fourth of july wedding

{each photo links to its shop}

at least in the states you'd have fireworks and a day off for your anniversary...

see also last year's fourth of july post.

#636: red nails.

my nails are short. so i think i could fly with poppy red nails. but i'm nervous they might be kind of "too much" against all the WHITE i'll be sporting on the day of.

you? are you going neutral or planning to flash some colorific?

anyone go either way and regret it?

(let's keep toes out of this and talk about fingernails only. toes have a lot less visibility. sorry toes.)

#631: stuff.

hi again.

i've been wanting to share these pictures with you. because i think they're nice.

but before i do, let me just say that after a small meltdown earlier this week, i feel like i'm in a good place. in other words, i've got my sh*t together. for now.

big sigh of relief.

i'd also like to add -- that i wouldn't be even close to this sane without my little sister. she's been cc'd on every email i've been blasting out for the past few weeks re: for crafts, for the rehearsal lunch, for the guestbook table, for meetings, for ideas, for a song she's going to sing during the ceremony, for the slideshow she's putting together for our entrance, for drams. everything. she only just turned 25 (our little baby!) but she's been my friggin' anchor. go figure. she's done things unprompted like clearing her schedule for this entire month so that she could be available to help me with any and all things.

i mean. srsly? i'm not even close to being as thoughtful.

and to put things into perspective, let's just say she's the kind of person who has 1000+ friends on facebook. uh, not in a weird way but in a she's-a-major-social-butterfly way. do you know what i'm saying here.

anyways.

point being. there isn't quite anything like a sister and i'm so stankin' happy to have mine. she's not my friend...she's my sister.

it's different.

here's a shot of our placecards and a closeup of the centerpieces. my bridesmaids and i spent a saturday and sunday (read: 8+ hours) cutting, folding, gluing, horsing, hurting (glue gun = scary).

#624: the makeup.

so these are the products that made the cut:
1) diorshow waterproof mascara.
2) urban decay eyeshadows.
3) make up forever eyelashes.
4) smashbox primer in light.






what i've learned.
1) makeup is damn expensive.
2) makeup is way fun to play with. but it takes time to apply. me = lazy.
3) but still. i should wear makeup more often. because it's fun.
4) there's a lot of stuff out there. it's like, crazy.
5) i toads need to practice before the wedding.

harlem renaissance: dark plum, golden poppy, for karrie

{each photo links to its shop}

Juke Box Love Song

I could take the Harlem night
and wrap around you,
Take the neon lights and make a crown,
Take the Lenox Avenue busses,
Taxis, subways,
And for your love song tone their rumble down.
Take Harlem's heartbeat,
Make a drumbeat,
Put it on a record, let it whirl,
And while we listen to it play,
Dance with you till day--
Dance with you, my sweet brown Harlem girl.

---Langston Hughes


from The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes
more poems: randomhouse.com/knopf/authors/hughes/poem.html

karrie asked me (back in february!) to help with a color board for her october wedding:

colors are deep, dark plum and golden poppy. I would love to accent with an antique gold or something like that, but I have no idea what would work. We are such crazy people; the ceremony is in the Japanese botanical gardens, the reception is at this gorgeous garden restaurant (very rustic old worldy), and W. and I dressing very Harlem Renaissance (cream, grey, drapey satin, him in tiny pinstripe vest with rolled up oxford shirt)...how more far apart can we get in terms of these, you know? We have very old world, rustic, organic and warm sensibilities and would like to portray that somehow...

i'm no snippet&ink, and it has sadly taken me forever to post this because i don't quite feel it's finished --

dear readers, help karrie out: can you find something (etsy, inspiration board elsewhere, great idea) that fits this description?

plus -- *any* excuse to post this gorgeous poem.
happy friday, everyone!

#616: clearly.

lovely images perk me up. do they perk you up.

first, hello emilia jane's engagement pics.


photos by the equally moniker-blessed photog noa of feather love.

and then second, these friggin' garlands. clearly, i haven't thought about garlands in a while and i wasn't going to even start thinking about thinking about them again. but now i'm thinking.

via oh happy day.

p.s. thanks for the heads up on these beauts, lazy bride. i think.

#567: big top.

via once wed.

to all those who plan to get married in a lovely tent. oh, and also to those who are not.

you know you love it.