Our Sunday Morning - A Baby Shower

Another busy day for us. Today, we attended his cousin's baby shower. The shower started at 9 a.m. with the help of set up and finished around 2:00 p.m. in the afternoon. And we even left slightly early, because we were still recovering from our late night at my friend Jessie's wedding.

As you can see, this isn't your typical baby shower. This was an Indian baby shower filled with traditional rituals in welcoming a future child into this world. Take a look at some of the rich and colorful images from clothing attire to elements of the ceremony. Congratulations to Dhaval and Pinky!

{Images courtesy of Nirmal}

Our Saturday Night - A Wedding

We attended my high school girlfriend Jessie's wedding here in the Chicago area. She looked sooo pretty in her "Belle of the Ball" wedding gown. She had a very clean and simple black & white theme for the wedding and reception. The bridal party wore black with white tulip flowers as the white accent.

I must say I was very bad at taking pics that night; plus the lighting was a little too dim for my digital camera. I don't have too many pics of her and her new hubby, Cedric, but here is what I do have.


(left to right: Jessie & Ced's little boy - Cameron, the maid of honor - Lissa, and Jessie's mom - Cynthia)

As you all know, the bride and groom are always busy tending to their wedding guests. However, I was able to pull Jessie away for a group pic of old high school friends.

(left to right: Brandy with her two kids - Alexander and Avery (below), the bride - Jessie, Me and Lindsey)

And can't forget my fiance, looking handsome as always in his suit.

My Work Week

Sorry for the delay in posts. Busy week and weekend once again. Let me tell you about it...

For the work week, I have been working with a partner at my agency n a project to help launch Shedd Aquarium's re-opening. If any of you have been to Shedd in the past year, you may have noticed their beluga, dolphin, penguin and sea otter exhibits have been closed due to major renovation and improvements. And most of the animals were relocated to other aquarium locations nationwide as their homes were being improved.

Well now for the summer of 2009, the renovations will be complete and the animals will be coming home! They have some fun and cool things brewing at Shedd. I got a behind-the-scenes tour with my work team and from what I could see, they have done some wonderful things to improve the audience's experience for children & adults.

{Images from sheddaquarium.org}

I can't say it all for you in my post; there's just too much! Click here to view Shedd's press kit and see what I am talking about. Bring your family, friends and kiddies to Shedd this summer – grand re-opening Memorial Day weekend. We definitely plan on taking our nephew and family this summer. :)

Photography: Studio This Is

That's right – another photography studio that I admire. Can't get enough of it! Good photography is my eye candy, especially the color red.

Today's Chicago area photographer is Studio This Is. Enjoy these priceless shots.

{Images from studiothisis.com}

Stylish Apparel for Kids

For all my mommy friends out there, here is a very fashionable site for kids apparel - Tea Collection. What I love about their clothing is the use of ethnic influenced patterns and style from Japan & Brazil. They have super cute kimono looking tops for girls and great ensembles for boys.


{Images from teacollection.com}

Pretty Sweet – Wedding Cakes

Right now, I am in the process of designing the look of our wedding cake. Since we roughly have 125 people attending the wedding, the cake is going to have 3-layers with each layer being different in flavor. Chocolate for my fiance and a light fruity flavor for me. :)

The overall cake design will utilize our two main colors - yellow & blue. For our cake topper, I made a custom design of our names to go on top. It's being laser cut by a vendor that I have found. I don't have a picture yet for you guys to see...

But if you want a hint, it looks pretty close to the front cover of our invites. However, I can show you some of my favorite wedding cake picks. Each have a great look and theme to them.

{Images from theknot.com}

Dwell for the Boudoir

I am not sure if you all know, but Hemal and I are in the process of buying our very first home. We don't have the closing date yet, however when it is done and official, I will debut a picture of our new place when that day comes. :)

As everyone knows with a new home comes new furniture and new linens! And some of my favorite bed designs are from Dwell Studio. They have clean, funky designs merged with sophistication. Dwell has come out with some new bedding for 2009. Coming from a design background, I certainly gravitate towards these bold and graphic linens.




{Images from dwellshop.com}

If you do check out their site, also look at the Dwell baby bedding designs. Super adorable!

Jennifer Behr: Hair Accessories

Anyone looking for hair style ideas for say a wedding, or for any fun occasion?

Check out these simple but stylish ideas by Jennifer Behr. She creates encrusted crystal/silk hair bands and silk floral arrangements that are simply stunning. Her pieces start in the low 100's, but don't let that deter you from achieving a hi-end look like these.

{Images from jenniferbehr.com}

I have been looking for floral accessories for my big day, and I can say myself that I have found a great alternative to Jennifer Behr. I was originally planning to have real flowers in my hair, but after much reading and chats with my hairstylist, real flowers can be cumbersome. They are heavy and either fall out or apart before the night is even over. So I have now opted for silk florals, but I wanted them to look real as possible. And that's when I discovered Mikiye Creations on Etsy. She creates high quality designs all by hand.

{Images from mikiye creations on etsy.com}

Her creations are fun & beautiful. I have personally bought one of her white floral pieces and I can vouch it looks and feels pretty darn real!! And for the price, a very good buy.

Our Naples, Florida Trip

For a short weekend getaway, we went to my grandmother's condo in Naples. Thanks to her, we got to enjoy warm 70 degree weather! As you can see from the pics, the view is gorgeous from the 16th floor of the building. We were overlooking Pelican Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. We did run into some foggy weather in the evenings.




My fiance's brother, Nirmal and his wife, Nisha and their son Aryan, were able to join us on this trip. This was Ari's first trip out of Illinois and on a plane. He was the most well-behaved baby on the plane. And isn't he stylin' in his blue shades!

Are We Compatible?

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Snake and the Rooster are a good match! The personality traits that they describe are pretty spot on. When you read this, notice how the Rooster is usually always right!

(The portraits below are our very first passport photos from our country of origin.)

Birth Country: Gujarat, India
Birth Year: 1977
Chinese Zodiac Sign: the Snake
Traits: Like a deep river, their thoughts and emotions run very deep. Snakes hate to fail, and are very lucky when it comes to money. Can be a loner, tend to stick to themselves to get ahead in life. In matters of heart, can be deeply amorous, jealous in nature and don't handle rejection well. In business, Snakes command respect in their accomplishments. Click to read more
Compatibility: the Ox or Rooster
Famous People in the Year of the Snake: Pablo Picasso, John F. Kennedy, Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey, Kanye West


Birth Country: Chonburi, Thailand
Birth Year: 1981
Chinese Zodiac Sign: the Rooster
Traits: Loyal, trustworthy, sociable, very accomplished and usually very well-dressed. Shrewd, outspoken and even boastful by nature. Most annoyingly, Roosters always think they are right... and very often they are! They love to entertain and keep friends & loved ones friends happy. Click to read more
Compatibility: the Ox, Snake or Dragon
Famous People in the Year of the Rooster: Jessica Alba, Catherine the Great, Paris Hilton, Groucho Marx, Britney Spears