The Invitation Process..

I loved researching wedding invitations, all the different types of printing, typography, types of paper...the list goes on and on.   I have to say my first choice was letterpress, it's just so beautiful!  But unfortunately it just wasn't in our budget.  We decided to go with digital printing - and I couldn't be happier with our invites!  Our day-of coordinator did such a fabulous job designing them!   I can't show you them just yet - since we haven't sent them out  and we don't want family & friends to see them before they get them in the mail.  But to give you an idea, here are a few key things I knew I wanted to incorporate. Kraft Paper.  I love the color & texture of kraft paper, it is exactly the right touch of rustic chic that I was hoping to bring to the invitations.  We opted for kraft paper envelopes.  I think it gives us a more relaxed feel to our invitations.  I love these kraft + chevron save the dates by Lande & Maze, they are so different and pretty darn cool.

Quirky Food Pictures: I love animal + veggie symbols for the rsvp cards, so that was a detail we chose to include.  It's not something I've received on invitations too often (though I know it's all over wedding blogs) so I still felt it was somewhat unique.

Fun Graphics: I just love the graphics on these invites - the bunting is perfect, and it doesn't hurt that they're from a wedding in Philly!  We have a chevron and stripes pattern in our wedding colors (grey + yellow).

Font:  I'm a sucker for a cool font.  We went with a font similar to the Hello Lucky invitation below, that we'd also used on our save the dates.  We thought keeping the font the same helped us have a more cohesive look to our paper goods.

Fun Wording: I also love a double-sided response card - especially when they bring such a fun vibe to the invitation suite.  We did a mini response card with funny wording (but not quite as funny as this rsvp below)..

And of course I'm a sucker for anything yellow, plus the twine is the perfect touch.

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I'm excited to mail them, but a little worried about all the rsvp's - I've heard seating charts are a nightmare!   We are going to number the back of each rsvp, just in case someone forgets their name!  If you have any good tips on staying organized I'd love to hear them!

Wedding Bands..

I wasn't quite sure what type of wedding band I'd like best with my brilliant cut solitaire ring - but I know I love a vintage or antique looking ring.  It's really hard to find that style of ring in chain jewelry stores though, and  I'm worried about buying a ring online.  What if they don't fit together quite right in person?  Have any of you purchased wedding bands online, without trying them on first?  I'd really have to check their return policy before taking the plunge.

I also really like an enhancer, or ring guard style - they are really unique, and I liked how a few looked paired with my ring when we checked out a few stores this past weekend.  Here are a few styles I've considered.  Which is your favorite?  Any good stores or sites you would recommend?

Or I could always choose a plain dainty band, and just add stones later if I wanted to.  These rings by Blanca Monrós Gomez are so pretty.

Or maybe something totally different like these fingerprint wedding bands from this cute etsy shop?

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How did you pick your wedding band?  Did it match your engagement setting?   I know whatever I pick will be great, and we could always upgrade for an anniversary, so I'm not stressing too much about it.  But I need to make a decision pretty soon!  What's your wedding band look like?

Pulling It All Together...Wedding Decor.

I find that one of the hardest parts of wedding planning for me has been making sure that all these items we've chosen fit together in a cohesive way.  I've been collecting vintage items for the wedding from antique stores and flea markets.  I've also found tons of cute things on etsy, and I've been doing a little DIY here and there.  So, now I'm just trying to piece everything together and make sure they 'fit' in with our overall theme.  For our gift table,  we have vintage suitcases to hold the cards and milk glass bud vases to decorate the table.  My plan is to buy a burlap or fabric bunting that spells out 'cards' for that.

We also have a teal vintage typewriter that I snagged at a thrift shop for $25!  Although the exclamation point doesn't work so well, I think it'll look great on our guest table.

 We got these great (and funny) mad libs quizzes from etsy for our guests, as an alternative to a regular guestbook.  I'm really excited to read their replies.

And my maid of honor and I DIYed a pegboard with washi tape covered clothespins (DIY project from Handmade Weddings!) - that I'm pretty excited to display.  I've seen it in a few other gorgeous weddings, and I hope ours photographs just as well as this one below!

We also have two soda crates, they look vintage, but they're from Pottery Barn :)   I'd like to fill them with succulents and a few old soda bottles I have thrifted.  I think they'll look great stacked together on either the guest book table or gift table.  Our florist also has huge collection of rental items, so I'm excited to see what we can incorporate from her as well.

I plan of having a bunch of cute signs at the ceremony & reception - I love a good sign, both cute and informative!  Our day-of coordinator designed our invitations, and will be doing the programs and signs for our wedding as well.  I love the invitations so much that I can't wait to see what she'll come up with.  I love all things kraft paper, so that will be a strong presence at the wedding, as well as fun and quirky wording.

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Is anyone else worried their vision might be a little too eclectic?   I know our day-of coordinator and florist are both really talented - so I'm not worried about them executing my plans, just worried that my plans will be a bit disjointed.  Has anyone else worried about this?  Am I just being silly?  I mean this is the biggest party I've ever planned, so I expect to be a little nervous.  But I just hope it doesn't look like I have a bunch of random stuff sitting around.  Do anyone  have any tips for putting things together?

Signature Drinks!

Next up on our to-do list is to pick, and name, our signature drink.  I love signature drinks at weddings, whether they have adorable names that tie in the wedding theme, simply just pull the wedding colors into a colorful cocktail, or are just downright delicious.  I think they definitely add a personal touch to the cocktail hour and reception.  There a few important factors that I think we'll consider when picking a drink. Color.  My fiance suggested we pick Arnold Palmer's as our signature drink, and while I love lemonade + ice tea -  I don't love the idea of a brown cocktail as our signature drink (sorry babe!)  Our wedding colors are grey, lemon, sage green, ivory and pale pink (more of a theme than a set color scheme)  so we have a lot of choices.  A pale yellow or pink drink with berries would be just the right touch of color.

Name.  Let's be honest - everybody loves a drink with a cute name.  The Bees Knees, Love is in the Air, Sealed with a Kiss, Blushing Bride, Love Potion, etc.  I want to come up with something creative, but not too over the top cheesy.

Drink Flags or Stirrers.  Who knew there could be so many cute ways to accessorize drinks?  Drink flags, unique stirrers, garnish them with herbs or fruit.  There are a ton of possibilities out there.  I'm partial to a cute drink flag,  I may have to DIY some cute ribbon flags.

Taste.  Aesthetics are important, but  no one will drink a signature drink if it doesn't taste good.  You want something that tastes good, but isn't over powering - sorry no whiskey on the rocks here.  Everything always tastes better with champagne, so maybe the easy way is to pick a champagne drink of some sort.  Or something tasty like this peach collins - yum!

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Anyone have a great drink suggestion?  Do you normally try the signature drink at weddings?  I feel like it's just a little extra detail, but could really add some personality with a quirky name and cute sign.  I'd love to hear what you think!

Putting On My Face...Bridal Beauty

While I'm still on the fence about what to do with my hair, I have a pretty clear vision of how I'd like my makeup to look on my wedding day.  I normally just wear black eyeliner, mascara, and some lip gloss.  In keeping with with my 'I want to look like myself' mentality, I would do barely there foundation with my signature black eyeliner on the top lid, with maybe a slight winged out tip.  I don't usually wear lipstick, but I've heard it's a good idea for pictures, so I may consider it.  But I do really love just a nude colored lip.   I also want to wear fake eyelashes, something I haven't done before - but I love how fancy they seem. And if you can't be fancy and long-lashed on your wedding day, then when can you?!  :)

I've only ever had my makeup done professionally once, so I don't have a ton of experience with it.  I'm scouring pinterest, and sites like the beauty department to get ideas.  I'll definitely be printing out pictures to bring with me to the salon.

I'm a little behind on the hair and makeup trial, so I need to get that scheduled, since we are at the 3 month mark.  Eeeek, so much to do still!

I love this look on Christina Hendricks - simple, but gorgeous. I dyed my hair red about a year ago, and I'm still getting used to switching makeup-colors that compliment my hair color.

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Are you having your makeup professionally done?  Has anyone had a makeup lesson, and then done your own makeup on the wedding day?  It might be nice to learn how I should be doing my makeup.  I know a lot of places are using the airbrushed foundations now, so I may give that a try too.  Did you love your makeup on your wedding day?  Did it translate to pictures like you thought it would?  If you have any tips I'd love to hear them!

To Cover-Up or Not To Cover-Up?

Being a March bride it's really difficult to plan for the weather, since we're really riding the line between winter and spring.  It's possible we could get a freak warm day, since we're having such weird weather on the East Coast this winter.   But who knows, maybe we'll get a late snowstorm!  We decided our ceremony will definitely be inside, since we didn't want to make any last minute decisions like our venue said we could.  But it couldn't hurt to be prepared with a cute cover-up for our outside pictures before the ceremony, right?  I really love colorful cardigans as cover-ups, it just seems so fun and casual - which is exactly the vibe I would like to achieve.

Although BHLDN has some really pretty boleros and cardigans that are slightly dressier.

Even the idea of a winter jacket and scarf like the gorgeous pictures below appeal to me.  A little snow on the wedding day could make for some great pictures, as long as it doesn't mess up anyone's travel!

I am not a faux fur wearer, but it does look classy sometimes.  I'm just not sure it's really me, though I do like these goofy trapper hats.

Even mittens can look adorable when done right.

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Winter brides, did you feel the need to buy a cover up?  Does it take away from the dress?  Any other March brides out there?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Making a Statement...

I am definitely not a classic single strand of pearls bride, not that there is anything wrong with that, it's just not me!  I'm on the quest for a statement necklace that is just the right amount of quirky - and that enhances but doesn't take away from my dress.  Oh, and I also don't want to spend a million dollars on it! :)

I have found a few from BHDLN (Anthro's wedding site) that while gorgeous, are a little out of my budget.   I also really like a few necklaces in the Erin Cole accessories line, but I'm not sure what they cost. Or there are a few pretty (and affordable) necklaces from Othelia Grace that I like a lot.

 

I also like this twisted strand of pearls with ribbon & crystals:

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I've heard that Nordstrom has a bunch of necklaces, but I feel like that's hit or miss in the stores and I haven't seen a ton on their website.  I have heard good things about Kate Spade - and I definitely like their quirky simple necklaces  that say, "i do' or "mrs".  But I'm not sure if they are really wedding day jewelry material (though they are probably the most "me") .  They might be just a cute thing to wear on the honeymoon.

Anyone have any tips on where to find statement necklaces?  I am scouring pinterest for inspiration - and would love to hear any suggestions you have!

Suits vs Tuxes

As we get closer to the wedding (less then 4 months!) we really need to figure out the suit vs. tux situation.  We recently took a trip to Mens Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank  to check out their suit & tux selections.  We're thinking of having all the groomsmen in darker grey suits, and then Tim would be in a lighter grey.  But we're still torn on whether to ask them to each groomsmen tp purchase a suit (we did find some good deals - so the suits would be $200 or a little less) or just have them rent tuxes.   There is not a large selection at all for grey tuxes, in fact there was just one style available and neither of us loved it (it had a weird pattern!)

I also like different ties & shirts to show some personality.

Another option is to have the groomsmen rent black tuxes.  We thought having all the groomsmen (and our dads!) in black tuxes with skinny black ties would look really classy, with Tim in a contrasting light grey.

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My issue with tuxes is that they can't be altered to fit each person, and I find them to be a bit boxy.  Has your groom decided what he's wearing?  Where did he & his groomsmen get their wedding attire?    Did you go with a large retail store, or a smaller shop?  Anyone out there with a good tux rental story?  I'd love to hear about it!

Desperately Seeking Hairstyle

I have always thought I'd wear my hair down for my wedding.  I wear my hair down 75% of the time, and I want to look like myself on my wedding day - except a little more fancy!  But then I think, will I be too hot dancing?  Will my hair flower look okay?  I bought earrings (that okay, now I'm not feeling so sure about) but if I wear my hair down will they be totally hidden?  I also like a few lowdo's, but I think they look cool from one angle, but plain from the next.  So, will I hate half the pictures?

I'm torn between wearing my hair down and wavy like this:

 or this (which I love so much I'm tempted to go back to my natural color):

Or curled in a low do on one side of my head...

Here are a few more hairstyles I have pinned that I really like.

 

 Simple side ponytail:

 

Or this intricate twisty updo

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I bought a tulle birdcage veil, that I'm not entirely sold on.  And a hair flower that is fairly large, that I really LOVE, and am definitely wearing!   I can't show you though, since my fiancé could see it.  Which hair style do you like best?  How did you wear your hair on your wedding day?  Did it take more than one trial to find a style you loved?  I'd love to hear your experiences!

Favors, Yay or Nay?

I'm so torn on what we should do for wedding favors, or if we should have them at all.  On one hand it's always fun to get them at a wedding- especially edible favors!  On the hand, does anyone really notice if they are missing?  Or, would it be better to do a charitable donation rather than spend money on a favor?  A few ideas we have had are succulents (in keeping with our rustic theme), coffee in small burlap bags (from the amazing coffee shop we went to in Savannah the day after we got engaged, points for being sentimental?), or DIY s'mores bags (because who doesn't love s'mores!).

Plus it would be a shame to waste these adorable tags I bought! :)

 Future or past brides, help me out!  What have you done, or what are you doing for your wedding?

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