linens {more than just tablecloths}

Last week I met with my wedding planner to visit a florist and a linen store. Thanks to my preparation and research on flowers, the meeting with the florist went very well!! He was thrilled to have a bride who knew what she wanted! I even brought my iPad to show him photos from my recent E&I posts  ;-) The visit to the linen store was.... overwhelming to say the least. In hindsight, I should have done more research on my vision for table settings to at least have an idea of what I wanted.  To be honest, I didn't even know what to expect from visiting a linen store. I seriously thought, "Linens? I don't care about linens. Just throw on a white table cloth and napkins and we should be good." After the fact, I still don't care that much about linens, but I do know what I want now... something simple and elegant.  I am blogging about this today so all of you brides out there can feel more at ease when you check this off your list.

Here are some things to consider before you shop:

1. What color do you want the table cloths to be?
2. Will the napkins match?
3. Have you considered a table runner? If, so what pattern and/or texture?
4. Do you want your linens to have texture or shine? i.e. satin, cotton, lace, embroidery, etc.
5. What kind of chairs do you want? i.e. plain chairs covered in fabric with a bow, Chiavari chairs, folding chairs, etc.
6. Have you thought about a sweetheart table, or do you want the entire bridal party to be at the same table? This can get complicated if you have 8 bridesmaids and 8 groomsmen like we do.
7. If you have a dessert table and cake table, do you want the linens to match the other tables, or do you want them to stand out differently?
8. What items do you want to place on the table to add a personal touch? i.e. vases, birdcages, picture frames, etc. (stuff besides flowers)
9. Have you envisioned your cake table?

Here are some photos of tables, chairs, linens and decor to give you an idea of what to look for when collecting your inspiration:

Photo Credits: Green Wedding Shoes

Photo Credit: Style Me Pretty

As you can see, there's a lot to think about when it comes to linens. Are you a bride who has a passionate vision for your tables? Or, do you just let your planner run with it based on your colors and other inspiration. Please feel free to share your thoughts!

Sunshine Inspiration {Shopping for Flowers}

I will become Mrs. DiCarlo in just 117 days from now..... oh. em. gee. People have continued to ask me, "how's the planning going?" and I simply reply, "great!" That's the truth folks. Maybe I'm in denial about how fast time seems to be flying by, but I honestly don't feel stressed at all. All of the big stuff on my list has been taken care of. These next 117 days will be all about the details. This Thursday I'm going to visit a floral shop and linen store with Linda, my wedding planner, so I'm using today's post to do a little homework in preparation for our visit.

If you've followed along with my past posts about florals, you know that I love succulents. The difference between then and now is that I have confirmed that my colors are grey and yellow.  Here is some of my inspiration...

Source: W-WeddingFlowers.com

Source: one, two, three

Source: one, two, three

 

Source: left, right

Source: one, two, three

Source: Styleblueprint.com

One thing I learned from researching flowers is that they have some funny names, like: "Billy Balls" and "China mums." I have a feeling this is going to be a very educational experience for one who does not have a green thumb, like me....I'll keep you posted on how the trip went!

In the meantime, do you have any pointers or tips to help me prepare for my trip to the florist? Anything you wish you knew or did before you went? I am hoping that I can save some dough by getting some of the containers for the flowers on my own and giving them to the florist. Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts!

unique & crafty gifts {bridesmaids}

Having just participated in my best friend's wedding, I am very present to how I would like to thank my bridesmaids for being in my wedding. Shana (the fabulous Maui bride from last week's post) gave us the most darling gifts. We all got monogrammed totes- mine has my future initials on it :) within the totes were goodies like a magazine, a beautiful necklace, and a fun kimono robe to get ready in- which made for great photos of all of us together. Here are some items that inspired me online, which I'll likely end up gifting to my lovely ladies.

Source: one, two, three (from left to right)

Source: Etsy.com

Source: top, bottom

Source: left, right

Source: Etsy.com

Source: one, two, three (left to right)

And for those of you ladies who are looking for a cute and easy DIY tutorial on making personalized bridesmaid hangers, CLICK HERE!

A little update on my planning: next week I'm going out with my wedding planner, Linda, to look at linens and flowers!!!! Stay tuned for a fun report on that soon :) HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!! xo, Taya

Hawaiian Inspiration {Aloha from Maui}

Alooooooha, everyone! I just got back from an 8 day vacation in Maui where I had the honor of being in my best friend, Shana's wedding. Because I just stepped off the plane and got home I'm going to keep this short and sweet....and photo inspired, just the way you like it on Engaged & Inspired ;-) Shana and I have been besties since the 6th grade. She and Bryan met and began dating in high school! After 10 years of not being in contact with one another Bryan found her on facebook and asked her out on a date... Ever since then, they've been inseparable and the rest is history!! (Of course, that is the abbreviated version!)

Here is a seek-peek at Shana & Bryan's wedding in beautiful Maui at the Olowalu Plantation House. Shana's vision and style for this event was impeccable. She kept it simple and chic, while incorporating DIY touches and historic Hawaiian charm. For those of you Brides-to-Be out there that want a Hawaiian inspired wedding that is more rustic and charming than bright and tropical, this wedding will give you spectacular inspiration! Enjoy the photos that my fiance and I took on Shana & Bryan's special day. I can't wait to see how their professional photos turn out!!

Next week I will catch you up on my wedding planning!

Hope you enjoyed this special Hawaiian treat!

Two Shades of Grey {wedding party attire}

First off, with the help of my maid of honor, Monica, and bridesmaid, Anita, we found the perfect dress for my bridesmaids!!! Yippee! $160 from Nordstrom, and Tia, the salesperson took care of the entire process. She called all of the girls, followed up and made sure everyone ordered on time. THANK YOU, Tia!!! What a rock-star you are!

Over the weekend Vinnie and I met a group of friends for dinner (and a going away party). Anita, one of my bridesmaids was there, as well as 2 of Vinnie's groomsmen; Anita's husband, Trevin, and our friend Greg. I mentioned how excited we were to have found the perfect grey chiffon dress, and the look on all of the guys' faces dropped..... they said, "if you girls are wearing grey dresses, then what color are our suits going to be???!!! You can't have 2 different shades of grey; that will look bad!" This never crossed my mind. After all, I had always envisioned the girls in grey dresses; I hadn't given much thought to the groomsmen attire.

So here I am writing this post today. I decided to do a little research on how bad 2 shades of grey would look in a bridal party, since it's unlikely we'll find the same color grey suit to match the dresses.... and if they don't match, I'm not that stressed about it ;-) Look at all the beautiful wedding parties I found online who went with the same color palette as me! See guys, 2 shades of grey can work!

Here is the dress that inspired my entire vision for our wedding. I was so excited that I found the photographer's website to include more photos from this gorgeous wedding in Mexico. I love everything about this wedding- the simple decor, the color palette, the flowers... so elegant and timeless :) Click on the photo to see all of their wedding.

Source: Stephanie Williams Photography

Here are some more grey and yellow inspired weddings...

Source: Once Wed

Let's see how my bridesmaid dress matches up to this grey suit... pretty nicely, I think!

Source: Nordstrom & Modern Day Soiree

Let's match it up to one more grey suit just to be sure.... yeah, looks good to me ;-)

Source: Nordstrom & One Wed

When it comes to your wedding party's attire, how are you matching everyone up? Same exact colors, mixed-matched, complimentary colors? How did you and your fiance determine what everyone was going to wear? I'm excited to hear your thoughts and tips!

cute & crafty :: {cake toppers}

Now that many of the big tasks have been crossed off my list, it's time to address the details. One in particular that intrigues me is the cake topper.  Many modern brides opt to not include the cake topper on their wedding cake. I, however, would like to have one that's unique and a little vintage looking. Here are some images that inspired me:

Source: 1, 2, 3

Source: left, right

 

Source: 1, 2, 3

Source: left, right

Source: left, right

The vintage cake topper on the right was given to me as a gift by my future sister-in-law, Vanessa. I am absolutely in love with it and can't wait to see what it will look like on our wedding cake :) Did you read my past post on wedding cakes? If not, you can check it out here!

Are you planning on using a cake topper? If so, what's your style? Will you be making one yourself, buying something vintage, or perhaps looking for one on Etsy?

pretty & personal {signs}

Having gone to a lot of weddings in recent years, there is one thing that always sticks out to me... the personal details! And one of the most adorable and tasteful way you can get personal with your wedding is by using signs! I happen to like a more vintage/DIY look when it comes to pretty & personal signs. Check out some of my inspiration!

My favorites signs were hand crafted by my friend Jessica Haro at her gorgeous Sonoma wedding last year. (I've given her many a shout out on this blog, because, well, she's pretty fabulous at designing a wedding.) I loved walking up to the ceremony site and reading these heart-felt signs on the way... it made me feel so connected to how excited she and Mike were to say "I do!"

Here are some other sign ideas that I may use- with my yellow & grey mid-century motif, of course!

Source: The Loveliest Day

Source:  Rustic Wedding Chic & Design Sponge

Source: 1 & 2

Source: 1 & 2

Will you be adding signs to your wedding decor? If so, what's your style? What are you envisioning? Any tips on how to easily create something ala DIY? Please share!!

Oh, and a side note: as far as my planning goes, I got A LOT accomplished this weekend! DJ & officiant- CHECK!!!

See you next Tuesday :)

for crafty brides {DIY thank you cards}

Ever since I was a little girl, I've always been creative and artistic. I actually almost majored in art when I was applying to colleges! Even though I took the journalism & sales routes in my career(s), creating things is still in my blood. Throughout my planning I have had my hands in everything! For example, we are hiring a DJ and I plan on giving him a specific list of songs to play. And as you read last week, I am working with an invitation designer to create a unique & custom invitation that suites my style! In my opinion, crafty and creative weddings feel more personal and unique!

In this week's post I'm deterring from my timeline and sharing with you some inspiring DIY thank you cards! I'm looking forward to tackling this task when the time comes :)

The photo below is of an ADORABLE thank you card for your bridesmaids. Click on the picture and you'll see the entire tutorial. I think I'm going to make these for my maids :)

Martha Stewart's website has a TON of ideas for DIY thank you cards any other cool crafts for weddings! Here are some of her examples below that inspired me.

You can never go wrong with a thank you card that has a photo of you and your hubby holding a sign that says "thank you." So simple and sweet.... I think this is the direction we're going in.

What kind of ideas did you explore for thank you cards? Did you do something simple? Something crafty or unique? Please share your ideas!

Mayan Mystique Meets Urban Chic Invitations {LizzyBLoves}

I've learned something about myself through this planning process; I have a unique taste. In other words my style is not traditional. So, when it came to picking out wedding invitations I felt like there was nothing out there that really rang my bell.  However, the one invitation that I loved was custom designed by the bride herself... who happened to be a graphic designer. What I love about her invites is that they're simple, chic and a little retro. (note: Kelly + Chris' Palm Springs entire wedding is totally inspiring to me. And if you've been following me along, you'll see why :) Wedding invitations were not high on my priority list of spending, however I found myself feeling a little board with what was out there; everything looked so ordinary and predictable. I didn't want to straight out copy Kelly (above), so to overcome this obstacle I did what any Engaged & Inspired bride would do.... I got creative! I established my colors (grey and yellow) and I imagined what my perfect invites would look like, then I started a google image search. I am getting married at The Hotel Maya in Long Beach. The vibe there is described as "Mayan Mystique meets Urban Chic." Immediately I envisioned something with a Latin American flair with a modern twist. So, how does one find a custom invite that fits this locale? Well, I started by googling "mexican tile inspired invitation." Low and behold I stumbled upon Lizelly, owner of, and designer extraordinaire for Lizzy B Loves. Imagine how excited I got when I found these images!

I would love a custom invitation that has the tile/color scheme you see above in a format like the one below. By the way, the invite below is printed on Italian water color paper. It's textured and feels extra special.

Once I found the Mexican tile inspired invitations I was pretty much dead set on contacting Lizelly. As much as I use the internet, it was still pretty cool to call her and say, "hey I found your work through a google search. Will you design my wedding invitations?" Lizelly sent me hard copies of sample invitations she had done before and I loved them! Just recently I was in San Diego for my best friend's bachelorette party and got to meet Lizelly in person! We are working together to design a custom invitation that speaks to my style and vision. I feel so lucky to have found her. Thanks Google ;-)

Here are a few more hand-crafted invitations by, Lizzy B Loves. Enjoy!

How did you choose your wedding invitations? Were you pretty easy-going by just picking a simple template in person at a store, or were you pretty picky? Did you design them yourself? How crafty did you get? Feel free to share your story or any pointers you may have!

Oh, the places you'll go {honeymoon}

I've got to give credit where credit is due. I love Bride's magazine (thank you Shana for the subscription!). Every time I get stuck in my planning or don't know what to blog about I turn to the checklist page of my monthly issue. It's hard to believe I'm coming up on the 6 month mark of planning my big day! One of the things I plan on checking off in the upcoming month is our HONEYMOON!!! How exciting!

I'd like to share that although I've always wanted to, I have not done that much traveling. And when I say "traveling," I mean international travel. I've been to Canada, Mexico and the British Virgin Islands, but I've never been to Europe! Going to Europe may not happen this time around because we are getting married in November and we prefer to go when it's warm, but hey, a girl can dream ;-)

Through my research I found a very cool site where they breakdown suggestions on where to honeymoon based on the month you're getting married!!! For the month I am getting married, the site suggests:

November Australia, Bahamas, Bali, Belize, Brazil, Canada (ski destinations), Central and South Africa, Egypt, French Polynesia, Hawaii, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Seychelles, Spain, U.S.(ski destinations, Southeast, Southwest)

Aside from these suggestions, here are some of the places I've been daydreaming of:

Greece! My dad is 100% Greek and I have always dreamed of visiting! My last name, Asimos, is really Asimakopoulos. Unfortunately, November is not an ideal time to travel there (though I hear May and June are awesome!) Plus, Vinnie has been to Greece before and we'd like to vacation somewhere neither of us have visited.

On that note, here are some other cool places... like BRAZIL! Vinnie trains Brazilian Jui Jitsu 5-6 times a week at the Gracie Academy... he's a purple belt ;) I know he'd love to visit Brazil, as would I!

I visited the Virgin Islands a few years ago and it was by far the most beautiful place I've ever been to! I wouldn't mind visiting again ;-)

Because we are watching our budget and we consider ourselves adventurous people, I don't think we're going to hire a travel agent. What are your thoughts on that? Do you consider yourself a DIY honeymooner? We also want to go somewhere we can relax AND play. Any suggestions or pointers on how we can find a balance of the two?

I leave you with, " you're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way!"

-Dr. Seuss