I Do...nuts. Doughnuts.

Let's get one thing straight. I love doughnuts. Who doesn't? I also love creative weddings, which is why I think it is super rad when couples incorporate doughnuts into their big days. There are a few different ways this can be done. Doughnut wedding cakes can be a absolutely stunning, and make life easier as they don't need to be sliced. Doughnuts as favors are also a great option - again, who doesn't like donuts? Your guests will be happy and it can be a nice way to incorporate a rustic or fall theme into your favors.

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One of the coolest way to incorporate doughnuts into a wedding? As the cocktail hour! I was at a friend's wedding last month that had a "cider and doughnut hour" and boy, did I feel the love! It was perfect for this October wedding with an early afternoon reception. And it was perfect for the couple. They love visiting local cider mills every fall, and their wedding cider and doughnuts came from their very favorite mill. Not only was it adorable, season-, and time-appropriate, but it also conveyed a part of the couple's special story.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the cider and doughnut hour at my friends' wedding. Let that be a sign of how good of a wedding it was; I was far too busy crying, laughing, eating, dancing, and crying some more to take pictures! But, here are some ideas I found around the web that could inspire a beautiful alternative cocktail hour...

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Friday Favorites: Bridal Fashion Week *Saturday Morning Edition

Happy Fri... uh, Saturday! Life happens, and before you know it, 20 days pass without a blog post! To get back into the swing of things, here's a Friday Favorites, one day late. Bridal Fashion Week was a great time, surely for folks attending runway shows and galas, but also for the common Instagram follower. Here are some of my favorite Instagram pics from #BridalFashionWeek!

@wedberry_com

@badgleymischka

@bridalmusings

@amsalebridal

@calvetcouturebridal

@misshayleypaige

@wedberry_com

Refined Wedding Showcase!

It's hard to believe that the Refined Wedding Showcase was already a week ago! A friend and I drove 5 hours last Sunday to Events at Refinery where we had the chance to meet Randy Fenoli! Before his hour-long presentation, there was a bunch of cool stuff to look at. Fun DJs, prop rentals, a pole dance instructor doing demos, etc. AND there was cake! 

There were dresses galore! 

Then there was Randy! His presentation was hilarious, informative, and inspiring. I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone talk for an hour straight with that much energy. As if that wasn't enough, he followed his presentation with a lip synced rendition of Pharrell's 'Happy'. And then he met with every person who came to the showcase. Not only for a quick "Hi" and photo op; he spent time really talking, listening, and laughing with people. I spoke with him for about five minutes and presented him with the cross stitched "Hello Beautiful" I made for him. He was so sweet! He even asked if it was OK for him to change the frame it was in so it would match his apartment. 

He mentioned during his presentation that he was staying at the same hotel as us, but we didn't actually think we'd see him. As we were checking out the next morning, though, we saw him in the lobby. He was such a good sport. It was an AWESOME ending to a very fun weekend!

Friday Favorites: Fall Bouquets

Autumn definitely seems to be the hot, or rather cool, season for weddings these days, so here are a few beautiful fall bouquets for your viewing pleasure. Happy Friday!

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Officially Mrs. Tell!

Congratulations to Lauren Conrad and William Tell, who got married on Saturday! My US Magazine cannot come in the mail soon enough. I don't know about you, but I need a full photo of the dress!

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Bridal Expo + Fashion Show

Last weekend, I attended my first full-blown bridal expo! I've been to a smaller DIY bridal show, but nothing at the convention center level. Two engaged friends were going to join me but when they couldn't make it, I decided to crash this party, anyway! While there weren't nearly enough cake samples, there were dresses galore. I loved stopping by the bridal salon booths to hear their advice for an aspiring bridal consultant.  The top tip from everyone was to just apply but also set up an appointment to meet with the shop owner. The fashion show was really the highlight of the expo. So much pretty and so much fun!

Friday Favorites: Sequined Bridesmaids

Maybe it's a side affect of having been a competitive dancer for all of my childhood and adolescence, but I LOVE sequins! Gimme that sparkle, I don't care if it's itchy. So obviously, I'm a big fan of forcing your bridal party to endure the itch for all the glitz and glam. Check out these beauties...

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DIYing Cake Toppers

When my brother and his husband were married a couple of years ago, both were oblivious to the concept of wedding cake toppers. With a week until the reception and no time to order custom made, I decided I would make their set. I'm crafty, but not a professional. Having never made cake toppers, I went to the dollar store and bought objects in the shapes that I thought I might need. My brother loves fish and caring for his aquarium, so I decided simple goldfish were the way to go.

They turned out better than I could have imagined! The top hats are foam hair curlers, the bodies are decorative artificial lemons, the stands are pencils. It was a perfect topper for their cheesecake tower and basically one of my proudest moments! Now that one of my best friends is getting married, I hoped to recreate the magic but with cats. However, it turns out cats are much more difficult than minimalist goldfish!

Where things got more tricky were the faces. Unlike the goldfish, faceless cats didn't look right to me. The goal was to have the groom be a black cat, and the bride a white cat. The groom's face evolved rather quickly into looking like my own cat (which worked because the groom loves Kitty Posner!). Painting the bride, though, revealed some design flaws. The white paint accentuated every grove in the artificial limes used for the body and the Styrofoam ball head. Switching to grey paint helped.

Though they didn't turn out exactly as I had pictured them, they are awfully cute! Once I realized that they were more likely to be shower decor than on the actual wedding cake, I was able to have a bit more fun. The bride is a big fan of Lil Bub, so I added a Lil Bub tongue to make the kitty bride more personal. My favorite part of the process? Adding the necklace and sewing the tiny veil. Kitty bride needed to be "jacked up!" To tie the whole thing together, I displayed them in a flower pot as the bridal shower had a garden theme. So cute! Now, to start my dollar store crafted pet statuette business!

Friday Favorites: Courthouse Weddings

For many couples, a courthouse wedding is the perfect way to get hitched. For some it's a money saver or simply more practical. Some can't wait to be married, some are about to be deployed in the military, and others just don't see the point in a lavish occasion. For others, it might be the only option. For lesbian and gay folks in Michigan, for example, there was only a 4-hour period the day after the marriage ban was overturned during which couples could legally marry, before Gov. Snyder appealed.  While I could go on and on here about how awful and unfair Michigan's government is being right now, I will spare you and keep this a fun Friday. Here are some of my favorite courthouse weddings from around the web.

You need to check out the source for this one. Looking at this couple's entire wedding got me all teary. So happy and beautiful, these two really set the bar high for eloping!
[SOURCE: Munaluchi Bridal]

[SOURCE: Christy Cassano-Meyer]

[SOURCE: Aphrodite's Wedding Blog]

[SOURCE: Huffington Post]

[SOURCE: 100 Layered Cake]

[SOURCE: Kate Murphy Photography]

Bridesmaids by LC

Is there anything Lauren Conrad can't do? She's classy, creative, and so cute! I'm convinced she's my generation's Martha Stewart. She may have charmed her way into our homes and hearts by starring on MTV reality shows, but LC is here to stay! 

Now that she's engaged, she, along fellow engaged Paper Crown co-founder Maure McManus, are trying their hands in bridesmaid dress design. And they are nailing it! The new collection, which can be found HERE, is romantic, simple, and soft. A couple are almost unusually minimalist, while others feature lace and ruffles. The only downside is that they are a bit on the pricey side for bridesmaids, costing $220-$325. But hey, if it's in the budget, these dresses deserve a double take!

My favorites:

Alex

Lauren

WOAH! 

Maura

Jeannie

THEY'RE SOOO PRETTY.

 Dress Photos: Paper Crown