and the Award Goes to...

I received this beautiful blog award from Land Girl on the Home Front the other day and am so flattered! Her blog, Letters from the Home Front is a full of lovely 1940's and vintage inspiration through pictures, fashion and history. Love it! Thank you Land Girl!

Now it's my turn to pass along the award. Don't feel bad if your name isn't included! I've only choosen those that have not yet received the award. Just right-click on the pic above and save it to your computer and then post it on your own blog and send the award along to blogs that you think are a good read!

1. Glamour Girl at Glamour Girl's New Life. A fellow Glamour Girl and my first blogger friend. Follow her as she goes through her divorce and starts a brand new life for herself. We're all rooting for you GG!
   
   
2. Eye Girl at Life as Eye See It. Blogger friend that I met at Thirty-Something Bloggers site. She gave me my first blog award, One Lovely Blog. Yeah! She and I really seem to see "eye to eye" on a lot of things in life. I know, cheesy joke...
   
   
3. Legally Blonde Mel at I Pick Pretty. Funny, sarcastic, intelligent AND stylish! What more is there to say?
   
   
4. Tudor City Girl - a single, unemployed girl in New York City. Cheer her on as she starts a romance with neighbor boy!
   
   
5. Kitschnkarma - blogger of all things kitsch and vintage. Love it!
   
   
6. Ebony Haywood at Sizzling Publications - my most recent friend at Thirty-Something Bloggers. Written and video blogging with an insightful look at everyday situations.
   
   
7. Fleur de Guerre at Diary of a Vintage Girl - Tips, tricks, photos and fashion from a 1940's enthusiast and real-life pinup girl.
   
   
8. Kathie at My Net Finds - blogging about all her great finds while surfing the internet - giveaways, contests, recipes, tips, etc. Another one of my first followers!
   
   
9. The Pretty Provvy at The (Anti) Socialite - Brand new blogger! the Pretty Provvy joins the notoriously pretensious Junior League and blogs about her adventures.
   
   
10. Simple Girl at Simply Love Life - Another Thirty-Something friend and like-minded girl.
    
    
11. Brilliant Farmgirl's Beauty Secrets - Great beauty secrets and product reviews!
    
    
12. An NYC Housewife in Training - Real life, funny posts by a wannabe domestic diva.
    
    
13. RetroModGirl - I have accidentally spent hours of time on this lovely blog with so many cool vintage pics, links, etc.
    
    
14. Zoe Rights - Not your typical "mommy-blogger." Funny and inspirational!
    
    
15. 2berrys at Starting My Live Over at 35 - For all of us thirty-somethings that are stuck in life's limbo; career? kids? Who knows!

Pole Dance Fever

Bad News: I am bruised, bleeding, have possibly cracked a few ribs, put my knee out of place and can't feel my arms nor raise them high enough to apply makeup today.

Good News: New-found respect for strippers. Ladies, next time your man excitedly volunteers to, I mean...is forced into going to the strip joint with his slobbery, horn-dog, immature friends, no need to be upset when he comes home minus a few hundred dollars. Those ladies DESERVE it!

Yeah for my first pole dance class last night and yeah for the pole dance studio that magically appeared in this conservative suburban town! Something new and fun to do with my girlfriends. I just need a little more practice ;)

My Big Fat Glamorous Wedding

In a couple of days, Hottie Husband and I will be celebrating our 3 month anniversary. We choose early April for our outdoor ceremony, knowing we would risk a rainy day, but wanted a bit cooler temperature. The day could not have been more perfect! Blue skies, light breeze and the perfect mix of family and friends.

HH and I did almost everything for our wedding on our own to save some money. Like I have said before, I'm not much into being "trendy" unless the current trend suits me well. It turns out that many of the things I did for my wedding turned out to be extremely trendy for this year.

Out: huge guest list that includes people you have never even met like your parents' work friends.

In: small, intimate gatherings of close friends and family. Everyone gets to interact with the bride and groom and you don't feel as if you are putting on a show for a bunch of strangers.

Out: matchy-matchy bridesmaids, including complete dictation of everything down to hair style, nail polish color etc.

In: don't most people look more beautiful and feel more comfortable in styles that flatters them? I told my bridesmaids to all wear a black dress of their choice. Each girl had a beautifully unique dress, but all in the same color to tie things together. I also bought each a light pink pashmina to wear.

Out: spending your life savings on flowers

In: DIY bouquets and alternative centerpieces (candles, branches, etc.). I used an arrangement of white ostrich feathers for my centerpieces. So hollywood glam! And I'll tell you a secret - all the flowers for mine and the bridesmaids bouquets were fake and arranged by me. Nobody even suspected it and it literally saved me a couple thousand dollars!

Out: leaving for your honeymoon right away

In: delayed honeymoon. I know - you just got through all this planning and anticipation and you feel like you need a vacation RIGHT AWAY! But, really, doesn't a vacation just make you more stressed and tired sometimes? Why not decompress for a few days at home (or nearby home) after the wedding. You won't feel guilty for staying in bed, ordering takeout and doing absolutely nothing if you are not in some exotic location. HH and I have booked a honeymoon this October in Italy. It gives us something else to look forward to and some time to save up money in between the wedding and honeymoon.

Out: little extras that suck up all your money

In: special touches that really matter to you. Seriously, have you ever been to a wedding and been pissed because you didn't get a program or a stupid bottle of bubbles with the bride and groom's name on it? Does it matter if the napkins are monogrammed? The little things add up and in the end, nobody will remember them anyway. Spend your money on the things that really matter to you and focus on the big picture.

Out: doing what everyone else does just because "That's what you're supposed to do!"

In: doing your own thing. Is your special day really going to be memorable if you do the same thing as everyone else? Think outside the box! Put your personality into it! Think of all the weddings that you've been to. In my mind, most of them just blend together in one big fluffy, fondant, wedding march, silly ritualistic mess. HH and I wrote our own vowels (didn't mean much to us to just say what everyone else says), I walked down the aisle to a beautiful, acoustic version of November Rain by Guns N' Roses and didn't do bouquet or garter tossing because it usually just embarasses the single people anyway.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my wedding trends and tips. If you would like to see some more pics of my big day, click here and see the blog for my fab photographer, Barbara Payne. She really makes me look better than I do in real life! ;)

What are some cool wedding trends you have seen that are unique and different?