Invitation and Flower Girl Success!

Two more wedding decisions checked off the list this weekend!

First, invitations. Our stationer (who is Mr. Spin's cousin!) will be custom designing invitations for us using materials and art from the Envelopments line. We ordered embassy size ecru invitations on a zircon (periwinkle shimmer) backing with lavender hydrangea artwork and names, RSVP cards with lavender hydrangea artwork and envelopes with return address printed in black ink, and envelopes with zircon liners and return address printed on the flap with wraparound art. I'll have some proofs to look over soon!

Zircon!

Second, our flower girl's dress. My mom and I took our flower girl and her mom shopping and started out at Burlington Coat Factory, where we were able to find a perfect dress for half the price the exact same dress would cost at the mall! Breanna loved getting to shop for "princess dresses" at first, and was skipping around the store chanting, "princess dresses, princess dresses!" but then had a little meltdown in the dressing room after trying three different ivory dresses on. The tags were driving her crazy. But once we got a Happy Meal in her and got her home, she was happy to try the dress on and spin around- "everybody look at me!"

Sunday Simplicity #11

A Lucky Orchid Wedding

Thank You Sign Idea

Weddingbee

I'm sure you've seen "Thank You" parasols like these before... they are very popular in the wedding blogosphere these days. I tossed out the idea of using parasols as photo props for our wedding because neither Mr. Spin or my mom really understood how cute they can be! The biggest argument was that we're not getting married at the beach or outdoors so just buying parasols for a photo op seems like a waste of money. I can understand that reasoning.

Weddingbee

This week we received a sweet thank-you note from a recently married friend. They used an online photo processing service to have a photo printed onto cards... and the picture was very similar to the one above, which Mrs. Trail mix used in her farewell post on Weddingbee today.

Not a parasol. And totally adorable.

Which got my gears turning. What could we use that would suit our vintage/elegant/literary inspired decor?

Then I got an idea, and of course it's not really all that original after all. A quick Google image search showed me not only that this idea has been done before, but that it can be adorable!

Offbeat Bride

Chalkboard thank you photos!

Blogger Brides

How awesome is the vintage frame on the above chalkboard? Mr. Spin and I did propose to me in MY CLASSROOM, after all, and I'm already planning to use chalkboards for the menus. Time to hit up Goodwill for some vintage frames and Lowes for some chalkboard paint!

Are you hopping aboard the photo thank-you card train? Will you be using any props?

Sunday Simplicity #10

Anna Kuperberg Photography

card storage

I think traditional card boxes are ugly. Even the ones that are stacks of hatboxes made to look like cakes, which are a definite step up from the traditional, don't do anything for me, style wise.

I found this image of a wooden card box that I really liked when we were still considering a winery as our potential venue. It would be gorgeous at a winery wedding, but might look strange in our ballroom setting. It was back to the drawing board.

Birdcage card boxes are quite popular and I think they are pretty to boot. Inexpensive versions are available from Save on Crafts and from Oriental Trading.

Save on Crafts

Glass card vases/bowls are also aesthetically pleasing.

Then I saw Nicole-Lynn's DIY card lantern at Seaside Smitten. I think we may have a winner. Here are some lanterns that I think would match the aesthetic of our wedding:

Large White Moroccan Lantern

Amazon

Contemporary Candle Lantern

Amazon

Sunday Simplicity #9

Style Me Pretty

DIY Flowers - Boutonniere Tutorials from around the web

The florist I met with in January finally e-mailed me an itemized list of the items in the estimate she'd given me (I say finally because I requested this list A MONTH AGO). Now I have to decide: do I have a professional florist handle the personal flowers and DIY the centerpieces, or do I go all the way and DIY everything? I'm confident that we *could* DIY bouquets, bouts, and corsages, but I'm not sure I want to be stressing about that right before my wedding, or how to store them so they stay fresh!

If I do decide to go totally DIY with flowers, I did find a link to a tutorial that makes boutonnieres look easy peasy!

This boutonniere from The Inspired Bride is a stunner, isn't it? I love the mint leaves- who wouldn't want their brand new husband to smell minty fresh? According to the website, if you don't have any produce in your refrigerator or freezer, flowers can be stored for up to two days. This is when a mini fridge would come in handy!

Roanoke Valley Bridal Shower Venues

Roanoke:
- The Plantation on Sunnybrook - a lovely restored house.

Vinton:
- The Vinton War Memorial - our wedding venue hosts bridal and baby showers regularly.

- Teaberry's Cafe - Brenda is a really nice person to work with and the cafe is adorable!

- The Woodland Place - Mr. Spin and I have attended a wedding here and it is a beautiful venue.

- The Boxtree Lodge - Have not been here, but this is public venue that looks rustic and pretty.

- Bobby's Occasions - a new banquet hall that recently opened in what used to be the Stewartsville Public Library. I have not been inside but judging from the pictures on their website they have plenty of space for guests, and a full kitchen.

- The Stewartsville Public Library has a room that can be used for meetings and other events.

Bedford:

- The Duchess of Bedford Bakery and Tea Room - I have never been inside, but this Victorian house looks like a beautiful place for a shower- the hostess wouldn't have to decorate at all!

Updated: Feeling accomplished...

Yesterday I rounded up my in-town bridesmaids and we went back to the store where my dress lives to find dresses for them. We were successful. Behold:

They are B2 by Jasmine in style B1094. The color is indigo, but it looks more like a dark violet in person.

And I found shoes for myself. Look at these beauties:

Now guess where they are from.

PAYLESS. They are Unforgettable Moments by Lela Rose, and the style is called Michelle. I love the rhinestone detail.

You can't actually get these babies AT Payless, but you can try on a plain white version at Payless and order them dyed the color you want. They are comfortable and cost way, way less than Kate Spade or other "bridal" shoes would. So I am pretty excited and feel very productive.

The most exciting item of the weekend, though, was finding out that I won a set of toasting flutes! I am so happy because we would not have splurged on these ourselves (we were planning on getting some basic ones from Pier1!). Here they are:

We have also chosen our favors/escort cards - but I'm keeping those a secret for now because I want them to be a complete surprise for our guests. I had a burst of inspiration last night, sent a message to a few etsy sellers, and one of them got so excited she made a few samples already... Mr. Spin and I are in love with our favors. That's all you need to know ;)

Sunday Simplicity #8

Laura G Blogs

Look at the love captured in this photo. Inspirational.

Thrift Store Roundup

In which I evaluate the potentially wedding related contents of local thrift stores:

Cave Spring Goodwill

Findings: clear glass vases for .25-.50, a copy of Offbeat Bride by Ariel Meadow Stallings for .79. Book score!

Westlake Goodwill

Findings: MY FIRST MILK GLASS (okay, not real milk glass but it's white and pretty) SCORE! Two large vases for 3.99 each and a pedestal vase for 1.90; an Andrew Greeley book. They have two other small vases I'm thinking about going back for...

Daleville Goodwill
Findings: LOTS of really cool books including "When You Marry" from 1953. No milk glass- the "wares" section was pretty picked over.

460 Goodwill
Findings: My mom picked up a beautiful pedestal vase for 1.50, a bud vase and several books.

My growing collection of white vases!

Vinton Goodwill

The books were disorganized and there was one piece of milk glass in the store... that didn't match my hobnail pattern.

Rocky Mount Goodwill

Findings: Two books. The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks and another called Eat Cake.

My centerpiece books... a combination of blue and purple covers and books with cool wedding and love-related titles. We will need about 30 for the wedding, I think.

STUFF I have for my wedding centerpieces:
- 2 large "milk glass" vases
- 3 pedestal "milk glass" vases
- 2 "milk glass" bud vases
- 12 hardcover books