In my last post I raved about my time at The 4th Annual Saints Ball. I have been waiting patiently for the photo booth images to appear on The Traveling Photo Booth's site so I could share them. My husband and I had such a fun time. For some reason, we are challenged when it comes to counting down three seconds. It took three attempts in the photo booth, but we finally got it down! 
We had a photo booth at our wedding and our guests LOVED it! I think they spent more time taking pictures of themselves than out on the dance floor. I was so pleased to have so many images of our wedding guests. If you have a special event or wedding reception coming up, try to fit a photo booth into your budget. Your guest will thank you and you will enjoy the fun memories captured for years to come.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Safe travels and sweet times with friends and family.
It is the little details that make an event perfect. When planning your wedding reception, the creative options for place cards and holders are infinite. I have vineyards on the brain as I will be visiting The Williamsburg Winery next week. What's more perfect than wine cork place card holders and vintage place cards for a vineyard wedding or event? Below are my 5 easy steps to make your own!
As Memorial Day approaches, so does my collaborative stylized engagement photo shoot with Aleen Floral Design at The Williamsburg Winery. This is such an exciting time. I have never had a shoot at a vineyard and this one is going to be quite special. Karen, from Aleen, and I both decided we would make burlap signage for our businesses to be featured in a few images as a soft marketing approach. I loved how my burlap sign came out and I plan to make many more! For brides looking to make a "thank you", "love" or "Mr. & Mrs" sign for their engagement or wedding portraits, this would be a fantastic idea. The vintage look and feel is perfect for any outdoor wedding or event! Here is my step by step burlap banner tutorial so you can make your own.
Have you ever wanted to just get away from it all? Find a quiet, peaceful location just for you? There is such a place! The Oasis Suites, on the Nags Head Causeway of the Outer Banks, is a boutique hotel with luxurious rooms all overlooking the water. They have rooms for families, executives and romantics!
After our wedding at the Marshes Lighthouse in Manteo, we spent the night in the honeymoon suite at Oasis. It is a beautiful three room suite featuring a kitchenette, fireplace, balcony, jet spa tub, two person shower and a king sized bed. It is so quiet you feel you are the only ones in the hotel. We loved this suite so much we went back this past weekend to celebrate our first anniversary.
I cannot believe an entire year has gone by! One year ago this coming Monday, I married my best friend. He walked into my life on a cold, blustery trip to NYC two years ago and my life has never been the same. This weekend we are heading back to Manteo, North Carolina, where we were married, to celebrate our one year anniversary.
Manteo is such a quaint, quiet town. I fell in love with its slightly New England flare. The ocean, a lighthouse, boutique shops on the waterfront, cobbled streets…almost sounds like Portsmouth, New Hampshire or Newburyport, Massachusetts! If you have never visited this lovely town, add this location to your must see list when visiting the Outer Banks.
Our wedding location was at the Marshes Lighthouse on the east side of Roanoke Island. The lighthouse sits at the end of a long pier, which is open to the public. If you are looking for a great place to eat while visiting or need a reception site, check out Adrianna’s Restaurant. They did a wonderful job with our reception and took great care with my gluten free diet limitations.
Christina from Zazzaretti Bridal is back for her monthly guest post and with a giveaway! Check out her newest line of flower hair fasteners and brooches. Her featured flower this month is the paeonia blossom. I love this flower and the colors are gorgeous!
Introducing: Paeonia Blossom
When I was preparing to introduce a new flower this week, I really thought that I would be sharing one of the numerous designs that I’d been working on for quite some time now. But being carefully selective (read: picky) enough to drive myself nuts, I instead decided that a new flower from scratch would be the best idea. So I created my version of a tree peony, a stunning flower with frilly edges and folded petals!
Knowing the peony flower is something special, I set out to research some if its lore to share with you. It is a blossom full of beauty and perfection, so I should have expected that it would have an extensive history, but I was pleasantly surprised with what I found!
- It is known as “the flower of riches and honor”
- It appears in Greek Mythology, Ancient China, Japanese history, Roman history, and many more places across the world
- Native to China, it has been grown for thousands of years but only grown ornamentally since the Sui Dynasty (581-618)
- It has a long medicinal history, known for treating headaches, childbirth pain, and seizures just to name a few
- Some used it as a guard against nightmares, malevolent spirits, and the Evil Eye
- It has a prominent place in Japanese art wood block prints and has inspired many various artists including Renoir and Van Gogh
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Who knew a single flower could have such an impact?
{Original images via: bbg.org & Patricia Allingham Carlson}
I hope you take some delight in viewing a few of my interpretations of tree peonies! As you probably noticed, these peonies exhibit the bright colors of the upcoming season and showcase a beautiful new rhinestone burst cluster for the center focal. These may be my new favorite flower for fascinators and brooch arrangements!
Giveaway Details: Paeonia Blossom
Oh, I just love the turquoise paeonia blossom with netting! Just looking at the bright colors makes me happy. Don't you want one? One lucky winner will take home their choice of a simple or embellished paeonia blossom hair fastener or brooch from Zazzaretti Bridal in Hot Pink, Sunset, Chartreuse, Turquoise or Magenta worth up to $105.00! Be sure to check out the widget below and enter to win. Winner will be announced one week from today!
One winner, US only, drawn at random. Giveaway ends Friday, March 16th at 10 p.m. EST. By entering this giveaway you agree to this site’s giveaway policy and Official Rules of Entry.
