Wedding music fantasy: Iron and Wine

Last night we saw two fantastic shows - Iron and Wine (a house fave) and The Swell Season. It was a pretty crummy day - and we're both sick on top of it - but we'd been looking forward to the night for ages, so we prepared to get carried away by some great music and forget about the rest of it.

Sam Beam and Glen Hansard put an absolute spell over us, which they are apt to do. Beam sparked up a discussion we like to have about fantasy wedding singers. We have fun with this debate partly because we both love live music (our Save the Dates, anyone?), but also because we actually know someone who tried to price out the Dave Matthews Band for their wedding several years ago.

Our fantasy wedding singer list always varies, from the classic - Van Morrison - to the weird - paying homage to my gloomy beach music of teen years past and the weird way it makes me happy via Robert Smith or Morrissey. (I mean really, the delicious irony of lovelorn depressed singers at a wedding?!) The truth is, there aren't really any bands out on the Outer Banks anyway, so we're having a DJ. But last night, we were happy imagining the possibilities of the dreamy, cerebral contentment that Mr. Sam Beam and his band Iron and Wine could bring to our hitching. See why for yourself:

Loving Twigs & Honey

Lately I've been loving Twigs & Honey hairpieces. While my first instinct is to go with fresh flowers, my sister made a great point about gardenias to me last weekend - they tend to brown quickly. I'd been envisioning some combination of white and possibly red flowers, with a loose/curly/low updo. The idea of a custom Twigs & Honey piece - for me and the four girls - seems like a fantastic way to interject fun and color into our look.

I love the look of these two, even though they're a little more monochromatic that I might go with:













I am loving the color and pattern of these pieces (hello bridesmaids in polka dots!), especially since we want lots of pattern and texture in the wedding attire and decor.











All photos are from Twigs & Honey with the exception of the gorgeous pinky-peach piece, which came from the bride behind In This Instance.

Check out the Twigs & Honey blog and shop for more looks!

UPDATE: And headbands for flowergirls?! Oh yes.

My "YES!"

We have a tough time keeping secrets from one another, which played out in funny ways leading up to our engagement. I knew when Trevor first met with a jeweler to start designing my engagement ring; I knew when he picked out the stone; I knew when the ring was finished and he hid it somewhere in our apartment.

Two big things we did manage to keep a secret. For Trevor, it was the final design of the ring. And for me, it was a little gift that I had made for him. I like thinking that Trevor's the only guy I know who received some accessories of his own after proposing marriage.

These suckers are a pain to photograph, but here they are: cufflinks with "YES!" engraved on the back. He wears them to work all the time, which I love... a reminder of his own, kind of like this gorgeous ring on my finger.

And he already knows he's getting another set engraved with "I Do" come May.

Wedding colors

Guess who's down with our wedding colors? Obama, that's who.

Pretty dresses

This image is so magical.












Tim Walker via A Lovely Morning, a fantastic blog I discovered via ABCD.

For Heather from 'We Met in a Bar'

(Which, by the way, is my all-time favorite wedding blog name... as part of a fellow bar meet-up couple (lushes!), it speaks to me)

A fantastic yellow wedding, with splendid touches of gray (her colors). Just gorgeous. It also features the cutest girl in a yellow dress I have ever seen. The boys aren't too bad either:





Swooning! Hello handsome!

What It's All About

I was going to rant about yet another run-in with an anti-curve wedding industry person - and the ridiculousness of wearing a size 6 skirt while ordering a size 12 wedding dress - but then I read this, and suddenly I didn't feel like bitching any more.

Joy found out she had breast cancer, and decided with her fiancee to fast-track her wedding before her surgery. In two weeks, they found a venue, a photographer, a dress, and pulled the whole thing off with a cherry blossom theme in Washington, D.C. In each case, vendors broke their own rules to make this wedding happen for a couple who simply wanted to celebrate before they faced her health questions. Thankfully, her surgery went well and she's doing fine now. But looking at their photos, I feel terrible complaining about anything, because so often I really think I must be the luckiest person in the world.

I feel the same way when I look at photos of same-sex weddings, coming fast and furious from California. Most of all, I'm struck with the sheer emotion that comes across in their photos, their blatant awe of being inside a moment they were never sure they'd be allowed to have. These are truly celebrations of love, which is what every wedding should be. For me - healthy, allowed to marry as many times as I choose, for whatever reason at all - these weddings of triumph are the ones that set the standard.


Sources: Joy and James. Kim and Annie. Bryan and Robbie.

Inspiration Wedding: Camille and Chris

Thanks to The Bride's Cafe, I've been oohing and aahing over the gorgeous colorful details of Camille and Chris' wedding all day. It's unbelievably beautiful... from the shoes, to the hair, to the invitations, to the flowers... Completely unique and completely theirs.



























From Part II: More flowers, both parents!, and beautiful programs and escort cards.



























Part III: The gorgeous reception!

We found it.

SUCCESS! After a fun morning of try-ons (so that's what I look like in the wedding cake topper dress...), we had a serious contender, but one more dress across town that I had to have Lisa see me in. As soon as I walked out in it, she announced that our work was done.

Whew! Sweet relief!



This is how great I feel in the dress. It really is the only one I've tried on that makes me grin.


(Wait, you didn't think I was going to post a full photo of me in the dress, did you?)








As bonus good news, the J. Crew bridesmaid dress we ordered fit Lisa perfectly and looks adorable! Here she is with Mr. Switters totally checking her out.



Lisa needs Heather, Morgan, and Avery beside her!












You know, when you have a day as full of happy dress-up experiences as this one was, you just might need to celebrate that night. Heartily.



Two sisters, on the floor (?!?!) of the Granada Theater after an Ani Difranco show.


Can't. Stop. Laughing.

Brilliant favor idea

Personalized flash drives! This tech-nerd loves it.






The smarties who thought of it: Amy and Andy, whose wedding is chronicled on Southern Weddings.

Maid of Honor to the Rescue!

To my great delight and relief, my sister Lisa is flying in tomorrow morning to help me get through the eleventh hour of choosing The Dress.

It's been a long white road, as we know, but here's what I've found so far:

• I don't want poufiness, heaviness, formality, or beading
• Sheath and trumpet gowns that are fitted and have open necklines are the most flattering
  
• Clean, unbeaded lace is my favorite fabric, which feels appropriate for an outdoor, seaside wedding where the rest of the wedding party will be wearing cotton (Plus, my mom wore lace!)
  
• I want the dress to be more fun than serious, and I want to be able to slip it on easily and not have to carry it around all night

So why, then, haven't I been able to make a decision yet?

Mostly, I think, because when it's just me with the bridal consultant and a camera, it's hard to get beyond a dress being pretty to a dress being mine. (Especially when half of them are the equivalent of a street size 4, they're pinned together in the back, and there's too much boob showing.) I've taken pictures of nearly every dress I've liked and sent them out, but then family and friends are voting on dresses based on the angle of my hips, the lighting in the store, the skill of the consultant-turned-photographer, or what size the sample happens to be. I've yet to see a photo that captures how I feel in a certain dress; that can only happen live. I need someone who's known me her whole life, who has vision to see beyond the dress size on my body at the moment, and who gets the dress rules I want to follow. I need Lisa.

Our adventures begin Friday morning at 11:30 a.m, and Lisa has promised to be on "biatch alert." Stay tuned!!! And thanks, sis. Seriously.

Flowers + Sheep

From Haley's wedding on the Dupree Farm this weekend in South Carolina.

Happy Weekend

We're off to Charleston for a long weekend to attend my cousin's wedding and celebrate Trevor's birthday. In honor of Charleston, and of my guy in blue seersucker, I offer this ring-bearer, who looks shockingly like Trevor did when he was a little boy. How adorable is this little guy?

And seriously: straight blonde hair back then... who would have guessed?

Image via The Bride's Cafe.

My wedding smell

I found my wedding day perfume.

Normally I smell very fresh/green/herbal/fruity, but I've been searching for a floral fragrance for the wedding that will take me back to that day every time I smell it. There's something romantic about a wedding day perfume that really appeals to me, and I have strong memory associations with certain scents.

I knew Marc Jacobs Perfume was the one as soon as I smelled it. Gardenias are my absolute favorite floral smell; they remind me of home, and I'd already considered wearing one in my hair for the wedding anyway.

I've been sneaking sprays of it every time I go shopping, and it already makes me feel dreamy and happy. Divine.

For Mikaela

In honor of this week's birthday girl Mikaela - who's going to be responsible for another little birthday come springtime and is about to have her first anniversary! - I present The Miraculous Volcano Hailstorm Wedding of September 2007.

The plan was perfect! The weather? Not so much. Here's the group of us trudging back down the volcano in rain, wind, and hail - which conveniently started when we were at the top of the volcano, 1/4-mile away from the cars, and hurt! It's pretty funny that Trevor and I are leading the pack here, considering that I'm in heels and his shirt is transparent. (Plus, ask him: Big Ears = Insane Hail Catchment System)





(When I plopped a wet, muddy ball of clothes in front of the dry cleaner two days later, there was a long silence, followed by "What happened?" But miraculously, everything was saved!)














By the time we got back down to the cars, the weather finally let up. And here - here! - is the happy bride, who was grinning so much a rainbow even came out for her.







Now that is some resiliency, folks. Grace under pressure, anyone?














Since the weather prevented the ceremony from taking place on the volcano, we had to regroup and meet back at their house for an impromptu backyard ceremony that night. And you know what? It was perfect that way.

Love you, Mikaela.

Flower tool

During my fantastic talk with Amy of ABCD Designs this morning (more on that later), she mentioned that the dahlia prominently featured in my inspiration board would be terribly expensive in May. Oops. But Amy handily provided a list of readily available flowers in May, and I see lots of other May-blooming flowers that'll give me that big, bright, casual, messy flower look that I love, but with more bang for the buck.

Check it out! (Look for the drop-down menu under Wedding Flowers for your month.)

ps: I love, love, love the bouquet above.

Vintage Americana? Political at Heart? Electorally Wed?

We changed the whole thing, and couldn't be happier about it. I mean, we're thinking about the election 24/7 anyway, so why not plan a wedding with the same theme?

It all started with this "campaign button," which I posted last week. An ensuing IM conversation went something like this:

M: "It's brilliant. I can't believe we didn't think of it first."

T: "Oh my god, you're right. It's perfect for us. Can we shamelessly steal it?"

M: "But it wouldn't work in our colors. And wouldn't that be weird to just give out buttons in red and blue?"

T: "Hmmm..."

M: "There are these."

T: "And my grandfather's blue seersucker suit."

M: "And navy blue J. Crew bridesmaid dresses! And ABCD Papercupp creating our very own campaign logo for us! And dahlias and zinnias and hydrangeas!"

T: "It feels like us. I know you were afraid the other colors were too generic."

M: "It feels more like us than like a wedding, and I love that."

T: "Wait, are we serious?"

M: "Kinda."

T: "Yeah. Let's do it!"

So here it is, our M+T Wedding Inspiration Board! (click for a closer look)

Feel: Vintage, folksy, homespun, FUN

Colors: A palette of reds and blues. Light blues to purply-blues, great punches of red, whimsical patterns, a mix-and-match feel.

Materials: Cotton, blue glass, silver, paper.

Reading the board:

• Top section: The fabulous red-feathered CLs, Trevor in his grandfather's blue seersucker suit (with a cat toy remnant in place of a flower on his lapel), his father's tie, a bouquet I adore, blue glass table-settings with patterned textiles

• Middle section: The J. Crew Lydia dress, the inspiration button (we'll give ours out attached to escort cards), red dahlia

• Bottom section: Berry cake, Anthropologie platters and bowls, J. Crew Claudine dress, fab strawberry shortcake, lace wedding gown, red ties for the guys

And case you haven't noticed yet... no stars! no flags! no 4th of July anything!

Friday excitement!

I just found out that I won a Southern Weddings contest I entered a couple of weeks ago! The prize is a custom logo/monogram and rubber stamp designed by the fabulous ABCD Designs Papercupp! How excited am I?!

This fun news, combined with our brilliant new (still top-secret!) wedding redirection plan, means we are ready to make this thing happen!

To win the contest, you had to creatively answer what you would do with your prize. Any guesses what mine was? If you don't mind knowing in advance what we're trying to do for favors (some of you like surprises, I know), click here.

[PS you nit-pickers: I used "island" because I needed a shorter way to describe the Outer Banks. Yes, I know, "chain of islands" is the correct description. :-) ]

So now that we'll be working with ABCD Papercupp for our logo, what do you think the chances are we'll ask her to do our invitations as well?

You know how into convenience and everything falling magically into place we are, after all. And her designs are just incredible!

Ummm....

...I think we might be changing our entire color/attire/decor plan. Whoopee! Excitement!

I love impulsive, gut decisions. No details to share yet, but as soon as we're sure, I'll spill.

I do think it's a sign that I've had a blockage trying to do an inspiration board with the other colors for weeks, and am already a third of the way through a board for the new idea. We're going to play around with it this weekend to make sure it's a go.

Stay tuned!

Brilliant: Wedding campaign logo

For two political nuts, I can't believe we didn't think of this first!

From Our Labor of Love, featuring fantastic photography and heaps of great wedding ideas. Bonus: the Dailey/Salge wedding features a bride rocking a gorgeous lace gown and a cast on her leg. You go, girl!

Can't. Stop.

Looking. At. This. Wedding.

Grassy folksy fun gets me every time. Especially when bikes and a to-die-for dress are thrown in, with the entire affair coming off as a unique event full of individuality and their story. Sigh...

Sanderling wedding on Southern Weddings

One of my favorite wedding blogs is Southern Weddings, and they've just posted an Outer Banks wedding with a reception at the Sanderling! The photographer, Mary Basnight, does beautiful work... makes me wish our photographer Julie Dreelin would put more of her weddings online, because her work is equally outstanding. C'mon, Julie!

This wedding's ceremony was up the Beach Road at the Corolla Chapel, and back down again for a reception on the sound like we'll have. Here are some of their reception photos:

See more from Ashley + Jeremy.

Dear Bitchy Bridal Boutique,

I'm so sorry I decided to stop in last week. My mistake.

I'm so sorry that as a size 8, I am too "broad" to fit your idea of what a bride is supposed to look like.

I'm so sorry that you typically don't have an issue with your sample sizes fitting girls who walk into your boutique. How uncomfortable for you that I would be the first ever.

I'm so sorry that you had to struggle for ideas about what could possibly be done to make my shoulders look daintier and less "athletic" and, your favorite word again, "broad."

I'm so sorry that you felt the need to stay silent when I tried to explain that since my body is what it is - and my fiancee happens to love it - I should not try to lose my curves before the wedding or find a dress that unnecessarily contained them. That must have been awkward for you.

I'm sorry that as a "broad" girl (wait, make that "soooo broad") with boobs and hips and a butt, you had to bother explaining to me that my "choices are very limited" in the world of wedding gowns. I should have known that already.

And you know, I'm so sorry that I'm even bothering having a wedding anyway. It's pathetic, isn't it? Should someone as "broad" as me even try to look like a bride?

Finally, I'm oh so sorry that you had to waste your time helping me when there are legions of worthy brides in Dallas, TX who fit into all of your dresses perfectly. Since the sample sizes "are usually too big, not too small," please know I will not bother you again with my broadness.

One other thing, bitchy bridal store: I hate you. I'm really sorry for you that you are unable to see past something as arbitrary as a person's size in order to outfit all shapes and body types in your store. Not only are you missing out on most of womankind as customers, you're also missing out on the variety, fun, and surprise that life can offer. You will die an early death because of your small (not "broad"), clouded vision, mark my words.

Sincerely,
"Broad Bride," temporarily in Dallas, TX