The honeymooners...

It didn't take us long to decide what we were going to do for our honeymoon....

Not a tropical beach vacation:

On the beach at Cow Wreck, Anegada, the British Virgin Islands, February 2012 

Or a European holiday:

In Paris, March 2011

But a sailing adventure!

Osprey underway, July 2011

Yep, when you own a boat, you try to spend as much time as possible enjoying it!  We've decided to position the boat down in the Chesapeake and spend two weeks cruising those waters.  We can't wait to see some new sights.

Osprey motoring out of Edgartown last summer.

Plus we can take our crazy dog Bosley along!

A wet day on the water in September last year, with Bosley the dog. 

What are you doing for your honeymoon?  Does it involve one of your favorite hobbies?

Children are a blessing...

Mr. C and I like kids.  We are excited to have kids of our own one day.  And many of our friends and family members have kids.  We like those kids a lot.  However, we have decided not to invite children to our wedding.  

We've communicated this decision via our website and via word of mouth, and we did the whole "__ of 2 attending" thing on the response cards.  (We hear sometimes this still doesn't work but we're hoping for the best!)  We've suggested child care options in Austin and we have talked with friends about their plans to bring in-laws along to watch the kids on the wedding day, or to leave the kids back at home with a grandma/aunt/etc.

It hasn't been as controversial as I originally thought, but it's been a bit of a challenge.  I think mostly we're both concerned about not hurting people's feelings.  We're certainly not trying to say we don't like kids, and particularly not your kids, we're just trying to make this an event that is reflective of us and the type of celebration we want to have.  We really think it would be fun for all the adults to get a night (or weekend) off to enjoy themselves!  Plus, we have so many friends and family with many kids, it would have added a huge number to our guest list.

One of my girlfriends sent me a note saying she may not be able to join us because she's not sure they can get the whole child care thing figured out, and she wants to respect our "no kids" wishes.  She said she might try to come by herself and leave her son at home with her husband.  She also said she hopes I don't hate her!  I replied that of course I don't hate her; the whole idea is really just to make it a fun night for all the adults, and if it's not possible for her to be there, then there will be lots of photos and recaps I can share with her afterward.

Another couple is expecting a baby soon and made a comment recently about how the trip to Austin might be their baby's first travel adventure.  We were with some other friends at the time so we didn't say anything, but from the full context of the conversation, it sounds like maybe they haven't realized that we're not inviting kids.  Not sure how we're going to handle that one just yet, but an awkward conversation is on the horizon, I guess.

I'm not going to stress about it - we'll be happy to see everyone who makes it to the event, and we can't control what people decide to do.  I do hope the guests who do make arrangements to have someone watch their kids for the night won't be disgruntled if someone totally misses the memo, though!

If you decided not to have kids at your wedding, how did you share the news?  Did you have any parents show up with their kiddos anyway?

Shopping Sunday: registry-o-rama!

We've (and when I say we've, I mean I've) been slowly building a registry since last fall.   Mr. C didn't understand the point of a registry and felt like it was an outright solicitation for gifts.   My view has always been that many people will actually want to buy us a gift and not just feel obligated to do so, though I guess some will feel obligated - but either way, shouldn't we help them to buy things that we actually want and will use?

Building the registry has been a bit of a challenge, as Mr. C and I have been living together for about three and a half years now, and we're no longer in our 20s, so we already own many of the things that would usually go on a registry.  However, this seems like a nice way to replace some things that might be getting worn down, add other options, and some new decor.

I started out with two registries initially.  The first was Crate and Barrel.  Mr. C and I love to cook, bake, and entertain, so this seemed like an easy pick.  We like their stuff, most of it is reasonably priced, and they are easy to order from.

We threw a "catch-all" celebration (post-holiday/birthday/engagement/Chinese New Year's party) in January at our house, and a number of our friends gifted us with some things off this registry, which we have been happily using since:

Acacia Salad Bowl and Servers 

Bellamy Carafe

Rectangular Serving Platter

The second registry is at Macy's. I felt like I had to pick a department store (not sure why?) so Macy's was the one I chose.  Our registry there is pretty small, with things like new measuring cups, potholders, canisters...and a meat cleaver (added at Mr. C's request).

Should I be concerned?
Henckels meat cleaver; Image via Amazon

I wasn't thrilled with the bedding and bath options at either of the first two stores, so I decided to add a third registry: Pottery Barn.  I haven't bought much from Pottery Barn recently myself, but they do have great bedding and bath stuff, so I went with my gut and registered for those categories there.   I'm looking very much forward to fluffy new towels and some fresh sheets, coverlets, and pillows for our master bedroom and guest room.

PB Classic 820-gram weight towels

Matine Toile Duvet Cover

We don't have nearly as many registry items as we will wedding guests, but I'm sure some will prefer not to buy a physical gift and will go with a card instead.  We've also suggested gift cards on the registries for those who would prefer that route.

It's been fun slowly adding to the lists online as we think of things that might be useful or nice to have.  I can't imagine how much more difficult it must have been when you had to visit the store to put a registry together!

Did you register?  How did you decide where to register and what to register for?

Sad shipping...

I mentioned earlier that my aunt is going to be baking a series of layer cakes for our wedding, instead of a traditional tiered/stacked cake.  I keep seeing great examples of this cake table idea online, so I guess it's a bit trendy, but it really will work out the best for us, so I'm sticking to it.

Pretty cakes!
Image via Style Me Pretty / Photo by Nadine Photography / Event by Yellow Umbrella Events

Because we'll need a few cake plates / stands, I have been keeping an eye out for pieces that I might like.  I recently ordered this gorgeous vintage cake plate from a company out in California:

Isn't it pretty?
Image via / Cake plate from Edisen

Sadly, the cross-country shipment did not treat this little guy so well, and when it arrived, it looked more like this:

So sad!

I wrote to the shop*, lamenting the loss of the beautiful plate, and they put through a refund right away.  Sadly, it was a one-of-a-kind vintage piece, so I won't be able to get a replacement.  Boooo.

Cake plate shopping continues...

*I just want to emphasize how great I think Edisen is, and that the shipment issue wasn't their fault.  It was really wrapped up in there - just didn't make it through all the box tossing that the delivery guys must have put it through, despite the giant "FRAGILE" on the box.  Sigh.

Oh my.

Spotted these on Elements of Style....

Image from uggs.com

I'm not sure who thought these were necessary.  Bridal Uggs?  Seriously?

Am I the only one who is sighing with despair at this sure sign of the apocalypse?  (Besides Erin, of course.)

To bling or not to bling...

Last night, I stopped by the jewelers to check out some of the wedding bands he had on hand.  It's the same place P got my engagement ring.  The owner is a vintage and estate dealer and so he had lots of unique pieces.

I had thought I would probably want just a plain platinum band to go with my engagement ring, but I tried on a few rings that had more bling.  This one was my favorite - five crisscut diamonds, set sideways on the band.

Zing zing!  Lotsa bling!

I'm surprised, but I kinda like the way they look together.  And I also like the idea that whenever I do choose to just wear my wedding band without the engagement ring (which might happen quite a bit on the boat), I'll still have some sparkle.

They also put my engagement ring through the steam cleaner thingy, so it's looking super sparkly now.  I wish I had one of those at my house!

What do you think?  Too much bling?

Dressing the MOB!

My mom wasn't originally really sure what she wanted to wear for the wedding, and Mr. C's mom and stepmom were already asking me what they should wear pretty early on in the wedding planning.  Finally around January, I told them both that my mom really hadn't decided on her dress yet, as the wedding was still so far away... and that as soon as I knew more I would let them know!

Because our ceremony will be outside and it's likely to be a tad bit warm when we are taking photos and such, I suggested she steer away from the standard long dress with drapey jacket that  seems to dominate the MOB options.  Mom also lives pretty far from the nearest big city, so she has had limited opportunities to shop in person.  We turned to the trusty internet and found a few possibilities: 

Image of Nina dress via Audrey's Mother of the Bride

Image via Light In The Box

Image of Jade dress via Jasmine Bridal

Then I saw this Adrianna Papell dress on someone's mom in an online wedding recap (I think?), in a light beige color, and I sought it out for my mom to take a look at: 

Adrianna Papell dress from Nordstrom

Mom liked this one a lot, so she's ordering it in a couple of colors and sizes to see how it looks.  She might also go shopping in person in Houston to see what she can find.  I want her to find something she really loves!

And hopefully she'll have a dress soon so I can let the MOG and S-MOG know all about it, and they can go shopping for their own attire!

How did your mom pick her dress?