Tuesday Shoesday

It's been far too long since I paired some pretty shoes with lovely wedding related eye candy. The colors in this bouquet are soft but have an unexpected pop of color coming from that coral pink garden rose. It reminded me of pairing a white or ivory wedding dress with an unexpected burst of color from your shoes, or the soles of your shoes in this case, which (bonus!) you will be able to wear again more often than white or ivory shoes.

Photo credits: Christian Louboutin shoes photo by Cooper Carras Photography via Style Me Pretty, bouquet photo by Lane Dittoe 

Palm Springs Love

I'm starting the new year off right with a new post! Using this yellow + white Bold Stripes invitation from Flock Press for Minted as my inspiration, I put together this board based on a mid-century modern themed Palm Springs fete. The Parker Hotel is the perfect venue for this glam meets sunny Southern California event, with its yellow and white awnings, mid-century architectural details and lush gardens. Gold glitter bow pumps and a beaded cap sleeve dress are playful touches, as are the Shirley Temple cocktails. Bouquets of lush white, yellow, pink and red peonies and bridesmaids in pink dresses round out the theme nicely.

                                     Palm Springs Love board by Annie. See more modern Minted wedding invitations

Photo credits, clockwise: Bold Stripes invitation by Flock Press for Minted, bridesmaid bouquet photo by Tonhya Kae Photography via Style Me Pretty, gold shoes and grass photo via Erin Ever After, bride and groom by Nicole Gerulat via Style Me Pretty, shirley temple photo by Nicole Gerulat via Marry You Me, bride and groom photo by Nicole Gerulat via Style Me Pretty

New Years Inspiration + Free Downloads

It's almost 2013, and it's high time I posted something. 2012 has had its ups and downs for me personally, and I can't remember a time when I've looked forward to a fresh start as much as I am looking forward to 2013. I even sent out New Years cards this year instead of Christmas cards! But enough waxing poetic, and on to the pretty New Years inspiration :) These lovelies make me wish I was having a New Years party, but alas I will be busy working on finishing a school project and thinking positive thoughts about the coming year. Happy new years to all my readers xo Annie

Free invitation, label, resolution card and message flag downloads via Phillis Hoffman Celebrate

 Petit fours with edible gold sugar and adorable free message flag downloads via Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate

Champagne and rock candy - I picked up some rock candy swizzle sticks at Trader Joe's for $2.69 to try this trick out on NYE! 

via The Sweetest Occasion

Taking A Hiatus

This post has been a long time coming... Marry You Me is officially taking a hiatus. I've loved sharing inspiration, ideas and lovelies with you over the past few years, and I definitely plan to be back at some point when I can more fully devote myself to making this site what it needs to be. Life takes us in different directions sometimes, and you can find me blogging and writing for Oregon Bride Magazine at the current moment. I love that so many of you go through my archives and continue to be inspired by the site and it's for you that I leave it up. Best wishes, until we meet again... xoxo Annie

Thank You Note Etiquette from Wedding Paper Divas

As I've discussed on Twitter before, thank you cards are a sticking point with me. As anyone who has attended a wedding, given a gift, and then received no thank you card in the mail can tell you, thank you cards are important. They let the giver know that you received the gift and you appreciate it. A personal, handwritten note goes a long way in our digital age, and some people will remember a well-written thank you note forever (I still get comments from some people four years later!). They'll also always remember not getting a thank you note, or getting a very delayed (six months, a year later) thank you note. So write them early, write them often, and have fun with it. Here's some tips on thank you notes from the invitation and stationery experts at Wedding Paper Divas. 

Kraft Cute

Response time:

The number one question is “When should they be sent?” Brides and grooms should wait no more than 6-8 weeks after the ceremony to send their wedding thank you cards, but of course the sooner the better! As some planners and I discussed on Twitter recently, the 6 months to a year "rule" that gets bandied about is just plain wrong. 6-8 weeks is the new three months. :)

If you receive gifts before the wedding, send the thank you cards out as soon as you get receive the gift. Order a different set of pre-wedding thank you notes if you plan on sending out a thank yous with pictures from your wedding later on. If you have over 100 guests attending your wedding you can imagine how much time this will take so get ahead! It also helps to make a goal and send out so many thank you cards a day.

Another tip for speeding this process up is to order your thank you cards when you order your wedding invitations. They don’t need to match, but if you purchase them with your wedding suite it will present a more cohesive look and you won’t need to go back later to order them.

Love and Thanks

The contents:

Sometimes this can be a daunting task for couples but make sure to greet the guest, express your gratitude, be specific about the gift, and thank them for attending (or for thinking of you if they couldn’t make it).

It is also nice to make specific examples of their gift and tell them how you use it. For example, “I love making my coffee every morning in the machine you got us!”

Make sure you spell their names correctly and are including the right gift for the right person.

For monetary gifts, it is not necessary to mention the specific amount but simply say “thank you for your generosity.”

Make sure to also send thank you gifts to people who attended but did not bring a gift and also always remember to send thank you cards to your vendors for helping with your beautiful event.

Written in Chalk

Addressing and Sending:

For families, address the envelope to Mr. And Mrs. If you are close with them, you can use their first names inside the card or if you are not that close use the same salutation inside. 

Make sure to hand stamp every note as prepaid postage techniques are too impersonal.

Once you follow these basic etiquette tips sending out thank you cards should be a breeze.

Modern Vineyard

Make sure to browse the amazing selection of thank you cards from Wedding Paper Divas!

Inspiration Board: Pastel Punch

If you know me or even just read my blog, its not hard to tell I love pastels. I love them even more when they are "punched up" and bright, and paired with other punchy and pale pastel colors. This board seems like the perfect mix of soft and bright, perfect for summertime. Some of the things I love include the bright flowers, the pastel bunting as a soft backdrop, the pops of blue on the chairs and platter, the bride's bright shoes and groom's complementing striped socks, and I love love love the DIY play tipi for your younger guests, which you can hang on to for your own backyard retreat. The peach cake is pastel perfection and a sweet ending to a cheery event.

 

Sources: Bride's bouquet via Ruffled, Lemonade bar from Martha Stewart Weddings, Shoe picture by Green Apple Photography via Marry You Me, Blue chairs and table via Style Me Pretty, Cake from My Sweet and Saucy Shop, DIY tipi from Sunset, pastel bunting via Style Me Pretty, Yellow striped bridesmaid and bouquet via EAD, salt and herb favors on blue plate via Martha Stewart Weddings, flowers in blue mason jar from Heather Bullard.