5.

You are more than enough.

Pip

Poor little Pippi has not been doing too well lately. She's inexplicably sick, and had to have exploratory surgery this weekend. She's still hanging out at the vet hospital.

I hope the little bugger gets better soon. She is much too cute and much too teeny to be this sick.

This photo was from a couple of weekends ago, when Pippi was feeling 100% and spending her days tearing around the house, writhing on the floor, and making all sorts of strange birdie noises.

4.

Sometimes I feel like I'm just 

sitting here

waiting

for Real Life 

to begin

Observation

I guess I can't really claim that I'm an Anti-Bride when 95% of my posts for the past month have been wedding-related.

Damn.

Hey New J.Crew

I love you.

{Silk gazar Nanami gown by J.Crew}

3.

Sometimes I fear I'll wake up

from this dream but

each morning youre still

by my side

Book Lust

{Photo via The City Sage}

The Anti-Bride

Go here immediately for wedding perfection - a couple who cared solely about getting married, rather than throwing money at one days worth of fussy (and completely pointless) details.

60 people. The fountain at Lincoln Center. A subway ride to Queens. Restaurant reception. Happy faces. Perfect.

{Photo via A Practical Wedding}

The red is conspiculously similar to the mystery wedding dress...yum.

{The Tiffany Dress by Yaya Aflalo and Double Shirred Sheath by 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent via Shop The Violet Hour}

I Want to Go to There

Or if I can't go, I'd at least like to hang it on my wall.

{Praia Piquina by Christian Chaize, for sale on 20x200}

2.

when you hold 

my hand

you hold 

my heart

The Long and Short of It

I find myself inevitably drawn to short wedding dresses. Not much of a shocker since I'm so unconventional with the rest of the wedding fuss. But I really do have trouble seeing myself in a long dress.

Some people have said you should go long simply because, really, how many opportunities in life do you have to wear a long white dress?

But I'm always swooning over tea length. With unique necklines or backs. And almost always with sleeves. (Where did that whole strapless trend come from anyway? Certainly not from any notion of being universally flattering...)

So what do you think about short vs. long wedding dresses? Any styles in particular that you're fawning over? 

Any shopping recommendations?

{Photo by Samuelle Couture via A Cup of Jo}

Grizzly Pup

When I worked in New York I was literally right around the corner from Pocket Pooches.  Almost everyday I'd meander by and stare at the ridiculously teeny pups prancing in the window, along with the rest of the cooing crowd.  This little dude was my all time favorite.  A Pomeranian mix of some sort, he ended up looking like a bitty little grizzly bear.  I loved him.

Smitten

I am dangerously in love with Sarah Seven's gorgeous one of a kind dresses. Although strapless isn't really my thing, I think I'd make an exception for these three bridal beauties. And a pink one thrown in just for kicks.

{All dresses by Sarah Seven via A Practical Wedding}

Perfection

If I were to try and concoct a perfect dress, this is exactly what it would look like. If you know where I can find this dress I will pay you ONE MILLION DOLLARS.*

*In which "dollars" can best be described as "telepathic kisses"

{Photo via Once Wed}

Hung Up

I'm still fantasizing about Bailey Doesn't Bark, and this week they're offering 25% off absolutely everything via Daily Candy Deals. I think the Four Seasons plate set would look adorable hanging in the kitchen.

1.

It's hard to juggle your dreams

when the weight of reality is always waiting

to drop into your other hand.

Looking Back

The other day I spent a disturbingly long period of time emailing myself photos stored on my cell phone.  Around 110 of them in fact.  Apparently I take a lot of pictures.  And save a lot of pictures.  And of course, I would venture to say 90% of those photos were of food.  Surprise surprise.  

But pretty much all of them made me laugh - and though I think technology is getting a little bit out of control, and sometimes takes over our lives in a negative way, I can confidently say that I'm glad to have had 110 opportunities to snap a picture and remember some silly little moment.   I thought I'd share some here.

[Warning re. things to come:  I really like pancakes.  And eggs.  And kittens.]

This photo represents the first time my cold cruel heart cracked open and let in a small furry creature.  Senior year of college my 7 housemates and I cat sat for a friend.  Much to my surprise, I fell a tad bit in love with Gabby.  Here I had just come back from a Rutgers football game, and Gabby nestled her way into my lap.  I was crushed when I came back from class a few days later and she had returned to her rightful owner.  

This is what literary heaven looks like

An ingenius use of Ikea bookshelves creates a bibliophile's dream.

{Photo via Apartment Therapy}

Tied Up

I can't believe it. When I saw this dress on Style Me Pretty I swooned. Then I read that it was Nicole Miller, checked out the Web site, and wouldn't you know, I saved a photo of this exact same dress years ago.

Who knows how I found it (or why I was investigating Nicole Miller wedding dresses years ago) but, case in point, I still love it. I love the scoop neckline. I love the cap sleeves. And I'm all about extravagant backs.

{Photo via Style Me Pretty and Nicole Miller - Double Face Cap Sleeve Bow Back Gown}

Book Lust + Kitchen Envy

A bright and sunny double whammy of bookshelf/kitchen goodness. Drool.

{Photo via Apartment Therapy}

Book Lust

This is definitely one of my all time favorites bookcase photos. Literally sky high. Dreamy.

{Photo from Diane Bergeron via Desire to Inspire}

Wishlist

I love every one of Robert Ryan's prints. Don't you think they'd make beautiful wedding gifts?

{Print by Robert Ryan}

Postnuptial Depression

In my morning blog browsing, I came across this article on Time.com about Postnuptial Depression.

It's an interesting read that provides good insight into the wedding industry. And as bogus as it sounds - Postnuptial Depression? Really? The sad part is, it makes complete sense.

After a year or two of focusing all of your energies on The Big Day - of planning and obsessing about everything from the perfect font for your save the date (barf) to the right shade of periwinkle for your table linens (barf) - of being fawned over by friends and relatives (not bad) - of hearing the excited coos of strangers who remark on your diamond and inquire about your wedding plans (pretty sweet) - it's kind of hard to get back to Real Life. To a life in which you yourself are no longer a bridal centerpiece, propped up smiling and radiant in the middle of your perfectly planned event.

It all goes back to the root of the problem: we're focused on the Wedding, not the Marriage.

It makes perfect sense that people feel a let down after their Wedding, but it's only because they've completely distorted their views of reality and what that day represents in the first place.

It's articles like these that always make me want to drop all of the planning, slink out of the spotlight, go to City Hall, and start a life together with the person I love.

Which is the point.

Remember?

Tasty

Thanks to Style Me Pretty, I discovered that Net-a-Porter.com recently opened a bridal boutique. And I immediately swooned over this GORGEOUS Thurley Silk Collar Gown. At $895 its more than I intend to spend, but that detail is out of this world. Yum.

Wedding Photographers - or, Another Means of Impoverishing a Bride

There are details of the whole wedding planning shennanigan that I really thought I could avoid.  Like photographers.  And centerpieces.  And DJs.  And all of that other fluff that just adds up and ends up contributing to the fact that the average cost of a U.S. wedding is $29k.  Which makes me want to vomit in disgust.

However, the more I start to sink into the process, the more I realize that sometimes its just easier to hire a professional, rather than try and worry about all of the details yourself.  

Much of my day today - amidst coughing up a phlegmy lung, blowing my nose every two seconds, and generally scaring off all coworkers within a 100 foot radius - was spent pondering what a professional wedding photographer could bring to The Big Day.  

My conclusion:  quite a lot.  

Then I started looking at pricing, and my already muddled brain verged on an implosion of catastrophic proportions.  

The cheapity cheapy cheapest wedding package I found was $899.  The average?  Probably between $3k-5k.  Well.  That throws a wrench in my plans.

Pros:  You don't have to worry about whether your guests are too tipsy to hold a camera straight and get a decent photo.  You don't have to worry about whether you're going to look back and which you had someone there who could capture that stolen kiss at the perfect moment at the reception.  You're assured (hopefully) of excellent quality photos.  And a whole slew to choose from.

Cons:  Everyone has a camera nowadays.  A lot of people have really NICE cameras nowadays.  Do you really want a creepy stalker photographer getting up in everyone's grill and snap snap snapping away on your special day?  Are a few high quality photos worth more than an extra week (or two!) of honeymooning?  

I'd love to hear your thoughts:  

Hiring a professional wedding photographer - yay or nay?

And, if your answer is yay, any recommendations for the New Jersey area?

{Photo by Our Labor of Love via their blog}

In This Boat Together

{Print by weathergirlshop via Design for Mankind}

Happiness is...

...a girl and her jewels.

Faulkner

Love, he called it. But I had been used to words for a long time. I knew that word was like the others: just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time came, you wouldn't need a word for that anymore than for pride or fear.

- As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner

Kitchen Envy

{Photo via Domino}

Yummy

I would have a REALLY hard time choosing between the red and black. Can I wear this to my wedding?

{Rebecca Minkoff Deep V Back Dress via Daily Candy}

I Love

I'd love to hang these grown-up white lights somewhere in my (future) apartment.

{Lights by helenemagnusson via Bliss}

Veils - Yay or Nay?

So. A question for the masses.

How do you feel about veils?

I find them sweet, although rather pointless, but I just don't think I could pull it off. Maybe it has something to do with my short hair, but when I conjure up an image of myself in a veil I just want to crack up laughing. And then rip it off my head and bury it under a pile of other old-fashioned religious traditions that serve minimal purpose in (my) modern society.

However, I've come to realize I'm rather smitten with birdcage veils.

I think that this sweet city hall wedding was responsible for starting my obsession. I love the vintage appeal and dash of intrigue.

Plus, sites like Etsy offer hundreds of fabulous handmade options.

I'm curious to know what you think... How do you feel about birdcage veils? Traditional veils? The importance or significance of bridal veils in general?

{Photos from Rock n Roll Bride here and here, Ben Chrisman, brendasbridalveils and myrakim}

The Dress

I ADORE this vintage cocktail wedding dress.

{Photos via Rock n Roll Bride}

Venue Perfection

I saw this photo and gasped. Any wedding venue that can be this sweet and simple, filled with gorgeous natural light, and showcase built in bookcases really rocks my world.

{Photo by Sarah Sloboda via Rock n Roll Bride}

Book Lust

White bookshelves + a rainbow of colorful spines = Perfection.

{Photo from Domino}

I am

{Print by Mike Monteiro via Design is Mine}

Why hello there

Apologies for becoming a bit of a slacker in the posting department.

Not that I imagine many people are burying their heads in their pillows and crying themselves to sleep each night because I haven't posted a white kitchen or towering built-in bookshelves or a slew of new J.Crew blouses.

But you know, just in case anyone is feeling particularly abandoned and folorn, I am sorry.

The truth is, I have been much too busy prancing around the Mecca that is Bed Bath & Beyond, fondling flatware and skillets, to possibly have time to do something as intangible and silly as blog. I mean, really. Why spend time blabbering on a blog when you can be making a list of all of the glorious items that you would like to soon reside in the (very white) kitchen of your future! Let's prioritize people.

(PS - I think I permanently traumatized Jared by sending him that BB&B suggested registry checklist. Oops.)

(PPS - Just cross out all of that formal dinnerware nonsense on that list. Who needs china and silver? Seriously. Who?)

But in all serious, I have been happily basking in the glow of the engagement buzz. (And you wouldn't believe how lovely my ring looks in the office bathroom! Who would have thought...) Jared and I are chatting about plans, figuring out the details, and I'm continually reminded about how little I care about all of the little details that are typically part of The Wedding process.

Let me share a brief list of details about which I DO NOT CARE whatsoever, and will probably ignore completely: save the dates, invitations, centerpieces, decorations, bouquets, veils, menu cards, place cards, seating charts, favors, table linens, color schemes, cake toppers ...

Oh, perhaps it would just be easier to tell you about the very limited number things I DO have some inkling of interest in:

• THE. FOOD. - In all honesty this is the only thing I care about. I want a nice location, lovely ambience, and mind blowingly delicious food. And tons of people tell me "Oh, we didn't even get a BITE of food at our wedding!" and to that I say "Ha!" Watch me. Because come eatin' time, people better stay the heck away and let me eat in peace.

I also somewhat care about:

• The dress (I want it to be simple and lovely, and very inexpensive, and I am 99% sure it will come from J.Crew)
• Shoes (Comfortable and danceable and wearable after the wedding)

Oh, and the honeymoon of course.

But really, it all comes back to the food.

And with that said, I will now return to ammending the BB&B registry list and dreaming about dinnerware.

Kitchen Envy

{Photo via Domino}

A Gchat Conversation with Jared

Jared:  I think you and Pippi are kindred spirits

Me:    Really.  
           Why?

Jared:  She wanders around the house making strange noises
            I can just imagine it being
             I'm hungry
             I think i should have a snacky
            Dry food or wet food?
            Fish and chips?
            Beefsteak meat sauce?
            Hmm i can't decide
           Oooo that's a pretty string
            I think i will play with it
            I'm boredddd
            Sooo by the wayyyy boo proposedddd and we're engageddd
            Just wanted to let you knowwww

Book Lust

I adore the entire apartment, from this gorgeous bookshelf to the perfectly petite kitchen.

{Photo via Design Sponge}

On True Love and Pink Cabinets

"I'm telling you right now: if you go to your man with a situation that's fixable and he doesn't try to fix it, he is not your man—he is not in love with you. Go ahead, I dare you to try it for yourself. When your man comes over, tell him, "You know, I just can't stand this kitchen this way. The color just throws me all off, the cabinets are all wrong, they don't go with the stove and I can't get my mind right in here when I'm trying to cook." If he's all the way in it with you, he will say, without hesitation, "What color you want this kitchen to be, baby?" Tell him "pink," and see if by next Saturday the whole kitchen isn't painted pink, cabinets and all."

-Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, Steve Harvey (excerpt via here)

Dum dum dum dum

Some of you may have realized from previous posts that I am not the hugest fan of the whole wedding hoopla. OK, fine. "Not the hugest fan" is kind of a euphemism for "I think it is all the hugest load of materialistic crap."

There, I've said it.

I think the whole fancy schmancy Save the Dates, mile-high centerpieces, cake-crafted-in-the-shape-of-an-Orca-whale, $10k Vera Wang dress is a huge insult to the institution of marriage.

Basically, people want to have a huge blowout performance, flaunt their wealth, and try and upstage their friends.

I despise it.

My wedding hatred has increased exponentially over the years, as I have more of a first hand look into the inanity involved with the whole process. Suffice it to say that I have vowed to myself to never, ever, be a Bridezilla. In fact, I consider myself the anti-Bridezilla.

But.

That was before I was cursed with The Power of The Ring, which, wouldn't you know, has Crazy-Making properties all it's own.

Within 24 hours of getting engaged, I had been bombarded with the question "So have you set the date? What are you thinking? Do you have a time frame yet?" approximately ten thousand times. Who knew some diamonds came along with so much pressure?

The low point was when Jared and I decided to create a preliminary guest list, just for kicks, just to see what we're looking at, and... wow. Mistake. Big mistake. HUGE. Let's just say, within minutes I was all Bridezillaed out and snarling evil ring-induced retorts about some of Jared's choices.

I've chosen to think of that Guest List Bridezilla Hour as my wake up call. In my desperate resolve to have a mellow, fun. and completely non-stressful wedding, I started stressing out pretty much immediately.

I will be trying my very very hardest not to fall prey to the Bridal Crazies again.

I'm letting you all know in advance, not to get too excited about a deluge of wedding posts. And be warned that I will NOT be having Save the Dates, a poofy dress, floral centerpieces, favors, a wedding party, or any of that other malarkey.

My sister, on the other hand, may be well on her way to the land of the Maidzilla...

{Photo via lenacorwin - aka a perfectly lovely, mellow outdoor wedding}

Mankind Mag: March 2009 - The 2AM Issue!

Here's to night owls everywhere!

Head over and buy your very own copy for just $1.99. With 100+ pages of creative goodness, PLUS a free music download, you can't beat this very Recession-friendly deal.

As always, you can check me out rounding up the news and putting together some late-night confessions!

We're Engaged!

And I could not be happier.