Honoring the Past (Without Pissing Everyone Off)

About ten years ago I attended my cousin's wedding. It was a very high class Southern affair with a big outdoor tent and a delicious buffet of traditional Southern delights. Even years later I still I remember that they displayed framed photos of both the bride and the groom's parents on their wedding days. I remember thinking what a sweet gesture it was, and how I would never be able to do the same thing at my own wedding.

My parents were divorced when I was 13 years old. It was mess and even 16 years later there are still a lot of old wounds and scars on both sides of the family. In fact, I am really dreading the potential drama which now looms ominously on the horizon as our wedding approaches, namely the fact that my mother has never met (nor has any desire to meet) my stepmother.  Mr. C's parents are also divorced and his parents currently coexist in an emotional stalemate. It's trouble on both sides. Trouble to the point that we are reserving room blocks at two different hotels in order to preserve the peace. But more on that later.

My mom and dad on their wedding day. I love my mom's lace dress and I love the fact my dad is very obviously checking her out!

But here's the thing -- I wish there was some way that we could honor both of our parents' first marriages, seeing as we (Mr. C and I) were the results of those unions, even if they didn't end with "happily ever after." I wish we could display the photos without opening old wounds or creating awkwardness (there will be plenty of that anyway, to be sure). This is definitely something we would have to consult our parents on beforehand to see how they feel about the issue. But something tells me it probably isn't going to be possible, which makes me sad.

One thing is for sure though -- we will definitely be displaying photographs of our grandparents' weddings and photos of the loved ones who have passed on. At least those are two things we can display without any complicated emotions.

My grandparents on their wedding day. It was a classic WWII story where my grandmother married him at the courthouse before he left with the Navy.

What do you think? Would it be poor taste to display a photograph of our parents' first weddings? Should we include only photos of their second marriages or perhaps no photos at all? Have you, or someone you know, handled this situation your own wedding?

Bummed About Bridesmaids

I have chosen six different ladies to be my bridesmaids. Four of my bridesmaids are old, dear friends, one is a newer friend who I've grown close to in the past few years, and one is my 22 year old stepsister. 

With my oldest friend Karen (on left) who is one of my bridesmaids.

I'm nearly 30 years old, so a lot of my friends have moved away and gotten married over the years. One of my bridesmaids has just had her first child and another is expecting her first this March. I feel like I'm a little behind the times seeing as I'm only now engaged, but I'm totally okay with that. We all experience life's moments in our own way and in our own time. I'm extremely happy getting married at 30 and I would not change a thing about my life or how/when I met my fiance, even if I could. 

With two more bridesmaids: Princess Leia and Darth Vader. I'm Boba Fett. Apart from my helmet, we made these costumes with crap we found in my basement. 

The issue is more that my bridesmaids live all over the US. Two are in LA, one in Colorado, one in Baltimore, one in New York City, and another close by in Atlanta. My friend in Atlanta is currently pursuing a nontraditional career and she has a highly irregular schedule. There's always some kind of schedule conflict since she is usually incredibly busy on the weekends which is usually the only time I have free. It makes me depressed because she is the one "local" female friend I have right now, and I rarely see her these days. I miss her living in Athens and meeting up for dinner or drinks just to catch up.

I guess I'm just feeling a little down and distant from a lot of the women in my life. I think movies and TV shows make weddings look like so much fun with all your girls by your side, but in reality I think a lot of people don't have that option, especially later in life when most of your college friends have moved off to find work or follow their partners.

I was lucky enough that I could go dress shopping with three of my bridesmaids in LA over the summer. It was a really awesome girl weekend that made me feel a little more connected to the people I care about. But now I'm back in the disconnected doldrums wondering how we will ever coordinate a wedding shower or a bachelorette weekend. 

What makes things even more complicated is the fact that my family lives all over the country as well and most of our guests will be coming in from out of town. Well, I guess we will just have to do the best that we can and be thankful for the few times a year that we do get to meet up and reconnect!  

Are/were your bridesmaids spread out or close by? If they live far away, how are you coordinating efforts for bridal showers or the bachelorette weekend? 

DIY Scrapbook Paper Letters

I decided to take on some relatively easy wedding recently. If you recall, I was inspired by this image:

Image via: StyleMePretty / Photography by: Adria Peaden

I love the soft, romantic color palette and I thought the concept would work well in our Marie Antoinette-inspired wedding. I dashed off to the craft store and returned with the supplies I needed to complete this project. I bought the letters, the scrapbook paper, and the spray adhesive at Michael's. I love their teacher discount! I bought the self-healing mat on Amazon.com. Click HERE for a link to the same product that I purchased. This project is super easy and would be great for a DIY beginner!

• wooden or papier mache letters (found at craft stores)
• scrapbook paper 
• spray adhesive
•  X-Acto knife
• self-healing mat

Step 1: Prep Your Letters

The letters I bought for the "LOVE" sign were already white. However, I bought a larger pair of letters that are black which will need to be painted white before I can attach the scrapbook paper. The second set of letters are "E" and "G" to represent our initials. I'm not sure how we will use them yet, but I'm sure they will find a suitable place in our collection of wedding decor!  

Step 2: Pick Out Your Papers

I chose to use a different paper design for each letter. I wanted to make sure the patterns looked cohesive together so I played around with each paper before settling on my final choice. You can also make uniform letters in all the same color or design. Think about all the amazing glitter and metallic papers available these days! So many incredible options! 

Personal photo - my fiance is doing the work here!

Step 3: Spray Adhesive on Letter

Place your letters on some scrap cardboard or another safe work surface and spray on the adhesive. It only needs a light coat. If it is applied too thick it might take too long to dry. My fiance is holding the adhesive spray a little too close to the letters in the above photo. 

Personal photo - my fiance is doing the work here!

Step 4: Attach Letter to Paper

The scrapbook paper I used was double-sided, so I made sure it was the back of the paper design I had chosen and gently laid the letter adhesive-side down onto the paper. Press gently to push out any air bubbles. 

Step 5: Let the Adhesive Dry

I gave the letters about 15 minutes to set before moving on to the next step. If the adhesive is still wet, it could cause the paper to bunch up when you cut it with the X-Acto knife.

Personal photo - my fiance is doing the work here!

Step 6: Cut Off Paper

Using a firm motion, trace around each letter with the X-Acto knife. Don't be too hasty or press to hard or else it could tear the paper and ruin your project! 

The final product! (personal photo)

Step 7: Revel in Your Accomplishment! 

And that's it! This is such an easy and simple project. But please take your time and be careful using the X-Acto knife as they are very sharp! I am going to repeat these steps with our initial letters later. I'm still deciding whether or not I want to use the same approach with the different paper patterns or something entirely different. I have a map of Paris that I might use instead!

Will you be incorporating letters like these on your big day? 

The Do-It-Yourself Itch

Guys, I'm feeling crafty. I feel like starting a DIY project (or two) so that I can cross some decor items off our wedding to-do list. Let me share a few things I'd like to make.

I saw this styled photo shoot on Green Wedding Shoes recently and I fell in love with the ombré dyed fabric chandelier. The theme for this inspiration shoot was "Underwater Garden" and I love the watercolor-like softness created by the whimsical strands of dyed fabric. A few years ago I made a costume that required the use of ombré-dyed fabric, so I think I have an idea of how to recreate this look. Actually, I think there are two different methods. I guess I will just have to see which is the easiest and most successful!

Image via: Green Wedding Shoes / Photography by: Dallas Curow / Event design by: Elyse Cragg

And what would I do with a ombré dyed fabric chandelier you might ask? Actually, I'd like to tie the fabric strips onto a rope to use for our ceremony. Afterwards we could use it as decoration behind the dessert table. I'm not quite sure yet. But I do know that it would look fabulous in our engagement photos! I'm thinking something like the last photo from the inspiration shoot above. If that's not enough to tickle your fancy here is some more inspiration for you. Imagine the possibilities!

Image via: Green Wedding Shoes / Photography by: Bryan N. Miller Photography

My next DIY project involves wooden letters. I found this image on Pinterest (imagine that) and I love that instead of being painted, the letters appear to be covered with vintage-inspired scrapbook paper. The colors and the damask patterns on these letters would be perfect for our Marie Antoinette-inspired wedding. I can't wait to try it out!

Image via: StyleMePretty / Photography by: Adria Peaden

Keep in mind that I live in an apartment building, and while I have access to a wooded and grassy outdoor area, I don't have access to a covered garage. That certainly hinders our crafting possibilities, well that a lack of power tools and wood working equipment, but I hope that I can show you that even in a small apartment with minimal special equipment, DIY weddings are possible! I will report back soon with my DIY attempt findings!

What are some projects on your DIY to-do-list? 

Guilty Pleasures

My fiance and I started to talk about marriage fairly soon after moving in together. Obviously neither of us would have made that important next step so readily if we didn't see real long term potential in our relationship.

However, just because we had that quiet understanding doesn't mean that I wasn't embarrassed about lurking around popular wedding blogs long before the official proposal. Actually, I started to do this about a month after we started dating when I just knew that we were meant to be together. Yes, I was that girl. I started to secretly save and file away images that I found inspiring. I began hoarding a massive collection of bookmarks. I would drool over antique rings online and sigh enviously when the ones I loved most were sold. I managed to avoid making a Pinterest wedding inspiration page because it was too public for my comfort.

And so I turned into a closet wedding planner and poor Gavin had no idea. I was nervous that one day he would catch me on a wedding blog and it would freak him out. Thankfully, he didn't find out about my bad habit until well after we had both had the "where is this relationship going" conversation and things were definitely headed towards an engagement. Even when I confessed my dark secret he just laughed and said that he was thinking about marriage soon after we started dating too! I was relieved!

Were you planning your wedding well before talk of engagement?

The Siren Call of Milk Glass

I don't know how it happened, but somehow I fell into the milk glass wedding trend. I didn't even know what milk glass was a year ago and now I have quite the collection of it gathering dust on top of my bookshelves and kitchen cabinets until our spring wedding. I think that's a pretty common trend in the wedding world: the photo booth or the blue mason jars that you never knew existed before being engaged are suddenly huge priorities. You must have them. But you had never heard of them just months earlier. 

Image via: Ruffled / Photography by: Jeremy and Alicia Brown / Floral design by: Mum's Flowers / Event design by: Vintage Whites Wedding Rentals 

I blame the internet. Actually, I blame the internet for a lot of things, but especially for my milk glass obsession. Using milk glass as wedding decor is nothing new; it's definitely been around for several years. I'm also not the first Bee to obsess over milk glass. If you want to learn more you can check out Ms. Gazelle, Mrs. Pretzel, Mrs. Archer, and Mrs. Magic's posts on the topic. I know it's nothing special or new, but you know what? It's been a lot of fun looking for milk glass. Maybe that's part of the appeal because it's fairly cheap and somewhat easy to find. It's like a wedding decor scavenger hunt! I've even gotten friends and family in on it too, even coworkers. A sweet English teacher down the hall brought me an entire box of milk glass pieces a few weeks ago, just because she thought I would like them. How sweet is that?

When I have some time, I will take some photos of my collection. Until then, there's plenty of milk glass inspiration available online.

1) Image via: StyleMePretty / Photography by: Chenin Boutwell

2) Image via: 100LayerCake / Photography by: Erin Hearts Court

3) Image via: Ruffled / Photography by: Jeremy & Alicia Brown

Interested in starting your own milk glass collection? Here are some places to start looking:

• thrift stores
• flea markets
• antique stores
• yard sales
• eBay
• vintage shops 

The cheapest places to find milk glass are definitely thrift stores like Goodwill. They sell most items for dirt cheap, but it might mean picking through a lot of random odds-and-ends to find what you are looking for. I once bought seven milk glass vases from our local Goodwill for a total of $3.50.

Buying some of the more generic pieces for cheap meant I could splurge on nicer pieces at antique stores, pieces that I will most likely keep after the wedding. But going to antique stores means wading through lots of weird stuff, like clown memorabilia. And creepy naked baby dolls. Seriously guys, I want to collect all the clown memorabilia of the world and throw it into the sun.

The stuff of nightmares. Personal photo, unfortunately. 

Anywho, where were we? Ah yes, milk glass. Blue milk glass is definitely the hardest to find. If you've got to have the blue, I would definitely check antique shops and eBay. I found a few nice pieces in California, one here in Georgia, and I bought three on eBay. I want one blue piece for each table, so I will need to add a few more pieces to my collection before May. I think that's a job I can handle!

Are there any wedding trends you are buying into for your wedding? If it involves clowns, I don't want to hear about it.

Two Years

Today is our two year anniversary and our very last "dating" anniversary before we are married in May. I can't believe the next anniversary we celebrate will be our first year wedding anniversary! Even so, October 22nd will always hold a very special place in my heart.

The last two years have flown by. Being with Gavin is as simple and easy as breathing. He's easily the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me. He is kind, sweet, compassionate, and totally selfless. He is always supportive of my dreams and even some of my hair-brained schemes. I couldn't ask for anything more in a future husband.

In life we are partners, adventurers, explorers. I can't wait to find out what the rest of our lives bring, the memories we will make, the places we will travel. There are so many new places and experiences left to discover and I'm glad I can embrace the future with my best friend by my side.

Here's to a lifetime of anniversaries! <3