New Web Address

Hi readers!

I've decided to migrate my blog to Wordpress since I find it easier to use than Blogger. I hope you will continue to check in with my blog over there:

ithinkimightbeagrownup.wordpress.com

See you there!

~Natalie

Wedding Colors

Choosing the wedding colors was initially really tough for me. I knew I wanted a main color that would work well in the fall (i.e. not seem out of season, like a light pink or turquoise might) and then one or two complimentary colors, but it was really hard nailing down a palette that felt right.

First I thought maybe navy and a green color (all images courtesy of snippet & ink, unless otherwise noted):

But something about the green made it feel summery, which I didn't want.

What about white? Very bridal (obviously) and sort of a-seasonal (if that is even a word, probably not).

So wintry, though... and I feel strongly that the word snow is a "bad four-letter word" - so white is a no.

Then I thought maybe brown could be the primary color - very fall:

I stuck with brown for a while until I realized I really didn't the color all that much - the idea of having brown bridesmaid dresses just made me feel blah - nothing about brown makes me light up or feel excited, it's just... brown... and I wanted my wedding color to make me smile.

I kept going back to navy... it would work in the fall, though it's not a typical "fall" color and I get a good feeling when I think of navy (which sounds ridiculous, but you have to take those things into account!). The dilema? Since it's not a standard fall color, how could I make it work without being too summery or too nautical? The accent color would be key, but I couldn't come up with one I liked... When I talked to my all too rational mom about this she said "you just seem to want navy. Why not just have navy be your color and pick the accent color later?" Genius. We went ahead with navy and haven't looked back. Here is the inspiration board I made the night I decided navy was the color:

However, I still haven't found *the* accent color... I did add a taupe color (which you can see on the S/Ds) to the navy (it's actually the color of the sash in my wedding dress - more on that later), but I still think we need a pop of color in places - the bridesmaids shoes, for example - and I can't find a color that feels right. Here are some options:

Navy and yellow or navy and orange (definitely fall colors, though the yellow still feels a little summery, especially with the navy, don't you think?):

I like the orange/marigold color, but Brian told me he's not a fan... Look how pretty those bridesmaids look with those orange bouquets?! I might try to convince him...

There are also some more feminine options using "girlie" colors like pink or purple:

I like the lavender color above better than the pale pink, but both, again, seem like they would work better for a spring of summer wedding or even a fall wedding in a city - not a fall wedding in the mountains. I'm keeping the lavender in mind, though.

A recent find is navy and a deep red (my mom is thinking of deep red or burgundy for her MOB dress, so it's been on my mind lately). I really like the below inspiration board:

And, last, but not least is trusty navy and green, though I like this board better than the ones above - it uses a darker, more olive green as opposed to a summery, grass green (this one is from With This Ring):

Any thoughts on this topic? Brian, I'm talking to you... :)

Vendors VI - Florist

The florist for the wedding was another one of those "you had me at hello" moments - I've really been lucky that the almost all the vendors I have for my wedding have been like that. Stacey from The Bloom Room in Asheville will be doing all the flowers for the ceremony and reception and she'll execute all the design elements the day of the wedding. With Stacey and Caroline, I definitely don't need a wedding planner!

My first meeting with Stacey was great - she listened for a while about what I was envisioning and asked a bunch of questions, then she started spouting off ideas. If I loved one she'd write it down, if I didn't love one she'd go in another direction - no judgement. It was clear to me that she wanted to make sure that on my wedding day I saw exactly what I envisioned.

Along the way, I've been emailing her (at her request!) with images that inspire me in some way. They don't all have to make it into the wedding, but she said it helps her get a better idea about what my aesthetic is. I was going to post some of the images, but I couldn't get blogger to cooperate and so I'm not. Grr.

Brian and I

I was just reviewing my blog and though it really is starting to take shape, I realized there are zero pictures of Brian and I! Here are some of my recent ones along with some oldies (but goodies):

(a friend's wedding in December 2008)

(Connor Formal at Davidson in 2004)

(Thanksgiving 2008)

(at the Biltmore, 2007)

(another friend's wedding in October 2007)

And just because Brian is just so gosh darned cute, here is one of my favorites of just him:

(Brian in his Vero Beach Dodgers uniform, 2006)

And who can resist Brian AND Chambers...

Vendors V - Officiant

I always thought I wanted to get married in a church. When I was little, my mom "dragged me out of bed by the big toe" every Sunday to go to church knowing that somewhere along the way it would become something I did all by myself. I thought she was crazy - who would want to get up that early on a Sunday unprovoked? Then at some point, 10am seemed really late and somehow found myself wanting to go to church on Sunday mornings (more evidence that I might be a grown up...).

So, when I got engaged, getting married in a church seemed like where I was headed. Then we visited High Hampton and right across the street was the cutest little Episcopal church - this had to be a sign, right?

After deciding on High Hampton as our venue, I excitedly called the church. Here comes the bad news: the person I spoke with told me that, despite the fact that I was a practicing Episcopalian in the same diocese, they were unwilling to turn their church into a "Las Vegas-style wedding chapel" by having non-members marry there. After being rebuffed in a very (what I deemed) un-Christian-like manner, I determined that this was the sign. I knew there was something better out there for my wedding.

Enter Sue Kennedy:

(here's Sue with my godfather, Chip, and his wife, Theresa, during their vow renewal)

Sue was a college friend of my dad's and is now a practicing non-denominational reverend in nearby Greensboro. She was not only willing and able to perform our wedding ceremony, but she was excited about it! She told us that she would write a ceremony *just for us* that could be as traditional or non-traditional as we liked. Plus, because she has been a friend of my dad's since college, she's known me my whole life - and the story about how i put my whole body into one of her stockings when I was two just doesn't get old.

We had our first meeting last week to start discussing all the details. Since I had always envisioned a traditional church wedding, it took some time to find a "feel" that would work, but Sue is so gracious and is dedicated to making sure the ceremony is exactly what Brian and I want. It just doesn't get much better than that...

Vendors IV - Musicians

Choosing the musicians was probably the most stressful of all the decisions I have had to make for the wedding so far. And it wasn't like I had the wedding for the ceremony nailed down and was just worried about the reception. No. I was stressed out about all of it.

The music for the reception was the first to be tackled. I knew bands were generally the way to go, but I hadn't seen any bands from the area where I'm getting married and the idea of picking a band sight unseen (or sound unheard) scared me to death. What if I paid all this money for a band that showed up and was terrible?! However, the upside potential for a band is huge - they can really get the crowd going and who doesn't love to get up on stage and sing with the band?

(my friends Meredith and Kristen (the two in dresses) with the band during a girls weekend - doesn't the lead singer look SO happy?!)

Then a friend recommended a DJ from a wedding she had attended, claiming their wedding was one of the more fun she's been to (and she's been to a lot!). That got me thinking - while a DJ doesn't have some of the upside potential a band does (it's not quite a fun to get up and sing from the DJ booth), a DJ doesn't have near the downside of a band you've never heard before. But I have to admit, I was a little nervous about the stigma DJs can carry (think Love Actually). What if he was cheesy? What if he was obsessed with the Macarena?

After some considerable counseling from my very reasonable fiance ("Natalie, you know your friends, they are going to be dancing at your wedding regardless of where the music is coming from."), we decided to go with a DJ. Especially since you can specifically say that you don't want any songs with coordinated dance moves played at your wedding (which we did).

Vendors III - Stationer

When I started looking at what I'd like for wedding invitations, I was astounded by the cost - high into the thousands of dollars, especially if you got more pieces than just the invitations (i.e. reply cards, any informational cards, etc.). I just couldn't justify spending that much on such a small piece of the wedding puzzle, even if it is the first impression your guests have of your wedding.

I considered making my own invitations, but it seems like such a grueling process and only really worth it if you had a Gocco machine, which are now extinct and impossible to find. On one of the many wedding blogs I read, I heard about a bride who found her stationer on Etsy and I thought it was at least worth a shot. What an amazing website! I put a plea out there (also known as an Alchemy request) for a wedding invitation suite within a certain budget and got TONS of responses. It was difficult sifting through all them, but I ended up falling in love with Jennifer Jameson of Feathered Nest Press.

Jennifer is so creative and really understood the tone I wanted for my invitations (and for the wedding as a whole). She went through countless edits for me and "what if we tried this..." adventures and came up with a Save The Date that Brian and I really loved.

I can't wait to work with her on the invitations!