Lola the Bride

Happy Honeymoon

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Well there was no honeymoon for us. This is something I regret. We've never been on a vacation just the two of us. We've traveled by ourselves before, yes, but not for any kind of a vacation. We're just not good at sitting down and planning that kind of stuff. So we never did. We've only talked about Hawaii or a Mediterranean cruise. I'd like to travel before we start having kids, but we really should think about doing that soon. So maybe our honeymoon will have to wait for our 25th wedding anniversary.

First Anniversary Festivities

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:39:00 +0000

One year ago we were being introduced to our families and friends as Mr. and Mrs. Joe and Laura Scola. We were listening to speeches made by our closest friends and toasting our marriage alongside our brothers and sisters.
This year we're spending our anniversary at home, sharing in some of our favorite activities.
This morning we took a drive out to the bakery (with Dio on my lap) to pick up our anniversary cake.

On the way home we stopped at the grocery store to get some filets for dinner. I went to work for a few hours and when I got home, we drove out to the farmstand to pick up some pumpkins for carving.
To prepare for dinner, I got out the toasting flutes Ma Scola got us as an engagement present and the fabulous Kate Spade Library Lane china that was bestowed on us by so many of our lovely family members last year. I set the table while Joe fixed dinner.

Last night we went out with both sets of parents where, among other gifts, we received a bottle of the family staple, Cooks champagne.

Time to eat!

XOXO
Lola

The Dress

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:13:00 +0000

I just realized that tomorrow is our one year anniversary and I never even posted anything about my dress! Well, I posted that I had found one, but I never put pictures up or talked specifically about it.
I first found it on the Knot. It's a Justin Alexander Couture dress. The tag-line on the site reads: Modern Interpretations of Traditional Silhouettes.
Well... here it is...I knew I wouldn't look good in bright white so I wanted ivory. I loved the flowers all over the dress and the way they looked like they were crawling up from the floor. I did not want strapless or sleeveless but that was nearly impossible to find. When I saw this dress... I knew!Buttons all up the back of the dress. The top part is a jacket that had buttons to match so it looked like one fluid piece. Everyone was surprised when I took off the jacket later in the evening. Some people thought it was a completely different dress!
And here is me in it...

Light in the Darkness

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:19:00 +0000

Light fixtures at St. Isidore's in Bloomingdale, Illinois

Holy Moly Mums!

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:04:00 +0000

Huge football mums, white roses and stephanotis. I had asked for white gardenias in the top, but my flower expert was afraid they'd turn brown too fast. I understood.
This thing weighed A TON! I loved having such a huge, cascading bouquet, but my arm was sore the next day. Small price to pay for such gorgeous flowers.

Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Picked these up at DSW. They looked perfect with my dress and I love a good peep-toe. I wore them around the house to make sure they were comfy for the wedding. Unfortunately, once you add a thirty pound dress to your body, nothing is comfortable. I can honestly say, though, that I didn't feel a thing once I walked into the church. I was floating...

Bridesmaid Bouquets

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:57:00 +0000

Lots of pink carnations, tightly wrapped bouquets. The perfect color pink.

Little Girl, Big Door

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:55:00 +0000

Late Night Snack

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:30:00 +0000

On a trip to Arizona to visit my brother and my future sister-in-law (they're now married), I had decided to pick up an issue of The Knot magazine. I'm a member of the Web site but I'd never checked out the mag before. Not only was there a picture of the gown I had my eye on, but I found an ultimate inspiration! Everyone around here serves the "late night snack" at their weddings. We've seen Gene & Jude's hot dogs, McDonald's cheeseburgers, candy bars (as in tables full of colorful candy) and numerous other snacks and treats that make their way to the masses after the sweet table.

We had been wondering what we would do. Should we do cheeseburgers? Should we do hot dogs? There were all kinds of justifications for all kinds of snacks we could entertain our guests' taste buds with. But none fit quite like what I found in the magazine that day. None fit so perfectly as popcorn. Not only my favorite snack, but also a staple of the movie-goer's experience. So what better to top off an event meant to reflect the glitz and glamor of Hollywood than yummy gourmet popcorn for our friends and family.

This is the picture I saw in the magazine that day.

I loved the look of the jars. The different kinds of popcorn inside. The labels dangling from the lids. The scoops, so cute and the bags, so precious. I wanted this exact set up, only in our colors. Well, we can't always get what we want, but sometimes... that's right, we get what we need. Now maybe the powers that be didn't quite understand the purpose of the popcorn, but what we ended up with worked extremely well and we got lots of complements on it. The truth is that apothecary jars like this do not come in a size appropriate for inserting a scoop worthy of collecting popcorn and placing it into a popcorn bag. What we were able to get was a collection of giant tins of popcorn. Each had the words, "Thank You" written on the sides in a purpley-pink color and came with large scoops and tons of cute popcorn bags. The gourmet flavors we ordered from Garret's Popcorn were plain, buttered, cheddar cheese, white cheddar, caramel and pecan praline.
I was so pleased with the turn out of the popcorn table.

The Flower Girls

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:37:00 +0000

Ava and Annie

Could we have found a cuter pair? Never! Wearing dresses that were handmade by my mom and sashes with giant bows in the same color as the bridesmaid's dresses (found at David's Bridal), Ava and Annie made their way down the aisle in style.
Mini pearl necklaces and bracelets were their gift from me for being in the wedding and their hairbows were made by my friend Laura, Annie's mom. They wore white tights and black mary janes. The flowers they carried were balls of pink carnations with roses stuck in the tops of them that hung from brown ribbon. Ava's mom, Lara, a friend since I was Ava's age, made sure the two knew when to start walking and where to go. Annie was sure to guide Ava down the aisle too. What a couple of sweet peas!

Other People's Weddings: Entrance Dance

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:56:00 +0000

The church we got married in was very strict about music selections and making sure the whole thing was as darn sacred as possible. Not that we would have wanted to go this far, though...

Something New

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 05:26:00 +0000

I knew ahead of time that Joe and I would be exchanging gifts the morning of the wedding and I was informed that his gift to me could be my "something new" so thankfully, I didn't have to worry about that. Of course, I could have said my something new was my dress or my earrings or my shoes or any number of items I was adorned with that day but I took special delight in not knowing what exactly it would be.

That morning when Jackie, Joe's sister, arrived at the hotel for hair and makeup, she handed me a bag. A Helzberg Diamonds bag. There was a card inside that explained why his gift was so perfect for me. He said "You always give me X's and O's so now I'm giving you some."

He knows me so well. I sign most correspondence with XOXO.

I know you're dying to know what's in the bag.

So here... a diamond bracelet of X's and O's. My something new.

You can see it here on my left wrist. That's where I wear it EVERY day.

The Church: Remembered

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:49:00 +0000

I grew up attending St. Isidore's in Bloomingdale, IL. We got married in the chapel. It used to have a glittery ceiling. When we went to check it out it had been painted blue, which I hated when I first saw it. It sure made for some pretty pictures though.

Something Old

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:51:00 +0000

Grandma's Ring

When my Grandma Blanche died in the Summer of 1995, my family and I joined my Grandpa in packing up her things and cleaning out his house. He told us that he had no idea where her wedding rings were. He couldn't remember what she had done with them and didn't think she even knew what she had done with them. Maybe she had hidden them away somewhere?
At one point I found a pair of rings that looked like a wedding band and an engagement ring. They had been slipped onto the top of a bottle of nail polish. I was so excited I ran downstairs to the basement where Grandpa was cleaning out a pantry closet. I showed him the rings and he examined them under the light. Nope. Not them. "Probably decoys," he said. Grandma was always paranoid that someone was going to burglarize their home and take her valuables. I get it.
Back to cleaning and packing things up.
Since I inherited Grandma's little feet I got to take home a bunch of pairs of vintage shoes. I also brought home some dresses and a pile of flannel pajamas. I was happy to have some things of hers to help me remember her.
One night I was getting ready for bed and I pulled out one of those pairs of flannel pajamas. As I pulled the top around my shoulders I realized there was something stuffed into the breast pocket. It was a tissue. Honestly, the first thought that crossed my mind was gross. Then I realized it wasn't a used tissue. It had something in it. Something small but substantial.
Tears streaming down my face, I ran downstairs to my Dad who was sitting in his chair, watching TV.

I found them Dad! I found the rings!

We called Grandpa immediately. He cried too when I told him.
We gave him the rings. There were three. One was an engagement ring, one was a wedding band and one was a cocktail ring. The cocktail ring was made from a pair of earrings that belonged to Grandpa's mother. She had taken the diamond earrings and made them into two rings. She gave one to each of her two sons, my Grandpa and his brother Fred. Grandpa gave the ring to Grandma.
Grandpa used the diamonds from the engagement ring and the wedding band to make a new wedding band for himself. When he died, Dad took that ring and had it remade into his own wedding band.
The cocktail ring? Grandpa gave it to me for finding the three rings. He called me bright eyes after that. He gave me a card when he gave me the ring. I still have it. The card and the ring. I'm proud to have worn it as my something old.

Gettin' Pretty: Remembered

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:35:00 +0000

The morning of the wedding, I woke up at The Residence Inn in Bloomingdale, Illinois. The church was just a hop, skip and a jump away but we had hours to go until I got there. I jumped in the shower at 7:30 a.m. Allison and Christine were in the other bedroom in the suite and Nydia, Beth, Stacy and Amber were across the hall. Jackie was at her parents' house, but would be joining us later. At 8:00 there was a knock on our hotel suite door. Right on time. It was Angelica and Antje from Tigerlilie Salon. We had arranged that they would come out to the suburbs with their hair dryers, rollers, bobby-pins, curling irons and make-up kits to get us all prettied up. A consultation and a trial with Antje confirmed that I would be wearing my hair like Rita Hayworth's.

The bridesmaids would be sporting vintage style up-do's... like these:

Before long, we were taking turns getting our hair done, reading magazines, sipping mimosas and munching on the treats Beth and Nydia had gone to pick up for us, including Pirate's Booty.

After our hair was done, Antje and Angelica did our makeup. Antje had recommended that I get some MAC foundation and lipstick for the day so I got that out for her. We waited on the lipstick, though. She wanted to put that on after I put my dress on. So... on it went. Nydia and Stacy came in with me and my mom. It sounds like a lot of people, but there were a lot of buttons... and high heels.

On went the lipstick... the high heels... the veil.
Time to be a bride.

Family Photos- Parents of the Bride

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sat, 23 May 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Weddingbee

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:04:00 +0000

As a Weddingbee reject, I have a hard time recommending this site to any bride-to-bees, but, alas, it is such a wonderful resource, I'm even going to add it to my wedding resources on the right-hand side of my blog. I wish I would have kept the rejection email, I really do. It would have been fun to glance at every now and then --to remind myself that I'm only a bride once and that I probably enjoyed the experience more because I didn't feel a blog deadline breathing down my neck. Ahhhhh. Check it out: http://www.weddingbee.com/

The Cake... Remembered

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:26:00 +0000

For the cake we didn't want anything too over the top. Pretty, with flowers was the goal. Nothing pink or brown like the rest of the wedding, just some ivory colored frosting with some flourishes. I had found a pretty cake topper that we ordered online. It's two doves resting their heads on one another. I brought Patty Cakes a picture of a cake I found online at The Knot and they promised to recreate the four-tier cake. They drew out a plan for me and I couldn't wait to see it in person. To my delight, the cake looked just as pretty as the picture I had provided them.
Of course, Joe and I never even had a chance to eat any of the cake, but on our one year anniversary, the bakery will provide us with a recreation of the top tier for us to celebrate with (instead of trying to defrost and munch on a cake that's been sitting in our freezer for a year). This is such a lovely bonus service they do for couples provided they send in a photo of the cake for their books. Now to decide which photo to send!
The bottom layer has a lattice effect , created in butter cream icing, stripes on the next, then swirls and dots on the top. The flowers are white roses and white dendrobium orchids. Inside is marble cake with chocolate fudge filling. Each guest's plate was drizzled with raspberry sauce and garnished with a few raspberries. Decadent!

Funny Story: The Sign

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:52:00 +0000

I love this sign. I love all old signs. Especially ones with my name on it. The photo above was taken early in the evening. Probably around 5:30 PM by a friend of ours, Eric. This is before the big party began, before the wedding party even arrived.

Eric took another picture of the sign. He took another picture later on in the evening. Well after several of the groomsmen got to the sign. This is what happens when you have men around you who don't know how important the sign is to you. Or who know and just really don't care.

I'm really not as miffed about it as I sound. A little photo editing will hopefully clear that right up. Photoshop... don't fail me now!
We asked the photography studio to edit the photo for the album. We'll see if it turns out and if they're even willing to do it.

Joe Bernstein and Jamie Meo, I know you did this. I know where you live. There is no hiding. We're all family now!

The Could-Have-Been Dresses

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:04:00 +0000

Now as my bridesmaids know, I bestowed upon them the decision of picking out their own bridesmaids dresses. I did set limits, giving them a choice from fourteen dresses (that's twice as many dress choices as bridesmaids) and they each happened to choose different ones. This here is a little photo collage of what they picked out.
I thought that, now that the wedding is over, I'd post some pictures of some of the other dresses I was considering for all of them to wear. You know, just for fun...
I know these are small, but they're all I could find now that the whole thing is out of date... sorry...

Be The Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:59:00 +0000

Family Photos-Grandparents

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 18:26:00 +0000

I decided that it would be a good idea to put up some family pictures at the wedding. Well, family wedding pictures, that is. I got some positive feedback from my family afterward, but I still wonder what the guests thought in general. Did they see them? Maybe I should have done something more with them? Well, here they are for your viewing pleasure now.

This is a photo of Joe's paternal grandparents, Sarafina and Giuseppe Scola. They were married on September 5, 1939. They're posing in this picture with Sarafina's parents. I'm so glad Joe's parents found this picture. These are four people that I never met but I am so happy we were able to honor them at our wedding.

This couple is my father's parents, Blanche and Hugh "Don" Hince. They were married December 19, 1942. My grandparents mean the world to me. Both have passed, but I think about them everyday. I wish Joe could have met my grandfather and I wish my grandmother could have met Joe! Though they can't be at the wedding, I'm sure they will be there in spirit.

Here we have the lovely Jean and Jack Cook. They are Joe's maternal granparents. Both were at the wedding, looking fantastic and having a great time from what I could tell. I love their trips up from Florida to spend time with the family. This is their wedding picture, taken September 15, 1946.

My maternal grandparents and their wedding party. What a picture! I love all the dresses, the tuxedos, the flowers and the hair. It was a great inspiration for our own wedding. Shirley and Edmund DiPompeo were married on October 18, 1947. Isn't it just beautiful? If you notice, that date is exactly 61 years from the date Joe and I tied the knot. Grandma Shirley did give us her blessing to get married on her anniversary and we were thrilled.

Guestbook

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:54:00 +0000

After Joe proposed, I jumped on creating a wedding Web site. It was wonderful to have a place online to store pictures and comments. We included the site information on our save the dates and invitations so that guests would know they could go there for answers to questions or just to share in our lives for a little while.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end and our site is about to expire. We're not keeping the URL, so I decided to post the awesome comments we got on the guestbook to this blog. I'll be posting anything else from there that we can't keep up on here in the next few days. Thanks for all the great comments everyone!

Lois and Don Hince ~ October 26th, 2008

What a great way to begin your married life together--great weather, great family members and friends, great food and fantastic music! We love you both and were happy to be able to plan the wedding for you and share in your vision of this very beautiful day.

TJ ROXX ~ September 24th, 2008

I am so happy for both of you!! It's about time!! This will be a party to remember!!

Sandy ~ April 4th, 2008

Can't believe you are getting married. Seems like just yesterday I was dragging you and Jackie around town with me. Guess I need to drag out some of those old pictures and of course MENTOS for your wedding. Congratulations! Love you both.

Ray, Karen & Zack ~ March 31st, 2008

We are so excited that you asked us to be part of your day. Congratulations to both of you!!!

Aunt Josie & Leon ~ March 27th, 2008

Just got your "Save the Date" and so enjoyed your website. We are looking forward to your wedding day!

Amber ~ March 23rd, 2008

Congrats! I love you both so much and am honored to be a part of your special day!

Wedding Web Site

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:05:00 +0000

I'm so sad that our Web site is about to expire. I'm in the process of transfering as much of the content over to this blog as I possibly can. It was so fun to put our Web address on our invitations so people could RSVP online and check out all the fun things we love on our site.

I went ahead and took a couple of screen captures of what the site was like (sniffle). It was fun while it lasted!

Visit http://www.ewedding.com/ to get a site like we had. It allows for so much content and guests can even RSVP online. It's a fantastic resource with lots of templates and customization. We loved having our own url to put on our invitations and save the dates, too!

Photos of... The Reception

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:05:00 +0000