A Star-Studded (Love) Affair: Taxi Time

Like I've mentioned before, there were many times in my wedding planning when I caught some flack for forgoing the traditional wedding day limo ride, in favor of a more affordable and more authentic New York taxi, which is where the inspiration for this set of photos came from:

I just really wanted that iconic yellow in the background of some of our photos.

You can't tell me a limo would have looked this cool:

I took my role as a taxi bride very, very seriously, of course:

And many bridesmaids were necessary to help stuff me into that puppy, not to mention the multitude of staring onlookers:

At some point in the cab ride, my MOH and I both realized that in the hustle and bustle of getting everyone out the door and into separate cabs, we were each separated from our respective purses. Ooops.

No worries, I knew my Dad was waiting at the other end of our cab ride, mwuahahahahahaha. This is the "where is my Dad so he can pay this cab driver" face:

Other than that, I do think it's kind've cool that you can see our photog's hands and camera in the window of the taxi up there.

I was getting so excited to just get into the theater and see my soon-to-be husband:

I'll spare you the getting out of the cab pictures, since I look every bit as awkward as you'd expect a woman in a 50-pound wedding dress trying to jostle her way out of the backseat of a cab would look.

Thank goodness Dad showed up with some cash, after a few frantic calls. Thanks again, Dad! ;)

I found my posse of best ladies and was ready to get inside:

I had a blast being a taxi bride and what I learned from the whole experience is that in wedding planning (as in life), you should always make the choice that works for you and to hell with anyone who thinks you're being classless/tacky/cheap/or unfortunate. I mean, unless we're talking about becoming a cast member on "Jersey Shore," in which case -- what are you thinking, lady?!? But I don't think we're talking about that...

Have you considered any rather un-traditional methods of transportation for your wedding day, and if so, what are they? Don't worry, you're in good company. The taxi was probably the least un-traditional method of wedding day transportation that we used -- just wait until you see our subway trip! :)

*All photos by John Martin Photography *

The Star Wedding Recaps:

One Last Not-So Debaucherous Night

We're Pros at Rehearsing, But I'm No Director

Dinner in Havana

The Girls Get Their Hair Done and The Boys Wash The Dog

Getting Accessorized

We Tackle the Beast

I May Be Biased, But...I Have the Prettiest Ladies Ever

Takin' It to the Streets!

The Boys Goof Off (and Set Up, Too!)

How To Make ANY Wedding Theme Glam

Or "An Inspiration Board based off of a Star Wars Christmas Tree Ornament"

I hope you don't mind me taking a brief break from my recaps to share with you my take on the Christmas ornament inspiration board!

I searched through Etsy, my go-to spot for unique items, for the perfect ornament to use as a springing off point for this "assignment." Inspiration did not strike. However, I did start to chuckle when I came across this gem from Etsy Seller blackrose1151 :

I adore things like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Pooter, and the more I thought about it, the more the inner nerd in me wanted very badly to base an inspiration board off of this ornament.

At first, I started gathering pictures that were fun, but definitely a little campy. But I quickly decided that I wanted this to be a serious inspiration board based on Star Wars, not a joke. And I really believe that you can take subtle inspiration from just about anything and turn it into a gorgeous affair.

With that, I give you my Subtly-Star-Wars-Inspired wedding:

BM Dress, Bangles, Hair, Flowers, Ornament, Gown, Lighting, Tux, Stars, Cake, Shoes, FG Dress

Perhaps a little explanation is due, since the inspiration is a little unconventional and I've made some slight stretches here. First off, the Jenny Packham dress I stumbled across is the PERFECT wedding dress answer to the iconic Princess Leia dress. Thank you, Jenny. I love that hairstyle of Leia's from The Empire Strikes Back that I've included, just because I totally think it could work as a bridal style. Gold accessories are a necessary shout-out to our droid friend, C-3PO (have I nerded you out yet, or are you still with me here?)

Black and white as colors came both from the starry night sky aspect and from the fact that black seemed like a given with Darth Vader in the picture. The groom will be attired in an all-white tux with black details, slightly reminiscent of a storm trooper's getup. Anyone notice how vaguely Darth Vader that bridesmaid dress is, too? That black chunky belt and the sassy posture of the model just scream "Dark Side" to me.

Okay, I think I've indulged myself enough here. Hope you all got the chuckle I did, and maybe an idea or two for how to incorporate something you love without going overboard.

Happy Holidays!

A Star-Studded (Love) Affair: The Boys Goof Off (and set up, too!)

While the ladies were mugging it for the camera and playing around in the streets, the boys were hard at work downtown, setting up the minimal ceremony decor that I had painstakingly boxed and labeled and sent with them the night before.

Because we had two venues and not a whole lot of time in either one (in New York, time is money!), our wonderful DOC was busy setting up the bulk of the DIY stuff over at the loft and us girls were busy getting prettified, so the boys were left to set up everything at the theater. Because of this, I left the theater relatively "as-is," which was okay, since we wanted that theater feel anyways. I'll show you pictures so you can see what I'm talking about, but you have to wait through just a couple more posts for that ;)

We loved how edgy and hip the outside of the theater felt, and we didn't mind one bit that it wasn't very "wedding-y."

I didn't notice until I was writing this post how phallic that show poster was...ah, theatre people!

After the frantic decor set up (that remains undocumented), Mr. Star got some help with his primping, too. My Stepmom came to the rescue with some safety pins for a vest that was slightly too big:

My Stepdad (and Officiant!) buttoned his sleeves. Don't they look dapper in black-and-white?

And he even got some help putting on his jacket. Check out that rockin' bout!

He even got a little surprise present that I had stashed away for that afternoon. We had already exchanged gifts officially, but I had one more little something up my sleeve. I'm not sure if the thumbs up is for him being excited to be in his tux or for the gift coming his way!

He really seemed to enjoy the drama mask cufflinks I had made him and shared some smiles with his guys:

But they had their serious moments, too...

Doesn't the mister look so much like his dad, who is on the right?

He looked great in his tux, and very serene and prepared for what was to come.

Everything was set up, they were dressed, and all they had left to do was wait for us ladies to arrive!

Don't they all look great? Especially that guy on the left, he's about to get married! :)

*All photos by John Martin Photography *

The Star Wedding Recaps:

One Last Not-So Debaucherous Night

We're Pros at Rehearsing, But I'm No Director

Dinner in Havana

The Girls Get Their Hair Done and The Boys Wash The Dog

Getting Accessorized

We Tackle the Beast

I May Be Biased, But...I Have the Prettiest Ladies Ever

Takin' It to the Streets!

A Star-Studded (Love) Affair: Takin' It to the Streets!

I've been so looking forward to sharing these pictures with you all that it took me an extra long time to write this post, so I apologize for the delay! These are some of the most "New York" pictures from our wedding and I adore them, although the Grand Central ones where Mr. Star finally gets to get in on the photo action are fun, too ;)

When I left you, dear readers, my ladies were rockin' the camera lens up on the rooftop deck of our building. I have one more picture that I love to share with you from the roof:

That is one urban bride, right? I love me some country weddings, don't get me wrong, but I am and always will be a city girl at heart.

We hopped on the elevators -- no, we couldn't all fit in one elevator with our voluminous outfits on! -- and headed down to street level to get right in the thick of it all. I was still just so thrilled with the day and being surrounded by my favorite people that I was just walking around with this huge grin on my face. I like this shot because the way it's framed and with all the action in the background, it reminds me of Sex and the City for some strange reason:

I think it showcases my bouquet pretty nicely, too. With some awkward dress floufing (yeah, I just made that word up, what are you gonna do about it, huh?) to get my dress draping on the ground nicely, I positioned myself (well, we all positioned me, really...until that dress got bustled, I wasn't going anywhere fast or alone!) on the corner and started making goofy faces and hitting awkward poses. I don't think Tyra will be calling my anytime soon:

My ladies got in on the action and we got lucky enough to get a cab driving by at just the right moment!

Every time I moved anywhere, it looked like this:

I swear, you could've gone camping under there.

Taxi! Taxi! You'd be surprised how long it takes to get a cab when you're standing on the corner in a wedding dress!

I love this picture because it reminds me of some of the real-life reactions I got from people when I told them I was cabbing it on my wedding day, rather than taking a limo:

Then Momma Star was struck by a brilliant idea for a photo that involved me in the middle of Sixth Avenue in my wedding dress. At first, I thought she was crazy, but after a moment's reflection, I decided to go for it. Believe me, I waited through a whole set of lights just to make sure I was ready to run into the street at the opportune moment:

MOH Star and Fairy Bridesmaid carried my train, I plopped myself in the middle of the street, fought to keep upright against the blustering wind, kicked off my shoe and posed. The result was one of my absolute favorite shots from the day. I was never one of the brides who wanted to be a princess on my wedding day (I was going more for movie star glam!), but I had no problem taking a moment to play Cinderella:

Except for that brief, perfect second in which the stars aligned and John's talent was able to capture the moment, we looked more like this:

Tourists and New Yorkers alike were gathered around by the dozens snapping shots of little old me. I was slightly embarrassed, but mostly just excited to get in a cab and go see my man! At this point, I was so ready to show him how I looked and just hold his hands.

*All photos by John Martin Photography *

The Star Wedding Recaps:

One Last Not-So Debaucherous Night

We're Pros at Rehearsing, But I'm No Director

Dinner in Havana

The Girls Get Their Hair Done and The Boys Wash The Dog

Getting Accessorized

We Tackle the Beast

I May Be Biased, But...I Have the Prettiest Ladies Ever

A Star-Studded (Love) Affair: I May Be Biased, But...I Have the Prettiest Ladies Ever

I wonder if, just like every set of newlyweds thinks their wedding was the coolest and most fun wedding ever, every bride looks at her bridesmaids and her female family members all done up and thinks, "Wow, I really have the most beautiful set of ladies there ever was."

I don't know if that's the case, but if it is, then call me a stereotype, because I really think I have the most beautiful set of ladies there ever was. I mean, come on:

Look at how gorgeous they are! I love how they all still look just like themselves, even though they're wearing the same dress. And I love how their polka dotted accessories look together! Can you spot four out of the five up there?

Don't worry, here's the fifth:

I let them wear whatever shoes they wanted to, no restrictions, because I loved the idea of them each rocking out their dress just the way that they would themselves. I adore that picture, because it speaks almost as much about who they are as the one of their faces :)

I think this next picture is a fine example of one of the reasons why our wedding day went so smoothly -- come on, would you want to mess with these bridesmaids:

And I know you've seen this one already, but I had to throw it in there again because I promised to show you why it was worth dodging the obstacle course inside to get out to the balcony:

Next, we ventured up onto the rooftop deck of our building to grab some more formal shots. I love the sass in this one and how fun the bouquets look against their dresses:

I also (in my opinion) had the world's most beautiful flowergirl:

Kisses come standard:

And the world's hottest mother of the bride:

These ladies mean so much to me that they deserve a shot all of their own:

And we certainly can't forget the hairiest member of the Star ladies:

I mean, seriously. If I hadn't been wearing the most amazing dress and felt the glow of happiness oozing from my face, I know I would've been jealous of these ladies -- who wouldn't be? They're fabulous!

Ready for some serious "New York Wedding" photography? We're takin' it to the streets and stopping traffic -- literally.

*All photos by John Martin Photography *

The Star Wedding Recaps:

One Last Not-So Debaucherous Night

We're Pros at Rehearsing, But I'm No Director

Dinner in Havana

The Girls Get Their Hair Done and The Boys Wash The Dog

Getting Accessorized

We Tackle the Beast

A Star-Studded (Love) Affair: We Tackle The Beast

So this was it: we were all prepped and beautified, my ladies were already dressed and ready to go, and my lovely dress was just waiting to be donned.

You know all those lovely, ethereal pictures of wedding dresses just hanging gracefully, looking as though they're dangling from a cloud? Yeah, I didn't get those. Which doesn't particularly bother me and wasn't anyone's fault, it's just that our apartment was so stuffed to the brim with people and stuff that shots of my dress came out looking more like this:

Decidedly ungraceful, but perfect just the same, because these shots remind me so vividly of exactly what that day was like and how I felt.

My dress (I can't believe I never named her, come to think of it) was gently laid on the bed in preparation for her moment in the spotlight.

I was excited to put my dress on, but it all of a sudden became incredibly apparent just how many people were standing around in my bedroom staring at me and though I'm not a particularly modest person, I felt overwhelmed at the pressure of wiggling into my dress with so many eyes upon me.

Yes, all of my bridesmaids were in the room and my lovely friend Halley, who helped with my makeup was there, too:

Even our videographer was there. This bride needed some privacy.

My MOH looked at the dress and then at me like, "How the hell are you gonna pull this one off, Star?" I love this picture because it's so very us:

After kicking everyone out except for two bridesmaids and my mom, we did some fancy-pants and not very "bridal" maneuvering, and I was in my dress:

You can tell how happy I was because I kept making this ridiculously excited face that is nothing like how I usually look:

MOH Star gently zipped me up:

Haha, not really. I just wanted to pretend it was as graceful as that picture made it look. Actually, the dress was an intentional tight fit and it was awkward.

Then I was helped into those shoes I put so much time and effort into scouring down and it felt like being a princess must feel -- it felt completely indulgent and exactly the kind of pampering that a bride needs, while at the same time a little strange and uncomfortable asking another human being to bend down put your shoes on for you:

Then I got the chance to check myself out in the mirror and I tried to let it sink in. I am really the bride now. Right now, in this very moment.

All I remember being is completely overwhelmed with joy:

Momma Star was ready with the extra hairspray, which was so appropriate because she's always been there in my life ready with the extra hairspray, both literally and figuratively:

Isn't that the hottest MOB dress you've ever seen? Don't worry, better pictures of it are coming.

With that, it was time for pictures! And oh, did we get a lot of great pictures. We had my favorite city in the whole entire world as a backdrop and my favorite people in the whole entire world (well, the girly ones anyways) in them -- of course I love the pictures!

I'll leave you with a little humor before I share some of the best pictures of the day. This is how amused I was when our photographer said, "let's get you out on the balcony" and I looked down at my enormous dress and around at our tiny apartment filled with potential falling/dress ripping hazards:

And this (obviously) non-pro shot cracks me up every time I look at it -- it looks like a scene from a movie to me. My bridesmaids obviously share my panic:

But don't worry, me and my dress got out on the balcony just fine and it was worth all the effort.

Ready for some bridal party pictures?

*All photos by John Martin Photography, except the last one*

The Star Wedding Recaps:

One Last Not-So Debaucherous Night

We're Pros at Rehearsing, But I'm No Director

Dinner in Havana

The Girls Get Their Hair Done and The Boys Wash The Dog

Getting Accessorized