Non-wedding Productive Trip to Chinatown

Yesterday my mom and I went into Chinatown to scope out Chinese wedding invitations. That didn't exactly happen. My mom had a shopping agenda (not wedding related) and we were quite successful in accomplishing that but not much else.

We went to Henry Street to check out a printer for invites but I spent that time in the car, parked illegally, while mom tried to get samples and pricing. When my mom returned she had a sample (it was ugly) and business cards. It turns out it wasn't enough for me to make any kind of decision or get a feel for what kind of invitations they had - so I have to make another trip to Chinatown.

So invitations were a bust, but I did manage to get one Chinese wedding item ... a guest book from Pearl River Mart on Broadway.
Normally, the guest book is a red silk sheet embroidered with a dragon and phoenix. Pearl River Mart had both the book I bought and the silk sheet. I choose the book because (1) it was more my style (2) the silk sheet was too small for the number of guests we are inviting and (3) the silk sheet wasn't of the best quality.

Now to figure out when to go back to Chinatown ...

I hate cars!

Well I don't really hate cars just mine, Zippy, right this moment. I blogged back in December about my flat tire drama, well, that drama has continued! After having to order a replacement tire and taking Zippy back to Pep Boys to have the tire installed, what does the car do but start drifting to one side! So silly me is driving around with the steering misaligned for a couple of weeks (driving straight with a crooked steering wheel was so annoying) and yesterday I finally give in and take Zippy back to get a wheel alignment. Well what do I find out but something else is wrong my car, which I was aware of as a minor issue, I busted the strut (when I was playing Frogger with a rock) on the driver's side.

I think was last fall when my dad mentioned one of my struts was leaking and I would eventually need them replaced. Well dad, I need at least one new strut because I broke my car, again.

Personally, I think I am a pretty good driver but apparently something is effed up because I keep dumping money into my car for really stupid and minor things (rock Frogger). For example, back in November I kinda, sorta drove Zippy into a pole. Our gym has this semi-underground parking area and we were leaving, albeit I was in rush, when some guy pulls in and I had already pulled out of the spot to leave. Unfortunately, we couldn't pass each other in the tight garage. So I got smart and decided to pull back into my spot and do a pull through move to get out of the way. *BAM* my passenger side back door connects with one of those support beam poles and makes one heck of CRUNCH sound. Needless to say I was SUPER pissed off and of course again it was totally my fault for being in a rush, and for no good reason.

Due to all my recent car drama Nick seems to think I need to get a tank as my next car. I am beginning to agree.

Photographer ... check!

In a previous post I mentioned two photographers I was considering and then later one a third. After much research and questioning I decided that Sara Wall was the best for a few reasons - # of pictures per hour, talent, digital photography and overall value. After much hemming and hawing between us and some with Sara; we did it ... we booked Sara for our wedding!

Sara has these super cool under water shots, some with a bride and there are some brightly colored subjects (girls in costume). If you go to Sara's gallery on Pictage, the first images is of the underwater bride. I think it's a really cool picture. We learned that the pool used for the shot is a saline pool (not your typical chlorine) and the subject had to keep her eyes open underwater - something I am not capable of. (Don't ask why, I just got a thing with opening my eyes underwater.)

So to my relief, we've checked yet another To Do item off of our Kauai list. If could only be that efficient with the Chinese reception's To Do list...

Musician...check!

We picked and booked the musician for our Kauai ceremony. His name is Paul Togioka and he will be playing "Canon in D" for my walk down the aisle/sand and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" after the ceremony. Our planner, Manulele has generously offered to sing the vocals to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" as a gift to us.

I am super excited about the music because the two songs I chose are the ones that remind me most of weddings and love, the blame for that goes to the movies "Father of the Bride" and "50 First Dates". Now we only missing the over-the-top planner, Franc.

I've made it a dilemma

In the post previous to this I mentioned that I made my cousins my flower girls. No problem there, but it just hit me that another girl cousin will be joining us in Hawaii. She lives in Ohio and I haven't seen her in forever but she's still my little cousin (I think she's 10) and I certainly do not want her feeling left out as she will be the only other kid there. Should I add her as a flower girl? Would she even like a tutu?

My Flower Girls

I decided I wanted flower girls for my ceremony and chose my little cousins, Catherine and Victoria. Not only are they cutest but also the coolest little girls I have ever known. Since we're having a destination wedding in Hawaii I didn't want the flower girls to wear traditional type dresses. In my searches I found the most amazing outfits for my flower girls ...

Tutus! You can see the other styles at Wedding Tutu's website. The pictured style is called the Keiki Lei tutu in azure blue. The tutu is separate from the embellished leotard. The jury is still out on the embellished leotard ... I can't seem to figure out if I like the look or feel it's just a bit over the top ...

By the time the wedding rolls around Victoria will be 5 and Catherine will be three weeks away from being 7. I know, for a fact, that Victoria will be over-the-moon when she sees the tutu and leotard and figures out that she'll be wearing it in Hawaii. I'm not sure about Catherine because she is a girly girl but also a tomboy. I guess I'd compare her to Bindi Irwin (Steve Irwin's daughter). Regardless, the girls will look fabulous and there's a chance our wedding photos will be full of the adorable flowergirls.

This is pretty cool ...

Brookstone has these crazy ecospheres that came about as a result of some NASA experiment. The life expectancy of the ecosphere is about 2 years but it's not unheard of for them to survive up to 10 years. Can you imagine having this glass ball of a world for 10 years?! I mean I am having thoughts of having the betta for 2-5...

Brookstone says this about the ecosphere:

The delicate coexistence of animal and plant life (red shrimp, algae and microbes) thrives within each glass sphere of seawater. This technology was developed by NASA scientists as part of a growing initiative to study our planet’s biosphere.

The pictured ecosphere is 4" and costs $65 plus an extra $12 shipping surcharge. They have other shapes and sizes as well. The largest costs $500 plus the surcharge.

I personally think Nick would love this if he got it as a gift. The wheels in my head are spinning ... what about gifts for the groomsmen? Knowing Nick's groomsmen, I am pretty sure they'd think this ecosphere to be a pretty kick arse thing.

Veils make me crazy!

I finally found the veil that I want. I came across this picture in one of my bridal magazines and this is the exact look I want. What's the problem? The picture is from Mon Atelier a California bridal shop and after searching on the site there's a similar photo but no information on dresses or veils. Boohoo! So now I need to put on my Nancy Drew cap and figure some of this out on my own ...

1. this is a drop veil
2. doesn't seem to have a finished edge
3. long ... cathedral length - might be too long for my 5'2" frame
4. made of tulle
5. front hits just below the hips (must measure myself)
6. side hits at the knee (must measure)

This veil is definitely a round shape (circle or oval) and certainly not square.

How should I secure the veil to my head? I have a feeling if I don't secure it with something it'll fly off my head at the worst possible moment ... imagine me in my dress trying to run in sand to chase it. The image in my head is funny now but it won't be on May 24th.

My Mandy of Honor

My Maid-of-Honor (MOH) is Nick's sister, Amanda (or more famously known as Mandy). She's like a sister to me because (1)I've never had a sister and (2) she's fabulous! She's the sweetest gal I've ever known and I think I am very lucky to have found someone (Nick) who has such a great sister and family.

Today we decided to get together at Nick's dad's house and the "gang" was there (Nick, his dad, sister, best friend Chris and me). We did some hanging out and eating but most productive was being able to bounce some wedding ideas off Mandy and and see a girl's opinion of it all. We actually got some things accomplished amongst all the giggling: picked the best menu for the post wedding dinner on Kauai, mostly figured out bridesmaids attire for Kauai wedding and the reception, decided that Mandy and I are going to get pampered the day of the wedding and finalized the bridal shower guest list (even got addresses we needed). Not too bad for two girls we usually end up shopping and giggling when we get together. :)

Mandy, if you're reading this THANK YOU!

Tick ... Tock ... Tick ...

Time is running out! Bridal shower ... in 2 months, 1 week and 3 days!

I just got an email from our friend, Adele (who's hosting the shower), letting me know that the invites are ready to go out!

When it was 2006 I thought all this wedding stuff was far away but now that it's 2007 I've got to hustle. As each event creeps up I'm going to be freakin' out just a little more!

Hotel ... check

I decided I should get a jump on some planning for the Chinese banquet. To me, the easiest and most obvious thing to do was to get a block of rooms at the local hotel before sending out STDs. Easier said than done.

The closest hotel is the East Brunswick Hilton, in all its recently-renovated glory ...

I called the hotel and I felt like they were the SATs trying to trip me up! They asked how many rooms I wanted to block! Seriously, what kind of question is that? Just kidding. It's a pretty logical and straightforward question that I did not think of. Thankfully I had an idea of how many guests will be from out of town and the representative estimated about 30 rooms. Yes, 30 rooms! I can't even count that high using all my available appendages!

Anyhow, I was transferred so many times and ended up not having to make any commitments to a specific number but instead the Group Sales lady, Rachel, had to call me back. Whew! But I referred to my trusty guest list (in Excel) and came up with 54 out of town guests that would need hotel rooms, assuming they all RSVP with a resounding "yes" and have no other lodging options. Based on double occupancy, the more accurate estimate would be 26 rooms. Still a lot.

I finally spoke with Rachel and we decided to start off with 15 rooms. The rooms will be discounted a bit, $105 per night and they'll hold them until June 9, 2007 ... under the Huang-Tocci Wedding!

Wedding Mapper

I found this via Weddingbee and had to share! It's called Wedding Mapper (it's powered by Google) and basically you use this handy dandy little tool to create a map of the area you'll be having your wedding. This is what mine looks like ... minus the red circles and notations (I did that to make it stand out).


You can add other places of interest such as restaurants, activities, entertainment, relatives' homes, etc. for your guests. This is definitely a nifty thing to have especially if you're going to set up or already have a wedding website. You could probably point people to the url if you are having the travel information printed and no website.

Wedding Flowers Found!

After searching high and low for the right wedding bouquet I think I found it! I wanted something that had a tropical flair without going overboard but would also incorporate my favorite color, red. I tried finding the best tropical bouquet but none wowed me and a bouquet of red roses felt too formal for the beach.

Drumroll please ....

This bouquet is made up of light green Cymbidium Orchids and burgundy Calla Lilies.

And a shot from the side ...

So...what do you think?

Hola El Guapo!

UPDATE: Nick's betta finally has a name! Meet El Guapo. He's named for a fighter (Baz Rutin), a character in the movie Three Amigos and for his handsome colors.

Original post on El Guapo the betta joining our family.

InStyle Weddings

For the bride in you ... $2 off the current issue of Instyle Weddings!

Christmas Gifts - Part III

I think this may be the final segment on Christmas gifts because ... well Christmas is old news and it's almost Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Since I've been doing a lot of wedding posts on the blog these two gifts are wedding related ...



The first ...

a Frommers guide for Hawaii, the 2007 version! This will come in very handy because we have yet to figure out what we want to see and do while on our honeymoon. Thanks (Nick's) mom and Mandy!

Also from Nick's mom is the handy Martha Stewart Homekeeping Handbook. This is thing is HUGE and heavy. Did I ever tell you I just love Martha? In December 2005, I went with Brenda and her mom to see Martha Stewart's show. It was so much fun!

Anyhow, I've had a chance to flip through this home bible and it will come in quite handy once I've trained myself to reference it. I did learn that it is not recommended that one cut on any type of counter top, not even marble or granite. The reasoning, a logical one at that, is that all counter tops have a finish (yes even marble and granite) and cutting on the counter top would mar the finish causing visible marks and/or compromise the material. Martha, you're so smart.

How cool!

These 22 karat gold bands are to die for! They're by Cathy Waterman and for a mere $3,160 you can have one these babies with 3 intials carved into them. If it weren't for the steep-as-Mount-Everest price I'd totally get one as a alternative wedding band. If you've got champagne tastes and the pockets to match you can find the ring at YLANG23.

Wedding Photography II

About a month ago I posted about a couple of wedding photographers that were recommended to me by my wedding planner. I recently found another photographer that has caught my eye and has, in my opinion, a combination photo journalistic and portrait style that I like and find unique. Nick contacted Images by Liz a little while back for recommendations on beach sites for our wedding. Liz has so many beautiful and very vivid photographs that make me wish I was at those weddings. So now it's between Liz and Sara Wall .

I've emailed both regarding their packages, average # of shots per hour, digital or film, and other factors important to me. Once I have a chance to sit down and make my comparisons I'll hopefully have a decision in the next couple of weeks.

I feel good!

On Saturday, I paid a visit to our travel agent and ended up checking a few items off my Hawaii To Do List. What did I do, you ask?

• Booked our inter island flight from Lihue, Kauai to Honolulu for May 26
• Inquired about flights from Columbus, OH for family that may join us on Kauai
• Got the payment schedule for the group
• Learned that all packages with tickets and hotel information will be ready early May

I feel pretty accomplished because now there isn't anything more to book with the travel agent. All that's left is to pay for the trip, pick up our packages and of course go to Hawaii!

Yesterday I did some major organizing on my computer and sorted my files better and filed away those pesky "pending" files that end up hanging out on the desktop. I also created a spreadsheet called Wedding To Do List. It's broken down into 2 worksheets, one for Hawaii and one for the local reception with spots for contacts, vendors, notes, target and completion dates. I think it'll keep me better organized as the events get closer.

Digicam Obsessed

I love technology but right now I am obsessed with the latest and greatest in digital photography. I think most of the obsession is due to the fact that we're getting married and photos are going to be a big expense but will be the one thing that captures our wedding and the memories we'll have. That and we're going to be in Hawaii for 2 1/2 weeks ...

So the digital camera that's caught our eye is the Olympus Stylus 720 SW , the most amazing feature that completely blows my mind away is the fact that its waterproof. Yes, this digital camera is waterproof! Does it look waterproof to you?

The camera has some crazy built-in seals for underwater that allows it to go up to 10 feet under water for up to an hour. In addition to being waterproof this baby has built-in image stabilization and capable of taking pictures up to 7.1 mega pixels - that's great for when you want to take a picture and blow it up to proportions so gigantic it could be a billboard ... okay I'm kidding, just a little.

I think this is a pretty sweet camera with all its whistles and bells but I'm not sold. I am a die hard Canon digicam lover, I've had two Canons and love not only the quality of the product but also how their menus are setup on their devices. So straightforward you don't even need their user manual. I just don't get Olympus products, I know they are good products, but I have never had so much trouble working anything as I do when my hands are on an Olympus camera. I just feel that their menus, button placement and button functions are just not well thought out nor logical and sadly, in my opinion, this camera is no better.

Be still my heart!

My friend, Paul just emailed me this site ... Endless. It's a amazon.com site for shoes and handbags! I am browsing and have about 4 pairs of shoes that are to-die-for in my cart. They have free overnight shipping all of the time and free return shipping ... my heart is all aflutter over this brand spankin' new retail discovery! What's a girl to do?

Check the site out for yourself and you'll understand why I am totally freakin' out!

Christmas Gifts ... continued

I know it's already 2007 but as I promised, I'm highlighting some Christmas gifts we received. From Yi & Brenda (their claim to fame is the Calphalon set) their children (my cousins) and my grandparents we got ...

(from top left: set of pint glasses, bread warmer basket, serving fork, slotted serving spoon, Silpat baking sheet, and a combo cake dome)

I have yet to completely unpack all of it because I will have to do some rearranging to fit everything in our apartment and will undoubtedly have to have a conversation with Nick about keeping some of his pint glasses from his bachelor days. Why is it so hard for men to let go of their bachelor-days-stuff? I don't think, in Nick's case, it's nostalgia but the fact that he actually thinks that the stuff is nice when I think it's sorta "ghetto".

Nick got very excited about the bread warmer - I think I can use it tonight for dinner, now just to choose a dinner menu that can incorporate warm bread... Also exciting to Nick, was the cake dome because there's a few dome/pedestal combinations to be had. When I confirmed that the dome had many possibilities Nick said, "Let's make it a fruit bowl." Adorable.

Less than 5 months!

We have 4 months, 3 weeks and 1 day until our wedding in Hawaii and more than 5 months until the reception. I haven't yet begun to panic about all that still needs to be done but I think I will start panicking in February, if I can hold off that long.

There are handfuls of details that need to be taken care of for Hawaii ...

• Nick's wedding band
• choose flowers
• veil
• hairdresser
• makeup
• musician
• officiant
• location (will be chosen when we get to Kauai)
• dinner menu
• dress for my Maid of Honor
• attire for the Groom-to-be
• flower girls' tutus
• photography package
• rental car(s)
• welcome bags
• hem wedding dress
• finalize wedding jewelry

I don't even know where to begin with all of this. I know I have to secure the hairdresser, musician, photographer, etc. for May 24th but then what about everything else? What time frames should I work with? How soon should I aim to have it all completed? How much help will I need? I am beginning to feel like I don't know anything at all.

To give myself some peace of mind this is what I have taken care of ...

• reserved the dinner venue for May 24th
• bought my wedding dress
• bought wedding shoes
• secured a wedding planner
• booked our trip to Kauai
• booked our honeymoon cruise

A New Addition

We've added to our family! This here little fellow is our new baby ...
Lately, Nick's been hankering for a fish and he picked up a Siamese fighting fish at PetSmart today (while I was at DSW). This little guy is known as a crown tail and looks pretty cool to me. I think we should call him Spike and get him an earring and some tattoos.

We had a betta earlier this year when Nick's mom left her's at our house. He lasted a few weeks and starting swimming upside down and doing some other strange things and eventually met his fishy fate. Spike is looking good and should last awhile; maybe he'll live up to his 3-5 year life expectancy.

Stepping into 2007

I got the bargain of the year ... well so far. Nick and I had some errands to run in Paramus and while he was at CompUSA I headed a few doors down to the DSW. After much searching I found some adorable Nicole Miller wedges and slingbacks that were 60% off the red tag, making them about $32 per pair. The wedges were too big in the 8 and too tight in the 7.5 so I gave up on them. I fell in love with the brown slingbacks in the picture and always love a pair of shoes in black. I somehow justified a $60+ purchase of two pairs of the same shoe in brown and black. At the register I got a very nice surprise when the shoes rang up 60% off the red tag and another 50% off! Making each pair only $16! So for $32 I got TWO pairs of Nicole Miller slingbacks!!!

Not only were they a bargain but felt very comfortable in the store. A double bonus!

Also exciting is that it's the same designer that made my wedding dress. I'll always have a special place in my heart for Nicole Miller stuff.

Happy 2007!

Another year ... wishing everyone all the best for 2007 because it's going to be a busy year!