Arch

Getting married outside is a dream of mine. Risky, but a girl can hope, right? Wedding in the front yard, reception in the backyard. I'm not married to the idea, per say, but every since I was a little girl growing up on my parents 4 acres out in the country, it's the way I've imagined it. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

But in the mean time, if you're getting married outside, you need something to stand in the place of the traditional alter in a church. An arch. Or something like an arch. It's one of the thousands of ways you get to be creative with your wedding, and I love it! There's so many different ways to go. Traditional arches, canopies, doors. Doors? Doors. Here's a couple of my favorite ideas.

Traditional canopy + untraditional fabric arch

Burlap canopy + twig arch

{As usual, I saved my favorites for last}

Burlap arch + door

I think one of the things I like about the idea of a wedding arch is it gives your guy a way to be involved. While there's very little they ususally want to be hands-on about the planning, getting sweaty and building something that'll make their bride happy is a great way to let them feel included.

{Favorite Things}

Y'all. Pintrest. It's the best thing to happen to the internet since Facebook. And it's better than Facebook because you don't have that weird guy you've never met poking you or your crazy aunt uploading awkward pictures. Simply a collection of all things beautiful and crafty and DIY. Did I mention it's the best time killer ever? Cause it is.

So in honor {or in encouragement of my addiction}, here are a few of my favorite wedding things I'm seeing and pinning on pintrest. Of course, my wedding pin board is the one with the most pins, so I guess that means I'll just have to make this a reoccuring segment.

1. "Generic" but heart felt thank-yous. Made even sweeter by including a "thank you" picture of the bride and groom. 

2. Pretty envelopes 

3. Buttercream making a come-back. Thank. Goodness. Fondant is nasty. 

4. This is probably one of my most favorites: non-matching bridesmaids dresses. Gives so much freedom to the bridesmaids AND I love the laid back look it gives the wedding. 

5. Unique garters; etsy.com is full of them.

6. Sweet & personal engagment pictures. 

7. Coming up with fun ways to ask your friends to be bridesmaids. And there's SO many!

Have a pintrest? Follow me!

Quirk.

I adore wedding invitations. I think they're one of my favorite parts of the whole process. I mean, think about it. It's the first glimpse your guests get of your big day. I staunchly oppose the idea that your invitations must coincide with your wedding colors, but I think it's fun when it works out that way.

There are some truly beautiful wedding invitations out there, but if you know me, you know pretty isn't really my style. Funny and quirky. That's my style. So I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite invitations styles I've found. {You can click on any of the images to make them larger and easier to read.}

1. Folded invites. Genius. That font is wonderful too.

2. The images on these give it a fun twist. 

3. If I had to pick a favorite, this one would be a part of a 2-way tie with number 6. So you'll understand why I am distraught that I can't locate the Etsy shop these allegedly came from. Cruel.

4. Teal. Orange. Quirky. Love it.

5. Ok yes, super wordy. But it tells their whole story. "Once you know, you just know". Love that :)

6. These. Are. Wonderful. The wedding's theme was French flea market, so they printed their invites on vintage handkerchiefs.

Aren't those great? So when it's your turn, think about mixing it up a little bit :)

Something Blue

I've been a terrible, terrible blogger. Life has been going so fast I haven't had a second to sit and think, much less spend time enjoying the wedding world. 

I graduated from college! I got a big girl job! Which also means I haven't been doing as many weddings, which kind of sucks. With all the craziness of life lately, I've gotten away from the wedding world, but it's still something I love and hope to get to keep doing when I have time.

I realized I needed to finish the series I began a month or so ago. So here is the final installment, something blue!

1. Blue shoes are a duh. 2. I love, love, love this shade of blue. And Aerie is the best :) 3. Your blue doesn't necessarily have to be visible! Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue. 4. Garters. Meooow. 5.You know I'm obsessed with cameos.These are wonderful!

A Sandy Wedding

Sometimes I take a step back and realize just how much I talk about weddings. Have I ever mentioned I love my job? Talking to one of my sweet friends from high school the other day, we quickly drifted into planning world, discussing details of the one day wedding between she and her boyfriend of 6 years. Yea. 6 years. High school sweethearts. Precious. 

She wants a beach wedding. Destin is her beach of choice, and I'm fairly certain she's found the perfect spot already. We had way too much fun planning. So between talking beach weddings with her, and spending a week in the sand for Spring Break not too long ago, a beach board was not hard to come up with. 

Three words. Keep. It. Simple.

You've already got one of the most beautiful backdrops in creation {even though I am a mountain girl}. You don't need to do a whole lot to dress it up!

1. Perfect invites. I'm a starfish junkie. 2. Proof that when it comes to beach weddings, simple is best. 3. Mint green cake from Sweet & Saucy Shop! I love the nautical touch with the rope textures. 4. Can we take a moment to drool over this arrangement by Hello Darling? Perfect beach colors. Hydrangeas, geraniums, & tulips, oh my! 5. Again, a testament that simple is best.

I was originally a little iffy about this green, but I think as a highlight, it works. Focusing on the pink and neutral would be key.

Enjoy :)

Something New

 

There are some things that you just don't need to borrow. Things that it's worth it to spend a little cash on. I'll go ahead and warn you that this board's a little...pretentious? Maybe expensive is a better word. But whatever! You're only a bride once, right? Hopefully.

1. I've featured this dress before because it's just my absolute favorite. 2. Untamed Petals 3. You certainly don't want to borrow panties! 4. Christian Louboutin Jeweled Platform Slingback. No other words necessary. 5. I'm so in love with this Rouge Coco Shine in Boy.

Something Old

 The age old adage. I love it.

Something old isn't difficult to achieve anymore. It's called vintage. And everyone loves it. It's rare these days to see a blog featured wedding that doesn't have at least a few vintage pieces. 

I think the point of "something old" is to help the bride remember her tie to her family and her heritage, so most brides so do by wearing something of a loved one. 

Here are some sweet options. Go look through grandma's big hope chest!

1. Let me just tell you how obsessed with cameos I am right now. I'm on the hunt for the perfect cameo ring. 2. 60s Boho Mini 3. Love these lace gloves 4. This bracelet is made from antique earrings! 5. Rhinestone and pearl earrings 6. Of course, a birdcage veil. I like them simple like this.

Something new is coming next!

{And yes, I am aware of what a terrible wedding blogger I am for not talking about Will & Kate's upcoming nuptials. Is it bad that I don't care very much?}

Meet My Super Talented Friends: Mattie Babb

Hi there!

I'm Mattie. I own a small, vintage, Etsy shop online called Odelma and I run a blog by the same name. The blog started as a way to document my journey through starting my shop and it's since drifted into my little spot to share all things I find online that strike my fancy. I'm so excited to be here with you on Love, Lace, and Life Changes! When Blake first asked me to be a guest on her blog, I had no idea what I wanted to chat about! Then it dawned on me. You see, I am currently a college student studying apparel merchandising. A lot of what I blog about has to do with apparel, fashion, and everything in between. So I thought I'd just share with you what I do best --- SHOP!

When I think about weddings, I have to say that my favorite ones that I find online (I follow unashamedly way too many wedding blogs to count) are the ones that are so unique and original! Although traditional weddings are still beautiful, I have to admit that love it when brides break all wedding tradition boundaries and make decisions that reflect only them and their style. Why not? It's your day. Do whatcha' want. Don't be anchored down by timely traditions that you don't understand anyway. Find out what's important to you and stick with it.

With that being said, I am thrilled to see originality starting to reign when it comes to bridesmaid dresses. Have you noticed? I have seen so many precious weddings online lately in the blog world where the wedding party is dressed in so many quirky and untraditional ways. Love it! So I thought I'd do a little prowling on my favorite online retail shops and show you guys how easy it is to find normal, everyday dresses and turn them into something eye catching and memorable on your big day. Plus, most are super affordable and not to mention will make your gals beam from ear to ear after they see how easily it is to wear them again. Check it out and let me know what you think of my picks! If anything, make sure you click on the links and check out my favorite online shops. Maybe there are a few you've never seen before. :)



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P.S.
Florals are such a cute trend going on now. Mix it up and have each bridesmaid wear a different one.





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P.S.#3: Stripes? Sure! Don't just leave the dramatic lines and shapes for your wedding invitations. What a great way to incorporate color and trend into your wedding pictures. I can just see them now! So cute.




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P.S.Love the length in #1 and #3. More stripes in #4! #5: How cool would it be to have both colors in one dress. Honorable Mention.






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P.S.#3: YOWZA! Can you even imagine? Perfect for a night, fancy wedding. Tres chic.




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P.S.ROMPERS?! Why the heck not?? This is my favorite idea. I could say something about each of these little numbers. I think it's safe to say that rompers have taken the fashion world by full force and are here to stay for a while. #1. So chic. One of my faves.Those black ones (#2, #4) are so fancy, and I love the lines and attention that #5 and #6 bring.


Well, those are my picks! I hope you are inspired. I had so much fun, and I want to thank Blake for having me!! And again, let me know what you think. Do you love the new bridesmaid dress trends going on now? Are you more traditional or did your heart beat faster when you saw the stand outs from above? I'd love to know!
x.o. Mattie Shop // Blog // Twitter

A Wordy Wedding

I got to have some good ole fashion girl time with my sweet roommate earlier this week. Of course, the topic moved to weddings {I'm sorry, I can't help myself}. As we talked about "one day I want this" & "someday I'd love that" she said the phrase wordy wedding to me. She went on to explain that if she {a PR major} and her boyfriend {a Political Science major}  got married, she wanted to really incorporate things like newspaper, Scrabble, & books into their wedding, because they're "wordy people". She works for the local Parks and Rec facility, he works for the governor. They're a match made in educated, political heaven.

Consider me inspired.

1. Style Me Pretty 2. Style Me Pretty 3. The Sweetest Occasion 4. Green Wedding Shoes
{And now I'm obsessed with the idea of a newspaper program.}

1. Style Me Pretty 2. The Wedding Shoebox 3. The Sweetest Occasion 4. Style Me Pretty

I'm heading to the beach tomorrow morning for 5 days {can I hear you say HEEY!!}, so I'll be pretty MIA. BUT I'll have a fantastic guest blogger sometime next week. Be on the lookout, and Happy Easter!

Going Away in Style

Going away and reception dresses are trends that have been around for a while. Some girls love the chance to change into another great white dress. Some {like myself} belong to school of "I spend how much on this dress? I'm going to wear it as long as possible." Both win. 

Have you seen any of Ivy & Aster's stuff? Because if you haven't, stop reading this post and go look, because they're beautiful and whimsical and wonderful. I just wanted to highlight a couple of my favorite short dresses from their current line.

If you want color in your going away dress, these are fantastic. They're also great as bridesmaid dresses! {How cute are the Keds?}

So in love with these. Feathers!!

The one on the left is my favorite of the bride's dresses. 

Check out the rest of the short dresses and see their wedding dresses too here!

Meet My Super Talented Friends: Rebekah Bowers

Hey everyone! My name is Rebekah Bowers! I’m so honored that Blake has asked me to share a little bit about myself and give y’all some fun ideas! I am in the process of starting my own wedding planning business and I am in the middle of planning my own wedding! In planning my wedding, I am extremely hands on! Planning a wedding can be a fun process and it can be a time to tap into your crafty side! You can order pretty much everything you need for your wedding, but it is so much more special when you take the time to get creative and add a personal touch to your own wedding.

 Get your hands dirty a little; make something you thought you could never make yourself.  So today I’m going to show you some AWESOME ideas on how to show off your creativity and make something unique and something that will have all of your guests talking!

Ring Bearer Pillow. Learn how to do them here.

Make the little things in your wedding stand out! You can take something as simple as a ring bearer pillow and make it super fun and you can mix up the colors and fabric to make it fit perfectly into your wedding scheme! Doing projects yourself give you the ability to have everything match, and have everything you want on a budget!

Drink Stirrers. Learn how to do them here.

These are aaaaaamzing! Love the idea of having little drink stirrers! It’s just another way to keep your wedding theme/colors running throughout everything you do! Doing “do-it-yourself” projects are also a great way to get your bridal party involved! Have a craft day with the girls and make all of your wedding programs! You can have girl talk and have a fun project that will make your day that much more special.

Rice Throwers. Learn how to do them here.

These butterfly rice tossers are awesome! It’s so creative and the saying on them is adorable! This is something that you can have a smaller cousin or someone that you want to be involved in your wedding do! You can put these together, throw them in a cute basket and give them the job of handing them out! They’ll be excited you thought of them and your guests will love the design!

Thank You Cards. Learn how to do them here.

Being a bride myself right now, I can tell you that you better get used to writing thank you notes! I feel like every day I have more and more to write, so why not make it a fun project! You can pick different colors and different fabrics and make it super unique to you! I really like when brides take attention to every detail, even down to the last thing!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the adorable ideas I’ve found, and I hope you use some of them on your own wedding! Make your wedding process fun! Be involved and don’t let the wedding stress get to you! If you want to keep up with me, you can find my blog at http://www.littlemissweddingbliss.blogspot.com! Thanks!

The Movies That Made Us

Movies.

We love 'em.

We base our completely unrealistic expectations of love on them.

And our slightly more realistic expectations of movies on them.

In honor of the chick flicks that helped us plan our fairy-tale weddings, I present

Love, Lace, & Life Change's Top 10 Movie Weddings:

Runaway Bride, 7 Brides for 7 Brothers

 

A Walk to Remember, Father of the Bride

 

Funny Face, Pride & Prejudice

Legally Blonde 2, Gone with the Wind

27 Dresses, My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding

If you've never seen one of these movies, drop what you're doing and go watch it. 
{Especially 7 Brides for 7 Brothers, personal favorite}


So there's my list. Did I miss anything?

Real Weddings

Ok. I see a lot of weddings between my daily blog stalk and working in the wedding world. I think I've made it clear that I'm mildly obsessed with a navy, gray, yellow palette at the moment, but that's just the beginning of how much I love this North Carolina wedding I found.

 

I. Love. Cowboy. Boots.

And this font?! Ugh.

 

Are you kidding me with the tent and the jars? & this bouquet is such a perfect mix of natural and classy. Perfect perfect perfect. I want.

 Ok. Gush Fest 2011 is over. You can find all the details from this North Carolina wedding here. The story always makes it sweeter.

Meet My Super Talented Friends: Eva Cranford

Hey y’all, this is Eva from yep, you guessed it, Eva Cranford Photography, original, right? When Blake asked me to do this post I was both honored, but overwhelmed with the different topics and directions I could take this in.

I thought I’d just give y’all a little taste of my favorite things.

1.  Love

There are few things in life more sweet or more treasured than watching a love story unfold.  I love the pride in a man’s eye,, and the sparkle in a woman’s. I get excited when I see two become one, just as intended. I just love LOVE.

2. Stolen moments

Those simple, yet poetic moments that can’t be replicated or reproduced. A photo just doesn’t quite seem to be enough.

3.  Family

People are going to drift in and out of your life--that is a fact. But family is forever. And family doesn’t necessarily mean blood relative. Family is that community of people that stand by your side, through thick and thin, no matter what. And the magic of a wedding day, is that family is formed. Man and wife, they become a family. With their own story to be written. Their own memories, their own victories, their own sorrows.

4. Joy

That undeniable glow. We’ve all seen it in a bride. Whether enjoying time with her bridal party, or in exchanging vows with her husband, or in her jubilant exit to the reception. Or we’ve seen it in the groom. Not quite as obvious, but just as legitimate. The pride that swells inside him as the doors fling open for the first time. Or those fleeting glances on the dance floor. He has met his match. Joy is not a feeling, it’s a state of being.

Well there you go. No flashing lights or big ah-ha moment with how to plan a wedding or pick a wedding photographer. But know this, your day is special. You’ll never forget it--and that’s where I find my drive and passion for wedding photography. I’m honored to have the blessing of capturing these moments that will hang on walls lie in albums, and most importantly, remain etched in hearts for years to come.

Peace Love & Photos,
Eva

DIY: Favors

Yes, DIY wedding favors can be a bit stressful if you do, in fact, "do it yourself". It can become time consuming and tedious, and that's why many people choose to just order their favors in bulk. I understand. But DIY is making a come-back, and I'm stoked about it. Making your own wedding favors can be super rewarding, and is way more personal. So here's a couple of how-to's on my favorite favors. 

How-to

How-to

How-to

How-to

Like I said, this is just a few of the thousands of unique DIY ideas out there. All you have to do it google "DIY wedding favors" and the options are endless.

Happy crafting!

Inspired: Colorized

1. Style Me Pretty 2. Gotta have burlap 3. Accesorize 4. Hott! 5. Learn how to make these sweet paper flowers here

{photo credit: A Splash of Color, Rackat}

I stumbled upon {literally, I was on stumbleupon.com} this picture and fell in love with the colors. I've been a fan of this yellow for a while, but seeing in contrast to the pinks and oranges immediately made this spring palette appear in my head. 

Lovely.

Somewhere else + Zitos

Some days I just want to be somewhere else. Not in a melodramatic I hate where I am get me out of here way. Just in a I'd like to be somewhere beautiful and peaceful way.

Today that place is Seattle. I've only been once, but it captured my heart. The above picture is what I woke up looking at every morning. Glorious? Yes.

So in honor of my pining I bring you a couple snapshots from this precious Seattle wedding. 

Rainier Mountain Lodge wasn't too far from the home I stayed in, and it's so beautiful {obviously from the pictures above}.

This wedding makes baby breath work for bouquets. I like it. I'm also in love with the suspenders. 

You can see the rest of this lovely Seattle wedding here.

I had the absolute pleasure of coordinating a wedding for a friend this weekend. Lauren & Phil decided to take a chance on a newbie and asked me to be in charge of running their big day. 

{photo credit Lana Hunt}

It was gorgeous. Erethral even. The day went super smoothly {other then a couple shattered light bulbs :) }, and it was so satisfying to see Lauren & Phil so happy with the end result.

I'm going to wait for their photographer to put up pictures of the wedding, and then I'll be sharing them here, so be looking for that!