Roses and Peonies and Ranonculous, Oh My!

I <3 flowers. Not in real life. In real life I find them pretty, love getting a bouquet on my birthday, but overall don't care. But in my life revolving around the upcoming nuptials, OMG they are practically the most important thing at the wedding! (besides me...and the bear....and our families and friends....) I don't know how this obsession began, but I know practically every flower's name and growth pattern- seriously, it is nuts!

So what are the flowers that I love specifically? Fluffy, romantic, large blooms are what make my heart aflutter! And my favorite of all the flowers in the world? Ranonculous!

Made by Sharla Flock; image by Rebecca of Docuvitae.

I drool everytime I see these babies! And of course, they were number one on my list of must have flowers. When I met with our florist for the first time, she even had a large bucket of them waiting for an event. I squealed with delight, until she informed me of some sad sad news.... Ranonculous are pesky little flowers that like a certain climate, and by the end of May in the northeast, they aren't really growing very well anymore. I could have cried right then and there, until she assured me that we could at least have a few in my bouquet. PHEW!

So what other flowers will make a big statement in May?

Garden Roses ( these are a close second in my book to ranonculous!)

Lysianthus

Hydrangea

Peonies
spray roses
and of course, Mr Dusty Millerall via Fifty Flowers

As for color scheme, I am going for a vibe of soft shades in a mixture of colors, with pinks and lavenders at the forefront, and hints of peaches and yellows.

For my bouquet, this is my absolute dream. If I could take this from the picture and use this EXACT bouquet, I would! My hope is that we can pretty much replicate this look (maybe a little less ginormous) with some ranonculous added in.

via Flora Fauna

For my bridesmaids, i decided that a mostly soft pink bouquet with maybe some whites/creams would do the trick. Since none of my bridesmaids picked the pink option for their dress, this is my way of inserting the color front and center into the wedding! (plus I think the color will look nice with all of the dress colors chosen)

Via Style Me Pretty/ Photo by Cynthia Brown/ Florals by Blush Foral Design

And all together in case you don't believe me:

As for the centerpieces, I have been collecting milk glass and want a fun look of all the colors i discussed above, together I'm hoping for this sort of effect:

Via Be Imbued

So excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Has wedding planning made you fall in love with something you never cared about before?

Jonesing for a Groom's Gift

I had never really heard of gifting your spouse-to-be at your wedding before I became wedding obsessed and started going to every wedding website imaginable. I always figured an engagement ring/wedding band/wedding/honeymoon were quite enough of a gift. But then I stumbled upon the PERFECT gift for Mr Elk, and decided why not?

Now to understand this gift, there are a few things about Mr Elk you must know:

1) Mr Elk loves me a lot, but if he had the choice between me and Indiana Jones, Indiana Jones would win EVERY time.

The one and only

2) he grew up on legos. They were his favorite toy!

3) for some reason, Mr Elk has been on a cufflinks kick. I have NO idea how this one started, seeing as he never wears fancy clothes EVER, but apparently he thinks cuff links are super hip. ( I am totally up on the cool lingo, can't you tell?!) Oh, and he wants our wedding to be like The Great Gatsby, you know, that book he never read! That is another story, though....

So there I was one day, browsing the wedding section of Etsy (because I love me some etsy), and what should I stumble upon but these beauties:

via Crimson King

I mean, how much more perfect could it possibly get? But then I started worrying. Mr Elk is notorious for thinking some things are awesome and other things are tacky and ridiculous, and I find it difficult to predict what will be labeled in what category. What if he hated them when he got them on our wedding day? Moreover, you have already learned that I can't keep my mouth shut (remember that whole wedding dress debacle?).

So of course, what did I do? I showed him the freaking cufflinks. And he loves them. Like, LOVES THEM, loves them. He keeps randomly bringing them up and wants them now so he can wear them sooner than our wedding!

I guess I did good this time!

Do you ruin surprises too, or are you better at keeping secrets?

Be Our Guest

Oh invitations, how I love and hate you all at the same time!

When I got engaged I thought I knew exactly what I wanted. Formal feeling with a hint of interest. I ordered a sample about 40 minutes after the the ring was on my finger:

by Invited Ink

While they are GORGEOUS and very well made, they just didn't feel right. I started doing more research, and realized there is a whole world of invitations out there- way more than what I initially wanted. I mean look at these- Embroidered for pete's sake!

via Rifle Paper Co

Or how about these? They are a freaking record! They play a song!

I mean, how could the measly invites I was considering not look inadequate after seeing THAT video!? I started to panic- but then I realized that I needed to think about it like this: what do I want these invitations to say about our wedding? I definitely want a formal feel, since we will be having a black tie optional affair. But I don't want them to be stuffy or boring, I want fun formal invitations, maybe with some floral details to match the gardeny feel of the wedding.

Here are the final 3 designs that are fighting for my love at the moment:

Option #1: Custom Calligraphy- love the adorable little flowers!

Via Angelique Ink

Option #2: Trellis of Flowers

via Wedding Paper Divas


Option #3: Wreath with the most adorable bow ever!!! (have I mentioned yet that I love bows?)

Via Minted/ Design by Gakemi Art+Design

While I have samples of the first 2 options, the third one is not actually in production- it is currently in a contest to find new designs for Minted.com, and the public can vote for the designs they like the best (hint hint- GO VOTE NOW!)

I can't decide which I like best! All 3 are adorable and get the message across that I am intending to send, but I don't know which one should be OUR invitation! So hive, do you have a preference? Which do you think fits our wedding and style the most?

Beautifying myself

On a regular day my makeup choice consists of concealer and eyeliner, if I have made it out of bed with enough time to do even that much! So why would I decide to DIY makeup for my wedding day, you might ask! Well...its pretty simple. I don't really trust other people to do it better than I can. You see, I have really deep set eyes which give the illusion of dark circles very regularly. I feel that most makeup artists on the wedding circuit like to use dark eyeshadows to give that smokey eye, and that is exactly what I do not want. That makes me look like I haven't slept in days, and so I decided to see what I could whip up for a wedding day look on my own!

My inspiration: Lucy Hale. Love the dark defined lash line contrasted with the very light eyeshadow! Also love the pink lips with minimal blush.

source

All remaining photos are personal

Step 1: Coverup and foundation. I use covermark concealer on my eyes, since they are so deep set and therefore dark. I use Almay smartshade foundation- goes on very smooth. Here you can see makeup on the left of the photo and no makeup on the right side of the photo
Here I finished my concealer and foundation on the other side:
Step #2: Eyeliner- I used cheap black eyeliner on the outer portion of my lower lash line and the entire upper lash line on the right side of the picture:
Step #3: Highlighter- I used a shimmery white eyeshadow to highlight the entire lid of my eye up to the brow, and brushed it into the inside corner of my eye as well.


step #4: Eyeshadow: I use MAC pink freeze- I also used a little below my eyes to decrease the look of dark circles.


Step #5: Mascara- I used Maybelline lash stiletto for length and lashblast for volume- I think I would use false eyelashes though on the real day to get the full effect


Step #6: Blush- I only own one blush, which I bought in 8th grade- It is Stila convertible colors in the shade camellia
Step #7: Lipstick- I have some random sephora lipstick that I always try to wear but once its on I hate it. Someone in HS told me I look like a duck with lipstick on, and I've never been able to get over that, but here is my effort to wear it:


As predicted I hated the lipstick, and took it off just as quick as it went on. Here I am with the completed look on both sides:

I'm not sure I'm 100% in love with this. I think false eyelashes will make a big difference, as I can barely tell I'm wearing mascara in that last picture, but maybe I shouldn't judge a pro before I've had a trial.

Did you DIY your makeup? How did it come out?
And do you think my attempt was a success, or should I leave it to the pros?

Update- Matchy Be Gone!

Well, I can officially say that my bridesmaids will be full on mismatched, and I can't be more excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Want to see the final color combination?

Dresses via Bari Jay/ Poor photoshopping by moi

And yes, my bridesmaids thought I was absolutely bonkers when I sent them this picture with their faces terribly cropped onto their chosen shade. I accept that I am in fact crazy- moving on!

Of course my beautiful petal pink option was shunned by my maids :(. But do not fret, for it will be making an appearance in the ceremony as they walk down the aisle (cough-bouquets-cough), so I guess they won't be COMPLETELY mismatched....hmmmm, should I do mismatched bouquets too?! I think I am getting a little out of hand with this mismatched idea!

What do you think- mismatch everything including the bouquets or keep something cohesive to bridge all the varied styles and colors?

Raise your hands in the aiiiir! or how I ended up with really really tall shoes

While I love love love love love my dress, there is a slight problem with her, as demonstrated by this lovely bride who also chose my gown:

Via Style Me Pretty/ Photo by Katy Gray

Do you see the problem? She is having a really hard time raising her arms above her head!! Those straps are surprisingly restricting, making it near impossible to raise your arms above shoulder height. Obviously I don't really care all that much, seeing as I bought the dress, but it does present somewhat of a problem when it comes to one main part of the wedding: The first dance. You see,Mr Elk is about a foot taller than me, and so it is imperative that I be able to actually reach his shoulders, a feat that may not be possible with those straps!

My solution? Four Inch Heels. Now I think its important for you to know that I don't usually wear heels, let alone 4 inch ones. On a daily basis I choose the flattest most comfortable shoes I can find, and so it may seem strange that an extremely high heel was my solution, but there is a reason why it was the solution:

Personal Photo

A long time ago I fell in love with the Badgley Mischka Randee, and since that moment they HAD to be the shoes I wear on my wedding day. They were my first big splurge for the wedding, seeing as my shoes usually cost 40 dollars or less (from DSW).

Now, I know this is probably how the story of me falling on my face the day of my wedding begins, but oh well! I have been practicing walking in these babies for a few months now and I am starting to get better. I am also planning on buying these puppies for the reception, so that should help:

via Amazon.com

Did you solve a wedding problem with an obviously terrible solution? And did you switch into comfy flip flops during your reception even though you couldn't live without an expensive pair of heels?

Quarter of a Century

Today is a very big day for me- it marks my 25th birthday. Although it is scary to think that I am already a quarter of a century old, what makes this birthday special are the events that will occur in my life while I am 25. For one, I will officially be a doctor before my next birthday. Crazy, scary, and ridiculousness that I am both old enough to be a doctor and almost ready to graduate! Moreover, only a week after I graduate with my M.D. I will be getting married to my best friend, a fact which he so nicely reminded me of in his adorable birthday card to me:


AWWWWWWW....I accidentally cut off the sign off, but he signed it from him and our pooch!

I know that resolutions are typically reserved for new years, but seeing as this is such a big year in terms of life events, I have one major resolution that I'd like to see myself keep; I want to be healthier.

There are a lot of reasons I want to be healthier than I am. The main reason is simple- I am going to be a doctor! When people ask me for advice about their children and I recommend exercise and a healthy diet, I want to know that I am not being a complete hypocrite. And while I was once an active person, playing basketball and lacrosse most of my childhood and dancing as well, I have become a complete and utter coach potato. Things need to change.

My second reason follows: When I marry my best friend, I want to start our relationship in the best place it can possibly be, and for me that means being as healthy as possible. We feed off of eachother's energy. When he eats bad, I follow suit. When I decide to lounge around all day long instead of getting my butt up, he is right there next to me on the couch. I think that making a change for me will also make a positive change in his life, and we will therefore live longer, happier lives together.

Has a birthday ever meant big changes for you?

Changing my Mind- Bridesmaids Dresses Revisited

Last I discussed this topic, I had decided to go with mismatched styles of long chiffon Bari Jay dresses in the color Wisteria. I bragged that it was a simple decision. I boasted about how quickly I had made up my mind. I was proud of my decisiveness. Well, I come back with my tail between my legs and my antlers in a tizzy. I changed my mind.

Even though I am happy with my choice of designer, length, fabric, and decision to allow my girls to pick whatever style they want, I cannot get past this nagging desire to have mismatched colors as well. You see, I have always hated overly matchy things. Even as a child when my mom would buy my beautiful matching outfits, I would take the pieces apart and wear them with other pieces so as to not match too much. So the idea of 8 girls wearing the same color, standing next to each other most of the evening has been getting to me......I am just so nervous it will look TOO matchy-matchy.

And just look at how awesome these look? I mean, seriously, I couldn't help but get a complex looking at pictures like these:

via Flutterfly Events/ photo by Erin Hearts Court

Via Elizabeth Ann Designs/ Photo by Olivia Leigh

Via Style Me Pretty/ Photo by Aaron Delesie

And the photo that truly captured my heart and
made me swoon:

Via Nine Seventeen Eleven/Photo be Lane Dittoe

It was becoming painfully obvious that I wouldn't be happy until I had a completely mismatched look. But I really didn't think it was feasible to get mismatched without looking crazy- to have some coordination! Moreover, I really didn't want to have to pick my bridesmaids color choice for them- I want them to feel comfortable! And so began my feasibility study. I made a powerpoint of 6 colors I felt would go well with my overall look, and sent it to out to my bridesmaids asking which color(s) they would MOST like to wear out of all of them.

images via Bari jay

I knew going in that there would have to be some overlap as I have 8 bridesmaids and only 6 color choices, so I was OK with that. I was just worried that people would have an obvious preference for one or 2 of the colors, and leave the rest behind. Surprisingly, every color (except petal- insert sad face here) has been chosen!

Bridesmaid K- wisteria or periwinkle------>Wisteria
Bridesmaid C- Misty blue or periwinkle---->Misty Blue
Bridesmaid M- Daffodil or Misty blue------>Daffodil
Bridesmaid J- Rose or periwinkle---------->Rose
Bridesmaid D-wisteria, periwinkle or rose->Periwinkle?
MOH L- Wisteria or misty blue------------>Periwinkle

Bridesmaids T and A- MIA

I am SOOO EXCITED this plan may actually work! I know there is a strong possibility no one will pick petal, and even though I really think it would make a good addition to the color scheme I don't blame my bridesmaids for not wanting to wear pale pink. Now I just have to wait for my last two bridesmaid's responses. I also need to decide which colors to double up on and away we go!!!!

Did you decide to do something you thought would be difficult but turned out fairly easy in the end? And what do you think of my color scheme?

Cause cold feet would REALLY suck

When I stumbled across the idea of giving your soon-to-be-hubby socks on your wedding day to prevent cold feet, I couldn't help but think it was ADORABLE.

via The Pretty Blog

I mean look at those bright socks and that cute as can be label! Totally swoonworthy. This was immediately placed on my must do list, which resides in the back of my brain somewhere. Anyway, I quickly realized when I started looking around at cute socks, that the bear WOULD NOT wear brightly colored socks, argyle was a no, polkadots were definitely not going to happen. I was beginning to freak out- I didn't want to give him a plain pair of dress socks- that seemed kind of silly.

And then I thought, hmmm, what does the bear like more than anything else in the world (besides me of course!)? The answer was staring me down from the kegerator across the room- the one he built just for his home brewed creations- BEER! And so the search began for beer related socks- and wouldn't you know I found a pair with only one google search behind me.

Personal Photo

They aren't the cutest socks- I actually think they are pretty horrible, but I know at least he will love them and think they are cute, and will actually possibly decide to wear them on our wedding day. Anyway, on to the crafts!

I found a piece of white cardstock laying around and cut it into a thick strip. Then I used the tool on the paper cutter used to make indents to fold the paper easier, 2 on either side to make the packaging look more professional.

Personal Photo

I then googled "free labels' and came across these pretties

free download from Miss Cutiepie Goes 80

I imported them into powerpoint, my favorite program ever, and added words to the template. I had to do each word separately for "So You Don't Get" because I couldn't figure out how to make the sentence curve.

personal photo

Next I printed off the label, cut it out and pasted it onto my cardstock. I finally stapled the cardstock together in the back to complete the project, and voila!

Personal Photo

While I think I achieved the obvious goal, I can't help but sort of dislike the final product. I definitely am going to buy different, thicker ribbon for the top (or maybe get rid of the bow altogether). I also feel like the white cardstock is maybe too brightly white? I don't know- maybe I am just hating on this because I really despise those socks and wish they were fun and brightly colored.

Are you doing a cutesy gift for your fiance for the big day?

whoops...I said the V word

I must admit I am a bit nervous to write this post as I know I will get slack for it- oh well.

I've noticed a bit of backlash in the wedding community because of the overabundance of "vintage" weddings. Where people used to ooh and ahh at the novelty of mismatched china, the affordability of mason jar centerpieces, and amazing DIY details, there are now cries for the "regular everyday brides" to unite and show more "real" weddings that are more "doable", and if not doable at least not that horrid word vintage.

I am here to say, I am sorry you feel this way. I love all weddings, and whatever you decide to do I'm sure it will be gorgeous and lovely. But over a year ago, before it was a sin to say, I fell in love with ~shudder~ milk glass vases. And moreover, I happen to love peonies and garden roses. And wouldn't you know it, I ENJOY doing DIY projects! Yes I am busy, but preparing for my wedding months in advance gives me an outlet of excitement and enjoyment.

So even though this new movement would have me feeling bad that I happen to like a certain style, make me feel that my wedding details are overdone and not fresh, I don't care!

And what's more, not a SINGLE wedding I have ever attended has included but one of the details we are discussing as overused. So while the world of wedding blogs might be totally over the v word, I know my guests, who don't spend their days on style-me-who-must-not-be-named, don't even know such a wedding exists yet!

And with that, I'm heading to the salvation army to pick up some more milk glass.

gratuitous photo of peony bouquet picked by the bear

Where do you stand on the v word?

Our Jecular Wedding: A Chuppah to Call Our Own

The Chuppah:

via Sukkah Soul

For those of you not up on the Jew Lingo, a chuppah is a wedding canopy, under which a couple marries. It is there to symbolize the home a couple will build together as newlyweds, and moreover it is gorgeous! Good symbolism and prettiness? I can definitely get behind this tradition! When i first started thinking about a chuppah for my wedding, I fell in love with something like this:

via davinci Florists

I quickly realized, though, that a chuppah like that, covered in flowers from head to toe, would be super expensive. Plain chuppahs with barely any flowers covered in just fabric can cost 500 dollars to rent, so what would something so intricate cost? I didn't even want to think about it.

And then, one day I stumbled upon the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Simple, elegant, with my favorite- a chandelier smack dab in the middle to bring a little bit of glamor to the outdoors! I died a little in side when I saw this gorgeousity- it is PERFECT

via Cheeky Mar on Project Wedding/Photo of unknown origin

Now again, the cost of something like this is still worrisome to me, but I have a secret weapon to keep costs down and make this chuppah even more special to me-Daddy Elk. (Yes, I am a daddy's girl and proud of it). One of my Daddy Elk's favorite past times is wordworking- he has his own work room in our basement, and happily agreed to build the structure of the chuppah. And even if it isn't exactly cheap, I'm willing to splurge on the only decor for my ceremony- it is worth it to me. I am soo excited to have something so beautiful and meaningful to marry the bear under, and I can't wait to show you how it all turns out!

Are you splurging on something pretty for your wedding?

People want what they can't have....

And that is especially true when it comes to hair! Girls with curly hair only wish they could straighten it out, and girls with straight hair want beautiful ringlets. For me, all I have ever wanted is thick locks. Through the years, I've noticed a definite thinning of my hair. Here you can see my dinky pony tail (and yes I am petting an elephant!!)


The problem is, for my wedding day I have dreams of hair like this:

via OMG I'm Getting Married/ Photo by Gavin Casey

So how exactly do I expect to get that look without breaking the bank? My secret is Jessica Simpson's Hair-Do ponytail:


It is this crazy contraption of fake hair that wraps around your own ponytail, elongating it and making it extra thick and delicious. And the best part? It only costs $40 and it matches my hair PERFECTLY. When its straight, it looks a little crazy, but I decided to take a risk and curl it for my cousins wedding. And the results:

All night long people were complimenting me on my (superfake) hair! I LOVED the results. So when I finally went to buy my dress, I brought along Jessica's hair secret (OK, I'm sure she doesn't use it herself....) and tried it on to get the full effect.

My consultant thought I was absolutely nutty when I pulled out what must have looked like a rat's nest in the dressing room, but I am so glad I got to see the whole look together. Now I just wonder what my guests will think the morning after my wedding when my hair miraculously shortens almost a foot! I guess I won't need a PWC!

Did you always want what you didn't have with regards to hair? Are you getting your wish for your wedding day?

**All photos personal unless specified