Lemon and Lavender

Guest Posting @ Aisle Candy

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:41:00 +0000

Happy Monday! I'm guest posting at Aisle Candy today! I'm sharing a color board full of gorgeous pastels! Take a peek!

On My Desk: SMP Little Black Book Feature

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:59:00 +0000

I received the most fantastic email on Friday afternoon, that one of my brides from last year would be featured on Style Me Pretty! Keely who is also an amazing designer and blogger was so much fun to work with. I absolutely loved designing her wedding suite. Grey, pink, chevron, and navy. These are pretty much my favorite things. Go take a look at her chic West Palm Beach wedding! Happy Happy Monday!

Photography by Jonathan Connolly Photography

DIY Egg Dye Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:25:00 +0000

Hop on over to the blonde in Africa and see our DIY egg dying kit in action! Lots of fun things going on this weekend hoping your holiday is lovely. Next week I have several projects to share with you so stay tuned!

On My Desk: Snippet and Ink Feature

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:53:00 +0000

Go take a peek at Sarah + Mike's gorgeous wedding on Snippet & Ink! We were honored to be a part of her big day! Love her Hunter boots! Perfection!

Shop Update, Cupcakes, & Bougainvillea

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:03:00 +0000

Good Morning lovelies! Can you believe it's almost St. Patty's Day? That means middle of March which means almost April! Where is the time going? I've made some huge decisions over the last couple of weeks. One was to close my big cartel shop and place the Etsy shop on vacation until I return stateside. Moving to Africa has really forced me to prioritize. Since I started my business in 2009 I've always known I wanted to design wedding invitations but since then I've dabbled in every bit of design possible from websites, blogs, birthday party invitations, etc. 2012 is the year to streamline and really focus on what I love. I can't wait to share my relaunch and the new website and blog. It's going to be so exciting finally setting out to do what it is I started out doing. It's easy to get lost along the way and I think I'm one to try everything, plus I can never say no :)

Enough of that! Want something fun and pretty to look at this Monday? Ok, I am a bit bias since the model is my daughter but it's fun anyway! Claire turned 4 and what better way to celebrate (and break in mommy's new 35mm lens) than having cupcakes in our pretty backyard in Africa?

striped straws & candle: Shop Sweet Lulu

On My Desk: Free Valentine's Day Printable

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:14:00 +0000

As promised a printable to brighten up your day! Who doesn't love stripes and pretty type? I am in love with Emily Lime and also I have a limited font library on my hubby's laptop! Can you believe next week I get my house and my beloved Mac! It's been 3 months since I've seen it. I feel like I'm going to have to learn how to use a Mac all over again as I've been using illustrator on my hubby's PC. Anyone have spectacular v-day plans? I have no babysitter so we are postponing our v-day celebration until later in the month when our nanny starts. Happy Wednesday lovelies!

Download Instructions:

1. Follow this link to Google docs here

2. Click "download original" from the upper right hand corner which will pull up a PDF

3. The page is a standard 8.5 x 11.0 with 2 cards per page

4. Click print :)

Card is an A2 size

On My Desk: Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:35:00 +0000

Wedding invitation sale!!! I'm offering a huge discount on the ready-made line of invitations + coordinating gift tag template for those of you who loved to DIY! I am closing the bigcartel shop March 1st but will continue to offer popular designs on my etsy shop, however, after March 1st I will only be offering custom design for wedding invitations. Unfortunately I don't have time to nurture the ready-made line but I wanted it to go out with a bang! Happy Tuesday lovelies! Check back tomorrow for a free Valentine download!

Favorite Pins + a Farewell

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:39:00 +0000

treat table / cupcake on plate / stationery / single cupcake / little girl

Happy Monday! Well lovelies it's been awhile since I've been here to say hello! As many of you know I'm now living in West Africa. We moved here almost a month ago. I can't believe it's been a month. You can follow along on my journey here.

I am in the process of a little brand revamp on L&L as well as working with several new brides. I am very excited about 2012 for my little company! I have made the big decision to share updates on my projects, etc. instead of a steady flow of wedding inspiration here on the blog. I will still occasionally stop in and share some gorgeous wedding inspiration but I don't have the time as of right now to blog every day. Obviously I have been very absent over here in the last months as we moved overseas. It's funny because when I started this journey with L&L it was just a place to share my thoughts and my new business. Last January I thought I wanted to have my own little wedding blog and during that time I got to share some lovely inspiration and having Rachel as my intern was wonderful, but I think we are headed back to where we started. It isn't my passion to have a wedding blog and as much as I love weddings I'm at a different place in my life. I have the opportunity to really focus on my clients and possibly begin volunteering for UNICEF which is a dream I've had since I can remember. I can't do everything so I have to choose what is most important. I want to get out and see Africa. I can't do that in front of a computer screen.

Thank you for reading and for your continued support! Be sure to check back soon :)

p.s. Are you loving the Valentine's Day inspiration floating around pinterest lately? I am. I'm a big fan of V-day only because my daughter's birthday is the day before so we get to celebrate our best Valentine's day gift ever!

A Sincere Farewell

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Good morning lovely readers! I’m sad to say that today will be my last post on Lemon & Lavender. It’s been such a great experience working with Ashley, and I’ve loved every minute of sharing inspiration with you. I hope you have too! I'm so thankful for a great opportunity to be able to learn so much about the intricate and dazzling wedding industry. Thanks so much for reading and commenting on my posts. Congrats to everyone who got engaged over the holidays and I wish all of you great things ahead in 2012. Until next time!

Photo: Rebekah J. Murray Photography

Xoxo,

Rachel

NYE Inspiration Shoot by Hey Gorgeous Events

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Good Morning lovelies! Hope you've recovered from the weekend's festivities. I have a pretty treat for you today! Over the last several months I have been working with Rhi of Hey Gorgeous Events on this incredibly adorable NYE inspiration shoot. I was completely honored to be a part of such a stellar team of designers and to have this featured Friday on The Wedding Chicks was HUGE for my little stationery biz! Talk about an incredible way to wrap up the 2012 wedding season!

I designed an entire wedding suite including a signature drink menu and menus for the table. I had so much fun working with Rhi on this project. Designing while I have been on the go (and away from my beloved mac) had its challenges but I was so pleased with the end result. As you know I'm a monogram kind of girl, I guess it's the southern girl in me :) I loved the idea of pairing the bold Engravers type with the whimsical Emily Lime hand written font. Paper Source had the perfect colors for the envelopes including the fabulous glitter paper I used to create a liner for the outer envelope. We threw in a fun mirror chevron print to play on the modern elements of the shoot and I think the balance was perfect :) Modern but with a playful edge- just like the tablescape below.

The macaron cake is so amazing :)

and confetti :) Huge hug to all the lovely ladies involved and again Rhi you were amazing and this wouldn't have been possible without your amazing vision! Here's to 2012, Lemon and Lavender is ready for you!

Fab Team of Vendors: Jenna McKenzie Photography / Hey Gorgeous Events /A Piece O'Cake /Fine and Fleurie /Renee Austin Wedding

On My Desk: Featured on The Wedding Chicks

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:52:00 +0000

L&L has officially wrapped up it's 2012 season and I couldn't have imagined a better way to end it than teaming up with Hey Gorgeous Events for a fun NYE styled shoot! Check out The Wedding Chicks today and see all the fun! Confetti, sparkles, pretty dresses, and gorgeous photography by the talented Jenna McKenzie, oh and macaron cake ;) I'll post some more photos here next week and share some insight into my inspiration for the wedding suite :) Here's to 2012 lovelies!

Happy New Year :)

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:58:00 +0000

Au revoir 2011:). What a crazy year you were... As I officially wrapped up the 2011 season at L&L today I'm signing off with some pretty inspiration to keep you company until I make it to Africa in a couple weeks! Except check back Friday for some HUGE news for L&L :) See you soon lovelies!

1st row: Inspired decorating,design crush, 2nd row: Enchanted dreams weddings, Molly's desserts, blonde episodes, 3rd row: Style me pretty, blue pool road

Holiday Cards and Hello

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 15:43:00 +0000

Good morning lovelies! I sent out our holiday cards yesterday, have you sent out yours? I just threw these together after I got the images from our fun inspiration shoot with Amanda Eaton! I feel awful that I've been so absent from my little blog, thank goodness Rachel's weekly posts have been keeping us alive! While I prepare to move to Africa life has been more hectic than I imagined and I just don't seem to have time to blog :( looking forward to the new year and to do a little revamping of the business and blog! Here's to enjoying the last few weeks of holiday madness! Xoxo

Enchanting Engagements

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:53:00 +0000

I think that one of the things I'm most looking forward to when I find "the one" is the engagement photo session. That might not sound like such a big deal compared to the dress, the venue, the ring(!), but from scouring hundreds of wedding and photography blogs, I've found so many stunning engagement photos out there. They will carry those memories of the couple's true love for a lifetime. The bride- and groom-to-be always look so blissful in each other's company, and you know they will cherish those photos forever. Below are some of the favorites I came across, as well as a few quirky, fun ones (like the superhero pose!)

Images clockwise from top left: Green Wedding Shoes, Fab You Bliss, The Sweetest Occasion, Camera Talk Austin, Aislinn Events, Karen Ard Photography

Which one is your favorite? Where did you have your engagement photos? Were they themed? We want to know!

Nautical Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:57:00 +0000

I'm sadly finishing up the last few days of my current internship at Southern Progress Corporation in Birmingham, Ala. It's a gorgeous building set back in the woods, right next to Samford University, where they pump out the monthly editions of well-loved magazines like Southern Living, Coastal Living, and Cooking Light. I work on the websites of those magazines, and the majority of my time here has been spent on Coastal Living's website. The publication rarely does any wedding content, but as I was pinning away for our Pinterest site the other day, it got me thinking just how gorgeous some of the beachy decorations would be for a seaside wedding. Especially when the current weather a rainy 45 degrees outside! Oh, how I wish I were at the beach!

Nautical accents like a classic blue and white color scheme (with maybe a touch of red or yellow), and rope details are some of my favorite. Add in some playful, sophisticated anchor and sailboat accessories and I'm swooning!

Images clockwise from top left: Weddings Fresh, Natalie Franke Photography, Weddings Fresh, via Style Me Pretty, I Do It Yourself, Cap Classique, The Lovliest Day

Did you have a nautical wedding? Or would you? What is one of your favorite wedding themes? Tell us in the comments!

Wintertime Weddings

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:04:00 +0000

Ok, am I the only one who is freaking out a little that tomorrow is December 1?! I’m not even done with my Halloween candy let alone Thanksgiving leftovers! And down here in Birmingham, these past two days have been very telling of the season–wintry with freezing rain and a definite need for heavy coats.

It got me thinking about winter weddings. I admit they can look beautiful, but I could never get past the cold! Freezing temperatures and snowy chances just don’t play into my plan. However, as I was looking for some inspiration, I have to say that winter wedding decor is absolutely stunning–even more so than I thought.

Winter brides warm up with chic shawls, sweaters, and furs. Gorgeous ice-like crystals almost always seems to make an appearance. And how cute are those bridesmaids’ muffs below? Nature also usually plays a role with pine branches, pine cones, and of course, snow creating a dreamlike winter wonderland.

Images clockwise from top left: Katie Day Photography, Pink Sugar Photo, via One Fab Day, Henry + Masci Photo, Merriment Events, Sweetapolita

How about that peppermint cake for some winter inspiration? It might not be for everyone, but it was done with a Christmas-y elegance.

Did you have a winter wedding? Have you been to one? Was it a wintertime wonder or a bit too chilly? We'd love to hear!

Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 18:30:00 +0000

I'm missing my hubby who is stuck in DC :( but it's nice to be home in t-town with all the familiar places and faces! Hope you are stuffing yourself with yummy turkey and pumpkin pie! Xoxo blog buddies :)))

Simple Accents

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Lately, I’ve found myself loving the clean, fresh look of simple wedding accents. It’s true what they say–sometimes a little bit goes a long way. From painted-on table numbers, to a burlap-decorated cake, to simple DIY coasters as favors, these details can be just as stunning as lavish crystal centerpieces. Take a peek at some simple inspiration!

Images clockwise from top left: Pretty Chic Blog, The Nichols, Bayside Bride, Style Me Pretty, Love My Dress, Once Wed, Robyn Michelle Lee Photo

Which one is your favorite accent? What other clean and simple details do you love? And on a side note, I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! Go spend time with the ones you love, eat lots of food, and be thankful for all your blessings!

Holiday Favor Idea

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:42:00 +0000

Happy Monday! Go take a peek at Rhi's new DIY project! It's super cute and L&L designed the tags! I'm still here just busy with my move! Looking forward to getting back to blogging all things wedding when we get settled in Africa. A huge hug to Rhi of Hey Gorgeous for including me in her latest project with Jenna Mckenzie who provided the lovely images :) happy holidays!!!!! Xo

Lovely Wedding Invites

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

I would consider myself a typography nerd. I was a Journalism major in college, but I took a few design classes and fell in love. Stationery, letterpress, note cards, I can't get enough! So today I wanted to highlight a couple's first graphic impression to their guests–the invitation! Invitations are a perfect opportunity for the bride and groom to express their personalities, artistic tastes, and give guests a preview of what they might see at the wedding.

I stumbled across many theme invitations, which are always cute, and definitely a good idea if you're having a themed wedding. It sets the tone until the ceremony. But I was really impressed by some of the more unique invitations that used fabric and paper in an unconventional way. Below are some of my top picks, with handkerchief invites, embroidered invites, sewn invites, and drop-dead gorgeous diecut invites.

Images, clockwise from top left: Design Sponge, Merriment Designs, Design Sponge, Green Wedding Shoes

I'm also a fan of more traditional invites. Being a graphic design junkie, there are so many amazing things you can do with color, pattern, and shape. These invitations are a bit simpler than the ones above, but equally as stunning.


Images left to right: Constellation & Co., Oh So Beautiful Paper, 100 Layer Cake

And I definitely couldn't finish this post without including an adorable, handmade bunting invitation :)

What did your invitations look like? Are you a fan of the more traditional look or modern? Tell us in the comments!

On My Desk: Cocktail Party Invitation

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Monday already? This long weekend really flew by! I hope Rachel kept you company last week while I prepared for our big move! I'll be dealing with movers, French lessons, and flying home to my parents this week so hopefully I can get back to blogging next week! You can read about my crazy weekend here. I designed these recently for my going away party :) The best part which I totally forgot to photograph is the reverse which is the stripe pattern. I am a little obsessed with stripes lately, can you tell? The wrap around labels were so easy to make using the 8.5 x 11 label paper in my printer at home! Great way to address dark colored envelopes!

Color Issue #18: Rustic Reds

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Alright y'all, this is Rachel filling in on the color issue for Ashley, and the weekend is so close! Take a break from your work day with some rustic red, gorgeous inspiration.

Image credits clockwise from top left: The Knot; WeddingDesign.blog.hu; Cyn Cain Photo; via Made From Scratch; via Kiss My Tulle; Ashley Rose Photo

Vintage Appeal

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

When I was younger, I used to imagine the future. You know, things like people would be teleporting to work and have robot butlers by the year 2000. Well, we all know it didn’t turn out that way, but with all the technology and innovation in our world, who would have thought that we would be looking to the past for so much inspiration?

Weddings are no exception. The vintage affair has become an industry standard, and I’m a fan! These rustic soirees have individual, yet distinctive elements inspired by those that came before. They’re all about being simple and fun, while also having an elegant air. Nontraditional accessories, like jars, old crates, and loose scraps of fabric to hold flowers or favors. Much of the décor is homemade, or DIY, and old-fashioned trinkets show up throughout the ceremony, fashion, and reception. Look out for burlap, lace, chalkboards and windowpanes, and lovely, delicious, simple desserts.

These gorgeous snapshots capture the vintage theme perfectly.

Images clockwise from top left: Ulmer Studios, Trent Bailey, via Oh Lovely Day, Elizabeth Demos, Our Labor of Love, Bradeons, Ulmer Studios

Did you have a vintage wedding? Have you been to one? What's your favorite vintage detail?

See you Soon!

noreply@blogger.com (ASHLEY) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:07:00 +0000

photo by Our Labor of Love

Good Morning lovelies! I wanted to drop in and say I haven't disappeared! Last week was pretty insane and it looks as though the next two weeks are going to be equally crazy. I am going to focus on finishing up a few projects with my dear clients so Rachel will keep you company this week! Happy Monday!

The Perfect Bridal Buds

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Picture a stunning bride walking down the aisle. Of course you’ll notice her gorgeous dress and glowing demeanor, but no one can overlook the breathtaking bouquet she’ll be holding in her hands.

The origin of the wedding bouquet tradition is unclear, but originally, flowers were a symbol of fertility. The “passing” or tossing of the bouquet was a bride passing on that fertility to another woman. Interesting, huh?

Today’s modern bride styles her bouquet with a unique approach to their wedding theme and personality. Some go for traditional flower bouquets featuring blooming peonies, ranunculus, or roses, while others have taken matters into their own creative hands. Vintage-inspired blooms studded with sparkling brooches, and flowing exotic flowers have appeared in recent weddings. Theme bouquets like sprigs of wheat and cotton for a casual farm wedding are popular as well. Check out some of these brilliant blooms below. The yellow bouquet in the bottom row, middle, are paper flowers! My favorite is the pretty, soft, pink arrangement in the middle.

Images: Top Row: Ely Brothers, Carlie Statsky Photo, Brienne Michelle Photo, Middle Row: Caroline Tran Photo, Jac Photo, Erich McVey Photo, Bottom Row: Gina Meola Photo, Dave Robbins, Ulmer Studios

What did your bouquet like? What are your favorite blooms for bridal bouquets? Tell us in the comments!