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I spent two summers while in college working as a waitress at a dude ranch in Colorado. The experience was nothing less than incredible. Years later, I have wonderful friends that I still keep in touch with as well as an amazing husband. I still think back to those summers because I learned how hard work really pays off and how much I enjoyed putting together all the food events for the guests. The ranch always hired staff from the South because the owners said they always received compliments on their friendly service from guests...My boss' response was "It's just Southern Hospitality." It was not until I began planning my wedding that I realized how I had missed my calling. I wish I could say I am a successful event planner living my dream, but I am not just yet and hope that collecting my ideas and sharing them will be a start (thanks Molly). Enjoy!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Fall is Here and I Love Pumpkins

If you are getting married in the Fall, maybe some of these ideas will encourage you to use pumpkins!  It is a great way to save money and be festive! 


You can use pumpkins as vases for flowers
Fall Decor Crafts and more creative crafts projects, templates, tips, clip-art, patterns, and ideas on marthastewart.com



I love this one...Using a pumpkin as a cooler- Serve a seasonal beer too!
Ideas: Samuel Adams- Octoberfest, Blue Moon- Harvest Moon, or Leinenkugel- Oktoberfest


Use baby pumpkins for place cards


Carving pumpkins is not just a fun thing to do for Halloween-
Be creative...carve an initial or fall leaves




This is one of my favorite ideas and would be great at the entrance to your rehearsal dinner or reception.  Urns are easy to find or you may already have one that you can use from your own front porch.



If your rehearsal dinner or reception venue has a fireplace place pumpkins, gourds, and fall foliage around it for a great festive and cozy look.


Other fall arrangement ideas




Use baby pumpkins to hold pumpkin soup or a cranberry-raisin bread pudding that you serve at your rehearsal dinner or reception 




Unique idea...pumpkins are used to line the path from the parking lot to the reception


Use baby pumpkins as votive candle holders in a fall foliage chandelier or just use the pumpkins as votive holders and place them on tables at your rehearsal dinner or reception (great size to have on bistro tables at a reception)


If you are not a big fan of orange, you can find pumpkins in various colors.
These baby boo pumpkins are great to use for a wedding


You can also put these baby boo pumpkins in a tall vase layered with green hypericum berries


Nailheads could definitely give pumpkins a new look! 





Placing a variety of pumpkins on steps is a simple but great look and most venues have a few steps in the front, inside, or back


“Four steps to achievement: Plan purposefully. Prepare prayerfully. Proceed positively. Pursue persistently”
-William Ward

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Each Begins with the Letter "C"

From the article "Building a strong marriage takes work" by Dr. Billy Graham


My husband and I were thinking back to what we were doing this time last year.  We were packing to move from our rental house to our first home.  We were excited to say the least.  Everything had gone very smoothly with finding our soon-to-be home, getting approved, making an offer, etc.  But our smooth ride came to an abrupt halt.  At the end of this October, we will have been in our house for a year.  Gosh a year, but what a year it has been....from living in hotel after hotel for a month, changing jobs,  fixing up our home, starting a blog, buying a boat, to continuously learning about each other (and our dogs!) and much more.  
My Mom gave me an article a few months back she had saved about building a strong marriage.  After my discussion with my husband about our past year, I felt the need to find this article.  It is short and sweet but says so much... 

How to build a strong marriage in four simple points....Each Begins with the Letter "C"

1. Cherish
God gave you to each other; you are God's gift to your spouse.  Take time to express your love, both by your words and by little acts of thoughtfulness- a surprise gift, a special time away, a favorite dinner.  
2. Communicate
Let each other know what's going on in your life at home or at work.  Don't clam up; don't nag or only express yourself when you're upset.  The Bible says, "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver" Proverbs 25:11
3. Compromise
The greatest enemy of love is our selfishness, but in marriage you can't always have your own way, so learn to compromise with grace.  The Bible says, "Love does not demand its own way" 1 Corinthians 13:5
4. Christ
Make Christ the center of your lives and your marriage every day, by committing yourself to him and his will.

I am going to add a 5th point to make this my own
5. Caldwell
I have learned that it doesn't matter what type of home you have or where you live to begin your marriage/ life together...It's just being together that makes everything worthwhile.  

Can't wait for what lies ahead! 

“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.”
-Peter F. Drucker


Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Rolling with the Tide...Wedding Reception at "The Zone"



One of my friends got married at the beginning of August in Tuscaloosa, AL.  Of course I was excited to go because I wanted to see my friend get married, I love weddings, and of course I had to see a wedding reception in The Zone.  For those of you that have not been able to attend an Alabama Football game in The Zone,  this area is very large and packed with large banquet tables of food, popcorn and stadium dog stands, many tables and chairs, and of course people!  The Zone is a great addition to Alabama's stadium and numerous events have been held there since it was constructed.  Needless to say, I had to see how my friend was going to turn this area into something other than a place to watch football.  I took a few pictures to capture flower arrangements and such, but I mainly wanted to show how adding nice gold bamboo chairs, ivory sheen tablecloths, and flowers can really change a venue.  If you ever come across a venue that you are not sure about because of the carpet, accent colors, etc. please do not give up hope! The Zone has red carpet, yes red, and I seriously did not notice it!

She used the bar area that was already provided as well as an additional bar on the other side of the room.  The bars had personalized koozies for everyone to grab and use right then or take with them.  The flower arrangements were assembled differently throughout the room and had a wide variety of bright colored summer flowers- perfect for August.  There were numerous tall arrangements on the main 60 inch round tables which were all towards the center of the room.  These tall arrangements immediately caught my eye as I entered the room.  The tablecloths were an ivory sheen that complimented the colorful flowers.  The food tables had a large arrangement in the center that was gorgeous.  Towards the back of the room there was a potato bar and many small tables.










The reception was a lot of fun. Good food, good friends, good times! The band was awesome and had everyone dancing.  I especially loved the spacious dance floor.  The room was so large that my friends and I had our own little dance party towards the end of the night! Another great aspect was that you could actually have a conversation by just walking ten feet away from the band.  Many venues cannot provide the greatest space for all the tables, chairs, food tables, bar, stage, band, lights, etc. My next tip- Do not be afraid of a large room.  Find the pros instead of the cons. The room will eventually come together, I promise!
There were sparklers for everyone to take by the exit.  The sparklers were in two tall glass vases filled with glass marbles on the gift table.  All the guests lined up by the stadium's entrance and the happy couple ran through our sparklers and left in a limo. Very picturesque!!



“Expect the best, plan for the worst, 
and prepare to be surprised.”
-Denis Waitley

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Everyone Loves a Good Deli Sandwich on the Day of a Wedding...

My husband was in a wedding over Memorial Weekend in Jekyll Island!  It was so nice to take a trip, see family, and be a part of our friends' big day!  The rehearsal dinner was at the main wharf of Jekyll called The Rah Bar.  We had a laid back low country boil that was delicious!  They had our group in a separate area close to the band the place had booked for the night.  I thought this rehearsal dinner was a great idea because it was different and really felt like a fun night out with friends.  Being outside and right on the water allowed the grooms' parents to just use the setting as the decor and not have to spend time or more money to use this venue! 







The wedding and reception was at the hotel where everyone stayed- The Beachview Club (www.beachviewclub.com).  I was shocked when I heard that the bride planned everything- even did the flower arrangements with help from her bridesmaids and family.  Once again I get to show another great DIY event!  She lives hours from Jekyll and pulled this off.  So I hope this will be an inspiration for anyone that is considering doing a "Do It Yourself" wedding/event.  

The ceremony was on a small bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean under huge, century old oak trees.  Once you walked into the ceremony, there were shepherd hooks lining the walkway.  One of them held a bucket with printed fans for everyone to grab and the other held a ball of white roses.  






The bridesmaids had three different patterns of dresses that complimented each other and they carried a small bouquet mix of green flowers.  The groomsmen wore a casual attire- charcoal vests, charcoal pin striped pants, and a white button down with a black tie (the vest, pants, and tie were all bought by the groomsmen for under $50! they wore their own white shirt and black dress shoes)


The bride looked beautiful and carried a small bouquet of blue hydrangeas.  






The reception was about 100 ft from the ceremony under a huge tent that was decorated with white table cloths, small white flower arrangements, string lights that surrounded the edges, and big lanterns that hung from the ceiling (they had a soft glow once the sun set).  







They served a variety of hors d'oeuvres with wedding cake and homemade pies.  They even had a scoop of vanilla ice cream to offer as well. Yum! The food table had a really cool drift wood centerpiece and the dessert table had a unique vintage theme.  









The bride and groom did their first dance and then everyone joined in and danced throughout the night to a wide range of songs from the DJ.  Watching everyone dance to Footloose was one of my favorite moments!

For favors, they did rock candy and small containers of green m&m's that had a picture of the bride and groom and thank you printed on them.  






A few other unique touches:
-Engagement picture framed and had everyone write personalized notes on the matte 
-Cocktail napkins had a picture printed on them that the groom drew for a school assignment when he started pharmacy school (where do you see yourself in 10 years)






The bride and groom left the reception by everyone lining up holding sparklers! 
Overall, great weekend getaway and wedding! 
I even got to watch another wedding party take pictures while I was laying out at the beach...





"Well I guess event planners don't start 
their day till about 12pm, right?"
-Deby Caldwell
A little windy :)