wedding bands

i just bought this (new) wedding band for myself . i have been wanting a plain wedding band for everyday type use for a while now. something a little more utilitarian. the wedding band we bought for the wedding is a lovely white gold engraved little band that is very delicate. it goes so beautifully with the engagement ring, but i don't feel like wearing it everyday. especially if i'm working in the shop.   it's funny, when i was first engaged, i thought i'd never want to take my beautiful engagement ring off, i was almost as in love with it as i was with my husband-to-be. but with the everyday reality of my working-wife-mom life, sometimes i feel like it's too special...

i found a great store on etsy (big shocker, huh?), titaniumknights, that makes very nice titanium rings. my husband has a brushed titanium band and he just loves it. it's deceivingly lightweight which is what i think he appreciates about it. in fact i'm sure a lot of guys out there--you know the ones, those who feel like they're "suffocating" when they're wearing a ring--they like this metal, or if they don't know about it, they should really take a look at them. and it's not like it's just a crafty-arty-person sort of thing. we got my husband's years ago at nordstrom.

titanium is very light and extremely durable. another bonus for guys (or girls!) who are hard on their jewelry. titaniumknights cuts their rings one at a time, after it is ordered, to precision specs on a CNC (computerized) lathe to jeweler quality exacting standards. each ring is then smoothed/finished by hand one at a time to the finish requested.  i got mine in a satin finish which gives it a nice brushed look.

the best thing of all, titanium is extremely affordable. yay! my dear husband can't get mad at me for making an extravagant purchase!

california state of mind

our vacation is still over a week away, but my mind is already in california. especially when i woke up to more rain and grey skies today which is supposed to continue into wednesday morning. *sigh*

i'm not exactly looking forward to a 5-hour plane ride with 3 kids, but once we're under those beautiful sunny california skies i know it will be worth it. and here's the type of apparel i'll be enjoying...good bye galoshes hello pretty sandals!

is this the way to get customers?

um, am i the only one just a little offended by this ad? i am all for originality BELIEVE me, but it seems awfully harsh to say it is/would be "humiliating" getting married with your groom and/or groomsmen in rented tuxedos? wow. so judgemental. what do you think?

pea-hock

my daughter when she was about 4 years old called peacocks "pea-hocks." is that only cute because i'm her mother i wonder...

ok, so there is this commercial i like, its for (i think) kohler fixtures. it shows an attractive hip urban couple meeting with a fancy pants big city architect (you can tell this because he has dark rimmed glasses and is wearing a black turtleneck...). the couple is sitting at the architect's desk and the woman pulls out a faucet fixture and says, "design a house around that." weddings can be just like that. your inspiration can start with just one simple element--often it is a color, but it could be an heirloom piece of jewelry, or even a shoe--and your wedding evolves and grows from there.  for me it was the sound of music, ok, not the children dressed in austrian folk costumes (please!) specifically it was maria's wedding dress which is shown for like 40 seconds in the film, but that was enough for me to fall in love.

somewhere on top of one of her many shelves of vases, jane has a peacock feather in her shop. i love it, and wondered about designing a wedding around just that feather. here is my peacock wedding inspiration board...it was hard narrowing down the choices, there is lots of inspiration out there if you just look...

cheryl + greg

it's amazing how color and different color combinations can invoke a range of feelings. cheryl and greg's choice for their february 20th wedding was a passionate one don't you think? their magical winter wedding injected a wonderful splash of color and life into the grey winter landscape with bursts of aubergine and deep red  (by the way, not entirely inappropriate for the month of valentines, yes?).  the bridesmaid's bouquets while yes, they are white, are so playful and fun.

the adorable photos below of cheryl and greg's wedding day are courtesy of hk photography.

  

elizabeth + robert, january 2010

i've always thought that there is something rather magical about winter weddings. perhaps because it's not the most sought after time many brides choose, and therefore it's not lost amid other weddings in busier months. maybe it's because a winter wedding is a gift in the middle of an otherwise dark grey winter. when i think of winter weddings i think of jewels sparkling in the candlelight, fur coats protecting ladies from the chill, and a tall dark handsome man with a long wool overcoat with the collar pulled up adding mystery.  ok, you can go ahead and cue in the "dr. zhivago" soundtrack right about now...


elizabeth and robert's wedding on january 16th  at woodwinds in branford, ct was exactly what i have imagined--a magical evening lit by candle light (lighting which is, let's face it, very complementing...), warm and intimate.

here are some lovely pictures of rob and liz's special evening courtesy of lam phtotography

they say behind every successful man is a wise woman. well, behind jane are four of the best bucket washers you'll find.



i'd like to tell you a little about the rest of the people at just for you. some of you may recognize their voices from the phone, others you may have seen (or will see) in the shop, at meetings, deliveries etc.



lynette has been jane's right hand-woman-comic-relief-best-boutonnieres -maker-bookkeeper for many many years. (she's the tall blond drink of water in the center of the photo--ok, she's going to kill me for that comment). none of us call her lynette, only "sis" or "aunt sis". in fact i didn't even know she had a name other than sis for a long time. someone referred to "lynette" and i thought, "who's that?!" she's got a wicked sharp sense of humor and i love being around her.



lindsey ekblade and carolyn rynaski are jane's daughters (far left and second from left respectively in the photo). they sorta have to help jane because she's their mother. truthfully, if it weren't for their flexibility and filling in wherever (and whenever!) needed, things would not run as smoothly as they do.



the baby in jane's arms is ava, jane's first grandchild and lindsey's little girl. she is our just for you mascot and honestly one of the brightest, funniest little girls i have ever met. i just love her. we are currently trying to train her to help with wedding set-up for all those low hard to reach places like under church pews, stuff like that. don't worry, she gets snacks when she does well.



i'm agna, the one on the far right. i started working with jane last fall and over these quiet winter months we've done a lot of planning regarding marketing and pr and general business organization. this blog is just one of the fruits of those meetings/conversations. p.s. i hate my picture in the photo.



i'm saving my "about jane" for another blog entry. stay tuned.

too good to be true?

ok, so i'm going there. i'm pretty sure 99.9% of all brides will feel compelled to diet in order to look their best on their wedding day. maybe it's sad, or wrong but it's true. and i'll admit i was one of them. well ladies, just you wait. after having 3 kids i'm here to tell you: YOU LOOK GREAT! your stomach is great and your tush is great so enjoy it while you've got it! trust me.

that said, i've got to wonder about all this scientifically engineered shapewear that's hitting the market. this particular one is called the lytess slimming corrective belt and the makers claim that it has caffeine and shea butter IN THE FABRIC (!) to mobilize fat and moisturize your skin and shave inches off of your torso.

hmmm...the angel on one shoulder is telling me "no way! don't believe it!" but the devil on the other shoulder is saying "quick! get your credit card out. NOW."

you can find more such products at the bliss spa online shop

rain rain go away. no, really.

what a tease those beautiful sunshine filled days were last week! personally, i'm in need of some COLOR! i thought a few images of some past jfy lovely springtime bouquets would be a good
counter to the grey rainy skies we've had.

thank you to chris ware photography, nikki nicole photography, robert and kathleen photographers and carla ten eyke photography for these images!

etsy find of the day

i love etsy. its like a cool craft fair right in your living room. you'll probably hear me refer to the site or post things i've found there frequently. while i am certainly not suggesting brides forgo flowers for their wedding party boutonnieres these ones made from buttons and twigs that i found on etsy are really adorable. and i was thinking they could be super cute and practical (read: durable) for the younger members of the bridal party who can be, shall we say hard on their clothes and things on their person.

bloggalicious!

i am so excited to welcome you to our brand new just for you weddings blog. i have long been a fan of jane's work...and i'm not just saying that because we are related (i married one of her nephews waay back in 2001 ;)! i recently moved to connecticut from nyc and am so so happy to be working with jane and the just for you team. i often tell jane that i want a "do over" for my own wedding and not because my own wedding wasn't beautiful...it was if i do say so myself...but because i see all the wonderful designs she creates for brides week in and week out. without fail they are stunning. our hope is that this new blog will allow us to keep everyone updated on the weddings we've done, the work we're up to and also hopefully inspire you with not only flowers (no duh!) but other wonderful wedding ideas and products that we find.

that's it for the first post. short and sweet, right? thanks for visiting and please leave comments and stay in touch. we love hearing from you.