Hello PW! My name is Laura and I'm a 28 year old from Atlanta, Georgia. My husband, Brad, and I tied the knot on September 18, 2010!! We've been together for 8 years and he proposed in March of '08.

Let me go ahead and tell you, I am totally and completely addicted to PW! I had so much fun planning our wedding and Project Wedding was a huge inspiration and the #1 resource for me. I am so lucky to have found this community. It really says something that even though I've 'tied the knot' I'm still devoted to PW! You can always find me on the forums chatting it up!

I really enjoy looking at everyone's weddings and unique styles. There are some amazing and beautiful brides on here! My style is modern yet classic. Here on my bio you can view all of my e-pics, wedding pictures, inspiration pics, DIY projects and so much more!

Brad and I met in March of 2003, in my hometown of Winter Park, Florida. Brad had just moved to the Orlando area to attend a technical college after graduating high school. We met through mutual friends and had our first date at The Cheesecake Factory. We now go there to celebrate our anniversary every year! We had that "spark" from the very beginning and soon became inseparable. We took a trip up to Georgia that summer and I met Brad's parents and some of his friends for the first time. We had such a fun time visiting Lake Lanier, jet skiing and sailing that we didn't want to go home! It was on that trip that I knew Brad was "The One".

Brad proposed on March 21, 2008 when we were on vacation visiting my family in Florida. He popped the question with a room full of my family and close family friends. It was really sweet! Unfortunately, even though everyone in the room but me knew Brad was about to propose, not one person had their camera ready, haha! So, we don't have a picture to capture the moment but that's okay though, I know we'll never forget it!

We moved up to Georgia (where Brad grew up) in 2005 and we have been here since. We live only a few miles from Lake Lanier, where we will be tying the knot! Brad spent many summers jet skiing on this lake during high school and it's the first place we visited in Georgia when I met his family, so it's a special place for both of us. Brad is attending college for engineering and also has his license in marine mechanics. I'm attending college for nursing and am currently working in the medical field.

{through the years}

{our furbaby}
Here is our doxie, Sophie!! She is 4 years old and just the sweetest little girl ever!!!

I'm back and I'm a Mrs!!!!! Wow, I can't believe our big day has already come and gone!! It was such an amazing day, really the best of my life. Overall, everything came together just as it was supposed to and we only had a few minor bumps in the road. Luckily, ALL of our vendors were awesome and exceeded our expectations! My mom and sister (MOH) were amazing and my bridesmaids were perfect (and gorgeous!). We are so blessed with amazing family and friends and we couldn't be happier!

The Week Before
Well, let me just say the last week before our wedding was just madness! I had procrastinated so much and had so many DIY projects to get done I thought my DH and family might kill me! I seriously put them to work! They were so amazing with their help and luckily we got everything done though!! The only thing I had to forego was our personalized table numbers. I planned to do "Us at age...1", etc. table numbers and have pics of us at the age on each table but I just ran out of time. I did regular table numbers instead and they still came out good though. Oh well!

The Big Day
I woke up around 11am (haha, I actually slept like a baby!). I did tons of last minute stuff around the house (DH hid upstairs from me so we wouldn't see each other un til the ceremony, lol) and then I headed out for my hair appt at 2:30 pm. After that I went back to the hotel for makeup. Our photographers and everyone was there when I arrived (mom, sister, bridesmaids) so we got lots of getting ready pictures. I was able to get a bite to eat before getting into my dress and then we had a yummy champagne toast once we were all dressed and ready. We were running majorly behind because makeup was taking so long with everyone and I missed out on doing bridal portraits before the wedding. I am SO bummed about this! We got some pics of just me after the ceremony but it's just not the same. We're going to do a TTD/Bridal session next month to help make up for it. After we were dressed we headed over to our reception site (which is just across the street from the ceremony site to meet up with my dad. Our ceremony started about 15 minutes late but DH was running a little behind too so it all worked out!

YAY!!! :D

- The bouquets came out gorgeous. My bouquet was all purple with a mixture of vanda orchids, calla lilies and hydrangeas. It was really stunning and even prettier than I imagined. I gave my florist a piece of my mom's veil to use as a wrap and it was really beautiful and special.

- The flower girl dresses and accessories were PERFECT!! The girls were SO adorable, they looked like little sugarplums!! We all practically squealed when we saw them for the first time. Everyone loved their dresses and commented on how adorable they were. I'm so glad I went with the tutus!

- The weather was perfect!! Rain was one of my biggest fears since we had an outdoor wedding but we got so lucky! It wasn't too hot and the breeze off the water felt great. If our wedding had been one week later we would have rain! Whew!

- Our reception hall blew me away. It was so much more than I ever imagined! I put SO much time and effort into planning it and working on all the little details and it was just perfect. The room was so elegant and beautiful, the eggplant purple was everywhere and the centerpieces were gorgeous. Our estate table was stunning too. My florist went ab ove and beyond! Even DH was in awe, he said he can truly appreciate all my OCD and planning when he looked around the room at the final product!

- The speech by DH's best man was funny and really sweet too. The BM is one of DH's oldest and best friends and he started out by doing the "cowbell" skit from SNL (DH has always loved Will Ferrell and the skit), which was hilarious! He had a cowbell and even DH got into the act! Then he gave a meaningful speech about looking up to DH and always fo llowing in his footsteps, etc. It was really sweet.

- Towards the end of the night the groomsmen summoned me to the dance floor to sit in a chair for a surprise. All of the guys (including DH and some guests) serenaded me with the song "You've Lost that Loving Feeling", Top Gun style. It was AWESOME! They all passed the mic around and took turns! I was so honored that they all got together and planned to do that for me. They did the whole song and it was really a highlight of the night!

- Our exit was awesome! DH works at Year One (a car restoration company) and he borrowed one of the classic muscle cars for our getaway vehicle. We had the sparkler exit and then left in a beautiful blue '66 Mustang Fastback that DH helped build (it's actually going to be in the movie The Fast & Furious 5!!). DH laid into the gas switching gears and really gave everyone a show on our way out! Everyone got a kick out of it, especially the guys!

NAY!!! :(

- I wouldn't say I was nervous during the ceremony but I didn't stop and relax and I wish I had smiled more and been more at ease. Everything went by SO quickly and I wish I had really relaxed and taken it all in more. I got all choked up coming down the aisle and I know I must have made some beautifully awkward faces trying to get through it! Lol. I just wish I had remembered to smile more and relax! Oh well, hopefully it doesn't show too much in pictures!

- A friend of mine that I've known forever (her daughter was one of my FGs) is very pro breast feeding and very comfortable doing it anywhere in front of anyone and she decided it would be perfectly appropriate to whip her boob out during our ceremony! She didn't even bother to cover up with a blanket or anything! Some of our guests mentioned it to us, lol. I mean, I'm all for breast feeding but c'mon, in the middle of a wedding ceremony?? Geesh.

- We had three flower girls but everything ended up mixed up with them! Their names are Charlotte, Francesca & Carli (Charlotte & Francesca are sisters and Carli is the daughter of one of my oldest friends). Only Charlotte and Carli made it down the aisle (Francesca had a meltdown, lol) and only Charlotte is in our pro pictures! :( I have s ome non-pro pics with Charlotte & Francesca but the only pics I have of Carli is her walk down the aisle! Her mom went to the cocktail hour instead of staying for pictures (miscommunication). Oh well, it's just a surprise to see which girl is in which picture!

- We couldn't figure out of my darn bustle! Looking back, we just all had major brain farts!  We kept looking under the dress for the loop to put around the button and couldn't find it. If we had all taken a deep breath and thought about it we would have remembered the loop is on the OUTSIDE of the dress just a little below the button! Gah, so  ;stupid! I walked around for about an hour with my dress dragging and then my aunt helped to pin the train into a kind of "rose" shape which worked pretty well. I realized our mistake the next morning. As soon as I got back from our honeymoon I checked my dress and low and behold the little loop was there the whole time, exactly where it was supposed to be, haha. 

- My feet were absolutely killing me from my heels at the rehearsal & rehearsal dinner. I ran out before my hair appt and bought a pair of white platform flip flops to get me through the reception. Looking back I wish I had planned that better because they weren't quite high enough but I seriously could not have put my shoes back on. Some of my toes are still numb from my RD shoes (2 weeks later!)

- DJ announced us as "Mr. and Mrs. Bradford CIMINO", which is my maiden name!! Haha. It was okay though, everyone got a good laugh about it. He corrected himself and apologized profusely to us! It really wasn't a big deal though, I just told everyone we were being super modern and he was taking MY name, haha. Just kidding! ;)

- I forgot the reception timeline for our DJ so we had to wing it! He was awesome though and everything ran smoothly. He checked in with us every once in a while and we just went with it!

- When we were walking around thanking everyone, etc. we got through one side of the room but when we got to the groom's side my MIL decided it was time to take group pictures. We got stuck for what felt like forever posing for pics! Pictures with the aunts and uncles, then the cousins, then the second cousins, then with everyone. It was insane and really put us behind getting the dancing started but once DH told his mom we had to move on she got the hint and broke it up, lol.

- We didn't get any cake other than the pieces we fed to each other. :( Guess we'll have to wait a year for some yummy, freezer burned cake! Haha, right!

- My dad left before the reception was over. Let me start by saying we don't have the closest relationship (divorced parents, evil stepmother, lol, etc. it's a long story), bit damg. it was his daughter's wedding! He said everyone was getting tired and had to drive home the next day (my aunts and uncles) and that my half-sister had her gym meet the next day so they were going to head out. They left about an hour before the reception ended. What a lame excuse. Um, everyone had to drive home the next day considering 80% of our guests were out of towners! Even if my stepmom, half-sister and his brother and sister left, HE could have at least stayed to see me off. It's kind of par for course though. Other than walking me down the aisle (which was a last minute choice on my part, I was going to go alone) and posing for som e pictures he acted like a guest. It really upset my mom and MIL though. A lot of people were asking them where the "father of the bride" went. Ah, well.

- I ordered customized match boxes for our sparkler exit but I forgot to do rush shipping and they didn't come in until the Monday after the wedding. We had to improvise with match boxes from Walmart. Now we have 100 boxes of personalized ones to use! I know what everyone is getting for Christmas! Haha.

- Our biggest nay is that the ceremony and reception went by too quickly!! It was seriously over in the blink of an eye! It's true when people tell you to soak it all up because it'll be over before you realize it!

HUSBAND & WIFE
After the reception, we headed to our hotel suite but didn't get to stay there long. We stayed just long enough to sober up for our 8-hour drive to Tampa to head out on our honeymoon! We left at 4am (hubby was sobered up and loaded with energy drinks!). We took a 7-day western carribbean cruise (Carnival "Legend"). We crashed as soon as we got on the boat and even slept through our first dinner! It was much needed rest though! I'll do a honeymoon recap with pics soon. :)

THE END (well..BEGINNING!)
With all that, our day really was perfect for us both. We had such an amazing time and are so thankful for all of our amazing family and friends for sharing such a special day with us. I need to give a HUGE thank you to PW and all of you PW'ers!! I was so inspired by this website and all you girls, I can't even begin to tell you. My wedding would have been very different had I not found this wonderful place on the web. Thank you all for your inspiration, advice and support!!!

Here are our professional pics of us getting ready (and a few details shots) on our big day! I edited some of t he pics (in addition to my photographer, lol) and put them together as graphic boards.

Two of our precious flower girls in their tutu dresses!

This is Charlotte, she is such a beauty. I was telling her how beautiful she looked and she said, "No, you are!" So sweet!
 

My beautiful sister and MOH, Lisa. :)                                   Putting my MIL's wrist corsage on her.
 

BMs Taylor & Anne getting ready.                                My mom & I having a "moment" lol
   

Time for champagne!
 

Our ceremony was at the venue called The Venetian Pier at Lake Lanier Lanier Islands resort.

This is my nanny (mom's mom), I was SO happy to have there with us on our big day!

My mom and brother (he was also one of the groomsmen)

DH's parents
 

Heading back up the aisle for pictures with our families and bridal party.
 

Here are our teasers! I can't wait to get them all!

My beautiful girls!!! L to R: Anne, Lisa (my sister & MOH) and Taylor

{portraits, bridal party & family pics}

Heading back to the pier for pictures w/one of our flower girls, Charlotte

{ceremony and details}

Our awesome friend, Ken, doing a breakdance routine (he's actually a pro!), he rocked!!!

Haha, I have no idea what's going on here!

Haha, love this one of my bridesmaid, Taylor after she caught the bouquet!

Here is 16-year-old Robi, after he caught the garter putting it on Taylor, let me tell you, it was the thrill of his week!! Haha.

The guy's serenading me to "You've Lost The Loving Feeling' a la Top Gun style!!! It was a surprise and I loved it!
.

Group hug (Brad and I with our moms)!!

We left in a beautiful blue '66 Mustang Fastback that DH helped build (it's actually going to be in the movie The Fast & Furious 5!!). DH laid into the gas switching gears and really gave everyone a show on our way out! Everyone got a kick out of it, especially the guys!

{getting ready}

With one of my bridesmaids, Taylor.

With one of my precious flower girls, Charlotte!

Reading a letter from my wonderful DH :)

{ceremony}

Our guestbook was a hit! I used the Martha Stewart idea where the guestbook is full of envelopes and the guests write a note and then put it an envelope. I'll take more pics of the guestbook so you can see the inside soon. :)

My DIY program fans!!

The Venetian Pier

My handsome little bro was a groomsman. :)

My beautiful sister was my MOH. :)

My half-sister was our reader and she walked the flower girls down the aisle for us. :)

(Please excuse my faces, haha)

Check out the best man's face, haha. He was laughing because he was being heckled by one of other groomsmen because he kept forgetting "left over right" with his hands, lol!

Our Wine Ceremony

{reception}

Father/Daughter Dance

Best Man Speech/"Cowbell" Skit, haha

Estate Table

Flower Girls

Garter Toss.. DH was looking for gold, lol. He actually had beer cans in his vest and was throwing them out from under my dress and I didn't even know it, haha!! Boys will be boys.

I love my brother's expression (he's on the far right)!

The guy's serenading me to "You've Lost The Loving Feeling'!!! So awesome!

{sparkler exit}

I love seeing a bride's inspiration pictures and then pictures of how their version turned out! Here are mine!

{invitations}
Our inspiration came from a featured couple on TheKnot.com (the couple designed their own invitations). I fell in love with them and worked with Etsy designer, Cheerup Cherup, to create our own version of them. She did the invitation, monogram round labels, rsvp & double-sided details card. The rest we did ourselves! You can read more about them here.

INSPIRATION:

REALITY:

{water bottles}
I love things that are personalized. I saw the idea of monogrammed water bottles and knew I had to have them. I designed and assembled them (with the help of DH & family!). Here they are!

INSPIRATION:

REALITY:

{guestbook}
I wanted to do something fun and unique. I came across the envelope guestbook idea from Martha Stewart and decided to go with it. I'll post DIY instructions soon. :)

INSPIRATION:

REALITY (*better pics coming soon):

{my bouquet}
I wanted a very striking bouquet that was vibrant purple. My florist created just what I imagined! It was composed of purple vanda orchids, eggplant calla lilies and purple hydrangeas.

INSPIRATION:
 

REALITY:
 

{bm bouquets}
I wanted my girls to carry a mixture of green and white flowers with a little pop of purple to balance against their purple dresses. Their bouquets were composed of mini green hydrangeas, green dendrobium orchids, white lisianthus and several vermeer calla lilies.

INSPIRATION:
 

REALITY:

{escort cards}
As soon as I came across the idea of using wine corks for escort card holders I was sold! I love the vintage feel of it. We DIY'd them (I'll post DIY instructions soon).

INSPIRATION:
 

REALITY:
 

{cake}
We wanted a simple & modern looking cake. Our baker did an awesome job, especially considering it's all buttercream (no fondant!)

INSPIRATION:

REALITY:

{centerpieces}
I spent a lot of time deciding on the perfect centerpieces for our wedding. I finally decided to go with birch branches that had dendrobium orchids strung on them as well as hanging tea lights. Green hydrangeas were around the base of the vases.

INSPIRATION:

REALITY:
 

{sparkler exit}
I love this idea! Sparklers really make for a pretty exit. :)

INSPIRATION:

REALITY:

Here are all of the DIY projects we did for our wedding! Without PW, many of these would not have been possible!

{envelope guestbook}
I wanted to do something fun and unique for our guestbook. I came across the envelope guestbook idea from Martha Stewart and decided to go with it!

Supplies:
• Scrapbook album with blank pages (Purchased at a local scrapbook store - more info below)
• Envelopes & blank cards (Purchased at Target)
• Various sized & shaped doilies (Purchased at Michael's & Hobby Lobby)
• Glue runner

Scrapbook Album Info:
My album is a KOLO, style Newport. The size is 11"x14". It has 10 double-sided pages and you can add more if needed. Visit KOLO's website here for more info and to purchase.
 
Photo Credit

Envelopes & Blank Cards:
I purchased our envelopes and blank cards at my local Target. They are also available online at Target.com. I used the Hot Hues 200 pack.

(Click here to view).

Other great envelope & card options at Target.com:

Die-Cut Notecard Set - 50pk. (click here to view) - Love these different shapes and styles!

Hot Hues Bright Colored Notecards - 200 pk

(Click here to view).

Step #1: I used the glue runner to attach the doilies to the pages to be my backgrounds.

Step #2: I used the glue runner on the fronts of the envelopes and attached them to the book (you want the flap side facing up) directly on top of the doilies.

That's it! It was super easy. It was set up on the table with a sign that I also DIY'd (I highly recommend this to avoid any confusion!) instructing our guests on how to use the guestbook. This is what the sign said:

      Please take a card and leave
the Bride & Groom your best wishes,
    advice, memories or thoughts!

      Place completed cards in an
    envelope inside the guestbook.

                     Thank you!

Finished product:

 
(*better pics coming soon!)

{escort cards & wine cork holders}
As soon as I came across the idea of using wine corks for escort card holders I was sold! I love the vintage/rustic feel of it. A friend of mine collects wine corks so she gave me a huge bag of them and I got to work! This was the process.

Supplies:
• Wine corks (we used 2 corks per escort card)
• Your completed escort cards
• Ribbon
• Razor blade
• Glue gun

Step #1: Sort through your corks and pair them up in matching shapes and sizes (so that they'll stand up straight when attached).

Step #2: Using your glue gun, add a liberal amount of glue to one side of the cork and then put it together with the other cork and hold them together until dry.

Step #3: Use a razor to cut a line through the middle of the tops of the corks to hold your escort card.

Step #4: Cut your ribbon and tie bows around the front of the corks.

Step #5: Insert your escort cards into the top of the corks and voila! You're all done!

Finished Product:

We had fun on our e-pic photoshoot! We went to several locations all around mid-town Atlanta at sunset in late summer 2010.

We were running behind the day of our wedding so I didn't have a chance to do any bridal portraits. To make up for it, we're going to do a TTD/bridal shoot! I'm SUPER excited and I can't wait! We are planning on early January. It'll be cold but so worth it!

{inspiration pics}
The look I'm going for is very rustic and natural. I want a forest/woods setting. Here are some of my inspirations!

Picture on the left is of PW bride, AnnaBanana. She's just gorgeous!
 

Another gorgeous PW bride, emeraldlover.
 

{bouquet}
I am going to have my amazing florist create another bouquet for me for this shoot. I can't decide which look I want to go for yet though. I go back and forth on the bold look, romantic look, or rustic/vintage look. Here are some of my inspirations.

- Bold

- Vintage/Rustic

- Pale/Romantic

- Bright & Fresh

*I have saved these pictures over the past few months and unfortunately do not have the credit info for each one. The majority of them do have the photographers/owners info on them. If they belong to you please let me know so I can give you proper credit!

{hers}
I actually switched out my e-ring about two months before our wedding. It's kind of a long, boring story (lol) as to why I have a new engagement ring, but here it is. My FI bought my e-ring 2.5 years ago. When we went to pick out our bands they no longer have the band that goes with it so we had to go to plan b. I thought it would be easy to find a band that I like that was similar but no such luck, lol. I'm a bit OCD and the fact that they wouldn't match was not sitting well with me, haha. So, we had the option of trading in my original e-ring band (he got the full value out of it but had to spend double) and we were able to get my wedding set and his ring. It all ended up coming out even. Anyway, so I got to pick out a new e-ring! I love my original e-ring but I wanted something with a little more too it. The set I chose is basically the same, just has two additional diamonds on each side next to my center stone (my center stone is still my original).

{new e-ring}
Here it is!

{original e-ring}
I still love my original engagement ring! It's very similar to my new one, just without the additional side stones.

{his}
DH's ring is an 8mm engraved wedding band, 14k white gold. The design features polished edges, milgrain detailing, and a center stripe with a rich, satin finish.

{diy ring shots}
Our photographer didn't get any pictures of our rings on our wedding day so I decided to do a DIY photoshoot of my own! Here's what I came up with. :)

Our colors are deep purple (aubergine/plum), green (sage/light lime), and ivory. Our theme is kind of vintage/rustic/modern. Here are some of my inspirations!

Lake Lanier Islands Resort is our venue for both our ceremony and reception. The ceremony setting is on the golf course, overlooking Lake Sidney Lanier at sunset. Our reception site is at the Summer House venue, which is a lakeside club house with a private pool, poolside bar, and spaces inside. *all pictures from http://lakelanierislands.com.

Here are our Save the Date cards! I ordered them at Wedding Paper Divas (http://weddingpaperdivas.com). I love how they came out! They are kind of whimsical and fun. Plus, Brad cycles (mountain biking mostly) so they fit us. :) The second card was a small DIY project of mine, haha. I didn't have our wedding website done at the time that I ordered our Save the Dates but I wanted to include that info with them, so I made the additional cards to match. It was a pain trying to find the right shade & weight of paper, match up the graphics, etc. but I think they came out matching pretty well in the end!

After months and months of ordering samples and searching for the perfect invitations, we finally decided on a style and got to work! These were a labor love, that's for sure! Our inspiration came from a featured couple on TheKnot.com (the couple designed their own invitations). I fell in love with them and worked with Etsy designer, Cheerup Cherup, to create our own version of them. She did the invitation, monogram round labels, rsvp & double-sided details card. The rest we did ourselves! We ordered the jacket/pocket sleeves, belly bands & envelopes from Paper Presentation. I purchased the doilies from Etsy seller, Packagery, and I got the twine at Michael's. We purchased a stamp from Etsy seller, Paper Cut Industries, for our return address and rsvp addresses. I printed our guest's addresses directly onto the envelopes (font is Helinda Rook). We are so happy with how they came out and so relieved to finally be done with them!!

Inspiration Invitation Suite:

OUR Invitation Suite:

This was our process.

Step 1: Spray glue the doilies (let me tell you, tacky spray is not your friend!) We used three doilies per invite. The style doilies we used are called "Cameron" and they are 4".

Step 2: Attach the belly bands with a glue runner and put the Scotch foam mounting tape in the center for the monogram to attach to.

Step 3: Glue the twine to the belly bands and put the monograms on. I have to give major props to my FI for this, he did all the hot gluing and he was a trooper about it!

Step 4: Assembly!

Step 5: Address & stamp.

DONE! Here they are all done and ready to be mailed out!

Two days later we received our first RSVP replies!! YAY!
 

My wedding dress is by Brides By Demetrios. Style 9712 from the "Princess" collection. The color is ivory. I tried on a lot of dresses that I thought would be the style I wanted (lace, minimal beading/crystals) but none of them felt right. One of the consultants recommended a dress with a different look and it ended up being THE ONE! As soon as I put it on I KNEW it was the one! It's really crazy how people say, "You will just know when it's the right dress", because it's true! It's a sweetheart neckline and it makes me feel like a princess! It's actually from the "Princess" line, haha. My veil has pearl and crystal accents around the edges (it's in pictures 2 & 3).

{on the model}
I won't be wearing the straps.

  

{on me!}
Trying on the sample before I ordered it.

 

{earrings}
Purchased from Etsy seller, Lottie-Da Designs

{bracelet}
Purchased at Macy's; Designer: Givency - Silvertone Crystal Cluster

{garter}
Purchased from Etsy seller, JLWeddings

{shoes}
This was a tough decision for me! With only 2 weeks until the wedding I finally settled on a pair of Chinese Laundry heels that I ordered through Shoes.com. 

Chinese Laundry - Daisey in Ivory

{something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue}
Just following tradition!

Something Old: Lace from my mom's wedding veil used to wrap my bouquet.
Something New: My wedding dress.
Something Borrowed: Hanky that belonged to my MIL's mom.
Something Blue: My garter.

Shopping for bridesmaids dresses was so much fun! The girls tried on tons of dresses and we all really fell in love with this one! My maid of honor is my sister, Lisa and my two bridesmaids are my good friends Taylor & Anne. They will be wearing Bill Levkoff dresses, style 537 in plum. The dress is so pretty and looks amazing on each of them! It's chiffon and very greek goddess-like and flows beautifully when they walk. It will look so nice outside at sunset!

{shoes}
They will be wearing black peep toe heels.

{will you be my...?}
I thought it would be a cute idea to give my girl's cards asking them to be in the wedding. The cards were a hit! I purchased them from Etsy seller, alamodebride (http://www.etsy.com/shop/alamodebride).

We have three flower girls. Charlotte is 4, Francesca is 2, and Carli is 2. They are adorable and I can't wait to see them all dressed up! They will be wearing tutu dresses in lilac with eggplant purple tulle underneath. I bought them from Etsy seller, Laurie's Tutu Boutique (credit for the tutu photo goes to her). You can find her creations on on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/lauriestutuboutique & her website http://www.lauriestutuboutique.com. They will be carrying a flower pomander in eggplant purple.

{hair}
They will each wear a barrette made up of purple vanda orchids.

{overall look}
As far as the tuxes, this is the overall look we're going for.

{groom}
The groom (Brad) will wear a black tux with ivory vest & tie. His boutonniere will be an eggplant calla lily, purple vanda orchid with lily grass backing it. 

{groomsmen}
The best man and groomsmen will wear black tuxs with a dark purple (aubergine) tie & vest. Their boutonnieres will be a vermeer (ivory & purple) calla lily & two green button mums.

{hairstyles}
I love the look of romantic and tousled waves, so I'm going with that and a half up-do style. I'm going to have a rhinestone hair comb as well, with my veil. :)

{hair bling}
I will be wearing a hair comb/brooch with my veil. Mine is the one below, but it will have white pearls. I purchased it from Etsy seller, Lottie-Da Designs (I also bought my beautiful earrings from her store!)

{makeup}
I love the soft & romantic look with a bit of a smokey eye.

The flowers we are using throughout our wedding are calla lilies, vanda orchids, hydrangeas, dendrobium orchids and lisianthus. We are also using natural elements like birch branch and curly willow.

{bride}
My bouquet is going to be a mixture of mini eggplant calla lilies, purple vanda orchids and purple hydrangea. My wrap will be deep purple with some sort of crystal embellishment.

{moh & bridesmaids}
My MOH & bridesmaids bouquets will be mainly green and white with a hint of deep purple. The bouquets will be composed of mini green hydrangeas, green dendrobium orchids, white lisianthus and a few vermeer calla lilies.

{moms}
These are the corsages my mom and my FMIL will be wearing. They are a mixture of white dendrobium orchids and black leaves. They'll have a little bling in there too. :)

Our ceremony will be held outdoors at sunset on at Lake Lanier Islands Resort on The Venetian Pier. The Venetian Pier is a venue that is actually ON the water! It's a beautiful pier with cloudlike tents. We will have white ceremony chairs with ivory rose petals and lanterns aligning the aisle.

The Venetian Pier (on our wedding day)

Here are some of my inspirations!

{music}
We are having an acoustic guitarist play during our ceremony.

Guitar Playlist

Seating of the grandmothers/mothers
Prelude in C Major, Bach

Wedding Party Processional
Ode to Joy

Bride’s Processional
Canon in D, Pachelbel

Recessional
All You Need is Love, The Beatles

{first reading}
We had one reading during our ceremony. It was read by my younger sister.

True Love

True love is a sacred flame
That burns eternally,
And none can dim its special glow
Or change its destiny.
True love speaks in tender tones
And hears with gentle ear,
True love gives with open heart
And true love conquers fear.
True love makes no harsh demands
It neither rules nor binds,
And true love holds with gentle hands
The hearts that it entwines.

{wine ceremony}
We are having a wine ceremony (in lieu of a unity candle, sand ceremony, etc.) 

PREPARATION FOR THE WINE CEREMONY

The Rose is the symbol of love, and the blending of the red and white wine creates a light pink Rose Wine, celebrating the love of the new couple.

Before the wedding begins, red wine and white wine, each in a small carafe, are placed next to a larger empty carafe with one or two wineglasses on a small table near the couple. The center carafe, called the "Marriage Carafe" is usually a bit larger than the two outside "individual" carafes. The Wine ceremony usually takes place after the ring exchange. Music during the wine ceremony can add a nice touch, but is always optional.

WINE CEREMONY – TWO LIVES

The Officiant announces "To symbolize and celebrate the blending of your two lives into one, I invite you to perform the Wine Ceremony". The couple proceeds to the table and each takes an individual carafe and pours some wine into the larger carafe. The Groom then takes the larger filled carafe with the combined wine and pours some in a glass for the Bride.

The Bride then takes the larger carafe with the combined wines and pours some into a glass for the Groom. He may now toast his Bride with, "Now our lives are one" or "To our lives together” or “To us” and drinks from the glass. This is a great place to add some special words to each other. The Bride then toasts the Groom with the same.

They place the wine glasses back and turn back to the officiant, who states: "This ceremony represents your two individual lives, combined like the two wines into one single life. The drinking of the combined wine signifies the commitment you now make to live your lives as one family. May you remember this day of commitment you have sealed with drinking of the new wine joining your lives as one."

The Officiant may also announce that immediately after the service others may drink the new wine of their commitment to one life if they so desire, or Rose Wine may be served at the reception to mark this ceremony.

THE READING FOR THE CEREMONY (by our Officiant, Gale York)

The ritual we are about to perform represents the two separate lives of
GROOM and BRIDE. The two individual carafes of wine before them will
help us visualize in a very unique way the symbolism of these two
beautiful people who are now becoming one.

GROOM and BRIDE, as you pick up your individual carafes, we are reminded
of your very own individuality, the life you are leaving behind.
As you gently pour the two single carafes of wine together into the third
carafe, the individual swirls of wine will no longer exist, just as your
single life will no longer exist – but you as the wine will be joined together
as one forever. Just as these swirls of wine can never be separated and
poured again into the individual carafes, so shall your life be.  

Now, as you slowly pour from the larger carafe into the one single glass
and share your newly create wine - be mindful of the commitment
you now make to each other - to live your lives forever as one life.

May you always remember this symbol of your marriage commitment.
It is a day in which you have sealed the joining of your lives as one,
with this new wine. As you set out on a new beginning as one,
the happiness and love you hold within your hearts today will help guide
you through life’s many challenges.  Always remember to hold dear the
little things that make you both so very special to each other.

Our reception will be held at Lake Lanier Islands Resort in the "Summer House". It's a cute lakeside clubhouse with a private pool and poolside bar. The space inside is intimate and opens to the outdoors. We will be having the cocktail hour outdoors and then opening up the clubhouse for the reception.

{guestbook & card holder}
We will have our guestbook and card holder on a table decorated with lanterns and flowers. Here are some inspirations.

{escord cards}
We'll do something similar to these inspiration pics.

{table & chairs}
We will have one estate table (for the bridal party) and six rounds that seat 10 people. We are going to use aubergine linens & napkins. The chairs are chivari and will have a sash tied on them.

{table numbers}
I came across the idea of using pictures of us at the corresponding age for the table numbers and thought it was a great idea! I also love the look of the birch though.. we'll see!

{centerpieces}
This was a really tough choice for me! I went back and forth on CPs for weeks but finally decided to go with this look. The round tables will have round clear vases full of curly willow/burch branch with white dendrobium orchids and hanging votives strung on them. The tables will have lots of votives and orchid petals strewn about. Our estate table will have two of the curly willow/birch branch CPs (one on each end) with a variety of smaller clear vases full of all the different flowers used throughout our wedding (callas, orchids, hydrangeas, etc). Here are my inspirations!

{outdoor bar & pool area}
Our reception hall will open up to a private pool and outdoor bar. We'll have high boy tables out there for our guests decorated with small cluster vases of flowers. We'll decorate the bar and pool area as well. Here are some inspiration pictures!

Mmmm.. cake!! Wow, this has been a tough decision! There are so many beautiful wedding cakes to choose from! I have to say, the cake tastings make up for the stressful decision making!

{wedding cake}
Our cake will be 4 tiers very similar to the first two below. The floral arrangement will purple vanda orchids (similar to the 3rd cake).

  

{grooms cake}
Instead of going with a traditional groom's cake, I came across the picture below which inspired me to do oreos w/chilled milk in martini glasses! My FI loves oreos and milk before bed, so this is perfect.

We are doing a candy buffet for our guest favors. We're going to use purple, green & white candies to match our wedding colors. Here is some yummy inspiration!

We love the idea of sparklers for our exit so we'll have those for our guests. We will leave the reception in either a golf cart of an old muscle car (my FI restores muscle cars, so we may borrow one for the night). 

Our rehearsal dinner is going to be a big event with about 60 people (most of our guests are from OOT) so we wanted to do something fun and memorable! We are so excited that we are having our rehearsal dinner on an excursion yacht for a cruise on Lake Sidney Lanier! My FILs are renting the yacht through the yacht through the resort where we are having our ceremony and reception (Lake Lanier Islands Resort) so it will be really convenient for everyone staying at the resort. The yacht is called the Island Princess and it features an enclosed cabin with catering and bar service, two restrooms, a formal seating and dining area, and a partially covered upper party deck with an additional bar.

{rd invitations & menu}
These are two of my DIY projects and I'm really happy with how they turned out! 

Digital Mock-Ups:

The Real Deal!

The night was a blast! I only wish we had captured more pictures! Here are a few from the night.

Our FILs will also be hosting a brunch the morning after out wedding day. It will be held at a restaurant inside the Legacy Lodge also at our wedding venue, Lake Lanier Islands Resort. The Windows Restaurant overlooks Lake Lanier. It will be a great chance for us to thank everyone again for coming and see everyone before we head off on our honeymoon!

{brunch invitation}
This was another DIY project of mine. I made them to correspond with our wedding colors and the RD invitation. We are sending them both out together to our guests. This is a digital file of the invite to show it looks when printed (with purple cardstock backing). I'll take pictures once I get them done and post the real things!

I made our wedding website at MyWedding.com. I added lots of section to especially help our OOT guests (we have a ton!) I included sections like Wedding Events, Accommodations, Resort Attractions, Atlanta Attractions, Airport Info, etc. I put an insert with out STDs to direct people to the website for more info. It's at http://www.mywedding.com/bradandlaurabirney

• Wedding & Reception Location:  Lake Lanier Islands Resort, Buford, GA (www.lakelanierislandsresort.com)
• Wedding Ceremony Venue: The Venetian Pier @ Lake Lanier Islands Resort
• Wedding Reception Venue: The Summer House @ Lake Lanier Islands Resort
• Venue Coordinator: Celita Fritch 
• Caterer: Lake Lanier Islands Resort
• Wedding Dress Designer:  Brides by Demetrios 
• Bridesmaid Dress Designer: Bill Levkoff
• Florist: Design House of Flowers (www.dhweddingsandevents.com)
• Linens: Cover Ups Linens (www.coverupslinens.com)
• Photographer: Sarah Esther Photography (www.sarahesther.com)
• Ceremony Music: Solo/Classical Guitarist, Keith Gehle (www.keithgehle.com)
• DJ: Fonix Entertainment (www.fonixentertainment.com)
• Wedding Cake: Sweet Stuff, LLC (www.sweetstuffcakes.com)
• Officiant: Rev. Gale York (www.marriageminister.net)
• Rings: Shane Co. (www.shaneco.com)
• Save the Dates: Wedding Paper Divas (www.weddingpaperdivas.com)
• Invitations: Cheer Up Cherup (www.etsy.com/shop/Cheerupcherup)
• Hair: Blondean @ Studio 93 Salon (www.studio93salon.com)
• Makeup: J.Marie @ Van Michael Salon (www.vanmichael.com)
• Tighten & Tone: PUR Fitness

{my inner bride}
This is my "inner bride" that I created on the TheKnot.com. :)

{virtual wedding party}
I created my virtual wedding party on DavidsBridal.com and then tweaked it a little in Paint Shop Pro.

I am the proud owner of two PW Groups!! They are Doggy Furbaby Mommas! (for all us furmommies!) & Soap Addicts Anonymous (for all us soap opera addicts!). Please join!!