One size fits some, the rest are on your own.

I just got off the phone with someone dress shopping for my wedding.

After making an appointment at Nordstrom for her to meet with "dress specialist" she left discouraged and disappointed at the selection for a woman who is a size 16.

Are there only Mother's of the Brides that are sizes 2-8?

By American standards, the average woman is a size 14.  Do you want to know what the most commonly purchased size is... shouldn't it be 14?  Nope, an 8.  Read it.

I am a 4, so are a lot of women in the NY Metro area, meaning that I am often left longing for a dress that isn't available.  Not really big deal, eventually they'll get more, or have it at another store, or online.

I can't imagine how I would feel if they didn't CHOOSE to carry my size, even if it's considered the average size.  Some nerve.

everything comes together...

It's so nice when everything comes together...

case in point, my bridal shower.

I'll let the pictures tell.
My girls are the best!

A Mother's Day Breakfast that Left a Bad Taste in Mom's Mouth- Your Mother Would Not be Proud

Ever have a "bait-and-switch" happen to you?  Sorry to hear about that.  Have you ever had it done to you on Mother's Day with your family?

Now we have a Mother Fucking Problem:

Here's the letter I wrote to The Original Pancake House (NOT IHOP) - and CCed to some other parties that may be interested.

If you don't stand up, you'll get walked all over.  

Dear Original Pancake House-

Attn: Better Business Bureau, The Record News, and Herald News, and My Mother.

This past Sunday, Mother’s Day, my Fiancé and I took my Mother, two Aunts, Brother, and Cousin out for breakfast. My Fiancé and I are frequent customers and even have a Customer Loyalty Card. The Original Pancake House is our absolute favorite breakfast place, or was.

After waiting over forty-five minutes looking at the outside posted menu with the normal prices posted and all the delicious descriptions, we were seated.

My Mother lives in Tennessee and doesn’t have The Original Pancake House there. Every time she comes to visit, we always have breakfast at The Original Pancake House. It’s a scrumptious ritual.

We were then given the “Mother’s Day Specials” menus with prices that were severely raised. If these were specialty menu items I could understand. But they were not. In fact they were the same exact menu items and portions, but with a price raised over 30%. I have attached the pictures of both menus as proof. Some examples: Omelets were raised to $14.00 when they are usually around $11.00, Bacon and Eggs with Pancakes are usually $7.75, on Sunday they were $10.00, even the coffee was raised to $3.00, usually it’s around $2.25.

I have heard of businesses offering specially made items at raised, specialty prices. I have heard of discounting prices for special holidays, but never have I had the experience of prices being raised for the same exact menu items. Raising the prices on an already busy Mother’s Day without prior notification is wrong, the customers sitting at the next table also agreed, so did the ones on the other side of us.

Working for a very prominent investigative firm in Manhattan, I am unfortunately quite aware of these tactics. In the event that you are unaware, the practice of advertising a certain price (ie: the normal menu pictured outside) and then supplying a menu with the same items at a raised price (the “Mother’s Day Special) without advertising or notifying the consumer prior to sitting, is known as a “Bait and Switch” and that is reportable to the Better Business Bureau, it’s also known as false advertising.

We did speak to The Original Pancake House management and were told there was nothing they could do, they felt poorly of the owner’s decision, but could not honor the regular prices.

Did we then have a choice to leave? Yes. However, knowing how much my Mother looks forward to her twice a year special breakfast; I didn’t have the heart to walk out. What was supposed to be a fun and delicious Mother’s Day breakfast, instead, left us with a bad taste in our mouths.

I ask you, The Original Pancake House, how would your Mother feel? How would you feel if someone did this unapologetically while you were treating your family to a Mother’s Day meal? In these tough economic times, did you really feel it necessary to over-charge on an already busy day, for those looking to treat their Mothers? Would your Mother be proud?

I am asking that I be reimbursed for the difference in price if you do not want to lose our business and if you have any integrity. I would be more than happy to supply our order to you so that we may properly calculate the bill.

I have also forwarded this information to The Bergen Record, Herald News, The New Jersey Better Business Bureau, as well as my Mother.

Attached are pictures of your normal menu posted outside, the raised menu prices, the business card I was given and my receipt.

Sincerely,

Lindsey Koester

Stay-cation

TWO MONTHS AND 7 DAYS.

That's how long until our wedding.

This weekend was a fun one after hosting a cinco de mayo bbq and then allowing my fiance to talk to me in to doing nothing wedding related on Sunday.

Us and our plans, they are really silly.  Nothing like a gorgeous day with a handsome companion to seduce you outside and keep you there, letting your crafts sit.

I have always wanted to ride across the George Washing Bridge on a bike, never was it a good time, except for yesterday.  I shelved the mounting bridal projects (we sent the invites last week so that's an accomplishment) and we took off to have, what felt like, a stay-cation and were tourists.

We rode across, took pictures, discovered new places that we new existed, but never experienced, like the lighthouse in this kids story that I've always wanted to see in person.  Or all the parks along the Hudson river- NY Side.  We rode at least 15 miles yesterday, but don't even try and peg me at one of those spandex wearing Lance Armstrong wanna-bes, I rode in shorts, a dress, knee highs and boots.

What a nice day, nothing's better than being a tourist on stay-cation.

Queen Anne's Lace Obsession

Oh how I wish I could afford this to wear in my hair.

LC Tiffany 1848-1943

I absolutely love Queen Anne's Lace, it's one of my favorite flowers... ever!

Side story- Steve once dug up a Queen Anne's Lace (knowing that it's one of my favorites) and potted it to surprise me with on my birthday.  It died (they are finicky), but it was one of the sweetest gestures and makes me smile.

Millbrook Winery Tour

With less than three months away from our wedding, the days have been filled with UPS orders, price comparing, picking up this, that, and the other thing, planning, dreaming...

But then-

I stumbled upon these videos when looking for pictures of Millbrook Winery to give to the videographer.  These were taken a month after we got engaged.  April 9th of last year we had made two appointments (the first two appointments) with Millbrook Winery and another.

We arrived at Millbrook first.  As soon as we swung open the doors to the winery barn/loft, we knew this was it.  We called the other vineyard and cancelled, we knew where we were getting married.

A lot of things in life you know immediately: adopting our cats, our apartment, each other.

"Vintage" Disposable Wedding Cameras

I got these here.

Speaking to friends and family that have been married, most will agree on one thing...

that having disposable cameras at the wedding make for a wonderful album.

Thoughts of yellow kodak, or green fuji cameras plagued me, I also couldn't bear the thought of a wedding white cameras with, you guessed it, hearts on it.

I was going to make due until I saw and then ordered these "vintage design disposable cameras".  They were reasonably priced, and would make a great addition to any party.  I like the quirky-ness of them.

I may test a roll with I pick them up this week (the warehouse is close to my job and decided to save money by nixing the shipping cost).  I will update this post and let you know how they come out.

cake colors

Martha Stewart Rainbow Cake

This is the only way to do white frosting... if their's a rainbow inside.

Something blue ombre...

here

maui on my mind

Here are 4 things that are making me think maui honeymoon...

Braided Hair

Bright Patterns

Maxi that can go day-night

Life-is-a-beach... tote

DIY flower arrangement

Here's a neat trick for arranging your flowers in wide-mouthed bowls... tape.

By creating a lattice pattern all your flowers stay right where you put them, best of all you can't even see the tape.

I went for a walk this weekend and snipped some blooms from forsythia and another flowering tree that I don't know the name of.  To help the stems take water, take pliers and pinch the ends of the stem.
happy day!

Martha's Paper Globes



Oh yea, I got this here.

Through out this wedding planning, designing, breathing, eating, not-really-sleeping-well process.  There has been a constant source of wedding/crafty/sanity that I keep referencing: Martha Stewart.

I really, really, love her.

Something I've found about planning weddings, is that shit happens, plans change and you just have to roll with it.

I could run down a laundry list of things that have changed, but allow me to focus on one thing in general.

I had this idea of having paper lanterns with lights in them hanging from the (very open, tall) rafters where the dancing is happening in the front (see picture).  I had this planned for months.  As I began shopping for the lanterns I realized that this project was going to be too expensive, time consuming, and not really feasible in general. 

The only way to light lanterns are rope/Christmas lights, which need electricity, and extension chords, therefore outlets, which we were lacking.  The other option was the electric battery tea lights, but the lanterns would be hung so high that the labor costs would be raised just to hang, light, and then take them down.

Uhhhh....

Tutorial from Martha Stewart, here.

Enter: Martha Stewart and all her infinite wisdom of craftdom.

I saw this idea of tissue balls in various colors and sizes strung together.  Since the ideas of lights were out, this worked perfectly.

Since we'll be there the night before to hang them from the rafters, no labor costs needed to light them.

Finding the cheapest and widest selection of tissue balls was tricky.  Most places you can buy bulk, of only ONE color per order.  If you only want one color this works, but I wanted 4 (peach, red, yellow, and white), 12 of each color and each size was also not working for me... that was too much.  Martha advertised a few places, but they didn't have a wide selection of colors.

Enter: Factory Direct Party .  Not only did they have the best color selection, but 5in, 8in, 12in, 14in, and 19in per color!  Bonus: I also found matching festooning too to go on the lighting rods (see above picture) in the hall where we'll be dining.  For all the paper decorations for the wedding I spent a little over $140.00 with shipping and handling included (see below)!  I spent about 1.5 weeks researching the best price/selection... and Factory Direct Party definitely won.  If you are planning to do this Martha Stewart craft, here's what I ordered for a room that's approximately 45' x 40'. 

happy monday!

Don't you love when you've had a full, productive, and relaxing weekend filled with great company, loud belly laughs, yummy food, and festive drinks?... this weekend was that weekend for us.

Last night by the time my finance and I settled on the couch to watch East Bound & Down, the dishes were done, laundry folded, two Hawaii books were purchased for honey moon research, two caterers were met with (one that we loved loved loved... BABBETTE'S KITCHEN), a late night at the kitchen table spent with friends drinking, joking, smoking e-cigs, and drinking until 4am, celebrating our friend's engagement, a wonderful brunch with my bride's maids filled with lots of love/mimosas/bloody Mary's, and we also walked through Millbrook Vineyards where we'll be getting married, wandered aimlessly in A.C. Moore (one of my favorite past times) to see "what they've got going on" (which my finance knows is code for me wandering for a few hours in A.C. Moore).
 
I have not laughed so much and so hard in a long time... thanks guys.

open air vase...

Courtesy of DESIGNLOVEFEST

I have a blog crush...

I love this blog.  Bri's aesthetic is always sunny. 

I think this tutorial on how to make open air vases (perfect for dried flowers or herbs) is brilliant.  I'm wrapped up in weddingcateringmaddness right now, but I think I might need these in the kitchen to dry herbs from the garden.

Just had to share.... have a happy day!

killing twobirds...

Courtesy of KayKonvertibles

I had this beautiful plan of all the brides maids wearing a different color and a differnt dress, but with a similar hem and style...
then life happened.

People have kids, work, school, a life, and are busy, getting everyone together was rough enough... forget the whole dress-mess.

Enter: The Convertible dress

TwoBirds features such a dress (all over every wedding blog known to (wo)man kind.  My friend used them in her wedding and they looked great...but they are $300.00.  Don't get me wrong if you know you'll wear it again I guess it's justifiable, I guess.  What if you're not?

The solution:  ETSY!  (Etsy is usually always the solution).
Specifically, KayKonvertibles' Shop.

She makes Konvertible dresses... for a fraction of the cost, plus she is wonderful to correspond with (we did via email and talking about wedding...stuff).  Get this: she offers 40, yes 40 colors...err kolors.  Twobirds offer 20 choices.

Well that's one thing to check off the list...

Let them eat... cupcakes.

Courtesy of Belinda Levine

This past weekend I met with my friends Belinda and Tommy at Starbucks.  Belinda is extremely talented cake (and cupcake) baker. She graduated from the French Culinary Institute as a Pastry Chef. I am so honored that she will be making our wedding sweets.

We discussed what confections will be served at the wedding, armed with her Martha Stewart Wedding Cakes book and limitless knowledge... she rocked my wedding world, and I've been caked crazed ever since.

We decided on a "sweetheart cake" for immediate family and bridal party, and cupcakes similar to the one pictured above seved to everyone else!  We still have a lot of details to work out, but I am thrilled.

y - uhhh - mmm-ie

(seed) bombs away

Courtesy of Cozy Canucks

Remember how I mentioned here that as wedding favors, we should give everyone native trees to plant.  In an ideal world 120 trees would be planted...

but then once again wedding-reality set in... I'm sure a lot of those trees will never see the soil.

This past weekend at Anthropologie (while Steve slept... err utilized the comfy leather sofa) I saw these seed bombs.  Seed bombs are balls of dirt, compost and wildflower seeds that are meant to be tossed in vacant lots, medians, your garden, anywhere, to cheer the space up with some floral life.  Just throw, go, and grow, that's it.

$6.00 for 5 balls of compost, dirt and wildflower seeds... nope.

After a little interweb research I found Cozy Canucks shop on Etsy .  Hers are made of biodegradable paper, in colorful heart shapes.  I just ordered a batch of 30 for $5.19+8.00SH.... that means that each bomb is $0.44 compared to $1.20.

Even better, for all of you diy divas out there, she sells the tutorial for $3.63.

:some have swag, i have savv...-y: