She likes it! Yay!

How exciting... through Vintage Glam, we were featured on another wedding blog. This gal, I have to say, is quite extraordinary. Great taste. So much so that I'm now following her. That says a lot.

Much thanks to ShesNotTheMarryingKind for your mention of my hairpiece, pictured below. If you're wondering, this was actually a fabric-flower purchased at Macy's, then I hot-glued the birds-in-nest (purchased from Michaels for 2 bucks). Total cost: less than $10.


Photo by April Sirit of Evoke Photography. Hair and Makeup by Amy Lynn Larwig.

Don't Look to Me for Tiaras, Red Roses, or Matching Bridesmaids

Ladies, I'd like to take a small break from posting pictures of our wedding to announce what may be pertinent to yours -- Ashley Whiteside is officially designing weddings. Yes, I know that I have a less-than-conventional approach to these shindigs, so no doubt the appeal will be very specific. However, that makes the bride that does go the artistic route even more exclusive.

So what does this mean? Options from simply creating a vision for you to full-service consulting will be offered. And crazy as it may sound, most of this is available country-wide. I am willing to travel to direct during your day. This is a slightly unheard of practice, I realize, but most communication between brides and planners is via phone and email, so why limit yourself?

At my current count, I have compiled 27 weddings of art (also known as "inspiration boards" but these are much more thorough) that I will begin sharing tomorrow.

Bridezillas need not apply. My interest is in helping establish and develop the incredibly fun journey! If you're going to be a sour puss, I have no time for you. Just saying.

Ok. I lied. One picture from the wedding: We just had way too much fun the entire day. Yeah, we're occasionally inappropriate and way too easy to laugh at, but we certainly enjoy ourselves!


Also, I cut myself shaving. Thought you should know.Photo by April Sirit of Evoke Photography.

Wedding Photos: The Barn and The Mansion

We [obviously] opted for a pre-wedding photo time with April so that we could get more quality shots of us without making everyone wait around for us. This paid off magnificently. Well, "paid" is a relative term, seeing as how our darling photographer was won, and not purchased. ; )

These shots were taken at the park on 12th South in Nashville, Tennessee by April Sirit of Evoke Photography, whom I would completely marry were my wedding not the reason for our meeting.

Vintage Glam?! No way!

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Our wedding has just been featured on Vintage Glam's blog! Seriously, folks. This is such an honor!

Check it out!

Just a little bit nervous

Sorry for no more pictures until tonight, but I'm off super-early for my first day of work! Bah! Will be in tonight to continue the wedding recap.

Also, I will soon begin two new series: a) Weekly Wearables for the Working Girl (no, not like prostitutes), b) Inspiration boards based on favorite songs for weddings with serious personality and all the handmade flair you'd expect from me.

For now, I leave you with this gem, courtesy of etsy seller Button Empire:

Wedding Photos: Let's Meet

After I finished readying that morning, I met Brandon in the hotel lobby as April snapped away. Enjoy what she captured!









All images by April Sirit of Evoke Photography.

Wedding Photos: The Day's Beginning

It is time: The wedding recap is here!! I'll begin with pictures then supply a thorough cost breakdown. Yes, our Nashville wedding for 150 guests was completed for right at $3K.


My wedding dress. Found with bustles (think Beauty and the Beast). Originally $3000 itself, but I was in the right place at the right time: $100. That's not a typo. One hundred dollars. Bustles gone to make it long enough. Already a crinkled dupioni silk with sweetheart neckline.

I added a polka-dotted organza overlay and sash to raise the waistline, and to add an eclectic, etheral touch. See this post for more details about my alterations.

The bird embroidery my mom and I did.

Amy Lynn at work. She was so so so incredible to work with. And by that I mean that she was working, and I was being worked on. I did no makeup work. You know. ; )



This photo makes it incredibly obvious that I am a towering 6-feet-tall. Sorry for being so friggin' intimidating to you, Amy Lynn!

The bouquets were projects I assembled when Michael's was having a half-price sale on all of their silk flowers. There are reasons behind each flower, but I'll explain those when I get to the flower post. I made my hairpiece to incorporate my aqua shoes, the aqua-green-and-orange in my bouquet, and the birds on my sash.


All photography by April Sirit of Evoke Photography. She is better than I could have ever imagined.

Speaking of Awesome Husband

Here is the exact email I got from Brandon yesterday afternoon. I copied and pasted. He's that cool.

My Mom told me about this new book series they are going through at LifePointe called "The Voice". Basically, it's a collection of authors (Chris Seay - Robbie Seay's brother -, Brian McLaren, Lauren Winner, to name a few) who have gotten together not to retranslate the Bible but to retell the Bible... to tap it into its dynamic, narrative foundation and tell it more like a story. Apparently it's getting rave reviews. I just ordered a copy for myself that's made of cloth, and I saw this version and bought it for you! :-) Because, come on... how could I see this and NOT think of my wife??

Huh. I'm looking forward to that read. I told him that we'd have to read these in bed every night like an old married couple. I mean, really. We've been married for 46 days now, so that's what you do, right?!


P.S. I'm a sucker for pretty paper. Really. It just makes me come alive. He soooo has me pegged.

Ta-Da!

I hope he likes it! We'll see tomorrow about the particulars of sending this design to Discmakers to be printed off on 100% recycled cardboard jackets. Think front and back only, no lyric booklet, cd slides into side. It's an EP. That's sensible.

Front:


Back:
I have yet to finish the actual cd design. It can only be three colors, and he's mentioned splattered paints of some sort. Side note: Bran is no slave-driver. This is a project I willingly agreed to, rather, volunteered to attempt. In fact, said handsome fellow gently woke me up for breakfast in bed today. Gotta love that! But don't love it too much. He's taken. By me. Back off. Geez.

A Pretty Big Project

Today I have no simple task: B has placed me in charge, if you will, of designing the album artwork for his recently recorded Grace EP. If you'd like, you can listen to this on his website. Early August brings a youth camp he's playing for in Pennsylvania, and planning on taking the cd's with him. These were the images he gave me for guidance.

Photos property of Brandon Whiteside, www.brandonwhitesidemusic.com

Oh, to create something that isn't too loud for him will be a stretch. He's much more simplistic than I am. Cross your fingers for me! I'll share the progress...

Currently Reading: Cold Tangerines

Brandon bought me this. I began reading it on the honeymoon and have been so refreshed. Rather than drone about its goodness myself, I'll share the review by Radiant Magazine:

Shauna Niequist sets out to celebrate the often overlooked, sparkling details of life in her first novel, Cold Tangerines. Through her collection of inspiring essays and stories, Niequist eloquently describes the seemingly insignificant fringes of our day-to-day lives, like the value of a favorite sweater or the sensation of being a solo traveler. The author demonstrates a keen prowess to tap into some of the deepest human emotions and describes her own with absolute sincerity. Cold Tangerines is not only a celebration of life's intricacies, but also a memoir of Niquist's life as an self-conscious teen, a wife and new mother, and a member of Willow Creek Church and Rob Bell's Mars Hill community. She writes: “I choose to believe that there may be a thousand big moments, embedded in this day, waiting to be discovered like tiny shards of gold. The big moments are the daily, tiny moments of courage and forgiveness and hope that we grab on to and extend to one another.” Cold Tangerines offers a fresh perspective and outlook on life, bringing new hope to readers.

The one thing I have to add to this review: "Let go of the past and go for the future. Go confidently in the direction if your dreams. Live the life you've imagined." - Henry David Thoreau

Lately so much of what I do is dream. I envision the business I want to begin, the house as I continue design work on it, each piece of clothing I want to assemble myself, and constantly have new color palettes dancing around in my mind. Though that is a beautiful place, and hoping is what moves us forward, I have to be careful to enjoy this journey, the now! It's too good to miss. Also, I feel it necessary to share this picture of dear Carlson, as it appears he's about to enjoy said cold tangerine. Ok, corny. But look at this silly college kid and tell me you don't think he'd be an interesting guy to know.


Here's to everyday.... To doing and not just hoping, to no longer waiting for our defining moment because each has its treasure.

Today's a Big Day.

Don't worry. I'm not going patriotic on you. My sentiments for this holiday are wrapped up in one completely red-white-and-blue free moment: Brandon proposed on this day last year. The specifics of how and why we got there are lengthy, at best. In short, I am the most gullible idiot, and not only did I not see it coming, I rather embarrassed myself immediately beforehand. The facts of such escapades are never left out when we tell the story of the proposal to friends, but for the sake of my dignity, may I ignore them just this once?

Brandon prepared this slideshow for me, claiming it was of the children I nanny and some of our close friends and family. Cool, I thought, but I've probably seen these pictures a thousand times. What's the big deal? Why is he being so insistent that I watch the stinking slideshow?! Well, watch and you'll understand. The end will show 2 darling little nephews of his with some pictures I'd never seen before. Huh...

You are invited to view "The Slideshow to End All Slideshows," in Brandon's words. : )

We went to Dragon Park to take some pictures that afternoon, pictured below, for you convenience.