Fashionable Grandma

I would wear exactly what my grandma is wearing in this picture (this is from their wedding day). Look how fashionable! Sadly, the outfit is long gone.

Well maybe I wouldn't wear the heels, not because they aren't cute, but because I do so badly wearing heels. CankeyB wants me to wear heels but I would be so uncomfortable and would probably fall at some point.

You can't tell but my grandma has bright red hair - she is 95 and she still has natural red hair.

Chuppah (?)

I think we want this chuppah:

I made an inspiration board (click for large version) but it's not as nice as the centerpiece one:

I just want to make sure it will look good in the two possible settings (indoor/outdoor).

Centerpiece Inspiration Board

I made this today (click for larger image) to give to my mom so she can go to the florist with my ideas for the decorations.  Lots of different, interesting vases and simple flowers (white gerbera daisies and cherry blossoms?).  The top left is a picture of the room we'll be in for the reception so hopefully she can work with that.

Next up, inspiration board for chuppah, etc.

New top contender?

One of the brides on my reading list recently bought a JCrew dress.  There is another one on the site I really like (I think this is the one she bought!), but I think this one might be more what I want.

Simple Chuppah

Pretty... (click to see florist)

I like the more simple chuppah design, with some little flowers near the top.

Ketubah

We are casually looking for a ketubah at the moment. We both really like the ketubah that our friends in Chicago have, although they were vague as to where they got it. So maybe we will pry the information out of them, or else we will just have to find our own.

Anyway, this one is pretty.

We wouldn't get it with English on it, though, so I don't know what the bottom would look like. We bookmarked the artist's website, though.

We also like...

But this artist has no website, which is not convenient.

And...

This is what we know: we want the traditional Aramaic wording, we don't want it to be too bright and colorful, we don't want just text in a rectangle or oval with an intricate border, and we don't want English. We like trees and flowers but any nice design would be fine.

Bridal Hair Dos

I have short hair and that's not going to change.  I am not going to grow out my hair, suffer from the mid-length in-between hair-cut woes just so one day of my life I can have an updo.  And anyway, I don't like updos.  And I don't think I look great with long hair.

I was browsing Googleimages for pictures of short bridal hairdos and basically all I saw was "stick a headband in it" or "stick a tiara in it."  That's fine, I guess that is the only option.  I'd have my hair cut and styled and then I would stick a headband or a tiara in it.  Except, I don't want a regular bridal headband or tiara.

myrakim

whichgoose

Both of these things are not exactly what I want, but both of these sellers custom-make bridal headpieces.

I don't know how these will fit in the picture re: the veil, but that's not so important in the brainstorming phase.  Also, since I don't have my dress yet, I can't really make serious decisions about accessories. But I wonder if one of these head pieces, when combined with a button bouquet, might make me look more hodge-podge than cute.  I may have to choose one or the other.

Custom Dress Part 1

Pictures from websites of places in Chicago that make custom dresses. This post is as much for the OOH PRETTY as it is for me to remember these places so I can bookmark them when I get back home (I'm out of town right now, yes, playing on the internet looking at dresses!).



meen-kyole
I like this designer because she seems to do really simple lines. It seems like she mostly does not do wedding dresses, but that isn't really a problem. Her dresses look really fun to be in, like the dress above - very flowy, fun to spin around in, and comfortable.



dame couture
This designer looks excellent but expensive. I especially like this dress. They do have some dresses in their collection that I like, and will also custom-design dresses if you want to tweak some of their designs to your personality. I want to check them out, but may not end up there unless the less expensive options turn out to not be what I want.



simple silhouettes
I've looked at simple silhouettes before. I like the idea because it's custom-made, but from pre-chosen pieces. So you choose your top, bottom and middle from pre-designed pieces. You basically build your dress from dress legos. There is a location in Chicago, but that store only carries the pre-made dresses (I think). They will send swatches and other materials by mail, but I'm not sure how I feel about that without being able to try it on and meet with the seamstress. I think I will check out the shop that sells them, though, because it's a bridesmaid shop so I could also look at white bridesmaids dresses while I am there. The shop also carries Jenny Yoo, which was recommended to me by Kim :)

Still looking...

Button Bouquet!

I love this...



I think it's adorable! I want a button bouquet!

More pictures..



Click the bouquet above for the etsy page of Princess Lasertron (the woman in the top picture!) to see what else she makes.

I looooooooove this. I looked a lots of pictures from her wedding (not a stalker, I saw it on Offbeat Bride) and I just loved, loved, loved it. I want one! Either I will buy or make one myself, I think.

It's great because it's something different-ish - "ish" because obviously I am taking the idea from someone else - and also because I can keep it forever afterwards. I can take the button flowers off and sew them onto the guestbook, or around frames of pictures from our wedding, etc.

I've seen the button bouquets before but I think I really want one now!

China Patterns

I would love to have plates that look like this

Or maybe some other things from Laura Zindel.  I have always loved pretty much everything on this website and I keep forgetting to bookmark it.  Not this time!  I want this whole collection.  JewishGuy says his sister would never eat at our place with bugs on the dishes but I think they are neat.

We are having some difficulty finding dishes we like.  There are some things that are all right on the websites, but nothing too exciting.  I think we've come to the decision that we won't register for dishes, at least for now, since there's no point in registering for dishes we aren't enthusiastic about.  The dishes we have right now are fine, so I don't really want someone to spend money on new dishes that are "eh" just because.  I think we will still register for the fancypants dishes, though.

Polaroid Guestbook

Did I mention this already?

I love love love this idea.  You put a polaroid camera out by the guestbook and tell people to take pictures of themselves, stick it in the book and write a message.  It's somewhat complicated so one person who did it said they had a bridesmaid or someone walking around and assisting the processes during the party (haha).  However, I think it's a fantastic idea!

Of course, it's also kind of expensive to buy the book that is specifically designed for holding polaroids.  Another tactic would be to buy a bunch of scrapbook photo corners (those sticky corners) that are meant to hold photos onto flat paper like in a scrapbook, and people can just stick their pictures on that way... also complicated, though, maybe even moreso.  Like this:

Maybe we could, in advance, put squares on the pages so people just have to slide polaroids in...

Anyway, I would love to figure out how to make this happen.  I think it could be really fun!

Similar Pretty Dresses

On a similar vein as the jcrew dress in the previous post...

(click the images to see more about them on nordstrom.com)

I like these because they are simple and flowy and pretty and come down to the ankle (ie: don't touch the floor so hopefully I won't trip) with no train.

My Wedding Dress

First, a pretty dress:

(click image for info on the dress from jcrew.com)

JewishGuy keeps asking me why I don't want to have a regular wedding gown.  Like the poofy ones you see in the catalogues for the bridal shops.  Why, when I see a pretty white dress that isn't necessarily or even at all a wedding gown, I think (and say out loud), that would be pretty to wear as my wedding dress!

This is how it goes,

Me: Ooh! That is really pretty.  Really pretty.  I bet it would be really pretty as a wedding dress.

JewishGuy: Why don't you want a regular wedding gown?

Me: Because I don't want to look like a poofball.

JewishGuy: But [so-and-so] didn't look like a poofball.

To which I have no response, I guess.  Other than, [so-and-so] is much taller than me, has a much different body shape, and looks better in big white dresses!

Here is the bottom line for what I want to wear on my wedding day:

1. I want it to be white.
2. I want to be comfortable in it the entire time.  I want to be comfortable walking down the aisle, I want to be comfortable standing under the chuppah, and I want to be comfortable not only sitting at the table but also dancing.  I don't want to be fidgeting the whole time, pulling it up here or down there or holding up the skirt so I don't trip.  I don't want it to be heavy and weighed down by lace and shiny things and whatever.  I want it to fit, I want it to be light, I don't want to think about it, I just want to be comfortable.
3. I don't want to feel exposed.  I don't want to feel like people are staring at my boobs, or that my top is going to fall down.  I don't want to feel like I'm dressed provocatively, I don't want to feel like at any minute something is going to pop out.
4. I don't want it to be over-the-top.  That is not the kind of person I am.  Maybe someone who looks exactly like me could feel absolutely comfortable and feel fantastically beautiful in a dress with a massive poof that makes them look like a dollop of whipped cream with a human head and a train so long it takes four people to carry it and a million pins and folds to keep it off the ground later, but I won't.  And even if you think I'm exaggerating, and even if I am exaggerating, I don't even think that I would feel comfortable in many of the more simple wedding gowns I see on the many, many bridal websites I have been looking at.
5. I don't want to feel like I was pushed into wearing something that fits the ideals of someone else, because this is my dress!  If there's anything I'm allowed to be a bridezilla about, it's my dress!

Before anyone says anything, obviously I am going to go try on a bunch of dresses before I discount the idea completely.  And I am only putting this in bold just in case anyone is scanning this entry and not reading the whole tantrum (LOL) and wants to tell me to try things on before I discount them.  But I can tell you right now, while I think many brides look beautiful in their gowns, I don't much like the gowns for myself.

And what's wrong with that?

Bouquets ... & Silliness

Sometimes when I am looking at wedding websites I am acutely aware of how silly I am caring about these little details.  However, I am allowing myself to indulge in these details because... well... why not?

I don't think I was ever aware as I was tonight as I began looking at bouquets.  Something about it made me think, wow this is a little silly.  And yet!

I like the small, monochromatic ones with interesting texture as you can see.

I kind of want to make my own bouquet, but I think it might be too hard.  I don't know.  I know it's hard to be in charge of the flowers instead of hiring a florist because you have to somehow keep them refrigerated.  BUT I feel like if I keep the flowers/number of flowers small-ish, it could be do-able.

Kippot?

Is that something I'm allowed to post about here, too? :-P

For my bat mitzvah, we had turquoise suede kippot.  I don't know that I want to use leather again, even though it's nice, and I definitely don't want to use satin or velvet (those never fit right).

So I thought to myself, do they make custom knit kippot?

And, well, they do!

Here are some nice ones:

I don't know if the second one would be too busy.  I really like it.  I think this would be something that JewishGuy would have final say on, though, since he would be the one wearing it.

But I like the idea of having knit kippot because I think it increases the chances of people wearing it on a regular basis, not just stuffing it into the kippah drawer in their dining room for guests to wear when they come over for Shabbat.  YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A KIPPAH DRAWER (or maybe it's a basket, but don't pretend you don't have one).

The knit ones aren't actually that expensive, either!  I think they might even be the same price as some of the velvet or satin ones.

It's just the same thing as the favors.  I don't want to give out favors and neither does JewishGuy, but if we did give out favors I wouldn't want it to be something people throw away as soon as they get home.  There is a good chance people will take the kippot home, that's just how it works.  So if we are going to spend money on something people are going to take home, I don't want them to just toss it in a drawer to pull out at some random time when Uncle Shmuely comes to town.

More Centerpiece Prettiness

More ideas...

I really like gerbera daisies (they're in two of these pictures I think - the bottom two). I think they are very simple but bright and happy and have enough stage presence to stand alone in a vase. I also like the idea of white flowers with colorful vases.

I was talking to my Maid of Honor, CankeyB, and she sent me some information from her sister about decorations and flowers. Apparently Costco sells flowers in bulk for pretty cheap! This is exciting, especially if I want to only use one or two different kinds of flowers. I can buy lots of interesting, colorful vases and use the same flowers in each and keep my costs down (this way we can justify splurging on the food a little, maybe?). I will also dress it up with some candles and what have you. Hooray, that's exciting. I think I've pretty much set my mind on finding vases at the thrift store and putting together the centerpieces myself.

And now, for the picture of the centerpiece that not only would I never use, I would be very upset to go to a wedding to find this:

Look, I know fish are bad pets. I hate fish. They're messy and require a lot of work to take care of (the cleaning and the filters and the blah blah carnivorous snails blah blah). I have had them as pets and I think they are the dumbest pets ever and are really more like living art than pets - I have no patience for pets that just sit and do their thing and don't really interact with me. However, messy living art they may be, I don't see how they are disposable like flowers for a wedding!

Great Ideas

Here are some ideas I got (or things that I knew about before but saw in action) at the wedding this weekend to note for future reference.

1. The bridesmaids didn't have the same dresses, not even the same dresses in different colors.  When I was looking at websites that do bridesmaids dresses, one of the places I liked the most was a place that made custom dresses.  They would all be similar in fabric and length but would have different tops to flatter my bridal party as best as possible.  I have seen sites where they talk about letting the bridesmaids choose their own dresses in a pre-determined palette.  I really wasn't sure how that would look because it would just be a hodgepodge of styles and colors.  However, even though all the bridesmaids wore different dresses, they were all green and knee-length - they also all wore white wraps in the chapel.  I think this looked just as nice as making them all wear the same dress, plus they all chose dresses that they liked and would wear again.  I think I could do this for my bridesmaids, but I would have to have a few stipulations like length, sexiness, boldness of pattern, and palette.  I would like them to be wearing relatively modest (ie: not boobalicious, but strapless is OK), knee-length dresses with either a subtle or no pattern in the color palette of the wedding.  I wouldn't want a really bold hibiscus print, halter-top dress on one of my bridesmaids, I think that would be just a little too distracting.  The unifying thing would be the length and maybe I would have them wear wraps during the ceremony like at the wedding this weekend.


2. The centerpieces were simple, but pretty (and probably not very expensive!).  They didn't use any flowers anywhere in the decoration, except for using the bridesmaids' bouquets on the buffet table.  You really don't need a magnificent centerpiece to set the mood of the table.  Actually, one funny thing about having the limes was that some people took them from the centerpiece and cut them up to put in their drinks!  I thought this was perfect.  The only problem is now they have about 5lb of limes to get rid of.  I think I would still like to use flowers, maybe, but local, in-season ones (these are probably the cheapest).  Also, the vases they used only cost about $3/each, or so the groom told me.  So centerpieces can certainly be very inexpensive but still look very nice. 


3. I really do like the long, skinny tables more than the big round ones.  I know it's probably not possible to have that at the venue JewishGuy and I like, but it really made a difference (I thought).  We were able to talk to people on the other side of the table, on all sides, etc.  We had a pretty big conversation going at one point.  This wouldn't have been possible at a giant round 8-12 seater, because you can really only talk to the people directly next to you - the people across the table are too far away and the people sitting two people down are also too far away!  Especially at a sit-down dinner (that we are hoping for), where people will be sitting in one place for a while as their food is served, I would really prefer that they be able to talk to more than just the people to their right and left.  It's not the end of the world if this doesn't happen, it's just my preference.  Also, despite what JewishGuy says, it wasn't that hard to get up and dance with the rectangle tables the way that these were set up.


4. It's really a party, not a gallery!  You know what, I really thought the reception was beautiful in the little art gallery, but what made it fun wasn't the decoration or the place, but the people and the dancing.  So although I have a strong, strong, strong preference not to use a hotel ballroom (as anything in there will really feel like just a dressed up USY convention or bar mitzvah), I think anywhere we go will be fun.  For the music, they just used an ipod and made a few playlists, hooked it up to speakers and we had a blast.  One of their friends was the emcee and he did a good job.  I feel like if it's not possible to get a live band, an ipod playlist is way better than a DJ.


5. You don't have to give out party favors.  We were talking about this after the party.  There weren't any favors this weekend - unless you count the limes - and nobody was like, man I wish I had some kind of thing to take home and throw away from this wedding!  In fact, I thought it was very nice - I never really know what to do with those things.  We just kept the program from the ceremony :)  We will already be spending a lot of money on making the party fun and the food delicious, not to mention the Shabbat we are planning for the out-of-towners, what's the point in giving everyone a little thing that they'll throw out as soon as they get home?  (Or maybe they will keep it in a drawer and throw it out later)  I think this is a good mindset because I really can't think of anything to give out that won't be silly.  Although I have seen some people give out bubbles at weddings, like little bubble bottles, and we were supposed to blow bubbles on them as they walked away or something.  So the bubbles were kind of like the favors.  I think that's the only kind of favor I would want to give out.


6. After parties are the shiz!  We are definitely, definitely planning an after party!  It was really great because we got to continue the party, eat some more food and hang out in jeans.  I think this will be perfect because I know there will be people who will be tired at 10pm, but I also know there will be people who will want to keep on partying.  This will make it hard for us to wake up in the morning for the breakfast for the out-of-towners, but whatever!

That's all I can think of for now! (haha)

Centerpiece Inspiration: Submerged

More centerpiece inspiration, but this time the flowers are mostly or partially submerged in water.  Very pretty and looks great with candles!

I think doing this eliminates the problem of buying the vase.  I'm not sure if I like it more than the individual, unique vases with a small flower arrangement, but if we do something like this, we can borrow the vases from the florist.  Although I don't know if that is cheaper than buying lots of little vases, it might save us the problem of having a bunch of vases to take home after.

Centerpiece/Decoration Inspiration

Now this might be too expensive for centerpieces, although they would make wonderful gifts (and I would probably love to take them home, maybe I would go around stealing them before people could take them from me).

Dinosaur Designs makes really awesome jewelry, housewares, etc, from resin - not just resin, but that's the stuff I like - and I think it's beautiful.  I just love how each vase in this picture has a different shape and quality to the material.  And with vases like these, you really don't need anything more than these little flowers they've put in them to dress them up!  

Of course, each little vase costs at least $50, SO.... that's probably not going to happen realistically.  But they are certainly beautiful.

Their glasswork is also pretty amazing.

Wow, who knew I had such expensive taste...

I'd like to get a similar effect from vases from the thrift store or from clearance vase sales or something like that.

(I wish we could somehow put things like this on our registry!)

More Invitation Inspiration

Oooo...

(These designs are from WeddingPaperDivas.  Click the images to see the product info.)

I don't know what is a good price for invitations.  However, JewishGuy and I will be setting up a website with all the information, so we are hoping to only have an invitation and a card with a url and related text.  Maybe we could order fancy invitations and make an insert - I only say that because it seems the inserts cost more than twice as much as the invitations!!