THANK YOU

(click image for larger view)

Dear Jenna, Renee, Meg, Felicia and Brooke:
A big huge THANK YOU again to you lovely ladies who treated me like royalty all throughout the wedding planning and the weekend of....but especially for throwing such a great shower!

I (and by I, I mean Gabe) finally just hung the shelves to display my growing collection of vintage black and white plates...most of which I got at the fabulous shower! I'll have to rotate them out cause there were over 50 plates!! Although it was a scorcher (I've got the sweaty pics to prove it) it was one unforgettable day with friends and family! Thank you so much for thinking of me in every detail. It was truly a perfect day. I know this is a bit late, but the sentiment is the same now as it was then....you are all amazing friends and I am a lucky gal to have you all.

A note to the Capone's: Thank you so much for hosting the shower at your home! It was really the perfect place, and I know you put so much work into making it all come together! Hopefully we'll get to enjoy those flowers you planted this Spring! ;)

A note to my Mom: Thanks for keeping everyone sane and for keeping me company that morning!

A note to the friends and family that attended: Thank you all for our contributions, for your generous gifts and for attending. I was shocked and touched by all the familiar faces that were there. It meant so much to have you there. Thank you again!

Love, Kate

VENDOR REVIEWS: The W hotel - Lexington Ave

The W hotel was an awesome place to get ready for our wedding and also for our guests to stay. We were upgraded to an awesome suite (which came in really handy the day of for the girls to get ready in...it would have been tight in the smaller suite we had booked.) The Capone's were able to host their cocktail party the night before with plenty of space and a huge balcony for the many cigar smokers, in their suite. And the staff was just really pleasant and super efficient!
Thanks W!

Here are some pics of Gabe and his guys getting ready...a little different then my day of getting ready! :)

VENDOR REVIEWS: The Metropolitan Building

The Metropolitan Building is a FABULOUS space! We were so thrilled when we found it and I was so unbelievably pleased with how it turned out that night! It is a gorgeous space packed with one-of-a-kind antiques and has such a comfortable yet formal atmosphere. It took my breath away to see it all lit up that night, with the twinkly lights and candles glowing throughout the entire space. Pure magic! Carlos, who runs the show over there was great, making sure everything went off without a hitch! Thanks Carlos!!!
Here are some shots from various friends but mostly from Virgil Stephens. (click through for larger)

VENDOR REVIEWS: Hair & Make-up

So, I really lucked out with hair and make-up! I am not the kind of gal that does her hair and make-up every day, in fact some days, I may even leave the house with (gasp!) just some mascara and lip gloss on...So I was a bit nervous about finding the right person/people to do the job for my wedding day....I didn't want to look like a completely different person who Gabe might not recognize walking down the aisle.
Well, when Felicia brought up Beth Little, we sort of both looked at each other and weren't sure why we hadn't thought of it earlier...I wish Beth could have done everyone's makeup for the wedding (not that you all didn't look fabulous!) She just has a way of putting the perfect amount of gloss on your lips, sparkle on your lids and shimmer on your brow to not only make you look like a million bucks, but feel that way too. She was incredible, and super flexible in perfecting all the girls make-up. Thank you a ton Beth!
I was super lucky in the hair department as well, after speaking with my normal stylist who didn't seem that interested in working with me, I found Janessa from Soon Salon. I went in for my trial and LOVED it! She was great! She was so interested in not only making me happy, but making sure the hairstyle was perfect for my hair. She experimented and was super concentrated on getting it right! The day of, when I didn't have the pics from the trial with me, she remembered what we had done and even made it better than the trial! I couldn't have been more happy!! I loved my hair and was so sad to have to take it out!

So thank you to Beth and Janessa for making me and my special ladies look fabulous! Here are some shots (click for larger image) of the getting ready portion of the day.
(I'm not excited or anything).
...enjoy!

VENDOR REVIEWS: Photographer

A big huge THANK YOU to Virgil Stephens and his assistant Pete Riesett. They were amazing and so much fun to work with! We had a blast and they captured it all! I admit, I gave them a tall order (I won't mention my lengthy photo list, ha!) but they caught the emotions of the day and I am still going through the hundreds of pictures we got from them! Thanks guys -- you exceeded our expectations by a mile!
Here is my favorite so far! We'll send along the link to all the guests in a few weeks and you can watch the whole day unfold before your eyes! (And order some great prints as well!!)
Stay tuned for more vendor reviews!

VENDOR REVIEWS: Day of Coordinator

So our Day-of Coordinator, Tara Geremia from Exquisite Affairs Productions was amazing. She made sure that neither of us had any worries on that day and I really don't know what we would have done without her.
She was super organized, and knew exactly when to check in with us! She made sure all the details were set up according to our wishes and even made on-the-fly decisions based on her experience, which turned out to be perfect ones!
My favorite conversation was when she stopped by as we were shoveling food in our mouths before we got back out on the dance floor and it went like this:
Tara: You guys are having a great time, right?"
G&K: ABSOLUTELY this is awesome!
Tara: Great! So the cake cutting is coming up...still want to do it?
G&K: Nah...who needs it! We want to dance!
Tara: Yea, I thought so....I'll take care of it! Go enjoy your night!
And that was that! We nixed the cake cutting and danced the night away and she took care of it! She knew us and our style and adapted her gameplan accordingly! I repeat myself, but she was amazing. She not only is good at her job, but really enjoys doing it and it shows! Thanks Tara!!
(PHOTO credit: S. Kosloff)

Ciao

Hi all! We're back from our amazing two weeks in Italy! Just wanted to say hello and a quick but HUGE thank you to you all for making our wedding beyond perfect. We had so much fun and hope you did too! I'll be posting pics and some videos in the next few weeks from the wedding and event around it as well as our honeymoon!

Hope you're all well and look forward to seeing you all in the coming months for the holidays!

xxooxxoo

Mike Tanton (a.k.a Tanton, T-ton)

There's little I can tell you about Tanton. It's not because I don't know him well--he's been a close friend for 15 years--but because it's classified. Tanton works for the Federal Government. He leads the type of secret life that you only read about in spy novels. He lived at my apartment in NYC for a while and I let him practice his self-defense moves on me. He was able to knock me down using only his thumb. In return he let me wear his gas mask to the convenience store to buy a pack of gum.

I've seen Tanton's cop skills in action a couple times. One time in particular was when we were staying at a friend's place in Long Island. A drunk and disorderly (cop term) had been pool hopping and wandered into the house. Tanton wrestled with him and screamed "I am a cop." Meanwhile, I was searching the home for a camera in hopes to capture this dangerous event on film. The slippery guy kept squirming out of Tanton's clutches. Tanton eventually took the perp down and booked him. Truth is he may have me snipered for telling you that story.

Tanton has always been interested in foreign affairs--he's dated girls from all over the world. In college, after he got tired of American girls, he left and lived in Italy while others were scared to leave campus. Shortly after graduation, Tanton began his life as an international man of mystery. He has traveled extensively and had amazing experiences. His job conjures envy and fear at the same time. He's been to places on the map that most of us can't pronounce. You talk with Tanton and you say to yourself, "Wow. I need to read more." Tanton is fun to be around and has a smart sense of humor. He's a great conversationalist, even in Italian since he speaks it fluently. Oh, and he's recently engaged too. Of course, there are secrets that even Tanton can't hide. He's one of the only Americans who loves hockey and he has one of the worst tattoos ever. It's a caveman-like character with a lacrosse stick. It's on his lower back. Actually, I'm kidding, it's on his ankle. Ask him to roll up his tux pant leg and show it to you. Do it cautiously. Remember, he has been trained in several forms of self-defense, and who knows what else.

Weekend Itinerary

You'll get a hard copy of this as well if you're staying at the W! We can't wait to see you!!!
XO

DOWNLOAD THE ITINERARY HERE!

10 days!

MTWP: Kevin Dunn (Dice, Dunn)

An old joke from Andrew Dice Clay goes something like this, "Excuse me sir, is this the back of the line?" "No, it's the front. We're all standing freaking backwards."
Dice responds and then he snaps open his lighter and ignites his cigarette. Those sharp (and censored for this publication) words are the type of response you can expect from Kevin Dunn. He's been known to channel The Dice Man from time to time and in fact his rugby nickname in college was Dice. Dunn has that sort of brash and blunt sense of humor that catches people off guard. You find yourself saying, Did he just say that? And then when you realize he did, you laugh until it hurts. Dunn doesn't pull any punches. He tells you what he thinks. Whether you agree with him or not is inconsequential. I've always admired his gusto and sometimes his acerbic observations are the slap in the face you need. And since Dunn tries to be brutally honest with people, I'm following suit with this write up.
Dunn can drink. I'm not talking about a few beers and shots. That's for the tourists. Dunn puts booze away like a squirrel puts away nuts to get ready for a long winter. The distributors of Gran Mariner (one of his favorites) called him and said, "Please stop. We can't keep up." I once saw him drink Wild Turkey like it was coca-cola and then he chased it with more Wild Turkey. You get the idea. He likes to party, he likes the nightlife. We've known each other since college and shared a lot of good times. He is a lot of fun to be around and he wants everyone around him to have fun. Talk to him at the wedding. I'd be willing to bet you'll laugh. Of course, Dunn and I have had a few bad times together. Like the time I saw him with his shirt off. Not pretty. In fact, that inspired the following Dice joke just for him: What's the difference between Dunn's upper body and a sweater? That's what I say. What's the difference. Ohhhhh!

MTWP: Mike Vorrasi (Vorrasi, Verspuci)

In the song Maggie's Farm, Bob Dylan belted out Well, I try my best/To be just like I am/But everybody wants you/To be just like them. These lyrics are an accurate depiction of Mike Vorrasi. He is not one of the crowd. He's different. And he always views things from an unexpected angle. These are the traits that I like about him and why we've been friends for almost 15 years. Plus, it's a perfect way to be since he is a professional photographer. He's more interested in looking in than fitting in. The subjects of Vorrasi's photos range from rock bands to rocky terrains. He has the ability to capture the essence of these people and places and his stills are always engaging. Vorrasi does have his quirks. He has a strange fascination with Amanda Bynes' movies (I've never even seen an Amanda Bynes' film) and is prone to using sun tan lotion as a hair product. I've seen him dance in the middle of a crowded street. I've seen him strike up conversations with strangers. I've seen him drop his pants at parties, and it wasn't even that kind of party. Needless to say, Vorrasi is a source of entertainment. However, you're not laughing at him, well maybe sometimes, but you're laughing with him. He enjoys life. He likes to have fun. I don't see anything strange about that. So if you smell a guy who reeks like the beach and see him snapping photos, then you've stumbled upon Vorrasi. You'll have a great time talking with him. For a serious conversation, bring up his idol and the only other subject he likes to talk about as much as photography--Bob Dylan.