the {bridesmaid} proposal

I wanted to ask my bridesmaids to be a part of our wedding in a very special way.  That was something I thought of for a very long time.  I didn't want to just ask them verbally or give them a simple card, I wanted something more, something special that they would remember.  Of course I scoured Etsy for different ideas, but nothing seemed just right.  I found a variety of ideas on how to word the question.  But how to ask?

Source (from top left):Trimmings Shop, The Inspired Note, PaperEtiquette,Caffeine Colour

Bubbly, to me, always signifies celebration and is exactly what I like to drink with my girls.

Source (from top left): Daily Cup of Couture, Classy & Style, Zoie loves, Classy in the City, Everything Fab, Global Good Group, The Glitter Guide, Riches for Rags    

So, I decided to make the bubbly the way to ask them to be a part of the wedding!  I found different ideas of how to include champagne or wine in an invitation.

Source (from left): maddiegdesigns, Southern Fried Paper, Letter Love Designs, Pepper Lindsey & Co.

As a do-it-yourself girl {and bride}, I wanted to design the tags myself rather than outsourcing the project.  I'm new to photoshop & illustrator, but it was fun learning when you have a thoughtful gift in mind.  I had to go with my go-to pattern {polka dots} and my main wedding color {yellow}.

Source: me!

They turned out great & I couldn't have been happier!  Best of all, it really screamed me!  cheers.

Let There Be Light!

And lots of it! For our wedding we plan on keeping our decor very simple with lots of hanging lights playing of the natural beauty of our venue.

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Sources: 1, 2, 3 & 4

 I really love the idea of also combing some lights with colorful streamers and ribbons.

Sources: 1, 2, 3 & 4

Since our venue is on the edge of a national park,we cannot have any open flames. Unfortunately means no candles, so we will have to get creative with other ways to add light.

Sources: 1, 2, 3 & 4

Sources: 1, 2 & 3

How did you get creative with your wedding lighting?

Adorn your Fete {Stylish Engagement Party Details}

In July, my mother threw us a beautiful engagement party. Every detail was perfect, and she and I had so much fun together creating personalized, detailed touches. Engagement parties are a fun time to begin thinking about all of the little details that will take over (your every waking moment for...) the next twelve months or so. In the weeks leading up to our party, I scoured Pinterest and Etsy for fun ideas. Here are a few of my favorites:

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And here are a few favorites from my own engagement party, last July:

Source: my mom

We had a blast making this fun banner. My mom is a ninja with scissors, let me tell you!

Source: my mom

These little flags look beautiful, but the petit fours were so delicious that they disappeared in about a minute. They were fun to make though--toothpicks, silver permanent marker, and scrapbooking paper. Easy! I will definitely recreate these in the future.

Have you had an engagement party yet? Did you incorporate any fun little details? I would love to hear about them!

He's Got the Look {Groom's Style}

Last week, I talked about picking out unique bridal accessories that can add a little somethin' somethin' to your bridal "look."  So I thought it might be fun for this week to be about grooms and their wedding look!

Doesn't it seem like their "look" is waaaay easier to put together than ours?!  It probably is; however, I thought picking out a tuxedo would be a breeze and surprisingly, it wasn't as easy as I thought! Going into the tuxedo appointment, I thought for sure that I didn't want the guys to wear vests. It just seemed too "prom-y" for me plus I was obsessed with this photo!  (The grey and the black, the ties, no vests....perfection!)

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Eric wanted to wear a vest and convinced me to go in with an open mind.  When he came out in his black tux with the black vest, I LOVED it!  So maybe it is a little bit like wedding dress shopping, sometimes, the style you thought you would hate ends up being just right for you!

The thing I have always loved about accessories is they can add character and personality to a rather plain outfit.  Here is a list of some accessory options I am loving for grooms right now!

Suspenders

Anyone who knows my fiancé knows that suspenders are not his style at all but I do love this look!

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Socks

Such a great way to incorporate one of your wedding colors!

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Fun socks don't have to be just for the groom either! What a fun groomsmen gift! I found a lot of fun sock options on BoldSocks.com and they are affordable ($9-$35)!

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Cuff Links

Eric and I are incorporating scrabble and other games in some of our wedding decor and we absolutely will be doing this! Love!

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Boutonniere

Cotton boutonniere?! Who would have thought!

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Lots of fun unique boutonniere looks! I am; however, questioning the penguin. I think there is a time and place for animals at a wedding. (Another blog post, maybe?)

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Is your groom wearing something fun or unique? Do you love/hate any of these looks?

Until Next Week!

Jess

Follow my wedding inspiration board on Pinterest!

Tweet me @jessdawnd 

Bachelorette Weekend {Girls Just Wanna Have Fun}

We are just 9 days away from the wedding and there is so much going on right now it's unbelievable. But let's just take a minute to focus on something fun, not stressful (like our rehearsal dinner caterer canceling on us 10 days before the event!!) Tomorrow I'll be heading up to Healdsburg to spend the weekend with 7 amazing women. Drinking wine, eating great food, relaxing by the fireplace. They each mean so much to me and have supported me through different periods in my life. I am so excited to get away with them for my bachelorette weekend!

C Magazine, photo by Lauren Ross

We rented a house in the Alexander Valley, just a few minutes outside of downtown Healdsburg. We're surrounded by wineries, so we'll spend our Saturday walking to a few wineries and tasting all that the Alexander Valley has to offer. We'll cook together and laugh together, and most importantly I'll have a chance to reflect on what's coming in the week ahead and refocus, now that I'm done doing the balancing act between work and wedding.

  Top left: Haute Living; Top right: Brides, photo by Amanda Marsalis; Bottom: Inspired by This, photo by Caroline at Tiny Water

I love these girls and am inspired in unique and beautiful ways by each of them. I hope that this weekend will honor every one of them, and kick off my wedding week with a bang!

Inspired by This, photo by Caroline at Tiny Water Photography

Is there anything particularly awesome that we must make sure to do this bachelorette weekend?

Only one more post to go. Eek!

{Real Brides} Kerri : Modern, Chic Simplicity

Hello Brides!  Thank you for welcoming me into the E & I family and for joining in on my wedding planning adventures.  I am looking forward to sharing my inspirations, the experiences that I have encountered so far and getting your input along the way.  I'll see you each Wednesday!

Name:	Kerri
Location:	Durham, North Carolina
Budget:	It's a moving target!
Age:	33
Occupation:	Interior Designer/Project Manager
Wedding Date:	March 16, 2013
Venue:	The King's Daughters Inn
Planner:	Me!
Photographer:	Rebecca Ferguson Photography

 Connect with Kerri on Pinterest

Source: Rebecca Ferguson Photography

Source: Style Me Pretty

About me:

Who would have thought that a northern girl would fall in love with a southern boy!  Clay and I met online, we had our first date on April Fool’s day in downtown Raleigh in 2011 and we have been teaching each other about the ways of the North and South ever since!  “Y’all” versus “Wicked”…BBQ versus Linguica…Mash a button versus Push a button…Over yonder versus Over there…Chicken on a biscuit for breakfast versus Egg and cheese on a bagel for breakfast.  Chicken on a biscuit for breakfast?!?!?!  I am working hard at better understanding the southern way of living and Clay has the patience of a saint…bless his heart!

Clay did make quite the southern statement though.  He proposed to me in Charleston South Carolina, in a beautiful little park, in front of a Confederate war monument!  (He really was romantic about it!)

Source: The King's Daughters Inn

Wedding style:

Our venue has become the focal point from which our wedding planning revolves around.  The King’s Daughters Inn is a boutique B&B with 17 guest rooms and the place where our guests will witness our ceremony, celebrate with dinner and dancing, followed by an overnight stay.  It is beautifully designed around the 1920’s Art Deco style and has amazing architectural details, custom headboards and gorgeous fabrics.  We have chosen colors, attire, flowers and food that complement the setting while at the same time infusing our personal style…a modern, chic simplicity.

Until next Wednesday...

Advice From A NewlyWed {Plus A Sneak Peek}

Remember me? The "California Casual" bride? Well I've finally come up for air post-wedding and am so excited to share some advice (and a few amazing photos!) with you all. I'm sitting here in my living room, surrounded by boxes, thank you notes and slightly beat up wedding decorations, reflecting on the amazingness that just occurred over the last month. I'm happy, exhausted, overwhelmed with love and excited to begin the next chapter of our life!

The wedding was incredible. The weather was absolutely perfect, the details came together and everyone had an amazing time. There was so much love during the whole weekend...from the rehearsal dinner excitement, to the magical wedding day to the lovely Sunday BBQ that wrapped up the weekend. We felt so blessed all weekend long.

In thinking about my advice for other brides, I think it can be wrapped up in one word: perspective. If you can keep the right perspective of what the day is all about, a lot of stress can be avoided. For us, the day was all about our love and the friends and family who helped us get where we are today.

At the beginning of the planning process, I told myself not to sweat the small stuff. I knew that no one would remember if we served salmon or cod, if the flowers were orange or yellow or if the bridesmaids dresses were strapless or not. This did end up putting a little extra pressure on myself for the bigger decisions such as venue and dress, but it did help me take a step back whenever I found myself getting caught up in little details.

I also found that, for each key person involved, especially parents, there was something that was particularly important to them. So let them own it! My mother-in-law loves flowers, so she was very involved in selecting a florist and working with her on designs. For me, all the printed materials became a big focus. So I took the lead of all the paper goods.

I think my absolute favorite thing we did was involve our friends and family in the wedding. My uncle and a close friend or ours shared officiating duties, which made for an incredibly personal and memorable ceremony. My dad involved my wedding party in his toast and we had two very talented friends perform our first dance song. All of these touches made the wedding feel personal, warm and comfortable, which was exactly what we were going for.

All in all, the day was incredible. It was perfect in its imperfections. And ultimately, I came out married to a wonderful man! And then we topped everything off with an incredible honeymoon in France.

Really, what more could a girl ask for?

Photos by Ken Kienow

Designed By Me

Source: Malia Cano Photography

Make your wedding scream you!  I've read this time and time again in every wedding magazine, website and blog.  But, how does one do this in a day and age where there's pinterest, loverly, etsy, and a million wedding blogs all showcasing the perfect, and incredibly creative wedding?  I have always been a planner, and though I haven't thrown a million parties, when I do I go all out & enjoy the act of decorating and making each aspect really my own-this I'm sure my friends would attest to.  When it comes to planning my wedding, I want everything to be perfect.  I'm sure we all do.  But I really do.  I want it to be so perfectly us, with adorable details that have our personal signature.  There's just one issue.  So many of the wedding ideas have been done, so how do I make it different?  How do I make it unique?  These are the questions I've been asking myself at every step since we got engaged.

I'm still at the beginning of the wedding planning process.  Sure, we have a lot of the big decisions done, but not the design aspects.  I am in the "hunt & gather" stages, trying to determine what I love and what is doable.  After trying to put myself into one of the more obvious design categories, whether it be modern, rustic, vintage, classic {the list goes on}, I realized I could emulate my design style I've already developed into my home: eclectic!  So, I'm no longer trying to decide if an idea "goes" with the "theme" because it all does!  Now, the only issue is how to cull the ideas down & not try to do everything and the kitchen sink!  I hope you enjoy following me on this path.

Source (from Left): Lori Barbely Photography, the decorista, sweet designs.

Source (from left): Southern Weddings, source.

Source (from left): Food Channel, Love Me Do Photography, Languid Lovely, Belle the Magazine, The Sweetest Occasion. 

Celebration Libations

When it comes to libations, there are not many drinks that my fiance and I will turn down. For our wedding we want to offer our guest a plethora of options. We like the idea of welcoming guests with a cocktail before the ceremony and have been playing around with the idea of something with lavender to take advantage of local ingredients.

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An agua fresca bar incorporating fresh local fruit like strawberries and oranges is also on our wish list.

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As well as a bourbon bar.

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Personally, I don't think one can go wrong with a champagne cocktail or classic champagne.

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With the Central Coast being well-known for its wines, we plan to serve wine from some of our favorite local wineries as well as beer from local micro-breweries.

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Something tells me our guests will have no problem quenching their thirst. How did you decide what to serve for you wedding?

Fall Favorite: Sequin Sweater Dress

Would you put your bridesmaids in this look???

Gray Sequin Sweater Dress, Pumps, Bracelets