merry christmas

Am really enjoying this compilation by WFUV, in my new very own office (complete with door). Enjoy!

minimalist

thinking about only getting a boutonniere for FH and no one else.

cuz currently we would need 15 bouts. 1 groom, 6 groomsmen, 2 ushers, 1 ringbearer, 2 bro in law, 3 fathers.

thoughts?

also currently thinking about only FH wearing a tux and everyone else just wearing their best blue suit. get rid of the matchy matchy. but...it makes me nervous. and then do I have to think about ties.

these are the thoughts that distract me from analyzing NY state's budget. ugh. work for the next 10 months is going to be difficult.

Pre-Pre-Cana

As part of the Catholic wedding process, we have to take a Pre-Cana course. Imagine my non-surprise when I see the $195 price tag. Thanks Archdiocese of New York!

Upon seeing the price, I immediately stopped listening to one of my favorite Christmas carols.

Also, imagine my non-surprise to find out that they are the ones behind the "Abortion Changes You" billboards on the subway. Really? There are schools and churches closing all over the city and they are spending money on advertising.

Catholicism is a tricky thing, as any religion, and I've struggled with it, but in a v. passive way. I've been spoilt by my awesome priest uncles who have made Catholicism a wonderful thing for me and my family. One of my favorite holiday memories is that of the whole extended family gathering at my uncle's Harlem church for Christmas mass, getting into a yellow school bus headed down to Rockefeller Center and singing Christmas carols as a family in front of the tree and St. Patrick's.

Back to pre-cana. Friends have said it was a good experience for them, kind of like therapy but with a catholic twist. Older married couples usually lead the sessions, which is a good thing, because what does a priest really know about marriage? nothing. Two full days of marriage therapy? sounds like fun! Natural family planning? smiles!

I'm thinking I don't mention that we're "living in sin".

Ode To Joy

If you haven't seen it already, you must do so right now:

ho ho ho

FH doesn't read this blog (something that I'm sure I'll talk about with the therapist this week), so I feel free to share the triumphs and mostly failures of presents that I've gotten for him in the past.

1. Ipod - he called apple and returned it because it "is too expensive for just a regular old birthday and I have a shuffle"
2. Beer of the Month Club - I thought I really scored with this one, but he canceled it because "I don't have a doorman to receive the package and I don't want to look like a drunk at work" a common city problem, I have all my packages delivered to work b/c they won't leave them at the door...anyway, point is, he canceled it
3. Coldplay tickets - Bought them for the sentimental value, we re-met at a Coldplay concert and I thought he would really enjoy it. I think he secretly did enjoy it, but to this day says that I bought the tickets not for his birthday, but for myself.
4. Tennis racket - We had resolved to be more active. We played once between last christmas and this christmas. At least we played once.

So, what to do for Christmas? Buy that which he trys to steal from me, my aviator sunglasses. image via nordstrom

I'm sure he'll return them, but at this point, I know that my soul has recognized it's true match in another. Cuz I'm just as bad...

pretty

these earrings could make good gifts...ah, etsy.

So You Want To Get Married At...New Leaf Cafe

The New Leaf Cafe is the cutest cottage restaurant nestled in Fort Tryon Park, at the highest elevation in Manhattan. It is also almost at the northern most point in Manhattan before you hit the Bronx, which was a plus for us since we're getting married in the Bronx.

photos via New Leaf Cafe Website

It is so GORGEOUS but in a semi-wild kind of way. The closest you would get to having a party in the shire without feeling like you are throwing a medieval themed wedding. Which I've been to. I kid you not.

guests arriving from a ceremony in the park

Pros: really pretty in an understated way (which to me is gorgeous), tree consecutive rooms for good flow, plenty of parking, park nearby with views of the Hudson river and the George Washington Bridge, affordable, friendly people to work with

Cons: the bathroom is the public park's bathroom, which they clean up for you, but at some point, it's still a public bathroom, you are responsible for renting a tent for their patio, and for us, it was too small.

I recommend and picture an afternoon brunch with a little 3 piece jazz band. our crowd is just a little too big.

oh, and it was profiled by nymag a while back, story here.

and one of our favorite photogs, who was unfortunately too much $$ for us, photographed a wedding there, pics here.

something blue

hello loverly. $269 via barney's co-op sale. mmm.

still kickin'

So, I've been safely outside the bride blogosphere. It's nice out here. I encourage brides to remove themselves from other people's wedding plans for a while. Get some perspective. breathe.

My break was actually pretty busy with vendor appts and booking the photographer (yay!), florist (yay!) and dj (yay!). Yep, all done. I did wonder why I was spending a lot of time picking out a florist when in comparison, I spent one hour to pick out my dress. At first it seemed like I SHOULD agonize about what flowers and the aesthetic, and in the end, it mattered, but not as much as that click you have when you realize you can trust someone to do right by you. And do an awesome job.

We hired the first photographer, florist and dj that we met with. That said, we interviewed 6 photographers, 3 florists and by the time we got around to the dj, we were so tired of meeting with people that we just said f* it, let's trust our instincts and since he was in our price range, and all of his past customers *glowed* about him, we booked him.

We did seek out other customers' feedback on each of the vendors. That was key. Sending in deposits hurt (him more than me), but I guess we'll be paying out a lot more in the near future.

It's nice having this all done, so now we get to focus on the holidays.