{Real Wedding} Shannon +Ben

What a joy it was to watch these two get married on Saturday! They are a fun Texas couple with the bride being a graduate from Texas Tech and the groom being a big Texas A&M fan...can you say household divided!?!  The bride chose a color theme of burnt orange and brown that really popped against the palette of White Oak Plantation (Baton Rouge, LA). Check out a few snapshots I captured of their fun details:

The guests were welcomed with a really unique "guest book". A wishing well with river rocks!

Guests were asked to sign the rocks with paint pens and toss them in the well!

And here is your first exposure to their school spirit!

Marino's Florist spruced up the white chairs for the ceremony with an arrangement of flowers and ribbons. Shannon also thought about her guests and the June heat and had me place fans on each of the chairs.

The fans were personalized with their names and the date.

After the ceremony, guests were greeted with gorgeous arrangements of browns and orange on each table.

The cake from Ambrosia Bakery also popped with color!

Look how fun!

Ben really got to show off his school spirit with his groom's cake!
(also by Ambrosia Bakery)

This couple was adorable and it was such an honor to help them with their big day happen!

{Inspiration} Tasty Treats!

I love tasty treats so I am digging the trend of snazzy candy buffets and dessert tables!

I find these designs just inspiring! Enjoy!

Sweet Designs, Amy Atlas Events

The TomKat Studio

Kara's Party Ideas

Couture Parties

Sweet Designs: Amy Atlas

Beating the Heat!

In the South, we are blessed with gorgeous plantations filled with colorful and bright landscaping that truly scream "PLEASE GET MARRIED HERE!" So we do...in the blazing Spring and Summer months! Heaven forbid we choose a home football game for our nuptials! Southern girls know better! =)


To help you and your guests beat the heat, here are just a few ideas:

1. Ceremony programs that multi-task!

images from Peak-A-Boo Designs

2. Keep coffee filters in your emergency bag!

Trust me...these bad boys serve as excellent blotters and they keep your make up perfect!

3. Have a water station for your guests near the ceremony!

4. Choose a shaded location, like near a gorgeous tree!

image from LSU Rural Life Museum

5. Keep the ceremony short and sweet!

Your guests will appreciate it, your groomsmen will appreciate it and you will appreciate it!

{Real Wedding} Summer + Jeremy

What a gorgeous weekend in Navarre, FL! A friend of mine and his beautiful bride had their dream destination wedding this past Saturday and WOW, it was memorable! It was such great weather, the flowers and colors were perfect, and the intimate ceremony was personalized just right! My favorite part of the sunset, beach ceremony was when two of the groom's nieces passed out skipping stones to all of the guests. We all gathered around the couple and wedding party right at the water's edge and made wishes for the couple as we all tossed the stones into the ocean. This great idea of the bride really was a creative touch and I'm sure gave the photographer tons to capture!

Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Burkes!

One of my favorite things...

I have a passion for shoes! When I see a chick with bright colors and patterns on her feet, it literally warms my heart because I see shoes as a piece of wearable art! With the perfect pair you can subtly (or unsubtly!) tell the world that you are fierce, brave, sexy, trendy or whatever! I love it!

My favorite new trend is that brides are doing just that...adding a spice of color to their big day wardrobe with gorgeous shoes! The tiny and well-planned details like this are one of my favorite parts about planning weddings!

This is my dear friend Mallory! She wanted to make an impression with these gorgeous stems and she did just that!

Photo by Studio Tran

I'm a little bias with these photos because these are MY wedding shoes! I love blue and wanted to show it!

Photo by Kase and Alli Photography

Here are a few randoms I found online:

Don't be scared to be different and daring! It's fun!

Click, Click, BUY!

I do a TON of online shopping so that remained the case when it came to my wedding. It is convenient and you can "shop around" a little easier to make sure you get the best price.

But with the good, comes the bad! Shopping online takes a little of the fun out of shopping for your big day, but mainly, shopping online can be a little deceiving. The "small print" is always smaller, colors vary based on computers and shipping can sometimes cost an arm and a leg!

If saving time and a little cash wins out in the long run, here are some suggestions:

• Always Google coupon codes for your purchase. I've been very successful with this! You never know what you will find...free shipping, 15% off...every little bit helps!
• Read other customer reviews...both the good and the bad! This can really save you from making a bad decision!
• Stay away from making the "big" purchases online. If you are going to be devastated if it is a little off from what you were expecting, think twice about an online purchase.
• Review the return policy! Please review the return policy!

LOVE this idea!

I am a really big fan of different and creative "extras". I like to think of artsy photo opportunities that will make looking back at your special day even more fun! Check out this Etsy vendor who makes creative wire hangers for your wedding gown!

Just a little something different!

Have a blissful day!