This needs to stop.

Do you see what I'm talking about?

The wedding industry knows what I want. I want lots and lots of wedding porn in magazine form, even though I don't need it.

This is why having an hour for lunch can seriously suck. I used to go to Barnes & Noble "to just look around," and would walk out with some form of bridal magazine. Every. Time.

The best worst part? Those pics were taken when I was engaged for only 8 months and still had another 18 to go. I'm not even going to show you the current status in wedding magazine-land.

So yea. This has to stop. Maybe I could afford a damn videographer (which I currently can't) if I stopped wasting money on magazines. Boo. ((But they have such pretty picturessssss.))

Are you a sucker for wedding mags, too? You want any of mine?

Blooms

A while back, one of my favorite wedding inspiration sites, Sparkle & Hay, posted a picture of this gorgeous, beautiful big bloom bouquet that is my current must-have of the moment.

I die every time I look at this!

Image via Sparkle & Hay

It took me a few days, but I was able to pinpoint its origin to being from Petal and Print, which was featured on Project Wedding not too long ago. Thanks to one of my bridal magazines, I have since learned that it has an official name.. a composite or glamelia bouquet. Composites can be made out of real flowers (as well as the fabric/silk/what have you, as seen above) by taking individual petals from multiple flowers and gluing them together to make one large bloom. It used to be really popular in the early 20th century, but has yet to make a comeback. This is partially due to the fact that they cost a pretty penny for all the work involved in making one, whether it's out of real flowers or artificial material.

That being said, if I really want that exact bouquet or one like it.. well, I don't know. Chances are I won't be able to afford one, but a girl can dream!

SHOE-bee-doo-bee-doo

Ok. I need to get better with post titles.

In case you didn't get it.. this post is about shoes! Huzah!

I've been poking around online as of late for viable wedding shoe options. I've already decided that I really, really, really want turquoise shoes, a la our color palette. It's our main wedding color for a reason.. I have a minor obsession.

I have also realized that turquoise shoes? Are pretty rare. At least the *right* turquoise, anyway. I'd be ok with a pale pink shoe, but it would have to be pretty sassy if I went that route (honestly, it'd have to be sassy even if it was turquoise). 'Cause I'm a sassypants.

I would also prefer a closed toe shoe, mostly because I hate my feet. Not like you need to hear it, but my toes are pretty blech from dancing my whole life on bare feet and in pointe shoes. A pedicure can't save those babies. And I absolutely must have a few feet/shoe shots at the wedding.. so I either need a kick ass photographer who can avoid the toes, or a closed toe shoe.

My preliminary search brought me to Zappos, where I actually found some good options. The first pair of turquoise beaut's that caught my eye were these:

Carlos by Carlos Santana

They are a touch bluer than I might be looking for, but you never know until you see the shoe in person. I actually have these exact shoes in a purplish color, and they are pretty comfy. The one con I can come up with (aside from the open toe thing and possible wrong color.. so really, the third con) is that it's a 4.5" heel. I'm no stranger to sky high heels, but that would put me in somewhere around the 6'2" range... aka, taller than Mr. Foxy. So those probably won't work.

I think I just talked myself out of them. Onto the next pair.

These turquoise shoes appear to be more along the color I'm going for, and are a good blend of sassy and simple. Maybe a little too simple, though?

RSVP Jaceline

They are pretty cute. And wouldn't overpower my dress. The peep toe seems minimal enough that I might be able to get away with them. But.. they are also 4.5". Meh.

And that's it for turquoise options, at least from Zappos. Lame.

I did find this amazeballs pair of pinkish heels, though.

Nina Neva

Ok yes, so there's a peep toe. Come on, I'm not going to find adequate closed toe shoes, let's just face it. But I absolutely adore the design on the back of the shoe.. it makes it classy and simple and not overpowering in the front, then va-va-voom look-at-me-I'm-gorgeous in the back. Plus, I think it might actually "flow" better with my dress, which is very.. flowy. But they're also 4.5". (WTF!?)

The next two, I just think are fun. I would really prefer not to have white wedding shoes. I'm not a white wedding shoe type of person. But you can't deny their cuteness:

Menbur Carmen

Unlisted Natural Glow

That last pair is the only one listed at 3.5" instead of 4.5". Personally, I think Zappos just had a bit too much to drink the night they wrote down heel heights, because I just refuse to believe all those shoes are 4.5". Refuse.

On the bright side, I can always buy a couple pairs and then return the ones I don't want back, free of charge. They even give you a year to return shoes if they were never worn.. not like I need that much time, but it's still good to know.

Where did you look for shoes? Did you do colored or did you stick with white/ivory?

All above images via Zappos.com

Loofah?

Guess what?? I made my first puffball!

Yes, this was around Christmas. Hence the ornaments.

So, it kind of looks more like a really large, lopsided, blue loofah...

...but that's ok. It was my first one.

And there's a good chance it may be my last.

I've recently become obsessed with these loofahs tissue paper puff balls (or pom poms, whatever), and am seriously torn if I'd rather have lots of them at our venue instead of paper lanterns, which was my first instinct. Are they seen all over the wedding world right now? Yes. But I'm pretty sure there's a reason for that. Like.. because they're gorgeous.

I mean, just take a look!

They make me giddy just looking at them!

All images via Martha Stewart Crafts

Top row: Image thru FutureGirl  |  Image thru Kollewin

Bottom: Image thru FutureGirl

I originally figured this would be a perfect chance for me to get all DIY and show some tissue paper who's boss. It could be a cost effective way to get chic, simple decor, right? And it's not like I'm short on time or anything.

However.. after making the one, I'm not sure it's worth it for me to make all of them. I'm all for DIY, but I'm also lazy. Especially when I have a bunch of other DIY projects going on/in planning stages. A much simpler (albeit pricier) solution would be to just scour Etsy - there are tons of sellers like Prost to the Host that offer the poms in all different sizes and colors. All I would need to do is depuff them a day or two before the wedding!

So there's my dilemma: to DIY pom, or not to DIY pom. WWtHD (what would the hive do)?

Had it been another day, I might have looked the other way...

I... have been inspired.

And I'm SO freaking excited.

So on my other bloggity blog (here!) I posted a video of my stepdad JCC and stepbro CJ singing an impromptu version of "I've Just Seen A Face" during our Christmas vacation.

Oh, you want to see it again? OK!

I've Just Seen A Face from Stephanie C on Vimeo.

First off, that's one of my most favorite Beatles songs ever. Second, part of me likes JCC and CJ's version better.. possibly because of the acoustic guitar.

Both of them are amazing musicians (clearly). After listening to the video I took for possibly the bajillionth time, it hit me: I could totally use something like this in our wedding!

I've already been thinking about what songs we'll have at certain points during our wedding, like the processional, recessional, and first dance. Wouldn't it be wonderful if JCC and CJ could record an acoustic version of a favorite song to have played while myself or the wedding party walks down the aisle?!

I'm not discounting even just using "I've Just Seen A Face", because it really is a beautiful song. Not sure where it would go, but I decided that I want need it played at some point during the day. Lucky for us, JCC has the access and ability to make a professional quality recording. Score!!

Did/will you have friends or family contribute to your wedding music?

This one's for us.

I kept writing and rewriting this post, and it kept saying something different every time.

What I really want to touch on is how this will be mine and Mr. Foxy's wedding, nobody else's. Not our parents', not our friends', not the critics on all those wedding resources out there.

Ours. And we'll do what we want. And I will not care what other people think. (Must repeat this over and over.)

The problem is that all too often, I do care about what other people think. I want other people to love our wedding as much as I love it. However (and this has been a long time coming for me to accept), that is basically impossible. What I love, someone else will inevitably find "tacky". What I think is cute and quaint (and budget friendly), someone else will find "cheap". Different people have different opinions, and that's that. My recent realization and kick-butt attitude is now that Foxy and I will do what we want to do, not what your etiquette book or magazine or online forum tells me to.

Booya.

A little background so you get a feel for where I'm coming from:

I grew up on Long Island, and most weddings there are pretty ritzy. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, it's just that I grew up thinking that weddings had to be a certain way. The ceremony takes place in a church with massive amounts of flowers and the reception is a big affair with a cocktail hour and centerpieces and a big dance floor and a sit down dinner and drinks and food everywhere. Oh, and lots of electric slides and macarenas. Kind of the "more money = better wedding" mentality.

Don't get me wrong, these weddings are seriously great. I totally love going to them. I just knew that something about it felt off to me and it wasn't really what I personally wanted when I got married. But I didn't think I had a choice - this was what weddings were.

Then I went to a wedding at a vineyard, and while it was still on Long Island, it started to change my view on how and where I could eventually get married. The couple was wed outside in front of the grapevines - don't ask me why, but this never occurred to me, to get married somewhere besides the church I grew up going to (and lived next door to). I started to realize that there isn't a set formula to all weddings, that just because I was brought up with a certain perception of how weddings (and parties) are in a certain area doesn't mean I have to hold true to them. (In other words: options!)

A month later, I moved to Maryland and Foxy and I attended a slew of weddings the following summer, each light years different from the next.

This was really the best thing for me. We went to a super fancy wedding on the water on Long Island, a more casual backyard one in Michigan, and pretty standard church and catering hall reception one in upstate NY. We unfortunately had to miss a second one in upstate NY, this time at a winery - they did the coolest thing and rented a BBQ pit and grilled chicken on it, in front of everyone. I'm so bummed we couldn't make it.. it really seemed like the exact kind of thing I'd love to have for our wedding.

Anyway, the point of this is that my perception of weddings changed drastically from just a few years ago. With the help of several wedding resources and a mini-reflection on our lives, Foxy and I have been able to pull together an idea of what we want for ourselves, on a budget that works for us. It doesn't exactly agree with all of said resources out there, or even with some of my friends and family for that matter (more to come on that). I've grown to kind of throw "weddiquette" out the door, because really? It's our wedding, and we'll decide what to do and what not to do. The end.

Now I just have to keep repeating that to myself, especially in the next 8+ months!

Is this something you've struggled with as well? Have you found your ideas and perceptions about wedding celebrations have changed over time?

Bloggerific

So in case you haven't heard, BrideTide just released their list of the 100 most popular wedding blogs out there. I'm super excited to check out some of the ones I haven't read yet, like Junebug Weddings (I just love the name.. and, hi, getting married in June!) and Groom Groove (because I think Scot needs some tips.. just sayin'). And the other 70+ that I haven't checked out yet.

So if you haven't peeked at 2011's list, go and do it now!!!


PS. I can officially say my wedding is NEXT JUNE and people will stop looking at me all crazy like when I tell them "June of 2012". Huzah! That is, granted we don't all die in the apocalypse first.

Grrrrr.

I'm sad.

Mucho sad.

While I love blogging for fun (and for you guys) about my life and the wedding, I still harbor a not-so-secret desire to blog for Weddingbee. I obsessively check where each new Bee is from and where their wedding is. So far, so good.

And THEN. I go away on vacation for a week, they introduce Miss Lox, and my chances may very well be absolutely shot to hell.

She's having her wedding at my venue. AND she's a red head.

Whiiiiiiiiinnneeee.

As my friend K-bomb would say, #firstworldproblems.

Whatevs. This sucks.

So woe is me and all that fun stuff. I figure I'll still apply when the time comes, and just recognize that my chances are pretty small. Admittedly, I am kind of excited to read about what she's doing and see her wedding at the Vandiver. But at least I'm getting married a year later than she is, right?!

Right.

...right?!