10 years and 8 months after meeting the love of my life................... we made it official!

  Please be so kind as to reference myself and my photographer- Ian Shepherd -if using my photos, xoxo!

I'm an Interior Designer in San Diego, CA and I'm the happiest newlywed! 

My Etsy shop is now open and I'm overly excited to share my designs with others!

       Visit my shop at http://www.sweetpeasseashells.etsy.com

       Visit my blog at http://www.sweetpeasandseashells.blogspot.com

       Visit my PW vendor page at http://www.projectwedding.com/vendor/show/sweet-peas-and-seashells

Our talented photographer, Ian Shepherd of APDW, captured our day exactly as we had imagined.

We were married bright and early on a Sunday morning at 9:30 AM oceanside on a beautiful beach in Makena, Maui- Hawaii.  It seems so fitting that we were married on a Sunday, the one day a week we can always count on spending with each other without having to work.  The 23rd, our wedding day, also happened to fall on a Sunday and being that this date carries the significance of the beginning of our relationship, it was meant to be.  Our morning was perfect: it was warm, it was quiet, it was outdoors, the waves were crashing on shore, the light trade-winds were blowing through the palms, we were surrounded by love, we felt loved, we loved each other, we promised our love to each other, and our day was lovely.

 Please reference my photographer Ian Shepherd if using any photos.  His work may be seen at the following websites:

              www.mauiwedding.net     www.maui.smugmug.com      www.photographershawaii.com    

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~10 YEARS OF LOVE!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I met my FI when I was 16 years old and we just celebrated our 10 year anniversary (He proposed on our exact 10 years together)!  We have both grown together through these years and have always planned to spend the rest of our lives together.  We've been together through all our friends' weddings, some friends' having children, our first apartment together, unlimited trips to the beach and to get Starbucks Frapuccinos together, the list goes on!  He's my world.  :)  WOO HOO for love!

                           TEN YEARS TOGETHER = ONE DREAM WEDDING IN MAUI, HAWAII

*Please inform me if I have used your photo and I will happily credit your info*

This was my first DIY color inspiration board- It was actually featured on SMP- totally awesome, but I'm now leaning toward more whites and greenery with only small amounts of blue hues.

I recently found this board on Orange Tree Weddings blog.  I'm in love with it!:

I created a simple initial logo on Photoshop for us to use in several aspects of our wedding.  Simple and clean!  I'll probably create additional versions as time progresses.  Although I know the bride's initial typically is read first, I can't stand our initials that way, it reads MD and reminds me of "Medical Doctor". HA, it's just something I can't get over, so we'll stick with this.

I just finished our Save TD's and I'm soooooooooooooooooo glad that's over.  I Actually already have the design for our invitations (a little backwards on the order there), but these dang Save-T-D's were haunting me!  I kept changing my mind on the layout, colors, placement, etc!  Yay for those being done!

Please excuse the black blotchies- need to keep some privacy :)

A Big whoopee for completing these!  I uploaded my design on Vista Print and had our postcards made.  We ordered our envelopes from envelopemall.com and them came in the perfect shade of subtle aqua.  My sis helped me cut out all the envelope liners from environmentally-friendly paper to match our color palette.  HUGE THANKS to Kristeen who sent me the beautiful font I used to print on our envelopes- PERFECT!  I ordered us a custom made address stamp from For Yoo on Etsy for $35!  Seriously, one of our fave purchases, we can use it on all of our correspondence, even after the wedding!  I got a silver ink pad and stamped the back of our envelopes, which will also carry through on our invites and thank yous!  I def. recommend DIY if you have the time.

I created a map in Photoshop (probably should have used a mapping program to save time), but I'm so picky about every detail that I had to make it myself.  I had about 3-4 inspirations I pulled from to ultimately create my own.  I'm pleased with the result:

    Details of Map:

Pocketfold style and Recyclable!  YAY!  I recommend designing your own invites if you can't find a style or vibe that is 100% what you love (this was my dilemma). I knew DIY was going to take a long time to complete and to be honest, it wasn't really as much of a money-saver as I had originally thought;  however, the result was exactly what I has envisioned and I'm quite proud of the final product knowing how much time went into each one.

Materials:

I purchased the following from Paper and More:  www.paperandmore.com  They have a great sampling system, so for very little, you can order samples of their products (which I highly recommend to view the true color).

A-7 Himalaya Recycled Pocketfolds.  Color:  Sand Specks

Smaller RSVP envelopes: 4 Bar envelopes.  Color: Sky Pearlescent Metallic

I purchased the outer envelopes from Envelope Mall, envelopemall.com  because P&M was sold out of the color I needed.  The color was almost identical in person, so I lucked out!

Outer Envelope A7 Euro Flap, Stardream Metallic.  Color: Aquamarine

I bought the paper at Michael's, it is actually watercolor paper that comes in a yellow covered notepad, the brand is Strathmore 300 Series and it's a heavy weight, cold press paper. The size was 9" x 12" (I had to cut 1/2" off each so they would fit in printer), the pad comes with 12 sheets and it's 140 lb. (300g/m) weight. It is really thick paper, but that's what gave the invites such a "nicer" look. It's def. worth it to pick it up on sale or use coupons b/c it retails for $6.99 per pad and I think I bought about 12 pads to complete 100 invites. I printed multiples per page. I used this paper for the invite, rsvp insert, events insert, and belly bands.  It may be worth it to test out paper first, as none of the paper products nor envelopes I bought worked with my printer and I had to use my sister's HP printer.   I used a thinner recycled paper I picked up at Office Depot for the "directions" insert so that it could be easily folded.  Farm Fiber paper recylable  8-1/2" x 11.

We were given the taupe colored cardstock for free, which I used as the background/border color for each invite. I had some linen material laying around from other projects that I used for the border color to wrap the invites, behind the belly bands, then I placed the belly bands over them to secure the pocketfolds.

We had a custom address for stamp made from ForYoo, a vendor from Etsy.  Highly recommend, she was a pleasure to work with, as I asked her to make several small changes before I approved the proof, and she was very accommodating with quick responses.  The stamp is high quality mounted on a wood block with a black wooden handle.  I picked up a ColorBox inkpad from Michaels and we stamped our invite envelopes and our rsvp envelopes.  The stamp will be used for lots of other correspondence, like our thanks yous and holiday announcements.  We also used the stamp on our save the date envelopes.

Ink Pad color:  Platinum                                          Adhesive: Rolled, purchased at Michael's or Joann's

 Fonts:

For the print font I used Copperplate Gothic Light and for the script font I used Beautiful(font file was sent to me from our very own PWer hostess Kristeen).

 Design:

I designed all aspects of our invitations using Photoshop.  I am by no means a pro at the program, but as a designer, I was able to utilize the skills I did know to create the layouts and graphics I wanted.  I laid out the fonts according to the sizing and spacing that looked proportionate, and I found graphics by searching Google and altering them to my preference by either changing the colors, size, shape/outline.  I used the "clone stamp" tool most frequently.  Here's a quick look at how I changed the coral image to fit our invite color/look:

Original found image                                                 Photoshop image, changed color and flipped

Result:

So after all that plus measuring, cutting, cutting, and more cutting.........the end result came about:

Details and recap:

Sizing:

• Pocketfolds A-7  (5" x 7")
• Envelopes A7 (5-1/4" x 7-1/4")
• Background/Border cardstock behind invite 4-3/4" x 6-3/4"
• Invitation 4-5/8" x 6-1/2"
• RSVP Insert 3-1/2" x 5
• RSVP envelope 4 Bar (3-3/4" x  5-1/8")
• Directions (map) Insert 7-1/2" x 10-1/4"
• Events Insert 4-1/8" x 6-1/4"
• Linen fabric border for belly band 2" x 13"
• Belly Band 1-1/2" x 12"

Costs:

• 100 Pocketfolds and 100 rsvp envelopes = $105.70
• 100 envelopes for invites = 32.00
• Watercolor paper (12 pads/ 144 sheets) on sale 40% off = 50.32
• Taupe cardstock = free
• Linen fabric = free
• Adhesive tape rollers (8) on sale 30% off = $39.14
• Printing = free  (used my sister's HP printer, she paid for the ink)
• Custom address stamp = $39.50 w/ shipping
• Ink pad on sale = $4.95

Total not including postage: $271.61

• Postage: invites were 0.81 cents ea. and return address envelopes 0.44 ea. x 100 = $125.00

Feel free to PM if you have any questions.  It can get quite complicated to explain layouts and quantity printing, so I chose not to explain all of that.

Here's my dress!  Perfect for our bare-footed beach wedding.  I will be editing the detachable flowers on the hip section to keep it more simple since I will have a flower in my hair!

Trial: April 09

I decided to DIY a door sign for our hotel room, design inspired by PWer's Kohler44 and KristinKay.  Here's the outcome:  Two-sided sign, one side to display on wedding day prep, the other for the honeymoon.

I also had fun shopping at VS for some bridal wear, something I thought I was totally against in the early planning stages, but I couldn't resist!

We had a blast taking our engagement photos!  FI's step-mom (who we both consider a loving mom & is one of my favorite people on earth) took them for us.  We are so pleased with how they turned out and are glad to see that our vision of capturing who we really are was fulfilled.  I haven't touched up any photos yet, but will eventually do so for the ones we decide to frame.  The best part is that we took them at the house FI grew up in as a teenager- awesome area!

p.s.: Concerning my hair- I know my roots are horrible (shame on me for not getting a hair appt. before the pics)

Whoop-eeeeeeeeeeee!  I finally found my shoes!  After a LONG search for decent flipflop/flat sandals, I found 'The Ones'.

My custom Twigs and Honey bridal hairpiece by Myra Kim.  I'm stoked how gorgeous it turned out!

I admit, we purchased our ring bowl before we were engaged.  I found Caroline's beautiful work on Etsy and we knew our ring bowl had to come from her!  Her work has gotten quite popular and has been noticed on several wedding blogs and magazines.  She deserves it, from "Palomas Nest."

Such an easy project and I'm so pleased with them!  I designed them in Photoshop and kept the verbage and wording pretty simple.  Since we are having an intimate destination wedding, I didn't include tons of information such as the bridal party names, etc.  I scored some beautiful ivory ribbon for 0.15 cents a yard and it worked out just right for binding them.

Cover:                                                                Page 1:

Page 2:                                                              Page 3:

Last Page:

Chapel length, edge cut veil (a must)!!!!  Inspiration: loose curls pinned up with hair flower on the side/back:

Since we're having an outdoor beach wedding, I do not want overdone makeup whatsoever.  my moto {naturally enhanced} !  Somewhere along these lines:

                                               Pic: Kohler44

         Pic Kohler44

Inspiration for bouquets:

Bridal Bouquet: I would add white peonies to it!

            or          

      Photo: Rosenow Floral Design                                                    Photo: Style Me Pretty

Bridesmaids Bouquets: I would delete the roses and replace them with white peonies

                                             Photo: Laura Bruen Photography Blog, Shoot Scoop

Love these recycled glass jars:

Details I'm fond of: 

     Photo: SMP                                                     Photo: The knot

We've chosen our Hawaiian leis for our ceremony.  We will be having a traditional Hawaiian lei exchange during the ceremony.  I'm secretly scared of how this is going to work while I'm wearing a long veil- still trying to think of a smooth transition.

Bride's Lei                                                                    Groom's Lei

Photos: mauiwedding.net

So now that our wedding date is getting closer, the final count for my woman party is 3.

My mom's dress:                                        1 of my BM's Dresses: J.Crew La Playa Dress in White

Other BM Dress (is a surprise)!  She lives out of state and assures me it's gorgeous!  She got it at Banana Republic and says it's ivory in color.  I'll see it a few days before the wedding  :)

Starting off point of inspiration:

The custom Twigs and Honey hairpieces by Myra Kim for my Girl Party!

                                  Photo Credit: Gordon Nash

We will be married waterside on Po 'olenalena Beach on the Island of Maui, Hawaii.

                                    Photo credit: Gordon Nash

After the ceremony, we'll be going to Maui's "Secret Cove" to have our couple's photos taken.  This was our #1 ceremony site; however, because it is such a small area, weddings here may only maintain a maximum guest count of 13 and we did not want to limit who we invited.  So next best thing- we have our photos taken here!  We can't wait!  It will be such a nice, intimate moment between the man and I (oh.......and the photographer). 

When it comes to cake, we probably wish deep down that we could eat it all ourselves!  Our style is to keep it simple and our only criteria for the "Maui cake"- must be coconut!!!

Reception cake idea for Maui:

I'm currently digging these place cards by Della Carta Studio on Etsy.  I think they are simply wonderful and they are budget-friendly priced!  I'd like to see if she can do the calligraphy on these letterpressed cards I got from Sycamore Street Press on Etsy.

Just some lovely jewels I've had my eyes on.  Maybe someday I'll give in.  They may be cute for honeymoon accessories.

Star of the East on Etsy

For some reason lately, I am totally hooked with certain photographers and their "styles" and quirky shots.  I feel as if I need to compile an entire list of  {must have} shots for my own wedding.

                                     Photo from "Brides Cafe" blog: Kate Headley Photography

                                         Photo: Peonies and Polaroids

We are thinking of doing something a little out of the norm for our guest book, something along these lines:

SO HAPPY that I did this project, I feel like it will really add to our minimal decor on our wedding day.  I made two runners, one for our ceremony program table and one for our cake table (which the monogram is slightly smaller). 

I bought some linen fabric at Joann's Craft Store and sewed all edges with 1/4" hem.  I created a monogram using Photoshop and enlarged it using a copier and placed it under the fabric, tracing it lightly directly on the fabric using a pencil.  I then applied plain white acrylic paint onto the fabric and painted "within the lines" of the monogram.  **Important tip from PWer Nana Boop**: I placed wax paper in between my fabric and working surface so that the paint that seeped through the fabric would not get onto the table.  It was easily removable from the back of the fabric once I completed painting. 

          Simple project, just time consuming.

Since our destination wedding was in Maui, we stayed two weeks to continue our honeymoon.  It was absolutely amazing and the entire experience is definitely one to be had, rather than described.  We had the time of our lives that two weeks, and we already cannot wait to go back!  We've actually become buds with our photographer who lives there, so we're looking forward to another visit, an anniversary photo shoot, and more relaxing memories.

My sister, mom, and BF hosted a bridal shower for me, and it turned out absolutely awesome!  It was such a nice time to share with friends and family and the food was amazing!

Invites:  DIY.  Envelope calligraphy by PWer BeltranBride of Moira Events

www.i-do-it-yourself.com

Additional Inspiration:      

                             

I thought I would present my BM's hair flowers to them all nicely wrapped up, along with the other gifts I'll give them.  I'm one to appreciate a nice paper or bow, and appreciate it more when it looks nice AND  is cost effective.  I found these kraft boxes at JoAnns for $1 each, tissue paper inside for 99 cents at Target for a pack (still have some left over), and ribbon/lace to embellish the box, 5 yards for $1!  What a steal!  I bought the beautiful hair flowers on Etsy from Myra *Twigs and Honey*

Things to do (Maui Wedding) :

• Book Couple's Transportation
• Groomsmen get shirts and pants
• Finish making Cake Topper
• Mail Ribbon to Florist

Things that are completed (Maui Wedding):

• Site/Venue booked
• Minister
• Marriage License Appt.
• Beach permit for ceremony
• DOC
• Photographer
• Bride's Ceremony Dress
• Groom's Suit
• Hair and Makeup booked
• Shoes
• Engagement Photo session booked
• Wedding Web site
• Finalize Musician for ceremony
• Complete Save TD's
• Book Florist
• Bridesmaids get dresses
• Design Map
• Book Flights
• Book videographer
• Book B&B
• Finalize Cake
• Bride reception dress
• Finish Invites

Things to do (San Diego, CA Reception):

• Finalize floral details