The One-Year Mark

Ladies & Gents, on this day next year, I will be a Mrs! You know this calls for some prewedding anniversary celebration! So pop out the champagne and spin some beats, I'll be doing a happy feet dance to mark this special date. I'm also going to really get the ball rolling on our wedding plans, which has been put on hiatus because of the house hunt. BTW we are closing on June 15th so I'm really excited about the renovations and new furnishings for our new home. We are hoping to wrap up most of the major bookings by the end of the summer. June will be a super busy month for us so we don't expect things to pick up until after July 4th weekend. I will be narrowing down our list of vendors and schedule some meetings for mid June including a make up trial with Spectrum Make up Artistry by Jennifer Hodge. I also want to meet with Sara Faella Make Up Artistry too.

Style Me Pretty: Bridal Hair Accessories

For the budget savvy bride sometimes finding a similar alternative is a cost effective way of saving money. I found all of these bridal hair accessories on Etsy, some are splurges and others are steals! Below are a few of my favorite pieces. Click on the shop to see more pictures and info.


SPLURGE: Petite Magnolia Pins (Set of 3) - bridal head piece, bridal silk flower $27 at Heknowsmyname

SAVE: White Orchid Bridal Hair bobby Pin with White Swarovski Pearls $12 at Olini Floral


SPLURGE: Bridal Floral hair piece - white/ivory feathers and pearls $59 at MishandMash

SAVE: Garden Rose Hair Piece - silk flower with crystal pearls $39 at Heknowsmyname


SAVE: Ivory Bridal Silk Flower Hair pins with Russian veil,Tull and Swarovski pearl $12.95 at Svitlana

Dress me up!

i-amour has this very cool interactive traditional Thai wedding dress game where you can choose to dress your doll in a variety of dress designs. Thai dress designs are very similar to Khmer (Cambodian) so this is definitely a great visual for brides looking for some inspiration. Click here!

NWR: Home Sweet Home?

So the battle with the bank came to an end a couple of days ago. Bank of America decided to go with the appraisal even though there were major errors on the report. I really want to do a drive by and egg the appraiser's house for doing such a half ass job. The incompetent bastard made some big mistakes that affected the value of the property. And the bank has denied our request for a second appraisal. No loss on their part since we pay for it but whatever, this is why I hate big banks. They do nothing positive for people (customers) except take care of their fat pockets. The first with fees but the last to help. My advice is to not bank with Bank of America. Try the little guys first, they offer competitive rates and if you are a property virgin (new buyer) like us, they won't rape you with hidden fees and crapstatic service. We were more discouraged by our bank than the dilapidated boarded up fixer-uppers we encounter on our house hunt.

So now we wait to hear back from the seller. We have to renegotiate the terms of the sell. This is suppose to be a good thing except we have to make up the difference because the bank has only approved our loan for what the house is currently worth on the market - thanks to the low appraisal. We are not sure the seller will budge because she has rejected our offers before changing her mind. If we get the rejection from the seller, I am going to cry. I just get really attached to things. I have emotional investment in this house so the thought of losing it has really stressed me out. I sulk and I think about it, knowing the inevitable but still hopeful for a positive outcome.

Flower Fancy

I love the delicate details of this exquisite white flowery hair piece. The pearls and wispy frays of organza fabric makes it look so whimsy and romantic. It is definitely my style! Found this beauty on etsy by seller MishandMash. J'adore the lovely selection of custom made bridal purses too. I think these designs are so stylish and unique, I was thinking of getting them as gifts for my bridal party.

Cambodian Ceremony snippet