wedding cake topper...

one of my favorite diy projects for our wedding was the cake topper. when i looked into buying one they were way more than i wanted to spend, so i figured i would try my hand at making one. this way a more or less got exactly what i wanted and was able to customize it to our wedding vibe...

i headed to my go-to source, etsy, and came across goose grease- the original peg doll wedding cake toppers. it was exactly what i was looking for! they had a great little diy kit and it was super affordable...

i bought a little wooden base from michael's craft store to wood glue the peg dolls to. i also used wooden food skewers to attach to the base to hold up the pennant banner i made (these are the same fabrics my mom used to make our bigger pennant banner, great way to tie it all together). best piece of advice when making your own- it doesn't have to be perfect or precise...

the only snafu, which ended up working out in my favor (wink, wink) was getting the groom to decide which tie he was going to wear in a timely fashion so i could paint the dang things to somewhat resemble us. being the wacko that i am, i just made the decision for him and strong-armed him (although he would disagree with that statement) into which one i wanted him to wear...

and i LOVED the end result...it's something we'll have forever now and can maybe use in the future for an anniversary cake someday.

the shout out to the mr...

it's been brought to my attention that i haven't formally given my HUSBAND a shout out in our wedding details. am i already an awful wife???

i was asked on monday how my first week of marriage went, and i replied with a 'blissful'. overstatement? no, not at all. the past week has been nothing short of wonderful...and while we're still figuring out this whole marriage/living together thing, ultimately things have been good and happy and how they should be. i know eventually the bliss will subside and we'll slide into contentment, but i'm hoping we stay like this for as long as possible.

every morning i smile waking up to a sight like this...

...seeing that ring on his finger each morning when i wake up makes me proud. 

for the past 33 years, despite being in a few long-term relationships, i have felt very alone in this life. i am no longer alone. i have a partner in crime, an ally, a cheerleader. and i have someone to love and take care of and be good to in return. ultimately isn't that we are all seeking?

he is a good man. he cares about his family and friends and me. he is loyal and generous and smart. he allows me to be me, but makes sure to tell me when i'm going a little overboard (which is a good thing). he tries to keep me balanced and even-keeled. and we have loads of fun together- our sarcastic sense of humor works well. together we are learning to be good to one another and communicate effectively. we want the same things out of life & i see great things ahead in our future, and i know he does too.

i hate to brag on my blog. there have been many (many, many, many) low points in my life, times when i have been sad, lonely, hopeless, and wanted to tell people to go pound sand for bragging about their own perfect lives too much. but i'm hear to say that my life has been, and still is, far from perfect. i have very deep struggles in my life, even still... one step at a time though, he taught me that. good things come to those who wait- so cliche, i know...i feel like i was waiting  a very long time for it to be my turn, but now it is and i am grateful. my heart is full. 

xoxo to my husband.

my fur-nephew is famous...

brisby dog made it big today people, he made his debut on upside down dogs website today!!!

brisby is becoming famous for his 'selfies' my sister has been posting on instagram, i'm such a proud auntie!

our perfect wedding recap...

i'm not even sure how to begin to talk about our wedding, other than to say it was literally my dream wedding. i woke up the day after with my heart full and my face sore from all the smiling i did. i also woke up with a bit of brides remorse because i felt like i barely got to spend time with anyone who came from near & far to celebrate with us. every bride before me told me i would feel that way, and to take a few moments throughout the night to stop and soak it all in...i think i only managed to do that twice-  once during the ceremony i turned around to see all the pews filled with smiling friends & family and once while everyone was dancing i was outside the tent by myself looking in. not nearly enough times if you ask me.

photo courtesy of lens cap productions

the day started in a tizzy with my parents, sisters & brother-in-laws running around helping me get things out to the tent and set up. we also watched the weather report which was literally supposed to be perfect all day until 2pm when we were to start our photos- they were calling for hail!?!?!?! well, mother nature turned out to be not-a-bitch/cooperative that day, not a single drop of rain fell and a nice breeze came off the river for the cocktail hour & reception.

the ceremony was perfect & so was the adorable little chapel. i have to tell you, you do all this planning for the reception and just a little for the ceremony, when in reality what happens at the chapel is the most important part. and it really was one of my most favorite parts- i remember our words and holding his hands throughout the entire time. Pastor Bob was awesome, we could not have asked for a better man to marry us. umm, and i LOVE the red doors of this chapel...

image courtesy of my sweet cousin

we both agreed the most fun part of our wedding was the ride from the chapel to the reception- it was just us, the dogs and my mom's vintage convertible volkswagen decorated by my aunt...i sat on my knees and waved at every person we passed while he honked the horn...such a special ride, a small moment alone...

photo courtesy of lens cap productions

the cocktail hour & reception, well, i wish i could tell you more about it, but it feels like a blur...i remember stuffing my face with the delicious food by smoke & pickles & grabbing a few cocktails by the wonderful bartenders of garnish & drink...i remember trying to say hello to all our friends & family (barely)...i remember the beautiful, funny & touching speeches my father, sister & father-in-law toasted us with...i remember making funny faces in our diy photo booth...and i remember dancing my socks off with our awesome band rare form... but i'm sure i'm forgetting about 75% of everything...

photo courtesy of lens cap productions

i have to give a special shout out to our wedding photographers, courtney & patrick of lens CAP productions, who have already given us an incredible sneak peek glimpse of their photos of the night...i'm hoping their photos will jog some more memories for me. and for the record, i am hiring them for every single major life event from now until the end of my life, that's how much i love their work.

i also need to thank the incredibly talented kim & chris of greenlion weddings...without them my wedding nor my mothers property would never have looked so beautiful...no seriously, they were heaven-sent. they literally set up EVERYTHING for me...they are more than just wildly imaginative florists, they are miracle workers...

photo courtesy of lens cap productions

other vendors we used and loved were... beach plum cafe for the cake & desserts, the bride beautiful for hair & make-up, sperry tents for the stunning tent & farm tables, rentals unlimited for all the rest of the rentals, and northeast sanitation for the spiffy port-o-johns,...i'm sure i'm forgetting people, i apologize.

a most special thank you goes to my in-laws for hosting a wonderfully fun & intimate rehearsal dinner at the back eddy to kick off the weekend- couldn't have asked for a better way to welcome everyone and get the wedding weekend rolling!

but the biggest thank you goes to my parents! thank you for the most perfect wedding a girl could ask for! and the biggest thank you is reserved for my mother who listened to non-stop wedding talk for 4 months straight, spent countless hours sewing & ironing table runners, napkins, & pennant banners, making sure her home & property were in tip-top shape for the 125 guests that would be attending,  AND assembling my incredible headpiece to the most fabulous veil she made special for me... more on her work to come in future posts.

a married lady...

i am returning to blogging a married woman today! i promise to get back to my regular blogging, i've missed it. i'll recap the wedding in my next blog post- i'm still trying to process it all, but wanted to leave you with one of our favorite photos from the wedding over the weekend. my mother let us drive back from the church in her vintage convertible volkswagen bug. my aunt, a very talented florist & landscaper, decorated the car for us as a surprise...it was the best ride of my life!...

this photo was taken by our incredible wedding photographer. i am not even kidding you, they were amazing. if you are getting married in the greater boston area, USE THEM. 

currently reading...

sorry for being a bad blogger lately. i promise, after the wedding i'll go back to my normal blogging. life's been crazy between the wedding planning, the fiancé moving in, doing some minor renovations to our house, taking care of 3 dogs and a cat, and working...it's hard to procrastinate these days!

i was hoping to read more than i actually am this summer. i just finished rules of civility, finally, and now i'm onto our july book group book, beautiful ruins by jess walter...

special day...

over the weekend my mom and sister hosted my beautiful bridal shower at my mothers boston apartment (with some help from some great friends). i've been to a lot of bridal showers- always the bridesmaid, never the bride- but you aren't really prepared for how overwhelming your own will be. it's the first time all the women in your life mix into one group- your mom, your sister, your aunts & cousins, your friends...and then you're new mother-in-law and sister-in-law and new aunts & cousin-in laws. and the presents you receive, oh my goodness, people are so generous. the afternoon was just so beautiful and special...

special shout-out to my friend steph who made these cupcakes and commissioned these adorable cupcake flags especially for them...

my mother put out my grandma's dress and photo of her in it for the shower...so she could 'be there' too...

after the shower my sister, with the help of a few friends, threw me an amazing bachelorette! she rented us a few rooms at the westin hotel in town (best beds ever btw), and we pre-gamed a little before heading out to dinner. She had the most awesome decorations set up in the room, made a pre-game mix of music and gave each of the girls these perfect little gift bags for attending- she really outdid herself. i'll keep my photos pg for this part, but let's just say and old friend from atlantic city showed up (wink, wink)...

after that we headed over to the very hip red lantern for a totally delicious meal that my sister had pre-planned. not even kidding you, my mouth is still watering from the food...

and then we popped over to the brahmin for a little reserved table action & dancing...where i broke out my own personal tush party...

getting married in your 30's is a real treat, and i'll tell you why... because it's not until your 30's that you really know who your real friends are and how special your family really is. the women in my life that day went above and beyond to celebrate me, it's almost too hard to put into words just how much i love each of the ladies who were a part of that afternoon and night. to my mom and sister, it's been a crazy 4 months, thank you for doing everything in your power to pull this all off without a hitch and making it so beautiful and special. to my new family, i am excited to become a part of your clan. to my forever family, i will always be one of you. and to my girlfriends, there are no better people to have on your side. looking forward to celebrating with each of you in 3 weeks! xoxo