Day 1

We made it to Seattle!! I didn't feel honest about sneaking little B-stain onto the plane for the first time, but now I know we should have. We paid $75 (more then our ticket) and no one even asked if we have a proof if the dog could be with us. It def. wasn't needed. But its good to be honest right?

 When traveling with a dog, everyone wants to be your friend! He is one popular little guy. Everyone wanted to talk about their dogs, when they had a yorkie etc etc.

We are now just hoping he doesn't get discovered at our hotel (Which was supposed to be dog friendly!) Oh no, they hate dogs! $250 if they catch you with one in your room. So we are just crossing our fingers he behaves tonight.

First thing we did tonight was order dinner, then walk 4 miles to take alook at the auction cars going through tomorrow. It look about an 45 minutes to walk 2 miles there and 2 miles back on a busy industrial road. We're exhausted now and are just watching TV since we are carless till tomorrow.

Adventure Here We Come!!!

Here we go! We finally did it and booked a 1 way ticket Sunday up to Seattle so we can drive home on the coastal highway. We decided to let little Bentley come along since we will be going to lots of national parks and we don't think there will be many places he won't be allowed. Airfare if a different story though. His ticket cost more then ours!! Crazy huh? He costs more to sit under my seat.
I hope the little guy enjoys this. :)


I'm so excited to just get away for a little bit. We have nothing planned other then some great suggestions on what to see from family and friends.

The scariest part of the trip is that we have only 1 night of hotels booked and no rental car booked. We are getting there in time for the seattle auto auction where Kaulin is going to buy us a car to drive home. (I'm secretly hoping its a convertible, but lets be realistic, I need to cross my fingers that we just get a good car without any mechanical problems.)

Isn't it beautiful!! I can't believe I've never been there before even though we live so close!


We're taking our computer so hopefully I can post pictures of our adventure as it happens.

Check back for the next week!! :)

Flirty Pink, Black and White Wedding

Who: Jensen and Yardley Wedding
Where: Minersville Utah in their Uncles backyard
Colors: Black, white, & hot pink
Photographer: Jenny Hollaway
Cake: Heidi Smith
Floral: Dolly

This was the beautiful back yard I got to work with. I love seeing a space for the first time and envisioning what can be done with it.

From there I created a site map scaled to the measurements as close as I can get. I like to do this with each wedding to help with all the table, tent and dance floor placements.

And here is the finished product! It is so rewarding to see what you've designed on paper come together on the big day.

There were 9 white tents in all. Each had a custom Hot pink damask flag made to match the custom linen.

All the hot pink and black and white stripe linen was custom made for this wedding in California.

Cute as can be, flower girls.

There were 4 food stations around the perimeter of the event. There was an ice cream sundae station (which had some technical difficulties), a cotton candy station, drink and sandwich station and a fondue station. Each had the custom black and white stripe linen, which was one of my favorite things of the wedding.

4 types of crystal chandeliers hung in each of the 9 tents.


The cotton candy station had hot pink rock suckers.

The guests got to pick a sucker and have the cotton candy rolled onto it.

This massive beauty is there wedding cake done by

Heidi Smith with Icing by Design in St. George.

Favorite parts of the Events:

(1) The custom linen!

(2) The bride and groom and there families had to be the sweetest people ever! I loved working with them.

Here's when you wouldn't hire a wedding planner ...

I was so excited to hear from out of state weddings planners about this article. Its been up for a day and I've already recieved emails and comments on The Spectrum. Its always exciting to know people are reading and enjoying. :) Photo by One Memory at a Time with Alisha Shaw

Why you wouldn't hire a wedding planner

Check out the article in The Spectrum neighborhoods


In these economical times we are all trying to cut back. This concept even applies towards your special day. Weddings that used to be lavish events are now turning to simplistic trends.

One thing still rings true: whether you are trying to conserve or splurge, there is a long list of to-dos before you can say, "I do." These lists can sometimes feel endless and take away from the excitement during your engagement. This is where a wedding planner eases the pressure.
Is a wedding planner right for you, your budget and your overall event?

Do not hire a wedding planner if you want to spend more money. You heard me right, you can save money with a wedding planner. In the past, planners have been perceived for only indulgent couples with money to spare. This is not the case these days.

Wedding planners are becoming affordable and can even get you discounts and special rates by consulting through them. Wedding professionals build up relationships with each other and will sometimes give benefits for referring them.

On multiple occasions I have seen free services thrown in by a vendor or a price even deducted in half because they went through a wedding planner.

Planners can also help you get more bang for your buck. They know how to cut back on certain expenses to make your event look like a splurge even though you might be on a tight budget.

Another reason you would not hire a wedding planner is if you can be in two places at once. Brides have a large roll. That is, of course, being the bride. On a wedding day it is not uncommon to have a 16-hour work day, a mop in one hand and an iron in the other.

The last thing a bride needs to do is to be steaming linen or polishing silverware before she is about to walk down the middle aisle.

Finally, don't hire a wedding planner if you already spend eight or more hours a day reading, writing, researching and dreaming about weddings.

Wedding planners are professionals that obsess over weddings, daydream about wedding and are always scheming new trends for weddings. They are full-time wedding guru's that have been doing this for years, not just for a few months of engagement.

By tapping into their skills and involving them from the beginning of your initial planning, you will be amazed at the creations that will come to surface giving you the wedding you did not even know was in your reach without breaking the bank.

Montgomery Wedding at the BellTower

Our friends over at RB Studios the Broadheads, sent this DVD highlights video over of a fun wedding we did over at the BellTower. It was one of those weddings that was handed off to me after the initals consults to finish the rest of the wedding day, rehearsals and ceremony. I was so impressed, this family actually danced at the wedding! wooohoo! Sometimes when theres time for dancing, it doesn't always happen, but with them it did. It made it alot of fun.



Thanks RB Studios for the video.

Fresh or Artificial Floral?

It has has been alot of fun to write for The Spectrum every month as a free-lance writer about weddings. So I thought I would start posting a little piece of them every month.

This article was about artificial or fresh floral. Latley brides have been leaning towards artifical floral... I still don't know how I feel about it. I am a fresh flower girl myself, but I will say I have seen some really pretty artifical floral arrangements lately.

I'm torn!! Which do you think is best?
Photo from Orchids and Company of a fresh and
artifical bouquet. Can you tell which is which?

Dusty, coarse, frayed edges and great-aunt Gertrude all come to mind when thinking of those taboo words in wedding floral: fake flowers. Many reception venues even state in their contracts that artificial flowers are not allowed to cross their thresholds.

Fake floral has received a bad name for not being used correctly, being poor in quality and being just plain outdated. Fortunately artificial flowers have come along way in the past decade.

"The sad muted flowers with frayed edges and weird leaf centers are not the only choices available for event designs anymore," said Lindsey Madsen, owner of Orchids and Company. "By using a variety of fabrics, fibers, specialty dyes, UV coating, hand painting and numerous other techniques have made it beautiful and easy to incorporate artificial flowers. So the dreaded fake flowers have become fabulous fauxs."

A question a bride needs to ask herself when deciding to go artificial or fresh floral is which will fit her look and event best. Professional floral designers can help you know which works best for you.

If the florist is asking numerous questions, almost to the point that you feel like a guest on a game show, then take a deep breath, that is actually a good sign," Madsen said.Getting to know the nature of the event, where the flowers are being used, the timeline of events, and if children or pets are in the bridal party, will help determine which look will work best for your event.

A misunderstanding about artificial floral is that it is more cost effective than using the real thing....

To read the rest of the article go here!

Rustic Wedding Ideas

So, We've had a request for a rustic wedding down in Las Vegas. I've taken some of the pictures the Bride has sent and added a few touches to make the idea complete. She really likes globe lights, Chinese lanterns and subtle fall colors. I'm thinking we also might want to add chandeliers outdoors, mason jars, long guest tables, wooden benches and lots and lots of candle light since it is out doors.