I love Etsy!

While I was perusing Etsy, I found a flower for my hair and my ring bearer pillow!

I've been a lurker of Etsy for the last few months. What I mean is that I never registered to be an Etsy member, until today. I decided that it was going to be a fantastic one-stop shop for handmade and UNIQUE items! I'm so excited!

Here's what I found:

Ring Bearer pillow:

 

by Etsy member YandeBridal

I love the big flower on top of the pillow. It gives it a unique look, without being overly froufrou. I really like the look of big open flowers, and this one fits the bill! Yandebridal has loads more designs in her Etsy shop. Be sure to check it out!

Next, the flower for my hair:

by Etsy member QGDesigns

I decided against using Gardenias for my wedding because I have some family members who are highly allergic to fragrant flowers. Instead, I went on a quest to incorporate a Gardenia someway, somehow. We are using Gardenia illustrations for our invitations that I designed. And I always wanted to wear a flower in my hair. Perfect! There are other designs as well, so pretty! Check out the Etsy shop here.

Yay! Things I can check off my list!

Etsy rocks!

A Square Cake!

That's right, we're having a square cake. I'm really excited about it. While round cakes are technically "easier" to make, I wanted our cake to be a little different from what our guests might be expecting.

Here was my inspiration:

photo from Gracefull333

I'm loving the look of a square cake. I also like how the middle tier is slightly twisted to add a little more style.

 
 

Photo by kelannfuller

 

I love this cake. It's in our colors and so bright and different. We're going to have a blue cake.

Photo from brookecorpus

I also like the idea of fresh flowers for the cake. Flowers are a great addition and add color!

I'm working with the wonderful Jen Kwapinski of Jen's Cakes in San Jose. They are a wife and husband team who have been rocking out wedding cakes for the last few years. My coworker referred me to Jen after booking her for her own wedding. She said that her cake was the hit of their reception. Sounds good to me!

If you are in the Bay Area, definitely consider checking out Jen's Cakes. She's super nice and her cakes are SUPER good! My mom and I went to the tasting, and it was the best vendor meeting ever!

One year ago...he popped the big question!

I can't believe that we have been engaged for a year now. It was one year ago that my fiance got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. And I said, "YES!" It's amazing that we've been through all this planning, preparations, and the big day will be here very very soon. I can't believe that 12 months past so fast. I thought that with 16 months to plan it would be plenty of time. I'm glad that I had all that time, but now time is ticking down!

Some big DIY project are coming up on the blog. I just completed some bulletin boards for our guestbook. Something great is cooking up for that!

Big fan of Project Wedding!

Let me take a moment to say what a fan I've become of Project Wedding. If you haven't been checking out this resource, you need to. DO IT.

I've found this to be a wonderful referral service for the last of my vendors. Currently, I'm searching for a Day of Coordinator, which I don't know if we will hire for sure yet, but I just want to explore my options. I'm also looking for a Hair and Make Up Artist that is reasonably priced. If I had an unlimited budget, I would hire Maria Chang of PMA - Professional Makeup Artistry in a heartbeat. However, she's out of my budget and she books up like six months in advance.

I like that there are ratings and reviews from brides and that it links up their website and/or blog. In today's technologically driven society, it's so important to have some kind of web presence, at least to me. If a vendor doesn't have some kind of online access, I skip over them. I prefer email correspondence first, then phone calls if I decide to proceed. Something to definitely think about. And I'm not even talking fancy, a blog is totally cool. I actually prefer going to see a blog first before hitting up a website! Blogs have all the most current work (if the vendor is a good blogger) and links to the website.

Anyway, check out Project Wedding for your wedding vendor referrals!

Wedding Countdown: Planning out the remaining 4 months!

Somehow, between today and the last 12 months, time has slipped away. When we got engaged last year in March and then decided on a July wedding the following year, I thought I had loads of time! Well, I'm down to the last four months. And time is ticking away...

Things accomplished:

• booked venue (includes catering & bar service)
  
• booked photographer, he rocks!
  
• booked church & officiant
  
• bought my wedding gown
• booked DJ
• booked florist
• booked cake

Things left to accomplish in next four months (more like 2 months!)

• book makeup artist and hair stylist
• finalize invitations and make 200 of them
• create table numbers and escort cards
• decide on what to do for guest book
• choose favor idea and make or order
• book transportation
• book rehearsal dinner restaurant
  
• select food for reception
• pay vendors when due

What do you have left to do?

I feel like I have so much and not enough time. Of course, it doesn't really help that I also have a full time job and a photography business I'm working on getting off the ground! Well, I'll never be bored.

Affordable Centerpiece Finds

I heart Ikea. I have since I was a kid living in France. My family used to go there every so often on the weekend to leisurely stroll through all the sections. That was in 1986. When Ikea finally made it up to the Bay Area (it had been in SoCal for a number of years) I was really excited. It reignited my love of the store. Even in college, if I had nothing better to do, I'd make the trek out to Ikea just because. The Swedes rock.

In terms of wedding planning, I've found some great deals if you're looking for affordable candle holders or vases.

Galej $1.99/3 pack

 

Glimma $1.99/6 pack 

  

Ikea PS $8.99 

  

Superfin $0.49 

 

Makta $2.99

Blomster $3.99

 

Farm $1.99 

 

Snartig  $0.79

 

Superfin  $2.99

Oh Ikea! So great. I can see lovely intimate table lit with tealights and simple budvases with single stem florals. Elegance does not have to mean it's expensive!

Where to Begin: Bridesmaids Dresses

I was talking to a friend over the weekend and she mentioned that she is going to be in a wedding in August. And she's a bridesmaid. She also talked/complained about the trials and tribulations of being a bridesmaid and how it has turned into a nightmare. She was just talking about the dress. She is going to be a bridesmaid for a friend she has known since second grade. Her friend, thinking that she'd make it easy by choosing a black dress, decided on a certain two-piece style from David's Bridal. My friend said that she's never going to wear the dress again because it's so "not her style" and the dress is a waste of money to her. She even said that she's going to suck in her gut in the smaller size dress so she doesn't have to pay for alterations. Oh dear.

So how do you prevent this type of dilemma?

I found my friend's anecdote highly entertaining, although she did have a point. Personally, I'd like to choose a dress that can be reworn by my bridesmaids. Something that they won't want to throw away and think that they wasted a ton of money on. I want them to have a dress that they'll like (at least a little). I've become a big fan of choosing a dress line and color and letting the bridesmaids have at it.

At first, I thought that I would be one of those brides who wanted the matchy-matchy bridesmaids dresses. Then I came to my senses and realized that not everyone looked spectacular in the same cut of dress. I'm thinking that I'll choose a color and let my bridesmaids pick something that they will feel good in. (As much as possible in a bridesmaid dress)

Why not try something like these?

photo from ariadress.com

photo from Aria Dress

 Photo from TheKnot

Bridesmaids dresses don't have to be "bridesmaid-y". Check out the collection at J.Crew too.

Take the Cake Thursday: Margaret's French Bakery

Here we are, it's Thursday again, and that means cake time!

Margaret's French Bakery has been delighting customers since 1983 out of the South Bay. It's owned and operated by Margaret and Joe Novak and their current operation is out of Campbell and you can also find them at local farmer's markets and festivals around the Bay Area. Although they specialize in wedding cakes and custom designed desserts, Margaret's French Bakery does just about anything for your occasion of choice!

They also have an awesome Cake Blog to showcase their work!

I love these cakes:

I've never seen a cake with this kind of texture. It's cool in a very funky way!


I really like the hexagonal shape on this cake, and yet it's so simple. Lovely!


This simple cake looks gorgeous and delicious!


I'm totally into the simple cake + florals.


I think the little symbols on this one represent windmills. The color totally works.


This one has so much color, even if the base is white. Nice!


Simple and understated, but with oompf.

Visit Margaret's French Bakery!

Photos courtesy of Margaret's French Bakery.

Mission: Organization

I like to be organized. I have good intentions when I start getting organized. Then entropy sets in, and all efforts go down the drain. However, with planning a wedding, I knew that organization just to stay sane was key.

There were so many blogs to sift through, pictures to save, articles to clip, and so forth. I knew that if I were to actually cut things out of magazines, I would end up with a stack up to the ceiling, easy. I love magazines. How do I take care of this madness?! Without going mad?!

I'm online all the time at work, so the most logical and useful things to me have been web-based. My new best friend has been Google Reader. I've subscribed to a ton of feeds from wedding blogs to photography blogs and even my friends' blogs. Every morning, I log in and catch up on all the blogging that has gone one. Everything neat and tidy thanks to Google Reader.

Next, I've started using Google Notebook for pages that I like or have been inspired by, but don't have a blog or feed. I've kept potential vendors including florists, bakeries, and DJs. It makes it easier to organize since I can create multiple notebooks and sections and not crowd my regular bookmarks.

I'm also a heavy Firefox user. I think the option of having multiple tabs is awesome. I always have at least 10 tabs open and I hate to close them because I don't want to lose the page that I was on. Thank goodness for a history window!

Finally, to synchronize appointments and visits with the fiance, we've employed Google Calendar. Google Calendar allows us to share our appointments with each other easily and instantly. When I was making appointments to visit reception venues, I would key it into my calendar and then he knew what was coming up. I also shared these with my mom since she came along for the visit as well. So great!

Simply said, Google has been a lifesaver in keeping me sane. (No, I'm not a paid Google endorser, and I do think they are taking over the world.) You do what you gotta do.

Sweet Treats!

I found these sweet cupcake pops on the Bakerella blog. If you're a lover of all things cupcake, this is definitely worth a click. It makes you want to run out and make some for yourself. In addition, I thought that these would make for some wonderful favors or after reception treats. Either way, they'd make a delicious and super cute snack!

Thanks Bakerella for your awesomely cute and delicious creations!

Where to Begin: Choosing a Date

After the realization sets in that "OMG, I'm getting married!", it can be an overwhelming undertaking to actually start planning. Like most brides-to-be out there, I had never planned a wedding. I've seen family members plan weddings when I was in high school, but I had never done it. Only one of my friends from college is married, and I'm the first of my immediate friends to get engaged. Since then two more of my friends have gotten engaged and one more is in the works! (There must be something in the water).

I have to admit that I was overcome by the deluge of options for wedding "stuff". Indoor or outdoor? Church or garden? Friday, Saturday, or Sunday? Big or small? Before the engagement I found myself perusing bridal "things". I'd secretly check out The Knot for pretty ideas or WeddingBee especially since one of my former coworkers is Mrs. Tomato. It was fun to check things out without the strings attached. With the ring slipped on my finger, I now get to think in concrete terms. I am planning a wedding!

The day after the question was popped, we started talking about when. During our first conversation we discussed sometime in 2009. We thought about March or April before the real wedding season rush. As soon as we broke the news to our parents, my mom asked that we wait until she finished grad school in May '09. So then I thought about May 30, 2009. She vetoed it, and asked that my sister be on summer vacation from college. We narrowed dates down to end of June and July, since we didn't really want to wait until August or September if we didn't have to. We chose July 11 or July 18 as possible dates and moved on from there. We thought that this would be a good compromise especially since we still have friends who are in college or grad school and wouldn't be able to attend during the "school year".

Then began the hunt for the venue. With a date in mind, this made the search easier. Certain places could be thrown out while others would remain under consideration.

image from: Embroidery Library

Estilo Weddings is having a sale!

I found out about Estilo Weddings this week from Style Me Pretty, a must-read wedding blog. Well, they are having a sale through November 23rd. You can get a ton of stuff! I'm definitely considering getting my bridesmaids pashminas!

Check it out!

Fab Decoration!

My venue needs a little gold pop. The walls are a peachy and yellow color and my color scheme is chocolate brown and ocean blue. So my venue coordinator suggested that I tie in come gold accents so that I don't have to order chair covers. The chairs aren't that ugly, so I think we can work with the gold.

Thanks to my daily read, Elizabeth Anne Designs, I found this fabulous DIY project for decorations. The full instructions can be found here.

If I can create these in this color or more yellow-peachy color, I think it will tie in nicely with my venue, bridging the color gap. I'm totally keeping this one bookmarked!

Instructions found on the VintageGlam Blog.

Dress Shopping, my take, Part 3

So after a positive experience at the first bridal salon, we were off to lunch and driving down to the next appointment.

The next appointment was booked at Kay's Bridal in Castro Valley. I remembered passing it every now and then driving through. I looked them up online and booked an appointment. Kay's Bridal had very friendly staff and a huge inventory. The difference was that the dresses were in plastic bags on the racks so for me, it was hard to see what the dressed would look like in full form. This, however, did prevent the serious eye wattering that I experienced at the other bridal salon.

My attendant, Nicole, was very helpful. She asked me what my price range was and what style I thought I wanted. Again, I was a little weary about giving "too low" of a price range, thinking that it would seriously limit my possibilities. I told her that I was interested in A-line gowns, nothing too poufy, with some lace, but not overkill. She found some dresses that she thought fit the description and I picked out some dresses, trying to peer into the plastic sheath.

I tried on about ten dreses I think. I tried on the same dress that I did at the first boutique. I loved it all the same. I checked the price to see if there were any advantages on waiting a few more months or buying it then. I saw that the pricetag was higher than the other salon, but Kay's was also running a special on Maggie Sottero gowns, for I believe $200 off the tag price. Then, I took into account that the other store was having a Trunk Show Sale on Maggie Sottero dresses.

So I'm not one to hem and haw over things like this. In my mind, it's another bullet point on my Wedding To-Do List. It seemed straightforward to me. I would go to the other store and take advantage of the Maggie Sottero Trunk Show Sale and be done with it. Which is what I did!

Here's my dress, the Carissa:

 

 

We have music!

Ack! I keep making excuses about how I'm a bad blogger. Well, there it is, I just am. At the beginning I just wrote a bunch of posts and scheduled them to publish. That was fab. Then I started to slack on it and those scheduled posts ran out, the ones queued up were never written and well... yeah.

On a separate note, we booked our DJ! This was one thing that the fiance really wanted to have a hand in it. I was totally cool with that, since there are the grooms out there who are just uninvolved. I knew that the music aspect of our wedding day would be really important to him, so I researched the companies and then scheduled some face time.

Having a fiance who is in a different state makes wedding planning a little tricky, but totally doable. Unlike brides who are planning destination weddings, I'm here in the area of our wedding. It's just when things arise that he needs to be here for that require some extra planning. The last time that he was out here we went to interview the DJ company. I also took him to see the reception venue which he had never seen in person, only through photos and verbal description. Next time, we'll have to meet up with my priest to go over some particulars and other stuff.

Our DJ company is awesome and if you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, I'll highly recommend them. They are Denon & Doyle based out of Pleasant Hill, servicing the entire Bay Area. I attended a wedding this summer where they were the DJ company. Everything ran smoothly and everyone gravitated to the dance floor. The flow was great and I felt like it was so professional and just awesome! They know tons of venues and vendors and are so easy and great to work with. They've gotten rave reviews from the Knot and local papers. We met with one of the senior DJs, my fiance got a good vibe from him, and he was hired. Done and done. Now if only all the other wedding stuff was that easy!

Dress Shopping, my take, Part 1

Unlike other brides-to-be out there, I've been putting off shopping for my dress. Everyone kept asking me if I have found my dress yet, and I had to reply "no".

Well, that is no longer, folks. I have found my dress!

After chatting with a former co-worker who is getting married eight days after me, she gave me some pointers from her shopping experience. She scheduled a couple of appointments at various bridal salons in the San Jose area, and had a pretty good time. However, her one caveat was that she didn't think she'd be able to get out of the salon without spending at least four figures -- something I feared.

By nature, I'm a pretty frugal person. I think I learned that from my dad. I don't like spending my own money, however, I have an easier time spending someone else's money. For the wedding, I'm paying for a lot of things on my own, so I knew that I would have to budget a reasonable amount for my wedding dress. I'm not coming from a place where my parents have set aside $10,000 for my dream dress. I'm okay with that. I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that I was going to wear something with five digits. That's just not how I roll.

So the thought of "having" to spend at least $1,000 on a wedding gown was freaking me out. My co-worker also mentioned that for we who are getting married next July, considering that it takes about four to six months to create, should order our dresses by October. Good to know.

With these two points in mind, I researched a couple of local bridal salons. I didn't really want to drive about forty-five minutes out of my way to the same salons as my co-workers. (Enter frugality). Instead I decided to find something closer. I had heard about one location, J'aime Bridal in Pleasanton. I made an appointment for a bridal consultation. I had also driven past another bridal salon, Kay's Bridal, in Castro Valley, and booked a second appointment that day. I figured that these were in close enough proximity to me, so why not?

I went dress shopping this past Thursday. I went out with no intention of either finding or buying a dress. I thought that it was going to be a long, hard journey to finding "the" dress. I thought that it would be foolish to "settle". I had seen other brides-to-be going from salon to salon, trying on multiple dresses, and still not finding the one. I thought that would be me.

I discovered otherwise on Thursday....

Invitation finds on Flickr

Sorry for the lack of posts, I've been away on business in Denver for my real job -- attending a statistics conference. I'm no statistician, but I do work on statistics books.

While hanging out in my hotel room and enjoying the free wi-fi, I came upon some great finds on Flickr. It's such an awesome photo community and some etsy artists as well as freelance invitation designers showcase their work on Flickr.

User UglyKitty has some lovely designs which are hand Gocco'ed. Etsy Store here.

 

Hiu and Kent  

  

Becca and Matt  

So does MewPaperArts and Etsy Store here.

 

Chocolate Damask  

  

Invitation  

  

Wild Ginger  

  

Mandala

Foto Friday: Jessica Claire

I first learned about Jessica Claire on one of my favorite wedding websites - WeddingBee. I was immediately drawn to her photos. The color, the vibrancy, the life that jumps off the screen. Just wonderful. The ever-so amazing Jessica Claire is not just a photographer. She's also an entrepreneur and creator of a beloved bag for photographers - the Shootsac. She's also revolutionized the use of her blogsite - a blog and a website: www.jessicaclaire.net. She not only has some amazing images, she also lets her personality shine through in her posts and in her photos. You can really see that she genuinely cares for her clients, which I feel is so important for great rapport. I'm a regular reader of her blog and an admirer of her images.

All photos from Jessica Claire:

 

  

 

All these photos are so beautiful! Check out Jessica's latest wedding here.

In case you're wondering here's Jessica's creation - the Shootsac!

Take the Cake Thursday: Romano's Bakery

Since I'm in Dallas visiting my awesome fiance, I thought I would spotlight a local Dallas bakery.

Romano's Bakery was named Best Wedding Cake in Texas by People Magazine and was also features on Whose Wedding is it Anyway? Romano's Bakery has been making delicious cakes and cheesecakes in the Dallas area since 1990. Their cakes are made the European way; using fresh ingredients and the personal touch that they are known for. All of Romano's cakes are custom designed for you, whether it is for your child's first birthday or your wedding, they want the cake to be a beautiful focal point to your event.