Flower Power!

Sorry, that was corny.

I've completely fallen in love with Ranunculus, yet another flower that I cannot have (without big cost) for my wedding. Since I'm still thinking about arranging flowers myself, I need to start reseraching what will be in season for my wedding.

My goal? Have a flower plan made and in hand for this July 4th weekend, so I can try out the options with what is really available at my local wholesaler.

Crazy? Maybe. But it will give me something really fun to do during the summer, and I like that.

So according to this and several articles I found when googling, these are the pretty flowers which bloom in the summer! (at least the ones I like)

Asters
These are pretty and have a wildflower feel to them. They'd be great for a garden wedding!

Cosmos


Another garden flower. These are very pretty and come in lots of colors.

Calla Lily


I know, I know. Brides kill for Callas. For some reason, they're not doing it for me, but they are beautiful.

Dahlias

Definitely lots of options here. They don't feel very formal, but I'm sure they can be dressed up.

Freesia


This is my first big winner! I had lots of Freesia scented things from Bath and Body Works when I was a teenager, but never knew what the flower looked like. They are beautiful and would make a great addition to a hydrangea bouquet...

Gardenia


I can't believe that I forgot these pretties when thinking of white flowers. When the family and I lived in California, we had a huge flowering gardenia bush/tree/thing along our front walkway. They're a lovely compromise between a rose and a peony.

Gladiola


A nice option for height, and I know that they are available at the wholesaler I have in mind. I worry about snapping them on the trip though.

Hydrangea


Feminine, easy to get (they grow in my parents' yard), and very wedding-y. I'm sure they'll show up in some way.

Lisanthus


Another contender. In this picture, the white are roses and the purple are Lisanthus. Evokes a similar feel of the Peony, less structured than a Gardenia.

More to come later, but for now, which do you like best?

Playing around

Here's a quick look at what everything might look like together:

I still like it!

Uh oh

This morning, I got to unwrap my new pack of post-it notes for my pop-up dispenser.

Little known fact #42: Many teachers are obsessed with office supplies

It was an exciting occasion all around. When a student needed a quick note to take home, I jotted his grade down on one of my new teal post-its with the closest pen I could find (read: the one I had stuck in my hair at the moment). And this happened.

Crap.

You see, months ago, when we were still discussing having Matty as our ring bearer, Boy brought up the subject of the color red.

I said something along the lines of "ew! Red and teal? No way!" Red and robin's egg, yes. Adorable. But red and teal? I gently explained that red was not a part of our wedding as I had envisioned it.

Crap. Crap. Crap.

I hate being wrong, in fact, we both do. We can't even play Monopoly together anymore because the first (and only) Monopoly match between the two of us ended in a shouting match. Being wrong is like losing.

So I quickly whipped up an inspiration board, substituting red for the old 2nd accent color (silver):

And quickly messaged Boy to admit my defeat.

It's pretty. It's punky. It finally has a touch of the fact that this is a July, summer fun wedding. It has the awesome ability to make me very happy and tear up at the same time.

I wonder if it's too busy... but at the same time, I don't really care.

Dye-ing to get hitched

Staring at the mirror after straightening my hair this morning, I had to face facts. I need to start dying my hair.

While other people might not notice the small colony of gray hair that has been forming by my temples, I do. And as a 24 year old, I do not appreciate it.

It took me years to be ok with my natural hair color. I had hated it growing up and kept highlights in it for the longest time. Once I decided I wanted to grow it out,the color had to go. With it, I also gave up trying to fit in. I guess that's corny, but I moved a lot when I was younger, so most of my childhood was spent trying to fit in with wherever I found myself. Giving up my obsessive hair dying was accepting the mousy brown hair I was born with.

Yeah, that's definitely cheesy. But ya'll love me anyway :).

So I want to start experimenting now...


My dream look is something like this. Hair that's still brown with a reddish tint to it.


I'd love to go all red, but I'm nervous about how it will look with my summer skin tone, which is a few shades darker than my current winter pale.


When I was in college, I went mostly blonde. No one told me how awful it looked! While I loved having blonde highlights, I feel like I've grown out of them. They are also very expensive to keep up, and I don't really have the money at the moment.



I've also thought about going really dark, but I feel like I would look sickly in the winter.

I need something that will be fun while still looking professional. It would be better, cost-wise, if said perfect color could be kept up with a box, because I do not have the funds for monthly salon visits!

What do you think?

Dream a little dream...

"You have got to be kidding me," I thought as I woke up this morning. "I can't seriously be having wedding nightmares already!"

Cut back to me waking up at 4 am this morning in a cold sweat because my entire wedding party and all of the guests went to the rehearsal dinner venue for the reception. In my dream, that left me in a pouffy wedding dress with a beautiful bouquet.... and all alone.

(cue the psycho music and zoom shots)

Last week I had a dream that there was a mix up and all of my bridesmaids showed up in hot pink moo-moos.

With over a year left to go.... I really hope that these dreams don't continue!

Happy Spring!

I have a confession to make.

I'm cheating on my color palate.

Maybe it's the spring air. Maybe it's the idea of change. Maybe it's the freshness of it all. But I can't help it. I love a white wedding.

So clean. So fresh. So graphic.

I love the black and white. I do. I don't want to agonize over eggshell, platinum, cream (which is NOT white), and all crazy shades of nothingness.

But it is fun.

Love the bridesmaid's dress. LOVE. If it came in black I would buy six of them right now.

...more to come later.

Wedding drool: letterpress

I admit it, I'm a paper snob. When I think of my wedding invitations, I think of luxury. I think of traditional, heavy papers.

I dream... of letterpress.

It is crisp, perfect, and yes, traditional. But many letterpress shops are doing great new things with it!

The White Aisle has some beautiful stuff! I love the way they combine classic elements and big, bold graphics. Seems like just what Boy and I are looking for! Even their thank you cards are adorable!


Pretty pretty.

Of course, no chat about letterpress is complete without the georgeousness of Hello! Lucky. You can read their exploits occasionally over on WeddingBee Pro. They have an urban vintage style with lots of cute touches. Their stuff is to die for!





Positively yummy.

Parklife Press is my front runner right now. Their prices are resonable, and they work with each couple to design one-of-a-kind invitations. I'm not one of those "my wedding must be unique" people, but I love the idea of custom designing our invitations. I've been fantasizing about barely noticable letterpressed pawprints on the envelope flap and a georgeous monogram designed by our talented friend.


They're the perfect match between classic and funky, no? Check out the rest of their stuff here, and drool along with me!