Just Give....

Everyone is always asking about favor ideas so when I received this email, I thought I would share... Enjoy GIVING from JustGIVE
~Darcie

JustGive has launched two new ways to create personalized GiveNow charity gift cards, making them unique and memorable:

1. Select from more than 160 online images or

2. Upload your own photo
Whether you need a charity gift card to celebrate a birthday, wedding, anniversary or religious ceremony – to say thank you, get well or I’m sorry for your loss – or to honor military service or a favorite cause like children, environment, education, global issues, local community or peace, JustGive now has the widest array of GiveNow cards available anywhere!
With a variety of designs for more than 23 causes and occasions, the new cards are an excellent gift for loved ones, friends, family members, colleagues and customers of any age, any gender. The broad assortment of images and styles makes it a cinch to find just the right card for every purpose, every person.
You can create one-of-a-kind charity gift cards by uploading your own image. Customize the card with your message, preview it, and send. It’s that easy! You can schedule the desired delivery time (immediate or future date) and choose whether to email or print GiveNow cards.
The eco-friendly GiveNow cards are a green gift for good that lets each recipient support a cause they care about and donate to any of more than 1.8million charities online. With JustGive’s new charity gift card images and options, every card can be perfectly personal.
“We wanted to offer more choice—more ways to personalize charity gift cards and more images to select from for every cause and occasion,” comments Director of Programs Andrea Lloyd. “We’re pleased to have developed the most robust and streamlined charity gift card offering in the industry—allowing us to remain the only site donors need for online giving.”
San Francisco-based JustGive, founded 11 years ago by Kendall Webb,a Harvard graduate and former Silicon Valley dot.com executive, has sent more than $170 million to over 50,000 charities. Through JustGive, donors can give when, how, and as often as they want in a variety of ways—direct and memorial donations, charity gift cards, wedding gifts, gift collections, and fund-raising registries.
The destination for online charitable giving® and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, JustGive has been recognized by Forbes as one of the Best of the Web

Color Explosion

Shannon & Larry- July 9, 2011
St. Michael's Church Greenfield
The Crowne Plaza at Union Station

When Shannon came to me earlier this year, all she knew that she wanted was a room full of color! She had so many beautiful summer colors in mind for their July wedding. She just could not narrow them down and she had no idea how to incorporate this into the Grand Ballroom at Union Station. So we played with various groupings of colors and at her tasting brought in different linens to pick the perfect combination that would show her and her fiance's personalities!

The day of her wedding Union Station was being set up by the fabulous staff at the Crowne Plaza and two lovely ladies. My assistant Kelly put all of the bright color around the room, but I have to give a special THANK YOU to Darcie for getting all of the chair covers on for me!! So THANK YOU Darcie! You are the best! And what you see is the final result of the colors coming together!

When Shannon & Larry saw the room for the first time, she was jumping up and down saying this is exactly how she visioned it looking and couldn't take the smile off her face! Shannon had the best reaction to date of a bride seeing the reception decor for the first time:)




Shannon & Larry also LOVE desserts and Jenny Leisure from A Couple of Sweet Things was great to work with for this wedding! She created a small wedding cake and then surrounded that with some of the bride and groom's favorites. Everything on the dessert display had a little touch of color to match everything in the room and it tasted fantastic!

I also have to mention that Shannon's and Larry's parents were super fun and easy to work with throughout the process! We had so much fun making all of this come together! Mr. & Mrs. Lewis, have a great time in Jamaica!

Five Fabulous Friday Favorites!

What is one of the top reasons we LOVE working in the wedding industry? Trends are constantly changing, keeping us on our toes and excited about the endless possibilities when it comes to designing an AWESOME event!!

As always, some trends come and go faster than others, and some stick around for a little while longer - here are five of our favorite trendy elements in weddings right now!

1. Personalization - every bride wants her big day to be unique and memorable! Brides are getting more and more creative when it comes to putting together an event that every guest will remember. We've seen everything from awesome logos projected on dance floors to signature drinks and midnight snacks.


2. Getting REALLY crafty - some brides are taking to websites like CraftGawker and Etsy to find inspiration for some intense DIY elements! Creating decor pieces with your bridesmaids or family members is a great way to bond before the wedding, plus could be a definite money saver! We LOVE the string balls used in these aisle pieces!


3. Black chandeliers - these are on the rise! We have seen them pop up in weddings and showcases lately and are always stunned by how they can completely transform a room and provide an awesome focal point for your look! They're simply FABULOUS!


4. Bold shoes - we have all seen these before, but the trend has stuck around for quite some time! Whether you want to use them for your "something blue" or bring out your color scheme in your wedding wear, a pop of color on your feet may be just what you need!


5. Pomander balls - these are great alternatives for bouquets or petals! They can be made at just about any size, so even the teeniest flower girl can hold something size-appropriate for her. We also love the idea of using them as aisle decor!



There you have it! Our Five Fabulous Friday Favorites! Have a great weekend!

Photo Credits -

1. http://www.elizabethannedesigns.com/blog/2009/04/04/wedding-details-specialty-drinks/
2. http://thegreendandelion.blogspot.com/2011/04/its-all-in-details-yarn-balls.html
3. http://pendantslighting.net/tag/crystal-chandeliers/
4. http://itsabrideslife.com/tag/blue-heels/
5. http://sherricassaradesigns.blogspot.com/2011/04/kissing-balls.html

I've got the FEVER!!!!! Wildflower Wednesday is ALL about FEVER!

It's the best part of my job when I find a flower that has the charm to reflect a client's personality. As the flower psychologist I am, I can always find a way to do this, even with the clients who claim they are not "that into flowers". Try me, I'll figure you out :)

Feverfew is one of my all time favorite seasonal flowers. I have the luxury of incorporating it into a "Southern Belle" style outdoor wedding next weekend for the sweetest little lady. She is getting married on her property that echos Southern plantation life right here in Indiana. Its a little white flower with a yellow center resembling a small daisy, and quite frankly, it's as HOT as a fever! It was originally cultivated medicinally as a fever reducer (it's latin origin literally translates: fever reducer), but it's medical uses are long since gone, and now this little baby is simply free to be a beautiful cut flower.

Feverfew is small, feminine, and dainty, but packs a big punch, just like my little Southern Belle I get to marry off next week!!!!

Hope we made your Wednesday just a little more WILD!

Adding fabulosity to your flowers, Tiffany

One HOT wedding!

WOW!! This was an awesome wedding!! Suzanne and Chad were amazing to work with, as well as their families. The ceremony setting was stunning!! We brought in a white birch tree arch and then used a black crystal chandelier for the very first time. After the ceremony, we snuck the arch out the side door and flipped the room into one of the most AMAZING receptions to date. This wedding was full of firsts- I got to work with the ever so talented photographer Brooke Bustillos, super cool videographer Jet Kaiser,(and his wife Danni) and DJ Wes Adkins with Event1 DJ's. I don't know how Wes was able to keep the dance floor packed for the entire 7 hours of the reception but he did it! Quite the party! I had also never worked with My Yellow Rickshaw Band, they were one of the groom's favorites, and now one of mine too! I had never heard "Whoop There It Is" played by violin and guitar! It rocked. Tiffany from Circle City Designers created FABULOUS centerpieces with black manzanita branches, kiwi hydrangea, phalaenopsis orchids, feathers and black hanging crystals! OOOH LAAAA LAAAA!!! And check out the picture of this stunning cake!!!! What a gorgeous job by Classic Cakes of Carmel, it looks TOO GOOD TO EAT! The Crowne Plaza Grand Hall has never looked so HOT!

I'm so excited to see the trailer film from Jet and more of the 11,000 pictures that Brooke took.

Stay tuned for more....

Ring around the ROSE-Y!!

We've noticed something a little unusual this year - a lot of summer brides are opting to use RED ROSES in their celebrations! Many other types of fabulous flowers peak around spring and summer, so what is so special about this flower that continues to bring brides back to the red rose?!


Traditionally, red roses are THE classic symbol for admiration and desire, making them perfectly appropriate for weddings! According to ProFlowers.com, the first ties between red roses and love trace back to Greek and Roman mythology, where the red rose was tied closely with the goddess of love, Aphrodite. Looks like the tradition has stuck around for quite some time!


Curious about what other colors of roses might signify?

Yellow - Friendship, Welcome, Joy
White - Purity, Innocence
Pink - Gratitude, Joy, Admiration
Orange - Passion, Energy
Lavender - Enchantment, Adoration
Green - Harmony, Peace, Tranquility




So, why not consider adding a few roses to your big day to really personalize the feeling behind your celebration! After all, there is nothing we love more than a CLASSIC love story :)



Sources:

http://www.proflowers.com/flowerguide/rosemeanings/redrose-meanings.aspx
http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/aboutflowers/flowermeanings/rose-flower-meanings

Details Galore

Jessica & Eric- June 18, 2011- The Bridgewater Club

Jessica and Eric live in Cincinnati, Ohio so they were planning this special day from a far, but Jessica grew up in Carmel so her mother Cindy along with myself were in charge of making sure all of the planning came together flawlessly for the day! I spent time getting to know Jessica and Eric each month they were in town to work on wedding to dos and meet with their pastor. It was not hard to see why they were so in sync every time we met. On their wedding day, both Jessica and Eric were so calm, relaxed, and in LOVE. They were able to enjoy the day no matter what!

Cindy & Jessica are very detailed oriented people so we made a great team to bring it all together. No detail was missed from the candy bar, to the photo booth, and the blue water bottles and votive holders in each table! It was with all these special touches that made Jessica and Eric's day so memorable. The ceremony was held out in the tent area at the Bridgewater Club and the cocktail hour was to follow immediately outside. They weather was overcast and perfect for pictures until right when the guests were sent in to be seated for dinner when we got a little rain shower! Dinner was started with a memorable slideshow of both Jessica and Eric and the evening followed with a rockin' party from Dave & Rae! Enjoy your honeymoon in Europe!! XOXO Randi