Banner gift bags

Some banner gift bags to match your bunting, ma'am? From YourWishCake, via Brooklyn Bride.

You could make a printed version of this with the pennant rubber stamp.

"she just cares about details because she’s a details person"

It's only been in the last year or so of actually working that I've come to identify as a detail-oriented person. When it comes up at work there are usually some laughs that's half 'wow is that ever true' and half 'do you know how many times you've been on the verge of driving me insane with your attention to detail.'

The funny thing is that growing up, my mom actually always characterized me as not being a particularly careful person (the word in Chinese is 粗, I think), not thinking things through enough, etc. but now when I tell people that one of my extracurriculars in college was copyediting for a research journal, the response is always 'I'm not surprised.'

The way this is specifically relevant to planning this wedding is that the bulk of the research and decision-making falls to me sort of by default as a result. Dan can't see/doesn't care about the difference between the various aesthetic options, he'd be fine with holding a catered reception in an undecorated community hall kind of room, but I'm not (if you and your partner both are, more power to you, and I envy your being in sync!). I want things to be pretty, and I do notice certain kinds of visual details.

Dan is more focused on making sure all the logistics are detailed out though, to make things smoother on the day of. Sometimes a little bit too much so, in my opinion, in that he'll throw things out just because it seems like it'll require too much planning or can't think of alternatives to make something easier. On these occasions when I'm frustrated that he's not trying a bit harder, I try to focus on how it is in general a good balance to my more impractical aspirations, and when that doesn't work, which is most of the time, I just remind myself that he just hates fun and people (we say this partially jokingly, but it's true that 'it'll be fun!' on its own is insufficient reason to convince him of something).

From Meg at APW, 'The Details That Mattered'

But I still rail against wedding details, or really Wedding Details. When you are getting married you end up hearing over and over and over again from the WIC (or the BIC) that, “It’s all about the details.” Or “details are what make your wedding memorable and special.” And not only is that patently untrue (what will make your wedding special is that you got MARRIED, and what will make your wedding memorable is all that shared love), but the details the wedding industry sells you are b*llshit. Piles of perfectly matching plastic flip flops for your guests, crazy expensive calligraphy for escort cards, just-so bridesmaid dresses? I mean, did you care about calligraphy before you got married? If yes, then go for it. If no, then stop STRESSING about it already.

So here is my very best wedding graduate advice:

Focus on making your wedding feel aesthetically honest (because there is a lot of aesthetic bullshit out there, and a lot of people trying to tell you that Classic Wedding Aesthetic is the only way it can be done). Focus on making in *feel* like you and your partner. And once you get to that place, realize that everything else is extra.

Because on your wedding day, you are emotionally in another place. Did it matter to me that the huppah I walked up to was beautiful? Hell yes. We were, as the Jewish teaching goes, beautifying the commandment. But did it matter to me that my bouquet didn’t turn out perfectly? No. Did I even notice the mimosa bar that we so carefully planned? No. I didn’t know it existed until I saw one half developed polaroid of it. Did my guests notice the mimosa bar or the imperfect bouquets? I seriously doubt it (and we know a lot of artists). They, and we, noticed how the day felt, and the aesthetics were only important in the way they played into that whole.

So remember the big picture. And focus on the small things with love.

Felt dahlia flower brooch/corsage

From not martha, guest posting at Holidash ([edit] additional notes here):

There's even a little pocket in the back to hold a picture or message. The steps are all photographed and the instructions seem clear.

Wildflower laboratory, part II

It seems that outside of my dream florist, I'm luckily leaning towards pretty simple flower arrangements. My current plan is to scout out a wholesale florist in the Princeton area when I'm there for a week at the beginning of August to volunteer on an organic farm WWOOF for a week with my friend Amy. Then, perhaps try to collect containers between now and The Date from thrift stores and recycling bins (not sure where I will store these in the new, smaller apartment). If Mama G is in town some months before we'll maybe do a trial run and then I'll need to assign the flower duties to someone(s) to do the day before or day-of .

From design*sponge, a part II to a series I posted about previously:

(tall container + tall and dramatic stem, short container + shorter stems)

(can't get any easier than this, right? votive holders as petri dishes)

(these containers from Ikea)

Their tips this time around:

• When shopping for containers look outside the vase section- you can find some great candleholders, glasses, jars, pitchers, and trays to double as vases.
• Limit your search to a single material- clear glass works best for a “lab look”.
• Groupings of odd numbers usually work best, but evens are ok if you are using multiples of the same size piece (ex. four votive floaters together on a cocktail table).
• Limit your flower types to five or six and use them in different combinations. You can float single lilac and ranunculus blossoms, use a single stem of each in test tube vases, create tight posies of each by themselves, and also make tiny arrangements using them together. That gives you seven different options using only two types of flowers!
• Don’t forget about plants. Layered gravel, dirt, and moss with a succulent or small wildflower plant on top can be a fun and unexpected addition to your grouping (and you can make them a bit further ahead of time too).
• Don’t be afraid to set loose blossoms that hold well out of water or succulents right on the table.

Wedding timeline

Our wedding photographer (eee!) has been doing a series of posts on her own blog about her top 10 tips for better wedding photography. She's up to #5 right now, and I'd definitely recommend heading over and taking a look at the first four and following up with the remaining five when she's gotten to them--they're pretty meaty and will be quite useful, I think. Anyway, just wanted to repost the links from tip #5 on planning out the timing of the wedding:

• A Smart Planner highlights the key things you must have on your timeline
• A wedding bee bride has a super detailed timeline which is really helpful

[edit] another real timeline from Cupcake Wedding.

Eat Drink Chic's surprise wedding

Amy of Eat Drink Chic left blogland for a bit to throw an engagement party...which turned out to be a surprise wedding instead!!

You should clickthrough to check out the full set of images, I quite enjoy the styling:

I chose 'simple', 'rustic', 'recycled', 'vintage' and 'casual' as the key themes of our wedding 'picnic'. Wanting to capture a fresh, spring feel I set bright warm reds, oranges, pinks and yellows ablaze against a rustic landscape of wooden furniture, vintage crates, wine barrels, an odd assortment of collected jars and and bottles and bamboo plates and cutlery. Guests were advised a dress code of 'smart casual' to maintain the relaxed and understated tone of the event.

My favorite bits are probably the flower and food displays:

(for real both pretty and casual and not indie-unattainable)

She had me at 'lollipop bouquet'

I'm glad I stay subscribed to The Storque, even if I skip over many of the posts because I want to resist the urge to acquire stuff. Mostly I enjoy their News in the Craft + Style Blogosphere roundup, but today, they had this awesome, awesome 'Candy and Cowboys' wedding:

(freaking lollipop bouquet!)

Wise words to keep in mind for reducing waste:

Whenever I found something to buy or make for the wedding, I asked myself, “Where will this end up after the reception?” Sticking to that thought process with every decision saved SO much money. It gave me a benchmark NOT to buy into extras like a dance floor decal or go overboard with decorations. We gave a second life to nearly all of the elements of our day, down to the retro tissue paper balls that decorated a second reception back in Indiana and entertained gobs of toddlers.

(bunting)

In case you're not wrapped in the crafty/wedding blog world, bunting = the strands of triangles of fabric in the top of this photo. I almost certainly will have some, even though it's a slight 'indie' wedding blog cliche, because I've got so many scraps of fun fabric prints around and it'll be a quick project with my spring-loaded pinking shears and sewing machine. I might make some as decoration for the new apartment and then take them down for the wedding and put them back up afterwards, haha.

(vintage-inspired handkerchiefs to reserve seats for family)

(bow ring--I think I want something more minimalistic but I admire this choice anyway)

(custom illustration from franceslovesyou, I would love this as a first anniversary gift for paper)

And my favorite part by far...wait for it...

(A RING BEAR)

(get it???)

Although I do call Dan my bear as an inside joke and also because I like to make fun of him (one of my more appreciated ways of showing love, I'm sure) and as my friend Diana once said, 'but Dan is so not bear-like'--exactly--I think in this case my joy is really largely due to the pun. Punny indeed.