Perspective

Throughout the whole planning process, I've been trying, REALLY trying, to keep things in perspective.  And I daresay that with less than 6 months to go, with the only hiccup being mis-communications with printer about the save the date, I've done a darn good job.

There are a good number of people out there who forget to do this.

Believe me.  I spend time on the Weddingbee and the Knot discussion forums.  I've seen EVERY question, each more irrational than the next.

We brides sometimes seem to forget that the world doesn't stop for our weddings.  People have babies, get new jobs, our own jobs must keep going in our absence.  Yes, it is an important day.  But it is not the MOST important day.  A marriage is more than a wedding.  A wedding is one day.  Marriage is (hopefully) for a lifetime.

I'm an easy-going person.  So easy-going, in fact, that when one of my co-workers asked me last week about wedding planning, he interjected "I sometimes wish you were more of a bridezilla - this conversation would be much more entertaining."

Sorry to disappoint.

I know, I know.  The teeny tiny details matter to brides.  Their flower order getting screwed up, their bridesmaids getting knocked up, the cake being the wrong frosting shade of cobalt - these all matter.  For about a second.  No one will notice the flowers.  Ditto the cake.  That bridesmaid who is suddenly expecting?  Congratulate her and bend over backwards to make sure she's comfortable the day of the wedding.

Your wedding will be memorable no matter what.

The more anal-retentive you are towards others - vendors, bridal party, guests, the more you will be remembered negatively.

BUT.

The more gracious, polite, and positive you are, the more people will recall fondly your day of days.

Wedding Flavors

Yes, you read that correctly.  Wedding FLAVORS.

This past weekend, Mom, Future Mother-in-Law, Sister and I went to the Original Wedding Expo in Newton, MA.

I should have had at least a smidgen of a clue what to expect, and I did, with all the wedding board reading I do in my spare time.  However... It was all still a little much for me.

We arrived and handed in our tickets, and each received individualized stickers - a bride sticker, mother of the bride, mother of the groom stickers.  Sister got a 'guest' sticker, because for whatever reason they didn't have a sister OR a maid-of-honor sticker.  Surprising, considering how the wedding industry tells brides their maids of honor are expected to be slaves.

(Sorry.  Tangent.)

We walked around the expo for a while.  Keep in mind, I was really only there to win the free honeymoon.  I have a pretty good idea of what I want for everything else, and my guess is I won't be using any of those vendors, apart from perhaps Men's Warehouse for the dudes.

There were fun giveaways, freebies (like a lunch bag, oven mitt, candy, photo booth pix, etc).  We watched a pretty cute fashion show, with Spring, Summer, Fall AND Winter bridal, bridesmaid, groomsmen, junior attendant, and mother of the bride attire.  We watched three poor unsuspecting couples compete in a dance-off (my favorite couple won!)

Suffice to say, I didn't get the free honeymoon or the free wedding cake.  I did receive a free candle, because apparently now Yankee Candle sees what a huge industry weddings are, and they want in.  That's right folks, you can personalize your own wedding candle, with a picture of you and your beloved, and give them as favors or use them in the centerpiece.

I like some Yankee Candle smells better than others, but the free sample one was quite pleasant - it was a fresh, baby-powder type smell.  When asked what scent the candle was, the sales rep replied "Wedding!"

I'm sorry, readers.  I laughed in her face.

Now on top of everything else, you can get wedding flavor candles for your wedding favors.

Sigh.  I wonder if Kim K had Yankee Candle wedding flavor candles at her ill-fated nuptials.

Name woes

I'm emailing vendors, so not a whole heck of excitement in the C&B wedding world.  One thing I am noticing, is apparently my name is rather difficult to spell.

I promise you, readers, that when I run my own event planning business, I will check, double check, and triple check, the spelling of each client's name so I address the email correctly.

There ain't no I in Clare, peeps.  Get that through your noggins.

One was ok - a photographer, based in Allston.  She's of Euro origin, so I guess she's used to the french version?  C'est claire?

But my day-of coordinator at my venue should know better because a) she has our paperwork in front of her, b) she has my email address in front of her, which contains my correctly spelled email, c) she has multiple emails from me, signed by my correctly spelled name.

Come on, Robin.  Get with the program.  I'm spending a large amount of money at your place of employment.  You are coordinating what your industry keeps telling me will be the most "important day of my life".  Spell my darn name correctly.

Vent over.  Le sigh.

Colors

I did not take the 'choosing of the color palette' lightly.  Not even a little bit.  As soon as I was engaged (heck, before then), I was on theknot.com looking for inspiration from real-life wedding photos.  As soon as B popped the question, one of my BFFs/bridesmaids sent me her list of favorite wedding blogs.

Clare, meet Style Me Pretty.

Was I astounded with the sheer creativity and beauty.  Duh.  Was I intimidated and worried my wedding won't match up?  For realsies.

But I've always been attracted to the color blue.  Just take a look at my accessories.  Apart from 'metal' and black, blue is my most commonly purchased color.  And my favorite thing in nature is the sun, so to compliment the blue, I chose lemon yellow.  Great colors, especially for a summer to fall transition wedding.

Except... blue is the one color that is not in a kajillion flowers.  Every other random color has a flower, from iris purple to gerber daisy electric orange.  What's a girl to do?

So right now I'm thinking blue vases, or hydrangeas.  One of a very few blue flowers (B suggested dyed flowers.  No thank you.

I love the classic blue of these beauties.  My concern is their season - I'd love to get flowers that are still 'in season', since they would be extrordinarily less expensive.  Do these puppies bloom all summer?  Could I find them for a September wedding without having to sign away our future puppy, picket fence, and firstborn?  Time will tell.

Option 2: Blue vases

This gives such a lovely vintage look.  It would definitely go with the decor of our venue, and the feel of the wedding.  Perhaps with bright yellow sunflowers?  

Then of course I saw this vase on Style Me Pretty and legit fell in love.  This is the exact blue I was hoping to find... But where on earth do I locate the vase?

ob-sessed

The most beautiful necklace on the planet

I'm an accessory junkie.  Self-admitted.  If I could accessorize people for a living, I would (well, that and plan parties.)  I'm that girl who will often build her outfit around her jewelry, not the other way around.  When I pack my bag for the gym the night before, I make absolutely sure that I include the correct accessories for my outfit.

So it stands to reason that I will have found the necklace I want to wear on my wedding day without finding a dress first.

Blogosphere, meet The Necklace:

Is this, or is this not the most gorgeous piece of jeweled art you have ever seen?

Zinnia Jewelry, where I spent my accessorizing formative years, carries this designer (Michael Michaud's) pieces, but mostly we have the plant-based designs.  They look fantastic on some people, but my skin and that shade of green just don't do well together.  Its one of those colors that I love on other people, but not on myself.

The fan coral is perfect.  While I started out my jewelry-wearing life ONLY into silver, the past few years have turned me around.  I'm much more attracted to gold-colored pieces.

Want.

Need.

Lust.

Drooling over dresses

We ladies tend to spend a good chunk of time thinking about our wedding, specifically how we hope to look.  The wedding industry has figured that out (those intelligent little buggers).  They know we want to look ab-fab on THE day, and absolutely cater to that.

Anyone who has watched 'Say Yes to the Dress' knows what I'm saying.  Love the show, but you can just tell when they're trying to take advantage of mother-daughter tears when they bring out the veil and jewelry to 'add to the look' (add to the commission).

I have yet to try on dresses for my wedding, but am going in approx. a week and have a good idea of what I like.  Sadly, a lot of what I like are high ticket gowns.

Some ideas:

When I heard that Anthropologie began a bridal line, BHLDN, I almost fainted.  The gowns are stunning, pieces of art really.  I just couldn't see myself in most of the pieces... Until this one.  The detailing on the cap sleeves makes the dress.

Do we see a style pattern emerge?

Sadly, this is Monique Lhuilier.  Gorgeous gowns, super high price ticket.  I'm loving the lace.

And yes, sleeves again.  As much as I would love-love-love a strapless, I'd prefer not to keep needing to hike up the top of my dress.

Ob-sessed.

I'm tempted to just get the strapless and find someone to sew something like this on during alterations.

I absolutely cannot wait to start trying on dresses.  My biggest concern is accidentally trying something on that is out of my budget.  Do I throw caution to the wind and try on the high-priced items to get an idea?  Or opt out, as they advise on SYTD?

Thoughts?

Who Wants to Hear About My Wedding

Hello friends, family, and people who accidentally stumble upon my blog!

I created this blog to keep people up-to-date on my wedding planning.  I do write another blog, and I will link this to the other, and the other to this, if people are interested in my life and musings apart from the wedding planning process.

As many of you may already know, I'm a pretty laid-back person.  Through planning my wedding, I'm going to do my darndest to not turn into a 'bride-zilla'.  Nor do I want to bore people with wedding planning details if they don't want to hear them.  Another reason to have a blog.  If I finally decide on flowers or the design of a crudites platter, I can go to the blog and tell the interwebs about my new wedding-related enlightenment, rather than my co-workers or the random person at Starbucks who happens to be wearing the exact shade of blue as my hydrangeas.

This is what we have set so far:

1. The Groom.  I will call him B, in case he doesn't want his full name blasted off the rooftops.  I like to tell people we met the "old-fashioned way", at a bar.  I think he is the most handsome person on the planet (no, really, I do) and he makes me belly laugh more than once a day.  He is as laid-back as I am, if not more.  Pretty much the best groom ever.

2. The officiant: My Dad, the Rev.  You were wondering why this blog was called "PK Ties the Knot".  PK = Preacher's Kid.  That's me.

That can also explain why I've been thinking about my wedding since the ripe old age of three.  I've just been to SO many, its impossible to not start thinking about one's own wedding.  My mother, sister and I used to sit in the church balcony during weddings and look at the dresses.  If you were married in my father's church between 1985 and 2000, I probably secretly crashed your wedding ceremony.

But PK, you ask, is your Dad also going to walk down the aisle?  How will he give you away?

He has it all figured out, I have no worries that he will do an amazing job.

3. The church: Second Congregational Church

4. The reception: Topsfield Common.  Ob-sessed.  Charmed.  Determined to live up to everyone's expectations of beauty, which is totes easy in this place.  The room where dinner and dancing take place is so gorgeous it only needs minimal decoration (bonus!)  Also, we have a whole lot of freedom with the menu.  We're probably going for a heavy hors d'oeuvres reception with interesting presentation, and this place has their own professional catering team that can help you dream up every foodie creation known to humankind.  I can't wait to start planning the menu and doing the tasting!

5. Bridal Party: And they're all fantastic.  All the girls are wearing little black dresses of their choice.  Saves SO much time trying to figure out a style, color, and budget for 6 different people in 6 different life stages.  They will all look and feel fabulous because a) they ARE! and b) they are in something they chose that compliments their body type and budget.

That's pretty much it for now.  I have more things and ideas in my brain, but will save them for future blog posts.  The wedding isn't until Sept. 2012, so I have some time to bore you all with the rest of the details!

Stay cool!