Flowers in her hair...

Lets talk about hair pieces! In the course of my dress shopping process, I did try on a veil or two, but was left feeling a little "blah" about them. They are classic, but are they "me?" I wasn't so sure. I knew that even if I did wear a veil, it would only be for the ceremony, so I reasoned that it would probably be a better use of my hair stylist's efforts to wear a beautiful flower instead! I would be terrified to make the switch post-ceremony without destroying my hair!

So, I began my Etsy search for the perfect hair flower. And I'll be honest...I'm not done quite yet. I came across this flower first from Y&E Bridal, and I quickly purchased it:

When it arrived, I tore into the package with reckless abandon (ok, scratch that...I was actually very careful because of how delicate it is...but you get the point)! I took a few crude pictures with it shoved into a ponytail...

I really do love the flower; the lace matches the color of my dress PERFECTLY, so I know it would be a great compliment. However, part of me also longs for something that makes a little more of a statement than this flower, since I plan on wearing very very little jewelry and a simple hair style; maybe something a little bigger perhaps? This flower does lay rather flat. Thankfully, I have it on hand just in case I can't find something I like better in the coming months!

So, what do you think hive? Should I go big or go home? What kind of hair piece did you/are you wearing?

Sittin' in a tree...

If you haven't seen my previous post about them, I’ve been searching high and low for a set of bird cake toppers. There are SO MANY amazing options on Etsy, and my mind was completely frazzled with the thought of selecting the perfect set of lovebirds for our cake.

It turns out, I ended up finding an amazing cake topper that WASN’T originally on my list…

Are you ready for it???

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I stumbled upon Vintage by Crystal’s shop when I was scouring Etsy…and boy was I excited! The décor, invitations, and other aspects of the wedding have somehow morphed themselves into a bird/trees theme (don’t you love how sometimes that just…happens organically?)…and this topper includes both!

Crystal’s handmade toppers are made from spun cotton, antique book pages, and antique tart tins. I love how vintage they look! Quirky too…

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I absolutely fell in love with the sign at the bottom of the tree…if I wasn’t already enamored, this sealed the deal for sure!

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It stands 8” tall, and the branches will span about 8” wide (but they are made with wire, so they are adjustable).

I had to have it...so I placed the order and waited patiently for my creation to arrive!

Lucia wants to know what is in the box!

I tore open the box as soon as it arrived, and then waited a few seconds…holding my breath…hoping that when I removed the layers of paper protecting it, that it would be the cake topper that I had imagined.

It is!

I am such a tactile person; being able to touch the topper and inspect it up close was quite a relief! The tree base and the birds feel plush because of the spun cotton! I love the details of the moss and sparkle on the bottom of the tart tin…just enough to add a touch of vintage glam!

Crystal was wonderful to work with; I liked the initial inspiration of the birds in a tree cake topper that I showed you here...but picky bridezilla me decided that I wanted a few minor changes. Crystal was extremely amenable to my wishes, and was willing to change details of the topper, from the base (she has an assortment of vintage tart tins and boxes you can select from), to the details on the bride and groom bird (which is what I requested).

Was/is there something involved in your planning that you can’t wait to get your hands on in person?

Sometimes I'm decisive

When it came to selecting bridesmaid dresses, I surprised myself by being pretty darn decisive.

I wanted to make the bridesmaid dress process as easy and streamlined as possible, since my ladies are all from different states. I immediately honed in on J Crew’s bridesmaid collection. I figured that they would be familiar with sizing, since it is a pretty common store. There is a great selection available in colors, fabrics, and dress styles.

Because the wedding is at the end of May in Florida, I knew that I wanted short dresses. I also zeroed in on the silk chiffon options, in the hopes that they would stay cool with a light and breezy fabric.

Then, the color selection. After ordering a few swatches of the silk chiffon, I decided that the Vintage Blue was best suited for the look I was going for.

As for the dress style? I decided to let the girls decide for themselves. I am not a huge fan of everyone matching (although if they all wanted the same dress, then I would have been fine with that), so the dress options that J Crew offered provided my party with some variety.

So, what will my maids be wearing? MOH L and BM A are going to be wearing the Sophia:

BM K will wear the twist tank dress:

BM L will wear the Juliet:

All images from J Crew

Overall, I am excited that there will be variety in my bridesmaids’ dresses, yet the color will be cohesive! I went ahead and created another inspiration board for the overall look for my bridesmaids:

Bridesmaids dresses: J Crew, Flower earrings, Hair Pin Set, Chandelier earrings, Bird earrings,Turquoise bead necklace, Leaf earrings, Fabric flower necklace

Was your bridesmaid dress search long and drawn out, or did you make a quick decision?

Inspiration for my bridal party

One of the hardest things I had to do with the wedding planning process was to pick a "theme" and to go with it. There are so many wonderful ideas out there in wedding-land, and picking just one was almost an impossible thought for me! So, I decided to make an inspiration board early on. Some of the key words that I want to embody in our wedding are "whimsical, modern, lighthearted, late spring/early summer," etc.

This one in particular is the original inspiration for myself and my bridal party (note: the dress pictured is NOT my wedding dress...still trying to keep that somewhat of a secret at the moment).

Bridesmaid dress (JCrew), flower girl dress, hair flower, wedding dress, shoe (Nordstrom), necklace, garters, bouquet

Did you make an inspiration board at the beginning of your planning process? Did you stick to it?