Found on Etsy: Cake Toppers

I did some looking around etsy and came across some really creative and cute toppers. I'm just not sure that I'm willing to pay around $100 for something to sit on top of my cake (just my personal opinion). I don't picture it being something I'd save or put on display--but if I were to do so, it would definitely be one of these:


This one is from togetherforever and sells for $155. She will custom design the couple just for you...so cute!


Image from togetherforever etsy shop.


These lovebirds by cottonbirddesigns are adorable, and I really like how she makes them out of linen and silk. She will customize the flower color for you for $125.


Image from cottonbirddesigns etsy shop.


Okay, seriously...these custom couples from urastarhouse are beyond amazing for $125. This is a cake topper that I'd put on the dresser in our bedroom. I love that the backs are painted as well. She also offers pets as an add-on (totaling around $150). Perhaps Pete could sit on top of our cake!




Images from urastarhouse etsy shop.

Happy Thursday everyone!

The perfect tie

My friend Amanda (check out her work--it's gorgeous!)sent me a link to some super cute ties she found on etsy. I've been so busy thinking about all the other wedding details, that I haven't even started looking for Dave yet. I passed the link off to him to see what he thinks and I hope he's excited about them as I am. We still have to talk about our color palette and since we are both designers, I bet this will be one of the toughest things to agree on. Whatever it is, red will be a likely accent due to our Maine destination.



They also offer narrow ties in some colors and you can convo them about printing in another color. I am definitely favoriting this listing!



Find these ties in Toybreaker's shop on etsy.

I say "I do" to this do!

I've found myself sifting through my wedding magazines in more detail than before. I used to scour them for design inspiration and now I have turned into the girl that takes in each and every page. It's okay though, I warned my husband-to-be of my latest wedding obsessions and he seems to be okay with it. He has to be though right, because it's technically his fault!

In a recent Martha Stewart Weddings email, she had a feature on updos. I believe it was even in her last magazine issue.

This is my favorite updo, and it even gives instructions on how to do it yourself. I think I might try it out this weekend. It's beautiful as is, but depending on my dress I might pair it with a birdcage veil or a pretty flower.


Click here to see other updos or to get the easy directions on how to achieve this look yourself.

A new addition to my nightstand

I am trying to get used to wearing my engagement ring. I have NO PROBLEMS wearing it all day long, in fact I often find myself staring at it. I still can't believe that I'm getting married, but I couldn't be happier!

The one thing I haven't fully adapted to is wearing my ring to sleep. I have been taking it off most nights and placing it on my night stand. I wanted something to put it it in to keep it safe and not on-the-loose. While in Chicago this weekend, I went into a cute little store called Jayson Home and Garden and found this darling little porcelain box that will look great on my nightstand. We are both suckers for type, so it's perfect.


They had them with letters painted on the tops, but I went with the ampersand. And, if Dave has problems to adjusting to the addition of jewelry to his finger, there's room in there for his ring too. :)

Do you wear your ring at all times?

Wedding Wednesday

I'll take this wedding, please. I love all the personal/DIY touches and the overall feel of this wedding from the hand painted signs, to the stamped craft bags. The couple had a very intimate ceremony and created their own "chapel." Genius!

Click here to see what I'm talking about on the Ruffled Blog.

My first look at Wedding Dresses

My friend Beth sent me a link to Bella Bridesmaid to get me started on my wedding planning mission. We don't have a date or a location set yet, but it's still fun to look and get ideas for when that day comes. I've been flipping through some of my bridal magazines, and I am learning that it's not so easy to find dresses that aren't strapless. Or, at least they don't put them in the advertisements. I'm headed to Chicago this weekend, where I'll be seeing Tom Petty (woo hoo!) and trying on my sister in law's wedding dress. As long as I don't look like I am wearing a sausage casing, I might just go with it. She wore it well on their wedding day, and it would be pretty awesome to share her dress. :)

Because I will need to have some backup, I went on an online search of my own.

Here are some of my favorites:
I love this short dress from Simple Silouettes. And it's only $630. With the addition of a cute birdcage veil, I think you could feel like a total bride in the Aster Dress:


Another short dress from Jenny Yoo, the Joceylyn is only $450. I love the keyhole cutout in the front of this dress:


While I like the idea of having a "party dress," like the two above--I am still obsessed with this dress (DU6556) from Saja Wedding for $790. I blogged about it before.


I have no idea what style dress I will go with, as I am sure that will depend on when/where we get married. I do know that I want something simple. I'm new to everything other than paper, so if you have any recommendations for designers--send them my way!

I'm back from vacation!

And I'm engaged!

My boyfriend asked me to go kayaking with him earlier in the afternoon, but I declined because I had just taken a shower. If you know me, you know that I take my vacations very seriously. That translates to: "unless I have somewhere to be, a shower isn't necessary--you can find me on the porch with my book and a cold one."



We came back from dinner and hanging out in a town nearby. It was dusk and he'd been bugging me about going kayaking at dusk for a few days. As we turned onto the harbor road, I pointed out how calm it was on the water and suggested we should go for a paddle. We changed clothes and hopped in the water, with only an hour to spare before the sun went down. We paddled toward Knowle's Rocks, which are in view from our house and happen to be where the ashes of my grandparents were sprinkled. We kayaked there a lot over vacation, because seals are now shacking up on the rocks. It's a lot of fun to just float and watch them pop up around us. It's also pretty funny how much Pete resembles a seal.




My boyfriend asked me to pull my boat out and join him on the rocks to watch the sun set. I told him that I was quite happy just floating in the water. He was persistent and it wasn't until he gave me the whole, "c'mon be adventurous" line that I gave in. No one will question my spontaneity and get away with it. He even let me choose which one I wanted to get on, I picked the right one...because it was closer. I was worried about kayaking back across the dark harbor. Little did I know that the diamond on my finger would help guide the way. :)



He pulled our boats up onto the rocks, and I oh-so-not-gracefully crawled my way through the seaweed and onto the top of the rocks. It was there we sat just talking. I was quickly distracted when a seal started to waddle his way onto a lower rock. He used this to his advantage and pulled the ring out of his pocket.

I wish I could remember all the nice things that he said to me. I was so surprised and in the moment, that it is all a blur. I do recall him telling me that he knew I'd looked at those rocks from the porch since I was a little girl and that we'd be looking at them for years to come. There were waterworks, and then I said yes! I couldn't stop looking at my hand.

It wasn't until the next day when my family was together for lunch that we made the big announcement. I'm pretty sure that my mom and my aunt leaped across the table the second I raised my hand for a toast. We were all so excited.


That evening, we had an impromptu engagement party on the porch.






Pete even had his own plate at the party.


We're finally going to be a family! And we couldn't be happier.