Grace and Lace: A wedding blog

Headstrong

2010-04-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

So a little while ago, my lovely friend Belle and I were shopping at Nordstrom's(aka- heavenly place usually far out of my price range these days) and we came across the hats/headpiece section. I fell in love.

My b-maids better get ready, 'cause if I can get my hands on a few Blair Waldorf-esque headbands, we're in bidness.

(B: I don't converse with liars or Lewinsky's)

Please observe:

^That's Belle, so gorg!

Nordstrom's fabulous collection-

Beautimus right?!

Love,

Future Mrs. O

P.S.

Princess Jasmine(my fav Disney princess) really knows how to work the hair accessory!

Hey Mr. Postman.

2010-03-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

So lately I've really been digging these postcard inspired save the date cards.

Very chic, very vintage-y and very CUTE!

What do y'all think?

Love,

~ Future Mrs. O

What's cooking. Good looking.

2010-02-26T10:41:00.000-08:00

As some of you may recall, Mr. O and I have designated Wednesday night as the one weeknight we set aside for ultimate quality time. Due to our love of Italian food and the hundreds of recipes Mr. O has accumulated from Italianfoodforever.com and cook books, the Wednesday “date night” has become our time to cook* yummy Italian food together.

*Coming clean: I must admit the last few Wednesdays we ate Olive Garden and Dignoro’s pizza (It really does taste better than delivery)… oops!

Last Wednesday, a culinary masterpiece was created in Mr. O’s kitchen. Not to toot my own horn, but, this recipe for lasagna will hands down produce the best “Italian layer cake” you will ever eat… EVAAAAAAH!!!hehe.

I took notes and pictures as we went along, here it is…

Future Mrs. O's Yummy Lasagna

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped fine

1-1/4 pound ground beef

1 pound ricotta cheese*

2 large eggs, beaten lightly
5 cups marinara sauce

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese*
3/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese*
1 box of no-boil lasgana noodles

This recipe was created by yours truly so that meant more cheese!!!
(BTW, I am lactose intolerant but can’t kick my fiendish tendencies towards cheese)

1.Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat olive oil in a medium sautè pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until browned through about 10 minutes. Drain excess fat.

2. Place ricotta cheese and eggs in a bowl, and stir together until well combined.

(whip it. whip it real good.)

3. Spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of a 13x9-inch glass baking dish. Cover with a layer of 3 to 4 lasagna noodles, overlaping slightly to fit. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on the noodles, top with 1/3 of the cooked ground beef. Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella over the ground beef. Top with 1 cup of the marinara sauce, sprinkle 1/4 cup of pecorino romano and top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Repeat this 2 more times. Cover the final layer of lasagna noodles with the remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle remaining cup of mozzarella on top.

4. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil, place in oven and cook for 60 minutes. Remove foil and cook until cheese is melted about 5 minutes more. Remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

5. Enjoy with a nice cold beverage!

(Note to self: limit Mr.O's orange soda intake... 15 minutes after consuming this deliciousness he sang "Can't We Be Sweethearts" by The Cleftones, over and over again.)

BUON APPETITO!

Love,

~ Future Mrs. O

drum roll, please.

2010-02-23T18:53:00.000-08:00

The poll results are in...

You guys would like Mr. O and I to go on a six month-long honeymoon everywhere we'd like!

So what I've gathered from these results is either you all think A.) we deserve to live it up BIG time, or that B.) You don't want to see/hear from us for a loooong time.

For Pete's sake... I hope its A.)!!

Love,

~ Future Mrs. O

(beautiful image courtesy of The Vintage Moth blog)

hodgepodge.

2010-02-22T18:08:00.000-08:00

I feel like its been years since I've posted. Lots has happened so let's start from the top.

By the by, none of this is really wedding related but I thought I'd share because they are all LOVE related!

1. Mr. O and I found out that we were not selected as finalists for the trip for two to Italy.

(whomp, whomp, whooomp... THE most pitiful pic I could find of us)

Sad, I know, but in my opinion we are winners because we have eachother!

2. I am now a mommy! Meet Snooki...

(Her favorite spot with "daddy")

She was rescued on a cold rainy day in "the hood" and I agreed to take her in. From what her vet and I can decipher, she is a Ruby Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She's quickly become a huge part of our family.

3. So Valentine's Day came and went. Mr. O was very sick and I was very tired from a draining week. Despite illness and lethargy, we had a wonderful weekend spent watching movies, eating RED VELVET CAKE (hands down the best pastry you will ever eat, this will be what our wedding cake is made of), napping, and spending some time outdoors.

(beautiful flowers)

(Mr. O's v-day gifts from me)

(at the park)

(gorgeous v-day sunset)

4. The plan for Valentines Day weekend was to get away for the weekend and go... anywhere! But since we were both not up to it, we went the following weekend and had a blast in San Antonio, TX.

(hours in a car... i got bored)

(focused on the road)

(I suprised Mr. O with a helicopter ride)

(one of the many beautiful sights from waaaay up above)

(Yummy drinks!)

(It was a gloomy day but we got some amazing pics at one of the missions)

(handle on the cathedral door)

(Mission San Jose)

Enjoy your week, stay warm, and check back again soon!

Love,

~ Future Mrs. O

The Color Purple. Plum Really.

2010-02-06T16:45:00.001-08:00

One of the questions I am asked the most when someone finds out that I am engaged is...

"What are your colors?"

Well a picture is worth a 1,000 words right? Here's roughly 10,000. :)

(I NEED these shoes!)

Plumtastic!

Love,

Future Mrs. O

Semi Finalists

2010-02-06T16:23:00.001-08:00

Mr. O and I are one step closer to Rome!

Last night, I was sent an email from Robbins Brothers saying my sweepstakes submission was chosen as a potential finalist for the "Romantic Wishes--When In Rome" trip for two to Rome!

If chosen as a finalist, there will be an online vote for the couple the public would like to see receive the trip.

(The picture I submitted in case we make it to America's vote)

So let's keep our fingers crossed and I will keep y'all posted!!

Fun post coming soon!

~ Future Mrs. O

Let them eat cake.

2010-01-31T20:45:00.000-08:00

So obviously I love the detail and femininity of lace (hence the whole grace and lace thing). I would love to have a lace bridal gown and am looking for other ways to incorporate lace into the wedding decor. Recently, I looked through the top trends in wedding cakes on weddingchannel.com and couldn't help but notice that it is the beautiful little details on wedding cakes that really make them unique. I think it would be lovely to have a wedding cake reflective of the lace in my dress. Here are a few cakes I've found inspiring.

Enjoy the yummy eye candy!

Have a fabulous day!

~ Future Mrs. O

Roma!

2010-01-21T09:35:00.000-08:00

Instead of my usual routine of powering up gchat, playing scrabble on my iPhone and checking all my favorite wedding blogs for updates before focusing on anything work-related....

Today, I walked in the office determined to stay focused for at least an hour to finish a presentation I've been working on. GOOOOOOOO ME!

Five minutes in I got distracted by an email from Robbins Brothers.

Subject: WIN A TRIP FOR TWO TO ROME

Too tempting to pass up. I spent the next 15 minutes writing (in 200 words or less) "My Ultimate Romantic Wish" in hopes to win an all expenses paid trip to Rome, Italy!

Here's what I came up with:

My Ultimate Romantic Wish

Dear Robbins Brothers,

My fiancé and I love to cook together. Almost as much as we love to eat together. I am certain that in another lifetime he was a world famous Italian chef. In fact, when our conversations find their way to the topic of cuisine, (insert Mr. O's real name here)'s eyes light up with the fantasy of quitting his “day job” and perusing his dreams of enrolling in an authentic Italian culinary arts school. (insert Mr. O's real name here)'s cupboards are filled with cookbooks that promise to help capture the flavors of Italy and deliver them to the kitchen table. Before we have our weekly Italian cuisine nights on Wednesdays, he spends hours meticulously planning the perfect menu from those books and roams the isles of our local grocery store in search of the freshest ingredients. When we cook those special meals together, it is a time to rehash our day, laugh, plan our future together, and pretend… more like dream, we are somewhere in Italy (Rome perhaps!). Though (insert Mr. O's real name here) and I have never traveled to Italy, it is truly our ultimate romantic wish to experience the adventure, culture, and most of all, cuisine of Italy together. Here’s to dreaming!

Sincerely Yours,

(insert Future Mrs. O's real name)

To be completely honest, we ate Stouffer's lasagna last night for "Italian cuisine night."

Until next time,

Future Mrs. O

Big news.Try to stay calm.

2010-01-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

BIG news...the venue is booked and boy am I relieved!

Who would of thought that 11 months in advance, the one date we picked as our "big day" would have already been snatched up and claimed by somebody else?! grrr.

For a split second the Bridezilla buried deeeeeep down inside of my "easy-going" bridal exterior started to freak. Remember the scene in "Bride Wars" where Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson's characters attempt to bribe, threaten, and stalk the woman who has one of their wedding dates booked?

Yep. That could have been me.

But alas, after talking it over with mah-boo and both sets of parents, we were able to decide on a new, BETTER date that works for us.

So my dreams of a Fall wedding at my favorite venue are a reality. Hallelujah.

Mantilla Seniorita!

2009-12-06T11:56:00.001-08:00

I love, love, love this style veil. The mantilla style has been around for centuries. Beautiful, vintage, classic. And that my friends, is exactly what I'm going for!! The lace on this particular veil is exquisite and the width gives it a modern feel.

More things I love coming soon!

Love,

Future Mrs. O

First.Post.Excitement.

2009-12-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

Hello Dahlings!!!

Welcome to my wedding blog! This is my way of having a little fun during the wedding planning process. The idea is that at the end of it all I will have a journal of sorts chock-full of ideas, brainstorming sessions with readers, and a place that I can express the joys and trials of being engaged and super busy while planning the biggest, most important day of my life!

Hope you will join me for the ride...

Love,

Future Mrs. O