kiss me kate...

...or should i say, i could kiss YOU kate! kate spade that is. 

i think miss spade (with a little help from a new (to me) pop-up internet shopping site "the foundary") crystalized my inspiration for our wedding decor.

perhaps due to blog overload, but i've had a hard time settling on my vision for the day. i have so many ideas, but pulling them all together in a cohesive way has been a struggle. all while fitting in a reasonable budget. 

i knew right away i didn't want a "cookie cutter" wedding that mimics all the other hotel ballroom weddings epitomized in the dry chicken that is served and are indistinguishable from each other. i also knew that "elegant/glam" wasn't really my style, nor budget friendly (at least they way i'd like to do it), so with only those "stipulations" limiting me, there was a lot of options and inspiration aplenty for decor. 

with two urban settings (the ceremony will be held in a loft in the Crossroads that is really a blank canvas, and the reception at the very modern Boulevard Brewery Event Space, which is just so beautiful architecturally, it doesn't need much enhancement). given these locations, it was natural to go with a slightly modern asthetic overall. but i didn't want harsh, cold, or too trendy, and found myself drawn to a style which i describe is "if anthropologie and crate and barrel had a baby..." 

around easter i put together a powerpoint with a lot of my inspirations, and i really liked how it came together. i would call it sweet, charming, and probably a little bit more rustic then the urban setting of our wedding, but i think we could make it work. i think this would be the easiest to execute with some d-i-y, and di-ets-y.  so i felt pretty good about it and was coming up with plans for getting it put together (including my moss monogram...)

but today, once i saw these little guys, everything clicked. 

i was immediately drawn to them, their goldness especially, i am a sucker for anything glittery and sparkly. i liked that they were organic (their egg shape), yet still modern, clean, and, of course, gold. and i loved them. and i began to envision using them as a backdrop for our ceremony.

it wasn't till later in the day i put 2 and 2 together. so maybe i was staring at some of her pieces online instead of staring at a spreadsheet, but suddenly it hit me. a certain stylish lady with ties to kc (yup, even though the brand is kate spade new york, she actually grew up in kansas city)uses a lot of gold in her looks. and bright pops of colors. and has impeccable taste. 

and suddenly, ideas were whirring. ideas involving paper mache, sequins, confetti, hot pink, gold, kraft paper, glitter, so many ideas i nearly had a traffic accident while i was driving home as i tried to write them on the back of a reciept. i had a vision (executing it, as always, is another matter), but i was inspired and excited. and ready to get that glue gun out again.... 

now i just have to figure out where i can get some gold leaf

DIY

Most people’s daily essentials include a cup of coffee, checking facebook, maybe a workout, perhaps your favorite TV show, a 2 pm diet coke, walking the dog, or a midnight snack... One of my daily essentials, since this whole getting married thing started, is checking wedding blogs. I pretty much daily swoon over and get inspired by the blogosphere (and bookmark ideas to copycat)…(and then get depressed that I don’t have a $7 million budget for this shin dig)…

(confession, since I’ve been a young girl, I’d randomly pick up copies of Martha Stewart Weddings at the grocery store, so it is not suprising that when I have an actual wedding to plan, I am going to be pouring over this stuff…)

So, since I don’t have a $7mil budget, and since I adore my hot glue gun, and since I’ve seen a gazillion of these and love them… here’s my attempt at the popular moss letter monograms (and yes, I am managing to type this even though my fingers are kind of sticking to the keys with the aftermath)

The ingredients

1 Trusty Glue Gun

2. Cardboard Letters

3. Bag O' Moss (thank u Dollar Store)

The How-To

I set myself up and started gluing chunks of moss to the letter. It was easier than I thought, the main challenge was not gluing the moss to my fingers. Otherwise, it was just putting some glue on the J, then kinda sticking clumps of moss to it, till it was covered. It took awhile, but overall, it wasn't too bad and probably artificially inflated my DIY confidence...

The plan is to hang these with peach colored ribbon in the entry area (right off the elevator)...

One initial down, one to go!

speaking of royal weddings...

...we're totally royal right?

Posh and Beck's don't have ANYTHING on us

(Derby Party, May 2011)

The OTHER Royal Wedding

Now that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (aka: Will and Kate, aka:  Baron Carrickfergus and Baroness Carrickfergus) have tied the knot, it’s time to move on to the other “future King” who will be getting married in 2011 (pause so I can adjust my tiara): why, that would be me J

Actually, this post is going to be about the REAL royalty getting hitched—because I am still swooning.

A week ago, I set my alarm for 4:59 a.m., and dutifully rolled over, grabbed the remote and flicked on the tv to see Kate riding in the car to Westminster Abbey with her father and the beautiful veil and lace sleeves and a relaxed smile as she waved to the crowds. And let me just say. It.was.magical. I don’t know if it was turning on the tv to watch at just the right moment, if it was her overall princess-like perfection, or the many sweet and swoon-worthy moments of the classic “fairytale” wedding to come, but I was smitten. And spent the rest of the day/week obsessing over photos and articles online.

I loved the tolling bells, the “oh wow” as they stepped onto the balcony, the two kisses, the sweet looks exchanged between Will and Kate throughout, the hats, the blonde pageboy, her confidence, the carriage ride, the way it seemed so true to them (despite being a huge ceremonial deal as well), and oh, yeah, I also loved HER DRESS, which was absolute perfection.  And makes me wish MY dress had sleeves.

Things I thought about (as a bride-to-be myself): as I’ve been planning, I’ve been conscious of the fine balance between—what *I* want and *my* tastes vs. trying to please everyone—and the difficulties of that—and how magnified they must have been for Will and Kate.  I mean, I could probably suck it up on some things (she DOES get to be a princess afterall), but it’s also a day you’ve dreamed of forever, and you kind of do have these visions that you want to make happen and have some ownership over, so I really empathized with her in this aspect. But thought she did a great job balancing it all.  More importantly though, I just loved how calm, relaxed and happy she seemed throughout all of it. Knowing my nature, I am sure I will be stressed on the big day, but really don’t want to be, I just want to be happy and soak up the moment.  Granted she probably knew things were under control and had a team of professionals to make sure there weren’t any bags under her eyes after last minute preparations/running around….but I will use her as a model of being a confident and content bride.  My mantra: Keep Calm and Carry On. Which while appropriately British, seems a bit stuffy. So maybe the popular spin off—Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake would be better. Although I do still have to fit into the dress. How about Keep Calm and Be like Kate. Afterall, I will be marrying my own Prince Charming. And if I just remember that part, I should have no problem smiling and letting everything else melt away.

Other side notes: I dressed appropriately for the Royal wedding by sleeping in a size XL freebie Royals tee-shirt, and celebrated by attending a Royals game that evening (complete with fireworks—just like they had!!). I even went to lunch with our admin, who happens to be from Australia, who has an awesome accent.