My few words on the Royal Wedding

Are you sick of the Royal Wedding yet?

I didn’t really think I’d watch it, but just before bed last night I decided to dvr it. I’ve been “watching” it while I catch up on my blogs this afternoon.

I will admit I got choked up a couple times. Kate is a beautiful bride and I enjoyed watching the moments leading up to the ceremony. Catching the little looks between William and Harry, watching how Kate has transformed into a woman very much like Diana. I hope she has better success marrying into this family!

I will just leave you today with my most favorite moment. I love love love how they managed to put some personal touches on this, the most formal of formal weddings.

Engaging Words from Corrie

My friend emailed me recently to share her excitement about the most awesome wedding extravaganza she is planning for this coming August. Since I know you all enjoy a nice little story of happiness and fun I wanted to post it here. Everyone needs a dose of cute, so sit back and smile and enjoy her excitement.

And I bring you Corrie ...

I've been working on my wedding a lot lately and I am dying to tell someone about the details. I'm trying not to share every last little thing with everyone who is going to the wedding but I am bursting at the seams to get it all out to someone!!

Ready? OK! (in my most enthusiastic cheerleader voice)

I am not sticking with one color/decor theme but the overall vibe is going to be what I'll refer to as bohonaturecarnivalish...

Our ceremony and reception are going to be at a small State park that has a tiny little "amphitheater" area where we will do the ceremony, and a barn that will house the indoor activities of the reception. Due to the ever growing size of our guest list we're just having immediate family and our closest of friends at the ceremony and will follow it up with a humdinger of a reception.

I've just received half of the paper lanterns I'm going to be using and I'm in L-O-V-E with them. They are primarily white and grass green with some violet ones thrown in for accent and range in size from 8" - 36". I have 70 and will probably order another 70-100. Corey (my fiancé) is designing a chandelier made out of some of the lanterns for the middle of the barn that makes me drool **editor’s note – I cannot WAIT to see this!**.

My aunt and her friend have collections of vintage tablecloths in a variety of colors and patterns, I'm going to be using them on all of the inside tables.

We have just planted 40 dahlia bushes but have a friend that has a flower farm that will have a ton of them just in case ours decide not to bloom. We'll have dahlias on all of the tables, dahlia petals as an aisle runner, and the bridesmaids will carry them as well.

Instead of the traditional flower girl and ring bearer we're going to have about a dozen children go down the aisle in a group blowing bubbles and throwing biodegradable confetti **love love love**.

There will be lawn games everywhere in the two big fields that are adjacent to the barn that people will be encouraged to play during the reception. A popcorn and snow-cone machine will be running on the patio outside of the barn. A locally-famous taco truck will be on site for people to purchase from if they'd like but we're also going to serve a light dinner for everyone.

My amazing friend Erin has taken over the guest book and is having her daughter photograph everyone who signs it and Corey and I will not see it until all of the photographs are in it next to everyone's messages. It will be handed to us on our way to the airport for our honeymoon that we're going to take in November. We're not going to open it until we're sitting by the beach with a cocktail in hand. It's going to be spectacular to sit there and re-live our wedding day. We can't wait!!

Note: The lantern and bubble pictures were stock photos found online.

Royal Wedding Madness

Have you heard about this crazy wedding happening this weekend? Holy cow, unless you live under a rock, how could you not? I'm a little over the analyzing and guessing on what is going to happen - eesh people, let's just wait and let there be a surprise or two okay?

But I came across this graphic on a few different blogs so I wanted to share it here with my own two cents.

First, who in "normal" wedding world spends $1300 on their wedding jewelry? That's more than I spent on my dress(es)!!

Second, it makes me roll my eyes and proud at the same time that the only name I recognized on the list of most expensive weddings was Wayne Rooney. Soccer players rock. But seriously, is a $3 million dress necessary? (OMG, they were only 22!!) Though I wouldn't say no to the private yacht. I wonder if Becks was there?

Tuesday Shoes-day. Oy.

I know in last week’s post I said I’m not good at the whole trendy ‘in’shoe thing. And I’m not good at finding them myself. But somehow this week, I’ve found the folks who are. So, thanks to them, check out these rocking shoes.

Tabs tweeted about these bitchen Gucci’s over the weekend. Um, yes please!

But before you fall totally in love with them, click here for a bit of a reality check.
WTF. This designer shoe thing is not a habit I can afford.


Over on aisle-candy, guest blogger Chris from Postcards and Pretties found these cuties I would stop and drool over too.

I need to find an affordable shoe blog ... I think the shoe whore in me has surfaced and it must be satiated. For now I'm going to add that Gucci picture to my wish list, right next to those Jimmy Choos I love.

Wedding Stories

You guys, for the first time I feel like there are actually people out there reading the blogs and postings I put up. You don’t even KNOW how exciting this is for me. I love reading about all this wedding stuff and sharing my knowledge with anyone who will listen; it’s pretty freakin awesome that there are people out there who DO want to listen. You, reading this post, you rock.

You may have noticed I have been asking my friends and thier friends for wedding stories to tell. People like to talk about their weddings, and I really feel those stories should get told, not matter how long ago the wedding happened. There are things to be learned from every story and these voices of wisdom should be shared! I have had some great conversations with friends lately, via email and in person, about their weddings and I can’t wait to share them with you folks too.

One friend shared with me this weekend that a few weeks before her big day, after the invitations were printed, she got a call from her venue that they DIDN’T PASS THEIR FIRE INSPECTION!! The venue had to close down until they could be brought back up to code. So my panicked friend had to scramble around and find a new venue on short notice (not to mention print up new invitations!) – it really takes a village people. Her friends and family pulled through and made it happen for her, but she wants a do-over (for various other reasons, hopefully to be shared later); a more personal, casual ceremony that is more fitting of the two of them. Then, she says, then she will be ready to tell her story.

Another friend emailed me with her parents story, a story of second marriages, second chances … one of those make-your-heart-melt sort of stories. I can’t wait to hear the rest of that one too (hint hint, friend).

The one that makes me laugh is a picture posted on a friends facebook page from his wedding day. His comment, “hand in the pocket because I punched a wall earlier in the day. Not everything went as planned.” This would be another story I’d like to hear!

For now, friends and wedding fanatics, I am going to ask you for some help. I am trying to come up with a name for this new series of articles. I have my creative juices flowing, but nothing is working for me yet.

Voices From Weddings Past? Eh.

MY Wedding Story? Maybe.

Yep, that’s all I’ve got so far. Help.

And, again, if you have a story you want to share, be it yours, your parents, your grandparents, a wedding you went to as a guest … if there’s a story, I’d love to hear it and share it with this little community we are creating. Leave me a comment. Email me.

Please.

Tuesday Shoes-day

I wanted to write about shoes today. Or rather, I wanted to show off some funky, cute shoes as part of the Tuesday Shoes-day phenom I see on other wedding blogs. But as I have sat here searching for shoes for the last two hours, I’ve accepted a few things (not necessarily all shoe related).

1. I am not a fashionista. I do not keep tabs on what’s in, what’s new, what’s last season, what’s hip. I just know what I like, and I can help you figure out what you like and make it look pretty. Even if it’s five years old. I’m okay with that. There are other things that are more important to me (and probably to you).

2. It has never occured to me to try on a pair of designer shoes. I cannot justify the cost. But I searched for them today. And though these Manolo Blahniks are beautiful, they cost more than most of my monthly bills combined.

But.

I really, really, really love these Jimmy Choos.

Even though they are "so last season". Even though the orignial cost is a equal to what I pay to feed my family of five for a month. I. Want. Them.

I will never own them, and I can live with that (because really, where would I ever wear them?). But I still want them.

3. Though I can organize the heck out of anything (except my children and my husband), I can keep you calm, make a mean list, give you great ideas, and cheer you on, I am NOT a wedding planner. I AM a wedding consultant. A coordinator. I keep things moving, but I do not reinvent the wheel. I know this. I’m happy with this. But occasionally, as I get caught up in the blog-o-sphere and the Wedding Industrial Complex, I have to remind myself that it’s okay. That I’m good at what I do. I don’t have to impress David Tutera with my mad designing skills. I have to be myself, keep you calm, organized and on task and make sure the day itself runs smoothly.

I can do that. But I’d sure look good in those Jimmy Choos.

Libraries

This week on offbeat bride they have been blogging about library themed weddings. I am so in love with the idea of using a beautiful library (click here too, I got lost on this site for an hour!) as a venue. The library, any library, is my happy place. I love to browse the shelves, to find books I would never have found at a book store, to sit and read in the quiet-ish atmosphere. There is a peaceful and historical feel about the library that makes me just warm and cozy and happy. I am inspired this week; this tops my list of favorite venue ideas, right up there with wineries. Browsing the internet, I found a few pictures of library themed weddings. Check them out.





I also found a similar themed blog here, with some other great library themed wedding and engagement shots.

If you have any other pictures to add, I'd love to see them!

Wedding Picture Inspiration

I see a lot of bloggers (or rather, vendors who blog) post sample inspiration boards for potential clients. Though I understand the concept, I think an inspiration board is very personal and each of you, if so inclined, should do one of your own, not look to someone else to put one together for you. I'm all for ripping magazine pages out and saving them, or putting together your inspiration pieces however you want to do it, but I would hope you wouldn't copy someone else's vision. Your wedding should be your own, not a copy of someone else's.

But I've realized something.

As I was looking through the file on my computer where I save all the pictures I love from the blogs I read (why? I don't know, I'm already married. But I love them, so I save them) the light bulb went on. The majority of the photos I have saved are pictures of actual weddings, of the couple getting married, of the photography styles that I love. And it occurred to me that this speaks as to what is important to me. I love pictures, and when planning my wedding I knew that the photographer was the one part of the wedding I didn't want to cut corners on. So every once in a while I want you to look through all those bookmarked pages, ripped out pics, files on your computer, etc and find a theme. Because, above all else, this is what you are drawn to, this is what is important to you. This is the image you have in your head, even if you can't verbalize it to anyone else. And this, THIS is why your inspiration book, board or file is important to keep.

Since I don't know what else I will ever do with these amazing pictures I have saved (without credits, unfortunately, so if you know where these came from please tell me and I will link to them), I am going to share a few of MY favorite images with you. Don't you feel lucky?

I save the best for last.

Wait for it now ... it is my all time favorite.

Are you ready for it? It makes me swoon. I've seen this one written up on several of the blogs I read, and every time I see this particular shot I actually catch my breath. I don't know if it's the stolen moment feel, the passion and slight possessiveness of those hands on the wall ... whatever it is, I love it and I want to recreate it at my wedding (I know, I know. I'm already married. This is a problem I often have in my job, but it's a good problem to have).

How freaking amazing is this shot? Sigh. I swoon again.