Weddings

Note: this post is long and picture-heavy. Answer: WHO CARES?! It’s your honeymoon! Hehe—it’s Mr. Palm Tree cheering you on!* In all seriousness though, hive, Couples Negril has a BOATLOAD (again, pun not intended, but made me giggle when I saw it typed) of activities on a daily basis. Part of our welcome packet The BACKS of both of the above papers. Eepies. These are also available online here and here. I won’t lie: coming off of 18 months of wedding planning, this was the last thing I wanted to do. I specifically remember lying in bed on our first morning and saying, “Mr. Palm Tree, I am a little overwhelmed.” I did not want to sort through these papers, decide what is what day and what we want to do, and then schedule ourselves to do these things—ugh. I remember I felt even a little bit of dread (true confessions: I’m dramatic) thinking, is this what our honeymoon will be like? Well, no, Mrs. Palm Tree, it won’t, so get a freakin’ grip. One, Mr. Palm Tree responded with, “Well, why don’t I sort through everything and each morning I’ll make a smaller list of the things available to us and we can decide if we want to do anything?” SWOONIES. Two, these papers had a lot more than just activities on them—if you look closely, the vertical one has times of the restaurants and their dress codes. Three, these activities were posted in two different places throughout the resort so it wasn’t like we had to have anything memorized. Four, we hadn’t yet been on our resort orientation tour, so we didn’t realize that the majority of the activities were available every.single.day, often multiple times during the day. Five, the entertainment staff would come around and try to encourage you to participate, so it wasn’t like you would “miss” anything. I got a little ahead of myself, but I wanted to make sure to point out that even though it felt like I was going to enter anxiety-attack land, that was NOT the case. Mr. Palm Tree and I took advantage of multiple activities, but I also read an entire book lying on a hammock and utilizing the red flag service (i.e., the drink service) one afternoon. On to the fun things (and pictures!). We took a cooking class! Mr. PT and the menu—jerk shrimp, YUM! Our chef for the class I don’t even like spicy things and this was scrumptious. We also played Minute to Win It one day and won second place—I’m really upset I don’t have any pictures of it, because it was hysterical. We took the Aquacize class twice, too, and I’m not so upset that I don’t have any pictures of that. We watched several of the nightly entertainers, the most memorable of which was the steel drum band. (I am kicking myself for not remembering the name of the band—they were incredible.) Sorry for the poor quality—my camera didn’t really do it justice with the flashing lights and everything. We joined the beach dance party and also karaoke (twice—one of the times we even sang). With our honeymoon BFFs. We were out and about at the resort until 4:15 AM this night. We had a lot of pool time and a lot of drink time. Mr. Palm Tree and his drinks. Don’t worry, mine were on the table next to me. The pool/beach bar: embracing couple optional I was pretty toasty this day. I played beach volleyball and there are multiple pictures of me on my bum—unfortunately I don’t have them or I totally would’ve shared them with you all. BM Y and some of our other friends were super generous and thoughtful and planned a private sunset boat cruise for us. We had no clue about it until or second or third day there, when a piece of paper was shoved in our door. I wasn’t able to keep it (I asked—I wanted the note), but basically it was like “CONGRATULATIONS! Stop by the activities desk to book your private sunset boat cruise!” and there was a note from them. I don’t really have the adequate “thank you

Normally when we go out of town and aren’t able to bring Lil Wingman with us, we find a friend or family member for him to stay with to make sure he stays out of trouble. This is proving to be an issue on the day of the wedding, since all of our closest friends and family will be celebrating with us and unavailable to puppy-sit. Mama and Papa Plane will be hosting Lil Wingman while we are on our honeymoon, but we definitely needed a plan for him on the night before as well as the day and night of the wedding. I started researching boarding facilities near the wedding venue and the hotel, as I figured it would be easiest for drop-off and pick-up if he was nice and close. I did some research and narrowed down my options based on the following criteria. (Warning: gratuitous doggie photos ahead—all personal) Sunday pick-up available: Because Mama and Papa Plane will be home Sunday night, there is no reason to pay for an extra night of boarding if Lil Wingman can be picked up the day after the wedding. This also works because we will be able to see him on Sunday and say goodbye before we leave for the honeymoon. “I don’t always ride in the car, but when I do, I require a chauffeur.” Ample play time: Lil Wingman loves to play with other dogs. We take him to the dog park all the time and he gets along really well with most canines. In the case of finding a boarding facility, I wanted to ensure that he wasn’t going to be sitting in a kennel all day without being able to interact with the other “guests.” A caveat to this is that the facility must also require every dog that is allowed play time to pass a behavioral assessment—I know my dog plays well with others, but I want to make sure the new friends he’s making play nice, too. Lil Wingman and MOH Morticia’s pup: best friends forever Good reviews: So much of how we plan weddings these days is based on online reviews. Finding a hotel for Lil Wingman was no different. While I understand that customer reviews aren’t always the gospel truth, it’s a good place to start when I don’t have anyone local that can recommend a boarding facility. A studious pup always does his research. Webcams: I don’t plan on spending the hours leading up to my wedding watching the dog on a webcam, but I do like the assurance that comes with a facility that is under surveillance—I highly doubt any of the staff would try anything funny knowing that Big Brother is watching. “Your technologies. They is fascinating.” CLEAN and FRIENDLY: This one took the most time, and is a combination of calling a few locations to ask some questions and going in for a tour or two. Customer service and cleanliness—the pillars of success in any doggie hotel. Lil Wingman isn’t so great at housework. Or laundry. I’ve done my research and set up a couple tours. There is definitely a front-runner that I am really hoping works out, but we won’t know until our visit at the end of the month. Keeping my fingers crossed that they pass the Airplane inspection with flying colors! As much as we would love to have Lil Wingman included in our wedding day, it’s just not in the cards—plus, he would much rather be hanging out with other doggies than cooped up all day. And with the handy Sunday pick-up, we will be able to see him before we leave for the honeymoon on Monday! Now Lil Wingman wants to know… Did you have to make special arrangements for your furry friend(s) for the day/weekend/week of your wedding or honeymoon?

Playful and flirty, polka dots are popping up all over! Whether on bridesmaids dresses, sweet little clutches, or decorating your reception table, we couldn’t be more in love with the fun vibe these pretty little polka dots bring. 1 – pretty room with polka dot pillows via Fjeldborg \ 2 – dotted wallpaper via My lens of Love \ 3 – polka dot stationery by In Haus Press via Papercrave \ 4 – polka dot Roxy Marj clutch, image by Max Wanger via 100 Layer Cake \ 5 – watercolor polka dot dress from Jac and Moigrad, image by Sara Lucero via 100 Layer Cake \ 6 – bridesmaids in polka dots, image by Amy Majors Photography via Grey Likes Weddings \ 7 – polka dot bridesmaids dress from J Crew, image by Heather Hester Photography via Ruffled \ 8 – shoes from BHLDN \ 9 – table with polka dot linens, image by Birds of a Feather Photography via Style Me Pretty \ 10 – polka dot bow cake, image by {a}strid photography via United With Love The post Current Crush: Pretty Polka Dots appeared first on Elizabeth Anne Designs: The Wedding Blog.

This amazing wedding inspiration  is a result of a stellar group of venders, including Cluney Photo, Habitat Floral Studio and Brooke Ashleman. A tablescape featuring fresh garden vegetables, vintage glasses and antique floral china fit in perfectly to the rustic setting of the Moon-Randolph Homestead. You can view more of this farm wedding inspiration in the full gallery here, all gorgeously captured by the talented Cluney Photo. The photo shoot was styled on Missoula’s historical homestead, Moon-Randolph Homestead, overlooking the Missoula Valley. The open fields begged for a unique portrait styling. We love the way the hand tied kale bouquet brings a pop of color to the muted landscape. Rather than using your traditional wedding flowers, Habitat Floral Studio created beautiful floral crowns, bouquets and boutonnieres accented with garden vegetables. The bright colors of the produce in these unique creations generate a stunning and captivating effect. From Cluney Photo: This farm fresh inspired photo shoot is the much loved result of the creative talents of Cluney Photo, Habitat Floral Studio and Brooke Ashleman. We had all been itching to create a stunning photo shoot that embraced the organic, Montana farm life and as our mutual pinboards began to fill with inspiring pins, we couldn’t wait to put it into action. We pulled in some of Montana’s best wedding and event vendors, found stunning models, a beautiful venue and let our creativity run wild. The historical barn structure lent its self perfectly to the table scape we envisioned. Habitat Floral Studio’s unique produce design was created on a genuine renaissance door that Brooke Ashleman had turned into a table. At each place setting was a packet of seeds and a menu napkin created by Cluney Photo. Along with the seed packets, each guest received a wedding favor of homemade pickled beets that was created and designed by the event designer, Brooke Ashleman. The post Farm Wedding Inspiration at Moon-Randolph Homestead appeared first on The Wedding Chicks. The content in this post is for personal use only and may not be syndicated on other blogs. If you see this content on a URL other than The Wedding Chicks, please send an email to info@weddingchicks.com with the infringing URL.

Since Mr. Jet and I wil be doing a first look, we needed a single mode of transportation that will round up our crew, including fur baby Bruce! Ideally, we wanted a four-to-five-hour rental that would pick up all of the bridal party and our photographer (Uncle J), bring us to a few local places we wanted to take pictures at before the ceremony, and have a final drop-off at our ceremony/reception location before our 5:00 PM ceremony start. I immediately crossed out the limo idea, as I am about as graceful as a St. Bernard on a slip and slide—never mind when tied up into a wedding gown. Something I can step up into was preferable, if not mandatory. I looked into trolley rentals in our area. I figured they weren’t quite as popular as the limo and maybe not as expensive. WOW, was I ever wrong! The trolley rentals I found were almost 50% MORE expensive than the limos and most required a six-to-eight-hour rental minimum. It was way outside the (completely arbitrary) $500 budget I seem to have set for everything, but I was determined to find something more affordable. In our small-ish city, we have a few city trolleys which operate in the summer months doing tours of museums and “famous” locations around town. I inquired with the city to see if they rented it for private events. They don’t. Never fear, a similar small-ish city is only 20 minutes away. I shot off an email to their parks and rec department… TOTALLY hoped that she’d respond!! / Image via NBC GOOD NEWS! This small-ish city rented out their trolley for a song! Only $100 an hour with a four-hour minimum rental. My penny-pinching inner self was shouting from the rooftops! I booked a meeting with Tammy and the trolley at the city bus depot to check out the trolley to make sure it wasn’t a hot city mess. (All photos are personal) She’s vintage, she’s rustic—she’s all ours! Love the original wooden benches! Plenty of room for the whole crew and will make for some great photos! I showed Mr. Jet the photos and we both agreed to book the trolley that night for our date. The city employee we met with told us the driver even comes in a tuxedo! Also, we can eat and drink on the trolley and head up and decorate it the night before! A lot of private companies veto all the freedom—and for way more cash. We are really excited to not only support a local city, as all of the money they take in on these private events is set aside for road and city vehicle repairs, but also to have a really cool trolley for an amazing price! For those brides still looking for transportation, check with your local small-ish cities—you may be surprised at what they have to offer!

One of my favorite types of weddings are those I describe as indoor garden. They take the beauty of nature and the great outdoors and funnel all that goodness into a venue like the Inn and Spa at Loretto  in Santa Fe. The result is blooms for days by Artichokes and Pomegranates and images by Twin Lens that will make a visit to the gallery a total must. ColorsSeasonsSummerSettingsResortStylesDestinationTraditional Elegance From the Bride…Will and I got engaged in Santa Fe in front of the St. Francis Cathedral while we were in town visiting my parents. We had been dating for eight years when he popped the question (but I was still completely shocked somehow!), so we had plenty of time to think about what kind of wedding we wanted to have when we finally took the plunge. We always knew we wanted an intimate destination wedding with close family and friends but we weren’t exactly sure what the right destination would be. After researching spots in Mexico and Belize, it hit us that Santa Fe was the perfect location for our nuptials. I’d grown up going to Santa Fe on family vacations, my parents had just moved there full-time, we’d gotten engaged there and it was just a short flight away from Texas, where most of our guests would be coming from. Not to mention, the gorgeous summer climate in Santa Fe would be a welcome change from the sweltering heat in Houston, where we and many of our guests live. After deciding on Santa Fe and a summer wedding, we started visiting venues in Santa Fe and researching wedding planners. Since we’d be doing most of our wedding planning from a distance, I knew we would need a great, creative person on the ground in Santa Fe to help us with the details. We met our wedding planner, Jessie Baca, in a coffee shop in Santa Fe a few weeks after getting engaged and we just clicked. She’s the super creative ying to my organized, logistical-minded yang and we couldn’t have been happier to work with her. Jessie’s first vendor suggestion was husband/wife photographer duo, Twin Lens. After viewing their website, we knew that we had to have them photograph our wedding festivities. Kitty and Craig were such a joy to work with and we were just blown away by the photos they took of our special day. Although I’d always pictured exchanging vows outdoors, the Loretto Chapel’s French gothic architecture and “miraculous staircase” were just too stunning and special to pass up. The Inn and Spa at Loretto is right next door to the Loretto Chapel and was a logical choice for our reception site. Their southwestern decor and pueblo-style design were picture-perfect Santa Fe and exactly what we’d had in mind for our guests. The overall feel of our wedding was laid-back, vintage, rustic fun. Artichokes and Pomegranates made my floral vision a reality, with loose, pretty arrangements of flowers (THOSE DAHLIAS!) and herbs in a variety of sizes. Almost all of the bud vases were vintage pieces that my mother already had from years of antiquing and collecting. We used succulents from our Welcome Party the night before to accent the flowers and add a southwest element to our tablescapes, along with beautiful birch wood slices provided by Jessie Baca. We had about 85 guests at the wedding, which was the perfect size for us. After the ceremony, our guests were led to the outdoor cocktail hour by an all-female mariachi group, Mariachi Buenaventura. Following a seated dinner, the reception became a huge dance party, thanks to our wedding band, Santa Fe’s own Soulstice. Our “party shades” were the biggest hit of the night and all our guests loved wearing the multi-colored sunglasses as they danced the night away. At the end of the evening, Will commandeered one of our guests’ motor-scooters for a spin around the dance floor. It was a hilarious moment in a perfect day that we and our guests will never forget! Photography: Twin Lens | W

I mentioned in our How to Host an Al Fresco Dinner post that I love to suprise guests with a really casual, totally family style meal. For us, it was linguini bolognese. Selfishly because I could make 90% of it ahead of time but also because this recipe is SO freaking good. Guests just feel happy when they eat it. It’s kind of like kid food but updated with fresh linguini. And the best part about this sauce is that you literally can’t mess it up. It’s just a big pot of goodness that gets better and better with tweaks! Abby LarsonBest Ever Bolognese SauceAn easy, effortless classic with a twist bolognese sauce that you can make ahead of time. prep time15 Minute/scook time1 Hour/s total time1 Hour/s 15 Minute/sServes 4Ingredients2 TBS olive oil 1/2 large onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup carrots, diced 1 lb ground beef (or any combo of beef/pork/turkey) 1 cup red wine 1 cup vegetable broth 1 28 ounce can of san marzano crushed tomatoes 1/4 cup basil 2 TBS butter, divided into 1 TBS 2 Tbs Heavy Cream 1 tsp salt, plus more for adjustments dash of pepperInstructionsSaute the onion and carrots for about 5 minutes until the onion starts to look a bit translucent. Add the garlic and stir for about 1 minute, careful not to burn it. Bitter garlic is no good. Add in the ground beef and and brown completely. Once browned, toss in your red wine and your veggie broth and cook down by about 1/2, about 10 minutes on medium high. Add your tomatoes and salt cook over medium heat for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Add in basil, butter and cream. Stir to incorporate and simmer on loooow for 10 minutes. You're done. You can always add a bit more salt/pepper if needed! © Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2013. | Permalink | Comments | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Post categories: The Blog

By Brittni Mehlhoff Incorporate your wedding colors in an unexpected way with these do-it-yourself sign holders. This painted plaster project is perfect for all kinds of reception details, including table numbers, escort cards, small food markers, and more. Aside from adding an extra touch to your big day, this project has one more upside: the price. At around 30 cents per piece in materials, it is probably one of the least expensive wedding projects you’ll ever make! Materials: Plaster powder • Water • Spoon • Acrylic paint • Paint brush • Rotary tool or hand saw • Matte medium or other sealant • Ice cube tray mold like this one Step One. Mix powder plaster with water until a consistency similar to pancake batter is reached. Step Two. Pour mixture into molds with a spoon and gently tap the entire mold once completely filled, to level out the mixture on the top surface. Step Three. Wait for it to dry and harden, which usually happens between 20 and 60 minutes. Remove from mold and let the pieces air dry over night to finish the curing process. Step Four. Using a rotary tool or hand saw, carefully cut a slit in the top point, all the way across about 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep. This will be where you insert escort cards, table numbers etc, later. Remove any debris from the slit. Step Five. Seal with matte medium to prevent the paint from being absorbed too quickly and then begin painting. Dipping a brush in plain water first and applying to the surface is recommended to achieve more of a watercolor look. Mix acrylic paint with a little bit of water and begin applying to the surface. Dipping the paint brush back into a cup of water between strokes will add to the watercolor effect. Step Six. Seal with matte medium or other sealant and let dry. Place a cardstock table number, escort card, menu, etc into the slit and you are finished! Photos & Project by Brittni Mehlhoff

This wedding is altogether on trend with today, classically beautiful, and absolutely stunning. It’s the kind of soiree I could throw at you in five years and you’d never guess it was five years old. Even ten, twenty, thirty years. Gathering Floral + Event Design pulled together something timelessly chic, yet relevant with today’s style… not an easy feat, but when it’s done right, it’s instant goosebumps. Captured by Juliet Elizabeth Photography, this whole wedding is one for the books! ColorsSeasonsSpringSettingsbeach clubStylesTraditional Elegance From the designer… COLOR PALETTE: black & white, greys, & pops of hot pink which carried from the bride’s gown, to the printed materials, flowers & décor. CEREMONY: the bride & groom were married under a lush arch of antique and peegee hydrangeas. CAKE: The wedding cake was designed by Jim Smeal. Kim LOVED white anemones. Jim brought them to life in the cake design, creating anemones from sugar! DECOR: 5 foot wide dramatic drum shades gave the tent a modern feel over the dining area, while long stranded crystal chandeliers gave the dance floor a glittery formal look. The 40 foot long head table had a swath of peegee hydrangeas that went all the way down the table and trailed onto the floor! Luminaires were set out during dinner to guide guests back to the club. MENU: we took the pattern from the brides wedding invitation and backed her dinner menu with it for an unexpected surprise. ESCORT CARD DISPLAY: we created a sleek look using the black and white theme – three large black framed mirrors had the names of all the guest written in white. We decorated the table below with frosted white squares with candles and vases of white anemones with black centers. DEPARTURE: Guests tossed white and pink petals as the newlyweds departed in a vintage Rolls Royce adorned with ribbons and a sign with their wedding monogram. Photography: Juliet Elizabeth Photography | Floral Design, Lighting Install, Furnishing: Gathering Floral + Event Design | Wedding Coordinator and Event Design: Gathering Floral + Event Design | Ceremony Location: Cassique clubhouse back lawn | Reception Location: Cassique | Rentals: Snyder Event Rentals and Gathering Floral + Event Design | Stationer: Mr. Boddington’s Studio | Cake: Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal | Caterer: Kiawah Island Club | Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier | Bridesmaids: Amsale | Entertainment: Atlanta Allstars © Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2013. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Outdoor Wedding, Wedding Planners & Designers Post categories: Real Weddings, Traditional Elegance

So, I love wine. I blame the French. I did a summer in Lyon after my first year of law school to study the law of the European Union, and while I remember very little about the actual course, I got quite an education…in wine. For those of you that don’t know, Lyon is in the Beaujolais region of France, a huge wine region. Wine was literally cheaper than water and tasted amazing! Miss Waterfall sampling wine at a vineyard in Pays Lyon, Beaujolais region, circa 2006 / Personal photo Cut to now, and Mr. Waterfall and I share a mutual love of wine. We definitely enjoy a nice glass of red (or white, or rosé) with dinner most nights. We settled on DIY submerged centerpieces a while ago, and trying to find cheap vases in the width and style that we were looking for proved beyond difficult. Then, I came across Mrs. Pain au Chocolat’s posts about cutting wine bottles and a light went off in my head. Brilliant! It would be cheap because we were already drinking plenty of wine, AND we would be recycling! Anyway…we happily started collecting bottles and I finally got around to buying a glass cutter. This is not the exact one, but close enough. Image via HomeHardware.ca I thought about buying a bottle cutter, but let’s face it—I’m cheap, and the whole point of the project was to save money, not spend it. So, I figured my cheap $10 glass-cutting tool would do just fine for our purposes. So, back in December, while Mr. W was away on business, I figured I’d give it a whirl, because when the groom’s away, the bride will play (with sharp, stabby things, apparently). The first issue I ran into was figuring out a way to get an even score line, so I placed the bottle inside an ice bucket that came up to roughly where I wanted to cut, precariously holding the contraption between my thighs (probably mistake number one) like so: Then, I would hold the glass cutter against the bucket in one hand to keep it straight, while rotating the bottle with the other (all while attempting to take pictures). I understand now that this is much more easily accomplished as a two-person team where one person holds the cutter and the other spins the bottle, but I was trying to be a badass. You can actually see the blade to the left here. Despite my questionable methods, I actually managed to get a very even score line. Here it is against the light. Everything was going smoothly until it came to time to stress the glass. First I tried heating the bottle over a candle and rubbing an ice cube on it. FAIL. I kept trying different combinations of heat and cold, but my failure grew more colossal by the bottle! Attempts 3-6—after that I stopped taking pictures. Verdict: Kids, don’t try this at home! Or, you know…do, but just beware that it’s NOT as easy as it looks. In any case, this project was a no-go for The Waterfalls. I give mad props to Mrs Pain au Choc and all the other bees who successfully completed it, but I ran out of patience after about 10 shattered wine bottles. I’m counting my blessings as it is that I walked away without impaling myself! Needless to say, my glass cutter went back to the hardware store… Did any of you have an epic DIY failure? Did you give up or decide to give it another go?