What a treat it was to find this morning that Eva from DEva Weddings had tagged me with the Fabulous Sugar Doll Blog Award! Now that I’ve been tagged, I’m supposed to share with you 4 things I LOVE and 4 blogs that inspire me! Soo here goes…
ACRYLIC OFFICE SUPPLIES
I’ve been a bit obsessed with these from The Container Store lately. Yes, I know it’s basically clear plastic. 
I bought this recipe box and am designing up the recipe cards now.
BARQ’S ROOT BEER
It’s my poison of choice. I don’t drink any other kind of root beer. It has even influenced some design concepts (blog post later!)
AGENT BAUER
A gallery of amazing stylist, illustrators and photogs. AMAZINGLY INSPIRING!!
SARAH SEVEN DRESSES
Oh so girly and fun!
And 4 blogs I have recently been super inspired by!
I am so excited to share with you today Sam and BJ’s wedding! Laura Reaux was the wonderful photographer who captured the day. It took place at Rip Van Winkle in New Iberia and the weather could not have been better.
Rip Van is seriously the perfect retreat for your guest to escape to.
Time to get ready!
The scenic ceremony view didn’t need much. Just hydrangeas in mason jars with ribbon…
And coordinating programs to the rest of the suite.
We were running short of time and thought we might have to nix the “First Look” but Sam really wanted to make it happen! So we did! Here’s BJ patiently waiting for his bride…
And the First Look!
I LOVE BJ’s reaction here!
I have to say, if you are considering a First Look, you definitely should. Because I bring the brides to meet their groom normally, I catch a glimpse of this special moment and it really is priceless!! Now back into hiding for Sam…
If you ever thought a First Look would ruin the groom’s reaction when he sees the bride coming down the aisle, this should put your fears at bay. No nerves, just excitement!
I absolutely LOVE Laura’s perspective! She seems to capture aspects of the day, that I see time and again, in a fresh way.
A quick post-ceremony rendezvous…
And on to the party! For affordable centerpieces, we found these great vases and purchased hydrangeas from Rouse’s and I put together onsite. Sam’s mom actually found these neat votive holders!
BJ is a big Saint’s fan, so his aunt created a full Saint’s themed cake table.
And the brides delish cake by Crystal Weddings!
Praline favors!
And the perfect getaway!
Sam and BJ it was such a pleasure working with y’all!! Thanks for letting me be a part of y’alls big day!
Bouquets and Bouts by Flowerland.
This week’s inspiration:
I WANT TO BE HERE!
PARISIAN INSPIRATION
SPARKS FLY
VEGGIES AS CENTERPIECES
Photo by Courtney Dellafiora
Wedding planning is like a rollercoaster. One minute I am stressed to no end and wanting to elope (yes, even wedding planners get that urge), the next minute I am coming up with and getting pumped about more and more DIY projects and ideas to add to my to-do list. This week was the latter. And then came the former. : )
At what point do you stop brainstorming and just let it happen? You’ve heard me say it before, I am feeling the pressure to come up with something that’s never been seen. And when I keep seeing those ideas I’ve been planning for months already produced, I scramble a bit to think of the next big thing. But why? Reality Check: I am not the Queen of Sheba or the President. No one cares that much about my wedding. My wedding is also not the standard by which all following weddings will take their cues from. My shoulders are already feeling lighter. What’s more, I know Tyler and I, a marriage license and not one or two but three officiants will be on site so the key ingredients are there. Lighter still. And our wedding will be filled with love and laughter and the closest people in our life. Bingo!
Now that I’ve got that figured out, I think the cut off for new ideas and projects, for me atleast, is going to be today. I have some pretty exciting ideas already that still need to be created. So I am officially shutting off the “research” phase of this wedding and moving on to “development.”
Our greatest stresser most of the time can be ourselves. Yes, your vendor misunderstanding the time of your wedding is probably their fault, but how we handle it will make all the difference in the world. So the next time you get overwhelmed, breathe (hee, hee, hoo, hee, hee, hoo) and repeat after me:
1. I am not the Queen of Sheba
2. I am not the President
3. A marriage license, officiant and groom are all I really need.
4. Research is compiled.
5. It’s time to develop.
This week I was inspired by:
WINDMILL E-SESSION
BREAKFAST BUFFET
AVOID PRE-WEDDING TAN LINES
SOUTHERN INSPIRATION: DECONSTRUCTED
Courtney Dellafiora
It’s true. Growing up I don’t really remember winning anything: a door prize, a spelling bee, a contest. And the few I did are burned in my memory forever as “the day I won…”
That brings us to a few weeks ago. I was trying to decide on a few wedding accessories and stumbled upon Bethany Lorelle. I LOVED her pieces (and could actually afford them!) and contacted her about making a few custom pieces for me. That week I read up about a contest and entered on Beauty Bets and guess what?? I won a custom head piece by Bethany!!
So what’s the moral of the story?
It PAYS to read blogs!
If you spend any amount of time on blogs, you can find not only inspiration but good deals and possibly great prizes.
Snippet & Ink has a weekly post of discounts and giveaways I highly recommend checking out. I found this post last week and purchased my very own text bowl from Paloma’s Nest for less.
Here are a few of my other favorite sites that hosts some great giveaways!
Leave a comment if you know of any other’s our readers should know about!
When I came across picture #2 the other day, I knew I had to design something around it! It seemed so high fashion and bold yet simple. I pictured airplane girl jet setting off to France for a summer of classical art like in #1. I think the absence of vibrant color actually makes this palette pop! Enjoy!!
Credits:
1. Perfect Bound 2. Agent Bauer 3. Ruffled Blog 4. Ritzy Bee 5. 100 Layer Cake
I have had the pleasure working with some really great brides recently! I snapped a few quick pics of some of our recent work yesterday, both custom designs as well as some invites from our collection in new shades along with a few comments from our clients. Enjoy!!
For Sam’s wedding we did a simple yet modern take on the fleur de lis motif. The item on the left is her ceremony program that when closed made a full fleur de lis design but when opened, mimicked her invitation.
You all know how much I love yellow and gray together! I was so thrilled to see the Teen Beat design in these shades!
Another design from our Teen Beat suite (definitely one of our most popular) in blush, mocha and gray. I LOVE this subtle and soft combo. Congrats to Joanne. The big day is Saturday!
Another one of our most popular designs, the Vineyard suite in Avocado!! This avocado color is a personal favorite of mine from our color wheel so I was thrilled to see it chosen for this design.
I did an extensive custom collection for Kristen, invites, RSVP cards, programs and a few other pieces in shades of corals and peaches! The programs (second pic) were made into fans.
One of my full-service brides‘ mom asked me about doing a shower invite. The Magnolia was the perfect fit!
FROM OUR BRIDES…
I received the invitations today! They are awesome! You did a wonderful job! Thank you so much!
- Holly
I am in L-O-V-E with these invites!!! They are amazing!!!
- Joanna
Thanks again, Valerie! I have to say, I’m really excited that we’re going this direction with the invitations, not just because they’re adorable and affordable, but because I actually know someone’s name that I’m talking to about them!
- Priscilla
Valerie! We received the invitations and they are gorgeous. I love them.
- Priscilla
I love love love the designs! They are great!
- Sarah
Thanks so much for all your help. I am so relieved I found you because I’m not the type to get excited over invitations, but now I am! Too bad I didn’t find you for our save the dates…
- Caitlin
Fairly certain I almost just peed in my pants looking at your designs, stunning.
- Courtney
I just wanted to let you know that I received the reception pieces in the mail today and everything turned out wonderfully! I am so so glad I ordered these! The colors are great, everything is great! Thanks so much!
- Joanne
Brides, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your wedding planning process!!
Here’s what caught my eye this week!
SPARKLY WHITE WEDDING
EQUESTRIAN INSPIRED
ETHEREAL BRIDALS
PRE-WEDDING WORKOUT
Photo by Courtney Dellafiora
Last week I was a bit of an emotional mess. Personal and business, not to mention wedding planning, all led to many a-flowing tears.
I think we can get so busy and burnt out sometimes that if we don’t stop to rest, it all eventually comes to halt and we collapse. And so I did Wednesday, tried to keep going and so I collapsed Thursday too. I eventually decided “OK God you are trying to tell me something and this time I’m listening.” I took the rest of Thursday and Friday off and much of the weekend (not characteristic for me).
I talked to a bride I am doing invitations for and she mentioned that her lunch breaks and days off are consumed with taking care of wedding details proving this whole planning a wedding thing is A LOT of work!
I told Tyler this week, “It doesn’t matter if our wedding is a total bomb, I am getting to marry you and that’s all that matters.” It took a lot for me to get to this point. I’ve realized it isn’t others putting that pressure on me ( I do feel like what I do for my own wedding will be a deciding factor for whether some people choose to hire me) but myself. So I am officially taking it off. Because I don’t need another breakdown. This was officially my breakthough. (Not however similar to Real Housewives of NY Kelly’s “breakthrough” on Poison Island.)
And although the wedding planning wasn’t entirely to blame for my rough week, I of course have a few more tips for avoiding burnout:
TAKE A BREAK
I sound like your itunes on repeat, but you have to take a break from wedding planning periodically. It’s not healthy to focus on one day for a year or longer. This is where the pressure comes in. “I’ve just spent a year planning a party? It better be the best thing this side of heaven…right??” and with that…
BREAK IT UP… BUT NOT TOO MUCH
Saturday my sister and I went to a coffee shop and took care of several things we needed to do for the wedding. A chunk of time to do this, for me atleast, puts me in wedding mode and motivates me to make decisions. When I break it up too much, it takes more motivation to get started each time.
ENJOY IT
My mom works very hard at her job and she decided when I got engaged, she would slow down and be available to enjoy the process. She took half a day of work off with little warning to come with me to Baton Rouge to pick up my dress last week. She didn’t see it as a chore to check off the list but an event she wants to remember fondly.
If you are feeling like all you dream about are linens and tying ribbon on little favor bags take a break without feeling guilty for it. You deserve it!
