Needless to say, this team is a bit behind. Still, I hope you enjoy our wedding album as much as we did & even more, glean some vegan celebrating inspiration!…

Cry baby.

Love this walk...

Our original caterer flaked for part I of our vegan food "elixir suaree", thank GOODNESS for our angel, Melanie Edwards, who came through in the clutch, & hooked us up w/vegan sushi!!

I call this pic, "besos"...

Sooo sad we received very few pics of our insanely good VEGAN FOOD! Even my father was caught going straight for the stationery appetizers! A travesty, no less, that we are sans pics of the PASSED appetizers which included (the best) bruchetta I've ever tasted, mini "cheeseburgers,mini grilled "cheese" paninis, & heirloom tomato truffled martini glass mashed potatoes. Yes folks, this was "cocktail hour" #2, though this was only the beginning...

This would have been sooo magnificent had we been able to use REAL lit candles in the trees...The City of Pasadena shut that down. Fun theme though. Whaddya think?

Michael C's dinner menu? Absolutely, positivelynothing short of DIVINE!! The gods of great taste & good fortune were definitely smiling upon us...& my DEAR INCREDIBLE friend Sue, helped me search through craziness & high water, to get a deal on 80 square gold chargers...:)

Teaser: Coming up: red carpet, belly dancers, vegan cupcake bar, & of course…the culinary main event!…

Thanks & stay tuned!

XoXo,

VB

Hawaii was really fantastic. There were some bumps & bruises along the way (driving 3 + hours roundtrip to the other side of Maui for a zipline adventure, asking for directions from the crew but getting lost along the way, but assured that arriving late was “ok”, only to be turned away once we got there…:( —- Flying “Go” airlines between Oahu & Maui & finding out at the airport we HAD to check our carry ons to the tune of $10 or $15 each because their overhead compartments are TINY, grossly undersized compared to any full-size plane I’d ever written. When I rec’d my turquoise & pink polka dotted carry on at the other end, of course it was brown & black & thrashed. Grrrr. Fly Hawaiian. Tickets were the EXACT same price & they compartments that can actually fit your purse!!

Other than those few hiccups, it was absolutely spectacular & I’m actually a little bummed to be back home (which never happens)!!! Usually, one of the benefits of living in Southern California is that no matter where in the world I go, I’m always happy to come back home to the sun, the affordable organic produce (compared to EVERYWHERE else I’ve traveled), the comforts of one’s own home, the stadium seats at the movie theater, you know, the creature comforts of big city but sorta suburban life. However this time for whatever reason, I wasn’t quite ready to leave beautiful Hawaii,  so I’m suffering ever-so-slightly from the post-vacation blues. Flying in on the red eye & getting no sleep, also means I’m tired & things are hazy so I probably should “take it down” for a few & then spoil you w/the juicy details & photos (btw, woe is us, we didn’t take that many)! We were always worried about having a camera or cell phone on a boat excursion, near the beach etc. PLUS my hair do was definitely a “hair don’t” the whole vacation!! My leftover extensions from the wedding were struggling at this point! However I had no time to get the furry thing removed before we darted off…soo, to say the least, I WAS a little camera shy & Halloween-looking the whole time, plus utterly ill-prepared for traversing rugged terrain & having trusty camera in tow. But I digress. There’s lots to share. There are wedding photos & video we’re still waiting on that hopefully we’ll have SOON as well. I promise for some good updates! Miss you all & love!! VB

Well, after weeks of washing 750+ moldy dishes, lugging heavy trees (yes, full-on trees & other wedding effects have COVERED our living room like a real-life Sanford & Son) & working around the clock, WE NEED A VACATION/HONEYMOON! So, what’s a wedding sticker-shocked bargain-hunting vegan bride to do?? Well, w/some crafty pre-planning & a little bit of blessings & luck thrown in, I devised  a plan to have a “dream vacation” on a dollar budget. To be more specific, we fetched accommodations for 9 nights including roundtrip airfare for us BOTH nonstop to Oahu & from Maui for about 225 dollars!- (also INCLUDING the ugly $75 fee for using our miles w/less than a 21 day advance!) I asked vegan groom to stealthily charge every conceivable  business & personal expense on miles & points cards for the past few months (that got us our airfare). I then dug up a timeshare “preview week” on Maui I’d purchased a few years back that was lost because it had EXPIRED. I called… begged, pleaded & offered the farm (well, more like 2 hours of our lives to sit through a time-share presentation while on vacation). Hey, we can suffer a high-pressure sales pitch in the name of a 7 night beach front one bedroom luxury suite on Maui!! We also wanted to see Oahu w/Honolulu & Waikiki beach, so we found inexpensive lodging for 2 nights, (About $55 a night + tax for a decent hotel!) We’re staying w/VeganGroom’s brother for 1 night…all totaling 10 days, 9 nights, Oahu & Maui for  $225 room & airfare. (Did my best to get good rental rates on cars too, there’s also the inter-island flight we purchased at $55 ea. including fees, as well…I’ll blog about that perhaps soon as well, but off to the airport now!). Hopefully we have some FABULOUS adventures ahead of us…snorkeling, zip lining, & a true luxury we’ve missed out on for months & months, some SLEEP!! Promise to keep you posted! Love ya! C

Whew, to properly recover, I think we need to sleep for at least TWO WEEKS, but before I lay my head down, quick, special special thanks to:
Toki Cavener Photographer – (www.tokisphotos.com) -This vegan hipster lady has vision, panache, talent, willingness to hop on a plane to get it done AND she’s even super NICE y’all. Thanks Toki!! Can’t wait to see the photos & the amazing photo book & thank you cards!
Phil Birdsell Wedding DJ – (www.philbirdsell.com) This man loves what he does & it SHOWS! Can’t get Chuck Woolery for your event? Hire Phil! They look like brothers, have the same charm factor, but Phil EVEN broke out into a full on Michael Jackson dance that had the crowd roaring (I joke to you not). Though we got him our OBSCURE old-school hip hop, disco & r & b classic request list that everyone but your mamma had forgotten about…he worked it out, last-minute, & made the music a HIT! Thank you Phil!!!
Nikola Ahaiwe Of Platinum Touch Events (who we drove completely nuts) & her 3 AMAZING assistants, Sagevee (sp?) (so sweet & helpful)! Jackie, (helped me so much upon upon “hello”, super nice nice & just the calming touch that every bride needs)  & Vanessa (extremely professional also & on it on it on it!!) Thank you all so much for going above & beyond!!:)
May Lindstrom of Green Blossom Beauty - (www.GreenBlossomBeauty.com) – Oh May, who held my dress while I peed, talked me off the ledge when I was worried I’d left my written vows, (which themselves, hadn’t even been completed) & lastly, re-glued my Tyra-esque gigantic eyelashes on, again & again all day through the tears. Thank you thank you thank you so much! A complete vegetarian beauty in her own right, check her out as she is the only TRULY GREEN makeup artist in the free world we know of (her kit being totally non-toxic, sans the eyelash glue which we crazed brides are intent on having). Also special thanks to her team-member “Christopher” who flawlessly did my hair! Please send me over your url as well, if you have one! Thx so much!

Vanessa of VanessaBellyDance.com- She THRILLED our guests with her unexpected sword dance & danced her way into our hearts forever! Her co-dancer was fantastic & awe-inspiring as well! The SWEETEST woman with the best dance company ever-check her out NOW!         (There are more thanks to other vendors to come, this is just round one).
FRIENDS whom the day could NOT have been “pulled off” without:
Melanie Edwards & Steven Edwards- Our own personal heroes, who stepped in & saved the day when our caterer ambushed us, we had no location for the wedding brunch, & when we needed to believe there was still some good & righteousness in the world! We love you endlessly! Thank you!!!

Bishop Everitt: My friend Evan (who gets married this weekend, hopefully not amidst all the stress & chaos we went through) left a message o my voice mail yesterday proclaiming “The highlight of the entire event was when the Bishop so humorously portrayed your story”. Wow, the Bishop MADE the highlight! No words can express how grateful we are to him.

My dear, relentless & beautiful friend Sugania Nivalapan -OHMYGOODNESS. I wore Sue’s jewelry, I carried her clutch, her vases, bowls & decorations my house is STILL adorned with. Sue was part of the crazy team who stayed up until 3 IN THE MORNING the night before, washing, counting & boxing 1,000 + dishes, glasses, cups, plates, decorations, etc. Not to mention Sue’s running ALL OVER downtown, even the MORNING OF to find a petticoat, & previously, gold chargers, square plates, tablecloths, ribbon, you name it. My heroine! ( Full posting on all the specifics from everyone coming soon!)

Vanessa Araiza- Not only did she dance w/Sue, Josh & I during our “surprise number” (video soon to come!) She ran & picked up BOWLS for chimichurri sauce the morning of! She’s the best friend every girl wishes she could have!

Josh’s family- Dad, Brent, Reagan, Melanie, even little Hayden!! Thank you so MUCH for staying up all night to help, delivering tables & chairs for the brunch, washing 1,000 dishes, & all of your love & support! Goodness Gracious did we not know what we were getting into, huh!?? Thank you so much!!

Mommy: You sent checks every week & love everyday. Thank you SO MUCH!! We love you!!

Special Last-Minute, unexpected Thanks!:
Paige of Mabrials’ Bridal- (http://www.mabrialsbridal.com) SAVED THE DAY!! Rather than me surf the net ENDLESSLY for weeks at a time, finding the dress of my dreams, more search for a seamstress who could pull it off, receiving the dress months later & months late, only to discover it looked NOTHING like the original & couldn’t be worn, left in a complete tizzy & THEN finding Paige…I only WISH I could have happened upon her bridal shop sooner, spent a 1/2 an hour looking around & then have had Paige (the kindest woman in the world) ship me the dress SHE suggested for me, which was completely beautiful & a fraction of the cost of couture dresses at typical bridal boutiques, the end. More on the dress drama & also Paige’s beautiful designer gowns at fantastic discount prices later…for now, COMPLETE THANKS!!
Bob of BartenderswithSpirit.com- WHAT impeccable service they provided!! He too helped us last minute, doubled our staff on 12 hours notice, took care of EVERYTHING service related, (we didn’t have to buy a single jar of juice, for the reception, or even a cup) & he & his staff did it all w/a smile. We paid them full price for everything (gulp) but the service was SO GOOD, they were so well-dressed, professional, attractive & on top of things, & LESS EXPENSIVE THAN MOST, WITH M-O-R-E service (i.e. they SET UP & BROKE DOWN for us…whereas some other service staff vendors only serve) so we were just in awe of how good they were! Call them on the jiffy!

Thanks so much to all of our friends & family members who hopped planes, trains & automobiles & broke the bank to be with us! There are so many cards & so much love, we haven’t even gone through them all yet! Thank you thank you THANK YOU! Ok, I promise to have the FULL SCOOP very soon…for now, I leave you with part 1) of the dress debacle. Here’s the “To Die For” Pronovias dress I originally found & commissioned:

THE Wedding Dress of My Dreams...Courtesy of www.Pronovias.com

Here is the dress that was delivered: (I call it “The dress that Couldn’t”) Once we’d reached a week before the wedding weekend & two months behind the LAST DAY of the dress mock up promise date, I gave up, but here it ’tis:

Dress 10/2/09. Me, no makeup, trying to hold in the tears/stress. It was "poofy-er" in the midsection but I gathered in the sides (that are huge in comparison to my waist/original dress) because she asked me to - it is also pinned DOWN in about 25-30 places to tame the "ruffles" because I asked her to)...There was also a bow, but it had fallen off...

A lot of stress, & this is just the beginning.

Hopefully once we post some VIDEO from the day however, the ACTUAL dress, descriptions of the FOOD & the video of our surprise dance number, there will be some smiles. Love you all, now off for some SLEEP!! C

Thank goodness for the wedding planner we just connected with (more on her soon)!

Thank goodness for the absolute angels who have offered to help (giving them a shout out soon as well)!

Thank goodness for my mother doing thoughtful/selfless things constantly, (she’s 3,000 miles away!) However, little things, like her sending us an envelope full of stamps has meant so much. (I think it fitting to mention a “small” thing, but just know that she has truly stretched herself, w/very much on her plate) even & including health challenges (no, she’s not vegan ).

Thank goodness for all of the help!

However this evening, as I lay myself down to sleep, I am numb w/CONCERN. I’ll be back tomorrow w/some encouraging tidbits about a color scheme, an interesting trend, an irresistible food item, or a party planning topic or two, but tonight I just wanted to express a bit of anxiety so hopefully, by tomorrow, it will dissipate & I’ll be back in the land of rational planning &  calm but steady progress. Goodnight. C

Trying to produce an unforgettable wedding on a shoestring budget calls upon the DIY (do-it-yourself) ability of even the most craft-challenged bride. In my universe, I CAN make those dazzling flower arrangements I saw at Joan Rivers’ daughters wedding all those years ago on tv & dreamed about ever since. I CAN tie lovely ribbons & wield a glue gun with the best of them. I CAN invest in a pretty DIY wedding invitation kit, because the clock is ticking & we don’t have the 682 weeks it takes to wait for custom invitations to arrive without a 900% rush fee. We CAN do it… and it will be faaabulous, or so I thought.

Actually, I was QUITE pleased with the original result!

I had been inspired by a “love letters” giveaway I saw on a wedding blog. I didn’t win the giveaway (and $1400 for 100 invitations wasn’t in the budget!) However I came away inspired to write a heart felt & unique love letter invitation, DIY style.

I quickly learned that writing a letter vs. more traditional invitation wording presented its own challenges, not only in light of the short time frame we had, but also in terms of the STYLES of invites available, as we needed a large open canvas void of flowers & the usual frillies to fit in all the wording!

Finally, we found a DIY style I not only liked, but kinda’ sorta loved! It seemed original, had a bow (for whatever reason I had my heart set on a bow), accommodated all of our text from the letter, incorporated at least ONE of our wedding colors, and only took about 15 hours (literally- did I mention we’re no DIY experts?) to align, print, re-align, tie, glue, fashion and mail:

Wedding Invitation freshly tied, before being adhered to the envelope/pocket

Invitation inside pocket/envelope w/reception card & response card in tow.

Argh mail-that evil word...that’s where the trouble started. After an entire week of preparing, wording, re-wording, gluing & primping these little suckers, Josh took them to the post office to finally weigh & send, only to be told by the post office that the folded flaps would be RIPPED open by their machines if they weren’t securely TAPED down.

Now mind you, amidst this process, I’ve been BURIED in planning all things wedding, AND ailing in the past few days so consequently, I’ve been not fully in charge of my faculties. For whatever reason, when Josh returned from the p.o. disappointed by the news, but showed me the invitation with the sides taped down, I was relieved as you could barely see any evidence of the tape.:

Towards the top left of the photo you can see one of the areas the p.o. said might get caught in the machine unless taped down. What you're seeing s is taped & APPEARED to be harmless...(There is a clear address sticker which you are supposed to see. Wasn't our fave either but acceptable, as the whole pocket couldn't make it through the printer). (Courtesy of my not well set cameraphone)

Wedding planning must have dropped both our i.q.’s down to -6, because IT NEVER OCCURRED TO US to open any of the invites to SEE how the crazy mandated scotch tape looked once the pocket was opened BEFORE they were sent. Behold the DEVASTATION:

Invitation Tape Disaster (Caught on my seriously lacking cameraphone). Death to Smoochy!

Is there a DIY 101 common sense wedding planning keep your sanity class at any community college close by or something because they should enroll me for free. Tears I tell you, tears were shed over this one. Jeepers! C

My heart sank. It shouldn’t have (necessarily) but it did.

I’m well aware that I am one blessed lady. I have a mother, amongst mothers. I have friends who I would take w/me throughout place and time. I’ve had a family full of innovative, colorful and unique characters. I have a sister who is as supportive as a protective lion. I have the cutest nephew in the world. Lastly, I have a significant other who God himself hand-picked for me. He is dashing, he is intelligent, he is fiercely loyal, he is spiritual, & most importantly, he gives his entire heart, soul and being to me. I am blessed. However I can’t help but feel the void of emptiness that swells in my heart when I reflect on my father’s staunch rejection of my wedding idea (due to the oh-so-shocking vegan menu). This translates to me feeling a direct renunciation of who I am at the very core.

Of course I’m sure he sees it (aloofly) differently. From his point of view, he offered to pay for the wedding, & only withdrew his support when he learned that I desired to have a celebration which would celebrate (my heart, my beliefs, my business, my lifestyle) my choice to serve a menu sans the meat.  Sounds fair, no? Especially from an old-school point of view.

However when one considers the “new-school”, when one considers the plight of the underdog (literal and figurative!) it seems to me unthinkable to not respect the deepest heartfelt desires of the couple celebrating the event. In fact, to put on a ceremony with elements in direct opposition to the bride (and groom’s) actual desires seems oddly in opposition to respecting who they are (or at least, in this case, who I am, since I’m the vegan) as a PERSON. Perhaps my view on this is what causes me to feel this personal undermine as a human being (and daughter), but this is how I feel. So tonight, I cried. I cried for myself, and I cried for every little girl who feels just short of her father’s validation. I cried for the recent deaths in the world, for the overpriced eco-friendly but not wallet friendly invitations. I cried for the closed minds that shut out progress. I cried for the mindset that causes us all to overspend, under think, forget to understand, but remember to under appreciate. I cried in a melodramatic, self-pitying, tired, sleep deprived, bridal kind of way. I then wrote these words to you, felt a little better, and proceeded to find these vegan shoes online for less than $40, (would these be cute for a rehearsal dinner or maybe even wedding shoe with the right dress, or??) and realized, that with cute cruelty-free shoes, a dose of Oprah, and maybe the right attitude, all could be right in the world again…

Vegan Shoes Under $40! Courtesy of Veganchic.com

Vegan Chic does it again under $40!

Is there any hurt a cute vegan shoe can't cure? $37.50 VeganChic.com

Still up next: The necessity of sane, sound wedding planning!

I had envisioned this day for many months, with all sorts of questions, anticipation and ambiguity brewing. However, on the day when my mother, after months of speculation, delivered the news that my father agreed to “pay for the wedding”, a sigh of relief echoed through my soul. Wow- this would mean that I would be able to elicit all the fanfare, the beautiful dress, the breath-taking locale, the (well, let’s not get carried away) but at least I’d be able to have the quality trimmings and impressive cuisine I’d dreamt of…ahem. Did I say cuisine?? Cuisine has been a controversy ever since I became vegetarian at the ripe age of 15 and told my father that I’d like to have cutting-edged “veg” food at my wedding. Conflict arose then, and it surely arises now. In an instant, my dream of a 300 person New Jersey wedding with all the trimmings was dashed upon my father hearing the words “vegan & eco-friendly wedding”. Despite the fact that providing vegan desserts to the world is what I do for a living, (www.earthcafetogo.com) and despite the fact that this is who I’ve been ever since I was too young to even drive, in his words, having a vegan menu at the wedding, would be “insulting to my guests, and embarrassing to him”. Ouch. With that, our wedding independence was born, and my convictions and beliefs, solidified.

So here I am, having wasted nearly a year of pseudo New Jersey dream wedding planning. I now have little more than 3 months to plan the VEGAN wedding of the year with no family close by (except of course, the amazing groom), no wedding planning experience, no leads for great caterers, no locations, no locations that provide vegan food or who accept outside catering…(or who even might accept something other than my kidney or my first born as a down payment towards their exorbitant prices), no notion of who the best & eco-friendliest florists are, no understanding of the best wedding planners and how to even determine such…no idea about the best dj’s, best dress-makers, best candle-makers, favors, invites, photographers, videographers, rental companies, lighting, sound, (and these are just a few of the unknowns that come to mind)! I’m short on time, but long on hope. This is all quite overwhelming of course. However rest assured that come hell or high water, I am going to plan every bit of a dream wedding as I had envisioned my entire life. Oh yes, this is going to be a wild ride. So hop on. I’m sure it will be great fun, to see all that unfolds…