iPhone Inspirational Awesomeness

This morning I awoke at 4:30 a.m. to get in line for the new iPhone. I have done it every single year, and there is no point in stopping now! My last phone was insanely shattered and just beat to hell. This time I am going to take immaculate care of this beauty (seeing as this is the last Steve Jobs approved device :( there will ever be) I have decided to post my iPhone design options here because I want something that inspires me every single day. And since I feel like wedding inspiration is best curated from many different sometimes not so traditional places, this is a chance I have to surround myself with something pretty!

Credit

I think these two below are my favorites of the moment. And if I could add my logo, that would be even more awesome. I wonder if I can do that??

Credit: striped iPhone case, triangle iPhone case

This abstract-awesomeness is just killing me right now. So inspirational with all the wonderful colors.

Credit: Triangle iPhone Case, Scalloped iPhone case 

And you can never ever go wrong with a little Kate Spade.

Credit: Kate Spade striped, Kate Spade polka dots

And though I wouldn't actually get either of these below, I am basically obsessed with both. Hot air balloons are wonderful, and then of course anything Doctor Who is my favies. Although I think that would make me look a bit too geeky to the people behind me at the coffee shop .

Credit: Hot Air Balloon iPhone case, Doctor Who iPhone case

 

3...Oh Wait, 4 Wedding Rings

Get ready Italy, because these girls are TRAVELING!

I have been overly excited via Twitter these days about how incredible things are in my life right now. Literally having some of the best weeks of my life all back to back. Both personally and in my career, great things are happening that only make me more and more excited for what is to come. And speaking of  good news......IT JUST KEEPS COMING!

Here is the story. After several years of wedding planning non-stop....first with Liz & Ryan

Followed by Ian & I:

and most recently, Melissa & Clayton....teaser time (if you haven't already seen the blog post)!

And after all the wedding planning had ended after the three of us tied the knot (with the other three of us being in each others weddings) we got a fun little surprise! Another BFFFFFFFF had a surprise for herself in store! Meet, Michelle and Moni.

This past weekend they decided to make it all official, bling and all! WOOOT WOOOT!

I couldn't be happier for my favorite BBF! Obvi I am so so excited to plan her wedding. She is one of the sweetest girls in the entire world, and I am so happy to have become such good friends with her. And as for him....well, he really couldn't have picked a better girl :) Love her forevvvs!

So, after 3 vineyard first looks, (despite the fact that we all actually had weddings in very different locations that all just happened to have vineyards for use) we are ready for a change of scenery.

And luckily after seeing the headaches we all had planning our weddings, she decided a destination wedding was in order. I guess the only place that makes sense would be where her family is from, which happens to be none other than Italy! So excited to trek over there in a few years and be there for the best day of her life :)

Congrats girl! LOVE YOU!

Credit: All photos by Jason + Anna Photography!

I'm Back! Plus a Sneak Peak...

Have I been gone long enough?? Holy Moly, I feel like it has been forever! Our East Coast tour was incredibly fun. We ended up spending several days in both Boston and New York with a little bonus trip to Atlantic City. I've never been to the East Coast (unless you count the Philadelphia airport...) so I honestly had no idea what to expect in terms of the weather. I'll just tell you right now, cardigans and heels just don't cut it in New York in December. This I learned the hard way and ended up lugging a suitcase full of clothing I couldn't wear all over.

I have to thank all my amazing guest bloggers for helping me out during my trip. They had some amazing guest posts which they were kind enough to share with all of us via Engaged & Inspired. (In case you missed any, here they are: Paint DIY by Paper Garland,  Love Birds by She Said Yes, White Romantic by Blush Printables, Backyard Inspiration by Trisha Dean, Vintage Wedding by Steph Bubble,  Fall Destinations by Destination Diva, Desert Wedding by Landlocked Bride, Escort Cards by Every Last Detail.) Which was your favorite?

But now I am back with piles of work and Christmas just around the corner meaning wedding planning is going on the back burner until January. But in a way I am actually really happy about this. On one hand I have less than 4 months until the wedding and so very much to do. On the other, I have had time to step away from all the photos and clear my head. I am coming back to it with a blank canvas of a head and am now ready to actually make decisions and stick to them!

I even managed to get some wedding inspiration from the 6 story Tiffany & Co. Definitely taking aspects of this idea for the wedding!

Before I left I spoke a bit about the fact that I had finally figured out the centerpieces. No joke, I would go to bed thinking about these, spend so much time worrying about which to pick, blah blah blah. It was driving me a bit crazy actually. I am sure you have had something like that which you just can't seem to get out of your mind. Well, I randomly stumbled across this photo and like a lightbulb shining bright, I just KNEW I had found the perfect idea.

So, since I can't seem to keep anything to myself about this wedding (really I can't. I try and I fail. You guys are like conversational wizards that just pull things out of me!) I have decided to post the inspirational pick that started it all. (And if I see this in a wedding before mine, I am going to be really sad, but it's the chance I have to take.)

Venue Update and Some Random Inspiration

I am going to sprinkle this post with random photos that I love for those who aren't too interested in hearing my sob story. And I personally don't blame you, it's no fun. So enjoy some random loves of mine and a story about my life....well a very small part of my life. After a *tiny* breakdown yesterday, I realized I just can't take this anymore. I even atea croissant this morning to bask in my troubles, of course now I am just basking in my troubles with a croissant in my tummy, but it didn't help as much I thought it would!

Bottom line, this whole venue thing is horrible. Everything about it is just plain horrible. I didn't think my style wedding venue didn't exist anywhere! And that is what I have finally come to decide, it literally doesn't exist! Sure, there are tons of amazing and pretty venues, but they are just not what I am looking for.

{One of the favorite photo montages. SO fun. Source: 100 Layer Cake}'

The "good" news is that I totally don't feel like the only one having troubles. Reading your responses to the survey I am noticing that many are having troubles hearing back from vendors, have family issues, money issues, organization issues etc. Let's face it, planning a wedding in this day and age isn't a simple task. One top of having to take the time to call or e-mail and wait for responses from every vendor, you still have to create a vision with the endless amount of inspiration out there. Oh and there is this thing called a J-O-B that you also have to focus on. Oh and then you get the family members who want things their way, and you would just swear that you were planning their wedding! It's a balancing act for sure.

{Too many things to love about this shot! Source: Kiss the Groom}

So where do I stand? I have some AMAZING ideas for my wedding. Things that I can't even show off because I have never seen pictures of these things. Things I am dying to tell you about. But until I find this damn venue, nothing is finalized and nothing is set.

{My fave colors! Source: Wedding Chicks}

Another contender for the location is Holman Ranch which has been a major obsession of mine for SO long. This is the point where I wish I had money coming out of my ears, or that it grew on trees, or that I had three wishes or something, because the site fee is an un-gawwwdly amount! But in this world you get what you pay for, and at least I won't be treated like I was at Radonich. After talking to the girl, I found OPTIONS (something I am not used to getting) and I can definitely cut the price by a bit to make it a little easier on the clutch. Off season....possibly a Friday?? I just love that I have options! Oh and she is SO nice. I also talked to a few caterers who are SO nice! This is how you should be treated people. I'm still trying to work it all out to see where I can cut some other things, discount a few things, etc. but we will see overall what happens in the end.

{Holman Ranch}

There are two other contenders as well. One is Healdsburg County Weddings and the other is called Barbara's Barn (thanks to the recommendation of Trisha Dean. Someone who has helped me an unimaginable amount so far during this process.) I am still going to look at Taber Ranch, but firepits are a no go there.

{Barbara's Barn}

{Healdsburg CountryWeddings}

Oh, and I am taking the leap and making a trip to check out Taber Ranch! So, I'll keep you updated the moment this thing is booked and a date is picked!

Is anyone having trouble with venues or vendors?? Just not being able to find the right ones, getting calls or e-mails back, etc. etc.?? Do tell.