Happy birthday, MOB!

Today is my mom's birthday, which has me thinking about the passing of time.  Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations - they all mark important milestones in life.

My mom and I have always been close.  She has that uncanny ability to hold back when I need to figure things out for myself, and to step forward when she can tell I am yearning for guidance.  She has been a great shoulder to lean on during the wedding planning process, and I can tell she's having fun watching all the plans take shape, and adding her own touches here and there. 

Mom and me, 1983-ish

She and my dad basically eloped in Alaska (they were married by Mrs. Claus at the Santa Claus House at the North Pole - nope, I'm not kidding!)  So this whole wedding thing - big fun party, with all the trimmings and details, bunches of friends and family, and a whole lotta collective joy - is not only exciting for me, it's exciting for her.

Mom and Dad on their wedding day, 1975 (yes, Dad is totally rockin a powder blue tux)

I'm also her only child, and I can imagine it must be pretty darn neat to watch your daughter get married.
Maybe someday I'll get to have the same experience.

Mom and me sailing on the Hudson, summer 2010

Mom, I'll always be yours, and I'm so glad to have you with me as I take this step forward in my life.  Happy birthday, and I love you!

Clutch City!

I know I won't be needing it all that much on the big day, but I felt compelled to buy a clutch to go with my gown.  I figured I should at least have lipstick and gloss, a bit of powder, and some bobby pins on hand.  And a handkerchief, of course, as I know there will be happy tears!

I shopped online, and it was a tough search.  There were so many options!

This one has a pretty bow:

"Social Butterfly" Clutch from Clutch Chic on Etsy

And this one is simple, with lace:

"Antoinette" Clutch from DavieandChiyo on Etsy 

This one is made of soft rosettes:

"Peyton" Clutch from Belles and Crystals on Etsy

This one could even be my something blue!

Lauren Merkin "Louise" clutch / Image from Nordstrom

But this pretty little vintage clutch ultimately won my heart:

"Blanched Blossoms" Clutch from Edisen

It's the perfect size for the essentials, and I love that it's vintage and thus pretty much one-of-a-kind, as so many of the details of my wedding are shaping up to be. 

Did you bother with a clutch or bag at your wedding?  Or just entrust your lipstick to someone with pockets?

Thinly veiled threat...

P sometimes watches Four Weddings.  (He will kill me if you tell him I told you that, so let's pretend I didn't tell you.)  He thinks the premise is brilliant -  there are no paid actors, there is always some sort of catty drama, and the prizes are probably paid for by the sponsor.  Smart approach for the producers, right?

Anyway, we were watching an episode recently and one of the brides on the show had chosen a veil with a blusher.  I couldn't find a picture of that particular bride online, but it was this kind of idea:

Image from Charlotte's Weddings

As we're watching, P pipes up and says: "I really don't like it when the veil is over the girl's face.  It looks kind of weird."

This from the man who rarely shares an opinion on anything I wear (other than "you look great, dear!")  Who knew he would have an opinion on a veil?!  I managed to keep a perfect poker face and said something like "I guess not everyone would like the same style."  Then I changed the subject.

I haven't told him a thing about what I'm wearing on our wedding day, but I will be wearing a veil.   Good thing it doesn't have a blusher, though, hm?  

What do you think of veils?  Short-ish or long-ish?  Blusher or no blusher?

Something old...

I found a white hair on my head the other day, y'all.  Right at the front of my hairline, smack dab in the middle.  Not grey, not silver, straight up white.

I was actually at work at the time, and I pulled that sucker right out of my head.  Then checked to make sure it was in fact white.  (It was.)

Cue mild freakout, under fluorescent office lights, which I can definitely say is not the ideal place to be when having a mild freakout about your age.

Sometimes I feel like the "something old" at my wedding is going to be, well, me.   I'm not saying 33 is senior citizen territory, but in the wedding world, I suppose it's on the older end of the spectrum.  I take comfort in knowing I'll be happy and in love on the big day, which I am certain does more to keep a person looking young than anything else.

But I'll be keeping an eye out for the return of that stupid white hair.

I think I'm going to go buy some wrinkle cream now.

A song for you...

I'm finding it a bit hard to choose music selections for the wedding, our first dance in particular.  I'm not sure if I'm indecisive, or if I just love everything too much!  I am torn between a few choices.

Feet Don't Touch the Ground - Stoney LaRue
This one is a song we listened to many times in the early days of our relationship.  It holds memories of lazy Sunday mornings with coffee and breakfast in bed.

Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton
We heard this one on the night we got engaged (there was a wedding taking place that night at the yacht club, and the band was playing it outside our window), and then again on the radio as we were driving home the day after.  Seemed like a sign...so it could be the song?

Stick Around - Reckless Kelly
A bit of a more upbeat / humorous tune, this one is by one of our favorite bands.  I'll actually be walking down the aisle to an instrumental version of another song of theirs (which will be a surprise for Mr. C - don't tell him!)

Crazy Girl - Eli Young Band
I just love this song.  We could have been the subject of the lyrics - we had a very similar conversation a couple of years ago.  I played it for Mr. C on a road trip and he laughed, because I was so right.  But I'm not in an asylum, don't worry.

She's Like Texas - Josh Abbott
This is a nod to my Texas heritage, and the wedding location.

What do you like the best?  Did you have a hard time picking your song?

A garter for good luck!

We have decided we aren't going to do a bouquet or garter toss at our wedding, mostly because the majority of our guests are already married!  However, I still plan to wear a garter underneath my gown.  There aren't too many opportunities for that, so I'm going to take advantage.

Flat lace garters like this one are really pretty, and kind of a different look:

Image via Be Chic Accessories on Etsy

This one is a little more traditional:

Image via JLWeddings on Etsy

This one has feathers!

Image via Live Adorned on Etsy

This one is simple, but adds something blue: 

Image via The Garter Girl

And this one combines everything I've shown above except feathers, I think: 

Image via GarterLady on Etsy

I'll probably wind up with something like the last one, which has a traditional look, pretty lace, and something blue. 

Are you wearing a garter at your wedding? 

To bling or not to bling...

What a happy day - I found my wedding ring!

After work I stopped by Doyle & Doyle, a beautiful jewelry store on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  The store is a total work of art, with jewels hung in frames on the walls, like paintings.

Image via Doyle & Doyle

They specialize in antique and estate fine jewelry, and I had poked around their website already, so I was fairly certain I would find what I wanted there.  I went in feeling positive.

Sure enough, after trying on a number of stunning and unique platinum bands, both with and without diamonds, this beautiful band won me over:

Why, hello!

I love that it's sparkly but not overpowering.  It's truly a lovely match for my engagement ring, too, with that vintage hand-mounted look:

Pretty. 

And, if I didn't need a clearer sign that it was meant to be: it was a perfect fit, no sizing necessary.   As my adorable salesman said, a Cinderella moment.  He polished it up, rang up the sale, and off I went.

Hooray!  Now I'll just have to stop myself from trying it on all the time between now and September...

p.s. Note the red manicure, which I have to say is aging pretty well five days in.  Color is Essie's "Wife Goes On."  Heehee.