wedding wish #14 via my guy: friends

OK gang...My Guy surprised me with this weekend with a couple posts that he wanted to "submit" to the blog. And I just thought that was the cutest damn thing. Here he is:

Let me just start by saying that I am engaged to THE MOST WONDERFUL gal in the whole world. I truly believe that. Everything happens for a reason, and our chance meeting at Denny’s 5 years ago was meant to be…we are soulmates!

At this point, the enthusiastic followers of this blog have learned quite a bit about me, but I thought it might be fun to get my opinions on all this wedding stuff out there. As a guy I am predictably mum on the subject almost every time it is broached. However, that shouldn’t give you the impression that I have no thoughts on the subject. My lack of concern for the color scheme or design on the invitations doesn’t mean I’m a deadbeat. I’ve always told my gal that I don’t have many opinions about our wedding and that I just want her to be as thrilled as possible on our special day. That and that alone, is my main priority (and thankfully her’s as well). I do have strong opinions about a small number of things though.

While my fiancée wishes for things like pretty skin and sunny skies and handy helpers and family cohesion, my wedding wishes are a bit different. I too wish for all those things because they will make her happy and make our day wonderful. But, as a guy there are things that I want that I’m sure she hasn’t thought of, and certainly hasn’t worried about. I’ll be dropping in from time to time, and I figured I’d start with a wedding wishe of my own!

My biggest concern for this wedding (aside from making it a special day, of course) is that my friends have a good time in celebration with us. I know my fiancée agrees with me on this. For us, this is a day of celebration and more than anything we look forward to sharing it with our good friends. Unlike my bride to be though, I am not especially close with my family. Don’t gasp! What I mean is that I am more of an independent spirit. I have not lived with my family for a lengthy period of time since I was in high school. Don’t get me wrong, I will always be a mama’s boy, and I miss talking sports with my father, but I don’t need to be near my family in order to feel a closeness with them. I cherish all our time spent together, but I’m also happy wherever I am. They’re always a plane ride away!

My friends are a different story though. I have a small group of very close friends and unfortunately we do not get to hang out nearly enough. Since high school we have all gone separate ways to some degree, though we still keep in close contact. (My best man lives in NORWAY! Yea…NORWAY!) At his wedding we were all together at the same time and place for the first time in a while, and it was absolutely a BLAST. This last year or so I find myself really missing my crew and I really hope that as we grow older and settle down into our own lives we can still find time to get together and cut loose! I truly look forward to having the gang all together for my wedding and I could not think of 4 guys I would rather have by my side when I get married.

an orchid for her hair

The morning of one of my best friend's wedding was spent driving around town looking for an orchid for her hair. Of course it was a magical morning, with excitement in the air and smiles gleaming bright. However....she and her entourage traveled to several florists searching for an orchid with zero success. Until, that is, they walked into the last shop in town. That was were she saw the plant with three perfect blossoms behind the glass.

She promptly inquired about the price to the shop owner, and was slightly discouraged by the $80 price tag. But this was her wedding, and she dreamed of having an orchid in her hair. She was excited to purchase that orchid, it was a flawless orchid after all. She told the shopkeeper she would love to buy it to complete her bridal ensemble.

The shop keeper looked at her. Looked at the orchid. Looked back at her. Looked at the orchid. Looked back at her. He charged her $8 instead.

Humanity is awesome.

victory #6: stationary

So many choices. Probably too many choices when it comes to stationary. I'm a sucker for brilliant visual stimulation...and the texture of fine paper gives me goosebumps! How on Earth were we going to select a design? a paper type? a printing company? Omg.

I could, I honestly could, look at stationary for hours. Hours. How do you sift through it all?, Besides beautiful design, and obvious cost, the most important element to us was the environmental impact of it all. My Guy has implemented a recycling program at the school in which he teaches...he takes public transportation almost exclusively (even though he has a vehicle), and he has a real heart for making our world sustainably sound. *sigh* He's so dreamy.

It was easy for us to chose Earth Friendly Invitations for our printing company. They offer the best of both worlds - beautiful designs with amazing eco-friendly commitments!

Listen to why they are amazing for us and our planet:
- offset co2 emissions from their shipments via carbonfund.org
- donate to environmental projects
- pledge to recycle/reuse everything possible
- create an energy efficient business office
- compost/recycle leftover paper scraps
- reuse shipping supplies
- use quality, recycled paper

AND they have many lovely designs! I'm ecstatic!! Now the REAL hard part will be selecting which design to adopt as our own....and then what color scheme we want...and script...and composition. Ha! Thankfully this company makes this whole process simple and clean.

Lovely style + eco friendly = our kinda company.

I'm so happy!

to die for elizabeth dye details

It's no secret...Elizabeth Dye is my fave independent bridal designer. Her blog features her real life brides, her delicious designs, and lots of lil lovelies that she collects along the way. She also has an Etsy shop: The English Dept, where she sells her gorgeous bolleros.

I've written about her here and here and I clearly can't get enough. I was lusting after these details this morning and had to share them. It's a cold rainy here in Rhode Island, and these lil beauties made my day!

diy flowers via design*sponge

This stellar style blog Design*Sponge had a feature a few weeks ago about diy-ing your own wedding flowers. I'm jumping on this bandwagon, so of course it caught my attention. She had a couple of hints that I thought were rather wise:

1. pick the same flower for all arrangements
2. keep it simple!

I can follow those rules. Easy enough. Love their demos...like the birdies too.

Fyi: the blue flower is a Delphinium.

just a lil wrist candy

My girl Barefoot Bride was contemplating wrist decoration the other day and showcased some of her precious inspirations. I fell madly in love with these pretty vintage-y handmade pieces by Wrist Candy Creations, an Etsy shop (of course). I'd love to wrap my wrist in nature...on my wedding...my birthday...on Sundays and Tuesdays...happy days...holidays...everyday. Don't you?

Oh. And prices rock. Under $20. Seriously!

Oh. AND - they are made in Rhode Island. *sigh* I just love everything from Rhode Island.

the power of my ring

me and my sweetie in a Flagstaff meadow - Sarah Neal Photography

I all but agonized over the whole "engagement" ring thing. I rationalized with My Guy that such a tradition was not my scene, that a ring wasn't necessary for me to feel loved and special. I attempted to convince him that spending money on something like an engagement ring was somewhat silly and completely irrelevant for our engagement to begin. And, I was being serious.

Yet, here I am in Massachusetts. Over 3000 miles away from him. I can't even tell you how many times a day I glance down at my hand, take in the sparkle of that gleaming row of diamonds, and smile. When I start to get flustered, feel lonely, or need encouragement, I give it a lil gaze...and suddenly, miraculously, my heart is calmed and I can breathe. It reasures me that even though life (and med school) is hard and sometimes painful, at the end of the day, love is all you need.

This engagement ring holds within its glitter all of the promises of our future life together. It may be metal and polished rocks, but it reminds me that I am cherished, and not alone. It takes me to that day where he asked me and I said "yes." It reminds me of our laughter together - our sweet quiet moments - and those enthusiastic celebrations we share.

My engagement ring comforts me. And I am beyond grateful for that.

I miss him.

hold the frosting, please

Usually when I indulge in a little cake (or a lot of cake) I scrape off quite a bit of the frosting. Not a big fan of it. Whilst a cake decorator I ate myself silly with my frostings...had to taste every batch...I got over it, you know? (Though, I must admit, sometimes I like it, not gonna lie.)

Regardless, I dig this idea of yummy cakes sans frosting. Served with fresh fruits and whipped cream? Heavenly. I think yes.

And the white cake plates with lavender bunches is such a pretty presentation.

*happy birthday to you - my dear Beck-a-roo!

thrifting through the weekends

Better Homes & Gardens

Over the summer I spent a couple of weekends thrifting with my mom at our fave vintage spots. She had a flipping genius idea. But let me lead up to that...

The venue for our event has two HUGE stone fireplaces each with a 15 foot wood mantle. Originally, I wanted to buy a crazy ton of white pillar candles varying in height and dimension and fill the length of each mantle. It would be stunning! I started pricing the pillar candles that I have in mind. Suuuuuper expensive. Well, not individually of course, the smaller ones were around $4 - $10, but the large one's were $15 - $40. $40 for one candle? I think not. Plus, I wanted boatloads of them. Boatloads. To be fair, I could wait for sales after Christmas, and stock pile at that time. But my after Christmas schedule is nutso this year, with another move across the country from Rhode Island to Tucson, two weeks worth of residency interviews (scary!) and my rotation in the emergency department at the Tucson VA. Ahhhh!

Martha

So. My mom's fab solution? Crystal/glass candlesticks! Tapered candles are affordable - we bought a box of 18 for $3.50, and another box of 10 for $1 (thanks to rad coupons from Michael's and JoAnna's) so now we just needed to start collecting candlesticks. We collected about 25 in one weekend, and paid anywhere from $.17 to $.75 each! Oh - and they are so lovely...they sparkle and gleam and will look so pretty up in the lodge!

How come I've never seen this done before? This is such a perfect idea. Good thinking Mom.

*note: I took oodles and oodles of pictures of these prizes on the mantle at my parents house and it looks so great! But my camera busted, again, for the last time, and I am unable to access my pictures. Very unfortunate. I'm buying a new one tonight - as there are sprouts of RED LEAVES on the trees and I have to capture this transformation!

real life: mini-cheesecakes + mountains

This mountain celebration took place in Flagstaff and was captured beautifully by the ever talented local photographer, Melissa Dunstan. First of all, you all know my excitement for posting Flagstaff weddings :-) Second, there are a couple of bodacious details that I have to highlight here!

You totally don't know this about me. But cheesecake is my weakness. I love the texture. I love the creamy richness of it. I love it! Key lime is my favorite. Ummm...no no, plain is my favorite. It doesn't matter - this couple HAD it! How cleaver to have mini sizes for personal treats. I've never seen this done and I have to applaud. Props to you two for tasty awesomeness.

I like these place cards. Simple and classy. Can clearly be done on recycled paper, and they reflect the beautiful natural surroundings of Flagstaff. I wonder if those tree shapes come in those paper punch things. This could be an awesome DIY project!

warm wonders

Spent this past weekend meandering through the cobble stoned streets of Boston. In the rain. It was a WONDERFUL adventure! I always love trips to Boston...especially when I get to visit friends! It had a been a long time since I had wear a jacket - and it was kindof cozy being cold. And I am...cold...pretty much all the time here. Already. I digress...

We are getting married in May. In Flagstaff. Which has been cold, rainy, and snowy for the past three years. I need to be prepared for freezing weather. Hummm...and to clarify...freezing weather is pretty much any temperature below 75 for me.

Yet, my dress is strapless (which I'm a little conflicted about.) Anyhow, I saw these pretty designs on Earth Friendly Weddings last week and was immediately smitten (they look warm!) All are hand knit, or crocheted, and found at the Etsy shop refectionsbyds.

wedding quilt

The nights are getting chilly here in the northeast and I find myself tucking myself a little tighter into my bed at night. I love being cozy underneath the weight of a thick warm blanket.

This "Tree of Life" quilt was posted on Homespun Weddings...and I thinks it's lovely. I've been making a quilt for a few months now...and I'm in love.

When I first started it I was nutso-quilter-girl...and I did it everyday...I couldn't get enough! It was a BLAST! I made 12 squares in a matter of weeks. There was something so satisfying about finishing a square...I dunno...it was addicting. Except now I'm not into and I have like 5 more squares to make and I can't for the life of me get into finishing it. Plus I didn't bring my quilting stuff across the country with me....obviously. I'll get to it eventually.

Hopefully.

When I decided what kind of quilt I wanted to make it was a no brainer. Crazy quilts are my favorite. (My aunt recently took me to the Bellevue Arts Museum in Bellevue, WA where they were having an exhibition of old quilts....the crazy quilts were jaw dropping spectacular!). I'm using scraps of fabric from my mom, My Guy's mom, various old clothes from our closets, and loads of fabric deals. I don't have a sewing machine, so I'm sewing it by hand...it's oddly stress relieving.

This will be such a treasure for us as it holds so many fun scraps and it's the first quilt that I've made. Honestly...as I make it I think about me and My Guy and our journey so far. I wonder where the future will take us... and where we will wrap ourselves into that quilt.

I've put work, love, and time into this quilt. A metaphor for marriage, don't you think? I love it.

Ummm...I hope I finish it.

love story synopsis

What happens when two graphic designers get married? Well. They create rad stationary. My favorite piece is this one that tells the story of their love. Too adorable! Check out the artist's site, Tad Carpenter .

When I see stuff like this it makes me feel like I need to start drinking "creativity smoothies" or something.

victory #5: cake

this looks yummmmmy...recipe from Saffron & Blueberry

My friends rule. Honestly. They do.

Especially Christine. I've known her since college where we worked together for a couple years...and lived down the hall from each other (we were RA's!). I was honored to be in her wedding a couple of years ago :-)

Christine is one of those "jack of all trades" type of woman. Not only is she an elementary school educator, a mommy to Luke (...who is the freaking most adorable kiddo ever to walk the planet), a wife, a brand new business owner, a crafter (like whoa), and a blogger...but she is also a pro cake baker/decorator. Do you see where I am going with this?

I have my Cake fairy!

Of course, we don't have design yet...and clearly haven't nailed down so much as a flavor. But she has ideas...and you all know My Guy and I have ideas. :-)

I'm just so thrilled to know that our dear friend will be hand creating our celebratory desert! Sometimes I just sit back in amazement and admiration for all of the lovely powers our loved ones are infusing into our marriage celebration.

moments

via here

Sweet moments exist for the two of us
to wander through fields of wild weeds,
tall trees, and blooming flowers.
To hold your fingers as we breath the breeze
and watch the clouds.
These minutes fly by but last forever.


I miss My Guy.

nature favors

This is the best idea I've ever seen! It's another incredibly cleaver Etsy found item, from the shop Nature Favors. These birdseed ornaments are hand created out of organic materials and are wonderfully eco friendly - they feed the birds!

They come in a few different shapes: hearts, wreaths, doves, and stars. The doves would be absolutely lovely and perfect for our wedding favors. You know, I even love those hearts...and I am not a fan of hearts.

I love this. Like, really love this.

girls in gray

from Lake Jane's own wedding

It's official. My ladies will wear gray. And look divine.

Once Wed

Wedding Bee

Verbal Snapshots

Hummm...I sort of love this look too. Oh shoot.

cakes fit for the forest

Wendy Kromer Confections

Found these and thought they were over-the-top foresty fun.

(I know I know...I am totally having a super simple, frosting slathered confection at my own wedding...but I come across these pretty things on in the blogosphere and I am compelled to share them.)

here

This is pretty stinkin' rad!

real life: vintage + flagstaff

One of my fave bridal blogging friends, of August & Everything After, married her love last weekend. One word, literally, one word: magical.

Sarah Neal's work was once again beyond stunning...and Cori and Evan look remarkably divine. Their details were spectacular.

Flagstaff weddings are just the best.