Maid of Dishonor

Being selected as the Maid of Honor is a HUGE deal. Your best friend forever, your college roommate, your sister from another mister, the beautiful, blushing bride-to-be selected YOU to help her plan, keep her calm, and stand beside her as she says her "I do's."



...but what happens when you go from maid of honor to the maid of dishonor?!

Via Joyous Cascade

We at Masterpiece Weddings have witnessed a few Maid of Honor Faux Pas and we just really really reaaaaally don't want to see them happen again. Especially to you!



So we decided to create a list of what NOT to do as a Maid of Honor.



1. DON'T have a few too many glasses of Pino at the rehearsal and show up hungover and crabby on the day of the wedding. You'll be miserable and it will be a looooooong day. Plus, who knows how many people you told about "that one time when the bride and I skipped class and...." So limit yourself to two drinks. You can do it, I promise!



2. DON'T wait until the last minute to plan the bridal shower/bachelorette party. Find out what the bride actually wants to do early on so you can plan the best event possible with the budget you're working with. It will be way less stressful for you, we promise. Plus, if the bride wants her Bachelorette Party to be a quiet day of relaxation and mani/pedis and you plan for hot pink feather boas and a table at a nightclub...things may not go over well.



3. DON'T give an embarrassing speech. Please. Please please please. As hilarious as your wild college nights were or how you're glad the bride got over that awkward gothic phase..keep it to yourself. Even if you aren't the groom's biggest fan, on his wedding day (the day he's marrying your bestest girl ever)- he is the coolest, most wonderful guy in the room. And please, don't diss the bride and call her a spoiled brat, and remind the groom what a mess he has on his hands.



4. DON'T try and outshine the bride. This is her wedding day. Her. Wedding. Day.



5. DON'T commit and then back out last minute.



In all seriousness, Maid of Honor is named that way for a reason. It really is an honor to be chosen, so please...be the most fantastical, generous and awesometastic Maid of Honor we know you can be!

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Grateful

I hope everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving full of family, fun, and food!

I could go on and on about all of the amazing things and people that are a part of my life, but I really think this sums it up:

Via Oh Lovely Day via The Crafting Chicks

So count your blessings, enjoy your day and all of what and who you have in your life to be thankful for!

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Silhouette Decor

Although we have a soft spot for fall weddings that are rustic and full of foliage, they can be just as autumn-tastic when celebrated with more sophisticated, classic decor.

That's why we are completely captivated by this silhouette pumpkin we found at Oh Lovely Day!

Via Oh Lovely Day! Via HGTV

Not only is this pumpkin a perfect addition to your wedding decor, it is completely DIY and you can find simple instructions right here.

As an added bonus, if think silhouettes are as classical-istic and chic as we do, you can compliment your darling DIY pumpkin with a just as wonderful cake topper from April Foster Events!

via April Foster Events

How sweet and sophisticated are those?! It gets better...they're DIY, too! (too good to be true, I know) Make your own by clicking here and you can create a completely one-of-a-kind cake topper that is sure to be a hit at your celebration!

Would you guys make your own decor for your wedding? 

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Inspired Cake

Getting married is a big step (or giant leap. po-tay-to, pa-tahhhh-to) into the big world of adult-hood. Starting a new life with someone you love is without a doubt a very mature decision.



However, that does not mean that your inner child cannot come out a play from time to time, which is why we are absolutely enamored with this adorabler and super fun cake,by  Dream Day Cakes This cake was designed for the opening of a play at one of our local theaters, but we find it so inspiring for many aspects of crazy cakery deliciousness!

This cuteness is via Dream Day Cakes

How fun and just plain adorable is this cake?! It's so playful, carefree, and most likely ridiculously delicious.

Does anyone else suddenly have a strange craving for coloring books and cake?

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Invitations by Dawn Winner!

We are super excited to announce the winner of the Invitations by Dawn Giveaway (It's been a long-time coming) We took all of the comments from FaceBook, Twitter and the Blog and randomized them....



And the winner is....

After combining all of the comments on both posts, we owe a huge congratulations to Mo! Please e-mail me, Melissa{at}MasterPieceWeddings{dot}net to claim your prize!




We look forward to hearing which of the amazing Invitation by Dawn invites you choose!

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Corset Back Wedding Gown

Me tying a Corset Back.... photo by Damon Tucci

I think that having a corset back on your wedding gown is gorgeous! I don't play favorites, buttons are beautiful too!



But when you have a corset back, there are 32 different ways to lace a corset and they all work.... your dress sales person will do it one way, your alterations seamstress will tell you another, the designer of the dress may have had another in mind... and your planner, well, she does it every weekend. And knows some great ways to lace you up!



These are my hands lacing up my sister's wedding dress. You want it to look pretty, but at the same time, a corset is function it needs to hold up the dress (amongst other things) in the gown for the night. And it will losen with movement, humidity, sitting, standing, breathing, so if it needs to be tightened once throughout the wedding evening that's okay.



My point of all this, is to trust your planner when she's lacing you up, and also budget some extra time (usually 15 minutes) to make sure you are in, it's straight and it looks pretty.



It doesn't have to be like this:

Me pretending to pull on Summer's Corset Hard - Photo by: Pure By Lindsey

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Churros Are Delicious

I am a sucker for all things sugar-coated, so when I stumbled across this fantastical idea from Simply Perfect Weddings, I simply had to share it!



A make-your-own Churro bar!!! So fun, so easy, SO delicious!


Pick a Churro, put in the toaster....



Photo courtesy of Carly Taylor via A Subtle Revelry via Simply Perfect Weddings.

Roll in your favorite coating....

Photo courtesy of Carly Taylor via A Subtle Revelry via Simply Perfect Weddings.

And uh, dip!



Photo courtesy of Carly Taylor via A Subtle Revelry via Simply Perfect Weddings.

My stomach is starting to growl thinking about the cinnamon-sugary-goodness that this Churro bar will bring. Mmmmmm!

How much fun will your guests have creating their own churro creations!?



Click here to find out how you can create this DIY display of yumminess for yourself!

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Fun Wedding Treats

Recently, Every Last Detail shared this super sweet donut hole on a stir stick & hot chocolate wedding treat idea that we love-love-loved!



With the Fall wedding season starting up, these would be the perfect treat to pass out to your wedding guests- especially presented in such an adorable way!





Photo by Harwell Photography, via SMP, via Every Last Detail

Hot chocolate and donuts! Who doesn't love that combination? A completely delightful and delicious way to wind down your wedding celebration!



What is your favorite treat? Are you going to share it at your wedding?

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Unity Ceremony Alternatives

Lately, brides have been asking for other ways to incorporate the unity ceremony into their wedding.



They think that the unity candle and sand ceremonies are a bit overdone. Here are a couple of my favorite ideas for those of you struggling.



The wine and love letter ceremony. Here, the bride and groom will write each other love letters. During the ceremony, they will place these love letters, other mementos of their relationship, a bottle of wine, and two glasses into a custom box of their choosing. The couple will seal the box together during the ceremony as well. Then on their 25th anniversary they will open the box unless they come across a rough spot in their relationship and need to be reminded of why they united themselves in the first place.

The Oaks

The knot ceremony. The bride and groom will braid some sort of cord during the ceremony to symbolize them coming together. Many couples have also tied their hands together with ribbon or something else meaningful to them. I like the braid, because it makes for a nice keepsake after the ceremony.

Source

Again, personalize it to you! If you can think of some object that is extremely significant in your relationship, you can probably incorporate it as a unity ceremony!

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Personalizing Your Bouquet

We have had several brides recently who personalized their bouquets with family heirlooms. I thought that this was such a sweet idea, another great way to personalize every detail about your wedding!

Ashley's Mother's Lace Trim was added to her bouqet... Photo by Caroline Johnson

One of our clients had lockets attached to her bouquet that had pictures of her Grandparents and Great-Grandparents who had passed. This way they were with her every step of the way!

Russell Martin Photography

Another one of our awesometastic brides hand-tied her bouquet with a piece of her mother's wedding dress. So sweet!!

Photography by Lindsey Tropf

Another way you can personalize your bouquet is to tie a handkerchief to it from a grandfather who passed away or even tie a family bible to it. You could incorporate many different heirlooms into your bouquet, it will mean so much more to you and your family!

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Personalizing Your Ceremony

As you know, your wedding is supposed to be all about the bride and groom. Knowing this, it would be a great idea to try and put your personality into each part of the wedding, including the ceremony.

Source

You can write your own vows, pick unique readings and bible verses, even pick family members and friends for singers (just don't ask me to sing, I'll scare everyone away)! You can even incorporate a family tradition into it, such as a saying or poem. The ceremony, just like any other part of the wedding, should be personal to you.


The ceremony is also a great way to tie in your culture, whether you are Irish, Polish, Hispanic or whatever, you can use your background to add another personal touch with cultural proverbs, songs, and traditions!

Source

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Inspiration Board: Teal and Yellow

I love the colors teal and yellow together, they are so bright and summery! So I decided to make an inspiration board out of it. These colors would make the perfect fun, summer wedding! Tell me what you think!

Bouttonnierre; Cake; Maracas; Bunting; Dress; Frame

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Late Night Treats

Lately, I have noticed that a lot of couples are deciding to do late night snacks for their guests who stay to party! I really love this detail and it makes for a memorable night for your guests.


A couple of great late night treats that I adore are McDonald's Cheeseburgers and maybe some fries, Krispy Kreme donuts, and Chick-Fil-A! Yummmmmm! Your late night treat should probably be something fast foodie and filling. By this time of night your guests are probably a little bit tipsy and just want something easy and quick to satisfy their craving.

RSVP Catering

I love it with the milk! So cute!

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Mmmmmm cookies and milk, even betterer!!

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Whatever treat you decide to use, your guests will love it and leave happy and content!



This post is making me kind of hungry, five guys for lunch? Yes!

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A Week of Unique Treats Finale

When it comes to your wedding favors, I definitely like the idea of something edible. This way, you know your guests can and will use it eat it. This being said, we love the idea of being creative about it and not just do the traditional chocolate gift, even though chocolate is amazing.


I will end the unique treats week with a very unique edible treat that I haven't seen done before, but it's so dang cute!!

Fortune Cookies!! You can leave a fortune for all your guests and personalize it with your names and wedding date. Food and fun, you can't go wrong!



What favors did you use at your wedding? Did your guests love it?

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A Week of Unique Treats 4

Part 4 of our unique treats brings me to a favor that one of my clients used. It is absolutely adorable and delicious for your guests! Here it is..

Photography by Lindsey Tropf

Honey!! I really really loved this, and the bride also placed mini photos from their engagement session on each table, you can see it in the top left photo. I think that detail and the tags added such a nice personal touch.



Glenda chose to use local honey, it's delicous, and she supported local business -a win-win-win!

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A Week of Unique Treats 3

For part 3 of unique treats week, I would like to feature The Roche Shop. They do all sorts of wedding favors but one in particular that I love is decorative soaps!



They can make them in any shape and for any occasion, and they are really cute! Again, this is a favor that you know your guests can and do actually use!

Aren't they beautiful!!

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A Week of Unique Treats

I thought I would follow up my guestbook week with a week filled with unique treats for your guests!



There are so many out there, but I thought I would share with you a few of my favorites that I have come across!



The first has to be one of the cutest I have seen, mini tobasco sauces! I love the ribbons tied on the tops to match the wedding colors!

Michael Caswell Photography

I have a bride who just used these as her favor and they are seriously adorable, with personalized labels and all!

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Guestbook Week Finale

For the end of our guestbook week, I wanted to share my favorite idea that I have come across. It is so intimate and creative and something you can really keep forever to look back on! And my favorite guestbook idea is...



Polaroids!! I absolutely adore the idea of the guests taking a picture of themselves and leaving a little note by it in a book. This creates added fun for your guests and for you when you get to read it!



You can do it a couple of different ways. You can set up a table with polaroid cameras for the guests to use and have a book preset with places for the pictures and a space for the guests to write a little note.

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Martha Stewart

Or you could hire a photobooth place to set up a photobooth for the guests to take the pictures in. For this set up, I really like the idea of leaving a chalkboard and chalk for guests to write a message and take a picture with it. So cute!!

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As you have seen, there are endless possibilities for your guestbook, and as always, do something that suits you.

Have some fun with it!! And as always, make it about your, something personal. Because, afterall it's YOUR wedding.

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Guestbook Week Part 4

For part 4 of guestbook week, I am gonna share with you an idea that a lot of my clients have been using and it is so cute and personal!



It's what I am going to dub the picturey guestbook. Many of my brides have been taking their engagement pictures and making a book out of them, leaving some space and lines for people to sign. You can do color or black and white. I even had one bride use multi colored pens!!

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Image by Luster Studios

I really do love this idea. It is something you can leave on your coffee table and look back on instead of just reading a bunch of names. It also is nice for the guests to have something to look at and even comment on when they sign it!

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Guestbook Week Part 3

Keeping up with our guestbook week, today I wanted to feature signed wishes as a guestbook idea. Now this guestbook can be executed in many many different ways. The sky is the limit, really.



You can do wish bowls, wish boxes, wish trees, wish clotheslines, wish books, really anything you could imagine. Here are a few that I really liked.

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

Image from the knot

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Jonathan Ivy Photography

This one I absolutely LOVE! You have your guests sign their wishes on a postcard and have a mailbox set up to place them in. Then you have them mailed out the next day so you come back from your honeymoon to a mailbox full of well wishes!

Martha Stewart

There are too many good ones!

Did any of you use signed wishes? What did you do?

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