Our Happy Ending

Paradise Found

2007-12-20T15:08:00.000-06:00

We're back! Our honeymoon on St. John, USVI was more than perfect.... it relaxing, romantic, adventurous, and refreshing. We weren't even aware of Tropical Storm Olga, even though there were plenty of remarks from locals that the amount of rain and wind was unusual (but there was plenty of sun everyday). Of course, now the hard part is getting ready for the holiday season and being back at work, but I'll give you a peak at our vacation before I get back to reality....

We bounced around quite a bit on St. John for only being there for a week. We rented a Jeep, which was a good move, but watch out, the roads are crazy steep and narrow in places (plus they drive on the left....)! For the first two nights, we stayed on the less populated southeast side of the island at Estate Concordia. It is part of a larger eco-resort (we stayed at the other one the next two nights, Maho Bay). We stayed in a studio that was solar and wind-powered and built from recycled materials, how cool! There is even a natural garbage disposal, hermit crabs living on the hillside (guests were encouraged to put there food waste out for them)! The only downside is that there really was no hot water for showers, but that seemed like a small price to pay for this view....

We arrived late that first night but got there in time to enjoy their cafe for dinner. I was so excited to read on their blog that the chef is interested in organic and vegan cuisine! No photos, but we had a wonderful salad (greens grown right on that side of the island!), grilled tofu, and jambalaya stuffed red peppers over polenta with green beans. Definitely one of the best meals I had on the island. I would highly recommend staying here if you're looking for some isolation from the rest of the world and some seriously unspoiled beaches.

Our first full day we took a hike out to Ram's Head, the southernmost point on the island. Views were incredible and I was amazed at the blue blue water. Also surprised to see plenty of cactus, but I guess this was the dry side of the island.
Afterwards we relaxed on Salt Pond Beach. Not very crowded and it was even a weekend. We had so much fun walking down the beach looking at the different corals, shells, and rocks on the shoreline (we're geo-nerds). What amazing variety.
After a beautiful day we drove into Coral Bay, a lazy, quiet "town" on the east side of the island. We stopped at a local bar for a few rum concoctions. John had a rum and Diet Coke while I chose something a bit fruitier, a raspberry rum colada. This is what vacation is all about....
Next was dinner at a restaurant called Sweet Plantains. We had stopped by earlier in the day to inquire about vegan options and the owner was more than helpful. To start I had a pumpkin soup (no photo, turned out even more horrible than this next one). Then I enjoyed a West Indies curry with tofu and broccoli served with basmati rice and of course the restaurant's namesake, deep fried plantains, mmmm. The dinner was very enjoyable, so if you make it out to Coral Bay, stop by this family-owned restaurant!
The next day we set out for another hike on Reef Bay Trail (except we started from the southside), this one wandered through the forest into the central part of the island and ended up at some interesting petroglyphs made by Taino Indians. The rain got us a bit wet on this hike but by the time we returned to the beach (Lampeshur Bay), we had some more sun to enjoy.

I was surprised at the variety of animals we saw for such a tiny island. Of course, then we read that the only native mammal on the island a several species of bats (which of course we didn't see). What we did see was the following: donkeys, iguanas, honeymooning insects (open the photo and you'll see what I mean), mongoose, mini-hermit crabs, and chickens roaming around!

We then moved north to Maho Bay, staying in their Harmony Suite. The hot water was a bit improved here. But the number of stairs increased five-fold! It was a good workout getting down to the beach, but especially getting back up (my hamstrings are still tight). We had a bit of a rainy day, so we slept late and then lounged on Maho Beach and did some reading before eating dinner in their cafeteria (I finished reading The Good, Good Pig and highly recommend it. Let me know if you want to borrow my copy! Haven't finished the other two I brought along). They have a vegetarian option every night (overall, the island was very vegetarian friendly, of course, this does not always mean vegan), and the theme for the evening was Caribbean cuisine. Luckily it was a vegan meal, vegetable roti topped with a red pepper sauce served with rice with lentils and some more fried plantains. I took a picture, but it was really horrible. I think if you give the cafe advanced notice, they can accomodate vegans even on Italian (= lasagna with cheese) night.

The next day we drove west to Cinnamon Bay to enjoy another beautiful beach. Right away we noticed how protected from waves all of the other beached we had been to were compared to this one. Supposedly you can surf at this beach during the right season. There is also an archaeology center that has information about many of the native cultures on the island, which was fun to read about.

Across from Cinnamon Bay are the Cinnamon Sugar Mill ruins. Here we went on a short walk that included interpretive signs discussing the history and plants and animals on the island. Our hike got cut a bit short by some rain. We had fun running through the forest getting a bit wet.

That night we drove into Cruz Bay, the main city on the island (though still very small), for dinner. I had searched St John on Happy Cow for vegan restaurant options and the only one that popped up was Satyanuma. So we gave it a shot.... sad to say it was pretty disappointing. It is more of a takeout place located in an outdoor mall, no ambiance at all. I can forgive that, but the food was pretty awful. I had a pineapple tofu curry that was poorly reheated, had no flavor, and the rice seemed like it was glued together. John's dinner was slightly better, really the only good part was the falafel (and it was deep fried, go figure). The hummus tasted like nothing and the salad was unimpressive. Bummer, I was expecting more.

After our last night at Maho, we moved further west on the island to Caneel Bay. This was our splurge for the last few nights of the honeymoon. We decided it was worth it (although, if we return to the island, we will likely stay at Concordia as our first choice). It was nice to have drinks on the beach and lawn chairs to relax in. Here is a view of Caneel Beach and the incoming ferry.

We also walked over to Honeymoon Beach (how appropriate?) and spent some quiet time there near the end of the day. There was almost no one around, perfect for honeymooners :-) I took some photos of our footprints in the sand that I thought were somewhat artistic.... (at least for me)

Our first dinner at Caneel Bay was at their fanciest restaurant, Turtle Bay. We called ahead so they knew a vegan was coming. Unfortunately, another disappointment. The meal wasn't bad (sauteed shitakes over plain plain plain tofu with broccoli and a grilled portobello), but it certainly wasn't worth what they charged. (we also ate at their casual restaurant one night, I had a reasonable pasta dish with veggies)

The next morning we had our first official breakfast on the island (most of the time we woke up pretty late and I would just snack on Luna bars anyways). Fresh fruit, english muffin with apricot jam, and soymilk! It was a delicious start to the day. Too bad we forgot to check prices before we ate, needless to say this was the only breakfast dining we did at Caneel.

The most famed beach on St. John is Trunk Bay (pictured below). It was certainly the most crowded, but the views were spectacular and the snorkeling was good (so John tells me, it's not my thing).

That evening we went on a sunset cruise, a wedding gift from good friends of ours. It was one of most enjoyable evenings. The crew (a couple living on their boat) was friendly and we enjoyed the conversation. Most of all, there was an amazin sunset and beautiful views of St. John and the surrounding islands. We even saw the official beginning of the Atlantic Ocean!

For our last dinner on the island, we tried Caneel's third restaurant, the Equator (near some interesting sugar mill ruins). Luckily, the third time was the charm and I enjoyed the curry dish with lentils, tofu, and various veggies. I think my favorite was the balsamic glaze that was on the plate, I sopped up as much of it as I could!
We were both sad to leave St. John, I think we both could have used another week of relaxation. I am sure we will return to St. John someday though. At the end of the vacation I wrote down a long list of moments to remember on some Caneel Bay stationary and sealed it up (not showing John). We will open it on our one year anniversary, Sept. 23, 2008, to remember all the special moments of our honeymoon. :-)

(I thought this was photo-worthy of next year's holiday greeting card.)

Our Happy Ending

2007-12-05T15:34:00.002-06:00

September 23, 2007

Here's the property where we got married in Beverly, MA. Misselwood at Endicott College.
I had the most beautiful jewelry a bride could dream of, all designed and handmade by an awesome fellow vegan and blogger (McFarland Designs on etsy). Since I'm a geologist, here's what they are: prehnite, green garnet, moonstone, labradorite, vasonite, and vegan Swarovski simulated pearls.

Instead of a garter, John's sister knitted me these anklets.
My wedding bouquet. Mango cala lilies, green cymbidium orchids, kermit mums, green hydrangea, hypercium berried, and eucalyptus.

Saying our vows. This is the promise we made to each other: I promise to be there when you need me, to fill your days with sunshine, to comfort you and encourage you, to help you reach your goals, to be your best friend ever, and to love you all my life, with all my heart.
My favorite part of the ceremony. We had a moment of reflection where we got to spend some time alone while listening to my mom (flute) and sister (cello) play a beautiful piece of music.
We just got married!
Our first moments as newlyweds....
Goofing around....

Looking out over the Atlantic....

An up-close shot of our vegan wedding cake made by Hippie Chick Bakery. Table decor. I loved the flower arrangements. Lots of greens with a splash of orange. We also had mini-photobooks on every table of different places we have visited together (from Nycole on etsy). Soy candles provided mood lighting (from Dirty Bird Soaps on etsy)
Wedding favors! (chocolate bars from Endangered Species) We also adopted a pig, Petunia, in honor of our guests from the Peaceful Prairie Farm Sanctuary.

Our first dance, "Blue Eyes" by the Cary Brothers (I love the Garden State soundtrack!).
Our rebuttal to the toasts of the evening, given by my father, John's brother, and my sister.
Cutting the vegan wedding cake. I had a piece of chocolate and a piece of the pumpkin, mmmmm.
Our last dance of the evening to the tune of "Amanda" (my name) by Boston (how fitting and corny of course).
The end of a perfect day...
And if you just can't get enough wedding photos, feel free to check all 501 of them out online at http://www.pictage.com/350348 using the event key 4863.

On the Dancefloor

2007-11-20T14:37:00.000-06:00

Even though it was a small wedding, we had a blast on the dancefloor! John even got out there for three songs (okay, two of them were the traditional dances and the other was the last dance of the evening, but I was still so proud!). Thanks to everyone for their music suggestions, it was tough putting together the playlist!

A staple at all wedding receptions, YMCA. This photo captures the "Y".

Susan and I relive our talent show performance of "Jump Jump", only this time we didn't wear our clothes backwards.
John's parents ruled the dancefloor.
The most popular song of the evening, without a doubt the Cotton-Eyed Joe. Even those northeasterners got out for the hoe-down!

And here's some more.....

Let the Professionals Handle It

2007-10-31T15:39:00.000-05:00

If you haven't already checked them out, the professional photos are posted online!
http://www.pictage.com/350348
The event key is 4863.

We will get digital copies in the next week or so. Let us know if you want copies of certain photos! Also, thanks to everyone who sent their photos of the wedding, it's great to have so many memories in print. Hopefully soon we will have the wedding video as well. I am busy making a wedding scrapbook (I'll post some photos eventually) to help us remember our perfect day!

Rehearsal Dinner

2007-10-20T10:04:00.000-05:00

Our rehearsal dinner was held on the eve of our our wedding at the Colonial Inn in Concord. We decided to fore go the actual rehearsal (and I think the ceremony went to plan regardless). It was a relaxing evening and a wonderful way to introduce our families to one another. Everyone wore nametags (except John and I) and by the end of the night, a certain table decided to switch around everyone's name tag! It was also especially gratifying to watch our wedding party and parents open the gifts we had chosen for them as a thank you for helping out with our wedding day. Here is a glimpse at the evening...

At the North Bridge

2007-10-10T21:22:00.000-05:00

Before heading to the rehearsal dinner, we stopped at the North Bridge to see a piece of American history and take a few family photos.

I'm amazed that my brother doesn't have a goofy look on his face!

I look so short! Maybe we should have switched shoes....

A beautiful leaf my grandmother found. Amazing fall colors.

Salem on a Broomstick

2007-10-09T21:37:00.000-05:00

The bridal party took shelter in Salem, MA. While touring the city, we were:

Bewitched by Samantha on her broomstick....

Overwhelmed with choices at the Boston Hot Dog Company (even a vegan option!)...

In awe of the early fall colors (can't see this in Texas)...

And a bit spooked by the Salem Ghost Tour. Do you see the spirits in this photo?

Flower Power

2007-10-07T22:09:00.000-05:00

Come On In

2007-10-05T13:26:00.000-05:00

Take a peek at the entry tables from the wedding. They were decorated with green fabric squares, soy candles, scattered orange orchids, rectangular vases filled with river stones and green cymbidium orchids, handmade signs, organic chocolate bars, as well as photos showing some of the places that John and I have visited together. I enjoyed reading everyone's comments in our guest book!

The Toss and a Bet

2007-10-04T13:44:00.000-05:00

Here's John taking off my "garter" (actually an anklet that his sister made) for the traditional garter toss. Earlier in the evening, John and I stopped to chat at the table with all of his (and now mine, oh my!) nieces and nephews. He asked them to place their bets on which one of them would get married first. I believe he offered $500 to whoever guessed correctly. He scribbled their guesses on the back of one of our wedding coloring books that the younger kids were drawing in. In the end, the most votes went to Dillon, then Nick, then Melissa and Colby where next. I don't think I got a vote in!

Anyhow, you can see all excitement below in the garter tossing, especially those older guys! Nick ending up with the lucky catch.

No photos of the bouquet toss (not sure our photographer got any either!), Maybe I overthrew it a little, but the bouquet ended up on the floor between my sister and Melissa, with the later finally hesistating to pick it up. C'mon ladies, marriage ain't that bad!

Before and After

2007-10-04T09:55:00.000-05:00

I am not really a do your hair and makeup everyday type of person. I usually show up at work with wet hair. But getting married is one of those special occasions where you want to look.... well, special. The top picture is before hair and makeup. Can you see the improvements in the bottom picture? Maybe that's because I was half asleep for the first, but I think all that teasing, hairspray, blush, and mascara may have helped too.

Bridesmaids

2007-10-03T15:09:00.001-05:00

My sister, Jennifer, was my maid of honor and my longtime friend Susan was my other bridesmaid. Both flew to Boston from the west coast, they win for traveling the furthest. I actually let them pick out their dresses (just had to be black), how cool of a bride am I? :-) The green bows tie in with the flowers and they are also both wearing necklaces with various green stones that match mine. I enjoyed hanging out with both of them over the weekend and will always remember our time together.

Cake for Later

2007-10-03T08:04:00.001-05:00

I was so excited to take home the top layer of our wedding cake! It was different from the two flavors that were served at the wedding. This one is a marble cake with chocolate frosting. Here is it after the plane ride home, I think it held up pretty well (except the vegan "buttercream" roses on top).

So in following with tradition, I decided to freeze half the cake. Not that it's going to make it to our one year anniversary (I was thinking 1,3, and 6 months). I googled instructions on how to freeze wedding cake. First I cut the cake, one 1/4 cake slice and two 1/8 cake slices. Then I put these in the freezer in a tupperware for about four hours to allow the frosting to set.

Then I removed the slices from the freezer and double wrapped them in plastic wrap, put them back in the tupperware, and made some room in the freezer.

I actually just finished the last slice of non-frozen cake last night. It was a bit stale, but the frosting still rocked. Let us know if you want to come by for some wedding cake and we'll get it defrosting for you!

Making it Official

2007-10-02T22:36:00.000-05:00

Here we are with our Justice of the Peace, Carol Merletti. The ceremony went perfectly, just how I had imagined it. Once we get the professional photos of the ceremony, I'll post our vows and the other special moments of the ceremony, such as our moment of reflection and readings given by John's sister. We got our official certificate of marriage in the mail yesterday, so now it's time to get busy changing my name. Very weird (but nice) signing it for the first time!

The Wedding Party

2007-10-01T15:40:00.001-05:00

Two bridesmaids, two groomsmen, two junior bridesmaids, and one usher. Each of them played a vital role in the ceremony and this whole wedding process. My bridesmaids helped calm me down when my nerves kicked in at the last minute (and I was doing so well!), made sure I was wasn't shiny and had plenty of lip gloss, held my bouquet when I took John's hands, and ran around to zillions of places when I couldn't be seen before the ceremony. The groomsmen got John to Misselwood on time, helped him set up all the speakers, kept track of our rings, and probably teased John a bit :-) My junior bridesmaids spread lots of orange rose petals down the aisle, entertained the crowds with their Russian dance, and handed out blow horns that produced a rather deafening noise. And our usher rounded up the crowds to get them in their seats, played mc and dj, and of course, had a good ole time on the dance floor. Thanks to all of you!

Mmmm, Chocolate

2007-10-01T15:24:00.001-05:00

Here is the display of our wedding favors, chocolate bars! There were three different varieties of Endangered Species bars, including dark chocolate with cherries, dark chocolate with tangerine, and dark chocolate with blueberries. Each was wrapped in a different patterned green paper. On the back was a reminder of our other wedding gift honoring our guests, adopting Petunia. Adorable embossed pig stamps added the extra touch.

The MC

2007-10-01T09:37:00.001-05:00

My brother Brian served as our usher, MC, DJ, and belly-flopping dance extraordinaire at our wedding. Here he is making an announcement during the reception. He kept the tunes coming from my pre-set iPod playlist (thanks to all those who left suggestions!). Thanks for the entertainment, B!

Escaping During Sunset

2007-09-29T16:12:00.001-05:00

Our photographer grabbed us after dinner to take some photos with the amazing sunset as the backdrop. Afterwards, we escaped over to the site of the ceremony for a few moments and wandered the grounds together. I picked up a beautiful leaf that had changed color from the ground and a few of the orange rose petals that were thrown on the ground before I walked down the aisle to marry John. Of course, I think I lost them sometime over the course of the evening. But, it was a nice, quiet moment for John and I during the reception.

Mother Son Dance

2007-09-29T16:07:00.001-05:00

John's second dance of the evening, with his mom. I had actually promised him that I would drag my brother or his dad out on the dancefloor half way through the song so he wouldn't have to be the center of attention for that long. But I was chatting with my mom and lost track of time, before I knew it the song was over! It turned out fine though, it looks like they were having a good time out there dancing to "At Last" by Etta James. How sweet!

Wedding Food

2007-09-28T09:33:00.000-05:00

Our caterer (from Celebrations Gourmet) came up to John and I during the reception and congratulated us for being one of the few couples she has seen actually sit down and eat dinner! I even went back for seconds, but unfortunately never got around to eating them that night. But how could we pass up all that yummy food? I was especially impressed that the waiters brought over hor d'oeuvres for us while we were taking pictures. I tasted the veggie sushi (my fave), samosas, and falafel but missed the spring rolls. The salad course was mixed greens with sauteed apples, dried cranberries, toasted pumpkin seeds, and a harvest vinaigrette. Here is the one picture I actually took during the reception, my dinner plate:

A piece of the Wild Mushroom Tart with shitake, crimini, and oyster mushrooms (many people liked this one)....

Roasted asparagus....

And roasted sweet potato wedges....

For dessert we had a fruit display (I missed out on this as well, too busy dancing I guess!)....

And of course cake! Funny, I know I had a piece of cake that night, but I honestly can't remember if it was the chocolate or pumpkin. Doesn't matter I guess, I loved them both!

There were plenty of leftovers at the end of the evening. Our caterer sent home lots of food with the Mariano's and packed us a lunch for the next day (which we ate on the plane ride home). Plus, we got to take home the top layer of our cake. More on what we did with that in another post!

Mother of the Bride

2007-09-27T09:50:00.001-05:00

There is no way I could have gotten this wedding together in such a short amount of time if it wasn't for my mom. She was there the whole way; helping me look for a dress, picking out paper for the programs, arranging details with the musicians, designing the cover for the candy bars, and basically staying on top of every detail! She found her dress while we were visiting the Boston area back in July, not far from Misselwood in Beverly Farms. I think it looks beautiful on her. Her jewelry also matches mine. I know that on Sunday she was running around taking care of so many things I didn't even know about. If there were any disasters, I sure didn't realize it! Can't thank you enough mom....

Dancing with my Dad

2007-09-27T09:42:00.001-05:00

For the traditional father-daughter dance, my dad led me on the dancefloor to the tune of "Daughters" by John Mayer. During the song, he talked to me about how happy he was for John and I. He also mentioned that one of the readings during the ceremony was important to keep in mind; love changes, it is not always the same. It was a special moment to share with him. When we were getting ready to walk down the aisle together, he helped calm me down and keep me focused. Just as we were about to walk out, a beautiful butterfly flew by, surely a good sign :-)

Raise Your Glasses

2007-09-26T10:22:00.001-05:00

Here we are looking a little serious, I think we were both at a loss for words! My dad, John's brother Tony, and my sister Jennifer all gave very memorable toasts that we will always remember. My dad thanked everyone for coming and especially to those whoe traveled, reminesced about my passions growing up, and welcomed John into our family. Tony welcomed me to the Mariano family, spoke of the end of an era, and said that good things come to those who wait. And my sister used words like choices and compromise to describe our relationship and the journey we have made together thus far. Cheers!

My Bouquet

2007-09-26T08:30:00.001-05:00

The flowers at the wedding were even more beautiful than I could have imagined. Pictured here is my bouquet which included green hydrangeas, kermit mum, hypercium berries, green cymbidium orchids, mango cala lilies, orange ranunculus, and some other greenery. The flowers are wrapped in lace from my mother's wedding dress. Scattered on the tables were orange orchids. You can also see our champagne toasting flutes (engraved with "Our Happy Ending, September 23, 2007") and soy candles that flickered on every table.

Our First Dance

2007-09-25T13:34:00.001-05:00

For those of you that know John, you know that dancing is not his favorite thing. But he was a good sport and actually got out on the dance floor three times at our wedding!! Our first dance together as husband and wife was to "Blue Eyes" by the Cary Brothers. We chose this song because we both have fond memories of hearing this song from the Garden State soundtrack, most especially it reminds me of us driving through Rocky Mountain National Park on a gorgeous fall day. John also danced with his mom to "At Last" by Etta James and we concluded the reception by dancing to "Amanda" by Boston. He didn't even step on my toes!

Cutting the Cake

2007-09-25T13:27:00.001-05:00

We were both a bit unsure of how to cut this huge cake! Luckily our photographer offered a few tips. We fed each other a bite of the chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and strawberries. I lovingly dabbed a bit of green frosting on John's nose. He didn't even get me back! What a sweetie. All through the ceremonial cake cutting, the song "Sugar Sugar' was playing from the iPod.... how appropriate I thought, cause there was a lot of sugar in this cake! What did yall think of the vegan wedding cake?

We're Married!

2007-09-25T10:22:00.000-05:00

What a perfect wedding day! Don't worry, there will be plenty more details and pictures to come. If you took any photos during the wedding, I would love to get copies!

All Packed and Ready To Go

2007-09-19T09:58:00.001-05:00

This evening we leave for Boston. The past few days have been a bit crazy taking care of last minute details, but as far as I can tell, I'm still sane and relatively calm. Most of all I am just excited. I have been slowly packing since Saturday, it is usually a long process for me....

I even found some time to make pumpkin muffins to bring along. Vegan breakfast options don't usually abound at hotels. Plus, these are the perfect fall treat!

I am going to try to set up my phone to send pictures to my blog over the next few days. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and find an internet cafe somewhere (with all the spare time I will have). Regardless, there will certainly be a multitude of posts when we return to Houston. Woohoo, I'm getting married!

Weather Update

2007-09-19T09:56:00.001-05:00

It looks like perfect fall weather for the weekend! Even a bit cool for us Texans!

Hen Night in Houston

2007-09-18T13:13:00.000-05:00

On September 7, a few of my closest girlfriends here in Houston hosted a bachelorette aka hen night (as they call it in the UK) for me. The night began with cooking dinner together. The menu included tomato bruschetta (not shown), tofu-mango spring rolls, tempeh with curried peanut sauce, and a green salad with loads of veggies. Everything was so tasty, the tempeh was a pretty spicy, just how I like it though!

We then moved onto dessert, fondue! We mixed dark chocolate with chocolate soymilk and the result was a rich, yummy fondue. For dippers, we had long-stemmed strawberried and some vegan coconut-covered marshmallows. The marshmallows dipped in chocolate was so melt-in-your-mouth delicious, I can't even describe....

Then I opened gifts, I will spare you many of the details (they were all amusing and mostly PG-13 ). But I did get this nifty shirt with my soon-to-be last name across the front. I think I'll be wearing this the day after my wedding :-)

After some more goofing around, we headed downtown for some dancing. It was a bit short-lived (long story, but one I'm sure we'll all remember), but that's alright since we returned to the house and ended up talking and bonding the rest of the night. I can't thank these ladies enough for such a fun night! My true last night as a bachelorette is approaching quickly. Hopefully I'll get in one more quick update before we head to Boston tomorrow evening.

Bridal Shower

2007-09-17T15:40:00.000-05:00

My aunt from Temple, Texas hosted a bridal shower for me yesterday at my mom's house in Houston. It was a lovely afternoon of visiting with family and old friends, listening to marriage advice, eating yummy vegan treats, and relaxing before this busy week ahead of me. I was so touched by everyone who came and sent their best wishes to John and I! Here are the beautiful flowers on the table (in our wedding colors of course!).

I was so happy to see that all of the food was vegan! We had two huge trays of spring rolls (half tofu, half portobella) with yummy peanut sauce, an assortment of vegan sushi, fruit kabobs, and vegan cupcakes from the Yellow Rose Bakery here in Houston. All of the food was delicious. Best of all, there were so many leftovers, John and I can have spring rolls to munch on for the next few days. It was so amusing to watch my dad try and show my aunts how to use chopsticks!

Speaking of chopsticks, this was the shower favor, a set of chopsticks inside a sheet of green paper tied with a bow.

Another fun part about the afternoon was that everyone wrote down a piece of advice, one for John and one for me. Some were funny (like being on time...there's a story there) and some were serious (like never go to bed mad), and some were sweet (love each other for who we are). Here they are hanging up on our refrigerator door.

While opening gifts, I was informed that for every bow I broke, that was one baby John and I will have. I was very careful with this one. I took special care not to break any bows.... that is until the last gift from my mom. The smile on her face made it worth it, now I just have to convince John!

One Week To Go!!

2007-09-16T22:44:00.000-05:00

One week from now we will be married!! Let the countdown begin....
More tomorrow on my recent "hen" night and a bridal shower.

Breakin In

2007-09-15T13:45:00.001-05:00

Well, we are down to the final days. Today I will start thinking about packing for our trip up to Boston. I picked up my wedding dress yesterday, all nice and white and pressed. Hopefully it survives the journey! I've also been breaking in my shoes at home, which every bridal magazine will remind you to do. I decided to go with simple, comfortable shoes, and of course, they are vegan. Don't you just love the little blue skull and cross bones on the inside? Very cute I thought. Thankfully, they seem pretty comfortable! I wil try to post some more last minute things before we leave on Wednesday evening. :-)

Meet Your Adopted Pig!

2007-09-10T09:38:00.000-05:00

In honor of our wedding guests, we have adopted Petunia, a pig now living free at the Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary in Colorado. Our donation goes to the costs of food, shelter, supplies and veterinary bills, making the lives of these rescued residents happy and healthy. You can read more about Petunia's story here on the Peaceful Prairie blog (we'll have it at the wedding as well). Several months ago, I also adopted Lucas, another pig. He is in love with Petunia. How could you not love such an adorable pig?

Pigs are amazing creatures. They are more intelligent than dogs and are amazingly sensitive and aware animals. To hear more about how wonderful pigs are and how they are mistreated and exploited in society, listen to this amazing podcast from Compassionate Cooks.

We are so happy to be able to give such a meaningful gift to our wedding guests. It is my sincerest hope that all of our guests will take pride in being an adoptive parent of Petunia!

Get With the Program

2007-08-29T14:56:00.001-05:00

wedding preparations, originally uploaded by Vegan_Noodle.

All this wedding stuff might make me crafty after all! My mom and I put together the programs for the wedding this past weekend (thanks mom for doing most of the work!!). Can you see the green theme continuing?

Rehearse History

2007-08-27T15:29:00.001-05:00

Colonial Inn, originally uploaded by Vegan_Noodle.

The rehearsal dinner will be at the historic Concord Colonial Inn. John was a dishwasher here back in the day! We are excited to spend an evening with our families on the eve of the wedding. We are even more excited about the fact that we don't have to have an actual rehearsal along with our rehearsal dinner. We all know the drill, right?

Embossing Excitement

2007-08-24T08:38:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update on how things are going, I am planning a more elaborate post hopefully this weekend!! We are less than a month away from our wedding date as of yesterday! Can't believe it will be here that soon, the excitement is crazy!

Last week, with the help of my mom, we did some embossing for the wedding favors. I never knew it was easy and so much fun! I have been going around eversince embossing all kinds of things. I'm even planning on purchasing more stamps to continue the fun! Here's a look at the process:

Step 1. Stamp the desired image on paper, press firmly and careful not to smudge!

Step 2: Pour embossing powder over the stamped image as quickly as possible, then remove excess powder.

Step 3: Apply heat source to stamp until embossing powder melts and becomes a raised image (don't worry, you will see the transformation take place before your very eyes!)

And finally, you can admire the finished product! Isn't the sleeping pig adorable? In my next post I'll explain the significance of using this stamp on the party favors. And no, I'm not going to tell you what the party favor is, another detail you'll have to wait for!

Eco-Honeymoon

2007-08-16T13:45:00.000-05:00

We finally booked our honeymoon!! The plan is to spend a week on St. John (how appropriate I thought) in the U.S. Virgin Islands (also helpful that it's U.S. since my passport is expiring!). We decided to wait until December to honeymoon, mainly to avoid the fall hurricane season in the Caribbean. During our time on this tropical island, we will be splitting our time between three resorts.

The first four days we will be staying at two eco-resorts, the Estate Concordia Studios and Maho Bay Harmony Studios. Concordia is located in the southern part of the island, adjacent to the US Virgin Islands National Park. We will have views across Salt Bay Pond and be able to enjoy the secluded beaches and lush vegetation on this isolated part of the island. Then we move north to Maho Bay, and a little closer to civilization. In addition to all of the beach and hiking activities, they also have glassblowing, pottery, and yoga classes! These resorts are constructed almost entirely from recycled materials, are powered by the sun and wind, and are built using techniques to help preserve the delicate ecosystem that exists on the island. Definitely something to feel good about while we're kicking back on the beach or enjoying a hike in the forest.

Then we will move further west to Caneel Bay, where we will spend our final few nights on the island. Here we will enjoy a luxurious resort that has plenty to offer, including kayaking, sailing trips, and rum tastings!

I can't wait till December gets here!!

Something Blue

2007-08-14T11:34:00.000-05:00

I won't repeat the rhyme, but you know what I'm talking about. Weddings are full of tradition, sometimes too much if you ask me. So I've tried to take some traditions and put a personal twist on them, making them a bit more unique and a little updated for the times. And what better way than to combine two traditions in one? For my something blue and my "garter" I am instead wearing a handmade anklet made by my soon to be sister-in-law!! Here is a peak at one of the anklets I will be wearing:

I was so excited when John's sister (referred to from here on as L.) suggested the idea of an anklet rather than a garter and furthermore that she was willing to knit one for me! We have several of L.'s knitted creations already and they are all so beautiful. She chose colors to match my Green Dream necklace. The dainty flowers and the shades of green and blue are a perfect addition to my wedding outfit. This anklet I will save as a keepsake, you will have to wait to see the one I'm going to toss until the reception! Get ready single guys....

Weather Prediction

2007-08-08T07:21:00.000-05:00

Here's what the farmer's almanac has to say about the weather in New England for September 2007:

September 20071st-3rd. Wet weather New England. Farther south, scattered showers, thunderstorms Labor Day holiday. 4th-7th. Fair, pleasant. 8th-11th. Hurricane threat for Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts. Thunderstorms sweep in from west, then clearing. 12th-15th. Fair skies. 16th-19th. Rain, then turning fair, cooler. 20th-23rd. Fair skies persist. 24th-27th. Thunderstorms rumble rapidly across region, then clearing, cooler conditions. 28th-30th. Fair skies, then scattered rain showers.

Oh, The Places We've Been

2007-08-07T07:21:00.000-05:00

I have always found table numbering at wedding receptions to be rather dull and somewhat "status" driven (i.e. family gets #1). So in brainstorming to figure out a different method, we came up with naming tables after places we have vacationed together. Then the idea expanded to adding cute, miniature photo albums to each table for the chosen destination. I found an amazingly talented artist and crafter, Nycole from etsy, who agreed to custom design the photo albums using the wedding colors (various shades of green and orange) and even adding the photos for me!

As you can see, she did a wonderful job! Each album is unique with different types of paper, flower cut-outs, and embellishments. These will be out on each table at the wedding reception, and hopefully our guests will enjoy seeing some of the beautiful places that we have explored together including Patagonia, Colorado, Oregon, Sedona, Park City, Banff, and England. We left one album blank, St. John U.S. Virgin Islands, which is where we will spend our honeymoon! (more on that in a different post)

Here is a peak inside one of the albums....

Thanks to Nycole for being so creative in putting these together! We will enjoy these mini accordian albums long after the wedding and honeymoon are over.

Let's Dance!!

2007-08-03T07:54:00.000-05:00

This is your chance!! John and I are putting together the iPod playlist for the reception and we would like your suggestions on what you want to hear! Otherwise you might get stuck doing the Marcarena, cotton-eyed joe, and the chicken dance all night long. Just click on the comments button below to submit your request, it can even be anonymous! We welcome all genres and types of music, from classical to rock to hip hop to country. Even if you aren't going to be able to make it to the wedding, we would love to play a song in your honor.

Put It On (Recycled) Paper

2007-08-01T17:00:00.000-05:00

With the recent arrival of the wedding invitations, now the date seems even closer!! Here is a peek at the invitations and the guest book, all made out of handmade recycled paper.

We ordered our invitations from Twisted Limb Paperworks, a small studio in the heartland of America (Indiana) that makes their paper out of recycled office paper, junk mail, grocery bags, and grass cutting from their own fields. The paper used for the invitations is called Green Tea and the guest book is accented with Mango paper. Along with a signed thank you note, they also included a bookmark with the words from a famous Beatles song. What a coincidence, this song will be used in the wedding (not telling where yet)! That must be a sign of good luck. I was extremely happy with how the invites turned out and would highly recommend their services. And remember, after you've enjoyed the invitation on your refrigerator door (or wherever), be sure to recycle it!! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle...

Wedding with a View

2007-07-31T21:03:00.000-05:00

Okay, so everyone must do their own version of a rain dance while concentrating on September 23, 2007. Actually, I think the location of the wedding will be beautiful in rain or shine, but certainly shine is preferable.

While visiting Boston a few weeks ago, my mom and I had the chance to go and check out the location of the ceremony and reception; Misselwood at Endicott College in Beverly, MA. It was so exciting to see the house where both John and I will get ready before the ceremony, the grassy area overlooking the Atlantic where the ceremony will take place, the grounds where we will have our photos taken, and the reception tent where we will eat, drink, and dance (some of us!) the night away! Everything was even more perfect than I could have imagined.

Here is the view of the Atlantic from where the ceremony will be held:

Here is the house that I will walk out of with my dad to marry John:

And here is the reception tent and patio:

You'll have to wait until the wedding to see the rest!!

Let's Eat (Vegan) Wedding Cake

2007-07-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of the first things I did when John and I started narrowing down dates to get married was to check and see if the Hippie Chick Bakery was available to make our wedding cake. Last week while in Boston, we drove up to Amesbury and met with the owner, Amy, to discuss the design of the cake and of course, do some tasting!! Sorry for my photos of half eaten cake, I was so excited about tasting, I forgot about pictures! Here is a run down of what we tried:

First up, a chocolate cake with vanilla "buttercream" frosting layered with fresh strawberries. Luckliy this was the biggest "test" cake in the box, I could have eaten an entire cake of this myself!

Next up a more sophisticated spice cake with ginger "buttercream" frosting. The ginger frosting was amazing.

And finally a carrot cake with vanilla "buttercream" frosting. I really didn't used to like carrot cake, but this was like a little slice of heaven.

Additionally, we also sampled a lemon cake and a marble cake with yummy chocolate frosting. We had wanted to taste a pumpkin cake, but since they aren't in season yet, we will have to do this by mail closer to the wedding date. The cakes were all unbelievably moist and tender, with thick, creamy, sugary frosting. Perfect. For the wedding we will have a three-tiered cake. The bottom will be the chocolate cake, the middle will be either the spice or pumpkin cake with ginger frosting, and the top is still being decided. We will be taking the top layer home to Houston, but probably not waiting till our first anniversary to eat it, that would just be torture! The design of the cake is not your typical white fondant topped wedding cake. I wanted something a little different but still classy, so we are using the wedding colors, two shades of green and orange for an accent. The cake will be similar in style to this one.

John was admittedly worried (as possibly many of you are that may be attending the wedding) that vegan cake wouldn't live up to non-vegan dessert counterparts (I don't know why since I bake him fabulous desserts all the time, all vegan!). Vegan baking is actually relatively easy. The most crucial piece is usually the egg replacer, something to bind the baked good. Check out this link on some trustworthy replacements. If you want to try it out for yourself, here's a really easy recipe for a super moist chocolate cake and a delicious coconut pecan frosting to top it off. You won't notice the difference, I promise!!

Not sure about you, but I can't wait to taste the cake on our wedding day! I just might have to have a piece of each flavor!

Green Dream Wedding Jewelry

2007-07-23T13:32:00.001-05:00

As soon as we began planning our upcoming wedding, one of the parts I was most excited about (besides tasting wedding cake) was picking out the jewelry I will wear on our wedding day. Several months ago, I discovered a website called Etsy, where you can buy and sell all things homemade. Then I also found a network of vegan and vegetarian friendly sellers (EtsyVeg and Etsy for Animals), some of whom also donate a percentage of their profits to animal-friendly organizations. One of my favorites is McFarland Designs. Tamara is a brilliant jewelry designer, as well as a vegan and a mom! I was thrilled when she agreed to custom design my wedding jewelry. Here is a sneak photo that was posted on her website:

She nicknamed one of the early versions of my necklace, the Green Dream, which I thought was appropriate. Some of the stones include: green garnet, prehnite, aquamarine, labradorite, vasonite, moonstone, and Swarovski simulated pearls. I am so excited to get these in the mail sometime this week, hopefully in time for my first wedding dress fitting (it finally arrived)!

Wearing vegan jewelry on my wedding day is important to me. Many of you may ask, what isn't vegan about jewelry? One of the most common stones used in wedding jewelry is the pearl. And yes, pearls are not vegan, they are the product of pain. Besides, Swarovski simulated pearls are just as beautiful and they are cruelty-free!

Our Happy Ending

2007-07-12T17:04:00.000-05:00

This weekend John and I picked up our wedding rings at a local jeweler, Reiner's (kindly referred by Rich and Kristi). We opted for simple white gold bands, since John is brand new to the whole man-jewelry thing. Inside, we had the option of engraving the rings. I agonized over this for awhile, wanting something original and also something with meaning. I was so happy when I came up with the phrase "Our Happy Ending". This phrase is borrowed and modified from one of my favorite Avril Lavigne songs "My Happy Ending" where she is not as lucky to find hers. Unfortunately, since my ring size is so small (3.5!) they weren't able to fit that phrase and our wedding date. So, being the acronym-loving geologists that we are, our wedding rings are inscribed:

OHE 09/23/07

Green and Mango

2007-07-08T16:30:00.000-05:00

I think we've figured out the wedding colors, mostly different shades of green (think peridote, grossular garnet, prehnite.... light/limey greens for those non-geologists out there) and accented with mango (i.e. light orange). My mom put together a small arrangement of kermit mums and orange roses to get an idea of the colors together. I am hoping to also have spider mums, green hydrangeas, and hypercium berries. The orange accent flower is yet to be decided, maybe mango cala lilies or light orange roses. Any thoughts?

Otherwise, things are coming together for the quickly approaching wedding! We are still trying to figure out the food as well as who is going to perform the ceremony, but most of the other details are covered. We leave for Boston in less than a week to do some scoping work, hang out with John's family, and get some hiking and relaxation time in New Hampshire's White Mountains. Should be a fun trip, I can't wait to try the wedding cake flavors. There will be a full report when we return.

Hotel Deals

2007-06-29T14:49:00.000-05:00

For those of you interested, we have blocked out rooms (10) at the Boston Marriot - Peabody and have a discounted rate at The Salem Inn. Just be sure to mention the Ellison/Mariano wedding. The Marriot rooms will be released three weeks prior to the wedding and the discount is $30 off per night. For the Salem in there is a 10% discount on a two night minimum stay. Check out the links for these and other area hotels under the Where to Stay links.

The Dress

2007-06-28T13:45:00.000-05:00

I know I know, it's bad luck to talk about, much less show a picture of the wedding dress before you get married. Shopping for a wedding dress has definitely been a challenge for me. I wanted something simple with clean lines, not poofy!! But it was also very important to me that the dress contain no animal products. I actually found this to be less of a challenge than I anticipated, many dresses are made from synthetic fibers these days. I had wanted a natural fiber (hemp blend) dress, but the timing just wouldn't work out since our wedding day is less than three months away!

My mom and I hit the usual bridal dress shops last Sunday. Although we didn't really find any dresses I wanted, it was good to see different styles to narrow down what I was looking for (I'm not one of those girls who has thought about her wedding dress since she was 5, I was playing teeball). It was fun to spend the afternoon with my mom and seeing her reaction to each dress. After lunch we gave up for the day but she convinced me to look at one other place....

So Tuesday night we met at Weddings by Debbie. How ironic that I end up buying my wedding dress only a few minutes from where I grew up and across the street from the mall where I spent much of my time in my teenage years.

So this is just a teaser photograph, you'll have to wait till the ceremony to see it!

The Ring

2007-06-26T20:57:00.000-05:00

My engagement ring has a story, I love that! It started back in December when John and I went up to Banff and Lake Louise for a few days of skiing, snowshoeing, and relaxation. After skiing both Sunshine Village and Lake Louise, we took a break from the slopes and rented snowshoes to hike to a point overlooking Lake Louise. It was a beautiful day, but very cold. After our hike we went into the Fairmont Chateau to try and warm up and eat some lunch.

As we wandered around the hotel, we decided to browse their jewelry store. Right away I was drawn to the section of sapphires (my birthstone). John urged me to try on a few that I liked. The one that stood out to me was a beautiful oval-shaped sapphire flanked by two heart-shaped diamonds with a modern white gold band. John could see that I loved it, and being the giving man that he is, offered to buy it for me on the spot. My first response was no way, that I didn't need something so extravagant. He kept trying. So I told him that it seemed silly to buy such a sparkly ring, since if we ever did get engaged, I wouldn't want to wear both of them. I ended up having to half drag him out of the store. On our way out, he had me wait while he went to the bathroom. I noted the time on my watch carefully to make sure he wasn't going back to buy it. He was back quickly, so I relaxed. Little did I know that the story of my engagement ring began there...

John has since told me that he spent the next few months trying to get a hold of that ring. First there was the sizing. John secretly stole the rings I normally wear and traced them several times on a sheet of paper, measured them, and even uploaded the image and registered them in ArcGIS.

Then there was actually getting the ring across the Canadian border. And the hold up with the credit card authorization. John said he had wanted to propose while we were on vacation skiing in Colorado, but no ring. Same story when we went to Portland for his birthday. When he finally got the ring he didn't want to wait until our next vacation rolled around.

So that's the story of my engagement ring....

The Engagement

2007-06-24T17:41:00.000-05:00

A week ago today, John and I got engaged!! On Friday night we went out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, Mark's. It is located in a beautifully renovated 1920's church only a few minutes from our home in Montrose. The service and food were excellent, and they went out of their way to fix something vegan for me. I had a sense earlier that night that John might propose ... we both got dressed up which we rarely do, plus marriage had been a more frequent topic of conversation in the recent weeks. Although the restaurant was lovely, it was crowded and noisy. John later told me that he intended to ask me to marry him when we got home that night, but we were both stuffed and exhausted, so he waited .....

Until Sunday morning. I came downstairs after sleeping late to find an amazing vase of flowers on the table with two mimosas, and a little jewelry box. I asked John what was going on. He turned to me and said that it would make him so happy if I would marry him. We put our arms around each other and I whispered in his ear "you know I will" before giving him a big kiss. He tried to allow me some time to "think about it" but I told him that I've known for a long time now that I wanted to marry him. So he popped the bottle of champagne and we got engaged!