Wedding Inspiration: Dusty Lace

What says romance better than the delicate touch of lace? I love it especially in muted gray and shyly blushing pink, looking very much like a "something old."

Images: Jenny Bowker Makeup, Martha Stewart Weddings, here via Pinterest, Tim Walker & Rhea Thierstein via Pinterest

The WarLock Wedding: Pinning Our Summer Ceremony

Are you all on Pinterest? I sure am, curating boards for everything from posh pads to furry critters. Pinterest has been a fabulous tool for organizing my thoughts for the wedding. The creative portion of my wedding planning is gradually winding down, which would be sad if I didn't have another little event to style! Because our priest of choice wasn't available for our big day in October, Adam and I will have a private chapel ceremony with immediate family and a few friends this Summer. It'll be a casual affair, but you know me- I have to fuss over things!

I pinned a few pretty things to show you my vision for a very modest Summer ceremony.

Dolce & Gabbana Pleated Dress from HauteLook, Pearl Bauble Bracelet from Kate Spade, 

Floral Centerpiece featured on Martha Stewart Weddings, 

Giselle Flower Fascinator by Velvet Owl on Etsy, Enzo Angiolini Martini Pump from Nordstrom

Planning a similar occasion? Why not create a look reminiscent of a polished-but-sweet retro courthouse wedding. The coral-colored pumps aren't the only thing that could reappear in your wardrobe. A shorter hemline (or a faint flush of pink) means that your wedding dress could later star as a night at the theater dress, a champagne brunch dress, or an anniversary dinner dress... certainly a selling point for the practical or budget-conscious bride. Wear great-grandmother's pearls, or a new piece that exudes excitement- like this bracelet, clustered with seed pearls and rhinestones. A small-scale ceremony becomes much more intimate when dressed with personal details. Cut flowers from a summer garden have extra charm when bundled in ruby pressed glass goblets (my Cape Cod glass would suit nicely, no?).

Our circumstances allow me to indulge in two very different wedding aesthetics: playfully retro in the Summer, neo-Victorian by candlelight in the Fall. Lucky me! And lucky you, since I'll have many more projects and posts to share...

Wedding Inspiration: Gold & Glowing

I often wish I had a dozen more rooms to furnish, just so that I'd have enough space to implement all of my decorating ideas. Likewise, I think I'd need to get married a dozen times (only to Adam, of course!) to realize all of my wedding concepts. 

My vision for our wedding is becoming more and more specific as I narrow my color scheme, establish themes, and select my favorite flowers. However, I still love delving into blogs and magazines for more inspiration! Take this golden, summery tablescape...

Yellow isn't my color, but I love the upbeat elegance of this arrangement. It's formal (complete with gold chiavari chairs), but the mixed and matched elements keep it sunny and playful. Brass urns and candlesticks alone might have been stuffy, but king's thumbprint goblets are bright and unexpected- as is the combination of real and fabric flowers. And the "dandelion elixir" on each plate? Charming!

Photographs by Ryan McVay for Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom Magazine

The take-away from this tabletop? Variety - of flowers, of shapes, of textures - makes my heart sing!

The WarLock Wedding: Seating Arrangements

My family can attest to fact that on each of our wedding venue tours, I asked one question...

"Can we bring in different chairs?"

I suppose it won't surprise my readers that my dare-to-dream wedding fantasies have centered around furniture. I envision an autumn evening, dark flowers, flickering candlelight, and a room full of graceful golden chairs.

Where slipcovered conference chairs merely add bulk, these chairs are an airy complement to my elegant (and slightly gothic) theme. However, Chiavari chairs can be an expensive rental- and I'd never choose chairs over the guests sitting in them!

Doesn't it seem fateful, then, that the venue we've selected already has hundreds of gold chiavari chairs at the ready? Meant to be!

PS: For those of you wondering, "WarLock" is a combination of our last names (Adam Wargacki & Elizabeth Lockhart). In my opinion, it's another thing that's meant to be, but for some crazy reason Adam seems reluctant to use WarLock as our married name...

How We're "Ringing" in the New Year

Welcome to 2011, friends!

I suppose I need to account for my two weeks of vacation? How's this: several lively holiday parties, approximately 36 hours on the road, visits with family and friends in Seattle, Olympia, & Portland, the most beautiful prime rib I've ever seen (and eaten), a pile of presents, an epic New Year's Eve bash in the winter wonderland of Spokane, many champagne toasts, and...

A RING!

Adam and I are getting married! He proposed on December 20th, and we surprised our families with the announcement of our engagement on Christmas. Needless to say, best Christmas ever!

My ring is an Edwardian solitaire from 1915, which we fell madly in love with at Lang Antiques. To me, it's perfect, and proof that the best gifts come in small packages!

I hope you all like talking about weddings, because we've jumped into planning mode and I can think of little else. Cheers to 2011! I can't wait to start sharing ideas...

Dare to Dream: Wicked Bling

I like sparkly things as much as the next girl, but I'll be honest: if given the choice between a diamond and the cash equivalent, I'll be laughing all the way to Restoration Hardware. Diamonds are forever, but furniture is this girl's best friend.

Of course, if I were to be offered one of these, it would be another matter entirely. First off, any gentleman who could afford a rock that heavy could likely fund my decor habit with his pocket money. Secondly, I might live in a hovel to have this glorious combination of petal and claw glittering on my finger.

Round diamond "Flora" ring by McTeigue & McClelland Jewelers (via Martha Stewart Weddings)

I'm not anticipating any proposals from wealthy suitors, so my principles will remain untested, and this will get filed under "dare to dream." And oh, how I shall dream.

Dare to Dream: Wedding Bells

Lemme preface this post by saying:

No, I am not getting married, nor do I foresee this changing.  And no, there's no way I could squash my round self into one of these dresses.  This segment is called "Dare to Dream" for a reason!

I've found myself inspired by watching one too many episodes of Say Yes to the Dress... plus I'm frickin' crazy excited that my lovely friend Becca is engaged!  I'm looking forward to following her progress on "Wedding Wednesdays," and I can't wait to see how she puts her original touches on the big event.  Ex-roomie, I better get a good seat (not behind your tall family).

In the mean time, I've been amusing myself (and horrifying my poor boyfriend) by creating a design book of wedding items that have caught my fancy.  What can I say... I have an overactive imagination.

It all starts with a ring.  

There's something particularly eye-catching about this fancy brown diamond in an Edwardian Setting.  

Yes, I think I could flash this around quite smugly.

I envision a Fall wedding, surrounded by black dahlias and flickering candles.

I adore Seattle in Autumn- crisp and glowing.  Beautiful image courtesy of Only This on Flickr.

There's something about deep purple dahlias that makes my heart pound.  Photo by lulufrufru.

  And the dress?  *Sigh*  Something utterly Marianne Dashwood.