Issue at hand: Adam and I do not want to wear shoes. We want to feel the grass beneath our feets and just not stress over expensive footwear that we'd rarely wear, if ever again.
However....
My mother brought up a good point: By being barefoot'ed in our ceremony (which is a definite, by the way, and I hope our bridesmaids and groomsmen are all cool with that!), we're going to have "K-Mart Feet." Visual: white-trashy people who walk around K-Mart with bare feet turn into white-trashy people with VERY black-bottomed feet. *ew* We'd like to avoid that, obviously----it wouldn't look good in photos for one, and another reason is that there will be copious amounts of dancing during the reception and shoes will be needed for that ('cuz bottom-of-the-foot-blisters really suck).
So! While I am very happy and anxious to walk down the aisle with bare feet and painted toe nails, I realize that I still have to shop for shoes of some sort...you know, for picture 'opps. and dancin' and for the K-Mart feet avoidance and such.
I'm keepin' my eyes pealed for fun flats---orange would be fabulous!!! Or green. Or yellow. I don't want anything with a heel (unless it's a wedge)...and nothin' with straps or buckles or bows or bells! Less is more, after all. And cuter, too.
So I've been thinking a lot about my hair lately. I know, I've *always* been preoccupied with my hair---back in the day it started out as naturally light brown locks that went down to my butt (I used to have boys sit behind me in class tying it in knots!). But since sophomore year of college my hair has undergone some change...the most drastic being two years of dreadlocks, followed by a bleach-blonde shaggy bob! Finally my hair has grown out to a healthy state again--hooray!--and as of late I am most concerned with my bangs (windy day pictures are always a hoot), fly aways (man I hate those things), and the bizarre hue my hair fades to after months of not dying it.
Because I am sitting here with box-dye soaking on my head, and I have been perusing through my usual wedding blogs and websites, I cannot help but be focused on hair at the moment...and I am thinking about how on earth I want to wear it come my wedding day.
Other hair-related issues on my mind:
How much longer my hair will grow over the next 6 months? Seems the older I get the less it grows, which makes me quite sad....
What shade of brown should I go with? I've been going back and forth between auburn and dark brown...but I'm contemplating lightening it up a) just for kicks and b) because it's a summer wedding...
Why are my bangs such a freakin' issue? Will they please just properly grow out?! And in a quicker fashion, too? Thanks....
Can I pin a flower on the side of my head whilst wearing a veil? Will it look lame? Or too crowded?
I quite like the look of the messy low-bun, and especially love the flower pinned to the side. I don't want a fancy French twist with my bangs plastered down because I'm just not that classy (and that is the furthest thing from my style). I don't want my hair curled in the "half-up, half-down" mode because I would sweat like crazy having my hair down over my neck and upper back, and my hair is straight as a stick and doesn't hold a curl anyhow. I don't care to pay a ton of bucks on getting my hair styled, but don't trust myself to create a 'do that will a) look amazing for the ceremony, pictures, and the rest of the day and b) stay secure through hours of cuttin' up a rug on the dance floor during the reception!
It's quarter past two in the morning. Ashley is sound asleep, and I'm sitting on our couch in our back room listening to the buttons on my clothes gently make clicking sounds in the dryer upstairs. In a matter of 20 minutes, that dreaded buzzing sound will tell me it's time to toss in load number three. Ashley won't stir, though, when her lights go out she couldn't hear a Mack truck driving through a nitro-glycerin plant*. Anyway, I find it interesting that now is suddenly a good time for me jot down an entry. By all accounts I should be exhausted, yet here I sit, feeling like I might be able to get the juices flowing.
Ash has really put me to shame with her latest spree of blogging, considering my last entry was over a month ago, but I'd like to remedy that. There are so many things I've been wanting to write about, but I'm not sure how far I'll get since it's so late.
August 21st 2010 — Save that date!
There isn't so much to say on this topic, since I believe we've already mentioned it. Still, I wanted to post the finished design. A lot of people asked what printing service I went through, and the answer is postcards.com. It's been years since I've done print design, so it was fun to draw something up that would ultimately be tangible. Now Ash and I are using a variation of the save the date as our desktop wallpaper. For some reason it feels guiltlessly narcissistic.
Team Friends!
Lately, we (Team Fiends!) have been spending a lot more time with our friends - and guess what - it's rejuvenating! Whether it's after work, or on the weekends, we've just been finding more time to see the people that mean the most to us. I think this is a real challenge for us college grads and twenty-something's who find themselves frequently exhausted from the 40 hour work-week. For couples, it's especially difficult because sometimes it feels like the weekend is the only time you really get to spend quality time with each other. Still, after these past weeks, I must say that it is crucial to find the time to spend with friends... especially mutual friends.
When I spend time with my friends, I notice that they tend to revive a bit of energy that seems to have been lost in the nostalgia of my university days. Maybe it's not the aging of our bodies and minds that makes us tired, but the distance from rejuvenating sources of energy such as our chums. I think back to the all-nighter's I pulled in college, and the late-night antics despite homework and looming tests... there's no way we could have done it without each other!
This brings me to mutual friends... there's just something about being around people you love when in the company of your significant other (sigfig). Now, not only do they feed your own energy and personality, they feed your sigfig's too. Suddenly you start noticing character traits about each other that you forgot about, and you can't help but remember how lucky you are to be with this amazing person.
So here's a shout out to everyone I've spent time with lately!
I chatted it up at Beerworks with Jon and Ryan, and had such a good time that I completely missed my train and had to wait 2 hours for the next one.
Tim, RaeBeth, and I tried a new restaurant in Salem recently, before returning to their place and getting totally engrossed in Wii Mario Kart. Tim and I used to dominate the Salisbury video game scene... since then I've apparently lost some of my skills when it comes to handling a virtual go-kart.
Mike and Rhys, joined Ash and I recently for pizza and Beatles Rock Band at our house. We wore hats... so many hats.
Nikki and Mike, two friends of mine who I've known since high school, recently bought a house right down the street from Ash and I, and we've wined and dined together on a few occasions including a classy shindig at their place on New Year's Eve.
We've met up Kevin and Alyssa on multiple occasions, and have begun to make a habit of documenting our activities (such as bowling) on video... it may sound boring to watch, but Kevin transformed over an hour of footage into a few minutes of trailer-quality material, music and all!
Jackie (a.k.a. "MOH", and "Rrrrrooomie!"), and I recently had a blast getting lunch together and talking about ridiculous sightings that she blogs about daily, then she joined Ash and I for dinner at Not Your Average Joe's.
In a stroke of luck, we bumped into Laura at work in Newburyport while we were with Jackie, and next thing we knew, Andrew, Jamie, and Julia were all at our house, serving up gelato and epic guitar riffs in Beatles Rock Band!
Speaking of Rock Band (haha, it's still new okay!?), Pete joined us for a session recently before heading out to Colorado for a vacation. Ash cooked up some spaghetti and garlic bread for the occasion, and I do believe we tapped into a bottle of wine... or two?
Last Saturday, I caught up with Mike and the rest of the gang at the Eggroll Cafe, after Ash and I met with a promising, potential photographer. Then Mike informed me of skiing plans for Sunday, and next thing I knew, we were sitting in a gondola (haha -- or as Mike referred to it the "ganjala")!
On Tuesday, Tang took Ashley, Mike, Curran, and I out to an incredible sushi dinner at Kayuga in Brighton. Mmmm -- nothing stimulates my palate like good sushi, and nobody stimulates my intellectual side like these guys.
Lastly, tonight Kevin, Alyssa, Nick, Kate, and Chris all joined Ash and I in Beverly to behold The Roger Brockelbank Jazz Trio (+1). We opened the night with dinner and drinks before filling up on sexy jazz that flowed until midnight.
...what can I say, I'm still on a high from all the fun. I guess that's what's carrying me into the wee hours of the morning, typing away. Alas, this is all I've got in me for now. More to come soon about our experience in hunting for a wedding photographer, and about our upcoming vacation in California!
Adam and I haven't made a concrete decision in regards to the cake / dessert issue. We know we "need" a cake to cut because, well, tradition says so...and Adam's aunt makes cakes for a living, so she's already offered to make ours....and it would probably disappoint many a'family member and guest if we didn't have a cake.....
SO!
Cake it is...but a *small* cake, please. Nothin' super-duper fancy with 50 tiers and pounds of frosting (bleh---I hate cake frosting). Adam and I aren't big cake-fans to begin with....but maybe we can do what our newlywed friends did and have a tasty chocolate-peanut butter cake---yummmm!! If it's got peanut butter in it, I'll eat it.
So, because we don't want a giant cake, we are of course considering the option of having lil' cupcakes as dessert for our guests. It's not that we're trying to avoid a cake-cutting fee (because there isn't one at our fabulous venue to begin with!)----we just don't care to have a GIANT FLIPPIN' CAKE! Besides, cupcakes are cute, fun, inexpensive, and in my opinion no one NEEDS a heaping slice of cake, ever. Cupcakes are the perfect size to satisfy any sweet tooth. If we decide to go with the cupcake option, I've had the crazy daydream of making 'em myself (with the help of my bridesmaids of course!) because it'd be kinda fun to slave over the oven for a day, baking and decorating...all the while drinking wine, of course. There are a few daunting factors that come into play, however: a) I don't enjoy cooking or baking because I'm afraid I'll mess it up and possibly poison the people I love b) That's gonna be a LOT of cupcakes....like, 150'ish if everybody we invite RSVP's with a "Heck yes!" c) If we were to make them 2 days before the wedding, would they keep well?
There are *so* many cupcake ideas out there....as well as cupcake tree designs! NOTE: I didn't know they were called "cupcake trees" until recently; I called it a tower ("pffft! a 'tower?!' what a dumb bride-to be, doesn't even know what that thing is called"). ;o) I like the one to the right (------>) because it's rustic and looks hand-made; definitely something my dad could whip out in about 20 minutes! It would be rustic and obviously fitting for our venue, but also something I would keep and treasure as another awesome thing my dad has made for us. This particular design is cute, too, because it's modest----not some giant Christmas-tree sized tower o' cupcakes. Why not just have a fraction of the cupcakes out for display, and the rest "behind-the-scenes" in the kitchen...? Unless there's not enough room for 100 cupcakes in the kitchen, I would prefer not to have all 150+ cupcakes out and about 'cuz that would require a large-and-in-charge cupcake tree, by golly!!
The lil' birds on top of these cupcakes were handmade by a bride and her maid of honor and I think they are just so cute! They're made of felt and have simple stitching, and can basically be made in any color you so desire. Sewing felt is no problem, though this would be a time consuming and tedious---no one ever said being a DIY bride was an easy task! "Birds" as a theme has really grown in popularity over the past few years, and while I'm not one for being cliche, I do enjoy how these little birds embody the simple country / indie wedding vibe. We obviously won't be going with "birds" as our entire wedding theme, though birds ARE a part of nature and we DO have an old fashioned birdcage as our card holder, so I see no problem with incorporating some birdies here and there...
The next topper options I find hilarious and just as creative: ------> The bride who employed this idea found the plastic figurines at a party store, and they fit well with their theme because they married on Halloween. These are great because they are cheap, easy (ya just stick it on top---done!), and show the couple's sense of humor / youthfulness. I dig that. A sense of humor is so important, and why not make cupcakes fun?? Even if you're not getting hitched on Halloween, there's no reason not to spruce up your foods with a little creativity.
One of these days Adam and I will seriously discuss the issue at hand: what the heezy do we serve for dessert? Follow tradition and have a monstrous cake? Offer little cupcakes instead of slices of cake? Nix the cake-thing all together and offer ice cream sundaes?! Or maybe a cup of fruit?! Or how about we nix the dessert thing all together and offer Kashi granola?!? (kidding about the last option)
I can't pinpoint when my fascination / love for barns began....I wish I could! I do, however, remember when the movie "Lassie" came out (1994) and I was semi-jealous that the city-boy moved with his family to "the country" (who knows which ONE...). He had a farm. With chickens. And a barn with a loft. And his faithful companion Lassie, of course. And I remember wanting a piece of that; it was a lifestyle I couldn't very well have growing up in East County San Diego, so it was foreign but oh-so-cool.
So perhaps it was then, at the tender age of 10, when I first began admiring farms and barns and wondered what it would be like to move to a more rural area... Raising sheep and collecting eggs from the chicken coop seemed like they'd be fun, and taking a long bus ride to school after milking the cow in the early morning was something I couldn't relate to in the slightest (shoot, I didn't ever ride a bus until I went off to Santa Cruz for college!). ;o)
While I never did get the opporunity to grow up and work on a family farm (I don't think I would have survived to be completely honest), I did participate in activities that I deem "rustic" and "country": picking blackberries and fishing for crawdads in my gramma and papa's back yard with my brother; picking strawberries at my mom's aunt's house up in Idaho; fishing at the Santee Lakes or at any river we happened to pass while on a family vacation; camping up in Yosemite every spring...
Reasons why I have fallen in love with barns: * Gambrel roof: It is just so "barn," and anytime you see a gambrel on a house you can't help but think "barn!" Granted, not all barns have the gambrel roof style, but it's a feature that can't be ignored. * Wood: I love wood, and I especially love structures made of wood---they just scream "rustic." Wood is a natural material and anything constructed purely of wood has to be admired and considered something of an art. I dig the look of wood siding on a home...probably because it reminds me of a barn...and when the wood weathers, it looks even cooler than it originally did! * Scenery: Barns aren't typically found (if ever) amongst skyscrapers and super-mod color palettes. Barns are rustic, commonly found amidst fields of gold (ooh I love that song!), green grass, chestnut mountains, and wide blue skies. A barn standing solo in the countryside contributes to the landscape...and makes for the perfect postcard! I love how eye-catching a red barn with white details can be, and yet I also hold a strong appreciation for the poor dilapidated barns that haven't seen a fresh coat of paint since the early 1900's. It's hard for me to explain because I lack the vocab, but whenever I look at pictures of barns or drive by one on the road, my heart feels light; I can't help but smile and I get a feeling of old romance dancing about my insides. :o) * History: Some barns are so old that it's a miracle they are still standing----so awesome!! Talk about sturdy structure and outstanding craftsmen (I've heard the Amish hold the title for being the best). Going along with old age is a back story, and it is amazing to learn about what certain barns were used for, owned by, or transformed into.
SO! I guess it goes without saying that I am MORE than pumped about having our wedding reception in a barn. I remember driving up to The Brass Heart Inn in Chocorua, New Hampshire on December 3rd and feeling a wave of joy wash over me. Then I stepped foot on the property and didn't know what to do first---run around in the open field screaming, "WE FOUND IT! THIS IS THE PLACE!" Or explore the inside of the barn?! Or just stand there and cry tears of sheer joy (which I nearly did after we'd been there for 2 hours talking and exploring with Sheena, the fabulous event coordinator).
The inn is adorable and very photogenic, and there are 23 acres of gorgeous grounds for romping about and taking in the clean mountain air (while taking spectacular photographs, of course!). But it was walking into the barn that took my breath away. I was able to envision our wedding reception while in there, and I must admit that the little film I had playing in my head was pretty amazing. It was just everything I was hoping for and it was surreal to have finally found it.
The thing I appreciate the most about the inside of the barn: there is so little that needs to be done when it comes to decorations because it is already so awesome! Wooden walls and beams are just naturally beautiful, that's all there is to it. There are already little white Christmas lights strewn along the beams, and Sheena invited to bring more if we so desire. Other than that, and maybe white Chinese paper lanterns, there is nothing that needs to be done! How awesome is it that I don't have to work around funk 90's wall paper....or ridiculous Roman columns...or window treatments in a horrendous shade of mauve. There was no way we were gonna have our reception at a country club or hotel ball room---it's just not our bag, baby. By having our special "party of the century" in a restored 19th century barn, we get to bring in our desired amount of color with gerbera daisies and other props, and with our summer'y attire too! And then everything will have a romantic glow thanks to the white twinkly lights. Without the barn, our "rustic elegance" vibe---a mix of old and modern---wouldn't be nearly as magnificent. I couldn't be more pleased with our location.
Oh yeah---and did I mention that I love barns?? ;o)
So I know I've said this before (and not all that long ago in fact...), but I just can't get over the joy I am feeling for this whole wedding planning process. Ever since we got the venue in order, things have been just sort of falling into place and I feel no stress in regards to anything (knock on wood!). What a refreshing feeling it is, especially after having multiple meltdowns during my practicum (the last 4 months of grad school). Adam and I knew from the get-go that we wanted our wedding to occur outdoors, either at a vineyard or in a field next to a barn. And once we found The Brass Heart Inn (its so perfect it nearly made me cry!), drawing inspiration from farm/barn weddings came easily. I am grateful to The Knot for having so much information (almost TOO much!) on their website, and to have come across a handful of awesome blogs has just been too cool:
Since the engagement (okay, and even before) I have perused through wedding magazines, seeking out inspiration and pictures to cut out and add to my "Scrapbook O' Ideas." Admittedly, I have found a good deal of striking images and clever ideas, but overall I would have to say all wedding magazines OTHER than Real Simple Weddings have been completely overwhelming and unrealistic. Why must most wedding mags insist on having an abundance of ridiculous wedding gowns that no one but runway models wear?? And flamboyant ideas that cost an arm and a leg to put into fruition??
The Real Simple Weddings mag has been my bible of sorts (many thanks to my MOH JacqAnn for picking it up for me just days after the engagment!), because it supplies pictures and real-life wedding stories, plus every check list you could ever want *aaaaand* a plethora of DIY (do it yourself) ideas. All in all, a totally "me" bride-to-be magazine!! All other magazines I have picked up over the past couple of months have mostly assisted me with realizing what I do NOT want out wedding to be like (e.g. fancy-shmancy soiree in the Museum of Science in Boston, or a black-tie gala in the garden of some gothic mansion)....with the exception of a few short articles and images regarding a barn wedding in Tennesee or upstate New York or something.
So yeah, I have Scrapbook O' Ideas---maybe when this whole wedding 'thang is done I will scan my pages into my computer and post 'em on this blog. In a nutshell, the pages of my scrapbook are cut-outs from magazines that encompass the theme, vibe, color scheme, etc that Adam and I are going for. I'm pretty thrilled to have gathered so much inspiration!! My head is *FULL* of ideas and inspiration, and I'm thrilled to announce that I've already taken action on some of the innovative ideas:
My friend Nikki (a fellow barn-bride!) gave me an old fashioned birdcage--the very one that she used at her wedding last September. I am psyched!! I had come across this image a while ago and thought to myself, "Self, I totally think an old fashioned birdcage would fit in nicely with our 'rustic elegance' theme." I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it....maybe something similar to the picture here? I dunno. So I saved it in my file folder o' inspiration and put "old fashioned birdcage" on my To-Find list. Well, look no more! A birdcage has fallen into my lap (as of yesterday!) and I'm stoked----THANK YOU, NIKKI! She had used it as a card holder for the gift table and I totally dig that idea---much more than my original idea of using a rustic basket. SO! A card holder of the rustic birdcage persuasion it is----yay! :o)
I bought 100 clothespins the other day! Nothin' says rustic like wooden clothespins on a jute rope, tied between two trees...or fence posts....or tacked to the side of the red barn....or what have you. ;o) Clothespins are so bleep'in CHEAP, so when I saw them while out running errands I couldn't resist getting them then and there (why wait?!). So the 100 clothespins are sittin' pretty in a basket, chillin' in the corner of my basement / office with the all rest of my wedding'y stuff and such...and I can't *wait* to start digging up pictures that we want to display on a clothesline at the barn!! Pictures of us with family and friends, of course-- just another way to thank everyone for being in our lives. :o)
That's a box of 42 glass bottles (plus 4 strays that don't fit)....and I actually have 50 more lined up to the left of the box! That's 96 little green glass bottles sitting on the floor of our basement!! I raided two Christmas Tree Shops (the one in Lynnfield, MA and the other in Portsmouth, NH) and basically bought out their green bottle collection (muah ha ha!!). How did I come across these & from where did the idea hatch? Well, I had gone shopping with a friend o' mine a few weeks ago and saw the little glass bottles (which are apparently meant to be used as diffusers??) and thought they would be PERFECT for my idea of using them as escort "cards" / favors. They're cheap, yet cute; they're green (one of our colors); people should want to take theirs home because glass bottles are awesome for home decor (in my opinion). Each bottle will house one single gerbera daisy and have a tag tied around the neck with ribbon (or jute rope, I can't decide which) that says their name and which table they're seated at. Ta-da! Escort card and wedding souvenir, all in one!
Thank goodness for thrift stores. Without them, I would never be able to be accumulate all of this outstanding glassware! Mason jars, lil' medicine bottles, and antique bottles of various size, shape, and color. I LOVE THEM!!! I've got about 50 pieces thus far, but will definitely need to scrounge around for more since I want each centerpiece to consist of 5 or more bottles (all varying in size and color, duh). Simple. Rustic. Unique. And a great way to be livin' green----yay recycling!!! They say, "One man's trash in another man's treasure" and I couldn't agree more. I've always been of this mindset (thanks to my thrifty and uber-creative dad) and have no qualms with buying used goods. I celebrate it, in fact! *Huzzah!* I am so excited, too, to be inheriting some old medicine bottles of my dad's---bottles that used to be on display in our bathroom when I was a kid, and other bottles he has found at yard sales and thrift stores over the years. As you can see, I am a B I G fan of glassware, so having them play such an integral part of our aesthetic value means the world to me.
Rustic frames---check! I found a ton at Dollar Tree of all places and they're just great! Sure, some are plastic and painted in gold, but I dig how they have that antique'y look about 'em and think they'll look good intermingled with the wooden frames I have collected. In these frames I would like to put pictures of me & Adam during different points of our together'ness---one of our first day meeting in San Francisco back in 2005; one of us in Mexico; one of us apple picking. It'll be fun to display our love in photographic-form, framed in rustic / antique'y goodness!
