Living with someone isn't easy. Since I don't currently live with my beaux, marriage is going to be a drastic change. I haven't shared a bedroom since my college dorm years. Even then, I kept a large piece of chalk handy so I could keep the room equally divided into two. I kid. But really, I'm not used to sharing and I'm a little apprehensive about moving in with Mr. Eggplant after the wedding.

Today I was thinking of all my quirky habits that are bound to annoy him, and here are a few from the list:

1. When I change CDs in my CD player, I shove the "old" CD into the closest empty case I can grab. Usually, it ends up in the case of the "new" CD I'm listening to. Mr. Eggplant is a stickler about organization. He even labels his dresser drawers. He's going to hate finding John Mayer's CD in the jewel case for Top Gun's soundtrack.
2. I sleep on the right side of my bed. On the left side is a large pile of clothes that resembles Andre the Giant. Where is Mr. Eggplant going to sleep? Hmm. The bathtub is usually free of clothes.
3. I have about 582 items on my bathroom counter, most of which look like they're part of a high school chemistry set (q-tips, day moisturizer, night moisterizer, sunscreen, face wash, cotton swabs, toner, face masks, contact solution, spray gel, leave-in conditioner, and a bevy of other colored liquids...) Mr. Eggplant has three items on his bathroom counter: soap, toothbrush, and toothpaste.
4. I am absolutely NOT a morning person. If Mr. Eggplant wants to hang out with Dr. Jekyll and avoid Mr. Hyde, he'll need to stay far, far away until: 1) At least three hours have passed since rising from bed, and 2) I've had a steaming hot cup of Peet's coffee. Mr. Eggplant, on the other hand, is a morning person. In the mornings, he loves belting JT's "sexy back" at 180 decibels. Oh, and he hates coffee.
5. I set my clocks 23 minutes fast to help me wake up earlier in the mornings. Except it doesn't work; when I hear my alarm, I hit the snooze and think, "ZZzzzZZZ.... mmmm... 23 more minutes... ZzZzZZzzz..."

1. Having someone to talk to all the time.
2. Twice the credit cards! J/K. heh. Having a personal financial advisor (Mr. Eggplant is the money manager, and a good one at that.)
3. Learning to be more other-centered and less self-centered (e.g. sharing the laptop when I want to blog).
4. Cooking for two instead of one.
5. Living with my best friend!

I have a place to live!!!

You guys don't know how much this was stressing me out. With all the craziness that has been going on with wedding planning, Mr. Eggplant and I had no idea where we were going to live.  But just today, Mr. Eggplant signed paperwork for our very... first... condo!

NEAT-o.

Here's the floorplan:

*Furniture renderings courtesy of moi.

It's a bit small.... about 700 square feet small. (Yikes.)

Ok, so it's not Beverly Hills. BUT it's functional, cozy, and located at a great area of SF. And it'll be filled with love. There's plenty of couch space for visitor sleepovers too!

I wish I could tell you the whole story about how we got this condo. It means so much more to me than just a first home. The short story goes something like this: I really, really wanted to live in the city. Not only do I work near the city so that a home here would decrease my monsterous commute from 45 minutes to 15, but one of the major reasons I want to live in the city was because I have a heart for the people. I have a desire to serve the under priviledged and I can't do that living in suburbia. Soup kitchens in Pleasantville? I don't think so. Also, most of my friends and close community reside in the city and I really wanted to live near them.

Unfortunately, housing prices in the city are through-the-roof. I mean seriously crazy. At market rate, our condo is being sold for a little under $600,000. Can you believe it?? 600K! For 700 square feet! That's like $857.14 per square foot. Do you know what you could do with 600K? You could feed a small island for a week!

Well, Mr. Eggplant read about a housing lottery that was happening. He entered the lottery to qualify for a handful of first time home buyer affordable housing units. You can probably guess the rest of the story. Yup. Mr. Eggplant won the housing lottery. I mean, out of 4000+ entries, he was one of the few people that won! What are the chances?

Basically, he got to purchase a brand new condo at a ridiculous, unheard of low price. It's practically a "buy-a-house-in-Alaska" price.... Ok, it's a tiny bit more than that, but you get the picture. There's absolutely no way we'd be able to afford to live in the city and save money for Mr. Eggplant's tuition without this lottery (he's planning on going back to school to get another degree soon).

I can't wait until the condos are done so that we can move in!

The only problem is, I'm not sure where Mr. Eggplant is going to store his clothes...

 Last fall, I was blessed to watch my cousin and his wife get married in an intimate Monterey ceremony located at the beautiful Monterey Memory Garden (I loved their ceremony location and would definitely recommend it to anyone planning a central coast wedding). After we the ceremony, we walked over to the reception, which was was held on the top floor of the lovely Monterey Marriott a few blocks away. The reception venue was gorgeous as well, with windows surrounding the entire room so that guests would have a breathtaking view of the city.

I know you brides-to-be appreciate seeing real weddings in the real world with real budgets, so here are some pictures below:

Walking to the ceremony... I always need my Peet's in the morning!

When we got there, fresh lemonade and coffee were waiting for us.

The lovely bride escorted by her mother.

A picture of the rose petals strewn over the aisle. I love the red against the muted colors of the garden!

To match the Monterey theme, my cousin and his wife performed a sand ceremony.

Red bridesmaid dresses and simple bouquets of gerber daisies. The red looked REALLY good against the white sand and stone.

These were our seating cards. The red leaf was for steak and yellow for fish.

Very simple centerpieces that were DIY. It was a glass bowl with water and a floating stargazer lily, gerber daisy, and rose.

A picture of the table. That's me and Mr. Eggplant plus my brother and his GF.

In lieu of a cake, they had a chocolate fountain. For the "cake cutting," they fed each other chocolate covered strawberries. Sweet!

After lunch, guests could access the balcony to take pictures against the backdrop of Monterey.

I know this wedding was one on a budget, but it was still gorgeous and fun! Some money saving tips: My cousin and his wife had a lunch reception which was less expensive, but allowed the guests to take advantage of the lovely view. Both ceremony and reception venues were already both so beautiful that they looked great with minimal decorations. The color palette was chosen well because the deep red accented the stark whites of Monterey; nothing more than a few rose petals were needed. Also, they also minimized all the unecessary "wedding stuff" (e.g. no favors, simple flowers, DIY centerpieces, simple DIY invitations, no cake). One nice touch: in memory of the parents on both the bride and groom's side that had passed away, my cousin and his wife placed framed pictures of their parents' weddings at the reception check-in table.

The best part of the day? I didn't just go home thinking, "What a beautiful wedding!" Instead, the impression that was left was, "What a beautiful marriage!" 

Guess what came in the mail today.



I love them! And I'm so happy that they are sooo much prettier in person than in the eBay auction pictures. I'm tempted to wear them now, but i'll store them in a safe place for the wedding.







Seriously though, the reason why I'm so excited is because I have trouble finding shoes that fit me, but these Choos fit perfectly.

Aren't they just lovely? If you like 'em, I saw the seller post a newpair on eBay recently. Just search for "Jimmy Choo Silver" and they should comeup. They run at least 1/2 size small and are definitely narrow if they fit my skeleton feet, so I'd suggest you know youractual size in this brand before purchasing.

Happy am I.  

Because it's even more important to work on the relationship than the wedding planning, Mr. Eggplant and I are going to a three-day marriage conference this weekend. It's called "A Weekend to Remember" and it's hosted by Family Life, an organization that focuses on guidance for the most important matters of family life: marriage, parenting, and other real-life issues; with the goal of preserving the sanctity of marriage and family. It'll be good for us to have some guidance since marriage will be a drastic life-change for us because we don't currently live together.

I know that deep, intimate relationships take a lot of work. I expecting that marriage will bring out both the worst and best, in Mr. Eggplant and I. I'm sure we'll disagree, argue, and make-up a million times. But we've both agreed that divorce won't be an option for us and marriage itself is worth preserving.

Mr. Mr. Eggplant and I also attended a pre-marital counseling session a month ago with our pastor. Did you know that the top issues that couples fight about are:
1. Money
2. Sex
3. Career
4. Child Rearing
5. Housework

Mr. Eggplant I have talked about these topics quite often (especially money), and here's what we've come up with:

1. Money: Mr. Eggplant and I have very different money philosophies. He's conservative and practical. I'm definitely impulsive and spend quite a bit more than he does. I know the bulk of our conflicts will revolve around this subject. But I can also say that since we've been together, I've learned to adopt more of his money-saving tendencies (which are much more conservative than my shopoholic habits, so this is probably a good thing).
2. Career: I don't have an urge to climb to the top of the corporate ladder, so hopefully this won't be a big issue for us. I'd happily be a stay-at-home mom (and have a side wedding business ) if Mr. Eggplant's income permits me not to work. But right now my work hours are longer than his, so if I don't adjust my schedule, I can see this growing into a hot topic. I mean, who's going to feed him if I don't come home? Also, there's a good chance that we'll need relocate to another area when he goes back to school for an advanced degree and I may be reluctant to move.
3. Housework: I predict this will be another hot topic. Mr. Eggplant is a germaphobe while my motto is, "If God made dirt...". I can go without doing laundry for a month. But that might also be because I have a department store's worth of clothing in my closet. So far he's agreed to wash the dishes and take out the trash if I clean the bathrooms (toilets, tubs, sinks)... Hmmm... who thinks he's getting the better end of the deal?

The conference this weekend will be good preparation for us. If you're interested, they hold conferences across the nation. 

I'll tell you how it goes!

Oh boy, I'm in trouble. I just bought myself a pair of rather extravagant wedding shoes...
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.
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without trying them on...
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from eBay (translate: non returnable)...

But how could I say "no" to these?

 


(The style name is "Saff" by Jimmy Choo. They're made of satin with a 3.75 inch heel, and are a shade of light silver.)

$735 for these Ocsar worthy heels

Treat yourself for $650

Your "something blue" for $679

Stuart Weitzman: Pricier shoes, but Stuart Weitzman has mastered the art of rhinestones embellishments on sandals. Zappos often has sales on older styles of this brand.

$298 for these 3-rhinestone sandals

$375 for these lovelies

$225 and they come in white also

Dikuza: For most of of us aren't able to forgo our rent for shoes, Dikuza sells totally unique, indulgent sandals for non-indulgent prices! I can't vouch for the quality because I haven't purchased a pair yet, but I'm planning to get some fun pink shoes for the reception.

$130! Boo that they don't come in silver though.

True luxury for $105. Gorgeous, aren't they?

$100!! Can't beat the price. I might just get these for fun.

Other Oscar-worthy heels: Brian Atwood heels from Saks, Kate Spade and Guiseppi Zanotti sandals are from Zappos.

My dream shoes! Too bad they're $695 (!?!)

$299 for these, but they only come in ivory

If you can cough up $554, these would be perfect for casual wedding

Now that I've finished writing about all the lovely heels I've debated over, I feel less guilty for purchasing my pair of Choos. (Haha, get it? Choos/Shoes... as in "Jimmy Choos"?... Ah, nevermind.) I purchased them for quite a steal considering they're Jimmy Choos. Plus, the sandals are versatile enough that I will actually wear them again after the wedding is over. I can pair 'em up with a black cocktail dress and I've got myself a Christmas party outfit. But since I absolutely LOVE (and was previously obsessed with) those Brian Atwood heels I posted above, I might purchase a pair of rhinestone shoe clips to give myshoes a little kick.

Absolutely Audrey has some beautiful shoe clips as does eBay. What do you think of these?

Ah, the infamous dress search: a bride's long-awaited pampering experience. Finding the perfect dress should be a piece of cake, right?

Well, maybe for some brides, but not for this indecisive one (*points at myself*)! I must have tried on thousands of yards of satin, lace, and taffeta before I found my perfect gown. It took me quite a while before I found a dress I absolutely loved. And even now, I still have second thoughts! But, finding a wedding dress was a fun and often arduous process. For memory's sake, I scoured the internet for pictures of the dresses that I tried on. I want to remember this entire wedding planning process for years to come and many of the bridal salons I visited did not allow cameras. You can read my dress journey documented below.


First stop: Trudy's in San Jose, CA

I reviewed this store (and a few others) in an earlier entry so I'll save the repetition and get straight to the good stuff: the dresses, of course!

At Trudy's, my very first wedding gown experience, I tried on six or seven gowns. They had some very affordable potentials, including some gorgeous, reasonably priced gowns by European designer Pronovias. Not many stores in the bay area carry this designer. The front runners were these two beauties (by Pronovias):

The train on this gown was detatchable and the dress could be converted into a sexy party number for the reception.

Made of raw silk, this gown could easily be converted to strapless, which was a requirement for my dress of choice.

Second stop: Gabrielle's Bridal in Los Gatos, CA

At Gabrielle's quaint little shop, was personally assisted by Gabrielle, the owner. She helped me narrow my favorites down to two Melissa Sweet gowns plus one Ines di Santo:

The Melissa Sweet "Mila" was a side-gathered dress with a darling flower bow. It was very unique because the dress bustled on the side.

I loved the crystal detailing on this Ines di Santo, but there was the bust shape didn't look right on me.

To this day, I still love this dress. I almost purchased the infamous "Lia" gown and it's still a top contender in my books.

Third stop: Unique Bride in Burlingame, CA

My stop at the Unique Bride (which has a large selection of beautiful gowns) happened to coincide with a Monique Lhullier trunk show, so I had the chance to try on these two amazing gowns by ML:

The two-tone coloring of this dress was beautiful and made me feel like a princess, but I was looking for something with a mermaid shape.

I loved the simple elegance of this dress and considered buying it with a jeweled satin belt, but the price tag even with discount was a bit high.

Fourth Stop: Clarissa Bridal in Walnut Creek

I visited Clarissa in particular to try on Jenny Lee gowns (they are one of two shops that sell Jenny Lee in Northern CA). These two Jenny Lees and one Monique Lhullier were in the running for the finals:

This Jenny Lee gown had the sweetest rose adornment right in the middle of the bust.

I loved, loved, loved the sweetheart neckline on this Jenny Lee! I didn't end up getting it because I wanted more embellishments on my gown.

This very dreamy ML dress truly had me feeling like a walking fairy tale.Unfortunately the dropped waist accentuated my short 5'2" frame.

Fifth Stop: Amy Kuschel Bride in SF, CA

My experience at Amy Kuschel was top three out of all the bridal salons I visited (third to Marina Morrison and Alexandra which I'll review in a later entry). The space was so beautiful and their gowns were all simple, yet stunning, and custom-made for each bride's measurements! These three dresses made it onto the "maybe" list:

Made of delicate lace, this dress was a steal at approx. $3400. I tried a similar dress by another designer priced closer to $6000.

The side rouching of this gown was very unique and pretty.

This custom-made gown cut specifically to a bride's body along with a gorgeous satin belt cost less than $2500! (Bolero extra.)

Sixth Stop: Alexandra Bridal Salon in SF, CA

Let me premise this by saying that I bought my dress here so I might be biased, but I LOVED the dress selection at this posh salon. Stepping in here was a sigh of relief. It was like they hand-picked all the best gowns in my taste and set them all out on racks for me to browse through. Here are my favorite numbers:

This dress by Priscilla of Boston actually looked a lot better in person than it does in this picture, however it was still a litte too "geometric"on my small frame.

Gorgeous gown by Romona Keveza! It fit all my requirements: Sweetheart, mermaid, satin, and rhinestones. Second choice gown had I not fell in love with mine.

And of course, my gown. I actually never would've picked it off the rack to try on. My bridal consultant selected it for me. This dress was similar to the Romona, but fit me better, and I got a deal at the trunk show!

Seventh Stop: Marina Morrison in SF, CA

Yes, I'm well aware that I already purchased my dress before I made a stop to Marina Morrison to try on even more gowns. I heard so much great things about the salon that I had to take a visit. And let me tell you, they definitely live up to their reputation. The dresses here are timeless. But the real reason I visited was to convince myself that there was no need to feel buyer's remorse for purchasing my Ines Di Santo so quickly. Luckily, my feelings were confirmed. I found some beautiful dresses here, but they I didn't love them as much as my prior purchase. Here are a few of the lovely gowns I tried on at MM:

This gorgeous gown was architecturally constructed by Judd Waddell. It was really quite stunning, but I wanted something a little more embellished.

A romantic, timeless number by Judd Waddell that would have looked perfect against my mediterranean-style venue.

Lian Carlo designed this classic number. The material was summery and light, like wearing a cloud! I loved it, but it wasn't quite right for my Fall wedding.

All in all, I really loved the entire gown shopping experience and I'm a bit sad that it's over. I'm also quite relieved and overall satisfied with my selection. It'll be ready for my first fitting in August, so pictures to come!

Eee-gads--they've done it!

Kirstie Kelly has teamed up with Disney to create a line of dresses inspired by the Disney princesses. I can just imagine the news headlines that will be directly correlated to these new beauties... "Psychologists Report an Increased Diagnosis of Princess Syndrome in Female Patients!"

The dresses are actually quite beautiful and not as "Disney" as I thought they might be. A girl would truly feel like a princess walking down the aisle in one of these.

Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)

 


Belle (Beauty and the Beast)

   

Cinderella

 

Hello!

Please excuse the mess--I'm just moving in (translated: transferring all my entries over from my other journal to Xanga), so nevermind if you see 20 entries posted on April 16! Xanga doesn't seem to allow back-dating of entries.

Anyway, I hope to share with you all my wedding planning experience. I'm getting married in October of this year and I'm having a blast with all the planning details. I can't wait to read all of yours as well!

See ya around!

-K