oh.

It's our 7 year wedding anniversary today. After a weekend with no sleep (4 month old not doing so hot in that department) and a yellow lab who swallowed a meatball with a toothpick on it...we celebrated quite modestly with a 45 minute dinner at a local chain restaurant. Sigh. Perhaps we'll do better next year. I take comfort in the fact that I'm still smitten with my man- a fabulous guy I still can't wait to spend the rest of my life with. As the front of our wedding program said, "Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be!"

I was honored that the last Martha Stewart Weddings magazine included some snaps from our wedding in the '15 years of great wedding ideas' issue! Here's our shout out on the MSW website (though you spelled my name wrong Martha-ites... hint, hint!).

homemade masterpiece

I love the off-beat-ness of this homemade wedding cake. The fact that it is so not perfect, makes it totally perfect to me. (And the other 'homespun' decorations are pretty rad as well).

via chelsea/frolic via cheri

i do (again)

My friend Melodie (and her husband) decided to celebrate their anniversary by renewing their vows every 5 years.  While the sentimental part of that is awfully sweet, it's the do-over wedding that really appeals to me! Even though I loved my wedding day (didn't we all?), I think it would be fun to do something that reflected my current mood and style. Melodie and her husband, Matty- celebrated with a 'retro' wedding in Vegas and even hired a photographer to document the occasion. I'm inspired! (top photo: retro Vegas wedding, bottom photo: original wedding).

clever table numbers

We went to a lovely wedding this weekend outside the Philadelphia area. So much thought had been put into every detail, there were even some beautiful flowers in the bathroom (bottom photo)! The best takeaway idea were the table numbers- each numbered table (it was a seated dinner) had framed photos that coordinated to the age of the bride and groom. Table 22, for example, had a picture of the bride graduating from college and the groom on a family trip with his siblings (at age 22). I only wish they had opened the seating area earlier so I could go around and look at all the other tables! I hadn't seen this done before, and thought it could be done stylishly in so many ways. 

another pretty

We received another beautiful wedding invitation the other day that I had to share. So beautiful, but I have to admit- the (tacky) thought crossed my mind...I wonder how much this one cost?! It's so pretty- the weight of the paper is so heavy and luxurious (with gold trim), the engraved type is quite lovely, and all of the details- including what I am assuming is the family crest- are so very, very pretty. Topped off with a customized flower stamp from Zazzle and this invitation quickly became a keeper.

oh my, laura normandin!

This kind of wedding is exactly why I continue to buy the MS Weddings mag on occasion, despite having been married for 6 1/2 years. Laura Normandin is so talented- she's one of the few that was there when I was there, and is still with the company. She is a precious resource! If you've never seen her own product line, you must check out Wren Handmade right now. I bought one of her patchwork elephants a couple of years back, admittedly I bought it for myself as much as I did for my baby-to-be. 

The details from this gorgeous wedding that shouldn't be missed, above...heart-shaped biscuits, get-away bicycles with 'just married' flags, and her butterfly bouquet, among others. For more, hit up the MS website right here.

i heart (these) boutonnieres

I spotted these lovelies on Decor8...who knew boutonnieres could be so cool?

in case you missed it...

A 'circus-style' wedding on OnceWed. Lots of fun details you don't want to miss...if you are thinking of any circus-themed occasion, there is lots of inspiration to draw from this festive event!

must-see: monkey topiaries!

From Ondine's (of Top Design fame) wedding...and I quote: "Ondine's parents used to throw animal-themed birthday parties for their daughters"...which somehow translated to them growing 40-pound grass monkey topiaries in their suburban backyard for her reception decor (I think they're actually quite beautiful). For the full run-down, check out the NY Times here.

via... Beach Bungalow 8

so lovely

I'm all about supporting the smaller letterpress guys out there, but I can't help but really like this wedding suite from Paper Source. The typography is quite lovely.

in case you missed it...

I love everything about this wedding posted on OnceWed.

happy anniversary, babe!

I'm checking out early for the weekend- a lot on my plate, including my 6th wedding anniversary! Our wedding was such a fun day. I still am in awe as to how much has changed in the wedding biz since then. I would definitely do some things differently, but I still adore the dress (and the man)!  

photos from our wedding via Martha Stewart Weddings, Spring 2004

woodsy do-over?

My 6 year anniversary is coming up next week, and I can hardly believe all that has changed in the wedding industry in that time. Wedding blogs were non-existent. Highly detailed weddings seemed to be few and far between. Kate Spade didn't have wedding china and Vera Wang didn't have a stationery line. 

I'm very happy with how our wedding turned out, and the party itself was a blast (albeit, expensive)- but I often wonder how I would re-do my own wedding were I to do it again? We had a bright, citrus-y, Florida wedding, but I'm currently craving a Lena Corwin-esque affair with a forest-y tone and little woodland animals (though this changes at least quarterly). Don't know if that's the best description, but I'm including a couple of images so you see where my head is at. What would you do today if you were getting married again?

Luckily, I'm still in love with the man I married- and that, for sure, I wouldn't change.

Barn and car images from Bride's via Black Eiffel; cookies and brownies via Design Sponge; bird via Anne Wood; coffee filter garland via Creature Comforts.

loving...

Sharon Slaughter and I have followed much of the same path. We went to the same graduate school, we both worked at Martha Stewart (she was in the Kmart division and then moved to the Weddings magazine as an art director), and then went on to start paper goods companies in smaller towns. So I was thrilled to see her lovely rehearsal dinner on Snippet & Ink- I loved everything about it, not to mention it was in a Tennessee town!

Perhaps my two favorite details were the custom pinãta and 'mexican-style' flags. My brain is just swimming with ideas as to how to use these sources!

gen + ben

Gen's wedding had many beautiful details. As you can see, her 'concept photos' (yesterday's post) translated beautifully to the actual event.

Details to note: 

-pennant flags: the pennants were used both as table markers and for the altar area (blown up large and affixed to wooden dowels)

-customized affordable items: her dress was very simple- but she added the yellow trim detail, the yellow sweater, and the vintage flower pins to make it feel more personal and 'expensive' looking

-southern touches: while neither Benjamin or Genifer are really 'Southerners', they wanted to make sure their wedding had a touch of the South. Country elements included a meat + three menu, bold floral patterns, an invitation suite that included 'y'all' and 'yee-haw'; as well as the location itself- Cheekwood Gardens, located in the heart of Nashville.

As with any large event, there were glitches. The great vintage serving ware she used for the 'family style' menu got broken and wasn't adequately sized to feed a crowd. Coordination was difficult because the property was spread out. But the good memories prevail, and it was a beautiful (and beautifully-styled) day to celebrate my dear friend's wedding.

sources:

-bridesmaids dresses by J. Crew

-bouquets by Ilex

-photos by Amy Dickerson

-invitations and ephemera (program, pennant flags, table markers) by me 

-floral tablecloths- custom, with Denyse Schmidt fabric

-white planters from Ikea

-gingham flower girl dresses by Pears + Bears

Any other questions you have, just leave in the comment box and Gen will answer!