It’s rare that a woman would plan to be pregnant on her wedding day, but hey, things happen! It’s refreshing to see that there are several companies that now cater to this niche market and allow brides to wear ivory or white and look and feel as beautiful as brides who aren’t expecting a new addition to the new family.
Here are some lovelies from Maternity Bride and Isabella Oliver.
Jessica by Maternity Bride
I’ve got 79 days and counting. Seems that “A Certain Bridal Website” forgot to send me my “holy crap, you’ve only got 100 days left, so get your butt in gear” email.
It’s not that I didn’t know that I have less than 100 days left, its just that I’m suddenly becoming aware of the fact that I will NOT have the time to do every little craft I’ve ever dreamed of.
Srsly, I have these items to do:
cut belly bands for invitations
print direction cards
print hotel cards
package & mail invitations
sew table runners
order napkins, rice paper lanterns, candles and candleholders, cocktail napkins,
purchase remaining dessert plates, wine glasses, water glasses, silverware
make throwies for lanterns
find supplier for bottles of soda for reception
connect with beer/wine vendor
visit venue to measure out space and create a floor plan
figure out what is going in OOT bags
I know there are about 1,000 other things, but my brain is melted right now.
A designer, I am not. Yet, I love creating stuff in PhotoShop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.
I still haven’t gotten the hang of live trace or vectorizing stuff on my computer, so I use a brilliant cheat.
I needed a vector image for my letterpress printing plates, and I was somewhat horrified at the aspect of me trying to figure out HOW to make it look good and not waste 73 hours working on it (my learning curve is… steep on these programs).
I stumbled onto Vector Magic one day, and I have to got to say that I use it frequently. All you do is upload your image, tweak the settings (super easy!), choose the colors you want (you can use the colors pre-selected by the program, or your own), and vectorize it. Usually, I mess with it to create a few different versions before I download the final product.
If you’re designing your own invites and using a photo or other piece of art, it’s truly a godsend.
Here’s my path to vectorized tree for my wedding invitations:
The original photo — I purchased this stock image online.
Post-PhotoShop (trimmed it down, removed background) — don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be “perfect”
Vectorized!
Believe me, I know I’m not even sub-par at this… but I’m satisfied with the results, and that’s what really matter 
Stay tuned… you might even see our wedding invitations with this tree in action 
I can hardly stand how lovely and amazing J.Crew Weddings & Parties section is. I mean, I get it, they’re retail, but COME ON. I could go back to this page over and over again, there’s inspiration all around this section.
Look at this awesome inspiration board on their landing page…
Le Sigh!
Having a vintage wedding? These shoes could be perfect..
The 2 1/4 heel means you can dance all night without cramping ankles
The pointed toe and sweet bow can peep out from under your gown without giving too much away
The leather sole will let you bust a move without wiping out
And, these beauties come in this gorgeous vintage buff or black.
Price = Under $90 with shipping
Update: Brilliant Web Sleuth Erica found these similar shoes — for nearly 1/2 the price!
They’re Caparros, and they’re on dsw.com for only $50!
Ooh, and they are available in nude, silver, black, white and ivory! Sweet.
Oh, I love Nelle Handbags. I’d blogged about Nelle’s line back in September, even though I’d been privy to the lovely gorgeousness since the previous spring. Please forgive me.
I’m writing about Nelle again because the Spring ‘09 line is decadent! And you can choose from a variety of colors. And… Nelle handbags were highlighted on Brooklyn Bride!
Check out this lovely cherub tote with hand-died silk ribbon detail!
And how could you NOT find a bag to match your dress, and your maids’ dresses? What a lovely gift to your girls!
Laura really outdid herself with the updated collection!
Thanks Weddingbee!
I am the lucky recipient of a $200 Papeterie gift certificate!!!
What’s a girl to get?! Any suggestions?
Going with a preppy feel?
How about a garden party?
Maybe a light-hearted Southern affair?
Oh, so many lovely options to choose from!
I’ve scoured the web and several retailers looking for the perfect cake stands. And… I keep going back to my first love. Clara French cake stands are lovely, ceramic (ceramique) footed plates that are simply gorgeous.
Choose from a number of glazes to match your event, and… prepare yourself for the most lovely cake on top of the most lovely cake stand. Your only concern will be whether the cake stand steals all the attention!
I know I’ve mentioned these before, but… they still take my breath away.
If the site is being wonky for you (as it is for me), email Micaela at clarafrench@hotmail.com
Enjoy!
Who knew that such a minor detail would be such a debatable topic? From the beginning, I was adamant that I didn’t want favors.
Why? People don’t appreciate them, they leave them behind, it’s hard to give something that’s personal and appreciated for under $3, they’re an unneccessary expense, people just throw them away when they get home, etc, etc, etc.
Both of our mothers have been BIG advocates for “the favors” — my mom, after being told about 15 times that we will not have them, keeps emailing me ideas. Oooh, seed paper, mini-trees that guests can plant, personalized candy bars, photo frames, etc. His mother really liked the frames that his cousin used, and is “recommending” we do something like that.
And I just kept telling them, “nope, sorry, no favors.”
Then, I saw this image in Martha Stewart Weddings — and I waffled.
I’ve waffled a lot in these wedding decisions, but seriously, I was AMAZED that a photo could change my mind. I purchased 100 small green boxes and hatched a plan. Now that our guest list has grown (by 60%), I need to track down another 50+ of these boxes (thinking brown would be fine too).
And what will be inside?
Delicious madeleine cookies — some drizzled with chocolate, some plain, all handmade by… the bride. What have I gotten myself into?
And worse, why am I now contemplating an ADDITIONAL cookie and candy bar? What a slippery slope!
I never thought I’d have a meltdown over something so silly…
I have an appointment this weekend at a letterpress studio, to work on my invitations. Several weeks ago, I brought my 22×30″ sheets of Crane Lettra to a local copy shop and trimmed them down to size, by hand (since they didn’t have the means to cut something so large.
Well, today, I went to see how one of the sheets fits into my envelopes and realized that they were way too small. Like, 1/2 an inch on each edge.
And I started to cry. A lot. About paper.
When I was midway through my meltdown, R asked me what was going on. I was like, “I cu cu cut the paper too small.” I couldn’t believe I’d make such a foolish mistake!
Well, after calming down, I searched for the remaining sheets to see if I needed to order another $90 box of paper, and found that I still have 9 of the 20 sheets… and I’ve already cut my response cards (the right size!!!).
Sigh, meltdown has ended, disaster was narrowly avoided.
