April 16, 2007

  • April 12, 2007

    wii love websites

    A friend of Mr. Eggplant volunteered to design our wed-site, printed material material (invitation, programs, slides, etc.), and basically establish an overall look-and-feel to the web and print elements of our wedding. He offered to do all of this for one small exchange: a Nintendo Wii (which I can tell you, securing one of these babies waas harder than finding a needle in a haystack).

    I just got a mock-up of our website yesterday. I love it! Mr. Eggplant is going to suggest some small adjustments to the olive green color, which is a tad too "fall," but otherwise I'm quite pleased. The "better together" theme is something we're going to incorporate throught our wedding. If time permits, we're even going to create a cute music video using "Better Together" by Jack Johnson.

    We have quite a bit to do in just a few months, but hopefully we can pull it off!

  • April 12, 2007

    pier 1 inspiration

    Everyone loves a sale. Pier 1 has some neat stuff on discount, great for decorating an outdoor summer wedding. (Sale ends 4/19.)



    Only $18.50 for a strand of 10 lamps.




    Pair them up with a set of table lamps for merely $6 each.





    Garden tea lights, on sale for $7.50 (set of 3)




    You can hang the lanterns on a Shepard's Hook (not on sale, but only $10 each). Perhaps lining a walkway towards an entrance if you're hosting your reception at a home or estate?



    Decorate your shabby chic reception with these totallly cute napkin rings for only $1.50 each!

  • April 11, 2007

    having my cake and eating it too!

    I must say that cake tasting is defintely the funnest part of wedding planning. Mr. Eggplant and I went cake tasting last weekend for the first time and we had a blast! Our tasting was scheduled with Marcus Coy over at Draeger's Bakery. He was talented, professional, and fed us so much cake that I had an entire box of cake slices to take home. I ate cake for the next three meals (note: not good for the wedding diet). Marcus is a seasoned baker who has been making cakes professionally since 1978 so he's seen everything under the sun in terms of wedding cakes. Since Marcus was only our first potential cake vendor, I've scheduled a few more tastings for this weekend before we make our final decision.

    I'm actually quite lucky that Mr. Eggplant let me get a cake at all. When I first started planning the wedding, I knew that I wanted a chocolate fountain, which will be costing us a hefty sum of about $10 per person. We didn't have it in the budget to afford both a wedding cake and a chocolate fountain, so I promised Mr. Eggplant that I'd compromise: I'd cut the cake out of the wedding if I could get my chocolate fountain (Good thing Mr. Eggplant is a stickler for budgets because if it were left to me, we'd be eating ramen noodles for the next two years after paying for the wedding). When I started wedding planning, I came across so many pictures of beautiful, creative cakes that I couldn't bear to have a wedding without one.

    Well, Mr. Eggplant relented and allowed me a small budget for a simple cake. Unfortuantely, with the sky high wedding prices in the SF bay area, we won't be able to afford anything fancy. In fact, I don't think we'll be able to purchase a cake large enough to feed all of our guests (the guest count is 175+ and our cake budget will feed around 125 or possibly 150 if the pieces are cut small). I figure it'll be ok because many of my friends have told me that they didn't touch the cake at the weddings they've been to. On wedding day, I plan to schedule the cake cutting during the time our chocolate fountain is served. We definitely have enough chocolate to go around so hopefully, at least 1/4th of our guests will be having so much fun dipping berries into melted cocoa that they won't even miss the cake.

    Nevertheless, I get to have my cake and eat it too!

    While browsing the 'net, I found some darling wedding cakes at elegala.com: 



    This cake would complement any wedding palette.




    So simple, yet elegant.




    How adorable are these pink swirls?




    Ok, not so simple of a design, but pretty darn cute for a pink-and-brown bride.

    If you have any designs for simple, pretty wedding cakes, I'd love to see them!

  • April 10, 2007

    recipe for marriage

    Mr. A is a marketer by profession, which just happens to be quite helpful for our wedding. Why, you ask? Well, he views our wedding as one giant marketing campaign with one cohesive message. It's a benefit to me, because he's actually quite involved in the whole planning process, down to the tiniest details. He'll even give me an honest opinion on what kind of candles he prefers with our candy buffet. :)

    Before I was introduced to the wonderful world of marketing, I never quite thought of having a themed wedding before (e.g. beach wedding, Disney wedding, etc). But as I've been dreaming up ideas about how to label our dinner tables, I decided that I didn't want to simply use numbers. I dabbled with the idea of using places that Mr.     A and I have visited, but it still didn't seem "us" enough. Recently, Mr. A     came up with the idea of using restaurants that we've been to. We LOVE eating out. We'll eat anywhere from taco trucks to fine dining establishments. Dining out is one of our major pastimes so I think it'll be a great idea. I'm thinking of create a cute picture frames for each table with a description of why the particular restaurant is meaningful to us and suggest some of our favorite menu items.

    Also, as wedding favors or place cards, I'm thinking of attaching heart-shaped cookie-cutters to this recipe that Mr. A wrote to me during the first month of our relationship:

    The Recipe for Love and Marriage.

    --- ingredients ---
    1 1/2 cup Humility (broken Humility preferred)
    2 Whole Hearts (hearts may not be reused)
    3 tbsp. Chemistry
    10 cups of Forgiveness
    2 Short Memories
    1 can of Patience filling
    2 tsp. Thyme (can use Time as substitute)
    300 lbs. of Sacrifice
    700 lbs. of Respect
    1 dozen moments of Happenstance
    1 tsp. of Moolah
    1 common Desire
    1 Savior

    --- preparation ---
    1.  Set oven to Certain degree.  Butter up pan before mixing ingredients.  Use Happenstance when available.
    2.  Put in 2 Whole Hearts and Chemistry in pan.  Mix carefully.  Gently stir in Humility.
    3.  Sprinkle in Thyme as things solidify.  Continue adding Thyme as needed. (Caution: too much Thyme my ruin the dish) Massage in with Patience.
    4.  When things start to heat up, add water, Forgiveness, and Short Memories.  You may also use up any remaining Happenstance.
    5.  Add Moolah when needed.  No Moolah makes the dish harden and difficult to swallow.  A dab of Moolah usually suffices.  Too much makes everything go sour.
    6.  Lay out Desires over Serving plate.  Remove any unwanted Desires.
    7.  Mix Sacrifice and Respect in separate bowl.  Pour over Desires creating a layer of pie Trust. (Caution: Contents may be heavy.)
    8.  Take pan contents and distribute over pie Trust and Serving plate.
    9.  Cover with Savior.

    Serves: a lifetime.

    I like the idea of incorporating into our wedding moments that are meaningful to us from the first months of our dating. We'll have a chance to give our friends and family a deeper idea of what our relationship is all about. :)

  • April 10, 2007

    one less thing to worry about

    Practically every vendor that I've been speaking with has recommended that Mr. Eggplant and I hire a wedding coordinator. Even our lighting vendor told us that if we had to choose, a day-of coordinator is better a much better investment than pink uplighting. Knowing the amount of time, thought, effort, and money that we've invested into the event, I've decided that it's in our best interest to get a wedding coordinator for the day of the event.

    Although it would save me time (and perhaps money) to hire a coordinator to guide me through the planning the entire event, I actually want to plan most of it ourselves because I'm really enjoying the process. When the big day finally arrives, it'll be neat knowing that Mr. Eggplant and I can be proud of the event. After all of our blood, sweat, and tears, we'll have put together a (hopefully) spectacular day for our friends and family.

    With that being said, when my floral designer offered to set-up the reception room with our favors and coordinate with our vendors on the day of the wedding, I asked if her if she would, for an additional fee, be interested in coordinating both our wedding rehearsal and wedding day along with doing our floral design (it just so happens that she has plenty of wedding coordination experience so I lucked out). I figured that since she would playing such a large role in designing the event and would already be on-site during the day of the wedding, it would be a win-win situation to have her coordinate our wedding day: we'd get a day-of coordinator for less than it would cost to hire an additional body and she'd receive extra income for time that she would already be spending with us.

    To my delight, she happily accepted. So in addition to florals, our designer will also be contacting all our vendors during the month before the event, creating a wedding timeline, coordinating the rehearsal and wedding day, and providing any other necessary support. I'll be dropping off all of our place cards, favors, candy buffet supplies, etc. to her during the week before D-day so I'll have less to worry about. My apprehension is slightly relieved knowing that we'll have someone experienced at our wedding taking care of all the little mishaps that are bound to happen.

    If one of your vendors is greatly invested in designing your wedding, has experience in wedding coordination, and you don't have a coordinator yet, it might not hurt to ask if they'd be interested in coordinating the day-of!  If it works out, you'll save big bucks for a day-of coordinator and they'll earn some nice extra money. :) Just make sure that they have the necessary experience and qualifications!

  • April 7, 2007

    the bridal bee, issue #1
    It's already been 2.5 months since Mr. Eggplant and I have been engaged and there's less than 7 months left until the wedding. I can't believe that we're attempting to plan a dream wedding in merely 9 months. If I had my preference, I'd make sure we had at least 14 months to plan. But Mr. Eggplant wants to start our lives together as soon as possible and I'd have to agree that he has his priorities straight (although the part of me that wants a perfect wedding sometimes protests).

    With less than 7 months to go, I haven't even introduced the bridal party to each other yet. So I just created and sent out the first "newsletter" to the girls. A few of the girls haven't met each other yet so I thought it would be nice to write up a little summary and update them on things like contact info, cost of makeup artists, and where Mr. Eggplant and I are in the planning process. I also added pictures of some bridesmaid dresses and asked for their opinions. But my favorite part of writing the newsletter was the introduction section. I had a chance to tell the girls just how special each of them are to me. :)

     
    It's not as fancy as other newsletters I've seen, but the girls loved it, nevertheless! I converted it to PDF format so that they could still access the web links to bridesmaid dresses and email addresses.

  • vintage-inspired bridal attire

    I was shopping online--err, I mean working-- today and found this:



    How cute is that? Buy it at shopjuici.com. I could totally picture having an intimate garden wedding and wearing a vintage-inspired wedding gown (like the ones below) with this headband.




    (from Saks Fifth Avenue)




    (from trashydiva.com)


    Apparently stars love the headbands too.

  • stuff for the home, stuff for the wedding

    I just read today's daily candy and how cute are these (from modern-twist.com)?

    PJ Pocket Pillows:

     

    Adorable, soft, storage containers for pajamas, and all sorts of goodies. Use them for home storage or fill them with personalized tee's and make-up kits for some creative bridesmaid gifts!


     

    Practical (and handsome) wine glass markers that double as napkin ring holders, or perhaps wedding favors for your place settings. You could even use them while hosting a wine party at your house to choose your dinner wines!

  • you've got mail -- the engagement story (a.k.a the longest engagement story ever!)
    I posted this on my other journal, but then I started this separate wedding journal so that I wouldn't scare off my other friends with wedding obsession. :) I'm adding my engagement story here as a my fondest memory of this whole engagement period of my life.

    The engagement story (written on January 22, 2007, three days after we got engaged)

    I feel like the theme of this past weekend was “overflow.” I received so much love over the past few days, and it all felt like an overflow of God’s love for me expressed through the love and support of others. I also realized that my relationship with A is not really about us. Our engagement night was not about us, or even me. Everything that I experienced and felt was a testimony of God's affection for me expressed through the amazing relationship that He has brought into my life and the beautiful people He has surrounded with. I truly felt an overflow this weekend and was indescribable.  And with that thought, I will attempt to capture the evening with my feeble (and long-winded) words, although I know they will not do the night justice.


    Four Seasons: Prologue

    Girls dream about their E-day from the minute they can utter the words "Prince Charming." Perhaps we watch too many Disney movies as little girls. Roses, candles, glass slippers, and sky writing via airplanes all come to mind when a girl imagines her future wedding day. I always told A that I didn't want a huge fancy diamond or anything. I just wanted our E-day to be meaningful, and a story that we could keep for the rest of our lives.

    Well, he certainly delivered!

    On Thursday night before I left the office, my manager told me that she needed me to be in the office early on Friday to tie up some loose ends for a project. Being the obedient employee that I am, I agreed and arrived at the office bright and early on Friday morning. When I reached my cube, sitting on my desk was a small white mailbox with its flag neatly standing upright.

    My boss must have left a treat for me,     I thought. She's the kind of person that leaves flowers and gifts on our desks to show her appreciation for our efforts.

    I opened the mailbox and inside was an envelope sealed with a gold sticker, a map with directions and an agenda, and a gift certificate to the     Claremont Resort & Spa-- the most elite pampering facility in the bay area.

    And that was how my day began. :)


    Season 1: Transformation

    A and I talked about getting engaged quite a few times before he proposed. We joked about it often and wedding plans were a regular topic of conversation. I knew that E-day was around the corner, but when I actually received that first white mailbox, it felt surreal-- like I was playing the lead female role in a movie or something. Do you know the feeling?

    Anyway, back to the story...

    I removed the white envelope from the mailbox and unsealed it. Inside was a letter from A:

    Hi Beautiful. By now you've already figured it out and you're probably telling yourself, "I knew it!" Well, you probably did. Honey always knows these things. And, with the little mystery I still have left, I'll try to make this day extra-special.

    Now, some explanation. First, this initial mailbox represents Transformation-- the word that brought our souls together. We've come a long way in our relationship and it all began with our love for God and what He's done in our lives. He's taken us both from our old habits of sin and restored us with His Spirit -- and now that it's in writing, it does sound a bit hokey, but it's true! Hopefully this spa day will help you feel "renewed."

    Second, why "seasons"? Well, aside from the obvious fact that you wanted to work at the Four Seasons, I think we have a similar perspective on life-- God works in seasons. Transformation does not happen overnight-- it's a slow gradual process-- but there are markers, seasons, that encapsulate the essence of each life-stage. Also, in "K and A" language, you are the luxurious Four Seasons while I am an economical Holiday Inn.

    Third, mailboxes... oh yes, this little container. As you might have guessed, this idea came from a movie we watched this year, "The Lake House." The selection of romantic comedies we've watched over the past 18 months is a bit limited, so instead of hand-crafting a canoe or buying you a dog     [a reference from "Must Love Dogs"-- the first romantic comedy we watched together], I thought, "Hey, these mailboxes are cute and they're only a buck!" Yep, I got them at Target, just in case you're wondering. =)

    There was more in the letter, but it's pretty mushy and sweet and it might make you gag a little, so I'll leave it out of the story. :)   A basically explained that I was to take the gift certificate and directions and drive to the Claremont for a full day of pampering (or as he called it, "Extreme Makeover: Engagement Edition"). My coworker (who was in on the whole thing-- A had planted the box in her hands earlier in the week) gave me a hug and shooed me off; I hopped into my car to embark on the greatest adventure of my life.


    Season 2: Growth

    Most people think I'm a girly girl. Some would venture to call me high maintenance. I'd disagree. Case in point: Before Friday I'd never stepped foot in a spa before. I'd never received a massage, a facial or even a manicure ever in my life. Once, a group of girlfriends and I went to a cheap nail salon for pedicures, but that was over 5 years ago. Besides my hair stylist, I hadn't pampered myself since. On Friday, I got the works! A planned the following schedule for my day at the spa:

    The Claremont Spa's Head to Toe Package
    9:45am - Arrive and tour of facilities
    10:00-10:50am - Therapeutic massage
    11:00-11:50am - Therapeutic facial
    12:00-1:50pm - Lunch and use of spa and gym facilities
    2:00-2:50pm - Manicure
    3:00-3:50pm - Pedicure

    Talk about pampering a girl!

    My massage was awesome. I really enjoyed my facial also. But the best surprise came as I was enjoying lunch at Paragon, a restaurant inside the Claremont Resort.

    I had just finished a delicious portabella mushroom sandwich and mixed green salad. Lunch included a delicious dessert of my choice so I ordered bread pudding. As I was taking a bite, I received a text message: You've got mail! Rebecca at Claremont Spa has something for you. At that moment, a pretty, polished woman in a black suit walked towards me. She handed me second small white mailbox, identical to the first. I opened the box and inside was another envelope sealed with a gold sticker and the following items:

    - The receipt from my first date with A at     Boulevard
    - Ticket stubs to all the movies A and I ever watched together
    - Ticket stubs to all the concerts, sporting events, and shows we've been to
    - A stack of business cards from restaurants we've dined at together

    (By this time, I was tearing up..... because of all of the dust from those old movie tickets, of course. :)

    When I opened the second envelope, the note inside read:

    Hi Honey. If things are going to plan, you're probably settling into your "comfort" zone. I hope you like this treatment. I picked "Head to Toe" because, well, you've never had a spa treatment before and I should start you off with the best...

    ...I think the second season of our relationship was a period of growth. I can't pinpoint the exact moments, conversations, or words that support this label, but we undoubtedly grew a lot. Perhaps it was due to all the "sharpening." =) You had to get used to my pride, insecurities, and non-gentleman-like behavior and I had to cope with your... well, princess-tendencies. In the end, I think we both clung onto God more than ever, and He eventually brought out a peaceful understanding in both of us. His grace really did abound... I think the more accurate thing to say is that we never stopped growing... My biggest lesson from God during this time was that I needed to really lead in humility. And thank you for sticking by my side during all of this, knowing that outward pride is one of your biggest pet peeves...

    ... At this time I want to give you tangible examples of how the world has grown during the time of our relationship: Britney went from "Baby One More Time" to "Having a Baby, One More Time"; YouTube quickly became a $1.6B company; the iPod mini turned into an iPod Nano; thanks to Al Gore, Sustainability is the new AIDS; the Federal Interest Rate rose from ~4% to 5.5%; my waist grew two sizes; and of course, the Mets became a serious playoff contender.     [A is a serious Met's fan... he's originally from NJ.]

    I hope you enjoy the rest of your lunch and spa session. Save room for tonight's dinner...

    Grace and Peace, A

    (Ok so, fellas, take notes. If you save stuff like movie ticket stubs and receipts from first dates, it will earn you HUGE deposits in the Girlfriend Bank. You'll be able to cash them out later for things like uninterrupted Superbowl games. Or a "get out of shopping free" card. Plus your deposits will earn a higher interest rate during the beginning of a relationship, so don't hesitate!)

    Back to the story:

    By the time I had finished my therapeutic massage, relaxing facial, and read the latest note from A, I had turned into a pile of squishy mush. I wiped my tears and gathered myself together to enjoy the rest of the afternoon spa activities.


    Season 3: Inspiration

    As I think back on my relationship with A, I know that we've come a long way. To think, in the beginning I doubted everything about us. I had a list of qualities I thought I wanted and needed in a guy. A turned out to be the opposite of everything on my list, but one million times better and so much more my match. And the funny thing is, all the issues that we bickered about in the beginning of our relationship are now all the characteristics that I love and appreciate about A. Somehow God knew exactly what I needed.

    My next two appointments, a pedicure and manicure, passed by quickly. While I was waiting at my locker wondering what to do next, two of my girlfriends, C & Y, suddenly walked through the door with a dress and a pair of shoes in hand. They also had a third white mailbox with them containing another envelope and a stack of forty bible verses printed on paper stock the size of business cards. These were memory verses that A had picked up in the beginning of our relationship. We always said that we would finish the 40 verses before we got engaged.

    I opened the A's third note to me. It read:

    Hi friend. Now, it's officially confirmed: your friends were in on it! =) You had probably suspected this when you found out today was the day. Well, now you know for sure! C & Y thought very hard about their little surprise visit.

    The bible verses are subtle reminders of our reliance on God. We never quite finished going through all the verses, but instead of rushing through them on every date, I thought to myself, "Hey, we have a lifetime together. She'll be my bible verse buddy."

    With that being said, the third season of our relationship is one of inspiration. One reason I chose "inspiration" is because we both found hobbies that brought out our creative sides... ...The shows we watched also inspired us. We may have seen enough home-improvement and cooking shows to write a book. I can still remember the week you first got cable-- it was a very vegetative week for us. And I didn't even mention one of your favorite shows, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." I think it's very cute when you talk about the inspiring, and sometimes depressing, stories. Each time, it reminds me of one of your most attractive traits-- empathy. I've never met anyone more compassionate and other-centered than you... I on the other hand, do not possess this trait, but I think that by being around you for a lifetime, I'll slowly become more compassionate and loving.

    ... I think we also developed a strong friendship during this season. I think we both learned a lot from each other and seemingly mundane actions are becoming more meaningful. I can honestly say you are my best friend. You know my deepest thoughts, my convictions, my tendencies, my natural reactions, my fears, and even my deepest sins. Sometimes I share too much with you, but most of the time I know it's for the best, because God put you here to remind me who I am-- especially when I forget and lose my way for a bit.

    F · R · I · E · N · D · S  forever, A

    *melts again after reading note for the 143th time*

    C and Y gave me the dress and shoes and instructed me to change. When I asked them where we were going, they said, "San Francisco!" That was pretty much all the information I could get out of them. We headed over the Bay Bridge and into the city where I had first met and gotten to know A.


    Season Four: Love

    As I grow older, I've been realizing that life is only as meaningful and purposeful as the relationships that we have. Whether it is our relationship with friends, family, or God, life is relationships. And I've been blessed to be surrounded with so many beautiful people and relationships in my life. With that thought, I just want to take a moment to tell everyone that played a part in E-day, I'm so grateful to have your presence in my life. I love you!

    When C, Y, and I reached the city, my girlfriends directed me park in the lot under Union Square. We left the lot and I walked with them arm-in-arm as they lead me to Postrio, Wolfgang Puck's restaurant inside the Prescott Hotel. A waitress seated us at a table in the bar where we ordered drinks and appetizers. Over calamari and wine, I shared my excitement and anxiousness with them. It was such a perfect, special moment to have these women by my side. Somehow A just knew that I would have wanted to share this adventure with a few close friends.

    We finished our drinks and C and Y walked me back the Union Square parking garage. I asked them where we were going, but all I got for an answer was, "You'll see!" When we reached my car, they instructed me to look for a fourth mailbox hidden somewhere in my car. As I frantically searched, I found the aluminum package neatly tucked within a cardboard box of random odds and ends inside my trunk. (Apparently A had delivered the box to my family who hid it inside my car in a place I'd never look. Pretty sneaky!) I opened the mailbox, and inside was a fourth sealed letter and a small black jewelry box containing a key.

    The letter read:

    Hi K.  "Seasons of Love," get it? 

    Well, the final season (of this chapter) is love. There's so much I want to say about this, but written words wouldn't do it justice. 

    Plus, I want to tell you the final words in person. Isn't that more romantic?!?  Please meet me at Union Square at 7pm sharp, on the bench in the middle of the square, where we sat on during our Boulevard date. And one last reminder, don't forget the key. We've come too far for this surprise to get ruined now! =)

    Have fun with your friends and I'll see you tonight!

    Love,     A

    (Some background info to the letter and the meeting place: A and I had our first date at Boulevard in SF. After dinner, we roamed the city streets for hours. We walked to Yerba Buena gardens, he took me to Maiden Lane to see where all the ad agencies live, and we finally ended up at a bench in Union Square where we talked all night until it was past SF curfew and a security guard came to clear the area.)

    I had a few minutes to spare before 7pm, so the girls and I all hopped into the back seat of my car. Y & C prayed for me and it was one of the sweetest moments of my life. I felt so at peace.

    They escorted me upstairs to Union Square, but left me to walk the final distance towards my future fiance. I saw the back of A's head; he was sitting patiently on our bench holding a small treasure chest with a lock. When I reached him, he gave me a huge hug and smile. The first thing out of his mouth was, "So... tell me about your day!"

    We chatted for a while and I told him about the days events. He wouldn't let me see the ring for a long time! Finally, he let me open the lock with my key and he proposed to me sitting by my side on the bench from our very first date. I said, "Yes!" (Of course, A-- who is the king of all things pop-- proposed Justin Timberlake style, using a line from one of JT's songs.) I still remember when he opened that little black jewelry box with the ring; I couldn't stop saying, "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!" The night sky was dark, except for the light from a few Union Square street lamps. But the diamond was still sparkling like crazy! I couldn't believe that a diamond could sparkle so much in the dark.

    After we hugged and did lots of mushy, affectionate stuff, I asked A where we were going to have dinner. He pointed to the Westin St. Francis, right across the street.

    "Michael Mina!" (or Michael Mini as A likes to call it-- the food comes in tiny portions and costs a fortune. :)

    We walked over to the Westin hand in hand, and together we enjoyed a delicious prix fixe, three-course dinner. (btw, Michael Mina is a fantastic and beautiful restaurant. It's decorated with high ceilings and marble columns inside and the food is unique. I'd recommend it for visitors to SF... who have some discretionary money to spend).

    And for a final finishing touch to our meal, when our dessert selections arrived, "Congratulations!" was scrolled on the top of our plates in chocolate cursive. It was a perfectly sweet ending to a perfect day.

    The End






    (Or maybe not...)

    Four Seasons: Epilogue

    I love books. Non-fiction, chick-literature, short stories... I love them all. A doesn't read as much as I do (I can consume books like water), but he LOVES movies. If it comes in a movie version, he can definitely appreciate it.

    Have you ever finished a really good book or movie and thought to yourself: That story was awesome! I wish it hadn't ended. Well, that's kind of what Friday night was like for me. 

    After dinner, A wanted to take me up on the elevators of the Westin. He told me that he had scoped out a romantic view at the top of the hotel. If you've never been in the Westin St Francis elevators before, it's definitely something to see in SF. The elevators are located on the exterior of the hotel and have huge windows facing towards Union Square. The speed at which the elevators shoot up to the top floor is super fast so when you ride them, you can see the city quickly shrinking beneath you.

    A covered my eyes with his jacket as soon as we got off on the 30th floor. When we finally reached his secret destination, he opened a door. We were standing in a hotel room that was beautifully decorated with a trail of rose petals on the floor and candles everywhere. All around the room were easels supporting black and white photos of all the restaurants, landmarks, and sites where A and I shared our first months together. He had pictures of the Ferry Building, Boulevard, Yerba Buena Gardens, Dolores Park Church, the SFO airport, Bocca Cafe, among others. It was crazy! And to top it off, he had borrowed a projector from a friend and created a DVD slideshow (complete with music by John Legend) of our entire relationship. The slideshow was playing on the white wall above the bed.

    A explained to me the significance of the hotel room: I had always told him that if he proposed to me, I really wanted to go somewhere outside of California. But A felt that San Francisco was "our" place-- it was the city where we met, the place we got to know each other, and now it was the perfect proposal location. Since we didn't "go" anywhere, he wanted to bring our city into one room for me. We sealed the our engagement together by giving our thanks to God and committing our relationship to Him. It was a very special moment.

    In his suitcase, A had also brought a bunch of romantic comedies on DVD that we had watched together during the beginning of our relationship. We were going to watch movies all night with the projector that he borrowed, but we were so exhausted that we fell asleep immediately (well, immediately after admiring my new piece of jewelry-- I still can't believe that my finger is wearing a stone that, if sold, could feed a small island for a day).

    Anyway, that's my E-day story in a very large nutshell. And in 10 months (or less) I'll be marrying the man that God has set apart especially for me. I'm quite excited. I can't wait to be married to him!

    If you've made it this far without falling asleep, you deserve a prize!  Too bad I don't have one for you. Instead, you can scroll down to see a few pictures. :)

     

    Mailbox #1 - A map, directions, and a gift certificate to Claremont

     

    Mailbox #2: All of our tickets stubs and restaurant business cards!

    Mailbox #3: 40 bible verses on cards

     

    Mailbox #4: The key to his heart =)

     


    C took this picture when she and Y surprised me at the Claremont Spa


    One of the first pictures that A and I ever took



    Along with the ticket stubs and business cards, A left this picture on my digital camera which he also placed inside the second mailbox

    Outside Michael Mina where dinner is served triplicate style (each course is prepared in three different ways)

    Dessert at Michael Mina! It was a chocolate trio.

    A glimpse of our room at the Westin St Francis

    A picture outside the Claremont with C and Y

    This is me after I found the fourth and final mailbox in my trunk

  • DIY kissing balls

    After my last post about our flower girls and kissing balls, I found a great DIY project for kissing balls online:



    Materials:
    3 Inch Styrofoam Ball
    30-40 Pink Dried Flower Heads, 3/4 to 1 Inch
    4 Small Silk Ivy Leaves
    Lo Temp Glue Gun
    Lo Temp Glue Sticks
    1 Yard of Sheer Pink Satin Ribbon
    Green Floral Wire
    Straight Pin
    Floral Scented Potpourri Oil, Optional
    Dropper
    Newspapers

    Cover your area with newspaper. This project is messy and uses a lot of glue!

    Break the flower heads off the stems. Use the glue gun to attach the flower heads to the ball. Put the flowers close together so that they completely cover the ball.

    Make a bow with eight loops. Use the floral wire to twist around the center of the bow. Put some glue on the ends of the wire and push the wire into the ball to secure the bow. Use the remaining ribbon to make a hanger. Loop the ribbon and use the straight pin to attach it to the ball behind the bow. Put the ivy leaves among the loops of the bow.

    Use the dropper to add the scent. Put a few drops of the potpourri oil directly on some of the flowers. It doesn't take very much oil to make a wonderfully scented kissing ball!

    Credits to the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library. Click here for more easy DIY projects including molded soap (for your venue's bathrooms, perhaps?) and silk flower topiaries (an idea for your garden ceremony?).