They’re Not Just For Christmas
February 19th, 2008 @ 12:42 pm by Mrs. Peacock
When I saw this wreath in an old issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, I knew I had to have it or something like it.
I have always been a big fan of a pretty wreath, but you do need to be careful not to stray too far into “something my grandma made” category. I think you do this by sticking to one flower/leaf/branch and only varying from that in the color of that flower.
Read more…
My Sweet Valentine
February 18th, 2008 @ 11:30 am by Mrs. Peacock
Valentine’s Day is extra special for Mr. Peacock and me because it is also the anniversary of our first date. In prior years, we have gone all out on gifts and swanky dinners. As nice as that was, I think this year was even sweeter. We decided to make our gifts for each other and celebrate V Day at his family’s lake house in Michigan. For the gifts, we could use things that we already had on hand, but the additional materials couldn’t cost more than $15.If someone tells me to make something, I think paper.
I Dream Of Valentino
February 16th, 2008 @ 4:27 pm by Mrs. Peacock
I would like to tell you a story of a bride who became tired of planning her wedding and began to get frustrated with her long engagement. At least mentally, all her vendors were booked and her DIY projects planned. September sounded SO FAR AWAY. In her wedding frustration, she contemplated changing her date and hoping that her vendors were free, or meeting up with a Justice of the Peace or, finally, hopping a flight to Vegas. The endless Chicago snow had also begun to drive her crazy, so a quickie beach wedding sounded fabulous, too. Wow… really, really fabulous.
After her fiance advised her to knock it off, this frustrated bride decided that she needed to console herself with pretty gold designer wedding shoes to match all the pretty gold jewelry she had been falling in love with lately.
Manolo Blahnik
Mmmmm… Bubbles!
February 13th, 2008 @ 1:39 pm by Mrs. Peacock
One of the unfortunate details in our liquor contract is that we have to pay for a champagne toast by the glass. I LOVE champagne/sparkling wine and I would prefer to have it flowing all night. I also don’t think that everyone (Mr. Peacock, namely) likes the bubbly as much as I do and so many glasses will go to waste.
If I could have my way, I would bring in a few cases and just let everyone pass the bottles around. I would also get something a little better than the Freixenet that is currently part of my package. We tried Coppola’s Sofia at our engagement party. It was yummy and came in a beautiful shabby chic bottle. That bottle was wrapped in pink plastic wrap, which adds a little excitement.
My First Official Crafty Experience
February 11th, 2008 @ 11:49 am by Mrs. Peacock
Last summer, my parents were kind enough to throw Mr. Peacock and me an engagement party. We made several different types of of hors d’oeuvres, fun party drinks and had a cocktail party in my parents’ backyard. My mom loves to garden and in the late summer the flowers are coming up everywhere. It was nice to be able to break up our crazy long engagement with a little celebration.
I had been playing around with the idea of making my invitations and I took advantage of the party as an excuse to play with my tools. I was inspired by a stamp (”Cottage Bloom”) that I bought at last year’s Paper Source Paper Wedding event. I used a watermark stamp pad and light gold powder to create the pretty, shiny flower. I had to test out several different combinations of stamp pad + embossing powder to get to just the right shade of warm gold. I paired it with some pretty blue (”Lake”) cards and ivory cardstock. Here are the results:
Stamping
Fascinating Fascinators
February 7th, 2008 @ 2:36 pm by Mrs. Peacock
I found this beautiful post on wedlog on fascinators, and I am fascinated. I love their vintage look and the fact that they aren’t a tiara. I’m not a tiara kind of girl, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want something pretty and sparkly in my hair. I am also thinking about making a cathedral length veil for the ceremony and I am not interested in wearing that crazy thing all night. It would be fun to take that off but put something equally bridal in its place.
I started looking around this morning for something that I might be able to knock off and I have found a lot online. My favorite since before I was engaged is Jennifer Behr. I bought one of her headbands from Anthropologie and I love it. I don’t know if those huge, beautiful silk peonies are “fascinators” per se, because they don’t have feathers, but she does have other feathery items and some gorgeous beaded headbands.
I Salute The French General
February 6th, 2008 @ 5:33 pm by Mrs. Peacock
I spent some time on the French General site last night and I found a lot of fun ideas! The first thing that caught my eye was this-
You can buy a kit full of those cute little lady bugs and green beads and make boutonniere pins with them. I think this is such a novel idea- to replace the pins with the pearl heads with something that you actually want people to notice. I wonder if the guys will mind…
Caramels And Roses? Oh My!
February 6th, 2008 @ 2:01 pm by Mrs. Peacock
Last October, Mr. Peacock and I took a trip to San Francisco and had an amazing time. Highlights of the trip included a tour of Sonoma, meeting Mrs. Gummi Bear in Berkeley and a trip to the Hayes Valley neighborhood. I LOVED, loved, loved Hayes Valley. I would move there if Chicago wasn’t my favorite.
Anyway, two of the bestest places in Hayes Valley- Rose and Radish and Miette- are joining their creatively perfect forces for the ultimate valentines gift. Call Rose and Radish for more details, but it sounds like you can get some of Miettes unreal homemade caramels (have I ever mentioned that I am a sucker for homemade caramel?) and a very unique bouquet from R&R. Yes, it’s for San Fran people only, but if anyone does order or receive one, can you take pictures and send them to me?
The Wedding Show
February 5th, 2008 @ 9:23 am by Mrs. Peacock
Aside from the Paper Wedding event, the Wedding Show at the Chicago History Museum was the best wedding show that I have attended in the past year. Blue Plate and the Chicago History Museum are holding the event again this year on March 13, and if you live in the Chicago area I really recommend going.
The very pretty Chicago History Museum
Voting Brings Us Together
February 4th, 2008 @ 3:12 pm by Mrs. Peacock
Mr. Peacock and I met while working at a politician’s office- let’s call that politician Bob. He was a fan of Bob’s political party, I, however, was a fan of the other team. I took a job on Bob’s campaign because I was looking for fundraising experience. Frankly, I had just graduated from college and I had no idea what I was doing. I knew that it would be hard to raise money for “the other team” (talking in code is hard!), but after meeting Bob and finding him to be a middle-of-the-road, very likable guy, I decided to go for it. I really loved that job. It was a bit of a boys club and I had never experienced anything like it before. The parties that I was planning were at fun locations in the city and I got to meet some pretty influential people in Illinois. Mr. Peacock worked on the state side as Bob’s assistant and occasionally clocked out and came over to the campaign side with me. I think I need to save the whole story of how we met for another day, because I kinda love it and I would like to write a whole post about it.
Mr. Peacock and me at the Illinois State Fair for “the other team’s” celebration day
Miss Peacock, Chicago
Age and Occupation: 26, PhD Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Internet Whiz
Engagement Date: December 5, 2006
Wedding Date: September, 2008
Blogging Since: December 13, 2007
Venue: St. Clement Church, Cafe Brauer (or a big church wedding and a fancy party at a cafe in Lincoln Park.
About Me: I am a grad student with a secret obsession for all things wedding related. I also love to read, travel, drink champagne and go for walks with our dog, Maisy, and Mr. Peacock. We are planning our very vintage wedding in the greatest city in the world, our hometown of Chicago. I am so proud to be a Bee!
