DIY Centerpiece Ideas

So I have been playing around with DIY centerpieces for a while and I think I know what I'm going to do...here's what I've come up with so far. World Market sells these lanterns that are nice and big- you can fit three candles inside and they are so cute! Here's what I was thinking of:

I was thinking of placing a few grey river rocks around the lantern with either tulips in a vase like above or a few more candles. I grabbed the rocks from a place down the road to try out the idea of placing rocks around the lantern, here's how it turned out:

I like it- of course I'd replace those rocks with smooth ones like these:

I think it will turn out well. :)
Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn

Venue Search Continues: Morgan Creek Golf Club

I went to the Morgan Creek Golf Club today. And I think I may have found the venue! I took some pictures so you guys can see and so I can show my FH later tonight. But I am so excited. I loved Trinity, the sales rep, and the venue. Here's some pictures:

This is the ceremony site. Notice the pond in the background...it has duckies. :)

This is the inside of the reception area. Those gorgeous drapes and chandeliers are there permanently so you save on the decorations. You get to chose from a bunch of colors for the linens with no extra charge and the carpet design isn't that bad either.

A close up of the chandelier. I love it!

So now all I have left to do to finalize this venue, is get my FH there to see it. He's been busy with work and biking up in Tahoe so hopefully later this week I can lure him away. :) Oh and next Tuesday we get to go and try some of the food. Yum!

Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn

I'm so excited!

Saturday night I had dinner with my wonderful sister-in-law to be and her hubby. The best part? She agreed to be my matron on honor! I'm so very happy. Her husband and her both know a ton about planning a wedding, they just got married three years ago themselves, and her hubby is now a wedding DJ so they know about most of the places we're looking at. I love getting all this first hand info! Her hubby recommended one venue that we had already looked at, The Ridge, in Auburn. He said that Ruby, the wedding coordinator there, is just the greatest.

He also recommended the Morgan Creek Golf Club in Roseville. I'll be headed out there this week to check it out.

I feel so much less stressed now that I have my wonderful, talented sister-in-law as my Matron of Honor! We share similar taste and I know she'll take care of me. It was so great to see how excited she was too!

Now I'm excited to start planning!
Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn

For the Boys

I've been thinking about what I can do for our groomsmen and today, I discovered the term geekery. Aparently its this whole section of fashion based on geeky things- I LOVE it! In terms of cuff links, I found these adorable sets in Etsy and now I think I might just be obsessed! :)

I might just have to get these to see the look on my fiance's face when he opens the box. Hehe. Be sure to click on the pics to be sent to the page where you can actually buy them. Have fun searching!

Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn

Blogger Love

I am in love with this bride's wedding! In fact, I think I may steal some ideas from her. :)  Here's some photos from her wedding:

Oh I just love it! See all of Bride On Purpose's wedding here.
Happy Thursday Everyone!
Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn

I've got more than one!

If any of you are interested in following me around, I started a second blog for myself. I will continue planning my wedding but will also be posting new recipes and things I like to bake.  Should be lots of fun, so be sure to check it out!

Crayons to Cupcakes

Wedding trends to dream about...

There have been a few trends that seem to keep popping up as I look in bridal magazines or on bridal websites that I just love! So of course I had to share them with all of you. :) P.S. I got all the photos from the Knot.

1. I love the idea of honoring all the married or even engaged couples in a unique way at your wedding. I love how this wedding made the pictures into a gorgeous backdrop.

2. I love new and unique h'orderve ideas. Not a fan of the classics? Rock some new ideas by serving up you and your fiance's favorite snacks!

3. I also love personalized cakes. You've got personality (and so does your fiance) why not show it off? :)

4. I also love the idea of having a top your own cupcake bar as a desert table. And who doesn't like this little sign? lol

So there are my top four. I will probably try to do something like #1 in our wedding. What are some of your favorite trends right now? Feel free to send me a message or post up a comment.

Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn

Promising Venue Ideas

Ok so today I found two possible venues- which will (I'm pretty sure) fit into our budget and I'm excited about. Here they are:


1.) The River Mill in French Camp, CA












2.) The Japanese Gardens in Micke Grove Park.

I can't wait to go check these out! Has anyone heard of them or seen them in person? By the way, that wedding at the Japanese Garden was gorgeous! Be sure to follow the link attached to the picture and check out that photographer's work!

Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn

Boudoir Photography!

I love sexy yet feminine things, and one thing that I have been considering for quite some time now is whether or not to do a boudoir photo session. If you have never heard of the term (but I'm sure you all have) its basically a photo session with you some awesome lingerie (or nothing at all if you prefer) with great makeup, hair, and a professional photographer. Its sexy yet stylish and elegant. Here's a peek:

There is one photographer, Stacey, who does amazing work with her boudoir photography right here in Sacramneto, and she is holding yet another of her Boudoir Photography Marathons July 16th - 18th.

If anyone is interested please check out her site here. And if any of you have had a boudoir session before, tell me what you think! Was it just a blast?!

Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn

I love him so...

These past few weeks my FH and I have seemed to grow even closer. I am going through some grown up stuff with my friends (the possibility of them moving away, new boyfriends, etc.) and he has talked with me through all of it. Not just talked, but really listened and cared. He's held me through my sad times, he's joked and reminisced with me. And I must say...I love it! He has made me feel so cared for and special and important, and I am amazed when people tell me that they can't talk to their partner about things.

I am really, truly lucky to have met him and that we were such a perfect match together. May I never forget that. :)

I hope you all are feeling loved and special tonight.
Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn

Link Love

I have been a bad blogger friend...school, and work, and wedding planning oh my! But I recently met with a client whose daughter is getting married in Hawaii and they are doing all their planning via phone. Thank goodness I'm not, I don't think I could handle it! :) But anywho, I just wanted to show you all a few pics that are inspiring me right now...

For anyone who hasn't heard of these awesome ladies, I am in love with The Wedding Chicks Blog. In fact all these photos below I found on their blog, so be sure to check them out!

I absolutely cannot wait to buy my wedding lingerie! But then again

I have always loved shopping for sexy little under garments. :)

And check out this photo! Wouldn't this be great as a Save the Date?!

Oh and here's an interesting update, although the wedding is still 11 months away- I cannot wait to take my FH's last name! I'm thinking of making myself a new email address to hold myself over. Lol

Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn

Inspiration Board #7 Love bird wedding

(All images came from the Knot)

I just love how cute a bird themed wedding is. And I love it even more with a rustic feel!

Hope everyone's week is going well so far!

Forever Dreaming,

Katelyn

Creating my Invitations

So today was the day I was going to make all my engagement party invitations. Last night I cut the paper, today I got grey stamp ink, and as I went to load the paper into our printer it suddenly hit me...we don't have white ink. Bummer! I already tried the invitations with black ink and here is what it came out like:

(Ignore the smudge marks on the envelope...I dropped a stamp on it. lol)

So you see, the black doesn't look terrible but I think white text against the green would look much better. But anywho, here's the invitation making process so far:

Materials Bought:
10 pieces of 12x12 olive green cardstock paper....$6.90 ($.69 each)
1 9" Fiskars bypass trimmer (as seen below)..........$19.99
4 packs of 12 note cards-only for the envelopes.....$4.00 ($1.00 each)
1 fifty count 8x11 white cardstock paper................$3.99
2 stamps on clearance (as seen below)...................$1.98 ($.99 each)
                                                              total cost: $36.86

Why this ended up being a total bargin:
The trimmer I will be using forever more, for things such as gift tags, cards to friends, crafts, etc. The same with the stamps (who doesn't love a cute little owl?). The white pack of cardstock paper I will be using to make my banners, save the dates, stationary. and who knows what else more.

And finally- my best bargain find- The 4 pack of note cards with envelopes came to a total of $4 which totally beat the plain cardstock note card with envelope pack which was $4.75 for a pack of 10. Tadah! I felt great walking out of there with out spending the $50 I originally thought I was going to have to spend.

Now for the creation process:

Step 1: Cut cardstock paper into whatever size you need. (My invitations are 4"x7.5".)

Step 2: Print out whatever text you like onto your cardstock paper. Mine read "It's the little things you do, that truly say "I love you". (cute, huh?) Also print out the text on your small cardstock paper for the insert card (the one you place in the envelope).

Step 3: Using a glue stick, glue your envelope (back side up) onto your card in the designated area.

Step 4: Stamp adorable designs where ever you would like.

Step 5: Apply postage stamp and mail these cuties off!

Send me some pics of what you're working on!
Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn

Inspiration Board #6 - Elegant in Black and White

I love how just one photograph can inspire so many things, and this classic photo is definitely one of them.
So elegant and memorable...








Black and white can be very elegant, either mixed with bright accent colors or just by themselves. Either way I love how classy and formal a black and white wedding looks.

Pictures found at: Citizen Hotel, Blue Olive Photography, iDiY, Wedding Paper Divas, Hawaiian Island Wedding Planners, and Russell Martin Photography.

Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn

Finding a Venue

Finding a venue for our ceremony and reception has proven to be the most stressful decision.so far. Because of our limited budget plus my semi-specific vision, I have been looking for almost 2 months (officially) and still haven't found anything promising. I did however come up with a very organized and useful chart that I'd like to share. Trust me it helps to have something you can glance at to remind yourself of important details rather than looking up the websites one at a time. So here we go!

Venues:	Miners Foundry	Centerville Estates
Fri/Sun. Prices:		$4,458*
Sat. Prices:		$4,990*
Distance from RB:	133.87 mi. 2hr 44min	68.48 mi. 1hr 43min
Distance from RC:	55.12 mi. 1hr 13min	109.9 mi. 2hr 09min
Insurance:	Min $500,000 req.
Vendor Limits:
Time Limits:	Whole day	9am-11pm
Parking:	Yes	Yes- Directed.
Set up and Clean up:	$25/hour with a 3 hour min.	Clean Up
Tables and Chairs:	Many options	Yes - wooden
Linens:	At extra cost
Dishes:
Included Décor:	Candelabras, Hurricane Oil Lamps	Umbrellas
Coordinator:	No.
# of Events:	1	1
Max # of Guests:	200 for stone hall
Taxes or Other Fees:
Bathrooms:	Yes	Yes, 3
Dressing Rooms:	Bride	Bride & Groom
Bar:	Available	Indoor & Outdoor
Backup for Rain:		Indoor Space
Misc. Pros:		Electricity outside
Misc. Cons:
Dance Floor:		Indoor & Outdoor
Venue Amenities:	Historic, Stone Walls, Indoor	River, Lawns, Patios
Website:	Minersfoundry.org	Centervilleestate.com

Centerville estates: * possibly less for a small guest list

I was trying to get the chart to fit into your view, but I think it may still cut off a few letters. Usually my chart is about 4 venues wide. I currently have about 4 pages of this plus more info to update and venues to add . You can add or change the rows to whatever is important to you. Oh and in case anyone starts to wonder, RB is where most of our family is located and RC is where we're located. 

I cannot wait until we decide on a venue! Things will get so much easier. :) Hope this helps everyone- I know it made things easier for me.

Forever Dreaming,

Katelyn

Free Invitation Templates!

I just found some wonderful sources through a few of my favorite wedding blogs. The first I found through iDiY and is a blog with free invitation templates. You just download them into word, add your info, and print them out on some great paper. Check out these beauties:

You can find these and more templates at Download and Print. I suggest subscribing to the blog- she's adding new templates almost every day!

The second free template I wanted to share with you I found at The Wedding Chicks. Look at these adorable groomsmen cards!

Love them! You can find and download this template here.

Oh how I love freebies!
Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn

Engagement Party Planning

So my parents are throwing us an engagement party- and even better my mother is letting me help plan! :) The fun part is that it is totally relaxed compared to our wedding so we can do a lot of things that I love that would never had fit in with the wedding. Here's a few of the crafty things we'll be encorporating:

(All pictures found at Martha Stewart)

1. I love those postcard invitations- so we're going to make them using olive greed card stock, off-white envelopes pasted on the front, and then a few awesome stamps I found at Michaels' Craft Store. 

2. The potted plants are actually going to be mint and thyme. The  mint will have a little tag that reads :"Mint to be". While the thyme will have a tag that reads: "Thyme for a wedding". So adorable, plus if we decide to use them as favors we can do that easily.

3. The cup cake towers will rock all of our deserts and snackies. Of course the colors will be an olive green instead of the blue that the picture shows.

4. Martha says that these tissue paper pompoms are easy to make, so hopefully I can throw a bunch together in varying sizes of white tissue paper and we can hang them from the trees.

5. This sign will be made with the same font and paper as the tags in the mint and thyme. And of course it will read "Just Engaged" instead of "Just Married". 

So this week, my to dos for the E-Party are as follows:

1. Set official party date (We're thinking of May 30th)

2. Finilize my guest list to give to my mom. (She'll be adding some friends of hers and anyone else that she'd like to invite who wouldn't be able to be invited to the wedding)

3. Make invitations

4. Attempt a practice run at those tissue paper pompoms

Wow, I'll be busy this week!

Forever Dreaming,

Katelyn

Love Notes #2

(I've never read the book, just liked the title)

I ran across these great quotes today and can't decide if I want to use them for something like invitations or programs, so I thought I'd share some with hopes that they can inspire you as well.

Love is friendship set on fire.

Quote by Jeremy Taylor

Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same.
Quote by Emily Bronte

At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.
Quote by Plato

Love's sweetest meanings are unspoken; the full heart knows no rhetoric of words.
Quote by Christian Nestell Bovee 

Forever Dreaming,

Katelyn 

Budget Finds: Thank You Notes

I got my thank you notes today! I found them in the clearance section at Michael's Craft Store. They were originally $9.99 for 40 cards with coordinating envelopes, and I got them 50% off at $4.99 for 40. So, I picked up 160 and only ended up spending $21. I love finding some good sales!

Take a look:

So what do you think?

Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Everyone!

My FH always hides easter eggs for me, I love how he helps support my choice to never grow up. :)

Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn

Love Letters Inspiration

When my FH and I first got together, we wrote a few love letters. What couple hasn't, right? Well today I was thinking of encorporating some of ours in our wedding. I already included quotes in our wedding website, but check out these other Love Letter inspiried wedding details:

You could ask your guests to write you and your husband a love letter instead of using a guest book. I love the idea of using these rustic drawers...

You could display some of your actual love letters for your guests to read. Or you could write letters to your guests and use them as place cards.

So many wonderful ideas, hope you are all having a great Saturday!
Forever Dreaming,
Katelyn