Bling!

The wedding frenzy has slowed down a bit since everything has pretty much been squared away... there was a miniature crisis with the make-up artist and I surely will be blogging about that mishap as soon as time permits.

Now I get to finally sit back and enjoy the many rewards of this whole occasion - aside from the whole happily ever after marriage part, of course - but we haven't gotten to that part just yet!

I've gotten some fantastic bling! from friends and family and I really just want to show them all off... I kind of have this squirrel-syndrome where I am very attracted to shiny, sparkly things and I like to hoard them away and bring them out once in a while and just marvel at them and pet them.  Which is why I can't watch ANY of the Ice Age movies because I am literally in agony watching the poor prehistoric squirrel lose all his acorns ALL THE TIME!!  It's so unfair!!!!!

My preciouuuuus.... creepy moment, sorry!

I picked out the wedding veil and necklace and my mommy bought them for me.  I loved them at first sight because they matched my dress so perfectly and because they SPARKLED with crystals!  The veil is elbow length and rounded along the bottom with hand-sewn crystals all along the edges reinforced with glue.  The necklace is a gorgeous pearl and crystal creation with a unique and dazzling designer clasp that also doubles as a vintage-style pendant.  It's from the Summer Ball collection and each necklace is made by hand after purchase by Justine M Couture and can be customized to your specific details, so it really is one-of-a-kind!!!

If you have a keen eye, you may have noticed that there are two amazing pieces of jewelry in the picture next to us.  Well, that is because my MOHizzle extraordinaire had the incredible foresight and generosity to purchase the matching bracelet for me as the Best Birthday Present EVER!  Shout out to her lovely sis Jennifer as well for being a part of this incredible gift!  And, of course, to Mr. Khoa Ngo as well... because well, what's his is Jackie's... and what's his is Jackie's.  LoL.  Shhhh.... no one tell Will my marriage philosophies.

Next, I have this unbelievable display of craftsmanship and thoughtfulness.

SIDENOTE: I think I can also apply as a writer for QVC, yeah?

Once again, Jackie tortured me for weeks over this surprise that she created herself.  It's a full set consisting of a super cool brawler style ring that goes over 2 fingers, a necklace with my name, and a bracelet also with my name spelled out.  I told her a loooooong time ago when I was obsessed with Sex and the City that I wanted a necklace with my name written on it.  And then a few years back I went through this ghetto-fab phase and really wanted giant hoop earrings with my name inside them.  I didn't even remember I had these desires and she busted out with this ultra cool jewelry that she made herself!  She has a newborn... what the heck?!  I think she borrowed that secret necklace from Hermione Granger that gives her extra time.

Harry Potter & LOTR name-drops in one post... sho' nuff!!!


On a Vegas note... My friend & Bridesmaid Mariah got me a little necklace with a shot glass attached.  That little shot glass did me in... good times!  LoL.  She tried finding me a shirt or other kind of gear but they all said pretty vulgar things or like "Buy this b*tch a shot!" or "This b*tch is getting married!"  And it was very perceptive of her to figure out that I wasn't about to run around calling myself a b*tch... please, I have plenty of other people lined up for that job.  I was also fully decked out in the tiara and sash that my bridesmaids gave me for the bridal shower, so it was pretty hard to miss what I was.. although, I strangely still got some "Happy Birthdays!"  Those beads were courtesy of the Rio's Show in the Sky... where they threw down beads from the the floats in the sky... thanks to my super decked-out status, I got beads from every single float!!  No flashing required, stay in boobies!  =P

My  half-sister, Carol, sent me this beautiful heart necklace from Tiffany & Co.  I've never had any jewelry from them before, so it marks a first!  It's pretty awesome because up until 3 years ago, my sister and I had been complete strangers to one another.  I grew up with my mom and dad in America when she was already 18 years old and had her own life in Hong Kong.  Finally, 3 years ago, my mom approached me and asked me to connect with my sister and make friends with her.  It was shocking and weird at first... but she is a really nice person and has a great heart.  Even though we will probably never be as close as sisters who grew up together, I am hopeful that we can spend the rest of our lives building a friendship.

Lastly, and most dear to me, is the gift from my Mom & Grandma.  My mom sat me down this past weekend and pulled out this simple, elegant jade pendant from one of those little Chinese jewelry pouches.  I recognized it immediately because my mom used to wear it almost every day since I was a little girl.  That pendant originally belonged to my Grandma when my aunts and mom all bought it for her birthday before I was even born.  My mom was my Grandma's favorite daughter so she gave it to her to 'keep her safe.'  One day, my mom thought she lost it because her gold chain had broken while she was at the swap meet and she was devastated.  Later that evening, she found out that it was actually trapped inside her many layers of clothing.  Needless to say, she was super relieved but she never wore it again.  So, now, she is passing it onto me because I'm growing up and I'm about to start my own life in my own family... and it will keep me safe.  I treasure it the most above all things because I feel like I'm carrying my mom and my grandma with me close to my heart.