A "Taste of the Towers"

Hey guys! Sorry, I know I have been a terrible blogger lately! I am getting ready to head out of state for a friend's wedding, where I am a bridesmaid and Patrick is the best man! (#wewewesoexcited, you know who you are :) ) Anyways, more on that, of course, later!

Here's what has been going down in Wedding-World, well, MY wedding-world lately. On May 13th, Patrick and I, (and his parents) attended what is called the "Taste of the Towers." It's an event held at our venue that is held annually where all the caterers that are affiliated with the Towers make presentations and have samplings of some of their best menu items! How perfect! (I KNOW).  Here are some pictures from the evening!

On a call, but enjoying the view!

Centerpieces anyone?

Maybe the cocktail hour location?

Glowing reception room=Gorgeous!

We tried some AH-MAY-ZING foods, had delicious wine and beer, and most importantly to me, got to stroll around the place that we will wed! (This allowed me to take obnoxious photos of the towers, so exciting!) It was an amazing night, and I am so glad we did it. We got to speak directly to the caterers, ask them questions, take notes, cards and menus home, and sample some delicious food. I will delve more into it, I have about 20 menus and booklets to go through with Patrick to see if we can decide on 3-5 to actually narrow it down and consult with, so again, more on that later when I get to it!

Best,

Micah

A Bridal Shower Tradition....Altered!

In my last post, I mentioned an impending tutorial. Well...TA-DAH!

So, you all know the tradition of creating a ribbon bouquet for the bride at her bridal shower to use at her rehearsal dinner as a stand in bouquet. Each ribbon or bow that was that extra detail on the gifts at the bridal shower is saved for this ribbon bouquet as the bride opens her gifts.

Yeah---Kind of like this...

Well, as my friends and I planned for our friend (and one of my bridesmaids) Erica's shower, we realized that she was not doing a rehearsal for her wedding. So, since I had volunteered to make the ribbon bouquet, I decided to create instead, a ribbon fascinator. (Was I inspired by the royal wedding? Yes. Can Erica wear anything and still look beautiful? Of course.) Here's my tutorial. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures as I worked, but its a simple project...

Me, a little too excited over the creation of the Ribbon Fascinator

Needs: 1 paper plate, Ribbons from gifts from the shower collected as the bride opens them (or to be safe, bring some of your own), scissors.

Before the party:
1. First, find the center of the paper plate and cut a small, circular hole. This is for the ribbons to be tied through and may have to be adjusted as you add more!

2. (You can skip this step if you don't have the time). Decorate the underside of the paper plate! I chose to go simple: used a black calligraphy pen to inscribe the couple's names and wedding date.

At the party:
3. Layer on the ribbons! (Hopefully, the gifts brought to the shower will have tons of varieties of bows and ribbons and strings, we were lucky and got a load of different kinds. Also, the ladies tended to buy purple bows, which matched our theme. Perhaps this is because of the Bed, Bath, and Beyond wrapping!) If you are adding a stick-on ribbon bow, make sure to leave room for the larger ribbons. Loop the longer ribbons through the hole. Knot them at the bottom, close to the surface of the underside of the plate.

4. Be creative! You can leave some spilling over the sides of the plate, you can braid some of the ribbons for texture, but be sure that at least two long ribbon strings are knotted and still dangling to tie under her chin for the fascinator.

5. Tie it around her head crowning her the most sophisticated of the Bridal Shower brides!

She's so regal!

Gorgeous!

There you have it! A fun twist on the Ribbon bouquet! 

Enjoy!

Micah

A beautiful Shower and Bachelorette for a beautiful bride!

I have been DYING to do this post, but as I'm not sure if the lady in question reads this blog, I didn't want to spoil any surprises! A couple of weekends ago, my friends and I threw a bridal shower/bachelorette party for one of my best friends (and one of my bridesmaids) in the entire world, Erica! 

The hostesses!

Since Erica is a spectacular actress and had the female leading role in an amazing musical called "The Light in the Piazza," which is set in Italy....we decided her shower would be Italian-themed because she is our "light" in our lives. :) We had Blushing Bride Bellinis as the signature drink, and had a Chianti wine-tasting with a prize for the winner of the best wine! We shared our favorite moments we've had with Erica and chatted and opened gifts. Instead of the traditional ribbon bouquet, I made her a Ribbon Fascinator (my tutorial will follow this post)! Which, of course she rocked! Here's a few pics from the shower! Hostessing props go to Erin and Lisa for amazing food and good ideas, and Abbie for holding the shower at her place!

Yum Yum! Italian food!

Our wine charm favors!

My Strawberry/Lemon Meringue Spring Cupcakes!

Signature Blushing Bride Bellini!

The other star of the shower...A Cannoli kit!

Chit-Chatting away!

The bachelorette party that ensued after the shower was tons of fun! We headed back to our friend Nikki's for a few games before heading to the ULTIMATE bachelorette destination for this group of girls...DO RE MI Karaoke! Here are a few fun shots from the night!

Dancin' the night away!

Personalized punch bottles

What a great time!

We had such a great time planning the party and an even better time enjoying it! I feel so blessed to have such great friends to hang around. We loved celebrating Erica and can't wait for her wedding!

Best,
Micah

Newly Aquired Wedding...Somethings!

I just wrapped up a WONDERFUL run of the play Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl, at the Boston Center for the Arts. It's a wonderful show, kinda out there, but it was so much fun! (Note: In case I have failed to mention before, I am an actress, and ALWAYS looking to do fun, expressive work in theatre, hence moving up to Boston and it's also how I met Patrick)

So yeah, Eurydice happened and it was amazing! I played a "Stone." Before you toss your head back and laugh, let me explain. You may know the myth about Orpheus and Eurydice, when basically a newly wedded couple lose each other as the bride, Eurydice, is killed and descends to the Underworld. Orpheus, not only one of the Argonauts, but a legendary musician also descends to the Underworld and charms even Hades, the Lord of the Underworld with his music. Hades agrees that Orpheus can bring his wife back to life on Earth if he walks all the way to the surface without turning back to see her. Unfortunately, he fails. In the Sarah Ruhl version, amongst many other differences, Eurydice actually calls out to her husband, causing him to look back at her and lose her again. In the Underworld in this play, the Stone characters are the inhabitants of the Underworld. In my director's fantastic vision, we were clowns, and the Underworld was our circus.

ALL of that aside! (The reason why I am even writing this post) Our set was a big tent circus theme with platforms rising to a staggering height of four feet. :) Anyway, another theme in the play is water; it's through line is that it contains the power of forgetting and thus destroying memories and ultimately, love. In the show's Underworld, after death, you would "dip yourself in the river," or drink from one of many glass jars around the stage. Here's where the Wedding Something part of this post comes in!

My many mason jars of various heights and widths.

I am now the proud owner of those jars! There are at least 75 pieces, not including the wine bottles I also snagged (that's for another post!).  So what do you think guys? What can I use them for? I was thinking flowers, maybe even for drinking signature drinks out of with paper straws (like I am loving and seeing a lot lately in the wedding blog universe!). Any other cool ideas? 

Best,

Micah

OMG. Shoes!

(Hey Patrick, hi! Um...these are contenders for shoes for me...but it's OK. You are only not allowed to see the dress. Ever. Well, until our day of course! ****)

Ok! So I just freaked out a little because thanks to a recent shoe-post by Miss Snow Cone on the BEE, I find myself drooling over these puppies...

Want. WANT. WANT!



In order not to purchase them immediately....because they're GORGEOUS, I will log them away amongst my other crazy posts!

Planning a wedding sure is fantastic! (Must. NOT. buy....)

The Royal Wedding!

Today is the day! All eyes are on Kate and Wills across the pond in merry old England!

From the GORGEOUS engagement ring, to their (literally) fairytale procession by horse-and-carriage, this wedding has been in the headlines for months. TALK about pressure!

But for Kate, or Catherine rather, her composure and grace have never faltered.

For me, (and I'm a little surprised at myself since my brain is literally half wedding, half theatre right now) I wasn't all that obsessed with it. Actually, Patrick was the one who reminded me last night that the wedding would be this morning. I know it has been ALL over the Twitters, and Facebook and now the news, but it was sort of a back of the head thought. Something I knew I wanted to see, but not something I was willing to wake up at 5:00 in the morning for (Sometimes, I'm a little too fond of pressing the snooze button).

But getting breakfast, I was able to catch my first glimpses of the dress and the ceremony, and the recessional on the news (I had planned on fiendishly browsing the Internet to catch everything later). And I saw this...

Oh. My. GOSH. How gorgeous????!???

Her dress was so beautiful and so stylish, which of course I expected, but WOW! Absolutely stunning! I can't imagine the pressure of having all of the world watch you walk down the aisle, I am already feeling some pressure of my own but for this? Jeeze! Everyone and their grandmother would be judging your dress! Overall, I really think that she chose a dress that exceeded expectations. She looks elegant, like a princess, while maintaining her classy, modern Kate-Middleton-style. (BTWs, just found out she did her OWN hair and make-up---stunning!)

From the little that I have seen so far, it looks like a magical, romantic wedding completely fit for a Prince and Princess. I wish them all the happiness.

As the say across the pond,

Cheers!

Micah

Cupcakes!

Ok. Is anyone else OBSESSED with cupcakes? No? Just me? ...that's ok...

Ever since P's birthday, (his company surprised him with cupcakes) I have been craving cupcakes at our wedding! They are adorable and so delicious!

Having been feverishly calmly perusing wedding blogs and magazines of late, I have been more exposed to the idea of having cupcakes. I know, I know...they are all the rage nowadays, but I love the idea that we have a cupcake tower with a small layer of cake on top for us to cut! There would be several flavors and frostings to choose from, which is great especially for guests/me who might like a variety of options for dessert. And when you think about chocolate ganache, lemon frosting and hazelnut buttercream, they OBVS can't be on the same cupcake!

So, variety is key! Now to convince the fiancee that they should be in!

Best,

Micah

Sneak Peek!

I have something SUPER exciting to share! (But they're not complete yet...so you'll have to deal with a sneaky-peek)...

Copyright to The Studio Nouveau Photography

My good friend Kate has a fantastic photography business with her friend, Lara and Patrick and I were lucky enough to work with Lara the other day at a BEAUTIFUL mansion for an engagement session!

It was so much fun and I can't recommend them enough for weddings, engagement photos and so much more! More information/insanely gorgeous photography at http://www.thestudionouveau.com/.

Best,

Micah

I Love Paper Flowers!

You all know that I love reading Wedding Bee blogs and boards. I love the supportive community and the creativity that the bloggers and members bring! It's such a great place for brides to come together to support and encourage one another and to get advice. And I have been finding some beautiful inspiration and wonderful craft projects that I really want to incorporate into our wedding.

So this week has been paper flower week for me! I have been folding, cutting and gluing flowers together! Both flower mock-ups I made were from wedding bee bloggers, the first is an inspiration from Miss Cinnamon Bun. I had so much fun trying this tutorial! I'm thinking of using these as some kind of favors, or maybe in the centerpieces...hmm...possibilities! (Anyway, onto the photos!)

 The tutorial is great! And shows pictures step by step. This is my first try, can you tell? Well...it was my first try!

Now THAT'S more like it!

Getting better! Yay!

Now, for my next number! I saw this on Mrs. Button's adorable gift wrapping tutorial: Wax paper peonies!

A little blurry, and it looks like a loofah...
Again, first try..

This flower is super easy to make and is so pretty (once I got the hang of it!) Anyway, here's all of them together! So much fun to make! Don't you love crafting?

Best,

Micah

Stress and Wedding Dreams

I have been quite a busy little bee for the past couple of months; I was a lead in a musical, went away to Florida for a week, and began work on a new play (goes up in April, will speak more of it soon over in WWW*), and have been auditioning like a madwoman and working full time as well as searching for a permanent job! Top that with a very (and thankfully so) active social life and visits to families and whew! I'm...le tired!

Lately, and by lately, I mean since about two weeks after we were engaged ::sheepish grin:: I have had wedding nightmares. Well, you know what, nightmare is not the right word --- because I don't take them seriously and I think they are funny and absolutely silly. They come from a place of slight stress from me who is a little overwhelmed right now with all of the things I am currently juggling. The dreams themselves are funny because they are so ridiculous! In one of them, my dress was assembled incorrectly and looked like a melting buttercream cake!

Yep, kind of like that..

Please, don't get me wrong, I am a very happy person right now and in a great place with my life, my friends, family, my acting and most importantly, with my fiancée. I really am laughing dreams like this off. I think I just need to take some more time than I have been allowing myself to relax. I cannot wait for our wedding, and I am having so much fun thinking about it!

...Of course, I was trolling the wondrous boards of WeddingBee and I found a link to some very helpful tips on how to relax. I am going to make a priority of focusing on that, and all of the things that I am lucky to have and all the positive energy I can.

Until next time (when I share about my DIY paper flowers)!

-Micah

*My other blog, Words, Words, Words.