update

well. I wish I could say that my timeline for the day was accurate. The accuracy ended after going to the trunk show. here is how the day went.

9:15 intense workout with trainer Megan. Made goals for myself as we are in crunch time! If I am a good girl and complete my workouts Sun., Tues., Weds., Thurs., and Fri., I get a reward...
10:30 beautifying went really well, except when I discovered that my precious little Frankie decided to lovingly nibble the end off many of the bristles of my brush...the result, about a 5 inch scratch from the top of my forehead to the top of my cheek....crazy
11:40 leave for truck show
12:15 appointment for trunk show. Meet Toni Federici...she is so fabulous! She was impressed with my headband I made. I ditched the bit of russian tulle...not sure if it will be right though. My appointment was only to be 45 mins. long....we did not leave until 2:00...totally off schedule. The exciting news is that Toni is going to be personally creating a custom veil for the big day. I could not be more excited! AND she gave me an incredibly sweet deal...because I am an artist too! so fab. I will post pics when the couture confection arrives.
2:15 lunch
2:45 China patterns...everyday dishes...china patterns....more china patters.....over 2 HOURS looking at china patterns. seriously. weddings are exhausting.
5:45 Galleria Macy's....more china patterns....I start to go crazy with the gun and begin to just adding to the registry....shocking my mom (who, btw, loved the headband...minus the russian tulle.) So I can post some pics from Macy's....only stock photos, but you get the idea.

{Vera Wang Lace}

{Vera Wang Imperial Scroll Accent Plate}

{Vera Wang Lace Flatware}

{Waterford Giselle Crystal}

We arrived home around 9:45...cannot believe how exhausted I am! I am still adding items to my registry....in the comfort of my own home. how perfect!

to do.

Saturday is going to be a big day.
9:00a work out with trainer Megan
10:30a return home and beautify
11:30a Mom will arrive and we will head to our first destination
12:15p trunk show for Toni Federici, reveal head band to Mom and model with fabulous veils
1:00p have a quick bite to eat
1:45p look for the perfect china pattern
2:45p complete registry at Macy's
4:00p complete registry at Crate and Barrel

Wonder how accurate my time line will be? I will let you know.

cha-ching

I need a reason...a reason to purchase.

{dress, Nordstrom; clutch, JCrew}

Fabric up close...so very sweet!
Hmmm....red shoes or beaded wedge?

oh so pretty...

{JCrew Silk Gala Clutch in Bright Spearmint}

Ok. so anytime I see shoes, a dress, a cake, etc...with a bow, I am in love! I am sure it is no surprise that I simply adore this clutch from JCrew.

If I did not already have my wedding day clutch. I would be so tempted to purchase one of these...how gorgeous would it be with a little vintage brooch in the center knot? I am partial to the bright spearmint color but for the ivory brides....here is the clutch for you!

{JCrew Silk Gala Clutch in Ivory}

why DIY. why. II

Here is the sitch. I had a brilliant idea. I could not find, within my budget, what I wanted to wear in my hair for the big day. I decided to order some materials thinking I could create the assymmetrical swarovski crystal with vintage brooch headband of my dreams. Hmmm...ended up not having everything that I needed so off to the bead store and Michaels and spent MORE money....I do not want to even admit how much I have spent. I have also put in hours and hours working on this project...and made many, many, options....but would have to take apart because HELLO! did not have enough beads to make the 20 or so options that I was considering...and it does take time to create.

But now this project has cost me more than if I would have just ordered a headband. A really beautiful couture headband. sigh. so incredibly sad. I do have a working model of my headband and I am not sure if I will end up wearing it or ordering one. I should have known better! This is why I am not doing many DIY projects! I know I am totally capable, but seriously my time is worth something! So if I ever say I am going to DIY another BIG project to save money....please stop me! You will actually save me some money. Now for pics of the bling. she needs a name...any suggestions?

why DIY. why.

Why do we DIY...seriously. why? Ok...to save money, make it personal, be crafty...all good reasons. I am a very creative person. Love to make things, usually an excellent resource for friends and family when a project arises.

DIY can be fun and can also be an incredible headache. Well if that is true, then I am having a migraine. stay tuned. pics to come.

purchases and packages

What a great day! I have so much to talk about but, I will save my "purchases" from today for another post.
As I pulled onto my street, I thought how perfect would today be if my mitsumata branches arrived today! So I begin to pull into my drive way and see a large box leaning against my front door! I have been patiently waiting for my mitsumata branches to arrive and today is the day!!!

Excitedly I drag the box downstairs (after opening up another package from ebay). The packager must have seriously used an entire roll of packing tape! I finally get it open and AHHHHHH! there. they are. FINALLY!

I did not have time to really do anything with them yet, because if you read my other post about mitsumata you know that they need to be soaked and shaped first. So I shoved them in a vase with black river rock that I purchased from a fellow stlwed bride and placed a few hanging votive holders on it to get an "idea". so ridiculously excited!

sigh....tre fab.

{Sex and the City, Season Six}

I loved this scene. Not because Carrie was unhappy with Aleksandr Petrovsky in Paris...but for how beautiful she looks in her ruffle-y chiffon dress on the hotel bed. I so want a pic like this on my wedding day....but happy. :)

sugar bar, sweets buffet, sweet shop, sugar shack...

Whatever you want to call it, it will be so delish! January 17th was a great day! Why you ask? Well it is the start of ye olde tradition of sweet treats peddled by the Girl Scouts. Oh yes, it is cookie time!

One of THE BEST wedding favors I have ever gotten came in the form of a box of Girl Scout cookies. I did say a BOX. E & J decided to have these fabulous confections as wedding reception favors. I thought and still think the idea is ingenious! Guests are able to indulge in childhood memories and get a fabulous treat. I threw this idea around before I ended going with the candy buffet. If I would have had enough sense to think of a cookie buffet, I bet we would be doing one! My love for Swedish Fish will not allow me to change paths. So I decided to merge the two and instead of just cookies or just candy, we will have a sweets/sugar/treats bar. Samoa's and Swedish Fish can live harmoniously right? I ordered both Samoa's (my fav) and Thin Mints (C's fav).



The name of this buffet is still up for debate...but the sign will be along the lines of this:

balloons...

I cannot imagine ever going to a party without there being balloons. When I was little, and well, to this day, have had a fear of balloons popping! I love balloons as long and no one intends to sit on them and make them pop. I know, it is silly! I have another one about birds, but that is for another post! ;)

So imagine you and your groom or your wedding party having balloons for pictures? I remember seeing the shots below by the fabulous Clary Pfeiffer and thinking how beautiful for wedding pictures.

{Clary Pfeiffer}

Imagine how excited I was when I was catching up on some blogs and I found this picture on All Things Lovely? This is the first picture that I have come across with a bride and groom and balloons! I am on a mission!

{All Things Lovely}

Share with me your pictures of brides, wedding party, engagement sessions...etc...with balloons! So very cool.

love letters

I love the font we chose for our "B". This letter is going to be our theme along with the black and white everything else! I have some ideas I am working on that will use the "B" and will post when I get the ideas set more in stone. So the "B". I just love it! Any bride out there that is using a monogram for their paper goods knows just how frustrating it can be to find the perfect letter. I looked at so many fonts before ultimately choosing this one.

I have always envisioned that our wedding cake would have a "B" on top. You know what I am talking about...those ever popular metal letters...sometimes encrusted in swarovski crystals....sometimes plain. Is it played out? Is it better to do the letter on the cake? What do you think? How did you top or decorate your wedding cake?


Ok...so you may notice the "bow" in many pictures. love.the.bow. A definite must!

feeling crafty...the results continued

Saturday on my way home from working out with trainer Megan, I stopped by Anatol's to seek out the perfect fabric for ring bearer pillows. I searched and searched the store and then I found just what I was looking for! The fabric for the pillow is a satin off-white damask.

I then need beads, sparkling beads! A trip to Michaels Arts and Crafts would provide me with the perfect colors of Swarovski crystals.

The finished result! I added black ribbon and a vintage bow brooch for extra bling.

After finishing the main pillow, I made a second one for the other ringbearer.

feeling crafty...the results

I found a photo album (8x8) at T.J. Maxx for $6.99. It is black and white with a damask cover. Too cute to pass up. I wondered if I could turn it into a usable book for our photo booth pictures at the reception. After a few alterations to the book, I adhered cardstock I had purchased at Hobby Lobby.

The inside of the book had plastic sleeves to hold 4x6 pictures and a little spot for notes about the picture. After I removed the plastic sleeves I needed to cover the holes. I also did not like the area to write in as it did not flow with a strip of pictures from a photo booth.


I cut paper to fit over both holes and the note spot. I used metallic photo corners for the larger section of paper on each page. I love how the black and white graphic border continues throughout the book for a unifying element.

Here is a shot of an inside page and a special guest appearance by Scout in the upper right corner! My idea is that guests will adhere their photo strip to the large color section of paper and write a message in the white section. Or they can attach pictures to the decorative paper and the white paper....after all a picture tells a thousand words! ha!

Another great thing about this book is that it had a cd envelope at the back so I can place the cd from the digital photo booth pics from the reception!

I later decided to add ribbon to the front and back cover to tie at the side to hold the album closed.

feeling crafty...

I know a post without any pictures is no good, but I am too lazy to take pictures at the moment. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to post pics for my two main weekend craft projects.

~Book for photobooth pictures
~Ring Bearer pillows

I have my materials...just need some fusible interfacing for the pillows and I am good to go!

hair jewels

It is so difficult to find budget friendly hair baubles that do not look like pageant trash. Unfortunately I have expensive taste so all of the jewels that I am liking are too pricey. Alas, I will share some finds with you anyway, in hopes that one of my readers has found a fabulous site for a stylish budget minded bride? Anyone? Hmmm....here we go anyway...

If you have the budget...oh boy! Regina B has so many fabulous choices. Here a just a few:

Then we have Erica Koesler. I love this headband. There is something about its asymmetrical design and blingy goodness!
The headband below is also by Erica Koesler and is a stunner too!

I so love headbands for brides!

ring pillow...

I love visiting Etsy and looking for treasures. I found these lovelies while perusing the "pillow" section under the "Wedding" heading.

All pillows are from Etsy Seller EmiciBridal

{Tahitian Pearl Hand Beaded Ostrich Feather Rhinestone Wreath Ring Bearer Pillow}

{Vintage Silk Satin Damask Ring Pillow}

This is one of my favorites! So beautiful. I would like this design with a horizontal black ribbon around the middle of the pillow with the bow on top. seems like it would finish it more for my taste!

{Simple Ivory Sand Silk Pillow}
Gorgeous dupioni bow!

{Black and Ivory Silk Silver Leaf and Pearl}
Love this large black dupioni silk bow...

crystal tree decor...

{Cristalier}

I am not doing hardly any DIY wedding projects, however I am going to begin to take on some of it so I can save some dough.

The rehearsal dinner is at the gorgeous Spink Pavilion at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. We will be doing a cocktail/heavy apps party so there will not be a ton of tables for sit down. I think this is a perfect event to do some DIY centerpieces. I have been wanting to use chandelier crystals somewhere.....anywhere! I love them.

Enter crystal tree idea...

{Wild Things}

I love how the crystals hang from this tree! So cool that is it white, bendable (obviously fake manzanita), and comes potted...but it was too pricey for my project.

{Nettleton Hollow}

These manzanitas are so cool! They look like they are being blown by wind. They have such unique qualities to each branch. The hanging votives are so pretty.

{Flowers and Supplies}

This is a manzanita with its leaves...pretty.

{Nettleton Hollow}

Love, love, LOVE this tree. So cool in every way.

{Nettleton Hollow}

This is Mitsumata. Not as common for trees and Manzanita...or at least it is not as documented as much as manzanita. I ordered several bunches of this. Here are the advantages of this type of branch:
1. it is a bleached wood in creamy white color. so very elegant
2. it is cost effective for price and shipping....
3. it can do very cool things!

If you soak the branches, they suck up water like a sponge and then you can mold them however you like. Since they are very compact when shipped, it reduces the shipping cost. So my wheels start turning since I have chandelier crystals from the jewelry that I am making....and then I remembered that I have these!

{Illuminations}

I have seven hanging tealight holders that I purchased from Illuminations a VERY long time ago. I always wanted to hang them over a dining room table or somewhere but never have. So needless to say they have been packed up. There is a third style not shown that I got with these.

So here is the plan. One large display on the buffet table having the most crystals and hanging votives....also having flowers in some of the holders like little vases...on the rest of the sit-down tables, there will be less ornate arrangements on those tables. I really hope this works! I will post after I get the branches and create a sample!