Wedding Wednesdays: Mix and Match Bridesmaid Dresses

What better way to bring in the New Year than with gold sparkly dresses?! I love the trend of letting your gals pick the bridesmaid dresses of their choice. Having the dresses be the same material or within the same color family helps unite the different styles. Dresses with different necklines let bridesmaids pick styles which best suit their personal body type or style!

Photography by Genevieve Renee Photographie  // via Southern Weddings

Photography by Genevieve Renee Photographie  // via Southern Weddings

Photography by Caroline Joy Photography // via Emily March Photography

Photography by Braedon Flynn Photography // via Style Me Pretty

Photography by Megan Thiele // via Southern Weddings

Photography by Emily Blake  // via Style Me Pretty

 Photography by Sean Money and Elizabeth Fay // via The Lovely Find

Photography by Mandy Busby Creative // via Style Me Pretty

Photography by Dan + Natalie Watson of Waston-Studios // via Style Me Pretty

Five on Friday

This next week is going to be an absolute whirlwind with finals! I will try to post during necessary study breaks. I am linking up with the lovely ladies today for another Five on Friday linkup... Better late than never!
{one} I am such a list maker. I LOVE checking boxes beside items I write down in my planner. However, my goals and to-dos seem to merge together and I am really challenging myself to keep them separate. This month I posted my December Goals and I am having so much fun making them happen!  Coffee or Cupcake dates with friends over finals week. I had a perfect coffee date with my dear friend Sidney after our last journalism class together. Y'all, she is hysterical and incredibly talented (more on that later...PS scroll down). 

Emily and I enjoyed a cupcake date tonight after we put our class rings in the Bell Tower (more on that later as well!) This Butterfingers cupcake was D E L I C I O U S! There was even a surprise peanut butter filling...mmm

{two}I promised y'all more on my sweet friend Sidney and here it is! I have known Sidney since my freshman year at NCSU through Young Life. We lost touch over the middle years of school but lone behold when I walked into my journalism class this semester we were in the same class! Who knew I would make one of my best friends my senior year?! Her handwriting is absolutely to die for... I am always peaking' over her shoulder to see what she is doodling during class. 

She recently started a stationery and calligraphy business and is making gorgeous custom prints. Follow her on instagram @sidneyleescott or email her at slscott4@ncsu.edu for custom order information!

{three} I checked off another December Goal this week at the lovely Carolina Inn, Build a gingerbread house {or barn}. Southern Weddings hosted their third annual Gingerbread Barn Building Competition  and it was a merry ole time! My friends and I piled in a car and headed to Chapel Hill for some much needed stress relief. We spent the evening drinking hot chocolate, eating candy, and building a gingerbread barn. I am so thankful for the Southern Weddings gals and their kind hearts!

{four} Oh my word! Have y'all seen the new Southern Weddings website design?! It is cute as a button!! Those gals have been busy! Not only have they released a gorgeous website, they also just announced their partnership with Southern Living... Talk about match made in HEAVEN!! 

{five} Today Emily and I got to put our class rings in North Carolina State University's Bell Tower. In that moment, it really began to sink in that I am a senior and my time at State is ending. Our class rings get to stay the night in the Bell Tower so that the NCSU spirit is forever within them. I can't wait to get my ring on Sunday!

 Naturally, to commemorate this grown-up moment...we take jumping pictures!!

 Andd then of course it's time to hold up the Bell Tower with our muscles!

Happy Friday friends! Now off to the library...

Wedding Wednesdays: Man's Best Friend

 

I don't know about y'all but I am an absolute dog lover. I have had a dog all of my life and I truly can't imagine life without one! My family has always had big dogs... from a Lab mixed with Shepherd to a Lab mixed with Great Dane! I love the idea of having your furry companion at your wedding. A dog is with you through the ups and downs of life and always seem to know when you need their head on your knee... Why not share the happiest day with your sweet dog?! I think having a {well behaved} pooch at an outdoor wedding is a great way to add a personal loving touch... and why not deck them out in flowers, bows, or bow ties?!

Photography by Red Fly Studio // via Style Me Pretty

Photography by 1313 Photography // via Southern Weddings

This picture is one of my favorites... Oh how I adore that sweet Labrador nose holding those rings! 

Photography by Jeff Cooke Photography // via Pinterest

Photography by Taylor Lord // via Southern Weddings

Such a sweet grey face... Nothin' better than a man's best friend hangin' with the groom and his men! 

Photography by Katherine Miles Jones // via Southern Weddings

I love this...Look at that well-mannered pup waitin' for the groom and bride to get hitched!

Photographer Happy Everything Co // via Southern Weddings

Pinterest // Photography by Peter Miller Photography // via The Lovely Find

Photography by Shannon Christopher // via Style Me Pretty

The bond between a girl and her dog is stronger than any diamond! I would cherish a picture from my wedding day with my sweet four-legged companion who walked with me through the struggles and joys of life!

Wedding Wednesdays: Floral Design

Pretty flowers, oh how they melt my heart! I love when I have fresh flowers around the house, they just make my whole house brighter. Flowers are a subtle way to incorporate a chosen color palette into a wedding day. Whether bright, soft, bold, or natural colors, gorgeous floral designs are a surefire way to have guests in awe!

 Photography by Shannen Norman // Floral Design by the Bride // via Style Me Pretty //Photography by Ashlee Raubach // Floral Design by Twig and Twine // via Style Me Pretty

Photography by Meredith Perdue // Floral Design by Flora Fauna // via Style Me Pretty

Photography by Emily March Photography // Floral Design by Springwell Gardens

Floral Design by Mimosa Flower Studio // via Belle The Magazine

Photography by Brooke Images // Floral Design by Shea Hopely // via Southern Weddings

Photography by Emily March Photography

Wedding Wednesdays: Invitations & Calligraphy

I have a love for beautiful handwritten notes... they are so personal and timeless. I grew up writing notes to friends, family, and of course, sweethearts.  Nothing is better than receiving a good ole fashion handwritten letter in the mail (or by the tree of a childhood fort)! Wedding stationery should be no different. It is a way to reach out to friends and family in a personal way to invite them to share in your celebration. Stationery and calligraphy are great ways to set the tone for the type of wedding guests should expect... super formal? rustic? beach casual? Beautiful stationery and curly calligraphy are a pair that continue to melt my heart! I finally purchased a calligraphy kit from Design Roots by May Designs and am ready to begin my calligraphy journey.

This stunning invitation suite by Ashley Buzzy McHugh is featured in the Southern Weddings V6: Fine Feathered Fete shoot.  I just love how the colors play off of the feather! This calligraphy work is by far one of my favorites. The mixture of prints and cursive is flawless.

Photography by Ali Harper // Prop Styling & Set Design by Blue Eyed Yonder // via Southern Weddings

This chalkboard inspired invitation suite is perfect for a rustic do-it-yourself bride! 

Paper & Lace Collections // via Rustic Wedding Chic

This lovely floral invitation suite by Juliet Grace Design is featured on the Southern Weddings blog. I love the soft strokes and how it plays in with the floral theme of this North Carolina wedding.

Photography by Alicia Swedenborg // via Southern Weddings

This soft floral invitation suite by Momental Design is featured in the Southern Weddings V6: Generations Past shoot. This shoot is simply gorgeous, filled with southern traditions and family heirlooms. Photography by Katie Stoops // via Southern Weddings

I love the classic blue and white stripes in this invitation suite by Heather O'Brien. Don't those blueberries look like you could just pick them off the page? The curly calligraphy is to die for!

I hope y'all enjoyed gawking at all of the gorgeous calligraphy and stationery!