streamlining

This morning the mechanic told H-town that his 96 Chrysler, affectionately known as The Cruiser, needs $2,000 worth of work. $2,000 we don't have that is frankly not worth pouring into the poor beast.

We've been talking theoretically about sharing a car for more than a year, but now that we're faced with it I have this funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. We both work from home (ish). We have a supermarket in walking distance. Not to mention Little Joy, Mohawk General Store, and the Friday night farmer's market. (As if I ever leave the house.)

So what's the big deal?

I thought maybe it would help me to make a list of pros and cons. If you have any suggestions to add, I'd love to hear em.

PROS:
1. We'll save money on car insurance. Obv.

2. We'll only have to worry about ONE CAR getting dinged on our crazy narrow street.

3. We'll only have to guerrilla park ONE CAR when we leave town for christmas.

4. H-town will have the perfect excuse not to keep a schedule.

5. I won't have to feel sheepish about making my friends pick me up on the way to the bar.

CONS:
1. I WON'T HAVE MY OWN CAR.

Meh. When did I turn into such an Angelino?

(King of the road by Jenny Nordberg via woolgathering & miscellany)

Bittersweets NY on NOTCOT

Visit NOTCOT for a glimpse into the Bittersweets studio, and register to win a 14K Gold Twig Band.

I know... I've been obsessed with rings lately. Sue me.

terrific news for non-traditional girls everywhere

Catbird (my fave Brooklyn jewelry store) has finally launched their new site. I've been waiting for this shit for months. I am not exaggerating.

May I suggest the above pop-art-meets-carrie-bradshaw Melting Love Ring for an engagement?

The Yayoi Forest Lucky Seven Diamond Ring would also be a stellar choice.

But go browse all the rad options for engagement rings and wedding bands.

Just don't blame me if you end up in the Wood Nymph section buying a crystal necklace. (Leave it to catbird to make crystals look cool.) Or in Intrepid Explorer buying a Tsuyumi Hunter's Cap for your faux hunting trip.



p.s. Damn you all for updating the furry hat with plaid. I want it.

QUAIL for bridesmaids....

Michelle Williams of Quail (which, p.s., is rad) just launched Quail Bridal, focusing exclusively on bridesmaids. She says "Bring anything that has the exact color you are looking for, whether it be an umbrella, a t-shirt, a sock, anything! And we will find a match."

I happen to think this one would make a cutie-pie wedding dress in white. *Update: Or blush.*

Now for fuck's sake can we call a moratorium on balloons? Balloons are so 2008.

Why renew your vows unless you've BROKEN THEM?

Hey East Side Bride!

I've been following your blog for a long time and I've always loved your thoughts and advice. I got married in February of this year and my husband and I were thinking about renewing our vows and having our closest friends over for a party on our 1 year anniversary. He thinks it's a great idea but I'm worried it might be too cheesy to renew our vows every year. I don't want it to seem too self-indulgent, as if I have to have another "wedding" every year! Of COURSE we will NOT ask for/accept gifts and we won't have bridesmaids or groomsmen or anything. Just a quick ceremony and then party. What are your thoughts?

*****

Hey Anonymous,

Funny you should ask... I was just ranting about this the other day. A vow renewal implies -- to me -- that someone has broken a vow. (See: Madonna and Guy Ritchie) The concept originated with couples who were rebuilding their marriages. It skeeves me out that people have started to use it as an excuse to plan what is essentially a second wedding, egged on by consumer-oriented wedsites like The Knot that offer helpful advice like "Either engrave your original bands with something new (perhaps the date of your vow renewal or a cute sentiment like "I Love You, Part II") or purchase new rings expressly for the reaffirmation -- there's never a bad time to upgrade jewelry!"

Um. BARF.

I get that you're not trying to have another wedding. So I say throw a badass anniversary party and let it be just that: an anniversary party. Unless you (or your husband) feel a pressing need, I'd leave the vow renewal out of it.

Love,
ESB

(Photo by Paolo Roversi via .v via this is glamorous)

antler wedding decor

I had to post these. I am officially obsessed with antlers for fall.* And bird's nests will never go out of style. (Just ask Martha.)

Photos by Lacie Hansen via 100 Layer Cake

*Yes, my tip arrived, thanks for asking. And it is GORGEOUS. Anxiously awaiting the brass chain I ordered from etsy, and then mabs I'll post a photo of the "finished" necklace if I can manage it.

Pixie Market, YOU'RE KILLING ME

EXHIBIT A: Cape coat. Effyes. And what better excuse do you need to buy these?



EXHIBIT B: Leather pencil skirt. If I had a job, y'know, that actually required me to get dressed every morning, I like to think this is the kind of thing I'd wear to work.



EXHIBIT C: Nude mesh leggings. With neon zippers. I have resisted leggings until now. I haven't wanted leggings until now. ButdamnIwantthese. And not just because she's rockin em with a furry hat. (Hooray for furry hat season!)

Part of me kind of digs the plaid studded shirt, too. But if Lauren can stud a pair of converse, dammit I can stud a plaid shirt.

Groom Style: Craig Robinson

(Paul Banks of Interpol in 3-Piece Shetland Wool Herringbone Suit, and Nuutti Kataja of Dead Combo in Fox Hunt 2-Piece Suit w/ Velvet Collar)

Not only does Craig Robinson make some of the more slammin men's suits I've seen in a while...but this is a screaming hot ensemble for a best (wo)man.

Or a bride who might not be planning to get married in a suit.

(Sharin Foo of The Raveonettes in Calvary Vest & Box Pleat Skirt)

Currently for sale in five cities.

Via PAPERMAG

Dear J. Crew: You're not edgy.

Selling booties and stealing from Vogue will not make you so.

I was planning to stop dissing J. Crew after I pissed so many people off the last time. I mean, I get it. They make simple, mid-range wedding dresses that can be accessorized very well.

But...srsly?

J. Crew Weddings, December 2009

Vogue, June 2009, photographed by Arthur Elgort and styled by the inimitable Grace Coddington

See the page-by-page comparison on Moodboard. (Thanks to my lady Kathryn for sending me the link.)

p.s. If you have not already seen The September Issue, you must do so immediately.

EXCUSE ME

Celia totally held out on us. Not only is there more ostrich action up on her blog, there are photos of the dance fest, the signature cocktails,* the most rad Celia necklace, and the elusive mariachi.

Sneaky sneaker blogger.

*That's right, Mr. Human Jukebox, I said signature cocktails. These people know a little something about mixing drinks.

guest post: Chelsea on flower girls

I am so happy to be on East Side Bride today sharing my favorite picks for flower girl dresses! I adore flower girls and prefer dozens of them at a wedding any day over too many bridesmaids. I think the prettiest flower girl dresses are not from a bridesmaid or wedding dress company but from children's designers, vintage shops or made by hand.



These effortless silk dresses from Ses Petites Mains are simple, lovely and can be worn over and over again.




Eliza Gran is one of my favorite clothing designers so I am thrilled that she’s begun to design dresses for flower girls. Above are a few dresses from seasons past but you can email her to get more info.




Flora & Henri is a gorgeous children's clothing company out of Seattle and these two beautiful dresses happen to be on sale right now.




I spotted this vintage dress on Etsy and I think it would be super sweet for a flower girl!




I love these vintage patterns (also found on Etsy) and think they'd be adorable sewn up on a Liberty cotton, or a linen, or silk.



I hope this is helpful to some brides out there. Enjoy the process!!
Here are a few more shops to check out:
Misha Lulu
Peek Aren’t You Curious
Neige Clothing
Emma & Avery


If you'd like to see more of my favorite weddings + kids style, please visit Frolic! Thanks for letting me visit today!
-Chelsea

non-j.crew alternatives for flower girls?

Nikki emailed me to ask for help with flower girl style. Here's her dilemma:

We are not having a traditional bridal party but decided that it would be fun to have my only niece participate as our flower girl. My wedding dress is a short number from Elizabeth Dye and so I want something equally sassy, sweet and fun for the flower girl (but not clone-like or anything). David's bridal makes me want to puke and I have tried a little etsy searching which only resulted in lots of tutus. I am hoping you have a non-j.crew alternative for me as I really do not even know where to begin.

As I've said before, I'm no expert on kids, so I brought in the big guns in on this one. A guest post from Chelsea of {frolic!} is up next. Chelsea always has a super sweet, easygoing vision of clothes for little girls (maybe because her three-year-old niece is so cool?)

Photo by Chelsea Fuss. Misha Lulu dress modeled by Millie.

indie christmas shopping

I think more than one person on my list will be getting this calendar. Each of Nikki McClure's images "is an original papercut, cut from a single piece of paper."

From buyolympia.com or Greer Chicago.

p.s. Check out the rad interview with McClure on Fecal Face. Sorry Portland, but Olympia invented indie.

terrarium centerpieces PLUS vintage owls??

I put these photos up as fast as Feather Love sent me the link.

Hellooooo. Somebody is gonna freak out.

how to get a badass wedding dress without ever having to leave the house

Even before she sent me her wedding photos, I knew I was gonna have to squeeze a dress post out of Celia. A girl with vintage style who commissions a custom wedding dress? Yes pls.

I decided to have my dress custom made pretty early in the dress decision process. I had quickly considered jumping on the bandwagon and buying some fancy designer dress but as soon as I saw some of those fancy designer price tags, I was instantly turned off. My mom was gracious enough to tell me that she would work with me on the price, but honestly, spending THOUSANDS of dollars on a gown that could probably be seen on the pages of most wedding magazines and could be worn by any girl that was ready and willing to spend those THOUSANDS of dollars, seemed 1. predictable and 2. not me at all. I try not to buy my regular clothes from massive corporations, so why would I go that route when it came to my wedding day?

On to plan B: a vintage dress!! This idea was extremely appealing. I own and wear tons of vintage and one of my best friends is a vintage buyer. This was going to be perfect! Well, turns out, not so perfect after all. I have seen many girls pull off vintage wedding dresses beautifully, but unfortunately, I was not going to be one of those girls. I tried on a slew of vintage gowns, but I always ended up looking too kitschy and not classic, which is what I really wanted. After all the excitement, I was a bit heart broken that vintage wasn't going to work for me.

And that's when I made the decision to have my dress custom made. I knew it was the only way to get the dress I actually wanted... the dress of my dreams! The hardest part was finding someone reputable that I felt I could totally and completely trust. I came across Lindsey Nelson (who's worked for the Los Angeles Opera House) through another dressmaker who had made wedding dresses for two of my friends, but had moved to Nashville. I didn't know exactly what I wanted, but I definitely knew what I didn't want (no strapless/mermaid/satin/beaded ensemble) and I knew the look I was going for. I sent her photos of dresses and details that I loved and asked her if she would be interested in making my dress. Lucky for me, she jumped on board and said that she would come to my home for all our meetings and fittings. So, I basically got a badass wedding dress without ever having to leave my house... that's my kind of business deal! She came by a few weeks later, measured me, asked me a whole bunch of questions, brought more pictures for more inspiration, and sketched out what I knew was going to be the most gorgeous dress.


I was definitely set on lots of lace and unlike esb, I AM a ruffle person, so there was going to be some serious ruffle action. Knowing that I had loved the idea of a vintage gown, Lindsey had suggested we use vintage lace to construct all the ruffles on my dress. GENIUS! I'm pretty sure that was the very moment I fell in love with her! Over then next three months, we took a trip downtown to pick out the fabric for the main part of my dress, we bid on a variety of vintage laces that Lindsey found for me on Ebay, and had four fittings total. Everything went so smoothly and perfectly, that I even asked her to make my mom's dress and a blouse for the flower girl. In the end, I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful gown on my wedding day and I definitely couldn't have asked for a better, sweeter and more personal way to get that dress. There's no way I would change a thing.

Oh, and the whole dress (labor and fabric) totaled less than $950. I'm quite happy to say that my extra money went towards an amazing honeymoon in Europe and not Vera Wang's pocket...



*Update: tons more inspiration pics and terrific detail shots on Lindsey's blog.*

All photos (with the exception of the inspiration board) by Cathryn Farnsworth

Southern California Wedding Chic (complete with ostrich)

I could not be more stoked to feature the wedding of the lovely and hilarious Celia, of life according to celia. Here's what she had to say:

First off, I'd like to give a big fat thank you to ESB for getting what the whole wedding planning process is really about and, of course, for featuring our wedding. I thought we were kind of cool before, but now my head is swelling at a phenomenal rate... jokes.

OK, where to start? After 10 months of planning, some serious nail biting, a good amount of tears, and a few fits of rage, we got married in front of 113 of our nearest and dearest on October 10th at the Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse in Los Olivos. We rented the house for two nights and invited our families and close friends to spend that time with us. To say it was the best time of my life, would be the absolute grossest understatement. I guess there really are no words to describe how incredibly perfect that weekend was.

The day of the wedding was the most beautiful day I had seen in months. Living in Southern California can be pretty grueling during the Summer, so a 77º day is always more than welcome. I know tons of little details go so wrong at so many weddings, but I must admit that ours ran pretty smoothly. The ceremony started at 4:30 and we were married by a very close friend of ours... an idea I highly recommend if you are planning on having a nondenominational wedding. He made us laugh, then cry, and laugh again. It was so sweet and so personal. My mom walked me down the aisle and I remember feeling like I was a little kid again.

The ceremony was very short (maybe 15 minutes) and we proceeded to have a huge blowout party. I was not interested in a lot of the traditions, i.e. throwing the bouquet/tossing the garter/etc., mainly because I didn't want to feel like I was on a schedule at my wedding, and also because I really didn't feel the need to have Joseph's hands or face up my dress in front of our families. Maybe that's just me, though.


We both work in the food industry, so the food was a really big deal to us. We didn't want anything fancy, so we felt family style would be our best option. The menu consisted of Roasted Fennel and Orange Salad, White Mushroom Lasagna, and Paella from The Chef's Touch in Solvang and I don't think we could have been happier with how it all turned out. Joseph works as a Sommelier and decided to buy all different bottles of wine from Silver Lake Wine, so that no two were alike. Everyone was excited to see what bottles would be at their table. We also served three signature cocktails; a spicy whiskey one, a sweet tequila one, and a rusty nail for my dad. There was a mariachi and we gave out Mexican tin ornaments for favors as a nod to my heritage. We used terrariums as centerpieces because Joe's highly allergic to quite a variety of flowers.

Dinner turned into a big dance fest and we were so delighted to hear everyone tell us that they were having the best time. I had never in my life felt so happy or full of love. It was almost surreal. The night came to an end, although I wished it could have lasted forever, and I could not believe how blessed we were to have such a beautiful and heartfelt wedding. Totally worth all those fits of rage...



Tune in tomorrow for Celia's advice on how to get a badass wedding dress without ever having to leave the house.

And, yes, that is a ban.do headpiece. Celia visited the studio to try em on. She's fancy like that.

(Photos by Cathryn Farnsworth)