So my idea was to have guests (on the back patio of the golf clubhouse) mingle and watch the bridal party take photos on the golf course.. i saw photos of the paper cones out of sheet music online.. saw that others had used them for petals, etc. Then I found the popcorn co. here nearby.. I went in and free sampled practically every variety.. I decided on three flavors.. cajun (orange and spicy), kettle corn (yellow and sweet and salty), and bubble gum (teal! and sweet).. love the teal blue color of the bubble gum..and that was actually my favorite pick from the whole store.. different and unexpected and the color will make the photos pop... so the popcorn is going to be in galvenized buckets (if i can find some that aren't too shiny..atwoods has some but tooo shiny now i think)..and mini chalkboards attached to label them (bought at michaels).. and guests will fill their cones with the popcorn.. i'll have some pre filled in these old wood coke bottle crates i found!!! excited about these.. I have two and they were $5! .. So then I was on stylemepretty blog and I found the idea I had in my mind! minus the wagon wheel cart..lol The cones are all made now..working on tags for the mason jars for the pink lemonade.. ordering the pink and white straws today too!

escort cards

I really like this idea...i've seen it a couple of times on different blogs... (first two photos -elizabeth ann designs) ..guests arrive and find their name and table number on their escort card, skeleton key/tag. I found the frames at hobby lobby half price sale... they were bulletin boards.. thomas and I covered the cork in burlap yesterday afternoon... now to find 100 skeleton keys on etsy or ebay!

I'm beginning to like ranunculus flowers as much as peonies.. I picked up a bunch of ranunculus flowers, small hydreangeas, and lavendar at that store (previous posts) in arkansas... I saw mini french market bouquets at a store here, Windsor Market...this idea has been in the back of my mind for a while.. small selection of flowers wrapped up in crumpled brown paper tied with rafia... reminds me of my favorite movies, My Fair Lady, "would ya like to buy some violets?" So they will be placed in the foyer of the reception or maybe on the front patio for the ladies to take... And then hobby lobby had their 40% off internet coupon ..so I bought six pink paper parosols for my bridesmaids and one for me for photo props!

Here's the photo of the postcard I bought at Border's store closing sale (painting it black) ...and here's a photo of the framed/printed thumbprint tree! (going to stain the frame darker)

I'm loving the pink lemonade~pink/white stripey straw combo... for the back patio at the reception. Atwoods was having no sales tax day..so we bought all the mason jars. I think i'm going to make tags instead of labels. (collage from stylemepretty)

The canopy is ...DONE!! hooray! we can finally watch tv in the living room again! the "poofs" are not as "poofy" as I'd like them..but we have an idea for wedding day..so maybe it will be a bit "poofier." The flower arrangements drove me nuts! I did them both and then could not figure out why the one on the right didn't look like the one on the left.. Thomas thankfully fixed it..lol.. he's so good..and patient! no, i don't plan on wearing socks with heels..but..MY SHOES CAME IN!! YIPEE!! and they fit! I ordered them online...perfect! They didn't make me as tall as I'd hoped..trying them out standing next to Thomas.. they're 4 inches.. which makes me think..gee what do i really look like standing next to him!? Well two things crossed off the list..canopy and shoes!

When I was six years old I was Miss America for career day...I chose that because I had asked my mom who the richest man was and she said Donald Trump..and I said well I wanna marry him when I grow up...she said well then you'll have to become Miss America...haha.. I've been searching all year for my bridal shoes.. I've traveled to stores hours away and also looked online. Trying to find a platform with an ankle strap and that has enough bling is hard to find! I finally ran across Ivanka Trump's new shoe line... (funny that it's trump brand!) I LOOOOVE these! Zappos.com finally got size 6/ivory in. Hopefully size 6 will fit.. I range from size 5 to 6 depending on the shoe..but they do have free shipping and free returns. I purchased the shoes tonight...can't wait till they get here! Then I can try them on with my dress and I can get my alterations done!