Blue Orchid Update July 15, 2008

When I posted about my friend’s flower dilemma, I had absolute confidence that the whole affair would be gorgeous, but what I didn’t have an accurate handle on was how much it would make me cry. Whether it was her beautiful antique lace looking dress, the abundance of personal details, the fact that they are high school sweethearts, or just the realization that my own wedding is drawing ever closer, I had trouble holding myself together pretty much the whole time.

To begin, I have to show the centerpieces. Initially the bride wasn’t sure how all the elements would work together, but in the absolutely gorgeous and ornate venue of the Columbus Athletic Club, they were perfect. Especially as the night went on the candles reflected off the water and gave the whole table a glow which was lovely.

The reception venue itself was pretty spectacular. There were beautiful chandeliers and ornate woodwork everywhere you turned, so the room didn’t need much decoration. The cake was pretty as well as delicious, and I loved all the personal touches like the groom’s cake, family picture tables, and signature turquoise cocktail.

I have to say, though, that my favorite piece of the wedding (and therefore item that I am most likely to steal) was the bride’s adorable parasol. It also turned out to be extremely practical because they got completely bombed with birdseed coming out of the church. I can see why more couples are using bubbles or sparklers, but if it makes for pictures like this, I think it’s all worth it.

Congratulations you guys!!!

Matching-Sweater-Free-Zone July 8, 2008

I (sort of) get why couples choose matching outfits for their engagement pictures. I can easily imagine the “it looks better” and “it shows that we do everything together” explanations, and of course the tried and true wedding justification “but it’s just so cute !”

I understand wanting to coordinate somewhat but I feel like engagement pictures should portray who you are as a couple. And I’m pretty sure most couples today don’t wander around in identical jeans and turtlenecks. The exception to this rule are the adorable old couples with their matching windsuits…maybe that’s where Drew and I are headed (and that would make me very happy) but we’re definitely not there now!

We have our engagement session scheduled for next week and being the avid shopper that I am, I had my outfit planned months ago. Drew will probably pick out his outfit the day of, which is completely fine because he’s a pretty classy dresser and generally shies away from trends and potentially clashing colors. My hope is that we look the way we naturally do when we go out for dinner or a night on the town, taking into consideration the general tips from our photographer (no neon colors, really graphic prints etc). These couples seemed to have the same inspiration, and I love the way their pictures turned out!

He looks completely comfortable in jeans and a polo, and I adore her burgundy minidress with tights and boots. If it wasn’t hellishly hot and humid here I probably would have done something similar! Picture by Blue Olive Photography.

Another darling dress, but she has personalized the look with a chunky necklace and he looks great in a simple short sleeved button down. In some of the other pictures, the blue of her dress really pops against his white shirt. Picture by Lauren Slusher Photography.

And of course I had to include another Kitty couple. The casual look they both have is adorable, plus it allowed them to take some really sweet and playful shots around downtown Columbus which you can check out on Kitty’s blog.

Neighborhood Window Shopping July 6, 2008

I adore our new neighborhood. The Short North is the type of place where a historic factory turned retail building houses an art gallery, bicycle/clothes boutique, ethnic restaurant, pseudo porn store and vegan bakery in a cozy little row. Definitely not what you would expect from a city smack dab in the middle of acres of cows and Amish communities, but Columbus seems to get steadily cooler the longer I live here.

I pass this home decor store called Collier West almost everyday, whether on a run or one of our jaunts to any of the above stores, and their window displays are always awe inspiring. Even though the reflection from the window spoils the effect a little, I thought this all white antique look was a lovely take on a common wedding theme. My favorite element is probably the branch chandelier, but I also think the gown is very pretty even though it is a little more princess than my usual taste.

In Transit June 22, 2008

You know that Ikea commercial with absurd amount of boxes piled on top of an itty bitty Volkswagen (just say “it only happens twice a year sale” to yourself with a Swedish accent until it rings a bell). That is pretty much what our move has looked like, except it has been our little Prius getting the workout the 3.5 miles between our old house and our new house. Fortunately, all of our stuff is now there, the furniture is (mostly) assembled, and we are (somewhat) organized and most importantly the house and the neighborhood are already have me over the moon with happiness. Unfortunately, we don’t get cable and internet until Tuesday which is when I think we’ll really feel settled…it might just be a little sad that we’re so dependent on technology but I think it’s pretty much a cliche at this point. So au revoir until Tuesday when I rejoin the world of the wired

Shiny New Things June 15, 2008

Now I don’t want to wax too materialistic in this post, but I have to say there is something really gratifying about growing up and being able to decide when and how to spend your own money. Drew and I have been saving for a year in order to buy a house and get settled with minimum pain and budget stretching. Our goal was accomplished on Friday when we closed on our house! We are both beyond excited, especially because we snagged a great deal in the Short North neighborhood, which is as close to Seattle as you can get in Columbus. Boutiques, bars, swanky furniture stores, and musty vintage shops crowd every block and in just a few weeks the whole area will be caught up in my favorite city tradition: Comfest and the Pride festival. I absolutely cannot wait to be living smack dab in the middle of all the festivities.

Since our current place is quaint and historic (read a matchbook sized converted carriage house) we had a lot of work to do in the furniture department. Clearly, a trip to Ikea was a necessity. We ended up with a bed, two night tables, a dresser, two desks and various and sundry chotchkes like an ice cube tray container that makes bottle shaped ice cubes and my beloved lingonberry jam (yay Scandinavia!) all for a comparably tiny price. One of my favorite unexpected finds were these sweet handblown wine glasses. At $2.99 a pop, I won’t feel too terrible if I break them.

And of course since we bought wine glasses, we needed a place to put them. Plus the rest of our booze accessories for that matter. We found this awesome wine bar at Crate&Barrel where I just happened to have scored some gift cards. I’m pretty excited to break in this piece at our housewarming party. I also revisited the copper top dining table I’m in love with at the store, but after the sobering realization that it costs more than the entire enormous load of furniture we bought at Ikea I’m willing to reconsider. For now.

I’m also thrilled to annouce that this is the inagural post on my brand new laptop. After lots of deliberation, I ended up with a Sony Vaio and I adore it. I have to admit I was very seduced by the Mac Air commercials with the manila envelopes and catchy music, but in the end I think this laptop will be even more functional and it’s pretty damn cute at the same time. Blogging will be a lot more enjoyable now that my lap will not be scorched by the rampant overheating of Drew’s castoff laptop. Goodbye 17 inch mammoth laptop, hello portability!

Blue Orchid Centerpiece Ideas June 12, 2008

One of my fellow teachers who is getting married in July asked me for some centerpiece ideas for her reception which will be at a gorgeous venue in downtown Columbus. Not only am I flattered because we’ve spent a lot of time sharing wedding details at work and she has fabulous taste, but I figured this would be a perfect opportunity to post some more floral inspiration since I think she is facing a dilemma that brides often struggle with.

After sticker shock at the florists, which is something I totally understand, she decided to use other more inexpensive materials to dress up her tables. Her original plan was to use blue orchids wrapped around the inside of a fishbowl filled with water and a floating candle on top, but something about the design just didn’t look right.

Without seeing it, I’m guessing that all the elements are competing with each other. A fishbowl is such a simple shape that usually only very minimalist flowers are used along with it, and the floating candle might seem out of place. I love the basics of the idea though, so here is a collection of ideas that will hopefully help reduce her last minute planning stress. I can’t wait to attend the wedding and post what she decided! I have no doubt the whole affair will be absolutely gorgeous.

Idea 1: Change the container shape

I think the fishbowl shape, while pretty is somewhat hard to work with. Cylindrical vases like these wouldn’t be much more expensive and are really elegant and streamlined with floating candles on top. You could either do a collection of different heights, or just one or two and scatter flowers on the table for more visual interest.

Idea 2: Use colored water

This would be incredibly inexpensive and I think the burning candle inside the turquoise water is a really cool effect. The website includes instructions on how to easily create the centerpiece yourself, and you could also add flowers either floating on the water or in between the two vases to incorporate the orchids.

Idea 3: Add branches for height

Another possible reason the fishbowl centerpiece wasn’t working could be the lack of height. Tall centerpieces definitely create more of an impact, although you do want to be aware that they can block conversation if you aren’t careful. Curly willow is a good element to use since you can get it cheaply and see through it enough to talk to the person across from you. I love how in this picture orchid blooms have been attached the the willow so it looks like a blooming branch. The advantage to this look would be you could really use any type of glass container as long as it was deep enough to hold up the willow.

Alltop Blog Heaven May 31, 2008

If you need an excuse to look at even more wedding blogs (which I think is always a good idea) Alltop now has a wedding section. I hadn’t heard of this site before, but it’s very easy to navigate and includes a huge selection of blogs and their latest headlines. It’s pretty sweet! I’m also pretty pumped to be listed on the site along with some of my other favorite reads.

On an unrelated note, one of the perks of being a teacher at a prep school is the incredibly overgenerous end of the year gifts. Since everyone knows I am moving into a new house and getting married I got a barrage of gift cards from every store I have been eyeing lately (ie Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Sur Le Table, Willams & Sonoma etc). It felt like an early bridal shower and I’m so excited to go shopping today for stuff to fill up our empty house!

Introducing our Fabulous Photographer May 30, 2008

We only met with one photographer for our wedding, because it was pretty much love at first sight. One of my biggest wedding pet peeves are marathon posed photograph sessions that look stiff and unnatural. Kitty Maer, our photographer, used to work in the fashion industry in New York so all of her work has that editorial feel to it. She’s also incredibly adaptable to the needs of the couple, and in our case has agreed to do mostly candid shots. I think it also helped that she always adds an artistic shot of the bride’s shoes We’re doing an engagement session with her this summer, which she likens to following us on a date and capturing us as we normally are. We’re planning to stroll around our favorite neighborhood downtown where they are lots of murals and cute boutiques for some funky urban shots. I can’t wait to see how they turn out! Just so you can see what I’m raving about, here is a snapshot of some of her work. Obviously I’m a little biased, but I think her blog is also a great read and full of gorgeous inspiration and ideas!

One year from Saturday… May 22, 2008

I will be getting married! Even though we still have a long way to go the fact that we are finally within the one year marker is exciting since we’ve been engaged since August. As I’ve said before and I’m sure I’ll say many more times before the big day, I’m so glad we decided on a long engagement. I’ve been able to bask in the joy of wedding planning slowly and not feel rushed at all. I feel pretty good about what we’ve accomplished too (just to satisfy my inner type A-ness I’ll put it in a list).

• Ceremony and Reception venue booked
• Photographer booked
• Dress ordered
• Shoes bought (obviously this deserves it’s own bullet)
• Color Scheme decided
• Favors decided

And for many other details like the linens, chairs, flowers, music etc. I have a pretty specific idea of what I want so I think everything will come together quickly. Plus the longer we’ve lived in Columbus, the more awesome contacts are falling into our lap. I found a stylist and a salon I adore to do my hair and make-up plus a spa party for all my girls. The house we’re moving into happens to be next to this amazing bakery we stumbled upon, which is also right next to a cute stationary shop I have yet to explore. Hopefully the trend continues!

And what better way to celebrate our (negative one year) anniversary than to go to another wedding! We will be in Pennsylvania all weekend first at our college campus for the ceremony, then at a pretty historic inn for the reception, and finally relaxing at a cabin on a lake for the rest of the time. It’s nice to be one of the later weddings in our circle of friends so I can pick up tips from everyone before me Enjoy the long weekend everyone!

Race for the Cure May 18, 2008

One of the things I love about Columbus is what a huge event Race for the Cure is every year. The city is an explosion of pink for weeks beforehand, and on the day of 50,000 plus people come out to walk, run, and/or support the cause. They have live bands all the way along the course and bikers with Harleys revving their engines for the last half mile which is just the kind of encouragement you need at the end of a 5k run! If you have this event in your city, you should definitely make an effort to be a part of it in some way. I think everyone has had a friend or relative who has struggled with breast cancer, and for every tragic story there is a story of survival. Hopefully in the not too distant future everyone will be able to be a survivor!