Mini Me

On our wedding day, I want to keep a reminder of the Hive with me - you all mean so much, and this has been such a wonderful outlet as I have continued my planning. So, I thought it would be fun to carry a little pint-sized bit of Bee love with me!

Like Pain au Chocolat and other Bees before me, I decided that I absolutely needed an itty bitty candy apple charm that replicated my adorable moniker. Mrs. Tartlet pointed me in the direction of Etsy seller Petit Plat. I checked out her work and was blown away by her teensy, amazing little creations. Her food miniatures look so life-like! (I am really infatuated with her mini "English Breakfast" plate)

Anyway, she didn't have a candy apple on her site, but she said that she could whip one up for me. I could not be more pleased with how it turned out!

I am a little bit in love with cool Etsy packaging. Sellers are really stepping up their game in the creativity department!

 

Look familiar?

I love the little green bow, and the way she made the "candy" pool at the bottom. It looks so realistic; Stéphanie did such a great job. I love my little mini me!

So, Hive, help me out here. Where shall I keep the charm on our wedding day? Sewn onto a ribbon, or something, on my bouquet? Incorporated into my shoes somehow, like Mrs. Elephant? Sewn into my dress? Some other way that I'm not considering at the moment? I'm leaning towards the shoe option, but would love to hear your creative ideas!

Philly Meetup!

This past Sunday, a group of Philly, New Jersey, and Delaware gals got together at Bar Ferdinand for brunch. What a great turnout! 

It was my first Weddingbee meetup and I had a blast. It was so fun meeting such a great group of Hive members, and I was happy to finally meet some Bees in person as well. Lots of wedding talk (of course!) - the good, the bad, and the ugly. It was fun hearing all of the different venue and vendor suggestions flying around, although I was lame and couldn't contribute to those discussions. I guess it's what I get for having a "destination" wedding!

Bar Ferdinand is an awesome restaurant, by the way - they serve a tapas-style brunch that was amazing. I enjoyed the patatas bravas and cangrejo croquettes, which were delicious. The churros and hot chocolate looked divine, as did the carne asada; I may need to make a return trip. They also let us mob on their little back room, so that we basically had a private room to ourselves. Sweet!

Fun ladies, wedding talk, a visitor with a crazy outfit/ hat, and drinks - what more could you want on a Sunday? I am just regretting the fact that I didn't try any of the sangria. What was I thinking??

Um, and I also checked out some kittens that were playing in a cage next door afterwards. What can I say? I'm a sucker for baby animals. I almost took them both home with me, too. Almost.

{I spy a Candy Apple, a Pain au Chocolat, a Sloth, and Socks! Sorry - I didn't get everyone's usernames. Leave a comment so we know who all was there!}

Such a fun brunch! Thanks for the big turnout, ladies. It was great meeting you all! I am hoping we can set up another get-together in early Fall.

Polish: Plain and Simple

I have never been one to worry too much about my nails. I generally keep them cut pretty short, because I have long nail-beds, and I never really paint them, because I am always too busy to take the time to sit down, paint them, and then wait for the paint to dry. I always get impatient, walk around and fiddle with things, and, of course, end up smudging the not-yet-dry polish. Which means I need to remove all of the polish and either a) re-do it, or b) just say 'screw it' and leave them not painted. Because I am semi-OCD and hate having dinged polish. (Yeah. I'm weird. We already know this.) The whole thing just didn't seem very time-or-energy-efficient to me. And, I'm too cheap to pay someone else to do them for me.

However, since I have started working near New York City, I have noticed that the majority of young women in my office have very nicely manicured nails, and they all have some sort of cool, en vogue polish on their nails at all times. (I won't even get into their amazing sense of style when it comes to shoes and clothes, because I'm too jealous to talk about it, and they make me feel immature and not-stylish in comparison. We'll stick to nails today.) I have become quite jealous of their awesome nails, and have convinced myself that pretty nails are, in fact, part of the whole put-together look and that I absolutely must polish my nails. Plus, it makes me feel super girly, which I love.

So, yes, I have started amassing a collection of pretty, girly polishes, and have started painting my nails while I watch So You Think You Can Dance (Best show ever, by the way. Seriously. I want to be all of the contestants. And Cat Deely). I still get all impatient and nick my nails before the paint is dry, but I'm getting better about sitting still! And, I'm losing a bit of the OCD tendencies and am at the point where a nick or two doesn't bother me as much.

Anyway, this new obsession with nail polish has me thinking about what color I want to grace my nails on the day of our wedding. There are so many different options to pick from - it's a bit overwhelming! So, Hive, let's have a look at some choices, shall we?

Bold Reds and Pinks
I love this option - bright and cheerful reds and pinks seem to be perfect for a late-summer wedding. I enjoy the pop of bright nail colors in bridal pictures, and they just seem more, well, fun. However, I do have long nail-beds (Do I sound pretentious saying that? Ugh. I feel like I do. I hope not.), which sort of annoys me because it means my nails just look really, really long. I'm totally jealous of all you short nail-bed gals out there! I think polish just looks better on shorter nails. Am I the only one who thinks this? I like the splotch of color that you get in shorter nails; with longer nails, it just looks like a long skinny strip of color. Maybe that's just me/ my nails. Anyway, I'm babbling on. Let's get to the goods, shall we?

{Chanel's "Dragon"}

I am really digging this rich red from Chanel. It has a bit of a pink-ish under-hue to it, but is nice and deep in color. I think it would look really great, especially if purple is one of your colors.

 {Essie's "Really Red"}

I am in love with this red. It is a true red, and would be absolutely awesome for a wedding. It would really make your nails stand out! And I love when brides have red nails. They just seem so classy, timeless, and elegant to me. 

If I ended up going with reds, I would probably go with this one, or a smiliar shade that doesn't have any other undertones. I think I'm still a bit hesitant to wear something so bold on the wedding day. Perhaps, if I am feeling super courageous... Although, I am thinking I might do this one on my toes!

{Essie's "Movers and Shakers"}

I saw this color on a friend from work, and fell in love. It is so cheerful and fun; perfect for summer fingers or toes. Unfortunately, I think this shade of pink might clash a bit with our more muted palette. But, I still love this color, and want lots of other brides to wear it!

 {Chanel's "Pulsion," via Nordstrom}

This pink is a bit more bold than Essie's "Movers and Shakers," but I still love it for summer. Very fun and bright. Great for toes if you're a little hesitant about something so bright being on your fingers! It totally makes me think of Barbie, by the way. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing.

A Few 'Out There' Options
So, for full disclosure: I am not exactly considering these options. I am still somewhat of a polish-newbie, so I am just not adventurous enough to try these. Particularly for my big day! They wouldn't seem very "me," and I worry that I would look back on pictures 15 years from now and think 'what the heck am I wearing on my nails?!'

However, I love them so much that I wanted to share, in the hopes that some of you more experienced polishers would take these ideas and run with them! I would love to see real pics of them on you for the big day.

{Essie's "Solemate"}

Essie's website describes this as a "creamy and rich deep plum." I love that description! It looks like a very deep mauve to me, and I find the muted shade of this color really pleasing. If I had the, ahem, guts to go dark and bold on my wedding day, this would be the shade I picked. It complements our color scheme very well, and would look great with all of the purples. Alas, I do not have the guts to go this dark. I am hoping to at least get my toenails into "Solemate" this summer, though!

{Essie's "Nice is Nice"}

If you read my post on my wedding band, you saw this color in action! It is my new favorite color - those pictures actually don't do it justice (they make the color look a bit washed out and white-ish). It is a very nice, rich, light lavender. I used two coats, and it basically turned out exactly like that picture of the bottle. It is also the perfect color for our wedding palette. In fact, I might just put it in the folder with all of my inspiration pictures. 

It is still a bit more color than I would like for the wedding, though, so I am going to have to pass. I know, I know - Candy Apple is lame and boring. The color is lovely, and if you're feeling a wee bit more adventurous than I am, but not quite as bold as, say, the dark "Solemate" purple, you should definitely consider this one.

{Chanel's "Riva," via Nylon Mag}

I love this light blue "Riva," in Chanel's Summer 2011 line. It just LOOKS like summer to me - fresh and fun, yet light and clean. I just want to dive right into it. And the way it looks on the model makes it seem almost neutral-y! Is that just me?? Has anyone tried this color in real life? Does it look as light and powder-blue as it does in the picture?

{Essie's "Mint Candy Apple"}

I first came across Essie's "Mint Candy Apple" on Pinterest, and fell in love with the cool, refreshing shade of green. It gives just enough color, but, as opposed to some other greens, it doesn't make your nails look like they are decaying. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to pick this shade up, since our local Wegman's didn't have it in stock the last two times I checked (dang it - everyone else around here must be on Pinterest as well!), but I can't wait to get my hot little hands on this one.

{Essie's "Carnival"}

Sparkles are the best. Seriously. This "color" is so fun - you could layer it over any color to give it a bit of pizzazz, or you could just swipe on a few layers by itself and call it a day! So glamorous. It makes me think of a cool, chic princess, or something. (Actually, it makes me think of when I was a little girl and demanded that my mom buy me a sparkly nail polish. I couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 at the time, and I ended up dropping the prized bottle on the sidewalk as we got home from the store. I was devastated as I watched my beautiful, sparkly polish dissipate into the cracks in the concrete. Clearly, this was an emotional time for me. Hmm, maybe this is why I am so awkward and hesitant about nail polish. HA.)

Anyway, I won't be wearing any glitter on my nails at the wedding because, well, I think I have enough razzle dazzle for the occassion, but this is definitely a must-buy for me. And, I think it would make a perfect wedding-day polish. A bit of sparkle, but not too much color.

Neutrals 
Since I just recently entered the fun world of nail polish, and am still getting my feet (um, nails) wet, this is probably the route I will go with for our wedding. These lighter shades look really nice in pictures, and won't detract as much attention from my beautiful bouquet and shoes.

{Essie's "Muchi, Muchi"}

I recently bought this color, and LOVE it. It might just be me, and my nail-ineptitude, but in order to get the color shown in that picture, I had to do about 3 coats. This shade is super light and pretty - if you went with only one or two coats, it would definitely be a fairly neutral pink. Perfect for a light color palette, particularly if you're having delicate pinks!

{Essie's "Minimalistic"}

I haven't worn this color yet, but it looks very light, neutral, and dainty, with a hint of purple. I can't wait to try it out!

A while ago, Hive member ustechie tuned me in to the fact that Giada de Laurentiis, on whom I have a huge girl-crush, wears OPI's Bubble Bath. I ended up getting a manicure with this shade before our engagement shoot, and LOVED how it looked in the pictures.

{OPI's Bubble Bath}

I am almost positive that I will go with this one for the wedding. I love the neutral, slightly pink hue of the shade. Just the right amount of color! Also, since my shoes are such a bold purple, I'm thinking that neutrals are the way to go here.

What do you think, Hive? Am I okay sticking with neutrals for the big day? What color did you wear for your wedding? Did you go with a light neutral, or did you go big and bold? Or, did you go for something totally "out there" like bright blue or sparkles?!

Also, I have to ask - did your groom get a little polish before the big day? Mr. CA is definitely not thinking about it (as style-forward as he is, I am fairly confident that he will never wear polish on his nails. Ever), but I imagine lots of men at least get a mani before their wedding, even if they don't end up going with polish! Any guys out there get some color too??

My Precious

Alternatively titled: Mind the Gap.
Or, Candy Apple Shares a Million Pictures. 

That's right. Are you ready for a post with tons of pictures? Yes? Good, because I am slightly obsessed with my wedding band, and I want to share that obsession with as many people as possible. I'm sorry, but it's a fact. And a problem.

Way back in the day when Mr. CA and I visited Seattle for our engagement session and epic planning weekend, we had about 10 spare minutes of free time, so we ducked into the Tiffany's in U. Village to check out some rings, and to try to get an initial idea of what we wanted for our wedding bands. Going into the store, all I knew was that I wanted something super thin. I'm not a big fan of chunky rings; they make my fingers look even fatter than they are. I also knew that I wanted either platinum, or white gold (to match my e-ring), and I was pretty sure I wanted this ring specifically:

{Tiffany Novo Band Ring}

My engagement ring has channel-set diamonds on the sides of the band (stopping just short in the back of going all the way around), with milgrain edging. It has a bit of an antique, vintage look to it, and I didn't want anything that would compete with that ring. I didn't really want anything that was matchy-matchy, anyway, and didn't like the look of channel-set bands (although I LOVE how it looks on my e-ring. Go figure). I also didn't think I would want diamonds on the band; I had enough diamonds to satisfy me on the e-ring! So, I thought I would end up going with the Novo, or something similar - I liked the sleek, modern look, the square edges. Plus, the price was fairly reasonable, and we figured we could find something like it for much cheaper elsewhere.

However, once we got into the store, I just wasn't digging the Novo. It didn't seem to look right with my ring. And then I tried on this baby:

{Tiffany Metro Ring}

I was in love the minute I put it on my finger. I didn't think I would want bling on my wedding band, but it just looked perfect with my engagement ring. I loved how the diamonds were set (not channel), and I absolutely adored how thin the band was. So, so thin! Gorgeous.

However, it was out of our price range. As much as I begged, pleaded, and tried to convince Mr. CA that this was the ring, we left the store empty-handed. Of course, he was being perfectly sensible, and didn't want to make an impulse decision on such a big purchase.

I knew (once I was out of the store and not blinded by the bling) that we could find the exact same ring for less somewhere else. So, in lieu of the other planning I had going on, I sort of forgot about the ring (aside from when BM Fuji came to visit, and I dragged her into the Tiffany store in NYC to show her the band. She approved. I fell back in love with the ring).

Recently, we decided to visit a local jeweler in Princeton (Hamilton Jewelers) on a whim one beautiful Saturday when we were putzing around, eating ice-cream and enjoying the sun, and, lo and behold, they had almost the exact same ring! For quite a bit cheaper, might I add.  

Our amazing helper/ sales person/ jewelry expert, Vera, helped us look at different styles, answered our questions, and even cleaned my engagement ring for me! She was not pleased with how 'grungy' it looked. And here I thought I was taking such good care of it...

We decided that, yep, this was the one. She ordered the ring for us, and presto! All I had to do was wait for the ring to come in. Trust me, that was a long 3.5 weeks. I do not envy you ladies who went and picked out the e-ring together, and then had to wait for the proposal!! That must be killer.

But, the ring is now in, and I could not be more in love! It is so silly, but I love this ring. I love that it symbolizes the unbreakable bond that Mr. CA and I are about to enter into. I cannot wait to have him slip it over my finger on our big day. And, well, it's just pretty. There's that too.

Want to see? Okay, okay, if you insist...

Oooh, la la! I think this little ring box is so pretty. I love the green!

Yep. She's amazing.

I can't seem to capture the gorgeous, sparkly-ness of the rings on my camera. You will have to just trust me that they are beautiful and sparkly.

Super thin! Woohoo.

One teensy, tiny thing that I semi-dislike about my ring is that it is so thin that they can't engrave anything on the inside. Honestly, I'm a bit bummed about that, but I really don't mind too much. The ring is beautiful, and I love it, so it's not a big deal. Besides, we are going to see if they can engrave something into my engagement ring. So, you know, I don't forget our anniversary or something.

Also, you may have noticed something about my engagement ring and wedding band together. Something in between them. Like...space. Yep, I'm a gap bride! There is a space between my engagement ring and my wedding band.

This is caused by the prongs that hold up the diamond on my e-ring (or whatever those things are called. I am really not savvy in the world of engagement rings. Oops!!), and the little diamond that sticks out on the side of my e-ring, underneath the prongs (Mr. CA may have gone a bit overboard on this ring. But he was excited.). I call it the little diamond nubbin.

 Here's a view of the diamond nubbin straight-on; there is one on both sides.

I knew there would be a gap, though, as I didn't want a ring that dips down in that chevron-esque shape which allows for the diamond nubbin protrusion. I wanted to be able to wear my band by itself, and wanted it to be straight.

The gap culprit. Silly diamond nubbin! 

Honestly, though? I don't mind the gap (HA). I think it adds a bit of character, and I am so in love with my rings anyway, I don't even notice it. I also love the fact that Mr. CA put enough thought and care into designing my ring that he included diamond nubbins on the side. What a sweetheart.

Overall, the whole experience of picking out a wedding band was really fun and exciting! I did not get to go through this process for the engagement ring (since it was a huge surprise and all), so it was fun to be able to go in, look at different styles, see different settings and metals, and try on lots of pretty sparkly things. It definitely appealed to my girly side. And, it was fun going through it with Mr. CA! It really made me pause and think, wow, I will be wearing this thing on my hand every day for the rest of my life. It makes me so happy thinking about how, when I wear this ring, I will be a 'wife.' Fun stuff.

Was the wedding band your first ring-shopping experience? Did you go into the process with a certain ring style in mind, only to end up with something completely different? Are you as obsessed with your wedding band as I am? (I might be wearing it as I type this. Maybe. Don't tell Mr. CA). Are you a gap bride too?

Another Guy, More Clothes

Around the same time that he picked out the suits for the groomsmen, Mr. CA also found a suit for himself. He knew that he wanted to wear a slim-fit, light grey suit, sort of like this one, but a bit lighter. He also wanted to make sure he looked similar enough to the groomsmen. Mr. CA was also willing to shell out a bit more for his suit, because, duh, it is his wedding, and, since he wears suits every day, he was in need of a nice grey suit anyway.

{Photography by Erin Hearts Court, via Style Me Pretty}

For some reason, it was really tricky finding a nice suit like this in just the right shade; the ones we found were all a bit too dark.

Since he loves researching big purchases, he spent a lot of time looking through online sites and forums, checking out stores near us, in New York, etc. etc. This was definitely a long-term project! Finally, he found a suit he liked at Brooks Brothers. And, thankfully, it was on sale! Sweet. That's my man - always finding the good deals.

{Brooks Brothers Milano Plaid 1818 Suit}

Technically, it is a plaid suit. Oops? The plaid is pretty faint, though; it is a lot less noticeable in person than in the pictures. There was a bit of hemming and hawing over the idea that the light pattern might make it look a bit dated 10 years from now, but ultimately we decided that we both liked the suit, it looked good on him, and it was totally his style. So, that was that.

Don't mind these awkward poses - I made him do some ANTM poses for me. 

Don't mind the baggy pants - they are not yet hemmed! 

Oh yeah, and you want to see his shoes, and the ties the groomsmen will be wearing? It's the same J. Crew tie that is up in those pictures. We actually ended up buying ties for the groomsmen, since I really liked the tie, and they were already paying for the suit.

{Tie by J. Crew}

I totally love Mr. CA's shoes, too. Aren't they awesome?! We're just having the groomsmen wear some sort of brown shoe, but Mr. CA wanted these super cool shoes for himself, and was willing to splurge on them. The only problem is keeping him from wearing them to work before the big day!

{Shoes by Allen Edmonds}

I think it all looks great together! Mr. CA has great style, so I wasn't worried, but it is nice to see the whole look come together. I am quite pleased with how everything turned out, and I can't wait to see the boys all wearing those ties! Love them.

Did you pick out the attire for your significant other? Did you have the groomsmen all wear the same ties, shoes, etc?

Guys and Clothes

You know one thing I don't really care about? Men's fashion.

Okay, okay, I suppose I do care that Mr. CA doesn't leave our house dressed like a slob. But, I don't really need to worry about it - I know he would never do that. Let's be honest, he has way more style than I do. And because I bought him a subscription to GQ (you're welcome, Mr. CA!) and he wears a suit every day for work, he knows what looks good, both on him and on other people. Well, I like to think so anyway. Since I trusted him to do a good job with the boys' suits, I happily handed over the reins for the groomsmen's and groom's outfits to Mr. CA.

Well, let's be honest - I maintained right of refusal because at this point we all know how much of a control-freak I am, yes? Yes. But still. Trust.

We both knew going into the process that we didn't want tuxes:

• The ones we actually liked were way too formal for our wedding
• The black tuxes would clash and look a bit stark with our slightly more muted palette
• We didn't like any of the grey tuxes we encountered during our brief research

Three strikes, and tuxes were out. That was easy! Moving on...

At first, I had wanted to go with vests for the groomsmen, with Mr. CA wearing a matching, or similar, suit. However, that idea was quickly nixed - Mr. CA was not a huge fan of the look, and thought it would be too informal for our wedding. He also was worried that it would look too dated in, say, 37 years.

{Photography by Lizelle Lotter, via Ruffled Blog}

I think they look sharp, but, alas, I had relinquished control of the men's attire. So, we moved on to suits. And by we, I mean Mr. CA. (But really, I mean we.) Beautiful, beautiful suits. Slim-fit, light-grey, sharp-looking suits.

Honestly, I think Mr. CA and I had been on the same page all along regarding attire for the men, and there wasn't really a question of what the men would wear - we both thought that suits looked sharp and sleek, but weren't too formal, that light grey would work best with the soft lavender of the bridesmaid dresses, and the color could also be versatile enough that the boys could wear the suits again. Because, as much as I love a good seersucker or tan suit, they just didn't fit with our wedding vibe, and the boys couldn't exactly wear them to work.

{Photography by Chad Cress, via Ruffled Blog}

 Mr. CA scoured the internet for nice, cheap-ish men's suits. This was the tricky part! We made many, many visits to Macys, and other mensware stores, in search of the perfect suit. He didn't want the boys to spend a lot of money on the suits, but he also wanted the suits to look good, fit well, and be well-made. For some of the men, this would be their only suit! So, while he didn't want them to break the bank, he still wanted a suit that they could wear again. More easily said than done.

{Photography by He and She Photography, via Style Me Pretty}

And believe me, we spent a long time searching for that perfect suit. A looooong time. As in, I was getting worried that the boys would be walking down the aisle in boxers and tees on the big day. But, since I had relinquished control of the whole she-bang to Mr. CA, I just let it roll off me, and let him handle it.

Luckily, during one of our many visits to Macy's to check out suits, we were informed of an awesome, super sale that was coming up. Coincidentally, that same visit, we found the perfect suit for the groomsmen! It was slim-fitting, looked nice, and was the perfect color. And the best part? Super sale.

{Alfani RED Suit Separates, Grey Sharkskin Slim Fit, via Macy's}

So, Mr. CA sent out a mass email, the guys all went out to Macys and were fitted, and, just like that, the men were set! Well, except for Mr. CA, who will be wearing a slightly different suit. More on that to come!

Mr. CA and I are happy because the groomsmen's suit is exactly what we were looking for. The groomsmen are happy because they shelled out just a bit more than they would have for a tux rental, but they get a nice new suit out of it. Win win, right?

Did you have a long-winded, but fairly simple, search for groomsmen suits? Did you let your significant other handle the attire for their bridal party, or did you maintain control of it?

For the boys in your wedding party, are you going with something a bit untraditional, like vests, suspenders, or just a plain button-up? Or, are you going the more classic route with tuxes? I am seriously digging all of the options out there for men these days!