weds-day, part 3

Hey there! So, if you're just stopping by, I recently got engaged and have been writing about the planning process here once a week!

Nothing has ever really made me consider my appearance quite like my own wedding. I know, I know, you're perfect the way you are and all that jazz. Truthfully, I know Raven likes how I look no matter my weight / stress level, etc. But, I really need the confidence booster for myself. That's why I'm doing this 6 week program at Bari (which I love, I am so sore), because it feels good to treat yourself to the best version of yourself.

I won't deny, though, a creepy little voice inside my head that convinced me I need Botox injections on my forehead. All of a sudden I became fixated on "fixing" my forehead. So I asked around. I asked friends who were all meh, you don't need it. I talked to my sister, who in so many words told me she'd judge my level of intelligence. I talked to Raven, who told me he'd be deeply upset. And that's when I realized I needed to slow my roll. If this was a potential battleground, I am preemptively throwing up my white flag. The last thing I want to do is upset the dude I'm going to spend the rest of my life with, so no Botox for me.

However! There are plenty of AWESOME things you can do for your skin and your face and your wrinkles that do not involve Botox. For example, this brush, which has saved my scaly winter skin time and time again. And yet I find myself wanting more, which is why I've been obsessively researching NYC's best facials. I asked around on Facebook and was met with so many enthusiastic recommendations that I decided to take the plunge and try one myself. Tonight I'm headed to Jillian Wright for my facial and I'm pumped! I will certainly let you know how it goes.

Do you get facials or Botox? Why or why not? Tell me your secrets!

xoxo,

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       picture via.

weds-day, part 2

Good morning, friends! Hump day already, which means...it's Wedding Wednesday! Raven and I will go days without making a decision / planning anything, and then all of a sudden we'll cross 5 to do's off our long list. Since we last chatted, Raven and I have started looking for DJ's, have gotten quotes for the invitations, and I found my wedding dress!

Yesterday my mom took the train from CT and joined myself, 2 friends and my sister in law at Kleinfeld to go dress shopping. Can we just talk about my relationship with snow for a second? I'm one of those weird people that could live with snow year round and be delighted. I love it so much. So when I left my house yesterday (didn't have time to snap a proper outfit pic!) and it was snowing, I knew it was going to be a great day.

That is the most I'll show, but I'm wearing my wedding dress in that picture. If you know me, you know that high stakes moments are not easy for me (read: panic attack). So after I proclaimed "This is the one!" a lady came over and put a veil on me and goes, "Just WAIT, it really gets real when you put on the veil." Aaand I kind of lost my shit. Gill captured it above.

All joking aside, we had a great experience at Kleinfeld, our salesperson Ellie was incredible and I highly recommend trying dresses on with her. From start to finish, we were given incredible attention and made to feel right at home in the showroom. Ellie immediately understood my vision for the dress and brought perfect options right away. The dress I chose is not exactly what I had in mind, but in the end it felt so right and so me.

We followed up shopping with a trip to the Oyster Bar in Grand Central...

Where much champagne was consumed...

And finished off the evening at a dive bar with my two best friends, many pints of beer, and a giant pretzel:

Love those guys.

Raven and I are slowly but surely starting to get a registry together, and I've also started sourcing favors - locally!- so we can have a nod to Astoria at our wedding. Friends who are in the midst of planning and / or are already married - tips and tricks for planning in general are appreciated!

See you lovely folks tomorrow.

xoxo,

wedding wednesday, part 1

Morning, friends! There's only one more sleep till Christmas! I am so excited to celebrate - Raven and Charlie get in in a few hours and there's going to be lots of holiday cheer happening in the next few days. I had a great night's sleep and feel so much better today, so I thought I would kick off a new series - Wedding Wednesday! I am totally open to names, here, for this series, but for posterity, let's call it what it is for now. Even though Raven and I have only been engaged for a week, we've been brainstorming ideas for our wedding since we designed my ring. I'm excited to say we have a date, a venue and more importantly (to me), a wedding planner! I've been a fan of Melissa McNeeley's work for years, and I was thrilled when she said she'd work with us for our big day. Two seconds into my first phone call with her, she completely understood our vision. Raven and I love the outdoors and the fall and winter seasons, so a cozy November wedding by a lake in Connecticut is perfect for us. I've put together a moodboard from my Pinterest page so you can get an idea of what we're thinking:

Yup, you guessed it! Lots of plaid, lots of dark, moody colors, and we are trying our hardest to make the inside look like the Connecticut woods. Oh, and we are thrilled and HONORED to be having Ashley Caroline Photography photograph our wedding (basically, we planned our date around her availability)! Needless to say we are so excited to start this planning process. What do you guys think??

xoxo,

images via Pinterest and here.