No. More. Shoes!

While perusing the Barneys New York sale online tonight after embroidering yet another table name ("cleat," if anyone is wondering!), I spotted these.

Manolo Blahnik Catalina / Image from Barneys

People.  These are gorgeous.  Manolos, bridal as all get out, simple but fun, and with a "something blue" insole!

They are on sale for $269 (orig $675!), with sizes 10, 10.5, and 11 left.  Please, someone, buy them.  I already bought my shoes, but it's totally taking all my willpower not to snap these up just because they have my size.  And someone should have them if I can't.

Be our guest, part two...

Recently I posted some thoughts about what might work well for a non-traditional guest book.  My frontrunner idea in that post was a framed linotype print of Texas that guests could sign and we could hang on our wall.  Then my bridesmaid/best bud/awesome girlfriend Chicago J oh-so-sweetly reminded me that I already had a great idea for a guest book, and it was not a print of Texas.

(Clearly my wedding brain has developed some holes, and information is leaking out.  It might be because I'm solidly into the double-digit countdown to the big day.  Just a hunch.)

And, it just so happens that I like my original idea better than the framed print idea.  Thanks, Chicago J!

So what is this idea, you wonder?  Well, it's a verjaardagskalender! 

A verjaardagskalender is a perpetual calendar used to keep track of birthdays (the name literally means birthday calendar), but can also include other events like anniversaries and deaths.  Every Dutch household has one, or so I'm told.  

Mr. C's family is Dutch.  His dad was born in the Netherlands and emigrated to the US in his teens, and Mr. C lived and worked in the Netherlands right after college for a couple of years.  Mr. C and I have been to the Netherlands together twice, mostly for friends' weddings.  On one of those trips, we visited some family friends, and Mr. C joked that I needed to make sure to write my name in on their birthday calendar.   (I didn't do it, thankfully.  Later he told me it would have been quite funny if I had.  Apparently one does not write one's name on someone else's verjaardagskalender, at least not unless asked to do so!)

Did I mention that these calendars are traditionally kept in the bathroom? 

The ubiquitous verjaardagskalender.  (Image via Expatica)

Pretty funny that they are hung on the wall next to the toilet, but rather sensible at the same time.  (I think the Dutch are quite practical in their approach to many things.)  You are in the bathroom at least once a day, so you're sure to see whose birthday is coming up.  And your guests can check to see if their name is on your calendar when they visit the loo!

Anyway, I thought using a verjaardagskalender as our guest book at the wedding would be perfect.  We'll post a sign asking each guest to write his or her full name on the appropriate date line, with a little explanation about the calendar.  It will be fun to see who at the party has the same birthday, and we'll have a full birthday calendar to hang in our bathroom when we get home.

Now I just need to find the right calendar - after all, we're going to be looking at it for many years to come!

The higher the hair...

Haha, just kidding.  I definitely do not intend to go for this hairstyle at my wedding:

Hilary Duff - image via Dress Safari

While I think a high bun can be elegant - on the right person, in the right situation - Mr. C would laugh me out of the room if I walked down the aisle with a big bun on top of my head.  Instead, as I've mentioned before, I'm probably going to go for a low messy knot of curls.  I have been looking for something pretty to wear in my hair, similar to the jewelry in these photos:

Image via The Knot / Photo by Eric Cable

Image via Wedding Chicks / Photo by Erich McVey 

I actually bought two sets of hair combs on The Aisle New York last fall, right after we got engaged.  I was overly excited to buy my first wedding related item (aside from magazines, of course!) and I think I might have jumped the gun a little bit.

The combs I bought last fall - I have four of them.  I put the pen in the photo for scale. 

I bought two sets thinking that I'd wear two combs and each of my bridesmaids could wear one comb. I could definitely tuck two of the combs into my updo, where the crystals are in the image above from The Knot.  Or even on the sides?  But now that a lot more of the wedding has come together, I'm not totally sure if those combs are the right ones, so I've been looking for alternatives.  I've found a few options that I like, with pearls and a bit of a sparkle.  

I would use this at the back of my head instead.  
Comb from Hair Comes the Bride.

Comb from Cinderella's Pumpkin

Comb from Everything Bride on Etsy

I've also been contemplating a flower as an option, but I think the pearls/rhinestones are more me than a flower.  And it really looks best pinned on the side, but I'm not sure I want that.

Image via The Knot / Photo by Jesse Leake Photography / 
Hair by Mary Belieu - It's a Date at the Powder Room

I will probably just let my hairstylist guide me on all of this and save myself lots of hemming and hawing.  I have a trial scheduled in Austin in late August (can't wait to share photos of that - I have a makeup trial the same day!)

Are you wearing any accessories in your hair?  What is your favorite look? 

Beat the heat...

We had some crazy hot weather in NYC recently, and it really got me thinking about how we're going to keep our guests cool during our wedding ceremony.

The high temperatures in late September in Austin have historically hovered around 90 degrees.  Last year, after a summer of record dry spells and heat, the high on our wedding date (if it had been last year) was a toasty 102.9 degrees.  Yikes.   Let's hope we don't have a repeat of that craziness this year.

Our ceremony is set for 5:30, so thankfully, the hottest part of the day will be over by the time our guests arrive at the site.  The wedding party and families, however, will probably need to load up on hankies and ice water, as we'll be taking photos from 3:30 - 5 pm, which appears to be prime time for sweating.  Lovely.

Maybe I could make everyone a set of wrist sweatbands?  
Image via CraftSanity

Some ideas I've had that might make life a little cooler for everyone on the day of:

1) Have water/tea/lemonade/beer ready and waiting for guests as they arrive.   I'm not sure how this will work logistics-wise, but I plan on talking to the site coordinator and bartender about what we might be able to do to make sure guests are hydrated.

Pre-ceremony drink table - so cute!  
Image via WeddingBee

Use an old boat for a cooler?  
Image via Brides / Photo by Iris Photography

2)  Fans.  I would either go with something really simple, like the sandalwood fans below, or if I can find the time, I'm thinking about making paddle fan programs.

Sandalwood Fan from Koyal Wholesale 

Paddle fan programs! 
Image via Three Eggs Design on Etsy

3)  Start on time, and keep it short!  Our ceremony is not religious, nor are we incorporating songs or other performances.  We currently have two, maybe three readings, a speech from the judge, our vows and the ring exchange, and that's pretty much it.  I'd be surprised if it takes more than 20 minutes.   I don't want it to be so short that our guests feel short-changed, but if it's crazy hot out, we will definitely want to move things along!

Are you having an outdoor ceremony?  What are your plans to keep your guests from sweating?

Be our guest...

I am not a fan of the traditional guest book. 

Borrring.
Image via My Dream Wedding

Luckily, I have seen so many fun and creative ideas for ways to record guests' attendance.   I am having a hard time choosing one that I like best!

Thumbprint trees (also cute when the person signs the thumbprint): 

Image via Wedzu

A signature frame: 

Image via Wedding by Color

Adding signatures to a poster with your wedding date and info and a colorful graphic: 

Image via Martha Stewart

To get away from framed paper, you could ask for advice:

Image via Marry This

Or maybe just forget the paper completely and have guests sign Jenga blocks instead? 

Image via Style Me Pretty / Photo by Taylor Lord Photography

Or how about a bench?!

Image via Ana White

We won't be able to do anything too large, like a bench, as we won't be able to get it back home from Texas to NYC!  (Kind of a bummer, because I think the bench is really neat - and I have since learned that this is actually the one Mrs. Sand Dollar made for her wedding!)

So, to keep it simple but still a little different, I think I will go for something that is kind of a mash-up of the signature frame and the poster, like a cool print that everyone can sign.  I really like the idea of being able to hang it on our wall afterward.   


This print is the front runner at the moment: 

Print by thebigharumph on Etsy

I've asked if the seller can make the print on a larger paper size in order to have enough room for everyone to sign around it, and that is definitely possible.  I also like that it incorporates our wedding location but isn't overtly wedding-y.  Mr. C and I are not fans of creating a "wedding altar" at home.  (You know what I'm talking about!)

What do you think?  And what are you planning to do for your guestbook? 

Party attire for the bride...

Mr. C's mom is throwing an "open house" for us back in his hometown in Michigan in July, so that friends and family who won't be able to make it down to Texas can celebrate with us in town.  Many of them have never met me since we live out in NYC, so it will be a fun afternoon of food and celebration.

Mr. C says I have to bring my "NYC style," as they will all be expecting me to be fabulous.  No pressure or anything.   So I've been trying to find something fun to wear that won't be too fancy or too casual, but just right.  And kind of bride-ish, maybe?

I got this cute Lilly Pulitzer dress on sale recently - seems to be a good mix of fun and bridal, and good for a summer afternoon party.  Can you see it with a bright necklace or bracelets and some fun sandals?

Lilly "Blossom" dress in white lace

And this isn't very bride-ish, but I'm kind of loving it.  It's sweet and simple but also a gives a nod to our sailing habit:

Mona dress from Anthropologie

And look at the back!

So cute!

Which one do you like better?  Or are they both misses?

When I'm not planning a wedding...

...I'm probably at the office.  But if I'm not at the office, then I'm probably working on our boat.

This weekend P and I were up in Newport finishing the preparations for our sailboat Osprey to finally go in the water this week.  It was the last time I'll work on Osprey in the yard up there, as we're moving her back to New Jersey this season.  As I worked under sunny skies at polishing the stainless steel on top of the cabin, I couldn't help but think about a similar weekend last October when I was sitting on top of the cabin in the sun, working hard at sanding the toe rail.  At the end of that day, Patrick surprised me by asking me to marry him.

This weekend we spent two long days finishing up a number of projects (installing hardware, painting the bottom, polishing the stainless, replacing lights, caulking and replacing the rub rail...the list goes on).  We are dirty and bone tired, but we had a good time, we worked hard together, and we have a beautiful boat to show for it.

Boy is she shiny!!!

Weekends like this one make me glad we are a good team.  As P says, there's nothing like a boat as a symbol of a relationship.  Hard work, pulling your own weight, and a whole lotta love - they each need those in equal measure.  It seems just right for us that we'll be spending the first two weeks of our marriage cruising the Chesapeake on Osprey. 

Family portrait in front of Osprey, who has a shiny new paint job. 

What makes you feel like you and your significant other make a good team?