Wedding Bouquets - Making them yourself

Back in highschool, I used to watch Martha Stewart's show religiously. I remember recording the wedding episodes on my VCR so that I wouldn't miss anything. Yes, it was back in the day where TIVOs and DVRs didn't exist. She taught me that making wedding bouquets were a piece of cake and since then, I have been making them for every wedding I have been a part of.

Half a dozen weddings later, it was my turn to use my skills for my sister's wedding. We went to a local warehouse to pick up some fresh flowers. We talked to the "flower lady" and got the freshest ones (they were secretly stored in a nearby freezer, not on the floor).

Once I got home, I placed all the flowers into a bucket of water just to see what all was there. I then stripped the leaves and cleaned the stems of the flowers I wanted in the bouquet.

I arranged them and cut off the end so that all the stems would be the same length. I then wrapped the stems with a ribbon.

I like leaving the end of the bouquet unwrapped so that I can leave it in water all evening and during the day when the bouquet isn't used, lengthening the life of the bouquet.

At the end of the ribbon, fold the ribbon under and pin with a pearl needle for a clean look.

A simple, yet elegant bouquet in a matter of minutes at a fraction of the cost.

I don't think that I could ever buy a bouquet ever again. We made a lot of flower arrangements with the left over flowers.

For the bridal bouquet, she chose a combination of Hydrangeas and Eucalyptus. I loved how it turned out.

Not a bad bouquet for under $15? Nearly a week later, the bouquets are still blooming.

Bridal Portraits

My sister finally tied the knot this past weekend. Before doing so, she asked me to take her bridal portraits and I was happy to oblige. Here is my beautiful sister striking a pose. We drove down to a nearby park and snapped away.

I simply love how they turned out.

Bridal Portraits

The countdown is on until my sister's wedding this Saturday. I'm so excited. I plan on starting my Thanksgiving vacation early to help out.

Recently, I took some bridal portraits of her. Here is a sneak peak.

Now you, really didn't expect me to show the dress just yet, did you? Wedding details will come after the wedding.

the Ao Dai

Last week's shopping search for an ao-dai was very successful. My sister was able to find her dress off the rack, straight from Viet Nam. That saved her some money from having to pay for it to be custom made. My Vietnamese speaking skills (if you can call it that) came in handy when bargaining for a lower price as well. What I have learned in the past is that it never hurts to bargain. The worst they could say is, "no." I lucked out and actually got a discount.

Here is my gown I wore on my wedding day. I pulled it out to see if I could squeeze back into the tiny thing.

I love it and still do. Born and raised in the states, you tend to sometimes lose a lot of the traditions your parents grew up valuing so it was nice to have that traditional Vietnamese ceremony along with the typical American ceremony with the typical white wedding gown.

And the verdict? It fits (if I inhale deeply and don't exhale)! That's not bad, considering all the pregnancies I have had.

A. is checking me out and saying he wants to wear one of his own...so

Here he is sporting R.'s ao-dai. Isn't he just adorable???

Don't for get the headpiece

Am I cute or what? Don't you dare say, "what."

We just celebrated our wedding anniversary. Here we are renewing our vows a few years ago. It was nice to say our vows and make our promises to each other again. A. wasn't born yet when we renewed our vows so I hope to renew our vows again some day with all my children present.

As for my sister's gown, she went with the very traditional red color. Here is a sneak peak. Don't scroll down if you don't want to see (I am talking about you "Annie").

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More pictures to come after the wedding in November!