Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
Picking a photographer was quite the task. I thought about it for months (before I even was engaged). I drool over photographers’ blogs and dream of their pictures.
There were a few musts for me when choosing a photographer. They had to be creative, quirky, and non-traditional.
We had quotes from 10 photographers after only 2 weeks of being engaged. (Obsessed?! NO.) The prices were tough to handle… they ranged from $4K to $8K, and I didn’t know what to do. I really wanted to spend that much, but then the economy took a turn, and so did I.
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
Three of my best friends are married and I have learned so much from each of them. I wanted to share a picture from each of their weddings and the lessons I learned.
Devon was married in May 2006. I was so lucky to be a big part of this wedding from helping her find the perfect dress in NYC, to making the invitations together. What I learned from Devon was that the day is about you. The stress, worries and dramas will all fade on your wedding day, and on that day there will be no doubts, no questions—just peace.
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
When we decided on the location for our wedding, I have to say the name “Blueberry Villa” totally sold the place for me. I spent most of my summers around blueberry farms (near White Lake, NC) and love everything blueberry. My grandfather used to take my sister and me blueberry picking and many of my family members insisted on blueberry pies for their birthday cakes. The Blueberry Villa is on the grounds of the Banner Elk Winery, and yes, they even make blueberry wine!
Here are some pictures from a recent visit to the location with my mom, sister and BFF and bridesmaid, Jaime.
This is the villa where 16 people will stay. This will be the lodging for my side of the bridal party and my mom.
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
We decided a few weeks before the project that we wanted to use recycled paper envelopes and bought them in brown kraft. Of course, being obsessed with design, I couldn’t just use a plain envelope so we decided to stamp a similar flourish design on the outside of the envelopes. The original plan was to emboss this flourish too, but after seeing the lighter color stamp on the brown recycled paper we decided it was more natural, more us, and more in line with our theme.
(envelopes with the embossing - the picture makes these look great but in person they were much better with just the stamp)
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
Two dresses caught my eye at the Grammys tonight. I hate to say it, but Miley Cyrus looked amazing and her dress was a dream! Imagine that in white… gorgeous! The dress is by Herve Ledger.
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
I wish I could remember where I found this idea. I saw it on an amazing blog and lost the favorite link (if anyone sees it please share!). The version I saw was using vellum envelopes to enclose magnets and I loved them. I decided to create my own version. After months of designing, a few weeks ago we got to work.
Step 1: Creating a magnet
Let me start by saying I am not the biggest magnet fan. I hate flimsy magnets (picky, I KNOW!). I like sturdy magnets and went on a hunt. I found a few versions, but finally found business card magnets that you DIY. It is easy really… you just create a business card and stick it to the magnet. I went through about 2 months of designing the magnet and finally settled on one. I headed to New Hampshire so Mr. Apple Cider could help with the project. On the coldest weekend of the year (-15 degrees), we holed ourselves up in the apartment and got to work.
We printed all of the images on white cardstock using a laser printer from Kinko’s. Then we got to cutting. After cutting 100, and then re-cutting and re-measuring (it had to be perfect), we were ready to stick them on the magnets.
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
Are you ready for a glimpse into the save-the-dates that kept me up for many a night? I am so excited to share them with you but must wait until everyone gets theirs before I share.
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(Of course I took a picture putting them in the
mail after all that work! Thanks for the pic, Pat!)
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
Once we got engaged, I insisted that we create an image to go with our theme. I wanted to make something that we could use in different places and in different ways. I had a few ideas, but have worked for weeks to perfect it.
Here it is… it’s called “love birds”:
We will likely turn this image into a brown tree to give it more of a fall feel! What do you think? Here are a few other things that I created with the images. Read more…
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
I am excited to share the details with you of how the ring came to be!!
Mr. Apple Cider and I looked at quite a few designs to come up with something unique but classic. I found a ring at James Allen that I really liked, and decided to somewhat copy the design.
I was very lucky to be introduced to a great jeweler in Texas. Her name is Francie Runmark and she has the ability to not only find great deals for diamonds, but also find you the perfect ring. Read more…
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
I love the girls that will be in my wedding. They each fit a different role in my life, and to be cheesy, “complete me”.
I wanted to do something special for them. They all live in North Carolina and I am the far away bride in New York City. I wanted to ask them in a unique way.
I decided I would “propose to them”. I created a card (based on a design by Amy Smyth) - asking “will you be my bridesmaid?”. I used cards from Kate’s Paperie as the background, and printed the images on a regular printer.
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
I am honored, overwhelmed, excited, flabbergasted, thrilled and so much more to a bee!!! I must admit that I have wanted to be a bee since before I was engaged. I even started acting like a bee during my planning process and I wasn’t even one (taking pictures, thinking of important things to remember to share, etc.)!
I can’t wait to begin this journey with the Weddingbee community and hear all the great things brides across the country are doing. And share what I am doing.
Choosing Miss Apple Cider was easy! Mr. Apple Cider and I love apple picking, we love cider, and love the fall. How fitting, since our wedding will be in the fall and we will have real apple cider on site!
Mrs. Apple Cider, New York/CharlotteAge and Occupation: 27, Corporate Communications ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Grad Student – Clinical Mental Health Engagement Date: September 13, 2008Wedding Date: October 2009Venue: Banner Elk Winery & Blueberry VillaAbout Me: I am a North Carolina girl with a New York City spirit. I love crafting, blogging, laughing and dreaming. I know every word to the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women movies. I own every single Martha Stewart Wedding Magazine and have been dreaming of weddings since I was little. I believe life is about doing what makes you happy. If you aren't happy re-evaluate what you are doing. You should never look back on your life and not be proud of what you are doing. If you want to travel - travel. If you want to sing - sing. If you want to start a company - start a company. If you want to blog – blog!
Unique Wedding Favors
