11 weeks to go...

The invites have arrived, and they are beauuuuutiful!! I can't wait to share them with you in the coming weeks!!

I don't want to brag, but our lovely invites were designed by the talented Kathleen of Jeremy and Kathleen!!

Rule of Thumb - The Series

For years I always thought planning our wedding was going to be a breezy walk in the park.. but since day 1 the experience has been like walking on egg shells and constantly dodging land mines.

As the wedding quickly approaches, we have learned many many many things by trial and error and wished someone would have sat us down early in the planning and told us how important it was going to be to get those logistical details figured out before hand.. but elas, this is how Luke and I do things.. and that's not always a good thing.

We've started this series in order to share with you what we've learned along the way...

Rule of thumb #1:
Before obsessing about inspiration boards, getting lost in color schemes and the ever endless world of linen options; start the process by creating a realistic budget for the type of wedding you are planning on hosting. This was our first misstep and we learned the hard way... A few months into our engagement bliss and big dreams of planning our lavish carnival-esk wedding, my better half was laid off from his company due to downsizing and the recession. We had not foreseen or planned on this happening so it was a huge surprise and huge disappointment that our wonderfully expensive ideas of a huge wedding were down the tubes. Talk about it a wake up call!! Having said that, going through that period of struggle in our relationship, financial and personal aspects of our lives, it really put things into perspective and drew the focus back to what that special day was going to be all about.. we quickly realised that it wasn't just about having a huge party. It was more about celebrating of our love and officially joining as one, a family.

Rule of thumb #2:
Scaling back on the guest list.
Our initial head count was 180+. When the reality of our shrunken budget kicked in, we had to figure out how to either a) make more money or start to b) cut cut cut. Arguments were had, and I’m pretty sure 1 or 2 things were thrown, but in the end we really worked together to trim our guest list down to 130. And let me tell you, we couldn't have asked for a better guest list. Cutting a guest list is like cutting your own bangs.. at first you're not too sure where to start, but once you get going, look out!

Rule of thumb #3:
Pay attention and read your vendor contracts before you sign seal anything. Ensure that things are clear and concise and make sure you ask a lot of questions… a lot of questions…and amend the contract as you go. This is one thing we overlooked and almost ran into a huge issue just this week that could have derailed our planing all together (I’ll save that tasty treat for another post). Our venue ended up letting that one major detail slide; However had the venue refused to work with us in the end, we would have been out our deposit and would have had to pay through the nose to have our invitations redone to make it work. Can you say ka-ching?? But lucky for us, they were very understanding!!

Coming up: where to save $$, tap into your resources, DIY doesn't necessarily mean less expensive

5-6 months to go...

According to my Wedding To Do rule book, these are the things that should have been checked off the list so far....

• Compile guest list
• Reserve ceremony and reception sites
• Order stationery
• Register for gifts
• Purchase wedding rings
• Order dress and accesories
• Book officiant
• Book caterer
• Order wedding cake
• Book florist
• Book music for reception and ceremony
• Book photog
• Book honeymoon
• Send save the dates
• Block book rooms at local hotel

Not too shabby when you look at the overall list... but we've still got lots to do and I know this list isn't complete. Plan of attack to come...

Minor details..

At least twice a week I get the dreaded.. ' What is your dress going to look like? what style is your hair and makeup? We want details!!' Truth be told, this is a problem on it's own..

A year ago, I had absolutely no clue where to start! I've kept scrapbooks upon scrapbooks of ideas and schemes and décor for years and now, here I am engaged and finally planning a wedding, and I couldn't even settle on a color scheme. Has anyone else gone through this before? Just stumped...

Since we've pretty much booked all of our vendors for the big day, our little details are starting to shape into a monster neither of us expected. We've finally picked our color scheme..ish

via colorlovers

I am a true sucker for jewel tones. I really am.

my MOH

How I asked my MOH you ask?

Well, the choice was clearly the easiest one to make. But I tossed and turned about how I was going to ask for about 3 weeks… I was clueless.. I dug through blogs high and low, googled "traditions", couldn't find anything I liked that wasn't over the top cheesy. And a couple nights ago, I sat down and wrote a letter about us. About our ups and downs, laughs and cries and said I wanted her to share in what will be one of the most important days of my life and that I couldn't think of anyone better to be there by my side.

I bought a card and a "bridesmaid: how to guide" on being fabulous and keeping the bride sane (in other words, when I lose my shit, she can be prepared to handle it.. lol). There were quite a few to choose from...

But I ended up going with The Bridesmaid Guide: Etiquette, Parties and Being Fabulous, it had a great combination of wit, humour and tons of information for her to flip through. I wrapped the whole thing with a nice bow and off I went.

I gifted them to my MOH last night. She obviously knew she would be my Maid of Honour, but I wanted to make it special. After all, it's the little things you look back on years after the deed is done. You want to remember simple gestures.. I found it to be a nice little touch to show her I value her friendship now and for many more years to come. I could tell she was very excited.

She immediately said we had to have a Father of the Bride marathon.

That my friends, is the reason she is my MOH.

Inspiration: A Rustic Affair

We've been swinging back and forth on a couple themes.. never seeming to agree on one specific one.. but after walking through our venue last night, I think we've finally made our choice...

Here is an inspiration board of ideas we love and would like to incorporate in our reception..

1. cheese spread with chalkboard flags, 2. Black lanterns via potterybarn, 3. vintage locket via Etsy, 4. pictures on a string, 5. ,6. vintage birdcage cage, 7.bouquet via Stanley Makes Three, 8. signs via latte love, 9. wedding shoes, 10. via project wedding

Absolutely love the muted tones.. Dark framed lanterns and beautiful greenery compliment the light and airy dahlias and vintage pieces.

{heart}

lovely sashes..

Over the past few years, I've been noticing that more and more brides are letting their individual personalities shine through their wedding decor and attire. From embellished bird cage veils right down to painted pumps, a blushing bride makes sure that none of these little details are overlooked. I'm going to say I've been thinking about jumping on the sash band wagon these past few months. Not only do these gorgeous sashes spice up the average looking gown but it also adds a unique and one of a kind touch that makes you stand out and shine on your special day.

Here are a few Etsy finds I absolutely love..

ivory silk dupioni sash via percyhandmade

sash belt handmade embellished ivory lace via percyhandmade

Sash belt silk rosettes via percyhandmade

Vintage Ivory on Black bridal sash via Bridal Shoppe

If only I can get the dress style sorted out.. and the search continues..

wordless Monday..

A New York bride, groom, and their guests transported by pedicabs to the reception.

photo by: Lily Kesselman via New York Weddings

more on styling our backyard-ish wedding

Over the years I've been collecting clippings from the LCBO (local liquor outlets) seasonal catalogues. I find some of their ideas would work beautifully with our overall wedding style. Since we aren't having a formal sit down reception, a traditional table setting wouldn't be in the cards; but that doesn't stop us from using these ideas as a basic guideline for our reception decor.

I love the mix of small tea light candles, lanterns and white freesia arrangements in little galvanized tin cups.. it's very laid back but adds a touch of class to the setting.

And of course, who can forget the glass globe string lighting.. finding these on the cheap might be a challenge, (a string of 20 lights can run you at $20-25 a pop online these days), but I'm sure we can find some kind of deal on eBay or see if we can't find a rental company in town.

As for color schemes, we're still deciding on our palettes but I have a feeling we'll be in the thick of purple and red hues from the jewel tone families.

It's all starting to come together!

inspired : Backyard weddings

I imagine our wedding to be along the lines of this...

vintage chic.. j'adore..

via GreenWeddingShoes photography by Dana Grant photography