Suiting the Groom {and His Men}

For some reason this week, I've been starting to feel sad about no longer planning a fantastic party with a respectively gigantic budget anymore after this year. I am having so much fun! Sure, it gets stressful sometimes. But I really love dreaming big and figuring out the details and making crazy wishes come true. My poor friends are probably going to have to put up with me planning their entire weddings for them on Pinterest (right alongside every other formerly-engaged woman on Pinterest). Do any of you feel the same?

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Anyways, I've been looking for suits for my groom for months, and we finally went this past weekend to try on the one (yes, boys have "the one" too)! Let me start by clarifying how this process has been going for us... Since we are planning an eco-chic, vegan wedding this means that we are looking for wool-free suits. Let me tell you, it is hard to find a gray 3-piece suit without any wool! Plenty of linen, or 2-piece suits, but a 3-piece gray suit is a toughy (thank you, Kyle, for that very specific style request). But we found a great vintage-y cotton suit that we both LOVED from J. Crew, and they just got it in stores for Spring shopping. So we wandered in this past weekend and made our way straight to the fitting room!

He tried on this suit and this tie with a white shirt, and looked amazing:

Because they only sell the vest online, he wasn't able to try on the whole thing. So we ordered the vest and will go back to the store to try on the whole ensemble. We also ordered a second vest for our dear friend and only local groomsman to come to the store with us and try on the probable groomsmen outfit (why do guys hate it when you say "outfit" by the way?), which we're thinking will be just the vest and pants with a white shirt and slightly different cotton tie.

I also saw this absolutely adorable tiny 3-piece seersucker suit for the ring bearer that I just fell in love with. Isn't he cute?!

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I guess my biggest concern here is that it feels really, really early to be buying the clothes for everyone. But in order to get cotton or linen suits in stores for everyone to try on, you need to buy them in the Spring/Summer season (even if your wedding is in Fall/Winter).

What do you think, is it a bad idea to buy wedding suits 8 months in advance? Is there too much risk for my overall wedding style to change, or people's (especially kid's) sizes to change? I really need some help here!

Photography {Done!}

Tomorrow we'll be 9 months away from the Big Day, and I am SO relieved to have finally decided on a photographer!! This has perhaps been the most difficult decision for me, and it took me the longest time to find the right person, but I am THRILLED to have found the amazing Fawn from Sequins and Candy. She's been an absolute joy to work with so far, and we've been having fun following each other on Pinterest to brainstorm ideas! These are a few of my favorite photos of hers. I can't wait to see what gorgeousness she creates for us!!

 

I think she might be my best decision thus far! Next to the fiancé and the venue, of course :)

 

All photos are from her website and her featured wedding on Style Me Pretty

We're getting stuff done, and it feels GOOD!

Venue, check!

Caterer, check!

Videographer, check!

Wedding dress, check!

Hotel for us and blocks for guests, check! { we decided on the waterfront Tiburon place, by the way :) }

Band, check!

Save the Dates, almost check!

Now if only I can be this organized a month before the wedding!!

How were you feeling 9 months before your wedding? What else should I be worrying about right now?

Transportation Situation

Among the many decisions that need to be made, we need to decide on which sort of vehicle we're going to stick our guests into on their way to and from the wedding. A bus, a boat, a wagon? And how much do these buggies cost? The main problem is that although you only need the thing for an hour or two, you have to rent it for the entirety of your wedding. So you're mostly paying for someone to sit and read a book, which is a bit depressing for a bride on a budget (unless it's a good book). However, seeing as this isn't a dry wedding, we want our guests to be safe, and it's important for us to provide transportation.

The thing I think most people who provide transportation do is charter a bus. The advantage to this is the comfy seats, temperature control, and the restroom.

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Another option, that was something fun some friends of ours did at their recent wedding, was charter a school bus! This is more affordable than the charter bus option, and maybe a bit of fun nostalgia for the guests. But, no bathroom on board, and everyone still wants to sit in the back.

top, bottom

One thing we briefly considered, which is SO PERFECT for a San Francisco Bay Area wedding, is chartering a converted cable car! It's so fun for a warm summer evening, and gives all of your out of town guests a really fun memory. Plus, it adds a little personality to something you're spending money on but will quickly be forgotten by most.

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We can't decide between the charter bus and the school bus. The ride will only be about 20 minutes to the first stop, maybe 40 to the last stop, so people won't have to be on the bus for long. Would a school bus be totally fun, and easier on the wallet to boot? Or are the luxuries of the charter bus worth the extra expense?

Furthermore, what do Kyle and I leave in? For a long time we dreamt of driving off in a motorcycle with a sidecar. But since you can't rent those, they're expensive to buy, and it'll be cold (!), we will likely have to drop that dream. But I'd love to leave in a vintage car of some sort. Isn't this so romantic?

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What transportation did you use/are you going to use for your wedding? Has anyone had any transportation nightmares? And what did you and your hubby drive off in?

Vintage Typewriter Love

Kyle and I are the proud new owners of a 1920 Underwood typewriter. It's beautiful, rusty, it smells, and we love it.

It's so fun to think about the life this machine had before we found it. I mean, 1920 is a long time ago! This thing was shiny and probably finding its way into an office somewhere, or maybe onto the desk of an aspiring writer. Who knows! That's what is so fun about it! By the time it came to us (for $100 on Craigslist), it was a little broken down, didn't work too well, and needed a new typewriter ribbon. Thankfully, my future husband has that crazy ability to fix anything you put in front of him, so he shined it up, got new ribbon, and greased the wheels. It works like a charm now.

We had decided early on that we love vintage typewriters and definitely wanted one at our wedding. We want to use it as a guest book, so guests can type us a message and leave it with a Polaroid photo of themselves.

top three, middle, bottom

But it was Kyle's bright idea that we use this typewriter for all sorts of other things! We both have bad handwriting, so why not type out all of the addresses for save the dates and invites?

addresses

Kyle even went so far as to type up the entire letter to the person we are asking to be our officiant! We're having way too much fun with this thing.

There are all sorts of places we can use our typewriter, and we are excited for all of them. We just love that SMACK it makes when the key hits the paper!

  tags, seating, menu

Do you have plans to use a typewriter in your wedding, or for anything else? Do you too love the nostalgic elegance of a vintage typewriter?

Vintage typewriter font has this awkwardness about it that I adore. Nothing is in a straight line, and you have to "x" out your mistakes. They're a fun throwback to a time of better spellers and more thoughtful letter writers.

The Elusive White Ink

Somewhere along the way I fell in love with white font. Unsurprisingly (hello blonde), it took me a while to sort out that you can't actually print white ink on a printer. Too late. I was in love. Nothing more I could do about it. There are a few ways to get white ink, and all of them are either super expensive or super labor intensive. But they all turn out GORGEOUS! So I must have it. And seeing as I don't sleep on a pile of money, this means that we need to go the labor intensive DIY route.

There are a few ways to achieve the white ink look. You can use letterpress, but I've heard that the white never tuns out that bright. So a better option if you have the room in your budget is engraving.

You can also use foil stamping, which turns out beautifully, but isn't exactly the most affordable option.

 

You can also screen print your white text, which is a nice little (or big) DIY project! Or you can pay someone else to do it and keep some of your hair. It makes the white really pop, and gives it a nice vintage feel.

You can also have custom rubber stamps made and hand stamp all of your invites, like Michael and Tim here did (way to set the bar high, guys). Isn't this stunning?!

And you can always incorporate white ink on the envelopes or in places inside the invite with a white pen. I wish I had handwriting this beautiful!

Sources: engraving, foil stamping, screen printing 1 & 2, stamps, pen

We decided to go with the screen printing option, because we really like the look of paint on paper. So now that I've finally agreed to be done with the design, we're in the process of attempting to screen print all of our Save the Dates. And with all of the experience we have (i.e. NONE), this should be easy! We're hoping to finish these up in the next couple of weeks, so I'll have some photos and updates for you in the coming weeks.

Have any of you worked with white ink? Or have you screen printed your own invites? Am I going to hate myself by the end of this? I'd love to hear from you!

I could really use some words of wisdom and encouragement before embarking on this daunting DIY :)

A Beer Themed Wedding

I think it's official. We have reached truly obnoxious beer nerd status. On our drive home from Lake Tahoe today, we were talking about how we couldn't drink Budweiser, Coors, or Miller if you paid us (well, maybe if you paid us...). I am a total snob when it comes to beer. But it's only because I love flavor and creativity so much!

Anyways, the whole point of that was because we're making beer an integral part of our wedding reception. We've talked about a couple of different ways to incorporate our love and appreciation for craft beer with something else important about the wedding. Because we're also doing a little travel theme, we thought about featuring a beer or wine from each place we've each traveled over the years. We also talked about highlighting California beers because they're local (i.e. eco-friendly), and, well... awesome.

No decision yet as to how we're going to do it, but we're definitely having a "beer bible" to tell a story about each of the beers, how they taste, maybe throw in a cute story about how that beer relates to one or both of us, where we first tasted it, etc.

Whatever we do, we're going to force craft beer on our friends and family so we can have more beer nerd friends. And if a wedding isn't a place to force people to follow your ideals, then where is? ;)

Here is some more beer inspiration I've been looking at:

I just love those customized pint glasses! And these beer koozies for the wedding party are awesome.

Sources: 1, 2-3, 4, 5-12, 13

So what do you think we should go with, California or International beers? Are you incorporating your favorite drink into your wedding? What are some of the ways you're highlighting the things that are important to you both?

The Wedding Night

Okay, so I really need your help on this one. Don't worry, it's nothing creepy, despite the title of this blog. From everything I can tell online, there is NO consensus on this. So please share your thoughts and experience with me! This past weekend, we went to look at the second of two hotel room options for our wedding night(s). There are some very obvious differences between the two, and an equal amount of pros and cons.

Actually, let me back up. After talking with friends and family, Kyle and I decided to wait two days before leaving for our honeymoon. I've been told stories of excessive exhaustion on your wedding night, and the need for a full day to recover. Beyond that, the majority of our guests are coming from out of town, so we'd love another chance to see them! So we're planning on getting married on a Saturday, then leaving for the honeymoon on Monday. Really, what we're looking for is a post-wedding/pre-honeymoon mini-moon! We don't want to stay in our house, because we stay there every day. We don't want to stay in an airport hotel, because it's far away. So we're looking for a place to stay that's close to the wedding and in one of our favorite places.

We quickly narrowed it down to two specific rooms in two specific hotels. Both equidistant from the wedding, but both with very different personalities. The first one is a suite at Water's Edge Hotel in Tiburon, CA. It sits right on the San Francisco Bay, with sweeping views of the water and the city. It's one of our favorite views of all time.

Pros:

Fireplace, deck, lots of natural light, separate from other rooms, and right next door to the potential after-party bar, allowing us to hang out and then leave whenever we want.

Cons:

The deck is partially shared with other guests, smaller room, more expensive, if the weather is bad (which it very well may be!) the view is useless, and we would have to drive to meet friends and family as there isn't much to do or eat in town.

The second one is a suite at the Mill Valley Inn in Mill Valley, CA. It's enormous and in one of our favorite towns! It would be a great spot for the guys to get ready too.

Pros:

Huge suite, private deck, top floor, and it's in the middle of a great town with tons of food and entertainment options that we love, meaning we could walk everywhere we wanted to go during those 2 days.

Cons:

No fireplace, some of the other rooms look straight at the deck, there are other rooms below, a sliver of a view of Mt. Tamalpais, and a couple miles from the other potential after-party bar.

Really, it comes down to this... in the days following your wedding, is the romance of the room itself more important? Or is the location and time with out-of-town guests more important?

We are seriously torn on this and would love, love, love to hear your ideas and experience!

Do Me a Favor! {Homemade Wedding Favors}

First of all, an update on an old post of mine. We found our videographer!! We're very excited to be working with Matt Cross Productions to film our wedding day. If the name sounds familiar, you're right, he also did the bang up job of editing Allison's romantic wedding video! Moving on... How was your New Years? Great I hope! Oh, ours? Well, we spent it grating 45 lemons. Yes. Grating. 45. @!$%#&$. Lemons.

Why 45 lemons? Because we're making limoncello for our wedding favors of course! For the last couple of years, my mom and I have made limoncello from the organic Meyer lemons she grows in her garden. So, when thinking about the perfect homemade, eco-friendly wedding favor, this was an obvious choice! My mom has spent the last year tending to her trees and producing 45 beautiful lemons that Kyle and I brought home with us over the holidays.

I was so excited to have found the PERFECT swing-top recycled glass bottles, but then Captain Obvious told me that people who are flying in for the wedding may not be able to bring those favors home, since the bottles were over 3 ounces. (Shouldn't that just mean more for me?) So now I'm back to square one with the bottles, but at least I have another 80 days to sort that out.

 

Sources: 1-5 (my photos), 6, 7, 8

There are SO MANY fantastic homemade favors that people can do! One thing I've seen a lot of lately (and loved a lot too) is homemade jams. (left, right, bottom)

 

I also love these birdseed hearts! (left, right)

 

And usable (at the wedding) and reusable (at home) personalized mason jars. (left, right)

Or there are tons of other favors that aren't exactly homemade, but super fun, and something your guests would use in the future! (left, right)

 

What are you doing for your wedding favors? What was the most memorable wedding favor you ever received?

I Found THE Dress!!

So after searching online through pages and pages of wedding dress photos for the last 6 months, it only took an hour to find the one. THE one. And it's an amazing one that I'm totally in love with. I can't believe it!! Being home for the holidays, I went today with my mom and my Maid of Honor to a wonderful boutique shop in San Diego called Bliss Bride. I have to give them a shout out because they've been completely wonderful and had several particular dresses I wanted shipped in for me to try on. They have some wonderful designers, but I was particularly interested in Claire Pettibone, Jenny Packham, and Amy Kuschel (as I mentioned in my last post).

   

I was so nervous and didn't know what to expect! I put on a Claire Pettibone I had requested and thought "well, this is a pretty dress." I was less than moved. The first few dresses I tried on were all "pretty," but how was I going to choose from a pile of pretty dresses? None of them were giving me that feeling! But there was one Claire Pettibone my mom and MOH loved called Kristine that had a beautiful vintage feel that would be perfect for my venue.

Then she put me in my ultimate dream dress, Jenny Packham's Willow, which I couldn't stop staring at on the mannequin up until that point. Willow has been my favorite dress for a couple of months. I was so in love, I'd find myself just staring at it online. I walked out and stood on that pedestal in front of the mirror, and got chills. THIS is what it's supposed to feel like!

She then put me in one other Jenny Packham dress that she told me from the beginning was the one she wanted to see me in. It was one that I wasn't too sure about from the photos I had seen online. But something about the way she clipped it on me gave it a completely new personality. I walked out and lost myself staring at it in the mirror. It was so special, so different, so romantic, classic, and vintage. Everything else seemed like a paper bag after this.

I went back into the room to try on some Amy Kuschel gowns, and I just breezed through those. They were gorgeous, but just did not compare to the Jenny Packhams for me. They confirmed for me what I thought I wanted from the start - a dress like no other wedding dress. Something not just white and pretty, but something that told a story.

I tried on the Claire Pettibone Kristine, Jenny Packahm Willow, and this one once more and it was clear which one it was, because it was the one that made me cry. I could picture myself walking down the aisle to my amazing soon-to-be husband in this. It was perfect. But being me and having my inability to act instinctively, I went to lunch. My mother had to deal with me doing nothing but looking at photos and talking about the dress like it was my new boyfriend for the next hour. We went back, tried it on once more, and that was it. I knew nothing would ever compare to it. I could go to a million more bridal salons and nothing could beat this (or the 15% off sale!). We bought it on the spot.

At my fiancé's request, I can't show a picture of it (he wants the surprise, but I'm so terrible at surprises!), but it reminds me a lot of Kate Moss' gorgeous wedding dress.

   

Sources: 1, 2, 3

So how was it for you? How many bridal salons did you go to before you found the ONE? Or was it an instant and obvious choice for you? Share your story!

The Very First Dress

I will be trying on my very first wedding dress next week!! I can hardly believe it! I am so excited, nervous, and curious, and... well, EXCITED! After staring at dresses online and in magazines for the last 7 months, I am overwhelmed with beautiful designs and concepts. But I haven't the slightest clue what will look good on me. Beyond that, my wonderful yet fashion challenged fiancé has a very different idea of what sort of dress I should wear. He prefers a simple, strapless, pure white dress. I prefer something different, something vintage, off-white, and lacey. But lace reminds Kyle of his grandmother's tablecloth.

Being a vegan bride, I've spent months researching silk-free dress options. I've contacted designers, bridal salons, and scoured through websites looking up materials. Thankfully, people have been so helpful and accommodating! Here are a few of my favorites that I will be trying on next week.

Claire Pettibone makes gorgeous, effortless dresses, many of which can be made without silk (lucky me!). To save some other vegan brides some time, these dresses are: Cassandra, Madeleine, Lydia, Cloisonne, Clover, Constance, Dew Drop, Elwin, Larissa, Louisa, Norah, Queen Anne, Rhoswen, Provence, Sophie, Frederique, Amelie, Lyon, Mademoiselle, Fleur de Jour, and Toile Francais. I'll be trying on the two above next week! (Hint: she also makes sexy, classy lingerie for your wedding night)

Jenny Packham has been my favorite designer from day one of virtual dress window shopping. She makes such beautiful, vintage inspired gowns, it kills me. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when they said several of her dresses are made from synthetic materials! Of the ones I told her I liked, she said that they could make Arabesque, Iris, Willow, Luna, Belita, and Eden without silk. I'll be trying on the two above, Eden and Willow, next week as well.

Amy Kuschel is a local San Francisco designer who offers a silk-free option on several of her gowns, to help make buying a tailor made wedding gown a bit easier on the budget, and she kindly lists the materials in each dress on her website. She's also a nice eco-friendly option for Bay Area girls since all of her dresses are made locally! I will be trying on Lauryn and Paris next week, but above are two of my favorites that I hope to try soon.

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

How did you feel before trying on your first wedding dress? Should I try on my favorite one first or last? What happened when you tried on your very first dress? Did you cry?

I think I'm going to cry... I tend to do that. I'll be sure to update you after the big dress day.