200 And Beyond

Friends! I have some very exciting news to share. It's just occured to me that my sweet little blog has reached 200 followers. Thank you to all of you who stop by daily and leave sweet comments. I've had the pleasure of becoming real life friends with several of my first blog friends, and I hope to meet more of you in the future. Thank you for supporting my blog as my creative outlet in life!


*In return for all of your love and encouragement, I promise to post more in the coming months*

Blog Award: You're Going Places, Baby

Alanna at Sparkles and Sundresses was sweet enough to give me this award! Here's the rules:


* Link back to the blogger who sent you this award
* Post where you would like to be in 10 years
* Pass it on to 5 other special bloggers!



In 10 years I'd like to have at least one child with Mr. SE, owning a home, and living somewhere close to our parents. If I were to stretch those goals even further, I'd like to be staying at home with my child and working part-time through my blog or a wedding-related field.

Here's my fab 5:
Tami @ Little Miss Southern (You better respond to this. I will stalk you until you do)
Cat @ Nashville Newlyweds
Christin @ A Classy, Southern Bride
Mrs. Bear @ Think Happy Thoughts
Heather @ Live.Laugh.Love

Why, Thank You! (and more shoes)

I'm excited to accept another blog award! This time the award comes from Chelsea at The Adventures of Mrs. Smith, and it's the BFF Blogger Award.



In other news- I finally selected my shoes! The Forbes, by Nina, was by far the cutest and most comfortable. It had every quality I was looking for: timeless, peep toe, and somewhat of a high heel. Those of you who have met Mr. SE know that he's a whole foot taller than me. I don't want there to be any difficulty with our post-ceremony kiss- so high heels were a definite! What do you think of my final choice?

It's the Glamorous Blog Award

Hello, friends! Today I found out that I won the Glamorous Blog Award, thanks to Big Spoon + Little Spoon (she's a Nashville bride too!). I'm honored to win this award, and I'll gladly pass it on to some of my incredibly glamorous friends.

Cat at Nashville Newlyweds
Tami at Little Miss Southern
Chelsea at Future Mrs. Smith

Jessica at Budget Savvy Bride

Win 100 STDs

Want some gorgeous stationery like the STD pictured above? The Thirty-Something Bride is hosting yet another giveaway! Today is your last chance to enter to win 100 STDs from Rachel Jasper Designs (a Nashville local). Head on over to T30SB to enter- or just enter under my name....

Palomas Nest

I'll go ahead and jump on the Paloma's Nest bandwagon. Mr. SE and I must have one of these for our ceremony. Because it will be Catholic (more on that later), the Deacon will bless our rings. This would be the perfect vessel for that!

And for after the wedding? This would look darling on a vanity (earrings or change), or next to a sink (ring bowl). At this price, I think we'll take one for every bathroom. What's your favorite Etsy find so far?
How darling is this "home" bowl? It would be perfect for a housewarming gift!

Honest Scrap

The Future Mrs. Smith, a fellow Nashville bride to be, tagged me for the Honest Scrap Award. The rules are that you need to list 10 things your readers don't know about you. Then you tag 10 other bloggers to do the same....

1. I’m an only child

2. I can drive a manual transmission- my parents made me learn before they let me get my license

3. I’ve lived in the same house since 1988 (except for college)

4. In my short life-span of 22 years, I’ve already had 4 ankle surgeries. Two in Virginia and two at Johns Hopkins in Maryland. Fun fact: my Hopkins surgeon did Terrell Owens’ surgery too. Booya!

5. New strip malls are my favorite- I love to guess what stores are coming in! (hopefully a bagel place)

6. I’m left handed (Mr. SE is excited about the possibility of our left-handed children becoming pitchers)

7. When we order pizza, I always pick pepperoni off the top before we pick our slices. It’s so hot and gooey- I love it!

8. I’m a nerd. I’m very good with computers and enjoy making all kinds of lists in excel!

9. Cool tones are my favorite

10. I favor a good shift dress over a business suit. I own way too many BR suit dresses and I love every one of them.

Teri at Little Miss Southern
Ashley at Polka Dots and Paisley
Jenny at The Road of Life
Jessica at Budget Savvy Bride
Mrs. Newlywed at Misadventures of a Newlywed

Hi, Lane at Hi, Lane's Newlywed Scandals
Katie Bower at Bower Power

Win 250 Stickers!

Blushing Bride Bulletin is offering a great contest...the winner gets 250 free stickers from U Printing.com. As if brides needed another reason to monogram, bedazzle, personalize anything and everything! Check out her blog to enter the contest.

Burlap Runners and Feminine Flowers

I love the look of this tablescape a la Sunday Suppers. The burlap runner is a nice contrast to the ultra feminine floral arrangements. Those glasses are my favorite- I love the idea of repurposing old beer bottles. What do you think of this look? It is too rustic or right on par with my theme?

Be sure to visit Sunday Suppers for some great recipes too. They're always featuring delicious and healthy bites, along with drool-worthy table settings. Enjoy!

The Lovely Blog Award

I recently received my first official award, not tag, The Lovely Blog Award. It's only fitting that this award was sent by Lovely Tonight- how perfect! She's a Nashville bride-to-be and is getting married August 22nd. I love the updates on her wedding, and definitely plan on taking some of her advice while planning in the same area. Check out her blog list on the right column- tons of goodies to browse!

Now it's my turn, I'd like to tag the following 6 blogs because I think they're extra lovely. Keep up the good work ladies!

Jessica at The Budget Savvy Bride: Seriously amazing DIY inspiration for brides with or without a strict budget. She just got married and had the most beautiful teal/yellow affair!

Caroline Elizabeth at Temptation & Bliss: She has an amazing sense of style and always posts the most dream-worthy pictures. Also- the girl just got a promotion! Head over and offer her some congratulations!

Lisa at Lime in The Coconut: Recipe inspiration to the max! Lisa knows what's up in the kitchen. Check out her Baked Buffalo Chicken recipe- it'll keep you healthy while meeting your man's need for buffalo wings!

Heather at We Met in A Bar: She has great inspiration from flowers to reception decor. What more, she made all the wedding stationery herself. Yeah, amazing. Fun fact? Me and Mr. SE met in a bar as well. More on that story later!

Laura at The Beginning of Forever: She's getting married this August, just like Lovely Tonight. Please go read the recap of her bachelorette- looks like such a fun time!

Caitlin at Think Happy Thoughts: This bride-to-be is planning an Atlanta wedding in October. She has great posts on planning, and a weekly recap of So You Think You Can Dance. Love it!

Tag, You're It!

Caroline Elizabeth, from Temptation and Bliss, tagged me! How cute?!! We're both _____ Elizabeth. Loves it!!!

1. Black and white pictures: I love how you focus on the emotion and not the colors. They remind me of my grandparents' photographs. Right now I'm obsessed with gallery frames w/ B&W pictures.
2. Duffie: I had a really rough time my junior year in college. I would leave for the weekend to visit Mr. SE or my parents and honestly didn't want to return back to school. The only reason I would go back to NC was because Duffie needed me. Seriously. You know that scene in Marley & Me where Jen Aniston is crying because Marley is the only one that understands her? That was me. I call her my guardian angel because not only is she white, but she saved me from a really rough period in my life.
3. Girlfriends old and new: No matter how secure or wonderful your relationship (or no relationship) with your man, it's incredibly important to keep strong females in your life. I'm lucky enough to have several close friends from college, one from high school, and one here in Nashville. Your relationship will inevitably go through ups and downs, and there might be things that Mr. Wonderful doesn't understand. These girls will get you through. Keep them close, and always let them know how much they mean to you.
4. The Beach: Everyone loves the beach, I love it during the off-season (early spring and fall). The waves are super romantic, especially if you're cuddled in a big sweater.
5. Reading: Growing up an only child, I learned to do things by myself. Reading is one of my huge pleasures in life. I've really enjoyed reading memoirs, non-fiction, and fiction alike. Jane Green is one of my favorite authors (she has a new book coming out this month), and I'm currently getting some great advice from Dave Ramsey in my present read.
6. Blogging: I'm sort of an introverted extrovert. Does that make sense? It takes me awhile to get comfortable and talking, but once I start it's hard to stop! New followers and comments get me so excited- I love the interactive aspect of blogging. I refer to my frequent readers/commentors in day to day conversations with Mr. SE. He thinks its kind of weird.

Now I'm going to tag the following blogging beauties:
Yours Truly
Her Highness of Cute
Hi, Lane's Newlywed Scandals
The Entertaining House
Just a Girl

Blog Awards: I've Been Splashed

I received three blogger awards this week- how exciting!?! I'll be responding to all three within the next two days. Be sure to read down, as I've written lots of posts in the past couple days.
Jessica, from Mason Jar Bride, splashed me! Check out her blog for great DIY inspiration and fantastic ideas for a purple & green color palette.

Here are the details of being Splashed:

The Splash Award is given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive and inspiring blogs. When you receive this award you must:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let your nominees know that they have been splashed by commenting on their blog.

I'm honored to receive this award, and excited to pass it along to some equally fantastic Nashville bloggers! These ladies are fantastic. They always comment on my posts and have offered such fantastic advice as I'm settling in to this new city.

Cat at The Answer is You
Louise at The Thirty-Something Bride
Chelsea at The Future Mrs. Smith
Little Miss Southern
Ashley at Polka Dots and Paisley

*I don't know why the font is so messed up. Sorry*

This One's For The Guys

Okay, it's CMT Music Fest and I'm a little sad that we'll be out of town. I'm not sad that Mr. SE's bff is getting married, but I'm bummed we'll miss the concerts. Anywho- I had to give a musical shout out. Obviously, Martina McBride.

My previous post about boutonnieres got me thinking about the groom. Yeah, remember him? The reason your going through these 6, 9,or 12 months of planning bliss. I think the groom is easily forgotten in the madness that we call wedding planing. So here's my toast to the groom (did anybody just think of SATC?), this post is for him.

I recently saw some totally awesome male wedding bands via We Met in A Bar. She posted about how they wanted a simple titanium band, but were able to find a more affordable option by Etsy seller Zoe and Doyle. This seller makes fantastic bands at an even better price ($45-$79). Heather reports that the quality is right up there too! Hello, how cute is the case it comes in?

*I promise to post pictures from the weekend. Mr. SE is a groomsman and he looks darn sexy in a tux*

Organize.com

I love this website. Granted I've actually never ordered anything- BUT I have been stalking for awhile. They have great decor inspiration for the Type A in us all. There's also a great blog {Mrs. Organized} that showcases tips and inspiration daily. As if the site wasn't sweet enough, there's a wedding section where you can pick up super cute gifts for the uber organized bride. Or maybe just a bride that you think should be more organized! My current obsession is this wine rack.
Such a fantastic use of space- love it!!!Do you have a home decor/inspiration site that you can't live without?

Don't Forget the Groom

Brides are normally the focal point of the wedding day. The dress, the veil, the flowers. But don't forget about your man! Here's some custom boutonnieres from Rosenow Floral Design to showcase your groom's interests and hobbies. I love the idea of a nautical one for the groom that loves to fish, or golf clubs for the fellow who loves to hit the green (ahem, Mr. SE!).

Jim Hjelm Sample Sale

I desperately want to visit the Faccio sample sale- has anyone been? Please tell me how it was. Also- I'd love to hear reviews from anyone who purchased their dress at a sample sale, or just attended one in general. Obviously I love bargains, and it doesn't stop at wedding dresses! I'm lusting over these two Jim Hjelm styles BIG TIME!

*Update* The comments on Faccio haven't been too flattering. It'd be great if we could start a little convo about local shops. Ex: If I don't go to Faccio, where do you recommend that I do go?

New Links Added

If you're a frequent reader, you might have noticed some changes to the right side. I tried to make up creative names for each category (still working on that one). Two new categories are Chez Moi and Delicious. I think it goes without saying that the first is decorating and the later is cooking. Both cooking and decorating are really prevalent in my life right now, as I'm preparing to move in with Mr. SE (next weekend!!!!). So please, enjoy the links. It's a great way to spend your work day...errr time at home. Let me know if you have some suggestions for sites I should add! Ps- I lurrrrve your comments and I get SUPER excited every time I get a little message telling me there's a comment to be moderated!!!!

Shout Out: Preppy Polka Dot

Ohmygosh! I just found this site, The Preppy Polka Dot, through the lovely Jessica at Yours Truly. Angela has a blog and an etsy shop. Seriously- she makes the cutest things! I dare you to visit her shop and not want at least a bunch of goodies.Duffie would love to receive her treats from this spectacular little jar!!!

Invites from KEG Design

This invitation suite is to die for! Kelly, of KEG Design, created these for her own 2009 wedding. Check out more lovelies on her blog and website.

Max Wagner Engagement Shoot

I love this grouping of pictures from an engagement shoot by the talented Max Wagner. He really captured their candid emotions.