We did!

A post about our wedding could end up as a novel so I'll just give you the highlight reel!

Our wedding weekend was as fun as I could have imagined. Family and friends started trickling in on Wednesday and left on Monday, really giving us a huge opportunity to spend as much time with everyone as we could.

We started by checking into our awesome suite at the MGM

Thursday night we had a dinner at Hussong's Cantina at Mandalay Bay followed by dancing at Eye Candy where we were able to have the whole back part of the bar to ourselves

Friday we had brunch with my dad and Teresa at Giada's and spent the day with family before the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner at Hard Rock Café on the strip. Since no one else was on the 3rd floor, we were able to use the "Chapel of Love" room that was decorated with picture of famous couples as well as have access to the balcony.

And then it was the Wedding Day! phew, that happened fast!
We woke up and had room service in bed which was an incredibly relaxing way to start the day. Then we hopped over to NyNy to hit up the Oxygen bar before going back to the room to get ready. That's when we kicked Shai out and let the girls in!

Isn't my hair stylist a magician? Love her. Seriously, go to Hallee at Mosaic Salon.

I didn't want Shai to see me in my wedding dress but we still wanted to knock out some picture pre ceremony so we did the first-look with me wearing my Grandma's wedding dress. It was fun to just hang out with the bridal party before the wedding and drink champagne and relax.

We walked over to the venue as a group where we separated again until the big reveal!

I wish I could have slowed that walk down the aisle a little bit more so I could remember it. I just couldn't stop smiling at everyone!!

The ceremony was fun, everyone seemed to be laughing the whole time - even us. Our rabbi was fantastic. Oh and he was gay too which makes it EXTRA fantastic in my mind. Love it.

Shai got us lessons for our first dance so we had a choreographed dance which was nice. After that, it was a party all night long. I'm not sure the DJ played a single slow song the rest of the night even!!

We incorporated some fun Jewish traditions and I think all the guests loved those as much as we did.

The next morning we both agreed that the whole thing was worth every penny and we would do it again if we could!

Xx


Kali

A very special fitting

Mine and Shai's grandparents are very special to us and we were both very sad that none of them would be able to attend our wedding. We incorporated them in a small way by having a table at the entrance with pictures of all of our grandparents on their wedding days.

When I was 11, my grandma gave me her wedding dress. It was lovely and velvet and I kept it in a bag with me as I moved around these last 8 years. When we got engaged I knew that I wanted to incorporate that dress into my special day somehow.

Unfortunately (ok, not really) I am not the same size as I was when I was 11, so the dress didn't quite fit me in the cough chest area. Fortunately I found an amazing tailor who works with vintage dresses who was able to alter the dress perfectly. The dress was originally handmade for my grandma so some of the seams had extra material that the seamstress was able to pull to fit. When I was in there for the first fitting, she found a bag of old Russian embroidered lace that was the exact same shade as the dress - a miracle considering the off-white yellow-ish tones in the dress. When I went back for the final fitting I was blown away at how unnoticeable the changes were. It really felt original.

I didn't tell my grandma that I was wearing her dress and decided to surprise her and my grandpa at my final dress fitting for my real wedding dress, which they bought me as my gift. My mom's friend found out what I was doing and paid for us to have a photographer there for those special moments.

What do you think? Did it work?

There was not a dry eye in the house.

I knew that this time was special because it would be the only time they would see me in my wedding dress since they could not come to the wedding but now that my grandma is gone, those memories are even more sacred to me. I was so blessed to be able to share this with them and so honored to be able to wear a dress that started a 63 year marriage and honor my grandparents that way.

Our Engagement - told by the Groom

When it happened

Thursday, March 20, 2014

How we got engaged, from Shai

After we got engaged, Shai sent an email to his friends and family with the details (from his perspective). I think he tells it well, so here it is!

On February 1, 2014 Kali and I entered a London Gold jewelry store for the sole purpose of changing my watch battery. To my total surprise Kali was at the back of the store checking out engagement rings, which we had never discussed before. As it turns out, Kali was suddenly trying on the ring of her dreams, everything she had ever wanted all rolled into one beautiful 2 carat oval yellow diamond with a halo and a double band. It was even on sale, but only for February. We gave the saleswoman our info then left and didn't discuss it again.

Two days later, I called and purchased the ring and had it delivered to my neighbor's house.

For 2 months the ring and photo books (showing the past year of our lives) were hidden in my neighbor's safe in an Amazon cardboard box. Two weeks before the cruise, I placed an identical, but empty, Amazon box in the garage directly in front of Kali's parking spot so she could subliminally get used to seeing the box and to ensure she does not inquire about it. The day before we left for Orlando, my neighbor executed our covert operation as planned and switched the empty box with the much heavier box containing the engagement ring and photo books.

I spent the two months prior to our cruise mostly avoiding discussion about engagement rings. At one point Kali even called London Gold and inquired about the ring, but I had already instructed the saleswoman to notify all the other sales reps to lie to Kali if she calls. After Kali told me she called and the ring of her dreams was gone, I, of course, apologized saying I had no idea that ring was so important to her and that no one ever called me about it. She insisted I was supposed to call them, not the other way around. I continued to manipulate any future conversations which culminated in me printing out some word docs that Kali had created and placing them into a special folder that "we would look at together once we're finally in Tampa with her family and have some time."

Two days before we left, I took Kali to get a manicure and pedicure (and yes, I absolutely got one too). She normally only gets pedicures but I talked her into getting a manicure and was even able to have her get that gel kind that apparenly will last longer. I didn't want to take any chances that she would pick the polish off and not be happy with all the pictures of her hand!!

The day finally arrived for us to head to Orlando for the cruise. I placed everything into my carry-on backpack and ensured It never left my sight while we traveled. At one point, Kali even asked what I had in there because she could see how full and heavy it was; "books" I responded, "lots of books." My next challenge was to make it thru airport and cruise security without having my backpack checked and my cover subsequently blown. As it turned out, my backpack was checked by cruise security but I managed to get Kali to wait by the conveyer belt while I whispered to the lady that there was engagement material for my proposal onboard the ship that night. She smiled and giggled then quickly checked my bag while ensuring Kali would not see its true contents. It was time to board the ship!

My Carnival Cruise agent, Manny (who has helped me cruise since 2010), had accomplished his best work ever in laying the groundwork and truly setting me up for success. He emailed the head Maître D' and the head Group Coordinator prior to our arrival and set in motion my entire proposal plan, which was to propose to Kali at dinner the first night while our song played over the loud speaker, followed by champagne being brought to our table, and the entire production captured by a photographer and videographer, and afterwards, waiting for us in our cabin would be chocolate covered strawberries and the photo book with a special card I wrote.

I boarded the ship ready to meet the Maître D and Group Coordinator at our pre-coordinated time as soon as I could get free from Kali. I immediately went to "change into my bathing suit" which took a lot longer than Kali expected. I eventually told her that the men's bathroom was closed and I had to find another one which was not so easy, but I brought back some good info on events taking place on the ship that night. The truth is I ran downstairs to guest services and talked to Maya, the Group Coordinator, and handed her the CD with our song and a paper I typed detailing the entire plan. Then I ran to meet Roland, the head Maître D at the dining room, and discussed the plan with him. Finally, I changed into my bathing suit and ran back to the pool to have a fruity cocktail drink with Kali and explain how impossible it was to find a bathroom.

A couple hours later, Maya called our cabin to confirm the price of the photographer and videographer. Kali was half-asleep napping on the bed when I picked up the phone. Maya immediately told me she planned to hang up if Kali answered. I made sure to speak to her as if we had not met before and as if I was not sure why she was calling. After I said "that's fine" regarding the cost, Maya hung up and I could hear the dial tone, but I continued speaking into the phone, "we haven't noticed any problems with our sail & sign cards but we'll be sure to let you know if either of them don't work, thanks for the call." Kali was too tired to even ask me what they were calling about.

Finally, it was time to get ready for dinner. I insisted we dress up fancy every night even though the only real formal dress up night was Captain's Night the following night. Kali went along with the idea not realizing of course that I was anticipating us being on video and having a personal photographer take our engagement pictures all around the ship for one hour following the proposal.

Everything was perfect, and before I could remove the ring from the box and place it on Kali's finger, she grabbed it from the box and placed it there herself!

The rest of the cruise was amazing. Kali gave me an early birthday present which was swimming with dolphins at Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas and she bought me an "engagement" watch onboard the ship. Our fellow cruise passengers constantly congratulated us and the crew was wonderful. We played some Craps and Kali experienced what it feels like to throw the dice for 45 minutes straight standing at the end of the table as everyone around her cheers constantly as we are all making money together.

Printed Maxi Dress

I used to be afraid of maxi-dresses because of my height but recently I have come to love this style. It is so easy to take from day to night and always such a comfortable option!

I bought this one at the Banana Republic Outlets. It was originally priced at $104, on clearance for $35, and then an extra 50% off!! It is a silky material that feels wonderful to wear.

When finding a maxi-dress, you really have to pay attention to the shape and the waistline. Some dresses have no identifiable waist, and while that works for someone 5'9, it does not work for those of us down at 5'4! Because this dress had such a bold pattern, I added a thing purple belt to give the waist just a little more definition. 

Xx

Kali

Dress - Banana Republic

Shoes - Vince Camuto

Purse - Gucci

Fashion Finds - Badgley Mischka

The other day I was shopping on the dangerous site Rue La La and fell in love (and purchased) a gorgeous purple sequined Badgley Mischka dress that was on sale for $75 instead of the usual $700.

Score!

While this designer can be expensive when hot off the runway or at full price, there are amazing deals to be found if you know where to look. For some reason this year I have been completely drawn to sequins and so this is the third sequin gown from this designer that I have purchased in the last 12 months!

My first time wearing Badgley was this dress I wore on my birthday from Rent the Runway. If you have not checked out the site, it is a great way to wear designer duds for less - I wore this $500 dress for only $40!

The shoes were Badgley too, but those were my own, purchased from Saks Off 5th. Their shoes are almost always 50% off or more.

Rue La La has the brand on their site relatively frequently when they have gowns on sale and I purchased a cowl-back gold sequined dress off the site last October to wear to a wedding.

I felt so incredibly elegant in this dress and received compliments all night long. I spent about $300 for this dress on sale which was about 1/3 of the original price and, while a splurge, was completely worth it for me. 

A couple times a year Rent the Runway gives you the opportunity to purchase the dresses that have been rented off of their site to keep. I jumped at the chance to buy this silver stunner to wear to another wedding!

This dress fit like a glove and brought so many compliments. I normally hate wearing strapless dresses but this dress is made so well I was able to dance the night away in comfort.

I really have found that with a lot of designers, you do get what you pay for. When you spend the extra money on higher end pieces, they feel/fit better and really get peoples attention. For me, it is all about catching those deals on designers. Comment below on your favorite designer to get on sale!

Xx

Kali

Cleo at SLS

The SLS, while not in the best location, has been packed with delicious restaurants since the minute it opened. While I have been able to make it to several, Cleo has always been in the back of my mind and on my list to try. This week, when we were able to grab dinner with friends, I offered it up as a suggestion and was thrilled when they agreed. 

I love the entrance to the SLS

Cleo is a Mediterranean style restaurant that serves dishes that, while tapas style, are substantial enough for a meal. The menu of mezzes, salads, and vegetables alone is so enticing that I got a little overzealous and ordered more than I probably needed to. Nonetheless, I ate it all.

We loved the atmosphere of the restaurant - from the imposing "Cleopatra" at the entrance, to the colorful chandeliers, to the mix-matched plates - as Shai said, "this is your kind of place." He knows me so well.

The drink menu was full of such interesting drinks that the waitress had to come by three times before we made a decision (ok, maybe we were talking a bit too…) I went with the Clemintina – a drink boasting crushed basil and serrano chili. It was nice, but certainly not the star of the show. Unfortunately Shai’s drink – Melon and Mezcal – had way more serrano chili than mine (and we didn’t even notice it was there to begin with) so it was undrinkable. The staff was fantastic – first doctoring it up to make it sweeter, and when that didn’t work, they made the drink all over without the chili and without extra cost.


In fact, the entire evening the staff was impeccable. After we had signed the checks and remained at the table talking, the waitress continued to ask if we would like more water while we sat. If you think about that for a moment I bet you will realize how rarely that happens.  Really, every person we encountered at the SLS was on their A game, just really nice, helpful, and attentive.

Celementina

The menu doesn’t look daunting at first but the more I read the more I wanted to order. Everything sounded so amazing.

We settled on the Watermelon salad to start which was delicious. So many times in “watermelon salads” you are left wanting for it’s namesake. Not here. The watermelon was certainly the star of the show. And I really loved the candied nut brittle as a garnish for extra crunch.

We also had the potato latkes that they made gluten free for me. Nothing bad to say about those either. They were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and the smoked lebanah was a perfect topping for them.

Watermelon Salad

The mushrooms were FANTASTIC. You may think mushrooms are more of a topping as opposed to a main star but in this dish with dates and puffed rice, they were insane. I would definitely order this again. I am dreaming about them now as I write this.


Shai had the Chicken Tagine. I’m not sure but he may have licked the bowl. I didn’t try the chicken but I did sample the rice and was in love with the flavor.

Mushrooms

Our friends ordered just as delicious looking dishes as we did, albeit they were full of gluten so I could only admire from afar. The Clam and Noodle looked particularly interesting and it looked like they really enjoyed it as well.

Clams and Noodles

I can’t wait for friends to visit so I have another excuse to visit this restaurant!

As for the fashion, if you will, my camera’s battery died so I was forced to use my iPhone.I was really excited to wear my new Jumpsuit from Urban Outfitters. (You can order it in solid here)

I have really been loving rompers and jumpsuits this summer and it was fun accessorizing this one.

With this Jumpsuit, I don't think you can take it many directions but "boho." I added a gold braided belt for a little extra definition at the waist and wore the headband over my hair instead of under. I would have preferred a solid beige purse but surprisingly have zero solid purses in my collection so I went with the neutral colored Gucci. I had a crocheted should shrug as well but didn't need to wear it much.

Jumpsuit from Urban Outfitters

I have had the same white cork wedges since high school and have been looking for new ones for over a year. When I found these Vince Camuto wedges on sale at Saks Off 5th I was so excited. They are so versatile and comfortable. (They are no longer on the site but if you want something similar, BCBG makes a cute one too, here). Sometimes you want the height without the extra hassle of a thin heel, am I right?? 



Wedges - Vince Camuto









Xx
Kali

Wednesday Wants - Chocolate Martini

I said last Wednesday when I started the Wednesday series that I was open to suggestions and the first one I had was for Chocolate Martinis! Yum!


While I love martinis, my experience with the chocolate varietal is slightly limited. All of these pictures are from Yelp/Trip Advisor but I put the effort into the research to find what I think are Four Fabulous places to drink away your dessert!!

The Chocolate Bar 

at New York-New York is open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 am. Located strategically next to Hershey's World, this bar can pretty much handle any chocolate martini your heart desires (and they have Chocolate stouts for you beer lovers). Seriously, I did not even know this place EXISTED until I started to research this but I am putting it at the top of my list. Just look at what they offer!

Photo from Yelp

Order the:
Hershey's Kisses Chocolate Signature Martini (Three Olives Chocolate Vodka, Absolut Vanilla Vodka, White Creme de Cacao)

Death By Chocolate (Three Olives Chocolate Vodka, Marie Brizard Chocolate Liqueur, Dark Creme de Cacao, Chocolate Syrup)

Peppermint Pattie Martini (Absolut Vanilla Vodka, White Creme de Menthe, Creme de Cacao, Fresh Mint)

Hexx Chocolate & Confexxions

photo from Yelp

Hexx has taken over where the Sugar Factory used to be at the Paris hotel. So you're trading sugar for sugar. The menu doesn't have drink pictures because they seem to be focused on the real stuff here - they roast their own cacao beans to make the chocolate on site. If you're not in the mood for a martini, you should still stop by for some of their daily chocolate tastings.

Order: THE HEXX (Stolichnaya Vanil, Tempus Fugit Dark Cacao, Luxardo Angioletto, Cream).

107 lounge

photo from Yelp

The 107 lounge has 2-for-1 martinis for Happy Hour which puts it about $7.50 a martini - a hard price to beat in Las Vegas. It has awesome views of the Strip and is generally a go-to location for me to start when I am taking friends out on the town. The Chocolate Masterpiece is your classic chocolate martini, but when you add in the price and view, it is a hard one to beat.

Order the: Chocolate Masterpiece (Van gogh chocolate vodka, godiva chocolate and white chocolate liqueur)

Blue Martini

thank goodness we all take pictures of our drinks for Yelp

True, it is a chain, but there is a reason it has done so well- the martinis are great and the happy hour is even better. I wouldn't recommend you come here if you asked me for a glass of wine, but for a chocolate martini, I don't think you will be disappointed

Order This: THREE'S COMPANY (Three Olives Chocolate Vodka, Dark Chocolate Liqueur and Cream)
OR: ALMOND JOY (Three Olives Vanilla Vodka, Bacardi Rock Coconut Rum and Chocolate Liqueur, served with Coconut Shavings in a Chocolate Rimmed Glass)

Let me know what you want to see on here next!

xx

Kali