Of course, one of the best benefits of having an online registry is that you’re able to critically assess your needs versus what you have immediately at your disposal, and if you have wireless Internet like we do, you can do so in the specific room in question.  For example:  we knew we wanted some new pans, but instead of just picking them out randomly, we compared what we have to what was out there for us, and signed up for grill pans and sauciers instead of basic 3 qt saucepans (because we already have them thanks to my momma gifting me with a really nice collection of pans when I moved to CT).

And I swear, I was only checking the registry this morning because the reluctant groom was annoyed by a wedding-related spam that entered into his mailbox, and I wanted to ensure that our email wasn’t being sent out to random 3rd-party groups when…

WOOHOOO!  Our first registrty purchases have been made!  That must mean that people are stocking up for the shower come July…or just getting a head start in general.  Either way, it’s pretty awesome (or, in 30 Rock speak, awes):

Strauss Double Old Fashioned glasses (set of 6):  They are square and awesome, and copious amounts of scotch were served in similar glasses in Iron Man and looked amazing.

Ice Bucket:  Because you cannot entertain without an ice bucket.

Ice Tongs:  Because you cannot have an ice bucket and no tongs, and the tongs we have now are for food useage only.

All of these will go swimmingly with the wine/bar storage area that one of our groomsmen is making us as a wedding gift–as well as the Waterford Crystal decanter that a friend gave me because she had no use for it.

What were the first gifts you received/saw purchased for you on your registry?  And how excited did it make you?

(Image from Sephora)

But you know what?  Having a go-to look is great and all, but it gets awfully boring.  That’s when I go to my favorite place for makeup and hair inspiration:  Style.com.

Every season the editors cull through the hundreds of runway shows and select their top ten looks–and usually, these are the looks that in some way can be converted into civilian wear (but perhaps not for everyday!), so bonus:

I’m going to a semi-formal this weekend (yes, I’m 26 and I’m going to a semi-formal.  What can I say–I hang with grad students), and given that my outfit is heavily inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow’s turn as Pepper Potts in Iron Man (see it see it see it!), I wanted something that would jive with that sleek minimalism, but be more than just some black eyeliner and mascara.

(Image from imdb.com)

Et, voila, courtesy of Narciso Rodriguez:

Yep, complete with the side part and swept up bun/loop thingy (which is a techincal term, of course).  I’ve ordered some navy eyeliner from Sephora–let’s all hope it comes in time for Saturday (otherwise, I’ll need to go to the bookstore and hit up the Clinique counter there).  Given that my look is a simple navy silk/cotton tank from Miu Miu (this one, actually, but in a deep, deep navy), a pencil skirt from J.Crew, and these insanely tall-but-comfortable heels from Old Navy of all places (but in black), the blending of the navy and black around the eye should work well. 

Where do you look to get yourself out of a fashion/beauty rut?  Have you considered doing something different than your go-to look for your wedding day?

Having befriended a bartender (well, now he’s the beverage manager at The Prime Rib in downtown Philadelphia) in college who was obsessedwith old cocktails (he would make his own absinthe and it tasted…interesting), I developed a taste for Manhattans much faster than I did for Appletinis, but all too often today’s bartenders are much more familiar with the latter than the former.

Given that they are featured so infrequently in many restaurants and bars outside of a super-WASPy country club lounge, why not make a classic-but-ignored cocktail your signature drink?  This works especially well if you’re having a vintage theme, or a literary theme (you know all of those authors were big lushes!  There’s a New York City bar crawl devoted to all of the popular hangouts, for Pete’s sake!), or any number of themes, really.  So why not try some of these on for size and tie one on?

The Martini

Yes, the martini.  Not the vodka martini, but the martini.  As in, three ounces of gin (yes, gin) to a half ounce of dry white vermouth (or any ratio you prefer).  Stirred please, or shaken in a Boston shaker.  To make it dirty, add in some olive brine, or to turn it into a Gibson, replace the olive or lemon garnish with a cocktail onion.  Always appropriate year-round.

The Manhattan

My personal drink of choice, especially when made with Knob Creek bourbon.  The real Manhattan, however, is made with Rye or Canadian whiskey–one shot of it, in fact, along with a half shot of sweet red vermouth, some splashes of Angostura bitters and a cherry garnish.  Whiskey in general always seems to go well with the fall and winter months–the warm spiciness goes well with indulgent, comfort foods that always taste better when it’s cold outside.

The Vesper

The alternative to the tired vodka martini, this is perfect on a hot summer day or for a James-Bond theme soiree–most importantly because Ian Fleming invented the drink in his novel Casino Royale.  Three measures of gin, one of vodka, a splash of Lillet (a French, lemony fortified wine that’s very much like vermouth, but French), shaken (or stirred), served ice-cold and garnished with a lemon peel.  Specific brands recommended:  Tanqueray gin and Stoli 100-proof vodka.  While we’re not going to have a featured drink at our wedding, one of these will be in my hands in the last hour of the reception.

Brandy Alexander

Another cold-weather drink, this is a chic, vintage alternative to the chocolate martini.  As with any drinks combining dairy with booze, however, tread slowly with this one–I’ve had many friends down too many and then be sick for the rest of the night.  Combine 1 1/2 oz brandy, 1 oz dark Crème de Cacao and 1 oz half-and-half or heavy cream into a shaker, and garnish the drink with grated nutmeg.  Make sure that Feist’s song “Brandy Alexander” is featured during cocktail hour to continue the theme.

Kir:

The first time I encountered this cocktail I was in my college French class, watching this faux-drama that was meant to make learning French easier (though it was no Destinos, that’s for sure), and the jeune fille who was the heroine ordered one while in an outdoor cafe in Paris.  The great thing is, the only constant in this drink is the creme de cassis; any white wine or sparkling wine will make it delicious.  A Kir Royale is made with champagne, and when it’s with any other sparkling wine it’s known as a Kir Pétillant.  It also goes well with any French Chablis.  It turns into a gorgeous violet that is a natural match for any bride whose color scheme includes this color.  It also works well for any francophile out there who wants to add in an authentic drink without necessarily breaking the bank.

Rob Roy/Rusty Nail:

Scotch cocktails!  The Rob Roy is essentially the scotch version of the Manhattan mentioned above–just substitute the scotch for the rye/Canadian/bourbon.  The Rusty Nail is a bit more complicated, however, because it invovles Drambuie which is a cordial that is usually available at any bar, but is expensive if you have to provide your own alcohol.  It is, however, easy to make–nine parts (4.5 centilitres) of scotch to five parts (2.5 centilitres) Drambuie.  Very much an old-man cocktail.

Sidecar

One of the reluctant groom’s favorite drinks to get when we go out.  It’s sweet and comes out in a bright yellow, and is delicious at any time of year but especially the spring and summer.  Combine equal parts brandy or Cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice, and garnish by surgaring the rim of the cocktail glass.

B&B (Brandy & Benedictine)

This is a nifty drink when it’s made correctly, because the brandy and Benedictine are layered on top of each other.  You can also buy it already pre-mixed these days because it can be hard to find Benedictine, but if you choose to go this route, try to get the separate bottles.  It looks much, much cooler this way.  Layer equal parts of each liqueur into a martini glass.  That’s it.  Takes a steady hand, but that’s it.

What are some of your favorite cocktails?

I am now insisting on making sure i have time over both weekend days to work out, and I’ve been intensifying those workouts (making them close to 90 minutes a pop of power yoga and ballet, plus tennis as the days get warmer), but weekdays keep slipping away.

Seriously, though–has a crazy work schedule impeded your exercise time?  How did you/do you work around it (sorry for the pun–actually no I’m not sorry, as I’m giggling at it myself)?

Instead, last night, I pinned the reluctant groom down and we hemmed, hawed, imported, split, and integrated tracks to create what we have as our perfect first go-round:

Who’s ready to WORK?

(Image from tv.yahoo.com)

Some notes:

• I’m a little concerned that it gets a little slow at times–especially with the inclusion of the exquisite-but-melancholy “I Loves You Porgy”, hence adding in the two-minute interlude of “Soul Finger” to liven things up towards the end;
• “Crane Wife 2″ is technically a song–this was the track we split in order to save on length, as The Decemberists are notorious for always including at least one multi-song on each album.  While this is more appropriate, it’s also a little softer than had we included both;
• SInce “Brompton Oratory” is a Nick Cave song, it’s filled with references to love and Jesus.  Very stark, rather obvious references to both, for that matter–and this is one of the more subtle songs in his catalog.  But the reluctant groom loves him some Nick Cave (he is a great songwriter)–do you think that folks may be turned off by such obvious references?

We still have some space left, so if anyone out there has any suggestions that would help make this an awesome mix, they will be much appreciated.

Did you make a CD (or wanted to)?  How did you determine which songs would make the cut?

We’ve had something in mind for well over a year–we knew that our focus would be “what would be fun to listen to in the car?” instead of just rehashing songs that were played at the wedding.  So if I hear something I love (which, admittedly, happens quite often) and it could be a good fit, I’ve been adding to my “october road trip” playlist.  It’s far from complete, but here are the songs that we’ve thought of so far:

I apologize for the lousy quality–my computer is being difficult.

There are a few songs on this list that are non-negotiables for various reasons:

• “Masterfade” by Andrew Bird–our wedding song!
• “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea”–the runner up for our wedding song, but it just didn’t feel wedding-y enough to me.  Also, there are some who are expecting this and it’ll be fun to surprise them.
• “Ceremony” by New Order–because I just love this song.  And it’s fun to drive to.
• “Each Day Gets Better” by John Legend–because it’s peppy and has an amazing old-school Motown feel to it.
• “Inside and Out” by Feist–because this is one of Michael’s favorite covers (it’s crazy-sexy) and because we’ll be playing the BeeGees version at the reception.

The others can be excluded at whim.  So this I pose to you, dear readers:  what are YOUR favorite road trip songs?  What never fails to put a smile on your face?

My oh-so-gracious mom took a good hour out of her busy schedule to flip through some wedding books at The Little House Shop in Wayne, PA (and no, no relation to a certain Little House on the Prairie or Big Woods for that matter).  I knew her tastes would skew to the traditional, and she ended up picking up some interesting papers and layouts from the Crane and William Arthur books after an hour of parsing through them.  Armed with her notes, page numbers, and a free afternoon  during the holiday rush, she and I then headed to Papyrus at the King of Prussia Mall.  Ugh, that was a lot of links for a paragraph.

Image from Philly.com

I love the King of Prussia Mall.

Because it is King of Prussia, we have multiple options to pick out stationery, and because I figured I would get to see other brands besides Crane’s, I picked Papyrus in favor of it (and its close location to the super-nice food court certainly helped…mmmmmm….mozzarella sandwich on ciabatta….but I digress).  Browsing for about ten minutes as they helped another custom stationery customer, I started flipping through some of the books that were on display and immediately felt flummoxed by ALL OF THE OPTIONS.  That dude wasn’t kidding about The Paradox of Choice.

Plopping into the cushy leather seats when it was our turn, our consultant first retrieved the two books my mom had paged through and we quickly found the styles she liked.  It immediately brought me back to my days as a CopyMax girl, helping people page through the custom book for office letterhead or even wedding invitations.  The first Crane’s layout she showed me ended up being my favorite–the ivory was perfect, the inlaid ivory trim gave it a gorgeous sheen, and when the text would be in navy, I knew that it would look amazing.

But the text itself left little to be desired–I’m not a fan of the uber-traditional script that appears on so many invitations and generally my eye is pleased by simple, sans-serif fonts like Futura and Helvetica (heck, I have a whole blog that’s partially devoted to my love of these two fonts).  So I flipped through more books…and flipped, and flipped, and flipped.  Though I knew that my mom would bristle at the thought of a hyper-modern invitation (we once got into a debate over this when watching one of the Today show’s “Let’s Plan a Wedding!” segments), but I was determined to get something that would reflect my aesthetic and could be a compromise between the two.

And then I found this gem of a suite:

Image from Crane’s:

While I hated the layout and design (completely irrelevant to my theme, and I just didn’t love the color), I immediately fell in love with the fonts.  So much, that when our consultant checked in on us, I mentioned how much I liked the fonts from this book and how great it would look using the paper and design my mom had picked out (the problem, I thought, was that they were in different books and therefore non-transferrable)…and then I was given the best book of all.

The Design Book. 

It was filled up to the wazooo in fonts (including, for the record, Futura–but I knew that was better left unmentioned).  What was turning into a two-hour process was quickly finished in about fifteen minutes as I picked the fonts, picked the design and shortly thereafter we had paid the deposit and were headed to the food court for some mozzarella sandwiches of victory.

The fonts that made my heart go pitter patter?  Here they are:

Also from Crane’s, obviously.

As for the final invitation design….stay tuned!

(Image from pbs.org)

My lovely MOH is currently in Cairo working on her PhD (when she’s not there, she’s in Oxford), so she hasn’t been physically able to be around to help out with wedding planning.  But she has been more than generous with gifts–last week a little envelope arrived in the mail from a boutique in the Nolita neighborhood in Manhattan, Mixona:

As someone who loves lingerie, being allowed to go crazy in a lingerie store is…well…glorious.  It was almost straight out of one of my favorite episodes of 30 Rock from the first season where Liz, Jenna and Sophie (Jack’s brand-new fiance) go to La Petite Coquette, Jenna drunkenly tries on panties over her jeans, and Liz, upon being suggested she buy a black merrywidow (my guess it’s La Perla), opines:

Yikes!  If I wanted to spend $600 to have my boobs pinched, I would have gone to that fundraiser at the Clintons’ house.  Haha!  (Sophie is not amused).  Come on, that was solid!

I’d post a video clip of it, but it’s not available anywhere on the interwebs.  Boo.

Anyway.

So my one local bridesmaid and I headed down the Metro-North  into the city, and high-tailed it downtown–Midtown was absolutely crazy thanks to the pope visiting and it being an painfully gorgeous day–low 70′s and sunny, sunny sunny.  We had the store completely to ourselves–our salesgirl was helpful but let us browse and comment without trying to shove expensive bras in my face (even though she knew the minimum I was going to spend, which was admittedly a good amount).  We took a good two hours to browse, with Laura throwing out ideas left and right (and I must say, it was fun letting someone else play stylist and “pull” things for me to try on).  I didn’t take any pictures in the store (that would feel a little…seamy…yes?), but I will say that we found many gorgeous things, as well as some that looked better on the hanger than me.

The great thing about shopping with a friend who also happens to know your future husband as well as yourself, especially when all three of you are fairly open about talking about things like lingerie (in the abstract sense at least) is they seem to be much more able to find something that’s a compromise in both of your tastes.  Without getting toographic, I’ll just say that he has a prediliction for corsets, and while I love them, they’re such a hassle to wear.  So when we found a bra from La Perla that incorporates some of that detail yet remains aesthetically within my happy range, it was all too obvious that it would be what I ultimately purchased.

Wanna see?  (Reluctant groom–no peeking!)

(Sorry for the lousy image quality–this picture keeps saving in the wrong orientation)

Total damage?  $220 plus tax, plus a pair of Hanky Panky boyshorts (that I think I will replace with a Cosabella boyshort instead).

Well?  Was I successful? 

I do have many, many things to speak of, though!  Love you all…

But here are some posts to look forward to in the near future:

• Trousseau shopping in New York
• Preliminary hair/makeup ideas
• Tales of bridesmaid dress shopping
• Dream registry–the crazy things I’d love to get, but feel weird about asking for them
• Updates on DIY projects
• My list of “Most Inappropriate Songs to Play at a Wedding”
• …and much more!

Look for new posts come Sunday evening.