Emily's Bridal Shower

Remember I mentioned that three of Evan's closest friends got engaged recently? Well, this weekend, I went to shower #2. Emily and Mike are one of the chicest couples I know, what with his architect's aesthetic and her amazing wardrobe, and the shower was a testament to their style.

It was held at Telepan, a beautiful, airy farm-to-table restaurant on the Upper West Side, one of my favorite neighborhoods (think: You've Got Mail, Zabar's, where Ted Mosby lives, and my first home in New York).

Emily's adorable bridal party chose a delicious menu and the food was amazing. We started off with a decadent assortment of sweet and savory breads (including banana chocolate walnut, hello!). My burger was the best I've had in awhile.

We played some fun games, but my favorite was a version of He Said/She Said where we were given a Facebook status update and had to guess whether it was from Mike or Emily. Hilarious and pretty brilliant. We also made those origami fortune games from middle school fame (or infamy?); I'm hoping poor Emily gets through her wedding day without any of the mishaps we predicted.

The favors were simple, cute, and tasty: M&Ms dedicated to the bride and groom.

Emily looked gorgeous and had a great time lunching with her friends and opening gifts (their bridal registry is, of course, amazing and so stylish). 

I'm so very excited for this wedding! Congrats Emily!!

Life's a Circus: Lucas's first birthday party!

 

Evan and I met Simone and Paul when Jack and Nellie were very little and Simone was very pregnant with her son Lucas (the babies are exactly three months apart). They live in our building and we became fast friends, hanging out at the park, going to walks to Target, drinking lots of coffee (and sometimes after-hours wine). She's one of those "thank goodness I have her in my life" people and Lucas is just as sweet and friendly as his mom.

Simone has great style, so it's not shocking that Lucas's circus-themed birthday party was pretty wonderful. Simone and Paul held the party at our local gastropub, Putnam's. Like many Brooklyn restaurants, they're super accommodating to kids - we've been going there since J and N were little cabbages in their snap-n-go. Their downstairs party room is cozy and awesome - it reminded me of wine caves.

The food was fantastic: cheese, charcuterie, olives, sirloin sliders, crabcakes, the list goes on. Jack and Nellie were partial to these tasty mini grilled ham, cheese, and apple sandwiches.

Simone made mountains of delicious brownies and cupcakes, adorned with sweet circus toppers.

 

The creative DIY touches lent an even cozier feel to the occasion. Simone strung together photos of Lucas's "month birthdays" as well as other special photos of Lucas with family and friends.

There was a little sign urging guests to write a birthday message to Lucas on the back of a postcard. (Also notice the ABC is for Circus book - adorable!)

 

 

The goodie bags were inspired by boxes of Cracker Jacks, filled with caramel popcorn and a few hidden treasures: a rubber duckie shaped like a circus performer and a few sheets of circus stickers.

It was a fun and lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon! Happy birthday, Lucas! We love you!

Our wedding

Evan and I got married four years ago today.

I enjoyed every minute of our wedding - the planning, the kissing, the eating, the dancing. It was a classic ballroom fete, but with a lot of details that made it feel like "us." We got married in Watertown, my hometown, and the reception was in Boston. It meant a lot to me to do it there, and Evan loves the city, so we were both happy to "head north" for the weekend. 

We actually were living in San Francisco for the eight months before the big day, so much of the planning was done online and over the phone. I'm lucky my mom has such great taste, she was a huge help. And my sister, who was my maid of honor, went above and beyond to make sure everything was gorgeous - and it truly, truly was. Here's a peek at the most fabulous party this Girl Next Door ever threw!

The bridesmaids and I got ready at my parents' beautiful home, the house I grew up in. It was so much fun and such a treat to have all my closest friends nearby to help pamper me and calm my jitters, and the decor was the perfect setting for these photos. My mom even had my dad paint the front door pink in honor of the wedding! (He had to do it twice to get the right shade...) Can you tell where I got my, ahem, attention to detail?

We don't have many photos of the guys getting ready, but this one always cracks me up because there was a lot of drama about learning how to properly tie a bowtie. Luckily, with a little help from Google, they figured it out.

The ceremony was at the same church where my parents and grandparents were married; there was something so romantic and lovely about that connection. The photo of the bridesmaids running up the stairs is one of my favorites, I was so happy our photographer captured the moment. 

After the ceremony, the guests headed to cocktail hour while the wedding party romped around the Boston Public Gardens. It was a gorgeous day and we got some great photos. Our friends were real troopers for letting us drag them around town in their finest and making them act goofy for the camera.

We looked at a ton of places in Boston for the reception, but I knew the Omni Parker House was the right fit the moment I stepped inside. It had everything we were looking for: chock full of history, a beautiful private ballroom (on the top floor, no less!), great food, space to explore, and our guests could stay at the hotel if they chose to. 

My favorite part, of course, was putting together all the tiny details. I wore my grandmother's diamond cocktail ring and bracelet, as well as a brooch fastened at the top of my dress bustle. (The brooch in my hair was from an antique store near my parents' summer home in Maine.) I used my grandmother's handkerchief as my "something blue."

We had a very loose Old Boston/literary theme; the Parker House was once a meeting place for authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles Dickens, Bronson Alcott (Louisa May's dad) and the like. So we piled some old books (purchased for super cheap from the Strand when its FiDi location closed) where we could and we display photos of our families' past weddings. 

Our florist also arranged some flowers in my grandmothers old teacups and in our silver baby cups (apparently that was a thing when Evan and I were babies?). We used my grandmother's beautiful tray on our sweetheart table to contain all the little flower arrangements. 

In lieu of traditional favors, we had a candy buffet and we made a donation to a literacy fund (get it? books?) and we had two specialty cocktails, the Charlie Dickens (Jack and ginger ale) and the Louisa May (a cosmopolitan). 

Our wedding "logo" was designed by one of our dearest friends, Rick Orlosky, who is a truly talented graphic designer. He helped us create a beautiful invitation and all the stationery that went along with it. I used some quotes by my favorite authors like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Lucy Maud Montgomery to add some literary spice.

Our cake also featured the logo, but the catering staff at the hotel didn't realize it, and when they placed the cake topper on, it wasn't facing the same direction as the logo, so it kind of got lost. One of those funny things in a wedding that no one but the bride notices. We used my grandparents' cake topper; we felt it was a little small for our gigantic five-tier confection so I found this little compote dish in an antique store in Maine that we just flipped over and placed under the tiny bride and groom.

I can't believe it's been four years! It's been so much fun to relive it this morning. Hope you enjoyed it, too!

*All photos by the amazing Theresa Johnson of Johnson Photography.