new england

here

It was a looooooooong drive to New England. But we made it! Safe and sound...and exhausted.

Everytime I make it back to Rhode Island it feels like coming home...the air is so fresh, the plants are so green, the flowers are beyond colorful, the neighborhoods are so charming...and the company is magnificent. I just love it here.

Wish My Guy was here too.

I start my externship soon - wish me luck.

real life: a once wed dream

I would venture as far as to say this might be my favorite wedding I've seen in blogland. I adore its dreamy quality. I love the flowy dress of the bride (perhaps because it reminds me of my own frock), I love her hair...I love the way their friends are so involved with their event...I love the colors...the textures....the flowers...the charming vintage touches.

I look at it all the time - hummm...now I sound more like a bridal stalker. I secretly think that's what Once Wed wants...because all of their posted weddings are too freaking amazing for me to handle.


In other, unrelated, news:
I leave tomorrow. As in, I move tomorrow. I'll be in my lil car cruising the 2700+ miles to my September home...pretty excited...still incredibly nervous...and currently not packed. Hummm.

Once I get in the groove of things in my new digs, you can bet I'll be back...until then...keep me in your prayers!!! (for our safety of course....ummm.....and that I don't get any tickets this trip...every time I drive through Oklahoma I get caught going like 5 - 10 miles over...or 20?)

my sisters are rock stars

Sooooo... you know how much I love my sisters, right? To the moon and back. It's true. Except now I love them even more:

Saturday night they threw My Guy and I a surprise engagement party / farewell to me gathering at our favorite local pub! So many of our nearest and dearest were there - it was AMAZING! If our wedding is half as rad as this night was, it would be fantastic.

I love our friends. LOVE them. And my sisters? Well. They are just superb. What a supremely awesome evening.

Being engaged is clearly the bomb.

etsy bridal browsing

When I get stressed, a lil shopping session usually calms my nerves...and I have no idea why that is. I spent some time on Etsy today - browsing all the beautiful handmade creations made with love by people all over the world. Found some fancies I'd love to share...

Kirsten Kuehn Designs - can we say spectacular here? I'm loving this bedazzled sash. I can picture it looking smashing on my super simple dress. It's my new fave bridal belt.


Quirky Beauty - This Etsy boutique has some AMAZING new hair pieces in their bridal collection...and I was quite taken with this new beaded necklace! (FYI: They now offer free shipping to anywhere in North America.)


Dana Gils - I wonder how I missed this radical gem? Because this is amazing. I just love how Dana Gils captures faces...I've been eying some of her pieces for awhile now...and these custom bridal portraits are spectacular!


Feathers & Frills - check out this ethereal look. Perfect for a mountain wedding - don't you think?


Elizabeth Dye - my very favorite wedding designer. Period. And I'm loving bolero's more and more...this one is just so sweet!


Beth Cyr - I know I know...I talk about her beauties all the time...but I just love her. These are reclaimed sterling silver Hoops for $32 -what a steal!


Megan Hamilton - clutches are so fun....and one in winter white might is my next "must" (the pretty tweed makes this one a lil more special!)


Midori Designs - Gardenias are such an elegant flower. This looks so lifelike it's hard to believe it's crafted out of clay! This hair flower is a real treasure...especially for around $20!


The Sparrows Nest - $12.50 can buy me a set of these crazy adorable ivory maple leaf hair pins. My Grammie's house, was on a quaint street named Maple. Every summer we would collect all the maple leaves we could, and press them between waxed paper to bring them back to Arizona. Love my childhood memories.


Beyond the Rockz - My Guy gets to pick out his own wedding ring, obviously. But if I got to pick it out, this is the one I'd pick. It's made from recycled metal - and would looks so dang good on him.


Tina Tarnoff - A zillion people I know are having babies right now...and I love that! (Miss Meg is due any second now...yay!). I love the idea of decorating children's rooms with enchanting images like this origina; papercut out.

anxiety

tumblr

This post is less about weddings, more about life. Just so ya know...

Yesterday some plans were altered that kinda shook me up, made me a lil more attentive, and pretty nauseated. Turns out I will have to leave for my New England externship adventure about a week early. For you newbie readers, I'm a med student, about to embark on my final year of school, which includes month long externships at hospitals around the country. In my case, the first four months will be in different north east locations - a different city each month (Boston, Philadelphia, Binghampton, and Providence) then it will be back to various Arizona locations. When I do make it back to Phoenix, next May, I will be getting married in 4 weeks.

Thinking about it makes me have a mini lil tear fest. I am definitely one girl that is always up for a new adventure - but this is one looooong adventure - and it doesn't include My Guy. That's what I'm so sad about. :-( He's such a supportive rock for me when life gets hard or when Attendings are brutal, and he's the best to celebrate with when victories are won and goals are conquered. And my sisters!? Man. They are hard to leave too. The idea of being alone is fairly frightening at this precise moment. Most of all, I'm terrified of being the "student" at these hospitals where they will be pimping me all day long. What if I don't know the answers!? All of a sudden I feel like I don't remember anything I've learned about medicine. I'm just... well... I'm awfully nervous.

On the flip side - I love a good road trip :-) Hello, 2700 miles.

living centerpieces

Is the grass always greener on the other side? I'm so totally enchanted with these simple and lovely centerpiece designs using potted plants in rusty containers. I do love the idea of using living plants.

But this comes after months and months of mason jar collecting. Murphy's law. :-)


Photos via Once Wed

jaw dropping dress

I'm addicted to the website of our photographer Heather, of One Love Photo. But I have to catch myself because my blog could very well be a repeat of every single post she publishes...her photos are just so splendid.

The images she captured of this glorious dress made my jaw drop. Literally drop. As in...wide open.

real life: intimate and outdoors

Saw this sweet sweet wedding on Sarah Neal's blog and fell in love. There is something so captivating about this intimate celebration...it humbles me actually. This wedding is joyful and lovely while being understated. It reminds me that simple is perfectly lovely.

I love this bride's style! So pretty.

victory #3 - venue

by Cameron Clark Studios

OK. So it's true we have been "penciled" in at Snow Bowl Ski Lodge since February. But the paperwork is actually in now. Our down payment actually paid.

Hooray us!

Snow Bowl is an older ski lodge, it's not a resort, it's not luxurious or pretentious. It has huge wooden beams, stone fireplaces, and rustic pine tables with a quirky western bar in the corner and the most spectacular views in all the land right outside it's doors.

This place is perfectly relaxed...so perfectly us.

by Cameron Clark Studios

advice for bridal bloggers

I've been blogging for around 5 months now - and I'm loving it! I've met sooo many inspirational venders and artists, a slew of the most amazing bridal blogging buds, have cherished this creative outlet in my hectic life, and have accomplished so much wedding planning!

However. I have some advice that I feel compelled to throw out there to new bridal bloggers...
remain anonymous.

I find myself craving to vent...yearning to divulge details...enticed to write the crazy stories of drama....and I long to seek advice from you fine folks. But...those posts will never be written (and for the unfortunate entry that snuck by me...well...whoops).

With weddings comes drama....family drama...friends drama...money drama...drama drama. And you'll want a place to talk about it...well...I do anyway. You might find yourself in that situation...I try to be a drama free zone...but it still creeps up...and it's drives me NUTS.

I don't want to entirely mislead you - it's a joy for me to share this site with my friends in far off places (hello New England and Brazil!), and my aunt in Seattle :-) But still.

Those are my two cents.

christian makes pretty sandals

I've seen several posts on different bridal blogs where the brides splurge on DIVINE foot wear. I've seen lots of Jimmy Choo's, Christian Louboutin's, and Minolo Blanik's. Many of these brides justify their splurge because they will be able to wear those stellar stilletos again.

I'm all about a bridal splurge or two! But dang. My feet would kill after 5 minutes. No matter how amazing the design, I just can't even look at them without clenching my toes in anxiety.

I'd rock the Christian Louboutin's pictured below...they are a close relative to the mile high shoes above, but these are foot friendly. But in real life, whatever I end up wearing, I know I'll wish I was in my Chaco's.

registry reviews

Yesterday I posted a lil bit about our adventures in registering :-)

I received NUMEROUS emails about it...most were requests for the cookware/cutlery reviews that I mentioned from Cooks Illustrated. Clearly, I don't think I can post them here as I don't want to infringe on copyright laws . Yet, I figured I could help steer those in need towards a site that a reader suggested yesterday:

www.consumersearch.com

It actually includes the reviews that I used! I was excited to explore this site because it compiles several different reviews and makes it's recommendations accordingly. I loved the knife section :-) We registered for the "BEST" knives...not the most expensive (do you know how amazing that feels!?)

I've been talking about registries at work all week. I'm in a clinical rotation with two fabulously stylish young female surgeons - did I mention they are fabulously stylish? Well, they are both married and love talking weddings, so I pick their brains a TON. They had very interesting views/experiences with registries:
Dr. R was recently wed and registered for traditional elements like fine china, and crystal. One single guest at her large wedding bash purchased every single item of her china. Every. Single. Item. AND included 4 additional place settings. (What?) She also received, from various guests, all of the crystal stemware she had registered for. She said she uses it everyday - and she loves that.
Dr. P was married a few years ago. She and her husband registered for both an entire block set of expensive fancy knives, as well as individual knife pieces (to give people gift options). They ended up receiving the entire set from a distant relative. She also received every piece of crystal that belonged to the set she selected (pieces that she didn't even register for - like vases and bowls and platters). She said she uses them all the time - they remind her of her wedding, and they remind her of the loved ones that gifted them those heirlooms.

Both ladies encouraged me to register for the special stuff. So I'm passing that advice on to you. I didn't register for fine china, or fine crystal either...come to think of it, we didn't exactly select heirloom pieces, but I'm OK with that for now. I don't want to give the impression that I don't dig china or crystal - because I do (and there are so many beautiful patterns out there that we would love to have). They are "maybe someday" items. I guess we've just gravitated towards the items we both need and want.


*note: we received our first engagement gift this past weekend, from my mom, it's a book called
Who Knew? and a quick synopsis:

"why you should always store eggs small side down and thousands of other tips, secrets and quick fixes to make your life easier, you home cleaner and your food taste better - all while saving time and money."

Wahoooo! Bring on the secrets!

flowers in bulk

Interested in DIYing your own flowers? I'm planning on it...(and crossing my fingers I can pull it off with the help of talented friends and fam)

DIY Bride posted a huge amazing list of great resources for bulk flower purchases:

Where To Buy Bulk Flowers

check it.

registry wonderland

The whole registry thing was not at all like I expected it to be. Honestly, it was even more crazy that I had anticipated. My Guy loved shooting everything in sight with that gun, and I was more apprehensive. I didn't want to register for "silly" things, as there are SO many things that we actually NEED. (Ummm...do I really need a flour sifter? I dunno...but I registered for one).

Anyway. I researched as best I could online, and the two of us set out to scan some sweet stuff. That's when "overload" occurred. We went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and the sales people were friendly enough, but they walked around with us to every section (which made me feel weird...I wanted to really discuss these items with my loverboy...and it was awkward).

They encouraged us to register for the expensive stuff and upgrade upgrade upgrade...
"people WANT to buy you a $578 knife set!"
"people LOVE to buy newlyweds expensive china!"
"it's NORMAL for someone to spend $200 on a wedding gift!"
Um...yea right. My family is generous...my friends are wonderful...but we are in a recession people. And...um... I don't know rich people. :-)

My personal three registry objectives:
1. Kitchenaid standup mixer
2. sturdy white dishes
3. NO china

At the end of the day:
1. We didn't register for the Kitchenaid mixer because we couldn't select a color.
2. My future hubby prefers colored/funky dishes over classic white (ie: green).
3. We actually registered for over $1500 in CHINA. I kid you not.

I failed.

That very night I shot off a "help me please!" email to my Aunt Clare - who has become my "go to" for all things advice related (and happens to be a kitchen/cooking/entertaining expert!) My Aunt Clare will henceforth be known as my Registry Angel.

My Registry Angel emailed me several Cooks Illustrated product reviews of different types/brands of knives (which was genius...we had NO idea where to go with knives...and surprising, the most expensive brands hardly made it into the top rated spots!), as well as several reviews of different types of cooking ware (which was brilliant - now we are totally excited about our selected pieces!). She also sent me an amazingly thorough itemization of kitchen/dining/cooking/serving pieces. No really...it was amazing...it was a 6 page color coded Word document that I pored over for two days. We altered, and readjusted our list over and over...made sure we registered for the things we'll need in the brands we can trust.

Now:

1. Kitchenaid standup mixer in Green Apple (My Guy picked it out!)

2. Beautiful white Crate & Barrel dinnerware (I picked it out!)

3. A tent at REI

wedding wish wednesday #12: bridesmaids

Zack + Lauren's wedding was one of my favorites ever...I should really post about it...via OnceWed.

I ALWAYS knew who would be in my bridal party. My two sisters. Obviously. Never questioned it. And I never thought I would be one for a large bridal party. Probably mostly because I never thought about it.

Now here I am. Thinking about it. Not stressing about it....just thinking about it. I don't know how your lives have evolved, but mine has taken many directions over the years. I have so many different groups of friends scattered throughout the country. A best friend here, a soul mate there. A unique best friend, or group of best friends, from every chapter in my life and very few of those chapters overlap. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but my high school friends never became friends (um..or met) my Flagstaff college friends, and not all of my closest Flagstaff friends knew each other either. My beautiful besties in Rhode Island are all solid as a rock together...my rock... but they don't know my Arizona buds. And what about my soul sistah from med school? Or my closest sorority sisters? What do I do? I love these women...I adore them. Each one of them. It makes me sad to have to choose.

So now I take it back. I want them all to be there...up there...at the altar with me...as I take that step into the NEXT chapter of my life. I want to be like Kathryn Heigl in that movie 27 Dresses, where she has 27 bridesmaids :-)

But for a tiny mountaintop wedding, it would be rather ridiculous to have more people up at the alter than in the seats. I think perhaps sticking to family might be the best choice for me. Keep it simple...all my girls will be there...maybe not beside...but behind me...cheering!

It would have been...without a doubt...the most beautiful bunch of best friend bridesmaids you would have ever seen.

fantastic florals

The spray of lil white daisies are the sweetest touch to this bouquet. I want to do that! Such a perfect charming detail. And are their wisps of wheat in one of those bouquets? I think there is. And I love it. The raffia tied around the jar is a fun element too. This whole design scheme looks like a freshly plucked arrangement straight from The Secret Garden or something.

Via Design*Sponge

cake banners

I've never seen this idea and I think it's terribly creative and fun! Baumbirdy, one of my fave Etsy stationary shops, started creating these adorable banners to adorn cakes. They come in either a beautifully recycled paper or wood, are backed in fun prints (like polk-a-dots, stripes, or damask) and can be customized to say whatever your lil heart desires.

I immediately thought that this would be lovely on a bridal shower cake, or engagement party cake...or heck...even a rad wedding cake topper! I'm partial to the round ones...tooooo cute!

another mason jar idea

We could carry a candlelit jars around with us all night. It looks magical doesn't it!?

Another beautiful picture found at One Love Photo.

burnt orange and aqua

Earthly Affair

This invitation from Earth Affair Invitation Designs almost made me rethink the color choices that I had just nailed down. Then I saw a sampling of more beautiful orange and blue beauties at Sunday Suppers and again - I'm questioning everything. Well, maybe not everything...but doesn't this color combo speak "exciting!" (btw: I love love love this invitation design)

Sunday Suppers