Spotted: A Meals and Miles Wedding

When I'd read the news that Meghann of Meals and Miles was engaged*, I reached out to her to find out more about her initial plans for the wedding. As many of you may remember, the days and weeks immediately following the proposal are somewhat of a blur with so many emotions, ideas, and frequent wedding blog searches all mixed together. Because Meghann is looking to have her wedding about 12 months from now, though, she was already beginning the process of nailing down some specifics, and has a distinct theme in mind.

After hearing about the "navy blue rustic snowflake" theme from Meghann, I came up with this inspiration board to share with her...and now with you. White and silver is always a winner when it comes to winter weddings, even if you're in a typically warm climate like Meghann is. Setting these colors off with something darker, like navy, creates a really full color palette to work within. The snowflake is a nice accent because it doesn't necessarily evoke ties to the holidays, just the winter season in general. Both the venue and table decor are big ways to get the rustic vibe across to guests. And I had to throw in some string lights just because Meghann likes them so much...!






sources (clockwise from bottom left): votives, boutonniere, lighted dinner, bouquet, candle, escort cards, place setting, lighted entrance, bouquet, heels, boat shoes, cupcakes, cookie wreath, table setting, balloons, salvaged door.



*Read the full proposal story from Meghann if you get a chance. It's a really sweet one and has some pretty unforgettable photos, too.

Destination Inspiration: Christmas in Bedford Falls

Inspired by last year's trip to Whoville, I decided to use another Christmas movie as the basis for a board this holiday season. This time around we're visiting quaint Bedford Falls, the setting of the classic It's a Wonderful Life.

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You can aim for 1940s elegance, try to capture that sweet small town charm, or mix in some elements from the movie like bells, angels, and lassoing the moon.

credits (clockwise from bottom left): lasso the moon sign, bride, couple in bank vault, couple coming down stairs, bells, sled, flower girls in angel wings, bride in fur, couple in car.

And I'll leave you with a favorite quote from the film, which doesn't necessarily correlate to today's inspiration but could inspire a cute housewarming gift:

Bread...that this house may never know hunger.
Salt...that life may always have flavor.
And wine...that joy and prosperity may reign forever.

Two Web Belles: ...Sitting In A Tree

1. I'm mesmerized by the fluffy folds of this cupcake liner tree from Paper Crave. This isn't a DIY for those on a time crunch, but the finished product is a stunner. With all of the liner options available now, you could swap out colors and patterns to make these fit for almost any occasion.





2. Cheese has never looked so good. We have the kind people over at Cabot to thank for so creatively arranging those little cubes of cheese into a Christmas tree.





3. A Christmas tree outfitted with ornaments is a festive way to show your guests to their seats if you happen to be hosting a wedding this time of year. These were shot by Charlotte Geary Photography, and would definitely be a sweet keepsake for guests to take home with them.





4. How chic are these topiary trees from Madigan Made? This DIY is almost too easy to pull off, too, utilizing scrap paper and wine glasses.





5. A stump isn't just a stump when you bust out some power tools and turn it into a card box. Aren't the carved initials a sweet addition?

Two Web Belles: Ice Ice Baby

1. This rose petal ice cube DIY seems to be a favorite across the web, and with its simplicity and visual impact, we can see why. Plus, having flowers in your ice is just a cool little addition to cocktail hour. Of course, edible, chemical-free blooms are a must here if you want to plunk the flowery cubes directly into a drink. Probably an obvious point, but we still wanted to mention.






2. The cakes below are icy and snowy, and still sure to be tasty when you dig in to eat. The first, from one of our faves, Pink Cake Box, is sleek with its pale blue and silver tones. The second uses frosting for its snow covered trees and icicle motif – and we always say the more frosting, the better.








3. This couples’ skate turned engagement session from Stephanie Williams is adorably charming. Doesn’t the bride-to-be look so casual and stunning at the same time? Makes us kind of want to lace up a pair of skates and see what moves we still have left from our middle school days.










4. Icicle shaped drink stirrers? We’re game to grab hold of one and swirl away.








5. No need to worry about keeping a fresh veggie display cold when you have smooth blocks of ice on hand to act as serving platters. We love how the glass-like ice carvings magnify the colors of the veggie arrangement, too.

Destination Inspiration: Christmas in Whoville

Until now, we've taken ideas for our wedding boards from destinations all around the globe. Santorini, Nashville, Bali, Napa, and our alma mater Penn State are the locations we've visited most recently. Now we wanted to do a board that represented the spirit of the holiday season, and no "real life" destination seemed to measure up to the animated spot that kept popping up in our heads: Dr. Seuss' wonderfully whimsical world of Whoville. More specifically, the Whoville we all love to watch in the Christmas cartoon every year. Below are some ideas to throw together a very Seussian winter wedding, and we think the Grinch would approve...even enough to have his heart grow three sizes, maybe? We looked to punchy colors, sweet treats and knits you can wear, hold, and decorate with to create a wedding style fit for a Who. Fahoo fores!

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clockwise from bottom left: mittened couple; rainbow sorbet; flower girl; rings; sock garland; knitted flowers; cotton knit wrap; button bouquet; pink hair; cupcake tree; macaoons; bundled up bride; Who cake topper.

The Ultimate Winter Bridal Accessory

White fur is feminine and cozy. Depending on the styling it can be elegant, playful, or vintage inspired. It adds the finishing touch to outdoor photos in the cold weather, and bottom line is if you love this look there's really only one day you can get away with wearing it.

This winter bride chose a demure capelet with hook and eye closure, simple hair and makeup and a sweeping veil for a timeless look. The cropped swing cut of the capelet with the dress's cinched waist and full skirt gives a gorgeous proportion.

The photo below was the first inspiration photo I pulled from the web when I started planning. I love the stand-up collar on the jacket with her sleek sideswept updo. Check out the rest of the pics from this fabulous wedding and the story of how she found her vintage fur here.

Does the bride below look familiar? Yours truly found this winter white cropped jacket on eBay for about $20, after stalking the listings for many many weeks. The snowflake brooch is a vintage find from Etsy.

If you want to incorporate this look, your best shopping bets are Ebay, Etsy, and online bridal classifieds like Weddingbee. Many bridal shops will also sell winter accessories, but prepare to pay the "bridal markup". Animal lovers can rest easy knowing that today's faux fur looks stunning. When searching for faux, avoid vintage finds in thrift stores and consignment shops; the older styles are likely to be real.

Two Web Belles: Evergreen

1. A cluster of mini evergreen trees could provide a perfect seasonal punch on anyone's winter table. Here, Country Living nestled the trees among apples to naturally create a Christmas theme. If you want less Kris Kringle and more rustic winter, you could gather pine cones or branches and use those to fill a large container before you place your trees inside. And look to use ribbon or fabric remnants to jazz up an otherwise uninteresting bowl or bucket.

2. On the surface, these wood gift tags from Etsy's ravennagirls are just gift tags. But you know how much we love to multi-purpose here at TWB, so we starting thinking of how else to use these. Wouldn't these be perfect as napkin rings or even sprinkled on guest tables instead of the often-used flower petals?



3. We've been digging pinecone crafts since that peanut butter bird feeder project in our elementary school days. The projects below are a little more sophisticated. We think they're perfect for a winter wedding.

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4. This tablescape is super budget friendly because it's completely NFR (No Florist Required). Line up your pretties vases, gather some greenery and branches, and pop in a few pinecones. The variations in height, texture, and color keep it interesting.

5. This couple honored a European wedding tradition where the new bride and groom plant a tree after the ceremony as a symbol of their relationship. Neither one of us has much of a green thumb, but we like the idea of a wedding day reminder right there in the backyard.

Wedding Recap: Erin and Ryan, The Ceremony

Missed the "Getting Ready" post? Check it out here.

Once we were dressed and ready, the girls loaded into the limobus and made our way to the church. We staged a quick photo-op during the drive, and then we were on our way.

My bridesmaids were my roommates from college, and my maid-of-honor was my younger sister. My mom came along with us at this point too.

Note the snow on the ground. Remember the wedding took place in January so I opted for gray boots outside and saved my high heels for inside. As for my bridesmaids, all I can say is thanks for braving the temps and you guys looked great! The dresses are cocktail length J.Crew silk chiffon and they could pick whatever shoes they liked. Nice choices girls!

The guys were still at the hotel and were able to get a few pics in the lobby. A big plus of having a winter wedding is all of the holiday decor. The hotel lobby provided a festive backdrop.

Another shot, this time on the steps of the church. Ryan's dad, brother, nephew, best friend, my dad and my brother.

We opted to get married in the Presbyterian Church. We aren't Presbyterian, but we are different religions and they have a pretty flexible interfaith (although we are both Christian) marriage policy. Lucky for us, my mom happens to be the office manager at a (bonus!) beautiful church with ornate woodwork and stained glass windows. All of the church employees were so kind and accomodating. There were decorations here for the holidays as well, basic greenery and white lights, which was perfect. We added a ton of white candles in cylinder vases at the altar. I thought the candle altar was probably the most beautiful aspect design-wise of the whole wedding and we got many compliments on it!

Another small touch was this DIY wreath for the pulpit. My mom, dad, and I made a few more of these to use as centerpieces at the reception. We started with a styrofoam wreath and figured out that lots of hot glue was the best attachment method. Highly scientific crafting going on.

I made the programs myself in MS Word and assembled them with the help of my parents and sister. The snowflake image on the front is a stamp that I embossed on each of the covers. Embossing was a really fun project, probably the most enjoyable DIY thing I did. It was so satisfying to see the stamped image raise up with the heat gun. I realized during the design process that if I printed a small dot centered on the cover page, I could perfectly align the stamps effortlessly. I know this little stroke of genius saved many, many misfit off-center snowflake programs.

The church was great because they had a nice little parlor where the girls could sit and wait before the ceremony. The guys arrived not too long before we started off and waited in Pastor Chuck's office. Ryan said he wasn't nervous but he looks a little on edge here as they walked in.

Did I mention we had a ring bearer? Ryan's 2-year old nephew decided to make his debut a little early and announced to the church full of guests "I'M READY" and made his way with Ryan's parents. No biggie. If you decide to involve children in your ceremony, please repeat after me, "Roll with it." Your sanity will thank me. We had two babysitters in a separate room during the ceremony (also during dinner at the reception) which I also highly recommend.

Once the little guy, Ryan's parents, my mom with Pop-pop, and the bridesmaids entered, it was my turn. I wasn't nervous at all until the last few minutes before the I walked down the aisle with my dad. Major jitters at that point, but as soon as we came through the doors my nerves subsided. The photographers didn't get any shots of Ryan here, but I still remember the look on his face. I don't think I noticed anyone else in the room.

My dad handed me off and we started the ceremony. My mom and Ryan's aunt both read a passage. We used the standard wedding passage from Corinthians and "Blessing for a Marriage" by James Dillet Freeman. I love the last line:

"May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy. May you have love, and may you find it loving one another."

A close friend of ours sang "You Raise Me Up" while we lit a unity candle. Then a sermon, which I don't remember at all. We didn't have a videographer, so it will remain a mystery. We used traditional vows, and the whole ceremony only lasted about twenty minutes or so.

You may kiss (hug?) the bride.

Married! Done and done.

Next and final installment will be the reception recap. By this point you're (I use you losely, since my own proofreading may in fact be the only reader of this marathon post. So maybe I should say I'm? I digress.) probably ready to move on to other things here on the blog. Yes? Good, because we have some exciting stuff coming up next week. So the reception recap will probably have to wait until after.

Until then bloggies!

Wedding Recap: Erin & Ryan, Getting Ready

Some of the newer followers of Two Wedding Belles may not know that one of the Two Wedding Belles duo is a recent bride, and the other is recently engaged! No wonder we have weddings on the brain. Oh wait, that started wayyy before either of our guys put a ring on it.

I did a couple recap posts without photos over the winter, but I'm back with the professional pics and so excited to share them with readers and friends!

The wedding was January 2nd, one of this brutal winter's coldest days. We were married in my hometown - a small city in central Pennsylvania. If rain is good luck on your wedding day, what good fortunes must freezing temperatures and more than a little snow predict? We picked a January date for a few different reasons, and although we got some strange looks when we started spreading the word, I loved our winter wedding. I was able to incorporate the season into a lot of the projects I put together for the ceremony and the reception. I'll share all of them with you, but today's post is about getting ready.

I rented a hotel suite for the bridesmaids and had two hairstylists on hand. These stylists were fantastic and had four bridesmaids, a bride, and a mom ready to go in under two hours! We had lunch and some champagne while we took turns in the hair chair. The suite was great because my bridesmaids were all from out of town and stayed at the same hotel. In fact, all of our out of town friends and family were staying at this hotel. We had quite a few drop-ins at the bridal suite- aunts, cousins, college friends. It was happy for the chance to catch up with everyone who came by, because I live pretty far from most of them and don't get to see them nearly as often as I'd like.

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Embarrasing picture below, but this was the one point in the day when I shed a few tears. I am a crier, so I was proud of myself for keeping it (basically) together. If you're wondering what set me off, it was Phil Vassar. Just listen to "Love is a Beautiful Thing" on your wedding day and try to keep a dry eye. I love sappy country songs. When the song ended, I asked the girls to play it again. In fact, I'm listening to it right now.

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During the beauty session, the florist arrived with the bouquets and boutennieres. We went with all white flowers and I was so happy with how these turned out! The white carnation bridemaid's bouquets were my favorite, they looked like snowdrifts. We used Long Lane Flower and Garden, which is a small mother and daughter operation. I would highly recommend them to anyone getting married in the area.

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The bouquets were wrapped in satin ribbon, and mine had a special touch. My mom's cross necklace which was passed down from her grandmother, to her mother, to her, to me.

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I found this great cropped (faux) fur jacket and vintage snowflake-esque pin separately on Ebay. Ebay is a great resource for wedding finds if you know exactly what you're looking for. Otherwise it's a little overwhelming. My veil was handcrafted by Jessica. I wasn't willing to spend big bucks on a piece of tulle at a bridal store so I asked her to make one for me. It turned out even more perfect than I expected and I loved wearing something made by one of my best friends. (The veil looks crooked in the photo, but it's just caught on my arm. It was elbow length and completely symmetrical.)

(photos by Roger Shoemaker)

(Gratuitous TWB pic!) That's my sister/maid of honor wielding the DSLR.

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I don't have many of the guys getting ready downstairs... but according to Ryan (the groom) they spent the morning figuring out a few tux snafus, watching HBO, and even managed to pack in a few sandwiches from Arby's, courtesy of the best man.

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Here's my handsome guy!

(photos by Roger Shoemaker)

Next week I'll share the trip to the church and the ceremony. I can't believe it's been six months already!