Every time I think about how soon the wedding is, I get this surreal overwhelmed feeling.  It feels totally unreal that its actually happening, and its also emotionally overwhelming because a whole year of living and breathing wedding planning is finally culminating to one day.  I wish I could show you all more of the progress, but there is simply no time!  Hopefully I’ll be able to update once or twice more before the wedding.  I can’t wait to see you all there!!

This is the closest thing i have to a "before" picture. I've been getting pretty lazy about taking process pics. I bought the fresh water pearls from one of the bead shops around my office in NYC

The necklace is made out of freshwater pearls, clear crystal beads, and sterling silver findings.  The vintage brooches are purchased off of ebay.  It was mostly inspired by this Christos ad campaign (image below).  I made some changes from the original design, as you can see, but it was definitely strongly influenced by this necklace.

from the Christos ad campaign

I was also very inspired by the designs of Elva Fields, who’s jewelry I only wish I could afford.

Some examples of the inspiring past designs of Elva Fields

So yeah, that’s the final result and I’m very happy with it.  Now I just have to figure out what type of earrings will go with it.

So after six years in one apartment I’m finally packing up my stuff to move into a new apartment with Joe.  I’m so excited about it.  I know we will experience our share of trials and troubles, but I love that it is so natural for us to be honest and open with each other (an important dynamic to have with any roommate).  I love that I will always be able to rely on him and that I can always be there for him.  And I love that I won’t have to say ‘goodbye’ to him at the end of the night and that I can wake up next to the one I love every morning.  I love that he is not temporary.

But for now, I must face the monumental task of packing up six years worth of accumulated crap.  I wish i had pictures of the new place to show you, but I know decorating it will be my new project once the wedding is over.  The blog will go on!!!

On a side note, we finally got all of our engagement pictures, and I plan to sort out and post our favorites here on the blog tomorrow!  So definitely check back soon =)

We started off the shoot in the Meatpacking District, wandering the streets, ordering frozen treats from an ice cream truck, and trying to minimize the shine on our faces in the nearly 90 degree weather.  Eventually we ended up at Highline and got some great shots there too.  Joe and I had planned to search various wedding blogs for engagement photo pose ideas, but we got lazy and busy and arrived at our own shoot unprepared.  I know I’m going to love a lot of the shots from this shoot and Connie did a great job directing us, but we regretted not having more of our own ideas to make it more personal.

But Saturday was better.  Connie had more experience with our Saturday location so she shot very confidently and we also did our homework and researched new pose and prop ideas.  I feel like these shots ended up feeling more natural, with more variety.  We spent most of the evening at Kissena Park.  I had no idea, but deep in the park, there is this amazing field with lots of overgrown grass and weeds.  It was such a romantic, bohemian location and is one of Connie’s favorite places to shoot.  She sent me a couple of preview photos to look at and I absolutely LOVE them.  I cant wait to see the rest!

After Kissena Park, Connie suggested going to a street carnival that happened to be set up near her home.  It never occurred to us to use a location like that, but it was a brilliant idea.  We got pictures on the ferris wheel, playing games, eating funnel cake, etc.  I think this was definitely our most fun and playful location, and I’m so glad Connie thought of it… I’m so curious to see how this set turned out and I will definitely be posting the whole engagement shoot on the blog once I get them =)

To all of our guests, You should be getting invites in the mail this week.  Also, please check out our updated “Guest info and FAQ” page.  Three months to go!!!

This past Saturday we met with our caterer to finalize our menu and discuss certain logistical aspects about setting up the wedding in our venue.  They really put me at ease with their suggestions and knowledge of how to host a party.  I’m definitely even more excited to see how everything will come together.

anyway, here’s a bit of a preview of what to expect on our wedding day!

In the Front: Baked Brie, Fuji apple, pecan and mango chutney in tiny phyllo cup... In the Back: London Broil in tiny Yorkshire Pudding, portabello mushrooms, hunter sauce and horseradish

Gin and Tonic Shrimp Skewers with pepper and snap peas in spicy Thai-Ginger sauce, gin and a slash of tonic

the asparagus, goat cheese, mango and red pepper wrapped in prosciutto

These are just a few of the dishes that will be served at our wedding.  my personal favorite is the apple and brie hors d’oeuvre (to be served during cocktail hour).  Our caterer, Sharon of Fallier Foods, has an almost obsessive attention to detail in her presentation and the fusion of flavors she combines in her dishes.  Each dish is so complex, and I hope everyone appreciates all of the care she puts into each item she prepares.  She has been so enthusiastic through this whole process and I feel very lucky to have found her.

There was a moment early on in the process, after totally botching my first attempt at making the bodice, where I regretted my choice and felt a sense of panic that I had wasted too much of the budget on fabric to buy anything worthwhile at that point.  Luckily after a day of mourning and not looking at my sewing machine, I learned from my mistakes, created a new plan, and started all over again.  After more than two months of using all my free time to hunch over my sewing machine, I brought the finished dress to work for a professional hemming.

Now the hem is done and I’m very pleased to say that I have a finished wedding dress that I’m very happy with!!  Of course its not quite to the standards of a professionally made gown….some stitching is uneven and obviously sewn by amateur hands, but overall, it looks like what I had in my head.  Unfortunately I can’t post pictures because I want to preserve that moment moment at the alter where Joe sees me in my dress for the first time.  But here are a few ambiguous looking process shots that I don’t think give too much away.

this collage gives away nothing about the final look of the dress, and is mostly under structers and early draping. Unforuntely I got pretty lazy about documenting the process since it was a pretty frustrating process at times. So you'll have to forgive the quality and lack of pictures.