A Week Off

I am spending this week at home with my parents and brother and sisters and Susie. They are moving and there is packing to be done and painting to be done and a house to get ready for 'THE MARKET' I will continue to have nervous breakdowns about things like response cards next week. Or maybe the week after.

Table Numbers

I was worried. I'm not now. These are perfect. And I'm not worrying about it anymore.

Table Numbers by the very clever Olivia Kanaley

Inspiration Board: Our Barn Wedding

This is the inspiration for our barn wedding. Yum.

Garlands and Poufs

I am having the Martha Stewart Pom Poms, there are rafters, they are very high up, they beg for pom poms. Can I have these too? Where should I put them? My wedding planner is really going to be a victim.

WANT

These shoes so bad my teeth hurt.

THEY HURT I TELL YOU. And in my size, dude. On sale and IN MY SIZE.

J. Crew (again, f'cking Jenna) Blume Metallic Leather Peep Toes, dipped in magic and sprinkled with fairy dust, $165.00

Awesome or Disastrous?

What do you think?

Mini-Dress

Jenna: My Love, My Hate

WHY does she torment me so? So lovely. And yet so obvious and cliched and annoyingly corporate. Those are the sorts of flowers I want at my wedding. In those sorts of colours. I'm a bit scared of these flowers. It all seems a bit scary.

Bouttonnieres

We are not doing bouttonnieres, David doesn't want flowers on him ("I'm not a woman") and they sound like effort and we are all about expending effort only where effort is needed (we're self catering, self floristing, it's going to be nuts). Eight bouquets for the seven bridesmaides and me and tiny tiny little bouquets for the flower girls (like TINY). These bouttonnieres are so unbelievably pretty though, so pretty. Maybe I could make little nosegays for the nieces inspired by these?

Via Once Wed

Ugawa

Today my boss asked if I had worked in hotels before. "No sir, I have a bachelors degree." Oh.

Rings

So these rock the socks off my feet.

Whelmed.

Overwhelmed with the expense of this and the things I have to get done, under under underwhelmed at the options. These are the chairs I have to contend with. I was going to have white table cloths and make the napkins but isn't that a lot of white. Like a huge scary amount of white? I'm also kind of sick of it too. I might have reached my own form of wedding zen which is more like wedding give-up-it-doesn't-matter-what-gets-done-gets-done-and-what-doesn't-doesn't-matter. That is just this morning. I'm sure tomorrow I'll be back to caring.

P.S. There is a picture here that looks like maybe Meg had those chairs. I'm going to pretend that she did. Yep. Not because I want to have what everyone else had, I just want to see that they can turn out pretty.

I Die

These kill me. I want them for my little Scottish fruit cake. Screw grooms cake, we're having an US cake and then a wee Bride's Cake. When I was little my Mummie made me whole sets of clothespin dolls, all the characters from Peter Pan (Peter, Wendy, Michael, John, Smee, Captain Hook, various lost boys, Mermaids) and all the characters from The Little Mermaid (ALL OF THEM) it was fantastic. I kind of want my Mummie to make me a tiny David and a tiny Hannah for the top of my Scottish cake. Maybe she has time? How do they make those fantastic big heads? That's what I wants to know.

These ones are not made by Mum, these are gorgeously and expensively made by The Small Object

Unfounded Desire of the Day

Judith Leiber "Snowy Owl" pill box. So unreasonable. But so. damn. cute.

Duh

So Liberty of London for Target is the best thing ever. Target is not always forgiving of those of us with 'curves' but the Liberty Dresses look fantastic on me. And the Liberty tops are stellar, and the Liberty swimsuit below is going to kick the ass of my Cape Cod final hurrah. Yeah. It really is. I bought the luminous yellow dress (David hates it but whatever, he can deal) and the peacock feather swimsuit. Both of which are my new favourite things.

Can we talk about the Target model? Seriously.

More Purple Flowers

The Save the Dates are a little busted. I am remembering that actually this doesn't matter. It really doesn't. Invitations though, they might actually matter. But the Save the Dates don't. Right?

Lets look at these purple flowers and pretend there are no save the dates.

Yum

This bridal shower has cupcakes in jars. Seriously. I wanna be Ruby sometimes.

Rehearsal: Now With Seersucker In Mind

Suzi Chin Yellow Loveliness, $158.00

Calvin Klein Sash Dress, $129.00

Cotton Blakely Dress, $118.00

Silk Tie-Dye Dress, $110.00

Getting Stuff DONE

This weekend was a wedding weekend to be reckoned with. We registered together once, I registered again by myself, we got not one but two suits and we sorted out our wedding cake. We also cried a couple of times because the caterer will not get back to me, and the printer messed up the save the dates twice.

First off, Macy's. Is. Awesome. We had a fantastic Registry Lady called Brenda who faffed around with us and was there if we wanted her and not if we didn't and when I couldn't find enough Botanical Garden Serveware (Dave doesn't like it so we can't get a whole set, boooo) she went online after we left and found a bunch and emailed me links. Because she's lovely. And there were not boxes piled to the ceiling and the scanners worked really well and there wasn't too much stuff but there is just enough stuff. If you are in the DC area you should go to Macy's in the Tysons Corner Center. Ask for Brenda. She's a treat. The next day I registered alone at Target because we wanted a carafe and shocking as it sounds, we couldn't find one we liked at Macy's. Plus I was there anyway trying on this. It was okay. No complaints. It just wasn't as AWESOME as Macy's.

Apres Macy's while wandering around in Tysons we wandered into the Crewzels. Of course we did. Like moths to a flame. We couldn't help ourselves. We bought not one but two suits (although with the twenty percent off for starting a card which we have already paid off and canceled it wasn't as bad as it could have been). So now Davey's gonna look super stellar. Seersucker for the rehearsal (if you find me a super cool rehearsal dinner dress I'll buy you beer) and a real suit for the wedding (and also for job interviews and maybe work, I am justifying).

We also sorted out the cake this weekend. The Cupcake Lady of farmers market fame (she's out of her mind and has 16 cats and makes crazy delicious, beautiful cupcakes that she sells out of her garage) is making our cake. For very little money. It's going to be chocolate with creamy non-fondant frosting (because seriously, fondant isn't yummery and yummery is important). I am very excited about this cake. Cupcake Lady rocks.

Rearranging

We spent about three hours in J. Crew yesterday picking out not one but two suits for David, who has decided to wear a seersucker suit to the rehearsal (we are also now having a Kentucky Derby party in May because he bought the suit and eff if he isn't going to wear it). I was foot stomping mad by the time we left because I didn't look cute in anything (which is always bad bad bad for one's self esteem) and the store was so busy and the salesman talked a lot (and I was running on five hours of sleep for the past two nights and hadn't gotten a treat coffee yet) but I saw these shoes and thought that maybe what I want to do is have my dress hemmed and wear sandals. Comfy comfy sandals. With my summer silly dress. Then my feet won't hurt at all.

Or more realistically I should just get these for the day after brunch.

J. Crew Reese Gladiator Sandals, $88.00

P.S. Yeah, Jenna Lyons and J Crew are basically dressing EVERY single person at our wedding. It's unpleasant but so so so beautiful. Sorry ESB.

Register, Part One

Registering is something we don't really like to talk about. Unless it's to talk about our very mixed feelings, how we don't want to ASK for presents and how we don't really NEED anything except for the love of our guests. And that's true. I don't really want to ask for things and I really just want people to show up and bring with them their sweet faces and lots of hugs. But we do need things. David and I are both youngish and neither of us have the trappings of adult apartmenthood. I have a soup pot my uncle and aunt gave me and a pink non-stick wok which was a very bad impulse purchase at Marshalls. We do need stuff. We are starting out lives together and by buying us things from our registry our family and friends are literally helping us to build our home.

With this in mind we are registering for things that we can potentiall still have in fifteen years. So a handheld mixer? Not so much. A cool butterdish? Yes. Sure, we could drop the butterdish but it has the potential to live forever. We want to register for things that hopefully our children will grow up with (and believe you effing me, children are a long way off). Meg said it very well. Because, serious, she always does. "The registry is like a barn raising."

Yep.

So we registered once, at Bed Bath and Beyond. Which was a bad bad bad idea. David knew this. I would have too if I had a thought in my head that week (I started a new job and was tired and angry that the wedding wasn't getting planned for f sake). The ladies pretended to be my friends and followed us arround the store and nothing was what we wanted and we couldn't find anything and I started crying when we got into the car. It was awful. Trying to pick out which plates I wanted our children to drop and which roasting pan I wanted to put turkeys in for thanksgivings in fifteen years and which glasses I was going to use to get wasted during grad school, it was all a bit much. And Sandi, who was trying to tell me about how much better non-stick was (just to show that she really didn't agree with me on a single point), following me around trying to show me how to use the stun gunny thing really didn't help. So we're deleting the registry. Because I went insane and put a deep fat fryer on the list (breaks the rule in a big way). And we're starting afresh. Tomorrow at Macy's in the city. Where they have a lot of Portmeirion (because it looked banging in 1984 when my parents bought it, and it looked banging in 1996 when my youngest sister was born and it still looks banging and will look banging when my children start to break my collection piece by piece) and I'll have all day to register. And a latte. Next time I will bring a latte.

Oooh Ahhhh for Napkins

Is it worth the extra $100 and millions of hours of labour to make 100 napkins out of this fantastically fantastic fabric? I could pick three or four or five colours and it would be so magnificent....

To Read: Alice I Have Been

I heard about Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin on NPR today. I'm not one of those Alice-a-phile shenanigans at all but I think Charles Dodgeson was kind of a creepy fellow and my brain can't cope with real reading now so maybe some historical fiction would be just the thing.

Digging, again

This and these colours are definitely what we're going for.

Digging

These. In a major way.

Present

My mum bought me this, now unavailable on the website. I likes it. A lot.

A Few Questions for YOU, dear reader

1) Are sixty of these enough? Is it insane to make 120?

2) Where can I find unbelievable fabric to make cloth napkins? Unbelievable mind you. Or I might go head and make those insane pom pom napkin rings and I don't know if that's a good idea. Or is it?

3) What colours of flowers should I get? Keeping in mind that the ring bearers are wearing blue seersucker and the bridesmaids are wearing "thistle" and "spiced wine" and "graphite" but I don't want to just do cream and I don't like matchies. Matchies is baaaaaaaaad for Hannah.

Share your thoughts, I'm in need of some thoughts.

Guestbook, Photobook

This photobook-guestbook idea was a really good one. I found a copy of my great-great-great grandmother's wedding portrait from 1866. Damn. Reading my great-grandmother's wedding announcement from the New York Times in 1911 and my parents from 1979 has been a very cool experience. Now to go through David's family photos...

Shiny Feet

These are making my life very difficult right now. Screw wedding expenses. I want THESE.

Osklen Ballet Flat, $350.00

My Soul Has Been Bought By Jenna Lyons

Jenna Lyons is about six feet tall and has the best damn closet in the universe and I, like about a gazillion other brides in the universe, have given over my entire live and net worth to her. My mom is getting her dress for the wedding at J Crew too. Grey because she looks good in it with big fun bright jewelry. Yes puhlease. And we are looking at J Crew suits this weekend after registering (take two*) for David and I may or may not have bought an inappropriate amount of pretty things at J Crew the other day althoughtechnicallyIcannottellyouaboutthatbecauseofthelurkingofbridesmaids. So bridesmaids, bride, groom and mother of the bride all in J. Crew. Ms. Lyons you win again. Damn you.

Little Girls Part II

So I waited too long to get those awesome dresses for my nieces. I was worried they would grow, we hadn't technically asked the girls to be flower girls etc. And now we are dressless, which is, I guess okay. We'll find something. But The Crewzles doesn't have anything I like right now for under $98 and I kind a feel like my filthy 6 year old niece doesn't need a $98 white dress right now. Ya know what I'm saying? And while I understand that Flora and Henri's children's clothes are fantastic there is no way they need anything costing nearly that much. How about a darling little day dress that will work with the colours for like not as much money? Like how about fiddy? Anyone have any great ideas about dresses for seven year olds? Who tend to be muddy and messy as little girls should be? Seriously peeps. Rock the comments.

Anyway, they won't care. The above photos is The Oldest-and-Best's kid sister as a flower girl in December. She was trouble. She is trouble. She liked her dress but she really liked being trouble.

Pearly Things

Actually, remember this? I think I'd rather have these with no necklace. Yes please.

Would It Be Obscene...

For me to wear this

with this?

Twin Hearts Photography

When I saw these pictures from Twin Hearts Photography on APW yesterday I was instantly filled with regret about my move to Maryland/Pennsylvania from Mississippi (which is still pretty far from Georgia but not as far as I am now). Kellie Olsson and Laura Gregg take unbelievably gorgeous photos, photos that make me oooh and aaaah and feel very very okay with the kind of wedding we are having. If you are lucky enough to live within striking distance from Athens, Georgia, don't worry. I found your photographer for you. You're welcome.

And this? This makes me think I need engagement pictures. Even though I know that I don't.

All pictures courtesy of the super duper lovely Twin Hearts Photography ladies

Due to reasons beyond my control...

I spend a lot of time looking at David's Bridal. Because, ya know, weddings. Flower girls need cheap dresses, because seriously people, they're seven. So. Don't judge. While there I stumbled upon this shiny shiny bag, which is not appropriate for my particular brand of bride but is super duper appropriate for my brand of Wednesday afternoon.

Happy Friday

This has been a rough week. A week with new jobs and scary people at those new jobs who lear and make us feel not safe. And there has been running around and stressing out and registering (which was bad, like really really bad but more on that later) and there has been another job interview and and a family dinner and a lot of very very serious conversations about The Future and Where We Are Going (figuratively and literally) and lots of job hunting and a fair amount of crying. But today the sun was shining a lot and I drove around with the sunroof open and some Cyndi on super loud and I came home to a lovely lovely big white box with a lovely lovely big white dress in which fits pretty well and just needs a minor minor alteration. And tomorrow I'm going for a walk in the park with David and maybe my blue windbreaker instead of a real coat. I think that maybe this necklace would be the best thing to wear with my wedding dress. Kate Szabone made my engagement ring and I think that the necklace would be lovely.

Gnashing of Teeth, Tearing of

I have curly hair, Like really really really curly hair. Like BIG curly, nappy, kinky, fine, breakable, blond hair. I do not like other people doing my hair, I do not like doing my hair, I wear it in a bun every. single. day. Sometimes a high bun, sometimes a low bun, there is very very little variety in hair styles up in here. The Seventh Bridesmaid (third sister) who has the same kind of hair has said that La Portman (who I kinda hate, am I alone in this?) is the queen of updos we can handle. ScarJo (who I also kinda hate, this one time in college a girl told me repeatedly that I looked a lot like ScarJo and I just effing hated her for it) also seems to tragically be rockin' really banging wedding hair in some of these photos. Of course I really just wanna look like Heidi.

Hey guys,

My wedding dress came. Eeeeep.

Shoulda Put a Ring On It (Sorry, had to)

Above is the De Beers Millennium Blue Diamond, all 5.16 carats of it. It's currently on display at Sotheby's New York before it is sent to Hong Kong where it will be placed on the auction block and is expected to fetch an unfathomable amount of money. We all know I am a magpie for shiny things so perhaps I shall have to pay it a visit after work.

Having a Coke With You

I think Joanna Goddard had it read at her wedding (maybe someone else?) and I think it's super lovely. I kinda wish we didn't have to have bible readings at mass so we could have this.

Having a Coke with you

is even more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irún, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne
or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona
partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian
partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt
partly because of the fluoresent orange tulips around the birches
partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary
it is hard to believe when I'm with you that there can be anything as still
as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary when right in front of it
in the warm New York 4 o'clock light we are drifting back and forth
between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles

and the portrait show seems to have no faces in it at all, just paint
you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them
I look
at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world
except possibly for the Polish Rider occasionally and anyway it's in the Frick
which thank heavens you haven't gone to yet so we can go together the first time
and the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism
just as at home I never think of the Nude Descending a Staircase or
at a rehearsal a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo that used to wow me
and what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them
when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank
or for that matter Marino Marini when he didn't pick the rider as carefully
as the horse

it seems they were all cheated of some marvellous experience
which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I am telling you about it

-Frank O'Hara

We Can Make This, Right?

Because it's quite lovely. And I am feeling a little gross (Dear Self: do not eat donuts. You gave up sugar for lent. Also: Donuts make you feel not so awesome) so the idea of being able to make something quite so lovely makes me feel really really nice.

You know what else makes me feel nice? This fantastic $5,000 wedding. Yep. Five grand.

Now I'm going back to working. Or rather sitting at work not working. Since there is no work to be done.

New Job

I have a job. I am there now. It's the kind of job where you can kind of fiddle around doing nothing. For hours. I work behind the desk at a not not not very nice hotel. I smell like smoke and sorrow and my feet hurt but a jobs a job and minimum wage is better than nothing (I told myself through my tears on my way to work this morning). So I'm not making crafty things. I wish I were. Someone else will have to make me this.