DIY Invitations Revealed

After spending a year oohing and ahhing over all of the gorgeous invitation suites I saw on Pinterest, we reached a point where we finally had to come up with our own. And as with everything else, to my fiancé's dismay, I needed it to be DIY. Let me briefly digress by saying that every line on my exhaustive (and exhausting) budget is a chance for a little competition. Hence the overkill on DIY projects.

Oh, hello budget. You think my invitations are going to cost $800? Well, think again!

Anyways, after several trips to Paper Source and FedEx Kinko's, and after a couple of crying fits in front of Photoshop, we finally finished our eco-friendly DIY invitations. Et voilà!

And here is the whole thing constructed and deconstructed...

 

"One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple." - Jack Kerouac

Remember the Kerouac quote on the envelope? It's one of our favorites, so we tied it into the invitation wording :)

And Kyle even drew custom maps for us!

 

I have to admit that even though I never wanted to look at another invitation in my entire life by the time we got these in the mail, I was quite eager to hear what people thought. I mean, I watercolored 199 pieces of paper and Kyle typed 106 custom RSVP cards and envelopes after all!

Here is what we did in summary: I designed the invitations on Photoshop using some cool free fonts, Kyle drew the maps by hand and we scanned them in, we bought all of the paper products from Paper Source (all at least 30% recycled!) including the vintage San Francisco postcards, bought eco-friendly hemp string and antique sailboat charms from etsy, found some great 1950s sports car stamps for the postcards on ebay, bought the rest of the stamps from the regular old Post Office, had everything printed and cut at FedEx Kinko's, glued the envelope liners into the envelopes, watercolored a bunch of things, tied figure 8 knots on all of the strings to attach the sailboat charms, typed the RSVP cards and envelopes on our 1920 Underwood typewriter, drank a bunch of wine, and finally put all 53 invites together. Phew!

ALL of this, all of the postage, paper, supplies, sticky tape, paint brushes, printing, etc cost $360. Well under my $800 budget. Take that budget!!

So, what do you think? I'm dying to hear!

Wedding Website Sneak Peek

I got a call from my future sister-in-law (or just sister to me!) the other day with a very excited "Hey!!!". It seems that she was wondering if we had made our registries yet while on her lunch at work and decided to turn to Google to find the answer. Upon googling our names, she came across the Save-The-Date Video that the Mister had made for our wedding website. This of course reminded me that I haven't shared anything about our choices for a wedding website with you lovely readers! Surprise, we made one!

After sampling lots of different options we ultimately went with Wedding Wire's offerings. With unlimited pages and lots of add on's like maps, the ability to check on accommodations and even a reception song request tab, we couldn't go wrong. I also loved that the important things were available through a mobile version for people that were accessing the site through their phone.

Source: Our Website on Wedding Wire

With that said....I have to admit I am also using Appy Couple. The overall design of the app is ridiculously cool and new features are added all the time. I also like that our friends and family who have smart phones can follow along on our journey right from their home screen!

 Source: Our app from Appy Couple

I"m really happy with how both sites are turning out and cannot wait for our guests to use them.

What lead you to choose your wedding website host? How do you feel like having an app just for your wedding info?

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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?

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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?