weddingplanning

Ania and Russ

Art galleries are such wonderful places don’t you think? So many stories to be told and so much beauty on the walls. Today’s couple Ania and Russ celebrated their engagement with a set of photographs together at Carriageworks and the photos  are a mix of the beautiful raw, distressed walls and stunning art (and of course, plenty of Ania and Russ’ love). They come to us today from photographer Marzena Wasilewska.

Ania notes “We had our engagement session about 6 months before the wedding, we thought we would be a great memento from our engagement period, it was important for us do to have it done it the place which we spent lots of time in and was special for us. The session took place in Newtown, Sydney where we lived most of the time, it?s a very creative and inspiring suburb with lots of street art, beautiful terraced houses, second hand bookshops and cosy cafes. The first set of the photos was taken in a modern art space called Carriageworks where Russell and I like to visit every Saturday. It was a beautiful afternoon in August, quite blistery, which we didn’t mind at all! Together with our photographer, Marzena we walked down the streets of Newtown and had lots of fun wandering to all of our favourite spots in the suburb.”

“Russell and I met 6 years ago in London. I was doing a job internship and Russ was getting some international experience as a graphic designer and saving up for his travels. We both ended up in North London in a short-term backpackers accommodation where we would be having breakfast on the stairs in morning or share a glass of Baileys in the evening. Russ is originally from Australia, I am Polish. After my internship had finished and I left London, Russ decided to visit me in Poland where we spent 3 great days together before he got on a plane and flew away to live in New Zealand. We didn’t see each other for 1.5 years during which time we kept in touch by email, phone, sending each other little presents. In 2007 I decided to come to Sydney, so did Russ and we met up at the airport on the same day. A few weeks later we decided to move in together for the time of my stay in Sydney. ”

“The holiday finished eventually and sadly it was time for me to go back to university in Poland. Not wanting to get separated Russ decided to take up the challenge and come to live there with me in Poland! It was a great experience for both of us and also a chance for Russ to get to know my family, culture and the language. After finishing my degree we went on a few weeks holiday in Eastern Europe. One day we went of a bike tour in Slovenia, it was a lovely autumn afternoon. We were cycling through wineries and eventually decided to stop on top of a hill for a picnic. In one moment Russ asked completely unexpectedly? How would you say in Polish: ?will you marry me?? A couple of months later we moved to Australia as an engaged couple. This is where we had our wedding 1.5 years later.”

Want More? Check Out These Posts:

1. Jessica and Ari’s New York Winter Engagement Session
2. Kate and Tim’s Sydney Beach Engagement
3. Nat and Jez’s Berrima Engagement Shoot

Now that most people have received their invitations, it’s time for the reveal! Here are our handmade, Catprint printed invites. Let’s take a look at the President’s invite.

Envelope in Antique Gold

Damn, I love that color

We wanted our invites to reflect our red and gold color scheme. I really liked the idea of having gold envelopes, it’s kind of like our guests are getting a golden ticket. We tracked these down at Paper-Source along with all the labels and baker’s twine. Paper-Source=one-stop shop!

The wrapped invite

After our guests tear apart the envelope (let’s be honest), they will see the whole invite lovingly tied with twine. I haven’t seen too many invites that use photos, but we wanted to use one of our engagement photos for a more personal feel. I think it’s likely that our guests will hold on to the invite longer if our mugs are on it.

The complete suite

Cow, chicken or carrot?

I put a lot of thought into the RSVP design. I wanted to make it really clear what the guests should do. I’m not gonna lie, the first time I got a wedding invite and I saw the line that looked like this M______, I wrote in Melody. True story. Even though our guests are probably smarter than me, I thought using “Names” was probably a better idea. The cute animal images are completely unnecessary since we’re having a buffet. But, I wanted them there for my own amusement.

The whole shebang

The only trouble we had with our invites were spelling errors. Hive, please proofread your invites! And don’t just read them on your computer screen, actually print them out and read them through. After we got our proof back from Catprint, I just made sure the photo looked good. MOH J5 found two glaring spelling errors after we had already given Catprint the go ahead to print the finished invites. Unfortunately it was too late and in the end we had to shell out extra money for more invites, sans the spelling errors. It wasn’t a huge amount, but it could have been avoided. I should really know how to spell “o’clock” and “share” by now. But, we’re happy with the finished product!

Did anyone else have any embarrassing spelling errors on their invites?

When we started planning our wedding, Mr. Turkey and I were 100% set AGAINST hiring a videographer.

We saw videography having a number of “strikes” against it. Besides being expensive, what was the point? We already had a fabulous photographer to capture the moments of our day. We also worried about intrusive filmers. At a recent wedding, we found ourselves tangled up with the videography team on a number of occasions, including when they forcibly removed us from the dance floor to film a message for the couple (liked the idea, not the execution). Many of the guests commented after the fact about the hassle.

And even gorgeous links like Lioness’s love story (never even knew this existed!) or Bee preview reels (most recently, Seal) couldn’t convince me. I just didn’t think there was a “use” for videography beyond sharing it on a blog and posts like Fox’s just furthered that point of view. The Turkeys were non-believers.

But then something changed. Well, two somethings changed.

First, a friend, A* (getting married in summer 2012), told me that she had just booked a local videographer. When I shared that we were not going the videography route, A said that prior to finding this vendor, she had been in the same boat. However, she had found a great price and rapport with this individual. I didn’t ignore her per se (very happy she had found success), but I did file it away in my email brain without plan to revisit. Then the second “something” changed. Although I knew, from the start of our engagement, that there was a possibility that my grandmother would not be able to attend our wedding, it hadn’t become official. However, there were some changes, just after this conversation, that made this possibility more of a reality. Besides being sad, it was disappointing to know that she wouldn’t be able to experience our wedding through photographs until almost 2 months afterwards (non-Facebook photos, assuming the 4-8 week turnaround for pro pics). There were also certain moments that she wouldn’t be able to experience at all, like the sounds that accompanied all the “sights” of the day—our vows, my father’s speech, etc.

So, I ended up revisiting the videographer that A had recommended, Blossom Productions. I spent more time than I care to admit looking through the site, watching the preview videos and reading client’s comments like this: “It was like you were invisible, but caught everything!!!” When I finally broke down and teared up at someone else’s video (who I didn’t know), I figured maybe it was time to share with Mr. Turkey. I chose the below video to share.

Alicyn and Ross Wedding Highlights from Blossom Productions on Vimeo.

I don’t know if it was the juxtaposition of the current music with the classic shots or listening to the couple’s vows and feeling like we were there, but Mr. Turkey and I were starting to come around. We decided to contact Blossom and get a better “feel” for the situation.

Within minutes of our phone conversation, I was nearly sold and this was without Alicia trying to sell me at all. In fact, I started the conversation with something like, “I don’t think we really want videography but A recommended you” (I’m sure she was psyched). However, she didn’t hang up the phone on me and listened to why we were opening up and answered my 100 questions about how they interact with the guests, where they stand in the church and, the most important question, when would we see a preview?

She also shared her overall view on filming weddings, which fits the tagline featured on their website: “An event isn’t a documentary waiting to be made. It’s a story asking to be told.” Besides loving that perspective, our conversation left us feeling confident that the filmers wouldn’t be underfoot and ecstatic that we’d have a preview video within 2 weeks. Oh, and we clearly LOVED Blossom’s work.

In case you didn’t figure it out already, we ended up doing a 180 and were all of a sudden FOR videography. For those keeping score, that’s the second time that the Turkeys flip-flopped.

As time has gone on, we are even happier with our decision/switch. Besides my grandmother, it seems as though there are several (older) relatives on both sides, that may be unable to make the day. It will be so wonderful to be able to share a preview of our wedding with them after we return from our honeymoon!

Anyone else have external circumstances change their opinion on something they were dead set against?

*Any other “Pretty Little Liars” fans out there? Yes, I fully admit I’m an ABC Family watcher.

szaerpoor is selling a princess cut engagement ring with a center stone that is 1.34 carats, I color, and VS2 clarity. She is asking $8,500 for the size 4.5 ring.

Have a wedding item for sale? Post it with pictures in the Weddingbee Classifieds, and you might see it featured on the blog!

Other great items for sale:

5 foot “Wedding” and “Reception” direction sign on wooden stake, asking $20

Alfred Angelo 2011 collection wedding gown with corset back, size 0, asking $500

Light pink patent leather Enzo Angiolini wedges, size 7.5, asking $40

Maggie Sottero “Virginia” gown, size 16, asking $1,350

…sisters, that is! (Forewarning: this post is pic heavy.)

Sweetie Scone’s family goes on a canoe trip just about every July in the Ozarks, and in 2010 we were able to head east to join in on the fun. The whole family was going to be there, including my FSIL. She was still head over heals in love—she and her boyfriend were starting to plan for their Kansas City wedding (pre-engagement) while they were in town, so we decided to do a little multitasking and we checked out venues together with my FFIL.

Now to get the proper idea of what the weekend entailed, there was some drinking on the river, some playing on the river, some more drinking on the river, a quick trip to a beautiful national park, and did I say drinking on the river? Oh yeah, floating in inner tubes and playing in canoes…we also had a couple hours driving down and back. Wanna see?

Those coolers are full of beer, and note the beer coozie around my neck…have to protect precious cargo on the water.

Getting cheesed at the Osceola Cheese Factory

A little tuckered at Big Springs National Park

And then my FSIL had a little surprise…

How cute is that proposal???

Sooooo, when we got back to KC, we were officially two engaged couples on the hunt for venues. Spoiler alert: we both found venues!!!

We had one partial day before we had to catch a plane west, so we hit four venues in a whirlwind. We started off with the Hobbs Building, which also houses a catering company, then headed to Boulevard Brewing Company, stopped by the Berg Event Space, and ended at 2000 Grand.

Here are some photos from our touring whirlwind:

Hobbs outdoor space

Hobbs indoor reception area

Boulevard reception area

Berg event space (That wall on the right is magnetic!!!)

Berg outdoor space

2000 Grand event space

2000 Grand bar area

(All pictures are personal.)

We really liked all of the event spaces, so we had to do pros and cons for the venues (but we knew we had found one in the mix), and we had a great conversation with the catering company housed in the Hobbs Building! Score, two vendors down and we were two years out! My FSIL and FBIL fell for 2000 Grand.

We wrapped up the whirlwind trip with a tasty lunch and a beer at the Cashew and headed for the airport.

David Tutera, star of WEtv's "My Fair Wedding," is going to be on the cover of the July/August '12 issue of Bridal Guide! 

Get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the shoot and pick up a copy of the issue (which hits newsstands on May 15th) to see which cover we chose.

Every bride's dream: An entire rack of David Tutera for Mon Cheri wedding gowns to try on. The detailing—everything from blush undertones to lush floral appliques and glam beading—is even more breathtaking in person.

A "bride-to-be" catches up on the latest wedding news while getting her hair and makeup done.

read more

David Tutera, star of WEtv's "My Fair Wedding," is going to be on the cover of the July/August '12 issue of Bridal Guide! 

Get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the shoot and pick up a copy of the issue (which hits newsstands on May 15th) to see which cover we chose.

Every bride's dream: An entire rack of David Tutera for Mon Cheri wedding gowns to try on. The detailing—everything from blush undertones to lush floral appliques and glam beading—is even more breathtaking in person.

A "bride-to-be" catches up on the latest wedding news while getting her hair and makeup done.

read more

David Tutera, star of WEtv's "My Fair Wedding," is going to be on the cover of the July/August '12 issue of Bridal Guide! 

Get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the shoot and pick up a copy of the issue (which hits newsstands on May 15th) to see which cover we chose.

Every bride's dream: An entire rack of David Tutera for Mon Cheri wedding gowns to try on. The detailing—everything from blush undertones to lush floral appliques and glam beading—is even more breathtaking in person.

A "bride-to-be" catches up on the latest wedding news while getting her hair and makeup done.

read more

Though my wedding dress shopping trips (here and here) were wonderful, none of the dresses I tried on felt like “The One.” When looking back at pictures of myself in wedding gowns, I could plainly see my face all lit up when I was swathed in big poufy skirts. I had become drawn to the ball gown silhouette I swore never to wear. A new Internet search, this time focused on finding floaty ball gowns, was commenced. It was during this new search that I found HER.

Gorgeous!

Who is she, you may ask?

She is the most gorgeous wedding dress that has ever existed; the perfect combination of romance, poof and sexiness. I present to you…Isabel (I don’t like calling her Tara Keely #TK2210, as it seems too impersonal. I might add, I tend to name inanimate objects like cars, shoes and kitchen appliances).

* Picture from JLM Couture

* Pictures from JLM Couture

As wonderful as she is, I couldn’t justify spending thousands on a dress I will wear for only a couple of hours. I had fallen in love with Isabel’s lace, tulle and the her versatility as convertible dress. In slides Mami Boa to save the day, when I whined to her about my love for Isabel, her response was simple; call Jose Braulio. Jose Braulio is a local designer whom we have known for 10+ years. Over the years, he has designed:

My Quinceañera dress

My Prom Dress

Lil’ Boa’s Prom Dress

and a couple of other special occasion gowns. As you can see we have quite a history with him and having him custom design a wedding gown for me was a brilliant idea! (Can’t believe I didn’t think of it myself) I could have some of the things about Isabel that I loved, combined with his unique aesthetic but without a hefty price tag.

Last weekend I drove with Mami Boa to his design studio for an initial meeting. I showed him pictures of Isabel and he agreed that it was a beautiful dress which would work perfectly for the style/feel of our  wedding and with my body shape.

After a couple of minutes conversation about the wedding and my dress preferences, he came up with a preliminary sketch. On my wedding day, I will wear a all-over lace mini dress with off the shoulder sleeves and a tulle overskirt tied on with a satin ribbon.

Swoon! I love what he came up with on the first try. He took a gazillion measurements and said he would call in a month for my first fitting. I’m so happy to finally say yes to a dress (even though I won’t actually have it until a couple of weeks before the wedding…eek!), even more so to one I absolutely adore.

Did you consider a custom gown?

* All picture personal unless noted otherwise

I was pumped up for dress-shopping day #2. After my last experience, I was honestly really iffy about wedding-dress shopping, and going in I didn’t know if we would have any luck. I scheduled two appointments, one at a tiny place owned by a woman who is related to my step-dad, and one at David’s Bridal. I honestly didn’t know what DB would be like, but I figured they would have the most variety so I thought I’d give it a try.

I woke up not feeling like a million bucks due to a bit of a crazy night out the night before, but was excited. My mom had warned me that the place we were going to was very, um, “cute little Italian lady in a tiny dress shop,” but I was excited nonetheless. My sister, mom, aunt, and BM Sam came with, and as soon as we met Elizabeth, the owner, I fell in love. She was adorable, and the tiny cute older lady I imagined. I showed her some pictures of what I liked and described it, and the first two dresses she showed me, I fell in love with.

Excuse my mom’s iPhone photos.

The dress just felt so right. I would have had to get it in white (this is ivory), and would have to make some changes: adjust it so the sweetheart neckline is more emphasized, and take some of the fluff out of the bottom. Plus, for some reason, the dress sample was a size two, so it fit me. I think that’s why I got so excited. The one thing that stopped me from picking it was the bottom. Although the lace on top was gorgeous, it faded at the bottom, and I really wanted lace all the way down.

The second dress my family fell in love with. This one did have lace all the way down, but something just didn’t feel right. I liked it, but didn’t immediately love it more than the first. The fit seemed just a bit off, and it felt a little too heavy. Oh, and also, when I saw the pictures later, I HATED it. Don’t ask me why—it just didn’t feel right.

We had scheduled our David’s Bridal appointment for immediately after this, so we all headed over. Now, let me say that I have nothing against DB and was excited to go there because I thought they would have tons of options and it would be the perfect place to get a feel of what I needed. But it. was. miserable.

I entered the store in the middle of an argument going on about lost bridesmaid measurements, which quickly escalated to involve the woman who I was working with at the desk. I’m not sure if it was this incident that then threw the staff off, but I explained to my consultant what I was looking for and she quickly shoved me into a dressing room that I could barely enter because of other dresses blocking the way.

Now, lace is a tricky thing, and I know this. It’s super delicate, and it doesn’t work for everyone. I’m not sure if she didn’t understand what I was looking for, but the dresses she gave me were nothing of the sort. When I stepped out of the dressing room, I couldn’t help but laugh and how bad I looked, but continued to try the other two on. Each time I looked for my consultant, who was nowhere to be found. After I had tried them all on, I searched for her again and couldn’t find her, so I threw in the towel and got dressed. I briefly saw her on the way out and explained I didn’t think the dresses were the right match for me. We were probably in there 15 minutes.

I don’t blame DB, but it wasn’t for me. The thing that was most nerve-wracking was that I was already having second thoughts about my dress choices at the first place. Oh geez, this wedding-dress business was not easy.

Check out these great projects hive members have uploaded to Weddingbee’s DIY section! Click on the title of each project for tutorials.

If your project is featured in DIY Friday, you’re eligible for a special Weddingbee badge for your blog or website! See instructions on how to grab the badge here!

Pinwheel Escort Cards by mshoagie

Mad Libs Guest Book by moorest823

Whimsical Card Box by steff0u21

Seashell Pomander by masonzmommy

Gatefold Silk Boxes for Wedding Invitations by ssmiley

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For more great DIY projects, be sure to visit the Weddingbee DIY section, conveniently organized by type of project. Submit your own, complete with tutorial, and you may see it featured here on the blog! If you’ve seen any great DIY around the hive and think it should be featured, feel free to email us at cathy at weddingbee dot com!

So I mentioned two important things about our ceremony: 1) We aren’t writing our own vows and 2) we’re doing a wine-box ceremony.

Before becoming obsessed with all things wedding, the only ritual I knew of for a wedding ceremony was the unity candle. Then I stumbled into the glorious world of wedding blogging and learned about sand ceremonies, ring-warming ceremonies, handfastings, and oh my the list goes on. This was great for me since I have an irrational fear of setting my veil on fire.

I surprisingly could not find an appropriate image of a bride setting her veil on fire, so here is a very technical drawing by me showing you exactly how I imagine this playing out. Oh, and my husband-to-be is wearing a top hat because he thinks he’s Abe Lincoln.

Anyway, one of the lovely rituals I came across was the wine-box ceremony. As soon as I saw it I knew it would be perfect for us. After all, the dude and I are a couple of winos. Seriously, we can’t get enough of the stuff. Actually, we’re not that picky about the type of booze we drink, so I think we might just be drunks, but it makes you sound much more acceptable to people when you tell them you enjoy wine and the finer things in life.

The way the wine-box ceremony works is you find yourself a nice wine box that can be sealed up:

Image via Esty shop vonderberry77

Image via Esty shop tenahseetreasures

Image via True Fabrications

And a nice bottle of wine:

Image via Castelli Martinozzi

Ridiculously long, but totally necessary sidebar: Please, please, please…as a self-professed wino, I am begging you not to run to the nearest wine & liquor store and pick up the cheapest bottle you can find. Do your research! Red wines have a much longer shelf life than white wines, and even then certain types age better than others. Even though we know a teeny bit about wine we stopped by our local wine shop and talked with the owner about the best wines to choose. He also taught us about the best ways to store it. Knowledge is power!

Now all you need are your letters and something to seal the box with.

At some point before our wedding we will sit down and write letters to each other. The letters will express our thoughts about why we fell in love with each other, why we think the other person is awesome, and our hopes for our future together. Because we are too lazy/shy to write and read our own vows, this is a perfect way for us to privately share our feelings for each other.

During the ceremony the box (with the bottle of wine in it) will be on display. We will take our letters to each other, place them inside the box, and seal it up. (We’ve decided to use a lock and key, but you can also use a hammer and nails.)

And then our officiant will read the following passage:

Bride and Groom, should you ever find your marriage enduring insurmountable hardships, you are to as a couple open this box, sit and drink the wine together, then separate and read the letters you wrote to one another when you were united as a couple in marriage. By reading these love letters you will reflect upon the reasons you fell in love and chose to marry each other here today.

The hope is, however, that you will never have a reason to open this box. And if this is the case, you are to open this box to share and enjoy on your 5th* wedding anniversary!

We’ve decided that whenever we do open the box we will replace it with new letters and a new bottle of wine to be opened on subsequent anniversaries.

What kind of special rituals are you incorporating into your ceremony? Does anyone else out there suffer from veil-arson-phobia?

*You can make this any number of years you want. I’ve seen 10, 15, 20, etc. I’ve also seen one year. (This is for all you white-wine drinkers out there!)

Wedding rings are precious, but they’re also small fiddly things it’s surprisingly easy to lose.

The couple shown above are Lena and Ola Pahlsson. One day in 1995, while Lena was in the midst of a marathon baking session for Christmas, she lost her ring.

The couple searched over and over. When they remodeled the kitchen several years later, they even looked under and behind appliances and under the floorboards. No luck.

Sixteen years after the ring disappeared, Lena was in the vegetable garden pulling up some delicious carrots, when one of them proved to have something surprising on it: her long-lost wedding ring!

This is just one of seven amazing stories of lost and found wedding and engagement rings in an article over at Neatorama. Go read them for a combination good laugh and glowy feeling of things coming right in the end. Oh, and to get a couple good ideas of what never to do with your wedding ring!

Our photographer search left me a little stressed out. In fact, I took a week long break from the vendor search because I just couldn’t handle it. Fiancee Eagle and I really wanted to choose a photographer that “got us” as a couple, someone who supported marriage equality… someone whose work was phenomenal. I honestly thought we would have to settle, because we were setting the bar too high.

And then I remembered something… something so big, that I couldn’t believe I forgot it. I already knew the perfect photographer. I had spent hours poring over her blog when I was doing my Bachelor’s Degree, because she was one of my classmates! It takes serious talent to be a scientist AND a photographer. And serious talent she has.

Image via Brittany Esther Photography

I started talking to my friend Brittany, of Brittany Esther Photography, and asked her if she knew of any photographers in Calgary that were experienced with same-sex weddings. I secretly wanted to gauge her feelings about possibly shooting our wedding, but not put any weird friend-vendor-pressure on her if she wasn’t comfortable with it. Before I even asked her if she was comfortable shooting a same-sex wedding, she told me that she would love to shoot a same-sex wedding. I knew we could find a photographer that was supportive of same-sex weddings that wasn’t listed on the elusive So You’re EnGAYged preferred vendor list. Although, you may have seen her work featured on Green Wedding Shoes!

Before we sealed the deal with Brittany, we showed our parents her blog, and they all thought she was amazing. So we signed the contract, sent the deposit using the magical but confusing email-money-transfer, and seriously couldn’t believe we snagged her. I knew she booked up early from conversations we’d had during school, and she has had other couples inquire about our date, since we booked. We lucked out! We had our dream photographer!

Images via Brittany Esther Photography

Our package includes an engagement shoot that we are doing in March, before I go to Africa. I seriously can’t wait to decide on the details for our shoot with Brittany. My only request? That she bless us with some of her black and white work.

Images via Brittany Esther Photography

I’m seriously obsessed with her skills. Photography is really important to us, and something we were willing to spend a larger amount of money on. It was also important to us that we choose a photographer that takes a photojournalistic approach to photography. We enjoy this style of photography much more than traditional, posed, wedding photography. I feel like the photojournalist style really captures the emotions of the couple, and I like that every picture looks like art!

I know that Brittany will capture amazing photos of us during our engagement shoot and on our wedding day, and that trust is important to me. I don’t know if I could stomach the next 6 months of wedding-stress if I thought my photographer may not get great photos. We are so lucky to have been able to book Brittany, and I can say I am truly thrilled to be working with her!

Is photography high on your wedding-importance list, too? Did you go with a photojournalist-style photographer, or a more traditional formal photographer?

Earrings, that is. I like long earrings. Don’t be gross.

I’ve seen a lot of pictures and articles lately about big statement necklaces to go with wedding day ensembles (like Miss Opossum’s!), but not so much about big statement earrings to go with your look. And I? I’m a total hussy for huge, big, statement earrings, a la Lady Duff here.

Image via Dina’s Days

They’re classy, fun, bold; the perfect accessory, if you ask me. And nine times out of ten, you’ll find me sporting some version of big ear bling myself.

(Prepare for several gratuitous photos of yours truly, mostly because I don’t feel like laying out my earrings and taking pictures of them. And because earrings look better, you know, in ears.)

I have a bunch more, of course, but I’m pretty sure you get the idea. I wear them so much that people associate me with my ear bling, which I’m totally OK with and absolutely love. So much so that I feel like I must represent my earring passion on our wedding day!

I’ll admit that Foxy Mama isn’t the biggest fan of this idea - I think she’s more in the camp of a simple necklace and simple earrings. But where’s the fun in that? I say, skip the necklace and bring on the big, long, hopefully sparkly earrings. Seeing as my dress is strapless with just a touch of bling on the front, I think a nice pair of shoulder duster earrings would go just perfectly. Now I just need to find them…and that is presenting itself to be a challenge. So far, the following have stood out the most in my eyes:

Morgan Ashleigh Rose Goldplated Brown Crystal 6 inch Modern Fringe Earrings

Image via Overstock.com

Morgan Ashleigh Brown-plated Bronze Glass Bead Earrings

Image via Overstock.com

CZ by Kenneth Jay Lane, Style KE174

Image via Zappos

I feel like I really want a nice mix of all three of these—as in, classy but colorful—but alas, I have not been able to find that yet. While they all definitely have the length, I’m not sure they have the style I’m going for. I’m not even exactly sure what I want, but I’m hoping for that “I’ll know it when I see it” moment. Le sigh.

Any other earring lovers out there with suggestions of where to look? If not earrings, what’s your favorite wedding day accessory?

Vintage. It’s the word used to describe old things that aren’t quite precious or old enough to be called antiques. We seem to throw it around a lot in the wedding world, don’t we? I never put a name on our wedding’s aesthetic and we don’t really have a theme, so I don’t use “vintage” very often. At one point in gathering inspiration, though, I realized that I had quite a few pictures of vintage furniture being used in weddings. I was inspired to go on a little treasure hunt to find a few tables.

I was looking for real junk that I could rehab. Most of the antique and vintage shops in the Charlottesville area had pieces that would work, but they didn’t present a DIY challenge and I wanted to have a little fun. Just an hour away in Richmond, there are some real junk shops. The kind of places where you have to climb over piles and get a little dirty to uncover a prize. One Saturday morning, I set off with this picture as my inspiration:

From Marry You Me / Design by Luna and Chloe Weddings

I won’t bore you with the play-by-play, but I found three tables that pretty much matched the table in my inspiration picture. The first two had already been rehabilitated by others, so they looked exactly like the table in the picture. I found them at shops that seemed to cater to the shabby chic crowd. They were selling for $85-$100, which didn’t seem like a great deal. At my very last stop of the day, diversity Thrift, I uncovered the perfect little table. It needed some love, but unlike the others, it had a glass top. It wasn’t a fantastic deal, but diversity Thrift has a charitable mission, so I was happy to make the purchase.

When I got home, I went to work cleaning, sanding, priming, and painting. I splurged on some knobs from Anthropologie and my ugly duckling turned into a little swan…

Photos by Miss Mink

I thought the vanity might make a nice table for the to of our aisle. I got the idea from a Weddingbee member whose wedding was featured on 100 Layer Cake and photographer Jodi Miller’s blog. I’m not going to out her since her real name is used on the blog post.

With the vanity at the top of the aisle, I thought a small table might be nice for on the other end. I could hold programs or fans and a little welcome note. I had a picture on my inspiration board that seemed perfect.

From Style Me Pretty / Flowers by Petal Pusher / Photo by Diana Rothery

I didn’t have to go far for a close match. I’m not proud of this, but I found a broken table next to my little condo community’s trash compactor and decided to work on it. The legs and shelf need to be reattached. I had to strip a few layers of paint off it before I started to build it back up again. After a few days of working, I added a pink, glass Anthropologie knob and felt as though the broken table was about to start a new life.

Only after finishing these projects did I realize that my little table has similar lines to the vanity. Isn’t that a happy coincidence?

Photo by Miss Mink

By the way, my best kept secret for finding paint that will work for wedding related projects: the “oops paint” shelf at large hardware stores. When the customer doesn’t like how a paint turns out or doesn’t return for a paint they asked to be mixed, it often winds up on an “oops” or mistint shelf and is sold for a fraction of the original cost. For some reason, white and gray paints often wind up on the mistint shelf.

Have you used an inspiration picture as a guide for any of your DIY projects?

Who knew having similar email addresses could potentially lead to marriage? That was the case for Ruben P. Salazar and Rachel P. Salazar, who began exchanging emails after Rachel's co-worker accidently sent Ruben an email. In January 2007, Ruben, who lived in Texas, forwarded the email to Rachel, who lived in Thailand, thus starting the beginning of an endless email chain. "I was excited that this person was halfway around the world, it was kind of like sending a letter in a bottle," said Ruben.

After many days (in Thailand) and nights (in Texas) of getting to know each other, Rachel finally took a plane and traveled 8,000 miles to finally meet Ruben. Rachel kept the trip a secret from friends and family to avoid being called "foolish," while Ruben told everyone he knew.

After eight days of being with each other, Ruben proposed while the couple was out dancing one night. "I knew right at that moment: I need to say something or do something so that I don't lose her, so I got down on one knee and asked you [Rachel] to marry me," he said.

Although some of Ruben's friends and family had second thoughts and couldn't believe the shocking news, "They now all tell us, 'you're perfect for each other. You've found the right match!'" said Rachel.

Ruben and Rachel's love story was immortalized in an animated video created by StoryCorps:

read more

Who knew having similar email addresses could potentially lead to marriage? That was the case for Ruben P. Salazar and Rachel P. Salazar, who began exchanging emails after Rachel's co-worker accidently sent Ruben an email. In January 2007, Ruben, who lived in Texas, forwarded the email to Rachel, who lived in Thailand, thus starting the beginning of an endless email chain. After many days (in Thailand) and nights (in Texas) of getting to know each other, Rachel finally took a plane and traveled 8,000 miles to finally meet Ruben. Rachel kept the trip a secret from friends and family to avoid being called "foolish," while Ruben told everyone he knew.

After eight days of being with each other, Ruben proposed. "People didn't believe me when I told them I proposed to Rachel. Some of them had second thoughts for me," says Ruben. "They now all tell us, 'you're perfect for each other. You've found the right match!'" chimes Rachel. Ruben and Rachel's love story is immortalized in an animated video created by StoryCorps, a non-profit organization that aims to provide "Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories."  

read more

Who knew having similar email addresses could potentially lead to marriage? That was the case for Ruben P. Salazar and Rachel P. Salazar, who began exchanging emails after Rachel's co-worker accidently sent Ruben an email. In January 2007, Ruben, who lived in Texas, forwarded the email to Rachel, who lived in Thailand, thus starting the beginning of an endless email chain. "I was excited that this person was halfway around the world, it was kind of like sending a letter in a bottle," said Ruben.

After many days (in Thailand) and nights (in Texas) of getting to know each other, Rachel finally took a plane and traveled 8,000 miles to finally meet Ruben. Rachel kept the trip a secret from friends and family to avoid being called "foolish," while Ruben told everyone he knew.

After eight days of being with each other, Ruben proposed while the couple was out dancing one night. "I knew right at that moment: I need to say something or do something so that I don't lose her, so I got down on one knee and asked you [Rachel] to marry me," he said.

Although some of Ruben's friends and family had second thoughts and couldn't believe the shocking news, "They now all tell us, 'you're perfect for each other. You've found the right match!'" said Rachel.

Ruben and Rachel's love story was immortalized in an animated video created by StoryCorps:

read more

martinhl and her fiance took baseball-themed engagement pictures!

Ivory Orchid Photography

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