Time for a Spring Clean (in Autum)

photo by Tim Walker

Well... I got bored of the way my blog was looking so i did a bit of a spring cleaning and gave it a new heading (nabbed from pixels & ice cream) and have gone through and added new blogs (that give me butterflies) and am in the process of being bothered to add all of my inspiration web sites (a long tedious process of cut and paste really). Thursday Jarrod and I are meeting up with a couple of photographers so tomorrow I will post a bunch of photos that i LOVE, to show them (and you) what bridezilla here wants. I hope you are all having a manageable and stress-free week x

Vintage is the new Black

Just thought i would share with you a few gorgeous vintage photos from mimi charmante's flickr. I am most fond of the collection of glasses - I am slowly building up my own collection. of glass jars, vases, medicine bottles etc. They are usually the first thing i see and the only thing i buy when i go vintage shopping. Enjoy.

Flush Designs

Flush Designs - One of my favourite finds from a while ago via the wonderful blog of Once Wed. If it happens that there isn't as strong of a market in event and wedding design in Adelaide that I hope for then, this is definitely the sort of thing I want to be doing. Gorgeous custom designed stationary. LOVE IT!

Flikr Love: Elena♥

Upon my usual wonders through my ever expanding inspiration sites, I came across these beautiful images from Elena's flickr photostream.

*sigh*

I just know that now I have found these gorgeous flowers, I will frequently waste precious time daydreaming over them as the summer here begins to fade away.

I Love flowers... I could really spend all day on the internet searching for new images (probably because I never buy any fresh ones for me to look at). Let me know of any of your favourite sites for flower inspiration. I would love to waste more time looking through them. x love

Giants, Midgets and Pink Balloons

We couldn't afford to get a fancy photographer to take our photos so we got the next best thing... Meaghan - one of my gorgeous bridesmaids. She's so fabulous and great with anything to do with art and design so i was so happy that she could take some time out to do this for us. MASSIVE thank you.

So here are a few shots from the shoot...and yes he is 6"4 and i am 5"3...and yes our first dance will be funny (more of the height story another time though).

I forgot to mention that I love balloons especially Huge ones and i would love to bring balloons into the wedding decor.

Some Perfect Picnic Pictures

images from The Cherry Blossom Girl

images from Sweet Paul
image from brides
sandwhiches by France Ruffenach via Snippet & Ink

Liza Emanuele

A girlfriend of mine got very excited when i mentioned that i wanted to get my wedding dress made... a one of a kind that means something more to me than just a dress to look pretty in. She told me to get onto Adelaide fashion designer Liza Emanuele straight away.

What a wonderful woman! So energetic! i only really spent a few minutes on the phone with her but she sounds great and whats even better she is going to sketch me up a dress (no obligations) and work to whatever budget i throw at her (which is good because i am someone who cant really justify spending $5000 on a dress I'll wear only once. but that is me).

you can visit her website here - she is new to the bridal market, but i have no doubt that she will soon become a hit judging by the gowns on her site.

She's traveling around Australia in the next few weeks so i will meet with her mid April. so exciting!

Cheese! Glorious Cheese!

Hi my name is Gabrielle... and I'm a cheese addict...

I really am.

I struggle not to eat cheese every day, in fact, i think i do eat cheese every day - how am i supposed to get bride fit with that sort of addiction! TERRIBLE!

To me, there is nothing better than sitting outside in the shade on a summers day with my favourite glass of Oyster Bay Sav Blanc in one hand and a cheese knife in the other for that assortment of glorious cheese in front of me! And JUST cheese is never enough. No! my palate has matured to include the necessities of cured meats, olives, grapes, pear, figs and quince oh and maybe a bit of crusty bread with good olive oil. *drool*

photo by Amelia Santos via Deviantart

image from Martha Stewart Weddings

Ok so the point of this blog entry isn't to make me hungry, it actually has a point...
(besides that i need to get back on track with this blog and keep you all informed about my inspirations and wedding plans)... the point is I want, no no, NEED (bridezilla) a cheese table. A MASSIVE ONE with huge wheels of cheese and fruit and meats and figs and oooohh! just wonderful! In fact i am more set on having a cheese table that i am about anything else really.

But now i have to think about WHAT cheeses to have? any suggestions??

photo via Sweet Paul (blog Love)

PS...tried this out (honey and figs on a double cream king island brie) TO DIE FOR! plus it looks very impressive and everyone suddenly thinks you are an amazing cook because you know how to dribble honey. GENIUS!

The Casual Eclectics

Dan and Jess

I'm thinking gardenias, berries, rosemary, jasmine...beautiful smelling flowers mixed with potted lavender, tomato plants and ornamental lettuce...and colourful vegetables siting loosely with the centerpieces (purposefully placed of course) with bowls of fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries for guests to nibble at.

They want the feel of the wedding to be homely, summery, eclectic and casual...
homegrown, homemade, hippy
Its all very exciting!

row one - interior photo from Country Living, Hair style from Brides, cake photo by Kristen Ellis via Once Wed
row two - isle flowers from brides, vegetable photo by Meg Smith, pomegranate photo by Jacqueline Veissid, bouquet from brides.
row three - table setting from Martha Stewart, Image from The Knot, Herbs from brides, books via The Cherry Blossom Girl

Loving Leo

Gosh! Leo Patrone just does amazing natural photographs that certainly seem to capture the personalities and emotions of the people he is photographing. Stunning!

Self Portrait of Leo from his blog

I love these engagement photos, so quirky and colourful!

...hmmma carnival themed wedding would be so much fun!

The Venue...

SO i thought i would show you all a snippet photo of where we are getting married...

Glen Ewin Estate is the perfect venue really. I have heard so many good comments about it and the people there seem so nice and attentive. I love this venue because it reminds me of one of my favourite places on earth, the English countryside. I remember i used to go visit my Granny in Somerset, England and we used to walk in her beautiful garden, around her little stone cottage and green lawns and feed the neibouring donkey. She used to have this one flower that smelt like chocolate..i cant remember what it was called... maybe i could incorporate chocolate, or the smell of chocolate somehow into the wedding.

Anyway, this is a photo of where the ceremony will take place. The reception will be in a big barn-like hall (not pictured) about 10meters from the ceremony site...perfect i tell you!

Strawberries have a special place in every stomach...

I am so excited about these two prints found on Rachel B's. esty site. I Love strawberries (and they aren't looking the best in the supermarkets at the moment) and these images get me so excited for next seasons yummy fat juicy strawberries! *drool*

White and glass bowls (different sizes and shapes) of strawberries as little centerpieces would look so lovely mixed in with summer flowers like daffodils, daisies and lavender.

Runaway Greece

One of my girlfriends told me about her romantic plans to run away to Greece and elope... and it got me daydreaming.

Here is my daydream...

top row / bottles from brides, Image from Mikkel Vang Photography, Elounder Gulf Villas found via Kiwi Collection, cake from brides. / second row / invitations from brides, Image from Comopolitan Bride Issue 17, bottles and next image from Mikkel Vang Photography, flowers from brides. / third row / band image from Martha Weddings, suitcases (unknown), next images from brides. / bottom row / Elounder Gulf Villas found via Kiwi Collection, Image from Comopolitan Bride Issue 17, Image from Mikkel Vang Photography, boutonniere from brides

Save The Dates!

They are finally finished and some have already been handed out, so i figured it was just safe enough to show you all the final product. I am so happy with the way they have turned out and making them myself was so much cheaper than getting them done and printed somewhere else.
I cant wait for the actual invites! (although we'll probably get the cards letter pressed).

The theme for our wedding is (of course) a summer picnic - so the save the dates (and probably the invitations also) have been done up like a little package. There is the card with the details, then the photo which is a save the date magnet and then (because i don't have access to amazing calligraphy) I printed out all the names and slotted them in as their own little piece.

Hopefully people will like them and i can start making and/or designing some for other brides. (this is ultimately what i want to do btw...im planning to start up a wedding/event design business over the next few years, i've been thinking about it long before i got engaged and i think its definitely the path i want to take..so keep an ear out for me!)

when Quirky just works

This would have to be my favourite wedding at Martha Stewart Weddings (Lena and Joshua). So fun, so quirky, so great! Enjoy.