New old treasure

Last summer we went home to visit for the first time in two years.  Rediscovering all of the cold-weather clothes I'd left behind in my closet and all of my possessions waiting for me in Minnesota was so exciting.  I didn't want to wear any of the clothes in my suitcase, just the sweaters and jeans from my closet.  (Which, for the most part, I was able to because I was freezing!)  It was new again and I loved it all.

I'm hoping for a similar experience when I return this summer and get to see everything for the wedding.  The vases and fabrics we bought for the reception are waiting for us and my dress has come in at the shop where it is waiting for me to come and try it on.  I'm more than hopeful that I will see these things and love them all over again.  Some things I'll be seeing for the first time, like my bridesmaid's dresses.  Thank goodness I decided to go for the mismatched look because coordinating colors and designs from across the globe...well, there's only so much you can do.

Mike's mom just pulled out the fabric to work on (and some of my girlfriends here are planning a shower - it's all starting to become real!) which prompted me to revisit this photo I took.  Thank goodness I took this photo to remember!  This was probably the fastest wedding errand yet, even though we visited 3 stores, owning to the fact that I dragged Mike along with me.  He's not much of a shopper and prefers the speed shopping method.  Despite the fast decision making (to which I certainly am not accustomed) I love our picks!

I'm excited to see these scattered about the room along with all of the other decor and surprises we have up our sleeves.  I don't know which is my favorite.  How about you?

The clearance game

I would oh-so-love to have my sister (MOH) wear this dress for the wedding.  Cotton?  Pockets?  Cute retro yellow print?  But first it was too expensive.  And now it's on sale but sold out in her size.  Boo hoo.  Internet shopping sometimes sucks.

See what I mean?

As long as we’re on the topic of yellow dresses…allow me to support my choice. Finally I’ve discovered some photos from a wedding with the same mix-and-match yellow bridesmaids idea. Photos that can translate the vision inside my head to those who can’t see inside my brain. It’s so exciting!

See?  Happy, lovely, mix-and-matchiness.  Let's just pretend for a moment that you're as excited as I am about this.  eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

All of the photos are from 927 Photography.  See more ::here::

Yellow dresses

The search is on for yellow bridesmaids dresses.  I asked all of my girls to choose a yellow dress, roughly knee-length.  So they are the ones choosing.  And actually, I don't know that anyone except for my sister (MOH) is actively looking yet.  Which might worry me if I weren't way the heck over here on the other side of the world and completely detached from wedding planning at the moment.  But it is fun to browse!  I found a bunch of goodies on sale from J. Crew.  I think my sister has ordered a couple to try, so the first decision could be made soon!  Unfortunately, they've disappeared from the website after selling out and I didn't snag the pictures early enough.

I do have some goodies to share, though, have no fear!  Yesterday I stumbled upon Mod Cloth.  They have a lot of interesting clothing at pretty good prices.  I have never ordered anything from there, nor do I know anyone who has, so I can't vouch for the place.  But here's what they offer in yellow:

Yay?  Nay?  I think it's worth bookmarking and tossing it into the ideas pile.

Canning lemonade

How come I've never seen lemonade served in mason jars with the lid on before?

Perfect!

Photo from ::here::

Sweet home Minnesota

I know I've been MIA lately, but I promise I have a lot of good excuses!

But let's just get to the point.  I am currently blogging from the other side of the globe.  That's right, I'm home in Minnesota!  We flew back last weekend to see family and, of course, get some wedding planning in.  I'm going to be dress shopping, meeting with the ballroom folks, cake testing (just because), and any other miscellaneous bits of planning I can squeeze in, since the next time I'll be here will be <2 months before the wedding!

I'll try to post as progress is made but my internet connection is less-than-desirable, so we shall see.

For now, I'm signing-off to celebrate the 4th with my family!  I hope it warms up!  I'll leave you with my first inspiration board for tabletops at the reception.

:: links ::

thread tealight directions here : wax votive luminaries directions here : buttons from here

Ties

I'm sure many brides-to-be do their planning a bit more systematically than me.  I do not have a one-track mind.  I follow tangents.  And so, my wedding planning and inspiration gathering has led me to ponder more-or-less every single detail of the wedding.  One example: ties.  I don't know what the men in the wedding will be wearing, but I've seen a few ties that have really caught my eye.  I tried looking for a good tie source and had no luck.  I found some places for cheap ties but didn't like the designs.  I found some good designs that I was unwilling to pay for.  The other day, though, I came across these ties from The Tie Bar.  Each one is $15 and they have a pretty nice selection.

All ties from ::here::

Another serving of yellow inspiration

I now present to you the last two of my top six Snippet & Ink yellow inspiration boards.  In case you've been living under a rock and ignoring all of my links, I recommend you go there to see lots more pretty things and a huge variety of inspiration boards.  Really.  They're not all yellow.

I hope you all like this board because I love it!  A perfect picnic.  I would totally do tulips if only they bloomed in August and I really want to buy the eco-friendly wooden cutlery on top, except that I don't need to provide utensils...still looking for an excuse on that one.

And this board is undeniably fun.  I love paper lanterns.

Inspiration boards from ::here::

More inspiration boards

Both of these boards incorporate outdoor elements.  I love the thought of our ceremony being in the yard.

Inspiration boards from ::here::

Snippet & Ink inspiration

I am ashamed to admit that I didn't use Google Reader until spring break this year.  But, oh, did I make up for lost time.  I fell into a black hole of link-clicking and o.d.'ed a little on inspiration.  Luckily, I emerged at the other end with a solid-yet-not-all-inclusive list of wedding blog inspiration.  One of the best sites is Snippet & Ink.  On this delicious blog, Kathryn (the blogger) has posted oodles of inspiration boards.  Of course, I have just about every yellow inspiration board saved in my wedding folder, but I'm going to show a little self-restraint and only share my six favorite yellow boards with you.

Up first, a couple featuring daisies, the flower we'll probably be using.

Inspiration boards from ::here::

Yellow it is.

Once we decided on the location, my vision for our wedding started evolving.  I should note, this process of planning our wedding has really made me aware of how much I have changed these past two years.  Living on this teeny tropical island has removed me from fashion trends and most of pop culture.  I find that my tastes have changed and I am able to choose things I like without even being aware of current trends.

So I have more-or-less decided on yellow as our wedding color.  Believe me, I shocked myself.  Coincidentally, this was actually the color my parents chose in their wedding.

Of course, we're going to skip the canary yellow tuxes.  (Mike occasionally voices an opinion and he put his foot down on that one.)

I think there will already be enough blue between the lake and the sky.  And the grass, trees, and other plants called first dibs on green.  Yellow seems like the perfect sunny addition.  Classic, casual, cheerful yellow.  Just perfect for our wedding.