Peg Board Boxes

I keep thinking I have a centerpiece and then I suddenly do not. I don't think this is indecisiveness, I think it's, well, from some other place. We came up with something we liked but we can't find more of the vases that made it what it was. So back to the drawing board.

Enter pegboard box. This is the bright idea of another Kelly over at Yes Please (via 100LayerCake).

Or Lack Thereof

I need to create a plan for the final months as if I was planning someone else's wedding. Take the emotion out of it. Be both client and planner. We're clicking over to the 3 month mark (I'm assuming the two weeks prior to the wedding I won't have time for anything but last minute stuff) and shit needs to get done. I feel as if nothing is moving forward. Life is rushing by at speeds I've never seen before but not a whole lot else feels like it's getting checked off the list.

*splat*

(Also I just realized that the decorations I had planned for post reception won't really show up b/c it'll be dark. Huh. Oops.)

Save the Date (by me)

No we have not changed the date to, um, Monday. I'm just playing around with Illustrator.

Expectations on Both Sides

I've often talked here about wedding expectations and how I wish there weren't so many on a bride and groom, but I also wish there weren't so many on the guests. People feel like they have to go to  wedding if they are invited. They feel bad and unsupportive if they can't go. The only excuse for missing a wedding? Another wedding. Or maybe illness. Work isn't an excuse. Just not wanting to travel across the country isn't an excuse either. Unless you're really old. Then you're kind of thrown in the sick category.

Yep!

All but 5. Or 6. Maybe 7. But anyone who reads this blog...it's on its way. Unless it gets caught in the postal machine and torn to shreds. B/c, you know, that could happen.

PolkaDot Bags (Cunningham Photos)

This is a great idea and would be perfect for a wedding or any holiday. Next Christmas I'm loading up on paper bags like these if I can find them. Fill them with lovely greens and wa-lah!

They used these for a Valentine's party. Genius.

(See the awesome booth background here.)

Photography: Cunningham Photo Artists 
(Via Style Me Pretty galleries)

String of Lights (Caplan Miller Photography)

Lovely overhead light display via the Style Me Pretty Galleries.
Photography: Caplan Miller

Invitations

They are so close to being done I can TASTE it! Taste what you may ask? VICTORY!

OK, I'm being a little hyperbolic but it's in my blood, literally genetic, to stop projects 80% through. So to have a giant project that feels 80% complete during its entire run was a reeeeally good workout for my brain.

Garlands (photography by Christian Cruz)

Love this! This is the beautiful work of Christian Cruz a southern California photographer. I love the dreamy quality fo the shot.

Also? Check out that garland!!! I love it! The fabric and the flags! Perfect. Totally perfect.

(Blog trail: Christian Cruz Photography blog, via Oh Hello Friend)

Table and Escort Display (via Green Weding Shoes)

This photoshoot has a lot of elements that my sort of dream wedding would. Hmm...actually I don't like the term dream wedding. It has a lot of elements I think would be cool to incorporate into a wedding or party.

I love the escort card set up. I love the wire (I really love wire and would love to find places to use it.) Paper flowers. (Oh you guys reading this are probably getting hand cramps just *thinking* about fabric flowers :)

Oh My God Cute

Soooo cute. I think I let out an audible squeak when I saw these on Design*Sponge. These are the awesome work of the San Francisco-based sweets company Miette. They have an online store but the next time Z and I are in SanFran we are soooo visiting this shop.

(Via Design*Sponge)

Vows (via 2000 Dollar Wedding)

One of the few things we actually have in permanent ink is our officiant. And while we're no where near writing our vows, this is a good thing to have on our resource list: 2000 Dollar Wedding blog has compiled a list of wedding scripts. Suuuper useful and something I will turn to in the weeks ahead.

Save the Dates (Dauphine Press)

These are the lovely save the date cards by Dauphine Press for a wedding of one of their own, Erin

I love the feminine loveliness of it. The colors. The flowers. I love how one side has the floral design but the back is solid pattern. So. Great.

To see the rest of their paper suite go here.

Via: Oh So Beautifu Paper

Orange Flowers and Cake

I'm reading a book called, "All Dressed in White: The Irresistible Rise of the American Wedding," by Carol McD. Wallace. I'm a sixth of the way through and it's a totally enjoyable read. It's one of three books I recently bought talking about weddings and their history. It's a good place to rest the mind when it's not wondering if we can afford tables. (<--long story.)

It's also good for another reason. It's freeing. There's a feeling about how a wedding should be. I never realized what a force that was until there was a ring on my finger. It's something I was never aware of until that very moment of engagement. I find it fascinating and overwhelming and it's been good for me to be able to speak to it. (Or why you guys might start feeling I'm a broken record :)

PaperBag Lighting (Jonathan Canlas photography)

What a pretty path.

I'm assuming those are battery powered candles in there. Suddenly I'm picturing the stereotypical movie scene where a woman has filled a room with candles to make it romantic. If that woman were me those would all be battery powered. Super hot, right?

Safety first boys and girls!

*sigh*

This kind of thing would be pretty along the few pathways we'll have.

Photography: Jonathan Canlas Photgraphy
Via: Style Me Pretty galleries.

Lights (by Karen Wise)

Oh to have the lighting capabilities shown here. Why did I not go into event planning? How wonderful to have the ability to light trees like this. Gorgeous.

I think the challenge is: 1. Don't light anything on fire (which I think is harder than it is in my mind.) 2. Hide the ugly chords. B/c all of those lights need power somehow. 3. Get up in the trees to run the lights and the chords. Hmmm......

Wedding of Catherine and Ken.
Photography: Karen Wise
(Via: Style Me Pretty galleries.)

And so.

After a weekend of pain-in-the-ass-ness, we have emerged on the other side with an invitation completion plan. A table arrangement plan. And general good cheer. Unfortunately I was probably kind of a dick to my mother. *sigh* Why is it so hard to get the teenager out of you!

Tasty Tower (by Marianne Taylor)

I love this! So pretty. I like the cupcake tower for looks but these could be frosted brownies and besides the chocolate chip cookie, you can't beat the brownie in my book.

This is from the lovely wedding of Hywel and Claire.

Via Style Me Pretty galleries.

Photographer: Marianne Taylor Photography

Table Analysis

This table from Kim and Matt's wedding (see credits at bottom of post) is a good one to analyze. Round tables are tough. This one is done well.

First off, they are using 10 table settings, which we will probably use. So, sorry guys in advance for cramping you a bit.

They are using 6 colors:

Decision Time

Or not.

Weddings are all about decisions. You can think about this or that for as long as you want but until you draw that line in the sand, you can't move beyond it. You can get to the day of and have a lot of thinking accomplished and not much else. Or what I currently like to call: My Own Loving Path.

Faux Milk Glass (via Ruffled)

This weekend it's centerpieces again. So this faux milk glass tutorial is quite helpful. I may try the same idea but with a different color because as I read at 12:30am last night when my brain caught on fire, you don't have worry about how the stems look in an opaque vase.

Tutorial from Annie at Marry You Me.

(Via Ruffled, Marry You Me)

Some Day People Will Officially Hear about Our Wedding

Apparently, if it's over 6 x 4 1/4, a card can't be sent at postcard rates. The RSVP cards that no one will use (statistically) are 6 X 4 1/2. So fine. I bought standard postage and am happy to smack them on. BUT the seed of doubt has been planted. What if the RSVP cards don't get back to us? So a tester was thrown in the mailbox and now we await its return. Which means more waiting. Which means those invitations I was going to gallantly finish this weekend are again on hold. Sort of like last week they were on hold. And then another step was held the week prior.

It's like dancing...only soul crushing. Who feels like figuring out bouquets?! Raise your hand! Alright. Weekend planned. 

Wedding Nightmares #5

The first two included me being cool and calm. The other three have been less lovely. Last night I was trying to write my vows the day of. I thought I had enough time but then kept getting interrupted and could not for the life of me commit anything to paper. I also had a horribly hideous yellow dress that made me either look 30 lbs heavier or I actually was 30lbs heavier. In the dream I thought, "Oh no! Mom was right. A non traditional wedding dress was a mistake!" And then I woke up and realized what I'm wearing isn't that dress. I mean, it's not Vera but it's not nightmare yellow either.

H is for Happy (via Utterly Engaged)

Round tables are a rarer occurrence in blogs and magazines than long tables. I understand this. Longer tables lend themselves more easily to photography b/c they offer pattern and repetition. (Are those the same thing?) I love long tables. We, however, have round tables and it presents an interesting challenge. Especially to someone (me) who doesn't think in 3d terms. It's also why I so love coming across beautiful round table decorations like this one presented on page 41 Issue 7 of Utterly Engaged.

Also bonus! Is that a brown table cloth? Outside? That's what we'll be having! Proof that it works!

Photography: Gabriel Ryan  Flowers: Honey and Poppies  (Found via Decor8)

Burlap and Beer (via The Dieline)

I have a roll of burlap presented kind of like ribbon. I'm sure it's from Michael's garden department. It's a looser weave than this and it's kind of unruly. Do they sell burlap in fabric stores? Can I make bottle bags out of it? So many questions. Also, so much awesome by the designers hired by Dead Rabbits and Carrots beer. Yes please!

(Chris M. Romera: Designer; Pereira & O'Dell: Design Company)

(Via The Dieline- where you can read about the design goals of the packaging. It was a marketing tool for a boutique, Carrots.)

Moss! (via Ruffled)

I'm learning to love moss (thanks blogland.) I love how it evokes such a fresh and woodsy feel. It transports me back into old growth hikes and spring. Two places I don't mind being.

Ruffled has a cool tutorial on how to make these bad boys. Future dinner party decor? I think so.

(Via Ruffled)

Thank you Simon's Stamps

This weekend some serious wedding business got done thanks to these guys.

Bunnies!

OK, so maybe this could go into the Baby Shower category but I thought I'd share some Easter rabbits I made this weekend for the festivities. It's sort of amazing the possibilities of felt, a hot glue gun and a good pair of scissors.

Lessons

I recently found a bunch of old journal entries. It makes me realize how up until a point in your life, you are forced to react to a lot of change that is happening all around you. Every year in school something changes. Then you  move out completely for college. Then you leave college and are dropped into the Big Wide Word. You learn new cities. Or remeet your parents. Or deal with loneliness in a new and special way. And then a few years go by and it's like (for me at least) the big external changes have quieted and the big internal changes begin. You start to work on answering the questions: Who am I? And, What do I want to do with this life of mine? You start answering them in ways that you never had to address before b/c you were so busy reacting to another class, another move or another school year.