Preppy Circus Themed Wedding Inspiration

It’s been a while since I’ve posted any great inspiration on the ol’ blogaroo.  So today I’m doing just that!

Some of our clients who are getting married in San Antonio this March are CRAZY about vaudeville.  When we first met Jacob and Katie we were so excited about their enthusiasim and desire for something different.  Katie really wanted to go with a depression era carnival theme for their big day, and we were happy to oblige.  

This is their initial inspiration board.  Throughout the design process we have added lots of other fun elements to incorporate more of the “carnival” theme.  Think sideshow acts and lots of vintage charm in a really cool historic building all put together with a classic style.  I can’t wait for this wedding to get here so we can see our design come to life.

Would you ever consider a carnival/circus/vaudeville theme for your wedding?  Do you think it’s possible to pull it all off while keeping a sophisticated atmosphere?

Announcing our Valentine’s Day 2012 Collection

I am very excited about Valentine’s Day this year. It’s the first one that my daughter Vera is really excited about and it gives me an excuse to be creative with my business. Mostly, I’m excited about our 2012 Valentine’s Day Collection, “Love Notes”, and to share how I came up for the inspiration for it.

I have been spending the past few months redecorating and organizing my home studio. The biggest thorn in my side at the moment is all of the “stuff” that I acrue after events, especially vases. In all of the organizing I came across a can of chalkboard paint that was nearly full, and you might recall the resulting blog post. Well, since writing that blog I have been painting pretty much everything my daughter brings to me with it. She just loves writing with chalk, what can I say, she’s three. So last weekend it dawned on me that all of these clear glass vases might not match today’s wedding style, but there is still life in them. So I painted a couple up to see how the paint worked on the smooth glass, and it was perfect!

I love how the chalkboard gray makes the colors of the flowers stand out, and once the flowers are wilted and gone you can still use the containers as labled organizers! All of these arrangements feature my personal favorite flowers that are all free trade certified!

Hydrangea and Billy Balls in our signature recycled chalkboard vase. Price: $30

Medium arrangement: Hydrangea, Garden Roses, Succulents and Billy Balls in our signature recycled chalkboard vase. Price: $45

Medium Arrangement: Hydrangea, Peony, Stargazer Lilly, Italian Heather, Stock and Billy Balls in our signature recycled chalkboard vase. Price: $55

Medium arrangement: Hydrangea, Garden Roses, Peony, Succulents and Billy Balls in our signature recycled chalkboard vase. Price: $50

Large arrangement: Overflowing with White Hydrangea, Pink Peony, Pink and Red Garden roses, billy balls, and succulents displayed in our signature recycled chalkboard vase. Price $100

Aren’t those garden roses just killer?  We are so excited to be gearing up for our busiest Valentine’s Day ever.  And as a special treat for those who decide to order early we are offering a free plantable gift card!

Plantable Seed Paper Cards from Botanical Paperworks. Cards will read: "Happy Valentine's Day, February 14, 2012"

And if that’s not enough we will be offering free delivery for all cash orders placed before 5pm Friday, February 3 within 15 miles of the 76104 zip code.

See something you like, but it is perhaps missing your love’s favorite type of flower or maybe a little out of your budget? Contact us directly to design a custom arrangement that fits your needs.

To place your order please call 817.965.1253.

Inspiration and Education: Our Favorite Wedding Blogs

We spend a lot of time reading wedding blogs.  It’s a requirement of the job if we want to stay ahead of the curb in our business.  Also, blogs are a great way to zone out and immerse yourself in inspiration, and be educated by the advice that they offer.  I’m constantly being asked what my favorite blogs are, and it’s so hard to answer because they are all different.  The beauty of a good blog is that it stands out and offers unique content for it’s readers.  This is a long post, but definitely one for the bookmark.  I’ve featured my favorites which I am splitting into two categories.  ”Inspiration” blogs are those that feature mostly real weddings and photo shoots.  They exist to inspire brides to push the boundaries when styling their events.  ”Education” blogs feature mostly advice on wedding planning and projects.

All images are screen shots of the blog’s banners.  They are linked directly to that blog so you can just click the image and a new window will pop up for you to bookmark the website!

Inspiration Blogs

Ruffled caters to brides who love vintage weddings.  The editor Amanda started the blog after planning her own vintage wedding and not having any resources to turn to.  Today it is one of the best resources for vintage, rustic, eco-friendly weddings that a bride could have!

Green Wedding Shoes features eco-friendly wedding inspiration for all styles.  This is the bride that I personally feel more connected to because they are so relevant to the services that we offer.

Once wed began as a source for brides to sell their wedding gowns online.  Now it is a spetacular collection of some of the best wedding inspiration on the web.  Although there is a ton of content on this site it remains very user friendly.  As you can see from the banner below they categorize inspiration to provide the best user experience as possible.

The Wedding Chicks is a collection of fun, funky, and beautiful wedding images.  My favorite feature of this website is the Printables & DIY section.  They have collaborated with some of the countries best designers to create awesome DIY invitation suites, and accessories for your event.

Junebug Weddings is all about luxury wedding inspiration.  They feature the best of the best when it comes to photographers, planners, and designers.  The details they feature are always stunning with a focus on event design.

Every Last Detail is going to be my segway blog because it is probably one of my favorite daily reads.   There are a few reasons that ELD stands out to me as a constant source of both inspiration and education.

First of all, Lauren Grove the editor of ELD is a real person.  She isn’t afraid to put herself out there and be seen by her readers.  I actively follow her twitter feed as well as admire her instagram stream and of course her blog and she isn’t afraid to give her readers a glimpse of her personal life.  This makes you feel more connected with the advice that she gives and more open to taking it.

Second, this blog has great content that covers real weddings, inspired shoots, and relevant advice.  I’m not calling other blog’s advice irrelevant.  What I’m saying is that this blogger is a tenured event professional in her own right and knows the issues that engaged couples want to know and things that real wedding professionals want to share.  I think that the advice that is offered on this blog is priceless, and if there is any one blog to read daily this is it!

Next, They are broad.  ELD features weddings of all kinds.  You will find farm weddings, ballroom weddings, DIY weddings, and upscale events all featured on this blog.   They are focused on the details and providing their readers inspiration and education for replicating those details in their own wedding.

Last, they are selective.  ELD just doesn’t post any old content that comes through.  Being selective is good because a blog is supposed to provide readers with inspiration and she has done that by making sure that the details in the wedding she posts are flawless and her advice is good.

Educational Blogs

Oh Happy Day is the brain child of Jordan Ferney a San Francisco based party planner who features great DIY projects for events and home.

Eco Beautiful Weddings blog features both real weddings and wedding planning advice that of course focuses on eco-friendly wedding planning.  They also have a beautiful online magazine that they publish quarterly.

Engaged and Inspired is my newest obsession.  This is a great budget bride blog that features advice that is useful across the board

Martha Stewart Weddings is of course king in the wedding industry.  And I couldn’t in good conscience make a list about wedding advice resources without mentioning MSW Bride’s Guide.  No wedding planning experience would be complete without a weekly zone out to MSW!

Now that I’ve shared some of my favorite wedding blogs, what are some of yours?  Do you feel like we left anything off our list?