Wedding Wednesday: It's a Nice Day for a...Winter Wedding

When you are planning your wedding, one of the biggest things you have to consider is the season in which you are marrying. Are you a spring bride? Or an autumn one? Or are you completely brave and planning a winter wedding? If so, you get sincere props from me. When we were shooting our post-engagement photos a few weeks ago, our photographer, Theresa Scarbrough, was telling us how much her schedule opens up after November. I guess I understand, but having grown up in the Midwest, I have to admit that there is something magical about winter and the snow. The bare branches, Christmas lights (if it's that time of year), and crisp weather. Plus, if it snows? Well, that's even more magical! Winter weddings are obviously not for everyone, but if you can pull it off, I imagine it would be amazing! So, in honor of those that do or want to, here's a bit of winter wedding inspiration. : )

Invitations...

Bouquet...

Wedding Cake...

Centerpiece Idea...

Ring Pillow...

Favor/End of Night Treat...

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(Winter Wedding Photo by Rebekah J. Murray via Bridal Guide; Snowflake Invitations by Parrott Design Studio via Oh So Beautiful Paper; Bouquet 2 via Martha Stewart; Wedding Cake via Erica O'Brien Cake Design; Centerpiece via The Wedding Dish; Ring Pillow via The Finer Things; Hot Cocoa to Go Photographed by Kiss the Girl Photography via Inspiring Brides)

Wedding Wednesday: Destination Wedding Inspiration

Not gonna lie...if my wedding photos looked like this, I probably wouldn't hate destination weddings so much. : )

Here's the thing...I hate destination weddings. I do. I think they are selfish and asinine. However, there is a way to pull off a destination wedding and not be an ass. It's actually really simple, too. Basically, you don't get mad when people don't show and you have a hometown reception for those that couldn't be with you. Oh, and don't have your destination wedding on a holiday weekend. There's nothing I hate more than giving up my three-day weekends for a wedding. And I know I'm not alone.

Still, when I see things like this, I can't help but think maybe a destination wedding could be fun. Imagine if A.P. and I had married in France! That would have been a-maz-ing! So in honor of the what ifs, wish I wouldas, and all the rest, here is a bit of destination wedding inspiration.

1. I love that all routes lead to love in this cute destination wedding invitation.

2. These are actually invitations, but I like them better as programs. What do you think?

3. Heart maps of the city in which you're marrying or of cities you've travelled to together would make cute table numbers for the reception.

4. Love these suitcase candy tins for favors!

Do you subscribe to Not the Marrying Kind? If not, you should! It's free and fun and it means you automatically get new posts when the blog is updated. No having to check back! Click here for more details!

(Destination Wedding Photo by Benjamin Young III via ISPWP; Destination Wedding Invite via Invitation Crush; Passport Wedding Invitation Photo via Inviting Design Studio's etsy shop; Heart City Map Photo via Pinterest; Suitcase Candy Favors via ProjectWedding)

November Means...Holidays!!

This year, we are once again hosting Thanksgiving. This will be the third year in a row! Madness! Last year, since it was our first Thanksgiving as a married couple, I went OVER. THE. TOP! I kept joking that the theme was gluttony. This year, I'm tired. All the time. And so I'm thinking tasteful, simple, and delicious. I see a lot of pretty details (including our wedding china and new silverware!), simple but super yummy sides, and one beautiful bird.

Something I didn't get to do last year but really, really want to do this year is to send out actual invitations. Since it's already November, I'm thinking I better get busy on this! Here are some invites I'm loving. Which one do you like the best?

1. Turkey and Wine Postcards

2. Turkey, Pie, and Football! Oh my!

3. Customizable Fancy Fork, Knife and Spoon Invite (printable)

4. Classic Damask Invite (also printable)

5. Classic Script Invites (also printable)

6. Library Pocket Invites with Envelopes - Not for Thanksgiving necessarily, but so, so cute!

(All photo credits are linked above.)

Wedding Wednesday: Invitation Etiquette and Some Lovelies

Now that you've written your invitations, what will they look like (and when the heck should you mail them out!)? These are questions that plagued A.P. and me throughout the planning process. Like most brides planning their wedding, I pictured my invitations going out late because I didn't know any better and nobody coming. And I know I've had friends struggle with when to send out save the dates and invitations, too. So, in keeping with our invitation theme of last week, I thought it would be nice to outline the etiquette, as well as to share with you one of my favorite new invitation shops that has some super pretty (and affordable) invitations!

First, the etiquette. Save the dates should go out 8-12 mos. before your wedding and actual wedding invitations should go out 6-8 weeks before your wedding. Please, please, PLEASE do not be my friend who just got married this year and send out your save the dates 3 mos. before your wedding and your invitations, ahem, 2 WEEKS before your wedding. Especially if you have people coming in from all over the place. Out of towners need to be able to make their arrangements ahead of time and sending out save the dates and invitations in a timely manner allows them to do so. Plus, you just look like an ass. It's bad manners, and I know you're not ill mannered, so get 'em out in time, party people! It's key.

Now, the pretty. When looking for invitations, don't get suckered into the ordinary! Make sure you pick invitations that reflect your personal taste, interests, and look of the wedding. Here are some pieces for inspiration from one of the most lovely new shops I've seen around, Love vs. Design. This amazing (and reasonably priced!) site allows you to choose from some gorgeous templates, customize them, and basically end up with gorgeous, affordable invitations that look like you had them designed just for you! How awesome is that?? Here are some of their beautiful selections:

And for those of us who are already married, how exciting that Love vs. Design also has an expanding baby and kids section (announcements, shower invitations, birthday invitations) as well as a social and holiday section coming soon! How fun! Now if only they would make some cool personalized stationary, my life would be oh, so complete!

Do you subscribe to Not the Marrying Kind? If not, you should! It's free and fun and it means you automatically get new posts when the blog is updated. No having to check back! Click here for more details.

(Photos via Love vs. Design)

Wedding Wednesday: Writing Your Invitations

When A.P. and I were getting ready to do our invitations, I had no idea what to do. I knew what I wanted them to look like, but honestly, I had no idea how things should be worded or what the etiquette with any of that stuff was. That's why when I saw this lovely post on The Finer Things, I got so excited! But if you are paying for your own wedding, as many young couples these days do, you'd be surprised to learn that is NOT how your wording should go. That being said, I'd like to walk you through some examples of different invitation wording and the circumstances under which you would use each one. Ready? Here we go!

1. The bride's parents are paying for your entire event. - If the bride's parents are hosting your wedding, then you would use the traditional wording that The Finer Things outlines. That would go something like this (and no, these are not my parents' names...remember MJC isn't even my real name):

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Bob Christopher
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Marty Josephine

to
Mr. A.P.
Saturday March 27, 2010
Two thousand and ten
Three o'clock in the afternoon
Lovely: A Bake Shop
Chicago, Illinois

2. You are paying for your entire wedding. - If you are like A.P. and I, you are technically the hosts of your own wedding. Still, you don't leave your parents and the people who raised you/gave you life hanging. You just word the invite slightly differently:

Ms. Marty J. Christopher
&
Mr. A.P.
along with their parents
request the honor of your presence
as they exchange their vows.
Saturday March 27, 2010
Six o'clock in the evening
Lovely: A Bake Shop
Chicago, Illinois

3. Both sets of parents are splitting the cost of the wedding. - In the case of both parents paying for your big day, you want to acknowledge both sides of the soon to be merged family. That would read something like this:

Mr. & Mrs. Joe Bob Christopher
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Marty Josephine
to
Mr. A.P.
son of Mr. & Mrs. Apple Pie
Saturday March 27, 2010
Half past five in the evening
Lovely: A Bake Shop
Chicago, IL

4. If you want to break the rules altogether. - If you want to throw etiquette to the wind and make a wild and wonderful invitation that oozes your personality, then the rules change completely. For instance, we were in the #2 boat, but I wasn't a fan of traditional wording. Our wording went like this:

Mr. A.P.
& Ms. Marty J. Christopher
Together with their families
Wish to announce their
Intent to Wed
Please join us to celebrate the
Joyful beginning of
Our new life together
Saturday the 27th of March,
The spring of Two Thousand Ten
At six o'clock in the evening
Lovely: A Bake Shop
1130 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, Illinois

You see? There are all kinds of ways to word these suckers. Some people thought it was odd for us to write "intent to wed," saying it sounded more like an engagement announcement. But we never sent out engagement announcements really or formal save the dates, plus, I was in love with that wording. So you know what? We kept it. And you know what else? It wasn't a big deal. I would argue that the only big deal in fact is giving credit where credit is due. If The Finer Things link above isn't good enough, you can check this out. I like it because it at least asks you certain questions to make sure that you have all the pertinent information included. In other words, don't forget to include people in the invitation. And whatever you do, don't DON'T do what Robert did on Everybody Loves Raymond!

Wedding Wednesday: Yellow and Cream Wedding Inspiration

It's too hot to blog! Yesterday was 90 some degrees, and the building I work in is not air conditioned. It was TERRIBLE. I came home and washed the work off me! I took the coolest bath, it was like swimming in a pool. It was awesome. Then, I took a three hour nap. And that was awesome, too. Today aims to be the same kind of weather, and it made me think about summer weddings!

Nothing is cheerier to me for a summer wedding than yellows and creams. They scream summer, and make me dream of all things yellow: sunshine, sunflowers, billy buttons, daffodils, and so much more. That being said, here are some pretty things for a summer wedding with a yellow/cream color scheme! Enjoy!

Invitations

Pretty Yellow & Cream Shoes


Billy Button Boutonniere

Billy Button Bouquet


Yellow and Cream Fans


Mason Jar Centerpieces


Lemonade


Yellow Striped Straws


Yellow and Cream Cake


Mason Jar Ice Cream

Plus...

Add billy buttons to these for great favors that match the bouquet shown here!

The last time it was too hot to blog!

(All Photos via Pinterest)

Wedding Wednesday: Unique Wedding Invitations

There are so many beautiful ways to invite your guests to your big day. When we got married, we tried very hard to personalize our wedding invitations. I loved the idea of having poster-sized invitations, something my mother abhorred at first, but loved in the end. I loved our invitations and wouldn't change a thing, but these creative couples blow everyone out of the water. They may not be your style, but you have to admit they're pretty cool!

Paper Record Player from kellianderson on Vimeo.

What do/did/will your invitations look like?

PS. Our LOVELY wedding invitations!


(Love Feast Photo via Chewing the Cud; Message in a Bottle, Film Roll, Woodland Wheel, Tea Towel, and Airplane Ticket Photos via Swoon; Record Player Invite Video via Design*Sponge)

The Invitation

A.P. and I are getting ready to jet off to Montreal for the weekend. Seriously. One of our wedding gifts was a free round trip ticket to anywhere in Canada, and A.P. and I decided to take a quick weekend trip to French Canada! Yay! We leave at the ass crack of dawn tomorrow morning and return Monday afternoon. It should be fun, and I'm looking forward to speaking French. I studied the language for sixteen and a half years, and I haven't really had the opportunity to speak it in action in about eight years. I'm terrified of sounding like a total dumbass, misconjugating verbs and whatnot. However, I'm hoping that by the end of the weekend, it will all come flooding back to me. Right in time for the trip home!

Anyway, as promised, I'm trying to get back into the blog of things, and I figure that the easiest place to start was our invitation. The invitation itself was based on a design I made. I would scan that in and show you, but our designer still has it! Yikes! Anyway, the scroll around the wording, the two birds and the initials at the top were all featured in my sketch. I also picked the font and style of the wording, having done a mockup in Word to go with my sketch. Then, the rest is just good collaboration.

Growing up I was a huge babysitter. I worked for so many families, and made a ton of money. I pretty much worked every weekend from 4th-8th grade for one family, C. Blonde. She was like my cool aunt (though she would argue mother number two), and I was not only really close to her, but I learned a lot from her. She also happens to be a graphic designer by trade. So when I was done living in la la land and thinking I was going to silkscreen all those invitations (seriously...what planet was I on?), I went to her with my sketch in hand. She took that and designed this suite for us:

Invitation

Label
RSVP Card - Front

RSVP Card - Back

The invitation was printed on uncoated card stock, and was actually 11x17. The RSVP cards were large postcard size. What we did was center and clip the RSVP cards to the bottom of the invitation with gold paperclips, then rolled up the invitations, clipping both ends with gold paperclips. We then mailed them out in tubes with the labels affixed to the front. My mother, who has the most beautiful penmanship, did any and all writing for the wedding, including addressing 70 invitations. In the end, though, all the hard work was worth it. The end result was simply beautiful. We have a ton of invites, labels, and RSVP cards left over, all of which I plan on incorporating into a shadow box with some of the photos from the wedding. My mother is also going to write out one last label with our current address on it, which will go on a tube and also be put in the shadow box. But, as all you already marrieds out there know, this will probably happen in five years when I get around to it.

Anyway, here are some photos of us laboring to get our invitations sent out to play you out. Have a great 4th of July weekend!

All the stuffed tubes waiting to be labeled

A.P. readying the completed tubes for stamps

Me, stamping the tubes...3 $.64 stamps per tube! Oy!

De-Stressed

Even though I secretly dislike going to Florida with A.P., that trip did us some good. It wasn't relaxing, per se, and we were definitely happy to be home with the animals, and sleeping in our beds again, but we were so occupied with family and friends, and gifts and food, that there was no time to think or focus on wedding planning. It gave my mind a break, which was nice (and totally in line with half of the advice posted in response to my last blog entry).

We got back on Sunday and took it easy and then A.P. had the day off yesterday. We did wedding stuff, and everything we did took a load off my shoulders. Originally I was going to silkscreen the invites. There are only going to be about 45, and I figured it wouldn't be that hard. But finding time was becoming an issue, and truth be told, I'm not some master silkscreener. I had no idea where I was going to find the workspace since we are already running out of room (our tiny dining table is covered in wedding crap, and there are shopping bags underneath the table filled with crap for various DIY projects). So I finally made a decision that we were just going to have them printed. I didn't even care if they were going to be printed at Kinko's. I just didn't want to deal with this cloud of getting these invitations done.

So yesterday, we went to Kinko's and asked some questions about high-resolution printing and blah blah blah. We got a quote back, which was super cheap. We left feeling okay about our decision. We knew they wouldn't be that beautiful anymore and that they wouldn't be anywhere near as handcrafted as we wanted them, but they would be done, and sent and out of our hair. From Kinko's, we headed over to our friend C. Blonde's house. C. Blonde is designing our invites based on a sketch I made and some text I drew up in a font/pattern that I like. This is the other thing that was stressing me out about the invites: C. Blonde. C. Blonde is awesome, but she is kind of nutty sometimes. I had wanted to stop by and drop off the sketch, and explain to her how I envisioned our invitations, and she told me to just put the sketch in the mail. I didn't think she'd take it seriously, and so I kind of already imagined crappy invitations. Anyway, I didn't have stamps, and so I didn't end up sending out the stupid sketch. After Kinko's we were heading to Paper Source, and C. Blonde's house was right in the middle, so I figured we could just drop it off. I anticipated putting it in her hands and leaving, but she was actually really cool. She talked to me about what I wanted, and let us pick out the colors we're going to use, and yeah, I'm excited to see what her version of our vision turns out to be. Once we get the digital proof I will post it here.

The other thing that happened on our visit with C. Blonde is that she made me feel really calm about getting these invites done in time. I told her I was freaking out and that I was worried these weren't going to get done in time, and when I told her that we just needed them by the end of January, she goes, "You mean you don't need them in 2 hours?" and started laughing. She told me that was plenty of time to get everything done. She's also having them printed at her printer, which means, that while we're not back to individually handmade invitations, we will at least have high end printing. And we ditched our trip to Paper Source altogether, because we're getting it direct from the printer now through C. Blonde's connection. All in all, it was totally worthwhile for me to go drop off the sketch directly. It made me feel so much calmer about the whole ordeal of these invitations.

The other big relief is that I finally handed off some projects to A.P. One of the big struggles with A.P. doing any wedding related projects is that many of them require him to be more, ahem, creative. He's an analyst. He thinks with a math/economics brain. I can't ask the man to go to a thrift store or an antique shop and magically find objects to fit into the vision for our centerpieces that is in my head. So I was having a hard time handing off projects to him. But I finally came up with two: music and hotel. Since 1/3 of our guest list is coming in from out of town, we will be in desperate need of some hotel rooms come wedding day. I started to do research, but with all the other projects that need to get done, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get the hotel project done. Then I delegated to A.P. Makes sense for him to take on that project. After all, it's part of the planning, and it's not something you have to be creative to do. I also asked him to start compiling music lists. I'm going to find some other projects he can help me do, but I feel better that I just asked him to do specific things, rather than "just help." It's also made us less naggy with each other. We'll see how it goes, but for now, it's a weight off my shoulders.

Stay tuned...I'm posting some centerpieces, some major details about our wedding and details from my first wedding dress shopping experience! Hope everyone had a good holiday!

Dance Away...

Photo by me!

A.P. and I are gearing up for our much needed vacation! We are leaving tomorrow for one week in the Smoky Mountains. We rented a cabin and we're taking (almost) all of the animals, which is pretty cool. I don't know about A.P., but I plan on watching lots of movies, reading lots of books, taking lots of walks, and making lots of things. Oh and one trip to Dollywood, because secretly I heart Dolly Parton. I plan on avoiding my phone, my computer and, well, the world in general. Our cabin is awesome and has a nice kitchen, so I also plan on making tons of yummy food. We leave tomorrow and we can't wait! I may or may not blog next week. I decided to give myself permission to do it if I want to, but I'm not going to pressure myself to get posts up or anything. So I may or may not be around. Whether I blog or not, I know for sure I won't be surfing the net that much, including Preez (gasp!), so I encourage you to email me great finds or links to your own great finds. I also encourage you to email me suggestions for the blog's latest feature! Now...on to the dance!

I'm bit time crushing on this invite. I love how it tells the story of their relationship. So sweet. And weirdly, I'm also loving the bookmark shape.

I'm also loving these hair accessories, which you could easily adapt for your wedding (if you're not doing the whole veil thing)! I especially love the blue and coral one!

Have I ever told you guys that I was Max from Where the Wild Things Are for Halloween the first year I was dating A.P.? I made my costume and even got compliments on it from a bunch of random people on the train! I still have it, too and am thinking about rocking it again this year since the movie is coming out soon. Anyway, because I heart that book so much, and because I am soooo looking forward to Spike Jonze's film version, how could I resist posting about this Where the Wild Things Are themed birthday? I never thought I'd say it, but I'm totally jealous of a one year old! I say, screw the kids...I want a Where the Wild Things Are themed birthday party!! Also if you haven't watched the trailer for the movie yet, click that link up there and watch it...the Arcade Fire (who I love so, so much) song is enough to give you chills.

Speaking of giving me chills, I'm big time digging this engagement session by the fabulous Duston Todd. I completely agree with him that knowing art makes you a better artist, and the same goes with writing. This one's by far my favorite:

Photo via Duston Todd

Vera Devera did a nice roundup of etsy finds under $50 that you could use in a wedding. Though not everyone is crafty, I feel like most people have crafty friends. That being said, don't you think you could ask said crafty friends to paint some naked peggies? I think so, too. Maybe even tell them that can be their wedding gift to you. After all, you'll have that cake topper forever!

I'm not planning on having bridesmaids, but if I was, I would soooo make this card for them:

Photo via Once Wed

It looks pretty easy to me, and I feel like even if your results weren't perfect, it would still be adorable. DIY instructions can be found at Once Wed.

Speaking of cute, easy to replicate ideas...I'm loving this escort card suitcase table that C. is for Charmed featured.

Photo via C. is for Charmed

Lately it seems as if I've been featuring a real wedding in my Friday dances, and this week will be no different. This week's wedding is a lovely, super eco-friendly one from Green Wedding Shoes. I'm down with any wedding where you get to be in a canoe in your wedding dress! (How is it that I'm a city person born and raised?) Check out some of the pictures below and go to Green Wedding Shoes to see the rest of this fabulous wedding shot by Sabine Scherer.

All photos via Green Wedding Shoes

Does anyone watch Everybody Loves Raymond? If so, did you ever see the episode where Marie takes up sculpture and makes an abstract sculpture that resembles a certain female body part? Okay, now look at the wedding cake from this wedding:

Photo via Jason Keefer

Now I love Jason Keefer, so this is in no way a reflection on his photography, nor is it a reflection on the wedding, because this was a beautiful wedding, but what in the hell was on that baker's mind when she made this cake? I have no idea what is, but I sure know what it looks like! Yummy, I guess? Lol...

Finally I just wanted you guys to go read The Broke-Ass Bride's post about healthcare reform. I've only ever gotten political once before on this blog, but I really don't see wanting healthcare reform and our government to catch up to the rest of the West and adopt a united healthcare policy as being political. Instead, I agree with the Broke-Ass Bride that healthcare is a human rights issue, and while I have not had the medical drama that she has had, I have had my own issues with healthcare. The last three years have seen me go without health insurance as I put myself through school. I couldn't afford my school's health insurance policy, and afford to you know, live. I chose to live, albeit carefully, for the past three years. Then this year, I hurt my knee. I'm lucky enough to have friends who are doctors and one who actually helped me, but my knee is still messed up and I can't wait for my health insurance to kick in so I can get it treated properly. My job, ironically, has me running up and down stairs all day long and on my feet. I'm trying to be a productive member of society and do the thing I love and am good at, and I can't tell you how frustrating it is to know that I have friends like the Half-breed Swede who live in other countries that went to school just like me and never worried about getting sick. If you don't agree with me, I'm sure you have your reasons, but remember there are faces behind this debate, and they're not of people trying to take advantage of the system. And one day...your face could be one of them. Really, though, I urge you to really listen to the debate, no matter which side you stand on, and think about how you would feel if you lost your job and had to choose to pay the bills or see a doctor.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! I'll be chilling like a villain!