This past week...wedding updates

Here are some of the things I've done in the past week (while my Mom and sister visited):
1. Ordered samples of potential fabrics for Dress/Shrug #2, Table Cloths, and Wedding Party Ties. We are getting ties from Cyberoptix for the boys. The print has yet to be decided. That company has made garments for Gene Generation, the Skinny Puppy comeback tour, and made yours truly my infamous Pink light up hoop skirt. She's now in the tie business and makes GORGEOUS things. Prints are yet to be decided...what are your favorite prints?
2. We hit the jackpot on Melrose at the soon-to-be-out of business store, Ciabattino. They had $99 New Rock boots and $50 Swear shoes. Joe was at work, so I select 3 fun styles...hopefully he can find a wedding shoe among the styles. I'm sure it will mostly depend on what he decides to wear.
3. We stopped by the Tarina Tarantino boutique and I selected my necklace and hair accessory for Dress #2. I had a 20% off coupon and they were SO MUCH prettier in person! Final decisions will be a surprise...hey, I've gotta leave something to imagination, right??
4. I am 70% sure that the two sets of shoes that I've purchased so far will be the winners. Both were great deals...it'll depend on how they fit. I found a gorgeous pair of silver glitter flats with silver lace up ribbons and a cute pair of black satin pumps...total for the 2 pairs? $55. Oh yes. I have big plans for the satin pumps. They aren't finished just yet! Both were ordered on-line, so as long as the are true to size, I'm on my way to a total outfit <3
5. My mom brought along a slice of Opera Cream cake from the BonBonerie...so delish! We're making a tasting appointment that won't disappoint. Joe liked it too, even though he's not a huge cake fan.
6. My mom also took us out to dinner for our engagement...to Maggiano's. They were the front runner for the catering, as long as Joe found some things he would like to eat. After receiving the world's LARGEST bowl of pasta...we have a winner. Seriously...4 adults could have stuffed themselves on that one "portion". Anybody that's interested in having catering should check out their menu...the prices are kinda amazing and the food is really good (the pasta is made fresh).

And just so this isn't a completely text-filled post, here's some shrug-spiration!

Hot Mama!

I love these tall, cylindrical centerpieces. I'm thinking pink/black crystals filling a clear one with hydrangeas...inspired by the picture above, with a fun twist.
My mom and sister are coming in to town tomorrow. They're favorite thing to do is shop, so they'll be lots of it. I'll be lookin' for wedding shoes, jewelry, wedding party gifts, and fabric for Dress #2. Oooh la la!

Bubbles!

Bubbles make everything more fun! Rather than confetti or throwing anything that we'll have to pick up later (ah, the joys of a self-service venue), I'm going to get bubbles to make the day more festive. Here are some of the cute bottles I've found so far...

Floral Bouquet Inspiration

More Cherry Blossom Cake Inspiration

I love the cupcakes! Maybe something to think about...

My Favorite Jewelry Designer

As a fellow pink haired lady, it's no surprise that Tarina Tarantino's jewelry is my favorite in all of the land. I need a fuchsia/black set for Dress 1 and a grey/light pink set for Dress 2...here are some of the options. I know my favorites...what do you guys think?

For your viewing pleasure...

Tokidoki is providing the inspiration for this wedding. I want the wedding to be centered around the idea that if Adios and Ciao Ciao were real, this is how they would throw a party. Whimsical and cheeky, but still pulled together and nice. Oh, and obviously, not so rainbow =)

What about...Cherry Blossoms!?

I love this cherry blossom cake...I think it would look great with Adios and Ciao Ciao toppers! Though, I think I'd like it a bit wider. Thoughts?

Dun dun DUN! The Fabric!

This is my glorious fabric for my formal wedding dress, aka Dress 1. It's a gorgeous fuschia dupioni silk that seriously, pretty much, glows. I love it so much...you can't get colors like this in standard satin. TOTAL swoon! <3 My corset is almost ready for my first fitting. *Squeal*
I love this fabric and the options is comes in sooooo much that my reception dress, aka Dress 2, will be out of it as well. I'm thinking a lighter pink and a silver or pewter accent. But more about that dress later...

To Balloon...?

Balloons. I kinda love 'em. Perhaps it's because I'm tacky. Every stupid wedding thing I read says that Balloons are a no-no...passe...juvenile. I'm not sure I care. Here's the scoop: our space is not that purdy. The walls are kinda icky and there are pictures on the wall. The best cover up, in my opinion, would be helium balloons around the perimeter. They arrive blown up and don't have much set up. If we tried to get pipe and drape or anything like that we'd have too much on our hands.
Enter: this image of Betsey Johnson's fragrance party in her home. Betsey always finds a way to make playful and youthful statements with typically "kiddie" items. I think the balloons add a fun pop...don't you?
Another aspect in favor of Balloons...since I want to create a world that Adios and Ciao Ciao would belong in, it makes perfect sense! They are often featured holding balloons...and in this case: heart shaped balloons!

However, I have NO IDEA how much filled balloons cost, nor do I know if I would have someone who could sit and prepare them if we just rented helium. I really really think they'll be fun, so I need to source it all out. Here are some yummies that I've seen!


Have any of you ever purchased balloons, blown up, for a decent size party?

First Decor Pieces...Purchased!

Since Adios and Ciao Ciao will be our wedding toppers...

and probably part of the table centerpieces, I wanted to have additional "Tokidoki World" elements...like diamonds, clouds, and lollipops. I fell in love with these vases at Urban Outfitters many months ago, but since the kitties eat fresh flowers, we don't really have any use for them. Cue the engagement and all of the sudden we need vases! Lucky me, Urban Outfitters still have these pieces and ON CLEARANCE! I got 20 cloud/lightning ones and 10 diamond ones...I hope they have that many in stock! The diamond ones I'm sure about...the cloud ones are now out of stock...hopefully they had enough left <3 I plan on spray painting them black, silver, or pink...depending on how the lay out ends up looking.
Here are the two different styles!

Table Linens...Decisions Decisions

The fabric I think that'd be best for the linens is a crystal satin...a type of heavy opaque organza. We use it at VersAtelier.com to make our petticoats...it's a nice thick, sparkle-y material that's lightweight and fairly inexpensive. I can easily purchase it, have our girls hem it, and ship it for not too much money.
Now...there are two shades of pink that I'm debating...and they'll set the tone for all of the accessories I get from here on out.
The candy pink is super fun and will easily match the candy buffet...thought, with this shade there are many more clashing variations.

The fuchsia pink is a direct match to most of the accessories I've found but there are not NEARLY as many options as the lighter color.

Thoughts?

Wedding Dress Inspiration!

Wedding dresses have never been my favorite thing. I love poofy...I love outlandish...but I've NEVER liked white. On top of that, when it comes to budget, the bridal industry rarely charges what the dress is actually worth. So, with our budget, to go for a traditional dress would not only bore me to tears, but I would NEVER get the quality I'd feel comfortable with.
I'm quite a lucky duckling...I work at one of the top corset makers in the world. Not only that, I have a close friend who's an AMAZING designer. I've been gathering inspiration photos from lots of vintage shops...primarily focusing on the 50's prom dress style. This is def. the overall feel I want for my main ceremony dress...something super glamorous, but really fun and party inspired. I want pink and black...mostly pink with black accents. GLAM. OUR.
I also want a 2nd dress for the party/dinner/after celebration, because I'm gonna be corseted to DEATH for the ceremony. I want a empire waist floor length with a fitted bust line...something with a textured fabric. This way, I'll still have a super fancy, elegant option, but I can breath and rock a flat shoe. I haven't decided on what color exactly...pink, hot pink, black, or maybe even a floaty grey (because it'd look SO hot with this gorgeous Tarina collection).
Here are some gorgeous dresses that are anything but ordinary. So inspiring!

Candy Bar...Best Idea Ever!

When I first started researching wedding things, I must admit, I was pretty clueless. I'd been to only a handful and most of them were either wayyyy non-traditional or relatively stuffy. Most of the customs and traditions to me seemed relatively fun, but hey, they def. need some magic pumped into them. Favors for the most part always seemed like such a waste to me...does anybody REALLY want a wedding cake shaped candle? A coaster with our faces on it? I'm not thinking they do.

I came across the concept of the "candy bar"...a self service favor idea that not only gave people something they like, but amped up the decor Willy Wonka style! Added bonus: with a Halloween wedding, this is like adult trick or treating...always fun.
Many online candy companies will carry sweets in a variety of colors to match any theme. I found this place to be the best: Candy Warehouse. They have many nostalgic old-time candies, as well as current favorites wrapped in fun lil' packages.

Right now, my main concern is what kind of containers to use. I've toyed with the idea of hat boxes, various shaped black bowls, even cookie tins. However, I think that since the candy is so beautiful, the best way to go is clear. I also love the look of a variety of heights on the table...it's more pleasing to the eye and offers a better boost to the decor than a single flat height.
I love the vintage looking apothecary jars:

Or yummy parfait glasses:


I know I want to use chinese take out boxes for the guests to "take away"...with the tokidoki theme and ease of use, I can't think of anything else better! Here are some cutesy options:




Here are some of my favorite candy bar inspirations...so many ways to make it fabulous!

Wedding Cake Inspiration

Veil Problem...maybe solved?

I have been looking for a veil + headband + bow combination in black or pink and so far I haven't found exactly what I've been looking for. In my mind, these pieces were all 1 single head piece...until I realized it was easily solved by getting a veil and pairing it with an existing headband.

Here's a dreamy veil with swarovski crystals...it does come in black =)



I'm still not sold on the bow idea...maybe because I haven't found a gorgeous one just yet. These two are pretty contenders!





I would REALLLLY love some pink options too, but until I pick out the color of my dress, I can't be sure. If anyone has any gorgeous, retro inspired veils/headpieces, please leave a link in the comments section.

General Details So Far!

Okay, I started this blog to keep lots of my thoughts in the same place, plus to provide a information to those who are interested in the process/planning of our weirdo wedding.

So far, we are having the wedding on October 31st in Cincinnati, OH. We are having the ceremony and reception in a lodge just a few minutes from my brother's place. It will be a VERY big help to have a family residence just a skip away in case any major catastrophes occur. Here is the website for the location: Fernbank Lodge. The reason for picking this location was in the name...it's a "self-service lodge". Which might scare most people, but that's SO important to this wedding. Often times you are at mercy to whatever they give you...linens, food, etc. We wanted to be able to select food from wherever we wanted, as well as decorate as wacky and as kooky as we could create. Sure, it's TONS more work, but really...it's too fun to be work.

We've selected a photographer...the same ridiculous man that become legendary and my brother's wedding. I liked that he also had a fine art section....something that indicates that he doesn't JUST keep his mind within the normal commercial photographer. Plus, he spent enough time at that wedding taking pictures of Joe's hair, I figure he'll have a field day at ours. His website is here.

My dress(es) will hopefully *fingers crossed* be created by my place of business, VersAtelier Corsets. No specifics on this yet, but I can tell you that lots of pink will be involved and, of course, a corset! I also would LOVE to have an option for the after party...something vintage-y and flowy with a textured fabric and a fitted bust. Eddie should be designing it and I know he will do me proud.

These are the major items worked out right now...and of course, more to come!!