NYC Bee Meetup!

A few weeks back, some lovely ladies gathered for a Monday night happy hour and discussed all things wedding. Yes, even those of us who are long married :)

Top Row (L-->R): Mrs. Star, Miss Holly, sarahbabs, LGenz, Riki_Bay, bRooklynRocks, jmbrick, redheadem
Bottom Ros (L-->R): KatNYC2011, NYCcaliBride, dovelovesfalcon

It was a really fun time, and I know I had a wonderful time meeting everyone!

Big thanks to sarahbabs for organizing the meetup, and for all of the ladies who came to hang out, especially KatNYC2011 and Miss Holly, who spent the Monday night of their wedding weeks hanging with us!

Looking forward to the next one!

A Star-Studded Cotton Anniversary

It almost doesn't seem real that it's been two whole years since I donned the most beautiful dress of my life:

Married the man who stole my heart:

Made 80 of my favorite people in the world ride on the subway with us:

Proceeded to dance 'til we dropped:

Spent a lot of time canoodling in Grand Central Station:

Had the most bangin' weekend of my life with my friends and family:

And took this epic trip with my brand new husband:

Last year, we celebrated our Paper Anniversary with an overnight trip to a swanky B&B, complete with defrosted wedding cake and paper-themed gifts (I gave him a hand cut paper silhouette made from one of our wedding pictures, complete with our pups added in; he gave me an ad in one of the big New York newspapers that featured a picture of us and a declaration of his love).

This year, we'll be celebrating at a fancy restaurant downtown with cotton-themed gifts (looking forward to giving him his and seeing what his creativity came up with this year!) and cupcakes from the bakery that made our wedding cake (shh...it's a surprise!).

One of the things that continues to surprise me about marriage is how much more deeply we love each other with the passing days. It sounds like a lame cliche, but I promise that it's every bit as true as you're hoping it is. Engagement was exciting, fun, and new, but marriage is warm, secure, and contented. We've had some rocky times in our lives, and we've had some fabulous ones, but the thing that has been constant is our unmoving partnership. And that feeling is one of the best in the world.

Happy Cotton Anniversary, Mr. Star. Looking forward to next year's Leather Anniversary (sorry, couldn't resist, friends!) :)

If you're new to the Star story, head on over to my Snapshot Sunday post for a good place to get started. And if you really miss me, remember I'm never further than a tweet away! 

*Photos courtesy of John Martin Photography*

A Star-Studded Snapshot Sunday

Hello there, Hive! Long time no see! I have missed you all so. So as soon as I heard all of us Old Bees were getting  to share our weddings again, I jumped at the chance! Are you ready to dive right back in to our day? I sure am!




Mr. & Mrs. Star

Photo by Lauren Brimall Photography

• Budget: $20k
• City: New York City
• Venues: Ceremony -- The Kraine Theater, Reception -- The Midtown Loft & Terrace
• Wedding Date: October 11, 2009
• Bridal Gown Designer: Stephen Yearick #13068
• Florist: Ariston Florist
• Photographer: John Martin Photography
• Videographer: Skyler Miolla
• Music: Talented DJ Friendor Rob
• Transportation: NYC subway and taxis
• Stationery: Handmade by us
• Cake: Make My Cake Bakery
• Catering: Exquisite Catering
• Coordination: Danielle at 44 Events
• Favors: Masquerade masks made by us
• Centerpieces: Glass candlesticks lovingly thrifted and purple taper candles
• First Dance Choreography: Whitney Stone Choreography
• Hair: Jose at Eruan Salon & Spa
• Bridesmaids' Dresses: Saison Blanche from Here Comes the Bridesmaid
• Spouse's attire and Menswear: Rented tuxes from Men's Warehouse
• Honeymoon: Two amazing weeks in Greece (Athens and Santorini)
• "Day After" Photography: Lauren Brimhall Photography

Our theme was best described as: elegant/dramatic/New York City/acting-themed/polka-dotted/largely-DIY, and I was working off an inspiration board I made that featured deep purple and polka dots:

And so, without further ado, here are the wedding pictures! :)

Thanks for giving me the chance to relive such an amazingly beautiful and love-filled day! Don't worry, I'll be back to check in again on our second anniversary, which is coming right up! :)

To see more of the Star wedding goodness, check out my recaps here:

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!)

Taxi Time

It's Almost Time For Our Lives To Change Forever

My Big Break

Gathered in a Place of Magic -- Ceremony Part I

The Circle of Love -- Ceremony Part II

Oh, The Places You'll Go! -- Ceremony Part III

The Promises and The Bling -- Ceremony Part IV

Our Peeps

You Can't Rain On My Parade!

Subway Saga

Next Stop -- Grand Central Station!

We Had The Time of Our Lives

We're Movie "Stars"!

Gratuitous Detail Shots

Friends, Family, and Fun

Shake Your Booty

*All photos, unless otherwise marked, are the work of John Martin Photography*

A Star-Studded Paper Anniversary

Folks, can you believe it? It's time to open the freezer door, grab the biggest tiny-new-york-freezer-space-sucking-box out of there, and start thawing this puppy out:

You know what that means! Yep, today is our first anniversary. Time sure does fly, doesn't it?

One year ago today, we were partying it up New York Style to celebrate our love.

...with our nearest and dearest friends and family, all goofballs, of course...

...and with all of the Hive cheering us on, as well.

We spent the beginning of our anniversary weekend reliving our Greek honeymoon at the Greek Festival in Queens:

And are headed out to spend the night at the shore in this gorgeous bed 'n breakfast:

Where they have promised to give us a private showing of our wedding video in their little movie theater!

And we will be exchanging our paper-themed anniversary gifts (we've decided to try to stick to the traditional themes each year!). It sounds incredibly peaceful and romantic, and just the way I'd like to end a blissful first year of marriage.

When I first applied to write for Weddingbee, I thought I was just going to be blogging about cake and DIY boutonnieres. And actually, I didn't even think I could write for beans. I had no idea that, not only would I discover a whole new love of blogging, but more importantly, I was really becoming a part of such an incredible community where I would find emotional support during the rollercoaster ride of engagement and beyond, incredible resourcefulness when my best-laid plans went awry, and a whole slew of new friends to be made, both online and in person.

So to you, Hive, I want to say thank you. Thank you for supporting us and "beeing" our friends.

I would never say goodbye because, a whole year later, I still read Weddingbee every day, and I'm sure I'll want to pop in every now and then to share something with you all. But my time writing exhaustively about our wedding is done, and I hope you'll come visit me over at my personal blog, Diary of a Manhattan Actress, in my Etsy shop, and on Twitter, where I continue to love crafting, am still a pretty "young-ish" (haha) wife, and I write about what it's like to be a newlywed working actress living in the city that never sleeps.

To my unbelieveably wonderful husband:

May every year be as beautiful as this one has been. May we never stop wanting to hold hands. And may we never forget the overpowering love and joy we felt on our wedding day. Our lives are truly one adventure after the next, and there's no one I'd want by my side for all of it besides you.

Adieu for now, mes amis,

Mrs. O'Star.

*Photo credit for wedding pictures goes to John Martin Photography, Bed 'n Breakfast pictures are via Cashelmara Inn, and the final picture is credited to Lauren Brimhall Photography*