Your Wedding Celebration

Board {Macrame + Lace}

{Teepee; Backdrop Installation; Dresses; Parasol; Cupcakes; Cake; Pots}

Discovered this awesome blog in our directory and had to share. If you are planning a wedding there are many things you should hire a professional for (minister, photographer, jeweler come to mind) but there are hundreds of things you can do on your own and save money. The Wedding Friends is a great blog that showcases many wonderful DIY wedding ideas, plus tons of pictures! Check out a sample below and make sure to visit them soon!

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Free centerpieces from a week at the lake

Our family recently spent a week at Lake Mille Lacs in Onamia, Minnesota. Gorgeous lake with some beautiful sunsets (see below) but also some unexpected treasures.

After spending many hours at the resort's pool, we took a break and went down to the shore to skip rocks. Skip rocks? Heck no! These rocks were so cool and way too pretty to skip back into the lake. Instead we (ok, I) scooped them up brought home a big bag. Now... what to do with these rocks.

Centerpiece ideas are easy with this one. Check out these designs from glass/rock/candles that I discovered on Pinterest. Click on the pictures to go to the blogs of these creative people!

I love these ideas, simple and easy and if you can find some good prices on glass vases- you're in business. Remember, these are the perfect thing to borrow. Can't find glass vases or don't want to spend the money on 25 of these right now? Two ideas: Go with the plate idea in the second picture, or see if anyone else you know is planning a wedding and wants to use similar centerpieces. You could split the cost in half!

So put on your hiking boots and get out there! Evergreen, pine cones, rocks, branches, etc... All of these can be incorporated into a centerpiece and they're free. Now, just in case you're like me and you can't get enough sunsets, here are a couple from our vacation.

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Board {July 4th!}

I think red, white, and blue are soon to become my favorite colors. They just shout "summer!" to the world.

Hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe holiday.

{Thank you, Pinterest, for these lovely images.}

"Venice shoulder bag"

gold and umber croco.

"Venice Shoulder bag"

Pompeii and umber croco

Siena

How to plan a wedding while driving to California

Ever filled up a minivan full of kids and driven across the country? We used spring break to take our trip to see my sister in California and it was great, but coming back home made us realize that the trip felt like we'd been to the moon and back. For a week, I didn't even want to leave my house, but after the dust settled and I gathered up our vacation photos and videos, I realized I would like to do it again someday. It really was a gorgeous drive.

Thinking in terms of your wedding, a couple of things came to mind while on my trip (that will happen when you spend 72 hours driving). When planning something big, like a wedding, simplicity is key. I'm not just talking a budget here, I'm also describing the act of stripping down the details that aren't necessary and can sometimes get in the way of the ultimate goal. When I first started packing for the trip, I was worried the kids would be bored and started filling bags with crayons, games, movies, dolls, etc. Then I stopped, remember road trips as a kid? All that stuff was fun for the first 30 miles and then it just ended up all over the floor and seats and you're on mile 60 sitting in a cluttered mess of books, garbage, and crayon pieces. Not fun.

Same thing applies to a wedding and reception. Your guests want to sit or dance or eat and have fun with you and your guests. Make your event comfortable, not cluttered with activity or too much detail. While guests might not always enjoy it, I'm a fan of seating charts because you have a better idea of who will click during the dinner. Put out some conversation starters on the tables and let your guests relax. Limit the number of head table speeches, the games, interruptions in general, and let people visit and enjoy the night.

I ended up pulling back on many of the "boredom busters" I had originally planned on using with the kids for our trip. Let them look around and enjoy the beauty we were surrounded by along the way. Let them sing songs together, talk, take pictures, and have simple fun that will create memories for them that will last a lifetime.

So quick tips...

Keep it simple, pick a theme and incorporate a few details to accentuate that them but don't smother people in details and activities.

Limit the speeches. This is a big pet peeve of guests and because they don't want to be rude, they wouldn't tell you this so I will. Every time you stop people from a conversation, or eating, or a trip to the bathroom, you are stopping the natural flow of activity that makes a party great. I went to a wedding recently where there were seven speeches. Seven. Come on, you've got to stop this insanity. Yes, you've spent a lot of money and you want to say thank you and you have that right. But just because you have it, doesn't mean that you should abuse it. The best man, maid of honor, bride/groom combo speech, and MAYBE something quick from the parents. Couple of rules: Have everyone go at one time with back-to-back speeches, limit speeches to two minutes or less, and keep the inside jokes to a minimum.

Forget about the games. It is entirely too awkward and silly to sit around a table with acquaintances, coworkers, or strangers, and come up with a song that uses the word "love" in it and then have to sing it if our table number is called. Seriously, spare your guests this uncomfortable moment- I mean you did invite these people because you LIKE them right?

Keep things easy, simple, elegant, and memorable. This should be one of the best days of your life, not a Vegas show so don't plan the event as if it is. Stay focused on what's important and enjoy your day.

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Wedding Design {Jessica + Derek}

Hurray! It's time to post Jessica and Derek's lovely wedding photos by Griffin Photography. The big day took place at The Vineyards at Garden Ridge. I had the privilege to create a wedding design based on a few things the bride loved: flowers in wooden boxes and a romantic, rustic aesthetic. Lots of family and friends helped us pull off all the design projects, which I think gave the event a sweet, handcrafted feel. Barbie Foerster created all the beautiful florals and I think they fit the vision quite perfectly! Our pal Lauren of The Creative Parasol designed the wedding stationary, including the save the date, invitation, program, and thank-you-kindly stamp for favor bags. See end of post for the team of vendors that helped execute the perfect day for Jessica and Derek!