Chic suit

{I dream of summer}

Tan lines are the last thing on want showing up in my wedding pictures. I'm not really into the whole tanning salon thing, but I do enjoy my summer reading poolside. Target has this really cute vintage-inspired strapless swimsuit right now for only $28. For that price I could get it in black & red.

What to wear?

My fiance was sweet enough to humor me & take photos of me in my engagement photo session outfit choices. As previously mentioned, it will be vintage themed & will take place on the Queen Mary & Shoreline Village in Long Beach. I was hoping to narrow it down to just 2, given that I don't want to spend half the time in the dressing room. Plus, my MOH has agreed to join us the day of the shoot as an assistant. She is an amazing friend.

I posted a poll on the wedding bee boards & everyone was very helpful & had lots of good comments. Anyone care to vote?

This & that

image from {frolic!}

I'm a little excited about this pic because it shows a strapless dress with a ruffled bolero like the one I just modified & posted. So romantic & beautiful. I don't plan on wearing the bolero during the ceremony, just something I can put on sometime during the reception, after dinner & when the party starts.

I really love Sangria. Instead of having bottles of wine on the table, perhaps we can have pitchers of this.

DIY boutonnieres

tutorial by Stephanie

Tools: Scissors, glue gun, tape Materials: paper & clay flowers, millinery leaves, binding ribbon (9 inches long), accent ribbon (5 inches long), charms, feathers Total time: 1.5 hours to make 6 boutonnieres

Suppliers (where to buy)

clay & paper flowers from Michael's Craft Store black & cream grosgrain ribbon + vintage seam binding ribbon from Caramelos guinea feathers from the little beadhive vintage black velvet millinery leaves from Book Nook Creations ginko leaf + clover charms from Charms4Design

Start by trimming the excess fluff from the guinea feather base

Using the glue gun, hem the edges of the accent ribbon. This method works best for thick textured ribbon like I used here. If using a satin ribbon, try hemming using a needle & thread or burning the edges with a candle to prevent fraying.

Gather (2) of the clay flowers & (1) paper flower. Arrange at different heights & secure by wrapping stems together. Add (1) millinery leaf. Wrap the wire base of the millinery leaf securely around the flower bundle. Add trimmed guinea feather to bundle & secure using scotch tape.

Using the binding ribbon & glue gun, wrap around the base of the bundle, adding a dot of glue every two rounds or so. This will secure the binding ribbon, preventing it from unraveling while you wrap. Finish with a final dot of glue and press binding ribbon firmly to the bundle base.

Tie the accent ribbon into a loose knot & slide over the bundle base. Using the glue gun, add a drop of glue to one of the clay flower leaves & firmly press (1) charm to it.

You have a stylish handmade boutonniere:

It's a wrap

{Modified Bridal Wrap/Bolero}

I absolutely adore the lovely creations of etsy sellers Bonzie, Holly Stalder & Modern Romance (below). I spotted this cotton bolero in a store window for $13. The only thing was that the ruffles were very flat, so I got out my needle & thread and went to work. I poufed out the ruffles, pinned & stitched tiny gathers along the neckline. It came out pretty nice I'd say. I might add a little raw silk flower to the shoulder, but I'm going to wait & see how this looks with my dress during my first fitting.

clockwise from top left: Modern Romance, Holly Stalder, Bonzie

Giddy

Okay, I'm getting a little anxious and a little excited because my dress is coming in next week. And, Tuesday is my birthday... and the 3rd is our engagement shoot. Next week is going to be super.

Something extra

{Bits & Baubles}

Pretty destsh pieces from etsy that I will use in some capacity. I might tweak my fabric bouquet a bit or perhaps I'll incorporate the green brooch into a lovely piece for my MOH.

Beaded bands

I love these gorgeous beaded headbands from quirky beauty. Such amazing romantic details. I have yet to finalize hair pieces for everyone - there are so many options, and I very much like these too. Although I did find ultra skinny, ultra comfortable black satin headbands at H&M. 2 for $3.50. Perfect for adding something handmade.

Breath of fresh air

It was such beautiful weather outside on Saturday that we decided to go to the beach. We rented beach cruisers & rode from Balboa to Newport, then stopped and had some tasty beer & cocktails. It was delightful.

Save the date

I finally completed my save the date wedding video & e-mailed the link to the guests. I really wanted to do something different for our save the dates. We've been together for so long, well longer than most people our age, that I really wanted the announcement to reflect how we've changed & grown together. The video was also a way for me to add a personal touch - being a video editor & graphic artist myself. I had so much fun doing a passion project for once (advertising can get kind of formulaic at times).

So without further delay, here's our wedding teaser:

Stephanie & Gary: Save the date Uploaded by Stephanielyn

Mismatch

I love this trend for engagement shoots - she's fancy & he's casual. That is how my fiance & I are. I can't help it, I'm a girl & I like to play dress up. It had me a little worried, but who says your styles have to match?

Covet

I came across this on The Bride's Cafe, which reaffirmed my original instinct that I must own this dress to wear during our engagement shoot. Unfortunately for me, the only size left online is a 6p, so today I'm off to Anthropologie and maybe I'll get lucky.

Competition

About 2 months after we were engaged, my fiance's direct coworker also announced that he was engaged. The best part (sarcastic)- they set the date - exactly one week before our wedding come this October. One thing I am insistent on (here's my first bridezilla moment) is that I want to take our honeymoon right after the wedding. I mean, who doesn't right? That being said, I suggested that he submit the time off now. And here's where I'm irritated. The coworker wants 3 weeks for his honeymoon. He already booked the trip without even clearing it with work first. Not my problem, but really rude/greedy considering he knew that we would probably want to take our honeymoon during the same time period. Now we play the waiting game to see if the company can survive 2 weeks without any computer programers. It could go either way, but I'm crossing my fingers.

Flapper style

I felt inspired by my last post & found this woven black wrap headband in my stash of hair goodies. I added a black flower clip to one side & a vintage shoe clip to the other. I will have to have one of my flower girls try this one, but I suspect it will be adorable.

Headwrap

images from Ohana Photography

Just thinking out loud... I like this - the right one, more than the left. Maybe for my youngest flower girl.

Booked

image from Aaron Willcox Photography

It's on. The engagement shoot has been scheduled for May 3rd. I'm excited. I've wanted to do this since we got engaged, but there was such a mad rush to get all the important details of the wedding done, that I completely forgot to enjoy the engagement part.

Long Beach

We scouted out Long Beach today as an engagement shoot location. We visited the decks of the Queen Mary, Shoreline Village & The Pike. We both liked this area a lot more than Santa Monica and is perfect for the shoot.

Lovely locks

I am growing out my hair. It's about shoulder length now, which is long (for me). I've had bangs for a while - ever since I started coveting the styles of Zoey Deschanel & Katie Holmes. I am keeping them because I like how they frame my face & they make my eyebrows look amazingly sculpted. So that said, I've been on the lookout for pretty styles.

Pretty bangs

Glamorous waves

Up-dos with side waves

I love old hats

I think it's sad that women don't wear hats anymore (unless you're Queen Elizabeth). It used to be a necessity, but somewhere down the line this trend faded. Maybe I can have a couple of shots in our engagement shoot wearing these vintage darlings.

vintage horsehair hat from Megan Hamilton

vintage pink & white blusher veil hat from Egyptian Shumba

Homemade vintage

{Repurposed Vintage Clutch}

I've had numerous posts about bridal clutches. It seems like a small detail to become overly obsessed over, but I really love handbags. I knew this: I didn't want to spend a fortune. I found this silver clutch on clearance for $12 at the mall. I love it because it has a 20's glamour feel to it. I have some vintage pieces that I purchased on etsy (you may recognize these from here & here. I can't decide which vintage adornment I like better, but the fiance likes the one on the left.

Pretty please

image from yutu's photostream

I saw this featured in the blogosphere today. I hope my engagement shoot is this cool (sans magical forest)

Custom stamp

image from love to create stamps {Customized Rubber Stamp}

A while back I saw these beautiful self-inking stamps used for addresses, monograms & wedding save the dates. However, they were $49 a pop - a bit expensive for what it is. Etsy sellers do it better & for less $$$. I found several options ranging from $9 - $18. This will add the perfect touch to my invites (with a little help from some embossing powder)

Happily ever after

Happily ever after print by The Nebulous Kingdom

When all is said and done, I want a wall collage of us. Some wedding photos, our sign, our ring bowl and maybe this. I love this artist & I love this pair of prints. Dark, magical & romantic.

Bless The Bee

I've been combing the boards of Weddingbee for advice/opinions. It is wonderful.

Made for each other

Here with you bottle set from Anna's Pots

More shower ideas

teacup & teabag invitation, DIY teacup flower centerpiece, Alice illustration postage stamps from Zazzle {Alice inspired shower II}

I should probably stop trying to plan my own bridal shower, but I can't help it. Maybe I missed my calling as an event planner or maybe it's just my mom & grandmother's long standing talent for unbelievable hosting skills that is finally kicking in. Either way, I've been collecting these adorable details for an Alice in Wonderland inspired bridal shower.

Worth it?

{Cupcake Accessories}

I love these cupcake wrappers. I've posted about them in the past, and I still love them. Estilo Weddings sells these for roughly $0.94 a piece (based on 100 pieces). So $95 later, is it worth it just to have the guests rip off the wrapper & toss? The logical side says 'no' but they are still so pretty. Another idea: cupcake flags. I am having 4 varieties of cupcakes. Guests need to identify them somehow. Why not put the flavor on a tag that goes on top of the cupcake? In the wedding aisle at Michaels I saw something similar to these with printable stickers ($7 for pack of 30).

Lucky

{Neck Ties}

My mom & I were at Macys yesterday and I stumbled upon these ties for the boys. They are p-e-r-f-e-c-t! I was so excited - the sales lady was just taking them out of the box and was so nice (she gave me four of them already wrapped in packing covers). Plus, they were 40% off. Sad to say, but the only good thing about planning a wedding in a bad economy is that you get brand spanking new stuff that is already marked down.

April

1) Enter guest information into my master list 2) Order bridesmaids & flower girl dresses 3) Research accommodations in Maui (honeymoon) 4) Find a website (other than YouTube; that will allow me to use a copyrighted song) to host my save the date video. Then e-mail to the guests. 5) Add content to our wedding website at mywedding.com 6) Location scouting for engagement shoot (part II): Long Beach harbor 7) Schedule the engagement shoot

wow... long list this month.