Well, it's official. So long to Melissa Calcagno and hello to Melissa Ashley Mather. It has a nice ring to it. :] Tim surprised me after, a kinda blah day, last night with some of the best mail ever. Fashion magazines, and our marriage certificates!! I decided to just get up this morning and go for it. I had been not so silently dreading the name change process since I decided to make the transition. Social Security Administration, DMV, credit cards, bank accounts, 401ks, magazine subscriptions, email? It goes on and on and on. Stop for a second and think about EVERYTHING that your name is on and tell me you don't feel exhausted when faced with tackling that mess.
Luckily, the SSA in Westwood was amazing. It was clean, quick, and painless. And FREE. The office is in a semi snazzy building with one of the kindest doormen in L.A. I have ever encountered. I was in and out of there in half an hour. I get to go to the DMV next week, where I already know I have to pay $25 and probably will lose a good chunk of my day.
It's kind of worth it though, to see my married name printed out officially.
I had a pretty productive morning. After changing my name, I went and got Mila a bag of guinea pig food, a New Zealand IPA for Tim, and had a super successful TJs shopping trip. (Hydrangeas, oatmeal with flaxseed, my favorite huge bottle of unsweeted green tea, orange peach mango juice, hummus, pita bread, extra sharp cheddar cheese, seedless red grapes, vanilla Jo Jos, and mini chocolate chip cookies for Tim.)
I had a delicious and filling, but not "Ugh" inducing, lunch grazing on noms from the shopping trip and it totaled to less than 500 calories. Amazing. I'm currently alloting myself 1410 calories a day. I usually can eat a little more if I really want if I exercise. That's pretty much the calorie count I need to stay at to lose five pounds in a couple months according to MFP.
Tim and I have decided to stay in West L.A. (even though his new job is in Burbank) which means apartment redecorating! I am so excited. We're going to go look at paint colors this weekend. I really want to stay in this apartment until sometime around when (if?) we have a baby.. It just feels like home.
Tim and I have been married for 40 days and it feels like we are settled into marriage. It is beautiful, calming, secure, and I feel like I love him more and more every day. Marriage feels like this small little cocoon that we are cuddled up in and traveling through life with. I feel safe and happy and calm, but also excited, and exuberant, and hyper about it. It is two different ends of the spectrum wrapped up into one.
Last night, I was listening to Buddy Holly and Burt Bacharach when Tim cued up, "What the World Needs Now" on grooveshark and swept me up and slow danced with me in our living room. It was such an incredibly romantic moment and I hope that we are still in love like this and romantic like that when we are 105 years old.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Wedding Day Recap Part Two
In honor of the fact that yesterday was our one month wedding anniversary, I figured I should finally finish blogging about the wedding!
After Tim left Friday night, I took a bath and shower to relax and then fell asleep surprisingly quickly. On June 11th, 2011, I woke up initially around 7 a.m. and forced myself to go back to sleep since I didn't have to be at the venue until noon. I woke back up around 9 or 10 and laid in bed watching Scrubs. I fed and gave water to all the pets and headed out to Temescal around 11:15. Pretty sure I was the first person there. The park rangers wouldn't let me into my cabin until 12 noon exactly which was really frustrating. We paid enough money that I really didn't think that getting into the cabin 15 minutes early would be such a big deal, but apparently it was. Troi showed up shortly after me, followed by Cici, the amazing woman who did my hair and makeup. We had to wait outside for the ranger to come get us. I was worried about everything starting on time and started getting anxious. I also remember that it was really foggy and misty, so my hair was like 3 times it's normal size.
We finally got into the cabin and Cici immediately started prepping my hair. I was surprisingly calm over the next hour while she curled my hair into perfection. Cici was amazing and she and Troi kept me talking about non wedding subjects that whole first quiet hour when it was just the three of us.
The anxiety really started to set in around 1 P.M. when Cici started in on my makeup. She had to leave at two and I realized that my grandparents weren't there yet with my dress and veil. (I needed Cici to put my veil in for me.) Nicole and Seth showed up shortly after, but two of my bridesmaids and my bridesman were also still MIA. I also hadn't heard that Tim had arrived. Troi, being the amazing friend she is, contacted everyone and found out where and when they were arriving. Suthi, our photographer, peeked her head in and was the first to inform me that Tim was there. (Cue big sigh of relief.)
Jeremy stopped by and handed off a card to me from Tim. Tim and I wrote almost the same thing to each other in those pre wedding cards.
Brooke and the grandparents arrived around 1:30... apparently my grandma and Brooke were having wardrobe and hair issues. Kareem and my mom were next and before I knew it, I was getting in my dress! Luckily, I'm not a shy person, because I was naked except for my undies in front of a whole lotta people.
Suthi got on a golf cart with me and took me off to our First Look location where I stood so full of nervous anticipation that I thought I was going to puke. Seeing Tim for the first time that day was amazing and it instantly calmed me so much to see him and hug him. We took a bunch of pictures just the two of us... including climbing up a super steep trail because Suthi wanted the shots. The underside of my dress got filthy but I didn't even care because I was just so happy and I trust Suthi's vision so much. Besides, who can say they hiked in their wedding dress?
After our couples pictures were done, we took pictures with the bridal party and before I knew it, I was back in the cabin with all of my girls having a few minutes to ourselves before I got to walk down the aisle.
**Side note: My dress zipped in the back so I decided it was easier to just take it off every time I had to pee instead of making someone hold my dress. This was the first of three times I got naked to pee that night.
Walking down the aisle was the thing I was MOST nervous about the entire time Tim and I were engaged. Once my grandpa and I got down the hill, I wasn't nervous anymore. I didn't trip!! (Thank goodness.) When I got to the end of the actual aisle, all I saw was Tim. Seriously, the most surreal moment of my entire life. I didn't look side to side once, I just looked at him. It was over so quickly, yet it felt like the world slowed down and that moment lasted forever. I somehow don't remember seeing Jimmy, or the bridesmaids or groomsmen, or anything... my memory is just COLOR and my gorgeous man smiling at me, waiting for me. It makes me tear up just thinking about it.
The ceremony was beautiful and I am so happy that my grandpa gave me away. I am so grateful to him for it. We did a very traditional Episcopal service in a very non traditional setting. I never wanted to write my own vows. There has always been something unbelievably romantic to me about making the same promises that people in love have been making for centuries. It's unifying and timeless. My favorite part of the vows was during the exchanging of rings when Tim said to me, "Melissa, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, a token of my love and affection, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you." Ahhhh, SO beautiful. We also had Jimmy "tie the knot" and bind our hands. The blessings were beautiful. Jimmy's words about us and love being like a tree was beautiful. And Troi read "i carry your heart" to us. If I had done non traditional vows, it would have been that poem. So, with words from the Episcopal church, e e cummings, and Jimmy, Tim and I became husband and wife. ( We used the "till death do us part" instead of "as long as we both shall live")
As we walked back down the aisle, we were showered with flower petals. I was so happy when we were announced as Mr. and Mrs.
After Troi, Jeremy, and Jimmy signed the marriage license and I thanked my dad for coming, we took family pictures. I made a beeline for the cookies and pink lemonade because I hadn't eaten all day and it was now about 5 o clock. Family pictures went quickly but in the middle of them a Fire department helicopter flew over head. Apparently, a hiker got hurt so firetrucks were parked outside our reception location. I have to LAUGH about this because we were told by the rentals company that they would have to come at 6 to pick up the chairs from the ceremony site (for an extra $100) because there aren't lights up there. We decided to just have the chairs moved down to the reception site because, on top of not wanting to pay $100, we didn't want rental trucks outside our reception. Well, look what happened:
Tim and I had a few minutes to ourselves after the ceremony where we exchanged gifts. I got him a watch and he gave me a necklace and bracelet. We decided to crash cocktail hour, where our first stop was into the kitchen to say hi to our caterer, Justine, and she was so sweet and made up fresh appetizers for us. Yummy mac and cheese bites!! We nomed and drank and said hi to people.
We were announced into the reception with "I Love You More Today Than Yesterday" playing and danced our first dance to my all time favorite song, "When I Fall In Love" sung by Nat King Cole. Such a beautiful sweet dance. My grandpa and I danced to his favorite song, "Theme From A Summer Place" and Tim and his mom danced to "In My Life". The food was delicious but we barely got to eat it because we were being pulled in so many directions. Troi and Jeremy gave beautiful toasts and we had such a great time dancing. I loved our dessert bar so much. It was completely worth $1000.
We are still waiting to get pro pics back, so all the pics above are from friends and family. Wedding details below:
Venue: Temescal Gateway Park - Pacific Palisades, California
http://www.lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=58
Floral design and ribbon curtain: Peony and Plum - Culver City, California
http://peonyandplum.com/
Photography: Picotte Photography - Pasadena, California
http://picottephotography.com/
Catering: Justine's Private Cuisine - Thousand Oaks, California
http://justinesprivatecuisine.com/
Dress: Jacklyn by Alyne Bridal (purchased from Jobyna's, Glendale, California.)
http://www.alynebridal.com/
http://jobynasbridal.com/
Bride's shoes: custom made by Ken Proctor for Twig
http://twigforkids.com/
Cake and dessert bar: Fantasy Frosting - Pasadena, California
http://www.fantasyfrostings.com/
Chivari chairs and linens: Dahlia
Rentals: A Packaged Parties - Canoga Park, California
http://www.a-packagedparties.com/
Hair and makeup: Carla "Cici" Andersen for Mariah Nicole
http://ciciandersen.com/
http://mariahnicole.com/
Veil: Lili's Bridal - Tarzana, California
http://www.lilibridals.com/
Bridesmaid dresses: Alfred Angelo - Beverly Hills, California
http://www.alfredangelo.com/
Flower girl dress: J.C. Penney
http://www.jcpenney.com/jcp/default.aspx
Groom and groomsmen wear: Men's Wearhouse
http://www.menswearhouse.com/
Ceremony music: Mike Coulter and Nolan Bryan
Reception DJ and equipment: DJ Senor Amor
http://senoramor.com/
Event planning: Alexandra Rembac (Sterling Engagements)
http://www.sterlingengagements.com/
Day of Coordination: Lina Wallace (A Stunning Affair) for Sterling Engagements
http://astunningaffair.com/
Officiant: Reverend James Bartz
Save the Dates/ Reception stationery: Tim Mather
Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas
http://www.weddingpaperdivas.com/
Favors: Nature Favors
http://www.etsy.com/shop/naturefavors
Escort cards: Izze soda bottles with handwritten name tags and paper straws made by Kikkerland purchased at Urbanic, Venice, California
http://www.kikkerland.com/
http://www.urbanicdesigns.com/
After Tim left Friday night, I took a bath and shower to relax and then fell asleep surprisingly quickly. On June 11th, 2011, I woke up initially around 7 a.m. and forced myself to go back to sleep since I didn't have to be at the venue until noon. I woke back up around 9 or 10 and laid in bed watching Scrubs. I fed and gave water to all the pets and headed out to Temescal around 11:15. Pretty sure I was the first person there. The park rangers wouldn't let me into my cabin until 12 noon exactly which was really frustrating. We paid enough money that I really didn't think that getting into the cabin 15 minutes early would be such a big deal, but apparently it was. Troi showed up shortly after me, followed by Cici, the amazing woman who did my hair and makeup. We had to wait outside for the ranger to come get us. I was worried about everything starting on time and started getting anxious. I also remember that it was really foggy and misty, so my hair was like 3 times it's normal size.
We finally got into the cabin and Cici immediately started prepping my hair. I was surprisingly calm over the next hour while she curled my hair into perfection. Cici was amazing and she and Troi kept me talking about non wedding subjects that whole first quiet hour when it was just the three of us.
The anxiety really started to set in around 1 P.M. when Cici started in on my makeup. She had to leave at two and I realized that my grandparents weren't there yet with my dress and veil. (I needed Cici to put my veil in for me.) Nicole and Seth showed up shortly after, but two of my bridesmaids and my bridesman were also still MIA. I also hadn't heard that Tim had arrived. Troi, being the amazing friend she is, contacted everyone and found out where and when they were arriving. Suthi, our photographer, peeked her head in and was the first to inform me that Tim was there. (Cue big sigh of relief.)
Jeremy stopped by and handed off a card to me from Tim. Tim and I wrote almost the same thing to each other in those pre wedding cards.
Brooke and the grandparents arrived around 1:30... apparently my grandma and Brooke were having wardrobe and hair issues. Kareem and my mom were next and before I knew it, I was getting in my dress! Luckily, I'm not a shy person, because I was naked except for my undies in front of a whole lotta people.
Suthi got on a golf cart with me and took me off to our First Look location where I stood so full of nervous anticipation that I thought I was going to puke. Seeing Tim for the first time that day was amazing and it instantly calmed me so much to see him and hug him. We took a bunch of pictures just the two of us... including climbing up a super steep trail because Suthi wanted the shots. The underside of my dress got filthy but I didn't even care because I was just so happy and I trust Suthi's vision so much. Besides, who can say they hiked in their wedding dress?
After our couples pictures were done, we took pictures with the bridal party and before I knew it, I was back in the cabin with all of my girls having a few minutes to ourselves before I got to walk down the aisle.
**Side note: My dress zipped in the back so I decided it was easier to just take it off every time I had to pee instead of making someone hold my dress. This was the first of three times I got naked to pee that night.
Walking down the aisle was the thing I was MOST nervous about the entire time Tim and I were engaged. Once my grandpa and I got down the hill, I wasn't nervous anymore. I didn't trip!! (Thank goodness.) When I got to the end of the actual aisle, all I saw was Tim. Seriously, the most surreal moment of my entire life. I didn't look side to side once, I just looked at him. It was over so quickly, yet it felt like the world slowed down and that moment lasted forever. I somehow don't remember seeing Jimmy, or the bridesmaids or groomsmen, or anything... my memory is just COLOR and my gorgeous man smiling at me, waiting for me. It makes me tear up just thinking about it.
We were announced into the reception with "I Love You More Today Than Yesterday" playing and danced our first dance to my all time favorite song, "When I Fall In Love" sung by Nat King Cole. Such a beautiful sweet dance. My grandpa and I danced to his favorite song, "Theme From A Summer Place" and Tim and his mom danced to "In My Life". The food was delicious but we barely got to eat it because we were being pulled in so many directions. Troi and Jeremy gave beautiful toasts and we had such a great time dancing. I loved our dessert bar so much. It was completely worth $1000.
We are still waiting to get pro pics back, so all the pics above are from friends and family. Wedding details below:
Venue: Temescal Gateway Park - Pacific Palisades, California
http://www.lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=58
Floral design and ribbon curtain: Peony and Plum - Culver City, California
http://peonyandplum.com/
Photography: Picotte Photography - Pasadena, California
http://picottephotography.com/
Catering: Justine's Private Cuisine - Thousand Oaks, California
http://justinesprivatecuisine.com/
Dress: Jacklyn by Alyne Bridal (purchased from Jobyna's, Glendale, California.)
http://www.alynebridal.com/
http://jobynasbridal.com/
Bride's shoes: custom made by Ken Proctor for Twig
http://twigforkids.com/
Cake and dessert bar: Fantasy Frosting - Pasadena, California
http://www.fantasyfrostings.com/
Chivari chairs and linens: Dahlia
Rentals: A Packaged Parties - Canoga Park, California
http://www.a-packagedparties.com/
Hair and makeup: Carla "Cici" Andersen for Mariah Nicole
http://ciciandersen.com/
http://mariahnicole.com/
Veil: Lili's Bridal - Tarzana, California
http://www.lilibridals.com/
Bridesmaid dresses: Alfred Angelo - Beverly Hills, California
http://www.alfredangelo.com/
Flower girl dress: J.C. Penney
http://www.jcpenney.com/jcp/default.aspx
Groom and groomsmen wear: Men's Wearhouse
http://www.menswearhouse.com/
Ceremony music: Mike Coulter and Nolan Bryan
Reception DJ and equipment: DJ Senor Amor
http://senoramor.com/
Event planning: Alexandra Rembac (Sterling Engagements)
http://www.sterlingengagements.com/
Day of Coordination: Lina Wallace (A Stunning Affair) for Sterling Engagements
http://astunningaffair.com/
Officiant: Reverend James Bartz
Save the Dates/ Reception stationery: Tim Mather
Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas
http://www.weddingpaperdivas.com/
Favors: Nature Favors
http://www.etsy.com/shop/naturefavors
Escort cards: Izze soda bottles with handwritten name tags and paper straws made by Kikkerland purchased at Urbanic, Venice, California
http://www.kikkerland.com/
http://www.urbanicdesigns.com/
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