Palindrome Bride

Friday Finds - Coordinating Inspiration

2010-12-17T09:30:00.000-05:00

I've been loving these little jewelry dishes for a while and finally decided to build a collection around them. The idea wasn't so much a theme, but building wedding inspiration from one piece and coordinating colors across events. The dress could be a rehearsal dinner dress, shower dress, MOB dress, etc. The necklace could be worn by the bride or given to bridesmaids. The invitation could be for the wedding, shower, rehearsal dinner or even Thank You notes. They're not matchy, but they do all compliment each other.

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
SMV Designs - Cornflower Blue Chalcedony and Pearl Necklace
Sofralma - Set of 3 Antique Enamel Pin Dishes
Shalom's Cottage Home - Modern Dahlia Invitation
Poppy Pistol's Vintage - Vintage Secretary's Dress

Friday Finds - Red Winter Birds

2010-12-10T15:57:00.000-05:00

Birds and weddings, overdone? Maybe. But they're just so darn cute. I love them and thought I would adapt the theme for a wintry wedding since us winter brides are left out in the cold when it comes to schemes outside of snow flakes.

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
By Tonetti - Red Jade Bird Hoops
Orly Design - Custom Ceramic Wedding Cake Topper
Victorian Station - Bird Nest Burlap Gift Bags
sweet bella - Winter Berry Love Birds Invitation

Friday Finds - Toy Story

2010-12-03T11:44:00.000-05:00

Though too themed for my taste usually, I've been getting nostalgic with the holiday season and really wanted to put together a Toy Story collection. One of these items could probably be incorporated into a real wedding as a nod to a favorite movie. Now I'm a little sad that I didn't think of incorporating favorite movies or even books into my wedding day.

Are you incorporating anything from a favorite movie into your wedding day?

Clockwise from Top L:
Sew Ladybug - Little Bo Peep Smocked Dress
A.N. Original Jewelry - Porky Piggy Bank Silhouette Necklace in Silver
Garden 4 Arts - Custom Potato Head Cake Toppers
Dolci Fini - Western Boxed Wedding Invitations

Speaking Out Against Family

2010-11-30T15:36:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about this subject as my friends and I walk through the process of leaving and cleaving. While it's a spiritually loaded sentiment from the Bible, it's a concept that I think everyone deals with to some degree or another. When you join your life with your partner's life, you become a baby family in your own right. So where does that leave your respective families? Especially if there is friction?

Questions such as these are at the front of my mind:
When is it appropriate to speak out against family? For racism? For homophobic remarks?
When do you cut family out of your life?
What are healthy boundary lines?
Should spouses have to choose between you and parents?

We've all probably heard stories or have our own examples of the racist father(-in-law) spouting jokes over turkey. Or the sister(-in-law)'s biting remarks. Whatever the issue is, it can cause a real wedge in the family. I wonder where the line is between peacekeeping and standing up for what is right. When I married into my husband's family, his grandmother told me: "It's your job to help keep this family together. You have the power to keep it together or break it up." While I agree with her that family should be kept sacred and honored, I only agree to a point. There are circumstances where I would feel warranted in making a break.

I tend to have a very black and white view. If I think you're wrong, I'll let you know know and what's more, I'll tell you what I think is right. As I understand this tendency more, I've been trying to employ more diplomatic means. The idea of speaking the truth in love applies here I think. If you can speak the truth, but do so in a loving way and then the other party still wants to part ways, then perhaps you've done all you can do. As a matter of conscience, I don't know that there are other options.

I probably have more questions than answers regarding these situations (which vary widely from one family to another). However, I don't think we talk about these situations outside of common jokes about the in-laws or putting the fun in dysfunctional. I want to know what wisdom you have to impart. I want to know what you've been trying and what's been working.

Have you had to cut off family? Set a firm boundary? Or maybe just speak out against an injustice within family? How has being married affected your decisions to do this?

Heritage Photos to Heritage Wall

2010-11-23T11:17:00.000-05:00

Our collection of heritage photos meant the world to me at our wedding. While I had physical copies of all the photos, I made sure that I scanned them and eventually ordered prints for myself. I had a vision for how to display them, so I began collecting frames as I saw them on sale at Michael's, Home Goods, and Target.

I love how each picture dates the couple and expressions. Let's meet the family:

Mr. Palindrome's Parents

Mr. Palindrome's Paternal Grandparents

Mr. Palindrome's Maternal Grandparents

Mr. Palindrome's Maternal Great Grandparents

Palindrome Bride's Parents

Palindrome Bride's Maternal Grandparents

Palindrome Bride's Paternal Grandparents

Palindrome Bride's Paternal Great Grandparents

After framing each photograph, I laid them out on the floor and arranged them loosely based on family ties.

Some experts lay a piece of butcher block under the frames and then tape the paper onto the wall. Then they nail hangers right over the paper, thus ensuring exact placement.

I am a "this looks close enough" kind of gal. So I just used my hand to approximate distances and it worked out pretty well.

I love how the mixed patinas of the frames make them look original. I also like the asymmetry of the collection as a whole, yet it still feels balanced.

Did you collect photographs for your wedding? Are you planning on incorporating them into your home decor after the wedding?

Friday Finds - To the Brits

2010-11-19T13:15:00.000-05:00

I may or may not have gone on WoW spotting trips when I studied in England. Since I'm happily married now and he is on his way to be, I could find no other inspiration this week than the impending royal wedding. I went cheesy and touristy too. At the pub down the street from my flat they had Cheese Night every Saturday (basically American 80's Night!). The round about sign invitation is probably my favorite, though I really enjoy the irony of the telephone booth ipod case (which I think would make great wedding party gifts!).

TGIF! (or more appropriately, GSTQ - God Save the Queen!)

Clockwise from Top L:
CB Sew - British Red Phone Booth Gadget Case
The Blissful Baker - British Themed Cupcake Toppers
Alive House - Union Jack Pillow Cover
Doodle Love - Love Roundabout Wedding Invitation

Honeymoon in My Hometown - Hampton Roads

2010-11-15T09:22:00.000-05:00

You may have taken summer vacation to Williamsburg and been forced to appreciate colonial history, but the area has a ton to offer in the way of romance and activity for a honeymoon close to home. Here are my personal suggestions if you're headed to the area for your honeymoon (or anniversary trip, or even babymoon trip?).

Where to stay:

Norfolk Waterside Marriott

Stay downtown and enjoy the waterviews! Hop on the water taxi to explore downtown Portsmouth, or hop on the highway to enjoy any of the 7 cities in the area. We stayed there on our wedding night and received excellent service.

Sheraton Ocean Front at Virginia Beach

Stay at the Virginia Beach ocean front and enjoy waking up to the sound waves and 'gulls. The boardwalk is just steps away, and plenty of restaurants are within walking distance.

Founders Inn & Spa

The Founders Inn & Spa is lovely and very hospitable. The surrounding campus of Regent University is also beautiful and stately. When we ate at the Founders Inn after my graduation, the food was delicious. Sunday brunches are the talk of the town. Head to the spa for a little extra luxury.

What to do:

Nauticus Museum and USS Wisconsin Tour

Interesting bits of military history.

Chrysler Art Museum

Well curated museum and interesting collection.

Chrysler Hall

Musicals, speakers, the symphony, comedians, and military tattoos.

Virginia Aquarium

Animals and an Imax theater - satisfies your inner kid!

Old Cape Henry Lighthouse

Great views of the beach and surrounding area.

First Landing State Park

Extensive trails, camping, etc.

Naro Cinema

Great old theater, reasonably priced concessions, interesting films.

Busch Gardens

If you're a coaster lover, like me, this is a must!

Colonial Williamsburg

You just may appreciate it more this go around!

Where to Eat:

Chick's Oyster Bar

Hang out on the deck, pick shrimp, enjoy life.

The Bier Garden
No picture, just trust Palindrome Bride. Order the spatzle.

Tautogs

Start with the she crab soup, you won't be sorry.

The Williamsburg Winery

Eat at the tavern and enjoy some Virginia ham with a lovely table red.

Have you been to Hampton Roads? Would you consider a local honeymoon?

*All photographs sourced from the accompanying links to each location.

Palindrome Then and Now

2010-11-11T22:03:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking recently about what I thought marriage would be like. My dreams. My reality. My expectations from high school are deeply contrasted by my current expectations.

My relationship thoughts have largely been shaped by my faith. When I was in Jr. High, I was counting down the days until I turned 16. My parents had promised that I could date at that age and I figured I'd have a high school sweet heart, go to college, marry that sweet heart, and have babies - just like my parents. Awwwwwww.

Around the time I turned 16, our church got swept up into the "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" movement. It may sound crazy to some, but the main idea was a throwback to formal courting where the gents initiated, parents chaperoned, etc. Needless to say, I was never asked out in high school.

The summer I was 16, our youth group visited an orphanage in Mexico.

I thought that college would be my ticket to my MRS. I had (actually still have) strong desires to be a mother. I think I'm just hardwired this way. So I made a plan. I'd meet a nice boy at Bible study my freshman year. Sophomore year, we'd hang out more, become best friends. Junior year, we'd become more than friends. Senior year, we'd be engaged and I'd plan a wedding for the weekend after graduation. Ha!

At Palindromaid S's (and Mr. Palindrome's!) graduation with my MRS plan gone to crapola.

Now, I see that love doesn't follow my plans. I realize that my high school and college dreams didn't reflect what I truly wanted. The thing I wanted most was to meet a man who would challenge me, be my companion, love me, and love building a family with me. The path and timing wasn't the most important thing, but I focused a lot on that in my love immaturity.

Our love story started in college but unfolded over the next 5 years. We moved a combined total of 11 times during that time, sometimes in opposite directions. It wasn't my ideal path, but it was my dream.

Mr. Palindrome and me circa 2006

How have your thoughts about relationships matured since high school?

Corn Dogs, Lambs, and Colas Oh My!

2010-11-09T15:40:00.000-05:00

Cola and I both got the corn dog platter. This platter supposedly had 4 mini corn dogs on it. When the platters came out with 4 full size corn dogs EACH, we just about died. After reviving ourselves we talked shop about weddings with readers, hubbies, and relatives. Then us North Carolina gals tried to talk the Colas into moving to the east coast! The mountains, the beaches, the history, the long summers, the baseball, the jobs, the affordable housing! Seriously, the state government should put us on their payroll because I think we were pretty convincing. After lunch we grabbed a quick picture overlooking the stadium. We couldn't have coordinated our lovely autumanl sweaters even if we had tried!

Lovely reader, mcnetn3, Cola and Lamb

Photograph by Mr. Cola

Thanks to everyone who made it out to the meet up! Let's try to do it again near the holidays!

*Sorry for the sun flare, if I knew more about editing, I probably could have fixed it better. Oh well, Cola looks extra angelic here :). And to the lovely reader whom I couldn't match with a handle after the fact, I've learned my lesson and I'll be writing those down during lunch from now on!

Real Life Palindrome Style

2010-11-04T16:38:00.000-04:00

I really enjoy when bloggers I follow give some insight as to what their life is like outside of their blog. I like the snippets of what you eat, favorite movies, etc. I also feel like I owe you a juicy secret. Not some secret like, "I'm addicted to Mountain Dew" (I'm not anyways, but I consider it to be a bad secret). I'm talking about the juicy kind of secret that makes you think, "Wow, she covered that neuroses pretty well!"

My secret is that I have an obsession with toe nails. It's an unhealthy obsession with unhealthy toe nail hygiene. I trim my toe nails to the quick once a week and clean them out religiously. I NEVER cut the cuticles on my toe nails. I will cut them anywhere in our house that is convenient to me, much to the chagrin of Mr. Palindrome who constantly yaps at me to keep track of the clippings. I wish that the nail obsession stopped at my own two feet. However, it extends to everyone whose toes I see. Summer is the height of my obsession, as I look at everyone's toes sprouting from their sandals. Irregular cut nails? I want to file them. Corns? I want to buff 'em. Long? Oh, please for the love of all that is good in this world, please let me cut them!

Source

While I have contained this urge with strangers, those closest to me cannot escape my homicidal toe nail bent. As children, my Dad would cut our toe nails after our Saturday night baths. When I was old enough, I cut my own and my brother's. Until I left for college, and even when I returned home from breaks, I would still cut my brother's toe nails. Now I cut Mr. Palindrome's. Sometimes I cut them while he sleeps so that he won't fidget.

Source

When I see my toe nail cutting handy work, I feel a deep sense of accomplishment and pride. It's irrational. I know. The ends of beautifully groomed toe nails totally justifies my crazy-clipping-while-you-sleep means though. Besides that, I deal with Mr. Palindrome's ear cleaning q-tip obsession, so I think we're even.

Tell me a secret/real life obsession of yours!

Palindromes Featured on Elizabeth Anne Designs

2010-11-03T15:26:00.000-04:00

I just heard from our coordinator, Pavaune (of Invited Events), that our wedding was featured on Elizabeth Anne Designs in the local Richmond blog section! Some of the Palindromaids are featured about half way down in our photobooth :)

Check out the entire post here.

Weddingbee Meet-up with the Colas in Durham!

2010-11-02T09:51:00.000-04:00

Hey Y'all! My southern lingo is improving, and now it's time for me to show off my southern hospitality as we welcome the Colas to the area! Mr. and Mrs. Cola are visiting this Saturday and we'll be meeting them at Tobacco Road in downtown Durham to show off our fun city, ball park and local brewskies! Join us for lunch and bring the SO!

Tobacco Road Sports Cafe
280 South Magnum Street
Durham, NC
919-937-9909
Saturday, November 6, 12:30 pm

Friday Finds - Feeling Blue

2010-10-29T16:09:00.000-04:00

I'm not down, but I have been thinking a lot about my dining room decor which features my collection of Liberty Blue china. It's such a rich blue and I've been playing with coordinating colors like white and yellow. So this week, I took my china inspiration to create a blue transferware wedding. In addition to the features, I can envision mismatched china place settings, loads of white hyndrangeas, and perhaps royal paper lanterns. The feel would be somewhere between casual and formal, perhaps well suited for an afternoon garden wedding. I know I show so many vintage dresses, but they're so stunning, I have a hard time passing them by!

TGIF!

Clockwise from L:
Timeless Vixen - 1950s Vintage Chiffon Party Dress
Lkfarnsworth - Dutch Masters Earrings
Appleberry Ink - Contemporary Paisley Invitations
Me and Matilda - Super Skinny Necktie

Why Do They All Say Polyester?

2010-10-28T21:24:00.000-04:00

I needed a break. The kind of break where you chill with a girlfriend, gripe about life, and then spend all your allowance in one place. Em and I also wanted to check out bridesmaid dresses, so we killed two birds with one stone by meeting at the Jackson Outlets. We hit up Bridals by Michelle Renee to try on some Alfred Angelo dresses. The dresses were arranged by color and length, so we had to go a dwess huntin' for the alfwed angewhoas. We made out better than Elmer Fudd though. We soon had 5 dresses of varying lengths and styles.

Like a good blogger, I had my camera in my purse. Like a bad blogger, I never took it out. We got carried away with our girl talk. Life, love, ups and downs - in and out of dresses. Then no pictures. So sorry. I did make note of the styles we tried on though.

Dress 1 wasn't an Alfred Angleo, but it was pretty cute, so we decided to try it on anyways.

This Dessy D445 style was super cute on, but there were two draw backs. In person, the taffeta was quite shiny and we weren't sure if we liked it. We didn't hate it, but it wasn't a pro. The sweet heart neckline was cute and good for my figure, but it was also coming up a little low.

Dress 2 we picked out because of the length and the bow.

Style 7128 was cuter on the hanger than on my body. The bow looked a little juvenile and covered up my waist. The puckers on the skirt were right over my pooch area, unnecessarily drawing attention. Not our favorite, but on the right girl, could be great.

Dress 3 drew us in because of the obi style sash and wrap around skirt.

Style 7126 hugged me in all of the right places. It accentuated my waist, the skirt had some interest, and the sweetheart neckline was more modestly cut.

To contrast some of the satin we were choosing, we decided to try Dress 4, this longer chiffon dress.

Style 7076 looked quite pretty on and had a flowy quality. I don't think the straps were Emily's favorite and the looser fit all around wasn't my favorite, but it's a lovely dress. Now that I've been married, I'm much more conscious of wearing empire-ish waists and baby doll tops because people start to assume I've been baking if you know what I mean ;).

Dress 5 was a last minute addition and caught our eye with a lace up back.

Similar to the third dress, this Style 7131, was very flattering around the waist. The layered folds on the bodice lay very prettily and the lace up back would make for easy alterations.

Dresses 3 and 5 made it to our short list. Em is still thinking about the length, but I would be very happy with either dress. We felt like it was almost too easy. We were in and out in about 30 minutes. It could also be because we were woefully unprepared. We hadn't poured through the website and we weren't looking for specific styles. Neither of us are very girly, so we didn't know the fabric types. We finally resorted to looking at the tags, which all said, "Polyester." I used my best wedding blogging skills, to then guess at the proper names.

While the dresses were fun, the best part was spending time with Em, especially since we missed this experience during my wedding. Even if you're not into dresses, I would recommend spending an afternoon hanging out with your best girls as you prep for your wedding.

What was your bridesmaid dress shopping experience like? Any other Alfred Angelo bridesmaids out there?

Friday Finds - Modern Pumpkin

2010-10-22T19:58:00.000-04:00

If I had wed in October, I certainly would have decorated with pumpkins. Since not everyone enjoys literal holiday decorating, I wanted to take pumpkin to the modern edge for an October wedding. I think my favorite item in this collection is the custom made cake topper. The detail is exquisite and if you look through the shop, there's such a diversity of characters and styles.

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
Zoe and Doyle- Titanium and Orange Pearl Band
Live in Style - Penelope Feather Headband
interplantations - Rehearsal Dinner Invites
Milk Tea - Custom Keepsake Wedding Cake Topper

Priscilla of Boston Grand Opening in Raleigh

2010-10-18T22:25:00.000-04:00

Mr. Palindrome's classmate's wife (second cousin once removed, just kidding, but seriously that seems a lot more removed that it actually is) works at the lovely, new Priscilla of Boston wedding salon in Raleigh. She graciously extended invitations to their grand opening soiree to the other wives in the program and was a fun hostess to boot!

I've never been to a grand opening before, so I had zero expectations. This opening made me want to attend them all the time! Live models, as seen in the photograph above, were stationed in the front windows and side rooms. They changed through out the evening for a variety of looks. I spoke with representatives from Bailey's where they have jewelry in addition to fine china and crystal for which couples can register. Turns out our husbands do similar work so we talked more about that than weddings - pretty clichéd old married woman talk eh?

I was drawn to this sweet table featuring items from Lavender and Lace because the jar of sprinkling silk is the exact same jar that my mom gave me as a wedding present. I recently used it for the first time on our sheets and Mr. Palindrome kept asking me how I made the bed so comfortable. While changing to nice clean sheets probably had something to do with it, I like to think the sprinkling silk took it to the next level. Anysprinkling, they had a lovely display that gave me some ideas for keepsake type gifts for some upcoming weddings, especially with the 20% off coupon the representative gave to attendants.

Shannon from Charlotte's and I talked for a long time about invitations, weddings, moving for yourself, moving on after love, and Wisconsin. For real, people (like Shannon) from Wisconsin are just so nice. I was particularly drawn to the orchid invitations below as I start to think about planning a shower for Emily. The shop does design and printing as well which could save me a lot of trial and error.

The floral arrangements were breathtaking. Can I remember which florist did them? Nope. Bad blogger, bad bride. I'm sure if you were intent on finding out, you could sleuth around and find the names. Funny how I don't write this sort of thing down anymore now that it's not ~~life and death~~ my wedding we're talking about. Oh, and the food. And the champagne. Delish.

At the very front of the store, right when you walked in after being shown in by a gentlemen in tail coats (posh, no?) sat a huge display of mini cupcakes from the Cupcake Shoppe Bakery. I wasn't a a fan of the funny, bushy dress on the top, but boy was I ever a fan of the coconut cupcakes! They took me right back to my wedding. I could have eaten 10, but I stopped myself after a respectful 3. I almost shoved a few in my purse but the models were staring like hawks.

I also met the Publisher/Editor of Southern Bride & Groom, Donna Parks. We talked blogs and I picked up the latest issue. For Triangle couples, it has a good catalog of local venues and companies - a nice place to find inspiration in print, though quite traditional and leaning towards the WIC. Rounding out the industry representatives, a DJ spun tunes in the front of the shop while a photobooth rental guy hung out in a side room. Finally, I decided to examine the dresses, the real reason why I drove out to Raleigh in the first place.

Cocktail length dresses reigned supreme all along one wall and my neuroses was satisfied by their rainbow order on the rack. There were a lot of cooler tones with navy and grey being choice colors. Ruching along the top, ruffles, and bubble skirts also displayed prominently.

I couldn't help but love this little number even if I don't think it has mass appeal or practicality. The feathers just slay me - what a great take on the flapper style, but with a more ethereal, dare I say angelic, flavor. Again, so sorry not to know the designer, but it was such an afterthought of "ooooh, pretty." To try it on, Priscilla of Boston takes appointments and is located at:

Priscilla of Boston - Raleigh

2023 Cameron Street

Raleigh, NC 27605

There were plenty of short dress styles to choose from amidst the sea of long gowns - some enticing enough to make me want to try them on myself. It made me nostalgic for my gown, which I haven't felt even a pang of until now.

Have you been to a bridal shop opening? What do you local brides think of Cameron Village's wedding industry resources?

Friday Finds: Purple Autumn

2010-10-16T18:06:00.000-04:00

Eggplant. I eat it. I look at it. It's about to take a hike for the winter, but let's enjoy it together as the summer turns to fall.

This gorgeous vintage dress is really a showstopper with sweet sparrow prints on it. It would make a great eclectic bridesmaid's dress or rehearsal dinner dress. I choose this style of earring a lot - something about the cluster and the word harvest and the yellow gold - all appropriately autumnal. The clutch is just so great with chartreuse. I feel that it's a very modern take on traditional autumn hues. Besides the color combo, I love the flourishes on the invitations. I think it serves as an almost abstract representation of the cycle of seasons and falling of leaves without being overt about it.

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:

Vintage Marmalade - Tiny Sparrow Vintage 70s Sheer Print Dress

Rhonda Michaels - Lemon Quartz with Amethyst Sprinkles

Bella Fiore - Bridesmaid Clutch

appleberry ink - Contemporary Floral Swirly Vines Wedding Invitation

PS - Want to find out why I'm a day late and a dollar short (again!) for Friday Finds this week? Check out the home blog - www.palindromeathome.com

Real Wedding: Pin Wheels

2010-10-12T10:40:00.000-04:00

I've been wanting to share this wedding since I first heard from my friend that she was going to make all of the decor. Out of paper. Into pin wheels. The idea was charming and the execution even more so.

Krista and Mike were married at a farm not far from our hometown. In August, the corn was tall and ready to be harvested. The overcast sky looked menacing but the rain held off.

In the distance you can see what I thought of as a unity bush. The mothers each ceremoniously added dirt and then the couple watered it after their vows.

Alternating colors of pinwheels lined the aisle. With the slight breeze forewarning rain, the pinwheels actually spun.

In addition to the pin wheels, Krista also decorated wooden die cut fans. Before the ceremony we tried our hands opening them flamenco style. I also found the location to be a great excuse to wear my boots to a wedding!

The pin wheel decor extended beyond pew liners. Here's a closeup of an usher's bout:

These last three photos were taken by Krista and Mike's up and coming photographer, Emily Patton of Emily Photography.

The pinwheels made their first appearance in Krista and Mike's lovely engagement session. The lighting here is just delicious.

Even Krista's bouquet featured the pin wheel. I loved how she incorporated buttons and curly wire too.

This is one of my favorites from the day, Krista looks so happy and I love Mike's pin wheel bout peeking out!

Are you decorating your ceremony without flowers? What materials are you using?

Friday Finds: 'Stache While You Can

2010-10-08T16:01:00.000-04:00

Bandwagons can be fun to jump on. This one is particularly fun, and apropos if one of the wedded to be is sporting their own mustache. I also dig homonyms.

Even if no one in attendance is mustachioed, the pictures taken of your dressed up guests will place your wedding squarely in the early 21st century and serve as fodder for you children and grandchildren.

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
Whisker Works - Quintessential Mix of Mustaches
emmylew - Quite a Pair Card
Paisley Magic - Retro Mustache Tote
The Cufflink Maker - Handlebar Mustache Cufflinks

Review: Shutterfly Album

2010-10-04T16:10:00.000-04:00

This is the story of how we ended up with 3 wedding albums. It all started by wanting to save money.

While many albums are absolutely gorgeous (and drool worthy, believe me, I've drooled), we weren't sold on the idea of spending $1000+ for our wedding album. I searched a lot of sites, I looked at Adorama based on recommendations, and I just wasn't feeling anything. I didn't want to start from scratch and design pages in InDesign. I didn't care about the book laying flat. Long story short, I just about gave up on getting an album.

Motherdrome wouldn't hear of it though. She wanted an album and she wanted it yesterday. So she suggested Shutterfly. I had made a little album of our engagement pictures for free thanks to a coupon. My mom had really liked that one and requested another of our wedding with a leather cover. So I started to experiment. Turns out that I really liked the storyboard method of choosing photographs. I really liked the limited layout choices (too many choices makes me freeze). I liked it so much, that I made one for my parents, Mr. Palindrome's parents, all of our grandparents and one for ourselves.

(I love Mr. Palindrome in the background - this is our new life, me blogging and taking pictures around him doing homework!)

When our album arrived, I was really excited. We sat on the couch, tearing off the orange cardboard box. We ooohed. We awwed. We reminisced. Then we saw that one page printed twice (their bad) and that I had cropped one photo too close so it was blurry (my bad).

After updating the page where I made a mistake, I called customer service. They were great and said they'd reprint it right away! Yay!

After opening the second album, I immediately saw a problem. The binding was loose. Also, they reprinted from the previous file, so my mistake was still there.

I called customer service. Again, they were great and said that they would a credit in my account so that I could change my mistake and have it reprinted at my convenience.

About a month later, I got everything together and was ready to hit order. There was no voucher in my account. It had expired. Sigh. Another call to customer service cleared it up, they put the credit back into my account and I ordered the third album. Thankfully the third album was just dandy.

I'm very pleased with the print quality and the colors. I love the full page pictures.

I'm just a little bummed about having to reprint so many times, but customer service was helpful each time.

And my experience didn't stop me from ordering a small album for our honeymoon as well!

Was an album important to you? Would you consider a DIY album?

Friday Finds - A Wheat Wedding

2010-10-01T09:06:00.000-04:00

In my head, I'm screaming this title 80s hair band style to the White Wedding theme. Shamefully, I was even bobbing my while I typed it.

Anywheaties, I had a really sweet pastel inspired Friday Finds lined up this week. Then a cold front came through with rain. Goodbye pastels! Hello Autumn! I've seen wheat in weddings before, but it's usually paired with cranberry or chocolate. For this collection I decided on a monochromatic palette that features the wheat as the main dish. One of my favorite items of the collection is the wheat ring - subtle and yet deeply satisfying as consistent with the theme. Oh, and the dress! Wedding party, mother, guest, even for the bride - and a steal at $95!

TGIF!

Clockwise from the Top L:
Which Goose - Through the Rye Bout
Frock Stars - 1960s Silk Cocktail Dress with Rosette Sash Waist
Which Goose - Wheat Field Bouquet
Lunasa Designs - Fields of Wheat Ring
Kitsch N Collectibles - 3 Vintage Tuscan Yellow Domed Flower Buttons

myregistry.com vs. Amazon Universal Registry Review

2010-09-21T15:04:00.000-04:00

The concept was so cool. Pick anything for sale on the internet and have it listed on one centralized registry site. Unfortunately, myregistry.com was one of those "better in theory" registries for us. It ended up being our least popular registry.

Screen shot of main page

While it was fairly easy to add things on our end, it was a pain to manage once the items were added. Unless I ordered every item manually, the site ordered items by price (so my bamboo cutting boards got separated from the mineral oil to clean them, etc.).

Screen shot of the manual sort function

Also, I think it was not user friendly from the guest side. Unless the guest knew exactly what they wanted to buy after browsing the initial page, the site would open a new window for each item, making it difficult to navigate back to the browsing page.

Screen shot of separate windows

Anyregistry, our Macy's and Pampered Chef registries were completely cleared out and we had about 70% of the stuff still on myregistry.com.

My MOH, Emily, set up an Amazon registry that also allows you to add items from any internet site.

Screen shot from Emily's registry - notice the cool priority ratings!

She had a few (ha! I should say she sent me a very thorough review!) thoughts about using the registry, and though she qualifies her insights as pre-wedding, I thought you'd find them really useful.

It's too easy. The little "add to registry" button installs in no time and lets you browse/add from anywhere that has a website. I also like that it adds an item picture and you can add comments. For universal registering adding, it's awesome.
Inspiration is handy. The features like Top 100 Registered For Items and browsing Most Registered by Region are great sources of inspiration. There's also Most Registered by product category and a registry checklist, all with links. You can also browse other couples' registries - Amazon essentially recommends registries to you if you share an item or similar items, so you can see what else they have that you might want. But if you're squicky about privacy, this might be a turn-off, finding others' so easily - and knowing random people can also view yours.
Prioritizing. Pretty sweet, and something I wish more registries had this function. If I want to let you know, without having to let you know personally and awkwardly, that while it's awesome that you want to buy us anything, we really wish you'd pass up the towels and go for the cordless drill, I just change the priority. (Remember to save your changes as you do this.)
The organization is strange for both regular and Universal registering. I really wish they had a drag-and-drop, although I don't think traditional registries do this. But I want to change and arrange my registry like I do my Netflix. Amazon will add things as you add them. This means that if I add a balloon whisk, and then a day or two or a week later I add the flat whisk, they will be listed apart. If I want my whisks to show up together, I should delete the balloon whisk, then re-add it, and then add my flat whisk. Amazon will also add your Universal items as you add them. So yes, when we decided we wanted to register for additional sushi plates, I deleted the first one, and then added them all at the same time so they would be in a nice orderly row. If you are anal-retentive, this lack of symmetry will bother you, and you will end up doing this too.
Product Categorization isn't uniform: Amazon, not you, determines the product category. So even if I add them at the same time, my 10-inch cast iron skillet is listed in Other Kitchen, but my 8-inch cast iron skillet is in Sporting Goods. My medium and large cookie scoops are in Kitchen, but my small one is in Other Kitchen. I have no idea why they're different and I can't change it.

The offending skillet in the sporting goods section

The one long page of Amazon's registry is really nice; I don't need to scroll through multiple pages. In addition, it separates out my Amazon items into departments. Universal items are lumped together. You cannot change the default view from this and save it. You can temporarily arrange items to show by price or priority (which will include the Universal registers in the appropriate division) but you cannot save this. On your or your guests' next viewing it will show up again as the default.
The Guest/visitor view is a nice addition as well. I can see how my registry appears to a visitor. This shows how a guest views the registry, all cleaned up of empty categories.
Amazon has a Shop This Store versus Buying Elsewhere feature. Amazon allows guests to 'reserve' purchases of items, in case they prefer offline shopping or hopefully find it cheaper elsewhere. We have not yet put this into practice, but I like the in theory concept of it. However, for Universal items, before viewing the item on its outside host website it asks you to confirm a reservation for purchase - I suppose the logic is that people would buy an item and then forget to mark it as purchased, leading to duplicates or confusion. But I don't know how you un-reserve an item if, for instance, someone wants to look at our tools and so reserves them on our registry for purchase, but then decides that with shipping it's too much. I'd assume there's a cancel feature in their confirmation email, but it's not addressed in the FAQ and I'm curious.

Nice feature, but could get tricky if guests later change their mind or can't find in-store availability

No completion discount: This is only really pertinent if you compare Amazon to a traditional registry. As a Universal registry, of course they can't offer this, and it doesn't make sense. But we opted to create small in-store registries when we found ourselves registering for 10 items at one store, rather than adding to them to our Universal, in order to take advantage of a traditional completion discount. For non-Universal items, it would be awesome if Amazon offered me say even 5% completion on items registered for and not purchased through Amazon, but I don't see this happening.
Know your guests! We chose Amazon because our wedding is mostly peers and colleagues, as we both have small families and most are familiar with the internet and online shopping. We liked it because we can do massive online research to find the best products at the best deals and then add them - all without turning off the game or getting out of our pajamas or needing to find time when the store wouldn't be crowded. We haven't picked up a scan gun yet, and I don't think we'll miss it. For most of our guestlist, Free Super Saver Shipping is already a way of life, and so we hope there's ease for them as well. Amazon has great prices for most items, but be aware that you or more importantly your guests may be able to get a better deal on some items with sales or coupons elsewhere. And not everyone is on-board with online shopping, or they may just prefer to shop in physical stores. Expect this and be prepared for backlash if you have relatives or friends like this. This was also a factor in setting up a small in-store registry.

Next time I'll have Em do all of my reviews. Seriously, home girl is THOROUGH. Must be all that grad school.

If you registered, did you have a registry flop? What was your most popular registry?

Friday Finds - Everyone but the Bride

2010-09-17T10:40:00.000-04:00

I found a darling flower girl dress. Then I found a handsome bow tie. Followed by earrings perfect for the mother of the bride. Rounding it out, I couldn't pass up these lovely satin bowed shoes. And I found it all while looking for a wedding dress! That's the way it goes sometimes. I happened to be a bride who found my dress first, but I've heard many a story of a frantic bride finding a dress mere weeks before the wedding. They were beautiful. So all's well that ends well. Even for this week's Friday Finds.

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
Raleigh Vintage - Vintage 1950s Wembley Bow Tie
Nicole - Satin Kitten Heels
Mid State - 50s Silk Chiffon Party Dress
Flipping Out - Gold Filled Pearl Flower Earrings

Reflections on Marrying a Family

2010-09-14T11:23:00.000-04:00

They say that you don’t marry a man, you marry his family. They turned out to be right.

We’ve been married 8 months and for 1 month of it, we’ve spent the majority of our time at the hospital. With the family. With our huge Jewish and Italian mix of a family who call it “The Family” as though we just stepped off the set of The Sopranos. Where people yell first (they call it talking) and then eat. Manga, manga!

You think that you can control your family interactions. You think you can control your life. You can’t fully control either when someone is in the hospital. You just have to show up and deal. Sometimes, it’s a riot. Everything is funny, everything is a joke. Sometimes, it’s a riot. Everything is like tear gas grenades and rubber bullets.

Life is the place where dysfunction intermingles with quirks, grooms personalities, and intrudes into relationships. The hospital is the place where dysfunction meets grief. In the throes of that grief is where you realize you just married the family. There’s no controlling it and there’s no escaping it.

Thankfully, you also realize that you just married the family. The family is full of life, faith, and hope. The family is full of grandparents who take an interest in your work (welcome) and your love life (less welcome). It’s full of enough people who love to eat that you know you’ll never go hungry as long as you’re in the family. And it’s full of people who say, “Welcome to the family! We’re glad you’re here.”

Photo by Sam Hughes

What has your experience been like marrying a family?

Friday Finds on a Monday - Pink and Blue Weekday

2010-09-13T15:23:00.000-04:00

When life gets in the way sometimes you postpone a post. Other times you get married on a Monday. In the spirit of changing things up, of doing the unexpected, and weddings on a weekday, this Friday Finds is all about a city hall wedding. I thought of a whole story, how the couple has had it up to *here* with wedding crapola. How they dress in their Sunday best and turn their case of the Mondays into a marriage on a gorgeous day. They say, "I Do" and then picnic at noon time in the city park. Now that's cheery!

Clockwise from L:
Ties-Necktie - Striped Light Blue Silk Tie
Urban Pink Photography - City Hall
Ingenious Rehab - Vintage Feminine Powder Pink Organza Party Dress
Heirloom Angel - Guildcraft Glove Box and Two Pairs of Gloves

Friday Finds - Sew in Love

2010-09-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

When I bumped into the round, stitched Song of Solomon verse, I felt that warm, almost autumn feeling where you want to wear a cardigan and sip pumpkin spiced lattes (or apple cider, or mulled wine!). The color, the handmade elements of needles and thread - yes, they spoke to me of fall and falling in love. From there, I found darling shoes for the teensiest of ring bearers, an ornament to commemorate your first holiday, sweet bobbies to hold your coif, and sampler style cake toppers.

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
Cherie Wheeler Designs - Folk Art Christmas Ornament with Squirrels and Love
You Are With Me - Your Eyes are Doves
Magasin - Pair of Cross Stitch LOVE Hair Grips
Amu - Custom Baby Shoes
Primitives for Sale - Primitive Folk Art Sculptured Vintage Sampler Love Birds

Bachelorette Destination Ideas

2010-08-31T17:08:00.000-04:00

When can-can girls, $20 martinis, cab fare, and genitalia themed decorations are not your style or out of your budget, where do fun girls go to give their pals bachelorette bliss? I've been researching and collecting alternatives to the Vegas and New York bachelorette party mainstays. I'm not the authority, but I think I know the east coast fairly well. So with budget, entertainment, and proximity in mind, I've gathered 10 mid-Atlantic suggestions (which could easily double as local honeymoon suggestions as well!).

Sourced from Google Maps, Locations Entered by Me

From North to South:
1. Poconos in PA
2. Nemacolin/Spa/Falling Water in PA
3. Atlantic City/Cape May/Ocean City/Jersey Shore
4. St. Mary's, MD
5. White Water Rafting in WV
6. Charlottesville Wine Weekend
7. Williamsburg, VA
8. Virginia Beach, VA
9. Outer Banks, VA
10. Charleston

1. Poconos in PA
Miss Thimble raved about her fun getaway at the Philly Bee Meet-up. They used her family cabin, ate in, braved the local casino, and splurged on a crazy limo. Central PA prices kept the budget in check and the gals created the party wherever they went. The Poconos mountains also cater to those interested in lake activities, agritourism, and golf (yes, some of us gals are golfers!).

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2. Nemacolin/Falling Water in PA
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort would be a restful sanctuary in the forest of PA. The resort is nestled away from the hustle and bustle of city living and boasts a gorgeous spa. If you were looking to mix in activities with your relaxation, the Ohiopyle State Park offers outdoor adventures. For the history buffs, Fort Necessity is 10 minutes down the road. And for architecture lovers? Falling Water and Kentuck Knob, Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes, can be toured.

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3. Atlantic City/Cape May/Ocean City/Jersey Shore
In the off season, the shore envelopes you in calm. There's nothing like the salty air and the smells of the boardwalk. For casino fun go to Atlantic City. For more casual beach weekends, head to Cape May or Ocean City. There's a special place in my heart for Ocean City. The island may be dry, but you'll just save all the more by BYOBing it to an off season rental. Bike rides down the board walk, mom & pop restaurants, ice cream shops - nostalgic genius!

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4. St. Mary's, MD
History buffs and small town lovers unite! St. Mary's is a quaint coastal town on the eastern shore. B&Bs, tea, historical reenactments and festivals all strike my fancy. It'd be the perfect day trip from DC, Baltimore, or Philadelphia. A boat tour of local lighthouses followed by a crab feast? Sign me up!

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5. White Water Rafting in WV
Adventure, risk, reward! West Virginia white water rafting is some of the best in the country with class V rapids in some places. This would be a great alternative for the outdoor, adventure loving bride. Throw in a night of camping and it'd even work for a co-ed bachelor/bachelorette weekend.

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6. Charlottesville Wine Weekend
I loved a girls wine weekend in Charlottesville so much that I lobbied to return for our mini-moon! For the vino bride on the east coast, I think the drive to C-ville is oh-so-worth-it. The fall is a busy time of year and for the best rates should be scheduled on weekends when the UVA football team plays away. We got an exceptional rate in January, although the town was very sleepy without students and tourists. I challenge you to have a taste at each winery in the area!

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7. Williamsburg, VA
I think Williamsburg is amazing in every season, but I especially love visiting in December when the fresh fruit and greenery decorates hearths and homes. Wineries, history, quaint shops, outlets, and an amusement park - there's something for everyone. The historical sites are a little bit pricier, but be on the lookout for off season specials!

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8. Virginia Beach, VA
I admit that I'm completely biased because I've missed my old home so much this summer. The days of walking hand in hand to the beach from Mr. Palindrome's house are over, but the memories are fresher than ever as I pine for the surf and sand. During the off season, hotel prices plummet, the parking is free downtown, and the weather is still beautiful! If you'd rather rent a house and enjoy the laid back privacy, look in Sandbridge.

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9. Outer Banks, VA
The Outer Banks is another favorite of mine because of the ocean and fond memories! Oh, and the sun rises! Yes, west coasters are spoiled, but I've found east coast sun rises just as rewarding for those willing to exchange early morning zzz's for a short snooze later in the afternoon. Lay at the beach, kayak, explore Kitty Hawk, enjoy the outlets, ride horses, or drive up to Corolla to see the wild horses. If your group is athletic, consider one of the scenic runs in the area (5ks to marathons!). Again, off season yields the best rates.

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10. Charleston
I don't know if we've just lived in the best places, or if I'm the type of person to love everywhere I go, but Charleston was my favorite city of all the places the Navy sent Mr. Palindrome. Carriage tours, ghost tours, southern cooking, fantastic weather, and all the charm! The beach isn't too far, shopping ranges from boutiques to outlets, and oh yeah, I need to mention the food again! From the Raleigh/Durham area the drive is only about 3.5 hours - an easy day trip or weekend.

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Do you have any mid-Atlantic locations to add to the list?

From the Groomsmen's Perspective

2010-08-23T09:33:00.000-04:00

I read this over on Aaron Karo's site this morning (I know a week old, but last Monday I have an excuse for having not read it):

Two of my best friends, Chi and Cat, are getting married next month. Chi sent an email to the wedding party, informing the guys we would be wearing tan suits. No one has a freaking tan suit or wants to buy or rent one, and so a flurry of hateful reply-to-alls ensued. Chi eventually acquiesced and is now allowing us to wear black suits instead. It was the first successful Groomsmen Rebellion in recorded wedding history.

So now I'm really curious. If you had or are going to have one of the lovely tan suited weddings with pink flowers, how did you convince the guys to go along with it? Are these groomsmen being jerks or are they just practical?

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Smooches and Invites

2010-08-17T11:25:00.000-04:00

Invitation lists are one of the hardest things about planning a wedding. Getting to smooch your husband is one of the best things about a wedding. I saw this invitation from hi, friend over on Restored Style and just couldn't resist re-posting. With the sad news, this made me smile today. Ahhh, smooches and weddings and everything nice.

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Friday Finds - There's No Place Like Maryland

2010-08-13T09:48:00.000-04:00

A few Fridays ago, I was inspired by the theme of home and family. Again I'm inspired by home because I'm returning to my hometown to celebrate the wedding of a dear friend from high school (check out some of her awesome wedding crafting here). So this week, I celebrate Maryland and the joining of two as one. The stained glass transom is common feature for row houses in Baltimore, and this beautiful version features Maryland's beloved blue crab and state flower. This would be an incredibly sentimental gift for a couple's first home! And the darling pillow? It could be used as a ring bearer pillow and then as a throw pillow for the couch. The crab and sea glass pendant could be a sweet bouquet charm or be more prominent as a necklace in a green wedding theme. The mallets, well the mallets everyone knows they're a sign of the feast to come!

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
Terraza Stained Glass - Crab and Black Eyed Susan Transom
Love, California - Wool Felt Maryland
Laser Beam Creations - Crab Mallets
Seashaped - Crabby

Personal Touches to Take the Cliche out of a Bridal Tea

2010-08-12T13:13:00.000-04:00

Taking high tea is one my very favorite pastimes from my time studying abroad in Bath (say it the British way with me, Bah-th, ahhhhh, much more refined). Therefore, when it was suggested as the theme for my bridal shower, I was terribly excited and couldn't stop talking about clotted cream for weeks afterward. My dear Emily is also quite the fan of those deliciously dried little leaves, brewed to perfection.

To avoid the snobby cliche of turned up noses and outstretched pinkies, I've been thinking of ways to bring in personal touches that speak to Emily's life and loves. After searches on Country Living and Martha Stewarts among others, I turned up several ideas:

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These sweet egg cups could be set atop stacked copies of Emily's favorite mystery series by Agatha Christie to make darling centerpieces.

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Or, as a nod to Emily's love of baking, perhaps we could fill measuring cups with a favorite candy of hers? These scientific looking cups from the Container Store also tie into Emily's journey to her Ph.D. They're exceedingly nerdy and useful!

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Emily is a foodie to the core, so the culinary indulgences will have to be top notch.

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Sushi inspired tea sandwiches just may be the way to her heart!

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This fig and goat cheese bruschetta drizzled with honey, made me think of having a crostini bar an alternative to tea sandwiches. They could be a mixture of savory and sweet.

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Speaking of bars, what about a cookie bar with a twist? Given Emily's love of baking, perhaps we could invite a few women to bake and bring cookies, giving Emily the recipes to add to her repertoire.

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In addition to staples like scones, personal sized cakes could be served as the final course. I don't have a mini bundt pan, but I did receive a tiny cake pan as a shower gift myself similar to the one below:

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I left the most important part of a tea themed bridal shower until the end. The TEA! First up, cutie pie tea stir ins:

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Sugar cubes sitting on rose petals? Romantic, no? Or how about flavor infused sugars? Emily sent me some delicious vanilla sugar one year for Christmas and I enjoyed baking with mine (maybe a few spoonfuls made it into my coffee as well!).

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The flavor infused sugars could also be a tasty favor.

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Since loose leaf teas tend to give better flavor saturation, it would be a must for brewing large pots to be shared by guests. Custom made bags of Emily's favorite tea flavors could also be set on the tables so that each guest could try multiple flavors either at the shower or to bring home with them.

Have you been to a bridal tea? What was your favorite touch?

Friday Finds - Royal City

2010-08-06T15:07:00.000-04:00

I've had NYC on the brain lately and decided to let it inspire a modern, urban Friday Finds for you this week! I think the gown is of particular note, either for the bride or wedding party, at only $86 on sale. I also just love the city scape on the invitations. The rosettes on the sash are rugged and elegant while the simple twisted ring just says city lights to me.

TGIF!

Clockwise from L:
Nordstroms - Calvin Klein One Shoulder Satin Gown
green quince - The Loft Wedding Invitation Suite
percy - Silk Dupioni Rosettes Sash
Nested Yellow - Urban Twist

Bride Tips from PT Happy Homemaker!

2010-08-05T11:26:00.000-04:00

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Check out Christine's tips for bridal party bliss over on the PT Happy Homemaker today!

http://www.pthomemaker.com/2010/08/eureka-happy-bridesmaids.html

Another Wedding??!!

2010-08-02T16:04:00.000-04:00

You may wonder why I'm hobbling along on blog crutches, keeping the bride side alive (while the home side is thriving!). The answer is this lady, Palindromaid of Honor Emily.

This go around, she's the bride and I'm a matron of honor (matron! yikes, but not matronly!). Since I've never been a bridesmaid before, I'm psyched about seeing a wedding from this angle and having a part in planning some of the festivities. Beyond party planning, fashion talking, friend supporting, I'm also really looking forward to celebrating a wedding at our mutual alma mater, Bucknell.

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With an out of town shower, bachelorette, and wedding, I'll share inspiration and details along the way. Right now I'm starting to think about the timing of the events that the bridesmaids host and we've started to look at dresses! Emily's love of Agatha Christie, sushi, tea, and baking have already gotten my little wheels spinning in the inspiration direction.

What were some of your first steps as a MOH? What were some of your favorite touches from your MOH?

Weddingbee Meet-up!

2010-07-27T16:09:00.000-04:00

A kegerator, bees, culinary delights and wedding talk? Sounds like a perfect Saturday meet-up to me! Some Weddingbee readers dropped by my house to share goodies and girl talk this past week. We talked all sorts of wedding shop, from rings to dresses to catering costs. Then we talked about dogs, cooking dinner, grad school, life plans, and European vacations. I also stuffed myself silly with treats.

Our awesome spread

Thanks ladies for representing Raleigh/Durham! I love that we all wore dresses/skirts to beat the heat!

From L-R: ktbrady, mcnetn3, Mrs. Lamb, and Kmale0402

House Mountain Inn

2010-07-25T21:17:00.000-04:00

When you're running late to a wedding, have sweat droplets up the whazoo, and have a hair flower to show off, what do you do? Demand your equally sweaty, late husband take pictures of you hanging off the golf cart transportation, of course! In my head, this pictures was much cuter, something out of a Bing Crosby 40s musical with me regally holding on to the cart with one hand while looking fresh and expectant. I'll blame this one on the fact that Mr. Palindrome was only about 12" away from me on the cart.

We were running late because we had driven to Lexington, VA that very afternoon and needed to stop at our hotel to change prior to the wedding. Then we needed to drive from the hotel to the House Mountain Inn for the wedding itself. The drive was oh-so-worth-it, if for no other reason than the breathtaking views of the blue ridge mountains.

I considered a purpose or theme for this post, but I really just wanted an excuse to show off my cute hair flower that I bought on impulse as I was shopping for groceries at Target, brag on my handsome husband, and give a quick nod to the House Mountain Inn as a lovely wedding location. Done, done and done.

And for a funny, I'll give you three guesses as to what I was trying draw with my sparkler (and yes, this is the best picture of my 5 tries).

Friday Finds - Home Sweet Home

2010-07-23T14:53:00.000-04:00

After a big trip out west this past week (more to come on the home blog about our adventures!) and a subsequent business trip, I was soooooo ready to come home. I've also been contemplating the idea about creating a home together when you get married. This home is the place where you nurture your baby family as your marriage grows. Since the wedding is the beginning of that relationship, I thought of a subtle home theme that could be woven into a wedding.

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
Other Such Nonsense - Home Sweet Home Wall Hanging
Faye Hubele - Bird House Favor Boxes
Baby Loves Pink - Fairy Tale House Necklace
The Little Red Door - Little House Favors

Friday Finds - Yellow, Gray, Black with a Twist

2010-07-16T09:24:00.000-04:00

What do you do when you find a color palette you love but the dominate style seems to clash with your preference? I had been struggling to decide that myself as I've drooled over the yellow, gray and black combination, but wasn't feeling the mod or minimalist designs. I totally appreciate them, but with my vintage sensibilities, I was looking for a twist. In planning my office decorations, I found a way to make incorporate my love of the color palette and my found object/vintage/baroque/whimsy. If I could find a way with an office, why not a wedding? This week's Friday Finds is like the country music version of yellow-gray-black. And I would apologize for another yellow gingham ring bearer's pillow, but I'm obsessed and will make no apologies!

TGIF!

Clockwise from the Top L:
Surroundings - Music Note Boutonnieres
Special Occasion Design - Your Love is Music to My Ears Garter
Allie Ruth Design - Black and Yellow Bunting Invitations
The Happy Couple - Yellow Gingham Ring Bearer Pillow

Friday Finds - Grecian Sea

2010-07-09T10:03:00.000-04:00

Ever since our failed honeymoon to Greece (that worked out delightfully in Italy! read more here), I've been especially interested in how other honeymooners have fared. Some dear friends who recently wed at the House Mountain Inn (photographs forthcoming), made their way to the islands. In the spirit of living vicariously through them and through a Grecian inspired wedding, I present this week's Friday Finds.

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
Tara Allen Bridal - Gina Bridal Goddess Headband
Originals by Lynnette - Athena No. 2
Blue Sugar Bridal - Hollywood Rose Hair Clip
Louise Broad - Bianca Grecian Petal Shrug

The Youngsters, Wedding Week, and a Giveaway!

2010-07-07T09:46:00.000-04:00

Over on Palindrome at Home, we love Young House Love for their DIY can do attitude and fresh design skills. Here on Palindrome Bride, we have a new reason to love the Youngsters - Wedding Week! Check out their blog all this week for wedding related goodness in celebration of their anniversary. Also, if you're in the market for invitations, check out their amazing Invitation Giveaway from Two Paper Dolls and Louella Press. This is one of my favorites from the Louella Press Gallery:

Enter to win by 8 pm EST tonight!

Friday Finds: Robot Love

2010-07-02T11:41:00.000-04:00

I'm geeking out over this robot inspired love. The idea sprung from a friend who is creating a dinosaur, alien, robot baby theme blog. It was so fun, that I thought, "Why not a wedding with robot details?" Fun robot invitations could also work for shower or bachelorette invitations. The pocket mirrors would be a sweet wedding party gift. Whether around your neck or perhaps as an embellishment on a bouquet, the robot necklace doubles as a watch - particularly handy when one's cell phone is confiscated (speaking from experience!). And gosh, those little robot and aqua favor boxes sporting hearts on top - be still my beating heart.

TGIF - and Happy 4th of July!

Clockwise from Top L:
bon moment - Retro Robots in Love Wedding Invitation
Madison Craft - Robot Love Pocket Mirror
The Enchanted Locket - Silver Robot Watch Necklace
Moments in the Sun - Robots in Love Heart Gift Boxes

Mine at Last: Hello, Goodbye

2010-06-30T22:15:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of a yichud, Mr. Palindrome and I treasured our first few minutes as a married couple in the stairwell leading up to the balcony as we waited for our guests to line the church steps with birdseed in hand.

"I feel like I'm watching a movie. It's an out of body experience," I told him.
"I know! It doesn't feel real," my husband answered.
"Wow, huh? It's all over! We're married!"
He smooched his wife.
The chilly cries of the old ladies in fur coats as they shuffled into the dark night brought us back to earth.
"Ready?" he asked, taking my hand.

Then, I looked forward to our wedding day just because it would be over and I wouldn't have to think/do/hear/plan about weddings ever again. Funny how memories soften over time. As I prepare to sign off, I feel little twinges of sorrow. Not full on "post wedding blues." I rejoiced in the weeks after our wedding. However, there's a small sense of, "Wow, it's all over. For real." Outside of blogging, I've completed other tasks that contribute to the burying of the wedding. I've ordered our album, sent my dress to be dry cleaned, and sorted/sold the wedding leftovers. We've resorted to talking about the weather during small talk rather than the universality of guest list headaches.

Not that I'm crying, or that the voids left by wedding planning haven't been filled. In fact, they've been filled with very fun things. I have time to volunteer! I read for pleasure! I try new recipes! I renovate our house! I plant flowers and herbs! I snuggle with my husband! The circle of life continues and I've found new challenges. I'm even blogging about it over on Palindrome at Home.

You all deserve a round of applause for taking interest, reading, cheering, sympathisizing, and ultimately sharing in the joy of my journey to the alter. For those still planning, I wish you all the best as you continue to plan and look forward to the beginning of your marriages. To you and yours, a heartfelt, "Congratulations!" For those who read my blog just because they love me, now you don't have to hear about any more wedding stuff! (well, maybe some wedding stuff . . . )

Love,
Palindrome Bride :)

Friday Finds - Picnics and Gingham

2010-06-25T14:38:00.000-04:00

After a full week of nearly 100 degree heat, I've come to the sad conclusion that I missed out on the optimal picnic weather of the spring. I had grand dreams of a bottle of wine and cheese, spread on a cozy blanket, as my love and I talk about our dreams, all the while 20's jazz plays on a wind up phonograph. Someone has obviously been looking at too many highly stylized engagement shoots methinks.

Since I missed prime picnicking weather, I decided that I would celebrate the theme through gingham checks in this week's Friday Finds. If you're still enjoying the bliss that is the temperature between 70 and 75, please enjoy a strawberry and champagne picnic for me!

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
Laurie Cinotto - Gingham and Deer Brooch/Boutonniere
Avenue C - Sunshine Ring Bearer Pillow
K is for Calligraphy - Red and White Tablecloth Thank You Seals
Miss Peanut + Little Peanut - Blue and White Gingham Wedding Dress Hanger

Mine at Last: In the Evening

2010-06-23T16:42:00.000-04:00

Only one thing stood between me and marriage . . . formal pictures. I knew they wouldn't be fun and that my cheeks would hurt by the end. Worse than that, the pictures would forever document me looking like it was no fun and my cheeks hurt. I think it was Mary Poppins who said, "If you must." The silver lining is that we ended up with the most complete family pictures in recent memory and everyone who needed to be on time for the ceremony was now on the premises.

(Note the brilliant blue sky and the deceivingly bright sun outside of our church.)

My cheeks recovered in a back hallway by laughing and smiling until they were numb.

The men folk hid in the basement, fostering Mr. Palindrome's unhealthy relationship with his phone. Caught ya red handed!

A quick note about the logistics: there were only two options for moving us into place to walk down the aisle. The first was to hide in the balcony and the second was to wait in the annex and then walk around to the front of the church. With 22 in the wedding party, plus parents and grandparents, we didn't think we could keep everyone out of sight and quiet on the balcony.

On the coldest day of the year (10 below freezing without factoring in the wind chill), I picked up my train and HUSTLED. I felt sorry for our friends, but at this point I was chilly, happy, and had my eyes on the prize at the end of the altar. Make way! Bride incoming!

I remember seeing everyone line up. I remember laughing as my brother ran back to process a second and third time (escorting my grandmother, my mother, and then as a groomsman).

I remember not seeing Mr. Palindrome before he walked with his parents (modification of Jewish tradition) and wondering how the processional had gone by so quickly.

I remember standing alone with my Dad at the back of the church and hearing our coordinator say, "It's time."

Probably the worst bride to photograph, I looked all around me as we walked. I greeted my friends with a smile and nods. I strained forward to see my groom.

My dad took his role seriously, and though I should have given him a veil lifting lesson, he lovingly placed my hand into Jason's. My identity multiplied in those moments as my family grew. From daughter to wife, the most important men in my life were there supporting me.

After the excitement and anticipation of walking down the aisle, my soul became quiet. The rest of the ceremony was intensely spiritual for me.

My friend Laura has inspired my faith and encouraged my marriage. She read Ruth 1:16-17:

But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.

Our friends, Tom and Heather, were spiritual mentors to us during our engagement. They read Ephesians 5:21-33:

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansingher by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

As our pastor and friend started the homily, I thought Mr. Palindrome was going to give me a blister. He was rubbing the backs of my hands with his thumbs - such a handsome wreck of nerves. Besides Mr. Palindrome's assault on my fresh manicure, I remember the homily on forgiveness. We've each given each other plenty of practice living out that message. Forgiving as Christ forgave us is a cornerstone of our faith and now marriage.

Mr. Palindrome and I chose to celebrate the institution of marriage quite traditionally. I'm still coming to terms with the reality that we repeated the vows of our parents, grand parents, great-grand parents and the generations before them took. In those short phrases, we joined our lives not only together but also to the broader idea and philosophy of marriage. Overwhelming. In a good way.

I, Jason, take thee, Melinda, to be my wedded wife; and I do promise and covenant, before God and these witnesses to be thy loving and faithful husband, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live.

I, Melinda, take thee, Jason, to be my wedded wife; and I do promise and covenant, before God and these witnesses to be thy loving and faithful wife, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live.

After we exchanged rings, the unity candle ceremony began while Emily's voice filled the chapel.

In addition to the ceremony candles at the front to represent our establishment of our new family together, our ushers lit small personal candles for all our friends and family to show their support for our marriage.

Dangerously armed with red lips, I kissed Mr. Palindrome. It was a passionate, yet church appropriate kiss.

And it marked him as mine.

The whole wipe-off-the-lip-stick-and-look-cute schtick was inspired by my make-up artist, Liv Lethal.

Mr. and Mrs. Palindrome.

Walking down the aisle with my husband, well, words fail me.

Joy. Love. Peace. Awe. Relief. Amazement. Beauty. Cheer.

As long as we both shall live.

Mine at Last: In the Afternoon

2010-06-21T12:13:00.000-04:00

I prayed the entire elevator ride down 17 stories that I wouldn't pee my dress with excitement. God is good and answered my prayer.

I turned the corner and saw my groom. No butterflies. No nerves. No gasp. Just a sigh of relief and a warm calm.

What do you say when you see your groom for the first time? I said, "Hi."

He replied, "Hi."

Then he asked, "What's all this?" as if he'd never before seen a veil. Performing a modified Jewish tradition, he lifted the my veil and was quite relieved when he learned he wouldn't have to get lost in the layer of tulle again at the ceremony.

He was being the exact person I knew him to be - nervous from being kept waiting to see me, clueless to bride's accessories, and a curmudgeon about having to make a fool of himself figuring out the veil.

I think I said, "Hi" again.

I honestly have no idea what we said the rest of the time that we were together. In this photograph, I look like I'm chiding which would be characteristic of me. Or maybe I was eying up his earlobes. I'm obsessed with his soft earlobes, kissing them and just holding them between my my thumb and forefinger.

In the absence of words, we held each other.

And I gave him Eskimo kisses.

And I relished the thought of being his wife.

Then Sam spoke. Oh yeah, there were people other than ourselves in the room. He had gotten word that the limo was waiting for us. It was go time. I was ready to do this thing.

Down the elevator, through the lobby

and around the revolving door, I was a giant smile dragging a white dress behind me.

Similar to the parlor trick of wearing a bee beard, I was told that I was the queen bee and that the wedding party would follow me where I went. I decided to lead everyone to the limo. I popped through the revolving door and didn't see anyone by the limo driver.

I peered into the limo: "Hello? Anyone in here?"

Turns out that between the lobby and the front door, a side door exists . . . leading to the hotel bar.

In the only few seconds of aggravation that day (my Palindromaids can attest to this fact), I lost my cool. I love that this photograph captured the moment. I'm telling the limo driver how we managed to lose the male half of the wedding party within 25 feet of the front door. A Palindromaid searches the vehicle again for the missing groom. Another Palindromaid balances pomanders and a box of emergency extras while looking worried that she sees smoke from my ears. Yet another Palindromaid carries my reception head piece. All the while I shivered as another Palindromaid searched for my coat.

An instant later, the guys joined us in jovial oblivion that I was less than pleased with their disappearing act, we all piled into the warm limo, and I was in my red coat getting a back rub from my maid of honor. Everything was right with the world again. In a little over an hour, I was going to be married.

*All photographs by Sam Hughes.

Friday Finds - Silhouettes for every taste

2010-06-18T11:58:00.000-04:00

Turn of the century? 60s? Turn of the next century? Potty humor? These Friday Finds are fun and fanciful silhouette motifs that can pair with everything from the most traditional wedding to the most whimsical. The mugs can also be customized from photographs - a charming twist on the text of His and Hers.

Clockwise from Top L:
Over the Top Studios - Just for Fun Silhouette Wedding Topper
Perty.ful.tings - Paper Girl and Boy Silhouette Love Cupcake Toppers
Brooklyn Rehab - Custom Mugs
The M Press - Silhouette Save the Date Magnets with Ribbon Knot

Mine at Last: In the Morning

2010-06-16T11:38:00.000-04:00

I feel like I've come to the end of a TV series that I really liked at some point, but have gotten sick of and just want to find out the ending so that I can move on to a new show. If you feel the same way about the Palindrome wedding, don't worry - just three more installments. I want to tell you about the day chronologically as we prepared, anticipated and then celebrated. Let's start the story in the morning.

I looked at the clock, looked through my blackberry, looked at the clock, and then back to the phone again. Willing myself to lay in bed until at least 7:00 am, I watched the digital numbers change from 6:59, then smiled as I swung my legs over the side of the bed. I started the coffee maker and opened my lap top to log into Weddingbee. I read every comment I had received on my last Miss post. I also called kinko's and arranged with a friend to pick up our seating assignment chart. After checking off the last wedding "to-do" task, I turned my attention to the serious business of breakfast. A bagel baby soon emerged from my stomach when I downed two carbalicious bagels at Yorgo's in the Ghent neighborhood (sesame with veggie cream cheese and chocolate chip with butter in case you want my recommendations).

The palindromaids and I rolled into my parent's suite at the Marriott as our last minute hair/make-up savior, Liv Lethal, finished setting out her beautification tools. In between sitting still for the installation of hot rollers and the application of falsies, I routinely nodded my head like yeah and swung my hips like yeah to the best wedding day mix a girl could want.

The suite had this feeling of Christmas morning anticipation. The fake plants were strung with white lights, the Palindromaids had opened their belated presents from me (fun red and green slippers), and the food never seemed to stop.

Liv and her assistants hot rolled until their fingers fell off, then they hot rolled some more. The luscious ruby lips were the cherry on top of the vintage sundae. The minutes turned to hours and before I realized it, we were running 30 minutes behind schedule. I became a woman on a mission. My one track mind could only focus on getting dressed so that I could see my future Mr. Palindrome.

Once the buttons were being secured, I could taste just how close I was to reuniting with the future Mr. Palindrome. I felt myself racing ahead, willing my veil to be attached faster, my shoes to slip on faster and my perfume to spray faster. Our photographer sensed that I was ready to charge forward and soothingly said he had found a quiet place for our first look.

(Check out Liv's awesome specs and ruby red rhinestone lip earrings!)

Meanwhile, in the gentleman's suite, the future Mr. Palindrome calmed his own nervous anticipation . . . With a glass of vino. Well, it was either nervous anticipation or a slight headache from the post-rehearsal dinner festivities.

As morning faded to afternoon, I handed over my blackberry and left to see the future Mr. Palindrome.

Reflections on My Wedding Philosophy

2010-06-13T22:33:00.000-04:00

After engagement and a few frightening experiences in planning the wedding that left me in tears, I began to cling to the idea that my wedding needed a philosophy. From the pages of 2000 Dollar Wedding and A Practical Wedding, I borrowed aspects with which I identified and built my own philosophy. I would love to say that we had an amazingly transcendent family sit down where every one understood the importance of having a wedding philosophy and participated in building one. However, I was the lone crusader on the war path of defining it. Others thought it was over-kill, granola, heady, unnecessary, etc. From the perspective of being on the other side, having a wedding philosophy, even just one that I adhered to, was pivotal to keeping me sane and freeing me to truly enjoy our wedding.

When I got down/upset, it seemed like everything was out of budget, or every craft was failing, I thought of the most important thing about our wedding: It was the beginning of our marriage. In the grand scheme of starting a marriage, finding the perfect wrapping paper to line envelopes could be put into its proper category of "not that important after all." Stemming from this main philosophy, I focused on a few sub-principles that I thought would enhance the intimacy, ease the coordination, or decrease costs. For fun, I labeled these principles with a catch all phrase: High on Style, Low on Budget - Just how Mother Likes it. In the following paragraphs, I highlight a few of the principles and the application to our wedding planning.

Principle 1 - Reuse/Recycle

I collected glass vessels from local thrift stores to use as candle centerpieces. These reused pieces still have a lot of life left in them and I plan to pass them along again. I've already sifted through for a few favorite pieces to use in my home decor.

I also found glass plates and candlesticks at the thrift stores to assemble our cake plate centerpieces. My mom also donated a few plates from her collection that she had purchased at the dollar store a few years ago. Again, I plan on passing these along for other events.

Our church was beautifully decorated to celebrate the Christmas holiday. Rather than redecorate, we asked that the decorations be left up for an extra day. We didn't have to spend money or man power on thinking of a new scheme, buying more decorations, or taking the time to decorate/tear down.

Since I was going for a vintage look anyways, I searched for vintage accessories. Not only was I able to reuse many lovely pieces (my earrings most notably), I was also able to up-cycle a few brooches into other wedding decor.

Principle 2 - It's Not What You Know, but Who You Know

We contacted our friends and family with musical talent to be our friendor musicians. Mr. Palindrome's cousin recently played a solo for high school's senior recital and was booked for another wedding. Our vocalists included an accomplished soprano and a professional opera singer.

There was no need to search for an officiant when we were already close to our pastor. He served as our friendor officiant which included premarital counseling.

If you don't know somebody and people you know don't know somebody, then who might? Craig. I consulted Craigslist and found both our wedding planner and our jazz band.

Principle 3 - Necessity is the Mother of Invention (DIY)

While not all of these items are necessarily true necessities, they were items that my little heart desired. Making them myself was a better overall value. I enjoyed these projects (my advice is to only take on what you enjoy doing) and completing them kept me focused.

Veil
Monogram labels
Unity candles
Silk/fabric florals
Semi-DIY invitations
Guest book alternative
Photo booth
Bird seed
Cake stands

Do you think creating a philosophy would be helpful in your wedding planning? If you already have one, how has it helped keep you grounded?

Friday Finds - Wildflowers

2010-06-11T10:25:00.000-04:00

One of the country songs that just speaks to me is She Don't Tell Me to, by Montgomery Gentry.

Every now an' then, on my home,
I stop at a spot where the wild flowers grow, an' I pick a few,
'Cause she don't tell me to.

Here in NC, they plant wildflowers that taste nasty to rodents in the grassy median so as to cut down on road kill. I'm quite thankful to the brave critters that necessitate this deterrence because it increases the quality of my life by giving me lovely flowers to brighten my drives. So this week's Friday Finds is dedicated to NCDOT.

I think my favorite item is the wildflower convertible dress. At $79.99, it would cause bridesmaids to rejoice as well. And an eco friendly toss medium? The earth rejoices. Oh! and one more dual function item - the menu/napkin rings! Beauty and function - just like the rodent repelling medians.

Clockwise from Top L:
April Ink - Wildflowers and Song Lyrics Wedding Invitation
Coralie Beatrix - Wildflower Grey Convertible Wrap Dress
Blossoms Wild Flower Herb Lavender Farm - Wildflower Herbal Confetti Kit
Two Yellow Shoes - Digital Wildflower Menu Wrap Template

Norfolk/Hampton Roads Vendor Reviews

2010-06-09T15:31:00.000-04:00

Blue Steel Pro Lighting - Recommended
http://www.bluesteelprolighting.com/
bluesteelprolighting@gmail.com

Lighting seemed like one of those frou-frou unnecessary expenses to me, until Pavaune showed me pictures of the differences between unlit rooms and uplit rooms. Pavaune found Blue Steel through recommendations from some of our other vendors and handled all of the contract negotiations. My mom really loved the idea of a personalized gobo (seen during the father daughter dance in the picture below), so we ordered that and the amber uplighting seen in the dance picture below.

Distinctive Designs Bridal - Recommended
http://www.ddbridal.com/

Previously discussed here.

Distinctive Event Rentals - Recommended
http://www.distinctiveeventrentals.com/
757-420-7000

Holy rental order, Batman! I would never have chosen to have the reception at the Harrison Opera House if I were planning the wedding by myself. The rental is what they call a four walls rental where you end up needing to rent every stick of furniture, dish, spoon, stage, dance floor, etc. Pavaune took the lead on setting up the rental and the only work I did on this part was Oking the order and previewing the set up at Distinctive Event Rentals show room in Chesapeake. We rented tables, chairs, napkins, china, glasses, barware, coffee mugs, forks, knives, spoons, salt & pepper shakers, sugar bowls, creamers, the white dance floor, and band stage. Pavaune also oversaw all of the set-up and tear-down which was tricky over the holiday weekend as we tried to avoid paying extra fees. Thankfully, no other events were booked at the venue and everything could be delivered on the Wednesday prior to the wedding.

East Beach Catering - Highly Recommended
http://www.eastbeachcateringandeventplanning.com/
757-480-3003

Ever since our tasting with East Beach, we were looking forward to eating Kathy's delicious cooking again. Kathy worked with us to provide family style service which I think turned out awesome (the best of buffet and sit down service combined!). I stuffed myself. My bridesmaids kept handing me small plates, Kathy set up plates in a bridal party lounge area, and I served myself from the table until I thought my dress was going to bust at the seams. I heard nothing but compliments across the board on how good the food tasted. I don't really remember what we got for appetizers. Those fried asian rolls in the picture below were scrumptious (along with the dipping sauce). We had 3 passed appetizers and then a gorgeous display of crudite and cheeses with a few other apps. Kathy's team plated salads prior to our arrival (spinach, gorganzola, spiced walnuts and cranberries with a warm dressing). Then servers brought out platters of beef tenderloin, baked tilapia with crab, loaded baked potatoes, and roasted veggies. One of our groomsmen who has previously insisted that he doesn't like fish, ate two pieces of tilapia and declared himself a convert! Kathy was really great to work with and had lots of firsthand wedding experience with her two children also marrying in the past year. She gave us the inside scoop on local vendors and was super flexible with our requests. Oh, and she didn't charge us a cake cutting fee! Nice!

eInvite.com - Recommended
www.eInvite.com

Previously discussed here, here and here.

Golden Limousine - Recommended
http://www.goldenlimousineva.com/

Vintage cars, trolleys and horse drawn carriages would have all been fun, but we wanted to transport our 22 person bridal party on a scraped together budget. Hello stretch hummer! Golden Limousine arrived on time, the driver was very courteous, and Pavaune was able to use it during the reception to haul all the gifts back to the hotel. Function over form, in this case, was ideal.

Greg Weaver Jazz - Highly Recommended
http://www.myspace.com/gwjazz

Previously discussed here.

Harrison Opera House - Highly Recommended
http://www.vaopera.org/html/venues/norfolk.cfm

After the venue search from h-e-double hockey sticks, I couldn't have been more pleased with how things turned out at the Opera House. The proximity to the church and hotel was ideal. The spaces lent themselves to the vintage feel and my oft dreamed of long tables. After a slow communications start on the rental, we had a super positive experience. Roberta, our contact who was also present during set-up and the event, was super helpful and professional. She has a lot of experience with events in the space and worked well with Pavaune. The venue has it's own parking lot which was free to our guests (amazing for a downtown space). Oh, and the bathrooms were spacious and plentiful (important when needing a space to re-install bustles, re-apply make-up and conduct other such womanly business).

{invited} Event Design & Production - Highly Recommended
http://www.invitedeventdesign.com

Previously discussed here.

Laurie Pierce (Ceremony Musician, Violinist) - Highly Recommended
PM me for contact information

Laurie has played the violin for 12 years and gives lessons locally. She met with me over an hour discussing music options, playing sample pieces for me and planning the flow for the ceremony. She was on time, courteous, sweet, affordable, flexible (learning a new accompaniment for our vocalists) and an overall joy.

Our other musician and vocalists were family and friends. Mr. Palindrome's cousin lives in northern NJ and can be contacted through us. My friends, the vocalists, live in Boston and can also be contacted through us. Read more about it here.

Mariko Photo - Highly Recommended
http://marikophoto.com/

Read more about my fun bridal portraits here.

Marriott Hotels - Recommended
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/orfws-norfolk-waterside-marriott/

My in-laws planned a beautiful rehearsal dinner in the piano lounge. The space was great, perfect for the couch and chairs set up with food stations. The food was very, very good and they let my in-laws bring their own wine to serve. My parents rented a hospitality suite attached to their room and it was perfect for getting ready the next day (the ladies had their hair and makeup done), storing decorations/presents on the wedding night, and hosting out of town family/friends for visits. My in-laws rented the presidential suite where they entertained friends/family and hosted an after party. Mr. Palindrome and I spent our wedding night in a beautiful room overlooking the water and enjoyed a tasty room service breakfast the next day. The bell men were amazing helping us get our 4 carts of stuff hauled away the day after the wedding. The only hiccup was delivering the OOT bags as the hotel was at capacity and they had few hands on deck to perform the task. Well, there was another hiccup, but not on the part of the hotel. My dad saw everyone eating small plates from the stations and thought we were being really foolish by stuffing ourselves with appetizers. He assumed dinner was still forthcoming and didn't realize his error until they had taken away everything but the desserts. Hahahahahahahaha. He still gets a bit jealous whenever we mention how good the food was at the rehearsal dinner.

Maya Couture (Dress Alterations) - Highly Recommended
http://www.mayacouture.com/contact.html

Read more about my experience here and here.

Sam Hughes Photography - Can't Recommend Highly Enough
www.samhughesphotography.com

You've seen his handiwork across my recaps and I describe our working relationship with him here. I can't emphasize enough how calm Sam was and how that really served to keep Mr. Palindrome and I calm as well. Besides that, I've got beautiful photographs to boot. Check out some of moments he captured of our guests that I like to call "Sweetheart Moments."

Save the Date Magnet.com - Recommended
http://www.savethedatemagnet.com/

Discussed previously here.

Sheila Rait (Cake) - Can't Recommend Highly Enough
Contact through No Frills Bar and Grill

I talk a lot about my cakes here. My mouth is watering looking at this pic. Next time I'm in Norfolk, I'm getting slice!

The Gentlemen and Their Lady - Highly Recommended
Booked through East Coast Entertainment
Discussed in detail here, here, and here.

Trinity Presbyterian Church - Highly Recommended
http://www.trinitynorfolk.com/home.html

We were members of Trinity Pres in downtown Norfolk, so it was very meaningful for us to be married there. The rental was free for members and then we paid for a staff member/wedding coordinator to open/lock the doors and oversee set up and clean up. We also had to pay a nominal fee for the sound technician. The do rent to non-members and they have a small fellowship hall on the premise as well. When I was on a "I hate all wedding planning" kick, I considered hosting a small reception in the fellowship hall with champagne and crepes from Baker's Crust (right around the corner from the church). If you do this, please invite me. Those crepes are yummy in my tummy.

Wed Safe - Recommended
http://www.wedsafe.com/wedding-insurance/wedding-liability-insurance/

I actually had nothing to do with procuring the liability insurance for our wedding. The Harrison Opera House required that we have it. My mom and Pavaune compared the price of putting a rider on my parent's insurance vs. buying it separate and they concluded by signing a contract with Wed Safe. Thank goodness we didn't end up needing it! (Surprising, because a lot of people went all out on the dance floor!)

Anyreview, I'm quite happy to talk shop about weddings in Norfolk (or in general), so please feel free to ask any questions you may have! Love to my fellow brides in the 757!

*All photos by the wonderful Sam Hughes

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-06-07T22:39:00.000-04:00

Having a wedding is sort of like an extended Christmas/Birthday season. The gifts seem to just keep on coming! The only weird thing is that you sign up for the gifts you want and you can see what gets purchased and when. It reminds me of looking for our Christmas presents when my brother and I were little. One year, we found them hidden in our parents' closet. Thrilling. I dislike most surprises because I find a lot of joy in being in the know, so the registry was super fun. That said, some of my favorite gifts were strays from the registry. Here a few of my favorite gifts:

Ice-cream Attachment for KitchenAid Mixer

Source

Since I already inherited a KitchenAid from my grandmother, I was on the hunt for attachments that I could add to my registry and that I would be most likely to use. I don't really envision me grinding my own meat regularly, so I went for the ice-cream attachment. Not only did the giver send the attachment, but she also included an amazing recipe book as well. I've already made 3 batches this season (chocolate peanut butter, chocolate custard, and vanilla bean). Homemade ice cream is AMAZING. I highly recommend this attachment because it takes up much less space than an independent unit and as a novice ice cream maker, I've had great success. I also recommend the yummy recipe book (below)!

Source

I had been coveting the Cuisinart griddler/grill for years. I imagined paninis and pancakes galore. I never bought it myself because I figured it was an unjustified expense since I already owned an electric griddle. Then I dropped it on the floor breaking one of the legs. Broken electric griddle = guilt free registry addition! I use this appliance at least once a week, if not twice. It lays completely flat so I can easily make 8 pancakes at a time. I also used it all winter to grill chicken in doors. Those smarties at Cuisinart really hit out of the park with this design and function.

Source

We did not receive a Blu Ray player as a gift, but we used a generous gift card to Best Buy to procure a great model. We gave our dvd/vcr player the old heave ho and hailed our new player with great fanfare. Now we can watch movies straight from my Netflix queue or download them from Amazon (for much cheaper than the on demand feature with our cable company). I didn't realize how much I would enjoy a piece of technology until I had choices again when it came to the age old question: "Feel like a movie tonight?"

Source

My absolutely favorite gift combined the heartfelt, creative, and practical. Dear family friends documented our rehearsal dinner, printed photographs, and assembled an album for us. They did this all on the wedding day so that we had it to enjoy on our mini-moon. We were so touched and excited to see pictures from the dinner. It was so crazy to think that the picture taken of us that night was on the last day we were not married.

Our friend is super creative and resourceful. She used the ribbon from her OOT bag to dress up the photo album cover.

Then she pieced together the rehearsal dinner invitation that my mother-in-law made as a title page.

Our welcome postcards even made their way into the album. I love how happy we look.

The top photo is a bit blurry, but those are our friends with my parents and then the lower picture is just our friend and my mom. When I was a baby, they spent their spare time dressing me up in costumes and taking embarrassing pictures of me. Thanks Mom and Aunt Dana!

Tell me about your favorite gift (either received or given)!

Friday Finds - For the Groom?

2010-06-04T09:12:00.000-04:00

Octogenarian grandparents + parents + PG movies + board games + surf + sand = the Palindrome Family Vacation (and also explains my little absence - mmmm, a vacation from the internet - needed every once in a while). It might have inspired a beach theme for this week, but instead, I was reminded of those who didn't play a large role in the wedding planning, but definitely had an aversion to the color pink (grandpa, dad, and Mr. Palindrome). This week's collection started with the red and charcoal invitations. The bold lettering and color pairing lent a masculine edge. The guest book/The ring pillow and vintage hanky blend the masculine and feminine with the color palette softened by feathers and embroidery. Is/was your wedding influenced aesthetically by someone bearing a Y chromosome or an aversion to pink hues?

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
Raw Studio - Pink and Red Feathers on Charcoal Grey Raw Silk Ring Pillow
Windy Weather Bindery - Red Guest Book or Photo Album
Sugared Ink - Dalliance Flourished Wedding Invitation
Hanky Lady - Vintage "J" Hanky

Friday Finds - Turquoise and Burnt Orange

2010-05-28T08:24:00.000-04:00

Concluding my little series of complimentary colors (red/green, yellow/purple), now is the time to pay homage to my alma mater. I took some liberty in interpreting the orange/blue scheme and ended up building this week's Friday Finds around the lovely birded ring dish. I can imagine the turquoise dresses for the wedding party (or even chocolate with chunky turquoise necklaces). Perhaps a short wedding dress, carrying the clutch instead of flowers? Or perhaps orange ranunculus would be too perfect to replace.

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
Orly Design - Ceramic Turquoise and Brown Bowl with a Pair of Orange Love Birds
Gracy Bags - The Kelsey, Pleated Clutch
Mew Paper Arts - Adelaide Save the Date
Wedding Aisle - Josephine, Russian Birdcage Veil

Reflections on Working with an Event Designer

2010-05-23T21:44:00.000-04:00

I hired an event designer/wedding planner for my wedding. I feel like I just confessed to a horrible crime. I'm a Bee! I DIY! I believe in the philosophy of a practical wedding! And I hired a wedding coordinator. The. FULL. package. Not that I feel like I should defend that decision, but I wanted to explain the process of making the decision and working with a coordinator.

I have always loved weddings and originally thought I would have a huge role in planning my wedding. My parents liked the idea of day-of coordinating and it seemed to be a good match at first. However, upon further consideration, I evaluated several factors:

Up until 5 months before the wedding, I was planning an out of town wedding (vendor complications resulted in our ultimate decision to wed in Norfolk). I couldn't make it to all the vendor appointments out-of-state and I wanted a representative who could act as my proxy.
As a people pleaser, I wanted someone in my corner. My bridesmaids were wonderful and affirming, but since they were all from out of town, they weren't able to be present all of the time when I needed back up.
I wanted someone who wouldn't cave in vendor negotiations, who would share the burden of coordinating stress, and who would execute my vision with a minimum effort on my part.
I know that having that help is a luxury, but as a consultant also working on my master's degree part time, I crunched the numbers (including considering the opportunity costs of my time) and made the investment.

After interviewing several companies, I chose to sign a contract with {invited}. I found the owner, Pavaune, to be highly responsive, friendly, and appreciative of my aesthetic. Pavaune met with me, Mr. Palindrome, and the Palindrome Parents to review a detailed service list, budget, and overall design elements. While Pavaune coordinated with vendors, my parents, and Mr. Palindrome's parents for various services and products, she always worked for us (the bride and groom). Our interests didn't get diluted from the various sources of input.

{invited}, founded by Pavaune

The way the pricing worked out is that I paid a percentage of the total budget for the service which ended up being slightly higher when we decided to have the wedding Norfolk instead of DC. I believe that we made that amount back dollar for dollar in the form of vendor negotiated prices and day of coordinating services. Anything I didn't want to do, I made a phone call or sent an email to Pavaune. Done. I cared less about linens so Pavaune researched all the options and pieced together a lovely custom look from a local rental place and an online retailer. Sometimes I just needed a narrower scope to make a decision. We needed a photo-booth back drop and Pavuane dredged through the bowels of the internet to narrow it down to two chic and affordable options. Making one decision between two options that I already knew were within the budget was much easier than starting from scratch myself. On other items, our relationship was more collaborative as I took bigger roles in things that I really loved (the DIY florals for example). I had a lot of ideas and Pavaune knew when to reign it in for plausibility. When I wanted to make chocolate bison favors so that we could get white chocolate "bride" bison, she asked if I could realistically make 300 bison in the 3 weeks before the wedding, plus move, plus be out of town for Christmas. I needed that voice of reality. Leading up to the wedding, I talked with Pavaune everyday. I came to see her as a confidant and friend.

There were so many things that I didn't have to worry about leading up to the wedding and on the day of the wedding. Looking back, the sheer number of things is overwhelming:

Who stayed at the Opera House on Wednesday to ensure we didn't pay delivery fees on the holiday? Who set each table setting? Who gave all of the vendors the day of time line? Who coordinated the clean up at the church? Who relentlessly tracked down absentee vendors? Who finished and delivered all of the OOT bags? Who oohed and awwed at my fitting? Who assured me that my reception dress was off the hook? Who had extra bobby pins for my fascinator? Who delivered all of the presents to the hotel? Who stayed up all night after the reception packing all of the DIY centerpieces and decorations? Who facilitated between us, parents and vendors?

Pavaune. And it was worth every single penny.

Pavaune working seamlessly behind the scenes organizing the introductions.

When I talked with my mom in the week before the wedding and in the days following the wedding, we both commented about how we couldn't have done it ourselves. I know that many couples can't afford or don't want to prioritize their funds for a wedding planner. However, I want to stress how much of a burden is relieved when you have someone other than the bride or bride's mother coordinating the events of the day. It could be a friend, neighbor, or any kind soul. But I highly recommend having help of some sort. For your sanity's sake. :)

Are you arranging for help coordinating your wedding (professional or otherwise)? If you're married, what was your experience like having a coordinator?

*{invited} logo and head shot from {invited} and photograph by Sam Hughes

Friday Finds - Raspberry and Sage

2010-05-21T14:25:00.000-04:00

Continuing on my theme of complimentary colors, this week I focused on green and red. Without being too Christmasy or too preppy, I chose a lovely Raspberry and sweet sage (with accents of a more olive nature). The hair flowers would be darling for a flower girl while the traveling clutch could be coordinated for wedding party gifts. The invitation set, featuring blooming peonies would be complemented by the interesting vintage postage. I love that nature again inspired my contrasting color theme.

TGIF!

Clockwise from top L:
Crazy Craft Lady 9 - Sprint Time Flower Hair Clip
Verde Studio - Roses and Such
Jenny N Design - Traveler in Shabby Chic Peonies
Seaside Invitations - Idyllic Ink Collection

Mine at Last: Inspiration Board vs. Execution Board

2010-05-18T11:19:00.000-04:00

Remember when your wedding was just an idea? I was reading through my archives and it was so fun to see how all of my thoughts were executed, evolved, and even discarded.

Here's my original inspiration board from nearly a year ago:

From L to R starting on the top row:
Art Deco Rhinestone Drop Earrings: Tees and More
Vintage dress display: Vintage Glam Weddings
Bridal Bouquet: Design Whimsy
Custom Feather Bridal Shoes: Emmy Custom Made Wedding Shoes
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers: Liberty Film Festival
Lauren Bacall: Janez Life and Times
Wedding Dress: Pronovias 2008 Collection
Flawless Invitation: eInvite
Maui Coconut Cake: Marney Cakes (accessed through Inspired!!)

And this is a collage of photographs from our wedding:

*All photographs by Sam Hughes (cropping and collage by me)

I think I toed the party line on this one and ended up executing a very close interpretation, save the last minute shoes bringing in a pop of red!

Have you stood by your original vision or has your wedding evolved from your inspiration?

Friday Finds - Pansies and Violets

2010-05-14T08:53:00.000-04:00

Breaking from my recent streak of neutrals (powerdery pinks, ivory, and navy), I was inspired by the visual punch of utilizing contrasting colors. Our master bedroom renovation is wallowing in monochromatic neutrals of a peachy/ivory color and when Mr. Palindrome called for something "that pops," I immediately started to think of slate blues. While my Bucknell pride ('ray for the Orange and the Blue!) might make an appearance in future Friday Finds, I wanted to delve into a color combination that I haven't used before in decorating or wedding related planning - Purple and Yellow. I found inspiration in nature's pairings featured in flowers.

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
Just Another Day - Purple Passion Save the Date Sample (could also be used for shower invitations)
Design Your Home - Raqual Violet Handmade Bedding (great registry item to bring your wedding colors home)
Donnalda - Vintage Pansies Journal Spots (ideal for escort cards, bridal party gifts, etc.)
Wearing the Past - 1980s Violet Retro Pumps

Mine at Last: Photo Booth

2010-05-13T11:20:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things at our wedding was our makeshift photo booth (aka fauxto booth, smile booth, etc.). I see a lot of people asking on the boards if these are overdone or tacky. Besides my former roommate, who was planning a wedding at the same time as me, we're the only two weddings that I've seen a photo booth at (she rented a real one that spit out the classic four picture black and white strips - very cool!). If you love it, I say, "Do it!"

During the cocktail hour, my event designer worked with our photographer, Sam Hughes, to create a small studio space. They tied a ribbon sign between two chairs, hoisted a few yards of fabric onto the backdrop stand that Sam brought, and then let the good times roll. Our second shooter manned the booth and we've posted all of the pics on a Shutterfly website so guests can easily download or print them. At first, friends and family gathered for nice shots.

A friend from high school and her fiance

My Aunt, Grandpa, and Uncle

Friends from the Navy who were recently married

Mr. Palindrome's Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins (who served as Ushers)

Friends from my consulting firm

Friends from the Navy

Friends from my hometown

Then the more adventurous guests started poking about our prop pile!

Friend from Bucknell (and also one of our readers) and her husband

Friend from Bucknell and her boyfriend (flying all the way from San Fran!)

Friends from Bucknell (two on the left also sang at our wedding and the two on the right are getting married in June!)

Palindromaid S and her husband

Motherdrome and friends

Fatherdrome and friends

Friends from church

Bison ladies representing

Denise and Palindromaid S

The groomsmen

Not to be out done, the Palindromaids strike a pose

I get in on the action

SIL J and I reenact our first dance dip

SIL J and and I hear a fun song and then run for the dance floor

I've been mocking up photo books as gifts for family and I really love ending the books with spreads of these pictures. It reminds me of everyone who came and shared our day with us and I think provided some fun for them as well!

Have you been to a wedding with a photo booth? Did you partake in the photo fun?

Mine at Last: All in the Details

2010-05-11T13:49:00.000-04:00

We had, what I considered to be, a very traditional wedding. We married in a church, hosted a sit down reception on a Saturday, and partook of many other traditions (bird seed toss, first dance, cake cutting, etc.). Our families and Mr. Palindrome thought our wedding was quite different (online RSVPs, red bridal shoes, individual cakes, pictures before the ceremony). Even though I could have broken the mold more, I think that our details were the expressive icing on our cookie cutter base.

I'll take you on a little tour of some of the details that made our day.

Our semi-DIY invitations were ordered from eInvite.com (invitations, response cards, inner envelopes and outer envelopes). I cut belly bands, sealed them with a wax seal, lined the outer envelopes, and hand wrote calligraphy on the envelopes.

A dear friend of mine from high school was unable to be with us on our wedding day, but she was there in spirit as she gifted me with a lovely, silk dressing robe.

One detail that isn't captured in too many photographs are my red nails. I love this photograph because not only does it capture my fun manicure, but it also documents my last few hours as an engaged woman.

I can't tell you how many people commented on my red shoes! I ended up wearing them the entire day (soooo comfortable!) and the number one question asked was: "What is the significance of the red?" Our guests obviously don't read wedding blogs with any regularity.

This photograph captures the feathery details and my something blue brooch on my bouquet.

My DIY birdcage veil featured feathers, a flower, and a sparkly rhinestone pin.

The DIY boutonnieres echoed the themes of winter and feathers.

Our first look was a little rushed as we were running a half hour behind schedule at that point. However, it was one of my favorite moments of the day. Since we were separated all day, I was getting anxious to see him. We met in a quiet lobby on one of the upper floors of the hotel. Mr. Palindrome lifted my veil (a small nod to Jewish tradition) and we just hugged for a long time. This photograph shows my DIY clutch and the tennis bracelet that Mr. Palindrome gifted me for the Valentine's Day before his first deployment.

At the entrance of the sanctuary, we set out a vintage dresser tray with sweet vintage hankies. I printed the sign and added it to a frame that an aunt of mine had given me in college. Not many people took them, but we made sure that all of the grandmothers, mothers, and I had one before we went down the aisle.

My event designer, Pavaune, executed these amazing feather wreaths. Using feather boas and foam wreath bases, she glued these wonderfully romantic decorations. She hung them on every other pew down both sides of our aisle.

For the detail shots of our rings, our photographer posed our rings on a small platter that I made by pressing paper doilies and rubber stamps into pearlescent clay. You can make out part of the engraving on my wedding band, which we also had engraved on Mr. Palindrome's band as well: 01022010 (our palindrome wedding date!).

Rather than spend money on floral arrangements, we decided to utilize the greenery that was already decorating the sanctuary for Christmas. To add some soft light and warm the space a bit, we lined various size candles on the ledges at the front of the church. Mirrors underneath the candles also helped to reflect the light.

Our DIY Unity Candles are prepped and ready. My event designer pre-burned the wicks for easy lighting during the ceremony. The candle on the far left is the lighter candle that the mothers used to light the family candles.

Since it was such a chilly day, some guests hightailed it to the reception. A special thanks to those who stuck around and partook of our little DIY birdseed packets. One of the Palindromaids admitted that since her fingers had gone numb, she couldn't untie the ribbon and ended up chucking the entire packet at us. She plays softball too, so it wasn't a gentle lob!

Once fingers were warm again at the cocktail hour, our guests exercised their digits on our fingerprint guest book.

Or they exercised their digits picking up some of our delicious appetizers!

The table settings were simple, which let the natural decorations, such as orchids in the champagne glasses shine.

I didn't let myself get too attached to chiavari chairs, but my event designer worked some magic and our long tables were lined with silver chiavari chairs and ivory cushions.

In honor of our meeting place and alma mater, Bucknell, we ordered chocolate bison from a favorite chocolate shop in Lewisburg, PA. As soon as I received the shipment, I promptly ate one of each kind just to make sure they were as good as I remembered. Then I ate a few more. We also enjoyed the leftovers on our mini-moon with a glass of wine.

A friend helped me to wrap them simply in clear boxes. We laid the bison on beds of green paper grass and finished the boxes with our DIY monogram labels.

Our vintage cake topper from an Etsian vendor was the perfect size for our 8" cakes. Even though I don't know the story behind it, we now have our own story to attach it to and save for future generations.

These close-ups of our jazz band and variety band woodwind pieces really capture the feel of the music and the energy level that we enjoyed.

During the planning, I wasn't the biggest fan of a large, traditional wedding. I had succumbed to the romance of eloping under a lighthouse on the Oregon coast or a family-only soiree at a beach house with cocktails by the pool. However, it wasn't just my wedding. It was Mr. Palindrome's wedding. Our families love us and wanted to be involved. I met people I had never met before at our wedding and they showered us with the same love and affection as if they'd known me from birth. The big, fat wedding took over and I didn't die from a planning aneurysm. In fact it was pretty fun (Evidence A: My Boogie Shoes). However, the details really brought the wedding to a level where I felt that my personality and sense of style could define the aesthetic. One of the best compliments I received was from a friend who told me that she could see my touches in every aspect of the wedding. Our big wedding felt like an intimate gathering to me, in large part due to some of these details.

What special details are you looking forward to and planning?

Contest Alert - Jenna Cole Photography

2010-05-10T12:52:00.000-04:00

Jenna Cole Photography (the Jenna Cole of Mrs. Avocado fame!) is sponsoring an amazing contest for a couple to redo their wedding portraits. If you were disappointed with your photographs, or didn't have any photographs of your wedding, I encourage you to enter the contest (especially if you're in Texas or Chicago, although she will travel if costs are covered by the winning couple). Click here for complete entry rules.

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Friday Finds - All about the Neckline

2010-05-07T10:32:00.000-04:00

I ran across the fabulous floral cap sleeved number at the top of this week's finds and couldn't resist rounding up a few other vintage dresses with outta-this-world necklines. For those lamenting the plethora of strapless ball gowns, these options with sleeves are so refreshing! The best part of all is that with a little cleaning or small alterations, all of this week's dresses are affordable alternatives ranging from $85 (mentally photo-shopping out the black bra straps could make you the owner of the little gem on the lower right!) to $425.

TGIF!

L-R and Top-Bottom:

The Ruby Kitten - Vintage 1960s Wedding Gown
Pudding (I {heart} vintage) - Vintage White Lace and Creme Satin Wedding Dress
Angry Kitty Vintage - 1960s Wedding Gown, Eva
Generations Clothing - Vintage 60s Off White Wedding Gown

Mine at Last: DIY Card Box

2010-05-06T11:25:00.000-04:00

Two weeks before my wedding, I considered my to-do list and then promptly cut it in half by losing pipe dream projects. There were items that we no longer had a budget for (black and white snack table with Oreos on shots of milk and homemade whoopie pies!), items I couldn't find (perfect parents' gifts), and items that were just not that big of a priority anymore. Our card box fell into all three categories. I had thought I wanted something cool and antique to fit our vintage vibe, but never ran across the right piece at the right price. I was sick of spending money on things that weren't going to last but one night. At the end of the day, I came to the conclusion that I would make a box with items I had on hand.

I found three boxes that were roughly the same shape (which I had plenty of considering people sent a lot of gifts beforehand and I had been ordering DIY supplies like a fiend). I grabbed the roll of wrapping paper I had used for our envelope liners and proceeded to wrap each box. I created a whole in between the bottom and middle box so that cards could fall through to the bottom. I thought about creating a full tutorial, but this really wasn't rocket science. It takes a little time to figure out the best way to piece the boxes together, but it's nothing that a little packing tape and hot glue won't fix. The box doesn't have to survive nuclear war, it just has to sit on a table and look pretty.

After gluing ribbon and pearl beading (in the dollar bin at JoAnns) around each layer, I decided to gussy it all up with leftover remnants from bouquet and boutonniere endeavors. The decorations helped to hide the seams in my less than perfect wrapping job. I figured the whole thing was going to be thrown out after the wedding anyways and since it was a freebie project I didn't make any big time investments here. My Aunt ended up rescuing the decorations at the farewell brunch to re-purpose in other crafting - so my card box lives on in other crafting reinventions!

Here she is in all her glory on the gift table. It seemed like a lot of people got my gift wrap color memo! You can also see the table seating chart which was a clutch last minute addition from Kinko's. I designed it in publisher and we filled in the table numbers in the 11th hour. Special thanks to my colleague, Meg, who ran to Kinko's the morning of the wedding and to my event planner, Pavaune, who found the easel and drape.

One of the things that wedding planning (or any kind of project management for that matter) teaches you is that everything cannot be a priority. Have you learned that lesson? Are there any projects that you're moving to a lower priority as the wedding approaches?

Friday Finds - Silk

2010-04-30T08:41:00.000-04:00

I received an email yesterday from Mr. Palindrome.

Subject: I just learned where silk comes from . . .

Message: And I don't know if I can ever wear it again!

Source

I don't often think about where silk comes from, but I do know that the luxurious feeling will always keep me coming back for more. So this week, for Mr. Palindrome, Friday Finds features heavenly silk, straight from the silk worm's tush.

TGIF!

Clockwise from the Top L:
Hair Bows Wonderworld - Versaille
Hydra Heart - Custom Bridal Flats
Rosebud Lips - Wedding Garter Set
Eclu - Ivory Sash

Mine at Last: Getting with the Program

2010-04-27T16:51:00.000-04:00

Mr. Palindrome's sweet cousin handed out programs on the day of our wedding. She was so excited to be part of the festivities and took her duties quite seriously.

I was really proud of how they turned out, but of course, there's a whole, long back story.

One day, I was at Michael's. (Aside: Michael's probably wonders where the looney scavenging for black and white goods on discount went - or maybe they just think I morphed into the the lavender and sage hunting crazy getting married in June?) Since I had previously left some very good, cheap paper in our wedding colors on the shelf to never be found again, I jumped at the chance to buy them out of 3 stacks of 8x8 crafting paper. I had no earthly idea what I was going to use them for, but gosh darn it, I would have them laying around when the time was right.

The time was right when I conceived of the idea to make programs. I quickly cut out a few pieces of scrap paper to ensure the measurements would work out. Lo and behold, if I cut the 8x8 sheets exactly in half and then created a tri-fold program on 8.5x11, I could get two programs from each larger piece of paper and tuck them neatly into their little jackets.

It took a few hours and several printing tests, but I finally was able to squeeze all of the information we wanted into the allotted space, using Publisher.

I used Abigail font for the titles and Californian FB for the rest of the text (with some italicized). Both of these fonts were standard in my version of Office. I set the margins so that they would all be equal when I cut down the middle of the paper. In execution, I sent a PDF to Kinko's and had them print and cut. For $24 dollars, it was definitely a sanity saver not having to print double-sided on my home printer and cut each by hand.

The day after Christmas, I set my family to work. I had previously cut and folded all of the jackets while burning through my Netflix queue, but tri-folding the freshly printed insides was taking a bit of time. I also had a 1/16" hole punch that was the needle eye to my 1/8" ribbon camel. I also had quite a bit of pre-cut ribbon; however, I overestimate how many we would get from each roll. Since we needed more ribbon, I decided to break down and buy the 1/8" hole punch while at Michael's. To top it all off, I had a ribbon length sample from a previous project, so Motherdrome inadvertently cut all of the new ribbon into ties about 2 inches short, making them harder, but not impossible to tie. There was some rough going, but nothing says holiday cheer like everyone gathered around the table, carols on the radio, and teaching your Dad how to handle the bone folder. He's a regular Martha Stewart now!

Did you con your family into wedding craft projects during a holiday gathering?

*First two photographs by our wonderful photographer Sam Hughes, and the rest by me.

Friday Finds - Chartreuse Botanicals

2010-04-23T10:05:00.000-04:00

The flowing, romantic robe inspired this week's finds - the perfect start to the morning of your wedding day, and a little luxury for the honeymoon!

TGIF!

Clockwise from the R:
Plum Pretty Sugar - Kimono Style Robe
Cultivar - Romantic Whimsy Vines
By Invitation Only - Chic Wedding Invitation Suite
Vivid Colors - Walk in the Park

Wedding Shower Food Ideas via Tasty Kitchen

2010-04-22T11:59:00.000-04:00

Me gusta Pioneer Woman. Me gusta food. Me gusta weddings.

Ergo, me gusta this blog post on Wedding Shower Food. Check out this collage of scrumptious treats:

Source

If you're wondering what to make for an upcoming shower, go be inspired and report back with your creations!

Why I Love Weddings, Remembered

2010-04-20T11:08:00.000-04:00

Mr. Palindrome and I attended our first wedding as a married couple the other week. We had been looking forward to its as we had grown with our friends from college dating, through Navy long distance relationships, and into engagement land.

Not only were we able to rejoice with them as they joined us on the married side of life, but I found my wedding joy again. I wasn't sure if weddings would ever be the same to me as when I was a wishful singleton dreamer. Planning our own wedding exposed me to the stressful, head ache inducing side of things and though I'll never forget the experience, I'm so glad that I can enjoy weddings again since they're not my own!

I held my husband's hand while they repeated their vows, and I rubbed his wedding ring. I appreciated the natural beauty of the outdoor ceremony space, the fragrance of the flowers, the taste of the wine, and the laughter at the toasts. I ate Pennsylvania and Ohio shaped cookies from the cookie buffet (representing the bride and groom's home states). All simple joys.

Sure, I noticed the little touches that the bride worked so hard on (like the calligraphy place cards), but what I really remember was the feeling of love. We felt so comfortable with their welcoming families. We chatted, laughed, and toasted with our table mates. We danced cheek to cheek to Oldies. That's why I love weddings - the experience of the fullness of love that radiates from the beginning of a marriage.

Have you lost that loving feeling towards weddings? Were you able to get it back?

Friday Finds - So it is Written

2010-04-16T08:23:00.000-04:00

These delightful bird cake toppers showcase lovely aged paper, which I imagined to be book pages from a favorite, classic novel (upon closer inspection, perhaps these are sewing patterns, but no matter, the rest of the board was inspired by the novel). I then imagined the seersucker boy's suit to clothe Oliver Twist, the delicate yet bold lace necklace to have been inspired by Shakespeare's Portia, and the cameo push pins to be reborn Lady of Shallot portraits. So romantic!

TGIF!

Clockwise from Top L:
Tuck & Bonte - Love Bird Cake Toppers
White Owl - Portia Lace Necklace
Fine Handmade Clothing - Seersucker Summer Suit
Regan's Brain - Vintage Cameo Thumbtacks

Luna di Miele in Italia - Parte Tre

2010-04-15T22:21:00.000-04:00

I realize that many of you are planning honeymoons with more than 12 hours notice. These tips and book reviews are for you. I've broken down the advice into 3 sections: Guide Book Reviews, General Tips, and Budget. If you are going on a surprise honeymoon like we ended up doing, then my advice is much simpler: 1. Anything you don't have, you can buy (warmer clothes, guide books, disposable camera, etc.). 2. Enjoy yourselves!

Guide Books/Maps/Dictionaries we used:

Mona Winks, by Rick Steves

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I bought my copy when I studied abroad in 2003. In a panicked search as we packed the morning of take off, I found it buried in one of my moving boxes. It was a honeymoon day miracle. While some of the exhibits were traveling when we were there, we still got a lot out of the book. The walking tours were all still the same (nobody moved the coliseum) and I enjoy Rick Steves' humor (although it's an acquired taste, Mr. Palindrome didn't appreciate it as much as me). If you're looking for a quick and dirty guide to some of the best European museum with a hint of funny, I think this book would really fit your needs. Sometimes, Mr. Palindrome and I wanted something a bit more academic and if I had to do it over again, I probably would have researched and bought some more art history focused books to supplement this. On my trips, I have ripped out whichever section it is that we needed. Rick actually advocates this and offers a new book to anyone who sends in $5 along with their ripped up book (although I just clarified with customer service that it only pertains to books that are still in print, which my version is not). Here's my poor little book:

Fodor's Italy 2010

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Another last minute Hail Mary find, we loaded Fodor's Italy 2002 into my back pack. It's deceptively heavy. That said, we relied on it for cross referencing other guide books and restaurant recommendations. I don't know that I would buy Fodor's again, although the new ones claim they have color photos now . . .

Street Smart Roma

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We picked up this map in the airport at JFK because The New York Times called it "The Map to Rome." I guess the writer has never been to Rome and really never needed to know their location when walking routes that happen to fall along the crevice of the map. Otherwise, it was useful for figuring out general, cardinal directions and had a handy Subway map.

Eye Witness Travel: Florence and Tuscany

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We bought this guide while we were at the train station in Rome. It was more expensive than a lot of the other books, but the color photographs and illustrations on each page really helped to guide us through the city. It breaks Tuscany into geographical areas, so it was easy to concentrate on one area at a time. My only complaint is that they lump the restaurant reviews in the back and I wish they were organized so that you knew what restaurants were near the particular site you were near.

Frommer's Milan and the Lakes: Day by Day

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We also bought this at the train station in Rome. It's a smaller pocket guide style book and included several full day tours based on different interests (historical, shopping, etc.). For our purposes and since we were only in Milan for one day, we were generally well served by this book. However, if you were planning on more extensively touring the lakes, you might want something more comprehensive. Also, the maps included weren't as detailed as we needed them to be, so we found ourselves wandering around a bit looking for a particular deli recommendation.

Frommer's Italian Phrase Finder and Dictionary

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Mr. Palindrome purchased this phrasebook at JFK. It was occasionally helpful (and sometimes funny - especially the intimate encounters section), but Mr. Palindrome ultimately found it inadequate in all but the simplest conversations. He was considering buying a suit and many words like "alterations" and "hem" weren't included.

Berlitz Italian Pocket Dictionary

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After the suit shopping debacle, Mr. Palindrome bought the Berlitz Dictionary. He loved referencing it, especially at restaurants, much to my dismay. In fact, Mr. Palindrome reveled in looking at maps and pulling out the dictionary, marking himself as a tourist and being the source of my shame. Even though I wanted to blend in, I was fairly glad we had the dictionary to reference.

General Tips:

Advanced Booking for Museums - For the Uffizi and the Santa Maria delle Grazie, you can book tickets in advance. In the case of the Uffizi, ordering online ahead of time in March was unnecessary as our concierge was able to arrange ticket vouchers for us. The lines also weren't as long in the afternoon, so if you're unable to book ahead of time, it could work out in low season. If you want to see the Last Supper at the Santa Maria delle Grazie, you absolutely must book tickets ahead of time (3-4 months). We were also informed that we could have taken a day tour with a group for around 55 euros a piece; however, that tour left at 8:00 am and we didn't arrive in Milan until 9:30. So we were out of luck. That's the one thing that I wish we could have seen, but didn't get to.

Accommodations - Hotel rooms in Europe are generally more modest than American hotels. We stayed in two luxurious hotels and one more modest hotel. Even in the more expensive rooms, the king size beds were actually two twins pushed together. We were surprised at first, but then got used to it after checking into the third hotel and finding the same arrangement.

Shopping - We thought the best shopping was in Florence because of the multitude of leather, gold, and paper shops. In fact, we wish we had done more shopping there, but we kept waiting for good deals and the right items to knock our socks off - so we ended up missing out. In Milan and Rome, most of the shopping seemed to be very upscale designer stuff, very cheap souvenir stuff, or knock-offs. Wine was a lovely souvenir, as well as other food stuffs, just remember that meats and cheeses cannot be brought into the States per customs regulations.

Beggars - I had forgotten since I studied abroad how common begging was in the streets of major cities. It can definitely catch you off guard, especially if you're used to the suburbs. It's completely up to you how you handle the situations, but be prepared for some beggars to be quite pushy and insistent. My personal policy is to support organizations that help the homeless and not to give money on the street. It's very difficult when someone flat out asks you for money and tells you a story about their hungry child though. We did give food, but some of them asked us for money right after we had given them food. We also encountered several people at the train and subway who would help book your tickets, but then demand tips. By the end of our trip, we were much more comfortable saying no because we had seen the scams before. Since the culture is a bit different, it's just something to be aware of.

Dining - My greatest piece of advice is to be adventurous when ordering. We loved trying local delicacies and ate quite a bit of seafood that we don't eat on a regular basis (squid and octopus). When we saw food coming out of the kitchen bound for other tables that we though looked good, we asked the waiter to order us the same thing. We tried to find menus that offered prix fixe selections so that we could sample as many foods as possible.

Budget:

Euro vs. Dollar - The exchange rate might be the best it's been in several years, but at $1.40 to 1 euro, it still hurts after a while. For me, I find it useful to set a budget in euros and keep track from there. Mr. Palindrome prefers to translate the prices into dollars before deciding to buy something.

Restaurant Charges - Most restaurants charge a cover charge of 2-3 euros a person. They also charge 2-3 euros for a half liter of water. Oh and they charge you for the bread they automatically put on the table. So, just remember that when you sit down at a restaurant, it's almost 10 euros right off the bat.

Caffe Bars - Drink your coffee and eat your brioche standing at the bar. If you sit in the bar, you will be charged double to triple the prices of standing at the bar. I mean, you can sit if you're tired and just want to sit and pay more - but after we caught on to the upcharging, we just stood and drank our coffee at the bar.

Renting a Car - For about 100 euros we rented a car from Avis in Florence with a GPS and all the insurance. It was a manual as the automatic was a mid-size and would have been much more. Also, don't be afraid to ask locals for help - a kind gentlemen helped us pump petrol because we couldn't figure the machine out.

Cash - I rarely carry cash with me in the States. However, in Italy, cash is definitely needed. The subway ticket machines only took coins or bills under 5 euros. A surprising number of museums (including the L'Academia which houses the original David) only accept cash. Street vendors selling paninis and bottles of water only accept cash. We used our AMEX as often as we could for the rewards, but we had to use cash about 1/3 of the time.

Total Budget - We were very blessed by the lamb-in-laws with their gift of airfare and hotel accommodations. We set aside some wedding gift money to cover our other expenses. We were still interested in keeping a budget, but we had some flexibility. At first, Mr. Palindrome was certain that we could keep our other costs to $1000. My guess was $2000. We splurged on a few meals and renting the car to tour Tuscany. When we tallied it all at the end of the trip, we came in around $2700 which is roughly 2000 euros. For 2 people, on a 10 day trip, that breaks down to 100 euro per person per day. Outside of train transfers and the splurges I mentioned, I think we spent the most money on coffee and water! We each had several coffees throughout the day and constantly found ourselves buying water as drinking fountains were few and far between.

For those going on Italian honeymoons - Bon viaggio!

Weddingbee/Southern Weddings Meetup!

2010-04-13T10:43:00.000-04:00

I had a ton of fun here in Durham at Foster's Market, meeting some fellow brides and bloggers last month! Fun ladies/gents + delicious food + a sunny brilliant day = good times had by all.

Southern Weddings publishes out of Chapel Hill and Emily, one of the editors, suggested a meet-up. It was perfect timing with the turn of spring weather and even more exciting, Mrs. Bunny and Mrs. Pineapple made the trip too!

We chatted dresses (NCGirl sewed both of her sister's dresses!), honeymoons (Mr. Palindrome and I had just returned from ours), registries (one couple was heading out to have their turn with the price gun that afternoon!), last minute preparations (one Emily -out of three there!- was getting married two weeks from that day - Congratulations!), and the latest trends (modern and clean!).

Best wishes to the brides-to-be and Mrs. Pineapple with her delivery!

Palindrome Bride

Friday Finds - Coordinating Inspiration

Friday Finds - Red Winter Birds

Friday Finds - Toy Story

Speaking Out Against Family

Heritage Photos to Heritage Wall

Friday Finds - To the Brits

Honeymoon in My Hometown - Hampton Roads

Palindrome Then and Now

Corn Dogs, Lambs, and Colas Oh My!

Real Life Palindrome Style

Palindromes Featured on Elizabeth Anne Designs

Weddingbee Meet-up with the Colas in Durham!

Friday Finds - Feeling Blue

Why Do They All Say Polyester?

Friday Finds - Modern Pumpkin

Priscilla of Boston Grand Opening in Raleigh

Friday Finds: Purple Autumn

Real Wedding: Pin Wheels

Friday Finds: 'Stache While You Can

Review: Shutterfly Album

Friday Finds - A Wheat Wedding

myregistry.com vs. Amazon Universal Registry Review

Friday Finds - Everyone but the Bride

Reflections on Marrying a Family

Friday Finds on a Monday - Pink and Blue Weekday

Friday Finds - Sew in Love

Bachelorette Destination Ideas

From the Groomsmen's Perspective

Smooches and Invites

Friday Finds - There's No Place Like Maryland

Personal Touches to Take the Cliche out of a Bridal Tea

Friday Finds - Royal City

Bride Tips from PT Happy Homemaker!

Another Wedding??!!

Weddingbee Meet-up!

House Mountain Inn

Friday Finds - Home Sweet Home

Friday Finds - Yellow, Gray, Black with a Twist

Friday Finds - Grecian Sea

The Youngsters, Wedding Week, and a Giveaway!

Friday Finds: Robot Love

Mine at Last: Hello, Goodbye

Friday Finds - Picnics and Gingham

Mine at Last: In the Evening

Mine at Last: In the Afternoon

Friday Finds - Silhouettes for every taste

Mine at Last: In the Morning

Reflections on My Wedding Philosophy

Friday Finds - Wildflowers

Norfolk/Hampton Roads Vendor Reviews

A Few of My Favorite Things

Friday Finds - For the Groom?

Friday Finds - Turquoise and Burnt Orange

Reflections on Working with an Event Designer

Friday Finds - Raspberry and Sage

Mine at Last: Inspiration Board vs. Execution Board

Friday Finds - Pansies and Violets

Mine at Last: Photo Booth

Mine at Last: All in the Details

*Contest Alert* - Jenna Cole Photography

Friday Finds - All about the Neckline

Mine at Last: DIY Card Box

Friday Finds - Silk

Mine at Last: Getting with the Program

Friday Finds - Chartreuse Botanicals

Wedding Shower Food Ideas via Tasty Kitchen

Why I Love Weddings, Remembered

Friday Finds - So it is Written

Luna di Miele in Italia - Parte Tre

Weddingbee/Southern Weddings Meetup!

Contest Alert - Jenna Cole Photography