Peachy Keen: sneak peek of BHLDN bridesmaid dress

Bridesmaid dress from Anthropologie's new bridal line, BHLDN; pic from Glamour.com

I LOVE THIS! I wish Anthropologie would hurry up and go live with BHLDN. Be sure to fan them on Facebook or join their email list so you're first to know when they do.

Our Wedding Slideshow: Easy as 1-2-3

The most challenging part about creating our wedding slideshow was digitizing the old photos and picking the song that would best fit. Otherwise, this was a really fun process, going through old school square pics our moms and dads took in the 70s and early 80s. We giggled over our hairstyles through the years and were reminded of the great and amazing people in our lives. Here it is, set to the Turtles' "Happy Together."

Inspiration #89: What to do with your dry cleaning hangers

Photo by Vera Devera @ Anthropologie 4th Street Berkeley

The merchandise manager at Anthropologie is brilliant! I love how she transformed these dry cleaning hangers into a cool art installation. Can you imagine this at a wedding reception above a dessert table or head table?

Wedding Recap: The Dress!

My Casablanca wedding dress on model

My dress was an ivory silk Casablanca a-line with box pleats from 2005. I was previously engaged and had already paid it off (approximately $799) so I commissioned some alterations to change things up for our October 2010 wedding. For example, my seamstress, the fabulous, Anne Ventresco, added a sweetheart neckline, added multiple bustle points and hemmed it so that I could easily swish around as I danced.
 

Photo by Davina plus Daniel (c) 2010

Photo by Davina plus Daniel (c) 2010

Blue Valentine Wedding Fashion

My BFF and I saw the critically acclaimed Blue Valentine last night. I was totally charmed by Ryan Gosling's portrayal of Dean, a hopeless romantic and IMHO, harmless drunk.

And I adored both characters' thrift store wedding attire. Dare I try to find both these outfits for less than $250 for both?

Costume design by Erin Benach

To modernize things a bit, check out the sharp gray pinstripe suit Gosling's wearing on this month's cover of GQ.  Perfect for a groom's suit, it's Ralph Lauren Black Label.

Image from GQ.com

We're the Budget Savvy Bride's Wedding of the Week!

Vera + Fred, photo by Davina plus Daniel

Jessica, owner of The Budget Savvy Bride, raves that our wedding might have some of her favorite details of all time! Check out Davina plus Daniel's gorgeous photos and see my extensive write-up on the budget breakdown.

$10,000 total budget: Read how at The Budget Savvy Bride's feature of our wedding

• Accessories and apparel, including rings (e.g. $145 for both) alterations and buying the bridesmaid dresses: 15%
• Venue, including reception hall and church: 20%
• Photography, day-of and e-session: 16%
• Cake: 6%
• Stationery: 4%
• Catering including rentals, labor and tips: 17%
• Makeup: 1%
• Music: 10%
• Flowers/decor: 6%
• Officiant: 5%
• Coordination: 0%

A reading to remember

Jeremy Townsend shares his reading for the ceremony - photo by Davina + Daniel, 2010

One of my favorite moments from our wedding was hearing our friend, Jeremy -- who happened to introduce me and Fred nearly six years ago -- read something he had written himself. Here's an excerpt:

This isn't your ordinary sunday.
some of us have traveled great distances to be here.
most of us have never been in this room before.
we're probably wearing clothes we rarely wear.
and soon, we'll be dining and dancing with people we've only just met.
It is an extraordinary day, and yet, it feels perfectly natural.

Like the spectacular hills and vistas surrounding the Bay, this ceremony, the wedding of fred and vera, pulls us all up onto a peak together. for decades to come, this day will stand as a benchmark in all of our lives....

It turns out that harmony is considered the vertical aspect of music, separate elements stack up to make something new. melody, being the horizontal aspect of music, tells the story of this new thing as it moves through the world.

Today, we lend our voices to the first few notes of the music they'll make together...

- Jeremy Townsend, (c) 2010

 

A wedding dress that won't break your piggy bank

Ivy and Aster's Dream a Little Dream: Silk chiffon sheared bodice with chiffon mini ruffle party skirt.

Ivy and Aster are two best friends "who dreamed of happily ever afters." Their designs are for the romantic and whimsical bride -- fluffy, ruffly, and very girlie. J'adore! The short dresses are very budget friendly, anywhere from $600-900. Now that's something to cheer about.

Let them eat (donut) cake

Aaron + Brooke's whimsical take on the traditional wedding cake

The bride and groom got to cut into this giant donut and about 90 guests each got their own chocolate or glazed donut on a silver plate with orchid. Having donuts (from Red's Donuts in Monterey) for dessert was super budget friendly -- about $1.00 per guest.

A Carmel Engagement

Camille + Andy frolicking on a beach at Carmel-by-the-Sea

Happy New Year! We spent New Year's at Carmel-by-the-Sea and as you probably know, NYE is one of the most popular times for couples to get engaged and Carmel is among the most romantic towns in the US. Carmel's intimate maze of cobblestone alleys, plethora of European boutiques and bistros coupled with the sound of waves crashing on the Pacific Coast less than a mile away make you forget you're in California.

So it's fitting my first post of 2011 features the engagement session of Andy + Camille, shot on location at Carmel and just published on Lawrence Ha's site on New Year's Eve. [Andy and Camille were married last May at the Silver Creek Country Club; see also the post regarding the elegant details of Andy and Camille's beautiful wedding, coordinated by yours truly.]

Photo by Lawrence Ha.

My Favorite Dress of 2010

This stunner by Jim Hjelm is my absolute favorite dress of 2010. It just so happens I coordinated a wedding for a bride named Joanne who wore it for her April 2010 nuptials. She was gorgeous in it!

On the runway:

Jim Hjelm Bridal Gown: Style JH8962

On the bride:

From Style Unveiled:  Joanne and Vincent's San Francisco Wedding. Photos by Caroline Tran

More hair accessories for under $40

I'll be wearing my pretty hair piece as I count down the hours to the New Year. For you new brides-to-be, let the search for a pretty hair accessory begin! Here are some recent finds on Etsy:

Vintage Ivory Peacock Feather Fascinator ($30)

Champagne Hair Pins with Jewel Centers ($22)

White Beaded Peacock Fascinator ($26)

Leah Bleached Ivory Feather Fascinator ($36)

Our first Christmas

Happy Holidays from Epcot!

I apologize for not blogging the last few weeks. I've been dying to post more pics of our wedding but I've been shopping around on where to get it published and the rules are that you can't have previously shown them. Argh!

Anyways, Fred and I spent an early Christmas with his family in Florida a couple weeks ago (here's a pic of us at Epcot, such a magical place!). And we spent our very first Christmas Eve alone -- just the two of us. I admit it was a bit lonely not to be around either of our families, but we did the best we could to stick with the traditions we grew up with, like buying and decorating our very first Christmas tree and attending midnight mass. He got to keep his tradition of watching A Christmas Story (I still haven't seen it all the way through to the very end) and I got mine -- to watch one, actually two, at the theaters (although Black Swan was a bit intense for Christmas). Fred reluctantly opened his gifts after midnight mass (that's what my family does) and we are going to go with his next year -- open one gift, then the rest on Christmas morning. We also got to spend some time in the company of good friends on both Christmas Eve and Day, so that was comforting.

Did any of you spend your first alone, or did you spend if with yours or his? What new traditions did you make or old ones did you hang onto?

Cheap and easy-to-grow centerpieces

I know it's still early December but I'm already counting down the days to when daffodil and paperwhite bulbs spring up at farmer's markets and nurseries. These bulbs are so inexpensive and easy to grow (just place in a beautiful urn-style vase, aged terracotta pot with pretty gravel,or whatever vessel you choose over shallow water). They're perfect for a winter wedding!

Here are good tips for growing your paperwhite strong and tall.

From Beautiful Living Style

I'm a sucker for bows

When people ask me where to find affordable bridesmaid dresses, I often reply "J. Crew!" Look at these darling "bow monde" silk taffeta bridesmaid dresses for $99-198 depending on the color.

P.S. There's even a wedding dress but longer!

 

And this is my very favorite, the Silk organza soiree dress for $275, alas no bows, but plenty of tiered ruffles!

Wedding photos are here!

The photos from Davina + Daniel are amazing! We just ordered a few Blurb books for ourselves and as gifts to our parents ( http://bit.ly/deIyb5) since Groupon had a great deal for $60 worth of Blurb for only $20. 

Click here to see the wedding photo slideshow: http://davinaplusdaniel.com/blog/2010/11/vera-fred-october-10th-2010-sausalito-ca/.


The following are just the tip of the iceberg, the one of us in between the boats is really cool!

Makeup by Beth Alyse of Guerilla Makeovers, photo by Davina+Daniel (2010)

Inspiration #88: Sweetest Wedding Gift

My friend, Linda, gifted us with this graphic illustration of me, Fred and our dog, Munch, as rendered from our engagement session with Stephen Hughes. It's absolutely darling and I totally gasped when I unwrapped it. She's a new seller on Etsy as Bashful Onion. Custom illustration ranges from $40 to $70, plus $10 for a pet.

Score! Bridesmaid dress for under $40

I spent hours surfing J. Crew's online sale section, Nordstrom Bridal and David's Bridal for bridesmaid dresses for my girls, and nothing fit my budget, color or style. Then I found these flirty ruffled dresses at a local boutique (sort of like a Charlotte Russo or Forever 21) called Sway in Alameda, CA.

J'adore! I bought one for each bridesmaid and an extra one for fabric/alterations at $36 each, plus tax. Our wedding day was the first time I had seen the dresses on any of my bridesmaids and I was delighted how pretty they looked! I gave each bridesmaid free reign for the color of their shoes and gave them a choice between a small coral colored hair accessory or the ivory rose with feathers. The girls decided to wear their hair in side chignons with the ivory hair clip. I gifted them vintage, custom made earrings by Esty seller, Chouettes (see photo).

Black diamond art noveau (custom) by Chouettes

Our jam wedding favors

Our jam favors turned out so cute thanks to the many hands who not only helped to make it (Shakirah Simley, owner of Slow Jams took the lead in teaching me and my bridesmaids how it's done) but also to package it (thank you groomsmen and their significant others!). The flavors were strawberry lavender and bacon-onion relish.

I bought fabric from Jo Ann's Fabric for $4.99 a yard and elastic silver bands for $1.99 a yard. I used pinking shears to cut 5x5" squares and then cut the elastic cords (and also leftover lace) and tied them in loops. A tag that was handstamped with the phrase "Handmade because you're worth it" was threaded through the loop and slipped over the top of the jars. Each jar featured a custom label that read "Spread the Love, Vera + Fred, 10.10.10."

Here's how they turned out (thanks, Jason Chong, for the photos):

My bridal bouquet by Ideal Floral Art and Design

My bouquet was composed of white anemones, orange ranunculus, and green hydrangeas and accented with monkey tails, lemon geranium. black dahlias, orange dahlias, orange mums and eucalyptus berries. The bouquet was wrapped in lace and tied off with a vintage brooch from Mignonne Decor.