Saturday, November 21, 2009

Oh My God, Shoes.



Work has been kicking my butt lately! However, in the little down time I have had, I started looking into accessories for the big day. I have been going back and forth on some of the items, but I successfully ordered my hair piece and earrings from  Etsy (big surprise, huh?) I won't show the hair piece, but I can't help but to share the earrings!


I got them in the mail today and they are even more beautiful and sparkily up close!

So, in my quest to find the ulitmate pair of shoes, I have hit a bit of a wall. Wedding shoes are expensive! I have known it to be true since I started the planning of our wedding that the wedding industry will gouge you for you last penny, all for the sake of that "perfect day." Ugh...lessons have already been learned that there is no such thing as perfect, and there is certainly nothing perfect about white shoes with a $200 price tag!
Now, I'm not saying I haven't had my temptations. One of my more high fashion bridesmaids pointed me to a website that sold Christian Loubitins for discounted prices.


When I say discounted, I mean they cost $300, instead of their $800 original price tag. Don't get me wrong, they are beautiful shoes, but a little too much to ask my mother to purchase. After I got out of la la land, I started looking at shoes more within my range.
I found a pair in a local store, which are actually on sale at Nordstroms right now:

I tried them on and they are as comfortable as a sling back 3inch hell can be, but I don't know...
Another route I was thinking of going was a shoe in a non-traditional color. I want to find a pair that I will wear again. Most "bridal" shoes are satin and too white to match normal day-to-day clothes. I spotted a few girls on a website that I frequent, Once Wed.







I had been thinking of flats, but due to the style of my dress, I'm not sure if they are very appropriate. I guess it is ultimately my decision, though. Even though they bear the name of that which shall not be named (Vera...), I am very intrigued by this shoe. Of course, it is over priced, but I would love to find one that is similar.



Well, gotta work on a Saturday. Boooo.
Love you all for reading!


Saturday, November 14, 2009

Hills and Valleys

It has definitely been a week of ups and downs. As to not put much more negative energy toward the situation, I will just say that Thursday was a low point, while today has turned out to be a surprisingly great day!
We started by waking up and helping some friends move into their new house! It is very exciting because they are so deserving of their own space. It is a house in need of some TLC, but a great start for them. We got home from that and had a package waiting at our door, Save The Dates! Yaaaayyyy! They are so great and i will post one after they are sent, but our new found friends from Etsy really came through on their product.
I wanted to immediately do some stamping/mailing, but we crashed for a 3 hour nap soon after we opened the package. After we awoke, we decided to head out to a coffee shop for some internets and lattes. We opened to door to find yet another package! Our wedding cake topper! It came so quickly and it is the ideal size and has great details.
Again, I can't praise the site Etsy enough for having such great access to handmade/vintage items, without the vendor dealing with overhead and the buyer having to pay ridiculous prices.  I have been using the site for the wedding, but there are so many other things to find on the site. Here are a few of the items that I think are pretty cool.


A ring made out of watch parts.



You can find any kind of wall decal you could ever imagine.


I lurve little french bulldogs! This tote is only $10. Also, the glass bowl is a handmade piece that is so intricate and beautiful.


We actually have a set of bowls that match these cups. A local company used to carry them from the artist that makes them, but has stopped recently. Luckily, I can still buy them on Etsy!


You can even go so far as buying a car on this site. It's kind of like the artistic version of Ebay.


There is one vendor in particular called TimelessVixenVintage that has all of these amazing party dresses . They remind me of my gradma's old dresses that I used to play dress up in. Unfortunately, I outgrew them at the age of 10.

This one is super poofy, but still pretty cute. I think it would be nice to have one of these dresses as a rehearsal dinner dress, considering we got such a great deal on the wedding dress. Just saying...hint, hint!

Jonathan has suggested we register on Etsy, but I'm going to look into that and see if it's a possibility.

Anyone know of other sites similar that they would like to share?



Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Impulse Lunch-break buy of the day!

I have been looking into cake toppers on and off, but unfortunately, most of the bicycle themed ones that I have found have been upwards of $100! Yikes! I would never feel good about paying that much for something so useless!

Fortunately, I did come across this, and bought it right away. Etsy came through for me again! I might end up painting it a different color, but that is TBD.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The lighter side of things

One of the main reasons I started this blog was to share constructive ideas about my wedding planning. While I have found many sites dedicated to the same intention, there are some that take weddings and add a dash of comedy with a whole lot of crazy. These are the sites that make me feel a little less insane when I find myself in dyer distress about color options for table settings. Maris, my MOH, introduced me to a particularly special one today, called wedinator.com .

Here are a few highlights from this site:

You have the slutty...


Yes, that is painted on attire. I get that they were trying to get the "mermaid" affect for the girl in the middle, but it just reminds me of those slutty disco cage girls that you see in those over-priced guido bars (SEE BELOW).



Nothing says "I love you" like walking down the aisle on all fours with only a crystal encrusted leash on.


Of course, when I think of the sacrament and purity of marriage, it makes me want to hold on to a phallic symbol and show the world my goodies, too!

Then there are the "hobby" weddings...


I can honestly say that I know a few girls back in Texas that wish they had thought of this for bridal portraits.


Starting your new life in your fantasy "fairy and elves" wedding attire is the ultimate in LARPing. (Please don't ask me how I know that acronym, google it if you don't).


Then, there is just pure class:


I can honestly say this is creativity at it's finest. I would always walk by those mall vendors and think nothing of what they could do for my special day.



There are no words.


As my trolling cannot be tamed so easily, this site led me to two more sites that I wasted way too much time on, which I encourage you readers to do the same. At the very least, it will be a good laugh to start/end the day.








Tuesday, November 3, 2009

A tasty idea

When I was making my color palette to send to the woman who is creating our STD's (save the dates), she commented on how the colors remind her of the movie Marie Antoinette by Sophia Coppola.


I created my color palette on a really fun site called colourlovers.com



The movie had a lot of criticism for historical accuracy, too slow, blah blah blah... but it makes me feel so good to watch it! It is absolutely beautiful and the music is amazing.
Anyways...it got me thinking of other ways to incorporate the colors and the movie into my planning. That is when I came across these little beauties:







French Macaroons! These favors are becoming quite popular if you go the edible route. I was looking into pricing and these little guys are expensive! Luckily, have some time to try a few things out, so in the next few weeks I am going to attempt to bake them.
Don't worry, for anyone who knows Jonathan's baking skills, there is an emphasis on I so that there won't be any repeats of his famous homecoming party cakes!
Fortunately, I work with some pretty talented bakers, so I'm sure I can pick their brains for the best recipe to try.
The cost of favors would be in my favor, haha!

Has anyone attempted these?

Sunday, November 1, 2009

It's finally a sunny Sunday, but where to stay in Mallorca?



Another busy week has gone by, but was well rewarded by a fun Halloween weekend! I find myself now sitting in direct sunlight on my couch, soaking in the rays with a slight fear that I won't see it again for the next week. Chicago has been very dark and rainy the past week:(
Halloween we great and I am still slightly recovering from last night. Pictures are soon to come, but we basically cut up little kid costumes and squeezed into them for the night. Well worth the $5 from goodwill!

Jonathan and I spent the better half of the morning talking about our honeymoon. We have had the privilege of traveling to quite a few great places around the world in the last few years that we have known each other.



When we first started dating he came to visit me in Barcelona, where I studied abroad.


While he was in Europe, we had a chance to go to Paris!


We visited Seoul, South Korea back in April.

In the same trip we went to Thailand and met up with some friends that were teaching there.

Recently, we went to visit friends that move to San Diego. We have been lucky to have friends that move to such great places!


So, the story behind our honeymoon plans is that that the day that Jonathan asked me to marry him, we were in a bike race that morning. While riding, we met a Spanish cyclist that was raving about a cycling camp he attends every year on the island of Mallorca, which is just off the coast of Spain. 
I have been to Ibiza, which is just south, but I have heard that Mallorca is even more beautiful and tranquil. There is also great limestone rock climbing, which is a big incentive for us to choose the location
So, once we got this idea in our minds that we wanted to go there, I have started looking into activities and apartments for the trip. We, by no means, are looking to stay in an all inclusive/golf/spa/cheesy/generic food place. Again, this is the same sentiment I have about David's Bridal. Places like Sandals or Cruises through Mexico are great for people who don't mind spending extra $ for others to pamper them for a week or to get those creepy towel creations on your bed every night. I think they try too hard at setting romantic scenes and just end up seeming cheesy and tacky.
Of course, just my opinion, as I have been to these places/taken those cruises in the past.



The one thing that Sandals reminds me of id the episode of the Office where Michael takes Jan to Sandals Jamaica! Stereotype defined!


 I have been looking into a website called homeaway.com which makes me drool a little bit. If it is one thing I learned from living in Spain, it is that staying at a "hotel" is usually way overpriced and not as clean/pretty as you would normally find in America. However, guesthouses, apartments and even some hostels are very well kept and you have the option of using a kitchen, in case you don't want to eat out every meal.
This is the one I have been eyeing:


View from the house

Rooftop terrace....and, I die!

The great thing about this place is that is actually cheaper than staying at any of the hotels in the region and you get loads more privacy. One thing I really dislike about hotels in tropical places is they try to get you to pay ridiculous amounts of money for special "excursions." All you need is a guide book and a rented car.



This one is a little more expensive, but isn't it beautiful!

Ugh, now back to reality. I am going to try and drag my lazy butt to the gym today.  I just cant stop trying to plan!

We are also thinking of stopping in Italy, as neither of us have been there yet. I want to go to Venice, while Jonathan wants to see Rome. Any suggestions?