More cute dresses

I think I'm stuck with the image of "shorter dress" for "fun wedding." This one is adorable!

Cool ring box!

This post was originally about how to propose to your man, but what I really liked was the story at the end of it.  The guest poster made a very cool ring box complete with photos, (presumably) the couple's history, and candies (instead of a ring) that said, "Marry me"!

Flower Girl & Ring Boy Alternative

This bride had a storybook-themed wedding and had "Max" from Where the Wild Things Are as the ring boy and "Ferdinand the Bull" as the flower girl (because Ferdinand the Bull loves to smell flowers).

Cute!

Misc. DIY Ideas

Cute ideas that go under the "miscellaneous" category...

"Yay!" celebratory flags that guests can wave at the wedding! How-to post here.

Wedding programs a la Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy style!  Post here.

Hairpieces

The butterfly theme continues!  What an adorable and unique hairpiece!  Another gem from Etsy.

Favors

I used to make a ton of fortune-tellers (also known as "cootie catchers") when I was working with kids in elementary schools, so when I saw it done as a wedding favor, I was excited! They're simple to make and fun to play with, and I like how elegantly done this one was.  I think these can be done inexpensively as well.  The Etsy vendor who made this one had an inexpensive price list (relatively cheap, for Etsy favors).  Could also be used as a fun place card.

Place Cards

Chalkboard tags? Love it! Spotted on LazyBride who saw it from an Etsy vendor. So cute for seating cards!

Another very cute place card idea from Etsy:

Wedding Songs Playlist

An ever-evolving playlist.  Some of them are good for the joyful, exuberant mood of the wedding, and most of them are more mellow and romantic.

Musiq - Don't Change
Ben Folds - The Luckiest
Sondre Lerche - Modern Nature
Ricky Nelson (or the Michael Buble version) - That's All
Nat King Cole - L.O.V.E. (or multilingual version)
The Platters - Only You (And You Alone)
Etta James (or the Beyonce version) - At Last
Ryan Shaw - I Am Your Man
Michael Buble - You Don't Know Me
Michael Buble - You And I
Colbie Caillat - Fallin' For You
Journey - Faithfully
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Still in Love with You
Sam Hart - Mario Kart Love Song
Landon Pigg & Lucy Schwartz - Darling I Do

Added 4/15/2012:
Heather Headley - If It Wasn't For Your Love
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Zelda's Lullaby
Steven Curtis Chapman - Cinderella (father-daughter song)
Heartland - I Loved Her First (father-daughter song)
Paul Simon - Father & Daughter

Added 4/23/2012:
Louis Armstrong - La Vie En Rose (or the Sophie Milman cover of the French version)

Reception Table Detail #1

A "He Said She Said" quiz?  Fun and cute!

Off-beat Invitations

I'd love fun invitations to reflect the mood of my wedding.  Here's one that, while it's not quite polished enough for me, is really fun:

I really love how this couple used old-school style Viewfinder invites! They splurged on the invites and mailed boxes of Viewfinders to their guest list. :) I love the interactive nature of the invite above, but it's way too pricey. Another interactive invite that's better for budgeting purposes is the scratcher idea:

And there's the ever-so-cute pop-up cards:

The Search for The Dress

All I know I want from The Dress is that it falls along the lines of the wedding mood: fun.  Which really kind of means that The Dress is probably going to be a little less formal than the traditional gown.

This is going to be a difficult search, because I haven't really defined my personal wardrobe style, and without that, it's hard to define elements that I want to carry to The Dress.

So perhaps in addition to selecting dress shots that have elements I like, I think I'll also add in dress photos that capture the mood of what I'm trying to achieve.  I can figure out later if it's a dress I'd look good in or that expresses "me."

This last one is a good example of a dress that's not really my style but captures the spirit I want to achieve. However, I do LOVE the idea of a dog down the aisle instead of a bouquet. :)

12/10/09 edit: Adding a couple more...

Bridesmaid dresses

How cute are these!

I have a sister that's in that "betweener" stage--not quite a flower girl, not quite a bridesmaid--but I know she'd want to be a part of my bridal party, so I'd ask her to be a junior bridesmaid. It's surprising because she's a huge tomboy and hates the thought of being in a dress, but she says that, for my wedding, she'd do it.

More likely than not, I'd probably just have the bridesmaids choose neckline options on their dresses, as long as the colors, fabric, and hem length (knee-length) are the same.

Flower alternatives

I once saw a unique bouquet that was comprised of Christmas ornaments.  Neat!  I've never been a "flowers" kind of girl (I never know what I'd do with them after receiving them), so I'm on the lookout for alternatives to the traditional floral bouquet and wedding floral decor.

And aside from flowers generally not being my style, I might save some money from floral arrangements doing it this way. :)

While I can't find a photo of the aforementioned bouquet now, here are some that follow along the same lines:

Oh wait, here was the bouquet!

12/12/09: Edited to add this gorgeous beaded bouquet!

12/13/09: Edited to add another gorgeous beaded bouquet!

Exit details

From Jessica Schroeder's What I Wore Down the Aisle who got it from Oh! Darling:

Sparklers! What a neat idea!

Also love the idea of bubbles in lieu of rice throwing!

Cake balls!

I love the idea of using cake balls instead of the traditional wedding cake or the currently more popular wedding cupcakes!

These blue-themed ones look really professional, too. I wonder how the cost-comparison looks compared to pro cupcakes. DIY cake balls probably wouldn't look this good without a baker friend.

I love how the colors on these cake balls pop!

Red velvet cake balls?  YUM!  And, again, the colors!  These look more DIY but also budget-friendly.

Purpose of this blog

Okay, I know this is absurd and maybe a little creepy that I'd take note of details I like for a future wedding when I don't even have a marriage proposal on the table (and I don't think I'm even close to it yet, even though I adore my sweetheart and know he adores me just the same). 

But I don't care.  I think weddings are beautiful, and I admire the level of detail and planning that goes into these events to celebrate a special love between two people.  I also realize that planning weddings can take a lot of time, energy, and thought to make the event itself very successful.  So I figure, I like looking at details anyway, so why not just log them in and do a sort of "wedding planning scrapbook" blog?

I think that through this medium, I'd be able to really explore wedding detail aspects that represent me and the relationship I want to continue nurturing through marriage. My theme would probably go along the lines of: fun, love, laughter (but laughing WITH, not laughing AT :P). I'd want a simple, colorful wedding surrounded by people who mean something to us (with maybe a few spots saved for the obligatory family-friend guests because we're Asian and need to save face).

This blog is really just meant for me and no one else, but I don't mind posting my ideas publicly in case strangers happen to have some interesting ideas they'd like to contribute.