As I wrote earlier, our bridal shower will be at a vineyard, so when I found these adorable invitations on Zazzle by Marlene’s Market I was so excited to customize them.
To be honest Sam didn’t love them as much as I did, but I think the wine glasses are cute and zazzle has never let us down. Their paper goods are affordable and cute. I won this battle.
There’s one more thing. These invitations just happen to be our sorority colors … a silent nod to our beginning 
Yesterday afternoon Sam and I headed downtown to The Metropolitan Pavilion on West 18th Street to check out a bridal showcase by The Wedding Salon. The place was packed and I was twice referred to as Sam’s “assistant.” We couldn’t figure out why, as we were both wearing our required entry stickers, which read “I’m a Bride.” Sam swore she wouldn’t wear her sticker outside but as we left I slapped mine on her chest and we made it all the way to Sixth Avenue before she peeled them off.
Sam near the entrance.
Upon entry there were rows of bridal gowns by various designers. If this showcase is any indication of this year’s bridal trends some of these dresses were wild and over the top. Lots of tulle, shiny beading and sequins in unexpected places. The models in the gowns were stunning, of course, but most of the dresses were just a bit much for simple gals like us. There was a row of elegant dresses on display from Michelle New York that I kept eyeing, with feminine lace and figure-flattering cuts, I gave them a long, final glance on our way out the door.
Some of what we tasted: Yummy Cakes by Kevaughn, custom colored black & white cookies (Sam’s favorite) by Nussbaum & Wu and gorgeous & tasty chocolate covered pretzels by Fatty Sundays & Co.
Don’t mind if I do.
There were plenty of spirits there too. I sipped on some Seagram’s Escapes malt beverages, tasted various champagnes and was introduced to Mercy Hangover Prevention, a canned beverage packed with vitamins that we were told prevents hangovers. Currently our cans of Mercy are in our fridge. I will get some real answers after my next night of drinking, but I’m skeptical.
There were vendors everywhere, and tables showcasing varying décor. Some of the centerpieces were opulent, others understated, and our favorite was the elegantly rustic table of wildflowers in mason jars. I took a look at some lovely jewelry by Merry Alchemy and signed up for all kinds of raffles.
Rustic elegance.
I think the showcase was a success. Not only did we get to taste plenty of baked goods, and I do so love a baked good, but we are surer than ever that our own wedding will truly reflect our style. Seeing all the different gowns and centerpieces was a real reminder how different each couple’s tastes are, and the endless options when it comes to designing your own wedding.
We had a great time, and I’m looking forward to putting my can of Mercy to the test.
I’ve been a little mia, and admittedly, we’ve both been bad little brides2be as of late. We are heading back to NYC today after a little trip to LA. (Sam had work here and I tagged along to see some … Continue reading
Sam and I are both planning to get a little wild for our bachelorette parties, which is why we’ve scheduled them for the same August weekend. If she’s at a strip club in Vegas then do I want to be:
A) At home on the couch with our dogs thinking about all of the trouble she’s getting into.
B) In New Orleans on my own stripper pole in a mansion I’ve rented with a handful of my closest friends.
Answer: B
Sam and her friends are in the middle of planning a trip to Vegas, which, don’t get me wrong, sounds like an absolute blast. My own bachelorette destination: New Orleans! I’ve never been there but have heard repeatedly that it’s a must for a gal like me.
Why not check it out for the first time with a gaggle of girlfriends (and a very handsome boy toy or two. Gay of course, which is how I prefer my men) and stay in a bad-ass mansion complete with what appears to be a stripper pole in one of the bedrooms, an outdoor jacuzzi and outdoor kitchen.
Photos courtesy of homeowner.
I promise to have more details as the planning process continues. But for now, my flights and our mansion are booked!!!
Fleur de Lis Mansion, courtesy of homeowner.
Since the wedding is stressing us out a little bit this week, I thought I’d focus on something else: Our Bridal Shower!
Sam as a toilet paper bride at my sister Katy’s bridal shower
(Full disclosure, that’s also stressing us out)
Sam and I have really controlled most of the details in our wedding planning process, so we finally let my mom and Sam’s Godmother step in and plan something. Okay, so we chose the venue. The beauty of a lesbian wedding is the ease of the joint shower. If I’d have to say there was a “theme,” I would say wine. Definitely wine. It’s going to be small, and there will be Briermere pies. When I reminded my mom and sister that I do not want shower games, they both shot each other a look. I’m quickly losing every single battle I fight in this wedding planning process …
I think the invitations are pretty adorable but, unfortunately, I have not seem them in person, so I’ll have to post a picture when I get out to my parents’ house. Until then, I hope these ladies can agree on a menu.
My idea of the perfect shower: booze, a pretty dress, no opening presents, no silly games. Oh well.
My sister Katy, me, Sam, and our sister-in-law Jaine at her bridal shower.
(Also Sam will kill me for sharing this)
One of the trillion ways that Sam and I are different involves our decision-making skills. When it comes to the easy stuff, she cannot volunteer an opinion.
What do you want for dinner? I don’t know, what do you want for dinner?
What do you wanna watch? I don’t know, what do you wanna watch?
But she can test drive one car and drive it off the lot that same day. She found a wedding band online from Bario Neal, she liked it, we went to Philadelphia and she bought it. Done. I, on the other hand, am just as indecisive about what to choose from a dinner menu as I am about the big decisions, like my wedding band. I’ve been putting it off since I cannot make up my mind. Finally, Sam made an appointment with the people who made my engagement ring and dragged me in there. We sat down and I stared at bands full of diamonds and thought, None of these are me.
So she suggested I go try stuff on at local jewelry stores to see what I liked. First stop was Tiffany & Co., and I know that place is a zoo, that tourists are literally revolving in and out, but of the three associates who helped me (Some of the rings are on different floors) the man was polite, and the two women were rather rude. The first had absolutely no patience for me. I tried on three rings, all from the same case, and she treated me like I was wasting her time. The other was the same. She couldn’t be bothered to let me see the rings. So we left. When you’re an indecisive girl looking for a wedding ring, being treated poorly does not help you make up your mind!
So we walked over to DeBeers, where Jeff greeted us, offered us drinks and took us upstairs to try on some bands. He didn’t mind that I was asking questions and was incredibly patient and helpful. While the woman at Tiffany seemed aggravated when I asked her to repeat the name of a ring, Jeff wrote down all of the information on his card and didn’t rush us out. What a pleasant experience.
Wedding planning is a lot of work and a lot of money, so even if I dare to walk into the world-famous Fifth Avenue Tiffany & Co., I don’t think that it’s asking too much for their employees to be courteous and help me out. It’s not like wedding bands are a $10 investment.
I digress. I still don’t know what the hell I’m doing. I tried on two thin bands that I quite liked, one channel set, one pavé, and I am sure I would be happy with either. I also love the unique rings at The Clay Pot … It might all come down to flipping a coin.
There are some women who might look stunning in this gown, many women actually, but I am not one of them. What I loved about this gown was its old Hollywood glamour. I imagined this on a tall waif of a gal with a blonde bob. This dress hugged me in all the wrong places and my mother demanded I remove it.
I did. But not before striking this ridiculous pose.
Sadly this was never a contender, but it is still a lovely and elegant dress with an art deco flair, a gem for the right lady. This was also definitely too small for me, and pretty beat up. I know I’m lucky that I can be squeezed into a lot of these samples, but I had to ask: What happens when bigger women come in to try on dresses, as a lot of sample gowns just fit me. Ever the Bridal Consultant, she found a delicate way to tell me that they rip apart a lot of these dresses shoving women into them. Or they don’t get all the way into them. Finding a dress that I couldn’t even squeeze into certainly wouldn’t make me feel like a beautiful bride or make me want to spend thousands of dollars. Oh well.
While I have a Matron of Honor to dress, Sam has a Best Man to outfit. This past weekend she took her brother Jonathan on a trip downtown to Bond Street’s Billy Reid to search for the perfect suit. Her vision: a grey suit with suspenders.
When she arrived she admits the stylists were a little confused. They wanted to know what the groom was wearing if she was here for her brother, but once she explained our wedding and what we’re both wearing, they were thrilled to be a part of it. Poor Jonathan was under the influence of cold medicine, but he was a good sport as Sam made him play dress-up.
The result: An Heirloom Campbell Peak Suit in grey.
As the wedding approaches he will go in for his fitting and suspender holes will be added (Who knew suits weren’t all equipped for suspenders) and the decision will be made: Bow tie or no bow tie? If Jonathan has his way, it’s bow tie for sure.
Next up, a dress for my MoH …
Well aren’t these pretty.
Due to a car accident in 2011, in which I was struck by a vehicle while crossing the street, I have undergone 4 surgeries to first remove then reconstruct my left ear. What I hope to be my final surgery was performed this past Thursday March 21st. I thought that my surgery in September would be my last one, but it was clear early on that while the surgery had gone well, my surgeon’s attempts to create an earlobe weren’t entirely succesful. This is no fault of his own, it turns out that it’s next to impossible to recreate a human ear. So far he has used cartilage from my ribcage twice, (definitely the worst part) a large skin graft from my behind (at my request, I didn’t want more scars on my torso) and now a skin graft from behind my right ear. So this particular healing process is different from the others because usually I can sleep on my right side, but not this time! Hooray!
I could go on and on about this experience and these surgeries, but I only share this because at the heart of this last surgery is the truth that I really hope to wear earrings at my wedding, not only that, but my surgeon and I also agreed that if I was going to go through all of this then I should come out of it with the best possible result. We both thought that this last surgery was completely necessary to finish the job. I’m only two days out, which means that my ear is a mess (both ears actually). When the swelling goes down and I visit my surgeon for my follow-up I should know more about the expected outcome, but for now I wait patiently with bandages on my left ear and staples in my head, all in the hopes that the lost patch of hair will grow out, all of the cartilage and skin grafts will heal into a nearly normal looking ear, and maybe, just maybe, I can dangle some earrings from both ears on September 7th.
This past weekend we had our hair & make-up trials, set up by our wedding planner Cheryl. We took the bus downtown to the East Village to meet with hair stylist Jill Hammelman and make-up artist Sharon Becker.
Top of the Mornin’
We arrived with bare faces and unkept hair, and as if they’d known us forever, the ladies offered us mimosas. Green mimosas, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.
Then we got down to business. I talked hair extensions with Jill as she set my hair and Sharon did Sam’s make-up, then I snapped a close-up of myself before we switched spots.
I spent most of my make-up application telling Sharon that I am positively not going to cry at our wedding. “I’m just not like that,” I said. Then Jill finished Sam’s hair, and she looked incredible. Then something happened. When Sam’s mom married Sam’s dad, she wore a very cool headpiece at the wedding. Sam always planned to wear it someday for her own wedding. In the wake of her death, honoring her mother feels more imperative than ever. Jill and Sam played around with the headpiece until they got it just right, and as I looked over at Sam I caught a glimpse of her mother Penny. Sam looked so beautiful, and she looked just like her mom. In that brief moment I totally lost my cool, and as I harnessed my emotions I said, to no one in particular, “Well, okay, I might cry at our wedding.”
Close-up, pre-hair.
That headpiece, however, will just have to be a surprise.
Nothing like a full face of make-up on a Saturday afternoon.
Will I master control of that wonky eye before the wedding? Probably not.
The end results will, of course, be tweaked for our wedding day, but we loved Sharon and Jill and more importantly, we loved their work. We had a blast and we can’t wait until September 7th when they transform us into glamazons for our special day.
Jill and Sharon, who worked some real magic on us.
