{My Wedding Colors}

I'm so excited to finally share the colors I've chose for my wedding! You wouldn't think that choosing colors would be a tough decision, but it definitely was for me. When you're faced with so many options, it's hard to know what to do. I always thought I'd have a vibrant, summer wedding with hot pink as my main color, but when we decided to get married in the fall, it through me for a loop :) I've chosen to go with a palette that's earthy, rustic and soft, and I'm convinced that it's going to look fabulous!

Anyways, enough of me rambling.

The colors are . . . . .

Don't you just love it? I do. I think these colors are perfect for an October 19th wedding because they're gorgeous and classic, they'll go perfect with our venue and they'll look great in pictures. (Can you tell I've thought about this?) ;)

Moving on, I've chosen this beautiful, chiffon Jasmine B2 bridesmaid dress below in jade green for my bridal party and I absolutely love it. It's such a flattering dress and it looks awesome on everyone!

I'm thinking Michael and his groomsmen will look very handsome in a sleek gray tuxedo much like this Clavin Klein one -- maybe even this exact one!

Well that's all for now!

I'm so excited to see all these plans coming together. Stay tuned for my next blog post about our wedding cake! Yummy :)

XoXo,

Leslie

{Merry Christmas}

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

I love Mariah Carey's Christmas CD, so I thought I'd share one of my favorites from the album. Enjoy!

I hope y'all have a fabulous day with your family, friends and loves ones. Never forget the reason for the season and always count your blessings,

XoXo,

Leslie

{Bridesmaid Dresses}

I'm loving this latest blog post on The Pink Book Blog written by Pink Lady Krista. It's entitled "Do's and Don'ts of Choosing Your Bridesmaid's Dresses," and if you're planning a wedding like me, then you'll definitely want to check it out. I think it's wonderful advice, and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Continuing on the topic of bridesmaid dresses, now that I have chosen my dress (YAY!), I'm currently in the process of deciding on what I want my bridesmaids to wear. Here's a sneak peak at a few -- all the same style -- that I love.

B2 by Jasmine 

Style 1221 by Allure Bridals

Margaux by Amsale

I think this style is so flattering and will look good on any figure. I can't wait to take my bridesmaids to try them on! I'll be sure to blog about which one I choose :)

XoXo,
Leslie

{Our Band: The Soul Shockers}

In the article Wedding Reception Music Basics: Bands vs. DJs, Lori Seto writes, "No doubt about it: Music can make or break a wedding celebration. It's the heart and soul of a reception and can send your guests home with happy feet or pained grimaces!"

Well, our guests will definitely be going home with happy feet because we've booked on of the best bands in Memphis: The Soul Shockers!

Talk about a celebration! These six men certainly know how to bring down the house, and they play a variety of tunes from rock, blues, soul, Oldies and songs from today.

The Soul Shockers are constantly playing in and around Memphis, whether at Huey’s, wedding receptions or special events. We first heard them when they played at Michael's sisters wedding in 2008. They were fantastic, and we know they'll be just as great at our reception. 

I can't wait to cut loose with our guests to songs like "Mustang Sally," "You Dropped the Bomb on Me" and "Hey Ya."

You can listen to song clips on their website, and if you want to book them for your wedding reception or special event, contact Mike Brocato with Resource Entertainment Group at mike@regmemphis.com.

XoXo,
Leslie

{Happy Thanksgiving}

Today I'm thankful for so many things in my life -- wonderful family, Michael, amazing friends, a great job, and the list goes on and on.

But today also marks 5 years that Michael and I have been together. I'm so thankful that we've been able to keep our relationship healthy and strong, even throughout 4 years of long distance dating in college.

It's been such a joy to share major life events with the person I love -- senior prom, high school graduation, family vacations, holidays, college graduation. And now that we are engaged, that list will continue to grow. I'm looking forward to married life and starting a family one day!

Here are some pictures of us from times we've shared and memories we've made over the years!

Spring 2007

Senior Prom 2007

High School Graduation 2007

Destin 2007

Sarah & Matt's Wedding 2008

Spring Formal 2008

Halloween 2008

Destin 2009

Billy & Jessica's Wedding 2009

Christmas 2009

New Years 2010

My 21st Birthday 2010

College Graduation 2011

Destin 2011

Happy Anniversary, Michael! I love you with all my heart, and I'm so thankful you asked me to be your wife. I can't wait to exchange vows with you on October 19, 2012!

I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Don't forget to count your blessings.

XoXo,

Leslie

{Hot Trend: Pinterest Parties}

Let me guess, you're constantly on Pinterest, but you've never actually taken the time to make the craft or recipe you've pinned. Well, I've just learned about something fantastic that will solve your problem.

A Pinterest party!

The idea being that you find a recipe or craft item you've pinned on Pinterest, make it, and then bring it to the party.

And since the holidays are fast approaching, now would be an excellent time to plan a Pinterest party with family members or girlfriends.

All the women in Michael's family are thinking about bringing something from Pinterest for Christmas day, and I can't wait! I'm a sweets kinda gal, so I'll probably try my hand at one of these yummy recipes:

Chocolate + Candy Wrapped Pretzels 

Oreo Cupcakes

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oreo Tiramisu 

Any recipes that you've been dying to try that would be great for a Pinterest party?

XoXo,
Leslie

{Heartwood Hall: Gooder Than Grits, Y'all}

Set a wedding date. check
Book a ceremony venue. check
Book a reception venue. check
Ask close friends to be members of the wedding party. check
Book a wedding coordinator. check
Book a caterer. check
Book a florist. check

Whew!

Well, we've been engaged for a little over three weeks now, and as you can see we've been hard at work planning for our big day (there's still so much more to be done). Michael cracked me up the other week when he said, "Man, I didn't think we'd be doing all this until next summer." Ha! I'm a very organized and planned out person, so I've hit the ground running. I can't tell you how many emails I've sent and phone calls I've made recently. It's been quite crazy, but so much fun.

I'll save some of the smaller details for another blog post, but right now I want to spill the beans on the gorgeous wedding venue we've chosen. So let's jump right in.

The venue is Heartwood Hall, and this place is gooder than grits, y'all! It's quickly becoming one of the most sought after venues in the area. Booking a date there was quite a challenge, but we've decided on October 19, 2012. This date is extremely special to us because it's exactly a year to day we got engaged.

When you pull up onto the property the first thing you see is this amazing manor house.

The Manor House

The house was built in 1840 and was part of a 5,000 acre cotton plantation. Today, the property is much smaller at only 25 acres, but it's still breathtakingly beautiful. Here's some interesting history behind the house -- it was used as a makeshift hospital by the North during the Civil War as they were making their way into town to fight the Battle of Collierville. They also used the property as sleeping grounds at night. So cool! Oh, and can I just say, this place is going to make a gorgeous backdrop for photographs.

We'll be having both our ceremony and reception at Heartwood Hall. The ceremony will be held in the Four Season Garden and talk about stunning. The garden sits to the left of the manor house and it makes quite the statement. It has an 80 foot walkway for the bride to walk down. We love it and we know guests will too.  

The Four Seasons Garden

Our reception is going to be held in The Barn -- my absolute favorite part of the property! It was renovated this past April and it's the epitome of rustic and charming. Everything inside this barn is just fantastic -- the chandeliers, the bar, the fireplace, the side porch, even the bathrooms!

Outside view of The Barn

Inside view of The Barn. WOW :)

Well, that's all the beans to spill. I'm so happy with this location and I'm more than thrilled to be getting married here. I can't think of a better place -- it's perfect.

XoXo,
Leslie

*NOTE: Photos courtesy of Heartwood Hall.