an alleykat wedding.

2008-11-03T12:25:00.003-05:00

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." -- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
THE END.

never enough time!

2008-10-25T17:33:00.005-04:00

"Be glad of life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied with your possessions... to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends... and to spend as much time as you can, with body and with spirit. These are little guideposts on the footpath to peace." --Henry van Dyke

I am so glad of life right now... everything seems to be coming together quite perfectly personally, academically, and otherwise :) . As usual, I have an exam on Monday so I don't really have time to give you a full update, but for now, let me say that Sara and I went to Macy's Herald Square a few weeks ago to work on my registry and that's nearly complete. While we were there we decided to try on a few dresses, like this one:

I like the color and design, but I still have no idea what my girls will be wearing. Hopefully I'll post an update in the near future regarding the bridal party, more dress options, invitation ideas, new apartment stuff, registry info... so much to blog about!

"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, 'The LORD reigns!'" -- 1 Chronicles 16:31

feels like real life...

2008-10-15T18:38:00.005-04:00

"We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” –- Joseph Campbell

A wedding entry is long overdue, but life has been extremely busy lately! In my last post I mentioned that Al is starting a new job in DC during the next few weeks. Since then, I've been a good future wifey by trying to find us a new apartment and some furniture, in the midst of studying for my exam (which was yesterday and went quite well, I think). But I am happy to say that everything seems to be in place for his move, and I'm ridiculously excited.

In more wedding related news, I stumbled upon these dresses by Jenny Yoo on the stylemepretty blog and I love them all! What do you think? Before I was leaning towards all my girls wearing matching dresses, but after seeing these, I think I might be able to give them a few choices and have them pick the one they like best. I even like the purple, although we are still planning on using yellow. I have so much to blog about but so little time! Hopefully I'll be able to blog again some time during the next week, but I'm not making any promises. :)

Also, a few new blogs for you to check out: my brother's, my sister's, my sister-from-another-mister's, and my med school buddy's.

"Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!" -- Philippians 4:1

blessings & overdue praise.

2008-10-02T00:02:00.001-04:00

"Whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should" -- Max Ehrmann

First of all, I apologize for the blog hiatus. Life has been quite busy! But anyways, on to an update (about life for now, not quite wedding related)... Several months ago I had a pretty clear idea about what I wanted in my life and for a while I was praying that everything in my head would become a reality. In the months that followed my prayers changed from "Please let this happen" to "Please let my will align with Yours," and as I began to trust in God's plan for my life, everything continued unfolding perfectly. I've been in Washington, DC for nearly 3 months now and I've been so blessed, especially by the handful of people in my life here who have supported my academically, personally, spiritually and every other possible way! The few things that still are missing here are my family, a few friends that I miss dearly, and my Alphonse.

Up until a few weeks ago Al had a few job interviews in the area, but nothing seemed to be a good match for him. That Sunday I kept praying for clarity because I was feeling a little discouraged not knowing when we'd be together. Later that afternoon one of my friends shared one of the most amazing stories I've heard about how God was "connecting the dots" in his life (ask me about the story some time... it's kinda long) and I felt quite uplifted. A few days later, I had a very discouraging encounter with my landlord, followed a few hours later by the good news that Al got a teaching job in DC! And once again, despite the emotional and mental roller coaster of a week I had, God showed me how he revealed clarity in someone else's life and then he gave me some clarity of my own. And I say it often, but I do love my life and I really am blessed. :) Here's info about the new school that Al will be working at: DC Prep.

Al and Shania on their field trip to the zoo last year (I was a chaperon!) Isn't he so adorable?!

And I promise an actual wedding entry in the near future!

"Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long" -- Psalm 25:4-5

may i have this dance?

2008-09-20T11:14:00.008-04:00

"Music, when soft voices die, Vibrates in the memory" -- Percy Bysshe Shelley

A couple of weeks ago I asked my dad what song he wanted to dance to for our Father-daughter dance. He said he didn't know, so I decided to throw out a few options to get his wheels turning. Here are a few of the songs I suggested:

Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles (here) -- because it's a happy optimistic song and growing up my dad always used to play the Beatles in the house because they're his favorite group.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow, any version, but I especially like this one -- just because I love this song and it seems like a good "new start" song.

You are the Sunshine of My Life by Stevie Wonder (here) -- because I love this song too and because my dad is my sunshine and my inspiration, and because Stevie has brought a lot of good to my life so far, I mean, Al proposed to me during Stevie!

Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle (here) -- because I've loved this song for years ever since my babysitter used to play it for me and my siblings.

What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong (here) -- because it's such an optimistic song... Can you tell I like optimistic songs?! I can't help it, I'm so optimistically mushy about my future with my boy.

He likes Butterfly Kisses best, and said that he actually had that in mind before. The only bad thing about that song is that I cry every single time I hear it! I don't know why, but it gets me so emotional, especially the end! And if I'm crying when I'm listening to it in my bedroom, I can only imagine the happy/sad emotional mess I'll be on my wedding day. For now the song hunt continues... To hear/see what we finally decide you'll have to wait until 08-23-09!

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." -- 1 John 3:1

simply the best!

2008-09-17T19:48:00.009-04:00

"Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero." -- Marc Brown

I just realized that even though I announced my MoH a while ago, I never announced Alphonse's Best Man! That honor belongs to none other than Alphonse's baby brother, Stephen. And being the good BM that he is, he's informed us that he's already started working on his speech! Of course there's a lot more than just a speech that goes into being the BM, just check out this list. Luckily there are websites like thebestman.com that make everything on that list seem like a walk in the park (definitely a fun website, even if you, like me, are not a best man :P).

Unfortunately, the photos you see below are the best I can provide based on what I have on my computer at this time. But since Steve is now my brother for life, I'm sure there will be many other opportunities for Steve-Al-Kat or Kat-Steve-Al photos, and any other permutations in between. TOP: At the PA engagement party. Alphonse is usually more clothed and Steve is usually more smiley, but you get the idea :) . BOTTOM: All of my current and future siblings at Nanina's. I have no idea why it's so blurry, but it does look kinda artsy.

"And when God had me wander from my father's household, I said to her, 'This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, ''He is my brother.''" -- Genesis 20:13

engagement party recap!

2008-09-15T22:13:00.008-04:00

"You are my very greatest earthly blessing." -- Martha Finley
This past Saturday was our NJ engagement party hosted by my lovely future in-laws, Rosanne and Alan. Everything turned out quite perfect, from the food to the dancing to the fellowship. And speaking of perfect things, that boy of mine said all the right things all weekend... He always makes it so hard to leave him, and he makes me wanna marry him right now!

We both would like to thank everyone who came out and made the event so enjoyable for us, whether you traveled for hours by car or train, or whether you just took a stroll down the street... We're glad that you were able to share in our happiness and we're very blessed to have you all in our lives. And of course there were many that were missed, but there will be plenty of time to celebrate over the next year! And in the midst of all the picture-taking and people-greeting we did, we were told that that was just a small dose of what we'll have to do at our wedding, so any interim celebrations will be good practice! :) . Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment, feel free to email us others at alphonse.katrina@gmail.com!

Click to enlarge.

For more pictures, click here. And a few other random tidbits that I wanted to share: (1) congrats to my se17-mate Len, who recently got engaged (I think this captures the moment pretty well), (2) as of this afternoon I'm through with another one of those dreaded med school exams, and (3) someone bought the toy car that Al added to our registry (now we're waiting in anticipation to see who did it!)

"I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings" -- 1 Corinthians 9:23

him + me + sports = ?

2008-09-10T11:19:00.000-04:00

"Be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars. In the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul" -- Max Ehrmann

This past Monday marked the end of Week 1 of football season. And with the Mets vs. Phillies series wrapping up over the weekend it is once again quite clear to us why our original plan to have a September wedding was a poor idea. While I may be the love of Alphonse's life, I can't really compete with that "other" love of his life, sports. And to be fair, he did love baseball and football long before he even knew me, so I can see this fight for Al's heart/his Monday nights ending badly. Instead, we've decided to just all get along (sports, Al, and me)... We've bonded over many a game (live or on tv), and I even have my very "own" fantasy football team this year (perhaps a bad idea for med school). The three-way relationship seems to be working out quite peacefully so far...

us dressed up in Mets gear. click to enlarge.

Also, the NJ engagement party is this weekend, and I'm extremely excited to see everyone (even though I have an exam Monday morning... why?!) Check back for a post-party picture update :)

"David said to Saul, 'Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him'" -- 1 Samuel 17:32

old school chucks.

2008-09-06T06:17:00.001-04:00

"True Love is like a pair of socks: you gotta have two and they've gotta match" -- Unknown
A couple of days ago, Alphonse informed, out of the blue, that he wanted to buy a pair of old school canvas Converse Chucks. I thought the news was ironic since earlier that week I read a blog about how it's increasingly common that grooms, brides, and bridal parties are going casual with the wedding footwear. And while I don't see us going the "Chucks with the Tux" route any time soon, I'm sure we'll find some fun, creative ways to express ourselves on our big day, since we are, after all, fun, creative people.

"'Do not come any closer,' God said. 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.'" -- Exodus 3:5

one GIANT night.

2008-09-04T23:16:00.007-04:00

"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us" -- Ashley Montagu
Tonight was the first night of football season, opened with a win by none other than our Superbowl XLII champs, the NY Giants. As the first regular season game since their amazing end-of-the-season run last year, this was quite an exciting night for Giant fans, such as my future hubby (who had food catered for the event with his buddies, sans the wives/girl friends). Now you may be wondering what tonight or the Giants or football has to do with our wedding planning. Well, in fact it has everything to do with our wedding! As I told you many months ago, Al proposed to me the Thursday after the Superbowl because he "was having such a good week, that he just had to do it!" And he said that his original plan was to propose the following week, on Valentine's Day, but who knows... without that Giants confidence/happiness boost, he could still be just my boyfriend (although I don't know why he said he was nervous, of course I was always going to say "yes.") So thank you, NY Giants, for winning the Superbowl and making Alphonse's week/our life so wonderful.

And congrats to my SE17 friends, Mark and Pam, who recently got engaged!

Superbowl XLII with my boy

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you" -- Deuteronomy 31:6

i'm with the band...

2008-09-03T00:04:00.005-04:00

"My idea is that there is music in the air, music all around us; the world is full of it, and you simply take as much as you require." -- Edward Elgar

It's been a week since my last entry (which is forever in blog-land), but in my defense I did spend the last 7 days traveling to NY and back, spending a lot of time with my sister and my honey, and studying for yesterday's medical school exam... so it's been a busy past few days! But now that I finally have a few moments, I just wanted to give you a couple of exciting updates about our planning...

1) The band is booked! We've chosen The Infernos, a lovely 13-piece ensemble of Jersey's finest. Check out their website for more info and to hear a few of their songs. Now we just have to pick a few "must-have" songs for our big day...

2) Another engagement celebration is in our midst! Stay tuned for a post-engagement party photo recap in a few weeks.

The Infernos

Overall, I'm very excited. Things are moving along little by little... even though there's still so much to plan! And with medical school taking over all spare moments of my life, I'm feeling like a bit of a wedding planning slacker. But alas, things always seem to work out as they should in the end, and I'm sure this is no exception. :)

Also, in addition to being a wedding planning slacker, I might be a blogging slacker over the next few months as I adjust to medical school. But fret not, check out our long-distance relationship blog (spearheaded by miss rhea) or Al's sports blog for reading entertainment in the meantime.

"My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music" -- Psalm 57:7

some registry inspiration

2008-08-27T15:00:00.003-04:00

"If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older." -- Tom Stoppard

So it's been a few days since I last blogged (med school is taking over my life!) and much has happened in the wedding planning world since then, but sadly I once again do not have enough time to share all the exciting things that have been going on (I promise to do some substantial blogging in the near future)!

For now, I just wanted to congratulate our friends Peter and Marianne, and Michelle and DJ, who celebrated their one year anniversary and wedding, respectively, this past Sunday (see below).

Also, I thought you should know that I left Al in charge of working on completing our registry while I was studying last night and to my surprise, when I logged in today I found that he had added this... yes, that is a remote control car. Today he informed me that he'll be adding more "toys" to the registry. Alas, I guess that's what happens when I leave such tasks to someone who is one of the biggest kids I know... or maybe it's just a guy thing? Either way, he makes me laugh so I wouldn't have it any other way. And speaking of registries, ours are almost done, so expect a link to those soon :) .

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." -- 3 John 1:4

happy future anniversary?

2008-08-23T10:00:00.009-04:00

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." -- Germaine Greer

August 23rd. Today is a very important day (for a couple of reasons). First off, my sister is returning from Uganda/Dubai today! Now while this reality may be sad news to her, it makes me quite happy since I have greatly missed her over the past few months (and I can't wait to hear stories/see pictures of her adventures abroad). And now that she's back in the States, she can reprise her MoH duties, which I'm sure she was thinking about constantly while she was being a humanitarian in a war-torn country (just kidding). But all jokes aside, today is also exactly one year from my wedding AND Alphonse is on his was down to visit again this weekend! So happy future anniversary to us... I'm so happy that I get to spend it with my honey (even though he laughs at me everytime I mention "happy future anniversary"). The way I see it, this is the only future anniversary we have, so why not celebrate it, champagne and all :P ?! And if that isn't corny enough, I just thought you should know that it's both the big things (like looking for jobs in DC) and the little things (like unexpected kisses) that Al does that keep me falling in love with him... and I doubt that will change over our many anniversaries to come.

My favorite girl + my favorite boy + me = sallykat

"...And that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."-- Deuteronomy 30:20

veil time! :)

2008-08-20T18:15:00.010-04:00

"Humility is a necessary veil to all other graces." -- William Gurnall
It's been a pretty busy week for me, and to top it off, a few of my favorite people (including my friends Sydnie and Gemina, and that silly love of life, Alphonse) were in the area contributing to the happy, speedy disappearance of the past few days. So while I don't quite have time to share with you all of the wedding details we've been working on, here are a few really gorgeous photos of some beautiful veils I found looking through wedding portfolios. I'm leaning towards a cathedral length veil (so I can do this! looks like fun) however, veils are surprisingly expensive! Or perhaps not so surprisingly, since all things wedding-related seem to be quite pricey... but it's just a piece of fancy lace, isn't it?

Top: photos by Orange Turtle, Bottom: photos by Ed Pingol

click to enlarge

Also, I know Al's not supposed to see me in my wedding dress before the big day, but what about the veil? Does anyone know? I have pictures of me in a veil I was thinking of posting.

"How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Mount Gilead."-- Song of Solomon 4:1

suit yourself.

2008-08-16T17:00:00.008-04:00

"Overwear, underwear, any time, anywhere... Dress has always been my strongest suit" -- From the musical Aida

When Al and I first started discussing wedding apparel, Al made it quite clear that he wanted to wear "a nice suit" and not a tuxedo. A few months back, when we first met with our photographer, she said that recently she's been seeing a lot of grooms opt for suits, particularly for summer weddings. So, considering our wedding is on a summer afternoon, and Alphonse and I are not really the super formal type anyways, we're on the hunt for a nice summer suit. Below are photos (courtesy of style me pretty) of a few recent summer weddings that Al and I both like.

For more info on this first wedding, click here or here. I like this wedding because their colors are the same as ours (yellow and blue!) and they do a nice job of bringing everything together:

and for more info on this second wedding, click here or here. I love this wedding because it has a lot of great details and the bride's dress is so pretty!

Enjoy! We'll keep you posted as we figure out more details (style, color, etc.) about what my lovely future hubby will be wearing. Also, we're in the process of registering, so stay tuned for that info :) .

"The LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him'" -- Genesis 2:18

blessings big and small.

2008-08-13T18:48:00.010-04:00

"Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; / Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise. / Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above. / Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, Mount of Thy redeeming love." -- Robert Robinson

On Monday was my dreaded first exam of medical school, and I'm happy to say (results in hand) that it went over quite well. In fact, I'm having a ridiculously good week, and Al is coming down to visit on Friday, so it looks like it should just keep getting better. Last week while I was studying I played my favorite hymn (Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing) on repeat because I can always relate to the lyrics, whether I'm celebrating a really good day or just trying to get through an extra tough hour (actually it's the most played song on my iTunes, with >630 plays, no joke). Anyways, when I went to church on Sunday I was just so thankful for how blessed I've been over the past few months and I lifted up my exam and any anxiety I had about medical school. And right when I finished my prayer, none other than this hymn started to play. I almost started to cry because it's such a beautiful song and so relevant in my life (to be fair, I should admit that I also almost cried during the National Anthem when Michael Phelps got his first gold medal of the year over the weekend). I guess, all in all, it's been a week full of happy (almost) tears and lots to be thankful for.

Now you may be wondering what on earth this has to do with our wedding... well, as it may be, Al and I decided that we would have this hymn played at our ceremony. I mean it makes sense, after all, since the song is about praising God for his grace and blessings, and I feel sooo blessed that Alphonse is in my life for always.

Since the wedding is still a while away, I definitely recommend that you check out the lyrics to the song if you're not familiar with it, and to hear the song for yourself, click here and simply press play as shown here:

O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.

a transatlantic wedding

2008-08-11T09:00:00.001-04:00

"Live in the moment and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering!" -- Fanny Crosby

With classwork starting to build up, I'm finding I have less time to blog (although there's always so much to write about!). To hold you over for a little while, I thought I'd share a fun update about my sister with you. As many of you know she's spending the summer in Uganda again this year, and just a few weeks ago she had the pleasure of partaking in a wedding over there. Since I love all things wedding related at the moment, I thought I'd share a snippet of her experience with you. She writes:

"Last Saturday I got to go to a traditional Uganadan wedding, actually I got to be in it! I met the groom in town, he works for the teso maternity project. It was soo cool, it was the "introduction" which is basically the traditional ceremony before the actual church wedding which will probably be sometime next year. The two families basically meet officially and the groom pays the dowry (it was 10 goats and some cows) and presents tons of gifts to the bride's family. And they do this skit where they pretend to be selecting the bride from a group of women (I think to imitate how it was traditionally done). I actually got to be in the wedding -- picture me carrying a basket of fruit on my head during the procession, which was presented to the bride's family from the groom."

Sounds like fun. Here's a photo of my sister at the wedding in the traditional kikoi with her friends Sarah and Jeje.

"When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them." -- Job 29:24

08 x 3 and recent happiness

2008-08-09T10:30:00.005-04:00

"I can only think of one thing greater than being happy and that is to help another to be happy, too." -- Jim Thompson

Last night was a big night... not only did it mark the start of the 2008 summer Olympics, but it also was the most popular day to get married so far in 2008. I mean who wouldn't want to get married on 08/08/08? And on top of that, one of my good friends proposed yesterday (an engagement of Olympic proportions perhaps?). Together with all of my other friends who have been sharing happy news of their recent engagements, this new addition to the engaged club made me quite happy, to say the least. Seeing other people happy and in love makes smile (a lot).

Here are a few of my friends who recently got engaged: (L-R) Andrew and Julia, Julie and Dean, Jeff and Tara. Mazel Tov to each of you!

"...Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" -- Matthew 25:21

happy 6 month engagement!

2008-08-07T07:36:00.001-04:00

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." -- From When Harry Met Sally

Today is exactly six months from when Al first proposed to me. Part of me is in disbelief about how quickly time has gone by since that day, while the rest of me feels like: "Let's just do this already!" I can't believe it's still over a year until our wedding!

Six months, twelve months... one thing's for sure: we're still as in love and as silly as ever. To prove it, here are a few pictures from my NJ visit a few weeks ago:

Click to enlarge

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven" -- Ecclesiastes 3:1

blooming bridal party...

2008-08-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

"Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher" -- Oprah Winfrey

Sooo, Al and I have a pretty big bridal party (so many family and friends). To be honest, I tried to veto the big bridal party, but after many a discussion, we decided to move forward and keep all the people that we originally hoped to include. And after browsing pictures of weddings on theknot.com and of my friend's weddings, I'm much more at ease about having a large bridal party. The more the merrier... I'll be posting the bridal party on the blog soon!

Photo from my friends Flo & Earl Manguiat's wedding
9 bridesmaids, 10 groomsmen, 1 flower girl, and 1 ring bearer!

"The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends." -- Proverbs 14:20

more bouquets.

2008-08-03T03:00:00.001-04:00

"If the sun always shines, there's a desert below. It takes a little rain to make love grow." -- Unknown

So a couple of entries ago I mentioned my new approach to flower finding, which excludes many different flowers (including this lovely, simple bouquet). Note to future brides: get married in the spring... tons of gorgeous flowers in season! But since a spring wedding wouldn't work for me anyways, let's not cry over spilled milk. So moving on, for the bouquets (mine and the bridesmaids') I think I want to try to keep things simple beautiful (aka not too many different flowers and vibes going on at once). To that end here are a few bouquets from theknot that I've been liking lately:

Clockwise from top left:

double Dutch tulips and sweet pea -- very simple and light, the sweet peas add some texture
yellow mini calla lilies, ivory roses, light green hydrangea, and green poms, kumquats, and berries -- a little too busy for me, but I like the way they incorporated unique pieces, like berries
blue hydrangea ball -- simple and full, i think this might make a nice bridesmaid bouquet
white peonies and yellow garden roses accented with green hypericum berries and sprigs of rosemary -- again, I love round flowers like peonies, and I like the way they used sprigs and berries.

"He is like a well-watered plant in the sunshine, spreading its shoots over the garden; it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks and looks for a place among the stones." -- Job 8:16-17

a new white chapter.

2008-08-01T23:08:00.008-04:00

"White ... is not a mere absence of color; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black.... God paints in many colors; but He never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white." -- Gilbert Keith Chesterton

So today was my white coat ceremony at school, which marks the start of a new chapter of my life: being a humanist/physician. It seems quite appropriate that this event took place today since the last time someone helped me get dressed in a different really important white garment was when my sister helped me try on wedding gowns at the "running of the brides" in Manhattan back in February, marking the start of an equally important chapter in my life. As coincidence would have it, the "running of the brides" here in DC (home of the White House and my new home for the next 4+ years, also another new chapter in my life) was this morning. So cheers to crisp white clothes, and all the love, responsibility, and hope that they bring with them.

"Mordecai left the king's presence wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration." -- Esther 8:15

the dress hunt continues [3]

2008-07-31T09:00:00.001-04:00

"There is much to support the view that it is clothes that wear us and not we them; we may make them take the mould of arm or breast, but they would mould our hearts, our brains, our tongues to their liking." -- Virginia Woolf

So it's been a while since I mentioned the bridesmaid dress search. Weeks later, nothing much has been resolved, but here goes... I think all the bridesmaids will wear matching yellow dresses and my MoH will wear a similar yellow dress with blue accents (or possibly an all blue dress). Here are a few more dresses that I'm liking lately (click on the photo to see individual dress links). Let me know which dresses (if any) you like!

And stay tuned for groomsmen-wear in the near future (at least the start)!

"I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." -- Isaiah 61:10

hair, there, everywhere...

2008-07-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair." -- Kahlil Gibran

So the summer heat is definitely in full effect, and (at least for me) it's back to school time, which usually means it's time for a hair change! Anyone who knows me, probably knows that I get bored with hair easily, which usually results in me cutting and/or coloring my hair. So right about now I'm very much in the mood to chop my hair off, but for the sake of the wedding I'm going to try to grow it out over the next year. Actually, I haven't had long hair since senior year of high school, so this will be a fun experiment for all of us. And to shift the focus to the wedding for a second, as far as hairstyles go, I was thinking of some sort of soft up-do. Any suggestions?

Also, Alphonse and I are going to try to register in the near future, so stay tuned for the registry details! :)

"And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign LORD." -- Ezekiel 14:16

world wide [blog] web

2008-07-28T08:24:00.001-04:00

"We are all connected to everyone and everything in the universe. Therefore, everything one does as an individual affects the whole. All thoughts, words, images, prayers, blessings, and deeds are listened to by all that is." -- Serge Kahili King

I should warn you now, this entry has nothing to do with wedding planning... so navigate away now if you want! Warnings aside, now on to the entry... a few months ago, I started reading my friend Michelle's wedding blog and I decided that when I got engaged I would start a wedding blog of my own! Obviously my plan came to fruition, with a little motivation along the way. Two of my college roomies (Tiff and Jan) inspired me with their photo-filled food entries and my co-worker Andrew's blog encouraged me to be try to be funny in the process (although that didn't really work out as well). So now with a few months of blogging under my belt, it seems I've been doing some inspiring of my own! I'm pleased to say that some of my favorite people (Al, Audrey, and Rhea) have started their own blogs, with a few words of encouragement.

So go check out all their blogs!

Michelle's - michelleanddjswedding.blogspot.com
Janice's - ivegotnicebuns.blogspot.com
Tiffany's - hungry bunny's gobbl
Andrew's - theepoche.blogspot.com
Alphonse's - al-sportstalk.blogspot.com
Audrey's - gerrey09.blogspot.com
Rhea's - loveacrosstimezones.blogspot.com

Blog owners neatly displayed in a concept map (one of the many study techniques I learned this past week)

"Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ... But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be... As it is, there are many parts, but one body." -- 1 Corinthians 12:14-15, 18, 20

flower power.

2008-07-27T10:25:00.000-04:00

"To know someone with whom you can feel there is understanding in spite of distances or thoughts unexpressed... That can make this life a garden." -- Goethe

When I was in a bookstore the other day I stumbled upon another wedding magazine cover with a beautiful, yellow bouquet. This particular cover bouquet is of ranunculuses (Persian buttercups) and calla lilies, both of which I love. Since this is the cover of the summer issue of Pacific Weddings, I was surprised to learn that ranunculuses are not in season during the summer! This was quite sad news to me because it means I probably will not be having them in my wedding bouquet since I've been reading a lot about how choosing flowers that are in-season saves a lot of money.

So alas, I wised up and restarted my flower search looking for flowers that I like that would be in-season in August (as opposed to flowers that just looked "pretty"). Based on our color choice of yellow (with blue accents), here are some of my new favorites:

yellow dahlias - very soft and modern looking
white tuberoses - small and sweet
blue delphiniums - cute and blue
blue hydrangeas - small flowers but full bundles, plus these grow at the house where I grew up, so it would add a homey feel
yellow zinnias - similar to dahlias (I like round flowers)
yellow freesias - my favorite flower, luckily in-season

And as promised, more polyvore! Here's a collage of some of the flowers mentioned above (plus some ranunculuses and calla lilies, too)

Click on above image to see individual images

"That fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley, will be like a fig ripe before harvest— as soon as someone sees it and takes it in his hand, he swallows it." -- Isaiah 28:4

a platinum bridezilla?

2008-07-25T07:12:00.002-04:00

"The finest lives, in my opinion, are those who rank in the common model, and with the human race, but without miracle, without extravagance." -- Michel de Montaigne

One of my newest weekend addictions is the programming on WE tv. Unfortunately for me, they have 10 hours of wedding shows scheduled on Sundays, ranging from the very lavish (Platinum Weddings) to the very trashy (Bridezillas). I initially tuned in to try to get some ideas for my wedding, but I quickly found the shows more entertaining than informative. The things the brides ask for and the temper tantrums some of them throw are absolutely ridiculous. I made Alphonse watch a few snipets of the shows so he could appreciate what a good bride-to-be I am :) , which, of course, he already did anyways. And since I doubt I'll have too much free time during the weekends once classes get into full swing, I thought I'd mention this now before things get too crazy. For preview clips of each of the shows, go here: Platinum Weddings (the classier of the two shows) or Bridezillas.

"Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place." -- 1 Chronicles 16:27

bachelorette party (already?!)

2008-07-23T09:00:00.001-04:00

"We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh." -- Agnes Repplier

A few days ago I got a lovely DC visit from one of my favorite New Yorkers in residence, Miss Andrea Myers. And although it's only semi-wedding related, I thought I'd take this opportunity to briefly introduce one of my co-planners (along with my MoH, Sara) for my bachelorette party. And even though the wedding and the bachelorette party are still over a year away, there's no harm in starting early, right? I have no idea what the details of this plan include, but I've been told the planning is well under way. And since Alphonse already seems to have designed his own bachelor party, I don't feel so bad that planning for mine has begun. Where/when/what will the party be? Your guess is as good as mine...

"'Laughter,' I said, 'is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?' I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives." -- Ecclesiastes 2:2-3

my "n.f.t."

2008-07-22T18:08:00.002-04:00

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens / Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens / Brown paper packages tied up with strings / These are a few of my favorite things" -- From The Sound of Music

Every now and then I stumble upon my so-called "new favorite thing," which is code for a fun-new-way-to-waste-time. Well, it's been a few weeks, so I'm about due for another "n.f.t." As if on cue, enter polyvore-- the online mix-and-match collage website that allows you to search thousands of online photos to bring any vision to life. The best thing about polyvore is that each picture that you add to the collage is always linked back to the source image so you can keep track of where each dress, flower, etc. came from (which is quite useful when you are considering buying such things). Also, the different search options (category, color, website, etc.) make the site very user friendly and time efficient (as if there is a time efficient way to waste time?). So here's my first polyvore creation (many more to come):

It's kinda crowded, but if you click on the image (or here) you will be directed to the polyvore link, which will allow you to click on each of the different photos or at least see where they came from (see page right). This collage is my first inspiration board, which is a new trend used by brides-to-be to help (their wedding planners) make their wedding vision a reality (click here for some amazing examples).

"Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel" -- Proverbs 20:15

some afternoon inspiration...

2008-07-20T21:35:00.001-04:00

"Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." -- Henry James

When I first started my blog, my intention was to capture and share all the different aspects of my wedding planning with each of you. As you might have noticed, the blog sort of evolved from a wedding blog to a "life of Katrina & Alphonse" blog, which is okay since many of the exciting things in my life as of late are related to the wedding and looking forward to the rest of my life (as a doctor and a wife!). However, having just returned from a blissful, last-minute summer weekend visit with my honey, I've decided to try to return to the true spirit of my blog and write about a seemingly appropriate theme: blissful summer weddings.

I don't think I've ever been to anything but an evening wedding, so when Alphonse and I were leaning towards an afternoon wedding, I was initially hesitant. But when we visited Nanina's during the daytime, the venue was absolutely gorgeous (from the waterfalls and grounds outside to the natural light coming in to the ballroom), and we knew that we had nothing to worry about. And knowing our guest list, I have no doubt it will be a party from start to finish. Next up, booking the music to make sure you put your dancing shoes to good use ;).

Photos from Nole and Andrew's wedding. Click to enlarge.

Browsing a few wedding blogs, I stumbled upon the wedding pictured above (Click here or here for more details from this wedding). I thought it perfectly captured the light, warm, daytime happiness that I hope is at our wedding.

"God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night..." --Genesis 1:16

so excited, so excited, so [not] scared.

2008-07-18T18:18:00.002-04:00

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." -- From the movie Annie

Less than a week ago I said goodbye (for now) to some of my favorite things: NY, my family (present and future), and my lovable Alphonse. It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I can be an emotional mess at times, and my departure was no exception (I mean you'd cry too if you had to leave this behind). But now, with several days of orientation behind me, any anxiety or farewell sadness I had has dissipated (which is not to say I don't dearly miss the things I left behind). To sum up how I've been feeling lately, I thought, why not share some of the things I've been saying already:

So in a nutshell, I'm really excited about the next year and beyond.

"Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God." -- Joel 2:14

a belated party recap.

2008-07-17T13:00:00.000-04:00

"Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmer's year - it brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul." -- Author Unknown

Since I'm not sure when I'll find my camera cord (or give in and buy a new one), I've decided to give you a pseudo-picture summary of the July engagement/meet-the-family get together (before it becomes too untimely...) There were seashell inspired centerpieces and the lovely country backdrop for a little relaxation, family photos on display for old and soon-to-be family to view, a swimming pool for a fun break from the heat, lebanon bologna and other tasty local foods for hungry bellies, state-war volleyball games for bragging rights, tents for shelter, bug spray for warding away pesky guests, champagne and vino for toasting, and a late-night bonfire for 'smore making. And thank you again to everyone who came, especially those who traveled from NJ and MD and other far off places! Soon enough, it'll be time for the next engagement/meet-the-family party!

"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." -- Genesis 8:22

an update of sorts

2008-07-15T12:33:00.006-04:00

"The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving" -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Somewhere between packing, moving, and unpacking, I seemed to have misplaced my camera cord, so alas, it may be a while before I upload any July pictures, including ones from the party and farewell NY ones. In the mean time, a minor update before things get too crazy with orientation and classes. We just finalized our plan with Bella Pictures, so add another check to the checklist (and speaking of photos, these photos that I found by KJournal look really good; excellent color and candid shots. Unfortunately they're based in Florida... perhaps we'll go to them for some family photos down the road). Also speaking of photos, I hope you enjoy this cheesy alleykat photo, taken during our cruise in April, while I summarize what we've done so far:

Picked a date
Booked the church and reception venues
Picked out a bridal gown
Booked the photographer
Finalized the reception menu
Selected colors
Picked the bridal party
Came up with a tentative guest list

So next we have to work on flowers, centerpieces, invitations, the band/dj, the registry, bridal party attire, favors, the pre-cana, and the honeymoon. I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton of things, but we'll worry about that later.

And congrats to two of Al's best friends since elementary school, Lewis and Tina, who got engaged this past weekend. :)

"...I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." -- Matthew 17:20

chillin' out maxin', relaxin' all cool...

2008-07-11T22:23:00.008-04:00

"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop." -- Ovid

Tuesday morning I filled out my exit paperwork at work, and by Wednesday morning I was on a bus to Washington DC with a change of clothes, a list of phone numbers of people I needed to contact, addresses of potential apartments that I planned to visit, and no return ticket, since I planned to stay until I secured a place to live for the next year. With orientation for med school starting this upcoming Wednesday, finding and securing a place to live, with less than a week to spare, was no small feat. But alas, God is good, and of course everything is falling in to place perfectly. Less than 72 hours (and about 20 apartments) later, I found exactly what I was looking for and I'll be moving in this weekend! And to top it off, the party this weekend was a successful meeting of the families (pictures coming soon!), the Mets are on a winning streak, and my first homework assignment for medical school is nearly complete (to name a few recent blessings). In short, everything that stressed me out a week ago has resolved itself better than I could have predicted, as most things in my life do.

And I should warn you now, amidst settling in to my new apartment and embarking on this medical school adventure, I'm not sure how much time I'll have to update the blog during the upcoming weeks. But perhaps it's better this way, since Tom (our wedding planner) told us to "just relax and enjoy the next few months" since we have most of the major details in place. In honor of being stress-free and thankful (and to hold you over until my next entry), here's a picture that embodies a time when such feelings were the norm:

Sara, Katrina, Jordan, and George del Fierro circa 1995 (click to enlarge)

"A heart at peace gives life to the body..." -- Proverbs 14:30

something (red, white, and) blue...

2008-07-05T00:44:00.002-04:00

"In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Happy belated Independence Day. In honor of everyone's favorite red, white, and blue holiday, I thought I'd post one of my favorite red, white, and blue wedding photos: My Aunt Annie on her wedding day, with my mom as her Maid of Honor (from both of whom I've learned a lot about marriage and family). I thought it also seemed appropriate because they are the lovely hosts of my engagement/meet-the-family party this Sunday.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." -- Galations 5:1

the dress hunt continues [2] ...

2008-07-03T22:25:00.002-04:00

"Great men are seldom over-scrupulous in the arrangement of their attire." -- Charles Dickens

So even though I'm debating whether or not to let my bridesmaids choose their own dresses, it doesn't hurt to let them (and you) know what I like ;) . As promised weeks ago, here are a few dresses I like from Anthropologie and FashionJunkee. These might be a little too casual for bridesmaid dresses, but still very cute. I've been reading about how the whole bridesmaid industry is such a commercial rip-off (aka way over-priced dresses just because they have "bridesmaid" in the description), so I've been looking through other sites, such as bloomingdales and Nordstrom, to try to alternative sources for potential dresses. Stay tuned for even more dresses and other planning details (including post-party updates) . And happy early Fourth of July!

And to close, one of my favorite verses that I just stumbled upon again yesterday:

"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." -- Job 23:10

match-maker, match-maker...

2008-07-02T19:52:00.005-04:00

“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” -- Joseph Campbell

So I've been putting a lot of thought in to what my bridesmaids will be wearing... and I've had a lot of fun so far. The thoughtful bride-to-be that I am, I've been trying to consider dresses that seem like they'd flatter any of my bridesmaids (and that would be wallet-friendly, too). With all that in mind, I also wanted all of my bridesmaids to match, thinking it might be more formal/unified/coordinated/aesthetically pleasing/etc. But alas, I've been reading a lot about how it's becoming increasingly popular to just pick a color and dress length (and/or fabric), and let the bridesmaids each pick their own dresses, that way they'll pick one that best suits them (in style and price) and they'll be more likely to wear it again (click here or here for more info). So now the dilemma is to match or not to match... Any thoughts?

Photos courtesy of theknot.com

"He told them this parable: "No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old." -- Luke 5:36

it's a date...

2008-06-29T21:49:00.002-04:00

"Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring, productive deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid" -- Frank Zappa

Happy Sunday! And speaking of Sundays, I should have done this sooner, but our wedding date is set! We will be getting married on (drum roll please... ) August 23, 2009!

We've been getting a few questions about the date, so I figured I'd address them now :) . First of all, "Why August 23rd?" We chose the date for a few random reasons: 1) It was one of the few late summer dates available at our reception venue, 2) Al believes the number 23 is lucky... I mean, it's Michael Jordan's number, and if our marriage is half as successful as his career, we're in good shape! (it's also one of my favorite psalms), 3) Al and I met on the 23rd (not of August) so we can attach some (pseudo) significance to the date. The second question we've been getting is: "Why a Sunday wedding?" Again, a few reasons: 1) Most of the Saturdays in July, August, and September were already taken when we checked last month (a year and a half in advance!), 2) Sundays cost slightly less, 3) Apparently Sundays and Fridays are the new Saturday (not really, but read this and this).

All of this official-ness is really exciting. :)

"The LORD is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want... Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." -- Psalm 23:1,6

he loves me, he loves me not...

2008-06-28T10:59:00.001-04:00

"There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." -- Anais Nin

So apparently Martha Stewart agrees that yellow is an excellent color choice for a summer wedding (pick up the summer 2008 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, shown here, if you don't believe me).

I'm not sure if it's the nice weather or the weekly emails I get from ProFlowers.com, but lately I've been getting a lot of floral inspiration. To that end, I am really excited about figuring out my bouquet, although I think I'm still a long way off from deciding. So far a few of my favorites include:

Calla lilies - very clean and formal looking.
Freesia - they smell so good! and are pretty too.
Rununculas - fresh and soft, rose-like.
Gerbera daisies - just because my sister loves them.

Here's one bouquet recommended by Martha that I happen to really like a lot. It's very soft looking (which I like) but I think my bouquet will be little brighter (aka not so pastel).

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." -- Isaiah 40:8

a SUPER cake

2008-06-27T12:51:00.000-04:00

"The most dangerous food is wedding cake" -- James Thurber

Lately I've been a little stressed (mostly for reasons not related to the wedding), which is probably not a surprise to any one I've been hanging out with these days. So to lighten up the mood I thought I'd share a delightful find passed on to me by one of my college room mates, Janice "J-dawg" Kim... a Super Mario wedding cake! (Check here for more info)

Seems like an appropriately fun/nerdy dessert, for any appropriately fun/nerdy couple. Among the many reasons why Alphonse and I would get such a cake:

Alphonse proudly proclaims that he is still very much a kid, and he has the video game skills to prove it
My ring tone on Al's cellphone is the Super Mario theme (I'd like to think this is because he thinks I'm a princess, but it's not...)
My lovable Italian fiance dressed up as Mario for Halloween a couple of years ago:

And while Alphonse and I will be taking a more traditional route for our wedding cake, it will not be lacking in creativity. We'll update more about that when we get to it :) . For now, congratulations to my lambmate Audrey, who just got engaged!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" -- 2 Corinthians 5:17

you win some, you lose some...

2008-06-24T10:03:00.005-04:00

"Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning." -- Gloria Steinem

So it's official: we're doomed to always watch the home team lose this year. It's only June and we've already sat through a few Knicks and Nets losses, a Nationals loss, and wayyyy too many Mets losses. And to make matters worse, we've made no progress in our wedding planning, according to ourweddingday.com:

Luckily, that's not entirely true. In fact, I think with 15 months to go we're in pretty good wedding shape! We have most of the "big" things taken care of now we just have to figure out the bazillion "small" things that will make our day extra special. :) . And according to theknot.com, this month we should be focusing on engagement parties, colors, and romance... all of which we've got under control. This wedding planning stuff is a piece of cake, right?

And I apologize for updating so erratically, but we're meeting with our event planner, Tom, tomorrow, so expect another update in the near future (I know you're brimming with anticipation). And last, but not least... Thank you to everyone for all the input and feedback (verbal/written/mimed/etc) on colors and dresses... It's been very helpful so far!

And one of my favorite verses to close: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" -- Jeremiah 29:11

another ball-game/park

2008-06-22T21:08:00.003-04:00

"If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base." -- Dave Barry

One of Al's life goals is to visit all the baseball parks across the United States. As his future life partner, I might as well be part of this goal. So alas, this past weekend, we made some progress on our cross country (cross century?) journey by visiting Nationals Park in Washington, DC. What better way to spend the longest day of the year, than by soaking in some summer baseball? The park was absolutely gorgeous, and brand spanking new. And the many hours that we spent on bus/train/foot this past weekend made for some quality talk time about a variety of topics, obviously the wedding being one of the most prominent. I would be lying if I said that all this planning isn't stressing me out one bit, but I'm glad that Alphonse and I are talking through each decision and truly making this wedding our own.

Here's a sampling of photos from our ball park visit, complete with a goofy Alphonse photo.

Also, as I side note, we've been to four games this season and have yet to see the home team win... perhaps, we should stop watching live baseball. We'll see how things play out at the Mets game we go to on Tuesday. And even if we have no luck in baseball this year, we've been pretty lucky in love so far.

"But he said to them, 'Do not detain me, now that the LORD has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master.'"-- Genesis 24:56

one, two, three, FLASH!

2008-06-17T23:49:00.003-04:00

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs." -- Ansel Adams

Ok. so I like photo booths. Seeee:

Actually I like most things photo-related, including, but not limited to: photographs, photo opportunities, photo albums, and photosynthesis.

At times my "I love photographs. Let's take another picture!" collides with Alphonse's "Another photo?! Seriously?" But luckily such incidents almost always playfully evolve into Alphonse sticking his tongue out or attempting to sabotage my photo in some other way. And by now it should come as no surprise to you that Alphonse and I can be quite silly at times, so such attempts are well received (and documented via photograph). When I saw that my friend Raph had a photo booth at his wedding, I thought it might be the perfect way to combine my love for (candid) photos and Al's love for (candid) silliness. And photo booth photos (or frames) might make fun favors, right? Of course this may mean cutting down our original photography package, but it might be worth it. We'll keep you updated...

A few photos from Raph's wedding, click to enlarge:

“Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds — his name is the LORD— and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” -- Psalm 68: 4-5.

the dress hunt continues [1] ...

2008-06-16T21:00:00.009-04:00

"A happy bridesmaid makes a happy bride" -- Alfred Tennyson

I thought finding bridesmaids dresses would be pretty easy since I don't consider myself a very picky person, and I thought I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted. At this point I've gone through (too) many websites, and literally hundreds of dresses, and sadly, so far this is pretty much all I've come away liking. It turns out, I am pickier than I first thought, and I don't really have any idea what I'm doing. This sampling is from collections by BCBG, Ann Taylor, Jim Hjelm, and Bari Jay:

click to enlarge:

A few things I've liked so far:

sweetheart and v-neck -- these necklines seem to be comfortable and flattering on most people; I'm also leaning away from strapless, since my gown is strapless (and supposedly the bridesmaids shouldn't match the bride too much)
chiffon and organza -- these fabrics seem pretty soft and flowy
empire waist and A-line silhouettes -- again, these styles seem pretty flattering

Let me know which dresses you like (aka HELP!) Also, I forgot to mention it earlier, but Alphonse and I saw Sex and the City a few weekends ago. To protect Al's manhood, I think I'm required to say that I "forced" him to go and that he "hated it" (both false). But anyways, we both learned a little about wedding planning, like (surprise!) the bride-to-be should consider her fiance's opinion on major decisions, like party size. Anyways, stay tuned for more dresses from Betsey Johnson, Nicole Miller, Maggy London, and Anthropologie!

"As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you." -- Isaiah 62:5

happy father's day...

2008-06-15T00:00:00.003-04:00

"There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself." -- John Gregory Brown
I wouldn't exactly call myself a "Daddy's Girl" but I think every little girl has special relationship with her father. Some dads are "sporty dads," some dads are "handy dads," some dads are "cool dads," but my dad, I like to think, was a "funny dad." During my teen years my "funny dad" became my "corny dad," (although I'm not sure his jokes changed all the much, and I'm even slightly embarrassed to say that sometimes he would even make jokes about corn, just begging to be called corny). And while he still cracks corny jokes, it's nice to know that I can always rely on my dad for a laugh, or at least a smile while I shake my head at his corniness. And it warms a special place in my heart when I overhear my dad start to tell someone new a joke I've heard a hundred times. There's a certain comfort in knowing and loving someone so well that you can sense the start of a familiar joke, even if it's a corny one.

So while I'm not a little girl any more, all this wedding planning is making me feel like I'm my dad's little girl again. Just the other day I asked him if he had a song preference for the father-daughter dance at my wedding, and he said he didn't have one in mind yet. I'm still not quite sure, myself, what we should dance to... but I'll let you know as soon as we decide something. And even though my dad will walk me down the aisle and give me away in about a year... I'll always be his little girl, and he will always be my funny/corny dad.

Happy father's day, to fathers everywhere!

"Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace." -- Psalm 144:12

what to wear?!

2008-06-12T23:34:00.007-04:00

"The most beautiful clothes that can dress a woman are the arms of the man she loves" -- Yves Saint Laurent

When I first started wedding planning, one of the earliest things that I decided (in my head) was that I wanted my bridesmaids' dresses to be light, flowy, and slightly Greek goddess-like. This idea worked perfectly when I was thinking of having all my bridesmaids wear long evening gowns, but when we decided on shorter afternoon dresses, I thought that maybe I would have to pass on my original idea-- the words "short" and "Greek goddess-esque" didn't seem like a good match. That was until I stumbled upon this dress in a window in Annapolis. Looked like an appropriately flowy and simple dress, and best of all it was cocktail length! So with newfound hope, my search for bridesmaids dresses pressed on.

Below are a few of my most recent favorites. And while this selection lacks any real consistency as far as dress length, or silhouette, or possibly even overall feel, I can say this much for sure: the dresses are going to be cute (and probably empire waisted). And almost definitely yellow, tea length, and flowy as well.

click to enlarge

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ... See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ... But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." -- Matthew 6:25-33

a blog about blogs...

2008-06-09T20:43:00.005-04:00

"And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise." -- Sylvia Plath

So apparently wedding blogs are cool... or maybe just popular. A google search for "wedding blog" returned over 8 million sites. Wowzers. There are blogs for all sorts of weddings: preppy weddings, offbeat weddings, ethnic weddings... the list goes on. As someone who is in the midst of planning her own wedding, I think I am justified in spending (perhaps a little too much) time browsing such sites. And I'm happy to say that I've been getting lots of different ideas along the way. To spare you the experience of hopping from blog to blog in hope of finding treasures of inspiration, I'll summarize a few of my favorites:

Snippet & Ink - great pictures, real weddings, budget tips
Something Old, Something New - creative ideas from things old and new
The Bride Cafe - more pictures and real wedding stories
Oh Happy Blog! - lots of cute dresses, random ideas
Style Me Pretty - I've mentioned this one before...

And last but not least... all the best bridal blogs in one place! And no, it's not your imagination. Future brides, you can thank me now for this find. I plan to keep blogging until someone puts me up on that list.

And here's a little inspiration in picture form from Snippet & Ink (the yellow makes me happy):

click to enlarge

"Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll" -- Job 19:23

cream and sugar.

2008-06-06T15:00:00.004-04:00

"He was my cream, and I was his coffee - And when you poured us together, it was something." -- Josephine Baker

Aside from those 40 days and nights during Lent, my typical Monday to Friday routine involves one to two cups of java, disguised by milk and sugar. My lab version of Seth Rogan, the one and only Andrew "B-bear" Edelstein can attest to this habit (and partly enables it , as well). As someone who's been an insider to two weddings in the past month (and whose sister is in the process of planning a wedding) he might have a few pearls of wisdom to share about remaining sane through this process... but that is another blog for another day.

Back to my original thought... coffee. I do love that tasty daily dose of caffeine, but after being inspired by weddingbee, I think perhaps I may need to give it up for the sake of white teeth on my wedding day.

I'm not sure first year of med school would approve of such a decision, but I think the fact that I successfully gave it up for Lent is some indication of my ability to survive sans coffee. And if all else fails, there's always teeth whitening, or embracing my off-white teeth.

In other news, today Al and I chaperoned his first graders on their school field trip to the zoo. We haven't had this much fun at a zoo since... we went to the Bronx Zoo last year. Honestly, it's pretty easy to enjoy the zoo when you're there in good company. :) . Those kids are so energetic. I'm poooped.

" God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good." -- Genesis 1:25

cyber status updates.

2008-06-05T18:27:00.005-04:00

"If you have to think about whether you love someone or not, then the answer is no. When you love someone you just know." -- Janice Markowitz

Sooo... I finally updated my relationship status on facebook and myspace. I guess this means our relationship is legit (at least to the rest of the cyber world).

Also, lately it seems like I've been doing a lot of congratulating, so why stop now? Congratulations to my friends Raphael and Mike, both of whom got married this past month (not to each other).

And lastly, although I'll be apartment hunting in D.C., if I was home this Saturday at 7 P.M. I'd probably try to catch NBC's new show i do! -- supposedly the ultimate lavish wedding planning guide. And since it's sponsored by my favorite bridal website (theknot.com), I don't doubt it will be quite entertaining/informative.

"Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth." -- Psalm 26:2-3

sim city.

2008-06-04T16:00:00.006-04:00

"One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art." -- Oscar Wilde

Congrats to Maris and Ryan on their recent engagement! And belated congratulations to my room mate Faaiza and her fiance Zack, who recently got engaged as well. It makes me ridiculously happy to see my friends getting engaged. Seriously.

To further lighten up this dreary Wednesday, I thought I'd mention my new favorite thing: the very sims-like "dress your wedding" feature by David's Bridal (log-in using alphonse.katrina@gmail.com, password = guest). While some of the options for accessories and facial/body features are limited (definitely not up to Nintendo mii standards), it is definitely a fun way to waste a few minutes (or more). Viola:

And while I plan to have my bridesmaids in cocktail length dresses (summery, right?), I haven't decided much beyond that, so don't necessarily expect a real-life version of this. As for the guys, let it be known that Al did their dressing. Fashion designing at its finest.

And speaking of new favorite things... this website I stumbled upon, style me pretty, happens to be one of them.

"My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest" -- Isaiah 32:18

they call me mellow yellooooow.

2008-06-01T18:00:00.003-04:00

"The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most." -- John Ruskin

Happy June! Lately I've been getting some questions about what colors our bridal party will be wearing. Surprisingly, unlike many girls hoping for a happy ending, I never got around to constructing a picture-perfect wedding in my head. So perhaps disappointingly, for a while my response to such questions was simply, "I don't know." Even up until now Al and I (but mostly just me) have been flip-flopping between different color options. When we were initially planning on a fall wedding I started thinking of long gowns and deep, rich colors -- like a plum or a royal blue. But once we decided we were most likely going to do a summer afternoon wedding instead, we thought it would be more appropriate to do something light and fresh. So without further ado, I'm pleased to announce that we've made some sort of decision: our bridal party will likely be wearing some sort of yellow (this was actually Al's suggestion :) ). And surprisingly this was the one color that I said I wouldn't use when I started doing this whole wedding planning thing back in February. I pretty sure this change of heart had more to do with inspiration from some of the wedding websites I've visited and less to do with the fact that yellow is the "in color" this season... but I cannot say so with certainty.

So alas, I am quite excited about having a warm weather wedding. And for now, it will be yellow-y, but stay tuned... that still may change.

"In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work." -- 2 Timothy 2:20-21

wife wants a farmer.

2008-05-28T20:52:00.007-04:00

"All poetry is an ordered voice, one who tries to tell you a vision in the unvisionary language of farm, city, and love" -- Paul Engle

As two suburbanites verging on city dwellers, you might say that Al and I are not exactly the rural type. This news might come as a surprise to anyone who witnessed this spectacle this past weekend:

Yes, my future hubby helped plant corn, pick onions, and drive a tractor. Sadly, these are things I was doing when I was short, bald, and barely walking:

And while I don't think we'll be leaving our urban living any time soon, Al makes a pretty good farmer in training. With all this talk of farming and farm living, it's at least worth mentioning the new t.v. show, "Farmer Wants a Wife." It seems you can make a reality show about just about any thing these days. There seem to be two sorts of wedding-geared reality shows out there: 1) those geared towards finding "the one" (think The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Flavor of Love, Rock of Love...), and 2) those geared towards capturing the chaos/bliss of wedding planning (think Bridezillas, airing this Sunday). I'm sure I'll have more to say about such shows another day, but for now, I speak for myself and say that I don't need a farmer or a city boy, just the boy I have, just the way he is.

Also, expect more wedding planning details soon...

"Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." -- James 5:7-8

made of HONOR

2008-05-26T23:51:00.007-04:00

"Bless you, my darling, and remember you are always in the heart - oh tucked so close there is no chance of escape - of your sister." -- Katherine Mansfield

First of all Happy Memorial Day. Remembering all the amazing people who have served or who continue to serve our country, I wanted to say a special thank you to two of my favorite officers in training: my cousins, Ashley and Nathan.

I planned on composing a very interesting/applicable blog entry this afternoon about a topic that I was going to come up with some time in the last few hours, but instead I was busy helping my baby sister do some last minute packing for her three month visit to Uganda. And while my sister is flying somewhere over the Atlantic right now, I am lying in my bed quite exhausted from all the running around we did in the past 24 hours. So alas, no thoughtful entry today. Instead, since I was talking about my sister, I thought it an appropriate time to introduce my Maid of Honor! Yes, my sister has the privilege/burden of being my MoH... how lucky that my best friend happens to be my kin?! Apparently the MoH has a lot of responsibilities, but I am confident my sister is up to the task. One such task happens to be serving as my "emotional lifeboat" (according to theknot.com). That being said, I hope I don't go too crazy while she's gone. To say the least, she will be missed, but I'm sure she'll be having a ball while doing her part to eradicate malaria in Africa.

And congrats again to my cousin Rachael, who got married over the weekend.

"Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother.'" -- Mark 3:34-35

he puts the AL in alleykat

2008-05-23T21:21:00.006-04:00

"I dreamed of a wedding of elaborate elegance, A church filled with family and friends. I asked him what kind of a wedding he wished for, He said one that would make me his wife." -- Author Unknown

As if you didn't already know, there are a lot of websites and magazines devoted to brides-to-be like me! I was just browsing one such site with resources for brides in the New York/New Jersey area and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the reception venue that Alphonse and I are looking at (Nanina's in the Park) is the number one featured reception location in the area, according to the site! The discovery made me all the more excited about my wedding.

On a slightly less sunshine-y note, according to theknot.com the second most common bridal mistake is "reading aloud to your fiance from bridal magazines." Apparently guys really don't care what kind of flowers I carry or if my dress is white, off-white, or off-off-white. Who knew?! While I haven't yet reached the "reading from magazines" level of annoying-ness, I do confess to quite often bringing wedding plans into our everyday discussion. And despite historic evidence to the contrary, I am quite happy to share that Alphonse has surprisingly been quite involved in this whole process. In the beginning he said: "Let me handle the music and you can take care of the rest." Since then, however, he has given his input about every aspect of the wedding that we've planned so far. Apparently this is sort of a big deal to him, too... and I'm not going to complain about that at all. We keep each other appropriately sane/silly. :) .

And congrats to my cousin Rachael who is getting married tomorrow! Sadly this means we're getting old, but luckily nothing beats a wedding and a three-day weekend. :) . And early well wishes for Memorial Day.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." -- Philippians 4:6

all in a year.

2008-05-20T22:47:00.012-04:00

"In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee/ In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. / In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes / How do you measure a year in the life?" -- 'Seasons of Love' from RENT

Annual review. That was the two word title of the meeting that I had with my boss this morning evaluating my performance over the past year. The meeting was over in about 15 minutes and the day progressed as usual. In the afternoon I visited my friend Peter at Columbia and saw the campus set up for tomorrow's commencement ceremony and as I stood there I felt like it was just yesterday that I was sitting in those seats in front of alma mater. And now, it's evening time and I'm sitting in my empty apartment on this rainy Tuesday mentally packing things up for my move when my year-long lease is up in a month. I'm not sure if it's the weather or the visit to campus or my evaluation this morning, but I'm suddenly feeling very nostalgic. It's hard to believe it's been a year since I graduated and started working full-time.. time flies so quickly. A few highlights of the past year include: graduation, starting work, my first apartment, getting engaged, getting in to medical school. And surprisingly (to me), all this talk of the past makes me really excited about the future-- and all the known and unknown things it holds. Just a few minutes ago Al told me, "I keep telling all my friends how excited I am to marry you. I think they just don't get how much fun we have... I know we're gonna have a blast." I definitely agree. So cheers to 2007, 2008, 2009 and beyond. Hopefully every annual review I have is this enjoyable.

525,600 minutes ago

And since we're talking about time (sorta) I wanted to mention that I've stumbled upon so many "wedding planning countdowns" over the past few months, and with our August 2009 wedding plans well underway, we are by most accounts ahead of schedule! Go team alleykat.

"And I'll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.' " -- Luke 12:19

lights, camera, action!

2008-05-18T21:59:00.004-04:00

"A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety." -- Ansel Adams

Yesterday Al and I met with a photo consultant from bellapictures and we came away from the session with nothing but compliments. At the start of the session we went through a few portfolios and talked about what we liked and didn't like (everything from camera angles, to candid vs. posed, to color re-touching) in the different photographs we viewed. Our consultant, Suny, was very friendly and attentive to our comments. We were very impressed by Bella's commitment to finding a photographer with a style to match our interests, affirming the intimate and personal feel of the entire session. So far, they seem like a really good company to work with (and they have the press to prove it), but you might have to wait to see our photographs before we fully endorse them ;) . Plus, they're pretty affordable, as far as wedding photographers and albums go.

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." -- Proverbs 31:30

a rose by any other name...

2008-05-16T01:47:00.000-04:00

"Names are not always what they seem" -- Mark Twain

For no particular reason, I thought I'd briefly summarize how I chose the name of my blog: katalmahal. Perhaps this entry is a little overdue, but hopefully it's appreciated, nonetheless. I wanted a name that would be fairly easy to remember, while at the same time, reflective of our relationship. For both Alphonse and I, I know that culture has played an important role in shaping much of who we are today, including our Catholic faith, our value of family, and our love of food. When I was coming up with names, one of the first words that came to mind was a word that I often heard from my parents as I was growing up: 'mahal.' In Filipino (tagalog) the word 'mahal' means 'love.' What better word to describe our relationship than 'love'?! For the first part of the name I just used our nicknames: 'kat' for Katrina, and 'al' for Alphonse. And thus was born katalmahal. I think it looks/sounds pretty good.

A few rejected names included: italianweddingsoup and alleykatwedding. Both of these would have probably worked, but in the end I opted for the shorter name.

And by the way, we're going to see a photographer tomorrow, so expect an update later this weekend!

"And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us." -- 1 John 3:23

making a list, checking it twice.

2008-05-14T18:56:00.011-04:00

"On with the dance! let joy be unconfined; / No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet/ To chase the glowing hours with flying feet." -- Lord Byron

On Sunday afternoon Alphonse and I sat down for dinner with our parents. Several hours later our bellies were full and our guestlist was nearly complete. When we were trying to decide who to invite we started naming family and close friends that were absolute musts-- people who were involved in our lives since before we could remember and others who showed up much later but played an important role in one way or another. And then there were friends: classmates from elementary school through college, and even current colleagues. Half way through, the task of narrowing our list down to 200 people or less seemed somewhat daunting. At the end of it, there were, of course, countless more people we wanted to invite, but we realized we couldn't-- weddings are expensive! Still, we want to share this whole experience (from the engagement through the marriage) with as many people as possible. To do so, we were initially planning to just invite everyone to the engagement parties, however, some sources say that doing so is poor etiquette. So instead, we'll hold a few casual get-togethers for everyone to meet both of our families and still take part in this adventure of ours, even though we wish we could invite everyone to the actual wedding!

"May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness— an abundance of grain and new wine." -- Genesis 27:28

thank you mom.

2008-05-11T13:18:00.007-04:00

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new." -- Rajneesh

I remember waking up on Mother's Day when I was younger and eagerly running in to my mom's bedroom to give her flowers that my dad helped me pick out. Funny how nearly twenty years later, some things never change. And while my dad wasn't there to help me pick out flowers this time, and my mom wasn't in the room next door when I woke up, I still waited eagerly to give her flowers that were meant just for her. The thing is, no matter how old I get, I know that I will always be my parent's daughter-- their first child, their first baby girl. And as the eldest child in his family, I know Alphonse shares a similar sentiment. Even now with plans to possibly move away for medical school and to one day start a family of our own, we know that we will never be far, in mind or body, from our families and the people we love. And even though it may seem as though every thing else around us is changing, we know that some things, like flowers on Mother's Day, will always be exactly the same.

So without further ado, we would like to say Happy Mother's Day to the two special women that we've been blessed with. Words cannot begin to describe how grateful we are for the ways you've loved us. And even as we continue to plan for our wedding, we are so thankful for all the support and encouragement you've given us so far... only fifteen months to go!

Alphonse, Rosanne, Cathy, Katrina -- Mother's Day 2008

As an aside for other current or future brides-to-be, here are some loose guidelines for the roles of mother of the bride and mother of the groom. Apparently one of the big responsibilities for the MOB is picking out a dress... if only everything in life was so easy/difficult :) .

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you." -- Exodus 20:12

let me see you one, two step.

2008-05-07T19:59:00.009-04:00

"It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor." -- Marcus Tullius Cicero

With my bikini-clad cruise days still in recent memory and the weather hinting at the start of summer, now seems like an appropriate time to bring up the dreaded "wedding workout plan." It seems I underestimated how big a role this issue would play in my wedding planning-- but I quickly realized my error after scanning a few websites for brides-to-be. Here is just a sampling of the sites I stumbled upon: theknot and bridal guide. I mean, it does make some sense since I plan to remember my wedding forever (and I'll be paying some photographer a lot of money to help me do so!) And considering my wedding might be the single day when I have the most pictures taken of me, it would be nice to look as fit as possible, so then years from now I can show my kids my wedding album and say "See, mommy and daddy used to be so good looking, right?"... or maybe that was just my parents :) . All that being said and done, I will probably try a little harder to eat healthily and go to the gym regularly over the next year or so, but to be honest, Alphonse and I already try to do both of those things, so it shouldn't be too hard. At the end of the day it definitely helps that we often eat and workout together, since fitness is just one of the many ways we can encourage each other!

I may give more details about a specific workout plan closer to the actual wedding date, so check back later if you're interested. Until then, here are a few photos of us baring a little skin and being as silly as usual. Alphonse looooves taking photos, can't you just tell from his facial expressions?!

"but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." -- Isaiah 40:31

a walk in the park...

2008-05-05T21:59:00.009-04:00

“In the spring time, the only pretty ring time, / When birds do sing, hey ding a ding; / Sweet lovers love the spring.” -- William Shakespeare

Yesterday Alphonse and I visited Nanina's in the Park (parents and siblings in tow) as a potential venue for our wedding. It was a gorgeous spring day to visit a venue that was just as lovely. I was most impressed by the property grounds and the elegant dining presentation -- they have so many options for cocktail and main sitting dining, including more stations than I can keep track of, specialized chefs for making mozzarella and sushi, individual white glove service for each table, and Romeo and Juliet main course. For more details on the full menu, click here. To say the least, I think you can probably fast for a few days before coming to eat at a celebration here. And to top it all off, the price was amazingly reasonable and the staff was extremely accommodating and helpful. All around, I definitely recommend this location. Here are a few pictures of the venue (click on the photos or check out the website for a better view):

Over the next few weeks Alphonse and I will probably check out a few more places, but we were very pleased with what we saw here.

As a side note, a couple of weeks ago when I was writing about love and sports, Alphonse chimed in and started listing off random facts that he thought I should mention. When I turned to him and said: "Hey, get your own blog!" he paused and responded, "Maybe I will." And thus was born his blog, which I highly recommend. If he listens to me this well during our marriage, it looks like it'll be smooth sailing. :)

"See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come... Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me." -- Song of Solomon 2:11-13

you've got mail!

2008-05-03T19:26:00.000-04:00

"To write a good love letter, you ought to begin without knowing what you mean to say, and finish without knowing what you have written" -- Jean-Jacques Rousseau

When we first started planning our wedding, we didn't know quite where to start. After perusing bridal magazines, wedding websites, and blogs of other brides-to-be, we confirmed what we pretty much already knew-- there's a lot that goes in to planning our big day! To figure out how to proceed I asked my cousin Rachael for any advice she had considering she's been planning a wedding of her own for the past year, and will be getting married in a few weeks! One of the things she recommended was to start collecting addresses of family and friends as soon as possible. To that end, if you could email your mailing address to alphonse.katrina@gmail.com, it would be greatly appreciated.

And speaking of things sent and received in the mail, Al and I would like to belatedly thank everyone for their cards or messages of congratulations.

In other news, tomorrow Al and I are going with our families to check out a reception venue for the wedding. Expect a post-visit update!

"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." -- 2 Corinthians 3:2-3

i will survive...

2008-04-30T20:29:00.003-04:00

"Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that." -- Michael Leunig

Tomorrow marks the beginning of May, which means we've been engaged for nearly three months! Hard to believe... time really does fly. In that time we've failed to secure a date, a church, or a reception hall, and we've had a lot of fun doing so. But fret not-- we plan to have all of the aforementioned taken care of by the end of May. In the mean time, we're enjoying being engaged. I wish Al and I could take full credit for the success of our engagement thus far, but alas, where would we be without our handy-dandy Engagement Survival Kit?! Yes, a couple of weeks ago one of Al's co-workers gave us our very own E.S.K. filled with cute and cheesy goodies to encourage us during this happy time. Among the 20+ contents of our E.S.K were Good & Plenty candies so we "always remember the 'good' times and have 'plenty' of them;" crayons "to 'color' our days;" and seeds so that our "love would grow stronger and even more wonderful with each passing year."

All together, a very thoughtful, creative, and artistic gift that I'm sure any newly engaged couple would appreciate. Speaking of recent engagements, congratulations to my college friends Lee Ann and Laura, both of whom got engaged this past week.

"I'm covered in your love, Your grace is enough for me"

post-cruise.

2008-04-28T22:15:00.008-04:00

"Happiness consists of living each day as if it were the first day or your honeymoon and the last day of your vacation" -- Anonymous

Right now I'm back in the Big Apple. Outside it's a rainy 41 degrees and I'm sitting in my apartment a few shades darker (too much sun), a few pounds heavier (too much food), and a few dollars poorer (too much shopping) than I was a week ago. That being said, last week was great. It would be difficult to justly describe all the fun that Alphonse and I had in one blog entry, and since a picture is worth a thousand words, here's a 14,000 word summary of our trip:

For more photos, click here or here. And if you didn't already know,

"The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon." -- Psalm 64:16

come with me and escape...

2008-04-18T00:38:00.009-04:00

"For whatever we lose (like a you or a me) / it's always ourselves we find in the sea.” -- E. E. Cummings

So it's been quite a hectic week, and perhaps surprisingly it has nothing to do with the wedding planning. Even now, I don't have much time to blog since I'm doing some last minute packing for our cruise to celebrate our "engagement honeymoon" (of sorts) and Al's birthday. Instead, I leave you with a few pictures of the places that we will be stopping at during our week-long cruise. There isn't any one else I'd rather spend this week with. :)

St. Thomas

Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Check back after April 27th for pictures from our trip and an update about our wedding planning. :)

"How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand..." -- Psalm 139:17-18

going to the chapel...

2008-04-14T20:55:00.006-04:00

"Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears." -- Edgar Allen Poe

In the Catholic faith, the wedding is traditionally held in the bride's home church. Having grown up and gone to church in Spring Valley, NY, but having spent the last five years residing and attending church in Manhattan, I wasn't exactly sure where my "home church" was. I knew it was one of two places--

St. Paul's Chapel, Columbia University -- This is where I went to church during my four years of undergraduate, where my Christian fellowship met each week, and where I was going to church when Alphonse and I first started dating. While the church itself is pretty small, the campus around the church is definitely quite picturesque. Parking in Manhattan, however, is always a pain, and reservations at the chapel are quite pricey.
St. Joseph's Parish, Spring Valley, NY -- This is where I've been going to church for over fifteen years. It's where I first received three very important sacraments: reconciliation, first communion, and confirmation. The church itself is quite modern and simple; nothing too ornate or over the top, but still beautiful. The way the wooden beams run across the ceiling always reminds me of an ark. And in addition, there's a ton of parking and the price is right.

Yesterday Al and I visited St. Joseph's for the first time since we've been engaged to get a feel for what it might be like to have our wedding there (see pictures below, click on them to get a better view). The visit was a success, and it's likely we'll have our ceremony there, but nothing is set yet, so no promises. When we get back from our cruise we're going to look in to booking our reception. We have a place in mind, but I'll save that for another day. :)

"And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." -- Matthew 16:18

party time!

2008-04-12T19:50:00.004-04:00

"Celebrate love. It is the breath of your existence and the best of all reasons for living." -- Author Unknown

So baby steps... the engagement parties are finally set (dates and locations)! When we were deciding where to hold the engagement party we couldn't settle on a location that was easily accessible to our friends (who mostly reside in Rockland, Manhattan, and NJ), his family (mostly in NJ), and my family (mostly in PA), so we decided to have two parties!

Sunday, July 6th, 2008 in Mohrsville, PA
Saturday, September 13th, 2008 in Nutley, NJ

Everyone is definitely welcome to both! Details to follow...

"They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness." -- Psalm 145:7

now and then

2008-04-10T20:53:00.003-04:00

"What we see depends mainly on what we look for." -- John Lubbock

My junior year of high school I got a brand new Nissan Sentra to match my brand new driver's license. Definitely not the hottest car on the market, but a smooth ride and hot enough for a seventeen year old. Oddly, as soon as I started driving around in my car I noticed so many others on the road. I know I'm pretty cool, but I doubt my choice to drive a Sentra inspired so many others to purchase and display the exact same model. The truth of the matter was, there weren't any more Sentras out on the road, I just began noticing them more.

It's funny how you can see the same things day after day for years without even noticing, but with one small change they take on a whole new light and become so apparent. Since my engagement I've found myself looking at things that I've seen countless times before from a totally new perspective. With just about everything that I encounter, wedding thoughts come to mind. So crazy. Here are a few examples how how I viewed things before and how I see them now:

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self... to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." --Ephesians 4:22-24

love and baseball

2008-04-08T18:51:00.008-04:00

"You look forward to it like a birthday party when you're a kid. You think something wonderful is going to happen." -- Joe DiMaggio about Opening Day

Two months ago Al and I bought tickets to the last home opener at Shea Stadium. At 1:10 PM today, with the first pitch of the ball game, weeks of anticipation finally gave way to reality. The sun was shining, the seats were filled, the smell of good ol' stadium food was in the air, and the Mets were winning. It was a (nearly) perfect ball game, at least for the first six innings. But then, like many good things, the sun dropped behind the stands, the crowd grew rowdy, and the Mets bullpen fell apart. Before we knew it we were on a train back to Manhattan and the Mets had another loss on their record. Right about now you might expect me to start talking about how love is like baseball, curve balls and all... but that's been done before, sorta (rent this). Instead I wanted to talk about the role sports have played in our relationship and our wedding planning...

Over the past two years or so Al and I have been to countless sporting events and watched even more on tv. When I told my fiance that I was writing about sports, he started listing off facts, such as: "John Elway was drafted by the Yankees but refused to play because they didn't offer him enough money. The Colts also gave him an offer, but he refused that, too, because it was too low," and many others including very specific names and dates. And while most of these facts went over my head I can say that, as two people who were each very involved in sports in high school, watching sports together and (usually) rooting for the same team has been one of my favorite parts of our relationship. Of course it's most fun when our teams win, but even when they lose, it's enjoyable to partake in the experience together. This probably goes without saying, but for any relationship to thrive, I definitely recommend finding an activity that you can enjoy together and doing it as often as possible! When we first started planning our wedding we were thinking of having it in September, but then sports came in to play in a new and different way. I realized that a late September wedding, although autumnally pleasing, fell at possibly the worst time of the year-- the end of regular season baseball and the start of football season. When I shared this news with my "wishes-he-was-a-sportscaster" fiance he replied, "And that's how you know a girl's a keeper." To say the least, we are no longer planning a September wedding. In fact, this weekend we are visiting my home church and seeing what dates they have available in August 2009. Wish us luck-- major moves are to be made in the near future!

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." -- 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

running of the brides

2008-04-03T23:05:00.008-04:00

"Know first who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly." --Euripides

The Filene's Basement "Running of the Brides" sale, like Christmas, happens only once a year (in New York). So when I discovered that the sale was happening at the 14th Street/Union Square location on February 29, less than a month in to my engagement, I thought, "Why not?" With no pressure to buy anything, I dragged along the only person crazy enough to wake up at the crack of dawn and help me fight off crazy brides to find the perfect dress for my big day-- and thus began Sara's first official task as Maid of Honor. Sleep deprived and all, I can say that the event was definitely worth it, even if for the experience and nothing else. Here are a few snapshots of some of the dresses I tried on (some successes, and some not-so-successes), none of which shown here I actually bought:

To all future fiancees out there, I definitely recommend stopping by the sale, if timing falls right. The few tips I have are (1) arrive early -- we arrived around 6:30 AM and doors opened at 8, (2) bring at least one friend -- to help with zippers and finding more dresses, (3) wear tights and a tank top -- everyone just changes in the middle of the store, (4) bring a camera -- to review your selections, (5) grab as many dresses you can that you like in your size and be willing to trade for dresses later, (6) have fun!

Three hours and 21 dresses after I first set out to buy my wedding gown I walked away with not one, but two gorgeous dresses, for a grand total of less than a thousand dollars. And I even made it to work by 10:15 AM. Impressive, right? My only problem now is deciding which one to wear! :)

And I even made it into the gothamist, among other papers. Click here for more details.

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment... Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." -- 1 Peter 3:3-4

a very decent proposal

2008-04-01T21:17:00.007-04:00

"For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of / Long before I knew / Someone warm like you / Would make my dream come true" -- Stevie Wonder

On February 3rd, 2008 the Giants won Superbowl XLII. The win came as a surprise to many people, but not to my boyfriend, who named the win one of his best fan moments. On February 7th, 2008, the boy, still riding on Superbowl joy, gave me a surprise of my own. There were flowers -- roses to be exact. There was music -- our song, For Once in My Life, by Stevie Wonder was playing. There was surprise -- no need to elaborate. There was a four word question and a one word response. There was a ring -- something like this (but see the previous post for more details). There was jumping and "eeeeeee-ing" and running up and down the hall. There were phone calls and text messages -- to family and friends. And of course, there was dancing -- happy dancing, slow dancing, fast dancing, all sorts of dancing as Stevie played on repeat.

As someone who loves to capture every thing on camera, I am quite sad that I didn't have my camera with me for this momentous occassion. But then again, I was probably too overcome with joy to sit still for a photosession anyways. So here are a few mushy photographs from the night we got engaged +1.

"Blessed be Your name, When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be,' Blessed be Your name
... Every blessing you pour out I'll turn back to praise."

cut, color, carat, clarity.

2008-03-30T22:00:00.001-04:00

"Grow old with me! The best is yet to be" -- Robert Browning

One of the first things that comes along with being engaged is the engagement ring. Since diamonds are forever, what better way to start a life together than with a gift that symbolizes eternity? And since it's going to be around for a while, it's a good thing that I can happily say, I looove my ring (and the boy who gave it to me). I thought I'd share a little bit about what I've learned about engagement rings since I received mine on February 7th.

I tried to find a picture of my ring, but I was having a little trouble, which in a way I guess is a good thing. The closest images I could find are the two shown here. Instead of searching the internet for a replica of my ring, here are the most important details (I hope this will suffice)... The ring has a round cut center stone with a platinum band. The band of the ring has a pave (pronounced pah-vay) setting. Pave comes from the word pavement, meaning the band of the ring is "paved" with diamonds which are encrusted along the ring's surface. The center stone is also surounded by a band of tiny diamonds and held in place by four prongs.

For anyone considering buying or receiving an engagement ring, I recommend this site. It's a pretty informative starting point.

All in all -- It's so sparkly. And I'm so happy. :)

And a verse to close:

"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

-- Psalm 16:11

In the beginning...

2008-03-04T18:46:00.024-05:00

"In every phenomenon the beginning remains always the most notable moment." -- Thomas Carlyle
It probably began a couple of years ago like this:

Using what I learned from countless childhood fairytales, I figured that if I kissed enough frogs I might someday find my prince. But finding the right frog isn't so easy, especially when you don't have a fairy godmother or evil seawitch to help with the magic. As with most things in my life, it wasn't until I stopped pursuing amphibian romances that I stumbled upon this one.

"I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope."
-- Psalm 130:5

After a few months of wining and dining, thoughtful conversations, and happy excursions, my frog transformed into...

Hot, right? just kidding.

I can happily say that since that first fateful day we've matured to this -->

... and it doesn't look like that's changing any time soon.

So here begins forever.
Can't wait.