Matthew Christopher gown

I'll be the first to admit it... I was a very traditional bride. I still can't picture myself in half of those trendy gowns that are hitting the market lately... but I still love them! This particular gown {MOËT} by Matthew Christopher, would be stunning on a modern bride, looking for a little excitement in the white gown tradition.

Matthew Christopher has a wide range of styles to choose from, including some very traditional selections!

Hope you all have a wonderful time celebrating the New Year!

Black market bridesmaid

I am in love with this stylish dress over at White House Black Market, especially on one of your bridesmaids! The folded black organza creates a flirty and fun strapless neckline, covering both the front and back. It's very appropriate for that modern wedding in the city feel, and would fit right in at cocktail hour. Let your ladies show their sexy side with this dress and a pair of colorful stilettos!

The price tag is pretty sexy too, at $95.00!

Tiffany inspired engagement rings

Let’s face it, we’ve all taken a gander at the tiffany’s website… oogled at the sparkly settings and then frowned at that elephant of a price tag. Well instead of going into mad debt, we’ve managed to find some Tiffany inspired engagement rings, for those of you on a lighter budget! These options are still just as glamorous and unique, so take a look at some alternative bling!

Top photo: Tiffany Circlet $4,325.00

Bottom row (L to R): Antique ring $1,897.00, Eternity ring $1,900.00, Elegant ring $2,599.95.

Stuart Blalock Videography

Untitled from Stuart Blalock on Vimeo.

After posting about the Aric Alan Photography Team (Aric & Casey) back in November, I was contacted by Stuart Blalock of Blalock Video, who happens to be a good friend of theirs. He filled me in on what he does and sent me a link to his site and blog. I really like Stuart’s style while filming, it’s very cinematic and is laced with drama! If you’re looking for something different, definitely check out the trailers found on Stuart’s site, for a more in depth look at the excitement of a Blalock wedding video!

Here is a taste of what Stuart does!

Merry Christmas!

I just had to share... our silly picture that accompanied our Christmas cards, sent to family. It took a few shots to get the doggies to look at the camera, but we made it work (peanut butter can be a godsend)! I hope you are all enjoying family time and savoring the holiday season!

Dress Shopping 101

Unless you're planted in the middle of the fashion industry, searching for a wedding gown can be a little intimidating the first time around. For starters, there are so many options! And secondly, the lingo that goes along with each dress style is a never-ending list of foreign words and phrases. Luckily, Brides.com has a very helpful glossary of words you'll need to know, when searching for that perfect ensemble.

Take a quick peek before heading out to your first salon appointment!

Last minute gift ideas...

...for your favorite bride-to-be!  Subscribe here!

Modern card boxes

I just ran across a company called For the Modern Bride via The Bliss Weddings Blog, and had to share! Now I know there are a million different types of containers that work for holding cards at the wedding, but this is a modern twist on the classic card box! I love the colors and patterns, and the big bows and pearls, featured in a few of their products. They look so well put together, and won't cost you an arm and a leg! Check out their blog or beautiful website for more information!

Aside from card boxes, they also carry stationery, favors and create custom logos for your event! Talk about one stop shop!

Holiday yarn wreath at Starbucks

I was in Starbucks last week for a consultation and spotted this unique rendering of a holiday wreath. I refrained from taking a million pictures of it from every possible angle, and instead, put it on my mental to-do list and came home to google it... turns out many other people have already done just that. I googled "starbucks yarn wreath" and a whole pile of comments and photos of these things came up. I found this post from the Inspired Kara blog, complete with directions on how to make your own!

Even though this is obviously a holiday project, it could always be adapted to wedding decor by using shades of ivory and gold yarn and ornaments or even bright white and silver!

I am definitely making one of these, especially since all holiday decor is 70% off at Michael's this week!

Enjoy the View Photography

I cannot believe I haven’t blogged about Beth & Mike yet! Well, better late than never! Enjoy the View Photography & Videography happened to be the vendor we used for our own wedding, and I cannot say enough good things about them.

The first time I met Beth and saw her amazing photography, I was hooked, and knew I wanted her to capture our wedding. We also picked up her husband Mike, as our videographer for the day, which made for a great team!

So many of our guests complimented us on our selection, saying that they never even noticed the pair taking shots and video of our wedding! They both did a great job during the wedding, capturing our funny and sentimental moments. They wrapped it up with an amazing post-production performance, which some people tend to forget about, getting us our two parent albums and huge leather bound album for us to enjoy.

Check out the official Enjoy the View Photography blog as well, with constant updates of wonderful wedding experiences!

Vintage fleur

Hello Cupcake!

I saw this book titled Hello Cupcake! the other day at target and flipped through to find some amazing photography paired with step by step directions for the most amazing cupcakes ever! Now call me weird, but I have this thing about never buying books new, I don't know why, but that's just the way it is. So after I decided I needed it I headed over to amazon.com to check out the used price (hello $3.94).

I thought this would also be a great way to incorporate the little ones into your wedding day, without having to give up that glamorous wedding cake. 

Choose 2-3 different cupcake styles from the book, whip up a few batches with the help of your mom, or gal pals a few nights before, then watch the little ones jump for joy on your big day (and it might also distract them from licking the frosting off of your 5-tiered buttercream cake)!

Apothecary centerpieces

Aside from the usual uses for apothecary jars (ahem, candy buffets) these vintage inspired containers can serve as a beautiful centerpiece or room accessory as well!

I love the fact that the jar blends well with any theme, and almost transforms with the objects that are placed inside! Remove the lid for more of a vase look, versus a jar!

Some ideas:

+ Fruit filler

+ Soap or toiletries for the restrooms

+ A place to hold favors

+ A wishing jar for notes from your guests

+ Or jazz it up with ribbon or a beaded garland

Links: Apple & peony centerpiece, Moss terrarium, Floral terrarium, Glass oil lamps, Glass ball ornaments, BOO paper sign, Tulips and candy hearts, Hanging bouquets, Robin's egg chocolate, Robin's egg soap, Starfish soap, Eggs in two-tiered nest.

Refinishing round up

If any of you follow me on twitter or facebook, you've probably heard me complaining about my studio space, mainly the fact that I didn't have an adequate desk. Well the search is finally over, after months of scouring craigslist, ebay and the salvation army, I finally scored my dream desk, an original pedestal desk by the gunn furniture company of Grand Rapids, MI.

After getting it home, doing a little research, Joe and I found that the Gunn Furniture Co. closed it's doors in 1958, but not before supplying utilitarian furniture to offices, schools and libraries during the '30's through the '50's.

It's not worth much, but after we refinished it and put new drawer pulls on, it satisfied my wildest dreams (for a desk that is). I purposely left the initials "MM" that were carved into the top desk drawer, I like that it has some unknown history. And I'm still contemplating if I should patch and paint the "Lino" top, or if I should leave it as is, character and all.

So it is, I finally have an office space of my own, and let me tell you, it's glorious!

Save the Dates from Jubilee Events Couture Paper

I ran across Candice Dowling, of Jubilee Events, through Twitter, and have been following along on her blog ever since! I recently saw a tweet of hers, showcasing a set of save the dates in her Etsy shop, and of course had to check them out!

I absolutely love Candice's creations, from her holiday cards to her paper wedding items. I specifically like this save the date card because it's different and bold, but also extremely elegant! Check out Candice's other amazing items at her Etsy shop here!

I’ve always been a big fan of lace, so when I saw these two Jim Hjelm gown I about died. I love the unique style of lace that covers most or all of the gown, the simple ribbon and floral detail, and most of all, I love the color… a soft shade of white that compliments any skin tone.

This whimsical ensemble is ready made to fit any wedding style… outdoor, traditional cathedral, or even destination. It would be a perfect match with that wind-blown hairstyle I posted about yesterday!

Top Gown: JH8912

Bottom Gown: : JH8904

Windy wedding hairstyles

On a blustery day like today (in central Michigan), stop fighting the wind and make it work to your advantage! Tousled hair is not only sexy but also low-maintenance, which is key for any wedding that lasts well into the evening. I'm one of those people who is constantly playing with my hair, so something like this would have worked well for me, as you can mess with it all night and still look lovely! I'm really diggin' the natural and graceful look!

Links (clockwise from top left):

blonde with sparkle, brunette with flower, brunette half-up, lauren conrad, eva longoria-parker, heidi klum.

Wine accessories

Looking back on all of the gifts we received for our July 2007 wedding, one gift set sticks out in my mind. For this very reason, I am recommending it to all of you, for your own consideration. 

Introducing the wine enthusiast's collection! These are items that I never knew I needed, but now that I have them, I would never live a day without! 

The electric wine opener makes opening your favorite bottle clean and simple. I never had trouble opening a bottle the old fashioned way, but this is just easy as pie. It stores away in our utensil drawer and comes with a wall charger (that I've had to use no more than twice since we've owned the thing).

The 6-bottle wine cellar allows for that perfectly chilled glass of wine, and is an amazing addition to our bar area in the basement.

The stemless wine glasses are a more modern way to enjoy your reds or whites. They're space saving too!

Keep these in mind when you register for gifts, or are looking for an upcoming wedding, either way these are sure to please!

Ornament favor tree

It seems like the latest trend with place cards is to hang them in a pretty fashion, instead of the usual table setup. I really like this because it adds so much visual interest, and can really enhance the style and setting of a wedding. Combine this with a favor and you’ve killed two birds with one stone… which is where the ornament place card comes in!

Inspired by the endless selection of ornaments at Anthropologie, and the romanticwish tree featured in many weddings, the idea of a favor tree was born.

The ornaments vary in pricing, but most are well below $10.00. String a solid ribbon or cord through each of the ornaments and a small tag (these are from etsy seller oldtomfoolery) with each guests’ name to complete the look.

The tree branches can be an inexpensive and eco-friendly way to display all of your guest favors, and come in many shapes and sizes, depending on your area. The photo below illustrates a wish tree that caught my eye, and could easily be polished off with sparkly sentiments.

the great lakes by ORK

No, I don't live in Chicago, or Boston, or even Seattle... but now I can still enjoy an Ork poster of my area! The city neighborhood posters are now offering a print of the great lakes! Love it!

This just jumped to #1 on my Christmas list.

Back to the grind

Monday morning (5 am to be exact) I left the chilly state of Michigan with a couple of colleagues for a health conference in San Diego. It was a nice break from my usual duties as in house graphic designer, and I got to soak up the sun for a few days before heading back on Thursday morning. The travel kicked my butt, however I'm back in action and plan on playing catch up this weekend.

Keep an eye out for new posts beginning Saturday!

Winter Wonderland wedding cake

Now this is a classy cake! No need to fuss over the cake top, crystal snowflakes are delicately sprinkled all over this yummy white cake. I really love all the different snowflake shapes, featured on each layer, without looking too crowded or busy. These snowflakes could easily be replicated in white chocolate, sugar, or fondant to create a tone on tone look that would rock your taste buds!

I found this gem over at the Pink Cake Blog... lots more ideas where this came from! Anne, the owner of Pink Cake Box, has an amazing collection of cakes, cookies and cupcakes and has been featured in numerous wedding magazines. Great work Anne!

Midnight snacks

Snacks are important to late night party-goers, because you have to have something in your belly if you plan on dancing all night (can you say after party)! A new trend of offering a “midnight” snack has hit the wedding world, and I can’t complain. I’ve been to a few weddings that served coffee and Krispy Kremes, soda and white castle burgers, or cookies and milk to their guests before the night ended… Our own wedding offered a buffet of warm soft pretzels and cheese along with some non-alcoholic beverages to wake people up!

I love this idea, because who doesn’t get the munchies after an evening of cocktails and dancing. It’s a nice little treat that can make us feel like kids again!

Anyone have any clever ideas for a midnight snack?

Photo Credit.

Teacup candle feedback

Last week I was following up with the customer who purchased the ivory lattice teacup candle, and was overwhelmed with this lovely message she sent back:

Hi Kristen,

I received the teacup candle a few days ago - darling! I'm using it on my wedding day as a memorial candle, actually. We lost one of the matriarchs of the family very recently who came to this country by way of Jamaica & England and was of course an advid tea drinker. The candle will be placed next to a canvassed sepia picture I had made in her honor.

Hopefully, after the event I can have it refilled.

Thank you so much! This piece is absolutely perfect.

Best,

Rachel

It's people like this that really make you love what you do. Thanks for the note Rachel!

Our first christmas ornament

I love getting out the boxes of christmas ornaments every year after thanksgiving. Each one brings back a special memory, and is a pleasant reminder of how much we have grown in life! Your first Christmas ornament as a new couple is no exception, so why not commemorate it with this beautiful Lennox Cake Ornament! It has that timeless look, with it's hand painted ivory fine china, accented with 24 karat gold, and is a steal right now for $29.99!