Pinterest Inspiring Photography (360 Days to Go)

I don't know where the time is going.  Seriously, if you know, let me know.  I blinked and a week has gone by just like that. 

But in the meantime, it's official.  I'm addicted.  There's a website called Pinterest which is still in its beta testing mode and therefore you have to ask to be invited.  Granted, that takes like maybe an hour tops.  But you sign in using your facebook or twitter account and set up "boards" in which to "pin" pictures to.  And you can pin them from anywhere.  It's fantastic.  No longer are you limited to what the knot has available to you when you make your inspiration board.  You can pool together images from The Knot, Get Married, Google Image searches, Amazon, wherever you found it during your random searches.  And because it works from a button on your favorites toolbar, you don't have to keep the site up at all times and it doesn't pull you out of your current browsing experience.  And your inspiration board can be of limitless size. 

I've probably wasted a good number of hours (spread out in five minute intervals over the past week) gathering together all of the random ideas I've had onto some of these boards.  Granted, I've been focusing most on engagement photos so that I have some idea of what I want for my own engagement photo session in a week and a half.  Eep!  I'm a bit nervous about it.

But I'm starting to get myself together about it.  Last night I made a trip to the craft store and picked up supplies to make a few props.  Chalkboard paint is by far one of the coolest inventions ever.  I picked up some and a cute, rustic looking frame and went to work last night.  Currently, the glass is drying and waiting for its final coat.  Depending on how it turns out will determine whether or not I go chalkboard paint crazy for the wedding.  I also picked up a silk flower and feathers to make myself a hair pin to match the dress I'm going to be wearing so, that's one outfit I consider planned out.  The other outfit is still a little bit up in the air but I'm fairly certain I know what I'm doing with that one too. 

We were out shopping this weekend to get Jeff a summer suit since he roasted Saturday night at the wedding we'd attended.  During a trip, I found a cute fedora so I can be in sync with my fedora lovin' man.  But also on that trip, we found a white button down shirt for him that's pretty casual so I think we're going to do that for some of the pictures.  Especially since I want to spend some time playing in the playground which is one of those super brightly colored plastic sets.

So it's looking like we'll have some playful engagement photos as well as some more vintage, classy style ones as well.  Now, I just have to cross my fingers for beautiful weather so we don't have to cancel.

Designing Your Own Coat of Arms (415 Days to Go)

Kate Middleton's
Coat of Arms Courtesy of
the College of Arms

Just in time for the wedding, Kate Middleton received a customized Coat of Arms in order for her to be properly heralded in as the new princess of England.  Heraldry is an ancient tradition in England, dating back to the 12th century as a means of identifying knights as they rode into either battle or tournaments.  Here in America, we're most likely to recognize a coat of arms from A Knight's Tale or the Tudors.  But that doesn't mean that we Americans don't have some roots in English or Celtic traditions.

I myself am 3/4 Irish, my fiance is 3/4 Scottish.  So after reading about Kate Middleton's new coat of arms, I was intrigued.

The coat of arms is passed down through the male descendants.  What this quickly informs me is that I do not possess a coat of arms and neither does Jeff since it is our father's side of the families that are of different heritages.  Essentially, my maiden name is passed down from a very distant English and his surname is from a very recent Italian heritage.  But, a coat of arms can be newly acquired for those of professional or educational standings that merit a coat.  Most of the more recently awarded coat of arms from the College of Arms were to professors.

But there are many Irish-Americans, Scotch-Americans and Brit-Americans out there who probably don't have the means to acquire a formal coat of arms like Kate Middleton.  But that doesn't mean that you couldn't design one that is meaningful to you and your future spouse to use as a way to share both heritage and your personalities at the wedding.

So, if you're going to make your own coat of arms for you and your future spouse, to be handed down to your male heirs, you'll first need to understand the anatomy of the coat of arms and crest.  The one pictured to the right is from the College of Arms and does a fantastic job of showing all the possible parts to be included.  As you can already tell, Kate Middleton's coat of arms is pretty simplistic by comparison.  This is partially due to the fact that she is a woman and thus she would have no helm or crest--just the blue ribbon mantling to represent that she is a single woman.

The crest is typically an animal of some kind and varies from birds and dogs to goats and unicorns.  There are pretty much no limitations on the possibilities for a crest.   

The actual coat of arms is the shield and this can take on any variety of different patterns.  There doesn't have to an animal on the shield, as you can see above on Kate Middleton's they use the acorn to represent the trees surrounding the family's home: the Oak.  They also make use of the chevron in order to create a bold swatch of color.  For Kate Middleton, this represents her mother's maiden name: Goldsmith.

The motto scroll typically bears either a short phrase or a set of words that are symbolic to the family.  Marrying a marine?  Consider "Semper Fi".  Perhaps you would want to use your alma mater's motto?  For me it would be "Spiritus Est Qui Vivificat".  Again, there is no right or wrong choice.

The supporters, like the crest, are typically animals, but do not have to be.  I have seen coats of arms that were born up by olive branches or varying trees.  It's all about choosing something that is significant to you.

So, if you're in the market to make your own coat of arms and crest, be creative and pick something meaningful to you and your love.  Don't forget to consider your families and their traditions.  But if you need some help, there are some websites that provide basic software for creating a coat of arms.

Ink Well Ideas

Make Your Coat of Arms

Just to give you an idea, I played around with one of the sites and came up with the coat of arms you see to your left.  I picked a Sea-Horse because Jeff is my fish out of water; the white roses for love and faith; the crescent because Jeff is a second child; the trefoil because of my Irish heritage; the snake for wisdom; and the blue and green background for loyalty, specifically in love.  To find out the meanings of other symbols, you should check out Fleur-de-lis Designs.

E-mail Inspirations (430 Days to Go)

Happy Hump Day to all!  And in honor of the day I'm trying to get over my wedding planning hump.  It's been about a month since I've actually accomplished much of anything to do with the wedding and in that time, it's been rare for me to really peruse any websites or magazines or anything.  So, today, I'm going out seeking inspiration again to get me amped about being a bride-to-be and excited to get the ball rolling again.

Usually checking my e-mail results in about a half dozen wedding related things, so let's start off with seeing what that rounds up.  First off, discounted cruises to Europe from Holland America.  Not even sure how I managed to get on their list.  But I haven't gotten off because I keep hoping that one will pop up for a more tropic locale when we can afford to get some away time perhaps later this year.  However, that would require paying off Jeff's medical bills and my work situation becoming less hairy.  Speaking of which, last night I got a cold call phone interview from a "life insurance" company that saw my resume on Monster.  Ugh.  The one thing that could possibly be more unstable than my current job would have to be commission based telemarketing.

Alright, next up in the inbox would be "Mixer Night" at the Apostrophe Lounge in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Oops.  Wrong state.  Unsubscribing...now.

Another house listing that we dare not go look at because right now we can't even begin to think about filing the paperwork for preapproval of a loan.

Ah, here's a good one from Otto Productions.  Not only are the of course advertising their DJ and uplighting services, they're also giving some really cute ideas for the reception.  Just what I needed to spark some imagination.  I particularly like their idea of tucking some Penguins tickets into the garter for the hubby to find before the garter toss.  That would totally flip Jeff's lid and because our wedding would be during playoff season, it would be a lot like a date night that I planned while we were dating and took him to a playoff game that I happened to luck into tickets for.  Of course, minus the garter last year.  It was more like a text message asking if he was busy that night with teaching or if he could be free.

Just checking out their website and facebook has certainly been amusing and killed some time at work between "switching the loads" as I like to call certain aspects of my job.  Yes, I analogize my research job to doing the laundry.

And lastly, a response to my request about a photobooth price from Photobooth Pittsburgh.  Jeff and I both love the idea of a photobooth and we keep going back and forth as to whether or not we just want to set up a backdrop of our own, a box of props, and a camera on a tripod or if we want to rent a booth that will provide us with duplicate photostrips for a guestbook/album.  It's probably going to come down to budget in the end but I think we're both leaning towards having it done professionally and still providing our own themed prop box.  I know that it's a relatively new fad, but it's one that I can really get behind.  I've always been into scrapbooking and I think that it's a really great way to get pictures of everyone and to know who they are later when I go to look back over the wedding albums.  Otherwise, I'm not gonna be able to put a name to a face for half of his dad's cousins.