an Ethereal Gown

The Cherry Blossom Girl was married last weekend in a gorgeous Maria Lucia Hohan gown of her own design. She shared these beautiful photos of Hohan's atelier, perfect for inspiring day dreams of Paris. I'm swooning for the soft light in these divine images, and imagining an afternoon playing dress-up!

Saturday Morning

Mr Wonderful jetted off to Texas almost as soon as we got home from Spain to spend some quality time with his parents before school starts on August 17th. In the meantime, I've been catching up on much needed rest; last night, I feel asleep before nine and woke up just before my alarm went off at eight! It's nice to be able to sleep diagonally, but I'd much rather have my sweetheart back home!

Lovely photos by Elizabeth Messina on Kiss the Groom.

Have a Cocktail!

I love these adorable invitations by Rifle Paper Co. for Martha Stewart's the crafts dept, spotted on the divine 100 Layer Cake. Perfect for cocktails with your closest girlfriends or a fun engagement party, find the template here and start planning an end of summer fête!

How to Honeymoon, Part III

Photo spotted on Classic Bride.

Chapter 3: ¿Dónde está la estación de autobús?

After receiving the crushing news that our luggage was "temporarily misplaced", we hustled through customs, anxious to get to Granda that evening. To get to Granada from Madrid, you can take a 120€ train for 6 hours, or a 15€ bus that arrives in 5 and a half; the choice seems obvious. But unlike most major European cities, buses that head all over the country don't depart from the airport-they leave from a bus station in downtown Madrid.

To get to the bus station, you take two Metro trains from the airport-the 8 line to Nuevos Ministerios, then the 6 Circular to Méndez Álvaro. Normally, the trip takes about 45 minutes from airport. Unless transit workers are on strike, which they were the day Mr Wonderful and I arrived in Madrid and lost our luggage. We loaded onto a packed train, getting familiar with some unsavory scented locals, though I'm sure we weren't any more appetizing.

We arrived at the bus with plenty of time for its 3:30 pm departure, and found ourselves seated next to three Dallas-Fort Worth teachers, all of whom lived within a thirty mile radius of John's parents home! It was wonderful to chat with fellow Americans, and during the bus trip I realized what a blessing our lost luggage actually was. Trying to drag 75 lbs of shoes and sundresses onto that cramped Metro would have been near impossible, and we would have been much less liked by the locals.

We arrived at the lovely Hotel Saray in the evening, enchanted by the fountains and Persian-inspired architecture. For the next two days, we waited anxiously for our bags to arrive and explored our corner of the amazing city we found ourselves in. Saturday came and went without any sign of our Samsonites, and my heart sank when I realized we wouldn't see our bags until Monday when we got back from our big first day.

So you can imagine our delight when the gentle knock at the door on Sunday afternoon revealed an excited staff member with our luggage! It was the most wonderful gift, and we went out for Andalusian specialities that evening to celebrate. All of us had finally arrived.

How to Honeymoon, Part II

Fabulous image by Brooke Schwab.


Chapter 2: Lufthansa

After a good night's sleep and brunch with my parents and closest friends, we set off for JFK. The drive was nearly traffic-free, a rarity on a warm Thursday afternoon, and Mr Wonderful and I were deposited on the curb with two and a half hours to manage the international departures terminal.

15 minutes later, we had boarding passes, empty bladders and security clearance. It all seemed so easy, and we had plenty of time to peruse the duty free shops. Shortly after, Mr Wonderful and I settled into our plush seats, delighted to find ourselves in such comfortable accommodations. Dinner, paired with wine, followed by dessert, accompanied by liquor, put us in a sleepy state, and we landed in Munich relaxed and happy.

We only had an hour to make our connecting flight to Madrid, but I'd studied maps of the Munich airport and Lufthansa terminals online in the weeks before our voyage, and felt confident that we would have just enough time. A fifteen minute bus ride shook my confidence, and the 35 minutes waiting at an understaffed security check point destroyed it. With seven minutes before our flight was scheduled to depart, we stood in front of a German customs agent, who genially waved us by.

I bolted up the stairs to our terminal to find myself facing Gate 28; our flight was boarding from Gate 2. I sprinted down the recently waxed floor, Mr Wonderful following behind in his cowboy boots and hat, messenger back strapped across his chest and guitar thumping against his thigh. We hustled down the jetway still panting, and as we collapsed into our seats, Mr Wonderful darkly said, "I could have walked our luggage to the plane faster."

I can't say that he cursed our luggage, because by then it was already in the belly of our aircraft or it wasn't. But as the carousel doors slammed shut in Madrid with no sign of our brand new Samsonite set, I couldn't help but think it.

The girl at "Luggage Problems" reassured me that Lufthansa never lost luggage, simply misplaced it. She told me that if it arrived on Friday, we could expect in Granada on Saturday, but that shipping was (not surprisingly) suspended on Sunday. We kept our fingers crossed that we wouldn't have to meet our new colleagues in 5 day-old t-shirts on Monday morning.


Tomorrow, join me for "¿Dónde está la estación de autobús?"

Tentación Blanca

This incredible shoot from Vogue Novias been making the rounds on some of the most fashionable wedding blogs, and I couldn't help but share it! The reinterpretation of traditional bridal looks, the relaxed styling and all that Spanish lace are absolutely divine!

Photos by Michelle Ferrara,
Spotted on the Alternative Wife.

How to Honeymoon, Part I

I orchestrated two weeks worth of posts while Mr Wonderful and I were in Spain so that I wouldn't feel like a lazy blogger, and so that you'd still have something lovely to look at from me. But all that homework done in advance meant that I couldn't share with you the most ridiculous travel tale, at least as it happened.

I'm not going to tell the whole story all at once, because you'd give up on international travel forever if I did. This week, between regularly featured loveliness, I'll also share with you our outrageous adventure, helpful Spanish phrases and honeymoon travel tips!

Lovely image by Caroline Tran.


Chapter 1: United

Booking a direct flight to Madrid from San Francisco was next to impossible without a private plane and accommodating pilot; every flight included an 18 hour layover in a New Jersey-New York airport. Mr Wonderful and I decided to make the best of it, and turned that layover into a brief visit with my parents. We booked an early afternoon flight to Newark, where we would arrive just after 10 pm, then planned to have a lovely brunch and head to JFK the next afternoon.

Our bags were packed, we were checked-in online and we were on our way without incident. I planned three hours for the trip, giving us close to two at the airport instead of the recommended one. We arrived at United's luggage check-in, boarding passes already in hand, fresh-faced and excited to begin our journey. Moments later, after typing our confirmation number into the automated kiosk, I was confronted with puzzling news: our flight was canceled.

I walked to the departures board, where our flight was listed as "on time". Completely befuddled, I asked the nearest United agent if she had any information. She gazed at the ceiling, refusing to make eye contact, and told me I would need someone else's assistance. 20 minutes later, we were finally directed to "Special Problems", a line roped off and completely inaccessible to those of us with said "Special Problems". Standing in front of us was a couple arguing about whether or not she'd booked a flight to the wrong city.

My heart dropped, and I knew our flight was definitely canceled. Mechanical failure had grounded the plane, and a few moments later it disappeared altogether from the departures board.

After some wrangling (and assistance from the couple arguing in front of us), we were on a 3 pm flight to Philadelphia that would land about an hour after our original flight was scheduled to arrive. We enjoyed at 2 am family dinner and brunch at 11 with some of my dearest friends, putting our stressful day behind us.

Tomorrow: Chapter 2, Lufthansa

No 610: Home Sweet Home

We got home last night just before midnight, only 25 odd hours after our day started in Madrid. The trip was incredible, crazy, frustrating and beautiful-I'll tell you all about it, but after a huge, American breakfast and a big nap!

Photo c/o weheartit.

No 609: Coming to America!

That's right, we're on our way home! And what better way to celebrate our return to the states than with a little fertilizer and some fabulous blue shoes? Photo by the divine Leigh Miller.

No 608: an Elegant Confection

A majestic cake for this Monday morning-love the simplicity of the bands and the lovely cluster of roses! Lovely photo by Brooke Schwab.

No 607: Real Wedding: Erica and Abrahm

This gorgeous Mexican wedding is what every destination event should aspire to be-equal parts culture and personal style. Erica and Abrahm's stunning event is a testament to how beautiful a wedding can look when you put your faith in others-in this case, Guadalupe Alvarez of Pensi Weddings, who designed the flowers, decor and even wrangled Benito the Burro!

The couple was married on Valentine's Day in the mountain town of San Miguel De Allende, Mexico at a colonial villa called Casa Chorro. They chose a palate of orange and gray, adding succulents, wood and French linen for an event that felt thoughtful but unfussy. Chewing the Cud's Mexican-inspired stationery was simply beautiful, and Grace Edmands' calligraphy gave the casual illustrations an elegant kick. Erica wore Monique Lhuillier's classic Monet gown, and dyed her Kate Spade shoes to match the fabulous orange that turned up in stationery, her succulent-based bouquet, floral arrangements and everything else! It's no surprise this bride was so beautifully outfitted; she's one half of The 2 Bandits! The groom wore a Viktor & Rolf suit and classic Ferragamo shoes, in keeping with his fashion-forward bride.

After the couple's lovely ceremony, they all walked through the streets dancing to mariachi music and taking shots of tequila-a sure sign this would be a party to remember (or forget!). Not surprisingly, the party lasted until dawn, although there were pauses to watch a celebratory fireworks display or much down a few tacos. Joining them in San Miguel De Allende were Stephanie and her husband Isaac of Stephanie Williams Photography-what a fabulous way to spend Valentine's Day!



Dear readers, do you adore the Neo-Traditionalist like I do? Well today is her wedding day, so stop by her incredible blog and leave her a little love! Congratulations, Katie!