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
Monthly Archives: September 2015
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
Today is my last full day in Vancouver. One of my best friends from childhood is getting married this weekend, and I leave for her wedding tomorrow to dive into my bridesmaid duties. I am not gonna lie, I am craving being at a wedding again and am so excited! But I'm really bummed to be leaving this city that I've fallen so deeply in love with. The people are nice, everyone has dogs, it's right on the water and the food is insane - the Italian cuisine especially. Tony had to shoot late last night, so I took myself out to dinner at one of our favorite locals spots, Nook. There was a chance he'd be able to meet me, so I ordered enough food for two and brought my iPad to read a book while I waited. He was never able to come, so I'm pretty sure the waitstaff thought "my husband" was an imaginary excuse to eat 2x as much food. But I don't care, I had fun drinking prosecco and shoveling pasta into my face alone. To my credit, I brought Tony's meal home for him. To their credit, I did eat all the appetizers. We'll call it even. I hope you're having a great short week! Here are a few distractions to get you through this hump day...View Article
I celebrated Labor Day by forcing my loving and supportive husband to labor over taking pictures of me for the blog. It was one of his few days off, and Vancouver is just too beautiful a city to not vogue all over it. I don't believe in fashion rules mostly because I can't remember them, and also because I'm OCD and want to continue wearing something I love even 1) when it is no longer "in fashion" or 2) if I've already worn it several times this week. SO WHAT. So, a day after Labor Day, I'm boldly going where no proper lady would go and WEARING WHITE. Lacy, fringe-y mini dress white.View Article