mint + gold.... {inspiration}

here's an inspiration board featuring my newest engagement party invitation!

1. printable mint+gold engagement party invitation; 2. home-spun cotton candy; 3. glittered vases; 4. mint dress; 5. macaroons; 6. gold "love" wedding sign

fab finds...{wedding gifts outside the box}

wedding registries are handy, little tools. the bride + groom get what they want/need and guests don't have to think too hard about what to give as a gift.

but what if there is no registry? or perhaps everything's already been purchased. or maybe you'd like to do something a little bit special.

here are a few ideas - all handcrafted, all unique and meaningful - and all personalized. something special for any budget!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

while any bride + groom would be overjoyed to receive any one of these gifts, i wouldn't suggest ignoring the registry unless its a couple you know well - ya never know how much they may be looking forward to that blender :-)

letter C design.........{local vendor}

now that little man has returned to school, i'm beginning to get back into a routine.

for me, summer was full of lazy days and non-existent schedules but fall brings a desire to organize

the idea of setting up schedules actually makes me smile........crazy, right??

but not so crazy when you take a peek at these fabulous calendars by letter C design!

her wall calendars have adorable prints!

and matching weekly calendars

i am IN LOVE with the idea of a custom wedding calendar! wedding guests add their birthdays on this calendar - lovely idea in lieu of a guestbook!! perfect gift for a bridal shower!

letter C design also offers note cards, journals, address labels and more! go check it out :-)

inspiration....{yellow + gray}

while folding laundry this morning, i was reminded of a color combination that i love (interesting how inspiration strikes, isn't it?)

yellow + gray!

bright and happy...

modern or vintage...

versatile!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

yellow 'pops' so nicely, it would be easy to carry it from ceremony through to the reception with very little effort, don't you think?

i've always been drawn to this color combination. how could you not be? way back when, i was determined that my very first kitchen would be gray and yellow. i bought everything i needed before i'd even moved out of my parents' house!

as a matter of fact, the very first wedding logo i created for my bonhomie bridal suite was showcased on a yellow + gray save-the-date card:

so what are your thoughts on yellow + gray? brides, what were your wedding colors? brides-to-be, what are your favorite color combinations?

share with me on my facebook page!

event styling....{bridal shower tea party}

i FINALLY have a moment to share a few of the tea party bridal shower styling photos with you! all the photos were taken by the fabulous karin goodwin! i met karin at a fair last year and used her for our family photos. she's now my favorite photographer!

my intention was to combine a traditional tea party with casual, shabby chic elements.as with most events i style, i included a diy element: this time it was the tissue paper flowers. i love how they turned out!

mis-matched tea sets and big cabbage rose print linens blended beautifully with the outdoor setting.

i came up with the idea of custom, hand-embroidered quilt squares for the bride's wedding quilt...

every element - printables, food, diy flowers, etc. - was created by little ole me :-)

i can't wait to have the opportunity to recreate this event on a larger scale!

inspiration.........{shoes!}

i'm a shoe-lover. what girl isn't, right? sadly, i can barely get out of my flip-flops. fortunately for me, there is the internet!

i'm so in love with the recent lack of tradition when it comes to wedding footwear. i'm sure we all breathed a sigh of relief when we put the days of white-satin-dyed-to-match-pumps behind us! now anything goes and today's bride has so many opportunities to express who she is!

source: 1, 2, 3, 4

fun, fashionable, laid back, high style.........what's your choice? how did you express your style on your wedding day - or, for those of you still planning - what will you be wearing?

in the news......{briderush}

planning a last minute wedding?

one of your vendors back out with less than a month to go?

here comes briderush to the rescue!

briderush is one stop shopping for all of your last minute, date specific wedding needs. 

and here's the good part:

you'll save money!

here's the quick & dirty version: briderush selects top quality vendors, these vendors offer their available dates at significantly reduced rates and you make out like a bandit! easy peasy.

and speaking of top quality vendors, bonhomieEVENTS is one of them :-)

check out briderush for our last minute dates!

inspiration......{beach wedding}

we've just returned from a wonderful vacation on the Cape - my most favoritist place of all :-)

of course, it's inspired me to dream of all things beachy! yes, beach weddings have been done.........

and done. and done. and done.

but there's a reason for that: they're fabulous! upscale or laid back. if mother nature cooperates, it's almost impossible to get a bad photo!

 

i'm in love with the mix & match vintage bridesmaids dresses! natural bouquets, beach umbrellas, vintage-y bottles and starfish complete the airy feel of this beach wedding inspiration board.

in the news....{honeymoonwishes.com}

for many years, it was assumed that the bride-to-be would be setting up house with her husband from scratch. straight from mom and dad's house to her very own and that's where the traditional wedding registry comes in - dishes, linens, small appliances........everything a young couple needs to begin their life together.

but what if the couple already has their household needs covered? nowadays that's often the case. if so, a honeymoon registry might be the way to go.

when we got married, hubby and i were combining our households - okay, technically, we were moving my household into his house and getting rid of all his boy stuff. you know how that goes ;-) but we had decided that if our friends and family wanted to give us gifts, it made the most sense to contribute to our honeymoon. and instead of just asking for cash, honeymoonwishes let us list specific events our guests could contribute to - an opportunity to still gift us with something personal while helping us cover the costs of our trip.

honeymoonwishes provides tools for you to use to let people know about your registry, you can set up a wedding website and even a photo album.

so if you'd like to do something a bit more personal than asking for cash - and let's face it, that's a bit tacky - the honeymoon registry is the way to go!

made merri...{local vendors}

you might have noticed that i'm a huge fan of anything rustic. and when i found these natural twig wedding cake toppers by made merri, i knew i had to share!

how sweet would these be in a bouquet? or maybe a monogram?

favorite colors.....{turquoise & lilac}

who says a wedding gown has to be white? yes, white is traditional AND beautiful.

but not every bride is the 'traditional' type and i think that's fabulous!

 i saw this gown and was immediately called to create this inspiration board....

enjoy!

credits:
cake, china, dress, ring, bouquet

bottle & cork......

i've been spending some time seeking out local, quality vendors and stumbled upon bottle & cork!
i am IN LOVE with her vintage-inspired designs!

a few of my faves...........







 
bottle & cork offers traditional invitation suites, "seal and send" invitations and printables.
something for every bride and every budget :-)

take a moment to stop by her shop and pick out your favorites!