Eyes on the Bride: Shardi Y.

Are all you TWBers out there familiar with Shardi from The Blushing Bride? She's planning a 2012 wedding and blogging about it all along the way. I'm happy to have Shardi here today as she shares a bit about her wedding inspiration and DIY plans.

(source: personal photos)

Bride’s name, age, occupation: Shardi Youngblutt, 24, writer for B&Y Advertising.

Groom’s name, age, occupation: Brandt Carroll, 23, student at IU.

City of residence: Fort Wayne, IN.

Wedding location: Saint Vincent’s ­­– a big, beautiful Catholic church in Fort Wayne. I’m not Catholic, but my fiancé is. The reception is at a place called Yolo. It’s a cutting edge reception hall that’s very urban and different.

How you met: Brandt and I went to high school together. We didn’t really know each other in high school though, because he’s a grade below me. It’s not cool to fraternize with the underclassmen, of course! Haha. We also happen to live right down the street from each other. I like to think that I’m marrying the neighbor boy. We have all the same friends, so it was just a matter of time before we decided to get to know one another.

How long you’ve dated: We’ve been together for about 3 ½ years. And we’ve been engaged now for about 7 months. The time sure flies!

How he proposed: We were on a vacation in Gatlinburg, TN actually. We went on a beautiful hike on Saint Patrick’s Day that went way up into the mountains. He was super weird and nervous the entire time (I now know why!) and on the way back down, we stopped at this beautiful little clearing. He held my hand, slipped the ring into my palm and got down on one knee. I like to think that this is exactly how Snow White would be proposed to – in the wilderness, in a beautiful clearing with the sun shining down on both of us. Beautiful :)

Wedding colors/theme: We are getting married September 29, 2012. So, I want the wedding to feel like autumn without the usual fall décor (no pumpkins, leaves, orange). I’ve chosen a palette of coral, raspberry, lime & plum. It’s rich and yummy. I am also planning on having lots of candles and romantic lighting, “stick” centerpieces, and lots of bright, floral details. ***TWB NOTE: Shardi's inspiration board is directly below, and you can read even more details about it here.***

Bridesmaid’s dresses: I’m not 100% sure yet. But, I definitely have a top contender. Coralie Beatrix makes these beautiful wrap dresses that can be worn dozens of ways! I’m definitely leaning towards using them because I would love for all my girls to be able to wear their dresses differently, in a style that flatters them the most. They’re such a high quality product, and so much fun to use! They’re also very affordable, which I love.

Best part of planning: Being able to look at dozens and dozens of pictures of beautiful weddings every day. Every time I see something I love, it just makes me so excited. I have a million ideas running around in my head and being able to make those visions a reality is definitely exciting.

Worst part of planning: The to-do lists. Sometimes when I look at the list of all the things I need to get done, I just want to quit. Or scream. Whichever comes first.

Most surprising part of planning: I never realized how much I love weddings. Before I got engaged, I would never have thought of myself as a “wedding” person. But now I have a full-fledged passion for it. I love meeting other brides and members of the wedding community. It’s full of so many wonderful people and I love every minute of it.

Favorite vendor so far: Coralie Beatrix. Make sure you check out her wrap dresses. They are a-mazing.

DIY plans: I have all sorts. I’m definitely a craft gal, so I want to make so many different things! I actually have to edit down all my ideas so I don’t end up with a thousand different things I’m committed to that I don’t have time to do. I am definitely going to be making all of my centerpieces. Not exactly sure what they will look like yet though. I definitely plan on making table number and escort cards (not sure what they will look like yet either.) I have already made Will You Be My Bridesmaid cards that turned out great!

Here’s some projects I really love: DIY favor boxes, DIY cupcakes in a jar, DIY wine bottle centerpieces, and DIY teacup candles. Be sure to check them out! They’re so much fun and easy to do!

For even more on her trip to the altar, be sure to check out The Blushing Bride as Shardi keeps us updated throughout the entire planning process.Thanks for swinging by TWB, Shardi!