Friday, September 28, 2012

DIY: Painted Vases

For our wedding centerpieces, I wanted beautiful turquoise-color vases for a nice pop of color and to also tie in the touch of blue that we had from our envelope liners. However, I didn't realize how difficult it would be to search for vases in this color. They were always either the wrong shape or too expensive. As a result, I took matters into my own hands and did a small DIY project :)

I bought clear glass vases from the dollar store and two cans of spray paint (I used valspar's exotic sea in glossy finish). I was able to have the perfect vases for my wedding centerpieces in a few easy steps:

1. Clean and dry the vases thoroughly.
2. In a well-ventilated area, space the vases out on a drop cloth or newspapers (to protect the floors).
3. Follow the instructions on the can to properly spray on the paint.
4. Allow them to dry completely before using.

Extra Tip:
Remember to spray on a light coat each time and wait for it to dry before adding another coat. It took me 3 coats to have a nice opaque finish.

It was very simple and the whole project only costs me around $25 ($15 for 15 vases and $8 for 2 cans of spray paint). That's only $1.67 a vase! Pretty awesome, huh? I love how versatile this project can be. You can spray paint old picture frames, furniture, etc. in any colors you want. The color selection for spray paints are really amazing right now. They also have many different types of finishes like matte, metallic, stone, and velvet. I can't wait to do another DIY project like this. Time to find things to spray paint and give them a fresh look :)

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Wedding Flowers

Today I want to share pictures of the amazing flowers that Dana did for our wedding. You've seen glimpses of it here and there but they were so beautiful and deserve their own close-ups. I can't thank Dana enough for her wonderful work. Everything was so gorgeous!


I love how rich and vibrant the colors of my traditional dress and bouquet are in this picture :) Picking the flowers for my bouquet was very easy. I love peonies, garden roses, spray roses, and cymbidium orchids so they were a must. Dana also added white hydrangeas to make it look nice and full. As for the boutonnieres, I wanted them to be small and simple to have a clean and elegant look. James' boutonniere had a mini blush pink cymbidium orchid and two pink spray roses. Dana added a nice touch to each of the boutonnieres with ribbons, pearl pins, and small greeneries.

(left) Best Man's boutonniere: mini white cymbidium orchid; 
(right) Boutonnieres for our parents and brothers: mini dark pink cymbidium orchids


My sister's Maid of Honor's bouquet was lovely as well. I love the soft romantic colors. Her bouquet had mini white cymbidium orchids, pink spray roses, cream roses, pink lisianthus, and white hydrangeas. It would make a beautiful bridal bouquet too if you like lighter color flowers. 

Our pretty centerpieces (pictured right & below) had cream roses, pink roses, and pink spray roses. I kept them really simple because I know they will not stay on the table for too long. We had a traditional 10-course banquet (not including desserts!) and the centerpieces are removed at the start of the reception to make room for the food :)

I really love our wedding flowers and I hope you enjoyed these photos! ♥

Monday, September 24, 2012

Happy Autumn

Did you know that this past Saturday was the first day of fall? We happened to go apple-picking that day so it was the perfect way to kick off my favorite season :)

We went for our favorite apples. They're the best apples ever!



Filling our tummies and bags with Honeycrisp apples :)


Love the white and blush-colored pumpkins they have this year


Parlee Farms is one of our favorite places to go for apple-picking. The staff are friendly and their apples are delicious!

Fresh apple cider donuts

They're so cute!

Dusted with cinnamon sugar and ready to be enjoyed. So fluffy and yummy!

As always, we ended our apple-picking day by baking and eating an apple pie for dessert :)

Friday, September 21, 2012

Elegant Lanterns

I love the beautiful curves and spikes of the iron work. 
I first fell in love with these wrought-iron lanterns when I saw a line drawing of them on my library card as a child. When I was old enough to go to Copley on my own (around middle school), I was absolutely giddy when I saw them in-person at the Boston Public Library. All those years, these lanterns were just a simple drawing to me. I didn't realize they actually existed. When I saw them, I kept on thinking "Oh my goodness! Those are the lanterns on my library card! They're real!". It was a special moment for me. So whenever I see these beautiful lanterns, I always think of my library card and can't help but feel happy :)

My beloved library card. I don't have my first one but this one is at least 13 years old! (I'm such a hoarder lol)

Another look at these lanterns from our engagement shoot

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Dinner Date

Can never say no to their tasty bread with hummus and whipped butter spreads :)
James and I celebrated our dating anniversary this past weekend. Time passes by so quickly. We've been together for 14 years already! Crazy, huh? We went to Mistral, one of our favorite restaurants, for dinner. The food is always delicious. We had a great time talking and enjoying our wonderful meal together. Not much can be better than good food and good company :)

Amazing thin crust pizza with beef tenderloin, mashed potato & white truffle oil



(left) My handsome date; (right) James' entrée: Grilled tenderloin of beef, bordelaise style, olive oil roasted asparagus & horseradish whipped potato

My absolute favorite: Maine crab ravioli with rock crab, thyme, and tomato broth. (We went here last year too but I had a better camera with me this time :)


Friday, September 14, 2012

Ball Game

One of the best things about having friends and family visiting me is that I get to play tour guide and tourist. I love to bring them to my favorite spots. It's also the perfect opportunity to visit places that are new to me but have been on my list for a while. Fenway Park was one of those places. I know, I'm a Bostonian who have never been to a Red Sox game. It's bad but I finally went this summer with our family who flew in for our wedding :) Disco Bob came along too and he was happy to add this picture to his album (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). We had a good time there. Special thanks to my brother-in-law for treating all of us out to our first ball game. Thanks John! :)

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Cinderella Moment















Here's a picture of my wedding shoes. They were hidden under my dresses the entire wedding day so I thought I'd give them their moment in the spotlight today. I love high heels and these are so beautiful. I love the way they sparkle in the light. So fun! I'm happy that they're not a one-time wedding item. I can't wait to wear them again :)

Monday, September 10, 2012

Happy Memory

I came across these beautiful garden roses while walking around Newbury Street. They look like mini peonies. Seeing them made me happy because they reminded me of my wedding bouquet :) 

Friday, September 7, 2012

Sweet Scent

Just want to share a picture of this beautiful gardenia from my mom's garden today. We've been enjoying its soft sweet scent all summer long. Ah, the simple pleasures in life :) Happy Friday everyone!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Something Old, Something New

Something old: My grandmother's antique Chinese coin tied to my bouquet

I love fun traditions and this traditional wedding saying is too cute to pass up. I'm sure many of you know it already but here it is just in case :)
Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

The meanings behind each one are so sweet. I personally didn't know about the sixpence part until I read more about the tradition. It was fun to incorporate each of these items into our wedding. I felt very fortunate that day so these lucky charms were probably doing their magic!

(left) Something new: My wedding dress, heels, and jewelry; Something borrowed: Veil from my wonderful friend, Kristen
(right) Something blue: My favorite tiny blue brooch pinned to my dress

In my culture, a popular wish for newly married couples is to wish them a hundred years of happiness. I thought it would be fun to find a silver sixpence that was made in 1912 to echo this wish. I was so happy to find one on ebay. It is still in pretty good condition too. I tucked the sixpence on the inside seam of my left heel where it safely stayed all night!

Did you follow this tradition on your wedding day? Do you plan to? :)