Where It's At

Amazing chapel, no? Located in Arkansas, Thorncrown Chapel and its surroundings are so breathtaking you wouldn't need to add any decoration. Not one bit. And I love that.

Nicole + Tom + OnceWed

It is with great excitement that I've been telling nearly everyone who will listen and click: OnceWed featured Nicole + Tom's wedding yesterday! What a great tribute to an amazing couple, a beautiful wedding, the best night ever, the greatest of photographers, and a labor of love that was worth every second. See the post right here. (And now that the photos have made their big debut, I'll start recounting some of the details in this little blog. Keep checking back!)

Dear Etsy,

I don't trust my banners with just anyone and you shouldn't either.

Caitlin of Nice makes The best, best-looking, and best quality fabric-and-felt banners. I had one made for the Nicole + Tom's photo booth, another to hang outside of the venue, and also put Caitlin on a special project with absolutely amazing results. (Photos of those sort of details will be posted soon. I'm waiting for the event to make its appearance on one of my very favorite wedding blogs. Who am I to spoil the big reveal?) For now, enjoy this "Sweet Action" mini banner by Nice, available on - what else - Etsy.

RSVP

Jenny Lewis made some music with Johnathan Rice and together they became Jenny & Johnny. I haven't listened to the song that's available on their site, but I couldn't help but post this photo that is part of the promotional materials. For the right couple, re-creating this moment would be an amazing front to a save the date or wedding invitation, don't you think?

Guy Stuff

I'm not one for Hawaiian shirts, unless the pattern is perfect. And it's not all that often that I like ties with square ends. But this is so great and perfect and limited edition, even. (And if you've never browsed through Hickoree's Hard Goods, you must!)

Color Theory

I love nothing more than seeing colors work together, so for me a day's thrill can come from something as simple as a perfect color palette. I'm of the belief that a well-defined set of colors should be one of the very first decisions when planning an event of any sort - it helps keep decisions in sync. The Inspired Bride has an amazing collection of palettes to draw inspiration from, as does Lauren of Color Collective. Lauren is also a new guest blogger at DesignSponge and picks out palettes based on images of homes. Genius. Other places I always defer to for ideas are Kate Spade and Dwell Studio - if they say two colors go together, they surely do. (Image above from The Inspired Bride.)

The Ringer

We are going to pick up my ring today and I couldn't be more excited - it's perfect and perfectly me. In researching and searching and researching some more before finding mine, I came across St. Kilda jewelry and absolutely love this set. A little bit out of our price range, but oh-so-nice to look at. Photo credit: St. Kilda.

Where It's At

The other day a friend told me the story of a bride who had her wedding in Minneapolis at a glass building in the midst of rubble. Naturally I had to find out more. The Mill City Museum, which opened in 2003, is located on the site of a flour mill that exploded in 1878. See a 360 video of the space here. Can you imagine a wedding ceremony taking place right there in the courtyard? So beautiful. Visit the museum site to read more about the building's history. I think we should all get married in Minneapolis now.

Photo Credit: Minnesota Historical Society

The Little Things

I love this grainy cell phone photo. In fact, I love it so much that I look at it once a day. It was just about 48 hours before Nicole and Tom's big day, I was in their apartment alone, stringing garland out of the fabric flowers I had spent hours upon hours making. Tracing circles on fabric, cutting out circles, gathering circles one by one, threading circles. And poof! A cute little flower. To say it was a labor of love would be an understatement but it was at this moment, when I took this grainy cell phone photo, that I realized everything was coming together. And I loved every bit of it. And I knew the bride and groom would, too. There was a huge sense of relief, and an overwhelming feeling of joy. The tutorial to make these tiny gems is right here.

Cloud 9

It is Wednesday. On Saturday, my best friend in all the world married one of the greatest people I've ever met and four days later, I'm still reeling from the excitement of it all. So far we've been given just a little taste of the photos to come - a single photo from Josh Goleman, who is an Amazing with a capital A talent. That one quiet and perfectly simple photo was enough to bring yet another happy tear to my eye - one of many that have been shed during the process of helping plan this wedding. I can't wait to share everything with you, show you everything that made their big day one that would leave us all inspired and in awe. If it weren't for the fact that there is so much to look forward to - an L.A. wedding to plan for a full-of-life couple who make me happy every time I see them and then my own - I just might have wanted time to stop right then, on May 15, 2010. Sincere and endless thanks to Nicole and Tom for allowing me to let loose on my creative urges, fill your New York apartment with boxes and boxes of trinkets and treasures, trusting me with a tough decision, and being the kind of people that make everything better. For all the many things you have gifted me with - sweet words when I needed them, a clean shirt when I ran out of my own, bear hugs at every turn, and much more - I am forever grateful and feel forever lucky to have been a small part of making your day what it was, an amazing celebration of love, friendship, and fun.

Much love,

Jen Wood.

Photo: One of many sweet little pieces that made up the wedding decor. Purchased from vintageworks. Photo credit goes to vintageworks.