Everyone cried except the bride!

Before I got dressed to meet Mr. Onion for pictures, I took some time out to give my best friends and bridesmaids their gifts. Their presents were one of the first things I blogged about on the bee. I was so excited to see their reaction and I fully expected water works from all of us. It began, but no tears from the bride!


Here they are ready the mushy cards I wrote. Notice I got more use from my OOT welcome bags that I used to wrap the girls gifts!


And the tears begin...



Two of the three Lill 1154 Studio make-up cases I made for them. You get to pick your own fabric and bag (so many styles to choose from) -- I'd HIGHLY recommend them for your bridesmaids or yourself. (See Miss Penguin's recent post about her Lill 1154 Studio Party). Look -- they even match their shirts -- how well do I know my girls, huh?!


This was a huge winner -- pearl earrings to wear with their bridesmaids dresses. They all LOVED them and swore they'd wear them again (I sure hope so -- I wish I'd gotten myself a pair). From Dasha Boutique -- see their wedding jewelry here.


Personal note cards for each girl. Hand written by Michele Clark, calligraphybymichele@verizon.net


Reacting to the "tip toes" from foot petals I got so their BM shoes would be more comfortable.


I love this photo -- so much love!

All this emotion and nothing buy smiles and calm from this bride. So strange because I'm usually a little wound up and cry at EVERY episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. When one of my bridesmaids saw that I was all smiles and no tears she said "you haven't cried at ALL this weekend?!" She couldn't believe it! Calm and collected -- that was me! Or at least that's what I thought -- more to come :)

AWESOME Save-The-Date!

I interrupt my wedding re-cap to bring a smile to your face and to encourage you to think outside the box. I loved our save-the-dates, don't get me wrong. But they were very traditional -- they matched all our other stationary. I wanted to encourage you brides-to-bee (pun intended) with a sense of humor to not take your save-the-date's too seriously.


Click to enlarge. Personal information has been blurred for privacy

Mr. Onion got the mail a few days ago and paused at something, then said "OOOOHHHH" and handed it to me with a smile. Mr. Onion's cousin and his fiance are getting married this summer and it was their save-the-date. When I asked the the bride to tell me a little more about it she said they had the picture taken while in Florida (at Disney MGM I believe) and it was digitally done for them right there.

Let this be inspiration to you all -- be creative and have FUN with your save-the-dates!! It's on our fridge and makes me giggle whenever I look at it. Thanks for sharing cousin-in-law Onions!

Our rings in the bird's nest

A while back I posted about Ring Shots, and now I want to share with you all the great shots of our rings that our photographer took the morning of our wedding. It was fun to see these when we got our proofs back because I had no idea they were even taken.


Our rings in the bird's nest! This one just made me laugh -- this hangs outside the door at the inn where we stayed.


They didn't even know this, but I LOVE Chinese checkers. This board was at the inn for guests to play with -- in fact, now that I think about it, Mr. Onion and I were playing a game when Daria came to get us for our engagement photo shoot nine months before the wedding.




The flower/ring shots were just pretty and the colors vibrant.


This was the first photo we saw of our rings -- Daria and Andy Bishop knew I was a singer and so it was natural to find our rings on the piano at the inn.

All pictures by: Daria Bishop Photography

Monograms to jazz up DIY projects

I realize that sounds like a press release subject line -- "Monograms to jazz up DIY projects!" (Wow, I'm lame - a publicity joke). I blogged a while back about our monogram stickers on our yummy maple candy favor boxes. Now I wanted to share with you other ways we used the monograms I purchased from Creative Montage, who also made our save-the-dates, invitations and thank you cards. In fact, Aimee, the owner/designer, started a blog and asked Mr. Onion and I to be her first featured couple. Check out her blog here.



We purchased 5 monograms and they really personalized and enhanced my DIY projects. In fact, people thought our paper products at the wedding were professionally made. I bought extra card stock from Aimee at Creative Montage and designed and printed my own programs and menus. I'm really proud of how they came out.


We also used another monogram on a sign I made with directions for our wish bowl (used instead of a guest book).



And here are some images of our favor boxes at the wedding with both our monogram stickers.

The little money we spent on these monograms made a huge impact on the look and feel of the day. The colors and design elements I was able to carry through from the save-the-dates, to the invitiations, to the program, menu and favor boxes really pulled everything together.

Tip: When picking monograms, remember to think about what you'll be using them for. For instance, you're really not "supposed" to use your new married last initial until after you're married -- so only on reception stuff (menus, favor boxes etc), thank you cards and post wedding stationary. For your ceremony programs and anything else pre "I do," you'll want to use just your first names or first initials.

All photos: Daria Bishop Photography
Monograms: Creative Montage

Aimee is currently offering special discounts on her monograms -- learn more here.

Mr. Onion and the Double Windsor

After Mr. Onion and the guys had their shave, a walk on the Marketplace and a bit of lunch, Mr. Onion went up to his best friend's room at the Willard Street Inn to get dressed.


Mr. Onion's initials on his custom made shirt from Alan David Custom. It's the little details that make things personal.


Mr. Onion's best friend and his wife helped him get dressed -- here they are putting his cuff links on.


This is one of my favorite pictures of Mr. Onion from the entire day. Watch the mad tie tying skills as they unfold...



Perfect on the first try!

Mr. Onion began to tie a double windsor knot and Andy, our photographer's husband/second shooter and our videographer, Wes Jones, were so shocked. Andy said "I've never seen a groom tie a double windsor with no mirror in one try!"



It occurred to me, many guys don't really know how to tie a double windsor so I thought I'd share a video I found on-line so you can share this with your groom before the big day and he can impress your photographer and videographer too! ;)


Great detail shot -- beautiful tie from London, custom made belt from Spain (both hand selected gifts from his best friend/groomsman and his wife) and happily matching purple cuff links on loan from my father.


A gift from his bride (me!) -- Hugo Boss dress shoes on sale at Bloomingdale's.


This looks like it was posed, but Mr. Onion assures me it wasn't -- Andy is just that good.


Mr. Onion's best friend's wife was so excited for him that she couldn't contain herself on the king bed...shhh don't tell the inn's staff that she did this!!


A nice portrait before Mr. Onion gets to see me for this first time. Little did he know, he was dressed and ready before I even began to put my dress on.

Custom shirt and suit: Alan David Custom in NYC
Accommodations: Willard Street Inn, Burlington, VT
Photography: Daria Bishop Photography

Win a honeymoon from Ann Taylor

I am a huge Ann Taylor fan -- I shopped there for years (love their petites) and bought my bridesmaids dresses from their Celebrations Collection. They have just announced their NEW Celebration line plus they holding a Honeymoon Giveaway (but you don't have to be a bride to enter -- you can already be married).

Enter here for your chance to win a honeymoon to the Bahamas, Paris, Hawaii or Jamaica...it’s your choice! I just entered and am hoping for an anniversary trip to Paris!

For those of you looking for a patterned bridesmaid dress, check out their floral jacquard dress (similar to the dress I got for my bridesmaids):


To find an Ann Taylor near you that carries the Celebrations Line check out their Store Locator.

Siblings and Wedding Parties

Who to have in your wedding party is a difficult decision. Many brides have their sisters and best friends and I've seen many grooms include their brothers, fathers and best friends (huh, I've never seen the bride's mother in the weeding party...have you)? But when it comes to the bride's brother and the groom's sister, things get big quickly.


Mrs. Snow Pea's large and lovely wedding party. Photo by Henry Chan


Knottie Nova726 with her sister-in-law/bridesmaid, her husband and her brother/groomsman

When we started planning neither of us had to think much about our wedding party -- my bridesmaids would be my three best friends and his groomsmen would be his brother, father and best friend. That left my brother out and my mother was NOT happy about this. She pushed and pushed for us to include him. I was frustrated that she was trying to make this decision for Mr. Onion. Yes, they were friends when they were young, but that doesn't mean he would want to have him in his wedding party. It was a big back and forth and a fighting point for months.

In the end it all worked out. Brother Onion didn't have to rent a suit, he didn't have to come home for the bachelor party, he didn't have to take a day off of school to make it in time for the rehearsal, he got to wear his kilt AND he made a toast anyway. I suggested he read a poem at the ceremony or speak at the reception -- however he wanted to be involved was fine with me.


My parents and brother (note my brother's kilt -- wouldn't have worked with the wedding party attire, that's for sure).

I imagine this is an issue for many of you. Did you or will you have your husband's sister in your wedding party? Did he have your brother in his? Was this a choice for each of you, or something that was "expected" or "encouraged" by your families? How did this change your vision of your day? Did it force you to have a much larger wedding party than you'd hoped for? Feel free to share your experiences and stories.

Wedding Venue Closed

I couldn't help but feel a bit sad and disappointed to find out that our wedding reception venue had closed. I heard rumors on my local board on the knot, but yesterday I went to their website and the rumors were confirmed.



We were married at a beautiful restaurant called Adrianas. The space used to be owned and run by NECI (the New England Culinary Institute) and was bought by new owners about 3 months before we discovered it. I was looking forward to romantic anniversary dinners there. Mr. Onion, always the optimist, said, "It's not so bad. Now no one will ever have our wedding." It's a great location, I'm sure it will change hands again. Perhaps I'll get over the idea of it being the same restaurant and just enjoy the space.

I was very lucky to have my wedding at my venue before it closed. What if my venue had closed BEFORE my wedding?! It could always be worse. A friend of mine who I met on the NY knot board had her wedding venue close FOUR months before her wedding! She, along with 27 other brides, lost their venue (a beautiful mansion in Westchester that was sold) and none of their contracts were honored. This left her with little time to find a new location and finish her planning. She turned it into a triumph. Her pictures were stunning, her vision slightly tweaked, but if you didn't know the saga, you would never know it was a Plan B.

I wanted to share a few of my favorite photos/details from her knot bio (photos by Julia Newman, who is a "up and comer." I saw all of her proofs over a glass of wine a few months ago and they were wonderful). I am pretty much in love with their wedding -- I hope you enjoy a peak at their beautiful day.


They were married at the Round Hill House in Westchester, NY<


Really, how cute are they?


Her dress was so ethereal, romantic and totally her! It was an Elizabeth Filmore she got at a Bergdorf Goodman sample sale. Let this be inspiration for you as she got her dream dress 70% off!


And her yellow bridesmaids dresses were so lovely for an outdoor summer wedding. They were custom made by Kimera Designs, who bee blogged about a while back.



Here is her invitation and menu card by Nic-Events. The designer did all the design work for her own NYC wedding and opened her own business (so many brides get "the bug" after their own DIY projects). Really unique, unpretentious and personal designs. My friend's invitations are featured on her homepage.

Anyone have experiences with the venue they'd booked closing before your wedding? How did you handle it? How did it change your plans or your feelings about your wedding?

Real Simple Weddings

Real Simple Magazine is releasing their first "Real Simple Weddings." Advanced copies are on sale at Crate & Barrel stores and on-line starting today. It's $12.95 and I'm looking forward to stopping by Crate and Barrel to check it out (yes, I know, my wedding is over...but a friend might need my help, right)? It's 160 pages of tips and there are bound to be beautiful photos. Real Simple magazine is just so sleek and packed with great tips and ideas. I have high hopes for their wedding guide.

On the marketplace -- the guys

After Mr. Onion got his hair trimmed and a professional shave, the guys hung out with Andy Bishop, our photographer's husband and second shooter, on the marketplace.


Front to back, Mr. Onion's best friend, Mr. Onion and his brother on their way from The Men's Room.


Mr. Onion's best friend loves rock climbing...well climbing anything, as you can see, and in flip flops even!


When I came across this photo in the proofs I almost died laughing. Apparently, my father-in-law, after seeing Mr. Onion's best friend do it, wanted to do it too! Click to enlarge to really see their facial expressions. This is priceless!


I mentioned before about Mr. Onion's love of life and happiness -- and again you can see where he gets it from!


My brother and father joined them for a haircut and lunch later..here they are coming up the marketplace.


Right before they headed to pick up some sandwiches for lunch, Andy got a great shot of the guys on the steps of the town hall where Mr. Onion and I had picked up our marriage license not two days earlier!

Photo Creidt: Daria Bishop Photography

On The Marketplace (Part IV)

Part I
Part II
Part III

After my mother, mother-in-law and I were all finished with our hair and make-up at the Aveda Salon I decided to spent a bit of quality time with my wedding party. The only stressful part of the entire day for me was the time it took for us to get rounded up and down to Mirabelle's Cafe (who made our beautiful wedding cake) for lunch. One bridesmaid had her hair done at a different salon, another was out early for a run as she was training for the New York Marathon, and the other was running around town looking for white back up shoes for me for the reception...it was hard to keep track of everyone.

Our sweet photographer, Daria Bishop, joined us for lunch and got a couple of cute shots between the salon and the cafe.


Bride and groom dolls in the window of the toy shop


The fire juggling clown setting up for the street fair...you'll see more of him during the cocktail hour

We had to wait to be seated for what seemed like forever -- I'm sure it was only 10-15 minutes -- but when you're getting married in a matter of hours your concept of time it totally warped. All I could think about while waiting was how much of our "just us" photo time was being eaten up.

Once we were seated and served Alison (the owner/baker) came out to say hello and see how everything was. She is a lovely woman with a fantastic business. Every time I've ever been there it's been packed. The website says, "Mirabelle's -- where everything is good," and it's really true. If you find yourself in Burlington you'll have to stop in for lunch or a treat.


Daria snapped a quick picture of me with Alison, the owner and baker of our yummy wedding cake


And this is one of my favorite pictures of the day -- my best friend since childhood was one of my bridesmaids and she LOVES sweets. Here she is eating her cupcake which, if I remember correctly, is all she ordered!

Did you plan a breakfast, luncheon or any quality time with your girls before the wedding? My advice, if you're planning on this, is to pick a place where you can make a reservation and know that there won't be a chance you could loose 30-45 minutes. This was my one big oversight. The guys just bought sandwiches and brought them back to the inn (more on their QT later)....I might have done that if I'd known we'd be so behind.

Photo Credit: Daria Bishop Photography