My Inspiration Board

I'm overdo for a blog post, but have been feeling majorly stressed about all the wedding stuff lately, so today I thought I'd do something easy. I put together an inspiration board on my favourite wedding website (Project Wedding) so I could see how everything was comping together, and I'm really happy with how it looks! The colour scheme is right where I want it to be, and I think we're getting that vintage/elegant vibe we're setting out for!

Would love to hear your opinions, and promise I'll give an update soon :)
XOXO Erin

A quick planning update

Hello ladies!

I feel like I've been spinning my wheels lately! I'm sure those of you who have planned/are planning a wedding know what I mean... those weeks where you feel like all you do is try to plan, but find out that you have nothing accomplished! This update will be about the things that I actually HAVE managed to make some progress on in the last few weeks...

We're on the last set of proofs for our invitations (which you can see in my last post), so I'm feeling very happy to almost have that checked off of our list! We also just sent out our Save the Dates this past week which is very exciting, because it's making this wedding start to feel real! For our STDs, we worked with a fabulous graphic designer who used some of our engagement photos (which I will post as soon as we get the disc!) and I think she did a fabulous job! Sarah from Signatures by Sarah was so wonderful to work with, and extremely fast with getting back proofs! We chose to do a postcard design, and here are the images we ultimately chose (names are changed for privacy):

The other big thing that is *almost* figured out are the bridesmaid dresses! We managed to find an amazing dress that fits our theme, and that all the girls love... I can't believe we did it :) Only problem is, we weren't able to try it on in the store, as it's from a 2011 collection. The stores should be receiving them soon, so fingers crossed we'll be able to see them soon! From Jim Hjelms 2011 collection:

I think the colour is to die for... so excited to see it on the girls! And worst case scenario that we all hate it, I do have a backup plan!

Other fun things coming up:

Tomorrow Matt and I are going cake tasting... this will be the 4th bakery, and we're hoping they'll be the one! We're looking to get a beautiful piped cake, and are interested in getting something like this recreated in 4 tiers:

After the meeting with the bakers, we're headed to The Bay in downtown TO to check out their dinnerware, linens, and other fun things like that!

I've also been working on gifts for our bridal party, but that won't be making an appearance on the blog just in case ;)

Hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

XOXO Erin 

I've finally found my invitations!

For months of searching for the perfect invitations (at the perfect price), I finally found ones that fit the bill. Not only are the gorgeous, and can be modified to fit your wedding colours, but the price is fantastic!

These invitations were created by lvandy27 of Etsy, and are her 1943 Wedding Invitation Suite (all photos are taken from her Etsy shop listing). I'm lucky enough that the exact invitation suite listed is already in my wedding colours, though we're considering making a small switch out for one of the coloured papers.

All wrapped up in a beautiful package (bellyband included!):

The full suite:

The gorgeous invitation:

Closeup of insert cards:

RSVP card and envelope:

Aren't they beautiful? And the best part is that Laura is amazing to deal with! Very accommodating to your needs and quick to respond to your inquiries... we've already started the process with her, and I highly recommend her for your invitation and other paper needs (she'll also be making matching menu cards and table numbers for us)!

So let me know what you think! Do these invitations fit in with the vintage/romantic/elegant theme we're trying to create? Leave me a comment to let me know your thoughts :)

XOXO Erin

Flower Mock-up: Bouquets & Centrepieces

Hello ladies!

Hopefully you all enjoyed your holidays and are now easing your way back into you busy schedules. This is a post I've been meaning to do for a long time (since our trial was last fall), but managed to get caught up in all kinds of other fun things!

First of all, let me say that the florist we chose to do our wedding is just amazing. Her name is Lori, and she owns and operates Sticks and Stems Floral Design. She's super fun, extremely talented, easy to work with, and just gets me! I probably sent her a billion photos trying to piece together exactly what I wanted out wedding flowers to look like, and between all of my inspiration photos, she just nailed it. The centrepieces are EXACTLY what I had envisioned, and the bouquet? It's above and beyond that. It's romantic and vintage and girly, without being too pink. And I think they go SO well with the vintage/elegant/romantic theme that we're trying to achieve. Here are a few photos I snapped, along with some of her's from Facebook. Please keep in mind that my photos were taken after the flowers were transported in our car over a long distance, haha!

Bridesmaid bouquets:

Our gorgeous centrepieces:

I just can't get over how wonderfully everything turned out, and can't wait to see them all on the big day!

Next up on the wedding planning agenda- bridesmaid dress shopping! We're going next weekend, so hopefully I'll have a few photos to share from our experience, or better yet, news that we chose some dresses!

XOXO Erin

Shopping Haul & Holiday Lip Colour Reviews

I went to the mall this weekend in search of some fun lip colours for this holiday season. Everything I've ever bought has been neutral... I LOVE doing a nude lip with bolder eyes, but for some reason, I was really feeling a bolder colour- maybe I've gotten more mature, HA!

I went to Sephora, where the sales associate helped me look through something like 20 colours. I knew I wanted a gloss (because I don't love the feel of lipstick), but couldn't decide between a berry shade or a red shade... so I ended up with both, haha!

First, the red shade that I LOVE! I actually went seeking this one out, and I'm glad I found it. It's by NARS, and is called Bad Education. It's described as a 'sheer crimson red', but I find it gives a pretty vibrant colour. Apparently Leighton Meester is wearing it here (though I'm not 100% sure):

Isn't it gorgeous? So after finding my red shade, we went after trying to find out the perfect berry. Oddly enough, the shade was described as a 'crimson red' but I found (along with many other reviewers) that it is really much more of a berry shade! The colour is Betty by Buxom (under the Bare Escentuals label). It's a Sephora exclusive colour, and it's the perfect berry shade. Buxom lipgloss is seriously amazing in that it has great staying power and doesn't feel sticky at all! I'm definitely going to have to go back to check out (and probably pick up) a few other shades!

The other item I picked up at the mall (aside from a bunch of Christmas presents) is a gorgeous nail colour, which I believe is what sparked my interest in bold lip colours for this season! It's an OPI polish (which I've decided to give another try... I think my issue is not with OPI but with the Sephora polishes... there's something about the Sephora brand that just doesn't do it for me!) and is just amazing for the holidays. The name is Malaga Wine, and it's a red, jelly-colour that seems to change in different lighting- and trust me, it's beautiful in all lights!

(I snuck this picture from alluringmum's blog, found here)

It's actually part of their 'Classic Collection', and I'm so glad that I tried it out! It's now my go-to colour for the holidays, and I've already gotten a ton of compliments on it. 

So, here's my question to you readers - do you have any go-to favourite products for the holidays? Leave me a comment below :)

XOXO Erin

It's been a while, but I have exciting news!

Hello Ladies!

OK... I know... I've been the WORST blogger lately! But life has been crazy busy, and with the weather being crappy, I've been in a bit of a mood. This blog post is one I've been dying to write forever, and 2 weeks ago, it became possible. I DECIDED ON MY DRESS!

So it's probably not a big surprise, because I've posted it before, but after months of agonizing over whether this was the right one or not, I decided that no other dress would do. Announcing, my Enzoani Dakota!

I'm so in love! And now, we get to start doing other fun things, like choosing bridesmaid dresses! I've found that I'm really loving the Enzoani Love line (shocking, I know), and was able to find a store that carries them at reasonable prices! Here are the ones I'm into:

I'm looking for something that goes well with my dress, and isn't too shiny, hopefully in grey!

OK... I promise I'll be better with my updates- I went to Sephora this week looking for a great holiday lip colour and actually ended up with 2, so I'll probably write a review on them soon :)

XOXO Erin

This or That?

Hi Ladies! I haven't had a ton of time to update the blog as we've been away so much these past few weekends and have been doing a lot of prep work for the wedding! On the next blog, I'll upload some photos of my recent trial with my florist for our wedding flowers! This time, I thought I would do a 'This or That' post that's been floating around on blogs and youtube... feel free to comment on any below :D

MAKEUP:

blush or bronzer - for sure blush. I have yet to find a bronzer I truly *love*... they more often make my skin look muddy, whereas blushes make you look flush and fresh-faced :)

lip gloss or lipstick - gloss 100%. I *rarely* wear lipstick as it really dries out my lips, and I just love the look of gloss.

eye liner or mascara - mascara. I would wear it on its own, and would never wear eye liner without mascara!

foundation or concealer - concealer... it's only of the only things I'll wear every day.

neutral or color eye shadow - neutral! I haven't shared with you ladies yet, but I got my hands on the UD Naked Palette (it's as amazing as they say it is!!!). I find more people can pull of neutrals, and it's more appropriate for most events!

pressed or loose eye shadows - pressed... not a fan of loose eye shadows at all.

brushes or sponges - brushes! I just recently bulked up my brush selection with a few of the MAC staples :)

NAILS:
OPI or china glaze - if I have to pick from these, OPI. But only because I've never tried china glaze...

Long or short - long if I can grow them, but usually short.

Acrylic or natural - natural if I can grow them... acrylic if I'm desperate for long nails!

Brights or darks - I'm more likely to wear neutrals, but out of these, definitely darks.

Flower or no flower - no flower. Too young for my taste.

BODY:
perfume or body splash - perfume!! I LOVE it! But we can't wear it to work, so that makes me sad :(

lotion or body butter - lotion. I don't like how thick body butter is :P

body wash or soap - body wash. I have very dry skin and have found that the Dove nutrium line is the only one that doesn't make my skin worse!

lush or other bath company - I don't often use bath products, but if I do, they're from Lush!

fashion:
jeans or sweat pants - sweat. pants. all. the. time.

long sleeve of short - long

dresses or skirts - dresses

stripes or plaid - ugh... neither? but stripes I guess?

flip flops or sandals - flip flops!

scarves or hats - scarves. My hair doesn't do well with hats!

studs or dangly earrings - I have more studs, but I love dangly ones!

necklaces or bracelets - ummm... I always wear a necklace, but have more selection in bracelets.

heels or flats - at 5'10, always flats.

cowboy boots or riding boots - neither.

jacket or hoodie - depends... most days, hoodie!

forever 21 or charlotte russe - only forever 21 is in Canada!

abercombie or Hollister - abercrombie 

saks 5th or nordstrom - still not in Canada

HAIR:
curly or straight - mine is curly, but I love to wear it straight!

bun or ponytail - pony :)

bobby pins or butterfly clips - bobby pins.

hair spray or gel - spray... gel is too crunchy!

long or short - long long long. But it's for the wedding... I'm thinking about a post-wedding chop!

light or dark - I've had both, it's currently dark!

side sweep bangs or full bangs - side sweep

up or down - I like it down, but wear it up most days

RANDOM:
Rain or shine - if I'm inside, I LOVE rain! If I have to be out, I like overcast... shine is bad for the skin!

Summer or winter - winter!

Fall or spring - fall! Best. season. ever.

Chocolate or vanilla - depends on what it is... 

East coast or west coast central Canada, what what!!!