Our Inspiration!

Well, it's more like a collage than inspiration board, but here's something for you to look at. I'll list the links for most of them (in no particular order) down below the picture with a bit about them.



The dress is a photo of my Jim Hjelm inspired lace wedding dress. There will be an orange sash instead of the champagne color there.

I think that all the plants and things speak for themselves. They are decorations, inspiration for the color palette, and just fun things. We like the idea of using wheat, gourds, cattails, pine cones, and leaves throughout the place rather than having matchy-matchy things purchased from a florist.

The boutonniere is by the French Mouse on Etsy, and we loooove it.

That room with the Christmas tree lights in the rafters and the white round lanterns is actually the Lodge where we are having our reception at Camp Kiwanee. We will be married on the deck overlooking the lake, and then move inside for the food and dancing.

These rings are made out of recycled gold, by a company called GreenKarat. Extra bonus, Shaun's mother is donating some of her gold jewelery to use as store credit.

The plates are a particular type of disposable dinnerware by VerTerra that's made of just fallen leaves and water. So they're non-toxic, biodegradable, compostable. Plus, they just plain old look awesome :3

Let's see, what else is in there that needs explaining... I think the last thing is the invitation you can see on the bottom. These invitations by the InviteSite are also biodegradable, and embedded with Cosmo seeds. Shaun's head over heals for plant-able wedding invitations. Personally, I would like to design our own invitations (it would be less expensive AND guaranteed to suite us perfectly), but that would probably nix out the whole invitations -> flowers and/or herbs (planting the seeds of love!).

Lastly, the bouquet (Martha Stewart) is made mostly of herbs, and a lot of these things I can get right in my own yard. The Lambsear is a favorite plant of my mother; the rosemary, sage, and thyme are lovely kitchen spices that I already have (I'd also like to have a sprig or two of bay, if I can keep a tree alive. I heard those things are tough!); there are tons of little flowers like grape hyacinths and violets that sprout up in our back yard if I felt inclined, though I'm more likely to hit up the local farmers market for more yellow-orange-red hues than purple. I have to say I was already thinking of having an herbal bouquet, or probably just a poesy, but this is a nice picture that helps to illustrate how lush and fertile they are.

Food for thought

With the change in our venue, there was an instantaneous and very important change to the bulk of our wedding plans - namely that we would have a catered meal for the larger number of guests rather than a small potluck/picnic. I have to say, the ride was really a roller coaster in the hunt for a caterer. First off, I couldn't find very many nearby that had even a hint of green anywhere in their character - or if they did, it seemed to be some gimmick that they charged an arm and a leg for. Costs were also quite prohibitive, and quickly narrowed our selection down to about three or so.

From there, it was really, really simple. The first one never responded to our inquiry. The second was haughty, distant, and extremely rude. The third felt like kindred spirit. I am very happy to say that Smoke & Pickles will be bringing you the lunch on our wedding day! (Edit: I didn't realize this until later, but these guys are so good they've been featured in at least half a dozen publications. Including Martha Stewart, the Boston Globe, and Design Sponge). I had an amazing morning meeting with Dan - just talking about good food and homegrown meals, DIY projects, and generally relaxing with a gorgeous view of the Westport River with scattered storms. He took me to a lovely little diner for a delicious lunch (can't say I've ever had Kale and Barley soup before, but it made quite an impression!). We already have the menu down, and the best part is that at least half the dishes are from my own recipes. You can't get more of a cozy family dinner feel than you can with the same food you'd mow down in your own kitchen!

Next, included in the phenomenal price that he's offered us, I get to chat with an event planner that's included in the contract. Sadly, we will probably be doing this long-distance with my move to TX in just three weeks, but I certainly hope she can connect us with some good farms to find fruit, veggies, and flowers for the decorations I have in mind. I'm doodling out a bit of an 'inspiration board' that I've seen all around the Broke-Ass Bride blog, expect to see that in a mini post later on.

This will possibly be my only post before the big move, since my sister's wedding is in less than two weeks. Any exception will just be the pictures I've already mentioned. So excited, this whole shindig is finally becoming real, rather than just a wonderful daydream!