We had a great time this year at the 3 wedding shows that we attended and we met some fabulous people! We started off in Raleigh at the Forever Bridal Expo, what a fun time! This was the largest show we have ever attended and we were the only “beach” venue there! You can see all about this show here, http://www.foreverbridal.net/

Our inspiration for our booth this year was “vintage beach”. We brought an antique bike with a bouquet in the basket, an old trunk, an old dresser, vintage suitcases and lots of driftwood! Everyone loved our driftwood candle holder on the coffee table! Personally, we really liked the rag garland on the backdrop!

 

Here we are ready to greet the happy couples! We really had a great time!

 

 

The next show we did was the Crystal Coast Bridal Fair in Morehead City. This is a smaller, more local showcase to vendors in our area. This is a one day show at the Morehead City Civic Center. You can read up on that here, http://www.crystalcoastbridalfair.com/

Here are a few photos by local photographer Elizabeth Gillikin, of our beautiful booth!

 

Finally, we rounded out the show season with our favorite, The Crystal Coast Wedding Salon. We start off this show with a “tour” of one of our top venues, this year we chose A Pierless Vista. This house is STUNNING! You should come down and let us take you on a tour, it is brand new and very, very nice! It has a huge Oceanfront pool deck, direct access to the beach and lots of parking, perfect for a Seaside Wedding!

 

This is a one day show, starting with the tour followed by a the showcase at the Coral Bay Club and then ending with an after party at the Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium. It is a super fun and organized show! This is the one you do not want to miss! Here are a few photos of our booth, thanks to Cynthia Rose Photography. Here is the link to info on this show, http://www.crystalcoastweddingsalon.com/

 

Here are a few fun after party photos…we all love to dance, vendors and brides-to-be!

 

Special thanks to Crystal Coast Tent and Event Rentals, Coastal Petals, Mrs Vingerber’s Sweets, Tildy Designs, Cynthia Rose Photography, Casey Futrell Photography and Elizabeth Gillikin Photography for their help making our booth beautiful and helping us to show it off.

Pinterest has come ALIVE with color! 2014 is set to be bold and bright in the wedding world! The pantone color of the year is…..orchid! And we are excited!! Blush, pale pinks and nudes are still set to be a popular choice, but we are loving the orchid palette! Here are a few of our favorite examples that we have stumbled upon on Pinterest! 

This reception setup is stunning! Love the little sparkle in the linen!

This bouquet is to die for!!

 

The subtle touch of color in the menu is a nice touch with the simple gold accent.

How about this cake?

 

These details are all just so beautiful! We are very excited to see what our couple decide to do with this color palette! 

What do you think about this color choice for 2014?

 

With Thanksgiving rounding the bend, we thought we would take a little detour from the wedding world and focus on another kind of gathering. Growing up in the south, families tend to “set the table” for special occasions, Thanksgiving being one of them! My Grandma was the best at creatively decorating the table with a little Holiday Happy that complimented the meal. So, Zena and I thought that we would share some ideas to help make ya’lls tables look a little happier this Thanksgiving. Plus, many of this decor is DIY, which can make it a little lighter on the wallet.

    

This beautiful display only requires a pair of pruning shears and some hiking! And if you have foliage sprouting right in your front yard, then you won’t have to go very far to make this colorful table decor happen! Cheap, easy, and gorgeous!

 

  

What are ya’ll thankful for? I am thankful for a whole lotta things, but I’ll spare ya’ll the details! We thought this simple brown paper place setting was just perfect for going around the table and sharing what you are thankful for! You can get this brown paper from a craft store, or even better, re-use the inside of a brown paper grocery bag!

    

   

    This is another clever little craft for showing what you are thankful for! Go outside and grab a few twigs off the ground and cut out some leaf shapes out of fun patterned paper, punch a hole in the leaf and string them up for a fun table center piece. Then all of your family/guest can each write what they are thankful for!

 

 

 

I love this because what do we ALL have left over after Halloween…that’s right Pumpkins! So let’s paint those little suckers and add them to our Thanksgiving Celebration, they are, after all the symbol for fall harvest. So get your paint brushes out ladies and start painting! If you are feeling crafty you could even paint them different colors.

              

Simple things like feathers, herbs, wooden blocks, acorns or pecans can all add a naturally rustic touch to your table decor! And if you can’t find them in your yard, then your local craft store will be well stocked at this time of the Holiday season

 

We love these three little images because all three are so simple, but yet warms your heart with its personable appearance. Wrapping your silverware in a festive colored ribbon adds a little flair to your table. While hollowing out mini pumpkins and gourds and adding tea lights add a little romance to your table. And wrapping cinnamon sticks around your candle will send an aroma of warmth through the air.

We hope that you were able to take away some ways DIY ideas to spruce up your Holiday table this Thanksgiving. Always remember to give thanks. Until next time, we both wish you a… Happy Thanksgiving!

Pets! Oh how we southern folks love our pets, whether it’s pups, cats, horses, bunnies, chickens or even pigs! We love them dearly. So why not incorporate your furry friends into your special day, after all, they are there for ya throughout the whole journey, they are pretty good listeners too! ha  ha! We want to share some images with ya’ll to help ya get a better idea as to how you can include them, and there are even a few fashion tips you can take note of for your furry friend.

 

  This one is just adorable, not only is this lil pup a German Short Hair, (which I have), but I love the striped ribbon and wildflower doggie boutonniere! This lil GSP is “dressed” perfectly for the big day!

 

 

Another idea is to create a puppy wreath for your four-legged friend to wear down the aisle, providing they will keep it on.

   

Here is another example of a four-legged friend, a horse of course, all decked out in his wedding day roses! 

Bow ties tend to be trending now for those with a little less hair on their bodies, so why not let our furry friends join in on that fad as well?   You can find many of these little fashion finds for pooches on Etsy, or online doggie boutiques. They come in many different colors, sizes and patterns! This makes it easier for you to match your pooch up with your theme or color scheme.

 

 

 

 

   We could just eat this “shot” up with a spoon! Special moments like this with your pets will last a lifetime, especially if you get your photographer to capture them.

This fella is fit to be tied, he is ready and waiting patiently for his walk down the aisle 

 

 

Every dog deserves a “happy” for being apart of your special day, these little squeaker by misi are sure to make their doggy day.

                                                                                                                                  

You want to make sure you get plenty of photographs of your furry friend on your day, it will make memories last a lifetime.

                  

This little piggy did not go to market, in fact, she went to a wedding! Having a little moment with your furry friend while you’re getting ready is sure to make sweet pictures for the future! And of course it’s always a good laugh when your photographer captures your pet doing what they do best!

I want to leave you ladies with an image that a photographer friend Casey Futrell, from Casey Futrell Photography, snapped of my sweet Cali girl. Cali will be attending my upcoming wedding as the flower “girl”. See ya’ll later!

 

a house is not a home without a pet.

As a good southern girls, we all know that there are good southern manners that are expected of us, manners that have been instilled into us at a very early age.  So when that day comes when we become Brides, that good ol’ southern etiquette comes out full force! Alright ya’ll, this blog  just brings up a few pointers as how to execute a your Wedding using your charming southern ways that we all know you embody!

 

 

Alright ladies, in most situations there is a Maid of Honor or a Matron of Honor, and in many cases you will have both! The only difference, contrary to what some believe, is that the Maid of Honor is an unwed bridesmaid and the Matron of Honor is in fact married. Both of these titles are considered the “principal bridesmaids”, these ladies will be your go to girls for the duration of the day. Now, who does what? Let us break it down shall we. Both the Maid and Matron should be there for the Bride right from the get go, this is not a job for the lazy that’s for sure! She should be able to help with the wedding planning in whatever way possible. Lend an ear during the engagement, this is important for the Bride, considering she will be under a certain amount of stress during the process of planning. So grab that bottle of wine and help her exercise her demons!  Make sure that there is a bridal shower/bachelorette party in the plans. Organize the bridesmaids gifts, and the bridal luncheon. Take full control of the brides cell phone on the day of, that thing will be blowing up, and you don’t want it to stress the Bride out. Anticipate the Brides needs, and run interference between the Bride and others. These are only a few helpful hints, you can view a whole gaggle of  pointers on the Southern Weddings page @ http://southernweddings.com/2013/05/20/southern-etiquette-maid-and-matron-of-honor/.

Toasting!  This s a ritual in which a drink is taken as an expression of honor or goodwill. So let’s read these pointers, then you’ll be ready to grab your glass of champagne, (or sweet tea), and toast to the Bride and Groom!

 

  TIPPING is appreciated, take it from those who love to be tipped! I know what most people are thinking when it comes to tipping their vendors, “why would we pay them and then give them a tip?”  So glad that you asked that question, let me break it down for ya’ll!  In the south (as well as many other places), tipping is a gesture of a job well done, an expression of gratitude for the services rendered. And as always, it is appropriate to give a thank you note/card, it goes a long way, we love receiving a genuine thank you! It lets us vendors know that we have succeeded at satisfying our clients. As vendors in the Hospitality/Wedding world, we will move mountains to make a client happy with our services!

A great question that MANY Brides face!

Many Brides are faced with this dilemma, and in some cases it isn’t a dilemma. Some Brides feel obligated to incorporate their future sister in-laws into their bridesmaids lineup. And to this we say, unless the future in-laws are going to make you miserable then go ahead and ask them to participate. This small gesture will promote a family unity with your future family, and it could create a bond between you and your future sister in-laws. With this being said, there is no written law that you must ask them to participate, it’s your day so have it your way! (note the BK pun)

Alright you southern gals! Now that you have read a little bit about being a proper Bride, get out there and raise your etiquette flag high! Show the world (or your guests) that you are properly classy southern Bride! And if you want to learn more about how to become a proper Bride check out one of our favorite magazines online www.southernweddings.com , they offer up oodles of southern etiquette advice! Until next time….

 

Ohhhhh how we love CAKE! What better thing to bring up today than….you guessed it! Cake! With the cake being one of the main focal points in a Wedding, how could you NOT have an catching cake!? This years trend are patterns, lots of texture, cake topping florals and subtle cakes with a pop of color! Many bakers are open to stepping outside the box, they are willing to push the envelope with the non traditional cakes! So go ahead make that appointment and bring those fun flashy cake ideas to your bakers attention! Here are some of the cakes that stood out to us, so get ready to take some notes Gals!

This is by far one of our faves! With the chevron pattern being a hot fad right now, this cake was sure to stand out! We love the pairing of the florals with the gold, soft pinks, turquoise, and peaches!

This small cake embellished with buttons and florals is absolutely adorable!!! The buttons are a sweet touch, and very out of the ordinary.

 

 

 

Zena and I are absolutely in LOVE with the texture fad that is happening this season! The hombre cake is one cake style that has made a debut this year. With the hombre style making a killing with hair styles, wall paintings and now cakes….this cake can be coming to a Wedding near you!  The ruffled cakes seem to be making a playful appearance this season, this affect gives a playful but yet romantic touch to the cake.

 

This little cake is so adorable that we could just eat it up! Again, the ruffles making an appearance, along with the tiny bunting flag topper!

 

 

This sweet little treat has bright bold colors with a bold pattern on the bottom layer, we just can’t get enough of these “statement cakes”!  I think we should coin that term! Just like statement jewelery, there can be statement cakes! They make a statement about the Bride’s style, personality, color preference, attitude you name it! Let’s take a look at a few more statement cakes that we’d love to get our hands on!

This one is sure to turn some heads, we adore the bright yellow and turquoise colors, paired with the dogwood flowers! Some of you may not know, but the dogwood flower is the great state of North Carolina’s state flower!  This Bride must have had good ol’ Southern Pride!

 

 

This statement cake still keeps that subtle white in the middle, but makes a bold statement with the turquoise, the orange flowers and with the chevron and square designs! This would be the perfect cake for a tropical destination wedding!

So if it’s a statement cake you want, then it shall be a statement cake you get! Play around with colors, patterns, flavors, make it fun for you, your Groom and your baker! And remember to design your cake in a reflection of your style and personality, your guests will love it! Now go! And don’t forget to try all the flavors too!

 

Wedding Favor….Yes Please! This wedding season Brides are coordinating their “thank you” favors with their wedding themes, and in all honesty we are saying “thank you”. Often favors are thrown to the wayside and most often forgotten amongst the many “to-dos” of a wedding, or some Brides simply do not give favors much thought at all! A Wedding Favor is a great way of saying “hey, thanks for coming and sharing our special day with us” here is something fun and sweet in return. In the past, favors were typically those little pastel colored mints, wedding belle shaped chocolate or bubbles wrapped in tulle. Well not anymore! The modern Bride is breaking that mold with new fun and creative favor like, sunglasses, jars of honey, soaps and more! Let’s take a peek at some of the favors that we found and LOVE!

   Zena and I were ecstatic with Alex and Sam ( a Bluewater Weddings Couple), they made their own wine! They bottled it up, slapped an adorable monogrammed sticker on it, had guests names printed on the tags and had them displayed on the guest book table! How clever is this! Kudos Alex and Sam!

Succulents are a big thing this season, Brides are decorating with them, adding them to their Bridal Bouquet, creating centerpieces, and handing these delicate little plants as favors! We could just eat them up!

  Jars of homemade jams and jellies are becoming more frequent in the wedding favor scene. Nom Nom! And you can get adorable little labels customized for your wedding!

“LOVE” these little tags for sunglasses favors!

 Here is another one of our FAVORites….our Bride Mandy bottled up two different types of olive oil and had her web designer friend design adorable labels for them! “Olive Our Love” too cute!

This tiny sapling favor makes my heart swell!

  This is one sweet gift. If you know a local bee keeper or by chance you are one yourself, then a honey favor could be just the thing for you!

 Nothing like good ol’ biscuits and honey for a traditional southern wedding favor!

Now that we have shared a little bit of what inspires us, please share with us what inspires you! We’d love to hear from y’all! And since honey is typically something that we southerners smear on our biscuits, we have a little “bee” advice for our Brides that we simply must share!

Remember. “Bee” calm and things will fall into place.

 

 

 

An Alter or an Arbor is the pivotal point of the ceremony, with one quick passing of the hand, the Mother and Father’s duty to their daughter is handed over to her Love. It’s where one phase of a Bride’s life comes to an end, and where a new one begins. In this spot she succumbs to many responsibilities. She becomes the woman of the house, the caretaker of his heart, the foundation of their newly made family. This too is a place where two families become one, as their children are united at the Altar. So with this being said, wouldn’t you want your ceremony site to be one that creates a memorable moment in the lives of your guests as well as family? So do we! So here are some wonderful examples of how you can DIY all the way to the Altar! Brides are letting their personalities show this season with some out of the ordinary ceremony sites! Brides this season are proving that the traditional Arbor is not always the way you have to go!  Let us begin shall we!

 

We want to begin with one of our very own weddings! This was from a wedding at the Octagon House last December. This was our Bride Blakely’s Altar, the old southern live oak stood at the edge of the water, and hung from the tree were sweet signs and candle lit lanterns, which added a rusticly romantic touch to her ceremony.

We  love this romantic rustic alter, if you have a carpenter in the family they just might come in handy for this one! If you are a bargain hunter this dresser could easily be found at your local flea mall or antique store, and with a little love and some paint it could be your centerpiece for your altar!

 

 This altar is simple and sweet, the hanging lanterns creates a glowing warmth of light, which sets the perfect ambience as well as great lighting for photographs! These lanterns are an easy find, all you need is a ladder and some luminaries. And viola! Instant romantic setting!

This little table altar is both cheerful and easy peasy lemon squeezy to do! All you need is a perfect little table find, some recycled old bottles and a few fabulous florals! Sweet and simple.

This picture was taken last weekend from another one of our Weddings in Emerald Isle. This Bride chose to use driftwood and standing lanterns as her altar. We think this was both creative and crafty, considering that she and her Groom scooped the driftwood up from our local waters! (we apologize for the not so wonderful pic, we were working with an iPhone not a pro camera) 😉

Two words. Vintage Doors. We LOVE them! It creates a symbol of opening the door to your future as husband and wife.  

The naturalists in me is gushing over this simple rustic set up! If you have an amazing backdrop to work with, i.e. the mountains, the beach, or garden.  We would suggest creating something simple and romantic like this that will not take away from the beauty of your surroundings, but simply add to it.

Many Brides are going in the direction of utilizing Mother Nature, she’s all around us, so why not? With low-lying trees you can hang lanterns, bunting, market lights, ribbon streamers, flower balls, and crafty decorations like the folks pictured here! The possibilities are endless! So let’s embrace Mother Nature shall we?

This altar sets the “stage” for the perfect ceremony! We love how the curtains draped resembles a stage set for love! This too can be an easy DIY project, all you need is some reclaimed wood, a hammer, some nails, the perfect fabric and there ya go! Instant backdrop. 🙂

 

 

Now that you have gotten some inspiration, get out there and starting building your Altar for your Sensational Ceremony Site! Let us know what you think, we love to hear opinions!

 

This 2013 Fall season you will not see a lot of the typical primary orange, yellow and burgundy! Oh no! Not this year! Those practical primaries are being upstaged by the new kid in town. A new  trend has hit the wedding scene and it goes by the name…Rustic! Now even though we all appreciate a few pumpkins here and there, because they obviously signify fall.  Today’s brides,  are changing things up a bit, by incorporating more of the not so traditional fall attributes into their theme. The “Rustic Brides” are trading in the pumpkins, mums and burgundy overlays for apple cider bars, burlap and craspedia! We are noticing that this seasons trends have more of an “organic” fall feel. We are seeing that Brides are choosing to incorporate nature more into their fall theme. They are using tree stumps, feathers, old barns, burlap, wool, wheat, crates, and even hay bales to complete their visions of a perfectly decorated wedding.  We love the fact that the trends are sticking with the “fall colors”, but just in a few shades lighter than the  traditional palette. Paler shades of orange, yellow and burgundy are being paired with green, beige, chocolate-brown, and mint!    So let’s get this on the way shall we? Get ready to be inspired! Because these images are going to rock your cozy wool socks off!

Let’s Talk Bars…Apple Cider Bars!

ok…ok…one more! We can’t get enough of these Cider Bars!

Zena and I just love the little personalized cinnamon sticks, these tiny touches will go a long way with your guests.

Rustic bouquets are all the rage!

The lighter shades of orange paired with the quail feathers, keeps this fall bouquet from looking too traditional.

 We LOVE this non traditional fall floral! The flowers are combined with wild grasses and wild daisies, it looks as though she walked through a field and scooped these up!

This Bride chose to add paper roses (which we applaud her for) to her bouquet, along with the pale orange roses, and added just a hint of traditional fall burgundy to keep it earthy and romantic.

This is by far my personal favorite! The hippie in me adores the earthy bohemian essence that her dress and bouquet exudes! This is a fresh take on the rustic fall theme.

Please allow us to introduce you to this sunny little flower….Craspedia! Or otherwise known as Billy Balls! This little darling of a flower has taken the rustic wedding scene by storm! They have sent those old mums packing! And we are just fine with that! This little guy adds just a pop of autumn color to your wedding, not too little and not too much.

What’s a Fall Wedding without a Rustic Venue?

This rustic barn venue gives off a warm, friendly and inviting feeling. We love the curtains added to the entrance of the barn, as well as the wheat grass! kudos for being creative and utilizing the space!

Having a Fall Wedding does not mean that you have to incorporate the traditional fall colors into your vision. The rich wood, chocolate browns, bare twig birds nest tied in with the romantic lilac, gives this wedding a rustic fall feel.

 

We can’t get over this DIY embellished fabric and wood table number!!

Tell us what you think about this festive fall setup? We love love love the amber notes of color in the preserves and the honey!

Is this not adorable!? This DIY Bridal place mat is the perfect color paired up with the fall burgundy’s and reds!

Since Zena and I are down here in the NC, nestled right here on the beach, we do not get much for “fall foliage” scenery. But that doesn’t mean we can’t incorporate fall attributes right here on the beach! We love this image because it is a great example of how you can use burlap and driftwood to achieve the “rustic fall” feeling for the beach! Actually, the fall season here in Emerald Isle is PERFECT weather for a Wedding!

What’s a Bride without her Groom.

We can NOT get over this non traditional “rustic fall” Groom! Blue is not typically a color you think of when you think “fall”, but we do not care one single bit! We love this! The Flannel, wool vest, wool bow tie and tiny leaf boutonniere makes this one sharp dressed man that we can “Fall” for!

Here in the Carolinas, it ain’t Fall until you see the cotton fields bloom, and my oh my how they have bloomed on these Fellas! Don’t ya’ll just LOVE how each and every boutonniere is different!? If you by chance know a cotton farmer, then he/she just might let you make off with some of their cotton to make some crafty cotton boutonnieres for your man! If not, they most certainly sell it in your local craft store.

This Bride decided to use turquoise as her little pop of color! Now, we feel this would work for a rustic fall theme because she has chosen to incorporate rich leathers and a flannel tie for her Groom.

 

Mixing things up with a tweed jacket ,paired with flannel and a bow tie makes your Groom fall fashion ready!

Now that we have enamored you with inspirational images and helpful hints, tell us what you think! Let us leave you with a little “fall” inspired quote.

“A successful marriage requires falling in Love many times, always with the same person.”

-Mignon McLaughlin

Bunting: Strips of cloth or material used especially as drapery or streamers for festive decoration.

This Wedding season we are seeing more and more of this fabulously festive form of decor! Brides are choosing to drape this as an overhead attraction, they also are placing teeny tiny bunting flags on top of their cakes in lieu of “traditional toppers”, they hang them on the backs of chairs, or simply just let them cascade down, serving as a backdrop of the altar. No matter how they do it we are infatuated with this sweet little sentiment!  Bunting is an easy and budget savvy way for filling space and tying things together! You can make bunting out of ribbon, burlap, lace, patterned paper, or fabric! All it requires is a little bit of time, a sewing machine, or a hot glue gun if your sewing skills never quite developed. Either way you can’t go wrong with this festive flag!

This is my little sisters cake from her Wedding last October! I loved her miniature burlap bunting, it added a touch more sweetness to her cake.

Shown here are two different types of bunting, the flag bunting as well as the ribbon style. Both are too precious!

Ribbon Bunting.

Ribbon bunting can be used as a colorful backdrop for display behind the cake or on the altar. You can have fun with this and choose a variety of patterns in the same color scheme of your Wedding! This can be done using Ribbon (which can be on the expensive side), or you can choose to go fabric bin diving at the local fabric store, and find the bargain fabrics that go along with your color scheme! We love Bargain Buntings!

Different Textiles for Bunting.

Burlap and Lace.

Fabric.

Paper/Card Stock.

This couple, Gwen and Pat, were one of our couples this summer! Gwen had the right idea when creating this adorable bunting to use as a photo prop!

Here are a few more examples of how you can spice up your Wedding decor using bunting! Whether it’s used as a “cards” banner, on the back of your ceremony/reception chairs, as a cake topper, on your alter, as a photo prop, or just hanging up above! Buntings are Blissful anyway you put it!

Cards Bunting.

Reception Bunting.

Swagged Bunting.

Chair Bunting.

Cake Bunting.

Until next time……Let Your Bunting Fly!!