Inspired By: Wine Labels

Let me preface this by saying that I know what comes out of my mouth next is going to sound incredibly girly and portray me out as a total wine neophyte, and that may be true in part. But I'm going to say it anyway.

I choose wines for their labels.

There it is. I judge my books by their covers. I am more impressed with the artistic design of the bottle than what is in it. In my own defense, I suspect a lot of designers do the very same thing. When you know the work and creativity that goes into something, you can appreciate it perhaps a little more than others. Or maybe that's just a front for my vapid, topical reasoning. Who knows, who cares. What I do know is that no one can deny the awesomeness of these great labels.








I've had more than my fair share of the La Vieille Ferme (delish, 13.5 %, and only $9/bottle) and Mollydooker, both of which I highly recommend. They all have me thinking of ways to emulate, whether in palette or as inspiration for stationary. Several of these have that vintage French advertising poster quality to them. Do you drink a wine with an unusual or fun label?

Smitten With: Joetta Maue

Joetta Maue, this one really gets me:



Joetta's incredibly beautiful and quietly eloquent embroidered pieces speak for themselves. Her blog, Little Yellow Birds, offers its readers a glimpse at the lovely world of embroidery. Any one of Joetta's one of a kind embroidered vintage linens would make a thoughtful wedding gift to a special couple or mark and important milestone in a loved one's life. Visit her Etsy shop Bird & Bear for more.

Maggie's Bridals, by AE Photography

I bumped my original post today to feature Maggie's gorgeous bridal shots from the awesomely talented Ashley from AE Photography. When I opened Ashley's email and saw the photos, I wanted to share them with everyone just as soon as possible.

Maggie's look is reflective of another era. First things first, the hair clip. So simple and sweet with feather and pearls, one can imagine an old Hollywood actress wearing the very same thing. Works perfectly with the bottom pleated trumpet style gown with lace and pearls appliqued at the seam.

{click on photos to enlarge}

How about those shoes? Love, love, love the photo of Maggie in the chair showing her very modern laced up heels that somehow work amazingly with the rest of her outfit.

Ashley from AE Photography really did an awesome job of working Maggie into her surroundings; the Dillon Home in Sterling, Illinois provided the perfect setting for the vintage ambiance of the shoot.

Keep your eyes peeled for photos from Maggie's wedding on AE Photography's blog. Thanks again for sharing these magnificently romantic shots with us!

Freebies! Suzee Que's Vintage Ephemera

It's pretty close to finding a pot of gold; Suzee Que's treasury of vintage ephemera and images. Thousands, I mean thousands, of gorgeous freebies, from frames to ads, postcards to paper dolls; all vintage, all fabulous. And did I mention free?





Think of all the diy wedding projects you can do! Check out more of Suzee Que's images here. Remember, for personal use only! Enjoy!

I Dig..

Amy Osaba's floral design:


Dress by Rose & Ruby:


Shoes by Irregular Choice:


Digit Spice Jars from Anthropologie (can you say table numbers?):


Vintage Silhouette Cocktail Shaker from Ruby Lane:

Etsy Love: Vintage Wedding Dress

Brass Paperclip is one of my favorite shops on Etsy. Cindi has a great sense of style and knows a good vintage buy when she sees it. I have featured her beautiful wedding dresses here before, and this one is just as spectacular as the others.

From the 1960's, the vintage wedding dress is hand embroidered and features scallop edging and bell sleeves. Cindi has a complete description here,but there are two things I'd like to point out. First is the train; unreal. Twelve foot, detachable Watteau (waterfall) train. It is absolutely stunning!

Second, and my favorite part about buying the dress, is Cindi will donate all proceeds to breast cancer research. And the price? $375. This dress is a total win!





Visit Brass Paperclip for more information about this gorgeous dress and other equally stunning vintage finds.

Inspiration: Shades of Purple

Growing up, purple was my favorite color. I loved everything from eggplant to lilac, orchid to lavender. Even though I am too indecisive to have a color preference these days, purple has a special place in my heart.

{from top left: duet weddings; fdiy french soap; the image is found; country living.

2nd row: etsy; country living; etsy; flickr.

3rd row: ariella chezar; etsy; martha stewart; elizabeth milay.

Save the Dates: Taking the Plunge!

How cool is this save the date?! It reminds me of a cross between a camp brochure and a vintage board game. The palette, typography, everything about it is delightful. And it spins!

{from diy bride}

Vintage Vignette Thursday

I saw this vintage wedding photograph and thought to myself 'now this is a bride and groom'. Men and women really knew how to dress in the early to mid-1900's, especially for weddings.



Here are two examples vintage glamour I'm melting over:

Loving the gloves from Etsy shop katesy...



Pretty Art Nouveau Suite from Gourmet Invitations...



Sites like Etsy and Ebay are treasure troves for brides. Also check out your local tag sales and flea markets. You may come across a beautiful brooch or hatpin that will give your gown the final touch you've been looking for.

Real Wedding Wednesday: Rosie Parsons Photography

I stumbled upon Rosie Parson's blog a few weeks ago and fell in love with her style; and it seems I am not the only one! Her work has been featured in more than a few wedding publications and a favorite with wedding bloggers. You can imagine my delight when Rosie agree to share one of her recent shoots with my readers.

Ashley and Roberta were married at Notley Abbey near Aylesbury, England which provided a gorgeous backdrop. My fondness for this particular set is in part because of the details Rosie captured. Magnificent! Rosie worked with another photographer and friend, Sarah Vivienne, on Ashley and Roberta's wedding. The bride and groom incorporated modern and vintage aspects to the wedding with great success! Here are several photos I'm gaga over:

I heart the little shoe place cards. They remind of old die cut images.

Sprigs of lavender are so sweet.

It is with a sinful amount of envy that I share this photo. Laduree macarons for the female guests! Unfortunately for my fellow Americans, these delicious, decadent treats aren't available to us. But I digress...

Give the people what they want. The men received bottles of Jack Daniels. Now this is my kind of wedding!

This cake is simple and sweet. Perfection~!

Pretty table centerpieces; the palette is lovely vintage pinks.


A pretty little newlywed quiz for guests. Another charming detail.

After you have peeled yourself away from these photos, see more of Rosie Parson's work (and the rest of the photos from Ashley and Roberta's wedding) on her awesome blog. Thanks a bunch for sharing Rosie, and congratulations to Ashley and Roberta!

Inspiration Tuesday: Vintage Fabrics

I am so inspired by Etsy shop sohomode. DYING over these dresses! How gorgeous would they be for bridesmaids! I think I might! The fabric, the design, it's simply perfection.

{images from sohomode}

Got me to thinking about vintage fabrics and how to beautifully incorporate them into a wedding. Here are a few examples:

{image from martha stewart weddings}

I like a necktie that coordinates with bridesmaid dresses and overall design of a wedding. If you are having a tough time finding a fabric or print that you, visit Tie Crafters. You can send them your material and they'll custom make your ties to your specifications.

Sew these perfect little clutches for your bridesmaids! You can find a free pattern here. There are, however several other sites offering free patterns if you wish to have a different style.

{image from melissamusgrove}

Have I told you that I love vintage fabrics? Use beautiful, old-fashion feed sack material for your sewing projects. Etsy and Ebay have shops where you can find a variety of colors and patterns.

{image from country living}

These ideas can be beautifully incorporated into a garden or picnic wedding. Tweek the palette a bit for a gorgeous, rustic fall shindig!

DIY Monday~Seed Packet Favors

I love a simple project. This one, courtesy of yours truly, is seed packs I designed for one of my wedding favors. It's easy, economical and ecological!



To make, you will need:

Box of small recycled coin envelopes. You can purchase kraft color in any office supply store or find assorted colors on Etsy. I Like 2 1/2x4 1/4 inch size.

Bulk seeds. I love heirloom vegetables, herbs and lettuces.

Instruction sticker. I designed mine to be 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches and printed on a label sheet.

Small glassine bags (for freshness!)



Now for the freebie part! I downloaded Darrians Frames from FontSpace and Attic from FreePremiumFonts. Play around with the frame and font sizes. I used 200 for the frame (turned 90 deg.) and 20 font on the front of the envelope.

Don't you just love the vintage, handmade quality? The font appears to be hand stamped. So cute for a garden or backyard wedding! And you can switch up the font and frame color depending on what sort of seeds you use.

Free Vintage Postcard for DIY Save the Date!

I have collected a lot of vintage ephemera over the years. I love the colors and craftsmanship used to create the beautiful images.

Last night, I was going through one of my albums and came across this seashore vintage seashore postcard. I thought it would make a beautiful Save the Date.

(click on images to enlarge)

Go to http://www.freepremiumfonts.com/ and browse the thousands of different fonts and styles. There are a load of fonts with a vintagey postcard style. Go here for inexpensive postcard stock. Also, ask the post office teller if they can hand stamp each card; the card looks more old fashion when it's hand stamped than being marked up with bar codes. This DIY wedding project is fun and inexpensive! 100 stock cards are less than $12, and then the cost of the stamps and ink. LOVE IT!

Wedding in the Garden

Being a professional wedding blogger, I have a lot of ideas for my own wedding. It's nearly impossible for me to narrow down my color choices, so I'm going with a garden themed wedding; perfect for a person (such as myself) who is unable to commit to one or two colors.

from top left: image from www.cameroningalls.com; source unknown; the knot; country living. 2nd row: victoria mag; the knot; source unknown. 3rd row: stephanie williams photography; country living; source unknown.

How to get this look? Check it out:



Do your own bouquets! When you buy in bulk from Fifty Flowers, you receive a significant discount. When you purchase their garden roses, you'll pay less than if you were getting carnations from a florist! If you would like more of a variety, include peonies and rananculus. For table centerpieces, simply arrange the flowers in large Ball canning jars (less than $1.00 each when you buy a case).



From Party Rental, LTD comes this table setting. Instead of the usual silverware, go with the white handled flatware. The plate looks like it came from Grandma's china cabinet! I chose a pink linen table cloth, white linen church napkins, white folding chairs, and hot pink seat cushions to pull the look together.



I ADORE vintage linens, and these handkerchiefs are my favorite! Peruse the pages on Ebay, visit your local antique store or flea market. Pass them out to your female guests before the ceremony. LOVE this idea! A true vintage wedding inspiration.

Sadly, we are unable to buy Laduree macarons in the United States (if you don't know about these Parisian delights, a favorite of Marie Antoinette, you are sorely missing out, or, very fortunate not to have an unquenchable taste for them). However,L'Epicerie's macarons are pretty good! Purchase in bulk for delicious favors. Pack in mint green or lavender boxes and print your message on the top in a coordinating color.