Eco-Vintage Weddings

Joy: Our Wedding – List of Vendors

Written by Sara on May 18, 2011 – 2:31 pm -

{Click here to catch up on our wedding recaps:

Hair appointments; Picking up flowers; Getting ready; The Gown; Our First Look, Girls & Guys Attire, More Photos, Jitters and Communion, Ceremony Decor; Our DIY Ceremony Programs, Prayers, Readings and Music, Walking Down the Aisle, More Ceremony Shots, The Getaway Car, Reception Table Centerpieces, Wishing Tree & Photo Displays, Photos From Our DIY Photobooth!, Analysis of our iPod Wedding and Our Honeymoon}

I’m finally nearing the end of my wedding recaps, which is fitting, since Jordan and I have been married almost one year already! I can hardly believe that ten months have already passed by; what a blessing it is to have someone by my side each and every day. While our first year of marriage hasn’t been a walk in the park, this year (so far) has been full of blessings.

I wanted to share with you today a list of the vendors that we used throughout planning our wedding, so that any of you local SD brides will have all of these resources in one place! Also, stay tuned for a full list of Etsy vendors that we used – that’s the next post that I’ll write! Also coming up is a final list of the DIY projects that we completed for the wedding, so if you don’t see something listed below (i.e. the boutonnieres or my garters), don’t fret, because it was either purchased from Etsy or DIY!

Materials for Invitations:

Cards & Pockets (ordered online)

Sioux Falls Rubber Stamp, Sioux Falls, SD

Map of Sioux Falls – Wedding Invitations:

Designed by a friend of the bride

Printing:

Brown & Saenger, Sioux Falls, SD

Wedding Rings:

Sara’s Engagement Ring and Wedding Band: Riddle’s Jewelry, Sioux Falls, SD

Jordan’s Wedding Band: Helzberg Diamonds, Sioux Falls, SD

Photographers:

Creative Kindling, Brandon, SD

Florist:

The Flower Shop, Sioux Falls, SD

Sheet Cakes (Remember, we DIYed the Rice Krispie Cake):

HyVee on Sycamore Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD

Manzanita Branches – Wishing Tree:

Save-on-crafts.com (ordered online)

White Shutters – Photo Display:

Purchased from a seller at Benson’s Flea Market (Sioux Falls, SD)

Fabric – Wedding Napkins:

Hancock Fabrics, Sioux Falls, SD

Classic Car:

Borrowed for the day from a friend of the family

Hair and Nails on the Wedding Day:

Hair: Salon Ne-Zhoni, Sioux Falls, SD

Sara’s Manicure: VIP Nails, Sioux Falls, SD

Sara’s Pedicure: Radiance Day Spa, Sioux Falls, SD

Wedding Gown:

Purchased from Happily Ever After, Sioux City, IA (gown was by Alfred Angelo, and has since been discontinued)

Veil:

Purchased from French Door Bridal in Sioux Falls, SD (veil was by Signature Bridal)

Tuxedos:

Rented from Evelyn’s Floral and Formalware in Sioux Falls, SD, a business which has since closed its doors (the tuxedo was by Calvin Klein)

Groomsmen/Ushers Gifts:

Flasks – Brown & Saenger, Sioux Falls, SD

Socks – Express (ordered online)

Ceremony Helpers Gifts:

Wine purchased from HyVee Wine & Spirits, Louise Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD

Bridesmaids Dresses:

The Dessy Group, ordered online from www.bridesmaids.com

Ceremony Site:

Augustana College Chapel of Reconciliation, Sioux Falls, SD

Organist:

Kyle Quanbeck, Sioux Falls, SD

Vocalist:

Sister of the Groom

Catering, Reception Site:

Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, SD

Wedding Weekend Accommodations (Guests):

Holiday Inn City Centre (Downtown), Sioux Falls, SD

Wedding Night Accommodations (Jordan and Sara):

ClubHouse Hotel & Suites, Sioux Falls, SD

I also wanted to make sure that I made a list of places that I shopped for a variety of materials for all kinds of projects:

Hobby Lobby, Sioux Falls, SD

Michaels, Sioux Falls, SD

IKEA, Minneapolis, MN (votive candles)

I think that’s it! In terms of whether or not I would use these same vendors again if I were to do it all over again, the answer is a resounding yes. I was so pleased with all of our vendors, despite some last-minute stress from HyVee regarding our cakes. But, everything couldn’t have been more perfect, and we think back fondly on our wedding day and all of the vendors that made it happen for us. Cards & Pockets is a fabulous online resource for those of you who plan to DIY invitations in the future, and I couldn’t recommend the ladies at Happily Ever After in Sioux City, IA, any higher. The Flower Shop did an extraordinary job realizing my vision for the flowers, and the staff at the Augie Chapel and the Washington Pavilion couldn’t have been more helpful. Brown & Saenger also played a huge role in pulling off our wedding in terms of satisfying all of our printing needs, and our day wouldn’t have been chronicled in such a meaningful way without Creative Kindling. We couldn’t have been more blessed!

If you have any questions, please let me know!

[Photo by Creative Kindling]

Tags: Alfred Angelo, Augustana College, Benson's Flea Market, Brown & Saenger, Cards & Pockets, Chapel of Reconciliation, ClubHouse Hotel & Suites, Creative Kindling, Evelyn's Floral and Formalware, Express, French Door Bridal, Hancock Fabrics, Happily Ever After, Helzberg Diamonds, Hobby Lobby, Holiday Inn City Centre, HyVee, IA, IKEA, Michaels, Radiance Day Spa, Riddle's Jewelry, Salon Ne-Zhoni, Save-on-crafts.com, SD, Signature Bridal, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Rubber Stamp, The Dessy Group, The Flower Shop, VIP Nails, Washington Pavilion
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Budget Weddings, Cakes & Cuisine, Decor, DIY, Eco-Chic, Fashion, Flowers, Honeymoon, Inspiration & Insight, Music & Entertainment, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Stationery, Venues, Vintage Beauties, Wedding Recap | 1 Comment »

Showcase Wednesday: My First Gown Fitting!

Written by Sara on March 17, 2010 – 9:10 am -

This past weekend, I trekked south to Sioux City, IA, with my maid of honor Kristen, my Aunt Kathy, my Grandma Helen and my Mom for my first wedding gown fitting! I was SO excited to see my dress for the first time, and to share in the experience with my family members who came along for the ride.

As you recall, we purchased my wedding gown right before the Thanksgiving holiday, so it had been nearly five months since I had seen my wedding gown. We arrived at Happily Ever After, the bridal salon at which we purchased my gown, and I followed the alterations specialist, Amy, into a fitting room. There on a hanger, dear readers, was my wedding gown, wrapped in plastic for protection.

Truthfully, I was excited immediately, mostly because my dress looked significantly different than the sample gown I had tried on so many months ago. Without giving too much away, I ordered my dress with a few customizations that the sample dress didn’t have, which made me all the more anxious to see my gown.

Readers, the gown looked so, so perfect; it was even better than I envisioned. As I slipped out of my street clothes and pulled the dress on, I was beaming a huge, huge smile. I stepped out of the fitting room and found my relatives, and all of them were very excited to finally see the gown.

The alterations specialist began fiddling with the top of the gown (which needs to be taken in slightly) and making notes. Overall, the dress fit so well that very few alterations are needed; just a few tweaks to the overall cut of the dress, as well as a few slight design tweaks.

The actual fitting part of the appointment was over in about 15 minutes. The rest of the time was spent trying on a variety of veils. While I had always pictured myself in a birdcage veil, Kristen and I made a trip to a local bridal shop about one month ago that had me thinking of other options. While I won’t reveal exactly what type of veil I’ve chosen until after our wedding day, I will say that I absolutely LOVE it, and I feel that it will look AMAZING with my gown.

After I had decided what veil I wanted to go along with my gown, it was time to get back into my street clothes. Readers, I didn’t want to take the gown off! I loved how comfortable it was, and it made me feel so, so beautiful – I can’t wait to wear it on our wedding day, and I can’t wait for Jordan to see me in it!

Tags: alterations, Happily Ever After, Sioux City, wedding dress fitting
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Fashion, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding | 1 Comment »

Our Wedding: Wedding Shoes!

Written by Sara on February 25, 2010 – 9:00 am -

Good morning, readers! Exciting news: I was notified over the weekend that my beautiful Alfred Angelo gown has officially arrived at Happily Ever After, a bridal salon in Sioux City where I purchased my dress! I cannot WAIT to go try it on; I’m anxious to see it! It’s absolutely crazy to know that MY wedding dress is waiting for me … what a reality check – I cannot wait to be married!

But, my wedding dress has me thinking about another part of my wedding day attire … my shoes!

I am absolutely loving the trend that’s currently making brides everywhere swoon – colored shoes under your white/ivory gown!

Here’s a few examples, for you brides looking for a splash of color under your dress (all via Google images):

Aren’t those shoes absolutely adorable!?

Well, with my lovely fiance being just a tad shorter than me, I don’t think I’d feel comfortable standing like a skyscraper beside him in these sky-high heels. So, I’ve been looking for alternative options, including kitten heels, flats and gladiator-type sandals!

However, I came across these lovely Seychelles shoes last week, and my heart pitter-pattered … shoes in our color scheme? I never would’ve thought I’d be able to find shoes like this! But, since the heels on these cuties are 3.5 inches … it may be a better idea for me to purchase lower-height, peep-toe dyeable shoes from a local bridal salon and have them dyed yellow or grey. Hmm … so many options!

What style of shoes will you be wearing on your wedding day? What do you think of the colored shoes trend?

Tags: Alfred Angelo, Happily Ever After, peep-toe wedding shoes, wedding shoes
Posted in Beauty & Polish, Fashion, Our Wedding | 2 Comments »

Our Wedding: Big Purchases!

Written by Sara on December 1, 2009 – 1:03 pm -

Good Tuesday afternoon to you all! I apologize for the late posting, but today has been a crazy day at the office.

This past week has been quite significant in terms of our wedding. On Wednesday, my Mom and I drove to Sioux City to the Happily Ever After bridal salon to take advantage of a pre-Thanksgiving special they were running on bridal gowns. As I mentioned to you in a previous post, I had chosen my wedding gown many weeks ago and was simply waiting for the right time to purchase it.

Upon arriving in Sioux City, I decided to walk through the store again and look at the racks of gowns, just to make sure that I indeed wanted the dress I had dreamt about for the past few weeks. I selected four new dresses to try on, in addition to the Alfred Angelo gown I had originally fallen in love with a few weeks prior.

The first few gowns were sample dresses of styles that had been discontinued, and I am confident in telling you that all were hideous! The fourth dress, however, was BEAUTIFUL. It was a slimmer fit taffeta gown, more of a trumpet style, and it had some ribbon detailing around the bust. It was a very pretty dress, and I had a lot of fun trying it on. It looked PERFECT with the birdcage veil, and it made me feel very pretty. I was excited after I tried on this gown, but I still had my “first love” gown to go.

As soon as I zipped up my “first love” Alfred Angelo gown, I didn’t even have to see myself in the mirror – I knew I was wearing MY gown. While the “new” dress was beautiful in a classy, lighthearted, fun way, this gown has a sweetness, a rustic elegance to it that just couldn’t compare. I was BEAMING the second my Mom saw me again in the gown, and she said, “That’s your dress, it’s just so obvious.” We then chatted with the alterations specialist about bustling the gown, sizing, etc.

I am SO excited that we ordered my gown!

Another exciting development – J and I purchased our wedding bands on Black Friday! Mine is more of a channel set to showcase my solitare engagement ring, while J’s is made of cobalt metal (a new style!). We found some wonderfully competitive deals, and feel SO excited to have purchased our rings!

Have a great rest of your day!

Tags: Alfred Angelo, Happily Ever After, Sioux City, Thanksgiving
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Fashion, Our Wedding | 2 Comments »

Readers, This Gown’s The One!

Written by Sara on October 28, 2009 – 1:32 pm -

Photo Credit:  The Chicago Bridal Salon

Readers, I think I found my wedding gown.

Last weekend, I traveled to Sioux City, IA, with my Mom and Dad to a bridal salon called Happily Ever After. The morning began with me pinning blue clothespins on the gowns I wanted to try on. Jessica, the owner of the salon, was helping me with the gowns; she was wonderful! The salon’s seamstress also was a huge help.

I don’t remember many of the other gowns I tried on (I tried on about 10), but of all of the gowns I wore that day, I spent the majority of my three-hour-long appointment switching between two completely different gowns, both designed by Alfred Angelo.

The first Alfred Angelo gown is a classic gown full of elegance and grace. The portrait neckline (think V-neck) and the hug-the-shoulder straps were very flattering. The back of the gown is so gorgeous:

Photo Credit: Alfred Angelo Style #1148

While I love, love, LOVE how skinny this gown makes me feel, and how simple and elegant it is, I felt like this gown represents more of a refined vintage theme, an interpretation I’m not including in our wedding. I picture this gown being worn with a fur wrap, chandelier earrings and a feather fascinator. I picture the bride in this gown to have an art deco bridal ring set, to carry calla lilies, and to wear very expensive high-heeled shoes. I picture this bride’s husband-to-be wearing a tuxedo with tails and a bow tie.

Instead, my vision for the gown I’ve chosen is something entirely different. While the bridal gown above almost demands fur and feathers, the gown I’m choosing instead demands a rustic flower fascinator to be placed in the bride’s curly nest of hair. The gown I’m choosing will have the tiniest veil, if any at all, so as not to distract from the beauty and unexpectedness of the gown. The gown I’m choosing warrants a bride who wears simple but beautiful jewelry, each piece representing a great story or tradition. The gown I’m choosing demands a bouquet as inspired and unexpected as the gown itself. The gown I’m choosing is the perfect marriage of something old and something new, which I’ve taken on as the motto for our wedding theme.

The gown I’m choosing is like nothing I’ve ever seen before, yet it feels like something I’ve known my whole life.

As you can probably guess, I’m not planning to share the details of the wedding gown I’ve chosen. It’s Alfred Angelo, and it’s ivory, and that’s all I will tell you. My bridesmaids, my parents, and my future parents-in-law have seen photos of the gown, but outside of them, I’d love to keep my choice under wraps until the moment the chapel doors open on our wedding day. Maybe I’ll offer tiny peeks at parts of the gown throughout the rest of our wedding planning, or maybe I won’t. But I promise this:  the wait will be worthwhile, because this gown is what I’ve been searching for since I was a little girl who married Barbie and Ken for fun.

Tags: Alfred Angelo, Happily Ever After
Posted in Beauty & Polish, Fashion, Our Wedding | 2 Comments »

Latest Musings

Written by Sara on October 19, 2009 – 9:49 am -

Good Monday morning to you all!

First of all, I can’t even believe that this template is FREE for download, but click over here at Ruffled for a free printable notecard & envelope template; this is too gorgeous not to use! (Can anyone say invitations for a rehearsal dinner or a gift-opening brunch?!) Plus, the template is designed in our wedding colors!

J and I have been seriously fighting against the Wedding Industrial Complex (WIC) lately, and that has caused some pretty hefty friction in our relationship as well. I know that it’s “normal” for couples to bump heads while planning a wedding, but I think that I have really been sucked into the WIC lately.

While J and I stated at the beginning that we wanted our wedding to be cost-effective (i.e. we didn’t want to go into debt for one day in our lives), I realized that I’ve been operating under the assumption that “everything would work itself out” in terms of finances, and if a snapshot of our last week is any evidence of that (to summarize: life changes quickly), I realize that I am seriously wrong.

That being said, J and I haven’t spent one dime…yet. (Well, that’s not entirely true; I purchased 12 brooches (mostly gold) from an antique store in Lincoln, NE, this summer for a measly $30.o0 (a steal, really!)). So, in spirit of what J and I originally envisioned for our wedding day, today marks the day that I’m rethinking a lot of things.

First off, the guest list. While from the beginning I said that I wanted a small wedding, the guest list has sort of ballooned into a 150+ party, and J and I have serious issues about footing the bill to accommodate that many guests. While we love all of our family and friends, we desperately want to pare down the guest list and only invite those family members and friends who have watched us grow in love and who we couldn’t imagine being without on such an important day.

So, our new target number:  no more than 80 guests. I’m expecting the process of cutting down the list to be rather painful, but liberating at the same time.

Second, the venue:  I emailed my contact at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls this morning to gauge the availability (and pricing structure) of a smaller space within the museum. The Pavilion is full of beautiful, historical spaces, and I very much would like to take advantage of all they have to offer (staffed bar, indoor venue, free parking, etc). J and I also plan to get a quote for renting a tent that can accommodate 80 people, for price comparisons. Since my Dad’s company would be able to provide us with chairs and tables at minimal or no cost, we would certainly save funds there by not having to rent them from a third-party.

Third, the dress:  After many, many conversations about the importance of the dress to me, I hope that J is finally beginning to understand that for me, the wedding gown embodies all that I’ve been waiting my life for. I’ve never worn a garter (not even to Prom) intentionally because I wanted to save that for my wedding day. I’ve had two Prom dresses that were both found on clearance, and while these dresses were beautiful, I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life to have a gown that makes me feel like a princess. I am beginning to understand that spending ridiculous amounts of money on a gown I’ll wear once is very, very silly and rather selfish in the grand scheme of things, but at the same time, I’m recognizing that my desire to feel like a bride on my wedding day is valid and deserved. So, the quest for an affordable but beautiful vintage-inspired gown continues next weekend, as I head to Sioux City’s Happily Ever After salon with my Mom and…my Dad! I’m very excited that he’s coming along.

Last, pre-marital counseling:  Especially after this past week’s struggles, J and I are realizing the importance and utter necessity of pre-marital counseling. While we try very hard to communicate with each other in an open and clear manner, we are both very stubborn and passionate individuals, which makes coming to terms with a decision very difficult. We’re very anxious to begin this process, and plan to begin investigating what opportunities are available to us.

I hope that my renewed vision and focus on creating the wedding of our dreams on an affordable budget will prove fruitful in our discussions with our families and in my discussions with J.

Tags: Happily Ever After, Ruffled, Washington Pavilion, Wedding Industrial Complex
Posted in Budget Weddings, Downloads, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding | Comments Off

Wedding Dress Shopping – Day #1!

Written by Sara on September 19, 2009 – 6:47 pm -

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]

Tags: David's Bridal, Happily Ever After
Posted in Beauty & Polish, Fashion, Our Wedding, Vintage Beauties | 1 Comment »