honeymoon...

I have been away from my blog for a good week or more. My focus has been the task of the honeymoon. My travel agent gave me wonderful suggestions and I am sure any of the 5 star resorts that were recommended would have made for a memorable honeymoon. After weighing what was important to me, err, us...it was narrowed down to 6 resorts.

Topping the list all resorts are adults only, all-inclusive resort, offering direct flights from St. Louis and the destination being close to the airport.

Secrets Silversands

{Secrets Silver Sands}

My travel agent recommended Silver Sands and boy am I glad that she did! I love how modern this resort is. It is so awesome and such a trendy way to spend your first few days as newlyweds! I just could not get over how hip and cool it was and not really very "Mexico". I totally want to visit this resort, but in the end, I decided it was not the best choice for us at this moment....It is definitely on the short list for our first anniversary trip! :)

Secrets Maroma Beach

{Secrets Maroma Beach}

This resort is the perfect balance of "we are honeymooning in Mexico" and "we love modern"! Why did it not get selected? Trip advisor rates this new gem at #28 out 170 Cancun hotels. Hmmm.....give it a few years. It just opened in August 2008. Check out the website. I love all the details and the decor in the bars and restaurants! Also, love the tub!
I was most interested in Maroma's swim out suite. Off of your patio there are steps right into the lazy river pool. You share this pool with the other swim out suites around you...heaven at your back door!

El Dorado Royale
El Dorado Royal would have been a fabulous choice...totally safe, and we would have totally loved it I am sure. Who would not want to dine on your "Gourmet Inclusive" options? seriously. you cannot go wrong here. Alas, not the right fit for us.

El Dorado Maroma
El Dorado Maroma is so quaint and definitely on the smaller side of all the options. This is why it got cut in the early rounds, just not enough options for dining with only 3 restaurants...a girl needs more choices than that!

Excellence Riviera Cancun: The runner up!

{Excellence Riviera Cancun}

This came so highly recommended by recent visitors...and my travel agent was just there too! We loved the variety of restaurants (8), bars (11), and activities at the resort. Close to Cancun airport is such a plus! We have heard nothing but good things from everyone who has visited this resort. I just wanted more in a room. Something with more pizazz! Trip advisor did rate this resort at #2 out of 170 hotels in Cancun. Not too shabby. Must truly be excellent!

And for our honeymoon destination...drum roll please!

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Excellence Playa Mujeres

{Excellence Playa Mujeres}

When I was searching for a resort, I was kinda surprised at how all the beds faced sideways? Why? Why? I always envisioned the bed facing out towards the view....whether it be ocean, spa, pool, etc...it just seems more romantic to me! No surprise that the rooms that I was most drawn to had either a window/french door facing bed or really elegant looking bed linens. 2 of every kind of pillow in this bed? Excessive? Me likey.

This room instantly calms me and seems like a relaxing place to spend some lazy mornings, afternoons, or evenings! The spacious L-shaped sofa is so cozy with all the pillows and the room even has a small table to enjoy a meal or snack from the 24 hour room service. Chris is forcing me to be budget conscious so we opted to not upgrade to the Excellence Club level which offers extra amenities. Here are a few perks of this all-inclusive resort:

~8 a la carte dining options
~11 bars
~mini bar stocked daily with water, soda, juice, beer and snacks
~activities such as bicycles, hobie cats, cooking lessons, Spanish lessons, dancing lessons, darts, billiards, board games, archery, air rifle shooting...just to name a few!

I am sure my most popular activity will be sunbathing, napping, and indulging in all that Playa Mujeres has to offer! I instantly fell in love when I came across Playa Mujeres roof top terrace suite! to. die. for. From the website, "Each of these rooftop terraces comes outfitted with a private HydroSpa pool, and offers stunning views and comfortable lounge furniture. On the inside, our commodious rooms and suites are outfitted with the latest amenities to ensure that your stay is as relaxing and satisfying as possible."

There are even some roof top terraces that are actually not roof top and just have a bigger balcony....I would love one of these! In the end, it does not matter. I so love that hydrospa pool....I can imagine myself lounging on the terrace and taking a cool dip in our private pool. This idea of the roof top terrace and private (albeit small) pool, in so ingenious....simply bril.

As guests of the resort, we will also be partaking in honeymoon perks...
Basket of fresh fruits in room upon arrival
A bottle of sparkling wine
One special romantic dinner
Rose Petals in the room upon arrival
Special turn down service
Champagne breakfast in bed (once per stay; reservation must be made in advance with concierge)
15% discount on all Spa treatments

Cannot wait to visit Excellence Playa Mujeres roof top terrace for our 7 night honeymoon. I am already trying to see what spa treatments I can arrange while there. So fab.

if it exists, its on etsy!

I was thinking that it would be so fun to have an anenome flower pin to add some sass to basic outfits. My love of anenome's is definitely expanding from the bridal bouquet to everything else. heh. So where do I search first to find one? Will I even find one? Well as the title of this post claims, it it exists, it is on etsy.....and yes virginia, they do exist! (or is that the line from the m&m's commercial? anyway...)

{etsy Smitten}

Here she is....her name is Gilda and boy is she purty!

what's in a name...

fiance....betrothed....intended? I prefer "soon-to-be". As we approach the anniversary of our engagement, I am thinking about the many different ways to refer to the "future husband".

"soon-to-be" has been by far my favorite. It just rolls off the tongue and sounds so natural. It still seems ackward to say fiance. It seems pretentious to me. I wonder why? Most of the time I revert to the comfortable "boyfriend" title. Is it equally difficult changing to "husband"? Hmmm...

santa came early...

{Dyson DC25}

Merry Christmas to me!

ode to maid of honor.

I am so in love with J's dress for the wedding that I would love to have one "just because"! I was so excited to find that the bridesmaids in Style Me Pretty's featured wedding are wearing the same dress as J will be.
How fabulous are those dresses! The little tie straps can be worn or not. This dress does not look as good on the Amsale website. Too bad because it is so adorable!

{Amsale}

kids are funny.

Last night I went and spent some much needed time with my nephews and my sister-in-law. I have been so busy with working out, taking classes, work, wedding planning...that I had been neglecting my "aunt" duties.

So Ty the 3 yr. old did not want me to leave he was so funny. He kept giving me kisses and bear hugs, I am lucky if I get a kiss and hug out of him these days! Now Nate the 1 1/2 yr. old is all about the hugs and kisses.

The funniest part of the evening was when Ty asks, "Auntie, when are you going to have a baby?" The whole room burst into laughs. Hilarious. No one knows where he got that idea from! So we asked if we could trade Frankie for Nate, and Ty was totally on board. Obviously a trade was not going to happen, but try and explain that to a 3 yr. old. He then asked if we would take him with us. Heh. Again, obviously we did not. It was a fun evening.

i heart nailtiques...

I have been using nailtiques on and off for 10 years or so. I love this product! Now that the wedding is about 6 months away, I need to focus on getting my nails in shape. I am very hard on my nails and tend to neglect them. So lots of awesome Sephora cuticle oil and my Nailtiques. It's a nice nightly routine....

obsessive...

I have been blogging/reading blogs/researching wedding stuff/surfing the net/ WAY TOO MUCH. Chris has brought this to my attention on many occasions. I am only allowing myself 30 minutes to blog/check email/catch up and that is it.....until later. I think this might work! Chris wonders what I will do after the wedding.....my response? home blogs or baby blogs. hehe.

I cannot help myself...

I am obsessed with candy...anyone know a good shrink for that?

parisian love...

Boy oh boy, I love damask! These parisian wallpaper inspired cake design is so fabulous. What would you think if you went to a wedding with a cake like that? hmmm....me likey.

{Photography by Anastassios Mentis via The Knot}

so gorgeous.

{via The Knot}

I have a seriously bad habit of finding pictures online and cluttering my desktop with them. Just came across this one for a recent venture searching for inspiration at The Knot. I have posted about Anenome's before. totally my fav flower right now. I read in the most recent issue of the Missouri & Kansas Knot that anenome's are the "it" flower now. is it still so wrong to love them so much! I totally loved them before they were so popular...just ask my florist! ;o)

chandelier...

I decided that I did not want to wear a necklace on the wedding day that was rhinestone-y. I randomly came up with this crazy idea that I was going to find vintage chandelier crystals to create a necklace...then saw the most gorgeous necklace worn by Ellen, an stlwed.com bride.

{We Dream In Color}

I so love it. So after I decided to investigate the chandelier idea, Ellen sent me the above website. I was so excited to find something so beautiful! BUT I had already found chandelier crystals and ordered many.....so many that the bridesmaids are getting earrings and bracelets out of chandelier crystals to wear too... Below is my "rough draft" of the necklace.


In October, I brought the necklace to try on with the sample dress and my mom *HATES* it. Oh yes...hates. what to do. She hated my blue shoe idea, my bird cage veil idea, and now my necklace. Is she just right, or too old school. not sure.

There is the chance that the necklace may be too much. I really will not know until the dress comes. Advice? Anything like this happen to you?

so.want.these.

{Betsey Johnson, Frey, in turquoise via Nordstrom}

Wouldn't you know....sold out. So I did some digging. Cannot find in any size larger than an 8.5....reviews say they run small. oh how perfect for the reception. desperate to find.

holiday epidural?

So, I have been having back/sciatic issues for about 2 1/2 year now. With the wedding less than 7 months away and my desire to have a pain free honeymoon, I decided to do something about this annoyance. So lets cut to the chase. My general doctor said that my MRI results were THE worst she has ever seen, and we really have to do something about this VERY large herniated disc. Now fast forward to today. I visit a pain management doctor and after the initial consultation received my first course of treatment. Oh yes. An epidural. Now most people that receive one eventually leave with a baby. I left with instructions NOT to work out...no power walking even, for 2 weeks. AND the potential to have another epidural in 2 weeks. hmmmm.....I did not fare that well. I am told that just the anxiety of the unknown can have cause nausea.....well I was nauseas for sure. After the fact and now three hours after the event, I am feeling ok...but I have also been told that things will get worse before they get better. yuck.

So in addition to some advil, I picked up some Ben and Jerry's. I know, not the best choice since I cannot work off the calories, but is a new flavor....cake batter. oh.my.goodness. yellow cake batter ice cream swirled with chocolate frosting...seriously. If you know me at all, you know that this is MY birthday cake every year since for ever! Love the yellow cake with chocolate icing... yum. The best pick-me-up after a little holiday epidural.

something blue.... part deux

{Something Blue Satin Pump by Manolo Blahnik via Neiman Marcus}

Sex and the City fans....and brides to be! Am I the last to know that this shoe is called "something blue"? seriously. want. these.

something blue...

I am obviously in a shoe mood. I simply love d'Orsay shoes. So how about these polka dot babies from Betsey Johnson? They could be your something blue, and they have a spicy hot pink sole too!

{Mackenzie by Betsey Johnson via 6pm.com}

Another great option for the bridesmaids! Not d'Orsay, but I did get distracted by the bold polka dots....love.

{Flash by Betsey Johnson via 6pm.com}

I am totally in a polka dot mood...obviously. Now for a spunky something blue shoe for a daring bride....the wedge looks comfy!

{Yori by Betsey Johnson via 6pm.com}

As much as I love polka dots, I also love bows! So excited to find these!

{Weston by Betsey Johnson via 6pm.com}

Ooooh. Another shoe for your something blue. How cute are these polka dot shoes! Yes, I know I have an obsession with polka dots!

{Josette by Jessica Simpson via Heels.com}

indulge...

{Very Noeud by Christian Louboutin via Foot Candy Shoes}

The perfect wedding shoe....swoon.

{Moustique by Christian Louboutin via Barneys}

How about for your something blue?

{Miss Grey Slingbacks by Christian Louboutin via Saks Fifth Avenue}

Something for the bridesmaids? I love these shoes!

cute...

I love this picture...{via

something sassy...

I love black and white shoes! How cute would it be if my bridesmaids each donned a different black and white shoe? Hmmm...this thought excites me! So here's some inspiration!

{Salma from Bakers}

This beauty is TALL...at 4 1/4 inches, this is one sassy shoe! I definitely would not be able to dance in these all night...but I am sure that someone out there could!

{Women's Love by Jessica Simpson via Famous Footware}
{Vaughn by Caparros via Zappos}

It is actually not that easy to find black and white shoes...hmmmm. I thought there would be more out there.

perfect...

Checking my fav blogs this eve, I came across this featured wedding from Style Me Pretty. If I could wrap this wedding up in a package and send it to myself I would be VERY happy. This is totally the vibe I am going for. Time for some pictures!

{photos by Love Life Images via Style Me Pretty}

See more fabulous pictures here, here, and here! Check out the Love Life Images post about this fabulous event! Ohhhh....anenome's on the cake! swoon.

spink...

{courtesy of Catering St. Louis}

The Spink Pavilion is the perfect location for the rehearsal dinner. I simply could not imagine having it at any other location. The Missouri Botanical Garden will also be celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2009, so that makes this location also special.

{courtesy of Catering St. Louis}

Can you imagine how beautiful it will be when the garden is in bloom this summer.

{courtesy of Catering St. Louis}

If only Chihuly was still there. I would so love to to have those "onions" floating in the lily ponds.

{courtesy of Catering St. Louis}

We will not have a tent at the RD, but it will be a cocktail style reception.

{courtesy of Catering St. Louis}

{courtesy of Catering St. Louis}

*Beef Tenderloin Cocktail Sandwiches
*Smoked Turkey on Sourdough Batard
*Herbed Flatbread topped with Portobello Mushrooms, Roasted Red Peppers and Mozzarella
*Smoked Shrimp on Skewers with Honey Wasabi Sauce
*Spanikopita (H)
*Assorted Imported Cheeses with Crostini and Grapes
Sounds yummy! Some menu choices...

{courtesy of Catering St. Louis}

{courtesy of Catering St. Louis}

{courtesy of Catering St. Louis}

{courtesy of Catering St. Louis}{courtesy of Catering St. Louis}
I so need a fabulous dress...and shoes!

i heart...

Saturday the girls and I went looking at bridesmaid dresses. While we were there, there was a bride deciding on a dress for a beach wedding. She wanted something more casual for her nuptials. The first dress she tried on was this beauty by Jim Hjelm.



Gasp. It was so gorgeous. My wheels have since been turning and how fabulous would this dress be for the rehearsal dinner? I know, it is rather indulgent to wear a floor length, satin-faced taffeta strapless trumpet gown with gathered empire bodice and attached sash to a rehearsal dinner, but then again why not!

Oh the sash. I am such a sucker for bows.