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Your Complete Guide to Door County Bridal Inspiration |  |
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Door County Bride-To-Be — Accessorizing!May 17th, 2012 | 0 Comments - Leave a Comment
With so much of my time going into planning the “bigger” aspects of the wedding, it’s nice to take a step back and look at some of the finer details once and a while… like the accessories! When I first got my dress, I could already envision what kind of veil, shoes and jewelry I wanted to wear with it. I love the idea of having some cute, colorful heels for the ceremony, and then changing into some lower shoes for the reception. As far as jewelry goes, I really like the look of pearls. They are simple, soft and sophisticated, while retaining that reminiscent vintage feel. For a veil, I love the traditional style (and I even may wear my mom’s veil) but I also think the newly trending “birdcage netting” veil is very classy and old-fashioned looking. I’ve been searching for one I really like, but I haven’t found anything that really screams at me yet. I did, however, find some great tutorials on how to make your own custom birdcage veil, and they are surprisingly easy to make! Here is a good, quick tutorial that I found helpful from oncewed.com.
As I’ve been looking for ways to save money on the wedding, I found it astounding how expensive some of these wedding accessories can be. I would also like to add my own custom wedding dress sash, but I just can’t justify paying hundreds of dollars to find one I really like. So, another tip I came across was to make your own! You can buy your own ribbon and find some gorgeous pearl and gemstone appliqués on sites like Etsy for less than a quarter of the cost. As far as the bridesmaids go, I’m really open to letting them choose their own accessories. Their dresses are all the same fabric and color, but are all different styles, so I think letting them find accessories that really complement their dress style and taste is the best way to go. Ultimately I want them to feel good about what they’re wearing, and I really like the idea of each girl having their own unique style!
Until next time!
Amanda
A Door County EngagementMay 16th, 2012 | 0 Comments - Leave a Comment
Door County isn’t just a great place to get married — it’s a great place to pop the question! With scenic outlooks, water vistas, and beautiful sunsets along with delicious food and wine throughout the county, it’s an easy place to set the mood. Carmen and Tom enjoyed some of the fruits of the county during their cherry orchard engagement pictures taken by the talented Kim Thiel Photography.
From the Bride-To-Be … Door County is our romantic get away close to home; ideal for quick day trips or spontaneous weekend vacations. No matter the season, it is always a relaxing way for us to enjoy some quality time together. Our favorite three “must do’s” every time we drive up are: 1) Stop at Stoffel’s Orchard in Carlsville on the corner of Co Rd I and Egg Harbor Rd (across the street from Door Peninsula Winery). They have the BEST yellow, sweet cherries and the sweetest staff! Reverse that if you want; sweetest cherries and best staff, both statements are true! Not sure if it’s the little red buckets, climbing ladders and giggling through tree branches, or holding hands while walking through the orchard, but cherry picking has definitely become a spring tradition for us. 2) Wine tasting at Stones Throw Winery in Egg Harbor. The summer I graduated I bought myself a membership so we could go for free wine tastings any time we want and get wine delivered to our front door bi-monthly! Best investment ever! 3) Driving all the way to the tip of the peninsula to get smoked trout from Charlie’s Smokehouse in Gill’s Rock. Trust me, it’s worth the drive. We also learned last year that they deliver, BONUS! With all of these favorites in mind, we set forth making plans with our photographer (Kim Thiel of Kim Thiel Photography) for the perfect Door County engagement shoot. We met at Stoffel’s to take some pictures cherry picking. Unfortunately (for us), that year was an early season and the trees were picked dry. ‘No Problem,’ they said, ‘Drive over to our other orchard, the trees are full.’ With permission from the owners we drove over to their other orchard were we captured the beauty of hundreds of cherry trees dripping with plump, juicy fruit! Exactly the colors and style we were going for. We then ventured over to Lakeside Park in Jacksonport to have a picnic with all our favorites; yellow cherries from Stoffel’s, smoked trout from Charlie’s and a bottle of Pinot Grigio from Stones Throw. As romantic and wonderful as the picnic was, Tom and I are also very playful; exactly why we picked the park. We played on the swings, the teeter-totter and Kim’s favorite (or maybe not), the marry-go-round! The lake was calling us too, so we headed down there next. It was a perfect beach day, warm, sunny, with a slight breeze. Sure Tom got a little wet, but in the end we both did! Sitting on the bench swing looking out onto Lake Michigan, we came to the same conclusion…. 50 years from now, we would be having the exact same day, for the 50th time.
Engagement Photography: Kim Thiel Photography / Orchard: Stoffel’s Orchard and Farm, 920-559-9778 Door County Bride-To-Be — Host Bar, Cash Bar, Beer & Wine…Oh the optionsMay 15th, 2012 | 0 Comments - Leave a Comment
With the many different beverage option I did some research to see what was common for weddings. Well what I found is it varies and there are some pretty strong opinions about what a couple should do for beverages at their wedding. I searched weddingbee.com and theknot.com wedding boards for other bride’s (current and former) opinions on the topic, as well as searching random etiquette sites. Well what I found from my research is there was no pleasing everyone. Some people swear that the only way to have a wedding is to have an open bar (no matter the expense), some say only provide beverages that you can afford to pay for and not allowing for any cash options, and some say not allowing guests to purchase alcohol (if not provided) is rude. This mix of opinions started to make me feel a little overwhelmed and frustrated. I was relieved when I found a post about this topic stating customs vary in different regions and social circles. This particular site mentioned how in some areas and in some social circles open bar can be expected where as others beer and wine is acceptable. I really enjoyed this site’s perspective, because while we would love to provide open bar, but we do not think we can afford it. It is very common among our family and friends weddings to have a beer, wine and soda host bar and offer the option of liquor for purchase. For budget reasons, we are leaning toward this option, and we would still like for our guests to be able to purchase something other than beer, wine or soda, if they prefer. We have also been considering offering a signature drink. What are your thoughts on wedding beverages?
Door County Bride-To-Be — Something Old for Something NewMay 7th, 2012 | 0 Comments - Leave a Comment
As I’ve been browsing the stores looking for new finds and ideas for the wedding, I’ve been seeing more and more “vintage” furniture, decorations and styles popping up. I’ve thought about buying some of these items, but then I thought, “why would I buy something new that’s meant to LOOK old, when I could have the real thing?” My dad has been a collector of old-fashioned things ever since I can remember. I don’t know that there’s been a single antique store that we’ve driven by and haven’t stopped, and he will wake up at the crack of dawn to scout out the best garage sales, eagerly seeking out the hidden gems with the most unique character.
Well, as you can imagine, he’s acquired quite a collection of these unique vintage items, and some of them will work just perfect with my country-vintage theme! Things like old wooden boxes and crates, vintage suitcases, antique medicine bottles, paint-chipped chairs and Victorian picture frames are all perfect for the look and feel that I’m after. The cracks give it character! It’s also great to be able to repurpose something old, and it’s also a great way to save money and time spent shopping. I’ve only explored a bit of what my dad has collected, and I’m looking forward to coming up with some awesome decoration arrangements with the things that I find!
Until next time, Amanda
Door County Bride-To-Be — Schedule OverloadMay 2nd, 2012 | 0 Comments - Leave a Comment
 As the wedding gets closer (less than 5 months to go), I have been noticing my schedule has been overflowing with things to do. Normally I am very good about remember the typical tasks I do weekly, such as this blog, without scheduling everything in. Now with so much going on, I’ve noticed if it is not written in my calendar it does not happen. I started out with my wedding binder, which is where I store all my important wedding documents, such as vendor contracts, sample ideas, wedding sales/coupons and etc. This binder has helped me to stay fairly organized, but I lately I’ve discovered I’ve needed something more. I am now utilizing a purse size calendar (it will go everywhere with me), to keep our appointments straight and not double book ourselves. In addition to the calendar, I am also going to keep a note pad with a to-do list. So when I get questions from vendors, family and friends, or when I think of something I need to do that doesn’t have a place on the calendar, it will on the to-do list. As I complete each task, I can check them off my list. I am hoping this new origination strategy will help me stay on top of everything I need to complete and allow me to not have the continuous am-I-forgetting-something feeling. I will make sure to report back on how this has worked for me later in the planning process.
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