I'm Getting Married!

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I can't believe this week is finally here! After a year and three months of planning, we leave for our wedding weekend today! I'm so excited for it all to come together and have my family and friends in one place for an entire weekend.

Here are some of the images that have inspired me and shaped our wedding over the past year...

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It's been so much fun being a part of the E&I community! Thank you for following along on my journey to the alter. Cheers!

Rachel

Photographer Shot List

One month countdown to my wedding! It is getting close and left on my checklist are the fine details. Not necessities, but the fun stuff!

My wise sister-in-law-to-be, who just got married, recommended I put together a shot list for my photographer. Something I wouldn't have thought of, but a great idea. Seeing all the beautiful shots out there, I know I want to make a list so I'm 100% happy when I get my photos back.

Here are some I definitely want in the mix...

Closeups of me with the bouquet.

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The details.

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The ring bearer and flower girl getting excited for their walk down the isle.

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Sun behind.

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Cute candids.

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Cool shots featuring the sky at dusk.

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Did you do a shot list for your photographer?

Invitation Design

Today I get to show off my invitations! I worked with graphic designer and E&I blogger alum, Kimberly Roth, to create my invitation suite. I love how they turned out.

Along the way, I feel that I really solidified the vision I had for my wedding. We pulled inspiration from the location - Mount Hood, Oregon - by featuring the mountain, the muted lavender color from the lavender fields in the area, and the overall whimsical feel.

    

Photo credit: Kimberly Roth

I also got a chance for some DIYing. Kimberly designed and coordinated having stamps made for our 'belly band' and return address. During a visit to Paper Source, I realized embossing with white would show up much better on the Kraft paper than just a white stamp. Embossing is really fun and easy (but time consuming when you are doing it for 100+ invitations).

Here's what I used:

- Stamp

- Stamp pad

- Embossing powder

- Heat tool

Once I got the hang of it, it went by pretty fast. I would stamp three at a time, apply the powder, lay them out on the table (until it filled the table) and then use the heat tool on all of those. Much faster than doing the whole process for one at a time. Two of my bridesmaids came over one night to help and that really speeded things up. Note to self: make sure cat doesn't get to them before you set the powder with the heat. :-)

After embossing, I folded each belly band around the invitation and secured it with a strip of double sided tape.

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Photo credit: Kimberly Roth

Veiling It

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My lovely future mother-in-law has offered to make my veil for me. She made her daughter's veil last year and it turned out great, so I trust that I'm in good hands.

Last week I went to Britex Fabrics and got some swatches so I could match them to my dress color. I can't wait to see how it turns out and get everything on!

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I want my veil to be simple and on the longer side. I'm getting married in a potentially-windy location and I've been told longer veils are actually better because they have more weight to them so they won't blow around as much. The one thing I'm concerned about is there being too much volume. My dress is somewhere between an A-line and a ballgown silhouette and I don't want it to be over-the-top. I think the last image, above, is a good example of a fuller skirt with a long veil that looks natural and tasteful.

Should I go Waltz, Floor-length, or Chapel?

White on Wood {signs}

Now that my invitation designer and I are getting closer to the final version of my invitation suite, it's got me thinking about all things signage! We are doing a lot of white text on colored backgrounds, so when I saw these "white on wood" signs, I knew they would be a great fit.

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There is a simple tutorial, here. And some ideas on where to find old wood, here.

Did you have luck finding reclaimed wood for wedding signage? If so, how did you do it?

Polish Perfection

All I can think about are pretty, polished, shiny nails this week! I love when brides go bold and pick a bright shade. It makes me think the bride is fun and laid back. And, then again, there's nothing like the perfect, classic nude to let your dress take center stage.

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While I plan to go neutral for my own nails, I'm thinking it would be really fun for my bridesmaids to do bright colors - best of both worlds!

Will you be going for a bold or nude hue for you big day?

Finding Your Glass Slippers

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 Now that I have my dress, Ican't wait to pick out the heels! I love the look of a neutral color with sparkles of some kind.

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 On the other hand, a brighter color would be fun.

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Other things on my checklist are that they are comfortable, stay on my feet, not be too high, and that they aren't crazy expensive. I can't wait to find the perfect ones for me. I'm thinking I'll be ordering several contenders so that I can try them on and see how they feel on and with my dress.

Where did you shop for your wedding shoes?

Taming the Locks

This week I'm trying to find a hair stylist in the small town where we'll be getting married. And while looking for someone, I've been searching for a lot of inspiration. I've known from the beginning that I want to wear my hair up - but that was about as much as I had decided. Source: left, right

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It looks like I'm drawn to styles that are soft, romantic, and a little messy. :-)

Which one is your favorite? Did you know from the beginning how you wanted your hair?

Here Comes the Bride {aisle inspiration}

This past Saturday I talked with two different florists. Before doing so I gathered lots of inspiration and honed in on the look I wanted. I had been holding off on this because there are so many gorgeous options, I was having trouble committing to one. Creating a board with the things I decided on so far and adding in the flowers I was thinking about really helped me be sure I was going in the right direction. I sent the Pinterest board links to the florists and it helped them see my overall style and, more specifically, the flowers I had in mind (what did we do before Pinterest!?) One thing they both asked me on our calls was what my plan was for the aisle and ceremony space. I had been doing so much thinking about the flowers in terms of the tables and bouquets, I hadn't even thought of the aisles! So I asked them what they recommended and started searching and realizing there are endless options...

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Would love the candle look if I was having a nighttime ceremony.

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Shepherd hooks are really versatile and my venue has some I can use if I opt for this. No extra rentals =  money saved! But, you will be shelling out for the extra arrangements. One good option would be if you could move them to the tables after the ceremony for double duty!

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And then there are petals. I love the look of petals along the aisle because it creates such a strong visual pathway. It's also romantic, timeless and (apparently) pretty cost-effective. One of the florists told me she could use the petals of a less expensive flower along the aisle.

When you have a gorgeous venue, I think you can get away with a more minimal aisle decoration. I'm thinking I will keep the ceremony decor pretty simple (we have Mt. Hood as the backdrop, so I think people will be looking at that), and put more towards the tables.

What are you doing to dress up your aisle and ceremony space? Did you have it figured out already when you talked to florists? Any cost-saving tips?

Bridesmaid Dresses {mix & matching}

I recently started using the 'Secret Boards' on Pinterest and am loving it for so many reasons! This past week I've been using it as I narrow in on the look of the bridal party. I am 90% sure we'll be doing the mix and match look for the bridesmaids. I like that with the Secret Boards, I have the option to pin my own as I gather inspiration and then share with all my ladies once I'm ready! And then instead of sending an email with a bunch of links, I can send them actual pictures that link right through to where they can buy them (I heart Pinterest). I'm leaning towards neutral, light dresses. Maybe keeping the same length to keep them consistent.

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As you can see I'm thinking a light nude/tan/ivory color palate. When we're all together, it should look something like this...

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Mixing and matching can be a challenge, but when done right, I love the way it looks! Did you have your bridesmaids in different dresses? Any tips on making everything look polished and pulled together?

P.S. In my unrelated search this week about DIY Christmas tree skirts, I came across this link with instructions on how to make one out of your old bridesmaid dress, click here. So funny.