Juicy GIRL Tattoo's

My dears, here's a weekly round-up of Smitten, my Glamour Magazine relationships blog...

Do you feel like you were born to be a mother? Or definitely not?

Wedding question: Would you wear your hair up or down?

This dude left the WORST voicemails ever!!!

Do people ever call you ma'am? ('Cause I'm setting records over here.)

What funny things are you neurotic about?

Do or don't: Guys with long hair.

Feeling stressed or sad? Here's my mom's brilliant advice...

What's your dating status?

When you're on a first date, who pays for dinner?

Our thoughts on Jake as the new Bachelor...

True reader confession: "I never want to have kids. Deal with it."

Are you affectionate? How about your man?

A cute mug.

If you could marry any celebrity, who would you pick?

Three adorable date outfits.

Who do you talk to when you're sad?

Do you fall in love quickly or does it take you a while to warm up?

As always, find much more on Smitten. xoxo

(Photo by Maple Syrup Only)

Last weekend, John took his girlfriend Ariel on a fall-foliage drive up Mount Sugarloaf in Massachusetts. Suddenly Ariel spotted a thousand pumpkins in a field below, spelling out "Ari, Please Marry Me." She started crying (naturally) and said yes! How sweet is that? (Read more of the cute story here.)

(Via Cut Paste Repeat)

Not that I need a wedding dress these days, but I'm in love with this Lela Rose gown, especially the graceful twisted straps. Isn't it beautiful?

P.S. She also has pretty bridesmaids dresses.

(Thanks, Simple Pretty)

Finally, I'd love to write a final schmoopy post saying a few final thank-yous...

* We used Project Wedding to create our wedding website. They have pretty templates, and it was super easy and fun to set everything up. I'd highly recommend them.

* For wedding-party gifts, we gave our bridesmaids hoop earrings from Melissa Joy Manning (every girl got a slightly different shape). We gave our the groomsmen custom-made leather Billykirk card cases, which we had embossed with inside jokes, such as the date the Red Sox won the World Series. I gave my two maids-of-honor engraved necklaces from In God We Trust. And our lovely flower girl received heart sunglasses, a Where's Waldo book, and a glittery bouncy ball.

* We stayed at the sexy Standard hotel on our wedding night. (A funny scandal: Some hotel guests had been keeping their curtains open during intimate moments, giving passersby a peep show!)

* We did a honeymoon registry, which worked out really well for us. (We went to Italy and Greece.)

* Thank you so much to our parents, guests and, of course, all you wonderful readers for making the planning, weekend and recap so giddy and exciting. It was been an amazing pleasure to share everything with you!

* And, most of all, thank you to Max Wanger. Max managed to capture the day exactly how I saw it through my own eyes, which was a rare gift. He is a joy to work with, and I hope he continues to be our "life photographer." :)

If you'd like, see a few more wedding photos on Max Wanger's blog. Thank you again! xoxo

(Photo by Max Wanger)

We couldn't bear to let our guests go quite yet, so for the Sunday morning after our wedding, we arranged a casual brunch in Battery Park's Rockefeller Park, which is right on the water, with old schooners sailing by. After a very rainy weekend (there was even mention of a hurricane!), we were thrilled to see the sun come out. My mom ordered delicious uttapas from Hampton Chutney (Indian pancakes with savory toppings), and we had a bubble machine, balloons, frisbees, bikes, hula hoops and lots of blankets. We loved lying around in the grass, hearing the post-game wrap, and watching the little dudes chase each other around. (Two babies even played footsie!)

Next up: The final post with final thank yous. xoxo

(My dress and Alex's shirt were both from Steven Alan. The giant pink balloons were a nod to our engagement photos by Max; you can find similar balloons here.)

(Photos by Max Wanger)

We debated having wedding favors--were they a waste of money? would our guests end up throwing them away?--but then we remembered these awesome heart holographic glasses. When you wear them, all points of light (candles, headlights, street lamps) turn into hearts. They're really awesome, and we gave them to our guests so they could have a romantic walk (or cab ride) home through Manhattan. (P.S. I'd love to wear a pair on the Brooklyn Bridge sometime!)

Finally, the reception. First, our guests had cocktails and hors devours in the Reading Room, which was filled with leather club chairs and a giant fireplace--and the ceiling looked like it was straight out of Versailles! Alex was so enamored of the aesthetic that he now wants our apartment to look like a dimly lit social club.
Then we headed upstairs for dinner. We wanted to create a relaxed vibe (and keep the budget reasonable), so we served a Mediterranean buffet--including lamb kabobs, grilled vegetables, cheesy pasta with vodka sauce, and caprese salad--and we didn't do assigned seating. Miraculously, people all ended up sitting with their good friends, and the tables worked out perfectly. (Whew!) Alex and I fall into the small category of People Who Don't Like Cake, so we served homemade cookies for dessert, made by my mom and the fabulous Perl Girl Baking Co. (P.S. Can you spot the two fascinators in the photo above? So cute!)
During dinner, our friends and siblings gave toasts. Alex's friend Brad talked about their early days in New York (where they shared a miniature apartment with a stalker across the hall), Alex's sister Lesley wrote a beautiful poem, my sister Lucy spoke about love and imagination, and Alex's brother Scott gave a funny toast full of California slang (including the line, "Dude, you totally scored.") But the big twist of the evening came when my little brother Nick gave his entire toast in a pitch-perfect New Zealand accent. No joke! The crowd was on fire!
Next up was a slideshow by our beloved friend Jason. He put together baby photos, family snapshots...and embarrassing pictures of us in junior high. He had stalked our friends and relatives all summer to get anecdotes about our lives (e.g., Alex's imaginary friend, Steve), and he wrote a cheeky speech to go along with the photos. It was hilarious, touching and wonderful.
After dinner, we moved into the next room for dancing. Our good friend Maz was our DJ, and we played the Velvet Underground's "I'll Be Your Mirror" for our first dance. (Runners up were "I Don't Wanna" by Patsy Cline and "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You" by Elvis.) We had taken a fox trot class over the summer, but suddenly got nervous, and just danced like 7th graders. Luckily, the audience didn't seem to mind.
And then everyone danced the night away. The star of the show was our redheaded flower girl, Grace, who had so many cool moves! (Click on the photo to enlarge, if you'd like; she's ridiculously cute.)

Next up: The favors and the brunch, and that's it! Thank you so much for indulging me :) xoxo

(Photos by Max Wanger)

Right after the ceremony, our guests headed downstairs for cocktails, while Alex and I slipped away for a quiet moment (and to lower our heart rates). Everything was set for the party...
We had framed our grandparents' fabulous wedding photos. (A mix of English ceremonies, Missouri weddings, and war brides! It was so cool to see all their different styles.)
We displayed them on a table next to English lavender plants.
For our British nautical theme, we decorated with ships-in-bottles and blue hydrangeas beautifully arranged by Abbey.
As a surprise gift for Alex, I asked Brooklyn designer Shabd Simon-Alexander to design a custom handkerchief. Together, we chose a goofy snapshot of Alex and me racing on the beach, and she embroidered it on a vintage handkerchief. (See her other rad handkerchiefs here.) It was hilarious and beautiful, and Alex loved it. Thank you, Shabd!
Finally, jewelry designer Blanca Monros Gomez handmade our rings in her Brooklyn studio. (Read the full story here.) My ring has the engraving, "All my love," and Alex's ring says, "All my life." (My maternal grandparents had these words engraved on their rings, too.) We are in love with them, and are thrilled to wear them for the rest of our lives. Thank you, Blanca! xoxo

(Special thanks to our wonderful friend Donna, who helped with our wedding planning, logistics, coordination and just keeping our heads on straight.)

(Photos by Max Wanger)

Here's the final post about our ceremony! It was the most intense and exciting half hour of our lives--indescribable. You feel so present, like you've been dropped into your body. I couldn't take my eyes off Alex, and he was squeezing my hands the whole time.After we exchanged our vows and rings, Hamish said a few beautiful closing words, but I have to admit, it was pretty much unbearable to wait to kiss Alex. I could hardly contain myself. I felt like I was jumping out of my skin. Finally, Hamish said, "With the power invested in me by the City of New York, it is with great pleasure that I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss each other." And we did.Our recessional song was "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes (which we hadn't realized was in Dirty Dancing, hilarious; Alex had loved it in Mean Streets). I was blubbering as we walked back down the aisle, but was still smiling through the tears. Alex, I loved marrying you!

Next up: Dinner and dancing. Thank you for reading our wedding story and for your incredibly sweet comments...Just a few posts left! xoxo

(My hair was by the wonderful Heather Packer from Cutler Salon, and my make-up was by Kevin James Bennett from Makeup Forever, who is hilarious and super-talented.)

(Photos by Max Wanger)