I am crazy about the idea of wearing blue shoes on my wedding day to fulfill that blue component. My mom actually wore blue jeans under her mother’s gown, and if I were cooler, I’d probably do it, too. But the truth is that I’m so much more traditional than she is, and so I think a gorgeous pair of blue high heels is the perfect compromise.
I’m a traditionalist. I’ll always pick pearls over diamonds, and I’ve been wearing my grandmother’s studs since my sweet sixteen. I would never dream of buying jewelry for my wedding, and can’t imagine wearing much anyway. I might just wear her pearls, because I think bare shoulders and collarbone look dramatic and beautiful, and I hate fussy, glittery jewelry. If I wear anything else, it will be a piece of family jewelry, like my mother’s amethyst that many other women have borrowed on their wedding days.
I was thinking the gown would count as the new thing I’d wear on my big day…but if I were to wear vintage, I would kill for a chance to wear Jackie O’s incredible dress by Ann Lowe. The gown is housed in the Kennedy Library in Boston, MA.
My grandparents were married on New Year’s Eve, 1950, and my mother wore the vintage gown when she married my dad in October 1978. Unfortunately, it was poorly preserved and the lace is badly damaged. The worst part is that I would love to wear it: full-skirted lace gown with a tiny waist and a beautiful bodice covered in sheer netting. While the dress itself isn’t useable, I’d like to make a garter from a piece of it, so that I can carry on that tradition.
The traditional wedding custom of wearing “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue” actually finishes with the line, “and a silver sixpence in her shoe.” So we know it’s an English practice, and historians believe it began during the Victorian era. "Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past. "Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead. "Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family. In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color. Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced in proverbs like, "Marry in blue, lover be true."
A money clip locket with a photograph of your bride? How sweet.
This couple is just so divine. It doesn't hurt that their wedding is in Manhattan, my beloved city away from home. Ceremony at St. Luke in the Fields, reception at the Yale Club, and for favors, brown wrapped copies of their favorite books which also served as table ("Volume") numbers. And Gray's Papaya? Apparently they were worried they wouldn't get to eat during their reception, so they stopped off for hot dogs.
Who doesn't enjoy a pair of girly gloves once in a while? These gloves, from Mod Cloth, are actually called "Girly Girl" gloves and would be adorable with those bridesmaids dresses I posted a few weeks ago.
Thank you, Hannah Matthews soon-to-be Brooks. Thank you for turning me on to by far the best wedding blog out there-Tacky Weddings. Laughter (and booze) always seem to be the cure for what ails you, but this does laughter one better. I actually had tears streaming down my face.
Don't you want this to be what you wake up to the day after your wedding? And your gorgeous new husband, of course.
Nothing makes me more excited than the arrival of a real piece of mail. Not a catalogue or a bill, but an envelope with someone's handwriting on it, addressed to me. Well, okay, a few things make me more excited (my beau, cheeseburgers, free gowns) but letters are very high on my list. Which I think is why I adore weddings. They will require the sending of real letters-the save-the-date, the invitation, the response card, the thank you note. Holy hell, that's a lot of paper. And all of it can be beautiful.
Mmmm...paper. Also, 50 posts!
Okay, so obviously you don't actually have to call it that. But I'm highly recommending it.
I love, love, love this vintage inspired cake topper by Etsy seller Carrie Klein. I'd probably ask for slightly less crafty flowers, but I adore the hand-cast base and bell, the sweet little bride and groom and the classic sensibility. Don't you wish your handmade skills had evolved beyond note cards and small knit goods to include things as beautiful as this?
What an amazing photograph.
Such a saucy minx of a bride. That's awesome.
Can you believe this wedding, photographed by Tec Pejata, was done for $4,000? They were married in December and the photographer's wife, Chelsea of Oh my Deer did all the paper goods and helped style the event. OnceWed featured it last week and I think it's dreamy.
Making Valentines is one of my favorite February activities. This year, Flax, a great SF art resource, had so many beautiful cards and delicate papers for handmade valentines (not to mention wedding invitations) that it took me almost an hour to decide. Happy Valentine's Day!
As I mentioned earlier, John and I will probably not offer a full bar, but serve lots of the things we like to drink instead. Primarily because I hate the photographs of martinis. When you can dictate what everyone else will eat and drink (and in the worst of cases, wear) besides your wedding day?
kate spade has the cutest e-valentines to send out to your girlfriends (or paramours) this weekend. BMINE?
I'm posting this because it's a gorgeous photo, and because I miss my sweetheart. John is definitely the guy to wear suspenders on our wedding day.
I love the peonies in this invitation suite. The space between the peony motif and the more modern lowercase text is so visually provocative. Plus, I'm entranced by all things gold.
How fantastic is this table? I love the contrast of the dark, stark chairs and the peacock. The simple place settings and the luscious white flowers. It's so great to see some elements kept really simple so that the gorgeous stuff can take center stage. But really, where do you find a 2 foot long peacock made of real feathers?
This gorgeous dress from Oscar de la Renta is just the thing to spread a big smile over my face after a long Monday of classes and rehearsals. Not to mention the Bachelor, which is a wonderfully subversive pleasure I relish each Monday evening.
A card box shaped like a cake is one of my favorite Paper Source projects. I have instructions for a "cake" covered in wrapping paper, but I think the vanilla colored scalloped and round stackables from Paper Source would be just as lovely without wrapping. Instructions as follows (to make a box without wrapping, simplify):
