At this point, being the person that I am, I’ve pretty much thought out every detail of the wedding (if not outright planned it all). We could pretty much have the wedding next month, if we wanted to (and we don’t – February is not a particularly pleasant time of year).
LIam, on the other hand, is not as organized (some might say: crazy) about these things, so I decided to get going on a file full of pretty images to inspire his celebratory attire. We both kinda know what we want, but needed a good starting place to get the ball rolling.
The overall look we’re going could best be described as collegiate dandy: Think nineteen-thirties Ivy League or Oxford student attending a summer dance.
It is a nod to our love of period literature and movies (particularly of the inter-war period), as well as Liam’s general enthusiasm for fashions of the dapper, but manly variety. We’re planning on using some vintage pieces, but trying to do it all in a modern way – so as to not look too costumey.
(from left to right)
Vintage 30’s haberdashery illustration
Via: the Fedora lounge. Which is pretty much what it sounds like – a message board for vintage, golden-age, fashion-geeks and fedora-enthusiasts.
Specifically, one Bertie Wooster as portrayed by one Hugh Laurie.
Wodehouse is one of our favourite authors, Bertie is one of our favourite characters, and Laurie (along with a certain Mr. S. Fry) is one of our favourite actors. Liam and I have even named our X-Box live accounts after Wodehouse characters (Gus Finknottle, and Bobby Wickham, respectively).
You would not believe how hard it is to find a good sweater vest in this day and age.
Of course, when looking for duds of a snazzy variety, Ben Sherman is always a good place to look, they seem to always have a few teddy boy inspired selections. I think something like this will look quite nice under a summer weight jacket, over a vintage tie.
The aforementioned Mr. Bass of Gossip Girl. He dresses well for a young lad, no?
Beyond being quite stylish, he is a similar height, build, and colouring to Liam, so rather handily, fashions that look good on him will likely look good on Liam…
Though maybe a little less pink and purple. I think dear Chuck is the only male on the planet who can carry those particular colours.
I’m pretty sure an ensemble like this requires some sort of hat – preferably worn jauntily. Pork pies are a little too nefarious, and proper fedoras are a little too slick. A slouchy fedora is the perfect combination of nonchalance with a touch of rakishness.
Biltmore makes brand new, vintage style hats, in lots of colours and styles. Best of all? They’re made relatively locally (in Guelph, actually). This is a major score.
Liam’s very worried that, whatever ring he gets, he will either lose it, or ruin it. This makes titanium a good option in either case – titanium rings are virtually indestructible, and relatively inexpensive.
I like that this ring has a touch of rose gold in it to reference my ring – and of course, it’s an etsy find, which I also like.
Shoe option #1: Cute, hi-top, boot-like sneakers are both stylish and practical – they’ll be really comfortable on the big day and once that’s done with Liam can keep wearing them. They’re made by a company that has been around since the thirties, and reissues their old styles so they’ve got that old fashioned look to them – but the idea of sneakers at a wedding is totally fresh and modern.
I’ve been thinking of working a vintage look – something thirties era – at the wedding. It’s been a really long time since I played around with makeup, and I figure this is as good excuse as any to get back on the bandwagon.
It’s pretty much as tricky as it looks, so I’ve started practicing already – liquid liner swoops and perfect, ruby-red, bow lips are not exactly for the feint of heart!
Thankfully, I ran across these handy little video tutorials – this one is especially appropriate for the look I’m going for – but there’s one for every era and occasion, from Marie Antoinette to flapper. They’re super cute, and the makeup artist has this sweet and soothing Aussie accent – she makes it all sound easy!
P.S. I’m thinking in investing in some of these swanky, vintage inspired cosmetics by Besame. Aren’t they perfect!
So, you know my favourite designer? The one I can’t afford, but drooled over at the flagship store in Covent Garden? Orla Kiely?
One word:
Target.
It may be more melamine plates and acrylic mugs than fair-isle sweaters and leather messenger bags, but it’s something (my fingers are double-crossed for a future GO International collaboration, though).
Weddings seem to be all about lace and pearls and all manner of frippery, and for those of us who weren’t all that into the girly stuff to begin with, it can start to feel pretty suffocating:
Frankly, drowned in a sea of pink roses and satin ruffles is not exactly the way I want to go out.
What about the kind of girl who prefers typography over calligraphy, functional over fussy, prosecco over champagne, thank you very much? For the unfussy, design minded bride, it can seem like there aren’t a lot of options.
It takes a little time and effort (although if you’ve ever spent a day kerning letters that’s not really a problem for you) but options, they can be found. So thank your lucky stars for Etsy, and the fact that, going for the unexpected and original is massively, makes you spit your celebratory prosecco out, affordable.
These little wooden dolls are adorable cake toppers – personal, but modern, in a clean-lined Scandinavian sort of way.
Even though wedding toppers are perhaps, a little old-fashioned, and a bit of a silly indulgence, I really love them because I think personal ones are an awesome keepsake to remember your day. A little statue of you and your boy in your finest sitting on the mantle is a much more unique than the ubiquitous, over-sized, wedding portrait.
This dress is just plain gorgeous and that’s the bottom line. A wedding custom dress, in your size, for that price? Even more amazing.
It’s white and it’s satin, and it’s got ruffles – so no ones’ going to think you’re a guest at your own wedding – but it does all of those things in a way which is fresh, clean, modern and just a little unconventional. It’s a dress that does everything the best graphic design should do – it expresses itself in a precise but intriguing way.
If you’re a designer, you probably find it a lot of fun to play around with, and subvert cliches, and the pearl necklace at the wedding certainly is one.
This handmade piece brings a certain, unexpected, industrial, edge to the old-standby, and I love it.
This is by the gal who did my engagement ring (and wedding band), and can I say?
Genius.
If I were a little more gutsy, I totally would have gone for something like this. It’s completely the opposite of what’s expected (a black diamond? Up-side down? Whaaaaat?) but gorgeous. Your friends will work themselves into a tizzy when the see it (PS: Black diamonds are dirt cheap, so you can rock something the size of a babies fist for the same price as somebody else’s boringly tasteful ring).
P.S. I avoided the whole invitations quagmire, because I’m thinking this bride has already got that down. This bride’s already got a signature typeface and monogram picked out, and knows her cardstock will be a pale blue Strathmore watercolour paper, and could also tell you the paper weight and envelope size, if asked. She does not need help with graphic design projects.
As are stores with beautiful, well designed, edited, reasonably priced house wares (including gorgeous bone china – which is the sturdiest thing you can get, so you should use it for your everyday dishes).
Bought Liam new shoes.
They’re grey checkered high top Vans. They’re pretty cute.
Tested out champagne cocktails with friends over New Years.
Verdict: cheaper is better. Win-win!
Built a wedding website.
Wedsite?
I dunno. A place on the interweebz to put weddingy crap. It turned out pretty nice. It will launch soon (as soon as Liam puts his copy writing skillz to work and fills in all the blanks).
Mine was Montreal style with smoked meat, mustard and a pickle. I thought it was pretty good, but I see what people are getting at with the gravy. It had a strong sage flavour, but I like that in a gravy, so I was cool with it.
Bought flannel sheets.
This is a bigger deal than it sounds: Good quality flannel sheets in the winter are one of the best investments you will can make: seriously, they will change, and simultaneously rock your world. Just make sure they aren’t the cheap stiff ones. The soft ones: they are where it’s at.
Were taken (for a wonderful engagement present from my sister and her boy) to Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar.
It was amazing, and not as expensive as you’d think There were four of us, and we had 8 entrees (shared tapas style), 5 deserts, a bottle of wine and it came in under two hundred dollars.
You can’t do that at the keg – and this was much more special.
The black cod in particular was awesome – really fresh and wonderful, like it had just come out of the ocean. I was in love with the cheese plate – beautiful local Ontario and Quebec cheeses served with honey comb and these amazing little spiced walnuts. The fries are as good as people say they are – although actually, I think Batifole’s are just a little bit better. Just a little though.
Sorry for the unintended holiday siesta round here, but we’ve been pretty busy wedding planning – thankfully we got a whole lot figured out.
So, I think inspiration boards (though relatively twee) are kinda handy. Just to have the visuals conceptualized and considered. So I’ve mocked one up for our big event, both to keep things coherent for me, and to give you guys a little taste of what’s to come, and what we’ve been up to over the past few weeks.
This is our likely venue. It’s pretty, in an urban, industrial kinda way. We really like the people who own it, and they also do the catering, which is going to be AMAZING. Having good food is pretty much priority number one for me, actually.
I have a small collection that I inherited from my grandma, so I figure I might as well use them for floral arrangements. They’re such a beautiful bright white, and come in many interesting shapes and sizes – the contrast between them and brightly coloured flowers is quite nice. They’re going to pop in the lounge space, and make a visual reference to the bright white gallery space beyond it.
Liam got me one of these babies for our anniversary a few years back, and it is my all time favourite (everything – typewriter, vintage find, gift, objet). I’m going to stick it out with a pretty, handmade “Rolodex” In lieu of a guest book. This is something I’ve seen in a few weddings recently, but still very appropriate for us (writers, typography fans, and mid-century enthusiasts).
We love birch trees – who doesn’t really, they’re gorgeous! Beyond being pretty though, they are very iconic of Northern Ontario – where Liam’s from. They’re definitely going to be a bit of a theme.
I want a fascinator, probably with a little birdcage veil. This one is pretty, and close to the right colours, but pricey. I’ll likely make my own instead.
I got it in a pale blue called “air” (so pretty) for less than half off – so for a tenth the price of your average wedding dress – which I am pretty excited about. It’s still in the mail, so fingers crossed it fits! I may embellish it a little with some ribbon, tulle and heirloom costume jewelery.
I also have some metallic flats in mind (because, well… Liam’s short), but I like these a lot, and think I would wear them again and again once the wedding was over.
my colours:
My mom and sister think I have to many. I don’t really care. I’m gonna make it work.
A little illustration by me (note the birch tree and use of colour scheme.)
the Sis on 