I Do, I Do, I Do

As many of you know, Special K and I have been a fairly non-traditional couple for most of the time we've been together. We've done the long-distance thing between LA and NY and then between NoCal and SoCal (the latter being MUCH better and easier to manage -- duh!). In fact, we've been living in different zip codes (and often different time zones) for longer than we've actually been in the same place.

We carried on this tradition of NON-tradition in our decision to get married, planning the wedding in only about four weeks. That's right, FOUR weeks. (And can I just say that this is DEFINITELY the way to go... A short "engagement" means much less stress and it really keeps you focused on what's truly important... you know, like the fabric you should use for the custom-made napkins that you want at dinner.)

From the words "of course I'll marry you, silly!", we both knew that we didn't want a big, formal traditional wedding. We're casual, fun (well, at least he is), and yes, often quite silly, and we wanted our Big Day to reflect who we really are and how we got that way. (Could have been dangerous, I know!)

So, here are a few things we did to make the day extra meaningful to us. First and foremost, our very dear, dear friends, Craig and Dannie offered up their home as the location for the wedding. Craig and Dannie are my "American family" and to have our wedding at their beautiful home created so many wonderful memories that we'll cherish forever. And every time we go back to visit, we'll get goosebumps all over again!

My dress and shoes were pretty simple (ordered online!) and while I wasn't worried about the "something old, something new" thing, I did want to wear something that had a bit of history, so I borrowed a gorgeous necklace from my mom... that my dad had given to her. It was perfect.

Our caterer was absolutely marvelous and helped us create an eclectic menu with an international flair to reflect our individual backgrounds. During the cocktail hour and for dinner, we had a delicious melange of dishes including samosas (in honor of my Indian heritage), brisket (all hail Alberta AND Texas!), pizza with exotic mushrooms and truffle oil (just because we are both always on a quest for good pizza!) and an artisanal cheese display that was to die for. (I adore cheese... maybe even just as much as chocolate.)

For dessert, we busted out the chocolate pudding in memory of Special K's wonderful Dad and we decided to forego the wedding cake in favor of cupcakes. This was a brilliant decision on our part (if I do say so myself) because the cupcakes were incredible and our fabulous caterer surprised us with some very fun decorations!

As for drinks, we kept the selection to mostly beer, wine and champagne. The wine was all from California-based wineries and the beer was a combination of Iron City (and Iron City Light) from Pittsburgh and Molson Canadian. ("I AM Canadian!!")

On the music front, Special K and I spent a fun Saturday evening a couple of weeks before the wedding perusing through CD's and iTunes libraries to create our musical line-up for the evening. The final playlist included Indian music, Irish music, lots of well-known (and not so well-known American artists), a few rockin' Canadians thrown in for good measure, and of course, a couple of Special K originals!

We sent our guests home with a little gift bag of random tongue-in-cheek goodies including a tiny bottle of Heinz ketchup (yay Pittsburgh!), a lapel pin with the Canadian and American flags joined in unity, a foil-wrapped chocolate maple leaf and a variety of Canadian chocolate bars that you can't buy here in the states. (The chocolate was imported directly from Canada via my mom and dad's suitcases a couple of days before the wedding.)

And finally, in honor of my honorary status as a "greencard bride", you will note that the use of green on the gift bags and floral arrangements was NOT a coincidence. Nor were the green socks that Joe and Linda gave me that night.