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An Update At Last!
I’ve been asked to become a blogger by Bridal Guide in addition to weddzilla and my own blog. Adding that to work and wedding planning I’ve realized it’s not feasible to maintain 2 blogs (1 for weddings and 1 for misc). So if you’ve enjoyed my updates please check out jennajourney.tumblr.com where I’ll continue posting wedding posts along with other thoughts and topics.
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A Rustic Wedding Inspiration Board
Working in advertising, I sometimes feel left out of the design process, since I’m on the account side. I decided that our wedding is a chance for me to dive in.
I devoted a Saturday afternoon to creating an inspiration board. This is a group of images to help me create an idea of the look and feel, and possibly colors, for our wedding. I found a bunch of images that I liked and started looking at them together. It was pretty obvious what worked and what struck an awkward chord with the other photos.
Images: Jupiter Image, thefrenchmouse (Etsy), P.D. Pratt, Bethcyrweddings (Etsy), Getty Images
The first image I started with was the flower girl with the pussy willow bouquet that I had run across randomly in an Etsy email. It was so simple and lovely, and gun metal grey is one of my favorite colors. I also liked the idea of using an out-of-the-box flower/plant. Since pussy willows are a spring flower in Vermont, I have asked my Mom to purchase a bunch this spring and dry them. I suggested hairspray to help keep the pussy willows intact.
I wanted lighting that would go a long way in creating atmosphere. What spoke to me the most are the little Christmas lights. They give me that magical/romantic vision when I see them decorating a wedding tent, and I knew they were what I wanted. This connected naturally to the mason jar image and the field of fireflies in the middle. I’m hoping that the fields will be full of fireflies once the sun sets. I’ve also talked to the tent company about incorporating my lighting vision. The middle left image also features a really simple country feel, with lighting being the main decoration.
The black and white bench on the middle right came from a conversation with the ceremony chair providers. I was stuck with those cheap white folding chairs due to cost, when I noticed that they also featured wooden benches on their site. They’re perfect to keep that rustic feel for the ceremony and also add something subtle that the folding chairs wouldn’t have.
The horse and wooden fence could have come from where we’re getting married. It matched perfectly, and having grown up with horses, I’m excited for the photo opps.
The bottom flowers captured the wooden bench image, as well as a pop of one of the colors I’m going to use. I love how well the bluish purple compliments the green. The bride at the bottom is wearing a strapless dress with purple flowers in a country scene. I liked the laidback approach of her ensemble and hair, and thought it fit well with my vision.
The rings are also from Etsy. My engagement ring is a diamond on a really simple band, and I want our rings to be simple as well, but thought it would be cool to add some texture. I’ve not decided yet if I want just a rough look to the metal or if I’ll actually go with the tree bark look. I am hoping to get each other’s names and the wedding date engraved on the inside.
Being someone who has a lot of different interests and styles, it was helpful to sit down and look at all the ideas and images that attracted me, and focus on what worked well together. It was also fun, and when you’re stuck figuring out budgets and negotiating with venders, it’s good to add some fun!
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Wedding Centerpieces
I’m not crazy about flowers on the tables. I can’t explain it, but it’s not what I picture. I came across these in Etsy in iTagStudios and love the simple look. I also think I’d use these again (unlike flowers).
If we can disregard the open flame aspect, which do you think I should go for? The wedding is at night, rustic background, under a tent, using twinkly lights…
Option 1
Option 2
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A Real Bride Finds Her Dress
I decided to take another trip to Glamour Closet, an off-the-rack store with locations in SF and LA. They had just received a big shipment of new gowns, and I wanted to go in before the New Year’s/Christmas engagement rush in January. I met one of my aunts at the store before it opened (with only two dressing rooms, they don’t take reservations, so you have to get there early).
I had my basket of clothing pins and started to go through the dresses. Due to their limited number of dressing rooms, they only allow you to try on 8 dresses. It’s a bit of a challenge, because they have so many designers and the sizes fit so differently. In one designer I’m an 8 and another I’m 14 (talk about making you feel vulnerable!). Because I’m a larger size than the typical 6-8 sample size and had a very specific budget, I was limited in the dresses I could try on so that the 8-dress limitation wasn’t too restricting.
The last time I was at Glamour Closet, every dress I tried on was all-wrong. I felt like a sequined Barbie in most of them. I’m planning a laid back, country wedding, so the dress has to fit with this. This time, every dress felt right! I was so torn. One of the dresses strongly resembled a dress I had been seriously considering at another shop, but had held back due to the zipper backing. This version had a beautiful corset back.
The tough part of trying on dresses at an off-the-rack store is that there’s only one of each dress. If you have to go home and think about it, the dress may not be waiting for you when you come back. As it was, the dress I was seriously considering had 2 clothing pins on it, meaning there were two other girls in shop looking to try it on. I had the saleswoman put it on me for a second time, and I went out to look in the mirror again.
It clicked. This was the dress. It was so similar to the one I had been agonizing over, it had the corset back, it fit almost perfectly, and it was in my price range (well under $1,000 dollars). I stood there for about 5 minutes letting it sink in and told them “this is the dress.” The girl in the other dressing room had also found hers (a 50s bombshell skin-tight dress with a feather bottom, gorgeous!). We shared an excited/triumphant smile, and I headed to the dressing room to put on regular clothes.
Courtesy of Connie Downing
I felt elated as I made my purchase. That’s how I knew that it was right for me, no regrets, no doubts: certainty. I was also really happy that I had gone dress shopping with each of my three aunts and my Mom, so that everyone had been a part of the process.
How did you know when you found your dress?
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Bridal Care Package!
One of my wonderful friends sent me a care package last week. She got married last year and so she knew exactly what a bride to be needs.
1. Valentines Day candy (she had the wrong address so she had to send it twice from Cape Cod so the Valentine’s Candy was a little late). However the sweet treat was perfect.
2. A Bride to Bed button that lights up (bachelorette party?)
3. The Idiots Guide to the Perfect Wedding-perfect for a girl like me who has not planning her dream wedding since she was a little girl.
4. The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Weddings-I originally sent this to her, it has everything from how to make a wedding dress out of a sheet to how to get a plastered bridesmaid down the aisle.
5. Vermont Vows-a few copies. Can’t wait to read these.
6. A deck of bachelorette party game cards-these ended up in the trash. It was all games around kissing dudes and asking how big they are which isn’t really my bag since I’m getting married and all (they were unopened so I have a feeling they would have been a surprise to her too).
7. A stress all-yay!!!
I loved it!
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A Real Bride’s Guide to Wedding Dress Shopping
For most brides, the wedding dress is the most exciting part of wedding planning. I started dress shopping before we even decided on a state. While I ultimately enjoyed it, it was really stressful, and I felt lost at times.
I went in with an open mind. I heard from a lot of people that you will be surprised by what feels/looks right. Since I was shopping on a budget, I also didn’t want to get my heart set on a specific style when it was going to be hard enough finding something that was affordable.
My next step was to read up on dress quality. I had no idea what to look for in a dress. The book that has saved my life with wedding planning is Bridal Bargains. My Mom sent it, and it has been so helpful in what questions to ask and what to look for.
Here are some things to consider when buying your dress:
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Wedding Inspiration
I saw this photo on Etsy when I was first starting to plan and loved the idea of pussywillows in the bouquets. Something unique and very elegant. It fits in with the country setting we’ll be having.
(clicking the image will take you to this etsy shop)
Any ideas or advice around wedding bouquets?
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A Real Bride’s Search for the Dress
The two things I was most excited about getting married were the bachelorette party and the dress. Realizing I only get one bachelorette party (I really think you should get one for each year you’re engaged), I decided to concentrate on the dress. I really wanted a wedding dress moment with my Mom, who’s in Vermont (I’m in San Francisco). Keeping that in mind, I decided to wait to try on a dress until she could be there. I wanted the first time I looked in the mirror with that flowing white dress on to be epic, and it couldn’t be without her.
We looked at wedding expos and settled on a “Brides Against Breast Cancer” 2-day sale. My Mom is a two-time survivor, and it runs in her family, so it seemed perfect. I had to wait 5 months for her to come, and it wasn’t easy. When she finally arrived, I had also lined up one of her sisters to come with us. My Mom is a crier, so I thought having three of us would lighten the mood and hopefully keep the tear level manageable.
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Etsy Loves Wedding Dresses
Etsy is a great source for all things wedding. There are some of my favorite wedding dresses on the site. Click on any of the images to be taken to the Etsy seller’s shop/dress location.
This one is edgy/romantic/classic all in one. It looks like it would be so much fun to twirl in.
I didn’t think I was a fan of shorter wedding dresses until I saw this one. It’s simple and lovely. All you need is a small bouquet with some color.
This one is definitely non-traditional, but it looks like it would be a lot of fun
another tea length dress that would be perfect for a garden wedding (there’s petals on the skirt)
If you’re struggling to find the dress you’re looking for, Etsy is a great place to try. Many of the talented seamstresses are willing to create a dress from a photo so you can get it custom tailored to your vision.
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Long-Distance Wedding Planning: Choosing a State
I’m from Vermont, my fiancé is from New Orleans, and we live in San Francisco. About 1/3 of our invite list is in each location, so how did we decide where to tie the knot?New Orleans:
Personal Library
Vermont:
Courtesy of Susan PelletierOr the Bay Area:
Personal LibraryI originally wanted to get married in the Bay Area. I knew people in the wedding industry out here, it was local for me and going to make planning easier, and I knew I could plan a date and have an almost 100% guarantee it wouldn’t rain. I was merrily heading along on this track when A. voiced the opinion that we should get married where our family is. I have family in the Bay Area, but my parents are in Vermont and his family is in New Orleans. I knew that I would be the one doing the majority of the planning (A. is a typical groom-to-be when it comes to giving an opinion around wedding details). The fact that he cared enough about this to voice this opinion made it important to me to make it happen. Yes, San Francisco would be easier, but I want our wedding to be about both of us, and there are a lot of areas where I will get to make the decision, so I decided to go with him on this one. After giving it some thought, I realized that Vermont was going to be a lot easier on me for planning. I know the location, I have more people in the area that I can lean on for support, and based upon this, I decided on Vermont (A. was happy with either location). When you decide your location, I think it’s important to figure out what’s important to both of you. Then, think about your guests and what will be easy on them. You don’t want to pick somewhere that’s going to be hard for key people to get to. For us, it was important to do it where we were from. The traveling issue wasn’t really applicable, since no matter where we had it, 2/3 of our invites would have to travel a significant distance. The last thing to vet (and possibly the most important) is, what can you handle? You need to decide how much of the planning is going to be on your shoulders and what you can handle. For me, New Orleans was going to be too much. I work at a pretty demanding job, and I needed a place that I felt would be the least amount of stress on me out of the two locations. How are you deciding what state/country to get married in? What is most important to you about location?
