dancing queen {wedding music}

My fiance loves live music.  He went to school for music technology.  He also plays the guitar (and owns 4 of them, which I've turned into art in our office!) and was part of a few bands.  I also love music.  I sang in my chamber choir in high school & also played a few instruments.  Not only do we both love music, we both love to dance.  And, I don't mean just love to dance, I mean we're dancing machines!  We're the type of people who are out on the dance floor from the first song until the last with just a few bar breaks in-between.

Source (from top): source, Arkansas Bride

 When it came time to talk wedding reception music, my fiance had one request and I whole-heartedly agreed - A BAND!  We wanted a full band with the repertoire to keep people on their feet.  And not just our friends, we wanted our entire family out there grooving to the music.  That's why we've chosen a band who specializes in music ranging from the 1940's all the way until today!  We couldn't be more excited for this party!

Source: Wed Pics

I hope our guests are ready to dance, because we have a little surprise planned for them!  :-)

Source: Southern Living

Red Wedding by Marcella Treybig Photography

Today's wedding is a little red treat to brighten your day! Those florals are fabulous and the DIY ceremony backdrop is right up my alley. As the days get colder this summer wedding is sure to warm you just a bit.

Floral Designer:
Cake Designer:
Makeup Artist:
Reception Venue:
Specialty Foods:
 Scoops2U
Photo Booth Equipment:
 Red Eye Photobooths
Bakery:

 

Wine Country Wedding by Megan Clouse Photography

Today's wedding is a total treat. The details, the florals, the PINK COUCH (what an amazing piece by One True Love Vintage Rentals)! It is all so marvelously effortless and elegant. This team of vendors did a phenomenal job of creating a perfect wedding down to every detail. Get those pin buttons ready because you are going to want to look at these shots by Megan Clouse Photography again and again.

Mismatched Vases

When it comes to wedding decor, I plan to keep it simple, mixing vintage and recycled items. I really love the look of mismatched vases.

Sources:  1, 2 & 3

Sources: 1, 2, 3 & 4

Over the last year, I have been collecting potential wedding decor from thrift stores, flea market and estate sales. I am gradually building my collection of vases.

I have also been saving interesting bottles which I may dye or paint.

I came across the following how-to articles if you are interested in a DIY bottle coloring project:

Tinting Spray painting Painting 

I plan to try these out and will report back on what worked the best for me.

Sources: 1, 2 & 3

Did you mix match vases or bottles for you wedding? Know any great pointers on dying or painting bottles?

Woodland Engagement by Michelle Johnson Photography

This sweet engagement shoot offers some fun details and some totally personal touches that are totally pinworthy. I love engagement shoots with a few props, but I love engagement shoots that document love just as much. Together, this is the perfect touch of beauty and fun.

Are you adding props into your engagement photos?

Thankful for {family}

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays (I think I say this at every holiday). I love Thanksgiving because it's all about bringing loved ones together to cook and enjoy a wonderful meal and remember what we are all thankful for. No presents. Just family, football, lazy couch time, cooking together, feasting and a long weekend ahead. ahhh I love Thanksgiving! So this week I've been thinking a lot about family and how we can incorporate our past generations into our wedding day, show a little bit of our families' histories, and also honor some people who will be there in spirit. I love the idea of using pictures, because it adds a personal touch and gives guests a chance to see that you have your grandma's nose or your grandpa's gap-tooth. You can't go wrong with pictures.

Source: all images above

Source: Mason Jar Photos

Source: Lockets on Bouquet

Are you doing something special to honor your family?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you enjoy the holiday with those you love!

Ready, Set, Location!

I concluded in my last post, that we decided to limit the guest limit making the final number 35 people.  So how do we find the right size space to accommodate this quantity?

Source

Source

We knew that we didn’t want an outdoor event because the uncertainty of the weather would have caused us stress up until the last minute.  The venues that I was familiar with were too large for our small guest list and I didn’t want to have us feel lost in the room.  I wasn’t finding as many smaller venues in our area so I started looking into function rooms within restaurants and didn’t find just the right space.

I broadened my horizons outside of the Raleigh area and still didn’t have as much luck as I had hoped.  I then began focusing in on B&B’s thinking that might be just the right direction to take: ceremony and reception all in one.  And there it was…The King’s Daughters Inn!  It is the perfect blend of 17 guest rooms, a parlor for the ceremony and reception, sun room for cocktail hour, and a dining room for dinner and cake.  We rented the whole Inn and our wedding will be an overnight getaway for our guests!

Source

Has anyone else had to alter their venue ideas to better suit your guest list headcount?

the meeting of the mom's

I'm a family person, I always have been & always will be; it means everything to me.  It's not the old days where the parents meet at the wedding & exchange pleasantries but nothing more.  I want more than that.  My dream is to one day be one of those couples who have both parents visit for the holidays.  I'm lucky that both of our families raised us this way & that hopefully this dream will come true.  But first, the families need to meet!  I decided mother's first.  And, I couldn't think of a better event for them to meet than to go wedding dress shopping with me!  It gives the perfect backdrop: excitement, smiles, laughs (ok, maybe also some happy tears), and of course champagne!

Source (from top left): Westside Wedding, Bijou Bride, Intimate Weddings, Wedding by Color, Intimate Weddings, Pronovias, What Anna Loves, themette

I had previously fallen in-love with this adorable vintage wedding dress stamp, so I decided to make invitations using it to send to my mom, future mother-in-law, and 3 of my local bridesmaids.

And this gave me the opportunity to try out this DIY faux calligraphy.

Source: Side by Side

 I've recently become obsessed with my embossing gun & this was the perfect time for me to add another project to the list!

 

{Real Brides} Courtney: Romance and Fun

Hi Engaged and Inspired Readers! I am so excited to be here. I've been a long time reader and now that I'm planning my own wedding I knew I needed to share my planning journey with the blogging community.

I'll be here every Tuesday documenting the joys of being an engaged lady and planning a semi-destination wedding. I thought I would share a little bit about myself and my fiancé to get us acquainted..I hope you don't mind.
Bride: Courtney
Groom: Patrick (Pat)
Age: 26
Occupation: Online Community Manager
Wedding Date: June 22, 2013
Venue: Spanish Oaks Ranch
Planner: Bride and Davia Lee Events

About us:
Pat and I are both San Francisco Bay Area natives, growing up in San Jose. We met our freshman year of high school and continued to become close friends as the years went by. We started dating our junior year of high school and have been together ever since.

I'll be the first admit that I am one of those girls that has dreamed about their wedding from a young age. I've joined TheKnot.com when I was 19, saved wedding inspiration images, and started reading wedding blogs WAY before I was engaged. So sue me, it's true. We all have to have a hobby, right? ;)

Currently, Pat and I live in San Francisco and will be planning our wedding Santa Margarita as out-of-towners. We will be getting married and having our reception at the beautiful Spanish Oaks Ranch.

I look forward to being back next week when I share a little bit about why we chose to do a destination wedding  and why Santa Margarita, CA. And of course, in the meantime find me on Pinterest, I'd love to connect!

Gray Bridesmaid Dresses from Asos

Who's ready to hang up those blush pink bridesmaid dresses and go for something a little more bold? This patterned dress is just killing me big time. I absolutely love it, and boy would it look so amazing on a group of gals! Head on over to Asos (my GO TO place for bridesmaids dresses BT-dubs) to pick up this one.

I do realize that all of you might not be ready to go so bold, so these gray bridesmaid options are perfect for a a subdued look.

Gray Bridesmaid Dress, Gray Bridesmaid Dress

Who is planning on having their girls rock gray on your wedding day?