Color Scheme Dreams

Color themes are an important decision because a lot of choices depend on them. Though I have a basic ideas for my wedding colors (purple, green, blue) it can be helpful to have a more in depth approach.

Some wedding planning sites allow you to do a color scheme generator. This is mine from Wedding Wire. However, you only get to select your main color from a few options, and then your choices are limited to their few offers.

So, I created the following color schemes based on places and things that are very relaxing and special to me. Though it may shock some of you, I used Paint (which can be found on nearly every computer: new and old) to pick out my favorite colors found within these pictures.

I love the simple elegance of lavender fields. Purple is a very soothing color for me, and this beauty do not disappoint.

Purple bearded irises are my favorite flower, and I intend to have them on display throughout the wedding. These are some of my favorite colors found within the iris.

I enjoy being in the woods, this is a very relaxing location for me; some may call the woods my "happy place." We will be wed outside, hopefully in a certain meaningful clearing surrounded by woodland. These are some of my favorite colors that I found here.

 

If the woods aren't where you get inspired, then perhaps a bare-foot walk along the beach could relax your senses?

 

 

 

Beach + Sunset = Romance *swoon*

 

 

 

Throw in some purple hues.

 

 

 

 

And mix it all together

 

 

What places are special to you, and how can you incorporate them into your wedding? May you have a happily ever after!

More Bling for Your Buck

Some helpful things to know about jewelers, and some deals that might make the sale.

 

For veterans:

• Zales: The Diamond store offers a 10% military discount for past and present service members, but the deal does not apply to items already on sale
• Helzberg Diamonds also offer a 10% discount for active members, select stores only
• There are also several discount jewelry stores that offer discounts. Check out this list of more military wedding deals here.

Deals:

• You can always research online at KAY, Jared, Zales, Herlzberg, Blue Nile, and more for their current offers and sales.

Some added tips to getting a great deal on your rings:

• Look for your ring before you're ready to buy, this gives you time to find your "dream ring" and then you will know better what stores you need to be watching for deals.(I had my eyes set on my ring for several months, and it was only available at Zale's. I talked with the associates at my local store and put the ring on layaway for it to wait until we could buy it during a double-sale weekend [which happened to be right before Valentine's Day].)
• Certain times of the year are better for buying rings, and if you have a lot of time to work with for your engagement, you may want to save by doing your research.
• June through August (a.k.a. the Wedding Season) may be wedding heavy, but it is also engagement light, so jewelers may be more flexible at this time.
• Christmas deals can go either way, so before you go head over heels for what looks like a great deal, check it out first.
• A lot of engagement rings go on sale around Valentine's Day, and this may be a good time to buy if you have a ring in mind.
• Jewelers are often overpriced for a single band of metal, so when looking for his ring the best deals are online. Etsy is one of my favorite places for things like this. These online "Etsy shops" are under business regulations, and their items are usually unique and good quality. Other online places like Ebay and Amazon are decent as well, but they may not have the quantity or the quality.

Holding to Heritage

My fiance is German, and thankfully this land offers several beautiful traditions.

The first, and probably my favorite so far, is the tradition of pre-drawing a heart on an old sheet. At the ceremony, the groom cuts one side and the bride the other, meeting in the middle. The groom then carries the bride through the center to symbolize their new marraige.

Next is log splitting. This kind of quirky tradition symbolizes the need to work together to get through difficult times and emphasizes teamwork.

This is an Irish tradition and is basically fancy knot twisting. However, the tradition symbolizes unity and the intertwined nature of the husband and wife relationship. 

Does your ansecstoral land boast some fun wedding traditions? As always, may you have a happily ever after!

Engagement Pictures

  Again, these are not all, but my favorites of the engagement pictures I have seen.

There are a lot or feelings captured in this shot and it's pretty sweet.

I like that they are both looking in this picture and the happiness they exude is great.

I really love this pose.




A good lying down shot, some of these are pretty neat.




And of course, a shot of the ring!






Here's another ring shot. You could even use the box to hide the kiss, sometimes those pictures are cute!



What moments do you want captured for your engagement shoot? Wishing you a happily ever after!

Inviting Invitations

This is the document that solidifies this whole thing, you're nearly there! It's also going to be an indicator of wedding themes and colors.

I like the pop of color, and if we could work in a lovely purple iris in the corner it would be perfect!

This is so lovely. I enjoy the dark background and the way the flowers pop out and frame this invite.

I really love the forest look going on in this invitation set, and I feel like I could DIY them with a set of stamps. I will keep you all posted if I decide to do this design.

Fancy Tip:

Number the back of RSVP's before you mail them (and keep the list of what number belongs to what family) so that you know who to contact if you have an unreadable response.

Do you have any wedding invite tips and tricks? Wishing you a happily ever after!



Fridge Art

This is a piece of the wedding that each guest will receive and have the first inkling into your big day. For months, they will post this to their fridge, family boards, and circulate it throughout the magazine piles and important pieces of mail. It may live in the junk drawer for a span, or be demoted to the trash can, BUT if you play it cool, this could be a piece of art worth keeping.

This is entirely adorable. The date circled with hearts, and I like the idea of sending sticker to mark the calendar with. Trouble? Most people I know don't use physical calendars.

I really love the natural, water-colored, effortless look of this save-the-date.

I love the natural, whispy, hopeful sky look of this save-the-date.





If you could see the couple in the forest on the left hand side this would be 100% gorgeous. I also really like that this is a post card, so you can add a personal message.

This is also a super fun two piece save the date and invitation pair.

Bonus pic!

I am pining for this pineapple wax stamp.

 

Stay posted for great deals on save-the-dates and invites. Wishing you a happily ever after! 

Unity Traditions

I've seen the candles, I've seen the sand, but I want to do something a little bit more unique. AND, as always, I want to create something that will serve to be somewhat functional, or at least a lovely, not too dust-collecty decoration.

I really like this idea. It's fairly easy to dust, comes from scripture, and I think my children will enjoy practicing their braiding skills on this.

This idea is super cute and fun. My one and only qualm is that I am a terribly messy person, and I would prefer to get through the wedding before I #trashthedress.



I love, love, LOVE this idea, and the sir is great with plants. As long as I can keep the dress dirt-free, I think this is my favorite by far.

Wishing you a happily ever after!

Wedding Pictures

There's so many great shots to choose from , and these are certainly not all of them that I want, but these are my favorites (I will add more as I find them).

 

I love the connection in this shot, and the wind benefits this pose also.

 

 

 

The sun is gorgeous here, but I think the shot isn't made my her look, but his. This is cute.

 

 

He looks, she looks, both look, but NEITHER look is where it's at here. This shot really captures a moment.

 

 

 

This is so elegant.

 

 

 

This is artistic, romantic, and just gaahhhhh!!!!! PERFECT.

 

 

What's your favorite look--hers or his? Wishing you a happily ever after!

Pillow Talk

So a semi-important part of the ceremony is the bearing of the rings. And, to increase sentimentality, and uniqueness (as well as saving some dough), I am determined to make my own ring bearer pillow.

I love the idea of using a book that the couple enjoys, and of course, buying a separate copy.

 

I really, really love this pillow. I have many gorgeous colors of felt to choose from in my fabric stash and I like the simple beauty of the leaves.

 

I am in love with the simple elegance of this pillow, and I decided to create one of my own. You can see full instructions on my craft blog here.

 

 

What are some of your non-traditional ring bearer options? Wishing you a happily ever after!

Fabulous Favors

My one big rule with the wedding favors is that they need to be useful. I don't want to give our guests things that they will just throw away.

So clearly, the first path to check is the treats.

Cookies are a good option for a gift. Tasty and thoughtful, and you can dress up the bag with a paper doily and some ribbon.

Cocoa may also be pretty fun. And the layered look in these vials is adorable!

Another great food idea is to have cotton candy. A bonus with this option is that you can make it in a variety of colors. (I featured my own wedding colors).

I love the idea of a green favor. Flower seeds are cost effective, and beautiful. AND we could stamp the phrase "Let Love Grow" on the bags.

 

 

Better yet, we could give succulents which are adorable and don't require much care. The withdraw to this idea is that we would need to cover the cost of all the little pots, soil, and plants.

 For guests who are unlikely to plant seeds or maintain plants they can hang this favor with very little effort and enjoy the birds that come to visit.

Just a few ideas, and I hope one of them really starts to grow on me... ;) Hee hee. Wishing you a happily ever after!

Photobooth

One of the most fun things about going to a wedding, is taking fun pictures in the photo booth! And extra BONUS, you don't need to spend a lot of money in this area to have a great booth.

I'm a major Harry Potter fan so this would be a fun one to do.

 

Harry Potter SHOUTOUT!

 

This next one may get a little costly (unless you happen to have an extra wall laying around), but it pays in elegance. Classy idea.

 

 

I love this idea of dangly flowers and origami. Both are very peaceful yet fun.

 

 

 

I also really adore this tissue paper wisteria backdrop.

 

 

 

Added fun, here are some superhero props, and as always, wishing you a happily ever after.

 

Superhero SHOUTOUT!