Bought the Bridesmaid Dresses!

{from Promgirl.com}

I just bought dresses for my bridesmaids and I'm very happy with them, especially because the color is just right, the style is flirty and can be worn again, and they were very affordable ($170 for all four). I don't have a good photo of the actual dresses (they are Double Zero label) but the one above is a good representation in terms of color and the ruffle on one shoulder. The dresses I bought have 3 tiers of ruffles, which make them super fun. Can't wait to show you the real thing! I will adorn them with either a vintage brooch or sash to make it more formal.

Inspiration #43: Stumptown Printers CD Covers

Our save-the-dates by Lollipop Event and Designs are printing this week, and we've decided to go with inexpensive kraft A7 envelopes ($12 for 100 pcs) to mail them to our guests. I headed to Michael's to buy some embossing ink, glitter embossing powder in teal, and alphabet and themed stamps for less than $20 so I can jazz up the envelopes (I'll share these in a future post!). 

{By the way, iDIY is hosting a contest where you can win a L Letterpress Tool Kit (worth $150); details on how to enter here}


This is a test run for possible wedding favors (CDs of course). We like Stumptown Printers in Portland, OR and the kraft CD covers are affordable ($20/50 pcs). I envisioned a stamped image on the cover, and here are some real CDs reflecting my ideas:

{JeremyBleich.com}

{GigPosters.com}

{Traci Rae Letellier}

{Pressing Letters.com}

Diamonds are (not the only ones) "forever"

Last April, my honey proposed to me at Disneyland with a modern diamond solitaire "for now." We finally got my "forever" ring tonight and it's not a diamond! 

You might remember I reported on Turtle Love Committee as an alternative for the traditional diamond solitaire. Their philosophy is "We think that the decision to spend a lifetime together should be about love and commitment, not about expensive cookie-cutter jewelry." 

Keeping that in mind, we were excited to find my vintage style ring (a 4-karat cushion cut amethyst set in rose gold encrusted with diamonds) at a local jeweler's. And it's only 1/20 of our budget. Woo hoo!

When you were picking out rings, did you ever consider anything other than a diamond (e.g. sapphire)?

I heart our photographers: Davina + Daniel

Aren't urban e-sessions fantastique? I'm tickled by the use of balloons, shadows and reflection. {All photos by Davina + Daniel of Montreal, Quebec; they also just won 1st place for the Wedding Photojournalist Association's "Bride" category -- check it out in this month's BRIDES magazine.}

Cutest Photo Booth Design...Ever.

{Apartment Therapy Los Angeles}

My friend, Samantha, passed along this must-steal photo booth design by Sasha Souza as seen on Apartment Therapy Los Angeles. Click here to see how Sasha did it.

Inspiration: Unique photo booth ideas

{from Dolci & Odille's Custom Photo Backdrops}

Our photographers, Davina + Daniel, offered to set up a photo booth for us as long as we provided the backdrop.

Now we've been trying to decide on that! He loves pulp fiction/vintage film noir and science fiction, so we thought we could paint a book cover on muslin. Another idea is musically driven, so painting bars could also work (see below). Or, the easiest option may be to buy fancy gift wrap or wall decals (that can peel off afterwards).

Here are some inspirational photos:

{Originally posted on Alkemie.blogspot.com}

{Musical note decals on Etsy.com}

{West Warwick Public Library}


{Apartment Therapy New York}


{Originally posted on Alkemie.blogspot.com; an Etsy damask magnetic board}

Below, IKEA's Cecilia fabric for $5.99/yard

Inspiration #37: Leaving Your Mark

This has been circulating the blog world, and I couldn't resist sharing it with you. I had been considering whether or not to do a wish tree or some other way to gather blessings from friends but when I saw this, I was smitten. Pictures are worth a thousand words. Photo of Paul + Cassie by Jonas Peterson.

Why Follow the Herd?

Lately, I've been buying lots of baby gifts all of which seem to feature a safari theme. Lions, giraffes, tigers, elephants. All so adorable. And so baby. But safari can be grown up. Sophisticated, even Paris Hilton hot. My venue is certainly not safari friendly (heck, it's a historic 19th century Episcopalian garden and arts and craft reception hall), but if I could choose my venue all over again, it might be a zoo!

I recently had the great joy of tagging along on a friend's tour of the local zoo for her wedding and I was impressed by what the venue offered. The zoo is the perfect place for a wedding if you and your fiance are kids at heart and it's versatile to boot. The zoo we visited had an arts and craft "great hall," exhibits, an animal encounter for the cocktail hour, carousel (perfect photo opp!), and of course 2 baby giraffes (and baby zebras and gorillas). Those were the first things we laid eyes on, and the oohing and aahing were non-stop.

For zoo chic style, I just love this wedding shot by Lillia Photography of a same-sex couple's wedding day at the San Franciso Zoo:

If you follow the Offbeat Bride, you might have also caught this off-the-wall yet creative wedding, also at the San Francisco Zoo. The self-described "nerdy-gamer" couple used Hungry Hippos as centerpieces, played Rock Band, and took their photos on the carousel.

Here's a sophisticated zoo wedding at the Santa Barbara Zoo, captured by Wedding 64 & Art:

And to cap things off, here's an Los Angeles Zoo wedding by Furious Photographers. I think I was drawn to this one because the bride also has an orange and blue color scheme like I do AND she's sportin' peacock shoes under that dress. How's that for a bit of animal print?

Asker and You Shall Receive...a nifty pew flower arrangement

{Photo by Jason Chong}

For $5.99, the IKEA Asker makes decorating your pews stylish and for a great price and half the time of making floral pomanders! My friend Linda W. recently helped decorate her friend's wedding, and I couldn't resist sharing how she creatively used the Asker container, which is often used to save countertop space as part of an IKEA kitchen organization system. She attached the vases onto the pew by tying a satin ribbon into a loop and securing with a bow. You'll probably want to ensure the floral arrangements stay in place by using floral foam bricks inside the vessel. Here's the close-up:

{Photo by Jason Chong}

{Photo by Jason Chong}

If you've done something similar with IKEA containers, please share your story!

Inspiration #34: Love...Tennis Style

{Tennis hotties, Marat Safin and Tommy Haas | Out in Hollywood}

I'm an avid tennis player and can't go a week without playing. My tennis association used to run a "Wood and White" tournament, an homage to the golden years of tennis, when white was the only color you could wear and wooden tennis racquets were in vogue. I'm such a big fan of tennis that I secretly wanted to have a vintage "Wood and White" wedding of my own. What would it look like? Here's some inspiration from the talented gals at Lollipop Event & Design (photos from their Bubbles, Baubles and Breasts charity event) if you want a unique spin:

{Bubbles, Baubles and Breasts | I Love Lolliblog}

For your sweet tooth, you can try this green lattice cake or a meringue topiary:

{Green Lattice Cake | The Party Dress}

{Meringue Topiary from Domino Mag | The Succulent Wife}

Finally, check out this cute tennis dress from Stella McCartney, perfect for a laidback, sporty wedding that you can pair with Stuart Weitzman's Sashay peeptoes:

{Stella McCartney Tennis Dress $160 | Sugar High | PopSugar}

{Stuart Weitzman Sashay Peeptoes $165 | Zappos}

Inspiration #27: Bee Happy

My fiance and I agree that we both love orange. Our wedding is set for October 2010, but we don't want a Halloween-themed wedding. I spotted this on the Lollipop Event blog, Ilovelolliblog. The floral arrangements are originally intended for a baby shower, but they would totally work for making a fall wedding pop and the bird/bee accents are downright adorable:

Cool Stuff: Jerry Yoon's Oakland Engagement Session

I have to admit, I'm totally jealous of North Carolinans -- you have White Box Photography - fresh, bright and lovely indeed. In search of a photographer with a similar artistic style West of the Mississippi, I came across Jerry Yoon. What caught my eye was his urban engagement photo session of Meagan and Sperry in Downtown Oakland. I hella love Oakland. And I hella love Boston Terriers (sorry, Munch, my chi-corgi!). Bravo, Jerry for venturing to this side of the Bay and demonstrating that yes, Oakland, can just be as cool for an urban engagement setting as San Francisco's Mission! Thank you, Jerry. I'll be calling you soon 'cause you rock!!!

Inspiration #8: Rah-rah: DIY Pomanders ala Martha

The Sarlo showroom was dotted with festive fuchsia and orange tissue paper pomanders at the Ruby Press Soiree I attended last Thursday. Here's how to get the look (thank you, Martha Stewart!):

How to Make the Pom-Poms
You'll need tissue paper and 24-gauge white cloth-covered floral wire.

Hanging Pom-Poms
1. Stack eight 20-by-30-inch sheets of tissue. Make 1 1/2-inchwide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.


2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.

3. Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.

4. Tie a length of monofilament to floral wire for hanging.

Inspiration #7: Soiree + DIY Vases with Glass Milk Bottles

I won an exclusive invite to Ruby Press’s Bridal Soiree this evening at Sarlo in Potrero Hill this evening. I’m very excited. Ruby Press is based in Berkeley (yay, East Bay) and the sponsors include Baytenders, Crown & Crumpet, Diptyque (fab fragrances), Indulge Caterers, IOMOI, Joel Flory Photography, Nouvelle Vogue Bridal Salon, Rosenow Floral, Synchronicity String, Vicente Agor and Viv&Ingrid. I’ll take photos of what I see at the event.

In the meantime, I’ve found out that a Canvas Underground/Ghetto Gourmet volunteer I’ve worked with (and have a former colleague in common with), Jillian Clark, is behind the gorgeous blog, http://100layercake.com/blog, that I’m sure you have also stumbled upon. I am loving their post on the DIY project using Straus Creamery milk jars and St. Benoit yogurt cups. I have plenty of those that I use around the house already as vases, and I like how they dressed them up with belly bands. Check it out>>

Inspiration #6: DIY Bouquet (w. Hellabores!)

I love hellebores, and even more so, a bargain. Here's fabulous how-to make your own bridal bouquet (from OnceWed.com "Springtime in England" post). This will be a great project for my bridal party the night before and only cost me $25 rather than $100 for my bouquet!

OnceWed.com "Springtime in England" post (reprinted). Click here for pictorial version>>

For the Bridal Bouquet:
You need:
10 red/white anemone stems
3 full pink roses
10 Ranunculus stems in eggplant
2 bunches of buttercup greens
2 bunches of vinca vine
2 stems of green hellebores
clippers or scissors
twine
ribbon (1.5 yards)
pins

Step # 1: Remove all most of the leaves from the stems.

Step # 2: Start with a selection of flowers in your hand. Add roses at the bottom and let the ranunculus buds peek out at the top. Turn the bouquet each time you add a new grouping of flowers. Keep turning and adding until you are happy with it. Add greens around the bottom.

Step # 3: Secure with twine.

Step #4: Clip the stems so they are all the same length.

Step #5: Wrap ribbon around stem and secure with two pins.

Inspiration #1: Bluegrass Wedding

My fiance is a good ol' Southern boy with a romantic, laidback style. I've been into dogwood blossoms ever since I witnessed an ethereal Korean dogwood tree in the great Victoria Gardens of Victoria, B.C. Snippet & Ink featured the following inspiration board, and I was hooked on this look. To pull this off on a budget, I will skip the full invite and instead create a postcard invitation myself using clipart from Dover Publishing CD roms and have PSPrint.com produce digital print postcards (color both sides).