Choosing: Adding Sprite to Our Cake Topper

We decided that we wanted our cake topper to include everyone in our family - us as well as Sprite. We have the pieces and now it's time to determine where we want to place Sprite.

Should Sprite be:

1. In front of the Groom and Bride looking forward (Option 1)?
2. In front of the Groom looking off to the left (Option 2)?
3. To the right of the Groom (Option 3)?
4. In front of the Groom looking up at the Bride (Option 4)?

What's your favorite arrangement?

Etsy Tuesday: Travel Your Thing?

Like many brides, I discovered Etsy early on in the planning process. While on Etsy, I’ve stumbled across so many finds that if our theme was different, I’d acquire them in a heartbeat or be inspired by.

To save my pocketbook, I’ve decided instead to fantasize about what I’d do if our theme was different. Be honest; you've thought about what your wedding would look like if you had a different theme? I know some brides have even changed directions a couple of times. So what are you doing to channel your creative ideas?

To channel my creative ideas, semi-regularly, at least once a month, I’m going to feature a theme with goodies from Etsy. During planning I’ve been thinking a lot about my grandparents, so I’m going to start off with a theme snatched from their loves – travel!

The Theme As Seen on Around The Blogs

Photography Credits: 1. Kelly Hornberger of Kelly Hornberger Photography via The Bride’s Café Blog. 2. Jodi Miller Photography via Postcards & Pretties. 3. Carissa of For You Love Me (Source) via Ruffled. 4. Luke Synder Studio via Style Me Pretty. 5. Elizabeth Demos. 6. Overbeek Photography via Pearls Events.

The Etsy Finds

Now if we too loved to travel, maybe we could have had a vintage-travel theme. Some of the ambiance you might have seen in signage, in the guest travelog, around the tables, etc.

To give guests a hint of what was to come, we could have used baggage tags (1) for RSVP cards. Once at the venue, guests might have picked up programs or menus that were inspired by Vintage Cruise Ship dinner menus (2). Perfect for the destination wedding. If we were feeling more ambitious, programs might have been modeled after guidebooks (3, 5) or we might have created our own guidebook for out-of-town guests. If we wanted a more budget friendly (as well as more paper friendly) option for our programs, we could have looked to old ferry schedules (4).

At the ceremony, kippahs or programs might be neatly stacked within vintage cases (8). Vintage globe buttons (12) could embellish the center of the guys' eco-friendly boutonnieres.

The travel theme would continue to the reception with globes (6, 11, 13) decorating the buffet or bar area. And confetti-shapes punched from atlases scattered across the centers of each tables (7).

Of course to complete the theme, the girls' Day of Survival packs would be vintage overnight cases (9) or travel sewing kits (10).

Etsy Sellers: 1. Tipple and Snack, 5 for $6.99. 2. Vintage Style Décor, $10.00. 3. The Cedar Chest, $5.00. 4. Scissors Paper Glue, $1.00. 5. Mrs Potts Vintage, $5.00. 6. Supply Fascination, $11.00. 7. Vintage Scrap Shop, $2.00. 8. Gabmac, $14.99. 9. Last of the Page Girls, 3 for $15. 10. Acadian Crochet, $5.00. 11. Trixie Grey, $10.00. 12. Osa Buttons, 3 for $5.50. 13. The House of Dreams Come True, $12.00.

Check back next Thursday to see what the paper goods would look like.

Update: Music for Our Ceremony Chosen

We've known for a while that we wanted "I've Got a Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas in our ceremony music.

What we were struggling with was the music for our processional. Two songs typically used in non-denominational and Christian weddings - Wagner's "Lohengrin" and Mendelssohn's "Midsummer Night's Dream"- aren't really appropriate for Jewish weddings. Not that we wanted to use them.

So the search has been on-going.

And we've just found the music. It's "I've Got a Feeling" by The Beatles.

What do you think? Did you have a hard time choosing the music for your ceremony?

What Inspires Me: Escort Card Displays

First off, are you having place cards or escort cards at your wedding? (Unsure of the difference? Check out this helpful post at Bonafide Bride.) Now, if you're having escort cards, how are you displaying them?

Our display is going to be simple. Escort cards with cork holders arranged alphabetically on vintage silver platters that my mom and gram sourced for us.

While we've known for a while how our cards would be displayed, I still enjoy looking at what other brides are doing. Here are my top 5 recent favorites. (I've clipped more and if you'd like to see escort card displays for a certain theme, drop me a line.)

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Next week's What Inspires Me feature will showcase bouquets. Be sure to come back!

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream

for Ice Cream!

Yesterday we got a call that more gifts had arrived. Now you probably figured from the title that one of the gifts was an ice cream maker (thank you Mooflyfoof for recommending!).

All afternoon I kept thinking about non-dairy, refined-sugar free ice "cream" desserts.

• Refined Sugar-free Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream
• Gluten-free, Refined Sugar-free Strawberry Vanilla Ice Cream
• Refined Sugar-free Peach Ice Cream

I hope y'all like ice cream as much as we do. Wonder why? 

Well, I want to throw an ice cream social! OK, it'll actually be more of an appetizer/ice cream/wine social as I want to use the Griddler and the Vinturi too!

So the question now. Do we have to wait to use our registry gifts? Have you started using yours?

Update: Unexpected Treasure

If you live in the Bay Area and you're into costuming, you probably have heard of "The Opera Sale." If you haven't heard of this rare sale (happened so far only four times), it's when you can buy costumes such as these for $1 to $750.

(Source)

From what I've heard it's a madhouse. We missed it. So when we got news of another costume warehouse sale, we were on it. Especially when we read they had 1950s vintage clothing and accessories.

We got there relatively early (a little after doors opened). If this had been the opera sale, we would have arrived too late, but we were able to walk right in. Tables piled high with pants, shirts, and more greeted us. Racks of clothes.

Personal Photo

And boxes. Boxes stuffed with clothes on shelves, on the floor, everywhere. One had to have a mission and a plan. There was lots of trash you had to dig through to find the treasures. Many items were water stained or moth eaten. But if you were patient and lucky, you might find the Holy Grail.

Back from the dry cleaner, here are our treasures. The four aprons together were $5 and the strapless 1950s cocktail dress was $15.

Personal Photos

Have you found accessories or items for your wedding in unexpected places?

Keep track of those wedding expenses

If you're like me, you probably just want to forget about what you've spent as soon as you've spent it. I've been resisting this urge, and boy am I ever glad that I routinely doublecheck all expenses and track the budget. And here's why.

Two days ago I discovered a few fraudulent charges on my debit card. (I'd had this "brilliant" idea that if we didn't have the cash to pay for something, it wasn't necessary for the wedding and had been setting out to pay for everything in cash.) With all the wedding expenses, I'd gotten in the habit of checking my account balances and credit a little more often than usual (between two to three times a week). First thing Monday morning, going through the weekend's wedding purchases, I noticed a few charges from stores I hadn't visited in a couple of years, for services I hadn't used, and for charities I didn't support.

While it sucks that this happened, I'm so glad it didn't happen at the end of September/beginning of October. If I had to handle last minute payments/expenses with no access to cash (just my checkbook), I'd be one crazed bride.

What I've learned from this experience...

1. Check credit/debit card and account activities at least once a week, if not more frequently. If you get in a habit of checking first thing Monday morning and there's a problem you can have a resolution by mid-week.
2. Just because your credit/debit card is in your possession doesn't mean the number as well as security code isn't in someone else's possession. The first question my bank asked was whether my debit card was stolen. Nope, it wasn't. It was (and still is) in my possession.
3. The minute you notice a fraudulent charge - even if it's still pending - call your bank. My bank was able to immediately reverse those charges (not all banks will do this but it never hurts to ask). They were also able to credit my account for the fraudulent charges that already had gone through. (As an aside, while my bank's support people were amazing, the customer support people at NewEgg (where the largest fraudulent charge occurred) are really rude. I last did business with them in 2008 and I definitely won't be doing business there in the future.)
4. Most importantly, don't use your debit card in place of a credit card or as a substitute for cash. Depending on when you notice the fraudulent charges you aren't going to have access to those funds for 24 to 48 hours. If you don't have cash reserves you might end up bouncing rent checks, etc. Also, if you're traveling, you won't have access to the checking/savings account tied to the card until you get your new card.
5. Having two credit cards is not such a bad thing. One credit card should be balance free - use that credit card rather than your debit card for monthly expenses that you plan to pay off. Neither credit card should be close to their limit - if your zero balance credit card is the one that gets stolen/phished, you may need to use your other credit card.

Have you been a victim of credit/debit card fraud? Was it easily resolved?

Choosing: Designing Table Numbers

Earlier this month we were deciding what to do for our table "numbers." Well since then we've decided on a theme - Restaurants. (The table "number" might be an actual number or the first letter from the restaurant's name.)

Specifically, we're choosing restaurants (and/or bars) that mean something to us or are our favorite haunts. Of course, we've come up with more than 20 and are working to whittle the list down.

Each table tent will identify a specific restaurant and include a filmstrip along with a short description of why the restaurant is important to us.

For example, one of the restaurants we've chosen is Weird Fish. (Check out Chapter Five of Our Story to see why this restaurant is important to us.)

Some filmstrips will include shots of the restaurant's food. Some filmstrips will include images of the restaurant (as we've done with Weird Fish). Other filmstrips will feature us dining/eating at the restaurant.

So for the filmstrips what finish should we use? And why?

1. Sepia
2. Black and White
3. Color

Are you doing something special for your table numbers?

Update: Silk and more silk from Thai Silks

Last week, Mooflyfoof and I met Robynne of Tulgey Wood Designs, our corset maker, at Thai Silks in Los Altos. The goal? Get silk. Silk for Mooflfoof's wedding dress. Silk for my corset.

The result? Silk and more silk. Silk for my corset, silk scarves for use in our centerpieces, and remnants for another project that I'll reveal later on.

Our sales associate was very friendly and helpful. Turns out they were about to have a 25% off Summer Sale, and we were a few days too early. They gave us the option to put our fabric on hold, and then order our fabric by phone when the sale started. For me, with shipping this wasn't that much of a savings ($5) as I was buying 1 yard of silk. Our sales associate offered me 10% off which I took.

If you can't make it down to Los Altos, you can order online. If you don't want to purchase silk sight unseen, they even have samples available.

Next Best is Better: Suede Ankle Booties

You know me, I love boots and bootlets. Inspired by Britt's post on The Broke-Ass Bride today, I sought out to find a pair of high fashion bootlets for a low price (goal under $40).

I found an adorable set of bootlets to later discover they're Christian Louboutin-inspired! I have some shoes in my closet that cost a couple of hundred dollars but there's no way I'd pay over a thousand dollars.

The Haute Fashion Original via The Shoe Goddess:

Christian Louboutin Fifre 120

$1,195 from Barney's (no longer available)

The original knock off:

Steve Madden Trumpit

$89 from Mezing

Steve Madden Trumpit

$149.95 from Endless.com

$119.99 from Piperlime

$59.98 from 6pm.com

The knock off:

Charles Albert New 1347

$20.93 from Endless.com

$16.43 from Amazon.com

What You Save

If you love red bootlets, you can get the original Christian Louboutin-inspired bootlet for $89 - a savings of $1106 without tax. If you prefer black to red as I do, you can get the Christian Loubotin-inspired bootlets for $59.98 - a savings of $1135 (if you prefer leather uppers) or for $16.43 - a savings of $1178 (if man-made uppers are OK).

Have you found great deals such as this? Please share. I love a good shoe story.

Tuesday Shoesday: Dainty Pink Shoes w/Black Accents

Now I'm not typically a pink shoe kinda girl, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. Immediately I fell in love with these beauties by Via Spiga:

Via Spiga Kelly

$60.71 from 6pm.com (This is 72% off!)

As Rachel Zoe would say, "I die!" But, alas they're not in my size. Boo. I really should learn to search with my shoe size as a filter. If you find these shoes in a 7 please, pretty please, point me in their direction.

In your wedding searches have you come across the seemingly perfect accessory that just wasn't meant to be?

For those that love pink shoes, here are some other pink shoes with black accents that I came across. (In case you're curious as to why this combination, it's to go with my getaway outfit - a 1950s vintage navy dress with dainty black ribbons and a navy hat with black (soon to be pink) ribbon).)

Pleaser Bliss-38

$47.95 from Zappos.com

Not in my size. Not sure if the lace is too much.

Pleaser Seduce-219

$39.95 from Endless

With a black ribbon, these shoes would be hard to pass up.

Betsey Johnson Calandra

$154 from Zappos.com

Out of my price range, but matches the criteria pink with black ribbon.

Type Z Nura

$54.60 from 6pm.com

Close to my price range, but not my style.

1950s Shoes, Hand finished by Kimel, California, Size 7 1/2

$69 from Kitty Girl Vintage

DIY Project: Writing Our Wedding Ceremony

When we last met with our rabbi, our homework was to review 3 different Jewish wedding ceremonies and pick the one or pieces from each that we liked for our wedding ceremony.

Another resource we had at our fingertips was The New Jewish Wedding by Anita Diamant. Her book was great at explaining the symbolism and outlining what aspects you could customize.

With all these resources, one might think figuring out a wedding ceremony would be easy. It helps, but it's certainly not easy - easy would be just pointing to a ceremony and saying "This one." Did you write your wedding ceremony from scratch or chose pieces from other resources?

Here's what we're thinking of.

(Processional.)

Introduction

Our God and God of our fathers and mothers, bestow Your blessings upon Ploni and Plonit as they unite their lives. Cause them to thrive in their life together. Teach them to share life's joys and life's trials, and to grow together in understanding and devotion. May love and companionship abide within their home. May they grow together in health and contentment, ever grateful to You for the union of their lives.

Blessed are you who come here n the name of God. (We bless you in this House of God.)

Serve God with gladness; come before God with singing.

O God, supremely blessed, supreme in might and glory, guide and bless this bridegroom and this bride.

Rabbi, to the groom's parents: Who blesses the marriage of their son, Ploni, and welcomes Plonit into their family as their new daughter?

Groom's Parents: We do.

Rabbi, to the bride's parents: Who blesses the marriage of their daughter, Plonit, and welcomes Ploni into their family as their new son?

Bride's Parents: We do.

(Rabbi's Remarks.)

Vows
Here we're thinking of starting with the vows we've written for each other and ending with the more traditional:

(Bride recites vows she's written.)

(Groom recites vows he's written.)

And now Plonit and Ploni, in the presence of caring and loving witnesses, as you stand ready to enter the bond of marriage, respond in faithfulness:

Rabbi, to the groom: Do you, Ploni, take Plonit to be your wife, promising to cherish and protect her, whether in good fortune or in adversity, and to seek together with her a life hallowed by the faith of Israel?

Groom: I do.

Rabbi, to the bride: Do you, Plonit, take Ploni to be your husband, promising to cherish and protect her, whether in good fortune or in adversity, and to seek together with her a life hallowed by the faith of Israel?

Bride: I do.

Rings

Wine Ceremony and Seven Blessings

Conclusion

Benediction

(Bride and groom each break a glass.)

(Kiss.)

(Recessional.)

Dressing the Bride: Another Something Old

Growing up I was frequently told I looked like either my mom or my dad (it depended on which parent I was standing next to at the time). As you know I'm wearing her dress at our wedding. It's one of our "Something Old"s.

We'd initially had this idea that I'd leave the venue in my wedding dress. After the final fitting and my first corset fitting, this idea was left in the dust. The dress is much easier to get into than out of. I need at least two people, with three preferred, to assist. New idea... A getaway outfit.

I asked my mom if she had any photos of her getaway outfit. Her answer? Even better - she still had the dress! And the color? Navy! One of our wedding colors.

Here's a photo of my mom and dad at my dad's brother's wedding.

Here I am in my mom's getaway dress. I love that it's got an empire waist (see my last Dressing the Bride post). I'm shorter than my mom, so I think I'll need to shorten the dress by 2 to 3 inches, but other than that what do you think? Even if it isn't the dress I wear for my getaway, it will be making an appearance.

Have you found an unexpected "Something Old"? What are you doing for your "Something Old"?

DIY Tools: My Cricut

So I got a chance to play with/try out my Cricut this weekend. First let me say this. The manual recommends practicing with less expensive paper. I second this recommendation.

Documentation/Instructions: C-

I almost always start by reading the manual. With the Cricut, I did the same. I don't know if Cricuts typically come with the blade installed - mine didn't. None of the instructions mentioned installing the blade. I reversed the steps for removing the blade to adjust blade depth.

The steps on how to set paper size are unclear. I tried a couple of variations but was unable to set the paper length to 6 x 11.

First Impressions: C

I used printer paper to test out some functionality. When you first use a cutting mat, it's very sticky. I misaligned the paper initially and had a hard time repositioning it.

Next rookie mistake: I left the blade depth at 1 thinking the printer paper was thin. The blade didn't even cut through the paper. 2 worked much better.

Any DIY tools that you thought would be easy to use and weren't?

Dressing the Bride: Going Back in Time

Growing up I loved vintage inspired styles. I was lucky that my mom loving handmade most of my clothes to my design specifics. The designs “we” created that looked best (that is, I'm not embarrassed to show friends photos of) were vintage looks.

My favorite dress? The one I wore for my 8th graduation luncheon. It was a 1950s-inspired dress with wiggle skirt. (By the way if I had this number in my closet right now I'd probably never take it off.) This is the best photo I have of me in the dress. Please ignore the horrible glasses.

Personal Photo: Image was taken by my mom. 

There were designs that weren't as flattering. Think 1980s Gunne Sax. Lots of lace. Lots of ruffles. Too much material, too detail for a curvy petite frame. Note that had I listened to my mom I wouldn't wince now when I look at some of those photos. I can admit it now – I’m not a rebellious teenager anymore – but I really should have listened to her. It’s not just Father Knows Best. Because I love you all, here are photos of me in ruffly tops.

Personal Photos: Image on the left was taken by my mom. Image on the right was professionally shot.

So why am I talking about what I wore growing up? Well the search is on for my getaway outfit (as well as accessories for our 1950s inspired photo shoot). And well based on those junior high and high school experiences, I've learned that some vintage looks just don't work for me.

Why? Let me summarize. I'm 5'3". Most styles are designed for those 5'7" and taller. I have an hour glass shape with a short waist. Most styles are designed for those with more modest chests and long waists.

Styles that Vivien Leigh, a 5’3 ½” tall actress, don’t always work for me. (Vivien Leigh is best known for her role as Scarlett in Gone with the Wind.) She was lucky enough to be blessed with a longer torso than me.

Image of Vivien Leigh taken by Peter Stackpole for LIFE and used in accordance with license. Other two images are personal photos: image on the left was taken by my mom; image on the right was professionally shot.

Ever since I worked at Victoria’s Secret, back when they had a dress code (shoulders covered at all times; modest necklines; dresses or skirts at least to the knee; no bare legs; and 2-inch heels), I’ve been very conscious of how I look in clothes. I also have a long list of  Style Guidelines for Curvy Petites

based on Tim Gunn's Guide to Style that I follow almost religiously.

Hopefully we'll find something that works for everyone.

Are you getting outfits for your bridal shower and going away that match the theme of your wedding?

{Green} What Inspires Me: Eco-Friendly Boutonnières

Have you thought about the flowers for your groom? Typically referred to as boutonnières. Or commonly misspelled as boutinnieres. Or easily abbreviated as Buttons.

Created/Photographed by Ruffles and Stuff

For our wedding, I'm trying to figure out if go with real flowers (snuck out of my parents' yard under cover of darkness), paper flowers, fabric flowers, or something else for the boutonnières. And whether we make them ourselves or buy them.

What do you suggest we do?

Fresh Flowers
If you're aiming to be green, flowers seem to be the thing you should avoid at all costs. If you feel you have to have flowers, well then be sure that you're choosing in-season flowers that are locally grown without pesticides.

To avoid this whole environmentally insensitive area I'd begun dreaming of raiding my parents' garden (they're local; anything that would be in bloom for our wedding would be in-season; and they don't use pesticides). Cuttings from my mom's Australian Tea Bush (Leptospermum scoparium 'Ruby Glow' - New Zealand Tea Tree 'Ruby Glow') would compliment our soft romantic vintage look.

Leptospermum scoparium

(Source)

And if the tea bush isn't blooming, there's sure to be Heather a plenty (blooms from July through November).

(Source)

However, I'm not sure my parents would appreciate us appropriating their landscaping. It would definitely be a very personal DIY touch. Moving on from that day dream, a truly eco-friendly boutonnière would be one that isn't made from fresh flowers. I started thinking we could make our own. Here are some of the DIY Boutonnières that have caught my eye.

Paper Flowers

Photographed by Pat Furey, spotted on Project Wedding

So far I've found a tutorial on Just Something I Made for how to make the paper leaves using a page from an old cookbook, our printer, Matte Modge Podge, and scissors. This is a relatively inexpensive DIY Project, our only cost would be the Matte Modge Podge; 4 oz runs about $3. I also found a tutorial on Elizabeth Anne Designs that could be scaled back in size to create the flower itself.

Photography Credit: For You Love Me via Ruffled

Crafted/Photographed by Miss Trail Mix for Weddingbee

Crafted/Photographed by Miss Guinea Pig for Weddingbee

There's even a handy step-by-step tutorial for making these origami flowers. This seems like a more manageable task if we're just using origami flowers for the boutonnières in place of escort cards.

Fabric Flowers

Boutonnières by Emersonmade
$38 to $42

(Source)

Eco-Proper via The Broke-Ass Bride (includes video tutorial!)

(Source)
Boutonnière by Peppermint Cloud (Etsy)

$19.99 to $29.99

Depending on the material you chose, nylon or organza for example, you can create romantic corsages for your MOB and MOG.

(Source) Includes step-by-step tutorial for creating the flowers.

(Source) Includes step-by-step tutorial for creating the flowers.

Twigs and Seed Pods

(Source)

Feathers

(Source)

Photography Credit: Simple Photo in Ontario via Style Me Pretty

Boutonnière by Pomp and Plumage (Etsy)

$10 to $14

(Source)

Boutonnière by Rationale (Etsy)

$8.50 to $10

(Source)

Unique

(Source)
Boutonnière by Drinking Stars (Etsy)

$20 for 1; $125 to $150 for set of 5