The Design Grove Has Moved!

I'm happy to announce that The Design Grove has officially moved to a new blog! Same content, same author, different layout and better overall! If you didn't see yesterday's post, it explains a little bit about the new blog, Every Last Detail.

Head on over to Every Last Detail for today's post, and don't forget to add the new feed to your blog reader subscriptions!

The Design Grove is Moving!

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen a few tweets about a new blog! Since I started The Design Grove, I've progressed in my style as well as professionally. I decided that I wanted to have a blog that would coincide with my future business name, but still achieve the same level of inspiration for brides. Therefore, Every Last Detail was created.

Every Last Detail, (ELD for short) will provide inspiration, ideas, and insight for brides, just as The Design Grove has done. I believe that the whole look and feel of a wedding or event is created through the details, and I will of course cover every last one of those details!

There are some new aspects to ELD that The Design Grove didn't have, such as a "Resources To Love" section, listing great blogs and vendors. Working in the event industry, I've learned a lot, and I will also be sharing some of the tidbits that I learn. My ultimate goal is to help brides have the best wedding that they possibly can, and Every Last Detail will help them do just that!

So get ready for the official launch tomorrow! Change your blog reader feeds, and if you haven't subscribed to The Design Grove, be sure sign up for the updates for Every Last Detail!

Rocker Chic Bridesmaid Necklaces

You may remember a recent Real Wedding that was featured by K&K Photography. I was absolutely in love with the jewelry that the bride and bridesmaids were wearing, and I was searching all over for them! Well, I recently found out that the bride, Lacey, actually made the bridesmaids' necklaces! I think those necklaces achieved the "vintage rocker" look perfectly and were stunning in photos, so I definitely had to share this find!

Lacey began her jewelry company, Pink Lacey, based on the inspirations from her travels and experiences while on the road singing back up for a music artist. An especially intriguing aspect of her designs is that they're all designed with guitar picks!

Several music artists, such as Miley Cyrus and Faith Hill, are wearing Pink Lacey too! Pink Lacey jewelry is perfect for a rock-and-roll wedding! Some of the pieces would make great holiday gifts as well! Be sure to keep this gorgeous jewelry in mind for your rocker chic friend, or for yourself!

What To Expect When You're...Planning a Wedding: Budget

No, I haven't been reading the book, "What To Expect When You're Expecting", but for some reason while writing this post, those words just came to mind, and they have a nice a little ring to them! But it's true. Some couples have no idea what to expect when they're planning their wedding. Yes, you have the lists and recommendations, but those things still don't prepare you for what you about to embark upon.

Photo by bobbi+mike

Since we are now in what is known as the "Engagement Season", I've had a few friends get engaged already, and some of them are telling me that they have no idea what to expect while planning their wedding. So this is a continuation to a previous post, "What I Didn't Know As a Bride That I Know Now". In this previous post, I wrote, "Bottom line- do your homework. It’s okay to shop around, but know WHAT you’re shopping for and the quality of the product/service."

So now for some help with some of that homework!

Budget: Every wedding needs to have a budget. Even those really ridiculously expensive weddings have a budget, it's just really ridiculously huge. If your thought process is that you don't have a budget, you do, you just don't know it yet. Try to get a ballpark range of the maximum amount that you would like to spend. To do this, you want to look at the things that take up the majority of a wedding's budget:

• Food
• Venue
• Photography
• Decor

Food and Venue: These two things are most likely combined if you are having your reception at a traditional wedding venue. However, if you're having your reception at your parents' house, you may not immediately think about the need for tables, chairs, and linens on top of needing a caterer. The food and venue for a wedding will usually comprise approximately 30-50% of the budget.

Photo by Studio222 Photography

Photography: With photography, you get what you pay for. It's that simple. Photographers do so much more work than just those 8 hours on your wedding day. They spend hours editing photos, making sure they all look juuuuust right. So when you're looking at pricing packages of photographers, keep in mind that you're also paying for the many, many (up to 20-30) hours that they take to make your photos look amazing. The quality of the service that you receive will indeed reflect the amount that you pay.

Decor: Decor can mean different things to you depending on the type of wedding that you want to have. Just about every wedding will need bouquets and boutonnieres, although there have been more non-floral substitutes popping up nowadays! Then there are centerpieces for the tables, and decor for the ceremony if needed. Once again, you get what you pay for. If you want a huge, tall floral centerpiece, you're going to be spending more money than if you have a small low centerpiece. Decor also includes lighting (which makes a HUGE difference in any space) and draping, which surprisingly isn't too high cost. Anything that you can think of to create the "look" of your wedding would be included in the decor.

Photos by Elizabeth Messina, via kiss the groom

With all of these elements considered, you can then decide which one means the most to you. If you would rather have great photography and a backyard barbeque reception, then you can allot more of your budget to photography and less to food. Whatever is more important to you and your fiance, budget more for that particular element!

So first things first, establish your budget. I know it's such an awful word with a negative connotation, but believe me, you will be thankful to have a set number as your guide.

If you get stuck or have any questions, leave a comment or email me, and I will be more than happy to help out! Happy budgeting!

Real Wedding: Chic Is In The Details

Orlando photographer Lori Barbely sent over this wedding, and when I saw the details, beautiful venue, and the glowing bride and groom, I was in love! An event at any type of artistic venue like the Maitland Arts Center is always sure to be amazing, and this wedding is certainly one of them. Oh, and the Blackberry addicted bride...a girl after my own heart (except mine is an iPhone...same idea though)!

I think those streamers are my favorite thing about this wedding! What a great idea for a send off! Thank you Lori for sending over these beautiful photos! Check out more of Lori Barbely's work on her website and blog...it's all so gorgeous!

Rustic Fall Wedding by Studio 222 Photography

You may recall the Sneak Peek of this wedding that I posted a little over a month ago. When Becka of Studio 222 Photography posted more of the photos, I couldn't wait until Wednesday for my usual Real Wedding post!

As I wrote in the Sneak Peek post, this wedding was the very first wedding that I coordinated on my own, so it holds a special place in my heart. It definitely helped to have the amazing photography duo of Studio 222, and of course the wonderful bride and groom, Sarah and Roger.

Sarah wanted a rustic fall wedding, and it was all that and more- complete with pumpkins, mason jars, haystacks, and of course a Gator game! The DIY elements that Sarah and her family put together completed the whole wedding. And let's not forget about the beautiful venue, Black Diamond Ranch and Country Club. It was absolutely beautiful, the weather was great, and everyone had a great time!

Sarah recently did "Interview With a Newlywed" with Studio 222 for their blog-what a great idea! You can see the interview here, plus there are a few more photos from this wedding! Thank you to Becka and Nate for being such amazing photographers, and to Sarah and Roger for allowing me to be a part of this beautiful wedding!