Would you love to take a hot air balloon ride this fall? According to Celine, you take off at dawn, and float above farms, rivers and barking dogs. After the ride, you land in a field, and farmer's children run up to you in their pajamas, while you pop open a bottle of Champs. Up up and away! 
The Sartorialist took this street-style photo of two cuties riding bikes in Paris, but isn't that Adrian Grenier? (The Sartorialist's 333 comments seemed to think so.) My mom loves Entourage and always says Vince is "unflappable."
Last weekend, John took his girlfriend Ariel on a fall-foliage drive up Mount Sugarloaf in Massachusetts. Suddenly Ariel spotted a thousand pumpkins in a field below, spelling out "Ari, Please Marry Me." She started crying (naturally) and said yes! How sweet is that? (Read more of the cute story here.)
Today's giveaway is from Marais USA, the adorable shoe collection. They're offering these white oxfords, which would be perfect for chilly walks and dinners with friends this fall. (The winner can choose her size, of course.)
Alex and I are fixing up our place a little this fall, and I find this bedroom makeover hugely inspiring. How gorgeous is the "after" photo? It's hard to believe it's the same space. The charcoal paint was a bold call but it totally works.
Loving these bicycle notecards from etsy shop Farouche.
Have you read the fantastic blog 1001 Rules for My Unborn Son by Walker Lamond? He reveals everyday maxims about how to be a great man, such as:
based on his blog, which comes out on October 27th. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek, and it's heartbreakingly sweet and wise. (I'll admit, it made me tear up a little!) Congratulations, Walker! xo
Not that I need a wedding dress these days, but I'm in love with this Lela Rose gown, especially the graceful twisted straps. Isn't it beautiful?
This weekend suddenly felt like winter, didn't you think? We went on chilly walks, bundled up in coats and scarves, and could see our own breath! So, last night, we decided to cuddle up at home and bake warm pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. They were easy to whip up and incredibly pumpkin-y. The only hard part was trying not to eat all the batter.
Interior designer Grant K. Gibson made a deal with his landlord: If he could skip two months rent, he would renovate his San Francisco apartment. His landlord said yes, and Grant launched the most amazing transformation. First (above), he framed beautiful pages from a book about Rome.
His masculine living room features newly sanded floors, a zebra rug and fig branches. And--surprise!--the bamboo shades are from Target.
Grant cleverly installed mirrors at the back of each bookshelf to make the room feel bigger. And don't you love the portrait hung on the bookcase?
Cobalt blue paint makes the bedroom feel "denlike," and would you ever guess that the iron canopy is from Pottery Barn Teen? Grant also asked his seamstress to make a headboard with inexpensive mohair fabric. 
What are you up to this weekend? The weather is supposed to be pretty grim in New York, so I'd love to go to MoMA and then the MoMA cafe, where everything is teeny and delicious. Have a wonderful weekend, and, meanwhile, here are a few great posts from around the web this week... 
I'm doing a project with YSL this fall, and to celebrate their new perfume, Parisienne, they're holding a fun contest where the winner gets a trip for two to Paris for New Year's Eve! How fun would that be?! Go here to enter. xo
Erin's three-year-old nephew is obsessed with the subway, so she made him a subway map poster for his birthday. She drew his favorite stops, including his friends' houses and, adorably, the Museum of Natural History. Lucky little dude! (See more photos here.)
Finally, I'd love to write a final schmoopy post saying a few final thank-yous...
We couldn't bear to let our guests go quite yet, so for the Sunday morning after our wedding, we arranged a casual brunch in Battery Park's Rockefeller Park, which is right on the water, with old schooners sailing by. After a very rainy weekend (there was even mention of a hurricane!), we were thrilled to see the sun come out. My mom ordered delicious uttapas from Hampton Chutney (Indian pancakes with savory toppings), and we had a bubble machine, balloons, frisbees, bikes, hula hoops and lots of blankets. We loved lying around in the grass, hearing the post-game wrap, and watching the little dudes chase each other around. (Two babies even played footsie!)
We debated having wedding favors--were they a waste of money? would our guests end up throwing them away?--but then we remembered these awesome heart holographic glasses. When you wear them, all points of light (candles, headlights, street lamps) turn into hearts. They're really awesome, and we gave them to our guests so they could have a romantic walk (or cab ride) home through Manhattan. (P.S. I'd love to wear a pair on the Brooklyn Bridge sometime!)
Finally, the reception. First, our guests had cocktails and hors devours in the Reading Room, which was filled with leather club chairs and a giant fireplace--and the ceiling looked like it was straight out of Versailles! Alex was so enamored of the aesthetic that he now wants our apartment to look like a dimly lit social club.
Then we headed upstairs for dinner. We wanted to create a relaxed vibe (and keep the budget reasonable), so we served a Mediterranean buffet--including lamb kabobs, grilled vegetables, cheesy pasta with vodka sauce, and caprese salad--and we didn't do assigned seating. Miraculously, people all ended up sitting with their good friends, and the tables worked out perfectly. (Whew!) Alex and I fall into the small category of People Who Don't Like Cake, so we served homemade cookies for dessert, made by my mom and the fabulous Perl Girl Baking Co. (P.S. Can you spot the two fascinators in the photo above? So cute!)
During dinner, our friends and siblings gave toasts. Alex's friend Brad talked about their early days in New York (where they shared a miniature apartment with a stalker across the hall), Alex's sister Lesley wrote a beautiful poem, my sister Lucy spoke about love and imagination, and Alex's brother Scott gave a funny toast full of California slang (including the line, "Dude, you totally scored.") But the big twist of the evening came when my little brother Nick gave his entire toast in a pitch-perfect New Zealand accent. No joke! The crowd was on fire!
Next up was a slideshow by our beloved friend Jason. He put together baby photos, family snapshots...and embarrassing pictures of us in junior high. He had stalked our friends and relatives all summer to get anecdotes about our lives (e.g., Alex's imaginary friend, Steve), and he wrote a cheeky speech to go along with the photos. It was hilarious, touching and wonderful.
After dinner, we moved into the next room for dancing. Our good friend Maz was our DJ, and we played the Velvet Underground's "I'll Be Your Mirror" for our first dance. (Runners up were "I Don't Wanna" by Patsy Cline and "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You" by Elvis.) We had taken a fox trot class over the summer, but suddenly got nervous, and just danced like 7th graders. Luckily, the audience didn't seem to mind.
And then everyone danced the night away. The star of the show was our redheaded flower girl, Grace, who had so many cool moves! (Click on the photo to enlarge, if you'd like; she's ridiculously cute.)
Right after the ceremony, our guests headed downstairs for cocktails, while Alex and I slipped away for a quiet moment (and to lower our heart rates). Everything was set for the party...
We had framed our grandparents' fabulous wedding photos. (A mix of English ceremonies, Missouri weddings, and war brides! It was so cool to see all their different styles.)
We displayed them on a table next to English lavender plants.
For our British nautical theme, we decorated with ships-in-bottles and blue hydrangeas beautifully arranged by Abbey.
As a surprise gift for Alex, I asked Brooklyn designer Shabd Simon-Alexander to design a custom handkerchief. Together, we chose a goofy snapshot of Alex and me racing on the beach, and she embroidered it on a vintage handkerchief. (See her other rad handkerchiefs here.) It was hilarious and beautiful, and Alex loved it. Thank you, Shabd!
Finally, jewelry designer Blanca Monros Gomez handmade our rings in her Brooklyn studio. My ring has the engraving, "All my love," and Alex's ring says, "All my life." (My maternal grandparents had these words engraved on their rings, too.) We are in love with them, and are thrilled to wear them for the rest of our lives. Thank you, Blanca! xoxo
