Great idea

The wedding I was in last weekend was my good friend Theresa's, in case you haven't been following along. Her wedding was at St. Mary's College, her alma mater, in South Bend, Indiana. The college is across the street from the well-known University of Notre Dame, from which her new husband graduated. As I've previously written, we'll cover more details about the wedding in the coming weeks, but because I want to give as much detail and attention as possible, our coverage will be split up in to separate postings.

The cleverest thing Theresa did, I think, was in her transportation from the church on campus to the reception hall in downtown South Bend. She looked at limos and horse-drawn carriages, but if you are familiar with the South Bend area, you know that it is home to the National Studebaker Museum and used to manufacture the classic vehicles. Theresa called up the local Studebaker Drivers' Club and asked if anyone would be willing to drive them from the church to the reception hall in one of their classic Studebakers. The owners discussed at their meeting and were happy to show off their vehicles. Theresa and John ended up driving in a 1962 white convertible Studebaker, capturing local color and at the same time saving the cash she would have spent on a limosine.

The chapter of the Studebaker Drivers' Club that Theresa contacted can be located here.
If you are from another area and would like to find your local Studebaker Drivers' Club, click here.
And obviously this idea is not limited to Studebakers. Imagine the possibilities for a wedding in Detroit!

**Picture coming as soon as I can get one**

It's Wedding Season!

In case you can't tell, Lily and I have been busy this past month--we just got back from two separate weddings, one at a college town in Indiana, and another at a barn Maryland. Bear with us while we figure out exactly how to report our findings, but as a taster, here is my hair style from the wedding I stood up in this weekend:


I thought the braids would be different, and I think it turned out well, don't you?

We'll have our thoughts and reports on these weddings in the coming weeks, detailing all the activities and anything we found different and interesting. In the meantime, congratulations to our newly married friends, and to all couples getting married this summer!

**Hair by**
Salon Fusion
409 N Hickory Rd
South Bend, IN 46615-3562

(574) 288-5166‎

Joe's Invitations

The second wedding I'm attending this summer is markedly less formal than Theresa's. Here is the invitation I received, and you can notice the humorous tone in the wording about the reception and in the RSVP.

Cupcakes!

Cupcakes are an option that not a lot of people think about for weddings, but the idea is definitely gaining steam. Bakeries devoted to cupcakes are cropping up all over (my favorite is the Cupcake Station in downtown Birmingham, Michigan--see the picture at the left--, but definitely on the list to try is the Cupcake Kitchen in Clinton Twp., Michigan).

It's true that on the surface, they seem less formal than your four tiered masterpiece, and it's obviously not for everyone, but the benefits are definitely there. My favorite thing is that everyone gets their own. Say kids are coming to the wedding. Maybe the kids don't like the carrot cake you have your heart set on. So you buy a dozen of the cupcakes with traditional vanilla cake and frosting.
Or what if you can't decide on a flavor? Get half the cupcakes with strawberry cake and half with raspberry.

Of course, some wedding cake traditions are made a little more difficult with cupcakes, but you can still feed your new spouse cake. If you like the tradition of cutting the cake together, but also like this cupcake idea, consider getting a small or miniature cake for just you two and the bridal party, and put it on the top tier of the cupcake display. That way you have something on which to put that antique topper your grandmother saved.

(Picture at the right taken from mrandmrssweets.com)

Ann Taylor Tulip Jacquard Dress http://www.anntaylor.com/

The other day, I tried on my bridesmaid dress for an August wedding and was pleasantly surprised to find that although the dress had been tailored for someone else, it fit me perfectly! Before the wedding some minor modifications will need to be made, such as removing some cream accents added to it by its owner, so that it will match the other bridesmaids' dresses. A wrap of sorts is in order, and right now we are planning to make them out of light green shimmer organza. The stiffness of the new fabric is giving us a little trouble right now, since it resists draping softly around the shoulders and instead stands up high at the neck. Perhaps washing it will help, and if not, we may decide to tailor the wraps to a more fitted shape. The bridesmaids will also be wearing simple veils of white tulle edged in green satin ribbon. We have decided to add a sash to define the waistline of the dress a bit more, most likely in a coordinating shade of green, either of satin ribbon to match the edging of the veil or organza to match the wrap. White shoes will finish off the bridesmaid's outfit. Since the wedding colors are green, white, and yellow, the bride has been thinking about having her maids carry small bouquets of daisies. These dresses will look perfectly elegant for my friend's summer wedding!

Sunflower wedding inspiration board

An elegant black-and-white wedding gets a pop of sunshine from a favorite summer bloom:

Top row:
Sunflower invitation from Acorn Designs
Bouquet from For the Love of Floral Design
Cake from Josef's Vienna Bakery, titled "Meghan's Cake"

Center:
Satin pick-up ballgown from David's Bridal, style BR1010

Bottom row:
Dress from David's Bridal, style 81371
Table setting by Exquisite Events
Lemonade from MarthaStewart.com (see link for a collection of Martha Stewart lemonade recipes)

Theresa's Invitations

Ah! I know, it's been forever. Let's just say that May turned out to be an extremely busy month for Lily and me.
But that's all over and it is time to enjoy the summer! So I want to share with you all the invitation I received from Theresa, the lovely and resourceful lady whose wedding I am in on August 1st.
Theresa balked at spending hundreds of dollars on expensive, professional-made invitations, so she decided to make her own!


Theresa fell in love with the "pocket" style of invitation when her sister was getting married a few years ago, so she incorporated that and filled the pocket with tiered information cards. I think the postcard RSVPs make a lot of sense, too--not only do you save money on postage, you save paper, they take up less space, and there's nothing for you to spend time opening upon their return.

Theresa bought the basic brown invitation/pocket holder and cut out the different-sized cards that have information on the rehearsal dinner, accommodations, directions and an RSVP. She made her own templates on Microsoft Office and printed them on a new printer she bought from Apple.

The best part is not only that Theresa saved money, but that she got exactly what she wanted. While she had to spend a considerable amount of time doing this, the end product was definitely worth it--these are beautiful!