Penchant for Pinwheels

You know when you start nearing the 100 day mark and you're supposed to stop looking at inspiration and start actually doing things for your wedding?  Well, I didn't get that memo.  I was perusing my throng of wedding websites over the weekend, and I saw something that was pretty cute:

via HELLO, my name is Heather

This got the wheels turning...hmmmm, maybe I could have some cute pinwheels for the kids to play with.

Awesome People Still Exist

Hive, I've been having some trouble finding vintage china tea cups and milk glass in my town.  We have a few thrift stores in the area, each of which are pretty slim pickings. 

So I was pretty excited when I took my monthly swing by one of the thrift stores and saw a woman holding a beautiful gold rimmed, floral tea cup.  I thought about my options for a moment, then I realized that I had no common decency so I went right up to her and asked her where she found it and if she had any more. 

She told me where she found the gorgeous cup, but then let me know it was the only one they had.  My face fell and I proceeded to tell her that it was a shame as I was collecting cups for my wedding and was having issues finding them.  She just kind of shrugged and I went on my way.

Spicing Up My Ballroom

One of the downsides to having a ginormous wedding is the limited venue choices.  I've talked about it previously, but as my countdown nears the 100 day mark, I get a little bit sad face when I think about my venue.

You see, if I were positive my wedding would have fewer than 250, I would have been able to be in the other hotel ballroom.  The one with actual windows.  And a view of the slightly brown and silty gorgeous lake.

image via Lakeview Golf Resort and Spa

Instead, I have the ballroom with no windows.  And big fire doors.  There are no dramatic vaulted ceilings nor eye catching chandeliers.  I'd show you a picture, but I have none of my own and it would be rude to post someone's wedding photo under this circumstance.  Not to mention creepy.

Tablescapes Part 3: Table Numbers/Place cards

So you've seen my ideas for centerpieces and linens, but how will people know where to sit?  Since I have had nightmares about some random relative not being able to find his table due to red green color blindness or macular degeneration, I've decided to take the double fail safe approach.

First, I would stick with the pattern coded fabrics.  I saw some pretty awesome photos and got inspired (thanks Mrs. Ribbons!):

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However, looking at the tutorials for these I got a little bit worried I would run out of fabric.  Plus, they looked uber time consuming.  So I did some tutorial searching and eventually found these:

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Tablescapes Part 2: The Linens

OK, so you've seen my idea for a centerpiece, but you had to realize I wasn't going to let a Mad Hatter Tea Party's table be that simple.  Remember, I want this wedding to be a whimsical acid trip.

An abstract vision of my wedding

If you remember way back when, I had this lofty goal for my place cards.  If not, here's the Reader's Digest version: I wanted to color code each table by fabric and give guests little flags made out of said fabrics to denote which table they were to sit.  Well, reality set in and I realized a few things:

1.) I'm not that crazy about table runners on round tables and those are what my venue provides.

2.) 40 or more fabrics may be difficult to differentiate especially in low lighting. 

3.) Flags don't really fit with my theme.

4.) I like to make things harder for myself.

Tablescapes Part 1: The Centerpiece

One issue with having a 16 month engagement: I have quite a bit of time to change my mind repeatedly.  This is bad because I am veryvery indecisive about everything, from wedding stuff to what to eat for dinner.

I need a Hankie

So I've been thinking a lot about my invitation suites/Save The Dates, and I purchased a Cricut and a Yudu screenprinter in order to construct them.  Originally, I thought I had it all covered...my STD would have the date coming out of the side a la this:

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Cute, huh?  And for my invitations, I bought chipboard and was going to bind it together as a book, with the cover covered in fabric.  Lofty idea, I know...but I think it's cute.  Here's a sneak peak at the idea for the first page:

Who doesn't like a place card?

I have a confession to make.  I'm not really a fan of those big, giant generic centerpiece table numbers that many venues allow you to use.  I knew from the beginning of planning that I wanted something a little cooler.  At first, I thought I could use the idea of the Mad Hatter's hat and put the table numbers IN the hat...

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OK, yeah.  Maybe not such a good idea.  But don't worry, a few weeks later I came up with a GREAT idea.

Hark! A Theme Awaits!

So what's the first thing you did when wedding planning?  Instead of doing all of those practical things, like picking a date or a church, I decided to pick a theme.  And then another.  And then another.  Since we're just starting to get to know each other, I'll quickly show you the themes that could have been...

1.) Originally, I fell in love with a Breakfast at Tiffany's theme.  The colors: Tiffany black, blue, and silver.  I wanted the emphasis to be black, with the blue and silver VERY sporadically sprinkled in so it didn't look like too much.  At this point, I also wanted a very sleek sheath instead of a gown, which probably would have looked HORRID on me.  Here is a perfect inspiration board I found to illustrate the theme:

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I know you're thinking, "So beautiful and tasteful!  How did this plan go awry? " Well, I was browsing on modcloth.com, one of my favorites store for gorgeous affordable dresses, and I discovered...