Cheers!

prior to being engaged i always thought it would be cute to have our toasting glasses 

say "Mr. on his & Mrs. on mine".... a very trival detail i was concerned with huh? 

shows where my pre wedding planning priorities were!

(invitations by dawn)

but all i could really come up with were flutes that looked like those pictured above.

but they just weren't the "look" i was going for... i wanted something with more of an heirloom-ish quality (is that even a word?)

then thanks to my parents, we were given our toasting glasses, etched with our wedding date on them, along with these adorable tees from a time when we were adorable little children! =)

here's a picture of us opening our gifts at our engagement party.

here's a picture of a flute up close, i didn't have one of us actually toasting with them... go figure!

now this still did not remedy my desire to do the cutesy Mr. & Mrs. for the glasses.

then..... i was stalking my photog's previous weddings and out it jumped!

i don't know if you can tell what it is, but it's a simple card stock tag with colored ribbons at the base of the stem.  so... woo hoo, i get my Mr. & Mrs. wishes!

i bet this minor detail with drive my fiance nuts, but i love surprise small details at weddings. i think it's really cool to see how thought out every little element is.

what great lengths are you willing to and are going to to personalize your weddings small (yet noticeable) details?

incorporating your alma mater?

a recent trend in weddings is the tie in of the bride and groom's alma mater.

being a grad of USC, i have some friends who've tied in the Spirit of Troy marching band to their reception, their music selections, and special wedding day dedications.

here is a pic of the happy couple giving the fight on, these pics shot by our wedding photographer 

Memories by Michael

below: here's another way to include your alma mater... this wedding shot by photographer Stacy Kane, tied in their alma mater with a U of M groom's cake in the shape of Wolverine football helmet!

i'm sure when the FI and i discuss this matter, he will want to do some sort of a tribute to USC!

the question is how and what will we do to accomplish this?...

do you plan on giving you and your fiancé's alma maters a special place in your wedding? or do you think those good ol' college days should be a thing of the past?

Etsy Wedding Finds

just found these simple yet awesome custom stamped bowls made by Etsy seller Paloma'sNest.

how cute is this for a proposal!

and then there are these cuties for ceremony ring holders!... and they're in my favorite language, Francais. well, some of them...

the french one means loosely: my best friend is mine & i am his... i think rally supposed to be - 

i am my beloved's and he is mine

this reads: forever and always

i'm really diggin' these

more thoughts on centerpieces...

we met with our venue coordinator last weekend and it was confirmed.... she said NO more than 150 people! that leaves us with 15 tables, so i decided i wanted 3 different centerpiece variations.  let me introduce my 3rd element:

i pulled this right out of the winter 2007 issue of Elegant Bride.

here i plan on skipping the coral (too expensive) but using colors that look like this for the flowers.

then i will go get 15 of these stemmed votive holders from... gotta love it, IKEA!

GALEJ @ $2.99 (7") and $3.99 (9")

so i'll use 2 small and 1 big for each of these centerpieces

then i'll also have to hunt down white or ecru floating candles to put in these glasses, and the tray the floral foam and flower sit it is TBD also.... more on that when i find it!

what's the trend for everyone's centerpieces... are you using various arrangements at each table, or are you sticking to one consistent one for all the tables?

can this DIY queen keep up?

does this list of my wedding DIY projects sound a little too ambitious?

sorry no picture with this one...

Gocco/ Stationary

shower invites with bridesmaids (maybe)

rehearsal dinner invites for MIL

wedding invitations and inclusions/ assemble my own pocket folds

thank you stationary

gifts for bridesmaids

program fans

screen the welcome bags for OOT hotel guests

Jewelry & Accessories

necklace, earrings, and bracelet for BMs

the BM's other "secret" gift ( i think all but 1 know the surprise)

my jewelry TBD 

jewelry for both moms

decor/ odds n ends

mr. & mrs. tags for toasting flutes (future post)

stamp & wrap all candle hurricanes for the 5 tables in vellum & bows

find a make paisley pattern napkins

iMovie our slideshow

print & frame table names and explanations

thank you notes for each table

signature drink shadow boxes

escort cards tied to starfish

"this way to wedding" sign

tie ribbon onto all indoor reception paper lanterns

assemble OOT bags with goodies and resources

ha ha ha! looking at this list written makes me look a little nuts with only 4 months left, but i have a small army of crafty people who are ready and willing to help, God Bless them!

anyone else feeling a little too ambitious for their own good? any DIY details to let go of, or should i just go for it?

diamonds are a girl's best friend - i just liked the slogan

i'm a little behind on posting our recent wedding to-dos, 

i've been working far more than usual!  it seems that just as it's 

becoming wedding planning "crunch time", there is far less wedding planning time to utilize....

no wonder many brides would gladly take a hiatus from work

to plan their weddings full time.

most nights i find myself up till 2 and 3am catching ups on my to dos!

hmmm... note to self go to bed after this post! HA!

on to the real topic: wedding band shopping

albeit, this seemed to be way more fun for me!

i have had my eye on a specific style Cartier combo that i really dig, and have for ohhh... 

the whole time we've been engaged! in fact every time i see it in a bridal mag, i rip it

out (as though i'm going to loose the previous tear out, 

or i might even forget what it looks like).  

well here's an option the jeweler showed us for my band:

these are small prong set diamonds and my diamond would be reset on a new band

to be quite honest, my mom likes this set up, i'm not sure i am a fan though... 

i like my diamond set as is - a solitaire on a plain band.

here's the option more like my Cartier plan:

2 bands you ask? why yes!

awhile back i saw a "platinum wedding" where the groom gave the bride

her 2nd band as her wedding gift, in addition to the "wedding band".

i liked this idea so much i told a lot of my girlfriends, hoping they would drop hints for me to the FI. so when we got to the jeweler, he didn't seem to flinch as i had expected when telling

him what i had dreamed of.

with the 2nd option i really like that i can leave my engagement ring as it was originally given to me... for obvious sentimental reasons, but i also like that it looks more balanced than the 1st option.  those bands don't sit flush in the picture, since they're not custom for my ring, if they were, they would 

lay nicely next to my engagement ring.

added bonus: FI ring... 

i really wanted to get him a "precious metal", yet he really like the

 non-scratch, non-ding, nothing-can-ruin-my-ring-even-if-i-tried titanium option... 

here's a white gold option i really liked

i'll leave you with this... which of my ring options do you vote for?  also anyone absolutely prefer the titanium option for groom's ring, or do you back me in that it's better to stick with the traditional precious metal for his band?

let them eat cake

let me just preface this post with this note: 

I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE CAKE

now that that's outta the way, i'm starting to care about the cake... bah...

i don't know what to do, it's kinda like Goldilocks, i can't find just one cake that suits me

just right.  one's too typical, this other one's not traditional enough, will it look good with my flowers?  is it unique enough to satisfy this bride who used to not give a hoot about 

the wedding cake?

well my friends i guess this wedding attending yet non-cake-eating girl does in fact care about the overlooked cake... especially since most wedding guests don't overlook the cake.

in fact they tend to stare right at it, until it is cut and sitting right in front of them, for their sugar filled enjoyment!

here are many styles i'm wrestling with

i dig this one's shape and that's about all...

i like the ribbon and the hydrangea placement of this cake, also i dig it's height

this was my matron of honor's cake, made by my cake lady, 

note the fresh cherries, raspberries, and black berries!  i will for sure use blueberries for ours

now this one oh la la, j'adore le design! the sweet details look like the lace on my dress! 

i'm leaning toward the details of this but a different shape cake

love the way the orchids cascade down the cake, reminds me of a waterfall... sigh..

yet another cake with sweet details, these are less laborious for the person piping the details

anyone starting to care A LOT about what you previously thought were "minor" details in you wedding plans?  

wedding weekend home base!

we finally made it to the Fairmont Newport Beach to see if it would be a good, i mean, great hotel for our out of town friends and family....

and it was!  for all you coastal orange county brides out there, here's a little bit about this hotel:

the Fairmont NB recently completed a $32 million renovation.  it offers 440 luxury guest rooms, including 54 suites, most featuring over-sized soaking tubs.  all rooms include marble entries, 32" LCD HDTVs, DVDs and Bose sound systems.  the new fitness center features state of the art Techno Gym equipment with built in LCD monitors.  it is conveniently located right down the street from John Wayne airport, and about 10 mins from coastal Newport Beach.

now that i've given you the hotel's run down of their property, let me tell ya what i think! honestly from the second you step foot in the lobby, it feels very tropical, but upscale too.  their staff seems to be very eager to help and is quite accommodating (and we didn't even spend more than an hour at the hotel)!  the rooms are beautiful, they are giving us a fab rate ($149), since it's meant to appeal to business men, the rates go down over weekends, giving us a waaay better deal than what we were quoted at the nearby NB Marriott or the Island Hotel!

the best part, we set up our room block, and they don't put in an "attrition" clause; meaning that if we ask for 30 rooms to be blocked and only 20 are picked up by our guests, we don't have to pay for those extra 10 rooms we didn't need! make sure when planning your room blocks that your hotel doesn't make you do this!

and without further ado.. snapshots for you visual enjoyment

bamboo restaurant

pool & cabanas

high tech gym overlooking pool area (for inspiration!)

lobby - very tropical... i like

exterior - valet entrance

guest room

and honestly these picks do not do the place justice!

i think i'm in love

with the print gocco!!!!

in case you haven't heard of this fabulous little contraption, oh boy!... it is quite something and will be the solution to my wedding invitation crisis.  awhile back i fell hard for the idea of navy invites with white lettering... 

then my hopes were dashed when i was repeatedly told by stationers that i would have to cough up a few pretty pennies to letterpress my invites in order to achieve this look...argg!

that was quite disappointing seeing how i am very frugal, and would rather put that money into something more substantial, like say... my dress or photography! 

then ... along came this crazy thing i kept seeing pop up all over the Weddingbee blog, which i've become a loyal daily reader =). so i couldn't stand it any longer, the other day i started reading up on the print gocco and.... Voila, i got it! it's a personal screen printer, the only method my brother told me would successfully create the white lettering on the dark paper! HA i can make my invites and from the comfort of my own home. SOOO exciting!

ta-da.. i give you my soon to be personal print gocco, it is ordered and almost signed, sealed, and delivered!  i will post as soon as i have it in my hot little hands to fill y'all in on my new gadget!

my inspiration board

so it's not nearly as professional as most of the ones i've seen on Snippet & Ink or the bee's make on Weddingbee, but hey i made it, and didn't have to use Photoshop to get it done! so Ha!!

obviously we are using a very nautical color scheme which includes navy, marine/indigo blue, off white, and bright purple here and there.

if you don't have photo shop but do have a mac, you can make one like i did! (i would think the same goes for a pc just use power point). 

• open up keynote (mac's power point program)
• drag and drop all photos
• arrange them according to size and shape
• make sure all your edges line up ( you can insert a "chart" and remove all but the outline lines)
• you can resize all pictures once they had been dropped onto the slide.
• open "Grab" program ( this program is great for ripping pics that are apart of flash slideshows on websites!) shhhhh!
• go up to the "capture" tab and pick "selection"
• then as if you were cropping the inspiration board, outline the whole image with the grab pointer
• and voila! a new window will pop up and you can "save as" 
• Note: Grab only saves images in the TIFF format, so you will need to save it then reopen in "Preview" and take "save as" again and change the format to JPEG.
• once you've made it a JPEG you can upload the image to the internet (most online uploaders don't accept the TIFF format, but always use JPEG format!

good luck creating your very own inspiration board... let me know if those directions confuse you/ don't work, i'd be happy to help!

Welcome Baskets

i ran across some great priced buckets yesterday at Wal Mart of all places! and it got me thinking that i need to be looking for larger buckets (sand moving size) to hold all of our hotel guests' welcome goodies.  here are some images of wedding welcome basket ideas...

here are some of my initial ideas of what will go into our "welcome buckets": 

• Water bottle per person (it's hot in CA in august)
• Some type of Balance or Cliff bars (a good snack/ meal replacement when people are on the go)... gotta be heathy
• some of our favorite candies (tootsie pops, sour patch, 
• maybe some lindt truffles (i LOVE them)
• maybe a starbucks card?? who doesn't love them??
• trail mix or some type of snack nuts
• crackers
• packet of tissues
• sunscreen 
• playing cards
• local area map of Newport and Laguna Beach
• local are guides
• a wedding weekend timeline ( so guests know where to be and when)
• a contact list of important phone numbers 
• a letter of thanks from the FI and I

here's a site where  you can find mini/individual sized items that would be great in welcome gifts... MINIMUS

basically the point of the baskets is to inform guests of important details, as well as provide them with goodies to snack on or spoil themselves with!

the plan will be to drop them off at the hotel front desk the day before everyone gets in, that way the items will be in their rooms before they get in their rooms!

anyone planning to do the same for their out of towners?... any really original ideas to include for guests in the baskets? i'd love something a little more original!

hello my name is blair and i'm a plan-aholic

i swear i'm going crazy... crazy to the point i'm losing sleep, i have to-do list for my to-do lists! i know this sounds absolutely nuts, but if you are a bride, i think depending on how together you are, you will at some point feel the overwhelming rush of details that need to be planned, decided upon, or simply get checked off you master list of fun stuff!

i honestly love planning things, but now that we're talking about my one and only wedding, i am afraid of making one bad call, missing something majorly important, or just forgetting/ overlooking a central detail.

i'll be the first to admit, i spend a good amount of quality time on wedding blogs, Weddingbee is one in particular that i consult... ohhh.... on a daily basis, if a not morning and night to divide up reading the daily postings from all the current brides-to-be. it has been a great resource not only for my wedding and my many many DIY wedding projects, but also for Joie de Vie Jewelry (my wedding jewelry business)! i don't know if this is due to my current state of mind, but i have been noticing lately that the girls with a similar time frame till their weddings, and those with the dates fast approaching, are loosing their minds too!  that, temporarily provided me with some solace.

i just don't understand how i was so calm and collected about planning, had it all under control,  and have now turned into this insomniac, ocd, bridezilla bordering person??!?  i did vow at the start of planning not to become a bridezilla, i love details, but i will not, terrorize friends and family's with my wedding plans and tragedies.

i guess the bottom line and solution to my problems is to :

• A) detach myself from my computer (not good, there would go my late night blogging)  
• B) the D word: delegate, ugh, i'm a control freak and i know it, and i have a hard time believing that anyone other than myself will get the job done, or even get it done to my liking!
  
• C) let go of some of the details - i - just - can't - do - that!  i knew i had a problem when my bridesmaids told me they would wait to hear what i had planned for my bachelorette party and all i needed to tell them was when, where and how much to pay... that comment wasn't a slap in the face mind you, it was them telling me to let go of some things! i.e. showers, bachelorette party, small details they CAN help with... maybe the more sleepless nights i encounter, the more likely i will be to take them up on it! 

sorry for the rambling, but my life seems like it's being consumed by this wedding, which is a day where i will marry my best friend while enjoying the company of our closest friends and family... all i really want is to be able to slow down and enjoy it all...

Joie de Vie Jewelry - Etsy site

also, until my website is fully functional, i will be selling items via the Etsy website (the site to buy all things handmade).  

please take a look, there's also lots of other fun handmade goods in addition to mine.

thanks!

Joie de Vie Jewelry Website

today i spent some time working with one of my brothers on the jewelry website... it's so amazing how i can tell him what i'd like to see.. poof.... it magically appears! to me its magic, for him its a talent, one that i wished i possessed.  in my family we were all blessed with many creative talents, and he's very creative when it comes to technology and computers!

check it out, not much is there, but it's a start!  Joie de Vie Jewelry

Waxing and Waning over my centerpieces...

prior to visiting my florist to see my manzanita mock up, i had visions of grandure when thinking about how amazing they would turn out.

well, here's the picture of how it came out -

i like the overall idea (minus the hydrangea in the branches), the only problem is, it goes straight up! most of the pictures i've seen of manzanita centerpieces the tiny branches have been removed and the substantial branches seem to meander outward while going up. not a complete vertical look.  

i took my dad with me, after all he and my grandmother are very talented with floral stuff, so i wanted his opinion.

he wasn't the biggest fan of the this centerpiece idea... so i might be going back to the drawing board.  my problem is i would like some variation in height on my centerpieces, so here's a picture i borrowed from photographer Stacey Kane, that my dad and i both like a lot.

this one is simple yet beautiful and i can either fill the bottom with shells (to suit the nautical theme) or leave it as rocks (since a rock was engraved for the proposal).

this is why i'm waxing and waning over these two ideas, i like them both but if my florist can't read my mind on the manzanita, then i don't feel its a good idea to push it.  not to mention the second centerpiece idea with be a heck of a lot cheaper, and it still looks fabulous too!

ugh, i don't know what to do... any suggestions?

The Bucket List

so i decided i want to use galvanized buckets as many of the small flower holders... i have a few places i'd like to use them for the ceremony and reception decor, here are my ideas:

this is from a wedding my photographer shot this past summer (Memories by Michael), i plan on using galvanized buckets to pot indigo, cream and purple hydrangea in them and hang them on every other chair along the back row of the ceremony chairs.  this way when a guest walks up the backs of the chairs look pretty, id rather do this than line the aisle with the buckets, i found the idea to hang them from the backs of the chairs in one of my many bridal mags

 i would like to hang buckets on the railing of the stairs at my venue, which is this left pic (photographed a la moi!)

the right pic is one more from Michael, with bucket list inspiration for my stairs also.  after the ceremony is over i plan to have the buckets taken from the chairs and placed on the bars and various tables for the guestbook and such. yay for multifunctional decor!

any creative ideas of ways to save on decor and make it go the extra mile for multiple purposes?

Blooming Inspirations

i found a great set of table decor/floral/color scheme inspirations, just in case anyone is wondering what our wedding colors are. we will pair these indigos and purple with light blue and ivory, but we will probably incorporate small hints of navy as well.

initally i was toying with the notion i wanted the colors to be bronze, gold and champagne 

colors, and boy am i glad i didn't go with that scheme! A: it would've looked too autumny B: it wouldn't have been nearly as colorful!

i'm especially glad because my FI loves blue, and it worked out well since we ended up having the wedding at a yacht club (whose color scheme is suprise.... white & blue).

sorry i'm not quite sure what mag to give the credit to on this pic, but i know the point of the article is that blue hues are making a comeback in wedding color trends.  horray, i'm ahead of the curve!

another idea i thought of to make some of the tables more visually interesting, was to use antique Edgeworth Chewing Tobacco tins on some of the reception tables.  i do not endorse the stuff, but my parents have compiled quite a collection over the years! =)

here's another example of how antique tins are used for a centerpiece arrangements. this is for sure an idea i found on martha stewart's website!

i think it's a fun and eclectic way to surprise your guests, since it is not a normal style one would usually see at a wedding.

anyone out there planning on using vintage/antiques to decorate? or care to share any unique floral ideas, color schemes, or arrangements?

Footloose... footloose, kick off your Sunday shoes!

i absolutely love music!  i love the sound of a mandolin, fiddle, or piano solo. i find it facinating how a musician can pen lyrics that speak directly to me at the exact point i am at in my life, how they do that is beyond me.  i played piano when i was young, yet never really cherished the gift of music at my young age.  now i realize that the stories told in the lyrics of a song can help comfort me on a hard day, take me back to a special memory, or be fun just to sing. 

with that said, there will be A LOT of thought given to the music played at our wedding, my FI is VERY musically inclined (he can play guitar and piano just by hearing a song, no sheet music needed)!  and by a lot of thought, i mean a lot of discussion, since our musical taste does seem to differ at times... i like classic big bands, country, and some 80s rock bands (which he loves). he is a #1 fan of Dave Matthews Band, and likes various other alternative bands.  so we aren't necessarily agreeing on the music for the night.

photo courtesy of Stacy Kane Photography.

the one song we have agreed on is our first dance song.... it will be DMB "steady as we go."  we also agree that we'd like steel drum music at the cocktail hour, we thought a band would be cool, but budget wise that's just not gonna fly."  we found a great dj who will take care of our ceremony music, cocktail hour, and reception.  we still have a long list to fill of important songs to decide on.

right now these are all tentative ideas except 1st dance...

Ceremony

guests arrival: rascal flatts, colbie collait, jack johnson

bridal party processional: rascal flatts "feels like today"

bride's processional: the platters "smoke gets in your eyes" or

pachabel's cannon in d or 

jack johnson "better together"

recessional: phill vassar "my next 30 years" or

USC "fight on" or 

mungo jerry "in the summertime" or

peter gabriel "solsberry hill"

Cocktail Hour

various Bob Marley songs

Beach Boys

Jimmy Buffet "southern cross" & others

311 "love song"

songs along those lines...

Reception

intro of bridal party: various songs they pick themselves

entrance of bride and groom: USC "fight on"

couple's 1st dance: DMB "Steady As We Go"

father/ daughter dance: the temptations "my girl" or

 Chuck Wicks "stealing cinderella" 

mother/son dance: not sure if they are dancing?

cake cutting: Israel Kamakawiwo'ole "somewhere over the rainbow"

garter/ bouquet toss: eessh... don't know yet?

last dance: a version of "life is a highway" or

 Journey "don't stop believin" 

must plays: Bobby Darin "beyond the sea"

O.A.R. songs

various 80s rock songs

DO NOT PLAY: the chicken dance,

the macarena, any group dances

i'm too sexy

raining men... ugh

girls just wanna have fun

explicit lyrics