french paper: breakin' my heart

As I have hinted, we are designing our own invitations. They will be done and mailed out next week! Designing your own invitations is easy and fun if you know your way around a photoshop (if you don't, ask a friend who does as a wedding present to you...totally worth it!) You get to decide absolutely everything...and you get to pick the paper.

My love of paper could be considered...excessive. I've spent hours looking at paper. And my very very favorite place is French Paper. Their website is beautiful, it's easy to find what you want, and it's really not that expensive for fancy-pants paper. They divide their site sort of by the mood of the paper, and my favorite section is the dur-o-tone paper: "rugged, hard working sheets." This is where the kraft paper is, that dark brown speckled paper they use to wrap packages and we use to make patterns in the costume shop. We have decided to go with this kind of paper, mostly because it is cheap and goes really nicely with the vaudvillian aspect (our wedding invitations have a vaudvillian/circus theme. That's normal, right?) If we hadn't chosen to go with kraft paper, I was lusting after the dur-o-tone butcher orange, which is smoky and warm and makes me go all fluttery, and can be seen to the left.
It's basically just orange kraft paper, and we wanted to get the invites printed before they would be able to get our paper to us, and it just didn't end up working out. So we're going with kraft, which means yes, our invitations are brown and industrial looking, and yes, I'm okay with that, in fact I think they look pretty boss.

But that is not the heartbreak--the pain is in the fact that french paper offers envelopes in the beloved orange butcher paper, but they only offer them in A6 and A7--which, to those of you not obsessed with paper and wedding invitations, are not big enough to hold the half sheet invitations we have designed. So no pretty orange envelopes for me.

But I think we need color in the envelope because the kraft paper is so stark, so I'm searching out some rare A8 envelopes that will have punch and pizzazz and still be here by the beginning of next week.

Impossible you say? Maybe, but I have to try!

At the moment the only orange options I am finding are BRIGHT orange. Heinous orange. Astrobright orange. It's not pretty. But as soon as I find our envelopes, we will have these suckas OUT the DOOR, and I can post more about our process.

dress fitted, mind changed, f bombs dropped

This post is FULL of profanity. I apologize.

I know I've been absent. Ironically enough, if you are actually doing wedding stuff, or your wedding is rapidly approaching (fifty seven days....shit) then you don't have time to blog about your wedding, what you've been planning, or how it's rapidly approaching.


But you all keep me accountable so...let's blog this thing.


First of all, I had a second Hastings super wedding weekend. This weekend was significantly less fun than the last weekend, mostly because people either reminded me at how far behind I am at this wedding thing (thanks) or made the wedding planning harder in various ways (again, appreciated) but I'm not going to let this get me down. I am a wedding planning machine, motherfuckers. You do not want to mess with this engaged lady. I have shit I need to do.
That is another reason why it took me so long to post.
But I digress. Obvs.

I had a dress fitting. Yay! I can't post pictures on here because I want to keep that at least SLIGHTLY under wraps, at least from Greg, but I can show you my face when I first put my dress on:
That is a look of joy and a deep love for pretty things that now belong to me.

Once I got over the initial giddiness of being in my Wedding Dress, I saw myself in the big mirror and it was...interesting. I love my dress, still. I just had one of those little diva moments when I looked at myself in a dress that was actually mine and freaked out a little when it didn't look like the dress I had tried on before...probably because this one was probably three sizes bigger. I needed a bigger dress because I am a big girl on top (not just big busted, but big waisted and big ribbed) but I'm pretty small in the hip area, so what had previously looked like a modified mermaid now looked like a big off-white tube and I was. Not. Happy. However once they got me all pinned up I was happily back into mermaid territory and that crisis was averted.

That crisis. Then we go to my hair piece. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.
See those under eye circles? Those weren't there before they put that thing on my head. But it is very pretty, I will give you that.

So let's just break it down for a moment: I am with the design camp that is currently very popular that loves little birds and branches and leaves and deer and etc etc etc. So when we first went to the shop, in May, and I saw a pretty little headband that looked like the branch of a very sparkly tree that wrapped around the head, I thought "ooooooh pretty."
My sister also thought "ooooooh pretty" and I tried it on. We decided to order it as well when we ordered my dress. And then we drove away.
And the moment we drove away from the store I thought...do I want that headband, really?
And then I fretted over the damn thing for like four months.
First of all, they didn't let me take a picture of it, or give me the item number, so I was going strictly from memory about how the thing actually looked, which made trying to find co-ordinating jewelry a bitch. It was also gold, which made silver jewelry pretty much a no go. And it's very sparkly, which could lead to overkill of bling. It also eliminated the addition of feathers to my hair for the reception, which I had been toying around with and had really liked the idea. Also I worried about my hair, and how it would affect that.
'So I will say I was a little apprehensive. I thought that once I saw it and could try it on again things would get better. They didn't.
Look how happy I am. Oh no wait...this is my "flipping out on the inside" face. There were some issues with the headband.

First of all they didn't order me a head piece, they pulled it off the shelf. I am fine with sample items, but this one had been a-bused and was showing the wear and tear, and they had charged us full price. Some of the leaves and sparklies were hanging on by strings of hot glue. So that made me less than happy. Secondly, whenever it touched my hair it became instantly tangled, which would make it impossible to adjust any part of my hair style on the wedding day.

Finally I just didn't like the way it made me look. I couldn't make myself like it.

But I didn't let on that it wasn't working, because that's just not my style. I didn't want to disappoint my mom and sister, who had helped me pick it out. I didn't want the very nice ladies at the Bridal Isle to think I was being a diva bitch. I didn't want to put anyone out. Usually at this point I swallow my misgivings and just take one for the team.

Then I looked at myself in the mirror and thought "But it's MY WEDDING."

And that kicked it. I took the headband off. I found myself a big pair of earrings and I put them on and I said, this is what looks good on me. Big ass earrings. And everyone agreed. Even the lady who was supposed to sell me the hundred dollar headband.

But of course I'm still a pussy, so I was going to take the headband anyway, but my AMAZING SISTER earned her Mrs OH status in about five minutes by forcing me to speak up and getting them to give us a refund. I love that bitch sometimes.

So I guess the moral of this story is, in a world where the word "bridezilla" is thrown around a lot, sometimes you have to say "It's my special day, motherfucker! And I'm gonna do what I want!" As long as you say that part quietly to yourself. Outloud you say, "Excuse me? I don't think this is going to work out" and just say "motherfucker" with your eyes. It'll get you far, and it'll save you a hundred bucks.


SOooooo, any suggestions for huge ass earrings? My ears are now available.

couture for your butt

I know that like every wedding blog in existence has covered something like this, but I wanted to post something and I think this is very interesting...but that might just be because I'm a sewing nerd.
You may have seen this on CNN or even Boing Boing last spring--I, of course, read about it on the wedding blogs because it occupies my life--but the dress above is made of toilet paper. It is surprisingly gorgeous, given the fact that paper makes a lousy fabric (I know from experience--my patterning final was a wedding dress made out of overnight envelopes and bubble wrap...I called it the "mail order bride" and it gave me a ulcer the size of a mango)

Anyhoo, everyone oohed and ahhhed over it but...I'm kinda bummed that this dress got so much coverage. Because as beautiful as it is, lots of toilet paper dresses exist out there and many of the lesser known ones aren't impressive for dresses made of toilet paper...they are impressive period, and I kinda wish they were really fabric and really on my body.

The winner of the cheap chic toilet paper dress contest this year, a surprisingly fitting mermaid:

Impressive, but not so much as the same site's 2006 second place
(she was totally robbed, obvs)

Yeah, these are pretty. The people who entered these contests are INCREDIBLY talented.

But Cashmere toilet paper doesn't have "contests" with people at home making tp dresses...they hire designers to make dresses out of toilet paper. Obviously some high quality tp--it's called cashmere, like the overpriced sweaters, only it's paper, and it's for your butt--oh, no wait, this is just Cottonelle but in Canada. Silly Canadians. But you got to admit THESE ARE SOME GODDAMN BEAUTIFUL DRESSES.





Toilet paper. That is TOILET PAPER.
The above are from designers, but apparently they also held a scholarship contest for design students in Montreal and Toronto, which blogger won't let me share, but they can be gawked at here.

I just wanted to share, to spread the flabbergasting around.

DRESS FITTING

My dress is in!

I was hoping when we planned our trip back to the homesteads that it would somehow magically coincide with my dress's arrival and it TOTALLY WORKED! All my crazy wishes are now justified and going to come true, I just know it (so I look forward to Jesse Thorne attending my wedding).

One funny thing though--when I called to make the appointment for my fitting, the call ended with the woman saying "Don't forget to bring your shoooooes!" in the exact same words, tone, and inflection my mother uses every time we have talked about my fitting.

Weird.

squirrel lust

Weird title but I'm going with it.
I want this ring box in a bad way. Look at how adorable he is with his little squirrely face and his little acorn that could hold my ring while I'm sleeping or showering or whatever. Or, I suppose, make that "my ringS" because I will eventually have two. Okay, make that "OUR ringS" because Greg will have one too. See! That totally makes that an essential purchase...the $120 price tag is REALLY only $40 per ring...right? Right?

Damn you Jonathan Adler.

flower girl dresses: always adorable

It is so much easier to find a flower girl dress than a wedding dress. One, toddlers look adorable in pretty much everything. I mean, how could this girl NOT be cute?
And two, let's be honest, it's a lot easier to find a dress that fits a little stick like Keira than a big lumpy mess of curves like yours truly. Not that I'm complaining--but still, fittings are a lot less complicated when your measurements are the same from your shoulders to your knees.

And, as with most things, my pre-conceived notions about what I wanted her dress to be were wrong. This is why we try stuff on people. To learn that we are wrong.

Originally I wanted Keira to wear a tutu. I thought a huge orange and purple tutu with a little cardigan would be so cute and very Halloween-tastic. And I'm not wrong about girls in tutus being adorable. It's a well document fact.
From etsy seller Kennedy and Friends Co.

Of course, I just planned to make my own tutu because if you know how to sew they are ridiculously easy. I just needed to get my hands on our adorable flower girl, Greg's neice Keira, and get some measurements. Then I decided it might be a good idea before I make the thing to try a tutu on her to make sure I got the proportions right, because she is a leggy little kid for a two year old. So today when we needed to babysit for a few hours I just did my babysitting at the mall, and specifically in the toddler section of Von Maur and boy, did I learn a few things.

Keira does NOT like tutus.

I think it had something to do with it being hard to walk. She put it on and just refused to move. And with really young flower girls, it's pretty hard to get them to do the job anyway without adding complete disdain for their outfit. So I realized tutus would be out (it was cute though, wasn't it, while it lasted?)

So we started looking at more traditional flower girl dresses. They were cute (everything is cute! All tiny dresses are cute!) but nothing really popped. They were also much more expensive than their colored counterparts...probably because they could be used for weddings and are therefor marked up beyond reason. Huzzah for the wedding industry! That's okay though because I like the brown versions better anyway. They have the maximum re-wearable factor and will sweetly match her dad (who is a groomsman).
I really loved the shape of this one on her, and she loved the bow, but I'm hesitant to introduce pink into our color scheme.
POLKA DOTS YOU GUYS. I love polka dots, I really do. It also has a lot of white in it and with a little white cardigan I think it will be super wedding appropriate. (Piggie will hopefully not be present)

So...what happened to DIY project #357, making the flower girl dress? I had discovered the style and color that worked best for her, I could easily go buy a pattern and whip one up in no time. Well, taking the tiny one to a store to try on dresses taught me that children are fickle, and no matter how cute of an outfit I plan, there is a high possibility she will refuse to wear it. I'm willing to have her refuse a $20 dress. (Yeah, I know! Twenty bucks! Awesome) I am very unwilling to go through the hassle of making a garment and having it tossed away...I don't accept that from grown up actresses I costume and I won't be pleased with it on the most stressful day of my life. So I went the easy way out. I bought a dress. If she decides to wear her Halloween costume instead, meh, who cares, right?

I told Keira she looked pretty and she said "Yeah." I told her I liked the dress and she said " 'kay." I told her we were going to get it and she said "Nooooo! Too big!"

Of course she was right. Silly us. Thanks Keira.
She likes it, I swear. She told me so. That face is really damn adorable, though.

(BTW, People talk alot about how the sizing system for wedding dresses is bust, but have you seen the sizes on toddler wear? We had to decide between "24 months" and "2T"...what's the difference? That's the same amount of time! It's the white/ivory/creme debate all over again)

I may get a little fancy and make her a purple and orange petticoat to go under it, but at the moment I am fine with just letting this one go.

unofficial sponsorship: etsy

Um...this is not a post really so much as a bunch of random thoughts and a deep love of the internets. Sorry. Real stuff to come, I promise! (Always with the promises, this one...)

I know that I've joked before about how this wedding is brought to you by Target (and really, if they wanted a corporate sponsorship, I would be willing...give me a call Big T, if you're interested!) but really, a very large amount of it is being brought to you by etsy.

If you couldn't tell from like every post ever. I mention them often.

I don't remember how I found this wonderful online flea market, but brother do I ever love it. Almost all the jewelry options I've given my 'maids or considered for myself are from etsy. Most of the birdcage veils I have bookmarked are from etsy. The amazing shrugs (which I must must must do a post about) that I am considering buying or (cough) "recreating on my own"...yeah, they're from etsy.

Also most of the rad christmas/birthday presents you have received from me in the last two years are from etsy.

My most recent etsy purchase was some fabric for our guestbook area...which I think I'm going to try to keep semi-secret for at least a little while longer. But here it is anyway...isn't it sweet?

My mind races with projects to use it for AFTER the wedding. It's actually a bit softer in person, but I think it will work well for our purposes. From fresh squeezed fabrics...I want all the fabric she has to offer.

And just as an update...my bridesmaids are amazing. They are constantly abuzz with planning and I could not be more thankful for them. They're more on the ball than me in many ways...planning their hair appointments, showers, many of them have their jewelry and I myself do not.

And just as another testiment to the POWER OF THE ETSY, my sister 'maid searched out and customed ordered her jewelry before my butt could even make the suggestions...and it is phenomenal!

from KristieGK. I've heard they're even better in person! The other girls are finding jewelry and shoes and I'm just...very...very...happy.

No, not just happy. I'm...excited?


OKAY GUYS I'M OFFICIALLY STARTING TO GET EXCITED!


Let's get married!

sexyback

It's time for another edition of If I Were Having A Different Wedding!

This episode is devoted to The Backdrop or "Cascade" Necklace.
A backdrop necklace is traditionally pretty short and simple in the front with a long chain of beads or pearls hanging down the back of the neck. It's simple yet dramatic and just an incredibly sexy piece of jewelry. I love them.
I could rock one of these at my wedding, but I don't think it would look as good with my "look" as that of more modern brides. Better with a backless dress, or maybe something sheath-like (neither of which would work on my body).So I can't rock them myself...but maybe certain bridesmaids with recently shortened hair would like them...perhaps.

These pretty, dramatic necklaces are from etsy seller Cathy5591.
Many more options can be found by searching for "cascade necklace" or "backdrop necklace" in all colors and prices...so you know, if you often wear open backed clothes, you could just pick one up for every day prettiness.

pointless longing: earrings

I don't really have a hundred bucks to drop on earrings at the moment, but oh, oh if I did, I would order these in an instant. from here.

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!