A Tale of Two Brides

V: I'm over it, on to new adventures!

2010-01-05T13:19:00.002-05:00

Hey friends. I have to let you in on something. I'm so done with this wedding, and also, weddings in general. For me, they are soooo 2009. And like bloggers that have gone before, I'm ready to close up shop. Exit the party, like we did back in October, to the tune of 'Don't Stop Believing' (big thanks to whoever cued that up on the iPod, totally unplanned, totally aweome).

If you want more wedding photos, feel free to visit the blog of our talented photographers, Alea Moore.

And if you want to stay in touch, my sissy and I are starting a new co-blog, sharing recipes and discussing our foodie obsessions. It's pretty much my favorite thing in the world: Whisk Away.

To all you other brides out there: have the best freaking day of your life ever. We sure did:)

V: Fun things to do at a Wedding Part 1

2009-11-28T12:40:00.000-05:00

We choose not to have a band for the obvious reason of cost, and we ultimately choose not to have a DJ because of the cost combined with the Dreaded Cheese Factor.

Mr. B and I went back and forth on this one, let me tell you. Regardless of the fact that his only dance move is The Sprinkler, Mr. B insisted we have a rockin dance party with a DJ.

I can't remember the resolution [measuring up the restaurant, crying, leaving the task to him, deal-making??], but we never hired a DJ.

Instead, with a week to go to the big event, we hired a photobooth.

Alea Moore comes through again!

V: I'm thankful for

2009-11-25T12:31:00.000-05:00

These people.

And the fact that we should be getting our wedding photos back soon. Squeeee!!!

V: We're legal

2009-11-19T19:56:00.005-05:00

Thank god I don't have to worry anymore. Our marriage is actually official in the eyes of Georgia.

It's kind of a mini-miracle to me. Mr. B filled out the online paperwork for his father to become certified by the Universal Life Church as a 'Reverend.' It was free. In my worst fears the state would see his name listed on our marriage certificate and laugh.

But they believed us!

V: By Popular Demand

2009-11-12T09:31:00.002-05:00

I will make an actual commitment to blog. As in, more than a post every two weeks. There are so many projects I want to share with you, and once we get our photos back from Alea Moore, WATCH OUT!

Here is a list of things I promise promise promise to blog about before our six month anniversary:

More additions of "Rad Registry Items"
How to design, print, and assemble your own invitations [a multi-part series, with templates!]
F the Florist, or how I ended up with a florist's bouquet at the last minute
Dressing your Bridesmaids on the cheap
Gifting your Bridesmaids
Packaging gifts for your Bridesmaids, or Fun Projects at Midnight Before Your Wedding
How to make your mother & mother-in-law cry [happy tears!]
Your Veil, and the AWESOME things you can do with it
Our ceremony text [I'll post the whole darn thing for your use]
Other paper goods: programs, placecards, table markers, signage
Alternative Centerpieces, or How to Thrift 287 glass vases and not go broke/insane
What to do with Wedding Photos

V: Back in Action!

2009-11-10T14:49:00.004-05:00

Wow.

What a wild ride it's been. That was one F-ing fantastic wedding.

Not too mention the two glorious weeks in Europe.

And the new found joy in everyday life with my HUSBAND.

*Gah!!*

The plan is to start a food/life blog with my lovely Sissy in the next few weeks since a wedding blog doesn't really cut it anymore. However, there is a distinct possibility that I could post recaps, DIYs and my secrets to success. But seriously, is anyone still listening??

IT"S OFFICIAL!

2009-11-04T21:16:00.007-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS to Mr and Mrs Birdsbee, married on October 24th! The wedding was exquisite and perfectly suited to the tastes of Mrs. Birdsbee. My goodness, it was cool! There were so many neat elements, which I will name below:

Cool thing #1: M/M Birdsbee created balls of moss and attached them to ribbons and used them as decoration for the gorgeous ceremony spot. Very neat!

Cool thing #2: The bridesmaids wore matching yellow headbands and instead of carrying flowers, carried demure little handbags, which also doubled as their bridesmaid gifts. Instead of buying a belt, each girl used the same mimosa colored ribbon. Awesome!

Cool thing #3: Mr. Birdsbee's dad officiated the ceremony, which was punctuated by messages from each mother to the bride and groom as readings. The service was created completely by Victory and Mr., so it was perfectly tailored to the two of them.

Cool thing #4: The clouds cleared away for the 30 minutes of the ceremony, as if by providence!

Cool thing #5: The bride and groom were both escorted by BOTH parents coming down the aisle. I liked it. Also, they had a banjo player serenade them into the ceremony.

Cool thing #6: Instead of using flowers on the tables, Victory collected hundreds of different shaped glass containers and put white tea lights inside. On my table, which sat 6 people, we had twenty clear glass holders of different heights and widths. It was very romantic, yet modern.

Cool thing #7: When it came time for the toasts, all of the members of the bridal party stood up and spoke. It made for the most hilarious and tear-inspiring night, ever!

Cool thing #8: They had a photo booth. PHOTO BOOTH with PROPS! I wore the Viking helmet for a majority of the night and felt that it was quite fitting.

Cool thing #9: They had everyone stand in two lines for their exit and then ran through. Coincidentally, the entire wedding serenaded them with "Don't Stop Believin." Initially, when I walked outside and everyone had already formed, I said, "Is this a dance off?"

Cool thing #10: The cake was totally delicious. I mean, totally. The layers had yellow velvet ribbon lining the bottom and it was the perfect way to end the night.

YAYAYAYAYAY! Victory, are you back from Italy? Tell us about it!!

V: In homage

2009-10-23T15:13:00.001-04:00

It's marriage time bitches.

V: Have we lost our minds? Confirmed.

2009-10-14T12:49:00.003-04:00

A real exchange between the reception restaurant owner and my dear fiance:

Can we squeeze an extra chair into the 12-seater?
Thanks again!

Mr. B
Senior Stella Liaison

No problem on 13 guest at each table. I see your significant other has already promoted you to Senior Liaison. Congrats!

Rich

Thanks
It was actually a coup d'etat. She's now in reception exile.

Mr. B
Supreme Stella Commander

But seriously, Stella Restaurant and Daria of Circle of Love Weddings [our Day of Coordinator] rocked our faced off last night in a four hour prep meeting. I highly highly recommend them both!

V: Two weeks

2009-10-12T15:52:00.005-04:00

to go. And I have to admit, adding "documentation of the DIY" to the DIY list is just not gonna fly. So you'll have to wait til post-wedding for all the details. More importantly, post two-week-dream-vaca-in-Italy-extravaganza. Cause OMG we just got the details and it is going to rock my face off.

Can you say Renaissance art in Florence, modern art Biennale in Venice, wine library in Sienna, palm trees + Alps in Lugano, truffle season, Lake Como and my birthday in Paris? Whoa.

Samantha's Thought of the Day: Make a photograph list for your photographer!!

2009-10-02T17:56:00.003-04:00

Samantha's bride tip #2: Make a photo list for your photographer and assign a "photo wrangler" who is either one of your friends, a family member or your wedding coordinator. I found that this was key in making sure that our photos were taken efficiently. We were actually done far ahead of schedule when the wedding was over! Part of making this work is having a plan for photos to be taken before the ceremony. Mr. L and I didn't want to see eachother beforehand, but even so, we were still able to take hundreds of family, bridesmaid and groomsman pictures at separate times. Since we finished so many photos ahead of time, the photo taking after the ceremony was minimal, except for our bride/groom portraits, which we took all over Georgetown on the way to the reception. We tried to be very organized with the post-ceremony photos so that groups of people could make their way to the reception or do whatever else they needed to do. I planned in advance which group would go first, second, third, etc. Our ministers needed to change and go on to other things, so we had their photos taken first. My parents needed to head off to host the party, so their photos were taken second, Mr. L's parents needed to go host their guests, so their photos were taken third and so on and so forth. Finally, were just left with the two of us, my maid of honor (who helped to bustle me) and my brother, who drove the two of us and our photographer around Georgetown for portraits. Perfect! Now we'll have to see how the portraits come out...

Samantha's thought of the day: Go the distance.

2009-10-01T17:02:00.003-04:00

Samantha's bride tip #1: Fake eyelashes are the bomb! Ok, so I wasn't totally sure about the idea of wearing false eyelashes- what if they come off? But on the wedding day, I took a risk having never experimented with them before and they came out so well! All you do is buy DUO glue, purchase the eyelashes (I bought the kind from MAC that start in the middle of the eyelash and extend to the end- they look more natural), put the glue on fake lashes, place them on your eye and dry with a blow dryer until the white glue disappears! It took about 5 minutes total and lasted until I took them off the next day in the Denver airport, already one flight down and an entire wedding day later. The best part is that it sort of substitutes for eyeliner, so all I did was add some eyeliner to the part where the eyelash wasn't (toward the inner eye) and my eyes were pretty much done! It makes a big difference in pictures and definitely gives a slightly more glamorous and dramatic look.

I'm Married!!

2009-09-30T03:40:00.002-04:00

It's true. I'm married! Thanks to Ms. Victory for posting a most wonderful video of our sword arch. How fun! Everything from the whole day went off without a hitch and we feel so lucky that it all went as planned.

The honeymoon was totally fantastic- we stayed in very secluded places, which were great after all the hubbub of the wedding. I highly recommend the Banff and Lake Louise area, particularly the places we stayed- Mount Engadine Lodge and Moraine Lake Lodge! They were the perfect mix of luxurious and rustic. Each of our rooms had a fireplace. We enjoyed many a bottle of wine next to those fireplaces!

Over the last few days, at the suggestion of my brother, I have been writing down all of my recollections of the wedding day. Future brides: I highly recommend this! Not only is it fun to remember all of the little details from the day, but it will also be great to have in a few years when things get fuzzy. Even my friends who were married within the last year have said that they've forgotten many of the little moments. To me, those are the best!

I'll be posting some pictures and will give you all a blow by blow, but for now...here's my picture to you!

V: Mrs. Mission accomplished!

2009-09-27T20:55:00.005-04:00

Introducing for the first time as Mr. & Mrs. Livalittle:

Wow. What a beautiful, elegant, FUN wedding. Last weekend, our nation's capital played host to the Livalittle nuptials, and boy were they awesome. From the beautiful church, to the military uniforms, to the drama of Samantha's veil, to the view of the waterfront from the reception restaurant--it was solid.

The video was created using Animoto, and omg it is SO AWESOME. Just input photos, video clips, music and text, and WHAM, they automate the video creation process. It maybe took me all of seven minutes to create this masterpiece. Thirty seconds of video for free, and a measly $3 for longer lengths. And only $5 for a high resolution, DVD-quality download [coming your way shortly Mrs. Livalittle!].

Hope you are enjoying your honeymoon in the wilds of Canada.

V: Natural Disaster Barley Avoids Wedding (MY Wedding)

2009-09-22T10:08:00.008-04:00

This was our runner-up wedding venue. You know, the wedding in exactly 32 days. The lovely restaurant Canoe sits on the scenic banks of the normally tame Chattahoochee river here in Atlanta.

But yesterday it was walloped by the flooding [the water is actually much higher today than in this photo from yesterday. Just check out CNN's broadcast from their parking lot]. Oh, did you know Atlanta has been flooded?

Not cool, flood. Not cool.

No reports from Piedmont Park, where our ceremony venue is a dock on Clara Meer Lake. Hopefully it hasn't overrun it's banks too badly.

V: Talk about 'Practical' Wedding

2009-09-17T10:38:00.004-04:00

On Monday, a bar on our street hosted a totally awesome, unstressful, sounds like fun wedding. The couple met and frequented at the bar, and logically decided that was the place to make it official. Invitations went out via text message.

I love it. It seems relationships today are on much more of a sliding scale between stages than ever before. From college hook-ups to living together for years, it isn't nearly as now-we're-dating, now-we're-married, black & white.

However, I'm certainly expecting more pomp & circumstance this weekend at Samantha's wedding!! I will definitely be posting video of their freakin awesome military sword arch, so stay tuned:)

V: Posting has been light

2009-09-15T20:50:00.004-04:00

Because bootcamp has begun, and OMG I have to wake up at 5:30am everyday.

However, we are very VERY much looking forward to Miss Samantha Livalittle's wedding on SATURDAY in Washington, D.C. OMG!!!!! Can't wait!

V: The Great Bridal Shower Compromise

2009-09-13T21:33:00.000-04:00

Momma Bird graciously desired to throw a traditional Bridal Shower for her first daughter to marry. Normally, this would be a lovely occasion for the ladies, however it seems all my friends have flown the coop to go get advanced degrees. Before their departure, they planned a rockin Wedding Weekend, and I just couldn't see them coming back to Atlanta for another party in my honor.

So, rather than a formal Bridal Shower for girls only, how about a Fiesta?? They called it an Engagement Party so it was clear this was a girls plus boys minus presents kind of affair. Casual, fun, Taqueria del Sol extravaganza.

Thank god it's cooled off in Hotlanta. Our building's courtyard was the perfect setting for the Moms to conspire.

Party begins! Love Sister Bird's beautiful blue & green maxi dress.

Naturally, Victory dives into the incredible Taqueria del Sol goodies. Did I mention we're fans?

Momma & Pop Bird with Mr. B's parents. Fast friends for years!

Bride and groom to be. Note the very timely coozies.

Sister Bird & Poppa Bird testing out the banana/chocolate ganache and chocolate/cream cheese cupcakes! Sister Bird is quite the talented baker.

Relaxed, fun, delicious. All words I hope our actual big day will live up to.

V: Shoe Saga Concludes--Black is Practical, but boots are more fun anyway

2009-09-08T17:07:00.005-04:00

Behold, my closet's latest resident: Cole Haan Petra boots with Nike Air cushioning.

Perfect for a late fall honeymoon in Italy, don't you think? OMG, life is complete. And yes, these count as 'wedding shoes' in the budget.

Oh, and I got something to wear at the actual wedding too. Guess's Janesca is way on sale at Nordstrom, coming in at a much more wallet-friendly $52. My review: very comfortable and stable-feeling, with a manageable 2.75" heel.

It's pretty darn near impossible to find black pumps that are NOT patent leather this season, but these are technically just shiny black leather.

For the wedding, I'm thinking of dressing them up with a classic shoe clip. Then they will live on as a totally great pair practical of black heels. Perfecto!

V: Evolution of a Website

2009-09-07T21:52:00.000-04:00

Guess we all need to carve out our own little piece of cyberspace [see: this blog]. We made a nice little website in plenty of time before our invites went out. But the night after sending everything out, I busted out a complete different site, sparked by the genius of friend Caitee, a web guru getting married in September.

Version #1: A free wedding website from BridalFever.com. They have absolutely incredible templates. The backend interface is very simple, but limited in capabilities [no images or embedding code into the pages]. The sites appear to be in Flash, which cannot be viewed on mobile phones or easily linked to individual pages. Still, very nice looking sites.

Version #2: Wordpress.com! While these free sites are technically a platform for blogging, but with the Pages feature and tagging/categories, you can create a very neat website. Templates are limited, but the ability to have comments, embed video, photos and special Google maps really make this a great option.

Front page:

Interior page with directions from Ceremony to Reception in an embedded Google map:

Either way, when making a wedding website, my advice to you is to definitely purchase your own domain name. It's so cheap, and if you don't have to worry about an ugly URL, you can just go with your favorite template.

Knot.com, you are crazy.

2009-09-03T21:58:00.002-04:00

Ok. So has anyone else noticed that theknot.com classifies weddings based on either where they are, what colors were used, location (inside vs outside), etc.? Have you noticed that whenever someone non-white is getting married, they call it a "cultural wedding"? I, personally, think that this is both inappropriate and hilarious. I mean, HELLO! Knot.com, what are you thinking? Just because some asian guy is marrying a white girl doesn't mean that the only notable aspect of their wedding is that they are "cultural." They might as well say "an asian wedding in Denver", it's equally gauche. That's my two cents.

V: Wedding Night Lodging

2009-09-01T15:19:00.004-04:00

Newsflash: Mr. B & I shack up. And I'm assuming our little apartment is going to be one standing levy short of a disaster zone come wedding week.

It's not exactly a special moment to come home to our every day place with it's every day mess.

So where to stay? Not with the family room block, let me tell you. How about an extremely affordable, highly rated, non-chain, boutique, historic hotel? Sounds perfect. How does the Ellis do it?

SL: Seating Chart Software

2009-09-01T00:58:00.004-04:00

Hello party people. I haven't been posting lately because my wedding is too effing close and I'm busier than a bee. Or something like that. Anyway, 19 days left and now it's time for the seating chart. I have found the key: Seating Arrangement, which is seating chart software! You can put in your guest list, design the floor plan and play around with the seating arrangements and people pairings! It's pretty cool, must say. You can import your guest list and your floor plan too. One of the neater features is that you can classify people by social group or age to help remind you what people you think should sit together. So, I split the groups into college friends, high school friends and post-high school friends to make things easier.

http://www.seatingarrangement.com/

Now that the science of seating people is squared away, what to do with people who don't know anyone? That's a completely different challenge that we'll leave to another day.

Speaking of awkward, check this out. It's hilarious.

V: The Great Cookware Debate

2009-08-30T14:00:00.005-04:00

So, time to pick out pots & pans. Do not be afraid! Though the options are endless, a little bit of research and forethought can light a clear path.

Tip #1: F the set. Even though it's such a 'deal', it's not customized to what's best for you; likely a variety of cookware types and sizes.

Start by checking out this ridiculously thorough guide to the science behind the shapes and materials of cookware.

Then decide if non-stick is important to you. In all honesty, I was a massive fan of non-stick and assumed that was a requirement. But after trying out my bff's premium stuff, it's just not necessary in all cases. However, by all means, do get one non-stick fry pan for scrambled eggs.

But what brand? Serious cooks on Chow's forums make it clear that All-Clad really is way over-priced versus comparable, nay better!, lines like the professional Sitram, Mauviel or Demeyere brands.

But being European brands, they just don't sell them in stores where people like us shop.

And if you're really after heirloom pans, seriously consider that in 20 years we will all be using induction cooktops. This safer, more efficient cooktop uses magnetic energy to heat your pan, requiring a magnetic metal. This means no anodized aluminum or copper, and only certain kinds of stainless steel.

The final verdict: All-Clad Stainless [so is Samantha L by coincidence], plus enameled cast iron Dutch over, and an All-Clad non-stick fry pan. [Interestingly, the more expensive All-Clad Copper Core is NOT compatible with induction]

Don't spend a fortune on a stock-pot or roaster. When boiling or slow roasting in the oven, it's simply not necessary to have a high-grade material that responds quickly and evenly to temperature, as it is in saute pans. These can be simple stainless, no name-brand or aluminum/copper core necessary.

Pre-wedding reading

2009-08-24T16:30:00.002-04:00

Has anyone read "I was told there'd be cake" by Sloane Crosley? If not, this is a must. It's absolutely hilarious, if you enjoy the likes of Sarah Vowell and other witty social observers. The book is a series of essays that discusses her life in New York, growing up, singlehood, friendships, etc. Last night, I read a story so funny that I woke up my housemate from laughing so hysterically. I laughed so hard, I cried. I couldn't help it! There is even one story about being a bridesmaid that is so painfully awful, it's hilarious.

It seems like humor is pretty important at this stage of the game. Things are getting hectic! Less than four weeks to go!

336 days down, 29 to go.

2009-08-21T15:47:00.006-04:00

We're less than one month from our wedding date! It's wild, really. We have received official responses or heard from a little over 70% of our people, but are still waiting for 85 people to let us know one way or the other! Let's hope that most of Brad's people can make it!!! Damn military is keeping a lot from coming =(.

Oh yeah, and today is Hawaii Statehood Day, which many people are protesting at Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu. This also means I have the day off from work =). I also gave my two weeks notice about two weeks ago, so my very last day is Monday- smiles all around. On to a life of freelance writing and harp playing!

Bridal fun?

2009-08-19T21:33:00.006-04:00

Aloha y'all. (This is just a small example of how my regional identity is totally whack)

So, any thoughts on silly professional wedding pictures? I do have 11 bridesmaids and was thinking of taking a few photos that sort of poke fun at the wedding brigade concept. Conga line picture? Other thoughts for fun with the bridal party?

V: Some More Rad Registry Items

2009-08-19T19:33:00.000-04:00

Sigh, via Uncrate, the ultimate man blog

If you think no household is complete without fancy Reidel wine glasses, then don't miss the fancy glass-maker's take on the beer stein, TUBES Beer Classics.

Cause we beer snobs simply won't tolerate anything less than a prefect pour of a La Chouffe.

Samantha's Bridal Shower Bonanza!!

2009-08-19T18:32:00.014-04:00

Ok, ladies. Finally! I'm ready to post about my bridal shower. Oh, what a wonderful bridal shower it was! I woke up early on Saturday morning and went to my first event of the day- a hair trial with the lovely Meg Ford, traveling hair stylist based out of Reston, VA. Laurie, one of my lovely maids, came with me- it was so fun to be pampered while chatting with these two wonderful women.

We returned to the house to begin the festivities for the "English Tea" themed shower, hosted by my lovely sister-in-law Abigail. She was the hostest with the mostest, thinking of every last detail, including gorgeous favors of pretty tea cups, bags of tea and biscotti. The spread was fantastic- tea sandwiches, fruit skewers, pesto crostini, chicken mango skewers and my favorite, lemon curd cupcakes from Lavender Moon cupcakery in Alexandria, VA! Oh, my people know me well.

Various relatives, future in-laws, bridesmaids and neighbors began to arrive as we all chit-chatted and milled around the champagne punch bowl. See this recipe for Orange Sherbert Champagne Punch- my favorite! Then came time for the present opening- who doesn't love presents? I must say though, I've never been the center of attention in that way- by the end of the day, I was exhausted, but ready for the next step!

We left Great Falls for downtown Washington, DC, where we had a fantasmo dinner at Jaleo's spanish tapas bar. We ordered a few glasses of sangria, ate yummy food and caught up with each other while getting excited for the night ahead.

After dinner, we headed to Allison's fantastic apartment, which was decked from ceiling to floor in 80s decor! Again, my people know me so well! So we broke out the champagne, some of the girls tried on their dresses and then it was time to get decked out in 80s gear. There was a lot of spandex.

After the getting ready fest, they all bestowed their lingerie gifts upon me. Oh, what fun! Everything received was very pretty, but I was particularly and especially amused by an interesting gift for Brad, inspired by The Full Monty. Thanks, Heidi's bf!

After the lingerie opening, copious pictures and more celebratory champagne drinking, we were off to DC! That's where I'll end my tale...oh, what a night!

V: More Rad Registry Items

2009-08-18T17:46:00.000-04:00

Combination rice cooker and slow cooker. 'Nuff said. Cause God help me if I ever require both at the same time.

The Sanyo ECJ-HC100S 10-Cup Micro-Computerized Rice Cooker and Slow Cooker, very highly rated on Amazon (don't worry, I've researched this).

V: Cakes, A Tale of Evolution

2009-08-16T21:55:00.011-04:00

A Martha Stewart.

Another famous Martha.

No clue, a Wedding bee?

Get the gist? I quickly went from tiered monstrosity to trendy cake bar, thinking it was the crafty, vintage, cost-effective route. Clearly, avoiding anything with the 'wedding' label would be cheaper, right? Mostly, yes. But I forgot to take into account the fact that seven to eight pretty vintage cake stands really REALLY add up.

So, here she is:

Awesome photo by TM Photography.

Introducing, from left to right: chocolate, my special white chocolate lemon, and red velvet. One for my mom, one for me, and one for Mr. B's mom. All frosted in creamy, smooth cream cheese frosting. Fancied up with a yellow velvet ribbon and real pink rose buds left over from my bouquet making endeavor.

And instead of tromping off to the fancy bakeries in town selling cake that BEGINS at $5/slice, we hit up the official cake baker of our friend group. Mary Jane Confections is a one-woman local shop, famous for affordable, moist, buttercream-y cake. If you are in Atlanta, we highly recommend her!

V: Occasional Series on Rad Registry Items

2009-08-14T09:59:00.005-04:00

As we draw near to finalizing the fantastic-ness that is our wedding gift registry, I've decided to share some of the crazy items we think will make our house & life a home.

Having lived together for a while now, we're not in need of much. But to give some suggestions for our overly generous guests, we've complied a short list of items with the intent of hosting said guests back in our home at some point.

We've gone with the standby of every engaged couple, Crate & Barrel, for kitchen basics.

And to include some spicier items, we've signed up with Wishpot for a registry to draw from across the interwebs. Honestly, I'm not a fan of the name [it seems greedy, no?], but the interface works really well, and heck, it is a registry of PRESENTS FOR US. Hoo-ray!

First up, we have registered for a Nintendo Wii.

Now, I am certainly no Halo player, but I've seen how this thing can really jazz up a party. Want to go bowling but can't handle the idea of slipping on some 'certified pre-owned' bowling shoes? Play a spot of tennis on a rainy day? This is definitely the way to go.

Samantha's Love of the Day: Awesome Invite

2009-08-13T01:06:00.001-04:00

Check out this super cool invitation! LOVE IT!

V: Bling for the brigade

2009-08-12T19:27:00.001-04:00

Whoa, you guys. There is a 'you guys'! I just met a REAL HUMAN who reads this blog! We are employed by the same major university. I guess that means I need to write entries on this blog.

Anyway, the big stuff is largely taken care of. That means it's time to accessorize!

We knew we wanted Mr. B and the guys to wear a narrow tie. And his only other requests included a shade of yellow that doesn't make him look sickly, and a non-shiny material.

Guess how many ties fit that bill? Right, zero.

So the ties are being made by MeAndMatila, from a mustard cotton fabric we purchased 359 yards of.

A real wedding on Brooklyn Bride, featuring MeAndMatila ties

I'm hoping [expecting] there will be plenty of left over fabric to create matching sashes to jazz up the bridal brigade's simple grey H&M dresses.

Perhaps something funky? Like this gorgeous ribbon belt featured in a tutorial found on 100 Layer Cake? Def pos.

SL: Floral bonanza!

2009-08-10T14:52:00.005-04:00

Hey friends! Check out these lovely florals! Our centerpieces will be made up of three branches of red mokara orchids with sprouted curly willow and individual orchids in red and white attached to the ends to give sort of an ethereal dreamy look! I think it will be both modern and elegant. You can't tell very well from this picture, but I'm hoping that it looks awesome! Melissa Sylvain of Sylvain's florist in Reston is our flower woman extraordinaire- she is fantastic and has been really flexible with us! We are going to try to tie in the floral arrangement to the menu cards, place cards and favors. Any leads for something that can be used for menu cards that has a floral motif that might match this one? I've been looking at cherry blossom invitations, but they haven't been quite right.

SL: Marriage License

2009-08-10T14:47:00.002-04:00

After all of the bridal festivities last week, I went to the DC marriage bureau to get our marriage license! There are a lot of strange things about DC's policies. One: the groom doesn't have to be there! Two: they only ask you two questions besides contact information- "have you been previously married?" and "are you related to each other?" Three: the marriage license never expires. If we were to use the same officiant and our marital status had not changed, we could technically get married in fifty years. Four: Despite the fact that you do not have to use the certificate within a certain amount of days, you still have to turn it in 10 days after the marriage has taken place, otherwise it's not valid. Oh, DC, you are funny!

Anyway, glad it's off my list!!

SL: Crowning Glory!

2009-08-09T20:53:00.006-04:00

Before my bridal shower last Saturday August 1st, I had the pleasure of working with Meg Ford, who does wedding hair on-site. She will be able to come to me and my bridesmaids on wedding day to do any kind of style. I asked for half-up, half-down with cascading curls. She was so easy to work with, very professional and I think she did a great job! Will look great with my whole look, I think!

Samantha's Engagement Portraits!

2009-08-09T20:44:00.007-04:00

Hey friends,

Well I'm ready to post about our engagement portraits! At 7am on a Saturday three weeks ago, Mr. L and I met up with Corry Frazier, who is a fantastic photographer and also a military spouse! She has taken the pictures of many people we know, so we were confident that she would produce something fabulous. We decided to wear white and blue to sort of go with the ocean and I think it turned out very well! The pictures were taken at Lanikai Beach, which is a few steps from my house. They are very different from Ms. Birdsbee's, but still fab, I think! Enjoy!

SL: Stay tuned for Bridal weekend!

2009-08-07T12:52:00.002-04:00

Hey ladies,

I just returned from a whirlwind weekend in Washington (say that three times fast) and I have so much news to report! Stay tuned for posts on my bridal shower, bachelorette extravaganza, hair trial, etc.!

I also have received our engagement portraits and they are fantasmo! Will post on that too.

Much love,

Samantha Livalittle

I don't want wedding shoes. Is that wrong?

2009-08-03T11:42:00.006-04:00

At this point, I think I'd much rather spend [really, blow] my budget on a sweet pair of brown leather boots to wear on our trek through northern Italy.

Oh J.Crew. Your shoes continue to taunt me.

I just can't find anything to wear on the wedding day that isn't better than what I already own [aka comfortable and broken in. Without 3.5"+ heels]

Can I pretty please replace 'wedding shoes' in the budget with 'honeymoon boots'?

Awesome, thanks.

Warning: Hotness Ahead

2009-08-02T20:42:00.007-04:00

Take a gander at our engagement shoot by the extremely talented Kim of Alea Moore Photography.

Note that approximately three days before this lovely photo shoot I turned all of the clothes we planned to wear pink in the laundry. Oops.

(Click to Enlarge)

Our fav local diner, the Majestic (since 1927).

Inspired by this one.

SL: Old/blue, borrowed and new?

2009-07-24T14:42:00.004-04:00

What does everyone think of the "old, new, borrowed, blue" tradition? Silly and outdated or necessary for wedding day? I've been thinking about my outfit- I definitely have many new things and plan to borrow a bracelet. Is it ok to have my old and blue in the same item? Behold, a fabulous hanky with my maiden name initial embroidered on it in blue! Was my grandmother's-I plan to hold it with my flowers.
Has everyone else done this tradition? Important or not?

Samantha's shoes: ordered!

2009-07-23T16:16:00.003-04:00

Well friends...I have shoes!! Finally, I've made the decision and these make the final cut (provided that they fit):

RSVP, Ivana for $89 with free shipping from Zappos.com! I'm hoping that they come just in time for my first dress fitting next Friday July 31st!

V: Forget the wedding, I'm going to Italy!

2009-07-22T15:49:00.002-04:00

It seems many folks are choosing to postpone a honeymoon or opt for a smaller mini-moon these days.

But wow. Mr. B just booked our trip through a travel agent our photographer recommended, and it is going to be OFF THE CHAIN.

Besides the fact that it is every man's dream to take an extended vacation to New Zealand, there was never much doubt that we'd definitely honeymoon in Italy. Florence specifically, where Mr. B spent three years of high school. I need to visit this town to understand that time in his life, and what better time than after I've locked up our relationship and thrown away the key?

First stop is naturally Florence, to check out the bars Mr. B was regularing at the tender age of 15.

Next stop will be Venice, which would normally hold less interest for Mr. B (some grumbling about all the freaking tourists), however we will just happen to be in Italy during the Biennale.

THE BIENNALE. The historic, prestigious, famed, international art show that only occurs every other year. A dream of mine to attend for ages since studying as an art history major.

No joke: we will be staying in a Best Western. It just happens to be a 15th century monastery.

We will see awesome art!

Final stop will be Lake Como. A place new to both of us. Our hotel is RIGHT ON THE WATER and there is a chance we will run into George Clooney. Good thing we will have already thrown away that key. . .

The economy being down right now is actually really working in our favor, considering the amazing deals we got on all 4 star hotels. Sabine, the German-accented travel agent has a terrible website, but is the nicest person in the world and really hooked us up. CANT WAIT. ALMOST MORE EXCITED ABOUT THIS THAN THE WEDDING.

SL: We have rings!!

2009-07-20T18:59:00.004-04:00

Hey friends- I have a wedding band- I'm really getting married! On Friday, Mr. Livalittle and I went to Ben Bridge jeweler in the Ala Moana Shopping Center to purchase this gorgeous wedding band- I'm very excited. It is a perfect match to my engagement ring, so I think that it will look great!

We also purchased a ring for him, which is both white and yellow gold with a "satin" finish, which means that the metal has a brushed appearance and isn't super shiny . This will be perfect for Brad as it matches his yellow gold academy ring, but will also coordinate with mine. It's a pretty close (but not exact) match to this:

Exciting!

V: Guest Attire

2009-07-20T15:44:00.005-04:00

Who doesn't hate showing up under- or over-dressed to a party? In that respect, I guess I appreciate the 'Black tie preferred' or 'Pack your bathing suit' requests (though I'd hate to burden someone to run out and rent a tux just to attend a party in my honor).

But this is a new one. A wedding featured in Brooklyn Bride today asked guest to specifically wear white (see above).

I can't decided whether this is really cute, fun and makes picking out an outfit easy; or if this results in an undue burden on guests.

Personally, I'm not a fan of folks wearing black to weddings. What are you going to, a funeral? Since we're having a fun, casual wedding, would it be wrong to add "Skip the black and don something vibrant" to the info card of the invite? Any suggestions for a cute way to word this?

V: New jewelry plan

2009-07-17T15:28:00.005-04:00

Several folks have managed to convince me to keep the neckline area of my dress simple. In other words, I have been dissuaded from going to there.

So in light of that, plus the fact I may have blown past my veil budget, I've decided to wear the jewels I already own.

See: Single pearl necklace worn to try on my gown, a present from Mr. B. Perfectly simple and meaningful. [Apologies for the dark picture]

Though I can't help look around, you know, for special goodies.

This JCrew bracelet is pretty divine, though I would really prefer earrings made of the pearl clasp on the end.

You could reason that those are are earrings I could wear again and again. They might even be able to be classified as a non-wedding purchase . . . right?

SL: Get Out of My Head, Knot.com!!!

2009-07-15T15:02:00.006-04:00

According to http://www.theknot.com/, I have 89 things left on my to do list before the wedding and 66 days to do them. This means that in order to stay on track, I will have to do an average of 1.348 wedding related tasks per day, some of which require hours of time and most of which require significant moolah. Oh knot.com, you are a cruel mistress!

I feel like a slave to the checklist- I hate it but I keep going back. It's like an abusive relationship. The knot.com has begun to infiltrate every aspect of my life- I search the site at work, at home, in my sleep....ok, maybe not in my sleep. But seriously, I feel like it is insidiously working its way into my brain and is taking over!! Sadly, I have it open in another tab right now. I better get back to my checklist.

Signing off,

Samantha Livalittle

V: Second Day Dress

2009-07-15T14:19:00.006-04:00

I am a huge fan of Scarlett O'Hara. Not only because she tromped around my glorious southern town, but also for her incredible feistiness, self-preservation and determination to make it [aka, we may have been separated at birth]. And if she had a fabulous Second Day Dress for a pre-honeymoon going away brunch with the family, by golly, so should I!

Though I may have been banned from hoop skirts by one Mr. B, I found that the Wedding Suit would substitute quite nicely. Its seems brides everywhere are donning it to leave the reception, or for a simple courthouse wedding. I also hear Carrie wore one.

So, this is it, people. Found & purchased from Etsy seller CraftyCrowVintage yesterday for the pittance of $38.

Yes, $38, for a cream brocade suite from the 1960s. Rock on.

$38!!! I wish numbers could be written in ALL CAPS.

Samantha's thought of the day: Copy Victory

2009-07-14T19:30:00.003-04:00

Ok, so Victory and Mr. Birdsbee had some pretty ridiculously hot engagement photos, right? They are so wonderful that they have inspired me to get some photos done as well! Although it's totally cliche, we're having pictures taken on Lanikai beach this Sunday.
I think that we'll have a few pictures taken by the boats, outrigger canoes and on the stone beach access stairs for some interest. I don't just want the same old same old, but then again, we do live in Hawaii and this is definitely our best backdrop!

V: Fill up that address book!

2009-07-13T16:56:00.003-04:00

Need to get mailing addresses from your wayward friends? Easy, thanks to Google Docs' Forms!

Step 1: Log in to Google Docs and create a new form. [You are the owner, but you can set it s your fiance/mother/etc is an editor or viewer of the document]

Step 2: You will see an Excel like spreadsheet. On the drop down menu "Form," select "Edit form". You will get the screen below. Add questions and headers [you can even make multiple choice responses!].

Step 3: Choose a "Theme" for the design of what your friends will see. Ours is Grey.

Step 4: Send it out via email, either by pasting in a URL to an email or by using the Share feature on the Form doc.

Step 5: Your results are collected in an easy to manage spreadsheet. Ahh, technology is bliss.

Samantha's thought of the day: Beautiful Shoes for Under $100!

2009-07-10T15:25:00.013-04:00

So remember when I was trying to decide between these two pairs of shoes? The gorgeous pink Badgley Mischka Carlo pumps in pink or the oh-so-tempting Maria Lopez shoes in peach?

Well, I decided that $300 for a pair of shoes is just not necessary...so I started to look at Zappos and Like.com and there are some fantastic options for under $100!! Nina shoes, rsvp, Me Too and Johnathan Kayne have some very fun choices.

So those Badgley Mischka pumps were beautiful, right?

Check out these, very similar shoes by rsvp, which come in champagne, pure white and black for $89! An extra $200 could go a very long way!
Or what about these killer red shoes by Nina, also for $89? Ooooh, these are tempting!

Or what about these Caparros shoes, called "Greece" for $79...very sweet and would be great for a daytime outdoor wedding, I think.

Or if you wanted something blue in your shoes? Check out these Navy ones by rsvp- also under $100!
Classic white shoes by rsvp:

White and be-jeweled:

Ok and these aren't appropriate for a wedding dress, but I really want them!

Check out Zappos, particularly rsvp brand!!

V: End the colored shoe trend

2009-07-09T17:55:00.003-04:00

True, I myself have lusted after some beautiful yellow wedding shoes [and even ordered them]. But I'm done. The perfect yellow shoes do not exist.

east side bride already deemed it ok to go with a black wedding shoe [for Practicality's sake]. But I've already got black pumps and I would love to add to my little collection.

Enter: Nina Paladin in Slate. Totally affordable. Totally wearable post-wedding.

So, could this be it??

Interactive Tablescape!

2009-07-09T14:09:00.003-04:00

I have made an exciting discovery!! Check it out...it's a "Set Your Table" interactive program, where you can play with colors and designs to see what will work for your "tablescape." It's designed to help make registry decisions...to see what china, flatware, glassware and chargers will look good together, but it could also help with color decisions for your reception! Interesting!
Check out my creations:

Fun, modern and French here
Traditional choices here.

I'm still trying to envision our tablescape, so I'm hoping this tool will help!

To blush or not to blush?

2009-07-08T22:12:00.007-04:00

That is the question. So ladies, quick poll. What do you think about a blusher? Old fashioned in a fabulous way or snow monster-y?

These days I'm finding that none of my friends are interested in using a blusher, but I think that it can be a beautiful look, provided that the veil is made with high quality tulle or silk and is very transparent.

I'm not a fan of the "I threw a blanket on my head" look, shown below, although she does look rather fairy-like and pretty in her diaphanous garb.
Check out this black veil! Wow, it actually works on her!

(I picked up the first and third pictures from Practical Pinay Bride.)

Fabulous yellow stuff!

2009-07-08T22:08:00.007-04:00

Victory! Check out these menu cards and table accesssories! Not only do they have a bird on them, but they come in mimosa! Could it be more exciting?

Below is the table card:

And the menu card:

And the table number!

I found these at Magic Wand Stationery- these are called Whimsy Birds!

Veil: Finalized after complete 180

2009-07-07T22:39:00.005-04:00

I know, right? An elbow length, double layer, ribbon edged, pouffy-topped veil?

Yep.

This is a looong way from the birdcage, and the cathedral length lattice lace number. But it's going to be awesome. See above picture [single layer version, sample of my dress].

And the BEST part? The reason I can rationalize going so very over budget? It's actually two pieces in one.

Famed Priscilla of Boston sales lady Ellen [who was actually in a nightmare of mine last night, no joke] was redeemed when she showed me how to turn the VEIL into a WRAP. Whoa! Tuck the comb into the back of the dress and wrap it around your shoulders. Secure with an "heirloom pin" [words straight from the southern grand dame's lips]. Seriously, it looks incredible. But I can't find any images of others who have attempted this. So stay tuned! Til October.

Vacation wedding bananza!

2009-07-07T19:18:00.008-04:00

It's been FOREVER since I've written! Was off in Kauai, chilling with 14 of my family members and el fiance. It was great for Mr. Livalittle to get to know our crew, which included my parents, two brothers, two sister-in-laws, niece, uncle, uncle's girlfriend, uncle's girlfriend's daughter, cousin, cousin's husband, cousin's son, and aunt.

We took the opportunity of togetherness to do some serious wedding planning! First of all, fiance and I finished our counseling with my Aunt, who will be co-officiating at our ceremony. Hallelujah, praise the lord! We talked about all sorts of interesting marital and wedding-related issues, including the need to do wills, advanced directives and life insurance. Seems scary, but it is a practical issue of getting married and being bonded to another person legally!

Secondly, Mr. L and I have booked our honeymoon! We will be flying to Calgary the day after the wedding and will spend time in the Banff and Lake Louise area at Mount Engadine Lodge and Lake Moraine Lodge. Will be gorgeous I think! I've heard rave reviews of both! We're excited to be in a quiet and serene part of the world. We also have never experienced cold weather together (literally, never. We've always been in 65 F or above) so it will be cozy.

We also addressed wedding invitations. OMG is that a pain. Addressing everything correctly with the right titles, honorifics, addresses and handwriting is not easy! It is fun, however, to think that it's all getting more real. I used the stamps available at the post office:

We discussed music and are still trying to find a father-daughter song! Any good suggestions? We talked about "In My Life" by the Beatles and "You are the Sunshine of my Life." Dad thought that the former is a little too sad and hippy and the latter is a little too 70s. Thoughts?

Shoes: back to the drawing board

2009-07-01T20:36:00.001-04:00

Remember these? The prettiest shoes in the world? Too high [aka I'm a 3.5" high heel wimp]. Back to square one. Options are open, from wearing shoes I already own, to continuing the hunt for something rad.

Enter Option:

Nina Shoes now allows you to build your own shoe. We're talking custom heel heights and an incredibly wide range of color options. And they come in canary luster yellow satin [hopefully the color looks better in person?].

The question is: does anyone have experience with Nina Shoes? Comfortable? Quality?

Um, thank you Martha Stewart's Bride's Guide blog. Normally, you shame me in my manners [I'm going to address envelopes to Mr. Dean and Mrs. Christine Birdson and there is nothing you can do about it.] or feature brilliant DIY weddings that still end up costing seven times what ours will be. But this is a serious lead.

Holy Eureka: Brilliant Invite Idea

2009-06-30T22:01:00.005-04:00

So, I've been wondering: what do you do with your engagement photos? We've got the guestbook covered. For the next round of holidays, we'll have actual wedding photos to pass out as gifts. There is no possible use.

Then: INSPIRATION STRIKES.

Source: Etsy Seller regansbrain, via the adventures of bunny and chip

I mean, what better way to get some mileage out of these hot photos?

More engagement shots by Alea Moore.

Prepare to see them staring out of an invite envelope near you.

Teaser: Whoa.

2009-06-28T21:00:00.003-04:00

Since when were we hot?

More to come from the brilliant Alea Moore.

Brigade: Shoes or Jacket/Cardigans?

2009-06-25T09:12:00.005-04:00

The bridal brigade jacket finally came in all the way from Thailand in yellow from Etsy seller Ananya. Trying it on with the totally rad H&M bridesmaid dresses, we discovered that it really needs to be lined since the grey shows through, making the jacket look kind of greenish. Ananya is getting ready to have a baby, and can't find the same fabric, which pretty much rules out this option.

Luckily, I think our favorite mustard yellow is going to be featured in stores this fall. Check out these peep toe flats from Gap. $40, holler!

Or, we could keep looking for a cardigan/jacket to keep away the October night chill. I'm thinking we could maybe find a local seamstress to recreate Ananya's jacket a fabric of our choosing, but I have no idea how pricey this would get.

What would you do? Shoes or shoulder coverings? Or give it up in favor of taking a freakin chill pill?

Wicked Wedding Weekend Extravaganza

2009-06-22T22:40:00.000-04:00

OH EM GEE. Last weekend was so rad. Mr. B and I really do have the very best friends on the planet.

My future brother and sister-in-law flew out from California to help celebrate our upcoming wedding [yep, the one that's in EXACTLY four months.] The men folk shipped out to the "wilds" of North Carolina for a weekend of rafting and Gentleman Jack. I use the term "wilds" loosely, seeing as their cabin had wireless internet, flat panel tvs and a hot tub.

Alternatively, the ladies hit the town of ATL and showered me with love and delicious eats:)

Here is my awesome future sister-in-law, who will be birthing our nephew right around the time of the wedding. Sadly, this means she won't be able to attend the festivities, so we were thrilled to have her around this weekend!! What a great sport at five months pregnant!

Headed to the Sun Dial's revolving roof top bar on Friday night. And yes, my sister naturally looks that way.

Saturday was off to a great start after a SURPRISE massage at the awesome Key Lime Pie spa down the street. Literally, my sister dropped me off at the door and pushed me in, I had no idea what was going on. Devine. Little did I realize they kicked me out of my own home to set up the most incredible, beautiful lingerie shower.

My bridesmaids were the Hostesses with the Mostesses. Literally, that's where they got the inspiration! The brilliant circles and the lemon+baby's breath bowl will likely be stolen/reused at the wedding. I mean, how freakin awesome??

The best surprise was from Mr. B. Though not present, he contributed nine pictures and nine reasons for loving me. Typical, he was touching, hilarious and adorable.

Laurie was apparently trying to out do the shower we hosted for her wedding last year. She made me a "bride to be" sash from scratch! On the right, the amazing chef of the weekend & real sis hangs with beautiful sis-in-law.

Whoa! Fellow bride Caitee from NC wasn't supposed to be there! I was complete shocked!

LOVE these ladies.

The panties are unwrapped! Let's just say Mr. B was very excited about this shower concept. Does this mean I have to get rid of my beloved granny panties?

And much, much later on, Sissy and I throughly enjoyed El Bar, a local institution.

All-in-all, the best freakin weekend ever. As evidenced by Mr. B's bruised outside and in [mainly in the liver region].

Please post.

2009-06-22T19:19:00.001-04:00

VICTORY. Post bridal shower bachelorette extravaganza description please!!!!!!!

Love,

Samantha Livalittle.

Grace Kelly gets married

2009-06-19T19:43:00.001-04:00

Oooh, friends! Look at this video! Grace Kelly, the most iconic bride of our century:

p.s. don't read her biography. It will ruin any romantic notions you might have about her!

Deliver me from myself!

2009-06-19T17:43:00.003-04:00

It's only 92 days until our wedding and I'm starting to feel the pressure. I fear that I am becoming a bit of monster. Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrr!!!!!!!!!I think that part of my problem is my obsession with lists. I have made a monthly list of things to do that includes everything I think will possibly need to be addressed between now and when we return from our honeymoon. Sometimes I review the list again and again, trying to figure out what to do next and then my vision starts to blur and then I look around longingly, hoping that some magical person will bring me a glass of wine. Then I realize that I'm not supposed to have wine right now because I'm on a strict wedding diet. Then I think, "damn."

Buy a Flip, write an awesome marriage sign-off

2009-06-16T10:41:00.003-04:00

OMG, back from Bonnaroo, so glad I am not a dirty hippie. Had the best time ever with my bffs/bridal brigade members and one dude friend. Tried out the Flip video camera and LOVED it. I highly recommend for documenting bachelorette parties and wedding weekends.

___________________

Those of you who know me in real life know about my complicated relationship with animals, and my affinity for a certain blogger who spends time hating on cute furry creatures. Well, now this can get wedding-related! That blogger, of FU Penguin, is getting married and has crafted the best wedding sign-off post EVER. Check it out: It's marriage time, bitches!

Headpieces!

2009-06-12T20:17:00.006-04:00

After reading Victory's post about head gear, I got to looking at some photos of 1960s brides to see if I could find any inspiration. Check it out! Maybe you could bring back the idea of the interesting headpiece, which seemed all the rage. Or maybe you could do this!! Yikes!!

Ring in the new bride!!

2009-06-11T19:20:00.006-04:00

Alright friends! So today is King Kamehameha Day in Hawaii, which means that I didn't have to work. On my day off, I went snorkeling at the beach near my house and saw a shark! Wild, totally wild. I am casper the pale, pale ghost so even though I lathered myself extensively, I got burned on my backside...so from the back, it essentially looks like my skin is naturally fire-engine red and I'm wearing a white bathing suit. Anyway, I digress.

On this royal holiday, I did tons of wedding stuff, including ordering the favor tags, ordering the maple syrup bottles for the favors, booking our wedding night accommodation, emailing the bridal brigade and updating our website. Yes, I'd say it was a productive day.

One thing that I am thinking about is the ring. My lovely Mr. L purchased a truly gorgeous ring for me and now I'm wondering what to do about the band? Should we get the matching one in the same metal for a whole lot of money or should I do something more simple? Ring below...drool. These are both from Scott Kay. This ring will hopefully last forever, so it seems like something to spend some money on. Agree or disagree?

Fortunately for me, the choice for Mr. L is really simple. He wants a very plain yellow gold band that has a comfort fit. Easy breezy.

Head gear

2009-06-11T17:00:00.000-04:00

Originally, I was sure I would jump aboard the birdcage veil train. With my simple, retro dress, I though that would be a sassy way to dress it up.

But the more I thought seriously about it, the more I realized I wanted a classic look [and the 40s inspired bird cage technically does not synch with my early 60s inspired gown] [and I'm not sure I want some netting hanging in my face ALL DAY LONG].

Enter: the simple cathedral length veil. Such a huge 180-reversal-of-mind-for-me, the one trying to avoid looking like a bride. But what can I say? It's dreamy.

Notice the utter lack of crystals, beading or trim. Does not intrude on the face. May possibly not hate it in 10 years.

So I went and tried several traditional veils on at Kelly's Closet in Atlanta. The cut edge cathedral was perfect. But surprisingly, I also liked an elbow length number. It did have an appropriately retro, sweet and un-dramatic feel. Though the sales girls decided that it would cut off my dress funny, and recommended the cathedral length.

But wait, there's more! This incredible Etsy seller, VeiledBeauty, makes simple, cut edge numbers in this AMAZING fabric called Lattice Lace. So unique! And of course, the only images I can get are of it in this shorter length. [It comes in all lengths, however]

So, what do you think?

Cathedral or elbow? Will I get annoyed when people step on a long one? Will the short version cut off the back of my dress?

Help please.

Flower Girls!

2009-06-10T18:32:00.005-04:00

Hello friends. So Mr. L's little niece is going to be our flower girl and I couldn't be more excited! She is four years old and super adorable. Like me, she enjoys discussions about the color pink and Disney princesses. Anyway, we've picked a dress and it is so cute! I'm considering also sending my little two year old niece down the aisle with her (holding her hand), but we'll have to see how she's doing at that point. That is, will she be in a hand-holding phase at that point or just running everywhere? I always think that the flower girl provides the comic relief at a wedding. I've been to a bunch of ceremonies where the little girl dumps the basket of flowers at the beginning of the aisle and then makes a run for it!
The church where we will be married does not allow the throwing of flower petals. Has anyone else had this rule? What did you do about it? I'm thinking about just giving her a small poesy to hold, but I'm not sure!

Send in the Suits

2009-06-08T21:29:00.004-04:00

When picturing W-Day, my mental image includes dresses, delicious food, beautiful images and super fun people. Attire of the men folk really doesn't enter the picture. I mean, how many options are there? Once we knew that the vibe was casual, and that instead of tuxes, Mr. B & Co. would be wearing grey suits, I figured that was the end.

Oh boy, was I wrong. Apparently there are VAST differences between a trendy two button and a classic three button suit. Vents? Flat front vs. pleats?

Let's just say I've learned a lot.

A few weeks back, Mr. B found this hot suit on sale at J. Crew. How very Mad Men. Yes, there will be tie clips.

JCrew.com, duh

But unfortunately, very few companies rent suits for our five/six groomsmen. Fewer rent grey suits. And still fewer rent the trendy, two-button flat-front style [understandable, since they are likely to be out of style in a few years]. If you're counting, that would make it impossible to rent said suits.

We heard that Groomsman Jack is purchasing a suit for another wedding he is in this year, for the same price it would be to rent a suit. So we looked. And looked.

And this past weekend, we purchased six charcoal, two-button, flat-front suits for $648 from K&G Fashion Superstore. SCORE. That is definitely cheaper per person than renting, AND they will fit perfectly, AND they won't have to worry about picking up/dropping off during the busy wedding weekend. Oh AND THEY GET TO KEEP IT FOREVER.

Now, to find a yellow tie that won't make Mr. B's pale skin look like death.

Workout Plan!!

2009-06-04T15:06:00.003-04:00

I've written a million posts about my workout plan but I now am serious about this endeavor and have an official schedule, written in ink and on paper! Lovely Mr. Livalittle has been talking about P90X for a while and decided to order it, so it's coming this week! We have both decided that we are going to go into intense mode 90 days before our wedding, which is only 17 days from now! Since we are united in this front, I think we will both be more focused, since we won't try to tempt each other. I am planning to start tracking my eating again on http://www.thedailyplate.com/ and will be reading up on eating plans from Jillian Michaels. I have a plan for doing workouts with the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and also plan to do P90X with Brad. Finally, for the final month before the wedding, I am going to do intense Bikram Yoga, which doesn't shed pounds but lengthens and tones the body. Awesome!

Meet the Parents!

2009-06-04T00:45:00.002-04:00

Today my parents met Mr. Livalittle's parents for the first time and thank the good lord I wasn't there! I would have been a complete wreck and knowing me, I would have nervously blathered on, adjusted my clothes and tossed my hair (this is what I do). Thank goodness our parents were just left to their own devices. Apparently, it went well and was nothing like Meet the Parents 2 when Barbara Streisand, sex therapist, made the fiancee's wildly conservative parents considerably uncomfortable. Have you ever noticed how many wedding movies include awkward parent interactions?

Let's see...there is Meet the Parents 2, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The In-Laws, Monster-In-Law...oh the list goes on and on. Do you remember this scene from Monster-In-Law? Oh man!!

Shoe mania!

2009-06-01T12:32:00.000-04:00

Ok friends, I've decided that I am ready to start shoe-shopping! Shoes are my favorite thing, especially very high-heeled ones. I am slowly building my collection so that I have every color of the rainbow. Anyway, I digress. What do we think about the two shoes below? I love them both and am thinking that pale pink is the perfect color to wear with my dress, since my bouquet will look similar to this:

So what would be more perfect than these gorgeous, gorgeous shoes? The only problem is that they are nearly $300. Is it worth it? Should I just wear the white heels I already own?

Voila! Pair number 1- Badgley Mischka Carlo Pump in pink...so gorgeous!

Or perhaps even better...pair number 2 with fantastic detail and a great rosey-peach color.

So what do you say ladies, number 1, number 2 or the white shoes I already own?

Narrowing the options: Designing my invites

2009-05-31T22:07:00.007-04:00

Once we decided to forge ahead and design our own stationary suite, I drew up this mood board to serve as our starting point and came up with a few design options.

Entry Numero Uno: The closest to our original intent. A pattern surrounding simple text. But I had a hard time finding just the perfect pattern.

The next idea was actually inspired by the print on our living room rug! Mr. B couldn't get past seeing tire tread, and disliked the off-centered text.

This art deco ornament is super cute, but not related to our actual wedding.

And finally: we have a winner! Wow, not at all what I would have thought would work, but it has a lovely modern elegance. Though I have to confess that it is actually inspired by an Ink + Wit design.

Normally I would be hesitant to so prominently feature Mr. B's initial. I'm not sure what I'm going to do for my last name yet [though I'm leaning toward just sucking it up and taking his]. I'm a pretty hardcore feminist here, and LOVE my name. But the J just looked so lovely in that spot. It was calling for a single initial!

Here's another option for the typeface, reversing the scripty and serif fonts. Which do you prefer? Text option 1 or 2??

The next step is selecting the paper. I've gotten samples of a bunch of different papers, and we're leaning toward a cream linen card stock. The texture is amazing!

Wedding Makeup

2009-05-28T14:46:00.003-04:00

Hey bloggers. I have a new discovery that I just had to share! For any of you who are doing your own makeup for the wedding or just like makeup in general, I have found a great eyeliner! I'm always looking for a liner that won't smudge, wear off or look messy. MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Eyes is sold at Sephora and costs $17. It genuinely last for 24 hours and is a great pencil liner. It stays moist enough at first to add an eyeshadow that stays all day with it. I'm thinking of getting the liquid too to wear on top! Go to Sephora and check it out!

I am also considering a bold move: false eyelashes! Here in Hawaii, people get eyelash extensions all the time- it's quite popular. It is a long process that can take up to three hours, depending on the speed of your beautician. One falsh eyelash is glued to each real eyelash and it makes for a dramatic and pretty look! If done professionally, the eyelashes are waterproof and stay on for up to one month. Or perhaps I should apply them at home? Could be a disaster, could be great. Many things to consider

Add another line item to that budget

2009-05-27T09:42:00.004-04:00

On Friday, we are scheduled to take our engagement photos. I've been researching ideas and found some really fantastic work out there. We've strategized to make the most of our golden hour time slot, with the plan to begin at our super fun loft apartment with a retro theme, then walk around our neighborhood casually [the Highlands, standard for pretty much everyone in Atlanta], and finally take the last few on our deck as the sun sets as a duo in a Bond flick [that's my hot black ball gown and Mr. B in a black suit, skull tie & aviators to you].

Inspiration includes the AMAZING Feather Love:

[we are totally taking pictures with Mr. B's banjo, the lessons are really paying off!]

And Jasmine Star via the Wedding Cabaret.

Among many others.

Wow, there's so much to do, got to get the place spiffed up, oh and REPLACE ALL OF OUR CLOTHES. Because the load of laundry that included all our clothes for the shoot, yeah, it turned pink.

Off to the mall tonight!

Hair!!

2009-05-26T03:15:00.004-04:00

Hello friends!

As is evident by my last post, I've been in a wedding rut (redding what?). To distract me from the minutae of collecting addresses and pretending I have nice handwriting while addressing the aforementioned save-the-dates, I have turned my attention to hair. I made a rather large to-do list by month in preparation for the wedding and there at the bottom of May is "find wedding hair guru." Excellent...this is fun, THIS is something I can get excited about!

Hair, in terms of wedding beauty, is very important. My mother has always said that a person's hair is their "crowning glory," which, to me, evokes images of royals and angels with fantastically voluminous locks. Ah, yes: heavenly princess hair- sounds about right.

So in order to acheive heavenly princess hair, I assume that I will have to use massive amounts of hairspray and employ the talents of some hair magician floating around DC or Northern Virginia. Due to the logistics of wedding day, I will not be able to go to a salon and will therefore need the person to come to me. I have looked at theknot.com and have found a few mobile hairdressers, but don't know where else to look for someone who will be willing to travel. Thoughts on this?

I'm definitely wanting long, wavy hair that is half-up and soft in the front. I plan to do a trial run with the hair person when I go to DC in July, so I'm hoping that the first try works, since hair trails are normally between $60-$100!

If all else fails, does anyone know of a ridiculously fantastic hairspray so that I can do it myself? Thanks bloggers!!

Save-the-freaking-date

2009-05-22T02:58:00.003-04:00

Ok, I'm going to rant. These save the dates have taken me to the end of my rapidly fraying rope. I mean, seriously. I leave my house at 5:30am and get home at 6:30pm and have no access to a car (I'm friends with numerous bus drivers now- they know me), so I had no time to get to any card stores when they were actually open.

After weeks and weeks (actually, months) of putting it off, I finally went to a stationery store where I just had somebody print a card for me. Great! No worries now about printing it myself. So they print 100 cards and...they are all off-center. Every single one! This makes me want to drink 16 Coronas in succession (I'm drinking one now). But of course, I don't have the time or money to wait for another print up, so I'm just going to send the god-blessed things out. They don't even look good, but at this point, if people judge us for having off-center postcard save-the-dates, they can jump off a bridge.

So I just addressed all of them and am ready to send them out. I asked Mr. Livalittle to lend a hand in this process, so he picks up postcard stamps and what does he bring home? Polar bear stamps. We are getting married in September. In DC. If we were getting married in an ice hotel at the northern tip of Swedish Lapland during the time of the year when they have a santa village, well then a sweet and cuddly polar bear would be effing perfect. But as it turns out, we're not going to be anywhere near Jukkasjärvi or any other arctic/polar region, so the bear just looks like it's sweltering. Mr. Livalittle had the great sense to point out that the DC zoo probably has a polar bear, which was really, really helpful of him.

Maybe the real solution is to change the entire plan and just get married in Sweden? I'd have to get elves though and added to my already ridiculous crew of 11 bridesmaids, a brigade of elves would be a bit excessive. But hey, you only get married once. We hope.

Miracle!!

2009-05-20T12:42:00.005-04:00

Thanks to the the tip from The Professional Bridesmaid, I discovered that not only could I use this awesome coupon, but my beautiful saffron satin peep toe pumps are ON SALE.

Score a big one: they were less than half price.

Hooray!

The Dress

2009-05-19T18:17:00.000-04:00

I almost completely forgot that my dress was scheduled to arrive in May when I got a call from my girl at the Dallas Priscilla of Boston. The amazing folks there helped get it to Atlanta [free of charge after my terrible experience with the infamous Ellen at PofB ATL] and on Sunday, I tried it on!

I was SERIOUSLY afraid it wouldn't fit. I mean, they measured me right after running a half marathon and let's just say it's been a relaxing 2009. And while the usually say your 'bridal' size is bigger then your street size, they ordered one down from my street size. For real?

But as luck would have it, it zipped up. Let's just say it was SNUG. And my ribs ached a tinge. Oh well, that October 4th half marathon should take care of that.

Wow, wish I was that tall! Clearly the main alterations to be done include making it SHORTER. I'm also considering loping off the train, so we can avoid that whole bustle issue. Not sure yet, but debating the pros and cons. Anyone wish they DID NOT have a train??

Food Comas and Wedding Hangovers

2009-05-18T22:47:00.004-04:00

Mr. B's lovely parents were in town this past weekend. And all in the name of 'research' we hit five restaurants in 2.25 days.

I haven't been hungry since Saturday. It's Monday night. I think it's pure cholesterol running through my veins.

Gross.

Any way, we did come up with some great Rehersal Dinner options for our group of 45, including the private rooms at Ecco and One Midtown Kitchen. Seriously, the food at Ecco is OUT OF THIS WORLD. And One Midtown is right on the Park where we'll be rehearsing. The biggest problem in is Atlanta is that there are just too many good restaurants.

The other items accomplished or at least started is insanely long, so expect updates and musings. All of the things we said were too far off in the future to worry about [DIYs, cake, engagement shoot, invitations, accessories]; it is now officially time to get crackin on.

Next up: THE DRESS IS IN.

Exhilirating adventures!

2009-05-17T16:58:00.002-04:00

Hello blogging friends!

Well, I celebrated my birthday yesterday in Hawaii by parasailing! It was really amazing to soar over the ocean near Waikiki and Diamond Head right next to Brad. If anyone is honeymooning out in Oahu, I highly recommend this activity. When you go with Xtreme Parasail, couples can go together. I love heights, so I thought it was great fun, despite Mr. Livalittle's attempts to tickle me and shake the harness while we were 700 feet above the water (typical). The company offers skydiving and jetskiiing too, which would be pretty amazing in such a gorgeous place. I think that high adventure brings a couple closer together, especially when you can experience the risk at the same time! I think I'm going to learn to do stand-up paddleboarding next and then perhaps kite-surfing? Good times!

The only flowers

2009-05-10T19:32:00.004-04:00

Will be my bouquet. Seriously, not a single other bloom. No boutonnieres, no centerpieces, no rose-petal-covered-aisle. From a budget and tree-hugging perspective, it just makes sense.

But sure, I'll carry some flowers around. And just as TTO and A Cup of Joe have discovered, Trader Joe's carries the best dirt cheap flowers around!

I've decided the small, delicate spray rose is my fav, so a few weeks ago we picked up a single bunch ($3.99 at TJs) for a test run. I think this pink is going to be the color, it will be the one really feminine touch of the whole shebang.

This is the day before picture:

And this how well they open up after a night in water. This trial made it clear we'll need 5-6 bunches to fill it out and pick the very best flowers.

This is two bunches worth, picked up for Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day Momma! I like that they didn't quite open up as much and aren't uniform, giving it a more organic feel.

Would you do it?

2009-05-05T21:49:00.004-04:00

Etsy Seller TickledPinkKnits via Style Me Pretty

Over a wedding dress? Clearly, I would. The texture! The color! It's incredible. This is a def pos.

Favoring Food

2009-05-04T17:55:00.013-04:00

You could definitely put us down as massively obsessed foodies. Really, there are few things that better analogize the love Mr. B and I share.

Though I'm not big on the whole favors-at-weddings band wagon, I do love a chance to get in extra goodies so long as it is cheap. Sorry folks, no trendy french macaroons [srsly, they are the new cupcake] here. But we all love the edible favors, as Samantha has figured out.

First idea to suck me in was Jenna's homemade flavored olive oil. Mr. B and I made an incredible trip to Sonoma last year, and tasting olive oil straight up is one of our favorite memories. AMAZING. But checking out her DIY tutorial [Parts 1 and 2], made it clear this a 'Week Of' project. Unfortunately something I won't be making time for. Also expensive to get good oil [at least by Mr. B's sky-high standards]!

But last week Amy Jean posted a note about the fantastic blogging over at MyRecipies.com. We use it all the time for the Cooking Light recipes, but I had no idea they had a great entertaining/foodie blog called You've Got to Taste This. Contributor Ashley Johnson is getting hitched herself and full of great food-related DIYs.

Enter: our current favor idea. The Candied Pecan!

A southern favorite, the pecan can be sugared to be sweet, coated to be spicy or a covered in a sweet+savory mixture. Imagine in a cute clear box with custom label available for pick-up at the start of the ceremony at the Park, where there otherwise would be zero snacks.

And best of all, we can make this several weeks in advance. Hooray!

To Invite or Not Invite...THAT is the question

2009-05-01T16:19:00.004-04:00

Dearly beloved bloggers,

I have a quandry. I have just moved to Hawaii where I am making a new life for myself and am forming friendships. This is not the problem- this, theoretically, is good. However, because I am living in bizarro world (i.e. planning a wedding), I can't help but think that new friendships are just making life more complicated.

Should I invite these new friends to our wedding? There are several that I can foresee being long-term pals. Will I regret that they weren't there or weren't invited years from now? All of my new friends live in Hawaii, but the wedding is in DC. Most of them probably won't be able to come anyway, so does that seem like we're just asking for a gift? Oh I just don't know! I just want people to be included in the celebration if they can make it, but I don't want to inadvertantly send the wrong message!

Bestow your wisdom, fellow brides and blog-readers!

Distressed in Lanikai,

Samantha Livalittle

Custom envelope liner

2009-04-27T19:40:00.004-04:00

I first became to know the beauty of the envelope liner at a Paper Source demonstration earlier this year.

But how sweet would it be to make a custom liner with your names on it? Very sweet. Probably near impossible to line it up like they have here, but possibly a repeating pattern of your names to bring in some typography pattern.

By Mika78 via We Met In A Bar.

Bridal Showers of Yore

2009-04-26T20:10:00.004-04:00

Almost one year ago, a very special girl to both Samantha and I, got hitched! With her anniversary just around the corner, I felt it appropriate to trot out the pictures from the super fun shower we hosted at my house last April.

A special chair for the bride!

Floating flower puffs for cheap, impact-ful decor.

My secret source for flowers: Costco. The vase was wrapped in tulle for an extra feminine touch.

Fresh flowers for spring! Also, love the Dwell for Target runner I got just for the occasion. They even used it in this wedding, featured on Style Me Pretty.

Of course, we had to make the bride's favorite recipe: Goat Cheese Tart. It's a delicious concoction of goat cheese, pesto and sun-dried tomato pesto. Just to die for!

More lovely bridesmaids with the incredible food spread. It was too bad Jolyn didn't mention that she can't eat cheese . . . EVERY single item included some form of the substance, except the cake and some grapes.

The maid of honor decked out in the winning toilet paper dress.

The beautiful bride! What a great shower dress.

Another classic shower game, but with a technological assist. We had the groom pre-record answers to questions, and had the bride guess what he would say. Hilarity ensued!

And a parting shot of Mr. B in the bridal throne. Thank god he doesn't read this blog.

Fast forward to present day, and now our dear friend is returning the favor by serving as bridesmaid extraordinaire for both of us! Happy Anniversary Laurie!

Maple syrup, here we come!!

2009-04-25T20:01:00.003-04:00

Hey party people! So we've decided on favors and I'm really excited! Since Brad is from New Hampshire and we'll be getting married in the Fall, we are going to be doing maple syrup. We are buying little maple leaf glass containers (I think) and then Mr. L's mom will be putting syrup into each bottle in an assembly line with her friends.

I think that we'll make little tags that say our names, wedding date and a note about Mr. Livalittle being from NH, hence the syrup. Any ideas for favor tags? I'm liking the look of this....

Also, any ideas for some witty wording? Victory, do you have ideas for cool-looking DIY tags?

Going it alone: Designing my invites

2009-04-23T22:11:00.005-04:00

After very seriously considering purchasing an invites design from Printable Press, I've made the executive decision to forge ahead and design my own. I just couldn't reconcile paying $60+ dollars for a PDF that wasn't 100% what I wanted, knowing that I could whip out my (albeit rusty) graphic design skills to do it myself!

I mean, if I'm going to have to design the RSVP cars, map cards and reception cards in addition to coordinating printing of all pieces, then heck, I might as well just design the invite myself anyway!

So this is the compilation of the inspiration that Mr. B has officially approved. A frame of yellow/mustard colored pattern, with text in the middle. I also LOVE the fake-vintage-postcard-RSVP card, which I will totally steal. Just like the set in the upper left, but in yellow.

As a side note, Meg at A Practical Wedding posted an incredible site today [Invitation Consultants.com] that makes & prints invites for pretty darn cheap. Some are as little as $125 for 100 invites, and for custom printing, that's a deal. If I could get Mr. B to go for it, I'd totally do these kraft paper + feather invites in a mustard envelope. Hotness.

Save the Date

2009-04-23T00:25:00.002-04:00

Dearest readers. Ok, so it is officially LESS THAN FIVE MONTHS FROM MY WEDDING! Oh dear lord in heaven. Where has the time gone? I can't believe that Brad and I are over half way done with our engagement. I basically have taken a six week wedding hiatus, but now the pressure is on to get out those save the dates! I really wanted to send them out a while ago, but am thinking that it's not the end of the world as long as they are out by the end of the month.

For the save the date, I am thinking of sending a postcard to relatives and older guests and the knot.com generated save the date for my contemporaries because so many of them do not have firm addresses. Is this terrible if I do the email thing? Does it totally not match the formal wedding that we will have on September 19th? (Um...friends reading the blog: save this date, haha).

Thoughts, please!

Lacy inner envelopes

2009-04-22T21:18:00.003-04:00

OMG, my all time favorite DIY invite trick. Behold:

Thanks iDIY for bringing attention to this incredible trick. Simple, cheap, stylish. Awesome. Get full instructions on design.mein's Flickr.

Of course, Mr. B immediately shot it down.

Alas, I live to fight on for lacy invites another day.

Staying in Shape...

2009-04-16T20:43:00.002-04:00

Hey ladies! Just wanted to make a quick post about http://www.thedailyplate.com/ . Has anyone used this website? It is awesome! Here, you can record everything you eat and the website will analyze your intake of calories, fat, sodium, carbs, protein, fiber, sugar, you name it! I have been using the website for the past six weeks in an effort to get healthier and look better for my wedding. You can also input exercise, from walking to sailing to running to "tending to rice crops." Seriously, they have that as a possible activity. Anyway, it's very enlightening to learn about the nutrition information of certain foods.I'm also currently using Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. I am currently on level 2 and liking it! The workout only takes 25 minutes, you can do it in your bedroom and the best part is, it only costs $8 to buy the CD on Amazon! Woohoo!

Quick announcement: Brides Against Breast Cancer in Atlanta!

2009-04-15T15:20:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to help get the word out to all my Southern bride ladies that Brides Against Breast Cancer will be here in the ATL selling gowns to benefit a great charity this weekend!

Not only do you help a fantastic cause, the dresses are a steal! They have a range priced from $99 to $749 [originally up to $3500] and a range that goes up to $2,499 for couture originally priced up to $8000.

But you must make reservations to view the collection, so get to this website today!

It's invitation week!

2009-04-13T20:35:00.007-04:00

That's right, I'm really trying to stick to the calendar we created and get some decisions on invites/stationery made this week [or really, just by the end of the month].

It all started when Ten Thousand Only featured this incredible wedding. Months later the bride graduated to start a BRILLIANT wedding business, Printable Press. She'll typeset your information into one of approximately 60 designs and send you the PDF to print yourself. Do it up as expensive or budget as you want, it's all in your hands [exactly how I prefer it!]. She also provides fantastic tips and instructions for printing your own invites. Hugely valuable.

So my first decision will be whether to go the 100% DIY route [still on the table] or have Printable Press take care of the design work just for the main invitation card. I would ideally be able to make additional cards based on the main Printable Press invite. In theory.

If we go that route, Mr. B and I have narrowed down to our favorite designs. What do you think?? Leave a comment to cast your vote!

Option 1: Love the classic simplicity. Note that all colors can be changed [and would be to dominate mustard yellow].

Option 2: I really don't want to go down the full out damask explosion route, but I do love this pretty pattern. If we only use if as an accent to the invites, but no where else, is that ok?

Option 3: Love it. But I think I would replace the pattern, perhaps with the above damask?

Option 4: Loooove it. Mr. B is concerned that it is too casual. Our inkjet can't handle this much ink, so it would have to be printed by a real print shop, and therefore more expensive. Yes, I would carry the bulb light theme across ceremony & reception venues!

So help us choose [if I don't haul off and design my own]!

Text art

2009-04-12T21:42:00.007-04:00

Who doesn't love stationery that relies on bold typography?

Via Brooklyn Bride

Via Beast Pieces

Etsy seller Lovliday

There are lots of ways to achieve this look, but of course, most of them require hiring a graphic designer. If you're looking to go the DIY route, check out Wordle.net.

You enter in a string of text [your vows, old love note, random words associated with your upcoming wedding] and it automatically generates the text block. The font, colors and orientation are all editable, to create a pretty neat work of art to grace invitations, thank you notes, or program.

Both of these were generated by entering the blog's address. I'm thinking this could make an incredible thank you note card! Opinions?

Makeover!

2009-04-10T16:05:00.012-04:00

So I'm sort of obsessed with makeovers. Truly, madly, deeply. Whether it's hair, makeup, body, mind, soul- I LOVE the makeover show, movie or what have you. So imagine my glee when I discovered http://www.taaz.com/, the ultimate makeover website!

I am planning to use this website to help prepare for my wedding- what kind of hairstyle do I want? What shade of lipstick or gloss? Shade of eyeshadow? Should I get highlights? How about lowlights? There are lots of other fun things to try like fake eyelashes, colored contacts and lip-plumping. The plumping made me look like a total crazy lady. Anyway, the list goes on. PLUS, not only can you try different shades, but they are actually linked to real makeup products! Amazing.

Upon hearing about the site (from my dad of all people), I had tons of fun experimenting with different hairstyles, eye colors and hair colors. The technology is actually pretty good and you can adjust everything exactly to the picture you upload. It is super fun to see! Below I have posted pictures of me in different iterations:

Barbie Samantha
Beach Bum Samantha

Glamourous Samantha

Alternative Samantha

And finally, if Mr. L and I have a little Livalittle, this is what I think she would grow up to look like- me, with his coloring:

Has anyone used the site? Thoughts?

Float [I am resisting a boat reference]

2009-04-09T10:17:00.006-04:00

I remember when I got my first pedicure. Senior year, the day before Prom.

Now I'm ready to tackle another pampered frontier: I booked my first facial appointment ever. I'm the first to say it seems like an undue luxury, but when I heard about this new spa that just opened down the street in Inman Park, I couldn't pass up the chance.

You know its a good deal when the spa's web address is floatforvalue.com. For their opening, all one hour services are $39 . . . for real.

But I have a confession: I don't exactly know what a facial is. I mean, are we talking face massage? Steam? I'm so confused.

I just want to get some help with my huge pores, wacked-out combination skin and random breakouts before our engagement pictures taken in late May. Anyone with experience/advice out there?