BHLDN

zankyou.com

What could it possibly stand for?
Be Happy, Love Donuts Now
Blue Hens Love Denim Nickers
Because Hussies Like Dark Nights
I don't know what it stands for, but I now what it is. It's Anthropologies' brand spanking new wedding line that launches February 14th.  Can you stand it?
It won't be cheap, and it's probably not eco-friendly, but it'll definitely be interesting.
~ the green/green bride

Color Palette(s)

I have to pick a color palette for the wedding... at least that's what they tell me.  I know that I want the majority of the ceremony and reception to be filled with light neutrals: rosewater, cream, khaki, butter, etc.  I like that clean, natural look.  But I have to decide two bold colors to go along with my neutrals, because that's what Martha Stewart suggests, and Martha is my guide.  One of my "bolds" will be lavender.  You might be wondering if lavender is a "bold" color.  I'm wondering the same thing myself.  I chose lavender because their are tons of purple flowers in season in September.  So picture it.  Neutral tables with pops of soft purple color coming from blooms in mason jars.  The last "bold" has yet to be decided.

Navy and Lavender
asmalltownbride.blogspot.com

I'm basically trying to decide between two palettes.  Navy/Lavender/Rosewater, or Chocolate/Lavender/Rosewater.

Not quite Chocolate/Lavender, more Purplish/Brownish - but you get the idea.
blog.finestationary.com

Whichever way I go will determine what color dress my bridesmaids will wear.

jcrew.com

They'll either be in chocolate colored dresses, with soft purple bouquets, or navy colored dresses, with a soft purple bouquets.  They won't be wearing either of these dresses, however.  Not unless they want to.  I'm merely giving them a color preference.  They can wear whatever they want.  Floor length or mini, pant suit or bathing suit.  Er...

jennyyoo.com

So what should it be people?  I'd like to hear your thoughts.
~ the green/green bride.

Ask and You Shall Receive

Ms. Casey, herself.
imdb.com

A few weeks ago, under my Budget List, I posted that I was searching for an affordable and talented photographer for the ridiculously low asking price of $500.00.  Well, as they say, ask and you shall receive.
My talented actor friend Kirstin Eggers, who also happens to be one of my bridesmaids, hooked me up with her talented casting director/photographer friend, Mara Casey.
Mara's portfolio includes pics of dogs, kids, weddings - and headshots, which is brilliant when you think about it.  I mean, who better to take a great headshot then someone who's looked at great (and probably not-so-great) headshots as a career for years?  I love her work, and the cherry on top of the buttercream cupcake that is Mara Casey is that Mara is willing to work our wedding for a mere $100 bucks an hour.  That's five hours of talented photographer, plus CD's of the event, edited and ready to print for $500.00.  It's unheard of.  And you heard it hear first.
If you have a wedding or party coming up, or, you're an actor, a kid or a dog, you have to check out Mara Casey Shoots.
What luck!
~ the green/green bride

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

If you have six minutes, check out this adorably unique and modern wedding.
If you have three and a half minutes, then start at the 2:30 mark... you'll get the idea.
If you have zero minutes, then check it out when you have the time.
Whatever the case may be, you don't want to miss this.  It's a tear-jerker and a heart-warmer.
~ the green/green bride

Tay and Adam

We have a wedding website!  Check it out!
mywedding.com/tayandadam

*Did you notice that it's mywedding/tayandadam?  Apparently, taylorandadam was taken already... I wonder who they are?

~the green/green bride

Cards of Wood

While researching wedding invitations I found Cards of Wood.
These invitations are beautiful.  And, as the website states, all of the cards and invitations on the site are made from sustainably harvested American trees.  The outcome is a product that is as unique and gorgeous as it is environmentally responsible.

cardsofwood.com

cardsofwood.com

cardsofwood.com

Because Adam and I are having a very small wedding, we are inviting a very small amount of people.  And because we'll be sending just one invitation per household, we will need a very, very small amount of invitations.  That information, compiled with the fact that I really want invitations that can be kept as mementos allows me to justify the idea of cutting down trees to relay news that I could just as easily relay via the internet.
So there.
~ the green/green bride

Letterpress Girl in a Digital World

An example of a letterpress wedding invitation from Minted.

Letterpress is lovely, but it is expensive.  Really expensive.  Like one-fifth of my budget expensive.  Luckily, we live is a modern world that offers digital printing which is affordable.  Really affordable.  Like one-twenty-fifth of my budget.
So... digital it is!
Now the only choice is which invite design to go with....

A digital wedding invitation, also from Minted.

~ the green/green bride

Petals for Paper

Floral Pomanders
mydiyweddingday.com

I love my venue, but it comes with a challenge.  We have only three hours to decorate, perform the ceremony, take pictures and grab our stuff before our time is up.  Since we won't have access to the property before our booked time (4:00pm to 7:00pm), we'll have to move fast.  And since I have a teeny, tiny budget for decor, we'll have to think simple.  Luckily, the venue is adorable, so it needs little work. Still, I want to add my stamp.

Tissue Pomanders
chocolatebrides.com

Floral pomanders are great because they can be made in advance, and placed in the blink of an eye.  Since I can't afford real flowers, I'd like to swap petals for paper. The do-it-yourself pomanders I found at Chocolate Brides are right up my alley. The only trouble is, they aren't exactly eco-friendly.  The tissue paper is recyclable, but the styrofoam balls the tissue is attached to is certainly not good for the earth. They could, however, be donated to a school and re-used for an art or science project.  I know plenty of teachers who would take them... I hope.
My plan is to do a sample pomander this weekend to see if it's worth the money, the time and the styrofoam.  I'll keep you posted.
~ green/green bride

One Golden Proposal

Let me just say that my proposal was awesome, because it was mine, and because my fiance is the sweetest, kindest, most wonderful man in the world.
That said, thanks to The Kathy Lee and Hoda Show, I saw one of the most amazing proposals ever today.  And thanks to You Tube, you can see it too... if you already haven't already.

*Note: this video is about five minutes long, so if you want to save time you can start at the '2:40' mark and go straight to the goods.  Either way, it's a must see.
~ the green/green bride

Food and Trucks

Pork Taco from the Border Grill Truck
en.petitchef.com

Adam and I have an $1800 budget for both food and drinks on our wedding night.  It sounds like a lot, at least to me.  But once you take away at least three hundred bucks for alcohol (a staple at any fun and/or funny wedding), you end up with $1500.

Check out that math!
I did that in my head... not trying to brag, just sayin'.

The point is, after you divide fifty-five (our tentative guest number) into fifteen hundred (our teeny tiny food budget) you end up with a "per person" figure of about $27 dollars.  Which is not too bad, until you figure the cost of good food, labor, rentals, tax and gratuity.  Yikes!  Are we fooling ourselves?




Wait for it...




No!  We aren't fooling ourselves, because we are totally into food trucks.  They're modern, innovative, trend setting and delicious.  Best of all, they're affordable!  Especially when compared to the average wedding caterer.
As of right now, Adam and I are leaning towards the Border Grill Truck.  We love their food, and for our "per head" price tag, we can afford a pretty impressive spread.  Some of our other favorite trucks are Kogi, Chef Che, The Flying Pig, Buttermilk, The Grilled Cheese Truck, The Green Truck, Willoughby Road and India Jones.  Yeah, we eat at mobile eateries way too much.  I know.
Damn.  Now I'm hungry for something cheap, fast and yummy.
~ the green/green bride

Buerge Chapel

Adam and I signed our first wedding-related contract today.  Our ceremony will now take place at the Buerge Chapel, a super cute barn-like building in the Pacific Palisades that has a large and beautiful fig tree in the front.

The Chapel
buergechapel.org

The Chapel with its side doors open for an outdoor ceremony.
buergechapel.org

The Fig Tree
buergechapel.org

Booking the chapel changed a lot of my once set in stone plans.  It meant changing the date from the 22nd of October to the 17th of September.  And because the only available time slot was the '4pm to 7pm' slot, it means that we'll have to serve dinner at the reception instead of going with our original idea of having a drinks-and-desserts reception.  Which means re-doing the budget to allow for the ceremony venue cost, as well as the cost of dinner.  But it's worth it... at least, I think it will be worth it.  I just couldn't resist that big, gorgeous tree.
Check out the new budget list.  It's challenging, but not impossible.  Such is life!
~ the green/green bride