Succulent Inspired Inspiration Board

I happen to love all of these nature-inspired weddings happening nowadays. For my own personal spin on it, I added the colors turquoise and a soft yellow to the normal green, white, and grey palatte. I see this wedding as one which highlights a simple sophistication and a serene mood. It is also a wedding that you could easily dress up or down depending on your own personalities.

Photos in the inspiration board above come from the following sites: JL Designs (cake, boutonneire and bouquet), Ruffled (succulent table decor, grey/yellow bridal party), Green Wedding Shoes (table arrangement), Beth Helmstetter Blog (candles on tree trunks), DanburyLane on Etsy (yellow tutu), and Style Me Pretty (blue shoes).

~A

Packing My Bags...

Yep, I'm off on vacation from tomorrow through Monday...heading up for a little R&R in Wisconsin...another state to cross off of my "haven't visited yet" list. I hope that you all have a great weekend and I will catch up with you and the rest of the blogging world on Tuesday.

~A

Flea Market Style

We talk a lot about weddings here, but sometimes I like to touch on things that may be related to this same point in our life. Today I am talking about decorating your home, and how interior design colors and flea market finds may not only help you decorate your home but also give you ideas for wedding colors/themes.

I'm not sure how my little grocery store in Silverton, Oregon ended up with a new magazine called Flea Market Style (check out their blog HERE) or how I happened to notice it amongst hundreds of other magazines, but I was lucky enough to grab it and fell in love as soon as I saw the cover, let alone the many inspirational pages inside of it. I'm telling you, if you're in love with sites like Etsy or are currently searching local antique stores and flea markets for vintage style items for your wedding and/or home, you will fall in love with the design eye of this magazine.

The magazine listed a great collection of websites related to occasional sales which occur infrequently, and which typically feature stylish collectibles. I've listed them below. I'm also including a list of antique shows/flea markets they recommend in a variety of states. Maybe you'll live close enough to one to stop by. These places can be great for finding decor items for your home or even your wedding. Think of picking up things like old suitcases, cake plates, old windows/doors, furniture, signs, soda crates, and more.

Occasional Sales:

http://www.queenoftarte.blogspot.com/ - Oregon
http://www.oldcrowfarmantiques.com/ - Iowa
http://www.remnantsofthepast.com/ - California
http://www.sagefarmantiques.com/ - New Hampshire
http://www.redshedonline.com/ - Texas
http://www.omustardmoon.com/ - Minnesota

Great Flea Markets/Antique Sales:

The Farm Chicks Antique Show - Washington
Rose Bowl Flea Market - California
Santa Monica Airport Outdoor Antique & Collectible Market - California
Long Beach Outdoor Antique & Collectible Market - California
Junk Bonanza - Minnesota
Junk Jaunt - Nebraska
Mile High Flea Market - Colorado
Marburger Farm Antique Show - Texas
The Original Round Top Antiques Fair - Texas
The Zapp Hall Antique Show - Texas
City-Wide Garage Sale - Texas
The Urban Market Houston Antique Show - Texas
Aberfoyle Antique Market - Ontario, CA
The Utica Antiques Market - Michigan
Oronoco Gold Rush Days - Minnesota
Collector's Paradise Flea Market - Iowa
Third Sunday Market - Illinois
Kane County Flea Market - Illinois
Renninger's Mt. Dora Extravaganza - Florida
Webster Flea Markets - Florida
Montsweag Flea Market - Maine
Hell's Kitchen Flea Market - New York
Renninger's Kutztown Extravaganza - Pennsylvania
Springfield Antique Show - Ohio
Shipshewana Auction and Flea Market - Indiana
DC Big Flea Market - Virginia

If you turn to page 126 you'll even find great ideas for giving "crowd-pleasing presentation" to your desserts, including homemade cake stands, leaning a loaf pan against a wall and setting cupcaks inside of it, and using candlesticks as cupcake stands (what amazing ideas!). Or on page 14 you can learn how to turn old stamps into vintage table number stands. Believe me, if you can find this magazine I think you'll love it too. Oh! And stop by page 18 to see a great layout with the color scheme of cherry red, mocha brown, a yellow/gold, and black which I think could turn into the perfect wedding motif.

Anyway, if you're looking at ways to decorate your new home or working on picking out your wedding decor I think this is a magazine you shouldn't pass up. Let me know what you think about it, or if any of you happen to visit or have previously visited one of the sales/antique shows/flea markets listed above.

And Happy Friday!

~A

Spring Color Trends

As the very smart Sasha Souza once said, wedding color trends are born from fashion color trends, which then migrate to furniture/interior design trends, and finally down to the weddings you and I adore.

So I paid special attention when I received my 2011 Spring Women's Fashion color palette from Pantone, the world's color expert.

I'm not sure exactly how I feel about this year's palate but I think there are a few weddings out there already putting these colors to great use. I'm attaching a few photos for inspiration that include these colors, but I want your input. What do you think of them? Which colors would you put together and why?

(Honeysuckle, Regata, and Beeswax)

(Russet & Coral Rose)

(Silver Peony & Lavender)

(Regatta, Blue Curacao & Silver Cloud)

(Lavender, Peapod & Silver Cloud)

Tips for Making Your Very Small Budget Go a Long Long Way!

I have a friend who knows that her wedding budget is pretty small...about $5000 (since the couple isn't getting any help from their parents and they have low paying jobs) and it's causing her a bit of worry about how she'll make it happen. While $5000 is much lower than the average amount spent on a wedding, it is not impossible to do...if you know some tips on how to save money.

I'm providing a few suggestions below, but these are by no means the only ways to save a little dough. If you have some other suggestions you'd like to provide for her, please comment below. I know she'd appreciate any extra help.

1. Use who you know! One of the first things to do when planning a budget wedding is to look at your close friends and family and see how they might be able to help you out. Can your mom make your wedding cake? Can your aunt do your hair? Will your sister design the programs? Every person you know has some sort of talent (even if it's just being manual labor and setup help) and they're likely more than willing to help you out for free, or give you their services in lieu of a wedding present. The more you can get people to help you out for free, the more you cut on giant expenses. For my mother's wedding reception at her home, her husband's sisters came in and helped her prepare/cook all of the food, while the men bbq'd all of the meat and seafood on a giant grill rented from a local company. This meant that the only expense for the food was the actual cost to purchase it (if you can work with a local company or grocer to order in food at bulk prices even better) and the $150 charge for the bbq.


2. Use venues with minimal charges. Courthouses are free and churches have minimal "suggested" costs (although if you spoke to the priest beforehand about the small budget he might understand a very minimal donation) and usually offer their parish hall/rec room for free. Local parks and recreation areas usually charge a minimal day fee or rent by the hour, or you may have a friend or family member with a great house or large yard that you could borrow at no cost. Look into all of these options, as you may find some great low-cost alternatives. With whatever venue you choose, try to find one that allows you a lot of flexibility and/or provides you with a lot (tables, chairs, linens, etc all add up as rentals, so when they're provided by the venue you save a lot of money).


3. Pick a theme which would lend toward cheaper costs. For example, quirky and creative is really popular right now. Instead of flowers use pinwheels or tissue poms. Decorate the area with large amounts of streamers or paper chains you used to make in grade school (if you know what you're doing this looks really good). Decide on a picnic theme, and ask everyone to bring a blanket to lay out at the ceremony site. After watching you get married, they stay on the picnic blanket and you bring them sack lunches filled with fun foods to eat (maybe more ideal for a lunchtime wedding) and remind them of the fun of being a child. Add in some croquet sets, horseshoes, and bocce ball, and I think people may think your wedding was the funnest and most interesting they'd ever been to. No one will ever think you didn't spend enough on your wedding, and no one will complain about anything if you wow them with creativity/something they haven't seen before.


4. Look to sights like Wedding Bee's classifieds, Once Wed's pre-worn dresses, and even sites like Craig's List for great deals on everyday wedding items. So many brides go out and spend thousands of dollars on decor and other items, because they want something "new" not reused...but then after the wedding, no one wants to keep those things. This means that there's a large amount of these items on such sites at very discounted prices. Look for local sellers so that instead of paying them to ship the items, you can just go pick them up yourself. Etsy is another great place to find great deals on goods by individual vendors, which would cost more when bought at a traditional department/wedding store.


5. Save on flowers. Being a lover of Pike's Market in Seattle, I was reminded of the glory of farmer's markets. There are always local flower merchants with LARGE bundles of flowers for $5-$10. Stick one of those in a vase you have around the house (or found at a local antique store) and you have a centerpiece for 5% of the cost you'd get charged at a traditional florist. Meet up with a vendor you like at least a month before the wedding and ask if you can design a sample bouquet/arrangement with her, and then provide her with the date you'd want to pick up the flowers (likely the morning of your wedding). On your big day you can send one of the guys to pick up every centerpiece/bouquet and spend maybe $80 max on flowers which should cost you $800.


6. Don't pay for things that don't matter. You don't need a dj if you have an ipod and some extra speakers. You don't need to pay for extra stationery items like programs, escort cards, table numbers, etc. because in the end they're actually unnecessary. Favors are nice, but never required. If you decide you want some, pick something minimal and cheap, and order in bulk. No need for a dessert bar--simple homemade cupcakes, cookies, cakes, or pies will do; in the end people just want to eat something tasty, that's all. Make your own guestbook (think scrapbooking) or design a poster guests can sign, versus paying for something from your photographer or another store. If you have a love for something (let's say it's playing guitar) find an item that symbolizes that (in this case, an old guitar you arent' using anymore) and have your guests sign it. It's free and it repurposes something old. Do you own hair and makeup (I mean he fell in love with you as you are right?) and think about borrowing your mom's wedding dress (even if it takes some alterations).

Also remember that there are some things you'll want to put money into: say for instance your photographer or videographer (because a family friend just may not cut it and these are the items that last past your wedding day). I might also recommend that you talk with your fiancee and pick out the one most important item to you on your wedding day (is it the food, the photography, the venue?) and put your money into that. Then be willing to give and take with the other items.

But all-in-all (and this is hard to say as a wedding planner in love with weddings) remember that this day is not about the decor and the food and the party, but the celebration of your love, and the commitment you make to each other. Don't forget that this day is about you as a couple, so no matter what it looks like or how it turns out, you're married and that's all that counts!

Happy planning!

~A

The One Before The One

I was reading an old copy of Cosmopolitan (January 2010) at the pool today and I came across an article which I thought would be great to share with my readers, primarily because I myself have felt this very same way before.

In the many serious relationships I've had in the past, I tend to date a guy anywhere from 6 months-3 years, and then (obviously) it always ends in a breakup. Despite the varying reasons for it ending, there has always been a common thread. Almost every guy I've broken up with or things have not worked out with has said, "You have made me into the man I knew I could be, and I just wish I had been that man for you when we were together". This gets really old after awhile. Why am I always the girl making the man perfect for his next relationship? Why can't he be perfect in mine?

Well this article touched on that exactly, and for anyone else who has felt this way, I found it to be insightful and draw some interesting conclusions. Attention: This is from Cosmopolitan, so if you will find problem with anything sexually related, you might want to stop here.

"I'm Always the One Before The One" by Julia Allison

Last week, I got a call from an ex--a man I truly believed I'd one day see in a tux smiling at me from the end of a church aisle. He's been dating the same girl since we broke up two years ago, and the crushing words that came out of his mouth were ones I'd secretly prayed I'd never hear: "Julia," he said, "I'm going to marry her."

I promptly burst into tears. See, this isn't the first time I've been the girlfriend before the girlfriend who becomes the wife. It has happened--you're not going to believe this--seven times (and I'm only 28)! It's like I'm prepping guys for marriage to someone else.

I guess you could consider a girl like me a husband fluffer--you know how in porn movies, there's a crew member called the fluffer whose job it is to get the actor ready for his scene? In my case, I put in lots of hard work, and then someone else steps in right before the money shot...I mean, the wedding scene. Ha.

The details vary, but the basic scenario is the same: Boy meets me. Boy and I fall in love. Boy and I break up. Boy marries next girl. Take Andy (names have been changed), my first boyfriend after college. I was convinced he was The One, but two years in, I realized I'd never lived on my own as a single chick. Shouldn't you do that before you get married? So we took a little break. He started dating another girl...and now they're engaged.

Then there was John. Oh, John. Like Andy, he was an older guy, charming, successful, and handsome. I was madly in love with him. I thought, with a guy like this, you gotta play a little hard to get. But I missed the signs that he was playing a more grown-up game: the new (three-bedroom!) apartment, the doting on his brother's baby...He left me for a model (ouch!) whom he's now marrying.

Given these stories (and others--I'll spare you the gory details), I asked myself what I had done to drive these men into the arms of other women. Had I sparked their desire for a wife? Or made them want out of the dating game for good?

I posed these questions to my therapist. "You thought you wanted to marry these guys, right?" she asked. Right. "So you made them work through their issues and got them ready for marriage." Right. "But were you ready?"

Good question. Maybe marriage sort of scared the hell out of me, and the guys could sense it. "Remember," she went on, "being a husband fluffer means you're free to keep looking for the right person. You've been spared. And you spared them too! You weren't right for them. It's a gift you gave them." I'm still waiting for the thank you cards to roll in.

--

Also noted on this page is a factoid: The number one reason men give for getting married is that "it was the right time to settle down," according to the National Marriage Project Study. Isn't timing everything?!

So I want to hear from my readers. Have any of you felt like you were just preparing your man for his next girlfriend/wife? Have any of you beat the 6 time mark of Julia? What do you think about the conclusions drawn by the writer's therapist? I'd love to hear your input!

Another Inspiration Board

For any of you who are still sitting at work waiting for Labor Day weekend to officially begin, here's something to feast your eyes on for a minute. Yes, it's another inspiration board. Can you believe two in one week? Again it's something with bright summer colors and a real lean towards being diy and creative. I absolutely love the button boutonneires which have definitely become a trend this season and a great way to save money if you have the time to put them together. Balloons are another fun and playful way to decorate your reception. Add in gumballs, fun favors, and personalized banners and you have a wedding worth smiling about.

The photos above come from the following sites: Amy Atlas (gumballs), Martha Stewart Weddings (bouquet, favor packs), Ruffled (button bouts), Guess (shoes), and few other unknown sites. If you feel that your photo has been improperly attributed, please contact me and I will remedy it asap.

Have a Happy Holiday Weekend!

~A

A Great Quote

Tonight I'm watching Leap Year, one of my favorite romantic comedies, and I wanted to share with you a quote, in case you haven't been fortunate enough to watch the movie. It is one that really speaks to me, at least in the way that the bride says it to her husband at their reception. Maybe you could use it at your own reception or wedding ceremony one day, or it could inspire you to come up with something similar. I love the sentiment!

May you never steal, lie or cheat

But if you must steal, then steal away my sorrows

And if you must lie, lie with me all the nights of my life

And if you must cheat, then please cheat death, because I couldn't live a day without you

[Insert tear here] PS this movie is a great chick flick but also pretty funny, so it's not one you want to miss if you haven't seen it and I think most guys could put up with watching it too.

Bright Colors Inspiration Board

My life has definitely seemed brighter lately so I thought I would throw together a quick inspiration board for all of you which focused on that same happy, fun feeling.



I love the use of the bright and fun colors (blues, pinks, greens, oranges) and the way it brings an extra sort of the life to the event. I am a firm believer that your decor will set the tone of your wedding and reception, so the more lively you make the decor, the more lively your event will be. PS, notice the bridesmaids are wearing blue dresses with yellow shoes. I love that!

The pictures above come from the following sites: Beth Helmstetter Events (decorated table), Home Infatuation (the colored oil lamps), Sweet and Saucy Shop (the mini cheesecakes and Billy Button cake), Ruffled (the soda bar), JL Designs and Events (the yellow bouquets and the bridal party shot), and Wedding Chicks (the boutonneirs).

I hope this inspires you or at least brightens your day too! Happy Thursday!

~A