Weddings

This week is a good one Dotties! It’s settling into Winter, the candles are lit, the socks and ugg booots are on the feet of the patterned people and we’re buckling in to fill your week with plenty of colorful wedding inspiration! Before we get into the pretties, feast you eyes on this week’s vendor of the week. Every week we show off the beautiful work of one of our fantastic Ms Polka Dot’s Directory members. From hair & beauty, stationery & paper goods to Venues, Styling & Hire and Wedding Planners. We’re bringing new vendors who share our passionate vision each and every week. Can we take a moment and look at that stupendous macaron tower up there? I am a sucker for macarons (salted caramel if you’re buying!) and our vendor of the week this week, Sydney based Looma’s is a bit of a master at them! An incredibly talented patisserie specialising in all things French – from the traditional croquembouche to macarons in all colours and flavours to beautiful tarts, mouth watering cakes, pastries and pies. Imagine serving guests your favourite macaron flavour? Or a croquemboche oozing with custard and caramel? We asked Michael from Looma’s five questions in five minutes - What is your favourite after five drink? Corona or a Vodka/orange. Your favourite weekend getaway? Would have to be Noosa in QLD with a tour of Fraser Island – incredible! Favourite restaurant? Aria in Sydney – just perfection. What can we find you eating for breakfast on a Sunday morning? Big breakfast with a freshly squeezed orange/watermelon/ginger juice. Visit Looma’s  page to find out more about our Vendor Of The Week. Looma’s is a member of Ms Polka Dot’s Directory Want More? Check Out These Posts: Vendor Of The Week – Thorson Photography Vendor Of The Week: Follan Photography Vendor of the Week – Goldsmith & Co Photography

Let the games begin! Or something like that. Wedding planning is sort of like reindeer games, in that there are a lot of hoops to jump through and options to try out, and it’s like you’re at the beginning of the obstacle course with the venue as your first challenge. Challenge accepted! The first venue that really piqued our curiosity was Honey Lake Plantation in Greenville, Florida. Taken from the tour bus from the vantage point of the chapel (all photos personal) What made it stand out on paper? First, the event coordinator, Cara, was so helpful via email. It didn’t look like our budget would make it possible, but then she came back with the idea of using one of the smaller reception venues. (Since we’re only 50 people, this makes sense!) Then we talked about ways to keep the catering budget in line. She even checked out my blog. HLP also got major points for being cool with us bringing in our own wines and our own dessert option (be it the ubiquitous cupcake tower or a variety of desserts for display) without corking or cutting fees. In my “potential venues” spreadsheet, they are on the tab for surrounding areas: places that are close enough for locals to have the option to drive there and back without mishap or stress but not in the city (or even county) limits, so not just down the street. It took us a solid hour to get there for our 12:30 tour, but the trip home seemed a lot quicker. Gotta love Google Maps! The surrounding area, leading to the turn onto Honey Lake Drive, doesn’t look like much, giving HLP that diamond-in-the-rough quality. I think, for us, this was another perk, although I’m not sure I could really put my finger on why this was. Cara picked us up in their new people-mover bus that seats something like 16–18 (they also have golf carts on the premises), which can be used to transport folks from one part of the property to another, if needed. (Off-property transport can be arranged—they’re still finalizing the rates on that feature, but it’s good to know if you wanted to go off-property for your rehearsal dinner or arrange a group trip to Wild Adventures or something like that.) One of the three gorgeous lakes of Honey Lake Plantation Simply stated, HLP is beautiful (and we were there on a dreary, drizzly day). Though I went in thinking that we’d do a lakeside ceremony or maybe something under one of their many amazing trees, we also talked about using the front of the Gathering Hall for ceremony and cocktails, which has the benefit of being right next to the Owl’s Nest (the smaller reception venue). What is really a small, circular drive with a fountain in the middle would provide a nice, sturdy (no heels sinking into the ground!) platform for the first part of our party, with the ceremony held in front of or on the steps of the front porch. No cars on the wedding day—the cocktails would be on this side of the fountain, and the ceremony seating between the fountain and the stairs up to the porch. I liked this idea more than I thought I would—which is why I’m so glad that a) Cara suggested it and b) Mr. Road Trip liked it and spoke up. See, this is why you don’t plan in a vacuum! The outside of the Owl’s Nest, where our reception would be From inside the Owl’s Nest you look out on a good chunk of the property and all three lakes. Of course, it was the first location we looked at so we weren’t ready to pull the trigger yet. There are more places to see, and lots of spreadsheet comparisons in my future (plus we’ve got to nail down some last questions about this spot and get a better idea of the catering costs). Here’s the short list of pros and cons. Some of these might not make as much sense without comparing them to other locations, but trust me, they make sense in my head. Pros Cons Out of town—no football interference! DoC included! All-in-one location Lodging on site Pretty views; scenic Colored linen options at no additional charge BYOB & desserts, no additi

Bouquet Inspiration Photo:  Jonathan Canlas Photography  |  Floral Designer:  Whimsy Floral {Jennifer’s Request} My colors are going to be teal (I LOVE the color “Juniper” at David’s Bridal) and mint green. However, I want the flowers to have lots of bright colors including orange that changes to red tips, yellow, white, splash of blue, peach. I was inspired by several pictures below. I hope you could give an idea of how many flowers I might need to make a full enough bouquet for my bridal bouquet. I also want to get the same thing, but a smaller version for my 4 bridesmaids. I like either the wildflower look where the flowers are more loose, or the round bouquet look. I also love having those tiny berry sprays or other tiny flowers for accents. My wedding is going to be outdoors and the reception will be outdoors as well. We are getting married at a ranch that has a rustic, romantic feel. I can’t wait to see your ideas! I love this blog! {Jennifer’s Bouquet Details} This whimsical bouquet via The Knot is recreated with Orange Roses, White Calla Lily, Yellow Ranunculus, Blossom, Daisy & Astilbe Sprays, Blue Hydrangea & Thistle, Green Berries, and Lavender Sprays.  Wrap with rustic Sack Cloth Ribbon.  Happy Planning, Mindy The happy Bride & Bridesmaids with their gorgeous bouquets via Jonathan Canlas Photography

The summer issue of Martha Stewart Weddings will hit stands June 3 (and the iPad on May 29!) but we thought we'd give you a taste of what's ...

Hi again, hive! The Hyenas are celebrating our second anniversary this week! I kind of can’t believe time is passing so quickly. Year two seemed like a good time to revisit our wedding and share a snapshot of it with all the new bees. Mr. & Mrs. Hyena • City: Bryan, Texas • Church: St. Luke’s United Methodist Church • Reception Venue: Downtown 202 • Wedding Date: May 2011 • Budget: $14,025 • Number of Guests: 127 • Bridal Gown Designer: Mori Lee (Blu #4602) • Photographer: Danny Boyle Photography • Music: iPod reception • Flowers: DIY faux blooms • Stationery: DIY, printed via Catprint • Cakes: Cake Junkie • Catering: D’Vine Cuisine • Bartender: Luke’s Bartending Service • DOC: Hired friendor • Hair: Cutler 2 Salon • Makeup: DIY • Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Mori Lee (discontinued) • Tuxes: Men’s Wearhouse • Ring Designer: Natalie K, via David Gardner’s Jewelers • Honeymoon: Fort Lauderdale, Florida and a Carnival Cruise to Key West, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica Guest photo Guest photo If you’d like to see more photos or read about my planning journey, all my archives can be viewed here. All photos by Danny Boyle Photography unless otherwise specified.

By Hannah Millerick

It’s no secret that I have a ‘thing’ for ridiculous headwear, and my obsession with ears in particular is completely unfaltering! So I was thrilled when I saw this cute ‘bunny love’ photo shoot by South London based wedding photographer Ellie Gillard. This world needs more brides wearing ears that’s what I say. Why not be brave and do something quirky like this for your wedding day portraits… go on, I dare ya! “I’ve wanted to pull together some form of styled shoot for a while”, wrote Ellie, ” something to showcase my work and something that had a different angle to the weddings I shoot. I wanted to shoot something where I could create my own story. I was also keen that, rather than just being a showcase for lots of lovely things, that there should be some kind of tangible emotion in the photos, so that real couples planning their wedding could see something in it.” “For this reason it was really important to me that I picked a real couple, and Kat and Andrew fitted the bill perfectly. I wanted to put a spin on the concept of an elopement, or a simple at-home wedding, but that the couple were really cool and lived in a big white warehouse space. I always wanted to add an element of whimsy – hence the modern nods to a fairytale theme – the ears, the felled tree as a back drop, the natural earthy feast and the moth eaten flowers on the cake, set against that clean backdrop.” “For the few bits of wedding related pretty I have featured; it was really important to try and showcase suppliers working in my corner of South London – so much is written about East London but Brixton, Peckham and other areas of South London are brimming with creativity, and a lot of the couples that book me seem to be from the same areas. I guess I wanted to keep it as local as possible and support these local businesses.”

Photo by Todd Hunter McGaw Want More? Check Out These Posts: Snapshot Sunday – Upside Down, Upside Down Snapshot Sunday – My Heart Snapshot Sunday – Queensland

Some topics surrounding weddings are touchy and uncomfortable. Almost inevitably there is a chance for hurt feelings. In my last post, I talked about one (weight). But there is one topic that comes up fairly often in wedding planning for a lot of couples that can be even more uncomfortable: inviting an ex to a wedding. Why invite a failed relationship to come see a successful one? That would be like inviting the Seattle Mariners to the World Series. That’d just be awkward for everyone.” – Marshall on How I Met Your Mother Unrelated, but hilarious image from How I Met Your Mother via Last.fm Putting aside the obvious insult to my hometown baseball team, the topic is one that we definitely have discussed. We decided that we were going to invite some of our exes to our wedding. Not as an insult but because we actually care about them. Relationships allow you to really get to know someone, and when you’re with them for several years you develop a deep connection to them. Even though those relationships ended, both Sparky and I tried to repair and maintain the friendships. It hasn’t been easy but it has been rewarding. So they’ll be invited because they are our friends and we want to share our special day with the people we care about. Did you/will you invite exes to your wedding?

Confession time.  I’m little envious today of Anna’s besties.  Anna’s shower was handmade by her incredibly crafty bridesmaids who created a pretty and feminine tea party with just a hint of burlap and country to keep it from feeling stuffy.  T.C. Engle Photography was lucky enough to have grabbed one of the handmade invites and captured the divine details of the day. In my inner circle of friends we have the kooky one, the smart one, the fashion savvy one, and since I probably take the label of the crafty one that means that I do all the work for festivities.  I’m not complaining, my girls rock! I couldn’t have asked for a better set of buds.  And I know I just got finished on my DIY-make-it-about- you-soapbox-speech in the last post, which I stick to like washi tape on straws, but I am a little jelly that I didn’t have fig butter and scones at my shower.  Sue me. Actually, the entire homemade spread looks delish and fun peacock veil to honor Anna’s love of the regal birdies’ feathers is a strikingly simple addition the day.  Now that I’ve swallowed my girl envy, I want to say a true congrats to Anna and her future DH Allen.  Your love for each other is evident in the fab photos from T.C. Engle Photography and we wish you all the best! Vendor Information: Photography:  T.C. Engle Photography Submitted via Two Bright Lights