The Big Picture {capturing that one magical moment}

Being in the midst of planning insanity, it's really easy to lose yourself in which Pantone shade of twine you should order off of Etsy (don't judge me!). I've been trying really hard to ground myself in the fact that in less than 5 months, I am getting married to the man I've spent the last 9 years with. It's pretty incredible when I stop to think about it, and I am so looking forward to those amazing memories, and little moments we will treasure for years to come.

Sources: Nirav Photography, Nirav Photography, Max Wanger, Max Wanger, Shang Chen Photography, Shang Chen Photography, Ann Street Studio

Take a Seat {Finding the Perfect Table Numbers}

Table numbers are one of those little things you don't start seriously thinking about until a lot of other things fall into place: place settings, china, glassware, dinner menu, flatware, centerpieces, rentals, color palettes, etc. As those little things are beginning to come together (5 month countdown like WHOA), I am finding my spare Pinterest time being spent increasingly on table numbers. And, man! There are some really cute and really crazy table numbers on Pinterest. I love simple, elegant, vintage, and nothing overly fussy. That being said, if you are looking for table numbers for your tropical-Winter-circus-themed wedding, surely they exist! Here are a few I'm loving right now:

Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Finding My Glass Slippers

It dawned on me this week that because of the schedule of my dress fitting, I actually need my bridal shoes in May, which feels incredibly soon. Because of that little realization, I've spent this week looking at and thinking about different shoe options.

I'm sure that I'm not the only one that thinks of Cinderella's glass slippers as the shoes that set the bar for all bridal shoes until the end of time.

Source: 1

Of course, the problem with Cinderella's shoes is that a real bride can't exactly traipse around taking photos, gracefully walk down the aisle, greet her guests at cocktail hour, and dance the night away in glass.

Pinterest has no shortage of "real life" glass slippers, either:

Source: 2, 3 

While I'm all about sparkle, which I have made abundantly clear in past blog posts, I am also all about dancing and all about pretty while still being practical. Here are a few more down-to-earth, and less fairy tale shoes that I'm considering:

Source: 4, 5, 6, 7

Making a Statement {Bridal Bouquets that Stand Out}

Much of our wedding look and feel is inspired by the artist Alphonse Mucha, known for his Art Nouveau botanical paintings of women, like the ones below:

Sources: 1, 2

While we don't exactly subscribe to the school of thought of having set "wedding colors," our general color palate will be greens, golds, coppers, pewters, and some pinks. We're in the early stages of talking to some florists, and I've been thinking about my bouquet more and more. I've become quite fond of the idea of a "statement" bouquet, in a brighter, yet still complementary, color to the rest of the wedding flowers. Here are a few that I've found inspiring this week:

Sources: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Dressed to the Nines {bachelorette party on the brain}

I think the one thing no one really talks about with wedding planning is that most brides (at least those getting married in a "popular" area like Wine Country) have planned all of the big things (venue, caterer, dress, DJ, photographer) 9-12 months before their wedding. So, there's this lull where all you have is Pinterest and a bazillion wedding magazines and blogs to make you think of the omgsupercute details you should have at your wedding. Let's just say that choosing a caterer was a bit more fun, and less stress-inducing than the details lull. While I still have a few months, and it's not exactly part of my wedding planning, I am feeling totally excited by the idea of a no-holds-barred night out with my favorites to blow off some of that wedding-induced steam. I have been bitten by the bachelorette bug hard, and with all the cute Valentine's Day dresses all over the place, it's a miracle that I haven't bought 15 potential bachelorette dresses!  Here are some of my faves:

From Rent the Runway (1, 2, 3):

From Asos.com (a favorite of mine for party dresses) (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9):

From bebe.com (which seems primarily meant for bachelorette parties, no?) (10, 11, 12):

Feeling Font-sy {choosing a wedding font}

As of last week, we are at the 6 month mark! Seriously crazy how fast the time flies. We're thisclose to choosing a save-the-date (we don't have many people traveling to our wedding, and already notified those who are traveling about accomodations), and we'll finalize invitations and paper goods by the end of February/early March. I've found choosing an invitation suite pretty daunting, if only for the fact that some brides use one font on everything--think wedding websites, save-the-dates, programs, escort cards, favors, seriously everything. I'd like to think I'm not that crazy, but with six months left, who really knows, right? That being said, there are a few general directions that I am leaning towards. As I've mentioned, our overarching wedding inspiration is Art Nouveau. Our font inspiration comes from an amazing restaurant in San Francisco, Boulevard:

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Here are some others that I'm loving right now:

Veil-ed It! {headpiece or veil?}

My wedding gown has a lot going on. I knew that I would never be that bride that can effortlessly and elegantly pull off a crepe sheath dress (Gwyneth Paltrow I am not). That being said, my accessorizing options are somewhat limited by the fact that my dress brings the bling in a major way. Herein lies the problem: I love headpieces, like true love. I have been searching for a headpiece that combines my love of vintage, my love of bling, and is understated enough that I won't look like Honey Boo Boo (think modified tiara, not full-blown tiara). Here are a few that I love:

 Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

Recently, veils have seemed a little more alluring. I had honestly completely written off veils, since we're not religious, not having a religious ceremony, and the back of my gown is intricate, and I wanted it to be visible. However, BHLDN has struck again with a couple of very sheer, very delicate options that are making me rethink this whole headpiece obsession.

Source: 5, 6

Showered with love {what to wear to your bridal shower}

While my bridal shower is a good four months away, and there will surely be white and cream-colored dresses a-plenty as the weather gets warmer, lately, I find my fingers wandering to sites like Nordstrom, BHLDN, and Anthropologie to search for the perfect dress to wear to my bridal shower. Requirements are as follows: 1) Effortless (no dress is ever truly effortless, but it'd be great if it at least looks effortless)

2) Chic

3) A little something extra (my mantra for all things wedding....sequins! Just kidding...sort of)

4) Bride-y (a bit hard to wear white lace on occasions when you're not being showered, no?)

What you wear should somewhat depend on the look and feel of the shower, as well as the attendees. Lucky for me, my most favorite ladies in the world know that I like to sparkle like it's my job. So, I don't think they'll mind if my dress is a bit much for a backyard ladies' luncheon in May. Here are some of my favorites so far:

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Let's hear it for the girls! {over-the-top flower girl dresses}

Warning: this blog post involves not one, but two humble-brags. 1) I have two ridiculously adorable flower girls: the daughters of our close friends. And they are at just that perfect age of ALL PRINCESS EVERYTHING, so no flower girl dress is too over-the-top. Sequins? Duh. Feathers? You betcha! Tulle? Obviously.

2) My previously mentioned crafty mother has graciously accepted the task of hand-making these flower girl dresses! So, we get to design them together!! My mom is an incredible seamstress, and while regular school play costumes were de rigueur around my house, my mom also tackled more substantial projects like my kick-ass prom dress. So, yeah...she's pretty legit.

Humble brags aside (fine...they were mostly just brags!), my mom and I are on the hunt for adorable and inspirational flower girl dresses that are unique, fantastical, and totally over-the-top. Here are a few of my favorites:

 

Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Put Her Best Foot Forward {flats for your bridesmaids}

My sister is my MOH and sole bridesmaid, and, while she is amazingly smart, gorgeous, and funny to boot, she is not a heels girl. Lucky for her, I am not a bridezilla (hate that word), and couldn't give two hoots about the shoes on her feet. That being said, her dress is short, so I'll take it upon myself as bride and the more shoe-obsessed sister to find her a lovely, wedding-friendly pair of flat sandals to wear with her dress. Her dress is similar to the below, from David's Bridal and J. Crew:

Source: 1, 2

Here are a couple of shoes I think would be fun and unique for a bridesmaid...who ever said all bridesmaids need to wear silver kitten heels from Chinese Laundry? Ugh.

And a few more sparkly options:

Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

As for me, I'll be in these... ; )

Source: 7