I Can Have 2 Favourites... Right?

I have 2 favourite posts this week. Well one is more of a supporting favourite, kinda like if you won an Oscar for best female actor and then your friend wins the best supporting female actor award. This is because my favourite post comes from Ruffled , and it is a BEAUTIFUL DIY wedding where the bride literally did all the decor DIY with the help of friends and family. The supporting post comes from One Fab Day and it's on the 10 Essential DIY Supplies to Make DIY a Breeze. So really the 2nd post helps you recreate all the fabulous ideas you will get from the 1st post!

There is something to be said for doing all your own DIY.  As the bride says herself "Everything you see in our wedding was special to us. I antiqued for every single piece, and hand created with help of family and friends every decoration. That’s what made our day so special. Everything in our wedding has a story that we will always remember." (Ruffled)  Not to mention the bride had her dress custom made because she couldn't find her dream dress. So beautiful. Check out the full Handmade Michigan Wedding on Ruffled.

When every element comes from your own hands, your own hard work, your own heart it really does make a wedding personal and that's what a wedding should be.  It should reflect the couple and even though I don't know Allie & Josh, their comments and photos just seem to glow with a genuine sincerity. It's been a while since I pinned so many pictures from one wedding but I did on this Handmade Michigan Wedding and here are a few of my favourites! Thanks to Just Alex Photography for capturing this wedding!


I love the bunting Allie included in her decor and I adore that they can be reused! Who wouldn't want to to keep these for home? What a great keepsake, easy to store and a very sweet reminder of your day. I especially love the bunting with the fabric hung with miniature clothes pegs! So easy to decorate with these! You can also make a ton of different pieces for each holiday, and take them down and replace them for each event- imagine the combinations for Christmas, Easter, Birthday Parties & bringing out the originals for anniversary parties! So special :) 

Cute, inexpensive and very easy DIY for table numbers! All that's needed: buttons, needle & thread, fabric & embroidery hoop.

Looking for rustic, chic inspiration? Check out this wedding on Ruffled, the ideas are simple, realistic and beautiful.



OK, now time for the runner up- the supporting favourite! 10 Essential DIY Supplies (by Emily on One Fab Day).  This post is brilliant because it gives you the tools to start your own kit, cheap and cheerful.  Some of the items are a no-brainer for crafters but on the other hand some of them are quite useful for projects that you may haven't embarked on yet but you keep seeing inspirational photos of.  So it is time to get prepared and invest, therefor you can start doing those things you pin, instead of just saying - the next time I'm at the craft store.... Thanks Emily!! (check out her full post here).

1.Glue Gun w/ Sticks
2.Craft Knife
3.Bone Folder
4.Erasers
5.Hole Punch
6.Letter Stamp
7.Craft Mount
8.Masking Tape
9.Paintbrush
10.Scissors


Those are my favourite this week :)

Bridal Blogs I'm Bursting About!!

I am so excited to share my new favourite Wedding Blogs on here!

My favourite part about finding a new blog is all the catch up reading I get to do! It is like discovering an entire new library of resources and inspiration- or a new TV show 3 seasons in and you get to watch all 3 seasons to catch up on the current posts/episodes. My other favourite thing about a new blog is if it happens to be from the place I'm living.  This means everything is so much more personal- vendors I can access without travelling, locations I can actually visit and the traditions that I want to incorporate all with real inspiration that is so available & tangible.  My latest new love is One Fab Day by Naoise McNally & Susan Gallagher. The ladies who contribute to this site offer such new and creative inspiration.  Often times I find that many wedding blogs are continually rolling out the same ideas, but One Fab Day honestly continuously presents new and fabulous decor ideas, DIY and beautiful designs by creative designers that produce designs that anyone can find something to suit their style and body. For example:

Through One Fab Day I discovered the designer Sheila Bobeldijk who creates stunning pieces for her label, Sibo Designs (check out her website) and she also sells on her Etsy Shop .
Isn't this the most romantic veil you have ever seen? The delicate lace mantilla veil has been given a modern but still very classic update with the floral clip, gathering it to one side. 
Stunning, I'm such a big fan.
 

I have also discovered another great wedding blog, Green Wedding Shoes. Unfortunately it is based in the states, which means the vendors are not as accessible for me however I am "head over heals in love" with them because they offer such a range of beautiful DIY, Real Weddings & over all inspiration that I can relate to.



My most cherished new DIY from Green Wedding Shoes is the DIY: Polka Dot Blusher Veil: This is so easy to do and looks perfect. How many brides spend so much money on a veil when it is easily achieved through DIY? Plus this is one of those projects that you can add your own personal flair to by adding volume, colour, floral, feathers- whatever your heart desires- but at the same time this gives you the tools to create a perfectly simple & beautiful veil that will look pro without needing to add anything.

In celebration of my new favourite wedding blogs I'm going to make sure I post a Favourite Entry of the week out of all the wedding blogs I follow! Which is basically an excuse to do a lot of wedding research every week :) Till next time! xo H

I'm Back!

Hello & Welcome Back!

I am pretty ashamed to say it has been almost a year since I did my last post, but that will change!
Last summer (Aug 2011) I coordinated a friends wedding and I think that really gave me the boost to start this blog however I didn't keep it up. (See my Hobbies page on my site for photos.) I have however been very proactive using Pinterest to keep my thoughts and ideas organized. I must admit I am a lazy blogger! I think this stems back to when I was younger and was lazy making diary entries.... however I just made myself write it out cause I knew it would be interesting down the road.  Well I need to relearn my old self discipline and it starts today!

Now more than ever I am researching and idling away time on wedding sites as my boyfriend has gone back to school and is studying every evening, which leaves me with extra 'me' time.  This is why I really need to get back to blogging. 

This summer we were so fortunate to attend our good friends wedding. And I was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid! Photos will follow soon, I just can't wait to walk you through her, A Midnight Summer's Dream, themed wedding!

I will be back soon, with photos, stories & inspiration.

xo

A Word Storm

Sometimes colours come to mind, sometimes images, and sometimes just words.
The following are a few of my favourite words related to weddings, many to do with decor.

burlap
rustic
country
sage
wheat
crisp
family
inviting
games
tea lights
bunting
paper hearts
crafts
wood
heirlooms
photos
sharing
doilies
intimate
paper decorations
babys breath
homely
lace
picnic (baskets)
retreat
vintage
texture
stories
simple
classic
traditional
personal
memories
chic

Just a few that were on my mind tonight!
Also a great place to collect ideas is www.pinterest.com
Its having your own virtual bullitan boards and sooooo easy to use!

Inspiration Boards

When you think of what you want for your wedding, what comes to mind?
A feeling, colours, design ideas, food, people....
Then you try to describe this to every vendor or family member when they ask you, what do you want your wedding to be like?
Its always easier to show a picture to give a sense of what you are going after, and whats better than a picture? Lots of pictures!
A collage usually helps the best and I have found the perfect site!
It is so easy, cut and paste - without the scissors and glue!
Take a look at my first inspiration board and to see it in all its glory click the link!  http://smp.gd/b/z4g

This site also provides all the images! Just search for a photo using key words. Check out http://www.stylemepretty.com/ to create your own board but also to loose the next 5 hours of your day soaking up all their exciting ideas! 

xo Hali

Putting my notes together

I am really into this DIY/casual elegance/pretty little details/cuter than cute wedding theme.
I just can't get enough of it, and I'm not even a bride!
That's right, I'm 24 years old and have been dreaming and planning weddings for at least the last 10 years of my life.  I have been obsessed with weddings for a long time and not even just my own future wedding but all types of weddings. I love to plan weddings I would never want for myself but just to make them the most beautiful, heart felt and personal event a couple could imagine.
The design, colours, theme, down to the typography used on invitations and the welcome sign.
Then after all the planning and building the coordinating the day of- the cherry on top! To be in the middle of the busy and make it smooth, calm and enjoyable is just a fabulous, fun, long and tiring but exhilerating day (or weekend if thats what you are planning!).
Anywho here I am puting my musing together and also to have an outlit (because currently I unload all my ideas on my boyfriend).
My boyfriend is not only used to my obsession but humours me by listening to all my great ideas, just as if this was a regular hobby, like photography or hiking or crafting... he doesnt take all of this as pressure he just knows its my thing and isn't surprised, shocked or scared when he finds my spreadsheets and notes saved on the desktop titled "Great Wedding Venues in...." or "Really cute fall wedding ideas" or my doodles of floor plans or brainstorming decorations left lying on the kitchen table. So now in an effort to keep all my notes together, and maybe to share them, I have created this blog. 

xo Hali

PS: If anyone is following or comes across this and needs help researching for their wedding, just leave me a note and I'll be happy to help in anyway I can!