WEDDING INSPIRATION BOARD

I'm still waiting to receive the fabric samples for my bridal gown from my seamstress in the States.  In the mean time, there is plenty for me to do.  I'm starting to narrow down choices for ceremony and reception decor and then arrange them on an inspiration board.  Here are a few of my favorite inspirational items.

 

I've decided to use black as an  accent color in a stripped or polka-dotted pattern. 

I love the look of this black and white Damask too.  It gives the look and feel of my vintage elegance theme.   

I found these super cute butterflies listed with Esty seller Buttons & Butterflies.  We want  to incorporate butterflies into the ceremony and reception decor so, these would be perfect!

Shoes are a very important part of the bridal ensemble.  I'm not sure if I will wear heels but, I love the touch of black lace on this pump. 

     

 After the ceremony I could slip into these comfy cuties. 

(Available from Etsy seller PinkMarshmallow)

               

     I still have much to do and lots to plan but,  I'm having tons of fun!  

SISTERS

I'm sitting here listening to the classic soul sounds of the Pointer Sisters.  The Pointer Sisters are Ruth, June, Anita and Bonnie.  This Grammy Award winning quartet rose to fame in the early 1970s' with their impeccable song interpretations  of various music genres including Soul, R&B, Jazz, Gospel, Country and Rock. 

Most people will remember the tunes they made famous in the early 80s'  when the quartet became a trio.   The group recorded hits  such as" Fire," "Jump," " Slow Hand " and "I'm So Excited".  I am however a huge fan of this 1973 self-titled  album release.  To me it is a classic.  The harmonies they produced were tight and effortless.  Although it is  tough to sing a cappella, these ladies did it with superior grace and power.  I have vivid memories of my sisters and I singing along to wonderful melodies such as "Yes We Can Can, "Cloudburst" and "Old Songs". 

I am also a huge fan of the group because of the vintage style and elegance they brought to the stage with their fashion.  The ladies adopted a 1940s'  vintage look early  in their recording career. I think that I fell in love with all things vintage because of this album cover.  It is gorgeous and in my opinion, one for the collectors. 

The music on this album  is definitely worth hearing.  Fortunately, I own the CD and I do believe that I still have the album cover stored away at my dads house.  You can download this fabulous music on ITunes.  Give your ears a treat today!

Did I just tell everyone how old I was?  Oh well, enjoy!

THE DRESS OF MY DREAMS

With only a few months to prepare for the wedding, it's about time I started thinking about my wedding dress (hockzeitskleid).  I want my dress to have a vintage look to it so, over the last few days I've been pouring though photos and web sites in search of  you guessed it.... inspiration.

I've decided not to go the traditional route to shop for my bridal gown.  I worked as a bridal consultant in a bridal salon for 4 years.  Shopping for a bridal gown can be stressful and time consuming.  Stress I don't need and time, I have very little.  My bridal gown will be custom made by the  fabulous ladies of J & J Designs in Newport Kentucky.  J & J Designs is Jackie Andrews and Joy Galbraith.  I worked with the ladies in the costume shop that Joy owns called the Costume Gallery.   I was employed there for 4 years and I've done some freelance millinery work for Joy since I've been away.  The ladies were gracious enough to agree to make the dress for me even though my wedding date coincides with their busy theater season. 

These two dresses are the blueprints for the dress of my dreams.  I love the simple elegance of the Vogue pattern. Many of the elements in this dress will be incorporated into mine.  I am particularly drawn to the neckline and the lacy bodice.   We will make modifications to the sleeves, perhaps removing them all together or leaving a tiny cap sleeve.  I'm not a big fan of the sash at the waistline so, we'll see what we can do with that.  Because the wedding will be held outdoors, I'm opting for no train.  We'll make the dress Ballerina length( that's the length of the dress in the first photo).  I really like the placement of the lace on the shorter dress and would like to mimic this detail as well.    I should be receiving fabric swatches sometime this week.  After I select my fabrics and send my measurements ( need to work on the tummy )  the ladies can get started.  I won't get to try my dress on until a week and a half before the wedding. Joy and Jackie are excellent at what they do so, I totally trust them to make the dress for me while I'm on the other side of the ocean.    I'm so excited!

THE PRODUCT OF MY INSPIRATION

I finally finished the hat!  It took a bit longer than I expected (3 days) but, I'm really happy with the results.  

DIVINE INSPIRATION

I'm working on a new hat design and I'm not sure which direction I want to take with it..  Of course it's going to have a vintage look to it because, that's my thing.   I'm going to use these cute little numbers for "Divine Inspiration".

 I love the 1940's-1950's era.  The women were sheer perfection at that time.  They wore their finest apparel to lunch with their husbands or, for an afternoon of shopping with the girlfriends.  I hope my hat project turns out to look just as fabulous.

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with strings... theses are a few of my favorite things.

                          Lyrics to" A Few of My Favorite Things" from the movie" The Sound of Music"

I love The Sound of Music and, I love the songs in the movie.  I have to sing every song along with Julie Andrews.  And for this reason, I usually end up watching it alone.  No one wants to hear me sing.  This particular song is resonating with me pretty strong today because, I'm longing for a few of my favorite things from home.  

Now, Cincinnati is not the most exciting city in the world.  Let's see, there are a couple of major sports teams, the Reds and Bengals, the Ohio River,  there is Union Terminal, a historical train depot. Oh, there's Newport on the Levee!  Lots of fun and exciting things to do there!  Wait, I take that back, the Levee belongs to Kentucky.  Ok, well I guess that it as far as attractions go.  But,  if you ever find yourself in Cincinnati, there are a few places that I must recommend.  These just happen to be places where you can find a few of my favorite things.

First on the list, Skyline Chili.  Cincinnati is famous for this chili.  I think the sauce has a hint of chocolate in it, that's what makes it taste so good.  My friend Bethany sent me a couple of cans for Christmas, God bless her.  I'm saving the other can for a special occasion.

Larosa's  Pizza:  Another tasty treat.  Here in Germany most pizza's are topped with salami, not pepperoni.  Pizza Hut is here but, it's not my favorite.  This looks so good, I can almost smell it!

Montgomery Inn Barbecue Sauce: I had a slab of ribs about a week ago and it just was not the same as what I get at home.  My sister is a great barbecue chef and she always uses this sauce.  It has just the right amount of kick!

I know Swedish Fish are available in places other than Cincinnati but, not in Germany.  I miss having these yummy treats get stuck between my teeth.

Ok, I just made myself very hungry.  Time for lunch!

   

THE WEDDING PLANNING HAS BEGUN!

I'm off and running with the plans for my May 3oth wedding or "hochzeit" in German .  We booked our flight yesterday and we're scheduled to arrive a week and a half before the big day.  We also have an officiant.  He's  a good friend and he married my sister Marsha 4 yrs ago.  Marsha, along with my other sister Janet will be handling most of the arrangements in Cincy. We are expecting to exchange numerous emails and have several weekly video chats in order to get things accomplished.  This is going to be a very simple wedding so, I don't have a long checklist of things to do.  We won't need any vendors,  I'll be doing most of the work in coordination with my sisters.  Here is what I've checked off of my list so far:

LOCATION:  The wedding will be held at my Dad's home.  He has a fairly nice sized backyard and we want to have the ceremony outdoors with a picnic reception to follow.  So,  I'm praying for lovely weather.

GUEST-LIST:  No invitations required.  We are keeping the guest to family and close friends.  Ralf's list is very small because, he has a small family.  He has two sisters who live in the states, they are both attending.  We are not sure if his mom will travel from Germany with us.  My list on the other hand is huge, because I have a huge family.  I am one of 11, the youngest actually.  In addition to Marsha and Janet, I have 5 other sisters and 4 brothers.  All except Marsha and I have children.  My nieces and nephews are all adults and have families of their own.  My dad has a large home but, in the event of rain everyone will not fit comfortable in the house.  So,  I'm praying for lovely weather and of course making arrangements for a plan B.

RECEPTION:  I want to keep everything simple, elegant and cost effective.  I worked in the bridal industry for 5 years and I know how expensive a wedding can be.  I'm not going that route.  I just want to marry Ralf and have our families there to celebrate with us, no bells and whistles.  As I mentioned, it will be a picnic reception and my family is providing the food.  The wedding will be pretty much like a normal weekend get together for us, which is what I want.

THEME:  "VINTAGE ELEGANCE"  I've selected Pink, Black and White as the wedding color palette.  I've been browsing MarthaStewart.com and a few other web sources for ideas and inspiration.  Ralf and I love candles and butterflies so, we will be incorporating lots of both in the wedding decor.

BRIDAL  PARTY:  I'm not really having "bridesmaids".  I have asked all of my sisters and my good friend Sara from high school to wear pink dresses of their choice.  I'm not going to be picky about what they wear, I just want them to be comfortable.  Three of my  nieces  will serve as flower girls.  Ralf is not having a best man or groomsmen. There will be just the two of us at the alter.  My dad will not be able to walk me down the aisle or wherever I will be walking to so, I will have my 4 brothers walk me down the aisle and have my Dad hand me over to Ralf.  I am really looking forward to this moment.  All of the men will be in dark suits with a tiny pink accent, maybe a tie or the boutonniere.

So, that's where things stand so far.  My next big project........THE DRESS!!

New Studio

I love my Arbeit Zimmer!   That's German for "work room." Unfortunately, when I moved to Deutschland I was not able to bring all of my supplies from Cincy.  So,  I basically had to start over again.  The room is painted in a relaxing green color and I get lot's of sunlight through the "Fenster" or window.  The space has plenty of room for storage.  I can't wait to stock up on supplies from Kopka.  Kopka is a wonderful millinery supply house here in Germany.  There are also three fabric stores nearby so, I look forward to filling my shelves with tons of great fabrics.

Destination Deutschland

What happens when you meet a great guy, you fall in love and decide that you want to spend the rest of your life with him?  Well, you move to Germany!  I was living in Cincinnati, Ohio when we met.  His name if Ralf.  Ralf was visiting his sister in Florida when me met online.  Yes, online dating can work!  Our relationship moved quickly.  After a week of chatting online and phone calls, Ralf flew to Cincinnati to meet me.  I knew that he was something special when we met online but, everything was confirmed the minute I saw his gorgeous blue eyes.

Ralf and I have been together ever since.  For a year and a half we took turns flying back and forth across the Atlantic to be together.  Five months ago I moved to Germany and, two weeks ago Ralf and I were engaged on New Years!  May 30th 2009 isn't far away so, let the planning begin....ready, set, go!