WHAT TO WEAR: A WINTER WEDDING

This weekend I'll be attending my first ever winter wedding (not usually a popular choice up here in the Northwest!), so I've been flipping through my closet trying to create a look that balances a bit of holiday sparkle without going over the top. Something like this...

I like to shy away from dark colors for weddings unless the invitation says black tie, so for winter it seems like jewel tones or muted neutrals are the two best options. When I spotted this Halston dress, it immediately struck me as a perfect style for a casual wedding because of its jersey fabric with a little shimmer. Keeping with a tone-on-tone palette, the accessories add some fancy sparkle and beautiful texture! Who wouldn't feel fabulous draped in this goodness?!



*dress by halston, earrings at banana republic, ring by ippolita, clutch at asos, heels betsy johnson

Happy {Stay-Cation} Weekend

Phew, Friday has arrived lovelies! And thank goodness it's brought in some gorgeous sunshine (can you tell the weather is an obession for Seattlites?!) - but summer finally decided to cooperate just in time for our mini weekend away!


photo via bonnie tsang

After some good quality catch up time with old and new friends, the husband and I will be off to a farmland wedding up north. I have a feeling it's going to be a total charmer. I hope to share some great photos next week!
Have a wonderful, sunny summer weekend my dears.

Cheers,
Mrs. E

Wedding Wednesday {Fascinating Headware}

People usually associate wedding planning with the bride and all of the decisions she has to make, but one must not forget, wedding guests have plenty of choices to make too.

I've long-loved the British tradition of the fascinator - the fun and funky hat, feather or other piece of headware you sport at wedding in England. I think it's high time we embrace this form of self expression at American weddings too. I was especially smitten after I discovered the options available at Magar Hatworks. Everyone can get a great splash of style with their pieces.




images by Magar Hatworks

I know, I know, the bride is supposed to be the center of attention at a wedding, and you certainly couldn't blend into the crowd with one of those hats. But everyone (including the boys!) deserves to have a little fun right?

I've got my cousin's wedding coming up this Saturday. Do you think a hat could arrive from Charleston in time?!

Wedding Wednesday {Dress Envy}

I was lucky enough to get to wear my wedding dress on two separate occasions. I never thought I would care about something like that, but I surprised myself by being totally thrilled to get to wear it again.

As much as I loved my dress, the amazing variety of choices out there continues to catch my eye, even four months (already 4 months!) after getting married!

This is a totally amazing nontraditional option. I want to wear it to the next wedding I go to!

photography by our labor of love via once wed

I also love this absolutely gorgeous twist on a classic.

photography by katy gray via style me pretty

You can check more of the unique backyard affair on the Our Labor of Love blog here or the beautifully classic fete on Style Me Pretty here.

Wedding Wednesday {Soft & Light}

If I happened to be having a wedding this weekend, I'd love to throw a fete filled with flirtatious flowers, feather strewn place settings, soft light and a fabulously funky bridal look.

images by jcrew via wit + design and lo bjurulf via lobster & swan

Couldn't you just imagine your loafer-clad feet up on the table by the end of the night?!

Sponsor {Grace Edmonds Calligraphy}

For those of you in the wedding invitation market, or really if you have any paper needs, I'd immediately point you to Apartment #34's newest sponsor, Grace Edmonds, and her amazing calligraphy. Her work is jaw-droppingly good.

Her custom hand written work will turn any invitation into an heirloom piece. Her work really speaks for itself!





Be sure to check out Grace's website for more amazing examples in her portfolio - and then if you're not getting married - make up an excuse to work with her! How wonderful would it be to throw evite out the window and invite your birthday or summer BBQ guests to a fete with a handwritten invite!


Would you like to reach thousands of style savvy readers everyday and let them know about your services, shop or art? Apartment #34 is accepting spnosorship for July and August and offering a small business special!

Email apt34blog {at} gmail {dot} com by July 10 for more information!

Wedding Wednesday {What's Fit to Print}

One of my absolute favorite parts of our wedding planning was designing the invitation. I'm a total graphic designer wannabe who is a freakish font loving, paper crazed, letter press fiend. Fabulous wedding invitation suites make me weak in the knees. That's why I just had to share these stunners with you.

The attention to detail in this suite - from the berry-paper lined envelopes, to the personality-filled stamps, gorgeous calligraphy and hand drawn map make me want to frame the entire thing on my wall - and it's not even my wedding!



I love how this second suite is clean and crisp but still incorporates my beloved calligraphy and some really adorable Mexican iconography. And did you catch the Mexican themed stamps too?



The couple behind this wedding kept the gorgeous coming with their seating cards, dinner menus and table numbers. I'm swooning over the orange and grey color combo too!




Do you notice a grey theme growing? This last set of invites land right in my favorite color scheme with sweet design details including the nature-based illustrations, small pops of a yummy mauve and extras like the circular wedding itinerary that mirror the lovely mums. The white on grey calligraphy on the envelopes put me right over the edge.


images via 1 lost resource help! 2 erica and abrahm at ruby pr 3 lost resource help!

I think I could redesign my wedding invites 100 times. There are a million amazing wedding invitation designers out there and I'd love to work with them all! Of course I have to give a shout out to Brown Sugar Design - who I worked with for my wedding and could not have been happier with.

If you're in the midst in of invite planning be sure to check back in a bit - I'll have another hot tip to share!

Wedding Wednesday {I Still Do!}

I'm so excited to be back at Wedding Wednesdays - with my archives of wedding inspiration files and my love for wedding design details I just couldn't walk away from it all.

And I had a post all queued up to relaunch Wedding Wednesdays today - until I spotted the Vera Wang Spring/Summer 2011 collection. After that, I couldn't think of anything but tulle, layers, draping and that dusty amethyst!

images via vogue australia spotted on simply seductive

But I figure there's no better way to kick start planning for your I-do's (real or imagined!) than with classic bridal couture. Can you renew your vows after only 2 months - and get away with wearing Vera?!

Gettin' Gussied Up

Well my dears, I hinted at a big announcement for Apartment #34 last week. A lot has been happening in my world of late, but little of it has been in blog world. The big announcement is....that is all about to change!

After more than 2 years and nearly 900 posts, I think it's high time I pretty this place up a bit!

image by anna aden via flickr

In the coming days and weeks you're going to see changes in a variety of things here including a subtle facelift for Apartment #34, long overdue updates to links, new weekly features (Tasty Tuesdays anyone?!) and new sponsors. 

My most exciting endeavor is a little something I'm calling Apartment#34creative. While planning my wedding and reception, I caught the creative services bug something fierce and so now I'm hoping to take all I learned and help others create the special occasion of their dreams! 

This is all in the beginning stages, but I was just too excited to wait to tell you. Things are going to take awhile to set, so keep checking back and let me know if you enjoy what you see or have ideas or suggestions. 

And if you have a party you need help to plan it's not too early! Feel free to email me now apt34 {at} gmail {dot} com. I aim to make Apartment #34 your go-to destination for all things style. I hope you'll like it!

Cheers, 

Mrs. E

PS. The winner of the Wendy Mink giveaway will be announced at 4:00 pm this afternoon - so enter now!

SHE'S A BETTY

Someone better put a ring on my finger asap, because I just found my wedding dress...

I've always loved the idea of a chic little dress drowning in ruffles for a wedding. The bow is just a bonus. Take me to the courthouse!


*dress by former project runway designer leanne marshall

Wedding Wednesday {Going On Our Honeymoon - Part Due}

Last {Wedding Wednesday} I shared that we're about to embark on our European honeymoon and we'll be starting our in Amsterdam. I am so excited I can barely stand it.

But where might we be going next you ask? Well, there was really only one option and that was......... Italy!

We'll be traveling from Amsterdam to Northern Italy, spending 5 days touring the shores of Lake Como and the small towns all around.

And we'll end up back in Venice for some serious romance (and gelato eating!)

images via ryan wynn creative,  dustjacket in the attic, {this is glamorous}

I just couldn't resist sharing my excitement with all of you, but alas, I can't take you all to Europe with me. Instead, I thought it'd be fun to spread a little European flare around with a giveaway! 

One lucky Apartment 34 reader will win this La Tour Eiffel dress from Shabby Apple.

Simply leave a comment on this post, letting me know what you love to wear to feel romantic. Make sure to include your email address. A winner will be selected at random at 12:00 pm PST on Friday, June 4. 

Good luck!

Happy {Loooong} Weekend!

Wow, Memorial Day already. How did that happen? Where did the first half of this year go?! 

This weekend it's another wedding for me - but not mine this time, I swear.

image by Jose Villa via ruby pr

I'm looking forward to the beautiful outdoor affair - especially since I didn't plan it. ;) 

And if you're looking for inspiration for your own fete this holiday weekend, check out my guest post at over at design magazine At Home Arkansas

I hope you're doing something marvelous with your extra day off my dears!

Cheers luvies,

Mrs. E

Wedding Wednesday {Going On Our Honeymoon!}

Ok, ok, I know what you're thinking. Wasn't a destination wedding enough? Or maybe we'd be done after our hometown reception? It would have been easy to just stop there, but I decided to head my father's advice and take a full fledged honeymoon while I had the chance.

So very soon we depart, yet again, this time for a trek through Europe and I could not be more excited. Our first stop: Amsterdam!

all images by pia jane bjerk via here

It's a homecoming of sorts, as my grandmother immigrated to the United States from the Netherlands in 1932. I cannot wait to go on a bike ride, take a boat down the canals, visit the Van Gogh museum, and people watch in sidewalk cafes, browse through local shops and discover local hidden gems.

I'm banking all the insider info I can right now, so if you have a favorite spot in Amsterdam, please let me know!

C+K SPONSOR: PROJECT WEDDING

If you're a bride-to-be or a stalker of fantastic wedding ideas (just waiting for that ring to land on your finger!), then you know that there are tons of websites and blogs out there to offer inspiration for your big day. I've found, though, that many of them can be challenging when trying to track down resources for items or instructions on DIY projects. That's why I absolutely adore Project Wedding! They literally have thousands of photos and projects for you to peruse and save, making wedding planning just a little easier.

Looking for pretty little centerpiece ideas? This is one of my favorites from contributor and blogger Chelsea Fuss of {frolic!}. Pretty little newspaper wrapped potted violets! So sweet for a country wedding or a bridal shower!

 Also adoring this DIY idea of vellum paper mobiles to dangle over your tables, by Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day! I'd love to see it in an entryway - or maybe even trees if you're outdoors - in gradations of pink to red or green and aqua - so easy to personalize to fit your wedding colors.

For anyone planning a wedding, bridal shower, or any event needing some fresh ideas, I'd highly recommend popping over to Project Wedding for endless hours of inspiration.

*If you are interested in being a sponsor on coco+kelley, please contact us for more information!

Wedding Wednesday {A Teaser}

Our wedding photos are {finally!} trickling in and I am so so so excited to share them with you. 

I promise all the glorious details will be revealed very very soon. 

In the meantime here's a tiny sneak peak from our hometown reception to tide you over...

photography by visions of romance

Much much more to come luvies, I promise!

I'm Loving...

This al' natural chandelier. 

Especially as it dangles above a succulent covered table.

via style me pretty

Now I just need an excuse to throw a fabulous garden party!

Happy {Bridal Fantasy} Weekend!

Well my dears this is it - I've extended our wedding celebration out as far as is humanly possible and now we've finally reached the end. 

This weekend is my hometown wedding reception. I'll finally get to party with all of my extended (and new!) family and dear dear friends. It is the last time I'll put on my wedding dress. And it is the first big party I'll throw with my husband! I can't wait!!

all images spotted on sacramento street

I promise, promise, promise I'll share pictures of everything when I get them. Trust me, I'm dying to see them myself.

In the meantime, I hope you have a ball this weekend too luvies.

Cheers,

*Mrs. E