hair: this is it

these images are gorgeous but more importantly, they are perfect for what i'm looking to do with my hair. i want to wear my hair down and wear a big flower but hadn't decided on the look until now. i love this look. it has a vintage feel and is slightly polished with the wave in the front but still crazy fun in the back with all the curls. love it.

i like the hair below but i want to wear mine down not up.

i caved...

but i'm happy about it. originally i thought i would make paper flowers for the wedding. i began cutting petals of crepe paper and storing them in little baggies (like floral crack) to bring back to the states. my friends were going to help me put them together and i would construct the centerpieces well in advance of the wedding. they would need no water but i'd have to be careful of flame. they would be like the mexican paper flowers i love so much.

that was then.

this is now. it is not as if i'm running out of time or even craft energy. it is just that as the time nears, i'm so looking forward to hanging out with my family and friends that i don't want to complicate things with making a bazillion paper flowers.

i worked at a florist for four years. i've done wedding flowers. and guess what? i'm going to do my own! i ordered the flowers from an online wholesale florist and they will be delivered on thursday.

i used the dress in the right hand corner as inspiration. i love the red and oranges together. i even ordered tons of red carnations which i absolutely despised just a few years ago. weird how things change....

imagine

if you add all these together, you'll see what i'm going for. i want garland and lights everywhere for the mexican inspired vintage southern wedding.

got these

a while back i aske whether i should get colored hearts or silver ones. well, i chose the silver. for two reasons really. 1) they were cheaper and 2) i can always paint them if i want them with colors and i can even choose the colors i want. turquoise and red. i bought 140 so that each guest can take one home if they like. if not, i love them and will keep them and use them for years to come. there are so many uses: hang on walls, hang from ceilings, hang from christmas trees, hang in fruit trees to scare away birds....

funny

obviously the invitations went out some time ago. we had two different versions which included/excluded a family dinner so there was a lot of printing and cutting. again, they were all handmade out of kraft paper. i thought they looked fantastic and actually didn't take any photos because we sent out every last one. i should print one off for a keepsake but who has the time. anyway, be careful about using kraft paper because the rabid dogs at the post office like to chew on it. turns out because the paper was rather thin that a couple of the invites got caught in the machines and torn up. yikes! i hope everyone got one!

red and white checkered food tray

i pinched this idea from a beautiful red and white wedding showcased on snippet and ink. because my caterers do not provide plates, napkins or cutlery for the cake, i thought i'd go casual. i'm already having a cake buffet, not a traditional wedding cake, so these cute red and white trays fit the bill. i bought wooden spoons and turquoise napkins from china town for a ridiculously cheap price and i'm all done. the trays come in 500 for about 25 dollars! and i'll never use that many but i'll donate them to the family children for paint dishes and afternoon snacks. cheap and cute!

been away

i've been away for so long. spent too much time planning and not enough time writing about it. there is less than one month to go and so much has happened. in the last couple weeks i've (and my little helpers) have sewn 130 cloth napkins out of red and turquoise fabric, purchased the remaining items for the cake table, gone shopping for ties, socks, bra, etc., washed and nearly packed all the glass and metal centerpieces, and the list goes on. i thought i'd put up a few posts about what i've been doing.

above is the coozie proof. we order 75 for our guests who are drinking beer as opposed to sangria or iced tea. the proof is in black and white but the coozie will be red with turquoise writing.