We had our coordination meeting at the chapel yesterday - seems like everything is well in order. The chapel is very professional and with it, so we're both confident that things will go smoothly day-of. It was just a gorgeous day, too, to be out there in PV - one of the clearest days you could ever have. Catalina was doing it's thing (being an island), and also one of the channel islands (not sure if it was San Nicholas or Santa Barbara) was also visible. Cold in the shade, but perfect in the sun. We are hoping to get a similar day in April :)

After that we scouted out the Queen Mary hotel (you can stay in the ship's cabins). It's got great proximity to The Reef restaurant where we are having our reception, so that is a plus. There's not much around it, but on the other hand, I think that makes it pretty safe place to stay. I wasn't sure if the rooms would be musty, but ends up it was a very nice room which wasn't too small. Hallways are 2 if not 3 times wider than modern cruise ships which is nice.

Next, we went to the Courtyard Marriott by the Long Beach convention center and the Best Western which was right across the street. Saw rooms in the Courtyard, and though we did not see rooms in the Best Western, we found out the the building is under two years old so I'm sure it's great inside. The neighborhood seemed quiet, but I'm not sure what it is like at night. There's a restaurant across from the hotels and maybe other things to do nearby.

Emily ordered the unity candle, and after a skype conference with my parents, we're getting closer on the rehearsal dinner...

Emily and I got all the goodies in the mail for the save the date cards! We really like how it all came out - we essentially got a free full bleed color photo printed on the back side of the note card, and it looks great. So we assembled it all together last night. All we have left to do is get our guest list transferred to the mailing label template, print and affix the labels, and get 'em mailed. We were talking and we really had to get a lot of stuff done to get to this point. Have to have a date, a city, engagement photos, guest list... whew, neat to see it all come together.

We're also hunting around for my ring. Might make a trip up to the jewelry district on some Saturday to try some on, though I'm seeing one or two I like on Blue Nile. "I'm not spungin' fer rum! It be gold I'm after!"

A couple of weeks ago I picked up my dress, since it came in much too early to start alterations. My aunt- and uncle-to-be are kindly letting me keep it at their house, so that we can have the big surprise walk down the aisle! On the hanger, it looks like a giant pile of fabric, so only a couple of people know what it really looks like …

This left me with quite the predicament. How do you store a dress for six months? There's plenty of information on how to preserve a dress, but that's assuming you're not going to wear it for a long time. So as a PSA to my fellow brides to be, here's what I learned:

Store your dress in a fabric garment bag - not plastic. Something that breathes well. If it's for longer, store it in a paper box (think like a giant cake box, with no plastic window). I read the plastic could make the fabric moldy or smelly. Ew.

Storing it in a box is better for longer term. If you store it in a box, fold it accordion style and put acid-free tissue paper between the folds. I don't know what kind of paper that is, but the dry cleaner might have some.

Since this is only a few months (OK, a lot of months), keeping it in the garment bag works. Hang it by the annoying little dress straps that always pop out at inopportune times. Then wrap it in a plain, white, brand new, unwashed flat sheet. (That might be overkill, but whatever.) I bought a queen size for my dress, and twin for my veil, and they worked out pretty well. The idea is to keep the light out, but keep air moving.

Ultimately, it'll need to be steamed and pressed again. Seems like that should come with the alterations, though.

Our photographer let us know she posted a couple of pictures from our engagement session last week. Super crazy yay!

So far I think I like this one the best ... but ask again in five minutes; I'll have changed my mind.

See the rest here!

We got our engagement photos taken this Saturday at Manhattan Beach. I think it is one of the most beautiful beach areas around in the city since it has some nice houses tiered on a hill, a decent pier, and typically a great view of Palos Verdes and the South Bay. Saturday's weather was pretty good, though unfortunately PV was in some fog and tough to see.



But engagement pictures aren't about the location - they're about us! We had a lot of fun shooting on the pier, around in the alleys by the houses, and also on the sand. We should see the photos in the next week or two... can't wait!

Oh, I'm so excited. We just got confirmation that Araxi Photography is photographing our wedding!

Eeek!

I saw her work when my coworker got married last year. Even as a second photographer, she had such a great eye for detail - their pictures were amazing! They found her through (ready?) my coworker's husband's family friend. Most of the pictures on her blog were family portraits, but I love those too. And, she's just a downright nice person.

I think our site(s) are a great match for her style, and I think our formal portraits will be real family treasures. And that's what it's all about!

First: I look at a lot of wedding-related stuff. Tons of pictures from photographers. Now, there aren't really any ugly, or terrible weddings; I can't say I've ever seen one that made me think "oh my, they did that??" But the thing that really makes or breaks the wedding for me?

The dress.

If the bride's dress isn't a huge, fantastic, architectural wonder, the whole rest of the photos are just meh to me. They could have amazing flowers, cute favors, an 11-tier cake, the cutest ideas. I just can't get past the dress.

Sadly, big, fantastic dresses just aren't in style right now. And it's not like I can't say I don't love these sleek, silky, lacy dresses - they're amazing. I never tried a single one on. They just didn't feel like wedding dresses to me; they were just really pretty dresses that I like and wish I had somewhere to wear them.

Thankfully my dress is on a slow boat from China. And it certainly wasn't what I had envisioned, but it's somehow the perfect dress for me. It's the type of dress that makes the wedding a production ... a monumental life event. Because that's what it is!

Now, I will need something for the rehearsal ...