I found Oxford Heaven on (again) ETSY. She takes great shoes and works her magic on them using any number of things. In my case, she used grey rosettes, pearls, rhinestones, leaves, hand knotted ribbon, and vintage lace. Aren't they cute?
The base is grey suede, looks pretty silvery, no?
In other news, the bridesmaid corsages are all done. Yes! Mom, Olivia (bridesmaid #3) and I devoted the labor day afternoon to making these little suckers. And they really did take the whole afternoon, believe me. 
It took an hour or so of playing around with the materials to figure how to make them functional. The first hurdle: what to attach them to? Plain old ribbon didn't seem stable enough to really keep them in check. Fortunately for me, I have a super resourceful mom (two, actually, counting Cathryn). She talked a friend/flower lady into selling her some florist corsage bases. It was simple to insert a ribbon over the uggo elastic. 
From there, it was simply a matter of arranging all the flowers and doo-dads to make them look cohesive. We attempted to tie some elements together- my headpiece, the already completed boutonnieres, the huppah (in progress) and my professionally made paper bouquet. We used the vintage grey millinery leaves from my headpiece, the ribbon and feathers from the boutonnieres, salvage huppah fabric, and of course, the beautiful custom made paper flowers from St. Jude's creations to accomplish this masterful feat. Here's a look at the trio together- the maids on the outside, the maid of honor in the middle.
And yes, mom's shelties did play an integral part in the making of these corsages. Witness:
I've almost finished knitting up the colar already. Pictures of the real thing to come! Also, feel free to pass on any books (fiction, good marriage books, cook books, or anything!), art, Christmas ornaments, or general house things that you've loved before but needs a new home. Being thrifty is not a crime! Tay and I would love anything with a history. Don't feel you absolutely must stick to the registries. Some of the most heartwarming and memorable gifts have been handmade, pre-loved, or otherwise unusual. Take for example (my personal favorite), a hand knitted pair of Christmas stockings with our names on them (our first as a couple!). How sweet, thoughtful, and will be cherished for years to come. We've also received some lovely Christmas ornaments (I love Christmas!), and even a few thoughtful gifts that are nods to southern and family tradition. Tradition is so important in making a family, so if any of you wonderful church ladies have traditions you'd like to share with or pass onto us, we would be very honored and thankful.
If all else fails, visit our online registries, located to right side of the screen at the tippy top. Macy's is located in Helena, and Charlotte has well...everything in town! I hope this gives you a better idea of what would benefit Tay and I most. Much love!!!
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Mom found this "primitive three legged stool" in a back corner. It's great for a few reasons-
It's vintage! The real thing.
It's tall, a least a foot. This should make the relatively short cake stand out much better.
It's wood. It will look great paired with Metal pie tins, glass and ceramic plates and dessert trays and these DIY dessert stands that I've posted before:
Those are paper gray poppies and cream colored ranunculus (two of my favorite flowers!) and for added vintage effect, she included some clay orange blossoms. I just love all the little stamens, which it looks like she might have hand painted. Oh and the feathers? Her idea and I think they're perfect! The flowers are all hand made and hand dyed by the artist herself.
The great part about this paper bouquet is that I can keep it around for as long as I want. Maybe someday my little niece or daughter can carry it. The other added benefit is the vast array of colors available. Sure, gray poppies don't exist in nature, nor would many flowers in October. By using paper, I had a much wider selection of flowers and colors available to me. Not to mention, the price for a little, one-of-a-kind piece of art was extremely reasonable!
On top of ordering my bouquet at Saint Jude's Creations, I also ordered an extra dozen of the same flowers to go in the bridesmaids wedding corsages and on the wedding cake. Yay for tying everything together!
Way to go Marie! Thanks for a great wedding nosegay!
