Monday, April 25, 2011

I made a new friend at my store the other day. She and I found out we were getting married on the same day. She came into the shop to purchase some jewelry supplies to make jewelry for her friends. Like me, she is also having just one bridesmaid, but wants to gift things to those that are close to her heart. Kind of like honorary bridesmaids. Which is exactly what i was planning to do as well. When she told me she was getting married Sep. 17, 2011, I squealed! How fun is it to be able to chat with someone who is getting married on the same exact day! I may have just made a new friend!

She emailed me a couple days later to show me the wedding dress website she was shopping through, and I already found a dress I LOVE! Unfortunately it says smaller on top, and I am ALL TOP! So I can at least use this as an inspiration. Onto looking at more dresses!

Esme Dress BHLDN Wedding dress website

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Wedding Playlist

Another song I want on our playlist. Dinah Washington, "is you or is you aint my baby"

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Wedding Playlist

I am starting to really listen to songs that make me think of Shane, Me, and our relationship. Today I worked 9 hours, came home, cooked, cleaned, ate, cleaned again. As I was doing the dishes I heard this song by Billy Joel, who is one of my favorite musicians thanks to my parents. This song, though I don't "hide like a child" I definitely throw tantrums like a child. Which in fact, I did tonight when I noticed BOTH of my Pepsi cans missing when I got home. I never drink soda, so it was a treat I was yearning for this particular evening. So I threw the tantrum. Shane warned me last night to hide them, and I forgot. He felt really bad and volunteered to go get more. He was going to walk in the stormy, rainy, thunderous night to get me my Pepsi...again (he went last night for me but I never drank it). What a good man. I told him not to go, and I can live with my home made soda water. It's the little things.

ANYWHO...this song just made me think how complex I am, and how Shane can still love me for all the "layers to my onion". He puts up with me, cause I'm only a woman to him =)

More Bridesmaid Dresses

My mom sent me some bridesmaid dress ideas today. I liked a few of them. Here are some of my favorites.

 

Then one I found today in a shop, that I really like, but the photo does not do it justice below.

This one is fabulous because it has the oranges, and blues, with splashes of other colors to boot. It is a tube dress, and made for petite women, so would be perfect for Andrea!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Bubbles in the sky

Since our wedding is outside, on the beach, rice would just litter the beach. I am not the traditional type, so rice was already not in the books. I do love the idea of handing out bubble bottles to our guests to blow into the sky after the ceremony. Since bubbles can be kind of messy, I think it would be good to provide each guest with a drawstring pouch, with one small bottle of bubbles, a napkin, and a note asking each guest to blow bubbles once we walk down the isle as husband and wife, then toss the napkins and bubbles in the trash close by. I want to make sure everything is disposed of, so I will need to make sure someone is around for damage control just in case someone discards it on the beach.



Friday, April 1, 2011

Invitations

So, if you were not already able to tell, the colors of our wedding will be a soft orange/coral color, and a soft bluish green color. Orange is one of Shane's favorite colors, and I really love the combo of the two. So long as it does not look like the Miami Dolphins I will be pleased =) I have to find our invitations ASAP, so I did a little shopping on ETSY today. I like the idea of the invites to be an ocean/nautical theme, so these star fishes seem like a great option. I do love the image of a star fish, and think it would incorporate nicely with the whole theme of the wedding. You can the invite from Whimsicalprints along with many other cute invitations.




I think it would be great to add these little swarovski star fishes to the key chains for all the girls who attend the wedding, even the children. With my jewelry hook ups, I can get these real cheap wholesale.


Thursday, March 31, 2011

Timeline, and Inspirations

I would like to provide a momento for each guest to take home with them, that would have a a practical use. Since the theme will be in the vintage nautical realm, I want them to receive something that represents boating. I found these amazing wood pulley key chains that are super inexpensive. We can hand engrave heart charms for the girls, and maybe dog tag or plain square charms for the men. This way each guest could get something handmade. I would like to tie a rope to the charm, and secure it to the key chain with the rope, this way, if the guest prefers to not have the engraved charm on the key chain, they have the option to cut the rope off and use the charm for something else.

"Sail away with me" comes from a Norah Jones song, which would be a good first song at the reception.  This is just one phrase we could use, I would like to come up with 5-10 romantic, nautical lines to use so there would be a variety of phrases.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Email Notification is out

So now that all our emails are compiled, we sent out an email earlier this week announcing our wedding location and date. Physical invites will be out soon! September 17th is the official date. The deposit is made, and people are already getting their hotel rooms. Bask in my mother's awesomeness of putting together this cute image for the email. For those of you actually following my blog, be sure to check out all the info on the Island, like where to stay, and what you can do (aside from being at my wedding) VISIT CATALINA Also, to find out information on how to get out to Catalina, visit Catalina Express to book your ride out there. 

We are hoping everyone will come out on Friday, the day before to enjoy the Island. There is an art festival taking place that same weekend (coincidentally) So be sure to do some crafty shopping while you are out and about. The wedding will be some time in the afternoon on Saturday, hopefully right on the beach. Our reception will be at The Landing Bar & Grill We reserved the restaurant just for the event. Check out some of the photos of the venue.



Friday, March 25, 2011

Wedding Dress Potential

I will be landing on the beach in my dad's dingy (hopefully) so I need a dress that will allow for me feet to touch the water. I want something with a vintage 1950's Mad Men feel to it. So far this dress has really spoken to me. Maybe not this one exactly, but something of this nature.

Wedding Dress

Saturday, March 12, 2011

My ONE, and ONLY Bridesmaid, maid of honor, and SISTER!!!!

Introducing Andrea Howarth, my favorite sister of all time. She posted this on Facebook today:

"I am the Maid of Honor and my sister is getting married!!! I can not wait!!! I am so ecited to be in my sister's wedding! Love you Tracie."

This made my day! I could not stop giggling when I saw her post this picture with it. Since Shane and I want to keep the wedding as simple as possible, we decided to have one bridesmaid, and one groomsman, which will be his twin brother Sean. He has not asked him yet, so I hope he is game! 

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

SHOES!

I am in love with these shoes! The type of shoe is not really my personal style, but the encrusted swarovskiness of it!!!! I am planning on being barefoot when I get married, but will want some cute little white crystalized shoes for the wedding. Too much? I don't care!!! I love all things sparkly!!! The designer, RedEnvelopeGifts can make them in any color, and any style. Now that is what I am talking about!

Wedding Party Favors

My friend, and employee Jordan and I were discussing ideas of personal engraved charms for our guests. Since I am in the "charm" business, I thought it would be cute to give each of our guests a charm with something significant of the day we get married. At first I was thinking the date, along with something else, but could not put my finger on it. Then BAM!!! Jordan came in for the rescue. She thought it would be a cute idea to put some lyrics from our first dance. I loved it!

We had these left over strings from our price cards in the store that are so cute, and did not want to just throw them away (thank you again Jordan =) So we put our heads together, and thought it would be great to tie the string to the charm, and attach them to the wine glasses, napkins, or something for each guest with the personal engraving. Maybe even putting the guests name on it as a way to signify where they sit. This way they can keep it for their own potential necklace, key chain, or something to take up more space in their home.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Theme???

So Etsy is a great source for wedding inspiration and ideas. I have not decided what the color/theme will be. Part of me wants to go the nautical route since I grew up on boats, and I will be landing on the beach in a small one. For me there is nostalgia behind the nautical look. Compasses, telescopes, brass and ropes. This dress would be perfect for my sister to wear...who will be my only bridesmaid. I still have to call her and officially ask her to be my bridesmaid haha! I think all of these dresses are potentials. It is so hard to pick a favorite!

The designer is missbrache on Etsy. Her dresses have a great rockabilly, so cal (Florida ;) beach girl look to them. She can custom make most any outfit, and her turn around time is only 2-5 weeks. Her prices are very affordable, and she makes clothing for all shapes and sizes of women! She has been featured on Martha Stewart, which is a dream come true for the crafting girl. The designer just got married herself, so this one knows what she is doing! I will be definitely checking back to her for a potential dress.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Wedding location




We have decided to get married in Avalon California, which is on a small Island outside of Los Angeles County. I have always wanted to get married there. Take a look at the beach we plan to wed on. Shane had a great idea of my dad riding me up on his dingy (a small motorized blow up boat...though you could hardly say his is small) to the shore, and I step out barefoot into the water to the ceremony. My dad loved the idea, he could not believe Shane thought it up, me either really. So take a look. The top two photos my mom took. You can see a full aerial view of Avalon below, and then a cute shot of a couple walking the beach I would land on. This gives you a view of what our guests will have.

My first Blog...Me

I am a 28 year old female business owner in Brooklyn NY. I run an on line jewelry supply business on Etsy, as well as a brick and mortar shop in a trendy, hip little neighborhood of Brooklyn called Williamsburg. My store is a custom designed jewelry / supply boutique. We are celebrating our 1 year anniversary for the shop at the end of this month brooklyncharmshop.com. My fiance, Shane helps me with many of the business aspects of my shop. We have been together for over 6 years now. We started dating at the end of our college careers. We spent a year apart soon after we started dating, as he was going to art school on the East Coast while I finished up art school in Long Beach CA. I moved to Connecticut with him, and after a year we moved to Brooklyn where we have been residing for the past 3+ years. He finally proposed to me on Christmas Eve as my Christmas present.

I am born and raised in Oxnard California by two amazing parents! As a child I would take many vacation trips with my family to Catalina Island either by my father's boat, or by ferry. I have spent more than a year of my life on boats (not continuous, but if you add it all up, I am sure it would calculate to my guess). Catalina was MY fantasy land as a child. Going there was my perfect escape from all things obligated, and mundane back at home. I could be free, and imagine glorious scenarios surrounded by sun, water, and happy people.

My mom and dad were married in a water taxi in Catalina was I was 7 years old...the day before my birthday. For years I would not let my mom forget about how it bothered me so. In high school, one year I tricked my parents into thinking my birthday was December 29th....and their wedding anniversary was December 30th. Which in reality it was the other way around. This way I was able to go back to the main land and party with my friends on my actual birthday. I was pretty pleased with myself as this was in a way my revenge on their decision to get married the day before my birthday. I guess it does not bother me so much any more. But I still like to give then a hard time. In their defense, their decision to get married the day before my birthday was because it was a blue moon.

Well, onto why I am doing this blog. I am a pretty scatter brained girl, and would like to keep a good inventory of my ideas, and inspirations for my upcoming wedding. I have been emailing back and forth with my mother in the past week, and when I try to show people things we have discussed, it is kind of a nightmare to locate the info. So I am doing this blog for myself, my current AND future family, friends and anyone else out there in the world wide web willing to look. I hope you enjoy!