He's Got the Look {Groom's Style}

Last week, I talked about picking out unique bridal accessories that can add a little somethin' somethin' to your bridal "look."  So I thought it might be fun for this week to be about grooms and their wedding look!

Doesn't it seem like their "look" is waaaay easier to put together than ours?!  It probably is; however, I thought picking out a tuxedo would be a breeze and surprisingly, it wasn't as easy as I thought! Going into the tuxedo appointment, I thought for sure that I didn't want the guys to wear vests. It just seemed too "prom-y" for me plus I was obsessed with this photo!  (The grey and the black, the ties, no vests....perfection!)

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Eric wanted to wear a vest and convinced me to go in with an open mind.  When he came out in his black tux with the black vest, I LOVED it!  So maybe it is a little bit like wedding dress shopping, sometimes, the style you thought you would hate ends up being just right for you!

The thing I have always loved about accessories is they can add character and personality to a rather plain outfit.  Here is a list of some accessory options I am loving for grooms right now!

Suspenders

Anyone who knows my fiancé knows that suspenders are not his style at all but I do love this look!

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Socks

Such a great way to incorporate one of your wedding colors!

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Fun socks don't have to be just for the groom either! What a fun groomsmen gift! I found a lot of fun sock options on BoldSocks.com and they are affordable ($9-$35)!

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Cuff Links

Eric and I are incorporating scrabble and other games in some of our wedding decor and we absolutely will be doing this! Love!

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Boutonniere

Cotton boutonniere?! Who would have thought!

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Lots of fun unique boutonniere looks! I am; however, questioning the penguin. I think there is a time and place for animals at a wedding. (Another blog post, maybe?)

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Is your groom wearing something fun or unique? Do you love/hate any of these looks?

Until Next Week!

Jess

Follow my wedding inspiration board on Pinterest!

Tweet me @jessdawnd 

Completing the Look {Finding the Perfect Accessory}

I am so excited to be blogging every week until our January wedding!  Since we are about 2.5 months away from the big day, the very big items like venue, dj, photographer and florist are all completed and now it is all about the details.  The details really can be overwhelming but we are trying to just have fun!

I am currently loving the idea of adding an extra special accessory to my "bridal look".  My fiancé, Eric, has been amazing through the planning process and I truly think he has great taste (He likes to remind me all the time that he is the one who picked out our wedding invitations).  We have made every decision together as a team except my dress which is why I am so excited for our first look.  Eric has no idea what my dress looks like or any details of my "look" for the day.

Some ideas I am currently obsessed with:

Cardigans

I love how you can tie in one of your wedding colors by just slipping on a cardigan!

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Seriously in love with this sequin cardigan/jacket look!

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Hair Bling

The headband and the bun...so chic!

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I love this look.  It reminds me of a more subtle take on Anne Hathaway's headpiece.

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Personalized Rings

Your engagement ring and wedding band will still be center stage with these delicate bands.  I love how you can stack them and they would be a great bridesmaid gift too! (Plus they are only $35!)

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Would you wear any of these accessories on your big day?

Location Inspiration

As someone who is engaged, I'm asked all the time what my 'theme' is. I had a lot of trouble in the beginning figuring out what my theme was because I didn't want to restrict myself to one thing. The more I thought about my theme, I realized that without really consciously trying to come up with one, I already had! I would say my 'theme' is simply, the location. From the very beginning I knew I wanted to incorporate local elements whenever possible - from the decor to the cuisine. With our wedding location being in near Mt. Hood, we will be surrounded by great views, pear orchards and fields of lavender (not all at once, but you get the idea).

Source: Erica Ann Photography, lower left, lower right

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Source: left, top right, lower right

Source: His & Her Photography, bottom

All these local inspirations were part of the reason I was drawn to our location in the first place, so it seems like a natural fit.

Did you use your wedding location to drive elements of your wedding or did you come up with a different 'theme' entirely?

DIY Cake Topper Cutouts

I've seen so many cute silhouette cake toppers on Pinterest lately, that I thought I'd have a stab at my own. And while I'm at it, why not personalize it? If you recall, our Save the Dates had a little pirate theme that we screen printed. I wanted to replicate that design for our cake toppers. So, here we go... here's how to make customized cake topper cutouts!

Materials needed:

- Paper (I used cardstock black and glitter red from Paper Source)

- Wooden Skewers

- X-Acto Knife

- Mat for cutting

- Glue (I used Elmer's)

- Printouts of what you want your silhouettes to be

- Heavy books

- Scotch tape

For a double sided cake topper, like the hearts I made, fold your paper in half and tape it closed on the sides. Then tape your stencil to the paper, so it doesn't slide around when you're cutting.

Trace the stencil lines, pushing as hard as you can! You have 3 layers of paper to get through, but don't worry if you can't cut all of the way through. If you're like me and don't have the willpower to cut through all 3 layers of paper, take your stencil off, and trace back over the lines you cut with your X-Acto knife, pushing all of the way through the paper.

 

Success!!

Match up the hearts (or whatever shape you're doing) that are the same size, and put glue on the backs of just one of each of the pairs. Then stick the wooden skewer on the middle of the heart with glue, with the pointy side inside of the heart (leaving the blunt end of the skewer at the other end - basically the opposite of what I'm showing below). Roll the stick around a bit to spread the glue.

 

Press the matching hearts together, pushing them together around the skewer. Wipe off any glue that squeezes out of the sides. Then cover each half of the heart with a heavy book. Basically, push two books up next to each other so they both meet at the skewer. Leave it alone for a day as it dries!

 

When the hearts are dry, take your X-Acto knife and cut around the edges so there are no white spots sticking out. You may also want to color in the white edges with a red pen (or whatever colors you're using), so you don't see any white. And now you have some cute glittery heart cake toppers!

As for a more complicated stencil, where you probably only want to cut out one silhouette (because cutting out matching ones would be impossible!), it's all basically the same. You just have to be much more careful when you're cutting.

 

Once you think you have the entire stencil cut out, remove the stencil from your paper. Finish cutting all of the lines and corners very carefully directly on the paper, so it pops out clean and easy. Then glue or tape your cutout to a skewer.

Then stick it on a cake, take a picture, and eat the cake. You've earned it!

I rather enjoyed this delicious vegan chocolate cake from Café Indigo after all of this :)

Saving the Date {paperlessly}

This week I have been checking things off the list! We are about to sign a contract with our caterer (post to come), I went dress shopping again and went to Paper Source to look at different invitation styles. We also decided to do e-Save-the-Dates and have them almost ready to send out. It's getting real!

Like I've mentioned before, I love paper! My first choice would have been to do a crafty and unique Save the Date, but we decided to go the 'e' route for a couple reasons - cost: by going through a website we were able to get a really cute design for almost free. Time: we were able to get our Save the Dates picked out and ready to go in a matter of a few hours. Logistics: we needed to get people to our website where they could get more info on accommodations. By creating a save the date that will come through email to our guests, our wedding website is just a click away. I was pleasantly surprised to find a ton of super cute designs on sites like Paperless Post and cocodot. Many of the designs are free and the rest are very reasonably priced.

Sources: Paperless Post and cocodo

Did you or would you consider doing an e-Save the Date?

The Four Somethings

My mom emailed me last week asking me if I had figured out what I was doing for my "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." Truthfully, I hadn't thought about this since my very initial stages of planning over a year ago when I bought a blue handkerchief while Kyle and I were in New Zealand. Out of curiosity I looked this up to see where it originated, and what it really means. And, thanks to Wikipedia, I learned a new thing or four!

"Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past.

"Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead.

"Something borrowed" reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.

"Something blue" refers to a long tradition of blue at weddings, going all the way back to ancient Roman times when brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity.

I have my "something new," which is pretty much everything I'm wearing. I have my "something blue," which is that little handkerchief which I'll keep for my happy tears. But here's some traditional ideas, and some new inspiration for all of the four somethings!

Something Old

  Bubbly Bride; Top Knots, photo by Carrie Patterson; BHLDN gloves

Something New

  Jenny Packham, Johanna Johnson, BHLDN

Something Borrowed

  One Wed, photo by Thousand Word Photography; Style Me Pretty, photo by Hannah Persson ;Style Me Pretty, photo by Tohnya Kae Photography

Something Blue

  Style Me Pretty, photo by Andi Hatch; BHLDN; Style Me Pretty, photo by Sequins and Candy

Did you do the four somethings at your wedding, or are you planning on doing them for your wedding day? I'd love to hear what you used, and what meaning those items held for you! I am searching for ideas and inspiration.

Sweet Tooth Central

This past weekend Derek and I hit up a local french cafe and pastry shop Petite Reve Cafe we had been meaning to try and were pleasantly surprised with some wedding cake inspiration. What could be better than hundreds of layers of crepes to impress your guests? While waiting for our coffees Derek spotted some photos of some stunning crepe wedding cakes.  He spoke with the owner and learned that she is one of the only people on the West Coast who makes theses special cakes and that they can be customized with any flavor filling and to match our wedding flowers.

Sources: Lavendar & Twine (1, 3 & 4), N Barrett Photography (2)

With dessert being one of our favorite things in the world (no meal is complete without amazing dessert!), we have some pretty big sweet teeth to satisfy for our wedding day. With so many wedding cake options these days we would like to do something a little less traditional and on the smaller side for ours, especially since it seems like most guests do not even end up eating the wedding cake and we plan to have several other dessert options.

Sources: 1, 2 & 3

For me, the simpler the cake, the better.

Sources: 1 & 2

And, of course we have a special sweet spot for cake pops too.

Sources: 1 & 2

More to come in the next few weeks on our other non-cake dessert ideas.

How did you decide on your wedding cake? Did you go for a less traditional option? I certainly can't wait to start tasting!

cute & clever {escort cards}

Not gonna lie, people..... the bridal anxiety has set in. I'm trying my best not to freak out, but omg the big day is here in just 33 days! I'd like to have 95% of my work done 2 weeks before, which means I have 2 WEEKS to get my butt in gear! I have plenty of little things that need my attention. one of which is seating. Should I have a map/list of guests' names & tables with a name card at their seat, or should I make escort cards and have guests seat themselves at the table? Well, if I do escort cards I would like something cute and/or clever.... like any of these:

photo credit: www.elizabethannedesigns.com

photo credit: poptasticbride.com

photo credit: left & right 

lavender escorts double as pretty table decor

These succulent escort cards double as party favors :)

Thank you Allison for emailing me some escort card inspiration and for the advice. You're totally right-  "You can do something simple and just add a tiny twist to make it kind of different. For example, an escort card with something that matches your wedding taped with a little piece of glitter tape." I think the simple route is the direction I'm headed ;)

What are your thoughts, brides-to-be? Anyone else only a month a way? Or perhaps you just had your big day? Any words of wisdom for me as I wuickly approach mine???

xo, Taya

Finishing Touches {Signage & Printing Galore!}

Hi Guys! Holy cow do I feel behind on just about everything in life right now. It feels like the last couple of weeks have flown by and between a full time job that takes me out of town and finishing all the wedding details, this girl is on over load. I find myself sitting back and going where did the last year go?  We are two and a half weeks out and the pressure is on to finish those last little details.

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I am busy designing and printing all the little details like programs, escort cards and signage. I am also working on a banner for above our dessert table that hopefully I will have a little tutorial for  you guys on next weeks post. I am so excited about the dessert table. I am currently making fun little flags to go with each type of pie and signage that shows guests his and her favorites when it comes to the deserts. Here's some of my inspitation that  I am channeling when designing ours..

 Source 1 Source 2

Tomorrow I am off to beautiful San Diego for my Bachelorette weekend with my girls. Let the festivities begin!

Heather

Crazy for Confetti

Now that our venue is about 98% booked (just waiting for them to confirm that they received our check in the mail), I can start to think about some of the smaller details for our wedding, like confetti! Who doesn't love confetti and the awesome photo ops it provides?

Source: Tamara Lackey Photography

For our wedding, I would love to have something colorful thrown at us our way back down the aisle after we are pronounced husband and wife. Colorful possibilities include flower petals, colorful sprinkles, paper confetti (would have to be biodegradable for our venue), pom poms, dried lavender or streamers.

Source: EP Love

So, how did the rice/confetti tradition come about? Throwing rice at a newlywed couple is an ancient tradition that is meant to bring good luck, and more importantly, it symbolizes fertility. Sounds great to me! Unfortunately rice throwing is an ancient tradition now mostly because venues don’t allow it.

Sources:1, Braedon Flynn & Diana Rush

If you have spent anytime on the Pinterest wedding boards, you have probably already seen the above pin that tells brides to throw sprinkles at their wedding instead of rice because the photos will turn out amazing. I love anything sugary, so incorporating sprinkles sounded fun to me until I read wedding coordinator Danielle Pasternak's advise. She points out that, "if any of your guests hands are sweating as they are holding the sprinkles – or if it’s a little humid out – the color from the sprinkle will loosen and very likely end up on your gorgeous, white gown." So, sprinkles are off the table for us.

Sources: Closer To Love & KT Merry Photography

I am leaning towards having lavender tossed because it would be easy to acquire (locally it grows like a weed), it fits with our venue, and has an amazing color and aroma.

 

Sources: 1, Dixie Pixel Photography &  Shell de Mar

Are you planning on having anything tossed, thrown or shaken at your wedding? How did you decide?