Tulle! (via Leproust Vintage)

This Kristin Jones kind of makes me want to travel to Tennessee and plant a hug.  She mentions that she likes to make temporary modifications. To this dress, she added the tulle at the base. Yes! Yes yes yes! I've been trying to find slips online to see if just putting something under my knee length dress could elongate it. Make it more weddingy. I'm thinking about adding fabric flowers. Something. But then I came across Kirstin's blog Leproust Vintage and it was perfect timing. I think there is some tulle in my future. (Or, um, rather, *more* tulle in my future.) Thank you Kristin!

Jimmy Schönning (via Purple Area)

Google translator is amazing. Especially when you find a great blog like Susanna Larsson's Purple Area. She's a Swedish blogger and I love the stuff she finds. Purple Area is going on my weekly list to check.

Here is the great styling work of Jimmy Schönning for Ahléns. After painting large rolls of painter's paper for a recent project, it opens up a whole world of possibilities for table tops. Hopefully some day I'll get to design a child's party table that includes a very similar set up to this here.

For more great photos from the table, visit Purple Area.

Little Cabin Necklace (by Swissmiss)

Such a cute little necklace by Swissmiss.

Her blog is kind of great and links to a must read for my weekend, "The Mad Men of Mid-Century Modern Design." Yes please!

Fabric Envelope Tutorial (via Design*Sponge)

I love this and am totally using this tutorial for a birthday card at some point. Yay!

(Via Design*Sponge)

Invitation (by delphine)

Theoretically I'm working on invitations tonight. Soooo instead I'm looking at pretty invitations. This is what is nice about the internet. The pretty stuff stays in the archives. Lovely.

K + Z ! (by Me)

We will have people walk under some trees. I'm working on things to hang from the trees (and maybe hang down from balloons in our livingroom. *Maybe*) I originally wanted to try and have beads where the circles are but beads are kind of expensive and my attempts at painting cheap plastic beads with cheap craft paint was a bit of a disaster. (I should try spray paint. Spray paint is magical.) So instead I cut circles out of my fabric sample books.

Cupcake and Tulle Paper/Fabric Flower (by Me)

While in Portland on Saturday I saw two versions of the cupcake wrapper flower. One with straight cupcake and one with what may have been dyed coffee filters. The more straightforward white flowers were in an adorable indie store and the others Anthropologie. On the way south, Z and I stopped in a craft store and I bought cupcake wrappers to experiment. Here's what I came up with. I added some tulle in mine to give it fluff. I like it! I made a few more and like them too. (Yay!) Now I need to just figure out what wall I want white flowers to climb up.

Multicolored Bridesmaid Dress (via Once Wed)

One question I got a couple of times this weekend is about matching or unmatching bridesmaids. I like unmatching. My sister in law (who is also a wedding photographer) said that as a photographer she likes that more because it allows the bridesmaids to each show a bit more of their personality.

This picture (via Once Wed) may have just sealed the deal. 

The bride is stylist Emily Henderson.
 Photography: Gayle Brooker

Dresses Galore

I spent a large chunk of this weekend thinking about dresses. Mine. My friends'. I've already learned that there are comfortable and uncomfortable corsets. I've also learned I think David's Bridal doesn't give a damn about brides. Too strong? Yeah. Probably.

Day 1 was dress shopping with the family females. Day 2 was an outing with one of my bridesmaids. We were considering dresses for the line up. I realized quickly that I need to get the bride dress down and then work accordinly with everyone else. I'm trying to work in a top down flow. It works by asking the following questions:

Shhhhh

I am dress shopping - my first appointment- right *now*

Butterflies and Birdcages

This image from Style Me Pretty's Inspiration to Reality series couldn't have come at a better time. Last night I was thinking about our pre ceremony area, and I'm trying to come up with ways of making the whole area seem connected. (It'll be a living room with doors opening onto a patio and then part of a lawn.) What I think I'd like to try to do is create a birdcage installation up one of the wooden beams in the patio. Have a pile of birdcages that come up around this beam and inside the cages are paper and fabric hearts. These hearts come out of the bird cages and move across one of the horizontal beams and transform into butterflies.

The Design.
The Board.

Handling Excitement

The wedding process has ups and downs and yesterday was a definite low. Z and I are both stressed from third party projects.  We just wrapped a short fillm that took way more time and caused way more anxiety than either of us bargained for. So we're a little on edge. I made a comment about feeling wedding stress and Z couldn't take that one last straw. Enter fighting. And my fighting looks a lot like staring blankly at a wall. (Thanks passive aggressive gene pool! You're the best!)

I'm putting that out there because I think it's important to admit that planning isn't all roses and peonies. It's a strange growth process and growth processes often aren't easy. (Ask anyone who has bought a house. Or had a child.) They're stressful and they can lead to explosions.

Hearts (via Wiley Valentine)

This is from Wiley Valentine  letterpress. The bride used letterpress coaster as escort cards. What I love (beyond letterpress, swoon) is the clever set up.

We may need to cord off our front yard and I'm looking for ways to make it it's own space. Instead of a lawn smack dab next to the road.

(Via Wiley Valentine)

Amy Atlas (via Wiley Valentine)

Amy Atlas is kind of incredible. Here is a Valentine's inspired spread via the Wiley Valentine blog.

Donna and Andrew (via Ruffled)

Originally what caught my eye here were the invites, but the terrarium table decorations are kind of awesome as well.

Photography: Carla Ten Eyck
Centerpieces, etc: Datura

(Via Ruffled)

Lucas Allen photography (via Decor8)

This table is one of many beautiful photographs by Lucas Allen via Decor8. I love the mason jars as glasses and the simple flowers in assorted jars. Lovely.

Tables and Escort Cards (Hayley and Jeff Via Brooklyn Bride)

So much pretty at this wedding of Hayley and Jeff.

The escort cards and whimsical tables meet all squeal criteria. 

Photography: Belathée Photography.

Megan and Mihir (via Snippet and Ink)

Such a lovely rehearsal dinner. It always amazes me how much work goes into every corner of a wedding. Great cork candle holders. Seems like a fun project to try and do. Maybe hand stitch the seam. The brown table garland looks like it took a lot of work. And I can't help but love the card wrack. At one point in our planning I was thinking it'd be fun to have the seating cards come from a card wrack and have them double as thank you cards to the guests. I still love the idea but it's outside of practical.

Design: Blue Moon Events  http://bluemooncharleston.com/blog/

Photography: A Bryan Photo  http://abryanphoto.com/

Bottles! (from Organic Avenue)

Super cute bottles from Organic Avenue. We're thinking about our wedding favors. Maybe I should see if these can be purchased sans juice. Also, I'd totally buy this for the bottle for a future teeny tiny vase.

(Via TheDieline)

Cards for the Guys (by me)

I made this card for my Dad's birthday, but I think it'd be a nice card for a male friend who's getting married or for the groomsmen as part of our notes to them.

I came up with the card after thinking about using stickers like Hello Tenfold. Originally the bowtie was going to be on the outside but the shirt felt like it was missing something. The buttons solved that.

This is a fun place to start for future, more elaborate, designs.

Tape Strip Garlands (via iDiy)

Japanese tape is everywhere right now. I have a stack at home I'm still trying to figure out how to use. It sounds a little silly to say, but I take some time getting use to a new medium. Apparently any kind of new medium, tape included.

This is a great idea from the fantastic minds at Project Wedding.

(Via iDiy)

Debbie and Brian (via Always a Blogsmaid)

I'm a sucker for things hanging from ceilings. Our wedding and most of the festivities will be outside but that doesn't mean I don't have my eye on my parents livingroom. High ceilings. Endless potential.

This is from the beautiful wedding of Debbie and Brian. Their wedding looks kind of spectacular.

Photographer: Shawn Connell of Christian Oth Studios.

Via (Always a Blogsmaid)

Gold Leaves (via A Field Journal)

These lovely gold leaves are the work of Livy over at A Field Journal. She did them as part of a tutorial for Project Wed. I love the monogram effect. These would be lovely as part of a boutonniere (which is still impossible to spell w/o the help of Google.) 

(Via A Field Journal)

Storyville Coffee Wrapping Inspiration (via The Dieline)

This is very cool packaging by Storyville Coffee. I think it'd be cool to try and make something similar if you gave candy away as part of an Easter basket. Use a pretty bag and cut out a bunny and then line the side of the bag with the hole with vellum. (Maybe pink in this case.) Then fill up with candy.

(Via The Dieline)

Love (by It'sMeMatt)

This man's designs are incredible. Seriously, go visit It'sMeMatt and drool. I know I'll spend some time there today.

Photograph by Aaron Thompson.

(Via 100 Layer Cake)

Stitch! (via Oh So Beautiful Paper)

I so love stitch. Stitch. Stitch. Stitch. *sigh*

Not only is this is really cool from Matt and Lauren but their hand lettered paper (via Gus & Ruby Letterpress) is pretty awesome too.

(via Oh So Beautiful Paper)

In the Now Tablescape (via Junebug Weddings)

Yes there may be a fair amount of posting via Junebug Weddings blog this week, but that is only a win. This is a table scape designed by In the Now Weddings. What a great table for a winter brunch. I love the knit silverware holder and the flame down the center. I think you could do a very similar feel with vellum. Either try and get it to stand up on it's own or between two strips of Plexiglas. Or maybe find the thickest vellum you possibly can and try and get the bugger to stand up.

Go to the post and see a really neat top down view of the table.

Invitation Anatomy

It's not as easy as one might think (in this case me) to find a simple list of what you need to include in the invitation. Most websites address the wording. In that we aren't doing this at all traditionally, wording doesn't really matter. Or maybe it should but that boat has sailed.

So here's what I'm thinking is important:

Anna and Ryan (via 100 Layer Cake)

I love this Anna and Ryan print. I don't know if it's a menu or a card or what but I love the design and feel. Basically I'm a sucker for anything on brown paper.

This is a the seemingly joyous wedding of Anna and Ryan via 100 Layer Cake.

Photography by Michelle King.

Table Scape

This is awesome. So ingenious and happy. Astroturf? (OK, maybe it's moss I can't tell but pleeease let it be astroturf.)

(Via Snippet and Ink)


Planning by Beth Helmstetter.
Photographer: Jonathan Canlas.

Jennifer and Bill (via OnceWed)

I love the yellow checkered paper. (Especially love that there are two types.) Also, this flower is exactly the kind I'm trying to replicate through cardboard. Because the technique uses cardboard it'll never be as delicate as these appear. I suppose I could try the same technique out of tissue paper but it'd be so time consuming that I'd never complete anything.

Beautiful wedding of Jennifer and Bill.

Photography by Jesse Leake.

(Via Once Wed)

Grace and Raj (via Junebug Weddings)

I'm normally not a dress girl. But, I happily made a new folder in my wedding file for Dress when I saw this. This is the wedding of Grace and Raj and was photographed by Trisa Lerit.

(Via Junebug Weddings...whose archive is going to last me a month! Yay!)

Kate and Jordan (via 100LayerCake)

The bride, Kate, wore a side bun with a flower tucked in. Lovely.

Photography by Garrett Grove

(Via 100 Layer Cake)

Paper Candy Toppers (by Nice Package)

I may have an new blog to add to my favorites list. Creature Comfort is already one of my daily reads but she is part of a second blog called Nice Package where they have the tutorial for how to make the cuteness to the left. *sigh* So much cute. Sometimes it's hard to take in.

Save the Date download (from The Inspired Bride)

This is the incredibly cute work of Maddy over at The Inspired Bride. She has it there for a free download along with a pink option. I may have to do something similar to this as an invitation to a dessert party. It'd also be perfect for a bridal shower. Who says you can't send Save the Dates to other, non wedding things! Everyone likes cute!

Vellum Design (by Hello Tenfold)

Vellum is a really tricky material. On the one hand, it's awesome. It has a nice feel and gives a very romantic, mysterious vibe. That said, the bugger is impossible to stick down, you know, because it's a bit transparent. So if you glue it to anything you see the glue. This is why this Hello Tenfold design (I love Hello Tenfold) is genius. Use it for the mystery...and then leave it alone.

(Via Mint)

Sections

I'm totally back into wedding planning and it feels good. This is the kind of project I like. Me and the internet and lists. :)

I told my Mom yesterday that I was really excited for someone else to get married so I could plan a kick ass bridal shower. Matching colors. Pretty flowers.

"Something contained," she said nodding. She got the idea. Pour all your design energy into one manageable event. So after a beat Mom looked at me thoughtfully and said, "So we need to do just that. Divide the yard into sections by event and focus on one section at a time. Prioritize them and when we've got one section finished completely we move on to the next." Brilliant. It's the perfect way to look at it.

Alicia and Adam (via Brooklyn Bride)

This whole wedding has a delightful feel and is beautifully designed. I think my favorite part are the framed birds set on the wall. They are gifts the couple made and features artwork by the groom, Adam. Follow the link and see all the wonderful images by photographer Maureen Davis. Alicia's bridesmaid dresses are fantastic and I love the little porcelain birds.

(via Brooklyn Bride)

Garlands (by Marie)

I may spend some time working on my flag garlands this weekend and am looking forward to all the other garlands in my future for holiday parties and dinners with friends. Maybe get a strand from Kristina Marie (who just got featured in Martha Stewart Weddings so she must be feeling pretty good :)

I found her fun work via Brooklyn Bride.

All images to the left are Kristina Marie's work.

Hair (side messy bun)

Why wouldn't I just try and wear my hair like this all the time?

Time has forced me into dress/hair mode. I'm thinking the stylings of one Ms Jordan Byers would be great. All of the work on her blog is incredible.
The image is from a Jose Villa shoot styled by Joy Thigpen and from on OnceWed.

The List- March

There are two dates that cause me to pause: The first of the month and the 14th. The first because it reminds me that another month has started and we are that much closer to the wedding. The 14th b/c we are getting married on a 14th and it means I have exactly X months until Aug 14th.

I got motivated again today. For the first time in several weeks I've had enough space in my brain for wedding things. No more projects until after we move. I'm probably just saying no to everything in April. Carte Blanche.

But here's what we have: