About Mel

Where I'm From: Lived in New York City and New Jersey forever but just recently moved to Alabama!

Marital Status: Happily married since August 2009. We met in New York City despite going to the same college and in the same architecture program. New York isn't that big after all.

Day Career: Architect by day. Wedding planner and hobbyist by night.

More About Me: I love arts and design. I like problem solving and especially if it involves hands-on solutions. If you give me a string, paper, and glue, I'll make beautiful flowers or impressive structures. Planning for my own wedding opened up so many opportunities for me to express my artistic side and I hope that our guests were delighted at the touches we added. We were married in August 2009 in NYC but we also have receptions in Alabama and Taiwan! People call me crazy because for fun, I like to run in marathons and recruit friends to run in races with me. GT is a lucky man because I like to cook and bake yummy things.
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My wedding cake topper

Since Nat did a post on wedding cake toppers this week, I thought I’d post about mine. I too really wanted to make my own wedding cake topper. At first I had a really hard time deciding what to make, how to … Continue reading »

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The Other Wedding Gown

If you are Chinese or marrying into a Chinese family, this question must have come across some time during the planning process… Are you going to wear a qipao? It’s always a nice gesture to the grandparents and parents to incorporate a … Continue reading »

All sorts of totes from LL Bean

Bridal Shower Gifts

Going to a bridal shower and clueless about what to give? And you’re clueless because you don’t want to give the bride something generic, i.e. cookware, dishware, home decor, or lingerie. Of course all girls love a few additions to her lingerie … Continue reading »

Venue Searching Questions

So my brother-in-law recently got engaged!! {Congrats Henry & Phoebe!!} Just starting to wedding planning, he and his fiance are venue searching right now. They asked GT and I to provide a list of questions for the initial process when they tour … Continue reading »

Sara Wall

trash that dress?

Last week I was watching a feature on NBC’s TODAY for a great and creative idea on what to do with your dress after the big party.  There has been a recent trend to “trash your dress.” Brides wear their big white … Continue reading »

Food: Scallops wrapped with bacon, quiches, apple french toast, and assorted cheeses

It’s a bridal shower

About 2 weeks before my wedding, my bridesmaids threw me the best bridal shower ever.  I wanted something low-key and casual.  At first, a couple of the girls suggested having it in a restaurant.  Since it is customary for the bridesmaids to … Continue reading »

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The Final Note

Although the wedding is over, there was still one last thing we had for our guests… thank you notes.  A personal thank you note is the only appropriate way to say “Thank You.”  The common etiquette is to send a handwritten thank … Continue reading »

J Crew - silk chiffon Whitney dress

Wedding Dresses for under $700

One of the most frequent questions I was asked before the wedding day was “How does the dress look like?”  Not only is the big white dress one of the major focuses of the wedding, it can be one of the major … Continue reading »

Where to Honeymoon?

Our New York City and Montgomery weddings have come and gone. And we are starting to plan our third and final reception in Taiwan. Along with this trip to Taiwan, we will also get to go on our honeymoon. Finally! So where … Continue reading »

Double Happiness Cake

My lucky day

One of the first and most important thing a couple has to decide on when planning a wedding is THE DATE. For me, that was the key to my continued happiness with… my mother. I have been cautiously warned by my sister … Continue reading »

Placecard Table of skyscrapers

My Placecards

The wedding has come and gone. It was absolutely magical and amazing. I will have to post a detailed entry once we get our photographs back from our photographer. As promised, I am posting about our placecards today. The placecards has the … Continue reading »

Something old, new, borrowed and blue

It’s been a timeless tradition. Something Old: This is a symbol for the bride’s family and her past before the marriage.  Jewelry is a common “something old”, but some other ideas are handkerchiefs, passed down wedding gowns, wedding veils or other parts … Continue reading »