Anne-Julie's enchanted garden

Anne-Julie is a French artist who sells her wares on Etsy. In case I haven't mentioned it before, I am OBSESSED with Etsy! I am like an Etsy stalker, trawling through the sites of the most fabulously, talented people in the whole wide world. Bizarre then that I have to confess... I am yet to make a single Etsy purchase... but I have a feeling that is going to change in about oh, 5 minutes.

Anyway. I digress. Introducing Anne-Julie's enchanted garden collection.
There is also a range of mirrors, postcards and bookmarks.
The mirrors would make wonderful gifts for your bridesmaids. They are sure to treasure such a pretty and useful item!

Heaven in Earth

Eco Friendly bonbonierre idea from Heaven on Earth. At just $10 each these cute little plants are the perfect gift for a garden wedding and can add to the decoration of your venue as well.
If space (and budget) are limited these little envelopes filled with seeds can double as place-settings with a cute note...
Thank you for sharing this special day. Please plant these seeds to create a lifetime of memories.

I have a confession

... I love my iphone in a way I never thought possible!! When my fiance got his and spent 23 hours gazing at it lovingly, uploading (or is it downloading??) apps and buying accessories for it I put it down to him just being a technology geek.

But as of 10:45 last Saturday when I picked up my 16gb white iphone I too have been gazing lovingly at it, frequently changing settings, buying apps, playing with those apps, changing ringtones and admiring the way the SMS is a continuous story- so cool!

Next up... blogging from my iphone. stay tuned.

Beautiful buttonholes

Loving these button-holes (and the background!)

What are your thoughts on button-holes? Do they have to match the brides/bridesmaids or is it an opportunity to use a flower you love that didn't make it into the bouquets?

Image Credit: Bride to Be

Poppies for Grace

Poppies for Grace has the most beautiful stationery; the usual invites, cards and gift tags as well as the more unusual bookplates, mobiles and stickers. The ranges are beautifully illustrated with and have a hand-made feel to them with all the paper 100% recyclable.

Poppies for Grace have stockists all over Australia however the online shopping is definitely the most fun! (and addictive!)


Cards (blank inside). I use them for pretty thank-you notes

Bookplates


Wall Planner and notebooks


Christmas cards, tags and paper


Wedding invitations
Bird mobile

Check out their blog for all the behind the scenes fun of the beautiful designers, Alana and Sara- http://poppiesforgrace.blogspot.com/

Quote of the week

"True love begins when nothing is looked for in return."
Antoine De Saint Exupery

Overload

With planning my own wedding (not to mention having started a blog with lots of wedding-ish things) , the inside of my head looked a little like this-
so I took a little break for my birthday weekend and had a fabulous time!!
And a little too many of these...

Alex Perry Ready-to-Wear Bridal

was launched in August 2008 and was created from some of his most popular designs. I was lucky enough to attend a fashion parade of the gowns and they are all just amazing and there are ones for almost every body shape.
Alex spoke after the show and was very definite about how important it is to choose a dress for your shape- which is sometimes very different to what a bride has in mind initially!!


My favourite is the one with the black bow, which was sadly all sold out as they only created 1 gown in this style (bizarre for a RTW collection wouldn't you agree?).

Alex Perry RTW is $2,000- $10,000. A custom-made starts at $10,000.

5 of the best: Invitations

Introducing- 5 of the best, a new series of my Top 5 favourites for all wedding related items. First up- Invitations and stationery. I was one of those kids who LOVED back to school stationery shopping and still love an adventure to Officeworks and so out of everything for the wedding (aside from my dress!) I think I am most excited about picking stationery.

There are so many choices; the wording, the stock, design, font, printing process and the stationery really sets the tone and theme for the whole event.

So, without further ado- my top 5 stationery and invitation companies:

5. Alannah Rose
Paddington based invite company who also offer custom design.


4. Bella Figura
New York based company who offer online shopping and delivery to Australia.


3. Angels Dreaming
Events and invitations that will set the tone and theme for your event. The quality and presentation is beyond compare.

2. Artisan Press
This small company based in Lane Cove offers a personalised service re-creating the old-fashioned art of letterpress.


1. Dori Ann's Stationary Boutique
This was a tough decision as I am personally obsessed with letterpress however I just love the original designs of these invites and their sense of fun. Dori Ann has something for every occasion in the Wedding Calendar.

Engagement Party/Pre-Wedding Shower


Save the Date
Bachelorette Party


Bridal Shower


Rehearsal Dinner


The Wedding


Thank You
And, for those just looking for cute party invites, how fun are these?!

Struggling to create a colour theme?

I was, until I found the Palette Generator. Check it out now to find complimentary colours to any photo you upload.

Work with the venue colours to create a theme

Or take a pic of your moodboard and upload it.


Moodboard from Bride to Be, venue QVB Tearooms.

Dressed Up

recessionista n. A person who dresses stylishly on a tight budget.

With the economy in free fall and the hip pocket being mugged by rent/mortgage increases and petrol prices so high you think you have blurred vision, I can feel my (already fairly teeny) clothes budget shrink in fear of the dreaded 'R' word!!

If this sounds like you too, head to Dressed Up, a website where the latest fashions from known Aussie labels (Nicola Finetti, Manning Cartell, Life with Bird to name a few) can be rented for one day, one week or a month for a fraction of the retail price. All with the click of your mouse!

A great idea for those who can't bear the thought of wearing the same outfit twice or even budget conscious bridesmaids and wedding guests. Why buy a gown you'll only wear once when you can just hire it! All the glossy fashion mags have been preaching about investing in the classic pieces that never go out of style but with the party season approaching and several weddings on the horizon there is only so many times the same tired old frocks can be dragged out!

How it works (in the words of Dressed Up):

1 borrow Browse through and find the garment that you love, then click "Borrow". Your Borrowed garment will be delivered to you beautifully wrapped and ready to be hung in your wardrobe. Delivery is approx. 1-4 business days to metropolitan Australian Locations

2 enjoy Keep it as long as you like! A week! A month! The choice is yours. Rental is on a weekly basis, so if you find you would like to wear your garment again you can choose to keep it for as long as you like. We are here to make you happy, If your not thrilled with what you have borrowed, we'll make things right.

3 return Change your look as often as you like. Returns are easy and return shipping is FREE! Simply follow the return delivery instructions which are included in your package. (There is no additional shipping cost!) No need to dry clean.

Just some of the range;
White Suede- Baby Knows Vintage

Rent: $89
Buy: $319

Manning Cartell- Cellophane Dress

Rent: $131 Buy: $599

Nicola Finetti- Pleated Dolman Dress Fuschia

Rent: $92
Buy: $473

Camilla- Alhambra Peasant Dress

Rent: $150
Buy: $657

Wayne Cooper- Plunge front dress with belt



Rent: $156
Buy: $792