Reflecting and Looking Forward

2008 taught me a lot. It was a year that had its ups and downs, but I was able to put a lot of things into perspective. Although I have been ready for this year to be over with, I have to admit that I am a little nervous about 2009 because I have a lot of new beginnings about to take place. And it also means wedding crunch time. Here are some of the wedding related things I'm looking forward to in 2009.

• Bridal Party Luncheon
• Engagement Photo Session {most likely in May}
• Getting my dress drawn on a piece of paper and then seeing it come to life bit by bit
• Sending out my Save the Dates {In July}
• Boudouir Photo Session
• Registering
• Assessing the budget to see if some of my "extras" can be accomadated {crossing my fingers on this!}
• Hair trail
• Make up trial {1st of many probably}

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but just continue to ride this journey with me and make 2009 a golden year! Happy New Year everyone!

Day Of Jewelry

I have been thinking about my wedding day jewelry lately. I'm not ready to purchase anything but I do have a pretty good idea of the look I want to go for.

When it comes to bracelets, I'm all about width. I think that bracelets that have width to it photograph so much better. Here are some of my favorites:

Regina B.

Emitations

Anna Bellagio

I highly doubt that I will wear a necklace because my dress is pretty much going to be all "blinged" out. And to add, I really love big earrings- always have and always will. I am positive that I will be wearing some sort of drop earrings or chandelier earrings- whatever they are, they will be big! I wouldn't want big earrings to clash with a necklace. I think it would be too much going on. And sometimes necklaces irritate me because they don't always stay in place. On the one day in my life when I am going to be photographed the most, I would hate to get my proofs back and see my necklace croocked {definitely a pet peeve}.

Here are some of my favorite earrings:

Regina B.

Emitations

White Aisle

Now of course all jewelry will have to be gold toned like so. It's only fitting! These actually go really nice with my shoes...hmmm, are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Anna Bellagio

Does anyone else know the look they want to have for their wedding day?

Group Participation Dance Anyone?

Talking about group participation dances will quickly split a room full of people up and have it looking like a dodge ball tournament. People either love them or hate them and there's usually no in between. I happen to love group participation dances. It's almost part of my culture!

Mr. Golden and I laugh about all the songs we listen to that demands us to do something, "pon di river", "parachute"," log on", "dutty wine", "pat your weave", "lean with it rock with it", etc. It's truly exercise if you think about it. And although the phrases I just listed are not group participation dances per se... let's just say we will be electric sliding, cha-cha sliding, cupid shuffling, and stepping in the name of love at my wedding because that's just how we do! LOL.

The very latest of group participation dances is the "Go Hard or Go Home" dance and when momma golden saw it, she said add it to the list! It is to the Mary J. Blige's "Just Fine" song. Here's a little clip of it:



So what's you take on participation dances??? :-)

I've been MIA!

Hello out there blog world! It's been a couple of days since my last post and although I wish I had some awesome excuse like vacatioing in Paris, sadly that's not the case! Instead, my excuse is that I had the cooties. Remember my contagious little sister with the stomach virus that I told you about? Yea, that pretty much sums it up.

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My entire family was sick and boy oh boy were we a pathetic sight to see. We could barely take care of ourselves let alone each other. But you know what? I can't complain. Instead of saying that this was the worst Christmas ever, I have to say that it was best because it made me realize how important health is. Damn the tree, damn the presents, if I could have asked Santa for anything, it would have been quality time with my family and good health.

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So enough about that! Here are some other updates:

• Bridal Party Luncheon: I still have to work on the invitations although I do have all of the supplies. I also have someone from Metamorphosis, which is a makeup company coming to do skin analyzers and evaluations on some of my girls. I believe that the lady may be giving me a makeup trial as well but I have to secure the details. I also don't have a mehndi artist yet and I'm slightly nervous about my budget for this, so I'm playing it by ear. I did find a company, I just want to see if the budget will allow for it before I make the official call.

• The Wedding Singer: I have not blogged about this yet, but I'm having someone sing at our ceremony. The person is actually an up and coming artist and he has been all over the place recently doing shows and promoting his album. I sent him an email a few weeks ago asking if he would record a video dedicated to me signing acapella to post on my blog{yea, I know I'm bold!}. I hadn't heard anything from him and I was getting nervous. I said to myself, "Vanessa, you are crazy, this guy is busy and getting major attention. He may not even be able to do your wedding when the time comes." And then in the wake of my sickness, I received an email back from him saying that he'd gladly do it when he gets back from performing in Atlanta!!! Woohoo, I'm ecstatic. I must be one special lady because I don't think he's ever done that for anyone else! More on him in a few weeks!

• Wedding Shoes: I had to send my wedding shoes back for an exchange. When I received them, one of the bling links were broken. I'm actually a little nervous to wear them because the heel is super skinny, but I will WORK them! Someone asked me how can I order my shoes when I don't have my dress yet. ::smiling coyly:: Well, I'm having my dress custom made, so the designer can design the dress around the shoes! Watch out now! lol.

Although It's Been Said Many Times, Many Ways...

Merry Christmas to all of you!

And if you don't celebrate Christmas- Happy holidays!!!

*Goldie*

It was almost out the door until...

The song "At Last" by Etta James is what I'm referring to. It has been played so many times at weddings that quite simply my ears were tired of hearing it. It was almost out of the door and I was like, "yes finally, at last!" LOL.

And then Beyonce did her rendition of it and I have to say, I'm pleasantly pleased. Let's keep it around a little longer! Enjoy!

Feeling A Bit Scrooge-y

This year Santa bought me:

A fiance with the flu. Who also has to work grave yard shifts Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas from 7p.m.-4a.m. I definitely won't be seeing him today and tomorrow is questionable because by the time he gets home it will be 5a.m. He usually doesn't wake up until 1p.m. on his overnight shifts. And then he has to eat, shower, catch a power nap, get dressed, and leave for work by 6p.m. all in a 5 hour time frame. I was hoping he'd be able to call out since he's sick, but uh, NYPD don't play that. He will be in those streets protecting the citizens on New York while I am home.

Our original plan was to celebrate xmas on Saturday, but NYPD messed that up too by giving him mandatory overtime. I swear, sometimes I feel like I am marrying the police department instead of Mr. Golden. Maybe I'll make the most of our situation and bring him some hot tea and a danish while he's on duty. Unfortunately, I can't bring a plate of food because he's not in an area where he can let his guard down and eat all willy nilly in the street.

On the home front, Santa bought me a little sister with a stomach virus who is highly contagious.

Truth be told, I'm not in the best of holiday spirits. I knew this year would be slightly different, especially with planning a wedding and having to make another HUGE deposit on our reception hall in February. I'm not necessarily complaining, I just needed to vent some of my frustrations.
Thanks for reading and allowing me to do that!

And to everyone out there in blog world, I just want to say have a happy, healthy, safe, and blessed holiday!

Bridal Shower: One Last Detail

Did you think I would talk about wanting a tea party themed bridal shower without showcasing tea? Of course not! Let's go over the last important details:

There would be a mixture of both hot & cold teas.

I just love these beverage jars for cold drinks.

Better Rentals

Amazon

Kaboodle

And these gold teapots for hot beverages:

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If the shower were to be held in a backyard tent {which I happen to love}, I know it would be a challenge to provide glass tea cups for everyone. But who needs that when there's personalized styrofoam cups:

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And/or personalized paper cup sleeves:

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Ok, my work here is officially done!

Bridal Shower Inspiration Continued...

If you're just joining me, you may want to read the post directly below first!

Ok, so what time of the day would this shower take place?

An afternoon brunch shower would call for some light foods like sandwiches, fruits, and cheese platters. And they could be displayed in creative ways:

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Instead of one big cake for Mr. Golden and I to cut, they'll be a few mini cakes and desserts galore.

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Maybe Mr. Golden and I can cut into a teapot cake similar to this one:

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Favors would consist of Biscotti biscuits:

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And personalized jam:

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Aside from the great food and decor, the most important aspect will be the great company! I envision lots of fun games. The tissue wedding dress contest is personally my favorite!

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And maybe a lucky guest can win a prize for "the best hat" contest!

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I can't wait to get one of these!

Hope I've done some inspiring!

Don't call me a micro-manager...I'm just HELPING!

My mom and my bridesmaids are in charge of my "surprise" bridal shower and although it's a little far off, I have already begun obsessing over it. And why am I obsessing over something that I have no control over? Hmm, well because I can sometimes be a little bit of control freak {there, I said it!}. And besides, I'm only getting married ONCE!

I've mentioned before that my mom and I are very close and I know it's killing her that she can't confide her ideas in me. I have been coined the creative one in the family, but I have full faith that my mom teamed together with my fabulous partner Eliana from By Your Side Events will give me theeee bridal shower of alll bridal showers.

So, I've taken the initative to put some "ideas" together for what I would hypothetically put together if I were to perhaps, kinda-sorta, plan my bridal shower. LOL.

This one's for you momma! :wink wink:

The lady of the hour has to be dressed to the nines. I'm thinking something very chic and stylish like this little number below. I am one good click away from ordering this dress!

Nordstrom

Tip: Capias {shown below} are so 1980's and who really keeps them? I don't! A simple wrist corsage will work fine for me. And I'm sure guests will be happy that you've spared them from a hole in their clothes.

OK, back to my helping vision!

The theme would be "Garden Tea Party Meets Kentucky Derby". Yea, I know it's a bit far fetched, but it would be a lot easier for me to show you than tell you what I mean.

Ladies would sport their best Sunday hats:

Lady Diane Hats

I'm liking this little peacock number below for me. Can you say, "Westbury Manor"!

Arden Farm

Mr. Golden is no exception to the rules! Maybe he can coordinate with me in something like this:

Etsy's Dark Side Team Blog

It would be held in a restaurant solarium:

Ethan Allen Hotel

Or perhaps a backyard tent affair:

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Centerpieces would be a mixture of flowers placed in teapots:

From You Flowers

Rachael Ray

And flowers placed in hat boxes:

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Calyx Flowers

Stay tuned for tomorrow's continuation of food, dessert, favors, and other "hypothetical" inspirations. I promise I'm just helping!

Pucker Up

I'm naturally a touchy feely person. I greet people with friendly hugs and kisses all the time. Today while at a holiday party seeing old faces, there were lots of hugs and kisses going around and then...

BAM! Someone who missed the lesson on kissing ettiquette got a lipstick stain on my brand new gold shirt! It's really not that serious, I'm sure the stain will come out and I'm not obsessive cumpulsive over material things. BUT...

I can't say that I would have taken that light heartedly if it were my wedding day and that had been my wedding dress. That changes all the rules! So is it wrong that I don't want anyone kissing me on my wedding day? I mean granted, my dress won't come up as high as the shirt I had on today, but what about my veil? I also DO NOT want lipstick marks on my cheek or any possible stains on my dress {including alcohol}.

There's always the possibility of trying to kiss the other person first before they kiss me, or the fake cheek-to-cheek air kiss that people do. LOL.

Maybe I'm just stressing, but I would love to hear what you think?

Date Often and Be Youthful

Even though Mr. Golden and I aren't married yet {duh...lol}, we're technically past our honeymoon stage. This January will make six years that we've been together and it is very important to us that our love doesn't become stagnant. Therefore, we try to make it a habit to go on dates every so often {even though it's a little hard while planning a wedding}, to keep our love youthful and fun.

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There are two places that are not your typical dates, but can prove to be romantic in its own way:

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Make Meaning is a pottery shop in New York City where you can pick out and paint a unique pottery piece. Don't be fooled by it's child friendly nature. Aside from this place hosting adult parties, it is also the perfect place to go with your significant other and create pieces that will last forever. After the pottery piece are painted, they're baked to get a glossy finish. Mr. Golden and I went there two years ago and we had a blast. I painted a tea cup and saucer because I am a HUGE tea fanatic {hint hint mom, theme for my bridal shower...lol}. Mr. Golden painted a trophy with our names on it. Maybe he thinks I'll be his trophy wife, lol.

Here's a picture of me before we started painting:

Here's my finished product. Obviously I must have been giving google eyes to Mr. Golden instead of focusing on my pottery piece because I can assure you that I paint MUCH better than this! lol.
But nevertheless, I still loved the way it came out.

Another fun and youthful place to go on date is Build-A-Bear. My only advice is to go on a week day while the kiddies are in school. Within minutes you and your significant other can make a bear with love, dress it, and get a birth certificate for it. Mr. Golden and I went nuts in this store dressing up our bears and picking out cute accessories. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of our bears because we keep them in our cars, but Mr. Golden named his bear "sea biscuit" and I named mines "ELM" after his initials.

Unity Candle Holder...Check!

When I saw these pillar and taper candle holders, I automatically knew they were leaving the store with me. Here's my unity candle holders!

Excuse the clutter in the back, my desk is a working desk!

Signature Drink

We have decided to go with a signature drink because they are super sexy, fun, and well, um we just like alcohol!

I have some major requirements though. If it's going to be done, it has to be done right. Vibe with me as I take you through my signature drink vision:

I'm seeing margarita glasses with the rims dipped in salt {although I would prefer sugar} like so:

Yum Sugar

AOL Lifestlye

But the color has to be just right. It's only fitting that it be gold:

Tres Hermanos

Cocktail Atlas

To top off the look, I want white crystal rock candy sticks to be used as a stirrer like so:

Oh Nuts

Sugar India

Cocktail napkins would finalize the whole look. I could probably buy some pre-printed:

Paper Style

And then have some customized: {how funny, "M" is going to be my married name!}

Party Paper Direct

Any thoughts? Is anyone else having a signature drink?