-- Sunday Morning Coffee -- 3rd Edition --

This inspiration board was made by me over at Style Circle. I love Style Circle. What a great way to inspire those around you and put all of the little pictures you've seen that inspire you all into one place.

This one is called Champagne. Enjoy!

-- Flower Shoppes --

I'm struggling. 

I love this little flower shop.  Lily and co.  Love them.

(source)

Why is it located in...JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING?! 

All the cutest, best, little downhome shoppes are just way out of my reach!  I think I was not meant to live in Indiana!  So once again my search is on for another vendor...a Floral Vendor. 

In Fort Wayne, we have...

Armstrong Flowers

Cottage Flowers

Lopshire Flowers

Kroger

Lanternier Flowers

Young's Greenhouse & Flower Shop

McNamara Florists

but nothing like this --

(source)

I want to be able to go in somewhere like this...more like a floral market...and pick what I'm looking for, go home and make what I want to make from it!!!  Where do these places exist?!  Besides Jackson Hole, Wyoming?  If I ever make it there I'm TOTALLY VISITING LILY AND CO!!! AND YOU SHOULD TOO!!! 

But seriously, does anyone know???  I want to have all my ducks in a row when the time comes to make the bouquets, boutonierres, etc so I'm not driving all over timbucktoo to find what I need. 

Are there any other brides out there in the same boat?  Making their own bouquets?  Looking for soemthing other than tele-florist to order resources from???

-- Happenings --

Here Come the Brides
Bridal Show

A unique show where you will be treated to an array of professional vendors & a top-notch fashion show. This bridal show will generate excitement in your day & you may win some fabulous gifts.

Tickets: $8, pre-registration available online

Location:


Crowne Plaza at Union Station

123 W Louisiana Street

Indianapolis, Indiana

Date: 1/31/2010

Time: noon to 5:00pm

Tickets: $8.00

Links: Web Site

-- Miss to Mrs? --

How many of you are planning on changing your name?  I promised Mike I am.  But seriously isn't Kellermeyer the longest name EVER!?!?  It's 2 in 1!  I always thought I'd either hyphenate or just keep my last name; there's always been some sort of feminist in me.  But I guess I have 2 brothers to carry on the Hake last name so I shouldn't really be worried about it, right? 

I do keep reading everywhere that it's a colossal pain in the arse to change it!  What's that all about?!  Why does everything revolving around marriage have to be such a pain? 

Yesterday though, to maybe help in this painful process and to look towards the future, I entered into an online comment contest to win a gift card to MissNowMrs.com that covers the complete cost of the online services to changing your name.  Maybe this will make the transition a bit smoother.  Who knows?!  I guess it's worth looking into a bit more.  I mean, Mike did ask me to take his last name on our 3rd date...weird, I know.

PS... I entered the contest here.

-- Happenings --

Coming to Chicago this weekend is...

Looks like fun!  Wish I could go! 

-- Dum Dum Da Dum... --

Is that how it goes???  I don't really know.  I think I'll walk down to something else anyways.  I'm trying to make the traditional points of this wedding as untraditional as possible.  I told the "wedding coordinator" at the church on Friday that we'd like to just have a ceremony instead of a full mass and my mom's jaw just about dropped to the floor.  I think she forgets at times that this is Mike and I's wedding and not hers repeated.  I'm sure we all have these moments with our mothers. 

Mom -- If you want to renew your vows for your 26th wedding anniversary, I'll set something beautiful up on September 9th! 

After searching high and low throughout Fort Wayne for a Catholic Church, we ended up finding one that is closer to our hearts than we could have ever expected.  I was baptized here.  Both our parents were married here.  I grew up going to church here and attending Sunday school here.  Most Precious Blood Catholic Church, or known to most as PB is where I'll be headed down the beautiful aisle on July 17th.  Here are a few pictures of the inside for anyone who wants to get a sneak peak. 

(looking at the back of the church)

(looking at the altar)

After visiting on Friday, I did start to get a little excited.  There are still a ton of things that need to come together, but the church is set!  Yea!  And isn't it gorgeous!?! 

-- Yummy Yummy --

Finally...  A delicious cake shoppe fell right into our laps!  And almost 3/4s of my family was there with me to try it!  School was cancelled for the day so my mom and I took my littlest brother and my dad along cake shopping tasting with us.  We went 2 places -- Nutcracker Sweet Shoppe (and this time they were open for real) and Courtney's Bakery. 

Nutcraker Sweet Shop was a small little place and Karen, the owner was as sweet as they come.  They brought out just about every flavor they had in the back and even offered Michael (my brother) a cupcake of his own.  His favorite was the lemon.  I liked the raspberry the best and that's because it was the most moist.  The others were a bit dry for my tastings, but I'm not a cake person...and my dad liked them all, of course! 

Then we drove up to Courtney's Bakery.  I think she's fairly new to the scene in Fort Wayne having only just recently opened her storefront, but has been doing very well.  And after tasting her cakes, I know why!  They are super fresh and delicious!  They are moist and have a very lightness to them and they almost melt in your mouth!  The icing isn't piercing either.  I don't like icing that makes you cringe.  It has just enough flavor and still had that light, airy, fluffy quality to it.  They also make their flowers like they do on Amazing Wedding Cakes, one of my favorite wedding shows to watch.  They don't used actual flowers, they make them out of sugar and are all edible.  I think they are the first bakery in Fort Wayne that I've come across that do that. 

Anyways, here are a few pictures from Courtney's Bakery and I hope you are as excited as I am to work with her! 

(all pictures are from the Courtney's Bakery Website)

-- Sunday Morning Coffee -- 2nd Edition --

Today's inspiration comes to us from the lovely wedding blog Green Wedding Shoes.  I love this site because I came across it one day when I was looking for actual green wedding shoes. Below is a lovely shot from a Vermont Winter Wedding.  I love the photo of the couple...but I especially love the bouquet. 

(source)

I love the way they've mixed the succulents with the ivory florals, the mixed greenery, and the different berries.  A very sophitocated and breathtaking bouquet. 

-- My First Miss --

Yesterday was my first miss... What do I mean? I mean it was the first time I missed blogging in so many days!!! I took a trip to Fort Wayne Yesterday to do some wedding details so I decided to not take my computer with me since it would be for less than 12 hours. The less items I can take with me the better.

I visited the church with my mom and found out that it was going to be just as expensive as it would be to do all the rentals and put up a tent at my "dream" place, but I'll talk about that some other time (either tomorrow or Monday). Then we went cake tasting...that will be a GOOD post! And then I finished off the evening by having dinner with a dear old friend who just made my evening! I've missed her!

Anyways, the day started by driving home at 7:45am and it didn't end until I got home around 11pm. This is why there was no blog yesterday. And today's is kind of short because I had skating lessons from 8am until 2pm today. Ugh...think wedding bills...

I'll make up for it with some Sunday morning coffee tomorrow and great posts this week.

-- Twigs and Honey -- Etsy --

A favorite shop of mine on etsy is Twigs and Honey. I love love love what they do for weddings! They have been featured many times on Style Me Pretty and The Wedding Chicks along with many other wedding websites. Below are a few favorites of mine on her etsy shop right now. It looks like she is now even featuring Garters! Enjoy!!!

Bridal Blusher Veil

This listing is made to order and takes 5-10 business days. I love that it's modern and sassy! It looks to be very versatile. You can wear it as a headband above for the reception or as a blusher (below) for the ceremony! It's made with elastic ribbon for extra security and is absolutely GORGEOUS!!! Don't miss out on this one ladies!!!

Swan bridal garter

This is an original blue and white wedding garter from twigs and honey. This would be an easy way to get in your something blue! Made from french ribbon, goose feathers, rhinestone button, seed beads, and crystals. Lovely and simple! I truly enjoy this piece!

Feather Flurry

Another unique piece from Twigs and Honey. This one is a bridal hair fascinator. Small yet stunning this white hair piece is made from goose feathers, stripped coque feathers, ostrich feathers, and lace. It is all then attached to a 6 prong gold plated wire comb. Simply stunning and unique!

You can check all the above pieces out at the twigs and honey etsy shop here or at her wedding website by clicking here or the official twigs and honey website by clicking here.

-- DIY Letterpress --

Well, the invitations are in the making! I still need order one piece to on the backing. But I do have to say that these invites were a steal. Thanks Martha!

I bought them at Michael's with one of my Bridesmaids, Whitney, on a semi-whim.  They are just a Martha Stewart kit that I'm hoping to take to a higher level by placing on a mocha pocket fold from cards and pockets.

and then backing the invitation on the pocket fold with a chartreuse piece of card stock. Then I'll add a little sass with these flowers from Brides. I think they'll turn out nicely. I'll post them once they're finished.

Until then, I've decided to post on some lovely DIY Letterpress options. The first comes from Lifestyle Craft. It's the L Letterpress kit that is used in conjunction with the Epic Sic Tool. Below is the entire kit.

Another option is this Cuttlebug. Right now there are tons of them for sale on eBay for less than market value (just type in cuttlebug machine). You can use them to emboss the background of your invitations or just an area of the invitation or use them for other crafts! It's mostly used for scrapbooks, but can be adapted to do some DIY embossing and letter pressing!

I think I might try this little cuttlebug out. I'm not sure if the boards that come with it will work for me, but I'm sure there is something you can buy that will work with what I've got.

Any thoughts on the DIY letterpress? I just think Letterpress is so gorgeous and needs to be more accessible and affordable for the average human being! Wouldn't you agree???

Something More

I think I need something more. I'm not sure what. I'm not sure when, but I know I do.

(source)

I really enjoy what I'm doing right now. Researching every knook and cranny of the wedding and event scene. I love looking at what bland and boring spaces can be turned into with a vision, I always have. At one point I wanted to be a designer, but I was told that it wasn't as secure market...so here I am, in the government.

(source)

I love the whimsy, the dramatic, the modern, the sleek, the elegant, the classical, the dim lit, the well lit, the outdoors, the indoors, the vintage, the new-age, the unique, and overdone! I love it all and I love especially how each one of these adjectives can have their own spin when given a particular person.

I'm thinking about applying for some intern positions or part-time positions at event planning agencies once the wedding is over. I'll have my own experience, know hows, DIY projects, and blog as my experience, but I just can't stop thinking about how much I think I really want to do this.

(source)

Most of all, I really think I could bring a different feel to some of the groups that are around here! I have something unique and lighthearted to give. I feel like I could give a sassy look that the the little Indiana towns need and want!

(source)

I just thought any readers out there might want to know. I'll work for pennies in the beginning, but someday I may be the next big Martha... Not little miss Martha, but A National Event Design Company. Mike said to me the other day that we were going to be ok, that we were going to do great things...and I can't wait.

-- 6 months to go! --

Yesterday I opened up my email to see a message from theknot.com that was titled "6 months to go." I guess I didn't realize it was that close! They said it was time to order invitations, but I decided that I better get to selling my 2nd dress!

I have 2 dresses in my possession right now. I have a Watters dress that I'm trying to sell and a Melissa Sweet dress that I'm going to wear. Well, Mike and I somewhat broke traditions the other night because I have the Watters listed on Ebay and someone asked for pictures of the dress on a person. He was the only one available to take the picture so he got to see me in a wedding dress.

The dress is a bit too big, has never been altered, and obviously not the one that I'll be wearing down the aisle, but he saw me in the ivory dress. He said it made him a little more excited.

If anyone is interested in buying a Watters 1053b Never Worn Ivory Wedding Gown That's never been worn, here is the link to my ebay listing or you can just comment here. I really need to move this dress. :) It's also listed on oncewed.com.

-- Sunday Morning Coffee -- 1st Edition

Good Sunday Morning! 

I love Sundays.  I love when I wake up, making my coffee, having Mike's special cheesy-salsa-egg (they are delicious!!!), and watching SNL which I had DVR-ed from the night before.  This is my Sunday morning ritual.  Usually. 

Today was much the same.  Although I've been scouring the internet for items to redo my master and guest bedrooms with and watching You've Got Mail. Such a classic, modern love story...before the days of Match.com, Chemistry.com, and whatever other online dating or matching websites there are out there...just chat rooms and email...

Anyways, I think on Sundays I will just try to feature a gorgeous picture, a wonderful photographer, or something that is just all around inspiring.  It could be calligraphy, it could be a wedding, it could be a floral design...basically it could be anything that could inspire something great.  And all Sunday posts will be called Sunday Morning Coffee.  I hope you enjoy.  :)

Today's inspiration is a wedding wish tree.  Here are three beautiful pictures all done a little differently.  They are all from theknot.com. 

This wishing tree is more of a whimsical setting.  I do like how these branches drape over towards the front of table.  The table setting is done very simple and colofully, yet has everything you need. 

This is my favorite wishing tree setting.  I'm hoping to use a few manzanita branches throughout my centerpieces or decor in general.  I would probably change out the vase, but I love the old wedding pictures.  I am a big fan of nostalga.  I love how the branches kind of have a life of their own as well. 

This last tree is really jus a closer version of the last two.  Anyone can make the tags.  I was thinking about using something that we could have family members or the best man or maid of honor send us throughout our first year of marriage - postcards or notecards of somesort.  Or even having people put things on the wish tree that they wish they'd have done.  So that we can put them in a jar and hopefully not miss out on doing them as well.  Just random thoughts that go through my head at times. 

I hope everyone enjoys their Sunday.  Thanks for reading. 

-- Saving Money for a Wedding --

Saving money is hard. Period.

Cutting things out is hard too! It's like you every time you turn around, there's something new. It's really hard to save when you are constantly spending.

Here's a list of things that I'm doing to try to save some extra money for the wedding.

1. We pay all the bills and anything extra goes right into savings. I still need to pay off the photographer.

2. I put at least $75 from every pay check into savings automatically. This is basically included into the "bills." If I can do more, I do.

3. We sell slightly used items on ebay and save whatever the profit. All the extra money, obviously goes into savings. Are you catching on? :)

4. I've picked up skating classes all over the city of Indianapolis to try to save a little extra cash. ALL skating money goes directly into savings! It's not much, but it will be a chunk when it's all said and done.

(This is not me in the picture, but this is what I do 4x a week -- She's teaching fishies/swizzles)

5. We asked for all cash for Christmas -- this one did not turn out so good. People think cash for Christmas is impersonal so they buy you gifts anyways.

I initially started an orange savings account because it was free at ingdirect.com. Then I finally opened a chase.com savings account because the access was easier so when I needed to make a payment to someone I could just transfer the money immediately online and use my checking account to send the money! There are many saving account options out there...just make sure you find the one that is right for you.

These are just a few simple ways to get a little extra cash to make your dream wedding come true. Do you have any other suggestions on how to save money for your wedding?

-- DIY Boutonnieres --

I was supposed to attempt this a few nights ago, but the time escaped me so today I got all the supplies out and sat down and did it. I purchased a few items at Michaels the other day, cleared a spot on the table this morning, poured myself a cup of coffee, and was ready to get started.

Below is the inspiration boutonniere. I always knew I had wanted to use the succulents in the boutonnieres, but I wasn't sure what else. We were going to use some berries in the bouquets, but the monkey's tail was like a light bulb going off. I'd never really though of using that before. This was a great jumping off point for me. It's from JL Designs -- Can you tell I LOVE Carissa's designs? I wish she were not so far away!

(Inspiration Source)

So here's how I made my boutonniere and my final product. Let me know what you think!

First, all the pieces I used were silk or fake flower and/or pieces. You will need a monkey's tail, 1 succulent of choice, a stem of berries, floral tape, floral wire, some sort of leather wrap, and a glue gun.

(succulent, monkey's tail, berries)

I first wired together the monkey's tail and the succulent so that the monkey's tail was just above the succulent and they were wired together in a way that movement was not an option anymore. I just wrapped the wired around the two stems so that they could not wiggle to one side or the other. I did also occasionally when wiring around the stems wire in between some of the bottom petals of the succulent for extra support.

Once these 2 were together, it was time to wire the berries onto the opposite side of the monkey's tail in the same manner. Then the wire needs to be wrapped over in the floral tape. I did this just to cover up the harshness of the wire. I also chose brown floral tape because I was covering it up with brown leather binding and I wanted it to be as close in color as possible.

(wire and floral tape)

After all the pieces were put together, I used the glue gun to start the leather binding in place, starting in the back at the top, and then just wrapped it around the stem of the boutonniere. I tried to keep the binding as close together as possible and added hot glue whenever I felt it was necessary.

Here's the final product. I still need to trim up the stem.

I'm so proud of myself that I made this number 1, but also that it's still staying together! haha. I didn't really think it would be that hard, but I think it looks really good and I also feel that boutonnieres are a great place to cut costs at your wedding! Silk flowers also take GREAT pictures so why not save some money here! The guys don't care! And I think they turned out great!

Happy Friday!

-- Shoes --

What girl doesn't L-O-V-E shoes?  I know I do!  So...I saw these shoes back in May, just after Mike and I got engaged, before anything was planned, and I was sure that someone at the wedding would be wearing them.  I knew they'd play some part in the whole scheme of things!

(photo from zappos.com)

And I know they'll look gorgeous with this dress that the girls are wearing from JCrew

(photo from jcrew.com)

Some things are coming together nicely.  Yes, I think they are. 

JCrew Flower Girl Dresses

I love JCrew, don't you?  I think everyone should love JCrew.  They have such classic pieces and are semi-affordable.  This season, they just hit everything perfectly for me!  I could have even purchased a wedding dress from them.  Instead I just found other dresses to round out the wedding party. 

Here's some flower girl dresses that could be great options for your bridal party all found at jcrew.com wedding section or under kids, girls, weddings and parties found here. 

(All Photos above from JCrew.com)

Dress 1- This is the Girls' silk taffeta Alison dress.  It's off to the side bow is so adorable and would be perfection on any sweet little flower girl.  What I love so much about it is it's subtle simplicity with a touch of out of the ordinary. 

Dress 2-  This is the Girls' silk taffeta Lucienne dress.  First of all I'm a sucker for a name.  I love the name Lucie any way it's spelled.  But this dress just has that something.  It's a bit plain, but in a chic and sophisticated way.  I love the pleated sunburst detail in the middle front.  Very subdued, but sure to be a show stopper in its own way.

 

Dress 3- This is the Girls' silk taffeta whimsy petal dress.  It's a bit sassy, a bit fun, and of course, a bit whimsy.  I love it because it almost feels like you are going to a salsa dance to me, but to most it would probably feel a bit more like a fairy tale.  It's just got a dancing vibe dress to me.  The petals are made from organza and this dress has an invisible side zip so nothing takes away from the awesome unique front! 

Dress 4- What little girl doesn't look good in a cute little bubble skirt?  This dress is the Girls' silk taffeta Sylvie dress.  It's made from lightweight taffeta, has a gathered silk flower in the middle, starburst pleating a long the front, has tucks along the back, kimono sleeves, and a fitted bodice.  What more could you ask for?  It's definitely adorable and could fit into many different wedding schemes!

 

(These Are my TOP CHOICES FOR MY WEDDING)

Dress 5- This dress is the Girls' silk drop-waist dress.  I love this because it's not your typical flower girl dress.  It's a little bit funky and sassy.  I love the ruffle around the hem at the neck.  Every dress in my wedding has somesort of different bow and while the one here isn't huge, it's a bow.  And I LOVE, absolutely LOVE, the drop waist! 

Dress 6-  This dress came out more recently.  It's the Girls' silk dupioni ruffle-back dress.  The ruffles only show in color.  I'd do ivory.  The front is basically a straight line dress with pockets.  Love.  Very simple so that the back can let it's little light shine!  :) 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Love the One Your With

This is just a quick post. 

Every day, I've been adding to the memopad on my Blackberry to a list I call, "Things I love about Mike."  I figure this is a good thing.  So far, it's only got 3 things on it at the moment...I have to pace myself.  Some items are random and some items really mean something, but they all make Mike who he is and they all are reasons why I love him. 

My plan is to add to it every day and then sometime fairly close to our wedding day post it for everyone to see...including him!  :) 

Rehearsal Dinner Ideas

Bowling

Why not have the rehearsal dinner at a bowling alley?  It would be tons of fun, let everyone relax a little bit, and also be very casual.  Some alleys even have private rooms where you can serve food -- EASY MENU: pizza, nachos, pretzels and other foods from the snack bar.  Don't be afraid to stage competitions between the two families or do girls vs boys, and give prizes at the end of the night to the winners (and losers)!  Prizes could be as simple as sugar cookies iced as bowling balls and bowling pins.

Casino

Send out invitations on customized playing cards to get people in the mood for your casino night.  I know this would be perfect for Mike because he loves the Casino and Vegas.  Order some chocolate poker chips to decorate the tables with and you'll have that part done!  Then, either hire a dealer or let your bridal party take turns in dealing blackjack, poker, and other card games. Or, if you are going to have a fair amount of kids there or even people who don't like those sorts of games, consider Bingo and don't forget about Raffle prizes.  No Casino is complete without lots of chic sips so keep the champange flowing as the guests will spend the night toasting the bride and groom! 

The Big Leagues

This is my personal favorite and I'm guessing you wouldn't have to break the bank to do it either!  After you finish your rehearsal, head on over to a local baseball field for a little game of tee-ball or wiffle ball, or even home run derby.  Throw some hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill and pull out the beers.  If you don't want to go to a park, check out your local professional teams stadium.  Many of the ballparks offer group packages, complete with congratulatory message on the scoreboard. Any personalized memorabilia for your guests make great souvenirs after they've eaten their fill of cracker jacks and peanuts!  Think plastic beer steins or baseball caps.  Then for your own memories you could have everyone sign a game ball.