a b+b wedding!

DIY Cupcakes

2011-08-12T20:25:00.005+01:00

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there were a few things ben and I decided to do ourselves for our wedding to save some money and whatnot.

one of the things I latched onto early on was making all the cupcakes myself.
ben said "have fun, but I am not going to be frantically frosting cupcakes two hours before the wedding. at that point you're on your own".

I had to admit there was risk so, thankfully, it didn't come down to last minute decorating.

I also had help.
my mom, my sister and kitchen-aid all came to my rescue.

here's how it went down:
I spent the entire wednesday before the wedding baking.
it was a 98 degree day.
not the best timing on my part.
but they all got made.
all 112 of them.
(I am a baking machine!)

the next day my family come up to nh from ct, and I put molly to work on the frosting.
(she wants to be a chef. this is practice. it's good for her. really it's me helping her out.)

she whipped up the buttercream, but the second she stopped the mixer the eggs and butter separated.
it was that hot.

we decided to stop baking and go drink cool beverages by the river instead.
frosting could wait til morning.

thankfully friday morning it had cooled off and the frosting stayed in frosting form!
glorious non-melty frosting.

she set herself up at the dining room table and frosted like the devil.
(do devils frost? how do they keep their buttercream from separating in the heat?)

they were done.
they were delicious.
and we prolly saved ourselves a couple hundred bucks.

not to mention all the bragging rights we obtained.

it's all about the bragging rights.

working in the tiniest kitchen known to man.

consulting the recipe.

smiling through the heat. with our kitchen savior in the bottom right. (orange!)

testing the stiffness of the peaks.

getting down to the real frosting.

with my stolen apron.

I may have stolen a cupcake in retribution. (they were delicious)

and now, on to the recipes!

the spread

carrot cake
ingredients

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/8 cups white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup chopped walnuts

directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla. Fold in carrots and pineapple. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Fold in 1/2 cup walnuts. Transfer to the prepared muffin cups.
Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out cream cheese frosting and sprinkling with remaining walnuts.

white cake

ingredients

2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

4 egg whites

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3/4 cup butter

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

directions

Measure sifted flour, baking powder, and salt; sift together three times.

In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add 1/2 cup sugar gradually, and continue beating only until meringue will hold up in soft peaks.

Cream butter or margarine. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar, and cream together until light and fluffy. Add sifted ingredients alternately with milk a small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Mix in flavorings. Add meringue, and beat thoroughly into batter. Spread batter in a 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan which has been lined on the bottom with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. This cake may also be baked in two 9 inch round pans for 30 to 35 minutes, or in three 8 inch round pans for 25 to 30 minutes.

chocolate cake (from this book)

ingredients

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate or vanilla buttercream for frosting cupcakes

Grated chocolate for garnish (optional)

directions

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Place the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl and set over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan; stir frequently until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and let the chocolate mixture cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Using a wooden spoon, stir the sugar into the chocolate mixture until combined. Stir in the eggs one at a time, beating until combined after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Gently fold in the flour mixture just until no traces of flour remain; do not overmix.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 22 to 24 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cupcakes to the rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Frost the cupcakes with the buttercream, garnish with grated chocolate if using, and serve. (The frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving.)

buttercream frosting (from this book)

ingredients

3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into small pieces

directions

In a large, clean heatproof bowl, combine the egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over (but not touching) simmering water in a sauce pan and heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch (about 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), about two minutes. Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg white mixture on high speed until it is fluffy, has cooled to room temperature and holds stiff peaks (the mixture should not look dry) about 6 minutes.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the salt and then the butter, a few pieces at a time, beating well after each addition. If the frosting appears to separate or is very liquid after all the butter is added, continue to beat on high speed until it is smooth and creamy, 3-5 minutes more. Add the flavoring(s) of choice and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Use right away.

Makes about 2 cups

almond flavoring

the book says add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp almond extract, but we accidentally switched the two measurements (1/4 vanilla, 1/2 almond) and liked it. so we kept it.

chocolate flavoring

slightly altered, as we did not wish to to stand over a double boiler again, we cut out the melted bittersweet chocolate and doubled the cocoa powder. we added 6-7 tbsps unsweetened cocoa powder into a double batch of buttercream frosting.

cream cheese frosting (from this book)

ingredients
- 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
directions

In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar and mix until thoroughly combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Use right away, or if the consistency is too soft, refrigerate until the frosting is spreadable, about 15 minutes.

and good cake was enjoyed by all.

THE END.

[photos 1-7 my myself or my mom, photos 8-11 by amy ritz, photo 12 by an unknown person of genius seated at table number 13]

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2011-07-21T19:20:00.000+01:00

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so I know it looks like I've been avoiding you.

and that's only, like, 65% true.

mostly I've been waiting for some pictures to come in.
as illustrated summaries are the best summaries!

we should hopefully be getting the professional photos soon, and a few of our friends took some really good ones and have promised to send them our way.

in theory, by 2012 at the latest there will be some more activity round these parts.
(but the real goal is before we fly back to london...)

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2011-07-07T15:47:00.003+01:00

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a few quick-fire recollections
(before [eventually] getting into the in-depth play-by-play analysis, sports center style)

wearing sneakers on our wedding day was the best decision I ever made. my feet never hurt. not once.

you know somebody caught the princess bride references you wrote into the ceremony when you hear snickering from behind you.
(and more so, you know exactly who it is...)

looking through the photos coming in from friends and family, it seems there were very few moments where I did not have a beer bottle in my hand. I am not sure if I married ben, or sam adams...

putting manikins on all the tables may have been the bestest idea ever in the history of bestest ideas.

[all photos from friends, family and the disposable cameras left on the tables (also a good idea.)]

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2011-06-28T20:33:00.001+01:00

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hi there.

I swear I haven't abandoned you.

I've been busy.

there's been work.

we just discovered we're flying back to london a bit sooner than we thought we were.

and I'm lazy.
(mostly I'm lazy)

I'll be back soon.
(theoretically...)

for placation purposes:

[again, image by our photographer amy ritz]

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2011-06-24T16:37:00.000+01:00

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the kn*t is like a freakin ouija board.

I unsubscribed from that thing weeks ago but that sonofabitch just keeps coming back to my inbox....

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2011-06-22T20:19:00.001+01:00

yesterday I found an old wedding to-do list under a forgotten pile of door submittals on my desk.

I didn't even think about it.

I crumpled up that bastard and threw him away.

and it felt incredibly good.

no more wedding planning ever again!

yippee!!

and I swear I will get back here to do some (actual) post-wedding writing/reflecting/what-not, but as I am still recovering from "damn, I'm not on vacation anymore"-itis, I can't quite focus.

here's a bit o' eye candy to tide you over:

[photo by our photographer Amy Ritz]

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2011-06-10T18:59:00.001+01:00

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and here we go.

see you on the other side!

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2011-06-09T15:17:00.001+01:00

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I finally found a use for all those architecture textbooks!

they are excellent for weighing down things and flattening them.

anatomy of a boston bachelorette

2011-06-06T02:28:00.002+01:00

from this:

to this:

with a little bit of this in between:

I have the bestest of bestest friends.

that night was epic.

2011-06-03T20:02:00.004+01:00

amanda got me the most kickin' gift ever.

that's right.
that's a personalized hanger for my wedding dress.

and it's bright yellow.

I love it.

(excuse the ad hoc photos, only so much you can do with a point and shoot camera at work...)

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2011-05-31T20:14:00.003+01:00

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sometimes I think this site can read my mind.

just last night I was telling ben I am going to have to make a flower for my hair myself cause ~~I procrastinated too long~~ it is too late to order one and have it arrive in time for the wedding.

and what happens to show up in my google reader this morning?

how to make a wedding hair flower.

is that excellent timing or what?

similar things have happened with i-pod dj-ing and setting up your own photobooth.

I am getting the impression the universe doesn't think I can pull this off without some major outside help...

[the universe may be right...]

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2011-05-30T14:41:00.000+01:00

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things learned this weekend in the land of wedding logistics:

-you don't get to sign the marriage license at your wedding like we had hoped. you have to sign it when you get it.
-even in a tiny northern nh town early on a saturday morning, you will have to wait about half an hour to get the license (kinda maybe sorta making you late to meet with your officiant....)
-a lot more goes into a marriage ceremony than we had any inkling of.
-apparently "vows" and "I do's" are not the same thing. (ben says knew this, but I had no idea.)
-it's a small world. our officiant's wife is from the town in georgia my dad's lab is relocating to later on this year.

things learned this weekend completely unrelated to the wedding:

-mosquitos are bastards, every single little one of them. and I have the multiple bug bites to prove it.
-I can apparently get sunburned while sitting in the living room. I mean, I knew I was pale, but this just brings it to a whole new level.

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2011-05-27T19:02:00.003+01:00

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have dress again.

it fits perfectly.

my seamstress is awesome.

don't know why I ever even worried.

sorted.

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2011-05-27T16:07:00.002+01:00

I like boxes.
I like wood.
I like wine.
I like typefaces.

I like this.

[via]

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reflections on a wedding shower

2011-05-25T01:18:00.002+01:00

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it was really really nice.

no bow bouquets, so silly games, no awkwardness.
just good friends, awesome family and a lot of damn delicious food.

ben and I decided that we didn't want to ask for typical gift-type gifts twice (wedding and shower) so we asked everybody to bring a copy of their favorite book (or two. or three or four...). (we love books)
(we also threw some up on our wishpot registry for those who weren't avid readers and didn't have a favorite book. more on wishpot later. I have to sing it's praises. it's been fantastic.)

what we ended up with is pretty much our definition of bliss.
some really nice classics, a few old favorites (including a count of monte cristo (!) from my neighbor eileen. its apparently her favorite too. add that to the fact we share a birthday, and we both pretty much rock), my nanny gave us a set of books that my grandfather brought down from canada with him when he moved to connecticut, some books on gardening, cooking, drinking and architecture (all things we love), a couple of books on the history my hometown and, for good measure, some books on americana to remind us of our home country when we go back abroad.

some random snapshots of the day:

Molly making her chocolate-covered strawberries.

the random dog that came to hang out before he went off again in search of his owners. for a second ben and I thought we just got the most awesomest wedding shower gift ever.

remember these?
bria was a rock star and made some for me.

they looked pretty awesome.

and amy brought a ton of balloons, tied em to books (theme!) and had vases of beautiful yellow lilies scattered about.
looked ever so festive.
also, almost everybody wrapped their gifts in green paper/bags. totally unintentional, but it looked so coordinated!

ben and nanny!

the rain stopped for a bit, so we converged out on the deck.

keeping watch over the tasty snacks.

friends!

more friends!

undercover friends.

delicious chocolate cake (does my mom know me, or what?)

molly's incredible chocolate-covered strawberries.

the afore-mentioned book tower.
this time with yardstick juxtaposition.

I had a few worries, based on previous bridal/wedding showers I had been to, but I should have know with my mom and amy at the helm (combined with molly, bria and our wicked awesome community of family, friends and neighbors) we had nothing to worry about.

it was a great party.

thanks guys!

2011-05-22T18:14:00.005+01:00

wedding shower swag.

oh yes.

that's three feet of books.

a whole thirty six inches.

life is good.

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2011-05-20T21:24:00.002+01:00

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remember when this dress arrived?
and it was too big?
and my solution was to eat lots of cake?

well, my friends and loved ones managed to talk me out of that scheme, so instead I took the dress to a nice seamstress I found in Cambridge.

I picked it up yesterday after work.
it was still loose.

the whole dress fit much better, and she did a great job, but it was not yet to that point where I can boogie the night away without any fears of it...shifting.

so of course, me being me, I handled the situation beautifully.
by which I mean, I did nothing.
she asked if it was alright, and I said yeah! it's great! and left.

this was my first time at a seamstress, and I was afraid she was going to charge me more if she had to make more alterations, I had just taken the bus in the rain and I was all damp and it had been a long day and I very much wanted to get home and eat dinner.

so I did what I do best. I took the easy, non-confrontational way out.
which is fine. but now I still have a dress that doesn't quite fit me.

hind-sight being 20/20, I should have just said it's great! much better. but...still a little loose here.
she was the sweetest lady and I highly doubt she would have charged me anything else on top of her very reasonable fee.

but I didn't.
so now I'm not sure what to do.

but I am not comfortable with how it fits right now, so I have to do something.

thus, do I:
a) take it back, explain that I a rubbish at business transactions and hope she treats it as an extension of the first appointment and not as a separate visit in which she will charge me again?
b) see if I know any friends/family who have hidden sewing talents?
c) revert back to my first instinct, and eat as many cupcakes as I can in the next three weeks?

(sidebar: as I was typing that last one, all I was thinking about was that scene in How I Met Your Mother where Lily's dress turns out to be too big for her and Robin makes her eat chips and fudge, boot camp style, so she'll fit into it again. I tried to find the video clip, but no luck.)

since I am incapable of making decisions, I am taking the dress down to CT this weekend, showing it to my mother, and making her decide what I should do.

(though I am still leaning towards cupcakes...)

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2011-05-18T17:52:00.006+01:00

Liechtenstein anyone?

how awesome are my friends?
fantabulously awesome.

best friend Amy found this article a while back and started scheming. to quote her:
"So here's what I'm thinking for your bachelorette party. Save your beer money...we're going to freakin' Liechtenstein."

dudes.
you can rent out THE ENTIRE COUNTRY OF LIECHTENSTEIN.

and the best part?

"If the idea of renting an entire country wasn’t weird enough, you’ll be shocked to hear what you can do with your rental. Renaming city streets and town squares, printing your own temporary currencies, and carving logos into the snow on the mountainside is just the beginning." (emphasis mine)

we would be able to print our own currency!

we could print Bethany Bucks! (TM pending)

so, who's willing to fund this little adventure?
it's only $70,000 a night!

anybody?

...

hello?

...

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2011-05-18T17:21:00.001+01:00

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consider this under consideration.

[via]

(plus, I covet her dress...)

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2011-05-17T20:54:00.003+01:00

alright.

at long last.
the moment you've all been waiting for.

our invitation post.

I've got my 80's itunes playlist going and a hot cup of tea brewing.

let's do this.

so about 4 weeks ago, ben and I discovered that we had done pretty much nothing regarding the inviting of people to our wedding.
we were down at my parent's in CT, staying with them for the weekend while we attended the wedding of one of ben's college roommates (btw, bartenders make g+t's much stronger than I usually make my own. a little discovery I made that saturday night at the reception..), and the conversation went down pretty much like this:

Mom: Have you guys given any thought to invitations? You only have a couple of months left.

Bethany: Nope.

Ben: We should do something, huh?

[Ben and Bethany look up letterpress invitations online, cause letterpress is wicked cool and we like paper.]

Ben: Holy. These aren't cheap, are they?

Bethany: And have you seen those estimated shipping dates? We don't have 4 weeks!

Ben: Hmmmm. Wanna make our own invitations?

Bethany: Yeah, ok! How hard could it be?

and thus the invitation-designing saga began.

Ben had the idea previously of making our own envelopes. ones that could be folded from a single sheet of 8.5" x 11" paper, and where we could print a map on the back.
so he went off to figure out how to fold the paper to make a cohesive and sturdy envelope.

I took it upon myself to draw the map.

it took longer to create the envelope than to draw the map.

but both looked kick-ass.
ben created the sheet so that when folded correctly (lots of trial and error) it looked like a vintage airmail envelope.

the envelope pre-folded

envelope folded. [ben couldn't remember my address, thus the hand delivered, gin bottle instead of stamps, invitation]

I drew the map of the location of the wedding.

since it's in northern NH, it pretty much went like this:
-road A
-road B
-a few buildings
-river
-wedding venue
-LOTS of trees

not the best scan, but there ya go.

using my mom's scanner/printer (and all her ink...) we printed about 120 of these babies.

and then we had to fold them.

that took a while...

while I had been finishing up the map, ben was creating the rsvp's based on an idea I had seen somewhere...

mad libs!

behold:

my mom's been reading them all out to me as they arrive at my parents house.
we've been getting a kick out of them.
we know a lot of creative people.
they are fabulous.

with the envelope/map and rsvp card sorted and out of the way, we just needed the actual invitation.

I was on it.

monday night.
4 hours.
bootleg photoshop.
booyah.

and printed on this fabulous watercolor paper we got at blicks:

forgive the non-edited photos. the bootleg photoshop finally caught up with me...

the back is also cool, but not nearly as so. something about having to be actually informative, or whatnot.

who said designing wedding invitations was hard?

and let's finish with some more pictorial eye candy.

oh wait! I almost forgot!
we also went all crazy with the stamps.
cause we can't do things, you know, the easy way.
it had to match the vintage airmail "theme" (in the roughest sense of the word) and it had to be cool.
none of this single stamp thing.
multiple stamps of smaller denominations!!
which meant bethany going to the post office.
to get many many stamps.
905 stamps to be exact.
and therefore meant some really funny looks from the guy working the deck at said post office...

("hi! I need some stamps." "ok, how many?" "142 one-cent stamps please" "ok...well I'll have to go the back to get those..." "wait! I have more. also 272 four-cent stamps and, actually, you know what? just take the list" "......")

but, I will admit. they looked pretty freakin fantastic when all was said and done.

ok, now onto the eye candy!

back of the invitation

opening up the envelope

look! an invite!

laid out all pretty

all the pieces

and there ya go.
how to design, print and post all your wedding invitations in a week and a half.
with no prior planning what-so-ever.
cause that's how we roll.

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2011-05-16T18:00:00.001+01:00

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oh, and yeah.

should prolly add getting our marriage license to the to-do list.

it's the minor things the slip through the cracks.

(thank you amanda for reminding me, cause I would have totally forgot...)

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2011-05-12T17:58:00.000+01:00

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a teaser until I have time to do a full post on our invitations.

gotta get some work done this afternoon, after all.

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2011-05-11T16:05:00.003+01:00

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exactly one month to go.

should prolly start working on that "to do" list...

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2011-05-11T10:34:00.002+01:00

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speaking of to-do lists (see post below), there's a slight chance that if I post ours and publish it to the world (or, more accurately, the two people who read this. hi mom!), the things on it might actually get done...

things we still need to get/buy/~~steal~~/rent
-fabric: some for the photobooth backdrop and some to toss over a table with drinks on it in-between the ceremony and dinner
-beverage holders for said drinks (possibly from venue?)
-speakers for the music
-shoes (I swear, I'll eventually find some)
-wedding bands
-a few things I am probably forgetting

things we still need to do/finish up/~~start~~ (we're not that unorganized....)
-finish making yarn pom poms
-finalize music playlists
-meet with the justice of the peace (but that's scheduled! so it's like it's practically done)
-compile our lawn games/make signs for them
-a few things I am probably forgetting

totally doable.

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2011-05-10T18:16:00.000+01:00

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this bundle of adorableness greeted me from my inbox this morning:

our invitations are delicious and nutritious!

[p.s. now that almost everybody has received their invitations, I am going to post them here. you know, to brag a little. cause they're so awesome.]

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2011-05-09T19:02:00.002+01:00

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2011-05-03T00:20:00.002+01:00

"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."

-Martin Luther King Jr

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2011-04-28T19:17:00.000+01:00

course, I still have no idea where to find them...

[via]

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2011-04-25T19:07:00.003+01:00

The Walk for Hunger is one week away! Here are some stats to show what good your donations can do:

$25 provides a bowl of hot soup + a sandwich for 50 people at an emergency food program.

$50 provides a bowl of hot soup + a sandwich for 100 people at an emergency food program.

$100 provides a week's supply of groceries for 5 families at a local food pantry.

$500 provides a week's supply of groceries for 25 families at a local food pantry.

(anything helps!)

So donate today!

Help eradicate hunger (in massachusetts and everywhere)!

Go to our team page to donate or join our walking group!

thanks!

2011-04-25T16:10:00.001+01:00

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so I tried on my wedding dress this weekend while down at my parent's for easter.

it turns out to be a size too big.

now, there are two things I could do here.
I could take it to a seamstress to be taken in, or I could eat cake.

lots and lots of cake.

would you judge me if I told you I was leaning towards cake?

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2011-04-21T19:22:00.002+01:00

another version of these.

[via]

2011-04-20T17:29:00.000+01:00

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well, the invitations are in the mail.

no going back now!

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2011-04-18T22:18:00.000+01:00

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guess what we bought yesterday?

[via]

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2011-04-15T20:52:00.001+01:00

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or this also has that "messy-chic" look:

(and also appears to require minimal hairspray.)

[via]

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2011-04-15T16:40:00.000+01:00

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I could get down with this hairstyle for the wedding.

it doesn't look like it requires too much hairspray.

[via]

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2011-04-15T03:00:00.008+01:00

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so I have finally found something "wedding" that I am good at!

I can rock an invitation design.

as can ben.

from the "hmmm, we should prolly do something about invitations, huh?" on sunday night to the bringing them to the post office to get mailed the next monday we designed, drew, re-designed, photoshopped, printed, folded, addressed and sent them off.

nothing to it.

as soon as everybody has received theirs, we'll post pictures of the process (in as much as we have pictures of the process) and the final product here.

we're a little tiny bit boastful about these.

[teeniest bit.]

[they are the most awesomest thing ever!]

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2011-04-14T19:09:00.003+01:00

a couple of weeks ago I was sitting in a local community center waiting to see if somebody there could help me with my taxes (they were running a free clinic. and they couldn't. damn foreign income threw a wrench in it) and I saw a poster for a walk for hunger sponsored by Project Bread, a massachusetts-based anti-poverty organization.

and I thought "hmmmm, I should do that."

and then forgot about it.

and then I saw a sign on the side of a bus and started to think about it again.

so I signed up and started a team!

the walk is on the 30th of april here in boston, and all proceeds go to over 400 emergency food organizations that Project Bread is partnered with.

tis a good cause.

so if you would like to donate, or even better, if you would like to join the team and walk all or part of the 20 miles round beautiful down-town boston, follow the link to our team homepage!

every little bit helps!

cheers!!

bethany (and teammates)

2011-04-14T03:00:00.005+01:00

3 things to keep in mind while addressing wedding invitations

1. keep all cats in the house at a 50 foot radius. or the second you turn your back this happens:

2. if you are listening to music while addressing, try to keep from singing along out loud. or you may just find yourself writing down the lyrics to bohemian rhapsody on the envelope instead of your cousin's address in florida.

3. other countries have some weird addresses, and a certain couple from trinidad may quite possibly have the longest address in all existence. four countries listed and nary a zip or post code to be found. allow extra space. I may have gone through a couple of envelopes before I planned ahead enough to not be forced into miniscule writing at the end...

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2011-04-12T19:10:00.000+01:00

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wedding cupcake trial run number one was attempted on sunday.

here are a few of the highlights:

the cupcakes pictured are white cupcakes (with a multitude of buttercream frosting varieties).
we also made carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, but camera didn't stay out and active that long, as it became way too important to ~~eat as many cupcakes as we could~~ perform important quality control roles.

and rest assured, the final cupcakes will not look so circus-like.
but there were different frosting tips to be played with.
you can't not do things like that.

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2011-04-06T18:13:00.000+01:00

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I got the email confirmation this morning that my wedding dress was shipped!

it's scheduled for delivery on the 12th of april.

which is wicked awesome.

but the best part?

according to UPS it only weighs 3 pounds.

that barely covers the weight of the beading on some of the other dresses I had tried on.

thank god for cotton poplin.

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2011-04-01T20:31:00.000+01:00

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happy april fool's day!

also known as two years to the day that ben asked bethany to marry him.
or, more accurately, the day he said he wanted to spend the rest of his life loving bethany.

ben never actually asked bethany to marry him. [and thus bethany does not consider this whole thing to be contractually binding. least not yet.]

was talking with ben on the phone last night and we were reminiscing about the proposal, ben's initial plans thwarted by his lack of knowledge pertaining to the hours of london's parks and various other things.
apparently he was wicked nervous I was going to say no.
which I think is just silly, but then again I am not a dude about to propose.

the conversation then moved onto our planning process [or lack there-of], all the things we would have done differently, the stress, the frustrations, etc etc etc.

and then he said if he could go back in time two years, knowing everything he knows now, he wouldn't do a thing differently.
he'd still ask me to marry him.
even with the knowledge of how messed up things were about to get.

now that's love.

and pretty much sums up why I am looking forward to wiling away all my days with ben.
he's a stubborn fool, but a damn lovable one.

and he's my lovable stubborn fool.

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2011-03-31T18:56:00.001+01:00

according to this handy dandy little chart, I am "masculine".

not sure if I appreciate that...

(note: we don't really have a wedding cake flavor per say [cupcakes can be multi-flavor!], but chocolate is my go to cake type.)
(as evidenced by the piece of chocolate cake I am eating right now...)

[via]

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2011-03-25T17:20:00.004Z

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I am liking the wedding dress with bold colored cardigan aesthetic.

what's that you say?

this is just a ploy to justify buying a slightly-more-expensive-than-would-normally-be-considered-a-wise-purchase soft cardigan?

no....no....that's just not true!

[yesitis.]

[images via + via + via]

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2011-03-25T17:02:00.000Z

I know how you feel little dude.

[via]

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2011-03-21T18:24:00.005Z

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dudes.
remember when I found this?
the first page of the marital rating scale from 1939?
and we were all like, 'whoa, that's so crazy people actually thought like this'?
well this morning I found the whole thing.

obviously I needed to print it out and see how ben and I rated right then and there.
these kinds of things can't wait for opportune times like lunch or after work.
they demand to be taken now.
middle of the morning at work be damned.
reflected ceiling plans can wait.
this could not.

the whole scale has a chart for the husband as well as for the wife.
needless to say, ben fared much better than I, because while reading the paper at the table may count as a demerit for the dude, wearing red nail polish is seen as a demerit for the chick.
and husbands get 20 points for being good in bed, while the wife only gets 10.
equal opportunity was not even on the horizon here.
and I get knocked down a point for wearing pajamas instead of nightgowns.
it's the late 30's. you know how it goes.

in the end ben racked up an impressive 82 points (96 merits and 14 demerits), landing him in the "very superior" category.
(knew I snagged myself a good'un)

I, on the other hand, ended up with a measly 35 points (68 merits and 33 demerits).
categorized as "poor".
my only consolation is this was above the "very poor (failure)" category.

I may make a horrible house-wife, but I am not quite a failure.
it's the small things.

update: ben went through and filled out the 'wife' portion for me. he was much nicer than I was to myself. he gave me a whopping 46 points (75 merits and 25 demerits), which pushes me up to "average". woohoo!

do yourself a favor and go check this thing out.
even if it's thoroughly depressing in it's reflections of how repressed women were back then, it's still pretty darn funny.

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2011-03-21T17:42:00.000Z

where is this assemblage of yellow shoes, and why can't I find it?

[via]

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2011-03-18T18:18:00.001Z

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I believe my love of thumb print paper goods has already been established.

plus, I'm a sucker for well executed graphic design.

[and london]

[via]

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2011-03-09T18:37:00.000Z

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you know.
if you stop and think about it, affianced is a very strange word...

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2011-03-08T18:53:00.001Z

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hi guys.
so...
remember how I bought this wedding dress?

well.

I changed my mind.

[as I am wont to do.]

I had tried on two dresses at the shop that I couldn't decide between.
my mom, sister and best friend came up to boston to help me pick one.

I ended up buying the first one I posted. but almost immeditaly afterwards started wondering if I had bought the wrong one.
I chalked it up to the second-guessing that usually hits you after a big (both financailly and emotionally) purchase.

but the feeling didn't go away.
in fact, I started to get it more and more often.

cause the thing is, while I really do like the boatneck one, the strapless one was my first instinct.
even from just looking at the website.
and while if I hadn't been able to switch dresses I would have been quite happy with it, I kept thinking it didn't fit my personality as much. wasn't as "me".

my main argument against the strapless dress was that everybody has strapless wedding dresses now-a-days, and I wanted to be different.
to "not conform".
which, when you think about it, is a rather silly sentiment.
(ok, really silly...)

thus the eleventh hour email to the shop.

"ummmm hi. yeah. so I bought that dress? but now I want a different dress? can I just like, switch them mid-production? mkthnxbye."

to aria's complete and utter credit (as well as earning them my everlasting love and respect), they didn't even flinch. the girl at the shop phoned LA (where the company has its headquarters and where they make all the dresses), inquired as to the status of my dress, found out that it was due to be cut for sewing that afternoon, put a halt to it and sent them my new order. (I kept the fabric and skirt type, which is prolly the main reason this was able to go down without a hitch.)

talk about under the wire.

there was no judgement, no "are you kidding me?", no "let me see what I can do" and then not hearing from them for weeks and (to my immense relief) no extra cost.

I love that shop.
couldn't recommend it enough.
wicked awesome people.

so, yeah!
new dress!
ta da!

2011-03-07T19:45:00.002Z

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so ben and I did the standard wedding registry thing on saturday.

went to crate and barrel, always liked their stuff, it's quality without being overly expensive.

it was surprisingly fun.
(most likely partly due to the laser gun we got to shoot at stuff...)

had a good time running around the store, picking out things that on no plane of existence match or go together (mostly my form of decorating, ben is more put together) and then getting lunch. (registering makes you hungry!)
[and ben surprised me with a balloon from the bunch they keep at the door for kids at the restaurant. a teal one. he's the bestest fiance ever.]

the women who was helping us at c+b was telling us about this contest you can enter by creating a registry, for a $100,000 "dream wedding". and we figured, what the hell, why not? we just had to log into our registry online and fill out the form.
we had to go online anyways, cause we realized we accidentally registered for like 5 pitchers/carfares. so I logged in at lunch today to remove a few (though I ended up adding a couple different ones afterwards, so not sure the ultimate goal was achieved here).
while I was there I clicked on the "enter now!" button for the contest.

this is what I saw:

not cool crate + barrel.

not.

cool.

so I went back and perused that whole damn website [website has more stuff listed than the store did] and added things that we hadn't initially thought of or similar, thinking "now we'll be eligible!"

nope.

bastards.

maybe when we figure out which knives we want and add those.

but prolly not even then.

as we still need a thousand dollars more in merchandise.

as we sure as hell are not registering for a thousand dollars worth of knives.

color me disillusioned.

I like crate + barrel.

and the stuff we registered for is wicked cool.

but $2,000 is a lot of money for a minimum requirement for a contest.

we will be adding stuff as we go along.

they have some events for couples when they bring in new stock.

I believe some sort of food is provided.

(which means we'll go to at least one, as free food = bethany attends)

and it's really fun to point and shoot laser guns at bowls and teapots.

but don't think we'll be doing any more crate and barrel contests.

who wants to spend $100,000 on a wedding anyways?
[I asked. we couldn't use it to pay for grad school or a house. or a boat. or to travel the world. or to feed about 8 starving african nations. kill joys.]

2011-03-07T15:36:00.000Z

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more engaged people!

my awesomest friends andrea and tom got engaged this weekend!

the madness is spreading!

WOOHOO!!

in celebration, a wicked cute hedgehog:

[via]

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2011-02-28T17:43:00.002Z

everything about the wedding is making me stabby lately.

we should have just f***ing eloped.

2011-02-24T21:47:00.004Z

this is so completely awesome.

and it would be even awesomer if those are complete strangers in the back that he managed to get to help him out.

[via]

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2011-02-14T19:11:00.001Z

npr gets me.

[via]

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2011-02-14T18:37:00.001Z

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I'm famous!

well, not really.

but I sent out an email to an oft-read blogger in my google reader asking for some guidance regarding dress and jewelry compatibility (as sense of the good fashion type is not something I ordinarily possess...) and lo and behold, it ended up on the interwebs!

hooray free fashion advice!

bonus: validation of my dress choice. 9 out of 10 people say it's pretty rockin'.

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2011-02-09T14:02:00.003Z

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how come groomsmen are the only ones who ever get the cool gifts like diy drink boxes, while girls get stuck with purses and perfume?

that's sexist, that is.

I am here to promote equal opportunity drinking.

2011-02-04T20:37:00.002Z

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ooo, you know what else we need to find?

lawn darts!

the fact that they're highly dangerous (and I am pretty sure illegal) is irrelevant.
they'll complement the bocce, and that's all that matters.

[via]

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2011-02-03T17:46:00.001Z

I have found another project to try.

check these babys out.

its yarn and glue, wrapped around a balloon.
like the paper mache you made in elementary school.

only soooo much cooler.

think I am going to try mine in colored yarn, to match the pom poms.

course, first I have to find a place I can make a huge mess...

[found via]

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2011-02-03T17:23:00.001Z

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I was out and about checking out a possible room to rent last night, and in chatting over a couple of beers with the girls currently living in the apartment, I was trying to describe the wedding we are attempting to put together.

one girl said it sounded fun and quirky.

I think that is the best word I have heard to describe this whole affair: quirky.

kind of sums all the mis-matching and lack of organization up nicely, don't you think?

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in which wedding dress shopping takes a back burner to running around on frozen ponds in Boston Common

2011-02-02T19:25:00.002Z

amy: [bethany's] the only person who I'd go out wedding dress shopping with, and end up hiking on a pond!
bethany: correction: we went out hiking on a pond, and ended up wedding dress shopping.

priorities man, priorities.

and had a fantastic reuben at a pub by trinity chuch and introduced the family to boston public library.

mom now wants to know why our town library doesn't look like that.

oh...and the wedding dress.

yeah. I bought one.*

viola!

did I mention is has pockets?

it has pockets.

and didn't cost a month's salary.

bethany : 1
evil wedding dress industry : 0

booyah.

*but without the blingy broach thingy at the shoulder, and in cotton, not shiny satin.
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making my to-do list my bitch

2011-01-31T21:42:00.004Z

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~~make yarn pom poms~~
make tissue paper pom poms
~~put together music playlists~~*
~~buy wedding dress~~
buy kick ass shoes

I am awesome.

(photos of the pom poms and dress will be forth-coming)

*though the music will be a continuing work in progress pretty much right up until d-day

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2011-01-28T18:21:00.000Z

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after she saw this post, my friend abbey pointed me towards these shoes (which also happen to be on her wish list).

guys.
they have polka dots.

which automatically makes them about ten times cooler than 99.8% of the shoes I have seen thus far.

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2011-01-28T18:05:00.000Z

signage for the photo booth?

[via]

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2011-01-28T18:02:00.002Z

man, I wish we were this effortlessly chic.

[via]

2011-01-27T20:25:00.001Z

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so during lunch breaks (and sometimes mid-afternoon...) I have been browsing the internet for an awesome pair of bright yellow shoes to get married in.

heels. flats. sandals.
didn't much matter.

but much to my chagrin, awesome yellow shoes are proving to be much sparser than I thought they would be.

case and point?
my favorite pair of yellow footwear thus far:

yes, those are wellies.

and yes, I may be seriously considering it.

2011-01-27T19:54:00.001Z

why, oh why does our venue not have a miniature railway??

[via]

2011-01-27T17:26:00.001Z

“One of the best things about marriage is that it gets young people to bed at a decent hour.”

M.M. Musselman

(image: stumble upon)

oh old people...your fears are completely unfounded!
I always go to bed at a decent hour!
because apparently I am an 80 year old in a 27 year old's body.

[whole shebang via here]

2011-01-21T20:18:00.003Z

ah, norman.

your paintings depict such a simpler time.

a sneak peek at 1939

2011-01-20T17:10:00.000Z

I think "oh myyyyyyyyy" just about covers it.

[via]

2011-01-18T16:55:00.001Z

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it's snowing here.
it's lovely.
everything is all fluffy and white.

...fluffy and white...

...the wedding...

...oh god. have to find fabric to make bunting...

[this is the way my brain is wired these days]

and continuing on in this seemingly random to the unsuspecting reader strange thought process, I have a confession to make.

I don't think marriage is going to be the life changing experience other people tell me it is going to be.

sure, marriage used to be a much bigger deal.
but a few decades ago it was not the norm for couples to co-habituate pre-wedding. it wasn't accepted to live in a marriage-like state before actually getting married.

back then, after the wedding, two people did actually start a new life together. they had to get used to being around a new person 24/7. they had to learn about and learn to deal with their partner's strange little quirks. they had to adjust to working together towards common goals. they needed lots of new stuff.

but things have changed. now-a-days, most couple go through the majority of those steps and trials much earlier in the relationship. almost all are living together before they even get engaged.
marriage now seems more of a life continuing step, than a life changing step.

and this is the case with ben and I. we've been together 9 years, and have been living together for 5 of those, give or take. we're practically already married, in the standard sense of the word.

I have tried, and failed, to see how this wedding is going to change who we are as a couple/partnership.etc.
[legal/tax/spousal insurance mambo jambo aside]

the only thing I can think of is, when we get married, other people will view us differently. we will most likely be treated as more adult. more mature. better equipped to proceed and deal with life as it comes at us.

which, if I am completely honest with you, bugs me.

if I don't see myself as different,
if ben doesn't see himself as different,
if we don't see ourselves as different,
why should others see us as different?

there is no good answer to that question, but it's the one that's been flitting through my mind a lot lately.

such are the trials and tribulations of the non-bridal bride.

by the way, I have just watched a guy shovel and shovel again the same patch of sidewalk in from of my office four times over the last hour and a half.
which is awesome.
hooray snow!!

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2011-01-17T20:57:00.001Z

when dorks write love notes.

[via]

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2011-01-14T22:26:00.000Z

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my friend amanda (fellow brave explorer of bridal conventions and wedding dress boutiques) has a blog!

well, she actually already had one.
for her kick-ass photography.
but apparently studying for your 7 architectural exams in a [insane] attempt to become an honest to goodness legit licensed architect [in the state of massachusetts] doesn't leave much time for website/blog updating.

who knew?

but lately she's been wooed by all the lovely blogs in these here interwebs.

and now said blog has become a multi-purpose ~~distraction from work~~ entrepreneurial/wedding planning en devour!

what can I say. the girl can multi-task.

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2011-01-14T20:27:00.002Z

you heard it here* first.

[via]

*(andoneveryotherblogthatpostedthisimage).

2011-01-14T19:34:00.001Z

ummm, who is awesome and already got this for their fiance for christmas?

me.

I totally rock.

[via]

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2011-01-14T19:01:00.002Z

or a city wedding.

[via]

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2011-01-14T19:00:00.002Z

in another life I'd be having a backyard wedding.

[via]

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2011-01-14T18:23:00.000Z

I need to learn how to properly use our slr camera, so when ben and I eventually have kids (god help the remainder of civilization) I can take phenomenal photos like the ones cara and nye take of their new little girls.

who wouldn't love to have photos like that documenting your childhood?

they are art.

forget wedding photos, these are the ones that'll really matter twenty or thirty years down the road.

[via]

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2011-01-13T18:30:00.003Z

puuuurdy.

[boutique via esb]

2011-01-11T17:15:00.002Z

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since amanda won her free engagement photography session at the wedding convention we ~~crashed~~ attended, I have come to the realization that free stuff is wicked cool.

so from now, on a whim, any any contests I come across that catch my interest will now be entered.
today that includes the giveaway of a $1,000 wedding dress and a book on homemade weddings.

I mean, why not?

after all, crazier things have happened.

for example, 8 inches of snow in alabama and atlanta and next to nothing in boston and new hampshire.
or a baby hippopotamus and a 130 year old tortoise becoming best friends.
or the seattle seahawks taking down the new orleans saints in the first round of the playoffs.

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In Which Amanda and Bethany Survive a Wedding Exhibition *

2011-01-11T02:25:00.007Z

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8th of January in the year 2011 (AD)

2:24 PM: I still can't believe I am about to enter a "Bridal Convention". holy hell.

2:29: dear lord. there is going to be a cake dive. a cake dive people.
and it turns out the tickets were not complementary.
there damn well better be free champagne and cupcakes.

2:33: hmmmm, this may be the same venue, but this is nooooo build boston.

2:41: UPDATE - Single Ladies will not be played at our wedding. (there is a wedding band exhibiting their talents. nothing against said band.)

2:42: also, no calligraphy of any kind.

2:48: mission accomplished...CAKE PROCURED!

cake! (ignore the expression. cake does that to me.)

2:54: it just occurred to me that I must look like quite a fool walking around constantly scribbling things in my moleskin notebook.
and then I realize I do not stand out one bit.

3:04: skinny models are walking down the catwalk in wedding dresses and I am sitting here scarfing down multiple pieces of cake. awkward.

3:22: Lauren Bridal's slogan - "walk in a princess. walk out a queen". oh dear.

3:31: the fashion show audience is comatose. they had to play canned applause. no joke. I blame the cake.

3:34: the dj plays 'Hot Stuff'. The Full Monty flashback ensues.

3:44: I finally run across a booth peddling something I can get behind, a vintage photoshoot! they turn photos into guinness adverts! [the image of which I unfortunately could not find] beyond cool. Vintage Girl Studios.

[too bad they are not what I consider "in my price range". per usual.]

3:56: there are casino tables in the corner of the exhibition hall. pretty sure they were set up purely for the dudes that got dragged along by fiances/mother-in-laws, but they have a steady crowd around them. never underestimate the draw of losing money very very quickly. and that is no accident they are placed directly adjacent to the bar.

3:58: MORE CAKE!!

4:19: AMANDA HAS WON SOMETHING! in the raffle! she has won a free engagement photo session with one of the photographers at the convention! WOOHOO!
[there was supposed to be a picture of amanda smiling and holding up her prize here, but I apparently don't know how to work her camera phone. so instead here is a picture of a hedgehog.]

4:23: well shucks. no free honeymoon trip to st. lucia for me...

4:29: five girls are about to dive into a huge wedding cake after two diamond wedding bands. they're wearing bright pink smocks. this should be interesting.

4:30: it was not nearly as interesting as I hoped it would be.

4:31: oh well. we're calling it a day. off to the bar!

*but just barely

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2011-01-09T02:26:00.002Z

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so ummmmm, I think I found a dress.

or at least narrowed it down to two or three.

I have the council (mother, sister, best friend) coming up at the end of the month to help, as apparently if you are an indecisive person (read: me) and have 10 dresses in front of you, the most you can do is weed out about half of them.

and all the shiny fabrics.

but am quite happy with the ones that made the final cut.
finally found a simple dress that doesn't cost the same as a small sports car!

when I (mother/sister/best friend) pick one on the 30th, I will post a photo.

and one of the best parts?
since the dresses are so simple, bring on the oversized and colorful accessories baby!

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2011-01-07T20:26:00.004Z

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damn.

if only I were a size two.

if you are a size two, find the wicked awesome dress here.

(also if you are a size two, two things. one, thbthththth [that's me sticking my tounge out at you].
and two, eat a cheeseburger or three. not necessarily because you need it, but because you can.)

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2011-01-07T19:33:00.000Z

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people who wear hats like this to our wedding get a free drink at the bar.

(we'll ignore for a moment the fact that beer and wine will be provided...)

you get bonus points for this as well.

[images via lillian + leonard]

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2011-01-07T15:27:00.008Z

not only are these photos pretty freakin spectacular (if we had excess funds, we'd blow them on hiring these guys [ignoring the fact that they just had twin baby girls and there's no way they'd be hopping on a plane from scotland anytime soon...]), but the wedding they photographed is my idea of a good time.

to quote lillian + leonard:

This summer Mel and Rich got married in Manchester, Rich's home town. While Mel got beautified in an amazing room at Great John Street Hotel, Rich readied himself in an apartment in the city centre. They met, along with their friends and families, for a quick pint at a pub in town before everyone walked through an unusually sunny Manchester to the ceremony venue.

After the ceremony everyone headed back to Great John Street for a party on the roof, overlooking the set of Coronation Street! GJS used to be a school and the bar on the roof was appropriately called The Playground, perfect for Mel and Rich's playful, relaxed day.

they went to a pub before they ceremony.

we have a brewery right across the street.

just sayin.

[and cue the eye candy]

2011-01-07T02:26:00.002Z

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I was looking at the wedding website ben set up again, contemplating the pure poetry of the prose, when I noticed a little number on the page.

156 days to go.

"well that can't be right", I thought to myself. "156 days is so long! the computer must be calculating it wrong."

so I called ben, telling him that the day countdown feature was malfunctioning.

no, he informed me. that number was correct. we did indeed have 156 days to go until our wedding.

"well hell!" I thought. "that's plenty of time! what on earth are we worried about?!"

this proclimation may come back to bite me on the ass in say, oh, four or five months time.

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2011-01-06T21:49:00.001Z

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can we talk about something?

I can understand the point of engagement photos (even if I don't want to go anywhere near a camera until I absolutely have to). commemorate the proposal. get some good photos of yourselves if you don't have any. practice in front of a camera for your wedding day. etc etc etc.

but anybody else think it's getting a little weird and creepy?

these engagement photos, for example.

yes yes. alice in wonderland themed. I get it.

but aren't you supposed to be happy in engagement pictures?
do these people look happy to be getting married?
no they do not.

they look like they are contemplating eating the bunny rabbit.

these two?
nary a smile to be seen.

and I'm not even going to begin to pretend I understand this weird obsession with detail shots of people holding props. (see creepy bunny shoot for further examples)

.....

and while we're in "things bethany's not on board with" mode, referring to bridemaids as "my maids" puts me on edge.

[images via + via]
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2011-01-06T17:52:00.001Z

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Ben currently has quite the nasty cold.
he is staying home from work to get better.
he now has an internet connection at the house.
so what does he do when he is home sick?
he creates a wedding website.

behold!

our website.

we think it fits us pretty damn well.

[the knot being the domain server aside]

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2011-01-05T15:22:00.002Z

and yet another helpful diy guide in the "can ben and bethany actually pull this wedding off?" series.
[also found at the ever so wonderful a practical wedding.]
how to ipod dj your own wedding!

a rockin wedding band way out of your budget?

too cheap (or unwilling) to book a cheesy dj?

do it yourself!

(by compiling your playlists while listening to the entire contents of your ipod at your desk at work.)

[image via]

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2011-01-04T21:05:00.000Z

excellent.

the universe knew I would need guidance.

behold.

how to diy your own photobooth.

helpful? oh yes.
for example, I may not have thought to set it up in a corner.
or, you know, make sure the camera batteries were charged...

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2011-01-03T19:24:00.002Z

so amanda and I are heading to this on sunday.

manda is hoping to find a dj.

I will be scoping out the free cupcakes and champagne.

we will be reporting from the trenches for your amusement.

(based on the assumption we survive.)

[and sorry bout the shutterstock images, but they were too apt to pass up]

2010-12-30T21:13:00.003Z

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I vow to keep how cute I think david tennant is to myself.

(least till I get a glass of wine in me. then all bets are off.)

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2010-12-30T20:33:00.000Z

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I'd be up for it.

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2010-12-30T20:00:00.001Z

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guess what just made it onto the list of photo booth props?

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2010-12-30T19:36:00.001Z

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well now.

this is quite neat.

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2010-12-29T17:11:00.003Z

I wish we were this cool.

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2010-12-29T17:09:00.000Z

fabric bunting makes ugly tents ten times better.

fact.

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2010-12-29T17:02:00.000Z

hmmmm, colored lanterns and oversized pom poms?

I think it works.

also, why have all the other bethanys I have ever known or seen online been brunette?
strange phenomenon...

(and props to me for spelling phenomenon correctly on the first try.)

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2010-12-29T16:52:00.001Z

what do people think of a desert table?

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2010-12-29T14:38:00.000Z

photo booth love.

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2010-12-29T13:43:00.001Z

stumbled across a few new diy decoration projects to try out.

felt ball garland instructions here.

pom pom garland instructions here.

that tent it going to look nothing like a tent by the time I'm done with it.

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