Fight or Flight or....

My first instinct is always to fight...then I want to flee. But I have been reading some of the posts on A Cup of Joe for her series on marriage and I have to say, I am learning. There is another reaction possible.

I know...I wait til I'm a year deep into this marriage thing to learn how to do it? Yeah but I don't think it will ever end, the learning part.

There are some gems here from different stories and we are only a few days into Joanna's honeymoon! Love this bit...

"Have your own life. Pursue your dreams and let your husband do the same. Being content with yourself makes you a better wife."

How do you resolve differences with your honey?

Pretty J. Crew Sale Finds

Wouldn't this clutch be the perfect wedding day accessory?

How pretty are these earrings?

Or these...

Love + the finishing touch,

Megan

Anna + Jess

Happy Wedding Day!

So much more to come....

Sweet Tea Signature Drink

On my last birthday in June, my aunt gave me a bottle of sweet tea infused vodka, Firefly, from South Carolina. This aunt of mine isn't a drinker. Her favorite drinks to order at a bar are Shirley Temples and Roy Rogers. I knew it was going to taste really good.

She had gone on a business trip to Savannah, Georgia and she said she drank it every day, the whole time she was there. She bought a few bottles to bring home with her and then she actually ordered a case because none of the liquor stores locally carried it! Plus...She had talked so much about it that now everyone had to try it.

Soon after my birthday I cracked open my bottle. We mixed it based on the directions on the bottle which were to just add in some water, ice and a twist of lemon. It tasted exactly like Sweet Tea only you got a little warm and loose after a few sips. But the real yumminess came as soon as we had some lemonade in the house. Firefly is now available in Seattle at Young's Market.

My favorite recipe is so simple, The Firelfy Spiked Palmer:
1 part Firefly
1 part lemonade
Lemon Twist
Serve in a tall glass over ice and mix.

If you visit their website, you can find a whole bunch of other recipes that sound delicious too.

I would serve this at a casual, outdoor, rustic wedding since it conjures images of sunshine, porch-sitting and laughing with friends.

Picture of a lovely wedding in Martha Stewart Weddings

Italian and Amazing...

But there are also nice things to take from this wedding and apply to your own...
Short dresses work
White shoes are still very chic (even though we all love color)
Shiny retro suits on men are hot
Black lace should be incorporated into a wedding dress
Wristlet corsages are the new bouquet

For more, go to Little Winter Bride and be amazed....

Fresh Hubby of LA

Ater posting photos of her most beautiful wedding................

The Broke-Ass Bride revealed another bit of awesomeness, a love story video! Holy Cow!

Tulle! Tulle! Tulle!

Oh wow....this is a wedding do-over dress.

What other time could you wear layers of frothy tulle (if you aren't a ballerina or a six year old)? The Etsy seller, Monique of Ouma, will custom make it for you. You can even specify color! Pink please!

I know that many brides love the look of a simple, modern gown but she makes girly, fluffy dresses look completely new and fresh and kinda punky and totally fun to wear.

The shop was found through a guest post by 100 Layer Cake on The Storque. 100 Layer Cake have also been on a ruffle kick like me. They posted this real wedding earlier and the bride and her maids are so amazing!

Dress by Monique Lhuillier and photo by Sweet Monday.

Love + ruffles from heaven,

Megan

The Nuts and Bolts of Marriage

Look at these funny little rings. What an original idea for a couple that wants something different. Maybe your fiance builds stuff or maybe you just love the symbolism. Of course, this is an Etsy find, 50DegreesNorth.

Mother's Day Blessings

My mom was the MVP of my wedding planning, my most valuable partner. She has very strong opinions and her taste is perfection. She helped me filter my ideas and when she didn't agree with them, she made me justify them and thus decide for myself if they were important or not. She always jumped on board when she knew it was something that mattered to me. All my life I have known that she was there for me, my cheerleader. She looked so beautiful on my wedding day!

I have also been so blessed to have a very loving mother-in-law. She raised my husband to be a compassionate, quality man and she has welcomed me into her family with tight hugs, loves and special stories of her life raising my husband and his sister. She said that it was destiny that I joined their family. She always calls me from St. Lucia and says, "well, hello Mrs. Loctor" and we giggle because we are both Mrs. Loctors!

During our wedding ceremony, we chose to have our mothers take part in a handfasting ceremony. When I asked my mom to do it, she said it was appropriate because we were both tied to them and now they were tying us together. Asher's mom brought the cloth we used from St. Lucia. Isn't it beautiful? It was one of my favorite parts of our day.

I am so blessed to be surrounded by strong examples of motherhood, including, my sister-in-law and my very own sister. Both are new moms that have shown me how to parent gracefully.
My sister-in-law had a four month old baby Josephine at our wedding. I love how she can always put Josie (and I) into giggle fits! She was the first person close to me to have a baby and it seemed effortless, she is a natural.

And most recently, my sister, who was about five months pregnant on our wedding day. She looked absolutely beautiful acting as an amazing Matron of Honor, playing the violin in our ceremony and giving a speech. All while making life in her tummy. Little Hank was in there all along.

So today, before I go off to breakfast with a few of these special ladies, I want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all the special mamas in my family. Thank you for being there for me, you mean the world to me.

Designer Dresses!

Today I received an email alert for a sale on Guilt Group. This is an invitation-only website that features designer dresses, shoes, jewelry, handbags, and more. The goods are sharply discounted and are "final sale" only. There are some real gems to be found here. I always point my brides to this website since it is especially wonderful for rehearsal dinner dresses and alternative wedding dresses. I also use it as a resource for something chic for the mother of the bride. The sales are always different and always worth checking out. This week they have LAMB and the king himself, Christian Louboutin. Can you believe it?!

Today's sale on Temperley grabbed my eye because of this dress:

I have no doubt this dress will be gone in minutes. The sale starts right now! I once spent a minute too long debating over a Marchesa dress and it will always be "the one that got away". Let me know if you would like an invite (loveplusmarriage(at)gmail.com)!

Love + lookin' fancy,

Megan

Pretty Wedding Shoes on Sale

You'll have to act quick! Be on your toes! There is a sale at Steve Madden on the prettiest wedding shoes. They still have a lot of sizes available in three colors: white, gold and black. The bow is obviously the sweetest part! But other than that there's the price and the name "Luckeyy". They are 50% off right now!

Love + walking pretty,

Megan

A Perfect Proposal

I have always loved stories. Books, magazines, meeting a friend over coffee, spoken in my ear before bed. Stories long and short about you and me. Stories that make me cry, from joy, from sorrow.
I love to listen to Story Corps on NPR during my morning drive to work. They are a little slice of someone's life in their own voice told over the radio.
Story Corps is an example of how some of the best stories are tucked inside of very normal people. They are stories you would never know unless you were close to someone and it just reminds me that there are so many beautiful stories out there.
Plus, they make me cry almost all the time.
One listen to this proposal and you will know you exactly what I mean.

Micheal & Debora

Love +story time,

Megan

Wishing on a Do-Over

One thing that is difficult about being in the wedding industry is looking at all the amazing pictures and styles that come around AFTER your wedding.

I mean, I would totally have worn feathers in my hair. I would have forced my mom to accept my sparkly aqua heels under my wedding gown instead of the died to match champagne white pair. I would have had a makeshift photo booth with pretty fabric for guests to stand in front of. And I wouldn't have let my makeup artist put all that stuff on my skin.

There are so many places to find inspiration but I guess at the end of the day you pick what you like the best and filter out all the rest. Otherwise it is way too overwhelming.

I'm sure when I was looking through inspiration images there were girls in feathers and naturally flushed cheeks standing in colored shoes in front of a pretty sheet but ya know...it just didn't make it into my wedding. And things would have been different. Not more perfect, just different.

I guess maybe that's why wedding continue to infatuate me. There are so many ways to do it and nothing is right, it is just best when you make it your own.

Love + trend spotting,
Megan

P.S. Oh my goodness, look at this...from Martha.

Ringless

I recently lost a diamond in my wedding ring and today I took it in to have the damage appraised. The woman scorned me for buying online. She actually asked if I would want to trade it in for credit in order to get a ring from them that would come with a lifetime guarantee. Really? This is the ring I got married with and someday if the hassle of losing diamonds becomes so extreme, I will still treasure it. I picked this ring, knowing the risks and I would pick it a million times again.

She also took long blinks between each sentence which made it difficult to focus on what she was saying but at least she had pretty eye makeup on.

What I did get out of it however, is that with pave diamonds, it is common for diamonds to come loose. Also, if I wear it, the other diamonds around it will loosen up and I am in danger of losing them as well.

I decided to check a couple other jewelers to see what they would charge but until then, I can't wear my ring. Right now I am rocking an impostor. The diamond from the top of the J.LO Still perfume bottle. It is ridiculously huge and fake.

Here is my ring, starring in the most beautiful ring picture ever, from our wedding day...

photo by Cheryl

And another...

Photo by Cheryl

And the ring I am hauling around on my ring finger to the hockey game tonight...see it there at the top...

Love + bling,

Megan

Keyword: Vintage, Beaded, Clutch

I used a vintage beaded clutch when I was bridesmaid for my sister's wedding. It was my grandma's and it was always in the drawer in my mom's dresser that held all of her special things (her wedding night negligee and silky scarves).
My sister's wedding took place at St. James Cathedral and the reception was held at the University Inn which is now the Hotel Deca. It was all so glamorous. We heard that Dale Chihuly often drinks in the dark hotel bar. Who would know that three years later, I would get married surrounded by Chihuly glass myself (at the Museum of Glass)?
It seems that every time I do a keyword search on etsy, I come up with a goldmine. Today's item is the best yet. Someone snatch this up so it will stop tempting me. The feathers are just darling and perfect for a vintage bride. For more detailed shots or to just buy it already, click here.
Love + a glamour puss,
Megan

Free Photo Book!

I have to share the news.
Shutterfly is giving away a free 20 page, 8×8 photobook through March 10th.
Simply enter PHOTOBOOKS at checkout.

After creating wedding photobooks for my mom and my mother-in-law for Christmas, I have been thinking that one day I should make my own. This is a bit too small for a wedding album but could be a cute little book to have for any occasion.

I'm going to send this deal to my sister and she can make a book for Hank Cameron, my nephew. He had his picture's taken by our friend Cam (who he is named after) at his baptism earlier this month. Cam is a talented photographer who also shoots weddings in the Portland area. We are particularly proud to say he is also the Portland Trailblazer's staff photographer. If you watch a Blazer game you can sometimes see him under the basket twisting his body to get the best shot. He was also roped into videotaping at our wedding by my mother-in-law, bless her heart. Look at his work with Hank...and then go check out his website.

Love + capturing moments,

Megan

Wedding Event at Paper Source

Paper Source is hosting a wedding event on Saturday to inspire you to create your own details.

11:30 am - Announcing the Big Day

12:45 pm - Inspired Invitations

2:00 pm - Tasteful Tabletop Décor

It sounds like a blast and Paper Source is a serious black hole for me. I fall so easily in love with pretty paper and all the fun "do-dads" as my mom would call them.

For more info on the event, check here. Our only Paper Source in Washington is in Bellevue, across the street from Bell Square.

I know the event will feature great, new ideas!

Love + that new paper scent,
Megan

Happy Valentine's Day

Today is one of my favorite holidays. I know about all the cynics but what could be wrong with a day celebrating love? I have so many special memories from past holidays. Dale brought me chocolates in a brown paper bag in the first grade and Marky gave me his sister's earrings in the second grade.

Freshman year of college, I got a care package from my mom, bursting with candy and chocolate, temporary tattoos, stickers and a pop-up book. All over the white shipping box she had written special messages of love (I still have this box).

The first year I celebrated with Asher, he sent me on a scavenger hunt through our apartment with special little clues at each stop. At the end of it there was a pair of Nike Dunks in the oven and then he airbrushed me a shirt to match.

Last year we went to a Caribbean restaurant and he watched me while I cracked crab with juice running down my arms. We finished the meal with fried bananas and vanilla ice cream and it was so decadent. I could tell how much he loved sharing food from "his home" with me.

This morning I woke up, a little grumpy, and while I was getting dressed to take him to the bus, he surprised me with a fresh pair of Nike Dunks (he really likes me wearing fresh kicks). He said it was to "cheer me up" and it worked. But the best part of the day (so far) is that he decided to stay home from work and love me all day long!

So...Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Love + candy hearts,

Megan

PS. Thanks to Biggie for modeling my new shoes. Notice how they are the same colors as the conversation hearts? Is is a coincidence?

Valentines from Gaza

This is incredible...last I heard Israel was restricting food and aid trucks through the border to Gaza (and almost no exports) but they allowed 25,000 carnations to pass through, bound for Europe, in time for Valentine's Day. (Read more here). It makes me think of this print....by him.

Frugal Flowers

Today I was researching flowers for a summer wedding. The bride wants something simple, easy, loose but hoped for calla lilies in her bouquet. We have talked before about getting her flowers at the Pike Place Market the morning of the wedding. Since my husband is a vendor at the market, I went to visit him and talked with some of the flower vendors. The told me that they can bring in extra flowers with advanced notice but that calla lilies wouldn't be available in late July.
So on to Google I go. I called some local florists for single stem prices which were (gasp) $10 and up per stem on average. After poking around, I found the best deal.
Costco!
They offer 50 stems for $84 and the shipping and handling is free. There is a $5 extra fee if you aren't a member. I called Costco and learned that the pricing can vary, depending on the season, but that there should be too much of a fluctuation. An all around incredible value! Don't you love finding deals?