Penning our love...

It's no secret that I'm a writer. It's what makes me tick & there's nothing else that can relax me. Besides God, family & friends, writing has always been a constant in my life. That's why, for me, it was a natural choice to write our own vows.

Mister Mr.? Now, he was another story.

Early on, when I brought up the idea of writing our own vows, he quickly said "Nope! I don't want you out shining me!" He's such a goof. Well, after massaging the idea over, Mister Mr. has finally agreed to writing our own vows.

Yipeee! So now I'm jotting down little sentences that come to me here & there, that I think will fit in to the vows. I'm SO excited. I think writing our own vows will {further} make the ceremony ours.

Are you writing your own vows? Why or why not? If so, where are you finding inspiration?

CIAO

Ebonee Monique

Lookin' Hot & Keepin' cool!

A few weeks ago I asked my two Maids of Honor, L. and K., which item they wanted to help them stand out as MOHs: a turquoise fabric flower or a turquoise Pashmina scarf.

Both ladies quickly said a Pashmina scarf. :) See, this is why they're my besties...

Pashmina scarves are incredibly adorable to me, especially in outdoor weddings!

Take a look at a few pictures!

I purchased 2 turquoise Pashmina scarves yesterday for my MOHs and I love them already! I can't wait to see the scarves on my girls on the wedding day! The perfect splash of color!

Are your girls wearing anything to help them stand out?

CIAO

Ebonee Monique

My mantra!

My Mantra & directly applied to the wedding!

I've already accepted that everyone won't "get" my ideas, thoughts & things and, believe it or not, I love it that way. I don't demand acceptance-like most-but I do demand respect.

I'd much rather blend OUT than in.

You?

CIAO

Ebonee Monique

Venue Stalking!

Have you "heard" me say that I love our venue? Yeah, well, if you haven't. I LOVE my venue.

Like, seriously, if I could live there I would.

The day before Thanksgiving, Mister Mr. and I both were fortunate to get off extra early from work and decided to go out on a spontaneous date! While out, I gave our venue a call to see if it would be possible to get inside to take pictures (for my planning logistics) and, being the wonderfully wonderful venue they are, they said yes!

It's been close to a year since I've been inside and the two times I had been in there someone was setting up for an event (my timing always sucks); so this would be our first time seeing the building bare and we were both excited!

Here are some pictures of our date/venue stalking:

The owners, the sweet Mr. Bradley & his son, let us in and allowed us to stay as long as we wanted! This is the general area! It's SO spacious!

Look at that natural light! Love it!

We are planning of putting our sweetheart table in front of the center doors, which will allow guests to exit on either side or the other side exit. It will be prime-time seating-closest to the DJ, Bar, Cake and Food. Don't judge us!

Don't mind Mister. Mr's shiny New Balances! lol

One thing that we both loved about our venue was the state-of-the-art, spacious kitchen! Our caterer is already familiar with the kitchen & we're excited to see her in action on the big day!

The bridal suite is a cute little room that has a small wicker love seat, a floor-length mirror, a spacious closet and a pretty little make-up mirror to get ready at.



The walk down the aisle. Awww...




I love this view of the building. I plan on lining the steps with either candle-filled paper bags or mason-jar like jars with candles.



Our cocktail hour will take place on the lawn and porch area. We're excited about it, too! We'll have a few high-boys (high-top tables) on the lawn (probably draped in damask fabric w/ turquoise ribbon) and some smaller tables on the porch for people to sit at. We'll also have some lounge couches sprawled out on the porch &...*gasp* Corn hole on the side. So excited!


Decorating the pergola should be a fun project! :) It's a total DIY project & I'll be purchasing the fabric soon!

The wrap-around porch is one of my favorite features of the venue. So southern.

And here's the "private" lounge area, where we'll have a damask backdrop and a love seat. During the cocktail hour, the bar won't be far from here so it'll be great placement to get people talking! :)



When Mister Mr. and I left our venue stalking, we both smiled & said we didn't even want to leave. *sigh* Is it possible to fall in love with a venue? If so, I think I've tripped, dipped and fallen head over heels for Bradley's Pond!

CIAO

Ebonee Monique

Loungin' around!

For a while, I have dreamed of having a lounge area at the wedding. Nothing too fancy, nothing too over the top...but, rather, something our family & friends can use during the cocktail hour & reception to sit back and relax! However, I had been a little discouraged by the prices of lounge furniture, backdrops, etc.

That is until Mister Mr. and I put our collective heads together and discovered we CAN have my dream lounge! Yay~! ::giddy::

Last week I was inspired by these pictures of a gorgeous wedding that was held at our venue where they created their own lounge area! Check it out:

Cute, right? Well, we've figured out how to recreate this to fit our theme AND stay within budget! Here's how:

• We've purchased an incredibly inexpensive ($20) B&W damask back-drop!



• We'll hang the back-drop up using hidden suction cups (or something similar)!



• We've found a comfy love-seat/sofa for $20 on Craigslist and will cover it with a white slip-cover!



• We're going to lay down an inexpensive rug from Wal-Mart

Voila! I'll have my dream lounge! Who says you have to pay big $$$ for a lounge area?

SOOOOO excited!

Can't wait to see it in action!

CIAO

Ebonee Monique

We're in the DOUBLE digits!

I usually save my countdown posts until the 5th of each month, but I'm so excited we're finally in the double digits! Whew!

As of today...we have 98-friggin-days until the big day.

Eeegads!!

Excited & yet, surprisingly, calm. Just ready to be Mrs. T and be DONE with logistics! LOL

CIAO

Ebonee Monique

Southern Love!

Very few wedding magazines excite me now 'a days. I mean, I've read the '101 best budget idea' lists, the "coolest" bridesmaids dresses and I know enough wedding etiquette to last a lifetime.

Southern Weddings magazine, though, makes me squeal. Maybe it's because I'm a full-blooded southerner (Florida born, raised/lived in Alabama/Kentucky/Georgia) and love...no, DROOL...over Southern traditions and weddings; or maybe it's just because it's a refreshing magazine.


If you haven't had a chance to pick the magazine up, do so today! There are tons of ideas, gorgeous (seriously, drool-worthy) pictures and insightful stories.

I believe this is their 2nd or 3rd issue...so this is exciting at how GREAT the quality is!

CIAO
Ebonee Monique