Do You Know What I Love?

You know, besides Tom, that is...

Fabric swatches.

I'm not sure why. Could it be the promise of what will be made with those swatches? Maybe. Could it be the ability to coordinate these swatches with the rest of your design elements? Possibly. Could it be the ability to feel the different textures and see the way they look in different lights? Could be.

Who knows? I just love them. So when I received swatches in the mail on Saturday, I was a happy, happy girl. I immediately dug out my wedding boxes from underneath my bed and in the depths of my closet, comparing ribbons and invitations and flower girl dresses to these tiny swatches.

And what where these swatches for? The guys' ties! (Say that 5 times fast.)


(Etsy Seller Jesswitaj)

I put a bid out for these ties using the Alchemy feature of Etsy. You simply describe the object(s) you want, how many you want, and the price you are willing to pay. Sellers then input bids that you can accept or reject. Then you work with the seller to create your custom item.

I received over 20 bids in 24 hours, which was awesome! I had retired Home Ec teachers, stay at home moms, and aspiring fashion designers all offering to custom-make these ties.

In the end, I selected Jes. She falls into the aspiring fashion designer category. Her Etsy shop is filled with her printed ties, which are really fun. We're not having our ties printed, since it doesn't really match up with the feel of the wedding, but I've seen some of her work from weddings, and they look awesome!

So, back to the swatches: After showing them to my family, the consensus was to select the Light Aqua silk and the Kiwi silk. But since they're for the boys, the decision ultimately came down to what Tom liked. He chose Light Turquoise and Apple, which were the colors I like first. :)

Now we just have to decide who gets what color tie, and place the final order.

Oh, and before you get all judgey-judgey about ordering custom ties, I'd like to mention that these ties will cost us less than if we purchased them in a department store. Total price for 8 ties? $120, or $15 each. Plus, I get to keep the fabric swatches! ;)

Attire Examples (aka Pretty Pictures!)

I LOVE the simple, sweet dresses the girls are wearing in this picture:


Bonus because they're our colors, so it gives a really great representation of what I'm looking for... (don't mind the ring pillow, I didn't feel like separating the pictures to crop them all...)

And, check out these handsome gentlmen in suits:


I LOVE the pop of color that the ties give. Definitely the style we're looking for...

Just Another Reason I Love Danada :)

So I've been searching this morning, to no avail, for more pictures of the Danada House. But this time, I'm trying to find more of the outside.

One thing that Tom and I instantly fell in love with was the property the house was on, as well as the house & atrium. True to his very personality, the first thing Tom said when he saw the lawn behind the house was "We could bring up our bag sets to play while you guys are getting ready. Wait, maybe we could even play football."

Football was nixed pretty quickly, as I don't think bruises are the fashion statement we want to be making that day. Bags, however, has sort of stuck and morphed into another non-traditional idea.

Since the whole point of the day is really to reflect our personalities and the relationship we've developed, I think it's only normal to want the aspects of the day to reflect that, too. And I guess, since I'm marrying a fitness/P.E. nut, that includes lawn sports. :-)

I actually really like the idea of the guys hanging out that morning, just relaxing and playing around as only they do best. I think it would help reduce anxiety, and give them an outlet for extra energy.

I do, as always though, have one stipulation. The men must wear these: