wedding timeline & color inspiration {so far so good}

When I got engaged September 12, 2011 I truly had NO idea what it would take to plan a wedding. Reading magazines and discovering that the average woman takes about a year to plan a wedding was surprising to me. To look back just 5 months ago to where I was and where I am now... WOW, I've come a long way, baby. I've laughed, I've cried and I almost convinced Vinnie to elope. But I have to say, at this point in the planning process I feel good. I have approx 7 1/2 months until my big day. I may not be exactly on the "Brides Magazine" countdown, but I'm comfortable with where I'm at...Here's what I've accomplished thus far :

  • Budget
  • Venue
  • Guest Count & Bridal Party
  • Wedding website (thank you www.modwedding.com for the fabulous & chic site! Oh, did I mention it was FREE?!?)
  • The Dress (gorgeous Elizabeth Fillmore gown for 75% off....SCORE!)
  • Met with a wedding planner
  • Scouted Photographers and Videographers (still need to hire one, but not stressing about it.... yet)
  • Color Palette: Light Grey & Yellow with Succulent Green Accents
  • Save the Dates (below) I love them and they're going out TODAY!!
In the next 2 months I must do the following:
  • Meet with vendors to plan the details (flowers, rentals, menu, cake, drinks)
  • Lock down our photographer/videographer
  • Order the invitations
  • Shop for bridesmaids outfits
  • Research & book the honeymoon (Yippee)
  • Select our officiant
I am so excited to check things off my to do list these next couple months. Here is some color inspiration. If you haven't noticed, I'm pretty obsessed with grey and yellow. It feels fantastic to know where I'm going with this whole vision. Locking down my colors has surprisingly eased my nerves a bit ;-)
Mexican tile inspiration (left) by Lizzy B Loves invitation design :)

I feel like I've finally gotten into the groove of wedding planning. I'm having fun and communicating better with my fiance... he likes to be kept in the loop and lend his opinions on things too! How are you doing with your timeline? Are you ahead of your own schedule? Any tips for staying focused and not stressing?

{party attire} the other dresses

Time is just flying by and things are getting pretty real with my wedding planning.  I am just 7 months and 29 days away from my big day! (and I am SO excited!) So, here's what I have been up to recently:  My bachelorette party is set (thank you Monica!), we are sending out Save The Dates this week, and creating our wedding website. This month I am committed to locking down our photographer, wedding planner, and DJ. In the meantime, I'd like to daydream about the other dresses I plan on wearing this year. Here is some inspiration for outfits I would wear to ....

The Rehearsal Dinner:

Bachelorette Party:

Bridal Shower:

A lot of the dresses I want to wear in November are in season NOW, so it looks like I should start shopping. What are some of your favorite places to shop for a little white dress?

Dapper Dude {your best man}

dap·per/ˈdapər/

Adjective:
(typically of a man) Neat and trim in dress, appearance, or bearing.
When brainstorming what I should write about today it occurred to me that I haven't mentioned Vinnie's attire yet. He recently locked down his Bachelor Party, (which is in Austin, TX by the way) and it made me think to make a little inspiration board for what he may wear on our big day. As I've mentioned before, we are a pretty classic couple; we love Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin and the style of the 1950s & 60s. When it comes to our wedding I imagine Vinnie in a suit, not anything casual. I LOVE suspenders, and he looks pretty dapper (ala Mad Men) in a skinny tie ;)
What kind of look is your future hubby going for? Tux, suit, casual wear? Please feel free to share your ideas and inspiration!

Beach Day in February

Vinnie and I were engaged September 12, 2011. These photos were taken just last weekend on a sunny day at the beach in Santa Monica by our dear friend, Ricardo Bayona.

Vinnie and I met on St. Patrick's day 2007, had our first date 3 days after meeting, moved in together after 9 months, and next month is our 5 year anniversary; hard to believe how time flies!  And speaking of time flying, we are  just 8 1/2 months away from our BIG DAY!

At this point in your planning, what have your checked off of your list? Is there anything you wish you would have done sooner?

Hope you enjoy getting to know us a little bit through these pictures :)

{Something Blue} inspiration

I've been busy lately locking  down our photographer and DJ... not to mention negotiating the rates for our room block at the hotel, planning our engagement session, save-the-dates.... the list goes on. Since it's a rainy day here in LA today, let's talk about "something blue." Did you know the next line in the famous poem is

Something old, something new Something borrowed, something blue And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

I was curious about the origin of this tradition and thanks to a quick & easy google search I learned that blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. "In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity."

I'm not sure if I'm going to pick shoes or accessories to play out this tradition, but I do know that I will participate ;-)

Here are some of the images I was inspired by:

Will you be wearing something blue? What are you planning on wearing?

Looking forward to hearing your ideas :)

Wedding Hair Bliss {in Beverly Hills}

At this point in my planning I have been attempting to lock down a photographer, DJ/band, and florist. After a lot of time and effort focusing on those things I decided to take a well-deserved break. And what better way to reward yourself than going to the salon. My dear friend, Ashley, is also my hairstylist of 5 years and the artistic director at Kenworthy Salon. When I came in to Kenworthy to get my color done recently, she and I were just chatting about wedding hairstyles and thought it would be fun to start playing with my hair to get some ideas.  (She too is getting married this year!)

Here are some Tips from Beverly Hills Stylist Ashley Bostrom on how to prepare for your hair trial:
  1. The best way to prep for your bridal hair trail is to have your hair shampooed and dried the day before your appt. This makes your hair more manageable to mold into your desired style.
  2. Be sure to bring pictures of your favorite looks and accessories, so this way you have a better idea of how your hair will look the day of.
  3. Also another great idea is to bring a camera and have your stylist take a picture of your favorite look. Be sure to start your hair and makeup trails at least 4 months before your wedding, to alleviate stress and to make sure your favorite stylist is available for your big day!!
I also thought it would be a good idea to wear white; whether that be a white tank top, tube top, or even a cream shawl.... anything that will help you visualize how you'll look on your wedding day. I made sure to do my make up clean and natural too. Here are some photos of celebrities that we used for inspiration.... and photos of the beautiful work Ashley did on my hair :)

HOLLYWOOD GLAM

THE UP-DO THE MESSY BUN

 DOWN AND WAVY

 My favorite part about this whole experience is that there was no pressure... kind of like when I found my dress! I was relaxed, had no expectations, and most of all I had fun! Ashley and I are going to do one more hair trial in a few months, but I think I already have a favorite out of this bunch.... do you? I'd love to hear your feedback!

Have you had your hair trial yet? Do you have any extra tips you'd like to share?

Oh, and if you live in southern California and you're looking for a phenomenal hairstylist for your bridal hair, I think you know who's at the top of my list of recommendations ;)

The Engagement Shoot :: On The Beach

It's time for Vinnie and I to send out our save the dates. Even though we have plenty of old photos of us to chose from, I think there's something special about having an engagement shoot and using one of those photos for a "save the date." Ideally, this photo shoot would have taken place back in September when he proposed, but time flies, life happens... we got busy, and almost forgot about it.

Since we live in LA, Vinnie is from LA, and I'm from San Francisco, I think it would be suiting to have our shoot on the beach. Maybe Manhattan or Hermosa Beach, where I work.  I browsed the web and found some fun and romantic shoots of other couples to help inspire us. Vinnie is excited to have an engagement shoot, but wants our photo shoot to be unique- nothing too cheesey or overplayed. (He teased me a little about the footprints in the sand shot at the bottom of this page. lol.)

Have an ideas on how we could achieve a fresh look in an overused location, like the beach?

 

bust a move {reception music}

One thing I love about Brides magazine (thank u Shana for the subscription), is that in every issue they have a page dedicated to the timeline. Of course this is a suggested timeline, no need to add unneeded stress, however I'm one who could use some structure. I'm approx 10 months away from my big day. I have accomplished 3 of the most daunting tasks, gloriously: The dress? CHECK! The venue? CHECK! My bridal party? CHECK! So, I opened my monthly issue to get some ideas about where I should be in my planning process, and of course, what to blog about :)

Brides Magazine's "countdown" says: 10 months-
  • select your officiant (future post about this coming soon)
  • choose your attendants
  • compile the guest list
  • hire a wedding planner (if needed)
  • Scout for a caterer, florist, DJ or band, and photographer
Since I've already done a post about photography and the guest list (thank you to you lovely ladies who read those and commented. I adore you), it looks like this week's post will be about music. Allison, the fabulous bloggolista, and creator/editor of E&I, did a post recently about wedding songs, and it totally inspired me to write. BTW the title of my blog post is dedicated to an amazing wedding song "Bust a Move," by Young MC. And YES, I know every single word by heart. These folks below seem to be feeling the tunes.

For those of you who know me personally, you know I LOVE music!!!! I have been infatuated with memorizing the words to songs since I was a little girl simply because I love the story a song can tell. Great songs take you on a journey of what the composer was feeling when they wrote it. Great songs bring back memories of wonderful time spent with the ones you love. And great songs can be a true escape into another world that's happy and carefree. For me, that's what music does.
So...... when it comes to my big day, you best believe that the music is gonna rock. Now you might be asking yourself, "how can she tell that the music totally rocked?" Well, my answer is: when people dance, and smile, and laugh, and make memories at the reception.
The challenge for me is not what song to play, but who should play it! Nothing gets a crowd going like a live band that's playing covers of your favorite hits, and nothing can KILL a crowd faster than a cheesey DJ (in my opinion). Please note: I am more fearful of the cheesey annoying DJ, than a band butchering a classic hit. If the band sucks, then my iPod is plugging in. If the DJ sucks, that's awkward. Vinnie only wants to hire a DJ if he or she refuses to talk! (LOL!) I have to agree with him on this one. In an ideal world I will hire a band, and incorporate our list of favorite songs to play in between sets and after the band leaves. But if we have to hire a DJ because of our tight budget, then I am going to want to have someone who talks only when necessary, i.e. introducing the bridal party, "hey everyone, it's time for cake," and "hit the dancefloor because it's the last song of the night." Other than that, Vinnie and I would like them to play our list of favorite songs (in no particular order), have the DJ  feel out the crowd and know when to play them. Is that too much to ask?

TIP FROM TAYA: start making a list of your favorite songs now! Even if you're not that into music, start making a casual list of your favorites.Maybe keep a notepad in your car so when a good one comes on the radio you can jot it down. Vinnie and I started a shared google doc and add songs/artists to it every time we are inspired. I even added a column for when I think the song would be appropriate, like "first dance, cake cutting, get the crowd jump'n".... you get the idea ;-) And to make sure your guests have some input too, you could add a song suggestion box to your website or on the RSVP. It's a great way to make your guests feel included in the planning process.
Oh, and if you live in LA and know of an affordable band please leave a comment!!!!!!! thanks in advance :)

 

{Photography} how's a girl to choose?

I will say that checking the venue off my list has been a HUGE relief.  Thanks to this weekly blog keeping me focused and on track, I feel organized and relaxed.  I truly feel like the fun has begun! So when I say beginning this photographer search is difficult, I mean that it's an enjoyable challenge. There are SO many fantastic photographers out there, and every recommendation my friends have given me looks awesome! So..... how's a girl to choose? In a nut shell (or bullet list), here is what I am looking for in a photographer(s):

  • Someone who's cool, fun, easy to work with, yet still diligent enough to make sure they get all of the important shots. (The last thing I want to worry about on our special day is the photography. I feel like that should be a gimme. slamdunk. no prob. right ladies?) On that note, I think it is MAJORLY important to hire someone who has shot a wedding before. Sure you may have a friend who's a great photographer, but taking photos of a wedding is a different animal. What are your thoughts on this?
  • Detail shots
  • candid special moments
  • fun group shots
  • photos of everyone having a blast, not just me and my hubby.... I mean, how many pictures do we actually need of us?
  • I think I need 2 photographers (minimum) to get multiple points of view, and to ensure we don't miss anything major.
  • I like a vintage inspired look (ala mid-century). A little black and white would be nice mixed in with some soft colored shots. I don't like anything too photo journalistic.
  • When I envision our pictures I see them as soft, romantic and candid.... not bold, crisp, and posed.
  • Someone "affordable." Photos are VERY important to me, and I'm standing my ground on spending money on a quality photographer, but I don't want to go overboard with our budget.
My bestie, Shana, is getting married in Maui this June, and said that this task was kind of easy for her because her planner gave her a list of 5 to call. Being that her wedding is in Maui, her options are simple. Try living in the land of lights, camera, action. Although my planner is giving me a list too, searching for a photographer in LA gives one major sensory overload.
My other bestie, Kaci, got married in Seattle a few years ago and gave me a good pointer. She suggested that I meet with the potential photographer to make sure we like him or her, and that our personalities mesh well. This is a great point, because like many brides will tell you, you spend a lot of time with your photographer and I can only imagine how that would be if they were super annoying, or rude, or even worse- boring. Because of my acting/TV background, I can tell you that chemistry with your photographer is imperative. The more comfortable you are with your photographer, the more natural and organic your photos will look.
I like to compare this hunt for a good photog to looking for a new toothpaste. You go to the toothpaste isle at the grocery store and there are tons of fancy looking boxes, all with pretty bright colors and the promise of making your teeth look and feel fabulous. Most of them will probably work great for you. But how do you choose "the one?" Most likely off of a friend's recommendation, right? .... Ok, so maybe pictures at your wedding are a little more important than toothpaste, but you catch my drift ;-)
I have mentioned before that I am a very decisive person. I find something I like, then I go for it without reservation. I'm sure once I narrow it down to 3 I'll be able to make a solid choice. Here are some inspiring photos from photographers that close friends of mine have recommended.

 

How did you find your wedding photographer? Did you meet with them before? Were they experienced with shooting weddings? Please feel free to share your advice!