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.

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}

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

Rustic inspirations

We've had a couple gloomy days, I thought maybe a little color and lovelies would brighten the mood up for the weekend..

White florals

bold red bouquet

bold orange

This.. Is..

Officially my new fave blog...

Hollywood does it right...

Have any of you seen I Love you, Man?

How amazing was the wedding scene? the beautiful fabric canopy, strings of clear beads and exotic white flowers.. just beautiful...

via Julianne Austin


via Celebrity Brides
Just a little inspiration to add to the book..

Something we might consider...

Happy Friday folks!!

To end the week on a good note, I thought I would share with you a great story I read in the newspaper a few days ago. This was a very heartwarming idea and definitely made me think of something we could do when the time comes that we tie the knot. Besides who needs 4 blenders when kids deserve everything in the world?

Hope you enjoy it!

Wedding guests bring toys for kids
By DEBORA VAN BRENK
The London Free Press
via Canoe

LONDON -- Forget the blender -- cue the giant stuffed gorilla. A Strathroy-area couple who married last weekend made an unusual request of their guests and the result was a truckload of toys for needy kids at Christmas. Fiona and Rick Zwering dropped off "their" wedding gifts at the Salvation Army service office in Strathroy this week. "It was just amazing to see how much people gave," Fiona said. "I'm not an emotional person, but when I saw all the toys, I was crying."

This is the second marriage for both and, as single mother to two boys, Fiona said she's been grateful for the services of the Christmas hamper program in the past. "You know how everyone says, 'I'll give back, I'll give back,' and you never get the chance to give back? Well, this was our opportunity."

"We already have two blenders and three electric hand mixers . . . We joked that we didn't need another 50 blenders."

For pickup, they enlisted Const. Steve Pommer, who co-ordinates the Cops for Tots program, which helps provide Christmas gifts in Strathroy. His truck was so full of toys they couldn't all fit into the back of the SUV.

The gorilla rode shotgun.

"It wore a seat belt and everything," said Gloria Mullin, president of the Royal Canadian Legion Ladies, which catered the reception. The couple's generosity came as no surprise to Mullin, who also knows the couple through the Strathroy Community Players. "That's so Fiona," she said. Guests donated about 150 toys, which ranged from remote-controlled trucks and games to cuddly critters. The surprise donation marked a first for the agency, said Maj. Edward Hayden, executive director of Strathroy's Salvation Army community family services. People often donate food and gifts in lieu of birthday presents but "not for a wedding," he said. "This is great. The quality and quantity of toys will go a long way this Christmas."

Last year's 275 Christmas hampers represented double the number of the previous year, he said. "This year, because of the economy the way it's going, we're going to see more need than last year," Hayden said. Pommer said Cops for Tots passed along the equivalent of $9,000 worth of toys last year for local Salvation Army Christmas hampers. Last year, though, an increase in need and a decline of giving meant Cops for Tots cleaned out its meagre bank account. "This is the first year we've had to start from nothing," Pommer said.

The Zwerings, meanwhile, were a bit embarrassed by the attention, which was quickly making its way through the Strathroy grapevine. Fiona Zwering said the generosity came from friends and family who, without exception, supported the novel idea and went beyond what was asked of them. She said it's a great example to the couple's children -- his six-year-old son along with her 16-year-old and 12-year-old sons -- and, she hopes, a challenge to others to be generous in turn.

I {heart} Frocks..

visit Frocks online...
Jenny Yoo - Ella Dress in off-white silk shantung with flower by Alice Hart

I love them even more for posting this lovely photograph of their window display back in May. The colors work so perfectly together and the Jenny Yoo bridal dress? Hello, gorgeous!! This is definitely going up on the inspiration board.

p.s the feather flower is to die for...

Paper {love}..

I love getting wedding invitations in the mail.. it's no surprise considering i love paper goods in general. If you are looking for inspiration to creating the perfect invite for your special day, look no further than once wed. I absolutely love everything I've found on the site so far..

here are a few of my faves..

via Union Photography

I've also been a fan of this set for quite some time now. I've printed out many photos from this wedding and stuck them in my inspiration book for future reference.. I love the red and turquoise combination..

Invitations by Celine & Photography by Gabriel Li

And last but not least... the theme image logo/monogram.

This is so simple yet beautiful.

via once wed

While were on the subject...

How great is this? On my last post, I put up an inspiration board from Snippet and ink..
This poster really stuck out of the mix of photos. I just love the style, the colors... everything about it really..

by Hatch Show Print via southern weddings

inspiration..

Really loving the red these days... just so happens to be the better half's favorite color too!!


via snippet and ink

Top row from left: sour cherry pie from Martha Stewart, flower and shoe photos both by Jose Villa, milk bottle "vase" styled by Paul LoweRow 2: photo booth photo by Meg Smith, poster invitation via Southern Weddings, lunch boxes and strawberry shortcake both from Martha Stewart WeddingsRow 3: bouquet by Saipua, vintage veil from i speak film's flickr, wagon from BridesRow 4: truck via Sweet Paul, invitation from Poppies for Grace, lantern photo by A Bryan Photo

Invitations = {inspirations}

via frolic

Perfection..

This is it..

this is THE inspiration boards of all inspiration boards (well for me anyways) Now if we could fuse this board with this post and this post, it would be perfect.

Photo Credits:row 1: Victor Sizemore Photographyrow 2: EyeSpy Photography, Gertrude and Mabel via Snippet and Ink, Jupiter Imagesrow 3: EyeSpy Photography, J. Crewrow 4: Jupiter Images, EyeSpy Photographyrow 5: Gertrude and Mabel, EyeSpy Photography

Only in Vegas..

via Snippet and ink

Top row from left: photo from Brides, red dice, Vespa bride via Black Eiffel, giant map invitation by Omnivore via Brooklyn BrideRow 2: Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, photo from Junebug Weddings, Jackpot cake by Lovin' Sullivan, turquoise shoesRow 3: aquamarine ring from Gray's Antique Markets, flowers by Ariella Chezar, Blue Fin cocktail, Janey dress from J. Crew, photo booth save-the-date by Bird and Banner

I think the boy would like this theme all too much... that said, I love the vibrant turquoise and red colors in this inspiration board.. maybe a Vegas themed shin-dig? would that be tacky?

hmmm... something to ponder...