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!

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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}

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?

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!

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!

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