Home Improvement; Using Lowes for your wedding

September 27, 2017

I love home improvement. I adore painting hand me down furniture, arranging inspirational image walls, building craft tables, and discovering how to build anything I need for weddings!! Just this fall I am building game inspired centerpieces, ceremony pedestals, and light fixtures. More on those details later. My husband and I love to build, fix, and improve our home on our own as much as we can. Lowes is our Target. We go in for one item, and exit with a buggy full!

My love for home improvement paired with everyone’s obsession with Fixer Upper inspired me to do a Lowe’s meets wedding design. I can just picture a simple bride with a tea length wedding dress and a high ponytail with her groom in simple slacks with a bow tie and suspenders. Their closest family and friends having a brunch or an afternoon at-home, reception. The more I think about it the more I want to do it with my own husband!

In the middle of putting this design together, a dear family friend hired me to design her wedding. It was simple, classic, and amazing. She and her new husband were still in college, and trying to put together their first home. She received some items from her family; researched other items in yard sales; and when all else failed, knew to go to IKEA. Her setting up house reminded me of so many newlyweds. All you want is to make your own home but you yet to have your dream job (or paycheck!). So, you get a couch from your friend, a bookcase from goodwill to makeover, and a basic drill to help you along the way. You are also surrounded with brand new pots & pans, fine china, that coffee maker you’ve always wanted, and a memorable monogram wall hanging. Half your house is 2nd hand and worn; the other half if shiny, pretty, and oh so brand new!

This is the aspect that completed my design. I can only imagine a couple making multiple trips to Lowes to prepare their house, and make the most of it for as little $$ as possible. While loving all the pretty fine new things sitting in their dining room.

So what does this all look like?

At home wedding

Some of the details I love: First, the tile chargers. I found some great faux marble tiles on sale for $.45 each and added some copper and rose gold brush strokes to each. All Occasion Party Rentals finished everything with simple white plates, and their Sheraton style flatware.

At Home Wedding

As a His & her touch we used antique cut crystals glassware with moscow mule mugs. Second: The clever and copper styling. The copper paint cans added a great touch and were practical for cake stands and holding utensils. Plus how cute is that little colander!!! If you look closely you can even see my little nodd to Penny tile!

Third: styling with food and drink. I love seeing the drink and food options. Having the food right out ready for guest to dive into and really adds to the look. No catering chafer dishes, no bar menu needed. Put the growlers, the whiskey, the wine bottles right out there. Let the products become the decoration. Plus, imagine trifle dishes filled with homemade banana pudding, platters of fresh fried funnel cakes, plates of moist apple cake with rum sauce. Makes you want to curl up on a couch with a mug of Cafe DuMonde coffee, huh?

The finishing touch is the sign. I handed painted the saying “This is us” on to a walnut stained board. I believe this saying sums up what weddings/marriages/homes should be about. You should be able to walk into your wedding look around and say “this is us.” Make your guests feel a part of your life. Make your wedding the start of your marriage. Simple is always beautiful. Comfort and hospitality is always timeless.

So, next time you are at Lowes get inspired. Next time you are at a wedding look around and see what the wedding says about the couple. Some start off with a brand new house, some renovate a family home, and some just rent a simple one bedroom loft. Whatever your wedding is make it feel home to your guests.

Thank you to all the vendors:

Samuel Franklin Florist

All Occasion Party Rentals

Kincaid House

Bradford Catered Events

JoPhoto

Bill Waldorf Photography

Design, Styling, Signage, by Live Laugh Love Weddings

Wedding Designs Brought to Life

September 19, 2017

I am a wedding designer, and proud of it. In fact it is my true passion in this world of wedding planning. I adore the puzzle of linens, centerpieces, furniture, colors, and floor plans that makes a wedding come to life. I am known for having a vision, or a directed path when designing a wedding, but I am always tweaking, researching, experimenting to really make the design as perfect as it can be. The opportunity for me to attend a lecture by my wedding designer/planner icon, Tara Geurard, came about. I don’t think I could have jumped in my car faster on the day of the lecture. Still, it was one of the best days of my career, and for many reasons. The main reason that this day, this lecture was the best is because it ignited inspiration in me.

Before Pinterest there was imagination in creating wedding designs. There was creativity in deciding the centerpieces and place cards. Since Pinterest my wedding world had become a world of “replicate this lanterns, with this greenery, and these favors.” Personalization was falling away and replication was taking its place. After listening to Tara, and hearing about her creative process, I was asking myself “why am I letting Pinterest dictate my talent? Why shouldn’t I let Pinterest turn off my creativity and imagination?” So away I went to sketch, build, and spray paint. In a matter of just 24 hours I had 5 designs in my head. Over the next 5 months I tweaked, twisted, defined, and edited these designs. on August 22, 2017 I saw them finally come to life.

On August 22nd a bandwagon of vendors came together, and made my wedding designs, my ideas come to life. Now it wasn’t easy, and it came with challenges, but in the end I was proud of all the work and effort. I was extremely proud and thankful for my family and friends who sweated and paid a physical price for me and my creativity. I could not have done all this with out you! I couldn’t have asked for better colleagues who joined in, and gladly tried to make the design in my head come to life. Many times I was asked “do you have a photo of this idea, or a point of reference?” I would smile and simply say “nope, its in my head!”

I’m not a simply designer, I’m not a cookie cutter planner. I am a “go big or go home” person. So, I was determined to produce all 5 designs, photograph them, and break it all down in one day. Thanks to the Kincaid House in Clinton, TN and its coordinator Melissa Charles, we were able to do it! The Kincaid House’s property allowed me to set-up all the designs in different areas but still in the same location.

Here is just a taste of the different designs. I will blog about each individual one later. There is too much to say about each design. The designs were created from a love of home improvement; the life of broke newlyweds; the infatuation of the blush color; the hospitality and trends of southern women; the celebration of family; and the styles of bold classic fashion.

Bill Waldorf Photography

Thank you to JoPhoto, Bill Waldorf, And Katherine Birkbeck for their gorgeous photography! Thank you to All Occasion Party Rentals for your generosity in supplying with a huge order! Especially Cindy for organizing my crazy rental list on a weekly/daily basis. Thank you to Bradford Catering for making wonderful food, and going with my crazy ideas! The list goes on and on including: Unique Settings of Knoxville, The Happy Envelope, White Lace and Promises, Regal Tuxedos, Southern Sirens, all the models: Adaira, Hannah, and Katryn,

I want to especially thank Samuel Franklin Florist. Sam and his staff have been an amazing team to work with. Sam is my go to, see it through, no idea is too crazy guy. He has been such a support thru my whole career, and continues to be my main man. Sherri and his crew go above and beyond any of my requests. They were out in the heat helping set-up chairs, moving props, and doing anything I asked of them. I can’t say thank you enough to Sam and his amazing crew!

If you are interested in more about this photo shoot; more wedding design; how your wedding can be personalized, or how we can help you in anyway with your wedding event go over to livelaughloveweddings.com. I would be happy to your wedding memorable to you and to your guests!

September 2017