Blessed

Today my dad took me to the temple to be blessed. While I was there, the monk offered me some spiritual guidance and advice on life. One of the things he told me was that all great marriages include conflict. This just means the couple is trying to get it right. He told me I had to face my fears and insecurities if I wanted to grow as a person. But most importantly change the way I respond to people. I am going to try my best to make amends and work on my relationships with not only my husband but my mother and the other important people in my life.

I'd like to be able to say that after this week, my irrational behavior is no more. Kind of, sort of, is closer to the truth. I'm still learning to manage my anger, cope with stress and pull myself out of depression. After looking deeply into my soul and talking to good friends and the most supportive family a girl could ever have, I've come to recognize certain things about myself. Not to get all Dr. Phil about it, but I've had to examine my history with an emotionally damaged and strong-willed mother and the biological father who abandon me. I have to face up to all the ways, both good and bad, that those relationships have affected how I approach my marriage. But that's the strange beauty of it. Marriage is full of hard times and hard lessons that no one can ever prepare you for. But in the end, those are the things that give richness to your life together -- and make your love even deeper and stronger than when it began.

Limbo

Within one week, I've managed to destroy everything important in my life. My uncontrollable rage has left me physically and emotionally scarred. My relationship with my mother and my husband is damaged. I am not sure if they can be fixed. All I know is that I feel very hopeless and alone right now. My husband is on vacation visiting his family some 3,000 plus miles away while I am here in the depths of depression. He is in equal pain or so he says. I just can't sense that with the stone cold tone in his voice. I don't know if this is the end. Maybe this is grief or pain or whatever it is they call it. Language always falls short of describing this type of misery. But I want to numb it. I want to be lobotomize so I can have dissociative amnesia. That way I won't have to remember or relive all the painful memories all over again. He will return home to a broken home...literally...I have torn to shreds all of our pictures and broken things that would remind me of us. I am left wondering if I can pick up the pieces of my life and put it back together again. Everything is such a mess...

Vows

“May you never steal, lie, or cheat, but if you must steal, then steal away my sorrows, and if you must lie, lie with me all the nights of my life, and if you must cheat, then please cheat death because I couldn’t live a day without you” - Leap Year

Thank You Cards

Most brides - and grooms might find writing personal thank you notes to be a daunting task. Not moi! I relish in the art of writing. However, we are a little late with sending them out. The mister and I wanted to use our wedding photos as thank you cards so we had to wait until we received the pictures from our photographers. It also took me a bit of time finding the right card design. After scouring Etsy and the like for reasonably priced greeting cards, my fancy-self decided to have someone create us a digital template for a small fee. We choose a printing company, Nations Photo lab for their pressed cards with the metallic sheen but we had an issue with the order when they came in a few days ago. The photo "cards" were printed on photo paper instead of heavy card stock material like postcards. Part of the design (our pictures) were cut off. Needless to say, I was really disappointed and called up the company to complain about the so-called photo cards. They gave us a credit to reorder the cards. However, their ROES software program is really complicated. *Sigh* we should have used ProDpi, which is the best professional print lab in the U.S and Canada. Of course I wanted to save some moolah so we didn't order from them. It would have saved us the headache. So today I am going to try to get in touch with a rep at Nations Photo Lab so we can figure out how to place an order. Honestly, I find learning how to use Adobe photoshop easier than ordering from this company. Lesson learn!

Lovelies

It's been a few months since the wedding and I have already let most of the details slip away. I wish I was more diligent with writing down all the tid bits but I was so busy before and after the wedding that I never really found the time. I did soak up every moment of our day like a sponge. My husband looked so swoon worthy in his suit and tie, it was Love at Second Sight :)


Sneaking in a "few" faves of the day. There are just so many beautiful photos that I could fill multiple blog posts with pictures alone.

Blog Worthy

Last week the mister and I received our wedding photos and a cinematic dvd from our photographers. Today we made it on their blog roll. We are in total awe at the artistic composition and cohesive narrative they created with our photos. They were absolutely worth the wait! Thank you Konrad, Piotr and Monika for such amazing pictures.

Visit our online wedding gallery

Moni & Aaron

Reviews I

I know my vendor reviews have been long overdue. Originally I wanted to wait until I had the pro pics but alas my patience is wearing thin these days so I thought whatever! I will just follow up the post with pictures. The reviews are divided into two parts. They are written in no particular order. I rated my vendors based on a scale from 1-5 stars instead of using the alphabet grade, which is not commonly used to rate online reviews outside of the Knot forum

I also intend to re-post my reviews on weddingwire, wedding channel (The Knot's sister website) and Yelp so brides searching for a particular vendor can easily find the reviews. I highly recommend brides to follow suite as the reviews posted on The Knot community forum will simply get lost. In regards to my vendors, please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks again!



Sewing Creations by Rose ***** (5 stars)

Rose, my fairy godmother turned my oversized and wrinkly wedding dress into my dream dress. I brought my Pronovias Romina to her with some hesitation as I wasn’t sure if the dress was right for me. I found it at Filene’s Running of the Brides but the dress was way too big so I had a difficult time envision myself getting married in it. However, I loved the soft fabric, intricate lace and beaded details. I was also in love with the beautiful cathedral train which Rose added a French bustle to so I could dance the night away. Rose did extensive alterations on my dress. I wanted a one shoulder neckline that would help cover up the small scar on my chest. She also gave my dress a fuller skirt for a more fit and flare look. Rose’s most impressive handiwork was the lace and bead work realignment at the hem of my dress. I was worried that the lace would be lost once it was cut to my size but she made sure the continuous lace pattern was perfectly re-attached without error. As for Rose’s personality, she is very sweet and endearing. She carried my dress to my car and had my perfectly pressed veils ready too. Rose also left me a heart felt note. I can't thank Rose enough for making my dress perfect for me.



Sam C ***** (5 stars)

While Sam is not a professional hair stylist by trade, she is every bit a pro. She made me look picture perfect on my big day – somehow she managed to tame my wild mane and create a soft flowy and romantic updo for the reception. She also works quickly and is very reasonably priced. As a budget bride, she was definitely the best bang for the buck. So yes Sam lives up to her hype. My advice is to book her in advance because she is highly sought after and because of her busy schedule, you definitely need to plan ahead to schedule for a trial. I did not have a trial with her because of our conflicting schedule but because I knew what I wanted and we communicated via e-mail and phone, she was able to create my wedding day hair without any issues.



Sara Faella Make up Artistry & Hair Design, Custom Couture Hair Accessory ***** (5 stars)

As a woman of color, it has always been a harrowing experience for me to have my make up done professionally. So after several disastrous make up trials, I was delighted to have met Sara. She completely embraced my Asian features. And with the wave of her brushes, she turned my uneven skin tone into an impeccably even velvety complexion. Sara’s ability to highlight my finer features and downplay the rest is amazing. She creates this flawless universally appealing visage. For me, it was not only her ability to perfectly match my skin tone to the right shade of foundation but her wonderful bubbly personality. Sara never felt like a vendor to me. She was more like my friend and confidant.

On the day of the wedding, she got me dolled up at the crack of dawn (literally very early in the am) and than she came back with her assistant to do touch ups on me and apply air brush make up on my ladies. I was very pleased with my first look - although I would have preferred to have gone with less make up, traditional Cambodian wedding dictated otherwise. I also wish I decided to go more natural like at my trial but this bride was a bit indecisive at the last minute. As for my hair for the Cambodian ceremony – it held up perfectly. Sara is just as talented with a make up brush as she is with a curler. I was also impressed with her glam gal. She worked with my ladies to create a day to evening look that lasted all night. Sara also created the most beautiful floral hair pin for my big day. She designs custom pieces with great detail and tailors the accessories to the bride’s desire.



Visual-Obsession Modern Photography ***** (5 stars – pending final product)

You know when you hear a song that you really love, and it makes you feel a certain way? Well, that is how I felt when I first looked at Konrad and Piotr's collection of beautiful wedding photography. Their pictures are not your typical run of the mill wedding photography. Instead they are amazingly varied– from bold brassy colors to soft washed vintage and classic black and white. I love everything from the kinetic motion shots – like the one of us jumping in mid air at our first photo session to the sweet intimate close up shots of us under the twinkling street lights in downtown

The photos are really multi-dimensional just like everyday life. Yet despite that, they don’t feel scattered at all when you look at them as a group – there’s a real cohesiveness that comes from their amazing eye. And their ability to connect with their clients is just as impressive as their talent behind the lens. The Mr. and I are not photogenic so we appreciated their “direction” and their laid back easy going vibe really put us at ease. Communication wise – they were also the most responsive vendor!

On our wedding day, they had their assistant Monika help cover the wedding. We had close to 200 people and with two wedding ceremonies, the extra set of eyes captured every moment of the day. They were completely unobtrusive and extremely patient with our rambunctious crowd. The guys easily got our group together for formals while still making it a fun event. Konrad and Piotr also included a picture of us on a business size card that had a link to our online wedding gallery. These cards were at every place setting so all of our guests have access to the photos online.

As a budget bride, photography was a splurge for us. We spent a little over 3 grand but our package did include everything we wanted and more. Our photographers were there from beginning to end with no time limit. They included a First Look session, all of our wedding photos in high resolution on a DVD with reprint rights plus resized versions for the web and mobile phone. They also include a cinematic animated DVD slideshow and a personal web page for viewing to share with friends and family. All of the photos are edited and refined so I know we are getting the very best version of our pictures. Overall, we considered our photographers to be one of the best investment we made because at the end of the day, there is nothing more important than having your visual memories preserved.



Gracie Lou Events ***** (5 stars)

There are so many details that can easily slip the mind of a nervous, excited bride-to-be but the sanity savers at Gracie Lou Events left no stone unturned. They were there from start to finish - ensuring a smooth execution of both the Cambodian wedding and the Western ceremony and reception. I was really impressed with their ability to communication my wishes. I was even more impressed with how warm and welcoming they were with our guests. The mini crisis we encountered on our wedding day was quickly and quietly resolved. Their calmness and confidence became an anchor for me whenever I started to come undone. My husband and I are so thankful to have them (Liz, Adrienne and Kate) part of our big day. Hiring a DOC was not in our initial budget but Gracie Lou Events worked with us. They were the best wedding investment we made because they gave us complete peace of mind. I say this because even at the end of the night, Adrienne drove us (I and my less than sober husband) to our hotel.



Tip-C Cupcakes ***** (5 stars)

I absolutely loved the idea of serving alcoholic infused cupcakes at our wedding. However, we also wanted to have a variety of dessert options available. Tip-C cupcakes worked with us to create a scrumptious parade of Asian inspired sweets. They really wowed our guests with twists on traditional favorites. The presentation was also amazing! Chanara, the co-owner is absolutely charming. Her creativity and passion for cupcakes definitely won us over. Needless to say, we will be repeat customers forever!



Whole Foods University: Florist ***** (5 stars)

I love flowers so it only made sense that they would set the style and tone for our summer seaside nuptials. However with my shoe string budget and particular pickings (for flowers), I wasn’t able to find a florist who wouldn’t break the bank. Well this is until I met with Sherry from Whole Foods. Yes, Whole Foods - the super market health chain. Now I will be the first to admit my skepticism. I didn’t think they would understand my vision or more importantly, execute it. I was quite wrong, Sherry completely understood it. She was very attentive at the consult and her communication was great afterwards (quick response via e-mails). She even priced everything out for me as well as made suggestions to reduce cost. Now, I know Whole Foods is not typically on a bride’s radar when it comes to wedding day flowers but I highly recommend their floral services. The quality and craftsmanship is comparable to any reputable floral boutique in the area. And the best part is the prices are dirt cheap. So you really get the best of both worlds.

For the budget brides, I spent about $850 on flowers including delivery to the house and our venue.
9 short centerpieces with peonies, roses and crespedia aka billy balls, bear grass accents in a clear 4 X 4 square glass vase. (Glass vase included in price)
1 bridal bouquet with peonies, roses, and mini cymbidium orchids, and bear grass loops
2 wrist corsages for my bridesmaid
12 bouts/pin-on corsages for family and the groomsmen
1 dozen roses used for the Traditional Buddhist ceremony. The petals were reused for tossing.
1 bouquet of exotic green foliages with baby bananas, ginger and bird of paradise blooms (split into two centerpieces for the ceremony and reused at the reception)