Favoritist Wedding of All

You know I'm biased ;-)

Here are a few teasers, because I don't want to wait any longer to share a bit of the happiest day of my life, to date.

Cocktail table decor (there were three different colors of floral arrangements, each in a silver, white glass or clear glass container)

The peaches were representative of my home state and also 'happened' to contain some of the wedding colors! :)

This was a hit with the adults as well as the kiddies! Huzzah! :)

The paper cones were made out of printer paper decorated with a floral stamp.

Happy, happy day to you all :)

Real Wedding - Jessica & Trevor

Another great contribution from Kristy Mapp Photography . Thank you Kristy!!!

This is a precious, precious wedding planning story, that happened this past November. Attention brides planning a rustic, fall wedding, here is some inspiration;)  And now for some details, straight from the bride :)

"The first and only dress shopping I did was at David's Bridal, and I just couldnt find any dress within my price range or style so in away I gave up. I knew what kind of dressed I wanted and for some reason I didnt have an urge to look for it so when, a few weeks before the wedding a friend asked whether I had my dress or not, I confidently stated "I dont have one but I believe God's going to provide the exact one and I wont even have to buy it. Im just trusting." As soon as the words left my mouth I started to doubt myself because I said it out loud and now God was going to have to prove himself! A week later I was out on a womens retreat, and happened to be talking about my dream dress, "lace, open back, with shoulders and ivory, since that color looks good with my skin tone" The pastor's wife heard what I wanted and said her granddaughter might have one like that and that she will have to check. So when we came in a few days later for our premarital counseling she popped up a picture of the dress, front and back, and said, "Is this what you were dreaming about?" I looked at it with my eyes wide open and said Oh my gosh, yes who's is it? She said "its yours to borrow if you like." I started crying because once again God provided."

"This whole wedding was orchestrated by God. The engagement and wedding bands were given to us. The cake and cupcakes were done donation based by a student in my class named Savanna Evans. The photographers were also an amazing blessing!! The honeymoon in a cabin two nights before leaving to PA was provided by Trevor's parents, and the chalet in the Adirondacks Mountains of New York for the remainder of the honeymoon. They also took care of the reception plus any odds and ends. We had a professional pianist name Jihay from my class and a violist name Alex Ko played for the wedding. The flowers were taken care of by the Todds; Larry Todd is the man that walked me down the aisle. I was able to have two wedding coordinators that gave there time and energy toward the wedding. As i said, it was orchestrated by God and it turned out better than expected or could ever have been imagined!"

They were married at the missionary school they attended, and lived at, with the ceremony taking place in the courtyard directly outside of the dorms. All their friends provided materials and decorated everything. 

Such a cute and happy couple!

Cute kid alert

Love it when the wedding party gets choked up :)

Never seen pearls and sunflowers together, but it's working on this cake :) Congratulations Jessica and Trevor!!!

NEW Venue and my first Grand Opening as a vendor! - Bella Sera Ranch, Palestine, Texas

I was privileged to be a part of a Bella Sera Ranch's grand opening this past Friday, and it was a beautiful event :) 

The sweet owners asked me to decorate their outdoor pavilion in addition to setting up a table of my own materials to give out to guests. Nervous and excited is an understatement for how I felt leading up to this. 

Working with a tight budget and materials around my home, I put together some simple and classic decor to soften the lines of the pavilion, and a classic yet bold tablescape.




Here are some random ideas for chair decoration :)

The table centerpiece was a mix of modern, clean lines and stark contrast with a few vintage, ivory accents.

The canvas of the catchphrase 'Love is the New Black' tied this theme all together.

Front steps and posts of the pavilion. Originally the floral arrangement on the table had a twin, and they were supposed to sit on these black pillars. But instead I learned a valuable lesson about how to adapt when wind crashes in and changes your plans :P

The ivory lace runner was very pretty and once some sticky putty was found, it stayed in place fairly well ;)

Wish I had had more materials on hand like crystal pendants or hanging votive holders to break up the open space  on the sides of the pavilion, but maybe next time :) Poms would be fun also!

Strings of garden lights overlapped and crisscrossed inside would be a fun and casual evening setting... huge draping material from the roof peak would be a great dramatic way to frame the space for your vows... ok, stopping now :)

It's hard to see in the shot below but there is ivory lace over the white material coming down the pillar also.

The black satin bows were easily made with about three yards of material.

Imagine how pretty this would look at dusk with all the candles lit :)

Hope you all have an exquisite evening and weekend!!! :)

-steph

Rocking a Sparkly Wedding Dress!

As soon as I saw this wedding I wanted to blog it :) Cozy ceremony, gorgeous details, and happy, happy people. 

I also wanted to blog this because the photographer is someone new who already has a great portfolio that spans the gamut! I have loved working with Kristy Mapp Photography so far, and very much look forward to working with her in the future.  :) 

On to the pretty pictures!

Brad and Julie were married at Post Oak Grille in Sugarland, Texas. This was the second marriage for both but, Julie looks as giddy as an 18 year old June bride :)

Check out that gorgeous bride! I definitely aspire to be in shape that good after having kids. Speaking of kids, these two's beautiful kiddos are below

Julie is ROCKIN this hot dress!!!

Here is their pretty cake and o so cute moments from feeding each other the first bites

LOVE these faces! 

What trust ;)

Now check out some cute wedding attire

Now add a sweet ceremony...

very happy inlaws...

the promise of security and love til death do us part...

a healthy dose of dancing, coupled with laughter...

and you've got a blissful day :)

Congratulations Brad and Julie :)

p.s. Book Kristy now, before her schedule fills up ;)

Happy Wednesday!

Giveaway....via Knotty Bride

If you liked the dresses from the last post, you will probably love this giveaway :)

Not to mention that it's SO easy to enter!

Here is the post on Knotty Bride's blog

Yes, you read that title right.  Sarah Seven is giving one very, very, very, very lucky Knotty reader A WHOLE DRESS, which will be custom fit to that very, very, very, very lucky Knotty body.  Hehe.  ”Knotty body.”

Here they are, side by side, for maximum covetability…

OMGHOWAREYOUGOINGTOPICK?!

Oh right, that reminds me… as if getting one of Sarah’s killer creations wasn’t enough… you, as the winner, get to PICK WHICH ONE YOU WANT.  The Powdered Sugar, or the White As Snow.  Can you believe that?  It’s a lot to swallow, I know.  But try to let it sink in, because it’s a true story. :)

Sarah’s Powdered Sugar Dress is made of sparkle organza fabric, and is ”pleated to middle with puff bottom.”  Gotta love those puff bottoms.  This is the good kind of puff bottom… not the brand new puppy kind of *puff* bottom ☚ the latter kind tends to be stinky, as I’ve been finding out with this little guy in my lap.  Seriously, it’s like this puppy eats Taco Bell or something.

Sarah’s White As Snow Dress is made of silk chiffon, and is “pleated to middle top with one side drape and flutter on the other.”  Flutters is one of my top 25 favorite words.  And to have a flutter on a dress?  LE. SIGH.

★ There are multiple ways to enter! ★

1. Leave a comment on this blog post telling us which one you love more, if you can even decide!  Yeah, I know, so easy.  P.S. – no pressure; you can pick either one, regardless of what you’ve stated in the comments if you end up winning. :)

2. If you’re on Twitter, receive an extra entry by tweeting the below (tell us you’ve tweeted, by leaving an extra blog comment):

#Giveaway alert on @theknottybride! @SARAHSEVEN DRESS GIVEAWAY!!! http://su.pr/23sg6e

3. Extra entry if you “Like” The Knotty Bride on Facebook (again, let us know you’ve done so with an extra comment in the comment section of this post)

4. Extra entry if you blog about this giveaway on your blog, either as a stand-alone post, or within a post.  Must link to the contest, obvs.  (Note: Facebooking the post counts, too.)

5. Extra entry if you start following @SarahSeven on Twitter. :)

This giveaway will remain open until Friday, April 15th @ 9AM, PST

Important notes: Everyone is eligible to enter.  Yes, you can enter multiple ways, and yes, they will count as multiple entries.  If you decide to enter in more ways than just leaving a comment on this post, then, with each separate type of entry (Twitter, Facebook Like, blogging the giveaway, posting on Facebook), you must leave a separate comment telling us what that entry was (if you’ve gone ahead and liked us on FB, leave a comment telling us.  If you tweeted the giveaway, that’s another comment.  Same with reposting the link to this blog post on your own blog.  Get it?  Got it?  Good!)…

Good luck, friendlies!  And happy Wednesday!

xoxo!  – Alison

Happy Wednesday! :)

-steph

Dresses-Uncut and Extraordinary!

What you are about to see is incredible beauty, creativity, and thrift. I don't use the word 'incredible' lightly.

I could almost not believe my eyes when I happened upon the Love June shop on Etsy.

Immediately I emailed the designer to get more details. Her sweet response is below.

For now, feast your eyes on impeccable tailoring, perfect details, and flattering, timeless style :)

...there are offerings for the bride and bridal party...

Here is the additional info from the designer, Sara, about what makes these pieces extra special... :)

Our dresses are not made from preexisting garments, rather from a special "no-waste" pattern method we've been working on for several years that uses whole lengths of fabric instead of cutting patterns from the fabric and creating extra waste.
It's a little like fabric origami, only not so intense! I came up with this method (although there are several designers around the world doing similar things in slightly different ways) in college while studying apparel design and merchandising, strapped for cash, and not wanting to waste the precious material I was having to purchase for assignments. After some research, I found that many tribal cultures use the same idea so that the fabric can be used again and again for different purposes.

That's the idea in a nutshell, we do still produce a small amount of leftover material in some of our dresses, but all the scraps that are produced are saved to be used as fabric swatches for brides who request them to help aid in their decision, and as small embellishments in some of our styles. We're always looking for new ways to use the scraps we do produce, to ensure that the only garbage that comes out of our shop continues to be primarily thread scraps! 

There you have it! Big thanks to Sara, for sharing her history. Her passion for her work is so apparent and exciting :) Now soak up more of these delicious clothing concoctions in her shop, here. :)

Have an inspired, amazing day!!!

-Steph

For those planning a wedding and feeling overwhelmed with expectations...

I had to share this post from Miss Zebra at Weddingbee. It's straight from her heart and addresses the invisible hurdles of wedding planning. Enjoy :)

Our wedding will not be blogged about.

That’s a gee dee zebra cake! Why didn’t I think of this?

And that’s okay.

Did your heart stop there? Don’t worry, I will do the recaps here but I mean you’re not going to find our wedding on Style Me Pretty or anything. It won’t be “inspiration worthy” if-you-will. I appreciate and admire the hard work couples put into having completely awesome sauce details or, you know, wedding vendors who stage these shoots. I love the inspiration and if I could pull it off without stressing, we too could have a SMP wedding. But I’m going to be real with you—I couldn’t keep juggling all my balls. I would fail and my health would suffer.

I may or may not have time to make signs for the back of our chairs.

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I don’t have any particularly unique ideas that will blow any minds.

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I find chiavari chairs to be quite uncomfortable. (Of course, if they were to fall into our laps like they did for Mrs. Thimble, I would be uncomfortably excited all evening.)

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There will be no mason jars.

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We won’t have a ceremony filled with handpicked readings from our favorite children’s books.

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Zeb is not a sparkly vampire.

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…and it’s okay. A while back, the designer in me reared her ugly head. I worried that our wedding wouldn’t be impressive enough, unique enough, gasp-oh-my-god-worthy. Luckily, the procrastinator in me has prevented the designer from taking over. Things are getting crossed off the list left and right but it’s not because they are finished. Oh no, quite the opposite. I’ve been able to delegate some of the more frivolous projects to Zeb’s mom and the bridal party. (I am eternally grateful for such a wonderful support system. I really am in awe of the people closest to me. I say it all the time but I can’t find another phrase that rings more true–they’ve taken it to the next level.) I’ve also been able to let projects go. If I have time to do them, I’ll go back and finish them. At this rate I’m trying to focus on my relationship with Zeb, my family, my friends, what book I’m going to read when I finally have time, Britt’s shower. Have I mentioned that I’m in two weddings this summer? It helps me put the importance of our wedding into perspective. I’m just one in a long line of people in love gettin’ hitched.

Our wedding will be filled with love. There will be some sweet air guitar solos and damn amazing food—I know, I’ve tried it! We’ll dance to a song that many other couples have shared. In fact, the only thing unique about wedding is that it will be the only time that particular group of people will be assembled in one room. Oh wait, that’s the concept behind Final Destination, isn’t it? Whatever…

Years later we’ll look back on so-and-so we’ve lost touch with or the loved ones who are no longer with us. That’s what’s going to make it special, and that feeling can’t be brewed in the hearts of masses by a photograph online. If it does happen to inspire the masses, the credit will be given to my amazing photographer. It certainly won’t be at my hand. I’m just planning your everyday average wedding.

So, if you find yourself crying over the flower girl dress that you promised your 16 year old self you’d make for your wedding, or just don’t feel like making unique table numbers when your friends ask you to spend a weekend skiing—remember me. Remember that I told you it was okay just to have your average run-of-the-mill wedding. You’ll love it either way—trust me.