Category — weekly columnists

Hello! My name is Blair and I am excited to be a new guest blogger for EAD.  I thought it might be best to introduce myself by letting you all in on the story of how my fiance and I met (from my POV).  You can read his version of the story on our website: www.blairandjurgen.com

March 11th 2007: I love to go to the theatre. I love to go see good theatre. I love to see good theatre that I do not have to pay for. Well it was my lucky day because one of my favorite stage mangers gave me two comp tickets to a preview performance of Rabbit Hole at the Goodman Theatre. My good friend Jenn was to be my date for the evening as she too shares my desire to see good theatre for free. Halfway through the first act I was taken by the performance of a young, dark haired actor who I had never met or seen onstage before. I turned to Jenn and said, “Who is he? He is fantastic.”  The entire production was deeply moving and I could not imagine leaving before I had a chance to profusely my stage manager for his generosity. While I waited for him to emerge from the underground of the Goodman, Jenn informed me that she needed to get some water. Alden found me, I thanked him profusely and I proceeded to wait patiently for Jenn to return victorious from her water seeking mission. This mission must have been fraught with peril because it took quite some time. I stood by the lobby door, taking in the theatergoers,  when lo and behold the talented dark haired actor walked out of the stage door. Thus began the internal conflict which goes something like this:

“Should I say something?” (beat) “No that would be annoying.” (beat) “But don’t you love and appreciate it when people take the time to tell you how incredibly gifted an amazing you are?” “OF COURSE!” “Okay I am going to say something.”

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All of you know and love Rachel and Dana, and starting tomorrow we have a new weekly columnist joining their ranks, Blair!  Blair will be posting each Sunday with all of the details surrounding her upcoming January wedding.

Welcome Blair - we are so excited to have you as a part of EAD!

Back when I visited Claire Pettibone’s boutique, I was introduced to the wonderfully organic, handcrafted, custom headpieces made by the wondrous Tracy of TS Tiara. The moment I was crowned with one of Tracy’s unique and inspired twig headbands…. I knew I had to look no further. They were so bohemian, so rockstar… just hippie enough, but with a touch of the funk…. absolutely perfect.

Even better in person!

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I’m so excited to share these pictures with everyone!  The only good pictures I had were of the back of my dress, on a model, so it’s wonderful to finally share what my dress looks like on me!!

Yesterday was my very first dress fitting for alterations, and my next one will be in about a month. Hopefully that will be it, but I’ve left myself some time in case more needs to be done.  I think I’ll be okay - I’m only having the top taken in and the length shortened slightly.  Other than that, it fit like a glove!

I brought along my orange shoes, my “shapewear”, and a veil a family friend is willing to let me borrow.  After she was finished pinning….. :

And here is a picture of the vintage brooch I bought off of Ebay last week, to pin under the bustline:

Along with a vintage bracelet:

Okay, so I’d like your advice!  What do you think of the veil??  Is it too short?  I think the comb is a little large, but I could deal with that.  I’ll be wearing my hair in a low bun, kind of like the last picture, and will have a fluffy flower piece in from Myra at Twigs & Honey.  Any suggestions or ideas??

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

6 months into our relationship, Hunter and I spent a month backpacking Europe together. It was one of the best times of our lives. It was also an amazing opportunity to get to know each other in a new way. Being together 24/7 for 31 days, navigating foreign countries in foreign languages, in the biggest heatwave of the decade was a true test of our strength. I really believe that traveling together should be a pre-requisite of marriage. There would probably be a lot less divorce that way.

(Collobriers, France 2003)

As evidenced by our taste, we’re big fans of the cultural and artistic influences of Asia, but neither of us have been there and we’re desperate to remedy that situation. The honeymoon seems like a perfect excuse. But affording a trip like that on top of a wedding is…. laughable in our circumstances.

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I am really looking forward to our day after portraits! When we first met with our photographer and were talking about different packages, she brought up and suggested we do day after portraits. I had never really heard of these before, but they are a great way to get some beautiful portraits of the two of you without having to worry about getting your dress dirty, keeping your guests waiting, or anything else you may be thinking of the day of your wedding. You can just relax and have some fun!

*above photos from Jessica Claire

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I always knew I wanted personalized bags (cuz that’s how I roll), and definitely wanted reusable ones to suit our Eco-Green endeavors… but being broke-ass doesn’t really suit either of those desires. So, when my sister and bro-in-law came through town on their way to Bali, and mentioned they could get bags made for a fraction of American prices, we were all about it. I sent the file to their contact in Bali, and the bags were ready within a week! My sis was generous enough to carry all 50 home with her, to save us shipping costs. We couldn’t believe how beautifully they turned out! They were even better than we dreamt they’d be.

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I love old things. I love the sense of history behind them, their character and charm. When I was first planning my wedding and thinking about what type of “look” or “feel” I was going for, vintage came to mind. I don’t want my wedding to be a costume party, but I do want that classic look that isn’t so rooted in today’s trends that in 10 years I’ll be groaning over my photos! I want something pretty and classic with a nod to both the past and today.

Today, many brides are going for the vintage look in their weddings whether it be tea length dresses, birdcage veils, or other traditional elements. I thought it would be fun to take a look at some true vintage weddings as well as some more modern ones that were vintage-inspired.

One element that is still around today, no matter what type of wedding you’re having, is having the groom look different from his groomsmen, oftentimes by wearing a different colored tie:

*above vintage photos from here

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You know how sometimes, you just have to try something unreasonable on, so you can see how bad/ill-fitting it looks and “Rule it Out”?

{Image Source: Brides.com}

I used to think I wanted a Claire Pettibone dress. The Juliet, to be exact. I couldn’t afford it, but it didn’t stop me from wanting it. I dragged my mom while she was in town for Christmas, to try it on, hoping I’d hate it in person. But it was just lovely. And to wear one of her dresses is like bathing in silk…. comfortable, sensual, and rich-feeling. Too rich, for my wee bank account. I looked and looked for an alternate, but to no avail. I was nervous.

Cut to: May ‘08
Our great friend Billy (aka our officiant, more on that another time) teaches yoga. He came over one night and gave me a business card for a local, eco-conscious dress designer who took his class that evening, thinking I might be able to use it. I was all, “pssshhh - we’ll see if I like her stuff better than the Juliet - yeah, right!”

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One of the reasons we chose our venue was because of the giant stone fireplace downstairs in the Great Room. Since we’re not getting married in a church, I thought the fireplace would be really pretty to get married in front of.

*That’s my Mom, who’s 5′6″, standing in front of the fireplace.

The next step in the equation was to figure out how to decorate the fireplace for our wedding, but since we are on a fairly tight budget it couldn’t cost a lot. After searching around online, I found this photo by Melissa Schollaert via Snippet & Ink. I love that the candles give off a warm glow, and the greenery intertwined with it gives some interest. I also liked that the mirror would reflect not only the candlelight, but whatever is going on in front.

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