Leave a Piece of Love

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!  Hopefully you're all headed off somewhere warm and sunny to relax for the weekend, but before you skip town, I wanted to make sure you got your weekly dose of bloggin' love!

This week I thought we'd discuss DIY and uber-creative guestbook ideas!  I don't know about ya'll, but I feel like the standard "leave your name and a brief message" in some fuddy-duddy book is outta here, and brides are usin' their creative juices to really spice things up.  Here are some of my favorites that I've come across:

"Make a wish, take a wish" - give guests the opportunity to write warm wishes to the newlyweds, seal it up in an envelope, and drop it in one of the jars.  Then, they pull from the other jar, giving them a chance to receive a wish you've created for them!

 Does your wedding have a vintage flair to it?  Then this might just be the perfect guestbook idea for you!  Antique typewriters serve not only as a creative way to receive kind words from your guests, but also as an adorable part of your decor!

How adorable are these mailboxes?  Again, a perfect way to add vintage-flair to your wedding, or for a destination wedding, equipped with matching postcards from your destination!

Leave a piece of love for the bride and groom!  One of my favorite ideas - leave puzzle pieces out on a table with a pen and have your guests leave some words of wisdom for you and your groom.  Afterwards, you can put the puzzle together and have it framed.  What a precious keepsake!

Another fabulous idea!  Leave squares of linen and some fabric pens out on a table, and when it's all said and done, sew them together for a one-of-a-kind quilt.

I don't know about ya'll, but I'm havin' some serious trouble picking my favorite idea!  This ones a real kicker - ever hear the saying "airing your dirty laundry"?  Well, here's that same idea, but with a wonderful wedding twist!  Have the instructions written on a detergent bottle, and a laundry bag to put the notes into at the end of the night and cart back home with you.  Have pre-cut articles of clothing for the guests to write on, and then tell them to "air" their laundry on the clothesline with clothespins.  This is a great way for guests to write down funny memories they've had with the bride or groom, or for words of wisdom and warm wishes! 

 Leave a poloroid camera on a table for guests to take a picture of themselves with.  You can also throw in a scrapbook for them to put their pictures into and write their notes next to.  Now not only do you have your guests kind words to remember your special day with, but some beautiful photographs, as well!

 Last, but certainly not least, is this precious thumbprint tree!  Leave ink pads and baby wipes on a table with your tree, and have your guests "leaf" their thumb print to make your tree blossom!

Got any more great ideas or like what you've seen?  Leave the lovin' here!  Now, get out in the sunshine and enjoy your weekend off!

Until next time, xoxo.

Down in Mexico

Happy Sunday! 

I have a real treat for ya'll this week!  I was fortunate enough to get the inside scoop from a soon-to-be bride that I think ya'll are just gonna eat up!  So, without further adu, it is my pleasure to introduce ya'll to Jamie Blum & Joe Walker:

DIY engagement photo's - a great way to save money and they look great!

So, how did you two meet?  Tell us your story!
Joe & I actually met when we were younger working at Hollister together!  We were friends for years.  One night, Joe told me he wanted to try sushi, so I took him to my favorite sushi restaurant.  While we were there, they brought our sushi out in the shape of a heart (I guess they knew something we didn't!).  Then, Joe went off to the army for a few years and I went to college.  One summer, when Joe got back and I was home from college, we went on a date and that was the night we fell in love!  We hung out almost every night after that!  Soon after, we ended up dating, and now we're engaged!

Describe the proposal:
It all began at Pittsburgh International Airport.  We were headed to Cancun, Mexico and Joe was acting super nervous and I could not for the life of me figure out what was wrong with him!  We got to the airport, got our tickets, and turned in our baggage, and everything went without any problems, except Joe was white as a ghost and looked like he was about to pass out!  I asked him a ton of times what was wrong, but each time he told me he was fine and just wanted to be there already. So, I let it go!  Once we got to the hotel he was an entirely different person - he was so happy and excited to be in paradise!  On our second day in Mexico, we went out to dinner at our favorite restaurant (the Resort Maria Margarita - yum!).  After dinner, the theater was featuring Chicago, one of my favorite shows, and I refused to miss seeing it.  So, as we finished up dinner, Joe said that he was uncomfortable and wanted to change his shirt before the show.  I was being impacient because I wanted to make sure we got good seats for the show, but I agreed to run up to the room with him real quick.  When we got up to the room, I went into the bathroom to freshen up.  When I came out, Joe was standing out on our balcony looking out into the night sky, so I went out and joined him.  When I stepped out on the balcony, he put his arm around me and said: "I cannot imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone but you", and then, before I knew it, he was down on one knee.  I didn't realize what was going on - in fact, I was so clueless that I asked him if he was okay, because I thought he had fallen down!  And then I saw the ring...

...and the tears began! As I was bawling my eyes out, I said "is this for real?"  And, Joe replied, "Yes!"  Eventually, while I was still crying and had yet to actually say yes, Joe asked, "So...is that a yes?!", to which of course I replied, "YES!!!"

Tell us about finding your wedding dress:
I thought I would never find a dress after our first dress shopping experience.  I didn't even remotely feel like a bride with a single dress I tried on, until one Sunday afternoon at David's Bridal.  Lindsey, my sister, and I actually saw my dress online the night before and I wasn't even going to try it on in the store because I didn't want to spend that much money on a dress.  When I got to the store, I tried on a few dresses, but I pretty much hated every dress I tried on!  Then, the sales woman pulled out the one I had seen online.  I tried it on and knew that it was the one!  It fit absolutely perfect, and needed no alterations!  I knew it was the one, so I went ahead and called Joe and he told me what every good fiance tells his bride-to-be, "Whatever makes you happy!"  So, I ordered it right then and there.  I went back when it came in and fell in love with it all over again!

When is the big day?
July 28th, 2012

Where will you be tying the knot?
In beautiful Cancun, Mexico!

Who, or what, has been the most inspiring during the wedding planning process?
Probably how easy it is for the Joe and I to work together and make decisions, and get things planned and ready to share with our family and friends!  If anything, planning this wedding has brought us even closer together, which I didn't think was even possible!

What has been the best part of planning your wedding so far?  The worst?
Th best part so far was choosing to have a destination wedding.  And, the worst, was our first travel agent that we interviewed.  It was a really awful experience!

Is there anything you wish you had known before you started planning your wedding?
I wish I had known how hard it would be to find a bridesmaid dress for 5 bridesmaids with all different body shapes, likes, and dislikes. But, we did eventually find one!

Any advice for other brides?
Have a destination wedding!  I think it's the best decision we ever made.

Here are some more pictures from Jamie & Joe!

 the front of the couple's {Save the Date's}!

the back of the couple's {Save the Date's}!

How cutesy are these Save the Date's?  Personalized post-cards are perfect for destination weddings!

views of the couple's beautiful destination wedding resort in Cancun, Mexico!

Thanks again, Jamie & Joe, for sharing your story with us!  Wishing you all the happiness in the world!

Until next time, xoxo.



{Yours Truly}

Happy Friday my blushing brides-to-be!  I know its been awhile, but I promise I'm back and practically bursting at the seams, with ideas and insights to share with ya'll!

In this tech-saavy world of ours, is - s n a i l  m a i l - no longer the way to go when it comes to wedding invitations?  Are you better off saving time and money and sending out e-vites?  Heck no.  I don't know about ya'll, but to me, weddings are meant to be personal celebrations, and therefore deserve a little more time, effort, and attention than a simple email!  Your wedding invitations are your guests first peek at what type of celebration you'll be holding, and do you really want your first impression to be a cheap-o invite?  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all about saving some moo-lah and beautiful weddings on a budget, but you can still get inexpensive invites that are super classy and chic.  But, whatever you do, stick it in an envelope, throw a stamp on it, and march your cute little bride-to-be self over to the post office!

Ideas for wedding invites are endless - you can be as creative, or as classic, as you wish to be.  It's all about finding something that [fits your style] and the style you hope to achieve on your wedding day!

If you're having a destination wedding, consider making postcard-esque invitations.

...and you wanna know what makes this one even more spectacular?  You can have it for FREE!  Don't believe me?  Go here to download this adorable invite!

Maybe you have a really unique story of how you and your soon-to-be hubby met and want to share it with all your guests.  Well, what better place than on your invites?

and what a great way to share your personality and show off your love for one another before the big day!

Do you, or someone you know, have some serious art skills?  Try making these hand-sketched invites - how cutesy!  and inexpensive!

Or, my personal favorite, monogrammed invitations!  Ooohhh, monograms just make me melt!

Personally, I'm a big fan of the more traditional wedding invitations - if they're done right!  And, after weeks of searching the wonderful online wedding world, I've found one company whose invites just have me weak in the knees!  There really is just something special about SixPencePress that makes it stand out from most invites I've seen!  They describe themselves as unique, whimsical, and elegant - and I completely agree!  But don't take my word for it, look and see for yourself!

Aren't they just precious?!

That's all I have for you today!  But, I promise, I'll be back soon with plenty more!

Until then, xoxo.

Sweet Tooth

After brushing up on my skills in the art of procrastination (can you blame me? it's finals week!), I have found some truly delightful things that I just can't wait to share!

Now, one large complaint that my boyfriend has is the fact that I have a strong committment to the most important food group: candycookiesanddesserts.  I don't know about ya'll, but I'm a sucker for all things yummy, and I'm sure I'm not the only one!  And, it's just one more reason I am just head-over-heels for weddings - the endless desserts!  Don't get me wrong, I love the dress, the vows, the I Do's, and all that jazz, but nothing tops off the night like a beautifully decorated (and potentially creative) dessert bar. 

Am I right, or am I right? 

So, in honor of my love for desserts, today's post is all about super cute, creative, and inexpensive (ahh, huge sigh of relief) ideas for an innovative dessert bar!  Get ready for an overload of delectable pictures and ideas you're going to eat up!

Magnificent Marshmallow Bar

Can't you just picture this as part of an upscale s'mores display?  Or perhaps for a hot chocolate bar in a winter wedding?  Either way, aren't the apothecary jars just precious?!

{Brain Freeze!} Bar

The possibilities are endless with this mouth-watering idea!  Anything from root- beer floats, to sundaes, to ice cream cones - you can't go wrong!

Casual Coffee and Donut Bar

Ahh, one of my favorites (but then again, which one of these really isn't one of my favorites?!) , an after dinner cup'o'joe and a delicious donut to accompany it!  In fact, if it's within your budget, you could consider hiring someone to run an espresso machine during your reception as a real treat!

Rockin' Rice Krispie Bar

Talk about fun!  So simple and inexpensive, yet guaranteed to be a hit, especially if you'll be having children at your wedding!

for more, click here

Eye Candy

My absolute favorite!  This speaks right to my sweet tooth, not to mention it has some serious eye appeal if you ask me!  If you want to hear some more, check it out here.

Another twist on the classic candy bar - does your wedding have a very specific color theme to it?  Try matching all your candies to your color palette, or even use an accent color instead!

Cookie Monster

love, love, love this idea!  how adorable! and again, it can be so budget friendly!  Maybe it's just me, but I'm a HUGE fan of the wooden signs hung with twine.

check out more images here

{Cookie Mix} Favors - have a special family recipe for some scrumptious cookies?  Why not share it with your guests as their parting favor and a thank you for being their to share your special day?

Just another twist on the cookies and milk bar - try matching it to your color palette!

to see more photos, click here

Phew!  Well, I don't know about ya'll, but I'm about ready for a little something from my main food group!  I hope you enjoyed these delectable dessert ideas as much as I did.  They're a great way to get your guests involved and they make it much more personal to you and your hubby's favorites!

Until next time, xoxo.

Precious Moments

Jess + Alistair's Wedding in Stop Motion from Bayly & Moore on Vimeo.

What a creative way to capture all the {precious moments} of your special day!  From the preparation, to the ceremony, all the way through the reception, in less than 5 minutes!  Definitely something to show the kids!  And don't you just love how the stop motion effect captures all those perfect smiles?! Just precious!


Have a happy Easter! xoxo.