Green

Lauren + Kyle (Studio Peek)

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copyright courtney khail stationery and design

Happy Friday everyone! I hope everyone is having a great day and that everyone's weekend is just as wonderful.

I wanted to share an invitation I created a little while ago for the lovely Lauren. She and her husband to be Kyle are getting married this month and are having a small intimate reception to celebrate. To let friends and family know of their plans, she asked me to create an invitation inspired by the old tradition of guests receiving a hand written note from the bride (or bride's family) inviting guests to the celebration. Because Lauren is using white hydrangeas as her main flower, she chose my hydrangea design and I painted them with the light green and yellow washes that are commonly found on "white" hydrangeas. Inside the note card, each guest was greeted with a note hand written especially for them. I had a great time making these for Lauren, and wish the two of them the best! I hope your wedding and marriage is everything you both hope it will be.

And can I just say one more time how much I love that the hand written tradition is coming back to the wedding scene? It's just so personal and special!

Simple rustic affair

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row 1: photo via snippet and ink
row 2: elizabeth messina photo via oncewed, porcelain utensils via caroline swift, paper sack menu via sunday suppers row 3: , burlap fabric via the paris apartment, hanging postcards via design sponge, dress via the english dept

I know a (really) cold front has hit the majority of the country right now so many people are dreaming of sitting by a fire or playing in the snow, but I saw this top image on snippet and ink and haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Since I promised today's post would be "lighter" I figured an inspiration board based on this image was perfect.

This one is all about staying simple and rustic. A lot of natural elements (fresh herbs, the dirt

floors, exposed wooden tables) with touches of off white porcelain and simple laid back fabrics (like burlap and thin white cottons.) As the party goes into the night, I see a ton of twinkle lights hanging from the ceiling and tucked into the shrubs and a family style dinner of different pastas, bottles of red wine, and oven fired home made pizzas covering the tables.

Has anyone else noticed a shift to the "simple" for big events such as wedding? It seems as though more and more people are realizing that the day isn't about coordinated favor boxes and towering flower arrangements, and instead are holding tight to what really matters to them. Personally, I think it's wonderful!

Have a great day, everyone!

Dining Outside

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I love to eat outside.

My childhood memories are filled with images of my mom fixing my sister and I picnic lunches to eat in our backyard, watching from our outdoor dinner table as my dad shucked fresh grilled corn, and then of course all of us eating grilled chicken wings at my best friend A's house after a long day of swimming.

Even today, that love for eating outside remains. J and I love to sit on our porch (when it starts to get cooler) and eat dinner together. (We even have a chandelier hanging above our table so we can eat by candlelight!) With all that said, today I thought I would share a board inspired by outdoor dinner parties. I love everything about them- from the homemade desserts made from fresh berries, to the bright jersey dresses all the girls dress up in and of course eating at a picnic table with citronella candles burning all around. Nothing is too fussy- centerpieces are made up of collections of wild flowers or herbs found in your garden or backyard, and the napkins can just be simple cotton tea towels. The best part is that this is the exact type of party that doesn't need a special occasion or cost a lot of money- just fire up the grill, invite some friends over and remember the bug spray!

row 1:flowers via design sponge, table scape via hip hostess
row 2: escort cards via, dress via martha stewart weddings, dessert via santa barbara wedding chic
row 3: photo via i am a greedy girl, ice cream with love spoons via grey likes weddings

Garden Parties

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It has been really really hot here for the past few days so in an attempt to remember the cooler days of spring, I thought I would post this board! I especially love the ceremony site. The way the sherbet colored flowers and greenery pop against the clean white palette is just beautiful! Hope you enjoy!

row 1: ceremony photo via instyle weddings, invitations via martha stewart weddings
row 2: champagne via brides, bouquet via martha stewart weddings, elizabeth messina photo via once wed
row 3: boutonnieres via martha, favor boxes via once wed

Meshing colors

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It's rainy here in Atlanta, so instead of the bright "lemonade-ish" one I had planned for today, I thought I'd do a board with darker, richer colors (Did I mention that I'm also really looking forward to fall?) I designed this one as inspiration for a party, but it easily could be turned into a wedding. On that note, keep in mind that everything does not have to match perfectly. Not only is it sometimes overkill, but there is no better way to get a migraine than stressing over whether or not the green ribbon perfectly matches the green dresses, and if those match the green ink on the escort cards etc. etc. Instead just make sure everything flows together and has the same feel. Just like decorating- the mixing and matching of textures, patterns, etc almost always is more beautiful than having everything identical.

row 1: i misplaced the link for these homemade chips, anyone know? , escort cards via snippetandink, antique glass lanterns via design sponge
row 2: dress via artfool, macaroons via bouchon bakery, earrings via emma alison designs
row 3: table via fete

Green and White Wedding

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There is something so beautiful and natural about a wedding (or party!) with a green and white palatte. The lush greens provide the perfect balance for the pops of white of the flowers, candles, and of course, the bride! I really really love the floating canopy; it's such a whimsical touch! And if you used this as inspiration for a party rather than a wedding, wouldn't this canopy be fun over a dance floor or buffet? Oh! Or what about flying over the entrance to the party? So many ideas! Enjoy!

row 1: wine bottle favor photo by elizabeth messina via once wed, hanging canopy via oh happy day
row 2: hanging votives via cox & cox, dress via jcrew, hanging flowers via seen and said
row 3: outdoor tablescape via in this instance, paper flowers via real simple

Garden themed

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Even though it has been (and looks to continue) raining here for what seems like for.ever, I still can't stop thinking about how pretty a laid back garden wedding would be. This board focuses on combining all that is green from a garden, such as various herbs and shrubs, with beautiful rustic touches such as a tree stump cake pedestal and outdoor chandeliers. Hope you enjoy!

column 1: herb centerpiece via martha stewart, chalkboard "I do" charger via hip hostess
column 2: photo via with this ring
row 1: tree stump cake stand via once wed, rosemary napkin holder via the knot, seed favors via
row 2: photo via nibs blog, bouquet via little winter bride cox and cox

Magnolias, Monograms, and the Masters

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For those of you that do not know, I grew up in Augusta, Georgia and have a very special place in my heart for the Masters golf tournament. Now I don't really like golf (too slow of a sport for me), but every Masters week I will have at least one T.V. on everyday displaying the beautiful course (as well as nonstop highlights and scores.) It only takes one second of the prerecorded nature sounds and the mention of Amen Corner to send a flood of childhood memories back to me. So in honor of my hometown, I thought I would do a Masters inspired board today. Not surprisingly, it was a little tough- there are just some things you can't mess up. So here are somethings to remember:

#1: Masters=a huge Southern tradition. Things like draped white tablecloths, mint juleps, and champagne punch are all "must haves". Oh, and don't forget the monogram. The joke is that in the South, after asking your name, more often than not you're asked for your Mother's maiden name as a way to find out your family line. Some find this backwards, others just tradition, but either way a classic white on white monogram will always be found.

#2 A Masters wedding is a preppy wedding. Seersucker and khaki will most likely always find their way into the scene as will a lot of magnolias. These huge beautiful trees line most of the oldest streets of Augusta, but more importantly they line the main entrance into the course. Other important flowers to use (or have growing if this is in someone's backyard) are azaleas and dogwoods. Augusta is known as the Garden City, and these shrubs and trees explode into beautiful whites, pinks and red right around the Masters.

#3 The colors. This is probably the most important part. There are certain colors associated with the Masters- most notably the coveted green jacket. It's a very particular green (no lime here!) but since it is so hard to match, the closest green to use would be the color of magnolia leaves. Kind of a lush, dark green. For the other colors that can be incorporated just look to the logo (the U.S. is a warm yellow, Augusta is marked with a red flag, and Masters is written in white).

Any way... I hope y'all have fun looking at this one (as well as got a good laugh at how seriously Augustans take this tournament :) ) Have a great day everyone!!

row 1: earrings via saks fifth avenue, white on white monogrammed cake via martha stewart, buffet via tim evan cook

row 2: champagne punch via epicurious, dress via nordstroms, magnolia centerpiece via martha stewart
row 3: cocktail hour arrangement via snippet and ink, tie via brooks brothers

Aqua and Emerald

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I started this board yesterday but just couldn't make it match my vision so I put it off for a night. Then tried again this morning, accomplished a little, but still wasn't 100% happy so I decided to take a mental break and head over to my hair appointment. (I still hadn't gotten around to the post wedding hair cut. And yes, I know the wedding was in December.)

Apparently, a break wasn't in store for me though :) It was my first time at this salon (Todd G) and I was just meeting Tiffani (my new stylist) for the first time when I heard the news she'd just gotten engaged a few weeks before. After talking for a minute, the other woman there asked what her colors were. She said they weren't sure, but she liked blue and green so possibly that. Talk about a coincidence! After talking with her about the venue she hopes to get etc, I was 100% sure where I wanted this board to go and couldn't wait to get back to finish it! With this one, I wanted to evoke a very fresh, bright, and cheerful feeling, but most of all, a very comfortable and laid back attitude. An outdoor wedding that is very family and friend oriented with great food, good music and a bar framed with cute specialty drinks (sangria or lemonade, anyone?) in beautiful aqua colored glass containers. Hope you enjoy!

And a big thanks to Tiffani! Not just for my hair (though you were awesome) but also for getting me out of my rut!

row 1: books via the paris apartment, dress via anthropologie, mason jar candle holders via martha stewart
Row 2: shoes via the flirty guide, flowers via martha stewart, lemonade pitcher via big sur bride, jcrew ties via martha stewart
row 3: zempel photography photograph via once wed