummer. I love the look of sand and candles together.

What I do love is navy with limes, lemons or oranges. And anything that exudes beach casual.

Anyone have an inspiration picture out there for me?? Also, simpler is better. This is a very budget friendly affair, and while I'd love a huge centerpiece with a million tropical orchids, we are going for cheap-chic.

A million thank yous for your help!!!

*I promise we are married and that sometime this century I will provide pictures.

The Peeps are Back!!

2009-06-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

Hey Hive, The Peeps are back (do you remember us??). And surprise, surprise, we are married!!! Whoo hooo!!! The wedding was an amazing experience, and I still have to remind myself that it happened and that I am a MRS!!! Someone pinch me!! If it didn't say Mrs. Peep Toe above, I almost wouldn't believe it!!

I don't like a bragger, but peeps (by peeps, I mean guests) have been describing the wedding with one word- perfect!! And while I know of a couple (dozen) imperfections here and there- it was a perfect day.

Since the big event we spent almost two weeks on an amazing adventure honeymoon in Panama. Again, the word perfect could be used to describe our trip. Evidence here by a sneak peak photo taken from our over water bungalow (even our family hasn't seen any pics yet):

Unfortunately, upon returning from our trip we were thrust right back into a very bad reality. My (strike that) our little doggie was very sick. We spent our first night back at the Emergency Pet Hospital and the next few days at the vet. As anyone knows who has been to a late night emergency room with a loved one (with four or two legs), it was a scary experience, and I couldn't imagine being there without my husband by my side.*

But I am happy to say that after a few days of a lot of TLC, the little guy is on his way to recovery. They even put a little heart bandage on his leg:

So please forgive me for not yet posting any wedding pictures. I promise they are coming soon!! For right now, us Peeps are celebrating the fact that we are all happy and healthy!

*he, he- I have a husband!!

Today I love you more than yesterday...

2009-05-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

From 530 to ZERO.

That's how long we've been planning this day!

Mr. Peep- I've loved you more each day!!

And today- today, I get to make you my Husband!! You're the love of my life and I can't WAIT to continue this crazy journey with you next to me. I can't believe that I get to hold your hand till it's wrinkled and gray. You mean the world to me. You have my heart, so hold on to it tight! OR else! he he.

To the hive, Finally, it is our day!! I swear I thought this day would never come. But without your support and advice, I would have never made it this far. We've finally made it down the wedding planning rabbit hole- in one piece- and more in love than ever. If we can do it- you can do it too!!! I promise to be back soon to recap our glorious day! THANK YOU for everything.

And to my fellow Bees, you are an amazing group of women. Thank you for all your inspiration and support. I've loved every moment of sharing this journey with you! And I really have to credit you ladies for helping me keep my sanity!

And with that, I am off like a prom dress to marry the man of my dreams!!

Please Join the Festivities....

2009-05-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

Before I say I Do, I am going to show you one last DIY project, our Escort Cards:

I had to wait until I knew who was coming and what each guest was eating before I could start this project. Green is for the guests eating beef, and pink is for the guests eating fish. I printed out both the names on the front and the inside, directs guests where to sit:

I went opposite on the inside colors so the two pinks and greens didn't have to match. Meaning, if you ordered beef, the outside is green and the inside is pink. And vise versa.

I then embossed the front with a heart stamp. I got inspired to emboss them at a Paper Source event which showed me how easy it was to do (and provided some tips)- and then I went to Joann's and bought all the tools for less than half the price. Here's the stamp and stamping pads I used (minus the heat gun and embossing powder):

The cards themselves are Soft White from Paper Source. I thought I had bought the eco-paper ones, but alas, I bought one soft white and one eco- and of course, I didn't realize this until I had finished about 75% of them on the soft white. Be careful, they have at least FIVE different whites/off-white escort cards, so make sure you get the color you want.

Since the stamp was so big I had to cover up two rows of the heart while stamping:

Before I stamped the paper I removed the tape for a clean stamp:

And then immediately after stamping I threw down embossing powder- making sure it covered up the stamped area:

Once it was covered, I removed the excess embossing powder. Usually I gave the card a good flick from behind to make sure all excess was gone and then I applied the heat gun tool.

You can tell from the picture above that the pink part is raised (aka embossed). You can also tell that I usually didn't stamp perfectly uniformly (see the lower right hand heart), which gave each card character and a bit of individuality. Some of the names were longer and I stamped over part of the name- which again added character.

I have to admit it- this project took forever. I had to print the names individually, then I printed the inside for each card, and the embossing just takes time (I did all of one color first and then went back and did the other color). I think it took at least 3 or 4 nights of working on them while mindlessly watching TV.

So what do you think? That's the last DIY project I have time to share with you, but don't worry, I have programs, menus, a welcome letter, a map, and my favorite project to date (involving chocolate and carbonfund.org). Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until post Honeymoon.

How are you escorting your guests to their seats?

Hey Mr. Post Man!

2009-05-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

So the Peeps have been ordering and receiving a lot of fun things in the mail. Some that I've shared with you and others that well, I am just sharing with you now.

First up, Mr. Peeps and Papa Peeps wedding gifts. I ordered them both from Red Envelope because I found a 20% coupon on-line. They are the perfect wedding day gift:

And the pen, well, it's beyond perfect for Papa Peep- a life long Dodger lover and season ticket holder. I wonder if he ever sat on these seats??? When I was a super young hyper thing, we had our tickets in the blue seats, so they always remind me of sugar highs and running up and down the aisle- quite possibly for the whole game (yes, I was totally that kid!!).

Second, a couple years ago Mr. Peep and I both got transitional lenses. Since our wedding is outside, we didn't want it to look like Mr. Peep was wearing sunglasses on our wedding day. SO Mr. Peep did his research and ordered a pair of glasses on-line!! Yep, he took the plunge. We were very careful to order glasses that were as close to the measurements if his current glasses, and I actual think I like them better with his new glasses.

Example 1: Mr. Peep wearing his transitional lenses for our engagement pictures. No bueno.

Example 2: Mr. Peeps new glasses. Here he is on his birthday last week. I think they look smashing:

Just last week Mr. Post Man delivered a very important part of a Jewish Wedding- our Ketubah. There are a ton of Ketubah sites out there, and a lot (actually almost all) provide Ketubah's with interfaith text. At first we thought this Ketubah was the one:

But some how both of us fell in love with the colors and mosaic of this one:

In person, it's perfect. I can't wait to have this sucker signed and hung up in our house for everyone to see. I promise to write more about the text post wedding.

And finally, we got an invite to another party for us!! The Rehearsal Dinner!! DIY'd by my FILs, aren't they great!?

Oh, how could I forget, we've also gotten a few official wedding presents:

Some much needed love for our salt and pepper:

And our also much needed every day bamboo flatware:

Anyone else doing a flurry of on-line ordering?

And That's a Wrap

2009-05-21T16:09:00.001-07:00

Back in November I bought what I thought would be the perfect wraps for the ladies. I was so excited about them, I even bought one for myself to go with my dress.

Here's the problem- the one I bought to go with my dress is all sorts of wrong. While the wraps are freakin gorgeous, they all have a vintage appeal to them. And well, there is nothing vintage about our eco-chic, modern City wedding. I was in denial until Mama Peep suggested just getting simple pashmina's for the ladies.

Of course I couldn't do simple, I wanted to make them eco-friendly. Finding eco-friendly wraps that were somewhat affordable was relatively easy. Enter: Nimli. I was able to order 6 pashminas- 4 for the girls, one for me to go with my rehearsal dinner dress and one for Mama Peep for under $200 (using a 20% off discount code online of course).

Unfortunately, the colors online are pretty different from the colors in person and I was less than impressed by the quality. (sorry, I didn't take a pic before I returned it). I felt defeated. I could order a different color online but I don't really have time to order another color and have it be wrong- again. Not to mention, the wraps took forever to arrive.

Enter: Google. Type in: kelly green wraps.

The first site that pops up: La Purse. Again, online they seemed like the perfect color and the price- at $20 per wrap couldn't be beat- should I risk it again???

Wait, what's that I see?? They are located in San Francisco!???!!

Hallelujah!!!

After a quick phone call, I confirmed that they had four Kelly Green wraps and was told that the wraps are cheaper in the store!!! Score.

One quick bus ride later, I had my hands on four Kelly Green pashminas at half the price of the Nimli wraps and the quality was amazing. And I have to say, the color online- identical to the color in person- maybe even better. Unfortunately, I know that these aren't eco-friendly and that makes me really sad, but I tried, and sometimes trying is half the battle.

At the end of the day, I'd highly recommend this site for great quality wraps at affordable prices. I can now start wrapping up my Bridesmaid Gifts. They are getting: earrings, homemade clutches and the green pashminas. If I sell the wraps I bought in LA, I think I spent just under $60 per girl. Not too bad, right?

Would you be excited to get this?? What are you gifting your ladies?

More Pain in the Peep Household

2009-05-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

You are probably wondering how crazy I must be to constantly talking about the ups and downs of wedding planning.

But yesterday Mr. Peep and I found out that our honeymoon is indeed a real pain! Before we could jet off on our fantastic honeymoon to Panama: we needed shots!!!!

Source.

While at my annual check up a few weeks ago, not only did I have to get a Tetanus shot, but I found out that our health care provider also suggested to get a Hepatitis A shot and a Typhoid shot.

So yesterday, we took a shot in the arm for love and a safe and happy honeymoon. I have to say, I had a horrible reaction to the Tetanus shot. I am so glad that I went in early for that one- my arm was swollen, red and super sore for days- not what you want right before your wedding day!! But yesterday we were in and out in 5 minutes (thus, no time for pictures) and the other two shots weren't that bad. Although, poor Mr. Peep is hurtin from his Tetanus shot today!! The best part- our health care covered all of it. (I've heard that travel shots can be really expensive). The worst part, we have to go back in 6 months for a second Hepatitis A shot. Bummer.

Please consider this post a public service announcement: Don't forget to find out if you have to get shots before you go on your honeymoon.

Anyone else traveling somewhere on the their honeymoon that requires shots?

Subject: Add Safety Dance

2009-05-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

to the list of wedding music!!! SSSSSS----AAAAAA-----FFFFFFF----EEEEEE----TTTTTTT-----YYYYYYY-----SAFETY DANCE!

This was the email that I got from Mr. Peep today. And I have to admit- this song wouldn't be on my list!! But I am totally OK with that! I am just excited that Mr. Peep is excited to bust a move on the dance floor!

Here's the thing, up until a wedding last June, I could NEVER get Mr. Peep on the dance floor. It almost made me want to break up with him at his cousins wedding- seriously this Peep likes to bust a move (like the white girl I am) whenever I get the chance. I couldn't marry someone who doesn't dance.

Enter. DJ David.

Amazing doesn't even begin to describe him. Mr. Peep was out on the dance floor ALL NIGHT LONG!! I don't know how DJ David did it- other than playing an amazing list of music, but he saved our relationship (not really, but you know what I mean)!! We practically booked him for our wedding on the spot. Within 3 days of our friends wedding, we had a signed contract and had paid our deposit.

Here's evidence of the dancing Peeps, we're in the corner. Me grooving out with my eyes closed and Mr. Peep with his curly hair and glasses:

And here's one of my Bridesmaids busting her own move.

So with the wedding count down in full swing, we've both been trying to get our favorite songs on THE list. And boy do we have different taste in music. After a long night of picking and choosing our music (and a last minute email from Mr. Peep), I emailed our play list to our DJ today.

In the hope to help someone else from spending hours compiling a list, here's ours (please don't mind the misspellings and such- we're in count down mode- I don't have time to make everything perfect!!):

More parent friendly stuff:
Thank God I Am A Country Boy, John Denver
Come On Eileen
Brown Eyed Girl, Van Morrison
Sweet Caroline
Sweet Home Alabama, Skynard
Build Me Up Buttercup, The Foundations
Signed Sealed Delivered, Stevie Wonder
Can't Always Get What You Want, Rolling Stones
Satisfaction, Rolling Stones
Don't Stop Till You Get Enough, Michael Jackson
Cecilia, Simon and Garfunkel

Suggestions:
Public Safety Announcement, The Bravery
Cherry Bomb, Spoon
I Kissed A Girl and Hot and Cold, Katy Perry (massive guilty pleasure)
Doorbell, White Stripes
Mu Man, The Killers
You're Fit And You Know It, The Streets
Paper Planes, MIA
American Boy, Adelle
Low Flo, Rida
I Don't Feel Like Dancing, Scissor Sisters
Ignition Remix, R. Kelly
Tiny Dancer
Don't Stop Believing, Journey
Paradise City, Guns n Roses
Single Ladies and Crazy in Love, Beyonce
PYT, Michael Jackson
American Idiot or anything else, Green Day
Hollaback Girl And Bananas, Gwen Stefani
Ket Me Clear My Throat, DJ Kool
Sexback or anything by, Justin Timberlake
Float On, Modest Mouse
See The World, Gomez
Panama, Van Halen
Golddigger, Kanye
Cornershop
Gold Frapp
The Arcade Fire
Beast Of Burden, Rolling Stones
Brown Sugar, Rolling Stones
Jump Around, House Of Pain
Down With OPP
Body Groven, Fat Boy Slim
Hungry Like The Wolf, Duran Duran
Missy Elliot
50 Cent
Yeah Usher
So What, Pink
Shaggy
Let Me Go On, Violent Fems
Safety Dance, Men Without Hats
Hey Yeah, Outcast
Vampire Weekend
MGMT
Praise You, Fat Boy Slim
Groove Terminator
The General, Dispatch
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Foo Fighters
Don't Stop The Music /Umbrella, Rihanna
Mercy, Duffy
Beastie Boys (Everything)

Slower songs:
La Vie En Rose Louis Armstrong ----> 2nd To Last Song/Last Slow Dance
You Really Got A Hold On Me, She & Him
Reduce Reuse Recycle, Jack Johnson
Ben Harper
Donovan Frankenriter
1234 Fiest
Sweetest Thing U2
How Sweet It Is, James Taylor
Make you Feel My Love/ Chasing Pavements, Adele
Put your records on, Corrine Bailey Rae
Come away with me, Norah Jones

Hope you enjoy!!

Do you and your Fiance agree on music? Anyone else find an absolutely amazing DJ that you are stoked about?

Call me Frazzled.

2009-05-19T08:34:00.001-07:00

Like Miss Cheese (yet a lot less eloquently), I want to provide a good representation of what the final count down feels like in the Peep household.

Source.

One word: Frazzled.

We've been planning this wedding for over a year, and for 90% of that time I've felt no stress, no tension, no bridal pains. But this last week has been a dozy. It doesn't help that Mr. Peeps has been stressed to the max due to finals week, and that we've been up until 1am some nights editing papers and crafting posters (I swear he is in college not grammar school). Yes, I said WE, what type of partner would I be if I didn't help out with the little things like cutting, gluing and correcting all the little comma mistakes.

On top of that, I have been fielding last minute questions from the venue, the in-laws, my parents and the bridal party. While they all are SOO excited and everyone has the best of intentions, this tired Bride finally reached the frazzled phase of planning.

After a very tense drive home from work yesterday with Mr. Peep (we've all had those car rides), I went to gym to burn off some steam. After my workout, I still felt completely stressed and frazzled.

Yet a funny thing happened to me on my way to the grocery store. My mind cleared of all the wedding crap, and I just thought about how much I love my Man.

And for reasons I will never ever know, I finally found inspiration to write my wedding vows. I was pissed, I was tired, I was so not happy with Mr. Peeps, but I felt this overwhelming love for him. So in the middle of the Trader Joe's parking lot- I wrote my wedding vows. The vows that I've been dreading to write since Mr. PT said he really wanted to write his own vows over a year ago. So through teas of joy and tears of anger, my heart poured out onto paper, and I was finally able to put into words how incredibly special Mr. Peeps is to me. I wish I could share them with you today, but since they are for Mr. Peeps, I think I should wait.

I will say that after my moment of clarity, I went right back into frazzled mode. But by the end of the night I was able to apologize to Mr. Peeps. And I made sure that when he climbed into bed exhausted from writing his last final, I snuggled up real close and told him how much I loved him.

Did your Fiance suggest writing your own vows? Where have you found inspiration to write them?

Sewing Clutches for the Ladies

2009-05-13T08:51:00.001-07:00

As I said on Monday, I have a bunch of projects that I haven't shared with the hive yet and I am trying to get them all up before the wedding. This project was suppose to be makeup bags for my ladies, but I wanted to spice it up. After some trial and error on my part, it turned into this:

Clutches for my Ladies!!!

Here's my best shot at a sewing tutorial. I've never written up a sewing project like this before, so I am going to try my very best to be specific, but I just really sew by trial and error and I don't know all the technical terms for things.

What you need. A. Fabric- you want something a bit heftier on the outside, and something somewhat durable on the inside. I bought the outside fabric at Joann's and just used some leftover fabric that I had from previous makeup bag projects on the inside (hello, recycling!!). B. Iron on- Heavy Weight Interlining (stabilizer). I found out the hard way how important this stuff is, without it your purse will feel thin. 3. Magnet buttons.

Here's a step by step:

Step 1: Cutting rectangles. Cut both the outer and inner fabrics into approximately 11 inch by 18 inch rectangles. Put the two fabrics facing each other and sew the two long sides and one of the short sides. I used about a 1/4 inch seem.

Step 2: Cut the Interlining. Iron on the Heavy Weight Interlining. I wanted some extra heft so I did a layer of interlining on both sides.

Step 3: Starting at the short edge that is sewn, measure about 1/3 of the way down the long edge- mark it. Along the short edge, measure about 2 to 2.5 inches in. And create a triangle. Sew that line. This is important- it allows for the seam for sewing the sides of the purse- otherwise, the flap folds funny. (I don't know a better way to describe it).

Step 4: I can give you more. Just kidding.*

Step 4: Turn your purse inside out and iron. It should look like this:

Step 5: The magnet button thingy. This is easy. First, fold the purse in equal thirds. Both sides of the magnet have two prongs. Measure approximately 1.5 to 2 inches from the top of the flap, mark the center and cut two holes into the liner fabric only, and put the magnet in place.

Attach the other side, mark the spot where the prongs hit the fabric. Make two holes in the outside of the fabric and fold prongs over.

Did that make sense? Make sure that you also measure so you are in the middle of the clutch.

Step 6: Sew the final side short side of the purse. Do this by turning the edges in and iron them flat before sewing.

Step 7: Turn the bottom part inside out and sew the two sides.

And that's it.

Here are the insides, as you can tell they are all a bit different:

I loved them, but I thought something was missing. Thanks to a post by Miss Powder Puff, I went somewhere I never go: Forever 21!!! She mentioned some great flower hair accessories there, so I went and snatched up a bunch, cut off the hair elastic, glue gunned them to a safety pin and added them to the clutches.

What do you think? I have to admit that it took me at least three or four tries to figure out how to make these successfully. Anyone else sew up a project via trial and error?

*extra credit if you know the song?

Miss Peep FINALLY has the perfect pair of peep toes

2009-05-13T08:21:00.001-07:00

I have already blogged about shoes before, here, here, and here!! I even asked the hive for advice, and totally ignored all if it. (sorry- bad bee).

But today is a glorious day- Miss PEEP TOE finally has shoes to wear to her wedding!!!! Before, I showcase my perfect pair of peeps, I thought I'd write a little bit about my experience with online ordering.*

First, Endles.com. I love the idea of Endless- free shipping both ways = fantastic-ness!! But I ordered three pairs of shoes through them and two of them were pretty damaged. Right out of the box, they both looked second hand. Not Good. The other was just not right. All three were quickly returned- FOR FREE.

These two were damaged:

Source.

Source.

And these were just wrong:

Source.

Second, Yoox. I had never heard of Yoox, until I began shopping for the elusive pair of perfect wedding day shoes on my favorite on-line site: shopstyle.com. Yoox is an on-line store that sells designer labels (most of which I have never heard of) at discounted prices. My first big problem with this site- their isn't much information about their products on their site. And when asked, they don't know.

For example, I saw these fabulous shoes.

(so sorry, after trying and trying, this was the largest image I could save and post- go to the link above to see a closer look)

Upon review, I couldn't tell if the dark part was black or brown. (This is when I believe I went into no holds bar- crazy shoe bride mode.) The picture looked black, my coworker thought it looked black, but I wanted them to be brown so badly. I emailed the site and they had no idea what color they were. So delusional me, I ordered them anyway. Sure enough, they were black and ivory.

Second big problem about this website- you only have 20 days to return them, you must include the return form, and they charge $6 for you to return them via UPS. I don't know about you, but USPS is much easier and convenient for me to handle. I had to find somewhere that takes UPS and 2 weeks after I shipped them I got an email saying that I didn't fill out the return slip correctly and the shoes had passed the 20 day return policy. BUT since I was a first time costumer, they would return them for free- just this once. Overall, I will not be ordering from them again- too much pressure to get it returned in 20 days.

Third, Amazon. My very first wedding shoe purchase. They came fast; shipping was free; and I thought they were perfect. Two months later, I tried them on with my dress and they were all sorts of wrong. Since I missed the 30 day return period, I now own them outright. Anyone want to buy these gorgeous shoes?? Size 8.5 (they run big and a bit wide), never worn. $30. I'll have them up on the classifieds soon.

Source.

Finally, desperate times call for desperate measures: Enter FULL PRICE J. Crew.
You may have seen these:

Source.

Also coveted by the lovely Brushetta. They look magnificent online, but I have to say, really disappointed in person. The Ivory didn't look ivory, it looked more champagne/pink. And the pink part looked less pink and more blush/dark rose. And the quality- I hate to say it- but it seemed lacking.

YET, J. Crew's best friend- J. Crew SALE did not disappoint. I present to you my fabulous Peep Toe shoes:

Ok, so they are more strappy sandals than peep toes, but aren't they gorgeous? Not to mentioned: they are comfy; the heel is shorter than my other options, they look fabulous with my dress and they gave me the best excuse to get a pedicure:

Surprisingly, they look pretty bridal with my nails done!! Anyone else go on a wild goose chase for the perfect wedding shoe???

*During my crazy, must have the perfect pair of shoes adventure, I did buy two pairs of shoes from Nordstroms (both blogged about my Miss Bruschetta), and both were fantastic, just not perfect. So yep, that takes my total shoe buying purchases up to nine.

You Down with OTT?

2009-05-11T22:34:00.001-07:00

Since almost all of our guests are from out of town, we need some serious Out of Town (OOT) Bags. While I was watching my pennies spent on the OOT bags, I still wanted to make sure we put a little bit of SF and a little bit of ourselves into the bags.

First up, the perfect bag:

From the Target $1 bin, reusable and the perfect size. Run, don't walk to your nearest Target to get your own. They also come in blue and tan.

As for what to put in the bag. Some of the Peeps favorite things of course:

We both love goldfish; Mr. Peep always buys mentos when we are on a road trip; and I can't live without Orbit's Mojito Mint Gum!! Plus we scored some free SF Zagats from a family member- perfect for the foodie lovers! And we bought some handy dandy 'Green Living for Dummies' handbooks.

We also plan on adding these glass containers full of M&Ms and Salted Almonds:

Here are all the glass containers that we've been collecting:

And here are all the OOT Bags together.

Some other items that I am considering adding:

An Advil Travel Pack (my drug of choice):

Source.

The new Colgate Wisp- it's a disposable travel toothbrush and toothpaste all in one:

source.

They run about a dollar a toothbrush- and I am afraid that if people do bring their own toothbrush then these would just go to waste.

And finally, something I always seem to need, but never have during a trip full of tears of joy:

So hive, what's missing from our OOT bags? What would you appreciate as a wedding guest?

Planning Rewind: Our Invitations Part 2

2009-05-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

So I lied to the hive on Friday, I said that I'd have a weekend full of last minute wedding stuff, but in actuality- I did nothing wedding related!!! Unless you call going to the gym and treating myself to a mani/pedi wedding related??? Which in a sense it was- I think I have learned how to justify just about anything as wedding related.

While I don't have much to show for my weekend, I do feel VERY refreshed today and finally feel ready to tackle some of the projects that I should have posted about ages ago.

First up, I showed you our invitations, but I never showed you the full package. One of the things I really wanted was brown envelopes- and boy did I get them. Finding brown, square, eco-friendly envelopes was a challenge. Fortunately we found them- and paid a pretty penny for them. Unfortunately, I don't have the name of the envelope company any more (sorry guys). I will say getting brown envelopes over cream ones ended up being an unexpected wedding splurge and catastrophe all in one.

Since calligraphy was never in the budget, I thought I could easily print them out on our handy dandy color printer. When I went to print our envelopes, I constantly got this message:

ERROR!!!
Source.

Every brides worst nightmare! For some reason our printer hated our envelopes. After hours of struggling with our printer- I went straight to the Hive for an alternative. And thank goodness for the hive!! Mrs. Quiche recommended using Paper Source round labels for the return addresses. Genius!!

I immediately went out and bought two packages of the Super Fine Soft White (aka cream) then took a jpeg of our names from the invite and fit them into the Handy dandy on-line template for the round labels, added our address, picked out a fabulous font (High Tower Text) and presto chango- we had some very cute return address labels (sorry for the need to blur almost all of our invite pictures):

I used the same font for the RSVP envelopes but I used the standard file labels, again in Super Fine Soft White:

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the RSVP envelope.

For the front of the envelope, I used my best handwriting and a Gelly Roll Pen in Gold Shadow- Green. On the brown envelopes the ink wrote green and dried gold, but on white it dries a more greenish gold. I wish I had an envelope to show you, but used up all the ink.

I also tried white pen and clear labels with white ink- neither worked.

My next project again involved Paper Source. A few months before I had purchased their Envelope Liner Template Kit:

The square template fit perfectly. And I found an equally fun wrapping paper to liven up the envelope package. I found that double sided tape and glue worked equally well, but the person at Paper Source highly recommended tape. So of course, that's what I used. It's also a toss up if you should line the envelope first or write the person's address?? I guess I'd recommend writing the addresses first (I think I screwed up more of those). Good thing I had plenty of extra envelopes!!

Before I get to the final product, we included one more element in our invites:

The ever popular- MOO cards!!!

I love these babies. We used a variety of our engagement pictures on one side, and the other side directed guests to our Wedding Website. I will mention that the are a bit small in person, but for 19.99 they were much cheaper (and cuter) than adding a whole other piece to our invites in order to include the website address.

Here's what our invite package looked like:

And here's the package with the back of the envelope too (again, sorry for the blurry invite):

The best part of our invites- each guest had a favorite part. Some loved the Moo cards, some loved the liner, and my Bridesmaid absolutely adored the return address label (you have to love your friends for loving the details just as much as you do!!!)

Anyone else have a hard time with colored envelopes? What was your solution?