sane wedding planning

wedding related ramblings revolving around sanity and practicality, with a little bit of geekery and crazy just for fun!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Shoe obsession

I'm in the planning stages of a trip to Vegas in a few months. I am meeting up with several other APW sponsors and I am ridiculously excited about it. We've been online buddies for a while now, it will be so much fun to put faces to twitter handles and business names (and to talk awesome, practical weddings with other industry peeps from around the country).

Because of this trip, and my recent experience at the Get Hitched, Give Hope event, I decided I needed a pair of kick ass party shoes (and new, more trendy clothes, but that is another story). This first pair (below) was tweeted this morning by one of my fellow travelers/APWers. Because they just scream Vegas, yes? But I can see some hip bridesmaids rocking these too. And for only $38, you can't beat them.


Thanks to pinterest, I stumbled upon the most awesomely affordable site. Party shoes under $40?! I die!! I found these lacy beauties (below) and thought they'd be great for a more upscale event. Or, you know, a night on the town in Vegas.


And these booties. O.M.G. What a great bit of personality on your wedding day. They come in red too. I die again.


So what do you think? Where do you look, off the beaten path, for your go-to shoes?

Friday, November 4, 2011

Getting lost in the details

There has been a lot of talk the last week or so in the wedding world about getting back to basics. There is a mini movement starting, asking couples to stand up to the Wedding Industry and those who sell you on the fact that the important pieces of your wedding are in the details. I'm excited to be part of it.

I first stumbled upon this piece written by Meg at A Practical Wedding. My favorite line:
"the details that really matter are the emotional details ... not Buying All The Things."


photo by www.daniweissphotography.com

In the same post, she also linked to a wedding manifesto, written by Jonas Peterson, which I am totally in love with (both the manifesto, and now Jonas). For the most part, it pretty much sums up everything I believe in. He talks about the wedding being about the love and the commitment, the gathering of those you love. He tells the reader to put down the magazines, to stop reading the blogs. To stop focusing on the THINGS and to remember it's about the love.


photo by www.nonfictionweddings.com

This is what resonates with me. It's time to put the focus back on the marriage. The wedding is a celebration, it's one day. The marriage is a lifetime of commitment, of ups and downs, of love and patience and respect and so much more. It takes a lot more work to build a successful marriage than planning a wedding ever will.

I appreciate the writers that are able to put into words the ramblings that are flitting through my head. I am thankful that there are other people in this industry who are passionate about not only weddings, but about marriage. And I love that I have the ability to connect with them, to be inspired by their work and to share with you this passion that we all have to bring reality back to weddings.

I don't think the message here is "don't spend your time on the details." The message, as I see it, is "don't feel the pressure to have so many details." Do what feels right. Do what feels good to you. If you don't like cake, don't have it. If you don't want the big princess dress, don't buy one. You want to hold true to the formal traditions? Go for it! Be true to the two of you, figure out what the important pieces are and embrace them.

I love being part of the happiness that comes with joining two lives together, with starting a new family. As a vendor, and as a guest, so many things stand out to me. Over on Offbeat Bride, Ariel wrote a great post about what guests remember from weddings, and I think these are words to remember as you are planning your big day. It's not the favors, or the theme, or what kind of booze you served. It's the passion, and the love and the bits of YOU that make up your day. 

photo by www.vanwyhephotography.com

Whatever way you chose to express yourself, as long as you are happy and in love and living in the moment, it's going to be an awesome day. Just remember to relax and enjoy it.