A long overdue 2009 Wedding Season recap!

Weidner, Taber, Teuber and Krueger. Sounds like the guest list at an Oktoberfest party, but actually those are the fabulous weddings we attended last summer. All four of the brides are my friends from college and all sorority sisters. It was pretty crazy that three of the four weddings were all within a month of each other too. The same month I also helped plan a wedding. Although it was very busy, I loved being a part of all the pre-wedding celebrations as well as attending their special days.


My favorite part of a wedding are the details. Everyone has a wedding, but the details are what make it a wedding a couples very own special day! Seeing four of my good friends well planned and highly detailed weddings was spectacular. Each one of them had unique and similar aspects, all of which were completely true to their style. Not only did they make a beautiful bride, they planned an awesome party! Here are some of my favorite highlights and a few photos from each wedding.


The Weidner's ~ May 3
Venue: Maravilla Gardens
Camarillo, California
The couple: Marisa & Eric
Theme: Garden, Shabby chic
Colors: Black, pale pink, pale green accents 
Highlights:
- Their love story was a major part of their ceremony - details of their meeting, dating and engagement were woven into the traditional ceremony. 
- The Maid of Honor, Bri, sang their first dance song as well as two others during the reception.
- 60 seconds into their first dance, all the attendants joined Marisa and Eric on the dance floor to finish off the song.
- The venue was GORGEOUS! Ceremony, cocktail reception and dinner/dancing were all in different areas. I love when an event transitions into different spaces. 
- In lieu of a gift, Marisa and Eric made a donation to two charities close to their hearts. 

My favorite shot of the couple. I love their difference in height and the way they're looking at each other - so sweet! 

One of my favorite details were the programs. Marisa designed them herself and had them printed and cut to size. She then spruced them up with a jewel and satin ribbon. 

I am a sucker for wedding programs, especially cute ones! I love to know who is the in wedding party, what the songs are played and the sequence of events, especially during long ceremonies.

Being part of Marisa's bridal party was a BLAST! It was a really fun group of ladies including her sister, friends from high school and friends from college - 6 out of 8 are Thetas! . Marisa also pampered us with spa pedicures, jewelry and tote bags for all our stuff.

CU Thetas

The Taber's ~ May 24
Minneapolis, MN
The couple: Rachel & Bret
Theme: Garden + Elegant
Highlights:
- Rachel made their ceremony programs to look like a library book (they both read a lot). The cover of the book had their wedding date and a childhood photo of Bret and Rachel. The 'check out' card was a timeline of their dating, engagement, ect. The 'chapters' outlined the ceremony. The 'characters' were their family and attendants. The back of the book was used for thank you's. 
 - Bret is a huge Beatles fan so many of their songs were classic Beatles tunes. 

- When you walked into the reception, the place-cards were on sticks in 3 inch grass. I unfortunately don't have a picture, but it looks like a table of grass with place-cards delicately arranged on top. 

- Father of the Bride speech was really sweet. He talked about how much he loved his daughter and his new son-in-law. Even if you didn't know them very well, you could tell that every single word was true. 

- Old fashion photo booth as a guest book. Really fun to make pictures just for them, and also a few for ourselves to take home! I've looked through her guestbook recently and its hilarious to see the progression of photos over the night...

My favorite shot of the couple. I love how you can see their reflection in the floor. This was taken during their first dance! I also love how this picture shows Rachel's dress bustled, such a gorgeous dress! 

The wedding cake was out of this world. A 6 tiered garden/grass theme cake. Topped with bride and groom bees. Another highlight (not pictured) was a red cardinal in honor of Bret's deceased step father. He always said he wanted to come back as a red cardinal. It was an awesome way to honor him at their wedding!

Their band was an all 80's cover band called the Spazmatics. So. much. fun.


The Teuber's ~ June 6
Venue: Calamigos Equestrian Center 
Los Angeles, California 
The couple: Lisa & Doug 
Theme: Shabby chic 
Colors: Navy blue, Cream, Pale Pink 
Highlights:

- Lisa's sweet family was all part of the wedding: Sister-in-law was a Maid of Honor, nephew was ring bearer and twin nieces were flower girls...too young to walk or carry flowers, they were walked down the aisle by Lisa's brother. 

- The ceremony and reception were in different areas of the venue. It threatened to rain, but thankfully never did! The venue is where the polo scene in Pretty Woman was filmed. 
- Every detail was very well coordinated. All of the paper products (invites, programs, labels, placecards, ect) were made by Lisa and purchased at Paper Source (Doug said the PS employees even knew who he was). I love a good DIY wedding!  
- During dinner they played a slide show (which I always love) At the end of all their pictures, they had the wedding portraits from their grandparents, parents and all the wedding guests (well, the ones who were married). 

My favorite shot of the couple - their first glance before the ceremony. So sweet!

Their wedding favors were personalized bottles of Jones Soda. In addition to the photo on the bottle, Lisa made tags with a T and tied them on with a bow. Very cute!

After the ceremony, Lisa and friends had a fun photo shoot around the stables. She brought cowboy boots for us all to wear! Pictured here with her MOHs. 

My favorite picture - the ring bearer (and shortest guy at the wedding), Ethan, and Eric Wiedner (tallest guy at the wedding) doing the sprinkler on the dance floor. 


The Kreuger's ~ September 9 
Venue: The Peaks Resort 

Telluride, Colorado 
The couple: Chelsea & Trevor

Theme: Contemporary + Outdoorsy 

Colors: Chocolate, Raspberry and Tangerine

Highlights:

- Location, location, location! Everyone had to fly and/or drive to the wedding but it was 100% worth the trek. Telluride is such a charming town to visit. All guests stayed at the Peaks Resort in Mountain Village, a short gondola ride to downtown Telluride. 

- Chelsea was extremely organized! Her lists and spreadsheets saved her a lot of headaches, money off their total bill, and gave her the ability to relax after items were all crossed off. 

- All of the paper items (save the date, invitations, programs, welcome bag letters, signs, ect) matched perfectly. With the help of a graphic designer, Chelsea branded these paper items with the same colors, flower design, c & t, their wedding date, even used the same paper and font.

- The same design was used to make Telluride stainless steel water bottles for all of the bridesmaids. I love mine and use it all the time!
- Chelsea's younger brother Greyson, who'd passed away a year before the wedding, was mentioned in their ceremony and in several of the speeches. Chelsea also had one of his beloved swords tied into the base of her bouquet. There is no doubt he was there in spirit that day!
- Immediately after the ceremony, guests were handed a glass of champagne. Chelsea and Trevor gave a toast/thank you to all of their guests and a huge group photo was taken.
- The wedding favor was a bag of fresh Durango roasted coffee (with a cute matching label, of course!).
- The last song of the night was Exitlude by the Killers. This was especially fun because B and I had attended the concert a few months earlier with the Kruegers!

Chelsea and Trevor saw each other before the wedding, but had their first glance at the spot in town where Trevor proposed. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate so well and it was a total down-pour. Through it all they were both SO CALM as was their photographer! And it was worth the trip into town because they got this STUNNING photo (my favorite) and many others. 

Another favorite. They are two of the funniest people I know!

For their guestbook they had these two handsome characters take Polariods of guests (or people could do a self-portrait) that were then made into a scrapbook page. Fun and a much cheaper alternative to a photo booth.

This was my very favorite detail! A timeline of Chelsea and Trevor's relationship and the places they'd traveled together. It was also their seating chart! Each date had a picture, the location name, which distinguished the different tables and the guests to be seated there. It was a unique alternative to placecards!

CU Thetas!

I love you, friends! Thank you for letting me be part of your special days and reliving them here. 

*******

Join me next Wednesday (for real) as I share the details of our first wedding of 2010, the Horns!

spread JOY

i left a little ray of sunshine on the desk of a friend/co-worker who's having a rough week.

'cause sometimes we all need a little help from our friends. 

Brrr

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."  - Mark Twain 

Current temp: 58 degrees
Today's high: 65 degrees


Here's to hoping summer greets us soon!


Photograph by Brian

Sofft

Nordstrom's Anniversary sale going on now. Last year during the sale, I purchased a pair of Sofft Mary Jane pumps. I hadn't heard of the brand before and when I first tried them on I wondered if they were mom shoes.  I ended up wearing them a lot last winter. I love that they are comfortable and look cute with pants, skirts or dresses. If they are mom shoes, they're really cute mom shoes!

Not one to pass up a good sale, I'm investing in these cute pumps this year. Same brand, different style.

A co-worker just let me know about another shoe sale on the website 6pm.com. Much like Zappos, only shipping is not free. Here are the pumps I bought last year. 

Couch Jumping

Watch out Tom, there's a new couch jumper in town!

Yep, that's Brian leaping onto the floor model of our new couch. 

We finally made our couch purchase last night (one month and 10+ stores later)! 

It will look just like the one above. Color is coffee. Delivery is Saturday. Can't wait!

Inspired Honey Bee

I've been meaning to write about my cute, crafty friend Debbie for a while now. Actually, I wrote about her once, but that was just a mention. She deserves a whole post and here's why...


I honestly can't remember when I first met Debbie. We both work for KP, but in different departments and separate buildings. We are both part of a larger department, so I see her at the monthly birthday celebrations. Someone mentioned that Debbie and I should be friends, I wasn't sure why until I met her. Debbie is sarcastic, super organized, thoughtful and CRAFTY! Our first friend date was for happy hour where we talked college, jobs, boyfriends, running and then began sketching out invitations, programs and cards we'd made. 


I knew we really were friends when Debbie asked if I had made plans for my birthday. It was on a weekday, so she figured I'd have a happy hour after work and kept the day free. I don't even know if she remembers that but it meant a lot to me. Ironically, something came up and she wasn't able to attend, but the thought meant the most! 


Since then we've had craft days, encouraged each other during a half marathon, chatted/laughed through many work celebrations and continued to share ideas for cards and parties. Just before the holidays we had a craft day at her house and included the boyfriends. They'd met but never hung out, however have a lot in common. While Debbie and I cut, glued and chatted the guys talked sports and watched episode after episode of LOST. 


At the beginning of the year Debbie told me she started a blog. I gasped - partially with excitement and partially with surprise that I didn't already know about it. She told me that her first post was still in the works and she'd let me know when it was up (phew, I hadn't missed anything!). 


Her blog is called the Inspired Honey Bee, where she shares what inspires her to create cards. I was completely blown away when I read her first post, because it was about her inspiration to start a blog and was dedicated to me. A very sweet post, especially considering how much she continually inspires me too! 


In the last few months, life has been excitingly busy for Debbie. In February she got engaged to her equally cute boyfriend. And in April they bought a house together. Within that time she also was making several trips to the Central Valley to be with her brother who was having serious health problems. Now that he is thankfully on the mend, the Honey Bee is back to blogging! 


It has been fun to chat with Debbie about her wedding planning. I tried to sell my coordinator services to her, but who am I kidding, she's an amazing planner herself! To help shape their special day, Debbie put together an awesome inspiration board (see it here). They have several hygrenga bushes in their front yard, so I think that is a perfect flower for her to continue to be inspired while planning, and reminded of their wedding for years to come! 


This weekend the happy couple is having an engagement and housewarming party. I am so bummed that I'm going to miss it, but I know that B will represent us well. I made this card for him to take along: 

I look forward to many more creative adventures and laughs with the Debbie. Especially in her new craft room! Yep, I'm pretty jealous of that room!

Follow the Inspired Honey Bee here: http://inspiredhoneybee.blogspot.com/

I made this yummy salad recently for a team meeting. I combined everything but the arugula and cheese the night before. I wanted the flavors to blend, but not have soggy leaves. I also doubled the dressing because it seemed a little too light.  


Not only was it delish, but I think it looks lovely in my new salad bowl!!

Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

Yield: 6 servings 

Ingredients

• 1 1/4  cups  uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 3  cups  chopped grilled chicken breast strips (such as Tyson)
• 1 1/2  cups  trimmed arugula
• 1  cup  grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2  cup  chopped red bell pepper
• 1/4  cup  prechopped red onion
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh basil
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh oregano
• 2  tablespoons  red wine vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  extravirgin olive oil
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  black pepper
• 6  tablespoons  (1 1/2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well.

2. Combine pasta, chicken, and the next 6 ingredients (through oregano) in a large bowl; toss well.

3. Combine vinegar, oil, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle vinegar mixture over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.


Recipe from Cooking Light magazine.

It's official...

I'm not sure how I missed the boat when Glee first started. Thank goodness for Netflix, so I could catch up (minus a few episodes that aren't released yet). 
I LOVE IT! 
Unfortunately now I have to wait until September for the new season, but until then I'll promote my Gleek-ness by talking about the show and encouraging others to start watching them now. Try it.  I think you'll love it too! 

Oh won't you be my neighbor

It's hard to believe we've already been in our new apartment for one month. We've been out of town a lot lately, so of that month we haven't really been there IN the apartment. We are settling in very nicely. Now that the boxes are unpacked and we can relax, it's a lot more fun. We are still searching for a new couch as we realized we have a really small door frame to work with (27 inches) so that's been a slight challenge.  

Our apartment is part of a 4 plex with an additional cottage in the backyard. We share a nice backyard, garden area and washer/dryer. Before we even moved in we talked about doing something for our neighbors to introduce ourselves. Well, its taken us a month but these handmade cards were put in our neighbors mailboxes this morning. The timing worked perfectly, as we used the cards to introduce ourselves and invite them to our housewarming party in two weeks! 

I love...

...knowing I have three work-free days and minimal plans.

...settling into our new place a little more each day. Last night I finished our living room curtains. This weekend we're couch shopping and (hopefully) hanging up pictures. I'll share pictures soon!

...that we live next to Piedmont Ave. We can easily walk to: get coffee or tea (7 options), go to lunch or dinner (so many choices), meet for happy hour, get ice cream or yogurt (5 places - i hope to try them all!!), catch a movie (1 little theater), shop for gifts and random things i probably don't really need, work out (24 hr fit lite + Daily Method + a handful of yoga studios). We have a dinner date tonight. Restaurant tbd, although we're definitely wanting to try something new.

...4th of July: watching fireworks, BBQ'ing, spending time in the sun, and celebrating America!

...my Paper Source calendar, it's perfectly patriotic this month.

...laughing at these two: 

...knowing I'll be back in Colorado in a few short days to celebrate Stephanie and Mark's wedding! 

Have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend!