Bridesmaids Bracelets

Winter Weddings will be back next week, but since it's so mild outside here in Atlanta, I'll bend your ear a little more about Lauren and Todd's wedding! I picked up these SUPER pink glass pearls this week and was hoping to use them for a Phi Mu bracelet for my Lemongrass Boutique store, but when they got here the pink was juuust a little off and then it hit me-- put a little charm on there and make them in to bridesmaids bracelets!

Wedding Unveils

Y'ALL. I just found this website, WeddingUnveils.com, and WOW I'm cracking up!The best thing is the range of stuff they have!

From the Pink and Puffy

To the Traveler with the Butterflies

To a Peacock Dress with potential and a wow-factor (to put it nicely!)

And the actually-kind-of-awesome...

And the unique but strange

To a dress I totally want to try making!

As well as the getaway cars for James May's wedding

And finally, what might just be the most awesome/hilarious gift EVER.

If you're stressed out over your wedding, just wander over here for some good laughs and a few smiles-- it's worth the time!

Citi-fied Weddin'

Another amazing Etsy find are these beautiful Atlanta skyline save the date/invitation/etc...

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I absolutely adore these, and not just because I'm in love with the beautiful skyline my hometown sports! You can do these invitations/save the dates in any color combo you want, which could set the tone for your wedding (I'll do a little bit on color next week) and the swank city skyline idea has inspired more than one party to be a hip, classic, and timeless event. Just imagine this one in black and white-- you could do an amazing black and white wedding that would tie in perfectly and a cinch to plan and decorate!

For more awesome invitation finds, check out my Wedding Paper Board on Pinterest!

Japanese Weddings

When you start talking tradition, nothing is more traditional than a Japanese wedding in the Shinto tradition. Many modern Japanese weddings will feature modern style attire but you'll always see touches of tradition throughout the ceremony! I took a lot of inspiration from the Japanese culture for my wedding (so now you see, Irish + Japanese = Wedding? Of course!) and was so pleased with the simple and beautiful outcome!

I adore this picture-- you can be cute and sassy no matter what you're wearing, and kimono fabric is GORGEOUS! (via: Google Images)

The cherry blossom symbolizes beauty, life, clouds, friendship, and an innumerable amount of other things in Japanese culture and are very easy to incorporate in to the design of a wedding! I used cherry blossoms to stamp the outsides of my invitations, and my husband made origami versions to scatter around the reception venue. It was the perfect touch to liven up a winter wedding!

You're wondering, though, how on earth I got Japanese? Just check out the back of my dress-- an obi style sash sealed the deal!

Irish Wedding

An Irish wedding isn't all that different from a normal wedding, but if you're looking for a little flair from the Emerald Isle, or to pay tribute to your lineage (like I did) there are a few things you can look to for a little inspiration!

This is a more traditional gown with knotwork on the front, but if you feel like that's a little much you can look to something like the gown below...

This is a Galina gown from David's Bridal-- the only missing element is the draping on the sleeves which could easily be added to a gown like this, or not if you feel like you'd just be getting tangled up.

The key with the gown is to pick something long and flowy with nice material-- nothing overdone, just something that's beautiful in its simplicity.

You can also look for Kelly Green bridesmaids dresses (everyone looks good in Kelly Green!), add a braid to your hair OR find a horse shoe necklace for good luck! Just remember, if you're looking for luck, the horse shoe has to face upwards so your luck doesn't fall out!

For a growing selection of inspiring finds and links, check out my "Irish Wedding" board on Pinterest. 

Indian Wedding

Indian weddings are known for being over the top productions-- color, tents, parades, horses, elephants, and lots and lots of jewelry! I've never been to an Indian wedding (much to my dismay) but I absolutely adore the unabashed use of color and the joy of the celebration!

I've found a few pictures that make me think "INDIAN WEDDING YES!" and have posted them to my "Indian Wedding" (duh...) pinboard on Pinterest, but here are some of my favorites...

Having trouble dressing your wedding party? Rainbow away!

Mehndi-Inspired Cookies-- perfect for a dessert table OR favors!

Any bride can find a good mehndi place-- a friend of mine incorporated it in to her traditional Jewish celebration!

I love these three in particular because I think that if you're looking for inspiration for a smaller wedding, you can definitely incorporate these things! If you think it's pretty, it's you-- don't let anyone tell you that just because you're not Indian, you couldn't have an Indian-inspired wedding!

Weddings for EVERYONE!

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I know it's hard to tell from my amazingly creative posts and the awesomeness that oozes from my pores (yes, yes, a little self-deprication should be added to the tone of that sentence) BUT I'm kind of a traditionalist at heart. If I'd had the budget, I would have had a limo and a princess-style gown and a reception at the Mary Gay House with a DJ and catering from Avalon. I would have done some super cute Save The Date magnets and layered invitations with ribbons and heavy envelopes-- the ones that every little girl dreams of!

Of course, you grow up and you realize that only like 10% of the population can afford a wedding with hand passed h'ours dourves and open bars and ice sculptures and Vera Wang gowns.

It's a little heartbreaking at first, and I'm sorry to be a Debbie Downer, BUT the great thing about doing a wedding on a lower budget (even if lower means under $30k) is that you start to realize all the other opportunities out there. I would relish the opportunity to help plan a big expensive wedding, but I adore the DIY low budget ones because it's your chance to break out of the mold and really express yourself and what you really want out of your wedding.

When I started looking at our wedding, I thought it was a bit of a mish-mash, but looking back on it I realize it was a great expression of who we are as a couple, the many many things that have influenced us, and we even managed to get a little of our own genealogy referenced in the end!

So, this week is all about inspiration and why it's important in a wedding-- and the ways you can take that inspiration and create a wedding you'll always love!

Pinterest

I've found Pinterest to be AMAZING. Where else are you going to find such a concise way of inspiring people and being inspired yourself?! So many other social media sites require that you know someone to have access to their ideas, and that's certainly a valid concern and should be taken in to consideration for the most part. Pinterest, however, is simply pictures and links, that's all. I've been so inspired over the last couple of weeks using this service that I've found myself unsure of what to post next!

Not only that, but as I'm stuck inside my own little world of brainstorming, other people are picking up my ideas and adding them to their little pools of brainstorming! Clearly, I find the entire thing fascinating! I can't say enough good things about Pinterest and if you're planning anything-- a wardrobe, a party, a classroom, ANYTHING then you need to be on Pinterest!

Now that I'm done adoring on a website, I'm going to go start scheduling some posts-- lots of amazing ideas bouncing around in this head, let's get some of them on to paper!

LOVE!

Internet drama aside, I'm baaaaack! And I'm so happy to come back to the blog on this note-- the first same sex couples were married in New York this week!!

All politics aside, I'm in this business because I love love and the sight of so many happy faces and so many wonderful people finally getting to celebrate their love just brings tears of joy to my eyes.

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I'm not going to lie, I also am a huge fan of The Office and love the cheesy Niagra Falls wedding, so these lovely ladies definitely caught my eye and have inspired me to look at some classic wedding spots that we don't think about because we want something new and inventive, and this week will be dedicated to all the  newlyweds in NY-- best wishes and many happy years to you all!

Green-ish Centerpieces!

OK, so one of my favorite ideas for weddings is sending centerpieces home with people, and one of the biggest complaints that I hear from those trying to reduce waste (and, honestly, I tend to concur) is the amount of money people spend on flowers for centerpieces that just go to waste. I think you can not only save a lot of money but be a little bit more environmentally friendly by doing some other centerpiece options that would be more likely to be re-used by you OR your guests!

This is an example of my new obsession:

And this is what those nifty little things look like outside the vase:

AOII had our International Convention in Tucson at the J. W. Marriott Starr Pass in June and these were on the table for our Expanding Horizions dinner. I've just been dying over these-- there were blue and red and pink and green and OH the colors! But where to find these magical things? For a while, I thought they were maybe like the little beads you put in your plants to keep them hydrated and a colored LED in the center.

Oh, no, it's much cooler than that!

Water gems in EVERY color!! You can get them pre-hydrated or, much less expensively, un-hydrated. If you're traveling for a wedding, the un-hydrated would clearly be an optimal choice-- they're small enough you could fit an entire wedding's worth of water gems in your makeup bag!

(FloraLyte)

Pop 'em in water, watch 'em fill up, and then set in a vase with a FloraLyte ($2/ea) and you've got yourself a centerpiece that costs less than $7/each! BRILLIANT! Best part? You could stick your bouquet in one and keep it hydrated, and the gems (purportedly) last so you can send an awesome centerpiece home with your favorite guests that they can whip out for parties. Plus, the kids will love playing with the gems! (No lie, I sat there and played with them for like half an hour during awards)

I gots some asplainin to do!

So the husband and I have just moved, and as a moving present AT&T decided not to let us have internet for two weeks! So on top of coming straight home from AZ (which gave me plenty of inspiration!) and starting to move, I didn't even have internet!

As you can imagine, between the time change and the move I've been exhausted to distraction and of course that's when I start coming across all sorts of inspiration. There's loads coming up including a blast from the past, DIY/low budget takes on high class events, and snippets of Convention and the amazing things from Arizona. WHEW!

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, back to work... hope you enjoy!

-M

Birthday Bliss

I went and saw Thor last night for a friend's birthday and it got me thinking about all the amazing parties I had as a child, and the crazy parties I'll be throwing for my kids one day! My favorite party in memory was the Barbie party I had at around 7-- of course, it wasn't fancy shmancy like the inspiration board would suggest, but involved cardboard and foil Barbie tiaras and all of us wearing our very best dress up princess outfits! The inspiration board for this one is small because, honestly, whether you have girls or boys they will all create their own awesomeness when given their favorite characters! Plus, it's a fantastic use for those leftover Halloween costumes and thrift store dress up finds!

1. Super Hero Stationary 2. Barbie Cake 3. Barbie Birthday Stationary 4. Super Hero Cupcakes

The best thing about the Barbie cakes is that now they have more affordable Barbies on the shelves and if you know someone who can cook a dome cake for you BAM! Instant, affordable, impressive to small children type birthday cake!

Agape

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Agape is defined as a true and selfless love that one person has for another-- I named my company Agape Events because whenever you plan an event, you are keeping in mind the people who are nearest and dearest to you. Weddings, graduation parties, birthday parties, retirement parties, and any other event you can think of involves considering the needs of others as well as yourself. At the end of any well-planned event, you should feel closer to those around you and a sense of fulfillment that leaves you glowing from the inside out!

This week I'll be putting up inspiration boards for other events I love to plan and that have been inspired by the people I love!

Bridesmaid's Dresses

When you hear the phrase "bridesmaids dresses" you may think of some cute little numbers chain stores like David's Bridal and Dessy Group have come out with in the last few years or you may think of Katherine Heigl's overstuffed closet of monstrosities from "27 Dresses" with plenty of tulle, satin, and pastels to boot. When I hear the phrase "bridesmaids dresses" I think of endless opportunities!

At my wedding, my bridesmaids all wore different styles of the same color dress from David's Bridal-- the color coordinated with a sash on my dress and each woman had fun picking out a dress that fit her shape and style! Emily, on the far right, was in a wedding several months earlier with similar colors to mine so she chopped off the bottom of her dress and made it in to a shawl! There are several good reasons for going with this tactic, especially if you have a long engagement planned:

1) Your bridesmaids will thank you for letting them wear something flattering
2) Your unique wedding will be even moreso
3) You will get to showcase not only yourself, but the amazing women who have undoubtedly done their fair share of work for your big day
4) Your bridesmaids may be able to find something more within their budget range
5) Your friends will have a dress they are more likely to wear again in the future, which makes laying down $100+ on a dress a little less painful!

So what started this all in my head? Why this post? Because of this dress:

This is the Limerick Lass Dress from Modcloth and I'm dying to own it. This dress just screams Spring wedding, not to mention it looks comfortable and has a small amount of customization to it. (the bow around the waist is a removable sash) It made me think-- what would I have done if I wanted everyone to wear the same dress? What have I advised some of my clients who are looking for alternative options to do? Just what I'm doing tonight-- browsing stores online! From Nordstrom's to Bluefly, to more independent online shops like Modcloth, there are endless options for the frugal, fashionable, and unique wedding party!

I love everything vintage, so it's extremely hard for me to narrow down my choices, but here are a few categories to help break up the visuals...

Spring Weddings

In addition to the Limerick Lass dress above, I love the City of Emeralds Dress with its flowing layers just begging to be worn to an evening wedding in March or April. The Kennebunkport Dress, seen below, is the epitome of (duh) a beach or bay wedding with classic lines.

The Bubbling Over dress is another classic dress with a flirty skirt and top that's made for an afternoon wedding!

Romantic Weddings

Well of course weddings are romantic, but I mean in the Walt Whitman kind of way-- a touch of florals, wispy fabrics, and light colors kind of romantic. If this is your game, I would be remiss if I didn't send you to the Blossoming Clouds dress...

You should also take a look at the over-one-shoulder styles that come in several colors, like the SoCal Bungalow Dress and the Fluid Dynamics Dress.

Vintage Chic

I'm trying not to wear you out, but I would be completely remiss if I didn't send you to look at the next three dresses! Vintage weddings are huge right now, and with plenty good reason-- the styles are classic, the lines flattering, and nobody's cooler than a dame who knows what she wants. What do I want? These babies:

The Ilsa Dress

Dream Collector Dress

Ablaze With Beauty

Just imagine sending these dresses down the aisle before you show up in a beautiful silk and lace sheath with a fascinator pinned to your updo-- talk about a wow factor!

I'll end it on that bombshell, but see below for a few more dresses I'd love to see walking down the aisle as an introduction!

Missing the Pacific

Atop the Grand Staircase (a must have for a holiday wedding!)

Kalanchoe Blooms Dress

Inspiration

One of the most important things in designing a wedding is inspiration. Whether it's a dress, a flower, or even a basic color, your inspiration will set the tone and all other decisions for the event! This blog will not only be an outlet for tips and fun ideas, but also an outlet for things that inspire me and may inspire you!