Bridesmaid Feature: E. Claire Equals our Vintage Romantic

As I have mentioned, all of the Bridesmaids have their own personality and style that is strongly reflected in their attire. The common bond is a full-length moss gown in similar styles and fabrics. Introducing my silly little sister, Emily Claire. She’s the hopeless romantic among the sisters in our family. Her color palette is based on the moss and complimented with ivory, silver and a soft pink. She’ll have pearls and cameos. If I may say, she is the most traditional bridesmaid in the lot, but this soft, flowing romance is so genuinely at the core of Emily that this fits perfectly.
The dress (don’t knock it ‘til you try it) is from DAVID’S BRIDAL. All jewelry (don’t choke) is from FOREVER 21. Her shoes are from GO JANE. Once again, these are major answers to staying under budget. While their jewelry may seem so important right now, it’s not something they will cherish like we do. For each lovely lady, the jewelry and shoes are theirs to keep as a gift from me (Read: Bridesmaid gift). It’s personal, and celebratory of their personalities, but fits into the big picture.

Emmy, on left, has curlier hair than I do but straightened it for the night. This is us at the Homecoming Banquet in November.


An Ivory Flower pin for her hair. $2.

Cameos! What?! $6.

Ivory Pearl and Rhinestone Bracelet. So glam. $8.


This is actually our Mom's Mom's, and Emily is going to have it in her bouquet.

There is a very loud wooden floor in the church, so we opted against heels. $10.

Found on The Knot. Hydrangeas, Ranunculus and Peonies. It's a goal for the look we'd like it to have for her. All flowers will be coming from the Farmer's Market in Nashville.


Won't she just be beautiful?

My favorite new shoes

Target. $18. I think I'm going to do a button-cluster near the toe out of antique white buttons. Eh?

Yes, they're for the wedding/forever and ever and ever.

Stick it to the Man!

Boo... I just got off the phone with Brandon. Poor guy. This is frustrating.

He has taken a position in Oklahoma City as a College Minister. This job could not be more perfect for him as I know few other people in the world that are as skilled and devoted to relating with and caring for people. It's the thing about him that blew me away when we first started dating, what was that, 3 1/2 years ago. Geez.

In addition, he is also the best lead worshiper I have ever experienced. His passions and convictions are summed up in this. He is talented, but even more importantly, he is genuine. Brandon truly has a gift. I know, I'm partial, but you'll have to take my word for it.

So the glitch? He just had his taxes done. (Exactly. You say this word and everyone cringes.) Because of a few freelance worship-playing gigs he did that weren't taxed, he owes $700. Let's not compare this to the return he thought he was getting.

I guess this is a lesson learned. His CPA advised him from now that for any gig like that from now on he should set aside 30% of his profits for taxes. Self-employment double taxation. OUCH. Sad day, but, he'd saved the money from those exact gigs, so will have the money to pay it off. That's a blessing in and of itself.

Oh, well. This is the journey, right?




Photo taken by Carl Zoch.

Today's Project: Re-Vamping Boring CD Sleeves

I'm sure you've seen this done before, but I'll give you the run-down, and our take on it.

• Vinyl-Looking CD's from Verbatim, via Best Buy. 60 on sale for $20.
• 100 Paper CD Sleeves with Window from Meritline. 100 for $3.89. Free Shipping.
• Stamps from Martha's stamp line at Wal-Mart. Complete Starter kit for $17.87. (We're using these same stamps on our beverage napkins, programs, plates and more, so we'll get our money's worth.)
• Neat when it all comes together: 2 of our themes, if you'll remember, are Nature and Music, so it's a nice combo. Also, our programs are going to look like CD lyric booklets. Next to these, it promises to be a nice pair. Modern & Simple. I'm ok with that.
  

Our CD's actually have muted earth tones instead of the ivory pictured:


What the CD sleeves looked like when shipped:



Stamped! That's a friend's CD on display, as Brandon has our CD's with him out in Oklahoma. If you're curious though, google Eric Vinson. I bet he'd pee himself if he knew he got a plug just now.



And for those of you wondering what's made the cut for this little disc...
The incomplete list, in no particular order (YET):

1. Glosoli - Sigur Ros (Processional)
2. All I Want Is You - Barry Louis Polisar (Recessional)
3. Seven Keys - Aqualung
4. 'Til Kingdom Come - Coldplay
5. Magic - Andy Davis
6. Your Love Is Strong - Jon Foreman
7. Slaveship - Josh Rouse

There's more. I can't remember right now! Headed to bed early tonight. Leave any suggestions you have!

Total Change of Plans

Remember yesterday's inspiration plan for the boutonnieres? They were handmade from fabric; another definitely eclectic touch. Like it needed it. Well, last night I was at Wal-Mart to pick up supplies for making the programs (Papers, stamps, ribbon, the like). Of course I browsed through Martha's wedding line as she has some good finds every now and then. The simplicity and ease of what I found convinced me to take a different route...and it's a route I'm already finished with, whereas the last time I made those bout's from scratch it took about 3 1/2 hours.

Maybe I should show you a little peak at my dress for this to make sense:


Photo by Christina Lafferty. She's a genius.

It's Crinkled. Yes, I found a messy wedding dress. Don't ask how.

So these plain boutonnieres look like this: (Paper looks like the dress fabric, no?)



I quickly hot-glued twine (left over from birdseed pouches) around the base and a button on the bow:


And kept the original packaging to protect them from getting crushed:


All Paper Boutonnieres can be found from Martha Stewart's Wedding Supplies in-store but not online at Wal-Mart (for $4).

Personal Reflection: I'm not a fan of roses, necessarily. They're overdone. But really, my time is worth this! And, although this is a slightly varied from what I had in mind, who the heck is going to remember what our boutonnieres looked like?!?!?!

Have a DIY Beat-all?

Vintage Glam Weddings is hosting a giveaway for brides, newlyweds, anyone who has a stellar DIY project.

If any of you have something noteworthy, you should enter! See Amanda's site for complete entry rules. Should you be chosen, a $200 gift certificate to Wedding Paper Divas will be headed your way.

[I'm not entering because I'm already a stationery whore. It's sad.]

The Scoop on the Corsages

I’m obviously a fan of doing things myself. Randomly enough, I’ve taken 2 classes on floral design, so I figured I’d make the corsages and boutonnieres for my Mom and his Mom, and my sister-in-law who is Day-Of-Directing. Our plan regarding flowers of any kind is to NOT use a florist, but actually head to the ever-reliable Farmer’s Market the day before the wedding. However, this puts a major time crunch and unnecessary stress on me! Dad, who is a Horticulturist and Floral Designer, has offered to put together all of the bouquets, and my aunt, an interior designer, will be assembling the floral arrangements for the reception. As these are their only “responsibilities” there won’t be stress on them despite the closeness to the festivities.
Enter the timely and free alternative: All corsages and bout’s to be pinned will be made of fabric that I own, and well ahead of time. I’ve almost completed the corsages, and actually made more than I expected! We’re having 6 total photographers (I’ll explain in a future post why we’re actually having more help than EVOKE can offer). Next on my list are the corsages for guestbook attendants, cake table attendants, and so on, then the bout’s for the groomsmen and ushers (which I’m showing the inspiration for in the last photo).

I used a tutorial found on Maize in Montana via 2000 Dollar Wedding.

The real photographer's Pin:


The Photo Booth Photographer Pins:


Mother-of-the-Bride*, Mother-of-the-Groom*, Day-of-Director*,
Pastor of Church (that isn't officiating)


*I apologize for the excessive hyphen usage.


The Boutonniere Plan, from Martha Stewart:

The Getaway Decision: Birdseed Pouches

Well, lo and behold, when I give up on a project for the sake of expense, it keeps managing to work itself out. Exhibit A: I don’t feel super strongly about having anything thrown at us, bubbles blown at us, or fire engulfing us when sparklers go awry. Rice seems simple enough, but apparently when consumed by a hungry bird, well, think fireworks. Oops. Releasing butterflies would be beautiful, almost poetic and elegant, and tied very closely to our nature-inspired event. However, this meddles with migratory patterns, and most butterflies that endure this never get back on track. Oh, geez.

Enter birdseed, the obvious option that I never even considered because it is so obvious, and traditional, and, well, since when do I do that?! I began looking up some ready-made bundles to purchase. Average price for a generic “Belongs-at-every-traditional-wedding-in-the-last-50-years” was $1 per pouch, already filled and tied. Simple enough, cheap I guess. But since I didn’t really care about this custom in the first place, what was the point?!

Solution? Oh, I am so satisfied with this solution. Inspired by fabric favor bags at a friend's recent shower, I found fabric scraps around my apartment that had been leftover from projects, or had purchased and never used, etc. I coordinated fabrics so that the front and back worked together, but were not painfully matchy-matchy. Without measuring or hemming (to foster the look of simplicity and character), I stitched inward-facing sides together, locked the stitches, and then turned right-side-out. After filling with a teeny scoop of birdseed (the environmentally friendly option), I tied twine around the bags. A further step I opted out of because my desire to simplify: use the tie to loop on a tag with a quote, monogram, etc. Done.

Total project cost for 100 pouches was the $6 for the birdseed. Note: If you aren’t a total dweeb that has fabric on hand at all times, ten bucks says you know someone that will! The point for me in this project was to reduce my ecological impact by avoiding shipping a product, and to recycle/reuse supplies already in my possession. The 3 R’s, ladies. Gotta love ‘em. Further, what’s not to love about a touch of life and personality in a wedding when so much of them becomes industrialized?!

It’s funny, I was awfully surprised at myself for using these fabrics despite how they stray from any hint of a theme, or even the colors of the wedding. However, when the final pouch was completed, I couldn’t help but smile. It was refreshing to see a spontaneous and eclectic surprise! The frayed top edge, the unlikely combinations of fabric--I guess that’s just more my style anyway. ;

So here we have the vintage, eco-friendly side of the wedding, not the nature-themed. ; ) Also, I must confess, my digital camera has been hidden from me, by me, so these are taken in photobooth, so you'll have to excuse the poor quality and awkward angles! Ha.

Love,

Ashley Sue

Front and Back of Each Combo is shown:

Somewhere to call home... for this day.

Well, I guess this is somewhat vintage because the church is old… Ha. Glam? Not so much, except in a simple, less-is-more respect. If we were to have a theme for our wedding day, well, there would be four. Or five, in order of prominence: Nature, Vintage Flair (via fabric touches, heirloom cameos, each bridesmaid reflecting an era or style) , Musical Influence (we’re both musicians), Library Love, and Bikes. Picture all of these counterparts at Blakemore Church of the Nazarene in Nashville, Tennessee. We chose this spot because a mutual best friend, Dana (yes, a woman) is the pastor here and she is letting us use the church grounds for no costs beyond their overhead. You can’t see the first floor space in these photos, but it is one open room, also with lots of windows (read: natural light everywhere in this building), painted a muted robin’s egg blue. It is our reception site, along with the fabric photo booth on the lawn…. but that’s another post in and of itself. ; )









All photos courtesy of my Future Husband.

A little project...

This is simple, but I just love it. In honor of a newly outspoken desire to be more environmentally conscious, I’ve opted to share some inspiration that has translated into a plan for not only our wedding, but that will also carry on into our home. You’ll probably die to hear this, but I made a Facebook group asking friends still living on campus and all over Nashville to save all of their glass items. From spaghetti jars to empty liquor bottles and the like, we’ll amass our entire “vase” collection by recycling, and not spending a penny. These will serve for in-window decoration in the sanctuary and downstairs… The natural light will be beautiful shining through the glass. So serene, so far from prissy, still has so much personality. I’ve found plenty of these at flea markets and antique stores, but wouldn’t buying them defeat our purposes? However, my fiance’s grandmother did say she’s going to let us borrow some of her vintage ones for the big day. No complaints from me!!

Ok, enough explanation. Just look:

(Via A Backyard Wedding)

and another...

(I'll be honest... I can't remember where I found this. At all. I'm sorry!)

You get the point, though?

A Simple Explanation, My dears...

Is it true that a litle bit of background is due? It is my hope that you are not overwhelmingly confused by the lack of direction this blog has taken in the past. For this sake, I give you history…

Hello, hello! Shall I begin with an inspiration board of sorts? (I will confess that part of this is inspiration, and part is reality, as that is my engagement ring as well as one of my bridal photos, taken in November). If you click on this bad boy, you can see it full size so that those silly little details begin to make more sense.

Update: Photo Removed so that Bran could start reading the blog. The sacrifices I make... ; )

Allow me to introduce myself! I am Ashley Sue, and I am finishing school for Marketing and Interior Design in Nashville, Tennessee. Though originally from NE Texas, I’ll be moving to Oklahoma City to join this boy after the wedding in May 2009. Ok, ok. Way more about me than you want to know, and not enough about the wedding, right? I get it. ; ) The juicy details? We’ll be wed in a small sanctuary here in Nashville. Think wooden floors, wooden pews, overflowing with natural light. I vow to curse the concept of “themes” until my grave, as they become obsessive and cheesy, our feel will be reflected by pieces declaring a connection/resemblance to the earth, but with a definite and distinct appreciation for artistic and vintage expression. Tennessee songbird plus eclectic fabric goes less-is-more. Yes? All of the ladies in the wedding party will be wearing a moss green, full-length gown, but each has chosen the style that is most in unity with their style. Additionally, their personalities have determined the look and feel of their ensemble as well as their accent color, i.e. Kaley is Grecian Glamour (peacock feathers and long, dramatic earrings), Emily is Romantic Charm (cameos), etc.

The part everyone seems to ask most about: our budget. Yes, we are planning a wedding for 150+ guests with a strict $3000. WHAT?! Yeah, dude. It’s almost done. Our reasons? We know this is a huge day, but it is only one day, for which I am willing to put much effort and thought into, but want to make decisions that reflect wisdom and meaning, and not only frivolous, forgettable beauty.

That’s enough for my soapbox. Today. ; ) I hope that you are slightly caught up, and will be able to follow along with this journey alongside me with clarity! If you have questions, speak up! Dying for more info about us as a couple? (Who isn’t? Come on, really. Sooooo not serious.) You are welcome to visit our website HERE!

My plan now is to clue you in on my many, many projects and ask for your input as I make some pretty big decisions.

Nice chatting with you. : )

Ashley

just to be sharing...

a sneak peek from my bridal shoot. : )