Dresses!

These are just a handful of dress options that I love.

As you can see I'm really into ruffles at the moment, which is nice because there happen to be ruffles everywhere! My dress even has lace ruffles on it.

The top row of dresses are Anthropologie and the bottom row are Jcrew.

Decor Part 1

I recently started saving our tin cans and glass jars instead of recyling them. I have months to store up potential wedding decor, but it makes me feel like I'm being productive every day, and saving money on table decorations. I love the rustic simple feel of the every day brought to a new use:

I love the the table layout here, the centerpieces are clean, quaint and functional ~ a bottle of wine at each table? Yes, I am going to do that! What a great idea. I think I'll have two. The chairs are made of fabric-covered logs. Aren't they adorable? We will be renting chairs.

I love this photo of multicolored flowers (aren't some of those ranunculus? I love ranunculus!) in different glass vases on a small wooded desk. Inspiration.

My dear friend Emily has given me all her red-ribbon wrapped vases and red painted votives to use at our wedding as well. Thank you emily!

We will definitely not be at a loss for pretty things!

Whew.....

I bought a dress. Yes, I did.
It very much gives me that feeling of "this is my dress."

Sure, there are gorgeous dresses out there, many I would never even consider trying on, and plenty I would love to wear but are two to twenty times my budget. After watching every episode of TLC's Say Yes to the Dress and browsing online thumbnails of wedding dresses I had narrowed down a few things I appreciated in a gown.

I recently found out about Brides Against Breast Cancer, a Making Memories organization that takes donated gowns from designers, bridal stores and brides and re-sells them. The profits go back to support the Breast Cancer Foundation, and dresses sold are at a very nice discount.

My mom and I and the girls got to the event held in an antique/christmas bazaar store right as it opened and began looking. After 20 or 30 minutes I had decided I wasn't going to find anything I was in to. But then I started looking at different sizes and came across a dress in ivory, ruffle and lace, with a sweetheart neckline and a slim cut and gasped a little bit. It fit perfectly, just a little too long, but easily hemmable. All it needs is a cute french bustle and a few rips in the lace repaired. It was a sample gown too, and just under my $500 dollar budget. I pondered a while but knew I couldn't let it get away. Besides, where and when am I really going to find a better dress in my budget? I just wasn't.

I tried on a $2200 dollar gown too, for fun. Mom loved it.

There was a sweet feeling of comraderie as the brides were all in a room together in our underwear trying on dresses and giving each other feedback

I can't find the dress online, and I don't really want to post a picture of me trying it on, so you'll have to wait.

Time to shop for a headpiece/veil/somethingorother!

Things I should be doing

I'm getting too excited and spending much time thinking about the decor of the day, whether to have seating cards, what the wedding party should wear, when Devin and I should start taking dance lessons......etc etc.

What I really need to work on is 1) our guest list 2) save-the-date cards and 3) finding an officiant 4) our ipod list. We will have a live band during the reception for a couple hours, but after they play, instead of hiring a dj, we're going to DIY with a mix of some good music to keep people dancing.

Why oh why am I not so excited about doing this? I'm afraid once I start delving into all the to-do work it will never end. I don't like long, tedious projects. I don't want any aspect of my wedding to feel tedious!

On a super positive note, we rented a CAT this weekend and ripped out bushes, shrubs, trees, roots, and odd-and-ends that were hiding amongst the foliage. It appears that we just sorta pushed our mess around the yard, but soon soon soon it will be beautiful!

This photo is about 5 months old, fence in initial stages, yard debris galore, and jill's garden in pots since the ground wasn't ready for them:


I don't have a pic to the left of this, of the yard area behind our house, but it is the absolute WORST!! Dirt about 18" higher than the rest of the yard and filled with tree stumps, weeds, an old metal pump that I think used to be part of a well, and some small tree-like bushes that were already ripped out once.
Getting started:

Making some headway! Laila was a big help....

I have one more "finished" photo on my phone but I couldn't send it to my email :P so whatever. We still have plenty of work to do before we really have a yard. But I now have my garden plot behind the house where we get the most sun, all I have to do now is grow a green thumb.

Cake Inspiration

I spied this cake in an issue of Portland Bride and Groom. Jocelyn from the Bakery Bar creates the cutest floral, lovebird and other unique cake designs.

I am lucky to have a baker as a best friend/bridesmaid and we've discussed doing a small 4 layer cake, alternating square and round, with a side (or two) of cupcakes! The cake will most likely be chocolate espresso stout and vanilla, with carrot cake cupcakes. Fillings, colors and design will be a last-minute detail as I change my mind constantly.

Cost of cake: ingredients, supplies, and kisses!

The Ceremony DURING the reception!?!

I just read a very intruiging idea: Have dinner first, then your ceremony.

This might actually work, especially at our place.

I'll ponder this awhile.....

Objections?

I love LOVE this!

This is so cute:



Depending on what style of dress I get, if this cute little shrug goes, I am getting it for sure. You can find it here made by local Portland designer Holly Stadler. Of course, all her stuff is sure to make a woman feel beautiful!

Things have been changing over the last year since our engagement and original date of Sept.5, 2009. That has come and gone my friends!

I am now in the inspiration and planning phase, which I better hussle on cause time is ticking and I need to be in the execution phase stat.

After looking into many many venues in Portland and the surrounding areas I came up with a handful of dreamy outdoor environments ~ some in vineyards with natural beauty galore and others in downtown buildings with rooftop patios and outdoor fireplaces.

So chic.

Unfortunately, rental prices and stipulations to use certain caterers forced us to cross these off our list. We have, once again, decided to host at our home.

This is not a Platimun Wedding folks! But endearing, personal and playful it will be.

Our Official Nuptuals

January 27, 2009

Yes....we are already married. BUT, we haven't had a formal wedding...yet.

Wedding #1:

I wanted to wear jeans and t-shirts to our 30-second courthouse wedding, but my mom bought me this darling little dress and sweater that fit over my six months pregnant belly.




It was a cold, rainy and snowy morning, we were half-way to the courthouse when we remembered our marriage license and had to drive home to get it! Our road conditions coupled with a hurried speed ended in a slight crash into the retaining wall lining our driveway. Oops.

Wedding #1, attended by our children, my parents and friends Jill and Emily, Devin's sister and friend Kip.Can't wait for wedding #2!!!

Should we be doing this? Of COURSE.

With three children and a house payment, throwing ourselves a wedding seems like the most self-indulgent thing to do right now, and yet so very necessary! I will share with you my giddy excitement as I'm overwhelmed with inspiration, as well as my nail-biting frenzy when things are ridiculously stressful.