This weekend I was fortunate enough to have two of the world’s best wedding planners: my bestie/business partner Xochitl and my amazing friend Marcy Blum, host an amazing engagement party in my honor. My fiancee and I are still riding high from the amazing day, and almost 4 days later, we have finally recovered.

I must admit that prior to this glorious day I had been having a very hard time with the engagement process. Xochitl wrote a blog post (inspired by my bad mood around the office) and hit the nail on the head when she said that it is hard when your wedding dreams meet your wedding reality. Even though I live in the world of wedding, I was not prepared for the emotions and opinions that came with my lovely ring. Luckily, the love and excitement of the engagement party put me back on track and focused on the reason that this is all happening.

Now that I am in a better place, I feel okay to share what was “my dream wedding”. Frankly, I’d been hoarding this information, but since it doesn’t look like it will work for me, but I want someone else to enjoy this amazing venue. Now I am determined to have my 40th birthday party here!

The set up: A few months ago, Xochitl and I were fortunate enough to take a trip with the Mexican Department of Tourism. The week long trip included stops to the lovely states of Michoacan and Queretaro. Michoacan is the state where my mother was born and I still take yearly trips there. However, this was a chance to experience the wonders of the state as a tourist. It was here that I met my dream venue!

Welcome to Hacienda Ucazanaztacua. It literally was like we had been transported to a magical land. This 6 room hacienda is the perfect venue for an intimate wedding. Situated on Lake Pazcuaro, this property makes you feel like you have totally disconnected from the world. Relaxing and peaceful, it is the kind of place that you wish you could stay at just one more day.

The exteriors and views are not the only things that blew me away. The rooms are amazing, and each are different and have a distinct charm. If you are interested in a larger wedding and simply want your closest friends and family staying here, then they are in for a treat. There is literally no bad room. The room below blew me away and I decided that it is the best place for a bride to get ready and relax on her wedding day. Can you imagine taking a bath in this tub and enjoying that view. I can feel the nerves washing away just by looking at a photo.

The best part about this venue, is that even though you feel secluded, you are actually a stone’s throw away from the Island of Janitzio and the colonial city of Pazcuaro. You can walk the streets of Pazcuaro and see artisans at work, taste award winning food, and feel like you literally stepped back in time.

Now, my family is very traditionally Mexican and a ceremony out on the lovely lawn is something that they would never go for. Luckily the hotels owner arranged for us to take a canoe over to the neighboring island to see the Catholic church on that island. An accordion player was the perfect touch for our ride over. If this is an option that you think might work for you, the lovely people on property would be able to help you arrange all of this for you and all of your guests. If you wanted to have a slightly larger wedding, there are multiple canoes, that get decorated for the special day, that are available for you.

Look at the look of happiness on my face! Even if this also won’t work for your wedding, add it to your list of places to visit. It will certainly not disappoint!

This year has been filled with my friends celebrating their love. I have been to 3 weddings as a guest in the last month! Now, I can tell you the things that I LOVED as a guest! I will write a blogpost on that next week, but for now I NEED to tell you all about a new service that I just discovered.

I have a large number of South Asian friends and often have an excuse to wear sari’s. Over the years, I have been gifted quite a few as bridesmaid gifts. Xochitl jokes that I have an ethnic section of my closest. However, my friends events outnumber my outfits.

So how excited was I when I heard about a new site where you can RENT them!?  I have been telling my friends for years that a sari rental business would be genius. Well, it turns out that the people over at  Sari Closet agree! Sari Closet is a new service that was developed by students at the UCLA Anderson school of Management. It seems that I was not the only girl wondering what I would wear to the next wedding!

Check out these great modern styles. The rental comes with both a sari and petticoat (the skirt worn under the sari) but not a blouse. The styles are shown here without a blouse, but just know that this is not typically the way these are worn.

Want to choose a little something more conservative? Then this might be the way to go.

Now, if you have never worn a sari, then here are a few words of wisdom (that I sadly learned the hard way). This attire looks super comfortable…but isn’t. Also, the entire sari is kept up by two very large and expertly placed safety pins. This means that you either need someone who knows how to do so, OR you need to practice my friend! I say that it is worth it. When else will you get to wear such a lovely outfit! So, the next time that you are invited to a South Asian wedding, I say you give this a try!

Feeling a little wimpy? Then you can always create your own outfit. It’s not as hard as it seems. Pair a long tunic, tights, and scarf and you are all set! Gold accents never hurt:) Here is my faux Indian outfit from this past weekend. The tights are American Apparel and I got compliments from everyone. * Here I am standing in front of a China case at the Richard Nixon Library in California. Sari Closet can help you with Bindis and jewelry if that is where you want to be bold!

*Thanks for the idea Radhika:)

Xochitl and I are both obsessed with New York City. She loves it in a way that only a native can, while I love it so much that I chose to leave sunny California and consider this home. We also are both obsessed with city weddings. HOWEVER, we are also happy to work on a few weddings outside of the city throughout the year. It’s a nice little change of pace that keeps things interesting:) So, I was so happy to work on a wedding out in Orient Point, Long Island this summer.

Evan and Kelly were set on a wedding at The New Leaf Cafe when she first came to meet us. A public event at the park however caused the couple to re-consider. She knew that she wanted it to feel outdoor-sy and feel in love when she visited Driftwood Farms. A fully functioning farm with animals on property, a barn, and a beach view. What’s not to love? So off we went to the furthest tip of the North Fork!

I was so excited to have Leslie from Kiss the Bride Films on board. I often have brides who are wary of a videographer for fear that they will get in the way of the photographer, have an annoying light, or try to interview their guests. No one is less like this than Leslie. As a matter of fact, one client thought that we had opted against a videographer for her wedding (her mom was the one that wanted video and was our contact for this hire) and she never noticed a video camera. So stealth is Leslie!

Hope you enjoy the video!

Enjoy!

This morning I woke up and looked in the mirror and realized two things: 1) My skin is rejecting the cold and is spazing out a bit, 2) My hair cut looks great. Since I have not figured out and my fabulous dermatologist just had a lovely baby and is on maternity leave, I am going to focus today’s post on my second observation!

A few months ago Xochitl and I joined Anna from Just About Married for a trip up to see her hairstylist. She loved him and thought we would too, and he wanted to talk about his services for our brides. I am a real beauty gunuie pig and I coaxed Xochitl into a cut, so off we went. Ladies, I honestly can tell you I have never gotten a better cut. Three months later and I am STILL getting compliments. It is one of those magical cuts that looks almost better as it starts to grow out.  If you are engaged (or think it might be around the corner:) and want to start working with someone who will know you and your hair on your wedding date, then run over to Paul at Panyc Salon. On your big day, you can go over to his salon or have him come to you and get you all dolled up. Now, he is not the cheapest guy on the block, but the money is well worth it.

Xochitl hanging out with Peanut.

My hair transformation.

A photo of me with my fabulous and healthy looking hair and my hair artiste Paul!

Happy Hair day!

First of all, I loved Ella & Josh. They were fun, creative, madly in love, and wanted to create a wedding that reflected who they were as a couple. They are both artists and live in Brooklyn and had fallen in love with Smack Mellon Gallery, but wanted to to warm it up a bit.  They also wanted to find ways to incorporate their Nicaraguan-Asian-British-Jamaican backgrounds. This sounded like something right up my alley!

I am in love with the photos that Heather Waraksa was able to capture of the day. LOVE!

Couples are sometimes torn about seeing each other before the ceremony. While I admit that the romantic in me loves the moment when I open the door and the bride and groom see each other for the first time, the practical Mayra doesn’t like to waste any part of the day! If you choose to see each other before the ceremony, you can make it special. Here are the fantastic photos that Heather was able to capture of the lovely couple.

Now, many times we try to limit the photo locations used on a wedding day. Even though we want to get different photo backgrounds, we don’t want to have our couple spend too much time in a car. Luckily for people using Smack Mellon as a venue, the area is filled with breathtaking venues and interesting spaces that give you a plethora of backdrop options. Below are Bridal Party shots taken under the Manhattan Bridge.

A few steps down are these gorgeous black and white photos of the couple.

Stay tuned for more details of their ceremony and reception!