Our Save the Dates

I envy those brides who are DIY queens. The only DIY project I'm good at is opening a bottle of wine myself and pouring it into a glass myself. (Although I will be doing our wedding cake, but shhh, yet another blog post for yet another time!) When it comes to crafty projects, I am a failure. I am a good gopher. When my friend and Matron of Honor, Mrs. Gallery Place, got married, I helped her with some crafty projects like her CD favors. It was a lot of fun! Left to my own devices, however, I prefer to outsource.

Seriously, my superior MS Paint Skills in no way qualify me to design anything. I'm great at telling people what I want and letting them make my ideas pretty for me, but otherwise I'm a lost cause. So, just like any bride with an internet connection, I know about Etsy. (If you don't, for shame! And you call yourself a bride!)

What I love about Etsy is that... well, what isn't there to love? Independent crafters and designers selling their wares. Each piece is unique. I remember before I learned about the joys of Etsy, I would drag myself through websites like Invitation Consultants and still feeling unhappy. While they had great invitations, it all felt cold, sterile, and completely unoriginal. And I am not cold, sterile, or unoriginal. I'd like to think of myself as warm, interesting and bold! (Most would just call me quirky or eccentric, but I like my descriptors better.)

After searching and searching, Mr. JeffM and I finally found a design that suited us, and that was no easy task. Mr. JeffM and I are both very opinionated people, and I'm one of the lucky gals whose guy is actually interested in what goes on with wedding planning! I mean it that I feel lucky... but it can present a few challenges. For example, there were a few times that I found gorgeous unique designs on Etsy. I would lust after them, and wait impatiently for Mr. JeffMemorial to arrive home. He would give them a glance and quickly say, "Nope, don't like it."

But then one design came along. When I saw it, I might have swooned just a tad. Just like the other times, I braced myself for disappointment, thinking Mr. JeffM wouldn't like it. So he came home, looked at it, but instead of dismissing it, he said,

"Hrm, let me see it on our colors."

I got a proof in our colors. He loved it. And now that we have sent out the Save the Dates and everyone has received them, I can share it with you:

They just looked way too fun. And what's even nicer is how I can see them hanging up in the cubes of some of my coworkers.

Our invitations will be in next week, and it's a shame it'll be awhile before I can share them with you. They're just tops though.

the veil: update

haha soooo I had been talking before about how I wanted to make my own veil - because how hard can it be to make a birdcage veil really? well, it's hard. especially if you have absolutely zero experience with anything like that.

so after (kinda) flipping out on my mom for trying to take over the project, I ended up scrapping the DIY veil and turning to my dear reliable etsy. I found this simple small birdcage veil fromAnnLeslie and it's exactly what I wanted and even though it's more expensive than the half yard of netting would have been, it was still very reasonably priced and totally worth it for my sanity.

(source)

The picture actually shows the veil in ivory, but I ordered it in champagne. The difference is shown below, in a photo Ann sent to me to help me decide which one I wanted. I chose the champagne at the time because I thought it would go better with my (then) dress - I think the ivory could have worked with my new dress but the champagne will work great too, it's got a nice "natural" color to it which is what my raw silk gown has going on.

(photo credit: Ann Leslie)

I'm really pleased. I just also bought these little clips from Cultivar (photos below credited to said shop) and I'm playing around with it. I may give the purply/blue clips to one of my bridesmaids and just wear the ivory ones.. or who knows. I love both sets.

What are you doing for your headpiece? Or maybe you're skipping it altogether? Here is a greatcollection of posts on the topic over at APW.

I <3 Miss Brache

Ok we're about to order the bridesmaid dresses from MissBrache aka Diane. She is a dream to work with. We haven't even put the order in yet but she's been so helpful! She'll work with you to design basically any kind of dress you want (I've only been talking dresses with her but she does all kinds of awesome clothing) and she's great with fabric suggestions, etc. All my bridesmaids (the ones in dresses anyway) have chosen this dress:

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..but instead of the big red petticoat we are having Diane make simpler tulle ones (much cheaper). I put together this little mock-up of what my girls are going to look like, given the fabrics they've chosen (though the belts are not included in the order so they will not look like that exactly; also all of them will have petticoats). I'm really pleased.

And I've just found the perfect necklaces (I think), from FreshyFig. I'm hoping the little birdy is speckled enough that it would go with a number of different blues..?? And I think it would look great with that yellow too?

(source)

I'm still debating what to do for my MOH who's wearing a suit and wouldn't probably like this necklace. Somebody recommended cufflinks (was it you Miss Glen Echo? I can't remember), and I am strongly considering getting her these:

(source)

weee! every time we check another item off the list it all feels a little bit closer to happening.. not that this is even checked off yet but we're close! :)

Priceless...

One pair of Steve Madden flats...$21 from DSW (marked down from $39.95)

Vintage shoe clips from Etsy (shop Sweet Kathleen's)...$10

My perfect pair of "something blue"...


PRICELESS!!

etsy fever

I haven't made a Ton of purchases from etsy yet, but I have marked a zillion favorites, and once I pull together a more cohesive plan for the reception decor/wedding party attire/my own accessories, I will be going to Town. So here are some of my favorites that I'm thinking about.

Bridesmaid dresses, custom made by Miss Brache.

Linen invitations, custom made by Artful Beginnings.

Birdcage veil and fascinator, by SmittenXOXO. I might want to try making my own (I'll update on that later when I give it a try), but if it doesn't work out I'll probably buy one from this shop.

Cake topper, by Bunny with a Toolbelt. Actually, we're using the same cake topper Mr. Fairfax's grandparents used at their wedding 60+ years ago, but if we weren't using that one, I would die to have this giraffe bride & groom topper. So. Effing. Cute.

(source)

I have bought a Few things already, including this darling necklace which I hope I like as much in person. I usually go straight to the Weddings section but you should definitely check out the Vintage stuff! Some great finds in there, especially in jewelry.

shoes! <3

After reading the amusing posts and comments on East Side Bride related to finding wedding shoes for Meg at APW (here and here and here), I got all up in a flutter about how ridiculously high the heels are on those shoes and angry about how hard it is to find shoes in my size (a whopping size 10, or more accurately 10.5 but that size rarely exists), and how often shoes in my size come with ridiculously high heels.

This might not be making any sense. It's not even the point. The point is the abovementioned blogs inspired me to go on a big search to Prove I couldn't find the perfect wedding shoes with 1.25 - 1.5" heels (I bought a dress on a sample sale that is only long enough for me to wear shoes at that height, Maybe a maximum of 2" (which is good because I hate towering over people in 4" heels anyway) ) and ended up on Endless.com and found.. the perfect shoes! they're 1.25" and ADORABLE. At least to me. And they have a Button on them. Which is important because I'm being crazy and incorporating a ton of old antique/funky buttons into my wedding (button bouquet maybe? I haven't decided).

I will have to come back soon and gush with Miss Glen Echo about all my super Etsy finds.

I *HEART* Etsy!

Actually, I think a more appropriate word to use may be "addicted," "obsessed," "crazied." In any case, I absolutely love this website and have to say that it is my favorite wedding planning discovery. I have purchased all kinds of treats and goodies from Etsy. Here is a list of some of the treasures I have found on this internet chest chalked full of booty! (all photo credits belong to the shop owners, please see links in post)



My very first purchase was 2 hair flower pins from Brenda's Bridal Veils. I was not sure if I was going to wear an ivory dress or a white dress (more on that later)...so due to my indecisiveness I purchased both.



My second purchase was a custom request from Siver dot Jewelry, a local DC shop, for matching necklaces and earrings for the bridal party (and our Grooms Maid). Oh and Ladies, if you are reading, this is not what you are getting...however you can expect your gifts to look just as fantastic.



My next purchase was extra special. It was an alchemy request or what I like to refer to as a "call to prayer." I had searched high and low for groomsmen ties that were under $20 in a specific shade of purple and could not find anything that matched my criteria (that criteria mainly being the under $20 part). So, I decided to see what I could do on Etsy, because by this time I had become a pro on the site. CredoNedo answered my call and did them perfectly for $12 per tie!



But I have to say that so far, this little exquisite peice of handmade loveliness has been my favorite purchase so far. It is the clutch I plan to wear with my gown. It is totally perfect and needs only but few words. Thank you, Angee W!

In total I have made, oh...around 18 purchases from Etsy...and it won't stop there. Oh yes *smiling feindishly* it will not stop there...

More to come on a few more of my purchases, including our invitations, some extra vintage goodness for my gown and jewelry for the bride.

So, have you guys discovered etsy too? Any good shops to reccomend?

Rehersal Dinner Dress(es)

We have yet to plan our rehearsal dinner, haven't even figured out where it will be, but I've bought the dress I'll wear that night, oh yes. I bought my wedding dress the same way. No clue where the wedding would take place, but I went right on and bought the dress anyway. Seemed to work out ok, right?

So I already have this dress, which I love love love. I got it on major sale from Bluefly.com. I do not usually shop there. Even majorly discounted designer clothes are too rich for my blood. I got sucked in by the shopping spree contest they ran back when Shopaholic was released and that was how I found the dress.


It is prefect in every way. It's navy blue, so I'll match Mr. Fairfax (Oh, yes, have already picked out the outfit he'll wear that night). The eyelet fabric is just so sweet, and it will go perfectly with my gold Jack Rogers. Did I further mention that it has pockets (ding!)?
But I keep seeing this dress on etsy and it is really adorable and catching my eye a little too much.

The designer is Amanda Archer, www.amandaarcher.com

Urgh...Bluefly gives you three months to return, so I have awhile to make up my mind!

I love etsy, but I find it a little overwhelming sifting through all the many many talented artists and their goods on the website. I signed up for the etsy "Find" e-mails and read The etsy weddings blog pretty religiously and that keeps me up to date and underwhelmed. :P

Potpourri of Planning!

Three things.

First, I'll start with the most exciting! We booked our hotel for the honeymoon in New York City! We'll be staying four days and three nights at the Park 79 hotel in the Upper West Side; next door to Central Park and the Natural History Museum!





We already have reservations for the Comedy Cellar, are looking into tickets for "Tony n Tina's Wedding" and have put in a request for Daily Show tickets. Then there will be the other fun things... a carriage ride through Central Park, going to the top of the Empire State Building, amazing dinners around Manhattan. I. Cannot. Wait.

Secondly, I've finally decided against a veil. But I want to do something with my hair! My hair is a bit above shoulder length, plus I usually have side swept bangs. (Right now they're a little grown out. I so need a haircut.) I've been looking at cute headbands to wear. Here are some of the ones I've found:

[CLICK PICTURES TO BE TAKEN TO THEIR PAGES ON ETSY]







Third, I've been doing some thinking about the decor for our reception... For reference, here's the main room we will be using. It will not be set up as shown. There will be floor space for dancing, moving about, etc.


It's the top floor of the Fish Market on King Street, in Old Town. (We'll have the other room, as well.)

We're going to have white linens on the tables, of course. And, irony of all ironies, I showed off hanging poms in my last post as examples of decor:

[CLICK PICTURE FOR ETSY SELLING PAGE]



Oh, the irony is that I mentioned that they would not work for a wedding like mine... well, until I decided I wanted them. So we're going to be getting a bunch of them in all red or red and brown to hang from the ceiling.

I also found some inspiration for our wedding centerpieces, which are going to be very simple. The design is based off of this:



This shot is from the wedding of Amber, who has brilliant taste in design and color.

See the cute daisies in the mason jar? Patrick and I decided that we wanted to do something similar. As our colors are red, brown, and white, we're going to do RED Gerbera daisies instead of the pink pictured. In addition, we're going to cluster two or three jars and flowers for each centerpiece.

But we're not just going to do jars. We're going to start collecting jars and unique bottles to cluster at each table, to give it a punch of color.

Hope you're all enjoying your President's Day!

DC on Etsy!

If you over pronounce "Etsy" in the title, it rhymes. Sort of. Just a little Friday fun for ya!

I have a great Etsy find to share with you via one of my sorority sisters. How adorable is this print from Etsy seller Art Shark Designs?


Precious! There are other cities too, but I was super excited to see DC because I feel we're a little left out sometimes when the "Cities of the World" are grouped together.

Wouldn't this print look amazing matted as your "guest book"? I know I'd love to hang this up in my house!

Wedding Party and Honeymoon and...

I wish two share three things; two accomplishments and then some neat little finds I wanted to share.

1) Wedding planning has taught me one thing: you have no idea what it entails until you're actually planning your own wedding. Things that seem fun? Well, they're still fun, but a heck of a lot more complicated than previously thought.



Perfect example of this: selecting your bridal party. My poor bridal party has had a series of ups and downs. A member was lost after a pretty sad and hurtful falling out. I've never really gotten my act together on who I wanted to do what. After so much drama, I kind of threw my hands up in the air and nominated my mother as Matron of Honor. Then, a couple of months later, she brought up a valid point.

"Dear Miss JeffMemorial, I know you love me. You have to, as I'm your mother. But you don't want me as your Matron of Honor. You're lucky enough to have no sisters that you HAVE to ask, so enjoy being able to choose a non-family member."

And she was right. In fact I already knew who I wanted to ask, and had thought about it for months. I just never did. Mama JeffMemorial and I chatted a bit more. She knew who I had wanted to ask for months (of course), but had hoped I would come around and do it myself. When she realized I wasn't going to she realized she needed to "give me a shove in the right direction".

But she understood. How do you demote your own mother? Thankfully I have a kick-butt mom who just wants me to be happy. Hasn't even given an opinion on the wedding unless asked for it. I love her for that.

So last night I asked my best friend, who has seen me through everything, good and bad to be my Maid of Honor, and she said yes. She also happens to be Miss Gallery Place, heh. It was really nice. I'm so glad my mom talked to me about it.

The only thing is instead of the nice lunch I had planned, this all went down at a Dunkin Donuts at Eastern Market over chocolate milk, diet green tea, and a salad. Whoops. At least I brought flowers...?

2) After some debate, Mr. JeffMemorial and I are NOT going to Colonial Williamsburg for our honeymoon. Instead we're going to NEW YORK CITY!



I'm so excited! We loved the idea of Williamsburg. I went there so much growing up... and I think that was the problem for me. I wanted to go somewhere that we were sharing together and experiencing together. Now I have been to NYC a few times (whereas Mr. JeffM has not), but with family and only a couple of times. I've never really DONE New York. And I've never been there romantically either. I think it's going to be perfect.

We're going to do all the cheesy stuff. A Broadway show... a carriage ride through Central Park... Carnegie Deli, etc. It's going to be perfect!

We'll be booking our hotel tonight at a place in Gramercy Park called Park 79.

3) Now next are a few finds. Once again, not for my wedding... or maybe? I don't know. Randomly I started looking at flower "alternatives", even though I'm going to have fresh flowers for the bouquets. And I came across some lovely pieces.



Oh, Etsy... once again, how you taunt me.

Beautiful origami flowers. Above is one designed as a garland. Perfect to string about for those garden weddings, perhaps? http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_1&listing;_id=20062764



Ring pillow. I love how even though the flower is large, it looks so delicate and beautiful. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=cat1_gallery_18&listing;_id=18893164


Hanging pom kit. Would never work with our more rustic colonial style, but they look so fresh and the colors really pop. Would look great in a bright wedding with a modern flair. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_4&listing;_id=20914064



Classic Bloom Necklace. I love the pairing of the feminine pearls with the flower that has an almost industrial look to it. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_17&listing;_id=20926439

And that's all I have for today...

Friday Night Surprise!

Our Save the Dates arrived! The pictures in no way do them justice, but they're INCREDIBLE. Oh, the joys of Etsy. :-)





They're so amazing!

Even Mr. JeffMemorial got a bit misty and swoony over them. In fact, he was the one who noticed the design. He and I had been through mountains and mountains of designs, and this one just spoke to him for some reason.

Anyway! If you look in the first shot, you can see a bit of texture on the paper. The pictures don't really show how lovely the paper is. It's a heavy cream ivory linen cardstock.

Now they get put away, out of the reach of our Scottish Terrier, Horatio, until March or April. I think that's when we send them out... right?

I'm so happy. It's our first tangible real wedding expense.

The artist, PasaiiPaperie will also be making us coordinating invitations, menus, and favor tags. Oh! And a little guestbook!

Now if only I could figure out what the heck to do for favors!

Save the Date Proofs, AKA "Oh My Gosh, It's Really Happening!"

Today I finally had my "It's really happening!!" moment, and it was so exciting.

Etsy, as you know, has become a friend to brides everywhere with unique (and a lot of times very affordable) homemade products; from hair accessories to invitations! Sometimes even wedding dresses.

I just received in an Etsy conversation a proof of our Save the Dates:



The date is not our date, obviously. I hadn't sent her our updated date of November 7, 2009, so she used a placeholder that will be changed out.

An update about our wedding; our colors are red, brown, and white, with slight hints of green (when necessary). For months we had been perusing invitations on professional sites, as well as those done by designers on Etsy.

Either he didn't like them or I didn't like them... or we both liked them, but decided they were too generic.

Then we found PasaiiPaperie, and we fell in love with her cardinals. Mr. JeffMemorial and I are not ones who dig "cutesy" stuff, especially when it comes to our printed items for the wedding, but these little guys just spoke to us.

In addition, I have to say she's been wonderful. She's actually going to be making custom items, in addition to the cardinal-themed invitations and save the dates, including programs or perhaps a food menu listing, placecards. our guestbook, and favor tags.

Not only that, the prices are super reasonable for a gorgeous product. Ours will be on flecked heavy linen cardstock.

One of the things I was worried about with such a limited budget was tying the room and our wedding together aesthetically as a whole, and designers like PasiiPaperie really make that easy.

It's worth looking into if you're using an Etsy designer. Would that person be willing to make custom pieces?

Ours, for example also does placecards, menus, wedding programs, etc.

It's worth looking into if you want a seamless theme, or looking for ways to stay within a budget and have a together look.

What's funny is that, as I mentioned, we moved the wedding to Old Town. Quite by coincidence we fell in love with the cardinals... and days later it suddenly dawned on me that the Cardinal is the state bird of Virginia, which we thought was kind of neat.

Anyway, I'm so excited! It is finally real. I saw our names on the digital proof, and got that happy feeling that it's really happening. Life is good.