Eco-Vintage Weddings

One Moment of Envy

Hi everyone,

From reading my blog each week, I assume that you all have noticed the blogroll that appears on the right side of my web page. As you can see, I’m a big fan of wedding blogs, and I feel eternally grateful to bloggers like Abby at Style Me Pretty, Amanda at Vintage Glam Weddings and Emily at Once Wed for the endless creativity they offer.

That being said, it’s a true statement that many of the blogs I frequent tend to feature weddings well above J and my meager budget, and I often find myself longing for professional lighting or the financial ability to supply pashminas for my guests. Surprisingly, I only experienced my first bout of envy at the hands of the blogosphere this week.

While perusing the always-lovely Style Me Pretty earlier this week, I stumbled upon the Idaho wedding of Cortney and Scott, and while I was wowed by the decor (if you want an outdoor wedding, seriously DO THIS SET-UP, and you BETTER invite me!), I was even more wowed by the photography, done by the amazing Stephanie Fay. The problem: Stephanie’s stellar photography is WAY WAY WAY out of our budget.

I felt sad that we couldn’t drop thousands to afford the skills of a wonderfully creative photographer, but then I remembered something: I have friends from high school who are amateur photographers that will certainly be able to pull of amazingly wonderful photographs and will work hard to document our day for a fraction of the cost.

Therefore, despite my sadness at not being able to utilize Stephanie’s amazing eye for detail and impeccable knack for capturing important moments, I know that our wedding photography will be special to us and just as memorable, because it’ll be us in the photos. It’ll be me in the white dress and him in the grey tux, and we’ll be joyous and overwhelmed and in a perpetual state of wonderment that we found each other. Photographs don’t make feelings like that happen – love does.

That being said…Stephanie Fay, if you’re reading this, I absolutely love your work. Any couple should feel lucky to have your eyes behind the camera on their big day.

Also, to Cortney and Scott…you guys rocked it out. Seriously.

[Photo Credit: All photos via Stephanie Fay]

Sara’s Etsy Finds: Part II

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday to you all. Today is like my Thursday; J and I are jetting off to Florida on Friday for a long weekend to celebrate our engagement – the trip is a gift from J’s brother, who is stationed in Kuwait with the Army National Guard. Big thanks for his service, and his generous gift to us! We’re very much looking forward to a mini-vacation.

Anyway, let’s get on with it:  a few more Etsy finds to talk about today!

Looking to cut down on your floral budget, but still offer elegant boutonnierres to the men helping out with your big day? Look no further than Stitton’s Little Shop on Etsy – as soon I as I saw this adorable yellow and grey boutonnierre, I fell in love! Priced at $20.00 per boutonnierre, it’s a bit of a steep price for my budget, but I love Stitton’s work for the inspiration and creativity the shop has to offer! Stitton’s shop also offers beautiful jewelry and whimsical bridal hair fascinators as well; stop by and take a look!

This next shop is all about the beauty found in thematic touches, and if you’re planning to incorporate the holidays into your big day, take a look at AprilHilerDesigns on Etsy. In honor of fall, April has a bunch of autumnal-themed florals posted for sale, in addition to a few rather morose Halloween designs. Check out this beautiful autumn boutonnierre, which is currently selling for $9.00 per bout!

I found SO many beauties in this next shop that I can’t even decide which ones to show you! WhichGoose‘s shop on Etsy is full of natural floral crowns and bridal hair fascinators with a rustic touch, and each item is more beautiful than the last! One of my favorites is to the left; it’s named “All is Well” and would be absolutely perfect for an outdoor wedding full of whimsy and rustic touches!

Here’s another one of my favorites, just because I can’t resist showcasing WhichGoose‘s shop. This one is called “At Last.” How could you not sing Etta James’ big hit while wearing this beauty? This is so unbeliveable that I can’t believe I’m even saying it…but this fascinator is only $25.00!! Can you believe it?!

Anyway, I think that’s about it for today! One more post tomorrow before J and I head off on our mini-vacay!

Sara’s Etsy Finds: Part I

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I once again find myself apologizing for not posting yesterday, but I wanted to give you all a chance to browse through my post on wedding gown shopping – I hope you all enjoyed reading it! As a reminder, if you would like to see photos/links of the dresses we DID like, email me and I’ll be sure to send them your way!

Today’s post is fun, because it’s full of Etsy goodness! As you may know, Etsy is an online shopping mall of homemade goods. Whether you’re looking for handmade gifts for friends or family, woodworking beauties or a ring bearer pillow for a wedding, Etsy is your one-stop shop! Plus, the best thing about Etsy is that many of the sellers on the site simply reuse fabric or craft goods to make new things, thereby decreasing the amount of waste that’s accrued each year! How’s that for eco-friendly!

Up first are Amanda Archer‘s lovely dresses. Made from natural fabrics and trims, Amanda’s creations are both eco-friendly and beautiful; check out this AMAZING printed number! Perfect for summer bridesmaid dresses! Her other dresses (including an adorable blueberry frock and a champagne silk dress) are just as lovely, and are reasonably priced!

Next up is an idea for gifts for bridesmaids or just for fun! Sakizome’s shop on Etsy is full of whimsical handmade bags that really cover the spectrum; from fruit-covered satchels to hydrangea clutches, Sakizome’s shop is your one-stop store for handmade purses!

Up next is a HUGE favorite of mine – RedLightStudio! Seriously, if you’ve never heard of this shop before, click over to their store and you will be WOWED by the whimsy of their wedding cake toppers! Since J and I plan to incorporate an aviary motif throughout our wedding, I can’t imagine putting anything but birds atop our wedding cake! The best part: the artists at RedLightStudio detail each set of birds by hand, according to your wedding colors and what you and your significant other look like/will be wearing!

This next shop is arguably my most favorite shop on Etsy – Y&E Bridal. I heard about this shop through Vintage Glam Weddings, and I have to say, as soon as I clicked over to see the beautiful work Y&E does, I know that I won’t go anywhere else for my garter or ring bearer pillow.

Looking for affordable handmade jewelry? Look no further than JLR Designs on Etsy. JLR Designs offers nearly 50 items that are all $20 and under – and it’s beautiful beaded jewelry that’s perfect for bridesmaids and even for the bride herself! Plus, 20% of every item sold goes to benefit the Arizona Humane Society!

There’s much more to come;
stop by tomorrow for more Etsy finds!

Wedding Dress Shopping – Day #1!

ATTENTION JORDAN: DO NOT READ THIS POST, OR A GRUMPY FIANCE (AND, ACCORDING TO TRADITION, BAD LUCK)
WILL BE BESTOWED UPON YOU!!
(Just kidding…but seriously, don’t look!)

Happy weekend, everyone! I’ve had a WONDERFUL day, so let’s just get right to the good stuff – wedding gown shopping!

This afternoon, my Mom, my Maid of Honor Kristen and I headed to Sioux Falls’ David’s Bridal location. While at the bridal show, we stopped by their booth and signed up for a bridal appointment, so I have been anxiously awaiting this weekend!

I don’t want this to sound badly, but I had entirely different expectations of David’s Bridal before I walked in the doors of the bridal salon today. While I expected to encounter pushy saleswomen and lackluster gowns, I was seriously mistaken: Nikki and Sheri, the two consultants who were helping me, were both LOVELY ladies who were willing to bring me every gown in the shop if I asked. They made my first experience of wedding gown shopping an afternoon of fun, and I am SO grateful to them for that!

While I didn’t purchase a gown today (I plan to purchase my gown from Happily Ever After, a bridal shop in the Beresford/Sioux City area), today proved educational in what shapes work for my body and which styles don’t. Plus, my time today at David’s Bridal also identified the various ways that “vintage-inspired” can translate into our wedding.

Here’s a few photographs of the rejected dresses (I’ve decided not to show you the dresses we really liked, just in case I find something very similar at the other shop, but see the end of this post for a round-about description of them!):

While I LOVED the back of dress #1 (the first dress I tried on!), the front left a lot to be desired, so it went back on the rack. Plus, it also hugged my body (it was a sheath), which I quickly figured out that was a cut I wasn’t crazy about.

Dress #2 was A LOT of fun (the entire skirt is ruffles!), but man, that dress was HEAVY. More importantly, it didn’t illustrate “vintage” to me, so it too made its return to the rack.

This dress was definitely made for a vamp from the 1930s, but not for me; the dropped, embellished waistline did absolutely nothing for me, and this dress was just more evidence of how difficult it can be to contain a bigger chest!

Now here’s a dress I actually liked (more than the gowns above this photo, anyway!). The bottom of the dress is done in accordion pleats, and the main reason this dress didn’t make the cut was due to the embellishment on the bodice; I discovered that I appreciate very little beading or creative stitching, so this dress, as beautiful as it was, made its return to the racks, too.

This dress was one of the final styles of the day; while the all-over lace WOWED me, I was not crazy with the pick-up skirt, which is absolutely surprising – I thought I would love the bustled look. However, this dress made me feel boxy, so it was pushed aside as well.

Dresses that didn’t even warrant a photograph:  two lace gowns that looked like nightgowns (Sorry – I can’t seem to find them on David’s Bridal‘s web site!), two more lace gowns that just weren’t my thing (pictured here and here), one satin gown that made me feel silly for some unexplainable reason (pictured here), and two halter gowns that just weren’t right (pictured here and here). All in all, we estimated that I tried on about 15 gowns today – it was quite an afternoon!

I can tell you this, dear readers, about the three dresses I loved today: they surprised me, but in a way, they also were exactly what I expected. Even before I thought about entering a bridal salon, I knew that “vintage-inspired” to me meant lace, and lots of it, and there was not one, but two lace gowns that I loved today. I also walked in the salon and walked out absolutely in love with the look of a birdcage veil; I felt so chic the very second the consultant placed it on my head.

But the dress that surprised me (and I mean REALLY surprised me) had not one swatch of lace on it. But that dress, which was all satin and gorgeous and made my waist look absolutely tiny, made me feel like a different version of “vintage-inspired” – it made me feel like an Old Hollywood actress attending the Oscars. Just add finger waves and an embellished clutch, and I looked like I stepped out of the 1930s. Readers, it was so refreshing that I found a dress I liked outside my label of “vintage-inspired,” but it also scared me a little. Because J and I have been planning a more casual affair, and this dress is all glam, I felt drawn to the dress, but scared of it at the same time.

Thanks for sticking with me throughout this long post – it was so much fun to write, and to relive the day! Hopefully I’ll make it to Beresford/Sioux City in a few weeks (I’m shooting for mid-October) to find the gown of my dreams!

P.S. If you really want to see the three gowns that made me feel gorgeous today, email me and I’ll send links your way!

[Photos courtesy of my lovely MOH, Kristen]

Sunshine Yellow Flowers!

Hi all,

Big news:  I think J and I have FINALLY settled on our color palette for our July wedding! We’re still in love with the combo of slate/silver grey and yellow, but we’re muting down the yellow a little (think maize) and also adding a muted grey-blue! J and I talked it through tonight, and we’re SO excited about our casual, elegant, rustic backyard vintage aviary wedding! (How’s that for description!)

Here’s a board I conjured up on Style Circle tonight; I just love the idea of creating continuity by keeping all of our floral decor in the yellow family. Plus, since I am most definitely DIY-ing our flowers (it can’t be that hard, right?!), I would love to know what you all think about yellow blossoms that are easy to work with and full of vitality and lasting life! I’m also going to try to use only seasonal flowers, to cut costs. I’m thinking of ordering the flowers wholesale from Sam’s Club here in town…thoughts, everyone?

APW’s Meg on Morning Weddings

Hi all – happy Wednesday!

Today on A Practical Wedding, Meg answered a question that I posed to her via email a few days ago. As you all know from an earlier post, I’m lobbying hard for a Saturday morning/mid-day wedding. Meg, a newlywed who was married on a Sunday morning in August, had wonderful advice to offer!

I felt that the cons that Meg offered (a very early, rushed wedding day morning) were absolutely right-on. That’s something I’ve wondered about, especially since J and I are open to taking photos with each other before the ceremony. If we were to have a morning ceremony, that would be nearly impossible. However, Meg also makes another wonderful point:  if you do decide to have the photographers click away before the ceremony, that means less time spent in formal (and boring) group shots – yes!

As I read through Meg’s list of the great things about morning weddings, I found myself nodding my head along with her the entire time. With the sunlight streaming through the windows of our reception venue, I feel like Vintage would resemble a dreamland, which is exactly how I want to feel on my wedding day: like I’m living in a dreamland. I also love the smells and sounds of morning – dew, birds chirping, wonderful stillness.

What Meg offered about drinking and dancing really struck me; if J and I lead the way, why wouldn’t our families and friends get up and dance with us? Furthermore, if we offer a mimosa bar or morning cocktails, why wouldn’t our guests follow suit and imbibe? I think that’s such an important point to make in the argument for a morning wedding, one that I may try to use!

While I love the idea of the freedom we’ll have after the wedding subsides, it also scares me a little. I’m one of those people who would ask, “What the heck are you going to do for the rest of the day?!” But, as some members of Team Practical commented on Meg’s post, you can choose to relax in the comfort of your hotel room and eat dinner with your new husband (like Meg did), or you can choose to don some fun duds and head out for pizza and beer with your best pals.

I also think it makes sense for J and I to do a morning/mid-day wedding because of the venue we’ve chosen. Because we’re having our reception at Vintage, which is housed on the grounds of the Ultimate Golf Academy in Sioux Falls, there’s SO much to do outside, and I would hate for darkness to arrive too early for our guests to take advantage of the driving range or the mini-golf course.

Plus, the best part for me:  brunch! I just LOVE breakfast foods like french toast and coffee cake, and I would love to eat comfort food at my wedding. Or, alternatively, if we had a later morning wedding, we could absolutely serve lunch (think finger sandwiches!).

What do you think, readers? Have you ever attended a morning wedding? If so, what was it like?

Inspiration Board on SMP!

Hi everyone!

I just had to run over here and write up a quick post:  the inspiration board I made earlier today has been featured on Style Me Pretty, the parent blog for the Style Circle!!

I am SO beyond honored to be showcased by this blog full of lovely, elegant wedding inspiration; many thanks to Abby and the SMP staff for featuring my board, and for all they do!

Old & New

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s a beautiful day here in Sioux Falls – perfect night to watch J play softball. I’m looking forward to it!

Here’s an inspiration board I created via Style Circle for you all; this one is directed mostly at J and his Dad, Steve, who will be collaborating to create our wedding invitation suite. Some invitation inspiration for you all today!

As you can see, I’m having a bit of split-personality disorder. While six of the invitations pictured above are very vintage (silhoutes, aviary motif), the “Jill & Matt met at work” invitation is still adorable. I already showcased this invitation in an earlier post, but it’s so innovative and cute!

If I had to describe the motifs that will (hopefully) be present in our wedding celebration next July, I would offer up aviary (a beautiful birdcage will hold our cards, and my mother’s birdhouse collection will be hung from the trees around our venue with ivory ribbon; I also love the idea of a birdie bride & groom adorning the top of our wedding cake!), silhouettes (I hope to incorporate our silhouettes into our thank-you notes, at the very least), rustic touches (think moss, pictures hanging from twine and clothespins around a tree, a wooden “Wedding” sign with an arrow pointing to our venue) and all-around casual elegance (wicker furniture placed in the courtyard of our venue, soy candles flickering in the sunlight, mini-golf and old movies). The best part about these motifs is that many of them are sustainable; by borrowing my mother’s birdhouse collection and her wicker furniture, we’re saving ourselves money and preventing excess waste! Furthermore, my former academic adviser (and all-around wonderful mentor) has an extensive film collection that I’m sure he’d let us dip into to provide a lovely round of movie-watching for our guests!

Maybe J and I can try to combine touches of all of these invites into one masterpiece; while I love the vintage embellishments and typeset, I also adore the modern twists of “Jill & Matt met at work.” I’m sure that’s how the theme of our wedding initally arose: “Something Old meets Something New.” With a mixture of tradition and indie/modern touches, I feel that our wedding will possess a casual elegance that I can’t wait to share with our guests.

We Set a Date!

Hi everyone!!

I hope your Monday went as quickly as mine did; man, putting together mailings at work sure passes the time!

I have very exciting news for all of you:  it’s official – J and I set a wedding date! We’ll be promising forever love and devotion on July 17, 2010. This date is so special for us, as it’s J’s parents’ wedding anniversary. Also, the month of July also has significant meaning for us:  both of our parents were married in July (mine on July 26).

While we had other dates in July in mind as back-ups, after further consideration of our priorities (and based on the availability of our chosen venues), we selected July 17.

We’re so excited to finally have a date set; now comes the not-so-fun part = putting down deposits on the church, the reception venue and the photographer! At the same time, however, J and I are ready to have an end goal in mind for the beginning of our married life together!

More Yellow & Grey!

Good Saturday morning, everyone! I’m up early this morning because Wyatt the dog licked my face until I took him outside…and then I couldn’t fall back asleep. So, instead of trying to sleep a little more, you all get a blog post out of me!

Yesterday, Snippet & Ink featured another yellow and grey wedding, this time the marriage of Jennifer and Floris. Their wedding is unbelievably inspirational in its DIY goodness – the groom even made a photobooth for their wedding! Check it out:

I love how the photobooth matches their color scheme and is so trendy and mod in its design. The best part: the groom made this amazing photobooth for $400 in materials!

J and I are in love with the idea of making a photobooth, and we hope that we too can make something enjoyable for a small amount of money.

See more details from this wedding here.

Happy weekend, everyone!