Very Exciting News!

Last night, Charlie and I had the honor of celebrating one very special occasion: our friends Kristen & John's engagement.

Kristen and John were in Mexico with us last April and actually watched Charlie get down on one knee from afar. We were so excited to also share with them their unforgettable first moments as a newly engaged couple.

Our favorite quote from Kristen last night: "I should've listened to my dad when he told me to get a manicure today."

Congrats Kristen & John! We can't wait to celebrate with you in 2013 -- it'll be here before you know it!

XO,
Christa + Charlie

The Photographer: Clark + Walker Studio

One of the biggest and most important decisions I made when I started planning was choosing a good photographer. I knew it was going to be tough. I knew it was going to be expensive. And I know it is going to be worth it. After all, when all of the guests leave, and all the bubbly is drunk, the only thing we will have left are our memories, and the photographs to keep them fresh. 

I knew from the start that I wanted Luke Walker, of Clark + Walker Studio in Albany, to shoot our wedding. Not only is he an amazing artist, his energetic personality and smile is infectious and I know he will be able to capture not only Charlie and I, but our friends, family, and all those little details at their best come May. 

I first met Luke while I was working at The Knot and covering Bridal Fashion Week (an insane, energy-sucking but whole-lot-of-pretty week that happens every April and October). Luke would always pull our team through with his non-stop enthusiasm for the bridal market, passion for his work, and sense of humor. When he was in town last October, he took some time in between runway shows to shoot our engagement photos. 

We had the perfect late afternoon/early evening when the weather could not have been better and the light was just right. We chose to have our pictures taken in the Meatpacking District with the Standard Grill as our anchor, which is where Charlie and I had our first date. Coincidentally, the MPD is also where Luke proposed to his wife and partner, Alisha Clark, so all of us had lots of special memories as we walked through the streets. Here are a few of our favorites from that day:

To see the rest on Luke's blog, click here.

TISK: So about those stamps ...

2012 Year of the Dragon USPS Stamp

This here is the second post in my regular TISK column. This time its about stamping your wedding invitations. You would think I would know what needs to be done in this circumstance, but I have no clue and I am so confused.

Wedding invitation experts always gave me the advice, "Make sure you ask the post office to hand-cancel your invitations." Does this mean I have to put a stamp on them too? Yes, Christa.

So I woke up yesterday and decided this was the day we were going to put together our wedding invitations. I Windexed the coffee table, washed my hands, made Charlie wash his hands, and laid everything out. Then I realized I didn't have stamps for the reply cards. Duh. Of course, it was Sunday and I should have been out of luck, but I live in NYC and managed to find the only open Post Office in the country on 34th Street.

I hopped on the subway and made my way over there. The teller I got thought I was crazy when I asked him to weigh my wedding invitation. Something I noticed over the past couple of months -- I think Post Offices are in cahoots with the DMV. They are the two most unhelpful places ever with the most useless employees. Anyway ... after a second trip back to the post office, I think I finally got the right reply postcard stamps (I hope). I came home and got to work stuffing envelopes.

Now my questions is, if my wedding invitation costs $.65 cents each to mail, how do I stamp it? Am I going to have to put two stamps on the envelope? If so, is it OK if they are different stamps (the style editor in me is cringing at this). Married folk, please help! Thanks.

It's Chinese New Year!

Tomorrow, ushers in the next Year of the Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac system, which I find so super-cool. I was born in the Year of the Dragon and now I'm getting married in it - that has to mean something, right?

When I mentioned this over the weekend, Charlie thought I was crazy, but I have always been into horoscopes and the like. They say those that were born in the Year of the Dragon tend to be creative, full of energy, and not afraid to take risks - that about sums me up!

2012's Year of the Dragon is expected to bring with it lots of optimism, prosperity and the promise of change. Sounds like a good year to say "I do" ... and buy a home ... and start a life together. Bring it.

Bridesmaids Looks

I'm so excited because last night I finally found the right color and style cardigan to go with my girls' bridesmaid dresses!

The girls are going to be wearing the Selma dress in Dark Pacific by J. Crew. It's so super-cute, I wish I got one for myself. I then set out to find them a chunky, orangey-red necklace, but instead came across a really pretty crystal-bibb necklace at Banana Republic similar to the Kate Space one above. The only difference is that the crystals are more peach then clear for a subtle hint of color.

To finish off the look, I search high and low for a tomato-red cardigan, which I scored last night at Anne Taylor. Since our wedding is taking place in early May and the ceremony will be outside, I wanted to get them some kind of cover up in case its a little chilly that day. I love the idea of a cardigan instead of a wrap. I think it lends a touch of Audrey Hepburn to the whole look ... and what girl doesn't love a little Audrey in her wardrobe?

Sittin' Pretty

As a weddings editor, I always wanted to do a story on reception chairs. My bosses usually looked at me like I was crazy. And it became a bit of a joke when I first started planning my wedding. My old partner-in-crime at TK first asked me what my wedding chairs would be when I told her I got engaged.

Last night, another bride posted a comment on a previous post where I mentioned chivari chairs and I was so excited! First because I didn't even know anyone was reading this, other than people I actually know. And second because she got where I was coming from. So I decided to write a quick version of that article I always wanted to write here. Below you will find some of my favorite reception chairs for weddings and special events.

Chivari Chair: The new classic in reception chairs, these come in an array of different color woods and cushions to match any palette. Many venues now either offer these as standard, if not an upgrade.

Ghost Chair: Originally designed by Philipe Stark, this chair, once reserved for modern interior design, can now be rented for weddings and special events. They come in all sorts of colors. I love the idea of putting a decal of your wedding motif or logo on the back of a clear style. 

Bamboo Chairs: LOVE these for outdoor or green weddings!

Bellini Chair: These too come in a variety of colors and lend themselves to a minimalist wedding style.

Bentwood Chairs: I think these are so elegant, sort of like the chivari, only a little more "French bistro."

Chameleon Chair: The Chameleon Chair Collection has some great options, not only for sleek reception chairs but for Old Hollywood Glamour-style covers that are anything but tied off with an ordinary sash.

Pin. Pinning. Pinned.

Confession: Over the past week I've become completely obsessed with Pinterest. I think I mentioned this before. It's insane. I've started sneaking it at work (I downloaded the Pin It button today to my tool bar -- I'm in trouble now). I come home and immediately get on my laptop and start re-pinning pictures of those I'm following. It's my new favorite app on my iPhone. It's the same feeling I had when I discovered Facebook three years ago.

Just when I thought I was going to detox my life a little from technology that I don't really need (ummm, Facebook), Pinterest has sucked me back in.

I admit I was late to the Pin It game (as I am with just about everything in life, except when it comes to actually being on time for things). And the whole board vs. pin thing did take me about two months to figure out. But now I think I finally got the hang of it, which is great because not only am I in the middle of planning a wedding, I'll soon be starting on my next big project: decorating our little love nest. So exciting!

Click here to check out what I've been pinning lately.

The Colors: Sapphire, Tomato, and Tangerine

The Blue: A royal sapphire, like the color of Kate Middleton's engagement ring
The Red: An orange-y red like the color of a juicy tomato, or OPI Red My Fortune Cookie nail polish, which I was wearing when we got engaged.
The Orange: A citrus-y favorite of the bride (and, coincidentally, Pantone's 2012 Color of the Year)

I'm so excited about the colors I have chosen for my wedding! Some people do have their doubts. My mom has said on more than one occasion, "Your having a red, white, and blue wedding?!?" Another person even asked, "Why are you using Mets colors?" Mind you this person was a hard-core Philadelphia sports fan.

But with the help of my awesome florist, Donna O'Brien of Beautiful Blooms, and plenty of editing, I do believe I can pull off this bold color palette, and have our guests feel like they just entered a sparkling jewel box when they walked into our reception.

Some weeks I'm feeling more red than orange, other weeks its more orange than red, but there is always lots of deep blue to anchor this sassy palette with plenty of sophistication. Fingers crossed it all turns out they way I envision!

Wedding Style: Before the Ring

Way before I even met Charlie, I made three inspiration boards for my one-day wedding day (I did work at a wedding magazine, after all). Here they are:

Orange + Khaki in Mexico

Eggplant + Chocolate in Wine County

Peach + Neutrals in Tuscany.

As you can see, I'm a big fan of oranges, as well as purple, and the destination part was always top of mind. So am I using one of these for May 2012? Nope.

This has come as a surprise to many of friends. The first thing they say is, "What are your colors? Are you doing purple?" But as you can see from my last post, I got to have plenty of fun with the royal hue and I wanted to tackle a palette I had never played with before. And so, I chose ...

Color Color Color

Color is one of my favorite things in the world. I'm so not afraid of it. I've always been drawn to dark purples, oranges, bright olive-y greens, deep reds, tranquil blues -- you get the idea. One of my favorite parts of being a Weddings Editor was creating Color Combo stories, where I got to pick out the palette and have a team of talented wedding pros bring it to life in a photo shoot. Below are some of my favorites. I always loved coming up with their names.

White + Wood

Cloud + Cream + Platinum

Fuchsia + Navy

Blush + Ebony + Pewter


Eggplant + Cornflower + Magenta


 Lavender + Cream + Chocolate


Cherry + Lime


Pistachio + Gold

So what would my own wedding colors be? Stay tuned.

 All photos from TheKnot.com