Allyson knew Emmery had something up his sleeve the day he told her he was taking her on a surprise date. But, Allyson didn't want to get her hopes up for anything...can you believe she even tried to talk Emmery out of going and just staying in for the night? 

After asking tons of questions and not getting any concrete answers, Allyson decided to go along with Emmery's little game. But, she thought to herself, if he tells me to bring my camera, I know something is up. And sure enough, as they were getting ready, Emmery asked, "Are your batteries in your camera charged?" 

Ah-ha! He was going to propose...but he followed up with, "I hope you don't mind, but I invited Jose and Joanna." Well now Allyson knew for sure this wasn't the night, so they loaded the things in the car and hit the road. They were driving on I-5 and passed the 110 connector...Allyson thought that was odd since that's the route to Jose's house. So they kept driving and Allyson's brain was going a mile a minute trying to figure out their destination. Knott's Berry farm? Nope, passed it up. Disneyand? Nope, drove right by. A sleazy bar where Emmery's favorite radio host Vic the Brick would be performing with his band Meshuggeners With Attitude? Thankfully, no! The Orange County Fair? No, no, no! So just where could they be headed? 

Finally Allyson could smell the fresh ocean air and realized they were going to the beach. At this time, she knew for sure Jose and Joanna would not be joining them. They pull up to a boat rental place along the marina in Newport Beach...Emmery runs downstairs and leaves Allyson in the parking lot. It was hard for her to resist the urge to ask the other patrons if they knew what the heck was going on, but for Emmery's sake, she just went with the surprise! 

At last Emmery returned...but Allyson had to make a quick trip to the bathroom where many older women were fixing their hair and talking about what bar they were headed to next! Was this a dinner cruise Allyson wondered? The dock master then led them down to a little electric boat. When Allyson stepped on board she saw the feast laid out before her...sandwiches, cheese & crackers, chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. Allyson thought something was fishy. Then the dock master started giving directions to Emmery on how to drive the boat. Allyson thought, are you kidding me? He's taking me out in the ocean? She wasn't sure, but decided to go along with it...afterall, she was holding the map! 

They took off out of the marina...Emmery slipped in his special CD mix and the night began! They ate up the great food, popped the champagne and took in the view of Balboa Island. That's when Emmery started apologizing about not proposing, saying he had all these big plans, but things fell through so instead, Emmery brought her a special gift. He reached into his bag and pulled out a box. Now keep in mind, by this time, it was dark and the lights on the boat weren't much help. Allyson thought, is it jewelry, perhaps a necklace? In her mind the box looked huge! That's when Emmery got down on one knee and professed his love, asking her to spend the rest of her life beside him. It's still unclear whether or not Allyson answered "yes" through all of her tears!

Maggie Sottero Talia

Chinese Laundry Baldwin - Ivory $68

Earrings: Gigi by Kristengrace.com (they look even better in person) $20 + shipping

Hair Flower: I made it myself...just sewed a couple of flowers together then sewed pearls in the center

Our talented friend Jose designed our "save the date" cards. He's willing to do it for other brides too...not sure of the price. Contact Jose:

skillzgraphx@hotmail.com
Los Angeles| CA| 90045
www.artnoir-us.com

These are my inspiration invitations...I'm lucky enough to have my cousin Leilani doing invites, programs, menus, etc. Here is the final product...we love them. Thanks Leilani!

My Martha Stewart works of art:

Martha calls them pom-poms and they can be used like pomanders...but I found these to be much less time consuming. I think it took me about five minutes to make one.

How to Make the Pom-Poms:
You'll need tissue paper and 24-gauge white cloth-covered floral wire.

Hanging Pom-Poms
1. Stack eight 20-by-30-inch sheets of tissue. Make 1 1/2-inchwide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.

2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.

3. Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.

4. Tie a length of monofilament to floral wire for hanging. (I tied a ribbon to the floral wire instead)

To make the SMALLER pom-poms for the pew...I just cut the tissue paper in half the short way. You should get two pom-poms per tissue paper packet. (I bought the 99-cent tissue paper packs from Target)

Still working out the chair signs:

*Here Come the Bride Sign --Flower Girls will carry down the aisle

DIY: Printed out stencils on card stock; traced on muslin fabric with pencil; painted with fabric paint (needed a couple of coats); used stitch witchery to attach another piece of muslin the same size for backing; used dowels to keep from flying around. The bottom one will be cut so you can't see it poking out on the sides.

This is it...except ours will be green buttercream with brown fondant for the bases of each round. I love it and haven't seen a lot of cakes like it.

FOR SALE: JCREW SILK TRICOTINE REBECCA SHORT DRESS

NWT - SIZE 10 - ESPRESSO

$65