I am a shameless Daddy's Girl to the core. And my friends know I love "Father of the Bride" so much, they threw me a "Father of the Bride"-themed party right before Tony and my wedding. So, the very thought of my dad as Father of the Bride, giving his speech, made me cry multiple times leading up to the wedding. It was just too emotional for me to think about. But, never in a million years did I expect the speech he actually gave...View Article
Yearly Archives: 2015
One of my goals in life is to be able to leave the house without make-up and not have someone say one of the following: 1) "Rough night?" 2) "You look so tired!" 3) "Are you sick?" For as long as I can remember, I've had giant bags under my eyes that don't seem to go away no matter what I do. I think it stems from mentally and emotionally abusing myself if I didn't always get A's in school, and now the adult equivalent of getting A's (like, having a steady and respectable job...) I used to stay up all night studying, and still cut sleep short to get work done or go on the elliptical machine. (My mom thinks my poor sleep stems from my sleeping with my dogs spooning my head, but I disagree.) So, I'm always on the lookout for an eye cream that might work miracles, and this one is my favorite so far. View Article
Last weekend, one of my lifelong besties, Ali, got married at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, not far from where we grew up. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding, and I was so honored and thrilled to be one in hers. It was the first wedding that Tony and I went to after we tied the knot, and it was so exciting to be at a wedding again... Given my feverish obsession with all things bridal, I wasn't sure how I would feel going to weddings after we got married. Nostalgic? Sad mine was over? Relieved and relaxed? Noticing details I missed, and would never have the chance to replicate? Overjoyed for the couple? In all honestly, it was a combination of all of those feelings. But above all, it was happiness for my friend Ali and her brilliant, sweet groom, Garrett.View Article
One of the major highlights of trophy wifing it up in Vancouver while Tony was shooting a movie there for the past few weeks was, without a doubt, the day I convinced him to accompany me to the Aritzia warehouse sale. Tony's never been to one, so he had no idea what he was in for. I went to one for Monique Lhuillier wedding gowns last year and wrote about it for Hello Giggles, so I knew exactly what we were in for. It was held at a nearby convention center, and I knew something was up when I went for my daily jog along the water one Friday and noticed dozens and dozens of girls toting even MORE dozens of shopping bags. I googled it and decided that was exactly how Tony should spend one of his days off... Helping me fight off girls for cheap pants and guarding my piles so I could hunt down more stuff to add to them. It was everything I dreamed of and more, and this was my favorite find!View Article
Tony and I were the "featured couple" of the day on Zola Unveiled, a "modern registry" website that we used to register for our wedding. I decided to register us there because I liked the selection of gifts they've curated, and you can also register for experiences like cooking classes, as well as a honeymoon fund, all in one place. (We also registered through The Knot because you can sync registries from lots of major department stores there and a percentage of any gifts purchased goes to a charity of your choice. And we set up a registry with the I Do Foundation, so people could donate to the Children's Hospital Los Angeles or the ASPCA as a gift.) Check out our super fun interview!View Article
Tony and I drove home from my parents' house late last night, and we are still delirious. We went straight from Vancouver to northern California for one of my childhood best friends' wedding, and had so much fun we didn't want to leave... Which resulted in us not rolling up to our driveway until the middle of the night. We've been gone for almost 2 months, and married for 6 weeks, but for the first time, we're arriving home as newlyweds... Any advice on how to beat the bridal blues and savor the newlywed phase?View Article
After a brief Book Club hiatus, during which I momentarily lost my mind and only consumed bridal magazines, bridal blogs (and copious amounts of alcohol and comfort food), I am back to reading real, actual books that don't come with pictures of skinny girls in white dresses. On our honeymoon, I devoured "Luckiest Girl Alive," which I highly recommend if you loved "Gone Girl." And after that, I read "All The Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr, which I just finished last week. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since...View Article
My ever lovin' mama Laura Baria wrote this beautiful love letter to all the other MOB's out there! (*MOB serves as both Mother of the Bride or, on my darker days, Mother of the Bridezilla and, on my darkest days, Mother of the Bitch.) We didn't always see eye to eye on certain major wedding details - I thought a large portion of the budget should go toward making it look like Martha Stewart and Pinterest made 10 million flower babies just to decorate my wedding, and she thought a large portion of the budget should go toward inviting everyone she's ever met, and every celebrity she hasn't. But (thanks in large part to the men who love us), we made it to the wedding without killing each other. We both compromised. And it was the happiest day of my life and, I think, one of the happiest of hers (next to the day I was born of course. And the day my brother was born. And, probably the day I moved out of the house and out of her hair.) She writes below about her favorite moment of the wedding, which was one of my favorite moments not only of the wedding, but of my life, too. Mom, thank you for making my wedding dreams come true. I love you and I will always "be your girl forever."View Article