A little bit of Hawaii

As I watch the sun trying so hard to peak it's way out through the clouds here in Indiana, it brought me back to the memories of the consistent sun that seems to just hover over the state of Hawaii.

My mother's side were all born and raised there giving me the opportunity to have pleasure of visiting a number of times while growing up.

My husband and I even were blessed enough to honeymoon on the big island.

Thinking back to all of those wonderful trips led me to pick of my copy of Hawai'i Bride and Groom. I have a wonderful aunt who still lives in Hawaii and loves me enough to send me magazines like this every once in awhile.

I snapped a few photos so you could enjoy the magazine with me. I hope find some inspiration from them to help you create your dream wedding as well.

I opened the book and this was the first thing I saw. Breathtaking, isn't it?

What is not to love about this? Destination wedding anyone? :)

I thought this was a cleaver place card idea. 

A simple flower placed in each glass with the place card draped on the side. 

Beautiful!

I hope you enjoyed these photos as much as I did!

-XO Grace

YOUR Wedding

Since Little White Book is a local wedding vendor directory, I thought it would be fun to post some local weddings. Are you a local bride who would love to share her wedding photos with the community. 

Your photos could inspire other brides as they are still going through the planning process. 

 Email me at grace@whalencreativegroup.com 

 Here is what I will need:

 -a few of your favorite photos with brief descriptions. 

-your favorite or most memorable part of your wedding.

 -advice for brides still planning their wedding.

 -a list of the vendors you used. 

 If you are a vendor, pass this info on to past brides. Also, email me if you have some work that you would like to showcase. I hope to hear from you all soon. I'm ready to be inspired! 

 -XO Grace

It's Personal

Brides put a lot of pressure on themselves to "please the guest". What you often don't realize until you are long married and attending as a guest is that you would much rather attend a wedding that if FUN and PERSONAL then STIFF and TRADITIONAL.

Now, I am not saying that traditional weddings are boring or that traditions are bad, they give great guidance and there are many beautiful, traditional weddings, but within those traditional weddings there are always personal elements, you can't argue that. My point is to make choices based on you and your fiance not on what other people will think. People will surprise you. :)

My #1 wedding moment still today after 4 years of planning is when I had the groom and groomsmen, as their entrance to the ceremony, walk up this large hill toward the guests, into their positions at the ceremony.

From the guests point of view the groomsmen and groom just all of a sudden appeared in front of them in the distance, all spread out across the lawn, the groom leading the way, in a very cool manner. Hands in pockets, looking around, black pants, white shirts, rolled sleeves. It literally gave me goosebumps along with the 415 guests in attendance. (see below)

No one ever has the guys walk in this way. They almost always either walk in from the right side, or they escort maids down the aisle.

Kathryn D Studios

This fit the bride and groom, along with their tattoo rings, shooting a bow at the rehearsal and their dirt bike ride back down the aisle as the guests stood and cheered after the ceremony(photo at top). It fit them, it was PERSONAL!

Here are a few photos that to me says "its personal"

Melissa Prosser Photography

Anastasia Photography

Carmit Hassine

Don't let a rain ruin your day! You are blessed to be getting married to your best friend today!

Red Bird Hills Photography

A helicopter ride to the Reception

madelinejamesphotography

A display of the journey it took to get you to your wedding day.

The Other Sister Photography

I hope this inspires you to stay true to who you are. This wedding is about you and your fiance, the marriage you will have for the rest of your lives. Enjoy it, make it about you, your guests will appreciate that!

-XO Grace

favor bags

This is one of those post where you can scroll through pretty pictures to get some inspiration for something specific. That specific thing being favor bags.

Right now I have a bride who is going to need two different bags for two different things. One being a bag for her favor, Garrett Popcorn from Chicago, IL. Yum!

We are still trying to determine what type of bag exactly, but I am convinced we will come up with something amazing. Maybe a fun glassine bag like one of these.

The second bag she needs is for her toss item. For instance, the old tradition was to throw rice, but then birds started exploding, then it changed to birdseed. Since then there have been everything from rose petals to lighting sparklers, people have gotten creative since the rice throwing days.

This bride is going to have candy sprinkles being thrown at her. Yup, I said candy sprinkles, you know the ones you put on top of a sundae. :)

So we need a bag that is cute, shows the sprinkles but also easy for the guests to get their hands into. Maybe like these adorable chevron bags?

Here are some other bags to draw inspiration from.

These customized bags are a show stopper!

These muslin bags are adorable and pretty affordable for around $1 a bag. If you were giving coffee away as a favor these first ones would be so cute.

Have a vintage wedding? Maybe these gorgeous lacy bags would work for you.

Have a more rustic wedding? Try a burlap bag.

Kraft bags are another great choice, especially for their amazing price.

sometimes a fancy label can dress up those simple, inexpensive craft bags.

I hope you were able to find some inspiration for your wedding. Thanks for stopping by!

-XO Grace

Joel and Melody Downs - March 31, 2012

This wedding is near and dear to my heart because the bride is my very best friend. She has been waiting for this day for a long time, so much so, that when Joel popped the question they set the wedding date for only 7 weeks later! Amazing right?!?

It was intimate and vintage inspired. Only immediate family members were invited and then my husband, daughter and I.

Melody found every single one of her wedding vendors from the Little White Book and said that was the only way she could get it all done in just 7 weeks!

Here are their BEAUTIFUL wedding photos from Breath of Life Photography.

I'm not going to say much, I am going to let you just enjoy the gorgeous pics.

Many thanks to:
Photography: Breath of Life Photography

Ceremony/Reception location: Honeywell House

Cake: The Cake Lady

Dress: White by Vera Wang

Brides necklace: Chapman Jeweler

-XO Grace