Thank you Martha!

What an amazing blog from my friend, Martha! credit for photos goes to www.kiralaurenphoto.com

This reminds me of Grass Valley! What a gorgeous day!

Look at her veil! How beautiful!

All you need is love.

This cupcake table is cute. I am a fan of regular sized layered cakes because you can do so much with them, plus "cutting the cake" is a really classic, fun part of a wedding. These cupcakes are cute though!

Love those scrapbook pages for guests to write messages!

Love the Paper Lanterns and the light placement.

These are some of the coolest photos- most of my inspiration is from thinking of Bethany's wedding coming summer 2012

.Kira Lauren Photo

More inspiration- Photos and decor

This site has some wonderful inspiration! Future brides check it out!

http://www.weddingchicks.com/?s=bouquet

These umbrellas are SO cute! you can order them from http://www.lunabazaar.com/turquoise-blue-28-inch-rice-paper-parasol.aspx They have all colors.

More...

Absolutely love the peacock feathers on the base of the centerpiece... These turquoise colors are very Bethany!

Let's finish up the post with a wonderful set of Wedding day tips from http://www.weddingchicks.com/2008/10/16/wedding-day-tips/

TOP TEN TIPS FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY

1. Choose if you will see each other before the ceremony for photos or wait until after the ceremony based on the time of year and the time the sun will set. Ask your photographer when the light will be the best for photos.
2. Get a nice hanger for your dress. Have shoes, rings (clean please), and bouquet ready for photos.
3. Be sure that the getting ready room has plenty of natural light, is tidy, and not too crowded with people.
4. If you have a corset style dress, allow 20 minutes for lacing.
5. Shoes, shoes, shoes!!! Every bride wants to wear beautiful shoes on her wedding, but oh, the price she pays in PAIN!! Bring a comfy pair of shoes to wear for your reception.
6. Inform family members and wedding party to stay close after the ceremony.
7. Serve salads BEFORE speeches (if you have salads). Speeches that run long make for wilting salads and put dinner behind schedule.
8. Serve your vendors as you are served so they can take a break and be back for all of the action! No one likes their picture taken while they are eating anyway, so it’s the perfect time.
9. Don’t hold your cake ransom! Cut and serve your cake about an hour after dinner. Guests tend to enjoy their cake and coffee. We are pretty sure that the sugar and caffeine give them a second wind!
10. Enjoy your day, don’t let the little things upset you. It’s a little late at this point to worry about things not being perfect, so just go with the flow and have fun!! Remember, this is about your WEDDING and the commitment you are making to each other – not about your napkins being the wrong color.  It’s a day never to forget. Be humble, graceful, be grateful, and be a beautiful person on your special day.

Pink/ Teal/ Blue Centerpieces

These are wedding centerpieces made for Bethany's garden mystical- love happiness and peace wedding.

These are simple do it yourself ideas and they are cheap!

Still learning how to post these pics right- Centerpieces are a lot of fun!

Mirror bases are a must when using candles and LED lights.

A Business Plan

Today I helped my sister in law plan her summer wedding preparations (we have until next June, 2012). We discussed building our own wedding planning business with a power quad- Me, Bethany, Kristi, and an a to be "4th" member for when we start growing beyond 3's capabilities. We are extremely excited for having all this time to plan the wedding so we can slowly focus this summer on things like...

• wedding dress fittings
• centerpiece searching
• finding ways to change light colors and light up tables
• researching floral arrangements and fake flowers
• gazebo decorating ideas
• light that can be strung from tree to tree- flowers/ lights/ hanging candles
• attending other weddings/ researching ideas
• finding addresses and planning invitations
• making road directions signs and making re-usable templates for signs
• talking to those to be hired for bartender/ wedding host/ wedding coordinator/ wedding assistant

I am so excited for what is to come, more planning and meeting a potential business partner, Kristi!

I have now added Bethany to an Author for this site, so please keep reading and follow our wedding planning story.

I think that with the right personalities real big things can happen. Happy wedding planning, and here's my most recent website for fun wedding ideas.

OhWeddings.Net This site has adorable craft and do-it-yourself ideas that are cheap and super cute.I personally love the ideas for the personalized fact napkins, and on the babies site- the chocolate kiwi lollipops. What cute and fun ideas exist here!

Some links of particular interest...

http://ohweddings.net/decoration-fact-napkins.php

http://ohweddings.net/accessories-beautiful-hair-piece.php

http://ohweddings.net/food-gourmet-smores-table.php

http://ohweddings.net/do-it-yourself-jenga-guestbox.php

http://ohweddings.net/decoration-rose-napkins.php

http://ohweddings.net/decoration-wine-bottles-centerpieces.php

Love the last one- consider pairing this with a customized bottle of wine for each table!

First off... and Hanford's Catering!

I want to talk about my inspiration to start this blog- my wedding and planning my sister in law's (Bethany)'s wedding. I want to have a place that brides can come to see opinions of weddings in the area which I live (Grass Valley/ Nevada City, CA), options for planning, wedding styles, and my favorite parts- cakes, accessories, and themes. 

Although I know this will take some time to build, I hope to leave bits of knowledge here that I can come back to in the occasion that I plan someones wedding- plus catalog everything I liked and LOVED and hated about my wedding and others I've been to. SOOOO here's one thing that I absolutely loved about my wedding...

THE CATERING! I highly recommend Hanford's Catering, located in Colfax, CA. Hanford’s Wedding Catering Package Includes: Complimentary Menu Tasting, Customized Menu with Hors d’oeuvres, Service Personnel, China, Flatware, Linen Napkins (choice of colors), Glass Champagne Flutes, Buffet Serving Equipment, Linen and Fresh Floral Buffet Flowers, Water Pitchers on Your Guest’s Tables, Cake Cutting, Toast Pouring, Reception Event Coordinator, Delivery, A Four-Hour Reception.

·     Bacon wrapped scallops-hors d’oeuvres

·         Bruschetta Bar with 3 toppings  -hors d’oeuvres

·         Spinach Salad Baby Spinach with feta, mandarin oranges and caramelized walnuts tossed in a cherry-citrus ginger vinaigrette

·         Freshly Baked Assorted Rolls and Butter

·         Fruit and Cheese Platter

·         Vegetables

·         Wild Rice Pilaf

·         Entrée- Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breast
With sun dried tomatoes, fresh spinach, mushrooms & 4 cheese blend

·         Entrée- Sirloin Tip Roast Carving Station
Served with Au jus & Creamed Horseradish

·         Fresh Fruit Cascade
(Strawberries, assorted melons, grapes)

Plus,

Hanford’s Beverage Service Available (we hot this for an extra $2 a person)

Hanford’s can provide the bartender, beverage serving set-up, equipment, ice, and quality disposables glassware, lemonade, iced tea and soda
with a self service coffee station.

Please Note: Client to provide alcohol (no corkage fee) and soda

I was so impressed with their services (and they even saved me a plate of the bacon wrapped scallops since I was having photos done during the cocktail hour.)

Alright, here's the link to their website, where I am featured! Hanford's Catering