courthouse chic

I wonder how many brides reading this blog are planning a courthouse wedding? (By the by, whenever I think of a courthouse wedding I picture Jennifer Lopez marrying Dr. Karev from Grey's Anatomy, a la The Wedding Planner) Seriously though, do you plan a courthouse wedding? Is the whole point not to plan? If you were planning a courthouse wedding, would you pick out something special to wear, (I'd wear the above day dress from Nordstrom's with pearl studs and turquoise pumps) or would you go it casual like this couple? Anyone? Tell me. I'm curious.

unlesssomeonelikeyou redux: more poster invites

wedding poster -- fall

i love how different these are without being ostentatious -- simple, informal, well-designed (don't agree with all the font combinations, but diff'rent strokes will move the world) and (for the portrait ones) intensely personal. yes, most are hipster-y, but if you're contemplating a poster invite you're likely not the blush-and-bash traditional type anyway. here's another:


wedding poster

this one's more on the precious side, yet froufilly retro-modern. the beauty of it is you get to work with a real human being to custom-design something friendly and fun -- unlesssomeonelikeyou's low-key samples have charm to spare. i like the idea of them as 5x7s as well (11x17 posters are a bit grand, though they'd make a big splash) -- *and* check out the new line of baby announcements. a brilliant bit of savvy. more from chicago at unlesssomeonelikeyou.etsy.com

labels anyone?

Anyone got anything they need to label in a jaunty fashion? I think I might sense a placecard brainstorm coming on. Or perhaps an escort card epiphany? Fancy wooden tags and red and white striped bakers twine both available at Bell'occhio.

BTW: Escort cards sit all together at a table near the entrance to the reception space, telling your guests which table is theirs. Placecards sit at the dining tables, telling your guests which seat is theirs. As someone who deals with this distinction on a daily basis, I notice that the two names are often used interchangeably. They are indeed different. I realize that this fact will only be important to you for a very short time in your life, but I thought you might like to know. Please excuse the smarty-pants moment.

destination destination

I know loads of you are planning destination weddings. From the questions and comments I get about far flung affairs, I'd say it was the next big thing! Chances are that if you're reading this website (whether you're having a backyard affair or a Tahitian Ball), you've probably already picked your wedding spot. But lemme ask you this: Have you decided on the honeymoon? Lesley Scott of Fashion Tribes has posted a fabulous list of the most fabulous destinations- all perfect for a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon experience.
The image above is from Necker Island, Sir Richard Branson's private island resort. I'd love to hear about it if anyone has been there. It sounds pretty awesome.

pricey butterflies

Not sure about you guys, but with a hefty price tag of around $90,000, this Lladro Niagara Chandelier is out, WAY OUT of my price range. But seriously, how hard would this be to make? I mean not exactly like this, not with porcelain or anything, but with paper butterflies and wire? I think I could do it. If I have an opportunity to try it out, I'll take pictures!

rainsend: ring pillow

custom bird's nest wedding ring pillow

bear with me, friends, i'm on a ring pillow jag and it's unstoppable. whoo! just thought this one was clever and different, especially for those getting hitched in the spring. new life and whatnot!

figures that rainsend is in new england -- the eight years i lived there, spring was a desperate *need* by the time it arrived. not too proud to mention one year i *finally* saw little robin red-breast and scared the bejeezus out of it --
i see you, you bastard! i see you!

er, ahem. back to weddings. you can customize the egg/ribbon color to whatever your heart desires. more at rainsend.etsy.com

oh, romeo

There is nothing I approve of more than Reem Acra's leap towards the "Juliet" look. I love the cap sleeves, the mini trains, the Shakespearean details. It's all just so pretty, it's hard to find fault with. While all of these seem so fresh to me, I can't imagine them ever being out of vogue. Is it just me... is the middle one fabulous? Or do you find it too "I just got back from the Renaissance Fair"?

mezzo: feather hairpins

feather hair pins in white (set of 3)

i would *swear* i saw this on offbeatbride.com (which cannot be beat for alt-wedding 'porn'!) and didn't realize the bride was also a montreal-based etsy maven -- ooh la la! here's something for those who prefer an allover look rather than the feather fascinator... fancy, fancy. in other colors as well at mezzo.etsy.com

jessica fields

Beautiful engagement/wedding bands from Jessica Fields. Available at The Artful Home. There's something about the Clover Band I really love. It's so modern, but still really dainty.

not neutral

I was born with an inability to carry a neutral handbag. When I was five, (and my mother can vouch for this) I had a purple corduroy purse that I carried EVERYWHERE. I never did anything without it. Today, my go-to bag is bright green- but I also own a red one, a turquoise one, and an orange one. Black? No. Brown? Not really. It's not that I don't like neutrals, I do. I wear them all the time. I just like my bag to have a little snap-crackle-pop, if you know what I mean.
You can imagine my delight at finding a formal evening bag in "electric pumpkin"? Do I need to mention how adorable this would be for brides or their maids at a fall wedding? Available at Sugar Plums.

invited ink II: custom notecards

vintage monogram custom letterpress notecards -- set of 50

lovely and simple -- am not generally into slapping my initials all over something, but these are almost like a chop, and there are three elegant (and interchangeable) combinations of ink and envelope: espresso, red, or bamboo. perfect for thank you notes, which it's a nice touch to have personalized. as long as your and his initials don't spell out something silly -- NAG or PIG, say -- you're golden. (in that case, you could of course go with the single initial monogram... just saying...)

more on invitedink here or at invitedink.etsy.com

alliejdesigns redux: teensy tutu

picture perfect tutu in white

would. you. look. look at this adorable nugget! don't think of myself as a girlygirl, but check out the freaking tutu with the pink sneaks. if you don't want to be upstaged, do not, repeat! do not get this for your flower girls. freaking cutest thing ever.

the grownup version is here, with more at alliejdesigns.etsy.com

weekly DBA: TP cake

this week's david's bridal award: toilet paper cake

ok, i know i've already mined this fertile ground with the bathtowel cake. but this one has something new -- six rolls of toilet paper, five cotton washcloths, four hand towels and, the coup de grace, a *sink plunger*.

what, what, is one to do with this? keep it? pass it among friends? or... heaven forfend... use it? what does it say about one when you use the nuptial decorations to literally, er, wipe up? and sitting atop the "plunger pedestal" is a decorative bride and groom candle... beauty and utility.

i knew marriage would involve plunging, but so soon?
TP cake, thou art the weekly DBA.
(what's a DBA?)

madisongre: bridal clutch

blanca bridal champagne rose clutch

part of me thinks clutches are silly -- won't someone carry your giant honking regular bag with waterproof mascaras, lipsticks, camera, tissues, etc. etc. *for* you on your big day? don't you get minions (i mean! bridesmaids!) for this sort of thing? but there's something so ladylike about this one, and it's got a little wristy thing, and the big flower is a brooch so you can move it to the other side or remove it as you see fit. plus madisongre donates a percentage of sales to local (california) animal shelters and the susan g. komen breast cancer foundation. nice. now if they'd only correct one little thing: champagne, champagne, please. more at madisongre.etsy.com

red carpet style

I came across Blue Velvet Vintage a few nights ago and bookmarked them for a future blog post. They have vintage designer finds and a lot of glamorous party dresses, many of which I totally coveted. One of my favorites was the dress above. I even thought it might work well as wedding dress for the right affair. Point being: I loved this dress even before I saw something very similar on Debra Messing at the Emmy's on Sunday night. From that point on, I no longer had any doubts. This little number has potential, as do many of their other little numbers.

we're home!

Greetings from Rhode Island! We moved in this past weekend and are now in the process of setting up house. It's all very exciting, albeit somewhat overwhelming.
Last night we made our first dinner in our new house: tilapia with olive, tomato & lemon, home fries with onions & cheese, and a nice green salad. It felt really good to cook in the new place. It made it feel so much more like home.


The next major hurdle is to get a car to scoot around Providence with. As city folk who are used to hopping on the F train, this seems really bizarre (although slightly less bizarre than buying a lawnmower).

primrosebride: ring pillows and garters

something blue: custom ring-bearer pillow with keepsake+toss silk charmeuse garter set

am blue, blue, blue tonight, friends, so here is something blue and lovely -- a gorgeously made set of garters and ring pillow, with a sachet to keep the keepsake garter on thoughtfully included. (i always wondered what people did with their garters, and this makes the most sense yet: throw 'em in the skivvie drawer and put 'em to work!)

you send primrosebride your color swatch and she will make these divine little sets to order -- she also can whip up veils, custom linens, and table runners. here's another:

silk charmeuse ring pillow with seafoam satin ribbons and czech glass button

because i'm personally headed for bitter spinsterhood, my one kvetch is that typographical errors abound in these listings, but when you have mad sewing skills many things are forgiven, no? my sweet boss is lysdexic, as he calls it -- am much less judgmental these days, a soft spot for the spelling-impaired. end kvetch.

regardless of my blueness: truly lovely work. based in seattle, more at primrosebride.etsy.com

waisze: repurposed favor boxes

altered altoid tin favor box

am back! whether you're for or against the 'favor' as a concept, check out this great upcycled project -- these are remainders from her own wedding, but perhaps if you prodded wai sze in nyc could make some in your colors as well? you'd have to eat a *lot* of altoids to make your own, i suppose, but then your fiance might appreciate all that mintylicious breath... a beautiful idea!

more at waisze.etsy.com

wedding style goldmine

I came across the portfolio pages of photo stylist/crafter/designer Rebecca Thuss via Oh Joy!, and couldn't resist posting them here. Her site is truly a treasure trove of wedding related photographs and ideas, (mostly due to the fact that she's the former style director of Martha Stewart Weddings), and would be a great style resource for any bride. Check it out!

etsy makes my day

Isn't Etsy wonderful? Etsy reminds me of being a kid, when "making friendship bracelets" was still a viable career goal. It makes me want to kraft things and sell them to my friends. I love Etsy.
Today I found Imogene and Dannie, where there are many lovely little necklaces and things stamped from silver in fun shapes. I can't help but think these would make fantastic bridesmaid's gifts, each a bit different for each of your special girls. Perhaps an apple for the big city girl? A tree for the hippie? A fox for the... fox.
You get the idea. At around 45 bucks, they're special with out being too $pecial.

read this later.

You can come back in a sec, but right now, you need to stop reading this and back up your files. ALL of your files need backing up. Back them up! I tell you this because it's what I wished someone told me Friday morning, right before my hard drive failed. Why? I don't really know. Apparently hard drives are allowed to just fail. I didn't know that. Seeing as how my brand new computer was running perfectly just seconds before it died, I was surprised to say the least. AND with the move in full swing, you could say that this crash was, hmmmm... a huge pain.
ANYWHO. Everyone knows that nothing raises the spirits of packing-weary, computer-less people everywhere like gorgeous dresses (which I found while browsing the internet on my husband's computer). All by Badgeley Mischka, all new this spring. While the one in the middle seems sort of obviously bridal, I love the subtle patterns on the two gowns on either side. I think either could be really unique yet elegant at an informal affair.

boston two-fer: amyjjewelry and gartersbykristi

boston T token necklace*


boston red sox "keepsake and toss" wedding garter set

two guesses as to where i am this weekend -- my old stomping grounds! am in town for the boston "ahts" festival and posting from afah.

i've actually purchased a garter from gartersbykristi -- to be specific, a university of florida gator garter keepsake and toss, because *that's how much i love my sister.* while the USPS intervened and delayed them (i have had *terrrrrible* luck with our postal friends of late -- where's my new yorker subscription, yo?), when the garters did arrive they were impeccably made and quite lovely, as florida gator garters go.

quick story -- a friend from NY (rabid yankee fan) married a guy from boston, whose four brothers were his groomsmen. she was laid back and told them they could wear whatever they wanted. so they show up to her wedding in red sox ties. not only that, but there were two cakes at the wedding (to keep the peace??) -- one red sox, one yankees -- and when the red sox cake ran out before the groom's mother had a piece, she went without cake entirely rather than eat one with blue pinstripe frosting. ah, i love this town. guess once you've gone and gotten baseball cakes, figure people will wear their colors.

more at amyjjewelry.etsy.com (made in boston!) and at gartersbykristi.etsy.com -- go sox!

* i miss these -- the charlie card is dumb. wasn't charlie *trapped* on the T and could never leave?

charleystar: wedding tote

wedding canvas tote bag

sweet little hand silkscreened totes -- i confess, when i first saw this i thought, awww. the q-tips are in love. but the more i look at it, the more i find to like -- a basic workaday bag with a million uses. and the mood is just right: just a simple, silly smile and holding hands. what better? see charleystar.etsy.com

buttonempire III: bride and groom

bride and groom one-inch button duo

i *know*, i know. i can't stop featuring buttonempire. but look! you would feature these on your obsessive etsy-wedding-shopping blog if you had one, right?

er...

more here, and at buttonempire.etsy.com

deluxe cutlery

How cute would these be at a tea party picnic? These fancy forks, knives and spoons are fashioned after 1800's silverware, but are made from plastic in a smattering of bright colors. Pretty enough for a bridal shower, and strong enough to last for several seasons of picnics. You can even throw them in the dishwasher. Plastic never looked so good. Available at Charles & Marie.

glowing praise

These little lanterns from Urban Outfitters have been all over the place lately, but at only $12 each they're definitely worth mentioning. Picture a few hanging above each table, or as part of a buffet table display. Love the white lanterns against a darker table cloth.

papersuite: his+hers soaps

just for him, just for her engagement soap set

so maybe this is weird, and maybe giving a gift of soap is tantamount to saying: hey. you're dirty. use this. but at least it's unusual, no? and so cutely wrapped, and it comes with a lovely handmade card? "his" soap is an oatmeal scrub, because, well, boys need scrubbing; "hers" is a goat's milk soap (not sure about the fragrance on that one?) said to be good for the skin. i'm all for something different. maybe soap *plus* a big ol' bottle of champagne. that says: hey. drink something. get in the tub together. rinse, repeat.

papersuite has other fancy cards as well, and she donates part of the proceeds to children in africa. worth getting dirty for. more at papersuite.etsy.com

back!

We're back from the closing and everything went really well. We played musical papers for a while, promised to pay them lots of our money on a regular basis, and they gave us a house! Now we just have to pack up our lives, re-visit all our favorite restaurants one last time, and move everything a few hundred miles to the east. We're very excited.

Understandably, I've been cruising the blog circuit for interesting house stuff lately. Jackpot! I came across UK based RE via Oh Joy, and there are so many things on their site I would love to get my hands on. The glass is beautiful, (love the colored glasses and the cake stands) and they have adorable vintage/retro party decorations. Check it out, especially if you're looking for a special wedding gift for a very lucky couple.