Inspiration Board: Fall In Love

What better time to "fall in love" than in the autumn? Orange and golden splendor abounds in nature, so use that as your palette. Warm and comforting even though the air outside is crisp, this event is bound to warm your hearts and charm your guests. Golds, oranges and browns seem lively and lovely, never drab, when paired with elegant elements like an ivory tea length dress and white t-strap shoes, grey suits for the men, antique farm table buffets, crisp white monograms, wooden seating cards, a golden bouquet with just a hint of bridal peach, a cake or pie buffet and flavored sugar cubes to add a fun touch to your champagne.

Credits: "Beverlywood" dress by Dolly Couture, white shoe photo by Sheena Jibson, grey suit photo by Twin Lens, pie buffet photo by Sara Remington, tree photo by Carla Ten Eyck, , all other photos via Martha Stewart Weddings.

Adorable Idea: Sundae Bar

When I was younger, we would visit my grandfather's resort for lunch, and the best part would come at the end of the meal when it was time for the "sundae cart" to make its way to our table so my younger brother and I could build our own sundaes. Heavenly. A sundae bar at a wedding would be a sweet crowd pleaser, and not just with your younger guests. It's even an Anna Post (great-great-granddaughter of etiquette guru Emily Post) approved way to save some money. "As an alternative [to cake], the bride and groom of a wedding Post attended in Vermont opted against tradition and created a make-your-own sundae bar. "So instead of cutting the cake, they had 'the first scoop,'" she says. "Everybody there had a great time with that." Via Oprah. Check out Eat Drink Chic's adorable take on the Sundae Bar complete with ideas, DIY instructions and free templates.

Image from Eat Drink Chic

Image from Brides

Image from Martha Stewart

Groom Style: Mad Men suit

Who isn't in love with the 60's style of Mad Men right now? I've heard my guy wish that suits a la Don Draper were a modern day reality for guys like him. Well now as of today (10/19), thanks to Brooks Brothers, a limited-edition Mad Men suit inspired by the fashionable Draper and company at Sterling Cooper is available.

Image via AMC Mad Men blog

The suit is priced at $998 (an investment for sure, but he'll get to wear it more than once, unlike your, ahem, wedding dress :)) and is available only at certain Brooks Brothers locations and will only be sold from today until Sunday, November 8th.

Locations:

Madison Avenue (New York)

Rodeo Drive (Los Angeles)

South Coast Plaza

North Michigan Avenue (Chicago)

Broadway (New York)

Rockefeller Center (New York)

Liberty Plaza (New York)

Atlanta (Lenox Square)

Newbury Street (Boston)

Connecticut Avenue (D.C.)

Chevy Chase (Maryland)

Adorable Idea: Sweet Treats and a Proposal

I was reading my blogroll Sunday and saw the sweetest idea on Bakerella for wedding cake pops. Thinking it was adorable and wanting to read the tutorial, I read on. Then Bakerella suggested the cake pops would even be cute with little tags.

Yep, it was a real proposal and Melissa said yes to Rich! So sweet.

5 Years of Brannie

Five years since our first date at Cafe Lucky Noodle.

Five years since we both knew we'd found something... "the one".

Love at first sight? : ) Possibly.

But I think you really had me at "Art Vandelay".

I love you Brandon - then, now and forever.

Scene of our first date - Cafe Lucky Noodle in Eugene - pretty much the only Thai/Italian restaurant I know of.

Our first date table

You had the peanut curry (peanut Hamp) and I had a bellini and the Lucky Noodle. Yum.

Almost 4 years later the signature cocktail of Cafe Lucky Noodle, the key lime martini, would be the signature cocktail at our wedding. I guess the Lucky Noodle really is "lucky".

mmmm...key lime martini

Our Wedding: My engagement ring

I love, love, love my ring. At our wedding and engagement session, we didn't get any shots of my ring, which really bummed me out. Thankfully, we did a "year after" style session with Stephanie Williams where we got a fabulous shot of my engagement ring. My mom was the first person to actually see my ring - she was at a home and garden show and a jewelry dealer happened to be there. She saw the ring, knew I would love it, and had them email her pictures of the ring that she forwarded on to me. I then conveniently left the pictures up on my computer when my boyfriend (haha it sounds so weird to call him that!) Brandon got home. We moved to Seattle a few weeks later, and after a week Brandon suggested we go to the Seattle Home and Garden show - he had arranged for me to be able to see and try on the ring! It fit perfectly, I was in love, and eight months later it was on my finger and I was engaged! My husband and I found my ring through Victoria Marie Jewelers, an estate and antique jewelry dealer in Auburn, Washington. They knew the diamond was cut in the 1890's and the setting was from the 1920's with lots of hand-done filagree, and that it was not die-cut - so there is no other ring exactly like mine. What they didn't know but I found out was that my ring was made by Sophia D, an art deco jewelry designer. Some of her pieces have sold through Sotheby's and Christie's auctions, and I'm dying to find out more information about her, so that's my next project!