Introduction to the Top Balcony

This is a close-up of my Drumstick Alliums that are mid-bloom right now. These two are about 3 feet tall. I planted these as bulbs at the end of fall last year. Currently, they are in bloom on both our front and back balconies, but I believe they are smaller out back since they are in a smaller pot and probably not getting as much sun. I can't wait until these open up completely and are full purple.

The four-leaf clover looking plant is made up of multiple bulbs called Shamrock Iron Cross. The little pink flowers from it are very cute and dainty and one of my favorite things about this plant. They typically only open when its cold outside. I'll try to get a close up of them to share. These bulbs are repeats from last year - I just replanted these about 3 inches deep at the end of April or so. I have extra bulbs if anyone wants some! They are very easy to grow and maintain, I promise.

Oh, and the pots below it in the picture with the dead stuff? Those are from my tulips and crocuses, early spring bulbs. Sadly with the random cold snaps and strange NC winter weather we had, only one of my tulips actually opened up this year but the blooms were such a tease. I plan to take these pots down, harvest and store the bulbs over the summer/fall, and then re-plant them in the winter. In the meantime, I could plant Dahlias or other bulbs I have sitting around to enjoy this summer.

This is a Cypress Vine. It is supposed to have red flowers, but for some reason the only ones I've seen so far are white - you can see a small white bloom on the center stake. Although you can't see it in this picture, there are teeny tiny little red blooms that should open up soon. These are said to attract Hummingbirds! I need to clean out and refill my feeders.

Dog Days of Spring

This morning Tucker had us up around 8:30 for the day, which wasn't too bad. We took him for a swim at the lake but we didn't take the camera so we have no action shots to share with you. Let me just say that this dog loves to swim. Here are some recent pictures of Tucker just being himself. We like to hang out on the balcony (weather permitting) and of course he loves to sit in "his chair" and watch anything that moves.

(All images taken by Me)

In the bottom left he was definitely watching some geese in the lake across the street. If he could keep his mouth shut, Tucker would be a great hunting dog. He is very attentive and is easy to train. I'll have to make some videos of his tricks soon - I started teaching him to roll over this morning, and he already knows how to do the trick we call "Nose" - I put a treat on his nose and he pops it up into the air, maybe catching it, maybe not.

The Real Deal

For future reference, this is a picture of a ceremony in the Prestonwood Country Club ballroom. Our ceremony will be in the same place facing the same direction, but I don't really want it to look as plain. We will not be renting different chairs - I'm fine with the look of the Prestonwood chairs and they are comfortable, so we will be foregoing the extra $$ for Chivari chairs.

I think a chuppah, an aisle runner, lots of candles, and some pretty floral arrangements should dress this up nicely.

(Image from aweddingminister.com)

Ceremony Ideas

I've tried to describe the kind of decor ideas I have for our ceremony, but I feel like words don't really do it justice. If I had to write out the description, I would say that I want the aisles to be lined with tall cylindrical vases filled with water and floating candles. I'm not sure if saying "lined" is accurate - from the picture I've found that I'm using as my inspiration, there are tons of candles to create this effect. See for yourself, and let me know what you think!

(This image is from Jenna & Jeff's Wedding on the Knot)

I think the wide aisle runner and the chuppah also "speak to me" in the picture. I do like how the candles are of all different sizes but I would rather use vases that look more like this:

(Image from Keily & Gregg's Nestledown wedding via greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com - shot by Dana and Jeremy)

Thanks to the local Marshall's I've been able to round up about 8 vases or so already, all of varying heights. I need to find out the dimensions of the room over at Prestonwood to get an idea of how long our aisle should be. Once I know that, then I think it will be easier to decide if I want to go with this look or if I would rather have the candles just at the front with the chuppah, like this:

(Image from asouthernsoiree.blogspot.com, Jamie and Michael's Wedding)

I guess that's enough of my ceremony ideas for now. I'd love to hear what you think! Feel free to leave me a comment, send me an email, or just call me up with advice :)

Love this Surprise Wedding from 100 Layer Cake

I think that as every Bride to Be starts the planning process, and at many other points along the way, one always jokes that they should just elope. Of course that would be great until you have your parents, family, friends, etc to answer to.

I love that this couple cut down what was left of their engagement from 7 months to 7 days. If only we could pull this off!

Jumping right in

First, welcome to my blog! I've known for a little while that I wanted to start a blog and I'm happy to have gotten around to doing it.

I have a few "goals" to accomplish with this blog:
1. Keep track of wedding plans to share with friends and family
2. Use the blog as a place to share and store my wedding inspiration links/photos that I've found on the web and from other bloggers
3. Track the status of my container garden and maybe include some pictures and how to advice for those who are developing green thumbs of their own
4. Follow wedding-related and other inspiring blogs and share my favorite posts

My intentions are to not let this blog interfere with my daily work or home tasks. I imagine I'll be posting a lot from work, but since mobile posts are possible, we'll see how the iPhone works as well! I hope to round up most of the inspiration pictures I've bookmarked and blogs that I follow and add them to this in the near future.

Until we meet again,
Brit