Pretty in Pink

My dear sister Lauren is getting married on St. Patrick's day, but isn't going with that luck o' the Irish feel-- instead, their colors are pink and navy blue! It's a trendy combination these days, and why not? They go so well together and there's a little bit of masculine and feminine; something for everyone!

I started thinking about centerpieces for her this weekend and since they're having an outdoor wedding on a farm, I love the idea of upscale rustic (there are a LOT of oxymorons in event planning!) for them. I stumbled across some white and pink flowers on sale at the grocery store and put together the following:

I think these would also be perfect for a Valentine's Wedding with the soft pink colors and generous helping of white!

Halloween Dream

I. Love. Halloween! AND Thanksgiving, so my fall roots go a lot deeper than I ever thought. When I was a girl, I couldn't decide if I wanted a Halloween wedding or a Springtime wedding. I ended up with neither, but I had decided that a spring wedding would be easily decorated and way prettier. Now, however, I'm not so sure!

The number of pumpkin-based crafts and decorations out there are ENDLESS! From using stockings to spray painting, our favorite gourd is quite the scene-stealer, and with a spray of bleach and water it will even keep a few days. The other amazing thing is the number of colors they come in naturally-- there are white pumpkins at a nearby church every single year! Combine them with other natural elements for some beautiful nature-iffic touches on your tables.

Check out the centerpieces below and more on my Fall Wedding Pinboard at Pinterest!

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Woah mama!

We've all heard about the overbearing mother who wants to run the wedding-- but what to do?! Having someone like myself around (aka, a wedding planner) can help a lot; frequently mothers feel like their daughter's wedding is something they should be helping to plan. Traditionally, it is; times have changed, however, and during my wedding my mother and I were both working more than full time, my mother-in-law to be and almost all my bridesmaids were in different states, and life was generally hectic. I would have killed, even on my limited budget, to have a wedding planner!

If your mother gets upset and you don't have someone to help sort the situation out, explain that you value her opinion and find something she's wonderful at that she can help with. Her feelings may be hurt in the short run, but when she's relaxed enough on your wedding day to enjoy herself she will see that it was all in love! Not to mention, it's not selfish or outrageous for everything to contribute something amazing to the wedding. My mother, who did more than what she got credit for, was given a break until the week of when I begged her to do the flowers. There was miscommunication on the design I wanted, but when I saw them I almost cried-- they were perfect!! I suspect that even if she only does one thing for recognition, your mother will be as thrilled as mine at the love you have for what she's done!

Ring a Ding Segue-- I mean Ding (Pt. 4)

I wanted this post to be about sashes because if we've learned nothing else from this week, it's that accessorizing is key! My wedding dress would have been totally unremarkable if it weren't for the sash, and I have seen a lot of dresses that needed just that little touch to make it memorable.

So what happens if you don't luck out on a dress with anything but a plain old sash? WELL, you segue on over to Amie Noel Designs on Etsy, that's what! She actually does mostly hair accessories, but her combination pieces are truly nifty...

One minute it's a hairpiece...

The next it's a sash!

Brilliant!! She has a couple of these designs (look for the headband/sash heading), and I'm willing to bet that if you asked nicely enough she could apply a couple of the others to a similar style. ALSO, in case your bouquet needs a sash as well (and what good bouquet doesn't? Let's face it, floral wire isn't gorgeous) she has these adorable and not-too-exorbitantly-priced bouquet ties!

Basically, I'm in love. There's a good chance that I will use sorority functions as an excuse to buy some of this just for myself! And yes, one of the labels IS "shiny" because that's what these are-- shiiiiny!