Mmmm.....Marshmallows

Looking for that special dessert for your wedding dessert bar or need an accessory for that candy bar? I've found exactly what you need. Mia Mallows is a store which sells gourmet marshmallows in flavors like lemon, peanut butter, strawberry, banana, peach, coffee, and pina colada. Not to mention she has gourmet apples (as in covered in all the goods, like chocolate, snickers, and m&m's) and gourmet chocolate covered strawberries too!

Here's a few sample shots of her work, but you can order it yourself at her Etsy store under vendor name: MiaMallows. She's currently having a summer sale where you can get 36 pieces for just $20 (on sale from $25). So hurry up and visit!

Don't Look a Gift Elephant in the Mouth...

...that's what they say isn't it or is it horse?!?! Anyway, I got an email today about a new website called Gift Elephant. It's a website that's going to be quite the present for newly engaged couples--no pun intended. It's basically a gift tracker. For free, you create a website that will keep track of gifts you've given and send you reminders for any occasion; remember who gave you what (for birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings); create and mail real postcards on your behalf; manage your thank you notes; and more. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like the perfect place to manage the million gifts you'll undoubtedly get between your engagement party and wedding. And it sends your thank you notes for you? I wouldn't say it's the appropriate thing to do for wedding gifts, but if you're the couple who will undoubtedly not send thank you notes (a total no-no) this is better than nothing.

If you sign up and use this service before me, please send me a message at triedandtrueweddings@gmail.com and tell me what you think. Thanks a ton!

Shabby Chic Wedding

You must stop over to Style Me Pretty and take a look at this amazing shabby chic wedding...it was done specifically for a photo shoot, and it's absolutely marvelous with details galore. There are so many details and diy projects you could emulate in your own wedding.

This link goes to the first of four posts for the wedding. If you visit today (Wednesday, 7-29-09) just go to www.stylemepretty.com and scroll down a bit to view all of the 5 posts minus the first (you'll have to go to the second page to view it).

Creativity Flourishes at Emersonmade

I'm always stumbling onto AMAZING sites out of nowhere, and this one is no exception! Emersonmade is a fantastic place to look for that special flower addition...to your clothes, to your hair, anywhere! But I'm not talking the kind with a stem that grows out of the ground, I'm taking a beautiful, giant fabric flower (in varieties of peonies, poppies, and more).

Here are a few of my personal favorites!


And flowers aren't just for girls....


What's more is, she also makes....


And the best news is, Emersonmade is also coming out with a clothing collection soon, so keep your eye out!

When I emailed her to let her know I absolutely adore her work, she told me that her work ranges in price from $15 to $75 (and more in some cases) but that's pretty reasonable if you ask me. She also informed me that she offers a 10% discount to brides ordering more than 4 flowers for themselves and/or their bridesmaids. So go take advantage of it!

To buy her work, visit emersonmade.com and place an order (or pre-order if she's sold out--she guarantees you'll get your flower within about 2 weeks) or you can browse her amazing designs on her blog, http://emersonmade.blogspot.com. If you write to her, let her know Amber sent you!

Advice from Former Brides-To-Be #3

Shante' is one of my greatest friends. We met while our boyfriends (at the time) were stationed together at boot camp, and even in the same platoon. We met over a military website and kept each other up to date on any information we'd heard (fyi we couldn't speak to them for over 3 months). The only time we've actually hung out together is at bootcamp graduation almost 2 years ago, but we have stayed in contact ever since, and I don't know what I'd do without her. In fact, she's going to be one of my bridesmaids at my wedding!

Recently married and recently moved in to her new home in California, I asked Te' to fill out one of my questionnaires. I am so thankful she was excited to do it and responded right away. She doesn't have her wedding pics back yet, but as soon as she does (which should be any day now) I'll make sure to post them for all of you!

1. Name of you and your groom: Shante' & Nate.
2. Wedding and reception location: Ceremony-Rockton, IL at the River Chapel, and Reception-Belvidere, IL at the Belmar Country Club.
3. Date of your wedding: July 11, 2009.
4. What advice would you give a bride-to-be? Make a logical budget and stick to it! Otherwise, chances are that you'll overspend. If there's an item you really want that doesn't fit in your budget, you'll have to figure out where you can cut costs in other areas to make up for it--and decide if it's really worth it.
5. What worked really well at your own wedding? We had a cake reception. I was a little worried that it might not turn out well, but we had it four hours after the ceremony which gave the guests time to get some dinner. We also had a candy buffet and everyone told me how creative it was and how much they loved it! It also saved a lot of money because we didn't have to pay for the cost of feeding everyone dinner!
6. What didn't work really well at your own wedding? I hadn't thought that using assigned seating was all that important since I didn't think people would be sitting very much, but I definitely should have used assigned seating for our family members. I had some complaints that my uncles and aunts weren't able to watch our first dance because they arrived late and had to sit at one of the back tables.
7. Did you add a special touch to your wedding that made it unique? Yes, my color scheme. It started at red and faded through shades of pinks all the way to white. I used this color scheme a lot--in the decor, the cake, the candy, and even my bridesmaids dresses. My maid of honor wore red, the next bridesmaid wore watermelon, the next wore candy pink, and the last wore pearl pink. Finally my flower girls wore white.
8. Is there anything else you might want to share with our readers? Another way to save on the costs for a summer wedding: my bridesmaids carried white silk fans instead of a bouquet. I only had to pay for the corsages for the moms, the boutteneirs for the dads and groomsmen (my groom wore his military uniform and so he didn't need one), and my bouquet. The florist threw the toss bouquet in for free.

The bride left blank a question regarding DIY projects, but maybe she isn't remembering her amazing wedding invitations, which she designed herself! She's currently studying advertising and has been dabbling in graphic design since I met her. If you have the tools to do this, and the capability to design something that looks professional, I think it's a great way to save money and get exactly what you want.

Thank you Te' for sharing with us!

Also, if you are recently married and would like to share about your wedding and any advice you have for brides-to-be, just email me and I'll make sure to get the questionnaire out to you asap. I love getting the opinions from people who know what they're talking about, from real life experience! My email is triedandtrueweddings@gmail.com.

Tales from the Inside....Engaged Encounter

Well it's 3:00pm and we are finally home from our Engaged Encounter, with official diplomas (well really they're just certificates). In our last day there, we got up early as usual, had breakfast, then did two more presentations, then brunch, then we wrote a letter to a person/couple who has been a great example of married life and who has been an inspiration to us in our own relationship.

They gave you the opportunity to write one letter together or two separate. We did one together, to Guillaume's grandpa and his late wife (G's grandma). It was probably the most moving event of the whole weekend. G's grandparents (though I only met them once in Quebec) were the sweetest, most giving people, and you could tell how much they loved each other and wanted the best for those around them. His grandpa took us ice skating and showed us his picture collection--he even took a photo of us and stuck it in his album; his grandma made sure I was always wearing warm slippers (it's cold in Quebec) and made sure I ate until I was full (it's was hard to get her to stop putting food on my plate). They both sat down and played endless games of rummy with us and it was like we all spoke the same language even though I couldn't understand a word they said. I loved it, and I loved them, and I hope that when his grandpa receives his letter he will feel the appreciation and love we both felt toward them and do towards them still. I know his grandma is looking down right now, and will be looking over us and our marriage always.

Back to classes...we did another talk on forgiveness (apologized to each other), and then did some wrap up activities. In the end, we gathered our certificates, cleaned out our rooms, and headed home. I must say I am almost sad at the fact that we will never see each other again (all 20 of us couples and the two amazing couples who coached us), and I'd be curious to see if we all make it through marriage without divorce. But this weekend will definitely be something G and I will never forget. It has done so much for our relationship, and G (so surprising to me) said he might want to be one of those coaching couples in the future!

So all-in-all, I would definitely recommend the Engaged Encounter to anyone about to get married. It doesn't matter if you're Christian (just be prepared that yes there are questions about God), Catholic, married for the first time, have kids, don't have kids, live together, don't live together, attend church, or don't attend church. G and I were not the poster children for Engaged Encounter at all, but maybe that's why we got so much out of it! While I'm bummed that I didn't get to sleep in all weekend, I would trade that for making our relationship better and stronger any day! I wish you all that same opportunity.

~A

Tales from the Inside....Engaged Encounter

Ok, so once again it's after 10, 10:19pm to be exact and I'm hopping in to bed because we just finished our last session of the night. Since I talked to you last, we did a few more talks, then had a group share opportunity where people anonymously put questions in a box and then they got read and only us engaged couples could answer (instead of the typical 2 married couples and the priest). I don't know how helpful they were to me, but the surprising part was that I found out a lot of the couples here are made up of 1 catholic, 1 non-catholic...which surprised me for some reason. Then after group share we had mass (OMG if they were this quick in real life I'd always be at church on Sunday) and I really liked it. G even said he'd go to church with me on Sundays if I wanted him to. Wow. If you know G this was a big step! I think I might actually like going with him on Sundays if we can find a church with a priest like Fr. Moisant.

Then, once that was over we had to leave for awhile and came back to a dark room with a heart in the middle that was outlined in votive candles. Then they told us that there had been couples praying for us this weekend and that each couple had written us a quick letter. That was cute and uplifting. They asked us to each grab a candle (one per couple) and then write a prayer for our relationship (which they say many people use at their wedding). At first, it seemed uncomfortable to me, but the words came pretty easily for both of us. After about 10 mins we wrote our prayer and then stood up so that we could read it to one of the married couples and they could pray with us, while adding a prayer of their own. As we finished, the Father came around and prayed for us once more. It was great to feel like someone else wished us well.

Then they shuffled us out and now it's time to go to bed. I must say I am continually surprised by how great this has been for G and me. It has opened up a lot of topics for us, forced us to communicate better, and made us so happy about our impending marriage. I would really recommend this to all Catholics, and really anyone wanting pre-marital counseling. You can always just skip the God questions if you're not religious....sometimes G does. The couples here are pretty friendly and our married couples have actually been really fabulous! I actually feel that I can relate to them on one level or another.

So I'll write sometime tomorrow on our last bit of the retreat. We're hoping we'll be about by 12 or 2pm at the latest. Then it's about an hour drive to Silverton and another hour drive home. All-in-all this retreat will take up my entire weekend, but I think it was for a good cause. I hope all of you who are about to get married are doing something to help out your relationship, even if you think it's perfect. I can tell you some couples here thought their relationships were perfect, but they still have really valued this experience.

Goodnight!

~A

Tales from the Inside....Engaged Encounter

Well it's 2:27pm on Saturday, and I'm on my first break of the day. First break since 5:45am when I had to get up and get ready, because my roommate needed the shower at 6:30am and we had to be at our breakfast at 7:15am. Yes it takes me awhile to get ready, but it's a good thing I got up early because I had to shave my legs in this tiny little handicap accessible shower (turns out we have the handicap room). Not fun!

Anyway, since this morning, we've had breakfast, and had presentations on "Openness in Communication", "Signs of a Closed Relationship", "Called to be One", "Marriage Morality", and "Decisions in Marriage." I don't remember if I said before, but after each presentation we spend 20 mins answering questions, then meet up with our fiancee and discuss answers for 20 mins. It's a long process, but somehow it goes pretty fast. As soon as we get back from break we have the one G and I are most looking forward to (lol) "Married Sexual Intimacy." Sorry, we've been living together for 2 years and not 18 anymore (I'm almost 24), so you can guess that we're not the good Catholic virgins we're supposed to be. We'll see if they call us sinners, haha. Oh we also played this game on if we agreed on things. G and I had a good amount similar, but a good amount not similar. It'd be great to try with your fiancee.

So ya, that's the latest. We have lots more presentations to go, a chat time with our fellow almost-married couples later (btw there are 20 couples, all close to our age--I'm 23, G's 22--at least within a few years other than one), dinner, confession (I'm not going!), and church tonight. Then I'm sure we'll get up early on Sunday and finish up our weekend. I'll fill you in tonight if I can! For now, I'm going to bed for an hour.

~A

Tales from the Inside....Engaged Encounter

Ok so it's 10:52pm and I just got back to my room (finally) and here's the recap. It actually hasn't been too bad. We all had to introduce ourselves and our fiancees and then tell what attracted them to us in the first place. It was interesting to hear the stories and see how the couples interacted. Then we went through two of these "classes" or really pre-prepared speeches by the couples on different topics. After each speech/presentation you take 20 mins apart to prepare answers to the questions they give you. Then after 20 mins you meet together, read each other's answers, and then talk about them. I must say, this has been really great for G and I and I'm loving hearing what he's thinking.

It's over now (remember I said how late it is) but the worst news is that they come around and knock on our doors at 6:30am tommorrow (hello, it's a Saturday!) and breakfast is at 7:15. Needless to say I am grumpy just thinking about it. Especially because I take awhile to get ready and because they advertised breakfast was at 8am on the fliers. What happened to being honest Catholics? lol. So while my roommate gets ready for bed, I post this blog, and wish that anyone out there who is religious give me the strength to get through tomorrow without punching someone out of tiredness.

I'll check in with you tomorrow sometime. Have a great weekend!

~A

Tales from the Inside....Engaged Encounter

Ok, so I'm officially here in Eagle Creek at the Collins Retreat Center. We're nestled in the forest outside of Mt. Hood, so at least it's not super hot here. G and I checked in, got our name badges, laid out our snack (everyone brings a snack for the group), and got into our rooms. I'm in Room 1 with a girl named Adriana. That's all I know about her right now, but she seems friendly. G is in Room 12 and with a roommate yet unknown. The couples are starting to arrive and wandering around all "coupled" up. We tried our way down one of the walking paths, only to find ourselves in this big green open area....dumb when we were trying to find some garden. Other couples are meandering around too until our first session at 7:30pm. I'm not sure what I'm in for yet, but at least there's internet, so I'll fill you in as soon as I know. I don't know if I'll have many opportunities to post, but I will when I can. Otherwise you'll get the whole scoop when I get back. I hope the rest of you are enjoying your fun party weekend and looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow. I am SUPER jealous!

Talk to you all soon (I hope)!

~A

Missing....

I am writing to let all of you know that I won't be posting all weekend, because G and I are going to our Catholic marriage prep weekend, called "Engaged Encounter". We're stuck up at a retreat center from Friday at 7:00pm to Sunday at 2:00pm, with pretty much no contact with the outside world. I'm sneaking in my computer, but there's no guarantee that I'll have time to post. I've heard lots of comments online (both good and bad) about it, so I'll give you a full report on Monday.

Until then, wish us well. It'll be the first time in about two years that G and I have been in the same place, but unable to sleep in the same bed....and neither of us are excited about getting up early to spend all day reading Catholic passages!

So please enjoy your weekend while I am Catholic-marriage-prepping away!

~A

A Floral Perspective on a Wedding

..from JL Designs. Carissa always does such amazing things with flowers, and although I've seen this wedding posted on different blog sites, I think all of the photos and explanations on Carissa's site are the best. She actually tells you where she got things or why she did things, etc. I'm actually about to check Ikea for those frames myself.

And on her site she has a variety of floral inspiration so don't just stop with this one.

Inspiration Board: Mustard, Marigold, and Teal

Ok I had to just do a "print screen" for those of you who know what that is, just to get this inspiration board to you. If blogger ever stops being stupid (or who knows, maybe it's my program) I'll get the full quality image to you, but at least now you get the idea. This wedding is laid back and preppy, yet fun and quirky. If I hadn't picked my colors already, I might have had to use these, cause I really like them.

Photos from this inspiration board were taken from: 5eizen (ring pillow), JL Designs(rose bouquet), Amorology Weddings (placecard table), Martha Stewart Weddings (favor packs and bubbles), Blue Ribbon Design (cupcakes), Luvcharlie (dress), Oh So Beautiful Paper (invitations), and more.

As always, if your photo has not been properly attributed, please contact me and I'll get that fixed ASAP. Thanks!

Sorry Guys!

I actually made a really great inspiration board for you guys and I can't get blogger to upload it correctly. It's turning the whole thing blue. So I apologize. I had a blog for you, I promise. I'll try to get it fixed as soon as I can, or as soon as blogger realizes they have a problem to fix.

Losing Weight for the Big Day

You hear it every time someone gets engaged--"Are you trying to lose weight to fit into that dress?" For me the answer is, not yet...but soon! I'm not fat by any means, nor am I dissing anyone who's overweight, but in the last six months I've gained some pounds that I definitely want to lose before the big day, and if I can lose a few before engagement pictures, even better! Problem is, I'm addicted to carbs and sweets and I don't have a lot of self-control. I started working out with my Wii Active (which I do recommend if you can't afford a gym membership) but it's not going to take off the pounds as fast as I'd like. I need to change my eating habits first.

If you've been following Rustic Refined (my friend Kristin's blog) like I suggested, she recently wrote about how to lose weight and eat healthy. She used to work at LA Weight Loss, so I trust her, and if you see her, well ya you'd do anything she said to look that good. Anyway, I asked her to give me my "new" diet, which I'm determined to try.

Per day, this is what I get to eat: 2.5 servings protein, 4 servings vegetables, 3 servings fruit, 2 servings starch, 1 serving dairy, 1 serving fat, and 8-8oz glasses of water.

Talk about a total change from my usual diet! Because the rest of our week is going to be crazy and we're gone all weekend at our Engaged Encounter (it's a Catholic wedding prep class), we (yes we, because I couldn't do this if he was eating pizza next to me) decided not to start the diet until Tuesday next week (can't do Monday, unless we get back early enough Sunday to go shopping for lots of new food). I shouldn't do this, but I told G that I'm going to eat all my junk food now, so that it doesn't go to waste--hey I just bought cookie dough the other day! If you knew how hard it's going to be for me to practically go vegan, you'd understand.

I plan to keep you all updated on how my quest to shed the pounds goes. If you have a story about wedding weight loss or wedding diets (ones that work or don't work), I encourage you to email them to me at triedandtrueweddings@gmail.com so that I can post them up for our readers. Also, if you have encouragement for me, I definitely want to hear it!

Oh and to Melissa Rycroft (Dancing with the Stars and the Bachelor) who said she heard that the stress of wedding planning will cause you to lose weight, I am completely in disagreement! That, or I want your body/metabolism, lol.

50 Money-Saving Tips

Martha Stewart and her staff pretty much know everything, so when I got this in my email as the "Tip of the Day" I was so excited to share it with all of you. She shows you 50 ways to save money, and honestly there were a few I wouldn't have thought to write on my list.

I didn't have the time to re-write everything off her list and copy pictures to blogger as well, so instead, I'm making it far simpler. Click here to view 50 Ways to Save Money on your wedding. I guarantee this will be a resource you won't want to miss!

Writer's Note: You can sign up for these "Tip of the Day" emails from Martha Stewart Weddings on their website for free and you'll get inspiration 365 days a year with no effort out on your part.

More Etsy Finds

It's been one crazy weekend (filled with people staying the night at my house for 3 nights in a row, dinner dates, movies with G and Alli, lots of liquor, and a few moments I'd like to forget) so I apologize for the lack of posting once again. Sometimes life just gets in the way.

Just to be nice I'm sharing some finds from Etsy with you, to keep you satisfied until tomorrow.


An invitation suite from twoyellowshoes.


A wedding emergency kit from iluminescents.


French tags from papereclectiques.


A pocket mirror from MadisonCraft.


Hand painted wedding signs from BarbaraKua.


Special varieties of fudge sauce from Bettysfudge.

Great Wedding Inspiration from Elizabeth Messina

Elizabeth Messina is an amazing photographer. If you peruse enough blogs, you'll see that her work has been featured at some point on all of them. Well it's no different here at Tried and True. She has her own blog, entitled "Kiss the Groom" which is always showcasing her great photos, and many times those are photos of weddings she has worked on.

Her post today had me going, "Wow!", so I just had to share it with you. The event was coordinated by Rochelle Marie's Events By Design. Here are two pictures as a sneak peak. Check out the entire post here.


I hope her post gives you inspiration, as it is amazingly designed and photographed!

A Second Dress

I haven't even gone looking for my wedding dress yet, but in fairness, I still have over a year until the big day. I've thought up what I want it to look like, the color, and more. But today, I was totally surprised. I got an email from David's Bridal (warning, they send you like an email a day once you sign up with them) showcasing some of their dresses, and I saw an amazing Second Dress. By Second Dress, I mean that one you switch into at the reception. I wasn't originally planning on having one, but if I'm able to save a little bit of money on my regular gown, this dress is just $399 and a splurge I can probably afford! If you're a friend of mine, hands off because I don't want to be sharing the same dress as you (sorry I know I can't claim it, but unless you truly love it too, please leave it for me!). It's just perfectly fitting for my body type and what I wanted at the reception.

So yes, enough anticipation, but here it is!

I absolutely love the dress and the bolero that goes with it. I even agree with the strand of pearls and the birdcage veil. Substitute me for the model and I think that's exactly what I want to look like at my reception. I totally wasn't planning on this, but isn 't it great how life sometimes throws you exactly what you need when you're not looking.

Is anyone else out there thinking about having a second dress???

A New Blog!

No...not mine. Do you really think that I have time for two? I can barely handle one.

Anyway, one of my great friends and former/current clients Kristin is starting her own blog. It's called Rustic Refined and it will feature a whole bunch of everything...so you definitely won't get bored. She's just starting up, so keep that in mind when you don't see 10 pages of content, but she's already posting about Pooch Parties. How much more interesting can you get than that?


In addition, she will be doing a few step-in posts for me when I'm away on vacation or too busy to post myself. This way the site is always up to date with fresh content. I'm really excited for you to hear her take on things, especially because she has been through the wedding process, and will have a lot of great personal stories and advice.

Another great addition to the blog is that one of my best friends, and someone who has already given her advice on Tried and True as a former bride, is going to do a few pieces on travel--i.e. honeymoon planning, honeymoon locations, travel tips, and more. She's in the middle of currently moving to Spain for a year, so these posts may be few and far in between, but while she's not writing here, you can read her blog, Breathe the World, here!


They are both brave girls for entering the world of blogs along with me, and I am sure you will all learn much from them!

An Amazing Find!

I was perusing Amy Atlas's blog, and found a ton of great things, one of which was fabulous! It's called Layer Cake Shop and it's a store online that sells a ton of amazing bakery-related items. They have everything from cupcake liners, to cupcake boxes, to cake layer boards, to sprinkles/jimmies, baking twine, and more. They even have these great cupcake and cake kits! I'm attaching some photos below, but you'll have to go here and check out everything for yourself! I know I'll be buying some items from here for my own wedding!

Envisioning Your Menu

So it's back to my little book of lists from The Knot for today's piece of wisdom.

When it comes to envisioning your menu, what do you need to ask yourself?

1. What meal do we want to serve? Dinner reception, brunch, lunch, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres only, and desserts only are common options.
2. What kind of food do we like? Think about both of your favorite foods, flavors, restaurants, and use this information to decide what will best capture your palate preferences. Or if you want your wedding to be more about what food your guests will want, think of them and their preference.
3. What type of service do we want? Decide whether a casual buffet, a family-style seated meal, or plated dinner complete with waiters is what you want.
4. How many courses will be served? Supposedly (according to the book) a traditional reception meal is a sit-down four course menu: appetizer, soup, entree, and dessert. Other courses may include hors d'oeuvres, salad, fruit, cheese, and pasta. Personally, I don't think I've ever gone to a wedding which had more than 3 tops. So don't feel like you have to go all out, if it's not in your budget.
5. What entrees will we offer? Standard options include beef, chicken, or seafood. But you could also go for pork, lamb, or pasta. Also, if you can't settle on one or two, ask your caterer about a duo plate, meaning you get smaller portions of two different entrees on the same plate.
6. Does anyone have any dietary restrictions? Consider your vegetarian guests and those who keep kosher or halal when mapping out your menu. However, if you're like me and know that it's extremely unlikely anyone would even be vegetarian at your wedding, it doesn't have to be a big stresser. Just make sure you'd have something there they could eat, just in case you were wrong.
7. How will food be served at the cocktail hour? Remember that you'll usually want a mix of cold and hot hors d'oeuvres, and that everything should be easy to handle. You have the option of passed hors d'oeuvres (by a waiter), hors d'oeuvres tables, and food stations.
8. What kind of dessert will we serve? If you want more than wedding cake, or even something in place of it, consider these options: ethnic treats (say a French croquembouche or a danish dough ring cake), minature bites (mini creme brulees, mini pieces of french toast, mini doughnuts), retro favorites (moon pies and baked alaska), and seasonal items (lemon granita for summer; warm fig pudding in winter). I think it's also fun to do things like pies, or multiple types of cakes, candy bars, and foods like chocolate mousse or small cookies.
9. How will we serve dessert? Will it be plated and taken to each place setting? Or can you simply lay out a piece for everyone at a dessert table or even more, allow them to grab their own size bite?
10. What type of dishes do we want to use? Consider china and silver for a formal sit-down dinner, or colored glass dishes for a more laid-back affair.
11. Can we bring in our own alcohol? It's a great way to save on wedding expenses, but you'll need to check with your location/venue, because it's rare that they actually allow you to do it. If it is allowed, you'll need to determine how much of each type of beverage you'll serve.

Hope that helps anyone. I personally am doing something very unique and cost-friendly for my own wedding, but like other details of my wedding, I am trying to keep them under wraps, so as not to spoil the surprise. Don't be afraid to do something out of the ordinary or unique with your menu or your food, just make sure that whoever has to eat it won't mind. As my friend Jenipher and I agreed, how the food tasted is the one thing people typically remember about a wedding!

Blog Inspiration

I spend most of my free time perusing blogs. It's how I stay current with what's out there. Well today, by perusing Amorology, I found out about a new blog: Green Wedding Shoes. It is amazing! I mean I hate to say mine's not the best, but we all have our own niche. Hers is finding just so many great weddings and ideas. It's not the same stuff you see everywhere else, but new stuff!

Because I am so slow at making inspiration boards these days, I chose to share one of hers with you. She doesn't post them regularly like Snippet & Ink, but this one was caught in between everything else, and just so good I had to share.


I actually thought about using these colors for my own wedding, because well I look good in navy and was a ballerina, so I can't say anything bad about pink. I think it's a great pick for a preppy bride! And yes, I would somewhat consider myself one.

All I ask is that you don't forget about me while you're checking out her site!

Lots of love!
~A

Shop for Your Wedding at the Supermarket

I was pondering what to show you guys today, and as I know we're all on a budget right now, I thought this piece out of Modern Bride's April/May issue would be perfect! It's called Shop for Your Wedding at the Supermarket.

They insist (and I agree..if you really need to save money) that your local grocery store is full of clever, low-cost ceremony items and reception ideas. Here's what they found:

• Ring Pillow: the toy aisle is filled with stuffed animals that cost little-to-nothing. Simply tie a ribbon around the neck and you've created a cute way to transport your wedding bands.
• Centerpiece: they found pretty azalea plants ($26 for two) in the garden section, near a $10 basket that made them worthy table-toppers.
• Welcome Bag: Grocery stores obviously are full of travel-sized goodies perfect for your welcome bag, but you can also include lottery tickets, playing cards, and more. They stuffed $13 of items in a $2 flower pot for each out-of-town guest.
• Favor: A simple satin bow and a cute label turns a $5 jar of jelly into a sweet farewell treat.
• Place Card: Don't overlook the produce aisle. With a construction paper tag, a pear makes a playful place card. You can do the same with apples or other produce.
• Bouquet: They mixed three bunches of flowers, wrapped the stems with ribbons and voila!--a bouquet for less than $40.
• Dessert: In-the-store cupcakes can be plain, but adding a few fresh berries to the top makes quite a difference.

I might add that you can do a lot with wine bottles (either ones you've already drank, or you can buy some cheap ones)--not only can you recover them with labels and use them as table numbers or favors for your guests, but with empty bottles, you can fill them with a bit of water and stick in a few colorful flowers to use as centerpieces.

Many of you might have also seen the great table numbers made out of empty sauce/soup cans on Once Wed a few weeks ago. This is another cheap yet brilliant idea.

You could also peruse the grocery store for magazines (say garden magazines for a garden soiree, or popular smut magazines for the woman who adores gossip, or golf magazines for the golf lover) and then collect 3 or 4 for each table at the reception. Stack them on top of each other (one this way, one that way) underneath the centerpiece for just something extra (in look)...and who knows, you might actually see your guests reading them!

Finally, not so much grocery store, but local craft or hardware store, this idea is a great one for favors. You can buy fresh wine corks and then you go to your local hardware store (or Anthropologie has some great ones) and purchase some great and colorful, unique door pulls (knobs). Simply screw the knobs/pulls into the corks and you've made your own unique wine stopper for each guest. This craft alone is a very inexpensive one.

The Bridal Event & Mandalena Designs

Sorry about the quick post yesterday guys, regarding the bridal event I went to on Thursday. I wish I could say I got the invite because I'm this really great Oregon blogger (I am; they just don't know it yet!), but I got the invite because I filled out a form at their booth last year.

Anyway, Dosha paired with Oregon Bride Magazine to throw the soiree in celebration of Oregon Bride's 20th Anniversary. This event was SO packed! It was held on the third floor of the Aveda Institute and people kept rolling in. It was so packed that all you could do was push through people--I warned Alli (my 13yr old sister) that this is what it's like to be in a big club when it's full.

First we picked up our goodie bag (mom and I got one for being brides--yes if you haven't heard we're both getting married) which was full of coupons for Oregon wedding vendors. I won't be using many of them, so if you would like to have one of the coupons, let me know. Then we picked up our free glass of wine (we could have had two but I hadn't eaten all day so the one was plenty) and headed to the chocolate fondue bar. It was fabulous. They had marshmallows, cream puffs, pretzels, pineapple, strawberries, rice krispie treats, and more to dip in the chocolate.

Then we stole a space to watch the fashion show (word to anyone that planned that, please give us chairs to sit in next year!) which I showed pictures from in my post yesterday. That was really fun, although I wouldn't say totally applicable to your wedding unless you're going for something pretty out there. This is where I found out I was standing right next to Mandalena of Mandalena Designs. She was asked to create all of the jewelry for the show. And it was gorgeous!

I checked out her website (www.mandalena.com) and she even has a bridal jewelry collection, but I will warn you it's pretty expensive (at least for someone like me--I'm talking necklaces that cost $975). I figured though, that I'd at least show you some photos so that you could use it as inspiration at least. Her work is thoughtful and creative and unique. And if she is still in your price range, she has a store located at Brideport (near Lake Oswego, right off of I-5) where you can look at her jewelry in person.

Here are two photos from her website:


Oh and the event ended with awards given out to the best vendors of 2009 as decided by Oregon Bride readers....and guess what?!? Jordan of Blum Floral Design was named the best florist in the Portland area. You may remember her from several posts, as I absolutely love her work and she's such a sweetie in person!

Hair Fashion Show

Last night I went to a wedding event put on by Dosha Salon and Oregon Bride Magazine, and I'll write all about it shortly, but at the moment I'm running out the door...so this is all you get.

I'm showing you some photos I took of the runway show. There were some very interesting hair styles and if you notice, there are a few dresses made entirely of paper! It was WAY cool. Anyway, I'll write more later, I just hope you enjoy the pics from my no good camera. Sorry guys.

OMG Wedding Templates!

So it's amazing what you find as you click through emails. From one email I was directed to a link at the bottom for Russell and Hazel. When I got to the page, I perused through their selections in the "Wedding Category" and then somehow ended up here. (Honestly I didn't even look at the site much, because I was looking for something wedding related, and wow was surprised with this). It's a list of over 30 pdf files for your wedding, including everything from budget checklists, to emergency kit items, to a list of photos. I downloaded every single one of them, which shows that I think they are a FABULOUS resource. If you would like anything of this nature, or would like to buy any of their items, you have to check it out. You won't regret it I promise! And for FREE, who can say no?!?!

I'm off to a big wedding event in Portland tonight, so I'll fill you all in on how it goes tomorrow!

~A

Beautiful Cakes!

I subscribed to The Bride and Bloom Magazine after the first time I read it....and if you haven't already, you better go here! Anyway, in this issue was a story on Abby Larson, editor of Style Me Pretty (a blog icon) and after reading it I went WOW I wish I had the time to do what she does. Secondly I looked down at her favorite vendors and checked them out.

K Rose Cakes was a vendor she mentioned that I hadn't heard of before, so today I went to her website, and I must say she is fabulous! If you're looking for a French/Parisian cake or something with true elegance and class you should call her or at least use her ideas for something of your own. I know I got a few ideas for my own cake out of it.

I've included a few photos of her work for you to see here. I hope you agree with me! All I can say is I wish I still lived in DC so I could use her...


PS Don't you just love this little cupcake?!??!