2015 Wedding Giveaway Winners

Friends its been a long time coming but we are FINALLY ready to announce the winners of our 2015 Wedding Giveaway. We’ve all had the chance to meet with this beautiful couple at least once and we are so excited about their creative ideas and the zeal they have for their special day.

Erin of Bayvue Estate, Ashley of Ashley-Adrien Events,  Karen of Aleen Floral Design, Lynn of Nothing Better than Cake, & Andrew & Tianna of T.Y. Photography  just wanna say:

We don’t wanna say too much for now but I will leave you with two words, Classic Hollywood. It definitely takes a lot to pull off a rad wedding theme and this amazing team of professional wedding vendors that is beyond thrilled to be making this elegant dream come to life.

 If you aren’t invited to this wedding you are definitely gonna wanna look out to see this gorgeous blog post. We can’t wait for September!

 Love,

The 2015 Wedding Giveaway Team

P.S. We are all still looking for some amazing couples to round out our 2015 wedding calendars. Please follow the links above to visit our respective websites and inquire if interested!

Our Top 6 Baby Shower Games

Fun baby shower games do exist! Here are our top 6 favs!

Don’t Say Baby

Mum’s the word when it comes to saying ‘baby’! Get this great icebreaker started the moment your guests walk through the door. As you greet each guest, give each a diaper pin to wear on his or her shirt. Once all of your guests have arrived, tell everyone that they can’t say ‘baby’ for the duration of the shower (or until it’s time to open presents). If anyone hears someone else saying the forbidden word, he or she can steal the rule breaker’s pin. At the end of the game, the person with the most pins wins a gift.

Baby Sketch Artists

Who knew paper plates could be this much fun? Pass out sturdy paper plates and markers to all of your guests. Let them know they’ll be drawing a picture of the baby, and the best sketch will win. The catch is that everyone has to draw with the paper plate on her or his head! It’s a hilarious sight-and the finished drawings are guaranteed to have everyone in stitches.

Guess the Baby Food

If you’ve ever thought that baby food in jars looks less like the ‘peas’ or ‘carrots’ they purport to be and more like miscellaneous mush, this is the game for you. Gather seven to ten unique flavors of baby food jars, number each lid and tear off the labels. Ask each guest to grab a spoon and start sampling! The guest with the keenest taste buds wins a prize for getting the most correct.

Drink Up, Baby!

Whether you’re planning a daring couple’s shower or a tame for-all-ages party, this game is always a hilarious hit. Fill baby bottles with the beverage of your choice-beer for the guys at a grown-ups’ party and apple juice for the kids at a family baby shower. Then, give everyone a bottle and on the count of three they must suck the bottles dry as quickly as possible. The first person to down the contents of his or her bottle wins.

Baby Price is Right

Bob Barker isn’t the only one who can set the stage for big wins! Buy 10 to 12 baby items you think the parents-to-be will need. Use blank note cards to write the price of each item on one side, and the item itself on the other. Gather guests together and play it just like the TV show: each guest must guess the price of the items on the cards, and the person with the highest total-without going over-wins. Best of all, the parents-to-be get to keep the handy baby items used for the game.

Who’s that Baby?

Use baby pictures from both sides of the family.  Have a “word bank” of who’s pictures are up there and have guests fill out their guesses and drop it in a jar or something, person with most correct wins!

Our Top 6 Favorite Bridal Shower Games

Bridal showers are so much fun. Here is a top 6 list of our favorites

Newspaper Wedding Dress

This is a fun spin-off of the classic game, Toilet Paper Wedding Dress. Using a few weeks’ worth of the wedding announcement section of your local newspaper, your guests will make a funky wedding gown for the bride. Divide guests up into teams of three, and give them a supply of newspaper, scissors, tape and glitter. Assign each team a section of the wedding dress (e.g. sleeve, bodice, train, veil, skirt) and let them ‘sew’ away. Then, dress the bride in all the fabulously inventive pieces and have her pose for a very humorous photo-op.

Two Truths and a Lie

This is a great icebreaker for guests who are just getting to know each other. Each guest tells the group three experiences he or she has had with the bride or groom; two are true, one is a lie. Guests then guess which one they think is a lie. Often, the most unbelievable stories are the truth!

The Scavenger Hunt

Here’ s a sexy take on the traditional scavenger hunt: the Honeymoon Hunt. The Honeymoon Hunt is a honeymoon-themed scavenger hunt that you can have at your house, backyard or wherever the party will be. Before the party, hide sexy items like fuzzy handcuffs, body paint and lacy panties all over (or in a specific area). Divide guests into teams, give them a list and set a time limit for them to try to find all the items. Whichever team finds the most items, wins! For a tricky twist, give guests a list of clues, rather than items. And, if you’re in a smaller space, just play the game with blindfolds. Clear the area of breakables and have everyone feel around the room to find the sexy objects. Inevitably, guests end up feeling each other as much as the items. The person who ‘feels up’ the most items wins.

Read His Mind

Before the lovey-dovey twosome become one on their wedding day, test their knowledge of each other to find out if they really are ‘of the same mind.’ A week or two before the shower, ask the groom twenty revealing questions about himself and his relationship (if planning a couple’s wedding shower, give the bride her own set of twenty questions to answer), and film the groom answering each question.

Questions can be zany and/or sweetly romantic: “If you could burn one thing in your bride-to-be’s closet, what would it be,” and “What was the moment you knew she was the One,” are just a couple of great examples. At the shower, ask the bride to guess his answer to each question. Then, play his videotaped response. Each time the bride gets it wrong, give her a ball of bubblegum to chew. The worse she reads his mind, the more gum she has to chew—before you know it, the bride can barely talk around the huge, gooey wad in her mouth!

Who Said It

This is like the reverse version of The Newlywed Game, where the guests are put to the test! Before the shower, ask the couple to answer questions about their love story (how they met, their first date, the vacations they’ve taken together). Make a list of their answers, and mix up the responses so there’s no way to know who said what. Take out any names or pronouns that would make it obvious who said what, like “The first thing that attracted me was (his/her) smile.” Finally, print out copies of the list of quotes for all the guests. Pass out the list of quotes to each guest and have them draw a circle around the ones they think the guest of honor said. Whoever pairs the most statements correctly wins the game.

The Game: Bridal Shower Bingo

An oldie but goodie! It’s Bingo with wedding-themed pieces. Create bingo cards, but replace the word BINGO with the word BRIDE along the top margin. Instead of numbers, list facts relevant to the to-be-weds inside each square. For example, one might be the name of the city where the couple is getting married or the place they got engaged. Follow traditional bingo rules: The first guest to mark off a line horizontally, vertically or diagonally wins a prize.

Giveaway Wedding! | T.Y. Photography, Ashley-Adrien Events, Aleen Floral Design, & Bayvue Estate

Hello Beautiful Bride or Gallant Groom!

Erin (BayVue Estate), Tianna (T.Y. Photography), Karen (Aleen Floral Design), Lynn (Nothing Better Than Cake and myself Ashley (Ashley-Adrien Events) are so glad you found your way to our blog about the giveaway wedding we are hosting!

How it Works:

Please read everything carefully and then enter, if you meet the stipulations.

1. The wedding date is SET IN STONE: September 19th, 2015. This is the only date that works for all of the vendors so pretty please don’t enter if that date doesn’t work for you.

2. Please don’t enter you already have an incredible vendor booked for either Day of Coordination, Photography, Florals, or the event venue.  For the purposes of tis contest we come as a package deal, all or nothing.

3. Enter the rafflecopter contest posted below. We will verify that all steps have been taken.

4. At the end of the month (November 30th) we will pick three brides and they will be sent detailed questionnaires about themselves and what their dream wedding is/would be and make sure they would be a good match with the vendors involved. We want to make sure our styles fit yours!  We pride ourselves on wanting to make sure your day is the best it can be and want you to be just as excited about working with us as we are you. The questionnaire is due December 3rd, make sure you get it in on time to be considered!

5. Based on that questionnaire we will select one amazing bride and groom to be our Giveaway Wedding winner and that couple will be announce December 8th.

If you don’t meet this stipulations please share with your friends! We are hoping to find the perfect couple to bless with our services and talents!

Fine Print:

BayVue Estate will provide their 100 person guest wedding package (Value $5,250). This includes Saturday venue rental, Friday set-up/rehearsal time (inquire for detailed time frames), Brides have full access to BayVue on the day of the wedding (ceremony and reception time is limited to five hours), waterfront ceremony site & outdoor reception area, tent & tent lighting, chairs, tables and portable restroom rentals, on-site hostess, parking attendant and rental set-up and breakdown. NOTE: Any additional guests or rentals will need to be paid for. You also have the option to upgrade to the 26 hour package which would allow you to stay the night at Bayvue.

Photo by Shannon Moffit

Website | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram 

T.Y. Photography will provide 5 hours of wedding coverage and all digitals for download with the rights to print captured from the wedding day. (Value $2500) NOTE: The couple may opt to add additional hours of wedding day coverage for an additional discounted cost of $250 per hour  and/or an engagement session for $579. Other products such as canvases and albums and even a bridal boudoir session will be available to add to the wedding package at a 15% discount.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Aleen Floral Design will be providing  $1,200 worth of floral design services. This would include the flower arrangements, delivery fees, and vase rentals AT RETAIL PRICE.  Note: If the couple would like floral design services that exceed this budgeted amount, then they can pay cash or check for anything over and above this amount. 

Photo by Michael & Carina Photography
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Lynn of Nothing Better Than Cake is offering a 3 tier butter cream iced cake OR a cake with cupcakes that will feed 100. The cake would be of the Bride & Groom’s design choice and the delivery and set up fees are included. Lynn also gives her brides a free AND FRESH anniversary cake on their first anniversary!  (Total Value $500.00) NOTE: Addiitional fees apply if you desire fondant or a cake to feed a guest list larger than 100.

Website | Facebook | Pinterest

Ashley-Adrien Events will provide her “Day of” Services” package ($900 Value). This package starts about a month out from the wedding date and includes day of coordination. Note: The couple may choose to upgrade their planning services by adding on partial planning or full service planning for their special day.

Photo by Weber Photography by Wes Liz
Website |Facebook |Twitter

Please note that Bride and Groom will be expected to have an initial wedding meeting with all the vendors above to talk about their wedding day as well as do some initial planning. The couple will be expected to meet with the vendors at least one more time prior to the big day to be sure all our wedding ducks are in a row as well as keep all vendors in the loop for other planning that may affect photography, coordination, florals, or venue.

If you are still interested please enter here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck brides and grooms!

Halloween Door Decorations: Great Wreaths and Entry Accents

We have been finding some great Halloween decor online. Today we share with you our favorite Wreaths & Entry Accents courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens Online & Pinterest.

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Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes courtesy of Chow.com – Adapted from “Chicken and Egg: A Memoir of Suburban Homesteading with 125 Recipes” by Janice Cole

We love this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, Try it for this seasons holiday entertaining. Pumpkin cupcakes are a great fall or holiday dessert, as they have all the flavors of traditional pumpkin bread but in a lighter, cuter, portable form. To make them, whisk together the dry ingredients, then combine that with a mixture of eggs, oil, sugar, and pumpkin in a stand mixer. After about 25 minutes of baking and a chance to cool, top them with this Pumpkin–Cream Cheese Frosting for a double dose of pumpkin flavor.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed
• 4 large eggs
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pie filling; about 1 3/4 cups)
• 1 recipe Pumpkin–Cream Cheese Frosting (See Below)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line 2 (12-well) muffin pans with paper liners. Alternatively, coat the wells with vegetable oil; set aside.
2. Place the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside.
3. Place the sugar and measured oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until the sugar is incorporated, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula.
4. Return the mixer to medium speed and add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, about 1 1/2 minutes total mixing time. Reduce the speed to medium low, add the pumpkin, and beat until just combined, about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula.
5. Turn the mixer to low speed, slowly add the flour mixture, and beat until almost completely incorporated, about 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in any unincorporated flour at the edges with a rubber spatula, making sure to scrape to the bottom of the bowl.
6. Fill the muffin wells three-quarters of the way (about a heaping 1/4 cup per well). Place the muffin pans side by side in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pans front to back and side to side and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 10 minutes more.
7. Place the pans on wire racks and let them cool for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pans and cool completely on the racks. Frost with Pumpkin–Cream Cheese Frosting, if using.

Pumpkin–Cream Cheese Frosting

Adding a bit of pumpkin purée, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a basic cream cheese frosting gives it holiday appeal. It’s also easy to make: Just beat butter and cream cheese together in a mixer, then add powdered sugar and spices, and throw in the pumpkin at the end.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
1/3 cup pumpkin purée (not pie filling)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and whisk to combine; set aside.
2. Place the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until fully combined and smooth, about 1 minute.
3. Reduce the speed to low, slowly add the powdered sugar mixture, and beat until fully incorporated and smooth, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the paddle and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
4. Turn the mixer to medium speed, add the pumpkin, and mix until fully incorporated and smooth, about 1 minute. Use immediately.

ENJOY!!

Color Inspirations – Orange

Orange – It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation. To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as red.

For fall orange is a very popular color. It is easy to combine with other colors such as Brown, Red, Green & Yellow. For a bolder look try combining it with Blue, Pink or Purple

Here are dome of our favorite inspirations and color combos.

A Rustic look: Burnt Orange, Red & Brown

An Elegant Look: Orange, White & Gold

An Exotic Look: Orange, Hot Pink, Purple & Gold 

A Modern Look: Orange, Red, Yellow, White, Black & Gold

Popular: Orange, Blue Grey

Fall:

Wedding DIY Do’s & Dont’s

A DIY Bride is very common these days. Do-it-Yourself projects can help you save a buck and add personal touches to your special day. And with a little help from the blogs, Pinterest and Etsy.com you can make a big impact on a small budget. But don’t go overboard. Try to balance out the items you outsource to a vendor and the amount of DIY project you decide to take on yourself.  Choose wisely as some projects just aren’t worth the trouble.

Here are our picks for what to Do-Yourself and what to leave to the pros.

 

3 DIY Do’s

Your Favors: Sweet treats are always a safe choice. Home made baked items or a candy bar make for a great give-away. Pack them in colorful boxes or cute bags. For non-edibles, wrap up tree saplings or donate to charity. Be sure to give guests handwritten cards that say you’ve given in their name.

Your Invitations, Programs, and Save-the-Dates: Specialty papers, postage, and card sizes can cost a lot of money. Head to a local paper store for a DIY kit or choose stock paper in any color and print stylish invites right off of your computer. Avoid the mistake of getting too fancy and using oversized envelopes — they cost extra to mail.

Your Centerpieces: If you decide on floral arrangements take a flower arranging class before hand and buy your flowers and vases from a whole sale dealer. It will save you tons of money. Another option is to skip the flowers and use candles, feathers, seashells or decorative stones. The list of do it your self centerpieces are endless and can be very easy to make ahead of time.

3 DIY Don’ts

Your Photos: Your pictures will last forever. It’s the one thing you’ll have to always remind you of your special day. If it’s important for you to have high-quality images and hundreds of great shots, hire a pro. You’ll be glad you did when you see your picture-perfect album.

Your Catering: Catering a large-scale party is a huge undertaking, even for a culinary whiz. You’ll be hard-pressed to get enough food together for a hundred people and keep it hot — even if you make the best dish in town. And, once you get it made, you’ll need a reliable staff to serve it. Caterers are trained to make it happen; they have the support staff to serve you and your guests in a timely manner.

Coordinating it Yourself: You’ve organized every minute detail so far, so why shouldn’t you be in charge on the wedding day? Because you won’t be able to relax. Hiring a coordinator for the day can be a lifesaver. While you’re getting pampered, they’ll be setting up and averting any crisis that may occur. When everything isn’t going perfectly, you’ll be none the wiser. Trust us — peace of mind is worth the extra expense. CALL US , we know all about it;)

Hostess Gifts

Whether you are attending an informal cocktail party or a dinner party, it is always good to bring a gift for your host or hostess. Give your host something he or she will really enjoy.
Not sure what that may be, here are a few ideas. These are store bought gift ideas. Quick & Easy!

Just remember to take note of the following before you bring your gift.
– Only bring alcohol to a host you know will appreciate it. 
– Make sure your host doesn’t have any food allergies before bringing over a basket with food products.
If you’re not sure, call a mutual friend to get the information or choose a different gift idea.

Gift ideas

Large Scented Candle

Coffee Table Book

Potted Plant

Coffee / Tea Basket

Dried Fruits & Nuts Basket

Picture Frame

Trow Blanket

Bottle of Champagne or Wine

Organic Soap

Personalized Kitchen Item

Scarf

Bracelets

DIY Pumpkin Centerpiece

It is Do-It-Yourself Tuesday and today an ideas for a Pumpkin Centerpiece. It is officially fall again and pumpkins are all over the place. These are great whether you are entertaining at home or creating your own centerpieces for a wedding or event.

Pumpkin Vase

What you need: 
Medium-Large Pumpkin,
Pencil,
Sharp Carving Knife,
Drill (optional),
Plaster Scraper or Spoon,
Flower Vase or Empty Food Can,
Favorite Fall Flowers

First make sure the vase or can is smaller than the pumpkin and can fit into the pumpkin once you have hollowed it out. Create a workplace by putting down newspaper on a table or counter top. Now you are ready to start…

Step 1: Place the pumpkin on the newspaper, stem side up. Trace a circle on the top of the pumpkin using your vase or can for this.

Step 2: Cut the circle out. Use a drill to cut a hole or a sharp knife to get started. Then follow the drawn line as a guide and cut the top off the pumpkin. (You can trow away the top)

Step 2

Step 3: Hollow out the pumpkin. Scoop out flesh, pulp, and seeds with a plaster scraper, spoon or fleshing tool.

Step 3

Step 4: Put your vase or can in the pumpkin. Make sure it fits snug so it won’t fall over.

Step 5

Step 5: Fill vase or can with water (about 3/4) and add you favorite flowers. Trim the flowers to fit. Make sure your arrangement covers the entire top hole so you don’t see the vase/can.

And that’s it!

You can cheat and have your florist create the floral center piece for you and later put the vase in the pumpkin. Or you can pick out your favorite fall flowers and create the arrangement yourself.

To enhance the look of your pumpkin. You can also paint the pumpkin. Add this step between steps 3 & 4.

Step 3.5 Paint the pumpkin
Paint on a layer of sealer or varnish. This is optional, though it will help the paint to stick. Any type of general purpose sealer or acrylic medium ought to be okay, but if in doubt do a small test on the bottom of your pumpkin first. Let the sealer completely dry before applying paint. Use an acrylic paint to create any kind of color or design. I personally like one color so the focus is left on the flowers.

To create a more elaborate centerpiece or tablescape. Use vases and pumpkins of all sizes and group them together. Add a few votive candles and your all set!