How did you both meet?

“Zach and I met at the University of Utah’s Marriot Library. Being the studious student that I am, I went to the library in between classes to squeeze in some extra studying. I walked in and noticed a really cute guy sitting at one of the tables. He just so happened to look up when I walked into the room, so a gave him a big friendly smile! After a few minutes of sitting at my own table, Zach came over and used the infamous, “Do I know you from somewhere?” line. I smiled and said, “Nope, I am pretty sure you don’t! This is my first semester at the U.” After an hour of talking, Zach asked me if I wanted to go to the gym with him, and I of course obliged. It is really funny for us to look back at it now because we were both so silly about the whole situation. ”

What made you decided to have your wedding in Southern Utah?

“Zach grew up in St. George, and ever since we started dating one of our favorite things was to escape the cold weather and stress of school and work by going to visit his family in Southern Utah. We both love the beautiful red rock background and the unique matching architecture of Entrada. We wouldn’t change a thing about our wedding location! ”

What was your favorite part of your wedding?

“Our cake was probably my favorite part-it was exactly as I envisioned! Zach loved the dancing and spending time with all of our family!”

What advice would you give to future brides getting married?

“As horrible as it sounds, something will go awry on your special day! I thought I’d planned every minute detail, but there with so much going on it is easy to miss something. On your special day there are two things that matter: first, that you mary your best friend and true love, second, R.E.L.A.X. All of the planning is over with. Take this day to make memories you’ll never forget, and for those tiny details that don’t go as planned-they don’t matter! ”

St. George Weddings.com Professionals
Wedding Planning & Rentals: Middle Aisle Weddings
Venue & Catering: Entrada
Cake: Sweet Cakes by Karen

Photography: Jason McGrew Photography
Floral: Botanicals
Dance Floor: Wedding Décor & More
Invites & Signage: One Memory at a Time

The theme of this inspiration shoot was Alice in Wonderland. It is the perfect inspiration for  Easter and spring with the white rabbits and soft pastel colors. The flower detail gave this inspiration shoot a beautiful fresh garden feel while the furniture pieces perfectly accent the vintage feel this shoot gives.

We hope this shoot will inspire you for any upcoming spring weddings.

 California Vendors involved in this shoot:

Coordination: Couture Events
Photography: Joielala Photography
Stationary: Delphine
Florist: The Floral Department
Cupcakes: Cupcake Love
Make up Artist: Think Pink, Dana Marie
Hair: Shawna Messner- shawnanana1@yahoo.com
Gowns: M Bride
Cake: The French Gourmet
Linens: The Floral Department for La Tavola Linen
Bracelets and paper florals: The Vintage Rabbit
Hair Accessories: Radokri
Model: Ari Cover
Bunnies: Ashli Hurst – ashlihurst@yahoo.com
Creative Director: Krystel Tien

Photo by: Brooke Keegan Weddings and Events

When using pastel colors, you can choose to use just a few or use them all. This makes a fun and interesting color palette. Even though each color is so different, each color has a white undertone making it so  they compliment the others and creates a coordinating look. Using multiple pastels can give  lots of depth and detail to an event.

Photo by: Mike Colon

Sunny Ravanbach, of White Lilac Inc and Jeannie Savage, of Details Details, put together the above adorable pastel wedding dessert table in all different shades of pastels. The color scheme made this shoot gorgeous to look at and so eye catching. Each shade coordinates with the other shades creating that spring look. The balloons made it especially fun, and show that even balloons can look ever so elegant in soft pastel colors.

Photo by: Rodeo and Co

A great advantage of using pastels is that they coordinate with about any flower color. Pastels are colors naturally found in nature like in beautiful light pink peonies and classic roses in all soft colors.

Photo by: Alixann Loosle

What are your favorite pastel color pallets?

Serve It Up

In times passed, it used to be that every guest was served a piece of the wedding cake when they attended the wedding or reception. This tradition is something that is not seen as often today. It is becoming more and more common to see that the bride and groom are the only ones enjoying a piece of the wedding cake. The guests are able to enjoy a larger variety of foods, often provided by a caterer. But, don’t be afraid to serve your cake. If that’s what you want to do…I say do it! Afterall, have you ever heard anyone complain about being able to indulge themselves in a thick slice of yummy, moist wedding cake?

There are several ways to serve your wedding cake and in all reality, it’s up to you. You could have part of your catering staff be stationed at the wedding cake so that they may cut, plate and serve the cake. Another option is to save your cake until later on during the event and have your bridal party help serve it to the guests. The possibilities are endless!

The big question that often accompanies your choice to serve your cake is how much cake will I need? This is something that your cake decorator will be able to help you decide, but to give you an idea of what you will need, HERE are some helpful charts.

Decor Piece

You have hired an amazing caterer who will be providing your guests will some of the best food you can find. You still want a wedding cake but, because of the catering, you will not be serving it to your guests. So what do you do?

It’s not a well-known fact that wedding cakes don’t have to be made from “real” cake. There are many options to make your cake become a realistic looking decor piece. Cake decorators will often have their preferred method of doing this but, the most common is to use a styrofoam dummy cake. In this instance, a styrofoam round is used as a base to be covered in your choice of frosting. Because the styrofoam is covered with a buttercream, fondant or other frosting, you still maintain the look of a true wedding cake. This is when your cake becomes a decor piece at your event!

Decor cakes can also be topped with a layer of real cake that is exclusively made for the bride and groom. This still gives the couple the opportunity to cut and feed one another a piece of their wedding cake…and, you still have the remainder of that layer to save for the one year anniversary.

Another popular trend for decor pieces is the rental of a wedding cake. There are a few cake decorators who provide this service. If it’s something that you’re interested in you may have to talk with your decorator. The idea of this is that your decorator has a select number of decor cakes that are made up and available for minimal customization and rental. The cake may be a simple design where you can add your color of ribbon or artifical flowers to help add some customization for you. This is a much less expensive way to provide the bride and groom with a wedding cake. The trend seems to be growing…it may just be something that explodes over the next couple years! There are two cake vendors in our area that provide rental cakes, along with custom wedding cakes.  Irresistible Weddings & Sweet Cakes…pick up your phone and call them!

Your cake is a big part of your wedding. Whether you decide to serve it up or use it as a decor piece is up to you. You can’t make a wrong decision. Enjoy it!

Photography By AK Studio & Design

Candles

Candles are making a huge comeback. They are integrated into decor and are seen in many types of centerpieces and miscellaneous decor pieces. Candles are becoming part of a take-a-part centerpiece where guests can take pieces of the table centerpieces as their favor from the wedding. This allows your centerpieces to do double duty and makes your budget go twice as far.

 Little Trinkets

While little trinkets make pretty favors, they are often thrown to the trash, never to be seen again. Give your guests something useful – something that they will be able to use over and over or display in their homes.  Photo frames, coasters and note pads are some useful favor ideas. Resist the urge that you might have to engrave your name and wedding date on the item. Chances are your friends and family members will not display that in their homes if your names are plastered all over it.

 Go Green

Couples are now choosing to spread the message of a clean environment. From elegantly packed seed packets to little potted herbs, these green ideas are making waves in the wedding industry.

 Rustic & Vintage

One of the most popular wedding themes this year as relied on rustic and vintage touches. Going along with this theme you could do mini lanterns, watering cans, or homemade soaps and jams.

Monogramming

Consider personalizing your favors by embossing or monogramming the guest’s names or initials on the favor. There are a lot of websites that will allow you to monogram your gifts. One of my favorites is HERE from Martha Stewart Weddings!

 More Cake

It is becoming increasingly more popular for the guests to take home a slice of cake or a cupcake. There are many cute cake boxes to choose from, so start looking and find one that fits your personalities and wedding theme!

 Keep With Tradition

Suprisingly, one of the most commond weddings favors is still the traditional one – a cute little box with candy inside. Tied up with a pretty ribbon around the box, this traditional favor is always a pleasing one.

Skip It

Weddings favors are not a necessity. If you decide that it is not in the budget or you just can’t come up with an idea that you really like, your guests are not going to leave the wedding feeling slided.

Favors can be displayed or left in many places throughout your reception. At a sit down dinner reception your favors will typically be left at each guest’s place setting. For a more informal reception, the favors may be displayed at the guest book table or at their own display table. Whatever your favor is and however you decide to display it is completely up to you. There is no set standard! Have fun with your favors and let the creative side of you out. Let the personality of you, as a couple, shine through and your guests will enjoy their favor that much more!

Photos Courtesy Of:  Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Weddings, Wedding Bee, Etsy, Favor Ideas, Lisa Takao Blog, Smart Bride Boutique, Pretty Chicky, The Green Girls, The Candybar Wrapper, Manolobrides & The Paper Invitation Cards.

Decide right now that you are going to take this one step at a time. Take it all in stride, even if that does mean that you are juggling a list of twenty things that have to be completed by tomorrow! First things first, decide whether your budget allows you to hire a wedding planner and/or other professionals. If you are going to hire a wedding planner, begin shopping around. Schedule appointments and consultations with some of the most recommended planners in your area. Talk to your friends and family members about it. Don’t be afraid to get their opinions. Oftentimes people who have been through this experience before will be able to tell you who you should hire, or better yet, who you should stay away from. Schedule your appointments as soon as possible so that you leave your planner enough time to get to know you and start organizing the affairs of your big day. If it’s not in your budget to hire a planner, I would suggest purchasing a good organizer and/or software program. There are many websites that will offer review of these types of products. This will help you find a system that works best for you and your needs.

 Now that you have decided on your method of planning, it’s time to jump on in.  Compile a checklist of items that need to be taken care of, along with a timeline of when each item needs to be completed. Most wedding planners will have a generic checklist of the appointments and events that need to be taken care of during the planning process. If you have one of these lists, sit down and cross off anything that may not apply to you. For instance, if you are choosing to have friends and family help with the catering of your event, you will be able to cross off anything that pertains to tasting, menu planning or meeting with the caterers. In exchange, you may need to add to your list. If you choose to have your family help with the catering you may have to make a list of who-brings-what to the event.

Going through a generic checklist will often trigger other ideas and items that you may want to add in order to customize your planning checklist. It’s a good idea to add those things as you think about them so that you don’t forget about it when you sit back down with your checklist tomorrow.  This is also a good time to start working on a budget. Decide, along with your fiance and parents, what your budget is. When you start meeting with your vendors you will want to know exactly what you are willing to spend with them. That way you don’t go into a consultation with your cake decorator and look at cakes that are way over your budget. Or, you don’t go to the bridal shop and try on a $7500 gown, fall in love with it and then realize that it’s way more than you are willing to spend. Don’t set yourself up for failure or disappointment…decide ahead of time! By using your budget and checklist together, you can now get a firm idea of what you are looking for and expecting for your big day. Use your customized checklist to start planning away. And, don’t forget to check back to our site often for tips, tricks and ideas to help you along the way!

Pinterest is an online system that lets you organize and share all the beautiful pictures and ideas you find on the web. Think of it as you “pin” when you find something “interesting” to you.

This online resource of picture eye candy has become extremely popular for wedding inspiration. Instead of ripping pages out of magazines and saving jpg’s on your desktop, brides can jump online and save files to different boards in one easy-to-navigate place. It helps you stay organized by always showing the original source the picture was found on. Essentially, it is a more organized way to bookmark pages you like online.

You can also download this application on your phone, becoming a mobile obsession on the go.

All of us here just adore Pinterest and invite all our readers to come follow us and take a look a all the exciting projects and boards we have going on.

Mikki Platt Photography

Signage is a graphic image with words that describes what you are looking at, where to go, or tells a story. They are displayed around your wedding to give it a fun custom look. These signs usually coordinates with the entire wedding, and if you thought ahead, will also coordinate with your invitations to give an overall cohesive look to your event.

Mikki Platt Photography

There is no limit to the creativity to your signage. From the tiniest details like what a food item is to larger items like where to go and whose weddings it is.

Mikki Platt Photography

Mikki Platt Photography

Mikki Platt Photography

As you sit down to talk to your invitation designer ask about signage at your next weddings and how you can bring the same look of the invites into the overall look and feel of the weddings. It’s a small detail that makes such a big impact to a perfectly designed day.

All the graphics and design shown here were done by the talented Kortney Eggertz Design.

Kortney said, “When it comes to planning a wedding that is memorable it all comes down to the details. Whether they are as simple as labeling the foods or having signs to help guide your guests along – these details really can pull the whole look together. With Jeni & Ryan’s wedding, Jeni made it a point that she wanted her invitations to give the invited guests a preview of what her wedding would be like. It’s always wise to design your invite so it can fit into the actual decor and theme of your wedding and Jeni did just that. Every little detail of her wedding complimented one another.”

Mikki Platt Photography

Remember, even the smallest details can make such a huge impact.

Circle tables are the most classic and traditional type of tables used at weddings. Most reception centers and rental companies will have this table on hand. Typically these tables seat 8-10 guests, depending on size, and are great for conversations.

Jose Villa Photography

Rectangle tables give a family style dinner arrangement. These tables typically seat 6-8 people, depending on the length. A great design option with a rectangular table is that it can be lined up for a very beautiful and dramatic vision of long stretching tables in a row.

Tinywater Photography

Square tables are the most trendy of the three types. They typically seat 10-12 guests. However, this type of table isn’t common in most rental inventories and reception sites. But don’t worry, if you want to use squares you can still achieve this look by getting (2) six foot rectangle tables and putting them together to create your own 6×6 foot table square.

Gabriel Ryan Photographers

Brides can pick one shape or mix it up and use different shapes for different tables. Mixing tables in a symmetrical way is always a great way to mix up the usual wedding look. Table shape can make a big difference in your overall decor decisions. So have fun with it.

Rylee and Lacey met at Dixie State College where she was in student government and he was an ambassador. Lacey was introduced to Rylee through a mutual friend who told her that he had a “great radio voice”. As a result, he was recruited to help make announcements over the college speakers. Throughout the semester they worked together making announcements and managed to stay platonic friends. After the semester, they parted ways.

Five years later, after returning from an LDS mission to Paris, France, Lacey decided to attend college at Utah State University. Lacey recalls:

“One day at the beginning of the semster, I got out of class early by about 20 minutes. I decided to go to the library to read one of my books. I walked in and decided to against the norm and sit in a place where I had never sat (and at a time that I was never found in the library). I sat down and opened my book. As I read the first word, I felt someone staring at me. You know, that weird 6th sense kind of feeling. I looked up and Rylee was walking by looking at me. I miraculously remembered his name and we sat there and talked for the entire 20 minutes!”

Look at these two; completely falling in love while reading their novels! I get the feeling that their eyes are spending more time on one another than they are upon the pages of the book.

Don’t these pictures just want to make you be all giddy and so in love? What a cute way to capture their fun personalities; splashing and playing in the waters near Springdale, outside Zion National Park. I love that they look like they are dressed for a preppy school boy, school girl date but yet they end up splashing in the water and embracing in a romantic hug and kiss!

The accents of the wind chimes are such an amazing detail to these shots. It is so intriguing to see some of the fun shots, locations and details that are pulled into photo shoots. These little details are what make pictures so unique and help the people within the photos express their personalities to their friends and family.

Location, location, location…it’s what makes these photos that much more intriguing! The style of this shoot can truly tell you the story behind Lacey and Rylee’s love story. Each shot seems to capture them perfectly and lets you into just a little piece of their lives and what they will be like together. Photo Love Stories did a great job capturing this story and will surely add to the story when Lacey and Rylee become husband and wife on March 10, 2012!

Photos Courtesy Of Photo Love Stories