1 Year Countdown!!

Wooo hoo! It is now April 27, 2012 exactly 1 year from the day J and I will say our I dos!! I like to call today our "pre anniversary"! I am such a lucky gal that in one year I get to marry the best guy I've ever met, and my best friend! Aside from all of the ooey gooey feelings my pre anniversary gives me, it also puts the pressure on to get everything planned! 1 year to go!!

Sneak peak of our fabulous engagement pictures courtesy of JLBWedding (http://www.jlbwedding.com/)

<3

Hired vs. DIY Photo Booth

Why hello there!

Tonight I'd like to talk about photo booths. Such a fantastic wedding trend. Although, I daresay it's no longer considered a trend and is more of a staple! This just in- the photo booth is here to stay! Photo booths are a great addition to a wedding because #1 they're fun for the guests, #2 it provides an entertainment option besides dancing for when you get tired and need a minor break, or if you don't like dancing (but who doesn't like dancing? Craziness.) #3 it's a great memento for the bride and groom to keep! Having not yet been married (duh) I'm not sure that the following statement is true, but it's a guess... At your own wedding you are crazy busy talking to everyone, living it up, and getting your dance on! It passes by in a flash and you don't necessarily get to be a part of ALL the fun, nor will you remember everything when it's over! The photo booth book of everyone's pictures is a great way to see what was going on with your guests all night! The pictures are probably hilarious (assuming your friends are hilarious, and let's be honest... mine are) and will give you something to look at until you get your professional pictures back (you know, once the post wedding blues set in). So I'm saying this is a total DO! Now, the real question is... DIY your photo booth? Or, hire a professional booth? 

Why I'm for a professional booth: 

• Easy to use
• Low maintenance- i.e. someone else watches the booth all night and makes sure things are going smoothly
• Prints for your guests to take home with them that night- a fun souvenir and a great way for people to remember the great times they had at your wedding! 
• Bride and groom have a book of all the pics to look at right after the wedding! (Or, the next day...)

Why I'm for DIYing a booth:

• Original backdrop. You get to choose your own backdrop! Now, for someone who looooooves patterns like nobody's business, it thrills me to think I could pick out an awesome fabric pattern to back my booth pics! It looks cool in the pictures and it adds to your wedding's decor!
• Original props! Who wants the standard box set of props when you can scour the internet, etsy, and flea markets for your own props that represent your event! 
• It's more cost effective! 
• It has bigger space so more people can squeeze in and get more creative!

Ok, now that we've talked about why both are so awesome!! Here are some pics to inspire you further!

The first picture is the only real picture I could come up with  to support the professional booth. It is of me and my mister at my friends Alex and Randi's wedding! (Thanks for a great time Alex and Randi)! 

See! So much fun! I got to take it home with me that night and it's been in my cube at work every since! 

Now, for DIY I first have backdrop inspiration, then props!!

  

 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

See how much fun it is to be able to fit so many people into your "booth"? And wow, these backdrops are so fun and pretty and really show off your personal style! I love how you can make any style work whether it be rustic (#2) or glam (#5)! And yes, now that I have seen #5 I will be making more yarn and glitter letters to be used in our booth! What a fantastic idea! Wondering about the practical side of how exactly do you get a backdrop up without nailing it to the wall? (Which your venue probably won't let you do!) This next picture should sum it up pretty well!

6

Voilla! 

And now for the many different props you can include! 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

How fun are they? I'm particularly loving the pirate and James Bond props! I love them especially because I'm not really into the mustache trend and these are a fun and different option! Loving that sign to direct people to your handiwork too! 

Ok, so now the question is... which way am I leaning? 

I'm thinking about doing a hybrid. Hire a boothmaster (for the ease) and buy my own props! I gotta tell you, I was thinking about setting up my own booth pretty much up until yesterday. We were going to buy a tripod and hook up our camera on self timer and then send the pictures out with the thank you notes. Which is still a possibility... but as of now, I'm thinking I'd rather have the convenience of hiring someone. We shall see! It would be fabulous to pick out my own backdrop though ;) 

<3

DIY Decor

Happy Weekend!

Something I struggle with is how much of my own wedding ideas do I want to put on this blog. It is my wedding blog after all, but I don't want to give away everything! BUT, this DIY element that I am including in my wedding, was debuted in our engagement shoot. (Don't worry, I'll post about that as soon as I get the images from our amazing photographer at http://www.jlbwedding.com/) So I don't think I'll be giving away anything by showing how I took the items in our engagement shoot and will re-purpose and add to them!

When thinking about projects that I wanted to incorporate into our wedding, I had to think of simple things that I can accomplish. I'm not super "crafty" so it had to be something easy enough that I could do! I came up with the idea of using yarn and glitter letters after some inspiration from the wedding blogs, of course! The concept is definitely easy, but the execution was very time intensive! But, I plopped myself down in front of some favorite TV shows (over the course of days) and got to wrapping the yarn around the letters! It was a very inexpensive project to do. Just the cost of the letters (about $4 each from Michael's), the yarn, and some glitter! I will say that my fiancee pitched in to make the glitter letters happen! He's the crafty one of this couple! I think they came out great!! They look stunning in the pictures that our photographer took (sneak peak of one right below!) and they look pretty darn good in person too!

Here are the yarn letters and glitter heart we used in our engagement session. This photo is courtesy of Jeffrey, our photographer, the man who makes us look good! These we are going to re-purpose and hang together from J's and my chairs for dinner! 

The rest of these photos are courtesy of me, from our backyard. Not quite the same pizzazz but they still look pretty cute! 

I was able to wrap the yarn to cover most of the letters on by itself. Around the corners I needed some help from a hot glue gun. 

 

Our venue has two different floors, and therefore two different bars. Actually, it has multiple bars- two in the reception space, one outdoors, and one in the cocktail hour space. I've only made these two sets so far, and will probably leave it at that. We can always set one up in the cocktail space and then carry it over to the reception space! It's all about multi-purpose! 

We will be placing these on (you guessed it) the bar to add a little glamour!

I hope you like my first DIY project! I have a feeling there will be others in my future! What else do you think I could use the yarn and glitter letters for?

<3

Wow Ideas!

For this post, I'm going to take you through 3 completely fabulous, completely original, WOW ideas! I am greatly impressed with the ladies who came up with these gems on their own! 

The first WOW idea is a sweet, personal touch that works as both wedding decor and then home decor! 

She wrote out all of the things she loves about him on the "HE" poster, and he did the same about her on the "SHE" poster. It's such an adorable idea and I'm sure that their guests had a great time reading them and getting to know them as a couple a little bit better! And what a great thing to have in your house! Any time you get into a fight, you can always go back to those posters and remember the reasons why you love each other! Such a unique idea for wedding decor! 

(Found at The Knot)

WOW idea number two makes a HUGE impact on this wedding! 

Isn't it stunning? That is a parachute that they rented!! They hung it from the ceiling to create a very dramatic setting for their reception! And the kicker is, the rental only cost $35!! That is some serious ingenuity! 

(Found on 100 Day Wedding)

And finally, WOW idea number three. Now, certainly, the 1,000 cranes is not a new idea. But I have never seen it put together with this kind of flair before! 

This is the perfect venue for this kind of installation! It is an unforgettable touch that I'm sure their guests will be talking about for years to come!

(Found on Snippet and Ink)

I hope this inspires you to think outside of the box and come up with some very personal or very striking ideas for your own wedding!

<3

Wedding Palette Wednesday! Coral

Hello palette-etts! It may be late, but I didn't forget about you! Tonight's color delicacy is coral! Love love love this color! So versatile, it goes well with many other colors. My favorites are pairings with light blue, seafoam green, or just with white! Here it is in all of its glory!

Pow! I thought I'd open it up with a bang! This is such a lovely nail color! I really am holding myself back from running out to the store to buy coral nail polish right now!

Complimented by the seafoam green in this inspiration board! Great pairing!

Poppies! Love how eccentric, delicate, and unexpected these flowers are all bunched together!

Look at these lovely maids! Oooh I love bridesmaids that "go" and don't "match"!

Looks completely at home on the beach. 

Cute details make all of the difference.

Why not match your signature drink to your wedding palette? In this case, it looks delicious!

Add a gaggle of balloons!

These cakes are just really too cute! How could you cut into them?

Still really digging this beachy vibe! 

Totally and completely in love with these invites! They are adorable! And I love how the color is just an accent, it doesn't hit you in the face with coral, but it's there. And the envelope? To die for!

A cute pair of vintage heels are the perfect accent to your coral day!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, (sorry can't find 6's source!), 7, 8 & 9, 10, 11, 12

<3

WPW- Easter Edition- Pastels!!

I know you're all so disappointed that I missed this week's Wedding Palette Wednesday! So I have decided to put out an Easter addition! Not only are pastels an Easter staple, but they are a very popular trend in the fashion world right now! You could always pick one pastel color and go with it... but I happen to like them all mixed together! It makes your wedding very multidimensional! Let the inspiration roll....

These bouquets are right up my alley! So lovely, and bunched together in an undone way! The one on the left is one of my all time favorite bouquets! 

Love the mix of pastels in this centerpiece with the gold vessel. They really compliment each other!

Mmmm.... cake! The one on the left is the perfect combination of all ranges of pastels. The cake on the left is more traditional.

Oooh Ellie Saab, you do wonderous things! If you're a brave bride and not attached to the white dress, a pretty yellow is a gorgeous non traditional way to go! 

These invitations are pretty great! Light and dainty- gets your guests feeling the mood prior to your event!

Ribbons!! Such a fun accessory! The picture on the left comes from a friend of mine's blog! Molly has a fantastic eye and is an incredible designer! We met on our Europe trip and I have been an admirer ever since! Please check out her blog, Glitter and Rye at link #8 below!

Don't leave your bridesmaids out!! All skin colors and types will look great in pastels! Either variations of the same shade such as the left picture, or different but complimentary colors such as in the right picture look great!

A splash of pastel on your nails is the finishing touch!

1, sadly #2 doesn't have a source, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 

Happy Easter!
<3

Love Shoot

We are going to be doing our engagement photo shoot in the next couple of weeks! I'm so excited about it because it feels like instant gratification! I'm very excited to be designing something that will come to fruition in a couple of weeks as opposed to over a year from now! My idea is to have a picnic style session! I am obsessed with the pink and white trees that bloom every spring around Clawson! (Ok, so they're actually in a lot of places but I started especially noticing them when we moved out here because there are so many in our neighborhood!) Originally, I just wanted to set up a picnic in front of a pretty pink tree. Then, I went on a car search to find the perfect tree... I searched all through Grosse Pointe, Royal Oak, Birmingham, and Clawson with no success. Who knew it was so hard to find a gorgeous tree low enough to the ground that has a nice backdrop and is not in somebody's front yard! There were some beautiful trees right on the lake in Grosse Pointe, but unfortunately they were all in No Stopping, No Standing, No Parking, No Fishing, No Swimming, No Picnicking  areas. They got me with that last one there!

But then, with a little internet research, and little stroke of genius, I came up with the PERFECT idea! While surfing the internet with searches such as "Michigan pink trees" I came across this western Michigander's blog.   http://www.selectivepotential.com/2012/03/pink-trees.html Her name is Tieka and she has a blog called Selective Potential where she blogs about fashion from Grand Rapids! Once I saw the following picture, I HAD to know where it was taken!

Luckily, Tieka was nice enough to answer my email and tell me that it was taken at an orchard in Grand Rapids! Now, Grand Rapids is too far for us to go for our pictures, but I found a Michigan Orchard Directory and started calling orchards until I got a hold of someone! The nice farmers at Brookwood Fruit Farm in Almont, MI (an hour north of where we live) gave us permission to do our shoot there! And they said that the cherry trees should be blooming in the next couple of weeks! I mean seriously, look how beautiful this is...

I am beyond excited! I have already purchased all of our picnic supplies and am working on picking out outfits (which is super hard, btw)! My mom was nice enough to loan us a beautiful quilt that my great-grandmother made to use as our picnic blanket! And, our awesome photographer Jeffrey at http://www.jlbwedding.com/ is onboard and excited for the shoot! Now it's time for everybody to keep their fingers crossed that mother nature and the weather cooperate! I can't wait to show you all the final results, but for now here are some of my inspiration pictures!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Can't wait to show you the final product!

<3