midwest wedding, Middle of the Map Weddings

April 11th, 2012

DIY Project: Herb Hostess Gift

I’m super excited today to share a brand new contributor to Middle of the Map Weddings. I met Laura last summer when we brainstormed with Ashley about doing a shoot together. She’s a super talented gal, and has her own blog A Girl Who Makes, where she shares all kinds of DIY projects. It’s definitely one to add to your reading list. Find out more about Laura in our Contributor section, and here’s her first project for Middle of the Map Weddings.

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Hello! A huge thank you to Emily for having me today. I am excited to share with you a simple, yet clever DIY idea that can be used as a hostess gift, bridesmaids gift or wedding favor. This potted herb gift is versatile and very easy to put together.

Materials needed: potting soil, 8” ribbon or yarn, small pair of scissors, coffee mug (the one shown is from anthropologie), an herb (the one shown is chive).

Step 1: Place about 1” of potting soil into the bottom of your mug.

Step Two: Plant the herb into the mug and fill the remaining space in the mug with potting soil. Gently press the soil into the mug to secure the herb. You want the herb to have a snug fit.

Step Three: Trim the herb plant to your desired length and shape. In this case, the chive was a bit long, which made it bend, so I decided to trim it to about 12” so it would stand up straight.

Step 4: Using the ribbon, tie a pair of small scissors to the handle of the mug.

There you have it! A planted herb in a mug. These could be given as shown, or loosely tied up in cellophane for easier transport.

Category Contributors, DIY Projects, Inspiration | Comment 1 Comment »

Tags: DIY project event. inspiration favor idea herb hostess gift shower wedding

April 10th, 2012

Inspiration: Ashley and Tom’s 10 Year Vow Renewal

I’m sure I’ve said it before, but one of my favorite things about writing Middle of the Map Weddings is getting a chance to be inspired by, and connect with so many talented vendors across the midwest. Ashley submitted her 10 year vow renewal ceremony to me, and I was blown away by her sweet event. I think that it’s wonderful, not only because the flowers and styling are right on point, but also because it’s a real ceremony, with real people, and real emotion. I’ve really enjoyed connecting with Ashley, and her love for all things beautiful, and local, and shared her work in a Featured Vendor post as well. So without further ado here’s her and her husband Tom’s lovely 10 Year Vowel Renewal:

Who, What, Where ~ Location: Tom and Ashley’s backyard. Photos: Red Bird Hills. Flowers: Ashley Fox Designs. Dress: Alexia Admor, NY. Shoes and coat: Thrift store/vintage. Tom’s suit: Joseph Abboud.

From Ashley…

We were married at the Arboretum in 2001 in front of 150 friends and family, but we chose to have a vow renewal at our home in the gardens that was small and very personal. Our best man, Brian Harvey, created and officiated a heartwarming, nostalgic, and emotional ceremony. Leah Vestmark, my creative, beautiful, and funny college buddy designed a “commemorate the day” program. It capture the spirit of our family and the home, gardens, and backyard chicken coop Tom and I have built together.

My husband Tom, and excellent baker, made the “Perfect 10″ apple pie and everyone said it was the best pie ever. Our children Evelyn, and Lucas had a great time running around and enjoying the autumn day, and couldn’t wait to eat the pie of course. Tom surprised me earlier in August with a diamond anniversary band to celebrate our 10 years of marriage, “I couldn’t wait” he said.

We used our cake cutter, server, and the crystal champagne glasses from our wedding day, and a much more toned down drink of cider instead of champagne. Our wedding was beautiful and special 10 years ago, but the vows we spoke on our renewal meant so much more, and we had more fun with them too. ”Ashley, I promise to love you even though you drive too fast,” and “Tom, I promise to love you even though you cannot point direction North if your life depended on it.”

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Category DIY Projects, Inspiration, Minnesota | Comment 2 Comments »

Tags: autumn bouquet fall flowers inspiration midwest Minnesota vow renewal wedding

April 9th, 2012

Engagement Session: Ann and Allen, Indianapolis, Indiana

For their shoot Ann and Allen decided to re-visit the spot where the proposal took place, the Indianapolis City Museum. It’s a perfect location for an engagement shoot with lots of different fun backdrops, including fun sculptures, lovely lakes, and beautiful trees. Shot by Kristeen Marie Photography.

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Tags: engagement Indiana Indianapolis midwest photography

April 5th, 2012

Real Wedding: Halley and Josh, Chicago, Illinois

Halley and Josh’s wedding can’t be summed up with just one word. They have so many classic elements, but at the same time added a lot of quirky, hand made items, and mixed it up with some special family traditions as well. I love the bright pops of coral throughout the event, their wedding invites which tell the story of their relationship (such a personal touch), and I’m of course a sucker for any event that includes pets, especially a giant Great Dane. A big thank you to Halley for sharing all the details from the day, and to Heather Parker for submitting her lovely images.

Who, What, Where ~ Ceremony/Reception: Gallery 1028. Photography: Heather Parker Photography. Event Design: Alice’s Garden. Flowers: Blue Hydrangea Floral Design, and Dilly Lilly. Caterer: Calihan Catering. Cake: Sweet Mandy B’s. Dress: Ivy and Aster. Bridesmaids Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids. Men’s Attire: Calvin Klein. Etsy purchases: Garden4Arts cake topper, The Paper Stache, Maupromos stickers for candy buffet, Under Her Charm cufflinks.

More loveliness and details…

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From Halley…

Josh and I are high school sweethearts. We met the summer before my freshman year of high school. After high school, we both went to Indiana University. We traveled Europe together, and got a dog … then moved back to Chicago after graduation. We’ve been here since and we absolutely love it!

We knew we wanted a Chicago wedding. Gallery 1028 was a perfect choice. A historic piece of Chicago real estate = a unique venue for a wedding.

I cannot even tell you how long it took us to choose a color scheme for our wedding. I think I changed my mind 70 times. In the end, it took a trip to a flower market in the west loop with our florist (josh’s uncle!). We put together the centerpieces and bouquets right then and there. We stuck with all natural, but exquisite floral colors … bright coral reds and variations of peachy pinks.

My mom and josh’s mom made the desserts at the wedding (besides the cake). My mom made pizzeles (traditional italian cookies) and josh’s mom made arugala (traditional Jewish cookies). My mom also made a special Lithuanian alcohol that has been in her family for years for a special toast josh and I made.

We also did the hora and josh broke the glass at the ceremony. Both of these Jewish traditions were very important to him and his family. For my favorite moments of the day the first would have to be the reveal when josh and I had a quite moment together to say, hi, I love you, you look great. Second would be after the ceremony where we had some more time to talk just the two of us. We spent this time reminding each other how excited we are, and how much we love each other.

Category Illinois, Real Weddings | Comment 1 Comment »

Tags: Chicago classic coral hand made Illinois love birds love story pink Real Wedding summer

March 26th, 2012

Engagement Session: Allison and Sarah, Naperville, Illinois

It’s all about location, location, location. When people shoot their engagement pictures they of course want it to be at an amazing spot. Beautiful backdrops make for beautiful pictures. However something far more personal is an e-session shot in your own home, and when that home is as adorable as Allison and Sarah’s there’s absolutely no reason not to use it for your shoot. Here’s a little more about this sweet couple from their photographer Jennifer of JWiley Photography:

Allison, a set designer for Ikea (woo!), has a natural gift for making any space look photo-ready, so when she and Sarah asked me to photograph their engagement session and suggested we shoot in their turn-of-the-century home, I was thrilled. Sarah, a holistic medicine practitioner, brought her effervescent personality and fabulous fashion sense to the shoot, and the combination was a smashing success. Their clothing and home were inspired by a mid-century motif, so we also threw in some of Allison’s vintage cameras, and their record collection. I loved how using their home as a backdrop made the shoot all the more unique and personal. After baking some cookies, we strolled a few blocks into downtown Naperville where they took me to their favorite cupcake shop (and bought me a cupcake! Yay!) and then wound our way over to Naperville’s historic covered bridges to finish up the afternoon as the sun was setting.