Eco-Vintage Weddings

Green Friday: Farmers Market Florals!

Happy Friday, readers! Last week I posted this inspiration board that I plan to bring to florists around Sioux Falls to serve as fodder for discussion on my dream wedding bouquet. As I mentioned at the end of this post, making this inspiration board got me thinking about flowers for my girls.

Each time I go to Hobby Lobby or Michaels, I find myself staring at each store’s selection of silk flowers … and feeling disappointed. I know that there are lovely, lovely silk flowers available to budget-conscious brides, but either I can’t seem to find these flowers in yellow, or I’m feeling sad that even the loveliest of silk flowers will never compare to the real thing.

So … I’m determined to find real floral alternatives for my girls! After a little digging online, I happened to find a vendor listing for the Sioux Falls Farmers Market. I hastily wrote a few emails to flower vendors who had contact information available online, and I quickly heard back from Seedtime & Harvest, located in Hull, IA.

I heard from Seedtime & Harvest staffer Alissa on the possibility of me (and my girls, or my Mom) making a trip to Hull, IA, a few days prior to the wedding to purchase flowers from them to utilize for my girls’ bouquets. Great news:  not only are they willing to let us visit them on their farm to pick our flowers ourselves, they have MANY varieties of yellow flowers to accommodate us! The best part? Seedtime & Harvest’s flowers are certified organic, which fits in perfectly with our commitment to being as eco-friendly as possible!

[Photo: Taken by me of flowers purchased at the Minneapolis Farmers Market in the summer of 2008]

Our Wedding: DIY Progress Update

Remember my never-ending list of DIY projects? With just over four months to go until our wedding day, I figured that it was time to streamline my DIY projects list, leaving only the projects that A) really contribute to my overall vision for our wedding (eco-friendly, vintage-inspired, nature-inspired, rustic motif, aviary motif) and B) are relatively easy to complete.

After editing our list (bye-bye paper pom-pom vines & bunting galore), here’s the projects that Jordan and I have since tackled:

- Save the Date cards. Designed, printed, compiled and mailed!
- Designed and printed Cootie Catcher favors featuring trivia about Jordan and I, each of which will be placed at each place setting at the reception.
- Ordered two custom stamps, one from a local stampmaker (a stamp for our wishing tree cards; woo for investing in our local economy and small business!) and one from an artist on Etsy (featuring our address).
- Wedding invitations. Designed once, hated it, designed again, LOVE IT! Now all we need to do is pick a time for the festivities to begin…
- Wedding RSVP cards = DONE! I can’t wait to show you all a sneak peek after they’re mailed in May!
- “In Memory” candles – PURCHASED! I happened to stumble upon candles made from palm oil (read: more eco-friendly than paraffin candles). These candles will be placed on a silver charger plate on the altar, and will be lit in memory of our families.
- Cake topper = PURCHASED! After drooling over many options on Etsy, I found the perfect cake topper at Hobby Lobby for the perfect price: $5.00 total!
- Negotiated a price for customized shoes from an Etsy seller; can’t wait to continue with this process!
- Designed thank-you notes to send from us as a married couple post-wedding! They’re very simple, but I just love the vintage touches we added. I’ll be showcasing these soon!
- Fabric for napkins = PURCHASED! I can’t wait to help my Mom with this project, and learn some sewing skills!

Up next: crafting my throw-away garter, finishing up little surprises for my girls, signage, bout’s for my guy’s buddies and other wedding helpers, and crafting photobooth tickets, our ceremony programs and rehearsal dinner invitations!

What projects are you crafting for your wedding?

Showcase Wednesday: Guest Post – Wedding Party Shake-up!

Hello readers! I’ve asked my dear friend Luke (film blogger extraordinaire) to write a post about his upcoming nuptials, and how uniformity within a wedding party is seriously overrated. Enjoy!

Luke here from Journalistic Skepticism. The lovely Sara asked me to write a little bit about my own tumultuous wedding planning experience. But I exaggerate – it’s actually been a relatively eye-opening learning experience. And before you become too confuddled, let me clear things up – yes, it is possible for a male to plan a wedding.  (Well, just barely at least.)

We’ve set a date for August 14, 2010 (based almost entirely on the economic sensibility of a late-summer wedding), and it will take place in Minneapolis, so hopefully the snow will have disappeared by then.  Though we’re currently living in Sioux Falls and plan to move out to the East Coast in June, we chose a location like Minneapolis to centralize our guests, who range from mostly Midwesterners to some out-of-staters.  Though neither of us are originally from Minneapolis, it’s a major city with more options in terms of site choices, and it’s a familiar, easy-to-get-to locale for our guests in neighboring states.

For our wedding my fiancé and I found ourselves in a predicament.  Though we were ready to name several people to be a part of our wedding party, when it came to traditionalism we faced a problem – our subset of friends included far more females than males.  In fact, our final tally of attendants includes two men and – count ‘em – 10 women.  When choosing our party, we opted for a mix of mostly college friends, siblings, and high school friends.  And with such a large core wedding party, it became easy to bestow some of the other ceremony functions on others, though we haven’t entirely filled every other role.  One of our as-yet-undecided bits is whether or not to have ushers.  Our ceremony count is around 100, so I ask you: are ushers really necessary?

But I digress. In lieu of the boy-girl pairs of the typical wedding, we opted for mix-and-match gender aisle-walking companions.  This shake-up also involved coining some new terms for our crew – groomsmaids and best women, since our best men ended up being some lady friends of ours.  And in order to break up the uniformity of having the many groomsmaids dressing identically, we opted for a single color scheme with three different dress options, a feature that I know many of the wedding party members greatly appreciated.  Because, let’s face it – everyone is built differently, so not every design is going to be suitable.  So to come to terms with the fact that these ladies were buying the dresses for keeps, why not opt for something they actually enjoy?

Our chosen groomsmaid attire

When planning a wedding, perhaps seamless traditionalism is your number-one concern.  But for the sake of picking the best possible wedding party, there’s something to be said for being a little gender-blind and breaking just a couple rules.

A big thank you to Luke for shedding some insight on how to beautifully break down the Wedding Industrial Complex’s so-called “rules.” I can’t wait to see the fruits of your efforts, Luke!

[Image credit: David's Bridal]

Our Wedding: Wedding Shoes – Part II!

Remember my lamentations about wedding shoes? Well, I think I’ve found a swoon-worthy alternative for trendy sky-high shoes:  Etsy seller OxfordHeaven!

OxfordHeaven crafts fun refashioned & vintage shoes & accessories for your closet. From Rachael, the brains behind OxfordHeaven:  I always think it is unfair that little girls have amazingly fun little shoes, so grown-up girls need something pretty in their lives, too.

I’ve already requested my custom pair of shoes – low heels/wedges in a sunshine yellow color! I can’t wait to work with Rachael on customizing my wedding shoes.

Check out more delightful beauties on OxfordHeaven’s Flickr page!

[All photos courtesy of OxfordHeaven on Etsy]

Guest Post Monday: Music & My Sweetheart

Hello readers! Last week, my sweetie emailed me this story, and I just had to share it with you. Enjoy!

Jordan here. For my second guest post, I’m going to talk about music. I love music, Sara enjoys music, and music is pretty powerful. I got the idea for this post when I was listening to the radio in my car on the way to work. A song came on, and it instantly made me think of when Sara and I were first dating.

My reaction to this song was a mixture of confusion and humor. I was confused because I did not know why, of all the songs Sara and I listened to together, this one sparked memories.

The song was “Ridin’” by Chamillionaire. The song was new and popular when we both started working at Wells Fargo (where we met). Sara expressed to me that she really liked the song, which was probably a good thing, because if I had learned about her Backstreet Boys (BACKSTREETS BACK ALRIGHT!) obsession I probably would have developed a poor judgment of her. No disrespect to the BSBs (I WAAAANNNTT IT, THAAATT WAYYYY).

Anyway, the trip down memory lane is where I’m going with all of this. My memory flashbacks started with recalling when Sara would beg me to call in sick to work, so that we could hang out. She was a poor influence on me (in fact, she had me skip work or school to be with her, but never did the same for me…she was always more studious than me). Anyway, I picked her up at her school after calling in sick to work, and she got into my Jeep Wrangler and enjoyed the ride. Which, mind you, was probably not the safest ride ever, but she enjoyed it (she obviously fooled me, because if I don’t drive like a grandpa now she gets after me…)

The trip down memory lane then scrolled through moments of flirtation at Wells Fargo, and then quickly skipped along to the time a friend and I called her at 3 AM after a day of fun at the University of South Dakota (that probably deserves its own post). But, this memory montage ended with one of things I love most about Sara. Around me, she has never been afraid to just be goofy, so while listening to the song in my car on that morning, I could imagine her in the passenger seat dancing to the song.

Sara dancing in the car is quite the sight. She’s bouncing around with rhythm, throwing her hands all over the place, with a rotation of facial expressions, all without stopping before she prods me on to join her (which typically, I do). It was surprising and wonderful how one song brought back several good memories and reminded me about one of the best things about Sara, which is that she can be herself around me … and I love her goofy nature.

Green Friday: Eco-Friendly Shoes!

While searching Etsy for shoes to wear for our wedding, I came across Hydra Heart, which offers handmade vegan eco-friendly shoes for brides and consumers alike! These shoes are intended for both indoor and outdoor use, and are 100% vegan and organic.

Hydra Heart uses exclusive original designs taken from hand-drafted patterns. From redefined Mary Janes to custom bridal flats, Hydra Heart has something for everyone!

Check out Hydra Heart on Etsy here.

Our Wedding: Bouquet Inspiration!

I’ve started to focus a little more on wedding flowers within the past week, and I’ve decided that I would like to use real flowers for my bouquet. After making this inspiration board (below), I’m even more excited about my bouquet!

Aren’t these flowers beautiful?! But with no flower market in sight here in Sioux Falls (apart from the farmer’s market, where we might try to get flowers for my bridesmaids), I think it might be best if I bring this inspiration board to a local florist to explain what I’m looking for in my bouquet. Maybe it will be possible for us to pick up loose flowers a day or so before our wedding, and for me and my mother to try to arrange them ourselves?

I am looking forward to starting this process!

[Inspiration board made via Style Me Pretty's Style Circle]

Showcase Wednesday: Wedding & Love Advice from my Mom!

Happy Wednesday, readers! Two weeks ago, my parents unearthed from storage their wedding photos from 30 years ago (!!). While I’ve seen these photos a few times in my life before recently, this was the first time I saw these photos since embarking on my own wedding planning.

My mother looked beautiful in her long organza gown, complete with a full circle skirt and a stand-up split neckline. The whole gown was trimmed with Chantilly lace. The dress was only the second gown that she tried on! Instead of a veil, my mother wore instead a lace-embellished hat with a wide brim. My father wore a white tuxedo – he looked sharp (and he looked SO MUCH like my brother!).

Along with the wedding pictures was a memory book that my mother kept while planning their wedding. Covering everything from bridal showers to their first home, each page is bursting with memories. I had never seen this book until recently, so it was such a treat for me to read through and imagine how excited my parents must have been to marry each other.

While the memory book is full of gift lists and guest book signatures, I took away a few life lessons that I thought I’d share with all of you:

-          Remember that the wedding is only one day in your lives, and act accordingly. My parents were high school sweethearts that married at 19 and 21 years old, so they had a modest wedding. My mother found her wedding dress at a local department store, and she split the cost of it with her father, my grandfather. My father, who was leaving for basic training for the Army, proposed to my mother with a diamond less than one month before he left. Throughout the memory book, I could feel my mother’s excitement – “Went to the church around 5:00 p.m. to get dressed. Forgot everything – my tote bag and my clothes for the next day! Where was my mind?!” Just before the wedding, my mother wrote this: “Time for the wedding; pretty soon my dream would come true!!” My parents served their guests cake, roast buns, mints, nuts, coffee and punch. Instead of embarking on a honeymoon cruise or a week-long vacation to Mexico, my parents moved to Colorado, where my father was stationed with the Army.

In reading her memory book, my mother has reminded me time and time again that all that matters is that Jordan and I end up married at the end of the day. The details of the day (like the wedding dress, the food, and the decorations) are literally just icing on the cake.

-          The wedding day may feel like living a dream, but day-to-day marriage is real life. One of my favorite parts of this memory book is the space where my mother wrote a letter to my father. While she admits that she should have written this letter shortly after their wedding, my mother instead wrote it two weeks before their 4^th wedding anniversary. In her letter, my mother talked about moving to Colorado and what an adventure their first year of marriage was (“the first year was so terrific – but more of a dream than reality”). My mother then talked about how difficult the second and third years of their marriage were, since my father was stationed in Germany during that time. My mother wrote, “We lived through it – and the meaning of trust and faithfulness took on a new light for us.”

Reading these words, and hearing my father tell stories of his life in Germany and my mother’s memories of her life in Colorado, only further illustrates the struggles that come along with marriage. But instead of lamenting that life wasn’t like their wedding day, my mother wrote about how their struggles made their marriage stronger. I can only hope that when I think back to the struggles that Jordan and I will encounter in our marriage that I have that outlook five, ten, twenty years from now.

Happy Wednesday!

Our Wedding: Review – Revlon Photo Ready Make-Up

I’m always on the lookout for make-up that does its job: covers imperfections. So, when I read in Glamour Magazine about a new foundation hitting stores early in 2010, I was anxious to try it.

I was running errands at Target last week, and I decided to walk through the make-up aisles. In the name of consumer research for this blog, I purchased Revlon’s new Photo Ready line of foundation and translucent powder.

Sadly, I’m rather disappointed with these products, and here’s why:

Revlon Photo Ready Foundation

-          The foundation lacks a moisturizing component, making for a cakey-looking application. Despite the fact that I apply Neutrogena’s SPF facial moisturizer every day before applying foundation, Revlon’s new line left my face feeling unfinished.

-          Revlon’s Photo Ready foundation provides a lackluster amount of coverage. As compared to the Cover Girl foundation that I was using prior to this experiment, Revlon’s coverage doesn’t even come close to that of Cover Girl (and the Revlon foundation costs three times as much!). During the summer, I’ve also used Clinique’s tinted moisturizer foundation line, and even that line covers more than Revlon’s new foundation.

-          Revlon’s Photo Ready foundation is difficult to apply using anything but your fingers. While Carmindy of “What Not to Wear” fame often says that our fingers are our best tools, the only way to cover my face adequately is to use a foam applicator, not my hands. The Cover Girl foundation that I was using before purchasing this Revlon foundation is easy to apply with a foam applicator, and provides a much more even application than Revlon.

Revlon Photo Ready Translucent Powder

-          Compared to Revlon’s Photo Ready foundation, I was more satisfied with the Photo Ready Translucent Powder. However, I was still left with an unfinished-looking face, even after applying the Photo Ready Translucent Powder.

-          The Photo Ready Translucent Powder only added to the cakey-looking appearance of my face after application. The lack of adequate coverage that I experienced after applying the Revlon Photo Ready foundation was amplified after I applied the powder, leaving my face looking completely unmoisturized and uneven.

-          One positive attribute of the Revlon Photo Ready Translucent Powder was the sheen and reflective nature of the powder. Because of the powder’s use of subtle glitter/sparkle pellets embedded in the powder, my skin tended to look awake and full of light when encountering both lighter and darker shades of light. However, the cakey appearance of the foundation underneath the powder seriously inhibited the efforts of the translucent powder to make my face look “photo ready.”

Overall, I would give Revlon’s new make-up line a C+. While I feel that the Revlon Photo Ready Translucent Powder can be a valuable tool in making for an airbrushed look, the foundation is a joke of a base coat, therefore preventing the powder from being effective at all.

Happy Tuesday!

[Photo: Courtesy of Ulta.com]

Progress Report: 101 in 1001 Goals Project

[To read more about my goals, click here.]

I’m about one month into my 101 in 1001 goals project, so I thought I’d share my progress with my readers!

Goals Completed: 1

Financial

-          Designate and use a jar to hold my loose change.

Goals in Progress: 2

Relationships

-          Spend time with or talk on the phone with my Grandma at least one time per month.

Bucket List

-          Try at least one new wine per month for one year. [This month I tried Black Swan – very yummy!]

I think that’s a pretty successful start to my 101 in 1001 goals project!

Here are the goals I want to begin and/or complete in March:

Relationships

-          Write and mail at least ten handwritten letters. [I plan to mail one letter in March.]

-          Send a care package to one of my dear friends at school.

-          Talk with Jordan about changing my name, about his feelings regarding divorce, and about his feelings regarding adoption.

Necessities

-          Write down and store end-of-life wishes.

-          Get an eye exam & glasses.

Physical Changes

-          Keep a food journal every day for one month.

I’m very excited about this project, and I love feeling like I’m making progress toward achieving these goals!

How are YOU keeping your goals?

Have a great Monday!