It’s funny how things work out. When I got engaged last September, I thought my head would explode. Admittedly, I’ve always wanted to have a wedding. The wedding I envisioned years ago, though, is a far cry from what is getting planned for late next summer. Now granted, I’ve always been a weirdo, but I’m also a very traditional weirdo… Except apparently when it comes to weddings.
Now I’m wading through the world of the offbeat bride and non-traditional wedding. I’m picking through what everyone thinks a wedding is, and I’m deciding what I want to include and what I don’t… What works for my fiancé and I and what doesn’t.
The first thing that people ask you when you’re wedding planning is what your colors are going to be. The first thing to go out the door was a two-color palette. In fact, the only color I picked was yellow of some shade (my favorite). I ran over a million colors in my mind that would work. I’d settle on one. Then I’d change my mind… This is my M.O. Maddening as that is to everyone around me.
However, the colors in the last week or two have seemed to sort of pick themselves. I’m great with it, because I like them all. I’d settled on having absolutely no scheme at all, but when I started placing things into my giant box with the word wedding Sharpied onto it, I noticed that oddly everything… Well, matched.
This is the color palette:
This weirdness of the colors picking themselves started when I put out a request… My fellow jewelry designers and artists are amazing ladies, and I love them all to death. We’ve forged great friendships over the years. Personally if I had my way, my budget would be large enough to fly them all in from over the world on my own dime. Sadly, I am on an incredibly tight budget… Like the type of budget everyone tells you having a wedding on is impossible.
I sent the request to my friends that they send me each a pearl or other bead or two, so that I could have a piece of them in my bridal jewelry when I make it. That way they could all be there in spirit. They’ve all been so good and generous to me! I’ve been delighted with each and every little gift that I’ve gotten so far in the mail.
These are from Kristy of ShinyAdornments… Huge round peacock pearls with a beautiful luster to them, which happens to be hard to capture in photo with le crap light conditions.
These are from Alison of All About the Beads… Deep teal keshis. Another hard pair to photograph, but they are stunners. I find myself playing with these in the light to see all the color change.
These are from Belinda of Bel Lee Beadz… Pretty pinks! A chalcedony briolette, pink coin pearls, and rose quartz… I don’t think I’ve told Belinda this, but rose quartz is my favorite stone. I’m tickled (pink?) to have some for my jewelry!
Last but not least for the time being are pearls from Ginger of MsBelle. She sent me a mix of white and teal pearls… And oddly enough, the teal matches what I’m about to show you next nearly perfectly – Call it kismet or serendipity…
The summer after I graduated from high school, I was involved with the SCA. My mother bought me a sari to wear to events. I’ve kept it all the time, thinking some day I’d use it for something… Anything. And when I pulled it out six months ago, I thought maybe I’d begrudgingly cut it up for the wedding.
I told my mother about my plans, and she basically begged me not to do it. She’s an old hippie with a soft spot for saris. This one has sentimental value for her and I both. So instead of cutting it up, I suggested maybe she’d wear it for the wedding. She loved the idea. She’s over the moon excited, and her happiness over it has been contagious.
So… The date is set, the colors are picked out, my mother knows what she’s wearing (which was apparently a giant worry for her), and… The wedding planning continues.
This little baggy in my fridge is where my bonsai seeds have gone. I’ll ake them out in a week. This is done to stratify them. I’m excited!
