Venue Love

Have I told you that I absolutely love our (hopeful) wedding venue? Finding it was probably one of the easiest parts of the planning process so far. Locking in our reservation has been another story. Last February when we decided that we wanted to get married locally, an internet search for Ojai wedding photos yielded many of the breathtaking photos below.

Source: Jessica Loren Organic Photography

Our favorites were taken at The Dent House, a private estate located in the heart of Matilija Canyon. Now, almost eight months later, we are excited and relieved to be finalizing our venue.  Yesterday, the four page rental agreement arrived in my inbox! Luckily my fiance is a lawyer, so I am hoping that the whole daunting contract process will be more of a breeze.  As we read through the agreement, I am realizing more than ever all of the little details we will need to work out to make sure our special day goes off without a hitch.

Sources: Kurt Boomer Photo, Jessica Loren Organic Photography

With this venue we will need to bring in everything from tables and chairs, to bathrooms and a generator. We know this will be more work than a traditional wedding venue, but it will also allow for endless creative possibilities for all aspects of the wedding.

Sources: Kurt Boomer Photography

With gorgeous natural scenery, another huge perk is that we will be able to take all of our wedding photos on-site.

Sources: Braedon Photography, Kurt Boomer Photo

Do you have any pointers for finalizing a venue rental? What do you think are the most important things to look out for?

Engagement Photos Revealed (and Featured!)

I have been DYING to share our engagement photos with you since we first got them from our photographer, as I am just absolutely smitten with them. And when I found out that Exquisite Weddings Magazine was going to feature them, I jumped out of my chair with excitement!!

Now that the post is live, I can finally gush over how amazing our photographer is. Fawn Christiansen of Sequins and Candy is a camera genius. I can't even tell you, I was genuinely shocked at how these photos came out. She was incredible at making us feel at ease, especially my camera-shy fiancé. Of all the photos we've taken over the last 6 years, I think I have a total of 5 photos of Kyle where he is not making some ridiculous face. Fawn literally quadrupled the number of nice photos I have of Kyle within the 2 hours she spent with us.

I must admit, though, that it's so funny to me to look at these photos because we felt SO awkward during the shoot. Kyle was giggling the whole time, which in turn made me giggley. This is the complete opposite of what I had always thought of engagement sessions. I always thought that you would just magically have the most romantic moment of your life and there was just a photographer there to capture it. Now I know that it's not quite that scenario, but looking at our photos, you'd have no idea. Or at least I've completely forgotten about any awkwardness and shyness we had!

Oh, and I absolutely have to thank Sasha Gold for my awesome hair and makeup (why can't I look like that every day?!). I was going to try to do it myself, but I am beauty challenged. I am SO GLAD that I trusted Sasha to fix me up. If you're taking your engagement photos somewhere other than where you're getting married, meaning you won't get to do your wedding hair and makeup trial on the day of your engagement photos, I highly recommend finding someone to take care of that task for you. Instead of having to rush out the door looking like normal, humdrum Kalista, I had a couple of hours to relax and chat with Sasha and her sweet rescue pup, Chica. It was just what I needed.

There's a number of photos that I love in the Exquisite Weddings Magazine feature, but here are a few of my favorites anyway! :)

       

I have no idea when Kyle turned into a J. Crew model, but my does he look fine! I'm a lucky girl.

It's so special to have these keepsake photos for the rest of our lives. Every time I look at them, I can't help but think about how much I love that man. I can't believe I get to marry him in just two and a half months!

All Signs Point to I Do

Wedding DIY's are not something you can't wait to complete until the last minute so I've been narrowing down exactly what I want to do.  Wedding signs are a great way to add a personal touch and these are my favorite!

I'd really love to have a cute sign that sets the tone for the day like one of these that tells your guests to sit anywhere they'd like during the ceremony! And since we'll have a good amount of tech savvy guests, the bottom right sign for Instagram would be great to replicate for our big day.

Source: The Sweetest Occasion, Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes

I also love the thought of having old fashion signs to direct people to different places within the venue, or even tell them how far they are from major destinations!

Source: Style Me Pretty, The Sweetest Occasion

And you can't forget a cute sign for photos and even for your sweetheart table.

Source: Wedding Chicks, Kiss The Groom, Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes

Also, if light DIY is more your thing you can always check out the free printables page here on Wedding Chicks and print out a pretty wedding sign with minimal supplies!

Did you or are you including a handmade sign for your big day? What do you think about the personalized hash tag for guests Instagramming and tweeting about your wedding?

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It's in the Mail....

Invites that is!! I am so happy to say that I finally accomplished getting all of our invites in the mail. Boy did I under estimate how time consuming this project was going to be. Invites have probably been the hardest thing for me to get inspired about. Their are so many options out there and it started to get overwhelming trying to pick a style, the wording, and the packaging. I really wanted our invites to be a reflection of us; a little creative, charming and all around unique. These were some of my inspirations when choosing our final design.

 

Source: 1 & 2

Here is the final product. I used Anna Malie Designs to create our invites, rsvp cards and direction cards. We decided to create a tips for our wedding on the back of the direction card. We included details like recommendations of where to stay in the area, where we are registered, and our wedding website. I also included tips that I know I would have love to have as a wedding guest, such as a suggestion to bring a sweater as the venue is next to the Sacramento River and wearing shoes that are suitable for walking in grass. So far everyone has loved these suggstions and said that they appriciated the "tips".  

We created our own envelope liners using some tips from this tutorial and packaged the invites along using bakers twine to tie them together.   My biggest recommendation when it comes to invites is to not be afraid to do something different. Allow yourself plenty of time to create, edit and print your invites. Invites should go in the mail at 8-6 weeks before your wedding. We got our in just under the 6 week maker which was cutting it a little close.  So what do you guys think?? Do you like the idea of a "tips" card to give your guest a few extra details?

Heather

To check out more of my wedding ideas check out my blog.

 

Champagne Flute Giveaway from Uncommon Goods

UPDATE: We have chosen a winner! Congrats to Caitlin Green!  Uncommon Goods has a huge collection of unique wedding gifts (http://www.uncommongoods.com/occasions/wedding-gifts) and anniversary gifts (www.uncommongoods.com/occasions/anniversary-gifts/anniversary-gifts) that are perfect for the happy couple.  I mean seriously, check out these awesome pieces that are just perfect little wedding gifts, then we will get to the awesome giveaway we have for you today.

Love Will Find A Way

Heart Strings State Love

Custom Fingerprint

And now for our fabulous Uncommon Goods giveaway. We have a pair of Ribboned Glass Champagne Flutes up for grabs for the winner!

 

 

TO ENTER:

Head to uncommongoods.com and pick your favorite product on the site. Comment below what you love and how you would use it. For an extra entry follow Uncommon Goods on Pinterest. Simple as that! We will be announcing our winner on September 10!

Wedding Party Party & Cocktail-Off

Ever since I got engaged, I've been saying that I want wedding planning to be fun. And as the planning days tick away, I'm taking full advantage of this mantra! We wanted to make sure our wedding party had a chance to meet each other before the wedding weekend. Some of them know each other, but we wanted to get everyone in one room, have some drinks and be close enough to really celebrate together. So we hosted everyone at our house for a Sunday-Funday Cocktail-Off.

Wooden Sign, Hand Lettered Sign

That's right. A cocktail making contest. And the winning drink will be the signature cocktail at the wedding! We thought this would be a fantastic way to have some tasty drinks, spend some time together and let our wedding party feel like they are really apart of the big day. And, it was a huge success (as evidenced by our near-empty cups!)

Personal photos from our Cocktail-Off

We tasted six different cocktails (yes, I know....we ate pizza and played bocce before anyone headed home). We tried everything from peach juice and ginger beer to a fall-spiced sangria to a blackberry mojito. Once we all tasted, we voted for our favorites. And the winner was.......a watermellon mint concotion made my two of my bridesmaids. And it was DELICIOUS! The name was also discussed as a group...possibly "Mint To Be Together"? :)

1, 2, 3, 4

So now we have to find a way to make it happen for the wedding. It may need to be tweaked to be doable for a large group, but I love that it is something from our closest friends.

What about you? Did your wedding party know each other before the big day? Did you spend some time together?

time to accessorize {2 month mark}

Whenever I find myself wondering where should I be in the planning process I refer to Brides magazine. In every issue they have a countdown, and so far it hasn't failed me. At the 2 month mark it suggests:

  • discuss ceremony readings and songs with officiant... check! We'll be doing that next week
  • Check your state's requirement for a marriage license... need to do this.
  • Mail the invitations.... they're arriving THIS WEEK! woohoo!
  • Do a hair and make-up trial.... need to schedule, and at least I know who I'm using ;-)
  • Order or make the favors... oye, this will be a task.... stay tuned for a future post on this one.
  • Accessorize your look!

The last bullet point is what I'm doing today- accessorize your look! Check out some of my inspiration!

A little clutch to hold gloss & other make-up:

Diamonds vs. crystals.... who can tell the difference? Either way, both of these chandelier earrings are fabulous:

Since I'm not wearing a statement necklace, I think a statement cuff will do.... especially one like this!

Belts and sashes are very in this season. Although I'm not wearing one, I really love these:

So brides-to-be.... how do you plan on accessorizing your look??

Lock-in the Date!

This next year is shaping up to be a pretty action-packed year for us.  Not only is my fiancé’s brother getting married about three months before us, but a couple of my good friends are also tying the knot next summer.  Not wanting to miss out on any of these weddings and pre-wedding festivities, getting our Save the Dates out is at the top of my wedding to-do list. Of course, selecting a Save the Date design may not be as easy as I had thought. With so may clever and fun Save the Date ideas out there, the pressure is certainly on to come up with something unique and creative.

Source: 1, 2

Below are a selection of DIY ideas I found, ranging from stamps, fingerprints to just hitting print and tying a bow (might be more my style).

Source: 1, 2, 3, 4

Since the majority of our guests will be traveling from out of town, I also like the idea of incorporating our state/wedding location into the cards.

Source: 1, 2, 3

My engagement ring is a gorgeous vintage ring, so I have also been playing around with more of a vintage feel.

Source: 1, 2, 3

And, since we did meet on Match.com (more than 4 years ago...wow how time flies), I have also thought about incorporating matchbooks into our Save the Dates. Maybe a little too cheesy, even for me though.

Source: 1, 2, 3

So, there you have it, so many ideas to choose from! How did you decide on your Save the Date concept?

Cocktail Hour {Signature Drinks}

Conveniently it seems that just as wedding planning stress kicks into an all-time high, it's time to figure out what our signature drink will be. Time to try 100 cocktails in 100 days!

  Style Me Pretty, photos by Shannon Moore Photography

Well, not really. But lots of cocktail is lots of days until I find the right one. And cocktails are proving to be quite valuable during the madness of doing completely DIY wedding invitations and creating a wedding website from scratch.

  Martha Stewart Weddings

I think I'm going at this a bit backwards though. I've picked the liquor I want as the base, and now I'm trying to find the right cocktail to serve that compliments it. Trouble is, since I'm far too obsessed with aesthetics, I really want this drink to not only taste great but to look pretty too. Ideally, it will be served in a coupe glass with no ice and lovely little garnish. Is that asking too much??

Joy the Baker

If I still haven't found my holy grail of a cocktail within one month of the wedding, I might need to make some concessions. But in the mean time, I've been trying drinks from a Gin Fizz with blueberries and fresh rosemary from our garden, to the classic The Fitzgerald, to Gin and Joe Rickeys.

 

St. George Spirits is a local Bay Area distiller that makes a series of 3 really delicious gins. I would love to feature one of these gins, since they're locally made and many of the ingredients are foraged from local areas, and they're all very well crafted to boot.

San Francisco Chronicle, photo by Liz Hafalia

So I've been loading up on mixers and pinning drink recipes like crazy in search of the cocktail that embodies the right balance of drinkability, creativity, and prettiness.

Do you have any favorite gin drinks? Or any good suggestions for where I can find great recipes? Time to experiment!