re-post: Amélie.. How I've missed you..

Last June, my better half surprised me with an impromptu birthday weekend trip to New Orleans, Louisiana.Not only was this trip my first ever trip to the Southern states, it was also my first ever plane ride! (What a city! If you've never been to the Big Easy, I highly recommend you book a getaway trip)

The first night we got to NOLA (Short for New Orleans, LA), we took a haunted walking tour through the French Quarter. Our tour guide Holly, a local, was very entertaining and knew a lot about the city your average joe wouldn't know. She told us stories about Muriel's restaurant with the lone table set aside for the ghosts (in order to stop them from stealing the restaurant guests bread), Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carreactress.. She also recommended a few restaurants she thought we might enjoy.. (and we really did!!) While walking down one of the side streets, I noticed a very cute sign above a brick wall (cute things seem to stick out... I don't know why). The sign read Cafe Amélie. We took a quick peek inside, and we immediately decided to eat there the following night.

And we did. What a place.. cobblestones.. candle lighting, beautiful brick walls.. just beautiful. We ordered a bottle of wine (expected) and browsed the menu.. the smells coming from the kitchen were too good to not be tempted.

I'm gonna zip pass a few details to get to the crucial point of the story.

After we had finished dinner, we still had about half a bottle of wine to go. Coming from a household who tends to polish bottles before dinners end, we weren't going to let this one go to waste. To make things easier, my better half decided that if each of us took a sip after every toast we made, we would finish the bottle in no time. So one at a time, back and forth, we toasted to the city... toasted the cobblestones, toasted to Holly (for guiding us there in the first place), toasted the stars... toasted Brad Pitt (long story.. lol) and it went on and on... it was kind of slow going for a little bit. I almost didn't finish my last glass.. and then something happened.

To break the pattern, my better half says "I've save the best one for last..". I started to get antsy.. I think I got a little too excited for what I thought was going to happen.. I started smiling lots.. getting sweaty (don't get me wrong.. it was hot.. but I thought he was going to propose!!) He gets to his last sip, looks me in the eyes (by that time, I'm blushing so hard my head hurts)and says... "To Rufus". I don't think it registered, because all that was running through my head was.. "I'm going to be Mrs Bleep*.. OMG I'm going to be Mrs Bleep*." And then it hit me. He didn't propose.. He toasted to the damn dog!!! (* to keepanonymity!!)

I was a little surprised and confused.. how was that saving the best for last??So the night went on without incident. I really didn't bring it up because after all, he did plan this fabulous little getaway on his own and I couldn't have sulked the rest of the trip because of this little "oops" moment. We took a carriage ride through the French Quarter, went to Coyote Ugly for shots and hung out with the craw fish mascot at BubbaGump & co. We even walked on the set of Carmen Electra's new Flick "Mardi Gras". Overall, a great drunken night.

The morning after. We get a frantic call from my mother in law. ( I call her that because I've been in the family for 4 years now) She was freaking out asking if he'd popped the question.. (see I wasn't the only one with that on the brain!!) So he hangs up the phone, turns to me and asks me where she had got this crazy idea in her head from.. so I told him I too thought it was going to happen.. I think he felt bad about the situation lol

And then I added "When the time comes that you are ready to propose, it better beat a candle lit dinner, in a cobblestone courtyard in New Orleans.. and it also better not happen over the jumbotron at a Senators hockey game".

I think he got the picture.

Ohhh boys... How I love them ; )

Originally posted: October 14 2008

re-post: For the Boys and Girls

How are you going to thank your little helpers for giving their (somewhat) helping hand during the big day? After all, they are the cute factor of the wedding… you can’t not have something special prepared for them right?

I found this area especially hard because I wasn’t really thinking specifically about which little kids would fill the spot. I know who we’d potentially have as our Ring bearer, but we aren’t planning on going the flower girl route. Even thinking about the ring bearer, It was harder to find something decent for them… Besides an engraved whistle (no thanks) and a silver plated yoyo… there wasn’t much choice around here.

You want to try to keep the personal feel throughout the gift, also throw in a couple things YOU KNOW the kids would love.

So I put together a little mock list of potential ideas.. and here’s what I was thinking…

Flower girls:
Canvas tote bag (take out your fabric paints and Bedazllers ladies!!)
Dress up Paper Doll Book (personally, I loved this as a kid!)
Little baggy filled with personalized M&Ms of her fave colors
Little silver Jewellery box (engraved to add that special touch)
Cute little earrings or engraved personalized Charm Bracelet

Ring bearers:
Wicked cool Backpack (You can let your hubby pick it out.. he knows what’s cool)
Juggling balls (in a special tin)
Little bag filled personalized M&Ms of his fave colors
Little boy watch (to attach to his belt loop)
baseball jersey/bat set (personalized of course) with matching hat
Small Lego set (to keep him busy while everyone is running around)

I was pondering the idea of coloring books and pencils and a set of markers.. but there is a risk factor that isn’t 100% kiddie full proof. You don’t want to have to scramble around at the last minute if your ring bearer thinks it’s funny to draw on your flower girl's dress.. oh yeah… believe it or not, it’s happened!! (Rule #1, ALWAYS keep a Tide stick close... in case)

I really liked the idea of Fleece blankets as well. Go to Old Navy for these (they always have pretty funky colors and at a great price you can't go wrong) or have it specially ordered with their initials on it for that special touch.

FindGift.com also had a great box gift set with miniature pops, sweets & gadgets for the kids.

Oh.. one site I was looking at today suggested engraved paperweights for the ring bearers… honestly?? What does a 6 year old boy need a paper weight with his name engraved on it for??? It’ll end up being launched at his parents when he’s not happy… not so good!!

If you still have no clue where to start, here are great tips listed onBridal people :

Ask the parents for clues and ideas, chances are they will know exactly what to get the kids.

If that fails, take them out for a “Ring bearer”/ “Flower girl” day of fun! This can count as your gift by treating them to an activity packed day! If you still plan on giving them a gift, this is also a great way to find out more about their likes and dislikes. Should make your job easier in the long run.

The last thing to remember is to make them feel like they are an important part of your day. Don’t forget to have fun. Kids love to feel special too, they will always remember your wedding as being the coolest they've ever been to.

Originally posted: March 12 2009

re-post: Brooklyn Love..

photography by Robin Roemer

re-post: My kind of Cake

Pen Carlson Photography posted on the http://theKnot.com

If I were going to go for a traditional wedding cake, I would have something like this in mind. You don't need to have a 15 tier cake for a wedding the reception. Chances are no one will end up eating it anyways! ( in my past experience with weddings, the bride and groom end up having a dessert at the end of the meal in addition to the cake. Who wants to eat more cake after they've already stuffed themselves with dessert??)

Some couples end up having custom 'fake' cakes (made of Styrofoam and fondant) to cut the costs and waste. The cost gets cut by at least half and the guests wouldn't even know the difference! In addition, you can ask your baker to make decorated cake slabs with the same color scheme for dessert to serve when the time comes for coffees and tea.

That sounds good and all, but I still think cupcakes are at the top of my list for wedding desserts...

I'm torn... This is a second.

I really like this.

re-post: The dream wedding

I am going to hit the ground running with this one. I am official sold on this idea. The dress, the shoes, the vintage appeal, beautiful cake.. oh My god.

We talk about ceremonies and venues and different things. We like things that have meaning, family oriented things. That is just us. We don't plan on marrying in a church, or having the big bash In a sought after venue everyone dreams of getting married in. (If you haven't read the past posts and are just getting into this blog you will be quick to discover we are looking for a no fuss casual affair)

Amanda and Daniel were married at the beautiful Bartan's Garden in Philadelphia, PA. She wore a beautiful white tea length, strapless, 2 piece gown. He wore a Paul Smith black suit to complete the casual look. The bridesmaids wore black dresses of their choice and the groomsmen wore black suits to complement the grooms attire. (I love this look. Classic, timeless.. casual yet chic)

The details of this wedding are absolutely wonderful. From the hand made invitations to the custom upholstered furniture everything was thought out extensively and executed with charm.
The guests were treated to a delicious spread of baby lamb chops and mushroom risotto catered by Philadelphia's Jeffery Miller Catering. The cake, decorated with details of small and large buttons, was a creation by Old City bakery. (whoever thought this up is a genius.. such a beautiful cake)

As a personal touch for the end of the evening, the couple gave out smoores and hot chocolate to departing guests (This is my kinda of affair)P.S. who doesn't love smoores and hot chocolate??!!

Originally posted: October 30 2008

Photography by Marie Labbancz via Brides Magazine

Wordless Monday..

Photography by Simon Atkins

I'll be taking a breather from the blog this week, but don't worry, everyday I will be re-posting some of my favorite entries from the past year (so you don't miss me too much).  

Enjoy! ; )

Maids, Maids, Maids

When we first started talking about getting married, the better half pointed out that he only wanted 1 attendee on each side.. At first I thought that was the most ridicules thing in the world, however I take my words back.. I see where he is coming from now. Since we both have a lot of mutual friends, it would be hard for us to pick some and leave others out. So we decided to keep it low key at one on each side.. easy as pie. (there is more to this, but I'll leave that for another post)

This brings me to the main point of this post. Since I'm only going to have a MOH (<-Maid of Honor.. just in case you didn't get that), I've decided to go the non-traditional bridesmaid dress route and splurge on something a little different that I KNOW she will want to wear again, and again and again. Before you say "well I've heard that one before", hear me out. I know a lot of brides say they want something that their girls will want to wear again, but %70 of the time, they end up picking out the most hideous dresses that will end up being worn once and then hidden at the back of the closet never to see the light of day again.. But in this case, since she is the only one deciding, she can pick whatever dress she wants; style, color, cut. Anthropologie's fabulous styles might be a great place to start looking...



Rosettes-And-Ruffles Dress

Spirited Away Dress


Longest Night Dress

Frozen Crystals Dress

Now, enough about me... How did you decide what your girls would be wearing at your wedding? Tell, me all about it!!

Hollywood does it right...

Have any of you seen I Love you, Man?

How amazing was the wedding scene? the beautiful fabric canopy, strings of clear beads and exotic white flowers.. just beautiful...

via Julianne Austin


via Celebrity Brides
Just a little inspiration to add to the book..

Wordless Monday..

Looking forward to this exact moment with dad...

via Annie Warren Photography

I forgot...

How completely amazing Love Actually was...

The cake dream...

I had a dream last night...

I dreamed that our reception had just started at the National Art Gallery (located in Ottawa.. aka the dream venue..) Champagne was flowing, the band had just started and we were tearing it up on the dance floor. We love to dance.. We had our gourmet meals, laughed and cried during the speeches and had our first dance as the Mr. and Mrs... Everything was perfect...

Until it came time to cut the cake....

This is where my dream ended.. I've had this dream before.. it ALWAYS ends before the cutting of the cake.. I've always wondered why...

For those of you who don't know me personally, I love cake. Not the "I like to peck at my cake" kind of love... I'm the.. "I ate 2 McCain frozen cakes last night and I can't stop myself from eating another" kind of love.

The cake aspect of the wedding has always freaked me out a little. I am a stickler for detail, and I fear that If I brought a specific idea to a baker, I'll get stuck with something that is the complete opposite of what I wished for. This is my nightmare and may be a reason why my dream always ends at the cake cutting.. strange right?

This is why I relinquished all cake making decisions to the better half.

The verdict? Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing. Plain and simple. I didn't argue.. it's simple, beautiful and yummy as heck.

But a part of me always wonders...

What If I brought an image from a Martha Stewart mag like this one...

And ended up with this?

I guess I'd just have a great story to tell the kids right?

photos via the very hilarious Cakewrecks

Twirls & Swirls

When I was a little girl, my mother attempted to teach me the art of calligraphy. I have always been intrigued and fascinated by different styles of lettering... however, I crashed and burned at doing it myself...

But lucky for me, The Professional Bridesmaid is hosting her very first giveaway: a customized calligraphy rubber stamp by the talented Barbara Kua Calligraphy! There are several whimsical styles to choose from.. My favorite?

The Katie

The giveaway ends Sunday November 8th, so make sure you pop by the blog for a chance to win this great prize!! 

Wordless Monday..

via Tim Chin Photography & Design

And the winner is....

Before I announce the big winner to our super awesome Glitz and Glam giveaway, I just wanted to Thank you all for voting! We sooooo excited to have had as many entries as we did in our first ever giveaway here at Marry Melodies! Hopefully the next one will be just as awesome!!

And now the winner *drum roll please*...

Congrats, Samantha T!!


Make sure to check back with us for more cool giveaways!!
Thanks again everyone!! : )