you can have your cake and eat it too...

Layer Cake Films shoots all their video in Super 8 (something I wish was available when I got married...I say that a lot!) I'm totally diggin' their quirky style, it seems like they've been involved in a lot of awesome celebrations. Michelle, the creator of Layer Cake Films, has worked all over the industry and is one of the pioneers of this type of stylized, "MTV edit" wedding video. I love their concept of keeping their videos between 10 and 35 minutes. Seriously, who wants to sit through 1 1/2 hours of film...really? I agree with them that short films remind you of the feel and joy of the day. You can check out a montage of Layer Cake films here. They also have a really great blog, and trust me, it's about more than cake!

lovely!

It's been a while since we've shown some wedding dresses. I love this 2008 ad campaign from Anne Barge. I'm so sick of seeing bridal ads that have the bride with crazy hair, in some totally hoochie mama pose. These ads actually show a bride as she might look on her wedding day...not too mention the dresses are gorgeous!

all images from Anne Barge

more colour inspiration

I've found another website for colour inspiration ( I know I saw it on one of the blogs I subscribe to, but can't think which one!). Colour Lovers not only offers inspiring colour palettes, but also patterns.

"sweet retro"

I thought I would share some pictures of the invitations I made for my daughter's 4th birthday. I'll post the rest after the party.

colour me happy!

I just found this blog by randomly searching Blogger...it's awesome. Wear Palettes draws colour inspiration from the Sartorialist's posts. The results are great colour palettes...no thinking involved. This is perfect for picking colours for your wedding, your home...or even your next great outfit!

so easy...

First of all, I have to tell you my love of catalogues that come in the mail! I live in Canada, and every time I visit my sister S in Massachusetts, I love getting the mail everyday and sorting through the zillion catalogues! We just don't get those here. One of the few that arrives in my mailbox, is J. Crew. I just received the new one, which is all about beach chic...and it makes me want to buy everything in it! J. Crew has come a long way from khakis and t-shirts, and I am loving their bridal line (I only wish it was around when I got married!). I have put together one of my favourite looks for the bride and her maids....check it out.

for the bride this gorgeous gown (no price listed on the site...)

worn with these shoes...the perfect height, with straps around the ankles so they won't fall off and you can dance all night!
Mackenzie kitten heels : $168

and accessorized with this bracelet...so chic!
jeweled starburst cuff bracelet: $150

for the maids, a very classy navy blue...
strappy Florence dress: $250

jazzed up with these amazing shoes!
Liza patterned peep toe heels: $228

and pulled together with this totally cool bracelet
kaleidoscope bracelet: $65

It's so easy to put a look together. J.Crew gives you suggestions on what goes with what, there are so many things to choose from! Trust me, this will be the easiest part of planning your whole wedding. While you're there, pick up a few dresses for yourself....for your bridal shower, rehearsal party, day after brunch...even the honeymoon!

the "grill cheeser"

I am a VERY huge lover of grill cheese sandwiches...again, I love them...the best is on white bread with crispy, pan-fried bacon, old cheddar cheese (shredded and kind of burnt as it bubbles over) perhaps with a slice of tomatoe and dipped in ketchup, served with a pickle (Vlasic Baby Dill). C is as well a great fan of the cheeser...I found on the Chatelaine website a few different fantastic looking recipes to spice up the old standard, there's also some great ones on Chow. Check them out if you too are a lover.

Avocado Kiss inspired...

I had some girlfriends over tonight to get together and wanted to share some pics from the evening. I made a lemon cake yesterday (got the idea and recipe from C, who got it from Ina Garten when she was on the Oprah show - this cake is seriously good), wrapped it in wax tissue paper and twine from Garnish and tied the recipe on the back for guests to take home. I labelled the water bottles and made tags for the food and beverages - just simple black on white, except the water bottles I did in pink and green. We were having a bit of a spa night so I also packaged up some of my favourite bath salts with information/instructions about the product and stapled on a really great ribbon from Paper Source.

ahhhhh.....

That's what this view makes me feel....sitting on the screen porch enjoying my sweet tea, watching the changing colours of the marsh.

million dollar idea

My sister S thought this idea was post worthy, and I agree! I have only ever seen this clever idea of plastic bags for wet umbrellas in Savannah. So much better than getting soaking wet carry around your soggy umbrella when you get caught shopping in the rain. This particular bag was found at Leopold's ice cream shop in Savannah. We stopped in there for lunch yesterday...very cool, and worth the visit if you're in the area.

so classic

I just wanted to share these wedding pics of Jaqueline Bouvier to John Kennedy on September 12, 1953. I was inspired after seeing some old classic wedding pics of my parents. They offer some really great inspiration and seem so timeless and traditional. Take a good look at some vintage pics of your family or celebrities to get some ideas for your wedding, maybe you can incorporate some old family traditions or classic pieces to your day - it makes it even better if you can add a perfect little note to share the history.

damning the floods

On Friday night, C and I and the husbands went out for a couple of bevvies at a new restaurant. All day I knew what clothes I was going to wear...a new black top sans shoulders (very sexy) and a pair of washed out skinny jeans...I neglected to think about what shoes I would wear until about 10 minutes before I left. I was dressed and pulled out my black heels (I have these great heels that I bought from Target, Isaac Mizrahi about 5 years ago for $20.00 and they still look great and continue to just be a classic black heel - super!)...I put them on and realized that my pants were total floods - arrrrgh. I needed to wear a heel with said black top in order to pull off the sexiness of fabric...I couldn't change jeans because all my long jeans are very dark denim and I have something against wearing black with dark denim - not sure why. So, to solve my fasion crisis I wore a totally different outfit...not the easiest solution as you're running out the door.

Today, I research what the heck you're to do about pant lengths and heels and have discovered you are required to have many pant lengths/styles in your closet as you do shoes. Yes, this makes alot of sense but isn't always realistic when you have a fave pair of pants. Anyhow...I now will have a new mindset when shopping for pants and trying to pair them up with my shoes. Check out these blogs You Look Fab and Friday Style for your fasion advice.

keeping it clean

I wear my wedding ring all the time, the only place I'll take it off is when I shower. Because of this it gets very dirty and loses it's shine but I still neglect to clean it on a regular basis (much to C's dismay)...I have used some expensive jewellery cleaners and have tried some home remedies but in the end have discovered it's simpler to just use plain soap and water. I was looking around to see what some of the wedding sites recommend and found these "10 Wedding Ring Commandments" on the Knot . Now, I will pledge to have a sparkly clean ring everyday (or at least once a month).

low country fun!

picture from adventures in savannah

I'm headed to Savannah, Georgia tomorrow for a visit with my family. Savannah is a beautiful old city, famous for it's city squares and Paula Deen. If you've never been, it is definitely worth a visit! I did a historic house tour with my mother a few years ago, and it was amazing. The city is definitely built for tourists, everything is close, and it's easy to walk. There are unique shops, and the fantastic store for SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design. I've found a few treasures there. I will be enjoying some inter coastal waterway views from my parents backyard, definitely a few days at Tybee Island with the nephews and maybe even some grits!

Savannah is also the backdrop for the novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. Wikipedia describes the story as such:

"The action that serves as a catalyst in the book is the murder of Danny Hansford, a local hustler (characterized as "a good time not yet had by all") by respected art dealer Jim Williams, an event that resulted in four murder trials, all documented in the book. Hansford and Williams were linked sexually, but the exact nature of their relationship was unclear. The murder took place in Williams' home, originally built by an ancestor of songwriter and Savannah native Johnny Mercer.

The book also highlights many other residents of Savannah, most notably The Lady Chablis, a local drag queen and entertainer. Chablis provides both a Greek chorus of sorts as well as a lighthearted contrast to the more serious action.

The book's plot is based on real-life events that occurred in the 1980s and is classified as nonfiction. Because it reads like a novel, it is sometimes referred to as a "nonfiction novel," a subgenre popularized by Truman Capote and Norman Mailer. (Booksellers generally feature the title in the "true crime" subsection.) It is among the most popular nonfiction releases of all time.

The title alludes to the voodoo notion of "midnight"; the period between the time for good magic and the time for evil magic; in "the garden of good and evil," which refers principally to Bonaventure Cemetery.

The famous Bird Girl statue, originally designed both as art and as a birdseed holder, was originally located at Bonaventure. A Savannah photographer, Jack Leigh, was commissioned to take a photograph for the cover of the book and created his now famous photograph of the statue. The Bird Girl was relocated in 1997 for display in the Telfair Museum in Savannah."

I'll be blogging while on my vaycay...I'll keep y'all posted...

one more...

It's for a good cause...and totally addicting! Free Rice.

you must!

Check out this site, The Sartorialist. My sister M turned me onto to this one. Basically, he snaps pictures of people all over the world. His hope is that the fashion he sees, might bring inspiration to others. I love to look at the clothes, myself...and the shoes, especially from the Parisians!

nothing to do with anything!

This post has really nothing to do with anything we have ever talked about here...it's just about great design! There was a feature in the New York Times this weekend about kitchens, and about how much people are spending on their kitchens. I guess these days it seems more acceptable to shell out the big bucks on a kitchen, where you create memories and spend time with family, then some huge SUV that guzzels gas and is entirely not eco friendly. They featured an amazing kitchen designer, Christopher Peacock. I'm sure his kitchens cost more than some people's houses...and really, my kitchen is only 5 years old and perfectly nice, but if I had to do it all again, it would like one of these!


(Sorry they are so small, they are screen shots....when sites have their pictures on flash, this is the only way I know how to get the pics! If you want to see them larger, just click on them)

"the girls"

I finally went bra shopping today but came home with 15 pairs of panties instead and 2 braish like (though still kinda sexy) camis. I find shopping for "intimate apparel" (this phrase kills me because really, let's be honest, most of us buy them to make us feel fab not for ...intimacy..ha ha ha - i'm turning red, it's such a goofy word...just say sex already) in our little city very difficult. I am not a busty girl by any means and there is not often alot in my size or a right style that makes me look like a DD (which would be great - even for just one day). I have however found several great fitting bras from Victoria's Secret, my absolute fave being the 'secret embrace' shown below.

If anyone has ever been for a fitting at a bra salon (not really what they're called but it sounds great) they kinda hoist "them" up and do a little - or alot - of pushing and adjusting and by the end of it "the girls" look super and you're immediately transformed into Pamela Anderson, or not. In my researching today, I found that Oprah had a show on getting the right fit for a bra so that it is unnecesary to go into a shop and be womanhandled by a stranger, so I thought I would do my duty for the day and save you all from this humiliation - check it out. It is especially essential when buying "intimate apparel" or "undergarments" (ha ha ha) for your wedding. You want to make sure that you fit into your dress properly and that it looks as wonderful as it should, your seamstress will be able to help you determine what works best for you.

afternoon groove

While sealing envelopes (with my own saliva) I'm groovin' to Sorry by Madonna. I forgot what a great song it is...

p.s. try not to groove while licking envelopes, it's hazardous to your lips...

if the shoe fits

Here are some great "high/low" shoe choices...

Christian Louboutin: $900
net-a-porter

BCBG: $100 nordstrom





Kate Spade: $375
nordstrom

Pella Moda: $142
nordstrom

something blue

Another great way to bring your personality into your celebration is with a signature drink. To save on costs, you can serve this drink only during the cocktail hour, along with other non-alcoholic options, maybe some nice bottled waters and soda. Not only is this drink recipe way cool, but it could also be your "something blue".

Hpnotiq Bubbles n' Blue
2oz. Hpnotiq liquer
2oz. champagne

Or, if you prefer, match your drink to your colour scheme. Alize and champagne would work well for a peach or pink theme, banana martinis (my fave!) would be nice with a yellow theme. This particular recipe, along with many others, can be found on the Hpnotiq website.

not sure what happened

what up with the spacing...no idea...sorry

*update: fixed it!

some great photos...

I was browsing the Instyle Wedding site and came across these celebrity (? really I'm not entirely sure who some of these people are but it said they were celebrities so...) photos. If you click through and look at alot of these weddings they have great photo ideas but all their other pics indicate they are like any other couple with their ideas and inspiration. They have goofy pictures of guests, flower centerpieces, dessert buffets and wish trees - so even though it seems sometimes that everybody has the same idea or that the creativity is simply just running out, you only need to add a twist and make it your own.

Amanda Righetti (from the O.C.) and Jordan Alan - this was her grandmother's headpiece from 1935 - I am totally in love with it and think that it alone may justify a second wedding

Ana Ortiz and Noah Lebenzon

Marcia Cross and Tom Mahoney - so cute..but totally posed

Fred Savage and Jordan Stone

Sanjay Gupta and Rebecca Olson