“Passion, though a bad regulator, is a powerful spring.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Red simply put…  passionate,  energetic and bold!

White pure, beautiful, modern and crisp

Blue passionate and stoic, energetic yet calming, exhilarating yet tranquil…

Happy July 4th weekend! I decided to sit down and read the ENTIRE birth certificate of our country~ The Declaration of Independence to re-discover why this country exists what exactly it was that ticked off our forefathers so much and how it paved the way for our Bill of Rights, the Constitution and the Emancipation Proclamation. As imperfect as we the people and this country are… it is ours and it’s good stuff!

And what a perfect opportunity to revisit this spirited wedding featured last year.  Read all about the laid-back style of this picnic eating, softball playing 4th of July wedding here.

Enjoy the nice long holiday everyoen!

Another MagnetStreet employee says YES!

Woot! Woot! A great big blog hug and congratulations goes out to Nalie and Nate!  Nalie is our Web Usability Specialist here at MagnetStreet and yes, she really is this adorable!

Nalie and Nate’s Proposal Story

{by Nalie}

“The story begins before I actually even knew it began.  Let me explain… At the beginning of June my sister had extra tickets to the Science Museum of Minnesota and wanted to know if Nate and I could use them.  When I asked Nate if he wanted to go, he casually said sure; he had heard that the mini-golf course was great.  Seeing how I really needed to work on my short game I thought this was a great idea.  A couple of weeks went by and I forgot about the tickets.

2 days before museum visit I was chatting with my sister, Vickie {who is currently living and working in South Korea  as a teacher}.  We were talking about a possible proposal from Nate and she said that maybe Nate was going to wait for my other sisters (Kao and Linda) to return home from visiting her in South Korea before he proposed.  Vickie’s comment made a lot of sense considering how close I am to my sisters and if they’re ALL so far away… and he did propose, who would I call to share the joyous news?

day at the museum So little did I know that on a warm Tuesday night at the Science Museum, something was in the works.  We did the usual things people do when they go to the Museum: go watch the Omni-film, visit the exhibits, play mini-golf.  Nate is a great golfer so I was a little surprised how I was just kicking his butt at mini-golf that night.  If only I knew how nervous he had been the whole game!

a little history I was ready to leave when he suggested that we go to the upper level where there was a balcony overlooking the Mississippi. I agreed. You see, three years ago on my birthday when we first began dating, Nate had rushed home from a South Dakota trip as soon as he found out that my birthday was approaching.  That’s a long five hour to drive to sing Happy Birthday to someone you’ve only been out with twice!  That’s when I knew he really liked me! And, for our third date, the night after my birthday, we had gone out to the Museum and stood out on that same balcony.

flash forward we were back out on the balcony, me pointing out again, all the places on the other side of the river where I grew up.  And we reminisced about the last time we were out on the balcony.  He then became very quiet. I figured it was because he was hungry since we hadn’t eaten yet.  So I started to name all the places nearby that we could go eat. Yet he still lingered and really didn’t respond to any of my suggestions.  Finally, he looked down and pointed out and said, “There’s an ant on your foot.”  {You see, I have a mole on my foot and thought he was making fun of it.} I playfully told him that it wasn’t funny to make fun of my mole.

But Nate said, “no there is, let me take a closer look” and he bent down. He then shyly looked up at me…  I of course, thought he was pulling a Jim from “The Office” and kindly told him “stop it and get up.”  I was sure he couldn’t propose now, he had to wait.  But sure enough I heard him utter something to the effect of  “I love you Nalie…will you marry me?”

In total shock I could not utter a word, just nodded my consent.  He pulled out a shiny diamond ring and proceeded to place it on my left hand, in which I asked “Is that the right hand?”  Of course I called Korea right away to share the news, but they already knew! They had been helping him the whole time!

SO SO SWEET! I love each and every proposal story… Congratulations again Nalie and Nate! We look forward to hearing more from you as plan for your spring 2010 wedding!

xo

If you read this blog regularly, then you know how much I love the simple accents that deliver a great BIG IMPACT.  And  reception decor is one of my favorite places to start!  Let’s talk about apothecary jars…  not just for cotton swabs and Q-tips anymore!  The many ways you can use an apothecary jar is limited only by your creativity.

To Name a Few Uses: as centerpieces… at the candy buffet… as sand ceremony jars… as wish jars

What to Put in Them: here’s the really fun part… candy, nuts, flowers, fruit, potpourri, sand, seashells, marbles, soaps, buttons, favorite collectibles, fall leaves, rocks, gems, live plants {turn them into mini terrariums}.

Use an attractive apothecary jar to incorporate the theme of your wedding.  For instance~ if your having a beach wedding~ use coral, shells, driftwood.  If it’s a Fall wedding… use colorful leaves, mini gourds, grapevine…

Here’s a fun idea... make copies of old family wedding photos for people to take out and admire. Perfect for a vintage style wedding or simply for conversation and including family members {present and not} in a unique way.

Source

Source

If you want jars that have a unified look, shop places like Michaels to buy in bulk or if eclectic is more your style, shop thrift, antique stores and yard sales.

What do you think?

Today’s e-session comes to us by the fabuloso and incredibly energetic husband and wife team of Cathy and David Photography.  The first part of the session involves Summer and Ryan’s love of all things Indiana U…  the stadium of their alma mater makes a great session locale for this sports-loving couple!  But the session doesn’t end there… as nighttime befalls, urban details and ambient lighting take over and even though the sun has set, the heat has risen!

I hope you find these e-shots as cool and inspiring as I do… ENJOY!

to see ALL of the shots… head on over to Cathy and Davi’d blog for more!

Have you found your wedding dress yet… still looking?  How do you know when you’ve found the right one?  My~ what a hugely important decision it is…

Lisa & Johnathon Part I
As you know, MagnetStreet’s Lisa and Johnathon are newly engaged and now furiously planning their October 09 wedding  ~ a lot to do in a fairly short amount of time!  One of her to-do’s… finding THE dress.  THE wedding dress to beat all other wedding dresses.  HER  dress.  Perfect for her!  Well, she did it and today… Lisa shares with us her venture:

I am a slow decision maker.  Always have been. Maybe you know someone like me: I like to try on everything…and then maybe buy nothing.  It might be related to my curious nature, because I simply want to know what all these outfits would look like on me.

But this day was different.  This day I was finding a dress…but not just any dress…this is THE dress.  The dress that will be photographed and viewed for years to come.  The dress that my fiancé will see me wearing on the day I become his wife.  The dress I will wear on the day my life as Miss ends and Mrs. begins. This is a big deal!  I had an appointment at a bridal shop, my mom was in town, my fiance’s mother was coming along, and I was planning to leave that store checking “buy wedding dress” off the list. Do you see the irony here?  The one day I have all the right in the world to be picky, suddenly I’m a snap decision maker.  Wedding planning certainly gets to a person, I guess.

We picked out a few options and got started.  The first one was really nice, and I began to wonder how I’d ever know when it’s “the one.”  Then she put a veil on me (to help envision the whole picture).  I looked into the mirror and saw a bride…wait…that’s me?!  I’m getting married! Whoa.  I just kept staring, then looked over to my panel of gown judges to see if they were having the same moment, but my eyes were losing focus so I still don’t know if they were.  The veil was placed at the crown of my head and fell slightly over my shoulders…perfect.  At least I now know how I want that part to look!  The dresses kept coming and we established a “Top 3″ judging list.  And wouldn’t you know it, that first dress never left the Top 3.  So after we had viewed them all, I tried on the first one again, and the panel voted unanimously: this is the one. But how do they know? Why do I not know? Is this really the one? The weight of the decision was too much for me, so I went with their recommendation.  The dress was bought.

The rest of the day I was a in a bit of a daze, needing a lot of assurance that it was the right choice.  We agreed it was a great cut for my body type, so very flattering.  The wedding is leaning towards casual and will take place in the morning, and the dress has a very romantic, light feel that will fit right in.  The back is interesting, which is good because people will be staring at it during the ceremony. They say hindsight is 20/20, and as I look back I’m confident that it was the best fit for me and my wedding, so I’m happy. (I’d show you pictures, but the FH may read this and I want him to be surprised!)

What about you? Did you have a similar experience, or did you immediately know when the dress was right?

{Thanks Lisa!  You had me at “Whoa”}

LOVE outdoor weddings of all kinds…  Beach… Garden… Park settings… Backyards…  Vineyard… Rooftops… Our wedding ceremony was held outdoors on an old mill site close to the river and it was so fabulous hearing the gentle sound of the creek below…  the birds… and feel the sun and the breeze.  And, since it was in such a gorgeous spot~ we let nature take care of the decorations.

In this beautiful and colorful wedding… Laurence and Adam live in the Cayman Islands while their family and friends {65 of them} flew in from around the world.  They incorporated the beautiful colors and culture that are the Caymans as well as elements from home.  Notice how the stunning blue ocean backdrop beautifully heightens the vibrancy in all of the colors.  Enjoy!

Laurence wore pretty orchids and pink flowers in her hair.

The color scheme: bright pink and yellow

Pink chiffon dresses kept her ladies cool and comfortable…

As a child living in South Africa, Laurence remembered the “happy” sunflowers & thus incorporated them into the bouquets.  {happy sunflowers… i like that}

This just might be my favorite detail… homemade beaded napkin holders from Africa.

Cayman Islands lemonade… mmmmm!

So pretty…

If I were…

having a beach wedding… I think I would use an “ocean themed” Postcard Save the Date… ya know to get everyone all excited and anticipating such a wonderful destination.  Postcards STDs are great for getting LOTS of info to your guests re: accommodations, travel, tips, etc.  Super practical! This particular STD is called To the Shore and is from our Artist Series… so original, pretty and soft and all about the beach!  And, with 3 of your fav pics… PERFECT!

And~ for my elegant yet casual beach wedding invitations… I just might choose an Invitation ensemble like the one below… Perfect Petals.  Of course, I’d use the Design Studio to change the colors to reflect MY COLORS and use all the wonderful space in a Folded Invitation option to include our proposal or love story… forever recorded. {sigh}.

How about you? Having a beach wedding! DO SHARE!!

Real Wedding Source: Brides.com

Gorgeous Images: RebeccaDavidson.com

Napkins and a variation of folds hold a fascination for me.  Be them cloth or paper… I always appreciate the time and creativity of an interesting pattern and fold.  And, they contribute so much personality to the table setting.

Love the organic yet chic feel of this table setting!

How clever… using pretty rubber bands to hold down the napkins for a casual, outdoor reception. {below}

3 table settings images above

image

last two images

Interested in exploring different folds?  Find a variation of napkin folds and etiquette instructions here.

As always, I appreciate you stopping by! Let me know you were here…

One of my favorite sites for men~ is the Art of Manliness.  It’s classy and fun and full of old-school and new-school information for the manly man of any age.  For instance~ today’s post…  How to tie a TIE.  You certainly don’t want  floppy and unsymmetrical knots on your wedding day so this instruction will help!

So, get your tie on and check out this video tutorial {as well as written} series on:  the most popular knot~ Four in-Hand {aka Schoolboy knot} the Windsor knot…  the Half Windsor… and the Shelby knot.  There’s even a snippet or two on which knot  should used based on the fabric of the tie and the formality of the event.

And, there’s LOTS more where that came from~ you can also learn about old-school shaving… that’s better for your face as well as the environment in  How to Shave Like Your Grandpa! A Fabulous Read!  Enjoy.

Share one sweet thing about life today…

cool image: Sweet Sweet Life blog

Love is in the air folks… and wedding bells will soon be ringing for two of the sweetest and talented people here at MagnetStreet.  Johnathon  {software developer} proposed to Lisa {Graphic Designer} last week.  So fun and so exciting~ Lisa shares their proposal story with us today…

Setting: Thursday, June 11, 2009 at MagnetStreet
Participants: Lisa + Johnathon

He woke up feeling ill, so while we normally work out on Tuesday and Thursday during lunch, he wasn’t feeling up to a run.  However, I still wanted to spend time with him, so I asked if we could go for a walk instead.  He still wasn’t sure about that, so I suggested we take a shorter walk on a nearby path, maybe grab lunch on the way?  He agreed, but said he had to run to the bank first.

Background: This path happens to be the path where we had our first date.  Neither of us had explored it before (and we both happen to love exploring), so when he invited me to walk it with him last October, I couldn’t say no. We walked and talked about our churches, then came to a fork in the path and took the one that went uphill, which happened to lead to a bench overlooking a valley of trees - a perfect sunset location.  It was here that we discussed more non-first-date topics like politics and the cause of the divorce rate among Christian marriages…and something about that talk made us think there could be something special about this connection.

Back to the story: He returns and we drive to the path, start walking and he says “we should probably go to that bench.”  It wasn’t far, so I agreed. We sat on the bench, reminiscing about our first date experience, looking at the scenery, I’m thinking “what a beautiful, sunny day…” when he says “I made something for you.” Now I’m starting to get suspicious. He pulls out a stack of photographs - it is a series of photos. He wrote a poem on pieces of paper, then took a photo of each piece. So I’m flipping through this poem-story about us being two halves, him searching for me, finally giving up and challenging God to find me, then God brings me to him, he sees how perfect we are for each other, and then the last page mentions asking my dad for his blessing, finding the perfect ring, asking a big question, and as I’m reading the last line - he gets down on his knees, pulls out a ring, and asks me to marry him!

I said maybe.

JUST KIDDING - I said “yes,” of course!

It was incredibly sweet, and the best part is that I’ve been expecting a proposal, but somehow still wanted it to be a surprise. He decided he wanted to propose on that bench, the ring came in that morning (that was his trip to the “bank”), and then I suggested we go to that very spot! So it was a complete surprise, and perfectly orchestrated.

awww… SWEET!  I love a great proposal~ don’t you?  Thanks Lisa and Johnathon for sharing it with us and CONGRATULATIONS!  Stay tuned for more from this  b2b…  Lisa will be back to share wedding planning for their October wedding. yay!

I did mention that Lisa is a talented graphic artist didn’t I?  Check out her Save the Date Designer’s Choice for June while the rest of Lisa’s designs can be found here.

have a great weekend!