Thursday, December 1, 2011

Headaches and Weddings





Hi there!

You might remember me from such comment threads as headache fun-time - let me just say that girl, I feel your pain. I cannot remember the last time I didn't have a headache. I've had every test imaginable (CAT scan, MRI, allergy panels, spinal taps, blood work, chiropractor, etc) and the best they can figure out is "you seem to get a lot of headaches." I can't find a specific trigger food, but I try to stay away from all the main ones as much as possible (cheese, nuts, chocolate, citrus, alcohol). Stress is probably my main trigger, seconded by lack of sleep or skipping meals. But, as you said, they're never not there. It's certainly hard to live with and explain to people...

On a different note, I've been reading your blog for about a year and a half now, and as you must know, it's a point of sanity in an otherwise crazy-pants wedding-planning world. I got engaged at the beginning of last December, and started to immediately feel overwhelmed/underfunded while looking at the typical wedding blogs. We live in NYC, where everything is beyond-expensive and I had no idea how I was going to throw (and pay for) a wedding that looked like a blog-post.

And then 28 days after we got engaged, I got the worst news of my life - my younger brother, 22, was in a car accident and didn't survive. Our family was devastated. I didn't know how to get out of bed anymore, let alone think about a wedding. I thought about postponing the wedding, but it became clear that everyone needed something good and hopeful to look forward to, so forward we went with the planning. 

Looking at venues, looking at dresses - all while dealing with an unimaginable loss. The weddings of the blog world didn't just seem unattainable now, they seemed to exist on a different planet. It was so comforting and useful to come to your site and see that real people had small weddings that were about being together with loved ones, not about how many mismatched doilies you could collect from various thrift stores to decorate your DIY dessert buffet.

So we got married last month, and it was small and beautiful and fun and even though I had been afraid for months that I would be too sad to get married without my little brother there, it was a day full of happiness and love.

All of this is to say the following:

1) thanks for doing what you do. It's funny, entertaining, and really helpful to a lot of people.
2) weddings happen in real life, which is complicated.
3) you can get married in nyc (brooklyn to be exact) without spending a fortune.


p.s. Our photographer was Daniel Benjamin

The venue was iCi, a beautiful, delicious, affordable little restaurant in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Their events coordinator, Catherine, was amazing. 

The gorgeous flowers were by Kea Morgan at Sweet & Flower

And you guys, it's The Proenza Schouler. Even more beautiful on a real live bee-yoo-tee-ful bride.

p.p.s. d'you think Melissa would be creeped out if I asked her if she maybe might want to get matching headache-exorcising tattoos?? she is my HEADACHE SISTER.

39 comments:

  1. beautiful story! beautiful bride!

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  2. Weddings and grief are a tricky mistress. You did well, lady. Slainte!

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  3. Wow, the bride just seems like the loveliest person. Sending so many warm thoughts south to BK.

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  4. a beautiful wedding! a nice reminder to everyone about the TRUE meanings of weddings.

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  5. This is so wonderful,and you look so beautiful in that amazing dress!

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  7. "weddings happen in real life, which is complicated."

    YES.

    I'm a faithful ESB reader but have never commented until today. Thank you so much for this, ESB, and thank you also to the bride for sharing her story. I, too, am planning a wedding amidst a family tragedy and totally needed this today.

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  8. Congratulations, Melissa! You look beautiful and I'm glad you had a great wedding.

    BTW: I tried on that dress and looked like a fat sister-wife - as Tom and Lorenzo would say - it was not my dress. You, however, look incredible.

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  9. you are sooo gorgeous and so was your wedding. that third photo and last photo tug at my heartstrings...so lovely.

    whoever wouldn't want to blog this is CRAZY. it sucks that women have to deal with blogs now telling us what is "beautiful". your smile says it all, despite having to go through so much. <3

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  10. So beautiful. And I'm sorry about your brother, and your headaches, life's a bitch sometimes. x

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  11. I can't imagine losing my brother and soldiering on. It must have taken some serious strength. Kudos and love.

    I'm also a headache-stricken woman. I feel ya, ladies.

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  12. Absolutely beautiful for the right, non-main stream reasons. Love it.

    Amen to the headaches. I've had what I call a "low grade" headache nearly every day for years. Damn head.

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  13. Oh, what a lovely story. And I love, love, love that dress but just knew that style looks awful on me, so it makes me very happy to see someone else wearing it so beautifully in "real life." Congratulations.

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  14. this feels like a big verbal hug about why we blog about things that matter.
    thank you for sharing melissa. heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once.
    ps. what lipstick are you wearing?

    and thanks esb.

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  15. What a brave and wonderful woman! Your brother would be very proud of you.

    For all other Brooklyn brides, I'm going to give iCi a huge, second, HIGH FIVE. That place rules. The food is delish and the space is understated and wonderful.

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  16. If you design it, I'll get a matching headache tattoo. Headache nearly every day since I was a small child. Every test imaginable. No reasons, so solutions. "Oh, did you take something for it?" makes me laugh.

    Gorgeous, amazing, beautiful story (and dress! and makeup!)

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  17. @Amy i'm kind of serious about the tattoo. i don't know what it *is* though

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  18. My mother-in-law got headaches all the time until she stopped eating gluten, just sayin in case any one hasn't been tested for celiac disease.

    This wedding is awesome. Love it.

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  19. What a beautiful wedding! I love the red lipstick.

    How heartbreaking to lose a sibling, I cannot imagine the pain of such a loss, but mad props to you for celebrating life in the shadow of death.

    Also, about the headaches: I don't want to be one of those insensitive types who tells everyone on the planet what they should do about their health issues, but have any of you headache-ridden ladies tried acupuncture? It can take up to three months of weekly treatments to really be 100% rid of headaches, but acupuncture really does deliver AMAZING results. I've had many friends and patients with lifelong headache issues who are now headache-free after a course of acupuncture treatment. Just my two cents!
    -Lauren

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  20. Beautiful wedding day. I to have daily headaches I had no idea there were so many of us out there. In a sick way it makes me feel better. HEADACHES SUCK!!!

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  21. what a sweet wedding. Hugs to you, Melissa, a kindred spirit: I lost my very best friend a year ago, which was 6 months before our June wedding, and I was pretty crippled by the whole thing. There was no joy to be had in the wedding preparations + crafts until it all came together in the end - the catharsis my sweetie and I both needed. I'm glad you got to experience the overflow of joy as well.

    p.s. the last picture is great.

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  22. Thank you, everyone, for your kind words and sweet wishes.

    And ESB, your tattoo idea is intriguing, but how do we discover the symbol for headache solidarity?

    For those who were curious, the lipstick was Nars matte velvet lip pencil in cruella.

    Best,
    Melissa

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  23. @Melissa @Amy i just figured out what we're not getting. so apparently a pyramid amulet wards off headache? (who knew!) but we are SO NOT GETTING ONE OF THESE

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  24. C'mon, a pyramid eye tattoo on your eyelid, that's gotta have some amazing healing powers, RIGHT? Why do so many people want that symbol on their body?
    At the moment I'm thinking simply writing "fuck you, head" somewhere on my scalp would do the trick.

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  25. HNNNGH SO PRETTY! Ive been stalking that Proenza and this is just gorgeous. I love the necklaces, too.

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  26. So beautiful. And I'm so sorry about your brother, and your headaches. Life's a bitch.

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  27. @Anon 4:07 I did try acupuncture years ago with no luck, but I'd be willing to try it again. I'm getting so tired of experimenting with drugs :/

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  28. Melissa, I've been thinking about what you wrote all day. That joyous family events like weddings can be a way to take a step past pain and grief - and that really _beyond awful_ things happen but we have to keep living life purposefully - it's difficult to remember. Weddings don't happen outside a normal timeline, and some often it seems like they're floating off in their own alternate universe. Yes.

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  29. Beautiful post.

    On the topic of headaches: also used to get almost daily headaches until I stopped the pill. Now only after booze. Worth a consideration if you haven't tried it.

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  30. head ache= food allergy....I bet a $100 bucks....

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  31. Melissa,

    Your wedding is lovely. Your sweet post is inspiring. I am going through a particularly rough time right now, (you can read more here) and your post gives me strength. Thank you for sharing your brave story.

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  32. Melissa, your story is touching and your wedding was beautiful! You remind me that weddings are not perfect moments, made in isolation. Weddings are made out of love in the midst of Real Life and, as such, are a snapshot of what matters to you at the time of marriage. To me, your wedding is the very picture of togetherness, and I'll bet your family was so grateful that you could give them that as a gift.

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