A Pink Palette

Much to my dismay, I am almost out of my favorite perfume, Flowerbomb (which I of course wore on my wedding day). So I decided to turn my obsession with this pink perfume into an inspiration board for all you brides. This board combines a few of my favorite things (J.Crew, peonies, candy, and horses).

Happy weekend everyone!

Hello Again!

I'm sure my readers probably thought I had given up on this blog. Perhaps part of me had. But I decided that this is the only thing in my life that allows me to express and explore my creative side. So I'm not going to give it up! I plan to return with more posts to inspire all you future brides!

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you some tidbits that might help those of you who a) are chronic worrywarts like myself b) have just turned into one since getting engaged or c) can officially label yourself a bridezilla :)

Here is what I've learned in my absence:

• I know everyone says it, but the marriage is much more important than the wedding day! As much as you are stressing about centerpieces and stationary, try to accept the fact that it won't be perfect, but that's what will make it memorable.
• I miss creative blogging. Looking at pictures of pretty things is very relaxing and a good form of stress relief. So current bridal bloggers - don't feel bad about spending so much time blogging/swooning over wedding collages!
• I realized that blogging doesn't have to be all or nothing. I used to be obsessed with ideas for my next post and felt like I constantly had to be an "idea machine." Now I realize it's ok to blog less frequently whenever I'm feeling inspired.
• Nostalgia is nice. I'm glad I created this blog about a major life event. I'm happy I have something tangible that allows me to look back on my journey and reminisce. I think you will feel the same way after your wedding.
• Wedding blogs are like a built in support group. Having a group of women to commisserate with over inane wedding details that no one else cares about is a great form of therapy. The fact that most ladies manage to stay interesting, funny, and kind while planning a wedding is the best reason I can think of to keep blogging!

So to those of you who have gotten married since my last post one year ago - congrats!!! And to the rest - don't stop following wedding blogs, they will help keep you sane :)

Wedding Recaps: Gettin' Ready - The Dress!

So I'm finally getting around to more wedding recaps.  Though I've already revealed the wedding dress I bought in a post prior to my wedding, here are some actual pictures of me in my dress!

All photographs by the talented Seth Kammueller of Chicago.

 My sis painstakingly buttoning the back of my dress (using a crochet hook, which was the best advice EVER) while I wait, slightly chilly!

Still gettin' buttoned up!

Random artsy shot, not sure what I'm doing :)

My amazing hairstylist Jess helping me with my veil

Finding the bustle on the veil. It was a small flower!

Ready to go get hitched!

Brides, what was your getting ready process like? If you are still engaged, how do you envision the morning before your wedding?

Stay tuned for more wedding recaps and dress pics!

Daily Inspiration: Beach Wedding Invitation with a Twist

I was recently perusing the blog of the talented Anne Ruthmann (who is now an official local vendor, as she has moved to Massachusetts!), and found this lovely photo:

This is a beach wedding invitation that arrived in the bottle pictured above. Wouldn't it be perfect for a Cape Cod Wedding? I love how this is a spin on the traditional "message in a bottle" theme by sending it in a vintage Coca-Cola bottle. I also love the detail that the bride and groom lined the bottle with local sand to get guests geared up for their wedding day!

What are you doing for your STD's and invitations? Do you have any creative ideas for sending out something quirky and fun, or are you going the traditional route (as I did)?

  

Rustic Wedding Inspiration: Wine Barrels!

A friend of mine from grad school and I were recently discussing her vision for her fall 2011 Chicago nuptials.  She told me about the perfect venue she'd found, which she described as beautiful and full of "rustic romance."  I too, adore weddings with rustic elegance, which got me thinking about how to further incoporate this idea into a wedding theme.

When I recently came across a great way to include wine into this theme, via my favorite wine brand, Red Truck (see related post over at my other blog, The Lovely Nester), I knew I just had to share it with the masses.

Red truck winery sells barrels of their most popular wines, which hold appoximately 4 bottles of wine. The wooden keg is so charming, that I knew it would make a fabulous centerpiece on each reception table.

Another reason to buy Red Truck wine is its affordability, which is important to any budget-minded bride, as well all know that alcohol costs can eat a large chunk of your funds.  Most of their bottles cost around $10, and when you buy a barrel, the price drops to about $7. How great would it be to get one barrel of white and one barrel of red for each table, and allow guests to serve themselves from the spout?

One of the best reasons, though, is that Red Truck strives to be an environmentally friendly company.  All of their wines are certified vegan, meaning that no animal products are used during the filtration process (yes, that really happens!). Furthermore, they recently launched a new line of exclusive organic wines, called Green Truck.

And, if you still need further inspiration of how the wine barrel would fit perfectly with a vineyard wedding, check out this inspiration board, courtesy of Style Me Pretty.

 

Vendor I (literally) Heart: Stories of Gen

This time, my featured vendor is very near and dear to me, as she is my new sister-in-law! Let me explain:

I don't know about you, but as the bride, I made the majority of the wedding decisions and would consult with Cape Cod Groom for his approval.  But since I wanted Cape Cod Groom to have some aspects of the wedding that were his decision (and take a few things off my plate!), one of the tasks on his to-do list was to choose the gifts for the groomsmen.  Now, I will admit that this was a challenging task, as it's always easier to find pretty things for bridesmaids, so I was not surprised when he turned to our SIL, the creative mind behind Stories of Gen for assistance.

Our SIL started Stories of Gen to create a unique gift giving service to suit any budget.  You provide her with the details on who, what, where, why, and how much you want to spend, and she will send you at least 3 fantastic finds from which to choose.

In our case, we were looking for attendant gifts for two very different groomsmen.  One was a bachelor in his early 20's, the other a married father.  Neither would have been into the traditional monogrammed flask. Stories of Gen found the perfect gifts for both, and since Cape Cod Groom waited until the last minute, she was even able to ship everything to us in time, in stylish packaging no less.

For my cousin, the young bachelor, she found this hip wallet, made of recycled seatbelts (courtesy of interrobang)!

For the best man, she found these Chicago Transit cufflinks, to remind him of his hometown now that he's relocated to Atlanta:

Overall, our Groomsmen could not have been happier with their gifts, and we were thrilled with Stories of Gen's unique and tasteful choices!

With wedding season quickly approaching, I highly recommend you contact her for all of your attendant gift needs.  She also does gifts for any occasion, so don't forget to do something extra special for your parents for Mother's and Father's Day as well (especially if they are helping you out with your wedding)!

Finally, if you are going to be a guest at a wedding and want to give the lucky couple something unexpected, or are attending a wedding without a registry and have no idea what to purchase, here are some really cute items she has found for the bride & groom:

My personal fave, a customized silhouette of the couple:

Solar powered birdhouse to adorn the newlywed's home:

Love jar, also perfect for DIY wedding sand ceremonies!

 

Wedding Season Oh'Ten!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post folks. Turns out this grad school thing is hard work! Ok, I already should have known that since I'm in my 4th year, but it's the end of the semester, which equal finals time (boo!). I have some ideas for great posts in my head though, which I promise to churn out soon.

On the plus side, wedding season is near!  I want to give a special shout-out to my friend Cupcake Wedding, whose wedding will be my first of the season (we go way back to our liberal arts college days).  I cannot wait to attend her nuptials next month in Florida and rock out with her!

My hubby and I have reserved our hotel room, purchased our plane tickets, and I recently ordered her gifts from her Macy's registry. We are pretty much all set to go (still need to get a rental car), and I purchased this pretty ditty from J.Crew to wear on the big day, which I'm gonna glam up with accessories:

To me the dress is perfect for her wedding as it's bright, pink, and fun, themes I know her wedding is all about.  I still have to buy a killer outfit for her bachelorette party pub crawl, though, which gives me a great excuse to go shopping soon! I'll certainly need some retail therapy after the end of finals!

Do you have lots of weddings to attend this season? Which one are you most excited about?