This morning I was greeted by an email from the lovely Sarah DiCicco with yet another peek of our gorgeous wedding pics!  Granted I have seen a preview slideshow thus far, there is a still a mass of eye candy that yet awaits us!  Sadly, for a reason or 2 that I am tight lipped on, I cant share our pics with you guys yet!  Trust me, I want to!  All in due time…

*Photograph by Sarah DiCicco

I wish I could call this a sneak peek, but to me a sneak peek means more are coming very soon.  Alas, more pics are not coming soon, so I am more of just a giant tease at this point!  I do want to take this time to shamelessly promote my girl Sarah!  I could seriously write a post just on how amazing she is, & not just photographically speaking, which would rightfully so read basically like a love letter, but I will rein myself in!  I suggest you take a few moments and head over to her site and leaf through some of the gorgeous imagery that she has created.  As well, do breeze through her blog which is not just solely filled with wedding imagery!

I will say as a blanket statement regarding your wedding budget & what portion of it will go toward photography, that it is one of THE most important items on your wedding checklist.  I can not tell you what the appropriate amount is for you, only you can decide that.  However, after the wedding is over & your day has passed, its the images that will remain with you forever and serve as real life vivid memories of that special day.  Nothing can replace an amazing photograph which will capture the beauty & emotion brought forth in your wedding.

Its not to say that you must spend a small fortune to achieve this either!  There are so many amazing photographers out there at a variety of price ranges, you simply need to take the time to find that special one that is right for you.  Make sure that you share the same point of view, that as you look through their work you realize your not simply looking at a photograph, but a captured moment of time.  Consider how your photographer works with light, frames images, & puts their general fingerprint on each & every photograph.  Is it something that moves & captivates you?  If so, then your likely on the right path to possibly finding your photography match!

As it happened, Sarah’s photography was one of our bigger expenses & quite frankly one of the better investments Truly & I have ever made.  I could not be more pleased with spending the money that we did & feel really strongly about that well after the wedding.  Photography quotes can knock the wind out of you at times, but realize in the end these are your real life memories, turned into art, committed to paper for a lifetime.

I am a huge fan of game night.  I would sooner invite over a room full of friends and have at a major board game then go out to bars.  Some might call that lame, others, the perfect night!  There is so much jovial fun to be had playing games & its a great reason to bring people together.

With some many good memories made playing games, its only natural that couples would be inclined to find ways to incorporate their most cherised games into their weddings.  Be it anything & everything from invitations to decor elements, there are so many creative ways to sink someone else’s battleship in the most alluring of ways.  OneWed has put together a great gallery of images that is sure to set your creative juices flowing,  helping you find the perfect way to infuse various game elements into the day!  Head over to OneWed to view the entire image gallery & make game night, wedding night!

I have a very special place in my heart for Vermont….especially Stowe, Vermont.  I find Vermont to be utterly and endlessly beautiful.  There is a peacefulness and tranquility that exists there that I am hard pressed to find in a lot of other places.  Summers in Vermont are quite possibly one of my most favorite things ever.  Believe it or not, 2 major (technically 3) things have occurred here for me!

First, when I was around 10 yr old or so, our family was skiing at Stowe Resort, where I became the unfortunate victim of a beginner skiier who couldnt control themselves yet, barreled into me & literally knocked me unconscious!   Yes I was a better skiier at 10 then most.  Our parents loved skiing & pretty much had us on skiis as soon as we started walking!  Some would maybe consider this a traumatic experience, but I am simply not built that way.  I choose to wear getting knocked out for the only time in my life as some odd badge of honor!

Second, life always has a funny way of coming full circle right?  As it turned out, my husband’s family happened to a have rental property in Stowe that had been in the family for over 30 years!  When I say rental property however, I actually mean a lovely house on 16 acres.  Definitely a place that you want to visit & simply hang out at.  When we started dating, the house in Stowe became a frequent destination for family gatherings and long warm summer days.  Just a touch over a year into our dating, my husband surprised me with a hot air balloon blown up on the property, which then whisked us away & where he ultimately proposed to me 5200 ft high above Stowe!  That story for another day!

The last thing  is our wedding!  I know, why did I not just say 3 outright?  Technically we got married in Waitsfield, Vermont.  I know, I am weird stickler for specifics sometimes.  None the less, we utilized the family’s great property & threw a day before BBQ for all our guest!  It was amazing & so much fun filled with all kinds of great things.  As soon as I get the pics back from the wonderful Sarah DiCicco, don’t you worry, the post about the BBQ will immediately follow!

So now that I have gotten a touch long winded and maybe a step off track (sorry!) let me get back to my original point!  Vermont Vows is a wonderful bridal magazine specific to Vermont.  I absolutely love their print magazine as well as their website filled with all kinds of wonderful Vermont weddings & vendors.  As I strolled over to the site today, I saw a completely adorable engagement shoot that I simply had to share!

 *Photography by Stacey Hedman

Katie & Rob took advantage of the gorgeous winter backdrop that Vermont provides & had a grand ol’time cuddling up in the snow!  Such a lovely simple shoot that makes me, as the viewer, fill cozy & long to get back to Vermont!  Might I also mention, how freaking adorable is their dog?!  We need to meet with Katie & Rob next time we are up & let their gorgeous Collie & our Truffle have a play date stat!!

Head over to VTVows to check out the full Engagement Shoot by Stacey Hedman Photography!

Remember way back in the day when you learned how to cut a heart by folding your paper in half and cutting out an awkward crescent shape within the fold?  Then you discovered that upon opening that paper that by creating a mirror image, you made a heart?  Turns out that is the very basis for Papel Picado.  What pray tell is Papel Picado exactly?  Not to cheap out, but without over doing it in the explanation  area, its a decorative craft made out of paper cut into elaborate designs.  For a  full read, here is the Wiki write up Papel Picado

I am sure without even fully realizing what you were looking at, you have seen many variations of Papel Picado!  Your most basic version of Papel Picado is something like this simple cut out flag in various colors, then crafted into a banner, as shown in this wonderful and easy DIY by the ladies at Green Wedding Shoes  This is a simple design, repeated & strung together.  Think making snowflakes!  See, you’ve already made Papel Picado and didnt even know it!

Further down our Papel Picado rabbit hole would be more complex and intricate designs.  These are typically first created on a harder card stock, which will then serves as template to use.  The template will then be laid on top of various pieces of tissue paper, while using a razor or exacto knife to cut out the various bits to craft the piece.  Etsy has a great DIY for this more complex and intricate design type.  Have a crack at this a time or two and you’ll soon find yourself creating your own unique designs totally from scratch!

While these sure can be made into some amazing decor elements for any event, believe it or not, they have transcended their way into elegant wedding invitation accompaniments & sometimes even taking center stages as the actual invite!  Two Paper Dolls has created this absolutely amazing invite wrapper using the papel picado technique!  I am in love with these & considering throwing a party just to use these lil beauties!

A stunning example of this technique being used to create gorgeous invitations is exemplified by Avie Designs, who allow Papel Picado to be the staring artist in what is sure to be a wow factor invite.  While this technique isnt exactly the most cost effective choice for your wedding budget, the outcome just may out weigh the price!  Believe it or not, I have also heard of couples who have cut their own Papel Picado invites out by hand!  What commitment!!

No matter what the use, I am totally falling for this technique & actively looking for ways to get my scissors handy & give it a go!  Something tells me there is a DIY of my very own in the near feature, so do check back, as this is totally happening!

I simply adore flowers.  I always have.  Certainly there are specific flowers that I  favor over others, but I find the more I look through arrangements & bouquets, the more my appreciation for the wonder of all flowers has really grown.  Believe it or not, there was a time I didnt really appreciate all white arrangements.  I knew they were pretty, but they werent really my thing.  Turns out, I have been wrong for some time now…

*Blanc et Noir Bouquet by Belle Fleur

There is something very alluring to me about a strong, classic well designed group of the right ensemble of white flowers that is simply….powerful.  I believe that sometimes white bouquets are over looked for the simple fact that they arent introducing another color directly into the color palette.  However,  what we tend to forget is that white actually is a color, and a lovely color at that!

There are so many amazing various hues of white to work with, from your whitest white, to creams & ivories,  that the possibilities are endless.  Bring together the right combination of delicate flowers & you have a powerful statement without ever saying a word.  As I began looking around for an arrangement that gave voice to what I am trying to say, I stumbled upon New York City Florist Belle Fleur’s gorgeous Blanc & Noir bouquet.

I am in love with this bouquet!  The basis of the design for this bouquet is the use of soft whites, utilizing Lily of the Valley, who’s petals have a subtle wave to them giving a romantic look & feel.  Accompanying those soft waves are pops of a smaller Sweet Pea, giving a more ruffled look in certain areas, bring a bit more movement to the eye within the bouquet itself.  However its the focal point of the bouquet that truly arrests the eye.  The strong & every lovely Black Eyed White Anemone.  The black eyes of the anemone inject just the right amount of contrast to the bouquet, giving dimension & depth.  They command attention without being a distraction, yet are able to compliment the other flowers in the bouquet as well.

The beauty of working with whites is that they are timeless.  Not only am I speaking to years gone by, but to the time of year.  This arrangement will be just as fitting for a February wedding as it would for one in July.  You simply can not go wrong with whites.  I strongly suggest that if you are in a place where you simply dont know which direction to take, consider white arrangements as they will always lead you down the right path!