chelsea + george | 5.28.11

The first time I ever met with Chelsea and George, I met them for a consultation at the University and Whist Club in the City of Wilmington. I had never been so impressed to be an invited to the members only club and then had the opportunity to dine with Chelsea, George, and Chelseas mother Melanie! Melanie and myself were enjoying trying the new fare that the chef was sending out to our table, and I enjoyed watching as Melanie ordered for both Chelsea and George, knowing what the both of them would want to order. She was the most gracious and attentive of mothers. And of course, Melanie and I were able to reap the benefits of keeping an open mind and enjoying the caviar on crisp wontons with mango since Chelsea and George would not even dare to sample. I knew we would enjoy ourselves during the planning process when they decided during dinner that LovelyGirls would have the opportunity to work with Chelsea and Georges family! I am so glad that we did.

Guest Post: how to choose your Wedding Photographer

We are so excited that today we have a guest post from Emily Troutman of Emily Troutman Photography. Ooooh.... her website is so cute and I am so glad that I get to gush about it here. Emily chooses to spend her days not only as a photographer, but as a mommy of three! She love spending time with her twins, 6 month old, and hubby, Matt. They love to go to the beach, head to the park, and pretty much anything else fun outdoors! As far as her photography goes, she loves to shoot on location with a classic feel. Emily loves working with beautiful natural light to illuminate her subjects and finding the right location for the subject makes all the difference. I loved reading what Emily had to say about choosing your wedding photographer, and could not wait to share it with our readers:

Outdoor Lawn Games... We do!

Summer is coming to an end, and the cooler temperatures have just started to take a turn for, shall we dare say it, comfortable. This is just around the time when I actually enjoy outside cocktail hours and watching the bride and groom from afar, especially the guests. Most often times they linger, and strike up casual conversation and often times find an excuse to go grab another cocktail and move onto the next guest. Why not turn up the FUN factor?

 

 

After watching so many outdoor cocktail hours at a distance, the one trend we have enjoyed (and even giggle at on occasion) is watching guests partake in interactive games on the lawn. Yes, you have read this correctly. Games. No, not the cheesy games that you dread when attending a baby or bridal shower (and even those haven’t been so bad as of late), but actual lawn games. Yes, the ones that you may find at a tailgate or even at a BBQ, but none the less... interactive and enjoyable to watch; even crowd pleasers! Think cornhole, horseshoes, bocce, and croquet. Black tie or khaki suited, we don’t mind if we do. It is a great way to entertain your guests and just another way to work your theme and colors into your wedding (think custom colored bean bags and silhouette painted boards!). We just adore these images shared by BG Productions from Marissa and Brians vintage wedding at the John J. Audubon Center this past season. Don’t forget to place Adirondack chairs for the spectators because we promise this will be a crowd pleaser! Enjoy the inspiration <3

Obsessing over Dusty Miller

Between my new found love for pinterest and the current falling temperatures, I took a look back at my floral board after an evening of "pinning" and found that my last seven pins all had one thing in common... dusty miller. Talk about trending (without even knowing!). I find myself fascinated with the mixtures of monochromatic blush pinks, creams, and the grays of the dusty miller with the silver brunia; then I find I am drawn to more saturated combinations of jewel tones against the silvery tones of the dusty miller (perfect for the holidays!). I love when the dusty miller is accented with black privet berries or the silver brunia berry, as we always feel it lends a more modern feel to the arrangement. We love all of the bouquets below and we can't wait to share the bouquets from our wedding labor day weekend! Can we say dusty miller and black privet berries (courtesy  of Beautiful Blooms!)? We wish we could fit in all of the beautiful flowers that have inspired us, but we were afraid this might mean inspiration overload to our viewers :) I hope that one of these bouquets at least inspires you for the seasons ahead.

Late Night Treats and "Truckies"

I have a confession to make: I am a foodie. I have always liked the idea of candy and dessert bars as a favor, but I am absolutely in LOVE with late night treats being served to guests as a way to revamp and refuel their appetites for just a few more sets on the dance floor! If you think back to your single days, before you met the love of your life, you spent evenings out with the girls (or boys) dancing the night away and somehow always worked up an appetite (well at least I did!); Evenings ended up at the nearest diner, closest fast food restaurant, and if we were at the beach, then it was a late night at the pizza shop! Should your big party be any different? Well maybe a little... serve up your favorite late night snacks or treats in style before sending guests on their way (or to the after party of the after party!) And really who needs an  actual favor anyhow? Honestly (yes we are being real) we end up throwing about 25% of them away at the end of the event, and the other percentage gets stuck in a junk drawer to be thrown away 6 months down the road. So it has been decided... You are going to find the way to your guests’ heart through their tummy, but where do you begin? Check out these fun late night snacks and food trends I have lined up for you!