Z's Wedding Blog

My new blog

2010-01-30T14:02:00.001-08:00

Now that the wedding is over I'm blogging over here instead. If you're interested check it out!

The Finished Product! (Part 2)

2009-10-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

That said, I wouldn't mind doing it for someone else! It is a job that encompasses everything I love!

The Finished Product!

2009-10-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

Well it's all over and I definitely learned a few things. Such as the planning gets less and less fun as you go along. That it's twice as much time, money and stress as you think it will be. That in the month or so before you'll just want it to be over, and a couple of things will absolutely go wrong. But I'm definitely happy with how it turned out, and even happier being married. Some photographic evidence of all my (our) hard work!

My new obsession: Smoons

2009-07-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered "Smoons" and I am OBSESSED. I found them at Malibu Market & Design (which by the way is amazing and really worth a visit, they also have a great location for cocktail parties and such at the very top of the property which I would love to use for my rehearsal dinner if it was a little cheaper).

Smoons are solar powered, can be used plugged in or cordless, are sensitive (you just touch them to turn them off) and waterproof, so you can just throw them in the pool. I think they are AMAZING, and I want at least 20 of them - except I believe they cost around $1,400 each!

I was hoping to be able to rent them, but I'm not having any luck so far in tracking down many U.S. retailers, let alone someone who would rent them, but how amazing would they be scattered around on the grass and under trees for my wedding?! Magical!!

I actually first became aware of them via a venue that I was interested for our wedding. They had smoons throughout the property, and it looked so great, as you can see from the photos below! I really wanted to have my wedding at this venue, but that's another story! I do by the way have the venue locked, in Malibu, did I forget to mention that? Yeah, a few weeks ago, and just in the nick of time!

By the way wouldn't that bougainvillea covered structure in the photo below have been perfect for us to get married under, surrounded by city lights? Not to mention easier and more convenient than Malibu? No regrets though right?!

Wedding Lighting

2009-07-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the rather awful scan, but I'm intrigued by this lighting and I need to find out how expensive something like this might be, and whether it would actually work at our venue. I had hoped to get away with tons of fairly lights, lanterns and candles, but apparently it gets pretty dark at our location and that may not cut it, so this could be an interesting option...

1st Dibs - more things I want!

2009-07-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

Absolutely swamped with wedding stuff, kind of un-fun right now, but I did find some time to browse 1st Dibs the other day, and thought I'd take a quick sec to post some of the items I'm lusting after!

LOVING this Chanel bracelet! $1,100:

This Pucci jumpsuit is amazing, $1,400:

These "ginko" earrings are from the 40's are lovely, $445:

This Traina "gauze summer evening dress" is so lovely, I would wear it tomorrow! $875:

This Chanel camellia cluster pin is gorgeous, $395:

This Pucci mini dress is adorable, $375:

White Birkin, insanely expensive at $17,500:

Lanvin 1970's Aztec print dress, $850:

Pearl & diamond earrings, price upon request:

Not my colors but I love this Geoffrey Beene 70's dress, $795:

Italian "Asian Goddess" Pendant with turquoise and coral, circa 1975, $8,500:

I love kimonos. I was tempted to have a white kimono like this as my wedding dress. John Paul Gaultier Black Silk Kimono, price upon request:

I LOVE these earrings. Har Egyptian Revival Earrings in gold, turquoise, ruby and pearl, from the 50's, sold:

I love Chanel costume jewelry, and the combination of gold and cobalt blue on this 80's necklace is stunning. $2,500:

Bridesmaid dress options

2009-07-03T11:32:00.001-07:00

So I am still spending lots of time thinking (stressing) about wedding attendants, and leaning towards no (having none or just one each). Andy is leaning towards yes (having 4-5). Uh oh. Easier for the boys side though isn't it? Boutonnières are inexpensive, no hair or make up to worry about. They can wear an existing suit or rent one, and if they do buy one there's a fairly good chance they'll wear it again. Girls, not so much. We have to work it out in the next few days.

In the meantime, I've been doing some searching and have finally found a few dress options that meet most or all of my key criteria (floor length, empire waist, chiffon, very simple and classic, and available in a variety of bright colors).

I'm told that Thread are very likely to be able to meet my deadline, and are reasonable, and they do have some options that would work including Jasmine, shown below in tea length but is available full length:

The Anessa Long from Jenny Yoo is cute, and does come in some nice bright colors, though I would skip the optional contrast charmeuse trim:

I did spend some time trying to find non-bridesmaid dress options, which led me to this perhaps risky option from Victoria's Secret. It's ultimately probably a little too casual, and is very likely to be ill-fitting, but it does come in some amazing colors (including "ultra teal" below) and it's cheap!

I really like Amsale's crinkle chiffon options, especially as my dress is also crinkle chiffon:

They have some lovely blues (see "ocean" and "pacific" above), as well as a hot pinks ("flamingo" or "rhubarb"), orange ("spice") and purple ("cerise"), so that's one color each for five maids, and I'd be happy to have my maids choose a style from three the below (well, I have mixed feelings about the halter option but I could deal):

This style is also Amsale but is not crinkle chiffon, and instead I guess is a kind of jersey? The neckline is similar to my dress, and I love how simple it is. Less color options, but I do like their "poppy" and "peacock" colors (hot pink and turquoise).

Yesterday I found these Jim Hjelm Occasions bridesmaid dresses that I really like too, also in chiffon. Their colors are a little more muted than I'd like but they have some that would work including "Hot Pink", "Caribbean", "Papaya", "Fuchsia" and "Turquoise". Not totally sold on the wrap version but the first two options are great:

These two options from Alix & Kelly are also interesting, although I'm not sure I love the two-tone effect:

Unfortunately all of these seem to be in the $350 - $400 range, and ordering now would incur a $50 or similar rush fee per dress, if they can be made in time at all. Why can't J Crew have more than one long bridesmaid dress option!?

Floating Carnation Test

2009-07-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

I had a feeling that the amazing florist who was working up an estimate for me was going to come back with an amount several times higher than my budget. And she did. About 5 x my budget. While I would love to spend lots of money on flowers (I really would, I am so into flowers that I still think about becoming a florist AT LEAST once a week!) it's just not in the cards for this wedding. And part of the reason I wanted to do a garden wedding was to avoid spending a ton on flowers.

So I may see if she wants to just work on the personal flowers instead and over the weekend I visited a local florist/ nursery in Malibu to see if they could order me carnations in bulk/ wholesale prices, which I could then make garlands out of of and scatter in the pool and on the lawn myself - enlisting friends and family to help of course which would save money and add to the feel I want of us really hosting this wedding and making it fun and collaborative.

The local florist was very helpful, and while I'm still waiting on a price, she did give me a great suggestion: do a flotation test first. She said sometimes when you see flowers floating in pools they're attached to leaves to ensure they'll float, and wouldn't it be awful to try it on the day and they all sink?

So I bought some hot pink carnations last night so I could do a test. The florist suggested pulling them open a bit so they were as wide as possible, and that turned out to be SUCH a great tip! I found that no matter what length you snip off the stem - really close or leaving on an inch or two - they float perfectly if you just pull them open a bit first.

See photos of my test below, I'm loving the combination of hot pink and turquoise!

Bridesmaid dress colors

2009-06-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

We still haven't decided if we're having a bridal party, even though we're only 9 weeks before the wedding. We've been going back and forth about it since day one. To me it just seems like a stress best avoided.

Unless I want more than 6 maids (and I really really don't want more than 6) I'm going to have to leave someone or even a few people out, so someone is going to end up hurt and/ or offended.

Plus, at this late stage, I'm going to incur a rush fee on the dresses, and I really hate the idea of choosing a dress for someone to wear to my wedding and making them pay for it, but I'm not sure I can take that cost on myself. Also, I've always wanted my maids to wear really simple spaghetti strap empire waist chiffon floor length dresses (with no shoes) and that's proving to be nearly impossible to find - well affordable versions anyway. Not to mention the added costs of getting bouquets for them all, and I guess thank you gifts too.

The one thing that makes the idea of maids very tempting is that when I was probably around 17, maybe even younger, I decided that if and when I got married, I would have each of my bridesmaids wear a different color, rather than having them all wear the same color. I even spent a considerable amount of time thinking about which friend should wear which color (although back in the day I imagined them in pastels, whereas these days I imagine them in brights).

I do really love the idea of being surrounded by my close friends, each wearing one of these bright colors below, which are also sort of our wedding colors. I'm just not sure I should let THAT be the reason we choose to do it!

We'll have to decide soon either way, we just can't make up our minds! Ultimately we may do what we pretty much said we would do from day one - he has his brother and I have my sister. Surely no one can be offended by that, but then, what color?? Might have to be a pattern instead!!

1st Dibs - things for the home

2009-06-27T15:04:00.001-07:00

Okay, so this is a little off topic, but I love browsing the furniture and other items on 1st Dibs too, so many gorgeous things!!

Demilune sectional velvet sofa (I am obsessed with velvet furniture!) circa 1950, $16,500 from Aero:

These are truly DIVINE. I want them. Bad. Opaline Barber/ Cologne bottles, circa 1930 by Portieux Vallerysthal, $600 for the pair from LA Moderne:

These are a little freaky, but amazing. Brass wire sconces, $6,205 for the pair, from Dana John:

We love mini-antlers like these, providing they are antiques, and this set is adorable and reasonably priced too. Decorative Horn Plaques, $145, Jefferson West Inc.:

I love porcelain glove molds, and have had them on my list list for a while now. These ones are circa 1920 and from Germany. Fairly reasonably priced at $100 for the set too, from Mary Ann Jones:

I had a faded sort of purple blue sofa exactly like this back home, wish I could afford to have it brought over here. This lime green version is lovely. Circa 1950's, $4,250 from Assemblage:

My Aunt (a set decorator with amazing taste) has a polar bear very similar to this but in marble, and I've lusted after it for years. This cast concrete version is also lovely though a little more rustic. It's from the 1940's - 50's and is $500 from Paul Marra Design:

This cradle is amazing, it's a limited edition Piero Fornasetti, 1999, and is $8,000 from Dragonettte Limited. I shouldn't say, but surely very easy/ cheap to copy, no?

I love the different shades of blue in this italian chandelier from the 30's. It's $2,400 from Fernworks Antiques:

I love geodes and these amethyst geode bookends are really lovely. Circa 1950, $700 from Fernwood Antiques:

Collection of colored seltzer bottles from Brazil, circa 1900, price upon request, from Voila: Art for the Modern Eye:

Stunning Flavio Poli for Seguso Sommerso Vase. 1950's, Italian, $2,200 from Modern One:

I LOVE these "sunburst" sconces. Italian, 1960's, $2,400 from Emmerson Troop Inc.:

I love lamps. If I had my way (and money was no object) I would have a house FULL of lamps. This one is Flavio Poli for Seguso Murano Lamps, Italian, from the 1950's, and is $5,500 (for the pair) from Downtown:

I first spotted this barnacle and glass sculpture almost a year ago and was quite fascinated by it. It's by Robert Hooper for the "House of Mermaid" in Laguna Beach. 1980's, $4,900 from Adesso:

This is my dream sofa. I love love LOVE this sofa. It's a 19th century English roll arm button-back Chesterfield sofa in red velvet. Price upon request from Yew Tree House:

This is a great spanish iron lantern. Apparently it was bought from the Hearst Estate in the 1950's by JW Bullock of Bullock Department stores in LA. In storage for 50 years then refurbished and rewired. Sold. From Outside Downtown:

Orrefors hand blown glass candleholders, circa 1960's, $1,400 from Rewire:

Gorgeous pair of glass sconces, Italian, 20th Century, $7,500 from Lucca Antiques:

Jewelry from 1st Dibs

2009-06-27T14:10:00.001-07:00

I love 1stdibs.com. I can, and do, browse it for hours and hours. I was having a bit of a browse the other day, and while I didn't find anything suitable for the wedding (and not that I could afford it if I did!) I did find some really stunning pieces.

Quartz, diamond and gold brooch from the 1960's, $4,650, from Primavera Gallery:

Boucheron London platinum diamond bracelet, 1940's, price upon request, from Frank Pollack & Sons:

Turquoise cabochon earrings from Valerie Danenberg, $1,800:

Gold and diamond tree brooch by Julius Cohen, $12,000:

Austro-Hungarian sapphire and diamond stag beetle brooch in silver and gold, circa 1890, $48,000, from A La Vieille Russie:

Foo Dog brooch in gold, diamonds, rubies and sapphires, circa 1950's, $5,000 from Dragonette:

Fouquet Art Deco turquoise, onyx and diamond brooch, circa 1928, A La Vieille Russie:

Diamond and emerald white gold cuff bracelet, later 19th century, $15,000 from Fourtane:

David Webb turquoise and gold bracelet and earclips, circa 1960, $16,500, Neil Marrs:

Seaman Schepps turquoise, amethyst and diamond earclips, sold, also from Neil Marrs:

Lapis Lazuli and diamond brooch, Italian, circa 1965, sold, from Neil Marrs:

Suzanne Belperron diamond clip earrings, circa 1935, price upon request from Neil Marrs:

Lapis lazuli, turquoise & diamond spray earclips from the 1960's, $4,500 from Neil Marrs:

David Webb coral and turquoise brooch with diamond, circa 1962-63, $13,500, Neil Marrs:

William de Lillo Maltese cross brooch or pendant, 1960's - 1970's, $1,850 from Douglas Rosin:

Yellow gold and diamond enamel cuff, circa 1960's, $25,000 from DK Bressler:

Gold and diamond ring, circa 1970, $4,600 from Kimberly Klosterman Jewelry:

Chanel diamond and cabochon emerald brooch, price upon request from Hollis Reh & Shariff:

Wedding venue - another update!

2009-06-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

Okay now here's a dilemma, just as we decide to put an offer on the last house I blogged about (which we'll call "Sea Vista"), we finally hear back from the one we saw Sunday (which we'll call "Key West") that they're willing to drop their price to what we wanted.

This house (Key West, see pictures below) is smaller, less bedrooms, the pool is in the back, the yard is smaller but still big enough for the wedding, it's much deeper in Malibu which is a minus, but it has private beach access (which is a plus and the other house does not have), and since these photos were taken they've done a lot of work on the yard, leveling it off and terracing it, brand new grass, gorgeous flowers and landscaping, it really is stunning, much prettier than the photos, but it's also a 1/3 of the house and the land for not that much less cost. What to do?? Not long to decide!! Let me know what you think!

Invitation update

2009-06-24T21:36:00.000-07:00

So I dashed all over town today looking at paper stock, envelopes, houses and meeting with printers and our very talented graphic designer friend, who I'll call K/B, or B/K, and the invitations are coming together!

My major battle has been an unexpected one: since day one I've wanted cobalt or turquoise blue invitation with white text. Turns out that none of the usual suspects can really print opaque white ink. It's either really faded looking or it's a really expensive process i.e. foil. Not only that, but it's been impossible to find the "right" color paper and envelopes.

Then, finally a breakthrough: it occurred to me that should just do it the opposite way around and print all of the blue and not the text onto white card, so that the white card shows through the blue = white text. Does that make sense? Probably not, it's been a long day and it's complicated, but it's relatively inexpensive, will take about 6 days (2 days of which are drying time because it's so much ink), and it's exactly what I want. Yay! I'm waiting on the official estimate, but I think it's a go as soon as the venue is locked and therefore the layout is locked.

Today I also finally found hot pink envelopes and bought 170 of them (figuring I'd need lots of spares), and the plan is for the printers to start printing the return address on them in white (yes it will be faded but it's just a return address) tomorrow, so that I can start addressing them mid next week (I'm thinking of handwriting all addresses myself with silver ink like I did with the Save The Dates). That way I'll have all of the envelopes addressed by the time the invitations and the RSVP postcards are printed, and they can ship right away, about 7 weeks before the wedding (it's currently 9 and a half weeks before). That would be pretty amazing considering we don't even have a venue yet!

I'm so grateful that I had the time to do all of this running around and exploring different options, rather than choosing the paths of least resistance - either an invitation I didn't particularly like, or spending much more than we budgeted/ seems rational. Hopefully they'll turn out as planned and all my efforts will be worth it!

They're definitely colorful - turquoise, cobalt blue and hot pink - but I wanted them to really set the tone for the wedding, bright, fun, festive, and definitely not your typical wedding! I'll post pictures when they're done!

Another venue update

2009-06-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

The last house I posted about in Malibu was stunning but wasn't big enough (so sad), the one we saw on Sunday was gorgeous and big enough, though the price wasn't right (not as sad), but this one below might be juuust right!

The lawn is a lot more sloping that it looks (I'm learning this is the case for most of the houses in Malibu), and little smaller than it looks, and the grass/ landscaping isn't in great shape due to the water restrictions in Malibu, however they're confident that they can get it to look like the photos for the wedding. Feel a bit guilty about that (water usage) but pushing it out of my mind in a very bride-like way!

So it's gorgeous, it's big enough, it's within the budget (I think), and it's not too deep Malibu, so it just might be the one, fingers crossed!! We'll know for sure by this time next week, if not earlier. The funny part is, it's one I spotted online way back when I first started searching late last year, but they weren't open to short term rentals till just this week! Fate?!

Erin Cole in "my" dress!

2009-06-11T13:51:00.001-07:00

I've written before about the genesis of my wedding dress: how it was custom made by Rivini for Erin Cole (the owner of the bridal boutique in Costa Mesa where I bought my dress), and then included in the Rivini collection.

I have never been able to find any photos of the dress online, other than the one that originally lead me to the dress, so I was excited to find these photos of Erin Cole at her wedding last year. My version won't have the long sleeves, or the train, and I probably won't wear that much jewelry, but it's great to see how it photographs, and I think she looks stunning!

Paperwhites Photography Part Two

2009-06-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

I left this one out of my Paperwhites Photography favorites & I really love it so I had to include!

Wanted: Pear shaped diamond earrings

2009-06-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

I LOVED the pear shaped diamond earrings that Felicity Huffman wore to the Oscars in 2006. So simple and stunning. They've always really stuck in my mind and when I recently started thinking about what jewelry I would want wear for my wedding, I immediately thought of them again.

They're by Martin Katz, and I believe they cost around $750,000, a little rich for me! But I'm on the hunt for something similar, maybe in swarovski crystal?

How cute is this photo of Felicity & her husband William H Macy by the way?!

Paperwhites Photography

2009-06-09T20:20:00.001-07:00

I'm loving the wedding photography of Paperwhites Photography right now! I'm talking to them about potentially shooting our wedding, fingers crossed we can work something out! Here are some of my favorite shots from their website:

Balinese Temple Umbrellas

2009-06-06T23:43:00.000-07:00

Speaking of Balinese Temple Umbrellas, I don't know if I've said this before but I love them. We used to have one in my house growing up, and I want one for our apartment now (especially since we have 25 foot ceilings in our living room!). I found a place in Downtown LA that sells them (Sweet Smiling Home) and they're quite reasonable. I just re-found this photo from my inspiration collection and it reminded me - they would make excellent framing for the ceremony, no? See below from a wedding set up in Bali. Something to keep in mind...

Vision... crystallizing

2009-06-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

The venue stuff has gotten über-stressful. I'm sure it will work itself out in the next week or so, but in the meantime, I thought I'd focus on the fun stuff for a little while!

I've blogged about lots of different styles, and things that I like, but my vision has really crystalized over the past few months and so I thought I would have a go at defining it again, using words and images, some I've already posted, some new, to try to convey my vision. Who knows if I'll be able to make all of this actually happen, but here's what I'd really love to do.

I want a large green lawn. Funnily enough this is the one thing I actually will not budge on. Everything else, I will compromise if I have to, but I must have grass underfoot. So yeah, a large green lawn, ideally with a city or ocean view. Ideally also adjacent to a pool, which I could then border with candles - either tall plain white novena candles per the below or small tea-lights in cobalt blue glasses.

There will be no sit down dinner, so no tables and chairs. Instead scattered Moroccan leather ottomans in bright pink, orange, turquoise, silver and gold as well as maybe the occasional simple rectangular wooden benches with white leather cushions for some sturdier seating options. Tall "novena" candles everywhere. I'm talking everywhere, likely hundreds - luckily they're only 99c each! (Not only are they really cheap, they're extremely long lasting, pretty safe as far as candles go and beautiful, what more could you ask for in a candle?!).

Maybe some Indian style flower wreaths draped here and there of yellow, orange and pink carnations. The same color combination of carnations floating in the pool. Andy likes the idea of floating candles also, so I'm researching and trying to find ones that aren't plastic-y & tacky (easier said than done). Maybe strands of simple round white paper lanterns hung from here to there?

Brass Moroccan tray tables laden with aforementioned candles, big full single flowers in Moroccan tea glasses, scatterings of - yes again - colorful carnations (in keeping with my theme as well as being cheap!), as well as maybe the occasional lemons and limes (sounds weird but when done well it looks great).

Oversized Moroccan lanterns filled with glimmering candles. One or two brightly colored Balinese temple umbrellas, and maybe even some Moroccan rugs scattered about picnic style with cushions for people to lounge on? Or will people not lounge because it's not that kind of event and they're not dressed for lounging? I'm thinking of making the dress code "comfortable glam" which should help?

If I had to pick two colors.. (which all the experts

say you must do) well, I couldn't. But I could maybe pick three - turquoise, pink and orange - but then I'd have to add in hints of green (the grass), white (because I love how clean and fresh white is), as well as touches of gold and silver (cos I love me some sparkle), oh yeah and cobalt blue, red... the list goes on!

So basically we're going for festive, bright, fun and casual. Not very wedding-y really is it? But it seems "us" and that's the important thing, right?! Hopefully it will look lush and eclectic and gorgeous, not amateurish, but we'll just have to see!

Venue Update

2009-05-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

Still no venue, but getting close! Here is the house I'm hopefully seeing in the next few days. It is in Malibu, but not deep Malibu. It's exactly what I've been looking for, kind of Hawaii in Malibu, but there are a few catches so we'll see...

On the flip side, here is a completely different house that my realtor is looking into, located in Beverly Hills. Totally different look, but equally beautiful... it's kind of rustic farm in Beverly Hills, which I love!

Dibbern China

2009-05-27T13:20:00.000-07:00

Some of our friends have been trying to convince me to include something other than plain white dinnerware on my registry. I saw their point but I couldn't find any colored or patterned china that I really loved that was remotely affordable. Then while in Australia in April I discovered and fell deeply in love with the Dibbern Solid Color Range.

I learned that they are manufactured in Germany, the shape was created in the 1930's, and the Solid Color range was apparently a huge hit in the 80's. It's very durable, and it's available in 34 gorgeous colors, and are all applied by hand! They are microwave safe and oven-proof, and also dishwasher safe (with the exception of plum, bordeaux and bright red). Practical, not too expensive and stunning, sign me up!!

The only problem was that I couldn't find anyone in the U.S. that stocked the Solid Color range. Plenty of places stock their Gold Forest, Black Forest and Pure ranges, but no one seemed to stock the Solid Colors. Then yesterday, a breakthrough. I was setting up our register at Barney's New York and was told by the lovely Barney's registrar Paul that since they stock other Dibbern products, we can register for the Solid Colors through them. Joy!!!

Now comes the hard part - deciding which colors!!

I definitely like my brights, and while I usually lean towards blue, this green is calling me! We could of course do say a cornflower blue dinner plate, sky blue salad plate, and multi-colored mugs?! So exciting!!

Spring 2010 Bridal Collections

2009-05-27T12:43:00.001-07:00

Okay so I know I already have my dress but I couldn't resist checking out some of the Spring 2010 bridal collections. Here are some of my favorites!

The model is distractingly skinny but the dress is gorgeous. Monique Lhuillier.

I love this look for a winter wedding. Platinum by Priscilla of Boston.

This is not me but it's adorable. Jenny Packham.

This is me. If I were not sorted I would have to track it down and try it on. Also Jenny Packham.

LOVING this lace, insane! Oscar de la Renta, of course.

Such a cute option!!! Also by Oscar de la Renta.

Wedding Venue Woes

2009-05-16T11:15:00.001-07:00

Still no venue, woe is me. BUT I have good reason to believe that it will be locked by the end of the month. We're getting real close. And then the real planning can begin! Oh, and I just heard that the dress arrives mid-June. Starting to feel really real!!! My now standard response to the slightly hysterical reaction I get from people when I tell them that the wedding is in late August - approx. 3 and a half months away - and I don't have a venue is that I have the dress, and I've booked the In-N-Out truck, so the two most important things are taken care of, plus LA is a big town, with a million possible venues, it will work out. No point stressing about it. It will happen. And hopefully soon, so I can stop biting my nails again and get into the nitty gritty of planning - can't wait!!! I am proud of myself for not turning into a bridezilla - but I suppose there is still time for that!!

Gorgeous bride part 2

2009-05-05T00:34:00.001-07:00

Some more photos from Christine's wedding as featured on Style Me Pretty.

I have since learned that the dress is by my favorite bridal designer Monique Lhuillier - I should have known!

I've also learned that Christine is a "paper product designer" and I need to make time to check out her wares at cevd and Etsy.

Gorgeous bride

2009-05-05T00:17:00.000-07:00

I am loving the photos from the gorgeous "real" wedding as featured on Style Me Pretty. The bride - Christine - looks AMAZING, I love the whole look. It's definitely a lot of look, but she's rocking it!

Oops

2009-05-05T00:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't written a while, I've been really busy, but I'll get back into the habit of writing again soon I promise!

Registering for gifts

2009-04-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

We started to get inquiries about our gift registry, so I spent the majority of last week getting it sorted out. Way more time consuming than I thought it would be!

I actually managed to drag poor Andy out to Sur La Table last weekend where we spent 2.5 hours registering. He was initially excited by the scan gun but by the end of the day he was well and truly over it! Apart from a minor disagreement about flatware, we were very much on the same page and it's funny how many kitchen basics we didn't have. Our registries are very much kitchen focused, probably because we are so food focused ourselves!

I've since realized that while Sur La Table is a GREAT store, they are a little lacking in the registry department, particularly for online management and purchasing. So while I am keeping a bunch of items on our registry there, I've since moved a lot of the items to the more user friendly registries like Williams Sonoma, Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn. Took a while but just so much easier to use.

We've also set up a very alternative registry at MyRegistry.com, which contains items like chinese garden stools, unusual soap dispensers, paintings, wedding blankets, and the list goes on. I didn't want us to have 10 different registries, but it's also hard to just pick a handful of stores, so MyRegistry seemed like a good compromise. We added some big ticket items but they're ones that big groups can go in on together, and we've also got lots of little fun things people can buy us like lobster claw printed oven mitts and dinosaur cookie cutters.

MyRegistry was pretty easy to set up from my end. I simply downloaded this button that I added to my browser and then when I see an item we want to add to the registry online I just click on "add to my registry" and it adds the item information, photo and link.

Anyone who wants to buy us a gift from MyRegistry will then be directed to the original website where they can buy the item. So if I found a balinese temple umbrella from a store in Downtown LA (and I did), they'll be directed to that store's website, and they'll purchase it from the store directly. So MyRegistry is really just an online list. People are supposed to log back in to MyRegistry to say that they've purchased the item to avoid repeat purchases, I'm just not sure people will actually do that. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I've since heard there is another version called Wish Pot that I need to check out, maybe it works differently.

Last but not least I registered for a few items at a local store Maison Midi (the homewares part of American Rag Cie on La Brea) so that friends who live locally can pop in and pick up cute items like Moroccan tea glasses and vintage wall thermometers. It's not online, but we figured why not.

We were up in Lake Tahoe this weekend fora friends wedding (they got married on a ski slope at Squaw and it was so beautiful!) and I briefly visited the most amazing store at Incline Village called The Potlatch. They've been buying art and jewelry from a Native American reservation for over 60 years and they had the most amazing collection of items.

There were a few items there that I would love to add to MyRegistry, although they were more than a little pricey! We both loved this buffalo head from a Native American reservation. Amazing but - eek - $1,700!!!

I fell deeply in love with this piece by a Native American artist also on a reservation. He's $600, had he been any cheaper I think I would have bought him on the spot. I can't stop thinking about him, I'm obsessed! He's only little, but the detail on him is truly amazing...

Save The Dates

2009-03-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

The Save The Dates are done! We're only sending Save The Dates to out of town guests... hope that wasn't a mistake! They're not exactly what I wanted but I'm happy with them, they were cheap, and they're (almost) all addressed and on their way!

I'm not sure these photos show the colors accurately so here are some swatches from Paper Source's website (where we got the "papaya" cards and red envelopes):

Wedding Venue Update

2009-03-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

So we've been getting a lot of "you haven't picked a venue yet?!?!" (similar to the "you haven't chosen a dress yet?!?!" comments I'd get in slightly panicked tones from the ladies in the wedding dress shops!). So I thought I'd explain where we're at with our wedding venue, now that we are almost exactly 5 months from the wedding.

We (okay me mostly but Andy is on board too) really want to have the wedding at a house where my family can also stay. If my parents lived here, we'd probably just have the wedding at their house. Since they don't, I'm looking for a large house to rent, and I've been actively looking since November.

I originally was looking in Malibu, and by early February I had a house selected that, while not perfect, Andy and I both liked, and the family seemed to like, was in line with our budget (particularly after they dropped their fee by 50%) and I was getting ready to sign the contract. Then Andy had cold feet about Malibu. His point was that it wasn't exactly a convenient location (it had taken us an hour to get from West Hollywood to the house one day), and there weren't a lot of good reasonable hotels around. Once my parents heard that Andy had doubts they quickly chimed in with theirs, and I had to admit that they all had a point (although I kind of wish they had made it sooner so I didn't spend all that time looking in the wrong area!). So we decided to focus on the Hollywood Hills/ Beverly Hills and surrounds instead. Or at least not so deep in Malibu.

However, my realtor (Sotheby's International) and other agency's advice is that we need to wait until early May to lock in a venue. This is because apparently a lot of tourists (for lack of a better word) come in from overseas during the summer months and pay BIG money for summer rentals, often renting houses for three months at time at hugely inflated rates. Homeowners aren't willing to commit to our relatively short 10 day stay because it may prevent them from getting 6 times as much from someone else. Instead they want to wait until much closer to the beginning of the summer rental period (i.e. May) to drop their prices and commit to people like us. Also, a lot of these houses are for sale as well as for rent, so the closer to the wedding we book the safer we'll be in case the house sells prior to the wedding.

This is not how I would choose to do it, but it seems that if we want to have the wedding at a house, and we do, this is the only way to do it. So I've made peace with it, LA is a big town, it will work out! If we end up having to have the wedding in a park somewhere or a restaurant, as long as the people we love are there it will be great.

A lot of people have been wondering why I'm so adamant about having the wedding at a house. There are multiple reasons, here are just a few:

We want a family style, very low key, very casual event, where we can really host the event ourselves. If we're staying in the house, we can have the ceremony right there, and start the party right away/ seamlessly.

With a house my Mom can make the cheese plate, my friends and family can decorate the space with me in the days before, and take it down slowly in the days after. There will be no curfew, no getting kicked out of the venue, no need for an after party. We can have people over the following day to eat left overs. We can save money by buying alcohol from Costco. We can bring in whatever caterer we want, cater ourselves, get an In N Out Truck (or all of the above)!

We don't want a formal sit down dinner, just a big patch of grass/ outdoor area, hopefully by a pool or with a view, where everyone can just hang out and have fun. It seems like with us renting a house we'll not only be able to save money, but it will be less stress and a real family feel, if that makes sense?!

Hosting at our home is something my family always did on a very regular basis, whether on a small scale (a casual bbq for a few friends), or a large scale (100+ wrap party at the house), it's just our way. Andy and I are also people who love to entertain at home regularly, it's our style, so we want to do the same thing with the wedding. It just feels more personal this way, and that is a big priority for us, having our wedding feel really personal. We might end up having to give up on this idea, or we may end up regretting it, but for now this is how we want to do it.

Here are a few of the venues that are potentially available, but not necessarily definitely in our budget!

An infinity pool with a city view, Andy's dream...

This house has an amazing outdoor area that is EXACTLY what I'd want, however the house itself is a modern monstrosity. If I do give up on the idea of having the wedding at a house we're staying at, this could actually be an option. You may recognize it from last season's Apprentice?

This house in Malibu is amazing and has stunning views, last I heard it might have been rented out for July-August:

I think this house is in the flats of Beverly Hills and it looks lovely at night and during the day:

This house looks great, and I think it's within our budget, I'm just not clear if there is enough outdoor space:

I recently heard this house isn't available but I LOVE the outdoor area so I'm in denial:

I love this Spanish style house and the pool area is pretty:

This house is AMAZING, the rental price they list is WAY over our budget but you never know, maybe taking a little from us is better than nothing at all!

I don't love the interior of this house but the pool area is so pretty at night:

Something blue: a turquoise ring

2009-03-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

I'm currently stuck on the idea of wearing a turquoise ring on the first finger of my right hand for the wedding as my "something blue". I've been looking for a while, and haven't found exactly what I'm after, but here are a few that come close.

Turquoise and diamond ring, $4,750, from Lang Antiques, though I could do without the real diamonds!

Rebecca Collins sterling silver and turquoise ring, $550, is lovely and simple yet rustic:

Sterling silver cabochon-cut turquoise ring from Kohl's, $80, is close, but I don't love the detail on the band:

I'm more of a silver girl but I do like the shape of this Irene Neuwirth rose cut turquoise ring, $2,350 from Ylang 23:

This Annette Ferdinandsen pale blue turquoise egg ring, $880, is lovely and is also from Ylang 23 (such a great site!):

Kenneth Jay Lane turquoise cab ring, $52, is cute, though is a little bigger than I want:

Though it's not quite what I imagined I do love this vintage estate turquoise and diamond ring, $995 from Beladora:

Another vintage turquoise ring from Beladora, this one turquoise and blue zircon that is close, but a little pricey at $2,500:

I also love this vintage coral and turquoise ring from Beladora, $800:

It's a little similar to this seriously expensive and gorgeous organic coral Lucifir Vir Honestus ring from Barneys, $8,000, that I have been coveting for quite some time!

This ring is almost exactly what I want but I can't seem to find out who makes it. It was featured on Bluefly.com's blog Flypaper, so I might have to do a little more digging:

The dress has been purchased!

2009-03-23T16:12:00.001-07:00

So the dress has been purchased and it is such a relief to have that out of the way!

I ended up ordering it through Erin Cole in Costa Mesa and while they weren't the cheapest, and are quite a drive from my house, they have a lovely store, great service, and a stunning selection of accessories and dresses (there were actually quite a few that I liked which hasn't happened at any other store I've been to), so I felt comfortable ordering the dress through them.

Another reason I was happy to purchase the dress from them: I was commenting to the woman at the store that the dress had been difficult to track down, and how there was absolutely nothing else like it around, and she told me the story behind it. Apparently the owner of the store Erin Cole and the Rivini dress designer (Rita Vinieris) are good friends and that this dress was actually custom made for Erin Cole's own wedding, after which Rivini decided to add it to their collection!

Their sample was a size 10 (I had previously tried on an 8) and the 10 fit me perfectly/ was a little too lose, so thank goodness I didn't follow one stores advice and order the size 12!

I guess now I just have to figure out the veil, maybe some jewelry and I'm done!

Purchasing my wedding dress

2009-03-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

So I've decided that it is THE dress, but actually purchasing it has gotten a little stressful and complicated!

What is clear is that I need to order the dress within the next few days in order for it to arrive by mid July. The wedding is late August so that is just enough time for alterations to be done without a rush fee - I hope!

Here is a blow by blow of my dealings with the wedding dress stores:

- The first store I went to, Store A, no longer had a sample of "the" dress but said they could a sample in for me to try on for $100, which would go towards the purchase of the dress should I purchase the dress from them, but would otherwise be lost. That didn't seem right to me so I kept searching.

- On Saturday I found another store, Store B, that was a bit of a drive from my houses, but they had a sample which I tried it on and loved (a size 8, very small on me!). They told me that it was $3,000 but if I ordered it by Monday morning (Sunday night I had to leave a voicemail in fact) I would get 10% off as part of the trunk show. $2,700 was certainly better than $3,000, but was still considerably over my budget (recession wedding!!) so I needed to think carefully about that, and I didn't want to have to make the decision within 24 hours!

- I get home and find that it was actually in the magazine for $2,585!!!!

- I called store A, who were much closer to my house, asked if they could do better, and mentioned that I had actually seen the dress in a magazine for $2,585. They tell me they can sell it to me for $2,590, and that in order to get my business they might give me a further discount of 10%.

- I think about it all weekend, and when I speak to them both again Monday something feels a little off. Store B has agreed to sell me the dress at $2,590 also to be competitive (this time I speak to a different less friendly lady), and it surprised me how readily they agreed to that, and the "deadline" of placing the order seems to no longer be an issue.

- So I'm now ready to go ahead but I'm getting cold feet about working with either vendor. I do some research online and find that both stores have multiple bad reviews online. Really bad reviews. Including one about store B that mentions being pushed into a sale because of a 10% trunk show discount. Sounds familiar!

- I call the designer and they will not let me purchase the dress from them directly, and tell me that I can only purchase the dress from a store that has a contract with them, of which there are only 4 within 60 miles of my house.

- My feeling at this point is that $100 here or there doesn't really matter, but purchasing the dress from a trustworthy retailer does, particularly when there are stories about Store A and Store B deliberately ordering a size up to ensure lots of expensive alterations are required, doing bad alterations, including staining the dresses with lipstick and refusing to take responsibility, and losing orders completely so that one bride ended up with no dress 4 weeks out from a wedding. You can't always trust negative reviews, I know that, but if even half of it is true, it's not good!

- I call a store an hour from my house (Store C) and discover that they have a sample in my actual size (10), and I make an appointment to go there (tomorrow) to try it on. I ask the price and am told $2,700. When I mention the magazine price I'm told they will match that price, $2,585. Store C has no bad reviews online, only glowing reviews but they are an hour from my house, which means I'd need to do alterations somewhere closer, not a big deal.

- I call Store D, speak to a lovely woman on the phone and she doesn't have the sample but can order it for me, and she will match Store A's price of $2,200. No bad reviews, and they seem to be a family run business who've been around forever, which I love, and they're not too far from my house.

So I guess it's true, never pay retail for a wedding dress! And it's worthwhile to do the research and not make such an expensive and important purchase from someone you don't trust. It's crazy to think I will potentially be getting this dress for $800 less than the first price quoted to me!

Also, here are some tips on purchasing a wedding dress on beau-coup.com that I found very helpful!

Is this my wedding dress??

2009-03-15T00:42:00.000-07:00

So I think I found it! This might be "the" dress!

I tried it on today at the trunk show and I love it! The sample I tried on was a little beaten up. It had a yellowish tinge (it started out ivory, I'd order it in white), had quite a few pulls (I'll have to be careful with my engagement ring, which gets caught on everything and can do serious damage), and was a size or two too small (so I was busting out of it), but I spent about an hour in it going over options with the lovely lady at the store (Jobyna's Bridal in Glendale of all places) and I love it!

The plan is to order it sleeveless and add flutter sleeves, or remove the sleeves and make sleeves out of the train, which I don't want/ need. I'd only step on it and rip it and that would save on ordering extra fabric as the existing sleeves probably aren't wide enough to do what I want with them. I want to make some adjustments to the piece that runs under the bust line, perhaps adding some subtle sparkle, and also filling in the back just a tad with the chiffon (sans lining). The hem will probably need to be adjusted to be floor length (no shoes for me, flat flip flops at the very most!), but I'm hoping those alterations won't be too expensive (fingers crossed!). It will require me to wear spanx, which I was trying to avoid, but I probably won't need a bra - one less expense/ complication!

It is comfortable and super flattering, and basically (after some simple alterations) exactly what I've been looking for since day one! It's not lace, but I give up on lace, I'm too picky and the good stuff (Oscar de la Renta's choices for example) is just too expensive. Providing I don't have second thoughts over night I'll order it tomorrow!

I'd post other photos but for some reason this dress has been extremely tricky to locate both in person and pictures. It's not even on the designers website! You can't tell from the photo but the material is a soft crinkle chiffon that drapes beautifully, I was originally thinking silk chiffon but this is actually more forgiving and flattering. I did sneak a few photos in the change room since I was solo but I won't post those for a multitude of reasons!

Adventures in wedding dress shopping

2009-03-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

After hitting Glamour Closet today (great concept but unfortunately had nothing for me) I went to The Way We Wore and gosh they have some beautiful items! & such friendly, helpful staff, which for some reason is not the norm in the best vintage stores of LA! I could have stayed for hours.. if I didn't have to hit two bridal store appointments in the valley.

I did find the most amazing dress, a 3/4 sleeves, knee length dress, which was basically netting with a sort of lace pattern embroidered in wool (yes, wool) over the netting with the occasional rhinestone. Truly magical. I put it on backwards, as it opened in back, and it would actually make a fantastic bolero that way (I'd have to chop it off at the waist) BUT it is wool embroidered on netting, too hot for a wedding in LA in late August? I think I need a second opinion! Wish I got a photo, maybe they'll let me take one next time I visit it (it's on hold for me). It's affordable, if I can find a cheap-ish plain chiffon dress to go underneath - but as I now know that is easier said than done!

I also visited David's Bridal, and that was an experience! I guess it's kind of like House of Target for bridal, such a rigmarole to get an appointment (I had to Email requesting an appointment, then wait weeks for them to call me) and then I show up and they don't even have a record of my appointment! But they were friendly and they do have a huge selection.

I tried on the Galina dress that I went to see that I've previously bl ogged about (see below) and turned out to be too heavy, structured and just not right.

I did also try on a few bridesmaid dresses and found one that would work (below) that looks very similar to the galina dress but is softer, less structured, with more of a sweetheart neckline and beading all over the bust, and is only $155! But I don't LOVE the fabric (crinkle chiffon) and the beading apparently isn't optional (I wouldn't want it, and would be worried about damaging the dress removing it, chiffon is so delicate), not to mention the fact that the store told me I can only order it in white online, but the website tells me it's only available in-store. Plus I suspect it comes in ivory, not white, and for me that's a big difference!

I have an appointment at a trunk show tomorrow where they apparently have the Rivini dress (below) that I haven't been able to get my mind off since I spotted it in a magazine last Friday. For some reason it is not on Rivini's website, but is apparently called the "Oro" dress. I went to one store today who I was hoping carried it but actually didn't, and they wanted $100 just to get a sample in for me to try on! It would go towards the purchase of the dress if I were to buy it, but if not I'd loose my $100 and as sweet as the sales girl was I'm not a fan of that arrangement!

This could be "the" dress (once the sleeves are chopped off at the elbow and the inside seam is opened up to make it a flutter sleeve). Fingers crossed, we'll see!! I am kind of running out of time, but apparently Rivini move fairly fast compared to most designers, and run more like 4-6 months on production, so apparently I should be safe if I order it by end of April absolute latest.

Vintage stores in LA

2009-03-12T18:26:00.001-07:00

I've now been to the following vintage stores in search of a wedding dress (or something like it): Paris 1900, Resurrection, Decades Two, and Paperbag Princess.

I was also planning on visiting Lily Et Cie (where Penelope Cruz found the stunning Balmain vintage dress she wore to the Oscar's this year) however I was told by the owner over the phone not to bother (she's that kind of lady!) and she suggested I go to Les Habitudes instead.

I had in fact already been to Les Habitudes, and while they did have a lovely bolero (new, not vintage), it would need to be ordered from Paris and then modified here to make the sleeves a little longer (since the designer will refuse to modify it for me!) and it costs $1,400, which is much more than I'd want to spend (recession wedding!!).

I plan on visiting The Way We Wore tomorrow, maybe I'll have better luck there but I'm thinking probably not! I think after that I will have exhausted my vintage options.

Paris 1900 did have a few antique shawls that I could use as fabric for a bolero, but the owner was a little stressed out, so we didn't linger. I might go back another day once I've decided that I definitely want to go down the lace bolero road, as I know L'ezu will make a bolero for me for around $400 if I find the fabric - she's given up on locating it for me! But of course, I'd need to order it in the next month or so!

Paris 1900 also carry a few new dresses that are not vintage but "vintage-style" including this one below by Saja, however they've marked it up considerably (I saw it in a magazine for $638 and they're asking $950), so I might be best buying it from Saja direct, since I'd need some extra fabric to make sleeves anyway.

I have an appointment for Saja's trunk show on the 23rd so we'll see how that goes, but I do think that adding flutter sleeves to this dress would be easy, no? I have a better photo I ripped out of a mag that is supposed to be on Brides.com but for some reason is not, so I will try to scan and post that soon!

Aside from vintage stores I've been to a bunch of other "regular" bridal stores this week and I'm finding that they generally don't have many if any dresses with sleeves, and they don't carry anything I like or can even come close to picturing myself in. I even went through the entire bridesmaid selection at Renee Strauss today in the hopes that they would have a simple silk chiffon bridesmaid dress I could order in white but no luck.

The one exception in all of my non-vintage dress shopping was a dress at The Montclair Collection (also from Paris, of course!), which was halfway there.. except I didn't like the lace, the sleeves would need to be lengthened, and it was a couple of hundred dollars over my budget. It did at least confirm that empire waist and V neck is the way to go for me, so there's that!

I have a three more stores to visit tomorrow so maybe I'll have more luck then! It does make me wonder why there aren't more simple affordable options, and why they make this whole process so complicated, confusing and stressful! You should hear the reactions I get when I tell them my wedding is August 29 and I haven't found a dress yet!

Nicole Richie

2009-03-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

Nicole Richie recently wore this Issa London dress (one of my favorite designers!) to an event and it reminded me that I also own this dress. I wore it to a few weddings last summer and hope to wear it to a few weddings this summer if I can still squeeze into it (I love that I can wear flats with it!), and it occurred to me that this would also make a great wedding dress in white silk chiffon...

I have to say that I do like Nicole's style, here she is in a vintage Missoni caftan that I know is a little OTT but I just adore it!

Gorgeous cape from Reva Designs

2009-03-08T22:08:00.001-07:00

Just spotted this cape on Brides.com from Reva Designs, love it! Andy thinks it looks like a tablecloth or "a napkin from a cheap italian restaurant". I disagree, but I do agree that it might be more flattering on me in a softer fabric that draped a little better.

Katie Holmes in Monique Lhuillier sequined bolero

2009-03-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

I was recently reminded of this amazing outfit that Katie Holmes wore a few years back, which I was obsessed with at the time and still love. I found this photo of it online, turns out it's by Monique Lhuillier, I should have known! I'm a sucker for a good bolero and she always creates such gorgeous ones! This is an amazing photo too, I love how she's reaching for Tom but you can only see his shadow, which is so recognizably him!

Dress options & musings from Brides.com

2009-03-08T18:17:00.000-07:00

I just spent a few hours (no joke!) looking on Brides.com doing dress research in the hopes that I can find the right dress without getting to the expense/ risk of getting something custom made, and I spotted a few interesting things.

I love this dress, the beading is gorgeous! If I was a fan of my arms/ legs, this would maybe be the dress for me!

This dress I LOVE! It's by Y and Kei, I'm not sure how far back/ if it's still available but I want it, if not for the wedding then for my day to day life (& the mini-moon we're planning on doing in Europe in September - I just want to insert myself in this picture!!). If it was longer I think it would make a gorgeous wedding dress and it looks so comfortable!

I love this shot, so stunning, and I like the crocheted material the dress is made out of too.

This gorgeous coat is by Claire Pettibone ($5,000). It's an interesting idea to do a full length coat rather than a bolero, but perhaps not for a summer wedding...

Here is a similar coat, this one by Monique Lhuillier, which costs a mere $9, 240!!

I've blogged about this Oscar de la Renta dress before, but I hadn't seen any close up photos of it till now. I didn't realize it's made of guipure, which is one of the fabrics I'm trying to track down, but it's a little pricey and hard to find. The tailor I met with has a similar fabric that I like, that I could maybe afford to get a little bolero made of of, but she's not sure she can get any more of it. Did I mention this dress costs $20,900?!

I love the material used for this dress by Cynthia Rose:

Loving this kaftan dress by Temperley London, not sure I would wear it as a wedding dress, but I would definitely wear it!

When I spotted this Rivini dress from the same photo shoot I thought I might have finally found a dress that I could make work with minimal modifications (basically chopping off the sleeves to make them elbow length), at about the right price point... except that Andy doesn't like it! I even like how it's styled, maybe not the hat, but the necklaces are awesome, and I was thinking a few turquoise accents would be pretty!

The Galina Dress from David's Bridal

2009-03-02T19:05:00.000-08:00

I also spotted this dress a while back and I like how soft and flowing it looks in this picture, not to mention comfortable and pot belly friendly! Perfect for a garden or beach wedding! Turns out it's the Galina dress from David's Bridal and it's only $399!!! Hello recession wedding dress!

I do definitely want a dress with sleeves, and I'm not convinced this is a dress you could easily add sleeves to, plus it's crinkle chiffon, not chiffon chiffon, which I'm not a fan of. But it is only $399! I'm going to have to investigate further and see if i like it in person!

Jason Wu Flutter Sleeve Dress

2009-03-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

Just spotted today this yellow "flutter sleeve" chiffon Jason Wu Dress as featured in the March issue of Elle Magazine and it's making me think that an all white chiffon dress much like this might be the way to go!

Irish Lace

2009-03-01T22:49:00.000-08:00

So I am of course currently researching different kinds of lace, and I've realized that I also really like Irish lace, which can look quite similar to Venice Lace. It's not exactly easy to find, but here are some beautiful examples from the The Sheelin Antique Irish Lace Museum & Shop in, naturally, Ireland:

Wedding Dress Dilemmas

2009-03-01T17:34:00.000-08:00

I'm having a few dilemmas with the dress!

I met with a dressmaker the other day and it seems that I am so picky with my lace that she thinks I have almost no chance of finding lace that I like that's also in my price range. Apparently I have very expensive taste! So... at her suggestion I am visiting all of the local fabric stores, and I'll do a trip to the downtown fabric district, but I might have to re-think my original dress concept, and not have a dress made entirely of lace.

To review, the below is basically my dream dress. It's the "Melissa" by Monique Lhuillier. I would need alterations however to give it a more open neck and elbow length "flutter" sleeves). It costs $4,800. Plus alterations. So it's basically not an option!!

I'm obsessed with the lace used for the "Melissa" dress and have been trying to track it down but it seems as though it might be custom lace designed by and made exclusively for Monique (possibly by a company called Solstice), and even if I could find it, it's unlikely I could afford enough of it to make an entire dress. So that's out!

Driving past Les Habitudes (on Robinson next to the Ivy) I spotted a very sweet little bolero made from a very soft what I'm calling Venice Lace (but I'm not totally sure that's what it is) with layered chiffon sleeves. I tried it on and it actually looked lovely, very simple and elegant but not too bridal-y.. but it's $1,400, and I'd want the sleeves longer, and they don't think the designer in Paris would be very accommodating about that! Did I mention it's $1,400?!

I go back to the dressmaker to inspect some more lace samples she got in that were affordable, but unfortunately I didn't like, and I asked about Venice Lace (although again, not really sure what it is and my dressmaker calls it "guipure" though I think that's something else?). Turns out it's even more expensive and hard to get (it's all from France or Italy, of course). BUT that I might be able to find enough at a reasonable price to make a little bolero. She just can't help me find it. Ahh!!!

So, my current thought, what about the J Crew Genevieve dress, pictured below, with a little lace bolero over it, made of either the Monique Lhuillier lace or Venice lace that I find myself? It's completely different from the original idea, but I kind of like the idea of a big full dress, you do only get one day to wear one!! And it has pockets! I love a dress with pockets!

Here is the J Crew dress below, it's unfortunately one of their more expensive ones, AND you can only buy it online! But I'm thinking of giving it a go, providing I can return it, as I do need to sort it out soon in order to avoid rush alteration fees down the track. My gosh they make this wedding stuff unnecessarily expensive, stressful and complicated!!!

This week I'm also going to visit a famous store called Paris 1900 in Santa Monica just in case they have a fabulous vintage or vintage inspired wedding dress that I love. All of this is making me realize just how picky I am. Very very picky!

Wish me luck and let me know what you think!

Etsy

2009-02-03T22:06:00.001-08:00

I am newly obsessed with Etsy. It's like Ebay for handmade items - arts and crafts, jewelry, vintage items, the list is endless!

It's proving to be a great wedding resource for me and my quest for an inexpensive but stylish wedding. In fact I'm just about to order our "Save The Date" cards from an Etsy seller Fading Flowers. Here is some of her work:

Mrs Fading Flowers uses a Gocco, which from what I understand is a self-contained screen printing system using flash bulbs that originated in Japan in 1977 and is a bit of a cult item. The "Save The Date" will be designed on a computer and then individually "stamped" onto the paper, which I think lends a really lovely rustic feel - each one will be different - while being very cost effective. I can't wait to see them (hopefully they'll ship end of February - though they are just going to the out-of-towners)!

Here are a few of my other favorite items from Etsy which I love not just for all the great stuff you can buy, but for how it inspires me to be more creative and crafty every day!

I LOVE these handmade White/ Blue Porcelain Cups, $15.50 each from New Moon Studio. It's really tempting to get a few of them!

This Purple Porcelain Vase, $28, is also from New Moon Studio and I just love the colors! I may have to hint to Andy that it would make a great Valentine's Day present!

These prints are by Etsy seller and fellow Australian (though she is based in Adelaide) Naomi Murrell:

You can even buy mustaches on a stick on Etsy! And don't laugh, I actually own these! Yes, I saw them online at somethingshidinghere and I had to have them, they are really fun! I had planned on having our photo taken with them for our "Save The Date" cards but we decided to go with the Gocco print instead.

I bought these adorable glitter forget me not elephants, $12 each, at the same time and they look really cute lined up on our kitchen shelf:

Last but not least I find myself totally fascinated by this Blue Sinking Fairytale sculpture by poodlebreath, $75. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I spotted it a while back!

Florist Nicolette Camille

2009-02-03T15:57:00.003-08:00

A gorgeously green arrangement from florist Nicolette Camille. I just love how rustic it is:

Garden Roses

2009-02-03T15:47:00.001-08:00

I love garden roses, here are a few from rose breeder David Austen's website. I think that just a few of these on their own would make a lovely bouquet:

Longneck Vases

2009-02-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

I just saw these long necked vases at CB2 via Remodelista and I'm loving the more rounded two. They're a perfectly simple style and shape and are cheap at only $2.95 - $3.95 each. I have a very similar vase in green over my kitchen sink and I love the way it looks with a single flower in it. It's tempting to pick up a few, but I'll resist... for now!

Bella Umbrella's

2009-02-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

I love me a pagoda style umbrella, and I think it makes such a gorgeous wedding accessory!

Bella Umbrella is a great resource for buying new vintage style umbrellas and renting vintage umbrellas. I believe this is one of their umbrellas used in a shoot with Kirsten Dunst for the October issue of Harpers Bazaar:

Here are some of my favorites that you can rent:

& some of my favorites that you can buy:

Wedding Photographer Jose Villa

2009-02-02T16:03:00.000-08:00

I wrote about this stunning photo recently without realizing who took it:

Turns out it is by photographer Jose Villa who takes the most gorgeous photos! I've just been through his website and blog and here are some of my favorites. This one below is taken at the same wedding as the one above:

I love how he captures sweet moments and details:

Love the lace of this dress btw!

I'm calling this "sunset flower", I just love the colors, and plan on using single flowers like this for our wedding:

I'm kind of obsessed with "feet photos" at weddings, and this is my absolute favorite. Loving the shoes too!

Some of his non-bridal work, which I also love:

& finally this wedding that is currently featured in Southern Weddings magazine, so gorgeous!

Flower Headband

2009-02-02T15:29:00.001-08:00

I found this adorable headband on Urban Outfitters and whilst it isn't "me", I can imagine it looking super cute on a modern bride paired in a sweet white cocktail dress:

The 2009 SAG Awards

2009-01-26T13:37:00.000-08:00

I am LOVING the blue Max Azria dress Angelina Jolie wore to the SAG Awards last night! There's been a lot of talk about how she wore it backwards (so what), and how it looks like a potato sack (I disagree/ don't care), but I think it's stunning. Want!

I am also kind of digging Jennifer Morrison's Anne Valerie Hash dress, similar shape to the dress Angelina Jolie wore to the Golden Globes, which I also had mixed feelings about but ultimately liked:

Lisa Rinna wore a red Pamela Rolland gown to the SAG Awards, and I have to say I'm not usually a big fan of her styling choices, nor am I necessarily a fan of this look, but I feel compelled to note that the shape and style of this gown is very similar to what I'm looking for in a wedding dress... in white lace of course.

J Crew Wedding Dresses

2009-01-24T17:40:00.000-08:00

Some more gorgeous wedding dresses from J Crew's line:

Hobnail glass

2009-01-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

Going through a bit of a phase, I'm guessing most brides-to-be do, where I feel like none of what I want is going to happen and I'm second guessing all of my original ideas.

Example: I've always collected glass vases and paperweights, and more recently I fell in love with milk glass and hobnail... I'm now thinking that a collection of hobnails in different soft shades with single flowers like peonies and mums and garden roses (big fat round flowers in other words) and simple arrangements of a few fat flowers (that I'd love to attempt on my own after a trip to the flower markets!), would be really pretty as a continuous centerpiece down a long communal table. Not exactly in line with the original Indian/ Moroccan bright colors relaxed cocktail party concept!

Here are some beautiful hobnail items I found on Ebay:

LOVE this Cranberry Opal Hobnail Candy dish! Bidding ends in 3 days and it's already at $165!

I'm OBSESSED with turquoise milk glass so when i spotted this item, I tried to resist, but I had to have it! I just won the auction for $25.49!

This purple hobnail opalescent hobnail covered compote is AMAZING!!! Bidding ends in just under 3 days, it's had 9 bids and and it's already up to $90.99 so I have a feeling it's going to go for a lot, but if it looked like it was going cheap I'd be really tempted, it is divine!

Real Weddings - Farm Wedding

2009-01-19T13:07:00.001-08:00

I've always loved the idea of a farm wedding, and I'm obsessed with barns, so I'm loving Melissa & Ryan's wedding as featured in Southern Weddings Magazine that was held at beautiful Claxton Farms in Weaverville North Carolina:

Wedding Cake Toppers

2009-01-19T12:17:00.000-08:00

Trying to decide how I feel about wedding cake toppers, so I've been doing some research on different options. I like these photo cake toppers from Etsy seller Bug&Boo, who's tagline is "when cupcakes don't go topless", just wondering though if they're more suited to a shower or birthday party than they are wedding?

Paper Relics bespoke wedding cake toppers are gorgeous and have a great vintage-y feel but they're a little pricey at $165:

This is a topper from Wedding Mountain called "h elpful groom" from that for some reason I keep coming back to:

I love this vintage topper from Vintage Cake Toppers, who have a great selection:

Trying to decide how I feel about these custom cake toppers made, again from Wedding Mountain:

Loving these little critter cake toppers from Jennifer Murphy, seriously cute!

Liesl & Kevin's Wedding

2009-01-16T01:08:00.000-08:00

Some lovely images from the wedding of Liesl (Martha Stewart's executive assistant) and Kevin. I love the juxtaposition of the elegant bride and the casually dressed groom in this first photo:

This confetti is actually punched flowers made from biodegradable seed paper, such a great idea!

Love the monogramming on the tablecloth and the lovely pinky-red color of the table cloth:

I love how simple and casual these flower arrangements are... this is similar to how I'd like to do flowers for our wedding (but with more color of course!), creates such a great hand-made feel!

These napkins are from For Your Party. I've ordered napkins from them before, but I didn't realize that you could get them debossed, genius!

I've always loved the idea of having a wedding reception in a barn...

Invitation musing: fonts and whatnot

2009-01-14T00:20:00.000-08:00

I'm currently really into the idea of having our invitations and/ or envelopes be a bright color - cobalt blue, red, pink, orange, or turquoise - with white writing, similar to this logo for the blog of West Egg Design's Amy Wiltbank. Great font too!

I'm loving fonts that look somewhat handwritten like this invitation below:

Some samples from a calligrapher that I like Pen & Ink Calligraphy, although I don't think calligraphy is in the budget!

I've blogged about this "font" before that was used on an invitation by Linda & Harriett but a graphic designer friend recently pointed out that it's not a font at all, it's custom (you can tell because no two letters are the same) - shame!

I'd been starting to seriously lean towards nothing decorative on the invitations, text only, until I saw this honeysuckle print on this Little Tree Press invitation - adorable!

Golden Globes Dresses

2009-01-12T23:50:00.000-08:00

Loving the Reem Acra dress that Olivia Wilde wore to the Golden Globes, this would be stunning as a wedding dress in a peachy-cream:

Also loving the stunning Van Cleef and Arpels' turquoise and diamond necklace Eva Mendes' wore:

& surprised to find myself (eventually) really digging Angelina's Atelier Versace dress:

Wedding Paper Divas

2009-01-11T18:48:00.000-08:00

Some more cute invites from Wedding Paper Divas:

Get In Here

2009-01-10T13:46:00.001-08:00

Spotted this online and can't stop looking at it! It's by graphic artist Christopher David Ryan...

Invitations from Ceci New York

2009-01-10T13:30:00.001-08:00

Ceci New York do AMAZING invitations! Here are a few of my favorites from their website. I love letterpress, not sure it's in the budget, but I love it!

Monograms & Crests

2009-01-07T13:06:00.001-08:00

I like the idea of creating a monogram or crest for the wedding, especially since I spotted these on Style Me Pretty that were designed by Lisa Hoffman of Ceci New York:

Max Wanger Photography

2009-01-07T01:15:00.000-08:00

I am newly obsessed with photographer Max Wanger, ever since I discovered some of his "engagement photos" online about an hour ago! Below are a few photos of his that I LOVE, and the good news is, he's LA based! Fingers crossed he's affordable!! I wasn't previously thinking of doing engagement photos - the whole concept is very new to me - but I was thinking that a series of these might be good for a "save the date" postcard for our wedding... will have to see what Andy thinks of the idea!

Birdcage Veils

2009-01-05T22:32:00.000-08:00

I'm loving birdcage veils right now. Not sure they go with my dress style but done right they are a really cute option! You can custom order birdcage veils at SomethingBold.com:

Vintage Patterns

2009-01-05T22:15:00.000-08:00

Vintage patterns are another great option for wedding dresses. Here are a few I found online from sites such as Grandma's House, Vintage Pattern Lending Library and Paper Pursuits:

How cute are these?! Loving the giant bow!

Wedding Decor - Southern Weddings

2009-01-04T23:03:00.000-08:00

Here are some inspirational images from wedding planner Tara Guerard's website Soiree and her book Southern Weddings, which I've mentioned before - I really need to buy this book!

Scattered rose petals from an Indian wedding:

The groom rides in on horseback, something Andy has said he actually might want to do!

So stunning!

I love the pink and green theme of this wedding and the recurring use of the gorgeous green and white patterned fabric:

Big fan of strings of flowers!

I'm hoping to create a walkway like this but with the clear glass jar candles in white that I did a post on earlier:

Invitations - Linda & Harriett

2008-12-13T13:58:00.000-08:00

I'm loving the invitations and other designs from Linda & Harriett, some of my favorites from the website are below:

I'm also LOVING this font!

I just think this card is adorable!

Love the flowers on this birthday card, great color combo too!

The oysters on this "save the date" aren't exactly appropriate for our wedding but they are stunning!

I also love me some pink flamingos! Mental note: buy some of those adorably tacky glowing ones for the garden, whenever we get a garden!

Green Wedding Ideas

2008-12-13T12:14:00.000-08:00

I'd like our wedding to be environmentally friendly. Having the reception and ceremony at the same location helps. I plan to use invitations that are processed without chlorine, preferably on 100% recycled paper, or cotton instead of paper, and with soy based inks. I'd like to do a reply postcard, to save on envelopes, and/or have everyone RSVP by Email. I'm also hoping to create a website myself, using Apples iweb, so that all of the directions, events, hotel arrangements etc. can be listed there instead of printed out.

I'll be using organic hair & make up products (which I pretty much do anyway). Ideally we'll have organic food, and possibly even organic wine and champagne. I believe you can even donate the left over food from your reception to homeless shelters which sounds like a great idea. I'm planning on using organic flowers of course, ideally locally grown, and perhaps even potted plants instead of flowers that can be given away as gifts. Below are some other fun "green" ideas I found online.

You can have your invitation embossed on leaves, like these maple leaves by Stonington Paperie which I think are amazing:

You can buy environmentally friendly confetti, like these Confetti poppers from Beau-coup:

I'm a big fan of bubbles, which are a good environmentally friendly solution with no clean up, so I think that's what we'll end up using as our "send off". Here are some cute ones I found online at The Knot (which I suspect I like because they resemble the Chanel Camellia!):

Another way to go green is to have a vintage wedding dress. I would usually be really into this idea, but I've had the design of my dress stuck in my head for about 10 years now (maybe more!) so I don't think that's what we'll be doing, but it would be tempting if I found the right dress!

Posh Girl Vintage has some really cute options, including these dresses below that I think are adorable:

A friend suggested I check out vintage lace, which I hadn't even thought of but am planning on looking into. I'm also thinking that after the wedding I might have the dress dyed black so that I can wear it again, so at the very least I will be recycling... sort of!

I'm not really into the idea of favors, I have to admit, but the author of Gorgeously Green Sophie Uliano suggests making your own organic jelly (jam for you Aussies), and putting it in a pretty glass jar with a label saying "from the wedding of...", which she apparently did for her own wedding and I think is a lovely idea. I just wish I was enough of a domestic diva to be making my own jam/ jelly! But who knows, maybe I'll get inspired in the months leading up to the wedding - Andy does love jelly so it's appropriate!

Real Wedding Inspirations

2008-12-05T18:37:00.001-08:00

More "real wedding" inspirations from the Martha Stewart Weddings website. Love the use of flowers on these branches. The thick canopy of them in the second photo is amazing!

I love pink & orange together!

It didn't occur to me that you could use metallic gold (or silver) cupcake patty's, I'm all about metallics so I'm loving these!

Boutonnières

2008-12-05T18:11:00.000-08:00

I love the simplicity of boutonnières like Fred Astaire's below:

Prince Michael of Kent's lone yellow rose is just perfect:

I think a single blue cornflower would also look lovely on Andy, such a great color for him and it would be stunning pop of color on a simple black Tuxedo he plans on wearing!

These from Artfool are also lovely, great use of berries in the first:

This use of fern in this boutonniere is really striking and unusual, I love it but think it would be better for a pale suit:

LOVE the unopened Jasmine buds in this one also, so gorgeous!

& lastly, I love the Swarovski crystal frog used in this boutonniere! Paired with a single full rose it could stunning... if Andy would agree to it!

Ribbons

2008-12-03T23:50:00.000-08:00

I love the use of ribbons to frame the ceremony area for this wedding in Connecticut, again from Martha Stewart Weddings, another inexpensive but pretty decorating idea!

Cute Outdoor Wedding Table

2008-12-03T23:43:00.001-08:00

I love these glass jars with candles hung at different heights over the table from Martha Stewart Weddings, gorgeous!

Wedding Dresses: Bianca Jagger in YSL

2008-11-22T15:29:00.000-08:00

Bianca Jagger's YSL suit from her 1971 wedding to Mick Jagger, gorgeous!

Wedding Dresses - J Crew

2008-11-22T15:22:00.000-08:00

I love J Crew's gorgeous and affordable bridal line:

Cute Bridesmaid dresses too:

Gorgeous Wedding Dress

2008-11-22T14:51:00.000-08:00

Great dress in this ad for Jenny Packham's 2008 collection:

Lovely dress from Melissa Sweet:

No idea who this dress is by, I suspect it's vintage, but I absolutely love it!

Wedding Dresses - Carolina Herrera

2008-11-22T14:11:00.000-08:00

Stunning wedding dresses from Carolina Herrera, including this from her Fall 2009 collection:

From her Spring 2009 collection:

From her Fall 2008 collection:

I particularly love this "trench coat as wedding dress" thang from her Fall 2004, Fall 2007 and Spring 2009 collections respectively:

Wedding Dresses - Oscar de la Renta

2008-11-22T13:59:00.000-08:00

Loving this dress from Oscar de la Renta's Spring 2009 collection:

& these from his Spring 2008 collection:

Wedding Dress - Jenni Kayne Dress

2008-11-17T14:12:00.000-08:00

A while back I spotted this dress in Glamour Magazine from Jenni Kayne's Spring 2007 ready to wear collection, and noted that it's very close to what I'd want in a wedding dress.

I'd want it in white, with scalloped lace at the neckline, sleeves and at the bottom, but otherwise it's near perfect, and so "me", I have so many tops and dresses in this shape! I also love her quote "I'm not interested in anything I can't throw on the floor" - I agree completely!

Here is a shot of it from the runway. The poor model's got a bit of what I'm going to call "hat in the face" but it's an otherwise great shot of the dress and it looks so comfortable, which is a top priority!

Here it is again in cream and a shorter length. I think the construction will be simple (& I just got a referral to a great tailor, thanks Ci Ci!) but finding the right lace may take some time, I'm very picky with my lace!

Blog: Faye & Greer

2008-11-16T23:49:00.001-08:00

A few images from another blog that I'm liking, Faye & Greer like this gorgeous sunset shot:

Loving the pink & orange from this Mexican/ Indian themed wedding:

Also loving the use of rosemary, pears and these yellow flowers... wish I knew what they type of flower they are?

Peonies

2008-11-16T23:24:00.000-08:00

I have to admit I am obsessed with peonies!

Bouquets

2008-11-16T23:01:00.001-08:00

While we're on the subject of bouquets, here are a few others I like:

I love this photo & not just because the bouquet is gorgeous! It's the cover of a book called Southern Weddings, which I know nothing about but based on the cover I'm guessing is amazing!

Florist: Flowerwild

2008-11-16T21:23:00.000-08:00

Here are some selections from Flowerwild that I think are really lovely:

I also really like this bouquet, so simple and pretty:

Florist: Holly Flora

2008-11-16T20:54:00.001-08:00

Just discovered florist Holly Flora. I love that she works with unusual vessels and organic flowers!

Blog: Style Me Pretty

2008-11-16T18:53:00.000-08:00

Style Me Pretty has gorgeous wedding imagery, below are some of my favorite images from their website:

Candles in Jam Jars

2008-11-16T17:15:00.000-08:00

I love the look of these candles in jam jars that I spotted on the knot. Could be another inexpensive but pretty way to use candles at the wedding:

More Moroccan inspirations

2008-11-16T16:17:00.000-08:00

Found another great company that also does Moroccan themed tents, furniture and accessories, this one just down the street from our our house - Mosaik Events. Here are some shots from their website that I'm loving:

Andy loves this shot with the lanterns along the walkway:

More great use of lanterns:

Love this party set up with the pool right there, so lush and green and romantic:

Another shot from the same event. I love the candles lining the pool. Never thought I'd say this but while I love this look below from the same party I'm wondering if it might be just a tad too much color with the draped fabric overhead?

I'm really into the idea of an outdoor wedding but these tent interiors are stunning:

Some of their tents bare that are available to rent. Maybe not a bad idea to get one (or two) if they're not too expensive:

I thought a scattering of jewel colored cushions (like the ones at Icebergs restaurant in Sydney) would be lovely and wasn't sure I would be able to find ones that were similar to rent, but these might do: