We have a WINNER!

We have a winner for our monogram canvas! It is Melissa from Melissa's Heart and Home! Melissa will have the opportunity to choose her canvas color.
Thanks to each of you who posted a comment, posted my blog button and became followers. My experience here in blogland has been a short one, but already I've met some wonderful new friends and have learned so much from each of you! I hope that you will continue to follow my blog, despite my short dry spells while I get my new venture underway. I'm very excited about the TV show and am curious to see where it might take me and my company. I can't wait to tell you more and promise I will do so as things progress and the details can unfold.
In the meanwhile, please stop back to visit and be assured that I'll be visiting you often, too!

Exciting New Project!

I apologize for being out of commission for over a week. I've been very busy focusing on a phenomenal new business opportunity that has been presented to me.
I have been contracted by a television production company to be the "talent" attached to a design show concept they will be presenting to various television networks! I can't provide any more details than that for now, but I promise that as soon as I'm allowed, you'll learn more about it.
In the meanwhile, I'm going to be a bit sporadic with my posts as I focus on this exciting new venture.
As we all know, it's not over til the fat lady sings...so while I'm excited, I'm also keeping my feet firmly planted on the ground. I'm flattered and honored to have been given this opportunity in the first place and can't wait to see where it might take my company and my brand.
Until then...I'm asking each of you for your prayers, good vibes, happy thoughts...or whatever you're able to spare!
Thank you!

An Interior Designer's Outdoor Wedding

I know that the average person would have very high expectations for a designer's wedding. They would expect that every detail would be meticulously planned and all of the decor, food and favors would be exquisite and unique. However, this designer has been so busy with her clients and business ventures, that her wedding reception is now only three months away and nothing other than the location and photographer, have been attended to!
When Eric and I became engaged last spring and began discussing our wedding, I told him that I had always wanted a fall, outdoor wedding. I grew up on a farm and my family ran a horseback riding stable for the Bedford Springs Resort in PA. I love country living and knew that my dream wedding would be in a sweet little country setting. Well it just so happens that Eric's parents own a beautiful, 300 acre mountain lodge that could host the most beautiful of weddings and we were both certain that we wanted to exchange vows there. However, there was one problem. The lodge was used for about 2 months each fall for the hunters in the family. We knew we wanted to get my boys settled into their new school that fall and couldn't put the wedding off until the following spring and be "living in sin" for all those months in between! So we decided to exchange vows in October, in our own home and have a small ceremony and reception including our brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and our best of friends- at the lodge in the spring. A bit unconventional, but it worked for our purposes. We were able to get the boys established in their new schools and be legitimately married in the fall. Now that spring is nearing, I find myself overwhelmed with family and work and with a big lack of time for the planning! I spent a bit of time yesterday trying to gather ideas and came up with a few, however I would absolutely love your input on these ideas and any suggestions otherwise!

 

This is Breeze Mountain Lodge- owned by Eric's parents

There is a pond just below the house, but after the water disaster I showed you in my last post, I think I'll be steering clear of the pond! This is actually much prettier in the spring and summer with the trees in full bloom!

 

Isn't this little sign cute? Coutesy of Country Living

Courtesy of Style Me Pretty  

I know I want a sweet little arch...must be made of wood and be very organic. Nothing overdone!

Needs a little greenery on the arch, but the shape and material is a good start! Hoping my wedding morning isn't foggy like this...and definitely not raining. We would have to cram 50 people inside the lodge in that case!

Isn't this sweet for the seating? Although our vows will be very short so we might have folks stand around us for the five minutes that might involve.

Simple elegance

Isn't this sweet? I'd be afraid my guest might not like the straw bale seating, but I love the table settings. What are your thoughts on the straw bales? 

I kind of like the idea of a picnic theme, but maybe with pretty green linens that dress it up a bit.

It will be difficult to get a caterer to come out to the location, so we might be making the food ourselves. Picnic style might be perfect. What do you think?

Oh! I love this table setting...and look at those pretty pies! Style Me Pretty 

I would love to serve pretty little cupcakes like these! 

Lemonade and tea served in old fashioned style! Country Living  

 

A simple bouquet- Country Living 

Green Wedding has these sweet favors! I love the idea of a green wedding!

 

Potted herbs would be a nice favor. Or even this sweet little decoupaged box with some soaps or mints inside. Courtesy of Country Living

Please, please, please! Share your thoughts on these ideas- be honest! And send some additional ideas my way. I have three months to go, two businesses to run, four kids and we're still building our house. I can use all of the help that I can get! I'm a pretty laid back, country girl at heart and can roll with the punches and laugh at myself...so I'm open to all ideas. I just want this reception to be a relaxed, pretty and romantic way for our families and friends to celebrate our love and get to know one another better. The simpler, the better!

What have you got?

Outdoor Wedding Blunders

Since Eric and I are hosting an outdoor wedding reception on May 22, I have spent a few moments this morning trying to gather ideas online. I plan on posting more about the topic of outdoor wedding ideas in the next few days, however I must share this video right away!
I was already feeling badly about the lack of time to plan the event, but now I'm getting worried on top of it! God, I sure hope I don't end up with a situation like this poor bride!

I'll be sharing a few details shortly, but in the meanwhile, when you're done gasping, crying or laughing for the bride shown in this video- please feel free to write with any suggestions or ideas you have seen. I can use all the help I can get!

The Wedding

I pride myself in being a stickler for the details, but since meeting my dear sweet husband, I seem to be more easily distracted and miss a few at times. Now, mind you- his charming personality and rugged good looks are a pleasant and welcome distraction, but a distraction nonetheless! Therefore, the fact that I'm just getting around to posting our wedding photos three months after the fact, will be blamed on him!
Our wedding took place on October 1, 2009 and the location was our own home. I couldn't think of a better place to marry Eric, since he himself built our home and it is a beautiful log home with great atmosphere, to boot! Present for the ceremony were our parents and our four children. We wanted this ceremony to be intimate and magical and to be focused on our new family and the bond we were promising them. The day was MAGICAL  to say the least. It was relaxed, intimate, beautiful and full of tears of joy and laughter. I couldn't have asked for more.
We will be having an outdoor reception this May to include our extended family and friends and to celebrate our marriage with all of them. I will be posting soon about that, and will be recruiting your input on the decor, etc...
Since we hired the photographer for the May reception and really wanted to keep the October wedding as private as possible, we simply gave the camera to the kids (hence the reason many of the photos seem to be taken from a shorter perspective!) and the kids did a wonderful job of capturing the wedding.
As you look around our home, you'll notice that some doors are not yet hung and the kitchen is still being built. Eric is building the center island and kitchen cabinetry himself and as we all know, these things take time. I would actually be surprised if we are able to complete the kitchen within the next year, as raising four active children and running two companies tends to leave us with a lack of time for construction! So please keep in mind that this beautiful home he built for us, is still under construction.

 

Exchanging rings (Ethan was "ring bearer")

One of the kids turned on the TV trying to find a "crackling fire" screen saver, during our first dance.  Leave it to kids to interrupt the romance!

Time for a toast!

 

Dancing with our kids was so much fun!

 

We had to laugh at our wedding cake! The "lacey" frosting on the sides of the cake started to droop! 

 

Funnier yet...the Judge dated our marriage certificate for October 1, 2010 and we didn't even realize it until the following week when I took it to attempt to change my name on my driver's license and social security card. The certificate wasn't valid and so I had to run to the JP's office to get one with the correct date and start all over again!

Enjoy and thanks for visiting!