tulle and feathers

new shoes.

2011-01-19T14:53:00.001-08:00

i seriously can't believe it's taken me this long to post a photo (my bday was the beginning of december), but i'm finally showing off my birthday present from sdwife. i love my new pink glittery TOMS. i love them a lot!

xoxo, sfwife

yipppppeee, it's december.

2010-12-02T09:59:00.000-08:00

ok, i'm not even going to try and pretend like we are going to keep up on the blogging over here. wowza, the business is in full swing. yes, even in the winter months, we are busy little bees. hey, we gotta prep for our spring/summer weddings, and those delicious tastings are an absolute must-go-to with our clients. :) but we will be trying to pop on over here every once in awhile to say hola.

happy holidays from sfwife and g!

xoxo!

kate + tom + san francisco = perfection

2010-10-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

we had a blast coordinating this wedding for the insanely cool couple kate and tom. highlight of the event, their band marching them and their 180 guests from the ceremony across the street to the reception. it was truly amazing! we heart you two big time and we're so happy to have been a part of your day.

i must also give a big shout out to the chick who introduced us to kate...abby! and today just happens to be abby's birthday! happy happy happy birthday!!!! abby, i think you need to start a blog about your viewpoint as a wedding guest. how many weddings did you attend this summer, like 12 or something? craziness! i'm so glad we have become friends. i may not be sporty or hilariously witty like you, but i think i'm a pretty good brunch date, right?

xoxo, sfwife

happy birthday.

2010-10-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

it's my little sister's birthday today and i must give her a big huge gigantic shout out! she is amazing! she's traveled the world, has the biggest heart, and is just down right the best sister on the planet! she has worked almost every wedding with sdwife and i...and we can't thank her enough. my sister's years of working in restaurants has been an invaluable asset to our team (she is our "back of the house/catering" genius). :) i love you and am so excited to be spending the day with you!

xoxo, sfwife

p.s. i just had to post the above pic from martha stewart. growing up, our mom would make us the coolest birthday cakes. she would make my sister and i "doll cakes" almost identical to the one above, and would make our little brother cakes shaped like star wars' characters. our mom = awesomeness!

dress obsession.

2010-10-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

remember this morgane le fay dress we fell head over heels in love with? well check it out on this adorable bride. we are dying to see some close up pics!

xoxo, sfwife

images by max wanger; see more on martha stewart

i NEED this now!

2010-09-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

i can't even speak. that feather dress = perfection.

xoxo, sfwife

image {the sartorialist}

what to wear.

2010-09-13T11:24:00.001-07:00

g and i are attending a friend's wedding mid-october in wine country. soooo excited! but i have no clue what to wear. any suggestions on cute rockin' dresses? i'm kind of partial to anything one-shouldered, tons of ruffles or grecian. help a girl out.

xoxo, sfwife

image {jose villa via smp}

lovin' their style.

2010-08-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

i wasn't kidding this morning when i said that we are in love with australian weddings. look at what i just spotted on green wedding shoes. i swear, australian couples have MAD style.

xoxo, sfwife

pic by ck metro

the truth about mexico.

2010-08-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

um, hi. it's been about 100 years since i've typed a word on here. sorry about that. life has been, uh, hectic. in the best possible way. sittinginatree is growing more than we ever expected. there have been some real pinch-me moments. life is goooooooood.

but for months and months i have meant to get on this little old blog and tell the true story of my wedding. because i never did. it was the best damn night of my life. but a lot has gone unsaid. so 5 months later, here goes...

i am possibly insane. and a bit of a dreamer with some lofty aspirations. but i'm also very, very sure about what i want. when i make up my mind there is nothing that can stop me (sfbride and a.h. know this very well). so let me just say that there were NO misunderstandings or miscommunication about what should take place on my wedding day. *some people may see it another way.

for months leading up to our wedding i had an excel spreadsheet of all our guests' reservations (given to me by the management of the hotel) that i carefully monitored. a month beforehand the room arrangements started to change. people who had never met were booked in the same rooms. some no longer had rooms and had gone missing from the spreadsheet. the villas were slowly being sold off in a real estate deal and the hotel management was not communicating to the new owners about existing reservations. nor were they communicating to us. it was bc of our stalker like behavior that we discovered all the mistakes that were taking place. and two of the displaced people happened to be my parents. my parents that were renting 5 of the 20 something villas for an entire week no longer had a room. special.

the morning of my wedding i bawled my eyes out. i was told at 8am that i would be kicked out of my room at noon and moved to the "honeymoon villa" at 3pm. after real estate photos were shot of the space. real estate photos that were just scheduled the day before. after months of communication and assurances from the hotel about getting into the honeymoon villa very early that morning so we could all get ready and take pretty, pretty pictures. so at 8am on my wedding day when they told me that for 3 hours all my luggage, my sister, me, and my two friends, would have to sit on the hotel's lawn like homeless instead of getting ready and sipping champagne, i kinda had a meltdown (understatement of the year). thank you, thank you, miss sarah yates, for saving the day. she charged in there and demanded they make things right and find a home for the weeping bride. before 3 pm. hours before the wedding, with my hair sopping wet and my sister in rollers, we climbed 200 steps to the honeymoon villa carrying 5 rounds of luggage, flowers, dresses, diy projects, and vases, sweating like donkeys (the hotel staff had suddenly gone missing). by 2 pm we had officially relocated. we had no idea what was where from moving, but we had a home.

for six months prior to march i had been shipping boxes and boxes of gold lanterns and decorations slowly but surely to mexico. said boxes were received by *some people. and tracked by me. the day of our wedding about 1/3 of these things were present. at this point, i shrugged my shoulders. i wasn't surprised.

at 3pm, the wedding coordinator quit and took her staff with her. she shoved plates in sfbride's face and told her she could 'set the tables and do everything herself'. sfbride and my mom rallied aunts and friends from the beach, alongside my sister (still in rollers and pajamas) to set up the reception for the 5 pm wedding. it was on that day that sfbride officially became a wedding coordinator, organizing a team of guests on how to execute my vision.

at 4pm sewage began leaking from a nearby bathroom into the ceremony area. my aunt and uncle sat and sopped it up with towels and grass mats. the hotel staff was again, nowhere to be found (and to everyone's credit, i had no idea about this until later that evening).

in addition to all this special, special stuff, i had food poisoning. i had to stop my friend from doing my hair every 5 minutes to vomit.

the clock kept ticking. i got ready. my friends and family arranged everything. my mom and sister pulled on their dresses a minute prior to photos. i put on my dress and suddenly i felt like a million bucks. i decided to forget the day's events. and seriously, the second i saw a.h. all of that was gone. melted away. while everyone around me wept (my dad, my sister, my mom, and then, during the ceremony, my husband, like a baby) i was cool as a cucumber. it was an out of body experience. i've never been happier than standing there around all the people i love, saying our vows. and hearing a.h.'s. magic. pure magic. for a moment all was perfect in the universe.

and then...

i'm a vegetarian. i've been one for over 16 years. i don't even know what meat tastes like anymore. and a.h. really only eats fish. so, we weren't about to serve meat at our wedding- because that would kinda forgo the whole "it's our wedding and we'll do it our way" thing. we re-worked the menu at villa amor with *some people about 100 times (in writing) until we got what we wanted: a fish and veggie taco bar. fun. casual. no cows harmed in the process. the night of our wedding i never ate. not because i was busy. or still sick. but because it was a meat and potatoes mid-west fest. there were no tacos. no tortillas. no fish. and hardly any vegetables.

as daytime turned to a dimly lit night, i looked overhead. the 9 strands of lights i had ordered through some people to light the reception sure. were. dim. that's because there were 10 light bulbs. when asked where all the strands of lights were, we were told that yes, the bride had very specifically told *some people that i wanted 9 bulbs. but there were, count them, 10 bulbs. not 9. ha! and as i said, i'm not a wishy washy kinda gal. i know what i had ordered (and read over on the invoice, where we were clearly charged for 9 strands of lights alongside a fish and veggie taco bar).

and frankly, the list goes on. it was a chaotic mess. we had to ask for them to serve dinner after it became obvious they wouldn't do it on their own. my contact and email buddy for 1 year prior (who had attended college in the us. no language barrier to blame) had simply not really paid attention to anything that came out of my mouth, or my computer, or to the photos i sent. she was so overworked that all her clients were blending together. and the biggest issue of all was that no one every apologized. and really, that's all we wanted. was for her, and the hotel, to say 'we made a mistake'.

and with all that, i would still do it again in a heartbeat. i would still get married at villa amor and endure all those crazy people working there and the lack of organization. it was my dream location and could not have been more perfect had it been in my dreams. and i would still send other brides there (after they read this). there was not a more perfect night in my life. the setting was magic (a ceremony next to the sea under a tree dripping in flowers. a specific location on the property i had begged to let me use. not part of their normal procedures) and the reception even better (there's that 200 step climb again. up a jungle-y hillside of crumbling stairways, overlooking the entire town and ocean below) . i've never laughed or cried or danced so hard in my life. or felt so blissfully happy or so loved. and it was the 60 most perfect guests. and when people tell me it was the best wedding they've ever been to, i actually believe them. because it really was.

so, i'm not telling that story because it was such a horrible experience (dramatic, for sure). i'm telling it because everyone has things go wrong at their wedding (ok, i kinda had more than normal) and it shouldn't matter. you have to get over it and enjoy the hell out of that moment. you never get that time with those people and those emotions again (so who cares if there's meat at your wedding!) and trust me, i pinch myself all the time and try to get back there somehow. hell, i want to move there i loved it so much. so yes, i didn't eat. didn't have half the decor i had methodically planned out. my guests became staff. i didn't slowly get ready and sit and laugh with my girlfriends. but damn, was it a good night. the best. wedding. ever.

so, if you're still reading, that's the truth about mexico. sorry for the novel. i had 5 months to edit, after all.

xo,

sdwife

*some people refers to my bff at villa amor, the wedding coordinator from hell, that taught me all about how to be a better coordinator for my clients.

**special thanks to sarah yates (for always being on my team and being bratty to people when i couldn't do it anymore) and michael antonia (for making me forget all the bad things in my dancing frenzy and making grandmas and parents move like never before) and sfbride (for standing up for what i wanted while i was busy barfing) and to all the amazing loved ones that came and celebrated our love in sayulita. we would do it over and over and over again with all of you. i couldn't have asked for anything more (except maybe some food i could eat).

style me pretty!

2010-08-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

we've been itching to tell everyone and now we finally can! we will be guest blogging every tuesday over on style me pretty. check out our first post. we are seriously screaming with excitement....and feel so lucky!

xo, sfbride & sdbride

a + o

2010-08-05T15:57:00.001-07:00

we're both kind of obsessed with alice and olivia. if i had all the money in the world, my closet would definitely be filled with their fun and flirty dresses. i think that first little one-shouldered white number, could make a rockin' wedding dress.

xoxo, sfbride

dress 1, dress 2, dress 3

the obsession continues...

2010-07-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

i still can't stop loving all things feathery....dresses, necklaces, headbands. it's a sickness. check it out.

xo, sfbride

uhhhhhh, hi...anyone still around?

2010-07-28T16:04:00.000-07:00

{image}

sorry...it must seem like we've dropped off the face of the earth, but starting a new business is hard work Yo! it's been crazy-town around here, but we are loving every minute of it. here's to hoping that things slow down a bit so we can find some time to write on this little personal blog once again.

and some exciting news....g and i have officially booked our delayed honeymoon. we are heading to new zealand! it's still a few months away, but i've already started making plans. we can't wait!

xoxo, sfbride (ummmmm, yeah....and i guess i should stop calling myself a bride at some point)

a cute custom dress.

2010-07-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

i'm going gaga over this adorable little dress (custom made by jared gold). yes, i'm a sucker for a short wedding dress...and of course anything with feathers is right up my alley. you've got to check out more from this cute little wedding here.

xo, sfbride

chair covers?

2010-07-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

{Justin & Mary Marantz}

ummmm yeah, we aren't big "chair cover" fans around here. but these beauties are killing us. i know we've already gushed about how much we heart ruffles (especially when it comes to wedding dresses)...but our obsession may have just been taken to a whole new level. i am dying over these ruffle covers spotted on style me pretty. holy gorgeousness!!!!!!

xo, sfbride

summer weekend.

2010-07-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

we've been slacky slackertons on blog posting...we know. we've been busy coordinating weddings, planning baby showers, meeting with new clients, and enjoying weekend getaways (Lake Tahoe, Palm Springs, Portland). we can't wait to share details on some of the exciting projects we've been working on in the next few weeks. for now, we hope everyone enjoys the 4th of july weekend....filled with bbqs, friends, family and ice cream.

xoxo, sfbride & sdbride

picture

chairs. chairs. chairs.

2010-06-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

i'm a self admitted chair whore. i might have a problem. see why, here.

xo,

sdbride

*this is lola. sitting pretty in one very, very pricey chair.

Love Sparkles.

2010-06-17T10:36:00.001-07:00

We are so so so beyond thrilled that our styling work is being featured today on Green Wedding Shoes. Go check it out.

xo, sfbride & sdbride

handbag help.

2010-06-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

i'm on the hunt for a handbag. i'm trying to find something professional yet cute and funky for meetings with our clients. i was hoping to find something under $150, but so far, no luck. i've scoured the shelves of 2 nordstrom racks, and came up with nada. any advice on where to search is much appreciated. i'm looking for something with gold hardware, a decent size (must be able to fit my 8.5x11 folders), a fun color (bright blue, pink, yellow) and something a little funky (no briefcase for me). maybe something with fringe, studs, crazy zippers. oh and it must have a top zipper (i like all of my stuff neatly zipped away as i smash into my neighbor on my daily bus rides through the city). am i asking for too much?

here are a few of my faves that don't quite fit the bill.

steve madden

marc by marc jacobs

much thanks for the help.

xo, sfbride

pretty. pretty.

2010-06-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

i love pretty things. girly, pretty, ruffly, fluffy, things. so when i got this pretty present a few weeks back i actually left it on my dining room table because i couldn't stand to open it. to me, the packaging is almost just as important as what's inside (what does that say about my values?). so it sat in our dining room for a few days until the suspense was killing me. and inside (amongst other things) was this perfect little espresso set all wrapped in pink pom poms. and um, not surprisingly, those espresso cups might still be wrapped in those pretty pom poms on top of our espresso machine.

i've decided, i just might have a problem with pretty...

-sdbride

diy drink tags.

2010-06-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

top pic: Melissa Diep, bottom pic: guest, Nicole

i forgot to mention one of my favorite diy projects from the wedding...our drink tags. well, they were my fave, but perhaps g's least favorite. ummmmm i made him try out about 10,000 different ways to attach them to the cork board and after each attempt i would change my mind after he was about 3/4 of the way thru (g: thanks for being so patient). so after i was convinced that it finally looked perfect...the day of the wedding it turns out that the board needed to be situated on an easel horizontally instead of vertically like we had originally planned. oh geez. thank goodness sdbride's sister fixed it all in a hurry.

so, was this project actually any fun? for me, it was. although our wedding wasn't a formal sitdown dinner, i still wanted to give our guests the feeling of a dinner party. i wanted to add a lot of little touches to make the whole wedding feel more intimate and personal. making drink tags for every person was a perfect way to do that. i also highly recommend this project for any couple who is hosting their wedding at a non-traditional venue or for a couple who is not hiring a formal caterer (we did not have the luxury of an endless supply of new glassware). after all the time g and i spent on those suckers, i was a little afraid that no one would use them, but they did and i was so happy.

xo, sfbride

when a childhood friend gets married...

2010-05-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

recently, we were lucky enough to coordinate the wedding of my childhood best friend. as a kid she was cooler than cool and when she chopped off her long blonde locks in favor of a cooler cropped 80's madonna cut, i quickly followed suit. it wasn't quite so pretty on me- but hey, she was cool, and i idolized her. and knowing her as an adult, i still do, because not only is she totally beautiful but she is seriously one of the nicest, bubbliest and warmest people you'd ever meet. she is the definition of glamourous and so was her wedding. she had a clear vision of how she wanted her day to look and sfbride and I were lucky enough to get to execute it. check out all her uber-glam details on sitting in a tree today, and congrats to kristin & chad!

xo,

sdbride

hello.

2010-05-20T23:13:00.000-07:00

yes, i'm still here. sorry for the hiatus...i've had family in town and have been playing tourist for the past week. i'm compiling more diy projects from our wedding and will share more soon. in the meantime, just wondering....is anyone else dy-ing to see the wedding pics of max wanger and his cute wife as much as i am?

xo, sfbride

smilebooth pic {our labor of love}

ring a ding ding.

2010-05-11T11:58:00.001-07:00

while i was at the library the other day (being a big dork and reading magazines), i came across these amazing rings in lucky. anyone out there searching for an engagement ring, anniversary gift, birthday present? look no further...gorgeous and affordable. check out all the prettiness at robindira.

xo, sfbride

the shoes.

2010-05-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

thanks to everyone for all the love yesterday. it's truly amazing to relive our wedding through pictures. i can't wait to start divulging all of the diy projects i worked on (ummmm and there are about a million)...but first i wanted to talk about my shoes.

i actually wore flats for the ceremony and then changed into heels for the reception (i know, completely opposite of every other bride, but i kind of tower over g in heels and didn't want to look like an amazon girl next to him during the ceremony). you may remember that i fell completely head over heels in love with these shoes, and then cried when i realized they were way out of the price range. so, i picked up these bad boys from dsw for $60 and spent another $3 on black ribbon...and there you go. i'm still in love and have been wearing them every chance i get.

xo, sfbride

photo by melissa

omg. omg. omg.

2010-05-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

i'm literally jumping up and down with excitement. g and i's wedding is being featured today on style me pretty. we can hardly believe it. sdbride and i have been huge fans of style me pretty throughout our own wedding planning journey. they highlight the most amazing weddings, and we constantly pulled inspiration from them. i'm literally falling over with happiness that our little wedding is now featured amongst all the fabulousness.

xo, sfbride

p.s. and "hello"...i guess this is the first time i'm really showing my face on this little blog.

tales from a california mini-moon.

2010-05-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

while sfbride was putting the finishing touches on her diy wedding my new husband and i decided to take a slow drive up the coast from san diego to carmel valley. we've delayed our big european honeymoon until the fall to regain some of the cash flow spent on the wedding and this was the perfect, perfect version of a mini-moon for us. no tv's, no cell phone service, a few of michael's wedding mixes and a whole lot of california beauty.

growing up in vermont, a.h. has never seen this part of of california by car and i was so excited to share this with him. what an amazing trip we had. i highly, highly recommend this route to anyone looking to reconnect with their significant other. leaving sd we stopped for lunch in santa barbara and drove through the central coast before hitting the beauty of big sur by early evening. am.az.ing. we stopped at treebones to check out their fancy yurts (we'll be staying there next time!) and famous bird's nest (an elevated campsite built out of branches overlooking the ocean. stunning. pic above.) 45 minutes of winding coastline later we checked into our cozy cabin at deetjen's big sur inn where we were greeted by the resident cat, fabio, and an awesome bottle of pinot noir from sfbride & g. the property here has an amazingly romantic restaurant, a creek running through it and a trail through the greenest california redwoods i've ever seen that ends with a bench carved into a cliff overlooking the ocean. one unforgettable sunset later and we settled into our cabin, built a fire and drank the night away. a time out in the best sense. big sur is unlike any other place in california. dense with trees, cliffs that plunge into the sea, and a certain mysticism that can't be found elsewhere. the most perfect place to get away and be together.

with that said, i can only last in such a place for one night. it's a little too dark and cabin-y for my everything should be white and sunny tastes. i am not mountain girl (clearly) and my idea of peace is a secluded beach in mexico with a margarita in hand. so we hit the road the next morning after a must-do stop at big sur bakery, and took the windy highway 1 from big sur into carmel valley. the dense canopy of redwoods gradually turned to lush rolling hills and before long we hit hidden valley music institute, aka the barn. we spent two nights in carmel valley with friends and family celebrating the union of sfbride and g in a really stunning place. no starbucks, targets or whole foods in sight-- just a few country markets and a really cool venue that we transformed for their wedding.

a hungover sunday and carmel brunch later, our mini-moon road trip brought us through monterrey ending with a night at the dream inn in santa cruz. anyplace that is full of yellow panton's is good by me. cute hotel, prime beachside location, and yummy food! they even brought sfbride and g hand-spun cotton candy in celebration of their new marriage (we may have crashed one night of their honeymoon....).

truly the perfect mini-moon. a bit of rest, lots of celebrating, and a beautiful drive that we may not ever have reason to take again. thanks to sfbride and g for forcing us to get in the car and meander to your wonderful wedding. we are seriously sad our mini-moon is over.

-sdbride

relive sayulita.

2010-04-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

yay! if you wanted a sneak peak into what our photobooth at our wedding looked like, you've just gotten it. i can't wait to share the rest of the amazing photos by our awesome friend sarah yates. a.h. and i picked up those sombreros last minute while cruising the streets of puerto vallarta and now they are adorning the walls of our living room.

if you want to help relive our sayulita dance party or are just looking for a pick me up- check out michael antonia's blog. he's just added part 3 to our wedding mix. click here and here for the rest of the evening!

-sdbride

guess who's a mrs.???

2010-04-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

so, we're back. and sfbride is now a mrs. h. (just like me)! we had the very best time and can't wait to share more details with you about her awesome day in the barn. that's my super cute hubby, above, helping out with the day of preparations. can't wait to show you more!

-sdbride

check out sittinginatree today to see a sneak peak of my adorable wedding gift to her!

guest post.

2010-04-29T07:50:00.000-07:00

while we are away celebrating...we are so happy to have a guest blogger over on sitting in a tree. enjoy.

xo, sfbride & sdbride

it's time.

2010-04-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

we're heading to carmel valley...to celebrate with our family and friends. i'm seriously jumping up and down with excitement!!!!

xo, sfbride

photo by george hernandez

and back to short.

2010-04-20T10:48:00.001-07:00

wait, did i mention that i'm wearing a short wedding dress? surprise! you may remember that after my first shopping trip with my mom, i thought i was going to choose a long dress...but that didn't happen. i'm wearing a short dress and i couldn't be happier. only 4 more days!

xo, sfbride

p.s. the above dress is not my dress, but it's very cute. love the styling with the belt.

gracias.

2010-04-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

i'm seriously in love with this little camera. sdbride gave it to me as a sweet thank you gift...and i want to take it with me everywhere.

this past weekend, while sdbride and i coordinated a wedding, g shot a few pics of us in action with our new fave camera. check out some of the pics today on sitting in a tree.

polaroid sneak peak.

2010-04-06T11:43:00.000-07:00

check it out. miss sarah has posted some of the polaroids from our wedding as a sneak peak. we ran around sayulita with her breaking out the fujifilm instax every once in a while (i immediately came home and bought one because not only does it take cute mini pictures but it's all modern and white looking- it was made for me!) to snap these.

see more on sarah's blog.

xo,

sdbride

ribbon insanity.

2010-04-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

i'm still here. i swear. i've just been attempting to swim through a sea of ribbon. i'm in the process of making some ribbon curtains, and i've got to say, i'm in love. they are looking super cute.

and yes, as the above photo shows, our all-white modern wedding has taken a little turn towards color. not sure what happened, but somewhere along the way, i just started choosing things that i liked. and not all of those things were white. no bright colors, but some soft muted tones of grey, blue, and green are making appearances.

i kind of freaked today and had to call sdbride to ask if i had lost my mind. was i doing something "wrong" by deviating from my original design plan? thank you sdbride...for reminding me that it's ok if i change my mind along the way. i'm super excited for our wedding and am loving all of the choices i've made so far.

eekkkkk, only 18 days left.

xo, sfbride

headed to the courthouse, and gonna get married...

2010-03-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

when you get married in mexico, sometimes you have to do some silly official things beforehand. having a legal ceremony in the united states was one of them. we really wanted our sayulita ceremony to represent us and chose to have our dear friend, g, officiate and not some random mexican judge. therefore, the monday before our wedding we found ourselves legally tying the knot on the san diego courthouse lawn with my sister and our two beloved dogs (with flowers tied to their collars) present as witnesses. while it felt totally strange and unreal like we were acting in a weird play, it was so, so special to us to have our furry children with us since they couldn't fly to mexico for our actual wedding. be sure to check out more pics on sittinginatree today!

-sdbride

wedding weekend.

2010-03-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

we just got back from coordinating a wedding for the NICEST family on the planet (a huge thanks to the bride's parents diana and ricardo...we had a great time).

it's always fun to work with a bride who is artistic, creative, and organized. she had already put together 3 timelines for us (she's a girl after my own heart....i love planners). while we are waiting on the pics from the professional photographer, we just wanted to give you a sneak-peek of the glamourous affair. the bride collects ceramic, glass, and metal birds...so she incorporated feathers throughout the decor..including her bouquet, the centerpieces, and the birdcages (which were hung above the ceremony area). this girl had a vision and it was beautiful.

what a great night...thanks for the amazing beats dj austin.

xo, sfbride

best.dance.party.ever.

2010-03-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

so, what makes the best dance party possible? a super-duper dj and plenty of tequila. and yes, michael antonia is really that good that even without the tequila we would have had best.dance.party.ever. he is not some sort of blogged about urban myth. the hype is all real. and even after a.h. and i begged him to come to sayulita (and then had our own dance party in our living room when he said yes) and knew we would be guaranteed a great dance party, i still wondered, could he be that good?

it's hard to fully explain michael's awesome-ness. you've read the blogs and heard the mixes. and then, as you're looking around at your uncle shaking it like it's 1972 and people jumping that haven't jumped in a good long time, you realize, damn, this is the gooooddd stuff. your friends and family are busting out their finest, uninhibited moves (aerobics, irish jigs, and just pure freak-i-ness) and shouting (not singing) along to the music. everywhere you look there are smiles and sweat. sweat and smiles. is it something in the mexican water? no, it's ma's skills. song after song, he's nailing it. what's next, you wonder? songs you forgot you knew the words to, songs you'd like to forget your mom ever danced to, and songs that make you happier than life itself. and when friend after friend keeps telling you in their tequila haze that, wow, he really is that good, you pinch yourself all over again and keep on sweating and dancing hoping it never has to end. that's how good michael antonia really is.

so, hire him. hire him now. we're already booking him for the anniversary party.

-sdbride

*it sure helps that he's happy to wear a sombrero and break out a few moves while on the job.

**check out his post on our wedding here.

***thank you, senor antonia. that's what we wanted more than anything else. all out, no holds barred dancing (and a dj in a sombrero that drinks tequila and eats tacos with us). and that's what you gave us.

mission: destination wedding.

2010-03-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

view of sayulita from our hotel, villa amor.

if you've been debating about whether or not to have a destination wedding, do it. by far, the best decision we've ever made. when we set out on our wedding planning process we knew we wanted something more than one day. we wanted several days of memories, laughter, tears and pure selfishness. all our favorite people in a favorite place that we would never be able to recreate again in our lives without the excuse of a wedding to do it.

and along the way, i really started to regret it. there was a lot of bitching, complaining, whining. and a whole load of guilt. guilt over what it was costing our friends and family to make the trip. guilt over forcing people to take a vacation. guilt over not just wanting to have a simple wedding in my parent's backyard in fresno. that's right, i said fresno(!). mid way through the planning process as all the stress was getting to me, i actually thought to myself "we should have just gotten married in fresno". the stress of worrying about everyone else and their opinions and thoughts and thinking about how selfish we must be for wanting everyone to do this, was that bad. so bad, that i lost my mind and thought about doing what i said i would never do. get married in fresno.

and thank god, we didn't. because as soon as we landed in mexico every guilty thought i'd ever had disappeared entirely. ah, yes, mexico, how i love thee. bougainvillea drenched in sunlight and mariachi's strolling the beach and lizards crawling through the doors of open air villas, and the even the smell. one foot on mexican soil and i remembered why we wanted this so badly to begin with. the celebration. the days and nights of laughter and sun and fish tacos. it was about so much more than just one wedding night- it was about sharing what we loved so much with our closest friends and family and showing them something they would never have known existed without us.

oh, how sayulita delivered. a teeny tiny village with no agenda or schedule. where time slowed down and strolls on the beach found my co-workers laughing with neighbors as if they've been friends all along, where in-laws lunched with my childhood friends, and my aunt ziplined with my college roommate, and my dad wore a sombrero and drank cervezas with my closest friends as the sun set around us. where a sweet stray dog found a new home with our photographers back in la. new bonds were formed and old friends reconnected. lazy days full of really good food, too much sun, and way too much tequila. where we danced until our feet nearly fell off. where 60 of our favorite people gathered to laugh and cry and celebrate and create some really good stories. where everyone discovered their inner love for mexico and all the reasons we love it so. ah, yes, this is why you drug everyone to some remote mexican town they had never heard of. looking around, you realize, this is why you did this.

so all the complaining, whining, guilt and stress was suddenly so worth it as plans were made to return in one year. to bring back more family and friends and share the sayulita magic with others. as we looked around and saw all our family and friends so happy, we knew how right our decision was. this is what destination weddings are made of. the stories. the celebrations. the few days in time where everything is so perfect and peaceful and you are pinching yourself because it's so much more than you could have hoped for or dreamed. bigger, better, grander, and far more special than we could have ever envisioned. and that's what we wanted. a big, old magical celebration of who we are together and where we are headed with this union.

mission accomplished.

-sdbride

*a huge thank you to all our friends and family for making the trek and going along with our selfish wedding plans. it was so, so special for us and we are eternally grateful to you for taking part in such a magical moment in our lives.

missing my sayulita.

2010-03-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

so, yes. i'm back. and i'm having a major case of denial. you see, i fell in love. i fell in love with our wedding. with sayulita. with having 60 of our closest friends and family around us for a week. and reality just isn't as good as all of that. i'm sorry, but it isn't.

where was i hiding out? the best little gem in all of mexico. a teeny, tiny surfing village full of dogs, ex-pats, yummy fish tacos, and hillsides of lush green landscape. i didn't want to come home. and since i've been home i've gone round in round inventing every possible scenario on how to get back there. permanently. have i lost it? maybe. but damn, life was good. it was really, really good for a week. time slowed down. we swam in the ocean, drank too much tequila, had a sweaty, sweaty dance party (if you ever have the chance to hire michael antonia- DO IT! he's really THAT good), cried a lot, and laughed even more. i pinched myself on multiple occasions because it just didn't seem real. and now that we are home, it seems like i dreamt it. so, i'm pulling all my magic tricks i know out of my hat, trying to get back there. no luck so far, but i'll keep you posted...

from top: villa amor, from town. our honeymoon suite overlooking town. the pool at our honeymoon suite. view from villa serena. sunset from our bed. villa amor built into the hill. the spiral staircase in my sister's 2 story, open air room, villa iguana. the restaurant at villa amor. random shop door. juice stand in town, damn good! princess and daisy, town dogs and zipline mascotts.

-sdbride

we're back.

2010-03-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

yes, we are back from the most magical, incredible, amazing celebration. sdbride and a.h.'s wedding was beyond words. we promise to be back next week with details, details, details. for now we are daydreaming of being back in sayulita with margaritas in hand (or a glass of wine in my case).

ohhhhh and you are going to DIE when you see the end result of sdbride's wedding dress. sooooo gorgeous. the above picture is a little sneak peek.

xo, sfbride

note to self.

2010-03-09T12:53:00.000-08:00

note to self...do not under any circumstance attempt to print out your own wedding invitations (you will curse your poor little printer and then call sdbride asking her to print your invites on her printer and ship them to you. thanks girl.)!!!

do not under any circumstance attempt to weigh your invites at work. although the postage is correct (and g made the cutest little stamp shown above)....when you go to the post office to mail your precious invites they may just tell you that although it only costs $0.61 to mail, because you have a mini clothespin in the envelope, the invites must be "specially handled" and will cost an additional $0.20 per envelope. as you stand there asking to see every stamp they have, they may think you are crazy and roll their eyes at you. and when you realize the only stamps they have are an "american clock" stamp, you may begin to tear up. you may then chuckle to yourself thinking "how funny will it be to send our invites with an american clock stamp on them? everyone knows i loathe american flag and liberty bell stamps so perhaps this will all be a funny little joke".

yes, this happened. and yes, i did stick those lame clock stamps on our invites and chuckle to myself. and then i got in the car to tell g what happened and i cried. yes, i cried over stamps. note to self...do not get sad over stamps. as g pointed out to me, perhaps people will think it was meant on purpose. we have our custom stamp with our wedding date, and a clock stamp referencing "time". or maybe i should tell everyone that the clock stamp is to remind them that they better not be "tardy for the party". well, at the end of the day....i'm super happy with the way the invitations turned out and that's what i'm going to focus on. they are adorable and i can't thank our friend cambria enough for all of her artistic talent. a future post on the actual invitations will come soon. for now, i've gotta finish packing and get to mexico to help sdbride and a.h. celebrate their nuptials. yipppppeeeeeeeeeeeee!

xo, sfbride

photo used on our stamp by george hernandez.

mexico here we come.

2010-03-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

omg. omg. omg. the time is here and we are off to sayulita. i can't wait to share all about it when we get back.

thanks for joining me on this journey. it surely isn't over.

xo,

sdbride

not to brag or anything...

2010-03-05T10:34:00.001-08:00

but i have the most awesome friends! imagine my surprise when a big old design within reach box arrived at my house on wednesday (i worked for dwr for many years). i've owned one bright yellow marais a chair for quite sometime- it's brightening up my sewing nook, amongst my paired collection of bertoias, eames, and ghost chairs (when you work at dwr, you become a big time design whore) and always wanted a mate to my yellow lovely. miss sfbride knew that (quite the design junkie herself, working for vitra for years) and completed my pair with a note printed on a handkerchief, nonetheless, that read "a pair for the perfect pair". so cute!

i'm really starting to feel quite spoiled around here...

-sdbride

best.wedding.present.ever.

2010-03-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

tori and austin from sarah yates on Vimeo.

have you seen this yet? we got the best wedding present ever last night when sarah emailed this over. we knew she'd been working on it for some time and fell in love with the final project. we are so happy to share what we've been waiting for on pins and needles!

a.h. and i cannot say enough about sarah's talent, energy, friendship, etc. everyone needs some sarah in their life! we are so flattered that her and lou are coming to mexico with us to shoot our wedding. to think this all began because a.h. and sarah went to the same teeny tiny college in vermont back in the day! 3 years ago their paths crossed again when we ran into her at our neighborhood dog park. small world. i truly became smitten with sarah from the beginning. she felt like my long lost sister and i couldn't believe a.h. hadn't realized it sooner and introduced us. working with her has been so much fun, and we cannot wait for next week!

thanks, sarah and lou. this is totally stunning and amazing and best.wedding.present.ever.

-sdbride

the tale of two dresses.

2010-03-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

with less than a week before i leave for mexico, i'm back in meltdown mode. i have 6 days to complete numerous projects and just spent 5 hours starring at myself in the mirror. in two different wedding dresses. is that a problem? some brides don't even have one fabulous dress, right? suddenly, i have two.

the two wedding dress thing isn't entirely new. the indecision is. back in the fall my mom and i met in la for a whirlwind shopping weekend. having no luck in sd, we decided to hit up vintage shops and smaller boutiques. and that's when i found it. a stunning karl lagerfeld sample. on the rack, totally unlike all the pouf ball dresses surrounding it. simple and pleated in rows of neat chiffon. not a brides dress, but a real dress. and it called to me. i tried it on, and i had the chills. it draped, it flowed, it made me feel like kate hudson at the oscars. bohemian, fashion-y, and pure great gatsby in all it's drop waisted-ness, and totally glamorous. the girls around me starred at me like i was nuts as they twisted and turned in their ballgowns. i was in love. the problem was, it wasn't what i ever expected to wear. in mexico. i'm a frilly girl and had been in search of miles of romantic ruffles senorita style. but i couldn't help it. i had the feeling everyone describes. so we did the rational thing. and we walked away. if we found nothing else by monday i would call back and purchase it over the phone. i spent the rest of the weekend completely stressed out that someone else would walk away with my dress. my karl lagerfeld, i die, die, die, dress.

they didn't. i bought it. it came home with me one weekend. i tried it on and still loved it. but i kept looking. i couldn't turn away from the magazines, the blogs, the non wedding dresses hanging on the racks of stores. i decided a year engagement was my worst enemy. too much time to doubt your decisions. and then, like that, i was at nordstrom rack one day, and found dress 2. hidden in the clearance racks of their designer section, it hung. tea dyed vintage lace and a cascading train of chiffon ruffles. i left on day one without trying it on. this was crazy. i had a dress. a week later, it was still there, marked down from $3800. i told myself i should try it on to prove to myself it wouldn't be right. and it wasn't perfectly right. but i saw possibilities. visions of one chiffon shoulder and a sweetheart neckline and nipping and tucking and that peacock explosion of a train that melted my heart in the back. and it was dirt cheap. i bought the dress thinking i would return it after someone talked some sense into me.

i called 3 people that night, freaking out. what was i doing? help me make sense of this! who buys a second dress when they have a frickin karl lagerfeld hanging in their closet? this girl does. i shot side by side pictures. i waited for the vote. i fell more and more in love with the 2nd dress and all the ways i could mold it and change it to make it perfect. and it was unanimous. my sister and closest friends declared how me it was! ruffles, bohemian, vintage looking.... and oh, so mexico.

the 2nd dress has spent 4 months at a seamstress and came home today. we added one shoulder and doubled the train. we copied pictures i liked and made it my dream dress if i would have drawn it out myself months ago. it's been tweaked and altered and fitted and fitted and fitted. i couldn't wait to get it home and put on shoes and play with my hair and just be alone with my dress. my mom made a mantilla that i tea dyed to match. i have the perfect shoes and vintage jewelery and have planned and planned for this dress. i have had no doubts and have left the lagerfeld sulking in my closet for months.

which brings me to tonight. and my meltdown. standing alone in my dress, i panicked. freaked out. went nuts. call it what you will, i lost it. i tore the karl lagerfeld from my closet and spent several hours switching in and out of two dresses. what was i doing? why was i not feeling right about this? i had no idea what to do. i loved them both for different reasons and suddenly i couldn't decide who i wanted to be on my wedding day. my wedding day that i'm getting on a plane and flying towards in six days. i feared not wearing the perfectly right thing. so here i am. wasting hours of fleeting time that i do not have enough of. writing too long blog posts about really silly things like freaking out about having one dress too many and really not knowing what i'll end up wearing less than two weeks from now. your guess is as good as mine.

xo,

crazytown. aka sdbride.

*side note, a.h. has promised not to read this blog until after our wedding, so as not to get a sneak peek.

**double side note. the pics of dress 2 are before all the seamstress tweaking.

erin and eron.

2010-02-26T08:14:00.000-08:00

amazing shoes...yes, christian louboutins. amazing location....yes, australia. amazing couple....yes, erin and eron. check out details from our cute friend's wedding on sitting in a tree today.

photo

Surprise!

2010-02-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

i have to say it. i hate surprises. i am a self admitted control freak. it makes me bonkers to not plan things, know things, think of things, and just do them myself. a.h. has a hard time trying to plan much of anything without 20 questions. it's who i am. nuts. obsessive. slightly crazy.

but it has to be said. this was my dream shower (check out the details on sittinginatree today). surprise and all. everything i could have dreamt of, it was done. on a friday night before our bachelor/bachelorette party, sfbride and farra went to town. they spent the day (and a month or so leading up to it) nailing every detail. it couldn't have been better if i'd done it myself (and i never, ever say that- part of my "issues"). they tea dyed hang tags, made personalized tea stained towels and whipped out farra's china from her own bridal shower to create a dreamy vintage style tea party. mini sandwiches, quiches, and cupcakes were set up under gauzy tulle canopies with twinkle lights and candles. die! they set up a round table with a place setting for each of my awesome friends under a sky of feathers and more tulle. you literally felt like you were walking into an old fashioned garden. the doorways were even flanked by topiaries filled with birds! for a moment i felt like alice stepping down the rabbit hole... it was just that pretty and whimsical.

farra and myka found a vintage tea set and placed it in a basket full of moss for me. they also asked each of my friends to bring a tea cup and saucer for me to add to my collection (i had been stalking farra's collection for quite some time- even borrowing it for sfbride's shower. i think she was ready for me to have my own). i love, love mismatched things and it was so fun to open each gift and be surprised by what was inside since they were all so unique.

my friend's wrapped the prettiest presents (i think the word is out that i hate gift bags).

sfbride and farra compiled the sweetest book with sentimental entries from my friends (sent in from north carolina and dc!) and nestled it in a box with moss and feathers.

farra was awesome to open her house (which is stunn.ing.) and used her glitzy collection of mismatched drinkware in addition to her china. i wish everyone could attend her parties because there is no way to understand her eye for detail until you do. between her and sfbride they thought of everything.

sfbride picked up different hair accessories for each of the girls. the entire event reminded me of being little with my sister playing with my old tea set in our dress up clothes. there was something so charming and nostalgic about being surrounded by my friends in frilly dresses and bows. pretty much my ideal world in one house!

do you see that cake? i couldn't get over that. farra and her husband (with lots of awesome-ness up his own sleeve, check out their foodie blog) baked it. that is my dream cake- simple and slightly rustic looking, i'm not a fan of fondant! if i wasn't getting hitched in mexico, they'd be doing some baking for the big day...

my sister was in town to help celebrate, making it even more special...

they even set the table with freesia, as sfbride knows it will be making an appearance at our wedding...

we dove into that perfect cake late night, and it was just as good as it looks!

it was so, so special to have these two friends plot, plan, and obsess over all the details together to create something so pretty and sentimental. every nook and corner had a detail worthy of a photo. it was basically my ideal world in one house. great friends. good food and drinks. ruffles, feathers, frills and sequins. pretty packages....

job well done, you two. there are not enough words to thank you for such a beautiful shower. and it's clear you were meant to know each other...

-sdbride

my new shoe obsession.

2010-02-18T08:32:00.000-08:00

when i first spotted these shoes on apartment 34 i instantly fell in love. so pretty, so different. modern yet girly with that little bow...right up my alley. i'm dreaming of wearing them on g and i's big day.

-sfbride

top photo by elizabeth messina

beating me at my own game.

2010-02-17T08:49:00.000-08:00

a while back i proposed to a.h. that we countdown the days to our wedding by putting in writing all the things we love about each other. one a day. and when he agreed to it, i never in a million years thought that he would go all out. i expected to find little notes scribbled out on pieces of scratch paper scattered about the house. on the first day i came home to find a super elaborate baroque style page hidden inside my succulent wreath on the front door. who was this man? it was like he had learned something from our years living together. that details matter! only he was beating me at my own game. i was miffed (and pleasantly, joyfully surprised- taking all the credit like this was something i had trained him to do). i was the slacker that was scribbling notes out on scratch paper. on a trip to visit my parents i found a map of buenos aires (we took a recent trip there) with a note about how i'm never lost. i laughed out loud when i found it as he added "most men wouldn't be able to admit that". it was so awesome to be away from home and finding something like that make me miss him more. each day i found some super thoughtful photoshopped version of a valentine that took time and effort and thought. and i'm still scribbling out notes as i leave in the morning.

*no, i am not marissa miller

which just gave me another reason for why i love him. i'm scribbling a note for tomorrow.

-sdbride

the bouquet.

2010-02-16T08:03:00.000-08:00

months and months ago i ripped a picture of these bouquets out of a magazine. i was obsessed. i was having a little bit of a mexico flower debacule (choices- 1. roses 2. sunflowers. um, no, thank you) and wanted something totally different anyway. beautiful as these bouquets were, it really wasn't in my budget. so, i decided to slowly start collecting pieces from thift stores, ebay, and forever 21 and see where i landed closer to the wedding. another diy project for my list. another thing to fly across the border in my suitcase.

this last weekend, with a huge bag of brooches in hand i attempted to piece this together. it took many trials to figure out how to even begin making this. styrofoam balls? too round and poufy looking without any dimension. floral wire? too soft and just crumpled at the weight of the brooches. a few days into it with a.h. looking at me like it was a lost cause and time to give up, i was armed with heavy gauge wire from home depot, a glue gun, and floral tape. one more try. i began to hand wire them one by one as if they were really flowers. every 3 stems or so i'd tape them together to make stable. i'd readjust and twist and then glue gun the hell out of the back of them to keep it the shape from shifting. many hours and some 50 brooches later, she is heavy and solid! the ribbon around the base is still a work in process, but i just had to share (sorry for the iphone pics)...

i truly wanted something eclectic and unexpected (and yes, it was on daily candy yesterday and no, i'm not that original, i know) that would tie into all the vintage elements of our wedding. each one of our family members will be sporting vintage brooches as well (less sparkly versions for the boys bout's--a.h. made me promise he wouldn't look like he had stolen a trinket from my grandma's jewelery box) to tie it all in. now, how to make brooch boutonnieres that don't look girly? project #501 done, 500 more to go...

-sdbride

invites. aka diy hell.

2010-02-15T08:03:00.000-08:00

for the longest time i couldn't even think about my invitations. i had to take a big fat break from thinking, looking or talking about them. these guys were way more time consuming then we could have ever thought possible. we went through 2 printers, numerous designs, multiple formats and at one point, we even tried hand painting them (!). i always knew i wanted my mom, an artist, to design them and after falling in love with these guys, an idea was born. lots of sketches, emails back and forth, and failed printing jobs. i practically lived at paper source and exchanged things about 100 times. they just weren't right. i had a vision and the vision wasn't coming to life.

i kept coming back to wanting them printed on handkerchiefs. i just didn't know how to make it happen. i love, love, love things that look girly, vintage and are somewhat frivolous. i wanted them to look like vintage love letters packaged up from anthro. and i had to have a finishing touch in the form of a gold bird charm (ordered from ebay, that took nearly 5 years to arrive and almost didn't make it onto the invite because it was so late). so, with the help of lots of internet research, piles of freezer paper and a hell of a lot of patience on a.h.'s part i got my wish. handkerchiefs, vintage stamps, lots of twine, and tiny gold birds. they were a good solid month in the making, and we almost killed each other over them. just as we were ready to send out an evite, we nailed it. so, now that i've had a good month long break from working on them, i'm ready to share (keep in mind, these are not miss yates super-fabulous images)!

xo,

sdbride

the ironing of the freezer paper to the fabric took forever...

our house was covered in paper and patterns and misprints...

each print took about 3 minutes. aka forever. you had to watch it the entire time to make sure it didn't get stuck.

we were totally inspired by papel picados and my love of hang tags. i found the stamps on ebay and even though the ones on the return envelope weren't vintage i loved the festive look...

we created envelope liners using a pattern from paper source.

the super simple maps were totally inspired by my adoration of these lovelies.

tickity tock.

2010-02-14T17:35:00.001-08:00

via concrete and honey

the clock is ticking and with less than 30 days to go my emotions are running the range of super stressed out, having a mental breakdown, might just kill someone to blissfully, crazy excited. i can hardly find time to cross projects off my list while having a full time job, a side business, a social life, and pretending to write on two blogs. i spend all waking hours of the day thinking about my wedding and then having nightmares during my sleeping ones. yet i can't seem to sit down to write about any of this. is this how everyone feels once it's crunch time? i feel like an ocd special case. when people ask me what i have left to do i can't even name the projects- my mind draws a big old blank. the list is long, long, long, but i couldn't tell you what was on it. i'm frazzled. in a big way.

i thought i was going to lose it about a week ago. and then, yesterday, the best thing on earth happened. i calmed down. it dawned on me that this won't last forever, so i better damn enjoy it while it lasts. you only get one wedding. it will be here a matter of weeks and hello, it is going to be amazing. i'm going to mexico- one of my favorite places on earth, and we are getting married amongst our nearest and dearest. how often does that happen? i'm over people that think they'll be kidnapped, bitten by mosquitos, or unable to find an atm. because what i just realized 11 months into our engagement is this isn't about them- it's about us! i've spent the last several months having anxiety about all our guests fears and reactions and what if's and the time has passed me by and i've been a wreck doubting all my decisions. so, welcome to my new zen state.

mexico here we come.

-sdbride

keep calm.

2010-02-12T13:54:00.000-08:00

we're still here...we promise. but with the countdown to sdbride & a.h.'s wedding hitting the 30 day mark tomorrow, we are both starting to feel a bit....how do you say it? CRAZY! we are super excited, but also a bit overwhelmed with the number of diy projects hanging over both of our heads. i keep thinking i have plenty of time to finish all of the projects for g and i's wedding...yeahhhh right.

we call each other about 15 times a day screaming about how our printers suck, how much photoshop is driving us nutso, or how sometimes we just want to throw our computers out the window. but amid all of this chaos, we both know that our weddings will be beautiful and lovely and full of laughter.

xoxo, sfbride

image via here

san diego...our home away from home.

2010-02-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

this weekend is sdbride and a.h.'s bachelor-bachelorette party. we are so excited to join them at their "picnic to pub" party.

get ready kids...we're sure this will be a weekend to remember.

love, sfbride and g

image found here

killer shoes.

2010-02-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

is someone kidding me right now? i need need need those pink bow shoes. like i needed them yesterday. seriously!

-sfbride

via the sartorialist

who needs a craft room...?

2010-01-29T06:15:00.000-08:00

THIS girl.

please check out the most recent mess i made of our living room.

besides the above, i've been working on many other wedding projects. poor g came home the other night from work and said to me "ummmm it looks like you just plucked a chicken in here." ha, ha. sooo true. feathers are involved in many of my crafting projects. although i love love love our little 1 bedroom apartment, i may need more space in the near future.

-sfbride

p.s. above is a sneak peak of the stamped napkins my mom and i are creating for the wedding.

a huge thank you.

2010-01-26T18:49:00.000-08:00

to my adorable family,

my shower this past weekend was incredible. the decor was to die for (i especially loved the tord boontje curtain). the fondue was delicious (such a fab idea). and the laughter was non-stop. it makes me smile to know what an amazing & loving family i have.

love, sfbride

the green gucci lives on.

2010-01-22T10:41:00.000-08:00

we were so excited to wake up this morning and see our beloved miss farra over on style me pretty! we knew from first site that farra and juan's wedding was full of enviable style and now the world does too. we heart farra y juan!

xo,

sdbride & sfbride

love sweet love.

2010-01-20T08:01:00.000-08:00

when sfbride and i watched this video we totally fell in love. we already knew that artist kelli murray was quite possibly the cutest girl on earth and watching her wedding as put together by matthew forrey only solidified that. and we may have even gone a little teary eyed! if anything, it made both us even more excited for our own wedding days-- the emotion, the tenderness, all those memories with the person you love. and these two make getting married look really good!

kelli is a super talented san diego artist, dear to my heart-- a.h. had her create an amazing commission for me several years ago. when i found out she had just gotten married, i knew the details had to be shared! be sure to check out kelli & sam's awesome wedding over on sitting in a tree today. her invitations, style, and eye for detail are to die for. lots of vintage touches!

and if the above wedding day video wasn't enough- check out the super 8 movie that played for their guests at the wedding. as if we didn't already have a huge super 8 obsession (we are both filming our wedding this way)!

Kelli and Sam. from Russell Brownley on Vimeo.

-sdbride

can i borrow this.

2010-01-19T06:30:00.000-08:00

is anyone else dying over this dress? i seriously haven't stopped looking at it. emily blunt looked insane in the membrane at the golden globes this weekend. can someone wear this to their wedding? pretty please.

-sfbride

image via gettyimages

58 and counting.

2010-01-13T09:15:00.000-08:00

today marks the 2 month mark before our wedding, on march 13th. 58 little, itty-bitty days. in honor of this pre-anniversary of sorts a.h. and i have decided from this day forward to come up with a new reason, each day, for why we want to spend the rest of our lives together.

you see, lately we've gotten so caught up in the wedding details (or invitation details, to be exact) that we've almost forgotten why we're having this big day to begin with. it's because we want to be married, right? to each other? it's not just about finding the right napkin fabric, right? so, after reading this post by emilia, i have decided it's time to get back to us. and us being married. forever and ever. all of which i can't wait for. and i can't think of a better way to refocus on us over the next 2 months, than reminding each other every day, in writing, why we want this so much. so whether i leave it on his pillow or he hands me a note at the end of my day, we're committed to this. 58 days of love notes, sentences, compliments, phrases and reasons why march 13th will mean so much. and it has nothing to do with the flowers.

image by our awesome friend, mike ofeldt, at suzanne hansen photography

-sdbride

signed. sealed. delivered.

2010-01-13T07:52:00.000-08:00

they're here! we mailed our invitations on monday and our's arrived today (i couldn't resist doing a little trial run)! a.h. and i are so glad this project is over, and i can't wait to share the details on them...

until then, i'm maliciously watching sfbride squirm over her own!

-sdbride

i love a sale.

2010-01-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

our love of anthropologie has been well documented throughout our blog. i can't imagine anything better then just walking into anthro and dazzling at all of the clothes and amazing window displays. but anthro blew me away yesterday. imagine my surprise when i walked in to see an item i've had my eye on....on sale. and i'm talking about a 75% off kind of sale. score!

i picked up a ton of these cute ceramic feather ornaments. i'm going to hang them from the photobooth or perhaps make some sort of mobile out of them to hang near the dessert table. any suggestions on how to use them at the wedding are welcome.

-sfbride

i heart birthdays. especially yellow ones.

2010-01-11T08:21:00.000-08:00

birthdays are milestones in life and while i reject the concept that i'm actually getting older with each passing one, i refuse to pass up reason for celebration. this year was no different and my awesome friends made it so special that i had to share.

i arrived in san francisco to sfbride having decked out her house for me. See a how to about recreating this, here.

i am so inspired by marie antoinette colors- golds, pinks, yellows, pastel-y blues and sfbride knows that!

how adorable is my birthday cake?

and what's better than to open your door one morning and find this lovely wrapped and waiting on your doorstep? it was quite a surprise and this totally made my morning before driving into work.

such a sweet and creative way of honoring your friend on their birthday. i only wish i had beat miss green dress to the punch and done this myself! so awesome to open this up and discover what was inside.

happy yellow birthday to me!

xo,

sdbride

lessons from a shower.

2010-01-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

in december, i threw a shower for miss sfbride and let me tell you, there is nothing better than planning a party for someone that will really appreciate it. i got crazy, obsessively nuts in the details- rethinking, reworking and redoing everything at 2am because my mind would stumble across a bigger, better idea that would be more "her".

and the time flew by. when you really, really love what you're doing you get lost in it and look up to see it's reallllly, realllly late and how did that happen? 3 am and i'm stamping napkins and baking and making straws??? as a.h. helped me scrape labels off wine bottles one night with a razor blade, groaning about the late hour and the point of the project (did all the wine have to look the same, he asked?, and yes, yes, it did) it didn't even dawn on me to care what time it was. my heart was in it and it was fun (not so much for him).

at the 9th hour i decided to call in her fiance. i begged him to help by sending me a list of things that no one else would really know about them together as a couple. i sent letters to her friends and g. and asked them to fill them out and bring with them to read (this brought on the tears). i wanted this personal and to tug at her heart strings. to be about her. and copying this awesome lake jane shower, i recreated the lingerie line we had both adored so much (surprisingly, ours turned out a little less, um, dainty), asking for everything to be wrapped in white (yes, i have issues) in her modernist honor.

so an hour before the shower, as i attempted to blow up the fabulous max wanger style balloons she so adored (they were meant to line the walkway so she would see them driving up), and my helium tank fizzled, i nearly cried. i wanted everything to be perfect. i had really planned this out. thought ahead. poured my heart into it to make it so her, a mini version of their wedding. and the balloons laying on the floor felt like a failure at perfection (note, do NOT, buy crappy helium tank in a box from chain party store and expect it to inflate your fabulous wanger balloons. it will not perform).

and silly me. they were just balloons. no one else cared. i got over it in time to light the candles and turn on the music. and in the end, who knows if anyone noticed the stripe-y straws or that everything had the same typewriter font. but it was a lesson for my upcoming wedding. and that is- 1) i clearly have my hands full. this was just a shower and i'm taking that much more on for my wedding. two months to go and i've barely made a dent. 2) i don't care how bonkers it makes me, i love it. i lose myself in the details so completely and love nothing more than these projects. it's all worth it even if i'm the lone soul that notices (and with sfbride, i'm not). 3) things will fail and not work out as planned. life moves on. again, you are the only one that notices. and finally, 4) there is no greater joy than to throw a party for your friend and to have her be touched beyond words. she is so worth it.

-sdbride

*special thanks to farra for all the amazing food and excellent lingerie hanging skills.

fabulousness in the new year.

2010-01-06T22:01:00.000-08:00

yay! today could not have been a better day. we launched our new blog, i got the cutest email from a reader, had dinner with our adorable photographer and found out this photo from our 'lil engagement session was featured on southern weddings.

now back to those pesky wedding invitations (we'll be done soon and cannot wait to share!)...

-sdbride

surprise....

2010-01-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

well it's finally time to let everyone in on our little secret. we are starting a new blog and a new business venture, sitting in a tree.

but don't worry, this will always be a personal blog about our own weddings.

see you soon.

xo,

sdbride & sfbride

woot. woot.

2010-01-05T07:31:00.000-08:00

it's really pretty darn cool for a small little blog like ours to be recognized amongst our favorite daily reads such as green weddings shoes, style me pretty, and once wed as one of the top 100 blogs for 2010. thanks, bridetide. what a compliment!

-sdbride

happy new year.

2010-01-03T23:27:00.001-08:00

is it true? are the holidays really over? although i'm kind of crying inside....i'm also ecstatic about what 2010 will bring. we have some exciting news to share....but we aren't quite ready to divulge all of our secrets (details soon, we promise).

thanks to each of you for reading our little blog, it means the world to us.

love, sfbride

image via here

around the corner.

2009-12-31T07:31:00.000-08:00

sadly, the holidays and 2009 are coming to a close. 2010 is already looking bigger and better as
something is brewing at tulle and feathers and we can't wait to share...

until then, i'm reflecting on all the joy, love and happiness that 2009 has brought my way. sometimes i literally feel like the luckiest girl on the planet. i'm surrounded by the dearest friends, the most supportive family, sunshine and my furry children, and the best possible partner this life could offer. thanks for a great year, endless laughter and tears, and for joining me on this journey.

xo,

sdbride

melting down. falling apart. slacking off. i heart my wedding.

2009-12-29T10:54:00.000-08:00

lately, one of us may have been a bit of a blog slacker. i'm sorry. i suck. we hit the 3 month mark (until our wedding) and my meltdown began. blogging went to the wayside.

i'm exhausted. i have a full time job, a full time social life, and i'm also trying to be miss diy wedding girl (but who's complaining??). more than that, i'm trying to be miss diy wedding invite girl, which is, i've learned, a very, very bad idea (which i plan to share in detail, coming up). but in the meantime, i'm sorry for slacking on this blog. i'm back. and thanks to sfbride for filling in while i fell apart.

-sdbride

happy holidays.

2009-12-24T21:04:00.001-08:00

wishing everyone a very wonderful holiday!

does anyone remember this super cute pink christmas tree from blueprint magazine (boo hoo...the magazine no longer exists, but i do remember the issue featuring this tree, sent to me by sdbride....of course). while browsing some old posts on madebygirl today, i spotted the tree once again. i just love it. i coerced g into allowing us to purchase a little pink tree this year and i couldn't be happier.

-sfbride

mini honeymoon.

2009-12-23T12:02:00.001-08:00

since g and i will not be taking a long honeymoon immediately after the wedding (due to hectic work schedules), we decided that we must take at least a few days off to relax. i really want to stay in Carmel-by-the-Sea for a night, eat at amazing restaurants and drink great wine. but today i discovered this little place in Big Sur, Glen Oaks. perhaps we need to stay here for a night as well....?

-sfbride

photos via tripadvisor and glen oaks

happy birthday sdbride.

2009-12-14T08:55:00.000-08:00

happy happy happy birthday! we love you and are so happy that you and a.h. are celebrating with us in san francisco. ok, is it time for our shopping spree in union square (shhhhh, don't tell the boys).

xoxo, sfbride and g

image found here

details, details, details.

2009-12-09T14:43:00.000-08:00

wow, i don't even know where to start with this one. the bridal shower sdbride threw for me was better then any dream. the girl seriously nailed it! the details were insane. she handmade white cholocate lollipops, napkins with my first initial, straws with flags that read "drink me", a full candy bar of white sweets, clear bulbs filled with special moments shared by g and i, she made custom wine labels (with feathers of course), she put together a lingerie line (and even asked the girls to wrap the lingerie gift in my favorite color, white). wow!

the girl in the green dress helped sdbride by making delicious food. girl, i'm still craving that cheesecake.

i don't think i could ever express in words how perfect sdbride made the party. she made every single thing sooooo ME.

thank you to sdbride and all of my amazing friends who shared in the evening. i can't remember the last time i laughed so hard or cried so hard. so many memories that i will never forget. i must say it was the best. bridal. shower. ever.

-sfbride

socks...and a weekend in san diego.

2009-12-04T13:51:00.001-08:00

g picked up this pair of striped socks, and i think we may have a winner. we have yet to choose his suit or shirt color, so things may change. decisions, decisions. (and sorry for the horrible quality photo, i only have my iphone with me. the socks are actually dark brown, not black as they kind of appear to be.)

we are off to san diego for the weekend (i swear we are down there almost every 2 weeks). i couldn't be any more excited...it's my birthday tomorrow AND sdbride is throwing me a bridal shower. you know when sdbride decides to throw a party, it will be out of control....decor galore and amazing food & drinks. i'm smiling with anticipation. details to come next week.

-sfbride

the groom's socks.

2009-11-30T10:58:00.000-08:00

g is still debating his wedding attire. grey suit or dark brown? vest? tie color? but one thing we've both agreed on is that he'll wear striped socks. i scoured oncewed's real weddings this morning for some inspiration. i'm leaning towards larger stripes like the middle picture above...super cute.

-sfbride

top pic by erin heart scourt, middle pic by jose villa, last pic also by jose villa

tiburon wedding.

2009-11-20T15:08:00.000-08:00

i recently attended a bridal shower in tiburon at the amazing mexican restaurant, guaymas. we all kept remarking on the incredible views of san francisco from where we sat....and what an amazing wedding location it could be. i was thrilled to see this wedding featured on stylemepretty. the reception was held at guaymas. the views are truly breathtaking.

the bride is beyond gorgeous in her little yellow sweater. and of course i'm in love with her headpiece.

all photos by cameron ingalls

-sfbride

the loveliest gift. ever.

2009-11-18T17:42:00.000-08:00

last night we opened world's most beautiful gift. i nearly fell over it was so delightful. and i had to share with you. a package like this just can't be kept secret. i wish i was a photographer and could really capture just how damn spanking cool it was to open. we were floored with the thought and detail. i jumped up and down- and i hate to open presents.

so, let's just say that this means a lot, because, well, this is coming from me. the obsessive queen. i rearrange my house at 2 am, can tell if someone has moved a candlestick (austin!), lose sleep at night over where a picture should hang, and notoriously bite off way more than i can chew in diy projects when throwing a casual party for 20. but more than that, i have a big obsession with gift giving. i love to buy people the perfect present. and i believe that a gift is made that much better if it's wrapped beautifully. i hate gift bags- there's no joy in the presentation, and it's all about the presentation. i want someone to enjoy the whole experience of opening what i've selected for them, and clearly, so does someone else in this world...

so, a.h. saved this beautiful package for last as we opened our shower gifts last night. we knew from the box who it was from. our lovely friend in the beautiful green dress. my match and clearly, successor in details. and what a last present it was to open. we were transported to italy and greece (our honeymoon plans) in a box. not only did they give us amazingly insane honeyfund gifts, they recreated it in a box, when a card would have worked. wine to represent all the wine we would drink (on them!), cheese for the italian meals we would devour, figs, olive oil, ribbons the color of greece... pictures do not do this justice. details, details, details. thanks j & f! what beautiful, thoughtful friends you are. you knocked it out of the park. again.

-sdbride

shower. love. balloons.

2009-11-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

this past weekend my boss threw me & a.h. a couple's shower. sushi chef. valet (yes, i said valet). super cute invites with photo by sarah yates. dozens of heart balloons modeled after our engagement shoot. killer wine. she went all out, opening her home to my friends and family.

and what a whirlwind this weekend was. but the best part was looking around and feeling all the love and support of our family and friends that traveled from all over to be there for just a few hours. you realize as you look around, that they've all played a role in becoming who you are as a couple. and they are all so special. being there, it finally felt real. we're getting married. he'll be my husband. and at that moment, i think i fell even more in love. funny how special occasions can do that to you, isn't it?

thanks to all our family and friends and my adorable boss and family for all their love during this time.

xo,

sdbride

dear sdbride,

2009-11-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

in honor of your couple's shower this weekend, it's my turn to tell you how truly amazing you are:

1. i am in awe of your ability to throw together an amazing party at the drop of a hat. seriously, you have the best ideas and always know how to make an environment cute, cozy, filled with great food, wine, decor, and laughter. and how could i not mention, a.h.'s amazing fresh fruit cocktails!

2. your compassion for animals is an inspiration to everyone (even me).

3. your uncanny ability to find amazing furniture at a fraction of the retail price. i need an eye for all things mid-century like you.

4. randomly sending g and i presents in the mail. seriously, a book about "old san francisco homes" that you picked up at a flea market. sending magazines that you just thought i may like. who does that? no one mails things anymore...and i'm always giddy when i receive packages from you. thank you for always being so thoughtful.

5. your love for your family. your family is the cutest. now we know where you got your artistic abilities, your obsession with all things design, your love of animals, and your sweet demeanor.

i love the fact that our friendship has grown and gotten closer despite the fact that i moved away to northern california. i'm so happy to have a friend like you, a girl who totally gets "me".

g and i are so happy that we've gotten so close to you and a.h. we look forward to your sayulita wedding and the millions of other memories we will share throughout our lives.

love you, love your show.

-sfbride

image found here

currently loving...

2009-11-12T19:20:00.000-08:00

these ribbon chandeliers. check out lollipop events & designs blog for the how-to guide on the gorgeous creation shown above.

the brides cafe featured la la laurie's step-by-step tutorial on how to make the one shown below.

i think i may have yet another diy project on my hands. i can't help it, these are so adorable.

-sfbride

sayulita & all it's magic.

2009-11-10T10:00:00.001-08:00

all images from tec petaja photography

there are many awesome things about getting married in mexico in a place most people have never heard of. being responsible for people falling in love with a new place they never would have gone otherwise can be pretty amazing.

and then there are some very scary ones. will they like it? will they understand the charm? are they mad and angry i'm dragging them there at all? what if it's not like i remembered? thousands of anxious thoughts run through my mind on a daily basis as i think about being responsible for so many people's happiness over a long weekend. in a different country. we heart sayulita, what if our loved ones don't?!?! so i fret and fret and fret...

and then, along come awesome posts like this one that brighten my day and reassure me that yes, sayulita is as magical as i think it is and we aren't the only ones that think so. you may remember this adorable groom from one of my favorite weddings and most of the other blogs as well. much talked about and insanely stylish, he's also a rockin' photographer and just did a sweet little post about sayulita with promises of more images to come. validation that a.h. and i are not crazy.

sayulita here we come.

-sdbride

me. him. balloons. sunshine. sarah yates.

2009-11-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

when sfbride and i started this blog, we never planned to reveal our identities. it was kind of nice to hide behind the scenes for a while. but things change. and this is a personal blog about our wedding planning process and we realized our wedding stories wouldn't be complete if we didn't share all of it with you.

plus, let's admit it. austin (a.h.) and i are just so in love with our awesome friend sarah and her ability to turn things to magic that i just had to share these with you. maybe you've caught them on green wedding shoes already (very exciting bc i love that blog)?!?!? regardless, it just wouldn't be right if i didn't feature them here too. so, here we are, me and my love and miss sarah yates working her magic.

look for sfbride to pop up on screen near you at some point, as well!

-sdbride

mendo, here i come.

2009-11-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

i'm heading up to mendocino today to help my college roommate with a few last minute projects before her saturday wedding. i can't wait to see my friend of so many years happily walking down the aisle to start a new chapter in her life.

but i will be a little out of touch...not much cell service in the small town. will i survive 5 days without the blogs? uh oh.

images found here and here

-sfbride

translation.

2009-11-03T07:45:00.000-08:00

i love seeing a bride and groom's initial inspiration board and how that image translates into their wedding. of course i was immediately smitten with this inspiration board and all of the white modern images. and then to see it transformed into a real wedding...beautiful.

you must read more about the affair on stylemepretty and snippetandink. the bride's parents made wine from grapes they grew themselves. love it.

images by dawn heumann and lisa dick

-sfbride

another reason why.

2009-10-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

there are about 100 reasons we wanted to get married in mexico. this is one of them. farra & juan's wedding crossed my path last year, via my boss. the bride wore her shoes (gucci, of course) and wanted to share the wedding pics...

i gasped as i looked at them. it was everything i had dreamt of and there it was. i sent these pictures to everyone i knew (a little stalker status*, maybe) and warned them of what was to come when i got married-- we were going to mexico! i knew the bride and i needed to be friends. clearly, we had more in common than we both knew-- her love of mexico (not everyone shares this, trust me, i've heard it), the engagement pics that were shot 3 blocks from my house (i have a keen eye for my neighborhood, a hidden little gem in sd), and the fact that she lived in buenos aires (i was weeks away from a trip to b.a. after obsessing over it for years). i sent her a very stalker-like email, and we've been friends ever since...

*please note, i knew her prior to this stalker status, just not very well. i was not stalking a total stranger, thank you.

now, a.h. and i had been to a wedding in baja right before these pics came my way so, and it was the best time we've ever had a wedding. we had mexico weddings on the brain, but never thought we could make it happen. it was unreal. a beautiful backdrop with the bride and groom's closest family and friends together for 3 days. it was so memorable for us, and a.h. was just the dj! that experience was reason number 2 for wanting to get married in mexico (behind my obsession with traveling and being selfish and forcing people to travel for me). so, farra and juan's wedding was clearly the turning point, even without being there. it was just the fact that someone else we knew had made it happen...

so, here's a tidbit of what resonated with me so much that day. reason number 3 for why a.h. and i are escaping to sayulita. farra & juan were married at hotelito desconocido-- an ecological sanctuary an hour from puerto vallarta. they did yoga. they sipped margaritas in hammocks. time slowed down. candles burned (there was no electricity). she took a row boat to meet her groom. and most importantly, she rocked green gucci for it. they shared 3 really memorable days with their closest family and friends and we can't wait to do the same.

i hope you enjoy this as much as i did, it's a pleasure to share these photos of two people who are very special additions to our lives these days (and are coming to mexico with us!)...

-sdbride

-all photos by q weddings. more here.

bragging about my photographer. again.

2009-10-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

my favorite photographer, sarah yates, has a little treat coming our way and i can't wait to see (i may or may not be a bit biased about this little project of hers). i love this little teaser she put on her blog.

stay tuned...

-sdbride

it's getting harder and harder.

2009-10-27T17:04:00.000-07:00

how am i supposed to choose a headpiece when the options just keep getting better and better? i spotted this on the bride's cafe and gasped....it's beautiful! with all of these gorgeous options, i'm not sure how i'm going to make a decision.

-sfbride

an architect's wedding.

2009-10-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

this wedding shot by soulmatesphoto is gorgeous. the bride is an architect, so obviously there was a ton of attention paid to the "design" aspects of this wedding. they were married at the olympic mills commerce center in portland. portland is just looking cooler and cooler in my eyes. from their amazing clothing designers, and now this awesome wedding venue....i've fallen in love.

my favorite design elements include the wood with clear candle centerpieces, the pom-pom like hanging lights (at least i think they are lights. what do you think these are made of?), the fuzzy aisle, the lounge-y feel.....everything looks so perfectly executed.

-sfbride

helllloooo there.

2009-10-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

what a gorgeous dress. sdbride was right, jenny packman is a-maz-ing!

-sfbride

stunn.ing.

2009-10-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

i nearly fell off my chair when i stumbled upon this beauty today at 100 layer cake. not only did i fall for these invites months ago, but they also became the inspiration for those i'm designing with my mom. so, to see the real live wedding knocked my socks off. beautiful. elegant. stunning. i'm packing my bags for new york, that's how much i love this. love the dress, love the black and white floor, love how classic but not classic this is. this is a fabulous dinner party, not a wedding, and i seemed to have missed my invite.

and then there are those light bulbs... sigh. sigh. sigh. it doesn't get much better than that.

-sdbride

we've registered.

2009-10-06T23:37:00.000-07:00

so, we've done it. we've registered. i'm a bit shameful about it, but i realize this is the only way to avoid getting 5 toasters and items in taupe or navy (nothing wrong with it, just totally not us). to me, a registry seems a little like we're soliciting gifts, which is the shameful part. we really just want to share our wedding with family and friends and we know that getting there is not the cheapest. that is gift enough. but after enough "you have to register" by some family and friends, we decided to do it. our way.

as a.h. and i are not fresh out of college and have lived together for several years we have a house full of kitchen appliances. we tend to buy things as we need them. what we want or need are more about making our house look better than how they function (which is how i always prefer to live, anyway) or they revolve around the endless question of: how do we take our next trip (luckily i've met someone that shares my joy of travel)??? so, we've registered at www.honeyfund.com (yes, lame name, i know) in hopes of taking a dream honeymoon we really can't afford and www.myregistry.com for the necessities in life you can't find all in one place, such as a patrick townsend chandelier i've eyeballed since it's days hanging in the station in san diego, and jonathan adler greyhounds. total necessities. or have i just been watching too much rachel zoe?

so, it's done. we registered and yes, it still looks to me like we're soliciting gifts. shameful and weird, but most of you have done it as well. and for those more conventional types we added a few nuts and bolts at macy's (i've actually always wanted some old lady looking china to mix in with my more modern pieces) in hopes of not offending everyone we know by registering for a trip. or a chandelier. can i add eames lounge chair in ivory to the list??? that might really cross the line...

-sdbride

fringe.

2009-10-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

i'm loving this engagement shoot by jill thomas. a chair and vintage suitcases on the beach...yes please! and can we talk about that fringe jacket. i'm kinda lusting after it and have been searching high and low...anyone know where i can find it?

-sfbride

i heart paper decorations.

2009-10-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

this paper garland that outlines the couple's ceremony is just too cute. we have the option of having our ceremony under a large tree. how cool would it be to hang paper garlands all over the place? like the martha stewart pop up wedding, but outdoors.

-sfbride

wedding spotted on green wedding shoes. all images by brookelyn photography.