Wedding Week Details {t stones}

Well, my big day is just around the corner. The festivities will begin this Saturday, and on Sunday I will marry Vinnie- my love, my best friend, and my better half. Although there have been some hiccups along the way, all-in-all, this planning experience has been fun and educational. I mean, who knew I could plan such a big & beautiful event!? One of the things I've truly enjoyed is magically stumbling upon talented people to help me. It happened once with finding LizzyBLoves, who designed my gorgeous invites & programs, and it happened again with the gifts for my bridesmaids. I had a vision in mind for the jewelry I wanted my girls to wear. I searched high and low at stores and couldn't find the right thing. Then I happened to run into my friend Tiffany Adams who owns a jewelry line called "T Stones". She showed me her portfolio and before you know it... boom! I had stunning custom, hand-made jewelry for my bridesmaids that totally complement the dresses! It's amazing how eventually your vision just comes together in the end. I can't show you what Tiffany made my girls, because I don't want to ruin the surprise ;-) but here's a peek at some other pieces she's made. If you live in Los Angeles you can check out her work at Cami in Manhattan Beach or give her a call to have something made just for you... The holidays are just around the corner (hint, hint)! The necklaces and earrings are made with high-quality stones and are reasonably priced! Here are two of my favorites:

Photo Credit: T Stones Jewelry

My advice to other brides out there is to have faith that it will all be beautiful and wonderful like you imagined, DELEGATE, and stay organized. It has helped me tremendously that I have been doing little things for my wedding all year; I learned recently how important delegating is too. This week I have ironed out the following details:

• seating chart (not as bad as I thought it would be)
• welcome bags (fun & affordable)
• party favors (delegated to the moms- check!)
• put someone responsible in charge of gifts & cards
• DIY table numbers & directional signs

Other than that, I just have to pick up my dress tomorrow and show up on Saturday for the rehearsal! I feel relaxed & ecstatic at the same time! I know that this weekend will be one that I'll remember always!

On that note, I'll leave you with some breathtaking "first looks." I can't wait for mine! :)

Photo Credit: Bridal Guide

Photo Credit: Style Me Pretty

Photo Credit: Style Me Pretty

 It's hard to believe that I have contributed 46 posts to this fabulous blog over the past 11 months. This has been such a rewarding experience. THANK YOU Allison for this opportunity. I'll be back posting on E&I a couple more times to share with you my thoughts from "the other side" and of course share photos and video with you once they're ready.

Yours Truly,

Taya (soon-to-be DiCarlo)

E&I Bride: Lesley Tying The Knot At Vine Hill House

I'm totally excited to introduce you all to another fabulous blogger that will be blogging her journey to I Do here on Engaged & Inspired. Let me introduce you all to Lesley! She is absolutely adorable and totally stylish. I can not wait to see how her wedding unfolds and all the amazing details she will be adding to her fabulous day. She is tying the knot on August 24, 2013 in Sebastopol, CA at the Vine Hill House.

Any other Vine Hill House brides planning a 2013 wedding?? Let us know how we can help!

COLORY: Radiant Red

Time to go red here at The Colory. For me, red is one of the toughest colors to work with, so I love when a team of vendors can make it look so darn good! Mixing red details with some calming colors such as cream and gold are the perfect way to add the perfect amount without going overboard. What do you think?? Is this a fun fall color or what?!

Source: Lipstick, Drinks, Macaroons, Drinks, Cake, Shoes, Popsicles

Looking for a fabulous team of vendors? Check out Inspired Guide to find those vendors that fit your budget and style.

Party Down {size}!

Well the wedding party anyway. Right after we got engaged, Derek and I quickly decided on our wedding party. We knew that for our own sanity (not wanting to deal with the friend politics of putting a label on who our "best" friends are) and for the aesthetic we wanted for our wedding photos, a small wedding party was the best option for us. On our wedding day I will have my sister and cousin (who is like another sister) by my side.  Derek will have his two brothers by his. This was by far the easiest wedding decision we have made thus far, and I couldn't be more excited about keeping it in the family.

My bridal party will be like the photo below from my cousin's wedding, except this time I will be the one in white.

 Source: Stacia's Photography

A little history of the origins of the wedding party:

Historically, the wedding party was the group of gentlemen who helped the groom to capture his bride. The first usher and groomsmen job was to help the groom fight off the bride's attacking family. Later, women joined the party to assist the bride in decorating for her wedding feast and dressing for her wedding. Initially the women all wore the same attire as the bride because it was thought to create a protective circle around her. My, how times have changed...

Sources: 1, 2 & 3

 As most brides say, I want my bridesmaids to wear a dress that they will actually want to wear again, so I would like to go a less traditional route for my bridesmaid dresses. I love the mismatched bridesmaid trend, but I'm not really sure how I could pull that off with only two ladies.

Sources: 1, 2, 3 & 4

I also know that even though I am not having sixteen bridesmaids, I would still like my friends to be a part of our wedding in some creative way. Whether that means joining me to get ready or a pre-wedding photo shoot.

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Did you have a small wedding party? How did you incorporate all of the people who are important to you?

Beautiful Bites {Choosing a Caterer}

Hello there! If there's one thing to know about me and my wedding it's this: I. LOVE. FOOD. My fiance and I are major foodies, and our number one priority is having delicious local and seasonal food at our wedding. Since there are so many amazing caterers to choose from, one way to help narrow them down is their presentation. During our catering tastings, I was blown away by the unique, imaginative, and inventive presentation of the hors d'oeuvres. Here are a few images inspiring my appetizer and hors d'oeuvres selections:

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So what's been tantalizing your taste buds lately?

Strengthen Your Brand With Film - A Workshop

Super excited to announce our very first strengthen your brand day! That's right vendors, this post is for you! Find out how this workshop can help you broaden your online presence and in turn give potential clients insight into your brand! Films are an increasingly popular way to give potential clients insight into you and your company. Telling your story and showcasing your personality does wonders for the brides who is judging who to book based off a website and portfolio. Let them get to know you! We feel that it is incredibly important to help vendors obtain a well-crafted film to showcase on their website without paying the big bucks! (On average a video of this length is quoted at over $2,000!).

Strengthen your brand, tell your story and show off your skills in a 90 second video. All in a few hours!

Interested? Apply at: allison@engagedandinspired.com.

How it works: You'll be given a color palette and mood board (although we are totally happy to hear your ideas in terms of style and colors!) and will prepared your portion of a styled photoshoot (if you are a florist, you'll do the flowers, photographers will shoot a vignette that is already set up, etc). We will capture you working your magic as well as hosting a small interview telling us a bit about you!

You will receive a film that you can add to your website giving brides a glimpse into your personality, brand and style of work! From there, let the bookings begin!

Sarah Seven Fall 2013 Collection + Trunk Show

Sarah Seven's Fall 2013 collection is here! This collection features amazing textures, those gorgeous sweetheart necklines we all love, and a little bit of color! I'm totally in love with these pieces, and I know you will be too!

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you are pretty darn lucky! Sarah is hosting a trunk show featuring her Fall 2013 collection! Meet the designer (she's the sweetest person ever), try on her fabulous looks AND enjoy 10% off your purchase that weekend. It really doesn't get any better than that, now does it?

Bonus:  There will be a huge sample sale on party dresses during the trunk show as well, so if you have had your eye on one of her fabulous shorties, now is the time to make the purchase.

Spots are filling up fast. Hurry and book your appointment online.

DIY Cake Topper Cutouts

I've seen so many cute silhouette cake toppers on Pinterest lately, that I thought I'd have a stab at my own. And while I'm at it, why not personalize it? If you recall, our Save the Dates had a little pirate theme that we screen printed. I wanted to replicate that design for our cake toppers. So, here we go... here's how to make customized cake topper cutouts!

Materials needed:

- Paper (I used cardstock black and glitter red from Paper Source)

- Wooden Skewers

- X-Acto Knife

- Mat for cutting

- Glue (I used Elmer's)

- Printouts of what you want your silhouettes to be

- Heavy books

- Scotch tape

For a double sided cake topper, like the hearts I made, fold your paper in half and tape it closed on the sides. Then tape your stencil to the paper, so it doesn't slide around when you're cutting.

Trace the stencil lines, pushing as hard as you can! You have 3 layers of paper to get through, but don't worry if you can't cut all of the way through. If you're like me and don't have the willpower to cut through all 3 layers of paper, take your stencil off, and trace back over the lines you cut with your X-Acto knife, pushing all of the way through the paper.

 

Success!!

Match up the hearts (or whatever shape you're doing) that are the same size, and put glue on the backs of just one of each of the pairs. Then stick the wooden skewer on the middle of the heart with glue, with the pointy side inside of the heart (leaving the blunt end of the skewer at the other end - basically the opposite of what I'm showing below). Roll the stick around a bit to spread the glue.

 

Press the matching hearts together, pushing them together around the skewer. Wipe off any glue that squeezes out of the sides. Then cover each half of the heart with a heavy book. Basically, push two books up next to each other so they both meet at the skewer. Leave it alone for a day as it dries!

 

When the hearts are dry, take your X-Acto knife and cut around the edges so there are no white spots sticking out. You may also want to color in the white edges with a red pen (or whatever colors you're using), so you don't see any white. And now you have some cute glittery heart cake toppers!

As for a more complicated stencil, where you probably only want to cut out one silhouette (because cutting out matching ones would be impossible!), it's all basically the same. You just have to be much more careful when you're cutting.

 

Once you think you have the entire stencil cut out, remove the stencil from your paper. Finish cutting all of the lines and corners very carefully directly on the paper, so it pops out clean and easy. Then glue or tape your cutout to a skewer.

Then stick it on a cake, take a picture, and eat the cake. You've earned it!

I rather enjoyed this delicious vegan chocolate cake from Café Indigo after all of this :)

You May Kiss the Bride {Finding an Officiant}

There is one thing I have been completely putting off in wedding planning...finding our officiant. It is the only thing on those helpful wedding checklists that I have let go by and not done anything about - not even a google search. I'm one of those people where if I don't know how to do something, I sort of just focus on the things I like to do until I'm getting down to the wire on timing :)  So right now I am staring at the 10-month check list and realizing we are already down to 9 months. But, hey!, some people plan an entire wedding in 9 months, so I'm sure we'll figure it out! The officiant is such an important part of the day. The whole reason we are planning a wedding is to get married after all! The person will set the tone and should be a reflection of my fiancé and I.

So without further ado, my search begins.

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If you have any advice for me about finding an officiant while being in another state, please do tell! Skype-friendly officiant, anyone?

The Home Stretch {12 days left}

It's hard to believe that there are just 12 days left until my wedding day. They say that times flies by during this process, however I would like to specify that it speeds up once you hit your 3 month mark. Everything before that point felt organized, calm, and creative. I've hit a point where I simply just want to check everything off of my list so I can breathe easy and enjoy this time leading up to our big day. That being said, there are a number of loose ends that need to be addressed, and unexpected events that have happened.... for instance today I have to meet with my florist again because they completely missed the mark with what I asked for. Thank God I had the opportunity to do a final preview to make any last minute tweaks or changes! NOTE: ask for a preview of what your flowers will look like before hand! In retrospect I was much too trusting that they would understand my vision. I gave them multiple photos of what I wanted and they still messed up! Lesson learned- always get a preview of your linens and flowers.

To refresh your memory, this is the floral look I'm going for:

Photo Credits: Left, Bottom right

Photo Credits: Top, Bottom

The one thing I'm very proud of is how I've taken care of my health and body leading up to this point. From the get-go I did not want to be one of those brides that crash-dieted or went to extremes to look "perfect" on their wedding day. As Vinnie and I have discussed, "fit is the new sexy." For the past 11 months I have eaten well (not restricted myself), have exercised consistently, and taken care of my skin. Now that my big day is just around the corner I feel fantastic (inside and out) knowing I gave it my all! Here's a little inspiration board of what I've done to get in great shape and stay that way... I keep it pretty simple: Bar Method, Spin Class and jogging my dogs :)

photo credits: Top, bottom left, bottom right

This week is going to be crazy busy for me because I plan on finishing everything there is to be done so next week can be enjoyable! I am ready for the celebration, but most of all I'm excited for our ceremony. It's going to be personal, romantic, sweet and sentimental... many happy tears I'm sure.

Looking forward to my last post next week as a "bride-to-be!" yippee!

xo, Taya