the sparkle

I had my engagement ring cleaned for the first time today...it's extra sparkly!  Rings have never been my accessory of choice, but I have to say this beautiful sparkly thing on my finger makes me smile.  Every time the gleam catches my eye, it reminds me of how blessed I am to have found such an awesome man.  It's not about the diamond - it's a symbol of unique and lasting love.  

My fiance had my ring made for me by Michael at Little King Jewelry here in NYC.  They specialize in exquisite 21st century heirlooms, jewelry that is uniquely your own.  This ring is truly my own - I love it!  We will also be ordering our wedding bands there.  I would highly recommend Little King Jewelry to anyone looking for something different.  They just moved to a new location on Lafayette St and the store is lovely!

dress shopping: the perfect day

My wedding dress experience could not have been more perfect!

I started the day by meeting 2 of my bridesmaids for brunch at 44th & X in Hells Kitchen.  If you've never been, I highly recommend this spot for brunch.  It's super cute inside, delicious food, and the service was good even though it was busy! 

Our first stop was RK Bridal - a discount designer dress store.  RK came recommended to me by a co-worker, but I had no idea what to expect.  I've been apprehensive the past week just thinking about this day - not knowing how it would go and fearing I may not find what I wanted.  The rows and rows of dresses were overwhelming at first.  However, I came in with a clear vision (and lots of magazine clippings) and it all went really smoothly.  My girls helped me choose excellent initial options, and we even all loved the very first dress I tried!  What made the difference in my experience was my very helpful consultant, Olga.  Olga was precious and has been in the business for 23 years.    She saw what we were going for, left for a few minutes, and quickly returned with the most beautiful Watters dress for me (the only clue I will give away).  I simply love it.  The dress is exactly what I was looking for...simple and elegant.  The way they clamped the sample size dress on me was hilarious!  The order in my size was placed, and alteration appointments will be made.  Super awesome!

We cancelled the 2nd appointment and went straight to Flute (a great speakeasy style champagne bar) to toast our success!  Enjoy a few photos from our fabulous day...

the sea of white and static electricity

waiting for the appointment

where's robin?

these ladies are amazing

dreaming of the dress...

The dress.  Ohhhh THE dress!  You envision it from the time you start playing with Barbie dolls.  Except the vision changes from taffeta, puff sleeves, and ruffles to lace, strapless, and A-line.

That's a lot of dress!  Princess Diana and Charles were married in 1981, about a week before I was born.  Was I destined for a ball gown?  I think not.

the reception search

We were lucky to find our ceremony site early on in this process.  A dear family friend of Clayton's will marry us in his charming little church in Bedminster, NJ.

Lamington Presbyterian Church

The search for a reception venue hasn't been so easy.  We had several appointments with actual wedding venues, but none of them appealed to us.  We decided to embrace the countryside and set our sights on the outdoors for a more rustic party - I've always dreamed of a big party under a tent!  This part of New Jersey is beautiful, but it was difficult to find the right place to host our wedding.  Finally, we were offered this private property....right next to the church!  It couldn't be more perfect.

band stand

imagine the tent, green grass, and trees

There are so many possibilities for our special day!  I can't wait to see our vision come together over the next 5 months.  Lots of milk glass, mason jars, antique silver, lace, roses and wildflowers! 

catching up - color palette

I have a lot of catching up to do on this blog.  Let's start with the color palette.  I've chosen shades of sage, peach, and ivory with accents of espresso.  This may change slightly, but you get the idea.

My bridesmaids will wear sage and the flowers will include shades of peach, orange, and cream.  I envision something along the lines of this:

thingsthatsparkleblog.blogspot.com

fioreblossoms.blogspot.com

I never thought I'd enjoy wedding planning, but finding ways to make it your own is so much fun! I love this blog Elizabeth Anne Designs - great inspiration for rustic/vintage color palettes.

Recently I stumbled across a website called Weddington Way, where you can find just about any combination or color of bridesmaid dresses you can imagine!  It's perfect because the girls can choose from my favorite selections in a style and price range that suits their needs.  Also, everyone is spread out across the country, so getting together to try on and fit dresses isn't an option.  This way, the girls are able to enter their measurements and I can put their selections side by side to see the complete look.  I love this.  Here is an example I really dig:

vintage shopping

Last weekend I went vintage shop hopping in Brooklyn with my friend, Nina, who is also getting married this year. Check out her super cool blog Rocker Chic Weddings. Since we decided on a classic/rustic wedding with a touch of vintage, I needed inspiration. I've been scouring the blog-o-sphere for the past two months trying to come up with colors and ideas - it was time to get out there!

We started at JUNK in Williamsburg and quickly stumbled upon the. greatest. find. See below:

Unique idea for well wishes/guestbook

We also found several other treasures...

first post: wedding plans

I started a wedding website soon after Clayton and I got engaged, but quickly found I need an easier way for multiple people to be updated frequently on our wedding plans. So here we are! I am having so much fun planning and hope you will be entertained with our choices and ideas. :)