We’ve been married for two years now and I’ve officially known PB for 4.

Happy 2nd anniversary to us!

To relive our wedding, watch this video. It is long but worth it, promise.

A little timeline of us…

Summer 2006: We meet briefly, but he doesn’t ask for my number. I have a boyfriend at the time anyway.

June 16, 2007: We meet for real. I am smitten immediately. He is too, and after the first night meeting me gushes to his mom and his friends all about me.

4th of July weekend 2007: I drag Lynne down as my chaperone for my first trip to Philadelphia. I buy new bathing suits, cover up, and outfits for the weekend. PB and I hold hands on the beach, and he is so happy about it he accidentally drops his wallet (at least that’s why *I* think he dropped his wallet).

July 18, 2007: I’m on the plane with 4 of my girlfriends heading to Greece. PB and I are texting back and forth furiously. Before takeoff, he has secured me as his official girlfriend. I write frantically in my journal for 3 hours of the flight, gushing about his amazingness the whole time.

When I get back he greets me at the airport. We go to a nice dinner on Federal Hill.

Fall 2007: He tells me he loves me. I love him too.

November 2007: We travel together for the first time. The trip is to California for his friends’ wedding. We have a ball.

December 2007: He is very serious about me and wants our dads to meet. I am nervous and get drunk on red wine. Everyone gets along beautifully.

May 2008: He proposes! We also start our first half marathon, but we don’t get more than 5 minutes in. He is a hero.

July 2008: We celebrate our first anniversary where our first private date was: Opia in NYC!

July 2009: We get married! (Photo courtesy of LifeFusion.com)

November 2009: We run our first half marathon. The first few months living together were tough, but running for hours with friends every Saturday helps.

Winter 2009/2010: We had so much fun doing an activity together that we find another. I teach PB to snowboard.

February 2010: He becomes addicted to snowboarding. We go to Colorado. I have a lot of fun teaching him. He is a good student.

Summer 2010: We go on an epic trip to Jordan and never want to come home. We start talking about babies.

Christmas 2010: Christmas this year is extra special. We’ve made a baby! No one knows yet.

Spring 2011: We announce our pregnancy and then head off to Italy. It is a trip we will never forget.

And here we are… happily in love, expecting our first baby, and excited to see what the next year will bring us.

Happy 2nd anniversary amore!

I can’t believe PB and I have been married for a year!!!! For our first anniversary, I made him this video, and I just had to share it. I love my PhillyBoy!

*The video is long, but worth it!

Wedding Vendors:
Resources: Mindy Weiss’ Wedding Book, weddingbee.com
Photography: LifeFusion Photography
Videography: Infinity Video
Flowers: Flowers by Semia
Dress: Priscilla of Boston
Bridesmaid Dresses: Priscilla of Boston
Bride’s Jewelry: My mom’s
Bridesmaids’ Earrings: Swarovski
Hair: Kassiane of Femme Fatale & Stephanie
Makeup: Arionna of M Squared Salon
Groom + Groomsmen Tuxes: Carl Anthony Tuxedo
Venue/Caterer: The Westin Providence
Church: Sts. Sahag & Mesrob Armenian Church
Jazz Trio: East Side Horns
Ceremony Music: Woodvale String Quartet
Reception Music: Armenian band, Anthony Crocenzi
Invitations & Other Paper Goods: Quaint Correspondences
Middle Eastern Appetizers: Delicacies
Lighting: Suzanne B. Lowell Lighting
Transportation for Bridal Party: Trolley Tours of Providence
Candy Bar: Self (Full candy bar details)
Day of Wedding Coordinator: Lisa Reindl- email me for her information!

PB and I are off to celebrate by making a fun dinner using Athenos feta! I am really enjoying this challenge, as is he. I can’t wait to share our latest creation AND tell you all about our weekend- it was extremely special!!!!

P.S. Very last chance to enter the Tempur-Pedic Supreme Cloud Mattress Contest!

Tory & Anita are married! Congratulations friends!

The rehearsal dinner was a blast and the wedding was even more fun. My dancing feet need some TLC!

A rehearsal dinner in the spirit of a Philadelphia Armenian goes a bit like this…

Rehearsal Dinner… AKA “Henna”

The Food: There was a beautiful spread of mezze, aka cheeses, hummus, & tabbouleh as well as a nice dinner of traditional Armenian & Middle Eastern foods.

A member of the family made these cookies. Aren’t they gorgeous?

The theme of the night was a black and white party. It was so fun to see everyone in themed outfits! The bride and groom looked gorgeous in red.

I love my PhillyBoy!

After dinner came the “henna” portion of the night. It is believed that the tradition began so that all of the most important guests of a wedding would be known when they arrived to the church the day of a wedding. All of the guests at Tory & Anita’s henna, in keeping with tradition, danced around the bride, gave her two kisses, and then dipped their pinky fingers into the henna. Every single guest that night did it.

PB went in with all the guys:

After you dip your finger they wrap it so that the henna doesn’t get everywhere:

Tory gave all the groomsmen swords as their gift.

It was a beautiful wedding weekend with lots of love, music, and dancing.

Congratulations Tory! Welcome to Philadelphia & Congratulations Anita!!!! Love you both.

Other wedding posts:
Amy & Joseph’s Wedding
Philadelphia Bridal Shower

Last chance to enter to win a lifetime of dried peas & lentils!

Sing and dance together, and be joyous!

Amy & Joe’s wedding was a most happy occasion. After weddings like the one I attended this weekend, I feel like my marriage is even stronger and my love for PhillyBoy is even deeper. Love makes me feel more love. Amy and Joe clearly love one another deeply, and I am so happy that in this big world they were able to find one another. I am excited for them to begin their lives together as husband and wife and I hope they share many years of memories as beautiful as their wedding.

The happy couple at their welcome dinner:

It all began with the welcome dinner on Friday night, which was held at The Gables at Chadds Ford. I loved the restaurant- it was elegant yet rustic, and perfect for a welcome dinner. The food was delicious too!

PB had a wedding to attend in upstate NY (Congratulations H & J!) so I was there solo. The evening was so warm and full of love, and I felt so happy to be able to share in the evening with Amy & Joe. I only wish PB could have been there to share that with me. Don’t they both look so happy and rested? Amy is always gorgeous, but this weekend she definitely had the wedding glow.

Joe’s family’s priest came from Africa for the wedding, and he presented the couple with a blanket to unit them, in following an African tradition.

I met Amy freshman year of college. We all lived in the same dorm (most of us on the same floor- 3rd floor of McVinney!) and we have all have remained friends since that year.

Amy & her college friends who were bridesmaids:

Amy’s & Joseph’s Wedding

The wedding. How do I even begin? The welcome dinner was full of joy and love, but the wedding was even more joyous. The ceremony was held at St. Joseph’s on the Brandywine, which is where Amy’s parents were married many years ago.

Amy’s gorgeous mom:

Amy was a stunning bride, and Joseph made a handsome groom. They looked so beautiful and happy, and of course I couldn’t help but tear up as Amy’s father walked her down the aisle to Joe. I love LOVE! (Side note: I am listening to my wedding song on repeat right now as I write this, stopping every now and again to dance around our condo singing along… I am a huge love dork!)

Lisa, Amy’s sister, who was the wonderful wedding coordinator for our wedding, was the maid of honor. If you are looking for a coordinator she is the woman to call! Both at my wedding and at Amy’s wedding she made sure everything was going according to plan. (Email me if you want her info)

I especially loved the sermon Father Patrick gave. He said that he knows a lot of people think that a (Catholic) priest should not give advice on marriage since they never marry, so he asked Amy & Joe’s parents to share what marriage means to them and he shared their comments in the sermon. Both Amy & Joe’s parents have been happily married for over 25 years, so it made those comments extra special. I actually videotaped most of the sermon to share with PB since it really touched me. I think it is wonderful to be reminded of the meaning of marriage and God’s role in it, as well as advice on how to continue loving one another fully for many years to come.

And they are married!!!!!

Some of my favorite things Father Patrick said in his sermon:

“Sing and dance together, and be joyous!”

“Amy, let Joe be Joe. And Joe, let Amy be Amy”

“It (Marriage) is about getting up and getting Amy a cup of tea, even though you had just sat down. Amy, you enjoy all that tea for years to come”

The ceremony was really just so beautiful and perfect, and I teared up more than one time.

After a short break in our hotel rooms (where all of us ladies of course took of our shoes to stretch our feet) we headed to the cocktail hour and reception. The whole evening was so fun with dancing, drinking, eating, and celebrating. I love that our group of friends has remained close and grown even closer. We are all there to celebrate the happy celebrations, and I look forward to sharing in these beautiful memories with them for years to come.

I can’t help but gush over the details too. Amy put a lot of thought into making the guests feel special and making her wedding beautiful.

Details:

Beautiful welcome bags at the hotel.

Place cards connected to gorgeous yellow rock candy- her color palette was yello, gray, gold and silver. Gorgeous.

Photo frames of all the married couples throughout the cocktail hour. This was such a nice touch, and seeing PB and my wedding picture made me miss him even more!

Signature cocktails named after all of our favorite bars at Providence College. My personal favorite was Prime Time, which no longer exists!

An incredible assortment of appetizers, including a raw bar, pasta station, and yummy passed appetizers.

The centerpieces! Oh the centerpieces! They were so stunning and the perfect match to the elegant Hotel DuPont ballroom.

The menus were such a nice touch and the food was delicious. The bride and groom gave guests a choice between chicken, beef, or vegetarian entrees. The vegetarian dish was incredible.

Wedding cake:

A 12 piece band. The band was incredible. They are called JellyRoll, and if you are looking for an American band for any celebration I highly recommend them. They played all of the old favorites plus a lot of new dance songs.

To Amy & Joe: Congratulations and best wishes to a future filled with happiness and laughter, and may every memory be as happy as this first one in your married life, your wedding day. Love you!

Amy’s wedding weekend was so beautiful!

On Friday my friends Julie & Jay came over for lunch and then we headed to the Hotel DuPont, where the wedding reception took place on Saturday. . The Hotel DuPont opened in 1913, and the old world elegance remains today. The craftsmanship is incredible- just take a look at all of the details in the lobby.

Our room was gorgeous too. Sue, Bri and I attended the wedding by ourselves so we shared a room. The room was very large and even had a separate dressing room. I felt like we were in a fancy room on the Titanic. On Friday night I was in the room alone and I felt like there was a ghost in the room. Either I let my imagination fool me or I really saw a man in a red suit walking toward me in the middle of the night. That could be me being crazy, but in general the whole hotel has the feel of importance, beauty, and memories.

I’ll be back in the morning with a full recap on the lovely wedding festivities! For now it is time to celebrate Mother’s Day with my fabulous mother in law Auntie Rose!!

Until tomorrow… be well.

A few wedding photos… just for fun. All photos are courtesy of LifeFusion Photography, our amazing wedding photographers!! I will periodically be posting a few shots since I get emails every week requesting wedding recaps! Thanks for your interest in our wedding- it is fun to share!

The book PB made for me as a wedding present. It had everything from photos to emails to text conversations we had. It is incredible.

He even documented the big fall of 2008 ha!

He also sent this gorgeous arrangement up to my room. It was breathtaking.

My amazing shoes!

My engagement ring. I love it so much.

My sister in law Shawna had fun on my laptop, and I love that my laptop case matches the girls’ dresses.

My gorgeous cousin Amara. My friend Lauren made the shirts for all the girls! The earrings were by Swarovski and were part of their bridesmaid gifts.

Loco, smiling as always. She and Pat (her longtime bf) just got engaged! Auguri!

I wore my mom’s diamond set (except for the ring). I didn’t really want to wear a necklace with my dress but this set is so special to me, and I was so happy to wear it on my wedding day.

My friend Kassiane did my hair and a few bridesmaids’ hair as well, and my cousin Stephanie did the other half. It was so fun having such close people with us that day!

I ordered a special lunch up to our room so that no one would forget to eat. We had grilled vegetable sandwiches, salad, bottled water and sparkling water…

And Prosecco, gift from Dadri.

My hairpiece. I love it.

My sister in law Adrina couldn’t decide which shoes to wear to the reception: cowboy boots or punky sneaks!

Cheers!

Lynne, Adrina, and Loco:

In the last few weeks before the wedding we decided to hire a day of coordinator. Luckily, my friend Amy’s sister Lisa wanted the job! She did an amazing job, and again, it was so nice having a friend there. If you are looking for a wedding coordinator on the East Coast, please shoot me an email. You want Lisa. She was amazing.

My cousin and made of honor, Wanie:

The ring bearer pillow. I made this!

My finished hair style.

Dadri & Lynne, after too much Prosecco? I am not sure what is going on here!

My dress wanted a photo shoot too.

All my girls.

My makeup is done… time to get dressed!!!

My gorgeous flower girl Josie looking at my dress. I will have to give her a framed copy of this on her wedding day.. one day!

My dress was about 11 lbs, and it was not easy to move around in. I am lucky I had so many bridesmaids to help me get dressed.

Adrina gave me my something blue, an evil eye to protect me!

My auntie Grace was the only auntie to see me before church. I am so happy she came to visit! Isn’t she stunning?

At the time Adrina was putting my mom’s jewelry on me.

Auntie Grace posed for a quick photo with me before it was time for us to head out!

I was so excited I was shaking, grinning like a fool, and squealing now and then.

We all squeezed in the elevator, and were on our way for some pre ceremony shots in the lobby of the hotel.

At this point I remember thinking that I couldn’t WAIT to see PhillyBoy, and also wondered if my eye makeup looked okay. Funny how I was thinking about something so important and something that didn’t really matter at the same time…

I hope you enjoyed the recap of the girls getting ready on our wedding day. I can’t believe it has already been almost 5 months since our wedding!
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Have you always wondered what I eat day to day, how I met PhillyBoy, why I am so tan, or something else? Following my friend Jessica’s lead in something that looks like a lot like fun, I have created a FormSpring to allow you to ask me any question you want anonymously. Just click here, write your question, and click on submit. I will try and answer as many questions as possible!

I have been up since too early working so that I can take the 9 AM shuttle to Center City (a couple of miles away). Why?????

I AM GOING TO SOCIAL SECURITY TO CHANGE MY NAME!!!!

The Social Security office opens at 9 so I am hoping to get there by 9:10 and hopefully beat the lines there might be? I feel a little weird changing my name as I have a very strong family identity. I’ve been SMR for over 25 years, and I’m proud. However, I am also proud to take on my new name! I hope that I have all the documents I need to bring. I have:

-my passport

-my driver’s license

-copy of our marriage license, which I didn’t know we had to request, but I learned and I did.

-the latest copy of Health Magazine, to keep me entertained while I wait.

Somehow I feel like changing my name will make our marriage real, even though I’ve been in Philly for almost a month and have been living with my love for that same amount of time.

All photos are by Marina & YI Sun of LifeFusion Photography. I love Marina & Yi- they did a great job! We have only seen about 40 pictures so far but we love what we’ve seen!!!! If you are engaged and looking for a great photographer(s)- you don’t need to look anymore! They were pricier than others but completely and truly worth it. More wedding photos are here and here.

Changing my name comes right in time with the change of summer and fall. To celebrate the end of summer, I had my last bowl of ice cream last night: Edy’s Slow Churned Chemical Goo Vanilla + chocolate chips + chopped walnuts + RED GRAPES! Grapes and ice cream are actually amazing together. Try it! I am happy to have no ice cream left though, really. It is hard to eat one little bowl and be done with it, especially when you have delicious fruits in it!

Off to become Mrs. PhillyBoy to the government! I hope it isn’t anticlimactic!

So what was in the box????

A SHOWER cap for my bridal SHOWER!!!!

And then I had to keep reading the poem…

“today is your day to laugh and rest
so, arranged on your behalf
is a gift to open for each guest”

Shower caps for all!!!!

It was so so so perfect and so much fun!!!!! The best part? They are REAL shower caps! And so so cute! I haven’t been able to find a cute shower cap and was complaining to my SIL (sister in law) and cousin (Raz) about it months ago… and that’s where they got the idea! I love it.

At this point I was expecting some games or at least to open the many gifts that were set up, but my SIL told me that we would not be opening any of the gifts (she had checked ahead of time with all the guests that it was ok). They had something BETTER in mind. Most of us piled into cars and headed to a secret location… at least secret to me. The girls made me cover my eyes with my sweater! I had a dance party anyway…

Where were we off to for this amazing unconventional shower? Opa on Federal Hill!

When we showed up all our guys were waiting for us. Our favorite Arabic music came on and we immediately began to dance. Before we knew it, we had the place to ourselves!!!!

I believe my dad was the mastermind behind part 2.. (am I right ladies?)

All of my U.S. Cousins!!!! Mara, Raz, me, my SIL Shawna, Stephanie (who celebrated her 1 year anniversary with my cousin that night), and my maid of honor Wanie!!!

After hours and hours of surprised fun my future mother in law (who came in with her husband from Philly just for this special weekend) was ready to go home. We were waiting by the car for PB when he came running over with a sly grin and asking to stay out since my FMIL’s husband and my dad wanted to stay out. While my FMIL and I bonded over tea and I opened presents in the middle of the night, the guys were partying it up. What we missed???

The belly dancer that came to entertain all the shower guests and their husbands/boyfriends!!!!!!! Looks like it was a blast.

All in all I have to say that I am an extremely lucky girl. I had my new Philly fam me welcome me with both a surprise bridal shower in March and a surprise bachelorette party in April and all of my pre-PB friends and family + some Philly fam surprise me on Saturday. I feel so blessed to have such love in my life.

6 weeks until the big day.

xoxo,
Rhodeygirl

It is so hard to surprise me, but somehow they did it.

On Saturday PB and I headed over to Gracie’s in Providence for what I thought was an important meeting. Instead, we walked into my bridal shower!!! It was SUCH an awesome surprise and we all had a blast. I was SHOCKED. I had guests from near and far.. My FMIL came in from Philly. Gina from Chicago. Lynne from Indy. My MOH from NY. EVERYONE was there!!! Let me tell you about it.

The Surprise.

Some of the guests.

The Decor.

My SIL arranged for my wedding florist  (flowers by semia) to do the decor. Who better to do the centerpieces than the one who knows my flower taste so well??? They did an amazing job and everything looked so classy and beautiful. It was 4 in the afternoon and there was champagne flowing throughout. No detail was forgotten. We even had seating cards by our seats!  Check out how pretty the room was!

The menu.

The seating cards.

The food was insanely good. After a couple of sips of champagne and a few passed appetizers we sat down to dinner. My bridesmaid Ileana made an awesome playlist with really great music for some background fun. Our bellies had a party this night….

First Course

An amazing arugula salad with candied pecans and fresh figs

2nd Course was an artisinal cheese tasting. Since my SIL (the ringleader) knew I don’t really like cheese but would appreciate the fancy tasting for everyone else, she had the chef make me a special course. The cheeses were all local and had unique and special toppings. One even had fresh honeycomb!

My special little course was a plate of three thin slices of various beets with a few mixed greens.

We had a special intermezzo of frozen lemonade with little bits of candied lemon peel.

We had three options for our entree: handmade pasta with a delicious foraged mushroom sauce, salmon, and an all natural filet of beef. I decided to have the pasta. When pasta is made in house, it will definitely be worth it. My best friend Lynne and I went halfsies though, and she had the filet.

And then there was dessert. It was a perfect mini trio of chocolate macarons, passionfruit semifreddo, and a raspberry lemon tart.

Is it even necessary to express how amazing this meal was? Everything was perfectly portioned, perfectly presented, and unbelievably delicious. It was a meal to remember full of yummy food and lots of smiles and laughs… and champagne. Not your typical shower that’s for sure!

After dinner my SIL and also my cousin Raz presented me with a box to open. I was told to read this poem aloud before opening it.

“By now I’m sure you may have guesses…
it’s a SHOWER and YOU’RE our honored guest!
we knew you would show looking your best
simply because of your elegance…
and, though your fashion sense is inspired
proper dress IS required”

What do you think was in the box????

You’ll have to wait for part 2 to find out!

I haven’t mentioned this before but I have been trying to make the switch from Skippy Natural to just plain ground peanuts for MONTHS! Finally, FINALLY, I did it. I mean, I did buy the fresh ground honey roasted peanut butter from Whole Foods, but I feel that a little honey is probably a lot better for me than that Skippy stuff, right???

This morning I had my usual breakfast but with my new and improved topping:

Freshly ground nuts taste so much lighter, don’t they? And not only did I have my new nut butter for breakfast, but I said goodbye to the junk.

I am feeling great about this! Over the years I have made many changes to my day to day diet, and this is just the newest.

I did it the same way I got rid of sweetener in my tea. With my tea I started with milk and sugar, then milk and equal, then equal, then splenda, then nothing. I haven’t had sweetened tea since college (4 years ago at least).

The traditional nut butter was harder. I made myself have the Whole Foods freshly ground kind about once a week, usually the same day that was treat day so I had another meal to look forward to more (breakfast is my favorite, and these plain nut butters were not). Over time I started having it more and more. Today I decided I am DONE with the jarred stuff! I am so psyched!!!!

PB had a second bachelor party last night, this time with his college friends, while I spent the weekend doing such wedding activities as my hair trial, dress fitting, and meeting to finalize menu card and ceremony program design. After such a busy weekend I need a bit of relax time. So I am currently blogging from this position where I plan on staying for at least one more hour:

Yes I am watching Bride Wars (on demand) and Yes I have really bony feet.

I can’t believe I am getting married so soon! It became really real this weekend with talks of actual dates my overseas relatives are arriving, my hair trial, and dress fitting! This time around, after a month of eating super well, I had breathing room, although my dress probably weighs 10 lbs and I am going to be so SWEATY that day!

Have you given up a food you really like to replace it with something healthier.. for life? I LOVE plain tea or even hot water now, and I am starting to love this nut butter too. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to either.