{One Love Photo via Once Wed}

And now, some unsolicited advice for all of my newly engaged readers out there, not the least being my sister Kate.

1. Don’t think about wedding planning for at least a week. Seriously. There will inevitably be a moment (or more than one moment) in the next few months when you’ll wish you had never heard of that thing called a wedding, so take a week to just enjoy your new status.

2. Say no to the hand-extended-over-the-keyboard ring shot and yes to a better way, courtesy of Anne Ruthman. Instructions here.

3. Start spreading the news. Start with your parents, and then move out in concentric circles from there: siblings, other family members, friends.

4. Give some thought to an ideal wedding date. Take into account things like school and work schedules, the schedules of family and friend VIPs, and your preferred season. Keep in mind that many of the best vendors book more than a year in advance, but don’t get discouraged if you ultimately settle on a shorter timetable.

5. Likewise, give some thought to must-haves and non-negotiables. Your list could include vendors, like a church, pastor, or photographer you absolutely have to have, or less tangible elements, like the desire for a laid-back or super-swanky reception. This will help with the budgeting process down the road.

6. And finally, my personal favorite: subscribe to wedding blogs (selectively). I have a whole slew of my favorites listed in the left sidebar, but before you subscribe to all 20, spend a few days picking out one or two that seem to resonate with you and the kind of wedding you think you want. They all have different personalities, you know. Then, once you’ve found a blog you really love, pay attention to the blogs they love and link to, and when you’re ready to add another to your subscription list, you’ll know where to go. For example, I’m suggesting Kate subscribe to Style Me Pretty, because it is the granddaddy (or mommy) of wedding blogs and will help her get acclimated to the ways of the wedding world quickly. I’m also suggesting Once Wed, because Emily does a great job of featuring the type of laid-back, relaxed, but still detail-filled weddings that I think Kate’s leaning towards.

Feel free to add your own piece of unsolicited advice in the comments!

{One Love Photo via Once Wed}

BIG news in the Peach & Pearl family! Sister Kate and her boyfriend of seven years, Cormac, are engaged! Yippee!! This will be the first wedding in our immediate family, and everyone is understandably quite excited. Expect to hear much more about the planning as it unfolds, starting this afternoon with my tips for the newly engaged.

But in the meantime, please help me wish them a very hearty congratulations!

{Click to enlarge!}

I know some of you are ready to pack away summer and be done with it now that Labor Day weekend has come and gone. But where I live, it is 90 degrees today. Ninety! That does not scream fall to me. So this week and next week I’ll have lovely summer-inspired boards for you, and then on the 22nd (next Tuesday, the official beginning of fall), we’ll celebrate the start of a new season with a bang, okay? Good.

This board’s dreamy hues and soft, sunlit photography really make me think of the last long days of summer (interestingly, kind of like this board’s dreamy hues make me think of the first weak shafts of sunlight in spring). Are you ready for fall or would you hang on to summer forever?

The Details
First row, left to right: portrait by Casey Hyer via Once Wed; centerpieces by A. Hana Design; sauternes sabayon from Martha Stewart Weddings

Second row: popsicles from Callahan Catering via Oh Happy Day; engagement portrait by Kristin Marie Photography via Style Me Pretty

Third row: portrait by One Love Photo via Once Wed; escort card display by Martha Stewart Weddings; portrait by Our Labor of Love

Fourth row: lemon tassies from Martha Stewart Living; lemonade from Rebecca Thuss; ring shot by OLOL

via {This is Glamorous}

Good morning, my lovelies! It’s the start of another week. How were your weekends? I went hunting for a dress for my cousin’s wedding (in vain, sadly), browsed a massive flea market, and had a picnic in the park at a free symphony pops concert. It was delightful. Lots of good things coming up this week, including photos from the flea market (and details about what I bought!).