A Few of Our Favorite Things Friday!

By Sarah Lebo

Happy Friday!  This week, we’ve been inspired by colorful flowers, beautiful settings and much more!  Don’t miss the informative guide on writing your welcome/thank you speech!

Our first piece of inspiration is this classic wedding, featuring beautiful purple flowers!

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Next up is this handy guide for your wedding welcome speech if you and your groom are making one!

With Spring (almost) in the air, the inspiring bright colors of poppy flowers always put a smile on our faces!

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This smart bride put together her dream wedding while saving tons!  See how she did it!  And check out her adorable peach bridesmaids dresses!

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This beautiful wedding set in a castle in Ireland is -in all ways- adorable!  There are so many things we love – the peonies, the dress, the black and white shots, and of course, that castle!

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Hope you enjoyed this week’s post and got inspired like we did!

Get inspired daily with our Pinterest boards!

A Few of Our Favorite Things Friday!

By Sarah Lebo

It’s Friday, our favorite day for inspiration!  This week’s post has a mix of good wedding etiquette, lovely vintage wedding photos and, of course, a few real weddings!

Our first real wedding comes from Rustic Wedding Chic, a great blog that features tons of farm and country weddings.  This blue affair caught our attention, first by the photography, but then by the blue and vintage details.

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This urban wedding is a piece of art, in itself and has such personality to it, we just love it!

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Our next bit of inspiration are these vintage wedding photos!  This is something you can feature as a display at your own wedding…with pictures of your grandparents or other relatives on their wedding day.  It’s a great way to honor the lasting love in your families!

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Our third real wedding inspiration of the week is this New York occasion featuring a beautiful trend all flower lovers will appreciate!  This bride decided to take her floral decor a little further with a beautiful floral necklace!  You’d be crazy not to adore this trend!

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And our last snip of inspiration is not in picture form, but more along the lines of great wedding advice.  It’s a list of the biggest wedding stationery mistakes.  Trust me, you’re going to need this one if you haven’t sent your invites yet!

Hope you enjoyed getting inspired as much as we did!  Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest and see daily inspiration!

A Few of Our Favorite Things Friday!

By Sarah Lebo

Friday’s here and we’ve got a little bit of everything on the blog today; an engagement shoot, a styled shoot and of course, a couple real weddings!

Our first real wedding is this whimsical, woodsy affair!  It’s like it came right out of a fairy tale book!

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Next we have a cute engagement shoot that ended with a serious pop of color!! Check out the rest of the awesome pictures here!

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Here’s something we haven’t seen before…a styled shoot in a cotton field!  What an idea!  See more of the little details of this shoot here and check out that dress…stunning!

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Our second real wedding is this romantic, chic event that we keep looking at over and over again!  Things we can’t stop starring at – the beautiful rings, her floral crown, the cake, that bicycle and those bridesmaids dresses!

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Our last piece of inspiration isn’t from a picture but a list…a list of songs!  Songs you need to listen to the morning of your wedding!! You know you want to make a playlist now…

Now that you’ve seen our inspiration, go and get inspired yourself!  Our Pinterest board can help!

Wedding Planning Around Mother Nature

By Sarah Lebo

Since it’s National Severe Weather Preparedness Week, we thought it appropriate to talk about weather and weddings and how, sometimes, they just don’t mix, like during severe weather conditions – hurricanes, tornadoes, thunder storms, etc.  Although there may be severe weather headed for your big day, there are, believe it or not, things you can do to help prepare for it.

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1. Get Wedding Insurance – Severe weather is exactly one of the reasons wedding insurance is now around.  If mother nature decides to totally ruin the day and there is no way your wedding can take place, wedding insurance covers you so you can regroup after the weather subsides.  And if one of your vendors is a no-show because of weather, or any other reason, you are protected with insurance.

2.  Make a Plan – It sounds like such an obvious thing to do when considering the wedding day events, however, some couples rely on the vendors to make the plans for them.  Even if you choose the best vendors in the business, their job is not to make sure everyone else is doing theirs.

A good start to a plan is to have a timeline.  If this is something that seems like a waste of time, trust me, it’s not.  Even if you cannot hire a planner, make a timeline.  But while we’re on the subject, a planner is a great way to help keep your plans steady. Our timelines are very extensive and sometimes a little out of control with the amount of information on them, but it is always better to have more than less.  All of the vendors at our weddings know exactly where the bride and groom are at all times, where we are if they need us and what they are supposed to be doing along with their fellow vendors.

3.  Have a Back-up Plan or Plan B – Even if the weather won’t totally stop everything in its tracks, it could still put a damper on things.  A few areas where weather can mess with your wedding events are an outside affair, the formal pictures, the heat/air conditioning of a venue, the electric of a venue and the list goes on and on.  Having a plan B can make things easier for everyone when the weather is not.  Having a few extra indoor photograph areas can ensure that pictures will not be ruined by rain.  Discussing weather back up plans with your venue if you’re having any part of the day outside will ensure your guests stay warm and dry.

Of course, before you do any of these things, hire a planner.  A planner is the back up plan for the back up plan.  When Hurricane Sandy tore through the East Coast, we helped one of our sweet and flustered couples get a wedding they thought wouldn’t happen.  We were so glad they were able to get married and proud to be a part of their exciting story!

A Few of Our Favorite Things Friday!

By Sarah Lebo

This week has come and gone and we’ve got a whole variety of inspiration lined up to start your weekend!

First is this winter wedding featured on Elizabeth Anne Designs (one of our favorite blogs).  We love so many things about this cozy winter affair, but our favorite details are the lace, champagne bridesmaids dresses, the beautiful wedding dress and the yellow and orange decor!  And check out that stunning black and white shot at the end of the post!

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Next is this adorable farm wedding who’s florals are so unique and inspirational!  The purple hued anemone paired with succulents in a bouquet….what a look!!  You have to see the ceremony set up with the string lights!  And the globe guest book is pretty awesome too!

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For something fun and creative, here’s a few bachelorette attire ideas for the ladies!  It’s all about the theme isn’t it?!

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The last real wedding inspiration for the week is this adorable outdoor celebration from Green Wedding Shoes!  Things we love about it:  the old truck, the dogs being a part of the ceremony, the blush gown and BOTH of her headpieces, and the groom and his groomsmen’s blue suits!  I don’t think there’s a thing we don’t like about this one.

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And our last bit of inspiration is one of a fashion standpoint.  Since the Oscars are this weekend, we HAD to include this little diagram illustrating all of the Oscar dresses worn by past Best Actress Award Winners!  Which one is your favorite?  We can’t decide!

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Hope you enjoyed this week’s Friday Favorites!! Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest!

A Few of Our Favorite Things Friday!

By Sarah Lebo

This week’s inspiration includes lots of Gatsby, a wedding on a budget, a sneak peek picture of our most recent wedding and more!

Our first wedding inspiration is this real pink and gold wedding in NYC.  It’s such a trend setter wedding and we LOVE this color combo!

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 There are so many things we love about this winter inspiration shoot, it’s hard to say what our favorite part is, but I think we had to go with this bridal look.  The hair itself is gorgeous.. and then add the headpiece, the beautiful dress and the makeup and you’ve got a unique Gatsby/boho look that is somehow, timeless!  See the rest of the shoot here!

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Sometimes we like to focus on the groom…and this post made the cut for groom inspiration for sure!  This shoot was influenced by, none other than, Jay Gatsby!  Check it out the whole shoot here!

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Here’s some ultimate wedding inspiration for the bride on a budget!  This cute, simple wedding cost less than $7,000!  See how they did it, here!

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 And our favorite inspiration of the week is, of course, our beautiful winter bride, Kate and her new husband Jon!  We loved all the intricate details of this wedding and Kate was such an easy bride to work with! Everyone looked so great!

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Stay tuned for a whole post dedicated to this sweet couple and their wedding details!

Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest for daily inspiration!

Sarah the Blogging Bride: Our Honeymoon!

By Sarah Lebo

When Wes and I started thinking about our honeymoon, we knew we wanted it to be a place we could road trip to.  We also wanted beautiful scenery and the beach was a MUST!

Besides loving to travel and explore new places in general, I especially love the south.  I love the hospitality, the slow pace and the weather isn’t so bad either!  Since Wes is in the Coast Guard and has been to the south on patrols a number of times, he knew of a few places down there, but one place stuck out more than the others.  Charleston, South Carolina!  He’s been to Charleston about three or four times just because of his job but each time he loved it more and more.  Wes is not a city person but Charleston isn’t like other cities.  Although I’ve never been there, I’ve always wanted to visit.  There’s so much I love about it already, but who can blame me? It’s a unique area with moss covered trees, bodies of water everywhere and the beach so close.  I am getting excited just writing this!

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The next thing to decide once we chose a location was where we’re going to stay!  So I used my trusty Google search and found a beautifully simple place right on an old plantation.  It’s called The Inn at Middleton Place and it is about 30 minutes outside of Charleston.  The perfect getaway!

If you looked at the website and saw a picture of the outside of the inn, you might be thinking that it kind of looks like an old prison.  But, the inside is just adorable!  Not to mention the gorgeous landscape!  The inn is on the historic Middleton Plantation, which is home of America’s oldest landscaped gardens.  Things like bike rides, plantation tours, horseback riding and kayaking are common activities you can do on site.  The rooms have great amenities and the food….well it’s the south, so you know it’s good.

Every time someone asks me about our honeymoon I get so excited, I start day dreaming of lying on that hammock with my new husband and taking it all in.  Sounds amazing, right?  Just look at these pictures of the place and you’ll fall in love too!

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We haven’t booked any tours yet and we haven’t made any plans for any of the days we’re going to be there.  But that’s why it’s going to be great!  No schedule, nowhere to be.  We’ll just do what we want, when we want and that sounds perfect to me!

It’s not a foreign tropical vacation but it has everything we want and suits us just fine!

Have you booked your honeymoon yet?  I’d love to hear all about it!!

Decking Out Your Bridal Party Part 1: Bridesmaids!

By Sarah Lebo

The bridal party plays an important part in your big day.  They deserve a thoughtful and personal gift picked just for them!

There are so many options when picking out bridesmaids gifts, where do you start?  Well, try to think of their wedding day attire.  What do they need to complete their look?  Jewelry, hair accessories, shawl or sash?

Jewelry is one of the most popular forms of bridesmaid gifts.  Depending on what kind of dresses they are wearing, you could opt to get them all matching earrings, a necklace and earring set or any variation of jewelry you’d like.  Etsy has TONS of options!  It’s a go-to place for brides for anything wedding related!

These examples are all very pretty and can be worn again with anything!

A cuff/bangle bracelet makes a cute and unique accessory!  Check out all the options here!

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 Sets are great for saving money and take the work out of trying to match jewelry together.  Plus, they’re beautiful!

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If you’re looking for something more fun, choose a statement piece with a splash of color!

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You can choose to pick the same ones for all of your girls or pick a different style/color out for each girl!

Hair accessories are a way to put a little something extra into their ensemble.  Here are a few options that we love.

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Here are some other great ideas for your bridesmaids:

Vera Bradley accessories

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Tote Bags

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Compact Mirrors

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A beautiful clutch!

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No matter what you pick out for your girls, make it something you know they’ll like and be able to use.  They will love you for it!

For more gift ideas, stop by our Pinterest and stay tuned for another post about Groomsmen gifts!

 

A Few of Our Favorite Things Friday!

By Sarah Lebo

It’s Friday once again and we are on inspiration overload this week!

Here’s what caught our attention!

We found a little Philly inspiration on one of our favorite blogs, Elizabeth Anne Designs, and it just so happens that one of our industry friends, Sean McCaffery from Center Stage Entertainment was this couple’s DJ! If you don’t know Sean or the company and are still looking for a DJ, they are great and we love working with them! This couple had a classy city wedding that we love!  Check out the whole post here!

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We are loving this group of wedding ring sets from real couples!  Some really pretty pairings here!

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This is one of the most unique and fun weddings we’ve seen in a while.  This couple really let their personalities shine.  Good for them!  It’s so refreshing to see brides go in their own direction.  Take a look at their colorful ceremony here!

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This wedding was so full of fresh and creative inspiration, they had to make two posts for it!  And we can see why! From the different colored reception tables to the variety of cakes, it’s all good!  Go and see for yourself!  And, trust me, their wedding video is a MUST SEE, it was absolutely hysterical!  Also, read the wedding advice from the bride; there’s lots of wisdom there!

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If you’re a dog lover, you’re going to appreciate this fun group of engagement pictures featuring man’s best friend.  Check it out here!

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We hope you enjoyed this week’s inspiration!

Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest for way more, every day!

Sarah the Blogging Bride…is Back!

By Sarah Lebo

Hello all!  Well, if you followed Sarah the Blogging Bride at all, you may have noticed I disappeared for awhile there.  This post is to let you know what happened and also to say that I’m back!!

The reason I am sharing my story is so my fellow brides have a sense of comfort knowing that things like this happen and much more than we all think.  What I mean by ‘things like this’ is having to call off a wedding.  Yes, you read it right.  After dating almost ten years, my fiance and I broke up and called off the wedding.  It happened near the end of last September, when we were just getting into the middle of the planning process.  It was hard, extremely hard, for both of us.  But after a long rough month, we got back together and shortly after, decided that we still wanted to get married.  And this time, we were ready.

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However, we couldn’t just call all of our vendors back and say SIKE!  Just kidding, we’re still here to get married!  And even if we could, we didn’t want to.  We couldn’t because during the break up I planned a trip to Italy with my family, making our initial wedding date, May 16th, a day where I’d be relaxing in Lake Como.  We didn’t want to because of a lesson I learned while we were broken up.  The wedding, at the end of the day, is just one day.  I know, I know, a wedding planner uttering those words is like blasphemy but it’s the truth.  I realized that I had made the wedding my baby…my pride and joy and all that I was focused on.  When in reality, I needed to focus on my future marriage and all the days following the wedding day.

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I could blame it on the fact that I still think I’m a princess and deserve whatever I want on my wedding day or I could blame it on my job title and say the pressure got to me to plan the perfect wedding, which it definitely did.  But I am an adult and needed to set my priorities straight.  So now that I have, our wedding is completely different and it’s going to be even better than I’d hoped because I will be standing next to my best friend in front of all my favorite people and that’s what really matters.

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I hope this makes you feel better if you are in the middle of planning and are stressing out over little things like napkins or invitations.  Sometimes you just need to take a step back and realize why you’re doing all of it and then put those samples down and enjoy your fiance.  You can’t call him that forever, after all.

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