Hitch(ed)

When we made the decision to be together it was with the unspoken understanding that we were committing to forever. So when he asked what kind of engagement ring I wanted, I knew. Something simple and elegant and timeless and traditional - words that I like to think describe me. I also wanted something vintage, 'cause they just don't make things like they used to and I wanted to be sure that my diamond was conflict free. On a trip to Beijing we stopped by Tiffany's to do a little browsing, while back home in Mongolia I was busy scouring the internet (there are no fine jewelry stores in Ulaanbaatar) for The Ring.

{This is what my ring looks like, only mine is prettier. =)}

As fate would have it, I found it at Lang's Antiques in San Francisco. I say fate because we had actually already planned to stop very briefly in San Francisco to visit friends on our way back to Mongolia last Christmas. We made a quick trip down to Sutter Street where I tried it on without even looking at anything else it was so perfect. There was a small problem. It had to be sized down. John, the super sweet salesman, assured us that he could put a rush on it so that we could have it by 9 the next morning, just in time to catch our 11 am flight.

He proposed on January 28. We'd spent that day doing pretty normal Sunday things. That night we cooked dinner together. He lit some candles and after we'd finished our meal, he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I said yes and then we called our families to tell them the happy news.

But there was a hitch. He had been accepted into a graduate law program in Singapore and for me to go with him, two things were required - a substantial deposit to ensure that I didn't tear up the place and that we be married. There was much conversation and many calls to our parents to make sure that they were OK with an elopement and, since we were planning a ceremony anyway, we decided to go ahead and make it official while on a trip to Japan to visit his brother in April. As it turns out it is quite easy, although time consuming, to get married in Japan (it's like the Vegas of Asia!) and while it sounds romantic, in reality it has about all the romance of filling out your taxes. We went to the US Consulate in Osaka and filled out some paper work. Then we went to the local ward office and filled out some more paperwork. And then back to the US Consulate to have the certificate translated and certified. Voila! We were married! No ceremony. No you may kiss the bride. Nothing. Afterward, as we were walking out, The Boy pulled me to him and gave me a big kiss. His brother said, "Oh, yeah, congratulations." And then we went to a baseball game.

{Our super cool wedding certificate.}

The Story of Us

We sort of met in high school. I knew who he was and he knew who I was, but we didn't really meet until the summer before his freshman year in college when he was very persistent in talking me into going out with him. He was going away to school, you see. Far away. Well, he was going to Texas, but for a Mississippi girl, that seemed far enough. And I didn't really want to get all emotionally involved just have him leave. He was so cute and persuasive, though, (a glimpse of his future profession, perhaps) and it didn't take very long for me to fall head over heels in love the way only a sixteen year old can. We were too young to keep up the romance at such huge distances, and so we eventually broke up. Since we'd grown up in the same small town, we kept tabs on one another through mutual friends. Every once in a while we'd call or e-mail, just to say hello and catch up.

Two years ago I came across an old number of his. We hadn't spoken in years and I had no idea if the number would work. I called it anyway and much to my surprise a familiar voice answered the phone. He was working Houston as a lawyer and single (YEAH!). BUT. He was planning to leave for a firm in ... Mongolia! (BOO!) We did a lot of talking over the next few months, starting out slowly as friends, and I flew to Houston to see him and say goodbye in August 2005. When I got back home to Mississippi, we immediately made plans for me to go back to Texas for Labor Day weekend.

As much as I tried not to, I couldn't help falling in love with Mr. Donut. He is so kind and generous and smart and we decided pretty quickly that I would meet him in Beijing in the spring and he would take me back to Mongolia and we would live happily ever after...

{...though not in this ger (or yurt).}

Mmm...Donuts!

{The Donuts in Beijing.}

Greetings from Singapore!

I just want to say how excited and honored I am to be a bee! I'm still doing The Happy Dance around the apartment! I've been an avid reader since becoming a bride-to-be way back in January and I'm inspired daily by all the fabulous ladies here. Now I get to join in the fun!

A tiny little bit about The Donuts to tempt your sweet tooth. We are high school sweethearts who fell in love all over again a little over two years ago. He moved abroad and I followed and so began our great adventure. Since then we've ridden camels, seen the cherry blossoms in Japan, climbed the Great Wall (twice), and learned to surf. We share a love for many things, (other than each other, of course) one of them being all things sweet, especially donuts, hence the name. Mr. Donut picked it out.

I'm really looking forward to being a part of the hive. Weddingbee is such a fantastic way to be inspired, to share ideas, to find support, and be connected to a world of girls experiencing the same thing all in unique ways. I've got tons of stuff to tell you and I can't wait to share!

First, the happy...

A few weeks ago I applied to the awesome blog Weddingbee, and well, I've been chosen to be a Bee! I'm so excited! When I received the acceptance e-mail from Mrs. Bee, I was in a little bit of a wedding funk, (Stay tuned for THAT post.) but such happy news perked me right up!

So, you can find me buzzing around Weddingbee as...

Miss Donut! The Boy picked it out. ;-)

Posting here will continue as usual.

I apologize if the next couple of posts seem a little redundant for those of you who have been stopping by for a while.

And then, the sad...

The following conversation occurred last night while IM-ing with my brother in law:

BIL: So, have you heard about Jasmine?

(Jasmine is our 15 year old miniature schnauzer snuggle puppy.)

ME: No. (My heart beating a little faster, expecting bad news.) What happened?

BIL: They can't find her...

Basically, Mama Belle let her out to go potty and she just... disappeared. She's completely blind and totally deaf, and while Mama and Papa Belle are usually very diligent about watching her because they know she can get disoriented easily, Sunday (when this happened) Mama Belle wasn't. Mama Belle feels just terrible. Papa Belle spent all day yesterday in the rain and cold walking their little neighborhood looking for her. They still haven't found her.

Last year when I went home for Christmas, I made sure to spend extra time with Jasmine. Honestly, I expected her to pass away sometime this year. But in recent conversations Mama Belle has described her as her spunky, sassy self and so I'd hoped to have one more Christmas with her around. And if she didn't make it to The Holidays, then I always thought that she would pass away at home surrounded by the love and affection that she's known all of her life. I never thought she would be lost in the dark cold, scared, and hungry. It breaks my heart when I think of it.

Hopefully, somehow, she will find her way back home...

The Inspiration for the Invitation

I save everything. I still have notes passed in class from junior high. Cards, letters, tickets to movies, plays, concerts, they are all tucked safely away. When I send out an invitation, I like for it to be special and personal and I hope that, like me, the person I am inviting will keep it as a reminder of what a lovely day they spent with me. Problem is, I don't think that most people are like me. I think that most people keep a wedding invitation next to their calender to remind them of the event. Afterwards, well, I think it's either tossed or used as a scratch pad or a coaster and then tossed. It kills me to think of these little works of art in the garbage bin. So, no matter how beautiful, I simply cannot justify the expense of expensive invitations.

Lucky for me, I get my collector's gene from my mother. Mama Belle has her wedding invitation in a beautiful silver frame that resides on her dresser. It's an ivory paneled card engraved with nuptial script. Simple. Elegant. Timeless. In my quest for the perfect invite, I've seen beautiful, amazing invitations, but whenever I think of a wedding invitation, my mama's is always the first one that springs to mind. Simple. Elegant. Timeless. It's what I keep coming back to, so it's what I'm going with.

While I want our invitation to be traditional, I don't want it to be boring, so I'm taking it up a notch with presentation. Here's my inspiration board:

{Martha Stewart Crafts, Vera Wang Invitation,
program from TheSteph03, paper from Paper Studio}

Our invitation ensemble will have all the above elements.
1) The invitation and response card will be ecru engraved cards probably in a single readable script like Shelly Allegro. (This will be ordered.)
2) The information packet will look very much like TheSteph03's wedding program and will have a page each for reception, accommodations, and directions. (This will be DIY.)
3) It will all be banded together using the chiyogami paper and a thin pink ribbon. A little "gift" tag with the names of the guests in calligraphy will be attached (a la the Martha Stewart pic.)

*sigh of relief* I'm so glad to finally be able to post this. Now on to the next project...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you've all had copious amounts of turkey with all the fixin's and are about to settle in for a good nap in front of a televised football game.

The Boy and I have had a rather nice Thanksgiving, even though it was turkey free. We don't have an oven in our apartment and even if we did, I'm not sure if I would've been up for a full day of cooking in an non-airconditioned kitchen. Instead we had a Cajun Thanksgiving - red beans and rice and corn salad. I managed to find a pecan pie, which we will enjoy tonight and worry about working off tomorrow. Gosh, I love Thanksgiving!

Dads

Today I was looking at photographers' blogs for some inspiration and I came across this photo, which almost made me laugh and cry at the same time.

{from Louisiana photographer Kevin Beasley}

How sweet and cute is that? Dad was so nervous about giving his little girl away, he had to write his one line on his hand...

Living Well

Going home for me now is, I imagine, a little like going to a high school reunion. I never know who I'm going to bump into. Maybe it will be the boy I had a crush on in the 10th grade who wouldn't give me the time of day, or an evil ex-boyfriend, or maybe it will be the girl who tried to make my life unbearable for years until I stopped caring and then she tried even harder. Home is a small town and the chances of at least one of these happening are pretty good.

Now, I believe the best revenge is living well, and living well means being healthy and happy. While I'm very happy, right now I could stand to loose a few pounds. I'm petite. Five or ten pounds can be the difference between svelte and chubby, so for the next three or four weeks I am on a mission to slim down and tone up. The thing is, I am not good at "dieting". The more I'm not allowed to have something, the more I want it and I have very little will power. A few years ago I met my perfect "diet" in the form of FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT by Mireille Guiliano. It's less of a diet and more of a lifestyle philosophy which focuses on eating foods prepared with quality seasonal fresh ingredients and really taking the time to enjoy your meal. So today I am brewing up her detox Magical Leek Soup which I will enjoy for two or three days while getting rid of all the icky toxins. After that fresh fruits and veggies, some protein in reasonable portion sizes, a glass of wine a day, and a some exercise* and I should be a slightly better shape by the time we arrive back in the States.


* I know this sounds like common sense, but you'd be amazed at how little common sense plays a part in decision making when you're tired and hungry and don't want to cook and a cheeseburger is calling. Like I said, I have no will power.

For the fall bride...

It's 80 degrees out here and everything is green and I'm nostalgic for fall. This morning I was alerted to Martha Stewart Flowers Thanksgiving arrangements, and it got me daydreaming about a rustic fall wedding...

The Venue: An old barn

{from brides.com}

The Invite:

{Whimsy from Oslo Press}

Centerpieces: Terra cotta roses, red hypericum berry, orange snapdragons in a galvanized pale.

{from Martha Stewart Flowers}

OR...

Sunset Lilies and Rosehips. (How gorgeous are those lilies?) I see these in little golden terra cotta pots tied with raffia to match the rosehips. Or maybe wrap the raffia around the pots...

{from Martha Stewart Flowers}

For the church door: Wheat wreath

{from Martha Stewart Flowers}

The Cake: This is a persimmon cake, but I would opt for a Grand Marnier chocolate cake garnished with mandarin oranges and drizzled with chocolate sauce.

{from Martha Stewart Weddings}

Signature drinks: Mulled Wine and Hot Apple Cider

Botanical Stationary

I love beautiful paper and I love pretty flowers, so how amazing it when the two come together! Botanical Paperworks specializes in handmade paper with a twist. It's plantable! That's right! There are flower seeds embedded in each card, so you just plant the card and flowers grow right out of the paper.

The Love Seed Tag comes with the card and in 7 colors. This would be lovely in an OTG basket with a personalized welcome or as a placecard.



Cute Christmas cards go on sale this week...

Invitation Odyssey Part II

I should really preface this by saying that I love stationary. There is just something about fine quality paper. The texture, the weight, the design of real quality stationary is a necessary luxury. Typically, I am conservative. I believe it's really hard to improve on a classic, but after my visit to Cranes, I was smitten with floral. I began browsing invitation sites, designers, stationary stores. I fell in love with letterpressed damask and floral designs, layered invitations and pocketfolds and all of the sudden my beautiful traditional invite looked a little...plain. The more I looked, the more indecisive I became.

Madison layered invitation from mygatsby.com


Maura Gauthier's Sakura from Bella Figura:



Braun & Brown's Cherry Blossom from einvite.com:


It's like Sophie's choice!!!!

Mrs. Spider's beautiful DIY pocketfold invitations on weddingbee.com convinced me to think about how I was going to present information (directions, accommodations, etc.) to our guests. They also made me think of trying my hand at the DIY invite myself, but then I thought better of it. I don't have the experience or the tools or the time it would take to do the kind of job I would like. My creativity will go to other projects, like flowers, and while I can add my own little touches to our invitations, I realize that they will need to be mostly done by someone who knows what they are doing.

Congratulations to...

... my Little Cousin Belle who just got engaged Friday! She'll be walking down the aisle next fall! She's the baby of the family, and I can't believe she's getting married. I'm so happy for her! So, cheers to you Little Belle! Welcome to the world of a bride to be!

Bling! Bling!

{That's an 84.37, D color, Flawless $16 million diamond.}

When The Boy was interning at a law firm in Manhattan during law school he was set up on a blind date. On their very first meeting they happened to walk by Tiffany's and she happened to mention that she wouldn't accept anything less than a 5 carat engagement ring. FIVE CARATS! Needless to say The Boy did not opt for a second date. Who says something like that on a first date?

Now me personally, I have tiny hands. Anything above 2 carats, and I look like I'm playing in my mama's jewelry. Five carats on my hand would look like a ring pop. When we went looking for a ring, he put me in charge and I knew what I wanted, and, let me just put it this way, I am one happy and lucky girl. But even if it hadn't been exactly perfect, I still would've said yes, because I'm marrying the man, not the ring. And The Boy is everything I could've ever dreamed of.

Oh, the places you'll go!

The Boy and I are lucky enough to do a lot of traveling. In the past year we've been to Shanghai, Japan, Bali, and Beijing and we're always asked if we're on our honeymoon. Well, we like to think that we're living the honeymoon and we plan to keep it that way. So, we've decided not to go on an actual official honeymoon after our May celebration, opting instead to spend that time with family before moving to probably somewhere in Europe.

From time to time we do stumble on places we would like to go and we bookmark them on a special Travel Wish List. One of the places on that list is Turkey. The Boy spent time in Turkey as a child, and his great great grandfather spent a long time there as a missionary, so it would be a kind of family pilgrimage. Plus I am a huge history, well, nerd, so I would love to see Istanbul. But what we're both really drawn to is Cappadocia.

Millions of years ago volcanoes created this amazing landscape and since biblical times the people who settled there have carved their homes and communities from the volcanic rock.

There are quite a few little boutique hotels which inhabit these ancient homes. Our favorite is the Anatolian Houses.

Inspiration: Miette Patisserie

I was surfing some bakery websites in San Francisco for some cake eye candy when I stumbled on Miette Patisserie. It's quite possibly one of the cutest shops ever. Their goodies are traditionally American with a European twist. Gorgeous, simple, and from the sounds of it, absolutely divine!


I adore these colors so much, I think that I'm going to add a touch of chocolate to my color palette! ;-)

Invitation Odyssey Part I

By far the hardest part of the planning process so far has been picking out invitations. There's just so much to consider. I mean, the invitation sets the tone and gives people a tiny peek of what's to come. At first I wanted something simple, timeless, and elegant. So like a good Southern girl, my first stop was Crane & Co. Fine Stationary. They've been around forever - since before the American Revolution, in fact. Their paper is 100% cotton, so it lasts forever, and fabulous.

I went to their site looking for something like this classic three paneled soft white engraved invite:



Then I stumbled across this beautiful Kate Spade ensemble. I think some of you might recognize it from the awesome knottie springchic bio, only in different colors.



Beautiful plum blossom invites:



And this one reminded me so much of Elizabeth over at Tie the Knot, I couldn't resist...

Eco-Friendly Rant

The Boy and I are all about doing our part to save the planet. We're lucky enough to live in a city that has pretty amazing public transportation, so we take the metro/subway/tube/MRT as it's known here or the bus pretty much everywhere we go. We don't own a car, but if we did it would be a Prius. We recycle. We donate. I am an avid vintage shopper. (I once found a mint condition mink wrap at a thrift store for $30!) And we take our own reusable bags to the market.

Now, I love fashion and I love it when fashion gets behind a cause. What I don't love is when people completely miss the point of the "fashion statement". Example: We moved to Singapore right around the time Anya Hindmarch released her "I am not a plastic bag" tote. Singapore is nothing if not fashionable - almost to a fashion victim fault - and so they sold like hot cakes. Now, it was my understanding that these bags were meant to be used IN LIEU of a plastic bags for your groceries. Instead I see people sporting them as purses...and carrying plastic bags full of groceries! Talk about missing the point!

{I don't know, she might have groceries in there. I doubt it, though. It looks like she hasn't eaten in a month.}

Personally, I use this little bag from Reef Surfwear called Hide-n-Seek. It zips up into its own little pouch so that it doesn't take up much room in my purse. Best of all, it didn't cost $400 on eBay.

Inspiration: Sky Lanterns

Instead of bird seed or flower petals or sparklers, how amazing would this be for an evening send off of the bride and groom...?


Sky lanterns are an Asian tradition. They are made from rice or mulberry paper and bamboo and work like hot air balloons. Some believe that, as they rise, they take away your troubles and bring good luck. Others think of them as a symbol of family security. Guests can write their wishes for the couple and the lanterns will "carry them to Heaven". All of these are really fantastic ways the sky lantern can tie into a wedding, I mean, other than just being amazing and pretty. I think that this would be absolutely beautiful at a beach or lake wedding floating out over the water. (Just one thing - check your city's fireworks code before launching these.)

Tickled pink...and green

Once we had our where and when, it was time to get down to the aesthetics and where better to begin than color? We want to be able to tie our first and second wedding days together as much as possible. Now, I cannot tell a lie. I love pink. The Boy jokes that it doesn't matter what it is, if it's pink, I am drawn to it like a moth to a flame. And it's true. I am not afraid to embrace the pink, so of course I love the fact that cherry blossom pink is a color that links the two events perfectly. I'm not, however, a Shelby "my colors are blush and bashful" bride. My philosophy is too much of a good thing is simply too much. So we chose celadon green as our main color, with pale pink and white as accent colors.
Here is my inspiration picture.

{from knottie TheSteph03}

I love our color palate. I don't care how many times I see this color combo, I always think it's wonderfully fresh and romantic and perfect.

Bad Deer! Bad!

{and now for something a little lighter...}

When The Boy and I tied the knot (round 1), we stayed in Nara. It's a beautiful little town well known for it's sacred deer who are believed to be the messengers of the gods. As such, they are protected by law from being harmed and boy do they know it! They freely roam about the park and city streets, waiting for tourists to buy them little deer snacks, which as far as I can tell should be called deer crack. Why? Because they're all cute and sweet and up for a cozy photo op, until they see you walk up to a deer crack dealer, at which point cute and cuddly...

...becomes crazy and demanding...

Here I am, completely surrounded and a little fearful for my life. Thank goodness they cut their horns. (OK, I wasn't really afraid, but they did try to eat my shirt and jump up on me to get my attention - and deer hooves, they're sharp!)

In sickness and in health

The Boy and I are young and relatively healthy. Oh, sure, we catch the flu every so often, or have the sniffles. I have a range of manageable health issues but I have never spent the night in a hospital and I've only had to darken the doors of such an institution 3 times as an out patient. We are both very conscience of the potential of future hospital stays, but that's FUTURE. Far away. Like I said, we're both too young and healthy to have to think about that sort of thing right now.

Or so I thought.

Tuesday night The Boy's tummy started to hurt. By Wednesday afternoon he felt badly enough to want to make a journey to the emergency room. He was admitted to the hospital and Thursday he had his appendix removed. Now, I know that the appendix really isn't that big of a deal. Usefulness wise it's right up there with the tonsils. But at the moment he's lying in a hospital bed with three holes and a tube in his tummy and I hate seeing him in pain. There isn't much I can say or do in the way of comfort. I can't hug him or make him laugh because both of those things make his tummy hurt. All I seem to be able to do is hold his hand and kiss his forehead, which seems far too little to me. Nothing has ever made me feel so helpless and frankly helplessness sucks.

Pretty Post It's

I love Anne Keenan Higgins' line of Lulu stationary and gifts . They are so wonderfully girly and whimsical and there is notecard for every occasion. So cute!

For Christmas...

Any occasion...

She is also the genius behind my Blog Bride. :-)

Butterflies

I don't know what it is, but butterflies have a thing for me. Once, in Houston, The Boy and I went to the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Museum of Natural History. It's a "...living exhibit that showcases hundreds of live butterflies in a naturalistic rainforest setting." While sitting on a bench, a beautiful blue butterfly landed on my foot and, since you aren't suppose to touch them, I let him rest there for a few minutes before trying to shake him off. He wouldn't budge. No amount of shaking could encourage him to fly away. Finally after about 10 minutes I very lightly touched his feet and off he went.
Then, on a trip to the Summer Palace in Beijing last summer, one landed on my face - right between my eyes, long enough to take a picture before flying away.

So I was really very excited to see this the new issue of BLUEPRINT...

Perhaps for the church door?

Sometimes a gal needs her girls

As every bride-to-be knows (or girl, for that matter), planning the event is half the fun. For some of us, we start imagining our big day early, like when we're 7 and see our first princess movie. Others don't catch the bug until they've caught the man. Either way, we all have a vision not just of the day, but of the months leading up to that day.

For me, that vision has always included three people (other than the groom, of course): my mom, my sister, and a childhood friend who is really a sister from another mother. I pictured My Girls and I on the hunt for the perfect dress for each of us. I envisioned trips to the caterer and the cake baker for taste testings and to the florist to pick out the perfect flowers. I day dreamed about brainstorming and planning sessions over lunch or a cup of coffee (or hot cocoa, in the case of my sister). Now, of course, I've had to content myself with e-mails full of ideas, but it's difficult to get excited about an idea involving the variation of a picture sent to you by someone on the other side of the planet. *sigh* I feel so far away and disconnected. While My Girls (and my dad) have been helpful and supportive, getting a lot of the leg work done, sadly none of the above has actually taken place. I look forward to December when I can have a real bridal moment with them all.

Reception Venues

The great thing about Natchez is that there is no shortage of beautiful places to have a reception. For me, though, there were only two real choice.

My first choice was Monmouth Plantation. This B&B has it all. It's a beautifully restored and stately old antebellum home set among lush gardens which would be in full and glorious bloom by the end of May. I envisioned guests sipping mint juleps on the patio while a jazz trio played during the cocktail hour before moving inside to enjoy a yummy five course meal Southern style. When we went down to visit my grandma at Christmas, we stopped by to see the grounds and pick up any and all wedding related material. I filled them in on the living abroad situation and how we would have to communicate via e-mail. They assured me that it wasn't a problem and penciled in my date.

I am sad to say that, as beautiful as Monmouth is, I cannot recommend it. I tried time and again to get in touch with the hospitality director with absolutely no luck. There was one person who was kind enough to respond, even if it was to say that she would bring my e-mails to the H.D.'s attention. At one point I even e-mailed the owner and cc'd her on several of my non-responded to e-mails. Since I was getting restless about getting the venues and vendors booked, my father went down to Natchez and talked with the lady himself. It turns out that their prices had increased three fold from the quote they'd given us in January. When my dad told me, I was so upset I got a migraine. It's not so much that they changed the pricing, it's that they didn't indicate that this might happen or was happening at any point. In fact, they just decided not to communicate with us at all. I decided that it wasn't worth making myself ill over and went with my second choice.

The Natchez Eola Hotel is truly adorable. I've loved it ever since I laid eyes on the adorable little fire fountain in its New Orleans Courtyard. It has a big ballroom (read typical large empty space) that's OK, but it really can't compete with the intimate charm of The N.O.Courtyard and Julep's, the inhouse restaurant.

The Eola's entrance...

Julep's, which looks out onto the New Orleans Courtyard. Inside or out, everyone will be part of the action.

The New Orleans Courtyard. (See the cool fountain on the left?) All the tables will be moved and this will be our dance floor.

Best of all the staff is helpful and friendly - and the hospitality director actually answers e-mails!

Going to the chapel

The location for the ceremony was an easy decision. St Mary Basilica is a gorgeous historic church in Natchez that has seen the baptisms, weddings, and funerals of generations of my mom's family. My grandparents and parents were both married here, so this church is very very special to me. I can't even tell you how excited I am that we will be saying our vows here.

This is a (fuzzy) picture of the interior. I originally wanted to be married in the evening, but the only time available on our date was during the day. Looking at this picture, with the light pouring in through the beautiful stained glass, I'm so happy the other time didn't work out.