Blogging from 35,000 feet!

Hi Everyone. Sorry about the lapse in posts lately. Its not due to a lack of interest, rather, K and I have been soooooo busy lately trying to keep up with an ever-growing mountain of work! (which is a good thing) So many new projects going on at the moment. Aside from work, we just spent a week in LA visiting family and friends and having a blast. LA was so much fun and people keep tempting us to move there. We will tell you all about our weekend of fun in the next few posts!

On another note, I have to point out that this post is being written on our flight back to our dear NY. We flew Virgin Atlantic this time and have to say that it was a great experience. Our flights were super efficient and we hardly waited for anything. The planes are new and the cabins are lit with cool purple and magenta lights so it feels more clubby than airplane. And the BEST part...free internet on all flights till Jan 15th!

Thank you Richard Branson.

Groom Style: Guys, It's Your Day Too!

Before and After

It is a great understatement that a wedding is highly focused on the female involved (something borrowed something blue). There is absolutely nothing wrong with this but I do feel men should have some sentimental value invested in their wardrobe for that special day.

I have taken you through the wonders of having a custom piece made for your wedding as a guest writer on this blog once before but now I will take it one step beyond and let you in on how you can really step it up.

Recently my father gave me an old tuxedo he purchased back in the day and I had it restored and fitted to perfection and now what was once my father’s black tie gear is now mine. It feels really good to wear it because it’s been passed down to me from him and just as that first game of catch you have with your dad is a bonding experience, so is the moment he hands you one of his old suits. The process could also be enjoyed with an uncle, a grandfather, or even an older cousin. Just make sure the tux/suit is close to your size and can be altered.

If you already have your outfit made or picked out, ask your dad for a set of cufflinks, bow tie, even a shirt. This is something that can bring you closer to a strong male figure in your life as well as make the day just as special for you as it is for your bride to be.

Guest post by Dennis Cahlo of Made to Measure

Make Your Own Table Numbers

If you're looking trim some money off your wedding budget and get crafty at the same time, peep this tutorial and find out how to easily create your own table numbers like these for your wedding.

Step 1 Print out numbers from your computer onto card stock (or hand letter if you feel confident!) along with some kind of border which you will use to cut them out. We could fit 2-up on letter size paper and thought this was a good size. Remember you will need a front and back so print out two of each number.

When you are done printing, cut the numbers out with an x-acto knife (recommended) or paper scissors.

Step 2 Buy a pack of wooden skewers (the dollar store kind will do) and trim them down to about 6" in length. We painted them green but you can leave them raw if you prefer.

Step 3 Now place the skewer in the middle of two same-number panels so it comes up about an inch from the bottom with the number sides facing out and glue them all together. Use a hot glue gun (recommended) or Elmer's etc.

Step 4 Cut a cylinder shape from a brick of craft foam big enough to fit snugly inside your mini flower pot.

Step 5 Place the foam cylinder in the flower pot and stick the skewer with the table numbers attached in the center.

Repeat for all your tables and viola, you are done!

Illustrations by Scott Palmer

Kraft Paper Table Runners

Many of you have asked us how we produced our table runners for our reception. The truth is, it was borne out of necessity. We first had the idea of creating a dreamy summer night in the barn. I was searching high and low for specific lace fabric to cover the generic rental tables, but as it was SO expensive, we had to think of another option. The caretaker of the barn had just enough plain white table cloths that we could borrow for our event. Phew! The problem now was, how were we to cover them? We had found a way to cover the tables, now we had to figure out a creative, inexpensive way to evoke our dreamy table setting.

Since the cloths were white, it was a challenge in creating the warmness, as they were a stark, generic white. But alas, we could do it! We were thinking about creating another fabric runner but after numerous hours in fabric shops, we were stuck. Then we found a roll of Kraft paper in our apartment. Yes!! How could we forget about Kraft paper? After we agreed that this would be the perfect solution, both financially and creatively, the rest came together pretty quickly. I had met with the florist already so I knew the color scheme of my flowers.

In the coming weeks, we began searching for all the components needed to put together the sweet bird's nests. After that, we gathered as many mason jars as we could find, different colored tea lights, and our table number flower pots!

In the last days we decided on the moss and the final result was even better than we imagined!

We will be putting up a tutorial for how to put together easy (and inexpensive!!!) flower pot table numbers tomorrow! Stay tuned :)

Wedding Reception Dinner Napkins

A lot of people have asked us what kind of napkins we used at our wedding. At first, we were prepared to just rent cloth napkins from a vendor. But after we started refining our ideas for the look of our wedding, we realized that they would look out of place with our compostable tableware theme. We tried to think of another solution that might be more interesting.

And viola! What started out as an exhaustive (and fruitless) search for kraft style, natural, unbleached recycled dinner napkins ultimately led us to the simplest (and cheapest!) solution: plain old recycled paper towels. Now, I know what you are thinking...what kind of classless couple uses paper towels for their once-in-a-lifetime reception dinner at their wedding?? Well, I guess we did. But, not in the traditional sense. Our friend Kirsten came up with a lovely way of wrapping the utensils in the paper towels and then tying them with ribbon so that they looked beautiful in the end. Since our theme was BBQ/barn wedding, this idea actually lent itself. Obviously, a more formal, white cloth, china affair would probably not be as appropriate.

With vendors charging almost $1/napkin to rent, this creative solution saved us some money which we were able to use in better ways throughout our wedding.

Total cost: $4.82 (two rolls of paper towels)

Groom Style: Groomsmen Gifts

Ah, this is a topic that I once found daunting before our wedding. I wanted to get my groomsmen a unique gift. But what?? Well, perhaps its easier if you are dealing with a more typical caste of guys who would appreciate a fancy pen, or a monogrammed money clip. But, alas, my male friends are different. They don't like sports. None of them wear formal attire very often. None of them work in any kind of office...and none of them would appreciate an NFL engraved pint glass.

At first, I considered getting a monogrammed liquor flask for them, but then decided it was too typical and cliché, so I reconsidered. I even thought of getting them a boot-shaped pint glass just as an ironic joke but, regrettably, I know that no one would really use it. In the end I thought of the perfect gift: a pocket knife!

A nice, ivory-handled, double-blade folding pocket knife from Knife Depot.

Success!! They all loved the knives I got them and remarked at how original (and functional) their gifts were. So, if you are in the market to buy some unique gifts for your favorite guys, try to think of it as a more personal thank you rather than a cheesy token that will gather dust in a closet...or worse, be re-gifted to someone else.

Shops We Love: Scandinavian Grace

One of my favorite shops: Scandinavian Grace is now offering a registry option! Scandinavian Grace provides home and lifestyle products with a thoughtfully edited collection of classic and contemporary design from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway. The owners: Fredrik and James, say that they "search Scandinavia for the most fresh and enduring design. We love objects of artistic form and practical function that become a vital enrichment to daily living rather than just status symbols." And by the way, I want everything from their shop! Love, love, love.

And their Wishlist is so easy to make and access by guests! Fill a cart and save it as a Wishlist. Add and Remove items as your needs change. Title and add a message for your personal touch. When you create it, an address is generated to embed as a link on your blog, website, Facebook, MySpace or Evites etc. Friends, Fans and Family can click your link to view, share and purchase items from your individual page. And the best part is:

Free shipping on all orders within the US!! How great is that?? Great incentive for all your lovely guests! Check out the site and let me know what you think! Also, how rad is this clear tea kettle??

Marriott Winner!

The winner of our contest from last weekend is: Lala who posted the sweetest honeymoon idea of drinking late afternoon tea with her new hubby and having a relaxing month of newlywed bliss! Congratulations Lala! I hope you and your sweetie can use this amazing prize from Marriott to have a getaway soon! Please contact me with your information so I can get your $50 Marriott Bonus Bucks in the mail today!

Thanks for reading our little blog and have a lovely weekend!

Image via Le Love

Happy Autumn!

As today is the first official day of autumn, I started remembering that S and I were first planning our wedding to be an autumn wedding. Our original date was set to be October 3rd, but as plans and venues changed, so did our date! I can't imagine having another wedding now, although I do love the idea of pretty fallen leaves and warm table settings. Imagine serving a mulled wine and apple cider doughnuts! Yum! Today's post is dedicated to my love of autumn and inspiration for autumn weddings.