Bridesmaid dress colors

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

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

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!

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

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

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?!