J Crew wedding weekend outfits

J Crew has been amazing over the years and they are just getting better with time. I think I've picked out my entire wedding weekend wardrobe right from their website...

The Goldwyn dress for the the rehearsal dinner:

The heirloom organza banded gown for my wedding dress

I love the flower detail of this dress, but I think it's a bit more than I'd like to spend, so...

...I'm thinking if I find a simple dress that I like I can dress it up with this bouquet sash belt for a fraction of the cost.

Then the printed Erica dress for the get-away dress,

with a necklace like this silk-ribbon chain-link necklace

and maybe paired with this silk-linen rosette cardigan if it's a little chilly

Then I'll have my sour lemon globe-trotter centenary bags packed and ready to go to my beach honeymoon destination so that....

I can relax with a drink in a coconut on the beach in this lightweight gauze Tangiers tunic

{all photos found on J Crew}

Pottery Barn

I got my Pottery Barn catalog today and loved some of the ideas in it!  Some of my favorite are...

...the mirror hanging on the bookshelf, isn't it awesome?

...these glass wood centerpieces look amazing on a desk, or.....

...as a vase, maybe for a wedding?

...these found soda crates, which I love.  I'm trying to think of some way to use them in my wedding, maybe for our seating cards, or maybe if we do a little favor candy/cookie buffet we can use these to hold the to-go bags or boxes. 

...and of course the barrel chalkboard.  This would be great for a menu board at a wedding, and then you could reuse it at home when you're having guests over for dinner, or just to write notes to the family!

{all photos found on Pottery Barn}

BirdDog Press

I took a little field trip for work today to see the award we will be handing out at the NCWIT Symons Innovator Award event in May.  Alli (the owner of BirdDog Press) is amazing and so talented.  She took painstaking efforts to make sure each award was just perfect.  

Pressing is such an art and now I understand why prices for letterpressed invitations seem so expensive...but it's worth it!  BirdDog Press even tries to use the greenest products available--everything from the ink to the press plates.  Check out some of her products on Etsy here.

{photo from birddog press}

Aren't these invitations amazing?  I saw them while I was at her studio, and the looked even better in person!  Just imagine her doing your wedding invitations...

{photo from birddog press}

{photo from birddog press}

DIY wedding projects

Stylish Events posted a great blog the other day.  It was 101 DIY projects for weddings!  I'm definitely on a budget for my wedding and loved seeing all of the great DIY projects I've seen on various blogs posted in one place.

Here are some of my favorites:

Rose and moss centerpieces with instructions by Martha Stewart Weddings.

{photo by martha steward weddings}

Organza flowers (I picture a cream flower in my hair) by Reese Dixon.

{photo by reese dixon}

And last but not least, dying your petticoats!  This project is via a backyard wedding (don't you love her red shoes!)  If I get a dress that allows me to wear a petticoat I am definitely doing this. 

{photos by a backyard wedding}

silhouette art

{photo posted on crafty nest}

I love this idea on Crafty Nest.  They post the directions on their blog, but basically you find a photo of your child (or another loved one) in profile, blow it up to about an 8x10 and then trace the silhouette out in decorative paper and glue onto cardstock.  They used scrapbooking paper, but you could also use wrapping paper or any other decorative paper.  

I think it would be great to use a piece of your child's artwork and instead of cutting them into animal shapes like Sarah Jane's below, you could do their silhouette instead.

{photos from sarah jane's blog}

braedon photography...el capitan couple

I LOVE this couple!  They have such great style--I want to be their friend.

I love that he wore a scarf and she just looks stunning.  

so in love...

what a beautiful place!

{photos by braedon photography}

This is a beautiful wedding on Braedon's blog.  The couple has great style, and although they aren't wearing traditional wedding outfits, I think they look amazing.  The location they picked (el Capitan in Santa Barbara, CA) works perfectly with their style.  

If I could pull this wedding off I totally would.  Unfortunately the el Capitan Canyon (the campground where they host receptions and guests can stay) only does weddings in the fall and the winter and I'm planning my wedding for the spring.  Oh well, I can still dream...

my first post!

{photo by: me}

Hello everyone!  I wanted to create a blog about love & life--things that are going on in my life.  I'm getting married next year, so I'd guess a lot of my blogs will be about wedding inspiration.  I'm also looking forward to life after my wedding and will post inspiration for the home and for life in general.

I love design and photography and if something catches my eye I enjoy sharing it with other people.