Etsy for Hair Accessories!

As I wait for Baby to fall asleep in my lap I rifled through the pages of Etsy's on line offerings. I could probably spend just as much time looking for things I never knew I needed on the site as I would at a fabric store. TROUBLE.  Thus far I have resisted as I have no events to prepare for (phew!) and no steady stream of income for frivolous flights of fancy. In the meantime a girl can dream, right? 

I came across peony bridal hair accessories and have no idea why I didn't look into this for my wedding since my bridesmaids and I carried peonies. Thinking back, it would have taken away from the smattering of East Indian details with the one-shouldered gowns they rocked down the aisle, so that might be why. Anyway there are thousands of listings for bridal hair flowers, but Pink Peppermint Design and Deeds and Petunia are my favorites at this time.

I've seen tutorials on making something like this as long as you can find the right kind of fabric flower to take apart. You'd also have to have a vintage or knock off cluster of something shiny to put in the center.  If you're not crafty or short on time, why not support the experts on Etsy who know what they're doing? 

**I haven't purchased anything from either vendor so this is just by listing description and photo**

Pink Peppermint Designs on Etsy is offering this vintage flower for $13.95

Deeds and Petunia on Etsy sells this one for $58 with a vintage detail in the center

As always, thoughts welcome.

Back to Basics...wedding stuff

Cadiz12 is planning her wedding to H while working full time. She's got the basics down, but is a self proclaimed procrastinator. Since I'm not working full time yet and itching to work on some kind of project, I've adopted her wedding (as long as she lets me, that is).

Recently we were talking about what to do about the 'Getaway' or the post ceremony toss of stuff. You know that time after the ceremony where guests line up, blow bubbles, throw rice, birdseed, shaped sugar heart rice or even light up sparklers. Bubbles may stain clothing and end up in the hands of mostly small children which would detract from the overall effect you may have been aiming for. Contrary to popular belief, birds won't choke on rice; it is more likely your guests will slip and fall. Birdseed can attract birds (and their poop) before your party is over. The sugar rice is a nice alternative in that it dissolves in the rain, but it might just get sticky if thrown indoors. Cadiz informs me that sparklers are illegal in the State of Illinois so that won't work.

I've read about brides using dried flower buds on theknot. Herbs and Flowers have held meaning for various brides around the world. Here's a selected list of flowers/herbs and their meanings from iFlorist:

Almond- Virginity & Fruitfulness
Allspice - Worth Beyond Beauty
Apricot Blossom - Timid Love
Cinnamon - Love and Beauty
Clove - Dignity and Restraint
Fennel - Strength
Jasmine (white) - Amiability & Cheerfulness
Lavender - Constancy
Lotus - Mystery & Truth
Rosemary - Fidelity & Loyalty
Spearmint - Warmth of Sentiment
Tulip - Symbol of Perfect Lover
Yarrow - Healing
Here's the rest of the list

I vote for Dried Jasmine Flower Buds or Lavender Rice both available through wedding/craft vendors on line. Both are inexpensive, smell yummy and organic - no messy clean up! Since she's getting married in the same venue as the reception, guests will be able to enjoy the scent for the evening. Either scent can be incorporated into the rest of wedding details including invitations, flower arrangements, favors and decor quite easily. The jasmine would be a nice nod to Cadiz12's Godmother (my aunt) who is an avid flower gardener. I am leaning towards Jasmine since we are Indian, and not French...not that it would matter either way, because H could be French, but he could also hate Lavender (still waiting for the verdict).

Jasmine can be quite potent so it might be nice to make a blend of dried buds/herbs to create a signature wedding scent. Using a thali, stainless steal platter with raised edges, to display a variety of selected herbs and their meanings, guests could select their own combination of wishes to bestow on the bride and groom. An alternative is to mix them together and indicate on the program what the individual ingredients symbolize. Author, Geraldine Adamich Laufer, wrote a post for Herb Companion that is full of ideas of how to incorporate significant herbs throughout the day from flowers to food and even favors.

We'll see what she thinks.

In the meantime, Baby calls. 

My Wedding Inspiration Board UPDATE!

Here's a part of my Inspiration Board. I change it from time to time as I find things that catch my eye or as I refine my thoughts.   As of now, we're STILL negotiating flowers.  Technically I'm on 'break' til January 1, so it's fine.  I put this together using Picasa which made it very easy. 

I found a bridesmaid dress style I LOVE, Bari Jay 810.  I am giving the girls three choices, in the event the MOH wants to go with the other style (the deep v w/ open back shown in purple) It comes in every color imaginable, and I've chosen coral. It's not Bears Orange, it's more subtle, so I can play up the tangerine with the flowers, cake, and stationary.  

  

My Bouquet

David Beahm in NYC has designed this breathtaking cascade of parrot tulips.  Maybe I can find something similar (not use parrot tulips and put it in white for myself and non cascading ones for the maids in a mix of colors.  I am waiting on proposals from a few florists and have to get all this decided sooner than later.  Wedding planning (further appointments, except bridesmaid dress color hunting) is on hold til January. That doesn't mean that I can't still look for things that are pretty, right? 

Grocery Store Wedding Cakes?

I grew up across the street from Jewel-Osco and once upon a time Amlings. Amlings has since moved and made way for a mini strip mall consisiting of a liquor store, nail spa, custom flooring and of course a Starbucks! The Jewel-Osco did some renovating and is now a pretty sweet place for grocery shopping. While shopping for grocieries yesterday, at the recommendation of my friend, CR, I stopped into check out the florist. She told me after her wedding she found out that Jewel does weddings. Seriously. I have to find out and see actual samples of their work, but the Florist seemed very knowledgable and sensitive to my budget concerns. She also thought I was a first time bride of 23....I let her know that I wasn't 23, but didn't really feel the need to tell her about this not being my first rodeo. At any rate, she sent me to the bakery to talk to the Baker. I then learned that I can do flowers and cake for 300 for less than $1500. The only catch is that we have to pick them up ourselves. Since we live across the street, I really don't see this being a problem. If we lived across town, I could see it being a little more of an issue. I am soooo excited, you don't even know. Groom is of course skeptical being the brand baby that he is. I said that we would order a sample and add it to our taste testing pile. They can do a fresh strawberry filled cake in white, yellow or chocolate....can we really go wrong? We could order three different flavors or more with all the choices of fillings. I suppose we can do that at a 'real bakery' too. We'll see how it stacks up. I of course will keep you posted.