Color me confused

I tend to have trouble making decisions about 95% of the time — big or small, serious or trivial. When I eat out, I will sometimes agonize over the menu for quite a while before making a decision, only to change my mind about it the moment the server walks away to place my order. Not wanting to be a pain, I will not change my order; instead I will just sit and pout and scold myself for my poor decision, and once my food comes I will become painfully aware that it isn't *really* what I wanted. Totally mature, right?

So, when it comes to a color palette for my wedding, I have not, to say the least, strayed from my indecisiveness.

From the very beginning of the planning extravaganza, I thought I'd like to incorporate a lavender or purple of some sort into our colors. I also always liked the unpredictability and punch of purple and red together, so for a little while, I thought this would be a great color scheme. Until, that is, my BFF/MatronOH pointed out that my wedding could resemble a gathering of these ladies:

photo via http://www.rsc.org/

photo via http://www.clevelandwomen.com/resources/redhat.htm

Now don't get me wrong -- I have nothing against the lovely ladies of the Red Hat Society. But, well, it's just that I don't really want my wedding resembling one of their tea parties.

Back to the drawing board I went...

I have always had a penchant for a lovely shade of celery green, and started to think that this could be a very pretty accent to my lavender-tone. But of course I can't settle on just two colors — I have to throw in a third to spice it up a bit. So how about a blue?

I love love love teal, but I also love love love light blue. What about something kind of in-between? Does robin's egg blue do the trick?

So into my trusty QuarkXPress I journeyed, with my handy dandy Pantone swatch book by my side. Here, ladies and gentlemen, is the progression of where I ended up:

I liked this for a while.... I was thinking of a purple-tone for bridesmaid's dresses, and I thought I'd focus on the celery green color for our save-the-dates (maybe even making it a little brighter), since I feel like they can be a bit more fun, and then toning things down for a more formal invitation.

After a little while, though, my indecisiveness started to get the best of me, and I started to wonder if this palette was still just a little too Easter-y. Then, I came across this lovely palette in Martha Stewart Weddings (Fall 2007):


Hmm. Emerald and aqua. Still not exactly what I want, but I became a little obsessed with the unpredictability of this palette. It's fresh, unexpected and not too season-specific. And really, if Martha says it's okay, well then so do I. This palette does not involve any bit of lavender or purple, though, so essentially my whole original palette could be going out the window.

I knew that the bridesmaid's dress color could very largely dictate my color palette... but I had yet to pick a bridesmaid's dress and didn't know what colors were out there. So, I kept this pretty palette in the back of my mind; I made plans to venture out and start looking around to not only pick a dress for my maids, but to also *hopefully* get a bit more of a concrete color palette nailed down.

Stay tuned for my decision!!

The times, they are a-changin'

Over the summer, I received invitations to four weddings. Three out of the four invitations had envelopes that were fed through a home printer with guest's addresses. Although I have seen many etiquette sources that forbid this practice, it made me wonder: should etiquette rules be revised and adjusted as the times change?

The argument is that printed envelopes are not as personal as hand-written or calligraphered (calligraphed? calligraphied? I have no clue) ones. But realistically, feeding envelopes through a printer after inputting all of the addresses is not exactly effortless or quick; there is still time involved in personalizing things for each guest. And, it can actually look nice (not to mention it's ideal for budget-conscious brides who have chicken-scratch handwriting, like me). So, where lies the problem? Is there a problem, or are many etiquette rules just outdated and, consequently, ignored?

Are the queens and kings of etiquette just too stubborn to consider updating the "rules" due to technological advancements? What other etiquette rules do you find outdated, or worthy of ignoring?

Finding "The" Dress, Part Two

** Mr. Cupcake, I know you are probably not reading this.... but if you are, READ NO FURTHER!!!! Seriously!!!!!! **

On my third dress shopping extravaganza, it was just me and Momma Cupcake, and we had appointments at a whopping four bridal salons in the area (yes — all in one day!). Maybe that was a little ambitious, but we had a blast!

On this particular Saturday, we started out at 10 a.m. at Forever Formals in Kennett Square, PA. Tracey was our sales assistant, and she was 100% delightful to work with. She let Momma Cupcake and me look through the dresses and stepped in only when we found something we thought I should try on. The fitting room here was the nicest and most spacious I had been in yet, and Tracey was helpful and speedy without rushing us.

We found some really beautiful gowns -- some looked okay on, and some looked ridiculous and I didn't even get in them all the way before I took them off! There was one in particular that we liked the best out of them all: The Maggie Sottero Marissa dress. They had it in the darkest color, which was called Vienna Cream, but try to picture it in ivory!

I was surprised by how flattering the neckline was on me; I liked the crystal details on the neckline and on the "knife pleats" below the dropped waist. I liked the asymmetrical cut and the asymmetrical crystal detail in the back. The train was a little plain for my liking, but Tracey said we could probably add some crystal details. I wasn't so sure about the corset back, since I've always been a bigger fan of buttons, and I think I could grow to like the corset. Also, I was trying not to have my mind too set on the lace thing, but it just didn't seem as "me" as the dresses I had tried with lace. Momma Cupcake really loved this dress on me, and I certainly liked it a lot, but was looking forward to continuing our search to see what else was out there.

Our second stop was The Wedding Touch in Frazer, PA. Sylvia was our sales assistant, and she was very sweet. She truly enjoys what she does and got a good feel for what I liked the more I talked to her. I tried on a few really pretty dresses, but wasn't extremely blown away by anything. I thought that maybe I was just at the point of trying on so many gowns that I was becoming numb to the "feeling" I was supposed to have!

....Until I tried on a particular Casablanca gown.

This photo is a little weird to me -- like they Photoshopped her chest away!
This is a little more "normal" looking and shows the amazing lace and beading.
Love. This. Train.

The style # is 1860; I don't think the photos online do the dress much justice, and it looks completely different on me since I am shorter, bustier, and overall curvier than this model! But I still like to show the difference, because I think it proves that you really can't always judge a dress by how it looks on the model.

So, without further ado.... here is the dress on me!

The back.... we didn't take a lot of time to lay out the train all pretty, but you get the gist.
It is not what I imagined for myself at the beginning, yet it has a lot of the details that I have liked in other dresses -- the v-neck (that really sits on the outermost point of the shoulder, which I love), the dropped waist, the slimmer fit (while not a sheath dress, it does have a little bit of poof without being overwhelming), and, of course: lace, lace, lace.

The detailing seems like a lot, but when I put it on, I just felt like a much better version of myself. The details weren't overwhelming to my size or figure, and I liked that the beading and lace really blended into the rest of the dress (I hate when details stand out in a different color or tone). Overall it had a very vintage, classic feel to it that seems to suit my "old soul" type of personality and style (or at least the style I've always wished I had!).

Momma Cupcake was also really into this dress -- I know she is not the one who will be wearing the dress, and there were certainly some dresses that she loved on the hanger than I wouldn't even try on, but it seems like when I find something that is right, it is something that we both love equally. She is my best friend and I really value her opinion; plus, she used to be really into sewing (she sewed her own wedding gown and ALL her bridesmaid's gowns back in the 70s!), so I trust her opinion on how things are made and how nice materials are.

The real "wow" moment for this dress came when Momma Cupcake started to tear up -- as much of a crier as I am, my mom has never been quite as emotional as me. So when she IS emotional, I cry, even if I don't know why she's crying! She started to get a little teary-eyed and said "it just reminds me of my mother" and we both lost it. (My grandmother died when my mom was 24, before I was born.) Through my tears I joked, "well now I have to get it!" But it was really the first dress that gave me that "the one" feeling. (It's not an urban wedding myth after all!) It felt good to know that this had the vintage charm of something my grandmother might have worn, and that didn't make me feel like I needed to work on my body to make me love it more -- it looked great on me, the way I am right now. Things just started to fall into place. And, bonus: it is under $1000!

Funny thing: when we got into the car to go to our next stop, I paged through my wedding binder and found that I had torn out a picture of this dress before! It still looked completely different, but it was fun to know that I had noticed it before.

To cut this novel short, I will say that we continued on to our last two appointments, the second of which was at a store that carried the original Jasmine dress that I thought I loved — and this dress no longer did anything for me. Aside from it being about three sizes too big on me, I just saw that it wasn't the dress that would truly flatter me, even if it was the right size and altered to fit me. It was a great starting off point which eventually led me to "the" dress, though.

A few weeks later, after it had all sunk in, Mama Cupcake, FMIL, and my MatOH came along when I went to try on the Casablanca dress one more time. As MatOH said, it was a "no brainer" and the troops were unanimous — I HAD to get this dress! I kept it on for maybe 15 or 20 minutes, loving every second of it and loving the dress more and more the longer I kept it on. So, I got measured, and wonderful Mama Cupcake (who does so much for me and is doing so much for our wedding that I could never thank her enough) put down the deposit. DONE! Such a great feeling!

Aside from the few clips on the dress when I tried it on, the sample was very close to my normal size, so this is the size we ordered. For an extra $85, it will also be custom cut to my height with 2.5" heels on (which will probably save us a few hundred dollars in the alterations that would have otherwise been needed removing and re-stitching all of the detailed lace along the bottom hem). It is hard to tell, but the sample is champagne and that is the same color I ended up ordering. It's basically a more pink ivory that is flattering to my Italian skin tone (where as regular ivory has more yellow, which brings out the olive tone of my skin, which I am not a fan of!).

Also, you can't see in pictures, but each button on the back is beaded with the same detail as the rest of the dress. Truly spectacular!!!

I really like the veil that I am wearing, too. I didn't see the need to order that right away, but I might end up buying this one. I like how the subtle scalloped edge picks up the detail of the dropped waist, and the beading along the edge frames my face while picking up the beading on the dress. I'm also not a fan of "poof" so I like that this veil is a single layer -- no blusher for me (just not my thing and I swear I feel claustrophobic when I wear a blusher.... yes, I'm weird like that!). I would get it a bit longer (I honestly forget the length I want.... 50-something inches? They wrote it down!) because I liked the way another longer veil looked with the dress.

I am so ecstatic about this purchase; I feel like I really found the dress that suits my body, style, and personality to a T. I also like that it will help to set the tone for a somewhat vintage-meets-modern/eclectic style wedding, in terms of decor, flowers, and stationery.

Finding "The" Dress, Part One

Some brides-to-be dread dress shopping. They don't like putting on garments that are ill-fitting, undressing in front of bridal consultants, or searching through piles of satin and taffeta to find "the" dress that is supposed to be the absolute end-all, be-all of bridal gowns.

I am NOT one of these brides.

I L-O-V-E-D loved dress shopping! It was so fun seeing all of the amazing (and some, *ahem* interesting) dresses out there, and figuring out all the little things I liked and disliked. It was fun to feel pampered with bridal consultants bringing me dresses and catering to my needs. Getting helped into dresses by bridal consultants really didn't bother me, which I attribute to years of being involved in musical theatre with co-ed dressing rooms(!). And, for once in my life, I got to try on clothes that are actually made for women with more than a B-cup bra size!

I began on a mission to find a particular Jasmine dress that took my breath away when I first saw it online:

Photos via Jasmine Bridal.

This dress had all of the details I had had in the back of my mind since the beginning, all squeezed into one lovely, delicate pile of taffeta and lace. It is not strapless (although strapless looks good on me, I would like to try for something different); it has lace, but is not ALL lace; it's not all-satin; it has an a-line skirt but not too fru-fru full; it has an assymetrical waist; it has a nice train; and it doesn't have a sash (I feel like sashes only emphasize the shortness of my torso).

I had the pleasure of being accompanied by my maid and matron of honor, as well as Mama Cupcake, on my first dress shopping excursion. We first went to Bridal Sophisticate in Media, PA, where I tried on about six dresses. Although I enjoyed the experience, I really wasn't blown away by any of the dresses, and at the same time I didn't really know what I was expecting. Plus, the fitting rooms were smaller than some of the dresses I tried on, and I actually banged my knees and elbows more than once trying to maneuver into or out of the dresses!

After a nice lunch with my favorite ladies, we then ventured to Fantasia Bride & Cocktail in Delaware (hooray for tax-free shopping!), about 25 minutes away. This was actually the only store within about an 80 mile radius that had a sample of the Jasmine dress that I was a little obsessed with at the time. Fantasia was tightly packed with dresses, but we were the only ones in the store so we swiftly picked out about 6 dresses to try on. Although this shop wasn't as "posh" as Bridal Sophisticate, the fitting rooms were MUCH more spacious and I didn't feel like I had to squeeze into dresses that were bigger than the room I was standing in.

Strangely, there were no clips to be found to make the dress fit me, and it was at least two sizes too big for me.... and, we weren't supposed to take pictures, but we managed to sneak a few!


One thing that concerned me was the width of the lace V-neck -- it doesn't seem as delicate as I pictured it to be. However, this may be cured by actually buying the right size and having a good seamstress fix it up a bit. Aside from that, I love the asymmetrical cut, I adore the V-back and my heart skips a beat when I see the train..... it's soooo lovely!!

I also tried on this dress, which I had noticed before online, and I'm pretty sure a bee has worn this before... it looked way better on her :-)

Although I loved this dress in pictures and on the hanger, it doesn't do much for me in pictures, and I'm not sure it's entirely flattering. (Kind of creates a una-boob, no?) Tan lines aside, I'm just not sure it's "me," and something about the lace details of the other dress really call out to me.

Enter "dress shopping extravaganza: day two." One weekend, Mr. Cupcake and I went to visit his parents, about a 2 hour drive from where we live. By early that Saturday afternoon, Mr. Cupcake started to feel under the weather and proceeded to take a nap, and since his naps tend to last for many hours, I knew I was on my own. Being kind of bored and knowing that FMIL (whose only child is Mr. Cupcake, and who also has 6 nephews and one lone niece) was chomping at the bit to go dress shopping with me, I proposed that we go check out a local shop I had found online called Taylored for You Bridal Boutique. (That's not a typo -- the owner's name is Taylor, which is why it is spelled the way it is!) I called the shop and Taylor herself said I didn't need an appointment and they would have some time to show me some dresses, so we got right in the car and ventured over there.

I really wasn't expecting to have as much fun as I did! Taylored for You is a cute little house-turned-shop that has a pink dress-shaped sign out front. Inside, the shop was tiny but clean, and overall it was a wonderfully friendly and professional environment. At first, I only found 3 dresses on the racks that I wanted to try on, but Taylor's employee, Leigh, kept pulling things out that she thought I would like. She ended up having a real knack for picking things that were flattering to my shape, and, even better, most of the samples fit me like a glove (albeit a slightly tight glove) so I could really envision what it would look like without clips all over it.

Now I know I went through this whole thing about not wanting a strapless dress, and not really liking satin..... but then, I laid my eyes on Lea Ann Belter's Olivia dress. It was one of the three that I had originally taken off the rack to try on, and when I put it on, I was shocked at how much I adored it.


Something about the subtle heart-shaped neckline was really flattering to my not-quite-petite bust, and just look at the waist it gives me! Believe me, that is not my waist, it is a complete illusion. The satin was the softest, most beautiful satin I have ever felt, and the lack of too much "poof" really suited my 5' 3.75" frame (yes, that 3/4" matters!). Granted, I am standing on a stool, but I just felt very tall and slender and.... bridal.

Did I mention that Mr. Cupcake's mom cried when I put this on? Granted, it was the first dress of the lot that I tried on, and the first time she had ever really seen me in a bridal gown, but at least she didn't think it looked bad on me. Definitely, definitely did not think it looked bad on me.

I also really liked this dress below, although it still doesn't have enough going on up top for me to love it as much as the Olivia, and it is not totally flattering to my chest. I actually don't know the name of this dress, but it is also a Lea Ann Belter. One thing I do love about it is the slimmer fit below the waist -- apparently that is flattering to my figure. Who knew?


Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), both of these dresses were pretty much completely out of my budget at nearly $3000, so I really couldn't consider them as real contenders. But since I tried on such beautiful creations, I was not as set on my original Jasmine choice as I was before. I realized that I really didn't know exactly what I was looking for, and I needed to look further, not just for a dress that I love but a dress that looks good on me.

Stay tuned for my next dress shopping excursion!

I heart Ikea

A few months ago I helped to host a bridal shower for my future cousin-in-law (Mr. Cupcake's cousin's fiancee... got that??). I was put in charge of the favors, so I went to Ikea — one of my favorite places to just wander and imagine all the possibilities -- and got these cute little jars that are like miniature versions of old school candy shop jars. For 36 jars, I paid about $28. They can sit upright or tilted on their side. I bought a slew of lavender satin ribbon from papermart.com to wrap around the lids, designed little labels with the happy couple's names and wedding date, and filled them with mini pastel mints.


Voila! They were a big hit with guests of all ages. Cute, no?

The Cupcake's Engagement Story

On February 10, 2007, Mr. Cupcake and I had plans to meet two of our friends at Monk’s, a great Belgian bar in Center City Philadelphia. We took a cold walk to the train station in our quaint little town to catch a train into the city, arriving early enough to walk around before meeting our friends. Since we had some time to spare, Mr. Cupcake suggested that we head over to the municipal building, where there are life-sized game pieces surrounding the building.

You see, three years prior, Mr. Cupcake and I ventured to this same place only a few months into our relationship; after spontaneously hopping a train from Manayunk to Center City on a lazy Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed lunch at Fado and strolled from the municipal building and City Hall down towards the Kimmel Center, talking and people-watching. We took fun pictures with the giant gamepieces at the municipal building and enjoyed each other’s company; something happened that day that could never truly be explained, and the day became known as “the day we fell in love.”

Miss Cupcake and a big ol' Sorry gamepiece, four years ago

Mr. Cupcake chillin' with the Monopoly wheelbarrow

"Love".... awwww....

Fast-forward to February 2007, and we were in the same place on a bit of a colder day, me with my camera in-hand (as usual). Upon arrival at the area surrounding the municipal building, a man asked Mr. Cupcake for some change for bus fare — always willing to lend a hand, Mr. Cupcake gave the man some change from his pocket. The man thanked him, and, seeing my camera, asked if he could take a picture of Mr. Cupcake “and his wife.” We told him we weren’t married, and the man said “well, you should marry her!” and moved on to catch his bus.

After that encounter (which I pretty much just laughed off), we perused the area and recreated some of the amusing photos we had taken three years earlier. After laughing and being silly as usual, Mr. Cupcake suddenly got a little serious and sentimental while sitting on the giant domino. He expressed his feelings for me, and reminded me of what this place meant to us and our relationship. Then, he got down on one knee, and popped the big question! After a brief moment of shock and disbelief, I happily accepted his proposal (and a stunning ring!).

Miss Cupcake and the Sorry gamepiece, four years later

He still can't lift it! ;-)

Getting the "strength" to propose...

It's official! The future Mr. & Mrs. Cupcake, in front of City Hall

After making some freezing cold phone calls to family, we excitedly headed down to Fado to get warm since there was still some time before we had to meet our friends at Monk's. On our way there, Mr. Cupcake told me that four more of our friends (including the two whose Halloween party we had met at) were also joining us to celebrate. We ended up remaining at Fado, and we were able to enjoy such a wonderful day with six amazing friends.

The surprises didn’t end there: upon our arrival at home that night, Mr. Cupcake got out a bottle of champagne and some toasting flutes that his excited co-workers had gotten for us, and he told me that he had arranged for his parents and grandmother to join us at Mama Cupcake's house for brunch the next morning. He thought of everything! I was so impressed at how well Mr. Cupcake planned the whole thing out, and I know I will always look back on that day fondly.

Broken Home Bride

When I was ten years old, the unthinkable happened: my parents got divorced. Divorce is one of those things that a kid never imagines can happen to their parents, and, for me personally, it pretty much came out of nowhere and I was shocked. Granted, I was ten, so my "shock" came out more like stubborn tears and awkwardness in school when I had to tell my friends. But nonetheless, it was completely unexpected and felt surreal.

Since then, I have come to realize that we are all better off since the divorce. My dad is remarried, my mom has an amazing man in her life, and my brother and I were lucky enough to have two parents who stayed civil with one another for our sake and never, ever fought in front of us. We are all who we are today as a result of that decision; now it is hard to imagine that my parents were ever married to each other because they have grown to be very different people, but I think that proves that they weren't meant to stay together. It is strange that I really don't remember what it was like to have parents who were married, aside from a few very vague memories from my childhood.

Now that I'm engaged and starting to plan a wedding and, more importantly, a future with Mr. Cupcake, I have to admit that I get a little scared sometimes. Not only did my parents get divorced, but pretty much every aunt and uncle in my family also got divorced. I come from not only a broken home, but a broken extended family! On the contrary, Mr. Cupcake comes from a (very large) extended family where all of the married couples have stayed married; divorce doesn't even seem to be an option in their minds. I obviously think that is wonderful and I admire that, but it makes me wonder how so many marriages in one family — my family — could have failed. I can't help but wonder: is divorce in our genes??

I don't mean to sound cryptic, as I hope that divorce is never something I will have to deal with. But no one really expects it, do they? No one says, "I think I'll give this marriage a good 5 or 6 years and then move on."

Mr. Cupcake and I have been together for over four years and we have learned how to deal with conflict in a mostly adult way (I said mostly ;-) ). But sometimes I feel like I'm kind of learning as I go, whereas maybe he has had better married role models. I am going to put everything I have into making sure this one keeps, and I hope that someday we can be role models for our own kids when it comes to making a marriage work.

How have divorces of the people in your life affected your own views on marriage?

Things I Learned From the Original "Father of the Bride"

Not too long ago, Mr. Cupcake was away for a week on vacation with his parents in the Adirondacks. It was one of my busiest times at work, so I was unable to join them (and I kind of thought it made for a nice excuse to let Mr. Cupcake enjoy a vacation with his parents, whom he is extremely close to and whom I know miss him tons since he moved two hours away to be with me).

Hanging out alone on a Saturday night with nothing in particular to do, I came across the original Father of the Bride on t.v., starring Spencer Tracey and Elizabeth Taylor, from 1950. I stumbled across it just as it was starting, so I hunkered down and began watching.



I am ashamed to admit that I had never seen the original, but I am a fan of the Steve Martin version from 1991. While watching the original, I was really surprised to hear how many lines from the remake came straight from the original; in some ways it wasn't nearly as dated as I might have expected.... Except for maybe the following:

• In 1950, $3.75 per person was high for a wedding reception (these days that's probably less than the cost of each guest's wedding favor!)
• Husbands and wives shared a bedroom but slept in separate beds (at least in movieland, they did ;-)
• Bridesmaids walked two-by-two down the aisle in a trance-like walk (I am SO GLAD this is no longer customary!)
• $85 for an orchestra to provide entertainment at the reception was pricey

Some things, though, will never change:

• Wedding rehearsals are always chaotic
• Guest list discussions always lead to arguments
• The bouquet toss always brings out the worst in women
• No father will ever understand how his little girl grew up so fast

This movie was such a great way to spend my night. It is definitely one of my new favorites! What is your favorite wedding movie?

How the Cupcakes Met

The story of how Mr. Cupcake and I met is a good one, so I thought I'd share it with you Weddingbee readers to help you get to know us :-)

On Friday, October 31, 2003, the last thing I wanted to do was go to a Halloween party. I had had a long day at work, fell asleep on the couch for a few hours, and woke up cranky (yes, I'm like a toddler — don't expect me to be nice for the first hour after I've awoken from a nap!). I called Mama Cupcake and was complaining that I didn't want to go to the two costume parties I had committed to, but she gave me a typical mom pep talk and told me that if I told my friends I'd be at their parties, then I really should go. Plus, I had another friend that was planning to come to the second party with me, and it would be rude to cancel on her. If we weren't having fun, we could always make an early exit, but I had to at least show my face.

So, I got into my homemade Violet Beauregard costume (you know, the blueberry girl from Willy Wonka... but I was the cute version of her, pre-blueberry-blowup!), and went with my roommate (dressed as Veruca Salt) to her boyfriend's party (he was — you guessed it! — a rather tall Oompa Loompa). I pepped up a little bit and was feeling better, so I started to look forward to party #2. I went home to meet up with my other friend, and we made our way to the second party that was just a few blocks away from my apartment in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Aside from the hostesses (one of whom I had worked with at my last job) and the friend I brought with me, I knew no one at this second party. I knew I had to make my own fun and strike up conversations with new people, which is sometimes hard for me, but on this particular night I turned into Little Miss Social. I had noticed my hostess friend's beer pong partner (yes, there was beer pong — cut me some slack, we were 23!); I thought he was cute, but didn't give too much thought to him at the time. I always get some laughs when I tell people what he was wearing: a mullet wig, bright orange Nascar hat, a beer logo t-shirt, pegged jeans, and work boots. That's right, ladies — I was able to look past the costume and still somehow find this man attractive!

A little while into the party, I found myself standing next to this same party guest while waiting in line for the bathroom. I had seen another partygoer dressed as Garth from the SNL skit “Wayne’s World,” so I asked if he was supposed to be Garth’s best friend, Wayne. He misheard and thought I asked if he was “waiting.”

“Yes, I’m waiting,” he responded. (Probably thinking, why else would I be in line for the bathroom, genius?)

“No, are you WAYNE — from Wayne’s World?” I asked.

“Oh, no,” he said. “I’m just your basic white trash.”

And with that, the Cupcake romance began!

We crossed paths a little while later at the party, and after talking and laughing for quite a while, we decided to walk down to a local bar, Flatrock, to get drinks with some other people. After being impressed by my request for a Newcastle Brown Ale, Mr. Cupcake assured me that his mullet hairdo was just a wig, and we continued to talk the night away. I found out that he went to college with the hostesses of the party, and was visiting from out of town for the night.

At the end of the evening, Mr. Cupcake told me he would like to come down to take me out the next Friday night; we exchanged phone numbers, and I made my way home, text messaging him a goodnight message when I got home. Apparently not able to wait a whole week, he called me the following night to let me know he had decided to stay in town for the weekend, and we made plans to meet on Main Street in Manayunk the next day, Sunday. We sat outside of a local restaurant/bar, Thomas’, on a beautiful fall day, talking and laughing, before he drove me home on his way out of town. He promised to call me mid-week to talk about our date plans for the following weekend.

Mr. Cupcake stayed true to his word and called later in the week to finalize plans to go out the next Friday; our first “official” date was dinner at Le Bus in Manayunk, followed by another stop at Flatrock where Mr. Cupcake told me he couldn’t “do this every weekend” (meaning drive down to see me). But I guess he liked me enough that he changed his mind, because without prodding, he traveled four boring hours round trip on the Pennsylvania Turnpike almost every weekend to see me for the next two years, before he moved to be closer to me. Those first two years were sometimes difficult and frustrating, but it was a true test of our feelings for each other, and it taught us how much we really loved each other and how much we wanted to build a future together.

The moral of the story is: listen to your mother, and follow-through on plans you committed to even if you feel too tired to go. I sure am glad I went to that Halloween party!!!! ;-)

the icing on the cupcake!

Hello, hive!

I am beyond excited to be joining the Weddingbee world as Miss Cupcake. I was introduced to this amazing website/community several months ago by my sister-in-law, and I have since acquired so much creative inspiration, insight, and warm fuzzies from you all (not to mention a severe addiction). I've been fairly active on the boards under the name MissBlushing for the last several months, but now I'm proud to officially be Miss Cupcake! My newly instated bee-dom truly is the icing on the (cup)cake of a wonderful year for me; I hope that my experiences and adventures in wedding planning will help to contribute to the greatness that is Weddingbee!

A little about me: I have been labeled as an "old soul" by many people, and I definitely don't deny this title. I am a softy at heart, often getting teary-eyed at a commercial or magazine article, and I don't think I've ever been to a wedding where I didn't need a tissue. I was a pretty shy kid and have since grown out of my shyness for the most part, but sometimes the introvert in me comes out when I'm feeling insecure (and that's when I hide behind Mr. Cupcake, an outspoken extrovert). I am a graphic designer by trade with a love for all things designy. However, the biggest challenge for any designer is to design something for themselves.... so having a whole wedding to design has become quite the daunting task! There is so much beauty and inspiration out there that I want to incorporate, but sometimes I have to remind myself to keep things cohesive and pick things that set the tone that I want to infuse into our wedding, not just the latest adorable thing I see or think up. So, needless to say, I will be asking for lots of opinions from you out in Weddingbee land :-)

A little about the Cupcakes: Mr. Cupcake and I met four years ago at a Halloween party (both in full costume), and have been together ever since. We were long-distance for the first two years of our relationship, and we have been through a lot together. We joke that we are the opposite of each other's type, but somehow we found each other and our relationship just works. I've always been a little bit uptight and a bit of a worrier; Mr. Cupcake is laid back to a fault and doesn't worry about much, so we balance each other out nicely. We love to eat out and people-watch, we both enjoy good beer and discovering new brews, and we are a dynamic duo at Quizzo. We laugh a lot and love to bicker about silly things, but at the end of the day we're always smiling and having a good time together.

Why "Miss Cupcake"? Well... who doesn't love cupcakes? ;-)

I can't wait to share with you all the fun and experiences of planning our wedding over the next several months.... Here we go!