Invites.

Let's talk about invitations. They set the tone. They give you the overall vibe of the wedding. I have seen some stunners. As wonderful as it is to open a custom, letter-pressed and heavy card stocked invite, I inevitably think what am I going to do with this? And I throw them away. Sad, but true.

Now if life was one big blog post, I would letter press and detail orient the heck out of the invite like the following:

If letter pressing isn't in the budget, thick card stock is a nice alternative, and details like the stripes on the envelop are a nice touch:

If you have endless time and volunteers one hand, you can make envelops from doilies:

What are your thoughts? Spend. Splurge. Toss-after-reading. Add it to your scrapbook?

All images on pinterest

Wedding Lighting.

My friend Jovanna is getting married this January. The wedding is in south Florida and the reception will take place outside. I promised her I would round up some images and help her with the planning of her wedding. This week I will dedicate Smitten Design to wedding blogging.

First up, outdoor lighting. We share the same opinion that lighting makes more of an impact than flowers. See below.

Any advice on where we can rent chandeliers (I am just assuming the role of self appointed wedding planner this week)? It's hard to locate a vendor. I am thinking of starting a career in wedding supplies, like Duchess Kate Middleton's mum!

Oh Happy Day!

My husband's sister got hitched last Saturday. I have a few snippets I wanted to share from their big day.

Right before we were leaving to walk down the aisle, Kristen's phone alarm went off with this reminder...



I wish I took more photos of the reception set up because it was joyful, whimsical and very detailed but I was being social and holding babies.

I want to steal this little cutie-that-refused-to-look-at-the-camera with me.

This trio were the flowergirls and ring bearer at our wedding, nearly three years ago.

(at our wedding)

The send off was so clever. We were all handed balloons and let them fly away as Kristen + Eric ran out of the church.

Soon to be...

It seems like it's either wedding season or baby season. This past weekend my sister in law, Kristen, got engaged.

The groom, Eric, asked if we could host a party at our house. One reason I love our house is that it is a comfortable gathering place for our friends. Another reason I love parties is the rare opportunity I get to use my glassware passed on from my Nanu and mom.

I felt so grown up decanting the wine.

You know I love any reason to reuse those balloons.

{hint, hint, balloon clips allow you the opportunity to reuse them over and over again}

As a bridesmaid, I get to wear this beauty {in stone blue}.

Kris and Eric, I'm glad we could be a part of your momentous occasion.

Outdoor weddings.

My beautiful friend, Carrie, got engaged this weekend. I could not be happier for her and Steven. {I haven't met Steven yet, but if Carrie is smitten, I'm sure I will be too}

After she shared the surprise engagement story I asked her about her wedding plans and she wants to plan an outdoor wedding for next spring.

I felt the urge to pull together some of my favorite tents and outdoor images I have saved.

Congrats to you little love birds.
images via green wedding shoes.

Wedding Weekend.

It's quite hard to adjust to a Monday when you spent the last 5 days celebrating a beautiful wedding with lots of friends, laughter & cake.

Here are some snippets:

Wedding Weekend.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

{one of my all time favorite photos from Patrick Cline}

I'll be at a wedding in the Keys for 4 days! Just to give you a preview of the fun that will be had, the bachelorette party will be riding around in this pink bus.
Enjoy your weekend, mine starts now!