Bridesmaid Proposal: Pearls & Peonies

Hello all!  Apologies for my lack of posts recently, but I come bearing exciting news.  My brother and his fiance have set a wedding date next year at the beautiful Summerour Studios in Midtown, Atlanta.  She is already family in my eyes, but we get to plan a party!  And to make things even sweeter, my future sister-in-law asked me to be Maid of Honor.  It came as a complete surprise and a true honor!

We already have big ideas for the wedding.  She’s a graphic designer so you know it’ll be spectacular.  First things first though, we had to gather her girls together for a bridesmaid proposal.

She was so sweet to buy all of us these gorgeous pearl earrings and rings for the proposal.  With a little bit of moss, some gold bows (sewn by my mom), and fluffy pink peonies, it was the perfect mix of DIY glam.  Here’s a shot of the bride to be!

Can’t wait to plan a wedding with this girl.  How did you propose to your bridesmaids?

Firefighter Party: Adult Tablescapes

Here’s just a couple shots of the adult tables from the firefighter birthday party I posted last week.  There were separate tented areas for the kids tables and round adult tables, brought together with similar colors and the firefighter theme!

All adults went home with cookie favors from Diddy Riese, a UCLA favorite.  They also helped to decorate the table!

Custom signage directed guests to the drink table, set up with lemonade and flavored water.

Happy hump day!

Firefighter Birthday Party

Hey y’all!  (Do you hear my southern twang?) There’s been a lack of posts because… I’ve moved back home to Atlanta!  It’s been a whirlwind of moving and settling in.  Thank you to all who have followed me in Tokyo.  Although I’ll be posting less on Japan, there’ll still be lots of parties, food, travel, and DIY.  My first project back was my dear friend’s son’s firefighter-inspired 4th birthday party.  It was peak summer in LA so I had decor to match – bright, happy, and fun-filled!  There were separate tented areas for the kids and adults, brought together with yellow and red decor.

What kind of cake do you have for a firefighter party?  A fire engine of course…

.. topped off with adorable minions.

And matching water bottles!

I’m kicking myself for not taking photos of the party favors – fire house books and Diddy Reese cookies in custom-made fire engine canvas tote bags.

The topping of the party?  A real fire engine complete with real firemen from 5 Alarm Fire Engine.  These guys were awesome – great with the kids, prepared with tons of activities, professional, and patience galore for the 40+ (yes FORTY!) kids that attended.  I highly recommend them if you’re having a similar party in the LA/OC/Inland Empire area.  The kids and many of the parents were thoroughly entertained with fire hose water shooting, tug of war, dressing in all the gear, and fire engine rides around the neighborhood.  Fun for everyone!

Tomorrow, the adult tables! :)

Wedding Feature on Aisle Planner

It’s been over a year, but our wedding was featured on Aisle Planner!  Check out our “DIY Destination Style” wedding here.  It’s such a nice reminder of our wedding and spending time with the best friends and family :)

Here’s a round up of my DIY tutorials for our wedding:

DIY Polaroid Place Cards

Destination Wedding Welcome Booklets: What to Include

Our Out of Town Welcome Booklets

Furoshiki Welcome Bags

Kids at Weddings Checklist

DIY Welcome Drinks

Wedding Cake Centerpieces

Japanese Felt Crafts

Thought I’d ‘cute-n’ up your day with these Japanese felt mascots.  This is part of a whole series of equally-adorable craft DIY books made by Hamanaka with instructions on how to make these adorable little creatures.  They’re only available in Japanese, but the books are filled with pictures, and it looks like you can also buy these mascots ready-made if you’re not so crafty :)