it's about time

Being temporarily unemployed has allowed me to do the things that I was never able to do while working 4597 hours a week at the Nets. For example, I organize everything. There are never enough rubbermaid bins and baskets. I rarely have dirty clothes as laundry is always going and, let's be honest, dirtying a sock gives me something to do. A purpose. Thank goodness. I shop a lot. Window shop, unfortunately. It's a cruel thing that I now have the time to shop and try on clothes and look for bargains. Yes, I have the time, but no income. But I'm taking most advantage of the extra time in the kitchen. I go to the grocery store almost every day (pathetic, I know). I even have time to drive to the nicer grocery with lower prices even though it's much farther away. Pretty soon I'm going to spend my Sundays clipping coupons. It's like I'm a stay at home mom with no children. However, Matt has reaped the benefits. I cook dinner for him every night. New, fun, time consuming recipes. These meals often include dessert. If I don't get a job soon I fear we won't fit in our clothes. A few short weeks ago I dreamt of having the time to take a nap or drop off my dry cleaning. Now I dream of Williams-Sonoma cutting boards... Lord help me...

Professional Multi-Chopper

Over the Sink Cutting Board, with Colander

Cuisinart 11-Cup Food Processor


Emile Henry Artisan Rectangular Baker

Williams Sonoma

Have Your Cake

Of all the planning details, I thought my wedding cake was one detail I wouldn't be overly concerned with - and I was right. I want a plain, classy delicious cake, it was just that simple. But when I went to look at our reception space it was set up for another wedding the next day. There was a misplaced table in the front of the room and the caterer told me it was for the cake. This made me realize that I do not want a big 6ft table with only a cake and a few candles on it. I think I need more. I need a dessert bar. A dessert bar with the small cake in the middle. And the research begins...

Amy Atlas

halters

Angel Sanchez

Vineyard Collection

Vineyard Collection

boot crazy

It was 85 degrees here in Memphis yesterday. Hot. Hot hot. And all I can think about is boots. Winter boots. Flat boots. Heeled boots. Rain boots. Snow boots. You name it, I'm day-dreaming about it. I'm not allowing myself to make any frivolous purchases until I have a job (ugh). So while I want these:

It looks like I'm going to have to temporarily settle for these:

Top pair from Nordstrom
Bottom pair from Target

The Henry Clay

We decided on our reception venue a couple weeks ago, but I wanted to wait for the contract to be signed to post about it. I'm in love with the space. It was only the second space I saw and I knew it was perfect for us. It is located in an old building in downtown Louisville and has high ceilings and hardwood floors (two things I'd hoped for). Since we are going to be having a band, I also love the stage in the front. Below are some of my favorite shots of The Henry Clay.




The Henry Clay

Todd Pellowe Photography

summer sales

With summer over and fall coming fast, many of your favorite summer dresses are now on sale.

I think either of these two would be perfect for a bride to wear to her rehearsal dinner...

And yes, I know this one is a little short for the rehearsal dinner... I'm telling myself this model is TALL... :)

And isn't the dress below just screaming honeymoon?!?!?!? I've had my eye on this for a while and I love that you could pair it with a great pair of heels or some flat sandals for dinner on the beach...


All dresses by BCBG from Nordstrom

Coloring Books

Matt and I both have kids in our families that we adore and want them to enjoy the wedding as much as everyone else. Tara from In This Instance posted the cutest DIY Coloring Book from Blue Sky Designs (click here for the link to download). Below is the cover image... I'll post more soon as I start to create the books.



These are the printing instructions:

- Use cardstock for all pages (since we are printing front to back)
- Load one page at a time
- Once the first side of the page as printed turn it over and print the next side.

So easy and fun! I can't wait to make them for our wedding!

Table Numbers

While we obviously don't know the number of guests to expect at the reception, we do know that we'll need table numbers, just not how many. Just as the way the bride and groom exit the reception or ceremony can create personal touches without spending tons, table numbers can do the same. This is another area I'm looking forward being creative with. Below are some table numbers that inspired me.

The Menu Numbers

Etsy

Bottle Numbers


Martha Stewart Weddings

The Knot

Destination Weddings

back it up

Tara Keely


Priscilla of Boston


Oscar de la Renta


Alvina Valenta

Images from InStyle Weddings

wedding china

Confession: I have never looked at or even thought about Wedding China. It was always something that didn't spark my interest. But now that I have a little more time on my hands than normal, I have started to look around. We won't be doing anything registry related in the near future, but for those of you that are in the process, here are my faves so far.


Vera Wang Blue Duchesse


Vera Wang Gilded Leaf


Vera Wang Gilded Weave

All items found at Macy's

pretty shoes

Since our wedding inspiration is this we may not include a bold color and keep everything ivory and gold. The ladies in our bridal party will be wearing the black dress of their choice and everything else will be kept simple. If I do incorporate a color, it will likely be a blush/pale pink which will only be seen in the bouquets, cake and possibly the shoes.

I won't be wearing white or ivory shoes and a muted gold seemed to be a perfect fit. The shoes below have honestly inspired me to incorporate pink. They might just win me over. And as anyone who knows me can vouch, the higher the heel the better.


Neiman Marcus

messes of tresses

While I haven't even begun to think about my dress, I have thought about my headwear and shoes. I am not sure that I'm much of a veil girl. I love the way veil's look on other brides, but I'm not sure it's "me." I know what kind of dress I get will be the main factor in what looks good on top, but if the veil fails, below are my favorite options.



And if you remember this post, you know that I LOVE it when brides wear headbands.

Images from InStyle Weddings

blurb blurb blurb

So I'm finally getting settled in here in Memphis! It was a busy weekend with the move and lots of decisions being made.

***We also figured out the date, venue and church - more on that to come!

Right now I want to bring Blurb to everyone's attention. I heard about Blurb a few months ago and only recently began researching in detail. Blurb provides gorgeous wedding albums that look more like coffee table books than photo albums. They provide you with the template, you put it together, they print it. I think the possibilities of what you could use Blurb for in your wedding planning are endless - you could provide your bridesmaids or guests with a cookbook... your fiance with a book tracking your relationship... or, my favorite (and we met in a bar's favorite), the guestbook.

See below for how Jesse and Deanna (and no, not THAT Jesse and Deanna) told their story in their Blurb guestbook...






And just like that, your guestbook becomes something guests will enjoy while signing and you will enjoy forever.

Images from Snippet and Ink and Jesse and Deanna

exit style

While most the emphasis at a wedding is the couple's entrance into the ceremony and the reception - don't forget about your exit. The standard tradition of rice being tossed dates back to Ancient Rome. Tossing items at a newlywed couple was originally to symbolize good luck, fertility and abundance.

This can take place at the end of the ceremony or the end of the reception, depending on what works best for your wedding plans. Rice is not used very often because it can be harmful to birds, and people have gotten much more creative with weddings in general. Rose petals can make for a great visual and can be swept up easily. Confetti in white or any color can be fun as well. I recommend large confetti for photo purposes and to make sure you're not finding pieces in your hair days after the wedding. Distributing small bottles of bubbles can be fun, especially for any kids in attendance. I've attended several weddings where the guests create an aisle holding sparklers and it never seems to get old. Regardless of how traditional or non-traditional, high budget or low budget, this is one area of your wedding where it is easy to make it yours.

We haven't worked out details yet, but I would love for Matt and I have guests toss dried corn. Matt's dad is a farmer and I think it would be so personal and unexpected.

Sparkle

Beau Coup

save.the.date

Between moving and interviewing, I hope to also secure the church and find a reception venue in the next few weeks. I also have Save the Dates on the brain. I have quite a while to send them out, but since I'm determined to be a DIY bride, I want to start working on the creative.

Matt and I both love the idea of our Save the Dates being a map tracking both of our journeys to NJ. I started out in Indiana, then to Ohio, New York, and finally New Jersey to meet Matt. Matt went from Illinois to Texas and then to New Jersey. And now we're off to Memphis together while the wedding will take place in Louisville, KY. Whew.

I love the look of Laura Hooper's maps, but will need to figure out how to do something similar with the whole US...

indianapolis wedding

My favorite Louisville photographer Todd Pellowe feautured a beautiful wedding that recently took place at the stunning Laurel Hall in Indianapolis, IN.

I love the look of the bride in this first shot - so calm, with Mimosa in hand..

Beautiful outdoor reception venue...


And finally, the always romantic first dance...

big apple goodbyes

After a wonderful weekend in Memphis, I'm back to my last few days of fun as an East Coaster. Between packing my apartment, finishing up with work (my last day is Thursday), and trying to bid farewell to New York, I'm going to be busy. I'm moving down this weekend and am so excited to get to Memphis but I've been here over 3 years, so it will be weird being so far away from NYC...

I'll miss you, Manhattan...

Shhh...

Off to Memphis for the weekend... wish me luck in my battle against Hanna... she's closing in on the Carolinas and my flight stops in Charlotte. It will be my first time visiting Memphis and I am going to sign an apartment lease and meet with a potential employer. I'm excited to see Memphis, Matt and his brother Jimmy and his family.

Matt and I have known since before we were engaged that our wedding party would include his niece Annie, and two nephews, Max and Jake. We adore the kids and have always been so excited about them being a part of everything. I already have a job for Annie and I always assumed the boys could be ring bearers... Until I saw this picture on my new favorite blog We Met in a Bar...

My Wedding Labels

My friend Mimi that works in IT at the Nets, and is maybe the most creative person I know, gave me some tips today on wedding sites. My favorite being My Wedding Labels. They are cute, classy and you change and alter the color, text, etc. There are so many things they could be used for - our BBQ Sauce favors, wine bottles, coasters, envelopes - even beer! What a great way to provide consistency and make things personal...

wish list

I noticed this weekend while in conversations about the wedding that I continue to say, "oh, I think I can print everything, including invitations, myself." I'm delusional, I know. However, the first step to attempting this, will be to purchase a Gocco. I'm obsessed. I don't even have one yet and can't stop researching all of the design and printing possibilities.

Flickr provided me with some amazing examples of everything that the Gocco can do... now the question is just whether or not I can do it...

Flickr users Yujai, Manthatcooks, Virginia, Heatherjeany