MY Best Friend's Wedding

Well, where do you start when it's your best friend's wedding?! I apologize if this one's a little lengthy, but it's hard to pick and choose between all the details!

My sister Megan's wedding was beautiful, SO much fun, and I had looked forward to it almost as much as my own wedding! Megan did a wonderful job explaining her vision to her vendors, my mom and myself - one of the most important jobs of the bride. She wanted a more casual, country-elegant celebration. And that's exactly what was accomplished!

Hands down to my mom, as she really did the majority of the planning. I helped here and there, but it was a little hard to do from Minnesota to Texas. When I flew down to experience the venue myself, I helped out mostly by determining the flow of the event - one of my favorite things to think about before an event. I also did some coordinating the night of to make sure everything went smoothly for Megan and Jay. Darren Moll, from the Ashton Depot in Fort Worth, was the...should I say...the "wedding over see-er!" He and his staff did an absolutely amazing job. Darren oversaw my wedding three and a half years ago, and my dad knew he wanted to work with him again. Darren started from the very beginning by finding THE ranch that my sister had been dreaming of and wrapped up the evening with his staff providing the best 5-star service that you can ask for!

How about some pictures?!

Station Branch Ranch, Granbury, TX

I moved these crazy hay bales with Frank, the ranch foreman. Who knew I could lift a hay bale myself? Frank deserves a huge thanks as he worked harder than anyone getting ready for this wedding. I can't even list all of the things that Frank spruced up for us - buffed the barn floor, repainted the entire barn and guest house, planted flowers, and tended to the land and livestock as he loves to do!


Bob & Charles Ross in Amarillo have now made 5 pairs of custom cowboy boots for my family, amongst many other things!


Fan programs to help cool our fabulous guests.



However, God showed how He works in wondrous ways! The day of the wedding, Granbury reached a record high - 109 degrees! (It was even a little hot for me!) An hour before the ceremony a huge rain cloud (in the middle of a horrible drought mind you) rolled in over us, cooling things down a good 10 to 15 degrees.

Megan and Jay went back and forth about not getting married in a church, but the rain cloud showed that He was present during their vows. How can He not be glorified in the middle of His beautiful creation?!

Now one humorous moment during the ceremony was due in part to my dad - imagine that! He repeated something he said at my wedding. I guess you can call it another one of his funny traditions. When the minister asked who gives the bride to this groom, my father answered, "Her mother and I are good to go!" Typical!


My husband's favorite photo that he took - Jay and his two brothers!


Grand entrance to the reception.


Cafe Lights strung from stall to stall. L-O-V-E.


Decor leading you to the tent! Something you can't see in this picture is a beautiful lavender wreath that was hung around the gate entrance.


One thing that Megan completely let me have the reins over were the linens. She of course could have vetoed whatever I picked, but she knew I was dying to pick something out! We chose warm, silver taffeta floor length linens. To. Die. For!



The Blooming Bride did a wonderful job with the flowers.





Cakes were provided by The Cake Guys. They were delicious!




The reception was a blast! My mom (above) is clearly having a good time! My dad had a heart-felt speech prepared for Megan complete with music (Another One Bites the Dust) and all! Jeffrey and I, on the other hand, were pretty nervous about our speeches. We made a great pair - both shaking and had no idea what to say! But, we both did a great job...if I do say so myself!

And you have to notice the amazing, purple Waterford champagne flutes that Megan and Jay used. GO FROGS!


Other vendors included Davy Knapp Photography (thanks for the wonderful photos) and New Ground Band.


Can't ask for much more than to celebrate with the closest friends and family. We are truly blessed and all have so much to be thankful for. Megan & Jay we love you!

Sneak Peak: Serving a Serviceman & His Wife

Yesterday, I had the great honor...privilege...pleasure...opportunity (you choose the word!) to coordinate the ceremony and reception of a serviceman and his bride - Staff Sgt. Patrick Zeigler and his wife Jessica. Many of you may know the inspirational story of the Fort Hood survivor and his amazing wife. This is a real couple, and this was a real wedding!

Jessica called me the day before the wedding to see if I would be willing to be their day-of-coordinator. I was not only willing, I was thrilled! It's not an everyday opportunity to thank, or for that matter, serve someone in the military, their spouse and their family in return for all that they do. While I don't know every detail about the couple or their story (not many can, I'm sure), it was easy to pick up on a few things - what they mean to each other, their family, and their friends. With only spending 24+ hours with the bride and groom, I can tell you they represent the meaning of marriage - determination, commitment, selflessness and thankfulness.

Jessica and Patrick had a small, beautiful ceremony at the Plummer House in the lower garden and then celebrated their reception at the Rochester Art Center. This was a wedding that completely showed who they are and what they love! The bold navy and eggplant, bright green and accents of gold and peacock feathers represented the bride's rich personality. They were surrounded by supportive and loving family and friends. They served Mai Tais as their specialty drink and had friends from Hawaii sing and play guitar (they were amazing!). The groom lived in Hawaii for several years as his dad was stationed there, and Hawaii is where the couple met! One of the most unique details was the memorial table mixed among all the other tables at the reception. It was set with complete place settings and draped in a sheer gold overlay. The purpose of this special table was not only to remember their dear friends and family members lost, but to also remember those currently serving our country. Patrick said a few heart felt words after cutting the cake, reminding everyone of those currently serving in our military and why they serve - Love and Freedom.

Many of us were more than happy to support this couple and to symbolize support of our servicemen, women and veterans. What an honor. What a great way to say thank you! All vendors included: Le Jardin European Style Floral who also provided the linens, Sassani Photography (Ben came all the way from Houston, TX! To view his photos from their first wedding, click here.) Canadian Honker the caterer, Brad O'Conner Photography supplied the photo booth, Hy-Vee provided the cake, Seize the Moment Entertainment was the DJ, and live music was provided by Mr. and Mrs. Randy Allen from Hawaii.

I hope to post photos soon, so check back often. But for a sneak peak, you can watch this video clip from local KAAL News Ch. 6.

I truly believe every couple has a love story, but this is a story I will never forget!

(I didn't feel right telling the bits and pieces of their story that I know, so here are a few links if you'd like to read more about Jessica and Patrick: About the Couple, Extreme Home Make Over.)

Happy 4th of July

The first party at our new house. We were so excited to celebrate 4th of July - two fold - with a housewarming party! With that came fun decor and details!



Specialty drink! White wine, carbonated lemonade, lime and mint.


Patriotic planters.



Biggest flag on the block. Do have to say we are proud!


Impromptu dessert. I'm a strawberry girl!


And a very unique piece created by my husband. We've saved many wine bottles just waiting to use them in a fun way! So, in an attempt to keep the mosquitoes away and add a little classy touch, we made these...




Paper lanterns and cafe lights.



It was a great party, and we enjoyed celebrating with everyone. To those who were here, thanks for allowing us to share our new home with you!

HOLY Proposal

Wow am I a sucker for weddings...and proposals. I cried a little...ok a lot...at dinner when my husband showed this to me! You HAVE to watch this!

Mum's the Word

No no, not "mum's the word" as in "silence" - "mum's the word" as in I immediately thought of my mother's wedding dress when I saw Kate Middleton's this morning! Check out the similarities.

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images, Glamour.)

Beautiful lace and a gorgeous, respectful neckline!

The new Duchess of Cambridge's dress was designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. It's said she chose the brand Alexander McQueen for the "beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing." She hoped her dress would combine a traditional and modern look, which makes sense as the UK is a country that loves their history and she knew millions would be anticipating the statement she would be making in her dress.

Of course, we all recognize the statement Princess Diana made in the 25ft train that she wore so elegantly.


An intersting fact about Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress is that it had to be made of material obtained using ration coupons, since Britain was still recovering from WWII. Here she is on her wedding day in 1947 as well as her admiring her wedding gown, along side the Duke of Edinburgh's naval uniform, that had a 13ft embellished train.

(Press Association, AP)

(Yonhap, AP)

A few other photos that caught my eye!

(Warren Allott, Reuters)

Sweet moments with her dad.

(Dominic Lipinsky, AP)

The Royal couple wed at Westminster Abbey. I have read that a more traditional location for Royal weddings is the Chapel Royal at St. James Palace - either way, a location near London is ideal, so that the mass public can partake in the rare day! 600,000 people filled the streets the day of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding in 1981.

Now, the part that I actually got to watch live! Police officers were lined in front of the crowds of people as they lead them near Buckingham Palace to see Prince William and his bride to appear on the balcony for the first time as newlyweds.

(Darren Staples, Reuters)

The kiss they all chanted for. I just had to post this picture - look at the munchkin in the bottom left, Grace Van Cutsem!

With every wedding I have either planned or coordinated, I always shed a little tear at some point during the ceremony. As I was getting ready for work this morning, I did get a little teary eyed when I saw this kiss. Funny, as I wasn't expecting that at all! Guess that goes to show how much I love weddings and everything that they symbolize.



Love this similar photo nearly 30 years earlier of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

(Oil Scarff, Reuters)

(Alastair Grant, AP)

I can only image the details that went into the Royal wedding. I was excited to find a few images of the cake!

(Getty Images, Glamour)

(Getty Images, Glamour)

The cake was made by Fiona Cairns, who is known for her luxury cakes.

Whether you were someone like me who was excited about Prince William and Kate's wedding or weren't, it's a wedding, or day rather, that made history!

(Martin Meissner, AP)

Social Media's Influence on Weddings

So we all know how quickly social media changed our culture - through Facebook's amazing connectivity and Twitter's breaking news platform - the list can just go on and on. It's changed the way we interact, engage and share information with one another. But, how has it influenced the wedding industry?

First, there were the wedding websites. Today, they are on every save-the-date and in every bride's bookmarks tab. It's a great way to share the engagement story, give fun details about each person in the wedding party, list the date and ceremony time for the person who forgot to pack their invitation (and of course, info on the registry)!

However, things have grown from there. Brides are posting minor and major updates for all to see - "trial hair today," "found my dress," hashtag this, hashtag that, and of course the infamous countdown until the wedding day. Along with posting updates, brides are asking questions - "what's the best band in town?" or "what florist would you recommend?" This is very important for wedding vendors to recognize (and embrace) as word of mouth has grown exponentially.

One of the best things to do regarding social media is to listen. It's not all about pushing information out. It's about taking advantage of what you have right at your finger tips! It's about listening to and engaging with the vast amount of resources you have in front of you. Take the "what's the best band in town?" post, this can be a huge time saver for brides. It has just reduced the amount of time brides have to spend researching. It's taking the necessity to "Google it" out of the picture. In June of 2010, Facebook saw 5x more pageviews than Google did. Impressive.

And since we are on the research topic, how about the amount of blogs that have a presence on Facebook? My top two favorites to follow are Green Wedding Shoes and Style Me Pretty. Again, the need to research is just not as high. As I am perusing through my news feed, I am constantly getting trendy tips and ideas from such pages. Another great place to get ideas and inspiration are from the photos shared through social media outlets. For example, I was able to use pictures posted on Facebook from a friends outdoor wedding in Colorado to get some inspiration for my sister's ranch wedding in Texas!

Another common way that I am seeing Facebook being used as a time saving tool is to collect addresses. There are more than 500 million Facebook users and over 50% of them log into Facebook on any given day; therefore, you have a pretty good chance that that includes your friends and that they'll respond to your message, sending their address pronto!

Now I do have to have be honest and say there is one thing that I am not a fan of in regards to this movement. And that's collecting RSVPs online! Now, it saves money by eliminating the need to print response cards and purchase postage and is extremely convenient for all parties involved; however, I am just too traditional! My vote will always be to mail it in!

So now I'm ready to listen. Tell me how you have seen social media play an influence in the wedding industry!

Classic Then, Classic Now

Vintage themed weddings are a great new trend for Spring 2011. Whether the entire wedding is inspired by vintage elements or just a few pieces are brought in, it's a wedding theme that will keep guests talking! What I love about this theme is you don't have to take it literally or over the top to make it a show stopper. The smallest infusion here and a simple touch there are all that you need.

Centerpieces.





Mix-and-match dishes.



Cake toppers. Too cute!



There's not much more than intricate lace that screams vintage to me. A few ideas to incorporate lace for that vintage touch is to mimic the wedding dress' lace in unexpected places - on the wedding cake, the edging of the invitations and programs, or throughout the table settings.



One of my absolute favorites - actually what inspired this post - vintage brooch bouquets. Found at Annie Laurie's Antiques.



For the bride.




For the bridesmaids - vintage-inspired headbands. I will be wearing one for my sister's wedding this June!



And, for the one who dreams of being the bride.


Can't forget the transportation. The last impression is just as important as the first!