Wedding Wheels, Part Deux

Today is Part Deux of my Wedding Wheels series!  It's quite the rare opportunity when my love of cars & my love of weddings can come together so beautifully.  Count me very happy!  Many Brides don't care much about their getaway car, some Brides don't need a getaway car but if you're a Bride who considers your getaway car as a fun detail for your wedding, you've come to the right place for inspiration.


Be still my heart!  This may be the best getaway car yet, a vintage Sheriff's car:

Nope, not a hearse although looks can be deceiving.  The vintage ambulance is pretty rad too:

A cool, badass black classic car is a nice touch:

How about an orange classic to spice up your getaway?

&, when wheels aren't appropriate, strap on your good old walking shoes:

Fabulous, just fabulous in my humble opinion!  That's it until next month.  Be sure to follow my Wonderful Wheels board on Pinterest for much, much more getaway car inspiration!


Photo 1 via Once Wed, Photo 2 via Snippet & Ink, Photo 3 via A Practical Wedding, 
Photo 4 via A Practical Wedding, Photo 5 via Green Wedding Shoes

Cranberry Craze

I'm officially dreaming of Christmas.  Nope, not a white Christmas; I'm not a huge fan of the white stuff.  A cozy Christmas with a crackling fire, a glittering tree & a festive table.  A pretty table just like the one above. 

I would love, LOVE this gorgeous holiday tablescape.  I pinned the image forever ago & I'm still a huge fan.  It's the perfect balance of stunning & attainable, unlike many of the images in Martha Stewart that require a professional crew to assemble & display.  Nope, I think I may be able to manage this DIY project!  Fill a glass container with water, cranberries & hydrangea, then add holly & pine needles.  Decorate your table with thick ribbons & sparkly garland.  Be creative: pick ribbon & garland colors & patterns to match your holiday look.  Place your cranberry arrangement on your ribbon/garland runner & you have instant holiday magic for your merry festivities! 

Holiday/Winter Brides, the cranberry hydrangea arrangements are just lovely as centerpieces.  For the sake of simplicity, you could nix the ribbon/garland runner & choose a beautiful table linen instead.  If you're having anything other than an intimate wedding with one or two tables, I'd skip the DIY route & put a florist in charge but maybe that's just me.

If you haven't noticed, I adore the holiday season.  If I'm missing any DIY holiday fabulousness, please share!!!!

Photo via

Koru Kate Finds: Firsts

Hello, Koru Family & Friends!  Did you enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend?  Our first Thanksgiving as husband & wife was fabulous, thank you very much.  Then I got sick on Friday & Saturday & I missed some fun festivities like attending a 45th Wedding Anniversary party & decorating our home for Christmas.  Bummer.  Now that I'm on the mend, I can't wait to unpack our Christmas decor & make our home festive!


But long before we fetched our holiday decor from storage, I've been on the hunt for the perfect Our First Christmas ornament.  We'll only enjoy one Christmas as newlyweds & I want a beautiful ornament to commemorate the special occasion.  My dears, after a long & hard search, I found IT.


A holiday Koru Kate Finds is this sweet Our First Christmas ornament:

Oh, how I love, LOVE it!  Simply send a lovely wedding photo & make any color or font requests & presto- you'll receive a personalized ornament to treasure forever!


Perhaps you & your friends have moved on from the newlywed stage in life.  Don't worry, there are plenty of other firsts to celebrate!  For the new parents, is there much more precious than a Baby's First Christmas ornament?  

  
Or how about giving the jubilant new homeowners an Our First Home ornament?

For plenty of other personalized gift ideas, please visit Oceanside Designs.  If you act fast, you can take advantage of their super Cyber Monday sale!!!  Now excuse me as I scroll through my favorites to pick our best wedding photo for our ornament!  This may take awhile . . .


P.S. If you're looking for all things ocean wedding & honeymoon inspiration, Oceanside Bride is a must-read!


Images by Oceanside Designs

Thankful.

Him, I am so thankful for him

Photo by the great Timothy Glenn Photographers

Thankful.  Very, very thankful.

My husband RZ is at the tippy top of my gratitude list this Thanksgiving.  I dedicate this post to him.  

I am thankful to call you my husband.  I am thankful for the beautiful moment we clasped hands, looked into each other's eyes & pledged our vows in front of our nearest & dearest during our marriage ceremony.  I am thankful for the fun, rockstar party that followed.  I am thankful for our sunny, dreamy Hawaiian honeymoon.  I am thankful for the incredible, lovely newlywed times that came after our wedding & honeymoon.  & for the times that were not so happy or easy, I am thankful we weathered the storms together.  I am thankful for our sweet home we share with our sweet pup.  I am thankful that I look forward to the moment you walk through the door every night.  I am thankful for every big & small moment that we make special.  I am thankful for this amazing life that is ours. 

More than words. 

Dear Koru Family & Friends, I wish you the most Happy Thanksgiving!  

Holidays, Newlywed-Style

Oh, the holidays!


I love celebrating the holidays in all their festive glory!  It's the most wonderful time of the year.  The grand holiday marathon starts with spooky Halloween, works its way through family & food-filled Thanksgiving, continues with family & gift-filled Christmas, then ends with the champagne pop of New Year's Eve.  This marathon has been all the sweeter with RZ by my side.  &, honestly, a bit more complicated.


How do you handle holidays as a couple?


We had no formal holiday agreement before I had my pretty sparkler on my finger.  My family is scattered throughout the country with a good chunk in California & a small chunk here in Jersey.  His family lives about one hour away.  For the most part, we spent Thanksgiving with his family.  Then we would spend Christmas apart with our respective families.  Don't even get me started on our senior dog Gucci- he had to split his holidays with us too.  I spent his final Christmas Eve without him while he celebrated with RZ & his family.  Craziness!  This holiday approach served us well for awhile but its days were numbered.  Everything else aside, we missed each other too much.


Cue our first holidays as an engaged couple last year.  There was no question that we would not be spending the holidays apart; those days were in our past.  We, including our new pup Bailey, would be together for the holidays.  We decided to take the split-the-day approach & put as many miles as possible on our car.  RZ & I spent Thanksgiving afternoon chilling with my family, then took off & enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast with his family.  Christmas Eve with his family, Christmas day with my family.  It worked fairly well.   


Now we're facing the holiday season as newlyweds, our very first holidays as husband & wife.  It's so special I can hardly stand it!  This year, we're flying by the seat of our pants & Bailey is coming along for the wild holiday ride.  I suppose we're still searching for that perfect holiday solution that keeps us happy, as well as our families.  Does it exist?  Thanksgiving will be celebrated with his family.  Phew, only one car trip!  Christmas will probably shake down to Christmas Eve with his family & Christmas with my family.  To be decided.


I can't imagine negotiating the holidays once we have kids!  It seems a bit like mission impossible.


One thing we have figured out is that we must celebrate holidays together.  Just as we are better together, holidays are much, much better together.

Photo by/Print available at Etsy in blushface's shop

Koru Kate Finds: Gratitude

Give Thanks Always

Banner available at Etsy in thedancingwren's store

Today's Koru Kate Finds isn't a pretty something you can buy in a store.  Nor is it a beautiful something you can ask a florist to create for you.  Nope, this find isn't for sale.


With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I wanted to bring you my greatest Koru Kate Finds of all: Gratitude.  Gratitude is found in our hearts & souls.  Every day, usually during my evening walk with Bailey, I pause & give thanks for my beautiful, imperfect life.  It's all mine, my one & only.  I love my life!  I thank my lucky stars for my husband RZ, my pup Bailey, my family, my friends, my health & my happiness.  Depending on the circumstances, I add extra gratitude for things like a wedding booked or a new baby born.  I'm never at a loss for gratitude no matter how hard & trying or wonderful & easy my day has been.  Trust me, I have my fair share of problems & heartache but my blessings far outweigh them.  


Gratitude is a daily part of my life.  I hope you'll find the space for gratitude in your daily life!  

It's A Wrap! 28th Edition

TGIF!  I think we can agree that we're breathing a sigh of relief that Friday has arrived.  Finally.  

I'm changing things up for this week's installment of It's A Wrap!  I can pull moves like that because I'm the boss :-)  Ha.

Over yonder in Internet land, Liz of Happy Sighs started a fabulous series called Why We Wed.  Love is the main reason most of us get married.  Kim Kardashian excluded, obviously.  This series takes things a step further by asking you to go beyond your standard love response & search your soul.  Why did you get married?  What does marriage mean to you?

Bright, wise women in different stages of marriage weigh in with their varying perspectives each Wednesday.  I'm hooked!  I urge each of you to follow this engaging series.  Hint- you will see a familiar face there in the future!  

To get you caught up, I bring you the three post in the series thus far:  

Why We Wed: Jolynn: the viewpoint of someone who thought she would never get married

Why We Wed: Morgan: the perspective of a Soon-to-Be Mama as to why she tied the knot

Why We Wed: Sarah: a newlywed shares her reasons for a second marriage

Fascinating stuff, right?!

Make your weekend bright & beautiful!


Image via Martha Stewart Weddings

All You Need

Don't you wish you could whip up something Fall fabulous like this pumpkin centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table?

RZ & I don't have a Thanksgiving table per se as we travel to my in-law's home for the holiday.  There is no room for plates on their table, let alone decor.  Their table is a true bounty of a Thanksgiving feast, filled with delicious, abundant American & Filipino food.  We serve ourselves from the dining room table, then scatter about the rest of the house to eat & enjoy the family day.

My childhood Thanksgivings consisted of an adults' table & a kids' table.  The adults' table was a formal affair with pretty china & flickering candles while the kids' table was a folding table with festive paper plates.  Later, they trusted us with a real china but it was tough to graduate to the adults' table.  I'm still at the kids' table, sigh.  There's only so much room at a dining room table!

I suppose you could have a blanket picnic on your living room floor & it wouldn't matter.  All you need is family, love & gratitude for Thanksgiving.

Is your Thanksgiving table a formal, candlelit, place card type?  Or is it a more casual, mix & match china, food-filled type?        

Image by Heather Armstrong Photography via Inspired by This

Irish Wedding Bells

Maybe it's because I'm Irish.  Perhaps it's because I love green.  Or just because.  But I love Bells of Ireland!  Those perfect lime green bells have my heart.


I don't spot them much in the wedding world so I was absolutely delighted (I may have squealed!) when I stumbled upon not one but two, DIY bridal bouquets that included Bells of Ireland.  I did what any decent blogger would do & pinned my heart out so I could share them with you.  


This stunning beauty is a combination of orchids, beach grass & Bells of Ireland just perfect for a beach wedding in Maine:

Photo by One Love Photo 

via

& the sweetest part?  The Groom's Dad made the Bride's bouquet!


For a Fall wedding, this lovely is a combination of snapdragons & Bells of Ireland that is unexpected yet just right:

Photo by Cassandra Eldridge Photography

via

& that beauty?  The Groom's Dad was taking a snooze on his duties so the Bride & Bridesmaids made it!

The cherry on top of the stylish Bells of Ireland is that they are known as a symbol of good luck.  What Bride doesn't want to carry a little good luck down the aisle as she get married?!

Tell me, what are your favorite flowers?  Does their meaning play into your choices for your wedding? 

Hi, My Name Is . . .

Me, on my Wedding Day
I had no clue of the name drama that lie ahead for me!
Photo by the great Timothy Glenn Photography

My full name is Kathleen Ann Undecided.


Married women, I pop champagne & throw confetti for you!  Yes, you.  Whether you kept your maiden name, hyphenated your maiden name with your husband's name or took your husband's name, I whole-heartedly support & applaud your decision.  The simple, sad truth is that I can't make a decision.  


I have seen family & friends take different paths when it came to changing their names, such as my sister who has kept her maiden name & my best friend who took her husband's name.  Both are in happy, healthy, loving relationships.  Clearly, the decision to change or not change my name has no impact on my marriage.  It's a matter of following my heart & doing what's right for me.  Throughout our happy engagement, I had no doubt in my mind that I would follow tradition & become Mrs. Husband's Last Name.    


We got married last January, officially becoming husband & wife.  I changed my name on Facebook.  I proudly wore my Mrs. Husband's Last Name hoodie during our Hawaiian honeymoon.  I printed business cards with my married name.  And the name game stopped there.  What had seemed like the best decision for me now filled my mind & heart with doubt. 


I still want to take my husband's last name.  We are a team, we are partners & our shared last name is an important way for us to reflect that.  Agreed.  Hyphenation is not in the cards for me, just a personal preference.  Agreed.  Here's where it gets hard.  


The way I see it, I have two options: drop my maiden name & take my husband's last name or drop my middle name, make my maiden name as my middle name & take my husband's last name.  Both my middle & maiden names mean the world to me.  Ann is my middle name & I was named after my Mom who has the middle name Ann too.  I don't want to drop it.  Sullivan is my maiden name & it's my Dad's last name (obviously).  My Dad died when I was 13 years-old & my maiden name is a connection to him.  I don't want to drop it.  I have done nothing to change my name in the past (almost) year but that doesn't feel right either.


About two weeks ago, I mustered all the courage I possibly could & filled out the HitchSwitch paperwork to begin the process of changing my name.  I decided to go with my first instinct & follow the traditional path of dropping my maiden name & taking my husband's name.  As kind, understanding friends & family reminded me, I would always be a Sullivan & my last name has nothing to do with a connection to my Dad.  I felt so brave & confident.


And then I cried & cried.  The easy, detailed HitchSwitch paperwork arrived days later & I cried & cried some more.  Epic meltdown. 


Hello, my name is Kathleen Ann Undecided.


Do you plan to or did you change your name?  Any advice for an undecided married girl like me?  

Koru Kate Finds: Holiday Tree Alternative

Forgive me, Koru family & friends, as I have Christmas on my mind.  I blame Pinterest.  While I can successfully & willfully ignore store Christmas displays until after Thanksgiving, it's really, really difficult to pass up the enticing holiday crafts, decor & recipes on Pinterest.  I caved & pinned an idea for our handmade Christmas cards weeks ago.  Last night, this simple Christmas tree wouldn't let me pass it by: 

Idea & Image via

Today, this Christmas tree alternative comes to you as my latest Koru Kate Finds.  Can you guess what this Christmas tree is made of?  A tomato cage!!!!!!!!  


Yes, that's right: a cheap tomato cage.  You can find them in your nearest garden center or garden aisle of a large store like Home Depot or Target.  Simply flip it upside down, cover it in lights & you have a festive Christmas tree.  


I wouldn't use this alternative tree to replace my actual Christmas tree but I can think of a million & one fun ways to use them for my holiday decor.  A few cage trees in various heights would make for a very pretty lawn or front porch display.  Or perhaps place an alternative tree to add some Christmas love to an empty tabletop or foyer.  Bay windows are the prime spot for alternative trees to be enjoyed from inside &  outside of your home.  


Winter Brides, these cheery Christmas trees are perfection for winter wedding decor!  A few grouping of these alternative trees are a fabulous winter touch for your altar.  Place a few on the floor by your head table or sweetheart table to make a twinkly statement.  Add a few of these alternative trees to make your photo booth backdrop wintery.  Maybe put a few at the front entrance of your church &/or reception space for a winter touch.  Just use your imagination!  


Can you forgive me for bringing up Christmas so early?  Pretty please with a cherry on top?   

Wedding Day is Here Again

Oh So Pretty: Rose & Baby Breath Garland

Image by Leo Patrone Photography

via Style Me Pretty

Brides estimates that 46, 200 happy couples will say "I Do" tomorrow, on the lovely 11.11.11.


Check- this wedding planner has a wedding tomorrow at the grand The Ashford Estate.  I'm particularly excited because I will be working with my former co-worker & my own wedding planner, Eileen of An Affair to Remember.  She needs an extra hand & I'm always happy to help her.  I love weddings (have you noticed?!) & I love working with Eileen so this is a real treat for me.


Although I'd hoped to keep up with my blogging this week, I'm a tad crazed & something's got to give.  A Wedding Day is here again & I must give that top priority!


May the rest of your week be bright & beautiful!  We'll meet again next week~


  

Chart House Wedding {Real Wedding Sneak Peek}

Don't get too excited, Koru family & friends.  Maybe just a smidgen excited.  Why?  I have some sneak peek photos to share with you from last Saturday's wedding!!!!  Please understand these photos were taken by me during a whirlwind work day on my camera phone.  I couldn't capture everything (ahem, like the beautiful Bride & Groom!), nor could I capture anything well.  But I did my best to give you a little glimpse of a happy, gorgeous occasion.

The Bride & Groom live in Hoboken (just like me) where they are treated to stunning views of the New York City skyline just across the Hudson River from them.  It was important to them to share those city views with their guests & the Chart House in nearby Weehawken gave them that luxury.  Bonus points if you remember I considered Chart House for my wedding!  Chart House sits at the end of a pier & it's so close to NYC you feel like you could touch the buildings.  As shown here, Chart House is at the end of the pier on the left & the city is just beyond it:

The Bride loves, LOVES the romantic vibe of candlelight & candles were a major force throughout the wedding during the ceremony & reception.  I didn't get a good photo of the guest table centerpieces but each table got a healthy dose of red rose petals, crystals & candles wrapped in various black & white pattern ribbon.  Here is the version I modified for the head table:

This is a close-up of a candle & rose petals on the head table, yet look beyond the table to that glittering NYC view from the ballroom!  Incredible, right?  The Empire State Building is front & center, lit up in orange, white & blue for the NYC Marathon the next day:

Oh, & the gorgeous, delicious cake from Hoboken's famous Carlo's Bakery (aka Cake Boss)! Again, bonus points if you remember Carlo's Bakery also made my wedding cake!  This couple's round, white cake is decorated with a big, black bow, black swirl detailing & black piping.  Red velvet cake- YUM!  I re-purposed flower garlands used during the ceremony to decorate the cake table.  We positioned this darling cake so it was in front of the windows facing downtown.  Maybe only I notice it but the white glow near the top of the cake is the Freedom Tower:

After a fun, rocking reception, the Bride & Groom had a Sparkler Grand Departure!  If you follow me on Twitter you know this was almost nixed due to a fire hazard.  But when there is a will, there's usually a way & we found one.  After a candlelit Last Dance, my assistant & I lined up the guests, handed out sparklers & lit them up, then prompted the Bride & Groom to run through to their getaway car.  This is the second Sparkler Grand Departure I've organized & it's just so awesome!  My photo was taken after the Bride & Groom had left but the guests still had plenty of sparkle:

I hope you enjoyed this humble little sneak peek!  More to come as soon as I can share professional photos from the great Daniel Hedden Photography.  Um, cause if you noticed, I am not a professional wedding photographer.  Just leave me to the wedding planning!

The Glam Life

Me on the Job
{Personal Photo}

Ah, the glamorous life of a wedding planner.  

If you don't think that a wedding planner's job description includes being stuffed into the front seat of their assistant's car with a beautiful, large, heavy flower arrangement, you're wrong.  Very, very wrong.  This precious little moment came after a 10+ hour workday including everything from dressing the Bride to greeting vendors to assembling centerpieces to coordinating a sparkler departure.  Once the glowing newlyweds ran through the sparklers & departed in their getaway car, it was my responsibility to pack up their items from the venue & deliver them to their hotel.  

There was lots of wedding loot to get from the second floor Bridal Suite to my assistant's car outside.  One container of the top of the wedding cake.  Two trays of leftover Indian food.  Four large boxes of miscellaneous items like the Bride's bouquet, the guest book & the candles.  One long box of extra sparklers.  Last, but certainly not least, two humungous red rose floral arrangements that were used to decorate the ceremony & reception.

My assistant & I packed her car to the absolute brim until the only things left on the sidewalk were me, my assistant & a floral arrangement.  The answer was clear.  I picked that baby up & I hauled it into the front seat with me.  The flower arrangement didn't quite clear the door so my assistant stuffed in the roses & greenery as best she could & slammed the door.  We drove away with a few fronds sticking out the door.  Classic!

& you know what?  I love my job, each & every last moment!

Koru Kate Finds: Put Your Stamp On It!

Happy Monday!  I hope your week is off to a brilliant start.  After the Halloween theme & the wedding break, I'm baaaack!  Things are returning to our regularly scheduled programming here on Koru Wedding Style.  So sit back & relax as I bring you my latest Koru Kate Finds!

Location Custom Stamp

Image via & Available at Paper Source

Hands down, Paper Source is one of my favorite stores.  Paper Source is a dreamy slice of paper heaven for a girl like me.  I regularly pore over their web site, catalog &, not as often as I'd like, Brooklyn store for inspiration & supplies for weddings & craft projects.  I just plain adore one of their newest products that I have chosen as my latest Koru Kate Finds: Custom Wedding Stamps!

Custom Wedding Stamps are absolutely fabulous for you crafty, creative, DIY Brides!  What better way to personalize your wedding than to literally put your stamp on it?!  

How about this bold style for a sleek, loft wedding perhaps?

Big Ampersand Lines Custom Stamp

Image via & Available at Paper Source

Perhaps this style for a formal, modern ballroom wedding?

Anniversary Date Custom Wedding Stamp

Image via & Available at Paper Source

I chose two of my favorites to feature today but trust me, whatever your fancy & style, there is a 

custom wedding stamp perfect for your wedding.  Choose your style, customize it & use it anywhere & everywhere at your wedding.  Just imagine the possibilities here.  Stamp your wedding heart out: your programs, escort cards, table numbers, menus, favors & more!!  

& the first stamp shown above?  Make your own save-the-dates!!!!

The custom wedding stamp is easy, affordable & stylish!  Does it get much better than this?

Gone Wedding

RED, the color of Saturday's Wedding

Image by Jonathan Ivy Photography

via The Knotty Bride

Koru Family & Friends, here's the deal: the blog will be silent for the remainder this week.  Why?  Because I'm thoroughly & happily entrenched in wedding planning this week.  Saturday is the BIG day!!! 

I met this sweet Bride back in December when I was in the final stages of planning my wedding.  She had bright, beautiful ideas for her Fall wedding day.  It's been a true honor & absolute privilege to see those ideas grow & blossom.  I can hardly wait to help bring those very ideas to life on Saturday to celebrate this happy couple's positive new beginning!

Before Saturday, there are schedules to be finalized, details to solidify, vendors to confirm & much, much more.  So consider me Gone Wedding. 

As for you & me, we'll meet again next week~