Pretty shoes all in a row

 Photo via Style Me Pretty

I do apologize for my little absence. I came home for Christmas and dove into wedding planning immediately following. More to come but I thought I'd post this in the meantime. 

Holly hair pins

Holly bobby pins from The Honey Comb. Merry Christmas!

Beverage as decor

Pretty thirst quenchers.

Photo from the Knot

Photo from Style Me Pretty

Photo via Martha Stewart Weddings

Glamorous decor

photo via Martha Stewart Weddings

Champagne glass tower. Love them. Perhaps you do too?

Festive centerpiece

Winter wedding? Collect some pretty metallic bulbs like these and display them in a variety of containers. They're inexpensive and will be useful again at your first Christmas. They're about the most low-maintenance centerpiece idea I could possibly imagine. 

Photo from Martha Stewart Weddings

I loved this idea to add some sparkly buttons to the mix. So glam.

Photo above and below via bowerpowerblog

Wrapping paper decorations

 

Photos from Eat Drink Chic

Decorate with your leftover wrapping paper! See more at Mae's shop on Etsy.

Place setting

I love this place setting of a glass plate over a paper doily charger with elegant script. It doubles as a seating card. What a pretty place setting.

The classic side chignon

Great hairstyle for wedding or the holidays. Photo and instructions from {This is glamorous} blog. 

Biltmore Estate Wedding

I'm a big fan of these lovely photos from this Biltmore Estate wedding. All photos by Woodward + Rick via Style Me Pretty. 

Pretty presents

Great feature on bridesmaid gifts over at Snippet and Ink courtesy of guest blogger Simple Song. 

Another Love feature...

Photo by Events by Elaine via Project Wedding

Memorabilia

When you're planning a wedding on a budget you have to decide how you're going to spend your money. You've read all the articles about choosing to spend your money on the things that are most important to you. Perhaps the meal is the most important or the music, maybe you're most excited about a decadent cake or a deluxe bar. Whatever the category may be, you already know to spend your money there first and cut in other places. 

Photo from Martha Stewart Weddings

But besides that more general rule, I would also recommend thinking about the future. What do you most want to keep from your wedding? Obviously, everyone wants at least a few good photos. But what about memorabilia, what things do you want to save?

 Photo by Elizabeth Messina

I don't care to keep my dress or to spend a lot on my shoes or jewelry but there are other items that I'll be selecting with care. Those items include the program, cake topper, some paper decorations, my veil and a tablecloth from our table at the reception that I'll have monogrammed. I'd like to keep my cake topper for fun and as decoration in our home (I'll prove that they can be beautiful), my veil for sentimental reasons and perhaps I can lend or give it to someone later, and the tablecloth for our table on special occasions. I'm less concerned with saving and spending big money on my dress, shoes, and jewelry which is where people will push you to spend. There's obviously nothing wrong with those things but I would encourage you to think past the usual big ticket items and consider what else might be important in the future, especially in regards to your everyday life. 

Photo from Martha Stewart Weddings

With this ring

A tiny detail but, if you're having a ring bearer, might a recommend one of these for inspiration? You can find more from Martha Stewart Weddings. 

Planning the honeymoon

Photo by Brooke Schwab via Snippet & Ink

This is how I want to pack for my honeymoon, but I don't think my fiance' will want to carry it all. 

We're discussing the honeymoon. He wants an adventure filled with hiking and the great outdoors and I want relaxing getaway filled with beaches and shopping. We're working on a compromise now, oh what good preparation for marriage. He's making a list of his top five picks and I'm making a list of my top five. I'll share them with you when we're finished, along with the chosen destination. 

Simple winter table decor

Enjoyed these ideas for a cozy winter table via Project Wedding. 

"Your marriage is the point"

Here's a great guest post on Snippet and Ink from Meg at A Practical Wedding. She's helped keep hundreds of brides grounded. 

A dancin' song for your wedding.

This song, "Hey, I love you" by Michael Franti has been on my favorites list for months. It's such a fun song and the lyrics fit perfectly for a wedding- "I love you, I love you, I love you", "Rockin' in the dance hall movin' with you", "But I know one thing, that I love you", etc. It's perfect for a choreographed dance, that is, for anyone brave enough to attempt it!

The great...

wall of ribbons by Amanda Perkins Photography via Style Me Pretty.