Wedding Video Love | Lola Video & Film

Film by Lola Video & Film found via Style Me Pretty

I am just swooning over this gorgeous wedding video I saw on Style Me Pretty today. Shot in Super 8mm, it has a vintage, grainy texture that I find so alluring. It is a perfect format for the location and ambiance of the wedding. Speaking of which, you should really check out all of the lovely pictures on SMP.

I love the song playing too, but can't figure out who it is, so if you know please tell!

First Birthday | Teddy Bear Picnic

 

The Teddy Bear Picnic invitation is now part of my Signature line!

Well this post has been a little delayed in the making- funny how life has a way of speeding up just as things are getting good! We celebrated Eli's first birthday back in September and I wanted to share these pics of all the goodies I put together.

During his first year I tried my darndest to have a mini photoshoot every month, including these adorable shots of E with his giant teddy bear. I love the idea of watching him change in size with the ever constant bear in the background. Of course the older he got the less he wanted to sit still for the shots, but I managed to get 10 out of 12 months!

The cupcake toppers- we had chocolate devils food and apple spice cupcakes- yum!

 
I knew I wanted to incorporate the photos into his party and thus the idea of a Teddy Bear Picnic themed party was born. I lucked out and it was a beautiful, sunny and warm weekend - perfect for having a picnic in the backyard. I gathered up all of the quilts and blankets I could find and made sure to instruct guests to bring their teddy bears to the party.

 

Yummy Ham, Cheddar and Apple sandwiches and my favorite pic of Eli from the day.

With a limited budget I found the picnic idea to be perfect for easy to make and easy on the wallet food choices. I whipped up a couple of tasty sandwich options on mini rolls and made a homemade pasta salad the night before. Paired with some bags of goldfish crackers (E's favorite), apples and cupcakes for dessert it made a perfect casual lunch.

 

For the kiddies I just put out juice boxes which were easy for them to carry around outside. But for the adults I mixed up some Papa and Mama Bear Juice, being careful to label it such so no one was confused which juice was for whom. For favors I took a pinwheel and attached it to a bottle of bubbles which I labeled with custom stickers that went along with the theme.

 

I made this banner following this tutorial from the Moda Bake Shop

A few years ago I made a homemade Happy Birthday banner for my nephew and its blue, white and red color scheme went perfectly with E's party too! I got some red gingham fabric at Walmart and put it over a plain white tablecloth for the buffet table. And of course, as I mentioned in a previous post, I had my super awesome cupcake stand from All Custom Gifts on Etsy.

 

Gah! Can you believe how cute those plaid pants are!?

And of course I had to create a little wall display for the teddy bear pics chronicling E's growth over the year. It was a wonderful day and even though E looked at us like we were crazy when we sang him Happy Birthday I think he had a pretty good time, too.

Check out E's party recap on Catch My Party too!

Vermont Bride Gala

 

 Gorgeous shot of the entrance to the barn.

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of participating in the Vermont Bride Gala at Boyden Valley Winery. It was a gorgeous blue skied afternoon and the foliage was just starting to hit peak colors.

I had never been inside the barn at Boyden Valley before {although I am very familiar with their wine!} and it was gorgeous! I only wish that it had been available for events when Matt and I were married- which was five years ago today!

So it is fitting for me to share these wonderful photos of this fabulous event that took place in a barn, on the anniversary of my own fabulous event that took place in a barn.

 

 Bold and hip sitting area arranged by Vermont Tent Company

It was a smaller bridal show, but the wow factor was not at all diminished. All of the vendors that were there brought it in spades. Gorgeous colors and textures. Delicious smells and mood pumping music. The theme of the day was Alice in Wonderland and everyone did an amazing job of making that them resonate throughout the day.

Here is a pic I took of my table, right inside the door as the guest's arrived and across from the wonderful Fiori Bridal. My position couldn't have been better and I met many charming couples and their families. Of course every baby that walked by me I had to google at and I probably mentioned 'I have a one year old at home...' a dozen times. That's motherhood for ya!

 

The deep red and purple color scheme on this table done by Vermont Tent Company was very striking.

This tablescape was done by Vermont Tents and Events and also featured Gold Vellum Menus and White Rabbit Placecards from Truly Noted. I love the teacup flower arrangements and I am stealing the idea for my niece's 1st birthday party {which will also be Alice in Wonderland themed}.

 

Close-up of the Gold Vellum Menus and White Rabbit Placecards.

 

Loved this display of tasty cakes by BakeAria

Overall it was a spectacular event and a beautiful Fall day. Can't wait to participate in next year's Gala!

Real Weddings | Amanda & Reid

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending my friends Amanda and Reid's wedding in Cornelius, North Carolina. It also was my first weekend away without a tiny toddler in tow. Bliss is pretty much the perfect word to describe both events.

Reid and Amanda moved up to Burlington, Vermont a few years ago but shortly after becoming engaged, they decided to head back to their home state of North Carolina. We were sad to see them go but excited for the excuse to travel down south for their nuptials. While there for our whirlwind weekend we were more than happy to take advantage of the (much) warmer weather and the amazing authentic Mexican food that Reid and Amanda were constantly pining for in the Green Mountain State.

Their wedding was beautiful and many of the details were DIY'd by the bride and groom and their friends and families. The ceremony itself took place in Jettison Park in a peaceful clearing of trees called The Formal Garden. I loved the chalkboard signs that were handwritten directing guests on their way. They played a theme throughout the wedding day. I especially liked the idea of the chalkboard sign detailing the wedding party, propped against a wooden chair with a bouquet of flowers casually laying on it's seat.

A delicate arbor was constructed from branches, potted flowers and a lovely crocheted lace throw. It's ivory color against the woodsy backdrop gave the setting a vintage, old-world feel. We all gathered in friendly clusters around the arbor, something I had never encountered at a wedding before, which gave it a homey, informal feel. Everything from the color of the bridesmaid's dresses to the soft guitar accompaniment created an earthy, bohemian feel to the event.

That earthy, bohemain feel carried over to the reception, which took place at the home of the Groom's parents. Right on the shore of Lake Norman, the setting could not have been any prettier. We arrived right at sunset, just in time for me to snap some shots of the view and table settings. Each table had a cluster of glass jars containing flowers that the Bride and her Aunt purchased at the flower market in Charlotte the day before. Heirloom crocheted throws warmed up the standard white linen tablecloths and echoed the feel of the arbor from the ceremony.

 

When Amanda asked me to design her wedding invitations she had a clear vision of what she wanted. She knew that the reception would have charming cafe lights strung under the tent and so she wanted to play up that element in the design. I loved the warm glow that the cafe lights lent to the reception- it is definitely becoming a popular choice for adding charm and an old-world feel.

The reception was labeled 'heavy hors d'oeuvres and lawn party' so there were lots of tasty treats for guest's to help themselves to, in addition to some passed goodies. The chalkboard signs came in to play with the different tables set-up for self service. I loved the row of drink dispensers, each with it's own sign telling you what it contained. Of course there was the southern favorites of 'Sweet Tea' and 'Lemonade'. The cupcakes were almost too lovely to eat. I said 'almost' :-)

Overall the wedding was simple and elegant, charming and casual, filled with warmth and sentiment. The perfect beginning for Reid and Amanda's new life together.

An Apple Orchard Afternoon

One of my greatest pleasures in being a wedding stationer is helping my friends and family realize their vision for a perfect wedding. So when my younger sister became engaged earlier this year I couldn't wait to get started on all of her wedding stationery (and any other wedding details she was kind enough to seek my advice on)!

 

This past weekend while she and her fiancé (and my adorable niece Lucy) were visiting for Eli's birthday party, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and take their engagement photos. I consider myself an amateur photographer, even though many have encouraged me to pursue it as a source of income. There are so many wonderful professional photogs out there that I can't imagine throwing myself in with them, but it is nice to be able to take some decent photos without having to spend a lot of money.

My sister used to dream of having her wedding in an apple orchard, but in the end they decided on an ocean side affair with a lobster theme (can't wait to share all of the details as they unfold!). But I thought that the apple orchard idea could still work for their engagement photos, so off we went in search of one. Of course all you have to do is spit in Vermont and you will hit an apple orchard so we didn't have to go far. The first place we went to check out was a family run orchard that my husband and I had gone to many years ago in our early years of dating. The couple that own the orchard had long given up offering their apples to the public, but they were more than willing to allow us to take some photos amongst their overgrown trees.

 

I made 'Mr,' and 'Future Mrs.' signs for them to hold for some of the shots and the sun was gorgeous through the leaves. Many of the trees were practically falling over with all of their fruit and despite Lucy's protesting we managed to get some nice shots.

 

After I was done taking their photos my sister was kind enough to take some shots of us, too :-)

From Birth to Boy

One year ago today I lay in a hospital room, exhausted, sore and so in love. It was the worst and best day of my life all wrapped into one and I would go through it all again to have Eli in the end.

My life has changed in so many ways in the last year I could never express it all in words. There have been a lot of tears and a lot of hard decisions but there was also a lot of laughter and heart-swelling happiness. Even though my heart is heavy at times with worry about the future I do not regret the sacrifices I made to to spend this precious time with him. It was so worth it.

When I look at the photo above I can hardly believe that it has only been a year, and yet it seemed to go by so fast at the same time. Everyone tells me that the years will start to fly by and I have to admit that I hold onto the childish wish that they are wrong and I will be able to savor every moment.

Pin Of The Week

Crayon Art As-Seen-On Whatever

Have you heard of Pinterest yet? It is the latest internet bookmarking craze going on right now. I seriously can't get enough of it and I have been seeing some other blogs doing a weekly cap of their favorite pins and never one to pass up a fad I decided I need to jump on this bandwagon before it passes me by.

So enter the new Truly Noted Pin Of The Week series. I dont think I "pin" enough to do a whole round-up of items, but one super awesome thing I pinned sounds just right for me (don't want to go overboard- and it is so easy to do). This week I decided on this super colorful and bright crayon artwork idea which I totally love and hope to recreate at some point in the future (maybe when E is old enough to appreciate it and join in on the fun).

That is what is so great about Pinterest- you can catalog all of the cool inspirations and how-to's you run across on the internetz and hang on to them in one place- categorized however you like even. And other people can see your pins and if they like them they can re-pin them to their own boards and thus the virus is formed. I have to say it is a little ego-boost when I get those little emails saying so-and-so has re-pinned my pin. It reaffirms that maybe I really do have good taste!

Not on Pinterest yet? Send me a note for an invite to join!