Notes From the Future "Mrs." - Going to the Chapel with Modern Day Floral

{Photography by Jen Kroll}

Although Jodi and I may be cherishing every minute of our precious (and rare) vacation time, I cannot resist following all my favorite blogs from home during the break. And this week I am hoping you are all doing the same. Chris and I were featured on Modern Day Floral's lovely blog and I encourage you to check it out.

What can I say about Modern Day Floral? They do the most phenomenal design work. Honestly, it's beyond fantastic. Every time I see one of their fresh, new designs, I find myself staring at it going "How in the world did they make that?" I consider myself very lucky to be one of their clients. You can't help but fall in love with their outside-the-box approach in floral event design. Seeing the flowers at my wedding for the first time... well, let's just say I cannot wait to see what they bring to the table. Literally.

If you have a minute, please pop over to their "Going to the Chapel" post and read our story. And if you have a little more time, be sure to check out the galleries to see all of the incredible work done by the Modern Day crew.

Hope you are all enjoying your holiday break!

~ Jillian

On Vacation!

Hello, dear blog readers. I will be taking a two-week vacation from all work including blogging. I need some time to refresh and renew and spend quality time with my family. I will resume posts on Monday, January 4. And I promise to come back with some great stuff. Including never-before-seen photos from the ArtPrize events we designed and produced back in October.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Until 2010,
~Jodi

Enhancing Your Holiday Season

Although our busy season has come to a slow, there is much to look forward to around this time of year with friends and family. Festive holiday parties. Gorgeous winter weddings. Fun theme parties. New Year's Eve celebrations. All kinds of delicious fun awaits. And yes, the holidays can bring much stress into our lives along with all the good things. I know that, believe me I know. But we won't even go there. 'Tis the season to focus on the blessings, I always say.

What will you be doing this holiday break? Hosting Christmas dinner for all of your family? Baking cookies with your kids? Going out to a swanky New Year's Eve party with old friends? Whatever the event, may you be inspired to do it bigger and brighter than last year! Remember, a little bit of design and decor around your holiday party, around the house, or even just around your dinner table adds a lot to your holiday season. Your friends and family will look up to you like you hung the moon.

To all the industry professionals: Here's to keeping the creative juices flowing through the planning season!

~ Jillian

{Photo: Courtesy of Cornerstone Events, LAist, Country Living}

Tuesday's Tidbits

Happy Tuesday morning, everyone! For some unknown reason, I feel lively and energetic this morning. This is an unusual thing because I am not a morning person. In fact, I hate the mornings. It dates back to birth, my mom says. I've just always had a hard time getting started in the morning. But with this new found energy, I'm sure a lot is going to get accomplished today!

Last night, my husband and I attended a beautiful Christmas party hosted by one of my most treasured clients. I'll tell you the truth, though. I felt a little like a fish out of water. I'm usually planning these types of parties, not attending them. I felt like I should have been working! But alas, I was there to celebrate the holidays and enjoy their company. And it was wonderful! {Thank you, dear client, for inviting us and for your confidence in my work! You're such a joy to work for. It truly has been a blessing to know you and your amazing family!}

We're rockin' and rollin' over at Gwyneth Paige. I will tell you that starting a letterpress company is not for the faint of heart or wallet! It's a tremendous amount of work to produce designs and finished products that scream, 'COUTURE!' But what a labor of love it has been! Though there have been trials to make everything perfect-o, it's worth every minute! This will truly be a special company!

So, there's a lot I want to accomplish today. I need to get Christmas presents wrapped and sent to Nathan's family in Minnesota. I want to get some artwork framed for my office. I need to run to the grocery store to pick up all of the ingredients for my traditional holiday peppermint pattie making with the kiddos. And of course, there's the trip to Verizon to deal with BlackBerry issues that I've been putting off for too long. I just might feel energetic enough to endures their lines! I can't tell you how lovely it is to have a break in the event-action to work on these things. It's long over-due and much needed!

Hope you all have a wonderful day. Be sure to add the Gwyneth Paige blog to your Google Reader so you can keep up on the latest happenings. Our Creative Director, Andrea, is a blogging genius and always has such relevant information to share. It really is a lovely blog {if I do say so myself!}.

~Jodi
{source and disclaimer: photo has nothing to do with this post...I just like it!}

Notes From the Future "Mrs." - Our Save the Date Cards!

Yesterday I got a chance to post my Save the Date cards on the Gwyneth Paige blog. But I just couldn't resist showing them off today as well on my weekly post for In Any Event. In case you missed reading my other post, I want to make sure you are properly introduced to my obsession: Couture Letterpress.






Gwyneth Paige has been a labor of love. To see the hard work behind this company come to life gets me all squirmy inside with excitement. Now to be ordering the product for my very own wedding is thrilling. And I have to speak the truth here, which is that my Save the Dates are beautiful. That is a fact. Well, I guess it technically is only my humble opinion...but I feel it's an agreeable one. The details and everything about these cards are nailed to perfection. They have been created with the utmost care, and I cannot wait for my guests to receive them in their mailboxes.

Maybe it's the deep, artistically-placed impressions. Or maybe it's the fact that it's a process that has been around for ages, but there is just something about letterpress stationary. Nothing compares to the touchable and tangible quality of it. Nothing.






Feeling slightly addicted yet? Welcome to the club.

~ Jillian

Fabric Bouquet

SQUEEL! I'm in love! I think this is the most fabulous fabric bouquet I have ever seen. I came across it on Etsy and I'm completely overwhelmed by it! Offered by the amazing Milkpod Studio, this bouquet speaks directly to my inner-crafter and I'm going to do my darndest to find the perfect bride for this bouquet!

In addition to bouquets and boutonnieres, Milkpod Studio also sells fantastic fabric garland for decorating fireplace mantels and door frames. It's all so fabulous!

{happy sigh}

~Jodi

Kumquat Cupcakery

While in Connecticut a couple of weeks ago to attend my sister-in-law's baby shower, Purvi mentioned how excited she was to share her favorite cupcakes with me. She's a self-proclaimed 'cupcake connoisseur.' She's tested all the famous cupcake shops and has determined that her absolute favorite is Kumquat Cupcakery.

Located in NYC, where my SIL hails from, Kumquat offers only miniature cupcake goodness. This is a good thing because you don't feel too guilty eating them but a bad thing because they seem to pop in your mouth one-after-the-other!

The owner, Keavy Landreth, offers some pretty fantastic flavors. And some off-the-wall combinations too, like Maple Bacon! But I can attest that the ones I had at the shower were absolutely amazing. And you can bet we'll be visiting Kumquat when we're in NYC in May for NSS!

~Jodi

The Thankful Post

Thanksgiving has come and gone. And Christmas is just around the corner. But, I never took the opportunity to tell you some of the things I'm thankful for. So, as we draw near to the end of another year {and a decade!}, I thought it would be a good time to share. I'm thankful for:

1. A loving husband and two wonderful children. I wouldn't be the same person without these three people in my life.
2. Amazing parents and three fantastic siblings. They're the ones who've known me the longest and have always had my back. They've been my rock and my soft-place to land.
3. The opportunity to practice my art and to be financially rewarded to do so. What a blessing.
4. HGTV and the WE Network!
5. Amazing industry friends who support me, challenge me and encourage me.
6. A brand new company {Gwyneth Paige} and all of the possibilities that she holds.
7. Tums anti-acid tablets :)
8. My assistant Jillian, who somehow manages to keep my life running smoothly from day-to-day {a BIG task!}
9. My housekeeper who can do laundry and clean the house at the same time!
10. Good health, good friends, and a good life!

~Jodi

Notes From the Future "Mrs." - Engagement Photos are Here!

Receiving these was like getting an early Christmas present. When Jen Kroll emailed me earlier this week, I could hardly wait for today to come so I could post them on the blog and share them with you!

But first, let me just mention a quick side note before sending you off to view these little delights. Reading and studying wedding magazines has occupied 90% of my alone time for the past four years. I am also an avid blog reader. Therefore, I can't even begin to estimate how many engagement and wedding photos I've seen. Well, you have no clue how different it feels to actually be the one in front of the camera. To be the one trying to creating the poses. Being the photographer's muse. Let's just say Chris and I are no professional models. Thankfully, though, Jen knew how to handle us well. And we ended up having way more fun than we expected.

Anyone getting professional photos taken, whether it's wedding-related or not, you need to let yourself enjoy the experience. Trust your photographer. That is what they are there for. Just be sure to prepare yourself for the occasion. We brought props (well actually just balloons, but still), a few different sets of clothes, and of course a pair of nervous smiles. Fortunately, the 'nervous' part faded away after the first handful of shots. Just as Jen had promised they would.

Having said that, I invite you now to Jen Kroll's blog to see her lovely little post with a closer look at the photos, as well as many more shots to enjoy!

~ Jillian

If you haven't picked up the latest copy of The Knot Michigan {Spring/Summer 2010}, be sure to do so. My lovely sister's wedding has been published in the current issue in a four-page spread photographed by the amazing Jen of Jen Kroll Photography.

There's also a beautiful wedding in this issue photographed by the uber talented Ben and Laura of Harrison Studio. I'm lucky to count Ben and Laura as dear friends and their work speaks for itself. I hope we're lucky enough to work on an event together in 2010!

~Jodi