Month: November 2015

Life
18 Nov 2015

Wedding Wednesdays – Wedding Confidence

IMG_0636

Weddings are entrenched in age old traditions and rituals that some of us in the modern world choose to partake in and others that we leave behind. Today we’re going to talk about some things that have been bothering me since I got engaged over 6 months ago and that, my friends, are wedding diets and bridal expectations.

I’ve had poor body image since sixth grade. My eating disorder began gradually in seventh grade and became uncontrollable my freshmen year of college. 3 months of inpatient rehab later, hours of therapy, an unbreakable support network of the best friends a girl could ask for, and I would consider myself in recovery for the last 6 years. I’m not perfect and my past with my eating disorder does not define me, but I still find it influencing my body image and relationship with food as years go by.

The reason I bring up this issue now is that in my last post I blogged about the joys of finding the perfect wedding dress. I absolutely LOVE my dress; I cannot wait to wear it for an entire day because it is beautiful and I feel beautiful in it. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t having an internal battle with myself and my dormant eating disorder. Wedding dresses are beautiful, but you aren’t always going to fit into the sample size dress. Sometimes at the last minute, one might require wedding dress alterations to fit into the dress. You could also get measured in front of a mirror in your bra and underwear, something I like to think of as my own personal hell. All I could think was, thank God this is happening now, when I am strong and stable in my recovery.

This is why it is so important to find a wedding photographer who can put you at ease and make you feel relaxed on your big day. Some friends of mine recently got married and their photographer did such a good job of capturing the moment in a friendly and approachable way. If you are on the lookout for a New York based wedding photographer for your celebrations, Read reviews about Olga Topchii, wedding photographer from NY to help you decide on the right person for the job.

First thing’s first, a wedding diet is an option, NOT an obligation. Going on a wedding diet is not like hiring an officiant or getting a marriage license, it’s a choice, not a necessity and you can still tie the knot without one.

Read more “Wedding Wednesdays – Wedding Confidence”

Style
16 Nov 2015

How We Holiday Party in 2015

Lovers + Friends Primrose Dress – $170

No matter how badly you want things to go a certain way, no amount of effort or time can change what’s supposed to actually happen. You would think that I would’ve learned this valuable lesson by now. For the last two years, I’ve worn black dresses – both very similar to each other. So in my third holiday party with my company, I vowed to be a little bit different. This year was going to be the year that I wore a white dress! So we started the search and the dream dress that I had wanted ran out the day after I had found it online. The dress that I ended up buying was beautiful and a steal as it was 50% off, but it didn’t feel like it was the one – I just wasn’t sure so I had to go to the mall and do my due dilligence – try on all the holiday party dresses to be sure that I was happy with the one I had purchased. Sure enough, I found one and it wasn’t white, but it was the one. You know how sometimes people talk about when they’ve found the one and they just know and they have no other reason that they give, but that one reason? That’s how I felt about this dress today and I can’t say the same for the others.

Now that I’ve finally got THE dress, we can write this post without much worry. I’ll be sure to share the one I actually wear next month in a later post, but since I’ve done some pre-research, the selection I’ve provided below is real good. I’ve scoured everything.

Read more “How We Holiday Party in 2015”

Life
14 Nov 2015

Currently Craving:

This googly eyed sundae from Tin Pot – “Sunday Breakfast” featuring: salted butterscotch & maple ice cream, salted caramel sauce & waffle cone crunch. Maybe tomorrow on my list of to-do’s!

(The hunger pains are getting worse maybe)

Life
14 Nov 2015

Bay Area Eats: Tony’s Pizza

I had the best meal that I’ve ever had in San Francisco last week and I’m still thinking about it. One of my best friends was in town last weekend and her, her boyfriend, and I along with her group of girlfriends in SF got together for an incredible feast at Tony’s Pizza in North Beach. First off, this is minor, but let me just say that driving to North Beach takes forever! I felt like my drive home back to South Bay was a road trip in itself. I didn’t actually get any photos of any of the dishes that we ate that night, but everything was a party in my mouth. I woke up the next morning wanting to just eat their meatballs for breakfast or for dessert. That’s what those did to me. Here are all of the things that we ordered and if you’re a lover of Italian food, then you should order the same. We actually dined with someone that worked at the restaurant so she took care of the ordering and none of us were left disappointed:

  • Lillet Blanc Fries – basically pork fat fries. I could eat these for days. 
  • Caesar Salad – w/ Anchovies!
  • Deep Fried Green Beans
  • Chorizo Mussels
  • Meatball Gigante – wild mushroom, pancetta, cream sauce. You will die. It’s so good. 
  • Margherita Pizza – basically the best I’ve ever had. They only make 73 a day. 
  • Eddie Muenster Pizza – with fried kale and carmelized stuff. Yum. 

I am very hungry right now after writing this.

Life
14 Nov 2015

Let’s Talk About “Unplugged” Weddings

Screen Shot 2015-11-14 at 8.32.08 PM

This photo was floating around the internet earlier this week and I thought that it would make a pretty good post as I have a few thoughts that I can weigh in on… Two of my dearest friends are getting married next year and I really have no doubts at all that their weddings won’t be amazing. However, a lot can change in the next year and trends are always coming and going so there are some things we should discuss.

Lately, I’ve seen a few weddings disclose to their guests that they want the ceremony to be an electronics-free zone. Despite how much time I spend on social media through this blog and my job, you may think that I would oppose this idea. I am, however, in support of it and here’s why:

  • No matter what you think, there is no way that the photo you capture on your phone will ever be as good as the photographer(s) that the couple has hired. Think about where you’re sitting, how unsteady your hand might be because you might be emotional and the not-so-perfect view you have.
  • You are not a professional. Let the pros do their job. After all, they’re getting paid for it! You should just enjoy yourself.
  • Let yourself be in the moment. If you’re too busy trying to get your photo, you’re going to miss that moment where you get to really soak in the bride walking down the aisle right in front of you.
  • It’s tacky – like the way people still bring their iPads to take photos at concerts. That’s what this looks like.
  • Lastly, for the photo above. Don’t obstruct the groom. This is his big moment too.

I know it’s hard, but you can put your phone away during the ceremony. You’ve got the whole rest of your night to whip that thing out and hashtag the crap out of the couple’s big day.

[Source]

Style
14 Nov 2015

What We Wore to Taylor

Screen Shot 2015-11-14 at 8.21.04 PM

Tank top – Nordstrom / Shorts – Brandy Melville / Hat – Nordstrom / Booties – Munro (Nordstrom)

We actually blogged about our entire Taylor Swift concert experience a long time ago, but I remembered that I never talked about what I wore and this was an outfit that I was pretty excited about. It was one of the hottest days of the summer and this was the only big concert that I was going to be attending all season long so I had to make this count. I didn’t know what I was going to be wearing the day or even the week before, but I had an idea. I woke up early the morning of the concert just so I could go to the mall to make everything all fit together. Once I had the clothes, that hat became the last piece. I saw it on display right as I was about to head out of Nordstrom and I’m not a HUGE hat person by any means, but little did we know that this very hat would be making lots of appearances in our outfits after this day. I really love this shot because this was right next to our Taylor tailgate and this wide open space before everyone arrived was perfect.