Missed it by THAT much.

When I got a sneak peak of bhldn.com a few weeks ago, like the rest of the Anthropologie world, I was smitten.  Oh hell, it was obsession at first sight.  With the launch of the shop on February 14th, came a sense of relief.  Not because they weren’t the most beautiful dresses I’ve ever seen but because all but a few would have been way beyond my wedding budget and no amount of convincing could have ever gotten me:

So I can stop second guessing myself or my ill-luck at missing out on such gooey wonderful whimsical loveliness.  And just appreciate them.   Just a few of my favorites:

Tags | anthropologie, bhldn, gray, robin's egg blue, taupe, yellow

Light Painting

Ranger has been working hard for months so I planned 3 weekends of carefree funness with family and friends.  The crowning event was “Ranger Fest 2010″ were we watched movies in the backyard ate way too much BBQ and I had to opportunity to play around with one of my FAVORITE outdoor activities: light painting.  Ranger and I tried this out for the first time while camping.  Unfortunately it sucks battery life on the camera so we can only do about 2 dozen shots at a time. 

I still have some adjustments to make on the focusing and obviously my mind has been churning with concepts for future works.  Perhaps a side business offering this service for events, like weddings and parties?  Instead of favors I think guests would get a kick out of being subject matter of some really fun works of art.  Helen thought they’d make great engagement photos.  I’ll try a few more and have them printed poster size.  The colors would look fantastic on a wall.

So while I wasn’t able to sleep last night, I looked around for dimmable LED lights in different colors and was pleasantly surprised at the availability and cost.  And next time I’ll remember to wear dark clothing   And now for my favorite:

Tags | elasped shutter photography, light painting, night time photography, party favor ideas

Wedding Photos.. FINALLY :)

First of many photos to come.  Life’s been so busy.  But catching up on the little projects is this summer’s main goal

Tags | autumn, Eclectic Images, gray, the Plant at Kyle, wedding photography, yellow

odds and ends

With less than 4 months before the wedding, I’m starting to feel the crunch.  But there’s a lot to report.  Invitations have been ordered, table runners designed (and hopefully made this Saturday), wedding hair piece ordered, earrings ordered.

Over father’s day weekend, my parents, my aunt and ranger and I sat down and made decisions on so many of the little details that were making my brain hurt.  A huge load of stress gone!  Here’s a summary:

I spent a good hour trying to find a way to describe the vision I had for the wedding.  Everyone laughed at my frustration but tried their best to help me verbalize it.  Though planned out to the nth degree, it should feel natural, effortless.  Accidental and casual though elegant.

I’m WAY overthinking this I know.  But though I’ve resigned myself to the fact that the Eames Lounger and the Knoll sofa will not come in the next few years, I’m content to slowly decorate our home with pieces we find slowly, as we can afford them.  A wedding is an entire thing altogether.  We have one shot at this.  It’s a lot of pressure.

We decided on bright yellow lanterns hanging from the trees using the string light I bought last year.  Along with the gray felt table runners, we’re using clear glass cake stands and vintage store find son the tables.  I went shopping and picked up 30 or so pieces (punch glasses, champagne glasses, votive holders, bowls) and spent about $30.  We’re going to use them in conjunction with the glass cake stands on the table instead of flower arrangements.  We’ll fill them with candles or a few flowers to add interest and color.  We’re also making food tents from rice paper to keep the bugs off the cakes until they are ready to serve.   I love the thrown together look the tables will have.

Surprisely, all of this will be very inexpensive, uses cakes instead of flower arrangement cuts costs and waste.  Everything not borrowed else can be reused or sold after the wedding.

Bridesmaid dresses

I love J.Crew.  LOVE.  And have been incredibly impressed with their bridesmaid and wedding dresses in the past two years.  Understated, classic, stunning.  And honestly one of the more inexpensive dresses you can find for bridesmaids in a natural fabric.  We chose two, here is one: