There is Nothing I Could Hide From You

Quick! I neglected to post my Etsy finds last week! Let's get this done now ... the week doesn't end until midnight on Sundays, right?

Love the of monogramming your way through a wedding? This particular design is currently sold out (sorry ... I couldn't resist the picture though) but LSeabol has many other elegant designs ...


How about accessories for the reception?

Beads are a wonderful way to add colour and personality to the festivities. This server by tiemdye and this signing pen by breathtakingbracelet add that perfect splash of *you*!



I wouldn't be me if I didn't add some bling to the weekly finds, right? How about this hair pin by EricaBapst? I especially love the colours in the beads here.


And my favourite of the week???

Love love love this dress. It's not always easy to find the right bridal dress but there is a lot of choice. What about attire for the pint-sized girl of the day though? This find tells so much about the designer, couple and model, it's great! Made by cadenzaclothing.

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In Your Eyes I See That Perfect World

I would like to start sharing the wonderful blog entries with everyone. This one was on all of the judges' lists so we must have liked it ;)


The Proposal

Naked. In bed. At 2:00 in the morning on a Wednesday night. Or technically Thursday morning I suppose. Either way, this is NOT how I imagined my marriage proposal.

Ever since I was a little girl, I had this fantasy idea of how my proposal would take place. After a beautiful Saturday dinner out, I imagined going for a walk in some fantastically romantic park setting, near a river or something. Then, just like in the movies, my boyfriend would get down on one knee, gently take my left hand, beam a nervous smile up at me and pop open a Birks silver box containing the Ring while saying those four magical words... "Will you marry me?".

So getting engaged at 2:00 in the morning mid-week, with pillow tousled curls and tossed bed sheets; well, hearing those magical words being uttered in that setting was a bit jarring.

No we hadn't just rocked the world in that bed, prompting that sudden proposal. I wish! ;-) Instead, my partner and I had been winding up a long day of talking, crying and negotiating our future. Why tears? Because just yesterday, my man woke me up at the end of a night shift to inform me that he had orders to ship out to Afghanistan in February 2009. He will be gone for six months, possibly nine. Neither of us slept much after that news.


Yes he’s in the military, in one of those jobs so top secret I don’t really even know what he does on a daily basis. Me? I’m a graduate student in my second year, working on finding an acceptable thesis topic.

Given my studies, I hadn’t envisioned getting married anytime soon. But something about having this man I love go so far away for so long suddenly prompted images of wanting to officially be Mrs. Military. For him, it was a way to feel his “perfect girl” would be taken care of while he’s gone and know that I’d be here when he got back.

And so, the proposal happened. It happened not at all like it was in my childhood fantasies. Nothing about it was the same. There was no pretty dress, no fabulously romantic setting, no ring. Those four little words weren’t said on bended knee. In fact, they weren’t even uttered by him.

I was the one who said them, not him.

Oh.. yeah.. His answer?

“yes!... Yes yes yes yes YES!”

I’m so happy!

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Good Fortune's Found Me Out

The finalists for our annual blog contest have now been chosen!

After a grueling week of mulling things over with the other four judges, I'm happy to announce the talented and creative entries we felt stood out were from:

Katherin C
Kelly Y
Kristin I
Lauren S
Michelle W
Tamara P

Over the next little bit I'll be meeting with each lady or couple to get a feeling for their personalities and then will be back with the grand prize winner announcement!

Also, over the next few days I will be posting some of the entries so everyone can see why it was so difficult to narrow things down!

Cheers,

Susan

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Pulling Weeds in the Later Afternoon Sun - Fooooour!

Spring.

Probably my favourite season for flowers. Coming out of the winter funk, smelling the sweet scents and looking at the bright colours always lifts my spirits.

Here are a few lovely pictures for inspiration. As always, check for availability in your area. Also, please note that there are regulations in certain areas. For example, in Ontario dogwood is in bloom but since it's the provincial flower, florists are not permitted to sell it. If you want dogwood, look for a beautiful silk :)

Allium

Anemone

Apple Blossom

Billy Buttons

Celosia

Cherry Blossom


Daffodil

Dogwood

Freesia

Iris

Liatris

Lilac

Lily of the Valley

Lisianthus

Narcissus

Peony

Quince

Ranunculus

Snapdragon

Sweet Pea

Tulip

Violet

Waxflower

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Your Eyes So Blue So Bright

So I'm addicted to Etsy. That's not news. And because of the long weekend I'm overdue with my weekly bridal Etsy finds. I'll get to that as soon as I can.

I found something even cooler though. Well, it's amusing me right now, that's for sure.

Etsy :: Colours


You move your cursor over the page, find a colour you like, click and Etsy will automatically search it's database for any items listed that have that colour.

How AWESOME is that?!

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There's a Land That I Heard Of

I made a funny realization the other day. No, not that I'm not a big Judy Garland fan (see blog title). I was thinking about favourite movies and how much of a movie snob I am. I think we had just come home from The Dark Knight and were tearing it apart. Even though I loved that movie, I thought about all the others that were just okay in my books.

I'm a bit off my point though. I was thinking about my favourite movies.

My two most beloved flicks were made in different decades, have very different actors and draw very different viewers. Yet they make perfect sense to me ... and I only last week realized they are both (loosely) about the same thing ... weddings! More specifically, weddings to the wrong people. Don't let that keep you away from these movies though.

The first one is a movie most of you know, have scene and hopefully love. The Princess Bride. I don't think I need to really explain this one too much as I see couples add pieces of it to their own weddings (the below isn't me but I'm guilty as charged, too).



If you haven't had the opportunity though, sit down with it and be ready to laugh :)

My most cherished movie of all is one that not many people would suspect of me nor have many heard of. In fact, it gets mixed up all the time with another movie that is nothing like it. Then again, there is nothing like this movie.

The Philadelphia Story.

It's an old black and white flick with Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart that I could put on repeat and watch over and over all day long. Honestly, I don't want to say anything about the movie other than FIND IT. It's not for everyone but even if I could convert a dozen or so people over to the splendor of the witty dialog, my job is done ;)

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Closing Time

The call for entries in the .: BLOG CONTEST :. is now over! All of the judges have some heavy reading and deciding to do. We're hoping to have a decision on the finalists within a week so stay tuned. For a full list on additional prizes, keep reading ...


Additional Prizes have been added!

* In-Studio Boudoir Shoot With .: JBSmith Photography :.

* Engagement Session: $225 (includes a $75 print credit)
- 2 hours of photography in a location of your choice.
- online proofing and slideshow
Courtesy .: Irina Photography :.

* One Free Updo on location in her salon with .: Hair By Gera :.

* .: Vivian's Decoration & Design :. is offering half pricing on a Head Table/Cake Table/Receiving Table Combo (regular price $400, now $200)

* .: Serendipity Crafts :. is adding to the prizes with a donation of a personalized wedding tile + a $20 gift certificate to Serendipity-Crafts.com *OR* a souvenir plate.

* A Trash-the-Dress session (value $250) from .: SugarTree Photography :.!

* One Hour Performance by the talented .: Derek Macrae :. ... valid Mon-Fri so perfect for a rehearsal!

* .: MGX Productions :. is offering 25% off any of their Video Packages

* How about a cake? .: Kake Kreations :. is offering $250 off of a cake valued at $500 or more. I can attest her work is YUMMY!!!

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From the Minute You Saw It

Time for the weekly Esty finds!

This time I thought I'd go with a theme ... all about the bride herself. Weddings are one of those times when we can shop for ourselves and other people don't think we're incredibly selfish ;) Here are some things that might catch your fancy!


This is a great start for brides-to-be when they first get engaged. If you're not the type of person that likes to carry a big binder around, this recycled notebook by ivylanedesigns a great compromise.


What a great novelty item to simply indulge in! String it on some black leather or a chain of your choice. Brought to you by BubbaAndDoodle.


bouquetcreations has something for the bride who doesn't really want flowers. Instead, why not walk down the aisle carrying this lovely bouquet made of pearls? They even have other works of art with leaves and snippets of ribbons.


I have been struggling with which tiara to post for quite some time. I think I'm going to devote an entire post to them one day. This one is elegant yet funky enough for the bride who wants to stand out a little bit. http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifmerrittgade has a few dainty designs that show off that lovely 'do'!

AND ... my favourite of the week ...


Yes, something eco-friendly was bound to make my list. This beautiful bamboo wedding dress by isadoraclothing can actually be worn different ways as you can twist and tie certain sections. And what makes me like it even more??? The seller is from my hometown of Victoria, B.C.! Woohoo!

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How Bizarre, How Bizarre

Never in my life did I think I'd be blogging about this. Then again, I didn't think I would own one of the following. But I do. And I'm glad.

For my birthday this year, my wonderful grandmother tucked one of these in her care package for me. At first I thought it was kind of odd but I decided recently to grow it ...


Right now I'm in about week two of this little plant. And by golly (yes, golly), it's growing! I'm not sure how long it will last or what it's supposed to do but here's a quick rundown ...

In the package you receive a pot, 'soil' and a bean with a message. You simply put a bit of 'soil' in the pot, place the bean in, add more soil, give it some water and watch what happens. For those having troubles visualizing it, here are some more lovely web pics ;)

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Pulling Weeds in the Later Afternoon Sun - Third Installment

For all of you winter brides, here is my quick guide on flowers to look for. As always, ask your florist if they're in season in your area!

Amaryllis - yes again ;)

Daffodil

Ginestra

Hyacinth

Mimosa

Paperwhite Narcissus

Star of Bethlehem

Tulip

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