Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

I must admit, I didn't go through any special fanfare when asking my bridesmaids to be a part of my wedding. I was clueless and had no idea that it was a growing trend to make a big deal about it! I just thought I should 1) ask them in person and 2) be sincere about it. And that's all I did! No custom cards, no special party thrown... and I wish I could do it all over again! I wish I would have thrown them a little get-together, given them a little gift, and told them all how much they mean to me as my best friends in the world.

[Check out what Miss Champagne did for her 'maids over on Weddingbee...]

Now, you don't have to do anything more than what I did originally. It's fine to just ask them! But, if you're looking for something to make the asking a bit more sentimental, you could give your friends one of these cards from Oh Joy! Studio:





{Blooms & Birds; Cheerful Blossoms}

Oh Joy! Studios actually created these cards for The Dessy Group and can be purchased here.

Our Floral Order

The florist we hired for our wedding called me last night to ask if I could send her some pictures to use on her website, and that got me thinking... Maybe I should share my florist order with you, in case it helps you out when thinking of how many arrangements you'll need for your wedding. Of course, your wedding will most likely differ from mine, so this is just a starting point.

[By the way, my florist's name is Shana from Petals & Pots. E-mail me if you'd like her contact information! All images below taken by Lemongrass Photography.]

{Above: My bouquet... TR's boutonniere...}

{Above: Bridesmaid bouquet sitting in a vase @ our headtable... Flower girl's pomander...}

Ceremony Floral Arrangements (Role, Type of Arrangement, Quantity)

Bride - Bridal bouquet - 1

Bridesmaid - Bouquet - 5

Flower girl - Pomander - 2

Groom - Boutonniere - 1
Groomsman - Boutonniere - 6
Ring bearer - Boutonniere - 1
Usher - Boutonniere - 3
Father of the bride - Boutonniere - 1
Father of the groom - Boutonniere - 1
Step-father of the bride - Boutonniere - 1
Grandfather of the bride - Boutonniere - 1
Grandfather of the groom - Boutonniere - 1
Godfather of the bride - Boutonniere - 1
Godfather of the groom - Boutonniere - 1
18 total boutonnieres

Mother of the bride - Wrist corsage - 1
Mother of the groom - Wrist corsage - 1
Grandmother of the bride - Wrist corsage - 1
Grandmother of the groom - Wrist corsage - 1
Godmother of the bride - Wrist corsage - 1
Female Greeter/Guestbook - Wrist corsage - 5
Female reader - Wrist corsage - 2
12 total wrist corsages

Guest book table - Vase arrangement - 1

Reception Floral Order

Centerpiece worksheet:

Total # of guests including wedding party (predicted) = 195

• # guests at head table = 13
• # in regular tables = 182

Regular table seating capacity = 10 people

182/10 = 19 tables

19 Centerpieces

6 vases on head table for bridesmaid bouquets

Honeymoons: HomeAway.com

Honeymoon.

Doesn't the word just make you relaxed?!

If you & your fiance are researching honeymoon destinations, you should definitely check out HomeAway.com.

Home Away is a website that caters to people looking for vacation rentals (condos, apartments, villas, castles). There are rental properties in nearly every country in the world, and many properties have traveler reviews. The website has a great search function where you can narrow down your results based on:

• Number of bedrooms
• Number of bathrooms
• Non-smoking only
• Pet friendly
• Beach-/water-front
• Budget/luxury rentals

Take it from me: You can most-definitely find prices better than at resorts & hotels on HomeAway.com. The only difference is that these properties won't likely have room service, on-site restaurants (unless you rent a condo inside of a resort; in that case, you might have all the amenities of the resort included in your rental price!), or other concierge-like options (i.e. if you're looking for an all-inclusive honeymoon, Home Away is probably not the best site for you).

Here's the easy booking process:

1. Search rentals & contact owner (via HomeAway.com)
2. Secure reservation with a deposit
3. Sign a rental agreement
4. Send final payment
5. Receive pre-arrival packet
6. Check into rental property
7. Have an excellent honeymoon!

I found this cute 1 bedroom condo in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, for just $1,113 per WEEK ($159/weeknight; $318/weekend)!

{Property # 157195}

And this GORGEOUS 1-bedroom open-air villa with jacuzzi in St. Bart's is just $1,550/WEEK when you travel between April & December.

{Property #84304h}

And finally, just look at this breathtaking 2 bedroom villa on the island of Crete... All for about $780/WEEK between April & June. Unbelievable!

{Property #83935}

Anna Elyse Bridesmaid Dresses

Another bridesmaid dress post! Here are a few things I love about Anna Elyse's bridesmaid dresses:

• Neckline variety - and not just your basic strapless/halter/v-neck options!
• Silk Dupioni - I adore the natural texture of this silk.
• Availability - Carrie Karibo Bridesmaids in Cincinnati... I swear that's a coincidence! I didn't mean to post TWICE about dresses available in Cinci's bridal district, but these were too pretty to not share with you!

And here are the collections (all collections can be seen here):

{From top to bottom: Grace, Simplicity, Audrey, Clarissa, Short Jackie O}


I am a HUGE fan of brides who give their bridesmaids options, especially if the bridesmaids are purchasing their own dresses. As a former bride, I really wanted to find a dress that my bridesmaids would want to wear again.


The best way to do this, in my opinion, is to pick a designer and let your 'maids choose a dress that suits their body type and that they are comfortable in. You could go a step further and choose the length (long or short) and even a color... OR you could choose a color family and let your 'maids choose a color in that color family (how beautiful are the colors in Anna Elyse's collections above?!).


Either way, your best friends in the entire world get to have a choice, which I think is important during a time when all of the spotlight is on someone else (i.e. YOU).

Sweet Details!

Of course, Martha Stewart showcases only the coolest of the cool weddings, and I'm so glad I saw pics from this fun-loving wedding! [I know I've seen these pics before at some time in my life, but was reminded of them after viewing Ritzy Bee's blog...]

I'm in total love with the color palette, by the way...

How great are these placecards?? The couple created a unique button pin for each of their guests (that must have taken a while!!), attached them to some folded cream cardstock & their guests could wear the buttons around all night! Fun!

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This guestbook idea is so cute. They provided little envelopes stuck to each page of the guestbook for guests to slip little notes inside of... and then seal them up with simple little stickers! I'm thinking of using all of the colors in this photo as paint chips for my entire house... so cool and calming!

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Lastly, their cupcake stand is just too adorable. Understated and simple... sometimes the best way to go, in my book!

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Simple Silhouettes

Oh, am I in love with Simple Silhouettes' 2009 Spring collection for bridesmaids!!!!!

For local Indy brides, the closest retailer is Carrie Karibou Bridesmaids in Cincinnati, Ohio (in the "bridal district"), and she is super-easy to work with! My maid of honor's (sister's) dress was a Simple Silhouettes' style. My sister & I traveled to her store once to try on dresses and handled all other transactions over the phone or by fax. One of my bridesmaids lives in Cincy, so she was able to pick her dress up in the store, but everyone else had their dresses shipped to them. [FYI... Carrie also carries Lynn Lugo dresses, which were the other 4 dresses my bridesmaids wore.]

Here are some pictures to fall in lust with (and I'll just go ahead and say this up-front: I totally dig the tights & high-heel combo!)...

ORCHID

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SWEETPEA

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ANGELICA

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IRIS

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Happy New Year!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I can't wait to see what 2009 has in store for me and Bustle Event Design!



{Image edited using Picnik.com}