{bow tie pug photo by Dottie Photography via Love and Lavender}

{Benfield Photography via Style Me Pretty}

{We Heart Photography via Style Me Pretty; Sharyn Peavy via Style Me Pretty}

{Rae Leytham via Style Me Pretty}

{Hillary Maybery via Style Me Pretty}

{Amanda Thiessen Photography via Style Me Pretty}

{Altura Studio via Style Me Pretty}

{Michael Norwood Photography via Style Me Pretty; Thayer Photo via Merriment Events}

{EE Photography and Amanda Marie Portraits via Style Me Pretty}

And one final shameless puppy promo, encouraging you to vote for One Tail at a Time to win $25,000! It’s two easy clicks, just click over and click “vote” and make sure the number ticks up – you don’t have to give out any personal information – 5 seconds for a chance to win $50 to Pottery Barn? So easy! Sharing on facebook and tweeting (make sure you link to EAD on facebook or Ami’s twitter) count as an entry too, so spread the word! The contest ends TODAY 7/18/11 at midnight. Thanks for voting and helping to save puppy lives!

© Elizabeth Anne Designs: The Wedding Blog, 2011 · Permalink · 7 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: favorite details, good things, photography

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I can’t believe it’s so close to Christmas. I feel like I’ve been in some time warp since our blessing and now it’s almost December! I usually do every kind of shopping (except grocery, and that’s rare because we eat out too much!) online and I’ve become exceedingly aware of how long it takes to ship things. So I have even less time. I feel at a complete loss of what to get the people in my life (and as you get older it’s hard to know who you’re buying for!).

So, newlyweds especially, what are you getting your husband?
Your new in-laws?
Your parents?
Your friends?

I’d thought about giving both our parents wedding albums for Christmas but I’ve run out of time, orders for those have to be in early November and I was swamped back then. I should probably be running to etsy, because it’s the greatest thing ever, but even there I get pretty overwhelmed. I feel like I’m at an age where we don’t really need anything, so why would we inflict additional goods on the people we love? I’ve come to appreciate food as an expression of love way more these days.

Oh, and a fun gift idea for newlyweds (that we actually received but haven’t had a chance to test out yet, we’ll have to ask our only other set of married friends to play):

source

© Elizabeth Anne Designs: The Wedding Blog, 2009 · Permalink · 2 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: good things

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Our wedding planner keeps telling me to delete that countdown (I won’t, just because it comes in handy at times), but I am looking at it less and less.

Still, we’re sending out our invitations on Monday, so it’s impossible to ignore that we officially have (breathe) eight weeks until the wedding.

Breathe, Shelley.

Eight weeks. No problem, right? We pretty much have everything done, right? Okay, so hair and makeup isn’t nailed down yet but we have trials scheduled. And we haven’t totally nailed down the cake either but we have a tasting on the books.

And the rest is just little stuff. Like our vows and some little DIY projects like our programs, menus, table “numbers,” etc. I can do this. I know I can.

And yet… I just get myself stressed out. (So stressed in fact that I wound up with shingles, but that’s another story you can read more about here.)

One thing I’ve been thinking on for weeks now without getting anywhere is what do get my bridesmaids for their gifts. I’m totally stumped on this point. I want the gifts to be fun and special but I don’t have the biggest budget in the world for them.

For awhile I thought I’d put together a gift bag for each of them. I read about these super comfortable and flattering undies called Hanky Panky (have you tried them? They’re awesome.), that I thought could be a fun part of a gift bag but at $18 a pop, we’re almost at half my per bridesmaid budget.

Now I’m leaning toward getting each gal one nice thing. I thought about iPods or silver Tiffany necklaces but both are out of my budget for sure. And that’s really all the progress I’ve made on the attendant’s gifs.

So fellow brides-to-be out there, do you have some ideas to share for the bridesmaids gifts? I’m all ears!

(And p.s. I’m fresh out of ideas on my gift for the groom as well!)

© Elizabeth Anne Designs: The Wedding Blog, 2009 · Permalink · 16 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: good things, inspiration, life, logistics

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But oh.em.gee. I found the coolest book I have ever seen.

The Alphabet of Monograms by Henry Lillie. Oh, can’t find it on Amazon? Hmm, maybe that’s because ISBN numbers weren’t around in 1865. How cool was it to pull that book out of the stacks and open up the front cover to find:

Yup, 1885. Pretty neat I think. Anyway, on to the fun stuff.

While it would have been way too nice of Mr. Lillie to think of us back in the 1800′s and make us an awesome monogram, no such luck. There were, however, CK and CKJ (would work beautifully if he would take my last name :) ).

Here are a couple pages from the book: A, C, and M.

{ all images taken from Alphabet of Monograms by me }

If you want me to check if your initials are in here, let me know! I’d be happy to look.

Is anyone planning on using their (or better yet creating their own) monogram in their wedding? Are you going vintage, contemporary, art deco…? I’d love to hear your ideas!!

© Elizabeth Anne Designs: The Wedding Blog, 2009 · Permalink · 49 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: good things, inspiration, stationery

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So, on to today’s post:

My mom and I were browsing Etsy for ideas (naturally) for bridesmaid gifts and we came across this pattern that we love from seller Keyka Lou:

Aren’t they adorable!?  SO my mom bought the pattern and then some gorgeous fabric.  We are going to make them together (she’s going to teach me to sew finally!) and I cannot wait to do this project!

I also love seller Vintage Inspired Jewelry, and I want to get each of my maids one of these rings:

I will also be including in their clutch-some Hanky Panky underwear.  If you haven’t tried these-they are the BEST!

Finally, I’ll be including products from my FAVORITE etsy seller, Cozy Moments: If you haven’t bought anything from their shop, you are missing out:

I think those are going to be wonderful gifts to give to my ladies to let them know how much I love and appreciate them!

How about you chicas?  Any really fun ideas you want to share on what you’re getting for your lovely ladies?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs: The Wedding Blog, 2009 · Permalink · 5 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: beauty, good things

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I mean, do I even have a sixpence? Doubtful! I hadn’t thought too much about this tradition until this week, when my sister mentioned taping money to the inside of my peep toes. The easiest to fulfill is obviously your something new: new shoes, new headpiece, new dress…. for me, my new Rickard Shah shoes! =

The others, I hadn’t thought too much about.  After my mother stopped joking around about my something old being “a really old pair of underwear!”, my dad presented me with this to pin into my dress:

It’s the compass my late grandfather used to carry with him. When he gave it to me, my dad told me that if I wore it, my grandparents would always be there to show me the way.

::Insert sob here::

I’m getting very weepy as this week goes along! Next up: my something blue. My mom reminded me of this beautiful necklace made for me by her father, who also has passed away. So although I’d had something else in mind…it’s going by the wayside. This necklace is way too close to my heart to pass on.

Something borrowed: My sister’s pearl earrings.

What were your something olds, news, borroweds, and blues?

-B

© Elizabeth Anne Designs: The Wedding Blog, 2009 · Permalink · 2 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: customs and traditions, favorite details, good things

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