This is marilinmccall's Green Wedding!

Not sure how many of you have seen the website Polyvore, but I am loving it. It lets you make inspiration boards for fashion items, like if you wanted to put together an outfit for an occasion, you could clip it all from the websites, put it together in Polyvore and see how well it meshes. I did one of some of the ideas I've liked so far, just really simple. it definitely allowed me to 'see' my ideas better.

Polyvore.com!

Mood: whimsical garden romance, with a vintage twist
Palette: emerald green, aquamarine

from: http://snippetandink.blogspot.com/2008/10/board-298-emerald-and-aquamarine.html

Top row from left: hairstyle from Brides, bouquet from Martha Stewart Weddings, tables and lanterns via {frolic!}, cake topper from Martha Stewart Weddings
Row 2: chrysanthemum and vase from Inky Pink, green candy buffet by Amy Atlas, green vintage dress from Antique Dress via So Sweet & So Cold, centerpiece photo by Elizabeth Messina
Row 3: VW getaway photo by Duston Todd, invitation via Brooklyn Bride, peony bouquet and cocktails both from Martha Stewart Weddings
Row 4: boutonnieres from Martha Stewart Weddings, Vera Wang ring via Coco + Kelley, Rosa Clara dress via Zoe Lingard, Llubav Choy Duerr ring pillow via Design Sponge

http://www.brides.com/beauty/hairstyles/feature/slide/132484?#_slide=133664
http://www.marthastewart.com/article/white-magic-natural-wonder?autonomy_kw=natural%20wonder&rsc=image_1
http://elseachelsea.typepad.com/frolic/2008/09/texas-hill-coun.html
http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/best-cake-toppers?autonomy_kw=best%20cake%20toppers&rsc=image_1

http://www.inkypink.weddingstar.com/
http://amyatlas.com/
http://www.antiquedress.com/item6334.htm
http://sosweetxsocold.blogspot.com/2008/09/reminded.html
http://www.elizabethmessina.com/

http://www.dustontodd.com/
http://bklynbride.blogspot.com/2008/10/real-wedding-inspiration-julia-matt.html
http://www.marthastewart.com/article/an-armful-of-peonies?autonomy_kw=armful%20of%20peonies&rsc=image_1
http://www.marthastewart.com/article/emerald-and-aqua-stir-things-up?autonomy_kw=emerald%20aqua&rsc=image_6

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/emerald-and-aqua-garden-variety?autonomy_kw=emerald%20aqua&rsc=image_3
http://cocokelley.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-love.html
http://www.zoelingard.co.uk/blog/2008/08/rosa-clara.html
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/09/llubav-choy-duerr.html

These items can be found here.

They are slightly expensive, I'm sure they can be made into DIY projects for a fraction of the cost. I am in love with the garter belt and the champagne glasses.

Origami balloon instructions
The traditional origami model presented here is inflatable. As your final step, just blow into the bottom end of it.

Instructions Difficulty: Easy


Steps in Origami Balloon creation:

Start with any end of a square sheet of paper facing you. Fold the bottom edge to the top edge. Crease and unfold.

Fold the left edge to the right edge. Crease and unfold. Turn the paper over.

Fold the bottom left corner up to meet the top right corner. Crease and unfold. Fold the bottom right corner to the top left corner. Crease and unfold.

Grasp the left and right edges so your thumbs are positioned at the horizontal crease line. Gently push the edges together and down to the center of the bottom edge. Flatten to form a triangle.

Fold the right corner flap up to meet the top point so that the bottom edge of the flap lies along the existing center vertical crease. Crease. Repeat for the bottom left flap. Turn the paper over and repeat for the remaining two bottom flaps.

Bring the point of the right top flap to the center. Crease. Repeat for the left top flap. Turn the paper over and repeat.

Bring the left top flap down as far as it will go without disturbing any of the previous folds. The top point of the flap will be pointing outward. Crease and unfold. Repeat with the top right flap.

Bring the left flap down and tuck it all the way into the pocket formed at the top of the left triangle. Place your finger between the folds to open the pocket, if necessary. Once the flap is tucked into the pocket, press flat. Repeat on the right side.

Turn the paper over and repeat steps 7 and 8.

Inflate the balloon by blowing into the hole at the bottom.

Fan inspiration/DIY projects.

Sitting Pretty
Create an unforgettable look with these sweet seats

Work of Heart

A lilac, sweet pea and viburnum wreath, dangling jasmine and smilax vines and a green toile cushion and cover from Pierre Deux evoke a romantic garden feel, $650, by Belle Fleur, NYC, bellefleur.com.


DETAILS

type : decorations
Content Source : Modern Bride magazine
blossom : sweet peas, lilacs
Style : romantic
color : green

Other Paper lanterns.

Inspiration for Hair Styles.

It takes luck, love, and careful planning to pull off a glitch-free wedding. To improve your luck, why not try a four-leaf-clover ring pillow? Start with a store-bought pillow, or make your own (ours is 5 inches square). Hunt for clovers or purchase them via mail order. Cut organza and linen each into a square 1/2 inch larger than the pillow's face. Sew the squares together by stacking them, then stitching a cross through middle, with stitching ending 1/4 inch from the edges. Fold back organza corners, and affix clovers to linen using white craft glue. Let dry. Fold fabrics' edges under by 1/4 inch, and press. Top stitch to pillow, with care -- the clovers are fragile. Tack a silk cord to the center of the pillow and tie the rings to it.

The soft light of paper luminaries sets a romantic mood. Two bags, one fitted over the other, form a box. The lanterns, strung on electric Christmas-tree lights and hung along branches, are tied with ribbon and sway gently in the evening breeze.

Tools and Materials
Strings of full-size Christmas lights with clear bulbs (remove every other bulb)
Light-colored paper bags about 7 inches wide (for each lantern, you'll need two the same size)
A utility knife
A ruler
2-inch round self-stick labels
2-inch-wide single-face satin ribbon (one 48-inch length for each lantern)

Paper Lanterns How-To
1. Trim the tops of each bag to make straight edges. For the top of each lantern, stick a label on the inside bottom center of one bag to reinforce. Reaching inside the bag with a utility knife, cut two 1 1/2-inch slits, making an X on the label.

2. To attach bags to lights, first remove a bulb, and slide the socket through the X, and then screw the bulb back in.

3. For the lantern bottom, slide a second bag up over the first one.

4. Lay the center of the ribbon on top of the wire at the socket; wrap ribbon snugly down sides of bags. Knot at bottom and let ends hang.

I'm starting to think, since our wedding site is in Kenwood (foresty), that a forest theme would go well. I've got those guest book table decorations I want to do (the three books made out of leaves/moss). My colors are going to be a Hunter Green and a Light Blue. A forest theme might go well.

Just a collection of inspiration. The first three pics are my favorite bouquet so far.

I think this is from Martha Stewart Weddings 07, not sure. Got it from a third party site.

Saw this at melangerienyc.com, it's a chart which details how guests are related to each other or to the bride and groom. I'm thinking about doing something similar in Adobe In Design....


!

Update: 7/10 Okay, I feel sort of stupid. I opened these pictures in photoshop and zoomed in. This is a seating chart. The far left list ( under the Brad & LIndsey part of the heading) is a relationship index, first they chose a color for the bride's relationships, the grooms relationships, and then a shared relationship, so they took like 'Mother of the Bride' and put it in the bride's color and had it be MOB, then farther down they have Sister with a little bride colored person and a groom colored figure. The smaller box to the right of it indicates how many years the people at each table has known the bride or groom. The smaller the table on the chart, the less years they've known them. (useful if you have a lot of guests from different stages in your life, not really useful if you're mostly having family and a few friends). Then inside the circles they list the couples and their guests and on the left of the couple's line they put the symbols from the relationship key to indicate how that couple knows the bride and/or groom.


Fricken CLEVER. I love it.

Once Wed posted up directions on how to make these, from Martha Stewart Weddings.

Reposting here so I can have easy access to it.

Materials
-Tissue paper
-24 gauge white cloth-covered floral wire

Hanging Poms-Poms(see post below)
1. Stack eight 20-by-30-inch sheets of tissue. Make 1.5 inch wide accordian folds, creasing with each fold.
2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.
3. Seperate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.
4. Tie a length of monofilament to floral wire for hanging.

Napking Rings(shown above)
1. Stack four sheets of tissue. Cut a 10-by-5-inch rectangle, going through all the layers. Make 3/8-inch-wide accordion folds.
2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, slip over center of tissue, and twist to secure. Trim ends of tissue.
3. Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.
4. Bend wire into a loop to fit napkin, and twist end around loop to secure.

I have no idea how to make these, the website is actually advertising the bookends in the pictures. Jason's mom suggested getting married at the Redwoods here in CA. If we decide on that, I want to make these for the guestbook table. I like the idea of keeping a theme going throughout the wedding, based on the location.

"A magnolia leaf book, galax leaf book and moss book with birch, bark and butterfly embellishments make naturally artful accents."

Magnolia leaves. $13.50 for 24... they have a few different sizes to choose from.

Galax leaves. $11.52 for 12...

This could end up being an expensive project... I definitely wouldn't do this unless I know for sure that that was the site I was getting married at.


Helpful website one.

What do you think?

It can be found here

The invitation picture is from Martha Steward Weddings, and I used Big Huge Labs to find the color palette.

I am VERY happy with these colors.

I WAS very happy with the first two colors, until I showed them to Jason and he decided he wanted to play with colors.... lol I will be updating as he plays with them.

I am absolutely in love with this card! Once again, I ordered it from Etsy. The seller is even sending me printed ones in green and blue, to see if I like it, I didn't even ask her to do it. All I asked was if I could pick colors for the invitation, and mentioned which ones. They cost $3.75 a pop, and I haven't done any price comparison yet. But we shall see! It might be worth it since we're having a small wedding. The seller is inkylivie, her shop is at Etsy.com User: 95502

According to costhelper.com: Wedding invitation costs can range from $1.50 each with do-it-yourself kits from craft stores to $3 or $4 each for mid-range standardized invitations on mid-weight paper to $9 or more each for invitations that use a high-end printing process -- such as engraving or letterpress -- on quality handmade or silk paper.

I absolutely love this cake topper, the artist ArtCraftBrazil over at Etsy says that she is willing to make custom toppers. I am thinking that this will make a hilarious topper for the cake served at the engagement party. Using the same sort of doll faces, I have sent her an email asking her if she will make one for me that is two figures sitting (maybe on a couch) with two Mac Laptops on their laps (white-mine, black-his), but turned towards each other giving a each other a kiss. The website for this topper is: Etsy.com User: 12665957

Update: Received an email back, custom topper is a go! I'm so excited, this will probably be my favorite part of the engagement party, unveiling our gag topper! :D

I do not really know what to say about this ring, it is absolutely perfect for me. I do not wear a lot of jewelry, and what I do wear has always been thin and silver. This ring is white gold with an Emerald and Diamonds. When Jason first started looking for rings he asked me if I had any preferences; I told him skinny and I love Emeralds. I'm almost 100% certain this was the first ring he really looked at, and as you can see, it's 100% perfect! When he gave it to me, he was messing with me because I was inpatient.

****Update: Background****
I wanted to flesh out my post on our engagement, since I feel as if I didn't write enough about Jason. We met at a party at my house on Feb. 16, 2007; though that wasn't the first time he had been over. I noticed him about a week before the party, but apparently he noticed me before then. He told me recently that he had been asking one of my roommates (I lived with three guys at the time, which was great until about April ;) I wouldn't suggest it!) about me. I spent most of my time in my room because I had just gotten out of a relationship two weeks before we met, and with spending Valentine's alone I was not in the mood to meet new people. They had a party on the 16th and I was hanging out with my friend Lori, talking to her in the kitchen. Around 10 pm, Jason came over and decided to join us, we continued talking after Lori left. I believe we were up until six am that night just talking... about everything, Music, etc., lol. He said he was going to the city the next day to see a concert, and that I should go with him. I agreed. :D

He bought my ticket, and we had a great time in San Francisco in Japan Town and then at the concert. So much fun that I kissed him on what was not even supposed to be a date. :D I didn't get home until midnight, so if you're counting... minus the four hours I spent crashed in my room, we were together for about 26 hours, although I am not sure what time he really came over, so it might even have beenn 28. We were pretty much always together after that, and we had a lot of ups and downs but I think they have smoothed themselves out now.

Which brings us to May 24th! Jason joined the Army in January, and I got to see him for his Basic Training Graduation, but that was only two days. I went to see him at his AIT in May, the 24th to the 27th. I knew it was coming, because he asked me what kind of ring I wanted and even told me when it had been ordered. I waited about.... an hour before I asked him if he had anything for me. That is when he told me that he had almost FORGOT it at the barracks! Then he plopped down on the bed beside me and unwrapped a very pretty box and said that he was just going to hand it to me. I asked him if he was going to ask a question first and he said no! He followed it up by saying that he's been asking me to marry him for a year now, and that he wasn't going to ask again. I was okay with this, and asked if he was going to at least put it on my finger... this he did. We ordered it in the size listed, since we weren't certain if my finger was a size six or seven (all my rings are size seven...) the ring is a size 6.25 and if fit perfectly.