Band of Lovers

I've been searching for inspiration for the symbol of love that will forever adorn my finger! Here's what I've been looking at! I'll let the rings speak for themselves!

$4,225 at bluenile.com

Well, I figured I might as well start out with a bang! Isn't this band gorgeous? I could never afford it, and it would totally upstage my engagement ring, but I can't stop staring at it!

$1,330 at bluenile.com

$1,043 at bluenile.com

These two are fantastic! They mirror my engagement ring style and are stunning on their own! I especially like how they're a little different than your typical wedding band.

$1,220 at bluenile.com

$700 at bluenile.com

The left one here is a pretty typical band. It would match the band of my engagement ring perfectly though! The right one is very different and I really like it!

$331 at etsy.com shop
NetaJewelry

$188 at etsy.com shop NetaJewelry

These two are some non diamond options. I love the symbolism of the right ring in that it's a "twist"! They're both pretty cool, but  they're more simple and understated which are two words that I would never use to describe myself! haha! 

$525 at etsy.com shop
Jewerly by Garo

$525 at etsy.com shop
Jewelry by Garo

I gotta say, I really love the ring on the left! And so affordable! The marquis diamonds are stunning. The left ring is comprised of channel set diamonds that go well with the channel set diamonds I have encircling my main oval diamond. 

This ring here is a look-alike to my engagement ring. I like this picture because it gives me a good idea of what my ring will look like with a band. And it provided me with some great insight. See how it looks like the main diamond and its surrounding diamonds are teetering off the side without the band? Well, I can't have that happen, it would drive me nuts! This leaves me with two choices: 1) take the band and engagement ring to a jeweler to have the top piece soldered onto the center of both the engagement and wedding band, or 2) get two wedding bands. Next are some stackable options I like to put on both sides of my engagement ring.

$571 (for one) from etsy.com shop
EidelPrecious

$285 (for 5) at etsy.com shop

 ScarlettJewelry

These two are pretty similar to each other, just one has diamonds and the other doesn't! I love how delicate they both are!

$1,275 at etsy.com shop TreasurlybyDima

 And this one I just had to add! Holy moly it's gorgeous! If I was deciding to wear only my wedding band after the wedding, this would be the winner!! But I would never even consider not wearing my engagement ring! I love it too much!

So what do you think? Which is your favorite?

<3

Jewish-ish Wedding Traditions- Separation, The Covering of the Bride, The Procession, and Unterfierers

Hello my weddingettes! I'm finally bringing back the Jewish Traditions posts! Today I am lumping together 4 different traditions because they are just small points to the wedding to discuss. Let's do some definitions first before we really get into the meat of the traditions!

Separation- this tradition is that the bride and groom do not see each other for the entire WEEK leading up to their wedding!

The Covering of the Bride- essentially, putting on the veil.

The Procession- this is obviously how everyone gets down the aisle! 

Unterfierers- simply means "chaperons."

Ok, now that we all know what we're talking about, let's get into it!

The tradition of the Separation comes from the Ashkenazi Jewish community. (Ashkenazi Jews originate from Germany but spread out to a lot of Eastern Europe including Lithuania, which is where my grandfather came to the U.S. from). By not seeing each other for a week before the wedding, it is meant to increase the joy of seeing each other on your special day. For me, this would most definitely not increase my joy. This would drive me crazy!! The separation is also supposed to prevent the bride and groom from hurting each other emotionally during such a stress charged time. I don't do well without my man though so this tradition is definitely out!

The Covering of the Bride seems to be the origination of the now popular "first look" where the bride and groom see each other before the ceremony. Apparently, in the Bible Jacob was tricked by his father-in-law into marrying the wrong sister because her face was hidden behind a veil (who knew? I'm not really up on my Bible reading...). So the Jewish tradition is that the groom comes in to put the veil over his bride's face a) so he can check to make sure he has the right gal and b) it can symbolize the groom's commitment to take care of and protect his wife, setting her apart from all others and is an indication that he is interested only in her inner beauty! I think this is pretty cute! We will most definitely be doing the first look so that we can take pictures before the ceremony and of course sign the Ketubah, but I'm not sure about J attaching my veil... I am most likely going to have a bird cage veil (more about this in a later post) so he wouldn't have a blusher to pull over my face. I'm going to need my fabulous hairstylist/bridesmaid to attach my veil for me. So this tradition is half in half out.

The Procession and the Unterfierers go hand in hand so let's discuss them together! In the Jewish tradition, the bride and groom are King and Queen on their special day (I'm ok with that!) and should therefore, not walk down the aisle alone. Traditionally, the Unterfieres should be a married couple with children. This is a good omen for the couple, providing luck for starting a family of their own. Usually the Untefieres are the bride and groom's parents. The bride and groom will process in with their parents and go directly under the chuppah. The order of the bridal party or any grandparents walking down the aisle is not prescribed. Anything goes! A flower girl can be used, but typically the best man will hold onto the rings so a ring bearer is not used. For us, this is pretty easy to follow. We don't know any little boys so we are only planning on having a flower girl anyway (and she's the cutest flower girl ever!!).

Ok, there we have it! Sorry there were no pretty pictures with this one but I'll make up for it in my next post! Here's where we stand with the Jewish Traditions:
1. Ketubah signing- IN
2. Chuppah- IN
3. Separation- OUT
4. The Covering of the Bride- Half IN Half OUT
5. The Procession/Unterfieres- IN

<3

Wedding Palette Wednesday! Aqua and Red

After last week's colorless post I promised to bring a pop of color this week! So we're going to take a look at Aqua and Red! I think this is such a cute palette! It can go vintage really well but if you keep all of your decorations crisp and clean lined it can be very modern as well. Since I am currently sitting in my basement with a terrified kitty on my lap, I will keep this post brief and let the pictures do the talking!

What a beautifully done tablescape! The aqua tablecloth is beautiful and I love how the red gives such a POP in your face but in a fabulous way!

This is the perfect balance of these two colors for bridesmaids so that they incorporate both but don't look crazy! I love the red shoes and I extra love how it looks with just the bride's bouquet in red!

Jazzing up the ceiling

This looks so vintage and simple to me. It's a work of art!

 

Adorable wedding programs/fans for an outdoor ceremony

Having the dainty blue glass with simple red blooms is color palette genius! 

Ok, so I couldn't choose between these invites and the next two to put on here so I just had to put them all! They are all so fun and represent the palette so well! the peacocks are stunning!

These are more bold and graphic. It has a circus theme and the elephant balancing on the ball adds some whimsy to the invitation!

Here's an entire wedding paper suite! I love the different colored envelopes to pull in the theme!

This cake reminds me of a pin up girl's dress! Polka dot love!

If I were a bridesmaid, I would definitely want this clutch as a gift!

The sweetest sweet table

Something for the little boy to carry down the aisle.

You could hang this over your wedding cake table. Or, right behind the bride and groom at the head table! A very fun touch!

I hope you enjoyed this week's edition of Wedding Palette Wednesday! 

<3

How to Choose a Venue in 10 Days

I'm ready to disclose our choice in venue and the quick process we went through in choosing! And yes, I may have stole this blog title from one of my favorite chick flicks... but I love me some Kate Hudson and Matthew Mcconaughey!

Over our winter vacation we checked out 3 different venues. It was quick but we know a good thing when we see it! Not to mention all of the prework I had done, I was already able to eliminate the (beautiful) really expensive ones and the (ugly) ones that are not our style! So I narrowed it down to three. But if I'm going to be honest, I was really counting on one... so let's start the breakdown! The first venue we visited was...

The Bay Pointe Golf Club:

http://www.oakmanagement.com/BayPointeGolfClub.aspx

This place is nice, and affordable. The view of the lake is gorgeous and they have a fantastic "getting ready" room. They should have a picture of that room on their website because it almost sold me! Marble floors, marble makeup areas, and a pedestal for the bride to stand on under a gorgeous chandelier surrounded by 3 floor length mirrors! The guys getting ready area was cool too, it had a very "men's club" feel to it!

The outdoor area was nice to be sure, but we're having an April wedding, so betting on the weather is not a good idea. Besides, I am way too Type A to chance my wedding plans on the weather! So most likely the entire event would be inside which while nice, was much too traditional for my style. Everything was newly renovated and J liked it, but our style is much more modern and it just wasn't a good fit.

The third place we visited was the Colony Club (yes I skipped the second because that one is the winner!) This was actually a mistake. We tried to check out the Gem & Century Theaters but when we showed up for the appointment the manager showed us the Colony Club instead. We didn't object because we were already pretty set on venue #2! The Colony Club has become extremely popular in the last couple of years. It is very prominent in the photography blogs, so here it is in all of its splendor!

The Colony Club:

http://www.colonyclubdetroit.com/gallerieshome.html

The Colony Club was really gorgeous. It's in this great building built in the 1920s and was originally one of the first women's clubs in Detroit! It also leans a little bit on the traditional side but an excellent perk is that the rental comes with those beautiful gold chivari chairs! I also really like the balconies so that the bride and groom can have their "royal kiss" moment! It is a great venue but by this time venue #2 had stolen our hearts! So let's waste no time...

The third venue, and the winner that gets to host our fabulous wedding is The Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac! I'm showing you the pictures of the space empty, you'll have to wait until the wedding to see what it looks like all jazzed up!

 This is the Ballroom. Our ceremony will be on the stage back there and then it will be flipped for the reception. The space is two levels so people will be on both the main floor and the balcony!

 This space is so cool and hip. We absolutely love the industrial loft feel!

 Bird's eye view. Don't worry, there will be a fully stocked bar on this level too! 

This is floor one of the Vernor's room where the cocktail hour will be held. It is three levels high and super fun!

 This is the top level of the cocktail hour space. Pool tables for some entertainment while you have some drinks and appetizers! 

And this here shows the mid level of the Vernor's room. The money shot. Those windows are absolutely stunning. I can't wait to take pictures in front of them! 

http://www.thecrofoot.com

And if the weather is nice, there's an outdoor space that's pretty cool too! 

So, there you have it! That is how you choose a venue in 10 days! Go somewhere unexpected and you will find greatness! AND we didn't kill any plants or play with any chinese crusted dogs (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days reference for those of you who don't remember all of the details!)

Don't worry, I'll do a more detailed posting about the Crofoot later on but this was just a teaser!

<3

Wedding Palette Wednesday! All White

Usually here on Wedding Palette Wednesday we usually look at color palettes. However, for today we will be looking at just the opposite. No color! An all white wedding can look very glamorous. And there's no way anyone could  mistake your event for anything other than a wedding! All white weddings are a seasonless look so it could work for your winter white wedding or a breezy light summer wedding! Let's take a look at this color-less palette!

 White flowers in milk glass- perfection!

 Casual maids

 This cake is totally delectable! It is major inspiration for my own cake!

 All white stationary- use indented words to keep it crisp and white!

 Soft, romantic peonies

If you don't think white will bring enough drama- how about that paper flower backdrop for drama!?

 Different shapes work to add interest to an all white space

 These white flowers with black centers bring a little modern fun to this bouquet

 Sumptuous white fabric frames this ceremony

 Not a fan of monotone white in your bouquet? Add a some natural greenery! 

 Add some white to your neckline

 A classic look

These maids are taking a leaf out of Kate Middleton's book!

This cake is simply adorable

I hope you enjoyed today's color(less) palette! Check back in next week for a serious pop of color!

<3