Monday 30 January 2012

The Weekend

Hope everyone had a good weekend. Here is a photo log of Eric's and my weekend.


You can click the links above to see larger images. 
Eric and I spent our weekend relaxing, reading, making mini cheesecakes, and exploring the city (there is SO much we have yet to see!). I also bought a mannequin today in order to start my etsy shop Golden Twenties. I'm very excited as I have been collecting some neat things over the past year. I hope to have the shop up and running in the next couple of months! Eric and I also made some very exciting art where we accidentally exploded our hot glue gun (uh oh!!). That's all I will say about it now, but check back later this week for the unveil! 

Sunday 29 January 2012

Wedding Budgets


antlers we recently purchased as decor for the wedding and our apartment

I don't think this is really rocket science anymore with hundreds of wedding blogs, magazines, etc., all talking about how to save money at your wedding, but for a real life perspective I'm going to lay out our plans of how we're going to save, and have a wedding under $5000. I'm sure as we progress and we actually talk to venues, florists, etc., things will change, but you have to start somewhere.
We're planning on doing many things ourselves. DIY wedding all the way. We also want to make sure that the majority of what we create or buy as decorations are things we can later use in our own home. Example number one: I made a chalkboard that is hung in our kitchen for now and will most likely be a seating chart later. I’m also planning on doing my own hair and makeup (I plan on practicing hairstyles over the next few months and will definitely share the results), as well as making our own cake. Or cupcakes, we haven’t decided yet.

The Chalkboard, I found out how to make it here, it's currently covering the word "babe". The previous tenants wrote "I love you babe" on the kitchen wall and we weren't keen (especially on the "babe"), but also didn't want to spend money to repaint.

We’re having our wedding outside of the city. Mainly because Eric’s father will be marrying us and they live in the country, but also because venues are SO MUCH cheaper. Having our wedding in Toronto would be much more expensive for us and for our guests, plus just because it’s not in the city doesn’t mean it won’t be just as beautiful. We have already looked at some very beautiful places and my vision of a fall-rustic-wood-lodge-lumber-jack-wedding is looking plausible.
We’re using our friends and family. Yes that sounds bad, but it really isn’t, if anyone you know can help out, more than likely they would be glad to. Eric’s dad is a pastor so no officiating fees, he also has a photographer uncle, and a friend of ours will be playing organ. Of course we will still have development fees and we will be gifting/paying some kind-of fee to each of them (this has yet to be decided), but a majority of the cost will be down.
We’re having a small wedding. Only very close family and our closest friends will be there. Honestly, I can’t imagine having a wedding of 200+ even if we were millionaires. I realize this will anger some, but if there is any day to be selfish I feel like this might be the one. Right?
The dress. OH the dress. I plan on spending under $500... and I mean to say I hope to pay $100. How am I going to do that? I have been hunting etsy, and have tried on some at local vintage shops, but who knows what will happen. I’m really in love with this dress from J Crew and this dress from BHLDN, but of course they are not under $500. Can I do it? Well we will just have to wait and see.

Saturday 28 January 2012

Monday 23 January 2012

The Engagement Story


Eric and I had been talking about marriage for a long time. If it had been up to Eric we would have been married two years ago, but I have always been cautious and more a logical than romantic person (perhaps that explains my reaction to Eric after he asked me). 

It was just a regular day. I got off work at 6 and when I got home Eric had made a wonderful and elaborate meal of stuffed lamb (my favourite), mashed potatoes (Eric has been the only person able to make potatoes I like), and salad. If I had been thinking I would have realized this mimicked our very first date where Eric made exactly the same except with chicken instead of lamb. However, Eric loves to cook and I figured he had just been experimenting. I gobbled it up (so delicious!) and promptly asked Eric if he would like to go for a walk. He later told me his heart jumped into his stomach and he agreed just so I wouldn't think anything was up. When we returned home half an hour later I walked into the living room, planning to put on a movie for the evening. Lo and behold there were dozens of yellow origami flowers all over the room (I love the show Gilmore Girls and was obsessed with how Max proposed to Lorelai with a thousand yellow daisies for years). Very romantic right? I laughed and said as I turned to him, "Wow, were you bored today?" and there was poor Eric, on one knee with a little box and I'm laughing and asking if he was bored. It gets even better. He asks if I will marry him and I say over and over again "Really? for real?... is this for real? like for real for real..." He just looks at me puzzled and says "Yes. stop saying for real. This. Is. Real." I did eventually snap out of it and said yes, but the poor guy made such a romantic gesture and I was blind to it all. Of course now I think it was incredibly sweet and I love him so much, but I never realized how oblivious I can really be until that moment.

As for the ring, he gave me a box full of dollar store, walmart, and vintage costume ones to wear while we figured out what to do. I have my mothers engagement ring and was thinking of having the diamonds put in our own setting, but after finding out how much that would cost we started hunting on etsy and at antique stores until we found the one I love (and it was VERY affordable). It comes from the etsy shop Luxe Deluxe, is from the 1940's, and is just perfect for me.



Tree Growth Rings

Eric came across this amazing post on Laughing Squid and I thought it was so beautiful and fascinating it was worth sharing. "Years" is by Bartholomaus Traubeck and is a modified record player that analyzes tree growth rings and turns it into music.

Sunday 22 January 2012

I'm still here!


Morning light through our hallway

In my very first post I explained that I'm notoriously bad for keeping up with blogging. I'm sure that has been obvious with my lack of updating since our move to Toronto. So much has happened in the past four months but the main thing is that Eric and I are engaged!
First photo after our engagement

 Over the next few months I'm going to try and keep up with blogging and posting my experiences planning a wedding. I have never been a girl who dreams about her wedding and I'm definitely all about doing everything the cheapest way and doing things myself (I already created a very handy chalkboard that's living in our kitchen for now). Don't get me wrong, this will not turn into a wedding blog, I just want to move away from focusing solely on outfit posts and move into everyday inspiration from home decor, food, city life, etc.



I have been working hard at learning how to make the perfect cup of french press coffee. It has been going well so far and I will post my experiences soon! I have also been living in over sized knits this winter, like this Vince sweater.