the florals

today i got to spend some time with our florist, keith of floral concepts, who is using an image from our wedding for a bridal show this weekend and thought it appropriate to show you guys what he did to bring our day to life.

what are those amazing dangling things around the center poles of the tent? it was a combination of birch trees and hops - yep hops. when our florist found out mike brewed his own beer he had the idea and it was just perfect. it was whimsical, unique, perfectly us, and even fragrant. our guests got a kick out of it.

these gorgeous wreaths were used as decorations on the windows of the restaurant at our out of town dinner the night before, and then worked perfectly on the barn doors. a combination of hops, hydrangea, persimmons ( they looked like green tomatoes) and pine cones. the wreaths, now dried out are still as beautiful and decorate the entry way and pub of mike's family's hotel.

i dont have any great photos of the girl's bouquets yet but i do have a story for you about mine. they were a combination of dahlias, mums, various pods, eucalyptus leaves, and the peach peony looking flowers are actually a type of rose - aren't they gorgeous?

anywho. someone took my bridal bouquet. we had used the bouquets to decorate the buffet table and forgot to take them with us in the craziness of the end of the evening. when we returned the next day to do some cleaning and pick up the remaining decorations and flowers the bridesmaids bouquets were both there but mine was nowhere to be seen. mom hadn't seen it. mike's uncle hadn't seen it. no one at the hotel had seen it. as i walked the place the tent stood the night before and tried to be reasonable..."it's only flowers, not a big deal, you weren't gonna keep them forever, you have a million mementos from the day, etc. etc." i remembered seeing a photo of one of my girlfriends (crazy girlfriends) on facebook with my bouquet earlier in the morning. feeling a little accusatory and bitchy i gave her a call just to see if she had seen it. what do you know? she took it. she thought it was part of the "you can feel free to take a centerpiece home" deal. i know, i know. luckily she had left it in her hotel room, in water and i was able to retrieve it, sans hankie sadly, but at least i was able to dry some of my flowers as a momento.

and for kicks here is what keith is using at the show, with a copy of an email i sent him after the wedding.

all photos rise photography, please do not reproduce without proper credit.

little extras - waste of money or totally worth it?

i dont really know where to begin the recaps so i thought i would start small and talk about some of the little details while we await the professional photographs...

favors and escort cards were some of the details we included in our wedding that some cautioned were a waste of money - they would be left on tables and we would have a stock pile of wedding extras to deal with once we returned from the honeymoon. lucky for us this was not the case.

maybe it was knowing our audience? maybe it was how we incorporated the items into the overall vibe of the event? i dunno but we were thrilled that everyone took home the cd's we painstakingly* created and the keys we designated as escort cards. (in fact, we were a little disappointed because we were hoping to have some left over to hang on to as mementos ourselves.)

we have heard countless times, via phone, text and facebook since the wedding that our guests are listening to the cd we created on repeat in their cars re-living the weekend. how could we not smile proudly? even my mom who doesn't always compliment took the time to tell me yesterday that she knows it by heart now, that she loves how it tells the story of our relationship, and that she thinks i should start a business making wedding cd's for people ( not fully understanding that part of why it was a success is because it was so honestly us, but hey...)

on our way home from hawaii we stopped over in LA for a few days to see friends and family before returning to reality and we saw 3 keys in seperate households on display, and were told by one amazing guest how she already went out to find the perfect chain to turn her key into a new necklace. how cool is that?

in short i hope you can see that for us, it was worth it. i can understand that it might not be for everyone. whether it be money or time (because lets face it, if you dont have one you are going to make up for it with plenty of the other) i for one love to throw myself into a crafty project - and as the wedding approached i found comfort in the distractions that they provided. the fact that our guests responded so well was what we hoped for but with something creative you never really do know do you?

* the cds were a true labor of love, from hunting for vendors to supply the raw materials i envisioned, to the learning curve that came with teaching myself to silkscreen, to the monotonous labor involved in folding and glueing the cases. even stamping the thank you tags and donation info was a project but i was lucky to have a partner in crime ready to lend a hand and spend an evening in front of the tv with a bottle of wine and a bottle of rubber cement.

crafty goodness

i've been a bad updater lately i know...but i have been a very good crafter. ( i kinda hate the term DIY kinda like STD i dunno why? but anyway...)

in addition to settling on a playlist and burning cd's for favors (with mikey's help of course) I've been making trolley tickets, designing cd covers, and welcome packets with important times and directions for our out of town guests - i've been playing around and making some of the fun stuff.

i've aged the key tags (stained with one morning's left over coffee) for our seating cards so that i was able to add names as the rsvp's came in. they were just a little too crisp and clean as they were...

after searching for a cheap collection of vintage slate chalk boards for table numbers without too much luck i found these cheap little wood frames at michael's (like 59 cents) that were actually a better size to not overpower our water pitcher centerpieces as well. so i got myself some chalkboard paint and stain to age a bit and made my own...

i'm not sure if i've ever mentioned this to you guys before, but our old landlord bequeathed the mother load of old ball jars, milk jars, and old medicine bottles to mike and i before she sold her house, she even gave them to us in a stack of amazing old wooden wine and milk crates. needless to say they will be a part of our decor. we decided to make a bunch of the old jars into candles (fearing that tea lights might not last all night and not wanting to mess with rocks or sand or any of that stuff to hold up the mini pillar candles) and the rest will be used as extra vases for the bars, cake table, gift table etc...

with the help of my mother and sister we made almost 70 candles for the price of the bulk wax (and the hours of pouring and patience needed to tie off wicks without pulling of the bottom)

i have to admit some of the jars are so cool i couldn't bring myself to make candles out of them at first, but then i had a pep talk with myself, they've been sitting in our basement for well over a year, if we didn't use them for our wedding would they just sit there forever? i decided it was a good life for the pretties...and the really really fragile looking ones (or the ones that had formed bubbles in the glass) i saved to use as vases instead.

so things are trucking along, and it feels really good to have these crafts done and in boxes ready for transport rather than hanging out on the to-do list.

my fair wedding

ok, so i'm coming clean. while mike work's on sunday nights i have settled into a routine of doing homework while watching wedding shows. i feel like a bit of a closet drug addict, not wanting to admit it to the outside world - i even draw my shades so the neighbors can't see me indulging...but this week on my fair wedding david tutera designed a cowgirl wedding and the ceremony is fantastic inspiration for my own wedding. well, maybe not inspiration, lets face it i'm counting down the weeks not months now so there won't be too many changes, but last week when we took a trip to the farm where our celebration will be we found a seating option that really excited us.

originally we thought we'd rent one set of garden chairs to be used for the ceremony and reception with the caterers redressing while the cocktail hour happened. well, when we visited last week we noticed that Jon and Randy have countless old beat up farm benches, big enough to fit between 6 and 10 guests on each. if we use these in conjunction with some of the other mismatched antique furniture that already lives in the barn it could be a very cute ceremony seating set up, the benches almost like pews, and a lot less work (and worry, i've been stressing about making sure all of the chairs are moved in a timely manner.) so what does this have to do with this wedding tv? well, a similar effect was created for this wedding and i think it looks just darling..that's all! a clip from the venue below shows off some of the set up.

wild flower wedding

so. i met with a florist today. as much as i felt pushed into hiring a pro by a mother that simply had no faith that i could do it myself and really just didnt want to help, i am so relieved i did. i LOOOVE him.

keith of floral concepts in ogunquit maine not only totally understands my vision, he added some great elements, endless ideas, and is even letting me go with him to the flower market before the event to pick out the flowers together. i mean, for a girl that really wants to DIY but doesnt want a melt down on her wedding morning over table arrangements i dont know if it gets much better, someone is taking charge yet i am still totally involved. it's a great feeling. i owe a lot to sue and her great florist experience for the ability to let go of a little control.

here is what i brought with me to help illustrate my vision. (I'm sorry I've been collecting for so long i have no idea where the images came from originally)

here are some of the great ideas keith threw out there:

- there is a local vendor that will fill my vintage ball jars and milk jars with wax and wicks in the color of my choosing so that i can add color with my candle light and have the jars be heavy enough to not have to deal with adding sand or stones - genius? it's basically custom candles

- edible flowers and herbs for centerpieces and the buffet table, and possibly the cake...mmmm chamomile

- a ceremony aisle sprinkled with fragrant orange marigold heads rather than rose petals

- birch trees wrapped with white light bound to the supports of the tent for atmosphere and light

i mean really.

(p.s. that's not my dress but it does look very very very similar)

...back to decorating

after a brief hiatus to let life happen i am back to wedding planning and am very excited about my last totally unnecessary (can we say shop therapy) decorative accent.

i've purchase a few lots of vintage hankies in oranges and yellows to add a punch of color under our vintage pewter water pitchers. we've chosen to go with plain ivory table linens and napkins to keep things simple and i had been debating a few different ideas to add some color or texture to the blank canvas and ground the centerpieces. after looking at different linen, burlap, and doily options i decided to go with these vintage floral hankies. i love the whimsy, the variety of patterns, the lack of sewing involved, and the overall feeling of vintage farm house which is what i hope comes through from our overall look. i thought they might be too girlie for mike but he totally approves (goes to show you no matter how well you think you know someone they can still surprise you.)

i bought more handkerchiefs than there are tables. i like the idea of having some extra to add as accents in other areas, to the bar, mason jar candles, bread baskets, and i don't even know yet...i also like the idea that i can send them home with some special friends or family as treats at the end of the night or take them home with me to make pillow covers or quilts (if i get adventurous and learn to use a sewing machine!) as useful momentos of the day.

love is a battlefield

maybe not, but why does wedding planning seem like a war sometimes? you win over one territory but before you have time to celebrate the opposition has stolen all of your provisions. at least that's how i'm feeling today. we're deep into the not so fun parts of planning at the moment, meaning we're working on the items that we need just to have the party function, but they aren't necessarily fun or pretty or personal items.

(images via Sperry)

today we finalized our tent decision, the long, arduous tent decision. this has been one of the biggest hurdles for us for a few reasons - the cost, the vendor, and the flooring. some of our original tent quotes were more than half of our entire wedding budget, and to add to it we need to pay to have a full floor installed (not on the top of my list, but a must have item for one of our parents, considering we're getting married in a field, women in heels, etc etc.)

"but we can't afford that" "well thats how much it costs" "but i'm the third of 3 to get married and i have a certain budget" "well it's going to cost more" "but we dont have more" "well thats what it costs"

this entire process has contributed to more than a few tears im ashamed to admit, and this conversation of we can't afford it but we have to pay it has happened on far too many occassions. eventually we found a vendor with an option in our price range, but the floor was either green rubber or carpet and INSANELY expensive and labor intensive (especially when considering forfeiting aesthetics.)

(images via Sperry)

to our delight planning a wedding at the same time as my future sister in law has worked to our advantage in a big way. after putting them in the not-in-our-wildest-dreams pile Sperry Tent contacted us to let us know that they would like to do our wedding and keep it in the family (since they are doing the other wedding) and that they would make it work for us and our budgetary constraints. with some cross family support and the help of the amazing staff at Sperry we will be having a gorgeous sail cloth tent with a full floor at our wedding. though i'd love to go alfresco - these tents really are gorgeous, the poles are an elegant teak, and the light in the sails really glow when the sun goes down.

success? yes. then whats the problem?

well,in working through this item the topic of restrooms came up.we have reserved 2 'executive portapottys' (portapotties with running water) for what we feel is a bargain, an essential, and something we know we need to have. a few hundred bucks for 2 and we put it in our past - so we thought.

now our decision is being challenged in favor of a bathroom trailer with electricity but for an extra almost $1500. can it really be worth it? what do you ladies think? i dont know if we can find the money for it in the first place, but even if we could - doesnt that seem like a lot for a potty? or is it worth it to make sure our guests are comfortable through out the event? i keep thinking my friends won't care, but will my grandma? i hate to admit it but she might.

winter wedding inspiration from NYC

i just posted about holiday window displays on my other blog, twoifbysee, and i couldn't help but think there might be some winter brides out there that would find these Lord and Taylor decorations drool worthy. can you imagine a winter- woodland- white wedding? i usually not interested in crystal or bling of any kind but i think this is just beautiful.

make your own holiday

splitting up the holidays is one of the hardest things about being in a relationship and starting a "new" family. since mike and i have moved home (back to boston from LA) we thought it would make our divvying up of the holidays easier since most of the family is within a few hours of each other, but it really hasn't and i think this is something we all have to adjust to. Between us there are three sets of parents (one set in california) and on top of that siblings with husbands, wives ,and children, with their own balancing act going on to help dictate who will be where when.

lucky for us my family celebrates christmas on christmas eve (a remnant from my parents' generation balancing act getting us kids to both grandmothers on christmas day) so it frees up christmas day for visiting mike's family. the wrench? the years in california. in the past i've been a brat about it and flown by myself on christmas morning to meet mike at his mom's so i can still have my family christmas, but i know that can't last forever, it breaks up the newest family, ours - and i think sets a bad president for when our children come. Trading off years is only fair to everyone, ( though i may not always be mature enough to see it!)

another issue we have been dealing with is that we miss hosting a holiday tradition. when we lived in LA i used to throw a big thanksgiving party for all of our misfit friends - and i loved it! we're entertainers and we miss it!

this year we decided to start a new tradition of our own to get all of the families together and to have a chance to host the event, by throwing a pre-christmas party. this saturday we are having both full families over (plus a few close friends) and we're really excited about it. we also just learned that my brother and sister-in-law will be spending christmas with her family this year which makes the idea of us all being together this weekend that much nicer. the tree is up, the egg nog has been purchased and the chex mix is in the oven as we speak - it's really starting to feel like the holidays in our little home.

how have you all been doing with the family holiday shuffle? have you found yourself having a hard time sharing or letting go of past traditions? have you started any new traditions of your own?

flower trials

yesterday my sister, mother and i played with flowers from Blooms by the Box, 1 - to check out the quality of the product from Blooms by the Box, 2 - to do a trial, make sure we're up for doing the flowers ourselves and happy with the results, and 3 - to gauge how much we will need to order come the big day. (did i really just write a numbered list to introduce a post about flower arranging?)

well, i think this photo (hopefully) shows that the flowers were beautiful, and even prettier today than yesterday.

all in all it was a successful trial. we discovered that we don't love the tone of orange mum that we got, (good to know,) now to decide if we use less orange all together or find a replacement. I always liked the idea of orange ranunculus but i'm not sure if it will be in season, i think it might be a nice contrast to the texture of the mums.

we also discovered that we love the spider mums, while the football mums are rich and dense and amazing - they are almost too preppy for the farm-rustic-hand-tied feel i'm going for. using a combination of sizes and textures really worked the best - i really loved the contrast between he standard pom poms and one or two giant spider mums.

(trial bouquet)

the one comment from both my mom, and mike - was that they feel they are a little plain. I am going for simple and rustic and earthy but not exactly plain. I'm thinking of adding in some willow stems for a contrasting texture and have been looking at (said) ranunculus, maybe some little orange roses -i'm even thinking about some acorns to be a contrasting texture. what do you think?

(trial center piece in one of the vintage silver pitchers)

though it's not done yet, i have to say i'm excited to see the vision start to materialize!

any tips, pointers, and suggestions are of course welcome and appreciated!

window shopping inspiration

while i braved the mall crowds with my mom this weekend (the goal to find her a dress for our wedding) i couldn't help but be drawn into the Anthropology storefront. yes, i do love poking around in anthropology regardless, and their window displays are always amazing, but in my wedding planning state of mind i was totally wowed by what looked like Martha Stewart tissue paper pom poms on steroids.

i talked to one of the sales clerks and she explained that the artist built a wire armature of sorts and then proceeded to attach the pom poms, made of different weights of paper and plastic trash bags - (yes plastic bags!) to the mold with wires. she also mentioned that the idea is for the sculpture to continue to grow into the store and outside of the storefront into the mall itself. so cool. I thought this would be a great way to incorporate the pom pom concept into your wedding in a slightly different way. wouldn't a wall of this amazing texture be a great ceremony backdrop? or photobooth backdrop?

I was also pleasantly surprised to see this fun take on vintage keys as decorations (looks like my escort cards, doesn't it?!) it made me so excited about the possibilities of my final key card product, so cute.

location location location

i thought i'd share a bit about the place where mike and i are getting married to help fill out the big picture of our day.

we're having the wedding at mike's uncles' home, an historic farm in wells, maine-once the oliver west farm. the wedding will be in the yard somewhere close to the house, cocktails in the barn and reception in a tent by the pond. (lawn games and bon fire in various places!)

(pond just beyond the stone wall)

every august a big hoedown is held at the farm (see photos), the decor is a little different then what we'll have - but really - not too far off. mike's uncle is an antique dealer and the barn is full of eclectic treasures and nooks with seating areas full of vintage furniture. really it's a dream to me, i couldnt pay thousands of dollars and get anything more perfect for my wedding.
i have to admit, as much as i am in love with this location i was a little torn at first. the wedding won't be on my family's "turf" and i thought that might hurt my parents' feelings but as soon as we took them up to see it my father looked at me and said, "oh belles, it's perfect" and that's all it took. i was so happy to see they saw why i loved the place, and that it had nothing to do with turf or his side or my side, just that it's a beautiful place and the perfect place for OUR celebration.

color inspiration - the starting point

at some point last year i stumbled upon this look book from denim brand current/elliot and fell in love with the washed out denim, sun burnt weeds and faded blacktop pallet.

when we first began talking about having a fall wedding at the farm in Maine i had visions of flowy hippie gowns, yellowed grass, and baby's breath and queen ann's lace as far as the eye could see. I've since tweaked my vision, but i do still wish i could pop into the world of these images and hang out for an afternoon.

key to your heart?

or maybe it's more like the key to a happy marriage. ever since i saw this beautiful rustic barn wedding featured on 100 layer cake i have known that i wanted to steal the vintage key/escort card idea for our own rustic maine barn wedding. Mike came into the room this afternoon with a puzzled look on his face and a 20lb bag of keys that i won on ebay. here are some of my favorites.

everything from vegas motel room key to roller skate key is accounted for in the lot - we're already having a fun matching up the special keys with their wedding guest counterpart.
thanks to 100 layer cake for the inspiration!