inspiration: DIY projects: hang something pretty

I've been seeing a lot of oh so pretty things to make and hang lately, and now that my wedding is over (I did no hanging projects but I certainly should have, they are beyond wonderful) I am craving hosting a party or just covering our apartment in paper flowers.
[Garrett would kill me, but can you imagine if I covered every inch of the walls? It's not such a big apartment, and if I were a crazy cat lady instead of newlywed I'd do it this instant!]

Either way, most of these images come from sites with instructions so you can try them out yourself. If you do I want to see the results! There should be some kind of crafting team available to brides in major cities, yeah? They'd put together a party so that the team and your girlfriends could all come make your DIY projects. It'd be great. They'd be called The Marthas or something.

ltr:

top row: Yellow page flowers from the wedding chicks (the best part of this project is that I have at least 2 or 3 old worthless phonebooks lying around just itching to be torn to shreds); miniature fabric flower garland from oncewed (I want these in a canopy across my ceiling); Lighted Paper Pennant Garland from Oncewed.com

bottom row: Martha Stewart Style Rosettes from Mrs. Taffy on weddingbee; coffee filter garland from EAD; holiday banners via the wedding chicks.

Our Wedding: Dinner

I know my wedding feels uber-neglected, I apologize. I've been so excited about new things & planning for them that the wedding feels like old news. It was the best day ever, but now I get to be married instead of planning for it! This is a far better stage for me. Plus, now I can focus attention to friends that are getting married (3 in 2010 so far!)



My mom, Linden (one of my bridesmaids), and I prepped all of the centerpieces on the day before the wedding. I'd originally planned on all ranunculus, but truth be told it would've taken at least 600 stems and I ordered 300, so the rest were button mums. I had some white teapots that I used the ranunculus in, and filled all the blue with the mums. They weren't particularly hard to make and not all that time consuming either. We used that green foam stuff to stick the stems in (we cut it into pieces small enough to fit in the teapots and used a pen to create holes so we wouldn't damage the stems by cramming them in). We used Davis Wholesale Florist in Birmingham for the mums and the prep space (they were super helpful and offer delivery for cheap! I highly recommend them for DIY brides) and fiftyflowers.com for the ranunculus (I was also impressed with their customer service).



I loooove food. We had mini blts, strawberry field salad, shrimp & grits, bacon wrapped scallops (though, they gave us huge scallops at the tasting and miniature ones at the wedding. we had words), fruit, roast beef tenderloin with horseradish, and pork loin with rolls. Garrett and I ate privately before so we didn't even see the food set-up. I'm really glad we have pictures. Plus, we never got our to-go plates. Note to brides, assign someone to bring your car around (we walked to our car in a very anticlimactic shuffle) and assign someone to take your food to said car.





You've heard about the cakes by now. I may stick to making pies for the next few years to avoid reminding myself of the stress that was the cakes.





The private dinner was nice, even though we didn't have the typical wedding day. The sign in the background flashed "Congratulations Kelly & Garrett!" some of the time which was fun. If you get the chance to eat separately it's well worth it!



Photography by Kristen Stewart Photography and Je Vois Photography, edited by Spindle Photography. Head over to Spindle Photography for bigger pictures!

Thanksgiving Dinner

I feel like Christmas and Thanksgiving are two things you always think are the same for everyone when you are a child, and as you grow up you are surprised at the things other people leave out or add on. Garrett was shocked to learn that I have grown up without the experience of an advent calendar and I was shocked (and scared) to learn that Garrett grew up without having real Christmas trees because of his asthma. We have intentions to buy a baby tree (he loves charlie brown) and hope for the best.

We're going to my hometown for Thanksgiving (is it not completely weird that we now have to pick sides for holidays?) and Garrett's mom asked me at dinner last night what our thanksgiving table is like.

by Amy Neunsinger on Real Simple

Here it goes:
-turkey (baked/roasted in the oven)
-dressing (i actually need to ask what's in it, all I know is it comes out of a casserole dish, has onions in it, and is delicious, especially when combined with a little piece of turkey and some canned cranberry sauce in one bite)
-cranberry sauce (oft from the can but the occasional real cranberried concoction. I love seeing the can shaped cylinder on a plate and cutting off a circle of it. And, real cranberries are pretty tart from my experience)
-deviled eggs (Garrett shutters every time I say that. He doesn't like hard boiled eggs or mayonnaise. It's the one thing I've always made for the meal though, while I let the real cooks--my mom & sister, do the rest)
-brown and serve rolls (one of my favorite holiday foods, seriously)

-sweet potato souffle (with pineapples & pecans [I used to say P-can like in When Harry Met Sally but Garrett thought I was crazy so now I say puh-cahn], sometimes raisins)

sometimes foods (like cookies for cookie monster these days)

-lime congealed salad- kind of like watergate salad, main ingredients are lime jello, cream cheese, and marshmellows.

-fruit salad (we used to make this with mayonnaise but these days it's just apples, oranges, bananas, and orange juice)

-broccoli casserole

-brown rice (rice with beef broth and onions in a casserole dish)

-macaroni and cheese casserole (yum!!!)

Garrett's not crazy about Thanksgiving foods except for his mom's family's stuffing, which might have sausage in it? I think we'll be having another turkey dinner next week, so I'll fill you in. My most memorable Thanksgiving was the time we moved into a new house when I was 5, on Thanksgiving day, during the pouring rain, and ate at Shoneys. And last year, when I went with Garrett's family to NYC for the Macy's Day Parade and a ridiculous meal at Gilt (so so good). I have found memories of singing Thanksgiving songs in elementary school (like where oh where has my turkey leg gone, for example) and learning about pilgrims and indians. Good times.

I think one thing I'll add when eventually Garrett & I have to create our own version of Thanksgiving, is pumpkin pie. Garrett loves it more than anything else I can manage to cook, and I shouldn't give up my secret but it is oh so easy. Just buy the can of Libby's pumpkin and follow the recipe. I buy the pie crust box that you just add water and roll out (shortbread versus graham cracker) and it's excellent!

What's your traditional Thanksgiving meal? Any newlyweds cooking their own meal this year? Any strange traditions in your friends' or significant others' families? Do any of my foods sound bizarre to you?

Dash, Pinch, Smidgen Local Features!

Megan of Southern Femme. photo by kelly cummings.

Now that my wedding(s) are over I'm feeling a huge draw to provide something for other brides and people in Birmingham. I found it really frustrating that after moving to such a big city (compared to where I'm from, I get that most people do not consider Birmingham to be a big city), so few brides are blogging and planning online!

I've also been frustrated that most of the resources available are cookie cutter websites with no real personal element besides a place for vendors to encourage clients to leave reviews. Weddings are so personal and relationships with vendors and sellers should be too! So, I will be combining interviews, product, and vendor features for Birmingham businesses of interest. Businesses with relevance to weddings will take priority, but etsy sellers from the area and other creative businesses will be considered as well.

Another fun project is underway, Spindle Photography (my photography business) is teaming up with Southern Femme (fashion blog here in Birmingham) to feature local clothing retailers and boutiques!

If you have local favorites, suggestions, or you are a business interested in being featured, leave a comment!

Christmas already?! Gift Ideas

belt from j.crew, $55; nikon d90 for newbie photo enthusiasts with wealthy santas, amazon, $794.95; snuggie, $14.95, image source; faux fur muffler (I have always wanted a muffler! I think one of our american girl dolls must've had one), from urban outfitters, $28; mustache necklace from etsy seller little angels jewelry, $11.99 (I want one); dj hero from gamestop, $119 (for PS3); julian scarf with hidden pockets, from wintercheck factory, $30; ambigram flask from red letter gifts, $20.99; scarf necklace from etsy seller Mlabel, $40.

I can't believe it's so close to Christmas. I feel like I've been in some time warp since our blessing and now it's almost December! I usually do every kind of shopping (except grocery, and that's rare because we eat out too much!) online and I've become exceedingly aware of how long it takes to ship things. So I have even less time. I feel at a complete loss of what to get the people in my life (and as you get older it's hard to know who you're buying for!).

So, newlyweds especially, what are you getting your husband?

Your new in-laws?

Your parents?

Your friends?

I'd thought about giving both our parents wedding albums for Christmas but I've run out of time, orders for those have to be in early November and I was swamped back then. I should probably be running to etsy, because it's the greatest thing ever, but even there I get pretty overwhelmed. I feel like I'm at an age where we don't really need anything, so why would we inflict additional goods on the people we love? I've come to appreciate food as an expression of love way more these days.

Oh, and a fun gift idea for newlyweds (that we actually received but haven't had a chance to test out yet, we'll have to ask our only other set of married friends to play):

source

Peeve, feel free to ignore.

I'm a little irked at the blogging/internet world. I find it bizarre that my entire life is online now, or at least feels like it. I spend most of my time on the computer, editing or blogging, and compared to the time I spend with the clients, it's sad. It's like I have an internet dating relationship. Anyway, it's odd that at least here in Birmingham most referrals are word-of-mouth but we spend so much time with our online presence.

But other than that, it irks me that people urge photographers to watermark their photos so they won't be stolen and that people request that their photographs not be used without permission. I don't mind people reposting my stuff, I just prefer that they say where it came from. I would like to know about it, but I love it when people think my ideas or photographs are good enough to spread on. I guess the fear with photography is that people might print out the images instead of paying you for prints? I want people to have access to the photographs and if they want quality prints, I'd hope they'd order through me. But at least for now I'm not the printer police.

And one more thing, I hate it when blogs give "credit" to a source by simply listing the main website. I've seen it done with EAD, and it's frustrating because there are multiple contributors and if you want to see the item in its original context it's completely unhelpful. If you have trouble keeping up with where things came from get a tumblr. Ok, done ranting. Carry on.

Halloween/Fall inspiration

In the spirit of Halloween, here are some fall/halloweenie things I'm craving. I know Halloween is long gone, but I also know that there are plenty of girls getting married next fall, and it can't hurt to plan ahead for next years' parties! Maybe I'll plan a big seated dinner. That I force my sister to cook. (I want to have a fall party next year so bad I can already taste the candied apples).

6 images on the left (masks) from strawberry lemonade, candied apples from mattbites.com, glitter pumpkins from apartment therapy, baby boo pumpkins from country living, canisters and trick or treat cards from casa sugar (halloween decorations found on etsy).

I feel like the key to any theme is subtle. I wanted alice in wonderland to be incorporated in our wedding, but subtly, and it manifested itself in the form of teapots. I've seen a lot of other really cute ideas as well, and you can definitely have a lot of details that correspond without screaming "I'm in a Disney movie, oh God!"

I think unless you are actually disguising your halloween party as a wedding, you should follow the same rules. Instead of orange and black, pick one of the two and let your other color be white. Instead of using halloween puns everywhere, pick an antique font and off white cards (like the trick or treat cards above) with black text.

The baby boo pumpkins are my new obsession, and I want them as my pets.

With glitter pumpkins you could add a fall hint to any color scheme and it will be glam!

Try an all black (or all orange) candy buffet (the image above is actually beans and lichens but I like the idea of placing cards in the candy vertically so that when the candy is taken a message appears! If you use a stand like restaurants do to display their specials, you wouldn't have to worry about it falling over or getting messy from melty candies. Just pop it in and pour the candy all around!)

Masks can add a great addition to a photobooth (they are not easy to breate in, though). Animal masks are pretty much always creepy and they also have a breakfast at tiffany's vibe. Let the dressing up be a part of the reception without having a bunch of zombies show up and drip fake blood all over your wedding.

I'm certainly not Kathryn from Snippet & Ink so here are links to her halloween/fall themed boards for you to take in: here, here, and here.

Nifty Ring Idea

Found via Miss Frozen Yogurt on Weddingbee, this is a pretty cool idea for personalization of a wedding ring:

They are made by etsy sellers Fabuluster and range from about $125 for the thin and $150 and up for the thick (sterling silver, I think you could probably order a custom made gold ring as well). They send you an impression kit and you send back your fingerprints.

What do you think? Too cheesy?

The Blessing!

Since Garrett and I got married in San Francisco without our families and friends (with the exception of Garrett's aunt, uncle, and best friend who all reside in CA), we both wanted a way for them to be part of the marriage and we knew we wanted to have the marriage blessed, because God is the important part. We decided on the chapel of the church Garrett grew up in, a side portion of the sanctuary with its own altar and a more intimate setting.

I love this image, by Kristen, of us walking in. You can see the priest's white robe as we follow him in, walking together, hand in hand. It was really nice to go in together, I was only thinking about Garrett the whole way. We decided on having the church's music director play organ for our entrance and exit which was lovely. Once we got up to the altar I remember Garrett asking if it was okay that we were holding hands. ("Yes!" I said, "we're married!") Either way, I wasn't letting go.

I think we had about 20-25 guests at the blessing. My bridesmaids and some of Garrett's close guy friends were there (sans one of my best friends who couldn't get out of a vet school surgery, and she was sorely missed) and otherwise we kept it limited to family no further than aunts and uncles (and their children). I don't think anyone was offended (if so they didn't make it known to us), and I think it meant more to us and to the people there that everywhere we looked were people that really loved us. I was so happy to look at all the faces when we walked in.

Hillary snapped this one right before the wedding coordinator tracked her down to forbid her from taking pictures. I never knew of any no picture rule (that would've put a huge damper on this choice of location), and I'm hoping for other couples' sakes that it was because we were praying or something? Since I'm a photographer, I find this aspect of ceremonies really frustrating. Crying babies are a much bigger distraction in church than a few shutter clicks and no one kicks them out! Nor do babies capture the most precious moments of your joining your life with someone else. I digress.

In addition to the readings, the priest told a story about a man who bought his wife red carnations every Saturday for years and years. She would put them on display in a vase and be so glad to receive them. He said that one day the wife came for confession and admitted that she hated red carnations, that they reminded her of funerals and didn't go with anything in her house. But the joy that she felt every time he gave that gift was real. I'm pretty sure I teared up.

We did have a kiss, but we'd been prepped by the priest that the kiss should not be the "first kiss of the honeymoon" with hollering and the like, but instead the passing of the peace. He told us that you can repeat the kiss every time you do the passing of the peace at church and it will remind you of the day you married and the vows you made, which is a really nice thought. So, had the wedding coordinator let the photographers actually take pictures, they would've had a hard time catching our super quick sweet marriage kiss.

The blessing was absolutely beautiful and lovely and wonderful, and my previous stress at being rushed had melted away. We both agreed that we really felt married afterwards, because this was how it should've been for us. I wouldn't take back getting married early, it alleviated a lot of our problems and worries, but I would've been okay with having the blessing immediately when we'd gotten back. There had been something missing, you know?

(You'd melt too if he was looking at you this way.)

I'll have another post with the readings and music from the blessing for those interested.

All images by Kristen Stewart Photography and Je Vois Photography, edited by me.

Wedding: Pre-ceremony

The moments (how short they were!) before we ran (walked briskly) into the church to be blessed by a priest (Epsicopal, not civil, if you've been keeping up):

This was fun. Somehow, in my rushed and mildly freaking out state, I got the task of pinning on Garrett's boutonniere. I've pinned on lots of boutonnieres at weddings where I was photographing, but never with the pressure of it being a few minutes until our ceremony, with a husband who dislikes all things sharp and pointy, and with an uncooperative pin (that was probably too short in retrospect. So yeah, I stabbed him. Can you believe that? No wonder he's afraid of needles! Luckily he did not bleed and does not have a nipple ring hole now. Very glad he wasn't in a white shirt.

I'm pretty sure Garrett hates most pictures of himself (unless he took it in a mirror with some ridiculous hat or sunglasses on, or, if he has a beard and hair that make it look like he'd been lost in the woods for 6 months), but he does seem to like the one on the right with the tree, so we have success! And I like them all, of course.

I love these portraits right outside the church just before the ceremony.

Me with my dad/me with my mom placing the veil in my hair. It's a Belgian lace veil that Garrett's mom brought back from her last trip to Belgium.

Next up, our Blessing!

All images by Kristen Stewart Photography and Je Vois Photography, edited by me. (please do not repost images without crediting photographers/sources EVER, thanks!)

And for big pictures, hop on over to Spindle.

The Blessing: Getting Ready

So, on the big day (third big day if you're counting), I had a bridesmaid tea with my ladies and our mothers & grandmothers and then we were off! And running behind. I think I took the whole "getting married beforehand means less stress" thing too seriously, and the tea didn't get kicked off right on time so we were a little rushed but once we made it to the chapel things felt great.

Yes, I committed the coat hanger sin. I had changed the coat hanger after san francisco just to make sure it would stay on the hanger and forgot to change it. Ugh. You really can't see it though, so I'm thankful for that.

That's right. Three pictures of my shoes. That's what you get when you're dealing with me. I really like the white on white and kind of want to incorporate it in my house when/if I get one.

I macguyvered the toilet paper bouquet holder (I made the bouquet myself!) and it's small because I'm petite. So, I'm lucky they fit in the toilet paper roll and so glad I got ranunculus! I ordered from 50flowers.com and they were about $1 a stem. They're small flowers, so if you are planning to use a lot of them in your floral arranging I'd order a lot. If you're in Birmingham, Davis Wholesale flowers will let you rent their prep space across the street for 10 percent of your flower budget which was almost nothing for me. And they delivered for $20. Very useful for the DIY bride like me. I prepped on Thursday and Friday, got to store them there, and they delivered.

That's my BFF since first grade doing my hair there, while I straightened my bangs. I had no idea what to do with my hair, I knew it needed to be up. I have a friend in town who works at a salon and had made a last minute (2 days before) appt and she ended up getting really sick the day of! I think everyone was getting the flu, it was awful. But, luckily Stacy has secret talents and is magical with hair, and my friend Mallory got to do my hair for my day after shoot. Linden's on the right, mayhaps she burnt her scalp.

I like that I seem serene here. I wasn't really, but it wasn't at all an "oh my gosh I'm about to get married" thing. It was more of a "oh my gosh I have to get ready and Garrett is here but I haven't seen him.

Excuse my horrendous posture, and pay more attention to the hair.

The bouquet. I made the bouquet and the boutonniere right before I left to get to the church, and once you've made a few of them it's really easy. I've only made bouquets with one kind of flower because I like the aesthetic a lot, but I think anyone who really likes visual arrangement could pretty quickly figure out a bouquet with more variety. Oh, and for the pins, I had bought yellow ones but thought the contrast might be too much/tacky so I painted them with acrylic that I mixed to a shade similar to our colors and it blended really well. I'm pleased.

Stay tuned for the actual blessing! And, if you want to see any of the images better, head over to Spindle Photography.

All images by Kristen Stewart Photography and Je Vois Photography.

Birth Order

I was catching up on the google reader (now that I'm married and done I feel like I can read without being insanely pressured to absorb every precious detail, now I can only encourage others which is great!) and found a weddingbee post about how birth order affects their relationships.

I think it's really interesting and birth order says a LOT about how people are in relationships as far as I can tell. I'm the youngest (of 2 girls) and Garrett's an only child. Which means he is used to alone time and I'm used to annoying the snot out of my (4.5 years) older sister and trying to play with her friends. We both try to re-enact these roles with each other. I loved attention, my sister was my protector, I would say I wasn't spoiled but my parents and sister would probably disagree. Garrett's not used to sharing, can amuse himself with books and music and little else, and is way more independent than me. How has your relationship been affected by birth order?

Pictures, lots and lots of pictures.

I'm about to start my recaps and figured there should be a disclaimer. I was very lucky to have Kristen Stewart as my photographer and Hillary Gamble (of Je Vois Photography) as a second shooter. They're both friends and fellow Birmingham photographers and I loved having my friends there! They figured out a photobooth set-up as well! Anywho, I opted to do my own editing so keep that in mind when you look at the pictures. If you hate the editing, don't blame them! Do check both of them out, and if you really love big pictures, I'll be posting the images on my photography blog as well. Phew, let it begin.