shannonandshua

Hey party people! I'm Miss Candy Corn and I'm a self-proclaimed Weddingbee addict. During my lunch breaks I sit at my desk with my mouth gaping open, staring at how beautiful and witty all of the bees on here are. I never thought I'd be chosen to be part of such a rockin' hive! Consider me flattered beyond words! Since my boy and I are getting hitched in October, I figured candy corn was just the seasonal treat I was looking for! Plus, who doesn't love the waxy tri-colored wonder? Come to think of it, I suppose I do know a lot of people who don't appreciate the festive confection as much as I do (and I can't blame them).
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For those who aren't in-the-know, our wedding shower will be on Saturday, August 9th at 3pm, at Josh's parents' house in Holland, PA. It will be a couple shower, which means Josh and I will be there together to celebrate with our co-ed posse of friends and family!

Attention bridal peeps: Mark Friday, October 10th down on your calendar because it is going to be a fun time!

Us ladies will be gathering into a girly cluster and heading over to Old City's The Continental Restaurant & Martini Bar, Stephen Starr's first restaurant that opened in 1996 and is still as popular and as delicious as ever.





Meanwhile, the lads will be stuffing their faces at Dave & Busters, which is basically the grown-up version of Chuck E. Cheese, minus the questionable ball pit. The massive entertainment complex has a ginormous arcade and a spacious eatery serving pizza, pasta, burgers and finger food. Classic games like billiards, Skee-Ball and shuffleboard are balanced by electronic counterpoints.



After our secretive male & female bonding, the guys & girls will meet back up at North Bowl(all of these places are within a mile radius from each other), where we will get our bowling on. North Bowl is a one-time automotive garage that is now a 21,000-square-foot nightlife haven. From the retro furnishings and lighting fixtures of the '50s to the swanky bar and glass enclosed pod that overlooks the lanes from the lounge. Plus, I have heard they make a mean tater tot. Or several mean tater tots. What do I know, perhaps the tater tots there are very well-behaved. I guess we'll just have to see! Did I mention there's a photobooth? Cos there totally is.

Soooooooo, those shoes I posted the other day aren't available in the sizes we'd need them in (I should've checked that sooner, duh).

These are the only brown shoes I've found (other than super plain brown high-tops and low-tops) available in the sizes we need (9-11):

For the guys, part of their attendant gifts will be Chuck Taylors to wear at the wedding. Now we just have to figure out which ones the guys like...

There are these ($47):



There are also these low-top leather Chucks ($42):



These high-top "double-uppers" ($38), which would go with the bridesmaids' navy dresses:



And these high-top monochrome chucks ($30):



Keep in mind it will be going with this tux, with ivory shirts underneath instead of bright-ass white:

Considering the wedding band I had my hopes set on before doesn't seem to be for sale anymore, I think I have my heart set on this beauty. The ring is made in wax with single dandelion fluffs carefully pushed into the band. Cast in sterling silver and 4mm wide, this ring has a slight patina has been added to bring out the subtle textures. Plus it's affordable and makes me smile thinking about wearing it, which makes it a winner in my book!

Only six months to go...

Unfortunately for me (and fortunately for my fiance), I am an obsessive compulsive bride. I've pretty much tackled every aspect of this whole wedding shabang, but this week I realized that I never gave calligraphy a second thought. I always figured I'd be devoting several weeknights to mastering curlicues while clutching a bottle of Wite-Out. Then, I started obsessing.

I can't use Wite-Out if my envelopes are blue! What if I mess up and scribble on the envelope and I can't use Wite-Out and I run out of envelopes and someone gets an envelope that doesn't match the others and then finds out that theirs was different than all the others and gets totally offended and doesn't come!?

Yes, these are the things that keep me up at night. I shove those qualms about foreign affairs aside and devote my worries to handwritten invitations. Seriously. This has to be some sort of sickness.

I decided to give myself a little assignment. Since I also act as the administrative assistant at work, I would perfect my handwriting by practicing my cursive on any packages or letters that had to go out to clients. This lasted all of Monday, until I realized that I couldn't handle the pressure of having to have impeccable handwriting. I kept getting nervous and crossing my l's and dotting my o's and before I knew it, I was on Google researching calligraphers.

That's when I came across this gem, Betsy Dunlap. The totally affordable, down-to-earth calligrapher who declared me as her new best friend in our last e-mail correspondence. She is the bomb dizzle, if I ever saw one. And yes, I just used the phrase "bomb dizzle." I'm quite relieved to know that I won't have to stress myself out over misspelled addresses and non-matching envelopes in the near future!


(This is the style we've decided to go with)


We decided this one was a little too informal, but still love it.


Fiesty.


Gorrrrrrrrrgeous!

The always-hungry hubby-to-be!


The always-menopausal and slightly manic mama duck!


The always-babbling and seldom bashful (but caught in one of those rare moments) father of the bride!


The always-shy and muppettastic bride (aka me)!

Butlered hors d'oeuvres:

Seared baby lamb chops with mint pesto

Chili and lime cured salmon and cucumber pinwheels

Sesame crusted shrimp with a soy dipping sauce

Miniature crab cakes with remoulade sauce

Sauteed apple sliced with Roquefort cheese on French bread
Beef skewer with a cognac dipping sauce


Salad:

Empress salad with watercress, bok choy, julienne daikon root, water chestnuts and red peppers, with mandarin oranges and a lemon lime citrus dressing


Entrees:

Sesame almond coated chicken breast with an Asian black bean sauce

Vegetarian entree of mushroom, spinach and pine nuts in phyllo

Entrees accompanied by Chinese long beans and garlic mashed potatoes

Wedding cake:

To be determined. Optional, if cake is served, a scoop of vanilla ice cream is complimentary.

Alcoholic beverages:

Bottled house wine (Georges Deboeuf and Mondavi Woodbridge)
Bottled beer (Yuengling, Coors Lite, Corona)
Mixed drinks (Absolute, tanqueray, Dewars, Mt Gay brands)
Smirnoff Vodka
Gordons Gin
Bacardi Rum
Windsor Canadian Whiskey
Evan Williams Bourbon
Clan MacGregor Scotch

This is our O-tel (say it with a French accent, for it is Philly's only French O-tel), the Sofitel Philadelphia. I get mocking rights since the pop-in-law-to-be is French and will soon be family!

Located in the heart of the city, the Sofitel is the cornerstone of the new French Quarter, just steps from Rittenhouse Square. The former Philadelphia Stock Exchange Building, this hotel infuses French flavor with American style. Many of the staff are French, as is the cuisine in the hotel’s full-service restaurant, Chez Colette. With 300 rooms of unusually large proportions, averaging 400 square feet, it markets itself as a 4½ star hotel. Amenities include large desks, three phones in each room, high-speed Internet access and French chocolates on the pillow nightly.



Unforrrrrrrrrtunately, the hotel is having a conference the weekend of our wedding, so the option of blocking rooms for our guests is unavailable, but I plan to warn out-of-towners in advance so they don't end up having to dish out $300 to stay a million miles from us. The rates are about $200/night, which is still cheaper than most neighboring hotels WITH the discounted rates, PLUS this o-tel is totally our "style" and is rated the #1 hotel in Philadelphia on tripadvisor.com.



We will be staying in the Superior Room (king size) for four nights, which will include: two armchairs, landline high speed as well as wireless Internet (with a surcharge), a marble bathroom with a glass-enclosed shower and a separate bathtub.

We were originally thinking of having the cake design above, but after seeing the past designs of the cakes the catering company have done, I think we're going to go with something more minimalist and simple, but still beautiful and tasty of course!

Which of these three do you guys prefer? I'm leaning toward the first, but that's just me!:

I just got my homemade headband in the mail today!



My hair just needs to grow out into a bob by October...I'm gonna have to take some Flintstone vitamins (which my hairdresser told me makes hair grow faster...mmmm Dino flavor).

Capri is part of the Western edge of a wide Bahamian-type Mesozoic carbonate platform known as the Campania-Lucania platform which extends from the Lepini Mountains in the Lazio region of Italy, to the Massif of the Calabrian Pollino Nature Reserve. The position of the exposed earth has changed considerably with the passing of time and it is thought that the present conformation was established approximately 40-50 million years ago during the Eocene.


According to the theory of continental drift, all islands were originally part of a single block with much of the land now visible once being under the level of the water. Carbonate platforms would have been present at the level of the surface of the water, including the Campania-Lucania which was involved in the formation of the island of Capri.

Naples is famous for its historic castles: the ancient Castel Nuovo is one of the most notable architectural representatives on the city, also known as Maschio Angioino, it was built during the time of Charles I the first ever king of Naples. Castel Nuovo has hosted some historical religious events, for example in 1294 Pope Celestine V resigned as pope in a hall of the castle, following this Pope Boniface VIII was elected pope here by the cardinal collegium and immediately moved to Rome.


The castle which Nuovo replaced in importance was the Norman founded Castel dell'Ovo, it's name means Egg Castle and it is built on the tiny islet Megarides where the Cumae colonists founded the city. The third most noted castle is Sant'Elmo which was completed in 1329 and is built in the shape of a star. During the uprising of Masaniello the Spanish took refuge in Sant'Elmo to escape revolutionaries.


The central and main open city square or piazza of the city is the Piazza del Plebiscito. It was started by Bonapartist king Joachim Murat and finished by Bourbon king Ferdinand IV. It is bounded on the east by the Royal Palace and on the west by the church of San Francesco di Paola with the colonnades extending to both sides. Nearby is the Teatro di San Carlo, which is the oldest and largest opera house on the Italian peninsula. Directly across from San Carlo is Galleria Umberto, a shopping centre and active centre of Neapolitan social life in general.

Pompeii


Time travel is possible, simply by taking a short train ride from Naples. The ruins of Pompeii, unearthed in the mid-18th century, contain 2,000-year-old temples, villas and artworks buried when volcanic Mount Vesuvius blew its stack in 79 A.D. Explore the elegant House of the Vettii, the rich frescoes of the House of the Mysteries and ancient thermal baths. After immersing yourself in history, head for the modern city of Pompei (its neighbor with only one "i") to dine on tantalizing regional dishes.

Venice


Venice makes you a believer in fairy tales. Cars are banned, so the only way to get around the 1,500-year-old city is by foot or by water. From these vantage points, you'll be awed by the magical beauty. La Serenissima, "the most serene one," is filled with palaces and art, fine shopping and excellent food. Relax in Piazza San Marco, visit the basilicas, drink a bellini at Harry's Bar and wander the alleyways and bridges. Consider an off-season trip to have more of the city to yourself.

Tuscany


One of the most popular regions in Italy, Tuscany stretches from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Apennines. Its main cities include Florence, Pisa, Siena, Lucca, Arezzo and Livorno. Drive between stunning sites like Florence's cathedral and Uffizi Gallery and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Or join a bike tour and pedal past sun-baked olive groves and vineyards. Don't miss the towers of San Gimignano or serene northern hill towns. For a more modern take, hit one of Florence's hip clubs, such as Space Electronic.

Rome


"When in Rome, do as the Romans." That classic advice leads to a wealth of options: Should you follow Augustus and Caesar, whose Rome is filled with spectacular ancient structures? Or Michelangelo and Da Vinci, whose city invites artistic pilgrimage? Maybe you'll discover the Rome that enchants lovers and sightseers alike? Rome encompasses all this and more. Explore the seven hills, stop for an espresso by the Spanish Steps, sip a Chianti in a hidden piazza. The many charms of Rome await.

• Monterosso is the first village coming from Genoa and the only one to have a beach. The village holds the remains of ancient Genoese fortifications and the convent of Saint Francis dating back to the 17th century, which houses a number of paintings of significant value, such as a crucifixion from the Van Dyck school. Don't forget to taste the most famous product: Sciacchetrà raisin wine.

• Vernazza is the only real port in the Cinque Terre. It preserves part of the imposing Genoese defence walls and the beautiful church of Santa Margherita di Antiochia, built on a rocky spur. It is marvellous to wander through the narrow streets and up and down the steep stairways of this charming townlet. Ask the local diving centre about the wonderful rocky seafloor.

• Corniglia hangs above a rocky promontory overlooking the sea, surrounded by a basin of vines. It is reminiscent of the farmland further away from the Ligurian coast. Don't miss Saint Peters church, built in 1334 in Genoese gothic style with later reworkings from the baroque period.

• Manarola is perhaps the most striking of the Cinque Terre. The houses are built sheer above the sea and descend towards the marina, suspended between two rocky spurs and inhabited by brightly coloured boats. Manarola is the starting point of the famous Lovers Lane or "Via dell'Amore", a path leading to Riomaggiore, sheer above the sea.

By train:
The Tigullio Gulf is on the Genoa-La Spezia rail line, with numerous trains running daily. Trains leave from Genoas Piazza Principe station. There are several direct trains from Turin, Milan and Rome. From Florence, change at Pisa. All coastal towns can be accessed by rail, with the exception of Portofino, which can be reached by shuttle bus service from Santa Margherita. For timetables and information see www.trenitalia.it.

*photo by emmedibi33 on flickr

Since Josh doesn't graduate from Kutztown University until Spring of '09 (he's a slow poke, I know...), we plan on waiting for him to graduate and doing a stress-free, belated honeymoon to Italy in May of '09.

I just realized today I've been so busy planning aisle runner rentals and rehearsal dinner menus that I haven't even thought about gathering information and ideas for our honeymoon...which is quite frankly, one of the best parts about this whole getting hitched thing!

In my opinion, one of the most drool-worthy Italian towns is Positano, on the Amalfi Coast:



I mean, c'mon now. That's absolutely out-of-this-world-gorgeous. I think John Steinbeck captured it best when he said, "Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone."

I've been staring at the live streaming Positano webcam for a good five minutes (http://www.campaniameteo.it/webcampositanostreaming.asp).

I'm also completely intrigued by Cinque Terre, a group of five coastal villages in the province of La Spezia in the Liguria region of Italy:



One option is that we could fly to Rome and stay there overnight to catch up on some sleep and head out first thing the next morning to Positano, at the surprisingly affordable and lovely Hotel Marincanto .

The hotel is overflowing with flowers:




We also know we want to go to Florence, so the only problem is that we'd be spending half of a day to get from Florence to Positano (323 miles).

By train, we'd have to go from Florence to Naples and Naples to Sorrento. Sorrento is served by frequent express trains from Naples (trip time: 1 hr.). The high-speed train, called Ferrovia Circumvesuviana, leaves from one floor underground at Stazione Centrale.

From there:

SITA buses leave from Sorrento frequently throughout the day, more often in summer than winter, for the rather thrilling ride to Positano; a one-way fare is 1.30€ ($1.70).

Our other option is for us to instead consider a shorter trip, like to Viareggio, a sea-side town on the Mediterranean, not too far from Florence. Or Lucca, Siena, San Gimignano, Cinque Terre. I suppose I'll be browsing http://www.frommers.com a lot!

Whenever I visualized my dream wedding day as a young, tinier version of myself, I never imagined wearing a veil. I've always been a wee bit creeped out by the possible misinterpretation that the lifting the wedding veil=the groom taking possession of the wife. It's just a whole lot of sexual symbolism that I'm not interested in incorporating in our ceremony (more power to the veil-wearing brides, I've got nothing against them, it's just not my cup o' tea). In my not-so-fashionable opinion, headbands are way cuter.

Since I didn't have nearly $700 to splurge on the headband of my choice, I found a crafty bride-to-be online who was willing to make me a Jennifer Behr-esque creation from scratch. I couldn't be more excited about the outcome! I've never been one to wear headbands, so I'm hoping I can pull off this look. If anyone digs the final results and wants to get in touch with my headband helper, feel free to shoot me an e-mail (shannon@shannoncollins.com)!

My not-so-affordable dream headband:


My super-affordable-pretty-gosh-darn-similar-to-my-initial-dream-headband headband:




She's sending the headband out in the mail today, so I'm anxious to see how it looks on me in person.

Hopefully my accessories & brooch will sort of match, in a quirky kind of way.





I'm thinking I'll get some simple freshwater pearl stud earrings to go with the headband. Anyone have any tips on where to find affordable pearl stud earrings? I'm so clueless when it comes to the girly stuff.

The Sand Ceremony, based in Native American tradition, is similar to the Unity Candle but offers a beautiful and meaningful alternative. At the appropriate point in the ceremony, the couple each takes a vial of colored sand and pours their sand into the central vase. For our ceremony, we'd like to include our mothers, who would each pour a vial of sand into our individual vases, which Josh and I will then take turns pouring into the central vase. We like this idea because it gives us something to hold onto and remember our ceremony by...I just have to make sure we have a plan to carefully transport it back home!

Since we're dorks, we plan on using sand that matches our colors:



Here's the text I've written for the officiant:



We now invite the women who gave the bride and groom life, their mothers, to please come forward for the sand ceremony.

Just as we have now bound Joshua and Shannon to one another, we will now celebrate the unification of the families. Before each of you there is a vase of sand. Each vase represents the separate journeys you once were on. They also represent your own sets of friends and families that once were apart. I’d like to have the mothers join us to pour some sand into their child’s vases, to represent their gift of life, as well as their wonderful contributions to their lives. As the mothers pour their sands, we are reminded that though we are all different people, it is our individuality which adds a unique color to the tapestry of the family. Next I’d like for the couple to take turns pouring their sands into the vase, showing that their marriage is the foundation of this family. Their sands mix together and symbolize their bond of love and respect that can never be separated. I will ask that in a moment you both blend your individual vases of sand together... representing the coming together of your friends and family, through your marriage, into one. And as the sand is blended into one vase, your once solitary journeys will now be one of companionship, as you walk a single path together toward your future.

For our rehearsal dinner, we will have an Omakase menu, where guests give the chef authority to prepare what he wants to make for you. That's the beauty of the Omakase. It's all about what fresh, seasonal and Chef Chay's creativity. We can let them know about any dietary restrictions (no MSG for grandma!) and preferences (chicken for the non-beef eaters) and the Chef will customize the menu for our party.

This is the basic menu layout:

Omakase Dinner menu

Experience the essence of Asian fusion cuisine with the multi-course Omakase tasting menu, inspired by freshest seasonal ingredients and designed personally by Chef Chay Vadhanachai.



First course

White fish carpaccio salad

Second Course

Seasonal exotic sushi

Third course

Pan roasted black cod miso served with sautéed mushrooms

Fourth course

6 ounce grilled filet mignon served in a spicy teriyaki sauce

Dessert
Chef’s selection



$65 per person, plus $15 in unlimited alcohol
A 20% service charge and state sales tax will be added to the above price

For 32 people, the total would be $2,560 ($65 per person plus $15 in alcohol per person, which would be $80 per person for 32 people). My boss gave me the only trade we had left from them ($700 buckaroos of gift cards), which leaves $1,860 of the bill. The 25% deposit would be around $640 if we went with the option of having unlimited alcohol, etc.

If we wanted to do the $65 per person without unlimited alcohol, the grand total would be $2,080 (technically $1,380 since I already have the $700 in gift cards), with the deposit of $520 which would go toward the total.

Soooooo, we had to cancel our deposit with Roux 3 since there are rumors floating around that they're going to be closing and I just didn't want to take a chance. We've decided to go with the super delicious Japanese & Thai restaurant, Teikoku instead!







This would be the location of our dinner! With a layout based on the traditional tatami mat dimension, the 30-seat Tatami Room has a modernist twist by using American ash for the millwork. The “green tea” colored walls are a restful counterpoint to the dark mahogany tables and copper arts and crafts lanterns. Recessed halogen lighting provides superb color rendering for dining. In this ode to Japan, groups of six patrons may dine at low tables and sit in traditional seats. The room can also transform to create more seated tables. Japanese details such as moon-shaped windows with rice paper, blond wood accents, and floors and tables built without nails enhance the dining area.



This seating area, originally the entry lobby, features traditional Japanese moon windows, with details inspired by a Japanese temple.



This massive 4’ x 14’ George Nakashima inspired share table was conceived and designed to introduce a more urban concept (sharing a table!) to the suburban dining scene. Crafted from two slab-edged book matched planks that were salvaged by the original owners of the building from a hurricane felled mahogany tree. The table features a knock-down craftsman style trestle base and conversion varnish finish.





The 3-sided custom mahogany bar features slab tops crafted from single planks, and a façade of split bamboo. With its location at the center of the courtyard, it creates an "energy center," inviting patrons to dine and drink at the heart of the action. The back bar is modeled after the traditional Japanese daikan-tansu (step chest).