So...What's On Your Board?

Since I went completely on the other side of the spectrum wedding theme-wise, I feel like explaining the elements in my newest inspiration board.

I'll let you in on the lovely details!

*This post is best enjoyed with a mug of warm hot chocolate* :)

The stunning white winter coat:

(from DressesTutor.com)
Elegant, classy and comfy...what more could you ask from a winter coat?!

The baby's breath wreath:

(from TheKnot.com)
Pretty and elegant, yet soft and cheap to make. Sounds good to me!

The hanging crystals and candles:

(from ??? I was kicking myself for not finding the reference to this pic! DX If anyone knows, I would love to know the site, but when you look at 30+ wedding sites, finding that one little pic is a bit difficult XP)
Because hanging candles would give such a soft glow to the room :)

The lavender snowflake candy:

(from Sweet Designs)
Fancy, purple winter candy = perfect!

The bride with the fuzzy blanket:

(from Kdog Photographers)
This just looked so cozy, it greatly expresses the feeling I want everyone to have!

The doily chandelier:

(from MarthaStewart.com)
This would be a great way to get a lot of white/snow/texture into the reception room! Since they are just made of paper doilies, a few of these could be constructed and hung from the high beams, drawing the eye up and creating a stunning display!

The gorgeous lily garland:

(from MarthaStewart.com)
Yes, this looks expensive to make but OMG doesn't it look great! <3 Yes, if I can get the lilies for a decent price I actually do want to make these...

The sugared fruit cake:

(from Beaux Gateaux Cakes)
because I love sugared fruit!!! And this cake would not be that hard to recreate. White cake + sugared fruit = this cake! :D

The magical sleigh ride:

(from Ritzy Bee Blog)
Romantic and different = <3 Can I afford this? Probably not, but a girl can dream! Besides, how else can we leave if the roads are horribly snowy? XD

The snowy bouquet:

(from Snippet and Ink)
Again, elegance with snowy/cozy touches, so pretty! Although recreating something like this could be challenging...

The pretty, creamy cocktail:

(from Paper Olive the Blog)
Because you got to have a fantastic signature cocktail! And the lavender garnish is perfect!

The adorable snowflake marshmallows:

(from MarthaStewart.com)
Another great idea from Martha. As long as I can cut the marshmallow without it sticking to the cookie cutter, I'll be golden!

The uber-adorable sweater Save-The-Dates:

(from WeddingByColor.com by littlelady7688)
They're different, they're adorable, they're FANTASTIC! WANT! (DIY how-to post to come! :D)

The lovely snowscape kiss:

(from The View Point Inn)
Must. Have. Photos. Like. This.

And that my friends is a breakdown of many bits of loveliness I see in a potential cozy yet elegant winter wedding!

I'm Back Baby!!!

...Hello? ...Anyone still here?

*crickets*

Knew I shouldn't have taken such a long break! XP

Well, I'm back people, done with my Master's!!! :D (That joy hasn't fully sucken in yet,) and soooo happy to be writing about weddings again instead of networking, XD

So, just to get the ball rolling, and get some goodies for my now famished readers, I'll post some drafts I've been working on in the past few months, that just got side-tracked by stronger ideas or events!

Zee first?

"So...What's On Your Board?"

Violins Make My Heart Sing

Still chugging away at my final graduate project, but I had to interrupt my diligent work (fairly diligent anyway XP) with another quickie!

See, I was listening to Christmas carols, (because I OMG LOVE!!! Christmas carols,) and I heard one song that I always thought was beautiful, but with all the wedding thoughts in the back of my mind lately, it dawned on me that it would be beautiful song to walk down the aisle to for a winter wedding. (Or any time of year I guess, but it is a Christmas song)

Which just shows how distracted I am by my coursework, because the song is a *slight* variation of Canon in D! Doh! An obvious choice for wedding music, but nevertheless, humor me and let me continue :)

This lovely song is Christmas Canon by the Trans Siberian Orchestra (the tamer version with the singing children):



Whether I had just the mp3 and my computer or a lovely pianist and string quartet, *swoon*, I would cut out the part with the children (they're cute, but it's just not appropriate :) ,) and be left with the piano melody and the heart-stopping beautiful violin part!

See I. Love. String Instruments. To me they are the most beautiful sounding instruments, and I can't get enough of them! Once I'm done with all this classes crap I hope to start lessons again and re-learn how to play the violin!

Since this is a variation of Canon in D, sure, it's on the more traditional side, but it has lovely feel to it, less classical performance, more...uplifting.

Violins just make my heart sing I guess :) So it would be more than fitting for such a crazy-elated moment.

Now imagine the song starts playing, and you're patiently waiting to make your entrance. But you want to walk during the violins, so you wait. Then nice and slow, you start making your way down the aisle, grinning from ear-to-ear because you're surrounded by your most favorite things, the love of your life, all your closest friends and family, and heavenly music! And at the end of the aisle, you meet your sweetheart, which makes you not mind that the glorious sounds stop, because your ceremony is about to begin.

Just perfect.

A Rose By Any Other Material Would Be As Sweet?

Quick little blurb I had to share with you...

(And forgive me if I'm a bit flat today, haven't been feeling so great, I attribute it to stress of the upcoming graduate deadlines XP Anyhoo...)

I was surfing my usual group of drool-worthy wedding blogs, and while looking in the DIY section of Elizabeth Anne Designs, I found a tutorial for a pretty and pink dried flower wreath.

Well, pink is not my thing, but I though dried lavender would be lovely! The bride shared the site were she bought her dried goods, Dried Flowers 'R' Us, and obviously, I had to take a look to see if dried flowers was the secret mecca of having affordable florals.

Well I didn't find any crazy revelations, but I did find these!!!


With winter wedding thoughts dancing in my head, I thought these would be great to fill out any flower arrangements I would have!

You can get 400 rose heads for just $57 and 200 stemmed roses for $64!

Adding this lovely woodsy, wintery element to real flower bouquets/centerpieces/etc will help make them look more grand, large and full without paying nearly as much for real flowers!

Sounds good to me!

Best Bachelorette Party Idea Ever

Miss Meerkat, you are awesome.

Because you're going to see the musical Wicked for your bachelorette party!


Which is only one of MY MOST FAVORITE MUSICALS OF ALL TIME!!!

So now I have a great suggestion for my bachelorette party! Dress up all pretty and see a show! Because not all bachelorette parties have to have fake penises XP

That is all for now XD

The Bargain Awesome-ness Just Keeps Coming...

Omg I think I'm in love. Well, obviously, with this wedding planning and all, but now with a website.

The 15 Dollar Store.

Okay fine. $15. Whatever. What does it have?

SHOES AND DRESSES!!!

And other attire and accessories, but I'm drooling over the SHOES AND DRESSES. All for $15. Somebody pinch me! 8D

It is clothing site for juniors, but I'm still young and short, so that is not an issue. Plus, shoe sizes are the same no matter what age you are!

This is all thanks to the lovely Miss Sloth from, yep you guessed it, WeddingBee! Thanks to her awesome bridal ensemble on a budget post, I have been enlightened!

I could get these...


or this...


or maybe this...


And look. at. this.


Affordable but very tasteful bridesmaid dresses!!! And they kinda look like those fancy twobirds bridesmaid dresses! (They're all the rage in wedding blogs these days) And they even come in gray/silver AND purple!!! And they're floor length so it could be appropriate for a winter OR a summer wedding!

I'm sensing serendipity here.

I mean I even could ask the lovely girlies to buy these now, because for heavens sake, they're $15 fracking dollars!!! 8D

These dresses could be dressed up very easily too, all you need is a pretty sash or big flower or something, but I can work with them!

*starts reading store return policies in my drunken dress excitement stupor*

Well, I just found one slight catch - all sales are final.

Boo :P So that means that if I do get said dresses, I would have to make sure they all fit now and pray they all fit later... *sighs* It could work...except I don't know if I want all silver or all purple...buy both maybe?

Yeah, I'm getting overly excited about this like I did with shoes before, however it is important to me that I get a bridesmaid dress that is affordable for all of my girls. Almost all of them are still getting degrees right now and don't have a couple hundred bucks to throw around on dresses.

It would be probably one of the most budget friendly dresses ever!

And these dresses were way cheaper than the shoes I was eying previously.

So...I know most of my bridesmaids-to-be know about this blog, (except for one...I think she might worry about me too much if I showed her XD) what you do think? :)

Another Great Christmas Tree Shop Deal!

13" Chargers are now only $1 each!!!



AND THERE'S MORE!

The lovely site Retail-Me-Not has a 20% off coupon for the Christmas Tree Shop for the dates of November 9th - 16th!

8D

Mark your calendars people!!!

I Have to Get Engaged NOW!!!

Just so I can submit my application to Weddingbee and get a BRUNCH ICON!!!

You have no idea just how much I love food, especially brunch food, especially sweet brunch food!!! (yeah I have a major sweet-tooth :P)


I could be Miss Cinnamon Bun or Miss Waffle or Miss French Toast or Miss Pancakes or Miss Crepe or Miss Tartlet or even Miss Pain Au Chocolat!

AHHHHHH!!!

(Well, I kinda wouldn't be able to apply anyways, because an applicant's wedding is supposed to be less than 8 months away, and I highly doubt we would get married in 8 months from now, XD)

(And I'm not really serious, this is more of a post displaying my love of food and my love of really cute Weddingbee icons)

End of silly fan-girl moment!

***Centerpiece Deal Alert!***

GAK!!!

Darn it all I wish I was engaged already!

Because I found another great deal on decor for winter brides!

If you have a Christmas Tree Shop near you:

1) Run over there!
2) Buy all the 3ft artificial evergreen trees starting at $7 each.


3) Enjoy your great buy and start of a fantastic centerpiece.

Too bad it's a little hard to justify buying 20 3ft evergreen trees XD

Your welcome :)

Finally, I'm a Bit More Accessible

Hello existing readers!

I finally bit the bullet and got my very own blog/wedding email! :D

This way I can now communicate with you guys and still remain (fairly) anonymous!

And, when I'm finally engaged, I have a dedicated email to use for all things wedding, and still have some space in my normal inbox!

Woot.

So any questions, comments, anything, feel free to send me a line!

(<---- Just check that little box on the left under "About Me"!)

The Dollar Tree Has Done It Again!

Attention all thrifty brides out there who love candles!!!

The Dollar Tree is currently selling 6", 7", and 8" long stem tealight candle holders for $1 each!!!


And you can buy them by the 48-count case!!! (assorted sizes)

This is definitely another deal I really wish I could purchase!

Just thought you'd like to know...

:)

I've Gone Cricut Crazy

Hello again,

I was working on a post to explain each element in my inspiration board, but I sadly can't find the source of the branches with the hanging crystals and candles in the top left of my board...and I looked in what seems like all my saved links! D: So until I can give the proper credit, that post will have to wait.

But in the meantime, I started to be allured by the amazing-ness of the Cricut.

With so many stunning DIY paper crafts out there, a crafty not-yet-bride like me HAS to include one of them! And if that involves a creative shape? The poor girl's fingers are aching from scissor overuse! But the Cricut, ah, the Cricut, can do it for you!

It can cut out cute shapes for escort cards!:


It can save you money by eliminating the need for cute punches!:


It can really jazz up your invitations!:


It can make birthday/Christmas/thank you cards!:


It can help you make envelope liners!:


It can churn out banners!:


It can make tags!:


It can make packages, boxes, and bags!:
(I really did not expect to find these projects, I just wanted to put in part of the Dr. Suess quote! XD)

It can produce cupcake liners!:


It can make ornaments!:


It can help you design custom stamps!:


It can create embossing folders!:


It can cut out custom wall decals!:


It can even help you etch/paint wine glasses with a professional look!!!:


So yeah, it can basically take over the crafting world!!!

And now I *might* (crosses fingers) be getting one for my birthday/Christmas.

SQUEE!!! XD *dances*

Okay, the crazy lady is done now :)

Another Shot At An Inspiration Board

This wedding stuff is clearly becoming an addiction for me.

Even though there are many, many other things I should be doing right now, I still find myself looking for wedding inspiration--this time for winter weddings, drooling over pictures, reading more blog posts, and making more inspiration boards.

XP

Well, at least you guys get something in the meantime, lol!

But first, an explanation of why the board doesn't completely match my last post:

At first I was thinking an icy, winter wonderland full of blues, silvers and crystal, but as I looked at my favorite unique venue I found it was calling for another kind of winter theme.

In the lodge-like ambiance I saw soft whites, the warm glow of candles, cozy textures and even, dare I say it, more of a rustic theme-- wood, berries, branches, pinecones and birds. I saw people warming themselves by the fire, being comforted by warm fuzzy blankets, drinking hot beverages and enjoying the welcoming atmosphere.

And I like all that, I really do.

But I just want it to look stunning and impressive, not just a cozy gathering. Why? Because I can! It's probably the first and only time I'll be able to make such an impression on my family and friends, and truly express a lot of my creativity that rarely gets tapped these days.

So I'm thinking to start with this warm, soft, and cozy base, and try to incorporate bits of glam and elegance without looking out of place...

...like silver snowflakes in the fluffy white chandeliers, soft ribbons around the glass candle votives, clear snowflakes and candles hanging from the beams, etc. Perhaps even a large block of ice holding cold drinks, but bordered with soft fluffy faux snow.

So I call this "Cozy Winter Elegance":


Click to Enlarge
So yeah...very, very different XD

What do you think?!

It's A Good Thing I'm On A Break...

...because I think I have gone crazy. A few times. And been crazy busy. But in a nutshell, my wedding thoughts have done a complete 360.

Maybe it's because of the change in the weather.
Maybe it's because I've done wayy too much research for one kind of wedding.
Maybe it's because my mom's insistence of contemplating a Western NY wedding has gotten into my head.

Whatever it was, now I'm thinking...

Western NY winter wedding.

In January.

At the Timberlodge Banquet Center. (My mom wanted me to look up Western NY venues...so I had my favorite already picked out.)


Some explanation of the madness:

If the whole Boldt Castle thing doesn't work out and I "have" to do a local wedding, I would want to do it Buffalo-style, all out wintery, snowy goodness! The bf and I love winter so it would work out great for us!

So that means white/silver/crystal/light blue color scheme. (with some pale purple of course!)

That means hot cocoa, mulled cider, and comfort food.

That means candles, fireplaces, and cuddling under warm blankets.

THAT MEANS SNOWFLAKES!!! (I love snowflakes! XD)

"Wait a second," I thought, "I kinda like this"

:)

So, when I have more time, I might be posting winter wedding insanity for the holidays XD

Til then,

Sarah out!

Taking A Break...

Hello any existing readers out there, I know my posts have not been frequent, and I think I'm going to take a little break...

I am trying to wrap up my Master's degree and there are some important loose ends to take care of, not to mention my personal life is now full of unpacking and taking care of the puppy.

So farewell for now, I will try to post here and there, but I really need to get my head out of wedding blog world and back into my own.

But I do guarantee that by Christmas, I'll be more than happy to start blogging again for the holidays.

And I do love the holiday season :D

Just Tap Your Shoes Together Three Times...

Ah! D:

I am so awful for not posting in forever, but there is a good reason for that:

The bf and I have gotten a new little puppy! :D So naturally, the cute little girl is keeping us busy, I've barely had any time to go online, and most of that time was used to look for puppy names! XD

So a little tidbit to tide you over...

You better believe it--


I'm going to make my eventual purple shoes even more awesome! With a rhinestone message on the bottom! <3 (or hearts, those work too) :)

The Tastiest Flowers...

...are made of cupcakes! :D


Thanks to Ms. Locket from good ol' WeddingBee, another adorable idea comes forth!

(Not to mention that Ms. Locket is a central New York gal, :) love hearing about the rest of New York state for a change! It's not just New York City people!)

Too bad the cupcakes are just too casual for the shindig I'm planning...

Or I would so do it :D

Speaking of tasty flowers, I have been bouncing around the idea of including fresh edible flowers into the mix: in drinks, on desserts, etc.

In addition, purchasing or learning how to make gum paste flowers for the cake.

There is a great site for affordable sugar flowers, DiscountSugarFlowers.com. Most of the flowers are just around $1, and they look fantastic!









(I have an unhealthy fascination with orchids lately...they're expensive! They are a fundmental budget no-no...more on that later)

Fresh edible flowers online are a bit harder to find. Most sites suggest you either grow your own (and never, ever use any pesticides on them,) or get them from local farmer's markets.

But I have found some places online that sell them, some even for a decent price:

Sid Wainer & Son, 50 pansies for $18, plus required overnight shipping. Turned out to be $36 for my location:


Sid Wainer & Son, 50 edible orchids for $16! But if you get 100 of them they are only $68 total with ship!


(also available 100 for $78 at Marx Foods.)

The Chef's Warehouse, 50 Wild Hibiscus Flowers in syrup for $31.50:


I love these because Mrs. Cola mentioned they looked like Seymour from the musical Little Shop of Horrors! 8D Anything to get a musical reference in, lol!

Sid Wainer & Son again!, 50 lavender wands for $13, $49 total with ship:


And if you don't care what type of flower you get,
Marx Foods has 400-600 assorted flowers for just $61!!! 8D


for that price I would just buy them and pick out the purple ones! XD

Overall, great fancy touches for your already tasty wedding noms :)

Groomsmen Everywhere Approve: Survival Kit

Sorry for the delay of posts, had a nice little mini-vacation being lazy at home, and this too was swept under the rug for a week!

A little funny humor to tide you over until I can come up with something more substantial:

The groomsman survival kit is just too funny!


The bf's groomsmen, (whomever he chooses), will absolutely love them! XD

4 bottles, however, may be a little bit much...

XD