Now back to waiting....

We have food, we have drinks... now all we need is a place....

And here's where we're thinking, this is a historic and elegant venue in the our area. To have a wedding on a weekday cuts the rental fee down to about a 1/3 of the normal price, and I think it's lovely and perfect for a brunch wedding.

The elegant Rose Garden where the nuptials will be held

(photo courtesy of www.amourtoujoursevents.webs.com)

Here are pictures from the website, isn't it elegant, gorgeous, swanky and perfect!!!


These are pictures of bridal portraits in the ballroom where dining takes place...


(photos courtesy of Don Kadair)

A brunch wedding...

Looks like intimate weddings is on board with it and I'm about 10 months late to the game :D
(http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/want-to-cut-wedding-costs-consider-a-brunch-reception/)
My twist on the breakfast brunch wedding!!
For the foods I'm thinking of having a

Swanky waffle bar

(photo from jimcamut.blogspot.com)

With a variety of syrups

(photo from www.countryliving.com)

A great steak option

(photo from thesunblog.com)

An omelet station, which will probably be the only "action" station

(photo from nikkibeachthailand.com)

A breakfast potato bar
Including the breakfast potato

(photo courtesy of recklesschef.net)

Cheesy Bacon and Egg Brunch Casserole

(photo courtesy of food network)

cheesy sausage and potatoes



mini frittatas with ham and cheese

(photo courtesty of my recipe.com)

We'll have them able to be placed in martini glasses (tres chic, no?)


Bread display

(photo from www.sundanceresort.com)

The regional favorite, beignets....


Fruit display

(photo from www.theohhfactor.com and ohhh yeah is what I said, my stomach is growling now!!)

We have a theme, possibly a date, but not a proposal?!

As many of you know, I am an event designer. Well, M is my toughest client EVER!! I have pitched idea after idea of cost-saving, fun weddings and each time I have been met with NO. NAH, UGH, YOU WANT TO WHAT?! I feel like we're playing Mortal Kombat and I'm like GET OVER HERE all Scorpion style on his butt!

While finally I got it!! I am the winner!!


We will have a very elegant weekDAY morning soiree. It will probably be at a historic venue in town (a savings of around $1000-1500)...

We will have sophisticated brunch cocktails like the indulgent bellini, the yummy mimosa, the elegant champagne punch, the spicy bloody mary, and the masculine screwdriver... Very sexy, very swanky, very budget friendly... We will also have the traditional juices, coffee, and lattes...



BELLINI
2 oz peach juice or peach puree
4 oz Champagne
peach slices for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1. Pour the peach juice or peach puree into a Champagne flute.
2. Slowly top with the Champagne.
3. Garnish with peach slices and serve.


MIMOSA



1/2 oz triple sec
1 1/2 oz fresh orange juice
3 1/2 oz chilled Champagne
orange slice for garnish



Directions:

1. Pour triple sec, then orange juice into a champagne flute.
2. Top with champagne.
3. Garnish with orange slice.


CHAMPAGNE FRUIT PUNCH


12 oz frozen fruit punch, partially thawed
10 oz frozen strawberries
2/3 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp lemon juice
24 oz ginger ale
1 qt Champagne
3 cups water



Directions:
1. Place a frozen ice ring in a punch bowl.
2. Add the fruit punch, water, strawberries, and juices.
3. Stir well.
4. Add ginger ale and Champagne, then stir again.

Bloody Mary



BLOODY MARY
1.5 oz vodka
1/2 c tomato juice
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco
celery stick for garnish
lemon wedge for garnish



Directions:
1. Add dashes of Worchestershire Sauce, Tabasco, salt and pepper into highball glass.
2. Pour vodka, tomato sauce, and lemon juice into the highball with ice cubes.
3. Stir gently.
4. Garnish with Celery Salt and lemon wedge (optional).

Screw Driver

SCREWDRIVER
2 oz vodka
5 oz orange juice

Directions:
1. Pour all ingredients directly into highball glass filled with ice.
2. Stir gently.
3. Garnish with orange slice.

All recipes garnered from Real Simple (http://simplystated.realsimple.com/simplystated/2009/04/5-great-brunch-cocktails.html)

So would you attend a wedding during a weekday if given enough notice?

I want a Cricut Expression NOW!

OMG does anyone else have one of these? I look at it and I seriously swoon!! It would be so awesome for so many of my practical applications with my business as well as being a mom and an over-all crafter. This is the gorgeous little baby that my heart is currently swooning over.


There is currently a TV special where you can purchase it for a trial period of a month for $33.00 plus shipping and handling AND it comes with tons of goodies that can only be found in the tv special like the potpourri basket (which evidently is like a mish-mash of various cartridges). The potpourri basket alone is going for over 175 on ebay right now! If you decide to keep it it's $57 a month for 6 months afterwards. www.getmycricut.com

Here are some of the cool as hell crafts I would love to make with the Cricut!!!

(photo courtesy of http://www.weddingbycolor.com/hlrheawedding)




(photo courtesy of http://discountdiecutcartridges.com/2008/09/a-little-tip-for-cricut-vinyl-users/)

you cannot tell me these aren't darling for a little girl's birthday party!!!

(photo courtesy of http://www.cricut-expression-cartridges.com/blog/)

Do you have the cricut, if so do you like it and is it user friendly? I will probably purchase this for myself in January although it's becoming harder and harder for me to hold off on it. Even M is on board :o)....

Wedding-Lust

There are many times that I lust after things and today it is Amber and Tom's wedding!! Perhaps it's the champagne favors, the wreaths on the door, the Pnina the bride wore, or maybe the MANOLOS?! Whatever it is, it's definitely working for me!!
Check her out on http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/12/24/real-weddings-amber-and-tom/
Prepare yourself for a wedding-gasm...


I squealed a little when I saw the initial wreaths on the church doors.

I dig these sooo much (can you tell i'm a stickler for details?!) And it's amazing because one of the items in my company's product line are these sashes, instead of embroidery, I have a hand-painted version with tiny Fleur de lis...


Love these (I have every special cork from our relationship) Since we don't do escort cards in the South, I'd definitely use them for a candy buffet or perhaps the Champagne Bar...

And this is now a must have for me!! Remember my wonderful M owns a night club!!

I adore this!! Mini bottles of our fave champagne for our guests maybe?!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE she even did mini burgers?!

She also did a really awesome candy buffet, and for those that have visited my website, you know that I offer these as well... so I think this would be a must have edition.. Here's her candy buffet...

The best Christmas present ever....

So nooo ring for me for Christmas, but good things come to those that wait and I am not too bummed. I did get the best present of all though. Here's a bit of a back story. I was REALLY bummed about not being able to go home for Christmas and was just in a crummy mood. I am originally from Memphis, TN (5 hours away) and live in Baton Rouge, LA. M and I decided to save money and just get each other sentimental things. I got him a letter and a lock and key (from an old key chain) and basically told him it was the key to my heart and to always keep it near and safe.

Later in the night, M and I watched a great and funny movie and he excused himself to the restroom. I had never seen it before it was Richard Pryor's Which Way is Up. Well when he came back he handed me this handwritten note (on an empty toilet tissue roll, sooo him lol) and it was the sweetest thing I have ever read. It basically said that he's sorry that we couldn't be home for Christmas, that he hoped this card made up for it, and that this was my home now and ended with Love, M... OMG I bawled... I still tear up reading it. It was so romantic and sweet. He oftentimes says the only time he could think is when he's in the restroom lol!! And it shows his quirky sense of humor. How did he know exactly what to say to make me feel better and exactly the way to say it? Gosh he is made for me... Here's a pic of my note... against our awesome tree :D

Anyone ever have photography lust?!

OMG! If I ever had regret that I am not engaged it is now. My FAVORITE photographer, Fola Adewole, is having a contest where one lucky bride in the continental US will win her services free of charge! Travel, CD, everything is on her dime!!! All pictures courtesy of Fola Adewole! Sigh... In the words of Eartha Kitt...
Come and trim my Christmas tree,
With some decorations bought at Tiffany's,
I really do believe in you,
Let's see if you believe in me,

Santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing,
A ring.
I don't mean on the phone,
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight,
Hurry down the chimney tonight,
Hurry, tonight.

www.http://www.folaadewole.com/blog

An Ode to Hip Hop!!

OMG I am watching VH1's 100 greatest hip hop songs, the memories!!!

There's Lauryn Hill Mis-education of Lauryn!

Then there's A hard knock life by Jay-z!

Baby got back (little in the middle but she got much wiggle!)

Tupac!! (Soo many to name, not enough due to his untimely death)

Biggie!! (Sigh I still remember Faith lying in the bed, big and black ugly as ever)

What are your favorite hip hop songs?!

All I really want for Christmas is a .....

I hear ringing in my ears? Or perhaps it's seeing rings in my eyes... Now, I love gemstones. More than any other stone actually (diamonds included). Diamonds are definitely not this girl's best friend. I consider myself more of a princess, or royalty actually.. and like the great princesses of the past (Jackie O, America's dahling, Princess Diana, and Princess Fergie) I salivate when thinking of gemstone engagement rings. Now here's to hoping that Santa brings me what I really want for Christmas...

M knows my obsession and has actually been quite warned not to fall into the sales person's sales pitch of oh a diamond is wonderful and rare blah blah blah.. for me diamonds are bleh unless in a halo of course, lol I gotta cave in to a teeny bit of tradition lol!!

I want something with pizazz, something with sexiness... Here are my top three favorites.. Can you guess which is the splurge and which is the steal?

1.




2.


3.

And the list goes on!!

I'm so very excited and half proud.. I have finished the mountain of laundry that has taken over my condo AND folded most of it (only 2 loads left to fold!) Here's what's next on my list (because when I do lists I have a strange satisfaction that only comes with crossing it off, it's quite insane and probably has to do a lot with my planning tendencies) LOL you should see the lists I give my assistant when it's time to do an event and the list for the client lol!!

• Fold and put up the laundry
  
• Clean the living room
• organize the mountain of PAPERS in the living room
• Hang those snazzy letters that I made a few entries back
• Clean the kitchen (this is already mostly done but I really need to do a cleaning of appliances, put things in order, etc
• Clean the counters in the guest bathroom/kids' bathroom
• Organize the clothes in our master bath
• Lastly, help my son straighten his room up (grandmas just don't understand that there is NO ROOM for new toys!!)
• Take out our Christmas Decorations!!! Begin figuring out the PERFECT place for our Christmas tree!!!

On another note I received the sweetest letter this week from the mother of one of my client's!! She mailed and emailed me the letter to make sure that I received it. When you are doing the right thing, it's amazing how rewarding it is. I truly love my job.

• 
  

Cleaning, the final frontier!

So I think that I'm a pretty decent girlfriend. I cook, I've never said no to the shoulder tap (wink wink), I am supportive; however, cleaning is something that eludes me... I don't have the desire to clean although I love walking into a clean house!! What do you all do to get a routine into keeping your house clean? I feel like one of those people from Clean House.... I need Niecy Nash to come whip me into shape!! Sigh... I will channel my inner Martha Stewart, unpack these boxes from my move and make my house a home... Who's with me? Someone has to hold me accountable because I'd much rather have a friggin' V-8!!

Christmas, Christmas Time is Near Time for Toys and Times for Cheer

I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME!!! I am currently brainstorming about how my tablescape will be this year for Christmas. I got the cutest little Christmas plates from Kohl's a few years ago, but now I am definitely brainstorming for the centerpieces. I usually don't do anything or do something really simple like a star bowl. This year I'm thinking large and extravagant, but of course on a frugalista's budget ;). I am planning on using the apothecary jars (that I use for candy buffets) for double duty this Christmas. I will arrange them with the ornaments that we purchased last year during Christmas time. And then purchase more for this year's tree, but shhhh don't tell M :P he's the grinch and I am like little Suzie Who, sneaking Christmas cheer into his heart

This is what I am thinking of doing, and it's a brilliant idea for those brides out there thinking about what to use their candy buffet jars for after the wedding is over!!

And if you have received three billion four hundred eighty six million two candle sticks as wedding gifts, why not think keep a few and make these eclectic and sophisticated centerpieces?! The same look can easily be achieved by hunting (or stalking like me) the Dollar Tree, Goodwill, or thrift stores in your area! Happy Hunting!

Now, I will be allowed to begin Christmas decorations the week of Thanksgiving! So I'll definitely take pictures of my tablescape! I will be using a gorgeous red organza runner that my mom gave me a few years ago to complete my look. I think M will be forced to love Christmas, too!! And I'm sure that baking him cookies will definitely help ;)