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BRIDE-TO-BE BLOGGER STEPHANIE: OUR MENU TASTING!

Posted by Stephanie Genuardi on 5/17/2013 at 11:04AM | No Comments
Bride-to-be Blogger Stephanie: Our Menu Tasting!

A glimpse of Stephanie and Pat's menu tasting at the Four Seasons Philadelphia.

A heavenly Nutella shooter, gloriously creamy mushroom risotto, a candied walnut salad bursting with flavor—our menu tasting at the Four Seasons last week easily ascended the ranks to my favorite wedding appointment so far!

I wish I could do a tasting every day! The concept is just so awesome. The happiness a delicious meal can bring me is somewhat ridiculous, but man, do I love to eat.

After being warned the appointment would take at least three hours, Pat and I decided to both take the day off. The three-day weekend, thus, had us in a very good mood, as well as the opportunity to spend another day together (as we’re still pushing through the long-distance and working in separate cities until the wedding).
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BRIDE-TO-BE BLOGGER STEPHANIE: OUR ENGAGEMENT PHOTO SESSION!

Posted by Stephanie Genuardi on 5/10/2013 at 2:23PM | 1 Comment
Bride-to-be Blogger Stephanie: Our Engagement Photo Session!

A shot from Pat and Stephanie's engagement shoot in Washington Square Park. Photo by Susan Stripling.

Pat and I aren’t a public-display-of-affection kind of couple, so as we walked to Washington Square Park last Friday evening for our engagement shoot—both still agitated from the massive traffic we sat in on our way down to the city—I was a bit nervous. How were we going to fair with a photographer up close and personal, snapping photos of us kissing and hugging?

I was also a bit worried about the location. Pat and I had hit all of the local spots significant to us in a shoot we did with our videographer a few weeks ago (which I’m hoping to keep top-secret until the wedding, so it’s a surprise!). So when I kept thinking about where to shoot our engagement photos, nothing was necessarily floating to the top of the list. But we knew we wanted to be outside, preferably somewhere natural and beautiful.
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BRIDE-TO-BE BLOGGER STEPHANIE: TUX-BUYING AND TO-DO LISTS

Posted by Stephanie Genuardi on 4/26/2013 at 4:20PM | 2 Comments
Bride-to-be Blogger Stephanie: Tux-Buying and To-Do Lists

Pat in his Hugo Boss wedding tux!

Just under three months to go until the wedding, and I am both completely ecstatic—ardently wishing the day would just get here already—and rather nervous and fearful of how we’re going to accomplish everything on our seemingly interminable planning list. Over the weekend, however, we tallied some important check marks.

All of the groomsmen will be wearing Vera Wang Black tuxedos from Men’s Wearhouse. We reserved the rentals, and now, we just have to hope the boys don’t forget to get their measurements taken (the email with very specific instructions has been sent!). The rental comes with the tux jacket, pants, shirt, cufflinks, bowtie, shoes, and socks—a pretty awesome deal that will hopefully eliminate any last-minute “But I only brought white socks,” “I only have a blue button-down,” and “I can’t wear my sneakers?” problems.
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BRIDE-TO-BE BLOGGER STEPHANIE: CHOOSING OUR WEDDING BANDS! (KINDA)

Posted by Stephanie Genuardi on 4/19/2013 at 4:00PM | No Comments
Bride-to-be Blogger Stephanie: Choosing Our Wedding Bands! (Kinda)

Creatas

In an effort to cross one more item off the planning list, Pat and I visited a local Jenkintown jeweler last week to choose our wedding bands.

Fred H. Straub Jewelers is where Pat bought my engagement ring. And since I’m completely in love with it and still find myself staring at it—admiring it shimmering in the light—a year after getting engaged, we made our way back to Straub.

When we entered, we were ushered over to the right, where all the strikingly beautiful engagement and wedding rings are kept. I spotted my ring beneath the glass, along with its matching band.
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BRIDE-TO-BE BLOGGER STEPHANIE: FINALIZING OUR DéCOR—LINENS, TABLEWARE, AND RECEPTION FLOWERS

Posted by Stephanie Genuardi on 4/12/2013 at 4:42PM | No Comments
Bride-to-be Blogger Stephanie: Finalizing Our Décor—Linens, Tableware, and Reception Flowers

Altrendo Images

I think of myself as a creative person, but it’s very hard for me to envision the execution of an idea without something tangible.

My mom, my wedding planner Kathy and I had researched and debated all kinds of décor possibilities for the Four Seasons ballroom, yet I was left feeling utterly confused about what might work best within the room. It wasn’t until we got into the ballroom a few weeks ago that the ideas came to life, and I was able to come to some decisions.
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BRIDE-TO-BE BLOGGER STEPHANIE: PLEASE HELP US CHOOSE OUR HONEYMOON DESTINATION

Posted by Stephanie Genuardi on 4/5/2013 at 3:17PM | No Comments
Bride-to-be Blogger Stephanie: Please Help Us Choose Our Honeymoon Destination

iStockphoto

“Have you decided where you’re going on your honeymoon yet?” It’s the question that follows me everywhere, and I wish I had an answer!

Pat and I have been determinedly researching options. And yet, we can’t seem to come to a decision. Traveling means a lot to us. It’s something we’re passionate about, so we are very carefully weighing our options. We’d love to get your input!

Bora Bora It’s like something out of dream: the over-the-water bungalows with private plunge pools and a ladder that leads down to the ocean, views of Mount Otemanu, pristine sand, turquoise water. It seems like that once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity, particularly perfect for a honeymoon. The downside? It doesn’t look like there’s much to do beyond lounging around. I’m slightly worried we could get bored.
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BRIDE-TO-BE BLOGGER STEPHANIE: STARTING TO DESIGN OUR CEREMONY

Posted by Stephanie Genuardi on 3/26/2013 at 10:00AM | 1 Comment
Bride-to-be Blogger Stephanie: Starting to Design Our Ceremony

Stockbyte

This week, I started to loosely map out our wedding ceremony. And while the task is a little daunting and a rather huge undertaking, I’m genuinely excited about it.

I’m thrilled to be able to cater the ceremony to us. My family and Pat’s very much wanted us to get married in a church and have a traditional Catholic ceremony. I, however, was yearning for a ceremony that would move beyond merely a mass (where you only remember you’re at a wedding when the bride and groom stand up at the end) and a ceremony that would enable us to craft our own vows and weave a more personal narrative into the ritual.
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BRIDE-TO-BE STEPHANIE: MY HAIR & MAKEUP TRIAL!

Posted by Stephanie Genuardi on 3/15/2013 at 3:15PM | No Comments
Bride-to-be Stephanie: My Hair & Makeup Trial!

Hemera

More than a half hour late to my appointment due to the absurd amount of people bustling around the Convention Center for the Flower Show and the resulting traffic jam, I arrived at Architeqt Salon for my hair and makeup trial flustered and winded.

Alexey, the salon’s owner and my stylist, had me take a second to breathe before we started discussing ideas. Through some extensive Pinterest searching, I had printed out a handful of styles I liked that all had a common theme of loose curls—just styled in so many different ways.

Alexey took a look at the pictures and immediately began curling and experimenting. Not having a super specific vision in mind, I loved that he just got to work.
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BRIDE-TO-BE BLOGGER STEPHANIE: I FOUND MY WEDDING SHOES!

Her wedding Choos, that is.

Posted by Stephanie Genuardi on 3/8/2013 at 5:47PM | 1 Comment
Bride-to-be Blogger Stephanie: I Found My Wedding Shoes!

iStockphoto

My eyelids felt heavy as I trudged my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth before getting in bed. It had been an exhaustingly long day. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the shoe box lying on the ground. And I couldn’t resist.

I carefully took the pair of heels out of their respective plastic coverings and removed the paper padding from inside. I slipped them on my feet and walked over to the mirror, admiring how they sparkled in the light.

My mom and I had taken the train up to New York two Sundays ago to go shopping for her dress for the wedding. And what did we come home with? My wedding shoes!
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BRIDE-TO-BE BLOGGER STEPHANIE: PICKING OUT OUR INVITATIONS

Posted by Stephanie Genuardi on 3/1/2013 at 1:15PM | No Comments
Bride-to-be Blogger Stephanie: Picking Out Our Invitations

iStockphoto

By the end of our appointment, my mom and I had dissected—literally with a scissors—three sample invitations and combined them into one. The finished product: stunning.

We had been at the Paper Umbrella for nearly four hours (who knew it was possible to stare at invitations for four hours?!). We had searched through dozens of books and still hadn’t quite found one that was really jumping out at us.

Two things were clear: I love texture, and I love sheen. And there were a number of invitation templates with these elements but not quite the right mix.

My goal in this process was to find an invitation that my mom loved and that I could love. My mom is rather passionate about invitations, so this was a pick-your-battles type situation. Since it’s not my number one priority, I wasn’t going to fight my mom on anything she fell in love with. That being said, I was still hoping to have a say and possibly encourage a more modern, interesting twist to the super traditional invites my mom was favoring.
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