Super Junior - Black Suit

OMFGGGG! I didn't think Suju would have another comeback EVER! I'm so happy right now. Y'all know these guys are my favs and have been forever. In fact, nothing less than SJ's comeback probably could have gotten me writing again. Even though it's only half of the original members, I'm so excited about 8-jib! Here's to 12 years of hotness!

They didn't think they'd have a comeback this year either.

I love seeing our oppas looking right in their luxury suits and accessories! If wearing a black suit is too on the nose, how about these suggestions for a feminine take on their sartorial awesomeness? As in their MV for "Devil," stick to mostly neutrals with pops of red.

Super Junior - Black Suit by luhunnie featuring vans sneakers

The look on the far left was inspired by sexy Siwon's sleek black suit and white turtleneck combo. Throw on some Louboutin pumps if you're fancy and a long faux fur coat inspired by Shindong's will keep you warm for a night out on the town.

The look second to the left was a combination of inspirations: I took the navy pinstripe mini from Leeteuk's auctioneer suit and paired it with a casual white tee and Gucci shades a la Heechul. This look could be dressed up or down, but I like the idea of Eunhyuk's black Vans to make a chic and comfy outfit. Try some metallic oxfords for a classier version!

The red dress in the middle is inspired by the backup dancers, as is the floral mesh bodysuit with the velvet mini. The dancers at the auction were wearing such sexy outfits! Channel them in something skintight and neutral with red accents and strappy heels. 

The look on the far right wasn't inspired by any particular pieces, but I think it evokes the menswear "black suit" concept as translated to something cute and feminine. The buttons on the skirt are reminiscent of a double breasted suit jackets, and the black trim on the collar reminds me of a bowtie.

What did you think of Suju's comeback? Do you guys even like SJ, or am I getting old? Lemme just go run and hide as my generation of K-pop goes up in a sea of glitter and confetti. 

Make room, Shindong!

(J/k I like the younger groups too). Check out their catchy new song and MV and tell me what you think! 

Korean Wedding Diary: Finding a Planner

Hey, Lovelies! Sorry for the super long hiatus! LF is now LH (the LovelyHusband), and we've moved back to the States! Even though we've had two weddings by now, I'm going to resume the posts where I left off. As both an outlet for my enthusiasm and to inform about differences between American and Korean weddings, I'm going to continue to dedicate a portion of the blog to wedding planning in Korea. Feel free to ask anything and everything! ^^

Ok, so your bf proposes:

And you're all like:

I ugly cried for a few minutes tbh.

And then after discussing an approximate date, the next step is usually to find a wedding planner. No, I love DIY brides and I totally DIY'd my second (much smaller) US wedding. However, Korean weddings are large and complicated. Most couples need a planner to facilitate meetings between parents and schedule everything. my parents weren't there, but LF is a very busy man and didn't have a lot of time to be calling all of these vendors and scheduling tours/meetings. That coupled with the fact that my Korean is barely passable made a planner necessary for us.

There are different ways to go about doing this. One of the first options is to attend a wedding fair at one of the big shopping centers like COEX or IFC. LH and I did this, and it was overwhelming but informative. Basically, you go through a bunch of vendors speed dating style to discuss tuxes, dresses, hanboks, venues, photos, etc. It wasn't extremely helpful to us except for to confirm that we were definitely on a budget. 

And to take photos in front of all the pretty flowers!

Overall, I really enjoyed looking at all the dresses and tuxes and portrait studio books, but we had to have a serious discussion about the kind of wedding we wanted. We knew a hotel wedding was too expensive, which left us with a couple other options. The most popular ways to get married these days are at Korean wedding halls, or to have a smaller "house" wedding at a pension or rental venue. We decided to look into wedding halls because the planners there are able to handle EVERYTHING. They go through the parents to schedule dress/tux fittings, food tastings, portraits, hair and makeup, and just everything. On the down side, you don't really get to choose or personalize anything except your own appearance. However, I knew I would be able to do all that for my US wedding and wasn't too fussed.

Anyway, an important distinction from North American weddings is that while here it's all about the bride and grooms, in Korea it's all about the parents. We visited a number of wedding halls before they found one they were happy with. Location is especially important! My mother-in-law was adamant that the venue be in a good part of town with no seedy businesses or structures nearby. Another issue was the relatively small number of guests. Most Korean weddings average over 200 guests, but because my guest list was so small we wouldn't reach the minimum guest requirement at many wedding halls. We ended up with I think 118 total guests on the day, which is a large wedding in the US!

My mother-in-law mostly ended up taking over the search after LH got too busy with work and started checking out places on her own. One day, she told me we had an appointment to tour a hall she was sure I'd like. Sure enough, it was in a great location and they had a small enough hall to accommodate our guests. 

Pretty, right? We had a lovely wedding!

So, my suggestion is to first discuss the size and type of wedding you want with your fiancee and parents. If you go the route of a smaller house wedding, I don't know much about that. Some couples also opt to do traditional Korean ceremonies which are usually outdoors. I think they're kind of cool personally, but LH gave that a hard "no" lol. My friend Jessica had a traditional wedding that was really cool, and you can often see wedding ceremonies taking place at various historical sites and folk villages. 

That's all for today! I miss writing, so be prepared for more posts to come soon! 

Kisses,

Angela