THE WHITE AISLE

We've Moved!

2009-12-16T11:30:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's just that I'm an idiot and couldn't figure out how to use blogspot properly, but I've never been able to get things to look the way I'd like to. So.... I've moved the blog to a new domain where I have some more control over the layout. Please check out our brand new site at : http://www.whiteaisleweddings.com/ . I'm still playing with some of the settings, but new posts are going up. See you over there....

It Runs in the Family

2009-12-14T10:22:00.000-05:00

The holidays this year have been a little weird for me. Usually I'm into the holiday spirit on a level that drives Dade nuts. I listen to Bing Crosby all day, have the house lit up before the turkey has cooled off on Thanksgiving, and I always throw a holiday bash. This year... I don't know. Maybe it's just the side effects from the new meds which are slowing me down, but I'm just a little overwhelmed. I feel like Thanksgiving and Christmas are about a week apart. I got an email from a bride last week who said, "Sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. I tend to get wedding-planning-overload and then I just stop thinking about everything that has to be done for a week or two." That's me! That's my holiday experience, 2009! I've tried to plan the party, but it's just not coming together. I try to shop! I open windows in my browser for 3 or 4 stores, hop back and forth adding things to my cart and then close everything and walk away without having accomplished anything. I have to snap out of it! It's time to get jolly.

Anyhow, one of my go to places (and I'm sure one of yours) is etsy for those unique gifts. Turns out that the love of all things vintage seems to run in my family. My sister has been an avid collector and seller of antiques in the Baltimore area for years. She recently started making pendants out of vintage buttons and has now opened up an etsy shop. For those of you looking for last minute gifts or whimsical bridesmaid accessories, check out her store : Deer in the Headlights.

Stephanie + Scott | Part 2

2009-12-10T13:14:00.001-05:00

As promised, here are the portraits and reception pics from yesterday's featured wedding. How incredible are the horses? All photographs by Sarah Dicicco...

Stephanie + Scott | Part 1

2009-12-09T15:13:00.000-05:00

This event was so gorgeous that there's no way I can pack it into one post. Stephanie and Scott got married last August in the garden of Knowlton Mansion in Philadelphia. The bride was truly a joy to work with, and I must say she stuck with me while I was going through treatment last Spring. I have a giant appreciation for that. Their invites featured a bee on them which was perfectly fitting as they are beekeepers! (Check out their homemade favors.) Their photographer, Sarah Dicicco, did an amazing job of capturing the event. The flowers and gown are stunning, but I think most vibrant of all are the smiles! Wait until you see the portraits tomorrow...

Jael + Patrick | Keyport, NJ

2009-12-07T12:51:00.000-05:00

I'm ready for the weekend! We've got friends flying in from Miami today, and a huge dinner planned tonight. Before I get out of the office, I wanted to share another wedding with you. We were lucky enough to provide some of the reception stationery for the event. Looks like it was a blast! All photos by Davina + Daniel photography.

White Aisle | Sale

2009-12-02T19:06:00.005-05:00

Ready for more excuses? Well, they're actually pretty good this time around! Turns out those little pink pills I've been taking seem to be working. I'm 2 weeks in, and we are seeing tumors shrinking under my skin. Now the race begins.... Can my immune system kill the last cancer cell before my body figures out another way to produce them. We're "cautiously optimistic." Actually, we're super excited. It's the most promising "shrinkage" we've seen.

Anyhoo... one of the side effects I've been experiencing is joint pain. Actually, I can't bend 3 of my fingers on my left hand today. It's been keeping me from typing unless it's really necessary. Thus... the excuse for the poor blogging.

While I sort out the joints, I did have one thing to announce. A sale... We're offering a 10% discount on all thermography invites this month. We're also going to start running a 25%-50% off sale on letterpress thank you notes and imprintable invites in a few days. Stay tuned...

New Invitation Design | London

2009-11-24T15:18:00.005-05:00

It's been a very productive few days around here. This is always our slowest month of the year, so it time to catch up on maintaining the website, take on some new projects and add to the stationery line. I'm excited to have finally finished putting together a lookbook of custom orders we've taken over the years and added it to the website. You can see it here. It was a trip down memory lane.

Next up I've been commissioned by a few clients to create holiday cards. These turned out to be my favorites. I just love this imagery. I've used it before for party invites, and it always look great in letterpress.

Since I've always wanted to turn this image into an invite, I finally sat down and just did it. Here she is...

New Invitation Design | Bloom

2009-11-19T07:38:00.002-05:00

Brand new for 2010... I think this is a great match for an outdoor garden event. It's slightly rustic, but still very romantic.

Instant Gratification is Back

2009-11-18T15:19:00.004-05:00

I don't know about you, but I've always loved a good instant photo. Yes, you can Photoshop your digital image to have the same "look" but I don't know if they will ever have the same feel. Can you join me in welcoming the Fuji Instax Instant Camera? Certainly fun to pass around a few hours into the wedding reception.

I'm on "The Pill"

2009-11-18T14:38:00.004-05:00

That's them! 4 pretty pink pills twice a day. I started the new clinical trial yesterday morning, and so far haven't been feeling any side effects. It's exciting! I go in for more scans in 6 weeks and we've got our fingers crossed that we'll start seeing some results.

Cathy Waterman Jewels

2009-11-16T14:51:00.007-05:00

You've probably seen them wrapped around celebs at the Oscar's, but have you ever taken a close up look at Cathy Waterman's collections of rings? The detailing is amazing. They have such an organic feel mixed with a little bit of vintage and a little bit of modern. It just works!

Another company I love who sell rings with a much smaller price tag, but also an organic vibe is Sundance. Check out a few of their pieces for this season...

New Invitation Design | Milan

2009-11-13T16:54:00.004-05:00

Here's our third new design for the 2010 season. I love the imagery. It's vintage, it's lace ... it's got little feathers in it. If only I could find this in wallpaper form.

New Invitation Design | Twilight

2009-11-12T13:35:00.004-05:00

While on safari in September, I decided I really wanted to create an invitation for next season which reflected the night sky. It took me a little while to figure out how best to do this, but I'm really happy with the results. I think this invitation is a little more whimsical than most of our collection, and I can't wait to see the final version printed with litle silver and gold stars.

New Invitation Design | Los Angeles

2009-11-11T16:34:00.005-05:00

I'll be rolling out the new designs for 2010 over the next few weeks. The first was added to the website today. We named her Los Angeles since she's covered with bling. Actually the imagery is all vintage jewelry pieces. I kind of want to wear this...

I'm Inside My Email

2009-11-05T07:24:00.013-05:00

So, slightly random but my face turned up in my email today. When I was a lot younger, I was a model (a.k.a. I was going through that whole... "I don't know what I want to be when I grow up even though I just left college" phase.) I still have my mother agency in Boston, and recently booked a job for Rue La La. Was I the last person to hear about them? I'm pretty sure...

When I showed up there were racks of designer clothing and accessories scattered all over the studio, and I started drooling over the Valentino gowns. It's a giant sample sale! If you've never been to their website, it's "invitation only" but what that really means is that you get an email from a friend, click on the link and join. It's free, and your friend gets $10 credit if you buy something, thus encouraging everyone to spread the word. I tell you, I'm not in this for the $10. I was just really impressed by the bling and the beauty of some of the items they carry and thought you all might find something perfect for your wedding. The catch is that much like a sample sale, there are limited quantities on these items and limited time to buy. A "boutique" is only open for a few days, so you have to snatch things up quick.

How about this Erickson Beamon diamond ring? Was $25,000 marked down to $7,000.

or this Vera Wang bracelet? Retails for $1550, marked down to $400.

The sales aren't limited to clothing and accessories. They also sell discount vacation and spa packages. How about manicures and pedicures for 3 people at Spa Chakra in NYC? Usually $360, on sale for $239...

They have new designer shops opening every weekday online. Feel free to use my email to join up, or ask your friends if they have an account so that you can share the wealth.

Lace and Beads and Sparkle, Oh My...

2009-11-05T07:15:00.002-05:00

You know how I love anything vintage inspired that sparkles, so how could I not fall in love with our newest jewelry designer? All of these new pieces are hand made in Israel and have just been added to the website...

Kaja + Dan | Washington, D.C.

2009-11-03T08:04:00.016-05:00

Where to being with this wedding... Kaja first contacted us last June about doing invitations for her wedding which would be held at The Swedish Embassy, Washington D.C. in September. She was really open to ideas, but had a great sense of style. After seeing the photos from the event, it all makes sense! How incredible are these?

photography: Stephen Bobb of Love Life Images
wedding coordinator: Leslie Weekes of Leslie-Manning Events

Just call me "Muto"

2009-10-27T09:56:00.009-04:00

Posting has been pretty light lately. Sorry about that (again.) It's been another round of medical madness these last few weeks. So, what's the story? I had my last scans prior to leaving for Africa and basically nothing had changed. Same results... a couple of things were smaller, a couple slightly larger, most were unchanged. To be honest, I was pretty disappointed. I really felt like the IL-2 had been working and then just slowed to a crawl. I had been under the impression that with IL-2 it was an all or nothing deal, and when I saw a few tumors go away, I'd always figured the rest would follow... right?

Three days into our vacation I found a new lump in my breast. A week after that, I found a new one on my left hip. A week after that, something tiny in my right breast. The writing was on the wall. We came back from the trip and I had scans a few days later. Luckily everything new seems to be in soft tissue (aka not in my organs,) but because anything new is developing it's time for a new plan.

There is a new drug that is currently in Phase 1 of clinical trials called Plexxikon. About half of all melanoma patients have a certain mutation in their cancer cells. This drug is supposed to stop your body from producing that cell. So far they've seen a response in about 70% of patients. That is a huge number! So... we had my tissue tested, and I'm a match for the mutation. I'll be heading back into the hospital Wednesday for more scans, blood work .... running the whole obstacle course, but in the end I'll be starting a trial where ... wait for it .... I TAKE A PILL! That's right, no shots in different states, no inpatient week long visits .... pills twice a day which I can take at home. Can you image being able to manage cancer with a pill? As long as I don't show disease progression, they'll keep me on it. It's not a cure, but it has the potential to keep things in check until a cure is found. I just have to make it to that finish line.

Along with the new drug plan, I've also taken on a new diet. No, it's not for weight loss. While in Africa I met with a traditional healer and she really emphasized nutrition in terms of getting myself cancer-free again. It's something that I can do for myself and feel like I have a bit of control over this situation. So, Dade and I have gone granola. I've given up as many processed foods as I can. I've not had a coke in weeks (the horror.) I'm juicing. Carrots have become my new cookie, and beets are my new potato chips. We're buying from local farms. I thought it would be harder than it is. To be honest, other than having a coke a day I've never been a huge junk food eater, but I've never gone organic either. It's a little bit of a mission thinking about everything I eat rather than just eating without thinking, but I'm starting to get it... Hopefully, combined with my normal work out routine this new diet supports my immune system to be able to fight harder, and encourages cancer cells to die.

So... that's my body in a nut shell. I have photos from 4 weddings I'm in love with sitting on my desktop ready to post, as well as fun new items, info on our upcoming sale and on and on... I'm on a mission. I'm going to get these posts up! Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Jessica + Felix | Bayville, New York

2009-10-14T14:52:00.007-04:00

As I've mentioned before, one of the greatest parts of my job is getting photos back from our clients. We LOVE to see where these items end up! I was delighted to return to the office last week and find an email waiting for me from one of our favorite brides from last Summer, Jessica. She and her fiance Felix were married last July at The Crescent Beach Club in Bayville, New York.

A note about Jessica's dress. Her mother has worked with the lovely Nicole Miller for over 15 years, so naturally she knew which designer she was heading to when she got engaged. The gown was custom made for her by Nicole (who was also a wedding guest) and will be a part of her 2010 Bridal Collection. How cool is that? All photos below courtesy of Duet Photography.

Photo Editing for Fun

2009-10-12T11:12:00.005-04:00

One of the first things I do after a trip is start the tedious task of going through photos. We take more frames on vacation than more weddings. I think this time around we blew through 15,000. It's easy to do in certain situations! Anyhow, so that they don't just sit in my computer I start flipping through them right away, narrowing them down to the best and then making folders on my desktop for the best shots in each location. The goal is to put together a coffee table book (I use blurb.com) that we can pick up anytime.

I know that many of you want to be able to edit your photos from your weddings to do the same exact thing with. I started thinking about the most cost-effective way for people to do this last night and realized you can really get very professional results for free these days.

Step #1: Download a 30 day free trial of Photoshop on the adobe website, and install it

Step #2: Download groups of "actions" (the wondrous filtering and lighting techniques that make all those photos you swoon over look so amazing) via Pioneer Woman Photography

Step #3 : install the actions and have a ball...

Here are a few results I got this morning. Sorry, I didn't have any wedding related images on hand so you'll have to bear with me ...

You can see many of the orginals below. I like both, but for variety when you're putting a book together I love these actions!

My Favorite New Show

2009-10-11T10:16:00.001-04:00

Up until yesterday I was pretty sure that travel writer would be my dream job. Now, I'm not so sure. Man Shops Globe on The Sundance Channel follows Keith Johnson, a buyer for Anthropologie, as he travels the world looking for unique pieces. If you're as big a fan of the store as I am, tune in!!

Jambo

2009-10-08T15:29:00.007-04:00

4 glorious weeks!!! I can't believe we're back home. I think we covered just about everything we did over on our travel blog, but I've included a few snapshots from our journey below. For anyone trying to figure out a memorable honeymoon destination, South Africa has definitely cruised to the top of my list. If you want any info, contact me anytime for recommendations.

For now, the office is open for business as usual though my brain is still on African time. I was up at 4am and will be shocked if I'm awake past 8 tonight. A new collection of invitations will be unveiled next month with proceeds going towards a couple of NGO's we were lucky enough to find along the way. We'll also be starting a new collaboration with the women of the Masai tribe in Kenya and Tanzania, and will be selling jewelry pieces that they hand craft for weddings. That should be up and running around the holidays.

New wedding related posts coming up tomorrow...

Gone till October...

2009-09-07T07:31:00.011-04:00

Well... it's finally here. We're a few hours away from leaving for the airport. Neither of us has slept in days due to a ridiculous level of excitement. First stop, Cairo. I won't be updating this blog while we're gone unless we stumble upon a wedding (which we tend to do,) but if you'd like to follow us through Africa we do keep a personal travel blog. Feel free to stop by! We're sure to have some very interesting adventures. We're back on the 5th of October and will officially reopen on the 6th. Thanks for everyone's fun and supportive emails over the last few months of planning!

Debbie + Cara | Wallkill, New York

2009-09-05T10:59:00.016-04:00

One of the joys of Facebook for me is getting to hijack photos from my friend's weddings. Yesterday I logged on to find my friend Debbie had posted her wedding album. I immediately sent the "can I post your photos on the blog?" request, and she accepted. She and Cara were married last June at a B&B called Audrey's Farmhouse in Wallkill, NY. I look at a lot of pictures from weddings, but I thought that their photographer, Cappy Hotchkiss really captured the true joy of the day in a way that made me feel like I was there.

Debbie also hipped me to the existence of a great planning site I'd never heard of: So You're Engayged . She did some blogging for them if you'd like to hear some more about her planning process. Much luck and love to them...

Adrienne + Vincent | The Way After Shoot

2009-09-02T12:17:00.006-04:00

I was happy to recently receive an email from the lovely Adrienne of Bespoke Affairs with a link to the incredible images of her "Day After Shoot" (which was actually many months after) turned Trash the Dress shoot. You may remember her wedding which we featured back in May. The gorgeous gown ... the veil ... oooh ahhh. Well, I think photographer Danny Weiss did an incredible job of capturing them all over again. Enjoy...

and then the rain came...

The Bathing Suit Quest

2009-09-01T11:06:00.008-04:00

Dade and I keep playing a game we like to call, "Where will you be next week?" My answer today is Cairo. Have I mentioned that the average temperature in Egypt in September is 95 degrees? A bathing suit will be in order for a dip at the end of the day. For me shopping for swimwear is difficult, as I'm sure it is for many, many people, but I have really specific "problems."

The first of these is that I have gigantic scars on my back from the rounds of surgery I've had over the last 5 years. If sun meets scars, the result is horrible purple and red lines forever. I have to keep my lower back covered. Bye bye bikini. Next up I have a new scar on my collarbone, and one on my hip. Bye bye anything strapless or cut too short. Next, I basically burn if I think about the sun, so lots of coverage along with SPF 70+ is a must. Bye bye anything plunging and strappy. This basically leaves me with a retro style one piece. The good news is that I gravitate towards these anyway. Here were my contenders.

From http://www.anthropologie.com/

From http://www.victoriassecret.com/

From http://www.nordstrom.com/

In the end, I went with this Juicy Couture suit in aqua. I found it in a store for 1/2 price which was a bonus. I love that I can get a coordinating cover up (Nordstrom) to ensure as much sun protection as humanly possible.

An Update and Our New Gold Jewels

2009-08-31T16:00:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it's the end of August already. It's been a crazy few weeks! We are officially leaving for Africa in seven days which is incredibly exciting and a little stressful at the same time. We put the banner on the website at the beginning of the month letting people know we'd be closed for most of September and were then very happily slammed with orders. We'll be spending the bulk of this week finishing those up, and then trying to figure out how to pack four weeks worth of clothing (and shoes) into a backpack.

I also went in for another round of scans a couple of weeks ago and got results last Tuesday. It looks like the bulk of the nodes they've been following are stable or shrinking. However, I do have one in my breast which is appearing somewhat larger. We think it may have been swollen when the scan was given due to me injuring it somehow, so my doctor is hesitant to count it in the overall results. Hopefully that's the case. In the end I was told to go on vacation and come back in for more tests in 7 weeks. It's tough going through this every couple of months because of course we just want to hear, "the treatment has worked!" That said, we're really, really grateful to be getting the results we are.

So... on to wedding related stuff. I just found a new jewelry line which I'm in love with. We're going to begin carrying it as soon as we reopen in October. All of the items are hand crafted using 24k gold, pink gold and freshwater pearls. Here is a preview...

Friends and Family Invites

2009-08-20T16:34:00.005-04:00

I guess it's probably obvious that whenever one of my friends or family members is celebrating an event I jump in and offer to do the invites. I would be a pretty crappy friend if I didn't, right? I always think it's fun to work on these projects since I know the people well and can often get a little more create with the design. These are 2 invite orders I just finished up:

The first was a variation on our Luxe invites. I made these for a high school friend that I'd lost touch with for a few years. We live on opposite coasts, but we can still chat like we bumped into each other yesterday. One of the things I know is that she loves her pup Leo like a child. I was able to adapt a photo of him to use alongside the "deliver to" address on the reply envelopes. She also needed to bring in something to reflect her fiance's Taiwanese heritage, so we opted for a double happiness symbol tucked into the reply set. The tree imagery was reflective of a drawing her brother had once given to her a gift. When everything was stacked together I think it all "worked" and best of all really reflect the couple and will mean something to them.

The second order is for a close friend celebrating her son's Christening this Fall. She's a super stylish Mom and I think the simple, slightly retro motif (complete with the babies spiky hair) in this suites her perfectly.

Wedding On The Nile?

2009-08-17T17:13:00.007-04:00

Today I was bumming around Trip Advisor trying to figure out how I can book a felucca (Egyptian sail boat) ride on the Nile next month when I stumbled upon what might be a perfect venue for a super tiny wedding. How romantic would it be to exchange your vows at sunset while cruising past some of the most important and scenic locations on earth? Check out The Glory of Nubia:

Lusting For Vintage Luggage

2009-08-12T13:33:00.005-04:00

I should tell you up front that I'm really not a girl who goes crazy for handbags. I couldn't name you the brands of most of the purses I own, and the bulk I bought for next to nothing in a market in Bangkok years ago. This also goes for luggage. I buy them cheap and bang them up. That attitude momentarily went straight out the window just about 4 years ago when Dade and I were in Singapore and we ended up at the Samsonite store after having the infamous Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel bar. Does anyone else remember when the "Vintage" line of their Black Label came out? Oooooooh ahhhhhhhhh. I wanted to buy the entire set on the spot, but the price tags stopped me. Even the adorable little retro hat box bags were $500+ and I couldn't figure out anything practical I'd be able to pack in them.

Well, I begrudgingly held out and yesterday, thanks to our nasty economy, I found the suitcase I'd always wanted sitting at my local Samsonite store in Salem, NH for 80% off. It was all alone saying "please take me home." What could I do? Dade told me it could be an early birthday present. I am now a very proud suitcase mama.

I'm not posting about this just to brag about my shopping conquest. I know a lot of you are planning honeymoons, and you may need some luggage. I'm here to tell you to hit your mall because there are amazing finds to be had. The price I got yesterday is half of the best price I found shopping online, and they were thanking me for buying it! I also ended up paying the same price for a piece I love as I would have any normal hard sided suitcase, possibly less. So... I hope this leads to you guys finding a few scores of your own.

New DIY Menus (and Invites)

2009-08-12T08:00:00.007-04:00

The summer is flying and the blogging has been slow going. Sorry! Between making plans to close down this Fall for our trip to Africa and trying to develop new ideas for stationery, well, the blog unfortunately has taken a hit. However, I will have a few new posts coming up this week including an amazing Day After shoot with an accidental dress trashing! Until then, I wanted to share our new DIY menu cards. They match our place cards and table cards, and are available in every design offered for our invitation collection. They are also 5"x 7" and will fit A7 envelopes for those looking for DIY invites for showers or rehearsals.

Apparently, I'm a Good Wife

2009-07-28T08:00:00.006-04:00

So... Dade had a birthday a couple of weeks ago. In our relationship it's him instead of me that won't disclose his age, and usually he dreads birthdays. This year we'd originally planned to go to New York for the weekend and splurge at a few restaurants we've been wanting to try, but when we started making plans I realized that he just wanted to hang out at home and have some BBQ. Fine by me!

We invited a small group of friends over, dragged out the pig roasting box to make some ribs in, and bought the fight to have playing on the TV (UFC 100 ... yes, I am a girl and I love Ultimate Fighting. Whole other topic.) So when did I earn the title of great wife? When I whipped out the surprise present a couple of hours before people arrived. Meet our outdoor, inflatable movie screen.

Mmmm hmmmm.... that is a 12 foot high piece of lawn art! They're a lot like those inflatable Santa's you can get at Christmas. A fan blows it up. We hooked up our Wii to a projector and a couple of speakers, and just like that we had a bowling alley in our backyard. BBQ, beers, a fire pit and bowling makes Dade a happy birthday boy.

Hot off the Press

2009-07-28T07:53:00.005-04:00

My excuse for not posting more often... Here are a few of my favorite invites we've just completed.

Venice in mango and purple

Manhattan in sky blue and plum

Vintage in cocoa and purple

Please someone post a link to the reception video...

2009-07-24T16:03:00.003-04:00

This may or may not be your vision of how you'll enter your wedding ceremony, but it has to put a smile on your face. Happy Friday...

Emma Cassi

2009-07-20T18:32:00.004-04:00

Long time no blog huh? Sorry I've been MIA. I have 2 excuses, the first being that I've been on work overload, and the second is that Dade's birthday was last week. There was a party. I'll share photos tomorrow because I think I have to show the world how I got labeled "the most amazing wife ever." Until then I wanted to post some new photos I found over on Emma Cassi's blog. If you've never been to her site, she is an incredible jewelry designed. I bought a bracelet from her a couple of years ago made of lace and tiny silver beads. I love it! Anyhow... she's coming out with a line of gorgeous headbands this Fall and I thought there may be more than a few of you that would love to rock one of these!

Tami + Jeremy : Part 2

2009-07-06T11:11:00.008-04:00

As promised, here are some reception photos from this incredible event.

Tami's gown : Jenny Packham
The head piece : Maria Elena
Flowers: Bart Krogman from The Daisy Basket in Columbus, Ohio.
Venue: Franklin Park Conservatory
Photography: Red Gallery Photography
Calligraphy: Debi Zeinert from The Blooming Quill

Stationery: The White Aisle

Tami + Jeremy : Part 1

2009-07-02T16:27:00.010-04:00

I know you guys are going to LOVE this wedding as much as I do. It's got so much of that vintage charm we all dream of. Wait until you see the bride's headband! We were lucky enough to work with the bride and the mother of the bride on their reception stationery and were beaming when we saw the results. Take a look at the pre-ceremony and ceremony photos:

Tami's gown : Jenny Packham

The head piece : Maria Elena
Flowers: Bart Krogman from The Daisy Basket in Columbus, Ohio.

Ceremonial Consultant: Bobbie Izeman

Venue: Franklin Park Conservatory

Photography: Red Gallery Photography

Part 2 with all of the reception pics to follow tomorrow...

Screw It, We're Going...

2009-07-02T13:01:00.004-04:00

After a couple of calls to our team of doctor's in Boston yesterday, the trip is back on... We figure the benefit of having something to look forward to outweighs the potential delay of a couple of weeks in starting another course of treatment. Feel like having a great 80's flashback? How many times do you think I can play this song today?

The Results Are In ... sort of

2009-07-01T12:00:00.004-04:00

The good news is that there is no bad news. The bad news is that things are still a little up in the air. First, the really, really good stuff. These new scans confirmed that the node that was in my lungs is gone. The tumor behind my kidney, the one behind my liver and the one in my breast have all decreased in size "significantly." This means that all of the disease that we really thought was most threatening is reacting and shrinking.

Now for the confusing bit. I still have little nodes hanging out right underneath of my skin. A couple seem to be getting a little smaller, some are stable and a couple may be getting slightly larger. Usually these are the first nodes to react to treatment, and then the interior disease follows. I see to be working in reverse which is par for the course in my experience with melanoma. Nothing has followed any of the normal "rules."

So.... the verdict is, they aren't ready to stick me in for round 2 of treatment just yet. They want me to wait another 8 weeks, have more scans, and make a decision on what to do then. They'd really like to see everything reacting and shrinking by that time.

Overall, we're extremely happy. I know from a rational standpoint that this is really great news which I should be jumping for joy over (and have.) From an emotional standpoint, I've got some mixed feelings which I'm sure will pass given a little time. Living scan to scan is no way to live and we just added 2 more months to the timeline. I had hoped to start round 2 of treatment next week, have time to recover and then look forward to a vacation this Fall. It's just not happening. Yes, I realize that Africa will always be there, but it is difficult when you are in a situation like this to think of "next year." We've learned to live day to day, not year to year. Again, I know the emotion will pass in a couple of days. For today, I'm just letting things sink in, and appreciating all of the wonderful news that came out of this. Thanks again for all of the support out there.

P.S. I have a gorgeous wedding to share with you all tomorrow.... No more of the medical posts for awhile.

Finger's Crossed ....

2009-06-29T16:53:00.006-04:00

So, tomorrow is THE day. It's been 8 weeks since I finished my two week course of IL-2 and tomorrow we find out if it's working. Have I mentioned that I can actually feel most of the tumors in my body? Mmm hmmm. Think of sitting at your desk, having an itch, not really thinking about it and scratching it but woops .... there's that pesky cancer. They're like little kidney beans just hanging out. It's a blessing and a curse. It seems that the melanoma nodes keep moving and shifting closer to my skin, which is great because it would make them fairly simple to remove and it makes me think that my body is trying to push this out of my system somehow. Of course it also makes me slowly lose my mind. I spent a sizable amount of time this morning feeling myself up and going back and forth ... "I think it really does seem much smaller than it was 4 weeks ago." "Wait, maybe it's just shifted position and now I can't feel the whole thing." This goes on for a few minutes and then I realize I'm driving myself completely, certifiably nuts. In 24 hours we'll know, and until then no matter how much groping I do I just won't be able to figure it all out.

So.... we're hoping for "shrinkage" or at least stability again. Let's be honest, I'm looking for results! I'm hoping that they tell me it's clear that the IL-2 is working, and I sign up to start another round next week. I can't tell you how badly I want to do it all over again! I've never looked forward to feeling like crap so much in my life. So tomorrow, keep your fingers crossed for us. Say a prayer to whichever God you pray to. I don't turn down any kind of faith. I had a friend bribe a priest in Brazil apparently on my behalf a few years ago when she found out I'd been diagnosed. They had a quick ceremony, lit some candles, some money passed hands and she told me I'd be fine ... that we should just samba. All positive thoughts are welcome! Hopefully my next update will have dates that we'll be closed so that we can finally kick the crap out of this once and for all and move on.

Oh... here's my favorite new t-shirt:

Inspired by "The Butt Dance"

2009-06-25T10:48:00.017-04:00

Anyone else out there addicted to "So You Think You Can Dance?" I've never missed an episode. I danced when I was younger, and will literally watch anything (no matter how bad or cliche the plot is) that involves great choreography. This week I found myself hitting rewind on the Tivo for yet another Mia Michaels routine .... the "butt dance." Yes, she used the butt as inspiration. It wasn't really the butt that got me inspired, it was the music and costuming. I love that vintage, 1940's lingerie, French kind of charm. This lead me to a inspiration board:

1st row: Bleu garters, vintage French mirror, Elie Saab dress, image from The Paris Apartment

2nd row: Reem Acra gown, vintage Vogue pattern, Vogue images

3rd row: Vogue, The Paris Apartment

... and this lead me to a new invite design

which I'd love to mail out with a thin lace beaded ribbon wrapped around it...

Planning For Africa

2009-06-25T08:37:00.017-04:00

So I finally did it... we pulled the trigger this morning and have booked our trip to Africa this Fall. Late-September cannot come soon enough! We haven't taken a vacation in a couple of years, and after all of the medical drama this is truly needed. For anyone thinking of going to Africa for their honeymoon, I have a few planning secrets to share!

Our trip is going to be 4 full weeks (Sept. 20-Oct. 17) which also just so happens to coincide with our slow time of year. I wanted to start in Cape Town as it's an easy city to get to, and from everything I've read, it's a great way to ease yourself into Africa. We'll be flying via Amsterdam or Dubai depending on pricing (I'm trying to finagle a business class flight for the longest leg on Emirates Airline.) I've been using http://www.kayak.com/ to compare rates over the last couple of months. They're a great resource, and you can then book your flights directly with the airlines. From Boston, the trip should take about 20 hours. Not too bad ... our last trip to Asia wound up taking 43 hours each way. I just keep reminding myself of that.

I started mapping out the route we're going to take about 4 months ago (6+ months before the trip.) Safaris book up early at the best camps even in a slow economy, and there are many people who book more than a year in advance. I decided the best route for us would be:

Cape Town, South Africa

Franschhoek, South Africa (wine country)

Kruger National Park, South Africa (safari)

Livingstone, Zambia (Victoria Falls)

Day trip to the Zimbabwe side of the Falls

Johannesburg, South Africa (transiting for one night)

Nairobi, Kenya

Masai Mara, Kenya (to see the great migration)

Zanzibar, Tanzania

This route allows us to fly directly back home from Zanzibar rather than having to head back to Cape Town first. It also limits the amount of days we'll spend traveling from place to place, and it allowed us to wind up at Victoria Falls for the full moon. You're supposed to be able to see a lunar rainbow at night.

The other reason for the route is that it allowed us to take advantage of package deals. How do you find the deals? I subscribe to Travel and Leisure and Conde Naste Traveler. I started by sitting down one day and tearing out every single article I could find on South or Eastern Africa, as well as every "top 100" or "top 50" list for the last couple of years. I wrote down the hotels, resorts and tour companies that made multiple appearances. Never assume that just because a property is in one of those magazines that it's out of your budget. For instance, I found that the Westin Hotel in Cape Town is on multiple top 10 lists, but is $144 a night for a deluxe room. Le Grande Roche (right outside of Cape Town) is ranked the 2nd best hotel in the world! It's $245 a night. Not bad!

I got online in search of luxury safari companies running sales. http://www.luxurylink.com/ gave me a lot of clues. If you hit their site (they also have travel packages and info for other regions of the world,) you'll see which hotels and companies are offering specials. My thought was, you don't offer up packages for auction on a website unless you're a little flexible on price! That's how I decided our best bet was a company called AndBeyond.

A little time spent searching http://www.andbeyond.com/ surfaced all kinds of discount offers, but the key is the time of year. For instance, they are running a Stay for 3 nights / pay for 2 nights special in their South African lodges, but the special ends Oct. 1. I planned the trip so that we would be checking into their Ngala Lodge Sept 29 and out Oct 2 so that we would qualify. I can't imagine the game viewing is that much better Oct 1st than it is Sept 30th. We also signed on for a package in Masai Mara, Kenya at Kichwa Tembo where they were able to throw in free flights to and from the safari camp, and they were able to give us off season rates on 2 nights at their higher-end camp because they did not have availability at the camp we'd originally requested. These little discounts added up to saving us thousands of dollars in the end. Safaris are all priced per person, so costs rise very, very fast. However, we did say when we decided to do this that it's probably a once in a lifetime opportunity and a place to splurge. Doesn't everyone want to have the Out of Africa experience at some point in life.

The other place we saved money was in all the little extras. By using the forums of Trip Advisor and Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree I was able to find the best way to rent cars, book airport transfers, and find low cost airlines that the sites like Expedia don't search for our shorter flights between countries. I was also able to find little gems like where to book a Malay cooking class in Cape Town, or where to book a "Jazz Safari" where you go to the townships at night, have dinner at a local musicians home and then go out on the town to dance till 2AM. Those are the experiences I can't wait to have! I'm in search of the local medicine man!

Where are you going on your next trip? Any suggestions for finding deals? Any South African or Kenyan brides out there with "must do" ideas for us? We're game for anything!

Silver for Your Registry

2009-06-22T13:00:00.000-04:00

When Dade and I got married, we didn't register for silverware. We opted instead for a reasonably priced set of stainless steel everyday flatware from Crate and Barrel. I'd been warned by friends that if you register for pricey silver items, you'll end up with 3 spoons and a fork, and have to either return it or buy the rest yourself. Now... I guess that depends on how large a wedding your having, but I tend to think it would have been true for us.

Yesterday, I found the happy medium! Fairly inexpensive silver that is completely up my alley. I have the stainless steel version of this, but now I wish I'd gone silver!

Napastyle's antique silverware by the pound:
From their website: "So, you’re hosting 20 people for a special dinner and you don’t have enough place settings to go around? Buy your silverware by the pound! This is the greatest idea in silverware we’ve seen in a long time! These authentic vintage utensils date back to the ’ 20s and ’30s—all fine-quality, silver-plated, and newly polished to perfection. They’re gathered from estate sales, vintage markets and antique stores all over the US and Europe. And so what if the pieces don’t match? That’s half the fun! It’s a true celebration of life—the second time around—and a most meaningful form of sustainability. Hand wash for better preservation. Patterns and dimensions will vary. US/Imported. "

$29.99 for a 5 piece setting / $99.99 for a 20 piece set.

Scott's Flowers

2009-06-22T08:47:00.005-04:00

We've had the privilege of working with Scott's Flowers, (Chelsea, NYC) for a few years now and can tell you that they're a joy. I woke up this morning to an email from them offering a free bridal bouquet when you book your event with them by the end of the summer. I figured it might be worth investigating for some of our readers...

Knocking Off Early...

2009-06-16T15:00:00.001-04:00

That's right, I'm out of here! Tonight I am taking my husband out for a very sentimental date. We're going to see Fleetwood Mac (7th row center baby!) Here comes the moment you find out I'm a little nuts. I'm a bit of a Stevie Nicks fanatic. I grew up listening to her music and fell in love with the way she writes songs. I sported leg warmers and boots as an 8 year old. I think she's the one celebrity who I'd start hysterically shaking like a 13 year old and pass out if I ever met her.

Now here is yet another reason I knew Dade was the guy for me. 8 years ago, he popped the question in the pouring rain at a Stevie Nicks concert. I realize that for some people this might seem a little odd. It wasn't on a gondola ride in Venice, or over a 12 course dinner at The French Laundry ... but it was exactly what I wanted. It was proof positive that he really got me. It was that or holding a boom box over his head blaring Peter Gabriel ala Loyd Dobler which really would have been a close second. So tonight we get to go see Stevie again with a few close friends, and I am declaring work done for the day! However, seeing as printing wedding invites as posters seems to be the new trend, I leave you with some inspiration...

For Our UK Brides

2009-06-16T09:09:00.008-04:00

We all love cheap accessories right? Well, if you like in the U.K. you have access to Monsoon, one of my favorite chain stores for finding sparky things. I picked up a couple of fun scarves the last time I was in London (deep sigh ... I miss London.) Well, I found their website recently, and while they don't currently ship to the U.S., I had to share some inexpensive and fun finds that I think could work perfectly for a wedding.

I'm in love with these flower girl dresses. They're like little fairy outfits...

Some of these would make really fun bridesmaid dresses:

This would work for an afternoon garden wedding:

... and doesn't someone feel like mailing this to me? Pretty please? I can work out a trade...

My Crush on Teal and Gold

2009-06-15T16:21:00.014-04:00

I've been dying to do a teal and gold color combo invite for a looooong time now. I know they're not the trendy colors of the moment, but when I go through all of those saved photos on my computer, I always find a hefty amount of them lean towards these hues. I guess they're what I would expect to see faded on the walls of some incredible French palace. They define "vintage" for me. Well, I pulled out the photos to clear some room on my hard drive and ended up making a new invite design to add to our collection. Meet Antoinette...

My inspiration...

Tim Walker photos

from Vogue (I think?)

Chinoiserie wallpaper

A board I found long before I labeled all of my photos .... very bad of me, but I had to share.

I'll be adding a few more new invite designs over the next week. Hope you like them!

New Jewelry For Summer

2009-06-09T15:01:00.005-04:00

I finally got around to posting some of our new jewelry finds for summer '09 on the website. Here's a sampling:

Lacey Candles

2009-06-08T15:58:00.007-04:00

Over the weekend we had some friends over for dinner, and I whipped out a set of candle holders I've been slowly adding to over the last couple of years. Mine are white and grey, and I've bought them a few at a time from Wisteria as well as a few local shops. I fill them with citronella candles and scatter them outside in the Spring and Summer. When they're lit up they look a bit like alabaster. After a couple of cocktails on Saturday night, I realized they would really be gorgeous at a wedding and I found a new source for them at a dirt cheap price...

from Angels Dreaming

Mine lit up

Zgallerie ($9.90 for a set of 2 and 20% off orders over $50)

other good zgallerie finds

I broke down and bought a few of these. So much better than tiki torches...

I'm Feeling Pretty "Stable"

2009-06-03T12:23:00.003-04:00

So yesterday was "the" day I'd been dreading for the last couple of weeks. We got results from the first set of scans I've had since finishing the first 2 rounds of IL-2. I spent the weekend freaking out, suddenly convinced that the cancer was basically crawling all over me, and trying to distract myself by planning a vacation. This culminated in me uncontrollably bawling my eyes out while sitting in a theater of children watching "Up" on Monday. Dade had thought the movie would get my mind off of things .... well, not so much.

Yesterday we drove into Boston to Beth Israel to await the news. My blood pressure was 150/110 by the time we got called in to see the doctor and I was literally breaking out in hives. A familiar face from the time I spent in the hospital, Virginia, came in with the radiology report and told us that basically it was "a mixed bag" but there was no bad news. In my last round of scans 8 weeks ago there had been a small nodule in my lungs which was no longer showing up. It's gone. There had also been a "shadow" in my liver which we all assume is a cluster of blood vessels which for some reason is no longer showing up. The tumors which they were really following for the treatment are all stable. They haven't changed at all, but no growth is a positive thing! The only semi-disappointing news is that there "may" be a couple of new small nodes forming right under my skin. The good news with those is that they are easily removable.

Soooooo..... we wait another 4 weeks and do some more scans. We are looking for shrinkage on those. If we get shrinkage, I go back in for another 2 weeks to repeat the entire course of treatment. If I'm still stable, but nothing has actually gotten smaller, we have a talk about whether to repeat the treatment, look for other new treatments on the horizon, or just wait for another 8-12 weeks and rescan. If there has been growth, well then we know it isn't working and go on to another plan. Just knowing that there is another plan out there is a comfort. All in all, it was a good outcome and I woke up today feeling the anxiety fading away. I get to go back to normal for another couple of weeks. Living between scans is an interesting ordeal...

In celebration of all of this, we are actually going to be holding a contest over on weddingbee.com. We're giving away 100 of our new thank you notes (which happen to feature a little bee on them.) Stop by there and enter! It should be up on the site later today.

Polyvore Fun

2009-05-28T20:26:00.010-04:00

O.K.... so last night Dade went out to pick up our take out Chinese food and since I had a half an hour to distract myself from hunger, I ended up on Polyvore. I guess I'm behind the times because I'd never really explored the site. I did a search for whiteaisle just for fun, and what surfaced blew me away. I can't believe some of the things people have pieced together! Check this out...

When you package and ship out some of these items everyday, it's amazing to see them in a different light!

Flower Chandeliers

2009-05-28T11:21:00.000-04:00

If you read this blog, I'm sure you've probably been over to Style Me Pretty and The Little Black Book Blog. It's one of my favorite wedding related reads. Today I found the most unbelievable floral photos I think I've ever seen. They combine 2 of my loves ... Spring flowers and chandeliers. How incredible is this?Photos were from Whit and Jesse of Our Labor of Love! Click here for more...

Why I Hate Yahoo

2009-05-28T08:29:00.002-04:00

Yes... this is a venting post. I'm warning you now. I have never in my life sent out an advertisement via email. I have never sent out junk mail. Does someone want to explain to me why it is that my email address seems to be blacklisted on yahoo? It's not just my personal whiteaisle account, it's my AOL account and all of the whiteaisle accounts. I get "message delivery delay" errors back, or the emails are just routed to junk or bulk folders.

So.... when you have written me from your free yahoo account to ask a question, and you've not gotten a timely reply, it doesn't mean that I'm a mean person who doesn't care about you. It doesn't mean that we are a terrible company who live to make you miserable. It doesn't mean that you need to say things like "You people will regret not getting back to me! I will post horrible reviews everywhere AND I MEAN IT!!!! (which is what I woke up to today after replying 4 times to this client via all 3 of my email accounts. ) What it means is that your yahoo account is a vast vortex which eats my emails. I can hear the giant sucking sound now. Just a heads up, I'm betting I'm not the only one in this situation so you never know what other messages are vanishing into thin air. Please, before jumping to conclusions that the person you're writing to is intentionally ignoring you, send an email from another account and see how fast you get a reply. AOL and hotmail are free too!

More pretty wedding related things to come this afternoon....

Adrienne + Vincent

2009-05-26T10:42:00.015-04:00

I recently stumbled upon some photos of a clients wedding which so perfectly match my own vision of "vintage-chic" that I had to share! Meet Adrienne and Vincent. They were married last January at Saint Anthony of Padua in New York City, and held their reception at Tribeca Rooftop. Her amazing gown was Vera Wang Luxe (style: Audrey) and the veil ... oh, the veil (as you'll see) was a handmade Belgian lace from Designs by Kristen. All photos are courtesy of their photographer, Aga Images.

The Pig Roast : Aftermath

2009-05-26T08:22:00.012-04:00

Sorry I've been MIA this last week. I was prepping for the party this past weekend, and just trying to keep myself as busy as possible. I have my first round of scans since IL-2 this afternoon, and the more I can keep my mind off of them, the better off I am. So.... on to the pig roast!

I have to say, it turned out exactly as I hoped it would. I was scared to death Sunday morning of the weather. It started raining on and off, and we had tables and chairs ready to be set up in the yard. Luckily at 3 o'clock the clouds parted and it turned into a perfect evening, 72 degrees and clear. We did a sit down dinner for 26 of our closest friends, and it very much had that "Chocolat" vibe I'd originally wanted.

We set up one long table and covered it with burlap (about $15 for 12 yards.) I wanted it to look rustic and natural, and I also didn't care what happened to it during dinner. People could pour a bottle of red wine straight down the middle of it. I had linen napkins which I bought last summer from Wisteria, and plain white bistro plates. I pulled out every piece of miss-matched glassware I had for an assortment of vase sizes and colors, and since peonies are in season right now used those as well as a couple of orchids for the flowers. I also pulled a few filler flowers from around my garden. The candle holders were also intentionally non-matching and filled with citronella candles to keep the bugs away as much as possible.

O.K... yes, I made little signs for the bar and the front door, as well as a few menus here and there. It's what I do. I know it's completely OCD, but it's me. I have no control over it anymore.

The pig was moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. I did steal the cheek, and I highly recommend trying it. It melts in your mouth. We also served Jamaican rice and peas, a summer salad with mixed greens, peaches and stilton cheese, and a shrimp ceviche done Bahamian style along with a few other appetizers. We stocked the bar with all the usual suspects, but a couple of my close girlfriends brought specialty drinks like sangria, limoncello and pineapple infused vodka which I know people really enjoyed since the containers were nearly empty the next morning.

We lit the fire pit up and had a marshmallow roast after dinner for the children. Then out came the sparklers followed by fireworks. Sparklers are still fun at any age. In the end, people ended up pulling chairs up to the fire and just hanging out under the stars. Our last guests left shortly after midnight, and asked if we could do it again for the 4th of July. Hmmmm..... maybe not the 4th, but Labor Day sounds pretty good right now.

Kate + Evan's Wedding

2009-05-15T08:38:00.012-04:00

Last Winter I was lucky enough to work with a lovely bride who came in with the idea that her wedding would be "A Midnight Garden Party Hosted by Anthropologie." I immediately liked her. Have I ever mentioned I could take up permanent residence at Anthropologie? She chose raspberry and saffron as her colors which looked both rich and vintage. Yesterday I stumbled upon all of her glorious photos taken by Stacy Sodolak of SMS Photography and knew I had to share. Congrats Kate and Evan!

... and how about the bridal session? You know how I feel about peacocks. They make the world a better place. For more photos, visit Kate's blog...

The Pig Roast

2009-05-12T09:58:00.008-04:00

This is how my Absinthe Dinner turned into a giant pig roast... Meet the La Caja China cooking box. This is what I gave Dade for our recent anniversary. You see these around Miami a lot. They're used at parties for roasting large, dead things Cuban style. Did I set myself up for my menu to be taken over? Yes. Now all the man wants to do is get a whole pig and start cooking. I quickly realized that Memorial Day Weekend was going to be all about the pork.

We will still be setting up a bar in the barn, and long tables out on the back yard for a sit down dinner. I'm still stringing chandeliers. However... I'll also be fighting people for the pig cheek ala Anthony Bordain. Here is the blank interior of our back barn...

The new, less formal invites...

The new inspiration board

Lime Visions

2009-05-08T11:08:00.000-04:00

Recently we were lucky enough to work with a lovely bride who decided to use lime and brown as her color palette. She sent us a few photos from her wedding, and we are loving the way everything tied together. How great are her shoes? All photos from Areti Bratsis, www.aretiphoto.com .

More Bling From The Little Black Book Blog

2009-05-07T12:19:00.000-04:00

Someone just sent me a link to a wedding featured over on The Little Black Book Blog / Style Me Pretty submitted by Lisa Hanslip at The Wedding Planner. It has some gorgeous images from an event in Calgary, and the bridesmaids sported some of our jewels. Click below and enjoy.

Holy Exfoliation

2009-05-06T11:51:00.014-04:00

Ah yes... that's what I looked like 10 years ago. On days when you feel like you look like crap it's always nice to look back, you know? It's ironic that I have always been blessed with "good" skin. I've stayed out of the sun all my life, and I've got that porcelain thing working. Of course these days when someone compliments me on it I kind of feel like smacking them with the nearest blunt object and screaming a run of obscenities, but I'm sure I'll get over that one day with a little therapy.

Today all of the skin on my body is peeling off. I mean all... everywhere. IL-2 has proven to be a giant chemical peel. I've never had one before, but I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe, my skin will look great in a week. I'll glow. Who knows. Until then, I am relying on my tried and true skin products to get me through. I thought I'd share a few of my favorites in case there are some brides out there looking to exfoliate the hell out of themselves, or you're looking for the perfect gift for the person in your life going through cancer treatment. Sugar scrub trumps flowers. Either way...

I've been using it for a decade. Cheap, easy and super gentle. $11 from drugstore.com

Fresh Sugar Face Scrub. I could eat this stuff. It's a combo of brown sugar, honey and everything else yummy for your skin. I've been using it pretty frequently to get the dead skin off these last weeks. It really does leave my skin feeling moisturized and soft. $55 at sephora.com

Clean and gentle moisturizer. I usually coat my face twice a day. I prefer the non-SPF version.
$30 from http://www.kiehls.com/

Serious exfoliant using salt and oil. Gets the dead stuff off and leaves you smelling great. Just watch out when you're getting out of the tub. The oil kind of coats everything it contacts.
$30 for a tub at http://www.sabonnyc.com/.

This is my daily body lotion. It's light and smells ridiculous. $23 at http://www.sabonnyc.com/.

The best thing I've found for lips. I usually pick it up at anthropologie for $6, but it's also available online at drugstore.com.

IL-2: Week 2

2009-05-04T14:52:00.009-04:00

So sorry for the silence. I know a lot of people have been tuning in these days. Unfortunately week 2 of IL-2 was a lot more of an uphill climb than week 1 was. The side effects came on immediately, and by Tuesday I really couldn't focus enough to check my email let alone write anything. I had a couple of pre-made posts which I had scheduled to go up on the blog instead of updates. I do appreciate all of the messages of support people have sent.

For people out there that are reading this because they are enrolling in IL-2, don't be discouraged. I still made it through just fine. In the end I got through 25 total doses between the 2 weeks. I was just sicker with this second round of dosing. I had issues with my blood pressure dropping into the 70's a couple of days which made it necessary to keep cranking more and more fluids into me to stabilize it. The result is that I felt really weak and was restricted from getting up because of the fall risk. I also had issues with nausea, but really that is par for the course. I am once again carrying around 20 extra pounds of water weight, but it will come off this week and by Friday or Saturday I know that I'll start feeling like myself again. I'm already starting to get my appetite back little by little, and just wait until I post about the amazing dream I had where I was going on a wild vintage gown shopping spree in Paris. I'm designing an invitation around it.

I got released from the hospital yesterday, and today is Dade and I's 7th wedding anniversary so I think it warrants a day off. I'll be back in the office tomorrow for a half day to send out proofs to people who have been ever so patiently waiting on them. Wednesday I'll be back at work for a normal day. Thanks again for all of the support over these weeks. Now lets just keep our fingers crossed that this worked!!

Jewels in Action

2009-04-30T09:40:00.001-04:00

Last week a recent customer contacted us to share a few of her gorgeous wedding photos (we looooove when people do that!) She had purchased our Sophie bracelet to wear on the big day. Her photographer, Jason Angelini, took some incredible shots of the event at The Powel Crosley Estate in Sarasota, FL. that I thought you'd all love to see.

New Favor Photos

2009-04-28T09:20:00.000-04:00

I'm loving some of the new colors we've got going for favors this year. They're sold as wrapped boxes filled with truffles or candy, or we also sell them as DIY kits. I took a few photos of some boxes my mother had just finished making, and had to share...

Back In For Week 2

2009-04-27T09:14:00.001-04:00

Well, I'm heading back into Beth Israel this morning for week #2 of IL-2. Hopefully I'll be blogging most days, but I have heard the side effects come on stronger and faster the second time around, so we'll see... After this I get a 2 month break! So excited...

For now, I leave you with a photo I took of some cherry blossoms I picked up for .... wait for it .... $2.49 a branch last week in a supermarket in NH. A little past their prime perhaps, but you cannot beat that for a bargain.

The Dinner Party Cont...

2009-04-26T16:55:00.000-04:00

She's done... my invites for our Memorial Day weekend dinner party. I don't even want to think of how much time I spent on these. I've obsessed over them like any good little graphic designer should, and I now love them. Hopefully our friends will too. It's going to be quite the celebratory soiree. Here's to toasting to good friends and good health!

Gold Coming Off the Press

2009-04-25T10:56:00.000-04:00

Here's a preview of a couple of new invite orders I'm smitten with. Both couples chose gold as a main color which I'm loving for these designs. I think we're going to have to print up a giant batch of thank you notes in gold ink with the bee shown below on them.

WeddingBee Pro Real Wedding

2009-04-24T13:40:00.000-04:00

If you have a second, be sure to check out Emilie's post over on WeddingBee Pro for Lauren and James Wedding in Jamaica. We printed the stationery, and looking at the photos is making me really crave a Red Stripe.

The Antoinette Bedroom

2009-04-24T08:50:00.000-04:00

So I started redecorating our bedroom a couple of months ago and it's finally come together minus whatever it is we're going to end up hanging on the walls. I took the colors for the room, (grey, eggplant and a slate blue) out of a photo from the movie Marie Antoinette, and Dade let me off the leash and said I could make it "sparkly." I wish I had a "before" photo, but the walls were once covered in green floral wallpaper circa 1971. The floors were covered in wall to wall matching carpeting. The first step was to strip everything out of there and start over. Now I get to wake up under a huge crystal chandelier...

This was the ispiration board I ended up with. Yes, I did order the ship chandelier from Zgallerie.com, but ended up having to return it due to the color and some breakage. I think that the room was actually done on the cheap. The mirrored side tables were $75 each from Target. The drapes were from halfpricedrapes.com and were really my only splurge. I wanted substantial fabric. The bed linens are from West Elm. The upholstered bed frame was made by Skyline Furniture and while it isn't the greatest quality frame I've ever seen, it was under $600 and is the perfect color. The area rug I bought from overstock.com on sale. The "Antoinette Fainting Chaise" is a few years old but purchased from urban outfitters, and the mirrored dresser is from Pier 1. I used extra rows of crystals I had from an old lighting fixture as pull backs for the curtains, and the chandelier I bought from gallery84.com for about $200. The shades are from onthebrightside.com. It's our new love den.

Inspiration for DIY projects

2009-04-23T15:01:00.002-04:00

Recently an old friend of mine posted a link on Facebook to "We Love Typography" and I'm hooked (geek.) If you've got DIY projects to get through and are hitting a creative wall, take a tour of this site for some new ideas. Here are some of my favorite images that I collected this afternoon:

Safari Gear For A Wedding?

2009-04-22T11:50:00.000-04:00

I recently made some inquires with a few safari companies to get brochures for our trip to Africa this Fall and apparently they have since resold my mailing address. On Monday, The J. Peterman Company catalog (think Seinfeld) showed up in my mailbox. My first instinct was to start laughing, but I have to admit that upon flipping through it I actually found some really cute, throw back kind of clothing that might actually work for a vintage inspired event or even a rehearsal dinner outfit.

Back to Work

2009-04-21T10:12:00.006-04:00

Hi Everyone. Just a quick note today to let you all know I am back to work. Even though I did try to answer emails while in the hospital (which in retrospect was a little like drunk dialing at times and I should probably avoid) I do have over 300 messages that I still am trying to get through in batches. I'm tackling them 25 at a time. I promise to be in touch soon! Thanks very much for your patience.

Sunday Has Never Felt So Good

2009-04-19T18:41:00.006-04:00

First, I have to apologize for the rate of typos that have been included in the last few entries. Typing while in treatment has been like mountain climbing in the death zone of Everest for some reason, and my mother just told me that there were a bunch of wacko words scattered throughout posts. I know it's not a huge deal, and actually probably more an accurate refection of what IL-2 is like, but did want to mention it since I like to think I'm not an idiot when it comes to writing.

I got my release papers this morning, got in the car and rode all the way home with the windows down so that I could enjoy the fresh air. I wanted to hang my head out of the car like a dog! It seems like everything has bloomed this week, and never have I been so grateful to see all of the vivid colors. I've spent the day just trying to relax, recover .... and of course go crashing through a stack of catalogs that had built up on my kitchen counter. Before I forgot, I thought I would share one website I just found which had a couple of really cute ideas for outdoor weddings which could easily be "recreated" on the cheap. I'm definitely giving it a shot for our upcoming dinner party.

All images from http://www.atwestend.com/

I am Un-Chain, Chain, Chained....

2009-04-18T11:02:00.018-04:00

Whew! I received my last dosage of the week yesterday at 7pm. It was fairly uneventful, thought I did have a really fitful sleep afterwards. I'd taken meds to knock me out, but after staring at me rolling around like a beached whale for awhile my husband said, "It's not the meds... it's the weight you can't deal with. " I think he was right. Gaining 5 pounds a day isn't so easy to manage while dealing with the jewelry box knot of tubes hanging from your chest, in a bed that's straight out of the Craftmatic adjustable bed catalog circa 1985. (Weren't they the same thing without arm rails?)

Anyhow, I was just a little cranky, but I woke up this morning knowing there would be no dose. Us cancer folks get weekends too! My handy doctor showed up to say we could take my central line out thus stopping the waterfall of fluid filling my face AND disconnecting me from "the machine." Yes, I've also listed to a little Pink Floyd during this little journey. Taking the line out took 2 minutes and was painless. I slapped a garbage bag over it and took a shower five minutes later.

The rest of the day I'll spend recovering (being bored) with people (who expect to see my sitting in a wheelchair with a joint in my hand) stopping by to be sure I've survived. I'll tell you this, it's not easy, it's not the kind of flu you get where you say, maybe I'll be able to go to work tomorrow, but it's not the most horrendous week of my life. That week is squarely placed on all those long days of diagnosis and confusion that lead up to this.

So, if you're jumping on board for IL-2, here are a few things I suggest bringing with you to make your stay more comfy:

- Your own pillow, pillowcases and super soft blanket. Having my own bedding really helped. I didn't wash it beforehand so that the reverse side of the pillow always smelled like home.

- Your own towels and washcloths (great when you have a fever.)

- Your own toilet paper .... do I need to elaborate? Better yet, baby wipes.

- MOISTURIZER! This process reeks havoc on your skin. I seemed to prevent much of the flaking and chafing by using rich creams. A friend had given me L'Occitaine Leg Therapy Lotion which did the trick, and I was using Rosebud Salve on my lips, any dry patches, etc. I got some Burt's Bees trial size wax based stuff as well which worked well on my hands and chest. The nurses kept saying my room smelled so good.

- A small humidifier if you have one.

- For clothing, bring the soft stuff. Your broken in PJ's. Anything button down that you can get on and off around your tubes is great. I spent one night with a tank top hanging from my fluids tube because I didn't want to wear it but was too lazy to call to have someone disconnect me. Plush socks and slippers are also a must. Also, try to layer. If you're feverish you'll want to strip down for everyone (so, nice underwear too.)

- I also brought nail polish and files in case I got bored. A couple of books, trashy magazines to share wiith the nurse desk, a deck of cards, my ipod, obviously my laptop, and some DVD's. They let you bring in food and stock a fridge in your room so use it! You won't be hungry, but you can at least have what you like to drink and snack on in there.

- Most importantly, if you are lucky enough to have a spouse, family member or friend who doesn't mind camping out on the floor of your room... do it. Dade and I lowered my bed so that the bed and cot were almost level and it could feel as normal as possible when one of us would wake up, or kick a leg over and feel the other one there. I looked forward to him getting there every night with movies and popcorn even if I only made it through the opening credits before passing out. It was like some really ghetto, "I live in a really weird studio apartment" date night and I know that I will cherish the way he made me feel this week for the rest of my life.

- Lastly, bring an attitude that you're going to need to be open and let people know what you need. If you start feeling nauseous, don't decide it might go away. Let someone know. They'll fix it. Minimize the misery and you'll make it through,

I'm sure I'll add to this as I think of other things in the coming weeks, but it's a good start. The most important thing to pack is the support of this people around you who keep telling you over and over again how strong you are! I thank them from everything within me for doing that.

By the way, if you want to read another blog on this, visit Angelo's blog. He's another thirty-something from New Hampshire fighting the fight. He's also just a few doors down from me on this floor, and has the male perspective covered. We're wishing his great success!

IL2- Days: 4 -5

2009-04-17T12:20:00.004-04:00

TGIF!!!!!!!!!!!!! In ways you cant' event understand. I received my 12th dose this morning and will finish up within dose 14 around 7PM. The next couple of days in the hospital are just to recover. Please excuse the typos. My hand eye coordination isn't really on par right now. Actually, I hit the hallucination phase last night. I dreamt that we were all Looney Toon characters trying to escape from Alcatraz. When I woke up there were little bunnies and Easter eggs all over my walls. Now, as hallucinations go this wasn't a bad one! It did make them wait a few hours to give me my next dose.

I have gained nearly 20 pounds at this point, which should all come off plus a few pounds next week, but I am very much my vision of Violet B. from Willy Wonka. Other than that, the side effects have been tolerable. Yes, I've gotten sick a few times but they were quick and over before I knew it. Yes, I look like I have a sunburn, but so do half the people around here returning from Spring Break. The meds take care of the biggies and I'm, getting as much sleep as possible.

Tomorrow I'm posting a list of everything you should bring with to keep things as nice as possible in a situation like this... and yes, even your dog can "technically " be a therapy pup.

Hope you guys have a great weekend.

IL2 : Day 2-3

2009-04-15T08:12:00.007-04:00

So, this is what I look like a few days in. I just woke up a little while ago and received dose #6 which is pretty much the half way point for the week. They can give me as many as 14, but most people average 10-12. I'm aiming for 12 and if I still feel well enough will try for 13 and 14. The side effects are getting progressively stronger. I do feel like I have the flu combined with a sunburn, however I'm on Tylenol to control most of that. My main issue today is that my face has swollen up into a giant moon head. I mean, my eyelids are like water balloons, so keeping my eyes open is a mission. I've gained 7 pounds in water weight and it just seems to be accumulating there. What can you do? They've said it may start to disperse a little bit, but in the end it'll be gone in a few days.

Other side effects are a pretty perpetual headache and it's difficult to sleep because people are constantly coming in and out throughout the night to check your vitals. Last night I asked for them to knock me out with some Adavan which really helped. I think that's the plan for every night going forward.

The guy across the hall is also blogging. I have to figure out what his blog address is since he's actually had some hallucinations! My friend Judy said that if I started seeing things, she'd come in dressed like my dog so that I could feel like I was getting a visit from my pups. You see... that's a good friend.

Anyhow, my parents are on their way over and I sent Dade home to get some sleep. I really do appreciated all of the comments and emails that everyone has sent. They keep my spirits high.

Wedding related post to follow this afternoon...

Jessica + Brett

2009-04-14T08:15:00.013-04:00

Many moons ago someone sent me a link to view a few photos of some favors we'd made for a wedding from winter '07. Since I have some time on my hands I finally got a chance to take look at them. What I found was a stunning wedding that I had to share.

Jessica and Brett chose the talented duo of Dan and Anne of Almasy for photography. The next time you feel like drooling for awhile, head on over to their website and blog. They were married at The Duncan House, a luxurious plantation home on Lake Dora in Tavares, Florida. Here are some of my favorite shots of this vintage inspired event:

and much deservedly these shots ended up published.

Medical update: I received another dose last night, and a third about 2 hours ago. So far, so good. Besides some mild chills and a fluish kind of headache things are going as well as they can.

IL-2 Day #1

2009-04-13T12:08:00.003-04:00

It's official.... I'm in treatment. Seems like a giant build up, so I'm glad to have it underway. We checked into my room at Beth Israel shortly after 9AM. I've got TV/DVD ... and most importantly WiFi (whew hoo.) I can blog from bed. Around 10 the nurses came in and did the normal drill: height / weight / drew some blood just to be sure everything was still normal. About an hour after that a surgeon came in to put in a central line. This is a port which runs under the collar bone and is used for receiving the treatment along with other fluids. Having it put in took 10 minutes and was not a big deal at all. A few shots numb up the spot and after that I basically watched TV while it was put in place. Meanwhile I've found out that half the nurses on the floor are getting married this summer. I said we should all get together and talk weddings sometime this week. I'll be sure to share...

Around noon I was put on a steady run of fluids. I'll remain on them until the end of the week to keep my blood pressure up. At 3 I received my first dose of IL-2. It took 15 minutes, and I didn't feel a thing when it went in. The side effects are supposed to kick in over the course of a few hours, but so far the Tylenol and hyped up ibuprofen are controlling things perfectly. Basically, I'm just bored but certainly grateful to feel this good tonight! I'm eating dinner, watching Tropic Thunder and hopefully getting a good night sleep. Dose 2 is at 11PM.

Boring post, I know... but I'm hoping for a boring week!

Let's Get This Show On The Road

2009-04-12T09:20:00.008-04:00

In 24 hours I start my inpatient treatment for Interleukin-2 in Boston. I'll be in the hospital for a week. Oddly, I'm kind of looking forward to it because if it works, I get to put an end to this ridiculous chapter of my life. I've been trying to pack on pounds these last couple of weeks since I've been told that in the end I'm going to lose some weight (awww.... don't be jealous.) Actually, while I'm in treatment I'm supposed to swell up from the fluid they have to keep you on. I had a dream last night that I was Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory being rolled over to the juicing room. Apparently the swelling goes down after a week or so.

Anyhow... I really won't know how I'm going to feel until I'm there, but I am planning to blog as much as I can. Most of the posts won't be wedding related (though a couple might have to slip in there!) I know this has been primarily a blog linked to White Aisle, but when I was first told that I should do a course of IL-2, I went online to try to find blogs with real life accounts from people who had done this. I couldn't find anything more than a paragraph or 2 and most things were from medical journals. I figure if I can blog while doing this, hopefully other people going into this same situation have a real account of what it's like and what they can expect for better or worse. It's also a lot easier to keep a journal like this one where friends and family can check in to see how I'm doing, rather than making phone calls everyday. It's not that I don't love hearing your voices, (O.K... those of you who know me also know I really do hate the phone,) but from what I understand my energy level may be a bit "limited."

Thanks so much for every one's love and support. Now lets go kick the crap out of cancer!

Kali + Gal : Part 3

2009-04-10T19:09:00.000-04:00

Behold ... the party. Unfortunately Dade and I could not make it to the wedding because of the treatment I was doing in Virginia at the time, but someone sat on their cell phone half way through the reception and butt-dialed us, so at 11PM we got to hear the madness unfolding. It sounded as good as it looks...

Kali + Gal : Part 2

2009-04-10T17:00:00.001-04:00

All pics from Tony Gajate. The ceremony and a few details...

Next up, the reception

Kali + Gal : Part 1

2009-04-08T14:34:00.007-04:00

I have a stunning wedding to share with you guys today, and the bride happens to be a friend. Actually, Kali's parents are very, very close friends of ours. We've traveled around the world together. We actually have known Kali since she was in high school which makes me feel a little bit old. Anyhow ... as soon as we found out that Gal had popped the question we all knew it would be a very special, fun and eccentric event.

Kali chose The Moore Building in downtown Miami. It's an amazing space as you'll see in the photos. They were married in the bamboo garden on President's Day weekend. I've been a long time fan of their photographer, Tony Gajate for years and I think he captured the energy of the couple. When Kali and I first talked about her stationary and I asked her about colors, she said "no colors." There wasn't going to be a theme. No sit down dinner. No wedding cake! She wanted a huge, sleek, hip party and I think she got it. Enjoy....

Her invites (cause I have to give myself a plug...)

Pre-Ceremony

More to come...

Gotta Love Our Neighbors!

2009-04-07T17:02:00.004-04:00

via CNN.com-
With veto overrides, Vermont legalizes same-sex marriage!! Tuesday's votes end a 10-year battle to legalize same-sex marriage in Vermont despite a court ruling legalizing civil unions, according to CNN affiliate WPTZ-TV. Same-sex marriages will become legal on September 1.

So now we've got our friendly neighbors to the South in Massachusetts, and our ski buddies to the West! What about our fine state of NH? You know, "Live Free or Die" (I love our license plates.)

"Vermont's neighboring state, New Hampshire, also has taken steps toward legalizing same-sex marriages. On March 26, the New Hampshire House passed a bill by seven votes that would legalize same-sex marriage, sending it to the Senate, according to the Concord Monitor newspaper.

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch has said he opposes same-sex marriage but has not said whether he will veto a bill legalizing it. Like Vermont, New Hampshire allows civil unions for same-sex couples.

"The civil unions bill [Lynch] signed into law prevents discrimination and provides the same legal protections to all New Hampshire families to the extent that is possible under federal law," Lynch spokesman Colin Manning told the Monitor.
- CNN.com

Well, here's to hoping we're next!

Shop For A Good Cause

2009-04-05T18:03:00.011-04:00

Dade and I are in Miami this weekend, and I was just flipping through a copy of Lucky Magazine when I stumbled on this...

Do good while you shop. Contribute to skin cancer research and awareness by purchasing items available on the Lucky website! Donations Benefit:

by Catherine Dash
Melanoma Research Foundation
This national organization awards grants to scientists dedicated to finding innovative treatments for the disease and organizes advocacy events to raise awareness. On the Web at melanoma.org.

The Skin Cancer Foundation strives to lower the rate of skin cancer around the world by educating the public and the medical community, promoting prevention methods, and funding research. On the Web at skincancer.org.

Kitson
Stila Mandarin Mist Eau de Parfum

Lauren Merkin
"Lotte" clutch

Auto
Unison Lush pillow

The Shoe Hive
Cynthia Vincent snake-embossed sandals

Joy O Designs
"Halo" necklace

I have another doctor's appointment first thing in the morning, and we fly back in the early afternoon. It's been a great weekend of visiting friends and family, but we're missing home and realizing our blood has seriously thickened up over the last 11 months. It's really, really, really hot down here!!!

Hot off the Press

2009-04-02T13:51:00.005-04:00

I'm so excited to mail these new invites out to our client this afternoon. The couple chose our blush Barcelona pattern in thermography, but added a custom vellum overlay printed on platinum paper, satin ribbon and grey mailer boxes to the normal design. The bride really wanted these to reflect a romantic, Spanish lace feel for their wedding in San Juan. I love the way the whole suite looks together and I hope these really set the mood for their event!

Dade and I are flying to Miami tomorrow afternoon to visit friends and family for the weekend. I am surprising one of our closest friends with some personalized stationery that I promised her for a long since gone birthday. She is an amazing cook, so I thought I'd model them after vintage recipe cards.