Am I the last one to find out that H&M has a home department?! I stumbled upon it yesterday, and was instantly intrigued by their collection of extremely inexpensive pillow covers. Behold:

Pillows can be so expensive, and though the H&M collection isn’t huge, it could be perfect if its options happen to coincide with your decor. These are all between $7 and $15! I know I’m eyeing that floral number, even though I have no idea where I’d put it…

See them all here!

We’ve arrived at the wedding morning!! And oh, what an early morning it was. With an 11am ceremony, and no professionals in site (except caterers), the bulk of last-minute prep was on my family and our relatives and friends. The up-shot? A 5am wakeup call for me, my Dad, my younger sister, and John. Lucky Kate and my mom — they slept in the Harbor, and got to sleep in until Kate’s hair and makeup appointment at 6:30!

So that 5am wakeup call. I set my alarm for 5, with the intention of rolling out of bed, throwing on some clothes, shaking Kim and John repeatedly, and then being out the door by 5:15. Well, 5:15 rolled around. And it was still dark. And I was really tired. And no one else was moving. Then 5:30 rolled around. More of the same. Somewhere between 5:30 and 5:45 the black outside the window lightened to a medium gray, and I decided it was finally time to shake a leg. I believe we made it down to West Shore by 6am, and, as it turns out, the 45 minutes we “lost” weren’t a big deal. Whew!

That part of the morning is pretty much a blur, but I know we made multiple wagon trips across the Island, set out the linens and runners on the guest tables, set out the blankets on the lawn, set up croquet and lawn games, arranged centerpieces on all the tables, strung bunting on the buffets, and set up the sound system, among many other things. I do know that at one point Meredith, the second shooter for the day, arrived, and I’m pretty sure I looked and sounded like a crazy person — basically still in my pajamas, unwashed face, etc. She was as sweet as usual and probably told me it looked like we had everything under control. Thank you, Meredith!!

Speaking of sweet people, my wonderful, wonderful cousins took care of setting up the ceremony site, so we only had one “venue” to worry about. And by 8:30 or 9, we were done! We ran back to the cottage where Kate and my Mom had just arrived, and took turns hopping in the shower. But before we get to that, I want to share a peek at the gents!

Jenna headed straight to the groom’s cottage when she arrived on Island.

She would probably want me to mention that she handed her camera to a groomsman to get this next shot!

That’s right, Cormac showered outside on the morning of his wedding.

Kate tied those rope boutonnieres, and the flowers were from Boothbay Region Greenhouses! The ties were purchased at Macy’s, I believe. Once everyone was dressed, it was time for a few portraits.

Yeah, that last photo pretty much sums up these dudes.

I would also like to give a shout out to one Mr. Josh, groomsman extraordinaire, who I know reads this blog and who I can only imagine was eagerly anticipating his Peach & Pearl debut. Hi, Josh!

Up next: the girls!

All photos by the talented Jenna Cole!

Previously:
We arrive
We prepare
We raise the tent
We rehearse and play wiffle ball
We jump off the wharf
We eat lobster

One of my 101 in 1001 goals is to “cultivate five habits to make my life more green.” I’m happy to say I cultivated my first new habit this month! Instead of Clorox wipes (which are wasteful, because each cloth goes in the trash post-use, and possibly harmful to my environment or the environment in general), I now use J.R. Watkins All Purpose spray in lemon, paired with old rags, to clean all surfaces. The rags go right in the wash when they’re dirty.

Besides smelling delightful and being ammonia, animal-testing, dye, phosphate, and bleach free, this spray cleans like a champ! It’s safe for tile, counters, wood, appliances, sinks, and walls, so it’s pretty much one-stop cleaning in this house now. Plus, the label is pretty pretty pretty.

Anyone have a suggestion for what my next new green habit could be? Here are a few things we already do:

— Turn off as many lights as possible, as often as possible
— Turn the heat down in the winter (approximately 61) and the AC down in the summer (approximately 72)
— Recycle plastic, glass, metals, and paper
— Try to ride our bikes on short errands (admittedly, we could be better at this)
— Use cloth instead of paper napkins at meals (my favorites, usually)
— Bring leftovers to work in reusable containers
— Print on the reverse of a used sheet when possible
— Use CFL bulbs instead of normal incandescents
— Wash all clothes in cold water
— Grow some of our own vegetables and herbs
— Drink water purified with a Brita filter and carried in an aluminum bottle
— Borrow books from the library or read them on John’s Kindle
— Recycle all old electronics, including cell phones and computers (Best Buy takes them for free!)
— Carry home groceries in reusable bags
— Donate or sell old clothes and items instead of throwing them away. We also try to buy used when possible!
— Pay bills and receive bank statements online

A few ideas I’m interested in trying:

— Switching from paper towels to unpaper towels (I KNOW J is going to resist this one)
— Switching from plastic storage containers to glass (coveting these ones)
— Switching from plastic produce bags to muslin ones (like these, these, these, or this one)

What do you think? Any suggestions? I’m all ears!

Bonus for making it this far: a pretty camellia photo from our trip to the Duke Gardens this weekend (with Meredith!).

P.S. If you’re interested in this sort of stuff, I would recommend checking out this post, this post, or this NY Times article.

(Click to enlarge!)

My good friend Caroline is getting married next January in Massachusetts. I’m so excited she’s having a winter wedding! I think they’re beautiful, but quite rare. I’m also excited about her color palette, but I’ll let her tell you a bit more about that. Here are the guidelines she gave me when she asked me to put together an inspiration board:

“Colors: some combination of a deep green, plum or violet, silver, and ivory/white. I like the idea of my two bridesmaids in a shade of silver with more colorful bouquets, but I’m also wary of a silver color washing them out…what do you think? I’d also like to keep a winter-y, natural and organic feel but without doing a literal interpretation of a snow-covered evergreen forest…”

Doesn’t that sound beautiful? In addition to shades of evergreen and plum, I love the idea of incorporating wood elements to bring in the natural and organic feel Caroline is looking for — escort cards tacked to a stack of cut wood, silvery birch elements either in centerpieces or framing the ceremony space, pinecones tucked into bouquets or used as boutonnieres, tree stump rounds standing in for cake plates.

I think gray bridesmaid dresses are beautiful, though personally I would steer clear of a metallic silver because I think Caroline’s right, it might wash out the girls. Plum, as pictured in this board, is another gorgeous option.

Other things I love about this board? The centerpieces of massed carnations in faux mercury glass bowls, the weathered lanterns (which would also be beautiful as centerpieces!), and the ceremony space, with all that weathered wood and those cream pillar candles.

Caroline, I hope this has been helpful! Ladies and gents, if you like this post, you might want to check out the Pinterest board where I’ve been collecting ideas. There’s a gorgeous bouquet, a beautiful winter portrait, and a pair of perfectly purple velvet heels, to start.

The Details:

First row, left to right: ceremony photo by Thayer Allyson Gowdy via Snippet & Ink, photo by Carla Ten Eyck via Elizabeth Anne Designs, rootbeer milk photo by Aaron Delesie via Martha Stewart Weddings

Second row: carnation centerpieces by Blush Floral Design, boutonniere photo by Anna Sawin via Style Me Pretty

Third row: lantern photo by Steve Steinhardt via Style Me Pretty, birch and plum bridesmaid dress photos by Justin & Mary Marantz