No 318: the Emergency Kit

100 Layer Cake is always featuring the best DIY projects, and this bridal emergency kit is no exception. A template for the packaging is available on the website, but then you have to decide what to put in it! As someone who is always carrying an emergency kit, I'll let you in on a couple of my "must have's".

Benadryl: You never know who's 'llergic.
Ibuprofen: You never know who's hungover.
Tide/Shout wipe (whatever your laundry room allegiances lie): You never know who's still drunk.
An ace bandage and athletic tape: You know someone's going to sprain their ankle in their shoes.
A sewing kit, or, given the amount of space, a pre-threaded needle with color-appropriate thread.
Band-aids, for obvious reasons.
Chewing gum and dental floss.
Saftey pins, a little double-sided tape and packing tape, which can repair nearly anything.
Bobby pins and a small, non-aersol can of hairspray.
Clear nail polish, for stocking runs, fabric rips and general disaster.
Tissues: You never know who's going to cry the hardest.

Of course, there are plenty of other things you'll want to keep on you, too, like makeup for touchups, and white chalk for disguising any last minute splotches on your dress, but if you've got all those things handy, you'll be ready for nearly anything. And trust me, the emergency kit always gets used.

No 317: Real Wedding: Caroline and Keating, Part II

Following a Thanksgiving rehearsal dinner, the rest of the guests flocked to Charleston, South Carolina for a weekend of lovely meals and drizzle. The wedding was held on the grounds of Middleton Place Plantation, and to keep the interior ceremony feeling warm despite the rain, candles alone illuminated the space, brightened by white flowers. Caroline's sister, Sera, officiated the ceremony, which was held in front of the most breathtaking fireplace I've ever seen. The bride, dressed in Monique Lhuillier, incorporated her favorite color, navy, in sandals by Christian Louboutin and Graff sapphire and diamond earrings, and kept warm in a gorgeous J. Mendel fur capelet. The stunning white bridesmaid dresses were at the request of the bride and the horror of her attendants-she finally chose a single "white" from Thread's fantastic bridesmaid collection to help narrow the choices.

The tented reception, coordinated by Calder Clark of Blue Moon Events, featured a beautiful mix of silver and glass vessels for peonies, garden roses, lilacs, anemones, and hydrangeas, designed to mismatch perfectly. Cold drinks were served in Mason jars as a nod to Caroline and Keat's Southern roots, and more candles in the tent and suspended in hurrican jars outside created a gorgeous glow. Thanksgiving seems like such a perfect time to celebrate your love, and Keat's L'arc de Triomphe proposal could not have culminated in a more beautiful day.

Images by A Bryan Photo. 

No 316: Real Wedding: Caroline and Keating, Part I

Captured by A Bryan Photo and heavily featured in Martha Stewart Weddings' Fall Issue and online content these past few months, Caroline and Keating's Thanksgiving celebration is absolutely lovely. These photos, taken of the rehearsal dinner (which actually fell on Thanksgiving) are a perfect preview for the elegant event I'll post tomorrow.

No 315: Home Sweet Home

There's no place like home, and when home is a Norman Rockwell-ian town on the Eastern Seaboard named after a berry, the longing can be surprisingly strong. The photos of stately, colonial homes, tree-lined streets and Brainerd Lake are a perfect anecdote for homesickness. And one day, crazy as home prices are, John and I dream about moving back to Cranbury ourselves. One of those little colonials on Main Street, hardly bigger than most two-bedroom apartments in San Francisco, would be the perfect place to host a big family Thanksgiving, throw a festive Christmas party and enjoy the season's first snow.

No 314: the Leftovers

Three pies, two pounds of potatoes, one pound of green beans, a pile of Parker House rolls and one eleven and a half pound turkey behind me; Leftovers all proof that I successfully pulled off my first solo Thanksgiving (but did you really have doubts?). A few "thanks" in particular:

Thank you, Mama, for teaching me how to cook and to never be afraid to roast something (what is it but putting a bird in a hot oven and virtually ignoring it?).

Thank you, Charlie, for demanding more potatoes every year. John has already eaten the little leftover smashers there were.

Thank you, Dad, for teaching me how to drink good wine. We couldn't finish it all, but we certainly had some.

Thank you, Becky and Aaron, for opening your home and letting me take control of your kitchen. Rebecky, you'll teach me to delegate if it kills me.


And thank you, John. For everything.


To cold pumpkin pie for breakfast for the next week!

No 313: Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's a "Happy Thanksgiving!" to all you readers. For those of you close by, know how glad I am to be spending the day with you. For those of you far away, know that I miss you terribly. I am thankful for all of your love in my life.

Image c/o Martha Stewart.

No 312: the Thanksgiving Invitations

Chellé Paperie, a gorgeous little stationer who also writes a fantastic eponymous blog, created these beautiful Thanksgiving invitations; the response cards include space to jot down the dishes you'll be bringing! Katie's adorable shop is based in Baltimore and these lovely invites make me yearn for both a beautifully roasted turkey and eating it at my cousin Maria's.

No 311: the Milkmaid Press

More paper goodness from Milkmaid Press! Kristen Nichols is also the photographer behind Jubilee Photography, Haute Boudoir and the fabulous blog, All Things Lovely-does the woman have any free time? Her designs are not only beautiful, they're affordable letterpress, which is virtually unheard of. I adore the silhouettes of the first suite, called "J'taime", and the sunny yellow color (and difficult to see polka dots) in the second, called "American Splendor" is perfect for an early summer afternoon affair.

No 310: the Lucky Luxe Papers

Wedding-obsessed readers will remember Lucky Luxe for their incredible handkerchief save-the-dates first posted last February, but I have come across some of their more traditional correspondence recently and it's been burning a hole in my proverbial pocket! The typefaces alone are to die for, but Erin Raspberry Napier has such a beautiful, vintage aesthetic. When I showed a few samples to John today, he quietly exhaled and said, "That's exactly what I want my bourbon label to look like."

A nod of approval if I've ever heard one.

No 309: Real Wedding: Danielle and Garett

In celebration of the upcoming holiday, I wanted to bookend Turkey Day with two fantastic fall weddings. The first, uniting two creative minds who met in San Francisco, was held in at Land's End in Golden Gate Park and Suppenküche, a German restaurant just blocks from the San Francisco Conservatory (where I happen to matriculate). Photographed by Lacie Hansen and first spotted on 100 Layer Cake, this wedding is truly a celebration of San Francisco in the fall. The bride, Danielle, the gifted florist of Brown Paper Design based in Los Angeles, worked with San Francisco florist Erica Rose to create all the lovely flowers and the stunning altar wreath, but she got lucky with all the beautiful Oktoberfest installations created each year by the owner of Suppenküche. Tracy Radeff McConnell, an event planner and friend of the bride who should clearly go into fashion design, created the most stunning gown and delivered it just before the wedding. And the vintage fur shrug? Borrowed from this fabulous Tracy. Garett, the groom, of Clear Image Printing (could this wedding have been any easier to put together?) created the gorgeous invitation suite and a beautiful map of the City. It's rustic but modern, infused with elements of both hayrides and city living. Doesn't it make you want to drink a beer and eat a sausage?