Life: Guess What We Picked Up Today?

Life: Guess What We Picked Up Today?
Originally uploaded by Sanctuary-Studio

I'll give you a hint...we are very much alive and I'm not pregnant...(yet)!

Life: Boot-topia...

I'm not sure exactly when it happened but at some point in my life my adoration for shoes turned into a full blown boot obsession.  I can't tell you how many pairs of boots I currently own.  Nor do I really care (I'm not that obsessed, yo)!  But I can tell you that yesterday I happened upon the ULTIMATE boot-topia! I've been a admirer of CYDWOQ handmade (in the U. S. of A) shoes since the day I stumbled across a pair at a designer resale boutique in Santa Monica.  They were so unique...I had to have them!   It wasn't until later, after researching the company, that I realized the $45 I had just dropped on my (nearly) new shoes was an incredible deal.  But I digress....

Yesterday, I ventured out to Burbank to the CYDWOQ showroom (and factory).  There's nothing like using your wedding as justification for the purchase of a new pair of boots (which would normally not be in the budget)! Yeah, you read that right...I said wedding BOOTS!   Nope, no, Jimmy Choos or Badgley Mischkas for me.  If I'm going to spend that kind of money on footwear it's going to be on something I'd wear more than once!

Let's have a looksie inside the showroom, shall we...


Here's how things work.  All of the footwear in this room (above) can be made to your size, color and leather specifications.  Turn around time, I was told, is one to two weeks.  All the samples I looked at were Euro size 37 (my size)!  So I was able to try on many of the floor models. None of these shoes are in stock on site except for some limited styles and sizes behind that door across the room.  On the other side of that door everything (sitting on a box) was 50% off!  It was precisely at the moment when I heard those words that I thought I had died and gone to shoe heaven.  And, as if that wasn't enough, MANY of the boots in the sale room were available in my size!  I was so close to walking out of there with three new pairs of boots.   Alas, I kept it in check.  And I'm thrilled to report that this mission was a complete success!  Wedding boots purchased!

Wedding: Engagement Photos

Yeah, I know...we're under the 90 day mark and we're just finally getting around to taking our engagement photos.  Well, it might make a little more sense with some background.  Farilla proposed last September and we immediately started looking for our venue.  We had our venue locked in by October and the next most important thing to check off the list (in my mind, at least) was to find our photog.  I communicated with 9 or 10 different photographers before we decided to book Andre Niesing.  This was last November.  Our engagement shoot was included in our wedding photography package but since the following months were so cold and rainy we decided to put the shoot off until Spring.  Well, in case you hadn't noticed, spring has sprung and here we are in the mountains of Malibu:
















This last photo is my absolute favorite.  Yes there are a ton more shots but we'll stick with sharing these few for now.  I'm thrilled with our decision to hire Andre.  He has a very bold and classic style with just a bit of edge.  And as someone who is pretty camera shy he did a good job of helping to make me feel as comfortable as possible in front of the lens.  I can't wait to see what he does with our wedding snaps!

Wedding: Our Jewelry Designer...

Wedding: Our Jewelry Designer...
Originally uploaded by Sanctuary-Studio
Due to the unique shape of my antique engagement ring we've decided to get a custom made wedding band. In this photo our jeweler's designer is hand carving wax into the shape of my ring so the band can be made to fit right up against. I had no idea what a labor intensive process this would be. Best part...it's going to cost half as much as the 'designer' band we found with the closest fit.

Wedding: Current Inspiration...

photo by Kismis Ink Photography

Wedding: Real life Super Heroes!

I just read a post from a Tribe member on OffbeatBride.com in which she asked "What does the wedding party actually do?"

A commenter responded....

"The bridesmaids are supposed to confuse your would-be kidnappers on the way to the wedding.  The groomsmen are supposed help your man if he has to kidnap you and fight his way out.  :-)" [via The Bizarre Origins of Eight Wedding Traditions]

Yessssss!




















Photos by Cat Norman via Project Wedding.

Wedding: Current Inspiration...

[via OMGimgettingmarried.com]

Wedding: Current Inspiration

Via Weddingnouveau.com

Wedding: I Found My Dress!

After only two days of looking I FOUND MY DRESS! And I found it while my parents were in town so they got to partake in all of the wedding dress shopping hell magic too!

To my surprise, I actually did have "a moment" when I looked at myself in the mirror while dawning one of those gorgeous dresses (3rd Place, below). I totally started tearing up. I don't know if it was the dress so much as the overwhelming feeling that THIS IS HAPPENING. After trying on about 15 gowns I narrowed it down to four. I won't be posting The Winner just yet but I can share with you the runners-up!

4th Place: Adele Weschler Eco-Couture - Sunray


3rd Place: Adele Weschler Eco-Couture - River


2nd Place: Nicole Miller - HG0013


Maybe it was the lack of oxygen getting to my brain from being clamped into these dress so tightly but, My God, they were stunning!   Regardless, The Winner blows all of these dresses away.  Just you wait....

DIY: Sewn Engagement Party Invites

Looking for a way to jazz up your DIY party invites? Pull out the sewing machine...



Throw in a quote:

It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years. ~Simone Signoret

Voilà!

Wedding: Offbeat Bride - Creative Alternatives for Independent Brides

47 days engaged!

I started reading Offbeat Bride a couple weeks ago along with a plethora of other incredibly informative wedding books (lent to me by the most beautimous, Raven.  Thank you!).  Can I just say, THERE IS SO MUCH TO KNOW, YO!  What I thought was going to be a simple and casual celebration of our love and commitment to one another is quickly turning into a major event (relatively speaking).  And, aside from throwing a birthday party here and there this offbeat-bride-to-be knows next to nothing about event planning.  I'm so grateful for supportive parents, creative friends, a fiancé who worked in the event industry for may years and, yes, the internet!  Anyway, back to the book...I haven't gotten very far into it but Ariel had me hooked just a few pages in when she shared a story about hoop dancing.....in a bar .

Stop scratching your head...it's called Offbeat Bride for a reason.

As if that wasn't apropos enough, a few pages later was the first mention of Burning Man.

Side note: Farilla and I first met at Burning Man in 2001.  We were friends for may years before he asked me out on our fist date in 2008.  He proposed to me this year in the same place we met 9 years earlier.

So, as previously mentioned, I'm not very far into this book but I'm very excited to see what it has to offer.

If you're planning an offbeat wedding you might also consider checking out:

Offbeat Bride Online
Offbeat Bride Tribe

Oh!  And I'm beyond thrilled to share that as of about 30 minutes ago our wedding venue contract was signed, sealed and delivered.  A very Shutterilla wedding is on for the Summer of 2011.  Stay tuned...

Life: Wedding Planning...

We are in full on wedding planning mode.  The reason I haven't posted anything in a while is because I can't pull myself away from my wedding blogs long enough to see what else is going on out in the blogosphere.  We've found some great venues but it's all (already!) starting to stress me out a bit.  So today, while reading yet another wedding write-up, I ran across this quote which I immediately emailed to myself as a constant reminder of what it's all about:

From Ruffledblog.com:

The MOST important thing you can do to preserve your sanity is to keep a proper perspective! Remember why it is you’re getting married in the first place, and when things become more stressful than you feel you can handle, recall that at the end of the day, you will be married to your best friend in the world. -the groom

Can I get an Amen?!