Monday, September 16, 2013

Wedding: Invitations

We designed our Save the Date over the past week, and finally sent it off yesterday to be printed! Can't wait to get them and to share them with everyone!!

Now, it's time to think of how we want the invitations suite to look. Originally, I had wanted the Save the Date to match everything. But, now I'm more thinking that it'll be nice to have those "stand-alone" and not match. But, I do want rest of the suite to match (ie. Invitations, RSVPs, direction cards, etc).

I think we're going to go with DYI with these as well, but not too sure. I guess it depends on the extent of the design and how much work will be involved!

Here are some ideas I've come up with so far!

Source {I saved this picture awhile ago, I don't remember}



This is the back to the one above by Wedding Paper Divas - think this is such a cute idea!

As you can probably tell, my vision is something vintage chic. I love the looks of the "viney" flowers and oranges and greens!

Don't want to rush the process, but can't wait until we can design and order these lovelies!!! 

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Wedding: Inspiration Board

Thinking about all the little things we have for the wedding so far, I'm concerned that things won't look right together. I guess it's a common fear for brides to feel this way, since everything you are planning is in separate places (ie: venue, flowers, BM dresses, etc) so it's not like you fully see them together. But, it got me thinking, and therefore I put together an inspiration board with all the little things I've found a long the way...just to see how it all came together.


Seeing everything all together on here, it's looking like things will come together very nicely! We never really had a "theme" for the wedding. But, when asked, I usually say something like "Rustic, vintage, romantic".

Any thoughts? Did you do an inspiration board to gather all your thoughts and ideas?

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Wedding: Ceremony Site

Originally, when we picked out our wedding venue site, we were set on having the ceremony there as well. It was perfect for me. I wanted something that was easy access for all guests, especially those who were coming from out of state and could use the easy commute.

The venue has our reception room upstairs. Downstairs from that is a hallway filled with conference rooms. It was in one of those rooms where we would be having our ceremony.


We added it to the contract and paid the deposit for this room and our reception room! The only difference with the room compared to that in the picture, is when the room is set up for a ceremony, it's in theater style. 

So, a few weeks went by and I started thinking about decorating the ceremony room. I thought of so much: the lighting and how to make it look romantic. The aisle that I would be walking down to greet my husband, the archway we would stand under to say our vows, and of course the walls and all the ambiance around us.

Of course, we were limited with the space, but our coordinator was awesome and said we could hang anything from the walls as long as it didn't ruin the paint. Bonus! I loved so many things I found online as options for this room: 



There was even an arch that Waypoint provided that we could use at the "altar" 


Even though all this is so beautiful, and the room is right on site; we were hestitant. I couldn't get out of my head that this was a conference room. I shouldn't really care, since it's only a half hour ceremony and that after all is said and done, we will be married regardless. BUT, it was still stuck in my head. And, little did I know, Shane and other people felt the same way. It just wasn't for us.

After much discussion and back and forth with Waypoint (we had considered having the ceremony in the reception room, but they would only be able to seat 20 people in the "theater" fashion and everyone else would have to sit at their table) we made our decision to not have the ceremony there.

We switched gears and contacted a church just a mile down the street from Waypoint. It's the Pilgrim Church of Christ, a Methodist church. Shane and I are both Protestant (Methodist) so we are pretty lucky to not have to convert for the ceremony.

I called and spoke with the Reverend at the church, who happily handed me over to their officiant for weddings, Reverend Russ. I spoke with Rev. Russ on the phone and he graciously accepted our request to have him marry us. Quickly we made arrangements to meet him during our recent trip to MA. And there, we bonded and took him our "wedding words" book to choose all the words of our ceremony.

Here are some pictures of the church and sanctuary. So excited for this beautiful day!!!


Source - Search Reel

Pilgrim Church was established in 1964 through a merger of the North Congregational, Pilgrim (non-denominational) and United Christain-Congregation Churches. Its roots are in the First Congregational Society, which was established at the Head of the River in 1708. The present building was erected as the Triniatrian Congregational Church in 1890 and remained its home when it merged to be become the United Church.
Among the special features is a large Tiffany mosaic of the Sower, memorial windows including one by Tiffany, and carvings made with wood from the Holy Land. The congregation belongs to the United Church of Christ.
What drew us in originally to this beautiful church, is the stone on the exterior of the building. Just awesome, and exactly what we were looking for. Then, we stepped inside, and that itself is even more breath-taking! We didn't realize how much it meant to us to get married in a church until we were standing at the altar!

Did you change your mind about your initial decision on your ceremony? Are you getting married in a church or at the venue? 

Friday, August 30, 2013

Wedding: My Bouquet

Right away, when we got engaged, I started thinking about my bouquet. Even before everything else (kind of strange I know, but it's how my mind worked at the time) :) When I envisioned how I wanted my bouquet, cascading, long ferns and so much "depth" that you couldn't see where I was holding all those lovelies together!

Something very similar to these:




Then I thought; eh, I don't know - maybe something more unique. Like brooches and gems spread out throughout the bouquet. I quickly realized, in doing internet searches, that these are no only unique but have become very much the new "trend". I usually am not one to follow trends, but this one I fell for. HARD!




PRETTY!!! I was in love with both styles. So I thought, why not combine the two looks?

I was so obsessed committed to finding a bouquet that I loved! I decided right off the bat that I wanted them to be faux flowers, so I could forever keep my masterpiece. I also decided that I wanted to find someone to make this art because, well, I was scared to do it myself and mess up.

In comes my wonderful bouquet "designer"! I found Seth through Etsy (an online store filled with all sorts of homemade goodies and such!) Seth's site is AfternoonDelite, which you have to go check out to see all the beautiful creations!!

All the flowers are made by hand. You can choose from a whole sleuth of fabrics, flower types and jewels. Seth is so great to work with and will customize everything to your liking. As things are being worked on, you will receive pictures of each flower, jewel and/or item just to ensure you like it. Send a message a message today? You'll most likely hear back within a few hours of that message! It's awesome!!!

Right away I had all my items I wanted to include in my bouquet and work with someone on, so when Seth messaged me back and let me know I fit into the schedule; I sent them all over in excitement. Here are some of the inspiration boards I created:







After about a day or so going back and forth through conversation with Seth, I received this listing on Etsy: 

"Flowers: pompom felt balls, cotton hydrangeas, rannunculus, burlap composite flowers, rolled rosettes
Flower colors- few green, ivory and few yellow- orange beads for centers and details on some of them
Fabric - cotton, satin, burlap 
Jewelry- like the photos you provided, not too much bling
color of jewels -green, pearl, vintage, silver (not shiny but metal like) maybe some clear I will send pics when i have the materials all gathered and you can choose the ones you like =)
Skirt: lace or burlap depending on burlap in bouquet ( we can decide this when the whole bouquet is done and ready to be skirt)"

SOOO excited, man! I can't even tell you how perfect this whole thing is going to be. And, here is my final inspiration photo, because Seth said something very similar can be done - and I'M SO IN L-O-V-E with this one!


Yup ladies and gents - this could be my bouquet's twin! :)

So, that is the story of my bouquet. Can't wait to share the finished product. What plans do you have for your bouquet? Are you going with real flowers, faux flowers? Do you have a design in mind, and are you as scared about flowers DIY's as I am?

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Wedding: Picking of the Venue

"My Reception!? My Reception!?" 


Sorry, I just had to put that in there! Love that movie!!! :)

Back to talk of the venue. 

Neither of us wanted to get married at a country club. We knew we wanted some place unique with character. Of course, this project was slightly difficult since we aren't close by to just go visit spur of the moment. But, that didn't stop us from sitting down one afternoon, dual laptops, and making our list. 

We each choose from website, after website of venue recommendations. And, in the end, we had a long list. That of course, we broke down to just a few and emailed or called each place to get some information on them.

In the end, we booked appointments with two locations: 

Jones River Trading Company, Kingston, MA

Waypoint Event Center, New Bedford, MA 


Right off the bat, I couldn't wait to see Waypoint. Just from the pictures, it looked beautiful. And, Jones River has such a beautiful outdoor area...I could see us there as well!

After our visits to both locations, it was very evident that Waypoint was the place for us! We are soo excited to be having our wedding there! Not to mention, the coordinator Jen is fabulous to work with!

How many venues did you look at? Did you have trouble narrowing down any of the choices?



Monday, August 12, 2013

just keep spinning...


I took my first spin class.

Since then I've taken about 3 or 4 more.

I'm really enjoying it! If you've never had a chance to try it, but have always wanted to: DO IT!

Yes, to be honest, at first, I was scared. I mean, a room filled with bikes does not exactly scream FUN. But, bite the bullet and just go, it's so much fun!

My first 3 classes were by myself. Then, Shane came with me to one. After that, I'm not sure if I will continue to go alone or if he will commit to it as well.

I'm not sure if all spin classes are like this, but ours is pretty awesome. the instructor's name is Kristy, and she is really great. She sets up some jamming music, shuts off the lights and on with the black lights. From there, it's an hour of ups and downs and some moments of feeling like your legs are going to fall off. She does trivia of all sorts (last time it was listing off all the different types of protein)

DO IT! It's totally worth it and amazing for your body :)

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

wedding updates

So, the inevitable happened. We got engaged, and time slipped away all too quickly!!

I've (I we've!) been having such a great time planning the wedding thus far. What I love most about it, is we can take our time and I don't feel stressed/rushed at all! What I enjoy most, is talking about our desires and plans together, as a couple. And, then on that big special day, we will see it all come together so nicely!

We have plans to send out Save the Dates in September. I will leave you with this little piece until then: Waypoint Event Center in New Bedford MA. April 12, 2014 @ 4pm.

Nothing more nothing less about the site until the Save the Dates are out :)

As far as vendors: we have our DJ, Music on Wheels and Photographer, Bradshaw Photography completely booked!

We have a phone meeting with a videographer on the 23rd and we will be meeting with the Tangled Web Florist and Konditor Meister (cake) when we go up to visit in August.

We're so excited and feel that things are really coming together nicely! It's only a matter of time that we turn around and say "IT'S HERE!!"

Next I'll update on some of the things we are thinking of for the décor and cake - everyone loves cake :)

Talk soon!
Kristin

Friday, May 31, 2013

picture catch up!

Okay, two things: I realize I have some pictures to catch up on.

And...it's Friday which is super exciting!!


I actually have a few things to catch up, which is horrible because we are already in MAY! We sure do love taking pictures, but I am horrible at getting them off the camera! Here are a few things that have been going on...since Easter!!


Our first trip out with my bike! LOVE IT! 

 
We had our storm chasing adventure, which was fun! Here are a few pictures from that!
 









 
Sorry, got a little carried away there, but it was so pretty and on so fun!!!

I haven't really had the opportunity to do much home decorating or arranging. We've been busy with engagements, storms and visitors! Jen and Shane surprised me with her being here, and then we had Dawn here the following weekend.

We also are in a "budget" mode where I have been really good with not making a trip to Home Goods or Target's home section. It's been since Easter that we've bought any decorations. That's really good for us!

I did however go to a few Yard Sales last month. Grayson came with me. We had a lot of fun. I found this lamp for only $3! And, then we picked up the shade up at Lowe's for only $15. Overall, think it works for now!




I know there were a lot of pictures in this one post! I will be better about uploading them more regularly from now on....at least I hope to be ;)

 

Monday, May 13, 2013

mail

Look what arrived today!!!


It's our Certificate of Registration for FlashyPics Copyright!! I submitted the request back in January. When they said that it could take a few months; they weren't kidding! I had actually forgotten all about it for a bit!

It makes us legit! Which makes us verrrry happy!!!

Cheers!! :)

Saturday, May 11, 2013

productive day!

I'm sitting here, exhausted from the long and productive day we had, but my mind is still going and thinking of all the things that need to be done! Guess that's what I get for starting to organize at 8pm! Now it's 10 and I'm still wide awake! Maybe some blogging will help me wind down and eventually get me sleepy! :)

The day started out with Grayson's baseball game, and their 5-4 win over the Red Sox. Yeah, this is on the only Red Sox game that I'm okay with them losing! ;) They were undefeated until we played them today, and they won. Very exciting game for the boys (and 1 girl!)

Shane and I then went to storage where we picked up our patio chairs and a bunch of my stuff that has been sitting there all year untouched. I figured now was better than never to go through the items and decide what I just can't live without! And, what can go, be donated or brought to the consignment shop. About 1/2 my purses and bags don't get used. So, 1/2 of that 1/2 went in the trash. The others I will be consigning.

About 2 hours into my sorting, the weather started changing and we were clearly in for a major thunder storm! I watched as the clouds rolled in and got a huge desire to go storm chasing! I convinced Shane (with wasn't hard) and we took off toward the dark clouds. I drove and stopped every now and then so Shane could grab some shots out the window. It was a lot of fun! Once I edit them, I'll be sure to share some of the great shots we got!

After that, it was dinner time; so off to Friendly's we went for ice cream! I know it's not dinner, but it was still super yummy!

At home I decided that it was time to organize again. AND, then that brought me to decide I need to look up coupons and make the grocery list for our trip to Wegman's tomorrow AM. We are going early to catch the meat counter putting out their marked down items. They usually do that around 8-9am, so we'll be there around 830!

Stay tuned for pics! :)

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend. And, of course all the mom's out there (especially mine and my stepmom!) have a great Mother's Day!!! <3

Thursday, May 2, 2013

flashypics portfolio

We've been wanting to create a portfolio of all of our pictures for sometime now. We've looked at some sites, but just haven't committed to anything yet. In the meantime, I have created another blog where we will be uploading all our pictures too. Check it out HERE!

Our Etsy site is still open, and that is where all of our current items are located that are for sale. Although, please keep in mind, you can request any of our photos as prints whether they are located on Etsy or our portfolio blog. Just leave us a message at Etsy (click LINK) and let us know what print you'd like and the size.

Check back often as we will continue to update our portfolio. One day it'll all be in the same spot, PROMISE! :)

Take care!

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

oh happy day!

We are officially....ENGAGED!!!


We are so happy and excited for this moment in our lives!

Moving on to a different topic....Oh, what, you want to know how Shane proposed? Okay! I'll share! ;)

Sunday afternoon we decided to go across the Bay Bridge and take some pictures at Tuckahoe State Park. Now, if you know Shane and I, you know how much we love taking pictures and hiking through the various parks Maryland has to offer. So, it was no surprise to me that we were going and doing this together.

After walking around for a bit, Shane suggested we walk up towards the woods and overlook the river that was there. I was snapping some shots, when I heard him whisper something. I turned around and he was down on one knee. I asked "What are you doing?". He said something lovely, and proceeded to ask if I would marry him. I said "What?"

He had to repeat himself, and after many, many "Oh my God" and "Really!?" responses from me. I finally realized I was supposed to say "YES" and got this beautiful ring, and myself a wonderful finance!





I'm a little sad because we brought the ring back last night to Zales because it needed to be sized. They said it takes two weeks, but we may get it back in one!

In the mean time, I wanted a loaner ring. Shane laughed, but humored me, and we walked into Claire's. I purchased this little number, and it has already turned my finger green. But, nonetheless, it gets the job done!


I suppose when we're married and I have the wedding band, I won't need the stand in since I can just wear the band solo! But, until then, I have this to fall back on!

So ladies. Do you need a "stand in" while your ring is off being "groomed"?