For my dear friend Lisa

Lisa and Adam are getting married next September at the Bavarian Lodge in Frankenmuth, MI. I've had the pleasure of creating not one, but two inspiration boards for them. It's been a while since I've been able to channel some creative energy towards the wild world of weddings, I really had fun with this project.

I was going for vintage elegance with the first board. Given their location and a color scheme of sage green and chocolate brown, this was my interpretation for a more classy affair. If Lisa and Adam opt for a more laid back atmosphere, my second board shows a hint of Oktoberfest. This board has more emphasis on the brown with the use of wood grain repeated in table tops, beer barrels, and even the cake design. Both themes use decorative wheat and a chocolate wedding cake, why not? (Lisa, check out the olive green color and use of feathers in this board over at Snippet and Ink)


Some photos that didn't make the cut but I had to share:

Barbeques and Bonfires!

How could I forget to post this!?! Being hosts and having guests in our home is such a joy for Josh and I so of course summertime barbeques and bonfires are our favorite. Josh gets an oppurtunity to show of all his hard work in the garden and I get to eat smores. If you have next Saturday evening free, by all means please stop by, we'd love to have you over. It's a chance to see everyone before the wedding madness begins, catch up with those you haven't seen in a while, and meet new faces. BYOB and we hope to see you there!

Two down, one more to go...

Congratulations Tom and Heather! We're so happy for you and your new life together. I had to share the photos from this amazingly beautiful wedding:

Heather and Tom Barry Tilson Photography slideshow

Summertime and the livin's easy

This blog would not be a truthful representation of this wedding process if I didn't honestly discuss how emotionally drained and overwhelmingly stressed I have been lately. I think a combination of focusing all my energy towards the other two weddings and coming to terms with how much work still needs to go into making our wedding a success, has really made this summer a trying time for Josh and I. Also, not having our annual camping trips, beach days, or other usual summertime activity is a bigger sacrifice than I thought it would be. I'm seeing now how important it is to maintain your normal non-wedding life's activities amidst all the wedding planning. So from here on out, the excitement and joy for our Big Day is what will keep us going. We can't sweat the small stuff. And we must remember that despite all the wedding craziness this year...everyday we wake up as the same Josh and Sheila (who happen to be exchanging vows in a couple months). Anyone want to go canoeing?

And so it begins

Zach and Breaha were married this past weekend! Wedding 1 of 3 was quite a success if I do say so myself. Thanks you guys for letting us be a part of your remarkable wedding. Enjoy some photos:

Zach & Breaha's Blaine Siesser Photography slideshow

Inspiration board-The After Party

wedding website

Finally updated with more specifics regarding the Big Day. Please visit and read the added information especially if you plan to camp. There are detailed instructions for camp set up and arrival times. We will be registering and sending out invites soon, but be sure to check the wedding website as I will be adding more details as August 22nd quickly approaches.

www.joshlovessheila.com

Our garden-the end results

As I previously promised, here are the fruits of our labor from our first season of gardening together:We had to prematurely pick the all the peppers because of a threat of frost. Hopefully this year we'll be able to yield a larger variety of green, yellow, orange and red peppers.


Our only goal is to grow enough tomatoes and peppers for our annual cooking of Aunt Rena's awesome salsa. But this year we decided to try our hand at carrots and lettuces. Wish us luck!

Easter = baby animals!!!

Josh and I did nothing over Easter weekend. It was so relaxing to just enjoy each other's company...well, and the company of some new furry friends.Josh was so fascinated by the baby ducks that Heather brought over. He couldn't take his eyes of them. As you can see, he wouldn't even look up to get his picture taken. Don't we all look like such a happy family though?
Abby made new friends:
My brother Harold's new pet rat, Rex!

the men's attire!!!

I know all you ladies have been dying to know what the guys in the wedding party will be wearing. The guys went shopping for their outfits this past weekend and have their ensembles mostly purchased. So here it is, I present to you the men's wedding attire:

These linen vests for the groomsmen are too cool. And wait till you see the shoes the bought at DSW. Still haven't settled on pants (probably will go with something a little dressier than jeans) and I'm hoping they get blue dress shirts for under the vests.

My man is going to look smokin in this get'up.

Our garden

It's beginning to warm up around here so I thought I would share some photos I took last summer around our yard.
We have the most beautiful sunflowers growing every year. They started growing when my grandmother lived in this house and had a bird feeder on the back porch with sunflower seeds. They're not as big as the common sunflowers you see therefore they never get droopy and topple over from the weight of their head like most do. This also makes them ideal for cutting to put in floral arrangments (which Josh often does)

The sunflowers have been cross-pollenated so many times we are lucky to have a variety of sunflowers...it never ceases to amaze. These photos don't even reflect the vibrant red coloring in the flower petals. And look at this little white breed that showed up for the first time last summer!
Josh knows I like simplicity so he picked this single flower for me. We had some odd looking Dahlias come up but I really loved the strangeness of them. If you click on the photo to enlarge you can see what an abnormal looking Dahlia it is.
Every year we have one or two frogs that come to live in our little ponds with the goldfish
A beautiful tomato ripening in our garden. I'll have to do another post about the vegetable garden because I have plenty more pictures to share...

Inspiration Board - Reception

Photobooths vs. Polaroids part II

A couple weeks after my post about DIY Polaroid booths being better than Photobooths, one of my favorite blogs posted a similar entry to her 2000 dollar wedding blog. Sara even took it a step further by posting a link for to different set of instructions for building your own photobooth! *

To add to my thoughts on this subject; if you are worried about the quality of photos from the Polaroids cameras and the photography skills of your guests, it doesnt hurt to ask your wedding photographer if they offer a photobooth option. You wont receive instant prints but the portraits will be professional and photographers are great at coaxing people into fun, expressive shots. You'll pay an extra $200-$400 more on top of your photography fee and that's still a huge saving over the $1500 for the rented photobooth.

*side-note: I love the blog community and encourage people to explore. I've gotten most of my money-saving, creative juices flowing ideas from other wedding blogs of soon-to-be or recently wed brides. Two heads are better than one.

Halfway there

6 months to go!

To help with wedding costs, Josh and I complied a list of things needed for the wedding, that we believe can be obtain by borrowing from friends and family(or friends of friends and family). Please let us know if you or anyone you know have any of these items and would be willing to let us use for the wedding.

white christmas lights
cake stands
mini cupcake baking tins
blue or green empty wine bottles (these would be to have not borrow, since we plan to cut them up)
tiki torches
picnic tables
yard games (horseshoes, bocce ball)
roasting sticks
white, green or blue hydrangeas (if someone has a hydrangea bush and would be willing to let us cut some stems to contribute to flower arrangements)

Happy Valentine's Day

Did you know... that Valentine's day is actually our anniversary?
Josh and I have been dating for 4 years, but starting next year we'll have a new anniversary - August 22nd!!!

green peep-toe, sling-back, wedges

I purchased my wedding shoes from Target today. Can't wait to wear them!!!

Photo booths vs Polaroids

I mentioned before that Whitney and I went to a bridal show a few weekends ago. The photos above are souvenirs from the day, the show had two photo booths and they were allowing people to try them out in hopes of booking weddings...for a hefty price of course. These photo booths are available for a rental fee of $1000-$1500. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a fun activity for the guests and a great way to get photos of all your guests but that's a big hunk of money. I believe using Polaroid instant cameras is a great alternative.

It can be even more fun and personal for your guests if you throw in fun props such as hats, glasses, and mustaches:

Or hang up some patterned fabric as a backdrop that matched your wedding colors.

This wedding had a school theme so a blackboard was used for the background at the Polaroid station. Guests could write messages for the bride and groom and a photo album was set out to house the instant photos.So here's the breakdown; you can purchase an instant Polaroid camera off Ebay for $5-$15. As for film, $200 will buy you enough for 100 shots and considering people usually pose in groups that'll give a guest list of 100 at least two times in front of the camera. Throw in miscellaneous props and a photo album and you still have savings of at least $700!!!

Here's a link to a wedding with some horribly fun photos from their own DIY photo booth.

Tea leaves, sushi and green tea ice cream

Thank the Lord for friends coming over to help assemble our Save the Date cards.I designed postcards and magnets to be uploaded to vistaprint.com where I also ordered a return address stamp all for $40. I found leaf stamps at Mejier on clearance for $2 and purchased a green ink stamp pad (the color was called "Tea Leaves") from JoAnns using a gift card I received at Christmas from Josh's cousin.

Sarah attached the magnets to each postcard, Aja and Kayla did all the stamping, and Whitney hand-addressed all the envelopes.I'm surprised we didnt get Carpal Tunnel syndrome from all the assembling, especially since took a break to make homemade sushi and crab rangoons...yumm! We finished off the day by watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding and treating ourselves to green tea ice cream. Good work ladies!(Maid of Honor-Sarah, bridesmaid-Whitney, crafty lady-Kayla, photographer-Aja)

Dont step on my blue suede shoes!

I had a wonderful weekend with Whitney. On Sunday we attended a Bridal Show at the Kellogg Center, went shoe shopping and saw Bride Wars. The movie was cute, the bridal show had lots of great cake samples (too much probably, Whitney and I overdid it) and shoe shopping was hugely successful-Whitney bought shoes for the wedding! We found an adorable pair of blue patent leather flats and it got me thinking that I need to find some show options for myself and the other bridesmaids.

So here they are:
Payless ShoeSource
Payless ShoeSource
Amazon.com
Zappos.com

The two pictured above I am considering for myself. I love wearing heels since Josh is 6'2" but heels will sink into the earth so I will happily wear wedges. For my bridesmaids I'm asking them to wear either wedges or flats like the one pictured below from Amazon.com (all guests - please avoid heels as well)

Please drink responsibly

In lieu of New Year's fesivities I thought it would be fun to find a signature cocktail to be served at Breaha, Heather, and my wedding (not that any of us will be opting to serve signature cocktails, sorry to disappoint)

Breaha's signature cocktail - The Charleston

A classic, this elegant cocktail gives a nod to the swing dance lesson that Beaha and Zach will hopefully be having at their reception.

Heather's signature cocktail - Berry BlushWith a wedding dated for 7/11 a fruity, slushy drink is a must. Maybe even serve them in Big Gulp cups!

Our signature cocktail - Lime 'n' Lemon HourWho wouldn't like a refreshing citrus cocktail for an outdoor summer wedding? We could even set up the bar to look like an old fashioned lemonade stand.

Merry Christmas!

To my family in Arizona who we miss every day that they're away from home.
To my beautiful Nicole in beautiful France.
To Whitney who's spending her winter break in Europe.
To Josh's family who have taken me in for the 4th Christmas now and make everything so merry and bright.
To Will and Kory who spent a whole day after-Christmas shopping with us.
To Sarah for rocking out with me to 80's music.
To TJ and Uriah, congratulations on your Christmas engagement!
To everyone in our lives near and far, thanks for making this Holiday season such a special one! Hope it was the best for you and yours.
Love, Josh and Sheila