Month: July 2008

  • The Sweetest Day: The Wedding Duds + A Suite Switcharoo

    Part 1: Primped & Prettied
    Part 2: The Dashing Gents

    While the guys were dressed in minutes, back in the girl's camp we were still fussing and pruning. Erwin snapped up pictures of my wedding threads as he waited for us.

    All photographs are property of Apertura Photography. Please credit them if you repost their photos.

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    I promise this picture isn't proof of the ghost of weddings past. My gown was still stuffed with tissue paper from the seamstress so that it wouldn't wrinkle. As it hung on the canopy bed, Erwin took an eerie photograph.

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    Later, Erwin asked if he could remove the stuffing from the dress to take another picture. Here she is, merrily waiting for me to slip in and zip up.

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    I loved these Choos something fierce. The silver silk matched my gown perfectly, in non matchy-matchy sort of way. They were an eBay steal and almost too pretty to wear.

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    My cousin and bridesmaid, Monica, brought her pretty pink iPod to our hotel suite. We sang the tunes of Ne-yo as we got dressed.

    Notice the paper her iPod is resting on? That, my friends, is an anal bride's wedding day schedule, neatly color-coded and planned to the minute. I also included phone numbers of all the vendors and bridal party. Everyone received a copy (with extras, in case someone should lose or forget it somewhere). As bridezilla-ish as it may seem, my well-planned timeline was a total blessing. No one asked me a single schedule-related question because it was all down on paper.

    I also want to mention that although I planned every minute, I never intended to be a stickler about it. The schedule was merely a tool to keep us organized and ensure that we had room for all our activities. My wedding planning motto? Over plan and then let go!

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    Can anyone guess what the background for this ring shot was?

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    While Ray with the boys, he grabbed a shot of Mr. Eggplant's cufflinks.

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    Here is a photo of my beloved crown jewels. The earrings and bracelet were both from Haute Bride in SF and the headpiece was made by Thomas Knoell, but purchased from Jin Wang in SF. I LOVED the piece that Thomas Knoell created for me.

    During my hunt for accessories, I had called the Thomas Knoell boutique in Long Island, thinking that I could get a better price through the company directly. I found the same headpiece at Jin Wang for significantly less, even after taxes. Go figure!

    A few hours into getting ready, I had to check out of our hotel suite and check into our complementary honeymoon suite. You see, I only booked the extra suite for one night. At 1pm, the hotel had to clean the room for the next guests. Thankfully, they were very generous with the late checkout time and they also let me check into our honeymoon suite a few hours early.

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    Erwin snapped a photo as we trekked through the hallways with half-finished 'dos.

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    Elevator picture!

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    Once we arrived in our new suite, Jen set up shop and went to town on my hair.

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    I just love this picture because my hair NEVER looks like this. I don't know how Jen made my locks so full without the use of hair extensions.

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    While Jen finished styling, the girls chit chatted and patiently waited.

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    My MOH wrote her toast on adorable colored note cards. Later, she gave this to me as a wedding keepsake. 

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    I helped my cousin into a necklace right before I hopped into my gown...

    I know I said I would write about our bridal emergency, but this post became quite picture-heavy. So, next up: The threads and how they unravel! 

  • The Sweetest Day: The Dashing Gents

    On the wedding day, brides spend their morning meticulously primping and pruning for hours on end. Each eyebrow hair is diligently combed in place. Each lash, carefully coated with mascara. Conversely, a groom's job is easy. Rent tux. Show up. Remember to say "I do."

    So, how DO those boys keep busy? 

    All photos are property of Apertura Photography. Please do not repost without due credit.

    On Mr. Eggplant's side of the camp, he took his guys out for morning brunch. Notice their relaxed demeanor. Oblivious to the wedding day maddness, these boys chugged OJ and chatted up fantasy sports. See Mr. Eggplant's Mets jersey? Needless to say, he picked out his own outfit. If he had his way with the wedding, we would've been married at Shea Stadium, dressed in jerseys and pinstripe baseball pants.

    Mr. Eggplant is notorious for wearing Crocs. He wears them in the house, out to work, here, there, and EVERYWHERE. The only fitting gift for his groomsmen was a pair of Crocs for each of them. Here they are, neatly stuffed with post it labels, noting the names of their lucky new owners.

    Even boys appreciate a pretty place to primp. I requested an early check in for my honeymoon suite so the guys could don their duds in style.

    One of the groomsmen finally convinced Mr. Eggplant to remove that stinkin' Mets jersey and replace it with a proper jacket and tie.

    Croc's, on the other hand... a small bribe might be in order.

    Perhaps a pair of Mets cufflinks will do? This was my wedding day gift to Mr. Eggplant. I hid them in the pocket of his tux jacket. Something he'll probably never wear again, but it was worth the picture.

    Here, Mr. Eggplant's groomsman is showing him some fly dance moves to use at the reception.

    At around 1pm, Stacey, our floral designer and day-of-coordinator extraodinaire, showed up to deliver the flowers and help pin the corsages onto the helpless men.

    While the gals woke up at 8am and proceeded to ready themselves for six long hours, it took all of half an hour for the boys to dress and go. They spent the remaining hours modeling for a GQ-inspired photo shoot and tinkering with the AV set up in our reception room (pictures to come).

    Next up: A bridal emergency ensues while the guys turn GQ/Vanity Fair!

  • The Sweetest Day: Primped & Prettied

    Hello, dear hive.

    Long time, no blog! It's Mrs. Eggplant here, back from my sabbatical in the land of the married. Well, it has been nine months since the wedding and I have yet to post a recap of our wedding photos. Between nesting and working, I've been a negligent blogger. I do apologize!

    I can't move on from my wedding without some closure, so over the next few weeks, I'll finally be posting our pro pictures from the amazingly talented Apertura, along with some of our wedding DIY projects. These posts are long overdue, but better late than never, right? Right. So off we go:

    After seven months, I still smile when I revisit our wedding photos. People say that a wedding is just one day, merely a kickoff for a couple's lives together. But, boy, what a day it is. Our wedding was the most perfect 12 hours of my life—not because I perfectly executed my pre-wedding projects (believe me, I didn't!). The day was made perfect because I married my favorite person in the world and all of the people I cherish were there to celebrate with me, laughing, dancing, and having the time of their lives. I can't imagine what could possibly top that.

    The day began at our reception venue, Garden Court Hotel. I reserved a room the night before so that the ladies and I would have a gorgeous room to pretty ourselves in. Garden Court is a four-star luxury boutique hotel with impeccable service. For the price of a discounted standard room, GC upgraded me to a two-room suite complete with a king size bed, fold-out sofa, and a vanity ($500 if I had paid out of pocket). The suite was gorgeous, with tons of natural light and decorated in pretty colors. I used the space to have one last single gal slumber party.

    The morning of the wedding started off without a hitch. I woke up in my hotel suite at 8am, surrounded by my favorite women. My friends, the selfless gals that they are, walked down to the corner coffee shop and brought me back a cup of Peet's and a pastry. Coffee wasn't the best morning beverage for a jittery bride, especially on an empty stomach. As I sipped my warm latte, I could feel the butterflies multiplying in my tummy.

    But there was no time to be nervous. By 10am, hair and makeup had arrived and we got busy primping. Jen, my awesome hairstylist, set my hair in rollers with a shocking amount of hairspray and shooed me off to Nam for a bridal makeup treatment...

    All photos are property of Apertura Photography. Please do not repost without due credit. Click to enlarge.

    I cannot sing enough praise about Nam Vo + team. She was everything I hoped for in a makeup artist: professional, efficient, and talented. I wish I had a "before" picture to show you the ashy skin on my cheeks and hideous dark circles under my eyes. I had high hopes for my makeup after a successful trial. Just as I expected, Nam nimbly performed her magic. My pale haggard face was transformed into a blushing, beaming bride. Amazing! Here she is in action:

    Nam brought along the notes she had taken during my trial.

    I was tickled pink as Nam gently applied the ever-so-popular blush color, Orgasm by Nars, on my cheeks.

    Nam recently relocated to New York this summer, so if you live in the big apple and are looking for a makeup artist, I recommend her without hesitation!

    While Nam was making me up, Jen finished styling the locks of my lovely ladies. They chose their own hairstyles and each of them looked stunning.

    I kept a watchful eye on my cell phone clock. Luckily, I had planned a few hours of cushion time in case of emergency—hours that were a life saver during a bridal emergency later in the day.

    A last, lone moment of reflection before the real craziness begins...

    Next up: Those dashing gents + Mr. Eggplant opens my wedding day gift to him!