December 27th, 2009

Just the Beginning

2010-06-21T14:26:00.001-07:00

This will be my last blog entry here.

Thank you for following my journey from a Ms. to a Mrs.

If you are still interested in what these two love birds are up to, please head to my new blog: Married Minzilla

Hope to see you there.

xoxo,

Minzilla

Say Cheese!

2010-06-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

My sister was put in charge of the photo booth because I was so overwhelmed with everything else. She made it with her wardrobe as a frame and some cute fabric from Ikea. We were able to get some great pictures of our guests.

(Photo by Linda Ko)

(Photo by Hannah Suh)

All photos are personal unless otherwise noted.

All the Single Ladies! And Men!

2010-06-21T13:04:00.000-07:00

Beyonce's "Single Ladies" track was the perfect anthem for the bouquet toss.

Ready, girls?

I tried to arrange it so that my sister would catch the bouquet, but it actually just landed on the floor.

Until bridesmaid Tuff snatched it up! Lots of cheers and giggles.

Hope you get married soon so that you can pop out some beautiful babies!

Time for the most dreaded part of the night: the garter toss. I bought this Martha Stewart garter from Big Lots for $2.00.

I added some patriotic ribbon that fit into my "something blue" criteria.

How can it not be awkward when your new husband digs under your dress in front of both families?

I warned him not to lift my dress up too high because I was wearing some ugly black Spanx under my gown.

It was a successful operation that deserved a high five.

Brandon showing off the goods to the antsy boys.

They definitely look ready. Except Henry should probably put his champagne glass down.

Wait, that's not what I meant, Henry!

You have to fight for it, boys!

Bridesman Tony is our victor!

Photography by Hannah Suh

Party Down

2010-06-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

Music + Booze +Love = A Roomful of Dancing Fiends

(Photo by Pop)

Photography by Hannah Suh

Sugar Kisses

2010-06-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

I put in an immense amount of work into our cupcake table. We went to four different bakeries in order to find the perfect chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting. I handmade all the little cupcake flags.

I DIYed our cupcake stands. Topped withand painted cake toppers done by a friend, it all came together perfectly.

Who needs a traditional knife to cut your cake if you have a sharp saber?

Quite possibly the best picture out of the entire bunch.

I was extremely nervous cutting our small 6-inch cake because I questioned the sturdiness of our cake stands made from glass plates and candle holders.

Success! Although Brandon still looks nervous.

We decided to feed each other cupcakes instead of our actual cake.

Brandon promised that he would not damage my makeup with frosting.

He's so mischievous.

Liar.

I warned him that he would be next, but I couldn't bring myself to mess up his handsome face.

But he took care of that himself by digging in.

Then we gave each other sweet sugary kisses.

And wiped each other off

One last kiss before we start dancing again!

Photography by Hannah Suh

Reception Details

2010-04-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

I got a little ahead of myself and forgot to blog about all the reception details. I can't describe how amazing it was to see all of my hard work come together in one room. I had trouble focusing on Brandon during our first dance instead of looking around the ball room.

Guests were asked to find their little bird escort cards in order to find their seats.

The table was decorated with extra bird houses, kusudama paper flowers, candles and a large framed picture of us from our engagement session with Daniel Yu.

The birds were placed in alphabetical order and separated by rose petals.

Instead of a guest book, we asked everyone to leave us their wishes on separate cards.

Cards were then placed in a glass apothecary jar. We got some great wishes, some sweet and some funny. I wanted to post some on here, but I had completely forgotten to scan them before I pasted them into my scrapbooks.

Crossword puzzles were available to distract guests with before the reception began. However, I think most guests decided to munch on the yummy bread instead.

Cards were collected in a bird cage.

Our centerpieces were absolutely gorgeous in the East Room, which explains why I have so many pictures of them on this post.

Here is a picture of our table numbers at work.

Place cards were printed on extra stationary leftover from the invitations.

Menus were placed on each table setting.

Candles hung from the manzanita tree branches.

The gorgeous chandeliers really completed the classy atmosphere of our reception room.

Yup! Gorgeous. (Picture taken by Bridesman Tony)

Photography by Hannah Suh unless otherwise noted.

Toasts for the Bride and Groom

2010-04-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I was pretty terrified when it came to time for the toasts from our Maid of Honor and Best Man. My sister had been joking about stories from my childhood for months leading up to the wedding... "Remember when your head got stuck between the banisters and we had to butter you out?!" Would this become a celebrity roast?

I wish I had the transcripts to the speeches because they were both suiting and emotional. Plus, it's pretty ballsy to stand up in front of a crowd with just a microphone and some champagne to sip for liquid courage.

Kyle exposed the inner workings of our late night conversations. This poor guy had to listen to hundreds of phone calls between two love birds on the opposite ends of the country.

Debbie's speech made us all a little teary-eyed at the end after she had welcomed Brandon into our female-heavy family. "Even our dog is a girl"

Shh...don't tell, but here I am faking sipping my champagne because I absolutely cannot stand the taste of alcohol. I'm not they type to believe in superstitions, anyway.

Pictures by Hannah Suh

Let It Be Me

2010-04-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

I can't dance. Seriously. So the thought of dancing in front of dozens of people was frightening and I dreaded it. But now I look back and I just want to relive that moment because it was so personal and just...happy. That's the most concise way to describe what it felt like. Just happy.

We chose Cat Power's version of "Sea of Love" for our first dance early on in the planning process. About two days before the wedding, we changed the song selection to Ray LaMontagne's "Let It Be Me" because it would allow us to enjoy the moment even longer and the lyrics are just so beautiful.

There comes a time
A time in everyone's life
When nothing seems to go their way
When nothing seems to turn out right
There may come a time
You just can't seem to find your place
For every door you open
Seems like you get two slammed in your face

And he held me close.

And we kissed...a lot.

That's when you need someone
Someone that you can call
When all your faith is gone
It feels like you can't go on
Let it be me
Let it be me
If it's a friend you need
Let it be me

Feels like you always coming up last
Pockets full of nothing
Ain't got no cash
Don't matter where you turn
You ain't got no place to stand

You reach out for something and they slap your hand

I remember all too well
Just how it feels to be all alone
You feel like you'd give anything
For just a little place you can call your own

That's when you need someone
Someone that you can call
When all your faith is gone
It feels like you can't go on
Let it be me

We managed to get through 4 minutes and 12 seconds without any tripping or stepping on toes. Success!

Pictures by Hannah Suh

Welcome to the Army!

2010-04-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

One of the only things I was certain about for my dream wedding was the saber arch where I would be officially welcomed into the Army. Major thanks to Groomsman Paul for getting the sabers for us!

My bridesmaids and bridesman were first escorted by the handsome men in uniform to the song "Chariot" by Page France. The song was supposed to continue for our entrance, but there was a bit of a mixup with our wedding coordinator and the Army Strong song played instead. It was brutal, but fitting.

Swing, like a chariot
At the trumpet call
When we're all unsaved,
Swing like a wrecking ball
Like the heart of god
What a mystery
Filled with the wedding feast
For the snakes and bees
With the angel teeth, swing

Come and carry us
Come and marry us
To the blushing circus king
And dance like elephants as he comes to us
Through a fiery golden ring
With a violin and a song to sing
As he brings for us our wings
Now he's one of us
Plays the tambourine
Breaks the bread for us
And sings

Will you wait for us
Will you stay for us
Will you grace us everything
You're a wrecking ball
With a heart of gold
People wait for it, swing
Like a chariot
Swing it low for us
Come and carry us away
So we will become a happy ending
So we will become a happy ending

Fire come and carry us
Make us shine or make us rust
Tell us that you care for us
We need to hear a word for us
Let your body stand with us
Or let our rags be turned to dust
Chariot you swing for us
We think that you can carry all of us
So we will become a happy ending
So we will become a happy ending

This next part was my grandmother's favorite part of the wedding. Anytime someone asks her about our wedding she talks about "those boys with the big swords."

Kissing to pass!

Bracing myself for a swift smack on the butt...

Best man, Kyle, hit me a lot harder than he had to. (Picture by Antonio Gomez)

You can't see, but I'm giving him a dirty look here.

But I quickly got over it, and prepped myself for our first dance.

Pictures by Hannah Suh, unless otherwise noted.

Smile Pretty

2010-04-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

I'm finally settled in at our place in Georgia so it's time to finish up this wedding blog and start my new one.

Brandon and I took some portraits before and after the ceremony. We're pretty awkward models, but Hannah took some of the best pictures we have ever taken together. Here are some of my favorites:

A picture from the same spot in May 2005 for Brandon's senior prom:

I actually have a lot more that I love, but I didn't want to overwhelm you with pictures of just us.

BRB!

2010-03-09T21:35:00.000-08:00

Minzilla will be back blogging in April.

Sorry for the hiatus! I just needs to save one of my projects for when I'm in Georgia waiting for my hubby to come home every day. I can't exactly sit around all day with nothing to do!

Upcoming posts:

-Bride and groom portraits

-Saber arch

-First dance (aka "when we made out in front of 70 people")

-Reception

-More invitations (but not ours)

See you later!

P.S. Our wedding was recently featured in Budget Savvy Bride in February. Pretty cool, eh? Click here to take a look at some gorgeous pictures by our photographer and read what I had to say about the wedding.

From This Day Forward

2010-02-25T13:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay! I have been busy with a few other things, which I will share with you later. This post is really picture and text heavy to make up for it.

When we left off, the ceremony was just beginning. Our officiant, David Schmus, has known us for a long time now. He was our AP U.S. History teacher in high school and has also become our mentor over the years. Mr. Schmus had us email him our story and he compiled them together wonderfully to the following:

Well, every wedding starts with a love story, and of course, Brandon and Min have theirs. For those of us who have gone through high school P.E. class, when we are looking very stylish dressed out in our gym clothes, that may be the last place we would want to meet the love of our lives. But alas, that is where our story begins.

According to Brandon, when he first laid eyes on Min in P.E. class playing volleyball, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen! He especially appreciated her kindness and bubbly personality. But Brandon did not take it that seriously, however, because he felt that Min was way out of his league. “I could never get a girl like that.”

But while Brandon was first noticing Min and thinking he had no chance, as it often goes, Min had already been noticing Brandon for a few months. (Men aren’t that perceptive sometimes!). In fact, Min remembers Brandon’s first conversation with her: Brandon responded to something she has said with, “Duh!” I’m sure Min felt very encouraged! But despite rocky beginnings, pretty soon they were commenting on each other’s livejournals, chatting online, with Min pretending to like Brandon’s taste in music so that they would keep exchanging CD’s with little notes inside. Brandon’s birthday came up, and we all know Min is an amazing gift giver. A beautifully wrapped dark chocolate for Brandon led to the first hug, which both remember quite well.

The first official date is a subject of a little controversy. Apparently to this day, neither is quite sure who invited whom. It sounds like Brandon wanted to ask, but having never been on a date before, he was scared, so Min helped him a little bit. Nevertheless, somehow they ended up at the Mall for dinner and a movie. Brandon got a little worried when Min showed up dressed to kill and he hadn’t changed out of his school clothes. And then Min felt she might have blown it as traffic had made her late, especially when she left her hand out during the movie for Brandon to hold, but Brandon didn’t get the clue.

But through the social awkwardness and waiting for their mothers to come pick them up, something special was happening. The subject of college plans came up, afterwards Min raced home and googled West Point. Already planning their future together, or at least daring to dream, she was dismayed to discover that West Point was in New York. If I recall from having Min as a student and as my TA, it seems like at some point she became very interested in Columbia/Cornell University. Hmm.... I wonder why? Well, after Brandon’s senior prom here at the Nixon Library, Brandon graduated and did head off to West Point. And amazingly, despite the long distance, the relationship continued to grow and deepen. They made the most of the brief times Brandon could be home. Brandon wrote about this time that he never really considered not maintaining the relationship over the distance. He said, “I believed our love was strong and true, and it was! Min is the love of my life, and my best friend.” Min remembers about she would check the mail every day to see if Brandon had written her, and how Brandon called her every night while they were apart for 4 years! She writes, “When I am with Brandon, I feel a sense of calm. I sleep better, and my self esteem even goes up when I look in the mirror. I always feel protected and cared for…He makes me want to be a better person.”
And as Brandon’s senior year at West Point approached, both of them were thinking marriage. Brandon not so subtly asked Min to give him an idea what kind of ring she might prefer. A wise man, he is. Min, needing no encouragement to be specific, sent him a link. And when Brandon came home for Christmas break, the time had come. I got the idea that Brandon had some elaborate plans for the proposal, but the unusually wet weather had made a mess of things. Unfortunately for Brandon, he had let slip his plans to his family, who were all expecting to congratulate them both at a family gathering the following day. So faced with this deadline, Brandon had to act. So taking Min home late that night (according to Brandon, it was 0330), on her porch, in the rain, Brandon had Min close her eyes, got down on his knee, and popped the question. Min must have been overcome in the moment, because her response was, “ooh, shiny.”
And that is how we have arrived here today. And I want to add as having been their teacher, mentor, and friend over these years, that these are two extraordinary people. Their maturity and character were far beyond most of their peers, and yet they have unusual humility. They have honored me by asking me to perform their ceremony, and it is my great privilege to do so.

Our vows were created from a mixture of several different excerpts from different websites, blogs, and Mr. Schmus' own words.

I, Brandon; give you this ring,

As a promise; and symbol; of my heart and faithfulness, my love and commitment to you.

When I am angry, I will seek to be kind.

When we speak, I will be truthful.

And each day of my life, I will honor you.

I choose you as the person with whom I will spend the rest of my life.

We will share a lifetime of immeasurable love.

I found the following from a wedding blog and it really resonated with me:

May your home be filled with laughter and the warm embrace of a summer’s day.

May you find peace and beauty,

Challenge and satisfaction.

Humor and insight,

Healing and renewal,

Love and wisdom.

May you always feel that what you have is enough.

And may you know God’s unfailing love toward you. And then we were finally pronounced husband and wife. This song by Ray LaMontagne titled "You Are the Best Thing" played after our kiss.

Photography by Hannah Suh

Here Comes the Bride

2010-02-10T17:47:00.000-08:00

It was then my turn to make my big debut. I was waiting really impatiently behind two swinging doors for the cue for me to come out.

I saw Brandon crying when I peeked out the glass door. Even though he had already seen me earlier, it was as if it was all happening for the first time. I hurried out, dragging my poor grandmother and mother along. I immediately regretted taking the long and dramatic way around.

There were strangers watching us and they congratulated me as I passed them. I also tripped on the stairs, but luckily I was hidden behind a wall.

Listen to Jack Johnson's "Angel" here.

I've got an angel
She doesn't wear any wings
She wears a heart that can melt my own
She wears a smile that can make me wanna sing

She gives me presents
With her presence alone
She gives me everything I could wish for
She gives me kisses on the lips just for coming home

She could make angels
I've seen it with my own eyes
You gotta be careful when you've got good love
Cause the angels will just keep on multiplying

His tears were so sweet and contagious.

But you're so busy changing the world
Just one smile can change all of mine
We share the same soul

You can't fake that smile...

And then we turned around to look at all of those who love us.

Photography by Hannah Suh

It's Time!

2010-02-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

We finished taking pictures early and I was more than ready to start the show already. I ducked down to the bridal suite to touch up on makeup and to hide from incoming guests. I truly regret that decision because I was left alone without my family and friends for 30 minutes before the ceremony. I am so thankful that Linda, our second photographer and good friend of my sister's, kept me company.

I had no idea what was going on upstairs and kept checking the time. I was pretty disappointed when I was told that the guests had not arrived at the scheduled time and so they had to push everything back. I later found out that the guests were just staying inside the building as long as they could before going out in the cold.

I can't figure out how to embed music or a video, so follow this link to listen to the song we played at this time: First Day of My Life

Yours is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
Now I don’t know where I am
I don’t know where I’ve been
But I know where I want to go

He and his best man, Kyle, waited for the others to make their way down the aisle.

And you said “this is the first day of my life
I’m glad I didn’t die before I met you
But now I don’t care I could go anywhere with you
And I’d probably be happy”

And here they come!

Tony came down on his own. He first went towards the rest of the guys, but did a pivot towards the girls' side. I wish I could have seen that!

So if you want to be with me
With these things there’s no telling
We just have to wait and see

Here's my beautiful sister in the spotlight. She managed to make it down without a guy propping her up in her heels.

But I’d rather be working for a paycheck
Than waiting to win the lottery
Besides maybe this time is different

I mean I really think you like me

Photography by Hannah Suh

Ceremony Details

2010-02-10T16:33:00.000-08:00

If I would think that you would enjoy it, I would do a single post completely dedicated to my tissue pomander balls, but I don't know how many of you would appreciate that. Instead, here is a picture-heavy post on the details of our wedding ceremony.

Here is the entire set-up for the ceremony. (Taken by Linda Ko)

I found these paper lanterns at Target, 2 for $2.50 (Taken by Linda Ko)

Remember how I saved almost $300 by making our own bouquets? Here are the final results. The girls had their initials sewed on so that they could identify their own bouquets.

My bouquet had a little silver locket engraved with the letter "M" that Brandon gave me. Inside was a picture of my grandfather. Two charms house the pictures of Brandon's grandpa and his stepfather, Albert.

We had programs and bubbles for our guests to grab, but over half of them were left untouched. At least it made a pretty picture!

Brandon helped me make these programs. Total cost was about $15. $13 for the stupid stapler that we had to buy and $2 for the paper. Pomander balls! The hours and hours spent on these beauties were absolutely worth it in the end. They really made such a difference

Thanks to Tiff S. for fluffing them the night before the wedding!

Instead of purchasing a separate arch, we took two of our centerpieces and placed them on tall brown boxes at zero cost!
Ah, so gorgeous.

Pictures by Hannah Suh unless otherwise noted.

The Gals (and a Dude)

2010-02-10T16:02:00.000-08:00

I had my own support on my side. My bridal party all looked gorgeous in their red dresses and Tony in his dazzling suit and red pocket square.

Three of the girls were caught peeking in at the cupcakes being set up. Yum!

We sat down for some portraits.

The chair was dirty and Hannah didn't hesitate to lay down the jacket off of her back for us to sit on. That's someone dedicated to her work!

Here is one of the entire wedding party. The men never looked so handsome and the women so beautiful.

Photography by Hannah Suh
Girls chose their dresses from Forever 21. Debbie's was from Macy's.

The Guys

2010-01-31T22:42:00.000-08:00

The boys all looked so handsome in their uniforms. Let's take a closer look at Kyle, Paul, Rico, Henry, and J.Lo. Pictures by Hannah Suh.

Here is a close up of Brandon's spiffy uniform with his blue cord. He had an issue with his button. The boys got right on it and tried to fix it. Notice the look of concern on Henry's face.

A bro handshake was exchanged.

But then the button fell off again so Paul took off his own button and let Brandon use it. That's brutal. What a good groomsman.

We took our portraits with the guys by the helicopter. That's brutal, too.

Don't they all look amazing?

Brandon ran off somewhere so I had a chance to be alone with the boys.

Surrounded by a bunch of Army guys. Every girl's dream.

I am so glad that all of them made it out to California for the wedding. Even snow storms and the holidays couldn't stop them from joining us.

The First Look

2010-01-30T19:36:00.000-08:00

Traditionally, the groom does not see the bride until she walks down the aisle. Some bad luck superstitious mumbo jumbo. But we were already married at this point, so why wait? Also, this allowed us to do all of the portraits beforehand so that we did not have to fight the sunlight.

Hannah had Brandon wait in the gardens for me while I crept around the corner.

I love how excited he looks here as I walk towards him.

At that moment all I could think about was how my hair was too curly for his liking, how I had much more makeup on than he was used to, how maybe this was not the dress he had pictured me in...

And then I thought about how handsome he looked in his uniform, even though I could only see his back.

I tapped his shoulder and we saw each other for the first time.

And then we kissed a lot.

Here I am checking out his blue cord

He backed up to get a good look of his bride

Always the sweetheart, he told me how beautiful I was.

Ha! He's caught checking me out!

As always, pictures by Hannah Suh.

What Do I Do If I Have to Pee?

2010-01-29T22:12:00.000-08:00

The day did not start off according to plan. I was behind schedule by about 45 minutes because of last minute packing, hair and makeup touch ups, and trouble finding a parking space. Any time I hit traffic or if someone decided to walk slowly in front of me in the parking lot I became instantly annoyed and thought, "Don't you know I'm getting married today?!"

Despite this hiccup in the time line, I made it right before Brandon arrived. I ran into the bridal room and stripped down to my bra and undies right away, only to be reminded that Hannah needed a shot of my dress on its hanger. I waited not so patiently to slip into my beautiful dress, but not before sucking myself into some Spanx-like underwear. I don't know how well it held in my love handles, but it did keep me nice and warm. It also made it difficult to go the bathroom. I'm sure my bridesmaids are thankful that I was able to manage that on my own.

It took many hands to get me ready for the big day.
I hit slight panic mode when the corset would not tie, but was also relieved that the dress fit.
The gorgeous detail on the back of the dress was the main reason why I purchased it.
The last task was to put on my something borrowed: diamond earrings from my mother (which I also wore on our prom night).
Debbie did the final makeup and hair check before I went out to meet up with Brandon.
And the boys? Well, they're just sitting around upstairs waiting to get the show going.
(Picture by Antonio Gomez)

Thank you for all your help dressing me, ladies. Thanks to Tony for running back and forth between the guys and gals as my personal messenger.

Pictures by Hannah Suh unless otherwise noted.

How Sweet It Is

2010-01-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

Brandon and I received some really great gifts from our friends and family. The following are pictures of Brandon opening his first wedding gifts when he came home before the big day. I was not considerate enough to wait for him to open the gifts that were trickling in for us so I let him have a go.

I love Crate and Barrel's fancy packaging

As a thank you for our guests, the caterers provided a candy buffet. These beautiful pictures were taken by our photographer, Hannah Suh.

We also placed little red baggies on each person's place setting. My mom purchased these adorable pouches for ten cents each in China. The Chinese symbol represents happiness. Brandon patiently helped place little Chinese candies in each bag while I worked on some other wedding project.

Each bag contained a photoshare card, candy, a free ticket to the Nixon Library, and a little note that read: "If Brandon loves history and Min loves Brandon, then Min loves history, too. If you share this love, please come back and visit the Nixon Library's beautiful gardens and amazing exhibits for free with the enclosed ticket. P.S. We love you, too."

I hope our guests will take advantage of this when the weather is a little nicer.

Gifting the Wedding Party

2010-01-23T14:29:00.000-08:00

I have mentioned gifts for our wedding party before, but I can actually share them with you now.

For the ladies (and man):

A tote bag made by my grandmother out of fabric I found at the swap meet for $3.

Personalized name tags with our love birds logo

Luggage tags from Forever 21

Chocolate brown cashmere pahminas from Ebay

Packaged nice and pretty

Red flip flops (that no one really ended up wearing)

They also got manicure sets and the bridal party survival kits that I previously blogged about. Bridesman Tony got a gift card to In N Out instead of a pashmina.

For the guys:

Cigars are a West Point tradition. I ordered engraved cigar cutters for them.

Add a cigar, some ribbon, and a personal note from the groom.

The parents received framed 5x7 pictures of us.

Thank you for being a part of our special day, everyone. We love you!

Two Weddings

2010-01-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

Dear Guests,

The ceremony you watched on December 27th was a fraud. We apologize for tricking you all. The truth is we actually officially got married on the 22nd in a civil ceremony at the Norwalk branch office. We only did it out of necessity because our officiant had no legal power to marry us.

Since I can't seem to post any videos from what we consider to be our "real" wedding, here is a video of the civil ceremony.

We really tried hard to downsize the importance of the civil ceremony simply because we didn't want to spoil our wedding day. It wasn't really that difficult to do either when there were protesters outside the office, crying babies, and long lines.

Even so, you can tell that we were still giddy with excitement.

And if you see pictures of our December 27th ceremony, you will see that emotions were still running high despite the fact that we were technically already hitched.

Plus, I didn't have to worry about cold feet on Sunday since it was already too late to back out...all a part of the grand scheme.

Thank you for understanding.

Love,

Min and Brandon

My Bridezilla Organization

2010-01-08T16:35:00.001-08:00

When it came to packing all the boxes of wedding items up, I admit that I went a little wild. I am the type of person who has to do everything on her own, and I knew that it would not be possible on my wedding day.

In an attempt to have things perfect, I wrote/drew things in detail. It seems like a completely Minzilla thing to do, but it ended up being incredibly useful because no one knew what was going on.

Each box was labeled with our names and a list of the items inside. I purposely organized everything so that similar items went together. Things on the seating card table were all in one box. All the candles went in another, and so on. I also pasted detailed instructions for people to use because I did not want people coming to me and asking where things belonged. For example:

Glass apothecary jar w/ pink roses
◦ To be used for holding wish cards. Make sure the “wishes” sign is hung over the handle. Place on guest book table in hallway next to brown basket w/ wish cards and gold and silver pens. Throw in three blank wish cards in as an example for guests to follow.

But I didn't stop with just words. After all, there are many visual people. I also drew diagrams!

And I also labeled some of the items inside the box with post-its.

People thought that I was crazy for doing all of this, but I think it was worth it in the end. I was able to go into the reception room and the hallways and see everything placed exactly where I wanted.

Minzilla is Back!

2010-01-02T21:40:00.000-08:00

My sincere apologies for not posting updates earlier. I'm sure you can understand. I have been busy getting married and going on our honeymoon, after all.

Yes, Minzilla finally got hitched!

I really do not know where to begin with the wedding recaps. There are so many good wedding pictures thanks to Facebook and digital cameras, and I have not even seen the professional shots yet. Expect a lot of pictures later on because I just want to show our wonderful day to the entire world.

Here is just a teaser from our seriously kick-ass photographer, Hannah Suh.

I am going to take some time to organize my recaps and will probably wait until I get the professional photos because I want to get it right the first time. This means that you will have to wait weeks before you see everything in all its perfectly lit and placed glory.

But don't worry, I won't leave you completely hanging. I still have some more DIY stuff that I haven't covered.

Can I just first tell you that the wedding was truly amazing? I could not stop smiling...except when Brandon had us all crying like babies, but more on that later.

See you soon!

DIY Bouquets

2009-12-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

My hopes of having a peony bouquet died when I received my fake flowers in the mail from Afloral.com. The entire shipment was a disappointment and I had to start all over again.

Everything was too sparse and unacceptable for a bridal bouquet. They actually look better in the pictures than in person. It would have worked fine if I ordered another bouquet of peonies, but they ran out. What are the chances, right?

My sister and I hunted for better fake flowers at Michael's and found white hydrangea stems ($4.60 each after coupon) that were a good size for the bridesmaids. They needed a little bit of color so we grabbed a few light purple flowers ($1.09 each bunch).

I got the glass vases from Dollar Tree, by the way.

For my bouquet, we used two stems to make it fuller and added red accents.

The bottom of the stems were first padded with napkins to make the handles thicker and easier to hold. They were then wrapped tediously with brown satin ribbon. I also sewed on the monogram charms that I shared with you before.

Cost of bouquets if I had purchased them from the florist: $330

Cost of flowers from Afloral.com (which I'm going to return): $50.30

Comparison of Afloral vs. Michael's flowers

Final cost of flowers from Michael's: $32.95
Amount saved: $297.05

With This Ring

2009-12-07T08:46:00.001-08:00

Brandon is going to be marrying a cheapo wife. I didn't want to invest in a lot of money for his wedding band because of the nature of his job. He crawls in mud, climbs ropes, does pull ups and push ups, carries ruffles and other hooah stuff.

In comes titanium rings, which are lightweight, durable, hypoallergenc, affordable and comfortable. I ordered his from Etsy seller titaniumknights for $45. They made it and shipped it within five days.

Brandon asked for something classically simple and thin.
My rings came out for another photo shoot, too. I placed them on one of the bridesmaid's bouquets. My Christmas gift three years ago was a promise ring with round diamonds on the band. It will serve as the ring Brandon places on my finger at the altar. The ring has too much sentimental value for me to stick in a box somewhere.
Let's hope everything fits when Brandon gets home on the 18th.

DIY Failure and DIY Success Stories

2009-12-04T18:04:00.000-08:00

I had marvelous plans for making sugar cookies decorated with royal icing as thank you gifts for attendees of my bridal shower.

In my mind, I had imagined them to look like the picture on the left, but, instead, they were a bit of a tasty disaster.

I spent about four hours making the cookies and was not at all pleased with my results.

Here are my reasons why I think I failed:

I do not own a rolling pin, so instead I used a can wrapped in saran wrap.
I do not own a sifter or a measuring scoop, resulting in my royal icing being a clumping mess.
I had never worked with actual tips and piping bags before.
There was no room in my fridge to cool my cookie dough so my cookies did not retain their form very well.

I will perfect you one day, Royal Icing. You just wait and see!

But at least my little tags came out adorable! Flower art found from here.
I couldn't let my guests go home without sweets, so I made brownie balls dipped in chocolate instead. I forgot to take a picture of them, but they look similar to the ones on the right, except I drizzled with pink icing so that they would match my tags.

Use this recipe if you want to make them yourself (makes 48):

Ingredients: 13x9 cooled brownie sheet, half a can of chocolate frosting, one bag of chocolate chips, icing (or caramel) for drizzling

Procedure: Crumble brownies into a large bowl. Eat the yummy crispy edges because they won't crumble finely enough. Mix in half a can of frosting. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and place onto wax paper. Melt chocolate chips over a double broiler. Dip the brownie balls into the chocolate to coat completely. Place coated balls onto wax paper. Refrigerate until completely cool.

The following project when much more smoothly and was pain absolutely pain free. I am going to have water and snacks available for the bridesmaids(man) and groomsmen when they get to the Nixon Library the day of the wedding.

I made personalized water bottle labels by using this template and this bird image.

Materials: water bottles, paper, ruler, razor, tape roller

Cost: $2.50 for 12 bottles of water at Target

Procedure:
1. Design your labels using PowerPoint and print onto regular printer paper. You can print them on waterproof paper, but it is unnecessary unless you are going to chill them in ice.

2. Cut labels using razor and ruler to get straight lines.

3. Remove original label.

4. Put adhesive on one end of the label.

5. Wrap and secure onto bottle.

Brandon and I went on a candle shopping spree at Ikea the last time he was home. We left with a lot of goodies, including red candle holders that were on clearance for 29 cents compared to 99 cents a piece.

I put them all in a box and moved them from one corner of my room to another and cringed when I heard these red beauties clanking together. My solution for this involved digging in a trash can next to the pear station in the grocery store.

The same packaging used to prevent bruising on pears can be used to protect glass objects from breaking.

Cost: $0

Dumpster diving for your wedding? That's dedication there, yo!

Showered With Love

2009-11-30T13:16:00.000-08:00

With the help of my lovely bridesmaids, my amazing sister organized a wonderful bridal shower for me this past Saturday at Brandon's mom's house.
We ate yummy food, played silly games, and opened great gifts. I received plenty of gift cards to my favorite store, Target.

Belinda gave me a ShamWow set, which seems utterly silly unless you know my personality. I'm a sucker for infomercials.

Of course, I received plenty of Victoria Secret goodies for the honeymoon.

And plenty of kitchen goodies such as a kitchen tool set, blender, waffle maker and cupcake carrier to fill our new home.

My sister decided to get me a onesie instead of lingerie. The following is me exclaiming, "Just to clarify, I am not expecting! We're not going to have kids until eight years after we get married!"

Someone made me a ribbon and tissue paper bouquet for the rehearsal.

But best of all, I will gain two new loving moms, Becky and Amy, after the wedding.

And a little sister, Lauren.

And celebrate with my beautiful mother and sister.

Thanks to all the ladies who made me feel more loved than ever.

Stay tuned for a guest post by Debbie on the planning process and shower games.

A Month and a Day

2009-11-26T09:55:00.000-08:00

I had been doing so well with blogging every week, but the last few weeks have been nuts.

We have 31 days until the wedding to get everything together.

I took a picture of my color coordinated dry-erase calendar to share with you my organized chaos.

Note to future brides: Do not plan to get married a week after finals.

Dollar Store Love

2009-11-15T19:31:00.000-08:00

Edit: Final results here

Finding a stand to hold our cupcakes has proven more difficult than finding a man to marry.

The stand that our baker wanted us to rent for $25 was really awful. It was made out of cheap acrylic plastic that was wobbly and dirty. It seemed impossible to purchase one that was large enough and cost efficient.

I won't go into how many different options I was considering (because there were dozens), but this stackable stand from Bed, Bath & Beyond for $19.99 was the top choice. I would have to buy two of these stands and a single stand to hold our six inch cake in between.

Luckily for me, the closest B, B & B did not have the stand in stock. Instead of ordering one, I decided to make my own.

I made three separate glass stands by using six 10-inch plates from the Dollar Tree, two 8-inch plates from Target, and seven candlestick holders.

I put on my Martha cupcake liners to see what it would look like and how many cupcakes I could place on the stands. I haven't decided if I want to put the cupcakes that won't fit on the table or just in the back until the caterers can serve them.

The top layer on the middle stand will be used to hold our six inch cake.

Final cost of project: about $16

I glued the pieces with a hot glue gun, meaning that after the wedding I can detach them all for easy storage.

Thanks, Dollar Tree!

Meet the Groomsmen

2009-11-08T22:43:00.001-08:00

Brandon met some truly amazing people at West Point, and he chose five of them to stand up there with him as we get married. Over the past four and a half years they have become my friends, too.

We consider these guys family, and I have sent them enough cookies, brownies and candy to prove it.

Since Brandon has no time nor the interest for blogging, I am going to try to do these soldiers justice with their short and sweet introductions.

(From left to right of the bottom picture)

Kyle (aka Kodo) is Brandon's very tall and considerate best man. He likes to tease us, but we know it's out of love. Kyle just proposed to his girl on Halloween, and I couldn't be more excited for the two of them.

David (aka Rico) is amazingly friendly, speaks Mandarin better than I do, and is incredibly polite. He always greets me with a great big smile and a hug.

Henry (aka Hank) has a brilliant mind and likes to break awkward silences with witty sarcasm. He also dreams of owning a Beaglier because they are like Beagles, but Beaglier.

Paul will be a newlywed by the time he attends our wedding in December. We will be spending plenty of time with him and his new wife when we both make our way to Fort Hood, Texas next year.

Jonathan (aka J.Lo) was Brandon's second roomie. He has a tough exterior, but is actually an absolute sweetheart. Brandon describes him as one of the nicest (and strongest) people he knows.

I am so thankful for these five men because they have proven to be wonderful friends to Brandon. They also tolerated all of Brandon's late night phone calls with me almost every night along with Brandon's inability to sleep at night without keeping the fan on and windows open, even during winter.

I can't wait to see them again in December.

Sappy Stuff

2009-11-08T21:35:00.000-08:00

Groomzilla will probably not like this post as it may make him blush, but I think that my wedding blog should also include things that have to do with marriage and our relationship.

After being with him for five and a half years, I have adequate evidence of why Brandon will make an amazing husband.

He makes sure that I eat and drink before I do. I never ask him to take out the trash, but he just does it so that I don't have to. He is neater than I am. When we walk on the sidewalk, he always takes the outer side where the cars pass. He knows that when I say, "You don't have to," it actually translates to "Yes, that would be nice if you did."

Brandon fixed our toilet when he was home a few weeks ago and I was so proud of him because I'm sure we will be encountering similar problems in our future homes. He still reaches for my hand when we walk and is not shy about giving kisses. I am constantly reminded of how much he loves me and how beautiful he thinks I am. He's also an amazing daddy to Bella.

Things are just better with him around, and I know he feels the same way about me.

And these are the reasons why I am marrying him on December 27th.

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible"-When Harry Met Sally

Change of Plans

2009-11-07T20:53:00.000-08:00

According to costofweddings.com, "On average, couples that live in Hacienda Heights spend between $21,265 and $35,422 for their wedding." Crazy, right?

This is slightly embarrassing to admit, but Brandon and I set our budget before thoroughly looking at our finances. I do not recommend this to future brides as it will just cost you a lot of grief later on. Some unexpected costs also came up so we had to make some changes.

Remember my post about passed hor dourves and open bar during cocktail hour? Well, we had to scratch all of that, which saves us about $1,000. A cash bar is still going to be available for guests if they choose to drink and we are serving plenty of food during the reception. We will be placing bottles of wine/champagne along with sparkling apple cider on each table to drink with dinner.

After the ceremony, guests will be directed to the hallway to mingle, drop off any gifts and sign wish cards while we take family portraits and recompose ourselves.

Without any food or free drinks, I feared that our guests would get bored waiting for the reception to begin so I made a crossword puzzle to keep them busy.

It tooks hours due to formatting problems, but I am proud of my results. The clues included things like "A lovable Labrador with sensitive legs" and "The number of years the couple have been happily in love."

We also made cuts with our florist. Our original invoice for flowers was about $1800, but we trimmed it down to about $900 by only asking Flower Allie to do our centerpieces.

I am going to make all of the bouquets and my dream of having peonies will be possible if I use fake flowers. Weddingbee blogger Miss Labrador made her own by purchasing her flowers through Afloral.com.

With fake flowers, I will be able to make them far in advance instead of the morning of the wedding. Another advantage is being able to keep them forever.

A fake peony bouquet is $17.99 plus shipping. A real one is $90. Score!

I will post about my results when I order and put them together.

50 Day To-Do List

2009-11-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

There are only fifty days left until the wedding day and there are still a few things left to do:

Purchase a veil and crenoline to complete the dress. Make a decision about shoes.
Find someone to do my hair and makeup.
Get a haircut.
Get a mani/pedi.
Get my ring cleaned and polished.
Set rehearsal and rehearsal dinner plans. Make invitations.
Create bouquets for myself and my bridesmaids.
Set decorations for seating card table, cake table, guest book table, and sweetheart table.
Design and create programs.
Order Brandon's wedding band.
Set songs for DJ.
Purchase parent gifts and wedding party gifts
Set seating chart and confirm guest count with caterer.
Write names on place cards and seating cards.
Make decisions about cake/cupcakes.
Make a gajillion payments.
Assign things for people to do the day of the wedding.
Make a list of what needs to be brought to the Nixon Library and what needs to be brought back home after the wedding.
Figure out how we're going to get from the reception to Laguna Beach for our honeymoon.
Find/make thank you cards.
Go to counseling courses with our officiant.
Hit the gym because there are only 50 days left.
Pass my classes so I can graduate in December.
Get a marriage license.

And that's it! Just a few things...

Invitation Suite: The Breakdown

2009-11-07T08:07:00.000-08:00

Here is the breakdown of the costs for our invitations:

Envelopes:

70 envelopes from Paper Source: $22.63

Wraparound labels: $3.63

Stamps: $18.91

Liner: $10.00

Glue stick: $1.79

Total: $56.96

Belly Band:

Card stock from Big Lots: $1.00

Ribbon: $0.69

Doily edge punch $14.99

Tape runner: $1.00

Total: $17.68

Invitations:

RSVP stamp: $8.25

Paper when calculated by per piece: $6.30

Total: $14.55

Total cost: $89.19

Total invites: 55

Cost per invite: $1.62

Compare to this invitation from Wedding Paper Divas that costs $185.90 for just plain white envelopes, the invitation cards, and response cards alone.

Take that, ridiculously expensive wedding industry!

Invitation Suite: The Little Details

2009-11-04T07:45:00.000-08:00

All of the little details put together is what makes our invitation work. These things might be overlooked by others, but they are things that I would notice if I saw them myself.

Traditional and more formal invitations house all of the contents with an inner envelope and maybe some tissue paper to prevent smearing. I decided to use a belly band to hold it all together instead. I made these using heavy cardstock (a pack for $1), a Martha Stewart doily edge punch ($7.50 after coupon), chocolate brown ribbon ($0.69 for a roll), and a tape runner ($1). Unfortunately, the edge punch broke less than halfway through so some people received straight edged belly bands

Guests are supposed to mail back both the RSVP card and a comment card in a pre-addressed envelope by December 1st so that I can have an accurate guest count for the caterer.
I intenionally created the RSVP card to be in a similar format as the save the date by stamping the letters "RSVP" in gold ink. I made sure to note how many seats were saved for each guest in order to limit numbers.There was no room to ask about entree choices or to give more information so I made a separate card. On it, I asked guests to give us songs they like to dance to and asked if they have any dietary concerns we should know about in order to "make the night as merry as possible."

I also gave guests the option to save a stamp and RSVP through our website our through my email account.

I also wrote a reference code on the back of each card in case guests forgot to write their names so that I could still identify them. The code "B8" means the eighth guest on the bride's list.

Invitation Suite: The Big Reveal

2009-11-04T07:02:00.000-08:00

The invitations made it safely to their destinations and guests are already beginning to RSVP through our website, meaning I can finally show them to my readers.

I turned this red peony set from Target into our beautiful invitations. They were on clearance from $34.99 per box to only $6.70. I bought three boxes right away. Have I mentioned how much I love Target?

The contents of the 50 invitation kit were already fantastic alone, but just needed a little customization.

Since I had enough invitation sets to make 150 invitations when I only needed to make about 55, I was able to make mistakes and use sheets for multiple parts of the invite. For example, the cards meant for the RSVPs were also used for our save the dates. The extra sheets for the actual invitations were cut in half and used for the comment card.

Here was the result. I used the same fonts we used for all the stationary projects to maintain some uniformity. The envelope for the RSVP cards were embossed with a peony stamp.

Here is the actual invitation close up. Brandon's input in this was the "general merriment immediately following" part. I also included the address for our wedding website so that guests can have access to directions to the Nixon Library, our registries, RSVP, learn more about us and sign our online guest book.

Can you now see why I have been so proud of myself?

Invitation Suite: The Envelopes

2009-10-31T18:08:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I finally mailed out the invitations yesterday so check your mail boxes frequently.

We were able to get the postman to hand cancel the stamps in order to keep the envelopes as close to its original condition as possible when they arrive.

He was really understanding about it, but then he just threw them in a box and it made my heart sink.

I hope that our guests handle them with a lot of TLC.

This is what you will find in your mail. We bought these nice red envelopes at Paper Source ($3.00 for 10 envelopes). The envelopes from the invite kit felt cheap.

Instead of having someone hand address the envelopes, I made a template of envelope wraps on Word and printed them on full-size label sheets. I cut them and trimmed the edge with my doily edge punch. This site has a lot of pretty templates that you can download.

Here is the inside of the envelopes. While they are pretty on their own, I wanted to line them with colored paper. I followed templates similar to this one by Martha.

Materials: envelopes, scissors, ruler, pencil, adhesive, heavy paper to make your template on, paper you want to line with. We chose a solid chocolate colored roll wrap from Paper Source ($10 for two rolls)

Step 1: Make a template by first tracing the envelope with its flap open on the heavy paper. Subtract 1/4 inch from each side and cut.

Step 2 (shown above): Trace your template on the liner paper and cut. Slip this into the envelope. Make a fold where the flap folds.

Step 3: Spread adhesive to just the flap. It is not necessary to add any adhesive anywhere else. Debbie figured out that it is best to use old magazine pages under the flap so that you can glue all the way to the edge and protect the envelope.

Step 4: Rub the flap down and make sure it sticks.

Please be careful when you open the envelope as you may accidently peel the liner away from the envelope itself.

And a big shout out to all of my readers out there. It turns out that this blog is more popular than I had thought.

Another Completely Unnecessary Detail

2009-10-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

Edit: View final results here

(I craft when I'm stressed.)

When I was researching wedding cupcakes I came across numerous adorable flag toppers. They were too cute and cheap to resist making on my own.

Step 1: Format your flags on the computer and print. I found that PowerPoint was the easiest program to use. Include cutting guidelines in a light gray color.

Step 2: Cut and fold

Step 3: Glue halves together. Use the toothpick to spread the glue around so that it's nice and smooth. This also makes sure that the flag sticks onto the toothpick.

Step 4: If desired, make snips on the ends.
And voila! You have little flags to decorate your cupcakes...as if cupcakes on their own aren't already cute enough.

I'm going to have the caterers stick them in the cupcakes when they're served to the guests.

You've Got Mail

2009-10-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

Well, almost. I've been done with the actual invitations since July, but I had to wait to compile all the addresses and to label the envelopes. It's still a tad early to send these babies out. A tad equals one week in this case.

I have slaved over these 55 invitations over the span of the past six months. So when you see these Stardream Red beauties in the mailbox I expect you to jump and scream in delight. Seriously.

(Invitations for both Bush and Obama as we aren't allowed to show political bias in the Army, hooah?)

And here I am teasing you with this low-quality picture. Trust me, they look better in person. And if you don't think so, then lie to me. Flat out lie.

Is it possible to be in love with paper?

A Pocket Guide

2009-10-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

WeddingBee is one of the wedding blogs that I follow daily. One bride blogger, Mrs. Apple Cider, is insanely crafty, and her wedding themes and colors are remarkably similiar to mine. I had already decided on love birds, dark red and brown colors, and fonts before she started blogging so imagine my surprise when I found out that she was using the same combination of ideas.

Instead of having a Bridezilla "She-Stole-My-Ideas" moment, I happily followed her posts because she has given me some great ideas. I shamelessly copied her pocket guide for her bridal party. Here are my results:

This is the cover of the "guide," which is tied up with Martha Stewart ribbon I got for a buck at Big Lots. The guide includes important phone numbers, the wedding day schedule, and the address and map to the Nixon Library.

I will hand these out to the bridal party and family members during the rehearsal the day before the wedding.

Done Before 10am

2009-10-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

A $12 glass apothecary jar from Marshall's + some brown ribbon + a little tag + pink crepe paper roses Add a sign with directions inside a 50 cent frame from Big Lots

Plus a basket filled with red wish cards and pens

Equals a wish jar station for our guests

Here is our bird cage from Target which will be used to hold cards from guests. I had better pictures of it, but I decided that it was time for Bella to make another appearance.

Next projects: wedding bubble tags, cupcake flags, cupcake tree/stands

Sweet Stickers

2009-10-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, our candy bar is going to be provided by our caterer, meaning I will have very little control of it. I am, however, able to decide what kind of container our guests can take their sweets in. They will have clear cellophane bags available, but Brandon requested Chinese carry out boxes. They have more character, is a salute to my Chinese culture, and I can get them for super cheap ($0.08 per box) from Paper Mart.

Since I can never leave well enough alone, I spent the afternoon designing sticker labels to attach to the boxes. I ended up with nine different labels, and I can't decide which ones to choose, so help me pick!

Please leave a comment with the number of your favorite(s). The sixth option will include part of a peony stamp, as pictured below. Thanks!

Microsoft PowerPoint has become my new favorite document design program.

P.S. This is my 50th blog post. Thanks for sticking it through!

Wedding Programs

2009-10-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

I can't decide what kind of program I want to make for our guests. I don't even know what I want to include. This is an example of inspiration overload.

Here is one of my favorites. It is an accordian fold program with a gorgeous cover. I know that I am capable of making it, but I don't won't to mess with the formatting.

If our wedding wasn't outdoors in the cold winter afternoon, this fan program would be my top choice. It even has little birdies, games on the back side, and a mini pencil attached by a coordinating ribbon.

This cute little booklet would be the easiest to put together. It is the choice that will allow me to put the most material into the program, which will keep guests entertained in case the ceremony is running late.

It wouldn't be a true blog post from Minzilla without inspiration from Ms. Stewart.

To the right is a simple program with an adorable detail: a pocket with tissues. This would be perfect to wipe away tears of joy frome the faces of our more emotional guests. The only catch is that it doesn't leave much room for all that I want to include.

What about this sweet bow program with a slim belly band holding it together in an unique shape?

I wish I could finish these things over the weekend, but parts of our ceremony are still undecided. More on that later.

My DIYs are piling up, and I love it.

Life's Scraps

2009-10-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

I began to make a scrapbook for Brandon and I to reflect back upon years ago. I include pictures, summaries, receipts, business cards, pamphlets, etc. on each page.

Here are a few pages I finished this past week. I had hoped to scan these into the computer for you all to see, but our scanner is not capable of scanning 12 x 12 pages. You will just have to settle for poor quality photos.

Summer '08

Santa Barbara

Our Engagement

Spring Leave '09

Graduation Week

Bar Pinning/Picnic

Vermont Factory Tours

I Dream of Peonies

2009-10-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

Despite their funny name (Brandon likes to call them "Pee-On-Me"s), peonies are the rock stars of the floral family when it comes to weddings. They're so full and luscious and I find myself holding my breath when I see bouquets made out of them.

Here's the catch: They are also incredibly expensive. Isn't it just like me to fall for expensive flowers? Luckily, my florist has promised me that she wants brides to have their dream bouquet and therefore she will not charge me extra for adding peonies.

Now, it is my pleasure to present to you some floral porn:

Source
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Source

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To save some money, the bridesmaid bouquets will be working double time and will also be used to decorate our sweetheart table. Since I want the girls to be able to identify their own bouquets and take them home, I purchased monogram charms to attach to each handle.

My own bouquet will be accessorized by the silver locket that Brandon gave me back when we were first dating. Inside will be pictures of our grandpas who have passed away.

Let's Share!

2009-09-20T22:54:00.001-07:00

Instead of placing disposable cameras on each table in the reception room, I am hoping that our guests will remember to bring their own digital cameras to the wedding.

Giving guests disposable cameras to snap away with is an old and fun tradition, but it is also not in our budget. I don't want us to miss out on having pictures of our guests that may not be taken by our photographer, so I set up a photosharing site just for the wedding. This way, our guests can upload their own pictures and everyone can view them.

I also created little cards for our guests to take with them that has the website on the front side and uploading directions on the back. I included a username and password that I made for guests to use so that they will not have to sign up for an account on their own.

If all goes as planned, we will be able to collect hundreds of pictures for free, and who doesn't like free things?

Here is something else that I want, but really don't need. It's a customized wire clothes hanger for $15. I think it would be an adorable photo opportunity for my wedding dress.
Why am I always wanting unnecessary things?

100 Days

2009-09-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

One hundred days until I marry the man of my dreams.

One hundred days until Brandon and I start our new lives together.

One hundred days until we get to celebrate this new beginning with our loved ones.

One hundred days until we take pictures like this one (in non-teddy bear form).

Three Generations of Crazy

2009-09-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

The most important women in my life are also going to be the only family members of mine who will join in on the wedding celebration in December.

When my mother confirmed this with me the other night, my heart sank. Brandon's side of the guest list is mostly composed of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. While all of my family members are invited, no one but my mother, grandmother and sister are attending the wedding.

How is someone supposed to take such news? I knew from the start of the planning process that it was going to be difficult to have everyone fly out to California. I told myself not to get my hopes up, and I didn't. But when you actually hear it, you can't help but hurt.

And then I realized that the only family members who have ever been consistent in my life are these three strong women, the ones who have molded me into who I am today.

My mother and grandmother, who are both a full head shorter than I am, are going to walk me down the aisle and give me away to my husband. And my sister will be standing right up there with me. It will be quite a sight.

Surviving the Wedding Day

2009-09-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

To my wonderful bridesmaids and bridesman: If you do not want to know anything about your gifts stop reading NOW.

One of the ideas I found early on while browsing through dozens of wedding blogs is the bridal party survival kit. I was inspired by a post in 100 Layer Cake that featured cellophane bags holding useful emergency things for the wedding day. The post also provides a beautiful downloadable label template.

I decided to create my own label that used our wedding fonts, was larger, and required a little less ink. I used a Martha Stewart template and pasted it into a Microsoft Word document since I do not have PhotoShop. I had to create another document with the text only and matched it so that when I printed the two documents together they would match.

Each female kit includes deodorant, hair tie, bobby pins, Aleve pills, band-aids, gum, tissues, oil absorbant sheets, baby wipes, Q-tips, chocolate, and a tampon. I put these items into a disposable 25 fl oz. plastic containers.

I adjusted Tony's kit and tossed in an extra Twix because his was so sparse compared to the girls' kit.

Cost breakdown:
Travel-size deodorant: $0.97 each
Gum: two packs of three for $4
Twix: $1.02
Aleve: two packs of six caplets for $1.94
Containers: $2.14 for five
Tissue: two packs of four for $2.24
Band-aids: $0.58 for ten
All other items were found around the house

Total cost: $16.77
Cost per kit: $3.35

Budget friendly, thoughtful, and practical. Three cheers for Target and their crazy clearance prices!

Let's Eat!

2009-09-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I finalized the menu for our reception while I was in Georgia, and we can't wait to eat some more yummy food from Jason's Catering.

Our choice of five passed hor dourves during cocktail hour: homemade pot stickers, brushette de pompadora, shrimp scampi skewers, caribbean rumaki, mini pizzadillas.

My suggestion is to gobble up as much of the caribbean rumaki (plantains wrapped in bacon and baked in a brown sugar glaze) as you can b/c they are delicious.

I spent about 40 minutes coming up with a template for our menu cards which will be tucked inside each guest's napkin. Microsoft Word and I have become very good friends after making our invitations and it has become a lot easier for me to format things the way I want them.

Each menu is printed on plain white cardstock (75 sheets for $2 at Big Lots). They are 3.67" wide and 8" in length. In order to create three perfectly even menus on one sheet of legal sized paper, first adjust all margins to 0" and select three columns with a spacing of 0".

Play around with font sizes and formats. Before printing, look at the print preview carefully to make sure that nothing gets cut off. Always print on scratch paper on the "fast draft" option first until you are absolutely sure you have what you want. Click on "yes" when it asks you if you want to continue even though the margins are wrong.

I used Albermarle Swash and Georgia fonts, which is consistent with the rest of my printed projects. The little swirls were made using Nymphette font. Make sure you leave enough of a border and to center your paragraph alignment.

If you have trouble with cutting paper evenly like I do, you can also click the "line between" option and use those lines as a guide.

I used my temperamental Martha Stewart punch for the top of the menu and embossed a peony stamp at the bottom.

Sorry for the poor quality of pictures. I'm going to have to start using my sister's camera for these posts.

P.S. Is anyone else besides Alvin still following this thing? I plan on blogging at least once every week until December.

Oh Happy Day!

2009-09-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

Why am I so ecstatic? Because after 30+ hours of cutting, folding, twisting, fluffing, and sticking, I am finally done with making my twelve tissue pomander balls. When I say 30 hours, I do mean 30 hours. Future brides, pick a red color scheme so that these babies can be used again after their 30 minutes of glory during the ceremony.

Final cost breakdown after a few adjustments: 2 packs of six 3" styrofoam balls ($5.99), wire ($1.75), ribbon ($0.69), 120 sheets of tissue paper (about $11)= a total of $19.43. Not shabby considering that a pack of five red lanterns on clearance at Target is $14.99.

I also made a sign for our candy buffet table that is going to be provided by our caterer. Since I have no idea what the candy buffet will look like or even what candies they are providing, I wanted to at least create a cute sign. I was inspired by this sign and customized it to fit our own weddding:

I will also be making more stickers similar to the ones that were sent out with our STD to customize the cellophane bags that guests will be able to fill with their sweet treats.

I wish my camera took better pictures because this stuff looks better in person.

The Never-Ending To-Do List

2009-08-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

People often ask me if I'm ready for the wedding. My response is always that I am ready to be married, but I am not ready for the wedding itself.

There is just SO MUCH TO DO. Some people will probably tell me that I need to delegate things, but everything left on the list really has to be done by either the groom or the bride. And since the groom is suffering through 12-hour work days, it is mostly all up to me. Brandon's job is to worry about paying for the whole chibang while I need to make sure all the details get done.

My customized Martha Stewart checklist tells me that I have 43 out of 99 tasks left. There are still major aspects of the wedding that are left and when you look at it all together, it becomes entirely overwhelming.

1) My dress still needs to be taken back into David's Bridal to be altered.

2) Brandon's wedding band needs to be selected, engraved, and purchased.

3) We still have no officiant. Apparently it isn't as easy as Joey made it seem when he married Chandler and Monica.

4) The bridesmaids still do not have a dress to wear. I am so close to saying, "Screw it! Wear whatever you want. Just make sure you're wearing red and have black shoes." Groomzilla would definitely veto that.

5) The cake has not been ordered yet.

6) We have not finalized honeymoon plans. Brandon will only be home for about 5 days after the wedding before he starts Ranger school, limiting us to the area. We're also struggling with having enough money to have a nice honeymoon.

7) Bridal party and parent gifts are not purchased.

8) Rehearsal dinner plans are not finalized either.

Again, these are the big things that are not completed. Imagine all of the little details that didn't make it on the list.

Gross, right? Combined with the mounds of school work that has already been assigned, it makes me want to just curl up next to this man and sleep my troubles away.

Left: Brandon with Kayla, the dog I cheated on Bella with for a week.

Right: A trip to Sonic in Columbus, GA

A Time Consuming Alternative

2009-08-31T11:02:00.000-07:00

The Nixon Library's garden is already beautiful enough without any extra decorations. Even so, I wanted to have something line the aisles to make it pop.

Our original plan was to use paper lanterns, but I could not find any that were the right size or color.

I now thoroughly regret not looking harder because I stupidly took on a new task: tissue pomander balls.

The blogger who maintains Vintage Glam has a wonderful tutorial to how she created her ceremony decorations. Her gorgeous yellow pomander balls look absolutely amazing in the pictures to the left.

After seeing these photos I decided that I needed them. Again, stupid.

The materials for this project are inexpensive:

Tissue paper: $1.79 for a pack of 20 sheets, which makes 40 flowers

4" Styrofoam ball: $1.74 after 50% off coupon

Wire: $1.75

Ribbon: $0.69 on clearance

I followed the tutorial pretty closely, but had to adjust a few things.

In order to attach the ribbon, I first tied off the ends of the ribbon into a knot. Next, I twisted a piece of wire around the knot.

Instead of using a 5" ball, I used a 4" ball. I had first attempted it with the larger size, but the result was a massive pomander. My final pomander is still bigger than I want, but I refuse to take another one apart and try again.

I attached about 30 paper flowers instead of the estimated 20 in the tutorial, which will mean that I need to fold even more flowers. This is not a task I am happy about since it took me more than 12 hours to cut, fold, and fluff 160 tissue flowers.

Here is my final result. The first picture is so that you can compare the size of the styrofoam ball to the full pomander. Can you see why I would underestimate the amount of flowers needed and the size of the pomander?

Bella decided that she wasn't getting enough attention so she barged into the picture. I'm going to try to make it a little fuller and I think it will look better.

All this work better be worth it!

Birdie Escorts

2009-08-31T10:24:00.000-07:00

Edit: View final results here

Escort cards are typically placed on a table before the entrance to the reception site. Each card has the name of a guest and their table number written on them. This allows guests to find their seats easily in the East Room because they need only to find their table number instead of looking at each place card for their name.

Our guests will be asked to pick up their own bird and "fly" to their bird house.

Materials: heavy cardstock for birds, thick paper for template (I used a file folder), pencil for tracing, scissors, adhesive, gold pen

Total cost of project: $1

Step 1: Create your template. The head and tail should line up to the the edge of the paper. The bottom of the bird should be straight so that the bird will be able to stand up on its own.

Step 2: Fold cardstock. Like a regular place card, the bird has two flaps. Because of this, you must make sure that you have allotted enough room on both flaps to fit your bird template.

Step 3: Take your template and line the head and tail to a fold. Trace with pencil.

Step 4: Cut out your bird. Keep the piece cut from the top. Use it for the wings.

Step 5 (not yet completed): Write guest's name on one wing. Write table number on other wing. I plan on only writing the first name or nickname of guests since there is not much room. We have a small enough wedding to do so.
Step 6: Attach wings.

Sorry if the directions are unclear, but I'm sure you are clever enough to figure it out as it is pretty self-explanatory.

What do you think?

A Confession

2009-08-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

Do you remember my post in May about being pathetically tall and flabby? I told myself I would kick it into gear. It is about four months later, and I have yet to follow my own advice. My proof: the love handles that have taken over my waist, the lack of triceps or biceps, and the fact I'm most likely sucking in my stomach when this picture was taken.

My sneakers have been used maybe six times since May, and I did a total of two weeks of Pilates sessions in my room.

Currently, I have cheese puffs to my right, Peanut M&Ms to my left, and an empty glass of apple juice behind me. A seemingly horrible combination, I know, but when eaten separately, it is munchies bliss.

When I was a child, these things were never permitted in the house. But now that I am an adult and have full access to junk food, I just can't seem to get enough.

I wish working out was something that I enjoyed as much as doing crafts, but I hate the pain and the smells and I also find it all incredibly boring . Also, now that I know that my wedding gown is fully adjustable whether or not I lose or gain weight, I have lost even more urge to head to the gym.

It doesn't help that Brandon is so good at telling me that I am beautiful and still checks me out, even after five years together (boy, am I lucky). He makes me feel like I don't have to change a thing, although I know that he wishes I took better care of myself.

My only drive now is pure guilt. I want to look my best for Brandon, and I want to be healthy so that we can live long lives together.

While I have come to accept that I will never get myself to work out daily, there are some effortless things that I can continue to do in hopes of losing those extra five to eight pounds:

-Buy groceries that are low-fat, sugar-free, light, low in calories, etc.

-Drink more water

-Eat more fiber. I started taking Benefiber on Monday, and I have already dropped two pounds.

-I signed up for a strength training class two times a week at Fullerton. If anything will get me to work out, it is the pressure of maintaining a high GPA.

-Realize that I don't have to clean my plate, even if it is so good.

An Army Wife Preview

2009-08-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

On December 27th, I will become an Army wife. With a swift tap on the bum by a sabre, I will be welcomed into the Army.

My opinions on marrying into the military have changed ever since Brandon and I started talking about our long future together. I specifically remember not understanding why anyone would want to have that lifestyle since it is such a difficult one full of sacrifices.

While I admire all military spouses and their families, I found it hard to believe that they could be completely happy. Holding a successful career would be near impossible since the Army life requires moving every three to five years. Your own goals are put on the backburner as the Army always comes first. They have to be prepared to raise kids on their own for numerous months while their spouse is deployed. And, of course, the worst of it all is consistently worrying about their safety.

But then I fell in love with a soldier, and all of it seemed to be worth it. When you love someone as much as I love Brandon, you are willing to give it all up in order to pursue your own version of "happily ever after."

I had a taste of what it would be like to live in a military town and wait for my man in ACUs to come home when I stayed in Columbus, Georgia for a week. Admittedly, I was bored out of my mind during the day. Brandon would leave at 4:30am for work and not come home until about 5pm. Five hours later, it was time for bed in order to rest up for yet another long day.

Those five hours that we were awake together each night were happy, and far too short. I loved watching him get ready for work, and I stole kisses from him because I didn't want him to leave. But I even more enjoyed greeting him when he came home with even more kisses and giant bear hugs.

We will lead an incredibly joyous life if all of our hellos and goodbyes stay this way.

There is also a great community of people. Brandon's fellow soldiers, while sometimes crude and brutally honest, are all full of heart. They take care of each other, and that is something I am more than excited to be part of.

We both have a lot to learn about military life, but it is a journey that we will embark on together.

A Typical Night

2009-08-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

What does a soon-to-be bride do on a free night? She works on all the little details for the wedding, of course!

I wanted to try to incorporate pictures of Bella for our table numbers like the one pictured to the left (Source), but Groomzilla vetoed that one. Plus, our dog is not the most photogenic of mammals. She mostly looks like a crazed Bellatron.

I wanted something creative that would fit along with our love birds theme. I decided to use little wooden birdhouses I found at Joann's for $1 each for our table numbers (with Groomzilla's approval), and little birdies for escort cards.

I have not painted the numbers on the side of the roofs yet, but I think they will turn out good. Although they are definitely flawed and took hours to finish, they will serve their purpose.

I am staying with Brandon in Columbus, Georgia for a week starting Saturday. While he is at work, I will be sitting at the house alone with no one but his new dog (yes, he's cheating on Bella) for hours.

To fill my time, I will be working on several projects. Hopefully I don't make a mess because that is what tends to happen whenever I work on anything.

I will work on thank you cards, escort cards, menus, programs and tissue pomander balls.

Ring Bowls

2009-08-09T22:59:00.001-07:00

Etsy is a website for crafty artists to showcase their handmade work. Here is where I found numerous ring bowls that I would love to use. Too bad Brandon and I decided not to have a flower girl or ring bearer.

I think having one of these bowls would serve well for picture opportunities, and would be perfect for my bedside table to hold my rings while I sleep. But since we have no more money to spend on unnecessary things, I will be left to admire these beauties through my blog.

Source

Dear Martha, (Part 2)

2009-08-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

You screwed me over. I purchased your doily lace edge punch in order to make belly bands for our invitations. Then it broke after 13 bands. So I made a trip back to Michael's to buy another. That one broke too.

How do you expect me to make beautiful creations when you sell me shoddy products? Now, I can't finish my envelope label wraps or work on placecards.

Here is a project that did work out. I always knew that instead of a gust book, I wanted guests to leave us wishes. I stamped the word on red cardstock using an acrylic block and clear letter stamps I found for a dollar at Target. After the wedding, these cards will be attached to a scrapbook next to photos of our guests. I actually like that they are imperfect.

And here are some flowers I made with some white glue, scissors, and pink crepe paper (two rolls for $1). I am considering making boutonnieres and corsages for our VIP guests myself if I can work it out with the florist. I think it would be a sweet memento since they take a lot of effort (about 20 min. per flower) and will last forever.

Another DIY

2009-07-22T12:42:00.002-07:00

These days, I have a little too much time on my hands. I spent most of yesterday and this morning making these kusudama paper balls.

I'm not quite sure where I should hang these, but I think they will find a place in our wedding somewhere.

Now if I only had some more red construction paper...

Our Registry

2009-07-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I had a difficult time figuring out how to go about creating our registry since we will not be living together right after we get married, and we will end up in Fort Hood, Texas.

We decided to give guests the option of giving us gift cards through our Target and Crate & Barrel registries. Target allowed us to add a note saying, "Although we appreciate all types of gifts, we prefer to receive gift cards as it will be close to a year before we make a house for ourselves. Thanks! Much love, Brandon, Min and Bella."

But I didn't want to deprive ourselves from opening actual presents so I registered for items, too. I spent more than ten hours comparing prices, looking at reviews, and adding items to our two registries. I wanted to make sure that we had a wide selection of price ranges for our guests and I wanted good products that would last many moves around the country.

The most expensive items on the registry will definitely come in handy in our new home: The Dyson DC25 Animal Vacuum to pick up all that pesky Bella fur and the beautiful KitchenAid Stand Mixer, which I am guilty of hugging and stroking when I see it in stores.

We were a little concerned about registering at Crate & Barrel because it is known to be one of the more high end stores. Imagine my surprise when during my comparison of prices, Crate & Barrel beat Target time and time again. Not only that, but everything screamed elegant and quality.

I registered for a couple of pretty Paloma flutes at only $9.95 each for the reception toasts. I also added many vases such as this Lucy vase because I am a strong believer in filling our home with fresh flowers whenever possible.

I wanted to incorporate Brandon's tastes as much as I could so I included items such as a stacking wine rack and a cast iron grill and press so that I can make him awesome panini sandwiches.

Even Bella got some say: A pink polka dot doggie life vest

Hopefully, I selected a good mix of practical and fun items for our guests to choose from.

And for my loyal readers, click here for a preview of our wedding website.

A Breakthrough

2009-07-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

This is what I look like soon after I walk into Barnes & Noble. I grab a stack of wedding magazines, sit in a chair, and flip away through hundreds of ads, ideas, and inspiration.

It was a disease. A disease that made my heart ache and flutter at the same time because I loved what I saw, but also knew that I could not afford it.

Before getting engaged, I was already looking through wedding magazines and spending hours on blogs. It was inspiration overload, but I loved it. I had a Word document 10 pages long full of links and pictures of ideas I wanted to incorporate into the wedding.

My breakthrough came a little over a week ago, just after I dropped Brandon off at the airport. I made another trip to Barnes & Noble in hopes of a pick-me-up, with every intention of purchasing my fifth magazine, and came home empty handed. I spent about five minutes going through the new Martha Stewart magazine and I realized, "I don't need this." Of course every bride doesn't need a wedding magazine, but I really really didn't need it this time.

I no longer need any inspiration because I already have every little detail of December 27th planned down. It was a truly liberating moment. I will no longer feel compelled to pick up every bridal magazine next to the register at Target or Vons. I am free from you, oh beautiful bundle of wedding joy. Thank you. You have done your job well.

Just a sidenote, I purchased my wedding dress yesterday with the help of my sister, mom, and grandma. We ventured back to David's Bridal, avoided Josephina at all cost, and tried on my beautiful gown again. And it was "the one". What a relief to be done with that part of this long wedding process. However, I did walk out of the store completely itchy until long after I took a shower.

My grandma has decided to pick up the bill for the dress, while my mother is going to pay for my alterations. Debbie and I were given matching necklaces to wear for our weddings by my grandmother too. Boom! One less thing to worry about.

Music Night

2009-07-06T00:45:00.000-07:00

During the beginning of Brandon's Plebe (Freshman) year at West Point, he had no access to music so I would play music on my computer and put the phone up to the speakers.

Music played a large part during the early flirting stage of our relationship. Brandon had a huge CD collection, and I would borrow them in an attempt to get to know him better. Inside the CD cases, we wrote little love notes to each other. Needless to say, choosing the right music for our ceremony and reception is very important to us.

Here are some of the songs we plan to play on our wedding day:

Jack Johnson- Better Together
Jack Johnson- Banana Pancakes
Jason Mraz- Lucky
Jason Mraz- I'm Yours
Cinderella- So This is Love
The Beatles- All You Need is Love
Louis Armstrong- A Kiss to Build a Dream On
Cat Power- Sea of Love
Bright Eyes- First Day of My Life
Michael Buble- Home
Teitur- To Meet You
She & Him- I Was Made for You
Landon Pigg- Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop
Joshua Radin- Only You
Toploader- Dancin' in the Moonlight

Psst! We will be dancing for the first time as man and wife to one of these songs, but you'll have to wait to find out which one.

Also, with Brandon gone to Georgia, I have been extremely productive and am nearly done with the invitations. The pretty invitations suite just needs to be put in their envelopes and labeled. They turned out amazing, and I can't wait to show them to you. However, they will not be sent out until the end of October so I can't post on them just yet.

Like a Proud Mama

2009-07-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

Bella usually hates the water, and we make fun of her for not being a real Lab.

But look at her now!

The only thing I was thinking of the entire time was "I wish Brandon could see this."

Happy Fourth of July!

Cupcakes Galore

2009-07-04T09:39:00.001-07:00

Brandon and I tasted cupcakes from four different locations in order to find the tastiest treats to serve to our guests. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.

Tasting #1: Dots Cupcakes

Pros: cute decorations, variety of flavors, customizable fondant flowers, adorable shop

Cons: no free tasting, stale cupcakes, a huge disappointment,
Cost: $2.75 per cupcake, $1.50 per mini cupcake

We tasted: Red Velvet, Vanilla Chocolate, Chocolate Lovers', Apple Pie

Tasting #2: Polkatots

Pros: friendly staff, incredibly delicious, free tasting, completely customizable, cuteness factor

Cons: high delivery/set up fee, could not give pricing info right away, pricey

Cost: $3.00 per cupcake, $1.75 per mini cupcake

We tasted: Dulce de Leche, Red Diva (red velvet), Cookies N' Creme, Little Penguin(chocolate w/vanilla frosting)

Tasting #3: Violet's Cakes

Pros: super yummy, immediately in love, free tasting, freshly baked, large, very affordable

Cons: none (except for the fact that they are on vacation during the holiday season)

Cost: $2.50 per cupcake

We tasted: Twix, Strawberry Shortcake, Red Velvet, Carrot Cake, Hi-Hat (marshmallow creme dipped in chocolate)

Tasting #4: Cakes Created With Love (206 S. Glendora Ave., West Covina, CA 91890)

Pros: free tasting, completely customizable, cheap!

Cons: cupcakes were not fresh
Cost: $1.75 per cupcake
We tasted: Red Velvet, Chocolate, Cookies N' Creme

We are most likely going to go with Cakes Created With Love because Donna's pricing is so terrific.

Brandon and I are so thankful that his mother and step-father are picking up the bill for our cake.

There's more!

2009-07-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures taken by Daniel Yu:

Follow me!

We were scared that water would spray out from the spouts above. It was a risky move, but we were able to get this wonderful picture.

This is my future mother-in-law's favorite picture.

Here is one of the last pictures of the picture shoot.

Our Engagement Pictures

2009-06-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

Over the course of our five-year relationship, Brandon and I have taken very few pictures that I absolutely adore. I knew that I wanted to take some great engagement pictures, but I also knew that it was out of our budget. In comes Mr. Daniel Yu, who is not only clever with words, but is also extremely talented behind the camera.

We headed to the beautiful Huntington Library yesterday afternoon and pretended that we actually knew what we were doing as models. Daniel did a wonderful job making us feel comfortable and gave us direction. Here are just a few of his great shots:

We found this gorgeous fountain and did our best looking serious.

I love the moments right before a sweet kiss.

I probably flashed a few people behind me when I jumped onto Brandon's back. This one is Brandon's favorite picture.

Here we are K-I-S-S-I-N-G. This was such a difficult picture to take because I don't do well with nature and was straining every muscle to stay on the tree, but it was worth it.

I love this shot, especially since you can't tell that we were being blinded by the bright sun.

Our acting skills came into play here as we're coming out of the children's tunnel.

We love each other. Can you see it?

Thanks a bunch to Daniel for these wonderful pictures that we can treasure forever.

Pieces of the Puzzle

2009-06-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I have been running around these past few weeks putting together our wedding. Each week we have had at least one appointment to meet with someone in hopes of hiring them for our wedding.

I must admit that we are really lacking in the "shopping around" department. Perhaps we are just very lazy, but I like to think that we are great at doing research because we have been booking almost the first people that we see in each category.

We booked the first and last place that we saw, The Nixon Library, because we fell in love immediately.

We hired Allison from Flower Allie the day after meeting with her. I found her through a photographer's blog entry dedicated to a wedding at the Nixon Library during the winter time. The couple also had a dark red color scheme, and upon viewing their centerpieces I knew that that was what I wanted. Allison worked with us on our budget and told us what we could cut out (like the beautiful arch to the left that costs $400) or do ourselves in order to save money. In the end, Allison only went over our initial budget by $45.

Jason's Catering is most likely going to be our caterers for the evening, and we've only had one tasting. The food was absolutely delicious. Everything we put into our mouths tasted incredible, and we just know that people wil rave about the food at the reception. Their pricing per person was incredibly reasonable as our guests will all be treated to a three course dinner complete with passed hor dourves, a tasty salad, and a scrumptious stuffed roasted chicken entree complete with sides. They are also throwing in a free candy buffet along with chocolate truffles and strawberries for dessert. Last, but definitely not least, an open wine and beer bar for the first hour for only $6 per guest.

What can I say? We know what we like and we know what we want.

What's done: venue, florist, caterer, final invitation mock up (a post on that after they're sent out in October), wedding dress, photographer, cake topper, wedding cupcakes

What's in the works: entertainment, officiant, bridesmaid dresses, bridal party gifts, engagement shoot with Daniel Yu, rehearsal dinner, wedding website

What's left: hotels, honeymoon, hair and makeup, gifts for parents, day-of-wedding coordinator, all the little details, guest book, photo booth (if Groomzilla agrees to it)

Thanks, Team Min

2009-06-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

I apologize for being a bad blogger. My friends have been telling me that as a blogger, I have a responsibility to blog often for my faithful followers. So, my faithful followers, here I am, begging for your forgiveness with pictures of more wedding dress shopping.

A week and a half ago, "Team Min" (as my sister lovingly named us) went to David's Bridal in Costa Mesa to try on some more dresses. This was supposed to be a good day. It was not a good day. I probably would have been driven to tears if not for my wonderful team.

I was treated horribly by my bridal consultant, Josephina. To the left is a picture of Josephina doing what she does best: checking herself out in the mirror.

When I made an appointment over the phone, I was told to go through their website and write down a list of all the dresses I wanted to try on. Out of about twelve dresses, Josephina only wanted me to try on three.

We asked her to pull up a dress that I tried on last time and was thinking about purchasing. The style number was written on my records, but she tried to convince us that it was discontinued. After asking her three times to look it up, Debbie ordered Team Min to search the racks on their own. After less than five minutes, Debbie came back victorious, running back to my small box of a dressing room at full speed in her heels.

And then Josephina came back and told me to keep the Team under control.

A bridal consultant is supposed to ask you what you are looking for in a dress at the beginning of the appointment. She asked me at the end when I was going back and forth between two dresses. I would love the top of one dress, and the bottom of another.

Despite all this, I was able to find a dress that I could see myself walking down the aisle in. I wanted to hold off on purchasing it until my mother came home from China, but Josephina refused to look up whether or not the dress was going to be discontinued or still available for another month. She pushed me to buy it now or lose it forever.

I ended up putting a non-refundable down payment on the dress. Thankfully, after seeing the pictures of me in that dress I am liking it more and more. Also, I came way under my budget since the dress was about $600. It also has a lace-up corset so it adjusts with any future weight changes.

Going shopping for the dress you are going to get married in is supposed to be a special time. Whether you are in an expensive boutique or at David's Bridal, try to make the best of your experience. You should be allowed to stand in a single dress in front of a mirror for as long as you want. Be vain. Check out your hair. Turn side to side, and side to side again. Order someone to pick up your dress. Push up your boobs so that they look their best. Do whatever it is that you want.

But most imporantly, bring the ones you love beccause they make all the difference.

Thanks to Bridesman Tony for taking these pictures!

Champ says "Hello"

2009-05-26T05:27:00.000-07:00

Good morning, everyone! I'm currently blogging from a house by Lake Champlain that Brandon's family rented for a week. It's wonderfully refreshing after seven days of finals torture and trying to coordinate events for Brandon's graduation.

I'm officially engaged to an officer of the United States Army now. We are all extremely proud of him. Plus, Brandon and I have officially joined the 2% Club.

Here is a picture of 2nd Lt. Schmidt surrounded by all of those who travelled to NY just to see him graduate from West Point (aka me surrounded by my loving future-in-laws).

Doesn't he look awfully handsome in his dress blues? That is what he and the groomsmen will be wearing for our wedding.

Play the video to watch Brandon thank his family for their support. He made all the women a blubbering mess.

And this is where we are staying:

I'm going to gain at least five pounds from this week alone because they are feeding us gourmet meals every night.

See you soon!

Things to do today

2009-05-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

Between now and 7:30am:

1. Get dressed
2. Drive to school

Between 8:30am-4:30pm:

3. Study for final #1
4. Take final #1
5. Study for final #2
6. Take final #2
7. Drop off final #3

Between 4:30pm and 7pm:

8. Don't get killed in the parking lot
9. Pick up check at work
10. Deposit money at the bank. Take out some cash for
11. Pick up Jason Mraz CD from the library. Drop off 14 checked out items
12. Drop off formal dresses at Tuff's
13. Finish packing
14. Shower
15. Give Bella one last hug/kiss
16. Head to Burbank Airport

Between 7pm and 9:05pm

17. Get hassled at security
18. Fly out to see future hubby for his graduation from West Point!

See you in NY!

Dear Martha,

2009-05-17T19:49:00.001-07:00

Why do you continue to tease me with your fabulous crafts and products when you know I have neither the time nor the resources for them?

If I had the money, I would buy...

Martha's new craft book full of incredible projects (which I borrowed from the library) and her upcoming cupcake book to satisfy my cupcake obsession. ($35 and $24.99)

Her beautiful and extremely intricate doily lace edge punch ($14.99) and her tissue pom pom kit ($19.99).

Pretty goodie boxes for cookies or other baked goods ($12.99)

And so much more...

P.S. This blog is serving as yet another source for procrastination. I should be studying for the five finals that I will take within the next three days. I also need to pack for my last trip to NY from this coming Wednesday to May 30th. Don't worry, I'll continue blogging while we stay at Lake Champlain for a week or any downtime I have in the hotel.

Cakes need a cover too

2009-05-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

[Cover is what the military calls a uniform hat. I don't know why they can't just say "hat."]

On top of our giant cupcaketree we will have a small wedding cake so that Brandon and I will have something to cut. There are some pretty clever caketoppers out there.

Here are a couple humorous ones that I will not use for the wedding, although they would be appropriate for a bachelorette or bachelor party:

Here is one I think Brandon might like:

Here is one that tugs at my heart strings:

Here are a couple that I would love to DIY because they are too expensive to purchase:

UnNaked Pegs $55

Vintage Bird Cake Topper $138

P.S. I'm blogging from my new laptop so expect more posts more often.

Cupcakes take the cake!

2009-05-07T17:31:00.000-07:00

It's a little ironic that I am writing on cupcakes the post immediately after writing about exercising and losing weight, but they are my new obsession. Last week, I spent hours looking at wedding gowns. My new fixation is something even Martha Stewart agrees with: wedding cupcake towers.

These sweet little beauties are an alternative to more traditional wedding cakes. Starting at $2.50 each, gourmet cupcakes are taking over the wedding scene for several reasons. First off, they are more budget friendly because they are easier to decorate, easier to transport, can be used as individual favors, and also require no hidden cake-cutting fees. They are also entirely customizable with liners or wraps, ribbon around tiers on the stand, flavors, or our choice in frosting/decorations. The options are endless!

I almost want to make my own cupcakes, but baking and decorating 75 of these yummy treats right before the wedding day would be nuts.

If I did attempt to tackle this task, I would definitely use these Martha Stewart cupcake liners ($3.99 at Michael's before my 40% off coupon) or some laser cut cupcake wraps ($1 each, but can easily be made on my own with paper doilies).

The BFG

2009-05-02T13:11:00.000-07:00

When did I turn into the Big Friendly Giant? I'm about half a head taller than any of my female friends and most of my coworkers. In fact, some of the other girls at work are so tiny that I often bump into them because they are shorter than my eye level. Why can't I be tiny, cute, and petite? I would much rather be pocket-sized than towering.

My height is supposed to be something to envy. I'm about 5'7", which isn't freakishly tall, but I hate it, and would like to shrink a couple of inches.

I can't wear sexy heels, but instead am always on a hunt for stylish flats that are within my twenty dollar budget. No wedges for me. Just Old Navy flip flops. Any dress I try on at Forever 21 becomes skank short instead of just short.

But my height isn't the only thing that makes me self conscious these days. It's the extra layer of fat that has magically appeared around my belly, arms, thighs, and butt over the past few years. I was once thin and had great definition in my stomach and arms. I didn't have to work for it at all, but just claimed that I was "lucky and Chinese."

The weight and body change began after P.E. was no longer mandatory for seniors. That fourty-five minutes of playing games with friends was taken for granted, because now I am supposed to go run and exercise on my own. What? Unfathomable!

I was lying in bed one day a couple of years ago when I realized that my body felt different. Things were pushing up against me that were not originally there. And then it hit me that I was growing love handles. Was it just a horrid case of the Freshman 15? In order to fight this I went and ordered a pilates DVD from Amazon.com, which worked for the first month I did it, but then Brandon came home for the summer and I decided that I would rather spend time with him instead of working out.

When I run into mothers of old middle school or high school friends the first thing they say is: "Oh, Min! You got fatter! You used to be so thin." Yes, I'm very much aware of this. Thank you for bringing it up....and then I go eat away my pain.

I finally had inspiration to get fit and lose a few pounds when I got engaged. I need to look stunning and fabulous in my wedding gown. I tried to give up sugar, but that lasted for about a week (I cheated twice, but don't tell anyone). I went out and bought some running shoes half a month ago, and have only used them twice since.

Why can't I get myself to work out? Brandon is a fitness nut. He is the type who likes to push himself to the point of vomiting and is exhilarated by that feeling. He will be running in his third marathon the end of May. I am certainly not that type who gets high from being sore and smelly all over. All the power to those who do, but that lifestyle is just not for me.

What is a girl to do? Suck it up. Get sore. Get smelly. Lose five to ten pounds. Give up chocolate. Give up free Oreo smoothies at work. Walk the dog. Go run. Eat only when hungry, not when bored, stressed, and/or procrastinating.

I have seven months to kick my butt into shape. And if all that doesn't work, there's always Spanx.

MOH Guest Post: Bridesmaid dress hunting

2009-04-11T03:15:00.000-07:00

The wedding industry can suck it. Hard.

It's been nearly impossible to find anything remotely in local department stores that 1. isn't vomit-inducing hideous, 2. isn't marked up ridiculously high, and 3. flattering for different figures.

See Fig. 1. I am definitely of the "Triangle" persuasion, meaning I can probably shoot out a baby easier than, say, an "Inverted Triangle," but I also have membership in the "Itty Bitty Titty Committee." A dress that might look good on me will not necessarily look good on an "Hourglass."

And apparently, the bubble/sequines craze is apparently sweeping the under-18 crowd.

(Min made me try one on for shits and giggles so we might fool the other girls into believing that purple thing to the left is our bridesmaid dress. For the love of all that is good in the world, I couldn't do it. It was just too mean.)

After hours of searching for something remotely classy, we journeyed to the Macy's in Brea and picked out the best contenders (at the moment) for the "it" dress. The requirements were: affordable, possibly flattering on diverse shapes, classy, red. We failed on almost all counts.

Being the cheap bargain-hunters that we are, we couldn't commit to buying a $70+ dress this early in the game. Ordering dresses from special occasion dressmakers is ridiculous costly and timely, though the options are far prettier and better in quality than department store purchases. We also couldn't find anything RED. Um, wtf? Red is one of the primary colors, fer cryin' out loud. If that middle (black) dress was red, the search would likely be over by now, but nooo. It came in every hue BUT red. The only viable red dress we found was cute but was not comfortable in the least.

If I ruled the world, this J.Crew Silk tricotine Sophia short dress in Vintage Burgandy would cost 4 hugs, 7 kisses, and 1 rainbow.

But I don't rule the world, and the currency in America is not measured in love and affection. It's $150. One freakin' fifty.

For that price, J.Crew better be outsourcing its labor to blind Tibetian monks because this shit's bananas. I'm just sayin'.

Save This Date!

2009-04-10T23:08:00.000-07:00

I told you that I had finished our STD cards, and since they are trickling into mailboxes all across Southern California and New York, I can finally reveal them to you. I must say that I am quite proud of this spectacular DIY accomplishment. A special thank you to Debbie, my MOH, who was willing to hand feed every card into our lousy printer in order to get the best results.

My first step was making STD stickers. I knew that I could not afford getting magnets made, so I figured that stickers were a more budget-friendly alternative. This way, guests can just take the sticker and place it directly on their calendars. For this project, I used:

-Love Birds stamp from Michael's ($1)

-Fiskars' Round N' Round Punch ($10.38)

-Avery 8.5"x11" full sheet labels ($12.98)

-Chianti ink pad ($2.49)

-Leftover cardstock ($0)

-Glitter fabric paint from my grandmother's stash ($0)

I know that it seems costly, but I plan on using my round punch and full sheet labels for other wedding projects. Total cost for the project if I break it down to each label sheet I used and the stamp: $4.89

I made a template on Microsoft Word and then printed it out onto a full label sheet. I then punched them out and stamped them. I learned that I definitely have trouble centering things and I was too rushed. I even cut slits on all of the backings of the stickers for easing peeling. I also added some glitter to the hearts on the images. I made another template that said, "Mark your calendars. Just peel and stick." I printed this out onto some card stock and attached each sticker using double sided tape. I hope people realize that it is a sticker and make good use out of it.

A few days later, I finally tackled the actual STD card. As I mentioned before, I had purchased three boxes of Target invitation kits for a total of $20.10. I decided that I would print our STD cards on what will also be our RSVP cards since we had so many at our disposal. Easy enough, right? WRONG.

Debbie and I sat down in front of the computer and played around with numerous templates, fonts, colors, wording, and spacing. When we finally agreed upon the appearance of the card, we were faced with problems with our printer.

We had numerous mishaps where words would print out completely blurred and/or crooked. Some words were left out all together. Our printer also decided to eat a couple of pages or sometimes not pick anything up at all. It was a collaborative effort, but we managed to figure out the source of the problems and adjust accordingly.

The project turned into an assembly line. Debbie was in charge of making sure that everything printed out smoothly. I was to hand stamp each card with my "Save This Date" stamp from Michael's ($4.79) with gold ink ($3.59). In the end, we accumulated about twelve unusable cards. Not shabby for two girls using a temperamental printer and a stamp that was produced crooked.

These cards along with the stickers were enclosed in the envelopes that I had hand embossed earlier.

I volunteered Debbie to address the envelopes because her handwriting is much classier than my own.

Here is the final set that was mailed out to our guests:

Breakdown of costs if I do not include the cost of supplies I will use for later projects:

$4.89 for stickers + $4.79 for STD stamp + $6.7 for card stock and envelopes ($20.10/600 pieces x 100) + $17.30 for postage ($0.42 x 40 envelopes + $0.92 for special postage to France)=$32.14

Cost of each STD= $0.30 when not including postage

I've heard numerous positive comments about our STDs so now I am even more anxious to make our invitations. If Brandon lets me, I think I will print out our invitations on our own printer instead of sending it out to a professional for $60+.

I learned something about myself. I don't think I'm a Minzilla after all! I was not bothered by all of the flaws that I saw in the STDs and sent them out anyway. Debbie was incredibly worried that I was not as critical as she thought I should be. Perhaps my anal-retentiveness ways of the past have faded. Life has suddenly become easier.

I think the next post will be a guest post by Debbie on the hunt for the perfect bridesmaid dress...if there is such a thing.

Finding "The One"

2009-04-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

Warning: Do not read further if you do not want to see me in a wedding dress. The following pictures are not of the dress, but of some dresses that I could never afford.

I've already found my Prince Charming. His name is Brandon, and he wears ACUs instead of shining armor. Now, I'm on my hunt for my Cinderella ball gown.

Yesterday, my mom, sister, Belinda, and I headed to Mary Me Bridal in Orange for a bridal appointment with a very tall woman named Sue. I was not impressed by the service at first because I felt rushed and even a bit lost. I lied saying that my budget was $2,000 so that they would be willing to show me something. From what I saw, nothing was under $800. A single simple veil was $200. Belinda and I were allowed to look through their many dresses on our own while Sue grabbed what she thought I would like into the dressing room. We concluded that many looked too much like prom dresses.

I had gone in thinking that I liked something more fitted like this Jim Hjelm dress, but as soon as I put it on I knew that it was all wrong. All of my magazine clippings and tearouts were based on the trumpet gown, and I was really surprised to find that my preparation was meaningless. The trumpet silhouette is definitely not forgiving on those with wide hips and love handles. Plus, I felt like I couldn't even move.

Belinda and I had found a ball gown that I had wanted to try on "just for fun" and I immediately swelled up with emotion since it was my first dress. I felt the tears sneaking up as soon as Sue zipped me up and fitted it with her massive industrial clips. Suddenly, I was a bride.

I went out to show my mini-entourage and I could see tears forming in their eyes too. I was in that dress for another five minutes or so and knew that I had to move on. It only got better from there.

I had asked Sue to take down a dress we saw on a form near the front entrance. This gorgeous gown by Alvina Valenta could very well have been "The One". Since I cannot describe such a beautiful speciman on my own without ruining the integrity of it, I will leave it to the website: "Rum pink silk duchess satin A-line ball gown with full double box pleated skirt. Winter white alencon lace adorns scalloped sweetheart torso and creates illusion of a dropped waist. A deep border of winter white alencon lace surrounds hem. Covered buttons and loops over zipper down center back, chapel train."

I was in love. My boobs looked great. My waist looked tiny. The dress had everything I wanted. Lace, beading, texture, sweetheart neckline, pleating. Too bad this baby was over $5,000!

Lesson to all: Yes, it may be fun to try on dresses that are way over your budget, but you will just end up dreaming about those dresses because nothing else will ever be able to top them.

Sorry for the awkwardness in this picture. I had read some reviews of Mary Me Bridal saying that pictures were not allowed in the store so I had Belinda/Debbie snap some whenever Sue was away.

I reluctantly took her off and tried on another beautiful gown. This dress was "only" $1600. She was beautiful too. There was so much detail in this dress. It didn't have that sweetheart neckline, but a "smile" neckline. However, Sue said that she would alter it herself for only $20 compared to the $75 that they normally charge. I could even order the gown in a petite size so that the hem would not need to be changed. Sue was making it work for me every which way. I felt so guilty because I knew that I would never be willing to pay so much for a single dress. I was leading poor Sue on.

I ended our appointment by telling her that I had to think about it and we left. Belinda needed to head to work, but the rest of us went to the David's Bridal in Costa Mesa.

Coming from such a high end store to one where I can actually afford created a different experience. They were definitely less personal at David's Bridal, but we didn't mind because all we wanted to do was try on a few gowns. Besides, we already knew what would and wouldn't work on my body. Yes to A-Line. No to trumpet/mermaid.

After a few hits and misses, we landed on what will most likely be the dress. My consultant, Barbara, pulled out a dress that was brand new and wasn't even featured in their catalogue yet. It had wonderful detail for a much lower price of $695. Plus, it is on sale at the moment for $75 off. However, the sale ends on Monday so I have to make a quick decision. I need to determine if I really like the dress because my family likes it or if I like it.

I'll let you know when it happens.

P.S. I have finished my Save the Date cards (finally). They look a lot better than I had imagined. I'll post on that after I send them out.

My first DIY project

2009-03-24T19:02:00.000-07:00

I felt bad for not doing anything wedding related in a long time so I sat down and went to work when I had some free time last night and this morning. I completed 120 envelopes within two hours.

I embossed pretty flower stamps from Paper Source that resembled the peonies on our invitations onto plain white envelopes. These envelopes will be used to hold our STD cards and the RSVP cards we want our guests to send back.

Heat embossing is a technique used to raise patterns on paper, giving it texture and detail. It is an easy three-step process, and produces great results that can look almost professional if you do it right.

Here are the materials required for this easy project:

-Envelopes ($0.03 each)

-Rubber stamp ($7.50)

-A pigment ink pad ($3.59) . Other types of ink dry too quickly, and do not hold embossing powder as well. I used Chianti from ColorBox, a deep red that matches well with our colors.

-Clear embossing powder ($1.49)

-A heat gun ($14.99)

-Scratch paper to put underneath for easy cleanup ($0)

The heat gun is the priciest of the materials, but I think that it was a good investment. I purchased everything but the stamp with a 40% off coupon from Michaels.

The first step is to get a lot of ink onto your stamp and press it onto your envelope. Apply even pressure. Do not wiggle it back and forth. Lift the stamp up neatly and carefully.

Next, quickly pour a generous amount of embossing powder directly onto the inked image, making sure that it is entirely covered. Gently shake off excess powder. You can use the remaining powder for your other images. There is no wasting allowed when you're on a budget!

The flowers on the right in the picture have the powder on the ink and is a lighter color. The flowers on the left have been set with the heat gun and are nicely raised and defined.

The last step is to heat the image. Be sure not to hold the heat gun too close to the paper or else it will burn and discolor the paper. The powder will turn into a shiny liquid and will rise. Sit back, and admire your accomplishment.

Here are my final results:

Bella watched the fun happen and even licked a few envelopes

Sorry for the low quality photos, but you can see it better in person when they arrive in your mailbox.

My next project will be the actual STD. I have lots of plans running through my mind and I'm excited to see the end results.