Jamie Cargill

April 19, 2014

DIY, Weddings

Country Charm Wedding

Jamie Cargill

April 19, 2014

DIY, Weddings

We're wrapping up wedding week with one of the sweetest weddings I've ever been part of. From the story of how these two came together to the dessert bar reception...everything about this day was just, well, sweet. And I couldn't have wished a sweeter day for two more deserving people!

Meet Jen & Tim...

I could write an entire blog post on the incredible story of how God brought these two and their amazing families together. Jen is by far one of the strongest women I know with a faith like no other...so to see her find such a kind and caring protector like Tim was a true answer to many prayers.

For their big day, Jen and Tim wanted a simple and intimate setting for their closest family and friends in an afternoon ceremony followed by a dessert reception. And if you know the bride, there are two things she loves: cowboy boots and the Clemson Tigers! So of course, those had to be tied into the theme of this country casual fall wedding.

All the guests who sported their favorite boots!

Instead of a traditional guest book, family and friends signed these log slabs instead!

The ceremony and reception were both held in the same room, but to keep things casual, the bride opted for round tables for both the ceremony and reception....or what I like to call a "family style" ceremony.

With wood slabs, burlap, pinecones and pumpkins...these fall centerpieces were accented with some bright fall flowers (including Clemson orange and purple, of course) to match the bride's bouquet.

Oh, and remember my awesome Craigslist fireplace mantle find from my sister-in-law's wedding? Well it made an appearance here as well, but with a few more "country style" accents!

After the ceremony, guests were serenaded by live music from our buddy Chris Cauley (you might remember him from Team Adam on NBC's The Voice) while they enjoyed some amazing desserts!

Then it was time to send off the happy couple! But you can't do sparklers in the middle of the day, so the bride hand made ribbon wands to wave them off..in true Clemson football style, of course.

Cheers to a lifetime of love...and cowboy boots.

Congrats Jen & Tim!

All photos were provided by my dear friend Lindsay over at Lindsay Hooten Photography...if you're in the Atlanta area, you should check her out!

Jamie Cargill

April 17, 2014

DIY, Weddings

Pink & Purple Wedding

Jamie Cargill

April 17, 2014

DIY, Weddings

We're having a blast talking all things weddings this week!

Today, let me introduce you to Emily & Clinton...

Photo Credit: http://www.sugarsnapatl.com

These two are super special to me. That's because for this wedding, not only was I the designer, planner and florist...I was also sister-in-law to the bride and matron of honor. (talk about pulling double duty!)

When it comes to siblings in law...I hit the jackpot with this gal, she's just swell. We did this same pose at my wedding (see below right) and of course, had to carry on the tradition!

Anywho...if you know Emily, you know she loves all things fairytale related. In fact, Clinton even proposed to her with an adorable Cinderella carriage snow globe (that we displayed on their cake table) So from the princess style ball gown to the sweetheart cupcakes and every detail in between, we wanted to make her day feel like her own special farytale. I LOVED the bright pink, purple and black color palette she chose...it was so vibrant and fun! And when we found dyed hydrangeas to match her vision, we hit the jackpot!

Let's start with the flowers. Sam's Club came through for me again with a great selection of affordable flowers, and perfect colors to match! (to read more about how I used Sam's Club for my own wedding bouquets, check out my DIY tutorial HERE)

Oh my word our tiny apartment was busting with flowers! (did I mention my hubby's allergic? oops!)

Emily wanted bouquets, but she also wanted flowers integrated into all of her centerpieces, so this order cost a little more than my last, but for just under $700 here's what we got:

1 Large bridal bouquet

6 Large bridesmaids bouquets

2 Mother's carry bouquets

3 Grandmother's carry bouquets

13 Boutonnieres

20 Centerpiece arrangements

12 Aisle arrangements

2 Large buffet table arrangements

7-10 small arrangements for altar and other accent tables

Talk about getting some bang for your buck! We had flowers everywhere and they were gorgeous! The bouquets and arrangements were made up of pink & purple hydrangeas, green hypericum berries, hot pink roses and purple tulips.

Now let's talk decor. Emily wanted this fairytale day to have a country club setting with a slightly rustic feel (which I love, because in wedding world these days rustic is the new black). So we accented her decor with touches of burlap and mason jars...galvanized buckets and vintage lanterns, barn wood framed chalk boards and DIY distressed table number frames. It was lovely!

This is such a great way to capture the view of your wedding from your guests perspective!

Did you see that adorable little sketch in the picture above? That's actually their save the date. The bride's grandfather is an artist, and he sketched that picture for them. My husband then scanned it in and added the text...it was so cute and personalized just for them! I also designed all of the Bride & Groom's invitations, programs and wedding favors. I created a custom "logo" for them that we placed on any of the printed signage for the day such as place cards, etc.

The logo I created for them.

The wedding favors were another adorable burlap touch, complete with the couple's logo and filled with purple and silver Hershey's Hugs & Kisses.

One of my favorite pieces we created for Emily & Clinton's big day was the fireplace mantle altar. Since the wedding was at a country club, there was no "traditional" altar for the focal point. In fact, the ceremony and reception took place in the same room, so while the guests were enjoying cocktail hour on the gorgeous veranda, the room was flipped...however this altar remained in the room and doubled as a backdrop for the dance floor. I actually scored the mantle off of Craigslist for $50...what a steal! (the story of how we actually got it to fit in a vehicle is a comical tale for another day...let's just save you the trouble now and say it will NOT fit in a Rav4)

The mantle was in great condition, so we just added two wood planks at the bottom to enable it to stand up and painted them white. I bought some sheer curtains at Ikea for $5 (similar HERE) and tacked them on the back to give the center some filler, and then we ran a strand of twinkle lights along the back of the opening to give it a soft backlight glow effect once the sun went down. It turned out beautifully!

Another subtle fairytale touch with the unity candle. Photo Credit: http://sugarsnapatl.com

For the aisle, we couldn't actually do an aisle runner because the dance floor was already in place, so to jazz it up I created mason jar floral arrangements and accented them with burlap. We then dressed the center aisle with pink, purple and white rose petals.

They're married! Dancing back down the aisle. Photo Credit: http://sugarsnapatl.com

After a cocktail hour on the veranda, the guests came back into the ballroom for dinner and dancing....oh, there was so much dancing! The centerpieces contained an eclectic mix of vintage lanterns (no two tables were the same!), with mason jars wrapped in burlap, tied with ribbon that matched our bridesmaids dresses and filled with white hydrangeas.

Those table number frames cost $1 each from Michael's. I painted them a purplish pink to match the decor and overlaid a layer of ivory to give it more of a rustic/distressed look. We used chalk-paper card stock (did you know they make that?! It's awesome!) and chalk pens, both also from Michael's.

And here's just a few more of my favorite shots from the day...

Venue: Dunwoody Country Club

Hair & Makeup: Sineat Heintzelman (she's amazing!!)

Flowers & Decor Design: S weetwood Creative Co.

Wedding Cupcakes: Gigi's Cupcakes of Buckhead

Dress: Bride Beautiful

Here's to Emily & Clinton's Happily Ever After!

Jamie Cargill

April 16, 2014

DIY, Weddings

Rustic Chic Bouquets

Jamie Cargill

April 16, 2014

DIY, Weddings

As we continue with Wedding Week, today I'm excited to introduce you to Lindsey & Jonathan...

Their wedding day was just so sweet, but their love story and illustration of God's faithfulness has been even sweeter. Lindsey is a co-worker and friend of mine, and I've known Jonathan for years...so it's been really cool to watch two friends I've known independently come together and fall in love. And I was so honored to be able to play a small role in their special day!

When Lindsey and I sat down to discuss her vision for the bouquets, I knew she wanted three things:

1. Rustic in style

2. Blush and white in color

3. Affordable

So I created 8 bouquets, 1 flower girl bouquet, 2 large ceremony arrangements, 8 medium sized reception arrangements and about 40 (yes 40..see pic below) small baby's breath arrangements for the reception tables...all for right around $450.