Snow Day!

, originally uploaded by sandig.urbanspace.

Mother Nature has decided to remind us that we still have a bit of winter left before things begin to warm up! So be it!

I am refusing to let this weather get me down. It's time to throw on my favorite boots and brave the cold. But first, some snowy and beautiful inspiration...

Ready, set, go!

Weighing the Options - Military Wedding? Pt. 4

West Point Wedding, NY, 1959, Photo by xnedski

There are a few requisite questions that I get after I tell people that I am engaged to Mr. Marmalade.


- "Did you set a date?"
- "Are you gonna have a military wedding?"
(Immediately followed by)
- "Oh, will you do the sword arch thing?"


Well, yes. If we go forward with a military wedding there would certainly be a sabre arch. I can't say I have ever really thought about it much, but this picture really took my breath away. That picture was taken in 1959 at West Point, and it still resonates with me today. There's something so timeless and romantic about tying ourselves to such a long tradition.


The romantic in me is having a hard time resisting this!


So--




Military Wedding 3

Non-Military Wedding 2

Happy (Belated) Valentine's Day

After a brief technological snafu, Sweet Cadence is back!  There's so much to catch up on!  First thing's first--happy belated Valentine's Day!  My Valentine got me the best and most unexpected present ever:

 

 

(American Red Cross)

He hit the nail right on the head.  A donation to the American Red Cross and (of course) some chocolate, mmm.  I feel so very lucky to feel love--love from my family, love from my friends, and love from my future husband.  My wish is that everyone out there can have a little piece of that for themselves. 

Lobstah.

Right now the northeast is in the midst of a blizzard.  Slowly the ground is being covered in a deep layer of snow.  It is gorgeous and peaceful, but it's not Summer. The pristine beauty of the storm is no match for my dreams of sun, and sand, and lobstah.

(Source)

I'm thinking about the beach, and my stomach is thinking about a great big clambake, err, lobster bake.  Sounds like a perfect way to celebrate a wedding in July, no? 

 (Source)

The lobster bib just may seal the deal for me...

Ok, back to reality.  Going to throw on my lovely Bean boots and shovel the walkway. 

Contest!

I came across this contest from Black Eiffel and Lifestyle Crafts  Yes, someone is giving away an L Letterpress.  Keeping my fingers crossed--I'm only 999th person to enter. 

Meet The Family: My Turn!

That's what the first meeting was like.

Ok, no it wasn't. Not even close. But when I thought of the prospect of our families having dinner together for the first time, this was the first thing that popped into my mind. Honestly, I wouldn't have been upset if my mom decided to set up a spit in the front yard. It would have been fun! Just as long as there wasn't a goat roasting on said spit, blegh. Side note: Boo offered to bring a bundt cake to humor us, but sadly he changed his mine.

My immediate family consists of eleven people. ELEVEN people. My big fat Greek-Ecuadorian family. And I didn't hesitate to invite them all to our cozy little home, to meet the Boo's family. I was a little worried that my large family would be a bit overwhelming but I brushed it aside. My family is an extension of me, so leaving anyone out was simply not an option.

So we (all) met. And we ate. We ate lots and lots of food. We introduced his family to our family's casual style of feasting. Yes, feasting! Our spread normally consists of ceviche, spanakopita (spinach pie), two kinds of meat, sarmades (stuffed grape leaves), a potato dish, a vegetable side dish, and two kinds of salad. But since this was a special occasion there were at least 5 more dishes on the table. YUM. And we drank some delicious wine, which was generously provided by my other cuz.

Despite my nerves, the night was great! I had a lot of fun with everyone there. No one got into an argument, no one had a rotten time (at least not to my knowledge, gulp). It was a bit surreal knowing that everyone was meeting because of us. The thought of that alone was so, so humbling....Overall, we dined, we met, we had fun.

And I can't wait to do it again.


Side note: Boo's family is nothing like the family in the movie clip. At all. I love "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," and now that we're affianced, I will be referring to it repeatedly. I can relate to 'Toula Portokalos,' and honestly, I just love that movie!

Been There, Done That, Got the Goody Bag

(Not from bridal show)

And by "goody bag" I mean a bag stuffed to the brim with fliers for vendors I will not call. Oh, and a bridal magazine that I already own. Oh and did I mention that the nice lady at the registration desk looked pretty insulted when I told her that I didn't need the magazine? Yes, ma'am, I am trying to be part of the solution. There are trees being cut down to make these bridal magazines, and while they are often helpful to brides like myself, they are in fact made of TREES. And I already have one, OK?!

Ah, the bridal expo. No, not any bridal expo. The local bridal expo...hmm. The bridal gauntlet, if you will. Survive and you get a slice of cake. Mmm cake. The cake was delicious. The rest? I guess the polite thing to say is that it wasn't for me. But there was so much more than that.

My first mistake was that I went alone. The second mistake was that I greatly overestimated the variety of vendors that would make an appearance. Apparently there was only room for one of each vendor. One florist, one limo company (complete with stretch hummer equipped with flashing lights. shudder), one photographer--you get the point. There was absolutely no variety, and from what I saw, the wedding we want, is nothing like the wedding they like to produce. Third mistake: I told them when I was getting married. The minute they heard July 2011 the conversation was over. Over! There was this one lovely woman who actually frowned at me. What's that? Do I have something on my face? Do I smell bad? What it is woman?!

I understand that they are in the wedding business and I am not. But does getting a head start and meeting vendors early make me a waste of time? Oh it does? Well, thanks but I'm gonna take this piece of cake (and the bakery's business card) and head home, thanks. Mmbye.

So I survived the only bridal expo I ever plan on attending, ever. Lesson learned.

Oh and another valuable lesson learned--don't give your real email address. I thought I used my junk mail address (sendspamhere@Idon'tcheckthisaccount.com) on everything, but I must have missed something. I'm still getting emails from vendors I never even saw at the show! Emails like "sorry we didn't have a chance to finish our conversation and talk about pricing, but call us." Rrg.

Sweet New Launch

I was reading "Oh So Beautiful Paper" this afternoon and I stumbled across the launch of NONPAREIL magazine today. I was floored by the beautiful images and the gorgeous designs by some of the most creative people in the wedding business (in my humble opinion). Alright, enough gushing--on to the images!

(All photos from "Nonpareil Magazine")

I'm always happy to find a new source of inspiration. Too often, I pick up a wedding magazine full of "100 New Ideas for your Wedding" while I'm at the grocery store and I am let down by designs that I've seen repeated over and over again. Maybe that's the downside of reading wedding blogs? I dunno. My issue with some wedding mags aside, Nonpareil is a refreshing new take on the wedding 'zine. Can't wait for more!

DIY: I Want

I have had a secret love for all things handmade, especially paper, since I was a little girl. I spent many, many hours dragging my poor mom to the nearest craft store to stock up on paper, ink, beads, fabric, and embroidery supplies. So mom, thanks. You've gave me the chance to love making the prettiest objects for my family and friends. And you have a hand in my obsession with stationary (remember that pink stationary set you bought me? remember how I made it even prettier by embossing gold flowers on the border?). So I hope you will understand my new preocupation with acquiring this snazzy machine:

(Source)

The L Letterpress machine! I wasn't too sure about buying one until I learned that they make custom plates! The only downside is that each custom plate costs $39.99 each. Oh and I forgot to mention that the starter kit costs $149.99. But I still want it. I know I shouldn't but I do. How amazing would it be to make all of our paper goods with my very own letterpress? Now I just have to find a way to either a. buy this at a better price or b. find another way to get the look and feel of letterpress for less.