Dear Happiness,

would you stay here for a while? I have missed you so. And while you're here can you bring along relaxation with you? Thank you so much ^_^

I've had a few of those weeks where everything comes to perspective. Here I am planning this wedding, making sure every detail is perfect, and then something happens that makes you realize its not that important. Yes, I am getting married for the first time and hopefully the only time, but after this day the whole world will remain the same. My life may change, so will my fiancee's, and maybe our family members who will miss saying goodnight and seeing our grumpy faces in the breakfast table in the mornings, but about everything else will remain the same. There are so many things in this world, so many kids starving, so many people with no homes, so many illnesses, so many deaths. And sometimes, just sometimes, you think, "is this all worth it?" Spending so much money on one event when there are so many that don't even have enough for a meal, their medicine? My friend answered this with: "Yes, it is. This is your day. And there will always be people suffering wether you get married or not, whether you throw a party or not. A lot of people can't afford this, but if you can then why not? You are not spending millions on it like so many other do. As long as it's a reasonable budget like you want, then what's the big deal? You deserve this." Simple words, but yet it helped me so much. But one thing is for sure, my wedding is going to be simple. Tasteful, elegant but nothing grand. We have a budget for it and we are not planning to go over it. Because at the end of the day, yes this is our day, but I never want to have the feeling that it was too much. Just a day to have fun, dance, eat and share our happiness with those we love. And then one day, when I start working again, I can give a little something at least once a month to an organization that helps others. Because that is what will make me completely happy. Its something that has always been in the back of my mind, to someday give back, and I can't wait for that day that I can put that little money in that envelope and help bring a smile to someone's face. And for now, I am happy that when that day comes I will get to do it standing next to my other half ^_^

summer 1964

I don't have anything to write about..but this girl sure does and its always amazing even when she doesn't even try, and her pictures are always a breath of fresh air on a hot summer day. Her blog is just so beautiful and inspiring and I want every single dress she's worn ^_^

Note: title is hers and so is the pretty picture :)

final decision on flowergirls dresses

-The ballerina style dress with tulle skirt, thin straps, low back, little buttons and big bow at the back. White/ivory dress with pastel color bows and ballerina flats.

*Sorry for these random posts but since my wedding is a destination wedding many of my bridal party lives away and I most post this little random facts for them to be able to see and then email me or call or share their thoughts. Thanks for sharing your thoughts too girls, you are all amazing :)

inspiration for the flowergirls

NOTES:

-The Ballerina dress style which consists of little thin straps and tulle skirt.

-ivory white dress

-The band/bow of the dress the color of the ballerina flats (ballerina pink, lilac, whitish green?) If not, all white.

-Ankle length 3/4

-hair down with flower wreath (large flowers look best) as first two pictures.

the perfect bridal shower

source

Now isn't that just gorgeous? I saw this simple bridal shower that one bridesmaids put together for her bride-to-be bestfriend and it was absolutely beautiful. I just love how easy it can be achieved and that it actually took place in a park. I wish I can find the original picture but this one from h&m is the perfect inspiration picture. To achieve this all you need is:

- a few bright balloons or paper latterns which retail for about $10 for a package of 4 or 5. 

-A few old borrowed colorful blankets, sheets and pillows. 

-A table or two to place snacks/drinks on (preferably cupcakes yum!)

-A tablecloth or two to achieve a more "whimsical" look

Now ask all your friends to bring in drinks/snacks/cups/plates/napkins/ice

And ta-da your all done, and this pretty look is all achieved with less than $50 dollars! Now um all I need is for one of my friends to get engaged as soon as possible so I can do all this :) I can't wait to be on the other end being a bridesmaids!

i think i saw you in an ice cream parlor, drinking milkshakes cold and long

Don't you just love retro-vintage swinsuits? I have a bit of an obsession with swimwear but can you blame me? just take a look at Anthropologie's, Jcrew's, or Bloomingdale's swimwear and you will be hooked too. Luckily, I love my wallet a bit too much so I have just splurged in one for my honeymoon. I have not worn a one-piece since I was like twelve years-old, but trying to find the right one for my body was surprisingly easy, the hard part was choosing just one. I finally decided on Carmen Marc Valvo's retro one-piece in Aquamarine from Bloomingdales, but you can find it online on many stores including Victoria's.  I can't wait to wear it with my big floppy hat and some oversized sunglasses :)

I scream, you scream

WE ALL SCREAM FOR BRIDESMAIDS!

haha yup! This is how excited I get everytime I get good news about my bridal party and guests. So heres the story.
I had first decided I wasn't going to have a lot of bridesmaids. I was going to do the official thing done in Quisqueya- which is to have the young/single girls as bridesmaids. And since I am the youngest from my generation this meant I would only have two younger cousins as my bridesmaids along with my little sister who is 18. My maid-of-honor is my oldest sister who is already married with kids. And of course my flowergirl will be Anabella. I wanted as many flowergirls as possible, always did, always will. However there are not many girls in the family that are young enough to be flowergirls yet old enough to do it, so I am only left with two. Nevertheless, let me tell you these are two of the prettiest, sweetest girls you will ever laid eyes on and this will be enough to get all the oohs and ahhs and maybe even some ooh-la-las, yep Anabella who just turned four and Ana Amelia who is 3 are just that adorable! Now, I had assumed my bridal party was complete and that all my friends were fine with this, especifically since one of my friends (who is older than me) had expressed she didn't want to be a bridesmaids AT ALL. As a matter of fact, before I had announced anything early in the days, she said she did not want to be a bridesmaids at all and to please not make her be one because she already felt too old to be one and she likes having the choice to choose whatever she wants to wear. I was fine with this and assumed my friends felt the same. How silly of me huh? It wasn't until my mother expressed some girls might still want to be bridesmaids that I thought "Oh My God what was I thinking?" To make the story short: I asked, they said yes, I went from three bridesmaids to nine! Yeap, thats right- Nine of my closest girls to be there with me, and I couldn't be happier. However, the problem now is that the seamstress who lives in Quisqueya will not have time to do all these dresses and I don't know what to do :/