Saturday, February 27, 2010

Another Amazing Wedding Video...

The Kidds from Shade Tree Films on Vimeo.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who cries over videos of people I don't even know. Here's another amazing wedding video, this time by Shade Tree Films. You can really tell the couple is madly in love. So cute! I so badly wish Shade Tree Films was located in Portland-- such incredible talent!

Friday, February 26, 2010

Happy Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful week and have super fun plans for the weekend. We have a pretty low-key couple of days ahead. We are doing a few wedding things (registering + printing our save-the-dates), meeting friends for happy hour tonight, and maybe even playing rockband with my bestie and her man Rob (who happen to be our neighbors now! they just moved into the floor below us!). Have a happy weekend!

P.S. You can buy this cute set of ceramic dishes that spell "LOVE" here. Feel free to pick me up a set while you're at it :)

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Our Engagement Story + The Ring

I've been working on Corey and I's wedding website, particular the proposal section, and I realized I never shared with you exactly how the proposal went down... And everything that lead up to it! Plus I never even shared photos of the beautiful, custom-made ring Corey gave me when he got down on one knee! It deserves to be shared. I still catch myself staring at it all throughout the day... I wonder if my awe of it will ever go away? I hope not.

So here it is. The whole story. I don't blame you if you don't want to read it. But in case you do...
Corey and I had planned a romantic little getaway to the Willamette Valley wine country for our two-year anniversary. I was SO excited. We were going to stay in a gorgeous bed and breakfast, go wine tasting and just enjoy each other’s company. Unfortunately, about 2 weeks before our anniversary I was asked to go to Amsterdam for work and had to cancel our romantic getaway. What I didn’t know was he was going to propose at the B&B and I had totally just ruined his plan! Fast-forward two weeks and I’m about to leave. I was a wreck, I was really going to miss him. We live together, work at the same company and pretty much do everything together and never get sick of each other (gross, I know. Haha).

The first night in Amsterdam I cried and told him I never wanted to leave him AGAIN (pathetic, right? But that’s just me!). Corey and I talked three times a day at the same time and by the end of the first week I was finally starting to feel better about being on my own…. Until all of a sudden Corey disappeared… He didn’t show up for our skype dates, his phone was turned off, and didn’t answer any of my emails. This was really out of character. After what felt like an eternity of silence (and a few panicked phone calls to my Mom and Bestie) I received an email from my hotel telling me I had an urgent envelope waiting for me at the front desk. They asked that I come retrieve it immediately. My heart dropped. What could it be? I was a 20 minute train ride away. I dropped everything and left.

It was most definitely the longest 20 minutes of my life!! When I got to the front desk, the man handed me an envelope. On the front it said “Liz”… In Corey’s handwriting. I can’t explain exactly how I felt in that moment… Confused, excited, shocked… I had to sit down. I walked over to a sofa in the lobby and opened the envelope. I had just started reading the card when I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Corey!!! “Did you get your urgent envelope?” he asked with his cute little smirk. He flew all the way to Amsterdam to surprise me! I was in so much shock I completely forgot to ask “What are you doing here?” In our hotel room, about an hour after he showed up (and just as the shock was finally starting to wear off) Corey shocked me once again and got on one knee and asked me to marry him. We spent the rest of the weekend strolling along the romantic canals and cobblestone streets in Amsterdam and even took a quick train trip to Antwerp Belgium (seriously one of the most quaint, romantic cities ever-- we highly recommend it!). Wasn't a bad way to spend one of the most exciting weekends of our lives!

Of course, better than anything he could have ever done to propose, I am beyond words excited to exchange vows with Corey in August... My heart swells and I get a huge smile on my face every time I think about it. He is the most amazing man I've ever known and he makes me feel special, safe and most importantly makes me laugh. I've never been more sure of anything in this life than trusting Corey with my heart.

Cupcake Stands

I'm a big fan of cake stands... but who knew there were cupcake stands? Not me! I'll add these to the never-ending list of things-I-would-buy-if-I-wasn't-paying-for-a-wedding!

Update: If you're looking for these adorable cupcake stands, you can buy them here!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Loving the look of red lips + red heels + neutral dress. Kate Bosworth makes it look easy, but I'm not so sure I could pull it off. Would love to try though!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Bubble, Bubble

Tonight is a bubble bath and wine kind of night, cause it was that kind of day. Not only did I have a root canal and have some last-minute copy drama, but I found out my boss is leaving my team. And unlike many people out there, I actually love my boss. I'm super bummed, but staying hopeful that someone just as inspiring, who challenges me just as much will replace her...

...well I'm off to indulge in complete quiet and relaxation with a delicious glass of Oregon Pinot... Ciao!

DIY Lamp

{via Soul Pretty}
Isn't this DIY lamp genius? Looks so earthy and wonderful and all you need to do is go outside and pick up sticks! Love!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Wedding Shoes

I can't get over Chelsea Petaja's gorgeous yellow wedding shoes. She wanted wedges so she wouldn't aerate the lawn with her heels, which is exactly the same dilemma I'm in... I love, love, love her shoes but unfortunately for me her sister found them for her at TJ Maxx (for $14.99!!!) and they're no longer available. Boo. I would love these or something very similar in coral... If anyone can point me in the right direction...

P.S. Love her hubby's striped socks. So fun!
{Photos by Jose Villa}

Hello!

Why hello there. Happy Monday! Sorry I wasn't around last week... I was having some dental issues that caused me a lot of pain + stress, which didn't make for a blogging mood. But I'm feeling much better this week, especially after my awesome weekend! The sun was shining and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky in Portland... This is a rarity in February people! Corey and I indulged... a lot... Here are some iphone photos from the weekend (mostly featuring food + drink! hehe)... More very soon!
{A glimmer of the beautiful summer sunsets soon to come}
{Tiramisu Gelato...}
{Dungeness Crab Benedict from Veritable Quandry. Too good for words!}
{Blood Orange Margarita}
{Wine Tasting & Wedding Planning at Willakenize}

Sunday, February 21, 2010


i felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery, air, mountains, trees, people. i thought, “this is what it is to be happy
the bell jar - sylvia plath

{quote via don't forget to fly, photo via we heart it}

Thursday, February 18, 2010

And The Winner Is....

The winner of the Pretty Chic SF giveaway is Celeste!! Congratulations! Email me your contact info so we can get you your prize! 
Thank you so much to everyone who participated! I hope to be able to host more giveaways in the near future :)

Monday, February 15, 2010

{Via}
I'm still coming out of the weekend... I needed just one more day to come back to reality... I'll be back tomorrow. Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Peony Bouquet

If you couldn't already tell from the name of my blog, I am quite in love with peonies. They are my all-time favorite flower in the WORLD, and it breaks my heart they aren't available year-round. Seeing as I'm getting married in early August (after the end of peony season), I might find it difficult to accomplish this within our budget, but my ultimate bouquet would just be a full bunch of peonies (white or pink). 

SMARTFISH Flats

Can you believe these flats are handmade? Not only that. They're completely sustainable, created without the use of any adhesives and are 100% vegan. Cute and environmentally friendly! Sounds like a Spring must-have to me...
{Via}

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Dancing Across the Brooklyn Bridge...

I adore this photo. Would love one just like it of me and the future hubs (!) on one of our many Portland bridges.

P.S. I found this photo on a super popular wedding blog but now I can't figure out which one.. Saved it a while ago w/o the info. Oops! Please help!

Every Morning I Wake Up & Think....

{via}
No matter how many mornings I go to sleep and wake up with you by my side, I never take it for granted. I am so thankful for our love. It keeps me going every day...

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Beer Bottle Inspiration

Corey and I are proud Portlanders in many, many ways. One of our favorite ways to show our pride is drinking beer from one of our many local breweries :) We've talked about how to incorporate our hobbies and things we like to do together into our wedding to make it special and unique to us. One idea we've tossed around is using the growlers many breweries use to give beer to-go as flower vases.

Gina Whittington of the event design firm Clink worked on the tablescape for an annual gala for the Austin Wedding and Event Coordinators organization. The theme was "dive bar chic" and she used simple beer bottles (instead of the growlers we're thinking of using) as vases, and it turned out quite well! Not sure it would work for our wedding tablescapes, but I think it's definitely in the running for our rehearsal dinner.

{Beer Growler Via}

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

My First Giveaway!!!

I am so very excited to announce my first ever giveaway! I first wrote about Pretty Chic SF a couple of weeks ago when I swore if I had one of the adorable notebooks, my notes would be more organized. I guess that was an offer Corey wanted to take me up on, because later that week he surprised me with my very own! The notebook is even more adorable in person and I truly have been more organized since getting it, because I love toting it around with me and scribbling notes in it every chance I get.

Now's your chance to carry one of these cuties with you! Richelle, the sweet mastermind behind Pretty Chic SF, has graciously offered to give away one of her notebooks to one lucky reader! For a chance to win, here's all you have to do:

  • Be a follower of my blog! If you weren't a follower before, but are now, please indicate that in your comment!
  • Visit Pretty Chic SF's Etsy page and leave a comment on this post with your favorite design.
So that's it! A winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday, February 17th. I will announce the winner on the blog. GOOD LUCK!

P.S. Richelle is offering FREE SHIPPING on her Pretty Chic Notebook+Planner sets until this Friday!

My Ultimate Dream Home

After our memorable trip to Amsterdam this past November, Corey and I can't stop daydreaming about moving there full-time. The daydreaming now amplifies as I've found the most amazing home nestled along one of the romantic canals. It is decorated flawlessly and has an absolutely stunning rooftop deck overlooking the city (complete with lavender plants!). Despite my best efforts I couldn't narrow down the number of pictures... So here are a bunch. See even more here.
{Via}

Monday, February 8, 2010

Home Envy: Chelsea+ Tec Petaja

The home of ultra-stylish duo Tec and Chelsea Petaja (he is a photographer and she is a stylist, among other things) is swoon-worthy! You can see all the photos on Design*Sponge, but here are my two favorites:

Corey and I have been meaning to put together a frame wall ever since we moved in to our apartment (almost a year ago!). I really love this one, especially that print in the middle. I think I want to make one myself, except instead of “We’re Better Together” I would paint “Love is All You Need”. What do you think?
Tec and Chelsea were married on 06.07.08, hence the “6”, “7”, “8” cups. I would love to do this with our wedding date (08.07.10) or better yet, we could put up “4”, “5”, “2” as that’s the number of the hotel room where Corey proposed to me in Amsterdam! 

Book Book

The BookBook hardback leather MacBook case is genius. With velvety soft padding on the inside and a hard leather exterior, it protects your MacBook while still looking super stylish (and disguises it perfectly for ultimate security!). And the coolest part? No two BookBook cases are exactly alike as they're hand crafted and distressed. I'm normally not a big fan of laptop cases, but I am changing my tune for this one!


Rainbow Espadrilles

These beach umbrella espadrilles (from none-other than Anthropologie) are to-die-for cute! I must have them.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Sunday Morning

Sunday mornings are the best. Sleeping in, sipping coffee, burning our favorite candle, listening to John Mayer while we make breakfast and enjoy our sparkly clean apartment! I wish Monday would never come...