The White Aisle: Giving Back

There are people who will argue that "Shopping is more important than voting", and that the disposition of money is the most basic role we play in any system of economics. As consumers we have a moral obligation to support small business and business that give back to the community. This is why I support a company like White Aisle. They started a program dedicated to helping former victims of sex trafficking develop skills and earn their own salaries. 100% of the proceeds goes directly to these young women who carefully create beautiful silk roses and sashes for weddings and special occasion. According to the website, "The fabric used is local hand loomed Khmer (Cambodian) silk. Each flower petal is cut and sewn together, then wrapped with other individual petals to create a full flower. No two will be identical. "

For those who know about the economical hardships of the Cambodian people. This is a great way to contribute to a worthy cause.

Please visit the White Aisle for more details.

Dress Diary: Bubblicious Hems!

Allure 935
Jim Hjelm Jh8950
Jim Hjelm jh8906

Hair Inspiration

Dress Diary: Traditional Bridal Attire

During the traditional ceremony and the reception, the bride and groom and the bridal party go through a number of elaborate costume changes. Usually the costumes are rented from a Cambodian dress maker. Some brides have up to 10 dress changes. I will have 4 dress changes in total due to time constraint and my lack of enthusiasm with playing dress up.
I've decided to have a traditional dress made to greet the guest at the receiving line. After scouring the internet in search of the purrrfect dress, I've narrowed down my choices to two dresses. My first pick is a lovely plum color with a gold pattern print. It's a one shoulder with a lace overlay in a very traditional design.

The second dress is also a one shoulder but has a more modern and sophisticated design, the clean lines and soft chiffon fabric makes it look more Greco-Roman than Cambodian. It has small lace detailing and a "bling" belt as an accessory. I might change the color of the dress to a blush pink.

The simplicity and modern feel of the dresses is a bit of a contrast with the more dramatic and intricately designed Khmer bridal costumes I will be wearing at the ceremonies. These dresses are adorn with so many details! The vibrant colors, richness of the silks and bejeweled embroidery are dazzling! It would make any Khmer bride feel like a princess. However, I find most of the special occasion dresses to be too busy and sometimes downright tacky looking. The clash of colors is enough to make me cringe. I hope future Cambodian fashion designers can create more simplistic designs that will create beautiful and elegant dresses.

Disclaimer: The images featured on this blog post are THAI dresses and THAI models. Just in case there should be any cultural confusion between Cambodian and Thai style traditional dresses. However, I feel because traditional Thai fashion is inherently Khmer, I choose to post them as Khmer dresses too. These styles are available in Cambodia and are sold as Cambodian dresses, not Thai. Unfortunately, the popularity of Thai has overshadow much of what is Cambodian and so the internet is reflective of that. Simply put - there are just more sites dedicated to Thai traditional fashion. I have found many Cambodian dresses but not so many traditional formal dresses that I like. The reason being is that Thai designs are more simple and sophisticated while the current fashion trend in Cambodia offers a host of dresses that are a hot mess. Aside from Cambodian bridal wear, I found most of the Cambodian formal fashion to look downright tacky. Luckily, there is a new crop of Cambodian fashion designers that have taken a fresh and modern perspective while still staying true to their roots.

The Fashion Pack

- yes, this site is a Thai site but features Cambodian designers. Go figure right?

I am aware of the ethnocentrism and cultural sensitivities between Cambodian and Thai people. Two neighboring countries that are em-blazed in not only a cultural war but territorial disputes over land and land marks (Preah Vihear). So I should have made it clear when I labeled the post "Traditional Khmer Dresses". I have made the changes to be more "politically correct". However, please keep in mind that my blog is an expression of my views and should not be taken as the wikipedia guide of things Cambodian. If any offense was taken, please refrain from reading my blog. Thanks!

Dress Diary: Jim Hjelm

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..

I love how you'll sweep me off my feet and carry me onto the dance floor.

I love your feminine lines, soft fabrics, and deeply romantic sensibility

I love your delicate details, lovely lacing, fluttering cap sleeves and graceful curves.

I love the joy of your perfectly elongating v-neckline, and the relentlessly flattering wonder that is your gathered natural waistband.

I love that you'll make me feel beautiful and glamorous on the most important day of my life.

Always,

Moni

Angkor Candle Company

Years ago I stumbled upon a candle company in Cambodia that makes hand crafted candles in the shapes of heavenly deities - Apsaras and temple ruins resembling bits and pieces of the ancient city of Angkor. Hence the name Angkor Candles. The company also makes burners, soaps and other handcrafted items. I think they'd make a great home accent but more importantly they are fine pieces to use in the traditional ceremony and as part of the reception decor. Hopefully I'll be able to incorporate them into my wedding.

Flower Power I

I simply love flowers and as every flower lover knows, flowers have a language of their own. Every sentiment is expressed in one form or another by these fragile blooms. As centerpieces, flowers are more than mere decorations, they are a form of entertainment that makes a big statement, silently. The flowers for my wedding will be faraway from the land of Laura Ashley and white satin lace. Vibrant colors and exotic notes like orchids, curly willow, bamboo and bear grass follow the flow of an Asian theme wedding. Incorporating cultural details is also very important with creating the overall look of the wedding. We want to hang Chinese lanterns and have Cambodian decor (Apsaras ect.) accenting the reception room. The flowers will pull everything together into one beautiful package.

The challenge is that we are having our seated dinner served family style. So the centerpieces will need to have height. However, tall centerpieces are quite costly so we decided to do half tall and half short centerpieces. The short centerpieces will need to have full blooms like peonies or hydrangeas to maximize appeal. Speaking of aesthetics, we don't want the short centerpieces to appear too small on the table but at the same time we don't want the flowers to cramp the space where the meals will be served. It is going to be a delicate act to balance but I'm sure the florist we choose will be up for the challenge.

Prospective Florists

Golden Gate
I met them at the Spectacular Bridal Expo and loved their work. Rave Reviews from The Knot R.I Board

Ray's Flower Shop
Highly recommended by friends and co-workers

Studio 539
These florist have mastered the art in perishable flowers.

The Tangled Web
The Knot top pick for florist, rave reviews and amazing portfolio

Bumble Bee Landing
A Rec. from Pink Orchid Weddings

Budget wise I've cut floral cost by having my MOH and 3 BMs carry fans with a personalized colored ribbon. I'll blog more about the fans later. The girls will also have corsages or a boutonniere pinned to their dress. We are having low and high centerpieces and using mostly seasonal flowers with the exception of the orchids. Orchids are my favorite especially dendrobiums and cattleyas, so they are a must!

Finding the right florist who will emphasis on discovering designs that are reflective of our personal taste and committed to providing the freshness and quality in the floral product is the utmost important. Staying true to our vision and keeping within our budget is always the bottom line with every vendor and the florist is no exception.

Inspiration Board III

DIY Invites

For Budget Brides or DIY Brides who want to add a more personal touch to their wedding, nothing says that more than making your own invites. Wedding invitations are the prelude to the happiest day of your life, setting the stage for the wedding itself. They reflect your personality and style, and there are a number of DIY websites that can assist you in creating the perfect invitation. Eastcosta112 from the R.I Knot board was just a wealth of knowledge. She shared her experience with finding the perfect site to create invites. She compared Cards and Pockets, Paper and More to more expensive competitors like Paper Source, Envelopments, and Archivers.

Paper and More
- Inexpensive pricing
- Inexpensive sample sets
- Large selection of forms including large sheets, pre-cut and packaged letter sized - sheets, envelopes and accessories
- Wide range of colors
- High quality paper products
- Sale items

Cards and Pockets
- Inexpensive pricing
- Inexpensive sample sets
- Large selection of forms including large sheets, pre-cut and packaged letter sized sheets, envelopes and accessories
- Pocket Fold Kits
- Excellent customer service
- Offers discount codes on a regular basis and has sale items
- High quality paper products

Examples of Pricing

Cards and Pockets
- Approximately $138 for 80 smoke pockets, cream invitation, pansy mat, 2 inserts and RSVP, and pearl envelope with invitation kit
- Approximately the same price with buying everything separately and going with metallic inserts/invite/mat/envelope.

V.S

Archivers
- Approximately $65.97 per 25 invites
- Approximately $197.91 for 75 pockets ( invitations, mat, precut 2 inserts and rsvp, NO ENVELOPE (Envelope set of 25 priced separately)
- Pocket folds are sold separately 39.99 per set of 25
- The invitation mats are 5.99 per set of 25 ( sold separately from the precut inserts and invitation 19.99 per set of 25)

&

Envelopements
- pockets 5x7 signature side all metallic-pocket, cardstock set of 10, $205 ($245 with envelopes) - all matte pocket and cardstock, $169 ($202 with envelopes)
- $1.70 matte, $2.00 metallic pocket, 44 cents matte, 60 cents metallic (8.5 x 11 cardstock)

- gate fold in sets of 10 all metallic gate fold, cardstock, $149 ($189 with envelopes)
- all matte gate fold and cardstock, $121 ($154 with envelopes)
- $1.30 metallic, $1.10 matte gate fold, 44 cents matte, 60 cents metallic 8.5x11 cardstock

- envelopes in sets of 10, 42 cents for matte, 50 cents for metallic and 18 cents for clear

Inspiration Board II

Savings and Giveaways!

I wanted to share some of the savings and giveaways from Snippet & Ink.
1.Sarah Perlis, is offering 25% off all online purchases until 12/24. It's a great opportunity to buy beautiful gifts or wedding jewelry! Coupon code: Joy2009
2. Vosges Haut-Chocolat is offering 10% off all orders until 12/30 (I'm a big fan of the La Parisienne drinking chocolate - so good!). Coupon code: BLGF09
3. Navy & Lavender is offering a Friends & Family discount. Get 20% off your entire purchase until 12/6. Coupon code: N&LFF2009
4. Orange & Blossom is running a number of promotions until the end of the year, including free shipping, or a free thank you note set with your order. See all of the promotions here.
5. L'Atelier is offering Snippet & Ink readers a 20% discount on bridesmaid or flower dresses for the month of December. Coupon code: snippet20
6. Cards and Pockets discount 25% this week only! Promo Code: "Pockets"
Finally, Jimmy Choo giveaway
Jimmy Choo's Project PEP collection - a line of shoes and accessories where 25% of net sales will be donated to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. And second, the grand prize is amazing! You can enter to win a day with Jimmy Choo stylists, and to select 7 pairs of Jimmy Choo shoes and 2 handbags to take home with you! Learn more about Project PEP, the contest, and how to enter HERE.

Snap! Happy! Photography!

I believe meeting the right photographer should feel as powerful as finding the perfect dress. When I look at photographer's website, I need to feel a connection with their work. I also feel chemistry is important. FI and I want someone who will understand our vision. After all the person we choose to be behind the lens on our wedding day will be by our side for the good, the beautiful, the unforeseen, and the deeply intimate - like those last anxious moments before I walk down the aisle.

The fact is our wedding day will lasts just a day but our photos will endure for generations. So we are willing to splurge a bit and cut back in other areas. Of course finding the right photographer proves to be a challenging task for us. There is an amazing pool of talent in our area. And while we don't want to skimp on our visual memories, we don't want to go over the budget we set aside for photography. FI and I made a list to help us decide on potential photographers.

1. The Rights to our images - It's important we own our wedding pictures especially since we plan on printing them ourselves to save on cost.

2. All images on CD retouched/edited high resolution files- post production is just as important as shooting style and technique.

3. One main photographer and an assistant - Since we have a good size wedding, we want to make sure all the angles are covered so no one is left out.

4. Complimentary slide show of images to view online for friends and family

5. Engagement Session - We are going to use the pictures for our guest book and at the same time see our photographers in action

6. Style - Photojournalism with an artistic edge. We want a more modern approach to wedding photography. I want the formal portraits too but I prefer the candid moments, they truly tell the story.

As for our current picks of photographers, these are the ones that best match what we want within our budget. Listed in no particular order.

1. Avenna Studio

www.avennastudios.com

2. Joshua Behan

www.joshuabehanphoto.com

3. Sweet Jane

www.SweetJanePhotography.com

4. Erica Lyn

www.ericalynphotography.com

5. Lisa Rigby

www.lisarigbyphotography.com

6. Shang Chen

www.Shangchen.com
7. Brad Smith Wedding
http://www.smithbrad.com/
8. Birch Blaze Photography
http://www.birchblaze.com

Spectacular Bridal Expo

Yesterday I and my MOH attended our very first bridal show at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick, R.I. We met with several potential vendors including Golden Gate Florist, Toria Dolce Bakery and Mike Picard Videography. I read rave reviews about them on the Knot board and thought it was a good opportunity to see their work in person. I was not disappointed. Golden Gate truly impressed me with their extensive floral portfolio. These people have a passion for flowers. As for Toria Dolce, I love their individual cake center piece idea and their tower of tasty cupcakes in lieu of the traditional tier cake. We indulged ourselves a little bit with a slice of chocolate ganache cake and visited Sweet Indulgence to try their dipped fruit at the chocolate fountain bar. It was delicious! I also love their personalized hand dipped gourmet fortune cookies as wedding favors. We saw the bridal fashion show hosted by a bridal house in Attleboro, MA. There were a few styles that caught my eye but nothing spectacular. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience, I did enjoy meeting a few vendors but I wished there was more to see or more to do there. Hopefully I will attend a few more of these events and bring the FI along too.

Dear Blog

I'm sorry I've neglected you but I have returned with some blissful news on our impending nuptials. We've decided to host our love fest affair on the last Sunday in May. That Sunday falls on Memorial Day weekend, which is a big plus for us (cheaper vendors/venue) and the extended weekend allows ample travel time for many of our out of town guests. As for the reception sites, I think we've found THE ONE. Easton Beach Rotunda in Newport, R.I!

Ideally, I would have loved a beautiful tented wedding but I realize we would be at the mercy of the elements. I didn't want the extra stress of having to worry if my wedding would be rained out. There were also too many logistics involved in planning an outdoor reception. So we decided for practical reasons an indoor wedding would be our best bet. The Rotunda fit the bill purrrfectly!

1. Budget Friendly: Sunday holiday rentals are half the cost of a Saturday rental
2. Package Deal: Includes 5 hour site rental, complimentary coordinator, arched wedding trellis for beach ceremony, dining tables & white garden chairs, free 1 hour Carousel rides, free parking
3. Catering: Allows us to bring our own cater. It's important that we serve traditional Cambodian cuisine.
4. Accommodation: 225 (Our guest count is currently at 200)
5. Scene: Wrap around deck with sweeping seaside views (Did I mention it is right on the beach?)
6. Location: The venue is close to to a number of attractions and near hotels.
7. Symbolism: Easton Beach is near Cliff walk and Flo's clam shack, our fave little seafood eatery. We have some very sweet summer memories on that beach.

~My Fair Wedding~

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a 20-something woman in possession of a good fiancé, must be in want of a wedding website that will tell her what the heck she is supposed to do next. So began my grand romance with wedding websites, The knot being my favorite. I have been an addict ever since our engagement. Posting on a daily basis and making new friends with some of the girls on the R.I and Boston board. Now I am in the process of creating a blog dedicated solely to all things wedding related. My only problem is I have found very few online resources dedicated to planning a Cambodian wedding in the states. I have scour the internet in search of inspirational pictures and vendors catered to Cambodian weddings but found mostly Chinese, Indian and Vietnamese sites. The lack of online resources has forced me to look elsewhere...but where? It would be helpful if I lived in a large Cambodian community like LB or Lowell but I don't, so it is through word of mouth that I have been able to find some vendors. I wish there were more sites like the Khmer Institute website. Learning about Cambodian wedding customs has given me a deeper sense of appreciate for my roots. I hope to be able to capture some of the key elements in the traditional ceremony and incorporate it in the reception. I also wish there were more Cambodian brides who share my vision of creating a modern version of a Cambodian wedding. I simply don't want to have a Khmer wedding held at the same venue with the same menu and band playing the same songs. There is always a lack of organization, no attention to details, too many dress changes and not enough emphasis on quality but rather quantity...and I am not just talking about the guest list either. The FI and I truly want to create a wedding that radiates style, charm and unabashed bliss. We want our wedding to signify unity - the joining of two individuals, two families, and a blending of both east and west traditions. Most importantly we want to have a memorable wedding celebrating our love.