Archives for June 2014

All Pretty & Planned Weddings: Lauren & Mike

June 24, 2014 by megan Leave a Comment

**All Pretty & Planned Weddings is the little wedding coordinating side-business I started. For more info, see here. – Chandler
If you’ve ever clicked on the “Our Wedding” tab at the top of the page, you may have picked up on the fact that weddings make me giddy. I love the excitement and joy that comes with a wedding day and seeing a new couple make a lifelong covenant with one another. I love everything that marriage represents. I love the picture of Jesus Christ with his bride that is played out in the beautiful details of a wedding.
The smiles on the faces of the couple and the guests
The gathering of families and best friends
A bride in her white dress who always looks like the most beautiful woman in the world
The excitement and hope for the future
Fresh flowers
The scripture read over a couple as a reminder of the meaning of it all
The details that are unique to the people they represent.

But, in the midst of all those details, brides can easily become overwhelmed and lose sight of the joy of the day.

That’s where I come in.

I have started a little side business of helping brides with coordinating their days. I think every bride should have a day-of coordinator. Even the most organized and detail oriented brides need someone to take the load off their shoulders when the actual day comes.

So I thought I would do a little feature on one of the first weddings I got to help with on March 1. Meet Lauren & Mike Chapman.

I can’t take credit for the ideas behind this one. Lauren is bursting with creative ideas and event planning know-how, so she made my job easy. We met several times before the wedding to discuss her ideas and my responsibilities and look at the venues, and it was my job to take the load off her shoulders once the weekend came.

I coordinated with the vendors to make sure everything was at the right place at the right time, I delivered all the reception decor to the venue and set up everything on the table centerpieces and around the reception, and I worked directly with the videographer and photographer on the day-of to make sure people were where they were supposed to be. Basically, I was the point person on the wedding day for all details so that the bride and her mom could just enjoy the emotion of the day.

All of these photos are compliments of Lovinggood’s Photography. And the amazing video is from FocalPoint Cinematic.

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Lauren was an absolutely picture perfect bride. She was calm, joyful, and pulled together. There was such a serenity over the whole day because everyone there knew that Mike & Lauren are a perfect match. The love felt throughout the whole event was palpable.
And look at that gorgeous wedding party. Seriously.

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What a dream day. Lauren and her family kept the guests in mind throughout the whole day and truly threw a party that no-one will soon forget. Lauren is from a small town in Ohio, and I think the entire town made the trip to Nashville to celebrate this vivacious and delightful couple. Lauren’s parents rented THREE 50 PASSENGER BUSES to transport the guests from the hotel to the reception. They really went out of their way to show people a good time. Everything went off without a hitch and even a seven hour reception flew by!
{photo above is a still shot from wedding video. See below}

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{photo above is a still shot from wedding video. See below}

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One of my FAVORITE ideas Lauren came up with was to use photos of every guest as her escort cards. She scoured Facebook and old photo albums for a photo of every single one of the 200+ guests and wrote their table number and a personal note on the back of each. I hung them that day on twine with mini clothespins, and guests found their photo to find their table. The following photos are stills from the video below.

Congrats, Mike & Lauren! Thanks for letting me be a part of your day! It was an absolute joy!!

Check out this video from FocalPoint Cinematic to relive the day. I even made an appearance at the beginning!
[vimeo 98668488 w=500 h=281]

Michael & Lauren :: Highlights from FocalPoint Cinematic Weddings on Vimeo.

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And if you know anyone who may just need a wedding coordinator, send them my way!

Houses are for living {guest room changes}

June 23, 2014 by megan 6 Comments

I have a new house motto. It’s unofficial, but here is what I believe:
Houses are for living and loving.

It’s that simple. I’m starting to sound like a broken record because I’ve talked about this concept quite a bit, but I just feel so grateful to have a home because it means we get to make it our own in order to live life together and love each other and others.

As a result, it is a priority for us to have a good space for guests to visit. That was the basement, but since we moved the home studio into what was the guest room and have yet to finish out the garage (contractor came Friday to give us an estimate!), the guest room has moved upstairs into what was just our spare room (where I keep all of my clothes since this old house has tiny closets.) I don’t want it to stay here simply because there is only one bathroom upstairs and it’s nice for guests to have their own space, but for now it will do quite nicely.

Guest Room Progress - All Precious & Pleasant Blog Guest Room Progress...All Precious & Pleasant Blog

So, here is a look back at the stages of this room…
Wow! What a difference, right?!
This is a temporary and incomplete set up, but I already love it. Here is what I did:

– Painted the walls Chelsea Gray and the ceiling White Dove by Benjamin Moore.
– Moved the bed up from downstairs
– Used existing french provincial furniture (belonged to Jeremy’s mom when she was younger)
– Used existing wingback chair (one of my favorite furniture finds)
– Used existing curtains (Home Goods…and not the right length.)
– Shopped the house for a side table and accessories.
– Used existing bedding.

So, moral of the story, all I’ve done is use things I already had and paint the room. But it already feels like it’s starting to be guest ready with just that!

Here are some plans for the space:

– Get a white duvet cover, white shams, and throw pillows to accent the bed (this will eventually move with the bed down to the basement when the guest room opens back up down there)
– Paint the black bed frame white
– Get matching curtains for both windows (probably just white. The existing curtains will likely be used for throw pillow covers because they are too short for the windows and came from home goods so I won’t be able to find them again.)
– Eventually bring in a day bed for this room once this bed moves downstairs
– Art for the walls.

The wall color is Chelsea Gray by Benjamin Moore, and I already want to find another room to paint this color. I LOVE it! It is such a good, rich gray. I’m sorta wishing our whole living room/kitchen was this color, but it is a bit dark. Maybe bottom cabinets someday when we paint the kitchen cabinets?

Guest Room Progress...All Precioius & Pleasant Blog

Just for a reminder, here is what the guest bedroom looked like in the basement…

I think I would love to add some mint or navy accents in accessories around the room in addition to the coral quilt. I love the contrast of the white and gray with pops of color for a guest room.

Guest Room Progress...All Precioius & Pleasant Blog

Here are some inspiring photos (click for sources)…

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And one more progress pic for good measure…

On Chattanooga & Taking a Break (and Happy Birthday to Jeremy)

June 11, 2014 by megan 2 Comments

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Growing up, my mom sometimes accompanied my Dad on business trips. While he worked and played golf, she would spend her days alone reading books, exploring and laying poolside. I always thought she was crazy for wanting to be on vacation alone. I don’t think she is crazy anymore, and I am not even a mom.
Jeremy is working in Chattanooga for a couple of weeks at a show he has done for several years in a row, but this was the first chance I have had to join him. It’s just two quick hours down from Nashville and approximately zero road changes between here and there. It was one of the best weekends I have had in a while. Here is why:

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1. Three dates a day.
Jeremy may have been working a lot of the time, but we ate breakfast, lunch, and late dinner together every day. It was like I had three dates to look forward to and some great quality time with my favorite guy.
Breakfast at Tupelo Honey Cafe. So yum.

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2. Needed relaxation
Hebrews 4 commands us to rest.There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,just as God did from his.Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:9-11

I’m glad God expects us to rest from our works some time. It’s divine permission to take a break every once in a while. I didn’t realize how much I needed a couple of days off from a to-do list, but I did. Even just two days felt like a perfect oasis.

3. No planning
I am a chronic planner. I plan everything, but for this trip, I had zero expectations and zero plans going into it, so everything fun and relaxing that we got to do was an unexpected joy. I want more weekends like that!

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We made spontaneous choices like riding a carousel at Coolidge Park! Jeremy rolled his eyes at this one, but I think he thought it was fun too.
4. My favorite things.

Museums, antique shopping, book reading, journaling, coffee shops, and being outside. These are a few of my favorite things. I did all of them.
I spent an afternoon in a coffee shop writing letters.
I journaled by the river.

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I treasure hunted at an antique store called Knitting Mill Antiques. (See some of my finds here.)

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I went to the Hunter Museum of American Art by myself and spent hours reading nearly every plaque and stopping to journal about my thoughts on the historical significance of the art pieces and lyric ideas for future songs without anyone telling me to move faster. I know, homeschooler move.

I read an entire (short) book in one sitting. If you are creative, read Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon. Ready. Go.
I walked/jogged/ran back and forth across the pedestrian bridge.
And I watched HGTV at the hotel. We don’t have cable, so that is exciting for me.

5. Jeremy’s BIRTHDAY!

I saved the best for last. Jeremy’s actual birthday is today, but we celebrated all weekend. I gave him his gift and blew up balloons and hung a banner at the hotel. And we went out for burgers one night and a milkshake the next night.

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I love this guy and all of his 24 years. I can’t wait to celebrate some more.

Make Your Home Happy

June 10, 2014 by megan 2 Comments

Is Spring/early Summer as busy for you as it is for me? As God breathes warmth back into the earth, we come out of our winter hibernation and whir back to life.
I blogged last week about embracing imperfection in our homes. I think I have been writing more about such topics because in the midst of my crazy schedule, I feel like I should maybe give you guys an excuse as to why I haven’t had any major before-and-afters to show since last month or so. Note to self: I don’t need to make excuses for living life.

Today is not about an excuse. It is about ways we can love our homes even when we don’t have the time or money to make big changes.

Maybe you are discouraged because your home just doesn’t feel homey. Or because you are renting so you can’t make any big changes. Maybe you are paralyzed by a fear of making the wrong choice, so you don’t make any choices.

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First, read this book (I mentioned this last time).
This is not just a decorating book. It’s a book about loving your home. Thank you, Nester, for inspiring me and making me love my home even more.

Secondly, find some small changes today that make you happy and lift your spirits. It doesn’t mean you have to build furniture or completely make over a room. Here are some ways I made my home happy this week:

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I changed out broken mini blinds over the kitchen sink for this Roman shade. Then I cleaned my kitchen and cut some fresh Oak Leaf Hydrangea to put in this new vase I got from an antique store this weekend. I think this may be the start of a milk glass collection for yours truly.
My sink area is happier. The cabinets are still too orange for my taste and the counters are still Formica, but I get to make the choice whether that affects my happiness in my home.

Also, the coffee. The coffee makes me happy.

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I spruced up my mantel for summer with a new chalkboard quote, old books, some hydrangea, and that awesome metal orb compass thing that I got at the same antique store for a steal.
And I hung a mirror over my keyboard which is now in the office (more on that move later; I’ve been doing some furniture re-arranging).

So, what are you going to do today to make your home happier? Homes are for living and loving.
So light a candle.
Or hang a piece of art.
Or re-arrange your furniture.
Or buy something small to display on a shelf that other people may not notice but that makes you smile every time you see it.
Or bake cookies just because you like the way it makes your home smell.

It doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming to make your house happier.

Happy Summer!

The Perfect Homemaker

June 6, 2014 by megan 6 Comments

I know your dirty little secret. You didn’t fool me. You can stop pretending right now.
I know you’re not the perfect homemaker.

I know you sometimes sweep the floors and just end up moving the dirt under the couch where nobody will see. I know when I came over last time you probably stuffed clutter in the closet and hoped the door would close. I know you leave shoes strewn around the floor and then you step on them in the dark and cry out in frustration.

You know how I found out your secret? Because it’s mine too.

I married a man who can be messy. And he married a girl who can be cluttered. Neither one of us are extreme neat freaks. Neither one of us are slobs. That means we get to take turns getting mad at the other one for whatever mess we find. He comes home from a business trip to my shoes strewn throughout every room of the house and it pushes his buttons, but when I ask him to please make the bed because it affects my entire perception of life, and he forgets, I can snap quickly.

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Anyone with me?

I want so badly for my house to be clean all the time, and sometimes I have good phases. Things seem to stay naturally orderly and I’m on top of it, but as soon as life gets busy, it’s the first thing to go. We don’t even have kids yet, but when I haven’t had an evening at home in weeks (like right now), the kitchen table becomes a dumping ground for purses and papers and the living room floor looks like we are stock piling clothes for the next Y2K.

Jeremy & I are working on communicating better and establishing teamwork to keep the house orderly and organized, but in the mean time, God is teaching me a lesson.

I am not the perfect homemaker.

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I am currently reading “The Nesting Place” by Myquillin Smith of The Nester. Her mantra is It Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect To Be Beautiful. I have been so blessed and inspired by her journey to the realization that we can embrace imperfection.

So, here is my encouragement to you today.

Your home doesn’t have to be perfect. And you are not the perfect homemaker.

So I hope you will open up your home to friends even when the floors haven’t been swept in a week. I hope you will stop apologizing when things aren’t exactly like you want them to be. I hope you will be encouraged that there is imperfection everywhere, and that is part of the beauty. Stop apologizing. You didn’t do anything wrong.

But, also, do you have any tips for keeping things tidy when life is crazy busy? #help.