bridesmaid jewelry II: matching the dress

For those of you who wondered why I wasn't posting, allow me to continue present the massive research for bridesmaid jewelry. It is divided into sections, section one focusing on clear beads to match their hand-made bracelets, and this one to focus on beads that will match their dresses.

The dresses are purple and orange. Girls who are really into wedding color coordination can wear jewelry that matches their dress or they could wear the opposite color to show how sassy they are. And these are very pretty, vivid colors. Who wouldn't want orange and purple jewelry for their everyday life?

Now, most of these options are purple, but plenty of orange exists in the world, as well as ambers and warm rich yellows, any of which would look fantastic. If you find a style you like on etsy, lots of times they can re-create it in a color of your choosing. All of these are just suggestions of course. I have nothing but faith in these girls. Their style is immaculate.


from clopezdesigns

from a finishing touch

with matching earrings:
from fishers and reeth

from a finishing touch
from a finishing touch

from jenny trinh (yes, these are blue, but she says they're available in more colors, including deep purples and oranges and yellows)
from jenny trinh

from opheliax

from holly gems
(oh look! They come in purple as well! Perhaps the purple clusters would look a little too "grape-like" for some, but again, I think they're adorable and I lust after them)

Once again all jewelry found by etsy, the world of crafty art.

Up next, matching the theme!

bridesmaid jewelry I: matching the bracelet

This post goes out to my ladies! And anyone who might care about jewelry for my ladies! And people who like jewelry, who are probably ladies or open minded dudes!

And it is massive. I apologize. So massive that I'm splitting it into sections to save your poor, poor minds.

I am incredibly open to jewelry, the same as I am to shoes--wear what makes you feel pretty and comfortable! There are a couple of different ways they can go.

One, they can match the bracelets that my mom and I are making. I don't have pictures (yet) but they're made with clear crystal beads that are flat and long and the setting is silver. Any clear beads would probably look nice with them. Clear beads are also the most matchable (they match everything! They're clear!) and the most re-wearable (they match everything! They're clear!)

A great option for those of us who want lots of sparkle without going overboard.

from featherings

from emmommy

from shy siren (one of my favorites--I think these would match the bracelets perfectly)

from fischersandreeth

from lulidesigns

from carmen monique

from white iris studio

from kristen friesen

from ana ramon

from tztudio (another one of my favorites...so delicate and pretty!)

from handwired

from opheliax

from holly gems (adorable, fun and flirty, and not too terribly fancy. I just want these earrings for my life, if not my wedding.)

All earrings ever brought to you by etsy, the world of crafty art.

Up next, matching the dress!

the name debate

Finally, some Hallowedding news! I know, you missed us. We haven't been updating because there has been little/no advancement in wedding planning. Well, a lot of talk and debate but no action. Until about this week, when suddenly, BAM! big decisions were made.

One, we found a VENUE! I know, it’s seven months before the wedding. The Knot has assumed I’ve had this done for months. But as we have said, we were sticklers for having amazing food be an option, and a lot of places just were not cutting it. Also we are terrible, awful procrastinators. So there will be an extended post very soon about that.

But now, let's talk about names.

I've thought about this last name business for a long time people, because let's just be honest here--I've been planning to marry Greg for like five years. Before we were officially dating even. I wasn’t writing “Mrs. Harries” in my underpants or anything, but I kind of assumed I would adopt his last name. I even had a moment of incredible sadness when I realized that I had to give up the name I had always planned for my daughter--Izzy--because then I would have a child named Izzy Harries...which sort of sounds like the question "Is he hairy?" and given my genetic disposition for peach fuzz I just didn't want that for my potential children.

But then, I think last year sometime, or even the year before, people started referring to Greg and I as The Jacksies (a hybrid of our last names). I grew incredibly fond of it. I'm a fan of hybridization in all areas of life and it seemed to really go with our marriage philosophy. As much as we love our families and our heritage, we want our last name to sort of showcase our relationship as a joining of our lives up until this point into something comepletely new. Also, Greg is sick of being called "Harris." And I am sick of that damn Outkast song.

Fuck those guys.
So for a while, our plan was to be The Jacksies.
Then we actually got engaged. And when you get engaged, those cutesie little plans for what you're going to do start to gain actual significance. Greg thought about it, and he decided "Jacksies" was a little too cutesy sounding. He suggested "Harkson." I thought Harkson sounded like a WASP name, and told him so. Then he was searching Urban Dictionary one day at work and discovered that a "Jacksie" was a cockney term for "ass."
That just wouldn't do. Damn cockneys!
So we talked and talked and talked. We debated. We fought. We polled our friends and families. We brainstormed completely new names--my personal favorites were alucarD (spelled exactly that way), Vector, or Velociraptor. (Even now, as we’ve found a solution, I'm still pretty fond of Velociraptor.)
But tonight, at rehearsal, on a whim, I labeled my waterbottle as "jaxies"...and Greg. Went. Crazy. He's all for it. The 'X' fixes the cutesy problem and I still get my totally cute name. And being a homonym for cockney ass is not quite as bad as being cockney ass. Our friend Sean suggested "Jaxeez" to up our scrabble potential but we kindly turned him down.

So what do you think? It's a little pretentious but meh, so are we.

So as of this moment, assuming we still think it’s acceptable after sleeping on it for a night (or a month), Shannon Jackson will marry Greg Harries and they will become Greg and Shannon Jaxies.



We’re such nerds. We’re gonna be sooooo happy.

inspired yet?

Okay, this is NOT an inspiration board...this is just something I made up in about five minutes with sloppy Photoshop (sorry Paul, I know it's embarrassing) just to see if I could live with tan suits in my life...erm, I mean wedding. Because My Wedding Is Not My Life. It is a small, small part of my life. A small part of my life that could actually look SUPER cute.
I think you're all right. Tan suits will fix the "too much brown!" problem. But tan suits really mean my dress has to be super casual. Hm. Need to go dress shopping.
(Brown dress by J.Crew, shrug by Newport News [with an orange photoshop filter], wedding dress by -sigh- Stephanie James, suit by Men's Wearhouse)

location shmocation

I have been engaged for almost a month now, but of course since I sort of knew it was coming, and since it's under a year away, on a holiday, I've got a lot of stuff planned out and about six hundred "inspiration" bookmarks on my browser (I haven't counted, but I will later...when I'm not blogging at work...whoops) so I always think, Shannon, you are in a pretty good place on this wedding. I have very strong ideas for my dress, the bridesmaid dresses, the center pieces, we know who's going to marry us and who's in our wedding party. I've emailed about a hundred thousand dress salons looking for certain dresses (with no luck...and it turns out one of my favorites is getting discontinued so, you know, that sucks) and asked two of the bridesmaids to consider crocheting shawls for the bridal party...man! Progress, right?
But of course, there is something I haven't really put a ton of research into yet. And that thing is at the top of all the checklists I see, and it's what everyone asks about, and everyone who has ever planned a wedding says I NEED TO DECIDE ON SOON, and that is the venue.
But, but, but, venues aren't sparkly! Or made of white organza! That stuff is boring and expensive. But dangit, it will affect all our other decisions, it's going to be a HUGE chunk of our budget, and well, we're getting married on a party holiday so we need to get on this.

Another thing we have to consider is whether to have the reception and the ceremony at the same place, since neither of us are tied to a church in Omaha. It would be almost double the money to rent two places but since we're giving a break in the middle it feels weird to have them come back to the same building...I don't know. Any opinions?

First of all, there is the UNO Alumni center
We are getting married on a Friday and that makes this place CHEAP. It's where the VachaPittacks got married and where Vince and Sarah will be getting married. Greg really likes this option because it will be close to the theatre makeup rooms, which will be great when we go off to do our bridal zombie makeup (it'll be classy, Mom, I promise) It also has some prime trick or treating locals around it. But I have my doubts about this place, because one, it's the alumni center for our university, and I worry that it will make us seem kind of like little kids...and since we'll "only" be 23 when we get married, and we're going to have kind of a campy wedding, I want us to SEEM as mature as possible. Also, it will be only about two blocks from the UNO dorms, where about seven hundred students will be drunkenly celebrating Halloween as well, and I worry about noise and shenanigans. And they only give you one choice for caterers, which upsets me both as a controlling person and as someone who REALLY likes food.

But if we wanted to go SUPER expensive, there's always the Joslyn
How very metropolitan would it be for us to get married in an art museum? And the event pictures are beyond gorgeous. Two different pretty places, one for ceremony and one for the reception? Mayyyybe? But yes, it is super expensive. You would save a bunch of money other places, though, because who needs decorations when you have a fountain? Or an El Greco? But we kind of need decorations, don't we? It's Halloween. This is Hallowedding! It is also a lousy location for trick or treating. But still, oh, still, SO PRETTY. I've heard you can rent out the castle too, which could be pretty spooky. Hmmm.

Oh, and the Livestock Exchange
I have heard tales that this part of town smells bad. I don't know the situation on local trick or treating. But Greg and I both like it because it looks like the tower of terror and that is very Halloween friendly. The inside is very pretty also, but again, only one catering company and slightly higher price tag. Also, apparently there are apartments within the building as well and I'm not so into that jive.

The Omaha Community Playhouse
We know a couple getting married at the playhouse, and they're renting it for INSANE cheap. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure October 31st would be a performance day for them, so it's out. But if anyone else is getting married when they're NOT having a show, look into it, it's lovely and there's lots of getting ready room. Maybe if we timed it right it could be a ceremony venue?

Durham Western Heritage Museum
I have never been inside this building, but I think Jen turned me onto it. The picture from the main page makes me want to consider it just for the breathtaking mood lighting--->















And finally we have the Scoular Ballroom
This is where the Bruce-Connealy wedding was and boy howdy, it was pretty. AND mature. AND it could be Halloweened OUT. And you have catering options, which is a big bonus for me. But it is also more expensive and also MASSIVE..I think Jen and Jon's wedding probably had a hundred more people at it than I plan to have at mine, and I don't want it to seem vast and empty.
But here is a picture of the set up of Jen's wedding from her facebook:That big black curtain in the back is a STAGE, you guys. Which appeals to the diva actor in me. And adds fun options for performance.
Oh, and while we are on the topic of Connealy's, can I just introduce you guys to JenBruce Connealy, Captain Wedding? This girl has sent me most of the links to these places and is an INVALUABLE source to all wedding planning...but she's not a wedding planner. She's just a girl who got married and rocked at it. And they're super cute, just look!I'm totally putting her in the program as Captain Wedding, you just see if I don't.