The Warblers

No not Miss Warbler, but these Warblers from Glee:


AHHH I love them!

Why, you may ask, am i talking about the Warblers. Well, as I've told you before, Mr Elk and I met in college during our freshman orientation. During those four years, we had more fun than I can tell you! God I miss college, especially now in medical school. What I wouldn't give to go back to those lazy days hanging out by the Japanese cherry blossoms....but I digress

Mr Elk and I sophomore year

Us at Graduation

Even though college is almost four years behind us, we still look back at our time there extremely fondly, especially considering we never would have met otherwise! I definitely want to incorporate the University of Rochester into our wedding, as our time there represents half of our relationship!

I've already shown you one of the small ways I'm incorporating our time at the UR in our wedding, with our personalized fun fact cocktail napkins, but I'd like to infuse our wedding with a few other things UR, and unfortunately the colors (blue and yellow) just don't fit the bill.

Enter the Midnight Ramblers, one of the University or Rochester's accapella groups. I thought, wouldn't it be awesome if I could have some alums of the group come sing at the wedding? And wouldn't you know, 4-5 of the guys are interested! I am SOOO excited about this possible addition to the wedding, and with that I leave with a video of them doing one of my favorite performances- enjoy!!!




Did you pick a unique way to infuse your wedding with personal touches?

PS- does anyone watch The Sing Off? Another of UR's accapella groups was on this year- the Yellow Jackets!

Lighting up the Night

Long before I started actually planning a wedding, I decided that no matter what I would somehow incorporate fireflies into my nuptials. You see, ever since I was a little girl, one of my favorite things in the entire world has been fireflies. That first night of summer when the fireflies come out and light up the night is simply magical! Unfortunately, my wedding date is a little early for actual fireflies, so I have been on the lookout for other possible ways to get that magical feel.

And then there was Pinterest- the most amazing website EVER (ok, I may be in my obsessed with pinterest mode...) . One of the first pictures that I saw on pinterest was this gorgeous shot, and I thought hmmmmm that kinda looks like fireflies caught in a jar on a warm summers night!

via: vintage rose garden Photo origins unknown

Not only does it look gorgeous, but it looks easy enough to make (and cheap!). Mason jars at 69 cents each, a packet of tissue paper, and a bottle of mod podge and I was off experimenting (Personal photos ahead):

I ripped up the tissue paper and crumpled it a little to give it some dimension
mod podging is SUPER easy- anyone can do it!
and Voila! In about 5 minutes it was complete! I wish I had used more colorful tissue paper like i the inspiration shot, but unfortunately I only had pink lying around (from a baby shower).

I lit this one up with a candle, but I would use a flickering battery operated light to get that firefly effect without worrying about maintaining a real flame.

I do like the way this came out, but I'm not sure if its worth it to make an army of these for the actual wedding. I'd only light these once it is actually dark out, and I know that the sun won't set until later- when everyone is inside the ballroom eating dinner and dancing. Will enough people go out onto the porch to enjoy them? And are they too rustic for the more formal look I am going for? I'm not sure how I feel about them, but I have plenty of time to make up my mind.

Did you have a childhood dream for your wedding that you are trying to make come true?

Another Very Important Dress

Or should I say 8 other dresses! In case you haven't figured it out, I am talking about bridesmaids dresses. Long ago I fell in love with mismatched bridesmaids dresses like these:

Via Nine Seventeen Eleven/Photo be Lane Dittoe

I absolutely love the coordinating colors and unique look of each bridesmaid. I think it is an awesome way to allow each girl to have their own style, and feel comfortable. That being said, I didn't know how to do this with 8 girls realistically, and still end up with a semi-coordinated style.

So I decided if I couldn't have mismatched colors, I would at least have mismatched styles! I decided on a purple/gray color (not really sure how I came to that decision), and knew that I wanted long chiffon dresses (light enough for summer but still have a more formal feel!).

Enter Bari Jay chiffon dresses in Wisteria:

All Photos via Bari Jay

These are only 5 of about 30 options I gave to my bridesmaids, and in all the dresses range in price from 130-200 dollars (with options at all price points). I'm pretty excited to see what dresses my maids pick, and hope this makes them all comfortable at the wedding.

Overall, this was one of my easiest decisions, which is pretty surprising considering how long it took me to pick a wedding dress!

Did you surprise yourself with your decisiveness?
And do you have any experience with mismatched bridesmaids dresses? How did it go?

I have a new boyfriend....

And his name is Dusty, Dusty Miller:

via Fernlea Flowers Ltd

Looking at this picture, I'm not sure why I love this plant. There is nothing particularly appealing about it when it is all alone. BUT....add in some gorgeous peonies and a few garden roses, and my heart starts pitter pattering out of my chest!

Just look at this gorgeous bout! Beautiful white pairs amazingly with the frosty feel of the dusty miller- perfect for a winter affair!

via the flower lab

And look at how amazing it looks with the pops of color in this next bouquet! AH GORGEOUS

Via Elizabeth Ann Designs/ Photo by Michelle Cross Photography

And last but not least, paired with romantic blush tones for a soft, feminine effect. Le sighhhh

Via Bollea/Photo by Jill Thomas/Created by April Flowers

I never really thought I would care all that much about greenery in my bouquets and centerpieces, but now that I know Dusty there is no going back! He MUST be everywhere.

Did you fall in love with an unexpected minor detail? And what are your thoughts on Dusty: love him or leave him?

Our Jecular Wedding: Infusing an Irish Flair

As I've mentioned before, Mr Elk's parents are fresh off the boat Irish immigrants, who moved here in their 20's. (Note- gratuitous personal photos of our trip to Ireland)

(no I am not pregnant, and no, Mr Elk does not have an amputated right arm- TERRIBLE photo)

When we first got engaged, I knew I wanted to incorporate some Irish traditions into the wedding so that both of our cultures would be expressed, and I immediately asked his parents if there were any Irish wedding traditions we could use. His mom's response: "The only Irish tradition I know is getting drunk". His dad didn't really have anything to add, either. Not too helpful....

Flash forward almost a year, and I have scoured the internet for actual traditions. I came up with two that I completely love and definitely want to incorporate:

1. Hand Fasting- our hands with be tied together (hopefully with gorgeous ribbon as in this picture), and our officiant will speak of our hands being those that will take care of and love each other the rest of our lives. LOVE THIS IDEA!

via Style Me Pretty; Photo by Larissa Cleveland

2. Pebble Toss- apparently, in ancient times, Celtic couples were married near bodies of water. Their guests were given small stones to toss into the water and make a wish for the newly wed couple. This fits PERFECTLY in at our outdoor wedding on an inlet of the bay! I plan on putting out a pretty bowl filled with pebbles, with an explanation of the tradition.

I feel that these two additions to our wedding (plus the obvious supply of booze-including plenty of beer) definitely add that Irish flair that I was looking for!

Unfortunately, 10 months after I first asked for input and got nothing from my soon-t0-be in laws, Mr Elk's dad has decided he does in fact have a request for the wedding. The other day Mr Elk let me know that his father would like us to play Irish music. Ok, I can deal with some Irish music during cocktail hour, or during dinner. But no. He wants it during the reception.... for people to dance to.



We are only having 8 Irish people at this wedding, max. I want the reception to be a party! I want people dancing and having fun, and I can't help but feel like this is totally going to ruin that mood and break up the vibe. ARGH....I guess it's not as bad as the electric slide, requested by Mr Elk's mom at his brothers wedding (which will be on our DO NOT PLAY REGARDLESS OF WHO SAYS ITS OK list).

Any suggestions on how to make this work?

Eat, Drink, Learn Useless Info

A while ago I stumbled upon this photo of these awesome personalized cocktail napkins, and LOVED the idea!

via Style Unveiled: Photo by Fancy Fin Photography

They are so witty and adorable! With phrases like "thanks for being quiet during the ceremony. You look great by the way" who wouldn't want to giggle a little reading these while standing in line for a cocktail, enjoying finger foods?

While I thought they were adorable, I didn't really think I could waste a bunch of money on having them made for me, and so I gave up on the idea....until I saw this old post by Mrs. Cupcake, who used her gocco to add fun facts to plain cocktail napkins, tutorial provided. If you remember, I bought a gocco on a (terrible) whim one day, and have been searching for new projects to use it for so as to not feel like i wasted my $200. So you see, this project was a true win-win situation; I got to use my gocco again and I got my adorable napkins:
(personal photos)
And in case you want to see the 5 facts I chose:


In total I spent about 2-3 hours making 300 of these babies. I think I will have to make more, though, so I am in the process of coming up with some other fun facts to use.

Overall, this project was surprisingly easy, and cheap (well...if you have a gocco or access to one). I keep anticipating experiencing problems with this gocco, but I cannot tell you enough just how simple the process is, and how hard it is to screw it up! YAY!

Were the majority of your DIY adventures a success? And do you have any other Gocco projects I can take on for the wedding?

The Story Of My Dress

One day, a girl and her fiance went to run some errands. While driving out of the shopping center, the girl saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her squeal with delight. A bridal salon she had never before noticed! She quickly called and made an appointment for later that week (aka the next day).

When she walked into the bridal salon for her appointment, though, she became disappointed. There were only 20 or so bridal dresses in the entire store, and none of them looked anything like the style this girl was looking for. While all of her instincts said to leave, the girl felt bad and so she talked to the consultant. She explained that she wanted a fitted dress, preferably one with lace, tulle, petals, flowers, etc. The consultant said she knew just the dress but it was already in a fitting room. She took it out and it was just a plain lace dress, limply dangling on its hanger with odd straps. The girl was disappointed. She didn’t really like it very much, but decided she would be polite and try it on. Once the dress was on, the girl looked up into the mirror and….. SPARKS FLEW! The girl did not want to take off the dress! She looked at it from every angle, confused. This was not what the girl had wanted- there were no ruffles, no petals, no rosettes- all of the features of the girls dream dress. But the girl quickly realized all of the dresses she had tried before that had had those details never seemed right. They were all too childish or too trendy or too overbearing and simply put too much. This dress, though, was simple, understated, elegant and classic. The girl realized that the other dresses she loved so much on models she would have looked back in 5 years and wondered “what was I thinking?” but this dress, even if it became outdated, would always be stylish.

And that, my friends, is the story of how I found my dress. Want to see her? (personal photos)

Did you end up realizing that the overall look you thought you wanted was just not right for you?

Isn't Lace For Old People?

To be quite honest, Mr Elk isn’t really big into fashion. With 2 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of sneakers, and 10 button down shirts in varying colors, it would be more accurate to say he doesn't care about clothes at all, which will become all the more evident when you hear this story: When I first started dating Mr Elk I had an event to attend and wanted his advice on what to wear. I tried on two dresses: one was a long red dress with thick straps and a deep V neckline. It rouched on the side and had floral detailing. The other was a maroon strapless chiffon dress with a sweetheart neckline, natural waist, and had an ombre effect. He looked at me in both dresses and stated “what’s different about them? They are both red dresses.”

Via Really Funny Pictures

Flash forward six years later, and here I am wedding dress shopping. I had originally intended to show him some of the dresses I tried on to 1) get his honest opinion about which silhouette worked well for me and 2) prove to him I wasn't picking some tacky mess (which apparently was a concern he had). But soon I was showing him every dress I tried on and asking for his opinion, unable to hold back my excitement. 99% of the time his response was, as predicted, “I don’t really get it- they are all just white dresses”. First of all- I don’t think any of the dresses I tried on were actually white, but that is beside the point!

When I came home from the shopping adventure that resulted in finding my actual dress, I was SUPER excited! Even though I hadn't intended on showing him the dress, I couldn't hold it in. The words were like vomit, I couldn't hold them back: "I think I found my dress....want to see?" Because of his reaction to all the other dresses, I figured it wouldn't really be a big deal. His reaction, though, wasn't what I was expecting. His response to my beautiful, lovely, awesome, amazing dress was “Isn’t lace for old people….like isn’t that what they put on their dining room tables?”.

Does THIS look like something an old person would wear?!?! (note this is not my dress, although it is FREAKING GORGEOUS)

Monique Lhullier Scarlet

Sighhhhhh…I guess I should have seen something like this coming. A more caring bride may have decided to go back to the drawing board and begin the dress search again, especially because I hadn't actually purchased the dress yet (which is why he was willing to tell me his honest opinion). But after over 50 dresses I was not about to restart the search. I just hope he gets over his lace is for old people schpeil when he sees me in the dress.

Would you find a new dress if you found out your FI wasn’t thrilled by yours? Or would you do what I did and pretend like you never showed them the dress in the first place?

Right this way, madam....

A long time ago I fell in love with these escort cards:

picture via: saras butterfly cottage (original source no longer available)

Unfortunately, they are no longer available on etsy. I really want to recreate this look and feel for the wedding, so another trip to Michaels it was! I found decorative paper in varying patterns and got to work.

First I cut out squares of each paper using the cheapest paper cutter I could find, and folded them in half: (all personal photos ahead)Next I bought a cool paper punch in the shape shown on my inspiration photo:
I haven't completed the last step, which will be to print guests names and table numbers onto paper and punch them out using the awesomely shaped punch above, but I did want you to get an idea for what they will look like once completed:

I plan on having these escort cards correspond to a table number, so that all the pink escort cards above will belong to table #5, and the big 5 on that table with be covered in the same matching paper (hence my table number DIY project).

All together this was a very easy, doable project! Super excited to (almost) cross another DIY off the list!!


Did you fall in love with something only to find out it wasn't available any longer? If so did you attempt a DIY version?

The Poochasaur

Mr Elk and I have been arguing a lot about one particular subject with regards to the wedding:

personal photos

our dog, Harrison.

In my corner: I want him at the wedding walking down the aisle, standing right next to us. He is our baby, and I can't imagine our wedding without him being a part of it. Plus, how adorable would a shot like this be?

Photo by Davina Plus Daniel via: Style Me Pretty

In the other corner is Mr Elk, and Mama Elk. Both agree that while it's a cute thought, it is a terrible idea. You see, our pooch, while sweet as can be, is not the brightest. He is also extremely nervous, and at any new noise or object in his path he will cower and retreat. I can therefore see where Mr Elk and Mama Elk are coming from in thinking that him walking down an aisle will lead to disaster. Moreover, we have no place to leave him during the reception.

Since I have been outvoted on this issue more times than I can count (though I keep trying!), I have started to think of other ways of including the pooch in our wedding.

Option #1: I saw a wedding that had a cute doggy topiary, and thought hmmm....that could work!? It is pretty stinking adorable, and I could put a sign around it's neck that says welcome or something. This option costs about 120 dollars, and Mr Elk isn't so into it.

Via Hidden Nest Studio

Option #2: When I saw this Quaker inspired marriage license, I swooned over the tiny little pooch hiding in the bottom right corner! This would definitely lend itself to a subtle nod towards our canine child, and my brother could easily include a rendition of our dog in his custom marriage certificate.

via: Etsy Ampers and Ink

Option #3: Doggy Cake Topper. Honestly, I'm not particularly into the whole cake topper thing, so I don't think this one is going to happen.

I am conflicted. I think adding a mini pooch to the marriage certificate is easy, but a little too subtle for me. I want him to have more of a presence at the wedding. I still like the topiary, but wonder if people will think it is really strange, plus $120 is nothing to sneeze at for a freaking moss dog!

So, what do you think is the best way to include our furbaby at the wedding? Do you have any other ideas for me?