Inspiration Board IX

I truly love the color combos used in this inspiration board. I don't even mind this shade of yellow. Bright and Brilliant!

Invite Etiquette: Reception Only

My FI and I are planning to have a small intimate backyard affair for the wedding followed by a grand reception on the beach. The wedding ceremony will take place at my parent's home (as tradition dictates). Their home simply cannot accommodate a large crowd. This is why we have to limit are guest list to close friends and family. I also want to spare most of my guests the 5 hour long ordeal. Guests are allowed to move freely throughout the day. However, the ceremonies are long and arduous so it can be a very tiring experience for everyone involved (especially the bride and groom). As for invites, we will have to make two sets of invitations. This has proven to be a slippery slope because we don't want to offend guests by not following proper etiquette. The formal invites will be in Khmer (Cambodian language) and include an invitation to both the wedding ceremony and reception while most of the English invites will be for the Reception Only. I have narrowed down the wording for both sets but I'm not sure I want to include the last line for the Reception Only invite. Does it sound better without it?

Bride's Name & Groom's Name

Along with their parents invite you to share in the celebration of their marriage on Sunday May 29th, 2011
6 pm at Blah Blah Place, City by the Sea, R.I
Black Tie Optional

A private wedding ceremony will precede the reception

Inspiration Board VIII

Big Fat Cambodian-Chinese Wedding

Tomorrow I will be attending my nephew's wedding. This is the final day of an elaborate two day affair. The ceremony will start early in the morning and continue till late in the afternoon. Guests will be able to "break" before resuming again for the reception at night. This wedding is very grand. We are expecting more than 700 guests to attend. I'm pretty excited about it. I'm going to be interested in seeing how things unfold and how the bride and groom transitions from ceremony to reception. I imagine for the family members involved in planning this multi day event, the large guest count and complex ceremonies are going to be a logistical nightmare. I do hope the stress isn't too much for the young couple. They deserve to be happy and enjoy every moment of their wedding day.

TIME STAMP

I notice the time stamp on all my blogs are incorrect, please disregard it. I wasn't aware until someone pointed it out to me. Not that this is any major detail but just thought that it should be noted. Thanks K.

(I will be changing the time of each post now, including the last two posts)

Table Numbers: Khmer Style

Martha Stewart always inspire me. I love the idea of having table numbers put on wine bottles. Especially since I'd like to have a bottle of champagne or wine on each table. I've seen Roman Numerals used so why not Khmer numerals? I thought it was a nice cultural touch.

Inspiration Board: Indian Summer

Swept Away: Easton Beach, R.I

A Cultural Affair

Is it me or is there a lack of diversity on wedding websites? There doesn't seem to be too many inspiration boards or weddings that celebrate multi-ethnicity, culture and global style for the modern bride. I mean who doesn't love the sensual and robust colors of a Mexican wedding, the tranquil elements of a Zen inspired Japanese ceremony, and the unique traditions of a South African wedding? I know I'm not the only bride out there who craves color and ethnic flavor. And what I really want to see is more articles dedicated to planning a wedding that blends traditions in original ways to personalize the day. I mean it is hard enough to plan a wedding with one set of traditions, imagine having to incorporate two sets? So it would be wonderful to get more insight into the whole planning process because as an Asian American bride, more specifically Cambodian-Chinese, I find it challenging to plan a wedding when I have certain questions about wording my bi-lingual invites or need help finding specialty vendors. I also hope wedding websites like Style Me Pretty will feature more global inspiration. Maybe tread away from the land of Laura Ashley and take a trip to Culture Planet.

Vera Wang Partners with David's Bridal on Lower-Price Line of Gowns

Embarking on a collaboration with far-reaching implications in terms of the wedding market, the woman who symbolizes the epitome of high-end designer bridal has officially linked up with the ultimate mainstream bridal brand.

According to WWD, the name of the new line Wang is designing for David's Bridal is still under wraps pending trademark finalization, but the first 20 dresses in the line are set to hit stores next spring, and will range from $600-$1500.

Read More...

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/blogs/the-thread/THREAD-Vera-Wang-Partners-with-Davids-Bridal-on-Lower-Price-Line-of-Gowns-91584649.html?_source=Twitter

Floral Garlands: Cambodian, Thai & Indian styles

Flower garlands are a common sight in India and Southeast Asia. These
perishable pieces of art are traditionally given as gifts or used during religious ceremonies and weddings. The garlands take on different shapes and come in a myriad of colors. Cambodian and Thai garlands have very intricate designs that can be circular or resemble necklaces or have two tail ends with ribbons. Thai garlands are known as Phuang Malai because it is often held together by Jasmine flowers. This beautiful bud of divinity has a lovely fragrant scent and sweet aroma. Lotus, Tuberose, carnations, and orchids also make very beautiful garlands. The more popularly known leis are modern interpretations of the traditional garlands but are still quite lovely. However, I would love to have the traditional garland used at my wedding. Unfortunately few florists in the state have the skill or knowledge to construct these types of garland. This might be another DIY project.

Lovely Chiffon one shoulder dress

As you can see my love for chiffon or flowy airy fabric dresses continue with this one shoulder dress. It is perfect for a beach wedding. This stylish dress was formally featured on yesstyle.com but you can easily find it on ebay for less than $20 (shipping varies from seller to seller). I just ordered two dresses (different colors) from two different sellers to test the quality of the chiffon fabric. It is trendy (one shoulder) and looks flattering for most body types. The greatest aspect of this dress is the price tag, the dress normally retails for under $35. I also like that this style doesn't look like the typical bridesmaid dress so you can definitely put some mileage on this baby!

Pronovias Fiesta Collection

The Natura - one of many beautiful evening dresses from Pronovias celebrate spring. Intenses colours, figure-hugging shapes, sheer fabrics, exquisite details and embroideries that are authentic gems, dress the most glamorous guests.

Inspiration Board: Gold, Red, Pink

Air brush Make up

I've never been one to wear too much make up. But I knew on my wedding day I needed a pro on hand. However as a tan complexioned Asian American woman, it is a pretty harrowing experience getting my make-up done. Most of the time I feel like the make up artist is not used to working with my skin tone. Another major issue I have is that my wedding is from 9 am to midnight. So I am considering the alternative to the traditional liquid and powder foundation. Air brush make up is suppose to be light weight, quicker to apply and longer lasting. It has a 99.99 foundation colour match, which is super important to me. It covers up any imperfections that digital photography can capture. The con is that there are no reputable air brush make up artist in the R.I area and the price is higher than traditional make up application. I love the low maintenance approach and anything that will save us time on my wedding day is a PLUS. So shelling out more moolah to ensure flawless make up with no touch ups is well worth it. Now I just have to find a great air brush make up artist. I have found a few recs online via photographers and other brides from the MA area.

1. Dani Wagerner
http://www.daniwagener.com/

2. Caitlin Murphy
http://caitlinmurphystylist.com/
- Bridal Airbrush Makeup 125
- Trial: $100
- Attendant Airbrush Makeup 75

3.Gjokaj Makeup
http://www.gjokajmakeup.com/

4.Ligia
http://www.makeoversbyligia.com/
- air brush make up $180 for Bride
- air brush make up $75 for attendants

5.Girly Junk Robin & Sam
http://www.girlyjunk.com/services
- air brush make up $80 per person
- travel fee $20

Escort Card & Guest Book Idea

Inspiration Board: Pink, Turquoise, Black

Via the Bride's Cafe

NWR: House Hunting Update

We are officially under contract!!! We had lost hope on winning the bid because the seller rejected the two offers we made on the house. She was pretty confident that she would get full price and no closing cost for the property. However, we felt that if she was not willing to negotiate than we would have to walk away even if we loved the place. So we continued to house hunt until we got the call a few days later from our real estate agent with the good news. I guess it is true when they say, "good things comes to those who wait". :)

Lotus Love Inspiration

NWR: Home Sweet Home

For the past two months, Pepe Le Pew and I have been spending every weekend house hunting. We have narrowed down our choices to two potential properties. The first is a lovely two family home that has been well kept but is a little more than what we want to pay. The second property is a large three family home that is a major fixer upper project but it has the potential to bring in tons of revenue. They are both located on the same street and have their own set of charms. However, we have to make a decision very soon because the deadline for the government tax credit expires at the end of this month. We are leaning more towards the two family home because there is a vacancy on the second floor unit and a tenant on the first floor. We can easily move into the second floor. The property won't be generating any extra income but we'll still live quite comfortably. As for the house itself, I love the spacious rooms and the dark hardwood floors. All of the original wood work is still in tact and beautifully restored. There are quite a few amenities that were updated including the fairly new thermal replacement windows and new heating system. The aluminum sidings and a good roof was a plus. As for parking, there is ample parking for the two family. This is VERY important in the Providence area because over night parking is simply not allowed. The property has a fenced in yard and there is a little bit of greenery which is nice but nothing that says, "high maintenance" work. The basement also includes an in-law apartment. We were not able to view it the first time but today we are going to take a second look at the property and see the basement. Hopefully our bid will be accepted because other than the current price and the fact that we won't be living for free, this house seems to be the right fit for us.