Las Flores

Florist: check!  (it's about time, I know...)

'Tis true, I had put off booking a florist long enough to make my mother-in-law-to-be gasp in horror...which later made me cry because I was fearful I had really effed up, and in the words of Modest Mouse, "truly missed the boat." Here we were in the middle of June and I had not yet booked a florist. For reasons unknown, I wasn't too worried about this reality and the procrastinator in me figured that it'd all fall into place last-minute, which was perfectly fine as long as there were actual flowers and not hand-picked weeds from the side of the road. I had faith that I'd stumble upon the answer...though I hadn't a CLUE what that answer would be. A professional florist that would cost me loads of money? Buying wholesale flowers from Costco or online and tackling yet another DIY project?? Bite the bullet and buy silk flowers from A.C. Moore in hopes of no one noticing the strangs of thread jutting out from various petals of felt-covered stems????

I'm a pretty outstanding procrastinator (which is what I learned best during my 4 years at UCSC), so again, I just wasn't worried about flowers for some reason. Why stress about a bunch o' flowers, right???

Well, when Adam's mom and grandmother showed GRAVE concern for my not yet having booked a florist, I became incredibly stressed. Just ask Adam--it was like a switch had been flipped and I experienced a minor panic attack and cried. I knew it was time to stop lollygaggin', and deep down inside I knew it wasn't too late to get flowers somewhere....but I think I was just a tad bit embarrassed. What kind of bride-to-be doesn't have her friggin' FLOWERS figured out just two months before her wedding????

So the very next day I referred to some notes I had jotted down back in January---back when  I was recently finished with graduate school and had no job, so time was plentiful and wedding planning happened every day (which has SO not been the case over the past few months, ha!). My faithful maid of honor, Jackie, helped me round up some details from two florists up in North Conway< New Hampshire and within a day and a half I had booked Adrien, The Faaaaabulous Florist of The Flower Drum! *huzzah* I must say, after talkin' with Adrien over the phone and paying my deposit, I felt ten times better. Knowing I had a florist to help make our day beautiful brought a sense of calming over me; how pleased I was to know someone else would be arranging bouquets and delivering fresh flowers to The Brass Heart Inn the day of the wedding. No stress!

Some "deets" (aka: details):
1. Adrien suggests the boutonnieres NOT be made out of gerber daisies because they tend to wilt in a rapid manner. While he has offered various options that go along with our color scheme, I'm trying to hunt down silk gerber daisies (that look real enough and aren't too humongous) so as to make the groom & groomsmen bouttonieres myself. What do guys care if their "flower pin" is a live flower or not? And technically, once picked and wrapped in sticky green florist tape, the flower is dead anyway. May as well make it fake... :o)

2. The price for four bridesmaid bouquets, two flower bouquets, and my bouquet isn't too bad...though I still need to figure out what the grand total will be once we add in the single stems for decorating the aisle and centerpieces. Many, MANY thanks to my faithful bridesmaid (once again!) for offering to help pay for the flowers, 50-50. SUCH an excellent gift idea, Roomie!!! *future maids of honor, take note!*

3. I'm drivin' up to meet with Adrien on the 29th of July. Yeah, seems kinda last minute, I know...and yeah, it probably is....But whatever, I have faith that this will all be fine. The florist knows that the only flower I want is the gerber daisy, and our colors are orange, yellow and green. Easy-peazy! They're JUST flowers, after all...why stress over pretty plantlife??? ;o)

* Today's Stroke of Genius brought to you by the letter "B" as in "Belt" *

Personal touch....

I am so impressed with myself right now (lol!), and just had to share this genius idea I had no more than 20 minutes ago.

(picture by moi) ---------------------------------->

What you see here is a practice / miniature version of my orange gerber daisy bouquet...wrapped in what used to be my grandfather's belt.

*Cue tears*

After my Papa Springett passed away in 2001, I inherited a few of his groovy pieces of apparel---some plaid shirts, a pair of pants, and this sweet leather belt with a Western silver buckle. While I was doing my Spring Cleaning two months agol, I came across my grandfather's belt. As I was putting it on, the worn-down leather in one particular spot ripped, causing the belt to split into two pieces. I was devastated. I took the buckle off and tucked it away for safe keeping, then I angrily dropped the two pieces of leather belt into an empty trash can. I couldn't believe my grandfather's belt just frickin' broke into two. It's irreplaceable. "What do I do NOW?"

A few days went by and I couldn't stand seeing the two bits of  my grandfather's belt in the trash, so I took them out and set 'em aside, thinking maybe I could use it for scrapbooking or some other creative project one day.

Cut to today: I'm tidying up around the house and come across the pieces of leather belt. I look at 'em, once again disappointed to not have the belt in one piece so I could wear it like I used to, and unsure as to what the heck I could do with these worn pieces of leather. Then it was like something knocked me right upside the head---must have been what they call a "stroke of genius"---and I started crying instantly, overwhelmed with memories of my grandfather and upset that he isn't alive to see his one and only granddaughter get married, but completely overjoyed with the creative thought that came to me. I dashed to the kitchen where I had a few daisies in a vase of water, and when I took 'em out I wrapped the longest piece of salvaged leather belt around the stems. The tears kept comin'.....I couldn't believe how awesome it looked and how fitting it is for the type of wedding we're having. It's rustic, it's personal, it's significant.....it's perfect.

Now I'm thinking of adding my grandmother's pearl necklace and having my deceased grandparents represented in this way, rather than the photo charms I was originally going to buy (or considered just making myself). I miss my grandparents so much.....but by having pieces of my them as part of my bouquet, it'll almost be like they are there with me and my dad walkin' down the aisle.

[In loving memory of Harry and Dodie Springett <3]

Daisies, ladies, food and gifts...

So, my bridal shower is exactly one month away. Adam and I got to talking about this last night over dinner (which, by the way, was a delicious broiled haddock with rice pilaf and green beans, and yes, this is a shameless plug for The Grog in Newburyport)....

My Maid of Honor recently sent out the invitations for my bridal shower, and I was quite amused by the fact that I got one in the mail---how lucky I am to be invited to my own Bridal Shower! (lol, thanks Roomie!) Now that the invite is hanging up by our crowded calendar, I can't help but think about how crazy it is that my shining moment as Bride-To-Be is rapidly approaching.

Though I am excited and most appreciative to have a bridal shower thrown in my honor, it's kind of bizarre-feeling to be attending a big party that isn't celebrating my birth, but rather a once-in-a-lifetime status ("Bride-To-Be"); to be carrying out this long-time tradition not as a guest, but rather the "main event." Additionally, I have no part in planning this get-together---I just gotta wear a dress and show up!? Sounds easy enough, but that's almost all Type-B personality, and I'm much more of a mix of A and B.... ;o) I'm sure once the day comes it'll just be a whirlwind of fun....but thinking about it a month in advance has got me feeling a tad nervous. 

Is it because I'm not entirely sure what to expect? Am I worried about who will and won't be there? Am I too unconventional for such a traditional wedding pre-cursor? Will I react appropriately each time I open a present in front of dozens of women? I would love for all who attend this little shindig to have a good time and be glad they came, not feel obligated to go and begrudgingly buy a gift off of our registry....but there is absolutely no way to ensure such a thing, so do I just pretend everything is groovy? 

Adam thinks bridal showers are Hallmark'ized....and I have to agree with him a little on this one. After all, the tradition of showering the bride-to-be with gifts started long ago, but did NOT include lingerie with "Soon-To-Be Mrs. Fraser" printed in rhinestones on the butt. Bridal showers can have the tendency to get a little out of hand, what with the cheesy games and favors, the lengthy gift-opening process, and the amount of money one might spend renting a space and feeding lots of hungry women. 

Nevertheless, I appreciate the fact that the bridal shower is a long-standing tradition, and thankfully it is something that can be tailored and tinkered with; there are no rules chizzled in stone about how to conduct a bridal shower. To each his--uh, I mean her--own! 

It should be fun to  gab and laugh with all the ladies, and I'm pretty stoked that my mom, little sister, step-mom and bridesmaid Crystal are all able to fly out from California for this event. How lucky am I? Despite the minor anxiety I feel prepping for this bridal shower, I am truly grateful for my ever-loving M.O.H. and future mother-in-law who are hosting this little soirée in my honor. I feel loved and special....and lucky to be a bride-to-be (though you won't see me advertise that in a rhinestone encrusted, hot pink camisole)!

I will remember you...

Sad fact about my wedding: my grandparents aren't going to be there.

My mother's parents are unable to make the lengthy journey---after all, they reside back in San Diego and 3,000 miles, even by plane, is an awfully long way for elderly folks to travel.

And my father's parents passed away years ago. :o(

It brings tears to my eyes when I think about how nice it would be to have my grandparents present on my wedding day... My grandmothers and grandfathers have taught me so much over the years and I am nothing but grateful to have so many pleasant memories of them.

Since neither set of grandparents will be able to physically be at our wedding, I've decided to do two things:

1) I will soon be ordering two bouquet memory frames so as to have my dad's parents close to me as I walk down the aisle. Each memory frame is $12.00 at www.myjeanm.com (Jean M invitations and accessories)

2) I will have my grandparents' wedding photos framed and on display. Not sure where...but somewhere. I've already retrieved the wedding photo of my mom's parents---still can't believe my grandmother was only just turning 21 when she married!!! Need to ask my dad to rummage around the house and search for his parent's wedding photo so I can make a photocopy.

Decorate 'dat aisle!

{shepherds hooks}

A cheap and easy way to bring some color to the aisle decor...withOUT implementing flowing waves of toole. giant bows, or overpriced flowers in giant urns. These garden hooks are everywhere, especially now that Spring has officially sprung (yay and thank gawd!). Of course, being the thrify-miss that I am, I wanted to find the best deal. The aisle in which we'll be walking is relatively short, but I figured I'd be buying upwards of 10 - 12 hooks to stick in the ground; fancy-shmancy garden places will sell these things at five bucks a pop, which makes me declare, "Laaaaaame." I forced myself to be patient and just keep my eyes open, waiting till I found the best deal.

While "FREE" would have been pretty awesome (and obviously the best deal), I got the next best thing: $1.00 each. Ch'yeah, a dollar. Each. Frickin' sweet.

"Where do you find shepherds hooks for a dollar?!" you ask.

Dollar Tree, of course!

They look *just* like the ones in this picture. They're black, ya stick 'em in the ground, and they have a hook at the end.... Boo-ya. I don't think we'll be hanging balls o' flowers from them, however.... I'm envisioning more of a farm'y aesthetic, like tin pails filled with daisies perhaps. Just a lil' something to spruce up the aisle in which we all shall walk, ya know? What's great is that these hooks can be used for so many other things after the wedding. I can loan them to others if they want 'em for their wedding; I can put them somewhere in our (non-existent) garden or near our pool; I can use them as marshmallow skewers when camping; I can stab trespassers. See, so many uses! And at only a dollar each! 

Inspiration!

Ashley has been digging like crazy for wedding inspiration, but both of us have been apprehensive to start writing about any of our ideas or experiences since it seems like there is just too much to say.  Fortunately, Ash has been keeping a folder full of pictures she finds that we feel embody the essence of what we want our wedding to be.  A picture is worth a thousand words, so here they are... plus a few words for context.


Cubbies!

Flower hooks!

I just finished designing our "Save the date" postcard, and am looking forward to the challenge of designing our invitation... here's a little invitation inspiration that Ash found.

Ashley is positively obsessed with the idea of using these little chubblet birds as cake toppers.

This is exactly where we will be married in front of the Brass Heart Inn in Chocorua, NH!

Flower buckets!

Candles in mason jars hanging from string, these are a few of our favorite things...

Japanese lanterns!

Clothes pins & clothes lines... brilliant!

Unique table name/numbers and whatnot. We say yes!

Our feet shan't concern themselves with shoes.

Chalkboards are cool... Ash is also dying to use my vintage bicycle as some sort of prop.

Scott (Ashley's dad) may not know yet, but we expect he'll be playing a pivotal role in helping us make the coolest rustic signs you will ever set your eyes on.

We intend to employ 100,000 fireflies to light the inside of the barn.

Picture frames... we may set up a photo set and have frames like these as props.


Gerbera daisies will be everywhere.

Grass, trees and air.

Groomsmen unite! I think we'll all be wearing gray vests and pants... shoes optional, and all suit coats will be burned in the bonfire.

Guest participation is crucial to us, and in that vein we hope to do something creative with our guestbook to avoid getting 140 vacuous "congratulations." Spare us the congrats, we know how lucky we are.  How about drawing a cartoon of us, or writing a little poem, or just just leaving us one small piece of advice?

Hay bales.

Honey stirrers.

Hi.

My aunt makes the most amazing homemade jam... maybe I can convince her to make them as favors... then again she also makes wedding cakes.

Lanterns!

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Photos!

Harry Welch... ring bearer extraordinaire!

...that's it

for now...