The Wedding: My Life Would Suck Without Shoes

Oh yes, I am a total shoe whore - so it's only appropriate that I ended up bring a Two-Shoe Bride. Therefore, while we continued to be primped and the boys headed down to the limo, my photographer Travis Hoehne, took the opportunity to take my two pairs of shoes and dress out for a spin. He displayed them in a variety of fun places - from hotel hallway to bathroom to window ledge. I'm really happy with how these shots turned out - they will look fabulous in an album!

First up, my Alexander McQueen black and white striped satin slingbacks! They would be used for the reception and I had been practicing our first dance in them for the past few months.

Travis Hoehne Photography
On the makeup artist chair...


Travis Hoehne Photography
...hanging from the towel bar...


Travis Hoehne Photography
...on the edge of the bathtub...


Travis Hoehne Photography
...to the window ledge. Don't jump!

Next, Travis moved on to my black, white and silver Missoni Wedges - the perfect ceremony shoes for an outdoor wedding. My married name beings with an "M," so this makes them that much more special.

Travis Hoehne Photography
A close-up of the Missoni knit heels.

Travis Hoehne Photography
I love how he slung my Missoni Wedges on the handles of this cabinet. It gives the images some movement and the warm wood adds a nice contrast.

Travis went back to grab my dress, which was hanging up in Mamita's room, all lonely and a little bit wrinkled (we steamed it later). Unfortunately, we forgot my nice padded hanger, so she was stuck grasping onto my plastic clear hanger. I'm still kicking myself for that!

Travis Hoehne Photography
My dress all forlorn in Mamita Pom's hotel room.

Travis took her out for a spin and hung her up in the hotel hallway. Happy to finally get some attention after these days of hanging in a plastic bag, she glowed with the help of the morning light.

Travis Hoehne Photography
I love the way the pleats drape in this photo.

That wasn't the last time my dress was on display - my wedding dress designer, Carole Kenney, won a local Wedding Vendor contest for Best Dresses. Lacking models on such a short notice, she had me accompany a few other "real brides" to the morning news.

You can watch my television debut here.

Previously:
The Wedding: Our Pre-Wedding Financial Jitters
The Wedding: Rehearsal Time!
The Wedding: My Last Night as a Single Lady
The Wedding: The Pretty Pros Arrive
The Wedding: FH’s Wedding Day Gifts Part I
The Wedding: FH’s Wedding Day Gifts Part II

The Wedding: FH’s Wedding Day Gifts Part II

While the girls and I were getting pretty, Hubs was getting dressed. Sure, our room was filled with the chaos of 10+ bodies huddled in to a hotel room, but Hubs chose quiet and serenity over the craziness. This is one of the reasons I love him - he truly is the yin to my yang at times; while I relish in the busy, he does so in the calm.

Buttoning up his vest

What’s that I spy? Those don’t look like the “Eye Do” cufflinks…

While he was getting ready quietly in his room, my MOH snuck over with the second part of my Wedding Day Gifts - the surprise! I had stopped searching for the perfect cuff links, as the other ones I bought were so money (ha!) - but a Jan Leslie sale popped up on Gilt Groupe and I just couldn’t resist when I spotted them.

Jan Leslie Sterling Silver Hand-Painted Enamel Pineapple Cuff Links
on sale for over 45% off at Gilt Groupe.

I just couldn’t get over the fact that the pineapple had come full circle - Hubs gave me one on our first date, and then I gave him pineapple cuff links on our wedding day. It was the perfect surprise! In fact, for those of you interested in finding the perfect cuff links for your groom, there’s another Jan Leslie sale coming up on June 1st!

He threw on his jacket…

…and took a quick peek in the mirror. Done!

Hubs was dressed pretty quickly - while it took hours for us girls to be primped and pressed. So, he headed down to meet the rest of the groomsmen in the lobby and hopped in a limo to head to R.H. Phillips Winery for photos.

Previously:
The Wedding: Our Pre-Wedding Financial Jitters
The Wedding: Rehearsal Time!
The Wedding: My Last Night as a Single Lady
The Wedding: The Pretty Pros Arrive
The Wedding: FH’s Wedding Day Gifts Part I

I’m Baaa-aaack!

Six (plus) months fly by so fast! I can’t believe it’s been so long - and that I’ve been so negligent with my bee responsibilities. My wedding recap fell by the wayside while we scrambled through what seemed like pure chaos:

• I dyed my hair dark brown (post wedding dye, instead of chop) - and I promise a photo will come soon!
• Hubs started a new job.
• I kept my job, but I started my own new side-business. I’ve been swaaaaaamped, to say the least.
• Sebastian ended up in the kitty hospital for a week - we almost lost him! He’s since recovered from his rather serious bladder infection. Whew!
• We've have been sick for the last month - but I’m finally recovering from the chicken pox (no, I didn’t catch it as a child). If you’ve never had it, get the vaccine, stat!

So yes, it’s been far, far too long - but it’s time to start back up the wedding recap. I have tons to share and I can’t wait to catch up with all of the new readers.

Where did this sudden motivation to finish my recaps come from? Well, we’ve been published! I just got my copy of Real Weddings Magazine and was so excited to read the article that they wrote and see the photos they chose to print.

I think it’s funny that they chose that goofy picture of Hubs and me as the main image!

I love that they chose the picture that Travis took of our invitations - we had arranged that shoot after the wedding.

We’re also online in their Real Weddings section - where I gave a nice shout out to Weddingbee (of course) and waxed poetically about how much the blogging community helped me throughout my wedding planning process. Well, it’s time to give back and finish my recaps! More to come soon…

Previously:
The Wedding: Our Pre-Wedding Financial Jitters
The Wedding: Rehearsal Time!
The Wedding: My Last Night as a Single Lady
The Wedding: The Pretty Pros Arrive
The Wedding: FH’s Wedding Day Gifts Part I

KME's Premiere Event!

Well, my feet are not quite as happy as my heart - but I would have to say that Kate Miller Events' very first Wedding was a success! I am so incredibly happy for Stevie and Blake and hope that they are having an amazing Honeymoon along the coast of California.

This wedding came with many challenges, namely a Recessionista Budget and a 3.5 month Timeline for planning. At first I thought it was four months - but really, we started this endeavor at the beginning of January 2009. 3.5 months it is! Of course, that didn't halt Airen and I from pulling out all the stops.

Per the guests' feedback, it truly was magical! The emotional ceremony, romantic candlelight, the pops of gold, cream, taupe, and mustard yellow, the food and the dancing - it was all fabulous and I feel honored to have played a part in this very special wedding day.

I have a few small sneak peeks - some non-pro photos taken by guests during various times of the day:

Whirly Globes filled with tealights and fresh flowers, ready to glow above the Capitol Building come nightfall.

Father of the Bride and Stevie travel down the aisle in style - check out that fabulous mustard velvet bouquet-wrap, complete with black & white beaded cameo garnish!

A menu sits afront one of the candlelight centerpieces, surrounded by a sprinkling of mustard yellow pom pons and Stevie and Blake's custom-made Photo Cards.

The wedding was held on the 7th Floor Terrace of the The Citizen Hotel, a boutique Joie de Vivre hotel amidst the tree-lined streets of midtown Sacramento, CA. As soon as I get the official professional photos from Sarah Maren Photography, I will be blogging it up. Until then, I think I may just finish my own wedding recaps. I'm so glad we've completed our first big event - now I'm just looking forward to the next!

Anyone need a wedding coordinator? *wink wink*

The Wedding: FH’s Wedding Day Gifts Part I

MOH and Flirty Bridesmaid left with two extra-special packages to give to FH as a wedding day gift. The first of which was a super-secret surprise I had kept hush-hush for many months: a special boudoir shoot. The fabulous Sarah Maren and I holed-up in a chic little room at my favorite midtown bed and breakfast, The Inn at Parkside. Each room has a theme—ours was the “Kiss” room.

The Inn at Parkside
The rooms here are so chic and inviting!

The Inn at Parkside
Plus, the Kiss room had an in-room jacuzzi tub and fireplace - check out that adorable custom wall decal!

The Inn at Parkside
This chaise was covered in something so soft, it could have been cashmere.

Nicole of Deja Du Salon (the same wonderful lady who did my hair for our wedding) did my makeup and hair —and joined me for moral support during the shoot. I had brought a slough of different outfits that I had purchased over the months - mostly from a Victoria’s Secret End of Year Sale. I tried to keep the outfits as pin-up girl as possible, as that was the theme of the shoot. Didn’t Nicole do a fabulous job with the pincurl up top?

Sarah Maren Photography
I love this shot - it shows off the cute hair Nicole gave me and it’s sexy without being too much.

Sarah arrived armed with my two favorite adult beverages to help loosen me up—dirty martini mixers and red wine from R.H. Phillips winery (how thoughtful is she!?)—and we began the shoot. I started off feeling a bit awkward; but after a glass of wine and a sip of my martini, I loosened up a bit. It didn’t hurt that Sarah was absolutely hilarious and kept me laughing throughout the entire experience. She definitely removed any tension from the room. The shots with FH’s guitar and white shirt crack me up—as they are uber-cheesy—but I thought that he’d appreciate them.

Sarah Maren Photography
I was little tense at first…

Sarah Maren Photography
… but Sarah had me laughing in no time!

Sarah Maren Photography
The booze didn’t hurt—Sarah took some fun pin-up-esque shots with the martini.

Sarah Maren Photography
Here’s the cheese! Me with FH’s guitar and white shirt.
I had to sneak that into my car without him noticing!

Sarah turned these fabulous images into a 20-page 5×7 charcoal gray patent-leather covered album. It is gorgeously presented with little flourishes on the pages and contains a personal note to FH that doubled as my Wedding Day card—I’ve been informed by FH that the album is for His Eyes Only! The shots shown here are the few I could successfully beg his permission to share. I think they were all very tastefully done and all were in the super-sexy lighting Sarah magically created using her beloved Beauty Dish. I wish I had a Beauty Dish that followed me everywhere I went. I mean, look at what it did to my eyes? I swear they don’t always look like that!

Sarah Maren Photography
I love how amazing Sarah make my eyes look here! The Beauty Dish is every girl’s best friend. Plus, this shot shows off the diamond pendant FH gave me on our first Christmas together.

Sarah did an amazing job on the shoot and I was so happy to be her first test model (would you believe this was her first boudoir shoot!?) - and I’m super excited to share that she’s now offering these boudoir shoots as a part of her repertoire! MOH and Flirty Bridesmaid handed over the album to FH in private and then gave him another special wedding day gift that would replace something that I gave him at the Rehearsal Dinner.

Previously:

The Wedding: Our Pre-Wedding Financial Jitters
The Wedding: Rehearsal Time!
The Wedding: My Last Night as a Single Lady
The Wedding: The Pretty Pros Arrive

The Wedding: The Pretty Pros Arrive

I panicked a little, as our room had gotten pretty messy from our post-rehearsal partying. Thankfully, Crafty Bridesmaid and the other girls helped me sweep through the room and get it all ready for the chaos that was about to begin.

Image by Crafty Bridesmaid
Flirty and Blonde Bridesmaid all cozy watching TV as SIL Pom looks on.

Nicole of Deja Du Salon arrived first—a calming influence amongst the growing crowd. I had her start on the girls first, hoping to save my updo for the end. She worked her magic on a few of the girls and we enjoyed some Keeping Up With the Kardashians on the television while sipping on mimosas.

When LeiLani and her team arrived, they were a smidgen late, but boasted a third assistant to help make up for the lost time. I was so very pleased that she came so prepared. She unrolled the makeup spread across the table and Nicole moved into the bathroom to give them some natural light.

Travis Hoehne Photography
The crazy amount of makeup used to make us ladies up!

Travis Hoehne Photography
Mamita Pom gets her makeup done by LeiLani

Travis Hoehne Photography
Doesn’t she look gorgeous!?

Travis Hoehne Photography
MOH has her lips painted a nice glossy finish

Travis Hoehne Photography
MOH cracking up - she had us all in stitches all day

Travis Hoehne Photography
MOH looking gorgeous!

Travis Hoehne Photography
Blonde Bridesmaid lookin’ pretty incredible as well!

Travis Hoehne Photography
And Flirty? Breathtaking isn’t she?!

Once I sat down in the bathroom, my tummy began to act up again. There was all this talk of “rain” and “having to move the wedding indoors”. Liz, the Tasting Room manager at R.H. Phillips, called me to check in and let me know that they would be holding back on the setup until the rain cleared out. Our coordinator called to warn me of the possible changes. To put it simply, I was on edge.

Travis Hoehne Photography
LeiLani starts on my makeup.


Travis Hoehne Photography
I look a little tense here, don’t I?


Travis Hoehne Photography
Workin’ those Shu Uemura lashes! I wish I could wear them every day!


Travis Hoehne Photography
Yeah, uhm, I look a little stressed here too….

Around 2 PM I received another call from our coordinator asking me what I wanted to do—in or out? The ceremony started at 6 PM. Would I risk it? I couldn’t decide. I told her that I couldn’t make the decision and that Mr. Pom would have to make that final call. Once we had hung up, I immediately received a phone call from Liz, who has spoken with the nearby KCRA Weather Center. She was in close contact with their weather lady and she had recently gotten married. Liz asked her, “If it were you, would you have your wedding inside or outside?” She replied, “I’d do it outside.”

Travis Hoehne Photography
Finally! A smile!

Travis Hoehne Photography
This is proof that having a camera in your face all morning will make you do cheesy things.

Travis Hoehne Photography
The back of Nicole’s amazing job on my hair - and a closer look at my custom fascinator

That was enough for me. I called the coordinator back and told her “outside” was a go. If a weather lady was willing to risk her own wedding with this weather, I would too. In the meantime, MOH and Flirty Bridesmaid escaped to go deliver Mr. Pomegranate’s wedding gift.

Previously:

The Wedding: Our Pre-Wedding Financial Jitters
The Wedding: Rehearsal Time!
The Wedding: My Last Night as a Single Lady.

The Wedding: My Last Night as a Single Lady.

The night before the wedding was certainly a fun one. I hope I never forget it - my girls and I had such a fun time hanging out together and bonding. We had headed back to Cache Creek Casino and Resort while the Hubs drove back to Sacramento to take care of a few things and wait around for Groomsman Peter to arrive at the airport. Some of the ladies had not yet seen my wedding dress and so after changing into some flips flops, we went down to my Mom and the Reverend's hotel room to check it out. Then we decided to go check out the hotel's Club 88.

Cache Creek Casino
Club 88 has a nice large dance floor and lofted seating in the back. We tried out many different seating arrangements before hitting the floor, as it was mostly empty.

There was an awesome Top 40 group on stage, so of course after a beer or two we decided to get out on the dance floor. It was pretty dead for a Friday night - but we were out in the middle of nowhere and the casino wasn't really the clubbing type of hotel - so we had the floor to ourselves. I seriously wish we had taken a video for you all - so you could see the gyrating hips of the male singer on stage. Hilarious!

Photo by MOH
Flirty Bridesmaid having fun on the dance floor.


Photo by MOH
MOH, Flirty Bridesmaid and I dancing at Club 88.

Once we had our fill of dancing, we headed back to the hotel room to get some rest, but Groomsman Peter and the Hubs had returned from the airport and had some problems checking into their room, so we didn't get far. I ran back down to the front desk (my fourth time that day) to resolve the check-in issue (apparently having three rooms under one name was confusing for them) and got the boys their room key.

The excitement for all of us was too much - I don't think I actually rested my head on the pillow until midnight and even then, I wasn't able to fall asleep until about 2 AM. I woke up at 6 AM with a terrible stomachache - probably due to stress. I was worried about the rain. It was pouring outside. I hadn't planned on waking up until about 8 AM so I tossed and turned until my alarm woke up.

Photo by MOH
MOH insisted on taking photos at every instance of the day - including me in a towel before I hopped in the tub.


Photo by MOH
This is what I changed into - a white sweat suit I had purchased on clearance at Target for $25 just that week. So comfy!

I immediately went to draw a bath, hoping to ease the stress, and started fielding phone calls from vendors and family members. This was the quietest part of my day - the makeup and hair pros were not scheduled to arrive until about 11 AM. Blonde Bridesmaid arrived shortly before the chaos to supply us with much needed champagne and orange juice. Mmmmm mimosas!

Photo by MOH
Flirty Bridesmaid enjoys a mimosa.

Previously:

The Wedding: Our Pre-Wedding Financial Jitters
The Wedding: Rehearsal Time!