two weeks from today...

i'll be a bride! holy smokes!

i know i've been horrible about blogging lately (sorry to my five faithful readers, hahaha!). i promise a lengthy series of blogs on saturday and sunday to fill you in on all the projects.

back to printing menus!

sneak peek: hatling

just a quick look at my hatling, made my the oh-so-talented kristina over at kankalinhats. i can't wait to get it in my little mitts so that i can try it on!

what's in the numbers for our tables?

i really like the idea of skipping table numbers and having our guests sit at different "locations" that k.f. and i have traveled. these ideas, which i totally stole from a slideshow from the knot are good starting points. i dig the three-sided one the most, but love the google satellite pic on the first one, and the post card idea is pretty sweet too...

i'll probably come up with some permutation of the three. don't worry, as soon as i've wrapped my mind around it, i'll be sure to let you in on it...

holy guacamole - where does time go?!

travel update: today k.f. and i are off to tyson's corner, near washington d.c. to get last minute accessory stuff for me and a suit for him for the rehearsal dinner. 

unfortunately, upon our return, it's travel time again for me, and i'll be off to atlanta for ab initio IB training for four days. at least k.a.f. is coming with me for training in classical lit.

sleepover! 

but seriously...when we get back, i will have three weeks (count 'em!) until we depart for mexico. i think i might be entering the panic zone...ahhhhhhhh!!!

why oh why can't you be mine, sweet ruffle wrap?

so i'm over at oh joy this morning, and what to my wondering eyes should appear...but these amazing ruffled lovelies from sonia rykiel's summer collection. voila:

how do i love thee, sweet ruffle wrap? let me count the ways:

1. ruffles everywhere.

2. long enough to cover open-backed dress.

3. more ruffles.

4. perfect counterpoint to whimsical headpiece.

5. ruffles are so beautiful.

6. would look great with slinky sheath dress.

7. did i mention ruffles?

unfortunately, try as i might, i cannot find the ruffle wrap available for purchase. damn the whims of haute couture! to the devil with you, exclusivity! i spit on you, pre-season runway tease!

if you find it, please tell me. i'm swooning.

40 days til mariachis and mojigangas

it's getting so close! i love this picture with the giant mojigangas and mariachi band behind the couple.

the closer we get, the more real it becomes...and we've had such pleasant surprises with the rsvp's. c.r. and l.h. are going to make the trip from brooklyn, which we didn't think would be possible, and g.k. and his wife are coming from san francisco. i might be in trouble if we get too many more surprise "yeses" - i'll have to order more paper for programs! but what happy trouble to be in...

i so wish that we could magically transport all of our dear friends from wherever they are...those that can't make it will be missed.

this next month will be very busy with all of my little DIY projects. stay tuned for my hatling (pics forthcoming), the birdcage veils I'm making for the bridesmaids, menus, placecards, favors, programs, and much more!

shoes for a shoes-y girl

i knew that i wanted shoes that were absolutely fabulous. there would be no white satin and bows for this girl. for a while, i thought that i would do a really brightly colored shoe, but everything i liked either had a four-inch-monster-skank heel, or wasn't elegant enough. lucky for me, i found these beautiful flower-toed numbers from tracy reese. aren't they a vision?

the flower is large enough to cover my all of my little toes, and the petals all have tiny details that make them look oh-so-real. i love them!

and to top it all off (don't you wish that all stories had happy endings like shoe stories??), i am going to get a pair of brightly colored flats to make the walk from El Oratorio down to Restaurante Nirvana on the 15th century cobblestone. perfecto!

k.f. has a birthday

Last night we celebrated k.f.'s birthday, and in typical fashion, it was a raucous good time, complete with all of us singing talking heads songs loudly at last call. turns out my iphone camera is actually perfect for documenting these evenings...a little fuzzy, lots of light...

k.f. and l.d. discussing the absurdities of computer voting systems. obviously early on. 

going home at two o'clock. k.f. and d.a. are arguing the finer points of rock music 1969 to present day. obviously later on...

walking...
k.f. explaining how it is.

boys playing at a construction site. very nice, l.d. - that cinder block looks heavy! *laughs*

overall, a really lovely evening with really great friends. i can't wait until i get my new flip camcorder...then these documentaries will really take on some life!

i heart paper

i've started working on designing all of the details! this is my first go on the place cards...











i am working off the color scheme at restaurante nirvana (see my post on nirvana for some serious eye candy) - which is really warm and vibrant.

when we started planning the first version of our wedding (you know, the big traditionalish thing at the art museum), we were doing all organic food and live plants instead of flowers.

even though we can't control quite as much of that in mexico, we are still really obsessed with the idea of leaves and live plants - thus the leaves on the invitations and on my bootylicious buttocks. haha. i'm not sure if i'll stick with the dandelions, but it's a good starting place at least.

what do you think?

thanks, kelly and doug...

for getting married and throwing a fabulous reception. and also for having your great photographers (kellan studios out in lynchburg, va) take this picture of k.f. and i dancing the night away. i can't wait until kelly posts some more photos on facebook so that i can jack them and post about her wedding...

sixty days...

until we get married. i can't believe that it's coming up so quickly! it seems like just last week that it was six months away.

fortunately, i think that we're pretty much on track. so far, i have:
1. rented houses for all the guests in san miguel de allende
2. reserved a lovely restaurant for the reception
3. finalized a menu
4. bought a dress
5. made sure bridesmaids have dresses
6. booked photographer
7. ordered custom pieces for my hat and wrap
8. bought my shoes
9. designed, printed, and sent out save-the-dates
10. designed and assembled invitations (which go out on tuesday! yay!)
11. scheduled my first fitting
12. bought k.f. a suit
13. met with officiant (k.f.'s wonderful uncle!) and designed ceremony
14. bought favors
15. ordered bridesmaids gifts

so far, however, i have NOT:

1. stopped eating obnoxious amounts of mexican food and pizza
2. stopped drinking beer
3. started exercising

details, details. i've promised myself that i will start a regimen in earnest as soon as i finish grading final exams. on friday.

uuuggggghhhh stamps

so...how irritating is it that the usps changed the price of stamps just before wedding season? the selection that they have is truly abominable. i mean...yoda, harriet beecher stowe, or the year of the rat?? all of those themes really express the feeling of my wedding.


i finally found these stamps with a pic of the okefenokee swamp. in florida. but at least it's pretty...right?

sweet suit - check!

as soon as we decided that the wedding would be south of the border, k.f. and i decided that a dark suit was absolutely out of the question, not to mention a tuxedo. so we decided that a slim-cut light grey suit would be the way to go.

easier said than done. who knew the men had it so hard? we've waded through pleated pants (yikes!), boring tweeds, and offensive wool blends that make you twitch and itch just looking at them.

so imagine my relief when we finally stumbled across this great kenneth cole number. slim, flat-front pants and a nice sheen...i think i'm in love.

thanks, kenny! you saved the day!

leafing my dress dilemma behind

yay! wahoo! i've done it! i finally found a brooch i like to go at the rear of my dress instead of an obnoxiously large bow.

from etsy seller tiachia comes this lovely 1930s signed vintage dress clip that could not be more perfect. it even matches the leaf motif that we started with the invitations.



i can't wait to get it! of course, i'll have to wait to see it with the dress another couple weeks. my first fitting is 6.18.

*sigh*

more lovlies from the geniuses at etsy

i couldn't love this shell & pearl cocktail ring from turkey-based star of the east more. it is beautiful and organic and would be perfectly over-sized on my little mitts. this seller makes all sorts of baubles out of urchins, pearls, and other treasures she finds washed up on the shore.

from montreal (sight of my future honeymoon, holler!) is the polyglot melanie favreau. her pieces are all inscribed with sweet little expressions. this one, which says "from the bottom of my heart" in latin, is my favorite by far. her other creations are equally endearing, and she also does custom inscriptions in most of her rings and necklaces. if k.f. were the jewelry-wearing type, i would totally buy him this pendant. although i'm kind of glad he's not...maybe i'll get one for myself!!


and finally, from one of my favorite stores on etsy, the now famous ring dish from paloma's nest. featured on every blog i read (brooklyn bride was the first place i saw it, i think...), it is such a sweet little token for your wedding day. they are totally customizable, so you can write anything you want...i think i'm going with the ee cummings poem "i carry your heart with me" on ours. we both love that poem and it is one of our readings. since we're not having a ring bearer...or any other children for that matter...it seems like this is a perfect substitution for the pillow.

te gustan?

dresses!

i bought my rehearsal dinner dress last week (i'll post pics as soon as i get it back from the tailor!). it's this dress from laundry by design, except with different colors. it is so comfortable and is the perfect mix of elegance and ease for mexican antojitos in a hilltop jardin.


and i can't wait for my first fitting. my dress is from nicole miller, and i love it. but i got it at a bargain price...three sizes too big. right now, if i put the dress on, it falls straight to my hips and hangs out there. not so hot. i am so excited to put it on and have it fit like it did in the boutique.

unfortunately, i HATE the bows on the back of the gown. so much that i'm not even going to show you the picture. instead of having an obnoxiously large bow growing out of my a**, my tailor is going to make the back look like this:


which i love. my only dilemma is that i can't quite figure out what to put at the butt in place of the bow. the dress is a rather slim sheath with a train that attaches at the rear. i'm thinking an antique brooch...and...to make the train detachable? what do you think? is it do-able?

jackets and capelets and pashminas...¡ay dios mío!

love this capelet - but it would make me look like an alien with supernaturally large shoulders...

and this little number is adorable, but probably won't keep me much warmer than having nothing on at all..

i'm in love with both of these creations from holly stalder's lovely etsy shop. they are so airy and beautiful...unless you have big shoulders and a little head. then not so much...

since we're getting married up in the montañas, it gets chilly at night, even though it is mexico in august. thus my dilemma: i am wearing a strapless and backless (yowza!) dress, and i have a feeling that i will be rather chilly by midnight.

this cashmere wrap from Magaschoni is gorgeous and sure to keep me warm. but is it too casual?

i like the idea of this jacket from jovovich-hawk. but it is a bit too casual, and needs long sleeves, or a bigger collar or...something.

i can't decide if i should go with a structured jacket to keep the whole couture thing going, or if i should opt for a softer option, like a pashmina or a silk wrap. so far, i've found nothing jacket-wise that would actually keep me warm while still looking haute.

help! what should i do? do i keep looking for the perfect jacket (or get one custom-made?) or should i make it a wrap?

kankalinhats

it's no secret that i love hats. when i was in high school, one of my mom's friends gave me a huge box full of her mother's hats from the 30's and 40's. it was heaven - pill boxes with little veils and hat clips galore...a vintage-lover's dream.

so when i started thinking about what kind of veil i wanted, i naturally gravitated toward the birdcage veil, and well...*a hat.*

now don't get me wrong...i don't want to look like sarah jessica parker at london's premiere of sex and the city. sorry sjp - i still heart you - but that hat is getting ready to flap off your head and back to the galapagos where mutants belong!

instead, i'm getting the lovely kristina from the etsy shop kankalinhats to create a lovely *hatling* for me, complete with an over-sized flower, quills, and a sweet little birdcage veil. i can't wait to see what she designs for me...but if her other hats are any indication, it will be whimsical and fantastic!

nirvana

Since we're having a rather untraditional wedding, we decided to forgo renting a venue in San Miguel (and finding a caterer, chairs, tables, etc...the list goes on forever). Instead, we're having our reception in the beautiful Restaurante Nirvana, a fusion restaurant that blends asian and mexican cuisine. The result? Hibiscus quesadillas, scallops in pistachio sauce, chicken with fruit confit in a guava mole, watermelon gazpacho, and salmon spring rolls. Mmmmmmm...I'm drooling just thinking about it!

The chef at Nirvana, Juan Carlos Escalante, has been more than accomodating (he created a whole second menu for the vegans!) and the place looks a-m-a-z-i-n-g.

The hard part is deciding which of his lovely delicacies to put on the menu and which to let go...

invitations are finally finished!

yay! yesterday i went to paperwhyte to pick up my invitations, and today i went to my parents' house to make the outer accouterments. with my grandmother cutting ribbon, my mom manning the square-cutter, and me placing our monogram seals on, it took no time to get them done. and i LOVE them...especially the surprise that you get when you open them up.

i used stationary from envelopments and found their system so user-friendly. i could order everything "suelto" and mix and match until i liked the design. the seals i ordered from the fabulous etsy shop sweetpaperie - whose custom stamps and stickers are amazing. i want to order five different return address stamps for different occasions. ME GUSTA!

now, all i have to do is finish hand-addressing those envelopes...

my first post

i guess it's appropriate to start with a photo strip.

i had never read a blog until a few months after i got engaged, and then i surprised myself by beginning a quasi-religious ritual with several wedding and design blogs.

it still seems weird to me to be writing to no one in particular about myself, but...here it goes.

i'm planning our wedding in mexico and i hope that's the least interesting thing about us. so...

maybe i'll teach you how to speak spanish?

maybe you already know.