Friday Link Love

Friday.  You’re killing me this week.

I mean, “around 105“?  Up to 110 on Saturday?  The map is red, Friday, and I’m not by the pool.  We’re going to have to have a talk with Saturday and rectify this situation, because this is some serious shit.

All jokes aside, I hope you’re all staying cool.  It’s looking to be a pretty crazy weekend on this side of the country, so drink lots of water, wear lots of sunscreen, and do try to have a little fun!

Honestly, I think we’re planning to brave some 110 degree berry picking this weekend.  Crazy? Maybe a little… but I really want those darn fresh blueberries.

How about you?  Any fantastic plans for the heat wave?

Here are a few things I’m loving this week…

All of these lovely wedding hair features on Once Wed.

This crazy awesome super hipster wedding invite.

Brass.

The cutest and tiniest nursery ever.

That leather wine carrier wants to come home with me.

Helmet hair.

This beautiful food photography.

A Little Inspiration: 4th of July

Fruit Cones / Couple / Yarn Jars / Beer Vases / Strawberry Shortcake Pops / Blueberry, Strawberry, & Jicama Salsa

I know the holiday is little inconvenient this year, since it falls on a Wednesday, but are you planning a party for the 4th of July?

If I were, I would be all over those beer bottle vases and yarn jars.  I feel like they’re just the right mix of pretty and fun… and could be thrown together even at the last minute for very little dough.

… did you notice how I’m talking you into throwing a party?

Alosha & Stephanie’s Artsy Engagements

Stephanie, an art teacher, and her fiancé Alosha really wanted their engagement shots to represent who they are as a couple, and what better idea for this creative pair than to stage a painting party?

Photographer: iDropPHOTO

Our Weekend: Part Two + My Something Old

Remember how excited I was about the little gold brooch pinned to this bride’s dress?  I have a few other accessories in mind that happen to be gold, and I hadn’t realized it before, but silver seriously dominates the sash market.  So I’ve been having the hardest time finding the perfect sash… and my dress definitely needs a little something in that arena.

Enter that little gold brooch.  It was the perfect solution!  So I went looking for my own, and look what I turned up!

All it took was a trip to the Brooklyn Flea.

What do you think?  Would you choose a brooch over a sash?  Or pin a brooch to your sash?

C’mon, be honest.

Our Weekend: Part One

Guys. We had the best weekend.

We took it pretty easy, but it was really one of the best trips I’ve ever taken into the city.  I picked up my dress, and minus one minor breakdown, I’m sure that it will be beautiful on the day.  It’s still a little tough to envision, since the top was clearly made for a lady with, ya know… some boobs (not me).  But it shouldn’t take much to get it fitting just right.

I think my mind will be eased in a big big way after a trip to a good tailor.

As for Mark, he had the best experience picking out the fabric for his suit (dark blue! but that’s all I’m allowed to know… he’s keeping it all very hush hush) and having measurements taken.  Although I don’t know a ton of the details, I know he’s going to look unbelievably fantastic.  I seriously can’t wait to see him standing at the end of that aisle… and I love that he’s keeping his look as much of a secret as mine.  It really is kind of amazing to hold on to that element of anticipation.

We stayed in Brooklyn, taking just one quick trip into Manhattan for a little brunch at Extra Virgin and some key lime cheesecake from Magnolia Bakery.  And after a long day (especially for the guy with the broken collar bone) we curled up under the covers and ordered in some of the best Chinese I think I’ve ever had.

The next day we took a walk to Smooch Cafe for a flat white and some seriously delicious breakfast, then headed to the Brooklyn Flea… where I scored my something old!

I’ll share a few shots from the Flea (and my something old) tomorrow, so be sure to check back!

Friday Link Love

Wish me luck!  This weekend I get to see my real, in the flesh, official wedding dress for the very first time!  The wait has been a killer… I hope I still feel the same.

Here are a few things I’m loving this week…

This lovely farm to table engagement dinner.

These super cool wooden spoons.

This whole shoot… but especially those flowers.

This really did restore my faith in humanity.

This amazing bathing suit… via Wit & Delight.

Whole wheat cookies sound healthy… right?

Thanks Becca for introducing me to kilim pillows!

The gorgeous little brooch pinned on this bride’s dress.

This beautiful and creative idea for table numbers.

The Diet: An Update + My Favorite Healthy Food Blogs

Last time we spoke about this subject, Mark and I had decided to give up sugar and flour and everything else a few other things in an attempt to eat super healthy.

But let’s just be real here.  Eating right is super hard, and having a major event like a wedding looming on the horizon doesn’t always help the matter.  In fact, in a lot of cases, it does the opposite.

So if you’ve gained instead of lost in the course of the whole deal, well, high five.  I’m on your team.

After our failure, and as our engagement shots neared, I began to get desperate.  And despite my deeply held hatred of crash and fad diets, I even managed to talk myself into a couple of fasts… secretly loving the idea that I might be able to cleanse and restart my system, blossoming into the kind of person who dreams of quinoa and kale and shuns all thoughts of cheesecake.

But if there is one thing I really love… it is cheesecake.

Good food, good wine, and good conversation are an essential part of life in my book.  And the parts that make up the whole of a truly good meal are some of my favorites.  Deprivation just isn’t my game.

Heat Wave

As the temperature climbs into the 90s and 100s, I’m beginning to plot my escape…

There is just something so lovely about a hot summer day shot in black and white — don’t you think?

Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

On Learning the Hard Way: 9 Things I Wish I’d Known

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the advice we give and receive.  I’ve realized that someday, no matter how I try, my children will take the advice I bestow so carefully upon them with a healthy grain of salt and a whopping roll of the eyes… but the abuse will be well earned by my own insistence on ignoring my parents’ attempts to set me straight.

Sometimes (many times) we just have to learn the hard way… and we do.

But in honor of my 28^th, I thought I’d write down a few pieces of advice that a younger me would not have taken… but an older me would like to have known.

1)   You will never be a crazy cat lady.
… and no relationship’s loss is worth fearing a kitten.
2)   You will fall from grace.  You will hurt the ones you love.  You will be wrong.  Learn, grow, and take advantage of every opportunity.  It will be okay.
3)   Student.  Loans.  Suck.
4)   The man you love will make you stronger.
5)   No mistake is too big to move on.
6)   It is possible to fall asleep at the wheel. (Don’t push too hard.)
7)   Constructive criticism is essential.  Just plain criticism isn’t worth the effort… coming or going.
8)   The only person you are capable of changing is yourself.  But you are capable of change.
9)   Take more risks and do what you love. (I’m still learning this one.)

Photo: Stella McCartney Cake via Apollinas

{Real Weddings} Chris & Autumn’s SmogShoppe Nuptials

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a lovely father’s day weekend.  Austin’s first concert-going experience was a raving success, and his proud papa enjoyed a relaxing dad’s day, barbequing with friends and family and then enjoying a quiet evening at home… watching the final round of the Open.  It’s around these times that I wish I lived closer to my own dad, but I’m thankful that at least we’re able to get together as frequently as we do.

I’m excited to share an extra special treat this Monday, straight from one of my favorite photographers and one of very favorite venues… the SmogShoppe.

If you don’t know about the Shoppe, it really did begin as a smog-check center in the 80s, and has been transformed into a 100% solar-powered haven for desert plants, vertical gardens and straight up gorgeous vintage furnishings. In fact, it’s one of the most sustainably designed urban spaces in the United States… and it throws a rockin’ good party.

If you’re planning a wedding in LA, I highly suggest you check it out.

Chris and Autumn are the perfect fit for this super cool venue.  Orchids, clay tile favors, and a ton of personal touches made their day that much more special.  And rather than light a unity candle, these two music lovers chose to sing… striking their first notes together in harmony.

Thank you so much to 39 East for sharing!

Photographer: 39 East Photography / Reception Venue: SmogShoppe