Personality Board #16 + Visions of Awesome

In honor of my desire to be outside picnicing and taking hundreds of light-leaking photographs, I want to share this wedding I've dreamt up for no one in particular. Someone, please make this your wedding, and send me photos. I'll die satisfied.

Speaking of wedding design, let's talk about making plans in the beginning, and how much it helps to start with the end in mind! One of the first steps that I take with a couple planning their wedding is hashing out their vision. Sometimes that means they spill trillions of minute details that are incredibly personal, or in occasional other circumstances, they realize at this moment that they have no idea what they want. Some requests are as simple as "Please-no-pink-or-I'll-die" and "Classic." Others can throw an exciting curve ball, like Kristin&Dustin, who asked for Vintage Romance and Marvel Comics.

Whatever challenging wants they throw out, or fears they make known, I make it my job to make it work, and present the smathering of ideas in a cohesive form -- the "Vision." Once complete, this can range from 15-30 digital pages and a shopping + projects list. Think suggested gown and all accessories, attire to outfit your whole bridal party, ceremony and reception decorations, custom invitation suite design (upon request), and the like. As this is the rolling ball for the entire planning process, this is also an option I present to couples who can do most of their work but really desire help pulling things together and want some creative ideas.

Yes, I've shared Personality Boards on the site, but these are personality boards on steroids. I'd like to share three examples of hypothetical Visions with you, each posted separately. Option A is glamorous and elegant, undeniably feminine. Option B is bright, electrifying, and impossible to not smile when in attendance. Option C is handmade, adorable, and gives me the same feeling as when I watch "You've Got Mail."

Look for these little gems following this post, and please -- Chime in with your favorites, other styles you'd like to see examples of, and if you'd like help with assembling a vision for your wedding or home!

Blog Design

You may have noticed that I keep moving things around on the blog. Keep. Moving. Things.

It's worse at my house. Every week when the college kids come over, they pause, then stumble over the same phrase: "Something's...different...??"

I'll keep going until I get it right! This is where you come in -- Wanna help me? I made a few blog headers today (the expanse at the top of the page). Vote for your favorite! Thank ya kindly.


Click to enlarge...

Frame-Worthy

I have been all too drawn (get it?) to illustration-style works of art lately, which is such a shift in my artistic preferences. Also on my radar? Nuetrals. I kinda fall asleep saying it, even still, but I'm learning that white space or a linen couch or that stunning ivory gown really is that eye-catching. Think Pottery Barn's Spring catalog. Or J.Crew. Antiqued, full of texture. So right and so well done.

For instance:



This work space is effortless in appearance, and as effective as aromatherapy right now. Soothing, simple, genius. More proof:


And lastly- I have no words, only sincere appreciation for the artist that did this... I can find no history. Frame it and I'll take two.
Surprised with your changing tastes recently? Do share. As I've recently been proven wrong, I'm quite open to suggestions... Unless you suggest zebra print and hot pink. I've lived in Oklahoma for a year. Seen enough to last me a lifetime. Oh deer... ;-)
-- ashley sue, from the phone

Featured! Again!

Woo, wooo, wooooooo!

The Nashville paper featured us as their Wedding of the Week!!!

Deluxe OK Indie Craft Bazaar

My first art show and sale is coming up! Woot! You can find out more about the this lovely shindig on their website. I'm hoping to meet about a million brides and homeowners, as well as good ole friends with whom I share interests. It's no secret that my move from Nashville to Oklahoma City was filled with much uncertainty about meeting people that revere color the way I do.

(Admit it. When you think of Oklahoma, you think red-earthed-desert, right?)

So what's in store? The debut of my wedding visions portfolio, an actual wedding dress, a million and two handmade crafts for homes-fashion-nuptials, and the like. The list is rather extensive. For example...

More birdseed pouches, several sets with different fabrics:

A buncha types of modern floral arrangements, several with moss and milk glass and some faux flower couture bouquets ...

Handmade wreaths, some from recycled paper, some from woodland creature "action figures"...

Paper-and-fabric corsages and bouts...

Hairpieces (mine is pictured)...

Bracelets from antique buttons...

And LOTS of embroidery.... ; )

All photos by April Sirit of Evoke Photography

Lust, Lust, LUST

There were several posts made back in the spring as I discovered my true love for Lomography, a sort of photography that is psycho unpredictable and a bit dream-like. There are gobs of different cameras with different specialties. I bought 6 or 7 to use in our photobooth at the wedding, but was certain that I'd love to keep them around. It's true. I've been itching to spend a day out with my cameras. An example of an unretouched photo on film, shot with a Diana:

This week a new Diana F+ was revealed in the Lomography line. Designed by Qing Hua, who is known for her vintage-floral-meets-traditional-Chinese artistry. Behold my new love:

And, as if things couldn't get better in my quirky-photography world, an adaptor was just released that can turn your digital SLR into a Diana. Shoooot. Brandon and I haven't touched our Canon Rebel in months. I can't find these for sale yet though. Does ANYONE have a lead for me?!

vintage. handmade. artistic. original.

Here goes nothing: the official launch of radiant
studios is kicking off soon-- Wedding and interior details that are nothing short of personal and crafty deliciousness. I simply can't wait to share what I have put together. By this I mean that there are literally 54 different weddings in the works, all begging to be shared.

Personally, I most enjoy designing and making wedding gowns with flair, invites, decorations, flowers, and party looks... And repurposing furniture, painting what was thought to be certain trash, and breaking rules to create something utterly fresh. Chaos does not have to remain as chaos.

Contact me i-frickin'-mmediately if you want help creating a vision for the festivities, have a room in your home that just isn't coming together how you'd like, or if you just have questions about what I'm willing to do.

In the mean time, I must share this, just because I laugh every time I see it.



Courtesy of the iPhone application "Backdrop."

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.

Progress

I wish you could see our collection of glass bottles. This entirely free project has been so wonderfully worth it. We now have four good-sized boxes full of the beauts, as mentioned in this post.

Another inspiration photo, via I-have-no-clue...


Peonies are boss. Whether or not the Nashville Farmers Market will have them is a major unknown, but it really won't matter. Anything'll be dandy.

P.S. BW came into town this weekend for a marriage conference. Wow. I needed that like Santa needs elves. To finish it all off, we could be found sitting by the fire at Panera and chatting for three hours yesterday, followed by a window shopping spree at Academy and Lowe's. Strange places to visit in that context, yes, but when you're needing fitness equipment for your newfound cycling-as-a-couple interest, and are planning a garden and house renovation, it makes perfect sense.

Less than two months, folks. : )

[Some of] You are Invited!

And Here they are!!!

A crooked close-up of an invitation with one of my favorite papers:


A hodge-podge, if you will. This gives you an idea of what they look like completed:


Examples of the 2-sided Amy Butler papers used:


Another example. Pictured on left is the print on back:


Same story:


What each guest will receive in the mail:


I handwrote these, and should have taken a photo of a better envelope to show, because they actually turned out pretty neat:


The back of the green paper is this dark floral, and Cheryl used the stamp kit I purchased for CD cases in this post to stamp the Reply envelopes:


The whole shebang:


Ok, the important part: How much did I invest for the sake of these papers that will be quickly trashed? Well, I MUST give serious credit to our university's Print Shop. They sold me most of the materials, and did the printing and cutting work!

• 2 packs of Amy Butler double-sided, recycled papers on sale at Michaels for $7 each.
• 100 invitations (includes cost of fine cardstock, cutting, printing) for 7 cents each.
• 100 rsvp cards (includes cost of fine cardstock, cutting, printing) for 3 cents each.
• 250 invitation envelopes (had to buy whole box since custom size, but can return what i don't use!) for $14 total.
• 250 rsvp card envelopes (again with the whole box thing) for $7 total.
• Print Shop's charge to cut all printed papers (and give me scraps) was a whopping $2.
  
• 2 glue sticks for 40 cents each.
• Stamps of bird and "reply" previously purchased.

That's a grand total of $47.80, which boils down to 48 cents A SET. This does not include the solitary postage stamp that is required. Really?! The Target set we planned on was $35 for 50 unprinted boring ones, seen here.

Granted, I really, really, really had a strong desire to do a straight-stitch across the top and bottom in ivory, but decided that the fuss wasn't worth it. (By "decided" I mean that Brandon and Mom were awfully convincing that it was going to be a serious hassle. Ha.)

Have a favorite paper?

While You're Waiting....

I know, I know. You're practically panicking about seeing our invites, right? Right?

Here's something to keep you drooling until then, courtesy of an Etsy seller who's all-the-rage: Sarah Seven. Please give me 3 reasons why I shouldn't make myself a dress like this.



Yeah, I couldn't think of any either. We have a banquet at the end of April that I'm thinking this may need to make an appearance at.

Cheryl, my soon-to-be neighbor (as in, she lives across the street from BW) came over to the house today and seriously helped assemble invitations. All I lack is some stitching, then we're ready to go. Oh, and addressing. No big.

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.

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?!?!?!

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:

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. : )