I guess it's time to stop stressing and starting enjoying because the day I've been waiting for is finally here!
Last night as a Ho!
The Big Day is Finally Here! I've been so busy lately I haven't even had time to blog! All the wedding stress is killing me (and everyone that has to suffer me) but I hear it's worth it in the end.
I guess it's time to stop stressing and starting enjoying because the day I've been waiting for is finally here! Last night as a Ho!
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Where Does the Time Go?! First Wedding Fiasco and Bridezilla Moment 03/24/2015 If you want to go to your wedding naked, shop at Jay West. Long story short, the girls and I went to Jay West to order the bridesmaids dresses back in November and now I found out the dresses were never ordered. It was definitely the store's mistake for holding the order since they "thought Natalee and Bella were bridesmaids." After several frustrating phone calls with the manager and then finally the store owner, I finally managed to get a rush order on the dresses and a semi decent apology. Still not happy that they won't do anything else for messing up my order. Now the dresses won't be here until June and I am not happy about that. I obviously planned to have them way earlier than that! The girls have been good sports about it. Complaining and being angry with me about how Jay West has treated us. Consoling me that everything will work out. I know everything will be fine. I just didn't expect a bump in the road yet, especially during the already stressful week of PARRC and parent teacher conferences. So this was my one bridezilla moment, which I am assured by all that I'm totally justified in having. Fantastic Fuchsia Flower Samples 03/29/2015 Danny, my mom, and I took a trip to our florist, Bloom Floral and Events, to see the flower samples and I loved all of them. I think I did pretty good job of choosing three different designs that are still coordinated. I can't reveal what the flowers look like but I can describe the design as simple, yet modern and elegant. There will be a lot of fuchsia orchids, which are my favorite flowers! I'm so glad we chose Bobby. He aims to please and he actually said that he likes that I'm a picky bride and that I pay attention to detail. It helps him know what I like so he can make my day look beautiful. I don't think many people would say they like a picky bride! Seeing the flowers was definitely a win for me. I'd been feeling stressed because of the bridesmaids dress issue.
Vera Wang for the Boys! 04/18/2015 Danny, Alex, and I picked out all the formalwear for the groomsmen! They'll be wearing the Vera Wang Black tux and I can't wait to see how fancy they look! Who can resist a handsome man in a suit? Last Birthday as a Single Lady 04/20/2015 Thank you to all my family and friends for making what I thought was going to be an ordinary 28th birthday special! It was full of surprises. This time next year, I will no longer be a Miss Ho, but a Mrs. Vargas! Next Steps
Celebrating a Day of Love with the People I Love, Doing Things I Love! Now I Love My Dress! What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than a girls' day out? My mom, bridesmaids, and I kicked off Valentine's Day with a trip to Jahee Bridal for my first dress fitting. My dress came into the salon back in January but I had to push my fitting appointment to February because it had snowed the morning of my original appointment and my shoes didn't arrive on time. This time I was ready! I had my new 5-inch sparkly heels and pavé earrings, as well as my something borrowed - an exquisite journey diamond necklace from my mom. I was so excited to try on my actual dress, not the gigantic sample dress I tried on last August. My seamstress Maria helped me into my dress and heels and I had time to admire the details while she pinned up all the extra fabric (and there was a lot of extra fabric for a petite little bride like me). I loved the way the lighting gave the dress a subtle sparkle when I moved. The dress being in my size made all the difference because I loved my dress now. Everyone's reaction when I stepped out of the room made me feel like a star. Of course, everyone loved the dress on me! To complete the look, I put on my veil, earrings, and necklace. I felt like a bride standing in front of that floor-length mirror. Then, Maria spread out the train so we could take in all the detail; it was gorgeous! Just when I thought I couldn't love my dress more, Maria bustled my dress and it was amazing the way she transformed the back of my dress. It was like I had two dresses for the price of one! I loved how the detail on the train flowed seamlessly with the design from the bodice.... And to think I never even wanted a dress with a train!
Fifty Shades Fun After the dress fitting and brunch at Patisserie Florentine, we continued our girls' day by watching Fifty Shades of Grey. Obviously the book was better but I just had to see how cheesy the movie would be for myself. I was actually surprised to see the number of males in theater that were most likely forced to go by their female counterparts. All of our boys lucked out and we did not drag any of them to the theater ruin the movie for us. The Florist Fiasco is Finally Over A few weeks earlier, I finalized my florist, who was recommended by a co-worker (thanks Ashley and Ashley's dad!). For those of you who lived through the florist selection hell with me, you were just as relieved as I was when I finally chose Bloom Floral and Events to be my official florist. I think it was the first time I was truly a Bridezilla because my indecisiveness and attention to detail would not allow me to make a choice; each florist had something different to offer that the others did not, which did not make the decision any easier. In the end, I had to remember that it's not about the little details because everything will turn out fine. I just have to remember the big picture... that I'm getting married to the love of my life and that's all that matters! Thank you to all of those who put up with me during my time of need. Apartment Hunting Begins Now that most of the big details have been taken care of, I've had the time to hunt for apartments. After compiling all of our research, Danny and I are venturing out this weekend to visit potential apartments because in 5 months, we are moving out and living in the real world! Yikes! I wonder if it will be as fun as Welcome 2015! Only 7 months to go! Even though I haven't had time to update, I have been getting a lot of things on the big checklist done! Here's what I've been up to: October To-Do List
November To-Do List
Photo Update
P.S. All the engagement photos are up on our website! Thank you to our photographer Hanel Choi. See the Photos page for the full gallery! Engagement photos finished!
I can't believe that it has been 5 months since Danny and I got engaged. It was such a surreal experience standing in the exact spot where he proposed because it didn't seem that long ago and yet, so much has happened since then. Today was truly a day filled with love and laughter and trust me, there was a lot of laughing from my end. Every time Hanel directed me to stare lovingly into my future husband's eyes, I couldn't help but burst out in laughter. It's not that I don't love Danny because anyone who knows us knows that I do; I just can't help but smile every time I look at him and see how much he loves me too. He's definitely got the "look deep and lovingly into her eyes" look down pat, so he will definitely look better in the serious photos. At least, Hanel complimented me on how easily I can laugh playfully on command. I'm too happy to be serious! "We Just Got Engaged" - The All Access Pass Hanel captured some really great shots of us in all different locations: the walkway along the water, the pier lit up at night, a little park with trees that still had green leaves, and even it the middle of a street! We were able to get permission to sit in the outdoor seating area at two restaurants (Trinity and Little Town) without actually ordering anything. I just loved how the string lights in the trees looked and I have a soft spot for Trinity ever since the engagement. Hanel said whenever he mentions that he is doing an engagement shoot for a couple that just got engaged it's like an all access pass that allows him to do pretty much anything he wants! Danny and I experienced another perk of being a recently engaged couple when we returned to Little Town for dinner. Our waiter surprised us by giving us a free brownie sundae! The sweet surprise was a great way to end the fun-filled evening. I cannot wait to see all of the photos in a few weeks! Thanks again Hanel! P.S. Let It Go! Let It Go!
Just for the record, I am not a total Bridezilla. Yes, I came to the photo session prepared with a list of poses that I wanted because I have a problem: the OCD and letting go of control thing. However... I resisted the urge to be a crazy control freak for fear of squashing my photographer's creativity. Hanel of course pulled through for me and got practically every shot I envisioned and ones that I never even dreamed of! He was very patient when listening to my requests and I thank him very much for that because I know I'm not easy to work with. I learned a very valuable lesson in letting go and trusting people today. =) Let the Real Countdown Begin!
It's the Bridesmaids' Turn to Have Their Fun! David's Bridal: Part 2? All the girls and I went to Alfred Angelo Bridal in Cherry Hill as our first stop. I had originally scheduled a bridal & bridesmaid dress appointment back-to-back. Obviously, I cancelled the bridal to move up the bridesmaids appointment since I had already picked my dress the day before. This was David's Bridal: The Bridesmaids version. When we got there, apparently they had cancelled my appointment with a stylist... period. My new appointment was with an associate who I can only assume worked the front desk. She actually told me she wasn't even a stylist while we were waiting for the girls to try on their dresses. I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt so I smiled politely as I waited. The dresses were not the correct sizes understandably, so some of the larger dresses needed to be clipped. Well guess who takes after her mom and had to be the stylist for the day... you guessed it... me! I ended up clipping the girls' dresses for the rest of the "appointment." I have to say the girls were troopers trying on all those dresses; especially since they got progressively less impressive and blah... Diana was actually the first to try on the dress that we ended up liking the best out of all the so-so options tho choose from; it was a one-shoulder dress from the soft net collection, but it was navy blue so not the color I was looking for. Uyen tried on a few of the next best dresses including a high-neck dress from the soft net collection and a strapless chiffon dress that had sequins underneath the sheer fabric in the bodice; both dresses were purple but not close to the orchid shade I had in mind. Melissa tried on a couple of v-neck dresses and those necklines looked good on her; the dresses themselves had no wow factor because of the ugly colors (I mean orangey red and dark brown, really?). The Bridesmaid Dress/Jumpsuit??? The best thing one of the girls tried on sadly, was a chiffon jumpsuit. A what? Yes... a jumpsuit! Someone had grabbed it off the racks thinking it was a dress since it had a nice neckline. Our bubbles were soon burst when we discovered the only nice thing about this number was it's neckline. Why... because the "dress" had pants! Pants! I couldn't believe it was a jumpsuit. No offense, but who where's a chiffon jumpsuit as a bridesmaid dress? Who?! Diana was hilarious because she put the jumpsuit on and did a jig in it, clicking her heels while she was a it. I can't post the picture here or she would kill me. We were hysterically laughing in the middle of the fitting room floor and people were staring. I didn't care anymore. We had clearly seen enough! Take a look for yourself! Then I Did Something Bad... But It Turned Out to Be Good!
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The OCD Bride...
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