My groom

The Future Mr. Palindrome, whom I also call my lovie, stinker, Jason bear, grumpy bear, and subbie (which isn’t as applicable since he got of the Navy), has done three amazing things for me recently.

1. Since I’m working from Norfolk while he attends his first semester of an MBA program in North Carolina, he’s been holding down the fort at our fixer upper (which you saw progress being made to back here). He surprised me by having wood flooring installed in our family room! Check out our before and afters!

2. That lil stinker also had a wedding dream before me! Well, categorically it was a pair of wedding nightmares, but since I haven’t dreamt or had nightmares about the wedding yet, he wins for the first in the relationship to have subconscious thoughts arise during sleep about the wedding. His first nightmare was that he was on the way to the rehearsal dinner but had no idea where it was and couldn’t reach anyone to find out. Panic inducing for sure. The second nightmare is that one of the palindromesmen, who frequently does business travel to Japan, got stuck in a Japanese airport and couldn’t make the wedding. Again, panic inducing. I assured him that I would make sure he got to the rehearsal dinner and that even if a palindromesman couldn’t make it, we’d be able to hold it over his head for years.


3. The final surprise is that my lovie recently read all of my blog – all the way through the archives. If that wasn’t touching enough, how ‘bout this? He turned off all of the pictures so that he wouldn’t accidentally see my dress. In unison now, “Awwwwwww.” If you didn’t know, the future Mr. Palindrome was the editor-in-chief of our school newspaper when I met him. He brought me on as an Arts & Entertainment editor. He paid me a huge compliment on the blog saying it was well written and funny. It made me a cheery bear.

Funny how I know since he recently read the whole blog, he probably won't read it again (and if he does, he won't turn on the pictures), so I now I feel the complete freedom to post silly pics of him in reindeer gear.  I guess I deserve when he calls me a Sneaky Bear.

Anygroom, I haven’t mentioned him a lot on the blog because he’s a private person in general – but here’s to you future Mr. Palindrome man (sing it with me, you know you love those commercials).

Palindromaid of Honor E and her 50's Look!

Palindromaid A got the party started!  Since I posted her look, I've gotten emails and updates from all of the Palindromaids.  Palindromaid of Honor E has pulled together a great look with a 50's vibe.  I'm amazed because she created this outfit from items she already owned!  I love chic and even better, I love chic on the cheap.  Nothing better than looking great and saving moolah.  Thanks to the Motherdrome and Grandmotherdrome for instilling my love of a bargain :)
Check out her look:

E got her dress from Ann Taylor (on sale!), her shoes are Bandolino strappy heels, and her earrings from Zales.  The necklace was a graduation gift from her godparents.  Way to go E!  Pearls and shrug collar?  How Mad Men of you!

The Winner of the Notecards!

Congratulations to the 5th commenter - Emily!

I asked my officemate at work to choose a number between 1 and 5 and there you have it.  :)  Gotta love a good old random number choice.  Woo hoo - yay for the first giveaway!

Friday Finds - Heartwarming Mod

TGIF!

Clockwise from the Top Right:
Cheesecake Vintage: Mustard Yellow Floral Dress
House of Telsa: Intertwined Headpiece
Ello There: Teacups Wedding Invitation
Knit Storm: Tea Love Mug Cozy

You've got a few more hours!

Before the contest closes - check it out here.

Another Love Story

I love The Price is Right.  Correction: I used to love The Price Right.  Back when Bob Barker was the host and my great grandmotherdrome would sit and watch with me.  Back when we ate blackberry pie with milk poured over the top.  Back when gasoline was under a buck.  Man did I love guessing the prices.

When I found out Bob Barker was retiring, I flew to Hollywood with my friend E to see a taping of Price.  In a story that's best told in person with me holding out my hands like a begging Oliver Twist, we didn't make the cut in the line and my dreams were dashed.  When Drew Carey started hosting, I stopped watching. 

I saw Bob Barker's autobiography, "Priceless Memories," at the library recently and couldn't pass it up.  In this unlikely place, I found a wedding gem:

"Dorothy Jo's parents said they would have a nice wedding for us in Springfield, one with our friends and all the trimmings, if we wanted.  Or, they said, they would just give us that money.
'Which do you want?' they asked.
And Dorothy Jo and I said in unison, 'We want the money.'
We got on a train and headed to St. Louis.  I had a hotel reservation in that city, and when we arrived, we went through the yellow pages, found a minister, and went to his home to be married.  ... It was January 12, 1945, and Dorothy Jo wore a red dress. I still have it.  She looked great, and both of us were ecstatically happy."

Source

They married right after Bob got his wings, just as many other young couples during WWII.  I love that they went for the money to build their home together.  I love that they took a train to the big city.  I love that they found the minister in the phone book.  I especially love that she wore red.  But most of all, I love how an incredibly simple wedding, made them so "ecstatically happy."

And that's my nice little pick-me-up for the day!

More Bling!

Over at Wedding Bee, they're all about this lady who takes ring pictures.  Actually, she's an established and brilliant photographer who very generously wrote a tutorial that explained to boneheads like me how to take a great ring shot.  Remember this post, way back here?  Yeah, I broke all of Ann's rules. 

When I had my earrings out for their shoot, my ring got jealous and demanded that I pay her the attention she deserves.  I guess she gets it from her mother.  What I can I say, we're both just camera lushes *shrug*.

Here she is posing with an item contributing to our favorite pastime - sewing.

Look at that gorgeous afternoon light pouring in the window.  Look at the years of paint built up on the window frame.  Look at how I don't wind my thread properly and how the end bits are all willy nilly.  Oh, and look at my cathedral setting.  Good fiance!  Good boy!

Here's another ring pose with the same props to give you an idea of how I played around with each prop.

Alright, enough with the thread, you want more bouquet you say???  Alrighty then.  (Can you tell I'm in the middle of Season 4 of Sex & the City where Trey says "Alrighty then," every two seconds?  Other random aside, does it creep you out that Trey is the murdering husband on Desperate Housewives?)

What amazing diamond and feathery goodness next to a very plastic and painted stamen.  Hmmm . . . well, nobody will be looking through a macro lens at my bouquet on the wedding day.  I'll show less stamen in the next rounds of bouquet pics.  I promise!  In the meantime, how about next to a beady eyed bird?

I'm showing you this one because it's kindof a fail.  The light wasn't that great and I forgot to raise the blinds, so it's a little on the ugly side.  During post processing though, it began to grow on me.  Still, not the best one of the bunch.  No, the best one I saved for last.  It combines my two favorite things.  Can you guess what those are?

If you answered gourmet and diamonds, close but no cigar.  If you answered food and weddings, DING DING DING.  There's my beauty sitting atop the latest Bon Appetite magazine - that gorgeously roasted chicken.  Seriously, seeing that mag when I walk into the apartment makes my mouth water.  Much like seeing a gorgeous wedding, I just can't turn off the Pavlovian response.

If you've given Ann's tutorial a whirl, I'd love to see what you came up with!  Send your pics my way and they may be featured on this very blog!  Happy shooting :)  and Happy chicken eating!

The Earrings are Here!

So, I took your all's advice into consideration and bought myself a pair of vintage earrings from an Etsy seller.  They came in the mail yesterday and I had a little photo shoot with them!

First off, these bad boys are a lot bigger than I thought they would be.  To refresh your memory, here's the pic from Etsy over at Fincara:

Now, here's a pic of them at my house next to a quarter.

Holy vintage rhinestones batman!  Those are enourmous!  So they're a little on the big side . . . Ha!  And of course I love them!  I'm going to be rocking the bling like it ain't no thang.  Just like this:

Look at those dangles!  Can't get enough? Neither could I.  I worked it for the camera some more.

Right . . . I think I thought this hair/arm thing would look model-ly.  Instead it's my ghost arm and fake smile/snarl that's taking the cake here.  But it gives you a good idea of what they look like from the front.

One last one of the earrings with a special appearance of my furry goatee culprit from the earlier pic:

I know you're asking yourself, "What is that marvel of beautifully crafted fabric flowers, sillk flowers and dreamy feathers?"  Why that's just be my lil ole bouquet!  It's not quite done yet, but more pics are forthcoming!

While you wait for them, don't forget to enter the free notecard giveaway!

100 Posts AND New Functionality!

This is like your Christmas morning. It's ok, jump around and be giddy in your footed pajamas. This is worth celebrating! I've reached my 100th post and I'm introducing two new features!

1. Tags - I worked for two nights last week tagging all of my posts. The tags are at the bottom of each post. If there is a topic you like and want to see what else I've written on that topic, just click on the tag and the full list of entries will be generated. I'll be working on having the list on the sidebar soon as well!

2. Comments - I've opened up comments to one and all. I hope that this fixes the issues that some readers have had with comments. I also turned on my comment moderation feature. Since I opened up comments to one and all, I want to make sure that bad apples don't ruin all the wedding and sunshiney goodness fun that this blog is.

I lied. I have 3 new features! Want to know the 3rd one???? GIVEAWAYS! What better than be checking your favorite blogs on a Monday and realize it's a giveaway day??????????

I am giving away a set of 4 handmade notecards! I made them today with some supplies I had on hand. The doilies will be making an appearance in a DIY Tutorial (another toot!), but for now they add just a little charm to these notecards.

These would be great as Thank You cards, to put with bridesmaid gifts, as "Will you be my Bridesmaid?" cards, shower cards, engagement congratulations, wedding cards . . . You don't even have to be a bride to get some use out of these!

Just add a comment and tell me who you would give these to!  It's that easy.  Entries are once per person and I will choose the winner randomly.  The contest closes on Thursday at midnight EST!

*Note: Click the pictures above for larger images and to see why I need to get a manicure the day of the wedding.  Cute thumb, I know.

Guest Book Trial

After seeing this gorgeous and practical and sentimental and fun guest book idea

at Vintage Glam and then a million other places, my Planner, Miss P, convinced me that we could make this work at my more early 20th century vibed reception.

I wasn't completely convinced though. I had to do a trial run. I thought perhaps the tree would look dead with black and silver leaves. I thought perhaps it wouldn't fit into the decor of our house. Then the light bulb went off! What if I paired it with a lovely Black and White photograph from the big day? As soon as I had this thought, I decided I wanted to make this work.

In about 5 minutes, I whipped up this mini prototype. With Crayola markers and black stamp pad, I sloppily wrote our names and then pressed on a few leaves. The future Mr. Palindrome looked on, his chief concern being the ease with which the ink would wash from my thumb.

Good news: The ink washed away with soap and water. Though I think that a box of baby wipes by the table will be the ticket on the big day.

One last staged look at my handiwork:

For the actual print that we'll be using, I think I'll be using my bamboo brushes and india ink on water color paper. I just have to dig it up from somewhere at the house in Durham. Right . . .

Palindromaid A Pulls into the Lead!

If my palindromaids were horses, and if getting their outfits together was a race, then Palindromaid A would be pulling into the lead. Luckily, it's not a race and the other palindromaids have a few more months. Oh, and they're not horses, or look anything like them. But how exciting is it to see everything coming together with Palindromaid A's look?!?!

Chandelier Earrings by Unknown
Dress by Banana Republic
Electra by Nina
Tea Party Ring by Banana Republic

Friday Finds - Nutty Goodness

TGIF!



Source from top right going clockwise:
Orchard Farm Soap: Wedding Gift Basket
Sweeter than Me Designs: Fall Foliage Earrings
Touch of Beauty Designs: Elizabeth Barrett Browning Quote
April Ink: Pretty Fall Circles Invitation

Jason and Melinda - Married

I did a double take when I visited the blog of one my favorite photographers. I think her look is really fresh and fun. She's on the new side of life (just turned 20!), but she's got great insight already!

Kristen Leigh's top blog post was: Jason and Melinda - Married


I almost dropped out of my chair. That's the Palindromes' names! I can't wait to see that title for us - Married. Le sigh.

Check out the other Jason and Melinda's photoshoot, and the rest of Kristen's work. If you're in the DC area and looking for an up and coming photographer, look no more!

Salon Shopping Checklist

If you're getting ready to go gown shopping for the first time, check out the Part-Time Happy Homemaker's list of shopping essentials!

Writing your love story

I started writing letters to my soul mate before I had even gone on a date with boy. It was a silly and immature outlet that I thought was very romantic and fit with the whole mysterious writer thing I was going for my sophomore year of undergrad. The journal of letters grew to be my resting place for my first love. Then it grew again to include the story of the birth of my relationship with my future husband. I had abandoned it again when having one of those, "I don't think he's ever going to propose to me" moments. I buried the journal in my closet and thought I would write a letter after the break-up, years down the road. During my recent move, I unearthed the journal. The last entry was almost three years ago. I very certainly said that I knew I was going to marry my Navy boy.

The letters are personal and something I wouldn't want to share. But I have been inspired by those who have shared their real life love stories. If you're up for a good read (or otherwise bored at work), I highly recommend these two love stories. You'll laugh, you'll cry - it'll move you.


Sourced from the Pioneer Woman
Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, by Ree Drummond (a.k.a the Pioneer Woman)


Sourced from the Nie Nie Dialogues
The Love Story of Nie Nie, by Stephanie Nielson (not a chapter book, but an archived blog documenting a lovely couple now recovering from a plane crash - start with my link in her archives and fall in love with them)

What's your favorite love story? (of the moment or of all time?)

Ear Adornment Chosen!

Thanks to all of my readers who commented, those who tried to comment but were blocked by strange internet forces, those who overcame the strange forces and emailed me, and finally to the members of Wedding Bee who commented.

The breakdown of the votes was as follows:
Number = Votes
1 = 4
2 = 2
3 = 2
4 = SOLD
5 = 0
6 = 2
7 = 4
8 = 1
9 = 5
10 = 1
11 = 2
12 = 7

I was so tickled because Miss Bruschetta (a real life bee!) commented too!

See my completed look below:

*SALE ALERT* Soiree Clutch

Soiree Clutch from J. Crew
50% of 118.00 = 59.99
extra 20% off by entering EXTRA20 at checkout = $48

I thought this was a lovely bridal clutch and I'm also checking out the clothes to see if I can pick up a shower outfit!

Earring Update!

I think I just experienced a blog interaction fail. This post asked for input. I have not put money down on any pair of earrings, so I'd still like to hear from you!

Reader H, told me in person that her favorites were #1 and #2 - thinking that the longer ones would be awesome with the hair and look great since they're not competing with a necklace.

Also, #4 has sold. I'm feeling the pressure to buy! :)

Killer Heels

Palindromaid A sent me pics of her favorite black heels from Zappos.com. I was bowled over! They're super cute. Black heels are one thing you just can't have too many of - so she ordered all three :)

Check out her drool worthy picks below:

Ivana by rsvp

Electra by Nina

Colinne by rsvp

The best part of Zappos is free shipping to and from - Happy shoe shopping :)

Friday Finds - Old and Blue

I'm introducing a new feature (I think my first feature!) on Palindrome Bride. I have millions of items favorited on Etsy and every time I browse through them, I find patterns and themes. I decided to share some of them with you. So each Friday, I am going to post some Friday Finds. I'm not going to promise that they'll be all Etsy finds, all the time - but for this week, it's true!

TGIF!

Sources from the Top Right going Clock-wise:
B Trousseau Couture: Vintage Cake Topper
Pattycake's Plunder: Princess Blue Rhinestone Earrings
Fab Gabs Vintage: Bo-si-do Flocked Chiffon Dress
Scottie in a Canoe: Vintage 1950's White Eyelet Lace Heels

Man-wear

Besides bouts, the other man accessory I love to love is the cuff link. Come to Momma, french shirt wearing man with cuff links and those detective suspenders holding his gov. issued weapon! Seriously.

Take a cold shower and join me again in the cuff link discussion. I saw Miss Bruschetta's cuff link post over at Wedding Bee and found some new inspiration for gifts for the men in my life. Because I'm certain the men in my life also don't bother themselves to read my wedding blog (they're adverse to throwing up in their mouths a little bit every time I say tulle, thermography, and centerpieces), I'm going to reveal the cuff links that I purchased for my Dad and brother to wear.

After seeing these link in Bruschetta's post:


Source
And balking at the price (pun intended!), I promptly began searching for alternatives. Our family grew up on red meat, potatoes, and baseball, so I knew I had to have something that commemorated those red ties that bind us.

A quick Etsy search uncovered the solution!



Source

These may look a little rougher around the edges, but that's how we roll anyways. After a conversation with the seller, we agreed to a discounted price with no shipping costs for two pairs and they arrived in my mail box about 1 week later. I'll be saving them as Christmas presents and can't wait to get a shot of my Dad and brother together at the wedding wearing them!

I'm also still on the hunt for links to gift the future Mr. Palindrome with - I'll share ideas for him soon.

Photographer Magazine Spread

My photographer, Sam Hughes, currently has a wedding featured in the Hampton Roads Bride magazine!

(pic of layout from Sam's blog)
When my mom and I went to check out the suites and rooms where we had blocked them at the Waterside Marriott downtown, we picked up a few magazines as we waited. My mom was flipping through one and exclaimed: "This is your Sam Hughes!" Hahaha.

Sam scanned the spread to his blog which you can see here. If you're a Hampton Roads Bride, you can also pick up the magazine around town!

Matching Earrings

'Member my dress and my shoes? Have I told you about my hair inspiration? That's another story for another time, but here's how "my look" is shaping up for the Big Day:

Sources clockwise starting from the top left: Pronovias.com, myself, http://janezlifeandtimes.wordpress.com/, illustration by myself.

The question mark holder is for my jewelry. I think with my neckline, that a necklace is unnecessary. I love bracelets, but hardly ever wear them because they get in the way. So I decided that I would merely adorn my earsies. Gong vintage was the first thought I had - not only would it be greener, but cheaper and more in line with my overall look anyways. I've collected 12 possibilities from Etsy in a range of prices and styles. I told you before to sear my dress to your long term memory - bring that memory back up and tell me in the comments section which ones are your favorites!

The top row is the long and danglies, the middle row is the va-va-voomies, and the bottom row is the simplies. They all had to end in "ies" to make my world complete today.

Since I know that some of you are (over)analysts like myself, here is the full list with prices (click on the links for sources and alternate views):
1. Ladder Style - $22
2. Dangle Rhinestone - $22
3. c. 1980s - $35
4. Saturday Night - $16
5. Vintage Rhinestone - $29
6. Jellyfish - $24
7. Rhinestone Waterfall - $15
8. Art Deco Sparkling - $21
9. 3 pair - $12.99
10. Small Vintage Rhinestone - $5
11. Vintage Kramer - $29
12. Vintage Dangle - $7

Comments are open now (in my best Ryan Seacrest voice).

Ruthless

It's all over the internet and through the magazines - cut your wedding budget by cutting your guest list. Some places say it nicer than others, but I think Martha Stewart's people said it the most cut throat way:
Be Ruthless with the Headcount

Or check out this thread at Wedding Bee.

I'm not as militant as some fellow bloggers out there who march against the Wedding Industrial Complex (WIC), but something about this rubs me the wrong way. The wedding industry sets these standards of beauty and indulgence to the point where the average bride must RUTHLESSLY cut her guest list to maintain the American Dream Wedding.

Yes, limiting the guest list is usually a necessary evil due to space and budget constraints. However, for our wedding, we decided that our priority would be to include as many of our friends and family as possible. Children were not invited, but not because we wanted to save a buck - because we wanted our guests to have the freedom to enjoy themselves during our wedding festivities. We invited our co-workers and have them in our wedding party - these people spend the most time with us and know us the best! We had to cut back on other budget items to accommodate the cost incurred by more guests. The little luxuries I'm told I "need" at our price point have been thrown out the window.

At the end of the day, I hope that the industry doesn't force you to be ruthless. Rather, I hope that your vision and budget allow for the dearest to your heart to join you in a momentous occasion!

How have you balanced the budget and your guest list? Did your venue dictate the number of guests, or did you find a venue based on your guest count?

Always Yours

I hadn't much thought of a wedding fragrance until I realized that I was a few squirts away from finishing the bottle that the future Mr. Palindrome gifted me for my college graduation over 4 years ago. Huh. Now what?

I thought about just using some body splash that I have on hand and was quite content with that solution. I mean, smelling purty is for the flowers. Then I ran across an ad while thumbing through a wedding mag, otherwise known as the spawn of the wedding industrial complex (WIC). I saw a sparkly bottle. Just like a crow or a hobbit, I moved toward the sparkle.

Source
How could I justify this expense though? I had some nice pear blossom body splash that someone had given me even before my tangle with the college grad gift of Armani Mania. It wasn't like this was my signature scent, or that I'm even the type of girl to have a signature scent. I really like the smell of Old Spice, something about that spicy man smell - Come to momma my Old Spice wearing future Mr. Palindrome!

Then I remembered that back in the day, like the Old Testament day, they prepped Esther with some massive perfume for days before meeting the king in marriage. This was a Biblical investment in my marriage this perfume. Riiiiiight.

I couldn't think of a way to fit it in the wedding budget, so I did the next best thing. I asked my sweet little mom who loves this sort of thing, if perhaps this would make a good present for me somewhere along the way. Gracious as ever, she said, "Of course! Just send me the brand and the name."

"Ralph Lauren, Always Yours," I email her.

"Ahhhhhh - it's the perfect name. I would refuse to buy you one that was named Obsessed or something like that. :)
Mom" She replied.

Isn't she the cutiest?

Following a New Blog

I just found Stephanie over at Love & Lace through a posting on one of the Wedding Bee boards. Specifically, I found a picture of her DIY bouquet:

Source
Stephanie is a real DIY and vintage kindred spirit and I'm very glad I found her. Follow her blog along with my other favorites to the right >>>>>>.

Why I Scheduled a Jan. Wedding

. . . it's long after softball season!

Check out my shiner:

This is after 5 days too. There's nothing more to the story than I foul-tipped into my own face. Awesome. Last at bat, last game of the season. Can I repeat, Awesome?

This pic was the one I took the day after it happened. It didn't really seem to be showing up very well though - for whatever reason it looked much worse under the flourescent lighting at work. After I took the pic and began to crop it in photoshop, I figure I'd just give you the unedited version so that you can see just how far I have to go in my wedding day beauty regimen.



After tangoing with nearly every skin care system in the world (including a few rounds of Accutane back in college), I've found the best upkeep system to be Proactiv. I'm conflicted about buying more though.

My Pros:
I know it works for me.
It makes my skin look healthy.
I love how smooth and soft my skin feels.

My Cons:
It's expensive.
It's time consuming.

Are my cons just the price I have to pay for decent skin?

Also, do you think I should wax the brow bushes about 1 week before the wedding? My math was based on that I want the red def. to be gone and then still have some pluck free wiggle room for the honeymoon. The only problem is that I may not be in Norfolk the week before the wedding which would leave my brows up to chance as I sought a new person in the DC area during Christmas week. Hmmmmmm. . .

Invitation Imagination Part 2

I received the sample invitations in the mail! As you read in the previous installment of Invitation Imagination, I liked quite a few invitation sets from eInvite.com.

The invite set that won my heart did not have the option to order a sample for $1.50. I thought that was a nice, measly price for a sample, but was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to see the exact invite I had chosen. Miss Planner, my coordinator, even called them to see if it was possible, and they said, "No." Probably as nicely as they could have said it.

My heart was set on these invites though and I saw a way around the sample. I scoured the site for an invitation that was the same paper weight and lettering type of my heart's desire. I received the sample in the mail and knew that my invitation decision was right! Take a peek at the sample below:





I was really impressed with the quality of the paper. I also realized that I couldn't tell the difference between the thermography and engraving. If they were side by side, I could probably tell the difference. Or if I'd seen hundreds of both kind. But I'm betting our guests haven't seen them side by side hundreds at a time, so I think we're okay taking the cheapy shortcut here.

I can't wait to show you what I actually chose! Did you order a sample before you bought? Did it seal the deal or break the deal?

*Sale Alert* Maya Couture

If you are a knot.com member, and living in the Hampton Roads area, check out this sale!

If you've been to Maya Couture, comment here and I may interview you for the blog. If you have pictures of your dress that you purchased from Maya Couture, submit those too!

*Props to my good friend and fellow bride to be L who alerted me to this sale!*

*Sale Alert* J. Crew Shoes

This is a new feature on the site - reminiscent of the K-mart Blue Light special. I see a really good find, I share the really good find. Simple.

Today I ran across these:

The Cate satin high heel slingbacks from J. Crew.

Add a little something like this:

From Beadtopia Vintage's shop

And maybe even a guinea feather or two, and you've got yourself a special pair.