Showered with Love!

This past week has been a busy one in wedding development!  I had two amazing wedding/bridal showers and feel overwhelmed with excitement about the big day (only 49 days away now!) and love from my family and friends who really came out to celebrate this exciting time in our lives!

This is from my dad's card - me as a diva

Last weekend was a shower in Cool, where my mom lives.  It was mostly moms of my girlfriends and my mom's really close friends.  A VERY fun day.  Emily, my head maid, was in charge of the games, so we enjoyed bridal pictionary, toilet paper veil making, and a quiz about my groom to be.  I did pretty well on the quiz, I must say.  Though there were a few questionable answers on Mike's part.  We had three groups making different styles of veils (see evidence below).  It was a tough call, especially since I was told I would be wearing the winner's design to the rehearsal.  But, ultimately, the choice was made :)  My mom arranged for us to have lots of yummy food from the deli where she works, and she ordered some pretty amazing cupcakes for us to enjoy as well.  This was a kitchen themed shower, and so we received lots of goodies for our kitchen, which was really exciting.  We have already enjoyed beverages out of our new glasses and are planning ways to use our beautiful serving trays!  Very fun!
Last night was another shower, with a very different theme: linens and lingerie.  Very racy and lots of fun.  I felt like I was in a gourmet restuarant - Emily made so many delicious snacks for us, including salmon with creme fresche (OMG), proschiutto wrapped cantaloupe, fruit salad, honey and blue cheese topped bread....and then some pretty amazing bellinis with fresh fruit.  I was in heaven!  Overall, I feel very celebrated and I have still have another shower to go, which is being thrown by Mike's Mom, Sandy.  I just got the invitation for that in the mail!
I am including some (okay, LOTS of) pictures of the two events!  Lots of fun, and lots of love!  Thanks Emmy for making sure everything was documented so well.

Red Velvet....enough said...

(from the back) Key Lime, Cookies & Cream, Mint, Double Chocolate...

The final veil products

My mom had these awesome aprons made for us!

Gail and Kelly trying to strategize in the veil game

Emily had to run out to the car, so she naturally grabbed her fur coat...

The Table - it looked so awesome!  Our wedding colors, too!

One of my many new aprons - this one has cupcakes AND is in the new Sex and the City movie!!!

My Mother in Law (to be) and Grandma Takaki

Mandro mommies!

Bridal Pictionary!





San Jose Shower

Lemon and Chocolate Caramel!!!

Bellinis?  Yes, please!

OMG.  That is what these are called.

Toasting in some of our new flutes!

The Waiting Game...

We are waiting with bated breath on about 50% of our RSVPs!!  If you haven't sent yours in, please do, so that we can start on the next steps!!!  Can't wait to hear from you!

Uh oh...

Mike and I on a champagne cruise on Sunday :)

So, for those of you who know me well, you know that I tend to get very ill when I am really excited about something.  This illness comes in many forms (vomiting, stomach ache, headache, etc.).  It's really rather unpleasant.  But, it's been that way since I was a kid.

The first time I remember being really excited about something was when I was like 5, and it was Easter.  My dad and I were still going to church, and we had a tradition of going to Coffee & for breakfast right after.  I was extra excited this day because I knew I was coming home to a basket filled with goodies.  I had my regular french toast order, but started to feel really nauseaus half way through.  I couldn't stop thinking about the Easter basket.  My dad had to run a few errands, and I told him I didn't feel good.  But, I was dramatic as a child, so he thought I was exaggerating.  Go figure.  After about 30 minutes of errands, we were finally on our way home.  I remember counting in my head so that I could concentrate and not get sick in the car.  When we got home, I RAN inside, and got sick.  But, soon after, I got my easter basket, replete with chocolate goodness (always good right after tossing your cookies), and a Barbie ice cream maker!  I felt fine afterward, but the anticipation was what got me all worked up.  And it's been the same for 22 years now.

Why am I blogging about getting sick as a five year old?  Well, because we are at the under 60 day mark, and I must be excited because I have not felt good for the last 3 days...  My mom's bridal shower is this weekend, and I know I am really looking forward to it.  As I have mentioned before, I am so excited to see all of my mom's friends, and my friend's moms.  It's going to be a really fun day, PLUS she got cupcakes for the occasion!  Truly - nothing could be better.

BUT, I don't feel good.  At all.  I am having to teach, but have severe heartburn, acid tummy, and a loss of appetite.  I had to force myself to go to the gym last night thinking it would make me feel better.  Nope.  I didn't run or anything, just weights, but I was doubled over between sets.  Can you imagine what I will feel like the day of and before the actual wedding?  YIKES - is all I can say.

Is it normal?  Nope.  Do I want to be at work with 120 15-17 year olds?  Absolutely not!  But, I am really excited about the next 59 days, and after that, the rest of my life!

And the list goes on!

We had a 2 hour marathon check-in session with our wedding coordinator, Marcia, on Saturday.  At first, I couldn't imagine what we could possibly have to talk about for two whole hours.  I mean, we are ahead of the game, just the little details to go at this point.
Boy, were we WRONG!
First of all, thank God for Marcia.  She is a veteran, and I honestly don't know how we would be doing this without her.  She isn't helping us plan anything, but just serving as a day of coordinator, telling people where to go and when, and who everybody is.  She had lists and lists of questions, to dos and items to bring with us both on the wedding day and rehearsal.  She got everybody's names, and wanted to know who they were walking with and what song was the cue.  She gave us a timeline for the entire day, and even scheduled potty and snack breaks for Mike and I.  Wrote down which type of drink we wanted right after the ceremony, and where I would "hide away" on the property while Mike got his pictures done.  Seriously.  We left this meeting with our heads spinning 100 miles an hour.  I went home, sent about 15 emails to all of our vendors to request information for Marcia, and then we went to paper source to brainstorm about how to format our table names and escort cards.  I really enjoy that type of thing and so I am looking forward to doing those - especially since we had a lightbulb moment and thought of a cute way to format them!
We are at the two month mark/61 days out.  I feel like it was just yesterday that I was in disbelief at the proposal itself - something I waited almost 5 years for!  Then, amazement that we were at under 100 days - and now, we are a mere two months away.  I have to force myself to SLOW DOWN and remember this time.  Even though I am anxious to be married and start that journey together, I know that this is a time that will not be happening again, so I need to open my eyes, keep my head up, look around and enjoy it.
My mom is having a shower for me this weekend, and how's this for hilarious?  Emily, Brittney and I all bought the SAME DRESS - Emily and I same exact color - Brittney same print.  All in different cities on different days.  Luckily we figured it out before showing up at my mom's place.

And They're Back!

We got four of our RSVP cards back yesterday!  All of them were yes responses!  Very exciting!

Then, I came home today and saw two stuck into our door, which means our super talented mail man (who i already have "supreme faith " in) read the addresses incorrectly and our neighbors were kind enough to walk them over!  Yikes...Do you see why I don't trust the postal system?

Isn't he the cutest?

That's Amore

Hooray!  Big to do checked off the list today, thanks to the future in laws, Jack and Sandy!  We have booked our rehearsal dinner site at Bucca De Beppo!  I'm pretty sure it's everywhere, but for those who don't know, it's a super fun and casual family style Italian restuarant.  We have a very festive room to ourselves to celebrate, and I'm really excited!
People are starting to get their invites for the wedding yesterday and today, and Mike and I have bets about who is going to show up first in our mail box! Check back soon to see the winner!! :)

We Cordially Invite You...

Mike and I just returned from an extra exciting trip to a random and slightly ghetto post office :)  We just sent off all of our beautiful wedding invitations, and they are on their way to you!  It was kind of scary popping them into the mail box.  I am not sure if this scared feeling stems from my general distrust of the postal system (however unfounded) or if it was just an undiagnosed rush of excitement.  I'm putting my money on it being a combination of the two.

My friends, as discussed in a previous post, really helped me put all of the pieces together, and so shooting them off today was really rewarding, and extra exciting.  So, when you get them, mark that date and shoot that card back in the mail!  It's stamped and addressed already, all you have to do is check yes or no and seal it and send it on its way!  I can't wait to start opening the mail box to see those little envelopes...(actually I will have to wait until Mike gets home because he has the mail key....I lost mine.  Go figure.)

In other news, we received our FIRST wedding/shower gift yesterday on our porch, and we opened it!  It was a beautiful pitcher from my wonderful Japan-bound family, Dave and Meg.  Mike saw it and said, "That would be perfect for mimosas."  (In case you were wondering why I am marrying this man...)

My shower is coming up in three short weeks and I can  hardly wait.  Some of the people coming I have not seen in 5-10 years, and I am sooooo looking forward to visiting with them.  There is something really comforting about being back home and being in the company of your mom, and your friends' moms and all the moms who were around when you were growing up.  I can't WAIT!!  I still have to find a cute dress, so hopefully I can manage a shopping trip before then!

Showered with Love!

The wedding is approaching more and more quickly!  We are 82 days away from marital bliss!!  As things are getting closer, all of the festivities are starting to get lined up.  My mom sent out invitations for one of my showers last week, and they are sooooo cute!
We are having an afternoon shower at her house in Cool next month. I am really looking forward to seeing many of her friend whom I have not seen in a really long time!!  It should be a really good time.  This one is kitchen themed, and I have been compulsively checking our Crate and Barrel registry - it tells you how many items you have left, so I have stopped looking at what people actually bought us.  (Which, for those who know how LITTLE self control I have know,  is an amazing feat...)
Emily is throwing one in San Jose, but I don't know anything about that one - I want to be surprised!  I feel very showered by love and appreciate my friends from all over making the effort to come and celebrate with me.  I cannot wait for everything to get going!  Now, to find the perfect outfits for all of these events...

I now pronounce you....

The great thing about breaks and wedding planning, is that you can get a lot of things done!  Lots of checks off of the list!  So, I am about 80% done with addressing the invitations at this point, which is awesome.  I will be sending them out at the end of the month - Emily told me that if you mail them out too early, people might put off responding for a long time.  So, I don't want that!  They are already addressed and stamped, so just pop 'em in the mail, people!

Our officiant - Brian (center)

Last night we also started working on writing or outlining our wedding ceremony.  Because it is a non-religious ceremony, and because we want this wedding to be unique to us, we knew that we wanted a friend to marry us and that we wanted to write the ceremony ourselves.  I think that we will mostly put together a strong outline, so that our officiant (and wonderful friend Brian) can fill in the blanks.  We don't want to be too intimately familiar with the words that will be said, otherwise they won't seem as special!  Here are some words that are serving as inspiration so far...



Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!


You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.


Oh! The Places You’ll Go!


You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. 
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. 


Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. 
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.


You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. 
You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. 
So be sure when you step. 
Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. 
And never mix up your right foot with your left.


And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)


Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

Grujii's Workshop

Mike and I spent a good part of the day working on our invitations.  I had a great group of friends over a few weeks ago, and so we were just continuing on their good start!

We found this beautiful Japanese hand crafted paper, and we are putting together a little reminder of our website.  So, we had to spend time measuring them (Well, Mike did that), and cutting them (okay, Mike did that too)!  But I put the tape on!  We also did some embossing - all around a very productive day!

We also started addressing them, which is really exciting!  I can't wait for our special day to be here!  Here are some pictures from our hard work!

Embossing tools!

Embossing stamp!

Mine was the most important job, if you ask me :)

Had to be exact-o...

The finished product!

Taiko helped too!!

Dressed to Impress!

Yahoo! That is all I have to say after my 2nd dress fitting yesterday. I didn't blog about my first fitting, because, to be honest, it was a bit anticlimactic.

When I first tried on my dress, I of course, tried on the sample. It was definitely too snug, but they took my measurements, and I left feeling like we were good to go. Until my dress came. It was clearly meant for an amazon woman. It was really, really long, too big EVERYWHERE, and the top was about 6 inches out from my chest. I felt like I was swimming in it. I couldn't even get excited, because I seriously couldn't envision what it was supposed to look like. I mean, I knew it was my dress. I wasn't like one of those brides on "Say Yes to the Dress" who is convinced that the wrong dress was shipped to them. I knew it was mine, I just also knew that it was for a WNBA star.

So, this second fitting I decided to not have anybody else there besides my mom and sister. I didn't want anybody to see it until it was right. I don't know why - it doesn't really make a ton of sense to me at this moment. But I just knew that I would be putting pressure on myself if my wonderful friends were there.

I was really, really anxious going there because of my experience the last time. I knew that it was going to fit differently, but I just didn't know how. I was so anxious and on edge from a rough day of school that I hadn't eaten all day! This fitting was at the seamstress' shop, and so the atmosphere was a bit different - more business, less fou fou. She brought my dress out of the back, and after some "brasierre" discussions, we were off. I put the dress on, and zipped it up. It seemed to be quite a bit more snug. But in a good way! The seamstress put some boning in the top, so that the top went towards and not away like it was doing before. She had taken it in and up about 6 inches. It looked soooo much better!

We played a bit with the bustle, and she ended up taking a bit more from the front, because it was still a bit too long, and I don't want to be tripping on the way down the aisle! Plus, I had my newly purchased hair piece in also, so I got the full effect!!

This week I am on spring break, so I am going to get to addressing my invitations! My mom is doing my shower invitations soon, and I am super excited to see those (and to not have the responsibility of addressing them :) )

Another Cute Website

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