Mamas wedding!

Today my mom got married!

(insert Arrested Development quote here)

The wedding was held at the same place Sam and I got married. It's a perfect wedding venue :)

My mother of course looked stunning, and we are so happy to officially welcome her new husband into our family.

It was a perfect day for a wedding, we have been lucky to have such sunny weather last well into September. But of course it's never too hot for all the guys to wear awesome suits ;)

But my heels did keep getting stuck ing the grass, hehe.

My dress-Fab Gabs

Hat and shoes-Thrifted

Jade necklace-A gift from Sam on our honeymoon in San Francisco

Rainy day wedding

Sunday afternoon Twila Jean and I attended a wedding, we had some much needed time together! As you can see I didn't take tons of pictures, it was a little rainy out, but someone was nice enough to take our picture, when we tried to do it ourselves, it failed pretty bad. We ended up sitting with some fun people during the reception, so laughs all around.
Oh and the dress code was black clothing, so Twila and I looked alike yet again, it somehow always happens, but at least this time it was kind of unavoidable :)

Dress-Beach Picnic Dress in After Dark, compliments of ModCloth

Hat and gloves-Thrifted

Birdie pin-Gift from my mother, from Decades Vintage

Locket-Gift from my boss, from Urban Eccentric Vintage

Wedding photos!

The day started out as lovely as any day could. It was sunny, with a light breeze and little birdies seeming to chirp "congratulations!"
The wedding was taking place in an old house on officers row, and across the street on the large grassy grounds was a civil war camp set up with boys in uniform and ladies in hoop skirts and parasols. It was pretty cool. As Alicia did my makeup we could hear someone playing a horn:)

Our flowers were hydrangias, and thanks to family and friends picking bundles of flowers from their own yards we had plenty of flowers for pretty bouquets and tables. The bridesmaids dresses matched the flowers perfectly, it came together so well!

The ceremony took place in what was once the parlor, mismatched vintage chairs set up for guests eagerly waiting. After the bridesmaids walked down the staircase from the dressing room to the parlor, I followed and made the short walk down the isle, this being the first time Sam saw me all fluffed up and frilly in my oh so expensive wedding dress.
The ceremony was short, just a few minutes because the real fun is at the reception! There was wonderful food, tables and chairs set up outside in the shade, and we even had a dance floor where everyone that watches Arrested Development danced to "The Final Countdown" like Gob (yes, we played that at our wedding).

The amazing cake was made by our friends Alena and Caitlin, isn't it pretty?

My brother, mother and father. Sams mother and father. Our mamas wore beautiful 50s dresses!

There just happened to be a 50s car show going on down the street, so vintage cars were going by all during the reception. Seriously, could it have been more perfect? Our venue coordinator and photographers stopped a nice man in this car and he let us take photos with it! Funny thing is I had been seeing it around town all summer and it is my absolute favorite out of all the vintage cars I've seen.

I really could not have asked for a more perfect day, everything was beautiful and thanks to everyone it all came together without a hiccup. Oh and you can't really see but Sams ring is a silver version of "The One Ring" :)

Our photographers were the energetically charming Alicia and Ben of Vorpal Images. Alicia also did an amazing job on my makeup, her work is fabulous! And as you can see their photography is super stylish.
You can see all wedding photos on the Vixen Vintage photostream on Flickr.
...and read the story behind my wedding dress here.

Enjoy!

I'm hot. But not in a good way.

Right now it's over 100 degrees fahrenheit outside, and not much cooler inside our non air conditioned house. Today Sam, his mother and I headed over to a mall to cool down and spend some gift cards we received for the wedding. At the Fairmont we kind of became addicted to down pillows, so we found some really nice ones, which differ greatly from the pancakes we were using ;)

The rest of the day was spent finding places for all the wonderful wedding gifts we were given. They were all so marvelous, I wanted to display everything, even the pretty food processor, but then we would have no counter space, hehe. I'll just use it all the time :)

Later I'll take photos of everything, but really, it's so hot! I don't really want to get up.

Anyway, since I'm not doing an official wedding post until I have loads of photos to share here are some pre-wedding shots. This is the merry widow my mother bought me at the antique show a few weeks back, as well as the stockings. Both were purchased from the lovely Julie and Lisa, local dealers and sellers. And vintage eye candy. I'm not sure if then have a site or flickr, so if you are reading this girls, let me know!

You can also see a few amazing photos in our wedding set on Vorpal images Flickr.

These photos were taken by Lisa right before the ceremony. Being a photographer she couldn't help but take photos, I could see her clicking finger twitching all morning before she finally caved and brought out her camera ;)

Honeymoon bliss

I'll have more on the wedding later when we get some more photos, but meanwhile here are photos from the honeymoon!
We left Sunday morning from PDX and arrived at SFO to wonderful weather. The shuttle rides to the hotel and back to the airport both rivaled driving in Italy, but thats another story all together. My mother booked us a room at The Fairmont, which is such an amazing hotel, the exterior itself is so grand, right at the top of Nob Hill, and the lobby is stunning. Upon learning we were newlyweds the hotel clerk moved us up to a room with a view! How nice, actually the entire staff there was super, they were really fascinated by our clothing, hehe. We had one of the simpler rooms, which was anything but. The decor had vintage touches, and the bed! The bed was like a cloud, you know one of those huge memory foam mattresses with a down comforter and perfect pillow. But anyway, you don't want to hear about me rant about a bed.

The evening we arrived we changed and decided to have dinner at The Nob Hill Cafe, recommended by my mother. It was delicious and surprisingly affordable. I was in need of some new makeup so we walked to the Union Square Macy's where we then realized it was much cooler and windier than anticipated. It's 80-90 degrees at home, so I packed 50s sundresses, which was a big mistake because the wind was being mischievous and blew up my skirt at every hill. Oops.

The second day we thought it would be a good idea to walk to the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. It would have continued to be a good idea if we didn't take the long way. But after sore feet and spaghetti legs (I am so out of shape) we made it! The walk actually wasn't too bad as there was so much to look at, the architecture is so amazing. Especially Grace St Cathedral, it's amazing!
The neighborhood is filled with little shops and cafes, and I did find a few vintage shops with amazing things but not so amazing prices. Seriously, after going there my wardrobe just doubled in value :)
We did stumble upon a costume/vintage shop with some great deals, where I found an amazing navy 40s coat I wore the rest of the vacation.

I really wanted to bring back a hat, but even the hat prices were outrageous. Luckily I found a killer gray Austrian hat at a Buffalo Exchange thrift store, and the price was in my comfort zone.
The walk back to the hotel was nice, Sam spotted a comic book store we spent a while in while he read Captain America and I read a 50s comic book that was so cute but I can't remember the name. It's about an average women who lives with her sister and father, if anyone knows what I'm taking about I'd really appreciate it!
Japan town was another stop on our trek, where we found a $1.50 store with tons of fun treasures. Everything, even the plastic spoons were cute.

Day three took us to Fishermans Wharf, which was pretty much tourist central. We didn't stay long, but walked out on a pier to get a better look at some of the ships and a gathering of seals. There was the cutest cable car there, so 1930s I wish it would come to Portland!
After the Wharf we headed to Union Square, and went into all the fancy stores :) Prada, Burburry, Tiffanys, and Armani. Tiffanys was my favorite ;)
Dinner was at Calzone's which was adorable and had the best garlic fries ever.

Our last day we were pretty exhausted from the hills, so we stuck around the hotel and visited China town and Union Square again. In China town Sam bought me a pretty Jade necklace, and silk dress. For lunch we went to a restaurant in the neighborhood, and while we were eating a kitten jumped out of a nook in the wall! It was very cute, trying to play with its reflection in the mirror.
On our way back to the hotel to catch our airport shuttle the famous San Francisco twins were walking down the street. They have been a fixture of the city for years, and dress alike everywhere they go. I was so excited to meet them, especially in matching leopard coats! They really are funny, and I love that they are famous for being eccentric.

So there you have it! The wedding and honeymoon were delightful, and it's good to be home again getting back into the swing of things. More pictures on Flickr.

How I found the wedding dress I will wear tomorrow.

Tagging along to garage sales with Josh, Amy, and Oliver usually results in Legos and Star Wars picture books. But over a year ago, one stop at a church rummage sale proved an unbelievable find.
I got armfuls of vintage goodies like hankies and a Stetson hat for Sam, but while I was waiting for everyone else to finish looking, I thought I'd take a shot at the glum looking clothing rack, full of dresses too new to be vintage, and too old to be interesting. I had passed it about a dozen times, but it looked so pathetic that the effort to stop and browse seemed like a waste of time. In the middle of the rack I came across an awful looking gray garment bag with a torn piece of masking tape stuck to the side that had “Old wedding dress” scribbled in sharpie. So I unzip it a few inches expecting an 80s monstrosity and instead get a preview of beautiful vintage cream lace. Although I had only seen a few inches of it, I grabbed the garment bag, threw it over my shoulder and waddled over to the payment table with everything in my arms, and Stetson on head.
It seemed like it would be an old dress, all torn up from age and poor storage, but at least I could salvage the pretty lace for a project, right?
The two old men at the payment booth were obviously put up to being at the sale by their wives, and looked as clueless as could be. I dumped everything on the table which they added up, but then came to “Old wedding dress.”
“Oh there was no price on that” I said. They looked at it, then squinted at a piece of paper tapped
to the table that had price categories listed.
“Well…here it says: Dresses, 75 cents.”
“75 cents?”
“Yeah is that ok?
“Um, yeah…”
We paid and loaded up the car, with Legos and old stuff, and kept on treasure hunting at other garage sales. A few hours later when I got home I was eager to see more than five inches of this dress. Taking it out of the bag did not reveal the tattered mess I expected but something stunning and flawless. Layers of tulle and lace, rows of covered buttons, and even a matching veil and armlets. But would it fit?
I slipped it on, and realized that it must have been somehow made for me 60 years ago, because it fit like a glove. Upon inspection I could not find a single snag in the tulle, or hole in lace. It was perfect.
And that is how I got my wedding dress for 75 cents.


This will be my last post for about a week, tomorrow is the big day, then off to San Francisco for our honeymoon!
Today we gathered Hydrangeas from friends and families yards, my mother took me to get a manicure and pedicure, we had a rehearsal and fabulous rehearsal dinner, and now I am choosing what to wear to and from the venue. So that's all for now folks! I'll see you when I get back, with so many photos you will be sick of them ;)

Bridal shower

Saturday afternoon my Tia Gail threw me a wonderful bridal shower. It was set up under a gazebo that is across the street from where we are getting married, and it was the perfect day for it! There was blue sky, swallows were flying all around, and that weekend a car show was in town so about a dozen of the most amazing 1950s cars drove by all in a darling line. I kept saying "I want that one!"

Of course there was lots of great food, and yummy cake, and a table full of the best gifts. Among other things, I received lots of blue kitchenware, the cutest apron, and my great grandmothers pyrex mixing bowl. I'll have to do a little kitchen photo shoot soon, it looks really cute!
Such a fun afternoon, thank you everyone who set it up and attended!

Oh the little drawing is what my cousin Pearl drew. It is a picture of me as a princess, too cute!

My wedding dress...

For those who haven't heard the story, I purchased my dress pre-engagement at a church parking lot sale. I got armfuls of vintage goodies like hankies and a Stetson for Sam, but while I was waiting for everyone else I was with to finish looking, I thought I'd take a shot at the glum looking clothing rack, full of floral long 90s dresses. I came across a gray garment bag that said "Old wedding dress" on it. So I unzip it a tad and get a peek at beautiful cream lace. That was all I needed to see, I wanted it, probably for reconstruction, since that kind of lace would be damaged beyond any hope. I waddled to the payment booth, Stetson on head, and a pile of anything and everything in my hands, and set everything down on the table. Two old men ring up everything, then come to the dress, and look for a price. I tell them I didn't see one, so one looks at it and says "How about 75 cents?".

"75 cents?"

"Yeah, is that ok?."

"Um, yeah..."

So I buy it, take it home, and unzip the bag, not to reveal a tattered hopeless gown, but a perfect 1950s lace and tulle dress, with a full skirt, button up back, and matching veil and armlets. Fits like a glove. And that is how I got my wedding dress for 75 cents.