3 Things that did NOT matter at my wedding

Remember a couple weeks ago, when I shared the 3 things I loved the most about my wedding? Well today I want to share the 3 things that mattered least to me (at the time) about the wedding.

If you’re in the beginning stages of your wedding planning and design, you might be thinking EVERYTHING matters. That’s cute, enjoy that. At some point though, there’s going to come a moment where it’s either time or money that will force you to prioritize what matters most and give up or give in on a few things that don’t matter as much to you.

To help ease the tension in wedding planning and design priorities, I encourage couples to chat early on in the process with their partner to identify the most important elements of their wedding. This way there are no (or at least fewer) surprises later on.

My spouse and I planned, designed, and paid for our wedding ourselves. When we got married, money was TIGHT (student loan debt anyone?). With our tight budget (we only had $5,000 for the wedding total - including all rentals, photography, food, music, etc.), we had to skimp on some things.

Below are the 3 things that mattered least to us and therefore got the least amount of our wedding budget.

Food

I can hear my older sister sighing as I write this…food was not our top priority at the wedding. I know this sounds bananas, but remember the part about being broke? Yah, that played a big role in the food. My spouse comes from a BIG family, so many aunts and uncles. His aunts volunteered to make the food at cost.

For about $500ish the aunts put together pasta dishes, rolls, salads, maybe chicken? I literally do not remember the food because it was not important to us and we barely had time to eat between all the talking and dancing.

Insert my sister going on and on about all the dishes we had with mayonnaise in them (yes, she still talks about this 14 years later). Looking back, it probably wasn’t the best idea to have so much mayonnaise outside on a 90+ degree summer day, but no one got sick from it and we didn’t become more broke so, in the end, it all worked out. The food was so unimportant, there isn’t even a photo of it. The cake though was fabulous and we had it baked by a soroity friend of my mother-in-law’s for $125-$150ish.

The food didn’t matter, but the cake had to be on point!

Flowers

Flowers are beautiful and in case you didn’t know, I LOVE wedding flowers (see here). While beautiful, they’re also pricey. If I had known what I know now about flowers, I probably would have explored more about wholesale and bulk options (more on that here). At the time though, we were just trying to plan quickly (engaged in January 2010, married July 2010) and stay on budget.

I did end up working with a florist for bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres and a feel single rose aisle pieces (pictured below). The centerpieces I did myself via Gerber daisies ordered wholesale at Costco (more on that here).

If I were to redo our wedding today, I would likely DIY the flowers (for sure corsage cuffs!) and maybe outsource the bridal bouquet and maybe a floral arch or ground arch for the ceremony. I also love the look of looser bouquets. The messy and wild looking ones - kind of like marriage, they’re imperfect, one-of-a-kind, and beautiful.

Single roses with vines in mason jars down the aisle - held by Shepards hooks

View of the boutonnière and my bouquet circa 2010

Bridesmaid Dresses

Our wedding was outside on a ranch in the heat of the day, so dresses needed to be shorter and breathable. Insert the idea for a cotton sundress. I just had my two sisters as my bridesmaids. Weddings feel very intimate to me, so I prefer the approach of only have the closest people in my life standing next to me. I know some people like big wedding parties and if that’s your jam, I say go for it! As more of an introvert though, I’m big on quality of quantity.

For my sisters, I gave them the options to buy their own dress and get lunch and nails done on me or I could buy the dress for them without the fun stuff. My younger sister was still in high school when I got married, so my parents covered her dress and my older sister opted to buy her own dress and I took her out for lunch and a pedicure.

My younger sister in the bridesmaid dress - such a cutie!

My older sister and I pre-wedding - keeping me laughing as usual

While what mattered least to me, might end up being what matters most to you on your big day and that’s okay. Find out what matters to you and your partner.

My hope is this helps get your wheels turning about what you may or may not want to prioritize with your wedding budget. Looking for more inspiration? Check out my Pinterest which is full of ideas and free templates to help you with your wedding design journey.

In the end, I’ll say the thing that will really end up mattering about your wedding is who you spend it with. My co-worker recently shared the thing she was most excited about with her upcoming wedding was “all her worlds colliding” and this made so much sense to me. If we were to redo our wedding today, we might prioritize things a little differently, though I would never change the overall vibe or joy that day bought (more on that kind of wedding magic here).

Shoutout to Ashliegh - wishing you a wonderful wedding weekend, may all your worlds collide in the most perfect way!!!

Happy Wedding!

Centerpieces are easy as 1-2-3

Today I’m pivoting from my usual wedding chatter to focus on another summer season event: graduation. 

My nephew is somehow old enough to be graduating high school - not sure how this is possible, as I am certain I just graduated a few years ago, right…???  Apparently how old I am and how old I feel do not quite match up. Anyways…I digress.

When my sister-in-law mentioned a dual graduation party for my nephew and his girlfriend, I was all over it. With weddings, my favorite design moment comes with the centerpieces and graduations are no exception. I jumped at the centerpiece opportunity. These centerpieces are easy to create.

Materials Used:

• Metallic wrapping paper

• 2x4 wood cut into 1 foot pieces

• Cardstock

• Photos

• Photo Sticks

• Stickers

There are a few things I like to prioritize when working to create centerpieces:

1. Personal

2. Portable

3. Easy to Duplicate

Make it Personal

I know some people love luxurious over-the-top centerpieces, but for me they feel too cookie cutter. Graduations like weddings are very personal. It’s a moment in time that those getting married or graduating will remember forever. Instead of making a centerpiece that looks like every other wedding (or graduation) centerpiece, find a way to make it personal. Add photos or elements that reflect the interest of the couple or graduate. 

For my wedding, we had very personal centerpieces. Each table included photos that included moments in time from myself and my husband with those sitting at the table. It was one of my favorite design elements of our wedding!

For the graduation, I created centerpieces that included 3 photo spots (one of my nephew, one of his girlfriend, and one of them together). I also included stickers that reflected their interests (camping, music, cooking, gaming, etc.

Make it Portable

For the graduation party, we’ll be driving 6 hours to Central Oregon and for most weddings some centerpiece travel is also likely (even if it’s just down the road). It’s important to make sure the centerpieces you create can be broken down for transport. The centerpieces I made can easily have the photo holders removed, so the blocks can be stacked on top of eachother. To protect the photos during transport, pot them in a hard container (like tupperware) to prevent scratching, folding, and wrinkling. 

All the centerpieces can be packed into a storage box to be loaded into the car and carried easily to the event location.

Make it Duplicatable

When making centerpieces, you want to make sure you can easily duplicate them. While centerpieces don’t have to be exactly the same, you will likely want some similarity amongst them. To make a centerpiece easy to duplicate, keep the same elements for each centerpiece. If you want a little variation, change a minor detail such as the color, photos, or a few flowers. For the graduation the colors are blue, silver, and red. I used each of those colors on the base and varied the stickers. The photos on each will also be different. You don’t want to vary centerpieces too much, as it will look messy or incohesive. To keep it from looking too wild for the graduation centerpieces, the base size, amount of photos, and styling will be the same for each.

For weddings duplicative centerpieces are especially important, if you’re having someone else put together your centerpieces (which I strongly suggest as you’ll be much too busy on the wedding day to put them together yourself). A couple ideas to make duplicating easy? Create a sample centerpiece of how you want it to look, then leave that example for others to reference or take a photo of the centerpiece for people to reference

I would put a picture of my high school graduation, but I literally don’t have one. My parents took zero photos of my graduation. The only one I had was one my college roommate’s parents took of us from really far away and I lost it, so see…it really is like I never graduated and am still young because there’s no photographic evidence my high school graduation ever happened!

Happy grad season!

~Amanda Jean

The one thing you can’t buy and MUST have at your wedding

I recently ventured down to southern California to celebrate my cousin’s wedding. 

Yes, I am one of THOSE people who take pictures out the plane window.

As a wedding designer, you would think I would have taken a million photos of the wedding decor to share with you…

Ironically, I took exactly ZERO photos of the wedding design. Wait! I found one photo of the decor (see below). So while I completely failed at capturing the design of the wedding and I can’t quite show you what the wedding looked like, I can tell you what it felt like. 

My one photo of the wedding decor

I walked away from this wedding full of so much joy, that it got me thinking about how the experience of a wedding and the feeling created by a wedding means so much more than a wedding  color palette ever will. 

My mom, sister, I pre-wedding day rain showers

The thing is you can plan and plan and plan some more, curating every last design detail of your event, but if you guests walk away with a lackluster experience then what does it matter if the satin ribbons on your reception chairs were tied a certain way?

What matters most is the feeling, the vibe, the experience your wedding creates. Sure, design can help bolster these things, but in order to do that you have to get REALLY clear on the kind of experience you want your guests to have at your wedding. How do you do that? Allow me to expand…

• Pick 3 words

• Write down 3 words you want your wedding to feel like or 3 emotions you want your guests to experience at your wedding

• Have your partner do the same thing and write down 3 words they want the wedding to feel like

• Come together to share your words, explain why you chose them, and work together to create a final list of 3 words you both agree on for your wedding

• As you make decisions on your wedding (from flowers to music at the reception), keep these 3 words in mind and make sure the decisions you make align with those key feelings you’re wanting for your event

• Connect

• There are a lot of ways to connect with your guests throughout your wedding, there were a couple things at my cousin’s wedding I really loved that provided connection

• Sharing “the why” of the location - the reception was held in my Aunt and Uncle’s house. It was shared in the reception speeches that it had been my cousin’s dream to get married in their backyard. I loved this subtle and sweet connection made to why the location was chosen.

• Introducing the wedding party - I have been to A LOT of weddings in my day and I think this is only the 2nd time I’ve seen a couple do this. During the reception the couple took time to introduce each member of the wedding party to all the attendees. Sharing short and sweet things about how they’ve known each other, where they met, etc. I love this idea and it helps guests better connect with who is at the wedding.

• Spend time “making the rounds” to each table. This is something fairly common at weddings and I feel guests appreciate the gesture. The wedding couple makes time (usually during dinner) to visit each table and talk to their guests. The trick is not to get stuck at any one table too long, otherwise you’ll spend the whole night chatting and it leaves little time for dancing.

• Personalize

• By personalize I don’t mean monogram your dinner napkins (though you can do that if you want), but really find ways to infuse your personality and interest into your event. Here’s a couple of ways I love to do this:

• Party favors - choose something that represents you both. Love cats and wine? Create custom cat wine charms for your guests to take home (yes, this is a thing and yes, I suggested this for a past client who loved cats and wine). Wild about nature? Send your guests home with a seedling packet or pine sapling (yes, I’ve done this too!).Want to go deeper? Pick a charity or cause you are both passionate about and have a QR code for donations to that charity in lieu of favors.

Loved this party favor from a previous styled shoot I did

• Centerpieces - One of my favorite (and most time consuming) pieces of my own wedding design was the centerpieces. Every table featured black and white photos related to the guests seated at that table. For some tables there were pictures of my spouse in his marching days, for other tables it was me in my cheerleading days. It was a great way to honor the moments in our lives shared with the people at that table and also created a great conversation piece for guests.

Centerpieces from my wedding

Each selection of photos was customized to those at that assigned table

These are just a few ideas to help get your wheels turning on how your wedding can go beyond good color coordination. This is really a moment in time to express who you are as a couple and as individuals, it’s an opportunity to connect with those you love, and it’s of course a time for joy and celebration.

The wedding I went to could have easily gone awry. It was cold, it rained, the reception was outside. An outdoor spring wedding comes with its risks. Despite the weather,  the experience was magic. We danced the night away in the rain with family, with friends, and with complete strangers - we were there for the same reason to celebrate in love. 

Dancing so fast we’re blurry

My mom and I (and one of my uncles in the background #photobomb) - all completely drenched by the end of the night from the rain (note I did not wear waterproof mascara - rookie mistake)

And even though I’m still recovering from getting sick (see previous point about dancing all night in the rain), the wedding was pure joy and that’s a feeling now amount of wedding design can buy.

Congratulations Heather + Daniel - I had a BLAST dancing in the rain with you!

Flowers, A love story

It’s been incredibly warm here in Boise this weekend. We’re talking in the 60s, which is highly unusual for February.

I feel like seeing the sun has helped reignite all my creative juices. Anytime I go for a walk lately and I see bulb sprouting or colorful crocus, I can’t help but stop and stare. I must have a dozen photos on my phone from the last week of crocus (evidence below). I just can’t resist the allure of warmer weather…spring is coming!

One of my many photos from my recent walks

It’s this kind of weather that has prompted me to reflect back on my love for flowers and where it all began. If I go waaayyyy back, I think it was 2011.

My husband and I were living in Portland at the time and decided to take the train to Seattle to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. It was there at the Pike Place Market that I remember seeing the most vibrant flowers.

Dozens and dozens of flowers wrapped in paper lined the aisles of the market. Flowers in every color you can imagine, all different sizes and textures - it was invigorating. I remember being so drawn to them, I had to convince myself it was not reasonable to buy flowers to put in the hotel room for our 48 hour stay. 

Seattle’s Pike Place Market -

circa 2011

While my initial infatuation might have been planted in 2011, my love for floral design didn’t begin to grow until the oddest of times - the dead of winter. It was December of 2018, about 10 months after my second kiddo was born. Reflecting back on it, I think I had reached my limit of not creating and flowers were an engaging way that allowed me to create (you know, in between my very glamorous life of potty training on kid, breast feeding another, sometimes simultaneously). I had almost zero energy to create anything that I didn’t absolutely have to - all my energy I put into surviving and trying to make each day as good as I possibly could (note - some days that meant microwave dinner and multiple naps) Ironically, by not creating, I think I grew even more exhausted. Someone once told me “the days are long but the years are short”, which is one of the most true things I’ve ever heard about parenting. In 2018, those were some loooooonnnnnnggggg days.

That time in my life when I had 2 kids under 2…they’re adorable yes and I love them of course, and also it was exhausting

Cue December of 2018.

My first creation was a mini arrangement with pine and a few fill-in flowers. I gave one to a friend, who put it on her window sill above her kitchen sink. It ended up being in the background of the photos to sell her house. This tiny little happening helped breathe life back into what had been a very exhausting period of time in my life  (whoever says having 2 kids under 2 is fun, I just cannot relate).

Dec. 2018 - My mini arrangement made a special appearance in the real estate photos for my friend’s home sale

That same month my neighbor had invited me to her baby shower (there were A LOT of babies around me at this time in my life). I wasn’t able to attend her shower due to a scheduling conflict and I wanted to still participate somehow, so I gifted her with multiple flower arrangements to help decorate the shower.

Arrangements for my neighbor’s baby shower

In 2019, I really dove into floral design. I planted my first flower garden, created bouquets for 2 styled shoots for a local photographer, and then held my own styled shoot with multiple florals involved. I designed a few bouquets for local businesses and grand openings, as well as centerpieces for the annual Rotary Club fundraising event.

My first ever bridal bouquet - photography by Megan Ryska

My first bridal bouquet - photography by Megan Ryska

Floral arrangements I did for different community events and give aways

2019 also the year my younger sister got married. She graciously allowed me to design her wedding flowers.

Working on my sister’s wedding flowers - circa 2019

Bouquets I did for my little sister’s wedding (loved the raw edge navy blue ribbon)

This was also the year I officially launched Gathered Here Designs. A glorious year! Creating, designing, collaborating - I was so in love with it all. 

The original logo I designed from GHD circa 2019

Then 2020 came...and I’m sure you might remember what an absolute blast that year turned out to be {said in the most cynical sarcastic tone imaginable). Weddings were canceled, my business went nowhere (see previous statement about the canceled weddings), my spouse’s new job rescinded their offer because of the pandemic, and everything came to a halt. So I put the business on pause and went to find a job that would allow me to have a positive impact in the lives of others.

In 2021, I started working full time again and the time and space for creating seemed to get farther and farther away.

In 2023, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I had to get back to weddings. At this point it had been 3 years since I touched Gathered Here Designs and even though so much time had passed, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I found myself designing weddings for people and characters that weren’t even happening. My favorite combo from this time period? Elle Woods marries Avril Lavigne - mood board below (you’re welcome).

My Elle Woods + Avril wedding mood board

So I started to create again - I HAD to create again.

In 2023, I reinstated my business license, designed a new website, and jumped back into the world of design that I love so much. I began to feel like myself again. The design started spilling over into all areas of my life. Designing feature walls, making art, redoing my bedroom. This is when I’m happiest, when I’m creating - it’s my life source.

My living room feature wall - just finished this weekend!

With the “relaunch” of Gathered Here Designs, I really wanted to focus on making design accessible to others. Design brings me so much joy and I want others to not be intimidated to give it a try.

I hear a lot of people say things like “Oh I could never do that…” or “I wouldn’t even know where to start…” when it comes to wedding or floral design. My hope is to channel all my design knowledge into a step by step guide to help couples know exactly what design decisions need to be made and how to make them. Through a multi-module online course, couples will be able to learn about key decisions such as choosing colors, and flowers, and how to pull it all together into one cohesive design.

If you’re wanting to design your own wedding and need some extra guidance, this course will be PERFECT for you and your partner. Get on the waitlist here!

The GHD Wedding Design Course - Get on the waitlist!

Until the course is live, I’m still here to support with any wedding design help you may need. Check out this page for FREE resources.

Not finding what you’re looking for? Feel welcome to email me directly at gatheredheredesigns@gmail.com.

I am THRILLED to be back in the design space and it is an absolute joy to get to share all my design musings (yes, even the silly ones like my Elle Woods/Avril wedding moment) with all of you.

I dare you to create something this week. If you’re not there yet, maybe just go enjoy a spring-is-almost-here walk and perhaps even spot a crocus or two!

~Amanda Jean

GIPHY

The #1 Key Wedding Decision

Weddings require a lot of decision making…like A LOT. 

You make one decision about your venue and you feel pretty good about it, you feel accomplished. Then just as you go to let out a sigh of relief, 12 more wedding decisions pop up that require your immediate attention. If wedding planning was an arcade game, it would be whack-a-mole.

GIPHY

To make all the decisions easier, I like to encourage couples to start with the “key decisions” of their wedding. While I could chat all day about wedding color palettes, which is a decision that will need to be made eventually, it’s definitely not a “key decision”. By focusing on the key wedding decisions first, it will help create a solid foundation for you to design the rest of your wedding from.

I feel so strongly about this that the entire first module of my online Wedding Design 101 course is dedicated entirely to the five key wedding decisions that help set couples up for success with their wedding planning. 

Wedding Design 101 Course - Get on the waitlist now!

Today, I wanted to share the #1 Key Wedding Decision I would encourage you and your partner to make first. Are you ready to learn what this magical key decision is?

GIPHY

The #1 Key Wedding Decision is determining your wedding size (aka your estimated guest count). I know, I know, it’s not the most glamorous of the wedding decisions you’ll be making, but I promise you this one decision has a domino effect on all future decisions.

Knowing your wedding size will help you narrow down the scope of what’s possible for your wedding. Here are a couple of ways this key decision will help kick start other key decisions.

• Venue Selection - Knowing your estimated guest count, will help you narrow down which venues you want to consider. For example if you end up with an estimated guest count of 250, that quaint rose garden in the heart of the city will no longer be an option. Many online venue searches allow you to filter by wedding size and location. Knowing your wedding size can definitely help narrow down your list of venue options.

• Budget Range - Once you know your wedding size, you can start to get a better sense of your budget. Most caterers will have a per guest rate fee. In a 2022 study of wedding costs, couples paid an average of $75 per guest for catering (not this does not include the costs associated with an open bar). Let’s go with the $75 per guest average. If you know you’re having a wedding of 150 people, you could budget $11,250 (150 x $75) for catering costs. Did you just throw up a little? I know $11,000 is a small fortune. This is just an estimate based on averages. You should know my ENTIRE wedding cost less than half that catering bill. Take a breath. It’s going to be okay.

So how do you start getting an estimate of your wedding guest count? You and your partner will each need to make a list of who you want to invite to the wedding. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3…

1. List all guests you consider “mandatory” ; these are the people you feel absolutely must be at your wedding (siblings, parents, etc.)

2. List all close friends and family members (cousins, best friends, roommates, etc.)

3. List any additional guests you want to invite, but wouldn’t be devastated if they didn’t make it (co-workers, friends from college, clients, etc.)

Once you and your fiancé each make your own lists separately, go through them together and remove/add anyone else you might think of. Then, total it up. If you end up with way more people than you wanted, remove the guests from list #3 and see what your total is then. Still too many? Remove guests from list #2. Do this until you feel you’re at a number that feels good for both of you.

Need a visual? Of course I have you covered! See here for an easy to use template to help make your 1-2-3 wedding guest list.

“When it comes to weddings, size definitely matters!”

— Gathered Here Designs

I promise if you take the time to prioritize making this key wedding decision first, it will make the rest of your planning so much easier!

Want to learn more about all the key wedding decisions? Get on the waitlist for my Wedding Design 101 course.

Join the Wedding Design 101 Course Waitlist

Have other wedding related things you need help with? Reach me directly at gatheredheredesigns@gmail.com!

Happy designing!

~Amanda Jean

Why to Avoid Wedding Trends

It may be tempting to copy the latest wedding trend. As someone who lives for wedding design, fashion, and home decor, I get it. Trends are enticing. It’s easy to get sucked into the beauty of it all. After you see image after image of weddings featuring a floral arch, you start thinking “Hey, maybe we need a floral arch…” Even if you absolutely never wanted one. Then you start reading about all these unity trends for ceremonies and pretty soon you’re standing in an aisle at your local craft store looking at different colors sand wondering how you got there.

Anytime I see posts online or in wedding magazines about the “top wedding trends”, I proceed with caution and while I can’t make you, I do encourage you to do the same. There are two big reasons I recommend avoiding wedding trends: 

1. They can cause additional expense

2. They lack connection/meaning

Wedding trends can cause an extra expense

A big downside of following a wedding trend is expense. Think about it. If everyone getting married wants a photo booth at their wedding and there are only so many photo booth rentals available, you end up in a bit of a supply and demand situation. Hang with me now, I promise I would get too far into economic trends. Basically, it comes down to this: higher demand leads to a limited supply, which in turn leads to higher prices. 

GIPHY

Still not getting it? Allow me to take you back to the 2011 royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Bridal gowns around this time were mostly strapless. Trust me, I know, I got married in 2010 when all you could find were strapless gowns. Then comes the ever stunning Kate Middleton to alter the course of wedding dress design forever. Her v-neck, lace and satin long sleeve masterpiece designed by Sarah Burton (creative director of Alexander McQueen), captured us all. Once the royal wedding took place on April 29, 2011, it was all v-necklines and long sleeve lace gowns. Co-owner of the infamous “Say Yes to the Dress” Kelinfelds bridal salon in New York City, Mara Urshel, noticed a change in wedding dress requests following the royal wedding. Urshel reported a high demand for long sleeve gowns after the royal wedding to mimic the elegant gown worn by Middleton. This high demand was not something the industry was prepared for necessarily, leading to a supply and demand issue for long sleeve wedding gowns.

The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton and her sister, Pipa

Just your typical post carriage ride adjustments

Now maybe a long sleeve gown is your thing. If that’s the case, go for it. Just be mindful that it might cost you a bit extra to be “on trend” with every aspect of your wedding. If you insist on going the trendy wedding route, try being choosy with which trends you follow. This way you can help keep costs down. 

For me, this next reason is even more important than money (I know, hard to believe). Staying on trend is expensive, but I think the highest cost is ending up with a wedding that feels nothing like you or your partner. 

Wedding trends lack connection/meaning

Imagine walking into your reception, hand in hand with your new spouse, high on the happiness of being newly married. You enter the venue and hear laughter, music, and joyful chaos. You look around to take it all in, then you look at your partner, and back to the venue, only to realize neither one of you is represented anywhere. Sure it’s beautiful and instagram-able, but it isn’t you and it isn’t your partner. It’s almost like you walked into a styled shoot for some online wedding magazine.

Weddings can be stunning and still feel like you and your partner. You can infuse your personality into your wedding in ways both big or small…or both! Let me share some examples to get your wedding design inspiration flowing.

One of my former online clients I did a design package for really loved cats. When we were working together to create a design plan, I came up with an idea to incorporate wine glass charms that featured cats. She LOVED this idea. It was a fun way to incorporate her love for cats, while also doubling as a wedding favor for their guests.

Cat wine charms

Side note - if I were to design Taylor Swift’s wedding, there would definitely be a lot of cat moments throughout. Yes, these are the kinds of things I think about on a regular basis. Anyways, moving on…

For my own wedding, it was yellow butterflies. My grandma passed away before I got married. Before she passed, she told us she was going to come back as a yellow butterfly. It’s become a thing within our family that every time we see a yellow butterfly pass by we smile and say “Hi grandma!”. To honor her memory, my spouse and I infused yellow butterflies throughout our wedding. They were in my bouquet, on the wedding arch, and on the seating chart (which also doubled as the favors).

My wedding bouquet - full of yellow butterflies

Our wedding seating chart/part favors

When I styled my little sister’s wedding, I incorporated hops plants on their wedding arch. This might seem random, but it was very intentional. Since we were kids, my dad has brewed his own beer and when we moved to Oregon, he started growing his own hops. The hops on the arbor were taken from my parent’s yard. It was a fun nod to our dad to include hops in their wedding decor.

Me - decorating the wedding arbor with hops for my younger sister’s wedding

Wedding arbor decorated with hops

Hops wedding arbor

Your wedding is a time to celebrate who you are as individuals and who you are as a couple. I encourage you to use this moment in time to express yourselves and share your story, your personality, your love, with all of those who have gathered to celebrate you. Feeling connected to your wedding design is important. You don’t want to walk into your wedding and feel like you don’t belong at your own celebration. Connection is key!

I promise adding your different personalities and stories to your wedding is not as intimidating as it sounds. There are all kinds of simple ways to do this and I’ve included a list below to help inspire you both.

As you continue on your wedding design journey, be sure to trend check yourself. Are you getting sucked into something because “everyone is doing it” or does it really feel like you and your partner? Find a trend your absolutely LOVE, go for it, just make sure you’re choosing it because it’s “you” not because Instagram brainwashed you into thinking you had to have this exact chocolate fountain at your dessert table in order to experience wedded bliss.

Easy places to infuse your wedding your story + personality:

• Create a custom cocktail and name it after a special place or experience you’ve shared as a couple

• Have custom napkins created (seriously, it’s not as pricey as it sounds) and feature an image of your shared pet or the place you met

• Honor loved ones past via a special table with photos of them (gift table or behind the last row of ceremony chairs are good locations) or add their photos to the bouquet

• Instead of a wedding favor, make a donation to a charity that means a lot to you and your partner

Custom Wedding Napkins

“They would be here today, if heaven wasn’t so far away.”

Displaying photos are simple way to honor loved ones passed on your wedding day. Styled by yours truly.

My dad’s parents on their wedding day

Happy designing!

~Amanda Jean

The Ultimate Wedding Movie Watchlist

A record amount of snow hit Boise yesterday, nearly 7 inches overnight! Now I know this is nothing compared to those hunkering down in North Dakota (a colleague of mine got over two feet one night last week) or Minnesota this winter, but still it’s a lot. Even though I’ve lived in snowy places throughout my life (Hello Colorado circa 1999), too much snow leaves me feeling a bit like Renee Zellweger in this scene of “New in Town”. 

How I feel about winter sometimes. Credit

Speaking of movies and freezing cold (yesterday the high was 16 degrees), movie watching is the perfect winter activity (aside from all the actual snow-based activities like sledding, snowman building, boarding, skiing and eating cups of snow covered in maple syrup <<< a tradition from my childhood in Colorado). Today I cozied up in a giant blanket, with my latest hot chocolate recipe (see below), and enjoyed a movie in bed.

Date hot chocolate + movie time

Date Hot Chocolate Recipe

• Ingredients

• 3 pitted dates

• 1.5 tbsp raw cacao powder

• ¼ cup coconut milk

• 1 cup boiling hot water

• Himalayan salt, chili powder, and cinnamon to taste 

• Directions

• Put all ingredients into a blender (make sure you have a blender that is safe to pour hot liquids into)

• I like to let the boiling water sit on the dates for a few minutes to help soften the dates

• Blend it up (blend twice to avoid date chunks)

• Add spices to taste

Okay, now that you have your hot coco ready grab your favorite blanket, cozy on up, and allow me to share my love of movies with you. 

I watch movies like other people read books. I use it as a way to escape to another world and to live out my love for New York, weddings, and women with powerful careers. I assure you there’s not a romantic comedy created between 1989-present day that I haven’t seen. Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers have made some of my favorites. With both of them having created some of, in my opinion, the best rom-coms of all time (see: You’ve Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally, It’s Complicated, The Holiday, The Parent Trap remake…and more). Can I just say that when I was a kid, and probably still a little bit as an adult, I thought Meredith Blake was the epitome of beauty...sigh. Maybe this is where my love of red lipstick comes from?

All this to say, I have seen A LOT of movies and a lot of movies with weddings. Below I have categorized some of my favorite movies that feature weddings.

The Best Movies Featuring Weddings

Traditional: Father of the Bride + My Best Friend’s Wedding

Father of the Bride - Diane Keaton, Steve Martin, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley star in this remake. Note the mother-of-the-bride dress in the original Father of the Bride film from 1950 with Elizabeth Taylor is truly magnificent. The remake however, holds my heart. The house, the overprotective father, the wedding planner (played by the talented Martin Short) - it’s a delight. Plus, this movie is bringing ALL THE 90s VIBES! It boasts a very 1990s traditional ceremony in a church (those pink bridesmaids dresses, the real candles, the bows - squeal!), paired with a stunning backyard wedding. My favorite wedding moment? Watch until the very end to see how the reception tent is made out of twinkle lights, oh my gosh - I cannot with this intimate reception!

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My Best Friend’s Wedding - Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, and Dermot Mulroney. This drop dead gorgeous trio leads you through the full wedding experience. From dress fittings (why yes, the seamstress is the same actress who plays the mechanic Gypsy in Gilmore Girls), to a hilarious rehearsal dinner, followed by a dramatic  pre-wedding brunch, and finally the wedding itself - this movie has it all. This evening wedding features a classic white tent with white linens throughout. Though I’m not sure why both the wedding dress and the maid of honor dress have fabric flowers in the armpits…was this a thing in the late 90s? Also, the maid of honor dress reminds me of the sparkly purple dress Ariel wears in the original Little Mermaid movie and I always found that dress to be magical. Anyways, my favorite wedding moment is when they are driving away in the getaway car and all the fireworks go off - so magical. And the scene with Cameron Diaz and Julia Roberts talking about Jello. Also, when Mulroney comes back and says goodbye to Roberts…I’m not crying, you’re crying!

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Over the Top: Crazy Rich Asians

The tall meadow grasses, the acoustic music, the floral design, the lanterns, the firefly lights, and THE WATER!!! Oh my goodness, the water! I cannot get over this scene. I have seen a LOT of weddings in movies, and in person, and never have I ever seen something anywhere close to this. If you haven’t seen it, I beg of you to watch the wedding scene. My favorite wedding moment? When the main characters mouth “I love you” to one another as the bride is preparing to walk down the aisle. I know, it has nothing to do with the design part, but it gets me every time. 

Modern: Notting Hill

Now I know I already have Julia Roberts movies on this list, but that’s because she is the best and there’s no denying that. Nope, don’t even try. This movie boasts some great one liners and the roommate, played by Rhys Ifan, will have you cracking up throughout. 

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Unless you watch until the very end, you will miss the very short wedding scene. Every time I see this movie, the wedding catches me off guard because it has such a modern feeling. While the wedding dress is not my personal style, I find it intriguing because it’s just so unique. While I don’t have a favorite wedding moment from this movie because that scene is so short, my favorite quote from it has to be, “Happiness isn’t happiness without a violin playing goat.” Watch it, you’ll love it.

“Happiness isn’t happiness without a violin playing goat.”

— Julia Roberts in Notting Hill

Boho Wedding: Mamma Mia

You’re singing already, I can tell. This ode to Abba musical will have you dancing, singing, and wondering just how in the world Pierce Brosnan keeps getting cast in musical roles. Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried (who I once saw walking down 23rd Avenue in Portland) play a mother daughter duo in this musical film. The boho vibes in this wedding are unparalleled - her hair, the dress, the location. My favorite wedding moment from this movie has to be the ceremony location - an ancient church on top of a hill overlooking the Mediterranean #weddinggoals. 

Amanda Seyfried in Mamma Mia

Outdoor Wedding: Fools Rush In 

Fools Rush In - Selma Hayek and the late great Matthew Perry star in this 1997 underrated rom-com. Not only is this one of my top 5 favorite movies EVER MADE, it also has my favorite movie quote:

My older sister and I used to watch this movie religiously on Taco Tuesdays when we lived together. I haven’t been able to watch it since Perry’s passing and maybe it won’t quite feel the same knowing he is gone next time I do watch it, but this movie will always have a place in my heart. Of course, it also features New York City at Christmas time which is on my bucket list of things to experience. My favorite wedding moment? The location and the music. The ceremony is on top of the Grand Canyon (can you imagine the photos!?!) and the song “Can’t Help Falling in Love” has become such a popular first dance song in the wedding world. Personally, I like Elvis’s version, but there are a lot of good remakes of this song out there too. One of my best friend’s first wedding dances was to “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Haley Reinhart. It was a beautiful moment (see for yourself below!).

Photo by Rebekah Albaugh

Beach Wedding: - 27 Dresses

James Marsden (who I think is oh-so cute) and Katherine Heigel star in this movie, along with Malin Akerman (loved her in the TV series “Trophy Wife”) and Judy Greer (who always seems to be cast as the hilarious best friend). There are lots of wedding scenes in this movie…maybe not 27, but still a lot. Katherine Heigel’s character plays a perpetual bridesmaid longing for her own dream wedding day with none other than her boss who ends up falling in love with her sister - oh the drama. I also love love love the scene where they’re stuck at a bar and end up singing Elton John on the bar top. My favorite wedding related moment in this movie (aside from the fact it takes place in New York and the idea of a wedding in the boathouse in Central Park is so dreamy to me) is the gothic wedding for the lead character’s co-worker. Why? Because I love weddings that feel like a true representation of the couple getting married. Hate the idea of a white dress? Skip it and wear black. Personally, I would wear red (like this one) if I were to get married today. See, this is why I watch movies to live out all my wedding fantasies, much more affordable than paying to throw multiple weddings.

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All the Weddings: - The Wedding Planner + Runaway Bride

The Wedding Planner - If you’re not sure what wedding vibe you’re feeling for your movie day, this is a great go-to. This movie features Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Chambers (pre Dr. Karev days) and again the hilarious Judy Greer. In this movie, Jennifer Lopez plays a type-A wedding planner looking to become a partner at the design firm she works for in San Francisco. My favorite wedding moment from this movie includes all the “behind the scenes” perspectives of what being wedding planning really entails (helping a bride-to-be remove the self tanner that turned out to be such a mistake, sourcing the perfect flowers, feeding the best man their speech at the reception). I also really love the wedding dresses in this movie and the birdcage veil worn to the courthouse ceremony by Jennifer Lopez. Oh oh and the scene where Jennifer Lopez describes what type of wedding she pictures for the main couple. She says she imagines tents that are “thin enough you can see the stars”. And the scene with the statue garden…okay I have a lot of favorites from this one. 

Runaway Bride - Alright, Ms. Roberts ended up in this post 3 times, but as I mentioned before, you cannot argue with greatness. This movie features a lot of different wedding styles. From a rock and roll Woodstock vibe wedding, to traditional Catholic wedding , to an outdoor wedding where she rides away on her own horse - it will really get your wedding design wheels turning. This movie is about finding out who you are and how to not lose person once you get married. The vows said in the fourth and final wedding this this movie are so good, I have it as another one of my favorite wedding movie quotes.

Also, Joan Cusack is hilarious and I love her in this movie. My favorite wedding moment is just overall how she refuses to settle for anything, but exactly what she wants, but the scene in the church where she’s calming down in front of the fan...classic. Aside from the vows at the very end, her dress in that scene (amazing) and the dress from the scene in the bridal shop where she sways like a bell (also amazing). This wedding features rural America (where I grew up) and of course it also features New York City. Mostly taking place in the fall which is my favorite season. This movie is quoted A LOT in my family.

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So next time you are stuck inside with 7 inches of snow or you’re just wanting a chill day, you now have a list of the perfect movies to choose from based on the type of wedding they feature. Maybe this is just a me thing? If you’re into weddings as much as me, share in the comments your favorite wedding-based movie!

Happy movie watching!

~Amanda Jean