Vintage Eclectic South Carolina Wedding

Nov 28th

by: Lauren

Happy (Cyber) Monday everyone! I hope you all had a nice long weekend with your loved ones- and I hope you’re not too full from a weekend of eating and drinking! ;) Who took part in weekend shopping festivities? Better yet- who’s taking part in Cyber Monday today? I know I’m scouring the web for some great deals! (Speaking of which, vendors, I have a Holiday Sale going on through midnight tonight!)

With all of the Fall beauty we’ve been seeing lately, I’ve been feeling like something a little different, and this eclectic South Carolina wedding from LeahAndMark.com should work just fine! Get ready for some bold colors, vintage eclectic elements, an incredibly tasty looking cake table and some excellent insight from the gorgeous bride, Ashley!

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

What helped me the most was my own obsessive need to be organized. Having my ideas and to-do list well organized allowed me see the bigger picture of what needed to be done as well as making it so much easier to delegate to those who were helping us.

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

Finding someone who was easy to communicate with and took what we wanted into consideration! It was so important to find someone whose ideas my fiance and I liked and who also listened and respected what we wanted out of the day.

Did any of your vendors do anything special for you before, on, or after your wedding day that you would like to share?

We did not have that many actual vendors but those we did gave us 150% on our wedding day. They all went above and beyond what we needed them to do to make sure that we had an amazing ceremony and reception.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

My favorite part of the reception was the dancing. Our DJ knew how to provide just the right music for the moment and it was so much fun to be able to dance all night with so many of the people that we cared about. My favorite details though, were our wedding cakes! They were made and decorated by my aunt who does this as a hobby. (She is so very talented!!) Not only did they look fantastic but they tasted even better!

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

Know your limitations and keep your expectations realistic. There are so many great ideas for planning a wedding floating around out there but it’s important to remember that one wedding can’t contain every wonderful thing that you come across. Focus on what is important to you and your significant other and do that. Your wedding will be great because it is your wedding, a chance to celebrate marrying the person you love with the people you both care about surrounding you. Don’t get so bogged down in the possibilities and choices that you forget why you are doing this in the first place.

Um, Ashley’s advice? YES YES YES!!! Thank you so much for sharing your wedding insight with us Ashley!

What do you all think of the vintage, eclectic decor? I love it- it’s one of my favorite style combinations! And how about those cakes?! Love the multiple cakes and I love that the table was integrated into the decor! A big thank you to Leah and Mark for sending this wedding over to inspire all of us, and a HUGE belated congrats to them too- they just had an adorable baby boy! :)

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: LeahAndMark.com / Venue: 300 Senate / Floral Design: Forever Flowers / Catering: Five Star Catering / Makeup: Julie Nelson

Detail To Love: Unique Draping Treatments

Category: DETAILS 1 Comments

Nov 25th

by: Lauren

pinterest twitter fb stumble gplus

Well, it’s the day after Thanksgiving- how many of you took part in the Black Friday craziness last night/this morning?! I’m kind of thankful that my family never really got into any of that- I like my sleep! :)

Anyways, on to the Detail To Love for this week! I am loving the elegance of draping treatments lately! But these aren’t just any draping treatment- they’re all so much more unique than what you normally see!

Detail To Love: Unique Draping Treatments via TheELD.com

Via Maharani Weddings

Detail To Love: Unique Draping Treatments via TheELD.com

Via SMP, Photo by Jackie Wonders Photographer

Detail To Love: Unique Draping Treatments via TheELD.com

Via SMP, Photo by Mishelle Lamarand Photography

I will forewarn you… these draping treatments are indeed a little on the pricey side! BUT if you absolutely love something like this, the key is to put a little less money towards your tables so more focus can be put on the draping! The two photos above have pretty simple tablescapes but still look fabulous because of the draping!

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend! Get lots and lots of planning done! If you have any questions about anything along the way, feel free to ask me on the Q&A page. And don’t forget about ELD 101 for lots of tips and advice posts, the Inspiration Gallery to search for inspiration on all kinds of details, and of course Every Last Vendor to find excellent and approved vendors!

[For vendors: I’ll be having specials all weekend long for Every Last Vendor and advertising spots! If you want in on the specials, go here to sign up to be notified!]

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy A Sweet Fall Tablescape!

Category: INSPIRATION 4 Comments

Nov 24th

by: Lauren

pinterest twitter fb stumble gplus

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! I hope you all are spending time with your families today and enjoy lots of yummy food! And if you have time, this is a great chance to get some planning done! If anything, share things with your family members and keep them in the loop. They always like to know wedding planning updates, right? :)

Okay, now moving on, I have this adorably sweet Fall tablescape from Robin Nathan Photography to share with you all today! It’s was fashioned as inspiration for an engagement party, complete with doughnuts as the centerpiece! YUM! I have a little bit about the shoot from Jamie, the designer and “model” for the shoot!

As we were discussing the photo shoot concept, we kept coming back to the fact that we wanted it to look comfortable, lovely, and inspired by all things autumn. As I thought about what comfort and autumn meant to me, I couldn’t help but reflect on the many autumns I had spent in the Midwest finding comfort in my mother’s cooking, the crispy crunch of orange-y, golden leaves, and lots of steaming cups of tea paired with sweet treats.

One of my fondest fall memories took place in Michigan at the Dexter Cider Mill, where I stood in line for an hour in early November waiting for their famous apple cider doughnuts. My friend and I sat out back and savored the fresh, warm doughnuts between gloved fingers and warmed our bones with hot apple cider, enjoying the clear skies through the changing foliage. Though I live in Atlanta now, I thought it would be fun to recreate my favorite fall memory in the Dexter Cider Mill and the Irwin Street Market provided the perfect backdrop. We made the doughnuts the focal point of the table and used simple materials reminiscent of the Midwest like wheat and river birch branches to bring the room to life.

My favorite part of the room was the sky blue walls that really reminded me of the sunny Midwest skies on a clear, cloudless Fall afternoon. We wanted the room to reflect a laid back, craft- meets -vintage engagement party where every guest leaves with their sweet tooth satisfied. Robin sweetly asked that my fiance and I pose for the shoot, as we were recently engaged, and still living on the “high” of our engagement. It was so fun to share this moment with my honey, as he got to see what really happens when I spend hours perfecting my DIY style.

So adorable, right? I love all of the Fall elements- absolutely perfect for today, being that’s it Thanksgiving and all! Thanks to Robin Nathan Photography for sharing this sweet shoot with us!

I’m so thankful for all of you who are a part of ELD! Thank you for allowing me to do what I love and educate and inspire all of you! And of course thank you for being so amazing! Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone! :)

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: Robin Nathan Photography / Event Design: Estoria Social / Floral Design: Foxgloves & Ivy Floral Design Studio / Rentals: Four Inch Fold Vintage Rentals / Cake: The Atlanta Cupcake Factory / Catering and Desserts: Wicked Pies / Catering and Desserts: Irwin Street Market / Etsy Designer: Luv2create2 / Hair: the FIXE blowout bar / Groom’s Attire: American Apparel

Elegant Red Ballroom Wedding

Category: REAL WEDDINGS 1 Comments

Nov 23rd

by: Lauren

pinterest twitter fb stumble gplus

So I had a little bit of a late start today because the wedding I was planning on featuring just wasn’t “doing it” for me today. I felt like sharing something with deep, rich, colors, and this wedding from La Dolce Vita Studio is just what I wanted! I think with Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I’m trying to get in the “holiday spirit”, so of course a red wedding like this one is perfect! ;) Oh, and you should know that I’ve been holding out on sharing this wedding while I wait to hear back from the bride, but I can’t wait anymore! So no wedding planning insight from her, but there are tons of gorgeous images to make up for it! :)

I don’t know what it is, but some days I just LOVE flowers- especially when they’re as gorgeous as the designs in this wedding! How about that ceremony arch?! Absolutely amazing! And the centerpieces… I love sharing new, out-of-the-box concepts like these with you all! I think what I love most is that not everything is RED- shades of red and a few other colors were used, and it is gorgeous! Thank you to La Dolce Vita Studio for sharing their beautiful images of this wedding with us!

So what do you all think? Are you loving all the flowers as much as I am?!

I’ll be back tomorrow with a special little feature for Thanksgiving, but if you don’t stop by until after all the festivities, have a happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all get to enjoy some time with family! And for those of you who aren’t engaged yet, Thanksgiving is not only the start of the holiday season, but it’s also the start of “engagement season”!! So I’ll have my fingers crossed for you! ;)