confetti system

Who needs a confetti system? I need a confetti system! I feel like I should hang these all over our house and my office. I LOVE CONFETTI...

Anyways, wouldn't these be a super fun and different addition to wedding decor - it's bright and it sparkles. So. Fun.

still sicky

Why do I still have this dumb cold!? I was feeling much better before our Houston weekend trip and then Sunday night I was super sick again. Blerg...I am hoping once I get some full time rest this weekend I will be ready to rock and roll on Monday! So I'm just posting pics today from our weekend in Houston. The wedding was beautiful and Hotel ZaZa was soooooo much fun. Great hotel! It was wonderful to see all my girls and spend 3 FULL days with my handsome man! Happy weekend loves!

Rehearsal dinner at the Petroleum Club...fancy!

Erin + me - besties!

Saturday afternoon run in the park

I love this handsome guy!

Morgan, me, Katie, + Erin - go theta! the reception!

Got our Texas tex-mex fix - tacos!

cold | to | wedding

I have had the worst cold for the past week! It has totally put me behind on everything from working to blogging to exercising! Luckily I didn't have that big of an appetite but still! Grrrrr... But I guess it is kind of nice to hunker down on the couch for a week with some hot tea and watch lots of TV. I discovered Downton Abbey and The United States of Tara. Two very addicting new shows that I love, love, love!

Now I have to shop and pack like mad the next two days for my best friend's wedding this weekend! This happy couple is getting hitched on Saturday! Can't wait to see my wonderful friends on their happy day of love!

James + Mallory

I met Mallory my first day at the OU Theta house. I had just transferred and was so nervous about making new friends. I remember she had the coolest pixie haircut and pair of glasses. I thought, "this girl is totally going to be my friend." A year later we were neighbors and partied like rock stars together! Over the years she has become one of my closest friends, Mallory gives great advice and has the best sense of humor, and she is totally one of those girls that would do anything for her friends. She is the best and will be a beautiful bride on Saturday!

Mallory + me New Orleans!

destination houston

We are headed to Houston in two weeks for a wedding where I am a bridesmaid for my good friend Mallory. She tells me the weather is in the 60's so I'm coming prepared! I recently made some purchases from Old Navy this week, everything is 30% off! We are planning on visiting the Houston Zoo and if you can't tell, I'm really into animal prints right now....

brunch reception

To brunch or not to brunch....I have always wonder how a bride could pull off a brunch reception. I have never been to one myself so I just want to know what would her day be like? Would she wake up at 5:30am to start her wedding day? Everyone knows I am a morning person so that wouldn't bother me that much but what about the wedding party and guests? What time would you start the ceremony for it to be considered brunch - 10am, 11am, noon? I mean a mimosa fountain does sound kind of awesome and breakfast food is my fave...

My favorite place in Chicago for weddings is Salvage One and they have some pictures of a brunch reception on their website. The decor is so bright and fun, and the mini pancakes look so yummy! Oh, so many options for the big day!

sari napkins

I was reading on Once Wed where this bride made her napkins by buying sari fabric and cutting them out herself. I love bright and colorful table settings so I'm pretty sure I would do this for a reception or any party. I think it's a great (and cheap) idea for adding a pop of color. Here are some sari patterns I found on Etsy that I might just go ahead and buy...

halo + walking on sunshine

I wonder if it would be age appropriate to play this song at my future wedding....I think it would be fun to dance to with my gals!

Happy Wednesday!

bachelorette palooza!

I am co-hosting my friend Mallory's Bachelorette Party in New Orleans with fellow Thetas - my best friend Erin and Mallory's maid of honor and sister-in-law Leslie! We have been planning it for months now and it is getting so close! I love Mal to death, I talk to her everyday on Gchat and she is such a great friend to me, oh and she is also a fun time! ; )

Leslie wanted to do the invitations for the event and Erin and I were so excited to see them. Leslie has always been super cute and is always so stylish. She was a year below us in Theta and I remember her getting a super cute mini cooper with red stripes! Adorable, just like her!

Anyways, LOOK at these amazing invitations she helped design! Leslie said she is really into invitations (just like us) and likes to enlist someone to design them. She lives in Washington, DC and these are by Steve from By Hand Invitations. All of the details are so perfect! Look how cute the bra and panty sizes are!!! They are exactly what I was picturing and even more FABULOUS!

Mallory said "I feel like Kim Kardashian and my bachelorette party is sponsored!"

wow white dress

My sweet letter to Anthropologie got me browsing their BHLDN Web site yesterday (bad Caroline!) and I noticed this new dress I haven't seen before.

This IT dress is the ultimate romantic white gown. Look at the detailing on the sleeves and lower skirt, aMAHzing! 

And of course you have to get the matching booties! 

All of this will only cost you $6,535! ;)

{images BHLDN}

zombies attack happy couple!

Ahhh...Zombie! This couple decided to do something a little different with their wedding photos and I freaking love it! 

 See all the photos here! 

color bar

Kendra Scott makes colorful and romantic pieces for any occasion, but YOU can also create your own color palette to match your wedding colors. I can play with this color bar all day! 

Go here and start creating your own color bar designs! 

russell+hazel

I am OBSESSED with this planner from Russell+Hazel. I am basically in love with the entire r+h collection. Anyone who knows me knows I love to plan and organize. I love making lists, planning for future events, booking dates, and confirming dates! They even have a wedding planner that I love...eeek!

Isn't it just adorable!? And so practical! I think this would be a great investment for any gal....you know I do have a birthday coming up soon.....

flowers by us!

Here are a few pics of the flowers Sean and I did for his sister's wedding a month ago. Sean is surprisingly good at making the arrangements! The photographer also highlighted some of the decor from our Stock the Bar shower we hosted earlier in the week and that is my handwriting on the reserved cards. It was so fun but hard work! 

{images: so darn happy}

mr. longbrake

Here are some of my favorite wedding images from a recently discovered Chicago photographer. Justin Longbrake keeps it fun, casual and personal, check out his work!

{images Justin Longbrake}

         

sarah seven

Finding a wedding dress at a bridal boutique seems like it can be a happy and exciting time for many girls, a ritual every future bride must do. I have been on few bridal gown searches with friends and here is a classic line from one of those times:

"You can cut that dress after you wear it and dye it a dark green!" - groom's mother

She said this right after my friend found the most perfect dress, and she was dead serious! Why dark green???

So it is no surprise that I have seen many bride's just order their dresses online. It is just you and the computer. The computer won't judge you or your dress. Plus, you can send it right back if you hate it and you haven't disappointed any sales woman.

There are many options these days - J.Crew, Nordstrom, Ivy & Aster, even Anthropologie.

But one of my favorite places to look online is Sarah Seven. All of her gowns and dresses have a unique look, and she sells accessories and other styles of dresses, not just bridal.

Here are a few of my favorites bridal dresses:

{images sarah seven}

wedding #1

FYI: I am by NO means getting engaged, married or anything anytime soon!

But I am a girl who likes weddings. I am also a girl who has been in a LOT of weddings. This January will be my 10th turn as a bridesmaid for another one of my closest friends.

So I have decided that I will start dedicating my Wednesday posts to random stuff about weddings that I love and also my history of the weddings I have been in.

Let's start this post with the very first wedding I was ever in! I believe I was only 7 and it was for my dad's wedding to my step mom, Christine. I don't have pictures of the wedding now but will post some once I get my hands on them! Christine looked beautiful and I want everyone to see!

Christine's mom, our Grandma Joe, made the bridesmaids dresses. And I remember getting little pink ballet slippers to wear with the dress that we had to dye blue! We also had to wear bustles under the dresses so they would be nice and poofy! I just remember feeling so pretty, like a little princess!

This is my sister's dress below. I have mine locked away somewhere in storage! You like? :)

stock the bar!

It has been a crazy past two months getting ready for Sean's sister's wedding in Oklahoma. We got back last week and are completely exhausted! The wedding week was absolutely the BEST TIME. Sean and I threw a couple's shower for Stacy and Charlie and the theme was Stock the Bar! I think it was my most successful shower I have thrown to date! I made all of the decorations myself (Sean helped too, you should have seen him helping me shop at Michael's...crazy!) and I also got to design my first party invitation. I don't know what I would do without Paper Source, they basically know me by name now!

We collected wine bottles over the past few months and wrote with chalk paint Stacy and Charlie's wedding date, initials, etc. Then we used the rest of the bottles for vases! I made the banner from the extra invitation paper and used the cutest paper cutter (from Paper Source) to make a design on the corners. Sean helped me make the coasters which was so fun to do and I highly recommend for any kind of couple's shower. I printed off a fun pic of Stacy and Charlie and used waterproof Mod Podge to glue it to squares of cork! So cute! Sean and his dad worked the grill for us and Nikki made the rest of the yummy food, the lemon cream cheese cupcakes were to die for! I, of course, was in charge of the alcohol. We brought some Chicago beers with us (Old Styles and Goose Island 312) and  I made the best white wine sangria from a Martha Stewart recipe. I'll post the recipe later this week for all my OK friends because it is the perfect summer sangria to serve in that crazy heat!

We had a great turn out of family and friends! I appreciate my friends and sister making their way out to Norman to attend the party and I hope everyone had a lot of fun! I have the prettiest girlfriends and sister! :)