Amanda and Jensy--and The Vineyard

The Venue: Saltwater Farm Vineyard
The Photog: Studio 1923
The Bride and Groom: Amanda and Jensy

“I do” Ideas: Bridal Shower

This week, I thought I’d share a recent bridal shower I helped throw for one of my friend’s whose wedding I’m in in October. The shower was held at Cafe Nuovo in downtown Providence. (They also do weddings by the way, that are Gorgeous!)

Since the bride loves Audrey Hepburn, we decided to do a Tiffany themed shower. For starters, we found Tiffany blue boxes from Accent the Party. We used them as both placecards and favors. For placecards, we printed out the names and table numbers of each guest and attached them to the top of the box. For favors, we put a pearl bracelet in each box.

 

On the placecard table, we filled oversized martini glass vases (you can get these at crafts stores like Michaels or JoAnn Fabrics or even Christmas Tree Shop) with Tiffany boxes / pouches and pearls to serve as decor. Those boxes are a great way to add a punch of color as soon as the guests walk in.

 

At each table, we chose to display pearl & teal necklaces as the centerpieces. Along with each centerpiece, we framed a B&W picture of Audrey Hepburn along with a teal number to serve as the table numbers. Here they all are:

 

At each place setting, we put a “Bridal Bingo” for guests to play along while the bride was opening her gifts. The first guest at each table who won Bingo took home the centerpiece at that table. (Note to party planners: When making Bridal Bingo on your own, remember that EACH sheet has to look different. Something I had not thought about when starting to make them. You can use sites like this one or others that can make this game for you… much easier!)

We also put a “Thank You!” bag of personalized M&M’s at each place setting. These are a fun way to add a pop of color to your table setting. You can order them from here and they are available in tons of colors!

 

The whole table set up

Some more Tiffany decor items we used to decorate around the cake table.    

We had an absolutely fabulous cake courtesy of Sin Desserts in Providence. Besides making beautiful and delicious cakes, what’s so cool about Sin Desserts? Jennifer took pictures of the whole cake-making process so the bride could have the step-by-step pictures of her cake creation! You can see some of the photos on her blog.

The bride wore teal and as her maids, we decided we would all wear black (like Audrey would) with pearls.

 

The waiters at Cafe Nuovo served mimosa’s to the guests as they arrived.

Cafe Nuovo also made menus for each guest (in our color scheme!) that said “Jessica’s Bridal Shower Luncheon”

  

On the invitation, we asked all of the guests to wear their pearls to go along with the theme. Everyone participated; it was so fun!

We did a game where we asked the groom a bunch of questions before the shower and then the bride had to guess what the groom answered. For every answer that she guessed wrong, she had to put a marshmallow in her mouth and keep it there! Since she did so well… After the game, we had a honeymoon bag waiting for her as her “prize”.

We filled it with travel-size items she’ll need for her honeymoon as well as Mr. & Mrs. luggage tags and Bride & Groom passport holders! You can find all of these items at Michael’s Arts & Crafts Store.

 

And that’s it; what do you think?! I’d love to hear any Bridal Shower themes you’ve thrown or seen; always looking for new ideas!

A Wedding Story: Ali & Tracy!

This week we have 2 Featured Brides! First up is Ali, all the way from The Gem State… that’s right, Idaho! (Did you know that Idaho gets it nickname because nearly every known gem has been found there? Pretty cool, huh!) To hear more about Ali, check out her fabulous blog: a pair of aviators.

When did you get married? June 19, 2009

Where was your ceremony? Reception? Both were held at the Idaho Botanical Gardens.

What made you choose that reception location? Three reasons: one, Elliot proposed to me at the gardens; two: both of us have always wanted an outdoor wedding, and; three, we had private access to the entire location for the ceremony and reception.

What was your favorite aspect of your wedding? Elliot and I each chose passages of literature to read to one another during the ceremony. The passage Elliot chose was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined, and I cried like a baby. Oh! and Elliot's best man/best friend, John, delivered an incredibly moving speech. Everyone was weepy after that.

What was the best resource you used during the planning process? Blogs! Especially Snippet & Ink's inspiration boards!

What's the one thing you would have done differently? I would not have forgotten the programs at home!

Any advice for future brides? Spend more time preparing for marriage than planning your wedding.

Ali’s wedding photos were courtesy of one of her friends.

Next up, we have the fun and fabulous blogger Tracy from Then I Got to Thinking… Tracy’s a California bride that got married on a pretty fabulous day if you ask me, 9/5/09. Here’s Tracy to tell you more about her big day.

When did you get married?
I got married on September 5th, 2009.

Where was your ceremony? Reception?
My ceremony and reception were both at the gorgeous Arden Hills Resort in Fair Oaks, CA.

What made you choose that reception location?
We had a pretty large wedding (about 350 people) and we wanted to find a place everyone could fit comfortably. We also wanted to stay somewhere that we could have the ceremony and reception at the same place so people wouldn't have to drive. The property is beautiful and we thought it just fit us. They also have a gorgeous villa on site that all of my girlfriends, mom, MIL, and sisters stayed in... it was so great!

What was your favorite aspect of your wedding?
My favorite aspect of my wedding (besides, of course, the man I married) was my dress. I have a unique style and I wanted something non-traditional. When I put the dress on, I knew it was the exact dress I had always dreamed of. Very few people knew what my dress looked like, so when I walked down the aisle, it was a surprise for a lot of people. I also loved my shoes... well, the story behind them, too. My husband bought them for me to wear - they are the blue Manolos from SATC.

What was the best resource you used during the planning process?
The best resource was my wedding planner, Kendra Pfeiffer. She was absolutely incredible. I knew what I wanted, gave her all my ideas, and she brought them all to life. The days leading up to the wedding, I did not have a worry in the world... I just showed up and everything was magical!

What's the one thing you would have done differently?
I'm not sure I can think of anything I would do differently... I was pretty shocked at how well it went. I just wish it wouldn't have gone by so quickly.

Any advice for future brides?
The only advice I really have is to make your wedding unique to you and your fiancé. We had so many fun things that fit us, and we made the entire day about our love. One of the things I looked forward to the most of all was giving him letters I had written him for over a year before we got married. Every hour the day of our wedding, different people delivered him hand written letters from me that I had written at different points in our relationship. I strongly suggest writing him a letter to read the day of... it was special. (Not to mention, he was already teary eyed before I walked down the aisle!)

Photos courtesy of Ford Family Photography.

If you'd like to be a Featured Wife or Bride, please email me at legallybride@hotmail.com

Nuptial Trends: Garden Theme!

This week, I thought we could look at how to pull off a Garden Themed wedding. I have never been to one of these weddings but I imagine they’d be beautiful, romantic and well, pretty green. This topic came from a friend who’s helping her sister plan a Garden Theme wedding for next July in Long Island; I’m always open to ideas so if you ever have one you’d like to see, feel free to let me know!

First off, I imagine these garden weddings would have to be outside. Possible backdrops for the ceremony are well, gardens for one, or even just trees or a lake.

For outdoor weddings, I love cute little signs pointing the guests in the right direction. You can do a fancier printed sign in your color scheme or even write with some chalk on a piece of wood.

Another way to point guests in the right direction is lining up a row of lanterns. “Follow the yellow brick…lantern.”

Another ceremony decor option is hanging up moss letters with your initials. The more you do that incorporates nature and flowers, the more this theme will show.

For the aisle, I like the idea of hanging flowers or potted plants adorning the pews.

A ribbon-decorated basket filled with ceremony programs is another way to bring in any accent colors you may be using.

Having an outdoor wedding in the middle of the summer? Protect your guests from the heat! Options include:

Fans at each chair,

parasols in a basket,

and refreshments! If you don’t have a catering staff available to serve lemonade as your guests arrive, a bucket of ice and bottled waters will also do the trick!

For your flower girl and ring bearer, make sure their baskets are adorned with an abundance of flowers and moss.

For the bride, a more casual dress would work best; as opposed to a beaded ball gown. I love the idea of a floral pattern, like this one from J. Crew.

Whether you choose an updo or not, I think a flower in the bride’s hair is a nice touch to the garden theme.

Speaking of flowers, bouquets should showcase lots of greens!

Also, incorporate your accent color into the flowers. Here we have pops of pink and purple.

For the bridesmaids, I chose to focus on different green options but really I think you could make any color work. Well, maybe not black. I’m having trouble envisioning a black garden themed wedding, but it does not mean it’s impossible! It’s YOUR day; anything goes.

For a fun vibe, I love this almost muted lime green color, very bright. For a slightly more formal look, I like this lace halter option, very romantic.

One way to have your MOH stand out is to have her in a longer dress like these girls in the light sage green. Another friendly and fun option? Have your girls pick their own dress to flatter their body types; or in the case to the right, in different shades!

A neat way to incorporate the theme into your pictures is to use props! Posing in front of trees and carrying parasols make for fun pictures to remember your day by.

Onto the reception…

For place cards, I love the casualness of these green cards hanging on the “clothesline”. Another option, using apples! Fruit is a fitting nod to your garden theme.

Other ideas are to use floral-patterned place cards or tack them to a sheet of moss.

I love the way this gold (probably spray painted) birdcage is used here to hold cards.

Another way to use birdcages (or even lanterns) are to have them as part of your centerpieces, along with candles, flowers or even fruit.

Other centerpiece options would be large displays of flowers, the more greenery the better. (Bird nest optional)

For table numbers, I found this bird and nest one that screams garden/nature, but for a more subtle look, a simple green floral pattern works well.

For cakes, I found so many options that had me think “That’d be perfect!” One of my favorite looks would be a relatively simple cake with a few LARGE flowers adorning it.

Another option is a cake decorated with MANY tiny flowers; either in white or an accent color.

A simpler cake would be an all white one with fresh cut flowers along the base and/or on the top. And of course, we can’t leave out the bird nest option…

Another way to tie in the theme is through your signature drink. You could make it green, or other accent color, or even tie in nature like this one, called “Apple of My Eye”.

Finally, for favors, I found these throw blankets. What better way to send your guests off from your garden themed wedding than with a blanket they can use for their next picnic?

Have you ever been to a garden themed wedding? I’d love to hear about it!

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All images courtesy of the Knot