luminous luminaries

i sure hope the club allows burning candles, because we're going to need some at the reception. or a lot. look how adorable this diy project is - dip water balloons in melted wax to create tealight luminaries! love. there's nothing prettier than a delicate flame dancing behind a thin wall of wax.

black & white & adorable all over

my second favorite personalized wedding embellishment (after the requisite monogram) is: the silhouette. i think they're super chic, super pretty and super neato. guess what i've discovered? they're also super easy to make! woohoo! thank you photoshop. now to make an actual, good silhouette, you have to take a picture, in profile, in front of a white wall. since i keep forgetting to pin down my enfianced for this venture and therefore do not have proper photos, i played around with a few photos i already had, just for funsies. both pictures (from lou & j's wedding) had dark backgrounds, so the outline didn't come out so crisp, but i think they're pretty cute anyway. these are not the actual silhouettes i want to use, but you get the idea.

how festive and party-like is this?
i hate this picture because my neck resembles that of jabba the hut, but the pose is adorable, and i think captain fantastic looks pretty handsome
don't you just wanna kiss him? i do.

here are some things we could do with them:

programs...with the monogram, of course
coasters...i could diy these puppies with some silk-screening supplies and some chipboard coasters from a craft store on the cheap. for some reason i really love personalized wedding coasters - one of those completely unnecessary touches that just makes me clap my hands with glee. i'm thinking three different patterns: me, captain fantastic, our monogram.

how cute are these cookies? probably a little labor-intensive, but adorable nonetheless.
so one of these days, i'm going to get my camera, camp out in front of a section of white wall, and take a few dozen headshots to get this ball rolling for real. any other ideas of items just begging to bear an outline of my face?

lovely letters

i found these on etsy.com a while ago, and they spell how i feel about them. i'm thinking monogram. like the flower-covered-ribbon-hanging monogram or the middle-of-a-wreath monogram from the last decorations post. how hard could this be to make? anyone good with wire?

NEED.

things i must learn to do:

sew better (to make/modify/hem my own clothes)
make jewelry
generate hand-designed stationary en masse
needlepoint
bake from scratch

i wish i could do EVERYTHING myself. i have so many good ideas. sigh.

of course this presupposes that i have the follow-through to complete the aforementioned projects once i learn how to do them. let's add that to the list...

finish what i start

dekorashuns

so the wedding's not for 8 months, but i can plan details like decorative accents already, right? good. here are a few things i've found in my interweb wanderings that have struck my fancy.

* things that are round. topiaries, pomanders, balls of vines, whathaveyou. i like them.
i was thinking something like this in miniature form could be cute for tables. what is more country club that topiaries? topiaries IN an actual country club WITH black & white marble tile floors (in the entryway). perfect.
these pomanders are actually made of tissue paper! wowza. (see martha tutorial below)
topiary pomanders = best of both worlds. these are hanging from a tent's ceiling. they could also be arranged amongst vases with single candles/flowers on tables.
these are balls made of vines and christmas lights. i think they are very expensive. seriously though, how hard could it be to recreate with a pre-made vine ball and a string of lights? don't answer that.

* things that are made of paper or tissue paper. these are kewl because they are pretty, inexpensive and handmade - all components of my ideal wedding decor. i think all of the following examples are from martha stewart.
these are made of paper bags. paper bags! genius.
here is the aforementioned tutorial for tissue paper balls.

i envision a congregation of hanging balls of some sort behnd the band, which will be set up in front of a bunch of windows overlooking the golf course. pretty?

* things that involve monograms. duh.
love this. need this. will have this in some form or fashion.
this could be one fashion, which i like for hanging on double doors. like those of, say, a church. of course if i hang them on the door of my downtown memphis church they will a) not be seen by my guests since most people enter from the side door off the parking lot b) instead be seen gracing the shopping cart of one of the myriad neighborhood homeless people. notsomuch.

*things that involve candles. what's more gorgeous than flickering candles, i ask?
these are wine glasses with candles inside and little paper shades on top. too cute!
this may be the coolest thing eva: these are tin cans! with holes poked in them! and candles inside!
of course you can't go wrong with your standard paper lantern. i like these ones with the uneven ribs. they come in lots of des colores, but i think i like the natural ones best.

these are just a few of the ideas swimming around in my head right now. questions? comments? concerns? suggestions? the floor is now open.

bridesmaids, take three

ok. bridesmaid dresses again. this blog is thus far bridesmaid-dress-heavy, but that's kinda the point. bear with me. first of all i would like to thank kate's workplace for making an ad for a bridal magazine, thus necessitating kate's spending the afternoon perusing magazines for "inspiration" and helping me revisit some sites i had forgotten. i wish i were kate's assistant.

so here are a few other dresses i'd seen before, liked, then forgotten about come blog-post time. same color rules apply (ie bright-yet-tasteful shade of pink with a green or white sash). click on the pictures to visit the websites and see the full dresses and color swatches if you'd like.

there's this one, which is similar to the one i love that mom doesn't love:
and this one, which has a more structured-pleaty neckline (technical fashion term):

aaaaaand these ones, which have a variety of necklines and a cool style of skirt:
you can check out all of the silhouettes on that last website; they're all pretty neat. that could be an option for an everyone-picking-their-own-style-in-the-same-color deal.

so, some more options to mull over. i've requested fabric swatches from all of the above sites and have received swatches for the first strapless dress and the lilly dress from the first post. i know i've put a lot of energy into this, and it's really not the end-all-be-all of the world, but i want yall to a) be happy b) look cute c) fit in with my big vision....and we all know i can't make decisions to save my life. so there you have it.

oh and sashes are still a go. i think sashes will work with any of the options i've presented. i think we'll have to have a vote soon. or in 2-3 weeks when my swatches arrive...

and now, for something completely different, i am off to load up in this monstrosity
excuse me, amazing vintage vehicle, with captain fantastic and the pups for a camping & fishing weekend with mr. and mrs. biedenharn. i am taking long johns & a sweatshirt, what with it being october and all, and hope i'll have occasion to use them. yay fall!

dessert before dinner...typical

one of the more prominent effects of wedding planning that i'm currently suffering is an extreme craving for cake. nevermind the fact that for two weeks i've only been able to eat pretzels and toast (thanks to a digestive system that hates me) - i get daily, overwhemling urges to stuff my face with fondant and buttercream and orange-champagne filled devil's food and the like. yum. good thing muddy's bake shop is not on my drive home, or i'd have to do as the bishop suggested and put expandable panels in my wedding gown.

first i must confess that i love fondant. everyone knows it looks amazing, but i actually happen to love the taste and texture of it too. call me a freak. i have gazed longingly at fondant-covered cake art for years, and couldn't wait until the day when i could commission my very own. that day has come, folks. yesterday, mom told me that she's finally tracked down THE Cake Lady of memphis, and she is available for our wedding. woohoo! cue wedding cake blog post.

the first cake i ever fell in love with was this one:
love the flowers, love the colors, love it all. iffy on the shape though. i haven't decided whether i'm a round gal or a square gal yet. i'm leaning round. but definitely not octagon.

then there's this cake, which is simple and sweet and "me," minus the color scheme, which can obviously be corrected:
maybe with some flowers on top? i think it goes without saying that a monogram will be involved...even though i just said it. and no crystal-encrusted metal letters on top either. ew. gimmie something tasteful, un-sparkly and on the side of the cake itself, please.

of course i also drool over fabulous, intricate details like these (especially the blue & white one, gah):
and PAISLEY:
...but fabulous intricate details are expruhnsive. and then they get eaten.

so what about a combo of the first two cakes? something like this:
maybe with more swiss dots and less flowers?

i'm hongry.