WEDnesday--Typography

Remember how on Saturday I promised you that I'd do the next WEDnesday over the shoes and dress?

Well, that was before my camera broke. My Nikon SLR is in the shop and I just didn't feel right using my iPhone to take pics of my dress! It's just not the same. 

Instead, I thought I'd share some of the ways typography is making an appearance in our wedding. 

Our invites came from Wedding Paper Divas and set a great tone for the whole event. 

This "LOVE" will be used in our engagement photos.  Those are coming soon! I got the letters from ebay, but they were originally from Anthropologie. 

Scrabble letters! Bear and I play a lot of "Word with Friends". 

I also picked up some other quilted letters from Anthropologie. I'm thinking they'll be on our head table and later we can hang them in our master bedroom. 

This cute glittery banner came from etsy. 

The last way is with vintage books! I love to read and it's one way we're incorporating our interests. We'll be using the books as part of our centerpieces, along with some other things that I'll show you soon! (Isn't that "Tomorrow You Marry" one great?)

What should I show next?

WEDnesday--Jewelry

Bear and I are getting married May 21. I am, understandably, excited about this. 

One of the features I'd like to do here, in order to curtail all the wedding gushing I could do is to have a weekly feature highlighting aspects of our wedding. My original thought was to call it WEDnesday, but with only a few weeks to go, I thought, why not do one today?

Bear proposed October 23 in Chicago. We first realized our mutual "crushes" on each other on during a road trip to Chicago the year before. He thought it would be fun to end our dating life and take the next step in Chicago as well. So we took a surprise (to me) road trip. 

My ring was so beautiful I cried. It's a Neil Lane with 75 diamonds in it. He sure knows I like sparkle! The ring box came from a vintage store just around the corner from his apartment. 

 And here's the only other jewelry I'll be wearing on our wedding day. They're vintage and clip on, which was important to me. (My ears were pierced really low by someone who didn't know what they were doing at Claire's.)

I bought them this weekend in Austin from Lisa of Archives. She was also visiting the Texas Style Council Conference. I love that I got to buy my earrings from her! She lives in Chicago, but check out her etsy store!

I love that both pieces have a vintage vibe. They tie in really well with my dress and shoes, which I may give you a peek of next WEDnesday!

Golden Fields

One of my favorite movies is "Big Fish". Here's my favorite scene (about 3:30 minutes in):

Bear knows this. And last night, before our dinner date, he told me we were going on a surprise outing. And he told me to bring flat shoes. As we drove down windy roads up into the mountains, I started to get anxious. I thought we might be going for a hike. 

Should have known better!

We went here:

A tiny little church in a nearby tiny town plants this GIANT field of daffodils every spring, and then opens it to the public. Pretty amazing, huh?

dress: Express

bracelet: c/o Charming Charlie

shoes: BCBG

I have a new favorite thing: sitting in the middle of giant field of daffodils. 

Funtobooth from TXSCC

We did get pics with Jess! Hooray! These are from the photobooth Nathan & Amy did at a party Saturday night. 

Can I just point out that Kara looks sophisticated, Jess looks adorable, and I look like the bee girl from "No Rain"?

All photos by Nathan Russell Photography.

And now for something completely different...

Oh hey look! Content.

This past weekend, Kara and I headed down to Austin for the Texas Style Council Conference.  

I had a blast. 

Also, I learned a lot. 

1. Fashion bloggers are TALL. I wore flats to a party after my feet couldn't take any more, and I look like tiny in pictures. I guess I never realized that. I always thought Jentine was my height! 

2. Technology is not what blogging should rely upon. Certain things, like work ethic, personableness and good relationship skills never go out of style. 

Jennine of The Coveted gave the keynote speech.

3. Kendi is really incredibly gracious. I may or may not have stalked her during the conference. She still talked to me like I was a normal non-stalkery person. (And said my hair was cute!)

4. Even "big name" bloggers struggle with what to write and have bad days. Notice: even sitting, they're tall! And all were so sweet. 

(Jen of jenloveskev, Indiana of Adored Austin, James of Bleubird Vintage)

In addition to what I learned, I made lots of new bloggy friends. They were such an encouragement!

Krista was our entertainment and local guide for the weekend. She doesn't have a blog yet, but tweet her and tell her she should! 

I also got to meet Tanvii. She's incredibly beautiful! Like an Indian Penelope Cruz. 

I also got a photo with Haute Muslimah, but won't post it here, because she doesn't show her face on her blog. But she's amazingly beautiful, too!

Kara and I spent most of the weekend with the lovely Jess of Hello Wife! She's adorable, too. Kara and I are totally adopting her. We should probably tell her that. (Jess, how did I NOT get a photo with you?)

Other great women I met were, Linda of Rose a la Mode and Kelsey of Snappy Casual. I'm hoping Bear doesn't ever read their blogs. Then he will think we need a budget. 

And of course, had to get some souvenirs! These dino planters are from Plaid Pigeon. I bought one for Bear, knowing that I'd love to have it on our kitchen table. 

Kara and I also got some great stuff at the swap and at Buffalo Exchange. I got a skirt and some killer heels. Outfit post coming soon!

God Bless Us Every One

In browsing other blogs online, I stumbled onto a company called Warby Parker, a eyewear company that has a great concept: Get One, Give One.


For every pair of frames (lenses included), Warby Parker will donate a pair to a person in need. If you're a fan of TOMS, you'll know this idea.


So, not only does this company give, but they do so at a great price: $95 for frames AND lenses! They do this by not licensing big name brand names to attach to the frames, which saves on the bottom line. My current glasses are Nine West, which I didn't realize had nothing to do with the shoe line! I bought them because I liked the style, but could care less about the name on the side!

My prescription has changed within the last year, so I didn't see any reason not to try this company out. 

The way they work is, you browse online through their different styles (and there are recommendations based on face shape). You can then upload a photo to virtually try on, or you can request that up to 5 pair be sent to you for free. You then have 5 days to try on, and then ship them back in the pre-paid box. 

Seemed like a pretty good deal to me!

I guess I was in a "tortoiseshell" kind of mood, because all five frames I picked are those!

Roosevelt

(I'll be honest, I just wanted to try the big geek glasses. I would never buy this pair!)

Miles 

Finn

Langston

Cailin

I probably should have fixed my hair for these. Or worn makeup. Or been Natalie Portman. But I decided to get....FINN! I'm excited to pay less than half what my old Nine West frames were, and know that I'm helping someone in need at the same time!

I wore them all day Friday and was highly impressed the quality and weight of all the frames, and the girls in my office had quite a fun time trying on all the different styles, too. 

(I haven't been compensated in any way for this post. Warby Parker isn't a sponsor of mine. I just think that they're cool.)

The Lights of Long Ago

First, an update from yesterday:


While I still stand by what I wrote, it can also be noted that yesterday was a very bad day, especially to be asking about Hope. The weight of all the life change hit a high level yesterday and seemed crushing in its force. 
So last night, as dinner was microwaving (yes, that's how I roll), I turned off the lights, opened my laptop to the Advent reading on Hope, and began reading to B. He lit the first purple candle as we read. 


"As the cry pierced the stillness, God’s light pierced the darkness, and we see that light as we light each candle." 

Tears flooded my eyes as I thought about that whisper of a candle flame, flickering intently, offering Hope. I thought about that time, when the Jewish people must have doubted every promise God ever gave them, as they saw the Romans take their land, and devalue their way of life. And just when it seemed to be over, a whisper of something in the wind changed everything. 

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

I was wrong when I said that I have found Hope in Community, or rather, incomplete. I have found Hope in the promises of God and the Messiah who lives, and also among His people. My people are here, somewhere. And when I find them, I'll be sure to let them know the hope that they carry with them. 

(Read the whole Advent entry we're reading here.)