Image and Dress from Posh Little Tutus

In three words: too much fun! If you know me it isn’t a stretch to know why I had the most enjoyable time picking out the flower girls’ dresses. Frilly? Flowers? Count me in! Our flower girls are totally the perfect age to play dress up at five and two years old. They are the age when they are super adorable in whatever they wear!

One reason why it was so easy is because I knew their style: “flower princess butterfly” as the five year old expressed it. As long as it was puffy and some shade of pink I knew they’d love it. It was a minimal pressure purchase. I figured as long as it wasn’t uncomfortable in fit or of scratchy fabric it would be just fine. Dealing with young children there is always the risk that their mood will dictate if they like it or not the day of the event. Really, children are a wildcard! But if the girls were happy and excited to wear the dresses from the get-go, then we were on track to have a good day.

Another reason why it was low stress was because I was paying. It could be as expensive or cheap as I’d like. I gave myself the responsibility to pay for all my junior bridesmaid and flower girl dresses. The five girls in total–three juniors and two flower girls–all came from one family. It would be a lot to ask of their parents to buy them all, especially since their mom, the Sister of the Groom, was buying a bridesmaid dress for herself and they were all tracking across the United States to be part of the wedding! So if I could ease any pressure off of them so they could attend happily, I had to do it.

I got a lot of help from the older sisters identifying styles that they thought would be cute on their younger siblings. The 10 year old junior bridesmaid took it on as her project and would always be calling me over to the computer to look at the one that had to be the one because it was way too adorable. From here I learned of some of the brands she liked for the youngsters: Kate Mack, US Angels, Biscotti, Hannah Banana, Halabaloo, Isabella & Chloe, Ooh La La, Posh Little Tutus and Le Pink.

Shopping I did in person on my own time. Hands down my favorite department store–and my recommendation for girl’s special occasion dresses–is Nordstrom. They have a huge variety of fancy dresses and so many of them were exactly what I was looking for. My other top department store was Bloomindales followed by Lord and Taylor, but they had less variety and less price points than Nordstrom. My other favorite shops were the outlets Nordstrom’s Rack, Century 21, Filene’s, and Daffy’s, all of these were great to find good deals. Unfortunately I could never find dresses in the sizes I wanted–they were always just a size off. I liked a lot of summer dresses at J-Crew where I purchased the junior bridesmaid dresses. They were all of coordinating colors (coral and blush pink were everywhere) but most of J-Crew’s special occasion dresses were either in white or too expensive (over $150). Some of the other stores at the mall had great sale rack options, like at Jacadi.

Here are some pictures of my most favorite flower girl dresses from my outings:

Jacadi Paris

Nordstrom

Nordstrom

Nordstrom

Nordstrom

J-Crew

J-Crew

J-Crew

J-Crew

I ended up purchasing the girls’ outfits at Nordstrom. The two year old’s had a rosette on the bodice and the five year old’s had petals making up the the top. I just thought they were too cute and classic looking to pass up! Flowery? Check! Pink? Check? Flowy. Check!

Nordstrom

]]> http://thebohemianbride.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/flower-girl-dresses/feed/ 0 Miss Cali Girl in NJ coraltutu IMG_2145 IMG_3299 IMG_3297 IMG_3300 IMG_3296 IMG_1926 IMG_2137 photojcrew4 photojcrew3 IMG_2152 http://thebohemianbride.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/groomsmen-attire/ http://thebohemianbride.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/groomsmen-attire/#comments Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:52:27 +0000 Miss Cali Girl in NJ http://thebohemianbride.wordpress.com/?p=2557 ]]> Finding the perfect groomsmen outfit was harder than finding bridesmaid dresses! Much harder. After visiting Men’s Warehouse and trying on suits we realized we didn’t want a tuxedo. It was going to be too stiff, too heavy, and too much for a more casual outdoor wedding. The problem with was finding a suit that would work.

Rental stores are so good because they have different styles in stock, purchasing is less time sensitive–the three month turn over in mall stores becomes even more of a rush when trying for a hard to find size–and really, it requires minimal effort from the dudes. There is a clerk that knows what they need once they drop the wedding party’s name so they aren’t left to hunt for the right things all by themselves. Typically getting the guys to the rental store and on time is something that us brides go crazy trying to coordinate! And rightfully so!!

Our pick for the groomsmen

We tried to find a seersucker suit or a more casual tan suit at a rental store. But to no avail. We tried the main department stores but everything was too expensive to ask our groomsmen to purchase (we were already asking them to travel across the country so we wanted minimal cost). We looked at H&M, Zara, and UNIQLO trying to find low price items–and we did, but not in the range of sizes we needed (darn international slim sizes!).

We found our perfect outfit at a regular mall store called Express. It was exactly the style we wanted and it feel within the $150 or less budget we were hoping for. It was a seersucker vest and pants. I absolutely loved the seersucker vest look for the country club! It was perfect! We tried to take advantage of what the boys already had like white dress shirts and casual white shoes to save them money as well.

Image from Express

Below is a letter we sent to our groomsmen (originally with links but now outdated).

—–

Hey Groomsmen,
Here is what you should do while stores are stocked this month:
1. Sign up for a “15% off your next purchase” coupon
2. Purchase the following groomsmen attire (in-store or online)

Basically the outfit is a vest, pants, and white shirt (picture of the outfit is attached–we are not wearing ties).

5-BUTTON STRIPED CORDED COTTON SUIT VEST – COLOR: CABANA $79.50

STRIPED CORDED COTTON PRODUCER SUIT PANT – COLOR: CABANA $69.50

YOUR OWN WHITE DRESS SHIRT OR 1MX MODERN FIT STRETCH COTTON SHIRT – COLOR: TRUE WHITE

YOUR OWN WHITE SHOES: SLIP ON VANS, CONVERSE, OR SIMILAR STYLE (WALMART HAS CHEAP ONES FOR $15)

Image from Shoes.com

——-

We sent this in April–you would think they wouldn’t wait until July to buy!! Well they did–well, two of them did and that screwed everything up! That left me in panic mode. Three groomsmen had the entire outfit. But one of them now couldn’t fit into his vest.  One person only bought the pants and (in July) couldn’t find a vest. The bestman didn’t buy a thing thinking that we would automatically buy his since he was the “best” man. So we were down three vests, one pant.

For one entire weekend I bought every single seersucker vest I could find–that I could afford. Thankfully a lot were on sale at Macy’s (Bones & Rags, DKNY, Nautica) but they were not the same fabric, color, style of our Express outfits. I figured as long as they were in seersucker vests we would be okay, but I wasn’t excited about it. Some vests had navy blue stripes, some tan, some thin, some wide, some wrinkly fabric. One word: Headache!!

Our variety of groomsmen attire

I ended up with 6 miscellaneous vests unsure what was going to fit, bought an extra jacket thinking the best man could wear that if the others didn’t work, I found the missing pants at Express after going to three different locations!

The other thing that happened: we planned on Mr. Pashmina wearing the matching jacket so he would be a dressier than the groomsmen, but still matching. He didn’t fit into it! We never tried it on when we first settled on it so we were left to find another suit. Thankfully this wasn’t in July. But still…

In the end everything worked out, but I didn’t know how it was going to look until I was at the aisle! I left it for my groom to figure out.

Image from Hairdressers on Fire

My three junior bridesmaids are gorgeous! They have this heavy and thick wavy hair. We are always playing and experimenting with it. One of my favorite hairdos on them is a summer chic, half-up bohemian braid. Originally I was looking at braid hairdos for me, but I just love it for the junior BMs–who are 10, 13, 15. It is cute without being too cutesy, and it is totally up my ally with my wedding being more of a natural and relaxed one. Basically, this hairdo reminds me of home in California and how perfect is it for our outdoor courtyard wedding there!

I was trying to look up some pictures online because as a penny pincher we will be doing all the kids hair ourselves. While on my search I found something better: YouTube tutorials. Here are a few for you that helped us on the magical day.

1. The Half Up
It would be a good compromise between my longing for long wavy locks and an crisp updo. Perhaps I could look Grecian and whimsical like the character from Mamma Mia? Or perfectly in place like on Martha Stewart Weddings?

Martha Stewart Weddings

2. The Side Chignon
Love the ballerina bun, but the side chignon is even better because you can also see your bun from the front! And doesn’t that make it that much better!

Marth Stewart Weddings

3. The Side Pony Tail
Sassy, fun and young. I even feel different when I wear a low, side pony. Maybe a little country or rock ‘n roll. Or even back to that Grecian idea, I could do it with a loose braid.

Brides

That what I was thinking. This is how it turned out, translated by my stylist R.J. at Roger Joseph’s Salon.

Hairstyle 1: The Half Up

Hairstyle 2: The (Small) Side Chignon

Hairstyles 2 1/2: The (Large) Side Chignon

Hairstyle 3: The Side Pony

I told R.J. the night before the wedding which one I wanted to go with. It was hard to decide. Which one would have you chose?

My engagement ring is beautiful, but it isn’t the most comfortable ring to wear because it is a little thick. I assume one reason is because they need to fit the diamonds in the band, but if I put all my fingers together you can feel the metal ring and it feels weird. I wanted a wedding ring that when worn would feel like wearing nothing at all. But this wasn’t going to be easy, I didn’t want a plain metal band like Mr. Pash. I wanted something that sparkled like my e-ring.

I could go a few different ways. I could try to find a matching a matching band, or look for a very thin ring that would “go”, or get an eternity band.

I did want sparkles, but maybe not all over. I quickly realized how expensive eternity rings were. Was it worth it? I hated twisting my e-ring so all the diamonds were perfectly symmetrical. But was it worth the extra bucks not to turn a ring? If I wore it with my e-ring with it then I would still be turning a ring on finger? So was the purpose behind getting an eternity band purposeless? To me, right now in my life, an eternity band wasn’t that necessary. A three-sided ring would be more than enough. Since I would most likely be wearing the two together–I imagine 90% of the time–I might as well have them both requiring a twist.

After looking at the collection I knew that I wanted one that was similar to my engagement ring. When I put on rings of different styles–which in theory I love–it just seemed to busy, too much going on, not quite right. I knew for something that I was going to wear everyday it needed to be–in my mind–clean, versatile, and something I felt went with everything. So that left me with trying to find a match.

To my surprise there were lots of “matches” to my e-ring. The jeweler showed me all the sizes of wedding bands that were the exact same one as my engagement ring without the center diamond. There were larger, thicker versions and smaller, thinner ones. I gravitated to the smaller one after trying it on, putting my fingers together and not feeling much metal-hand contact. But then jeweler showed me how when placed together there is a “step” between the rings, basically it would create a mini-pyramid effect. They were perfectly aligned, one wasn’t thicker than the other. Then the jeweler showed me the “perfect pair” to the engagement ring I love so much. It really did look good…but it was more expensive. As if reading my groom spoke up and said under your breath, “you might as well get the one that matches it perfectly.”

They had a three hundred dollar price difference, of course the one I wanted, my match was the more expensive one. Then I got schooled by Mr. P, “don’t be cheap on this, not this time.  It matches perfectly, you should get what you want.” I instantaneously heard his voice of reason. The perfect match really was the ring I really wanted. Might as well splurge this time, especially since it wasn’t a huge price difference…better than buying a totally new ring down the road.

In a matter of just 20 minutes I picked out my ring. It really wasn’t very difficult at all. Finally!

Check out a picture of mine and his! Cute, no?! His choice? A titanium comfort fit 8 mm ring with a brushed and satin finish. Mine? A channel set diamond set band with alternating round and rectangular stones.

Did you opt for a the match of your engagement ring? Do you wear your wedding ring solo or do you stack them? Did you “splurge” on the band you really wanted?

*all images personal photos

Titanium from Zales

“something hard so it doesn’t get lots of scratches”

“nothing frilly or with too much decoration”

“nothing with diamonds”

“something really light so I won’t feel it on”

These were the requirements of Mr. Pashmina as we went on our search to find the perfect men’s ring. Just to give you a little insight into the type of guy my husband is: he has “going out” sweats, “at home” sweats, and “exercise” sweats. Did you think there was just one kind? Oh, no! When he does dress up he will wear a button down flannel shirt with broken in jeans.  This is his dressy look. He does have to wear a shirt and tie to work but he hates how stuffy it feels. He often leaves his tie off until the very moment he arrives to work. Then he will proceed to roll up his sleeves.

His type?  The Casual Man.

So it is no wonder that he wanted an effortless ring. Something simple, light, and streamlined.

A few months before our wedding we hit the Route 4 section of New Jersey known as Jewelry Row. After stating the above requirements to the jeweler, we were told that the rings we would be interested in looking at were Titanium, Tungsten, Platinum, Palladium, and Stainless Steel. All these rings would are light and would hold up better from scratches than gold.

Tugnsten from Zales

First we looked at Titanium.
The pros:
1. It is a common metal, so it is inexpensive
2. Lightweight
3. Strong metal and so resistant to scratches
4.  Hypoallergenic
5. Doesn’t tarnish in salt water

The cons:
1. It can’t get resized so if his finger change over the years he would need to get a new ring
2. Although it is a hard metal, it still may get dings and abrasions

Next, we browsed at Tungsten rings. We weren’t familiar with the metal so the jewelry explained a bit about it.
The pros:
1. 3 times stronger than Titanium
2. It hardly will ever lose its shine
3. It can’t be resized
4. Not a precious metal

The cons:
1. It is heavy–heavier than Titanium
2. It can’t be engraved
3. It can tarnish in salt water

Note: There is something called Black Tungsten which is a black metal, which will appeal to some guys.

Platinum from Zales

Then we turned to Platinum. Many of these included diamonds or decorations but there were a few that were a bit more basic bands.

The pros:
1. It is more durable than gold
2. It has a true white/silver color
3. It is hypoallergenic
4. It is a precious metal
5. It can be engraved

The cons:
1. It is expensive
2. It scratches decently easily

Stainless Steel from Zales

Then we looked at Stainless Steel rings. Many of these were less formal looking, with fun details.

The pros:
1. Inexpensive
2. Tarnish-free and easy to clean
3. True silver color
4. Strong metal

The cons:
1. Can contain nickle so can irritate skin
2. Not a precious metal

Palladium

The pros:
1. In the Platinum family of metals so similar properties
2. Lighter in weight than platinum
3. Precious metal
4. Hypoallergenic
5. A little cheaper than Platinum
6. A little more durable than Platinum

Palladium from Blue Nile

The cons:
1. Expensive
2. Not as many rings are made from it, so less style options

Note: It often is a lighter white silver shade than Platinum.

Immediately, the hubby gravitated to Titanium. His reasoning, “If it is good enough for the space shuttle then it is good enough for me!”

Mr. Pashmina wanted a plain band, very simple and traditional looking but after looking at the Titanium selection it wasn’t that easy. He didn’t want too much detailing, but there were a lot rings that had just a little bit…which he liked. The questions then turned to do you want a rounded or squared edge? What about finish. Matte? Brushed? Satin? Polished? Or even striped by combining two metals together or cutting a ribbon into the band? How thick do you want the ring to be? Skinny, wide or somewhere in between.

Our jeweler was very helpful. After listening to how Mr. Pashmina described his perfect ring, the jeweler brought out his ordering book and flipped to exactly what he just detailed.

So what band did he end up with? Wait for next post to see!

What type of metal do you like most? Does your man want a simple band or one with more decorations? These rings were some that appealed to my “casual guy.”

Tungsten & Wood

David Yurman

David Yurman "Rino"

David Yurman

Zales

Zales

Zales

Zales

Scott Kay

David Yurman

Zales

So every year for the six years I have been with Mr. Pashmina I have gone back home to be with my family for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’ve always tried to feel out Mr. P to see if he would mind my departure or if he was getting tiresome of me always going away. Nope. He always has been super understanding. More than I would be, truthfully. But this is why I love him. Not once has he ever placed any guilt or sadness about me going away. He always was excited that I got to see my family who I am always longing for.  But sometimes he would say “It is okay. The first year we are married we can spend it together!”

I wasn’t quite sure if this was something he really, really felt tied to or if he was simply excusing my absence with a hope for us to be together. Well, I am a girl of my word. And this year is that year! The first year we are married! So I was gung-ho on making this happen.

My family has huge Thanksgivings and Christmases. My mom does such a wonderful job at making these times so extra special. I didn’t want to miss out on this time with them. So I tried, tried, tried to get Mr. P out West so I could have the best of both worlds!! But Mr. Pash’s work didn’t cooperate with this plan…or did the ticket prices. So instead of forking over lots of dough for only the weekend, I ended up staying on the East Coast for my first (almost) White Christmas!

I was hoping to go back to see my family between Christmas and New Year’s, but again the tickets were so expensive I ended up going back before Christmas. I was able to be there for my mom’s birthday, participate in holiday shopping, bake lots of cookies, and get some sun before heading back to NYC. I didn’t get to see my four year old nephew put out cookies for Santa or wake up in the early morning to unwrap his gifts. But I got to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with my hubby and it was well worth it! We made a feast for Christmas Even. We slept in the next morning–something I’ve never done–and then traveled to upstate New York to be with Mr. Pashmina’s family. They live in a 19th century stone farmhouse and it was covered in icicles. We had the best time eating prime rib sitting next to the cherry wood fire. So picturesque and so wintery!

Then we headed home, with two of our nieces in tow headed to NYC to see the big tree at Rockafeller Center. We couldn’t find a parking spot so we just ended up driving around. But let me tell you–we got the best view. We put down the top to our convertible and got a really good view. Traffic was slower than a snails pace going past the tree so it worked out perfectly. People kept on laughing at us asking if we were cold but we were actually sweltering! It was a really fun experience seeing NYC at dark, all lit up with lights, and full of Christmas cheer!

The next morning when we were hit with what they dubbed The Christmas Weekend blizzard. We were all trapped inside for two days playing board games. Let’s just say there was major Monopoly competition going on! Work was canceled the next day so vacation was extended even a little bit longer too!

Our very first Christmas as husband and wife. It was filled with snow, and filled with love!

How did you spend your first holiday together as husband and wife? Was it a compromise?

At about 4:30 p.m. Mr. Pashmina called me from the road to tell me that he may have to meet me there–they were running late–but he was going to try to come home to clean himself up from the party…none of them were able to take a shower before check-out! Yes, theses stinky boys were all going to attend too. The bridal shower was set to start at 5 p.m. We were asked to arrive fashionably late around 5:30 or 6.  His estimated arrival time was 6:30 or so…

I got dressed and made my way over to the party was at precisely 6 p.m. I was a little bit nervous and didn’t want to walk in alone. Since the majority of people coming were his mom and dad’s friends, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I arrived. What if a bunch of people greeted me and I didn’t know any of them. But to my surprise when I got there Mr. P was there waiting for me, he just arrived. A bit tore up and hungover looking, but there all the same!

It was a hot New Jersey night and most of our friends flocked outside to seek refuge on the deck in the backyard. After saying “hi” to all the stinky boys and their wives, Mr. P and I then made the circuit kissing and hugging all of his parents friends. Everyone was so warm and friendly, even when we didn’t know them. The older women would give us marriage advice and the men would chuckle and tell us jokes.

One of the main highlights was all the food. They special ordered a lechón. This is a whole roasted pig which only makes its appearance on special occasions. Its origins are Spanish, but it is one of the most prized Filipino dishes. The pig or piglet is skewered whole and cooked in a firepit, rotating it as if it was in a big rotisserie. The result looks similar to a pig served during a luau. But the thing that people love about lechón is the crispy skin. If you are lucky to get the skin, that is, it is what people reach for first! It tastes sort of like super thick, deep fried bacon. (Please do not look at the very bottom picture if you do not wish to see it ready to be served up). I wasn’t in love with the dish before the bridal shower because I grew up with pork chops and apple sauce but with this lechón my opinion is starting to sway. I guess I have always been missing the sweet sauce that goes with it which is sort of like a chutney. Anyways, back to the party, I always get distracted with food…

The main event was watching me open gifts with the help of all the small kids and my handy groom wielding a kitchen knife. Let me tell you all, Crate & Barrel really knows how to tape up a box–and almost all the gifts were from there! All this knifing, tearing, and shredding was happening while Wowoweé was going on in the background.

For those of you unfamiliar with this Filipino variety show, it is like the craziest (and funnest) show on television. It is hours of silly games, contestant interviews, beautiful Filipinos, and dancing, music, and random acts of entertainment. It is off the Richter’s scale with energy. You always hear “WaWa Wee!” exclaimed and then people laughing or screaming. It was everything that opening the presents felt like!! I was butchering people’s last names. Paper was flying everywhere! Knives kept slashing boxes. Kids were running around. Boys were hungover. And in the midst my wedding bonnet that kept getting bigger and more Little Bo Peep-like. It was a crazy good time!

The two hostesses put together the best party. I absolutely loved it. Everyone was able to join in the fun regardless of gender or age! They even gave out traditional Jordan almonds as favors. So sweet!

What was your bridal shower like? Was it co-ed or all girls? Did it have a chaotic, fun energy like mine?