and have you seen Jamie + Ben's invites?

Check out more photos (and read the story) on Oh So Beautiful Paper.

I just scrolled through Jamie's wedding posts and it made me want to get married all over again. Sigh.

recession-friendly bridal headgear

Jamie made this for a little over $10.

She says it was inspired by Genevieve and me.

Not to brag or anything.

Free Store (NYC edition)

There's a free store on the small canadian island where my dad lives. It's basically a thrift store where you don't pay for anything.

The place is only open on Saturdays and you have to show up early if you want to get the good stuff. (Actually, I've heard volunteering is the way to go if you really want first dibs.) Anyhoo, H-town is very keen on "shopping" at the free store whenever we visit my dad.

But I didn't realize the concept had such an illustrious history.

According to HI + LO, "in the 1960s, a group called the Diggers opened numerous Free Stores in SF's Haight-Ashbury and NYC's East 10th Street in which all items were free for the taking or giving."

Now two NYC artists have opened a new Free Store in the Financial District, where goods can be obtained through trade.

I hate to say it, but some good things are coming out of the recession.

Upstaged by the groom?

Tony is just a wee bit of a diva, isn't he?

I mean, the pinstripe suit. The feather in his fedora. And the spectators. Oh the spectators.*

I would also like to point out that Tony's suit is well-tailored. And his pants break where they should (ie. they are hemmed to the proper length).

It kills me when the bride goes to five dress fittings or whatever but the groom doesn't even hem his pants.**

Photos by Adi Nevo. Designed/planned by Alison Events. See more on Snippet & Ink.

*I'm referring to his shoes. Thank you, plaidout, for giving us the correct lingo.

**Did that come off like a rant? It kind of was.

when wedding blogs get you down

1. step away from the computer.

2. put on some loud music. jump up and down. possibly in your wedding dress. and the shoes. you have to break in the shoes!

3. refer to your fiancé as "my boyfriend" all day. it's very liberating. (sometimes i still call H-town boyfriend.)

Photo by Elena Baca

She said f*ck yes!

Or, according to Ryan Hancock, she said "ok," then laughed and said yes.

Bad. Ass.

Vermeil 14 point stag ring by Digby & Iona at catbird (of course). Might I point out that the baddass choice is generally-recession friendly?

p.s. Really hoping he continues the theme and wears Hunter & Hunted cufflinks on the big day. I'm kind of obsessed with these. I'm not gonna lie.

what's that? a net-a-porter wedding boutique?

If you wore a little something like this skirt by Chris Benz (with a different top, obv) could you justify going nuts on the shoes?

These shoe boots by Alexander McQueen are not technically in the wedding boutique but that might be why I like them.

Eff I could keep choosing wedding outfits until I turn 40.

Via hitching-posts

Wish I were there

I stumbled upon this image of Tofino (where we spent the first glorious leg of our honeymoon) on forty-sixth at grace

Nikole grew up on the west coast of canada and spent childhood weekends on qualicum beach, only an hour from my dad's house. I love finding neighbors via the internet.

This photo of qualicum and the queen anne's lace makes me sigh and think of my wedding bouquet.

I never go to the beach in LA. Maybe I should try that?

oxfords, I'm sorry I doubted you

The styling from nygårdsanna has me convinced. Hot!

Via Bliss. (Mrs. French also has a great oxford round-up here.)

The Wedding Spinner

You guys, weddings just got a whole lot cooler.

Meet Michael Antonia, who recently relocated to LA from NYC (welcome!) and decided to add more weddings to his dj schedule in order to spend time at home with his wife and new baby.

Hire him if you can. Or at the very least take his suggestions. Srsly. Any dance mix that moves from Stevie Wonder to Roy Orbison to Salt N Pepa is killer in my book.

And then there's The Flashdance, a new alt-wedding blog Michael has built with Our Labor of Love & Max Wanger.

Awesome.

Part of me really wishes we had a dj. I love the music we spun on iTunes, but it was kind of a bummer that the best man, H-town and I had to step away from the party at various points to man the computer.

I haz delicious

My first attempt was a wash. But I was determined not to let my tech-savvy husband help me. It's blogger for eff's sake.

Okay, H-town did suggest some keywords for my google search.... But anyhoo.

I found Feedflare, which gave me nice little "Email this" and "Save to del.icio.us" links at the bottom of my feed this morning. (Thank you to the Jargol blog, where I first spotted this option.)

p.s. Check out Jargol's post on Market Publique, a new online market for vintage.

Take your budget wedding and shove it*

Thank you, Meg, for writing this post. Now I don't have to.

I do have one thing to add:

I don't approve of soliciting strangers for wedding funds, but I'm also fed up with the implication that you're not ready for marriage until you've saved enough cash to pay for the wedding.

I wanted $400 shoes and I (gasp) put them on a credit card. We also charged the rentals. Anybody have a problem with that? Because I'm done feeling guilty about it.

*Don't shove your wedding silly. Just stop focusing on the budgetbudgetbudget. It makes me depressed.

(Photos by my fave, Olivia Bee)

allow me to geek out for a moment

I spent 6 of the past 8 days helping a friend on a film shoot. Which meant a lot of standing around reading blogs on my iPhone. (Films shoots involve a lot of standing around. Unless you are the gaffer.)

Which leads me to....

1) Google apps rock. Man do I love browsing my google reader on my phone.

2) Suddenly I want everyone to have a Delicious button so I can quickly tag the things I want to come back to. I have a short attention span, I realize. But srsly. Safari bookmarks are so over.

So I'm attempting to add Save to Delicious as a Post Feed Footer. A little busy but.... useful? Lemme know what you think. (And please be patient. The only way to test it is to, you know, post.)

Photo by dorellana via freckle farm

p.s.

You have until midnight tomorrow to enter the Jezebel giveaway.

And you might want to just go ahead and buy a box of these cards. Wouldn't they be rad for wedding thank-yous? (Blank on the inside with the title printed on the back cover. Envelopes are translucent, ready-to-mail vellum.)

cooling my jets today

Catching up on sleep.

Enjoy the spring. Is it spring out there??

(Photo by Ashley Thalman)

by popular demand: the urinal wedding arrangement

From Shauna and Jeff's Northern California wedding featured on Snippet & Ink. (Photo by Marla Aufmuth. Floral design by Mary Lois Hare of Loop Flowers.)

I also effing love these dirt centerpieces from today's Snippet & Ink wedding.

Yes, Iris and Travis also got married in Nor Cal.* (Photos by Anna Kuperberg. Floral, dirt and root vegetable design by Torryne.)

*Meg, please try not to gloat.

When you're having a sh*t day

Scouring the blogs for answers is not always the best idea.

Wandering the neighborhood blasting Faith No More on your headphones helps a little. As does eating. Preferably the enchiladas verde from Rodeo.

Sit outside and don't feel guilty about buying lunch even though you're not earning any money. You're having a sh*t day.

(Image found here)

Happy Friday to the grooms

I know some of you were reading this week. Silently.

Speaking of Friday.... Did you know Maker's Mark has become eco-friendly? This post on steady happy led me (happily) here.

(Image from FOUND Magazine)

Groom Style: Rock Star

I love the wild-west-meets-the-seventies look. These boys are rocking the vest.

I'm also a sucker for good facial hair. Don't shave your beard (or your mustache, please!) for the wedding, whatever you do. Be yourself. And look like yourself in the pictures.

The Killers found here.

This real-life groom also happens to be in a band. It shows in his f-it-I'll-wear-what-I-want attitude. We could all use a little more of that.

(Doc Martens are meant to be worn with tube socks, after all. Wedding or no wedding.)

Photo by Laura Burlton.

Groom Style: Nouveau Prepster

Thom Browne made the suit cool again.

Don't argue with me. I read it in New York Magazine.

(Image courtesy of style.com)

Band of Outsiders has taken it one step further. I totally dig the window pane check with the contrasting striped shirt. And this light suit photographed in Paris by The Sartorialist would be fabulous for a summer wedding. (I'm also a fan of seersucker, if done right.)

I must admit, I'm still on the fence about boat shoes, but man are they everywhere. If you rock 'em at your wedding, will you send me pictures? I'm serious.

(Band of Outsiders courtesy of GQ; The Sartorialist)

Groom Style: A beach wedding

I love the idea of a barefoot groom in a well-cut linen suit. Much sexier than flip-flops. (Image from British Wedding via Nibs.)

And The Sartorialist has actually sold me on shorts with this photo from Milan. As he put it, "A shorts suit? Doesn't work for me. Shorts and a sportscoat? Just right."

Jezebel giveaway

**now closed**

Violet the libertine. Isn't she fab and kind of... east side bridey?

Hit me with a comment to win a 11" x 17" print.

And please. Go peruse all that is Jezebel. Cards. Prints. Totes & tees. Jewelry (I die). Added bonus: she blogs.

p.s. Random.org has spoken. Elizabeth (#14) wins the fine art print from crPhotography!

Groom Style: James Bond

Classic. And kick-ass.

Skip the tie if it's cramping your style. Rules are made to be broken.

(Daniela Bianchi and Sean Connery in "From Russia With Love" from here; Tom Ford, James Bond's latest tailor, from here)

The James Bond theme was inspired by Lovely Morning, who has a great take on the white dinner jacket here.

I'm weird like that

Everybody's reposting the photos from this garden delight wedding. The fairies and the streamers and the picnic at the base of the trees.

But I think this detail is my favorite.

Flowers by Laurie Cinotto. Photos by Heather Gilson of One Love.

Groom Style: What the f* do I wear?

The key to finding your style is to be yourself. Don't try to change who you are, just improve on the personal style you've already got.

Don't let the bride dress you up like a Ken doll if you're not a tuxedo guy. But if you've always dreamed of getting married in Armani, speak up! It's your day too.

You might be surprised what you can find on ebay or at a vintage store. My husband was fixated on a Jil Sander suit he saw in Wallpaper, and I managed to find it used for $200.

I recommend GQ's Style Guy column for the basics on suits and blazers, plus formalwear advice that will keep you from looking like a waiter or a Whiffenpoof. Janie Bryant also has some great, no-nonsense advice.

(Photos by Stephanie Land)

A week of groom style. Can he handle it?

I'm slammed with non-bloggy things this week, so I thought I'd recycle the series I did last September for Polka Dot Groom.

Enjoy! Maybe you can even get your FH to read it. (Not holding my breath.)

Image found here.

blushless

These dresses just appeared in my inbox. I kid you not.

Liv Lundelius, based out of Berlin, created an eco-chic bridal line inspired by David Lynch's Wild at Heart. She writes:

„I fell in love with this amazing leather bra, Lula is wearing in many scenes .
And i like the story. And i like all the weird characters...
I believe in a happy ending, but in between, this whole world is wild at heart and weird on top.
But love matters. It makes the difference.“

Hell yeah. (Liv, how did you how much I love that movie?)

See more at blushless.com

p.s.

Don't miss the giveaway for a print from crPhotography.

Photo by Christina Richards

The Virgins at Barneys

Obv I'm not endorsing all of these looks for, you know, wedding fashion, but take what you will.

Images from the spring catalogue found here. And special thanks to white lightning.

p.s. Their music rocks too. Who knew?

If I may take a moment to brag

I inspired cevd to buy these bensimon hightops. And she wears them so well. I'm gonna cop that fold-y down style with mine.

(I swear they are not paying me. I just really like the shoes.)

up with Alexander Wang

I freaked out when I saw the racer-back dress Joanna posted yesterday. And then I found this one.

Slouchy. Summery. With a dash of.... Yes. Super hero.

Kill me now.

F* H&M

I like their style. Don't get me wrong. But has anyone else noticed that the cotton blouses s l o w l y shrink over time?*

It took me a while to figure this out.

First I thought, "Do I really keep gaining weight?" Then I moved on to, "Why do I always buy the wrong size?" But finally it occurred to me, "If the clothes are that cheap, they're probably not made of the highest quality fabric."**

I think I'll stick to thrifting for a while. Or save my pennies to buy the Duskin pants. I have grown obsessed with the Duskin pants.

*And I don't put them in the dryer, people. I know how to take care of clothes.

**This is why I'm not planning to run out and shop the Alexander McQueen for Target collection. Even if it is inspired by Liela Moss. Cheap is not always a good thing.

(Photo of this blouse courtesy of my iPhone)