Holding on to My Inner California Girl on My Wedding Day
So... I got married this year... twice... to the same guy - of course.
As you know from my previous blog posts, I have been married before and was a happily divorced woman. In the years following, I didn't think I ever wanted to get married again. I had the 'been-there-done-that-meh-not-that great' kind of attitude. And why do something again that wasn't all that the first time around.
Nonetheless, what I didn't think was going to happen happened. I met a boy. Boy was cute. Boy treated me right (respectful, loving and caring). Girl moved in with boy. Fast forward two years - boy popped the question on a cliff by the pacific ocean in Malibu. Girl said yes!
And then... the planning phase started. I absolutely hated my first wedding. I hated the dress, the venue, the officiant, the atmosphere and the bored faces of the guests. At the time, I only had a few months to put a wedding together in a city that I just moved to. I had no clue what I was doing. That's why this time around I was absolutely adamant about having a wedding that would erase the bad taste of my first wedding.
Most importantly, I did not want a boring cookie-cutter wedding. No silly games, no all day event with eating 10x, no folk music and no 'Schlager', no traditional outfits, no stealing of the bride and no church involved. Well, they wouldn't want a divorcee anyway. I was absolutely planning on channeling my inner California girl in every way - the location, the food, the atmosphere and most importantly through the dress. At the same time, I had also always dreamed of a beach wedding - barefoot in the sand. Just me and my boo. So how could I united these visions? I couldn't, so we had two weddings. I was not going to have ANY regrets this time around!
Wedding ceremony #1 was going to be the elegant Viennese affair and the official, legally binding ceremony. I opted for a short dress and for some reason I was dead-set on a belt! It was an ordeal to find one I liked - I ordered about five different ones online and in the end got one from Vera Wang that was sold overseas and involved the help a US resident as they wouldn't ship to an address outside the US. I also really, really (really) wanted shoes that matched the belt. After searching the internet for many hours, I saw a pair of Badgley Mischka shoes in blush pink that matched the belt. So off to the store, right? Nope, no Badgley Mischka in Austria - or most other European countries. They are only sold in London or Budapest within Europe. Guess what? Yup, we drove to Budapest for shoes. Totally worth it!
As for the location, we wanted a place that reflected the Austrian royal history, while giving us privacy and delicious food. We found it! Palais Coburg in Vienna's swanky first district. Palais more or less means 'little palace'. Palais Coburg is also a hotel for very, very rich people. John Kerry stayed there whenever he was in town in his function as US Secretary of State. Needless to say, we did not spend the night there.
But what about the dress? After three unsuccessful visits to bridal stores in Vienna, my friends and I drove to a place two hours outside of Vienna in the deep Austrian countryside. My hopes were not very high. If I couldn't find a modern short dress and a sophisticated mermaid dress for the beach wedding in Vienna, why would I in the countryside. The gowns in Vienna were absolutely horrendous. I wanted strapless and they gave me everything with sleeves or that bohemian hippie-style that is just not me (I'm Santa Monica Beach not Venice Beach). One sales person tried to convince me that a poofy dress with one (!) full lace sleeve that goes up all the way and around the neck was totally in trend. Hell to the no!
However, against all my reservations and expectations, I found BOTH dresses at this massive bridal store in the middle of nowhere in Austria! Both perfectly channel my inner California girl and both fit their respective venues.
For wedding #2, we decided to combine it with our honeymoon. We immediately decided that we were going to go to Asia. We went to a travel agency that specializes in Asian destinations. We asked the travel agent for a recommendation for a resort that caters to honeymooners, is on the beach but also offered wedding ceremonies. He immediately suggested a resort in the beach town of Khao Lak in Thailand. The pictures looked amazing and we booked it for the end of the year.
The resort was incredible! It was peaceful and quiet - exactly what we were looking for. Khao Lak itself is a bit like 'Little Germany' - seriously, lots of Germans were there. The wedding location - under a tree on the beach - was unbelievable. As a little fun aspect, I really wanted to do a 'trash the dress' photo shooting. Luckily, the photographer was game. In fact, he was excited. And so we went into the Andaman Sea - my hubby, me and the photographer. It was so much F.U.N.!
Here are some impressions of both 'California-style' weddings and I am happy to report: I have no regrets!
Vienna Wedding
Venue: Palais Coburg
Dress: Hänsel & Gretel
Belt: David's Bridal
Shoes: Badgley Mischka cipő Magyarország
Hair & Make-Up: Victoria Greinecker
Photos: Michelle Mock Photography
Thailand Wedding
Venue: The Sarojin
Dress: Hänsel & Gretel
Belt: Monalisa
Hair & Make-Up: partners of The Sarojin
Photos: business partner of The Sarojin
I absolutely loved both weddings. They are so different and each have their unique touch. What do you think?
As you know from my previous blog posts, I have been married before and was a happily divorced woman. In the years following, I didn't think I ever wanted to get married again. I had the 'been-there-done-that-meh-not-that great' kind of attitude. And why do something again that wasn't all that the first time around.
Nonetheless, what I didn't think was going to happen happened. I met a boy. Boy was cute. Boy treated me right (respectful, loving and caring). Girl moved in with boy. Fast forward two years - boy popped the question on a cliff by the pacific ocean in Malibu. Girl said yes!
And then... the planning phase started. I absolutely hated my first wedding. I hated the dress, the venue, the officiant, the atmosphere and the bored faces of the guests. At the time, I only had a few months to put a wedding together in a city that I just moved to. I had no clue what I was doing. That's why this time around I was absolutely adamant about having a wedding that would erase the bad taste of my first wedding.
Most importantly, I did not want a boring cookie-cutter wedding. No silly games, no all day event with eating 10x, no folk music and no 'Schlager', no traditional outfits, no stealing of the bride and no church involved. Well, they wouldn't want a divorcee anyway. I was absolutely planning on channeling my inner California girl in every way - the location, the food, the atmosphere and most importantly through the dress. At the same time, I had also always dreamed of a beach wedding - barefoot in the sand. Just me and my boo. So how could I united these visions? I couldn't, so we had two weddings. I was not going to have ANY regrets this time around!
Wedding ceremony #1 was going to be the elegant Viennese affair and the official, legally binding ceremony. I opted for a short dress and for some reason I was dead-set on a belt! It was an ordeal to find one I liked - I ordered about five different ones online and in the end got one from Vera Wang that was sold overseas and involved the help a US resident as they wouldn't ship to an address outside the US. I also really, really (really) wanted shoes that matched the belt. After searching the internet for many hours, I saw a pair of Badgley Mischka shoes in blush pink that matched the belt. So off to the store, right? Nope, no Badgley Mischka in Austria - or most other European countries. They are only sold in London or Budapest within Europe. Guess what? Yup, we drove to Budapest for shoes. Totally worth it!
As for the location, we wanted a place that reflected the Austrian royal history, while giving us privacy and delicious food. We found it! Palais Coburg in Vienna's swanky first district. Palais more or less means 'little palace'. Palais Coburg is also a hotel for very, very rich people. John Kerry stayed there whenever he was in town in his function as US Secretary of State. Needless to say, we did not spend the night there.
But what about the dress? After three unsuccessful visits to bridal stores in Vienna, my friends and I drove to a place two hours outside of Vienna in the deep Austrian countryside. My hopes were not very high. If I couldn't find a modern short dress and a sophisticated mermaid dress for the beach wedding in Vienna, why would I in the countryside. The gowns in Vienna were absolutely horrendous. I wanted strapless and they gave me everything with sleeves or that bohemian hippie-style that is just not me (I'm Santa Monica Beach not Venice Beach). One sales person tried to convince me that a poofy dress with one (!) full lace sleeve that goes up all the way and around the neck was totally in trend. Hell to the no!
However, against all my reservations and expectations, I found BOTH dresses at this massive bridal store in the middle of nowhere in Austria! Both perfectly channel my inner California girl and both fit their respective venues.
For wedding #2, we decided to combine it with our honeymoon. We immediately decided that we were going to go to Asia. We went to a travel agency that specializes in Asian destinations. We asked the travel agent for a recommendation for a resort that caters to honeymooners, is on the beach but also offered wedding ceremonies. He immediately suggested a resort in the beach town of Khao Lak in Thailand. The pictures looked amazing and we booked it for the end of the year.
The resort was incredible! It was peaceful and quiet - exactly what we were looking for. Khao Lak itself is a bit like 'Little Germany' - seriously, lots of Germans were there. The wedding location - under a tree on the beach - was unbelievable. As a little fun aspect, I really wanted to do a 'trash the dress' photo shooting. Luckily, the photographer was game. In fact, he was excited. And so we went into the Andaman Sea - my hubby, me and the photographer. It was so much F.U.N.!
Here are some impressions of both 'California-style' weddings and I am happy to report: I have no regrets!
Vienna Wedding
Venue: Palais Coburg
Dress: Hänsel & Gretel
Belt: David's Bridal
Shoes: Badgley Mischka cipő Magyarország
Hair & Make-Up: Victoria Greinecker
Photos: Michelle Mock Photography
Thailand Wedding
Venue: The Sarojin
Dress: Hänsel & Gretel
Belt: Monalisa
Hair & Make-Up: partners of The Sarojin
Photos: business partner of The Sarojin
I absolutely loved both weddings. They are so different and each have their unique touch. What do you think?
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