My First Holiday Party

Hello Snow Bear,

I planned my first holiday party a few weeks ago, mainly because I wanted all my friends to get together and it was also an excuse to party. Because hello. I like to party.

The things I focused mostly on for this event were the following:

- Dessert table. Stuck with a mostly gold and red color scheme, using budget-friendly plastic tablecloth and decorations from Marshalls. It's amazing the things you can find in that place. Surprising the affordable yet classy things I was able to finagle. i.e. the mini gold tree (lurve it)
- Makeshift photo booth. Unfortunately do not have a picture of it, but I basically used gold patterned wrapping paper as the backdrop and hung a ginormous red ribbon in the middle to add some holiday flavor. It was a hit. People love pictures.

Important things I learned:

1. Negotiating a contract with the venue. There are a ton of charges on top of what you think you're already overpaying. Ask as many questions as you possibly can.
2. Ask for help because it will make your life less stressful.
3. NYC is not an easy city to be lugging tons of decorations and equipment around in. Unfortunately, there really is no way around this one. Ask your client to pay for cab rides/delivery charges. I was my own client this time, but hey, gotta start somewhere right??

The Dessert Table

Mini-cupcakes with edible sugar leaves and Santa hats!
Used empty boxes covered in wrapping paper to act as dessert tiers

Happy holidays Boo.

Get Ready to Sparkle

Sparkle sparkle.

Who doesn't love the holidays??

To me, the best parts about this upcoming wintry season are the warm and fuzzy cheer, the fun fashion, and of course, the parties.  And as a budding wedding/event-planning guru I hope to blossom into, I will be hosting a shindig for a lovely intimate group of fun friends.

So incredibly excited to plan my first event and to dig down deep into my mind and see what I can come up with.

This is my first Polyvore board ever!  I love that one could use sparkly and bright color themes during the holidays without feeling too cheesy...imagine a wedding during this time.

Holiday Sparkle by seeyoudowntheaisle featuring vintage handbags

But let's be real here, I'd NEVER let you kill two birds with one stone by having our wedding anniversary close to Christmas.

Just kidding. I'm not that high-maintenance.

Hope you don't read this before wedding me. ;)

<3,
Your Ice Princess.

I'll Always Be There

Hello Future Boo,

So. My attempt to post one letter a day has drastically failed already.  You must know that I will sometimes fail to meet my goals. But I will never fail to be your support when you need it. And even when you think you don't need it.

Speaking of support, my sister has always been an undeniable pillar of strength for me.  When things are serious. Fun. Sad. Happy. Angry. She never ever fails to be there. Whether it's 3 AM in the morning and I've gotten mugged, or it's midnight and I've just gotten dumped. She hates to see me cry. She will always have my back. And she will shower me with tough love.

Some people don't get her, but I don't get what there isn't to get.  What I love most about her is that there is no confusion as to where you stand with her. She values loyalty to the max and is as generous as one can be, no questions asked. And I'm lucky enough to be her blood.

Needless to say, you will have to love her as much as I do. Otherwise, our relationship just wouldn't make sense.

I hope you have someone in your life that is the equivalent of her to me, and that I can be the unequivocal answer to any faltering moments you have in your life.

Xoxo

I love wooden figurines!

I Know You're Out There

Dear Mr. Right,

Recently, I feel that I may never find you, but I really hope I do.  I know you're out there.  In my mind, you're nice. Fun. Smart. Good-looking. Stable. Tall. And culturally like-minded as me.

Is that too much for a girl to ask for?? :P

On a more serious note, it's interesting to see what kind of balance one needs. I'm constantly trying to assess what I need.  I've always been drawn to guys I have a lot of fun with, most of whom start out as friends. These, however, hardly pan out well into good relationships because they too, like me, began the interaction not with the intention of getting into anything serious, but to solely have fun. And of course eventually, one of us always ends up getting bored or doesn't want to take it to the next level.  But I know that when I do meet you, I'll just know that it's what I was waiting for this whole time, and that I wasn't truly ready to be with anyone before you.

I'm excited for that day.

Your Mrs. Right.

Taken by the AMAZING Max Wanger, one of my faves.

Flowers

Hi Future Love,

Today, I am a walking disaster. In so many ways. Fashionably gross. Physically tired. Mentally not-in-the-game. Though I'm sure you will see much worse.

And I don't think it's unlike what the day after our wedding soiree will be. In any case, I was browsing Anthropologie's store and I found this UH-mazingly delicious bedding. Doesn't it look so comfy and beautiful?

And then I got to thinking, what if there was a version of a dress like this? Kind of like this.

Courtesy of Brides.com

Would you be okay marrying me in this dress? I hope so.

Your Future Honey.

The Dress

Dear Future Mr. Me,

Let's get one thing straight. I'm not into poofy princess strapless dresses.  You will not catch me in one on our day.  I don't want to understate a good poofy one because I understand that some ladies are all about it, but it's just not me.

My ideal?

Kate Moss' wedding dress by Mr. Galliano.

It's ethereal. It's sexy. It's sparkly. It's lacy.  It's right out of a fairy tale.  And oh, just look at that awesomely fancy train! It's also the perfect length. Le sigh.

I understand it's Kate Moss. She'll look good in just about anything. I'm six inches shorter than her (she's only 5'7" right?), and probably the same weight or even heavier, but shoot, it's going to be my day and I'll wear what I want to! Also, six inch heels are the norm right now. :)

So purty. Not like you didn't know.

Absolutely adore that floor length veil.

Hopefully, I will See You Down the Aisle in a dress that is at least a teeny bit similar to this one.

Starving myself till the day we wed,

Me

Letter #1.

Dear Future Groom,

I don't know who you are quite yet, but I do know one thing. We are going to have one kick-ass wedding. After attending at least two weddings a year for the last five years (and I'm not even that old), having been in three weddings (twice as maid of honor), and having had the honor of working a few weddings with an awesome company with the bestest boss, I've decided that I have a knack for putting things together, and what better way to utilize that skill than by making sure one of the most important days of a couple's life together goes smoothly and flawlessly!

On a more personal note, I'm not usually the type to be syrupy sweet or lovey-dovey, but something about weddings. Just. Gets me. In the gut.

Everything. From the dress to the first look, the vows, the first dance, the parents, the toasts, the personalized touches, the food, and of course, the open bar receptions. I mean, what better excuse to party?? When I tell people I love everything to do with weddings, they're hit with surprise because I apparently don't give off the "girly" vibe. Whatever that means. I mean, I know I can be a tough b*tch. But my friends who know me well will tell you I do have actually have a soft side, and I will reserve that soft side for the day I fall in true happy love with you and we get to plan our own special day!

After reading this post by the amazing Ms. Mindy Weiss (one of my role models in so many ways), I have decided that this is what I want to try to do with my life. Before, during, and even after our own wedding.

So. I am starting this handy dandy bloggity for a few reasons.

1. As a reminder to myself, and as a pledge to you that I WILL remain sane throughout this entire process. And that it is possible to not turn into Bridezilla. *shudder*

2. To chronicle the things I lurve, and let's face it, that I really want/fantasize about/would die for. But not always necessary. Or cost-efficient. :)

3. To show I am/can be really good at this. The wedding planning thing. So just be prepped to deal with all the girly stuff. Yep, love you too.

Can't wait to See You Down the Aisle.

Xoxo,

Your Future Bride.