{STYLED SHOOT} Southwestern in the Marsh

If you haven't already noticed I am in love with anything Southwestern... as shown in this post here + here + here annnnnd here. So it was seriously the most exciting thing ever to finally get to style and design a Southwestern themed shoot and even more exciting that we got to work with so many awesome vendors in Savannah!!!!! The magical photographer, Mackensey Alexander, photographed all the details + our gorgeous faux bride and groom. Our bride's hair and makeup were by Mandy Boyd + Jessica Mock of Dollface by Jules, who did a seriously phenomenal job... I am so in love with that fishtail braid in her half updo. She wore one of our Sarah Seven gowns from the Gold Label. Urban Poppy did the funky + super fun floral arrangements and bouquet and Thrive Cafe Catering made the cake and all the yummy Southwestern inspired treats!! Melissa Hagerty provided us paintings she had done for our placemats at the table. This shoot was also fun because my roommate, (guitarist, singer + drummer Randy Cuba) was our ceremony musician + Adrienna's boyfriend, Woody, was our officiant!!!! Hope you enjoy!!! And for more on the shoot check out this post here on our blog and this post on here on Mackensey's blog!!! Thanks again to all the awesome vendors who collaborated with us!!

{Vendor Credits} Photography by Mackensey Alexander // Styling + Ceremony Backdrop by Ivory + Beau // Flowers: Urban Poppy // Food + Desserts: Thrive Cafe Catering // Hair + Makeup: Mandy Boyd + Jessica Mock from Dollface by Jules // Dresses: Keats and Cascade by Sarah Seven // Artwork: Melissa Hagerty // Officiant: Woody  

{MAKING THINGS HAPPEN} What is your core?

Yesterday I drove 6 hours home back to Savannah from Chapel Hill, NC after the Making Things Happen Conference was over. About 10 minutes before I got home I was thinking about some of the things I had learned at the conference. And one of the major components is figuring out your core. What fires you up. What you love. And I keep coming back to the desert. Why the desert? That makes no sense. I'm from OREGON. I grew up in the rainiest non-desert like environment ever. Then I went to college in WASHINGTON. Even more rainy and more non-desert like. But still, there is just something about the desert. And not just that, but things that remind me of the desert. Arrows, antlers, bohemian styles, aztec, southwestern, Mexican food, more arrows, more antlers, cactuses, succulents, desert sunsets, the colors of the desert, etc. But I kept telling myself shit that makes no sense. Your core cannot be a place! Your core has to be something meaningful, something deep, like real deep. Something real, something you can't see but something you feel. Then it hit me.

The desert is my core because of the memories that come with it. The feelings I get when I think about the desert. The desert is my core because of the way it makes me feel and the things it reminds me of. From the memories I have as a kid running around a deserted island somewhere along the Williamette with my dad pretending we are indians, to going on this Don Juan Trek (I think that's what it was called but I most likely am wrong) in the desert as a kid with my dad and family friends and going on long hikes in the desert in Arizona, to listening to my dad telling me about growing up in Phoenix, to listening to my dad telling me about driving back and forth during the summers from the desert to California where he went to college and how he would roll down the windows and take in the desert air, to visiting Chet (my dad's college friend) in Arizona at his house in the desert, to enjoying Spring Break in Palm Springs, to going to Mexico and staying in a tent in the middle of the desert in Tijuana, Mexico two summers in a row on a mission trip to build houses for underprivileged families and learning the word of God everyday, to driving cross country with my boyfriend and staying at the Grand Canyon Ranch in a little cabin and sitting under the stars by the fire listening to an old guy play country songs on his guitar, to exploring the Grand Canyon with Chris and feeling so small yet so in love.

That is my core. It's not the desert. It's the history, the feelings, the memories, the love, the stories, the family that is my core. Thinking of the desert brings me home, to a younger place. Thinking of the desert reminds me of my dad, who actually grew up in the desert and reminds me I am my father's daughter in so many ways. He built me into the person I am today, and I am grounded in the person he is. Thinking of the desert brings me joy in my relationship, reminds me of the moments that I fell in love with Chris all over again, the moments that meant so much to me, the moments that I knew he was the guy for me. Thinking of the desert brings me peace, and happiness, and joy. And just makes me smile.

Now this brings me back to Making Things Happen. At this point you are probably wondering why does this matter? Well, let me tell you why. Because to be fulfilled, to live a wholesome life you must follow your core. And no this does not mean I am going to up and move to the desert. But this does mean that I need to understand what fires me up and how I can translate that into my business. So if love, family, memories, stories, relationships fire me up and are my core... then, those need to be my focus when working with clients. If the weddings I am helping couples with are not focused around those things then I am failing. So moving forward, I strive to focus my couples on what matters. It is not just about pretty flowers and pretty decorations, it is about sharing your story, and making a wedding memory that is focused on you, your fiance, your family and friends, and the things that matter most. I mean, sure we all love the pretty, but wouldn't you so much rather have friends leaving your wedding thinking wow, that was so unexpected, and so... them. Well, that's what I want for you and that's what I want to do for you. With that being said... here is some visualization for what brings me back to my core...

{Photo Credits} Bride & Groom via Jose Villa // Bouquet via The Sweetest Occasion, photography by Half Orange // Bride in Desert via Green Wedding Shoes, photography by Leo Patrone // Tablescape via Once Wed, photography by Charlie Star // Drink Cart via Ruffled, photography by Brushfire Photography

{MAKING THINGS HAPPEN} What fires you up?

So this is another post I have been planning out in my head for probably a week now. I guess sometimes life gets the best of me and I run out of time to blog + instead sometimes I choose sleep, which obviously is not a bad thing to do considering lately I have been feeling slightly under the weather. But that's besides the point because I'm sure you don't want to hear about my runny nose + ear wax...

Last night I completed Part 1 of Making Things Happen Goal Setting (you can read that post here). So the 3rd step in part 1 was writing about what fires you up, and I listed off several things that get me excited but I want to expand on that a little more because I think this is really important in what inspires me to be a wedding & event designer. I can't think of much that makes me more fired up and excited than a wedding or engagement session that is not just pretty but that tells a story. Of course I love the pretty don't get me wrong, but when you can inject a part of your relationship, personalities, what you like to do together into your wedding and make it unique and have it really scream, _____'s & _____'s wedding! I mean that is some awesome stuff. That is what I strive to do while helping bride's and groom's design their perfect wedding. Because that is the wedding that you and your guests are going to remember afterwards.

Now after my blabbing on about what makes me fired up... I want to challenge you future brides and grooms to get creative (or if you hire me then let me get creative for you but you have to help). I challenge you and your fiance to really try to hone in on what makes your relationship special and unique. Here's some questions to get you going...

1. What do you like to do? Together and by yourself?
2. What do you love about your fiance?
3. What things fire you up? (This can be anything really... gold spray paint? ghost furniture? garden roses? Taylor Swift? anything & everything that makes you smile, makes you happy, makes you excited for life.)
4. How did you meet?
5. Where was your first date?
6. What is one of your favorite memories together?
7. What movie do you love to watch together?
8. When and where did you know you loved each other?
9. What was your best vacation together?
10. How did he propose?

See... the answers to these questions might just reveal how you can make your wedding unique. Say for example your fiance loves to brew beer, so why not have home brewed beer as favors for your guests. Or say your favorite movie you guys watch together is James Bond, so why not have a James Bond themed movie? Or what if you both knew it was true love while camping at Lake Tahoe, insert camping themed wedding at Lake Tahoe. Etc. etc. etc. These are not real examples... But I mean I would be so down if some clients came to me and said okay we want a James Bond themed wedding. Now for picture time of things I love that fire me up!!!

I know, lots of randomness but lots of things that make me happy and inspire me. Including two things we did: our geometric garland for our last shoot at the Jepson Center and the antler escort card display I designed for our styled shoot two days at Whitefield Chapel in Savannah!!! That was a real labor of love... tying up those antlers and making sure they're the perfect height using fishing line and a ladder was not easy. I almost fell off that ladder twice since the ground was uneven and I got that fishing line so tangled up in that tree it isn't even funny. Well it kind of is really funny... But anyway, hope this inspires some of you brides and grooms out there to get personal when coming up with how you want your wedding to look!!! Have a great Wednesday everyone! Part 2 of my goal setting coming tonight. 

{Photo Credits} Ghost Chair with Sheepskin Fur via Style Me Pretty // Cactuses via Emma Dime // Southern Weddings Magazine // Weddings Unveiled Magazine //  Flowers via Snippet and Ink, photography by Stylish & Hip Weddings // Yarn Wrapped Bottles via Awesome Craft Pins // Floral Halo + Horse via Chic Sprinkles // Gold Dinosaurs via The Glitter Guide, photography by Sarah Yates // Jennifer Lawrence via Gioia Magazine May 2012 // Antlers via Styled Shoot by Simply Savannah Events and Ever Thine Vintage Rentals, photography by Lone Pine Photography // Geometric Garland via Ruffled Blog, photography by Izzy Hudgins // Ace Hotel wedding via 100 Layer Cake, photography by Max Wanger

SIMPLY INSPIRATION: Southwestern

I know this theme probably makes no sense to anyone but me. But sometimes you have to "Let your freak flag fly." -Celia Hodes (Weeds Season 1?). So this is something I love love love. Maybe a little too much. But I had to do it again because it's just one of those things I love so much. You can see previous examples of this here and here. SO... I love everything southwestern. I don't really know why, but it was kind of cute because when I was describing my dream wedding to my dad he thought it was the coolest thing ever. So I guess it all makes sense... I get my love of the desert from him. He actually spent a lot of his younger years growing up in Southern California and Arizona. I can still remember this neat trek we went on when I was really little in Arizona. So um yeah that will be happening at my wedding.... just saying.

Day 12: Southwestern

So... did you get that? Lots of succulents. Lots of desert everywhere. Maybe some kilim print rugs or print in the invitations. Maybe even some coyotes somewhere? 

{Photo Credits} Invitations via Charm & Gumption // Tablescape via 100 Layer Cake, photography by Jose Villa // Table Decor via Style Me Pretty, photography by We Heart Photography // Succulents & Vintage Bottles via Alexis Sweet Photography, styled by Nicole Rene from Simply Savannah Events // Tablescape via Ruffled, photography by Abi Q Photography // Bouquet via Ruffled, photography by Abi Q Photography // Succulent Favors via Ruffled, photography by Abi Q Photography // Tablescape via Ruffled, photography by Brushfire // Cake via Glamour & Grace, photography by Lindsey Gomes // Boutonniere via 100 Layer Cake, photography by Jose Villa