Ironically my journey started at the one place I vowed I would never step foot in. There is this giant multi-chain bridal shop (that shall remain nameless) that makes me feel like I'm in a morgue. Rows and rows of ultra shiny white dresses zipped up in clear plastic garment bags. The place personally gives me the creeps. But I needed a little research. I've never been very interested in wedding dresses. They always looked so uncomfortable and as a girl who wears flip-flops year round the idea of wearing spanks, heels and a corset fits in with my morbid morgue analogy. I tried on a few dresses mostly to find out what I know I don't like. My mom was crucial in helping me with this. We would stifle giggles as I posed in front of the mirror in ridiculous Disney Princess fluff. It took about 30 minutes of trying on various styles of dresses to eliminate what I know I don't like, which turns out to be, wedding dresses. Apparently I still can't stand them. So we walked over to a restaurant, sat down over a drink and designed the perfect dress on a paper napkin. I'd describe it but I don't want to ruin the surprise. The next step was to find someone to make this untraditional dream dress. Her name is Ting and she's fabulous. Her etsy shop is full of her own designs and it's obvious she knows what she's doing. I can't wait to show off her talents.
As for other wedding must-have's I'll quickly summarize and will get down to the details later when I have better images to show. My ring will be made by a local designer, Wren. Her work is incredibly original and unique. The ring will be mixed metal, predominantly rose gold with white gold and look more like a twisting vine of ivy than a traditional band.
My photographer is also a local gal. Annemie Tonkin is a labor and delivery nurse at UNC hospital. You can check out some of her pictures on her blog, Carrboro Clicks.
My florist is very conveniently my best friend. Emily Wootton is a rare talent. She's studied in London under the world's premier florist Paula Pryke. Until just recently she ran a florist in Waco she started with her mom called Rosetree Emily is now living and creating in California. You can see some of her silk floral creations in etsy shop.
The food is going to be provided by friends, family and Nick. Nick has restaurant connections all over town and as a cook himself we are looking forward to sharing our favorite foods with our guests. Top of my list is my very favorite Enchiladas Poblanas. A cheesy enchilada drowned in the most fabulous Mole sauce you'll ever have. Made by Taqueria la Vaquita. A local Mexican restaurant that is so small there isn't even an inside to the restaurant. It's an old dairy stand that's been converted to a restaurant serving Mexican dishes so delicious it's been featured in Gourmet Magazine and The New York Times just to name a few. We want a fresh guacamole bar as well. But it isn't just a Mexican themed dinner. For our meat-eating guests we'll also have grilled chicken, steaks, seafood and there's talk of a whole pig. For my fellow vegetarians, don't worry--I've already requested the pig not be out in the open visible to everyone. I think that is so gross.
The band is still up in the air. Nick and I are both leaning towards a rockin' blues band. Maybe something with a south Louisiana vibe. Fitting as I was born in Baton Rouge. I'm looking forward to the "research" of finding a band. There is an open mic blues night at the local Blue Bayou Club. Some pretty impressive names show up for the fun.
So that's about all I've got so far. I'm planning on doing my own hair and make-up but I've been getting some concerned comments from friends and family about that. So I can't help but wonderful what I must be doing wrong ;-)
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