Weekend Recap

What a week it has been. August was an insane rush with 10 weddings in 4 weeks. Not that I need to say it, but talk about exhausting! So I was happy to float into September with only 6 weddings. This feels like a breeze :) This weekend's wedding consisted of designing and crafting favors for a Holman Ranch wedding planned perfectly by the fabulous Soiree By Simone. Suffice it to say, these scone + jam favors were among my favorite favor ideas of the year. Can't wait to see the photography magic Delbarr Moradi did with this wedding. It was gorgeous!

In between all the crafting (after a while your hands and eyes need a break) I decided to start cleaning out my office as well as the garage. Before I knew it, my room look like a tornado hit it while I cleaned out every drawer, every shelf and organized it all. Sort of a weird thing to do while it is crunch time for a wedding, but hey, I got it all done and my office looks incred, win-win!

Sunday morning consisted of wrapping mini baguettes with twine for each place setting at the wedding. I decided to leave for Carmel a bit early and hit up Bernardus Lodge on the way for a cup of coffee and a little time to answer emails with some amazing views.

I'm so lucky to get to spend so much time at my wedding venue, Holman Ranch along with the fabulous Simone as the planner of this wedding. Just check out this fabulous shot of the table place settings!

Now onto finalizing everything for a Big Sur wedding next weekend!

Engaged & Inspired Weekly + Inspired Links

It has been quite the week over here! And I am excited to share about the week and what is going on at E&I every Friday in my "Inspired Links" post each Friday. I had my first wedding of the season last weekend. It was a beautiful Holman Ranch wedding with soft and romantic details. I was so happy to have the opportunity to work with Simone of Soiree by Simone as well as Delbarr Moradi Photography. Two truly awesome people. Here is a shot of the dessert table I designed. I posted a few other photos on my Instagram.

iPhone Shot. I don't want to give too much away!

We are going to change things around a little bit with our lovely E&I Brides. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be all about our fabulous ladies planning their big affairs! Which means that you will see me around here more often as I will be covering Monday & Friday with real wedding, insprational links, and more advice from the other side (of planning that is).

Meet our fabulous E&I Brides and check out all of their pretty inspiration boards!

I'm sure you guys know good and well by now that I highly enjoy crafting, DIYs and the like. What you might not know is that I am doing these for weddings as well. AKA, if you want some crafty awesome, one-of-a-kind details, I'm definitely your gal!

I am very excited about some of the projects on my crafting to-do list! Kraft books, an amazing antler inspiration for the nursery (not pregnant, just a crazy planner) some fun programs, and if I can extra awesome, I might try my hand at a lighting installation. Oh and you will be able to see some of my fun creations on The Knotty Bride as I take on being the DIY blogger for her! (Excited much? YEP)

These and so many of my other favorite DIYs to try can be found on my Pinterest board!

How has your week been? What planning goods and bads are you running into? Would love to hear about your week and what you are up to!

Wedding To-Do's and a Recap!

Because I am not interested in putting everything off until the last minute, I have decided to set a new target date for myself. I have decided that I am going to get 90% of the wedding done by my birthday which is on December 9th. This way I can enjoy my birthday, the holidays, and not worry about planning again until January!

Source

I understand the massive goal in front of me, there is A LOT! Since I decided this I have gotten my butt into gear and I have actually gotten things done. One of which was creating the absolutely complete and totally organized list of to-dos....which goes on for quite a while. Each part of the wedding is broken down in a separate section of the list making it easy for my to think with the overall look of the venue and the wedding.

I have 3 weeks and a few days left until my birthday, but I have 4 weekends. But seeing as I work for myself, weekends don't mean nearly as much as they used to.

So, here are the things I am going to get done by nightfall on Sunday. I figure it isn't a bad idea to post these things on here because I actually have to stick to them!

1. Order Cotton 2. Put Lace, Hangers, Chicken wire and twine on the armoire. 3. Get wood for table legs and chicken wire from Home Depot. 4. Get cupcake stands and make the table number displays. 5. Make the ceremony sign 6. Wrap books in kraft paper, lace, and twine to see what it looks like. Mock up the centerpiece 7. Make a batch of two-tiered mini cakes to see if I can do it! 8. Go to Priscilla of Boston and do the final fitting!!! 9. Order fashion accessories 10. Research birdcages and find out where to buy and if they are expensive! 11. Figure out the save the dates and actually send something.

Ok that may be all for now. It is not really that much but it is a lot of going here and there. PS: Who thinks a bouquet of lavender and cotton would look good for the bridesmaids? I can't really picture it but I can see it being amazing.

What things are on your wedding to-do list this weekend??? I hope you all are getting a lot done :)

As far as this past week, we had a lot going on. Plenty of giveaways, updates, and inspiration.

The Inspired List received some much needed changes and improvements! This site just keeps getting better and better! Check it out to find vendors in your area :) and if you want more vendors in your area, let me know the location of your wedding and I'll do some research for you! Check out all the updates and additions on my post about it!

Discount Time! This time it is on something that you'll love, videography packages. I know this is often the first thing to get crossed off the budget, believe me, I have been there, but having the memories of the looks you two gave each other, the speeches and the guests tears can not be displayed in photos. The good news this time is that Silber Studios is offering $500 off any package booked before the end of the year! Check out the details and the packages.

This is my wedding inspiration, Take 3. Well, part of it. I have a whole post about it and you can check out boards 1 and 2 while you are at it! The wedding is less than 5 months away, eek!

MagnetStreet is kind enough to host this giveaway, the prize being 100 free holiday cards. These are fully customizable too! They have a line of invitations and save-the-dates as well, but with the holidays nearing, who doesn't want free holiday cards??? Find out how to enter!

Weekly Recap!

Hello There! I am currently in Las Vegas for a little bit of a wedding and a little bit of fun! Can you believe that The Inspired List is finally live. I hope those of you who checked it out love it, and those of you who haven't go do so now. We already have over 50 vendors signed up and that is only day 1. All next week we will be launching giveaways, vendor deals and so much more. It's going to be a party, so make sure you are checking back.

Go check out The Inspired List! Comment your feedback and you will be entered to win a $65 CSN store gift card.

Vendors can sign up very easily right here. We offer both free and premium (only $20 per month!) listings.

This collection of centerpiece vases had me going in circles with the prettiness! There are so many amazing centerpiece ideas out there, it's so hard to narrow them to just one or a few.

Fall Table Number Inspiration for those of you who need something uber creative and fun!

Each Wednesday we gather together some of the best finds around the blogs and put it all in one place for your viewing pleasure. This weeks favorites were insanely creative and amazing! This is must-see!

And of course, I still have tons of Baker's Twine and Kraft paper shipping tags for sale! These are two wedding essentials for me. We are selling them for insanely cheap prices to help you brides out. E-mail me: littlemissengaged@gmail.com if you want want to order anything.

Kraft Tags: 25 cents each $20 for 100

Baker's Twine: $1 for 25 yards $3 for 100 yards $7 for 250 yards $2 shipping anywhere in the US.

Weekly Recap

This was a super fun week for me filled with lots of eye candy and lots of wedding decision made on my part! Who could ask for anything better??? I went dress shopping last weekend and am going twice this weekend. I hope to choose THE dress within this coming week. I am also planning to make my jam wedding favors today, which should be interesting! As far as this blog goes, we had a really fun week of lots of eye candy! First off are some of the greatest shoe photos I have seen in a long time. This one got my mind going on an incredible style shoot I am now going to do shortly.

Here is a spring inspiration board for those of us that aren't ready for fall to come upon us!

I've decided to do jam as my wedding favors ( which I am making today ) and here is a bit of the inspiration that I am working off of with the jam decor.

Here is a great real wedding by Junshien Photography. So many fantastic color combos to love in this wedding.

Also, I finally got the chance to blog about Lizzie's wedding from back in May. It was a gorgeous winery affair. ( See if you can spot me in the photos!)

Last but definitely not least, we finally announced The Inspired List to the public. This brainchild of my fiance and I is finally turning into a real thing and the site is going to be done very soon. I can't believe that this little idea is finally something I can tell you all about! Sign up for an e-mail update when it launches. Also, we have a giveaway going on right now-fill out a survey to give us your input on how we make The Inspired List and one bride and one vendor will win some contemporary wine glasses!

Let me know what your favorite post of the week is! What is everyone doing wedding-wise this weekend??

{Weekly Recap} Dress Love.Venue Found.

Is this your first time over here?? Take a look around and make sure you are following us on Twitter. Only fun things to come from our Twitter feeds. I'm Allison, planning my April 2011 wedding at Holman Ranch in Carmel, CA. Follow along on my journey, and check out some of the other cute details I have come across!

Today was a very fun week for me! I secured the venue, figured out a lot of cute details to use, and found some great vendors. All while working with Ian on the new site, and getting another really fun writing job. I can't wait for this wedding now that I can picture it all. It's going to be a blast! This week I definitely talked a lot about dresses as it is something I think I need to get pretty quickly.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter as that is where a lot of my fun banter goes! Oh and I was offered an Ipad to use for a fun giveaway. This may be dumb but I just want to see if there is interest in that and if anyone has any fun ideas of how I could give it away, I would love to hear! :) Ok, now onto the fun events from last week.

First there was the dress I found online which I fell in love with. It may just be the photos, but I was definitely loving this design! Going to go try it on and see how it looks! YAY

This is one of my most favorite ideas ever! Paper straws. I am totally obsessed and totally using these for the wedding :) They are going to be incredibly awesome too.

Oh and BTW, VENUE FOUND! Eeeeps. It's totally done. That whole long search, yay! Check out the venue pics here.

Here is a shot of my favorite dress ever! I contacted the photographer to see if I could find out who makes the dress or if she was selling it or something! But this is definitely my dress inspiration.

Here are some definite dessert must-haves that I love. Macaroons, cupcakes and cookies and milk. Such yummy alternatives for bridal showers, engagement parties, and just about anything else!

Oh and finally, check out our giveaway that we have going on. Ian and I are starting a new site and need some feedback. In return, one lucky bride and one lucky vendor will will their choice of these super cute wine glasses in exchange for helping us out! Thanks so much in advance.

{Weekly Recap} The one where my blog and life are crazy busy!

The last couple weeks have been pure insanity! After finishing up the Fashion Show I had to clean-up,  go through all the photos, etc. etc. Before that was even finished, it was suddenly moving day, so I was wrapped up in packing/moving/unpacking/sorting through boxes to find my other shoe (which I still haven't found anywhere!) On top of that, we have been meeting with brides to do their event design! Oh and I am writing for a slue of blogs, online mags, etc. now too. Oh and, aren't I supposed to be finding a venue and planning a wedding? Weird because I haven't even had time to think about that! Definitely hectic, but SO much fun! So, onto to the blog recap now that I am done telling you my busy schedule. If you follow me on Twitter, you have probably seen the tough questions I have been asking "Better venue or more people at your wedding?" "Refined Winery or Rustic Ranch?" And no, I am not just asking random questions, I am taking questions that I can't answer for myself and throwing them to you guys....consider yourselves the decision makers of my wedding! (haha how awesome would that be if you guys did all the decision making, for real) So, I took it to the blog and gave the three options of venues I am looking at. I was overwhelmed by the comment love I received and all the answers that everyone chimed in! It has definitely made my decision easier since everyone is bringing up incredibly great points for me to take a look at! So, thanks to everyone who responded, and  make sure you add in your answer as well!

Next up on the list is the A-MAZ-ING giveaway I have going on right now! Create a bridal look (dress and whatever accessories you love) and enter to win a vintage hair piece and matching earring from Lottie-Da Designs! Check out all the details at smartbride.net and send in your submissions.

I had bridal showers on my mind, so I had to make a cute little pink and green bridal shower inspiration board! I have since decided on doing a Bridal Shower Brunch, so we'll see what comes of that! Cute idea though, right?

Though I have already  professed my obsession with Vera Wang many times over, I decided to do it once again to show off her latest Spring 2011 collection, including the dress-of-my-almost-dreams! (If I could get the Diana or Dorothy dresses out of my mind for longer than a second!)

I had the opportunity to feature a wedding with the most fun looking guest list ever!  I gotta hand it to an incredible photographer, none other than Aaron Shintaku, for capturing some incredibly fun (and probably also embarrassing) photos from this wedding! Not to mention the fact that the bride was definitely rocking the vintage look, which just makes this whole wedding that much more enjoyable!

Oh for the love of florals! Centerpieces really get to me for some reason. It's pretty much an obsession of mine. This centerpiece post is no different! I'm loving all the different options I have with this little detail of the wedding :)

Speaking of florals, this wedding by Picotte Photography had some of the best florals ever! LOVE LOVE LOVE. Oh and if you want to fall in love with a wedding venue, this place is a great one to fall for!

To end the round-up of the week, let's talk about the sign-in table! That is yet another thing I happen to be OBSESSED with. I came across an amazing idea involving no table at all actually! Instead, I plan on using an antique cabinet and hanging the place cards on the doors. Which leaves all the shelves for some pretty fun design opportunities!

So there you have it! I would love to hear from all of you about these ideas and any others that you are adding to YOUR wedding design! What is hitting you like a massive brick of inspiration??? Oh and do you follow me on Twitter? Cause you should be...I'm just saying! I love chatting it up with all of you brides and hearing about your lives as well! And don't forget that Engaged and Inspired offer event  design services too, so you can most definitely e-mail to get a quote for event design!

Weekly Recap

This week was quite exciting for Engaged and Inspired. So many wonderful posts were published, and we have connected up with some fun vendors to show some really cool shots as well as some places to find those fantastic wedding details. Also, as far as our wedding goes, I am pretty sure we found the venue! I am going to post another real wedding that was done there so you can get an idea of the space and what we can do with it. It is unconventional and will take a lot of DIYing, but if we do it right, it will turn out gorgeous and super "backyard wedding" looking!

More on that next week, and for now, here is everything we went over this past week!

First of all, we are nearing the final days of the GIVEAWAY! Comment anywhere and everywhere on the blog to enter to win this super cute necklace. each comment is an entry, so go for it :) We will announce the winner this coming Monday. Then we have another awesome giveaway in store for you, so make sure you check back!

Summer and Boyd did an incredible job on this real wedding in Mexico! Talk about gorgeous simplicity. Oh and her and I have the same ring :)

From Wedding to Home: Using frames in your wedding, then reusing them in your home is a cost cutter...and totally unique idea!

Tori Spelling renewed her vows, and we were able to gain some incredible inspiration from her doing so! She knows how to plan quite the event :) So many amazing details to check out.

Oh engagement shoot props!! Our favorite. We showed off so many fantastic ideas over on this blog post. This is definitely eye candy!

Speaking of all the engagement session recently, we wanted to talk about props and how to use them to create something that is much more than a photo! It is full on wall art.

We had to do it again. Chalkboard love. :) Oh and I will be displaying the entire wedding which goes with the photo above next week. You have no idea what you are in store for with this beauty!

Such a cute engagement shoot. Loved their style as a couple :)

Pink and Gray wedding. Here is an inspiration board which you won't be able to stop looking at.

Love these flowers! What do you think is better, white with pops of color, or a white dress with a bold bouquet? Check out this post and comment your opinions.

Darling real wedding. This one was so elegant and pretty, I love it!

Check me out over there:

I put together an incredible look over on smartbride.net. Flowing and simple dress, statement jewelry, blush and gold accents...just amazing.

On Tweet My Wedding I was talking about how much DIY is too much DIY?? I don't know how much I should take on, and if I will end up regretting it later.

Weekly Recap

Hello again! First of all, happy Saturday! Today is my amazing friend Lizzie's Wedding! Congrats to her, and I am beyond excited about today! I'll post pics as soon as I can (might be a month or two though!) Check out what we went over on the blog this week, very fun stuff!

Such an adorable Real Wedding shot by J. Andrew Photography. Stephanie (the bride) had some helpful tips for all you brides out there!

The debate of the week, should I have a backyard wedding?? Check out my backyard wedding pros and cons and add in your opinion!

Check out these great seating options. Use them for your wedding, then here is a tip for your after-wedding home makeover!

I'M IN LOVE. Talk about some amazingly cute dessert tables idea! The possibilities really are endless.

I was never into red weddings, until I did this inspiration board! So many gorgeous options.

And finally, check out pictures of the backyard I would have the wedding in!

Weekly Recap! Part 2

Here is part two of our weekly recap! So much good stuff that it didn't all fit in one post :) Check it out, and let me know what you think. Feedback allows me to give you all that you need and want from Engaged and Inspired!

Introducing our newest featured photographer: Hannah Suh! I am so excited to have her over here because her work is something I absolutely love!

Spring on the Runway: All you Bay Area locals come down for an afternoon of Cupcakes, Tea and Fashion as we host local fashion designers with our spring runway show! This is a great chance to take a break from planning, and you'll get to meet me as well!

Orange Extraordinaire: The reception of this orange wedding was great. So many great ideas to adapt from. Also, make sure you check out the dancing section of the wedding-talk about an awesome party!

Orange Extraordinaire Part 1: The ceremony, getting ready, the details, this post has all those darling parts to a wedding that turn into the greatest pictures!

Giveaway: The winner will be announced on Monday! Make sure you enter :)

Check me out elsewhere! You won't be disappointed!