Four days!

We’re counting down…there are four days left until our launch on Friday. Are you ready for it?

How stunning is this image? It was shot by Andrew Lin. Check out more of his work from a 2008 Jose Villa Workshop here!

Real Wedding: Terra and Kevin

First off, this week we are counting down to our big launch on Friday! I can’t wait for you to see the new digs–I know you’re going to love the new look!

Today, I wanted to start off with Terra and Kevin’s wedding, shot by Jennifer of Ever Whim Photography. There are so many creative ideas, which you’ll get a feel for when you read Terra’s description below. My favorite idea that Terra shares: DIY Milk Glass! Check it out below!

I work full time as the Store Merchandise Manager at Urban Outfitters in Santa Cruz, CA and my husband Kevin is a self employed contractor. We have been together for 5 years, but our engagement was on the short side of seven months, and we had a tight budget of well under $10,000. We got married on Sunday April 25, 2010 at the same church my parents were married 40 years ago here in Santa Cruz, CA (Villa Maria del Mar-sits close to the beach cliffs). Our dogs are a huge focus in our lives and were with us the whole day, our French Bulldog Stanley was our Best Man, and our Pug Stella was our Maid of Honor. Since we had a tight budget we did a lot of DIY decorating elements. Our friends helped us put together the succulent arrangements for the tables at the reception and my bouquet. I believe we ended up spending a total of $60 for any flowers/succulents that were used–the rest friends and family donated.

I have always loved the idea of milk glass and found black milk glass that inspired me, however I didn’t love the cost. I ended up purchasing a variety of glass bowls and vases at local thrift stores and painted them black in order to get the similar effect I wanted. Our seating chart was compiled of all of our friends dogs and each table was named accordingly, the dogs pictures were in frames recycled from my aunts old fence. For our cigar smoking section, my husband hand carved ashtrays out of large river rocks from our front yard. I inherited a large collection of vintage brooches and other vintage jewelry with which I had a co-worker create for me my bridal necklace, other salvaged jewelry was added in as well.

Our friends mean everything to us and we were so thankful that they were so involved with us from the very beggining. The one thing that I learned from the whole experience is–never hesitate to ask for help. Everyone you love comes together to help you with any and all aspects to create everything you’ve imagined. We couldn’t be happier with how our day turned out, we are soo lucky to have such great friends and family who all came together to help us with the “inspiration” for our wedding day.

Vendors include:

Photography: Jennifer Hogan of Ever Whim Photography; Cake: Heathers Patisserie; Makeup: Anna Wu; Hair: Aurezu Kuhzarani; Ceremony: Villa Maria del Mar-Santa Cruz, CA; Reception held at Michaels On Main; Officiant: Gregory Ross (the Grooms best friends); Flowers: DIY; Ceremony Music: Steven Griswold (good friend of the bride & groom); Reception Music: Aaron Kushner (co-worker of the bride); Bride’s Necklace: inherited vintage jewelry & brooches-created by Theresa Vu (co-worker of the bride)

Countdown!

Today marks our one week countdown to the launch of Grey Likes Weddings! The new blog is so pretty–I can only hope you love it as much as I do! Next week, we’ll be counting down the days to our big launch on Friday–10.01.10. So get ready!

I’ll be busy packing our bags this weekend, so we can make the trip together next Friday! Don’t forget…if you are interested in becoming a sponsor, we have some great opportunities, so feel free to email advertise@greylikesweddings.com to get in on the launch!

DIY Birdcage!

Well, last night was absolutely amazing! The Hitched Event was a complete success and I was so honored to be a contributor!

As part of the event, vendors were asked to provide a little something for guests to collect in their goody bags. I thought it might be fun to give out a little piece of russian netting, which is used for birdcage veils. The fabric has all sorts of crafty possibilities, so I wanted to share with all of you (and our Hitched attendees) some ideas for their birdcage materials!

First up, I added the netting to a fabric corsage. It created a whimsical vintage flair that’s  fun and unexpected. It would look really darling if you added it to an actual floral corsage…say perhaps the mother of the bride? Just a little something extra special to make your mom stand out.

To get the look, simply gather together one end of the fabric, twist and fan out; then apply!

Next up, I put together a little accessory idea for you. I took a simple bangle, dressed it up with some gold trim (available at any craft store) and made a birdcage flower. To make your own, simply fold each corner into the center of your fabric swatch. From underneath, gather the center (along with your corners) and twist just a bit. A needle and thread works best to secure the gathering. Then simply adhere with hot glue to your bangle.

Voila!

The last project involves a bit more fabric. If you don’t have a specialty store near you that sells it, you can find it at a number of places online, including the Grey Likes Etsy store. This last DIY is a flower girl wand. It was very easy to make and is such a fun way to retool vintage! (We also thought it might be fun to add birdcage material to a bouquet which we’ve shown as well!).

To make the wand, start with a painted dowel. Glue fabric trim around top of the wand. Cut large squares of your birdcage material. One piece at a time, fold all four corners to the center, gather from underneath, and sew together, then sewing each layer to the trim. It should take about 4-5 layers to complete. We finished the wand off by adding some rhinestone trim and a vintage earring.

(P.S. If you love the wand and don’t want to do it yourself, this one is available for purchase!)

I hope you enjoyed some of the ideas! Hopefully, if you received birdcage materials from Hitched, you’ll think up something great to do with it!

Day After Love

I always love day after sessions. The couple always looks a little more relaxed…there’s no rush to race your reception or squeeze in pictures with your bridal party and extended family. And I always think couples look all glowy and full of love in their day after sessions, so, of course I love the idea! (And it’s another chance to wear your dress, so why not?!). This session shot by Alicia Pollett feature Mary Harrington and her new hubby.

Additional details: Dress: Vera Wang. Bridal shoes: Jimmy Choo, both gold and ivory silk. Suit: Gieves & Hawkes bespoke (Saville Row, London). Boutonniere: Fritts Roseno. Tie: Hermes. Fur stole: vintage. Headpiece: bespoke Edwina Ibbotson (UK milliner) with Jenny Packham comb. Jewelry: Kojis of London (for her), Harry Winston band (for him). Stationery: Askew Design. 

Real Wedding: Meredith and David

This lovely wedding in the Catskills features lovely colors, wildflower centerpieces, farm animals and beautiful images by photographer Jami Saunders.

Engaged: Will and Brandi

Whew! This week has been super busy (oh wait…it’s only Tuesday?). We’re getting geared up for Hitched…are you coming? I’d love to meet some Grey readers! I also have a really special DIY project for you coming up on Friday, so get ready for some goodies.

Today, I’m thrilled to share with you Will and Brandi’s engagement session shot by the fabulous photographer,  Kaysha Weiner. My words really can’t do better than Kaysha and Brandi, so I thought I’d let them give the intro:

Brandi and Will are getting married in Lake Arrowhead in October, so we planned their engagement shoot to go well with the look and feel of their wedding. The whole theme is particularly sentimental for Brandi, who told me, “As a kid, I remember some of my happiest moments with my family being while we were on camping trips together. There’s just something really comforting about the smell of pine, campfires, and chili dogs–the perfect camping food–that takes me way back to my more adventurous years.”

I hope you enjoy these killer images! Did I mention it’s almost fall? Tomorrow is the first official day and now this session has really got me ready to break out some fall decorations and sweaters!

Real Wedding: Chelsea and Adam

All the planning, DIY projects, coordinating, cake tastings, and swatch matching that goes into planning a wedding really can’t compare to what is taking place on that day. So, while I can’t EVER get enough of over-the-top details, centerpieces and decor, there is much to be said for the wedding intangibles–the emotions and moments that we rely on our photographers to capture.

So when Blue Window Creative sent this wedding over to me, my jaw dropped. While putting the post together, I felt so emotional looking at these images, I was almost brought to tears. This wedding is exactly what I imagine for myself one day, because each picture is a moment. Blue Window captured beautifully the emotion and celebration of the day and you can literally see the bonds–not just between Chelsea and Adam–but also between all of their family and friends. There is love here in every single one of these pictures: from the pre-wedding festivities, to the ceremony, to the family style meal, to the vineyard party after. I had a hard time choosing my favorite images!

Moral of the story: Consider choosing a photographer that is great at capturing moments. It’s harder than you think, and more important than you can imagine!

Venue – Willamette Valley Vineyards Salem, Oregon. Hair – Jamie Ellis, Makeup – Bethany Spohn, Cake – Myriad Cake Designs, Event Designer – SHE Designs & Events, Catering – Willaby’s Catering, Paper goods and favors – Clover and Feather, Flowers – Madison Avenue Flowers, Dress – Nicole Miller at Bleubelle Bridal (Savannah, GA), Shoes – Nina, Hair Piece – Untamed Petals, Groom’s Suit – H&M, Groom’s Shoes – Taka Hayashi for Vans.

Do you Rue?

If you are in to shelter magazines (or slightly obsessed like me) then I’m sure you’ve had many a sleepless night since the close of Domino Magazine (moment of silence). But when one door closes, another often opens. You all likely know about the amazing online magazine, Lonny, but another new online magazine has hit the streets and as it happens, the beginning of the month just keeps getting better and better. My new obsession is Rue Magazine, and as luck would have it, I got to style a shoot in their premier issue! Um…WHAT? So exciting.

Together with Megan of MaeMae Paperie and photographer Laure Joliet (whose portfolio is so ridiculously fabulous, you have to see it to believe it!) we spent a day shooting Megan’s studio and work. (Why is MaeMae so cool?)

I’m sharing a few images with you here, but to see the entire feature, check out the newest Rue Magazine Issue. Hope you enjoy this little studio tour.

Engaged: Love in a Field

When you see this engagement session, I’m pretty sure you’ll agree with me that Hunter Leone of Three Nails Photography pretty much owns it when it comes to engagement sessions. I can’t get enough of all the beautiful warm light in this session…of course a cutie couple and super fun scenery helps as well! I hope you love this session as much as I do! Extra special thanks to Hunter for sharing this session just with us!