Engagement Party or No Engagement Party?

Matt and I had a small engagement barbeque party at his parents house a little while ago. The idea was to have good food and get together with close friends and family. While it was no surprise that Matt and I were engaged, I thought it would be fun to get together with everyone!

Left to Right: My Fiancé Matt and I, My Mother Stacey and Brother Garrett, My great friends Ashleigh and Jen.

Having this party definitely brought up some interesting thoughts on engagement parties. When people were finding out that we were engaged, one of the first questions asked, was whether or not we were going to have an engagement party. I have also heard the opposite asking, why bother?

In most of the wedding check lists and timelines that I have looked at, I recalled seeing something about having an engagement party and celebrating your engagement! While you don't have to follow all the checklists verbatim, it comes down to whether or not you and your fiancé want to have one.

 

Here are some pro's and con's to having an engagement party:

 

PROS

• A great way to get together with friends and families and be together as an engaged couple!
• Integrate friends and family that will all be a part of this wedding time together.
• You've been dreaming about planning your wedding all your life, do everything you can to make this time special.
• Why not? Who wouldn't want to hang out and eat great food.
• It will create great memories for this special time.

 

CONS

• It may be a burden to the host/hostess.
• Another financial cost, that may not be reasonable to include in the wedding budget.
• Additional work and/or stress.
• It may not fit in the dynamic with the people around you.
• You may can be make excessive or over the top.  

This is a great opportunity to start creating memories and making plans in the wedding process! It will help make it all real and kick start this whirlwind adventure. So do what you feel is right, in the end you will make the best decision for you and your new fiancé!

 

Now I'll leave you to stew in some amazing looking engagement party set ups!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Image by Robert and Kathleen Photographers

 



XO,
Brittney

Red, White & Say I Do!

4th of July is one of my favorite times of the year! Nothing better than a fantastic American outfit, festive food, and spending all day on the lake with great friends! 
 

This year got me thinking how amazing a 4th of July wedding would be. As I started browsing for inspiration, I soon found out I wasn't the only one sharing the American spirit!

Here are some of my favorite inspiration boards for a truly American Wedding:

 

 

 

Now those are some inspiring ideas!

Who wouldn't want to attend a wedding like that!

 

 

This 4th of July, I had a blast in Lake Almanor! 
A tradition many follow, as it is just up the hill from Chico, and a great place to get away from the heat!

I tried my hand at making some festive 4th of July desserts!

Angel food cake, whip cream & fruit

 

Marshmallow & fruit kebobs with drizzled chocolate

 

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Now only 364 days till the next 4th of July, so plenty of time to get inspired and come up with some awesome ideas! It's always a great day to celebrate America, so don't be afraid to test them out before hand!

 

XO,

Brittney 

 

 

28 days until Britnee's Wedding day!

One of my very good friends and former roommate is getting married in July. I am so honored to have been asked to be a bridesmaid in her wedding!
 
 Her twin sister Aubree (Maid of Honor) and I recently put on a bridal shower for her in beautiful wine country, Temecula California.

 

We held the shower at her parents amazing Tuscan inspired villa!



I think special creative touches and details are a great way to set the shower apart from any other shower.  After all it is all about the bride!

Here are some things that we crafted for the shower: 

 

 Wood letter monogram & Tissue paper pom-poms

 

Painted wooden Signs from Michael's

 

Notecards for 'Recipe for Love for Britnee and Joel' : guests would write advice for the couple.
Popsicle sticks for 'Can of Dates' : fun date ideas for them to do in sunny San Diego area!

 

Fun heart clips for labeling food and drinks...yummm

 

 The beautiful food table!

  

Some pictures of the bride to be!

We couldn't believe there were only 28 days to go! 

 

 

Thank you to Aubree Bond for capturing amazing pictures of the shower! xoxo

 

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Putting on a shower can be a lot of work! Not to mention a lot of time and money. Proper planning and organization will give you time to add special touches, and can even help your pocket book!

 

 Don't rush to buy the first thing you see, there is a lot of mark up on bridal supplies! Some details can easily be achieved with a little paint and some scissors!

 

The bride is going to be so elated that day, it won't matter if you forgot the stickers for name tags or meant to have that game you played at the last shower you went to.

 

 Focus on things that will make it a special day for the bride; have things she can look back on and truly appreciate! After all, you're putting in a ton of effort, be proud to show off your work!

 

 

XO,

Brittney