I Dig..

Amy Osaba's floral design:


Dress by Rose & Ruby:


Shoes by Irregular Choice:


Digit Spice Jars from Anthropologie (can you say table numbers?):


Vintage Silhouette Cocktail Shaker from Ruby Lane:

Etsy Love: Vintage Wedding Dress

Brass Paperclip is one of my favorite shops on Etsy. Cindi has a great sense of style and knows a good vintage buy when she sees it. I have featured her beautiful wedding dresses here before, and this one is just as spectacular as the others.

From the 1960's, the vintage wedding dress is hand embroidered and features scallop edging and bell sleeves. Cindi has a complete description here,but there are two things I'd like to point out. First is the train; unreal. Twelve foot, detachable Watteau (waterfall) train. It is absolutely stunning!

Second, and my favorite part about buying the dress, is Cindi will donate all proceeds to breast cancer research. And the price? $375. This dress is a total win!





Visit Brass Paperclip for more information about this gorgeous dress and other equally stunning vintage finds.

Inspiration: Shades of Purple

Growing up, purple was my favorite color. I loved everything from eggplant to lilac, orchid to lavender. Even though I am too indecisive to have a color preference these days, purple has a special place in my heart.

{from top left: duet weddings; fdiy french soap; the image is found; country living.

2nd row: etsy; country living; etsy; flickr.

3rd row: ariella chezar; etsy; martha stewart; elizabeth milay.

Save the Dates: Taking the Plunge!

How cool is this save the date?! It reminds me of a cross between a camp brochure and a vintage board game. The palette, typography, everything about it is delightful. And it spins!

{from diy bride}

Feeling a little green...

...with envy. I received the proofs from our engagement shoot. Let me preface this by saying we received the session as a gift. We were thrilled as it was from my future brother and sister in law who are very dear to us. So we scheduled to have the photos taken. The man was very nice and I was really looking forward to it.

When we arrived at the location (the beach), it was super windy and the sky looked like it was going to swallow us. We were rushed along and sent on our way in less than 20 minutes. I had a feeling that the shots were not going to be what I have grown accustom to viewing as a wedding blogger. I figured it would be nice to give a portrait to my cookie cutter future in-laws from that set.

When I took a look at the proofs, I was crushed. There isn't a single photo that didn't have hair whipping across my face. Every one is over exposed (I looked blue). They are ordinary and boring. So, I am green with envy over these beautiful, thoughtful shots:

{image from pretty in pink}

{image from jen stewart photography}

{image from feather love photography}

{image from gresham photography}

{image from beautifoto}

I could just die! Love the vintage, muted tones in some of the photos and vibrant clear elements in others. Take a look at the other photos in these sets by clicking on the links and swoon as I have.

Vintage Vignette Thursday

I saw this vintage wedding photograph and thought to myself 'now this is a bride and groom'. Men and women really knew how to dress in the early to mid-1900's, especially for weddings.



Here are two examples vintage glamour I'm melting over:

Loving the gloves from Etsy shop katesy...



Pretty Art Nouveau Suite from Gourmet Invitations...



Sites like Etsy and Ebay are treasure troves for brides. Also check out your local tag sales and flea markets. You may come across a beautiful brooch or hatpin that will give your gown the final touch you've been looking for.

Real Wedding Wednesday: Rosie Parsons Photography

I stumbled upon Rosie Parson's blog a few weeks ago and fell in love with her style; and it seems I am not the only one! Her work has been featured in more than a few wedding publications and a favorite with wedding bloggers. You can imagine my delight when Rosie agree to share one of her recent shoots with my readers.

Ashley and Roberta were married at Notley Abbey near Aylesbury, England which provided a gorgeous backdrop. My fondness for this particular set is in part because of the details Rosie captured. Magnificent! Rosie worked with another photographer and friend, Sarah Vivienne, on Ashley and Roberta's wedding. The bride and groom incorporated modern and vintage aspects to the wedding with great success! Here are several photos I'm gaga over:

I heart the little shoe place cards. They remind of old die cut images.

Sprigs of lavender are so sweet.

It is with a sinful amount of envy that I share this photo. Laduree macarons for the female guests! Unfortunately for my fellow Americans, these delicious, decadent treats aren't available to us. But I digress...

Give the people what they want. The men received bottles of Jack Daniels. Now this is my kind of wedding!

This cake is simple and sweet. Perfection~!

Pretty table centerpieces; the palette is lovely vintage pinks.


A pretty little newlywed quiz for guests. Another charming detail.

After you have peeled yourself away from these photos, see more of Rosie Parson's work (and the rest of the photos from Ashley and Roberta's wedding) on her awesome blog. Thanks a bunch for sharing Rosie, and congratulations to Ashley and Roberta!

Inspiration Tuesday: Vintage Fabrics

I am so inspired by Etsy shop sohomode. DYING over these dresses! How gorgeous would they be for bridesmaids! I think I might! The fabric, the design, it's simply perfection.

{images from sohomode}

Got me to thinking about vintage fabrics and how to beautifully incorporate them into a wedding. Here are a few examples:

{image from martha stewart weddings}

I like a necktie that coordinates with bridesmaid dresses and overall design of a wedding. If you are having a tough time finding a fabric or print that you, visit Tie Crafters. You can send them your material and they'll custom make your ties to your specifications.

Sew these perfect little clutches for your bridesmaids! You can find a free pattern here. There are, however several other sites offering free patterns if you wish to have a different style.

{image from melissamusgrove}



Have I told you that I love vintage fabrics? Use beautiful, old-fashion feed sack material for your sewing projects. Etsy and Ebay have shops where you can find a variety of colors and patterns.

{image from country living}

These ideas can be beautifully incorporated into a garden or picnic wedding. Tweek the palette a bit for a gorgeous, rustic fall shindig!

DIY Monday~Seed Packet Favors

I love a simple project. This one, courtesy of yours truly, is seed packs I designed for one of my wedding favors. It's easy, economical and ecological!



To make, you will need:

Box of small recycled coin envelopes. You can purchase kraft color in any office supply store or find assorted colors on Etsy. I Like 2 1/2x4 1/4 inch size.

Bulk seeds. I love heirloom vegetables, herbs and lettuces.

Instruction sticker. I designed mine to be 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches and printed on a label sheet.

Small glassine bags (for freshness!)



Now for the freebie part! I downloaded Darrians Frames from FontSpace and Attic from FreePremiumFonts. Play around with the frame and font sizes. I used 200 for the frame (turned 90 deg.) and 20 font on the front of the envelope.

Don't you just love the vintage, handmade quality? The font appears to be hand stamped. So cute for a garden or backyard wedding! And you can switch up the font and frame color depending on what sort of seeds you use.

Free Vintage Postcard for DIY Save the Date!

I have collected a lot of vintage ephemera over the years. I love the colors and craftsmanship used to create the beautiful images.



Last night, I was going through one of my albums and came across this seashore vintage seashore postcard. I thought it would make a beautiful Save the Date.

(click on images to enlarge)

Go to http://www.freepremiumfonts.com/ and browse the thousands of different fonts and styles. There are a load of fonts with a vintagey postcard style. Go here for inexpensive postcard stock. Also, ask the post office teller if they can hand stamp each card; the card looks more old fashion when it's hand stamped than being marked up with bar codes. This DIY wedding project is fun and inexpensive! 100 stock cards are less than $12, and then the cost of the stamps and ink. LOVE IT!

Wedding in the Garden

Being a professional wedding blogger, I have a lot of ideas for my own wedding. It's nearly impossible for me to narrow down my color choices, so I'm going with a garden themed wedding; perfect for a person (such as myself) who is unable to commit to one or two colors.

from top left: image from www.cameroningalls.com; source unknown; the knot; country living. 2nd row: victoria mag; the knot; source unknown. 3rd row: stephanie williams photography; country living; source unknown.

How to get this look? Check it out:



Do your own bouquets! When you buy in bulk from Fifty Flowers, you receive a significant discount. When you purchase their garden roses, you'll pay less than if you were getting carnations from a florist! If you would like more of a variety, include peonies and rananculus. For table centerpieces, simply arrange the flowers in large Ball canning jars (less than $1.00 each when you buy a case).



From Party Rental, LTD comes this table setting. Instead of the usual silverware, go with the white handled flatware. The plate looks like it came from Grandma's china cabinet! I chose a pink linen table cloth, white linen church napkins, white folding chairs, and hot pink seat cushions to pull the look together.



I ADORE vintage linens, and these handkerchiefs are my favorite! Peruse the pages on Ebay, visit your local antique store or flea market. Pass them out to your female guests before the ceremony. LOVE this idea! A true vintage wedding inspiration.

Sadly, we are unable to buy Laduree macarons in the United States (if you don't know about these Parisian delights, a favorite of Marie Antoinette, you are sorely missing out, or, very fortunate not to have an unquenchable taste for them). However,L'Epicerie's macarons are pretty good! Purchase in bulk for delicious favors. Pack in mint green or lavender boxes and print your message on the top in a coordinating color.

Etsy Love!

I'm showing my love for Etsy today. Take a look at this gorgeous dress I found!

This beautiful, vintage Molly Stone Couture dress is stunning! Offered by Etsy seller Timeless Vintage Vixen for *gasp* $375!

Here's a Little Peek!

Here's a look at Marika and Jamie's wedding from Stephanie Williams of Stephanie Williams Photography, Los Angeles, California. The setting for this stunning fete was The Darlington House in La Jolla, California.




It was important to the bride and groom to have an ecologically friendly wedding, so look forward to seeing the details in a full post tomorrow.

Thank you Stephanie for letting me share your beautiful work! Please check out Stephanie's blog to see more wedding, engagement and inspiration photos. And if you are a sucker for vintage ANYTHING like I am, take a peek at her vintage wedding photo shoots.

Jennine and Jesse's Wedding

If I haven't said this a million times before, I'll say it again because it bears repeating: Lori Barbely is awesome. Her photographs capture moments that, at first glance, appear to be from another generation. I love her work.

This ultra-fabulous wedding (the bride wore the best pink vintage wedding gown EVER) is my favorite so far. Jennine and Jesse were married in Winter Park, Florida at Casa Feliz, which provided a beautiful backdrop for this gorgeous affair.

Congratulations Jennine and Jesse! Thank you so much Lori for sharing these photos. To see more of the event and Lori's work, subscribe to her blog.

I mean, seriously, that pink dress rocks my socks.

Vintage Wedding Dress! Oh My!

I wasn't going to post again today, but after coming across this FABULOUS vintage dress on Etsy, I had to. Look here to get an up close and personal look of this dress from seller BrassPaperclip. This awesome find can be yours for a cool $375! I'm not kidding!





The dress is perfection for a casual garden or beach wedding. Lovely!

Bavarian Beautiful

Bavaria is a land of romance and mystery. It's where Sleeping Beauty and Snow White reside. The people make their clothing from hand. Goats wander the mountainsides. The men wear lederhosen, the ladies dirndls. So it is in my imagination.

We're thinking about visiting Munich for Oktoberfest on our honeymoon; a groom's dream! It doesn't hurt that I'm interested in seeing where my mother's ancestors are from either. Incorporating your heritage into the wedding will make it more meaningful and inspire unique ideas. My fiance and I are both half Irish and plan to take Irish step classes for our first dance song.

Do you have a clever honeymoon idea? Is their a personal meaning behind your wedding theme?