{Heritage & Craft} Bay Area Vintage Rentals

The Bay Area has a pretty legit wedding scene. With Napa, Carmel, Santa Cruz and SF, there is literally something for everyone. But up until now one thing we didn't have was a vintage rental company. Finding one-of-a-kind pieces for your wedding can be challenging to say the least (believe me, I'm doing it. Luckily my mom is really enjoying the process so has pretty much taken over finding all the vintage finds.) The time and the money are almost not worth finding those perfect pieces for your wedding. Then let's all applaud Erin from Bustle Events for notices this need and working incredibly hard to fill it. Thanks to her we all now have access to those expensive little finds that we LOVE but can't get behind paying for, along with a lot of pieces that you literally can't even find anywhere. Heritage & Craft goes one step further by offering a selection of custom made furniture to fit your need exactly. Basically it is your one stop shop for everything amazing and adorable and unique.

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{Desserts} Sweet Tables

Dessert tables are a super fun way to present treats to your guests in a non-traditional way. I love tables that use a variety of different items of decor to create a unique table. The use of furniture and lots of frames and jars along with those personal details that make your style yours are the best way to go about table design. Choose some of your favorite treats and don't be afraid to be as fun as you want. Brownies, s'mores, ice cream sundaes and other fun treats would be totally cute.

As far as my plans, I am creating a dessert bar of sorts for the bridal shower. We are hosting a brunch so it will be a combo of sweet and savory items for the 20 some guests in attendance.

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

Our Year and Lovely Inspiration

This weekend I engaged in some massive inspiration finding. I have a whole new slue of ideas, inspirations, colors and everything else. Probably not the best idea with only 3 months until the wedding. That is definitely something I am known to do. In those findings I came across these lovely images that just made my day a million times over. Enjoy the first days of 2011 with some wonderful inspiration. This year is seriously going to be the best yet. No more of my thunder can be stolen this year. It's my year, it's our year. I can't wait for all the amazing things that 2011 has to offer, and I just can't wait.

First up, the wedding! :)

Etsy Favorites

I see so many amazing weddings that have accents from Etsy. I know that Etsy is an incredible wedding resource for us brides, but for some reason I never seem to find anything on there. Maybe it's the way I search or the things I am looking for, but I never seem to find anything good from Etsy! Yet, I KNOW those amazing shops exist. Are their other brides out there that feel the same way? So, who wants to help me out here? What are your favorite Etsy shops? Shops you stalk, you ordered from, or you plan to have in your wedding?

I do have a small few of my own that I really do love which I figured I would list below but I would love you all to post some links of your fave Etsy shops as well!

Rosebud Lips

Oatmeal Lace

{UPDATE}

Here are some of the links to shops that other's recommend! Happy Etsy shopping.

The Back Porch Shoppe

Print Your Party

LoBoheme

Katie Armour

Tux and Tulle

Lara Leigh Designs

Alex Bridal

b.poetic

{Guest Post} Escort Cards by Every Last Detail

Today's post comes from the always fabulous and always amazing Lauren from Every Last Detail. Her blog is so incredibly inspiring and is a definite must-read for all you brides out there. And now, here you go! When Allison asked me to guest post, I was thrilled and SO excited! I wanted to do a post that's true to my own blog, and so I thought I would do an extended, more detailed take of my weekly {Detail To Love} feature.

This {Detail To Love} isn't just a current love of mine- it's long lasting. One of my absolute favorite wedding details ever. What might this detail be you ask? It's escort cards and items! Note: I add in items because it's becoming popular to use actual items (commonly doubling as favors) to escort guests to their seats as opposed to the traditional cards, and because I LOVE them!

The greatness of escort cards and items is all in how they look. They could be set up on or in something different, or the cards/items themselves could be completely unique and reflect the whole style of the wedding flawlessly. Let's take a look at some of the awesome escort card/item setups I'm loving....

Traditional...

Go the traditional route and add your own twist to it with different patterns of paper!

Photo by Jenna Walker Photography

Decorative...

Add a little something to your traditional escort cards and voila, you have adorable escort cards with a little pizzazz.

Photo by Simply Bloom Photography

Cards but not really....

Use something that meant to be an escort card and just attach the names to them. With something like the below example, you could even have your tables named with the colors, and not even numbered!

Photo by Love Ala Photography

Hanging cards...

Oh how I love hanging things! Having your escort cards hanging is a great way to grab people's attention!

Photo by Cheri Pearl, via Style Me Pretty

Vertical display...

This escort card display is another hanging one, but this time the cards are on a magnetized board with a fabulous frame. Another great way to get guests' attention!

Photo by Kristen Weaver Photography, via Every Last Detail

Escort items...

And finally, my favorite. These little books have the guest name on the spine, and the table number on the front as the "title". They doubled as guest favors, and added a fabulous element of decor to the whole wedding!

Photo by Ashley Brockinton Photography

There are SO many different ways to display escort cards, and I'm pretty much obsessed with them all- that is, as long as they're not traditional! Tell us, what are some of your favorite ways to see escort cards/items?

I hope you all have enjoyed me sharing my love for escort details! A big huge thank you to the fabulous Allison for letting me guest blog for you all!

Every Last Detail is a member of The Inspired List.

Brides: Looking for wedding other vendors? Check out The Inspired List to find the vendors who bring your wedding inspiration to life.

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{Guest Post} Love Birds by Jacin of She Said Yes

So who is the guest blogger of today??  Today we have the wonder Jacin of She Said Yes. She is a great friend and someone with a head full of amazing inspiration. Today we are all in luck as she has prepared something really fun and really amazing for us all. Enjoy! I am so excited to be guest blogging for the lovely Allison today - her blog is filled with so much inspiration and that is right up my alley.  Thanks for having me over today, Allison!

So without further ado, here I go!

A recent trend we've seen popping up in weddings lately is incorporating the love bird - or birds of any kind, really - in to the overall wedding theme.  There are so many creative ideas out there and it was hard to whittle down my favorites, but I did my best!  Below, find some "love bird" inspiration boards in the following categories: cake toppers, paper design, and my favorites.

Cake Toppers I love these, they are each so different and could really help "top off" your lovebird theme.

photo credits (from top left): blue birds, nest birds, kissing birds, pink/gray birds, cloth birds

Paper Design I love the color scheme in the teal/brown invite suite below, along with the tiny details involved in the letterpress.  And the wedding "poster" is so adorable too!

photo credits: brown and teal invites, stamp, bird poster, blue and white invites, clothespin birds

My Favorites Below are just a few of my favorite images I came across when searching for inspiration.  I love the ring shot on the birdhouse - so unique!

photo credits: birdhouse rings, bird garland, bird tag, birdfood egg carton, suet favors, red branch birds (unknown)

Thanks again Allison, and happy planning!

~jacin xoxo

{Guest Post} Paint Themed DIY by Paper Garland

Today starts my trip to the concrete jungle that is New York City. We actually start in Boston then head to New York on Friday, but either way, the trip has officially begun! Fortunately I have called in the big guns and had some of the best bloggers around take my place while I am gone. (Though you'll still see me around here and there.) I won't tell you the order of the bloggers so each day check back to see who the surprise blogger is of the day! Today we are starting out with a super fun little DIY by Paper Garland. Enjoy! I can’t thank Allison enough for inviting me to guest post on her fabulous blog! One ofmy favorite (of oh so many) things about Engaged & Inspired is the incredible archive ofgorgeous details, shoots, and pretties just aching to be recreated by other special brides,so I thought I would take this opportunity to add an entry into her stunning collection!

I love to see a couple incorporate a hobby that they share into their wedding. I think apeek into what makes the couple happy in their daily life can make the wedding an evenmore joyful affair! Created especially for a couple who share a love for painting and art,this painter’s palette centerpiece is created in two easy parts and is such fun to make! Ican’t wait to walk you through, so let’s get started!

For the centerpiece, you will need:-Wooden painter’s palette-Transparent Glass Paints (I used Delta)-Sponge Brush-Paint Brush-7 tea lights-8 votives (7 + 1 to practice on!)-Newspaper to work on

• Prime the votives: The Delta Paint kit comes with a primer bottle. This step helps thepaint stick and dry faster. The primer dried within about 20 minutes and the votives wereready to be painted.
• Paint: I am a very novice painter and these paints were so easy to use! I recommendlong, smooth strokes and applying one coat per votive. However, the paint is not tooquick-drying so if you desire a more saturated color, go for two! Let dry for at least 1hour.
• Admire your work: I chose a Roy G. Biv color scheme to tie into the art theme. Ifrainbow isn’t your thing, I also think it’d be great to use your wedding colors instead!

While the votives dried, I had the opportunity to get to work on my easy-peasy floralarrangement for the center of the palette!

For the floral arrangement, you will need: Simple long-stemmed flowers that make you smile-Paint brushes of varying shapes and sizes-Mason jar-Sharp scissors.

• Make sure all you need is close at hand: You’ll be too excited to see the finishedproduct to work slowly!
• Trim your stems: I wanted this arrangement to have a staggered, uneven look (muchlike paint brushes dropped into a water cup!) so I made sure the tulips were slightlydifferent lengths and not so tall that they overpowered the paint brushes. Play with it tosee what you like!
• Decorate: Arrange the flowers and brushes in beautiful disarray in a water-filled masonjar. I suggest using rubber band or floral tape to discreetly secure the brushes at theangles you want them to stand.

By the time your arrangement is complete, the votives should be nearly dry. Pop a tealight into each one and arrange them in your desired pattern around the perimeter of thepalette. Place the floral arrangement in the center of the wood and you’re done: an artsycenterpiece that’s as personal as it is beautiful!

Et voila! With a few extra touches on theme (but not too many!) like these paint chipmenus, place cards, and table numbers inspired by a feature on Bride Goggles, this art-themed table setting is easy to achieve and makes a great conversation piece for your guests!

Brides: Looking for wedding vendors? Check out The Inspired List to find the vendors who bring your wedding inspiration to life.

Vendors: Have you signed up for The Inspired List yet? Check it out right now and make sure you take advantage of the December Deal to save some money!

Brides:

{Our Wedding} Inspiration Take 3

Week 3 and I still seem to be able to come up with inspiration boards t reflect my wedding. This is totally a good thing because it means I am making progress and making decisions. First off, just curious if anyone else fall asleep to color palettes and tablescapes? I do and it pretty much keeps me up for a long time! You all would be incredibly proud of my progress yesterday! I went to anthropologie and got the centerpiece and bud vases. And I got the cutest little hangers that I am using for the armoire. It's going to look so incredible. Then I headed over to Michael's and picked up everything I need to create an epic ceremony sign. Oh and I found little tiny 1 inch wood letters to create the table numbers. Today I am heading over to Home Depot to get some wood and some chicken wire. (somewhere in the process I took up the trade of a woodsman. Well, I call it a woodsman at least)

I finally figured out how to keep everything of mine totally organized. It's this site called Backpack which I never thought to use for wedding stuff, but it is so simple and now all my lists are super organized. I needed that!

Ok, onto my inspiration for the week!

Birdcages: I'm feeling these out but I want something that hangs above so birdcages are definitely in the running. I have to research where to find them, how much they are, etc first but I think these would look great hanging in front of the tree.

Cotton: Yep, I'm doing cotton. I'm thinking of having these hanging strands go behind the head table or maybe in a few other places. They are pretty awesome.

Signs: The signs behind us will be something like this all cute and spelled out!

Windows: OMG, these old windows are making several guest appearances in the wedding. They won't be the escort cards (though that would have been far simpler) but they will be our sign in.

Drawers: I plan on using drawers to hold the favors for the guests. It will be a cute way to display all the jam jars. Luckily, I already have the drawers.

Ok, 4 weeks to get everything done. My backpack to-do list has about 60 items to get done, so wish me luck! Oh and for those of you who don't follow me on Twitter, I was saying yesterday that no one will even make the two tiered mini cakes that I want for the wedding......so it looks as if I will be making those myself. Craftsman and Baker...it has a good ring to it, don't you think??

Check out Inspiration Board Number 1 and Number 2 to get the whole concept of the wedding thus far!

Kate Spade Inspired Shoot by Every Last Detail

I loved the goal for the shoot and how they were trying to inspire brides. And I quote: "Our goal with this shoot was to show brides that they can use bright colors and bold patterns and still be chic and modern." I am ALL about the bold colors and bold patterns working together. This really is a look I would die to achieve for my own wedding. So, if you are like me and love all the bold colors and all these insane palettes then take a chance and go for it.

Every Last Detail is a part of the ultimate vendor directory, The Inspired List. Check out her blog for more amazing inspiration.

Wedding Wednesday Finds (on Thursday!)

Sorry about the late finds but we had to with Erin some love before her wedding! Today I have put together a bunch of ecclectic images which somehow all become a sort of organic and vintage look. I guess I can't stray too far away from my wedding loves now can I? I finally ordered the first of many personalized stamps! I am getting ready to do the escort cards as well as hand stamp clothes pins. It's going to look really cute. I still need to find a DJ and a few other vendors too. I'm pretty behind right now, but I made the promise to get done with 90% of the wedding by the time I go to New York for my birthday, and you better believe that I am holding myself too that!

Now for the finds. The lovely and amazing finds. Speaking of, does anyone know where I could find a real one of these? I am adding a lot of these old windows into my wedding and it would be so beyond fitting if these were my cocktail hour tables!

Who doesn't want a bridal shower that looks like this?

I have never been a huge fan of how cupcakes look on a cupcake stand, but I love the convenience of the single cupcake and no cutting and all that. So, if you are planning on doing cupcakes, take a look at this route. I'm dying of its beauty and your guests will probably want to be your best friend.

Source: Wedding Chicks

Here is a little update on The Inspired List: The number of vendors are increasing each and everyday! We are working darn hard to get this thing really really going. There are several improvements and additions coming that will only make the site better and better. Once it fills up a little more, we get to introduce our next category....which you won't believe how cool it is!