A Wedding Contest, a Tropical Storm, and two Un-invited Guests : A View from the Sweetheart Table (Part 2)

Another guest post by Felicity Sicre Chappell – THE Bride…

Up to the morning of the wedding, I had been living in a dream state. None of it felt real. Don’t get me wrong, it was beyond exciting, but even telling the story of how it all happened, felt like I was talking about someone else. I still couldn’t believe it was all happening to me (oops, “US”, sorry Jeff).

I woke up that Sunday morning in my amazing bridal suite on the 12^th floor and I had a cold (uninvited guest number one). I had been fighting it for a couple of days, a last minute gift from my fiancé. Poor Jeff, he had been sick all week and did his best to hide it from me so as not to stress me out.  We were living on Nyquil and vitamins hoping to stave it off in time for the wedding. We were determined to not let it get to us. That, coupled with the third eye that had been growing steadily on my forehead for the past week (uninvited guest number two), was just enough to send me into a frenzy pushing me to that fine line between stressed out bride and bridezilla.

Wedding day weather.

While the day before was sunny and breezy, the forecast had called for a 90% chance of showers for the wedding day. I spent all of Saturday praying for the sunshine to hold up because the plan was for our ceremony to be outside surrounding the gorgeous pool overlooking the ocean. (Hence the “Dream Beach Wedding”)  Fortunately, the fantastic team at the Hilton and our Wedding Jeannie had already switched to plan B and had prepared for the ceremony to be inside.  So I had nothing to worry about, but I was still hopeful.

Sure enough, when I opened the blinds of my bedroom window, I immediately recognized what would be the calm before the storm. The sky was grey and the clouds were rolling in quickly, the wind was picking up and the air smelled like rain. It was coming.  I gave in to Mother Nature and reminded myself how they say that rain on your wedding day is good luck. Still, I felt a bit deflated. What wasn’t deflated was the pimple on my forehead. My makeup artist had her work cut out for her. Hope she packed some magic in her bag.

Wedding Day Hair and Makeup…or is that a geisha?

The next few hours went by quickly, and my room was a rotating door of visitors and camera crew. My hair and face had been beautified by Design Visage’s beauty magician Jen, who successfully hid my third eye with tattoo cover-up. Yet, the moment still didn’t feel real. It was more like watching a wedding reality show.

Until, that is, I put on my wedding gown.

As I was stepping into a cloud of ever so delicately tinted blue tulle, and having the custom designer Arminé and my sister zip and button me in, reality hit me that I was putting on my wedding dress — the uniquely created work of art that would adorn me on the most important day of my life and that would grace all the pictures that would commemorate this moment beyond my lifetime.

It was as if someone had flipped a switch. Surrounded by some of the most important people in my life, I was “in it”…that moment that every little girl dreams about but can never quite imagine until it actually happens to her. With help, I put on my red shoes that up to that point had just been some inexpensive red heels, my veil was delicately placed on my head, and suddenly I was a bride. I was glowing and I felt incredible.  I looked out the window and the rain was coming down sideways, and within a few seconds, it turned to hail. Yet nothing could rain on the parade of elation that I was experiencing.

That energy carried me as I prepared to walk into our wedding ceremony. I was standing there with my Dad on one side, my Godmother/Aunt on the other, as I watched last minute stragglers rush into the room. Suddenly, the first few instrumental notes of Led Zeppelin’s All of My Love began, with the accompaniment of Tim the Electric Violinist, and my excitement was kicked up to the next notch. Chills overtook me, and I was so energized to hear the music, it was just what we wanted and it sounded phenomenal.

I didn’t think that feeling could get any better, when unexpectedly my ears were filled with the exploding cheers of our guests as they greeted Jeff and his groomsmen. I had never heard that reaction before at a wedding ceremony, and according to Pastor Dave, neither had he in his 20 plus years experience. It was intoxicating.

Here comes the bride!

I couldn’t wait to see Jeff. I didn’t go with him to his tux fitting, and we decided not to have a “first look,” or what I kept calling “the peekaboo,” so I was as anxious to see him as I was for him to see me.

The music tapered and transitioned to a beautiful instrumental of Here, There and Everywhere by the Beatles, and I knew it was my queue, my moment, and the tears welled up in my eyes as my smile widened.

I was more ready than I had ever been…

Stay tuned for part 3

A Wedding Contest, a Tropical Storm, and two Un-invited Guests : A View from the Sweetheart Table (Part 1)

Guest post by Felicity Sicre Chappell – THE Bride…

Waiting for the results…

When you plan a dream beach wedding, you undoubtedly imagine sunshine. When you win a dream beach wedding, you go with the flow. This is the story of a control-freak who surrendered her wedding over to the professionals and mother-nature and let what was meant to be, happen.

First, let me address a couple questions that have been swirling in the readers’ minds since the first blog post. “How did you find out about this $100K wedding contest, and how on earth did you win?” It comes down to two words: Social Media, in all of its many forms.

From the moment of our engagement in August, wedding planning became a daunting task. I decided at that moment that I was going to find and enter as many wedding contests as I could, even though I had never done anything like that before. I’ve never even bought a lottery ticket. Then one day in November, there it was, on Facebook. A high school friend had posted that her mom’s friend’s daughter and her fiancé needed votes to win a $100,000 Dream Beach Wedding Contest put on by Your Wedding Day Magazine and the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort. I followed the link, voted for the couple, saw that there were only a handful of couples in the contest at that time, and quickly posted a picture and brief story about us, and suddenly we were contestants. It happened that fast.

The next step was asking as many people as I could to vote for us. Again, Facebook became the channel for putting the word out. From there it became viral. Friends and family were all too happy (well they at least acted happy) to not only vote 999 times, but to post it on their Facebook page, and email their friends and family. Their friends and family did the same thing, and so on.

My Aunt Mary Ann provided the handwritten link in all of her Christmas cards that she sent out! People that we have never met, nor will meet, were voting for us, and they were sharing the link and spreading the word. It was overwhelming and I felt so blessed and fortunate to be a part of such a generous network of people (THANK YOU everyone!).

Watching the online votes jump in increments of tens and twenties was addicting. It was like gambling in Vegas (ok, so I have never actually gambled in Vegas, but I imagine I know the feeling). The voting process was tedious and time consuming. Yet so many people did it for us repeatedly, and as my new brother-in-law Craig said, “It was the worst video game ever.” Luckily, his finger healed in time for the wedding, although now that I think back, he did drop the rings….

In January, and one hundred fifty-eight thousand votes later, we were the couple with the most votes. The next step was the 45 minute interview process in front of a panel of five female judges. Let me tell you quite honestly that there was never a second when we thought we would win. These things just don’t happen to people we know, let alone us.

Now I’ll admit, there was a moment where I contemplated sitting Jeff down and providing him with a list of “do and don’t say” and coaching him through a sort of script. Yet I knew in my heart that if we were meant to have this dream wedding, then it would be ours, and that ultimately fate had already determined the winners. If it wasn’t us, then it wasn’t meant to be.  We would still get married, and like Jeff said, we were winners because we had already won each other.

Now, if you know Jeff, you know right away that he won that contest for us. Sure, I was the one who rallied the team for the voting process, but it was Jeff who charmed the judges without even trying. It didn’t take long for them to see in him what it was that I fell in love with, and he commandeered that interview making me look like a wall flower. He was incredible.

We were both genuine and honest, and totally ready and willing to hand over our wedding to the capable women making the decisions.  Later we learned that those three things won us the prize. The next night, in front of 500 strangers, we were announced the winners. I’ll never forget the look of complete and genuine shock on Jeff’s face. In slow motion, my mouth dropped open as I turned to him and whispered the word, “what?” My legs were shaking, he had to hold me up. Many people congratulated us, and one guy said that by our reaction, he would think that we had just won ten dollars. I decided not to tell him that I had almost peed my pants, nor that it wasn’t my 4-inch heels making my legs and knees wobble.  Well, the heels did contribute.

We had a two hour drive home where for much of the first half hour we sat in silence and disbelief. The rest of the drive was made up of light conversation that toggled back and forth between “did that just happen?” and “can you believe we just won a wedding?”

The shock still hasn’t worn off.

We learned that our wedding was planned for Sunday, March 25, less than three months from the date we won the contest. Suddenly we were on the fast track, and the roller coaster ride was getting started. Everything was already in place from the date to the venue, the wedding planner, invitations, florist and linens, Officiant, gown designer, tux rental, lighting, caterers, musician, photographer, videographer, hair & makeup, the rehearsal dinner, and the ring designer…yes, we got rings! Who gets free wedding rings?

Our biggest sacrifice was making frequent trips down to Orange County to meet our vendors, and neither of us was complaining. As far as wedding planning goes, we got off easily, and we knew that no matter what was decided for us, it would be magnificent and way beyond what we could have paid for, imagined or planned.

Surprisingly, we had a lot more say in the whole thing than we expected. We provided our ideas and our brief list of likes and dislikes and were told to steer the voting process in the direction of our top picks. They truly wanted to give us what we wanted. Wow, did they deliver!

Stay tuned for part 2…

They won!

Locale Magazine Shares First Official Wedding Pics

I’m tinkering away on a few new posts with pictures and more memories collected from Felicity & Jeff’s wedding…so stay tuned.

In the meantime, just had to share some recent coverage on the big event posted on LOCALE Magazine.  Beautiful spread (thanks to Huey Bui Photography).

Enjoy!

The Wedding Bell Blues

It’s a little over a week after the wedding, and I have to admit, I’ve been a little down in the dumps over the whole thing.  Kind of like an “after-my-sister’s-wedding-day-hangover.”  Not because the wedding wasn’t incredible, because it was.  But because I’m so bummed to see it all go by.  It happened all too fast for my liking, and in the end, I DIDN’T EVEN GET A PIECE OF CAKE!

Waaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!

Whew, now that’s off my chest, let’s get into the details, the highlights, the best of the best.*

The Dress

I told you it was unexpected, didn’t I?  Layers of soft tulle in the sweetest shade of what I’m calling Tiffany Blue, with just the right amount of sparkle.  A handmade design by the fabulous Armine of R-Mine Bridal, what a treat!  Thank you so much for such a delightfully memorable dress, Armine.  Just hanging up in the bridal suite the day before, it looked so pretty, I wanted to eat it.  And the bride wore red shoes…rumor has it she couldn’t stop dancing either.   She was simply gorgeous, and that’s not just me bragging.

The Flowers & Decor

Krista Jon glorified the room with decadent red and turquoise bouquets, which happens to be one of my personal favorite combinations.  I tried to steal one of the vases from the reception, but got caught red-handed.  So, I was satisfied with my bouquet of red anemones and anthurium, tied with a sweet black rose ribbon.  Finally had to say goodbye to it today.  Boo hoo.

The Cake

A masterpiece by Superfine Bakery with four tiers and three different yummy layers (so I have been told, again and again…rub it in, why don’t you).  And weren’t Jeff & Felicity sweet when they cut it?  Nice and tidy.  I give them an 8 out of 10 on that, being as my personal opinion is if one of you (namely him) doesn’t get a little cake on your face, can you really say you tried your hardest?  Get used to it Jeff, from here on out, she’s always right, and you’re just going to have to take the fall, aka, get cake on your face from time to time.

The Food

Over-the-top!  The girls from my Girls Nite dinner group suggested I try to pull that amazingly memorable mushroom soup dish off someday.  Boy, they either a) have a lot of faith in my cooking, b) think I have an in with the chef, or c) were very drunk.  I’m putting my money on “c” for the obvious reasons.

The Music

I have to admit, and this is the music snob in me talking, that when they said there would be an electric violinist, my first thought was, “Oh no you don’t.  We don’t want no new-age superfreak with ruffled cuffs playing at this wedding.”  So now, let me eat my words.  Timmy, the DJ/Violinist ROCKED.  He was incredible, and he had the coolest song list that surprised even the biggest rocker chick in the house.  One of my favorite parts of the ceremony was the bridal party walking in to Led Zeppelin.  Uber-cool.

The Bar

Endless.  Even had an ice-sculpture with shoots running down it.  You’d order your drink, the bartender would mix it up, and then send it down a shoot, chilling it on its way down to your glass.  Nice touch.

The Photo Booth

I now have a stack of crazy-hatted photos of me with any combination of people at the party – some likely, some very unlikely combinations – but hey, it was a party, and we were being social, right?  All I know is that I’m glad there were pictures, because it all happened so fast, I absolutely don’t remember taking most of them.  But it sure looks like I had a great time, as did everybody else.

The Crepes

My personal favorite.  At the end of the evening, from out of nowhere, came a magic stand of made-on-demand crepes.  Savory or sweet, your choice.  I’m hoping that if I close my eyes really tight and click my heels three times, maybe those guys will appear outside my office window just in time for dinner (and dessert) tonight. I highly recommend this clever late-night addition to any extravaganza you might be planning.  Your guests will love you for it.

Ok, so that’s the official rundown.  I’d love to hear your comments and stories from the night, as I didn’t get the chance to talk to everyone (but I sure as heck tried, which is why I missed out on the cake).

To The Hilton, The Wedding Jeannie, and the folks at Your Wedding Day, and all of the rest of the vendors mentioned here, thank you from the bottom of my heart for making my sister’s wedding day so incredible!

*Disclaimer:  this is all to the best of my recollection, so forgive me if I’ve missed something.  The real hangover hit the next morning, and was thankfully gone by lunch time.  I’m having to rely on pictures to nudge some of my memories.  Like I said, it was a great party!

Now it’s your turn to share your stories in the comments below…please do.

Did Someone Say “Chocolate?”

Ah yes, I got the BIG invite.  The ONE I’ve been waiting for since this whole marriage proposal came about.

That’s right, Felicity and Jeff invited me to they’re cake tasting!

Truth be known, I actually sort of invited myself, but no need to focus on the minor details.

I was a good guest.  I didn’t push my favorites or make ugly faces when I didn’t agree.  It’s their wedding, after all.  But really, the cake was so good, there’s no way they could go wrong.  That’s thanks to the creative baking skills of Andrea Boudewijn at Superfine Bakery…she’s a confectionery artiste (and a real doll).

These flowers are made from sugar...believe it!

The best part is that this cake is going to be over-the-top beautiful.  Just listening to Andrea describe it and how she was going to construct it was fascinating.  Realizing that the delicate flowers that will adorn the cake will all be hand-made out of sugar amazes me.  Really, if you haven’t checked out her creations, you’ll be bedazzled.

I can’t wait to see it, taste it, and most of all, lick the plate afterwards.  Yum.  And Felicity will be able to keep the confections forever, provided her sugar tooth doesn’t drive her to devour them like hard candy under the dining room table.  (Note to Tina:  don’t let the caterers throw them away or you will be dead meat when they get back from their honeymoon.)

Cake…what’s your favorite flavor?

So, What are You Wearing?

Seems to be the big question around these parts.   What does one wear to a $100,000 wedding??

There is so little we really know about this wedding, being as everything is being voted on, and the vendors are working to create a magical experience, which they’d like to keep somewhat of a surprise for Felicity and Jeff.  While I get their thinking, it does pose some problems for those of us expecting to show up and look like we fit into a grand affair.  I mean, this isn’t your typical jeans or a dress dilemma (not that I’d ever wear jeans to a wedding, even if I was in the wedding and that was the bride’s choice).

I already mentioned in a previous post that my girlfriends donned 2 outfits on my wedding day.  So, you can imagine what fun everyone is having picking out their fancy duds for this occasion.  I love hearing about the colorful ensembles, and of course the heels…the high, sparkly heels!

For My Pretty Little Toes

As for me, I will be in black.  Sparkling.  Platforms, of course.  Nothing too over-the-top, which for those of you who know me, was a challenge, but I know my place.   Truth is, I had to purchase 5 pairs of shoes to find just the right ones.  Unfortunately I had to send 4 of them back.

Ok, so I only sent back 3.

Make that 2 dresses, 3 pairs of shoes, and a bolero jacket.

In case you don’t know what I look like, keep an eye out for me on the wedding day.  I’ll be next to the lovely girl in white.  By the way, I’ve seen her dress, and it is beautifully unexpected.  I cannot wait to see her in it!

How about you?  What are/would you wear to a $100k wedding?

My One and Only

I recently took a look back at my wedding day photos and realized (only after six years) that all of my closest girlfriends wore not one, but two outfits to my wedding!  (And they call me the Barbie girl?)

There they each were in bright, end-of-summer dresses during the ceremony, followed by hot biscuit, low-cut numbers and sparkly heels at the evening reception.  (I’m not going to name names, because you all know who you are, you sneaky ladies.)

I have to admit, I got a little jealous.  I mean, had I known, I would have been on that wagon switching from blushing bride to hot-little-number-can-you-really-call-that-a-wedding-gown somewhere in between events as well.

After all the perusing of bridal magazines and trying on dresses, who wouldn’t want to have multiple dresses on their big day?  Especially after dreaming since you were a high school teeny-bopper about your dress, which we all have to admit, next to the groom, is THE most important factor.  (Ok, maybe, next to the groom and the diamond ring, for some of us, yours truly included.)

Truth be told, though, I loved my wedding dress.  The first time I tried it on, I knew it was the one, but with a $2100 price tag, I said “no way!”  I searched and searched for something similar to no avail.  I tried to persuade myself to be happy with something different, but my heart just wasn’t in it.

Then, one magic day, I looked on eBay…and there it was.

Yes, believe it.  Same designer, my size, never been worn.  In the last few seconds of the bidding, my fiance, my hero, put in the winning bid (without peeking, he promised), and I got my dress for $610.

I am certain, no doubt in my mind, it was the gentle workings of my mom looking down from heaven.  She always was a hopeful romantic, much like me.

My One and Only

Now, I look back at the pictures, and I think to myself, I rocked that dress.  Turns out, it was my one and only… just like the guy who won it for me.

This week, Felicity and I will be heading back to R-Mine for a fitting.  Although the voting is unanimous and we know the basic design, there is nothing like putting on the dress to make you feel like a bride.  I cannot wait to see her in it.  And what a story behind it!

How about you?  What’s your wedding dress story – a cherished memory, or an “OMG, what was I thinking” moment?

It’s the People Who Make It a Party

In just one month, my sister and Jeff will be married.  Four weeks, that’s all.  Wow!  It amazes me to think that something we’ve dreamed of for quite some time now (they have been dating for more than six years…some of us were praying, too), is so close.

Our celebration of Felicity at her Santa Barbara wedding shower on Sunday was absolutely fabulous.  Beautiful food, flowers, and ladies. We were sure to weave in memories of my mom and Nana, featuring things like my mom’s tea cup collection, china and crystal, and Nana’s potato salad (yummmm-meeee).  Of course, when Felicity opened a box of lingerie, and everyone “oooh’d” and “ahhhh’d” I couldn’t resist throwing in my Nana’s classic comment, “I don’t know what you girls are getting so excited about — it’s just going to end up on the floor anyway.” Definitely one of my favorite memories of that sassy little lady.

Anyway, there’s something fascinating about a house full of women, dressed up, being treated to something special, and sharing their stories.  Such an intoxicating energy.  All right, I’ll admit there was champagne and chocolate involved, but regardless, it was the company that made the event.

Someone commented that a wedding is so magical not just because of the day itself, but also because of the events that lead up to it.  The bringing together of friends and family, the wishful thoughts and fond memories that come out in conversations — they come together in a unique way to celebrate the couple.  It was beautiful during the few times when I actually sat down to witness the collection of people gathered and the excitement they not only brought to the room, but to the entire wedding itself.

Felicity and the "F-Mousse"

And there was my little sister in the middle of it all.  I am so proud of her, all grown up, playing the perfect hostess — so gracious and grateful.  She will be a lovely bride.  She already is.

Rock the Vote

Thank you to everyone who commented on yesterday’s post.

Now, it’s time for us to put some muscle behind this celebration.  Are you ready?  Flex your fingers and prepare to vote.

The people at Your Wedding Day (California) Magazine are staging an incredible event with  Southern California’s Best wedding vendors.  Arminé Ohanessian from R-Mine Bridal is designing Felicity’s one-of-a-kind dress.  The cake will be a divine edible by Andrea Boudewijn of Superfine Bakery, and the decor and flowers will be the creative vision of Krista Jon.  These are just a handful of the vendors participating.

The fun (and slightly crazy part) is that we get to vote on it all.

So, here’s your chance to build a $100,000 wedding, with somebody else’s money.  Go to the YWD site and vote on the dress, the decor, the rings, the food, and my personal favorite, the cake.

I’m going with the following choices because, well a little bird told me these are the ones she’s in love with for her wedding day.  But I have to admit, any of the choices would be incredible:

• Bridal Attire – “Deep V”
• Wedding Style –  “Carnivale”
• Wedding Cake – “Harlequin Peacock”

Have fun, and vote for the wedding of Felicity & Jeff’s dreams.  Then come back here and comment on what YOU would choose if it were YOUR wedding!  Hey, I figure as long as we’re spending someone else’s money, we can afford to dream a little.

Thanks for dreaming with us,

Sister of the Bride

Once Upon A Time

So, every great love story has to start somewhere.  I figure that’s a good place to begin when talking about My Sister’s Wedding Day.  Maybe it’s just Valentine’s Day, or maybe it’s just that no matter what, LOVE is the underlying theme to our existence.  In fact, when I think upon it, all other emotions and actions are defined by the presence or lack thereof, of love.

Whatever it is, I asked friends and family to share with me their story about “How you met your honey.”  I loved the replies I received.  Stories from couples I’d known for years, but had just never taken the time to ask the question.  In my review, it’s a great question to ask.  Probably a better opening line at a party than “So, what do you do?”  Much more personal, connective, and in many instances, more interesting.

I love my love story with Mr. Paul.  I learned that many others loved their own as well.  Most were just simple meets in their normal day-to-day.  All were unique and memorable.

And as a memory, not to be lost, I recall my mom saying that as a freshman in high school, she had a crush on a sophomore, named “Dodie.”  Mon., Tues., Wed., and Thurs., she wore her cutest outfits (this was back in the 50’s, so you know they were adorable), but no luck – Dodie seemed to be clueless.  Then, on Friday, she came to school in an old pair of pedal pushers and tennis shoes, and guess who finally got up the nerve to ask her out?  Uh-huh.

Nine years later, they were married.

So, without further adieu, here is the story behind my sister, Felicity and her meeting the man she will soon marry, Jeff…

Felicity and Jeff met at work in 2004. After enjoying each other’s company for a few short months, they began to realize that there was something to this besides being friendly coworkers.

Felicity mentioned to her sister Tina, “I wish I could meet a guy like that,” to which Tina replied, “I think you just did!”

Felicity and Jeff began spending more time together and really realizing they had found a truly special person. The relationship soon became effortless and they soon traveled on  a few memorable vacations together- Mexico, Tahiti and more…

After a wonderful six years together they began their engagement on a wonderful stretch of Santa Barbara beach in August of 2011.

Just say "yes."