love birds

One of my favorite keepsakes from our wedding day was our bride and groom bird cake toppers.  We (well actually, mostly my friend and bridesmaid Dana) made them and they turned out so cute.  I got all the materials from Hobby Lobby, and here's how they looked on our big day.

 I had plans to keep them and display them since the moment we made them, but I actually sorta lost them for a few months.  Somehow in all the craziness of packing all my wedding decor up that night after our wedding reception, my mom accidentally placed them in a random box of non-wedding items at her house.  So for months we couldn't find them, and I was convinced they must have gotten left behind at our wedding venue.  In the meantime, I made this wedding shadow box, but desperately wished my little love birds could be included.  Then one day this summer my mom found the box which I had labeled "Graves/Boggs wedding topper."  Yay!! They weren't lost after all.

Well, I quickly figured out they were actually bigger than I had pictured them before, and would not fit in my other wedding box.  So, today I decided to just make them their own box :)

Here's what I did.  I got another small shadow box (5"x7") from HobLob (and they were 50% off, whoop whoop!).  I cut off a small piece of burlap (from our stock of leftover wedding burlap) to make a backdrop for my box.  I just used some E6000 glue to stick it to the back board of the shadow box.

 Then I thought about getting some twig-like stuff from Hobby Lobby to make them a nest of some sort they could sit on, but then I remembered I had a lot of this peat moss leftover from my "mossy B" wedding project, so I decided that would do just fine.  I just tore off a little strip and glued it to the bottom inside of the frame.

The next several steps just involved a lot of trial and error gluing to make the birds stand upright, make the heart sign stick to the backdrop, and just make everything stay where it should.  I would have taken pics, but my fingers were caked with glue at this point.  Here's the final product though!  Oh, and I made the paper banner with our wedding date on it to add a little more significance to the piece.  I love it!

Mr. and Mrs. Chesley Vague

Dana and Chesley tied the knot on Saturday, June 2nd.  The whole wedding was picture perfect!  It was a beautiful garden wedding at the groom's family home and thanks to a nice thunderstorm Thursday night, the weather was a cool 75 degrees.  It was such a unique wedding day.  We started the morning with a 1030 ceremony followed by a brunch reception in the backyard.  Then a family friend of the Vagues hosted all the wedding party to their home on the lake for the afternoon.  And if that wasn't enough fun, after our time at the lake, we all went back to the groom's home for a fun evening reception party!

We woke up bright and early, 630am to be exact.  We had to be at the Vague's home at 730 to start getting ready.  Thankfully, Chesley's sisters Amie and Lillie greeted us with some mimosas!  And as we finished getting ready, the guys started arriving for their pictures. Dana and Chesley didn't see each other before the ceremony, so we did most group pictures after the ceremony.  It was actually kinda nice because we had plenty of time before the ceremony without feeling rushed all morning.

 Here are some other newlyweds...Leah and John.  And my wedding party escort, Ike!

 It was such a wonderful day!!  I loved hanging out with these girls all weekend

Dana and Chesley with their new extended families...

and this guy was looking handsome

 and I could not get enough of the flower arrangements everywhere!

 I'm so glad I could be a part of Dana and Chesley's special day!!  Wishing them all the happiness in the world!  

Dana and Chesley's wedding weekend begins

Last weekend we celebrated our last wedding of the season!!  We had 6 weddings this spring, and Dana and Chesley finished us off at #6!  These two actually met and knew each other when we were all in school at Samford University (unlike the rest of us, who didn't know any of these boys during our times at Samford).  Dana and Chesley had some art classes together and both graduated in Graphic Design.  A few years later they reconnected, and through them I met Greg and Leah met John.  And now we are all married, and the circle is complete :)

The weekend kicked off Friday morning with Dana's bridesmaids luncheon at Oscar's at the Birmingham Museum of Art.  All her bridesmaids, her mother and mother-in-law, sister-in-laws and grandmothers where able to make it.

 the bridesmaids (minus Lauren, who had already left)

 Dana and the Vague ladies (her almost in-laws!)

 Friday evening we all met at the Vague home for rehearsal and then dinner followed at Musgrove Country Club.  And of course you can always count on us girls to have fun just killing time...

We got a sneak preview of what to expect Saturday morning when we walked into the foyer/living room.  There were flowers EVERYWHERE!!  So many beautiful pink, white, and blue garden flowers.  And Saturday's decor did NOT disappoint.  Dana is so creative and the whole atmosphere reflected that.

After dinner all of us bridesmaids slept at a home hosted by some Jasper friends of the Vagues.  We had an early morning awaiting us, so we pretty much did the basics...painted toes, ironed dresses, then went on to bed!

a perfect match

I want to take a break from beach posts to write about my dear friends John and Leah.  May 6th was a beautiful Sunday, perfect for a quiet garden wedding.  Leah and John's relationship started out similar to mine and Greg's.  John instantly fell for Leah, but she needed some convincing.  But these two could not be more perfect for each other, and it didn't take long for them to figure that out.  They are both very outgoing, fun-loving, outdoorsy, family-devoted people, and I'm so happy I could be part of their special day.  And they stood right by our side for our wedding day as well!

Oh, and at our wedding, Leah caught my bouquet and John caught the garter!!  AND THEY GOT ENGAGED THE NEXT WEEKEND!  We love them so much and could not be happier for them :)

The weekend started out wonderfully with a bridesmaids luncheon at Nabeel's in Homewood.  Ever since college, it's been one of our favorite spots to eat when our girlfriends all get together.  And it was so nice having ALL our girls together in one city again.  We figured out we had not all been together since college graduation day 4 years ago!  Saturday evening's rehearsal went smoothly, and the rehearsal dinner was right next to the Alabama Theatre downtown.  They even got the theatre to put their names on the marquee!  (Photo courtesy of 205 Photography.)

 Then Sunday was the big day!  John and Leah didn't see each other at all that day.  And it was so sweet when they finally met eyes as she walked down the aisle.  I couldn't see Leah from where I stood, so I watched John.  And he was so sweet!  He kept having to look down to hold back a tear, which of course got me and Dana tearing up.  The weather was beautiful, and Leah was stunning!

 

She picked out these beautiful pinkish/purple dresses.  It was so fun that the whole bridal party was made up of our closest girlfriends.  These girls mean the world to me!

 

 The day was perfect!  Congrats John and Leah!!