Interview with Hot Cocoa

Mrs. Hot Cocoa is one of my all time favorite wedding bloggers. She is so smart, beautiful, poised, clever and humble. I loved reading all about her wedding at the Ritz Carlton Marina Del Rey and looking at her beautiful photos. Even better, she describes herself as afflicted with “bargainphilia” – the need to find a good bargain – and was a totally budget conscious bride and snagged so many great deals – check out her $3 wedding invitations later on in the interview.  I’m sure you will all enjoy meeting her – I’ve included many photos of her wedding details throughout. Enjoy!

Who are you? What do you do, and where do you live?

I blog under the pseudonym “Mrs. Hot Cocoa.”  I’m a lawyer by day, dilettante by night.  I live in Boston, MA.

You were one of my favorite wedding bloggers and I loved following along your progress – what has been the #1 most surprising thing about married life?

Aw, thanks!  Probably the most surprising aspect of married life is that it’s really fun.  Someone asked me the other day whether we still have anything to talk about after 18 years together, and the answer is yes.  I mean, 75% of the time I’m talking by nagging, but we still kind of like hanging out with each other.

What did you do with your wedding dress afterwards? What was your favorite item from your wedding?

I think my dresses are still in my mom’s closet; they haven’t even been dry-cleaned yet!  I intended on selling them but never got around to it.

My favorite item from the wedding is definitely my purple silk shantung Manolos.  Even though they were ridiculously expensive (for me), I’ve worn them a number of times post-wedding, and they always make me feel fancy and sassy.

What did you spend the most time obsessing over for the wedding that totally wasn’t worth it after? What about the reverse – something you wish you had spent more time thinking about?

Generally, I was pretty happy with the way things turned out.  There were definitely a few accoutrements — the special booklets I made with our vows that never even made it up to the chuppah, for example — that ended up being a waste of time, but over all, I think we struck a nice balance between the details I loved (and probably nobody else noticed) and the truly significant aspects of the wedding, like the content of the ketubah, the various ways we involved our friends and family, and the integration of our two cultures.

I’m not sure there are things I wish I had thought more about, though if I had to do the wedding all over again (which sounds awesome, btw), I’d make sure to dance with my grandfather while the photographers were still there.  Oh, I’d also would have loved to try on more dresses!  I had a very sensible approach to wedding dress shopping: I was only going to try on dresses in my price range, which meant sample dresses only.  But if I had to do it all over again, I would have gone to Kleinfeld’s and tried on a few $10K Monique Lhuillier numbers . . . just because.  I mean, when else are you going to have the opportunity to swirl around in something that costs more than a car?

What are your favorite items in your closet now?

My navy “Clinton” ruffled trench coat from Anthro, a black voile shirtdress by Alice Temperley for Target, and the various pairs of Lululemon yoga pants I live in when I’m not suited up for work.

What has been the #1 unique lesson in the wedding planning process that you wish you could pass on to brides?

I think 90% of the experience you have on your wedding day is about your own attitude.  If you are determined to enjoy yourself, to cherish each moment, and to be joyous and appreciative. . . toward your partner, your family, your friends, and your vendors, then there’s very little that can prevent you from having an unbelievably awesome day.

What’s a piece of advice about fashion that you’ve learned over time?

No comprendo.  What’s a “budget”?  Just kidding.  You know I’m a total bargainista.  I like to buy pieces that are well-made and fabulous but to only buy them at the absolute lowest price I can find.

For this reason, Gilt, Ruelala, and Ebates are my go-to shopping sites.  Anthro is brilliant, provided you get good at anticipating which items are invariably going to end up on the sale rack and which ones you have to be willing to spend full price on if you don’t want your heart broken.  And my newest discovery is Rent the Runway, where I can “shop” like a socialite on a public interest lawyer’s salary.

Finally – please share something surprising about yourself!