so many projects...so little time

Today was my very last day of class...EVER!! Like, seriously, I am officially both a JD and an LLM! TWO graduates degrees under my belt...how did that happen!!?!

ok. well. not "officially." I still have to finish my thesis, submit one paper and take a final...but I'm oh-s0-close. Once I'm done with that I can FINALLY focus on the wedding.

Speaking of which, I am getting married in ONE MONTH!!!! WOOOHOOOOOOOO.

As a little celebration, today after class, I decided to stop by a great little antique store on my way home. Here's what I picked up:



As usual, I made a impulse vintage purchase and now I'm wonder, what should I do with them!?!?Originally, I was thinking I could use them under the centerpieces but I don't think I'll be able to get nearly enough. Then I was considering using them on the dessert table under the cake stands and such. Then, since I don't have enough on my plate (*note the sarcasm), I thought I should MAKE something! Of course, why not?

How great is this?

{Made it}
While cutting them in half would allow me to get more bang for my buck, I don't feel great about cutting apart vintage handmade doilies. The owner spent 20 minutes telling me about all the places her (recently deceased) mother bought each and every one of these doilies! I just wouldn't feel right cutting them in half.

So the search continued and I found this:

Emily O /Elizabeth Anne Designs}

According to the DIY tutorial, you just have to iron and starch the doilies a little to get them to hang without flopping all over the place. This certainly seems like a viable option. It's a simple DIY project that doesn't complete destroy the doilies.

Best of all, when I told the owner I needed a small one to try and make a ring pillow, she threw this one in for free! She said "for luck and a great marriage."


I was thinking I could just get some linen/burlap and make a little pillow and then stitch the doily onto the pillow. Then I found this:

{Soda Pop Design}

It's a DIY doily ring bowl! Granted the tutorial is in German but if you just stick the link into google translate its totally DO-ABLE! Unfortunately the doily I have isn't great for this but I thought the tutorial was so great that I just had to share. PLEASE someone make thisand tell me how it goes. Even if I can't make this for my own wedding, its a great present for future weddings and so adorable.

Does anyone have any great doily inspiration they can share?! I need something easy that I can do with only a handful of doilies.

A lovely lounge

I've been doing A LOT of vintage posts recently. From my love for vintage mismatched plates to my obsession with vintage hankies, I've been vintage crazy! Now as a change of pace I want to talk about my Cake & Champagne reception.

As you may recall, we will be having an early morning wedding. Originally, I wanted to get married at sunrise (it's been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember) but we decided to spare my guests the agony of waking up at 5am.... sooooo we are having the wedding at 9. (I know, I know... but the invites are out so it's happening at 9!) After getting married down on the beach, the guests will join us back at the villa for an amazing brunch!

One of the common complaints about brunch weddings is that people can't really "party" at 11am! After much thought, we decided to also host a Cake & Champagne reception in the evening. At first we were going to do it in the main living-room but the space seemed like it may be too large for our group and there is something so special about dancing under the stars, so we decided to take it upstairs! If you remember the rooftop terrace at the villa, we've decided to hire a dj and turn that area into a lovely dance/lounge space.

This is what the space looks like:

{Punto de Vista - Facebook}

We are going to rent a clear tent, rent some great white furniture and hang ribbon and candles in the space. We are also trying to get our wedding logo screen-printed on some throw pillows to add color to the space.

The great thing about the villa is that there are already lots of throw pillows and great white furniture at the house. So hopefully we'll be able to get away with renting just one or two pieces and just screen printing a dozen pillowcases or so. (Plus, I'll be able to take the pillowcases home!)

These three photos are the inspiration for the space:

{KT Merry via Style Me Pretty}
{Jasmine Star via Style Me Pretty}
{Mel Barlow + Allan Zepeda via i love swmag}
Later I'll talk about the great desserts and late-night snacks we have planned! After all, it wouldn't be a late-night lounge with out late-night bar foods, right!?!?

What do you think? Do you think my guests will love it or think its a little self-indulgent to invite them BACK for more festivities?

To love and to cherish: vintage hankies

{Melissa Musgrove via Marry You Me}
First of all, I want to apologize for my absence the last few days. That being said my wedding is NEXT MONTH!!

In the last month, I have been in Spain, France, Belgium, and Germany. Along the way I've collected a number of great little trinkets to include in our big day. I'll blog about all the great stuff I've picked up but today I just want to talk about vintage hankies!

Much like the rest of the blogosphere, I am head over heels in love with vintage handkerchiefs.
I've been picking up handkerchiefs at flea markets across Europe at around $0.25-$0.50 a piece!

Here are some of my favs!

{Personal Photo}
Last weekend, I also picked up three handmade lace embroidered hankies in Brugge, the lace capital of the world.

{Personal Photo}
This one is for my bridal bouquet. Since it's all white I'll probably use some twine or pink ribbon to add some texture and color.

{Personal Photo}
I picked these up for mama Pancakes and my FMIL . I am considering getting them embroidered with our wedding date but they are so sweet already, that I may just leave them alone!

Now that I have all these lovely floral hankies, I have to decide what to do with them. I originally thought I would take the traditional route and put them in a basket for my guests, much like our very own Mrs. Cheeseburger.

{Mrs. Cheeseburger/Photographer: Jessica Ames}

But then I began to have second thoughts. This may sound a little selfish but hear me out. One of the reasons I am reconsidering the hankies in a basket option is because I am not sure that many people will appreciate having a vintage hankie. On the other hand, I would LOVE to own 30 vintage hankies. I would use them all the time! The less selfish version: I really want to give my guests favors/gifts that they will not just appreciate but enjoy and cherish. So I am thinking perhaps I should use the hankies for something else.

Here's a great way to present these hankies as gift to your bridesmaids. Lauren's blog has a complete tutorial on how to put together these sweet little gifts.

{Lauren Elise Crafted}

Now if you've been on the wedding blog circuit from awhile you will recognize this next picture. I mean, who doesn't love Dani, from Oh hello Friend! Not to mention the gorgeousness that is Simply Bloom (and if you don't know what I'm talking about, you should probably head over and check out both their blogs. After you finish reading this blogpost, of course. :D)

{Simply Bloom via 100 Layer Cake}

Point is, a vintage handkerchief banner could be soooo perfect. Imagine it hanging over a dessert table with a gorgeous cake and lots of baked goodies piled high on perfect little vintage cake stands!

I think I prefer the triangle look but the squares with the clothespins also has a certain rustic sweetness to it. I image this option would photograph really well at an outdoor wedding with a slight breeze. Doesn't that sound to die for?

{Jill Thomas via Style Me Pretty}

Then there are these less traditional uses which I don't love as much but I thought I'd share!

{Once Wed via Fill Your Well}

{For a DIY tutorial check out: Skip to my Lou}

Last but not least, here are some great things I could do with the hankies after the wedding.

Wouldn't a vintage hankie quilt make the best wedding memento?

{Etsy: Mary McCulty's Design Shop}

{Poppytalk}

What do you think? How would you put these vintage lovelies to use? What other options did I miss?

L.A. Times

A few months ago, my FMIL mentioned that she had found "the perfect" MOTG dress, but with a price tag of $3800, it was way outside her budget. I also vaguely remember her mentioning something about writing a letter to a "fashion expert" to ask for advice.

Yet, no one was more surprised than I was to see this letter featured in the L.A. Times Image Section:

Dear Ms. Magsaysay,
My beloved son is getting married in May, and my taste in dresses exceeds my bank account.

I have attached a photo of two dresses I really like. They are similar in many ways. The photo on the left has more than one dress -- I am interested in the one in the middle, which I have marked in the photo, but those dresses cost upward of $3,000.

As mother of the groom I am told not to wear white or off-white, and not to wear the color of the mother of the bride which is, I think, kind of a soft purple, maybe called mauve. The bridesmaids are wearing a pink, soft. I hate pink so that is out. I kind of want some shade of mauve. Too bad for the rules I guess. Since we are having a destination wedding (Costa Rica) and I am a teacher, the lower the better for cost...less than 300. Is there hope? My hope is for a dress with a vintage '20s look.

Click here to read more.