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 ♥

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 :)

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! :)

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 :)

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 :) 

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!

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? :)