I have another sweet giveaway for you, nice mice! There's this cool network of online shops that specialize in niches, so that if one is looking for particular stuff (kids beds, modern pet stuff, kitchen storage ideas), one can hit up these sites and find loads and loads of variety. My favorite of their family of websites, www.allmodern.com, has a number of cute and inexpensive modern treasures that would be perfect wedding gifts for those venturing off the registry. So, for this giveaway, you get A CHOICE of one of these three goodies, either for yourself (a gift from Souris Mariage to you, either for your wedding or just, you know, cause I heart you guys), or to give to a friend for his or her big day.* For the chef, I have a nifty yellow Alessi Super Pepper Vegetable Chopper (above). You stick a pepper or whatever in there, push that green knob a bunch of times, and--tada--diced. I like it. Low-effort dicing. And it just dices smaller and smaller the longer you push on it. Salsa season is coming up, people.For newlyweds and sundry romantics, I have a sweet little set of six heart-shaped ice cream spoons. I know, I know. My teeth hurt from all the sweetness in here! You can get all gooey-eyed and feed each other chocolate.

And for the aesthete, there is this lovely CAKE Node Bowl (sorry for the small photo, but click over, cause it's worth it). It would look delicious with fruit, or suave with your keys and mail...

To enter:
1. Follow Souris Mariage by clicking the "Followers" icon on the right. (You must follow the blog to be eligible to win!)
2. Leave a comment with which of the three prizes above you'd most like, why, and who it's for.
3. Check back next Wednesday for the winner! I'll draw a random number.
4. Sorry, this giveaway is limited to readers in the U.S. or Canada.

Good luck!

* Any kind of big day is good by me.
(Giveaway sponsored by CSN Stores)

Here's a good question for shoesday Tuesday:

Hello Mouse,

I am having a very difficult time figuring out a good pair of shoes to wear with my wedding dress, and since I love your sense of style, I figured I'd shoot you an email to see if you have any suggestions. I am getting married on the beach, so I figured I'd be barefoot for the ceremony, but then I need something to slip into for dancing and dinner and the like, but don't know what! I suppose I had thought of sticking with something flat, for comfort's sake and for ease of dancing but, I have such a deep love for heels I'm having a hard time feeling pretty in a pair of flips flops, no matter how adorned. I am attaching a picture of the dress, too, so you can get an idea of what would go -- the flowers are a light pink and the leaves are a light green, though it all looks ivory in the picture. Thanks so much!

~Noodles

Dear Noodles (hee hee),

I vote no for flip-flops if you're planning to dance. That little piece that goes between the toes, in my experience, causes some truly heinous blisters. I absolutely agree with you on not wearing heels to the beach--if you sprain your ankle in the sand, there goes the evening.

The shoes that came to mind when you send me this, actually, are the same shoes I'm wearing--they're flats, but so adorned that people go "OOOH, CUTE" even while you are trying them on at the store. And while I'm going with Pewter, they also come in "Nude," which is actually a nice, ballet-shoe tone of pink.* (Above: Seychelles Get Outta Town sandals in Nude.) Maybe they'd keep the barefoot vibe going while picking up the fanciness of your dress, and the pink might look lovely with your pink accents.
Or, you might also go with something that picks up the green tones, but watch out: if your dress doesn't come all the way to the floor, flats are a much bolder color statement than heels. The cutaway in these helps (Seychelles Bette in Aqua):
Plus, you know, more roses. For your rosy theme. By the way, this isn't sponsored or anything, I'm just loving the Seychelles lately. For more shoe inspiration, check out Jamie's tutorial here. And I also like these and these.

Also, the caveat to the not wearing heels on sand: wedges. You could wear a wedge heel, and avoid sinking. Like these. Send photos of what you choose!

xo
Mouse

* Or as He-Mouse less delicately observed, "They would be 'nude' if we were pigs."

I love this image of the ribbon room at A New Leaf. Don't you?
Allison and Stewart did a lot to personalize their ceremony. Her mother, quilter, made a ring pillow out of white and ivory silks, and matching pocket squares for the men in the bridal party. They also let their readers choose their own things to read during the ceremony. They ended up with something cool:

"One reading, done by a couple (in love themselves) was a set of love letters written back
and forth by a couple that was 'very much in love.'" Allison says. "The other reader gave a combination of her own words with an excerpt of a text by a French philosopher."
"We also wanted the favors to be specific to us (as architects)--and meaningful--so we decided to handout sketchbooks as a memento of the day," Allison says. "It's an item that we both carry with us everywhere, recording thoughts, ideas, and drawings."

Photography: Jeremy Lawson
Ceremony and Reception: A New Leaf
Dress and Bridesmaids: Vera Wang
Groom's Attire: Hugo Boss
Flowers: A New Leaf
Caterer: Hearty Boys
DJ: Toast and Jam
Cake: Sarah's Pastries and Candies

"Our best man was the groom's brother, younger by eleven years," Allison says. "When it came time for speeches, everyone was surprised by how special his words were. One memorable quote: 'If I'm supposed to be the best man, then how come Allison isn't marrying me? I guess that today, you, Stewart, are the best man.'"

Awwww.
Also, MAC N' CHEESE SPOONS! They got hitched in Chicago on January 2, so can you imagine what a hit these must have been? Mmm.
Part 3 of 4, stay tuned!
(Photography by Jeremy Lawson)

Allison and Stewart, both architects, came up with one of the sweetest vow ideas I've ever heard:
"We asked a friend to be our officiant," Allison says. "He really took the time to craft a ceremony that was personal and meaningful. He surprised us by coming up with an interesting ritual that involved a beautiful small wooden house that was hollowed out inside. After exchanging our vows, we put them inside the house and sealed it (wood glue, clamps, and all). The house that we built during the ceremony is now in our house, with our vows forever sealed inside."
Part 2 of 4, stay tuned!
(Photography by Jeremy Lawson)