Wedding Inspiration

After talking with Jimmy about our colors, I designed a mood board for our wedding on Dessy. I am pretty excited about this array of greys and yellows! Let me know what you think!

{Invitations, shoes, boutineer, beer, bridesmaids, rings, table setting, suit, bouquet, cake}

Diana

{Diana}

Diana's exhibit has been at the Union Station in Kansas City for the last three months. Today is it's last day. The exhibit was here for a shorter period of time than most, but still raised more money than any other exhibit. I am sure the royal wedding hype had a tiny part to play in that.

I attended the exhibit with my mother and grandmother. I hardly remember the royal wedding. most of my memories come from her passing away. I believe the exhibit did a wonderful job informing the public on who she was as a person. If the exhibit ever comes to your town in the future, I recommend visiting it at least once.

THE wedding!

Kudos to Britain for really knowing how to throw a beautiful wedding!! William and Kate are truly a modern royal couple.

The dress.....oh the dress, haha. The dress was perfect. It was timeless, it was classic, and most of all it reflected Kate's personality. We all know that before the wedding she was not an incredibly outgoing person, and I was not expecting to see an outgoing dress or even a dramatic dress at that. I was expecting something timeless. This is a dress that the next generation can look at as being a beautiful dress and even consider wearing something similar. I, personally, cannot say that for princess Diana's dress.

{Kate's wedding dress}

{kate}

This is a wedding to remember. One of my favorite parts is when William and Kate left Buckingham palace. William and Kate drove themselves away from the palace in an Aston Martin waving to the crowd. Absolutely perfect exit for them :)

{first kiss}

Congratulations William and Kate! It was beautiful and thank you for sharing it with the world! I wish you the best in your life together!

Feel Good Music

I. Love. This. Song. It is so upbeat and it makes me want to break into dance every time I hear it! I would probably have this as my first dance if my better half would let me get away with it ;)



Cheers to feel good music!

what is your "feel good" song?

Money Saver Monday

I really appologize for my blogs becoming a little few and far between. I am working hard on a few other life goals and hopefully I will get back in the groove here soon. None the less, money saver Monday will go on :)

I have been thinking a little bit more about my personal ceremony, and I am really liking the intimate outdoor ceremony. Given your ceremony location, I thought it would be pretty cute and unique to acquire your own seating from different garage sales, discount stores, and antique shops. You can even borrow a few chairs from family members or friends. It may turn out something a little like this.

{chairs}

Covering haystacks with a uniformed look or some random blankets can add some inexpensive character to the ceremony location.

{haystacks}

Even some painted benches can give a spin on traditional seating at a ceremony.

{benches}

If seating isn't provided by the location, get a little creative with your seating arrangement. There are a few nontraditional ways that can save you a little money and add a personal touch to an intimate ceremony. Also, keep your grandparents and great-grandparents in mind if they need something a little more comfortable to suit their needs. Leaving room for a wheelchair or providing a seat cushion is thoughtful and they will appreciate it.

Money Saver Monday

There are a ton of ways to save money with a wedding. A major saver for some of you may be to limit the guest list to a smaller number. This can be a touchy subject for some people. We are in the process of working on our guest list and I am happy that we have a long engagement, haha.

{wedding guests}

Just like with the budget, go to each set of parents and ask them to make a list of people they would like to invite. If you need to remind them that this is your wedding and to not go crazy then you are allowed to do that (speaking from experience, haha). Then you and your fiance can go through the list together and decide on a master list. Remember to take into consideration on where the budget is coming from. Is all of the money coming from the two of you? You have final say on who and who will not be there. Is one side of the family paying for the entire wedding? They may have a little more weight when it comes to the master list.

{wedding guests}

A lot of couples feel bad for cutting the list down and so they end up with a large list. A larger list is more money, more food, more tables, more chairs, more everything. A few people is obviously not going to make a huge difference, but remember that this is YOUR celebration of your marriage and staying within your budget is not something to feel guilty for. A good way to decide if you should invite someone or not is to ask yourself this question, "How will I feel if I run into this person after the wedding?"

New Hobby?

My weekend inspiration is painting. I decided that I wanted to paint something for my room so I went out and bought some supplies. Despite the fact that my first canvas turned into something like camouflage, I really kind of like my second. I like abstract art so I was inspired by a few different paintings.

{abstract art}

Upon my attempts to create something appealing to the eye, I realized that I don't have a creative outlet that is a regular thing. I mean, I like to color but I don't think that is the same thing. I guess I have been more of a left brain person. I would like to change that becuase I find painting fun! Even if it doesn't turn out the way I wanted, the process is new and exciting :)

What is your creative outlet or hobby?

Money Saver Monday

I am going to kick off my "Money Saver Monday's" with my current read. It's not wedding specific, but this book can be the foundation of your new marriage if you want it to be. It can also change your life...literally. You may or may not have heard of it. It is called "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey.

{book cover}

This read can pertain to anybody in any situation. Dave Ramsey is a good author with a lot of life changing advice in the financial department. If you have ever thought about living debt free then this a fantastic place to start. Happy Money Saver Monday everyone!

A Must Have

If you are looking for color inspiration for your wedding (or any event really) then The Perfect Palette is a must have on your blog reader. I have used this website numerous times in the past and now I am looking for my own wedding inspiration. We are thinking about having a fall wedding and I fell in love with these two inspiration boards:

{fall inspiration board}

{chocolate inspiration board}

Play around with your wedding colors. It's OK to pick more than two colors for your wedding and if you need some ideas then visit The Perfect Palette.

Cake Inspiration

So, I am looking around trying to get some ideas for cake themes/decorations/toppers. I would like to personalize as much of Jim and I's wedding as I possibly can, and when I came across this....

{scrabble cake}

I fell in LOVE with this cake theme. We love scrabble and monopoly and this gave me some great ideas to play off of!

We also really like the industrial modern style with concrete, wood, and metal. I never really thought about incorporating those things with the cake table but I really, really, really like this set-up.

{cake table}

not only do I like the set-up, I REALLY like that this couple could not decide on one desert so they decided to have them all. That sounds like something I would do :)

$The Budget$

As a new bride there some initial steps to take with your fiance and family (if needed) in planning your wedding. Some people might argue that setting a date is the first thing that you need to do when you get engaged. I, personally, think that should be the second thing you do.

For me, setting the budget sets the stage for everything else to follow (including the date). Start by finding out how much your parents and his parents are willing to contribute to the wedding or if they will be contributing at all. This will give you an idea of how much you and your fiance will are willing to put towards your wedding. In no way should you ever consider taking out a loan for your wedding day. Sticking to your budget and staying within your means is the smartest thing you can do to start your marriage off on the right foot. The Knot has a pretty standard budget calculator that you can customize to your needs and wants. This tool can give you a pretty good idea of where to start. A wedding coordinator can also help you break down your budget a little further so you can see exactly what money is going where as well as help you SAVE money.

Traditionally, the bride's side paid for most of the wedding but in today's society more and more couples are going on this trek without any parental assistance. No matter what the budget is, you are perfectly capable of having a classy and memorable wedding that your guests will be sure to remember.

The Dress Entourage

You may have heard that it is not a good idea to invite a lot of people to help you look for your wedding dress. Have you heard why? It is suggested to only bring one or two people with you to your appointment. The more people at your appointment, the more opinions you will take in. It can become incredibly frustrating as the person trying on dresses and eventually you get caught up in getting a good reaction from your entourage rather then finding the dress that you are the most comfortable in. Some may even leave with a dress that isn’t their favorite because of the social pressure behind it.

DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!

{stress}

Pick one or two of your closest family/friends that you trust. This is enough to take their opinions into consideration but not be overwhelmed by them. Wouldn’t it be a cool feeling to know that there are ONLY TWO people that have seen you in your wedding gown on your wedding day? It could be like a top secret project for you and your closest :)

Also, a lot of girls look for that “moment” where tears are streaming down everyone’s cheeks just like in the TV shows. This may or may not happen. Do not get caught up in how others react to YOUR dress in the fitting room. Some people may not react the way you want them to and that is OK. Try to concentrate on how comfortable and confident YOU feel in it. The tears will eventually come from someone, don’t you worry.

Dresses!

I am going to kick off the week with my first tip for wedding dress shopping.

After setting out to find a wedding dress, I found that this process is a lot like dating men. Yup, and you thought you were done with all of that :)

{dress rack}

Sometimes your parents like it, sometimes they don't.


{dress}

Sometimes it is love at first sight and others kind of grow on you after awhile.

{boutique}

Once you fall in "like" with one, you find yourself picking out its flaws....and then you keep searching.

Just like dating you need know what your style is and what you like. Do some research before you go to your appointment and look at as many wedding dresses as possible. If you can't find a dress that has everything, then write down the qualities that you do like. (ie. rufffles, lace, short, bows). This will help your consultant find that perfect dress for you. Finally, stay open minded. You may not like a dress the consultant brings you and that is fine. Nobody is forcing you to try anything on and it will not hurt their feelings. However, you will be pleasantly surprised at how a dress looks ON you rather than on the rack.

Spring Cleaning

{comic}

Hello Hello, I know it has been a long time but I am doing some spring cleaning as well as setting new goals in my life.

First, a brief update. Since you have last read, I moved back to my hometown of Kansas City. I am settled in and my FIANCE (eeeeek!) has moved back as well. That's right, I am engaged. October 17th, 2010 to my best friend! I will tell the whole story another time but I need to move along. My blog will be my journey as a bride and an aspiring wedding coordinator. I will share my ideas and inspirations from a bride's point of view as well as a coordinator's. Everything is game for this blog so get excited (I know I am!).

Attention Wine Lovers

Recently, I made the move from Orlando, Florida to Kansas City, Missouri. I am still getting settled in but I wanted to leave a great website for all of you wine lovers out there. If you even remotely like wine you should check out The Wine Library. Gary Vaynerchuk knows his stuff and is also quite entertaining as well!

Caribbean Cruise

I just returned from a Caribbean cruise about two days ago and it was by far one of the best vacations I have ever had! I had never been on a cruise before so everything was a new experience for me. The food was fantastic and the staff on the boat were friendly and accommodating.

Most of all, I was inspired by the places that we went. We stopped in Panama, Costa Rica, and Belize. I was thinking about a Caribbean wedding and the food, colors, and weather would be super fun! (an inspiration board will most likely be coming soon).

Here are a few pictures from our trip!

Our cruise boat in Belize. Belize was my favorite place out of all three stops. The water was such a beautiful color and we went scuba diving here too!

I was able to take pictures of a sunset at sea and as you can tell it was a good one! We literally sailed into the sunset!

some of the beautiful Hibiscus flowers in Panama. I love the bright colors!

I was also inspired by all of the history that Central America had to offer. I loved the Aztec and Mayan artwork as well as the history and culture that backed it. In fact I loved it so much I bought a Mayan vase that I am very proud of!

Are you having or have you had a wedding inspired by a different country? What about it inspired you?

Once Upon a Time

I know some of you may be wondering how I chose wedding/event coordinating as a career path, so today I will expand on that just a little bit.

As a college student, I changed my major a few times in the first two years because I wasn't completely sure what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I finally decided I was going to be a teacher by the end of the second year. Before I started classes that fall, one of my best friends inspired me to look into something that I was naturally good at outside of the classroom. I did a little bit of research for event coordinating and started to specifically look at weddings simply becuase I LOVE weddings.

While doing a little bit of research, I came across Mrs. Melissa Distefano from Masterpiece Weddings and I fell in love (to say the least). Masterpiece Weddings offered a certification class for wedding planning and I thought that it would be a great way to start of this new adventure that I was so excited about! I walked away from her class so full of information that I wasn't completely sure what to do with myself, haha!

As part of the certification class, it is required that you intern with vendor(s) to see the different aspects of a wedding and not just from the wedding coordinator's point of view. Personally, I completely agree with this requirement. The more you understand who you are working with, then the easier it is to work with them.

While doing my internships, I continued to get me bachelor's degree in science with a focus on management and marketing. I am now confident in the tools that I have learned through my education, internships, and certification to be able to become the best coordinator that I can possibly be. The most wonderful part about this is that I love what I do! I love what I do so much, I forget that it is work!!

Melissa has a class coming up in late April for those who are interested. She is an A-mazing wedding coordinator and one of the best in the industry to learn from. She is also an incredibly inspiring mentor. If you are in the least bit interested in taking wedding coordinating seriously as a career then I suggest you look into her classes. It will give you insight to everything you could possibly want to know and so much more! :)

comic

First Inspiration Board!

Jim and Joel Pruetting are two of my roommates that will be graduating this week from Full Sail University. I have started to play around with inspiration boards so I did one centered around their graduation celebration. This is my very first inspiration board so let me know what you think!

Full Sail Logo, Cupcakes, Soda, Buttons, graduation, hot wings, beer, Full Sail shaded

Florals!

So, I intern with Lee Forrest Design in Orlando, Florida and had the opportunity to help out with a FABulous bridal shower party. I took a few photos at the shop and the location (pardon my photography from my hand-held camera).

Lee and his team did such a great job designing the party to make it amazingly FABulous :) I also had a blast helping out!

In the Beginning

So I would love to introduce myself to the blogging world by telling everyone a little bit about myself and where I am in my life/career. By the way I am still working on my blog colors :)

Starting off, about two years ago I took a wonderful class with a wonderful wedding coordinator. Her name is Melisssa Distefano and she owns Masterpiece Weddings. This class solidified where I wanted my career to go and what I wanted to do with my life. I moved to Orlando, Florida and currently I am in my last two classes to finish my bachelor's in science with a focus in marketing and management. I am very, very, very excited to complete my degree :D

I am also in the process of completing my wedding coordinating certification through Masterpiece Weddings. This involves interning with an amazing florist by the name of Lee Forrest. He owns Lee Forrest Design in Winter Park, Florida (right outside of Orlando) and his work is fabulous! I also intern with Melissa learning the ins and outs of wedding coordinating. I LOVE weddings and I LOVE everything that goes into my internships.

To pay my rent I am a pharmacy technician with CVS pharmacy. I am going on five years as a pharmacy tech. I like my job, and I am crazy about my coworkers. However, this is not my true passion in life and I would really like to pursue something that I LOVE to do.

My major hobby right now is working out. I typically work out every day for about two hours. I am not really a health freak, but I want to be fit, healthy, and live longer. I also really like to read, but lately I have not had a lot of time to read for enjoyment because I have been so busy with everything else.

This is where I am at in life, and this is where my blog will begin. I will try to post about my journey as I learn and experience things within the wedding industry. I will also try to incorporate pictures, ideas, and inspiration.

Happy blogging everyone!