tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77583679006749722292024-03-12T22:32:08.489-04:00A Modest Bride in BrooklynAdvice for today's non-IT girl (yes, that means you)ModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-64720397695750242972011-12-30T13:48:00.000-05:002011-12-30T13:48:31.300-05:002011 is almost done. What's on the horizon?Blog friends! Hello there. I've been neglecting you big time. I always say I'm going to come back and post more, and then I fail miserably to follow through. But this time. I MEAN it! I'd like to start by sharing some reflections on this last year of my life:
There's the obvious: Wedding. Marriage. Awesomeness.
I'm probably the happiest I've been in life in a looooooong time. Recognizing that ModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-82986736355398342002011-11-18T00:54:00.001-05:002011-11-18T01:05:11.951-05:00Let me tell you a little story...About why I support the Occupy Wall Street movement.
I feel compelled to write this because, for starters, I am so tired of people complaining about, of all things, how Occupy Wall Street is inconveniencing them. And because I have experienced firsthand just how much our system is broken. And I want to tell you about it.
In 2008, my now-husband and I moved into an apartment in East Harlem, ModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-15223880091333787602011-08-12T18:21:00.001-04:002011-08-12T18:22:11.437-04:00Tales from the other side of the ring!I'm back, and married, and probably better than ever!! It's been a long hiatus, friends, but I am officially a married lady... and officially again in possession of my body, my schedule and my own time again! It feels great! It's a journey I'd like to more properly document sometime, perhaps on another portal of this blog, but I will share a few nuggets from my experience in the short time beforeModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-20544562992587411982011-08-12T18:14:00.000-04:002011-08-12T18:14:26.036-04:00On Marriage (please forgive my rant)*Editor's Note: This is being published long after it was written. Long after the Marriage Equality act passed in NY State. But I feel strongly this is worth publishing anyway :)
As I enter into the 2-month-countdown period before my wedding, I have begun to reflect on my relationship and what marriage means. We were recently asked by our officiant why we are getting married. I was kind of ModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-55092877355867435172011-05-13T15:54:00.000-04:002011-05-13T15:54:02.300-04:00Taming the Biggest Wedding Beast Yet: The Guest List!This post is long overdue, and I know it's not going to be a revelation to anyone when I say it: Keep your guest list in check! It's been a rocky road for me & my fiance - and in fact, is one of the few moments in the whole process where I became a bridezilla. I wanted a wedding of 75-100 people (and closer to the 75 end than 100). I'm not getting it. It happened with the best intentions, butModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-72775947873303718842011-04-26T00:54:00.000-04:002011-04-26T00:54:19.207-04:00Manners Mondays, Installment #5: The Art of Thank YouI'm sure the etiquette books out there have covered it all. But as I get older, I have noticed the slow and painful decline of showing appreciation to and for others. Younger generations these days have no idea what a thank-you note is. I've even witnessed people my age completely disregard something thoughtful that was done for them. I will relay today the importance saying "Thank you," not justModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-45994946773286113372011-04-26T00:16:00.000-04:002011-04-26T00:16:04.968-04:00Slacking, Slacking, Slacking... and Happy New Year!I can't really believe it's been 4 months since I posted something. WOW! How embarrassed am I? Sorry folks! Life has taken some interesting turns, and I hope you'll forgive me when you learn why. But I'm really sorry for neglecting my blogging duties! I promise, I'm back!
So besides that ridiculous snowstorm that happened the day after Christmas (yeah, what was that about??), both of my fiance'sModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-85276898374601667092010-12-13T22:34:00.004-05:002010-12-13T22:40:01.461-05:00This Monday in Manners, Installment #4: Snark - Don't Do It!Emily Dickinson once wrote: "A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day." While computers, let alone the internet was not even close to a conceivable reality in the late nineteenth century, Ms. Dickinson hit the nail on the head with that one. Words, in their various shapes, sounds and formats, leave a major impression, and sadly in our digital world, I think ModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-83831242858170258362010-12-12T21:17:00.002-05:002010-12-13T22:41:08.726-05:00Don't Quit Your Day Job: How to make the best of your work situationIt's been a tough few years economically. Jobs are scarce, and in many workplaces, morale is low. A good friend of mine moved to another coast completely to work for a startup that rapidly proceeded to go bust. And though my company has managed to more or less bounce back from the downturn, I remember a terrifying round of layoffs that happened about a year and half ago. I survived unscathed, andModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-28367654701959873522010-12-12T15:55:00.001-05:002010-12-12T18:52:17.514-05:00Spotlight Wedding Blog/Website Extraordinaire: WeddingBee!I just want to give a quick shout-out to WeddingBee today! I found the "hive" about 5 months before I was actually engaged, and it blew my mind. Seriously. Of any wedding website out there, I have found a pulse on the wedding world from the ground up, vendor connections, amazing ideas & inspiration, and a genuine community & support network all in one place! Certain other sites that shallModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-82932333061969588022010-12-06T23:26:00.003-05:002010-12-13T22:42:19.610-05:00Manners Mondays, Installment #3: Ummm....I got nuthin'. Manners Mondays is taking a brief hiatus this week. Way wayyy too much going on over the weekend for me to come up with something clever to write about today. Plus, my interwebs were broken at work today, which is normally when I think about my manners blog post. I'm sorry peeps - I promise to deliver mondo manners amazingness next week. That is all.ModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-24368572758641336562010-12-02T14:39:00.002-05:002010-12-12T18:51:29.884-05:00Gagnant à nouveau!So I also speak French. On occasion. What little I can remember! So remember when I was talking about my strategy for paying for my wedding? Well, it's working - still! Since then I have won two small but very cool and helpful giveaways! Printable patterns I can use to jazz up our reception decor, and a gift certificate to the elegant and always classy Bonita J jewelry boutique! Yay! I also foundModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-38738023589162515132010-12-01T22:17:00.002-05:002010-12-12T19:47:31.954-05:00To your health (and pocketbook)!In an effort to begin the wedding weight loss, I've returned to the gym as of today. Wanna know a l'il secret though? The wedding alone and looking good in a white dress wasn't really motivation enough on it's own. Nope. Sad but true. The real reason I'm returning to a regular gym routine: dollah dollah bills y'all! I recently learned that my company's new health insurance will reimburse you up ModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-2302652280849141712010-11-29T13:08:00.001-05:002010-12-12T18:50:15.731-05:00Manners Mondays installment #2: Party EtiquetteIn the spirit of weddings and holidays, no doubt everyone out there will receive at least one invite to a holiday party and or wedding in the coming weeks. But paper goods are no longer as treasured as they used to be. It's almost 2011, I know. People are being eco-friendly and high-tech with virtual and digital invitations these days, and they seem to be getting more and more sophisticated by ModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-20372036974002292452010-11-27T13:55:00.001-05:002010-12-12T18:49:44.216-05:00It's Black...Weekend!The tradition of Black Friday seems like it's slowly being tossed out the window these days! In the spirit of money saving, I suppose, many sales have been extended through the weekend, and some even started on Thanksgiving day (yeesh!). I was really into Black Friday at one point. About 2 years ago, I dragged my mom to Woodbury Commons with me for their "Midnight Madness". Surprisingly, it was ModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-1381633865122005532010-11-22T10:45:00.003-05:002010-12-12T18:49:21.345-05:00Lessons in Modesty: M is for Manners Mondays!So why "A Modest Bride" you ask? Well modesty doesn't just describe my financial means. It describes the way I conduct myself out in the world. I grew up being taught the importance of manners. The importance of respecting yourself and others. Over the last 5 years or so, at the dawn of the age of Facebook and the reign of e-mail and instant messaging, I've noticed an unfortunate decline in my ModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-8824582988135066822010-11-19T00:17:00.001-05:002010-12-12T18:48:10.357-05:00I interrupt this happy, fluffy blog for a serious PSAI'm not a very "political" person, but I have recently been outraged by the new TSA security measures being implemented at airports across the nation. I'm not going to go on and on about it here, but I will just say that this wrong. Mechanical scanning of person to revel an image of the person's naked body is one thing. You have no connection with the person operating the scanner, and no one is ModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-89888726201515349832010-11-16T11:53:00.005-05:002010-12-12T18:47:38.594-05:00A financial strategy for weddings that is underratedSo I wanted to focus today's post on paying for weddings. While my mom will be contributing a generous amount to cover our wedding costs (a little more than 1/2), my FH & I will still be left with some hefty bills, including paying for our honeymoon. Enter: Wedding giveaways! Unconventional, yes. But generally speaking, the odds are in your favor, and if you could end up winning lots of ModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-77626661113782815332010-11-14T23:50:00.005-05:002010-12-13T22:46:25.714-05:00Oh, and by the wayIn case anyone hasn't been following the NY governor's race, this guy is A-MAZING! Speaking of wealth, we need more folks like this in NYC, advocating for the city to stop forcing its residents to waste their hard-earning money on sub-standard housing. Enjoy!
The rent is too damn high!ModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-34039633229140238112010-11-14T23:04:00.001-05:002010-12-12T18:46:09.064-05:00It's been awile... I knowWow! It's November already. Sigh. I know I've been MIA for a loooong time, but remember all that free time I was complaining about not having? Well life set sail on a slow moving ship after late May, and I have been devoting my life to planning the wedding and sticking to our budget! I'm in the midst of so many things right now and I'm just bursting with excitement!
On the wedding front, we've ModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758367900674972229.post-14379973188064559092010-04-21T21:29:00.001-04:002010-12-12T18:44:49.292-05:00Hmm. Here I go!This is day one of my blog. I've always thought blogging was cool. So I'm giving it a whirl. Why should anyone read this? Well, pull up a chair and listen to a little story.
I just turned 30. Three months ago, I got engaged. About 9 months ago, said fiance and I landed a sweet sweet apartment in Brooklyn. A year and a half ago, I landed what might possibly be my dream job. Nearly 4 and a half ModestBrideinBKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10741529834673603003noreply@blogger.com0