Wedding Romantics

It is time I share some of our amazing wedding photos with you!! 

To start off, I felt I needed to share our Romantics. 

We had such a roller-coaster wedding day, that seeing these pictures post-wedding made all the bad memories fade. I even asked out amazing photographer, Michelle Peyronet, "How in the WORLD did you capture such great wedding photos!?" 

The hair lady they sent had NO IDEA how to do the hairstyle I had requested during my TRIAL RUN and when I booked, caterer forgot napkins, we had rain, followed by great Texas humidity, a tornado watch, my bustle was ripped out right before our first dance, caterer forgot to serve us, guests disappeared to watch a football game in the grooms suite, our get-away limo didn't show, and the list continues. HA! 

So, needless to say, these photos made everything better.

We were very blessed to have the weather let up in time for an amazing sunset. 

The terrible weather created a phenomenal backdrop. <3

Source for all photos: Peyronet Photography

Location: Double Creek Crossing College Station, Texas

Wedding Dress: JLM Couture - Tara Keely & Stardust Celebrations

Wedding Inspired Wednesday: {No 11} Delayed - DIY Wedding Floral

         I am doing all my own wedding floral. If you are currently planning a wedding or any sort of event, you have probably come to learn how pricey flowers can be! I have browsed website after website, local vendors, etc. to try and find the cheapest way to DIY, without giving up your favorite flowers or looking cheap. Fifty Flowers has been by far the cheapest across the board, not to mention free FedEx shipping, options for sample orders, and numerous helpful tips! They even have wedding consultants that can help you determine how much to order based on what you need. In my case, 16 centerpieces, 2 wedding party table centerpieces, 1 sweetheart table centerpiece, 11 boutonnieres, 6 bridesmaid bouquets, bridal bouquet, 5 corsages, grooms cake table decor, wedding cake floral, sign in table - aaaaaaaaand I think that covers it? HA!

        Through Fifty Flowers I found Affordable Floral - This website is where you can get decently priced DIY wedding floral tools, as well as ideas on how to do the floral. They have a page titled "Build A Bouquet" with various types of bouquets listed to help you, just like it says, build a bouquet. Fabulous!


How about this DIY Bouquet? Black and White Rose and Feather Hand-Tied Bouquet It provides a list of all materials and how they were used, pictures and even a video! Then it gives you the list of materials and the option to order them right there. Pretty nifty, eh? You could even substitute the black feathers for wheat stalks, or peacock feathers. Many ways to switch this simple DIY up to fit your theme.



Fall Dahlia Hand-Tied Bouquet This is my style bouquet! The same things are provided, materials, pictures, video and option to purchase the items.



This is a gorgeous simplistic DIY centerpiece idea - Manzanita Branch Idea with Moss Runner



Don't you just love this natural decor?! If only my colors were green. Find this DIY Green Wedding Centerpiece at Affordable Floral as well!

         Another useful tool I found, Wedding Flower Recipe Worksheet - Here you enter in the flowers you want, and it calculates the flowers you need to create the specific item. Example: Bridal Bouquet has a column, below you put the number you need, which is 1. Then there are rows called "Focal", "Filler", "Greenery", "Line", where you enter the specific flower you intend to use, such as, Dahlia, Babys Breath, Lily Grass, Wheat. You enter the number of each one you intend to use to create the piece and it calculates how much you need for each one. You can then look through Fifty Flowers website to find corresponding packages to enter in and it will calculate how many you will have left over. This way, you don't buy too much or too little, and all your flower arrangements are there in a neat excel sheet to pass out to those who are helping
         These are just a few of the helpful tips on how to do your wedding floral yourself. The two websites above have a ton of tips for browsing through. Check them out! If you find anything different, or better, please share! :-)

Wedding Inspired Wednesday {No. 4} Our Wedding Inventory



          Our wedding inventory is slowly growing & boy is it exciting! Here is the list of items we have recently purchased from Save-On-Crafts. This is one of the best sites ever for a crafty bride trying to save money! 



Natural Jute Fiber Ribbon 1.5" width 25 yds $9 - We will be using this to wrap around mason jars filled with candles.



14.5" Basswood Tree slices, ~1" thick. These will be used in centerpieces & as a cake stand. I bought a few to play around with, but the majority will be coming from an actual white oak trees from my parents acreage in Livingston, TX. It'll be nice to have a home-made natural touch at our wedding, courtesy of my parents.



Cedar Wood Roses - I mentioned in a previous blog that I do not want a lot of real flowers, so I thought these 2" wide wood roses would be a nice touch. 



This is an example of how the Cedar Wood Roses, tree slabs & Jute Ribbon will be used.



Cotton Stalks - Now I know we have plenty of cotton farmers around us that we could get free cotton from, but that is a ways away. I wanted to get some on hand to play around with ahead of time, so I went ahead and bought some. These will be used in centerpieces, bouquets & boutonnieres.





Natural Touch Hen & Chicks - the deep burgundy color of these will be perfect to add to centerpieces & bouquets! I have also seen centerpieces where these were just set on the table directly amongst burlap & mason jars filled with candles.

        




Last on our list for this order is the 20" tall, 7" wide Aspen yellow golden queen flower - This beautiful golden fall flower will give a wonderful pop of color amongst all the tan, brown, & white colors we will currently be using.



         I can not wait until it all arrives so I can begin to put things together and get a real idea how it will look at the wedding! Yippee! Photos will definitely be added as I experiment with arrangements. Stay tuned! <3



Wedding Inspired Wednesday - {No. 3}

         I have not done much browsing for wedding things this past week. I have instead been dealing with my "Will you be my cards...". I had one minor dilemma. I wanted my girls/guy to open their pocket invites to beautiful maroon glitter words that said, "Maid of Honor" "Bridesmaid" or "Bridesman". Unfortunately, there are no craft stores that carry maroon glitter. I ordered a Martha Stewart fine glitter 3-pack from online with a color that looked maroon. I was super excited - until it arrived. It was a magenta color. UGH!

The magenta glitter is in the 3-pack towards the bottom - You can see my glitter attempts
on the paper up on the top left - and the invites are sitting there at the top.
I am sure Henry is ready to have his dining room table back lol

         So, I go about looking for a new glitter that actually says burgundy or maroon - BINGO FOUND ONE! It looked burgundy in the photo and was called "Burgundy fine glitter". Sweet! Right? NO! NOT RIGHT! It came in a few days later and was just plum purple, Techie red, and black glitter mixed together and still looked PLUM PURPLE NOT BURGUNDY!! UGH! I could've punched that website owner in the face! I tried varying things. I tried putting black glitter first, then the "burgundy" glitter and it worked a bit, but still looked more purple than anything. It just looked like plain poop, not literally, but you know.

Burgundy?? I think not!

       My new idea I think is a bit better - and may actually end up working out better. I also had to special order their envelopes which was a bit of a hassle, but they should be in by the middle of next week. This means I can finally blog the invites themselves!! Despite the troublesome times of these cards, I am uber excited. One thing I did find and wanted to share was a chalkboard seating chart. I like the casual feel of it - plus my wedding is outside, it will be nice to not have to deal with a bunch of little name cards being blown all over the venue haha.

I liked this wedding blog - it was very casual - the top left chalkboard is what I
truly loved though - You can check out more at the Wedding Chicks Blog

My fiance has the tendencies to move & sit on my papers so I apologize for the slightly unclear paper lol

This blog is going to be cut short.  The last thing added was a Seasonal Wedding Flowers list. I have had such a hard time with this and was handed a list at the Dallas Bridal Show. Love it!

Wedding Inspired Wednesdays - delayed {No 2} - FLOWERS

          I love fall! I love the colors, the leaves, the crisp cool air, and PUMPKINS! To me, it is the most romantic season of all! I would have fall all year round if I could. However, Texas fall kind of sucks - to be brutally honest. It is still rather warm, especially this dreadful year and everlasting summer! Our leaves aren't as bright and colorful as other places, like Michigan - and tend to turn colors late and fall quickly. Never-the-less, the wonderful feeling fall evokes in me is undeniable, no matter where I am. Can you tell I love fall? I mean I was born in October, my Daddy's nickname for me is Pumpkin, and we are getting married in October! Of course I love fall! :-)

Beautiful fall leaves in Michigan - Engagement shoot October 2010 - Lisa Kae Photography

        With our wedding being in October that means we need fall decor & of course, fall colors! :-) I have browsed photos, blogs, websites, florist shops, etc. searching for the perfect fall flower combination. I finally think I may have found it - however that photo will come later. And of course we all know that with the wedding being 14 months away, that could very much change! haha One obsession that has not changed is my favorite flower - calla lilies. I love the ones that blend colors, especially fall colors! To me you could have a handful of these and it would be the perfect arrangement by themselves.

Photo from The Knot - Absolutely LOVE these Calla Lilies

        My next flower obsession would be ranunculus. Yes they don't come into season until November, but I don't care. Even though it is in the buttercup family, to me they are a mix between a rose and peony, only cheaper! And I like cost efficiency! I also would like to NOT have any roses at my wedding. Crazy? Maybe. I am just not fond of roses - seeing how my fiance refuses to buy them for me (except this one time on Valentines Day and omg were they gorgeous!), and perhaps because every time I got them from past boyfriends I later learned it was ironically right after something was done behind my back. Bitter memories? Maybe. Back to a lighter reason - to me they look like fluffy, puffy clouds! I see a bouquet of them and want to nuzzle my face right into them - in other words, I want to motor-boat these flowers they look so soft and fluffy! :-P

Photo from The Knot - A simple, classic, all white bouquet of ranunculus - a fluffy cloud!

      Following ranunculus would be Dahlias - these make me think of a mix between a sunflower and ranunculus. The "texture" the petals visually provide is intriging and fun to me. Not to mention they are super cheap and come in plenty of colors. The mix of these 3 flowers can be quite beautiful.

Dahlias used in a centerpiece - love the design by the way with the photo-frame! I found this photo on the Bridal Bouquet Design Blog - check it out!

Bouquet of Dahlias - Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Anne Designs

      Now with it being fall I have decided to add in some earthy textures as well. We can't forget the ever popular branches going around right now! For awesome ideas for branches, and to buy them as well, I prefer using Nettleton Hollow. Their willow, manzanita and birch branches are beautiful - their blog is inspiring with great ideas and how-tos.

Table set-up at the Brazos County Bridal Show January 2011 - I love the branches with the deep maroon flowers around the base

     Lastly, the ultimate bouquet I found. I love this bouquet very much, the colors, the textures, everything! I look at it and smile every time.

Indeed my favorite bouquet! Minus the roses - to me it has the perfect rustic elegance I am looking for!

      Well, I think that is enough for now. If you have any suggestions or ideas - feel free to share!!! :-)

Wedding Inspirations Part 1

             The title of my blog page is City Girl Meets Country Boy - naturally because I am a city girl, Henry is a country boy. Not only is that the title of the blog page, it is also the theme of our wedding October 13, 2012.

            Our wedding will be held at Double Creek Crossing in Caldwell, TX - a beautiful outdoor venue on a secluded ranch. Leah is the sweet lady, that just happens to be from the town - Burleson - right next to Henry's hometown, who opened the wedding venue after retiring from being a nurse - she was home for a bit and told her husband she couldn't just sit around doing nothing = Double Creek Crossing! And thank goodness she did too because it is GORGEOUS! Her husband and her put a lot of thought and effort into building the outdoor venue. Her daughters helped her think of minor details such as, making enough room on either side of the Bridal Suite toilet for a bride if she has to go to the bathroom in a large ballgown dress - ahem, that would be my situation! Or having a built in counter, long mirror, barstools, and wonderful lighting so all the girls can sit next to each other as hair and make-up are done. Or how about having "tarps" that can be rolled, and pinned down to the ground all around the reception area in case of bad weather - yet they are clear so you can still feel as if you are outside? The venue is city-like, with the nice stone walls, vaulted ceilings, wonderful landscaping - yet very country with the visible wooden beams, concrete floors, front rocking chairs, and of course being on a ranch itself. That equals perfection for our theme.



A picture of the venue from the "altar" of the Ceremony location



Looking out to the Ceremony area



Walking up to the Reception area from Ceremony area



Walking outside to Reception area from front entrance with Groom/Bridal suites/Cake table/Gift Table

        Our theme was so obvious and inspired by our kick-A photographer, Michelle Peyronet with Peyronet Photography. After meeting with her and discussing what we wanted in photos she mentioned the theme - I couldn't believe WE didn't think of that already! DUH! We picked Michelle after seeing her gorgeous photos of a friends wedding. She did a type of jounalistic photography and boy did her colors POP! It was amazing how every detail of color was beyond perfection - and I was blown away by her ability to catch such loving facial expressions and moments in their natural settings - not posed. Not only do we get her for our entire wedding day, we get a 2nd photographer, as well as 2 photographers for the rehearsal dinner. She will be doing our engagement, bridal, boudior, rehearsel dinner, ceremony, and reception photos - as well as a Trash the Dress shoot post honeymoon. Can't wait! Here is one Blog post by Michelle that we love (looks like you will have to copy & paste the link):
http://peyronetphotography.com/blog/weddings/kate-luin/
&
http://peyronetphotography.com/blog/weddings/suzanna-matt/

       Our planning/decorating will be with the help of a good friend, Lacey, who happens to own a wedding/party rental business called Details Event & Party Rentals in College Station, TX. She has pretty much everything you can think of, at great prices! http://detailsevent.blogspot.com/ - That is her amazing blog - you should check it out! She does her research on up to date trends, and has plenty of unique ideas of her own to help you design your perfect wedding down to the last detail!



Photo taken from Lacey's blog - This is the ceremony at Double Creek Crossing



Another photo by Lacey - Cake table at Double Creek Crossing

      My sister is the Maid of Honor - so naturally she has done some research on bridesmaid dresses. I am letting my bridesmaid choose their dress for the most part. Afterall, they are doing me a favor by being in my wedding and should be proud of the dress they have to dish the money for. All I ask is it be around Tea-length or a little above the knee. I plan on asking the girls to wear brown boots - so it has to go well with boots too. Here are some suggested photos, feel free to comment or lend advice:

       Our colors go with the fall theme Henry and I love so much! It also gives us an excuse to use Maroon as a color. haha Our colors are burgandy maroon, espresso brown, rust orange, and a golden yellow - fall colors. And yes it is rust orange, NOT burnt orange - UGH!

I love this wicker ball, or "tumbleweed", with the simple fall colored flower attached.

I don't care too much for the escort card table, but I do absolutely love the wheat stalks and their beautiful golden color!

I love the colors, but I really love the wooden box!

Again, I am in love with the wheat and colors



I absolutely LOVE the color of these Callas Lillies - which are one of the flowers I want to use for the wedding as well



I am drawn toward the burlap and colors of the flowers of this one - I also love square & rectangular tables instead of the traditional round



The maroon flowers and branches stood out to me in this set up at the Brazos Bridal Show



Henry & I have a slew of photos of our initals carved in things - starting with an Aspen tree from Colorado - hence the love of these invites



Again with the love of carved initals - I love these invites & RSVP cards

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