Come Fly with Me to a Vintage Wedding

A few weeks before getting married Mark and I had to choose our "first dance".  We wanted a song that we could really dance to and with a meaning that we could identify with.  We considered songs by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, John Mayer and then we considered Come Fly With Me, by Frank Sinatra and then later Michael Buble.  

Come Fly With Me struck a few notes with us, the vintage vibe corresponded with the aesthetic we had designed for the reception and I appreciated the tie to Frank Sinatra which I link with my dad and grandparents, the song is a classic and won't likely be one we'll laugh about twenty years from now, and the lyrics were about taking off on a journey, and doing it together. 

Once I get you up there where the air is rarified
We'll just glide, starry-eyed
Once I get you up there I'll be holding you so near
You may hear angels cheer 'cause we're together

Weather-wise it's such a lovely day
You just say the words and we'll beat the birds
Down to Acapulco Bay
It's perfect for a flying honeymoon, they say
Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly
Pack up, let's fly away!!

This song, and it's vintage vibe and love for travel inspired this new wedding inspiration board.  

Come Fly With Me to a Vintage Wedding by dailybatch featuring vintage style jewelry

The vintage travel posters  will set the tone and and theme for the day and are supported by the collected over time accessories like the vintage typewriter, camera, luggage, card boxes, and linens.  The centerpieces and florals have a home grown feel in vintage milkglass vases, and hand tied lavender bouquets.  Also, how great are the sweet treats of milk and cookies (vintage milk bottles!) and that travel inspired cake?   

After the cake is cut and the last picture is taken the inspired couple can take off with the wind in their hair on the back of a Vespa and jetset to their honeymoon in style with chic luggage and passport cover.

Inspiration can be found anywhere, as long as you're looking for it!

This weekend we  went on a home filling "road trip".  We drove out of DC to Leesburg, VA to visit the famed Old Lucketts Store, purveyors of the vintage and hip.  Settled on a large piece of land there is a main house that is open 7-days a week and on the first weekend of the month they host a Design House Event.  Both "homes" feature antique, salvaged, and made to look antique home furniture, decor, and accessories.  I am a sucker for the accessories and knick-knacks.

This weekend was a design house weekend and as I kept exclaiming to Mark I loved each room more than the one before it - which is to say, my love kept growing and growing.  

A few styles ran through out the house, there were some breezy, rooms with "by-the-sea" cottage inspired accessories and colors, some with brilliant colors and swaths of bright fabrics, and others still with a more sophisticated and romantic finish balanced with masculine, dark furniture.

Image from Lucketts Blog

Image from Lucketts Blog

Image from Lucketts Blog

It's hard to explain how I could have loved  each room, as on the surface their styles were each so different.  However, their unifying theme was that they were all "just right" without being perfect.  Rarely did more than two pieces match, and often the accessories challenged and enhanced instead of just filling space, and most of all each room gave the feeling that there was a story behind each piece, and that is what I love.  There was no one-stop-shop feel of going to a catalog and ordering everything on the page and being done with the house. 

On this trip we picked up a nailhead leather chair, that perfectly fit the bill for what Mark wanted for the living room, and a possibly antique iron soap dish.  Pictures of the chair later, but since I am sure you are dying to see a soap dish, ta da!

Fancy Iron Soap Dish - personal photo

The design house also inspired us to find some vintage/old world oversized maps for our walls, and a coffee/occasional table to pair with our new chairs!  This is definitely a work in progress as I think any truly great home should be.

Art Imitating Life, on TV

Okay, so true confession, I have never seen an episode of Mad Men.  I never picked up the show when it first came on, my Sunday's were being dedicated to really brilliant stuff over on ABC...  But, either way, I understand the premise from 30,000 feet - Don Draper, the suave, sexist man of the 1960's and his dalliances at work and at play...  What has really captured my attention is the fashion movement sparked by Costume Designer, Janie Bryant.  Much like Sex and the City, the clothing seem to be a character in the story.

Image from AMC TV

Bryant, and the female leads, have sparked a movement with a fashion focus on feminine dressing, an attention detail and curves.  And while the looks are all designed be early 1960's chic, they could easily be transitioned into today's wardrobe, as evidenced by the campaign by Banana Republic, and the 1960's style First Lady Michelle Obama has infused into her wardrobe.

As I have already shared, I have always had a thing for Camelot-style fashion as made famous by Jackie Kennedy.  A favorite past time is browsing through eBay for their vintage finds.  When friends would have tacky holiday parties, they'd scour the 80's section - my destination was the 1960's department.  Here are some finds from decades past, and a new one with vintage inspiration.

Blue Bombshell Wiggle Dress via Ebay

This is an all out splurge, but I couldn't resist the vintage Christian Dior...

Dior Evening Dress (1955) via Ebay

 Or go modern, with vintage inspiration...

Black Halo Jackie O Dress via Pink Mascara

King and Queen of America

There is no American icon I enjoy more than Jackie Kennedy, and by extension John F. Kennedy, Caroline, John Jr, and the brothers Robert and Teddy.

I think my interest stems from my dad's tendency to tell stories of the 1960's glamour and coming of age, (before his stories of civil rights, civil unrest and the Viet Nam war - but we'll save that history lesson for another day), and also because I don't think there is any American, or otherwise, woman who has personified timeless style better than Jacqueline Kennedy. Besides, who doens't love a square jaw and sharp features :)

I stumbled on this picture today on another blog, Snippet & Ink and had to share it.
This photo and many, many more amazing photos of the entire Kennedy family can be found at here. You'll love it, I very easily lost track of time.

Go vintage

It's officially summer and nothing says summer like trading in your metro cards for evening walks, or bike rides. Two months ago, Mark and I bought bikes. The plan was for us to both ride to work at least 3 days of the week. I haven't ridden in once. To his credit, he rides every day (Updating on Twitter @DCBikeTest). It's very impressive.

Prior to the bike purchase, I campaigned pretty heavily for a motorized bike, specifically a Vespa. Two summers ago we had a Vespa. When Mark bought it on Craigslist, I was all "no, no, no". After riding it into the sunset for about 1.5 years, and zipping through DC on the back of that zippy silver bike, when we decided to sell it, I was again all "no, no, no". (True confession, I actually cried.)

Something about the Vespa is so Roman Holiday and vintage chic. It's also more city and environmentally friendly than a car. And they are too cute to beat.

Not us, although the resemblance is funny. I don't ride side saddle - that's ridiculous!

As we get ready to move back into the city I am keeping the Vespa dream alive, perhaps next spring. Ciao bellos!