Sneak Peak

Just a little sneak peak of a beautiful wedding we just did up at the Ledges. Aren't the flowers AMAZING? Bloomers did such a great job.

More pictures to come soon!

Romantic Garden Wedding Video

This is a short clip of a wedding Middle Aisle did last May at Entrada in Southern Utah. This set up felt magical as it got dark. I just love mood lighting! Makes everything look so romantic!

Enjoy!




Happy Planning!

Fall Patio Parties

My oldest sister is about to have her 3rd little one. (Can't wait!! Her kids are ADORABLE! So I can only imagine how precious this little girl is going to be!)

With my other sisters in hand (there are 5 of us sisters in all) we threw her a girls night out baby shower. There were lights, lanterns, even a small sofa with plum pillows to give this fall girls night out a little sophistication. It was so much fun sitting out on the patio as it got dark. Something about globe nights at night that feel magical.

And of course, good food!!

We had cookies with chocolate milk, grilled cheese, tomato basil soup in mason jars, chicken ceaser salad, a smores bar and sheep dip.

Cookies bar with chocolate milk.

Smores bar with a fire vase to cook them over. 

 Chicken ceasar salad out of a pumpkin.

And of course my families favorite Sheep Dip. 

My family loves this stuff! It's a great holiday appetizer. 

Want to try it? 

I will take that as a yes! :)

SHEEP DIP RECIPE

You will need:

• 8oz Cream Cheese
• 8oz Sour Cream 
• 1 Cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 large jar of armour dried beef chopped
• 1 bunch green onions chopped
• 1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
• Garlic salt to taste 
• 1 loaf Shepherd bread (round) or french bread 

Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese & sour cream together.  When smooth add the cheddar cheese and other ingredients. 

Cut off the top of the bread and save the top. Hollow out the inside of the bread making a bread bowl and break the bread that came out into bite sized pieces. 

Set the oven to 350 degrees. Place the bread bowl on a baking sheet and fill it with the cream cheese mixture. Place the bit sizes pieces of bread around the bowl and pop it in the oven for one hour. Every 15 minutes you will need to turn the bread pieces to make sure they are getting toasty and not burning. The last 15 minutes put the top of the bread back on the bowl and let it finish cooking. 

And Ta-Da! A great dipping treat. Salty goodies is what it is. Try it this holiday. 

Maybe it will become your families favorite too. 

Happy Planning!

Mocks Ups=Perfection

Setting up a picture perfect event takes LOTS of hours of prep work. Washing, shinning, windexing and mock ups.

Mock ups are SO important. They are like a test run before the real thing. You could have the best intentions in the word when it comes to your weddings decor, but if you do not measure out the space or try it out, how will you know what will really works? Sometimes I just don't like to leave it up to chance. So I mock it up.

These pictures are a mock up I just worked on for a dessert/cupcake display at a wedding.

Imagine red candy, cupcakes, black and white polka dot background, vertical round pendants...

Oozing Adorableness!

 

I knew my table would be a 6ft banquet table. So I measured 3ft x 6ft and set it all up to see what would work on the table. 

Can't wait to see this finished product outside this October!

Real Weddings: Lighting Up the Night

This was  such an adorable bride and groom and I just loved working with her and her mom. It was a drizzly reception night in St. George, Utah, but that didn't get any spirits down at the reception. They had lots of dancing and great food all night!

 

 

Something fun about their wedding is that there was lots of mood lighting, from the centerpiece that lit up, the paper lanterns with their own individual lights to the sparkler send off.

 

Thanks Rachelle and Brad for letting Middle Aisle be apart of your big day! 

Make sure you check out these talented vendors involved!

Planning and Decor: Middle Aisle

Photographer: Flourish Photography

Floral: Bloomers

Catering: Dave Mcfadden

Cake: Oh So Sweet

Venue: Opera House

New Take on an Old Treat

I usually can't eat just one cupcake. Especially if they are a stuffed cupcake! (Be honest, can you if no one was looking?)

They are my favorite. But cupcakes at weddings have been, well how do it say it nice, OVERDONE lately. They are a cute treat and they will always be adorable, but why not think out-side-the-box if you are thinking of serving these scrumptious little treats at your wedding. 

Introducing: The cake shooter!

 Delicious little layered cakes served in a push up style. 

(Remember the ice cream push ups when you were a kiddo? If I remember right, the Swann Man would bring them. :)

You can buy them pre-made at CakeShooter for $3 a piece. They ship nationwide.

Or how about take it a step further and make it a station at your wedding?

You can purchase empty clear plastic push up canisters and have a server at a station filling them with an array of different sweet layers that your guests get to pick out. Have custards, fresh fruit, cake, candy bar pieces etc. It would make such a fun and interactive wedding dessert! I would wait in line all night to get one.

You can purchase 100 of these empty shooters for $52.80 at JBPrice.

If anyone plans on trying this out, let me know how it goes. I am dying to try it at a wedding!

Happy Planning.

Tablescape Photoshoot

Nothing is greater than working with AMAZING talent.

In February I was blessed to work with some spectacualr wedding vendors in Southern Utah for a tablescape photoshoot for Elan Woman Magazine.

 (Make sure you grab a March-April issue for the full article)

Nick and Signe Adams with Nick Adams Photography and Kathy Jessop with Bloomers  Flowers and Decor were spectacular to work with. I get goose bumps thinking of how creative and fun they were!!

 Modern 

(1 of 3 tablescapes)

The location for this shoot was at the Dixie College Alumni House.

The color pallette for the event was charcoal, black, white and yellow.

This purse was the best touch of all by Bloomers!

I don't think I could ever thank the vendors who helped put this together enough. I just think the world of them.

Make sure you check back in the following weeks for the other two tablescapes and the amazing photos!

Being the Best Bridesmaid you Can Be

Photography by Shellee Draper with Photography by Shellee

Shellee is one of the sweetest and one of the funnest people to work with! When I asked her if she would be willing to submit photos with months article about bridesmaids for Perfect Weddings in The Spectrum, she went above and beyond. Thanks Shellee for these adorable pictures!  They made the article come alive.

What to Expect if you are a Bridesmaid

It is considered an honor to be asked to be a bridesmaid for a friend or sister's big day. Remember though, this honor does not come without responsibilities.

Bridesmaids are like a bride's ladies in waiting. They need to be ready to dry a tear, hold a hand and fill in when necessary. They are the support and shoulder to lean on for the bride.

Bridesmaids may be asked to fill in at appointments with the bride when the groom is not available, help with design ideas or just help take some stress off the bride. Do not assume you will need to assist in all things, but be ready in case you are needed.

A large responsibility of the bridesmaids is to throw the bridal shower and bachelorette party. The matron of honor is usually the head of this event, but relies on all the bridesmaids to help create a good time and ease the financial burden of paying for the parties.

The dreaded bridesmaid dress is also the responsibility of the bridesmaids to purchase for being in the wedding party. Occasionally, the bride will pay for this cost, but traditionally it is the bridesmaids that pay for the dress and shoes the bride has picked.

It is common for all bridesmaids to be in the wedding ceremony, and to precede the bride before her walk down the middle aisle. A bridesmaid will need to be at the rehearsal and dinner party to know what she will be doing for the ceremony.

Common types of ceremonies seen in Southern Utah are Latter-day Saint temple ceremonies. In this case, it is the bridesmaids responsibility to coordinate with the florist to ensure the bride has her bouquet for pictures as soon as she exits the temple, and to bring the bouquet back to the florist for touchups immediately after so it looks good for the reception.

At the reception, a bridesmaid may be asked to participate in the receiving line to greet guests, direct traffic flow, have guests sign the guest book, or even receive the different vendors before the bride arrives. A bridesmaid is expected to be there the whole time to participate and encourage the party if needed.

As the bridesmaid, the most important thing to remember is to be a good friend. After all, that is why you were asked to be a bridesmaid in the first place.

Don't Forget to Tip

We give a tip to our hair stylists, valets, delivery drivers and waiters. We give tips for services that are above the average to the exceptional.


 This holds true to the wedding industry also. When someone has gone above and beyond to ensure your wedding day is perfect, it is not uncommon to tip those professionals.
Since these are not typical services that we tip for everyday, follow these simple guidelines to know what is appropriate.


When it comes to catering, a gratuity is usually already built in. Make sure you understand your contract and know if a gratuity was already added.


If not, remember to add a gratuity anywhere from 15 percent to 20 percent of the total bill. You would tip your waiter, so remember to tip your wait staff and adjust for this expense on your overall budget.



If you have a bartender at your event, decide beforehand if you will be allowing a tip jar to be placed at the bar or if you will be tipping the bartender yourself. If you would like to tip the bartender yourself plan on a 20 to 25 percent gratuity on the total bill.



If you will be having a tip jar and the bartender exceeds your expectations, a 10 percent tip is appropriate.



Officiants, who performs the ceremony, can receive a gratuity also; however, it may not be appropriate in some cases. Anywhere from $50 to $100 can be given to a clergy member for a donation or gratuity.


Civil officiants, like a clerk or judge, may not be allowed to accept anything other than the flat fee. Make sure you check with your officiant before hand.


As for photographers, florists, bakers, wedding planners and disc jockeys, a tip is not required. If you feel as though any of them were exceptional a 15 percent to 20 percent gratuity is a great gesture to show them how pleased you were.

If tipping is not an option, a gesture all wedding professionals love to receive are thank you notes. This lets the vendor know that they exceeded your expectations and did their job well done.

San Diego Sand

I got the opportunity in San Diego to follow around a the photographer on engagements. HOORAH! It's so much fun to be apart of more then just the planning and paper work. It was a blast to tag along in one of my favorite place in California, Oceanside down on The Strand.

I had to feature a few pictures from the photoshot. They are so much fun. It's not often a couple gets to go on location 6 hours away for engagements.

Thanks One Memory at a Time so letting me tag along!!!

Eggplant, Burnt Orange and Ivory on the Mind

My mother forwarded me this website, which turned out to be FABULOUS! They create inspiration boards. How cool is this? It is an inspiration board for a wedding on Nov. 20th at the BellTower. The Dessy Group  specializes in wedding attire and has a great program that can help you create your own inspiration board for your wedding.

The wedding I created colors are Eggplant, Burnt Orange and Ivory. We are using touches of damask, shabby chic chandeliers, branches and wine bottle centerpieces and lots and lots of candle light. This is going to be a really fun wedding! It's especially fun to see this inspiration board that was created so easy!