Antique aesthetic, programs, etc.

Old mixed with new...


I have always been a fan of antiques.

Okay wait, I take that back. A more accurate statement might be, "I have always been surrounded by antiques...and while I didn't dig the "old crap" at first, it grew on me and now I can't live without it." ;o)

As a kid I loathed stopping into antique stores with my parents. On every family vacation, whether in Northern California, Oregon, Wyoming, heck, ANYWHERE, we'd pull off the road and pop into a shop full of old stuff. It never failed. If they saw an antique shop, we were most definitely going in it. My parentals were big on displaying old rustic stuff in the house---i.e. old saws hung on our wall of the living room, ancient firefighter gear was proudly displayed on top of our entertainment center, and old tin Coca Cola signs were in our kitchen. Obviously I was too young to understand nostalgia or appreciate the art of collecting and adding a sense of "old" to the new....

....But my parent's habit and liking for the rustic, funky aesthetic clearly grew on me (thanks, Mom and Dad!), because there is nothing I want more than to incorporate old furniture and rustic good'ness into our Big Day. After getting engaged, the first thing I felt was the strong desire to have an abundance of glass bottles. I'm proud to say this mission was accomplished in just a few short months, almost effortlessly; we're talkin' various Rubbermaid tubs FULL of glassware! Since succeeding with my bottle collection, I've since been on the hunt for antique side tables. I sadly had to leave my FAVORITE piece of antique furniture back in San Diego when I moved because it didn't fit in my Jeep Cherokee, so I'm constantly hoping to come across another long-legged, small table with a single drawer to fill the void. So far, no dice.....but we still have 2.5 months, and MANY yard sales and second-hand stores to check out, so I'm not feeling too defeated just yet. ;o) Other rustic pieces on my mind: whiskey barrels, horse shoes, picture frames, wooden boxes, arm chairs, sofas, ottomans, an old bicycle..... Yeah, basically anything and everything that speaks to me.

What purpose will these things serve? I'm so glad you asked.
* The bottles are for the center pieces. (Note to wedding guests: sorry, the center pieces are not for the taking once the reception has ended. I treasure my glass bottle collection and, well, you can't have 'em!! lol)
* The side table(s) are to display programs, escort cards, food and beverage during cocktail hour, framed photos, etc. Nothing is cooler, too, than having living room "stuff" outside amongst nature---love it!!!
* Anything and everything else is simply for the love of rustic aesthetic and personalizing our wedding day.

My mind has been racing lately with ideas for our ceremony and what to print in our programs. Naturally the programs will be another DIY project (my, how my DIY list has grown...), but I know Adam is excited about them after seeing a fine example at the wedding we "crashed" last weekend, and I am anxious to get this creation goin' as well. I love the look of the simple n' rustic program made with "paper-bag" cardstock and tied with twine. Easy-peazy, and cute to boot! We'll most likely be going the multi-page route, just to keep the programs smaller and feel good about including everything that's important to us---family members, wedding party, readings, the deceased, etc. It's a lot to think about, but a fun project nonetheless! :o)

The nose ring shall stay!

Ashley (obviously):

I have a nose ring.

I have had said nose ring since 2004. It was one of the many piercings I got during my college days in Santa Cruz, California, and perhaps one that I was most excited about getting for the following reasons:

a. Source of initial inspiration: Joan Osborne. You know, the chick who debuted with the single titled "One Of Us" circa 1995, posing the question, "What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us?" It was brilliant. I loved her voice, dug the melody, and thoroughly enjoyed the sound of the gnarly guitar riff. I  received her cassette tape (yeah, cassette tape...wow, I wonder where it is??) as a gift from my mom and I was thrilled, but it was seeing Joan Osborne's music video on VH1 that helped formulate my opinion of what a cool, laid-back, hippie-chic,California girl looks like...and what I wouldn't mind looking like "when I grew up." At the tender (and impressionable) age of 11, Joan Osborne quickly became my female icon of cool---not only was she a groovy singer-songwriter, but she had a most powerful "look" that I interpreted as a sexy feminist making a statement without being over-the-top. I was awestruck by her curly blonde tendrils and that shiny silver hoop decorating her nostril. She paired these things with a relaxed wardrobe, light make-up, and a perfect smile....but it was always the image of the nose ring that stuck with me. I thought it to be both unique and beautiful, and I knew that I was just "crazy" enough to pierce a hole in my face one day.

b. Nose piercings were welcome and celebrated in Santa Cruz. That should have come as no surprise really, since the place is a liberal breeding grounds for wanna-be, semi, and true-blue-crunchy-granola hippies....as well as non-hippies who just enjoy arts'y ways of expressing themselves. Piercings of all sorts proved to be part of the norm, and having come from a part of San Diego that was so conservative and "white bread," I was pleasantly surprised to find that this fun aesthetic / body decoration was relatively common. Getting a nose piercing as a 20-something college student in Santa Cruz was LESS than unique, I'll admit, but I was amped about it anyway...and even MORE psyched that it was quick and painless!

c. Getting a nose piercing was a "happy middle-ground" type of piercing. It definitely had more "umph!" than a basic ear piercing (which I ended up having a total of 14 of by the time I was a junior in college), but it wasn't as distracting and "cutting edge" as a lip, tongue, or eyebrow piercing. Nevertheless, I knew having a piercing ANYWHERE on my face was risky because "having a piece of tin in my face" would upset my mother...... and it did....for a short while....but I don't regret coming home that Thanksgiving with a nose stud. A simple diamond stud is rather tame, and I think my mom did finally realize that when she stopped to think about all the other things I COULD have been doing up at college, but wasn't. :o)

SO! Here I am, six years later, still with a nose ring and still very happy with it....and, oh yeah, engaged to be married in just four months now. Like every other bride-to-be, I've been flipping through countless bridal magazines, searching for inspirational images; brides who I feel like I can identify with in terms of personal style, wedding aesthetic, and so on; guidance and helpful tips for things that I am NO pro in. But, Ive said it before and I'll say it again: most of the bridal magazines out there on the stands are absolute CRAP. Instead of serving as realistic inspiration, they make you feel a) poor  b) class'less  c) wrong  d) angry  e) all of the above. It has been so frustrating to come across featured weddings and brides that spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on their designer dress, coiffed hair, hoity-toity country club venue, etc. and claim to be "DIY" or "Budget Brides." *HA!* I scoff in their general direction. Even better is when I see how much a bride has spent and I find her whole aesthetic to be completely offensive---hideous dress, bad hair, pompous and pretentious vibes, and unoriginal everything. Not my cup of tea. And yet, while I consider myself to be unique and "above" the trite bride'isms of this century, I can't quite dub myself an "Offbeat Bride." The one obvious facet that does make me "offbeat," however, is my nose piercing.

That's something ya don't see much of--if at all--in the bridal magazines: brides with nose rings. Well, unless they Indian....
[SIDENOTE: I recently learned that it is custom for Indian Hindu women to wear a nose ring, usually in the left nostril, due to the association it has with the female reproductive organs. Interesting, eh? My nose ring happens to be in my left nostril as well......so we better have good luck when it comes to makin' babies!]

Aaaaaaaanywho, back to my being semi-offbeat and the lack of representation of nose-pierced brides: After months (okay, years) of flipping through bridal magazines to evaluate each bride's "look" and learn what is typically acceptable and unacceptable, I only recently came upon the realization that most brides we see are very conservative in their jewelry choices (again, Indian brides being the exception, bless their gorgeous, beaded-and-bright-colored hearts). The typical bride is expected to wear jewelry, but keep it tame...because heaven forbid you wear something other than your grandmother's silver cross necklace and tiny pearl earring studs???

Jewelry is SUCH an issue. Realizing this has caused me to actually stop and think about whether or not I ought to follow suit and be a conservatively-jeweled bride....if my taste for colorful jewelry and my desire to keep my nose ring in is detrimental....and it was the stopping to think about it that actually kind of angered me! Who am I, the girl voted "Most Original" in both Jr. High and High School, to question whether or not my nose ring is acceptable for our wedding?! The nose ring shall stay, period. I adore my nose ring; I feel comfortable and happy with it and it is "me."  Do I really care what the wedding "experts" think? Do I care what our friends and family are going to think when they see me with the gown, the veil, and *GASP!* the small diamond stud in my left nostril? Do I really think that keeping my nose ring in is going to ruin the pictures, or the ceremony, or the reception?

The answer is, obviously, NO.

{Underwater} Save the Date

source: http://greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com/2010/03/underwater-engagement-photos-save-date.html

...I am in love with this.

Inspiration Station, heading toward Creation!

Ashley:

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:

http://thingsrbetterwithaparrott.typepad.com/homegrown_wedding/

http://www.apracticalwedding.com/

http://tenthousandonly.blogspot.com/

http://www.oncewed.com/

http://www.diybride.com/

http://ruffledblog.com/

http://greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com/

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!

"I see your true colors shining through....

ASHLEY:

Just the other day my dad sent me an e-mail. As I read the e-mail I couldn't help but smile and feel a wave of joy rush over me. I have always believed that colors speak volumes, and when a color is "attached" to a particular person you tend to think to yourself, "Yeah, that totally makes sense." I was pretty happy to read my dad's e-mail and see that this "a-ha" moment happened for him whilst reading information typed up by a paint company. The e-mail excerpt is pasted below:

"These descriptions are paraphrased from the Olympic Paint

advertisement:

Colors are inspired by your world. Color has no boundaries. No set rules. It's all about your own personal taste and inspirations.

Your choice of color sets the tone and begins the journey of creating a home (or event - {wedding}) that speaks to you and about you.

Color speaks to us in so many ways. It has the power to calm, energize, or even warm your soul. Color can transform a space and make a statement. . . your statement.

Color can influence our emotions and inspire our living space. Inspiration is all around you. Inspiration can come from so many different places. The world we live in. The objects that surround us. Everywhere we look, our world is filled with a palette of colors; from the warm, inviting shade of a room in candlelight, to the vivid tones of ripening fruit, to the cool colors of the seashore. Colors catch our eye. They spark ideas. They reflect moods. As you look at the colors of your world, choose those that help to create your own personal statement.

YELLOW: Sunshine and light. Yellow projects a radiant look, creating instant warmth.

ORANGE: Cheerful and lively. Midway between red and yellow, orang is dynamic and energetic.

GREEN: Calming and harmonious. Green says balance and beauty; drawing from the shades of nature.

I realize that this does sound like an ad, but I think that the colors you have chosen describe both of you, and your lifestyle perfectly! Just sayin'."

In a nut shell, the colors that Adam and I have chosen for the wedding are more than just happy hues of summer. They represent the kind of people we are; they inspire us day after day; they catch our attention and make us remember how lovely the world is; they scream "happy!!!!" and "fun!!!!" and "nature shades of nature!!!!" All the colors of the rainbow are beautiful, but I am especially thrilled to have orange, yellow and green---my three favorite colors---play such an integral part in our wedding day. They are just very "us." <3

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!

\

Photos!

Harry Welch... ring bearer extraordinaire!

...that's it

for now...