Is orange the new pink?

After seeing these vibrant centerpieces - Mason jars and all - at Doc Water's Yosemite wedding this past weekend,

And observing this spectacular chuppah quilt, handpieced by Doc Water's new mother-in-law,


Which was vaguely reminiscent of the flowers interwoven into the shelter at Bootcamp's wedding,

where she carried these beautiful orange posies,

I'm now wondering if my color scheme of persimmon and pomegranate
is just a wee bit derivative?

On the positive side, at least I'm "on trend."

I wonder if Doc Water and Bootcamp will feel a sense of deja vu in October?

"You're my kind of bride"

I knew I'd found the right florist, when Silke of Local Flora, said that to me.

Before we even got down to the details of arrangements and colors, we had a long talk about sustainability, and pesticides, and local growers, and why it's so hard to find organic flowers. (Answer: consumers demand perfect petals, and growers have difficulty making ends meet if they have to throw away too many munched blooms.) Silke said that the market for organic flowers is in its infancy, in the same way that the market for organic food was ten years ago. Many people don't realize the amounts of pesticides used on flowers or the concomitant dangers (a topic I wrote about here), and don't think to request organic flowers. She and her shop are working to nurture the local supply of organic flowers by working with individual growers, and buying extra blooms from individuals with extensive organic gardens.

Her gorgeous designs show that you don't have to give up elegance by going local and organic.

I showed Silke my favorite flower inspiration image (via SMP), and then said, "But no roses." She didn't bat an eye.
She grabbed some sunflowers - organic ones are easily available - along with some coxcomb and dark red dahlias, and started putting together a bouquet full of bright colors and interesting textures as I watched.

Now the only question is how many corsages and boutonnieres to order for our non-traditional band of wedding helpers.

Shoegate continues...

In keeping with my current obsession about what to wear, and my advisor's query about what I wear for teaching (skirts and heels, a complete 180 from my grad student uniform of jeans and clogs), I've been searching for the perfect funky, walkable, power-projecting pair of shoes.

Look what Doc Water pointed me to:







Her cousin is a ridiculously talented shoe designer (see 'em all here) in Tel-Aviv, who is kindly bringing some of her wares for shoe-obsessed gals to consider at the good Doc's wedding next weekend!

Doc Water will be wearing some of these handmade beauties under her dress. So cool.

If you happen to be in Tel-Aviv, you should visit one of these places for gorgeous designer shoes!

Contagious

Ha! He's caught the shopping bug. Mr. Barefoot is scrolling through potential gifts for the ushers.*

toybreaker

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Rabbitstop

He's even looking at gifts for the ladies!

toybreaker

That's my guy!!!

*Our inclusive wedding entourage consists of a whole mess o' ushers, both male and female, some of whom double as readers, and two Women of Honor. We had to bend the system to our situation. Some of Mr. Barefoot's closest friends are women; he has no siblings. Two of my most important people are my brothers (no sisters). I have two very dear friends from college; Mr. Barefoot has a circle of friends and didn't want to choose just one best man. Plus, we wanted to involve lots of our friends in the wedding. What to do? Co-ed usher-readers, and two special Women of Honor.

Obsess much?

They say you learn a lot about yourself and your partner planning a wedding. The more reflective books, like The Conscious Bride*, suggest that the period of engagement is a liminal time, when one is betwixt and between, neither single nor married, moving through a passage that leads to a new stage of life.

This is all true. I've learned a lot lately. With the myriad of changes in process: doctoral candidate to graduate, student to faculty, single to married, I've turned all my attention to appearance. I obsess about what to wear. It seems to run in the family, too, because nine out of ten conversations I've had with my mom are on that same topic.

Now that the dress, shoes and earrings are under control, I've turned my attention to bracelets. Necessary for the wedding? Not really. Ok, not at all.
The current object of my obsession? Most definitely.

The wave-like design of this cuff would be perfect next to the ocean... but I'm wondering if an order from Thailand, from a vendor with no reviews, would arrive in time for the wedding.


These pearls pick up the ocean theme pretty well, too. And they'd look great with my earrings. But is it a little 1980s?


Love the organic shapes of this! I could see wearing it all the time to teach.


More organic shapes... that echo our invitations! I might have to get it just for that reason.


Totally cosmic! Again, probably more day wear than wedding wear, though.


This mesh cuff rocks my world! Tough and tender at the same time, elegant and architectural. Kind of like my dress. It may be the one....


Then there's this. My original wedding bracelet inspiration. I love the vines, the organic feel. I've been worshiping Beth Cyr's jewelery for a while. It was The One until I saw...


This incredible Mexican lace-style cuff in the Sundance catalog. It's got it all: silver, vines, pearls. But, at $500, it costs as much as some wedding dresses!

So, bridal fashionistas, help me put another obsession to rest. (I really need to be working on the play list and ceremony! ) Which one do you like best???



*It's worthwhile getting a used one on Amazon - just one cent, plus shipping. $4.00 to unravel the mysteries of Wed Head. And the wobbles that come after the wedding. Dr. Cowgirl's got dibs on my copy.

Over-achieving brides

via Green Wedding Shoes

This is why non-crafty brides (over here!) can get intimidated reading wedding blogs. Ah-may-zing... handcrafted multipiece wedding invitations cached inside carefully chosen (The Dream Lover; Blind Date with Mars) hollowed-out vintage books. How would you feel receiving one of these gorgeously detailed packages in the mail?

I hope my guests don't print up t-shirts saying "I was invited to the Barefoot wedding... and all I got was this single piece of letterpress."

See more luscious pictures at the website of photographer Jessica Claire, the bride.

Hairplay

Ok, so I've got this...


To wear above my halter-style, ruffle-necked gown (more than that, I cannot yet reveal...).

But what to do with my hair?

We'll be on a (potentially windy) beach, and indoors latter in the evening. I want to look elegant, sophisticated, and timeless, as befitting the occasion.

And, at the same time, I want the whole day (weekend!) to be organic, fun, real. Contradictory? Maybe not. The inimitable Kate Winslet often channels the vibe I aspire to. I like the wabi-sabi of hair that is not completely perfect. To wit...

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Which do you like best with my fascinator and veil?

Ridiculous sale on wedding jewelry! TODAY

Ooooh, boy, I got sucked into the intertubes, while Mr. Barefoot was off having his bachelor party weekend with the boys at Tahoe. An innocent Google search for "pearl drop earrings," which seem the perfect complement to the dress and the ocean-side location, quickly led me down the rabbit hole, and soon I was zooming around oogling more varieties of pearl earrings than I ever knew existed.

But, my time wasting can be your gain! Kohl's is having a ridiculous sale on jewelry this weekend! Half off or more, on just about everything. Real stuff, like 14k gold* and sterling silver. Plus, free shipping if you spend more than $100. Plus, 15% off with the SEPTSAVE code. Go NOW - the sale ends this weekend.

Here are some of the beauties I considered...


These pretties are here

Totally classic.

These are so romantic!


Love these, but a bit more business-y than wedding-y.


Finally I settled on these - for less than $60!


I don't think I've ever shopped at Kohl's, thinking that it was a store for suburban moms to outfit their school-age kids. I've been educated.

* Probably not recycled, like the gold at Brilliant Earth. But they do have a statement saying their diamonds are certified by the Kimberly Process (which unfortunately turns out to be ineffective.)

Would it be too much?

... to wear this gorgeous bolero over my dress, which also has a ruffle around the halter neck?

Too many competing ruffles?

What if it were blue?


Though summer has finally come to the Bay, I'm starting to worry about the brisk wind off the ocean...