Still in Love with Yellow…
Written by Sara on September 11, 2009 – 11:52 am -Happy Friday, everyone!
After Wedding Chicks posted this wedding yesterday, I knew that my love affair with yellow wasn’t over:
Just look at this lovely bride with her maids all dressed in sunshine yellow; how beautiful do they all look! I also just LOVE the accents of grey – the wedding is all about class and casual elegance, and it definitely shows.
I’m really, really struggling with selecting a color choice; just a week or so ago, J and I decided on ivory, navy and green with metallic accents, and now I’m changing my mind?!
Look at the chic yellow and grey invitations that Wedding Chicks used to accompany the wedding:
I just love the way that the yellows and the greys interact. My favorite invitation is not an invitation at all, but the menu in the bottom right-hand corner. I love the graphic at the top (I’m a big fan of vintage-inspired bird graphics), and the slate grey background is so sleek and sophisticated. J and I plan to collaborate with J’s dad to make our invitations, while my father will take on the printing of them. I am very much looking forward to this part of the planning!
Here’s a few more thoughts, readers: if J and I did go with this color scheme, the gentlemen could don grey tuxes with yellow ties, and the ladies could either wear slate grey or sunshine yellow dresses. As a nod to my ladies, I would most likely put them in grey, so they would be sure to wear the dress again…but I would love for them to wear yellow high heels and carry yellow flowers! We could also incorporate grey table linens at the reception with vintage patterned napkins in yellow hues sitting atop the tables (making napkins for our guests is a DIY project I’m so excited about!). We could use yellow flowers throughout the space (roses, mums, daisies, etc.), and still use ivory, metallic gold and silver as accent colors.
The main question here is this: how will a yellow and grey color scheme coordinate with the terracotta walls of our preferred reception venue, Vintage?
What do you think about this color palette, readers?
I’d love to hear from you!
[All photos found via Wedding Chicks; Bridesmaid photo via Barebone Photography]
Tags: DIY, Vintage, Wedding Chicks
Posted in Decor, DIY, Flowers, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding | 1 Comment »
Confession: My Ideal Wedding
Written by Sara on September 10, 2009 – 12:59 pm -J and I have significantly different ideas about what kind of wedding we hope to have. While he wants to be married in the afternoon and proceed on to a fun-filled wedding reception full of food, mini-golf and dancing at Vintage, a reception venue we both love, I want the exact opposite: I want to be married in the morning, and I want to serve brunch at our wedding reception. I want to feel like I’m attending a fancy tea party.
Maybe it’s because I think breakfast food will be cheaper (which could be totally wrong), or maybe it’s because I don’t want our wedding guests singing Neil Diamond songs as they raise their 11th can of beer in the air…but the more I think about it, everything about having a “conventional” wedding reception just makes me want to elope, so we can avoid drunken speeches, wedding favors and the need to provide our guests with midnight snacks.
To offer a little clarification, my ideal wedding day involves the following:
- Morning wedding ceremony (of no more than 85 guests) in the Chapel of Reconciliation on the college campus of my alma mater, Augustana College, followed by a cocktail hour at an air-conditioned location where sunshine can stream through the windows [as of now, I can't stand the idea of getting married in July without air conditioning!].
- Brunch feast, including french toast, pancakes, waffles, omlettes, egg bakes, coffee cakes, finger sandwiches, fruit, muffins, a wedding cake bar, Mimosas, champagne, tea, coffee, juice, etc, with yard games and mini-golf to follow.
The problems with this scenario: When do we take pictures? Do we have a wedding dance? If so, will our guests feel strange dancing in the middle of the day? Will we? [J has already shared his concern over dancing in the daytime.]
The main problem: J is not a fan of this wedding day plan at all. While a small, intimate wedding shapes my ideal day, his wish list includes entertaining around 150 guests who enjoy themselves by dancing their hearts out until the wee morning hours.
I know that my disdain for conventional wedding receptions stems from my need to buck tradition in favor of saving money. Truthfully, as I receive more and more outrageous quotes from vendors, I feel extremely uncomfortable with spending large amounts of our money on one day in our lives. Luckily, J’s parents (my future in-laws) have offered to help us self-cater the wedding to cut costs, but given that receptions often amount to one half of a couple’s wedding budget, I can’t imagine spending such obscene amounts of money on one part of our day.
Furthermore, as an extremely light drinker myself, I have felt very opposed to consuming large amounts of alcohol at wedding receptions in the name of love and celebration, and I fear feeling uncomfortable at my own wedding reception if our guests chose to over-indulge. My assumption in this situation is that by having a morning event and by serving only champagne and Mimosas, widespread drunkenness can be avoided (for the most part.)
I have been tirelessly imagining ways to bridge the gap between J and my wedding ideas, but the only solution I came up with is to have an early afternoon wedding (2 p.m.) and then serve “brinner” (as Scrubs fans know to be brunch at dinner time). However, serving breakfast for dinner for a wedding reception sounds even more strange than a morning wedding.
I feel extremely excited about the prospect of having a bridal shower (tea party theme!), a bachelorette party (morning at the spa, anyone?), and a gift-opening event (the conventional approach to this one is brunch, which I love!). However, I’m not excited about the prospect of the wedding reception itself, mostly because I don’t see how to incorporate my love of a tea party’s simplicity and elegance into the evening.
Readers: do you have insight to share?
I would love to hear from you.
[Top photo: 100 Layer Cake; bottom two photos: Google]
Tags: 100 Layer Cake, Augustana College, Chapel of Reconciliation, mimosa, Neil Diamond, Scrubs
Posted in Budget Weddings, Cakes & Cuisine, Our Wedding | 3 Comments »
Marriage Don’ts?
Written by Sara on September 9, 2009 – 10:04 am -Hi everyone,
I really, really apologize for my lack in blog posting this time around; I realize that it’s been almost one whole week, and my only excuse is this: I spent my holiday weekend watching Season Six of One Tree Hill, cuddling with my dog Wyatt, and eating chocolate. Healthy, right!
Wyatt, peeking through the curtains
But today, I’m off work; my doggie Wyatt is sick with a fever and nausea; I sure hope he gets better soon!
Since I’m basically caring for my sick “child,” I don’t really have time for an all-out blog post today; in the meantime, head over to Meg’s blog at A Practical Wedding and check out her post entitled “Go to Bed Angry. Seriously.” It made me laugh this morning, because I’ve always been opposed to this very act.
Trust me. Even if you’re opposed to going to bed angry (and, like me, you stay up for three extra hours to “talk it out”), Meg’s uninhibited candor will make you giggle, and make you reevaluate your thoughts on the matter.
I promise: a real, live blog post tomorrow!
Tags: A Practical Wedding, Meg, One Tree Hill
Posted in Inspiration & Insight | Comments Off
The Color Dilemna
Written by Sara on September 3, 2009 – 8:45 am -Hi readers,
I’m back with more inspiration, yet I am still lacking a concrete decision.
This inspiration board from Adrienne on Style Circle caught my eye as I was browsing the Internet before work this morning:
I love how the navy and the green make for a sumptuous, almost refreshing look, and since I hope to have an ivory wedding gown, this board fits perfectly with my ideal wedding day. Add metallic silver and gold into this mix, and it’s so lovely for a European, rustic, vintage-inspired wedding.
However, I am STILL obsessed lately with yellow…readers, any ideas on how to incorporate my love for yellow into this color palette, or should I let go of yellow in favor of the rich hues of navy and green?
Images from Orchard Cove Photography, Q Weddings, Raya Carlisle Photography, http://www.stylemepretty.com/J, http://www.stylemepretty.com/h, http://www.stylemepretty.com/P, Lisa Lefkowitz
Tags: Style Circle
Posted in Decor, Fashion, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding, Weddings | 1 Comment »
Style Circle Inspiration
Written by Sara on September 2, 2009 – 11:49 am -It’s Wednesday, people! I can see the long holiday weekend approching!
I am STILL stuck on what our wedding colors should be; if you’re my maid of honor or my Mom, you definitely know this, but for the rest of you, here’s a brief inventory of the colors I’ve been tossing around this week:
1. Navy blue and candy pink
2. Mustard yellow and powder blue
3. Purple…everywhere
4. Coral, sunshine yellow and green
5. Muted blues, pinks, yellows, greens
And now, for today’s inspiration, found via Erica L. Hahn, an inspiration board artist on Style Circle:
Erica calls this “Coral & Sea Glass,” and she plans to incorporate these hues into her July 2010 wedding in California. How beautiful is this!
Here’s the quintessential question, everyone: our wedding will also be in July, and with our newly chosen venue, the day will have a European, vintage feel to it. The question is this: what colors, to you, illustrate a European, vintage theme? I’d LOVE to hear from you!
Images from Kristin Vining Photography, ak event design, Distinct Occasions, Jenna Walker Photographers, Oh How Charming!, Lisa Lefkowitz, Blush Floral Design, Orchard Cove Photography, Lisa Lefkowitz, Distinct Occasions, Q Weddings, Lisa Lefkowitz, Orchard Cove Photography
Tags: Erica L. Hahn, European wedding, Style Circle, Vintage wedding
Posted in Beauty & Polish, Decor, Fashion, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding, Weddings | Comments Off
Bridal Show = Success!
Written by Sara on September 1, 2009 – 11:36 am -Good Tuesday afternoon to everyone! I hope this note finds you all enjoying sunshine and warm-ish weather; today marks a big return of the South Dakota wind!
This weekend my Mom, my maid of honor and I attended the B2Bee Bridal Show held in Sioux Falls. It was my first bridal show experience, and I have to say – it was a HUGE success! First of all, the champagne was a-flowing; you can’t go wrong with a bunch of women and a champagne bar! Plus, I tried some of the most AMAZING cake balls (yes, they’re literally balls of cake) made by an event planner in Huron, SD.
As my Mom, Kristen and I waded through the crowds in the trade show event hall, we (literally) stumbled upon a booth whose sign advertised an event hall in Sioux Falls named ”Vintage.” After sharing surprised looks with my Mom and Kristen, I wandered into the booth and began talking to the owner of Vintage, Chad. After glancing at pictures of the event space and looking at a price sheet, I told Chad I’d call him the following day to set up a tour of the space.
J and I went out to the Ultimate Golf Academy, where Vintage is housed, yesterday afternoon, and needless to say, within ten minutes of stepping on the grounds, we were hooked. The European-inspired space boasted exposed faux brick with terracotta-colored walls done in Venetian plaster (I know that term from my childhood days spent watching “Trading Spaces“). The space, which can hold about 120 people, is in the process of expanding into a pavilion space, which will hold more than twice the number of people! Chad expects the addition to be complete in Spring 2010, and while that’s cutting it close for a July wedding, we immediately trusted Chad’s expertise.
Housed in a secluded wooded area, Vintage also has many amenities to offer within our budget: the beverage minimum for the full bar can include mini-golf and driving range passes, four “picnic” games (like bean bags and croquet), a sound system for music, and a big projecter screen (how fun would it be to play old movies on the screen throughout the night!!). I can already imagine how much fun our guests will have playing mini-golf, watching old movies, dancing and exploring the grounds. Plus, Vintage allows us to use our own caterer, which is EXACTLY what J and I were looking for! We really couldn’t ask for more from this space, and we already see that Chad is (and will continue to be) very flexible with us.
J and I left Chad with a few prospective wedding dates in mind (July 10, July 17 and July 30), and after we decide on a photographer and a church, we’ll reserve our date! It’s SO exciting to finally have solved such a huge piece of the puzzle in our wedding planning – we feel so fortunate to have found this space!
Tags: B2Bee Bridal Show, Trading Spaces, Ultimate Golf Academy, Vintage
Posted in Budget Weddings, Decor, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding, Venues, Weddings | 3 Comments »