Adventures in Crinoline Dyeing

When I discovered the concept of dyed crinolines I knew that one of my many friends getting married this Summer had to do it. This seems to be the official knottie bio on the subject. Mrs. Strawberry talked about it, and Mrs. Poppy was even brave enough to do it and wear it under her dress. My old roommate happened to be the perfect person to try this out with and so we adventurously purchased a crinoline off of ebay.

It took a few trips to Wal-Mart, but Amber finally discovered that the RIT dye is stocked next to the laundry detergent. Guess that makes sense. She was seeking a raspberry shade and so she bought the color Wine.

We had to take it out and make sure it fit. There was a small emergency at the beginning when we lost the string to tie it with (it disappeared into the skirt).

My crafty sister saved the day by looping the string back through with a safety pin. I don't totally understand how this works but she is brilliant like that.

Just follow the instructions on the back of the bottle. We ran hot water in the washer, and did not add salt (the instructions are kind of unclear about this). After the washer was full of hot water we added the entire bottle of dye. We then let the water agitate to mix the color around.

The instructions said we shouldn't put dry fabric in so we put the crinoline in the shower first to get it wet.

It was a monster effort to stuff that huge crinoline into our tiny washer. Poor Amber burned her hands a few times (the water has to be as hot as possible), but I think it was worth it in the end.

We pushed it down as far as it would go, and tried to spread it out around the middle of the washer. I opened the lid every 10 or 15 minutes to try to get different parts soaking underwater. After all of the water had drained out of the washer and it had run on the spin cycle for a few minutes we opened the lid to find this!

We rinsed it out with warm/hot water until the water ran as clear as possible.

The finished product hung to dry in my shower. I had to do a lot of scrubbing after she left, so remember that as the crinoline hangs it will drip colored water all over the place. I ran the washer 3 or 4 times with bleach (although that was probably overdoing it). I threw some white towels in to make sure that no residue was going to turn my panties pink the next time I washed my whites.

Amber just emailed me her bridals tonight, and so I was able to see how it looks underneath her dress. Doesn't she look beautiful?She said her photographer absolutely LOVED shooting the colored crinoline.

All bridal photos by MW Photography



Clicking on all photos will enlarge them

I think her sweet little ballet slippers add just the right touch. I'll be attending Amber's wedding in August and you will be able to see the dress in action at her reception.

Anyone else end up using Mrs. Strawberry or Mrs. Poppy or the knottie bio I listed as inspiration for their colored crinolines?

The Gift Giving Dilemma

Mr. Avocado likes it when I attempt to get excited about finances, so I subscribe to My Money Blog because I can send him links and impress him with my dedication to reading the posts. A few weeks ago the author wrote a post about how much a wedding gift should cost.

Image via flickr.

He suggested three factors to consider when buying your gift:

1. How close are you to the couple?

2. How fancy is the wedding?

3. What is your financial situation?

Mr. Avocado would say that #3 is the most important one, and he would be right. Yes, there are some couples who get a little bit greedy when it comes to gifts, but I think most couples are just genuinely pleased to see their loved ones show their support by coming to the wedding itself. Take what you can afford, and invest it in something off of their registry that you think will last.

If you are really stressed about what to get, talk to some of the women in your life who have been married for a long time now. Ask them what wedding gifts they are still using because there are definitely some things that last longer than others.

My personal plan of attack when it comes to gift giving is to buy something fun off the registry, and then take as many pictures as possible at the wedding. The photos won't be as pretty as what the photographer captures, but I don't think there was ever a couple that complained about walking away with too many photos of their wedding.

How do you decide what to give?

I'm Melting!

My core body temperature always seems to be 10 degrees higher than what everyones else feels. Which means I am a sweat-er. Not so much an armpit sweat-er, but a makeup-melting, hairline-soaking, red and splotchy face sweat-er. Having pictures on the beach is awesome, but not if my face is going to look like this:
'

Image found here.

I am planning on bringing blotting sheets, but other than that I have no experience with makeup melting prevention. Usually I just try to accept it and pretend like it isn't happening, but I don't feel like that will be the best method in Mexico. I think I have the mascara and eyeliner covered, but I have no idea what to do about the rest of my dripping face.

Any secrets people would like to share?

Feeling Beachy

Photos in the ocean always look so fun! Image by Apertura.

Our engagement shoot is in Puerto Vallerta, Mexico, when we are on vacation next week. Such an opportunity is only occurring because my photographer is a friend and former college roommate. Remember that whole "use your resources" kick I am on? Professional wedding photographers just happen to be one of my resources.

That game plan:
The morning of the shoot we'll take the bus into town and shoot for a few hours. I hope to find an outdoor market and some fun alleyways to explore. I hate looking like a sweaty mess so we'll take a break in the middle of the day when it's all hot and rainy and gross. We'll resume shooting sometime after dinner and finish the evening all wet and sandy on the beach as the sun goes down.

Now for my outfits. Would you mind helping me choose which outfit would be best for our photo adventures? Vote yes on the outfits you think I should wear, no on the ones I should avoid. It would be best to vote yes for only two outfits, because voting yes for all of them doesn't really help me with my decision.

Outfit #1
The puffy sleeves might be a little trendy, but I love the bright color. Do you think my sweaty armpits will just soak right through the material?

Outfit #2
This outfit isn't quite as bright and colorful as the first, but it's sweet. The neckline makes me feel young and pretty.

Step #3
I'm still bolero hunting for this dress, but it's so beachy and bright. Who wouldn't want to splash around in the waves and frolic in the sand while wearing this?

Outfit #4
I'm not keeping the shoes. So try not to fall in love with them like I aleady have. This dres is all nauticul and preppy, it even has little anchors on the buttons. I ordered cheapie $15 white flats from Target after I admitted to myself that the mustard colored flats just weren't working.

Mrs. Bee, Gingerbread told me to just ask you to place a poll in the post and you would code it in for me! I would like 4 different polls with yes or not options if that wouldn't be too much trouble. Thanks!

The E -Pic Vestments

I love and watch What Not To Wear all the time but why do Stacey and Clinton always have to be so negative, focusing on what not to wear? I say we devote some time to thinking about what we should be wearing, specifically in regards to engagement shoots. Laura Novak, an amazing photographer, wrote about it once on Weddingbee, now it's time for an official photography blog-stalkers opinion.

I read all of the photography blogs. When I say all of them, I mean that every single time I come across a link to a photography blog, I subscribe to it. The folder containing these posts is consistently at 1000+ on my google reader. I have been able to find some beautiful photos and discover lots of gorgeous inspiration, and, consequentially, form a lot of opinions about what should and should not be worn.


1. Find out if your photographer allows for outfit changes. If so, think about wearing one "everyday" and one "dressy" outfit.

Photo by Duston Todd
From American Gothic to American Chic.

2. Coordinate your outfits. But don't wear the exact same thing.

Photo by Sarah Rhoads
Blue/gray color palette with a shot of red from her funky heels. These two just look like they belong together.

3. Think about wearing an outfit that matches your surroundings.

Photo by Duston Todd

So if you are going to be taking your photo with a donkey, you might want to look into purchasing that sombrero you've had your eye on.

4. Give your shoes as much attention as your shirt. The photographer will want to capture them at some point.

Photo by Shaylene Rene
Mr. and Miss Avocado, what were you thinking when you got dressed that day. High heels and big clunky sneakers?

5. Wear something that you feel defines your personal style.

Photo by Johnathan Canlas
How many "rules" that photographers give about what to wear are this couple breaking? Baggy gauchos on the lady? Check. Trendy graphic tees? Check. Ultra casual flip-flops? Check. But I am going to guess that this is what this couple really dresses like. They walked away from their engagement session with some beautiful images that really captured who they are.

6. Wear something you can run, jump, kick, and spin in.

Photo by Ksenija Savic
Because in many ways, this is how I feel when I am around Mr. Avocado.

What do's and dont's would you recommend be added to the list?

International Marriage Traditions

Note: This post is intended for Bridal Guide Magazine.

Not a lot has been written on intercultural marriages in the blogosphere, probably because in many ways, every single marriage is an instance of two different cultures attempting to blend together. Whether it is regional culture, familial culture, national culture, or religious culture, each couple must find ways to merge and honor their own belief systems and backgrounds.

I became fascinated with all things folklore related after taking a few classes at my University, and in the middle of writing papers I took some time to research Polish wedding traditions in some of the textbooks I was reading. The customs they spoke of were so unique and meaningful, I knew that I wanted to find ways to incorporate some of them into my own wedding.

All of this cultural research has led me to think about where my own family comes from. I have Danish ancestors, and I have begun to look into wedding traditions from Denmark as well. Here some of the things I am thinking about incorporating.

Danish Traditions

1. Danish weddings serve marzipan cake as the wedding cake. It's made with almonds and marzipan and decorated with a sugar paste icing. I'm planning on having a cake buffet instead of one wedding cake, so a cake like this would be a possibility.

Image found here.

2. When the groom leaves the room, all of the single men will run up to the bride and attempt to kiss her. The same thing happens when the bride leaves the room.

Image found here.

3. Towards the end of the night all of the groomsmen attack the groom and attempt to cut his tie and socks. It is thought that this practice is to see if the grooms feet are clean, dirty feet signify that he has been running in the fields after pretty maidens. I will actually be discouraging this idea :)

Image found here.

4. The bride and groom begin dancing a traditional Danish waltz. As the dance progresses all of the guests form a circle around them and begin to clap and tighten the circle until they are completely surrounding the bride and groom.

Image fond here.

Polish Traditions

1. Probably my favorite Polish tradition is throwing pennies at the bride and groom as they leave the ceremony. The best part of this practice is that the bride and groom must stop and pick the pennies up after they are thrown at them. It makes for some really great photos! The pennies are supposed to be an indication of financial fortune in the future, which must be why this bride and groom look so eager to bend down in their wedding attire and collect them.

Image found here.

2. According to this site, Poles consider bread to be a gift of God, and salt to be a basic necessity of life. The couple is presented with bread and salt, often by their respective parents, in a meaningful ceremony where the words "may you never lack it" are pronounced.

Image found here.

3. In Poland they do not toss the bouquet, rather the veil. I am not having a bouquet toss, and so this might be a fun substitute. It seems as though the veil would not to be wrapped around something with some heft to help it fly. I am anti-grater tossing, and it seems like the Pole's might be as well because the groom ends up throwing his tie. I am sure that my groom wouldn't mind loosening up a little bit at the end of the night.

Image found here.

These are just a a few of the many customs and traditions that happen at weddings. If you know your family background a little digging can bring up so many meaningful ideas you can use to honor your heritage and add a unique touch to your wedding.

I'll Have One Cafe Noir to Go Please

Shopstyle led me to Yoox which led me to these.

They really do match each other in color. I am not sure why they aren't doing so here.

They are everything I was looking for in a wedding shoe. Lower heel, gold(ish), unique. Bonus that they are Italian made (belissima!). Double bonus that they incorporate every single color I would like to focus on for the wedding. Gold, black, ivory, green, brown, and red.

I'll be replacing the little bead you see on top with the perfect little button.

Anyone else have a craving for deliciously unique shoes?