So as I wait for the digital files from the wedding to come in, I went through the 2000 photos I took from our Bora Bora honeymoon and selected a few to blog about! But honestly, the photos just don't do this island justice!
So this is a view of the lagoon from the plane flying into Bora Bora. Look at all the lovely blue water! We were greeted at the airport with leis made from tiare flowers (the national flower of Tahiti):
We stayed 2 nights at the Intercontinental Le Moana Resort in their lagoon overwater bungalow #30 (aka loveshack #1):
And then 5 nights at the 1 year-old Intercontinental Bora Bora and Thalasso Spa Resort, in their diamond overwater bungalow #211 (aka loveshack #2) with an unobstructed view of Mount Otemanu:
This is the boating dock where we caught the shuttle to the main island at Thalasso:
While in Bora Bora, we jet skiied and snorkeled:
And a few more neat photos I managed to snap while vacationing in paradise:
So I would definitely recommend everyone go to Bora Bora at least once in their lifetime. It was my best trip ever and we were very sad to come home :(
So just got back from our honeymoon, and decided to check out Josh's blog for fun and found this:
Photo by Josh Brown (c)
Okay so it's not actually a photo of me and Tuan, but it's our first professional wedding photo and it's of my beloved hand knitted ring pillow! Love it :) Can't wait to see the rest!
Happy Birthday Honey! I know you're not a fan of this photo, but it's one of the few I've taken of you myself and I rather like it. You're expression mirrors exactly what you were thinking ... "I wish she would put that gigantic camera away! We're in a restaurant trying to eat!". He he.
Anyways, happy last birthday as a bachelor. All your birthdays after this will be as my hubby :) Thanks for 2.5 wonderful years and looking forward to celebrating 100+ more of your birthdays with you!
I've come to the realization that there are a few details that most people will most definitely miss on the wedding day. One of those details is our ringbearer's pillow. It's quite the DIY feat for me as I am not a sewer ... in fact I'm quite bad at it. So knitting, sewing, and stuffing the ring pillow was challenging to say the least. But I absolutely love the end result (though it's far from perfect).
As you can see, I sewed on pink buttons at each corner and in the centre of the bow. It's this button on the bow that I think is most unique!
Yup, the button is engraved with our names and wedding date. Funny thing is that these engraved buttons are actually made as a child safety product. They're like ID bracelets that are sewn onto your child's clothes so if they are ever lost their name and a contact phone number are always on them. So I ordered a pack of pink buttons, with our names and replacing the phone number with our wedding date ... and voila, instant personalized ringbearer's pillow!
Oh and while our actual wedding bands can be seen in the photo (not sure if I've blogged about those before), they won't actually be carried on the pillow. The best man will actually have the rings for safekeeping.
So far so good. Sunny with a few clouds. I could definitely live with that. Though long range forecasts are never reliable in Ottawa. So until the 5-day weather forecast comes out next week, I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
What happens when a bride finally realizes she can't do everything herself and needs help? A wonderful thing that's what. With only a few weekends left to go, and 100+ programs to make, I finally broke down and asked my fabulous friends for help. And over the course of this long weekend, we managed to finish all the ceremony and reception programs!
Makes me wonder why I didn't ask for help earlier ... oh yes, it's because I feel bad putting people to work and I confess to being an absolute control freak!
And having completed all the programs ahead of schedule, I found the time to make another DIY project: origami flowered branches (idea and instructions came from this awesome eco-bride). I must say they turned out so cute! If I had discovered this earlier, it would have made for cheaper and more unique reception centerpieces!
On what was mother's day last year, driving back home from Toronto, we stopped by the Tulip Festival at Dow's Lake. And amongst my favourite flowers, on a bench by the water, Tuan proposed.
And in less than a month, our engagment will be complete and we'll be married. And though at times the stress of planning a wedding may seem to overshadow the real meaning behind our wedding day, I cannot wait to become his wife and start on the next chapter of our lives!
So in Chinese tradition, the bride is not allowed to return home to her parents house until 3 days after the wedding, at which time a celebratory dinner is held in the newlyweds honour. Not sure what the significance of this is, but that's what we'll be doing.
Unfortunately, as our new house won't be ready we don't really have a place to stay. But since I also needed a place to change dresses after the tea ceremony, we decided to book a hotel room for those 3 nights.
Our first choice was the Hilton Lac-Leamy. It's a newer swankier hotel than anything in Ottawa and close to both downtown Ottawa and our ceremony site (Rockliffe Park). Unfortunately, it's completely booked up on our wedding weekend. So our second choice was the old but always classic Fairmont Chateau Laurier.
But as luck would have it, one of our bridesmaid has a special connection with the Hilton and Casino Lac Leamy (she's totally awesome and so is her connection btw!). And we've now got a deluxe room booked at the Hilton and I'm super excited. An added bonus is we can go gambling on our wedding weekend ;)
The Gorgeous Lobby with Glass-Blown Chandeliers.
No yucky granny-style flower prints on the bedspread!
A couple of Asian kids from the each end of the Valley. One loves to shop, bake, and read lots of books. The other loves to ski, cook pasta dishes, and play video games. Somehow, they make the perfect pair.
We were greeted at the airport with leis made from tiare flowers (the national flower of Tahiti):
We stayed 2 nights at the Intercontinental Le Moana Resort in their lagoon overwater bungalow #30 (aka loveshack #1):
And then 5 nights at the 1 year-old Intercontinental Bora Bora and Thalasso Spa Resort, in their diamond overwater bungalow #211 (aka loveshack #2) with an unobstructed view of Mount Otemanu: 
This is the boating dock where we caught the shuttle to the main island at Thalasso:
While in Bora Bora, we jet skiied and snorkeled:
And a few more neat photos I managed to snap while vacationing in paradise: 
So I would definitely recommend everyone go to Bora Bora at least once in their lifetime. It was my best trip ever and we were very sad to come home :(
As you can see, I sewed on pink buttons at each corner and in the centre of the bow. It's this button on the bow that I think is most unique!
Yup, the button is engraved with our names and wedding date. Funny thing is that these engraved buttons are actually made as a 
What happens when a bride finally realizes she can't do everything herself and needs help? A wonderful thing that's what. With only a few weekends left to go, and 100+ programs to make, I finally broke down and asked my fabulous friends for help. And over the course of this long weekend, we managed to finish all the ceremony and reception programs!
Thanks so much :)