The Glass Collection

I have been doing some research lately, and found sources for all of the decor glassware (candleholders, vases, etc) that I’ll need for the wedding. And then I had an attack of conscience.

I was standing in my FMIL’s kitchen, and I happened to glance at the display of glassware in the dining room, and realized — she has a LOT of red and clear glassware. As does my mother. As do I, for that matter. And I thought about Lisa’s post a few weeks ago on Vintage Glam about vintage glassware, and I thought, hm…why do I really need every single piece of glassware to match? Really?

So I decided that I’m going to use a little of both. I’m considering lining the aisle with cylinder vases and floating candles at the wedding — it ends up working out cheaper than actually renting aisle candles, and I think it’s a lovely look.

 

Elizabeth's aisle decor via EAD

 

So, I’m going to buy vases for that, so everything will be uniform, and then for the reception, I think I’m going to use borrowed and flea market/yard sale finds, which will be better budget-wise, and also allow me to get some cool vintage pieces for our house. Best of both worlds!

The Venue!

Well, it’s official! I went today and dropped off the signed contract and deposit for our venue — barring any natural disasters, we are having our reception at the Brick Hotel!

I’m so excited! I absolutely adore our venue, and I can’t wait to have the reception there — plus, we have the added benefit that since they just opened, we’ll be in the first group of couples to have a reception there, which is kind of fun. Yay, Brick Hotel!

Seeing Red

Apparently, I’m not the only one enamored of red today.

TTO introduced me to Jessica’s gorgeous centerpieces that I just may have to use — I’ve been trying to figure out how to work red into the centerpieces (we scrapped the fire-and-water Martha idea).

And Amanda shared these adorable labels courtesy of poppytalk.

A photo of red poppies, because I’m in a cheerful-red-poppy kind of mood today!

Red High Heels

Yes, I know the Kelli Pickler song isn’t exactly the most…er, romantic song ever. But other than that *minor* detail, I ADORE red high heels, so…

As much as I dream of Louboutins, I am not holding my breath (or I would be an unbecoming shade of blue in the wedding pics). And I am loving the idea of adding a little pop of color with my shoes. Because we all know that I’m all about the untraditional touches! Besides, shoes that I can never wear again? Thanks, but it’s bad enough that I don’t get to wear the dress anymore!

Which brings me to my utter adoration of red heels. Since we oh-so-conveniently have red as one of our wedding colors, I’m seriously considering wearing red heels under my dress. My only concern is that they might show when I walk up the aisle, so I may end up with the shoe equivalent of two dresses — a cheap pair of ivory shoes for the ceremony, and a fun (but still cheap, because I can’t bring myself to pay much for shoes, no matter how gorgeous) red pair for the reception.

Win a Pair of Louboutins

Yes, I know the odds of winning any drawing are slim. But, I just had to share: Neiman Marcus is giving away a $3000 Christian Louboutin shopping spree. You just have to sign up for their email list.

Do I think I’ll win my dream wedding shoes? No, but a extra little bit of spam is totally worth the long shot!

Flowers, Part II

You may remember when I decided that I loved stock for the bridesmaids. However, I have since found out that stock isn’t a particularly hardy flower, and since we’re planning on starting the pics outside, in June, around 2 pm, stock may not be the best choice.

So, now I’m thinking about doing the unthinkable and using carnations. I know that I definitely want cream flowers against the charcoal dresses, and roses are a little too traditional for me. Orchids are a possibility, but they seem to lend themselves to cascade-y bouquets, which are so not happening!!

And hey, if Martha says yes…

via Weddingbee

via Weddingbee

I’m Back Too!

Earlier this week, I talked about T’s discovery that he cares more about the details of the wedding than he thought. I just realized that I never shared my own personal wedding epiphany from this week.

I was talking to a friend the other day about the wedding, and was telling her that I had just realized that somewhere along the way, without my really noticing, “bride Leika” decided to take a hike. This is not as bad as it sounds. Actually, it’s wonderful. Because sometime over the past month, I rediscovered my inner event coordinator. And “planner Leika” is WAY more decisive and pulled-together than “bride Leika” was.

Protocol Prompts: “Man-of-Honor”

Since I love etiquette so much, and those seem to be the questions that brides always have, I thought I’d start doing a weekly post with wediquette tips.

This week’s tip is from Anna Post, Emily Post’s great-great-granddaughter. She just published her latest wediquette book, Do I Have to Wear White? Emily Post Answers America’s Top Wedding Questions.

In keeping with the wedding party alternative concepts that have been making the rounds this week (see Jenny’s and Lauren’s brilliant ideas on A Practical Wedding), check out the Q&A on having a male honor attendant.

A snippet:

“It’s fine to have a close guy friend as part of your bridal party, and whether they are filling a “bridesmaid” role or even the “maid-of-honor” role, they are typically called an “honor attendant.”

…And no, he does not carry a bouquet!”

I’m going with a pretty traditional bridal party — we do have uneven numbers of men and women, but not by design. I will admit that the concept of other arrangements is fetching, however. Are you doing anything unusual?

My Wedding Nemesis

I think I will be forced to accept tulle as my nemesis. Part of the frills ban on the wedding has been the utter refusal to even speak the “t-word,” with visions of sugary-sweet clouds of tulle and hearts dancing in my head.

But all along, I’ve wanted dramatic, sheer curtain panels as the main decor element for the ceremony, with hanging votives and pomanders. My first thought was to use gauze, because it’s inexpensive and sheer (think theatre scrim weight, not bandages). However, the logistics of dyeing yards and yards of fabric charcoal gave me pause. So then I considered using the gauze, but leaving it natural. But I really wanted the drama of charcoal with the white flowers and candles–and my white dress–against it.

And then today, I was doing yet another search for the perfect fabric, and I found 108-inch-wide…tulle (I hate even saying the word!)…in charcoal. For $2/yd. Which brings me to the bring of admitting that tulle may just be my nemesis. My worthy adversary. The fabric that may make me eat my wedding words.

Going to Market

One of the lovely things about Delaware is that, while it isn’t a large state in and of itself, it does provide access to a number of pretty major metropolitan areas. Washington/Baltimore, Philly, and, of course, NYC are all within a few hours.

Now, this is lovely for all sorts of reasons, but where it really starts to matter is when you start looking at the shipping cost for wedding supplies. When you’re talking about heavy glass vases, etc, shipping costs can really add up. Flowers, same way. But right in the heart of NYC is the New York City Flower Market, my new best friend.

With around 50 different businesses to choose from, I’ll be able to pick up most of my wedding floral-related supplies in one major shopping trip. I’ll also be looking at the cost vs. convenience factor of actually getting our wedding flowers from the city as well. It’s just under a three-hour trip, so it may not work out to be more cost effective for the actual flowers, especially since there are flower wholesalers in DC as well, which is where I am every day for work!

But for the actual supplies, the trip will definitely be well worth it — Jamali Garden is located in the flower district, along with a number of other floral supply distributors.

If you live near a large city, too, try checking to see if there’s a floral wholesaler nearby — you may get the same great prices as ordering from an online one, with the bonus of actually getting to touch and smell the flowers for yourself!