Saving The Date with Style

Wedding update time! I'm still procrastinating on several key details ("key" being the operative word here), but my hand is about to be forced. Our awesome photographer totally saw my vision and helped me design some amazing Save the Dates. I know nothing about design and Photoshop, but he graciously listened to my ideas... and worked his magic. I LOVE the finished product! Now that the ball is in my court to tell him how many we need, I guess that means I have to look at the guest list and finalize it. Poor me...

These were our inspirations for the Save the Dates:

{via Green Wedding Shoes}

{via Emmaline Bride}

Our invitations are also on their way! Emily sent me my design choices, and I nearly cried happy, happy tears. They are going to be so beautiful. I'll leave it at that. But, I have to plug Emily and her talent for a second. If you need anything designed, hit her up. Serious. That's an order. She is ridiculously talented and passionate about what she does, and the finished product will not disappoint!

Catching Up

Getting listy with it:

• Our engagement photos are almost ready!! Sneak peek of one of our favorites:

{Photo taken by our rockstar photographer Mr. Mike Reed}

• I didn't think I would be that much of a procrastinator when it came to the wedding, but that, my friends, is just not true. I am currently procrastinating on the following (ooh, a list within the list!)
• Finalizing the guest list
• Why is this my least favorite part of the entire process?
• Deciding on an officiant
• Again, the ceremony is kind of the point, so I'm not sure why this is such an issue
• Beginning to look at the menu options
• Food! Otherwise known as my favorite thing. Maybe it is because all the options look too good that I can't decide? 
• I am making these cupcakes for Nick's birthday, and I think I am more excited about them than he is. Seriously though, I am going to be injecting the cupcakes with milky goodness. Enough said. I am crossing my fingers and my toes that these turn out perfect... send positive thoughts my way?

{via How Sweet It Is}

• Our invitations are officially in the works, and I am getting more and more excited. 
• I have had the chance to do some serious hanging out with 3 of my 4 bridesmaids, and all I can say is that these ladies are something special. They are all from separate parts of my life, and they haven't met each other yet, but it's going to be fun to watch those "worlds collide," as George Costanza so aptly put it.

Ceremony Decor

I really like the way this looks: poms and candles, lining the aisle.

{via Style Me Pretty}

This is actually a picture of the gazebo at The Winfield Inn where we will be saying our "I dos!" And, I would love it to look a lot like this!

{via Bouquets of Austin}

And the fun continues: flowers and invites galore!

I have countless journal entries that start like this: "I haven't journaled in forever........"

Yeah, I tend to be a bit of a blogging and journaling delinquent. But, I will reform.

I finally picked a florist! That is one step forward for indecisive brides everywhere. (Cue the slow clap.) I am really excited about my pick, too. Verbena Floral Design has done the flowers for some incredibly gorgeous weddings on Style Me Pretty, and LuAnn has been nothing but sweet and accommodating, helping me work my ideas into my budget. It feels so good to have that big item checked off my list, and now I can just get back to my obsessive Pinterest pinning of pretty flowers in bottles. Ha. I'm not kidding though...

My amazing invitation designer, Emily Jeffords of Beautiful Hello, created this awesome inspiration board for the invites, and it made me pretty giddy. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with-- whatever it is, I know it's going to be great. Go check out her blog for more loveliness.

{inspiration board via Beautiful Hello; individual pictures  from various: 1 and 5 via The Wedding Chicks; 2 via Fellow Fellow ; 3 via Grey Likes Weddings; 4 via The Nouveau Romantics; 6,7 & 8 via Style Me Pretty}

So many other ideas are swirling around, but I will save them for another post. I have a to-do list that includes deep cleaning the bathroom (yuck), so I had better get to it!

Inspirational Wednesday - Style

It's Wednesday! And, that's just 2 days until Friday which is almost the weekend! See, doesn't that help? Things have been clicking away over here. I still have wedding head, as my Mom calls it, but I might be equalizing out just a little bit. The rest of my "to-dos" seem pretty manageable, so I think I might let myself actually read a book, one without glossy pages full of pink flowers. An actual book!

But, since I still have "wedding head," I still have some ideas percolating in the back of my mind...

I can't wait to get all my best girlfriends together and go dress shopping. The base color of the wedding is "shades of blue," and yes, I realize that grammatically, that's an issue. I just can't pick one shade, so we are going to run the gamut and hope it works!  I'm crossing my fingers we can find something like these: chic and pulled together but eclectic.

{all images via Style Me Pretty}

For me, a few things seem constant: 
Poofy veil!



Pretty dangling earrings and a delicate hair flower

Let Them Eat Cake

It's just a food-ish kind of day. This might be partially inspired by the inordinate amount of Easter candy around my office. I swear, it's everywhere, wooing me, tempting me. And, Easter candy is so much better than Halloween candy, in my very astute opinion. But, I digress. Cake. We are a bit of a ways from making any solid wedding cake plans (and by solid wedding cake plans, I am referring to cake tastings, naturally), but that hasn't stopped me from looking at what's out there.

These cakes look very similar, and I love them both. I want to eat them both. And, I want to pose next to both of them in photos. All of which are good signs, I think.

{both via Style Me Pretty}

But, I love the idea of having a lot of other dessert options other than just a cake. 

{via Style Me Pretty}

{via Grey Likes Weddings}

And lastly, how fun would it be to decorate the cake/yummy table with the cool frames in this picture? 

{via Green Wedding Shoes}

New Toy-- Photo booth Ideas

This adorable Fuji Instax Mini just came in the mail. It spits out tiny pictures, just like a polaroid!

Watching the first picture develop before my eyes was like magic. Pure magic.

So, some thoughts are percolating in my brain. Wedding related thoughts, of course. I love the idea of having a photo booth at the wedding, you know, a little something for guests to do other than dance. But darn those things are expensive. Maybe this little instant camera could be our own do-it-yourself photo booth? Provide some props, a cool backdrop, and bam!, photo booth. I have heard of others doing this, and I wonder if it is too kitschy... or is it just kitschy enough??

{via Beautiful Mess} 

{via Style Me Pretty}

{via Style Me Pretty}

Holy Videography, Batman!

Yep, videography again, thank god.

I can't tell you how many wedding videos I have watched in the past month. Too many. I discovered that I don't really like most wedding videos. I can appreciate them for what they are-- a very special moment for someone else-- but that's all. But, when I found Vanessa McKellar Productions, I think I turned the corner.

Vanessa has an eye for details. Her videos made me unable to click the pause button. They were just the sweetest, most beautiful celebrations of a day, a moment, I have seen. And I was way too excited when she was available to shoot our wedding. I can just imagine sitting on our little couch the evening of our first anniversary, weeping into our coffee as we watch ourselves commit to one another. (Read: I will be weeping into my coffee).

So, there you go. I went from trying to shed a wedding video from my list to obsessing about how wonderful it is going to be. I am a fickle, fickle woman.

Here is one of my favorites:

Danielle & Louis's Wedding Trailer | Cincinnati, Ohio from Vanessa McKellar Productions on Vimeo.

DJ, check!

One of our friends recently asked if we will have a dance floor at the reception. Next to saying our vows in front of our friends and family, that is the most important part, right? I mean, our friends need lots of those awkward dancing pictures taken with their phones to post on Facebook. We owe this to them.

So, since the music and the party are so important to Nick and I, picking a DJ was a little daunting. During my initial search, I read a story from someone's wedding where the DJ not only insulted the bride but played all country music (horrors! mainly the country music...). Apparently, it's pretty bad out there. Thankfully Robyn at the Winfield Inn and Mike Reed both recommended Joel Giorgio at Greenbelt DJ Productions.

Joel responded to my inquiry in 10 minutes and has been as responsive to every other email I have sent him. He gets rave reviews from all the couples who use him, and we were told that he knows how to get people dancing. SCORE!

We also get to pick a lot of the songs he will play, which is awesome, and somehow easier said than done. I have a much better conceptual idea of a good party than I have the actual ingredients to produce it. Thankfully, I have a year and a very musically savvy fiance to help me. 

We are also using Joel for our ceremony music, which was the second thing I started scrawling in my notebook after the wedding madness set in. We aren't traditionalists, and we want the music that we walk down the aisle to to reflect who we are. So, that means there will be a variation of November Rain playing at some crucial point.

Are there any other unique and beautiful songs (with words or preferably without) to consider?

Friday Wedding Inspiration

I have a definite "type" when it comes to wedding styles. And this one pretty much encapsulates it. The streamers, the gorgeous bride, the bright colors, and all the sweet homey details just put the biggest grin on my face. Enjoy!

{All via Style Me Pretty}

Streamers and Inspirations

Some pretty pictures to end the night. I have been looking for non-floral gazebo decoration ideas:

Love this streamer garland.

{via Green Wedding Shoes}

This is just because I love her hair down and the big flower.

{via Style Me Pretty}

This is perfection. 

{via Bow Ties and Bliss}

Crafty

I was feeling crafty tonight after staring at Pinterest for hours. Oh Pinterest, why must you be so addictive? And, I pulled out the ribbon, lace and embroidery hoop I bought from Hobby Lobby last week. This was the idea:

the one on the right

{via Green Wedding Shoes}

{via Style Me Pretty}

Well, I think I need a lot more ribbon and lace, but here is the started ribbon hangy thing:

I rather like what I am seeing develop. A few more ribbon spools and some more lace scraps, and I might have a fun little decoration. This one is massive, and I think I would like to make some smaller ones. I will post a picture when it is all done! 

Finds

I have found way too many amazing things this past week. The only thing I am slightly worried about is that my stuff might take over the house and Nick might begin to think I am a hoarder. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Besides all the amazing vessels and vases I have picked up, I started a new project that is either crazy or ingenious: I am collecting mismatched china plates for the reception. I love the look and it is so fun to rummage for pretty old china pieces. We'll see how that goes... and if you think I'm crazy, you are probably right.

Show and Tell:

And here something in honor of my newfound succulent obsession:

Invitation in the Works

I am beyond excited that Emily Jeffords of Beautiful Hello is designing my wedding invitations. I grew up with Emily, and even in our teens she was the most stylish, artistic girl I knew. Fast forward 15 years, and she is still stylish and artistic and has an amazing Etsy shop and gorgeous blog. I can't wait to see what she cooks up. Some invite inspiration we are working off of.

Handwritten Scripts, vintage vibes, dark blues:

{via We Heart Photography}

{Designed by Smock}

{via William Arthur}

Flowers Flowers!

Meeting with floral designers is a girls dream come true. You've got a talented designer with a pen and a note pad asking you what you want, and showing you loads of pretty pictures. Yes please. Maybe I need a career change? Just a few snapshots of inspiration:

Poppies and mason jars, orange and white

{via Be U Weddings floral design by Wild Poppy}

Big leaves and lots of texture!

{via Style Me Pretty}

Perfection in a bouquet-- add some trailing leaves and I might just die.

{via Flora Grubb}

Succulents are such strange little plants, therefore I love them and their odd beauty.

{unknown}

This shape is perfect-- love the wispy, just-picked feel.

{via Style Me Pretty}

These bottles are the inspiration behind the weekly Goodwill trips.

{Via Style Me Pretty}

I'm loving ranunculus, succulents, big leaves and greenery, buds popping out of little vases and quirky vessels, and bold orange pops of color.

Videography...

All along I have said, "We don't need a videographer... who actually watches their wedding video?" Nick agreed, and I was pleased to cross a line item out of our budget. Then I saw a beautiful 5 minute wedding video that made me cry, and I had to admit defeat. Darn. Good thing Nick just laughs and understands. Love him.

So, I'm on the hunt for a videographer/cinematographer who can make lovely, artistic videos and won't break my bank. Easier said than done. It seems there is a disparity (cost and otherwise) between artistic videos, "MTV" videos, and "your parents VHS" style videos. I guess I had to hit one snag in the planning process, and of all of them, this is pretty small potatoes.

More Shoes and Flowers

I got home from work today to find a box on my doorstep. Shoes! I tried them on, and declared them the champions. (I apologize for the bland, unpainted toenails.)

In other wedding news, Caitlin (my maid of honor) and I met with a really wonderful florist today. She and I had way too much fun talking about all my ideas, looking at pictures, and brainstorming. Nothing is set in stone yet, but it was a fun first meeting.

Lastly, how can anyone resist this stud? There we go-- this is what it is all for. I can't wait to be this man's wife!!

THE dress

It's funny-- I found my dress before we even set our date. And somehow the act of finding that one perfect dress made everything else fall into place.

 It is true that two hours after putting Nick's ring on my finger, I was scanning pretty white dresses on wedding websites. It was all so new... and I had no idea what I liked. A few weeks and some intermittent scanning later, I found a picture that stopped me in my tracks.

I went with my parents to try it on one weekend, just for fun, and even 4 sizes too big with massive clips holding the fabric taught, it was perfect. I tried on a string of other dresses, just to make sure my affection for the first dress was the real thing, and no matter how pretty the dress, none of them seemed quite right.

Obviously, no pictures of the dream dress, in the off chance that Nick wanders over here. Other than tradition, I like to keep him guessing. It is fun to thumb through wedding magazines to the dress ads, and pretend that a particularly overdone dress is "my dress." His reaction is priceless. ;-)

The dress has been ordered, and now I wait! 

Photography

I haven't 'dreamed about my wedding since the age of 4,' (though, from the look of this blog, I doubt you believe that...), but I always knew I wanted an amazing photographer to capture whatever the day was like. The flowers will wilt and the dress will sit in the closet, but those photos will always be there, sitting on the coffee table, reminding us of the day we stood up before our friends and family to commit to each other.

Enter Mike Reed of Mike Reed Photo. Even after hours of research (yes hours, and I loved every minute of it) his images were perfection. He knows how to capture the light and the important moments, and his photos are works of art. I can't wait to see what our pictures look like!

  

{All via Mike Reed Photo}

Check out his site and blog for more gorgeousness:

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