Getting Married... AGAIN!

We are finally putting plans into action for our big wedding! I know, I know... I'm already married! But we love each other so much that we want to do it all over again! And since no one was there to see it, we gotta do it up right. And the wedding planner NOT having a real wedding? Unspeakable!

So, the date is set (9-29-12). We picked out the church and details are starting to come together. Today we officially booked the reception site. And I have the bridesmaids gifts ordered, and the cake topper ordered. (Can you tell I'm anxious? I have everything done already!)

Here are some sneak peak clues on the wedding plans:







The sand dollars are my favorite idea! They are special to me since Chris and I spent our time together in North Carolina combing beaches for shells and sand dollars. I never found a whole sand dollar and I was obsessed with finding them! I'm using them twice in the wedding plans. One will serve as an escort card AND the favor. Any idea on how I'm using the second one???

STAY TUNED!

Major Updates!

Wow, it has been quite a while since I've updated!

Since the last post:

I got MARRIED!
We bought a HOUSE!

I know... craziness. I am now married to a wonderful man, and I have a stepson. I couldn't be happier! Monday we found out we got a contract accepted on a house, and we will be moving at the end of April. Pictures will be up soon, they took our listing down already so I will have some before and after pictures when we move in!

It's crazy how fast life can change. Chris and I are totally in love and happy, and life is just beginning! I will try updating more often, especially since I will have all kinds of fun projects around the house to show off!

Now that it's getting warmer, I'm going to pick up my photography again.

Pumpkin Patch Fun!

My friend Veronica came to town and brought her husband and adorable daughter Hailey. We went to Eckerts, which is a local orchard and pumpkin patch. What a way to spend a beautiful fall day!

My first photo shoot!

All aspects of weddings interest me, including photography. And, I've been wanting to get into photography for awhile now. So, for my 25th birthday my amazing boyfriend bought me my very first SLR camera! And here are the results of my first "photo shoot!"

Not bad for my first time photographing, right?! Next shoot I will try adding people in the mix!

"Guestbook" Ideas...

Today I was trying to think of some creative guestbook ideas that I've seen. I love the photo booth guestbook, but I was trying to think of something new and original. My cousin got married in Cleveland and had a book of images from around Ohio and had everyone pick their favorite picture out and write something next to it. That was different.

I was thinking about things that I love, and I love cookbooks. I collect them as compulsively as I collect bridal magazines. Then I thought, "Wouldn't it be cute to have each couple/family write their favorite family recipe down on recipe cards?" Then you could have your first guestbook/cookbook and have all kinds of new recipes to cook together! What do you think- yes or no?

CWP...

I FINALLY did it! I am now an official CWP, which is Certified Wedding Planner! It's been a long time dream of mine, and I finally did it! Now I can finally make Gala-Amorous Events into a reality!

Easter basket help!

So, this will be my first Easter with my boyfriend's son, Aaron. I haven't celebrated Easter in like, 10 years. I want his Easter basket to be awesome, so I'm asking you for your help... what kind of cute things do you put in your Easter baskets??? I'm sure things have changed in the last 10 years- I got candy and kites- kind of boring now. Do you have any theme baskets or any cool toy ideas??? I wanna know!

Scrapbooking...

So I've started my very first scrapbook. I can see why everyone likes it. It's addicting! (But expensive!)

Since I'm a scrapbooking virgin, does anyone have any tips or ideas for me? I have all these supplies, but I'm freaking out that it won't come out how I want it to!!!

It's been too long!

Well, it's been a long time! Wedding season consumed my life, but it was a great one! We had some beautiful weddings! Here are some photo highlights of the year:

I am also very happy to announce that I have officially began my CWP classes. Finally took the leap of faith and started in. Hopefully by the end of the month I will be an official Certified Wedding Planner!

Two of my friends got engaged at the first of the year, so congratulations to my first two 2010 brides: Lindsey and Laura! Tommy and Nick are very lucky men!

I will try to update more often now, and if you have anything you would like advice on or would like me to talk about, feel free to leave a comment!

Wedding Season at the Four Seasons...

"What do you like better, Christmas or Wedding Season?"

"The answer would be, um, Wedding Season?"

"YES!" (from the movie Wedding Crashers)

Ahhhh the social season has begun. The smell of love, buttercream, and expensive floral arrangements is in the air. Especially at the Four Seasons hotel here in St. Louis. We've been having huge galas for several weeks now and last weekend we had our first of 28 weddings! I thought I'd share some pictures from the events we've been having lately!

Contemporary Art Museum Gala

Contemporary Art Museum

Lumiere Place "Fear No Ice" event

Fear No Ice sculpture

Loeber-Diemer Wedding groom's cake

Loeber-Diemer Wedding

Loeber-Diemer Wedding

Loeber-Diemer Wedding Cake

Ice Bar for Loeber-Diemer Wedding

We have two weddings this weekend, and I'll try to take pictures but we have a tight turn on Sunday so I probably won't be able to get pictures of that one!

New Ideas?

So I am curious as to how many people this blog gets out to. If you have any questions, comments, want any opinions/advice, have a blog idea, or whatever... please don't be shy and leave me a comment! I'm kind of looking for some new topic ideas!

Dresses that Impress us!

I watch every bridal show known to man (or at least broadcast in the US), and sometimes things really amaze me. One show I've been caught watching is "Say Yes to the Dress" on TLC. I, myself, have worked in a bridal salon and know the ins-and-outs of dress selection and tuxedos. I just can't imagine walking into a dress shop and dropping $12,000 on a dress I'm doing to wear once. The truth of it is, you're probably going to be the only person who knows that's a Vera Wang or Monique Lhullier gown. As long as you look and feel fabulous, that's all that matters. And, if you can afford to drop that kind of dough on a dress, more power to you! But here are some fabulous and gorgeous dresses that only LOOK like you've spent a fortune! And since some designers have dresses that look like other designers' dresses, only YOU have to know how much you spent, and who it's by. Why, yes, Vera DID do this especially for me! (Shhh... we'll never tell!)

Designer: Paloma Blanca.

Style: Clean, classic, lacey (glamed down, little sparkle)

Similar to: Melissa Sweet, Monique Lhullier

Average price: $1300

Which dress is Paloma?

(Paloma is on the top! The other is Monique Lhullier)

Some of my other favorite designers? Mori Lee is my all-time favorite (I'm a sparkle girl) and Maggie Sottero is also gorgeous! They both range around$700, depending on the store. It pays to shop around!

Mori Lee dress style 2101. It has the best of both worlds- lace AND lots of sparkle!

Have your cake...

So, I got a few cake decorating books for Christmas thanks to Adam's parents. I'm trying to get into cake decorating, and so far it's lots of fun!

For my Super Bowl party yesterday, I decided to make a cookie cake instead of a regular cake because it's easier to shape. I think it turned out quite well for my first try ever!

Color Me Pretty

Well, we are all settled in our new abode. We love it so much here! I'm looking out my patio door at the field full of hundreds of geese outside (seriously, I had to take a picture yesterday, it's the craziest thing ever), and the beautiful white snow on the ground. Looking at all the white gave me inspiration for this post.

Why is it that brides are so afraid of color?

When I worked for a bridal salon, brides would pick these bold, BEAUTIFUL colors! They would gush about the dresses and flowers and how pretty they are going to be... and that's it. The cake- white. The linens- white. White on white on ZZZzzzzz. Sorry, I dozed off thinking about all the white. But seriously, it's like a sterile, white hospital.

I'll admit, I'm a little bit nontraditional with what I want for my wedding. The only thing white at my wedding will be my dress, and even that will be ivory. But I'm not afraid to integrate color into an event. Maybe it's because I think about how it transforms the entire look of the room and really ties the event together. Some brides get so scared when it comes to putting color on something other than their bridesmaids. I think it's because they are afraid it will ruin the elegance of the evening.

One of the first weddings I worked at the Four Seasons was a gorgeous color scheme of tangerine and a hot pink. I was so excited to see the cake! They had wonderful bright flowers and our fiber optic chandeliers were lit up pink. And when pastry brought down the wedding cake, I felt like someone had just told me my dog died. Don't get me wrong, they do a beautiful job and the piping on it was exquisite. But it was white. White white white. And so was the next wedding's cake, and the next one, and the next one. Come on ladies, am I getting through to anyone yet????! And linens come in every color under the sun now. So, there's really no excuse at all. You, as a bride, actually stand out more in the room when everything else is in color and you are in a white dress.

So, what are some great, bold color combinations?

Tangerine, fuchsia, and lime
Teal and bronze
teal and lime
navy and lime
Merlot and turquoise

And my favorite (because it's mine!) raspberry, tangerine and grape.

And the worst color combo I have ever seen? Gray and baby pink. Yeah, like a stuffed elephant. Blah.

So color your wedding, and don't be afraid to color outside the lines!

OH... and the geese. Crazy. I couldn't even get them all in the picture there were so many.

Movin' on up!

So, Adam and I are moving to Illinois in 6 days and I could NOT be more excited! (Ask anyone, it's pretty much all I can talk about!) I'm absolutely in love with the area, and I drive there everyday. They have tons of shopping and restaurants, which is much different than downtown STL. It's so much safer and more of a community like I'm used to. And I'm sure no one will scrape our '09 tags off our liscense plates there. Yeah, that happened to both Adam and myself. But, I've been doing some shopping to give our new abode a new attitude. And I can't wait to unload all of my goodies in my new place!

During Christmas I got these amazing mosaic red chargers from Dillards for $15... marked down from $50! They are gorgeous and they are perfect for year-round elegant entertaining, not just for Christmas! So, these chargers are my new dining room inspiration. I'm trying to go with an asian infused dining room. I'll have to take pictures next week once we get everything in.

But JCPenny's had an incredible sale this week- I got 4 of these plates for under $20! SO cute, and perfect for mexican night, caribbean night, or those summer BBQ's!






I also got these great votive holders for $2 each... I couldn't find a picture because it was from the "Holidays" but I bought 2 red and 2 gold to go with my asian theme. They have a little swirl hook with a coordinating dangling crystal off the edge. Pics to come!



But these are my new dishes I got from Bed Bath and Beyond... not on sale sadly, but they are perfectly asian inspired!





Pier1 was also having an amazing sale last week, and I got a bamboo table runner for $4, and these black plastic branches with clear crystal leafs on them. EEEK I can't wait!

So in the spirit of moving, I have to get back to packing up and cleaning. I'll be back next week with lots of pictures of our new place!

Going Green!

If you are "Eco-Maniac", there's a way to incorporate your lifestyle into your wedding. In fact, it's the latest (and a very fast) *growing* trend in the wedding world. Here are some ideas you can use to infuse your wedding with good vibes!

1. This is my very favorite idea! There is actually paper that you can PLANT! Send your invitations on this paper, and it actually has wildflower seeds embedded in the paper that your guests can plant after the wedding! The paper is bio-degradable so it dissolves and the seeds grow into beautiful flowers! To save even more paper, ask your guests to RSVP by phone or email. (Saves you some postage on those return envelopes as well!) My absolute favorite site is http://www.botanicalpaperworks.com - their invitations are contemporary and beautiful!

2. Make a donation in honor of your guests to your favorite eco-friendly charity- WWF.org is a personal favorite.

3. Instead of trash bins, set up recycling bins for your bottles and cans at the reception.

4. Use locally grown flowers instead of having them shipped from all over the World. Many foreign countries use pesticides when growing flowers, and some are illegal in the US. If you must import your florals, make sure they are organic and not sprayed with pesticides.

5. Make sure your rings have conflict-free diamonds! Ask your jeweler if you're not sure.

6. Donate your leftover food to a shelter, and your flowers to a nursing home! I can't tell you how many brides just leave their flowers at the reception to die (or for the staff to take home! I have soooo many vases. It's kind of scary.) You spend thousands of dollars on these flowers for one day, and just leave them behind. Take them to a nursing home or hospital so that it brings someone else joy! Personally, I think real flowers are a waste of money. Most of them look like funeral flowers, and they cost more than a car sometimes! Plus, many guests probably have allergies like I do and if there are too many flowers they are struggling to breathe all night. (Stargazer lillies are the death of me!) If you use silk flowers, you can reuse them to decorate your new love nest, and it's a great way to remember your special day-everyday!

Hopefully you find some of these ideas inspiring. It's a great way to make a statement, you're helping to make the earth a better place!

Love Makes the World Go 'Round

Everyday, millions of people all over the world get married. So, I thought I would try to do some research on wedding traditions from around the world.

Did you know that...

Purple is the color of love in Japan. Most brides in Japan will wear purple kimonos. But the traditional wedding color in China is red, symbolizing luck. Indian brides traditionally wear pink on their wedding day.

Pakistani weddings traditionally last FOUR days! Each day is a different ceremony.

In Indonesia, it's not uncommon to have more than 1,000 guests invited to the wedding!

Before her wedding day, it was tradition for Chinese brides to retreat into seclusion with her closest friends for a few days. (Bachelorette party anyone??!)

I just wanna SHOUT IT!

So, I don't know when it happened, but I kind of let myself go. It happens, I guess. I think it came from working in the hospitality industry- especially banquets and events. At my worst, I weighed (and I'm committing a female sin here by telling everyone) 183 lbs. Yikes. I definitely didn't feel like I weighed that much, but I was starting to look like I just had a baby.

Adam and I started working out about a month ago. I am in love with this kind of stair stepper thing- if I had one in my house I would walk on it all day. It's low impact and it just feels like I'm walking kind of. I watch "Superbad" on my Zune, and it totally takes my mind off the fact that I'm working out, plus the laughing gives me a little ab workout too! I bought a scale from Wal-Mart last week, and now I weigh myself every day.

I just weighed myself when I came home from work and (drumroll please).....

I weigh 166!!!! I have lost 17 FREAKIN POUNDS!!! Although I don't really see it, but Adam says I look thinner and my stomach and waist feels a lot smaller.

I am so happy! I want to get down to 135, so I still have 30 pounds to go. But I've lost 5 pounds this week without working out. (We've slacked with the holidays). But tomorrow I'm going to work out extra hard and hopefully I will reach my goal weight in the next 2 months.

I'm asking for skinny jeans for Christmas. Booyah.

O Christmas Tree...

YAY! Christmas is upon us! It snowed for the first time yesterday and it made me so happy!

Those that know me, know that I'm a very anxious person. I don't like waiting for things, especially things that I'm excited about. When I have a vision or idea, I have to do right then.

With that being said, I have a confession.....




I have had my Christmas tree up for 3 weeks already. EEK! I got the theme of my Christmas tree nailed down, and I started buying the decorations in the middle of October. (I know, it's gross. But I saw these cute ornaments in a Crate and Barrel mag and it became the inspiration for my tree.) So I went out and bought the ornaments and all the other decorations. And, here in St. Louis there is a radio station that has been playing Christmas music 24/7 since the week before Halloween. So that didn't help matters. But it's super cute, and now I present to you- my PEACOCK CHRISTMAS TREE!






My mom always did theme trees, so that's where I get my ideas from. They are so pretty, and are a great way to showcase your personality!

I always have used artificial trees. I like the smell of real ones, but I don't like dealing with the sap and the pine needles. SUCH a mess! I bought my tree from Wal-Mart (pre-lit, which saves time AND money!) and the pre lit one was about $5 cheaper than the unlit one. So, it was a no brainer. I got it home, and I lasted 2 hours before I gave in to my urges to put it up. I got it out, put it together, and I was so disappointed! There were MAJOR gaps between the layers, which wasn't that noticeable at night, but during the day you could see right through the darn tree!

But, being my crafty self, I had a solution. If you have a tree that isn't as full as you like, then buy a GARLAND and stuff in in the middle of the tree to fill it in! It will make your tree look like a million bucks, for only about 5 bucks!

Happy Decorating!