"Wow, I wish I was a guest at that wedding."

After looking at some of my wedding photos Miss Magnolia reflected and thought, "Wow, I wish I was a guest at that wedding!" I was thrilled that she was able to feel that way just by looking at some of our photos because that was a HUGE priority for me. I kept our guests in mind in almost everything I did.


Click photo to enlarge

A guest having a blast! I guess my seating arrangement really made for great conversation


Here are a few of the ways I was thoughtful about my guests experience:

1) Booking all 14 rooms at the Willard Street Inn where Mr. Onion and I were staying -- this way it was a very intimate experience for our family and closest friends
2) Blocking rooms at two other less expensive hotels keeping every one's budget in mind
3) Placing welcome bags in every guests room with goodies and more info on what to do in the area along with a welcome booklet
4) Thinking about parking which they only had to do once as we all walked from the church to the ceremony
5) Having an open bar so they could enjoy whatever they wanted to drink
6) Picking a great restaurant so the food was excellent
7) Inviting everyone who was in town the day before to a welcome event at the Magic Hat Brewery
8) Inviting everyone who drove up the night before to the rehearsal dinner so folks could get to know each other before the wedding and feel a part of the celebration
9) Making them feel special and welcome at the wedding by having hand calligraphed place cards at assigned seats
10) Working really hard on the seating chart so conversation flowed (it worked like a charm)
11) Involving them by including a photo of almost every guest in our photo slide show

How are you keeping your guests in mind? Is it important to you that they are happy and enjoy themselves? Did you make any choices because of what you thought your guests would enjoy and not what you or your fiance wanted?

Attire close-up -- the men

Let's not forget the groom. Many grooms simply rent a tuxedo, but I knew from the beginning of planning that our wedding wouldn't be formal and I don't love the look of a tux (I know, call me crazy). We decided together that Mr. Onion should have a suit that he'd get to wear again and again. After lots of research we decided to have a custom suit made for him and found Alan David Custom in NYC. Mr. Onion also got a beautiful off white custom french cuff shirt for the wedding and a back up shirt.



Now I know what you're thinking -- "Mrs. Onion, that's great and all but we can't afford that." He will have the suit for a very long time and Alan David Custom offers free tailoring for the life of the suit. Yes, it's more expensive than renting a tuxedo, but it's not significantly more expensive than buying a nice suit off the rack. I happen to have fantastic taste (blast for our bank account) so I picked one of the more expensive fabrics, but their prices for a custom suits range from $695-$1,495.

Isn't the fabric rich and wonderful? Oh, and the boutonniere is white bouvardia (which was used in my bouquet) by our fantastic florist, Dana Barrow from Fresh Floral Design Studio.

Note: Have your fiance bring TWO shirts with him the day of the wedding -- you never know what might happen and you don't want a little spilled red wine to ruin your night.



And the groomsmen -- from left to right, his best friend, Mr. Onion, his brother and father. Another lesson learned with this one. When we first started planning I wanted the groomsmen to wear brown suits to compliment the bridesmaid's dresses. We hunted and hunted for a brown rental suit and could only find a tuxedo. So then we started looking for brown suits for them to buy but they were all too expensive and all three of them were adamant that they would never wear a brown suit again.

OK -- so here comes the compromise. We ended up renting black suits from Dante Zeller. The price was right and they looked pretty good for a rental. Then I found a stunning green tie at Bloomingdale's that really popped against the black and went nicely with all the natural greens of the flowers. The tie was our gift to our groomsmen.

At the end of the day it worked out beautifully, but at the time I was really frustrated I couldn't make it work. So, the moral of the story is, be flexible. Just because it wasn't your original vision doesn't mean it won't work out. This goes for attire, the venue, the dress....you name it.

Click to enlarge images

Attire close-up -- the women

What you wear on your wedding day should make you feel fantastic. More and more brides are expressing themselves with not only what they choose to wear but how they dress their groom, groomsmen, bridesmaids and flower girl.

There are a few things I learned while planning my wedding that I'd like to pass on to you. First, don't think that on your wedding day you have to look a certain way because that's what you see in a magazine or your mother said so! Be sure to pick a dress that suits your style. You should simply be a more dressed up version of yourself! If you're comfortable and confident that that will make you glow and look beautiful.



I bought my Romona Keveza gown (it's actually two pieces) from her Legends Collection at Mark Ingram's Bridal Atelier in NYC. It was a fantastic experience, from my first appointment, to the day I picked my dress up before my wedding. My sales girl Anju was fantastic -- supportive but not pushy in any way. I'd highly recommend making this one of your first stops while searching for a dress in New York.



When it came time to finding a dress for my bridesmaids I started looking very early (like 10-11 months early). I didn't want my friends to have to break the bank to participate in my wedding and bridesmaid dresses can be outrageously priced! I went to Ann Taylor to look at their celebrations collection with my BM who lives in the city and we found a dress we loved -- and score team bridesmaids -- it was on sale for $99!! This made my day. I love how our florist was inspired by the roses on their dresses for their bouquets with lavender freesia, purple delphinium, and creamy white roses.



And last but not least, our flower girl. This sweet little girl (who just turned eight a few weeks ago) is very special to me. I also didn't want to put any financial stress on her parents so I showed her mother the Ann Taylor Flower Girl Dress for inspiration because I didn't want her to have to spend $128 on a dress she'd outgrow so quickly. She ended up getting her dress on sale around Easter time -- so savvy. The one thing I did ask is that she get her the brown sash so she'd compliment the bridesmaids dresses.

Click to enlarge images

Up next...Attire close-up -- the men!

Getting ready teasers...

Blogging has changed the way weddings are planned. Brides are taking on more and more themselves with the help of great websites like our very own weddingbee.com. But it's not just blogs about weddings, but vendors sharing their work on their own blogs. Mrs. Ant compiled The Ultimate Wedding Photography Blog List. This was hours of entertainment for me (wedding photography websites are among my favorites) and I encourage you all to check it out.

In the meantime I wanted to share a few getting ready teaser photos from my photographer, Daria Bishop, that she featured on her blog.







I got my hair and make-up done at the Stephen & Burns Aveda Salon on Church Street in Burlington, VT. It took a number of trials at other salons to find the right one for me but I was thrilled with the results. Britney did my hair and Veronica did my make-up and both were so sweet and talented. Thanks ladies!



Mr. Onion got a trim and shave with the guys at The Men's Room also on Church Street just a few blocks away from the Aveda.



Mr. Onion's beautiful Hugo Boss shoes that I bought for him as a gift from Bloomingdale's. Tip: Open store credit cards for the 10% discount for big purchases. I also did this at Saks Fifth Avenue for our groomsmen's ties.

More to come soon!

Favor idea - Adagio Tea

I love tea. And what better favor than the gift of great tea? And at only $2 for their cute little sample tin (makes 10 cups) they are a cost effective favor too!



I'd like to share with you, Adagio Teas. My brother presented Mr. Onion and I with a number of their sample tins and a tea pot for two last holiday season. We quickly fell in love with their teas. Our favorite is called Foxtrot which is an herbal tea with a mix of chamomile, South African Rooibos and fresh peppermint leaves -- YUM! It's so calm and fresh.

I just ordered a 6 oz. tin of Foxtrot and they gave me a chance to share the tea with others. Do you love tea? If so, if you email me at onion@weddingbee.com with your email address and first and last name, I'd be happy to send you an email with a $5 coupon off your order! You'll be glad you did.

The Big Party

I've been dying to share some more photos of our flowers but was patiently waiting for our professional photos to do so. Just when I was getting restless waiting, our amazing and sweet florist, Dana Barrow from Fresh Floral Design Studio in Vermont emailed me to say that she had featured our wedding on her website. So cool!


My stunning bouquet

One of the things I loved about the way that Dana approached floral design, as well as her communication style, is she really thinks about how it all comes together. She had a great section on her website which shares all the elements that go into an event, not just a bunch of bouquets and centerpieces from an entire careers worth of work. This is akin to asking a photographer to see a few examples of one couples entire day instead of their "greatest hits" on their website from every wedding they ever photographed.

Now, on with the beautiful flowers...


Bridesmaids bouquets


Pew decorations


Alter flowers


Beautiful tables with lavender bundle place cards (with mini-moo cards attached)


On each table there were candles on square plates with lavender buds to continue lavender bundles look


The alter flowers were moved to the bar (aka the head table) at the restaurant -- they fit right in!


In the center of both long tables were tall cylinder vases filled with pears -- marzipan pears also appeared on our cake and on the sticker of half of our favor boxes was a "perfect pair" monogram from Creative Montage.



Dana was a treat to work with. She went to our church and reception location to get inspiration from the space, she looked at pictures of my dress, my bridesmaids attire, Mr. Onion's suit fabric and spent a lot of time really understanding our style. She isn't just a florist, although the flowers are beautiful. She really approached the event as a reflection of our taste and our love for each other and created a feeling that was just PERFECT.

To see our wedding flowers featured on her website click HERE and then click on the center image on the top row -- The Big Party, Adriana's, Burlington, VT.

I was thrilled and would highly recommend her to any bride. Fresh Floral Design Studio is based in Shoreham, VT. To learn more visit her website at www.fresh-studio.com.

All photos taken by Dana Barrow

A non registry item we LOVE

We got a number of things that were not on our registry some of which, I'm not gonna lie, weren't good. But there were a few pleasant surprises. Among them -- the Cuisinart Griddler which was a shower gift from my MIL.



I went on-line to find some more pictures of the Griddler in action and came across this video on a NBC news clip. See the video here if you'd like.


Photo from Linens 'n Things. The Griddler has two different plates -- one set flat seen above, and the others that make grill marks, seen in the photos we took below.







We made a grilled veggie panini with goat cheese for dinner earlier this week and it was really good. We simply marinated the vegetables in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and then grilled them on the Griddler. We grilled some cibatta bread and then spread soft goat cheese on and piled on the vegetables. It was nice to have the option to grill even with our limited counter space! I think we'll get quite a bit of use out of it for sure.

Did you get any unexpected wedding gifts that you really loved?! To share so those who are still working on their registries can jump on the band wagon!

Before and After

I forgot that I promised to post some before and after photos from Tony Yang after he post processed some of my images from our photos shoot. So, without further ado...on with the images.

Before



After



Before



After



Before



After



Before



After



If you'd like to learn more about Tony Yang's "intime" sessions, click here.

The big reaction!

I got a lot of questions about Mr. Onion's reaction to his wedding gift -- the album of "intime photos" that Tony Yang took. My earlier post, "Tony's Girls," created quite a stir and was a great conversation. You all seemed to have very strong opinions about the subject of "boudoir photos" but this is what weddingbee is all about -- sharing experiences and opinions!



Here is the hard cover album I ordered from www.mpix.com as my wedding gift to Mr. Onion. I'd highly recommend mpix -- the quality was much better than the Shutterfly album I'd ordered a few months earlier and the prices were competitive. $30 for a 10x10 hard cover book with 20 pages and it arrived so quickly! There was a choice of paper at no additional cost -- glossy, matte or linen. I chose linen because I wanted the album to feel soft and romantic. I'll be ordering from them again for sure.

Below is a quick glance inside the book






Right, so onto Mr. Onion's reaction. He gave me his gift first -- of course there were tears and lots of hugging! Then I gave him the book all wrapped up. I was really nervous. A little piece of me was worried he'd be jealous or uncomfortable that the images were taken by another man. But I got over that very quickly -- if I really thought that would be the case then I wouldn't have had the photos taken to begin with.

He was blown away. He opened the book to the first page, read it and kissed me :) I printed some text that read "With all my heart on our wedding day." I said -- "wait wait...there's more!" I watched him flip page after page with a smile on his face. It was a great feeling. When he got to end I said "Well?!?!" He simply said "You're hot" and laughed...then proceeded to kiss me some more. It was just the reaction I was looking for -- for him to be excited and thrilled.

I'm glad that I gave the gift to him in private two days before the wedding instead of on the morning of the wedding in front of our photographers and/or his groomsmen (his dad was one of them -- not something I want my FIL to be thinking about)! Haha. All in all I'm really glad that I had this experience and was able to share these images with him. It will be a wonderful thing to look back on some day.

The gift of love

Mr. Onion and I drove from New York to Burlington, VT (6+ hours) the Thursday before our Saturday wedding. This way we had time to get our errands done and relax for the rest of the weekend. After we ran around on Thursday we took some time to rest at the Willard Street Inn before going out to dinner at our favorite French restaurant in town -- Leunigs Bistro. This is when we decided to exchange gifts. I gave him a nice album with my "intime" photos taken by Tony Yang and he gave me a journal.



But this was a very special journal.



The instructions inside told me, when ever I needed to be reminded of how much he loved me, to "submit a request" and the journal would be returned in 24 hours with "a recodring of [his] hearts essence." He's such a romantic and I LOVE him!



It's the gift of love that keeps on giving! All I have to do is ask and I get a poem or just his thoughts about why and how he loves me at that moment. Did your husband get you a thoughtful non-material gift like this?

Some things never change

I realized, as I was looking through my childhood photos for our slide show at the wedding reception, that nothing changes. Your personality is so solidly shaped as a child, that even though you grow and change over the years, you are fundamentally the same person.

See exhibit A:

A picture of me in San Fransisco when I was four years old

And exhibit B:

A photo from my intime photo session taken by Tony Yang (see the rest of my proofs in my post, "Tony's Girls").

SOOO similar, right?! I couldn't believe it when I realized it. When I pointed it out to Mr. Onion he just cracked up and said "some things never change!"

But some things can change. Most people would agree that the person you choose to marry should have qualities that compliment your own. I know that because of Mr. Onion I take everything much less seriously. I'm not going to say I was uptight, but I got very easily upset. I also am able to be a goof and enjoy being silly with him which is something I rarely did before.

Do you think you're a better version of yourself with your mate? What are the things about yourself that you've seen change for the better while with this person? Do you think you've "changed" your fiance or husband? If so, in what way?

Finger Mate

Does your engagement ring spin or flop to the side of your hand? Does it drive you nuts? Did you try to add those sizing balls and found out they hurt like hell?! Well, there is an answer!! I couldn't keep this my secret. I would like to introduce you to The Finger Mate.



My engagement ring was my mother's and she was amazingly generous and decided to give it to Mr. Onion to give to me! She started to get arthritis so she couldn't get the ring over her knuckle without the ring being so large that it spun around on her finger. Her jeweler installed the Finger Mate on her ring and solved her problem. The amazing thing is I was able to slip the ring on perfectly with no resizing and HOORAY, it doesn't spin around!! And I'm all set when I get older and have the same problem my mother did.


My engagement ring "locked"


To open the locking mechanism you simply pull up on the stone. It sounds scary but it doesn't hurt the ring one bit


The lock mechanism open



And another shot of the mechanism open

Click to enlarge any of the photos

I'd highly recommend you look into this if you thought there was no other way and you just had to live with your ring spinning. I love it and am so glad that I have a built in long term solution for old age because I plan to live to be very old and very happily married with this ring on my hand!

A Gold Lining

Mr. Onion designed his own wedding ring and we had it custom made by the same jeweler that custom made my ring. He didn't want me to share it with anyone before the wedding but now that the wedding is over all bets are off!



The outside is brushed platinum with polished trim. This is nothing unusual. But the inside is 18 carat yellow gold. It's like his little secret that only he knows about (until now)! The ring is displayed on a swatch from his custom suit fabric. It really looked beautiful together.

To learn more about his custom suit from Alan David Custom in New York City see my post Custom Suit.


He loves the weight -- the ring is quite heavy.



I'm confident this is something that he will love for years to come. We decided to "do it right" the first time instead of upgrading later on in life. I really like the idea of wearing one wedding ring your entire life.

Restaurant Reception

Recently I posted about our cocktail hour on the Church Street Marketplace. Today I wanted to tell you about our reception.


Here we are at the end of the bar at the beginning of the reception

For our reception I knew I didn't want a formal hotel ballroom affair. Because we were planning on a small wedding our options were open to other kinds of venues. We ended up choosing a great restaurant right downtown around the corner from our church. We took over their second floor with great vaulted ceilings and a great vibe for the evening. It was so relaxed and festive. We decided to use their beautiful old bar as a "head table" of sorts. The head table is a tradition I don't really like, so instead we just sat our young single or unmarried friends with us at the bar and had two long tables of 18 to seat our 45 guests.







We started the reception with a first dance to Louis Armstrong's "Kiss to Build a Dream On." It was a last minute decision to dance so we hadn't had dance lessons and it wasn't really choreographed, but we had a great time anyway. For the week before the wedding we danced to our songs once or twice each evening to get comfortable and I'm really glad we did it.





I was blown away by our florist, Dana Barrow of Fresh Floral Design Studio. See my post, Cocktail Hour & Reception Details for some more images of her work!

We had a great menu as follows (again everything in print was lower case letters):

soup du jour
or
grilled pita salad
tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, calamata, olives, feta and romaine

main

sautéed statler chicken breast
mushroom trio, prosciutto, green olives, sherry, herbed mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus

grilled beef tenderloin
lobster béarnaise sauce, roasted ratatouille and saffron mashed potatoes

paella
lobster, shrimp, mussels, chicken, chorizo, bell peppers, peas and rice served with a tapenade aioli

exotic mushroom ragout
served over crisp mascarpone polenta cake and sautéed spinach

sweets
wedding cake
chocolate almond cake with ganache and praline buttercream
and
vanilla cake with lemon curd & raspberry preserves

daily selection of sorbets and ice creams



The cake was from a great bakery in town, Mirabelles. Allison, the owner/baker did a great job. I provided the Marzipan Pears and the cake stand (from VT Tent Company) and she did the rest!


Listening to my bridesmaids sweet toast


Mingling and enjoying our guests during dinner


Beautiful bridesmaids stop to smile for the camera


Listening to my brother's brief but thoughtful toast


My brother-in-law giving his HYSTERICAL toast! Seriously -- it was priceless -- my side hurt I laughed so hard. He promised me a copy for my scrap book.


Dancing with my mom


Friends dancing up a storm



Everyone watching our photo slide show at the end of the night

The best part was everyone had such a nice time! What are your reception plans? Will it be a large formal affair in a ballroom or a smaller more intimate celebration in a restaurant or under a tent? Or are you doing something totally different?

For my favorite girls...

I blogged before the wedding about my bridesmaid's gifts and wanted to share with you how it all came together. Some people present their gifts to their wedding party at the rehearsal dinner, but I decided to let the dinner be just about folks getting to know each other and enjoying themselves.



So I gave my girls their gifts in my room on the wedding day right before I got dressed. I was really excited about this moment because I'd put so much thought into what I got each girl and I wanted them to LOVE everything! I'll have to wait for the pro-pics to share their reactions (yeah - they all cried), but wanted to share some photos of all the gifts ready to go.







Each girl got the same thing but customized to them.

1) A custom make-up case from 1154 Lill Studio
2) Moisturizer and body scrub from The Body Shop
3) Tip Toes from Foot Petals
4) Beautiful pearl earrings from Dasha Boutique (thanks to a sale post on weddingbee)!
5) Custom Note Cards -- each with a different font, color and embellishment! Oh, and each had a different color envelope that coordinated with their ink color.







Then I got them each a card that was perfect for them. I wrote these cards really early in the morning the day before the wedding when I just couldn't sleep.



And to top it all off I tied their note cards with brown ribbon and they each got a great pen to use with their cards :) I felt SO good about these gifts and it all came in around $100 each. I was able to do this because I started really early and was able to hunt for deals and find JUST the right thing for each of them. Don't let bridal party gifts be an after thought -- it will just be more stress for you later.

For details on each item, includng a budget break down, see my first post -- Bridesmaids Gifts.

Daria Bishop's Ring Shots

I was inspired by Miss Petunia's "Picture These Rings" post today and wanted to share some GREAT ring shots from our lovely photographer, Daria Bishop. The photos below were all taken from her blog and I hope they inspire you to check out more of her great work. Daria and her husband Andy live in Vermont but they travel -- so if you're a New England or NY Metro area bride planning your wedding check her out! She also does engagement sessions and family photos. I'd recommend you get lost for hours watching her client slide shows.


These are our rings on the piano at the Willard Street Inn where we stayed with our friends and family.

The rest of the images are from Daria's blog. Enjoy!










To learn more about Daria check out her website, www.dariabishop.com and tell her Mr. & Mrs. Onion sent you!

On the Church Street Marketplace...

After our ceremony we took a group photo outside the church (can't wait to see those from our photographer) and then processed with all our guests (stopping traffic) down the Church Street Marketplace to our cocktail hour outside Adrianas restaurant. See my post on Cocktail Hour Details and then enjoy the tons of photos below.


Mr. & Mrs. Onion with our great photographer Daria Bishop

We had some great appetizers (most of which I didn't even get a chance to try) and our guests were greeted with our signature drink -- an Amaretto Sour! I just enjoyed relaxing, chatting and laughing with our friends and family who had traveled so far to be with us.


Mr. & Mrs. Onion with Mr. Onion's best friend/groomsman

The appetizers we selected were:
1) Artichoke Parmesan Dip
2) Chicken Sate
3) Scallops Wrapped in Bacon

I wish I'd tasted everything, but I don't regret sipping my Amaretto sour and talking with our guests.


Mrs. Onion with her fantastic friend/bridesmaid


Happy newlyweds!


With my new mother-in-law. Doesn't she look proud?!


The only shot we took of our rings on our hands!


Mr. Onion cracking up with one of our guests (note the Amaretto sour)!


A beautiful photo of me with my "aunt" (family friend since before I was born)


Momma and brother Onion


Brother Onion (my brother wore a Prince Charlie Kilt in my family tartan -- more pictures of him all dressed up later)


A friend and her sweet little boy! He was the only baby in attendance and he was such a good boy!


Our flower girl with one of our bridesmaids


My father-in-law really enjoying himself!


Great full length shot of Mr. & Mrs. Onion -- with Amaretto sours in hand (too bad I only had one)!


A sweet moment captured by our groomsman


Groomsman and his wife


Beautiful bridesmaids - I'm in the background enjoying myself!


More beautiful bridesmaids


Shoe change! I'm so grateful for my bridesmaid who spent the morning shopping for back up shoes -- it really made the rest of my evening :)


Off to see the street performers at the Marketfest!


And our flower girl just had to come -- so sweet that she's running to catch up! I didn't even know she followed us until I saw this photo.


And a great teaser photo by our photographer of us enjoying the show -- see our flower girl in the foreground on the left?

Foot Petals 20% off!!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I bought Foot Petals for my wedding shoes. Well I didn't notice until this afternoon as I was throwing out the box (yes I was married four weeks ago and I'm still cleaning up) that there was a 20% off coupon to share with "friends and family!" Well, you're all friends so here goes.

Coupon Code: FPVIP207



This is also a great gift for Bridesmaids! I added a pair of petals to my girls gift bag so their feet didn't kill by the end of the night either.

One Month as Mrs. Onion

Today marks one month as husband and wife. I'm still adjusting to those words, but everything else is wonderful. The Onion update: Since we got back from our honeymoon our biggest project has been apartment hunting. We're hoping to buy a place to call our own in New York City...which means a lot of searching and prioritizing. I'll keep you posted on the search!

So, while we are waiting for our professional photos, I thought I'd share one of my favorite photos taken by a friend.


Click to enlarge

This was during our ceremony and is just so expressive. The joy, contentment and calm on both of our faces makes me really happy.

Up next...more on the cocktail hour and reception.

In sickness and in health

Two days ago Mr. Onion woke me up very early -- the sun wasn't even up yet. He said that he'd been bitten by something in his sleep again (yes, again, more on that later). He didn't know if it was a spider or mosquito, but his finger was very swollen. The catch? It was his ring finger (he's been sleeping with his wedding ring on since we got married) and he couldn't get his ring off.


Here is a picture of Mr. Onion wearing his wedding ring at our cocktail hour

I got out of bed very quickly and called the answering service for our doctor. She asked me for some basic information so she could page Mr. Onion's doctor and all of a sudden I started slurring my words and she had to ask me to repeat myself. I got very light headed, started sweating and almost passed out. It was really scary. Mr. Onion got me some water and I sat down.

I think I had a panic attack because I was so worried about Mr. Onion. I guess you really know you love someone and put their health and needs before your own when your own body shuts down at the thought of something bad happening to the other! We went to the ER and he is going to be OK in a day or two, but wow! One of the ER doctors suggested we have the ring cut off and I was not having it -- it hasn't even been on his hand for a month yet!

A similar thing happened about a week or two before our wedding (although no ring to complicate things). He was bitten, again in his sleep, on his finger and near his eye. The bummer this time was a) it had never happened before so it was really scary and b) his eye was almost swollen shut. He asked me if I'd still marry him if his eye was still "hideous and swollen shut" and I said "Of course I would -- it would just be a bummer to have hired such a nice photographer!"

It got me thinking -- what scary moments have you been through with your fiance or husband. Have you had any small or large health issues? How did you handle it? Did it make you feel more connected to be able to help each other through and take care of each other? I'm sure many of you have much more serious issues than a seriously swollen eye or finger and others might be comforted or inspired to hear your stories if you're comfortable sharing.

Morning after brunch

The morning after the wedding we had breakfast with the 26 or so people who stayed at the Willard Street Inn with us. It was a great way to reminisce with our guests about the wedding and just unwind and relax before we were all on our way back home.



BIL Onion took this quick video which gives a good sense of all the activity and love in the room (which is beautiful). People came and went as they pleased and we got to see everyone one last time.




And the food was FANTASTIC! Mmmm...Willard Street Inn Breakfast!


Mr. Onion with his best friend/GM and his wife (who shares my name just spelled one letter differently -- crazy huh?)


Here I am laughing as well -- there was a lot of laughter that morning!



And even our father's enjoyed themselves! (My father on the left and Mr. Onion's father on the right).

It was a great way to end the weekend. I'd highly recommend having a day after breakfast or brunch if you can. This didn't cost us anything as the breakfast was included in the room (it's a B&B). If you have a family member or friend who could host, if you're having your wedding in your home town, that is an ideal scenario.

So, are you/did you have a brunch the day after your wedding?

Becoming Mrs. Onion (on paper)

I just got back from my trip to the social security office to have a new SS card made with my married name (I have NO idea where my original card is). I just had to say -- it was so much easier than I'd expected.



I printed and filled out the form from www.ssa.gov before I left, got there about 9:30 and waited about an hour. I'm sure the wait would have been shorter if I arrived before they opened, but I brought a good book (Early Bird by Rodney Rotham). I went to the office at 237 West 48th Street between Broadway & 8th Ave in Manhattan.

NOTE -- If you live in Queens or Brooklyn they will not help you at the Manhattan office!! While I was there I saw more than one disgruntled person argue with the check in guys.

Anyway -- if you've been putting this off because you thought it would be a huge headache...don't. The thing that shocked me the most is they didn't even ask to see my ID. I brought my passport and drivers license just in case and I tried to show the clerk my passport and she said "I don't need that." I guess I had the marriage license but what if I wasn't who I said I was?! A little scary.

To change your name or not is a big issue and most women feel very strongly about it. My major deciding factor to take Mr. Onion's name was I didn't want to have a different last name than my children. Also I feel more like we're a family already with one name. And to be honest, it's a nice name. If it had been something impossible to pronounce or spell, would I have taken it? I'm not so sure! I know that there were a LOT of bees and readers recently married -- are you taking or did you take your husband's name?

In two weeks I'll officially be Mrs. Onion! Then I can change my name on my credit card, drivers license, passport etc. For those of you who've already gone through this process, do you have any tips? Any important forms I'm forgetting? Approximately how much did it cost to change your name (fees for new ID's, forms etc)? I'd love to learn from your experience.

There is no greater love...

Because I'm a musician the selection of music for our ceremony was very important to me. I mentioned in a previous post that we hired a solo guitarist, Brendan Burns, to play for our ceremony, cocktail hour and the beginning of the dinner hour. It was a great choice!



We also asked a dear friend of mine to sing a song with him. She is very talented and actually just graduated from college with a degree in classical voice and is pursuing a career in opera. She is also a fantastic jazz singer and a stunning girl -- what a package! See the video above to hear and see them.

The song we picked was "There Is No Greater Love" by Isham Jones and Marty Symes. The lyrics were just so perfect for us:

There is no greater love
Than what I feel for you
No greater love, no heart so true

There is no greater thrill
Than what you bring to me
No sweeter song
Than what you sing to me

You're the sweetest thing
I have ever known
And to think that you are mine alone

There is no greater love
In all the world, it's true
No greater love
Than what I feel for you.

We also had him play "Better Together" by Jack Johnson. Two musical interludes were perfect and they both had such meaning for us. I printed the lyrics of both songs on the back of the program so our guests could better understand our choices.


Brendan Burns playing at our ceremony

Brendan arrived early to run through the song with my friend, he played the songs we'd talked about beautifully, although I wish I could have heard everything prior to my walk down the isle! I guess that's another reason to look forward to our video from Wes Jones (www.filmjones.com). His selections for the cocktail hour and dinner were perfect. He added to the ambiance without sticking out which is just what you want for this kind of occasion.


Brendan in the background -- my mother-in-law looking at me proudly in the foreground

He learned a number of songs for us including "Better Together" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by the Beach Boys which was our recessional. He is based in Boston but travels, so I'd highly recommend you reach out if this is the kind of feeling you want for your wedding. He also teaches private lessons, so if you live in the Boston area and have always wanted to learn guitar -- now is the time! Check him our at www.brendanburns.com.

What it means to be a "good wife"

In Miss CB's more recent post she mentioned she was nervous about being a "good wife," which got me thinking -- what does it mean to be a "good wife" or "good husband" for that matter?


Click to enlarge

The Good Wife's Guide From Housekeeping Monthly (May 13, 1955) has been floating around the web and has made appearances on many blogs, flickr account etc.

Among the really antiquated points of being a "good wife" [read: house wife] are:

2) Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking.

3) During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

4) Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours. (this one killed me)!

5) Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night.

6) Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

7) Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity.

8) Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

9) A good wife always knows her place.

I can't help but think of the "Donna Reed Show."


Photo from: www.donnareed.org

OK, so granted, many of these things are VERY out dated, but what does it mean to you to be a "good wife?" And what are your expectations of your fiance or husband that make him a "good husband?"

I'd expect the same things from a "good husband" as I'd offer as a "good wife." For me, being a "good wife" means being loving, kind, caring, loyal, and honest. I also know that we will be parents (something that is very important to both of us and discussed way before he proposed), so also being a loving parent who supports and challenges their children. I will do my best not to let the flame die but turn into the hottest of coals. Most people are so happy and excited to be young and in love they forget life is complicated. Being supportive in bad times (career ups and downs, health issues, parents ageing etc.) is just as important as being the cheering section in the good times. It is a HUGE commitment to make -- "til death do us part!"

One of my favorite qualities about Mr. Onion is that he is loyal. When he committed himself to me I had no question in my mind -- he would be mine forever. Being THAT sure of someone is very important when deciding to get married.

So now I want to know -- what does being a good wife or good husband mean to you?!

Nothing like a beer tasting to loosen up your guests...

As I mentioned in a previous post, "How to Entertain Guests Pre-Wedding," the day before the wedding we arranged a private tour and tasting at the Magic Hat Brewery in South Burlington, VT. It was a great way to spend time with our guest who'd arrived early. There were about 16 of us for the afternoon. We had a private tour and a tasting. Nothing loosens your guests up and helps them get to know each other like great micro-brews!



My mom and I during the tasting



Friends of mine getting to know each other a little better









Learning how the great micro-brews are made

After the tour, we finished the tasting and headed back to the Willard Street Inn, changed and were off the the rehearsal at the church.

This was a great choice for us because:

1) It was free -- Magic Hat offers free tours and tastings. I know many of our guests decided to purchase things from their gifts shop -- t-shirts, glasses, playing cards etc., so they made a bit of money on us anyway!

With the expense of attending a wedding -- the travel, the gift -- I'd enourage you to arrange something that isn't cost prohibitive. Perhaps a nature walk or a museum where you could arrange a group discount.

2) It was close -- The brewery was only 10 minutes south of the church where our rehearsal took place. While it would have been great to go to the Ben & Jerry's factory for a tour and tasting, it was over 30 minutes away which would have been too much of a production.

More and more weddings are an entire weekend affair from pre-ceremony activities to day after brunches. Did you plan or are you planning any group fun for your guests prior to the wedding? I'm sure that weddingbee readers would love some unique ideas.

Cocktail Hour & Reception Details...

So many brides spend so much time on all the details that make a wedding personal. I was no exception. So before I share pictures of us at the reception enjoying ourselves, I wanted to share a few photos of the details that made the wedding come together. My "aunt" (family friend of 30 years) said "everything was in such good taste." That meant a lot to me coming from a very stylish classy woman of almost eighty!



Our beautiful bridesmaid bouquet (flowers by Dana Barrow of Fresh Floral Design Studio), wish bowl, pew decoration (tulips in galvanized tins) which doubled as cocktail hour flowers and our card box on a large circular table in the center of the cocktail area. We had smaller tables around the periphery of the outdoor patio area with room for folks to walk around and mingle.




Because of it's central location people flocked to it as soon as they arrived. We have lots of lovely wishes from our guests -- some serious and some funny.



This was one of my favorite details. Our place cards were lavender bundles with mini moo cards tied to them. Each card was different (no one at a table of 18 had the same photo) and they had each person's name calligraphed by our wonderful calligrapher. I made the menu's in Publisher and the monogram at the top is from Creative Montage.



Our tables included candles with lavender in addition to flowers and a vase of pears.



Our tables had brown table runners, brown napkins, our lovely flowers and candles as well as the place "cards" and favor boxes.



The bar was set up as formal seating and the tulips on the bar were the flowers that decorated the church for the ceremony! Everything got used twice.



Great shot of the table and the modern wall art at the restaurant.



Nice shot of my earring and my hair pin which was a broach of my grandmother's.



Photos from Mr. Onion's grandparent's wedding and my grandparent's wedding and some extra favor boxes.



This is a little dark, but it gives a nice sense of the candle light at the end of the night. I'm reviewing the bill in this photo -- something every bride should do!



And last, but not least, our beautiful cake from Mirabelle's Cafe in Burlington, VT. Alison, the owner, did a fantastic job! I can't wait to eat our top layer on our first anniversary!

Honeymoon Fun with Friends

Most people picture their honeymoon as a romantic getaway for just the newlyweds, but we had a different experience. Don't get me wrong, it was very romantic and restful, but we had the pleasure of having friends on the island who were fantastic hosts. Our friend (who flew from Curacao to NY and then drove to Burlington 6+ hours for our wedding) and his family took great care of us. We went out for many meals together, to the beach with their 3 boys and our wedding gift was a day trip to Klein Curacao which I mentioned in my last honeymoon post.



Here we are with our friend's boys -- a ten year old and twin six year olds! What a handful they are. When we drove around the island I was always in the back with one of the twins on my lap and they were so excited about the camera. "Can we make a picture?!," they'd ask eagerly.



And they were enamored with Mr. Onion calling his name over and over with a new request. To play football (American soccer) on the beach, to play pass in the water, to photograph a motorcycle. You name it, they wanted Mr. Onion to join them.






It was really sweet actually. We spent an entire day with our friend who gave us a driving tour of the entire island. We saw a "natural bridge" that was created by the water, huge windmills, a plantation house and stopped for Surinamese food for lunch.









And our last night in Curacao we went out for "skewers" with our friend and his boys. This was one of the best nights we had there. A guy who lives on the island started having friends over for skewers (2 foot long metal skewers with chicken and filet that had been marinating all day on them) cooked over hot coals. It got so popular people encouraged him to open a restaurant. Well he didn't want to do this full time so he just opens on Friday evenings and there is one thing on the menu. They cook them and then hang them over your table and you enjoy with your fingers. It was fantastic food and a really nice way to end our trip.







A few more days to share -- the upcoming highlights include ribs (SO GOOD) and a Maurice Lacroix watch.