the city by the bay: quest #1 and #2

[wheels up. here we go!]

i've been mia from the blogosphere, but it's been a big week! as some of you know, i headed west last weekend to visit my sis in San Francisco. the weekend itinerary had several critical milestones:

1. first & foremost: BRIDAL GOWN FITTING @ AMY KUSCHEL'S STUDIO
2. tend to a few other wedding details
3. love on, hug, and laugh with my li'l sis
4. love on, hug, and play with my niece
5. eat splendidly

of course, it wouldn't be a crime if a spontaneous dance party erupted in her living room, right?

here's a recap of the trip's first few missions:

we arrived at Amy Kuschel's studio in downtown SF early saturday morning bearing coffee. much to our surprise, we were greeted by champagne cocktails + red velvet cupcakes. the salon was abuzz with activity, giggles, + oohs & ahhs from the doting entourages. it was a glorious saturday at the bridal salon! we're not talking andre, either. the good stuff, from Mumm Napa Vineyards. as in, the beautiful vineyard where co-workers got engaged this summer. as in, what the SF Giants sprayed all over their clubhouse when they clinched the 2010 world series championship. as in, the bottle bubbly hubs + i sipped (chugged) on valentine's 2011. the good stuff.

[we're in the right place!]

[really loved the art deco mirrored tables throughout the studio. similar to some we saw at z gallerie the next day.]

sister looked amazing in her not-quite-yet-hers dress. they're changing the neckline + using a different organza, but she was a glowing bride-to-be regardless.

after another cocktail, we tried a few veils on her noggin'. beeeeeyutifooooooool! there were some great other accessories that beckoned our attention, too.

[bedazzling rainbow of sashes at amy kuschel]

once dress-up was over, we headed around the corner to Britex Fabrics to peruse the wares. there's an entire floor devoted to ribbon + trim. swoon. we found some ribbon to match the "midnight" invitation envelopes she'd scored on clearance. oddly enough the envelopes were actually a perfect match to dark pewter ribbon--not the midnight blue persuasion. the plan is to wrap the ribbon around the letterpress invitations. double triple swoon.

[glorious wall o' ribbon]

then, we headed to the ferry building for a little farmer's market sampling. a nibble here, a nibble there. yum, yum, yum. all that sampling made us hungry, so we split a grilled cheese sammich + a dozen oysters paired with chardonnay...though the oysters were the size of a nickle.

[the sf ferry building farmers market. at least the snow forecast was wrong.]

[bundled up by the bay bridge]

[sister bride-to-be with the nickle-sized oysters. note how the lemon wedge dwarfs the tiny sucker!]

after the bite, we grabbed a few loaves of fresh bread at acme bread + headed back across the bay for the afternoon adventure. stay tuned for the adventure post...

[freshly baked loaves @ acme bread co]