DC NearlyWeds

But The Good News Is...

2008-05-16T23:03:00.002-05:00

So I'm definitley down about my bridesmaid not being able to make it to the wedding, but it's not totally raining on my parade...remember last month when I posted about Monachetti video and how I said that if I could have anyone in the world do a video of my wedding it would be them?

Well...I caved...after going back and forth with myself and with fiance for what seemed like forever we decided to have Monachetti do our wedding. Man...never thought the word "video" and "our wedding" would be in the same sentence!

It's crazy, I know...completely impulsive...but I'm excited and can't wait to share with you guys what Monachetti creates for us!

And for some audiovisual stimulus, below are the two videos I posted last month (cause I'm obssesed) and two more!

^Amy and Casey

^Shannon and Matt

^Libby and Time

^Casey and Lance

Two Free Tickets until Midnight!

2008-05-16T15:34:00.002-05:00

We are in the home stretch for our Get Into The Event Planning Game. If there are any of you out there that still want to attend. I am offering two free tickets to the workshop. Just email me directly using the link to the right (info holymatrimonyonline com) and I will get you set up.
The tickets are first come first served and you don't have to take both of them. The workshop is being held in Columbia, MD and starts promptly at 8:00 am ending at 12:00 pm.

Wanna see you there!!

Bummer

2008-05-15T07:10:00.002-05:00

So with about a week and a half to go before the wedding I've found out that one of my bridesmaids won't be able to make it. She's been really sick lately and she's been in the hospital for the last 3 days. It's the second time this month that's she's been in and now they need to do outpatient monitoring. She's trying to talk to the doctors to let her come but I've told her to stay. I don't want her to get worse just b/c she wants to come to my party...plus I don't want to spend the wedding day in the emergency room b/c she's pushed herself too hard.

I can't say I'm not disappointed. She was worried I'd be mad, but I had to explain there is a difference between being sad vs. being mad. I think she feels a lot of guilt b/c I traveled to India when she got married and she feels like she should come to mine come hell or high water. It's been hard convincing her that she's got to forget about the wedding and just take care of herself.

So my three musketeers are down to two :(

Color My World

2008-05-14T12:30:00.002-05:00

One of the reasons I chose my wedding colors (kelly green and white) was because I liked the way bright colors show up in photos...I really want my photos to pop with color.

The other day I saw the below wedding of Amy and Matt on the blog of Jennifer Dery, and I love how vivid all the colors are. I thought the bride did a good job of meshing the bright greens, oranges, and pinks with a neutral like navy so that it was bright but not garish.

^I adore these flower girl dresses...Love the white petticoats and the kelly green ribbons

^I had a major crush on these green bridesmaid dresses from JCrew, but alas, they would not have been flattering on my bridesmaids and they were a little overpriced (IMO)

^Loving the ribbons on the flowergirl basket

Bachelorette Ideas

2008-05-14T08:19:00.002-05:00

Ok, I am not the biggest fan of Top 10 or 20 Lists. I might scan them for a sec but overall they don't do too much for me. But having said that the folks over at Customized Girl have put together a really useful TOP 50 list of ideas and tips for the Bachelorette Party.

Now it may be that the Bachelorette Party does not get nearly enough play and its always one of those things that leaves people scrambling for ideas on what to do. Ta-Da! Check our their list.

And once you've read the list head over to their website they have THE cutest tee's!

I Would Hurt Somebody For Venice

2008-05-14T08:01:00.002-05:00

I have a "thing" for Europe.

A BIG thing, I Love it, LOVE it, LOOOOOVVVVE IT!

So when my new friend Rosie from Forever After Images in the "UK" dropped me a note with images from a recent wedding she shot in Venice, I was over the moon.
First I love the fact that she reads my blog Second...well just look at the shots...

Bring On the Short Pants

2008-05-14T07:37:00.002-05:00

I "think" it's officially safe to say that Spring is here.  Despite 40 degree weather this past weekend and the fact that I have told al of my brides to get a shawl, I do feel as though the worst is behind us and warmer temps are in store.  So having said that I began thinking that capri's, skirts and my cute, cute walking shorts will very soon be making their debut.

So as a ritual I made my way to see if there was anything new on the razor front.  Perhaps it's TMI but though i wax the brows, I shave the legs. I am trying out the
Schick® Quattro, they say you can even skip a day... hmmm.... yet to be confirmed.

The other kind of cute thing is on their website they have created the funniest widget, yet another way not to get any work done! 

You can customize the character -  make them audibly say whatever you want - and send it to anyone you know that could use a "dream date." (You've already got a man Ms. Bride To Be!)

The dream date widget is here Have a go and send one to a friend.

Calling D.C. Brides! Your Time To Shine

2008-05-13T17:59:00.002-05:00

The Washingtonian is looking for engaged and recently-married couples. All your hard work and attention to detail might even get a spot in the magazine or online. Here's the lowdown from The Bridal Party :

Seeking: Engaged or Just-Married Couples
By Marissa Conrad

Been to any great weddings lately? Or maybe you’re planning one yourself. Either way, The Washingtonian would love nothing more than to hear all the details of the big day. E-mail us at mconrad@washingtonian.com or jneal@washingtonian.com and give us all the details! Don’t be shy about sending a few digital snaps, too. You could be featured in our magazine or online.

Jewlery for the Maids---

2008-05-13T15:44:00.002-05:00

The next mark on my "to do list" has been Attendants gifts. I know that we are still 4 months out, but I really want to get them something special, so I want to focus on this now.
So Far I have two Definites of what I want to include in there gifts:

- A pair of earrings to wear on the day
- Home made stationary ( gocco)

Than its between mani/pedi for everyone or a nicer bag that I put everything in and another possible gift--but I'm not worrying about that now-- What I have found is the Earrings that I want for My girls!

I found the wonderful designer ameami on Etsy

Below are the earrings for the Bridesmaids:

^ Imagine them in Garnet though--So Garnet and Pearl--I think the Red will accent will look great with the Gray Dresses!

Here Is the Style Idea for the MOH's

^ However instead of the Purple imagine Quartz--I love the tear drop, and I think they are going to be perfect for the girls!

Ameami is a Pleasure to work with, she has been so helpful picking out stones for me, after I describe what I am looking for, I can't wait till the earrings come in!

Garden Wedding Escort Cards

2008-05-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is a pretty cute idea for escort cards. It would be perfect for an outdoor spring/summer wedding.

Photo credited to Evoke Photography from the wedding of Erin & Brian

Lush from Labbancz

2008-05-12T12:58:00.004-05:00

Now on the complete other side of the spectrum from Jenna Bush's casual soiree is this lavish wedding that Marie Labbancz had on her blog today. Even though my personal tastes learn towards the modern and subdued, it's a bit of voyeuristic fun for me to see really romantic style weddings like the one below. Hey, if you're going to go lush then you need to go all out!

^The Brides dress was a Pnina Tornai gown from Kleinfeld Bridals . I can honestly say I don't think I've ever seen a white dinner jacket and tie combination (as opposed to bow tie) but I'm liking it.

^Check out that back! Silk Roses were a theme throughout the wedding

^I've often expressed my love for long tables as opposed to round...need I say more?

^Silk roses were incorporated into the invites as well

^Normally I really hate when flowergirls are dressed up as little brides (as I'm sure you can tell by my flowergirl dress) . But this dress is just so much fun I think any little girl would feel like she was in heaven in it.

^Both of the tuxes were custom made

^And of course we can't forget the cake

For more pics check out Marie's blog.

Bush Wedding Photos

2008-05-11T17:34:00.004-05:00

The White House has released a few photos from Jenna's wedding this weekend (they are from White House staff photographers, not her actual pro-pics).

I must say I'm really impressed with how normal and low-key her wedding looked. She literally could have had anything that she wanted...price was no limit...and yet she chose a really elegant and casual affair.

^ I think her dress fit her like a dream. And no stiff, elaborate updo for her...just soft, natural, wavy hair.

Not a handcrafted sugar flower in site....just real flowers and simple sweet buttercream frosting.

^What a beautiful setting for a ceremony

^No tuxes here....the bride's father wore a suit

^The family photo

^The inside of the wedding tent. I don't see any towering centerpieces or matching glass goblets anywhere (but I do spy those chivari chairs!)

^The outside of the reception tent.

Doesn't this feel like a wedding you could have thrown yourself? I love it. If money was no object do you think you'd have enough self control to go low key or would you go all out?

So True!

2008-05-10T22:11:00.003-05:00

^ I saw this today over on Blah, Blah, Blahg (the blog of the designer who did my wedding labels) and immediately identified. I start out each day with so many goals I want to accomplish for work, home, and life in general, and instead of getting anything done I'm distracted by some shiny wedding thing.

Yummy Texture from Papel Vivo

2008-05-10T11:35:00.003-05:00

I was trying to clean up my list of "Favorites," when I rediscovered, Papel Vivo. I know that letterpress is all the rage, but for a different type of texture, I love what Papel Vivo is doing with embossing. Don't you want to just run your fingers over it? And a bonus feature is that all of their paper is handmade. It just adds to the textury goodness. Most of their invitation sets are around $6.50 each which I think is incredibly reasonable.

Things That Annoy Me About Wedding Planning - #2

2008-05-10T11:01:00.003-05:00

If you remember, #1 in my occasionally updated list of things that annoy me about wedding planning, was: Dress stores that don't let you take pictures. And for #2 I'm going to have to list

#2 - Overused phrases in the wedding blog world.

I've been planning my wedding for oh-so-long, and when I first began there were oh-so-few wedding blogs. Now there are oh-so-many and there is one phrase that most of them use oh-so-often. I have to admit that in the beginning I was so oh-so-guilty as well. Every wedding I saw was just oh-so-cute and oh-so-beautiful and oh-so-elegant.

I'm not sure where this phrase came from...I believe it may have been a play off of the truly oh-so-wonderful and oh-so-charming events of wedding planning company extraordinaire Oh How Charming! All of her weddings were oh-so-amazing, so people had to find a way to express that and developed an oh-so-creative play on the company's name. Now every blog, whether big or small, uses this phrase oh-so-frequently.

Well, maybe it's because I'm near the end of a long planning time and am starting to burn out a bit, but every time I see this turn of phrase I find it oh-so-annoying. Sadly, I see it on a daily basis, multiple times a day, on oh-so-many blogs. Now I know imitation is oh-so-flattering, but as a group of wedding bloggers and oh-so-talented writers, lets see if we can all find an oh-so-new way of expressing how oh-so-spectacular some of these weddings are. I'm begging on my oh-so-painful knees, for my oh-so-fragile sanity, or maybe it's just time for me to take an oh-so-needed break.

Tsumami Kanzashi for Your Wedding

2008-05-08T17:07:00.004-05:00

Remember those awesome boutonnieres I posted about earlier this week? Well unbeknownst to me they are actually a unique Japanese art form called Tsumami Kanzashi. Apparently, Kanzashi are a type of traditional hair ornament and Tsumami is a particular type of Kanzashi...from what I can tell they are hair ornaments made out of cloth (traditionally silk is used) instead of metal or other materials. It is also constructed using a traditional method. You can read more about it here.

Though normally worn in the hair, the Tsumami Kanzashi we saw earlier were turned into boutonnieres and are from the Etsy shop of GocheMoche. Below are some samples of her Tsumami Kanzashi bouts and pins from her shop. They are a total steal and range from between $8-11

Some other Etsy shops that do Tsumami Kanzashi are Marissa Joanna Rojas :

And AtelierKanawa:

The other White Dress....

2008-05-08T09:36:00.002-05:00

I am heading home to NY tomorrow for Mothers Day Weekend. While I am home I will be attending a Friend from High School's Bridal Shower, I will definitely report back on what I see there! Next weekend is FI graduation from graduate school, both of our parents are coming up for it--So I know that we will have a lot of wedding talk the next couple of weekends. However, the Thursday before FI graduation his work is having a gala of sorts. Black tie, men in tuxedos and woman in ball gowns---somehow I have nothing to wear. This has had me in a mad dash on all the normal websites trying to find a gown for Thursday evening! Mama Alexandria and I are going shopping when we are home in NY , so I am hoping to find something than! While I was searching earlier today I stumbled across a dress at Macy's that I think would be perfect for the Rehearsal Dinner, let me know what you think!

^ It is from the Ralph Lauren Collection and I think it is Stunning. It is just what I had in mind!

Handmade by Allison

2008-05-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

If any of you frequent the Maryland knot.com board then you are probably already familiar with the work of Handmade by Allison. During her own wedding Allison handmade practically every part of her wedding and now she does the same for other brides. Save-the-dates, invitations, aisle runners, calligraphy....you name it, Allison does it. All I ever see are raves about how much brides love her work and how reasonably priced she is.

Allison has also started a blog and she's featuring some of the items she's created for brides. If your sick of DIY, don't have the budget for a high end designer, and really just want someone else to do it for you then check her out.

All work below credited to Handmade by Allison

Agent Provocateur Bridal Line Debut

2008-05-07T20:07:00.002-05:00

As I promised, I'm letting everyone know that the Bridal Line at Agent Provocateur has hit the stores! Some of it is just a little bit too spicy to post on this blog but beautiful nonetheless. Below are some of the more tame options.

^Sophie Babydoll - $250

^Kate Corset - $335

^Sophie Waspie - $315

^Wedding Set Tie Sides - $70

^Wedding Set Tie Sides back - $70

Vintage Bobbies from Sproutstudio

2008-05-07T12:25:00.003-05:00

I love these vintage style bobby pins below. They are all from Etsy shop sproutstudio and are such an elegant alternative to some of the flashy blingy hair ornaments out there.

^Daffodil floral cameo - $9.00

^Ivory Roses set- $14.00

^You can get matching earrings too. -$18.00

I <3 Paper-Source....

2008-05-07T08:11:00.003-05:00

FI and I have decided on our invitations! As you know from an earlier post, I loved the lady that made our Save the Dates and Engagement Party Invitations--but it was just too expensive, so FI and I decided to take over some of our paper products--okay make that ALL of our paper products. Right now the first thing we need to get done is our invitations. Our goal is to have the invitations put together the last weekend in June/first weekend in July. Since we are currently in MAY ( where has the time gone?!) that does not leave much time!

A couple of weekends ago, FI and I went to Paper-Source in Georgetown on a lazy Sunday. Originally we were just going to check out paper/supplies that we might need and to see if anything gave us any ideas. That was when we found our design. It was one of those moments when you KNOW that is what you are looking for.

^ This picture doesn't even do it justice, but we loved the look of the design, exactly what we were going for and the crimson letterpress was amazing! We are still going to print the inserts and menus/programs on our own, but we will incorporate this design ( they sell the design in stamps so you can use it as you wish!). What do you think? It turns out pricing is only about $100 over what we would have spent for the invitation part and it includes the paper we want and the envelopes we want! We are going with the Stardream Quartz paper and Stardream Mars Red envelopes . We are also going with a Silver pocket fold's that I will show you at a later time. I am now looking for envelope liner paper ( I haven't found anything I LOVE yet)--I must admit though it is very exciting to see the color scheme and all of these pieces fall together!

Couture Cupcakes - Cupcake Bouquets

2008-05-06T16:58:00.003-05:00

Today Daily Candy had a great post about DC based cupcake creators Couture Cupcakes. Not only do they design beautiful cupcakes, but they can also create cupcake bouquets! How much fun would those be as a centerpiece at a wedding? And instead of taking home the centerpieces at the end of the night, each guest could just eat their own cupcake!

This also seems like something you could try yourself if you're throwing a bridal shower.

The Names They Are A Changin

2008-05-06T16:34:00.003-05:00

Leave it to California to always be a step ahead. Thanks to a lawsuit filed by a man from Los Angeles, it is now just as easy for a Californian man to take his wife's last name as it is for her to take his last name!

Michael Buday wanted to take his wife's last name and was surprised to find that doing so would be a lot more complicated and expensive then the other way around. So he and his wife filed a lawsuit, and now state law guarantees the rights of both married couples and registered domestic partners to choose whichever last name they prefer on their marriage and driving licenses.

I'll be taking my fiance's last name, but I do believe it's an individual choice and people should be able to chose whatever name or combination of names that best suits their situation. Yay for California!

I Take This Cyberpal to Be My Bridesmaid

2008-05-05T21:38:00.002-05:00

The New York Times just ran a story on the development of friendships over the internet due to wedding planning. It mainly focuses on friendships formed on theKnot.com and it says that often these friendships fill "emotional gaps" when real life bridesmaids aren't quite as interested in all that wedding stuff like other brides are.

I can't say that I've developed any deep friendships over the internet because of wedding planning but I do feel like I "know" a lot of the bride bloggers out there and I'm interested to see how their days went and I'm genuinely happy for them when I see all their hard work pay off.

I can say that I've become closer to other friends/acquaintances in the last year who have been planning their weddings at the same time I have. It's a lot easier to go to these friends with concerns and questions b/c I know they will a) know what the heck I'm talking about and b) will probably really care. Not that my other friends don't care but the best advice I ever heard about wedding planning is "nobody cares about your wedding except you" and I generally try to take that approach when it comes to discussing the wedding with friends and family so I don't bore them all to tears.

Has anyone else developed a friendship or strengthened a friendship b/c of wedding planning or the internet? How about the opposite? Has anyone lost a friendship b/c of wedding planning?

So long, farewell

2008-05-05T19:28:00.007-05:00

Hello, everyone! I know that I left you all hanging big time last night as I was right in the midst of posting pictures from my wedding that finally happened. Sorry about that! I've been busy with life and being pregnant! Officially, I'm 8.5 months and I'm about early to mid June. And am I ready? *shrug* I'd like to think I am but there seems to be a ton left for me to do before our baby girl arrives.

Anyway, I wanted to finish what I started before with showing you the last of our wedding photos by our lovely photographers Balance Weddings. I put together a photo montage to music of some of the over 780-something pictures that were captured and I hope that you can get a better idea of how The Big Day turned out for us. It was certainly a day that I won't soon forgot and perhaps it's the pregnancy hormones but I can't lie and say that I didn't get misty-eyed when I finally looked at all of the pictures. I would have posted all of the rest of the pictures in installments like I had started to do but I'm a little on the tired and short-of-time side these days and so doing a slideshow is a little better for me.

The entire thing is on the long side (a little over 11 minutes total, I believe) but, there are some great moments that were caught in the middle that weren't seen on television when our episode aired and it's those moments that I will remember and cherish most! See if you can last (and not get bored) until then at least! Something else - if you don't like mainstream country music (Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban) then feel free to mute it. Mr. Bowie is a big country fan and I felt it appropriate to use two of our favorite country songs as the lyrics really speak of our relationship.

Hope you all are well!!! This will officially be my next to last posting! I'll do at least one more when our little baby girl arrives so that you all can see a picture of two. It would only be right that way since I did announce my expectancy here afterall!!!

See you in a month or so when I bid you farewell once and for all and you're finally rid of me??? All the best with your planning of your own "happily ever afters." *wink* Take care.

Vendors used were as follows:

Photography - Balance Weddings, Rissa Miller and Nathaniel Corn

Hair and Makeup - Up Dos for I Dos, Ashley Riddle

Flowers - ProFlowers Weddings

Event Planning and Coordination - Holy Matrimony Online, Vicky Johnson (aka Mrs. Nearlywed)

Church - Trinity Lutheran Church in Bowie, MD

Reception site and catering - Pho #1 Restaurant in Baltimore, MD

Bride and flower girl attire - Davids Bridal

Groom and ring bearer attire - After hours Formalwear