For The Love of Floral Theory

This post is very long overdue, I'm talking, a year or two overdue, but here we are. Our 1 year anniversary is coming up quick (this weekend to be exact), so I have felt the need to look through some of the photos yet again, and that is where I found these two gems.

It is very hard to explain the type of bride that I was, but I'll try. I was obsessed with everything and had a very hard time curating and making decisions. I slowly put together a fabulous team of vendors to help me carry out my vision. One of those was a new friend of mine that I met via Twitter. (I can't say this is the first person or only one.....Twitter is awesome) Yasmin of Floral Theory was my gal. And oh do I feel sorry for her! I was one of those crazy people that changes their mind and their plans every other day, and she was just so amazing during the whole process, nudging me along without making me feel nudged, until finally I landed in the ballpark of what I wanted.

I remember being on the phone with her and finally realizing that if I leave it all to her, she is going to make it amazing. What did I know about flowers? She is a much better judge of what is going on in the floral world. And that is where I realized there is so much more to it than what bouquets and flowers you like, there is oh so much more! Over the past year I have learned so much more about the industry as a whole, and honestly I would have done everything a lot different, ie. leave it up to the professionals to understand and execute my vision without micro-managing.

At one point I am pretty sure I released control and let her run with it (at least I think I did that....she might have a different side of the story! hehe)

Fast forward to the wedding day. I can't even begin to explain my feelings that day, it as a huge jumble of one thing after the other. The one thing I remember about that day was the moment I stepped foot onto Holman Ranch. I wasn't obsessed with the "details" because it was cool and it was the thing to do. Nope, I was obsessed because pretty things and fabulous details and that creative outlet that I had been able to take full advantage of for the past year plus was surrounding me and enveloping me. This was my vision, my life for basically a year and here it was. I didn't care about trends, I cared about the fact that this was me, and this was our wedding. I craft things, I build things, and here it was, right here in front of me.

This is the moment when I knew that I made the right decisions, that I hired people that truly understood me and carried out my vision. When Yasmin gave me my bouquet, it was literally the prettiest thing I had ever seen. She created something that has my inspiration all over it, but took it to a whole new level, that I couldn't have dreamed up on my own!

I decided to do something a little different for the gals! I had SO many paper flowers, and combining them with a bit of cotton was the perfect way to give my girls something rustic and awesome.

Overall, I was so insanely happy with the florals from my wedding and the job she did. Since our wedding day I have been lucky enough to chat more and more with Yasmin and together we have created some awesome stuff using my crafty skills and her amazing talent for florals. I am so happy for the friendship that we have created and thrilled that we have the chance to work together in the future!

All that being said, I'm pretty sure it is evident that if anyone needs a florist, Floral Theory is your go-to gal!

The Wedding Playlist

If I could have put any more attention on one aspect, it would have been the music. It wasn't THAT bad, but it wasn't the best, only because I didn't do the proper research and planning on that aspect. But what I did have, I LOVED. I found it incredibly hard to find appropriate songs, and the lack of resources were a little baffling to me. It was definitely an aspect that I literally had to dig deep down into the depths of Google searches to find suggestions and ideas. I didn't get too into the music, but we did have some fun songs that I thought were a little different than the usual wedding playlist out there.

I would definitely suggest creating a playlist as early as possible. Simply add songs as you discover or remember them. When you then go to create the actual playlist, you will have a group of songs to choose from rather than racking your brains trying to remember as many songs as you can.

Here is a short playlist:

Bridesmaids walking down: "Forever" Ben Harper Bride walking down the aisle: "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver After Ceremony: "I Feel it All" by Feist Couple entrance song: "What I Wouldn't Do" by A fine frenzy First Dance: "Islands in the Stream" Feist and Constantine's Father Daughter Dance: "Make You Feel My Love" by Adele

Other songs that I contemplated but didn't quite make the cut

"First Day Of My Life" by Bright Eyes "Marry Me" by Train "Wagon Wheel" by Against Me! "Question" by Old 97's "You and I" Ingrid Michaelson "My Favorite Chords" by The Weakerthans

Though Islands In The Stream was our first dance, I still consider Skinny Love to be our actual song. He loved that song and had no idea that I was going to be using it. I think it was a particularly emotional point when he heard it come on and it made me burst into tears far before I even got up to the alter. When I think of our wedding day, that song is always that one that goes along with it.

I'll leave you with a few of the dancing shots from the wedding. At least these people had a good time...

 

 

 

{Our Wedding} Featured

Over the past few months I have seen our little wedding pop up here and there. It is fun to see what people are saying about it and how they arrange the images and all that. So I thought I would post a few of the spots that I have seen our little Holman Ranch wedding.

First our photographers posted a little something. Then our wonderfully amazing planner Shannon Leahy posted a few words about us and the wedding. And of course Ian's proposal was featured on Wedding Chicks. Oh and did you see our feature in Exquisite Bride's Magazine?

Other sites included:

Our Wedding Video

Today is finally the day! After almost 5 months, our wedding video is done. I'll start out by saying that when the time came to make the decision about the videography, I was really really lost. I was a few weeks away (short notice, I know!) so the idea of shelling out even more money didn't seem like a very fun idea. I did a bit of surveying and everyone that spent a lot on their wedding video said it wasn't really worth it. I wasn't getting a feeling that it was a must-have item.

When the wedding was over, the only thing I wanted to do is look at video coverage of the day. Pictures worked, but I wanted to see everyone, hear the speeches and just watch it all over again and again. That was the big reason that I decided video is very important. Ya maybe I won't watch it ALL the time, but at least I have it to watch again and again, show kids, etc.

So I went the craigslist route. I paid a few hundred dollars for a guy to shoot it, and I paid to get it edited. Luckily for me I have a friend, Matt Cross, who is an incredible editor because most videographers won't even touch footage they didn't shoot themselves. And I can see why. The footage we had to work with from the shooter was, well.....not good. Literally you could easily throw away so much of it that you wouldn't be able to actually put together a video.

Matt took the footage and worked it like crazy. You can tell he is really passionate about having a great product even when that is really hard to do. Baring in mind the coverage we had, he created this 7 minute video of our wedding.

So the lessons for today are two-fold. 1 hiring a wedding videography is more important than you might think. Anything is better than nothing. Second, if you have an incredibly professional videographer, the product will turn out amazing no matter what (although I would never recommend going my route with the super cheap craigslister. That just wasn't worth it!)

And just in case you missed this: here is Ian's wedding speech.

{Venue Love} Holman Ranch, Carmel Valley

Time to talk venues today :) I have received a lot of e-mails from readers asking about Holman Ranch, but also general questions about splurging on the venue, what style is good, etc. etc. etc. So here is my side of the story, and I would love to comment with other questions, your story on finding the perfect venue, etc. Was it easy? Did it take a long time? Let those stories lose!

The moment I stepped foot, I got excited about my wedding again. Until that point I was feeling defeated and like there was no right place to have the day. My needs were pretty simple, a vineyard, a barn, gorgeous views, and firepits.

I ended up deciding on an off season Friday. And can I just say, Friday weddings are the way to go! I have been to several now and they are always the best. First you get to take the day off work, which most people really don't mind doing. Then you dance the night away, wake up and have a whole weekend ahead of you! I had a lot of out-of-town guests and it was really nice to be able to spend all of Saturday with them without stress and worry and all that other stuff.

 

This venue was a bit of a splurge but I made up for it in other areas. I found a wonderful deal on a caterer, we brought in our own drinks, cut transportation and other decor choices for it. From the moment I signed the contract until the day of the wedding I never regretted the splurge. It really depends on your scene, budget, and what you are willing to sacrifice.

The ceremony spot is breathtaking. I am not a fan of grass, but it really didn't matter with such a unique space. Standing at the alter there was nothing but rolling hills and wonderful valley below. It was one of those magical moments looking at such a vast amount of space.

Something you always have to plan for is a chance of rain. I was very anti, even though I was pretty sure it was going to rain. I couldn't imagine the wedding indoors and Shannon, the planner, knew how against it I was. When I arrived on site she said it was time to make the call and it was probably going to rain. I ended up choosing the outdoor ceremony and moving the dinner to the barn. The indoor reception ended up being much more intimate and romantic than I had ever pictured. And rain it did! It poored, it hailed and it stopped at all the right moments :)

For the small amount of time that it wasn't raining, guests could hang out on the lawn which was so amazing.

There is a small downside to the venue though. It is so spacious and so vast, that it can becoe overwhelming when trying to plan. Have anyone else had trouble with picturing things in such a big space? It took a bit of getting used to, but the nice thing was that if I didn't add anything to a space, it looked great as is.

I ended up having a lot of details and things because there was so much space to fill. It was definitely over-kill! But in a good way :)

Lastly, I can't say enough good things about Hunter and the team at Holman. After what I went through finding a venue, I felt like I hit the jackpot with the most perfect service and the nicest team.

And today I was surprised with this super awesome gift from Hunter. Aww, I can't wait to break this open on a special occasion.

So let's hear some stories! Have you found the one, are you still looking? What design and decor issues have you been running into? Spill the beans

Oh, and ff you haven't seen our wedding, check out the feature here and here.

{Our Wedding} DIY Holman Ranch Wedding Part 2

:: View Part 1 of our wedding ::

So how did you like part 1 this morning? I am here again with the reception side of our wedding. Let me just saw that there are TONS of details packed into this one. And that credit goes to my amazing planner/stylist Shannon Leahy Events. She took all the inspiration from my head and created something far better than I could have imagined. I couldn't believe the work she and the other vendors (Floral Theory and even my cake lady) to excede every possible expection I could have possibly had for this day.

So here goes the second half of my day. I hope you enjoy :)

My amazing husband had something amazing up his sleeve. A cute proposal during our wedding. Wedding Chicks featured the film so you can see exactly how it went down!

Wedding Photography: Jason + Anna Photography / Cinematography: Matt Cross / Floral Design: Floral Theory / Event Design: Meeeeee! / Event Planning: Shannon Leahy Events / Venue: Holman Ranch / Wedding Invitations & Paper Goods: DIY, Ian Silber (The Groom) / Vintage Rentals: Milk Glass Vintage Rentals / Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet (“Uma”) / Bride’s Shoes: Chinese Laundry / Bridesmaid Gifts, Clutches: Oatmeal Lace Designs

{Our Wedding} DIY Holman Ranch Wedding

Wow, do you know how hard it is to post your own wedding? I have a hard enough time narrowing down the weddings I feature, and those I am not emotionally invested in. This was crazy and I apologize in advance for throwing SO much at you in one post. I didn't realize how much I put into this wedding. Every photo I saw there was something that I had to put my hands into and DIY.

I can't say my wedding was perfect and everything I hope and dreamed for, but I will say that it was one hell of an event and I loved every second of it anyway. I have received so so so many amazing compliments from guests telling me how absolutely amazing everything was. People have said that this was by far the best wedding they have ever been to and will remember it forever more. Even one of the staff said it was the best wedding they had ever been to. And though that doesn't mean anything in comparison to what this day was about for both Ian and I, I am incredibly happy that I could show the people I love the most a good time and give them a chance to enjoy themselves.

Our wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty a few weeks back, and here is another feature including some of my favorite photos of our day.

Let me just saw that there are TONS of details packed into this one. And that credit goes to my amazing planner/stylist Shannon Leahy Events. She took all the inspiration from my head and created something far better than I could have imagined. I couldn't believe the work she and the other vendors (Floral Theory and even my cake lady) to excede every possible expection I could have possibly had for this day.

My amazing husband had something amazing up his sleeve. A cute proposal during our wedding. Wedding Chicks featured the film so you can see exactly how it went down!

Wedding Photography: Jason + Anna Photography / Cinematography: Frame 44 / Floral Design: Floral Theory / Event Design: Engaged & Inspired / Event Planning: Shannon Leahy Events / Venue: Holman Ranch / Wedding Invitations & Paper Goods: DIY, Ian Silber (The Groom) / Vintage Rentals: Milk Glass Vintage Rentals / Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet “Uma” / Bride’s Shoes: Chinese Laundry / Bridesmaid Gifts, Clutches: Oatmeal Lace Designs

{Re-Cap} Being Creative With Table Numbers

I absolutely loved so many pieces of my wedding. I loved having my mind and my fingers all over every part of the wedding. It is definitely safe to say I was up to my ears in crafting supplies and DIY projects. One of the things that was an incredibly big deal to me were the table numbers. I thought having good table numbers meant that my attention to detail was all there.

In creating this wedding day I thought of a super original and bright idea of unique table numbers. Unfortunately the concept I drew up and had in my mind was a lot different than what they looked like when they were complete.

In the aftermath of it all I ended up wishing to death that I had done something else. I had my mind on this like crazy (what a weird person I am! I can't seem to give up all this wedding stuff.) Until I had at least proven to myself that I could think of something better, I wouldn't let this one go.

Today, in a fiery of DIYing I had a brilliant idea. I rolled with it for a bit, and after several attempts, I came up with something that I abso-freaking-lutely LOVED! OMG, I can't believe I hadn't thought of this sooner! Despite the fact that I didn't do this at the wedding, I am still very happy to have thought of this wonderful idea and can't wait to use this in an upcoming photo shoot :)

What do you think???

{Featured} Our Wedding on Style Me Pretty

I have been very hush-hush about these little babies up until now but I am very excited to finally them off. This morning our wedding is being featured on Style Me Pretty!

And this is one of my favorite photos from the day.

I have to take this chance to thank you to EVERY reader who has supported me, helped me and been there for me during the wedding planning process. There were challenging times and this blog really helped me get through it. And I must give a huge thank you to each and every one of my vendors. IN-CRED-IBLE.

That said, Engaged & Inspired is staying right where it is despite the wedding being over. In fact, we are re-designing, re-launching and offering up so many more amazing features, services and ideas than ever ever before. And we will be dishing the dirt on all things our wedding from now on, which I can't wait for. Next week I'm talking table numbers...exciting.

Oh and if you want to find out where I got certain things or if you want to purchase something, Shop Our Wedding or check out my Etsy Shop, or simply get in touch {e-mail: allison@engagedandinspired.com} and I will help you out. My dress is for sale on Smart Bride. Oh and if you need a little extra help tackling all this wedding stuff, let me help you. {Get the deets on that}

Last but not least, OMG is this a big day for me!, we released the deets on The Lab! WOOT WOOT!

When I Said Yes To My Dress {Commentary}

Thanks to Netflix I have been able to watch a marathon of Say Yes To The Dress. I have not seen an episode until a few days ago, and OMG do I have such commentary on the whole show. First off, these dresses are...ummm.....not my style. At all. I even saw a girl spend $25K on the dress! That was my entire wedding budget! OMG!!! Sorry peeps, but I could never do that. I would rather travel the world or buy a house then spend that much money on a wedding. But without further ado, here is a lovely shot of my dress.

Check out our Facebook Page for all the love over there. Credit: Jason + Anna Photography. Want to buy it because it is so pretty?

So here is my Say Yes To The Dress story, minus the cameras on me to capture all the drama :)

After taking over a year to find my venue, I was so not ready to have to make another decision about something so important to me. This was something I KNEW was going to be hard because despite my budget, I know my style and I can't wear something that I don't love. I never set out to "go dress shopping" and definitely didn't go through appointment after appointment of not finding "the" dress. While walking one day I decided to pop into the Priscilla of Boston store just to take a peek. I walked up and found this dress with a wow-factor. Right then and there I made the appointment.

I also was not quite the fan of bringing a million people to see my dress. I know that everyone has opinions, and I knew that I would totally know when I found the dress. I don't need any sort of approval when it comes to fashion.

I tried on the one I loved, of course a Melissa Sweet, and decided to try on a few others just for fun. (I recently showed Ian the choices and he liked none of them!) PS: I was SOOO skinny here. WOW. I think 3 are Melissa Sweet and one is Reverie.

The first dress I tried on:

The others:

The Melissa Sweet Dora (top right) was the only one that stayed in the running for more than like 2 minutes. But in the end, I decided to go with the more couture of the bunch, and not to have polka dots on my wedding dress forever more. Can I also say that I never cried. After watching all these brides I feel like I should have bawled to KNOW it was my dress. But I didn't have to. I just knew. I really did.

The Price:

This dress, the one I picked out randomly walking by, was of course totally above my budget. Like totally! And with a 20% off trunk show incentive, I did the purchasing process fast. I realize that when you find the dress the price just isn't as important. There are so many ugly wedding dresses out there that I knew once I found something awesome, I had to have it!

I wanted to spend at the most $2,000. But my hope and dream was to find a dress on one of those re-sale wedding dress sites and get a fantastic deal on a designer dress. This one was about $5k. Saying it was out of my budget is an under statement, but seeing as I was the one paying for it, I knew I could do whatever I wanted. And this is what I wanted.

So, in an effort to make the pricing work out, I listed it for sale. I am still losing more money than some people pay on a dress altogether, but it is worth it to me. I did cut some things in other places in the budget and cut some things out all together. So in the end, it worked out. My dress was so different, I mean nothing at all is like my dress.

Dress Doubts:

Did I have dress doubts? You bet your bottom I did! I got crazy dress doubts. Here are two that I became utterly obsessed with.

These Vera Wang gowns were an obsession of mine. My consultant never let me try anything else on though :) I was nervous about my dress through literally every one of my fittings. Like no joke, I just wasn't happy. Every time I put it on I basically almost cried. I think it is just something that happens, at least with me, I can never just be happy. (I'm fatter here BTW.)

The first was my muslin custom fitting and the fabric was not very forgiving. It left a bad taste which lasted until the second fitting (right) when the stomach of the dress felt too big.

The entire time I asked for a sweetheart neckline, and the entire time I was promised such, until the last fitting when they told me they couldn't, then that it would cost a lot more. It ended up being a short lived hiccup in the plans and I got the sweetheart neckline I wanted thanks to my consultant who took the rap for that promise she had made. And can I just say, that change made the dress a million times better to me. At that point, I knew that I was right all along with my choice.

In the end, I was absolutely obsessed. I received endless numbers of compliments on my dress not to mention the fact that it was insanely confortable and not too heavy! It was beyond any healthy liking of a dress. I loved it enough that I am planning another shoot to give myself a chance to wear it yet again and try it on from time to time just because.

And I will say that Priscilla of Boston is absolutely amazing. They are so nice and so amazing. They didn't do anything but help me out, give me what I wanted and offerred the most incredible service.

Oh AND on top of that, they offer a discounted cleaning as well. For only $100 they sent the dress to Connecticut for a deep cleaning with the official Priscilla of Boston cleaners who know exactly how to work with these fabrics and these gowns. The dress looks literally perfect after all that.

So what do you think??? Tell me all about your Say Yes to the Dress stories! Were you going back and forth? Did you cry???