Honoring Mom and Dad

First an update on my frustrated and frantic blog post from a while back about where in the hell to try on headpieces. After hours of online research, I visited the Sarah Seven shop in San Francisco last week to try on their headpieces. And guess who I ran into? No one other than the fabulous Allison Silber! She was an enormous help, giving me advice on which headpiece looked best with my dress and how in the world you're supposed to wear a bridal cap. Also, kindly pointing out when something was a belt, and not a headband :) I am very happy and relieved to have found a beautiful headband by Sarah Seven, which looks fabulous with my dress. I can't wait to show you guys in a few weeks!

Alright, now onto my issue of the week: Gifts for parents.

I know not everyone gets a gift for their mother or father, but in my case, they have been kind enough to significantly help pay for the wedding. I feel like the least I can do is give them a meaningful gift to thank them for their support. Unfortunately, when you type "mother of the bride gift" into google, you have to sift through lots of lots of photos of frames and handkerchiefs. Those just aren't my mom's style. So here are some other ideas I came up with that might be nice for moms!

Dogeared makes so many different necklaces that come with a variety of sweet sentiments. This one is my favorite.

Necklace by Dogeared

A promise to write letters to each other for years to come.

Mother & Daughter Letter Book by Uncommon Goods

I love this locket because you can see whatever you put in it. Whether that is a photo or a dried flower, mom can show it off in a modern and sophisticated locket.

Glass Locket by BHLDN

I also had the same trouble with looking for gifts for my dad! There are a million little trinkets that say things like "Today a bride, forever your little girl." My dad and I don't have that type of relationship, so I had to get creative when it came to what I wanted to give my father.

Here is a traditional, but classy set of cufflinks that would be fun to give him on the big day!

Father of the Bride Cufflinks by Micky Chase Jewelry

I also love the idea of getting him cufflinks that bring back good memories of a tradition you may have had. For example, Kyle and his father used to sail together.

Sailboat cufflinks from BHLDN

Or if dad is a musician, this personalized guitar pick, customized to whatever you want it to say, is really sweet.

Custom guitar pick by Tag You're It Jewelry

What did you give your parents on your wedding day? Was it something personal that only you two would understand? Or was it a cute, traditional "mother of the bride" or "father of the bride" gift?

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?

Bride Advice & Sneak Peak

I can't believe that my final post here on E&I is here. We had an amazing wedding day with our family and friends and feel so blessed. After going through this process and experiencing the day of, here are a few tips to keep in mind as a soon to be bride.

• Everyone will tell you make sure to enjoy your day. But how do you do that? My groom and I made sure to take a walk around our venue just the two of us to check out all the fun that everyone is having. It makes all of the planning feel worth while.
• As the bride everyone is going to be looking at you. This also goes for anything that might happen throughout the day. Your guests, family and friends will be looking to you to gauge their reaction. So with that said keep a smile and be light hearted. Your guests will only make a big deal out of something if you do.
• Be sure to designate someone take all of your gifts, left over food and desserts home with them. For us we had everyone over to enjoy the left overs, rehash the night and opens our gifts.

And here is a sneak peak for you to enjoy. I will be back to share all of the fabulous photos that Cinzo Photography captured at during our day.

Heather

for the tech savvy bride {Learnist}

Well, it's approaching the big day and there are so many little details to take care of! (Welcome bags, vendor checks, final dress fittings.... should i go on?) I cannot believe I only have a handful of Engaged and Inspired posts left! Can you believe I'm getting married in 19 days!?!  I'm trying to keep everything organized and together, but the days are flying by.

Enter my new discovery, Learnist! Ok, so full disclosure, my bestie and bridesmaid, Shana, (who recently got married herself) works for Learnist in San Francisco. She's been telling me it's a great resource for wedding planning, but of course, here I am less than 30 days from my wedding, just getting to it. But since I checked it out, it's such a cool way to play and and plan for a wedding, and guess what - Oprah's blog thinks so, too:)

Photo credit: Main photo{left}, top right, bottom right

When it comes to wedding planning, there are so many moving pieces, Learnist allows you to curate entire "learn boards" with links, information, and pictures. You can find Engaged & Inspired on Shana's Wedding Central learn board. I even made a few...like this one I affectionately call "How this bride stays so fit & sexy."  Which is of course dedicated to all of us brides who are trying to be in the shape of our lives for our big day ;) So there you have it- another fun way you techy brides can get more wedding DIY inspiration! So get learning... and planning, too.;)

THE COLORY: Peach Wedding Inspiration

Let's get started with this fun little peach palette! Peach is such an amazingly beautiful color and one that we oh so love! Don't you agree?? What do you all think of this new column?? Would love to hear your feedback, thoughts and what colors you would like me to feature in this column.

We totally love peach and would love to help you craft the perfect details for your wedding day. Check out our services page and see how we can help you.

Photographic Memories

This week we have been on the hunt for our wedding photographer. I thought that picking a wedding photographer would be one of our easier decisions. After spending hours and hours pouring over wedding photographer websites, I now know that finding someone who can take the candid photos we love is not an easy task. I'll be the first to admit that I can look super awkward in photos.  My fake smile looks forced and I look uncomfortable (because I am!). So, finding a photographer who can capture our wedding story with candid photos like the photos below is very important to me.

First Look

Sources: Sarah Culver Photography & Kyle Hepp

For more amazing first look photos, check out this article.

Happy Tears

Source: Sarah Culver Photography

After all of this photographer searching, I have learned that there are primarily three different approaches to wedding photography: traditional (more posed), photojournalistic (more candid) and artistic (clearly more artsy). We want a photographer who is primarily photojournalistic who can capture the entirety of our special day from the mascara application to the last dance of the night.

Sources: Future Weddings, Wild Flowers Photography & Sarah Culver Photography

I finally feel like we are starting to make some headway. We skyped with one photographer yesterday who we absolutely loved, but happens to live across the country. I also discovered the Wedding Photojournalistic Association which has been a great resource because it provides pricing estimates and lists photographers by region.

Sources: Future Wedding, Adria Lindquist & Lulu Photo

How did you decide on your wedding photographer? How many photographers did you meet/Skype with before you found THE one?

{Christina's Wedding} Blush Pink Arizona Affair

The day has come to marry off several of the E&I Bride bloggers that have been here each and every week chatting about their weddings. I can't help to feel a tinge of sadness as they marry and are no longer here blogging about their journey. Today we are sharing Christina's wedding. Remember Christina? The super sweet girl that was into planning her Arizona blush pink wedding. Well today we are hear to share the gorgeous photos and sweet details of it! There are so much pin-worthy bridal shots! It was so hard to choose my faves!

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.

Bridesmaid Dresses {The Color Face-Off}

My biggest dilemma with my bridesmaids dresses has been the color. I think I really like the ombre' or varied hues in one color look like the below examples.

Source: Green Wedding Shoes 1 & 2

I feel that I should stick to one color like blue or creamy tan. Same dress, totally different feel in each color.

Source: For Her And For Him

The blending of two colors looks great here though!

Source: Green Wedding Shoes

My coordinator said the tan would look best with the blue flowers, but I think they would look great with blue dresses as well. Also, the styles may be a bit different to compliment each girl. Need your input all!

Which pallet are you feeling?

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Paper Extras {tying everything together}

I am a sucker for paper - stationary, thank you cards, menus...you name it. So when it comes to my wedding, I get giddy over not just the invitations, but all the 'extras.' Here are some images inspiring me...

Source

Source

Source

Source

Source: Left, top right, bottom right

I came to the realization recently (after getting a quote from a designer) that these things do not come cheap, so there may be some DIY in my future! I won't be able to do everything so I'll also have to get creative with different vendors. Knowing that it's going to take more than just hiring a designer and approving the design, I realize this all will require some extra work. But I know that the savings and getting to have more of a hand in everything will make it worth it.

I was really inspired by fellow E&I blogger who recently posted about her DIY invitations - check them out! I also love Kim's, here.

Did you DIY all or part of your wedding invitations and/or the extra paper goods? How did it go for you?