Photos from the wedding!

Just popping in quickly to add a post-wedding note, what a fabulous event and celebration!  There are not enough words to describe this majestic day!  I will add more soon, but for now, here is a link to some photos i put together from friend's cameras.  We are hoping to receive our video and formal photos soon!

http://picasaweb.google.com/tiffanykirby33/KirbyGantusWedding?authkey=Gv1sRgCKXZh6qGr7b_Tg&feat=directlink

Three more days!

I received a joyful phone call from my mom this morning at 7am shouting "three more days, only three more days!" You see, three, is her favorite number. I do think there is something magical about these last three days. The tasks are nearly complete, the guests are just beginning to arrive and the energy and excitement is in the air.  Thanks Mom for that uplifting reminder!

Spin Girls

I have a group of girlfriends, aka "the spin girls", who i have gone to the gym with for the past two years. Every Tuesday we meet for coffee at Peet's on Chestnut street and gab about our happiness and struggles.  They have seen me through the entire romance with the Prince, literally from day 1! I still remember the days at Peets coffee when I was gushing over this new dream man....almost not believing it was possible!  Now in celebration of our upcoming wedding, they treated me to a fabulous lunch at Neiman Marcus Rotunda room and we were able to reflect on how lucky we are as friends.  I am amazed and blessed by these wonderful women!!!

Marriage License in hand!

Its official, we've taken a trip to City Hall and we are prepared for October 23rd. This was an especially fun experience for us because of all the press around San Francisco city hall.  Thankfully, there were no crazy lines or protests or rallys on our appointment day.  The prince's was more inthralled with changing his voter registration address (those of you who know him well know why), but I was having a ball taking in the surroundings and excitement in the air! 

Is this how a bride is supposed to feel?

Ha ha just kidding...yep this was the beginning of my up-do for the wedding.  The incredible Megan Hann of Salon H in Danville will be doing my hair on the wedding day. She has assembled a fabulous team of stylists and makeup artists to pamper the moms and bridesmaids. With my fine hair we may have a challenge ahead to keep the hair looking "done" all day...but if anyone can do it, Megan can!

Bridal Shower and Hong Kong

What a whirlwind week....but amazing!  After taking the train to LA, I spent a few days with Heather to celebrate her recent engagement and as we had some major accomplishments for her wedding!  She is a very efficient bride :)

Sunday was my bridal shower day, I've waited a lifetime to say that! It was amazing, Brandon's sisters are incredibly thoughtful for this special day. We even had a special visitor.  See this link for some photos and for the start of the photos from my international journeys.  We fly to Paris today!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/tiffanykirby33/HongKong?authkey=Gv1sRgCJaeqrnu0vORhAE&feat=directlink

Marriage miracles

I'm now a train from san diego after visiting one of my best and oldest friends, Cara, and her new baby. We enjoyed the slower pace of life while cara provided all kinds of wedding inspiration for me. I will always cherish her confidence and passion in life...I am immensely blessed!!

Apartment search

Wow craigslist is officially getting more attention these days then my fiancé!! We have been scouring the web for any and all two bedrooms and it's been rough! Finally last night I saw two hopeful units...one is in the "tendernob" or the "Polk gulch" as Amy taught me today. The other one is next door to all our friends in "NOGA" but off a very busy street. The noga one is simply fantastic, but outside our budget. All this apartment hunting makes me wonder how you put a price on "home life"....and the impact on your experience living in an urban city. Proximity to groceries, parking, close friends in san Francisco may be invaluable! Pray for our decision in the coming days as we choose our official first home together....I will keep you updated as I travel around the world!

Around and around

So its official, we're crazy! We just returned from a whirlwind trip around the northern america continent....st. paul, MN, orlando, FL, hilton head, SC and montreal, Canada. It was a blast and we loved spending time with all our friends along the way!  Congratulations to Paolo and Laura as well as Kathy and George for their fantastic wedding ceremonies...we are sooo happy for y'all! Here are the pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tiffanykirby33/BrandonAndTiffSNorthAmericaTour2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCL7to_CZhbfy6gE&feat=directlink

Tiffany "Mary"

I forgot to write back to you all about what Saint name I chose!  I chose Mary (Theotokos), "Joy to All Who Suffer". Mary is also a special name to the Gantus family as both Brandon's grandmother (Maryann) and sister (Mariana) bear the saint name. The chrismation (similar to a confirmation) was a wonderful day - thank you to Father George, Deena, and Mr. & Mrs. Gantus!

Photo of Fairmont standard room

Fun fact of the day: The Fairmont San Francisco standard king room is nice and big because when it was first built everyone needed room for their trunks to be stored!  We are excited to have this as our feature hotel not only because it is where the reception is held, but also because it is a traditional icon of SF!

Make sure to book your rooms early because they release wedding holds in mid-September. :)

At least someone is practicing!

I should probably take some lessons from our adorable flower girl who apparently has been practicing over and over again for the big day!  Her precious mom sent over a sneak peak today....I already feel blessed with the talent we chose. :)

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/bcb90984134531f0ff5396092f5d283e/video/15557087

Save the Date videos...now that's one way to do it!

With the advancement of technology it is so wonderful to see people get creative with their wedding ideas. This save the date video has to be the most original I've seen!  Its about 3 minutes...the best part is toward the end. We opted for a more traditional card sent to our out-of-town guests, but I love the video idea too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Db8ydeWFQE&feature=player_embedded

Are you named after a Saint?

I want to share with you some exciting news. After months of prayer, studying and reflection, I've decided to become an Orthodox Christian this Sunday.Over the past fourteen months, I've met often with our priest, Father George, to answer many questions...and boy do I have many!! I think even Brandon (a "cradle" Orthodox) has learned a thing or two :)  Both our families have been a tremendous support. Brandon's parents have seen me through it all, from my first Orthodox Easter to "retreating" to the annual Church convention! These experiences of ancient Christian faith have given me fresh perspective on my journey with Christ. This is a slow journey, filled with wonder and delight...and it's only the beginning!

 Mr. and Mrs. Gantus have graciously agreed to be my Sponsors, and I will be also choosing a Saints name in the coming days which represents someone whose intercessions uphold my faith and spiritual efforts. I have had so many wonderful suggestions of Saints names - I almost can't believe it!  So...here are the current suggestions - anyone have a vote?

Saint Lucia (mom)
Saint Theophano (Curt, he actually researched that this is where the name "Tiffany" is from!)
St. Francis (Laura, Susan)
St. Mary (Heather)
St. Ann (Deena)
St. Theresa of Avila (Kresten)
St. Sophia (I happen to like this one!)
St. Sylvia (Lindsay)
St. Kyra, St. Barbara, St. Anastasia, St. Philothea (Brandon)
And last but not least....St. Nick! This was the sweetest one of all, from my step-dad, John, he says:
"This could be your mother! I vote for her! St.Nick(a)la.  Not only does your mom pray for you, but she also sleeps with the homeless(last night) and prays for them(they need it). And she takes food to the sick; brings joy to the down hearted; I could go on, but she thinks I go on to much."

Their love for each other continues to amaze me each day!! He also suggests perhaps I pick more then one or pick a new Saint to interceed every year.  How cool is that. They really do have amazing stories...

Female saints:
http://www.antiochian.org/AW-WomenSaints

Closet-Studio anniversary dinner!

Last night we had an appointment to see our 2nd photographer option. Despite Queen Carol's plea that we both be at all appointments, the Prince had to cancel last minute. Since the photographer's studio was around the corner from my old apartment on 9th avenue, I took myself out on a date to a sushi place in the 'hood, Bistro Chen. I've taken many of you there over the years, so it has a special place in my heart. 

Sitting there alone, I realized that it is almost two years to the day that I signed my lease for my closet-studio on Toledo Way. At that time, my amazing roommate was getting married and I was hopeful for what my own future may bring (despite moving into the tiniest craziest little studio!)  Now, two years later, I sit here with a whole new life ahead of me. I am so blessed by wonderful family and friends, but I would have never imagined I would meet someone NEW (my Prince) who knows me and loves me just for who I am.  Most of you know, this has been a big surprise so thank you for coming on this journey with me, and happy anniversary!

Hotel options

As we are  sending our travel information to out-of-town guests, we have been busy finalizing the details of the weekend. My biggest concern with this has been...where will everyone stay?  Will people generally want to stay at the same hotel as the reception (Fairmont). Or, in this economy, is it especially important to give at least one option of a "budget" priced hotel?  We have looked and looked and all hotels nearby the Fairmont are about the same price (we negotiated a rate of $189/night which I think is pretty good for Nob Hill).  But, all decent Union Square hotels are about the same price. Ugh!  Do you have any suggestions for me - should we just leave it up to the travelers to find something in their price range?  Or look far outside the surrounding area for a better budget option? Help!

The prince and I often reflect on the importance of our family throughout this wedding process. We absolutely love that our siblings can be a part of the wedding and I have grown closer to them all in the past few months of planning. We have been able to see all of them in the past month, which is a special treat considering they are literally in the four corners of the U.S. Here are some pictures from special moments we've treasured in April and May as they have been filled with birthdays, tennis championships, graduations, new jobs, and lots of celebrating!  

Cupcakes - Round 1

This weekend we celebrated a fun shower/bachelorette party for Megs upcoming wedding celebration! It didn't take much to convince the gals to join me for Round 1 Cupcake Tasting. Can we say, YUM. However, I have to say there was clearly a winner, That Takes the Cake on Union Street. The second runner up would have to be Kara's Cupcakes (especially for design). We were not impressed by American Cupcakes. Round 2 we will bring the grooms along and check out Sibby's....any other suggestions?

Save the Dates

To save the date or not?

This is one of our biggest debates...since we are technically getting married in our hometown, we could say that people don't need as much advance notice. However, schedules fill up quickly, and about 75% of our guests will be an airplane flight away. So...we decided to send them to out-of-towners and set up a website that anyone (including the locals) can view.

There are sooo many options out there...some of my favorite recessionista prints were from weddingpaperdivas.com and shutterfly.com. Compared to the more expensive sights, we will save over $300 by going with one of these! I certainly would prefer to do something super creative (like save the date hanky's), but the costs were getting too high.

Tons of Progress!

Wow we had such a productive Mother's Day Weekend. After I had traveled to both Alabama and Idaho in the last month, I was really looking forward to having similar wedding conversations with the Prince's family! There are so many details to discuss....what kind of food and music? What is the schedule going to be like? How will the photographer, videographer, and coordinator interact with the families? What can everyone do to help? What's the attire and theme for the weekend? I could go on and on. The great news is they areincredibly supportive in every way!!

The icing on the cake was an opportunity to visit Yelena's Bridal in Monrovia. Sister, Mom and one of my oldest and dearest friends, made this a fun and comfortable experience! AND, the best of all, I found my dress and the bridesmaid dresses! We decided to go with a chocolatey brown taffeta...so yummy and rich you'd want to eat it!

Also, we decided on the type of rehearsal dinner party we want, and as luck would have it we ran into our hopeful videographer at church and found out he IS available that weekend! Yippee!!

"THE" Dress

So, I've REALLY loved this dress shopping experience so far! I've been able to take several women close to me which has been a total honor! Also, my dad joined in the fun last time and gave great advice (so did brother!)

Since we are sticking to a budget, its been really interesting to see bridal salons that are in my price range. Suprisingly they have a lot of selection, and fabulous people who know how important it is to save in this economy. I highly recommend The Art of Weddings in Spokane, WA, Paris Connections in San Francisco, and Bridesmaids and More in Daphne, AL.

For fun, i decided to try a more upscale bridal salon in san francisco yesterday. I was greatly disappointed, even the $5,000 dresses weren't a fit! So, I guess I can say that money certainly doesn't equate to happiness!

Will keep you posted on the progress :)

The Big Wedding

Plans for the Big Wedding are underway....

We finally picked a date! The church is set (St. Nicholas Orthodox) and so is the band (seemed to be a #1 priority, strange maybe?

Also, It was with great excitement we finally decided on the reception site for our wedding - the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco! Queen Carol took us all over the city and while nothing felt "quite right" until the end.
The Fairmont offers San Francisco charm and old history (http://www.fairmont.com/EN_FA/Property/SAF/AboutUs/HotelHistory.htm). After taking my dear girfriends, I had an amazing feeling about the Garden Terrace and Gold Room for dinner and dancing. We are thrilled!

Lastly, I have gone wedding dress shopping several times and have yet to find anything. I've asked myself often, will I really find "the one"? If I have faith in this process (as I did with meeting Mr. Prince!) I should believe it is possible. Let the hunt continue...

WOW well all i can say is that i am now "joyfully celebrating" my engagement to Mr. Prince. Here are some photos of the most amazing day of my life - wow I couldn't be happier or more in love!!! I am so blessed :)

Bachelorette

I realize now that I should really enjoy my days as a bachelorette...this REALLY is an exciting time filled with independence. I love my tiny apartment that fits "me" just perfectly. I love that my single girlfriends live within a couple block radius around me. I love that I can watch and listen to whatever I want whenever I want. I love that i don't have anyone watching me I even love the total and complete silence. I love that i secretly revolt against all cleaning at times and NO ONE has to know!

Just the beginning...or is it?

I've been asked many times to start a blog about life as a joyful city girl. This particular post was inspired by a dear friend of mine, Giggles, who recommended it as the best medicine for hopefully and joyfully waiting. We share a very special pasttime, journaling. So, Giggles, I am doing this for you! Our modern diary. Is there a way to save these blogs and bind them up one day? I think I'm going to want to have this in hardcopy one day....