A couture-confection perfect for a courthouse wedding!

"Bliss Way Up" dress from Modcloth. 

I can't wait to slip this lovely frock over my head, along with a pair of vintage cotton gloves in pale blue, sparkly glitter Keds by Kate Spade, and one of a selection of fun headpieces.

Because who doesn't adore glitter shoes, and a dangly pair of gemstone earrings? 

I found the vintage gloves on Etsy, and they're the softest brushed cotton, with the sweetest scalloped detailing!

Still haven't settled up on which headpiece to go with, yet... What do you think?

Clockwise from top left: BHLDN Veil, Free People Veil,
J.Crew Short Tulle Veil, and Free People Birdcage Veil

Styrmir & Heiddis - I want my life to look like this, every day.

A bit of magic from Styrmir & Heiddis Photography

Once we'd chosen Iceland as our chosen destination to celebrate our formal union, we decided that we would invest in an amazing photographer to capture the moment and adventures on our first international trip as a wedded couple!

After posting on both TripAdvisor and Reddit forums for advice, I came upon Styrmir and Heiddis's website, and fell in love with the drama, the landscapes, and the relationships and emotions they captured in their portfolios. 

We'll spend six hours with the couple on Sunday, May 19th, and I can't wait!

A little bird(cage veil) gets lost, then found, on its way to the courhouse!

I couldn't believe my luck when I found the "Strewn Petals" birdcage veil on sale one fine day, on the BHLDN website (I won't admit to checking it compulsively for the perfect bits and baubles, but...).

Strewn Petals Blusher by Mint Lola

It was the perfect accompaniment to the retrolicious dress I'd found on ModCloth, for our upcoming courthouse wedding in Portland. It captures the romance and loveliness we're looking forward to.

Even the description, "A smattering of gems and florets adorns this veil without obscuring the beauty of the face." This is my dream world you're speaking of, BHLDN!

Not only was it the perfect veil (along with the pale blue vintage gloves and sparkly glitter Kate Spade Keds shoes), but it was 75% off (sale on sale). Clearly, this was the veil meant for me, in every aspect.

And then when I opened the shipping box, it was nowhere to be found.

Cue devastation (or some form of that feeling). I could've understood if I'd received a dreaded cancellation notice via email, but I had received a shipping notification, and twirled around in delighted anticipation when the box had arrived on my doorstep!

And then, yet another bit of happy serendipity. As I was moping about the loss, and finally had the courage to share my disappointment via FB and Twitter (how very millennial of me!), by sheer chance, a PR/Marketing manager with BHLDN happened to be sitting two rows in front of me at a conference in NYC -- and turned the whole sad sack situation into one of the coolest, happiest turn of events possible!

Kelly went to bat for me, contacting all of the BHLDN boutiques, and managed to track down the missing veil! Then she took it to the next level, letting me know BHLDN was gifting it to me, and that it was winging its way to me via UPS.

Christmas came early this year, and I've my new Christmas/BHLDN angel-elf, Kelly, to thank for it! Such a lovely story to share going forward, about one of my favorite lifestyle brands and companies taking it to the next level, and surprising me with the best customer service I've enjoyed!

They've earned a fan and loyal BHLDN evangelist for life...

A gown so gorgeous, I purchased two of them!

I'm an Anthroholic (if you don't speak Anthro, please educate yourself so we can be friends).

And so I couldn't wait for my turn to shop BHLDN (sigh, yes, that's "beholden" minus all of the vowels, don't ask), Anthro's sister wedding boutique, I was SO excited!

Meet the Hermes gown from Bhldn... 

So... Since I don't live close to a BHLDN store, and my sister and mom weren't available to kidnap (or rather, I was too impatient to wait for all of us to be together, in order to go), I hit their online boutique.

Light ecru and effortlessly chic!

And found THE GOWN on my first time browsing. It was on sale, it was a pullover style (no pesky buttons or zippers to deal with), would pack down to nothing in my luggage, and was so classically ethereal and effortlessly beautiful, I immediately pulled the trigger!

Iceberg Rose Crown from Bhldn

 When I tried the gown on, it had a very Jane Austen type of feel to it (in the best way, and fitting considering that the BBC's original "Sense and Sensibility" -- think Colin Firth, not Keira Knightley), and I loved the romance of it!

I love this gown so much, I decided I wanted to find other occasions to wear it. Jason has now agreed that each year, when we go on another adventure, we'll take a photo or two in the Hermes (and whatever he chooses to wear for the occasion). How fun is that?! The fairytale lives on!

Next, I found a faux fux cardigan with a deep hood at Anthro that just seemed to scream 'Iceland Fairytale.' Had to have that.

Next came the floral headpiece. It hasn't arrived yet, but I can't wait to try it on along with the gown and cardigan on my next visit to SoCal.

Paired with a classic pair of Joan of Arctic boots by Sorel, I should be all set for wedding photos in Iceland with Styrmir and Heiodis (more to come on this amazing couple who will be doing our photos)!

Glacie hoodie from Anthro

             

Joan of Arctic boots by Sorel

The Dread Pirate Roberts Procures the Perfect Ring

At the beginning of October, we went ring hunting for each other. 

Jason chose a design by David Yurman (befitting a Dread Pirate, actually) that I'd originally sent on a whim. Why yes, those are black diamond eyes. Fancy!

When he asked me where, if I could choose anywhere I wanted, I would like to go hunting for the type of antique ring I'd described to him in detail (having carefully pinned dozens of examples on Pinterest). We drove in to Carmel, home of the most beautifully curated collection of antique jewelry, bar none.  And we ended up visiting a little jewel box of a shop that I used to walk past nearly every day, admiring the sparkling bits of loveliness in the front window, called Viau Estate Jewelers. 

Late Victorian, yellow gold w/a lovely
dark blue sapphire and old mine cut diamonds. 

An awesome drawing by Annika. Note she
drew the ring in the center, amongst the hearts!

We walked in, and the nice young woman offered to show us anything that captured our fancy. The second ring that caught our eyes, as soon as he slipped it on my finger, we both knew it was The One. 

On October 24th, as we strolled along Cannery Row just before sunset, Jason pulled the ring out of his pocket by the Steinbeck Fountain, causing me to yelp, ever so romantically in his ear ("You had that LOOSE in your pocket this whole time?!), followed by a quick agreement that yes, I'd take him to be my husband, FINALLY, and yes, I'll happily wear that gorgeous ring!

Costume ball + David Bowie + Grilled Cheese Sandwiches = Best Party Ever!

Back in July, Jason and I attended the Myth and Magic Faire hosted by the EMP in Seattle.

The theme was in celebration of "Labyrinth," and it did not disappoint.

We chose a costume theme we'd be happy to put on repeat (thanks, Mom, for whipping up Buttercup's gown at the last minute!).

Waiting in line for the Cheese Wizards

Grilled cheese. Tomato soup. Perfection.

Hair station... Cinderella moment!

Me and my Dread Pirate, getting ready to party!

I feel like our relationship, which has now spanned 20 years, was sort of like the Princess Bride journey -- we spent years apart, traveling the world, meeting new people, taking on new careers -- before we finally found our way back to each other. 

Although our reunion did not involve iocane powder, nor a monumental tumble down a hill.