Wedding China {Yay or Nay}

This past week has been a busy and productive one! I've been checking things off my list. Here's what I've done:

Finally found a caterer who is listening to what we want and working with us to make it happen! Fingers crossed that this one works out. Future post to come.

Got in contact with a friend-of-a-friend designer for our wedding invites. She seems awesome but working on the details of style and printing technique, which both effect cost.

Set up multiple appointments to try on wedding dresses in the coming weeks. October=operation wedding dress.

Built our wedding website! We are going to use it to get the word out about accommodations since our destination is a small town and already booking up for next July. You may remember my post about wedding websites, here, where I talked about going social. I ended up going with Weduary and am really happy with it so far!

Solidified our condo rentals for the wedding party.

Started our wedding registry. This brings me to the topic of today's post - wedding china.

I'm sure many of you have thought the same thing - do I really need china? Does the tradition of creating a family heirloom outweigh the fact that I won't be hosting Thanksgiving until I have a house or apartment big enough for a table with a leaf?

Source

Source

Source

Source

As of now, I'm undecided on whether china will be a part of our registry. But, these pictures are making me see the appeal! They also remind me of my grandma's collection of teacups with saucers. She has all different styles and gets a new one every couple years. I would be so excited to have them one day and it's not because she got them for her wedding, it's because they remind me of her. So, I don't think you have to have wedding china to build something to pass down to future generations, but it would be fun to have a fancy set for holidays and dinner parties.

Did you, or are you going to, register for china? How did you decide whether or not to do it?

cute & clever {escort cards}

Not gonna lie, people..... the bridal anxiety has set in. I'm trying my best not to freak out, but omg the big day is here in just 33 days! I'd like to have 95% of my work done 2 weeks before, which means I have 2 WEEKS to get my butt in gear! I have plenty of little things that need my attention. one of which is seating. Should I have a map/list of guests' names & tables with a name card at their seat, or should I make escort cards and have guests seat themselves at the table? Well, if I do escort cards I would like something cute and/or clever.... like any of these:

photo credit: www.elizabethannedesigns.com

photo credit: poptasticbride.com

photo credit: left & right 

lavender escorts double as pretty table decor

These succulent escort cards double as party favors :)

Thank you Allison for emailing me some escort card inspiration and for the advice. You're totally right-  "You can do something simple and just add a tiny twist to make it kind of different. For example, an escort card with something that matches your wedding taped with a little piece of glitter tape." I think the simple route is the direction I'm headed ;)

What are your thoughts, brides-to-be? Anyone else only a month a way? Or perhaps you just had your big day? Any words of wisdom for me as I wuickly approach mine???

xo, Taya

Introducing Our New Series {THE COLORY}

I've been a little quiet over here. Luckily these fabulous E&I brides have been holding down the fort talking about the pretty weddings they are planning while I work on kicking things into high gear over here. The site is going through a re-design and re-development, so you can expect lots of new things coming to this here inspiration hub in the next few months.

Columns + Series are going to be a fun new addition to this blog, and I can't wait to show you what I have up my sleeves.  Today we are starting with a new color series I like to call "The Colory". Think of it as the place to go for all things color!

Fall is upon us which means changing color palettes and beautiful weddings in lush color palettes. Luckily for us, gold is in all year long and actually makes a perfect fall color. Check out this fabulously gold mood board filled with plenty of ideas to incorporate a little something shiny into your wedding day plans.

Source: Cake, Packaging, Sarah Seven, Drinks, Cupcake, Invitation Suite, Shoes, Gold Animals, Chairs

Looking for a little help incorporating gold into your wedding day? Engaged & Inspired offers a series of services including design, crafting and consultations allowing you to get organized and get your design on track.  Let's tackle your wedding together!

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

This past weekend marked our negative one year wedding anniversary! So far our engagement has flown by and I have a feeling that the next year will fly by even faster. With 362 days and counting until our wedding, it is definitely time to nail down a destination for our bachelor/bachelorette party. Having friends spread out across the country, we decided that a joint bachelor/bachelorette party would be a great way for everyone to meet before the wedding. Attending our friends’ combined bachelor/bachelorette celebration in Mexico a few weeks ago (with fellow bride blogger Rachel!) has only solidified this further. Austin is at the top of our list so far.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, & 4

I hear Austin has an amazing nightlife, music and food scene. Plus, it's central location will hopefully make it easy for everyone to get there.

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

Another front runner is Palm Springs.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, & 4

Pretty hard to beat a weekend lounging by the pool with your favorite people in the world.

Sources: 1, 2, 3 & 4

Of course we have tossed around the idea of Las Vegas as well.

Are you planning or have you been to a joint bachelor/bachelorette celebration? Any cool (easily accessible) destinations I should also look into?

White by Vera Wang Winter 2013 Collection

Oh how I love the changing seasons. Along with boots and scarves comes a whole new collection of bridal goodies that we just can't seem to get enough of. It is no surprise that we love bridal designer Vera Wang, but how she manages to make such gorgeous gowns in such an affordable price point is something out of this world. We talked a little bit about the White by Vera Wang collection at David's Bridal, and we are here to show you the next collection.

Source: White by Vera Wang, White by Vera Wang, White by Vera Wang

The above are a few of our favorite pieces from her new collection. So many ruffles to make our hearts dance. Complete your look with a few different pieces from the White by Vera Wang accessories collection.

SOURCE: Dress, Band, Shoes

Which pieces are you loving from the White by Vera Wang collection? We'd love to hear you thoughts!

Mix-Matched Groomsmen

This is genius. Enough said.

MAKING THIS: Wedding Signs

Today we are making super simple wedding signs. These are pretty darn easy and really amp up any piece of your wedding. A "sweet nothings" sign above your dessert table, a ceremony sign across the altar, a "gifts" sign or how about a s'more table sign for a little something special for your guests.

Things to grab before starting this project:  1.  White Letters from Michaels. \\ 2. Jute Twine from Home Depot \\ Glue Gun

• Decide what you want your lovely signs to say. "Give Me Your Forever" is a lyric from a Ben Harper song. Feel free to pull from whatever inspiration you choose.
• Layout the letters evenly on the twine and glue! Glue like crazy :)
• And there you have it! Enjoy making some fabulous signs for your big day! (Or even for your home)

 Enjoy!

Clutchspiration

Today is exactly 50 days from my wedding day. 50 DAYS. I think I'm in shock. Just 50 days ago it felt like we had a million years to get all of my little projects and concepts completed. Now every single day is just slipping through my fingers. Thankfully this past weekend we got away for a couple of days to celebrate our 6th anniversary. We ran away in the Triumph to Healdsburg for some sunning, wine tasting, and a mind-blowing vegan dinner at Cyrus. It was a bit weird to think that this was our last anniversary as boyfriend and girlfriend, fiancé and fiancée. So now what happens... do we start back over at one again?

Anyways, among all the impending decisions I need to make, one of the fun ones is picking a purse!

BHLDN

A vintage clutch would be lovely. Or a modern art deco inspired clutch would make me just as happy. So let's fantasize for just a minute about the absurdly expensive ones.

top: Judith Leiber clutch, bottom: Bijou Tresor clutch

Okay, now that I've drooled on the keyboard, let's look at the more affordable ones.

top: Anthropologie, middle: Monsoon Accessorize, bottom left: Monsoon Accessorize, bottom right: Monsoon Accessorize

I'm really loving the idea of using a clutch as my something blue. What do you think?

Do you have any great tips for where to find a cute vintage inspired clutch? Which one is your favorite? Do you even need a clutch on your wedding day?

Nail'd It!

So while I was debating on hairstyles last week, I also began to  wonder what I should do with my nails. To bling or not to bling? It's a silly topic to some, but to others this is something fun to discuss and to distract you from your endless to-do list and piles of DIY supplies. (That "others" is me right now...big time!)

For me, freshly polished nails are a cherry to a perfect look. I'm not big on acrylic so I know I won't go that route but what's a girl to do? Our colors are various blues, creamy tans and earthy greens and browns. So I was thinking of adding a bit of blue in a fun way without going overboard maybe with something like these.

Source: The Beauty Department, Lyndar the Merciles

I'm a huge fan of the ring finger jazzed up with  something sparkly and these looks are just the ticket.

Source: Glamour, Cupcakes and Cashmere

These twists on the classic french manicure are fun too! 

Source: The Beauty Department, Pinterest, Something To Drink

Between all the big decisions and DIY goof-ups (more on this in another post), it's nice to focus on some small fun details like nails. My mind can relax a bit before it's back down to business. Time is flying by and I can't wait to make more planning progress to share!

How big are nails to you on the big day? Flashy or plain, where do you stand?

Connect with me elsewhere! Twitter | Pinterest | Blog

Inspirations From Mexico

My fiance and I traveled to Mexico this past week for a friends' combined bachelor/bachelorette celebration. We had an amazing time to say the least! With weddings on the mind and bridal magazines as pool/beach side reads, I couldn't help but daydream of Mexico-inspired weddings. Please join me as I swoon over Mexican-inspired celebraciones de amor.

Source

Source

Source

Source

Until next week.

Gracias!