Dresses: Time to start looking

This past week, I went to my friend Maggie's wedding. We've known each other since high school, and were in the same advisory (Hathaway shout-out). I try to explain to my present advisees that the friendships they make in advisory really will follow them for the rest of their lives. They can be long lasting great relationships, or really crappy distant ones.

Yolanda (Shorty), Maggie, and I have kept in touch since graduation, and yes, maybe we haven't seen each other frequently throughout the years, but what I like about our friendship is that no matter the time spent apart from each other, we start back up from where we left off.

Back to her wedding though. Mags looked great! Her dress was really pretty:

Maggie and her Dad

I loved the shape, the beading, and ruching. Her train was just right. Not too long, not too short. Her wedding gave me a lot of great pointers for mine next year, from the dress to the seating assignments, to the speeches (the groom's speech was HILARIOUS! I loved it, and told Luna he'd better be taking notes).

So, I started thinking what sort of dress I want...
According to TheKnot.com, I'm supposed to start looking for dresses NOW. But first, I need to know what "shape" I am by looking at the chart below:

Currently, I'd probably go with the first choice: Shoulders and waist are similarly sized, with a defined waist. Here are the dress choices that came up when I chose this:

Trumpet and Mermaid! I totally agree with them. But... here's the dilemma...
Luna and I are in the process of trying to conceive a child(ren), with the help of modern medicine. We've been trying for a while and finally it seems like we're going somewhere. If all goes well with this round of IVF, we'll have a little one(s) by April/May. That gives me 2 months to slim back down to hourglass from pregnant world globe.  Otherwise, I'll have to wear something like this:

It's nice but... Not exactly what I want. Knowing that I'm not having bridesmaids, this teeny bit of information bothers me, because it's one thing I can't really plan for... and I'm a detailed PLANNER when it comes to parties.

On the other hand, I'll take being a globe, wearing a tutu, if it means us actually having a live birth happen :) Fingers crossed!

Invitations: spend time, or spend money?

Yesterday I went to my cousin's baby shower. The invites were REALLY cute. I thought they'd paid for them, but it turns out that my cousins Teresa, Sarah and Rachel put all of them together one weekend. Tere told me that they'd made an assembly line, and constructed these little beauties over several bottles of wine. I made fun, and said "ohhh! That's why the lady bugs were crooked; you guys were drunk!"

Haha I was just joking, but it turns out that my invite actually did have a crooked element:

Despite the crookedness, I LOVED these little invites. They were super cute, and every element of the shower tied together nicely.

Sneak peek of the lobby

So, I'm not exactly having bridesmaids at my wedding, but I am having helpers! My cousin Ive helped with the booking of the venue, asking really great questions:

Isn't she cute! Haha

 She's a great helper :)










So I've started asking people to help out with this special day... and now, thinking about invitations, I think I'm going to need to recruit three more special people:
Teresa
Sarah
Rachel

I promise to provide the booze, if you promise to put most of the elements in the right place on my wedding shower invites :)

What do you say ladies??
(Ive you're invited to help also, you know lol)

Wedding shower details:
So, I'd like this to happen 2 weeks prior to the wedding, on Sunday, July 22nd, to be exact.
Where? Humboldt park of course!
I'd really like a couple's shower (instead of the "traditional" bridal shower), in the park. I'd like for guests to park at the boat house and then come to one of my favorite spots in the park, my triangle! Do you see the triangle at the bottom left of the picture?

When my brother and I were 5 and 6, my mom used to bring us to this part of the park, set her chair in the middle of triangle, and let us ride our bikes or roller blade, around and around. When my older brother had back surgery a few years back, and needed to walk around as part of his physical therapy, I would drive him here, and walk with him and our old dog Spike. Recently, Luna and I took the dogs to the park for a run (Maximus is 5lbs overweight and needs more exercise), and we went a couple laps around my triangle. This part of the park means a lot to me.

I'm thinking BBQ (Tere, you take care of that), under a canopy so wela doesn't get too hot (I found one for $99 Amazon that's a good size), and beer wrapped in newspapers for the guys/girls (haha we have to bring that "ghetto" element in).

Luna, his 2 brothers, Dom, Sean, Teddy and Danny will need to work on putting this up ;)

So, my helpers... Ive can vouch for me, when I say this, but I am not artistic to save my life. I'm going to need help. Here's some invites I saw online... and just think, we have 1 YEAR to plan this out :)

Venue: Booked

It's been a very busy 2 days!! I haven't written, because I've been doing research :)

My mom, Abu (my little cousin, not her real name haha), and I went to go check out a venue today. Here were my nonnegotiables:

Venue must...
have a decent size dance floor.
be able to host an open bar for my guests.
provide all furniture, linens, plates/silverware, etc.
have an on-site kitchen.
allow me to have a live band.
provide a space for my guests to chill before the doors open.
pass out hor d'oevures to my guests while they chill.
Offer valet parking (preferably free) to all my guests.

Seems simple enough, no?
Well, I found a place that met all these requirements and more!

I won't say the location... but here's some cool tidbits:

• The place is big enough, and yet small enough to make it feel like an awesome party. I sang to Abu all the way back home "We's gonna have a pa-ahhh-teeee!"
• I'm a sneaky bastard, and negotiated the price really low. I'd done my research on what I wanted beforehand, and how much they were going to ask per person. Once we got there, I asked how much the service fees and taxes were.... and gave my face of "hmm, I don't think that's going to work." The lady asked me what I wanted as a flat fee per person, and I gave her my super lowest, knowing she'd go for the middle price (which I knew she'd pick, and I already had in mind). She went for it. I got an unbelievable price, with everything I want included (except my ice sculptures... I'm working on that hahaha)
• With the price I got, I can go from my 120 guest limit to now 150 guests! 
• This place takes care of EVERYTHING (dinner, dessert tables, wedding cake, alcohol, decorations, etc).
• My guests will be leaving FULL (and possibly tossing their cookies after all they have to eat and drink)

So, here's the only thing I have to think about...
- Once guests get there, they will have a cocktail hour in the lobby (w/ some sort of entertainment) and munch on goodies (including their seating cards, which will be cookies hehe).
- Guests will then move in to the dinning portion of the night, with unlimited wine.
- All guests will join in for a champagne toast
- And then the bar will be opened for the rest of the night as we dance it up.

Is this alcohol overkill?

Wedding Cake Toppers: the elegant, the silly, and the down right nasty

While looking for wedding favors, many sites advertised "elegant" cake toppers. I'm used to seeing the traditional plastic man and women holding hands.

But nowadays, cake toppers can be as creative as the couple.
I'll start with some that caught my eye, followed with a short description of what I thought when I saw it haha

"Hmmm. Domestic violence... what a great message to send your guests."










"A cake topper from the MTV show, 16 and Pregnant"

"Just let him go, girl! He ain't worth it!"

 "For the couple that hunts together... or that have a deer as a pet."

"Til' death do us part guey"

No comment... just the look on my face said enough about this one.

"Lego's, huh? Why buy when we can make it ourselves."

"How cliché."

"Hmmmm.... no."

"These little Mii sorta look like Luna and me."

"This is more like it! Vrooom!!"

"Yup. That's us!"

"I think this is the one... simple, yet elegant"

Honeymoon: Choices

Our anniversary always lands on the week that I have to start work. Every year, the school takes all the teachers and staff on a "retreat" for 3-4 days. We talk about teamwork and create a plan for the upcoming school year.

Lord knows I hate to travel. Especially by plane. What I hate even more than traveling is being away from Luna for extended periods of time... especially during our anniversary. We've been to Seattle, Miami, Austin, and this year.... drum roll please! Toronto, CANADA!

Well, that's just fine and dandy... because I'm not going :)

(Try explaining this device to airport security. NO THANK YOU!)

Luna and I are in the process of trying to expand our family. It hasn't been easy, experiencing miscarriage and heartache. We're in the middle of IVF (in-vitro fertilization) and I'm a walking pharmacy. Pills, needles, vials, alcohol pads, gauze, etc. It's a hell of a lot to declare at customs, and it'd cost a TON if they decided to take it away from me. Besides, much of it needs to be refrigerated, and of all the hotels our school has stayed, none have ever had a mini-fridge. So... I'm not going.



So, how does this all fit in to our honey moon plans? Well, if all goes well, by August 5th, 2012  we'll have little ones, two dogs, just about ready to start work again, and I hate flying or sleeping in strange places.

BUT! Mi Luna does, so for him I'll deal with the motion sickness (planes) and sleepless nights.  Here are a few places that we'd be interested in visiting:

Italy

 Pro: It's really pretty and old.
Con: The Mafia lol

France

 

Pro: Again, pretty, full of good sights.

Con: Rude French people lol

Japan

Pro: Super pretty/old culture.
Con: Nuclear crisis remnants (scary)

Brazil

 

Pro: Interesting place... latino-like culture

Con: Super violent crimes (no pic necessary. I think you get the idea)

Australia

 

Pro: They speak English

Con: It's SUPER expensive... and a wild kangaroo might punch me lol

Marriage license and passports= Major run around

So, I'm doing some research online about obtaining our marriage license(where to go and how much) and I keep getting conflicting information >:( I get the address of one place and then another, one price and then another... If the rain lets up some, I think I'm going to head downtown myself and go see what's what.

While I do that, I might as well take Luna along with me and make him get his freaking passport already. It's been 4 years since we met, and he's been saying he's going to get one. A month after we met, I won a trip to Paris to go see Madonna in concert, and he couldn't go because he had no passport. Words of wisdom to all reading this: go get your damn passport; you never know what opportunities may arise and you might not be prepared for them.

Besides, I think we're going to Rome for our honeymoon ;)

Wedding Favors: Out with the OLD, In with the NEW

My mom asked if we were going to have "capias" for our guests. For those that don't know, capias are these pin on wedding favor things made of lace and ribbon with your names and dates on it. It's supposed to make these guests feel like they are a part of the celebration. I remember wearing this at my cousin Dolly's wedding... I was like 4. The whole capia thing feels old school to me. As it is, I hate getting these things at baby showers and HAVING to put it on. The idea of poking a hole in my clothes to pin it on, disturbs me. Besides, if I hate having to do things, I wouldn't want others feeling obligated to follow my rules. And I think these things look tacky. And everyone just throws them away anyways. And they're not functional.

What am I thinking about doing then? I'm all about functionality :) Whatever favors I get, I want my guests to either a) be able to eat it, or b)be able to use it long after the wedding day. So here's what I was thinking:

1. Love Nest Soap Favors: Our whole wedding theme is "wedding in the park," and we plan on incorporating an outdoorsy feel everywhere that we can. These little "eggs" could easily be found in the park. I figure, if anyone ever gets low on soap, they could always resort to these cute little favors.

2. Bride and Groom Cake Pops: Cake pops are the newest fad. The pop is made of smushed cake, that was rolled into a ball, which is then covered and decorated with frosting, placed on a little cookie and packaged. For those with a sweet tooth, they'll be leaving with a perfect snack to eat on their way home.

3. Personalized Caramel Popcorn: It's not exactly Garretts popcorn, but who doesn't like the sweet/salty taste of caramel popcorn. These are packaged in a cute bag with our own label. There are 4 different popcorn flavors to pick from. If guests don't want to eat it immediately, that's fine... the bag has an 8 month shelf life hahaha.

Wedding Guestlist and Save-The-Date's

So, after cutting the list, reviewing the list, adding and then cutting some more, we're up to 116 people. I want to keep it wayyyy below 150, preferably around 120-125. I'm having to read up on guest-list etiquette, because I don't want to hurt some people's feelings... but at the same time, I don't know you! Why would I invite you to my wedding??? If Luna and I could invite everyone we really wanted, we'd have a gigantic list.

I had to set some ground rules:

1. I don't want any little kids. We're going to have an open bar all night long, and a continuous flowing champagne fountain. As much as I love to see kids toddling around with their little heads cocked to the side because the room is spinning... yeah, it's not going to happen. (If you're not sure what I'm talking about, twirl a little cousin around in circles and then set them free to walk around your house. It's a sad but funny sight)

2. The only exception to rule number one is if we absolutely know there's no possible way to get a baby-sitter, and in that case, their invite will include a leash that they must keep around their wrist, and child's back. Just like this one:

3. We both have to know or know of the guest. No random "my mom's aunt's cousin's boyfriend's grandma." If you follow me...

4. No gangbangers (sorry certain unwise cousins... we don't need a BET type stabbing or shooting happening on my big day)

Once we have this list settled, we'll be sending out the Save-The-Date's. I've been looking into this for the past couple of days. I could go with the usual postcard:

Or go with this new fad of sending cookies:

OR! I like this idea: MAGNETS!

See, with a magnet, it goes on the fridge and stays on the fridge. Everyone in the household will see it every time they visit the kitchen... and knowing how obese America is, that'll be often (j/k... or am I..) and no one will forget. The magnets come with their own little envelopes, and I can quickly mail merge everyone's address and create address labels. WAM! BAM! Done.

Wedding Entertainment: It's all about the family--past, present, and future!

So I was just contacted by a reception hall today. I'm hoping to go see this place soon and check out if they can host a "band" during my cocktail hour. Why the quotations around band? Well, I'm not talking about your traditional band. I want to have a bombazo at my wedding! What is that, you ask? No worries, Big Bird can teach you! Press play:

My culture is very important to me. Let me put it this way: Have you noticed that over the years many of American's accents have been fading into one common dialect? Through the power of television, we're able to hear over and over again the same type of common accent, thus picking it up ourselves.

I'm happy to have whatever accent you want to call it: Puerto Rican, Urban, Chicago, Humboldt Park. I may not say things the same way you say them. I say the word "comfortable" without the "t" because that's the way I've grown up hearing it said. I really don't plan on changing to conform to anyone's proper "English" either. Same goes for my culture.

I do not wish to conform. I enjoy and am proud of my roots. I know for a fact that my mom's side of the family were brought over from the Canary Islands to Puerto Rico as slaves. Take a look at me and my grandpa, back in Puerto Rico. This man was super dark, with African features with a touch of Spaniard (blue eyes):

 Me and Grandpa made that jibaro (hillbilly) get us a coconut (Check my shoes out, even then I was into fashion).


I will do whatever necessary to make sure the music, food, dance and other traditions continue throughout my future generations.
(Take a look at a Plena I performed below. I'm the girl on the left in purple)

Besides, don't you think it'd be fun to see this happening at a wedding? Especially the cute little kids!

What else for entertainment? I have 1 of 2 singers booked. My little cousin Aurea (Aya for short) will be singing our wedding song. Check her out at a concert she sang at:

Cute, isn't she? With that little country twang haha. She knows our song so far, and has 12 months to practice it! Get on that AYA!!

I'd also like my friend Wampy to sing a song... but that'd mean him taking off of work, and me buying him a plane ticket from NYC to CHI. Check him out here and subscribe! (He has a lot of great videos):

My dream DJ's will be the dynamic duo: DJ Wrek and O-Zone, or as I call them, Jason and Omar :)
Check out their sites:

DJ WREK
DJ O-ZONE


Bueno, that's the plan so far... and what I want, I always get! SO, if you are fortunate enough to get an invite, prepare yourself for a PARTY!

Engagement Photos: Dress Contenders

Luna's friend Christina takes amazing photos and we're positive that we want her to take our engagement photos for our Save-The-Dates. Take a look at some pics she took of Luna at a previous shoot:

Pretty amazing, huh?

So, I'm searching for the perfect dress, which must be green (because if you remember, that's what he met me in). The location for the photo shoot will, of course, be Humboldt Park. Take a look at some options I'm looking at. What'cha think?


DRESS #1
Why I like this one: This dress is inspired by one that was worn by Sigourney Weaver. It feels goddess-like with the one sleeve. The details around the bodice are very form fitting. The green hue would look gorgeous with my skin tone.

Worries about this one: I've worn long dresses 3-4 times, with each dress having an opening that show just enough leg. Maxi dresses on a short person tend to make them look even more like midgets... unless the photographer and the model can photograph the right angles (that's my pageant training coming out).

DRESS #2

Why I like this one: This dress was designed based on one that Sarah Jessica Parker wore to the Sex in The City movie premier. It's whimsical and has cute little ruffles at the top. Wearing this, I wouldn't have to worry about being too short

Worries about this one: I may be skinny, but I am Puerto Rican! What's that mean? I have a small waist, generous behind, and decent hips. I'm not wanting to look too wide, and this dress has that potential.


DRESS #3

Why I like this one: I think this one was inspired by Gossip Girl. I like the belt and panels. The little train in the back can be detached.

Worries about this one: Hmmm is it a little old-lady like?

Which Dress Should I Choose