Kara and Groomzilla

Calligraphy

2010-01-30T19:30:00.000-08:00

By addressing our save-the-dates, I have learned just how much it sucks to address 150 envelopes. And that my handwriting just doesn't look that great after the first 20. It was kind of funny how the process went... the first five were like warm-ups, allowing me to get the spacing figured out and get in the right handwriting "mood," giving the right amount of pressure and getting just the right amount of slant. Then I was in this groove for a few envelopes, and those were going really well, and I liked how they turned out. But then I realized just how many we had left to go, and I started thinking more about just cranking them out rather than making them look nice. So, for those that are not so good at math, that means that I was happy with about 15 out of the 150 save-the-date envelopes. And, unfortunately, I had not thought to order extra envelopes, so we had to send them all out, even the really crappy ones.

When we started to address the international ones to Steve's family, I was like screw it, I don't even know how these addresses are supposed to look--Steve, you're doing these. So, sorry Euro-fam--I hope Steve's handwriting was good enough to get them over the Atlantic to you!

Anyway, the whole experience has me thinking about hiring a calligrapher to address our invitations. We had not budgeted for this, so we may not be able to work it out. But I think it would be a really nice touch, and it would save us a lot of annoying work.

So I went to Etsy.com to look for some inspiration.

It is really interesting to see the kinds of calligraphy that I am naturally drawn to... since our invitations are more in the minimalist/modern vein, it is strange that I most love whimsical styles, like this one called "Flourish" by Etsy seller lilflower:

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I like that the "swirls" of the names form the lines for the rest of the address, that is kind of a neat touch.

I basically love anything by Etsy seller e.Danae, like these ones in "Spencerian" by e.Danae, with a watercolored flower:

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LOVE IT!

And "Lucie," again by e.Danae (although mostly what I like about this one is the fact that the writing extends off the page):

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And gorgeous "Loopy Luxe" by e.Danae:

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Don't they look so pretty?

But like I said, these swirly styles don't really "go" with the style of our invitations, so I tried to find something a little sleeker and more contemporary, like this style by Etsy seller Primele:

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And this calligraphy by Etsy seller 2inspire would be a good fit, since it is a little "swoopy" in the S's and also has a good amount of "slant" in the rest. These are highly technical terms of art, by the way.

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I think a really complementary style for ours might be "Olivia" by Etsy seller BarbaraKua--it's simple, slanty and chic. And doesn't it look just slightly vintage?

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What do you think? Are these pretty, or over-the-top? As a recipient, do you appreciate a well-addressed envelope?

How to Pick a Wedding Date

2010-01-28T18:50:00.000-08:00

In honor of the fact that we will be saying "I DO!" exactly seven months from today, I wanted to write about our wedding date, August 28, 2010, and why we picked that particular date.

I think, for most people, the most important factors are (i) which season you want to get married in, (ii) how much time you want to spend planning your wedding, and, for couples with a specific venue in mind, (iii) which dates the venue is available.

When we decided to get married in Billings, we quickly decided that we wanted it to be during the summer so that we could marry outside. We did not want to get married in 2009 because we would only have had 7-9 months to plan and our family already had a lot going on in 2009, with baby Stella arriving in January and Alex graduating in May. Also, I knew that I wanted at least one year to plan it. We definitely could have done it in less time, but why would we want to? There is so much work that goes into planning a wedding, and I wanted it to be a fun experience, not stressful. And having a longer engagement allowed us more time to save up for it. And, as it turned out, I was crazy busy at work all during the summer of 2009, so it would have been really difficult to fit in our wedding, let alone plan it.

So we were looking at Summer 2010. We got lucky as far as venues go, since mom and Jerry didn't have any other bookings for that summer :) We started looking toward the end of the summer so that we would have more reliable weather (June in Montana is still very temperamental, weather-wise), and so that we'd have the whole summer to get the yard and the barn ready. It made sense to keep the date close to September 1, when I would be getting more vacation time, so that I would be able to take of enough vacation time for our wedding and honeymoon. But we didn't want it to be over Labor Day weekend because so many people do other things that weekend and I did not want them to have to choose between their other plans and our wedding. Oh, and we wanted it on a Saturday.

Steve threw out the date August 28, 2010, and it just really stuck. Also, it just so happened that my mom was first married on August 28 back in 1976 and Steve's parents were married on the 28th of December in 1969. So, in addition to being highly logical, the 28th of August made sense for sentimental reasons, too.

There you go--the explanation behind our wedding date! How did you pick your wedding date?

STDs!

2010-01-26T18:56:00.000-08:00

So we finally kicked our save-the-dates out the door! It was really nice to get that big task out of the way. We ended up sending out save-the-dates to about 2/3 of our guests... the people who would need to travel to attend the wedding and those close to our families, just to build excitement. So now that we have taken care of that, we can share them with all of you on here!

Our save-the-dates are "monarch" size, 3.75"x7.25", printed on Crane Lettra 220 lb. 100% cotton duplex paper in Ecru. As I wrote about before, the duplex paper is twice as thick as the regular Crane Lettra paper, so it can handle deep letterpress impressions on both sides. We chose Ecru as the color, rather than a standard white or off-white shade, to lend a slightly more rustic and warm touch and to balance out the otherwise modern design.

On the back side is a repeating, blind-embossed pattern of our wedding date written several different ways, our names, and "Save the Date" in a modern, san-serif font all over the entire side of the card. I love the tactile "texture" it creates on the surface of each card.

Then, on top of the blind embossing is the phrase "Save the Date," in my actual handwriting! In order to do this, I wrote out "save the date" on a piece of paper about 200 times until I found one that I thought would work well with the design. Then I scanned it and e-mailed it to Kristin, who converted it into a vector image and then created a letterpress printing plate from it. We were trying to achieve a similar look as these Linda and Harriet invitations, and it was Kristin's idea to use my handwriting... it was super fun to work on!

Then, on the front we used the same Century Gothic font as the blind embossing and just kept it as simple as possible. In arranging the text, we were trying to mimic the look of the invitations of Steve's parents' wedding in 1969... I don't know if I would say it ended up looking retro, but I liked the idea of echoing the style of their invitations. Also, at the top are our names, again in my handwriting.

Sorry for the blurring... I just didn't want our whole names on there on the WWW. If there was one thing I could change about them, it would be the color of the envelopes. I wanted something more in the chartreuse family. However, once we finalized the design and the size of the cards, our envelope choices were limited and I picked this one. In retrospect, I wish I would have chosen to go with a different size so that we could get the right color of envelopes or else I would have picked envelopes in a completely different color, probably "kraft" (light brown recycled-paper look). But, I am super happy with the overall end product! And now we know to think about the envelopes early on (which we have done for our invitations), so it was a good lesson learned!

What do you think? Did you mark the date on your calendar?

Nashan Photographers

2010-01-21T21:53:00.000-08:00

One of the very first wedding-related tasks that we completed was selecting our photographer. We were looking for someone who had an eye for capturing the smaller, emotional moments so that when we look back through our wedding album later on, we remember all of the feelings from that day.

There are a lot of talented photographers in Montana, and we found several in the Bozeman area that we really liked. However, with some photographers' packages costing more than $8,000 (!!!), we had to work really hard to find the best photographer at a price point that we were comfortable with. As it turned out, my favorite photographers of all, Nashan Photographers, offered packages at totally reasonable prices, so it just kind of worked out naturally.

We decided to go with Bärbel from Nashan Photographers, in large part because she photographed the wedding of a friend of mine from my sorority, who had nothing but the best things to say about Bärbel and the pictures were beautiful.

One thing we are looking forward to is the complimentary engagement photo session that is included in the package we booked with Bärbel. We have talked about trying to have Bärbel come out to Seattle so that some of our photos can be here, where we live... but that may not be financially feasible. So we may end up going to Bozeman to have our engagement pictures done, which would be just fine with me since I have not been back since I graduated from college, and I sure miss that place!

To get some ideas for our engagement shoot, I have been looking through engagement shoots on the Nashan Photographers website, and I wanted to share some of my favorites with you all!

As a whole, I really liked this set of photos:

Especially these, which I think look really fun:

And these really caught my attention, with the gorgeous country in the background and the industrial edge added by the railroad tracks. I think the railroad adds something really cool to the classic walking-away-while-holding-hands picture... don't you think?

Okay, I LOVE this set. This couple just looks so fun-loving and happy. I love this first photo and that they're just having a glass of wine. This is what e-photos should be like--pictures of couples doing things they normally do, but taken from a more complimentary angle and with the couple looking better than normal :)

And I love the inclusion of the barn in this one--it's just such a beautiful building and and the red with that blue sky behind compliments the bright colors of their outfits perfectly.

And, for me, this is what really makes the set--look how happy she looks in this photo! What a cool idea. I love the colors and the vintage look of this whole shoot.

What kind of stuff should we do during our engagement photos?

Hair--Help!

2010-01-16T08:55:00.000-08:00

According to our checklist on theknot.com, between now and February 10, I am supposed to think about how I might want my hair to be done on our wedding day.

So, let's begin. There are two basic criteria that must guide this discussion. First, for several reasons, I would like to have my hair off of my neck. So that requires either (a) an up-do; or (b) a short cut (unless you can think of another option?). For the last year, I have been growing my hair out in order to have a choice between those two options.

The second is that whatever I do, it needs to have quite a bit of volume. I have a wide, round face (have you ever tried on my sunglasses? They'd probably swallow your face), so having some kind of slicked-back or straight-down 'do just does not look flattering on me.

I have been looking to the internet for some inspiration before I start official hair trials.

This one would be a great choice because it has a nice amount of "pouf," there is no hair on the neck, and it is really pretty, don't you think?

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I like that it's basic, but it may be a little too basic... but on the other hand, that would help to make my earrings stand out.

This Carrie Underwood style is a really great option--it has the sexy side-swept bangs, a bit of volume on the top and sides, and the curls in the back give it a little more... something.

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I think this one is nearly the same as the one above, but it gives a better shot of the back. It also shows that it comes down a lot farther down the neck and towards the upper back... maybe too far (given criterion number one above).

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Now a couple of short styles... I really love this short, wavy bob look. It is pretty casual, but we are getting married outside, which I think is per se casual as far as weddings go.

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It's short enough (or at least it could be short enough) that it would not cover my neck, and I could add some volume up top, too. This one is similar, although it looks a little too beachy...

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I really really like this next style. I know it's really plain, but I like that about it. I like the deep side part and the bangs, and that the pony tail is long enough to drape nicely over the shoulder.

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However, my hair is not long enough--nor will it be, even seven months from now--to really achieve this look. I would have to consider getting extensions, which I guess would be an option, but I don't really like that idea.

What do you think? I am so torn, and I really need input on this one. Please help!

Chuppah

2010-01-12T22:10:00.000-08:00

A chuppah is a canopy traditionally used in Jewish weddings. It is essentially a cloth supported by four poles:

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During a wedding ceremony, the bride and groom stand together underneath a chuppah, which symbolizes the couple's home. The cloth overhead represents the presence of God over the covenant of marriage.

Although Steve and I are having a secular ceremony, we wanted to incorporate some Jewish traditions into our wedding. One, as you might have guessed by now, will be our chuppah.

We have not yet figured out exactly what it will look like, but here are a few that I like so far...

I like the simple, organic twist that the wood supports bring to this one.

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But I love the grandiose elegance of this one.

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And this one has been a long-time favorite of mine, as we initially wanted to marry on the beach somewhere warm and tropical, where this one would fit in perfectly.

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I kind of like the modern edge of this one, or something along these lines, although I think it has the highest potential of looking so 2010 as we celebrate our 10th, 25th, and 50th wedding anniversaries.

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They're all very different, and I can't decide which way we want to go. Which one is your favorite?

Who needs a drink?

2010-01-09T22:00:00.000-08:00

I have been trying out a new cocktail recently. I am not sure what you would call it. Let me know if you have any ideas!

1 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1 oz. gin

1 oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

Basil

Sparkling wine

Muddle your herb over ice in a cocktail shaker. Add the lemon juice, gin and St. Germain's and give it a good shake. Strain into a champagne flute, then top with sparkling wine (or soda if you want to cut it back a little bit). If you like drinks on the sweet side, add a little simple syrup. Enjoy!

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p.s. if you try this out, let me know what you thought!

Reception in a Tent

2010-01-07T22:00:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to get married outside in Montana this August. Going to Montana during the summer is vacation time. It's warm (if not hot), dry (this is a good thing from a Seattleite's perspective), sunny and just laid-back and relaxing. Our wedding will be particularly special, since it will be right at home in the backyard.

With that comes a lot of good things... but there are also many added challenges. For example...

Every. Single. Thing. Has to be rented/built/borrowed/etc. We are talking the basics, like tables and chairs and stuff like that--the obvious stuff. But then add plates, glasses, and silverware. And salt and pepper shakers and water carafes. And like 100 more items that would typically be provided by a traditional venue.
You have to provide super basic facilities that you normally wouldn't have to think about, like electricity and lights, and whether there are enough bathrooms. And where does the bartender keep the ice? And where does the caterer wash the dishes and get water?
You need to have a grassy area big enough to accommodate a HUGE tent. That's hard to come by. Sometimes you have to just grow more grass.
The weather cannot be controlled. So, while I really want to put drape tulle from the perimeter of the tent down to the ground (think curtains), we might have to consider putting up sidewalls if it gets windy in order to keep all the candles from blowing out.
It's expensive.
It's literally a blank, white shell. There isn't any ambiance to work with. You have to add everything to it.

On the other hand...

It's a blank, white shell. You can do whatever you want with a tent.
You can start decorating as soon as it's assembled; you don't have to wait until 12:00 pm on the day of the wedding, or adhere to other venue-imposed restrictions.
There is nothing better than being outdoor for an evening celebration, with twinkling lights, crisp night-time air and the beautiful outdoors as the background.
You can put it wherever you want to. Well, wherever you want to where it will fit.
Tents can be so gorgeous... check these out:

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My favorite style is like this one, a Sperry tent. It's made out of sail cloth.

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Is a tent worth all of the hassle? Or do you think hotels sound like a pretty good deal--with their in-house coordinator, catering, bar, dance floor, flatware, china, glassware, etc.?

Bridal Sketches

2010-01-05T22:23:00.000-08:00

Has anyone seen lately some of the sketches that designers have drawn of wedding gowns they've designed for celebrity brides? They're so beautiful! If you are a celebrity bride, chances are pretty good that your designer will gift you a sketch of the gown he personally designed for you, like Fergie received from Dolce & Gabbana:

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And this one for Katie Holmes, by Giorgio Armani (sorry the picture is so small... couldn't find a better one):

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Or this one, by Angel Sanchez for Eva Longoria:

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Love, love, love.

But even if you don't have Giorgio or Angel working for you, you can still get a custom sketch of your dress--you can commission your own from Dreamlines, who creates the drawings based on a photograph of you in your actual dress. It costs around $100, and has a very quick turn-around--only about a week. And the artists that do them allegedly live in the South of France, which apparently makes them more valuable and chic, or something. They really are pretty fantastic. Check these two out:

Aren't these cool? I can't wait to get a sketch of my own!!!

It's Not Trash, It's Recyclable!

2010-01-03T20:36:00.000-08:00

You have probably heard of the recent trend of "trashing the dress," when a bride wears her dress the day after the wedding during a photo shoot that revolves around completely ruining the dress. If you are not familiar, here are some examples...

Beach shots are common...

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As well as water.

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Fire is not too common, for the obvious reason.

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Although the photo above was probably photoshopped, it reminds me of a story a coworker told me. When his sister got married a few years ago, the reception was near a lake. When they made their grand exit, all the guests were given sparklers to form a sparkling "aisle" in the dark for the couple to walk through as they made their way down to the dock where a boat was waiting to take them to the lake-side resort where they spent the night. As they were waving goodbye and about to kick off, an overly-excited guest threw his sparkler toward the lake, but it landed on the bride! Her entire dress went up in flames and she had to jump into the lake to put out the fire. What a way to start your wedding night, right?

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This last one makes me feel a little sick to my stomach. No clothing should be treated this way, especially a wedding gown!

It shouldn't really concern me what other people do with their gowns. I know a lot of people keep theirs forever, and I think that's pretty cool. Some people sell theirs used to try to get some of the money back. That's great too. But I think that if you care so little about your wedding gown that you're willing to roll in the mud in it, why not donate it so that someone who's less fortunate can wear a beautiful gown on her wedding day? It's too bad. And anyway, who wants a bunch of photos of them jumping in and out of water, with mascara running and hair looking like a drowned rat. Sick.

Who knows why I even care... maybe it's the Charlotte in me that has a problem with being disrespectful of wedding gowns. Remember that episode of Sex and the City, when Anthony tells Charlotte to keep her legs together during the "chair thing" at their wedding, because "nobody wants to see the bride's beaver," and Charlotte told Anthony not to say that in front of her dress? I miss that show...

What do you think? Did you trash your dress? Would you trash your dress?

Mad Men Wedding

2010-01-02T20:17:00.000-08:00

I recently became obsessed with AMC's series Mad Men, so you can imagine my delight when I stumbled across this photo:

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It's a picture of the real-life wedding of Christina Hendricks, who plays Joan in the series! I love the bridesmaids' vintage dresses and their cute little colored veils.

And check out what the groom wore:

I love it!!!!

On a sad note, however, I learned just a few days ago that InStyle Weddings (the source of these photos) is no longer going to be published. This is very sad news, because InStyle had some of the best ideas and beauty tips, and wasn't crammed with a million ads for ugly wedding dresses (Brides, I am talking about you). RIP InStyle Weddings Magazine!

That old saying...

2010-01-02T12:30:00.000-08:00

I am sure you have heard the saying,

Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe

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Bet you didn't know that last line, did you? I did not until today. Thanks, Google!

Does anyone know where this came from? Or what the meaning of each item is? And what happens if you do not have something from each of the four categories, plus a sixpence? And where do you find a sixpence these days, anyway?

I am not sure if this is accurate, but here is what Yahoo says:

A sixpence is a coin that was minted in Britain from 1551 to 1967. It was made of silver and worth six pennies. So this wedding tradition is definitely English, and many sources say that it began in the Victorian era.

Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy. "Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past. "Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead. "Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.

As for the colorful item, blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color. Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced in proverbs like, "Marry in blue, lover be true."

And finally, a silver sixpence in the bride's shoe represents wealth and financial security. It may date back to a Scottish custom of a groom putting a silver coin under his foot for good luck. For optimum fortune, the sixpence should be in the left shoe. These days, a dime or a copper penny is sometimes substituted, and many companies sell keepsake sixpences for weddings.

I am not a superstitious person, but I think it might be kind of fun to do something like this. Maybe not the penny in my shoe--that might become uncomfortable.

What about you? Did you do this (or do you plan to) at your wedding? What did you use for your borrowed, old and blue items?

Heel Protectors

2009-12-30T18:55:00.000-08:00

Most women know that dressing up for an outdoor soiree can lead to this...

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The sinking-into-the-grass annoyance, and the tragic demise of an otherwise perfectly good pair of heels.

To avoid this problem, I have thought about alternatives to stilettos, like wearing chunkier heels or flats or wedges. But my dress really won't go with chunky heels or wedges, and I don't want to wear flats on our wedding day. So those are out.

I have also thought about just getting over it, trying to ignore the problem during our wedding and just prepare myself for whatever damage might come to my shoes. That's pretty much what I do on any other day, so that could work...

But I was prompted to look for a solution when I started thinking about the possibility of walking down the aisle, sinking into the grass--or worse, accidentally getting my shoe stuck and "walking" out of it, where it stays stuck in the grass--with hundreds of eyes on me, for the duration of that slow, long walk down the aisle.

So, I found some prospective problem-solvers.

Here is a set of "Smart Heels."

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While this is a useful invention, I don't think it addresses my specific concern. It could come in handy walking around town, where there is a risk of smudging up a heel by inadvertently slipping it into a grate or a crack in the sidewalk, etc. But it doesn't look like it would do much for keeping heels above grass.

Sole Mates' "High Heeler," on the other hand, is a product marketed specifically for using with heels in grass.

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It looks like it would help to keep a skinny heel from sinking in. But it also looks kind of clunky, doesn't it? I mean, anything along these lines will look a little clunkier than just a naked stiletto, but the lip on the top part of the attachment just looks a little distracting when it is on the shoe.

Pretty Pink Toes, based in England, makes these Clean Heels Heel Stoppers:

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Ignore the little crystal in the photo above. Here is a different view:

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Not bad, huh? It certainly has a wide enough surface to keep a heel above ground. And its narrower heel-gripping sleeve looks a little sleeker than the High Heelers above.

There is a very similar product called Heels Above, shown here:

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The contrast of the clear-on-black is a little stark, but if you look at the photo just above (the one with the clear Heel Stopper on the ivory shoe), it is much less noticeable, don't you think?

Ladies, what do you think about this? Should I just tough it out? Are these too noticeable? What would you do?

Zenadia Design's "Rock & Roll Chic"

2009-12-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

I have shared photo montages from Zenadia Designs' blog before, but I started to feel like that was blog cheating or stealing or something... so I wasn't going to feature any more. But that was before I saw this one, which I had to share. Rock and Roll Chic!

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If you click on the picture, you'll be able to get a closer look at it. My favorite pictures are the ones of the layers and layers of pink and white chiffon in that messy studio, shown in the top center photo, and the full, feathered skirt in the bottom right photo. Actually, I like them all and the way they are put together.

What I want to know is, ladies, how would you have reacted if I said I wanted you all to wear long, strapless bridesmaid dresses in horizontal black-and-white stripes?

Fonts for Peas

2009-12-27T19:25:00.000-08:00

Through my favorite blog/forum/advice/everything-wedding-related website, weddingbee.com, I discovered a fantastic website called Fonts for Peas, which is part of the blog kevinandamanda.com. It's an e-valhalla of cool, free fonts that are derived from real people's handwriting.

The blog's readers can submit their own handwriting samples to Amanda, who then transforms the handwriting into an electronic font. Pretty cool, huh? The best part about it is that all of the fonts are created at no charge to the submitter and can be downloaded by anyone for free! I picked out a few of my favorites to share with you all...

"Pea Quinn" would be cute for invitations to a kid's birthday party, wouldn't it?

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I really like that "Pea Lovey Dovey" is swirly but not stuffy... it's whimsical!

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"Pea Nic Script" is a good every-day font... it's like, I am in a hurry because I am a busy person, but I am never too busy to look chic. I like it.

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Isn't this a cool idea? How would you use a font of your handwriting? For those of us not blessed with remarkable handwriting, it's kind of nice to be able to find fonts that look like handwriting, except cooler than our own. But doesn't it seem weird that--if your handwriting was converted to a font--a person could download your handwriting and use it for their own purposes?

p.s. For those of you who may not have any experience adding new fonts to your computer's basic repertoire (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial, Verdana, etc.), you can do so by simply downloading an electronic file to your computer, and then complete a couple of additional steps to "add" the font file to your word processing program. This website provides some guidance for Microsoft Word users. You can also buy software with font "libraries," but there are many available for free online if you just search around a bit.

Reception Entrance Song

2009-12-26T20:00:00.000-08:00

So, two main points about this post. First, I learned how to embed youtube videos, which I am really excited about. It's super easy (or else there would be no youtube video in this post!). If you're interested in learning how, this site breaks it down pretty easily. I think it is safe to say that there will be several more youtube videos in future posts.

Second, I was looking for inspiration for songs we could have our DJ play when we enter the reception tent, and I found this clip:

The DJ introduces each pair of the wedding party and then plays a song as they walk/dance/strut out, do a little dance or something in front of the crowd, and then line up as the next couple is introduced, and so on, until the bride and groom are finally introduced.

This particular "entrance" was laden with several Star Wars references, which made me think of Steve, of course. I also really like the idea of introducing each of our wonderful friends to the rest of our guests.

Even though it is a little cheesy and drawn-out (almost 10 minutes!), I would really enjoy watching this kind of grand entrance if I were a guest at a wedding. But if I were in the wedding party, I would most likely die of embarrassment! Having to "dance" into a reception alone--with hundreds of people watching--could be one of my greatest fears. I am the kind of person who only enjoys dancing after several drinks, preferably in the middle of a large crowd of less talented dancers.

Would you enjoy watching this kind of entrance? Would you enjoy being part of this entrance? Which song would you want the DJ to play for you?

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Seattle!

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Un-Matchy Bridesmaids

2009-12-24T13:05:00.000-08:00

In a recent wedding magazine, I saw an ad for bridesmaid dresses by Anna Elyse. Her dresses were kinda pretty (kinda predictable), but the combination of different colors caught my eye.

Anna Elyse dresses can be ordered in well over 100 different colors in silk dupioni, taffeta or satin. With so many colors and fabric textures to choose from, it would be difficult to choose just one (or even two or three), and the designer's suggested collections of close-but-not-matchy-matchy colors are just brilliant.

For example, here is a line-up of her "Simplicity" silhouette dresses (long A-line with empire waist):

When I look at these, I think of hot chocolate, toasted marshmallows, graham crackers and whipped cream... Basically all the essentials for the destination winter wedding in Big Sky that I blogged about a while back.

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And this is the "Audrey" silhouette (classic A-line):

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It's like watermelon meets bubble gum meets candied apples. Perfect for a July wedding!

The Winslet silhouette (empire waist with wide A-line) is shown here:

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I love these earthy green colors... the skirt seems a little dramatic for a "green" wedding, but these colors in a shorter style would go perfectly with tree sapling favors and an all-organic menu. And plantable wedding invitations, obviously.

Of course, the bridesmaids' dresses have long ago been picked out and ordered, and--somewhat by accident--they are all exactly the same color and style. It just so happened that nearly all the girls* loved (and looked gorgeous in) this particular style, so it just kind of worked out that way. But if we did not find the dresses, I would have loved to do something along these lines, with different but coordinating colors. Which color would you choose--blues? Greens? Browns? Pinks?

*For the record, it was not as if one of them did not like the dress... it's just that she hasn't yet had the opportunity to see it and try it on!

Billy Balls

2009-12-23T19:30:00.000-08:00

Aren't these the cutest flowers you have ever seen?

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They are officially named Craspedia (genus), and they are of the daisy family. However, they are usually referred to as Billy Buttons or Billy Balls.

They are perennials and have a fairly long season, usually summer as well as fall. The "ball" is actually an aggregation of teeny-tiny florets.

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I think they look awesome clumped together in a tight bouquet like the one on the right below.

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What do you think?

I also love their modern/minimalist look in these white vases:

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I could see these being used in a casual summer wedding... the ladies could wear aquamarine dresses with bouquets of these, and the men could wear grey suits with a simple little billy ball boutonniere. And sneakers with their suits... they would fit in perfectly with that kind of wedding.

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How would you use these flowers?

Rules of Engagement

2009-12-21T19:38:00.000-08:00

Steve here, making my blogging debut. For this special occasion, I really wanted to write about which stamps we were going to use for our save-the-dates and wedding invitations, but somebody already used that idea.

So what to write about? I thought to myself, there are a lot of minefields out there when talking about wedding planning with your fiancee. Now that Kara and I have been engaged for just over one year, I have become somewhat of an expert on these so-called "Rules of Engagement." I write now to share a few of these for the benefit for all bro-kind.

Rule No. 1

The first rule of engagement is that there shall be no jokes when talking about wedding planning. This is serious business, my friends--trust me.

The first clue that the mirth of your engagement has been eclipsed by the planning of your pending nuptials--and that, therefore, no wedding-planning-related jokes should be made--typically comes in the form of the arrival of sack of 25 pounds of wedding magazines.

In case you missed this potentially subtle indicator, do not fret. There is a second phase of warnings, typified by the appearance of an assortment of excel spreadsheets on your computer desktop (e.g., master wedding guest list, master wedding budget, master list of ice sculptors in Yellowstone County specializing in small woodland creatures, etc.) and scraps of the aforementioned wedding magazines strewn about the house, waiting to meet their gluey fate in your fiancee's wedding scrapbook.

If you fail to heed this cautionary tale, unto the breach you will go, my friends. For instance, while you may relish the awesomeness of a Star Wars themed wedding, pontification about your bride wearing a full-body Chewbacca costume with a tiara will be met with scathing disapproval from your betrothed. Suddenly you will realize that an easy laugh is not worth the verbal disembowelment. Wedding planning is no laughing matter. Think of it this way, would you like your fiancee to joke about the size of your penis?

Rule No. 2

The second rule is that one shall listen very closely to his fiancee as she explains to him the minutiae of wedding planning. While it would be easy to zonk out, daydreaming about your next Grand Theft Auto mission, do not take this road. You must learn the art of active listening, or risk being subject to random comprehension and approval testing ("so which swatch do you think will go better with the chivari chairs?"). Failure of these pop quizzes on more than one occasion may lead to an onslaught of irrational, rhetorical questions, including "Do you even want to get married?" and "Do you even care how the universe will see us as a married couple?" Just repeat after me: "I am sorry honey, of course I do. Can you repeat that last part? I had just been thinking about whether we should go with 'plum' rather than 'aubergine' as our color palette."

Rule No. 3

The third--and most important--rule is that, during any battle, the general is always right. You need to know the chain of command. Your fiancee will always outrank you. Always. Although this sounds like an adversarial process, wedding planning can actually be quite fun, you get to do it with the woman of your dreams. If you play your cards right, you may also find activities that you enjoy (e.g., wedding cake tasting, food tastings, etc.), so long as you remember the most important maxim: just as it is in marriage, your lady is always boss.

"He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious."

Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Stamps

2009-12-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

I have never given very much thought to what type of stamps I use... I rarely use them, and often the postage has increased since the last time I bought a few, so I have to keep a bunch of those $.02 stamps around. Speaking of which, I only recently learned (when I was browsing usps.com for wedding stamps) that this picture is of a "Navajo Necklace," not a crazy-looking reindeer, like I previously thought. Doesn't this look like a reindeer at first glance?

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Now that I look at the picture close-up, I see that it clearly says "Navajo Jewelry" on the side. Ha!

Anyway, since we have put quite a bit of thought into the other aspects of our invitations, it would sure be a shame to use those blasé forever stamps, wouldn't it? And, we're going to need more than the standard book of 20 to get these suckers out the door... if we're going to be sticking hundreds of stamps, wouldn't we at least want them to look nice?

You can do your own stamps these days, as you are probably aware, like this couple did.

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I am pretty sure all of our friends would make fun of us for getting stamps made of ourselves, so we're going to opt out of those. I am not really a fan anyway. And, it's difficult to justify the added expense of custom stamps.

How cool would it be to mail invitations with collections of vintage stamps, like these ones:

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Here is a pre-vintage-stamped envelope that you can buy:

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I love this! But wow, very expensive.

The Post Office now offers a couple of wedding-specific stamp options like these:

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... and these:

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I really like both of these a lot.

But I really LOVE the "Love" series. Here was 2008:

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And 2007:

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2006:

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2005:

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But my favorite so far was the one from 2009 (luckily, huh?):

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It's the King and Queen of Hearts! The King and the Queen are each their own $.44 stamp, but I like them pushed together like they are shown above. As it turns out, our invitations will require extra postage, and it might make sense to use two of these--wouldn't that be perfect?

I just hope that the postage doesn't go up again before we send out our invitations. I am nearly out of reindeer.

Paper Shopping

2009-12-19T12:30:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned a while back, we've been working with Kristin of Twin Ravens Press to come up with a custom design for our save-the-dates and wedding invitations.

Kristin runs a letterpress studio, which means that she prints invitations using a process wherein the ink is actually pressed into the paper, leaving an inked impression in the paper. If you are not familiar with the process, she wrote about it briefly here and included a short video about "The modern art of letterpress printing." It's pretty interesting!

Anyway, because in letterpressed paper the text and the design of the invitation goes into the paper, the weight of the paper makes a big difference in the way the final product turns out.

I am no expert on this matter, but it seems to me that 110 lb. paper seems to be the usual weight for letterpress. It is substantial and relatively inflexible, and thick enough that you can get a crisp impression. This reply card was printed on 110 lb. Crane Lettra paper:

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See how it leaves an indentation along with the ink? Here, you can see it a little better in this close up of a blind-embossed "thank you," also printed on 110 lb. Crane Lettra paper:

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Looks nice, right? For single-sided designs, I think it looks great.

However, in my opinion, 110 lb. paper does not work very well with a design that is printed on both the front and the back of the paper. For example, take a look at the card below--the client that ordered these wanted a really deep impression on the double-sided response cards:

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See how the impression on the back shows through on the front? For this particular design, I think it looks okay, but in general, double-sided designs would look a little... cleaner (or something) if you could not see the "push back" (as Kristin calls it) from the opposite side.

Because we wanted to use both sides of the paper in our design, Kristin recommended that we step up to a thicker paper in order to avoid this issue. She suggested using 220 lb. Crane Lettra--it is essentially the same as two 110 lb. sheets fused together. This picture is a good way of "showing" you how awesomely chunky it is.

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Even if we don't print on both sides, I just love how indestructible it looks.

Another paper we considered using was a 100% cotton, recycled paper by Porridge Paper that is embedded with mixed wildflower seeds. Not only is it environmentally friendly as far as paper goes, but also it will actually sprout flowers if the paper gets wet. Here is a close-up of an invitation that Kristin printed for another couple using this paper:

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Ultimately, we determined that the rough texture of the paper would not work with the particular design that we have been working on, so unfortunately... that paper is out :( It is pretty cool, though, isn't it?

Take the Cake

2009-12-17T19:30:00.000-08:00

If you have ever watched "Platinum Weddings" on WE tv, you would probably know that Sylvia Weinstock is hailed as one of the most talented wedding cake designers in the U.S.

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Although I really dig her glasses, I am not a fan of her "more is more" modus operandi. Personally, I prefer cakes with less goop than Ms. Weinstock usually uses. Here is just one example (though I admit it is a masterpiece):

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Who could have guessed that this one would be Steve's favorite?

When I think about what kind of cake I like, I really don't think about the design, but more about the flavor...

Lemon raspberry is such a fresh, light combo. It would be perfect for a summer wedding, don't you think? Especially loaded with extra raspberries, like this one:

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Raspberries with chocolate is another classic combination. Especially flourless chocolate cake:

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When I started thinking about how I wanted the cake to look, I found that I like relatively simple designs, with smoothly frosted layers and just a couple of key details, like this one by Cabin Ridge in Bozeman:

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I think it's impressive, without being visually overwhelming with a lot of details.

What do you think? Is more really more?

Let Them Eat Cheese

2009-12-16T10:37:00.000-08:00

Part of me wants to skip the wedding cake and just serve a cheese course as dessert. Yum!

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We would serve it with fruit, to make it seem more dessert-y...

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And I suppose we could even arrange it to look like a wedding cake, like this one:

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What do you think? Is cake at a wedding a "must"?

All the Pretty Papers

2009-12-15T22:35:00.000-08:00

Thinking about, picking out, designing, aligning the text of and just plain dreaming about wedding invitations has been one of my favorite wedding-related tasks.

My first favorite invitations were these rustic beauties by Oblation:

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And then I had fleeting crushes on these ones...

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...and these ones:

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And ever since I stumbled upon them, I have been in love with this super-chic set:

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Our printer, Kristin from Twin Ravens Press, recently posted on her blog an invitation suite with these sweet little drawings she created based on "landmarks" in Jacksonville, Florida, where the couple got married. I think these drawings are really cool, and I like the idea of tying elements of the venue into the design of the invitations.

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Ultimately, we decided to work with Kristin to come up with something unique and personal, just for us. It has been so much fun so far!

Does anyone else lust after paper? Do you save old wedding invitations in a box on a shelf, even if you never really look at them ever again? Or are you one of those people who calendar the date and time, and then throw it away?

Wishing for a Winter Wedding

2009-12-14T16:25:00.000-08:00

I talked to my mom on Sunday about her and Jerry's recent trip to Big Sky, Montana, where they went on a night-time sleigh ride and stayed in a cabin at the Lone Mountain Ranch. It sounded like such a great experience, and between that and my growing restlessness about our (seemingly) never-ending engagement, I have found myself thinking how cool it would have been to get married during the winter instead of next summer.

I think wedding photos in the snow are so beautiful, don't you think?

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And a destination wedding in Big Sky would be an awesome excuse to get everyone together in a snowy locale. Look how gorgeous Moonlight Basin looks at night with fresh snow. You would have agreed to meet us here, right?

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And how fun would it be to wear a slinky ivory wedding gown with a soft, luxe fur shrug like this one?

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Or this one (by Jenny Packham):

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With lots and lots of statement pearls.

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And as a late-night treat at the reception we could offer a hot chocolate bar...

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Yum! What would you put in your hot chocolate? I made some the other night with Frangelico and Bailey's... even better than peppermint martinis!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-14T14:58:00.001-08:00

Hello, is anyone still out there? I can't believe it has been nearly four months since my last post. And if we ever had any readers, I am sure they have long ago abandoned this blog, thinking that I had fallen off the face of the Earth or something.

What a fun four months it has been. I don't even know where to begin in catching up... At the end of August, we went to the wedding of our good friends Dave and Erin, who will be celebrating their one-year anniversary at our wedding next year! It was such a beautiful, wonderful wedding.

In September, we went to Las Vegas and had a great, HOT time. It was at least 100 degrees every day, but it was fantastic.

In October, we went home to Montana for a quick visit and to celebrate my Aunt Linda's and (new) Uncle Roger's wedding. They married on the bank of the Tongue River on a ranch near Birney, Montana. It was such a special wedding, and we all had a blast at their reception. Steve and I slept in a teepee at the ranch that night and the temperature dropped to 32 degrees! Steve wore a cowboy hat the entire weekend. Here are some pictures from our trip taken by cousin Jake, our family's unofficial photographer (who, I believe, is now available for hire!):

The very happy newlyweds!

Steve, Kara, Leah, Stella, Brett, Jerry and Mom at Linda & Roger's wedding.

Cowboy Steve.

Steve, Jake and Brett doing... who knows what.

Stella Bean at Grandma & Grandpa's house.

In November, Steve and I both came down with H1N1 flu--not fun! Later in the month (after we were both well again), we hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house for Leah, Brett and baby Stella. Since we don't have a dining room or a proper dining table, we all huddled around our coffee table and sat on the floor. Steve's superb turkey made up for the discomfort, though--it was the best I have ever eaten, despite having been accidentally cooked upside down.

So far, this month has been our busiest yet--we've gotten nearly all of our holiday gift shopping and wrapping done, we went to see the Nutcracker, attended another wedding, and we're gearing up for our first ever Chrismukkah party, coming up this Saturday.

I hope you all have been well and enjoy this holiday season! I promise to post again soon with some actual wedding-related developments.

Lots of love,

Kara

Engagement Party

2009-08-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

What a fun weekend we just had! My sis Leah and two good friends Katy and Lesli hosted a super fun party in honor of our engagement.

We all ate yummy burgers, couscous, greek summer salad, and a whole assortment of cheeses and other culinary accoutrements. The girls made white and red sangria and lavender-infused lemonade and we had s'mores for dessert! The decorations were so pretty--they had an assortment of glassware filled with votives and fresh pink, purple and green flowers from the market and strung up lights around the patio to keep the ambiance going after sunset.

We jammed to Motown hits in the early part of the evening and then at some point Steve switched us over to his "80's Prom" playlist and broke out his infamous "moves." There are a couple of videos of that floating around... if anyone would kindly share them with me, I'll post them here for all to enjoy! ;)

My girls included so many thoughtful details, too--as just one example, the flower arrangements and candles were labeled with these super-sweet little tags with sayings like, "I do!" "Steve & Kara," and "Sittin' in a tree..."

While some of our loved ones from afar could not make it to the party, many of our local friends and family came out to celebrate with us. And Steve's (and now also my) good friends Eric, Kim and Mike even joined us from San Diego! Thanks for coming up you guys, we had such a fun time!

Having so many fun and genuine people come together in our honor was not only a blast, but also a very humbling reminder of how lucky we are to have such great friends and family. Thank you all for such a wonderful night!

Also, to Lesli, Katy, Leah, Liz and Brett--you guys are the best! Thank you so much for such an awesome, thoughtful party. We love you guys!

If We Married in Seattle...

2009-08-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

I think I would love to have our reception at the Georgetown Ballroom:

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Isn't the exposed brick and vintage-slash-industrial vibe so cool? I really like its quirkiness--it looks like it would be super fun and memorable.

Here is a close-up of the funky lights:

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We would hire Skillet Street Food to do our catering... Skillet is a local company that converts old Airstream campers into traveling commercial-grade kitchens and then tours around to office parks, events and farmers markets serving bistro-style lunches.

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Our guests would nosh on Skillet's signature burgers with cambazola, arugula and bacon jam and hand-cut fries:

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I tried this burger and Skillet's jalapeno watermelon juice last summer when Skillet came to a spot near school when I was studying for the bar exam... so good!

And our guests could take home their very own jar of bacon jam to go:

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And maybe we would splurge for Hell's Belles, the all-female AC/DC tribute band I mentioned a while back.

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Would you want to come?

Twin Ravens Press

2009-08-21T15:51:00.001-07:00

For the last couple of months, Steve and I have been working with an amazing printer to design our save-the-dates. Her name is Kristin and she owns and operates Twin Ravens Press, in Eugene, Oregon. I found her through weddingbee.com, a wedding blog and forum site, where one of the "bees" was gushing about how much she loved the stationery Kristin designed for her.

Kristin gave me permission to share with you some of my favorites of her designs. Enjoy!

Look at these cheerful little birds--aren't they so cute? I like that the one on the bottom left just pulled out of a loop--he is obviously having a good day.

Okay, when I saw this set of bar mitzvah invitations that Kristin created, I wanted to change our whole wedding theme to "brown-and-chartreuse-platypus." These are so dang cute.

Aaahh! Look at that little guy! I think he's adorable.

Click on this picture so you can zoom in on it close--you can really see how awesome the look and feel of letterpress printing is. It doesn't really matter what color or font you use, when it is printed using a letter press, it is so beautiful.

Here is another close-up. I also like the pale blue and kelly green color combination, and the hydrangea motif. It reminds me of all the pretty hydrangeas around Seattle in the summer time.

Check out these cute response cards. Instead of listing out the meal options, this one uses pictures. I kind of want the veggie option, it looks fresh! Also, click on this one so you can see it up close and notice the diagonal stripes. This part of the design is blind embossed, which means that there was an impression made, but no ink was used. I like that it adds some subtle texture to the design. We're planning to utilize this technique in our design, too.

I love these round menus!

It would be cool to put these on the center of a round plate, and instead of folding up the napkin on top of the plate or next to it, you could fold it the long way and tuck it underneath the plate so that it drapes down off the edge of the table, like these:

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I also love, love, love these "LOVE" coasters (sorry for the free-flowing love--I just wanted to express my true feelings).

These maps are so awesome! They were included as part of an invitation "booklet" for one of Kristin's couples for their wedding. The map was drawn by artist Crystal Kluge of Tart Workshop. Kristin printed the pages of the booklet on this awesome paper, it's 100% cotton recycled paper that is embedded with wildflower seeds, by Porridge Papers. If you plant the paper, it will sprout wildflowers!

The next four designs are ones that I found on Twin Raven's profile on Etsy, which is sort of like an online store. Check it out here.

This little frog is really cute--I like his googly eyes.

I love sushi, so I could not resist this one.

I also like this Valentine with the elephant blowing pink heart bubbles--it reminds me of that one scene in Dumbo when the elephant gets drunk in the tub and blows all those different bubble shapes with his trunk. I love that movie!

And last but not least, this little love card with an alien performing a heart-shaped maneuver. Cute!

Really, for me, everything looks better with letterpress printing, especially when it's a really crisp, deep impression.

Which of Kristin's designs are your favorites? Do you think we should switch our theme to "partying platypus"?

Bridal Bootcamp

2009-08-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

I am sooo sore today... yesterday was my first Bridal Bootcamp fitness class. Bridal Bootcamp is offered by The Healthy Bride, a Seattle company started by Christ Masi.

I learned about bootcamp when I went to the Seattle Wedding Show back in January. Leah and I did the Saturday class back in April and May and had a lot of fun. I have been meaning to do it again all summer, but my schedule just got too busy.

Anyway, I signed up for the last session of the year, and I will be doing the class on Mondays and Thursdays. We meet at Olympic Sculpture Park down on the waterfront, which is a gorgeous place to work out.

The first thing we did was set a few goals. One of mine will be 30/30/30 -- to do 30 push ups and 30 sit ups a day for 30 days. This is the beginner's version of 50/50/50 or 100/100/100. Baby steps, right? I will keep you updated on my progress.

We work out for about 65-75 minutes and we're moving all the time. We alternate between cardio activities, resistance movements and, well... other exercise-type movements. Last night we did our performance tests along with our workout so that when the session concludes, we can assess our progess.

After Monday's class, I'll post our protocol from that day so that you can get an idea of what Bridal Bootcamp is like. In the mean time, I can tell you this--it involves a lot of running stairs:

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A lot of push ups (and sit ups):

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And a lot of funny but killer movements, like this one, in which you basically continuously jump on one leg, alternating, while touching the toe of the other foot onto a raised surface. For 30 seconds at a time, with 10 seconds to rest... six times!

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The best part is that while we are jogging along from station to station, you can hear everyone talking about wedding-related stuff, like what are you doing about the bar situation, how many bridesmaids do you have, where are you going for your honeymoon, etc. It is a lot of fun!

Groomasaurus

2009-08-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

Today, I was looking at my photographer's blog, in which she recommended this other blog, which recommended a third blog, called "Groomasaurus." Follow that?

Groomasaurus is the blog of a guy named Jeff, who is planning to wed "Groomasaurus Gal." You can check out his blog here, where he discusses things that guys care about regarding weddings--like music, apparently--and sounds off about wedding traditions, suggesting that instead of fathers, brides should be given away by grooms' favorite professional athletes, and that the color of weddings should reflect the colors of couples' college alma maters.

The blog is both funny and interesting. My favorite excerpt so far?

I’ve always dreamed of going balls to the wall and hiring not just a local band or a cover band for my wedding, but a quasi-popular touring band. You know, like in the movies when Rodney Dangerfield hired Oingo Boingo to play his college dorm party in Back to School. Or The Mighty Mighty Bosstones playing the school dance in Clueless.

What is kind of ironic is that I actually looked into how much it would cost to book Hell's Belles, an all-female AC/DC cover band, the only AC/DC tribute group that has ever been endorsed by Angus Young. It is out of our price range, so don't get your hopes up.

In any event, it is fun to read the perspective of a man going through this crazy process. Now, if only we can get Steve to write to us...

Check List Check-in

2009-08-10T17:05:00.000-07:00

Back in March, Steve and I created a to-do checklist for all of the things we have to do between now and the wedding, organized by month so that we stay on track.

Up to this point, it seemed like we had just been throwing around a lot of ideas and not making any real progress. However, when I take a step back and look at what all we have done already, I realize that things are starting to come together. Here is a summary:

Guest List: done, although we have many addresses to fill in

Venue: selected (home!) and we staked-out where the reception tent will go

Caterer: selected and secured, and the menu sounds delish, though we'll probably make a couple of changes

DJ: selected and secured, covering the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception

Cake: baker selected and secured, flavors picked, design decided

Coordinator: selected and secured

Wedding dress: selected and ordered

Bridesmaid dresses: selected and ordered

Although those are the things that have been officially secured, we have also made progress in other aspects, too.

Flowers. We consulted with a florist and selected flowers for the bouquets. We also talked about the design of the flowers for the ceremony and for the centerpieces at the reception, but we're kind of still thinking about that right now. When I say "we" on this one, I mean mom and me. Steve was a good sport and came with us to the consultation, which went on for an hour and a half just before lunch (we were starving!), but his only preference is that he and the groomsmen do not wear boutonnieres. Though a bit untraditional, that seems reasonable enough, and perhaps he can have a free get-out-of-future-flower-consultations card :)

Music: We have also narrowed down our music selections to a very small pool of candidates for the ceremony prelude, processional and recessional. We have also started thinking about music for our cocktail hour and dinner... I'll post more on that later.

Stationery: We have been working with an awesome printer from Oregon and are on the home stretch with our save-the-dates; we just finalized some details and they are pretty much ready to go to press as soon as we are ready. After that, the invitations will most likely fall right into place.

Website: In addition to this blog (which we only shared with our closest friends and family), we have also started creating a website to share with all of our guests more information about our wedding--where we met, what wedding events we have planned, where we're registered, what Billings is like, where to stay, what to do in town, etc. We still have a lot of work to do, but it's starting to come together should be ready to launch in the late fall.

So what else is left? Just one of the hugest aspects of all--the rentals! I'll post about rentals later... suffice it to say for now that the whole rental issue is a huge undertaking, so I have been avoiding this topic for a while. Coming soon...

Allium

2009-08-07T09:37:00.001-07:00

How can you not smile when looking at a field of puffy, purple lollipops?

These flowers are called Alliums. I fell in love with them recently when I saw them incorporated in table arrangements in a wedding magazine.

Don't they look a bit like Dr. Seuss-anized dandelions? They are actually a member of the genus Allium, along with the onion family, including onions, garlic, shallots, and leeks. The bulb of Allium giganteum (A. giganteum) is commonly known as the edible "Giant Onion," and the blossoms are these beautiful pink and purple balls:

I have read that some Allium varieties can grow three to four feet tall with blossoms as large as 14 inches.

Although their globes look like they would smell like lilacs, they are known to smell like their cousins, onions! I wonder if they make your eyes water?

But stinky or not, don't you think they make cheery, mod arrangements?

I wonder how we could work these into our wedding day decor... they're so happy and one of my current favorites. But they don't really "go" with the bouquets we have going on... do you all have any ideas?

Veils 101

2009-08-06T16:46:00.001-07:00

It seems that veils are among the many wedding-related topics that most people don't ever think about until they get married. Well... I guess I have no basis to say that that's true for most people, but it certainly was for me. The very little I thought I knew about veils was that I wasn't interested in wearing one.

However, all of that changed when I tried on a veil with "the dress" back in February... there is just something about strapping a bolt of white tulle over your head that makes you want to cry, isn't there?

But seriously, it really does complete a bride's "look," setting apart wedding gowns from fabulous white dresses. When I saw myself in a veil, I envisioned me, standing in front of Steve at the altar (strangely, since I have never wanted to get married in a church), saying "I do, forever and ever!"

The particular veil I tried on was probably the most basic, classic veil you can possibly imagine... no frills or embellishments. I loved it, but not the price tag--$400!

So, I set out to do some research, looking for less expensive veils, or the step-by-step guide on how I (with the help of a craftier-than-me friend) might make one. I have yet to resolve either of those issues, but I have come up with a lot more knowledge than I had when I started. Since you're reading this, I thought you might be interested.

It seems that veils can be categorized pretty clearly into four lengths: (i) very short; (ii) short; (iii) medium; and (iv) long.

Let's start with the very short veils, shall we?

A veil that covers only the face is usually called a "blusher." This simple blusher is called "Collette," and is made of french netting:

"Georgia" is another face veil, but this one is in a sweet little flower shape:

"Astyn," another face blusher, has french net with rhinestones and ostrich feathers:

This one is called "Wendy," and it's actually two pieces: an adjustable tulle band and a seperate silk organza flower:

"Cammy," more of a hair piece than a true veil, features both a tulle bow and a silk velvet and organza flower, adorned with Swarovski crystals and fresh-water pearls:

Slightly longer are "short" veils, usually hitting the shoulders. "Emma" is a short style, made of a half-circle of tulle, and this one has a 1/2" silk ribbon trim:

Medium-length veils fall anywhere from mid-back to knees. They are sometimes called finger-tip veils, for the obvious reason that they sometimes extend just down to where your finger tips hit when your arms are hanging down.

"Ava" is a drop veil, hitting just below the shoulders along the front edge and at the lower back in the center back, with three rows of soutachce trim, which is a flat, narrow braid:

"Dahlia," also medium length, is one of my favorites; it is a mantilla-style veil with a cut edge and chantily lace inset. Mantillas are a subset of veils that were originally made popular in Spain by Queen Isabel II in the 19th Century. Although their popularity dipped somewhat after Queen Isabel's reign, women continued to wear them during Holy Week and other religious events. Today, they are often associated with Catholic weddings.

And, last but certainly not least, the longest styles are sometimes referred to as floor length at about 72", chapel length at 90", and cathedral length at 120." "Lauren" is a chapel veil, with narrow tulle with a cut edge. A cut edge simply means that there is no edging.

"Monique" is a flutter-cut, cathedral-length, two-tiered veil with a cut edge:

Although I love all the cute, cage styles at the top, surprisingly, the one I like the best on me so far is similar to the "Lauren" veil above--a basic chapel veil with a cut edge and just a single layer of tulle. But I haven't yet really dived into that; that shopping project has been reserved for a trip with my mom and sister (if they're interested, that is!).

Which one do you think I should go with?

All of the veils featured in this post are by the talented Sara Gabriel (http://www.saragabriel.com).

Hunt for the Perfect Cocktail Ring

2009-08-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned a while back, my ideal wedding-day jewelry would include dramatic, drop earrings and an equally bold cocktail ring, both in the purple-stone-in-gold-settings vein.

The search has begun, but I haven't found the right ones so far that we can afford. However, the purpose of this blog is not necessarily to talk only about affordable wedding-related items, but rather to talk about fabulous wedding-related items, right?

I would be in heaven wearing anything from Cartier's "Caresse d'orchidees par Cartier" line, which includes the following beauties.

Diamonds, rubies, pink sapphires, and rhodolite garnet set in pink gold; "price only available upon consultation with a sales associate," yikes!

Tourmaline in pink gold, my favorite, though it is priced at a cool $8,100.

Diamond in gold, another favorite, and a bargain at only $2,075.

Earrings with diamonds, yellow diamonds and rubies in platinum; I couldn't bring myself to look up the price. Although these are okay in platinum, I would love them in pink gold... not to be picky :)

Flower Crush

2009-08-06T13:49:00.001-07:00

One of my all-time favorite flowers is the peony. It just love how romantic and soft and petal-y peonies are. And so versatile, too. How can you not love these?

Rustic chic:

Hip and happy:

Timeless and gorgeous:

So... you can imagine how disappointed I was when I realized that we set our wedding date entirely outside of peony season, which is generally pretty limited to June. Perhaps this is why June is such a popular wedding month!

Of course, a person can have peonies flown in from tropical parts of the world during any season, if budget is not a concern. But what are the rest of us to do?

Well, I think we found a solution. When we were in Billings, we met with our faaahhbulous florist at Gainan's, John. When I showed him a picture of my (so far) favorite bouquet--which I thought was made with peonies--he pointed out that it was actually made from a particular kind of rose that bears a strong resemblance to peonies, called a David Austin Rose.

Don't they look strikingly similar to peonies?

David Austin roses are a variety of English garden roses. They were specifically bred to combine the fragrance of Old Garden Roses with the repeat-flowering ability and wide range of colors of "modern" roses. Here are a few more pictures:

I think we have pretty much decided that the David Austins will be a key element of the ladies' bouquets in our wedding.

While I like the totally uniform look of the all-white peony bouquet above (third photo from the top), I also like the idea of having many different textures in a monochromatic bouquet.

To break up the texture of the David Austins, John suggested including other varieties of flowers, including spray roses. Spray roses are miniature roses, and often come with several rosebuds per stem

Bunched all together, they can make a strong statement:

Here is a bouquet I found on the WWW that appears to include both David Austins and spray roses:

What do you think?

If price were no object, which flowers would you use in your bouquet? What color(s) would it be?

Wedding Band Dilemma

2009-08-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

Until recently, I thought I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted for my wedding band--the one that matches my engagement ring. Here is a picture of my ring, with a slightly larger center diamond :), and the matching band:

The bands have micro-pave diamonds in bead settings. I have also heard these called "micro-prong" settings.

While in Billings, we met with Tony Soueidi, a well-known jeweler in the area who also happens to be the father-in-law of my good friend Brittany. He told us that if you pair two bands with bead settings, such as the ones above, over time the bands will rub together, weakening the settings and eventually causing the loss of the diamonds in the band--yikes! He said most jewelers won't tell you about this effect, and he was right--our previous jeweler had never mentioned it.

In order to reduce the wear-and-tear, he recommended that I get a channel-set diamond band instead, similar to the one below:

Unfortunately, I have just never been a very big fan of the channel setting--it's just not my preference. Instead, he recommended that we get a bead-set notched band, and have it fused to the engagement ring so that the two don't rub together. Here is a ring similar to the one he suggested:

Given that he was suggesting what was best for my ring, I really wished that I liked either of these options. But I just didn't really! I didn't like the look of the channel setting, and I didn't really like the notched band or the idea of having it fused to my engagement ring. So he showed me the one I had originally liked, the bead-set micro-pave band (the one on the very top), and we decided that we'd go with that one and asked him to see if he could order one for us. And that was that.

Or so I thought...

Steve and I stopped by Tiffany's this past weekend while we were walking around downtown, and I tried on some other bands for fun.

I have always loved this look of "stacked" celebration rings--rings that you get when you celebrate life's big moments that you can wear all together in a stack. I love that each event has its own look, and even though none match the others, they look really cool all together.

What do you think?

Using this concept, I thought it might be kind of cool to go a different direction with my wedding band; rather than getting a band that matches my engagement ring, we could get a wedding band that stands out on its own. I tried on a few, and this one, the "swing," was my favorite. (You can also see it a little better at the top of the stack in the previous picture.)

I am still heavily torn, though... is it too different? Different in a good way? What do you all think?

Whirl-Wind Wedding Planning Trip

2009-08-04T21:27:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, Steve and I recently traveled to Billings, Montana--where our wedding will be in just over a year from now--to begin meeting with potential wedding vendors. Unfortunately, neither of us could spare much time away from work for now, so the trip was much quicker than we would have liked. We flew in on Thursday night at midnight and left on Sunday evening.

In order to fit in all of the different vendors we wanted to meet with in two days, we had to stick to a pretty tight schedule. To give you an idea of what our trip was like, here is a sketch of our agenda:

Thursday
10:30 - 11:30 - Caterer 1
1:00 - 1:30 - Cake Lady
2:00 - 3:00 - Caterer 2
3:30 - 4:30 - Jeweler (wedding bands)
* stop by party rental store for one hour, when we can

Friday
9:00 - 10:00 - Caterer 3
10:30 - 11:30 - Florist
12:00 - 1:00 - Caterer 4
2:45 - 3:45 - Wedding Coordinator

Fortunately, we had already booked our photographer and our DJ prior to the trip, so we didn't need to try to fit that in.

In the end, although it was kind of exhausting, we gathered a lot of information. We also accomplished a few things, too; we decided the flavors and design of our cake, bought Steve's wedding band and designed all of the bouquets and other personal flowers for the wedding.

More updates to come...

Flower Girl

2009-08-04T21:12:00.001-07:00

While updated pictures of Stella Bean aren't really related to wedding planning, who can resist? I took these all from Leah's facebook page (thanks, Leah!)

I found this little bathing suit at Nordstrom for Stelly--doesn't she look like a little ballerina?

Here she is during the Wolevers' recent trip to Montana... helping to mow the lawn...

...moving some dirt with the bobcat...

...practicing her mini-bike skills...

(btw, what's with the McCain/Palin poster? That crazy Auntie Laura must have snuck that in there.)

...taking a break in the hammock...

...learning to drive the Model A with Grandma...

...and playing in the park with her daddy...

Stelly's first tooth just came in (and it sounds like a second one is close behind), and she is beginning to crawl already! She'll be in prime flower-girl shape by August 2010 :)

Back from Hiatus

2009-08-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

Hello! You all may remember me, I used to post on this blog... about four months ago! Holy crap--I had no idea it had been this long until just now.

Things have been busy in our lives during the last few months. Where should we begin? We painted the condo in April, I cleaned out a whole bunch of my stuff to prepare for Steve's stuff, which moved in (along with Steve) at the end of April. In May, we went to Colorado to celebrate Steve's 36th birthday, Brett's 28th birthday, and Alex's graduation from the Air Force Academy and his commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force. I have almost no recollection of June. Then in July, Steve and I went to Billings for a four-day weekend of wedding planning. When we got back, my work load nearly quadrupled, so I have been dealing with that ever since. Oh, and at some point during all of that, my computer crashed, so I didn't have access to the internet on the computer with all of my wedding stuff.

And here we are in August! although we have neglected the blog, we have been making some progress in the wedding planning department, so I'll post a few updates shortly.

Lots of love!

New Mosaic

2009-03-31T22:54:00.000-07:00

I was playing around with Mosaic Maker again (on bighugelabs.com), and put together some of my recent favorite pictures:

I especially like the bouquet of white and pink dahlias and orchids and the picture of the tent in the middle--isn't that an awesome picture, with the glow from the lighting contrasted against the purple-blue sunset? I also like how the tent has draped fabric at the poles around the perimeter (although it's difficult to see in this picture), instead of using like those one sidewalls with plastic windows that you sometimes see on those kinds of tents.

As much as I like the mosaic above because it includes some of my own personal favorite ideas, I still like the cohesiveness of these Zenadia mosaics better:

The one above is called "peacock," and even if peacocks are kind of trendy right now, I still think they're classically awesome, and I love the combination of mustard yellow, bright blue and lime green.

This one is cool because it incorporates plum, which you all know I really like. It could use a little more color, but I just like the elegant vibe of all of these:

What do you think?

Linen Samples

2009-03-29T23:49:00.000-07:00

I recently received a couple of linen samples that I ordered BBJ Linen Rentals.

Here is "Purple Classic":

The sample is actually a really dark purple. It is a pretty nice color, although I think a whole table cloth would end up being too purple-y. The advantage is that, since it is standard poly, it is less expensive than fancier linens.

And "Eggplant Lamour":

This one is really gorgeous. The color is perfect for our wedding, and the finish is like a sort of semi-satin. It has a slight sheen, but it is not too shiny. I think that even with very simple centerpieces, tables with these linens would have a really amazing impact. I love it!

Both of these (and lots more) linens can be found at www.discountlinenrental.com for a lower rental fee. However, I am nervous about renting from them--why are they so cheap? Have they been used a million times and look like crap? It might be worth ordering a full-sized sample to check it out. Have you heard anything about this website?

The To-Do List

2009-03-29T23:07:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. I hope the weekend was fantastic. Why is it that the older you get, and the more you would like a relaxing weekend, the faster the weekend seems to fly by?

This past week we completed a big task--we made our to-do list! I am sure we'll think of a zillion more things to put on the list as time goes on, but it's nice to have a timeline-oriented master checklist, complete with interactive check boxes (i.e., when you click the box, a check appears inside, very cool; these are the things you do when you have 17+ months to plan a wedding).

As a side note, I am a huge fan of to-do checklists. Sometimes when I am drafting a to-do list, I will list tasks that I have already completed that day, just so that I can check them off right away. It's so satisfying! And, I also use sub-checklists so that as you complete subtasks of a major task, you can track your performance. For example, if I need to revise outdated bylaws for a Colorado corporation, my check list would include: (a) Quickly review the bylaws; (b) Locate the Colorado Business Corporations Act; (b) Print the Act; (c) Review the Act; (d) Pretend to shoot self in the head out of boredom; (e) Take six-minute break and deduct from time sheet; (f) Revise Article I; etc. Just joking, I don't actually go into the much detail. But imagine--you could check of seven tasks before you even reach Article II!

So what's on our Wedding To Do list? For Spring 2009, we have 17 items, including (a) Shop for wedding gown [check]; (b) Select and order gown [check]; (c) Book tickets to Billings for Summer 2010 for wedding planning purposes; (d) Set up meetings with rental company and potential caterers, florists, day-of-coordinators, and DJs; (e) Begin researching possible honeymoon destinations [check, by Steve]; etc. Items (a) and (b) are examples of ones I included even though I had already included them, but mostly for posterity--if any other person ever wanted to use our checklist as a guide for planning her own wedding, I would not want her to forget about the dress! :-D

Are you a list maker, too? What should we put on our to-do list for April?

Jelly Bean

2009-03-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I hope you're having a great weekend so far. Steve and I are having a pretty quiet night in--I got four new wedding mags tonight, a bottle of champagne, and we're watching movies: Religulous (Interesting! If you haven't seen it, you should watch it. I love Bill Maher.) and Twilight (Steve's pick--no joke).

Anyway, Leah just sent out some new pics of my baby (okay, her baby) Jelly Bean. So cute they need no caption!

This first one is our favorite:

p.s. Leah made that hat she's wearing!

Cocktail Rings

2009-03-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

Now that we have two major decisions out of the way--wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses--we can turn our focus toward even more fabulous shopping--jewels and shoes!

It has become clear that the best jewelry to go with both my dress and the BMs' dresses are earrings and cocktail rings. Big, drop stone earrings and even bigger cocktail rings. I'll save the earrings for another day... here are some rings I've scoped out so far.

This first one is meant to be a replica of the ring that Samantha bid on in Sex and the City: The Movie (that Smith actually won and gave to her later on).

Isn't it gorgeous? From the angle this picture was taken, it is difficult to tell it's even a ring. It's actually kind of complicated underneath, it's two rings fused together. I think it's really remarkable, but I would prefer something with a little more color.

Here's one by Ariella that I found at Nordstrom:

The gold on this one is really nice, and I think that it would actually go better with my dress and the overall color scheme we're thinking about. My dress is ivory, the BM dresses will be a dark plum color, and so gold just seems to be a better fit.

This one Katy found on Anthropologie's website:

I LOVE it! I know, it's kind of ridiculously huge, but it's so ornate and I love the green and touch of gold. I think this one might be my favorite so far. If the white crystals were plum colored, I would have already ordered it.

These next two are also from Anthropologie:

This one would be kind of cool in that it would tie in really well with the BM dresses and the overall look of the wedding (i.e., the way I see it in my head anyway!). And I think the sparkle of pink crystals in the middle of the flower is a nice touch. But there's not quite enough bling on this ring to make it special enough for wedding day jewelry.

This one is definitely out, but I included it because it's so darn cute:

A pink elephant! I love it.

This next one is from Swarovski.com. The bold combination of orange, gray, and white crystals with the gold is really stunning, and I think it would compliment our colors really well:

Isn't it pretty? It would look great with the BM dresses.

This one is by Juicy Couture and it's from Nordstrom.com:

In general, I think live butterflies are beautiful, but I really do not like butterflies on my clothing, jewelry, whatever. I've never really been a fan, but it was made worse when I had a roommate in college one year (she was actually one of my littles in the sorority) that hung up one of those blacklight posters made out of felt material that had this psychedelic rainbow butterfly design. Ugh! It was so sick. Anyway, I don't really like 'em, but this one is okay because there is only one small one and the ring is so sweet otherwise. But the butterfly aside, I think this one is too casual.

Of course, I had to include a few options from Tiffany, even though they're completely out of the question, budget-wise.

I sort of like emerald-cut stones, and these ones are beautiful. They're so big, too--they'd really catch the eye. And come to think of it, the large cut of the stone (9 carats!) would really compliment the brooch-looking embellishment at the waist on the BM dresses. I think the citrine is my favorite.

Though I like the ones above, I LOVE these ones:

First of all, they're cushion cut, which is special to me, as it's the same cut as the diamond in my engagement ring. And, the gold just really makes them pop. I'd be perfectly happy with the orange citrine, yellow quartz, or the amethyst--they're so beautiful!

Do you like any of these? Do you know of any other places to buy cocktail rings for a reasonable price?

Guest Blogger: Eric Nicholson (#24, Back-up Best Man)

2009-03-16T23:58:00.000-07:00

So up to this point, I’ve been watching from the sidelines. I’ve watched this wedding get further and further off track. Talk about the rings, the dress, and tuxedoes have taken the focus away from where it really needs to be. It’s not about cakes, exotic honeymoon locations, or themes.
It’s about us. The people who aren’t getting married. We deserve a spectacle for our effort. We deserve our money’s worth. And for me, in the case of the non-functional bread maker I plan to give you that can come to around $5. So let’s make it count.
So what am I doing about it? I’m taking my expertise (at no additional fee to you) and designing the perfect wedding for you. That’s right. Time out of my busy life to fix what, in the end, will just be another series of the food, drinks, and clothes that will categorize Steve’s next public vomiting. Note to self: Bring Wet-wipes. I’ve broken it down number by number

(1) Let’s start by addressing the ‘theme’ – one of your first posts and the source of significant debate. Easy decision: Star Wars. Affordable and awesome.
We’ll wear this:

Your cake will look like this:

Your dress:

The ring bearers:

Entrance to your reception:

(2) Ring. So basically, I just took care of the theme, cake and dress in one massive badass ‘Mike-Wasser-esque’ move. Editors note: Mike Wasser -still single, ladies.

Well I’m not done. Let’s take a look at the rings. What Steve’s current wedding band says: “I’m so boring and uninteresting that the one lady on planet earth who can stand my all-day non-stop talk about the machinations Washington juvenile legal affairs and Gossip Girl has locked me down with this piece of metal.” Now, how about something that says: “This hairy Jewish playa’ is off limits, bitch.” That’s what I thought. Enter the candidates:
a. Broncos 1986 AFC Championship ring. Tough to miss this one at the Washington State Bar Association’s ‘Business Law Section Mini-CLE Mixer’ Inscribed on the inside: I did it all for the nookie.

b. Nuff said. This also leaves a massive tan-line in case Steve takes it off and gets a little ‘forgetful.’

c. Again, who’s going to try and lay their hands on a dude with this thing on. Answer: Nobody.

(3) Reception. These days it’s not just enough to have a bad-ass wedding. Your reception needs to rock everyone’s balls off. Here are some required elements to really get things to the next level.

Transportation to and from the reception: It doesn’t get any more badass than this. Especially when you leave for your honeymoon peeling out.

Dunk Tank. Don’t worry, I have a massive American flag. And yes, I’ll bring it. That’s how much you both mean to me. A lot more practical than a climbing wall.

The Band: Pretty sure these guys will play at your wedding for something in your price range. I think Master P may also be available.

I’ll let you digest all the awesomeness. It can be a little overwhelming taken all at once. I recommend watching the video for November Rain (GNR) if you need further inspiration. Don’t thank me now. Just get me awesome Back-Up Best Man gift. Common etiquette dictates a samurai sword or a remote control submarine. I’ve said too much already –I don’t want to spoil the surprise.

Sincerely,
Eric Nicholson
#24, Back-Up Best Man

BM Dress Shopping!

2009-03-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! This past weekend was another eventful one. On Wednesday of last week, I got an email from Katie, the sales rep I worked with at Marcella's La Boutique where I got my wedding gown, asking if I would be interested in checking out another trunk show this past weekend. She said that unlike most trunk shows, which only feature bridal gowns, this one would have tons of bridesmaid dresses as well. I really wanted to check it out, but I figured it probably wouldn't work out because of the short notice--it's kind of a challenge finding a time and day that works for each of the busy ladies that I run with. As luck would have it, all three of my local bridesmaids--Leah, Katy, and Lesli--were free! So, we made an appointment for Saturday. And, as if that was not exciting enough, Blaire decided it would be a good weekend to visit Seattle (she lives in California), so she was able to join in the shopping too! The only sad part was that Britt was unable to come :( I even checked Expedia to see if there was ANY chance she could make it out. Of course, tickets from Billings to Seattle started at like $600, so that wasn't really an option. We missed you Britt!

Overall, we had a really fun time and even found a gorgeous dress that looked amazing on everyone! I can't believe we have been so lucky so far... it has just been so easy to find great dresses--I hope everything else continues to go so smoothly. We haven't ordered them yet, but I love the dresses and am pretty certain they are the perfect BM dresses for our wedding. Anyway, I won't show you THE dress (again, we have to keep some things secret!), but I will share with you a few that the girls tried on and even a couple of top contenders.

This first one was nice in theory--iridescent black taffeta with scoop neck, pleated skirt, complete with pockets!

We had to start somewhere, right? But we decided right away that taffeta just wouldn't work, given that my dress has a very deconstructed shape and is made of silk satin. And that decision alone, made the whole process so much easier--it eliminated about 75% of the dresses (many were made of taffeta). I believe Blaire tried this particular one on first, and I could tell by her face when she first came out that she wasn't too crazy about it--which was the first sign that it probably wasn't going to work.

This next one we'll call the "truck," which I will explain in a moment. Even though it's made of taffeta, too, I still asked Lesli to try it on because I thought it looked so fun.

It was really flattering and had a sexy hourglass shape when you look at it straight-on from the front. But when Lesli came out, she was laughing, saying she hated it and felt like a dump truck! I didn't understand at all--like I said, it was really flattering from the front--until she turned to the side. Lesli, I hope you won't take offense to this (I know you won't!), but is was super incredibly unflattering from the side! It had absolutely nothing to do with Lesli's spanx'ed figure... it was just a really wide dress and the stiff taffeta made it like 100 times worse. It sort of reminded me of the dresses worn by the stepsisters in Cinderella:

This next one was a favorite, looked great on everyone, and would have probably been a great BM dress option:

The best part was that it comes in this great "Eggplant" chiffon, and the sample at the boutique was this color, so we were able to see it in person. Ultimately, though, I vetoed this one; like I said, this one was nice, but I just fell in love with the other one that we ultimately decided on. [Note: Lesli, I really think you should get this one anyway--it's so "you".]

And this one was one Katie grabbed from the "other" dresses (the non-trunk-show dress collection) just to give us another dress to check out and compare:

I kind of liked the idea that this has english net on it (mine does too), and you could tell that it was a nicely-made strapless dress, as it fit really well. However, the A-line shape was a little too stiff, and I did not like the little ruffle of tulle poking up from the top.

I included a picture of this one so that we can see how this dress was supposed to be worn:

The straps were supposed to cross in the front! I think we had at least two different girls try this one on with the straps just going directly over the shoulders. I couldn't figure out why there was so much extra material in the straps. I guess this explains why this dress fit so oddly, when all the others fit so well!

This one was another favorite:

The shape was really flattering and nearly everything about the design works will with my dress--from the deep V-neck to the drapes and gathers. There were two major drawbacks, though--the back had a crazy criss-cross thing going on, and the straps were so narrow that you'd have to go with a strapless bra. Which is not a big deal, but it totally sucks to be forced to wear a strapless bra without getting the benefit of having a really pretty, ornate back or flattering strapless top. Also, the beading looked slightly cheap. It reminded me of a several-years-old sequin top from Bebe that I recently unearthed from the bottom of my closet and immediately threw out because it was so sequin-y. What was I thinking when I bought that top (and wore it at least half a dozen times)!?

In the end, I was super excited about the dress that we found, and especially that it was so flattering on all four girls. I know it will look great on Britt, too! Afterwards, we stopped by Norstrom's shoe and jewelry departments, just to start getting ideas--the next big tasks will be finding the right earrings, cocktail rings, and shoes!

Girls, did you have a fun time? Thanks again for making the time--I had a blast!

The Tuxedo Tribulations

2009-03-03T19:19:00.000-08:00

In my very first post, I mentioned that Steve declared right away that he wants to wear a tuxedo with a bow tie, and I wasn't really sure at that point. After watching the Oscars the other night, though, I think I am all for the bow tie. Turns out that's pretty much what all the fashionable men were wearing. Here are some highlights, along with some commentary:

John Mayer--a nice basic made better with Jennifer Aniston standing near. I like the black bow tie and the white buttons. And the peak lapels are a good addition. John has done a good job of modeling all the standards of black tie. But is that a cumberbund? Or just his pants?

Emile Hirsch--the tie is okay, but I don't really like the shiny lapels. This looks like it's silk-trimmed; I guess I prefer self-trimmed or else silk-trimmed with self-trimmed edges (see the Oscar coat below).

Daniel Craig--this is probably my favorite look of the night. I like that it looks like a one-button jacket (even if it's really a two-button). In general, I prefer peak and notch lapels over shawl lapels, but these look pretty sharp. Also, I notice that Daniel's tie has a very rounded bow, as opposed to John's squared-off bow tie in the first picture. It seems like this tie compliments the rounded lapels of Daniel's jacket, whereas the corners of John's tie echo the peaks of his jacket. I think the shawl/poofy bow tie combo would look ever-so-slightly better next to my dress, but I think this will be one of those decisions we'll have to make depending on whichever looks best on Steve.

In general, notch lapels are less formal than shawl lapels, but I think I like them better, at least when they are made to look more formal. Here's one example of a really nice and formal jacket with notch lapels by Oscar de la Renta:

Director Sam Mendes--now here is a jacket that explains why notch lapels are more casual. This jacket really looks just like a regular suit jacket. However, of all the regular ("four-in-hand") ties, I think this one looks the best. Although, to be accurate, "four-in-hand" refers to the knot; this one actually looks like a double windsor (although really, I have no idea--it just looks bigger, so I assume it is a DW).

Brad Pitt--here's another notch lapel jacket. It also looks pretty casual, except that the slight sheen of the lapel takes it up a "notch" (pun intended), and the bow tie really dresses it up. I like this overall look, but for the black buttons--they are too distracting and kind of remind me of Frosty the Snowman or something. I think subtle white or pearlized buttons look more polished. Also, does it kind of look like this jacket is too small for Brad? It seems to pucker a bit more than others' jackets.

Kevin Kline--is wearing a wing-collar shirt, which is the "epitome of formality," according to blacktieguide.com. Apparently, in the more formal days of eras past, detachable wing collars stood nearly as high as the wearer's jaw line, and today should extend three-quarters of an inch above the coat collar. However, I don't like this style at all. Because you can see the tie wrapping around his neck, it looks like he's been wrapped up like a gift or something. But not in a good way. I don't like it.

Matthew Broderick--I mostly just included this picture because it also features my girl SJP. But also, I wanted to just note that it looks very casual. A quick history lesson (if true): wearing neck ties with formal attire was popularized by young actors and sports players, who were allegedly unable to master the bow tie. I am not sure whether I buy into this story entirely, but it would make sense that people would try to emulate the style of actors and athletes, so maybe.

Mickey Rourke--what is there to say? You fugly bastard, Mickey.

Zac Effron--I feel like this entry is taking on a sort of negative tone, but I just wanted to ask what is up with the teeny-tiny bow tie? I don't like it. I also included this picture of Zac because Steve totally thinks he is, like, totally sssup-urrr.

Robert Downey Jr.--you are one cool dude Robert, but I am not sure I am digging the gray detailing on this jacket. Looks a little too 90's.

Sean Penn--okay, now I have slipped into full-on fashion critique mode (not that I purport to know anything about men's fashion! Seriously, I just learned everything contained in this entry on the WWW--thank you Google). But I just wanted to point out that Sean looks sloppy and should definitely learn how to tie a double windsor if he's going go with this kind of tie.

George Clooney--I just wanted to end on a positive note. I love this tuxedo--a notch lapel with just a little extra edging to make it slightly more formal; a nice full plain, black bow tie; pearlized buttons; turndown collar; two buttons. It's a great look. I think Steve would look hot in this, don't you?

Of all these options, which are your favorites?

BM Dress Ideas

2009-03-02T22:47:00.001-08:00

So now that I have my dress figured out, we can start thinking about my girls' dresses! My last posts have been kind of text-heavy, so this one will be mostly pics.

Here are some cute dresses that I found browsing through Nordie's website.

This first one is by Calvin Klein, and although the color is called "Eggplant," it appears to be a little on the purple side.

This one is by Donna Rico--another basic and flattering shape but again kind of purpley, called "African Violet":

This is one of my favorites--it's by Nicole Miller and I think the sheath silhouette would be a nice echo of the shape of my dress. And I love the color, and I think the ruching at the waist would help make it a very flattering dress.

This one is also by Nicole Miller, and even though it's not the color I had in mind, I do like it and it looks so fun. It's chiffon, so I think the fabric would match well with my dress (as opposed to something stiffer, like shantung silk), but strapless can be tricky... and I am not sure if the shape is quite right. But it's cute!

This one I love, at least in the picture--I think the ombre effect is really awesome and the "Punch" color(s) are so pretty. There is not really much about this dress that "matches" mine, but it's so cute and I love it! One problem is that it's jersey knit, though... kind of casual.

These are just some of my favorites from a quick browse of Nordstrom... what do you think? Have you seen any dresses that we should take a look at?

THE DRESS

2009-03-02T20:45:00.001-08:00

Okay, I have some kind of shocking news--I found, fell in love with, and with the help of a very generous benefactor, bought my wedding dress already!

Yes, I know I seem crazy. The wedding is still 18 months away. It was my first shopping excursion. It was the second wedding dress I had ever tried on. And with all the time between now and August 28, 2010, there is certainly no rush. But after only three dates with Steve, my friend and MOH Katy asked if she thought that he might be "the one," and I told her I thought he probably was. When you know, you know.

So, here's the deal--I am not going to post any pictures of the dress on here because I want my dress to be a surprise for Steve. And, as things unfold, there will probably be several other finalized details of the wedding that we won't share in advance, since we want some aspects to be surprises for our guests, too. But I will tell you generally about it, because it was a really cool experience.

First of all, the reason that I was even shopping so far in advance was because one of my favorite designers was having a trunk show in Seattle one weekend in February--they only do it once per year, so I wanted to just check it out and see her new line. I made the appointment weeks in advance, but when the time drew near, I was actually considering canceling because I wasn't really in a mood to go wedding gown shopping. But in the end, I decided to keep the appointment and just go for fun, and Leah and Baby Stelly Bean came up to be my critics.

When we got there, I started talking with my consultant, Katie, about some of my preferences: straps, no taffeta, fabric flowers, no poofy princess silhouettes, etc. Then we just dived in and started grabbing dresses from the rack. I really had no idea what to expect, so I was a little surprised when Katie told me to take off all my clothes and holler when I was ready for her to come in. But I quickly understood why the assistance was necessary--not only would the sample dresses have been trashed if they didn't help women get dressed, but those suckers are complicated to get into and out of! As it turns out, a few of the sample sizes were too small for my fat Spanx ass (no big surprise there!), but I was able to try on all the ones I really cared about.

I started with something similar to this:

It was basically all the things I did not want--strapless, full skirt (the one I tried on was even fuller than this one), and I think it even had some beading embellishments. Even though it was so not me, it was absolutely gorgeous so I tried it on just for fun. Of course, it looked awful on me, but it was fun to just get that out of my system.

I always knew I wanted a wedding gown with an A-line or sheath silhouette--that's just my personal preference. And, when I was shopping for bridesmaid dresses with my sister for her 2007 wedding, I remember being blown away by an extremely chic, bias-cut cowl back dress at Cicada in Seattle; when I saw it, I thought--wow, what a classy, sexy, sophisticated dress. Here is one that kind of reminds me of that dress:

Anyway, THE DRESS has some similar qualities--it's a sheath dress with rather simple details. However, it has just enough detailing to make it special enough to wear when I marry Steve. When I first put it on, I couldn't see it in the mirror, but I was amazed by how comfortable it was; it's very deconstructed, so there is no pinching, boning, standing-up on its own business. It just feels really good.

Then, I walked out and saw myself in the mirror and was just immediately taken by it. It really looks like my personal style translated into a beautiful silk satin and English netting fashion masterpiece. Even though the sample was one size too small, I just knew it was the dress. When I looked at me in the dress in the mirror, I saw me as a BRIDE. It was almost overwhelming (in a good way... there was no breaking out in a rash a la Carrie in Sex and The City, Season 4).

I actually had a hard time saying out loud that I thought I found my wedding gown, though, because it just seemed so ridiculous. As I said, it was my second dress ever, on my first shopping trip. And before we even got to the salon, I was so sure that I was not going to find my dress that day that Leah and I hit McDonald's for lunch before we went.

But anyway, I hung out in the dress for quite a while, then I tried on a few others, including one that looked like this one (although this one is by someone else), which I also really liked:

I tried on THE DRESS again one last time before we left, and then we went home to call mom and gush about the dress. The next day I returned with Lesli--who was so awesome about driving up from Tacoma with absolutely zero notice to help me make the final decision--and when she said she loved the dress on me, I was totally sold. I was in the 90-ish percentile of "knowing" before her reaction, which put me up to 100%. So I told Katie to order me the dress--which takes about 4-6 months by the way, wow--and that was THAT.

I feel so lucky to have had so much, well, luck in shopping for my dress. I decided to order it right away because I was able to get a few free perks as part of the trunk show and may not have been able to try the sample on again for quite some time. It feels awesome to have such a huge task out of the way, and now I am starting to visualize other aspects of the wedding--like my future hubby standing next to me in a tuxedo!

I am also really excited for my parents to come out and see me try it on when it comes in and help me to pick out all the accessories--the veil, the shoes, the jewelry!

How did you know that you found the right dress? Or, for the single gals, what do you think your dress will look like?

Mini-Moon

2009-03-02T19:56:00.001-08:00

So the first update is that Steve and I took our first international trip together. Well, not including Canada. We traveled to Cabo San Lucas over President's Day slash Valentine's Day weekend for four days and stayed at Dreams Los Cabos. It was really relaxing and the weather was gorgeous--80's every day and sunny. We both accidentally got insanely severe sunburns--mine on my back and Steve on one side (not sure how he managed that)--and fell in love with "Lady Monkey" drinks, served directly to us at our private cabana on the beach.

Here is a shot of the resort's main pool:

And this is the side "Zen" pool:

We enjoyed the experience, and I think we would probably recommend the hotel for certain kinds of trips--guys' or girls' weekends, family trips, etc. They served us champagne upon check-in and upgraded our room from their standard junior suite to a one-bedroom corner suite. The staffmembers at the hotel were fairly friendly and most were attentive. This was our first all-inclusive experience and so we weren't really sure what to expect; I guess our take-away was that we got what we paid for, which was totally fine with us for this particular trip. We really enjoyed the breakfast buffet they had every morning, and I found a few things at dinner at various restaurants that I liked.

However, we also had one of the worst meals we've ever had together one night--we decided to splurge for the romantic candlelight dinner on the beach on Valentine's Day (not included in the AI plan), and it was really, extremely terrible! When the waiter wondered why we weren't eating hardly anything, we feigned illness from over-exposure to the sun; then it turned out that he was working the next day when we were sitting out by the pool, so that was kind of awkward and embarrassing... oops! Caught in a lie.

Our room was pretty nice, and ridiculously huge. As I mentioned, they upgraded us to a corner one-bedroom suite, which was really the size of two very large rooms put together--on one side, there was a full living room, dining room, kitchen with breakfast bar, full bathroom, and a terrace with a huge dining room table; and on the other side was a huge bedroom with another full master bath that was half the size of my apartment. Here is a photo that looks like the living and dining room part of our room:

Overall, the resort had the kind of amenities that you would expect from a similarly sized hotel in the U.S. with the same star-rating--a spa, several restaurants, etc.--but it was slightly rough around the edges. But it really was a nice trip, and it was really great to get away from the rain and cold of Seattle and pretend to be on a mini-honeymoon. I think next time we'll probably just head to Vegas, though... there is so much to do there and it's such a quick and cheap flight. We just never get sick of it!

Where is your favorite weekend getaway location?

Back on the Wagon

2009-03-02T19:50:00.000-08:00

So I really fell off the blog wagon in February, didn't I? Only two entries for the entire month. I suppose I could vow to never let that happen again, but the reality is that it's bound to happen at least a few more times, and perhaps even worse.

Anyway, we have several updates to post, so I'll get to those one at a time. I hope you all have been well!

xoxo

Steve's Wedding Band

2009-02-11T21:39:00.000-08:00

Lately, Steve has said several times that he wishes that he had a ring to wear. I think he's jealous that I get a pretty engagement ring to notify the world that I am betrothed. And he has to wait until we're married to wear his ring. Maybe I should get him a promise ring for his big 3-6? Blech!

But we have gone to look at wedding bands for him already, just for fun... it's really not as fun for guys, because there aren't as many options. This is the first one Steve picked out, a basic flat 4mm platinum band from Tiffany:

However, it reminds me of something you can find at a hardware store, and certainly not worth the premium TNC price tag.

This is the one I picked out, and I think it's the front runner for Steve--just a basic 6mm platinum from Tiffany:

I don't really love this one, especially for Steve, but I do like hammered metal in like bracelets and things like that... here's a hammered white gold men's band from Blue Nile:

Eh...

I came across this one when doing some internet research and instantly thought of Steve:

Ba-lee-ing. What do you think?

It's too bad that a ring is really required, because I think Steve would much rather have this Steve McQueen Monaco watch by Tag:

Steve is a big watch fan, everyone knows. Too bad I can't get him a watch, because I know he really loves timepieces. Although I want him to wear a wedding band when we are married. "Hands off biotches, he's taken!" But he also really likes that commercial from Denny's with that banana character, Nannerpus. So perhaps he would be just as happy with a stack of pancakes?

Flower Girl Attire

2009-02-10T19:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, I really fell off the blogging wagon, didn't I? Oops... I guess I ran out of stuff to talk about--who could have predicted that? I have been very busy with work and other things, and I also ran out of new wedding magazines, so my main source of inspiration dried up. At least for 2-3 months, when the next round of wedding magazines hit the press.

Anyway, my parents visited this past weekend to meet for the first time their new grandbaby, little Stelly Bean. We had a really fun weekend. One day when we were out shopping, I saw an adorable flower girl dress in the window of Luly Yang, and then a near replica at the Fireworks store in Westlake Center. It was all white with a pink silk flower at the empire waist and little silk flower petals in the tulle bubble hem. It looked pretty similar to this dress, from Us Angels:

By the way, Us Angels is my favorite line of flower girl dresses--I think they do a good job of balancing little girl frills with a touch of sophistication.

Here is one I sort of like--it's made of organza with a colored silk sash, and although you can't see it in this picture, the buttons are little pearls:

Here's another simple one--made of silk and tulle:

How cute is that little girl?

I really like this one--it has a little more personality, made with organza and with a touch of ruffles at the waist and hem:

And this one is very sweet--a little miniature ball gown with rosebud details.

Probably a little too sweet.

And I love this one--a sassy little pink frilly number:

Is this too scandalous for a little girl to wear in a wedding?

And this last one is one of my favorites--a little ballerina gown with a silk flower:

But I am not sure if we will want the flower girl to look like a mini-bride or a mini-bridesmaid.

Look how cute these shoes by Stride Rite are--teeny tiny metallic gladiator sandals!

And these are sweet little flat mary janes by Kenneth Cole Reaction:

Check out these little peep toe wedges, from the Nordstrom line:

Is 19 months too young for a 2" heel?

Or how about these tiny Michael Kors flipflops with huge rhinestones?

The canvas makes these a little casual, but with the right dress, they'd be super cute!

Okay, last ones--I love these sweet little metallic floral sandals from Nordstrom:

Which dresses and shoes do you like? Have you seen any cute baby clothes? I am kind of new to the baby clothes shopping scene, so please let me know if you know of some good places!

p.s. for anyone in town this weekend, Us Angels is having a trunk show at Nordstrom downtown on Friday, and at Bellevue Nordstrom on Saturday.

Lost with Linens

2009-01-27T22:25:00.000-08:00

In one of my 25 (yep, 25 and counting) wedding magazines, I found an advertisement for a specialty linen rental company, La Tavola Linen (http://www.latavolalinen.com/). I checked it out to see what they had and found some cool stuff.

For starters, they have a basic linen in this great "grape" color:

It's just a really great color, kind of two-toned depending on how you look at it.

This one is also a really good color, also called "grape":

It's kind of flat, but I think it's still pretty.

I like that this one has a design, and it looks sort of boho-chic:

However, I am not sure about the pattern for our wedding (although I like it for life in general). And the color is totally off. If we even decide to go with Aubergine, that is. I am trying to keep my mind open, maybe we'll change our minds in the next 19 months (19 months tomorrow!), a very likely situation.

This is the last one from La Tavola, and probably my favorite, even though it's not the color I originally was looking for:

That color is called "Apple," which I love because it's so fresh sounding. We could even do that color and maybe use centerpiece flowers in the aubergine vein, rather than white and green (which I have kind of been imagining up until now). I don't know, but I sure do like it! What do you think?

Here is one from an online vendor whose name I cannot recall (oops, good thing I don't love it):

Even though it's a little on the maroon side of aubergine, it would probably look good. However, I am not super excited about it.

The last two linens are from Linen Effects. This first one is okay color-wise, but I am not sure how I feel about satin. Do you like satin tablecloths?

This one might be my favorite aubergine tablecloth, in part because I love damask and also because of the color, although it looks a little blue now that I look at it closely. Maybe it's just the picture.

As much as I love it, though, I am not sure if it'll fit in. It feels a bit regal for an outdoor, rustic-chic wedding. What do you think? Do you think this linen could be combined with eclectic and organic-looking centerpieces, or do you think they're totally incompatible?

Has anyone rented linens online before? Or anywhere (including in Seattle or Billings)? Do you have any recommendations?

Signature Cocktails

2009-01-24T01:27:00.000-08:00

One idea Steve and I have talked about doing at our wedding reception is serving signature cocktails. Most likely, we'd pick two or three of our favorite drinks, maybe one "Steve" drink and one "Kara" drink. For Steve, it's pretty easy--jack and coke.

For me, it's a more difficult. I really like dirty vodka martinis, but that seems a little hardcore for a wedding. And heavy, too... it could potentially be in the 90's or over 100 degrees. It just doesn't seem fitting.

So the search for the perfect "Kara" cocktail is on!

In recent years, I have become increasingly fond of champagne and champagne cocktails. One of my favorites so far was one I had at Quinn's Pub, a Rhubarb Champagne Cocktail. It was so delicious. Unfortunately, they don't offer it anymore. And, I tried to make some myself at home, and they were pretty labor-intensive, so I don't think they'd work well on a wedding scale.

As an aside, Quinn's was the restaurant Steve took me to the night he proposed to me, so rhubarb champagne or not, Quinn's will always be special to me!

At Oliver's Twist last year, I tried a yummy martini with elderflower liqueur. I don't remember the details now (be it because of the passing of time or all that elderflower goodness). But here is a recipe I found on the internet:

French 77

1 oz. -- St. Germain's Elderflower Liqueur
1/4 oz. -- Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
Top off with Champagne
Serve in a flute, garnished with a lemon zest twist

You could easily substitute the Elderflower Liqueur with anything. Wouldn't Chambord be delicious, and then you could drop in a couple of fresh raspberries?

I saw this picture on Martha Stewart a few days ago--it's just champagne, garnished with a sweet little rose. How cute is this?

Here's one that sounds good (also from Martha Stewart):

Grape-Elderflower Fizz

12 oz. - Gin
3 oz. - St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
9 oz. - Concord Grape Juice
12 oz. - Club Soda
Fresh-squeezed Lime Juice from 3 Limes
1 Bunch Grapes (halved & seeded)

Pour all together in a pitcher, serve in tall glasses over ice. Garnish with grapes.

That one could be a final contender. It's got elderflower, and some fizz (even if it's not from champagne), and if you look at your computer screen from an obscure angle, it almost appears to be "aubergine" colored.

Everyone knows that if we were getting married in the winter, we would for sure serve Peppermint Martinis.

Kara & Blaire's Famous Peppermint Martinis

2 oz. - Vodka
1 oz. - Creme de Menthe (clear)
1 oz. - Bailey's Mint Chocolate Irish Cream

Shaken over ice, served up in a martini glass.

Here is one that would be perfect for the summer.

Watermelon Martini

1/2 C - Watermelon Juice
2 oz. - Vodka
1/2 oz. - Simple Syrup
1/2 oz. - Fresh-squeezed Lime Juice

Mix all ingredients and shake over ice. Serve up and garnish with watermelon wedges.

That one is actually completely out of the question--in order to get watermelon juice, you have to use a food processor to liquify the watermelon, and then strain it through cheesecloth. Times one hundred for a wedding. What a mess!

Here's one last one that I really love--we could serve serve a lemon-drop type of cocktail garnished with fresh lemon slices. Lemon drops alone are pretty summery and refreshing, and you could add some sage to it to give it kind of a country feel:

Lemon Sage Drops

2 oz. - Vodka
3/4 oz. - Fresh-squeezed Lemon Juice
1/2 oz. - Simple Syrup
2 - Fresh Sage Leaves

Muddle all ingredients over ice, serve up or over ice with a straw. Garnish with lemon slices. To up the "rustic" look, you could serve them in these super cute mini mason jars, from Candle Soylutions.

Who wants to come over and experiment with cocktails with me???

DIY Flowers? Do it for me!

2009-01-23T19:46:00.000-08:00

In any discussion about how to keep wedding costs down, at least one person will suggest that you do your own flowers. Up until now, I have always thought--oh, that's for those creative types, not for people like me! Given that I am seriously unimaginative, I would sooner have skipped the booze than be forced to create my own centerpieces. Just joking, I am just being dramatic. But maybe we could forgo fancy invitations and cocktail hour appetizers. At any rate, I am sure you get what I am saying--with flowers are on the line, I might have felt compelled to act drastically, because I could see DIY (do-it-yourself) flowers by me turning out like this:

Ick! But then a few things happened--first, I found that I am drawn to these types of flower "arrangements":

I am not in love with the picture above, but I really like the idea--an eclectic collection of containers. It is understated, but pretty. And, I think this look would fit in well with the rustic concept I talked about in earlier posts. This one is my very favorite so far of this type:

However, even as simple as these arrangements are, they can still add up. You've got three different vases here and potentially three different varieties of fresh flowers. Multiply that by, say, 30 tables--and these super-simple centerpieces aren't an insignificant budget line.

Which brings me to my second recent discovery: wholesale flowers over the internet. It sounds scary, I know, but I have read lots of reviews about one online wholesaler in particular, www.fiftyflowers.com. Aside from the occasional disgruntled bride ("I ordered lavender hydrangeas, but they were actually blue!"), it seems like customers have been very happy with the quality, value, customer service, and--importantly--free overnight shipping. If you stick to pretty neutral colors--white, cream, green, pink--it seems like it would be a pretty safe way to go.

The biggest bonus is really the value. If your centerpieces consist of a collection of bottle and jars, like the ones above, it's difficult to justify paying the full price to a florist for something you could do on your own. Assuming, of course, that you have someone willing to put out all the flowers at just the right time, so that they don't wilt in the August heat, and in just the right way. Oh, and assuming that you have all those cool containers. Which brings me to my next find...

You can buy wholesale glass containers as well. For like cheap--less than a couple of dollars each. By the way all the glass here is at least 40% recycled (I know, I know... how hypocritical am I? Shipping in flowers overnight from Ecuador, and trying to offset it by using partially recycled glass. We'll buy some carbon credits.). Again, these aren't my all-time favorites, but I only spent about five minutes searching through the first site I came across:

And look at these little cutie pies:

Wouldn't they make sweet little bud vases? Imagine them with one of these gorgeous Caipirina roses (from fiftyflower.com):

You could put one at each place setting--it would be a really nice touch, and then people could take them home with them.

I also like these--if you had long rectangular tables and wanted to do something low, these would make very simple and sweet centerpieces with a peony in each jar, along with some scattered votives:

One last thing--you can buy TONS of flower petals online, like U-Haul boxes full of them, for a relatively low cost. Maybe that petal-lined aisle I posted a few days ago might actually be a possibility!

So, the moral of the story: there just might be a way for left-brainers like me to do their own flowers!

Would you consider doing DIY floral centerpieces?

Interactive Post - Do's and Don'ts

2009-01-20T12:01:00.000-08:00

Hello people! I would like your help on something. My new favorite lunchtime activity is to peruse wedding blogs, and I found one asking for readers' tips on what to do and not to do regarding weddings.

It got me thinking, I know there are at least a handful of wedding-savvy readers of this blog (thank you very much, by the way, it means so much to me to know that you browse our blog once in a while!), and I should be asking all of you for wedding planning advice. Anything is helpful--if you are married, is there something you wish you would have done differently? What was your favorite part of your wedding? If you could only make one recommendation to an engaged couple planning their wedding, what would be your advice?

And, if you have attended a wedding, was there something that left a really great impression on you? What is your favorite part about attending weddings? Or least favorite part?

Here is one example of some wise advice I received the other day: I was talking to a prospective photographer, and she asked if we'd like to take our pictures before or after the ceremony. I told her that we have been thinking about doing the pictures beforehand so that we can spend more time talking with guests after the ceremony and not have to worry about taking a bunch of pictures. But she pointed out that many brides (and grooms!) feel a little nervous when they take pictures before the ceremony--sometimes because they're just generally nervous, and other times because they don't want to get grass stains on their dress, or mess up their hair, or get all schvitzy. Whatever the cause, those nerves totally show up in the pictures, and they usually recommend after-ceremony pictures so the couple is more relaxed and photographs more naturally. Good point! Whether we decide to do that or not, it's definitely something to take into consideration, and I sincerely appreciate learning from her experience.

I love to hear how each person has a different way of looking at and planning events--please tell me about yours! Leave your comments below, just push the "comments" button and type away!

Zenadia Design

2009-01-19T23:20:00.000-08:00

I just discovered a new blog site, Zenadia Design's Color Palettes, thanks to a helpful tip from a WeddingBee.com reader. Check it out:

http://zenadiadesignscolorpalettes.blogspot.com/

Basically, brides can email Zenadia Design asking for help with wedding design and color palettes, and they use the information in the requests to inspire feature designs.

For example, one design was called "Moulin Rouge," represented here:

Not really for us, but kind of cool nonetheless.

This one is very classy--Champagne, Charcoal, and White (even though I prefer to have a little more color:

I love this one--so feminine and pretty! It reminds me of Marie Antoinette, one of my favorite movies:

It might be a little too girly for our wedding, but it would make for a super pretty shower.

I have always really liked Chartreuse, so naturally I liked this one:

All images in this post are from Zenadia Design.

Which ones do you like?

Decor Ideas

2009-01-18T17:45:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to scanning some of my favorite decor ideas that I have ripped out of magazines. I have a whole plastic file box full of ideas, but I didn't want to include them all in one post--this is just the beginning!

For the ceremony, here is one of our favorite looks so far:

The colors aren't really for us, but I love the dense line of petals on the outside edges of the aisle. I am not sure how I feel about the hanging crystals. I think they look okay here, but sometimes they sort of look like those hanging beads you put in doorways.

Here is another picture I like of the petal-lined aisle:

I like that this aisle incorporates candles as well, but I don't know if that will work very well outside on an August night--there will be plenty of sunshine.

For the reception, I really like this look:

I love the chandeliers and that there is so much candlelight. It looks like they may have used pin spotlights on the centers of the tables (maybe... what do you think?)--I think that adds a really nice touch. This might be a difficult look to achieve inside our tent, given that there would not be a ceiling to hang the chandeliers from. But I am convinced that my stepdad, Jerry, can figure out a way. He can do anything!

The Ring!

2009-01-18T14:30:00.001-08:00

Okay, okay! I'll post the ring already. Here it is:

Did you know how incredibly difficult it is to photograph a ring? The photo above is a little dark and amateur-ish, so here is one from the website, with a larger diamond:

I love it! You really have to see it in person--it's so sparkly! The best light we have seen it in so far was at the Elysian on Pike, one of our favorite breweries. Or maybe it was the beer that made it look even prettier?

Don't you think Steve did a great job?

UPDATE: To answer Ally's question--it's actually a cushion cut, but in the picture it does look a little like a round brilliant. By the way, I really love Asscher cut diamonds as well. I saw yours on Facebook--gorgeous!

Flower Girl Stella Cate

2009-01-15T10:11:00.000-08:00

Last night, my sister, Leah, and brother-in-law, Brett, welcomed their first baby girl, Stella Cate. She was 8 pounds, 3 ounces, and 20 3/4". Check her out!

It's incredibly difficult to tell at this point, but I think she has Brett's upper lip and possibly eyes, too. Leah said she has blonde hair--yay!!!! She'll be the cutest flower girl ever.

Pre-Registry Shopping

2009-01-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

Today, Steve and I took a big step together—pre-registry shopping. We were walking around downtown and none of the stores that we “needed” to go to were open yet, so we just wandered around for a while. When I saw Macy’s, I remembered that I have been thinking lately about just going to look and see.

I finally got to see in person this china pattern that I have been eyeing, “Bonnabel Place” by Kate Spade:

I like that it’s pretty simple and that the paisley design is subtle. And that Steve liked it as well, which can sometimes be difficult (“I don’t like that spoon, it’s too ‘deep.’”). The only thing that I don’t like about it is that the teacup is so fat and stout. It’s not pretty and dainty like teacups are supposed to be.

I like the shape of the tea cut better, it’s cuter:

We’ll probably wait to register until about six months prior to the wedding, which is more than one whole year from now. So we definitely have some time, and as Steve pointed out this morning, all the things we like now will probably be discontinued by then!

Whatever we eventually decide on, it’ll be nice to have something a little more formal than my six Fiesta place settings and Steve’s bachelor-ware!

Bride Wars

2009-01-11T17:33:00.001-08:00

Last night Katy, Lesli, and I met up for dinner and a movie, Bride Wars. We all knew the movie would not be award-worthy, but I thought it would be a fun bride-and-bridesmaids excuse to get together. Indeed, it was a fun night; we went for Thai food first and threw around some décor ideas. As a side note, it has been really interesting to see how different people analyze and categorize the ideas I have collected from magazines—everyone has a slightly different perspective, and it’s super helpful to hear others’ takes. Anyway, we got so caught up during after-dinner drinks and looking through pictures, we almost missed the beginning of the movie.

The movie has not done so well with reviewers, getting only 12% on Rottentomatoes.com. I did not think it was that bad, but then again, I also think Legally Blonde is a good movie. At the very least, I was never bored, I cried a little, and it helped get us all into wedding planning mode (as if we needed any help!).

Color Idea

2009-01-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

Although I am hesitant to officially commit us to wedding colors--committing to a date was our big accomplishment for January--there is one that I am pretty sure about: Aubergine. It has always been a favorite color of mine, and I love how rich it looks in decor items.

In the last issue of The Bride and Bloom, there was a featured wedding design using a similar color, along with pink, peach, brown, and green, which was gorgeous. Here is my translation:

The pictures I used (which you probably recognize from the mosaic below) look a little isolated from one another, but I have seen them put together in a very tasteful way.

What do you think? BMs, would you wear Aubergine?

Inspiration Board

2009-01-07T22:15:00.000-08:00

After expressing some confusion about themes the other day, I have gotten some good ideas from several people! I still have yet to come up with a word or phrase to describe how I want our wedding to look, but BM Lesli (by the way, BM in wedding lingo = bridesmaid, not bowel movement Steve) suggested that instead of trying to come up with a single idea, I should make a collage of all my ideas with pictures and even words. I have seen similar projects before, so I thought I would give it a shot. I made this one using MosaicMaker (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php), which allows you to upload photos or link to your Flikr account if you have one.

What do you think? The word "glow" comes to mind when I look at it all together.

I think the term "inspiration board" is kind of cheesy, but I do like how these mosaics can quickly summarize your favorite ideas in a visually appealing way. Most of my favorite ideas so far have come from magazines and since I don't have those pictures in digital format, they're not included in the mosaic above (which only includes images from TheKnot.com).

Here is another mosaic I created just for fun:

Clockwise from top left, that's Leah, my brother Alex, and me goofing around the night before Leah's wedding in 2007; Steve and me dressed up in 80's gear; Blaire, me, Peter A. (one of our groomsmen) and Steve at the old Murphy Apartments where Steve used to live; and Mike L., Steve, me, and Blaire (and Aric J.'s forehead in the background) having a blast at the Def Leppard and Journey concert in the Fall of 2006.

As I mentioned above, Lesli also suggested using words in my inspiration board as well. In fact, she even invented a new word that I think would be perfect for our inspiration board:

Stevish: Adj. Stee'-vish. To be appropriate at an ACDC concert, representative of bygone eras of "old guy" pants, evoking riotous laughter.

© 2009 L.Lodahl. All rights reserved.

Bridesmaid Britt

2009-01-07T01:10:00.000-08:00

Last but definitely not least, this post is all about my dear friend, Brittany S. (formely H.!)

Here is Britt, me, Lesli, and another college friend, Ashley L., celebrating Montana State Homecoming during the Fall of 2006:

And another group pic--clockwise starting with me--of me, Ashley L., Tacey J., Jana S., Britt, and Sara B. And yes, you had to be blonde and beautiful to be my friend in college!

Often, hanging out with Britt can be painful for me. After a long day, my cheeks and sides hurt from laughing constantly! To illustrate--the following picture is from one of the funniest and whackiest days we've had together. I invited Britt out to my Uncle Kenny's farm to practice our equestrian skills (we took a horseback riding class together during college, one of my all-time favorites), and we ended up working our a**es off helping him get ready for a four-day-long wagon ride he was leaving for the next morning. It was really fun, though. On the way out to the farm, we came upon a rattle snake in the middle of road, so Kenny took a pistol out of his truck (a totally normal thing to carry in your truck in Montana) and shot the snake twice in the head! When it still didn't die (in order to truly kill a rattler, I guess you have cut the whole dang head off), Kenny did what any other person did--he took a metal folding chair out of the back of our suburban (we were fresh out of shovels) and whacked that sucker until it wouldn't move! What?!?? I still die laughing when we recall that story! Once we got out to the farm, we rode horses for all of 1.2 hours (it was like 100 degrees and sunny out) and then spent the rest of the day helping load the wagon up with supplies and ripping around the farm on the "Rhino" (a suped-up, camo-colored, golf-cart looking thing). Here we are in the wagon with Kenny, acting like cowgirls:

Britt was one of the first friends I made during college; we both lived on the 4th Floor of Hapner, on the A/B side. We both went through rush together, and we both pledged Chi Omega. During our sophomore year, we lived together in Room 19 in the basement. I remember when we were first assigned that room, we were totally bummed because we wanted to live "on top" (on the top floor). It turned out to be a total blast and some of my favorite college memories were during my sophomore year!

Britt is also from Billings, and she lives there now with her husband, Joey. I love that she lives in Billings, because I get to see her every time I go home to visit my family! Although it's sometimes a challenge to find time to chat (we often have to make phone "dates" to get voice-to-voice communication!), whenever we see each other, it's as if not a moment has passed since we last talked. Of all the people I have ever met, Britt by far has the biggest heart and the most spirit! Just being around her is a fun time!

Britt, I am so, so, SO excited you're going to be one of my bridesmaids! I love ya!

Maid of Honor "KT"

2009-01-07T00:24:00.000-08:00

Next up is my beloved BFF, Katy or "KT."

Here is a picture of KT and me at one of our old favorite bars, The Frontier Room in Belltown, during our annual Christmas celebration:

And us (again in Belltown... there were many of those type of nights my first two years of law school!) at a friend's black-and-white birthday party:

And another pic of KT, Les, and me visiting Bozeman during Homecoming in 2006:

Katy and I first met when we both pledged Chi Omega in the Fall of 2006, when I was a freshman and she was a sophomore. We were friends through the sorority in college--we were "bathroom" buddies (not as interesting/gross as it sounds... we just happened to often be getting ready in the same bathroom at the same time), I learned many of my early makeup techniques from her; we were on the "Personnel Board" together, at least until she kicked me off for being bad (I deserved it for sure--ha ha!); and we even lived together in a tiny basement apartment one summer in Bozeman, our college town.

But it wasn't really until I moved to Seattle in June 2005 that we became really great friends. Katy graduated before I did and moved out here earlier that year. When I first moved out, I knew hardly anyone except my sister and Brett. So, I invited Katy to come over to check out my new apartment and to have a few drinks. Since we had not really talked since Katy moved away from Bozeman, I was nervous to see her! I don't know why, maybe I was afraid it would be like an awkward first date or something. But anyway, the rest is history and we've been the best of friends since!

One of the things I love most about Katy is that she is the kind of friend with whom you can talk about anything and everything in the world, and I definitely do! Hanging out with Katy is a guaranteed good time. She is a very loyal friend, evidenced by her many life-long friendships. She is also a constant inspiration for me, as she is always excited about her job and constantly thinking of new ways to motivate her team and improve her store's performance. It's no wonder she went from Associate to Store Manager in just a few short years. She was recently named the 28th best Store Manager out all the Victoria's Secret stores in the U.S. (there are more than a thousand)!

KT, thank you for being such a loyal and fun friend! I am thrilled you will be my maid of honor--I can't wait for the bachelorette party!! I love ya!

Bridesmaid Lesli

2009-01-06T23:34:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to my good friend, Lesli, who--a dedicated blogger herself and already a "follower" of this one--may very well be the only person to ever read this blog!

Here is a picture taken at (one of) Lesli's 25th b-day celebrations, at Le Faux ("Seattle's best female impersonator cabaret show") at Julia's on Broadway. Lesli is the beaming beauty in the middle, and that's our friend from college, Kenzie F., on the left:

And here is a pic of Lesli, Katy, and me having fun with the comic book guy at the Cha Cha Lounge:

And here, the spicier side of Lesli:

Lesli and I first became friends when we both pledged Chi Omega our freshman year at Montana State University in the fall of 2001--more than seven years ago! Sometimes it seems like it was only a couple years ago, and other times I feel like I have known Lesli for decades. We lived together in the sorority during our college days in Bozeman, Montana, and we're lucky to live so near each other now in our "adult" lives--after college, Lesli moved to Tacoma to work for State Farm, where she now works as a market analyst.

In many ways, I think of Lesli as more of a sister than a friend. Lesli is one of those friends you can lean on when things are wobbly, no matter the circumstances (when times are tough, or maybe just because I've had too much to drink!). I also love her many facets--one of my favorites is her sweet and giddy side, and another favorite is her nightlife alter ego (a nickname affectionately given during college), "Bitch of the Bar." ;-) There is also "Blonde Lesli" and "Brunette Lesli," depending on the month! Currently, it's brunette, but last we talked she may be going back to her natural blonde. She looks great in both, so why not bounce back and forth?

Lesli has a real creative eye and loves to plan events, so I feel lucky that she is one of my bridesmaids! She is also an up-and-coming photographer and has generously offered to do a photo shoot for Steve and I for engagement photos and to get some pictures for our website (I can't wait! I will be sure to show off her pics after said photo shoot).

Les, thank you for being you and for being a part of my life! I am so happy that you'll be by my side when Steve and I get married. I love you!

Little B the Bridesmaid

2009-01-06T22:53:00.000-08:00

Blaire C., or "Little B" as Steve calls her, is my second favorite person I met in law school (second of course behind my groom!)! She is such a "find" as a friend that I feel so lucky to even call her a friend!

Here is a picture of Blaire and me, taking a study "break" during finals of December 2006 at Havana:

And Ms. Material Girl at her aforementioned 80's b-day bash:

And another picture of us--along with some other law school girlies, Brittiny C. (another Billings native! on the bottom left), Alison B. (on the far right), and one of my bar prep BFFs, Roxanne (the tiny Asian in the middle).

Blaire was actually Steve's friend first, they met during their first year of law school (before I even attended SU). I initially met Blaire when she and another friend, Mike L., "accidentally" crashed my first date with Steve! I use quotations because I am not so convinced it was an accidental run-in. The short story is that my first date with Steve was a casual meet-up on the patio at The Garage in April 2006. We (obviously) hit it off and enjoyed talking for so long that we ended up staying several hours, until we were freezing out on the patio. So after a while we moved inside, and up came Blaire and Mike to our booth, two of Steve's closest friends! Of course, my first thought was that he staged it, either as a back-up plan in case our date sucked or in order to have them scope me out or something. Or maybe girls are the only ones to think of things like that?

But anyway, that was the first time I met Blaire and we become good friends after that. Some of my favorite memories with Blaire involve Monday Night Football at Steve's tiny apartment at the Murphy's, marathon veg-fests at Steve's second apartment, and frequent trips to the Elysian Brewery. Blaire is quick-witted and super fun, so it's very difficult not to like her. After she graduated in May 2007, she moved back to her home state of California and is now a big-time employment and labor law attorney in San Jose. Even though I am very happy for her that she is doing so well in California, we miss having her in Seattle!

Blaire, thank you for being such a great friend. For me, law school would not have been the same without you! I can't wait to see you next Wednesday! Love you!

Leah, Matron of Honor

2009-01-06T22:01:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is the first of several posts to highlight my lovely ladies. First up is my extremely prego sister, Leah.

Here is Leah on her own wedding day, June 2, 2006:

But this is more like the real Leah--having a wildly good time (btw, sorry Leah--I just love this picture and couldn't resist posting it! If you insist, I will remove it...). Throw your hands up in the Ayer:

And here is her little babe and my soon-to-be niece, Stella Cate, at 20 weeks:

She is due one week from today! Stella will be the cutest flower girl ever.

In many ways, Leah and I couldn't be less alike. She is super creative, artistic and loves to read. She can discuss comic books and video games with the awkwardest of thirteen-year-old boys and is practically a pro at floral arranging and interior design. I, on the other hand, am none of those things. But in spite of these differences, we always have a really great time together. Hopefully--whether she knows this or not--Leah will be the creative director for the wedding. In fact, any time I mention wedding color or decor ideas to my mom, she always asks, "Did you show Leah? What did she think?"

Obviously, Leah and I go way back. Back to the days of matching acid-washed, pleated denim skirts from Sears and breaking the light fixture in our shared bedroom while playing catch with our "popples" (remember those?). She moved out to the Puget Sound in 1999, and I followed in 2005. Since we now live in the same area, we get to hang out more often and have become closer than ever. She and my brother-in-law, Brett, are the kind of people that I could hang out with all the time, and I am super thankful they live so close. In fact, I sometimes try to get them to move farther north so they (and baby Stel) will be even closer to where we live.

Thank you, Leah, for being such a wonderful sister and friend! I am so happy you'll be my matron of honor. I love ya!

To theme or not to theme?

2009-01-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

For the last few months, my DVR has recorded a steady stream of wedding-related TV shows--Whose Wedding is it Anyway? Bridezillas, Platinum Weddings, etc. In every show that involves a wedding planner, the first thing the planner says often seems to be "What is your theme?" or "Tell me what your vision is."

But what is a theme anyway? Blaire once had a theme birthday party--80's, funnest birthday party ever--but I am guessing that's not the kind of theme that David Tutera is referring to. It seems like every winter wedding is themed "Winter Wonderland" and has decorations like this:

I LOVE these crystal manzanita trees, by the way. But they're not fitting for an August wedding, unfortunately.

I kind of like things with birds right now, like these "love bird" invitations from my first favorite stationer, Ilee Paper Goods in Seattle:

But Steve doesn't like birds apparently, and I would not even know how to translate that idea into a cohesive theme for our wedding, anyway.

I am really into fabric flowers that you see on lots of wedding gowns right now... but again, how do you create a theme out of "flowers"?

I also really like the look of these rustic pillar candle chandeliers:

But I am not ready to commit to a 100% "rustic" theme, in part because "rustic" is actually an antonym for "Steve," and also because I tend to love very modern-looking floral arrangements. Maybe we could do a fusion, like, I don't know... "modern rustic"?

Do you have any good wedding theme ideas? Please share them with me!

Bridesmaids be mine?

2009-01-06T20:09:00.000-08:00

Today a group of my closest friends received a little surprise at work--potted orchids and my humble request to have them stand by me on our wedding day! So far, so good... I have received four yeses so far and am still waiting for lucky number five. Since each of my girls is special in such a unique way, I plan to write separate posts to highlight each. But for now, here is the lineup:

Matron of Honor -- Leah W.
Maid of Honor -- Katy S.
Bridesmaid -- Blaire C.
Bridesmaid -- Brittany S.
Bridesmaid -- Lesli L.

When my friend Britt was planning her wedding to her now husband Joey, she planned a special party for her BMs and asked us each individually in turn, having us read a super secret note with directions to a mysterious location (which turned out to be the place where she was married in August 2008!) where she was waiting--in the bitter cold--to ask us to be her bridesmaids. I was so flattered to be asked in the first place, and even more touched that she put so much thought into it.

Looking for a special way to ask my own friends to be a part of our wedding, I decided to send them each a little note and flowers. After giving it some thought, though, I decided to send orchid plants instead--something they can keep! Today was the big delivery day, and I think it was more fun for me than anyone else, receiving a happy call or a text every few hours!

To any of my BMs that may be reading this, thank you for saying yes!!!

Hello!

2009-01-06T18:59:00.000-08:00

Thank you for visiting my first blog EVER. I have never actually tried to blog before, mostly because any time I thought about doing it, I had already lost interest by the time I got to the registration page. But, I love looking at other people's blogs (thank you, Lesli, for starting yours... I am looking forward to more fabulous pictures), so I wanted to try it out. And what better than to write about something that I am super excited about--wedding planning! I also want to keep this going so that anyone who might want to be involved in helping to plan our wedding can stay in the loop, no matter how far away. So thank you for stopping by :-D

Misnomer

Anyone who knows Steve would know that he would be equally (or maybe even more) happy with having 50 of his closest friends and family at the Satellite with a plate of nachos and AC/DC on the jukebox as he would be with a very elegant wedding. In fact, the only preference he has voiced so far is that he wants to wear a bowtie with his tuxedo on our wedding day so that he looks like Daniel Craig in the James Bond movies:

What do you think?

The bowtie/whatever-the-other-tie-is-called debate has yet to be called, but--pending my approval when I see him try it on--I'm leaning to allowing the bowtie. If that's all he has asked for, how could I say no?

But the point is, Steve is the opposite of a groomzilla, but he is just so good at being the butt of a joke (one of the million reasons why I love him!).