♥My Wedding - I can do this! ~ Part Two ~ Spring♥

Now it's time to take a look at all of the things that make the prospect of a Springtime wedding appealing.  I have to say Spring has some tough competition after looking at Winter's possibilities but I'm going to give it a go anyway.  After all, this is Charleston, South Carolina and this apparently is a wildly popular place to get married.  In the early spring you start seeing the azaleas and pink magnolias blooming and what a sight!  Downtown you see the quaint cobblestone streets lined with palmetto trees and old lamp-posts...it really is picturesque and charming here...there are so many beautiful backdrops for a wedding in any season!  The Pictures below are just a glimpse of how beautiful it is here when things are in bloom.  The picture in the upper left was taken last summer...I think it was July.  It is a picture of the driveway at my Uncle's house, in Whitmire, SC. I love it there, it is beautiful!  The picture on the bottom left was taken in March, two years ago, outside of my (then) office, downtown Charleston.  And the other picture was taken at Magnolia Plantation...very beautiful place with many wedding options but I think out of our league budget-wise.

My "Spring" search yielded many beautiful and inspiring ideas.  I even came across some ideas for a St. Patrick's day wedding which didn't sound like a bad idea!  There are two reasons why that idea sounds appealing to me. One is very personal to me. My father passed away 8 years ago, on the day before St Patrick's day.  Now each year, in an attempt to keep my spirits up around that time, I try to keep my focus on March 17th and either planning to go out with friends or to do something for the kids. It keeps my mind busy and gives me less time to be sad! This year the kids got hot-fudge filled cupcakes. We got the same cupcakes, except ours had Irish cream frosting! That kept me busy :-). Anyway, the second reason a St Patty's wedding sounds like fun is because like the Christmas party idea, people like a party on that day. Two birds, one stone...right?  It would narrow down the menu planning stress too if we decided to make it Irish themed because we could have the bar stocked with Irish beer and whiskey, Bailey's, stuff for Irish coffee, and then we could do Irish fare...bangers and mash, Irish pasties, corned beef or lamb or fish and chips...so many fun ideas to play with!  I'm starting to see a trend...looks like I'm getting the most inspiration out of these two-for one holiday/wedding ideas!

Here are a few things that caught my eye on my hunt for Spring wedding inspiration. Flowers, flowers, flowers...everything is blooming!  And, pink drinks? Lemonade for the kids and Charleston Pink Lady's for me!  I came across the most delicious looking drink: Charleston Pink Lady Cocktail. I might have to whip a few of these up just for sampling purposes :-).

On the dress front, I found that narrowing down the dress choices for this season is easy! For one thing I am very picky, for another I do not have the figure that seemingly 98% of the women modeling wedding dresses have, so only a few fit the bill for me. Of course, lace...the one in this picture is sleeveless with an open back...love! I also really love the pearls and beading that I am seeing in the belts and sashes.  I hope the belted look is as figure flattering as it appears to be because if it is that is the look I would be going for. As for Spring colors, the pinks are subtle and delicate but the purples and mauves! I had never even considered those colors but they are marvelous!  The purples could be worked into a Fall wedding as well if I paired them with cranberry's instead of pinks. The arbor below looks like it might be pretty if set near the beach and it definitely helps narrow down the choice between an outdoor ceremony and a chapel ceremony!  If I were going to go this route, maybe a late afternoon, outdoor ceremony so that I could still incorporate candlelight into the reception decor. The ideas are swimming around in my head, all good things, no pressure...no pressure!!  For now I have resolved to delight in this process and to keep gathering ideas...so far, so good!

I welcome any and all comments that will help me make my decision! Until next time/next post - Part Three-Fall ♥

Sources: All of the images posted on this blog post, with the exception of 'garden pictures' were taken from my Spring Wedding inspiration board on Pinterest.  I put all of the images together in a collage using the PhotoGrid app so that I might get a clearer vision of the elements I would like to include in my wedding.  I am a new blogger and I in no way shape or form wish to take credit for these photos so I will post links to my Pinterest boards so that you can click through and view the blogs or websites that they originated with. This is a learning process for me and I hope I am doing this right but if there is a better way to go about this, I will learn and make corrections as I go!

https://www.pinterest.com/irishgem70/spring-wedding/

The following is a list of some of the sites I visited during my search. Thank you for the inspiration and wish me luck! 

Aiken House & Gardens 

Bridal Guide 

Colin Cowie Weddings 

Wedding Chicks 

Weddingomania 

Home My Design

Sweety Wedding

♥My Wedding - I can do this! ~ Part One- Winter♥

My dream wedding.

Girls always seem to have a vision for their wedding. They know exactly what they want and have always wanted.  Sure, maybe the vision changes slightly over the years to keep up with the times and current trends but for the most part...they know what they want.  All that is left to do from there is to save up and make it happen.  OK, perhaps I'm oversimplifying a bit.  Of course, sacrifices may come in to play and they may have to tweak things a bit to stay within their set budget but that doesn't stop them from blissfully planning the day of their dreams. 

Four of our daughters at a friend's wedding.  September 2011

Then, there's me.  It makes my head spin really, the whole thing.  That is not to say that having a wedding causes me stress, quite the contrary...I am only doing this once and I want it to be perfect.  The problems with this?  Oh where do I start?  Well, to begin with, I am a Gemini.  That means that I can't make a decision to save my life!  Believe me, it's a very annoying quality.  For example, I want a fall wedding as much as I want a spring wedding, a chapel wedding, an outdoor wedding, daytime wedding as much as I want a candlelit evening wedding, and so on. The next thing, cost...WTH?? Shame on you America...averaging $25K for a 4-6 hour dinner party?  I have seen much better prices for overseas weddings but then you have to factor in the cost of travel which puts it right back up there in price. Then perhaps the most complex issue is my last gripe.  I guess it is more of a modern day complication...children.  He has two, I have two and we have our newest bundle of joy, bringing our total to 5.  All girls, all excited about us getting married, all expecting to be a part of the day with some even expecting to be a part of the ceremony itself.  There are days when I think of just doing a cruise wedding to alleviate some of the planning stress, but add kids, the price goes up - add kids, honeymoon changes to a familymoon, leave kids out....sad kids, sad mommy!  What to do?  Well, so far, the solution has been, nothing.  I have done NOTHING! So, I think what I will do is try out some ideas.  Maybe one will appeal to me more than another and we will finally get somewhere...darn you Pinterest...you are so not helping! :-)

Let's start with Winter

Things I love, love, love about winter and Christmastime weddings.  I love the contrast of White with deep reds, cranberries, tartans/plaids.  It is so stunning!  Also, long-sleeved wedding gowns...with all of my indecision, there is one look I have always loved - I love long-sleeves and lace. It is just so feminine and timeless looking and what better season for long sleeves than winter!  That is a definite bonus in favor of a winter wedding.  The next thing...candles.  There is something so cozy and inviting about candle light on a cold day.  It is obviously even more beautiful in the evening, and if a roaring fire can be worked in there too....that would be awesome! I love the look of evergreen worked into the decor and even the bouquets, not only is it a striking contrast against the red and the white but it also smells heavenly!  I am thinking about plaid...maybe for the cummerbund and for the girls dresses and maybe worked into table decor somehow.  If not plaid, then maybe red or cranberry velvet...and then of course whichever I choose, I will be sure that my shoes match!  Funny, all of this fashion talk coming from me.  I am so not the fashionista...I don't even wear make-up but this is my wedding for crying out loud...exceptions must be made!

Oh my gosh, those cranberry drinks look divine!  And another thing...how cool is it having a pre-Christmas wedding?  I never ever gave it a thought because I thought it would be inconsiderate to expect people to want to attend a wedding so close to such an expensive holiday.  But, now that I think about it, isn't a wedding just a big party?  Don't people love Christmas parties?  I know I do!  And if the venue is decorated for Christmas already, that's a little less work for me, right?  The more I talk about it, the more I love the idea.....hmmmmmm my wedding dreaming is turning out to be kind of fun!

I welcome any and all comments that will help me make my decision! Now time to change gears for my next post...Part Two-Spring ♥

Sources: All of the images posted on this blog post, with the exception of the picture of my children, were taken from my Wedding, Wedding Gown and Winter Wedding inspiration boards on Pinterest.  I put all of the images together in a collage using the PhotoGrid app so that I might get a clearer vision of the elements I would like to include in my wedding.  I am a new blogger and I in no way shape or form wish to take credit for these photos so I will post links to my Pinterest boards so that you can click through and view the blogs or websites that they originated with. This is a learning process for me and I hope I am doing this right but if there is a better way to go about this, I will learn and make corrections as I go!

https://www.pinterest.com/irishgem70/winter-wedding/

https://www.pinterest.com/irishgem70/wedding-ideas/

https://www.pinterest.com/irishgem70/wedding-gowns/