Manic Monday #2

Source: Sarah Seven

Our official wedding theme is...

Vintage whimsy!

Unless I change my mind again.  Haha!  Truth be told, I'm already happy with this theme.  So happy and so excited that I have managed to finish my long overdue wedding inspiration board.  Been spending much of my time lately trying to piece together our wedding mood board that I will really, really be proud of.  Tonight, it's mission accomplished for me.

BUT, I won't be sharing this one until it's almost time for my wedding with Mr. J.  =P

I will share though some of the images that I had considered but was not included in the finished board simply because I couldn't use them all.

This is from Australian clothing brand Rose & Ruby.  I've always liked their collections.  They are just the right amount of sweet and romance.  Plus, I love how their collections are always cohesive without being matchy-matchy (the latter being major thumbs up for me).

Vintage floral fascinator from SchickiMickis (an Etsy seller).  Everything about this picture just screams sweet vintage to me.

This fabric and feather flower bouquet is from another Etsy find, Jewel Box Ballerina by Eliza Mariano.  If I had the talent for it, I'd probably DIY something like this for my entourage.  Pretty + Inexpensive = A Happy Bride.

  

When I saw this table arrangement in Style Me Pretty, I was transported to wedding tablescape heaven.

Deliciously gorgeous!  If I remember correctly, Pacific Weddings had a shoot for a Vintage French Farmhouse-inspired wedding and this is the dessert table.  And as much as I love, love, love this picture, I had to let it go because the blue will stick out too much for my own wedding board.  I was, for a time, flirting with the idea of having something blue as one of my wedding color accents.  I finally decided (well, for now, at least) that I'll just stick with the original colors I had in mind.

Victoria Beckham wearing Etsy

Ok.  So she's not directly wearing an Etsy-bought item.  Instead, I found Etsy accessories to go with her impeccably polished Spring/Summer 2011 clothing line collection.  With the designs that I saw, I thought that if I had a wedding that has a cocktail dress attire for the ladies and want a polished look, I'll definitely be checking her out (for inspiration only though.. I can't afford that price tag for a dress!).  I'm sharing 3 that I like and the jewelry I'd want to wear with it.

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I always have this dilemma with V-necklines and necklaces.  You see, I'm the type who stares at anything gorgeous I spot (e.g. bag, jewelry, even food!).  So when I spot a great looking necklace on another woman (wearing a low cut neckline or halter top), it's a debate (too stare or not too stare) since I worry that the person might mistook me for peeking at her chest area instead.  So for this dress, I opted with a stunning oriental design earring that would keep the attention strictly on your upper body.  This way, you get a statement piece that people will be able to ogle at and still be wearing something sexy. *I think I might even use this as inspiration for my bridesmaid gown*

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When I saw this dress, the immediate image in my head is a long necklace with wood detail.  I think it's the brown that made me think that.  After all, pink and brown has been proven to go together well when pieces complement each other.  Personally, I would wear two pieces of this necklace to wear just to make it the just right amount of chunky.

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I have this rule: If a neckline is too close to the neck, I won't bother with a necklace anymore.  And so, to complete the look above, I specifically set out to find a gold bangle.  Thank God for Etsy.  I found one with an etched design that makes the bangle go from plain to fab.  To glamorize it further, why not wear one on each wrist?  Think Wonder Woman.. except without the lasso and swimsuit costume.  Then replace it with a zipped front bell dress instead.

Sources:
Victoria Beckham All featured dresses are from SS 2011 dress collection
Etsy: ilexiadesigns Coin pearl and gold earrings
Etsy: earlybirdcreations Gold plated necklace with timber and pearl design
Etsy: bitapourtavoosi Etched gold bangle

September issue

When I think of wedding gowns, flashes of long gowns with frothy tulle skirt comes to mind. However, because I'm petite, I've learned early on that short skirts were the ones for me. Hence, skirts or dresses with length above the knee have always had a gravitational pull towards me. And although I'm still going to insist on a full A-line bridal gown come my own wedding day (despite a little voice in my head telling me I'll rock a bridal gown with shorter length better), I will always stop, stare and be in awe of the numerous, fabulous tea-length wedding gowns that I find.

And for my birthday month (aka September), I will be featuring only cocktail-length wedding dresses on my inspiration boards. Here's a sneak peek of the perfect example of a short wedding dress that I just though was too gorgeous not to share.

I saw this pretty gown featured in Lo Boheme's bridal collection of vintage hair pieces but could not find who made it (I'll try to ask). Check out that equally gorgeous Juliette headband though. So fab!

Wedding motif: Tiffany blue

Source: Tiffany & Co.

I was once that girl who dreamed of an engagement ring that comes in a box that is a shade of light aqua blue and wrapped in a white shiny ribbon. Truth be told, I am not sure which I like more back then: a Tiffany & Co. ring or the box that came with it. I was so charmed with the color of the box (may be used as a fabulous wedding favor box) that I have decided to make a wedding inspiration board with this color in mind.

Gone are those days when I pine for wedding rings that come in a Tiffany box. However, my love of all things pretty is still there and so has my liking for the Tiffany blue shade. There is just certain chicness to it. May it be a cosmopolitan wedding (think New York penthouse, cocktail dresses, and blue martini) or a beach-themed wedding; I can really imagine using this for a wedding motif. For this post, I've decided for a beach-chic look.



Sources (clockwise from top-left):

pompandplumage (Etsy seller) Garter with Tiffany blue cameo set
Amy Kuschel Wedding gown
Millie Holloman Photography French macaroons
Style Me Pretty Groom's suit
buttongrass (Etsy seller) Pillow
J. Cogliandro Photography Couple on the beach
Jennifer Cress Photography Reception decor
GallaJewelry (Etsy seller) Pearl bracelet

Wedding motif: Forest, Forest, Forest

When I think of wedding motifs, a forest theme seems to always manage to make it to my list. For such a simple (and I don’t mean that negatively) color combination, when done correctly, it will never fail to illicit that “awww, shucks…so pretty” reaction from people.

Here’s my attempt on a forest-themed wedding inspiration board. Truth be told, I am considering this theme for my own nuptials particularly with my wedding reception layout. And once again, I’m featuring my Etsy finds… not just one but three!

Feel free to leave a comment as I’m always delighted to hear feedback of my works.

Sources (clockwise from top-left):

The Cupcake Forest Carrot cupcake
Betsy White Ecru dinner menu stationery
Braggingbags (Etsy seller) Flower girl basket
Good Earth Floral Design Studio Wedding bouquet holder
Braggingbags (Etsy seller) Woodland lantern
Badang Rueda (Philippine-based stylist/florist) Bride's bouquet
David’s Bridal Mikado gown with ruffle details at the back
Wandaandkrystyna (Etsy seller) Brown favor box

Wedding motif: Just like a strawberry sundae

I’m going to be away for awhile but before I temporarily sign-off, I’ve made another wedding inspiration board: pink and brown wedding.

 

I’ve always loved pink but I admit that it can be a little girly at times.  And this is why I just ♥ pink + brown.  I like that the chocolate brown color balances and takes a little off the sweetness of the color pink.  When I imagine these two colors together, I imagine sweetness but just the right amount.  Just like a strawberry sundae.

 

 

Sources (clockwise from top left):

 

Kaboodle Flower girl dress

Blog: Odi et Amo Ruthie Sommers Room 

Blog: Such Pretty Things Haircomb with vintage flowers

ShySiren (Etsy seller) Four leaf clover earrings

Sophies Favors Pink and Brown favor box

The Dessy Group Espresso swatch

Wilton Paper cups

Forbes' list of affordable wedding gowns

Yes, you heard it right.

And yes, it is possible.

Forbes recently released a list of wedding gowns that does not exceed a thousand bucks. The list of money-saving bridal gowns features designs for fashion-forward brides to that of my personal favorite: David's Bridal Galina Grecian goddess dress.

Wedding motif: Mint for each other

My 8-10 hours job (depending on work demand) keeps me busy from Monday to Friday.  And since I’m really a nocturnal person, I tend to sleep late even after getting home late.  On those hours, I am kept busy by only two things: wedding stuffs and/or Facebook games. =P

And of the zillions of FB games out there, I am most addicted with Restaurant City.  I will not bother to explain what this game is all about because if you don’t know yet, count yourself lucky as this game can be very addictive. *grin*  Now, you’re probably thinking what the heck does a Facebook game have anything to do with weddings, right?  Currently, there’s this ingredient that I badly need so that I can upgrade a Kiwi drink to level 10.  If you guessed Mint, then you’re right.

Since mint has been on my mind lately, I figured I’d make a mood board of some sort with the green color in mind.

Green and gold works well together.  I added the red cake to give this motif a bit of a bolder tone since this color combination would work well if you keep both green and gold on the lighter/paler shade.  Too dark of a green will give it a woodsy feel to it and that’s not what I envisioned here.  The gold is meant to be an accent so it needs to be on a lighter shade like champagne.  This could be a nice, festive but not that loud motif.  I would suggest that you use red only on one statement piece like your wedding cake.

Sources (clockwise starting from leftmost image):

• Monique Lhuillier Bridesmaid dress style no. 0904
• Martha Stewart Wedding Ikat and French Silk Ribbon Wedding Cake
• Monique Lhuillier Style BL0901 from her more affordable wedding gown collection, Bliss
• The Knot Champagne mojito
• Tamar (Etsy seller) Two 22K Gold Plated Headbands

PS.  You can find the mojito recipe here.

FINALLY.

This is what most of the people in my life said.

 

Finally, Mr. J and I are officially engaged. Even though I knew this was coming already (just didn't know when and exactly where and how), it still is a different level of happiness once he finally slipped the ring in my finger.  I can't divulge the details of the proposal as it is something we would like to keep a secret.  But I can tell this: it happened in Mandarin Oriental Singapore.  For this, I will forever ♥ Manda SG (this is how Mr. J and I usually refer to the hotel that we've been staying in every time we go to Singapore).  Just for the record, even without the proposal happening there, we have always loved the hotel with its excellent customer service and beautiful rooms.  No wonder it's usually #1 (or #2) in TripAdvisor ratings.

 

Speaking of ring, I highly recommend Vivo Diamonds Singapore. This is where my now-fiancé (i just love being able to call him that.. my fiancé) Mr. J bought the e-ring and I am way more than happy with the service and the outcome. The quality of the ring? Let’s just say that it was so gorgeous that my Mom is seriously considering having one made for her. And between the two of us, it’s really my mom and sister who are into jewelries.

 

Just a brief background on Vivo (located in Singapore); it’s an online jewelry retailer (similar to Blue Nile) except that they have an actual office wherein you could view the stones and setting first before purchasing it. Also, if you pay in cash, you get a discount. Plus, Isaac Poh, is super nice and very knowledgeable when it comes to diamonds (he's a GIA-graduate gemologist).

 

My ring 's center stone is a 0.60 carat round brilliant with HCA score of 0.9. Color is E with clarity of VS2. All the other round brilliant stones have the same clarity and color.

 

So, there we go. I will now have to put a strikethrough in my profile description.

 

I’m engaged.

 

Finally.

Links.. Links.. Links

LOL.

I woke up today realizing that I had forgotten to include links to the websites that I previously written about.

So here they are.  I highly recommend checking the following sites if you haven't already.

• Martha Stewart Wedding - http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/
• The Knot - http://www.theknot.com/
• Style Me Pretty - http://www.stylemepretty.com/
• Wedding Bee - http://www.weddingbee.com/
• Vera Wang - http://www.verawangonweddings.com/
• Marchesa - http://www.marchesa.com/
• Monique Lhuillier - http://www.moniquelhuillier.com/
• Michael George - http://www.michaelgeorgecustomfloral.com/
• Etsy - http://www.etsy.com/
• Weddings @ Work - http://www.weddingsatwork.com/
• Themes & Motifs - http://www.themesnmotifs.com/

PS. Feel free to comment on any other website that you feel is a must-visit, too! =)

Love 'em websites

Date: June-July 2002

 

Title: Modern Bride

That’s in reference to my first wedding magazine. 

I didn’t grow up dreaming and building images in my head of my would-be perfect wedding.  But I did grow up loving clothes, pretty flowers, and appreciating fabulous room arrangements.  Since a wedding has all that (and more), as I grew older, I couldn’t help but be in love with everything and anything wedding-y.

 

It’s borderline addiction that needs to have a fix. 

 

To this, I have the following sites to thank for satisfying my craving every time:

Martha Stewart Wedding

     The mother of all wedding information resource for me.  Seriously.  If you want pretty, functional, and cheap DIY.. Martha is the (wo)man. 

 

Image taken from Martha Stewart Wedding

 

The Knot

     Before my love affair with Martha, The Knot was my go-to for any bridal craving I have.  May it be gowns.. decors.. or even wedding rules.  Heck, I even signed up just so I could have access to info only registered users are allowed to view.  Of course, the wedding dates and details I supplied were.. far off assumptions I had to make. haha

 

Image taken from Style Me Pretty

 

Style Me Pretty

     This is THE wedding blog for me.  Need suppliers in your area?  Check.  Searching for inspiration boards?  Check.  Detailed real life weddings? All here (and more!).  And don’t even get me started on the site layout.  Style Me Pretty surely lives up to its name.

 

Wedding Bee

     Imagine Style Me Pretty except the blog posts are done by several different people.. throughout the day.  That’s as much as 25 updates in one day.  I love this site mostly for the funny and cute and occasional inspiring stories other brides/wives posts.  It still is useful for wedding-related information.  I just prefer to get mine from my other fave sites since Wedding Bee can be a little bit buzzzzzzzy for me.

 

Rose and Ruby

     When my wedding day comes (note to self: have to get engaged first.. *wink*), I’d make Ruby and Rose my inspiration for entourage dresses.  I just love how a lot of the clothes sold here are wedding-able and beyond.  I also like that their collections are always cohesive.  This is important because I have this plan of not making my girls wear the same style of dress and possibly not the same color (different hue maybe).

 

Vera Wang

     She is couture wedding attire.  She’s proven from one collection to the next why she’s on top of the wedding gown food chain.  She has also branched out on other areas like paper products.  Couture wedding stationery, anyone?  I say, why not!?

Image taken from Vera Wang

 

Marchesa

     I have loved Marchesa way before they officially launched their bridal collection.  A lot of their gowns, red carpet or not, is worthy for a bridal march.

 

Monique Lhuillier

     I was first introduced to her work when she made Lea Salonga’s (awesome Broadway star) wedding gown.  Since then, she has managed to do her big, fluffy skirt plus ribbon combo in different equally beautiful designs.

 

Image taken from Monique Lhuillier

 

Michael George

Image taken from Michael George Custom Flowers

 

     If there’s a stylist to the stars (Rachel Zoe), this guy is the florist to the stars.  I will never be able to afford him.  Perhaps, in my wildest dreams.  But even that is still debatable.  But as I have said earlier, I love me some fabulous room arrangements.  The same applies to event styling.  And Michael George?  Genius.  I also like that in his website, it’s written that they work with all budget.

 

Etsy

     Because it reminds me of Ebay only with far more gorgeous items.

 

Weddings At Work

     Local e-group where brides usually share first-hand experience/information on Philippine-based suppliers.  Very, very informative.  Very, very helpful.

 

     Image taken from Weddings At Work

 

Themes and Motifs

     Keeps me notified on the two biggest bridal fairs in the Philippines.