poofy tulle developments!

Tomorrow i am getting my dress fitted.

!!!!!

Seriously, i am so excited i cannot even tell you. I can’t wait!! I haven’t seen my dress since the day we bought her, and i don’t have a single picture of her on my camera. We’re driving down to NC tonight, and tomorrow this time, i’ll be giggling in front of a giant mirror while the seamstress pins my gorgeous dress up to tea length!!

That does mean no fun weekend posts, but i’ve got a lot on my mind and a lot going on, so i promise to make up for it with many picture-overloaded posts next week. In the meantime, have a great weekend and think tea-length thoughts for me!!

you have how many pairs of shoes??

I believe it was just this week i was telling you all about the wedding shoes i found. Pretty, match the dress, nifty ankle strap, sweet jeweled buckle, etc. Remember? These?

Right. Well, what i may not have mentioned at the time was that those were my fallback pair of wedding shoes. You know, the sensible ones. The ones that match, and look comfortable and respectable, and don’t cost 87% of your remaining budget.

That, my friends, was before i discovered The Sale.

A bit of history: WAAAY back in the day, when i was still a wee babe in the wedding-blogosphere, i found this pair of utterly delicious shoes. They were sassy. They were quirky. They were unique! (So unique, in fact, that no amount of googling or endlessing or zappoing could turn up a similar pair.) They were, also, $239. Which seems, you may agree, a bit spendy for a pair of shoes one is likely to wear only once — or at most, on very rare and special occasions.

But then. I was checking out one of my new favorite blogs ({grey}likesweddings, and you should all run over there posthaste and bookmark her!), and happened upon a pair of shoes i fancied, so i idly clicked through to the site selling them. And there, my friends, they were. MY SHOES! HALF OFF!!

Behold the glory of the “Lana,” by Benjamin Adams. Those, my friends, are feathers. Maribou feathers. And Swarovski crystals. Yes MA’AM!

I have no idea if these shoes will match the dress. Honestly, though, i don’t care. I love them. I heart them. I giggle whenever i look at the picture. I mean: feathers!! Are they not fabulous? Glorious? Simply divine??

brainstorm: baby’s breath!

I’ve been pondering for a great while what to do about the flower situation. Although i think flowers are gorgeous and lush and add a lot to any wedding, they are just so. damn. expensive. So i put flowers way down on the list of priorities for our budget and have kind of just kicked around thoughts in the back of my brain without ever really focusing on what i want (or who i want to do it — eek!).

One of my early thoughts was hydrangeas — they’re giant, bold, and lovely and don’t require much in the way of ornamentation. They look gorgeous in bouquets, and a few can really go a long way.

(image. The word “bodacious” comes to mind.)

But they’re also expensive, and i was worried about how well they’d hold up to a day of my clutching them, dragging them around, probably dropping them a couple of times … and i kind of pushed them from my mind, thinking i’d go with something simpler. And cheaper.

Enter baby’s breath.

Right? You’re thinking, “Caroline, baby’s breath is filler. And not too attractive at that. Plus it kind of smells.” Well, you’re right on that last part (at least if it’s old baby’s breath — or so i’m told), but my lads and lasses, check it out:

That’s baby’s breath! In simple containers! Lining the aisle! How genius is that? (TTO agrees.)

Since i stumbled upon the idea for baby’s breath, it’s been everywhere, yo. Grey found baby’s breath on wreaths:

As centerpieces:

And even as a bold, unexpectedly glorious bouquet:

I mean. I seriously gasped loud when i first saw this picture. It’s not exactly the vibe i’m going for, but talk about drama and glamour and — i mean, can you imagine? I’m sure i’m not the only one who’d be guilty of an audible gasp if a stunner like that came strolling down the aisle. It’s breathtaking. It’s GENIUS.

So, i’d like to claim credit for combining these two genius ideas into one jaw-droppingly brilliant flower scheme for my own wedding, but alas. As usual, the internet beat me to it. Janie at The Bride’s Cafe, in particular, has combined the two into a dreamy confection:

Stunning, no? Again, not exactly my vibe, but the combination of the bold, confident hydrangeas and the soft unexpected touch of the baby’s breath is really intriguiging me today. (I can’t even talk about the anemones. So dreamy. So expensive. So sigh.)

But then! I saw today! This wedding on Style Me Pretty! That IS my vibe exactly — vintage, retro, quirky, a little glamorous and a lot comfortable. And the flowers: Hydrangea + baby’s breath! Gorgeous!!

The bouquets, people. And the centerpieces. And her headpiece — feather fascinator + tiniest of birdcage veils. I am in love!

(all pics via the incomparable Style Me Pretty!)

so much accomplished omg.

Y’all, apparently the wedding fairies have sprinkled me with caffeinated dust or something, because i have had the Most. Productive. Four days. Ever!

It started last week when i finally got around to e-mailing a couple of potential wedding cupcake makers. There are ten scrillion bakeries and cupcakeries around the DC area, but many of them charge insane, astronomical prices for single cupcakes and don’t drop the prices for weddings. No thanks. So i narrowed my focus to bakeries that don’t have physical storefronts but work off Internet and word-of-mouth bookings. I found two whose websites spoke to me, so i e-mailed them both last week and immediately heard back from both. One baker even dropped off four free sample cupcakes to a nearby coffeeshop! We haven’t tried the other baker’s wares yet, so we haven’t made a final decision, but i promise to report back once we’ve picked. (For the record, though, both these bakers offered a significant price break over brick-and-mortar cupcake makers, so i strongly recommend the online route if you’re looking for a wedding-treat-creator!)

(yum.)

Also, remember back when i was freaking out about all things paper? Well, i’m freaking out no more. (…okay, freaking out less.) I found a monogram maker! I’ll dedicate an entire post to this awesome wedding elf once i’ve got our monogram in my hot little hands, but suffice it to say that Jen at Miss Pickles Press is one awesome lady. One monogram + the constant free-postcard deals at VistaPrint* = save-the-dates in minutes! Well, not minutes. But. Way easier than i’d feared.

I’ve also been on the phone with a couple of hotels near Glen Echo and am close to finalizing the booking of the room block. Who knew that would be so complicated? Regardless, although we haven’t visited any hotels, i think we’re pretty close to locking down a block of rooms at last.

We also registered over the weekend. Two hours in Macy’s and i think we scanned a grand total of 42 items. Whew! There’s more to that story, but  i think it warrants its own post, so you’ll have to wait for now. Still: yay for registering! For insanely expensive and glorious sheets and towels and cupcake tins! Hurray!

And finally, i took y’all’s advice to heart and backed away from the silver glitter explosion. (My mom agrees with you all, btw.) I heart those shoes, what can i tell you, but cooler heads have prevailed, and i can see now that they really don’t go with my dress.

So! I bought different ones! Here, have a look and tell me what you think:

(Pic courtesy of shoes.com)

Meet “Madelyn,” from Liz Rene by Benjamin Walk. While these babies don’t, like, bowl me over with their quirky awesomeness the way the Louboutin knockoffs do, i think they’re a far better match for the dress. The beading, in particular, i think will be a good match for the bodice of the dress. Plus they have an ankle strap, which i adore, and i think it gives them a vintage-y vibe without being all “look at my bobby sox!” Plus i dig the glam diamond buckle The heel isn’t quite as tall as i’d like (three inches solid is my preference), but it’s pretty close, so i’m happy to settle, as long as they look good with the dress. The best part? They’re being delivered as we speak, so i have something to look forward to at the end of this bitterly cold, snow-slushed day!!

…so, yeah, all in all, a productive couple of days, dontcha think?? I’m v.v. proud of myself, i have to say. And absolutely champing at the bit to get married already!!

*seriously. sign up for their e-mail alerts; you’ll get spammed like whoa, but they have some seriously delicious deals for you. Go. Go now.

shameless promotion

Gather round, and let me tell you a story. As the best stories do, this one begins with a friend i met in college. She only went to my school for a year, before abandoning me for the far more awesome city of Austin, but while she was there I lived in awe of her genius taste in music, her super-glamorous vintage style, and her all-around vibe. Seriously, this chick speaks like five languages, and routinely sends me pictures from her travels round the world. Now lo these many years later, she’s living in New York and working as a fashion designer. In addition to being an awesome woman all around, this girl is super ridiculously hella talented, and she’s recently launched her own jewelry line called Suzanna Dai. It’s inspired by old-school glamour, world travels, with a vintabe vibe and insane detailing.

Seriously. Check this gorgeousness out:

The Monte Carlo collection

From the Corfu collection

And my personal favorite: Kathmandu.

I mean, honestly. Insanely dramatic and gorgeous, right? (I may or may not have mentioned that i have a wee obsession with peacock feathers.) But, really –how ridiculously hot would that necklace look with, say … Taraji P. Henson’s delicious Oscar gown??

(image from yahoo movies)

And NOW, for the very, very best part. Are you still with me? Because Suzanna Dai and the fabulous Betsy from A Few Goody GumDrops are giving away a pair of Monte Carlo earrings. For free, y’all. Just check out A Few Goody GumDrops here, and enter a comment telling her which piece of the collection is your favorite. If you need more inspiration:

Seriously. To die. Who wouldn’t want to rock these on her wedding day?!

progress!

Today, we created our wedding website.

Just to be clear — there’s nothing on it, other than our date and the location in broad strokes. I have big plans, though. BIG.

It would make my life so much easier if i could access Flickr at work.

In other news, it’s Friday. Hurray!! Here’s to a fantastic weekend for everyone This is how i plan to spend mine:

(image) Have a great weekend, y’all!

well, i’m an idiot

I finally schedule a weekend to go down to see my mom and get my dress altered. YAY! So excited, right? Next step: Call to make an alterations appointment. I called last Thursday after finalizing a date — only to find out that they’re closed on Thursdays. Oops!

Flash forward to this week. All week i’ve been saying to myself: You need to call the Bridal Boutique. When did i remember to actually pick up the phone? Today.

It’s Thursday.

D’oh.

…in other news, though,  i just found these Louboutin knock-offs on the Davids Bridal website and am, i think, infatuated. What do we think? Way, WAY too much? Or totally effin’ awesome?

(Lest you need a quick refresher, my (non-altered-to-tea-length) dress can be seen here. …and Joe, darling, DO NOT CLICK THAT LINK OR I WILL TOTALLY SIC THE CATS ON YOU.)

scrambling

OMG. It occurred to me yesterday that there are just over seven months left until the wedding. SEVEN MONTHS, people. Last i checked, i had nearly a whole year!

I am now starting to scramble and panic. Here’s my own super-frazzled Top Ten List of things i have yet to do:

1. Find a florist to do my bouquet and bouts/corsages (if we do them)
2. Get a monogram/design/theme for our paper goods
3. Register
4. Find  a wedding-cupcake-maker (more on this later!)
5. Figure out whether and where to hold a rehearsal dinner … not to mention rehearsal
6. Find and book hotel rooms/blocks
7. Have my dress altered [Joe, DO NOT CLICK THAT LINK!!]
8. Get final guest lists with addresses from our families
9. Figure out invitations
10. SEND OUT SAVE-THE-DATES!!

And i am sure there are ten million other things that i need to worry about, but for now: yipes!

Anybody else wake up one morning and totally freak out?

tagged!

Happy day, i’ve been tagged! The lovely Brandy at something weddings tagged me as a Fabulous blog:

Tee hee! Thank you, Brandy; i’m honored!

Here are the rules:  List 5 Obsessions/Addictions that you have, and tag back to the person(s) that gave you the award.  Post the rules and tag and additional 5 people.

My five obsessions:

1) Television. I was initially going to talk about a few of my favorite shows, but then i realized that’d take up the whole list. I suppose you could call me a couch potato, but i’m not lying when i say TiVo changed my life. So many shows! So few commercials! There’s not much i love more than episodes of shows i love — and i think i get a lot out of them; i used to recap shows for a now-defunct (but formerly awesome) television website and still occasionally write for a group TV blog started by a couple friends (check it out!). As my friend Maggie says, television is in a “golden age,” and there are an awful lot of top-notch shows out there, with sharp writing, intriguing plots and character development, and gorgeous production values. I’m definitely obsessed with watching them and discussing and writing about them!

2) Chocolate. It doesn’t have to be high-quality chocolate; i love Hershey’s kisses and M&Ms as much as Scharffen Berger and Valrhon. I love to eat it, drink it, and i’d probably roll around in it if i could. Chocolate ice cream; chocolate candy; chocolate cake; chocolate milk; chocolate chips in my pancakes: OM NOM NOM. I used to think i had a sweet tooth, but i’ve since decided that it’ s a chocolate tooth — i generally don’t think sweets are worth the bother unless chocolate is involved. Oh, delicious chocolate. I eat you every day!

3) Guns N’ Roses. I may have mentioned this earlier, but GNR is my all-time favorite band, and i’m a wee bit obsessed with Axl & Co. To the extent that, when Chinese Democracy came out this past November (after 17 years of waiting!!), i sped to the nearest Best Buy to pick up my pre-reserved copy and then sat in the parking lot for half an hour rocking out in my car before i could even get it together enough to drive home.

4) Scarves. I HATE cold weather, and one of the only things that makes winter bearable for me is warm, soft, fuzzy scarves and gloves. I have a giant basket in the closet filled with scarves; i don’t know exactly how many are in there, but i’d say probably close to 30. This is definitely a seasonal obsession and one that i’d happily discard if i moved to, say, Istanbul, but as that’s about as likely as Guns N’ Roses playing my wedding, i content myself with collecting as many tactile and beautiful scarves as i can get my be-mittened hands on.

5) The Internet. You may have noticed that i have a blog. But, as i mentioned before, i’m a multi-purpose blogger: I (occasionally, these days) blog about television, and i used to write recaps back in the day. I also am utterly obsessed with wedding and design blogs and have, oh, 15 or so stored in my daily bookmarks, plus another 20 or so that i rotate around on a weekly basis. (I don’t use Google Reader as a rule; i found it so awesome and time-consuming that i didn’t get much else done!) I’m sure all of you are finding this to be true as well, but i wouldn’t have been able to take one step in planning my wedding had it not been for the series of tubes. (Sorry; still funny.) Venues, vendors, dresses, colors, inspiration: it all springs eternal from the interwebs.

So, there you go! Five obsessions, bared for you all to see/mock/comment upon/commiserate with. Have at it! As a rule i don’t generally tag people, but i’d love to hear what you’re obsessing about these days, so please leave a comment or a link to your own fabulous blogs!

the evolution of my obsession with lights.

So, after the lovely Glen Echo bride Tyrese commented that she was a teensy bit worried about my plan to hang cafe lights all over the Bumper Car Pavilion, i got to thinking. I’m not sure i totally agree (and even if i did, i fear my obsession with the lights themselves would win out regardless), but her comment did spur me to keep an eye out for interesting and creative things to do with the cafe lights other than string them over top of all the other lights already up in the Bumper Car.

So when i came across this idea at Apartment Therapy, i was kind of intrigued:

So this is a “socket chandelier,” made from screwing together loads of those random bulb sockets you can get at Home Depot. Utilitarian, yes, but also unexpected and clever. I think i kind of dig it.

I don’t know whether or if this will translate into temporary cafe-light-ball light fixtures, but i’m kind of picturing them as impromptu chandeliers, hung above the center of each table. Bonus: They’re make-ahead-able, so nobody would have to be scrambling to string up 250 feet of lights the day of.

I also came across this beauty on Apartment Therapy: it’s “White Orbit,” by Patrick Townsend, and it’s kind of the same idea, only a little more (too?) structural:

Witness this chandelier in action:

This looks almost exactly like the Bumper Car (minus the twinkly lights wrapped around the rafters). Like i said, i think it might be a little too put-together; i like the artful chaos of the DIY chandelier above better, i think. But i’d love input. What say you? DIY chandelier blob? Structured, airy chandelier? Or version 1.0 strings of lights from beams? Chime in, readers; i must know!!