Ashley + Andrew :: Old Town Alexandria Part 2

Part 2 :: Ashley + Andrew

Seriously Ashley You Are Gorgeous

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Burlap :: Fabric Inspiration

As I sat in the office today wishing I was outside, I started to look at some of the great linen books that we have lying around. There are so many great colors and types of fabrics, but one that I have always loved for its great texture and color is burlap. Although not the most sophisticated of fabrics, burlap has great dimension and can be used for some many different things throughout a wedding or event. It works great if you are going for a natural, rustic feel. Burlap is also not that expensive and you can find it in most fabric stores or through most linen companies. It is a great linen for spring, summer and fall since it is such a simple, natural color!

I love burlap as a table runner, it truly adds something special and creates a great flow down a long rectangular table. You can have anything from your initials, wedding date, designs, ect. printed on burlap for a fun keepsake for your guests. You can also you the burlap in your wedding favors, escort cards, tables numbers and many other items. Make sure you check with your linen provider to see what kind of burlap the linens will be in, since some are more rough than others. I would not suggest you get a napkin out of burlap for your guests, they might not want to use the semi rough fabric... but otherwise the possibilities are endless. Here are some of my favorite's!

Pictures From:
Caterers Anantonio
BV Weddings
Wedshare
getmarried
bridalbar
Dulcet and Dapper

Trick or Treat Smell My Feet

Halloween is a day to get dressed up and be someone else! From kids to adults, Halloween is always a fun time and allows you to decorate using scary and wild things. Here is an inspiration board for Halloween parties! I love how excited kids get about being able to walk around and show off their costumes and get candy! But seriously, who does not love candy? Weather you are throwing a party for your neighborhood, your work or a wedding, here are some great ideas! I love using the colors orange (obviously), black, purple and green. There is a way to make this Halloween colors less harsh, yet still get the same vibe! This holiday, especially if having a wedding or large event, allows you to be really creative and use things that are not traditional. Think about bring in some Halloween traditions such as carving pumpkins, trick or treating, spiders/spider webs, ghosts and black cats. You can even make the event more “fall” themed than Halloween themed. Bring in natural fall colors, as well as some Halloween colors and mix the two themes. I love the use of pumpkins, apples, treat bags and leaves. I hope you can incorporate some ideas into either your wedding or event! Happy Halloween!

www.potterybarn.com

http://www.polyvore.com/

http://projectbride.com/2009/10/31/halloween-isnt-for-a-wedding/ http://projectbride.comwww.projectbride.com

http://hubpages.com/hub/Halloween-Weddinghubpages.com/hub/Halloween-Wedding

mustloveweddings.blogspot.com

http://www.brendasweddingblog.com/

http://www.mygrafico.com/images/uploads/_iha107_/TShalloween2.jpg

ninareneedesigns.blogspot.com

http://www.thesweetestoccasion.com/

Pennsylvania Wedding Weekend

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great three day weekend… if you did not have to work! I had a great weekend since I get to be a guest at the wedding of Sarah and Joey in PA! The bride Sarah was gorgeous in her dress and loved the dark purple of the bridesmaid’s dresses! She had an outdoor ceremony with a gazebo and the setting sun as the backdrop. The reception was held inside in a fabulous ballroom that had great high ceilings! Plus, there was an open bar so I was a happy camper! She was a great DIY bride and had a lot of things she did herself, as well as many great small touches everywhere. There was amazingly yummy cookies with their initals on them as the wedding favor. And the flowers were an array of purples and pinks, which held together well with the white tableclothes and chairs. The chairs also had a dark purple bow tied around them. It was a gorgeous wedding and I cannot wait to see more pictures!

In a past post about wedding hair I saw a great look at I tried out. Here is a picture of my hair. I made the flower pins myself for less then 5$ and I have about 30 now. I will post a DIY to make the flower hair clips.

Here are just a couple pictures from the wedding since I forgot my good camera at home! Once I get some pictures from the bride I will post more!

DIY Wedding Favors

Happy Friday to everyone... and happy 3 day weekend to everyone that has it!
Recently I have been finding great blogs with DIY things such as shirts, furniture, and a million other things. I love being able to do something myself and see the result afterwards. This made me start thinking of a great DIY wedding favor. I have a couple ideas so I hope you all find something you like as well. These ideas are helpful if you are on a budget or just want to be able to say you made something yourself.

Martha Stewart

1. Homemade cookies/sweets: If you are any sort of a baker at all or have a fiance or mother that is, this is a great idea. Don't make break apart cookies, but make them from scratch (easier than you think)! Think 2 or 3 cookies per guest and figure out how many cookies you will need. Also figure in some for the bakers and others. This should be done only 2 days before the wedding since you do not want the cookies going stale. But if you make up all the dough and give it to bridesmaids and others to bake to make the time go faster. Go to the craft store and find cellophane bags or use cute paper bags to put the cookies in. Stuff the bags and close them off. You can go a little more above and beyond and get stickers that represent your wedding or have your names on them for the bags. You can find other cute ways to give your cookies such as a cute box or a cute small cookie jar! Although this may be time consuming what a great wedding favor that your guests will truly appreciate! They will know you took the time and energy to make something for them!

2. Already mentioned in another post is a candy bar. This is something so simple and easy that guests really love and a great DIY gift. It is easy to find candy that you all love and will go good to be scooped and put into a bag. Then you can make cute signs with the candy name and directions all from home just get nice paper and use some ribbon.

3. For a fall wedding cute cute smaller pumpkins that can double as escort cards for each quest to take home

4. Another very popular favor has been seed packets or flowers/herbs. Go to your local Lowe's or home depot and look at their potted plants. You can buy a ton on small flowers already in soil at the store. Then get small Terra Cotta pots and put ribbon around them or paint them. Put the flowers in the pots and what a great gift... this can also double as an escort card. You can also skip the pots and get burlap to wrap around the soil part. This works better with a little bit larger plant or a tree buddling to give as a gift. Add a cute poem and how the guest should plant the plant to represent the start of your life together and watch it grow. Martha Stewart has some great ideas and instructions: http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/photogallery/floral-favors#slide_3

Martha Stewart

5. Another great thing to do is go to Esty.com and look through what people have posted! You may be able to find a great little gift at a cheaper price not made by you! This will save you time and the site is so amazingly cute! You might just find a ton of things on there for your wedding!

6. Great for a fall or winter wedding but can be turned into anything you want. Create a mixture of spices use for making hard apple cider. Mix the spice packet and but into a bag that can be steeped in the liquid. Attach directions on how to make it and you are set! This can also double as an escort card by adding a name tag!


If you cannot tell Martha has some great ideas and is, as always, inspirational. DIY favors are so easy to do and you can turn almost anything into a favor. Think about your wedding season and theme and figure out a gift that compliments your wedding! Good luck on making your favors and for anymore inspiration send me an email or comment! www.marthastewartweddings.com

Fall into Fall Weddings

I was thinking about the changing on the seasons and how beautiful fall is with all the leaves changing and Halloween. Although I am a little busy today I thought I would share some of my favorite fall wedding pictures, ideas and a of couple facts about fall weddings (thanks to TheKnot.com)! All these pictures and ideas are related to fall colors... if you are having a fall wedding it does not by any means mean that you cannot use other colors or have to integrate fall into your wedding!

 I hope everyone enjoys this wonderful Wednesday and this great fall weather!

Pictures From:
http://www.theknot.com/
http://www.indianapolisweddingblog.com/
http://www.kamat.com/
daily.wedshare.com
blog.weddingwire.com