Over-rehearsed

Having the official one month countdown on the way, the nitty is starting to get very gritty to say the least. For the past 2 weeks, Mr. T and I have been going back and forth about what kind of dinner to have the day before the wedding. As we are having a registrar ceremony, there isn't going to be a formal ceremony rehearsal scheduled and we will be blitzing on flowers and decorations for as long as possible so it seems a luxury to allow ourselves (gasp) a sit-down meal.

My mother-in-law-to-be was lovely and offered to set up a backyard casserole dinner that evening, but I had real reservations about this. I was A) aware that we were lumping her with a wedding hangover BBQ on the Sunday after all the festivities, B) also aware that I would then NEVER LEAVE wedding HQ for any kind of break, C) concerned that, as lovely and wonderful as I find my MILTB, she does get easily stressed about things going smoothly, and D) having a slightly nostalgic feeling for the Chinese restaurant rehearsal dinners I've been to in the past. Mr. T was worried about the money and organising space for 30 people issues and very pro the 'mum' route, a perspective I can relate to. The back and forth has made me feel a bit like this, to be honest:

Finally, I've decided to put my foot down on this one and have an evening out with close friends and family before the big day. Mr. T is a superstar and is taking on all the arranging (bargain!) We are unable to fund the whole shebang, but are hoping that getting a fixed-price menu option for people and individual payment for drinks at the bar, this will be a reasonable option for those coming. Otherwise, I think it will be a pizza night!

On a related topic, how good an idea is a stress relief kit? I may be giving something like this to all my bestest gals!

That Sweet Sugar Rush

One of the featured trends for Spring '11 fashion collections has been ice cream colours (like these pieces from Michael Kors, Christopher Kane, Luella and Marios Schwab). These lovely pastel shades make the perfect palette for Spring weddings and can be painted into every aspect, from the dresses and reception decorations to flowers. Have a look at these sweet images!

The newest collection from Oscar de la Renta features these soft gauzy, delicate shades for a romantic effect.

This recent bride chose a light, dusky lavender as an alternative to the usual white dress.

The bridesmaids dresses can take on a stronger shade of the ice cream palette, giving a very fresh, eye-catching look to the wedding party.

Don't forget the groom's all-important tie!

Use peaches, pinks, light blues, light greens, pastel yellows and lavenders in you flowers. Often hydrangeas, avalanche roses, and hyacinth are good options in this color scheme.

When it comes to the reception scheme, create a creamy effect with a white background and the bright, fresh ice cream colors as highlights (like flowers, napkins, and stationary).

Candy stripes also create that ice cream parlor vibe.

For those of you that want to take it even further, create your own DIY Ice Cream Booth with this tutorial at Eat, Drink, Chic!

Most of all, savor the sweetness of your day!!

Up, up, and away

Having just re-watched the movie "UP!" recently (my top two hankie movie), I suddenly felt inspired by balloons. There is something about these floaty, bouncy objects that seems to fill people with instant child-like wonder. It made me interested in how these colorful lovelies may have floated into the wedding dreams of others.

What can make a happy occasion even happier? Balloons!

For further inspiration, read Graeme King's love poem, "Balloon".

Today I made: A NECKLACE!

Having received so much inspiration from all the diy brides out there, I decided to sit down and really get to work making a few bits and bobs for my own big day. Having found all of my great gran's old costume jewelry I had an "aha!" moment and decided to make my own accessories. The first piece is this multi-strand necklace. It was a bit of a challenge as I seem to be missing one of my small pliers, but overall it seems to have turned out pretty nice! Next on the list is the bracelet!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Heart and Art

Whilst Mr T and I benefit from having some budget for a wedding (thanks parents!), this couple really show that imagination and heart really matter on the day. Nothing beats what you make of it yourself! Will this be us soon?...

Photo pop

Having just chosen a photographer for our wedding, I have been looking into the different kinds of options out there. I honestly hadn't twigged the vast variety of categories of styles one can chose from.

photo courtesy of Henry Wells

The current favorite of many is reportage style. These photos are all about spontaneity and capturing moments as they happen. The good side of this is that your photographer may document things you would never have noticed in the haze of the day. The disadvantage is that you might have lots of pictures with your mouth hanging open. Not so great on a day that you are trying very, very hard to exude goddess-like glory.

photo courtesy of Shooting Hip

The next popular choice is what is called contemporary posed. These are spontaneously posed images taken from unexpected persepectives or with quirky details. The benefit is that you will still have images very personal to the day and yet memorable. The disadvantage is that the minute you start controlling and posing images, you lose some of the flavour of the life going on around you. These will also be limited by the spontaneous creativity of yourselves and the photographer.

photo courtesy of Blink Photography

The traditional choice is formal style with all photos thought out previously. This is great if you want pictures with big groups (like family) that need a bit of corralling and gets things done quickly.

photo courtesy of wedding aces

A big fave for many diy weddings are photobooth style pictures (especially since "Amelie" I rekon). These serve a dual purpose of providing quirky images of your guests and giving them some entertainment. The downside is that (obviously) the location for shots is limited to one.
Which would you go for?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

A thinly veiled remark...

Having just received notice that my dress has arrived (happy dance!) I am now asking myself the question of many brides, to veil or not to veil? I used to shrug off the idea of ever wearing a veil (or a wedding dress for that manner) but again, the minute you try on one of these things it's amazing how fun it is! (So swishy and twirly!) I also loved the look that this "Gator" bride went for (check out her amazing blog for all things wedding). So today I did a huge search on etsy to see what was out there. Here are my favs:

This one is from BridalAmbiance. I love the simple flowers around the edge. Not so sure about the poofy top to this, but it's different from the usual.

This one from veiledbeauty has a lovely delicate feel to it with the lace edging. I am definitely a fan of the single tiered look as well.

Birdcage veils seem to be everywhere now and this one from WeddingAisle would be perfect for that chic vintage look.

This one from FascinatingCreations is also featured in Mountain Bride's blog. It is just about what I might want, just missing a bit o' lace.

For those that want to do the Carrie Bradshaw thang, there's this one from heknowsmyname. Personally, I find the whole poofy blusher just a bit too Mrs. Havesham for my liking so I don't think this is the route I'll be taking. Which do you like?