A Winery Wedding

This past Saturday I went to visit a college friend in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was such a gorgeous day outside, so we decided to take a ride out to a local winery for a tasting.


Now, you might not think that New Jersey is prime real estate for a winery (you Californians, stop laughing....), but I was pleasantly surprised at how sweet the Silver Decoy Winery in East Windsor was. It was started in 2001 by a group of friends who now host free wine tastings on weekends. Our gracious and incredibly friendly host, Brian, let us taste several wines, and chit-chatted with us about the winery and his adorable chocolate lab, Chester, who greets all the guests. He offered us each a full glass at one point (I went with the Pinot Grigio!) and encouraged us to explore the grounds and the rows of vines.

While we were there I noticed a photo album of an outdoor wedding that took place at Silvery Decoy last fall. Although the Silver Decoy website needs a bit of work, I did manage to find a few photos of the charming nuptials that took place there.

The wedding guests arriving

Here comes the bride....

All photos found here

I wish I could find more photos of the wedding online as the ones in the album were really lovely, but nonetheless I love how simple and sweet everything looks, just by highlighting the gorgeous land covered with rows of vines. If I had the guts to have an outdoor wedding (East Coast weather isn't always the most predictable!), I think a winery would be an amazing place.

Miss Penguin is having her wedding at a California winery.... anyone else out there having a winery wedding?

Ann Taylor Sale!

I received an email yesterday about a weekend-long sale at Ann Taylor, and this dress in the email caught my eye:

Photo from http://www.anntaylor.com/

This dress looks so much like my bridesmaid's dresses, I almost did a double-take! Regardless, I wanted to share this great sale with the hive. In stores and online through this Sunday, 4/13, you can get 20% off your purchase of $100 or more, and online orders over $100 have free shipping.

The dress above is not part of the Celebrations collection, but it would still be an adorable bridesmaid's dress (perhaps if you're in a rush to get a dress for your gals and can't wait the six weeks that other bridesmaid's dresses require). The Celebrations collection has an even better sale going on — 25% off any of their new styles (including bridal gowns!). I'm not sure how long this sale lasts, but don't miss your chance if you find a style you love.


Happy shopping! Let us know what you buy :-)

Hair-lelujah!

Pardon the pun in the title of this post, but I am simply ecstatic about some news that I received today and it warranted a cheesy title....

My cell phone rang while I was at work today, and when I picked up, it was my wedding-day hair stylist, Natalie, on the other end. You may recall that I was at one time completely torn because I absolutely loved what Natalie did to my hair at my trial, but I was nervous that she wouldn't have enough time to style the hair of nine people on my wedding day (myself, my six bridesmaids, and both mothers). You see, Natalie has another wedding to work that morning, so our time together would be limited. I realized the logistics wouldn't work out, so I disappointedly searched further for another stylist who would meet my standards.

After a particularly disenchanting trial elsewhere and some encouragement from the hive, I realized that I could still have Natalie do my hair, if I could find another stylist to get started on everyone else's hair earlier in the day. (Duh, why didn't I think of that myself?) I went ahead with this plan, excitedly booking Natalie, but still a little nervous about the timing aspect. I also began the hunt for a second reasonably-priced stylist. I found a good contender, but hadn't signed anything yet or put down a deposit.

Natalie's call today was to inform me that the other bride she had scheduled for my wedding day won't be needing her services anymore (apparently she won a spa package for use on her wedding day), so Natalie is now all mine for as long as I need her! I am so thrilled that now, not only will my ladies all look super fabulous with Natalie's great styles, but I will also be able to rest easy with Natalie's arrival at the hotel that morning and I won't risk being rushed to get my hair did :-)

Good things do happen sometimes!

Makeup Success!

I'm sorry to disappoint those of you who are reading this post today to find more embarrassing drag queen-esque photos of Miss Cupcake. Unfortunately for you, there will be no more drag queen incidents for this Cupcake. Fortunately for me, I won't be looking like a lady of the evening at my wedding.

I had my second makeup trial last weekend with the amazingly talented (and uber sweet) Emily Aznouvarian of Cheekadee. Emily was referred to me by my fabulous day of coordinator, Jenn Poletti of Perfect Planners (after she got a good giggle at my expense when seeing the photos from my last trial — who can blame her?). Jenn and I have become quite friendly over the last several months, so I completely trust her opinion and value her referrals — she assured me that Emily is amazing, and her prices are also super reasonable, so I made an appointment for a trial.

I met Emily at her home, and she took the time to look through my inspiration photos and talk to me about what I was going for. Once she got started, we gabbed and gabbed the whole time and I knew I liked her. She would ask me to check everything in the mirror as she went along so I could let her know if something didn't look right, and she encouraged me to give constructive criticism, because, after all, that's what trials are all about.

Without further ado, here's what I looked like after Emily made me over:

This is a photo that Emily took right when she was finished (sorry for the blurriness)

I took this shot of myself (hence the fact that I look like a goober) about two hours later, with no touch-ups, and after a trip to Bloomingdale's to update our registry and a stop at DSW for some shoes. The fact that I felt okay being seen in public during daylight after being made-up speaks for itself! (I realize, though, that on the wedding day, I'll need a little bit more lip-color applied after a few hours :-) )

A better look at Emily's handiwork on my eyes (and cold, hard proof of the DSW trip, to the left)

I think I look like me here (just with much better, glowier skin than I actually have!), which is exactly what I was going for

So at last, my painful search for a makeup artist who is talented and reasonably priced has come to a happy end. Emily hit the nail on the head, and my glowy skin and great eye-makeup lasted throughout the day (and even held up during a nap). It was nice to know that she was really listening to what I wanted, and she'll make me feel like a star before I walk down the aisle in September!

If you're getting married around Philly and need a makeup artist, I highly recommend Emily. She seems to be in high-demand in the Philadelphia area, so book her early if you can! You definitely won't be disappointed.

Emily @ Cheekadee
215.917.2497
www.cheekadee.com

Forever New Orleans

In the new issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, I came across a full-spread ad encouraging brides-to-be to say "I Do" in the wonderful (but hurting) city of New Orleans.

St. Louis Cathedral, photo via http://neworleansdailyphoto.blogspot.com/

French Quarter, photo found here

New Orleans is like a second home to me. My mom's two sisters live there, along with four of my cousins, and I have probably been there at least twenty times in my twenty-seven years. I have spent many Christmases there, explored the French Quarter countless times, and sampled plenty of delectable food. It is a city that holds a dear place in my heart, and like everyone else I was devastated by the news of the affect that Hurricane Katrina had on the city and its people.

Mr. Cupcake and I went to New Orleans last May to visit my family and attend JazzFest. While we were there we saw firsthand much of the devastation in the city — but I'm sure what we saw was only a small fraction of the damage. However, we also witnessed the amazing spirit of New Orleans, the spirit that is New Orleans.

We saw a city that was once full of life and is struggling to get back to where it used to be. Many locals willingly struck up conversations about where they were when Katrina struck, how long they were gone, and why they came back.

As soon as I came across the ad for New Orleans in MSW, I went to foreverneworleans.com to see what it was all about. Not only are they working to bring tourism back to New Orleans, but there is a whole page devoted to tying the knot in the Crescent City. The New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau is offering plenty of assistance in helping you find your dream wedding venue in this romantic Southern city.

If it weren't too far for most of our friends and family to travel and if we had been considering a destination wedding, perhaps we would have considered a destination wedding in NOLA to introduce everyone we know to this spectacular city that is still in dire need of help. Although we'll be staying right here in Pennsylvania for our wedding, we'll continue to visit New Orleans often to support the city (we are hoping to make the journey to JazzFest at least every other year).

Have you considered planning your wedding around contributing to an important cause? For any of you planning weddings in NOLA, are you doing anything in particular to make sure that your wedding has a positive impact on the regrowth of the city?

Rehearsal Dinner Photographer.... Necessary?

You may recall that the wonderfully talented Alison Conklin so beautifully captured my mom's sweet wedding in February. Alison's photos were fabulous, un-posed, natural, and simply lovely.







Alison's hourly rate (which she charged to my mom instead of her wedding rate, being that we only needed her for a few hours with none of the standard "getting ready" or posed family shots... brownie points right there) was quite reasonable, and I began to consider if it wouldn't be such a bad idea to hire her to capture some moments of our rehearsal dinner. Our wedding photographers, The Wiebners, will most definitely capture a slew of tender moments and fun candids on our wedding day, but wouldn't it be nice to have some professional photos of the rehearsal dinner that Mr. Cupcake's parents are so generously hosting for us? Wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity to get more photos of our family and bridal party in a more casual setting?

Perhaps this is one of those unnecessary things that we brides start to think we "have" to have while under the influence of a wedding-induced haze. Or perhaps it's really not such a bad idea. So, hive, here is where I plead for your input: have I gone off my rocker? Or do you think this would be a nice extra that will help us preserve our memories for years to come? Has anyone else out there hired a photographer for their rehearsal dinner?

Planning for Paradise

Last weekend Mr. Cupcake and I finally took the plunge and booked our honeymoon! It was a little unnerving putting down the deposit and realizing there is no turning back on this financial commitment, but we're also very, very excited for our first real bona fide vacation together without family or friends. (We do love our family and friends, but this trip for just the two of us will be a very nice treat!)

We'll be spending a blissful week in Antigua at the Galley Bay Resort.

All photos from the Galley Bay website

We knew from the beginning that we wanted to honeymoon in a tropical location. I love Europe and would love to go back there (and Mr. Cupcake has never been), but I know that we'd feel pressure to see and do as much as possible while there, and we want our honeymoon to be all about relaxation after all the excitement of the wedding. We are sure to be exhausted and ready for a little R&R. Our main honeymoon requirements are that we can sit on a beach, sip cocktails, eat to our heart's content, and get massages (okay, the massage requirement is more mine than his!). Most of all, we just want to be together and enjoy each day as it comes without too many plans looming overhead.

Galley Bay seemed like a great choice from the beginning — it is an all-inclusive resort for adults only (except during Christmas and New Years), there are no high-rises so it will feel peaceful and authentically tropical, and we'll have a nice selection of activities if we so choose (but at the moment, we're not banking on wanting to do much!). There are two restaurants and two bars, which isn't a huge selection, but Mr. Cupcake and I are creatures of habit and we decided if given the choice of more restaurants we might stick with a select few favorites, anyway! I will also most certainly be making use of the spa, although I haven't talked Mr. Cupcake into getting a massage yet.

We will be staying in one of thirteen quaint Gauguin Cottages, which, according to the website, are:

Situated close to the bird sanctuary lagoon about 50-yards from the beach. Each one consists of two separate thatched rondavels connected by a sheltered breezeway - one is an air-conditioned bedroom and the other is a dressing room/bathroom with ceiling fan and shower. Their splash pools measure a minimum of 7 ft. by 9 ft. and feature adjacent sundecks concealed by either the tropical vegetation or screens made from natural Spanish heather.

The Gauguin Cottages are not as large as some of the beachfront rooms or suites, but all of our friends have told us that you grossly underestimate how much time you actually spend in your room when you're on a beautiful island... and we couldn't resist the lure of the private plunge pools! We'll have more privacy in our cottage, as the beachfront rooms & suites are duplexes (and not all of them actually have direct access to the beach), and just look at how cute our accommodations are:

Look! Look! Private plunge pool! I hope it's as good as it sounds!

We are taking the risk of traveling to the Caribbean during hurricane season, but our fingers are crossed and we are staying positive, yet flexible. We bought travel insurance (through our travel agent, Jenn at Liberty Travel in Springfield, PA — we love her!) in case of any family emergencies or illnesses, and we'll hope for the best in terms of weather.

We'll be spending the day after our wedding seeing friends and family before jetting off to Antigua the following day. Are you leaving for your honeymoon right after your wedding, or are you taking a day, week, or even months in between? And are you planning a Caribbean honeymoon during hurricane season, like us?

A Bride's Best Friend

No, I'm not talking about Spanx, Foot Petals, or Waterproof Eyeliner. I'm not talking about your fiancee, your dog, or your mom, either. For me, one of the absolute most invaluable pieces in my wedding planning puzzle has been my Garmin Nuvi 250 GPS.


Mr. Cupcake and I have birthdays that are just a week apart (although he's two years older than me... that I will never let him forget), and for our birthdays last summer Momma Cupcake and now Stepdad Cupcake got us a portable Garmin to use in either of our cars. Within about three and a half seconds of beginning to use it, we were addicted. We even named it. ("It" is actually a "she" — her name is Nancy. That's Navigational Nancy, to you.) We often have custody disputes over Nancy, because we both love her so. And we totally refer to her as a "her" when we talk about her. I'm not gonna lie, it's a little weird.

I was not, by any means, blessed with a sense of direction when I was born. For years I have depended on printed Mapquest directions when driving to a new destination.... which has usually resulted in me being lost, frustrated, crying, or all of the above. I would always feel frazzled, stressed, and nervous venturing out without really knowing where I was going.

These days, I am always sure to bring Nancy along when trekking somewhere unfamiliar, especially when I'm zipping around the Philadelphia area to find a vendor. The day my mom and I attempted to hit up four bridal salons in one day (all in different towns)? Never would have been possible without Nancy (my mom has even less of a sense of direction than I do). The hair trial I traveled to in a residential neighborhood of Wilmington, Delaware? I would have totally ended up in New Jersey without Nancy.

Not only does Nancy tell me where to go, but she tells me when I'll get there, how to take a detour if a particular road is closed, and where to turn around if I miss my turn. You can even give her a British accent, which is a little friendlier than her American accent. (We also made her speak German once. That was fun for about 2 minutes.) Nancy has been a serious blessing in making at least one aspect of all of this wedding craziness much less stressful.

If you are a sense-of-direction-less bride like me, or you're planning a wedding in a new city or a foreign destination, I highly recommend that you invest in a Nancy all your own. Ours runs about $250, and although we didn't buy it, I know that it is worth. every. penny.

Happy travels!

Wow. That's a Lot of Glass.

You may recall that I have been on the hunt for cut glass to use as candle holders at our reception. Actually, more specifically, Mr. Cupcake's mom has graciously been doing most of the hunting — I've just been transporting everything to our storage space (a.k.a. Momma Cupcake's basement) once FMIL Cupcake hands over her magnificent finds during each of our visits to Central PA. She has been doing some serious bargain hunting and has admittedly become a cut glass addict!

This weekend I decided to finally get out all of the pieces she has found during her weekly trips to the Salvation Army (with the exception of a handful that Mr. Cupcake and I found at some random yard sales and flea markets) to figure out what our grand total is. Mr. Cupcake and I headed over to Momma Cupcake's basement the other day to take the pieces out of their boxes, set them out on the table to survey the collection, and start counting.

Let me tell you. We have a LOT of glass.

The whole shebang laid out on a table in the basement. Mr. Cupcake counted them all.... wanna guess how many?

A close-up shot. (You still counting?)

Another detail shot.... we have five of these cool big ones (shown in the middle). We might use them for the tables set up in the cocktail area and put floating flowers in them instead of candles. (Last chance to come up with an estimate before I reveal the grand total.)

So..... drumroll please..... our grand total iiiiiissssss......

245. Yes. Two hundred forty-five. Pieces. of. Glass! Do you believe it??

We have more than enough for ten pieces per table if we have about 20 tables, and the rest can be scattered on the mantle in the ballroom, the cocktail tables, and random little nooks that need some ambiance lighting.

I am so very excited about this detail. I think it will add some personalized pizazz to the space and a bit of the vintage flair that we're looking to infuse into everything.

Momma Cupcake and I made a little mock-up of a centerpiece to see how ten candles will look around each floral arrangement. We admittedly did not think this through very well.... we grabbed anything white or green from the two floral arrangements she happened to have in her house, threw them into a bowl, and scattered the glass around them. We didn't have votives but added some tea lights to get an idea of how everything would look. Even though it was a little haphazard, it still gave me a good idea of how everything will look and I'm quite happy.


Picture a darker room, an ironed linen, a more well thought-out floral arrangement, and a larger table with China, menus and napkins :-) Perfect, right?

I think we have ruled out our original plan of pouring our own candles, because we realized how time-consuming it will be and it really won't save us much money after all. Votives will do the trick just fine, and we'll just have to find a few different sizes to work with the varying sizes of the glass pieces. Hopefully, doing this will also save us some sanity!

How are your DIY projects coming along? Are you finding them satisfying and fulfilling, or just plain frustrating and time-consuming?

One Word: CAKE!

Mr. Cupcake and I had the pleasure of attending a cake tasting this weekend. We had been to one previously with another baker, and weren't highly impressed with the cake itself or the baker's portfolio (filled with lots of columns, cascading flowers, and overall most things I despise about traditional wedding cakes). It was actually even difficult to tell what the cake really tasted like, because the slivers he gave us were so thin that you couldn't get a real gauge on the texture.

At my mom's wedding back in February, we had an absolutely heavenly lemon pound cake with lemon curd, lemon buttercream, and fondant from Sweet Jazmine's in Berwyn, PA. My mom had gone with Sweet Jazmine's blindly, without even tasting their cake, because a friend so enthusiastically recommended them. The cake was so beyond delicious that I can't even come up with a better word to truly express it's deliciousness. It also looked completely adorable:

Photo by Alison Conklin

I have had fondant from other bakeries that was gummy and thick and not very tasty, but even Sweet Jasmine's fondant is excellent. It was a thin layer of fondant OVER a layer of buttercream, so you still got the sweetness of the buttercream along with the smooth look of the fondant. (And, personally, I like fondant, but for anyone who doesn't, it was easy enough to eat around the fondant and still taste the sublime buttercream icing. The best of both worlds!)

So after our first unimpressive tasting elsewhere, and still dreaming about that lemon pound cake, Mr. Cupcake and I made ourselves an appointment for a tasting at Sweet Jazmine's. When calling for an appointment they actually informed me that they had put a cap on wedding cakes for our date, but since I raved so much about my mom's cake they would make an exception for me. Hooray! (Remember that complimenting a vendor may help you out in this kind of situation!)

Mr. Cupcake and I were very excited for our tasting this weekend. I just wanted to get some more of that lemon cake in my mouth, but I was also excited to try some other flavors. The outside of Sweet Jazmine's is not super flashy or regal looking considering its glowing reputation, but the purple and green signify that it is definitely not your average bakery.


We arrived to a nice woman behind the counter, Courtney, congratulating us on our impending wedding, and she set us up at a little table for our tasting. She gave us a form to fill out and brought us some water, and told us to help ourselves to some complimentary coffee (Mr. Cupcake was pretty much sold at this point, being a coffee fiend.) Courtney also welcomed us to look through the many photo albums filled with their artistic creations. Everything we saw was much more representative of our taste and what we were looking for visually.

Then, Courtney brought us some cake samples. Also known as heaven on a plate. I love you, Courtney.


As you can see the slices are HUGE. We had no problem decreasing the size of the slices. (Mr. Cupcake had to remind me that it was a "cake tasting," not a "cake eating." We didn't have to finish everything. Teehee.)


The verdict: we are still 100% gung-ho about the Lemon Poundcake (if you can't tell by its lack of appearance on the plate), but I also became quite smitten with the Vanilla Cheesecake with Raspberry (also conspicuously missing from the last shot). This is actually three layers of vanilla cake with one generous layer of cheesecake (as you can tell in the first photo), one layer of raspberry filling, and topped off with a layer of vanilla buttercream. We might have to do one tier of the Vanilla Cheesecake with Raspberry to accommodate the other tiers of Lemon Poundcake.

Everything else was also completely delicious. Cinnfully Southern has sweet potatoes in it, and kind of tasted like a hybrid of spice cake and carrot cake. It was amazing, but not my favorite, as I'm not the biggest fan of spice cake. The Marble Poundcake infused with Kahlua was very tasty but very rich, and Mr. Cupcake and I decided that there will be enough alcohol at the wedding — we don't also need to slip it into the cake :-) Finally, the Chocolate Decadence was, indeed, decadent, but extremely rich and perhaps too rich for some people. Not me, but some people.

After tasting all the flavors, one of of the bakers, Brooke, came to talk to us. I immediately liked her (because we happen to share the same first name) and she helpfully answered some questions for us. She told us that we didn't have to decide on a design until about a month before the wedding, but they could definitely create something like the photos we had to show her. Mr. Cupcake and I both love this cake from Papillon (which I found thanks to Miss Milkshake).

Ours would likely have teal ribbon instead of brown, and real white flowers on top

We also love the unexpected proportions of this one, with the taller middle tier:

From the talented April Reed

Brooke said it would be no problem to create something like a hybrid of these two cakes, so we happily put down our deposit and the search for a baker is now DONE! We could not be more excited about our Sweet Jazmine's creation and we can't wait until our guests taste it.

Has finding a baker been as exciting and fun for you?