Vintage stamps don't support animal rescue. Just sayin'. I'm sticking three of these cuties on each of my invites.

I am not affiliated with any organized religion and don't really have any attachments to a certain belief system. Our ceremony will be completely non-denominational except for maybe a ritual that we found that has roots in Wicca. So there are no classes that we need to take or meetings with a church pastor we need to complete before we can marry but I have to say that I have always been intrigued by some of these pre-marital weekend "boot camps" people go on. In the midst of the invitation making and the dress shopping, I think it is so important to really sit down and talk about what it means to be married and what each person's expectations and needs are. As much as I want to have these conversations with my future husband sometimes I just don't know where to start or what questions to even ask. Though we may not necessarily need it, I recommended maybe going to a couple's therapist. Bill was totally on board but we couldn't really afford it. Then I saw this book recommendation for 1001 Questions to Ask Before You Get Married from A Los Angeles Love and bought it hoping it might spark some conversation. Though he thought it was a stupid sounding book (the book he insists not the idea), Bill agreed to humor me. We started in chapter 1 - Growing Up in a Traditional Family - and we only got through 8 of the 20 or so questions in an hour. And we were EXHAUSTED by the end of just those few questions. I fell asleep right away for the first time in days. It was really interesting to each talk about our upbringings and families and what we thought worked and what didn't, what characteristics of our parents' marriages we do not want to have in our own and what we admire and hope to bring into our own. The traditional female/male roles is a subject that I think about quite often but these were questions I had never thought to ask even myself about my own parents. It's so strange to have to think about your parents as a couple and not as parents. Our answers would turn into long discussions and, I think, we learned a lot about each other and ourselves through just that short exercise (Bill no longer thinks it's a stupid book). I am excited to get through the rest of the book but I don't think we'll even be able to finish it before the wedding! I recommend it or something similar to any couple in a committed relationship. It is a great tool for learning more about your relationship and for learning how to discuss, sometimes touchy, subjects with one another.

I did a bad, bad thing. Well, not very bad but a little unpractical. I have been trying not to make any more wedding decor purchases. I was just going to make it work with what we had so I didn't waste any more money. But then I saw this! And I had to have it! I wasn't going to get it if it was a lot of money but then it was only $32! It will look so sweet on the head table, no? And then on my bedroom wall!

{from Fanny's blog}

I have talked about my adoration for Fanny and Bill over on a+i so when I spotted their city hall wedding on esb I was so happy for them! Only those two could pull of a chic, simple, understated, overall-wearing wedding on the sly. If I could do it all over again I would have gone with my initial gut reaction and eloped. Maybe I'll change my mind after the actual day but man that just looks so sweet.

{via perfect bound}

This this is what I want my hair to look like - messy (I already have this part down) with huge ass flowers. I'm not sure if I can pull it off but I seriously want to try.

Please read this article. For all the whining we do about our momzillas and getting our DIY projects to look less-DIY, the fact still remains that (most of) us are here because we are able to get married. ABLE TO being the operative words. It is possibly for my fiance and me to be recognized as a legally married couple and we will receive certain rights because of that. Rights that I do not want to take for granted. It is unfair and outrageous that not every person, no matter who they are, gets the same rights as we do. That something as monstrous as is outlined in this article happened to a couple who had a twenty-year long relationship makes my blood boil. Everyone should have the same rights as you and me. Everyone should be able to spend their life with the person they love, the person they have chosen above all others, for the entirety of that life. How would you feel if your signfiicant other was taken away from you in his or her final days and you were not able to say a proper goodbye? And the life you had created together, built together and loved together was ripped out of your hands?

This is How I Want to Feel

{photo by feather love photography}

Check out their story in the NYTimes!

{all photos by point.click.enjoy}

I was chatting with my baker/blogger friend Marisa today. She is the talent behind Sweet n' Flour - a mouth-watering bakery in Florida. She sent me some photos of a recent wedding she baked for and I fell in love with everything so much I had to share. I know this is not your typical, perfectly-executed wedding where everything looks couture from the chairs to the napkin rings. It is not in a backyard or at a resort or winery. This is a real-effing-wedding* with a few pretty details, a couple DIY projects and a lot of heart.

{love the bathroom}

{bamboo utensils!}

{Marisa's cakes and cupcakes!}

{my favorite photo...more photos here}

*Not to say that those picture perfect weddings are not real in any way. This one just seems a little more accessible for some folks (including myself).

Three months to go and this is what I've learned. It doesn't matter how good your intentions are or how much you want a wedding that is personal and that doesn't fit into (m)any stereotypes (bitchy bride, bad food, spending too much money, wearing ridiculous dresses that will never see the light of day again). People are going to bring their preconceived ideas about weddings with them. No matter how hard you try to show them that your wedding won't be _______ (cheesy, a show, extravagant, a waste of money, a waste of time) some people will believe what they are going to believe to the very end. I don't know what it is about weddings that causes some people to go into a tizzy (please read a more eloquent post here). My guess is it has more to do with their own views on marriage or maybe they've just had to wear too many crappy bridesmaid dresses.

The people that matter will know you and your intentions and come to the day (or into the planning process) with an open mind and a helping hand. You'll just have to smile, be polite and tell the others to eff off.

{by feather love photography}

I just ordered some badass custom shit for my wedding warriors. I can't tell you much about it since they are sneaky monkeys and are probably reading this right now. All I can say is go immediately to Melissa Loschy Designs. She made the rad knuckle rings for Lindsey & Bryce's wedding. When I went to her shop and my eyes met that sweet, sweet fox bracelet I knew she was the girl for me. Would it be weird if I exclusively wore her jewelry? Maybe not all at once?

Now I need to start thinking about what to get the 'rents. As crazy as things are right now (my mother has yet to speak to me) I still love them and want to get them a thank you gift. I can't seem to find anything that isn't cheesy or monogrammed. Any suggestions???

{photo by Christopher Wilson}

Thank GAWD Jamie is posting weddings again.