Words, Love, and a Secret

Recently I was commissioned to hollow out a small cavity in a copy of The Great Gatsby for a customer to use to conceal an engagement ring.  It is always so fun to be peripherally involved in other people's big life moments, isn't it?  I've made wedding bands for people in the past, and it just gives me such a warm fuzzy feeling to be a part of something so momentous, even if the real players are complete strangers.  Somehow some of the romanticism just rubs off on all involved.  So obviously I was thrilled to take it on.  

And on top of loving the sentimentality of the project, I really enjoyed the process of making this hollow book with a little ribbon attached to the top of the lid to secure the ring.  And I loved and finding a great page to stop at to use as the bottom of the cavity, where the text was talking about being in love and falling in love.  What a stroke of luck that was.  I had planned to make a fabric bottom, but this turned out so much better.  I love this project so much that it will be a regular listing this in my shop now as a custom book option.

What a super romantic way to propose to a girl.  Especially if the girl is a bit of a nerd like me!

Seriously Affordable Wedding Flowers from Hemingway Farms

How amazing are these flowers?  And they were all fresh cut on their farm that morning.  Each little arrangement comes in a little glass jar or galvanized bucket, and they cost $6 per arrangement.  How great would these look on wedding tables?  Or tables for any party?  And for $6 a pop, think how much money one could save.  Of course, you'd have to be one of those easy going brides or hostesses that would be ok with just grabbing whatever they had that day, which I aspire to be, but am really not.  But if you are one of those people (you lucky devil), and are getting married in the Vermont or New Hampshire area, this could be something to look into!  And maybe they would even be willing to put something specific together for you.  I didn't ask, but here's where to find them if you'd like to look into it: 


1815 Claremont Rd.
Charlestown, NH
(603)826-3336

Low Country Wedding Extraordinaire, Part 3 of 3

Mason jars with tea lights lit the pathways.

They offered a specialty cocktail of mint juleps in monogrammed pitchers with yellow and white striped paper straws.

In lieu of a guest book the bride and groom provided a polaroid camera and ample film for the guests to take pictures of themselves for Heather and Reid to have to be able to revisit the event whenever the mood strikes.  The photos were attached to an antique bird cage with mini clothespins for everyone at the wedding to enjoy.

The dishes were a combination of family china and thrift store finds which Heather and Reid will keep for their everyday china.

The food was delicious!  It was foods typical of the area, like shrimp and grits and biscuits.

And of course the cakes.  I had a sampling of all of them.

It was an event to remember, to be sure!  Lovely wedding, lovely setting, and lovely people!  Thanks for everything, H&R, and enjoy your honeymoon!  Love, R

Heather and Reid's Wedding, Part 2 of 3

My dress and Catherine's dress waiting to be put on.

Here is a closeup of my hairdo for the wedding.  Isn't it gorgeous?  I feel like it is the perfect version of what I dreamt of as a teenager for prom or some other formal event but of course never managed to accomplish, but instead ended up with some poofy french french twist nightmare.  And my earrings were made for me as a gift by the bride, who is also a jewelry designer.

These are the bridesmaid's bouquets (made by the bride's Mom) staying cool in the hallway before the wedding.

Heather's Mom also made the striped table runners, and they offered lots of fans to the guests to combat the South Carolina heat.

Our friends Harris and Bay's little boy.

For the cakes they chose to offer four small cakes in various flavors instead of one traditional wedding cake.  It is a great way to give people options as well as save a little money.  The cake stands are sections of a fallen tree from Heather's parent's back yard in Alabama.

I'll be back tomorrow with one final post documenting H&R's wedding.  Stay tuned for their specialty cocktail, delicious low country food, and super original guest book idea.

Heather and Reid's Wedding: Part 1 of 3

We are home from our trip to Charleston for our friends Heather and Reid's beautiful wedding on the Cotton Dock of the Boone Hall Plantation.  Sadly, both E. Bean and I returned sick as dogs, and my brain is all fuzzy, so this post is going to be short on words.  But I wanted to get a few pictures up as soon as possible, because I was blown away by their whole vision for their big day.  The handsome devil in the first picture is the groom, the lovely lady in the white dress is, of course, the bride.  And for those of you who don't know me I'm the girl standing next to the groom in the picture of the whole wedding party.  I must admit I was skeptical when Heather first told me that the girls would all be wearing yellow, but I think in the setting, and with all of the groomsmen in their light suits it looks amazing.  And all but one of the bridesmaids are wearing rented dresses from Rent the Runway!   

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be feeling better and I'll be back with a post with the stylish little details of this gorgeous event!

The Bride!

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for!  The lady herself!

Here is Holly's got her beautiful dress.  I know the pockets were a big selling point, I'm pretty sure she carried around her "something blue" in there.  And, a little note on the unusual bridal footwear: Holly and Zach hiked around all over Zermatt in their wedding clothes for hours before the wedding with their photographer, so boots were for sure the right choice.  I don't know how she didn't freeze to death!  See below for a couple of the photos from their photo shoot.

photo credit for above 2 photos: marc kronig

She did her hair in a loose chignon and topped it off with a fascinator with feathers and a little sparkle.  So pretty!  And don't you just love a bride in glasses?

She topped the whole look off with a vintage faux mink stole.  All together I think she achieved a completely fresh and current look, but still with a little bit of a 60's feel.  So pretty Holly!

Follow the links listed below to get Holly's look! 

Dress: Priscilla of Boston.

Hair Adornment: Ann Leslie on Etsy

Vintage Stole: Olives, Brooklyn

Alpine Wedding - The Beauty is in the Details

Here are some of the stylish and thoughtful details from my friends Holly and Zach's wedding in the swiss alps.  Holly did an amazing job of creating a cohesive look for her wedding in a style that very much fit both her and the place.  She calls the style "mid-century modern meets lodge," which, by the way, is also how she has decorated her chic and cozy apartment.  Here are some of the elements she used. For starters, the above photo is of their cake topper, from Melabo on Etsy.  Such a perfect choice! 

The programs, door tags, menus, and place cards were all designed by Holly's very talented sister and brother-in-law Wendy and Earnest from Dear Hancock Paper Goods.

The favors were delicious hot chocolates on a stick made by City Girl Chocolates on Etsy.

Holly's flowers were a beautiful mix of ranunculus (a personal favorite of mine), tulips, thistle, lotus pods, and I believe anemones (somebody correct me if I'm wrong!), in rustic bark and wire vases.  Thanks so much to Holly and Zach, for letting me share so many details of your wedding on Campestral!

Ann Wood Handmade Birds

Lower photo by Katherine Slingluff

These little guys were our cake toppers at our wedding two and a half years ago.  Now they live on our bookshelf in our living room, and every time I look at them they make me smile.  I was lucky enough to get Ann, who is very busy, to find a little time to make us a pair of birds in our wedding colors, which were blue and white, for which I am still grateful!  I noticed there are actually a few little guys currently available on her website, which is rare since she is usually sold out.  Each little creature gets his or her own name, which she never reuses, and they come in a beautiful box with a little name tag.  To snap one up for yourself go here!  Also be sure to check out her owls and her boats.  Like the birds they are primarily one of a kind, and they are amazing!

Shipping Out! - Custom Wedding Table Numbers

This weekend I'm taking a few days of vacation from jewelry to spend some time with paper and Fiddleheads For Fiona.  After sitting in a booth full of my jewelry at the New York Gift show for a week I am really ready to look at something else!  I've got some books waiting to be de-paged into hollow book jewelry boxes, and I am finally getting out a few custom orders that have been waiting in the wings! 

  Here are a few shots of some custom wedding table numbers I'm shipping out this morning!  

I'm quite happy with how these turned out, I hope the bride-to-be is too!  (I'll tell you all a little secret though.  Due to poor time management I ended up spending the whole day prior to leaving for the gift show glueing these little puppies together.  Yup, the whole day.  It's all part of the learning process though!)