Going to my happy place

After a very hectic couple of months, I'm SO READY for my vacation to kick in! We're packing up and heading out of town for two weeks to visit family and friends on the mainland. Our first stop is sunny California to see some friends and traipse around Disneyland + California Adventure Park. Then we'll head to the midwest for a white(?) Christmas and lots of family fun. I'm counting down the hours 'til our plane takes off!

Happy Holidays!

I do...want a free wedding!

I'm sure this is old news to all of you by now. The Honolulu Advertiser is presenting the Parasol Events Wedding Giveaway in which one lucky couple will be king (and queen) for a day and have the wedding of their dreams. FOR FREE!

Parasol Events has enlisted the crème de la crème of Hawaii wedding vendors to create a fabulously elegant wedding to help make your special day even more memorable. Check out the details here. Good luck!

Don't eat these fruits and veggies

When I go to L.A. next month, I'm hoping to check out a cool art supply store that is likely to give me a "paper high." Topping my list of must see's is their collection of imported paper from Germany that's made with dried fruits and veggies. Only the freshest produce is used so the paper selection varies with each season's passing. Pictured above from left to right are papers made of starfruits, blood oranges, kiwis and cucumbers. The papers will change color over time but are treated with chemicals to prevent mold. Love it!

Eat turkey

Listen up

Just wanted to share a little wedding-related site with all the brides-to-be with a passion for planning. Check out Wedding Podcast Network for access to round-the-clock wedding talk that you can download to your MP3 player. Just think...you can plan the wedding of your dreams while sweating it out on the treadmill after work every night. Not a bad deal.

Busy bee

Oh my, has it really been two weeks since my last post? I've been a busy bee...an incredibly, busy bee with an overflowing plate of projects and tasks. And is it my imagination or is Christmas right around the corner? Please forgive my temporary blogging hiatus while I try and meet a few critical deadlines in the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, you'll want to check out what the busy bees over at The Wedding Cafe have been up to. They've opened a SECOND LOCATION over at Ward Warehouse! Now you'll have a cool new spot where you can pick up lunch during your holiday shopping marathons. I'm hoping to pop in over the weekend to check it out myself...pumpkin crunch, here I come!

The last straw

Take a good look at the picture above. If you are a bride-to-be, there's something in the photo that will be vitally important to you on your wedding day.

Hint: It's not the tropical cocktail. (Okay, maybe it could be the tropical cocktail, but we'll save that for another post!)

It's the STRAW.

For reasons to be revealed at a later date, I spent a lot of time reminiscing about my wedding this past weekend. From proposal, to frenzied planning, to beautiful storybook ending, I virtually relived the entire experience while jotting down the most memorable, most touching, and most impossible to predict moments throughout our journey. Anyway, tucked away among the many fabulous wedding memories that I have, I was surprised to find that there was also a little, tiny speck of a memory involving a drinking straw...or lack thereof.

Here's my pearl of wisdom for the day:

Make sure you have some drinking straws for you and your bridesmaids as you're prepping for your photos and your big walk down the aisle. Once your makeup is done and your lip stain and lip gloss have been applied to give you the perfectly pouty look, the last thing you'll want to do is take a drink from a cup or water bottle. Sure, you can reapply your lipstick later, but a straw will make things a whole lot easier.

(I happened to have ONE straw in the room leftover from my Starbucks iced coffee that morning, but I had THREE bridesmaids in the room. You do the math.)

Expo time

Weddings, weddings, weddings. You talk the talk, now it's time to walk the walk...over to the Hawaii Convention Center. This Friday and Saturday, you can meet vendors, check out the latest wedding fashion trends, and enter to win some COOL prizes. To preview the list of participating vendors, look for the special tabloid that arrived with Sunday's Honolulu Advertiser.

Oh, and please stop by the Emi Ink booth to say "hi." I've added a few new designs to my invitation line and I'm so excited to share them with all of you!

Here's the 411:

Hawaii World Class Wedding Expo XIX

Friday, October 26 (6:00pm - 10:00pm)

Saturday, October 27 (11:00am - 5:00pm)

Admission - $6.00

See you there!

Birthday soufflé

About 24 years ago, there was a girl who used to sit behind me in health class. She had this habit of kicking my school bag that was hanging off the back of my chair. I'd go home, take my books out of my bag, and see the brown scuff marks that her shoes had left behind. It happened every single day for a whole year. It wasn't like she was stealing my lunch money or bullying me in the halls, but her dirty little habit (aka her wayward feet) definitely left a lasting impression on me...so much so that we've been best friends ever since.

Fast forward two and a half decades, and Crazy Legs and I (with our husbands in tow) headed to Roy's Restaurant in Hawaii Kai for a fabulous birthday celebration. The appetizers were to-die-for, the entrees were delicioso, but the dessert...oh, the dessert! There are good soufflés and then there are GOOD soufflés. What we indulged in were GOOD soufflés, the kind that bring tears to your eyes when you scrape up the last bit of chocolate from your plate. We definitely fell off the healthy diet wagon that night, but I would have done a swan dive for a dessert that good.

To my best friend, Crazy Legs, we had a blast celebrating your birthday and I wish you much happiness and chocolatey soufflés in the year ahead!

Picker upper

I had the most amazing revelation this week. Everytime I think about it, I get a little giddy. Admittedly, you may think I'm a dork when I reveal my latest, greatest "find" (pictured on the left for those of you who can't stand the suspense).

It's a rhinestone pick up.

It picks up rhinestones.

That's all it does.

On the surface, it just looks like a 3-inch long acrylic stick with a rubber tip. However, upon closer examination, it is a 3-inch long acrylic stick with a rubber tip that has CHANGED MY LIFE.

Gone are the days that I use my fingertip, pencil eraser, or pointed tweezers to apply Swarovski crystals to my invitations. My new tool is in a league of its own and deserves a place of honor next to my husband's Dremel. It's THAT good (and dirt cheap, too!).

Ahh, I love the little things in life...and using my new tool to pick them all up will be a breeze.

Extreme dining

My husband and I are heading back to Chicago this Christmas for another Windy-City-Winter and along the way, we'll be stopping in L.A. for a few days. One of our FAVORITE things to do while travelling is finding cool places to eat, whether by accident or after lots of intense research. After chatting with Tanna ("Wedding Goddess") and Tessa ("Top Chef in the Making") of The Wedding Cafe, we have a strong contender for "unique dining experience."

T&T told us about a dark dining experience that they had in L.A. -- not somber or spooky, just dark. The Opaque restaurant, located in West Hollywood, hosts a you-can-eat-it-but-you-can't-see-it feast on the weekends where patrons dine in complete darkness. Now, if the restaurant is so dark, how does the food find it's way to your table? The waitstaff are visually impaired. Fascinating concept, isn't it? For $99, you get a three-course meal and a memorable experience that will last a lifetime. It's also the one time in your life when you can dine in a fancy restaurant and throw table manners out the window...that's worth the price of admission.

Not for the faint hearted

This is how I spent my Labor Day Weekend...and the days leading up to it...and the days following it.

I created a 28" x 28" logo board for Weddings by Grace and Mona that was covered entirely in paper flowers. Every letter...made out of flowers. Every inch of white space...made out of flowers. 10,000 flowers, two bottles of glue, one pair of tweezers, and no paper cuts (surprising!). This was a project of gargantuan proportions that left me with an aching back, temporary numbness in my fingers, and an enormous sense of accomplishment that proved to be the real reward when all was said and done.

Will I ever do a project like this again? Perhaps, but not without first installing an A/C unit in my environmentally friendly studio!

GYM is not a 4-letter word

It was a dark and stormy night. I looked at the building before me with trepidation and fear beacause I knew what was waiting for me on the other side of the door. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and gently pushed the door open. I grudgingly accepted my fate as I took my first steps back into THE GYM.

Perhaps my return to THE GYM wasn't that dramatic, but it was pretty close. Trepidation, fear, resistance...true, true, true. There was a point in my life when lunchtime workouts, daily walks, and 20-mile bike rides were commonplace. I like to refer to this as the "wonder years" because I look back on those times and wonder where I got the energy to do all of that. Fast forward seven years and there are days when my only cardio exercise involves rolling across the studio on my desk chair when I need to reach my printer. Sad, but true.

So I've finally made the decision to take care of my body inside and out which means plenty of sleep, a healthier diet, and daily exercise at THE GYM. It will be a dramatic lifestyle change but the fact that my husband will be changing right alongside me should make it a little easier. I hope.

Not your mother's bento

If I had the time...and the patience...I would delve into the art of bento box making. Actually, I'm not sure if it's technically an "art," but after seeing these photos I'm a true believer. Can you imagine being a kid, opening up your bento box at lunch time, and seeing one of these FUN arrangements waiting to be gobbled up?

Paper passion

Need some pretty paper for one of your many do-it-yourself wedding craft projects? You're in luck - The Wedding Cafe will be hosting its first ever PAPER WEEK this month! Paper sample packs and other goodies will be available for purchase so be sure to check out the week-long sale.

Among some of Emi Ink's contributions to the sale will be a collection of gorgeous printed paper that I've picked up through the years. I'm trying to put together a varied selection of items from handmade mulberry paper to Japanese washi paper to batik prints for your shopping pleasure. See you at PAPER WEEK!

Fallin' for Colin

Imagine yourself at an elegant black-tie affair attended by high society's elite inner circle and being introduced to wedding/event planner extraordinaire, Colin Cowie. That, in a nutshell, was my experience last night.

Sort of.

Swap out the black-tie affair with a potluck dinner party, replace the elite inner circle with a group of friends from the wedding biz, and substitute the living and breathing Colin Cowie with the next best thing (a DVR of Mr. Cowie's appearance on Oprah)...that, in a more realistic nutshell, was my experience.

Seeing Cowie's amazing designs prompted me to squeeze in a quick peek at his web site this morning. There are times in life when you see something so beautiful that there are just no words to describe it. Check out some of the images on the site and you'll be speechless.

All that jazz

At a mere three months into the game, my husband and I are the quintessential newlyweds. We still talk about about our fabulous wedding day, we still love looking at our photos, and we still have wedding paraphernalia sitting in (not-so-neat) piles in the corners of our house. However, as newbies to the game of marriage, what we're enjoying above all else is the return of that wonderful thing called FREE TIME.

For all of you brides that are knee-deep in wedding magazines and suffering from headaches brought on by out-of-control wedding budgets, there WILL come a day when you have FREE TIME again. For now, my dear brides-to-be, keep your chins up and I'll remind you of all the fun things that are waiting for you on the other side!

Last night, we met some friends over at Jazz Minds Art & Cafe. This cool little hangout tucked away on bustling Kapiolani Boulevard is the perfect spot to watch some of Hawaii's best young jazz musicians. We got to hear the Randy Wheeler Quartet blasting some "live groove underground New York jazz" last night while we ate and drank and bopped our heads to the music. Though a little pricey, the bar food was tasty - we opted for steak strips and black and blue ahi. And if you're not into stuffy jazz clubs with tiny little cocktail tables, Jazz Minds is the exact opposite. Weekends bring more of an urban, funk vibe to the place and in lieu of hard wooden chairs, you'll find cushy loveseats and overstuffed chairs that swivel round and round. Get comfortable and settle in for the night!

Happy birthday

Earlier in the month, I took my husband out for a little birthday dinner to Hiroshi, a restaurant that neither of us had had the pleasure of dining at before (gasp!). This little well known gem at Restaurant Row had eluded us for years, and we decided that this would be the perfect time to finally take the plunge...and plunge, we did!

We were seated at an intimate table for two in the corner and knew from the get-go that we wanted to enjoy a leisurely meal. My husband ordered a glass of wine and I jumped at the the chance to try their signature foam martini...simply because I had never had a foam martini before.

With drinks in hand, we turned our attention to the menus before us. Selecting our food was a much bigger challenge since everything listed seemed to be calling our names. After much debate, we settled on three tapas dishes to start with (and because I love to torture my hungry readers, here are our selections straight from the menu):

Seared Sea Scallops
bacon-tomato takana ragout with kabayaki butter sauce and tobiko

Spicy Tuna 2 Ways

spicy tuna "sushi" and spicy tuna "sandwich" with cucumber, basil and taegu

Sizzlin' Kona Kampachi Carpaccio

ginger, Hau'ula tomato, Mrs. Cheng's tofu and ponzu vinaigrette

For our main entree, my husband and I decided to split one dish so we'd have room for dessert. Oh, I should probably mention that instead of bread, Hiroshi diners are served baked rice crackers with an ono wasabi/nori/aioli dipping sauce. THOSE crackers in THAT sauce are totally and utterly addicting! They refilled our bowl at least 2-3 times before I remembered that we had this lovely entree headed our way:

Crab-Stuffed Mahimahi

citrus aioli, seasonal vegetables with lemon pepper broth

Again, we did have a tough time deciding on an entree so we took a solemn vow to return to Hiroshi and partake in more of the menu's offerings....and then we sealed that vow with dessert:

Bananas Foster Ice Cream "Puff"

chocolate lollipop truffles with Hawaiian vanilla bean dip

Chocolate Cake "Ooze"

vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate sauce

Yes, we opted for ONE entree and TWO desserts, not a bad decision. After winding down our 2-hour gastronomic adventure with coffee and green tea, we rolled out of the restaurant completely happy. With fabulous food and a helpful/attentive waitstaff, Hiroshi is a restaurant that I'd recommend without hesitation!

Made in Hawaii

Confession time. My father is certifiably mad...mad for metal, that is. Where my medium of choice is paper, my dad is a hardcore metal man.

Just six days short of his 75th birthday, my dad will again be setting up shop at this weekend's Made in Hawaii Festival. Pictured above are just a few of the hundreds of items that will be sold at the CJ Metal Creations booth: Japanese maple (momiji), "Happiness" plaque (sachi/shiawase), turtles (honu). If you make it to the festival, be sure to stop by and check out his latest creation, a beautiful cherry blossom wall hanging.

MADE IN HAWAII FESTIVAL

Blaisdell Arena + Exhibition Hall

Friday, 8/17: 10am - 9pm
Saturday, 8/18: 10am - 9pm
Sunday, 8/19: 10am - 5pm

Post-wedding projects

I had the best of intentions - really, I did. But I've come to the reluctant realization that I'm only one woman, with two hands, and an unrelenting need for six hours of sleep...every night. In short, all of the projects that I put off until "after the wedding" have been pounding at my door the moment we mailed out the last of our thank you notes. Rats.

The biggest project I have on my plate these days is a much needed redesign of my Emi Ink web site. I've basically had the same design since day one of Emi Ink going "public," and it's time for an update...no, it's time for a total REVAMP. I've been working on a new design that is a much better reflection of the Emi Ink style and I'm SO EXCITED to launch the new site. Since I'm basically doing all the design and HTML work by myself (with guidance from my techie husband), it'll be a long road but I know the journey will be worth it!

Wedding style

Last night, I checked out the new Borders store at Windward Mall...yes, the Windward side of O'ahu FINALLY has a full-sized bookstore with a mini-Starbucks! I perused the wedding magazine section (as I always do) and flipped through the latest issue of Grace Ormonde Wedding Style. FABULOUS! BEAUTIFUL! G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S! I saw images of some of the most exquisite table decor and an out-of-this world design by none other than Preston Bailey. I only had a few minutes to take it all in but I'll probably go back there today to purchase the mag. Of course, if you want a sneak peek, you can visit http://www.weddingstylemagazine.com !

Big time giveaway

Yesterday afternoon, I headed over to Borders at Ward Center for a fun event to celebrate the WHITE book release. Vendors were rotated every hour and we got to "show our wares" to the happy brides and grooms that stopped by our tables. The BIG draw, though, were the MEGA giveaways that took place every hour on the hour...100 gift boxes in all filled with tons of gift certificates for the lucky winners! Chances were pretty good that if you dropped your entry blank in the box, you'd walk away with one of the boxes. Happy, happy day!

may i have the definition please?

There's been a huge buzz about "high definition" for quite some time, but I've been blissfully ignorant about the whole thing. I admit that everytime I heard someone say, "high definition" or "HDTV," all I heard was the voice in my head going, "blah blah blah I can't afford it blah blah blah I don't need it blah blah blah please talk to me about something that I actually care about." Honestly, I would have lived my entire life without giving a second thought to high definition ANYTHING...if it hadn't been for our wedding video.

I remember when we first started talking to prospective videographers for our wedding. We discussed the different packages that they offered, one camera vs. two (vs. three!), 5 hours or 8 hours, pre-ceremony footage, attendance at the rehearsal, high definition....wait, what's high definition? I distinctly remember hearing that phrase during our meeting because it was the very first time that I even cared what that really meant. I remember that my fiance was thrilled at the option of having our wedding filmed in high definition...and I also remember that my fiance was less than thrilled in having to explain to me later that night (more than once) why it was so important.

Anyway, to make a long story (somewhat) short, our videographer - Greg Ventura of Advanced Visual Arts - shot the footage in high definition and we couldn't be happier. From our "first encounter" to the personal messages from our parents, bridal party and guests, Greg did a fabulous job capturing our event on film and it's nice to know that we can just pop in the DVD anytime we feel like reliving that magical day!

On with the show

Visit EMI INK at this weekend's Hawaii Bridal Expo!

Location
Neal Blaisdell Center

Dates + Hours
Friday, 7/27 ... 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Saturday, 7/28 ... 10:30 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday, 7/29 ... 10:30 am to 4:00 pm

What's New

• The ever-popular Envelopments line! Think contemporary yet elegant invitations all contained in a sleek pocketfold!
• More designs! We've revamped a few invitation designs and come up with a few new ones...just in time for an exciting Summer '07 launch!
• Inspiration gallery! Check out a few of our latest custom invitations for past clients and be inspired!

WHITE...the sequel

It's here! The Autumn issue of WHITE, the popular "book-a-zine" created by the hip gurus behind The Wedding Cafe, just hit newsstands and you'll definitely want to check this one out!

You'll get a sneak peek into the lives of some of Hawaii's most sought-after wedding professionals...what inspired them to start their companies, where their favorite hangouts are, what exactly floats their boat, etc. Well, you may not learn the keys that unlock the creative genius of these "wedding icons," but it's a FUN read and what better way to learn some quirky facts abour your fave wedding vendors?

My husband and I made it the release party a few nights ago and had a blast at the luau-themed gala. Tanna, Bryson, Karen and Roy rocked the house with their conch-shell blowing, fire-dancing, ukulele-jamming, hip-swinging opening ceremony. Hana hou!

Beach bums

While many of my compadres were bogged down with 7.7.7 weddings this past weekend, my husband and I headed to the North Shore and landed at Sunset Beach. It was a rare treat for us and we relished every relaxing moment.

The drive itself made me nostalgic for the many trips that I made with my family as a young kid. My mom used to keep a gallon jug of water in the trunk of our station wagon to rinse off our feet before we climbed back into the car after a long day at the beach. Picnic lunches consisted of fried chicken, musubi, and passion orange juice. Ahh, the good ol' days.

I couldn't help but notice the things that have changed since then. Where there used to be only one shrimp truck in Kahuku, there are now 4? 5? 20? Each one has a big sign that reads "FAMOUS" or "ORIGINAL" and attracts masses of tourists huddled under outstretched canopies with sticky, garlicky fingers. The main stretch of road in Haleiwa seems different to me, too...like it almost has that "new car smell." Hard to describe, but even harder to forget.

Of course, some things are the same. On Saturday at 5:00pm, Matsumoto's had a line that snaked out the door and around the corner of the building...and 50 feet away, Aoki's line wasn't much shorter.

It was such a fun, easy, relaxing day and by the time we were driving through Wahiawa on our way back home, I had fallen asleep in the car. Some things never change.

Feeling lucky today?

Well, it's finally here...7/7/07. On this oh-so-popular date, I'm thinking about all of our wedding vendor friends who have been working like busy little bees preparing for this one BIG day!

Good luck to all the lucky couples tying the knot today!!

Now who's got 8/8/08 reserved???

We'd like to thank...

Being surrounded by family and friends was definitely one of the highlights of our wedding. Another was having our wonderful wedding vendors be a part of our special day and being able to put our complete trust in their experience and expertise. Although we knew most of our vendors from being involved in the wedding industry, we had the fortunate opportunity to get to know them professionally from a completely different point of view...and we couldn't have been happier. A few extra special thanks go to:


PEONY FLORAL DESIGNIn an earlier post, I wrote about our decision to let our florist "go crazy" with the design of our floral arrangements. Not wanting to box her in with any heavy restrictions, we really wanted Nikki Lomas to use her creativity and have enough flexibility to do what she does best...and she did! Peonies, viburnum, tulips, roses and ranunculus...the flowers that she chose for us were simply breathtaking. Our vendors had only a limited amount of prep time, but Nikki and her husband did a fantastic job setting up our ceremony and reception spaces. From the stunning bamboo arch arrangement to the gorgeous bouquets to the beautiful centerpieces on each table, the florals were just amazing!!

LES SAISONS
WOW! The beautiful chair covers and sashes provided by Naomi Lee at Les Saisons left me speechless. I caught a glimpse of our reception room moments before I walked down the aisle and my jaw literally dropped open. If you think that something as simple as covering your chairs and adding organza sashes couldn't possibly transform your room, think again. I was completely floored by the end result and it left such a wonderful lasting impression on our guests!

MARK NOMURA PHOTOGRAPHY
We wanted natural looking photos that captured each special moment of our day and Mark delivered ten-fold. Mark was so pleasant to deal with and responded right away to any questions we had in anticipation of our wedding. Through all of the formal photos, he put everyone at ease and was competely unobtrusive during our ceremony/reception (I actually remember telling my husband that I didn't remember seeing Mark once the processional started). We couldn't be happier with the fabulous job he did with the photos (many of which I eagerly included in today's post)!


PUMEHANA DAVIS
There's not much to say about hearing beautiful strains of music from an über-talented harpist like Pume, but I will share this little tidbit... You know how people always tell brides to try and stay "in the moment" as much as possible during the ceremony? Well, just as my bridesmaids starting walking down the aisle, I reminded myself to listen to the music that my husband and I had so carefully selected. We asked Pume to play a few classical songs for our processional that weren't your typical ceremony selections, but had special meaning to us. I'm so glad that I remembered to listen to the music because it sounded more beautiful that I ever imagined it could be and it made my walk down the petal-strewn aisle that much more surreal. Pume continued to play for our guests during the cocktail/dinner hours, adding such an elegant touch to our celebration!


WEDDINGS BY GRACE AND MONA
Seeing Mona Hirata and Mika Yasunaga in action on our wedding day was like watching a well-choreographed musical...minus the dancing...and the singing. They were the designated contacts for all of our vendors which meant that my husband and I were free to just enjoy the day and not worry about a thing. Mona and Mika not only kept us on schedule and helped with the placement of all my handcrafted goodies (i.e. place cards, food tags, programs, etc...), they ensured that we had all of our bases covered a full two weeks before the wedding. Every minute detail you can imagine (or not imagine), was addresed by Mona and Mika. There's a reason why couples hire wedding coordinators...and they were worth every penny.


HALEKULANI
What was most important to us in choosing a venue, was the ambiance, the food, and the customer service. What we ended up with was the perfect open-air location for our ceremony (with beautiful views of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head), a charming, intimate space for our reception, fantastic food, and outstanding service provided by Joel Nishimoto and the staff at the Halekulani. Yup, we're still patting ourselves on the back for choosing this spectactular venue!


STACEY LEE DESIGNS
I just had to include Stacey Lee in my vendor list. I own so many pieces of handcrafted jewelry by Stacey Lee, that I could probably be decked out in her earrings, necklaces and bracelets for a whole month without any repeats. Naturally, asking Stacey to design my bridal jewelry was a no-brainer for me and she took one look at my dress and came up with the perfect design: a double strand of wire-wrapped seed pearls with a drop pearl pendant and simple pearl earrings to match. I also purchased necklaces for my bridesmaids from Stacey, each similar in color but different in style.


THE DIAMOND SPECIALISTS
Excellent diamond education. Custom designs. Top-notch customer service. 'Nuff said!A HEARTFELT MAHALO to the entire "cast and crew" of our fun wedding production:
Advanced Visual Arts
Alison Hayashi
Halekulani
Les Saisons - web site coming soon!
Mark Nomura Photography
Peony Floral Design
Pumehana Davis
Stacey Lee Designs
The Diamond Specialists
Weddings by Grace and Mona

Our wedding...the recap

The wedding day finally arrived. We had breakfast with our parents in the morning and a fairly relaxing morning considering the busy day we had ahead of us. At 11:30AM sharp, my cell phone rang and everyone started arriving: the wedding coordinator, my bridesmaids, the hair/makeup people, the photographer, the videographer, the florist. It seemed that the parade of people through my hotel room door never stopped and I had a front row seat to all the organized chaos!

As a side note, being able to spend that time in the suite getting ready with my girlfriends was truly priceless. It's rare these days for all of us to be in the same place at once with everything going on in our busy lives, but that morning all we needed to worry about was getting primped and prepped...and not smudging our lipstick.

What happened next was a blur of activity in my mind. We posed for our formal shots, my husband and I had our "first encounter", more photos with the bridal party, and then on to the ceremony...ah, the ceremony.

As my father walked me down the aisle, I didn't see any of our guests. I only saw my husband standing at the altar. I fought to hold back my tears and was overwhelmed with a feeling of joy that I've never felt before. Our ceremony was short and sweet, but so very meaningful.

During the cocktail hour, we were able to make our rounds and mingle with our guests (how nice!). At this point, my husband and I were SO RELAXED. Nothing to worry about now except enjoying a fun reception with all of our loved ones!

In my next post, I'll tell you a little more about our WONDERFUL VENDORS and how they contributed to the wedding of our dreams!! I'll leave you with a few photos from our special day.



CREDITS:
Florist - Peony Floral Design
Linens - Les Saisons
Photography - Mark Nomura Photography

Practice makes perfect

The first "chicken skin" moment I had was during our rehearsal the day before our wedding. Surrounded by our bridal party, parents, wedding coordinators and the reverend, everything started to come together in my mind...for the first time. The rehearsal itself couldn't have been any smoother and our officiant kept us laughing the whole time. Everyone was in great spirits and when we headed off to our rehearsal dinner that night, the mood turned even more festive!

We opted for a casual gathering at E&O Trading Company and invited our out-of-town guests to join in on the fun. After so many hours of meticulous wedding planning, it was such a treat to just kick back with everyone for a few hours! With overflowing plates of Crisp Indonesian Corn Fritters, Grilled Chicken Satays, and Naan Bread, my husband and I had a chance to "table hop" and mingle with all of our guests...something that we knew we may not have much time to do at our reception.

We presented our bridal party with gifts, said our goodbyes at the door, and then made our way back to the hotel so we could get a good night's sleep before our big day!

The unexpected shower

I may be biased, but I think that I have the best girlfriends in the world. They've been there for me through the craziest times in my life, and whenever I'm with them the laughs never stop. A few days before the wedding, I had lunch with my girlfriends and despite my strong protests, our simple lunch turned into a bridal shower...and I loved every minute of it.

We headed over to Indigo for their tasty buffet lunch and were seated at a table by the window...far away from the other diners. Once we polished off our dim sum appetizers and fresh veggies, the bridal shower fun began. With a nod to Oprah's Favorite Things, my girlfriends "showered" me with gifts and amusing explanations to go along with them. The pièce de résistance, however, was a gift that I will treasure for many years to come. My friends presented me with a scrapbook that they had lovingly made for me -- each person had contributed a few pages chronicling the fun times that we had shared. One friend, who shall remain nameless, even included an excerpt from a note I had written to her about 20 years ago. You can always count on old friends to resurrect all the embarassing things from your past!

There are few things in life that are more enjoyable than laughing and chatting with girlfriends over lunch.

In the midst of chaos...

In the midst of printing place cards, finalizing program wording and firming up a thousand and one details with our wedding vendors, our out-of-town guests started arriving from the mainland and the idea of "multi-tasking" took on a whole new meaning.

Wanting to spend as much time with our out-of-towners as possible, we managed to schedule multiple airport runs (sometimes twice in one night), dinners in Waikiki, and impromptu sightseeing trips to some of O'ahu's most scenic spots. One of the stops we made was the Byodo-In Temple in Valley of the Temples.

We bought bags of fish food for everyone and watched our friends' reactions as the hundreds of koi fought over it. And, of course, we each had our turn ringing the three-ton peace bell. In the days leading up to the wedding, anything that could bring "calm and peace" to us was welcomed with open arms!

Everything paper

Months ago, I was talking to my friend (and wedding coordinator) about our vision for the wedding and she threw out the idea of a paper-themed wedding. I instantly loved the concept, as did my husband (he has proved himself to be quite handy with my myriad of craft tools). Little did I know what I was getting myself into when I ambitiously set out to create a paper-filled wedding!

First things first, we wanted to create a "signature" paper flower that would inspire and complement our wedding decor. We tried roses, magnolia blossoms, gerbera daisies...nothing seemed right until we created a stylized lotus blossom. We placed the blossoms on our registration table, podium, cake table, anywhere that needed a bit of color and a touch of our personal style. Our guests were able to take them home, too, since we used the flowers to top off each individal origami favor box.

I had lots of help with the favor boxes and flowers. My mom was on origami-folding duty for the black boxes, and two of my bridesmaids came to my rescue a week before the wedding by helping me curl each petal on every single lotus blossom. Now that's friendship!

In the end, the paper flowers looked beautiful and were definitely worth the effort!

We did it!

How do you describe the happiest day of your life in 75 words or less? I don't know...which is why I can't possibly sum up my thoughts on our wedding within the confines of a single day's blog entry. So I'm inviting you along on my blissful trip down memory lane (even with the best of intentions, I never had the chance to journal anything during the past three weeks!).

The journey begins tomorrow.

Breathe in...breathe out...

What does Chinaman's Hat have to with my wedding? Absolutely nothing. And that's why I needed to include it in today's post.

I'm so excited about our wedding but the inevitable has happened, the thing that I desperately tried to avoid. I have so many last-minute details to work out in the last two weeks leading up to our big day that my goal of "relaxing" has disappeared into thin air. April was the busiest month EVER for Emi Ink but now that I've hit all of my clients' deadlines, I've got at least 50 more of my own just aching for some attention.

So before I jump in head first into the pool of wedding tasks, I thought I'd take a minute to collect my thoughts...and breathe. Wish me luck.

What it's all about

We got a call from our officiant this week to confirm the details of our ceremony. Wow. Amidst all the chaotic excitement in planning the celebration, it's nice when something like a phone call reminds you what the day will really be about.

The reverend asked us if we'd like to ask someone to do a reading during our ceremony, so I started thinking about readings that I'd heard at other friends' weddings:

"Love is patient, love is kind. Love is not envious or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. It does not delight in wrong-doing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things. Love hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."
1 Corinthians 13:4

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"These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you that are holdings yours today, on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever.

These are the hands that will work alongside yours as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief wracks your mind.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eye, tears of sorrow and tears of joy. These are the hands that may tenderly hold your children one day. These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.

These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.

And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch."

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"Now you will feel no rain,
For each of you will be shelter to the other.

Now you will feel no cold,
For each of you will be warmth to the other.

Now there is no more loneliness,
For each of you will be companion to the other.

Now you are two bodies,
But there is one life before you.

Go now to your dwelling place,
To enter into the days of your togetherness.
And may your days be good and long upon the earth."
Apache Wedding Prayer Blessing

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Yes, this is what it's all about.

Come see me!

Emi Ink will be at The Wedding Cafe tomorrow night (4/18) for their Invitation Showcase. The fun starts at 6:30pm so come early and grab a seat!

If you can't make it tomorrow, please stop by our booth at this weekend's Wedding Expo. Here's the 411:

Location
Hawaii Convention Center

Hours
Friday, 4/20 (6:00pm - 10:00pm :: fashion show @ 7:30pm)
Saturday, 4/21 (11:00am - 5:00pm :: fashion show @ 2:30pm)

Tickets
$6.00

Linens and things

Have you created a detailed budget for your wedding? Hopefully you've got all the obvious categories covered, like catering, photography, flowers, etc. So do you have a budgeted amount for linens? I'm not talking about the standard white tablecloths that most reception venues provide...I'm talking about the beautiful, dramatic, takes-your-breath-away linens that will leave your guests oohing and ahhing as they enter the room.

To be honest, I wasn't planning to do anything more than the status quo at our reception...until I met Naomi Lee of Les Saisons. We were both participating in a mini bridal fair in Waikiki and before I even spoke a word to her, I took one look at her gorgeous tablescape and knew that I wanted her on my wedding vendor dream team.

We've opted to give our head table a hint of distinction and a splash of color with chair covers and sashes that coordinate with our vibrant color scheme. For couples who want to go the full nine yards, Les Saisons has the most beautiful selection of table linens to choose from and they will happily guide you through the selection process. From chair covers to overlays to table runners, you'll quite simply be in linen heaven.

The photos below show just a tiny sampling of the fine linens provided by Les Saisons. In my opinion, you can't beat seeing the real thing in person so stop by their booth at next weekend's Wedding Expo...and be prepared to fall in love.

Flower power

I love the details. I live for the details. So does giving up control over the floral design of our wedding mean I'm crazy...or a genius?

I think a lot of engaged couples (brides especially) experience wedding burnout at some point in the months leading up to the big day. I can feel myself teetering over the edge right now, and I'm desperately trying to fight it off...sans chocolate cake, cookies, Häagen-Dazs ice cream, etc. Anyway, I've decided to give our florist (Nicole Lomas of Peony Floral Design) complete artistic freedom and let her have some fun with our wedding!

We first met Nikki through The Wedding Cafe (yes, the cafe was a great wedding resource for me, too!) and instantly loved her style. But she was not only creative with her floral arrangements, she was helpful and gracious as she guided us through the ins and outs of wedding decor. It's wonderful to work with vendors who obviously love what they're doing and want to make your special day as memorable and joyous as possible!

I know we're in good hands with Nikki and having a little "element of surprise" with our flowers will make my life a whole lot easier.

Musical chairs

I've often wondered how long it takes for my clients to figure out their seating arrangements when they have two, three, four hundred guests! Do they tackle this in one evening or set aside an entire weekend? Do they recruit parents or other family members to help out? Do they face this dreaded task sober? If not, what is their drink of choice?

Now that our invitations are out I know that one day soon we'll need to work on our seating arrangements. Our reception will be a somewhat intimate affair so I'm not too worried about slaving over this task for hours on end. However, I was curious to see if there was any type of software out there to give brides and grooms a helping hand...lo and behold, there is.

If you need a little departure from your handy dandy wedding spreadsheet, you can invest $34.95 in the PerfectTablePlan. You can import your existing guests lists into the program, and simply drag and drop your beloved family and friends right onto their seats. Family politics giving you headaches? No problem, just identify which guests should be seated together (or apart) and you can actually have the software figure out the seating for you.

Here's another neat idea. Write all your guests' names on scraps of paper, throw the whole bunch in the air, and then let the chips...er...guests fall where they may.

Musubi 2.0

When your meal begins with an amuse bouche, you know you're in a nice restaurant. When you look at your menu and see a musubi priced at $19, you know you're in a really nice restaurant.

On Saturday night, I had the pleasure of dining at Hoku's restaurant at the Kahala Hotel. The meal was wonderful, the service impeccable, and the views picture-perfect. My fiance is starting a new job this week and it was the perfect excuse to splurge on a celebration dinner.

The food was definitely tasty, but I must admit that the item that impressed me really was the musubi (yes, I ordered it!). It definitely wasn't the kind that mom used to make with the umeboshi in the middle. They mixed in ahi poke with the rice, covered it with furikake, fried the outside and served it on a bed of ogo. Yum!

Spam musubis will always have a special place in my heart, but if there were an ultimate musubi fighting championship, the ahi musubi would be the clear cut winner!

Stamps of approval

You know how women's hemlines go up and down over time? Postal rates are just like that...except they never go down. Almost never. I groaned when I read that postal rates were increasing for the second time in 18 months. I was so happy to use up the last of my 2-cent stamps and now I'll have to stock up again. It's just sad.

Since the invitation biz relies so heavily on the USPS, I thought it was my responsibility to warn you about the rate hike if you haven't heard the news yet:

EFFECTIVE: May 14, 2007

If you're sending save-the-date postcards or inserting response postcards in your invitations:
The postcard rate is increasing from 24 cents to 26 cents.

If you're sending an invitation that weighs 1-ounce or less:
The first-class letter rate is increasing from 39 cents to 41 cents. There are a lot of cute love-themed stamps available right now (see picture above), but you'll have to add on a 2-cent stamp.

If you're sending an invitation that weighs over 1-ounce:
The cost of additional ounces for first-class mail is decreasing from 24 cents to 17 cents. So an elaborate 2-ounce invitation with all the weighty insert cards will now cost only 58 cents instead of 63 cents.

The "Forever" stamp:
In April, the USPS will be releasing their "Forever" stamp. You'll be able to purchase these special stamps at the current value of a 1-ounce stamp (upon its first release, it will be sold at 41 cents a piece) and you can use the stamps f-o-r-e-v-e-r regardless of future rate hikes.

Air time

Have you tried the Cole Hahn Nike Air shoes yet? Neither have I. But I'm dying to. Imagine the comfort of Nike Air technology (think heaven in the form of cushiony pillows) plus the sexiness of a 4" high heel (think va-va-va-voom). It's a hard concept to grasp, but the thought that keeps popping up in my head is, "It's about time!"

Like a lot of women, my closet is full of shoes that are out to get me. They look pretty and seem harmless enough in the shoe store, but when I treat them to a night out on the town, they turn on me, usually within the first hour. I honestly don't know what possesses them to treat me like that...I take good care of them, I don't get them wet, or feed them after midnight. I swear on my checkbook that I take no responsibility in knowingly purchasing uncomfortable, unwearable, unbearable shoes. It's the shoe's fault, I'm completely innocent.

Well, it'll all be water under the bridge when I finally strap on my pair of Cole Hahns. Wow, comfortable heels. What'll they think of next?

True colors

I read in ModernBride that "gray is the new brown and vibrant plum is the new hot pink." What do you think?

What the font

If a picture paints a thousand words, then a font paints a thousand and one. Or, that's what I believe anyway. Every time I meet with a client, I explain my whole invitation design process and walk through the various steps of choosing the right paper, the right ribbons, the right shade and size of Swarovski crystals. Normally the last question that I spring on the bride and groom is, "Which font(s) do you want to use?" It's always difficult to select from a list of font samples, so I always encourage them to choose a few different ones to compare against each other once everything is typeset for the invitation proof.

For my own invitation, I tried out at least 4 different font combinations before settling on the perfect ones. If you haven't yet given your invitation fonts even a moment's thought, hopefully this quick list will make it easier on you:

1) Uniform or combination?
Do you want to use one uniform font for the entire invitation, or have a combination of fonts? Using one consistent font is great for a clean, simple look. On the other hand, selecting a different font for the couple's names will make the names STAND OUT and DISTINGUISH THEM from the rest of your words. If you're going down the combo route, I would suggest using a clean block print in conjunction with a fancier script style for your names and various headings on insert cards.

2) Formal or informal?
Your invitation gives your guests a hint of what's to come at your actual wedding and reception. Choosing a font that's footloose and fancy free may send the message that your celebration will be fun and casual. Choosing a font that's elegant and tasteful implies a more sophisticated affair.

3) Legible?
You may fall in love with a gorgeous font with lots of fancy flourishes, but it would be a shame if none of your guests could read it. You know letter for letter what your invitation is supposed to say, but your guests won't. Don't make them break out their magnifying glasses or secret decoder rings just to read your invitation.

Have a font-astic time selecting your fonts!