let it snow

wishing you all a merry (and white!) christmas! let it snow let it snow let it snow!

photo courtesy of krystal muellenberg photography

xoxo, 

zar

fabulous floral friday

Deep reds, crisp whites and pops of green...Christmas is definitely here :)

photo courtesy of the bride's cafe

photo courtesy of martha stewart weddings

photo courtesy of style me pretty

photo courtesy of style me pretty

photo courtesy of style me pretty

photos courtesy of green wedding shoes

These gorgeous arrangements almost makes me wish I was having a winter wedding. Almost.

xoxo,

zar

knock knock

Who's there? Doors repurposed for wedding decor! (sorry, I really couldn't resist telling a knock knock joke when the post is about doors...)

photo courtesy of style me pretty

photos courtesy of ruffled blog

photo courtesy of elizabeth anne designs

photo courtesy of elizabeth anne designs

photo courtesy of jose villa

photo courtesy of jose villa

photo courtesy of ruffled blog

photo courtesy of julie harris photography

photo courtesy of monmariage.co.za

photo courtesy of style me pretty

I'm in love with the idea of incorporating old doors into wedding decor so naturally, I'm trying to get my hands on one of these beauties. But where does one find a vintage or antique door? Good question. I'm thinking that a salvage yard will be my best bet. Conveniently there's a salvage yard pretty close to our wedding venue and it has been on my list of must-see places for far too long now (who puts salvage yards on a must-see list? Ha. That'd be me!) 

We're planning a meeting with our wedding coordinator at Radonich Ranch in January so hopefully we'll have time to stop by the salvage yard. We don't actually have room for an antique door in our apartment, but I'm sure we could make something work...right, zpao?

xoxo, 

zar

p.s. funny story, zpao actually likes modern decor. I wonder how many lovely little (or big) vintage things I can accumulate before zpao puts his foot down? Come to think of it...I don't think we've bought anything "modern" since our couch! Ok, now that I've dug myself into a really deep hole...I LOVE YOU ZPAO ;)

fabulous floral friday

I'm loving me some succulents lately. They've got looking-pretty-without-trying-too-hard down to a science and they're super versatile to boot. 

You can make them look fancy...

photo courtesy of style me pretty

photo courtesy of style me pretty

photo courtesy of ruffled blog

photo courtesy of style me pretty

Or channel their rustic-casual-cool side...

photos courtesy of ruffled blog

photo courtesy of yes, please

photo courtesy of style me pretty

photo courtesy of ruffled blog

Gorgeous but completely unfussy. Succulents, you are the epitome of cool.

I've considered using succulents in my bouquet and would loooove to see them in the groomsmen boutonnieres but zpao isn't such a huge fan. I guess I can't blame him. I used to hate them (Not sure what I was thinking...) but I've seen the error in my ways and am currently riding happily on the succulent band wagon! 

I'm on a mission to change his mind about these little lovelies. Not sure if it's going to work but wish me luck!

xoxo, 
zar

P.S. need another reason to love succulents? One word: Terrariums.

photo courtesy of blog.craftzine.com

photo courtesy of style me pretty

photo courtesy of etsy

LOOOOOOVE.

yay

It's Friday & I'm off work.

This definitely calls for a party (of the wedding planning sort, of course). I - along with my cat, copious amounts of hot tea, and Sara Bareilles on repeat - will be searching for inspiration/contacting vendors/stalking the wedding blogosphere all day long. Mmmmm, yes. This is going to be a glorious Friday.

photo courtesy of grey likes nesting

Perhaps I'll buy some balloons to celebrate?

xoxo, 

zar

single digits

And we're in the single digits! Only 9 more months until the wedding...

photo courtesy of grey likes nesting

...and I can't wait!!! I wonder if anyone would be mad if we eloped in the meantime? Don't worry, I'm kidding....mostly ;) 


xoxo, 
zar

the big announcement!

I am bursting with excitement over here. I mean the really, truly ready to explode kind of excitement. Does this excitement have to do with the big announcement? Why yes it does. Am I going to tell you what the big announcement is...finally? Why yes I am. But first, let's start with a list of fun facts about yours truly, shall we?  

1. I am obsessed with anything and everything vintage (please refer to exhibit a...exhibit b...and let's face it, exhibit c might as well be this entire blog!) 
2. I love all aspects of wedding planning, especially the decor/little details side of planning (but I guess you probably already knew that!) 
3. I am very particular (ok, a bit neurotic) when it comes to decorating. I will spend hours, days, sometimes weeks searching for the perfect piece of furniture or décor and then spend even more time tweaking things around the apartment to make sure the new piece fits in seamlessly. Zpao makes fun of me because I get really intense. Apparently I get this "I'm-thinking-really-hard-don't-bother-me" look on my face when I'm considering anything interior design related. Ha. 
4. My dream job = a job where I get to be creative, work with people, and plan events (everything from the overall feel of the event down to the most minute details).

I’m sure you’re all thinking “thanks for the random facts but what does this have to do with the big announcement/can we get on with it already?” Well, turns out these random facts have everything to do with my big news so hang tight, all will be revealed!

You see, for the past few months I've been secretly trying to figure out what to do with my life career-wise. Yes I have a job and yes I enjoy it but up until recently I couldn't really imagine myself finding something I wanted to do forever. There were a lot of things that sounded interesting, but nothing really grabbed me. I felt like I was waiting for some "aha" moment...something to happen that would give me a sense of direction and purpose.

Well, my first mini-"aha" moment came shortly after zpao and I got engaged. I realized that my love for all things wedding went above and beyond the typical "I'm getting married so I'm going through a wedding crazed" phase. I realized quickly that working in the wedding industry combined many of my loves: working with people, planning events, making things look pretty...even obsessing over unique vintage details! I call this my mini-"aha" moment because it definitely gave me some sense of direction, but I didn't have a concrete plan or an immediate goal in mind. 

It wasn't until just a few weeks ago that I actually had the real "aha" moment. I was looking through some blogs when I came across a brand new company down in Southern California that specializes in vintage rentals for weddings, photo shoots and other events. That’s when it hit me...OMG. I CAN MAKE A LIVING OFF OF MY OBSESSION WITH WEDDINGS, VINTAGE THINGS, AND DÉCOR!!!! Fan-fricken-tastic!! I’m pretty sure I shrieked and then jumped up and down and then shrieked some more. When I told zpao about my discovery (and then proceeded to talk about how I wanted to do the same thing nonstop for days on end) he said he had never seen me so excited about something before. Apparently I looked like a kid on Christmas morning. 

Since my discovery a few weeks back I’ve been doing a ton of research, brainstorming, and networking. After careful thought and consideration I’ve decided to go for it...I am officially starting my own vintage rental business!

My plan is to work with couples who want to add a bit of vintage charm to their wedding but don’t want to invest the time and money to go out and find all of the pieces themselves. I’m also hoping to work with photographers and event planners who are looking for vintage props to use at photo shoots, engagement parties, etc.  

Some examples of things that will be available for rent? Chandeliers, old typewriters, all sorts of containers (mason jars, pitchers, glass bottles, vintage tins, etc), antique tables/chairs, vintage suitcases, vintage signs/letters plus much, much more!

It’s obviously going to start small. I’ll start by renting out the items that I currently own (which lucky for me I have quite a lot to choose from already!) and add more items to my collection based on demand. My goal is to have the company up and running by the beginning of 2011 so I’m spending the next month or so working on my logo, website, rental terms and contracts. There is definitely a lot of work to be done (on top of a full time job and planning my own wedding! Aghhh!) but I am so incredibly thrilled to be getting started!

So there it is. My big announcement! If any of you awesome readers out there know someone who is getting married in the Bay Area and has a love for unique and completely fabulous vintage décor let me know! I would LOVE to work with them! 


xoxo, 
zar

new additions to my collection

Alright, my loves. Are you ready for a serious dose of pretty? I sure hope so, because as promised, here are the new additions to my ever expanding collection of lovely little vintage things (plus a wildflower inspired bouquet that I made myself!)

 

 

Just for the record, it's official, I am head over heals in love with inanimate objects. I could stare at these pictures all day! What can I say? Vintage pieces/antiques make my heart sing...especially yellow ladders and blue pitchers from Loire Valley, France! Absolute perfection.

I may be obsessed with these new items, however, I am not obsessed with San Francisco's weather. Unfortunately the weather didn't quite cooperate with us and our photo shoot. The sun didn't make an appearance until about 4pm (thank you good 'ol San Francisco fog) and we ended up having to rush to catch the light before the sun set (picture a frantic zar & zpao running up and down flights of stairs lugging massive amounts of heavy, fragile stuff). We didn't get to do the full photo shoot that I was hoping to do, nor did we get to do the shoot where I had originally planned (we ended up doing it on our roof instead of our apartment building's courtyard so that we'd have enough light) but I think we got some great shots nevertheless!

I can't wait to use these new pieces as part of our wedding decor and in the meantime, they're making great additions to our apartment's decor! I definitely don't mind being surrounded by these beautiful things.
  

xoxo, 
zar


p.s. Next up? The big announcement!!! 

sneak peak: my collection

Reason #827 why planning a wedding is awesome?

Having an excuse to buy all sorts of fantastically fun vintage stuff because it will be "used in the wedding" in some capacity (or at least that's how I justify my purchases, but let's be real, I'd probably be buying these things regardless of the wedding!)

The latest additions to my ever expanding collection of vintage pieces? 

Well, for starters we recently bought letters that spell out "love is all you need": 

Zpao and I love letters (especially the letter 'z') so you'll see them throughout our apartment. 

Like here:

And here:

Don't you think the "love is all you need" letters will make a great addition to the guest book table or dessert table?! In case you're wondering, all of our letters come from Timeless Treasures, an adorable vintage home furnishing/decor boutique that specializes in all things french and whimsical (candles, teacups, chandeliers, letters and signs of all colors, shapes and sizes...you name it, they have it!) If you live in the Bay Area you should definitely check it out. It's one of my favorite places in the entire city and the owner, Joan, is just a peach. But I digress. Where were we? Oh, right. The newest additions to my growing collection of awesomeness...

Zpao and I spent last Sunday at my all-time favorite place, the Alameda Antique Fair, and picked up some really great items. I'll post pictures of everything very soon (after the photo shoot that zpao and I are having today, to be exact. I'll be playing stylist & zpao will be my photographer! Eeep! It's going to be a blast!) 

In the meantime, here's a teaser:

Check back soon for the full scoop (read: b-e-a-utiful pictures courtesy of photog extraordinaire, zpao!) on the new purchases AND a pretty big/exciting announcement. And no, it's not that type of announcement. A few more years loves, a few more years ;)

xoxo, 

zar