Nautical Wedding at the Annapolis Yacht Club

Hi everyone - Erin here!  One of the best feelings in life is knowing that your girlfriends have found their perfect matches. This past September, I had the honor to be a bridesmaid in one of my best friend's wedding.  Kelley has been my partner in crime through college and beyond - you may remember us planning her Austin Bachelorette Party back in the Spring.  Seeing her marry Rich, who is a genuinely great guy, was a highlight of my summer.

Besides being the sweetest and funniest girl alive, we always joke that Kelley is a project manager to the core.  Her attention to detail is second to none and she's a get it done kind of gal.  So it didn't surprise me when, in the height of wedding planning, Kelley texted me freaking out that Pinterest had congratulated her for being one of the top Pinners in the country!

I would love to share with you how her nautical wedding theme came together - it was nothing short of perfection!  Kelley and Rich made the day effortless, fun and a full reflection of their passions...sailing and wine!

They were also so lucky to have the lovely and talented, We are the Mitchells, there to capture their big day.  I honestly can't stop gushing over their pictures!

Bridal Style:

Kelley went for a timeless look with a dress by Allure Bridals that she purchased at Betsy Robinson Bridal in Baltimore.  Her dress was a delicate lace with a neckline that was perfect for her Catholic ceremony and had a revealing keyhole back.

For the bridesmaids, Kelley let each of us pick our own style of chiffon dress by Amsale.  All of us really appreciated having free reign - everyone looked and felt beautiful.

  

Ceremony and Reception Details:

Kelley and Rich were married at the Saint John Neumann Catholic Church followed by a reception at the Annapolis Yacht Club.  The AYC has spectacular views and doesn't need a lot in terms of decor. Kelley tied in a number of DIY elements for her centerpieces and escort cards.

The DIY striped runners really popped on the table.  She added mix and matched lanterns and small floral arrangements.  Kelley is actually selling these table runners - please leave us a comment below if you are interested!

 Origami sail boats were a hit for escort cards - everyone got a kick out of them.  Martha Stewart Weddings has been adding Origami into their DIY features more often as well.  I thought this was such a fun and cost effective idea.

A Grand Entrance:

Kelley and Rich's wedding had by far had the best entrance into a reception I have even seen.  Since Rich's family is full of sailors, they decorated their boat with custom flags (how cute is the K & R flag!) and sailed the wedding party around the bay between the ceremony and reception.  And I have to give a hand to Kelley's make-up and hair team, Behind the Veil, our up-dos didn't budge a bit!

We have a great Pinterest board on this wedding with all the pretty details!  Are you planning a nautical wedding?  Tell us your ideas in the comments!

Happy Pinning!

Bonobos Fall Wedding Suits

The other day I wrote about bridesmaid dresses, so you know we can't forget the gents as well. The folks at Bonobos reached out to me about their men's fall suits. I thought it was a perfect complement to my bridesmaid post. Not to mention finding the perfect suits to complement bridesmaid dresses can be a difficult task.

If you are not familiar with Bonobos they are a online men's shop that offers free shipping, a 365 day guarantee on products and has guides to help your gents find the perfect fit. All without leaving their home. We ended up buying all of our groomsmen suits to avoid everyone going to the store, however we left it up them to get tailored. This cuts out all of the stress and looking back I wish we did this!

Here are a few suits that I think would complement some of the bridesmaid dresses.

Foundation Wool Suit

Capstone Tuxedo

Foundation Wool Suit

The Capstone Tuxedo is my favorite and completely goes with the Vintage Romantic theme of the dresses below. What are your thoughts? I have added these suits to my Always A Bridesmaid Pinterest page as well! 

If you haven't visited Bonobos before they are currently offering 20% off your first purchase! Use code: NEWCUSTOMER20 for 20% off your first order. Offer expires in 48 hours. Just another incentive for those groomsmen to purchase asap!! And in my case I am definitely going to be doing some Christmas shopping for my husband and brother-in-law on Bonobos!

Happy Pinning!

Habanero Ginger Apple Cider Cocktail

The folks at Lover.ly (my favorite go to wedding website if you didn't catch on from ALL of my wedding posts!) asked me to look for a Fall wedding signature drink idea I was ALL about it. Over the years my friends and I have made lots of great beverages. Of course trying to recreate them is another story since we usually didn't have all the ingredients the recipe called for.

Habanero Ginger Apple Cider Cocktail. 
The drink that I choose combines a drink my friend Kate and I made around Thanksgiving along with my favorite drink (The Brazen Bull) at The Gallows in Boston. Kate and I made a great drink with apple cider, Sailor Jerry Rum, cinnamon simple syrup and a twist of lemon. Of course I couldn't find the recipe so I had to go to trusty Pinterest to find it again. I couldn't find what I was looking for but discovered this tasty treat. Basically it is similar to what Kate and I made but  kicks it up a notch with fresh ginger and habanero peppers.

If this doesn't warm you up on a cool fall day then I don't know what will. I would also like to test this out with Bourbon or Vodka.

If you are planning a wedding and need some inspiration check out http://lover.ly/planning/

Happy Pinning!!

Weddington Way Bridesmaid Challenge

So it has been just over 1 year since I got married at Boone Hall Plantation. And it has been a whirlwind since. After getting married we moved to NC, bought 2 new cars, bought a house (to be built Spring 2015) and had a baby!! Even with all the craziness and working on Pinterest boards for my new home I miss wedding planning. Some people find it so stressful, I loved every minute of it. I wouldn't change one thing about my wedding, however it is fun to look at all the new styles of dresses. Not to mention a great resource in case a friend gets engaged soon!!

The folks at Weddington Way asked me to put together a bridesmaid style board that I thought I would share with y'all! I had so much fun browsing all of their dresses, not to mention they allow you to order free swatches as well. Lately I have been really into neutrals and love Lauren Conrad's bridesmaid dresses. All the girl got to pick their own dress that fit them best. Here are a few that I would recommend to a friend who was looking for the same vibe.

All of the bridesmaid dresses below can be found at http://www.weddingtonway.com/all/bridesmaid-dresses

Of course after my wedding I found the perfect robes/bridesmaid presents as well! How cute are these? I might have to order one just for me!

Check out my Pinterest board for more ideas for a vintage romantic wedding!!

Happy Pinning!

My Pinterest To Do List - June

Here are some of the projects that I am going to focus on for June! In addition, to finishing my planters!! I promise they are almost done!!

Style: 
My in-laws just bought new furniture for their guest room which has a nautical theme. I thought this lamp from Target could be perfect in the room. Of course I will attempt to make this with stuff we have at home, however for $31.99 you can't go wrong!

Food & Drink: 
This past week we went to the most amazing breakfast spot in Atlanta called The Flying Biscuit Cafe. It was SOOOO good! My husband had their sausage and biscuits and I had oven baked green tomatoes, grits, and a spicy salsa on top. Of course everything was served with homemade biscuits and homemade cranberry apple butter. My goal for June is to recreate both of our breakfasts!! I will make sure to post the recipes and pictures when I make them.

Bambino: 
I was reading Playgroundprepster.blogspot, and she had a great idea for her kids. Buy Oh The Places You Will Go book by Dr. Seuss and each year have your children's teachers sign the book. I absolutely love this idea. In addition, I think this could be a cute baby gift as well!

In addition, have you noticed how expensive baby headbands and hair bows are? I am going to attempt to make at least some headbands before mastering the boutique bows!

Yes, I know this is cheating by buying newborn headband kit on Etsy but figure in the long run it might be cheaper then trying to buy everything myself. Plus it will help me learn how to make them!

Entertaining: 
Time to get ready for 4th of July! We are going to stay home for the 4th and hang out at the lake. I can't wait to reuse some of the decorations from our engagement party. Here are some of the projects I am going to work on.

Mason Jars and Napkins

What is a backyard BBQ without deviled eggs?

Red, White and Blue Deviled Eggs

And if you haven't caught on I am slightly obsessed with anything strawberry rhubarb!

Apple, Strawberry, Rhubarb pie with Almond Crust

Wedding: 
I always like to give something slightly personalized for weddings. I have a few weddings that I can't attend this summer, but thought these embroidered dish towels could be cute to go with their wedding present.

Embroidered Flour Sack Dish Towel

What are your Pinterest projects for June? Definitely share with me and we will feature you on the blog.

Happy Pinning!
By Jennifer Shelton

My Southern I Do's - Wedding Reception Details

You have gotten to seen a few glimpses into my wedding reception with the cocktail hour, flowers, dessert table, etc but just wanted to share a final few things that I loved!!

The Venue

The Cotton Docks at Boone Hall Plantation are extremely rustic, but perfect for the look/feel we wanted for our wedding. We hung Edison lights from the wood rafters for lighting and ambience. We also did a combination of farm tables and square tables. I liked how it we were able to also seat different numbers of people at tables.

My Pinterest Inspiration:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/167196204887206082/

And my wedding:

We loved this big fireplace, and we definitely did not need to use it at our wedding. But we filled the fireplace with tons of candles and flowers. It looked so pretty and this picture doesn't really do it justice. The monogram moss S was actually borrowed from my sister-in-laws wedding. My in-laws also made the white S monograms that hung on each side of the fireplace. They cut them out and then painted them crackle white.

On the walls in between all of the windows we bought frames at Michael's and then my in-laws made them into bulletin boards and covered the picture portion with burlap. We hung a few of our
engagement photos on the walls.

We also re-used our Southern Nest monogram from the ceremony and moved it to the reception and hung it on the back wall. We used burlap ribbon to hang it. 

In the windows we hung mason jars with babies breath which I thought looked so cute. We also had candles in mason jars in the windows as well! I had seen this a few ways done differently on Pinterest like hanging from the rafters

But decided that was too much for my wedding, so I tweaked the idea an had them hanging from the windows.

Tables

My tables were inspired by this pin! Loved the simplicity of the flowers and tables. But they still gave the room a rustic ambiance.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/167196204887921913/

For my wedding, my mother-in-law made all of the burlap runners, and Tiger Lily put together all the flowers and candles. On the bride and groom table we had a burlap runner with our monogram on it. Unfortunately our photographer didn't get any pictures of the runner and head table!

My goal was to have my flowers look like I just picked them from the garden! Hamby Catering provided the burlap bags for the silverware. My step-father made the table numbers. And then I printed the menu cards and thank you cards from wedding chicks.

And on the back of the bride and groom chair I made these signs from Paper Source. They were actually from the same set I used to make our dessert table sign as well! 

Bathroom Signs

I ordered these adorable signs from Serenity Now Studio on Etsy. Super easy to work with and quick turnaround. I found the burlap frames at TJ Maxx!!

Exit

At the end of the night our caterers turned the signature drink table into a place for guests to sign our guest book if they hadn't done so earlier.













These are just a few of the million pins I have on Pinterest that inspired my wedding. For more please check out my Pinterest Southern I Do's wedding board.  Follow my blog with Bloglovin

By Jennifer Shelton