High Voltage Sounds

Our DJ, Vinny from High Voltage Sounds, was recommended to us by some friends and we are so glad we took their advice, as we had a rockin' good time.

Prior to the event we were asked to provide a Music Request List and, as former musicians, we definitely went a little overboard, providing no less than four pages of popular and obscure tunes. Vinny unearthed most, producing one bizarre, yet awesome, set list! (We also encouraged our guests to suggest a song on their RSVP cards.)

I can't begin to tell you what it felt like to sit down and hear Ani DiFranco serenading me while I tucked into my dinner. This shocked me into the moment, thinking, "Wow! I love pumpkin ravioli and Leffe beer and...is that Ani DiFranco?!?!" That is a distinct benefit of hosting one's own party - one gets what one pays for!

The rave review:

1. Vinny knew this was a crew of dancing fools and made sure the songs were balanced between upbeats and ballads.
   
   
2. Brilliantly, Vinny withholds the microphone from the masses, making certain that all requests to speak are cleared by the bride and groom. All drunken sentiments are pre-screened!
   
   
3. The price is right! I contacted roughly four DJs and HV Sounds was, by far, the most reasonably priced. We may have had to go the extra mile by producing a song list, but wouldn't one want to do that anyway?! I can't imagine hosting a party where the dreadful Taylor Swift is booming over the airwaves. I don't tolerate whiny prepubescent warbling and nor should you.
   

The so-so review:

1. Vinny is sometimes difficult to reach by phone, which is usually fine with me, as I prefer e-mail; however, I was a little perturbed when I scheduled a call a few days before the event and Vinny didn't pick up his phone. I left a voice mail message, which he didn't return, but ended up reaching him via e-mail.
   
   
2. The entrance song we requested was "The Circle of Life" from the Lion King Soundtrack. Now, had the aforementioned conversation occurred, he would have realized that we specifically wanted the wailing Broadway version, but we ended up with the mellow Elton John version. When we picked the song, we laughed hysterically. At the wedding, however, we sighed disappointingly.
   
   
3. Vinny usually arrives an hour before the event, but I think he and his partner got lost coming to the zoo (an easy thing, given the multiple entrances). As I walked through the hall during the cocktail hour, I absentmindedly murmured aloud, "Hmmm...where's the DJ?" Little did I know this simple comment launched my MOH, Best Man, and Event Coordinator into panic mode. All three were on cell phones faster than a monkey can fling poop. Luckily Vinny was unloading his stuff outside at the moment and all was right in the animal kingdom.
   

All-in-all, we had an awesome time and I recommend HV Sounds to anyone looking to kick off their heels and dance the night away!

Sal & Dom's - Lovefest Review

I learned of Sal & Dom's Pastry Shop by way of the trusty Internet, but the glories of their pastries were well-supported by my Bronx-dwelling co-workers.

I can't say enough about Sal & Dom's - their treats are scrumptious and moderately priced, and Millie, who designed our elegant Halloween-themed cake, was so helpful and lovely.

I know we live in Queens, but I assure you that we will travel to Sal & Dom's for all our future cake needs!

The only sad part is that the majority of this gorgeous cake ended up being tossed down the garbage shoot this morning. It broke my heart, but it had to be done.

You see, we ordered a decorative cake to feed approximately 40 people and a sheet cake to be sliced for the rest. Well, the sheet cake must have been HUGE, as it fed all 75 guests. Subsequently the decorated cake (minus a single slice used for the cake cutting ceremony) was boxed up and given to us at night's end.

So, what does one do with an extraordinarily delicious 2-tiered cake? Well, we loaded up 4 tupperware containers and froze them, force-fed vast quantities to our Matron of Honor and Best Man, and then had roughly 4 slices for breakfast on the morning we departed on our honeymoon (which was, perhaps, not the wisest decision, but it's not like we had to fit into formal wear, so what the hell?).

Then, driven by Irish guilt and desperation, we put the rest of it in a sealed cake container. And then left on a 2-week honeymoon...

Well, this morning I walked into the kitchen and was bitch-slapped with the strangest odor...the cake had melted in the cake container. It oozed chocolate all over the table and took on the odor of fermenting apples. It was so sad, but clearly the time had come to throw out the cake. I dribbled it into a bag, scrubbed the container, and said a parting thank you to the cake that served us well.

Then I went to the gym and cursed it for making my gut jiggle like Santa's whilst running on the treadmill.

Let the Lovefest Begin!

As promised, I feel compelled to praise the many vendors who made my wedding day nearly perfect!

First on the docket: Etsy. I cannot begin to express my gratitude to the craftspeople whose creativity far exceeds my own! I purchased the following and am humbled by their beauty...

Krystle with Feathers and Frills created a custom hair fascinator, shoe clips and boutonniere for the day. They are, in a word, stunning and made me feel so glamorous! I will surely keep these for the rest of my life and loan them (maybe!) to fulfill my future brides' requisite "Something Borrowed."




Next, Rock Star Hottie whipped up these saucy wrist clutches, which I gave to my Bridesmaids filled with makeups and hair accessories:











And, finally, Pam of Curran's of Vermont designed this delicate necklace, which perfectly matched the heirloom earrings I borrowed.













With the help of these artisans I looked and felt fierce. Every bride wants to look her best on her wedding day; I not only looked my best, but did so at the hands of remarkable craftspeople, who share not only their talents, but a piece of themselves with everything they create.

Thank you, Etsy!!!

Lotta wedding talk

Man, settling back in from a two week vacation is tedious enough, but answering a billion questions about a wedding makes it downright exhausting!

I swear I have told more people about the day and the honeymoon than I ever dreamed was possible. I think that is why I have not posted anything to this blog since our return!

Next steps for me here in my online world is to review each vendor with whom we worked. After all, one of the driving forces behind my writing this blog was to guide other non-brides down a less bumpy path.

Reviews to come...right now I have to get ready to go to work. The Dark Tower awaits...

We're ba-ack...

We got back from our honeymoon last night at 11pm ET. We proceeded to wake at 5am ET. Or was it 6am? Damn Daylight Saving (which, incidentally, we already experienced last week in Europe). I have no idea what time it is...

Anyway, we had a great time and, as I am hellaciously jet-lagged, I cannot muster the strength for humor; I can merely recall facts:

• we drank a lot of beer
• we took over 300 photos
• in Glasgow I pet an owl (no, really, I PET an owl)
• in Amsterdam we visited Dutch zoo animals
• in Ghent, where torture was apparently a national pastime, we toured a medieval castle

It's a funny thing coming home after being away for 2 weeks. The simplicity of grabbing coins from one's pocket and rapidly knowing which value is applied to which is fantastically relaxing.
Moreover, there is a beauty knowing that one can leave one's home sans map and locate, well, everything. And, finally, television here is a revelation: outside of a BBC program (sorry, programme) Have I Got News For You and a show (name escapes me) featuring the sublime Noel Fielding, there was surprisingly little cheek. I need a hearty dose of sarcasm and irreverence to survive.

Speaking of, I just re-read my post from post-wedding and I must recant the bit about my hair, which I said looked "fine." Awesome Angie sent us some preview photos and, damn, that is some jacked-up hair. I could have done better if I just rolled out of bed and tacked it up myself. Further, the majority of photos show me with my semi-grown-out bangs dangling in my eye because they just aren't long enough to remain tucked behind my ear. Boots (my MOH) found a small bobby pin on the ground and we used it to pin them back for the ceremony.

That's right: I found a bobby pin on the ground at the zoo...and then stuck it in my own hair. Hey, that's how I roll. I didn't want to make a deal about the wedding and do a trial run for some hair, but now I completely see the benefit.

Pictures of the honeymoon to come...