Posts from — November 2009
Real Weddings: Lori + Jonathan
Everything about Lori and Jonathan’s wedding is pretty much perfect. We have puppies with handmade ribbon collars and leashes, the most beautiful DIY flowers, a light and fun color palette of yellow and gray, and an Austin, TX wedding venue that is so unique and different. And on top of that, Heather from Eclectic Images outdid herself with spectacular photography, capturing every little detail and special moment!
Lori’s gals were decked out in gray bridesmaids dresses by J Crew and wore yellow shoes of their choosing and yellow flowers in their hair.
Not to be outdone, Jonathan and his groomsmen are dapper in their Chuck Taylors and the couple’s three pups sported yellow ribbon collars and leashes. Aren’t they precious?!

Married!
So, Brian and I have been married for one week now… wow! I have a husband! We’re down in Huatulco, Mexico for our honeymoon, but I wanted show you a picture from the wedding - I can’t wait to share all the details with you!
This picture was taken by my cousin - what a perfect shot!
With everything behind me (how crazy is that?!), one of the moments I remember most vividly from my wedding is dancing with my dad…
It took me a while to come up with the perfect song to play when I danced with my father at my wedding… First I asked him for any suggestions he had: “Stairway to Heaven. Obviously.” Clearly this was not going to be the best way to go about finding the perfect song…

Things I suddenly find myself wanting
…that I didn’t even think twice about before.
Succulents in jars with burlap table runners.

Carrie Patterson via Style Me Pretty
…or just some potted ones.

Real Weddings: Alli + Jason
Alli and Jason’s Indianapolis garden wedding is full of personality. Jenny Grise of Grise Photography captured all of the wonderful moments, including a quite unexpected downpour during the ceremony!
The couple chose chocolate brown and green as their color palette and bridesmaids wore gowns of their choosing by J Crew.

Rethinking the Garter Idea…
No, I’m still not even *considering* having a moment like this at our reception:
{ image via praxxis }
But I’m having a hard time saying no to this one from Bleu:
{ image via Bleu Garters }
Totally not what I think of when I hear the word garter. Love it.
Are you considering a garter?

Letterpress at the kitchen table
A few years ago, I took a letterpress class at the San Francisco Center for the Book (lovely center, I recommend it to anyone in the SF Bay Area!) and that’s when I fully realized why letterpress costs the ka-ching! amount that it does. It took me nine hours on one Saturday to make one thank you card design, one envelope design with my address, and print over two hundred copies. And this wasn’t some complicated design, it had a bird and “Thank You” written on it. My eyes were basically cross-eyed by the time I got out of there, and my hands and clothes were totally filthy from playing with ink. Letterpress is labor intensive and crazy detail-oriented, and I bow down to all the masters of it!
So you can imagine my skepticism over this brand new product from QuicKutz. The examples are gorgeous, and the price is pretty decent at $150, but can something this small and affordable churn out the same quality as a Vandercook press? I don’t know myself, but I’d love to get my hands on one and play with it!

Rustic Garden Wedding
Garden weddings are so very of-the-moment. Infuse nature’s color palette with shades of pinks and purples and you have a romantic and timeless event.
{Bride and groom from Becky and Alex’s wedding photographed by Mthree Studio, vintage movie ticket escort cards in crate photographed by Robert Sukrachand from Yuli and Keith’s wedding via Green Wedding Shoes, calligraphy sign by Laura Hooper Calligraphy, flower girls on rope swing from Betty and Kent’s wedding photographed by Punam Bean, rustic tablescape photographed by Silvana di Franco posted by Wiley Valentine on Weddingbee Pro, wedding cake with pink and white sugar flowers from Sara and Matt’s wedding photographed by Duston Todd, invitation by Flush Designs, garden wedding ceremony set-up styled by Oh How Charming! and photographed by Elizabeth Messina}

Pregnant Bridesmaids
Out of my 11 bridesmaids, 6 are married and 3 have already given birth to one child. Another one is currently pregnant with her first due in February, and I just found out today, that another is pregnant with her 2nd due……the week of my wedding.
What to do? What to do? Naturally, given the demographics of my bridesmaids, I understood early on that at this point in our lives (circa 29-30 years old), we all have our own family lives and demands that make it hard to plan around. I understand that my bridesmaid due in June may not be able to make the wedding or fit into a matching dress. However, I don’t want to NOT have her because of that. Just because she may not be able to participate in the “big day” I still consider her as I do the other 10, vital important people that have contributed to making my life special throughout my various walks of life. I’ve told her that I would love for her to be considered a bridesmaid and participate in whatever she can. Obviously, everyone understands that a 9 month pregnant woman may not be able to commit, however, I still want her included in my roster of special people.
Have any of you been a pregnant bridesmaid or have pregnant bridesmaids? How would you feel and what would you do?

Brooklyn Bride Holiday Card Swap
It’s holiday time again and Vane from Brooklyn Bride is holding her 3rd annual card swap! I’ve participated in all of them and I am giddy each year when I see who my swap partners are - it’s so fun to connect with everyone.
If you want to swap (and I hope you do!) here are the details:
Happy crafting!

Real Weddings: Nicci + Dennis
Nicci and Dennis’s wedding had the perfect fall color scheme - cranberry, orange, and apple. I love the crispness and vibrancy of the colors and the beautiful images from Tana Photography.
Bridesmaids received custom bracelets by The Beaded Bangle to wear with their cranberry gowns…
… while groomsmen wore train cufflinks, echoing the couple’s reception venue, the Boise Train Depot. Such a cute touch!




























