Wedding Day Jewelry (the kind that isn't worn that day)

I'm super sentimental.  Like any number/pattern/shape/word can be held deep in my heart for certain occasions, even when it's something ordinary.  But that's what life is about, right?  Making the ordinary seem extraordinary---

SO what kind of wedding day jewelry isn't worn on your big day?  The kind that's instead reminiscent of the special occasion!  Lately I've been seeing lots of ways to give a nod to your wedding day that aren't pendants engraved with your anniversary!  These pieces may look like normal jewelry to begin with, but further meanings and wedding day associations will soon prove otherwise.

NOTE: They are all from Etsy sellers, since I find that to have the biggest number of choices with the most reasonable prices, but I'm not affiliated with any-- just chose a few of my favorites!  I'm sure other, high-end retailers carry similar products so keep your eye out for what you're looking for.

18k State Charm by BestPersJewelry

I love these.  They are so perfect since you can put the little heart on the city where your wedding took place.  I imagine they'd be especially appealing for those who have had a destination wedding!  Also, I was this close to buying these for my best friends for Valentine's day (for our hometown!) but alas procrastination hit and time was against me.  Maybe next year?

 Geographic Coordinate Cuff by Punky Jane

I discovered these kind of bracelets from a fellow attendee of a bachelorette party I attended.  She had the coordinates of where she met her guy (aww!) but I could totally see it with the location of your wedding too!

                 

Calendar Necklace by Punky Jane

Kaley Cuoco has been spotted wearing a similar one around and this is sure to never let you forget your anniversary.  You can also have the date cirlced (or just a heart instead) if rhinestones aint yo thang.

Lyric Cuff by oneeyedfox

There's a reason you chose that certain song for your first dance and the lyrics always will make you smile.  Have them hand stamped on this cuff and get even more happy reminders when it catches your eye when wearing it.

Alright, enough mush for now-- I'm one Sarah McLachlan dog commercial away from losing it!

xo, Elissa 

Wedding Ceremony Blankets

Anyone remember these on Instagram from a few weeks back?

People asked so now I can finally share--they were bought to be blankets for an outdoor wedding ceremony.  Only problem was those big gray ikea tags.  Something custom was calling my name!  So here's what I did-- ^^

^^I sent the bride a few different blanket sayings.  We went with the chevron pattern since she wanted a modern black/white pattern and happened to be a fan of the zig zags.  We went throughout a few different font options and ended up with…^^

^^This one!  I love the rhyming (and kitschy-ness of course!) so I'm glad it was the one.  I had a 100-pack of 5x7 photo paper, so I printed them out on the glossiness.  Those circles on the ends represent where I punched holes to lace the ribbon through.^^

^^I couldn't wait to tear off all those Ikea tags!  Luckily, we didn't have to re-roll, so it was just basic assembly.  After we cut all of the ribbon to the appropriate length, we laced a tag on each blanket and finished with a nice bow in the back.  An easy upgrade (that's only cost was the ribbon spools!) that definitely made an impact.  The bride had thought about donating leftover blankets people would leave behind, but at the end of the night, there weren't any left to collect.  Couldn't have asked for better!^^

We thought of a few ways to display them, but the bride ultimately wanted them placed on the seats, so that's where they went.  Being the planner, time got the best of me and I didn't get any pictures of the bags of them post-tieing or once they were distributed, but I bet the photographer got some of them dispersed on the seats.  Fingers crossed!

xo, Elissa

UPDATE: See the pro photo HERE!!

Lipstick Kisses Guestbook

I love lip prints- there's something so feminine yet powerful about them!  These sultry prints can be a ladies' autograph-- forget the days of traditional guestbooks with names or even items with thumbprints!  For a bridal shower, bachelorette party, birthday party, or any other female event (how cute would this be a a baby girl shower to display in the nursery?), this is a unique way of marking who was there-- plus, instead of just getting thrown on under the coffee table, these can be beautifully framed in your boudoir, closet or even bathroom!  Use different shades to display your event colors or girls' personalities, or just let the kisses speak for themselves!

Top: wooden plaque, guestbook set up / Middle: instructions sign / Bottom: framed decor, bride with girls

This would be super easy to set up-- either get a canvas or a paper that you can get framed and buy a bunch of lipstick colors (go as cheap as possible since they'll just be used for this).  Then throw a cute sign down with them and voila, station done!

Need a kitschy saying to accompany it?  I got you covered:

"Lipstick kisses for the future Mrs." (says the wooden plaque above)

"A shower of kisses for Baby ______"

"Kiss this Miss goodbye!"

Don't forget the wipes to ensure the lipstick prints only end up where you want them!

xo, Elissa

#TBT: Sneak Peak into A+A's wedding!

I shared the highlight film yesterday, so I couldn't wait to show these today!

I wanted to share these AMAZING images that the fantastic team at Domino Arts shared from this past weekend's event-- 

I couldn't be more excited!

We had an amazing vendor line up that came together for this perfect day:

Wedding Planner: Partyliss

Venue: Mandarin Oriental Miami (with the amazing Felicia Wichser!)

Photography: Domino Arts Photography & Cinematography

Videography: Senderey Video Productions

Band: Libido

Lighting/ DJ: Bitton Events

Floral/ Lounge/ Ceremony Sparklers: Petal Productions

Hair/Make Up: Tatjana Terzic

Linen Rental: Contempo

Chameleon Chair Renal: Panache

After Party Snacks: Donut Divas

Photo Booth: The Traveling Photo Booth

Bridal Gown: Kleinfeld, Anne Barge

Special thanks to Dianna of Bitton Events for helping me out with day-of coordination.  See people, even I need help sometimes!  If you are ok taking on the extra load and don't need (or can't afford) a full-on wedding planner, a day-of coordinator is the best money you'll spend on your wedding- they ensure that you don't have to worry about anything that day!

Well, back to normal next week!

xo, Elissa

A+A Wedding Highlight

So remember some talk about my Super Bowl of a Wedding?

Alana and Adiel || Mandarin Oriental, Miami || February 16, 2014 from Senderey Video Productions on Vimeo.

Let's just say I was the Seattle Seahawks in this year's game-- not that everything was against me, but that it couldn't have gone better.  It was essentially perfect-- the best executed event I have ever been a part of.

Making it better?  It was my boyfriend's sister's wedding.  Essentially like my sister's wedding, since I only have a brother.  It was a seriously magical night.

Anyway, I know I always preach about the essentialness of a wedding planner, but I think a day-of coordinator is more realistic for most.  Since this was like a family wedding to me, I brought someone in to help run the day and take over later when I'd turn on to guest mode.  I've never juggled planning and attending at the same time before- it was a struggle at times, the end result was more rewarding than anything I've experienced.  Getting to share the whole wedding process with the bride & her mother is something I will remember forever!

BUT BACK TO THE GOOD STUFF--

At the top is the highlight film from the extraordinary Senderey Video Productions.

Time and time again, they have that clip to me less than 36 HOURS post event,

THAT MY FRIENDS is how to make a planner happy!  I hope you enjoyed it up there!

Here's to hoping and wishing that some images will follow soon!

xo, Elissa

Valentine's Day for Procrastinators: free printable for snacks in your pantry!

I'm writing this at the wee hours in the morning, so forgive me if I have any typos!

I had a very sweet friend (Hi P!) who asked about little items that could be given to coworkers or even friends on Valentine's Day, so this was my take on that.  I love the idea of grabbing something out of your pantry and making it work for whatever holiday the day brings especially if you're stuck in the snowpocalypse! and most of the times these snacks would be more appreciated than the typical candy or chocolate varieties

How's that sound for ya?  I even included the printables below so everyone can get in on the fun-- just grab some 4x6 paper (I used photo paper to give it a nice sheen), your favorite snacks, some festive ribbon and your printer.  Let's a goooooooo!

Now you really have no reason not to celebrate tomorrow ;)

Happy early Valentine's Day!

xo, Elissa

  Lollipops Vday Printable

  Cracker Vday Printable

  Pretzel Stick Vday Printable

  Peeps Vday Printable

  Hot Chocolate Vday Printable

Tuesday Trends: Pink Gowns

If I was a football player, this weekend would be the Super bowl…

not only do I have a gigundo wedding, but Friday is my FAVORITE holiday

VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!

I apologize if you all have felt ignored, I promise the rest of this week won't be so bad

and next week, it's back to normal!

but anyway….

Kaley / Jessica / Gwen

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I'm highliting pink gowns this week.

They can be uber romantic (blush tones!) or trying to make a statement (bubblegum for the win!), but are all gorgeous, nonetheless.  Celebrities have done this for years, as seen below on a few favorites:

Reese / Portia / Gwen / Anne / Jessica / Kaley

Not to say that the above ladies started this trend, I think the gown designers had something to do with it too.  Have you seen Vera Wang's Fall 2014 runway show?

 

 

all via Huffington Post

The theme was Think Pink with the spotlight on 4 shades: petal, rose, peony and coral.

"Pink as sensual, pink as seductive, pink as dreamy, pink as sophisticated, pink as strong, pink as cool."

I'm TOTALLY with you there Vera!  Not that pink was my favorite color before or anything…

free printable from here!

…and Audrey is right there with us!

Here's to pink and to Valentine's Day!

xo, Elissa

DIY Alcohol Bouquet

SO if Monday's post didn't provide a good gift for your favorite guy, fear not!  This is perfect for him (or any of your lady friends that you like to shower with love too!).  I had seen those done before with the mini bottles on sticks of sorts, but I wanted them to have more of a Valentine's Day kick!  If you ask me, it's pretty darn cute (kitschy yes, but it's Valentine's Day, what do you expect!) and since most of the items I already had on hand or purchased from my local dollar store, this easily came in under the price of a real rose bouquet around Valentine's Day!  Want to make one?  Follow the steps below! 

Disclaimer: my lighting stunk on the day I took these.  My post processing is getting better, but I'm not quite a professional graphic designer yet.  Bear with me people!

^^Self explanatory.  Everything with a $ next to it means I got it from the dollar tree!  The other tools I had on hand except for the mini bottles, which I picked up a variety of at a local liquor store.^^

^^Take your floral tape and wrap it around one of your skewers.  These will become your new stems since the original ones are too flimsy to hold the weight of the bottles.  Don't forget to stretch the tape out as your wrap!^^

^^Disconnect the top of the rose bud and it's components from the stem…^^

^^And assemble them on your skewer!^^

^^Next, take your glue gun and put a big plop of it in the middle of the rose.  Pull back the petals to make sure it only gets in the center.^^

^^Quickly shove that bottle in before the glue dries.  Mash it down as far as you can, while holding the flower down to not come off of the skewer!^^

^^Flip it back over, and one is done!  Plus the perfect (altered) quote :) ^^

^^Once you assemble a bunch, pour your stones  (or sand, any sort of weight to hold those stems upright) in and shove your skewered flowers in.  Add a heart with your current favorite Beyoncé lyric since it is so applicable and HELLO it's BEYONCÉ, always include her when possible! 

^^Look at that top view!  You're about to make your boyfriend (or girlfriend!) a very happy-- albeit buzzed-- person come Valentine's Day!

So another cheap gift for next week!  No excuse  not to celebrate people-- it's about the love NOT how much money can be spent!

xo, Elissa

Tuesday Trends: Mismatched Bridesmaids Dresses

via Pop Sugar   |   via Bridal Guide

Ever since I saw Carrie & Big's wedding in the Sex and The City movie, I have been intrigued by the idea of different colored bridesmaid dresses

While the 3 colors are a little too contrasted for me, I love how they showcase their personalities and the styles compliment their individual body types.  Lately, I've noticed lots of brides choosing a dress color/material and letting their ladies choose the style.  Why not take it one step further and change the colors and materials a bit too?  Some may worry about them not being distinguished enough, but hey-- they're walking down an aisle with a bouquet, anyone would be able to tell they're bridesmaids!

One of my lovely brides, the now Mrs.A, chose 2 colors for the 'maids in her wedding a few months back and gave them free reign for material, designer, and all other factors.  The result (as seen in a previous Fab Pic Friday post) was the most beautiful combination of colors on her girls -- pictures BARELY do it justice.

Thanks Muñoz Photography!

So how do you go about achieving this?  I decided to highlight 3 styles-- multi colored, shades of color and neutrals.  Check them out below and see which calls out to you!

via 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

Now, above might be a bit too out there for you (as were most of the things Carrie Bradshaw wore!), but if you're still digging the differing hues, try doing shades of a single color.  Basically forming an ombre pattern with your bridesmaids!

via 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9

If this is still too much color for you, I have a solution-- neutrals!  Get that cohesive look you are going for without having an army of soldiers in matching uniforms standing next to you!

via 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

So what fits your fancy?  No matter what, your girls will feel comfortable, beautiful and fantastic-- which is pretty impressive when talking about bridesmaid dresses!

xo, Elissa

PS- Lots of celebrities love this trend too!  See Christina Hendricks (L) and Molly Sims' (R) respective weddings/bridesmaids below!

 

vis source    |    via source