What's in a color? Apparently everything!

According to Project Wedding:

"The colors you choose for your big day reflect your personality and style. You can create a sophisticated environment or a whimsical escape. Colors can influence moods and exude sensuality, coziness, earthiness and youthfulness."

So I have chosen festive fuchsia, caribbean blue and saffron yellow. I think the names sort of say it all with having to go into a long psychic reader type analysis. But I will indulge anyway.

Blue: Soothing, compassionate and cool, blue is the color of tranquility and royalty. Blue belles are deliberate, introspective, conservative and patient, tending to be sensitive and wise. Serene and cool, blue denotes cautious partners who are faithful but require a calm and harmonious existence. From watery aqua to a deep shade of midnight, blue can be soft and sweet or strong and bold.

(Apparently they like parasols too) 

I went with the purple section cause they don't talk about Festive Fuchsia. BUT purple IS my favorite color and more appropriately, lavender....to die for.  So I'm including purple and pink. 

Purple: Often associated with both royalty and luxury, purple is a passionate color. Choosing purple symbolizes dignity, tolerance and value. Violet lovers tend to be unconventional and observant, with a multifaceted personality. Tolerant and witty, purple devotees are likely to achieve authoritative positions. From light lavender and lilac buffs, who tend to be charming, witty and cultured, to deep eggplant lovers, who are creative and talented, purple can be provocative or sweet.

Purple + Pink with a dash of red, which is a passionate, romantic choice, impulsive and outgoing = FESTIVE FUCHSIA


Pink: A softer, girlish choice, pink is the sweeter side of red. A delicate hue, pink represents a sensitive heart that is affectionate and nurturing. The bride surrounded with pink has a maternal grace and compassion and a desire for protection or shelter. The rosy hue fan may also have a strong personality, but one that is willing to share.

Saffron yellow, again, not mentioned so I am combining orange and yellow to get the best of both worlds. 

Orange: Spontaneous and daring, brides who choose orange are bold. Because orange is a happy and trendy hue, orange enthusiasts tend to be popular, have excessive energy and are part of a large social circle. From a bright and happy backdrop to an exotic, spicy richness, brides who prefer orange tend to be fearless and curious, with a zest for life.

Yellow: The color of a sunny day, yellow denotes happiness and hope. Exuding warmth and vitality and usually possessing a great sense of humor, people who love yellow have cheerful spirits and optimistic values. You tend to look forward to the future and are intellectual, creative and idealistic. Yellow represents enlightenment and spirituality, lending itself as a great color on your day of matrimony.

So there you have it. In summary we are: soothing, compassionate and cool, royalty and luxury, and passionate with dignity, tolerance and value, impulsive and outgoing, affectionate and nurturing, spontaneous and daring and happy, exuding warmth and vitality and usually possessing a great sense of humor.

I think that covers the grand scale, the full spectrum of complex personalities and wedding color choices.  We got 'em all.  Hey, at least you can't say we are boring!

Parasols are pretty

I am in love the idea of brightly colored, slightly opaque, slightly translucent rice paper parasols on a sunny wedding day in June. The very thought makes me giggly inside. I picture myself twirling and twirling and twirling it around as my ladies and I walk together across a sweet green field towards my beloved. There is something very romantic and whimsical about the idea of a parasol.

I think I might have to go buy a few.....but what color for a bride? I love the deep fuchsia color but may have to settle for something light instead. The maids get to have all the color fun!

These colors are totally perfect. But I want the fuchsia!

My two dresses went to therapy....

...to work it out and they still don't like me. I am not sure what to do and am in a bit of a state over the fact that I have two dresses that don't like me and I don't like them. One I bought from Running of the Brides with my mom and sis and at the time, I think I forced myself to love it cause it was a good deal, a nice designer and I wouldn't have to think about it anymore. Upon learning that it would be $500 to alter, more than half of what it costs, I found another dress that very day at a bridal shop we were visiting it and immediately purchased it. Much to my chagrin, which I close my eyes, it is not the dress I see in my wedding pictures. It is beautiful but is it me? What is me?

Dress selection has an interesting way of pulling up all sorts of old hurts, images issues, self-esteem problems and mother/daughter relationship buttons. I continue to ask myself, how do you want to be seen, how to you think people see you, are you stuck in a box in people's minds and can't get out? More important, are you stuck in your own box, banging on the walls, looking for a crack to break it wide open and let in some air?

[As I type, visions of Pink Floyd's The Wall pop into my head]

All this over a dress, which I thought could be JUST a dress. But it is far more than JUST a dress. It is an extension of my psyche, my personality, my isms, my identity. I guess. I mean for some people, it is certainly not that big of a deal....oh this one looks good, I'll take it, and off to the next thing.

I purchased my dresses emotionally and financially but not lovingly. And I think that is where the problem lies. Not lovingly of myself, my worth, my value, my own right to want what I want, not lovingly respectful of my own process, or patterns or desire to be just as perfect as the brides I see in all the magazines and blogs.

This lovingly issue is getting in the way - of work, I look at dress websites instead, of my personal life, Juj told me yesterday "this is getting a little out of control", of my planning time, I have appointments with bridal shops and only 108 days left, of my emotional serene path, I am starting to feel the pressure.

With all the pro and cons, do this, do that, 'best dresses for you body' type of advice running around the internet and magazines these days, it is really really hard to also reconcile the emotional aspect that comes with being perfect in your imperfection for one day, the most important of your life.

With all that being said, I am still heading out to another bridal shop tonight and I will let my dresses fight it out between themselves, stuffed in Juliano's closet because I couldn't bear the thought of looking at their heartbreaking beauty and glorious baggage any longer.

Beantown Bride Post!

I was asked to do some writing for the blog Beantown Bride and today, my first submission to them was published. How exciting! It is a Real Wedding piece on Jason and Barrett, a very sweet couple, who were married last year. The task was to summarize their relationship and wedding in 250 word, no easy feat! But here it is.......enjoy and stay tuned for more posts to come!

Barrett and Jason

Author: Mellissa A. Knowles

Barrett Ward and Jason Ellis are avid Red Sox fans, so it makes perfect sense that they met at a game, watched the Sox on their first date and were engaged near Fenway Park. As Barrett recalls, even though Jason was late to pick her up the first time, "It was the most perfect date I had ever been on." And of their proposal, "I don't remember what he said, all I know is I said yes."

Jason and Barrett's wedding celebration took place on August 15, 2009 at Roxbury Latin School, where her father teaches. Rev. Tony Jarvis, a close family friend who baptized Barrett as a child, married the couple. As she walked down the aisle, Barrett's dark purple calla lily bouquet popped against her champagne colored, silk shantung Romona Keveza gown, purchased at a Brides Against Cancer Event in honor of her grandmother. Her bridesmaids wore Aria dresses in a complimenting pear shade while the men wore classic black tuxedos with green ties.

Guests dined on grilled chicken and cannelloni at long, family style tables with simple green hydrangea centerpieces. The couple gave each guest an individualized jar of homemade mustard. Sun streamed through large reception hall windows, as the newlyweds danced to Allison Krauss "When You Say Nothing at All." Remembering their special day, "It was probably the hottest day of the summer. Everyone was dripping with sweat on the dance floor!" Heat aside; they agree the most memorable part of the day was "I Do."

Wedding Day Details:
Photography by:Gwyneth Colleen

Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas
Gown: Romona Keveza
Florist: Halls of Tara
Caterer: Gourmet Caterer Boston
Venue: Roxbury Latin School
Music: DJ Ed Mullen

Inspiration for the day - Blue

I am in love with the color combo of our wedding, festive fuchsia, caribbean blue and saffron yellow. It is fresh, vibrant and really speaks to us. And what I love most? Apparently the colors we chose are now the hot colors of the year, according the The Knot. Yup, you heard it here first, we are hot. I love being "in" "hot" "trendy" although I don't need The Knot to tell me so. HA!

Here is The Knot's picture for the new "hot". My colors to a T! (minus the saffron)

Here are my other favorite blue things today....oh yeah 123 days til the wedding!

The fuchsia flowers with the blue door make my heart melt. I got this here.

Hello Sangria...our signature drink. I love this picture!

This may just be too beautiful to eat. From our friends at Cakes and More

If I had my say, the whole world would be beaded! So much so that I ordered these from Overstock.com where they have a fabulous selection of loose beads!

Have a happy day!

Inspiration for the day - Centerpieces

Ahhh....I love these. So classy, simple and unfussy....they have a confident personality.

Paper Scraps + Celery = Fabulous Gift Wrap

I found this absolutely fabulous blog called Creature Comforts with an appropo post for DIY gift wrap using celery. For anyone who knows me, I am having a love affair with celery. This could be more perfect. I am reposting this blog and give credit to Ez over at Creature Comforts Blog. Check em out!

Yes, you read the title correctly... Celery! Today I put together a little photo tutorial on creating your own gift wrap and tags using celery as a stamping tool. This has been done before (it's not an original concept)... this is just my take on it.

I got into trouble for calling my last project "eco" so I don't want to make the same mistake here. I do however encourage you to use paper scraps that you have laying around your home. For the wrapping shown here I stamped paper bags from Trader Joe's as well as scrap tissue paper and other tiny bits of paper I had saved up from random craft projects.

You will need:For the Gift Tissue (shown in the main image) you will need:
Scraps of tissue paper (white or colored)
Scissors
Paint (I used acrylic, but you can try other options)
Celery stock base. You will need to have cut this as smoothly as possible to leave a nice straight stamping surface)
Art tray or plate (basically just a flat surface that you can pour your paint onto)

For the Gift Tags:All the supplies listed above + paper scraps such as paper grocery bags, patterned, lined or graph papers
Standard Hole Punch
Large craft punches in the sizes you wish
Twine, ribbon, or string.

Optional:Jazz up your package with little treasures from around your home. Buttons, beads, pinecones, mini animal figurines, etc... all have potential!
Create sturdier gift wrap using paper grocery bags (for small gifts) or kraft papers.
Don't forget to save the wrapping after your gifts have been unwrapped. Even if it's been torn you can still create gift tags, etc from the leftovers!

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS:

Step 1) Cut open a brown paper bag so that it lays relatively flat. You can use either the printed side or the blank reverse (I used the printed in my example because I really loved the design).

Step 2) Put paint (any color you want) onto your tray/plate (you may need to brush it around so that it's not all in one lump). Take your prepared celery stamp and dip it into your paint. Check and be sure that it's fully coated.

Step 3) Press your stamp down onto your paper with steady even pressure. Be sure not to rock it from side to side or let it slide around. Lift off your paper with a smooth motion.

Step 4) Repeat as desired. In the image I am stamping an area intended for gift tags, so I chose to make more than one print so that I could cut several tags from it.

Step 5) Once your stamp has dried (if you're impatient like me, you can dry it with a hairdryer on a low setting) use craft punches to cut out your tags. Punch at the top with a standard hole punch (so you can string twine through it later).

Step 6) Using tissue paper or other gift wrap sized paper, repeat steps above until paper is covered in as many stamps as you like. TIP: For tissue and other thin papers, be sure to place a scrap piece of paper beneath the sheet you are working on in case some of the paint comes through. If you use more than one celery stock you can overlay colors for a really cool effect.

Step 7) Allow paper to dry completely and then wrap up your gifts.

Step 8) Embellish as you like!

This is also a great project to do with the kids in your life. Always be sure to supervise, and take care when selecting your paint (you might want to pick something that is not permanent). Whomever you create this with or for, have fun!

By EZ from Creature Comforts