wedding details: {dress}

many folks have asked me about my wedding dress.  it is vintage from approximately 1927-1932.  i found it at the vintage fashion expo when it came through santa monica.  the vendor was called "the butler's cottage" and she was from the bay area.  she had the most amazing collection of vintage wedding gowns at the expo!  i think i tried on at least 20 dresses at her booth alone.  judith butler, the proprietress, was so lovely and helpful.  she was honest and kind and helped me find the perfect gown.  it was actually a white vintage slip, with an ecru lace gown over the slip.  i don't know if you can see the details, but the lace is so delicate and amazing.

if you are lucky enough to be in the bay area, or in a city where the vintage fashion expo passes through, definitely check her out.

wedding details: {chanteuses}

my friends are the most talented, lovely ladies.  i was so blessed to have them all help with every wedding detail from cupcakes to tipping the valet.  two of the girls from the bridal brigade both sang love songs for us.  linda sang a beautiful operatic aria and romy sang "that's how strong my love is."  

love is all you need.  vote no on prop 8.  don't take away fundamental rights.

hubby wifey

speaking of semantics, now that we are {legally} married, patty & i are having a hard time deciding what to call each other.  she calls me "wife" most of the time, but what to call her?  she doesn't really like to be called "wife," but then again, she prefers "husband," but it doesn't quite fit.  the origin of the word "husband" is from the old english & old norse "husbonda," literally meaning "house-holder."  so we could redefine the word to suit our needs.  however, if i refer to her as my "husband" when she's not around, folks usually assume i'm married to a man, which i'm not.  we both don't really love "partner," either, as it seems so, well, business like.  what about spouse?  that is gender-neutral, but awkward.  do we come up with our own words?  change the definition of the existing words?

gertrude and alice called each other "hubby" and "wifey," which i quite like. 

with all the talk of the word "marriage," and whether or not we deserve it, what do we call each other now that we have it?

first image by cecil beaton from "gertrude stein in words and pictures."

second image by carl mydans.

separate is not equal

my health benefits are contingent on how many hours i work during a given period.  this past year, i didn't work enough hours, so i lost my benefits for a few months.  i just recently got them back, so i received the welcome packet in the mail.  the last time i got the welcome packet, patty & i were merely domestic partners.  i tried to add her to my health care benefits.  here's what we had to provide:

-  our certificate of domestic partnership

-  proof that we have a shared bank account for at least one year

-  proof that we share some sort of living arrangement (a lease or mortgage that is signed by BOTH of us)

-  an affidavit that all the above is true that has been notarized

when i tried to add her, we didn't have the joint lease (patty was on it but i wasn't) so i couldn't add her to my health care.  this time, now that we are MARRIED, here's what i had to provide:

-  a marriage license

that's it.  nothing else.  just one copy.  we didn't have to prove anything.  so i made the copy & sent it off in the mail.  done.

please don't tell me that domestic partners and marriage are the same.

image from awesome etsy seller LemonDrops2.

hemp snack packs

how cute are these?  they are little snack packs that are made from hemp and reusable.  what a great idea for edible favors. then folks can reuse the packs again and again after the wedding.  love it.  found at abeego on etsy.

wedding details: {potted moss centerpieces}

i've been seeing a lot about potted centerpieces around the blogging world.  earth friendly weddings wrote about lovely moss & over at 2000 dollar wedding, sara posted some beautiful potted herbs as centerpieces.

while ours were much more simple than either of the above, i love what kate did.  she found beautiful, green, lush pots of moss & placed them in the middle of the table.  that was the centerpiece.  nothing else.  i loved how it looked--it was simple, green, lush and beautiful.  and some folks took them home...the rest we planted in the garden.

so very happy

i've seen this artist around the blog world, but i thought i'd share.  her work is so sweet & inspiring.  i love this one...it reminds me of what abe lincoln once said, "people are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be."  to me, that means i have a choice to be happy.  and with all this crazy prop 8 back and forth--it's hard not to take it personally and feel the stress.  so i'm going to be happy today.  check out studio mela on etsy for more sweet art.