I'm excited to introduce to you our newest 2013 bride, Kerri! This gal is tying the knot in Durham, North Carolina on March 16! Check out her inspiration board and I can't wait to see what she does with her fabulous venue, gorgeous inspiration and totally fun location.
Location Inspiration
As someone who is engaged, I'm asked all the time what my 'theme' is. I had a lot of trouble in the beginning figuring out what my theme was because I didn't want to restrict myself to one thing. The more I thought about my theme, I realized that without really consciously trying to come up with one, I already had! I would say my 'theme' is simply, the location. From the very beginning I knew I wanted to incorporate local elements whenever possible - from the decor to the cuisine. With our wedding location being in near Mt. Hood, we will be surrounded by great views, pear orchards and fields of lavender (not all at once, but you get the idea).
Source: Erica Ann Photography, lower left, lower right
Source: left, top right, lower right
Source: His & Her Photography, bottom
All these local inspirations were part of the reason I was drawn to our location in the first place, so it seems like a natural fit.
Did you use your wedding location to drive elements of your wedding or did you come up with a different 'theme' entirely?
Wedding Week Details {t stones}
Well, my big day is just around the corner. The festivities will begin this Saturday, and on Sunday I will marry Vinnie- my love, my best friend, and my better half. Although there have been some hiccups along the way, all-in-all, this planning experience has been fun and educational. I mean, who knew I could plan such a big & beautiful event!? One of the things I've truly enjoyed is magically stumbling upon talented people to help me. It happened once with finding LizzyBLoves, who designed my gorgeous invites & programs, and it happened again with the gifts for my bridesmaids. I had a vision in mind for the jewelry I wanted my girls to wear. I searched high and low at stores and couldn't find the right thing. Then I happened to run into my friend Tiffany Adams who owns a jewelry line called "T Stones". She showed me her portfolio and before you know it... boom! I had stunning custom, hand-made jewelry for my bridesmaids that totally complement the dresses! It's amazing how eventually your vision just comes together in the end. I can't show you what Tiffany made my girls, because I don't want to ruin the surprise ;-) but here's a peek at some other pieces she's made. If you live in Los Angeles you can check out her work at Cami in Manhattan Beach or give her a call to have something made just for you... The holidays are just around the corner (hint, hint)! The necklaces and earrings are made with high-quality stones and are reasonably priced! Here are two of my favorites:
Photo Credit: T Stones Jewelry
My advice to other brides out there is to have faith that it will all be beautiful and wonderful like you imagined, DELEGATE, and stay organized. It has helped me tremendously that I have been doing little things for my wedding all year; I learned recently how important delegating is too. This week I have ironed out the following details:
- seating chart (not as bad as I thought it would be)
- welcome bags (fun & affordable)
- party favors (delegated to the moms- check!)
- put someone responsible in charge of gifts & cards
- DIY table numbers & directional signs
Other than that, I just have to pick up my dress tomorrow and show up on Saturday for the rehearsal! I feel relaxed & ecstatic at the same time! I know that this weekend will be one that I'll remember always!
On that note, I'll leave you with some breathtaking "first looks." I can't wait for mine! :)
Photo Credit: Bridal Guide
Photo Credit: Style Me Pretty
Photo Credit: Style Me Pretty
It's hard to believe that I have contributed 46 posts to this fabulous blog over the past 11 months. This has been such a rewarding experience. THANK YOU Allison for this opportunity. I'll be back posting on E&I a couple more times to share with you my thoughts from "the other side" and of course share photos and video with you once they're ready.
Yours Truly,
Taya (soon-to-be DiCarlo)
E&I Bride: Lesley Tying The Knot At Vine Hill House
I'm totally excited to introduce you all to another fabulous blogger that will be blogging her journey to I Do here on Engaged & Inspired. Let me introduce you all to Lesley! She is absolutely adorable and totally stylish. I can not wait to see how her wedding unfolds and all the amazing details she will be adding to her fabulous day. She is tying the knot on August 24, 2013 in Sebastopol, CA at the Vine Hill House.
Any other Vine Hill House brides planning a 2013 wedding?? Let us know how we can help!
COLORY: Radiant Red
Time to go red here at The Colory. For me, red is one of the toughest colors to work with, so I love when a team of vendors can make it look so darn good! Mixing red details with some calming colors such as cream and gold are the perfect way to add the perfect amount without going overboard. What do you think?? Is this a fun fall color or what?!
Source: Lipstick, Drinks, Macaroons, Drinks, Cake, Shoes, Popsicles
Looking for a fabulous team of vendors? Check out Inspired Guide to find those vendors that fit your budget and style.
Party Down {size}!
Well the wedding party anyway. Right after we got engaged, Derek and I quickly decided on our wedding party. We knew that for our own sanity (not wanting to deal with the friend politics of putting a label on who our "best" friends are) and for the aesthetic we wanted for our wedding photos, a small wedding party was the best option for us. On our wedding day I will have my sister and cousin (who is like another sister) by my side. Derek will have his two brothers by his. This was by far the easiest wedding decision we have made thus far, and I couldn't be more excited about keeping it in the family.
My bridal party will be like the photo below from my cousin's wedding, except this time I will be the one in white.
Source: Stacia's Photography
A little history of the origins of the wedding party:
Historically, the wedding party was the group of gentlemen who helped the groom to capture his bride. The first usher and groomsmen job was to help the groom fight off the bride's attacking family. Later, women joined the party to assist the bride in decorating for her wedding feast and dressing for her wedding. Initially the women all wore the same attire as the bride because it was thought to create a protective circle around her. My, how times have changed...
As most brides say, I want my bridesmaids to wear a dress that they will actually want to wear again, so I would like to go a less traditional route for my bridesmaid dresses. I love the mismatched bridesmaid trend, but I'm not really sure how I could pull that off with only two ladies.
I also know that even though I am not having sixteen bridesmaids, I would still like my friends to be a part of our wedding in some creative way. Whether that means joining me to get ready or a pre-wedding photo shoot.
Did you have a small wedding party? How did you incorporate all of the people who are important to you?
Beautiful Bites {Choosing a Caterer}
Hello there! If there's one thing to know about me and my wedding it's this: I. LOVE. FOOD. My fiance and I are major foodies, and our number one priority is having delicious local and seasonal food at our wedding. Since there are so many amazing caterers to choose from, one way to help narrow them down is their presentation. During our catering tastings, I was blown away by the unique, imaginative, and inventive presentation of the hors d'oeuvres. Here are a few images inspiring my appetizer and hors d'oeuvres selections:
So what's been tantalizing your taste buds lately?
Strengthen Your Brand With Film - A Workshop
Super excited to announce our very first strengthen your brand day! That's right vendors, this post is for you! Find out how this workshop can help you broaden your online presence and in turn give potential clients insight into your brand! Films are an increasingly popular way to give potential clients insight into you and your company. Telling your story and showcasing your personality does wonders for the brides who is judging who to book based off a website and portfolio. Let them get to know you! We feel that it is incredibly important to help vendors obtain a well-crafted film to showcase on their website without paying the big bucks! (On average a video of this length is quoted at over $2,000!).
Strengthen your brand, tell your story and show off your skills in a 90 second video. All in a few hours!
Interested? Apply at: allison@engagedandinspired.com.
How it works: You'll be given a color palette and mood board (although we are totally happy to hear your ideas in terms of style and colors!) and will prepared your portion of a styled photoshoot (if you are a florist, you'll do the flowers, photographers will shoot a vignette that is already set up, etc). We will capture you working your magic as well as hosting a small interview telling us a bit about you!
You will receive a film that you can add to your website giving brides a glimpse into your personality, brand and style of work! From there, let the bookings begin!
Sarah Seven Fall 2013 Collection + Trunk Show
Sarah Seven's Fall 2013 collection is here! This collection features amazing textures, those gorgeous sweetheart necklines we all love, and a little bit of color! I'm totally in love with these pieces, and I know you will be too!
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you are pretty darn lucky! Sarah is hosting a trunk show featuring her Fall 2013 collection! Meet the designer (she's the sweetest person ever), try on her fabulous looks AND enjoy 10% off your purchase that weekend. It really doesn't get any better than that, now does it?
Bonus: There will be a huge sample sale on party dresses during the trunk show as well, so if you have had your eye on one of her fabulous shorties, now is the time to make the purchase.
Spots are filling up fast. Hurry and book your appointment online.
DIY Cake Topper Cutouts
I've seen so many cute silhouette cake toppers on Pinterest lately, that I thought I'd have a stab at my own. And while I'm at it, why not personalize it? If you recall, our Save the Dates had a little pirate theme that we screen printed. I wanted to replicate that design for our cake toppers. So, here we go... here's how to make customized cake topper cutouts!
Materials needed:
- Paper (I used cardstock black and glitter red from Paper Source)
- Wooden Skewers
- X-Acto Knife
- Mat for cutting
- Glue (I used Elmer's)
- Printouts of what you want your silhouettes to be
- Heavy books
- Scotch tape
For a double sided cake topper, like the hearts I made, fold your paper in half and tape it closed on the sides. Then tape your stencil to the paper, so it doesn't slide around when you're cutting.
Trace the stencil lines, pushing as hard as you can! You have 3 layers of paper to get through, but don't worry if you can't cut all of the way through. If you're like me and don't have the willpower to cut through all 3 layers of paper, take your stencil off, and trace back over the lines you cut with your X-Acto knife, pushing all of the way through the paper.
Success!!
Match up the hearts (or whatever shape you're doing) that are the same size, and put glue on the backs of just one of each of the pairs. Then stick the wooden skewer on the middle of the heart with glue, with the pointy side inside of the heart (leaving the blunt end of the skewer at the other end - basically the opposite of what I'm showing below). Roll the stick around a bit to spread the glue.
Press the matching hearts together, pushing them together around the skewer. Wipe off any glue that squeezes out of the sides. Then cover each half of the heart with a heavy book. Basically, push two books up next to each other so they both meet at the skewer. Leave it alone for a day as it dries!
When the hearts are dry, take your X-Acto knife and cut around the edges so there are no white spots sticking out. You may also want to color in the white edges with a red pen (or whatever colors you're using), so you don't see any white. And now you have some cute glittery heart cake toppers!
As for a more complicated stencil, where you probably only want to cut out one silhouette (because cutting out matching ones would be impossible!), it's all basically the same. You just have to be much more careful when you're cutting.
Once you think you have the entire stencil cut out, remove the stencil from your paper. Finish cutting all of the lines and corners very carefully directly on the paper, so it pops out clean and easy. Then glue or tape your cutout to a skewer.
Then stick it on a cake, take a picture, and eat the cake. You've earned it!
I rather enjoyed this delicious vegan chocolate cake from Café Indigo after all of this :)
