House of Hydrangeas

 {Wow.  Hanging floral halos and crisp white tables.} {Dipped treats with bows--simple and cute.} {Everything about this space is amazing.} {Tickle Me Francey by OPI...my new go-to fall color.} {Speaking of fall...it has arrived at our house!...well, at least indoors :) } Happy Friday!  

I went to JoAnn Fabrics yesterday to pick up a few last minute things for the upcoming weddings I'm helping decorate. And while I was there, I traveled down some extra aisles that caught my eye and made a few light bulbs go off in my head. Today's idea centers around a bookmark I found on the cross stitch aisle.  Hanging vertically it obviously would function well in its intended job. But after admiring the pretty edge details I thought "what if it was turned on its side and used as a bouquet wrap?" The dimensions and details are perfect, and you could embellish it any way you like- cross stitching, buttons, brooches, stenciling, etc.  Because the lace trim detail is already there, the hard work is done!  All you have to do is make it your own using your initials, your wedding date, a quote, etc. When complete, wrap around bouquet and button or pin in place.  For $3.49-$3.99 (plus you could used a 50% off coupon), this is a very inexpensive way to add ...

I'm not sure if it's my recent trip to the beach, my infatuation with  nautical stripes or my upcoming weddings that has me loving these shoes, but whatever it is, I do! Evie Peep-Toe Pumps by J. Crew I think these pumps would make the most adorable wedding shoes for anyone getting hitched by the sea. They are the perfect "something blue" and the nautical stripe adds such an unexpected surprise under the wedding gown. Seriously, how cute would these be in wedding photos?

I recently scored four of these shutters for a total of $15 on Craigslist!  I was beyond ecstatic when I logged on and found the listing.  I'll be using them to escort cards for one of my upcoming weddings, but honestly the possibilities are endless with these guys. You can use them in so many different ways. As a headboard... As a memo board... As decor/art work... I think the last idea is my favorite.  I'd love to give them a nice dark stain, stack them and use them as one big piece to draw your eyes up toward the ceiling.  But we'll see... :) Images via Completely Coastal, The Lettered Cottage, 3-5 Source unknown

Lately, I've been spending a lot of time of time perusing pictures of wedding flowers. "Why?" you might ask. Well, no, I'm not getting married again.  However, I am helping two other couples do so.  I'm so honored and excited to announce that I have been hired to create and design the flowers and decor for two different weddings coming up in May.  These are my first weddings to do (aside from my own and my sister's), and I couldn't be happier.  One will be held right outside Atlanta, GA and the other will be in Santa Rosa, FL.  I am beyond thrilled to help these two lovely ladies achieve the special days they've always dreamed of.  While doing some research for their events, I couldn't help but reminisce over my own wedding day.  It will be our two year anniversary April 24, and it really does seem just like yesterday.  A Victorian home over 100-years-old was just the right setting for our reception.  And since it was just a walk acr...

For the wedding... Calvin Klein, Olivia -$82 BCBGeneration Ariel Peep-Toe-$79 Ivanka Trump Pinki Pump-$125 For the honeymoon... Guess Nazir Sandal-$62 Vince Camuto Carine Sandal-$98 Steve Madden Turnpyke Sandal-$89

It seems our table centerpiece is ever-changing.  There's always a new look to try or an accessory to move around.  After my rustic bouquet died, I replaced it with a smaller arrangement of, you guessed it, hydrangeas.  I don't think you can ever go wrong with hydrangeas.  I also moved several of my antiqued stem glass tea light holders from the server to the table to add a little drama and height variance to the other things already on the table.  I think the final look is sophisticated and warm.  What do you think?   I also added some white pumpkins to the shelf. A close-up of the table.  The table looks beautiful all lit up at night.  Perhaps one day I'll remember to take a picture when all of the candles are lit. One of the reasons I have such a fascination with decorating our long dining room table is because I really wanted to have long tables at our wedding.  They ended up not working in the space layout of the reception site ...

Wood burning is coming back...and not in a tacky, let's burn a duck onto a piece of wood and hang over our mantle kind of way.  But in a vintage, romantic and personalized kind of way. For our wedding, I was all about personalization...especially with our logo.  I used our M + J logo everywhere... Here... Here... Here... Here... Here... And here.  Just to name a few.   As you can see from this last image, I have a soft spot for wood burned pieces and, most notably, the first initial + first initial logo.  Nothing says marriage like a plus sign, right? :) So naturally when I stumbled upon these images (by Landon Jacob Productions ) from a vintage inspired wedding at Magnolia Gardens in Charleston, SC, I was in love. First of all, this pillow is gorg even without the initial tag.  I love the unfinished hem use of natural jute materials.  But add the tag and it's even sweeter.   What a great way to personalize a ring bearer pillow or fl...