Casey & Bryce: a modern love story

One week prior to the day he was to be married, Bryce could be found in Afghanistan fighting for his country.  What a story!  The first time I met Casey and Bryce was shortly after Valentine's Day, when he returned to the United States for a brief stint and surprised Casey for the romantic weekend.  That was when I was told that he would be overseas until right before the wedding.  

Casey said, either way, we'd have a party.

Party is what we had -- fortunately, celebrating the marriage of Casey & Bryce. 

To any bride-to-be, the rest of these pictures will be some wonderful eye candy.  Thanks so much to the creative eye of Erin Farrell of Erin Farrell Photography and her assistant Erin.  Although they are from DE, do give them a call.  It is worth having them travel down to Baltimore for pictures like these!  Thanks, ladies!

Casey and her mom love antique shopping -- and were in awe of the broach bouquet.  For months, they shopped ebay for 100s of broaches for Casey's bouquet and special ones as gifts for the bridesmaids. 

 

Casey even added one to her pearl necklace to tie all the details together.  

Perfectly matching the couple's vibrant personality, the colors and flowers really stood out!

As a special surprise, the mother of the bride found an old suitcase while antiquing and posted a map of the honeymoon spot with special "scrapbooking" details.  It made a great card holder!

 Dress change!

The night ended with a table of colorful Izze pop and a man dancing while popping popcorn.  

Needless to say, absolutely everyone enjoyed the party.

Oh, and I almost forgot -- the groom's twin brother just had a baby a few days before the wedding.  

So, because he couldn't attend, 

we arranged for him to do his best man speech and toast from a computer over Skype.  

Thanks to all of the great vendors for helping make such a great night for Casey & Bryce:

ceremony & reception:  American Visionary Art Museum

 officiant:  Matt Hoh, friend of the couple

caterer:  Absolutely Perfect Catering

baker:  Sugarbakers

florist:  Willow Oak Flowers

photographer:  Erin Farrell Photography

photobooth:  party picturebooth

cocktail music:  Bobby Stevens

dj:  Premier DJ Services

lighting:  event dynamics

transportation:  All Stretched Out

beauty:  Up Dos for I Dos 

Put a little love in your heart!

What a beautiful way to say "I love you"

featured in the book Wedding Days by Alexia Alexiadoy

~Meringue boxes with strawberries & chantilly~

prep time: 1 hour
baking time: 1 hour & 30 minutes + several hours for drying

For the meringues: 1 recipe meringue mixture
4 egg whites, few drops of lemon juice, 1 cup fine sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla essence
1. Beat the egg whites with a few drops of lemon juice with an electric mixer, until thick and fluffy. While beating, gradually add half the sugar. Lower the mixer speed. Add the remaining sugar and vanilla and beat for 1 second, just a couple of turns.
2. Draw two 8-inch circles on two sheets of non-stick paper. Spread the paper on two oven grids. Place the meringue mixture in a piping bag with a large nozzle and use to cover the circles on the paper, making spirals from the center outward.
3. Bake the meringues at 180 degrees F for 2 hours, in a fan over. Turn off the heat and let the meringue layers cool inside the oven.

For the filling:
-1 pound ready-made whipped cream (Chantilly)
-1 pound fresh strawberries cleaned and sliced
-strawberry sauce for serving:
4 cups strawberries, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 4 tsps corn-starch, 4 tsps lemon juice, 4 tsps Cognac
*Mix the strawberries, sugar, corn-starch and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Simmer slowly and stir periodically, until the mixture sets and a glossy transparent sauce forms. Remove from the heat. Add and stir in the Cognac.

1. Cut out two pieces of non-stick paper the size of the oven grid. Draw 20 2x2 inch squares on each piece of paper. Spread the paper over the oven grids.
2. Put the meringue mixture in a piping bag and using a small nozzle pipe horizontal and vertical lines to cover the surface of the squares forming lace-type patterns. If you wish, use a larger nozzle and after forming the perimeter of the square draw a small heart in the center of the square. Fill the entire surface of 6 squares of meringue to use as the bases of the boxes.
3. Bake the meringues in a conveyor oven at 200 degrees F for 1 hour & 30 minutes. Switch off the oven and cool the meringues in the oven. Store the meringues in airtight boxes, in a dry place. In dry weather, they will keep for several weeks.

To assemble: Place the compact squares on serving plates and pipe a large rosette of whipped cream over them. Stick the four sides of the box on the cream and fill the boxes with more cream. Garnish with some strawberry slices and serve with spoonfuls of strawberry sauce.

"A picture is worth a thousand words"

I love photographs...especially candid photos. Photos are timeless and express so many different emotions. There are so many cute and creative ways to create a new environment for capturing your favorite moments of the day. It's time to think outside the box to make your pictures unique (...no pun intended)! :)

www.createlovegrow.com

www.makeupshanna.wordpress.com

http://amysallows.com

thedesigngrove.com

www.stacyable.com

"After all, men can't wear dresses"

www.wedding-place.com

I am in the bridal party for a friend's wedding next summer and

Jenny sent me this amazing website for my personal use, but I also want to share it with you all!

www.weddingway.com is a new way to make "bridesmaid dress shopping social & simple". This system of shopping, comparing, sharing and tracking makes it very efficient for bridesmaids to keep track of their orders, especially helpful if bridesmaids are not all located in one particular area.

First, bridesmaids are invited to utilize the website. Once they have accepted the invitation, they can upload a photo to be listed among the other girls. There are several different styles of dresses that can work for the same color swatch, a unique trend wedding attendees are seeing more and more of. From here, bridesmaids can "drag-and-drop" their favorite dresses to compare side-by-side. Bridesmaids can then rank their favorite dresses and ultimately make an order and track shipping.

This website is fun to use, and makes an open platform for communication where everyone in the bridal party can easily be involved.

Neat!

http://www.simplyjubileeblog.com

Rustic Inspiration Board

After a recent conversation at the Historic Londontowne & Gardens, I created an inspiration board from rustic elements as well as pale blues and yellows.  I would love to see water incorporated into the design as well since this venue is right on the water.  What other elements would you involve? 

You can easily find all the pictures on my pinterest site:  http://pinterest.com/jpbdesigns/

   centerpiece: stylemepretty.com

   escort cards:  weddings.theknot.com

   invitation:  etsy.com

   aps:  100layercake.com

   cake:  100layercake.com

   blue plates: marthastewartweddings.com

   yellow linens:  stylemepretty.com

   table/chairs:  stylemepretty.com

   stumps/candles:  none

Write something worth reading...

For some unique inspiration, here are some clever substitutes for the traditional guest book:

(from www.marthastewartweddings.com)

presenting guests with thought-provoking questions about
the couple's future while they are enjoying dinner


for a vintage-themed occasion, allow guests to really
take their time thinking of a good message


writing thoughtful notes on doves: symbols of love, happiness and harmony


mail your good wishes away!


tied with ribbon - very regal, indeed

The Meaning of Flowers

"Some flowers spoke with strong and powerful voices, which proclaimed in accents trumpet-tongued, 'I am beautiful, and I rule.' Others murmured in tones scarcely audible, but exquisitely soft and sweet, 'I am little, and I am beloved.'" ~George Sand (Armandine A.L. Dupin) 1804-76

Flowers are a very important aspect of a wedding. They bring great sentiment and often require a great deal of planning. Here is some interesting history about the meaning of flowers to help create even more meaning for your special day, based from the book
Wedding Flowers by Wendy Thomson & Joanne Hornsby.

Spring Weddings: symbolism of rebirth and new beginnings

examples of spring flowers:
- carnation: unrequited love
- lilac: first emotions of love
- mimosa: secret love
- poppy: consolation

~lilac bouquet~
www.lilacsbloom.com






Summer Weddings: abundance of joy

examples of summer flowers:
- bluebell: constancy
- lily-of-the-valley: return of happiness
- sunflower: splendid

- tuberose: dangerous pleasures

~tuberose bouquet~
www.weddings.theknot.com




Fall Weddings: warmth and strength

examples of fall flowers:
- dahlia: pomp
- gardenia: refined
- chrysanthemum: "remember me"
- belladonna: pride, silence

~gardenia bouquet~
www.bouquetweddingflowers.com

Winter Weddings: passion, intensity

examples of winter flowers:

- amaryllis: splendid beauty

- heather: good luck
- tulip: declaration of hopeless love
- ivy: fidelity

~tulips bouquet~
www.flower-arrangement-advisor.com

Now, that's clever!

Over the holiday weekend, I picked up a book entitled
Instant Weddings: From "Will You?" to "I Do!" in Four Months or Less
by Jennifer L. Shawne

After reading through it, some interesting tips stood out to me...ideas I might not have thought of, but ideas that make so much sense. Here are some budget saving tips and extra-creative additions to enhance the greatness of your day:

*don't use the "wicked W word" when shopping for items for your big day:
By using catchphrases such as "I'm looking for a fabulous dress." or "I'm hoping to book a place for a private party," money can be saved from vendors who automatically increase prices for weddings before they even get to hear about what a couple is looking for.

*switch up the typical concept of bar refreshments:
Offer "his & her" cocktails, sangria or mimosas.
Furthermore, shopping at big liquor stores ensures a bigger back stock and
possibly better deals when buying in bulk.

*include more than the "need-to-know" information on a wedding website:
If a couple is expecting several guests from out of town, it may be fun to include a section on their website with recommended locations, such as a restaurant, park or other date area that has an important meaning. If guests are coming into town early, it could be a special chance to share in the story of your lives together.

*stretching out your budget for flower arrangements:
In the event that a wedding venue has more than one event in a day, why not call and discuss the notion of sharing flowers? A small, but possibly significant way to reduce the price of decorating.

*"kill two birds":
There is a lot of stress involved in planning a wedding, but it is important to not let stress get in the way of the big day. Try multitasking: have dinner at a location you are considering for your rehearsal dinner or spend an afternoon wine tasting with friends for your reception. Too many times couples get caught up in separating wedding planning from their daily lives. Times are tough, so make life easier on yourself.


www.pocketculture.com

Lobster Boil - Labor Day

Although I typically post about weddings, I have to show you this great party my family went to this afternoon.  A lobster boil!  It was so much fun!

We were bummed about the impending rain, but everyone had a great time anyway!

complete with instructions and all...

"I wanna put on my boogie shoes!"

A wedding doesn't have to take place on the beach to be comfortable - it's a guarantee that any female will want to remove her heels at some point in the evening so she can really get her groove on! Providing baskets of an alternative to stilettos will be very appreciated!

www.signaturestylebydesign.com
simple and inexpensive

www.weddingwire.com


www.diy.weddingbee.com
guests can shop for the perfect fit!


www.weddingbellebridal.com
monogrammed sandals could also be a great souvenir for bridesmaids

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt..."

The moment the bride and groom jointly cut the wedding cake is always a crowd pleaser. Once the photographer captures the moment, everyone knows the beautiful display of dessert will be taken away and then sliced for everyone to enjoy. Everyone loves sweets, so this tradition can never be a bad thing.

But what about adding to this tradition and expanding the menu a little bit? As someone who has quite a sweet tooth, I think the new found trend of serving candy alongside, or as a substitute for cake is a great idea. Kids will certainly grasp the concept, and placing goody bags alongside the treats will allow your guests to take a little something with them. Furthermore, all of the creativity couples put into the design of their cake can still be utilized in a table scape to display other dessert items.

Life is sweet, indeed.

www.ourweddingplus.com

www.thedior.net
This couple chose a carnival-like, old-fashioned style - I can see this at an outdoor wedding too.

kaitlynjames.blog
Labels help guests get their hands on the yummy goodies even faster!

www.smartbrideboutique.com

www.beau-coup.com
goody bags for the car ride home