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
Tag Archive: bride
Tony and I got back from our honeymoon late Saturday night. It was the best trip of our lives. We went to Tahiti and stayed at The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, where we were treated like royalty. (*They know how to treat royalty, too. Jen Aniston & co. may have been staying at the Four Seasons next door while we were there, but the Princess of Qatar was staying at The St. Regis with us.) Coming off of one year, seven months and two days of wedding planning that ramped up to a feverish, dizzying speed of overwhelming joy and emotion for those last few weeks, Tony and I were exhausted. I think everyone is after a wedding. But we were so lucky that we got to take off for some R&R while my parents were still cleaning up the catering staff's cigarette butts off the beach in Tahoe (thanks again, Mom). And there is no better place in the world for rest and relaxation than Bora Bora...View Article
WE'RE MARRIED!!!!!!!!! I still can't believe it. Tony and I drove back to Los Angeles from Lake Tahoe last night, and both of us kept saying that it feels like we're playing house. We giggle every time we say "husband" or "wife." We leave for our honeymoon tonight and there is just too much to say and too many emotions to process for me to really write about the wedding yet... Plus, I still have to do laundry, pack and see if I can get my husband (HUSBAND!) to help me laser my bikini line (TMI!) So, I'm going to rip myself off and share what I wrote on my personal Facebook page yesterday, along with all of my favorite pictures from the days leading up to and following the wedding! BEST WEEK OF MY LIFE.View Article
Tony and I have been sprinting on the wedding planning hamster wheel hard as of late, and decided to take a night off to try and focus on why we wanted to get married in the first place. He treated me to a night of relaxation at Voda Spa, and I opted for the Siberian Wild Berry Scrub in hopes of getting baby butt-soft skin for the wedding. (Tony got a massage like a normal person.) My Maid of Honor Katierose turned me onto this Russian banya, and it's the only co-ed spa I've found in L.A. where we can enjoy the sauna, steam room and pool together before heading off to our respective choices of chilling out...View Article
Tony and I got in late last night from a close family friend's gorgeous wedding weekend in Colorado and we have a big meeting tomorrow that is going to force me to focus on something other than the wedding for the next 24 hours (and also shower). So, I'm going to make this brief(ish). But, I will climb onto my bridal blogger soapbox for a minute first and say this: We have less than 3 weeks until our wedding day, and the days are going by at warp speed (this is my excuse for not showering most days). There is a lot left to do, and I am a bad combination of super Type-A perfectionist and extremely disorganized. A lot of people have been asking me lately, "Are you okay?" and saying "Remember, it's supposed to be fun!" Here's the thing: It IS fun. So fun! I've loved weddings my entire life, and could not be more thrilled for my own. Especially after the last few we've attended, where I've known either the bride or groom for my entire life, which made those weddings all the more emotional and reminded me to take a minute and breathe when it comes to my own. And the old adage that guests only have as much fun as the bride and groom are having is absolutely true; I've just spent the last few weekends partying harder than I did in college with some of the happiest brides I've ever seen. So, the last thing I want is for my guests to be worried about me, or for them to watch stress wrinkles grow on my face. I want nothing more than the last year and a half of planning to result in a party where people are happy and carefree, with a drink in one hand and a jar of cake in the other, rocking out on the dance floor. Especially Tony and me...View Article
Tony and I had a relaxing Santa Barbara getaway this long weekend, where we got to recharge and watch my dear friend Berkeley (little sister of my lifelong bestie and co-MOH Jax) marry her love Jack. It was such a happy, emotional weekend; Berkeley and Jax are like family to me. I've known Berkeley since she was born. We share an obsession with rescuing and collecting homeless animals. She and Jax grew up down the street from us, and Berkeley once snuck over and tried to rollerblade away with our family's cat. My dad officiated Jax's wedding, and we were co-MOH's and co-conspirators for that epic Napa wedding. So, it was the most beautiful thing to watch her marry the sweetest, funniest man whose family adores her as much as he does (and we do).View Article
Guys, I have two words for you this Tuesday AM: WEDDING DRONES!!!!!!!! Here is video footage of the dream house that Tony and I will be getting married at EXACTLY ONE MONTH FROM TOMORROW. And yes, there WILL be drones at the wedding... Because nothing says "wedding" like DRONES, right?!?!?! (I know I'm losing my mind. I'll come back to reality August 2. Promise. Thanks for bearing with me.)View Article