Black Envelopes

As part of the invitation process I also have to pick out envelopes. Depending on the paper I could get an envelope that matches the invitation perfectly but I'm not sure if that would be too much purple or too matchy matchy. Also I'm not sure what cream or white envelopes would look like with a true deep purple. I never even considered black until someone I know posted her black envelopes with white calligraphy and I thought it was fabulous! Using a black envelope might be in my favor if I have to use a really deep purple so that next to the black envelope it won't look as dark.

Photo taken from hrparker

Belly Bands

To close the gatefold and hold everything together we are going to use a ribbon belly band. It took some trial and error but finally figured out how I wanted them made. Originally I started with a thinner ribbon and all the pieces were orange. I like the thicker ribbon better, it seems more balance. The thicker ribbon was also easier to fold to create the luxe taper look. I followed directions from thecheshirekat on how to fold the ribbon. The graphic on the inside is orange but decided that it would be best to switch it to purple for the outside. Two of the mock ups are below, keep in mind these are ROUGH mock ups just to give ideas and help us figure out the final product. We are going to go with the one on the bottom. I think I need to make the cream square with graphic larger and I'm not completely sold on the shimmer orange paper since the rest of the invitation is matte cardstock.

Purple Paper Problems

The samples that I ordered last week came in on Friday. Over the weekend I made a few rough mock ups. Needless to say I wasn't thrilled with any of the purple paper selections. The shimmer papers were just too light, especially since I have made a conscious choice not to include anything lilac colored. Orange also doesn't go well with lilac it goes well with a true purple. The other paper selection was just too dark and in certain lights looked almost black.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think finding paper would be a difficult task. I have found many purple colors that I like but each side of the paper is the same one side is rough and one side is smooth, the front is matte and the back is shimmery, or one is lighter and the other darker. Because we are using a gate fold both sides need to be the same which has been the biggest problem. I really wanted to use a shimmer paper but none of the selections are darker than a lilac.

So the hunt is back on. I found a paper at Paper Source that I ordered a sample of and might be a viable option. Additionally we went to Archivers to check out a few things and I found a purple paper that I had somehow missed every other time I had been there. If the paper source sample proves to be a failure then I will go with the paper from Archivers.

Paper Source Cardstock in the color Beet

Paper from Archivers that is a purple in between the two mock ups.

Flower Inspiration

I recently realized that I have so many pictures saved on my computer that were used to as inspiration to generate my own ideas of what I want and don't want in terms of our wedding. I have shared a good portion of them but still have many more I can share. Here is one of them. This pictures helped me to determine that I prefer tight, lush, short centerpieces over large centerpieces.

Photo taken from theknot.com

NonTraditional Quote

I wanted to share the quote I used as part of my toast for Lauren's wedding. There aren't many good quotes out there. By good I mean not trite, not over used and not overly sappy. Call me a cynic but that's just my opinion. I found this quote originally on A Practical Wedding, she was doing a series of possible wedding readings.

excerpt from Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins
The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the mediocre and the vile can be transformed, and (c) doing that makes it that. Loving makes love. Loving makes itself. We waste time looking for the perfect lover instead of creating the perfect love. Wouldn't that be the way to make love stay?

I love it because people can be crappy. We don't mean to be but at times we are. Love is the redeeming part, the part that corrects all the wrongs. I wanted to pass it on for those of you who might not of otherwise find it.

HURRY!

Over on American Bridal tote bags are $5 each. Some of these bags are normally $40 so this is a great deal! Unfortunately to personalize them costs extra but you definitely could spring for it with the savings on the bags. To get the bags go to www.americanbridal.com, you can get this deal for just a few more days until the 16th.

Carnations: Filler or Fabulous?

The question is out and the debate is ongoing. Some people stick up their noses at carnations thinking of them as a cheap filler that has been long outdated. Others enjoy their feminine ruffled edges and frugal power. I have decided to weigh in on this debate. I would have to agree with the later when they are tightly grouped together monochromatically or in other arrangements. Here is the proof:

Paper, paper and more paper

My current hunt is for the perfect paper, purple paper to be exact. I haven't had any trouble finding good cream or white cardstock for the invite card to mounted inside the gatefold. But finding the purple paper to make the gatefold has turned into my new obsession. I never thought that choosing my main color to be purple would send me in constant searches for the right shade in bridesmaid dresses, now paper, and who knows tomorrow maybe pew bows.

Today I made some headway and went downtown to Xpedx a paper store to be able to look at specific paper shades and feel their weight/texture. It definitely helped me cross out some options and narrow down my choices. They let me take home some samples and those I couldn't get samples from I ordered off of anchor paper online. Once they come in I am just going to have to settle and make a choice because deciding between a lighter metallic paper or a darker matte paper is beginning to make my head spin.

DIY Crystal Bouquet

While Lauren wasn't into all the details of a wedding one thing she did really want was a crystal bouquet. After searching out people who sold them and finding out how much they cost she decided to take the plunge and do it herself. The end result was gorgeous, better than I imagined!

THE PROCESS

Lauren followed directions she found that are very similar to the ones that you can download off of DIY Bride online. She did however make her stems a bit different than the online directions. Instead of placing the beads in the drill she attached a hook in the drill bit because not all the beads would fit in. Instead she placed the hook at the base of the bead around the wire and then spun away.

In the beginning it takes some practice to get down how fast you have to spin the drill and where to hold the wire in order to get it to twist properly. I attempted to help make these straight stems but I was crap at it. Lauren had played around enough that she was a pro.

Lauren did not make stems that looked exactly the same. She used may different sizes and shapes of crystal beads. She also varied the amount and types of beads she put together. Some stems had only one bead and others had varying combinations. For some of the very large beads she had to string multiple strand of wire to support their weight.

Instead I helped out by using some of my jewelery making experience to make tear drop stems that she placed along the outside edges of her bouquet. To make these I took one of the pieces of wire and strung on a tear drop bead leaving it about an inch from the end of the wire and then folding the wire up.

I then strung another bead on from the other end making sure that it went over the folded piece of wire. Next I strung on a crimp bead the same way making sure it was flush with the last bead and using flat nose pliers flatten the crimp bead to secure the two beads and wire in place.

Then I strung another crimp bead on but secured it a little bit higher on the wire leaving a bit of room followed by another crystal bead and crimp bead. This process secures another bead a bit higher on the wire so that it looks like it's floating. I repeated this process one more time. On each stem I varied how many beads and the position of the beads, sometimes putting a couple beads together. I finished the stem by bending the end with the beads to make a candy cane shape.

Once all the stems were made Lauren used a vase to arrange them the way she wanted. At the top of the vase she used scotch tape to make a grid to place the stems in so that they would stay and not fall to the side. When all the stems had been placed she used floral and duct tape to hold them all together. Finished off by satin ribbon, rhinestones, and a brooch. Here is the finished product:

Lauren bought some pre-made stems for floral arrangements and made a few extra stems to make a similar but different bouquet for me.

Lauren's Wedding

Lauren's wedding went off without a hitch yesterday! It was a beautiful winter day with snow on the ground, seasonable weather, and the sun finally decided to come out after a week and a half of arctic weather. The day went by so fast. Everything went so smoothly mostly due to the fact that they had simplified everything. One person on each side of the bridal party, no seating of the mothers, no programs, no exit of the church, no bouquet toss or garter toss, no DJ, no reception entrance, no pomp and circumstance. There was lots of love, laughter, friends, family, and celebrating. It was one of the most enjoyable weddings I have ever been to. Congratulations Lauren and Lance!

Have you ever wondered what the bridal party is doing back in one of the rooms while waiting for the ceremony to start? Here you go.

Lauren is Getting Married Today!

The day has finally arrived and my best friend is getting married this evening at 5pm. I woke up with a feeling of excitement that it's all come together and her wedding day is actually here. I am off to perform all my maid of honor duties. It is going to be a great day!

Us last night at the rehearsal dinner.

Simple Cardbox

Lauren is getting married on Friday and it didn't even cross her mind to make a card box. So when the reception venue coordinator mentioned it she already had enough last minute details to attend to that she asked me to take on the task. She didn't really care what she ended up with as long as it could hold cards. Since the wedding was less than a week away I figured simpler was better.

So I scrounged the house for boxes ending up with a sweater box left over from Christmas and a shoe box. I bought one roll of wedding wrapping paper for $2.49 + tax and 30-60 minutes later viola:

It really was quite simple and here is what I did. First I cut the hole in the bottom of the shoe box. Then I placed that in the middle of the sweater box lid and traced the hole I had just cut. Next I cut the same the same hole in the top of the sweater box. I wrapped the sweater box just like a present and then cut the paper over the whole and taped it inside. Next I wrapped only the shoe box bottom the same way. Lastly I cut a slit in the top of the shoe box lid, wrapped it and placed it on the top. You could glue the lid down so that no one can get into the box until after the wedding, but I did not so that they could just take the lid off to get inside.

More Coming Soon

My sister has been pointing out that lately I have been slacking with my posting. I have a bunch of things that I am working on and will be posting more soon. Lately life has been busier and I have been helping my best friend get ready with a last few minute details for her wedding this Friday.

Invitation Mock-ups

With yesterday's and today's snow days I was able to make some real headway in regards to our invitations. I played around with many different design ideas and formats and have ended up with two top choices. One is more simple and classic, the other is more modern. I like both but am drawn more to one and Andy is drawn to the other. So now I have the dilemma of picking one and refining the design. Which ever one we choose we will also use the design on all paper products: programs, table numbers, photo sharing cards etc...

Here are the two designs we are deciding between. Keep in mind these are rough mock-ups so yes the cutting is crooked and they aren't printed on ideal paper. The invites will eventually be sent to a printer and printed on a ivory card stock. We also are going to be deciding whether or not to just mount them onto the purple card stock like in the pictures or to use the purple card stock to create a gatefold. In each picture is also possible reply cards and escort cards that coordinate.

Let me know which one you like better and any other suggestions!

Here are some of the many other designs I made and rejected.

Veil Mission

I think I have decided to attempt to DIY my veil. At first I thought this was something I would want to do. Then after shopping for veils I was second guessing myself seeing how different tulle and styles laid differently. But after looking at other pictures of DIY veils from other brides and realizing how I could make my own for about $25 instead of spending ridiculous amounts, I am going to try it.

See how good these turned out! I think I can do it also, at least I am going to try. Pictures taken from ChiMonique and Katelaff.

Snow Day

Today we had a snow day, which means I had extra time to finally play around with invite design ideas. I have to say once I got started it wasn't so scary after all and I had some fun. I am in the process of making multiple mock-ups and then will decide which design I want to go with. I will be posting some of them later.

Planning Anxiety

Lately I have been thinking about throwing my hands up in the air and saying screw it. I have been feeling major planning anxiety. For the past 8 months I have been inundated with the unlimited possibilities and now have a few months to finally put into plan all of the ideas I haven't finalized.

Yep I am indecisive and unable to make important decisions in a timely manner.

Often I peruse magazines, blogs, and other resources to gawk at perfectly planned and executed weddings that are coordinated from the toe nail polish of every bridesmaid to the 20 point folded napkins. Most likely even if I quit my job, my life and focused solely on the wedding I still wouldn't be able to pull off this type of event. Not that I am trying to. But currently I feel completely and utterly immobilized by my lofty vision and inability to make a decision.

Marriage Planning Begun

Today was our first day of marriage preparation. To us it's just as important to make sure we plan for our marriage along with the wedding. Our first session went really well and I am excited to continue on this path. Some people might shy away from confronting concerns and issues thinking that it might cause more problems. Instead it can help to bring you together and make your foundation stronger. We recieved homework which was to take personality tests that we will compare to each other and use for further discussion. I am looking forward to going back, finding the results of our tests, and having further discussion.

Envelope Lining?

In my invitation quest I have been procrastinating by thinking about possibly lining our envelopes. Yes I know I shouldn't be creating another project for myself until I check a few off my list, but I can't help it. I think I might have found a possible option, especially if we put the invitation on a purple backing. If we use this I'm not sure if I can go with an ivory envelope. Just another thing to add to my list to consider.

Vintage Shoes

I am going to be Maid of Honor in a vintage inspired wedding in a couple of weeks. I lucked out in that I am the only person in the bridal party on the bride's side, so we were able to just go to the mall one day and find a dress that suited me. My dress is a nice simple black sort of swingy dress. I need to accessorize the dress to feel more vintage since Lauren, the bride, will be full out vintage in a slinky cowl neck dress, feather in hair, birdcage veil and fur wrap. I found these t-strap shoes which I think will help take me back a few eras.

Menu Table Numbers

Yesterday, I again sifted through many different invitation types and graphics trying to get ideas to become inspired to design our invitations. I have yet to be able to make myself sit down and just do it. However I came across this inspired idea to join the table number and menu into one piece. I have often thought that I wouldn't even bother with menus since. To me menus are just another extra piece to hassle with and I am pretty sure my guests can wait 20 more minutes to find out what they will be eating. With this idea I might just change my mind and post a menu.

6 months

I meant to post this yesterday but never got around to it since the wedding is really 6 months away from yesterday. While 6 months is a lot of time, in wedding planning time it really isn't that long. Especially since we have already been engaged for 8 months and that time has already flown by!

Flower Girl Dress

It's time to start looking for flower girl dresses. I like this one without the flower, which is removable. It's simple but still dressier than just a plain white dress.

Geri has a new blog!

Even though I have already picked an amazing photographer, Geri Ciulla, I still regularly look at many of the local area photographers and a few well know national ones. There is something about photography that I just love. Looking at all the pictures is inspiring and well just fun. I am very excited that our photographer has a new blog and I will get to see more of her pictures on a regular basis! Check her out over at http://www.ciullaphotography.com/blog/.

NYC

If anyone has any good NYC accommodation recommendations that are affordable we would love to hear them. We had intentions of taking a trip to the big apple for our honeymoon but when I went to go book the hotel the great deal I found was no longer a great deal. I don't want to book plane tickets only to be stuck having to book a super expensive hotel in this volatile economy when we aren't sure what our employment status will be in six months. So anyone with a creative idea is fully welcomed!

Brooch

Over the holidays I was able to do some searching on ebay and bought a brooch to use to make my faux haute bride bracelet. I didn't want anything gaudy so I bought a smaller one which I think is going to work really well. Now I have go to buy some pearls and make the bracelet. If it ends up being too small then I will start the search over but I think when all is said and done it will turn out really well.

We Did It!

We finally picked a bridesmaid dress, or at least picked a seamstress to make the dresses! Panic mode was in full force but I can happily check this off my to do list. I was able to find a seamstress in town, with fabric choices in the purple I was looking for, within our price range. The fact that we were able to meet all of our requirements is amazing. All of the girls dresses are going to have the same skirt and it is going to be up to them to either all have the same bodice or different ones. Either way I am excited about the prospect that the dresses will all be made for their different bodies and ideally will all look fabulous! The only issue now is coordinating four schedules to be able to get together for measurements and fittings.

The year of weddings

I am weeks late on this but Congratulations are in order for my sister and her now fiance who got engaged a week before Christmas.

UMM Tiffany we need a new picture. I went through all of my pictures to post and this is the most current picture I could find of you and me from December 2006. We have both had many different hairstyles since then.

It seems that this is the year of weddings. First will be Lauren's wedding in four weeks where I will be maid of honor, and we are currently gearing up for that event. Then there will be Andy and I in July and then Tiffany and Tom possibly in October. 2009 is going to be very busy.

Flower Girl Basket

Today I was catching up on reading some of my favorite blogs since the holidays are over and "normal" life has resumed. Earlier this week on Vintage Glam, Amanda, posted about a flower girl basket that would fit perfectly in our wedding. The "basket" uses only lavender stems and ribbon. Since we are going to have a lavender toss as we leave the church the use of lavender during the ceremony seems like a natural choice. Instead of cream ribbon I could use orange. This project seems simple enough and is really making me reconsider my original choice for the flower girls.

This idea has also gotten me thinking about the candelabras that will be at the end of every third pew. I had thought about tying bows on the candles and calling it a day but maybe we could also include a few stems of lavender along with the ribbons.

Hello Gorgeous

Enough Said.

Picture taken from Simply Timeless Photography

Happy New Year!

2009 is finally here, the year we are getting married in, and no longer off in the far distant. Even though I have been talking about the wedding, posting and thinking of ideas, actual wedding planning needs to resume since I haven't done a tangible thing since September. The two biggest items on my to do list are to pick bridesmaid dresses and begin designing invitations.