I’ve been browsing Etsy quite a bit recently. The weddings I have coming up this season are just screaming for those personal touches. I have stumbled across a few things that I think are super fun and I thought I would share a few here. I totally recommend that you take your own trip through Etsy. It’s one of my faves! Until next time… XOXO, Julie

Clutches from Yensew – I always love a stylish clutch to complete an outfit. And, your wedding day should be no exception. This one caught my eye because it is the perfect blend of glamorous and simple. And, a little something blue in the lining! And take a look at the other options for bridesmaid gifts.

Ring bearer Birds Nest from Rachel Walter – I have never been a big fan of the ring bearer pillow. Anything else that a little boy can carry would be fine. And these little nests are so cute. And so perfect for an outdoor ceremony. Just something a little different.

Love Birds Cake Topper from Lollie Blossom Studio – To keep with the nest theme, I saw these birds and thought they were so wonderful. Not cheesy. Simple. Understated. Really cute!

Seersucker Ties from Divine Domestication – Remember the inspiration board I posted a few weeks ago that featured a preppy design? Here’s is a perfect variation on the navy and white: seersucker! I love these ties so much! And, please take a look at the awesome bow ties too. I would die to see a ring bearer in these.

Hand painted Floral Silk Dress by Tanja Design – Something about this dress hits me just right. Bridesmaids dresses have a really bad reputation. I don’t know that these dresses are for everyone’s wedding party. But, I really like them. Heck. I might buy one to wear on Easter…

Something Blue Statement Necklace from RiRi Jewelry by Naoko – One of my very favorite things to find on Etsy is handmade jewelry. I love that perfect piece that completes an outfit. And statement pieces for weddings have been more and more popular. Being a lover of the color blue and knowing that every bride needs her blue, I am going to go with this piece. Amazing!

I hope you enjoyed this little round up! Keep in mind that amazing pieces aren’t only found online. Etsy is just one of the fastest and most extensive showing of artists’ handmade items. But, browse your local boutiques. There are always amazing pieces to be found. As always, your wedding should reflect you and your style. I wish you a wonderful time completing your look with any and all little touches you find!

I will have to brag on the entertainment for just a bit. Adventure the Great was the featured band and there was also a performance from Ayinde Hurrey, a West African percussionist. The two performances couldn’t have been on more opposite ends of the spectrum, but they were so wonderful. Such an accurate portrayal of the types of artists that The Layman Group supports.

I had to admit that I felt like a proud mother watching the event unfold and seeing the guests enjoy everything that had been prepared for them. Executive Artistic Director, client and friend – Doc Waller – did his normal mastery of crowd involvement. His enthusiasm for his organization and passion for the arts at large is evident in everything he does. And, that is why I love working with him.

So, here are a few photos from the night. We all had a great time and hope to see everyone there next year! Until next time… XOXO, Julie

Doc and Ayinde having a great duet on the drums. A great performance!

Adventure the Great playing for the Masquerade crowd. It was awesome!

Me and Doc. Very rare to get us both to stop at the same time.

Some of the best gals around – Shelly and Channing. Couldn’t have gotten everything done without them!

The main crew. Such a fun group!

Some of my favorite masks of the night.

Me and my faithful assistant, Emily. So glad she could come as a guest to this one!

The weather does make for some interesting scenarios for other parts of your life. Primarily event and wedding planning. As much as I have been loving our current weather pattern, it seems that no one quite knows what to do with it. Does it mean that you should plan or incorporate outdoor activities with your already planned indoor event? Does it mean that your very wintery design needs to change to a more neutral one? Does it mean that it is okay to wear more “warm weather” appropriate outfits to such events? Well, I have put down a few thoughts.

First and foremost, don’t bet on having warm weather during the winter. Think of it as a special treat. But, design your event as though normal seasonal temps will be in place. With that, I don’t recommend a tented event in the winter months. Unless you are springing for solid flooring in your tent, or tenting over concrete, you can bet that the ground will not drain as you would like it to. From my experience, if there has been any wet weather in the week prior to an event, the ground just won’t drain correctly in the winter. Warm weather or no. Thus, all the traffic in and out of the tent to set things up, all the foot traffic during the event (heels anyone?)… It adds up to a bad – probably muddy – situation. Not fun. Also, the cost effectiveness of a tented event is drastically reduced when you have to bring in side walls and heaters and flooring, etc. to make such a tent venue worthy. Not that it can’t be done. Just use your dollars wisely.

Your absolute best bet is to find a venue that offers enough indoor space that you can plan your entire event to be inside. But, have the option of being able to use their outdoor space (patios, etc.) in the good fortune that you have great weather. If, and when, that good weather happens, move your cocktails outside. Add some high boy tables and one or two pieces of music outside. These are small pieces that won’t require a huge event layout or design shift. And, it won’t draw attention away from the main event that is going on inside. Just offers your guests a little break.

My main point is that when it comes to making changes to your event at the last minute because of weather, it is much easier and more enjoyable to do it because the weather is great instead of fighting the elements to make an event happen regardless of what Mother Nature brings. As with most things, none of this matters if money is no issue. But, that is rarely the case. Just spend your dollars wisely. It is always the best situation.

Until next time… XOXO, Julie

The featured photo is one of my favorite venues, Moores Mill Club Pavilion in Auburn, Ala. In the warm months, it is open air. In the colder months, there are clear walls to keep things warm but still give the feel of the outdoors. What a perfect venue! Photo by FlipFlopFoto.com.

1. The Preppy Wedding. There are a lot of things to like about the preppy wedding. My favorite? It’s kind of like less-is-more goes bold. I know that sounds strange, but think about it. It’s clean lines. Not overdone. Just great color contrasts. There are plenty of colors that go along with a preppy design, but my choice would be navy and white. Almost nautical. To be honest, navy has been one of my favorite colors my whole life. And there are an amazing amount of colors that go with navy – think how great pops of bright pink and kelly green would look with this. But, today is all about putting navy and white together. I found this photo on Pinterest that kicked off this design thought: white anemones. While the center of these flowers are technically black, they have a blue tint to them that make me think preppy.

2. The Vintage Wedding Meets Southern Wedding. I have posted several times about the interestingly controversial (among the industry) vintage wedding. Is it in or out, trend or classic, stylish or campy…? Apparently no one can decide. So, I decided to start pinning things for my idea for a vintage wedding. Then, I looked at the board as a whole and I realized that it was taking on a distinctly southern feel. Vintage, yes. But, definitely southern. And I have decided to put the controversy to rest on the whole vintage wedding design: southern does vintage right. Actually, southern does a lot of stuff right. But, particularly vintage. To be sure, this wedding would be quite a home in Alabama or Georgia – my stomping grounds. The photo below was the one that kicked off this board. So effortless and beautiful.

3. French Country Wedding. This is my nod to girly. Or, indulging my need to travel vicariously through photos. I think it would be awesome to bring a little bit of the French countryside to Alabama. I love the movie Marie Antoinette with Kirsten Dunst and the scene with them having a summer soiree under a tent is perfect. A beautiful garden, a relaxed feel, a simple wedding. I feel like Martha Stewart would be all over this wedding (I like to imagine that Martha and I are close). The photo that kicked this board off would be a bunch of lavender. It smells amazing and is gorgeous in bunches and is so French Provincial. Merci!

I’d love to hear your thoughts and what might be inspiring you these days! Until next time… XOXO, Julie

The Meeting House One of the first buildings you see when you enter The Waters is the Meeting House. Set on Chapel Hill and overlooking the entire community, the Meeting House can hold up to 250 people for a wedding ceremony. I love the classic design and the simple lines that it has. It’s one of those buildings that stands out for it’s beautiful simplicity. Oozing traditional Southern charm. Basically, my ideal spot for a wedding ceremony.

The Marina A long pier leads out to twin boat houses that gives your guests a different experience of the lake. Room for a band and dancing and also for dining, an amazing evening on the water is easy to create. Rehearsal dinners or receptions have all enjoyed this spot to perfection.

The Pavilion Beautifully situated overlooking the sparkling pool and Lake Cameron’s white sand beach, the neighborhood pavilion offers the perfect outdoor space for a rehearsal dinner. And the adjacent outdoor kitchen makes it easy for your caterer of choice.

I invite you to learn more about this amazing community and event spot. It’s rare that I see a venue that has so much to offer. It’s beautiful, simple, southern – perfect! And, ask about our wedding packages written specifically for weddings at The Waters. Until next time…. XOXO, Julie

Karen and David’s love story is wonderful. After being widowed with triplet daughters (yes, you read that right – triplets – and they are adorable), Karen was lucky enough to meet David and fall in love. And, it’s not hard to see why David would fall for her. Karen’s personality is infectious. Bubbly, happy, sunny – all words that come to mind about her. I mean, she teaches Zumba and you know that a Zumba instructor has to be high energy. Karen was very focused on simply enjoying the day. So, it was up to me to help pull her vision together while making sure that she was able to enjoy the love and togetherness of her wedding weekend.

They decided that they wanted to have a smaller ceremony and then a larger reception. To do that, they chose the Chapel at Callaway Gardens for their ceremony to get away from things just a little bit and then moved on to the reception at the Moores Mill Country Club in Auburn. It was one of the sweetest summer soirees I’ve ever been a part of.

So, of course, we had to turn to Rob Smith of FlipFlopFoto to photograph the day just perfectly. Always lovely! I’m so glad I can share the photos with you here. Many, many congratulations to Karen and David! Y’all were so great to work with and I wish you nothing but a lifetime of happiness! Until next time….. XOXO, Julie

The girls waiting for the cake to be cut. Classic!

Last year was super fun. But, I felt very much like a slacker because I had bought my mask from Party City while so many others came with masks they had made themselves. Being one of the major sponsors of the event, I decided that this year I needed to step up my game and make my own mask. A full crafting session was needed. As I have stated before, I’m not really a crafty person until I get a certain idea in my mind. Then, it’s on. So, I went to our local Hobby Lobby and spent some time browsing.

I have never made a mask before. So, I was kind of guessing what all I needed and how much. First, I knew I wanted a full feathered mask. I recently bought a dress that I found on super sale and decided that it would be my Carnival dress. It has earth tones in it and has a little bit of a tribal feel to it. Don’t worry. I know that tribal could be questionable. But, it’s BCBG. Tribal done right. I decided that I would go with that and get feathers in brown tones. So, I picked up a few packs of feathers, a blank mask, some glue, some black paint and some paint brushes. You can see my general set up below – pardon my iPhone quality photos. Most crafting projects I do require a glass of wine to start off.

Then, I had to prep the mask as a whole. I took the elastic band out and got started by painting the whole mask black. I thought that the white showing through wouldn’t go with the tribal look. I used black paint and brushed it on. It obviously didn’t need to be perfect, just enough to take the white out, but I did do two coats. As a tip, it would have been much easier to spray paint it. I really have no clue why I didn’t just do that.

Once this was dry, and it didn’t take long, I started placing feathers. This is just a layering process. So, I started by placing some feathers around the edges. Keep in mind that feathers and glue go really well together. You don’t have to fight to get them to stick. This includes any glue that you get on your fingers and then try to pick up any feathers. It can get really annoying. To combat this, I decided to paint the glue on the mask with a brush, working in sections, and then put the feather down. That way, I could keep my fingers as clean as possible.

You might notice the mess that I have made thus far. This is because I had to trim most of the feathers I ended up using. They were either too long, or they had these fuzzy pieces that I wanted to get rid of. Like this:

Once I had the base layer put together, I could put some larger feathers on that were strictly decoration. And, I used some thinner ones to finish off the edges of the eye holes.

And, the mask is done! I spent about $20 in all. Not too bad. As a final verdict: I enjoyed my little project and I think it came out okay considering I had close to no plan going into it. It will go with my dress well and I know nobody else will have one like it. It’s not super flashy or over the top. Mostly because I will be working at the event and I need something that isn’t high maintenance. Now that it is all done, it is itching to be worn and I am more ready than ever for the Masquerade to be here! Be sure to get your tickets early! We are going to have a great time!!! – Below is the finished mask next to my choice of dress. They go together, right? Until next time – XOXO, Julie

I was honored and really excited when Jennifer asked me to be her wedding planner. She and Scott chose Callaway Gardens as their destination wedding. Jennifer had a great vision for her wedding and wanted to use black and fuchsia as her colors. Very bold. She let me be her editor on the design and we decided that there would be no white in the wedding at all except for her dress. Black chairs, black table cloths, colorful flowers. But, she would be the only white.

It is always a little risky to go bold. But, with a garden setting, I think Jennifer’s vision came together flawlessly. One of the things I liked the best is that all the black that was used in the wedding as a backdrop allowed the flowers and any other accents pop completely. And, it made Jennifer, in her dress, stand out above all.

Beyond the fun and bold design, Jennifer and Scott were very focused on making sure that they and their guests enjoyed the day to its fullest. I have seen a lot of weddings. I can say that they had a BLAST. Their guests had so much fun. Again, that makes me more happy than anything.

So, enjoy the photos taken by the wonderful Delaney Holliman Photography. Another congratulations to Jennifer and Scott! I smile every time I look at your photos!

Until next time… XOXO, Julie

Also, I ran across this fun little video that I put together years ago. I think I was just wanting to play around with my new Mac and the video software that it came with. I never really did anything with this video besides posting it on Facebook a few months ago. Maybe if I find the time, I’ll do another one. But, in honor of the new year coming up and the organizing that I’ve been doing, I’m putting it here and hope you enjoy it. May you have a safe holiday and many great wishes for a wonderful new year for you!

Until next time… XOXO, Julie

It has made me think about how much pets are a part of families and I thought I would touch on the subject of how to include your pets in your wedding. As a blanket statement coming from a wedding director, pets in weddings are bad ideas. If you think children can be wild cards at a wedding, a pet is that much worse. I have done several weddings where dogs were a part of the ceremony (my own sister’s wedding included), and while nothing has gone wrong, I still can’t say that I would recommend it.

If you do want to have your dog with you at your wedding, there are some ways to it. So, here a few tips for such a situation.

1. Make sure that you have someone designated to watch your dog throughout the entire day. Like a handler. Just to make sure that they are well taken care of. That includes having a nice set up for them during the reception. Have a room in another area just for them to relax in and have some treats.

2. Definitely include them in your photos! I can’t think of anything cuter. But, be considerate. If it is hot outside, make sure you have plenty of water. It’s only nice.

3. Think about including them in other ways. One of my clients had custom stamps made for their invitations with the photo of their cute pug, Ollie. Since Ollie wasn’t able to make it to the wedding, they wanted to make sure that he was included in their day. He also got a mention in the wedding program. I thought it was great!

I hope that you are able to include everyone you love in your wedding day. Just make sure you are as considerate as possible to your pet and to your guests. And, to wish you a wonderful Christmas holiday, I give you Invision’s unofficial mascots – Oliver and Annie. Just so you know, Annie (the brindle) hates when I do Christmas photos. She hates it. Oliver (the black and white) could be a professional dog model. Many thanks to my dogs for putting up with my photo ideas once a year. And, also thanks to FlipFlopFoto for indulging this dog-momma’s need for cuteness and taking such great photos of my kids. A very Merry Christmas to you all! Our dogs are adopted retired racing greyhounds. They make fabulous pets and there are so many that need good homes. If you want to know more, ask me or go to www.adopt-a-greyhound.org4EXARDC8EDVS