Describe the proposal. We went out for dinner on a random Thursday night in December to a lovely restaurant in Yorkville. I’d been harping Aaron for some time to pop the question, and although I thought it was weird he was taking me out to a nice restaurant on a Thursday night, I didn’t want to get my hopes up.

The restaurant was actually very busy and so I decided tonight wasn’t the night, as I couldn’t picture Aaron proposing in such a public setting. The dinner was lovely (although I thought it was weird Aaron didn’t check his coat….) and around 11 pm we paid our bill and went out front to catch a cab.

When the cab arrived, we hoped in and I give the driver our address…to which Aaron promptly cut me off and said “Actually the Fairmont Royal York”. Eek! I was trying not to burst at the seams, while attempting to stay cool, calm and collected, so I made some small talk “oh wow that’s a surprise” and “so you’re working tomorrow…” meanwhile in my head I’m like “OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD”.

We arrived at the hotel (which thankfully was only a 5-10 minute drive away!) scurry into an elevator, zip up to the 8th floor and he opens the door for me. I can see a dozen long stem roses and a Tiffany’s bag, but he doesn’t let me go any further and says “Um don’t you have to go to the bathroom?” So I got into the bathroom, squeal, do a little dance, compose myself and come back out. Aaron takes my hand and sits me down on the edge of the bed, holding my hand says a very sweet few words, gets down on one knee and asks “So Rhonda will you marry me?” and I of course squeal ‘’OF COURSE!” And that’s how it happened.

I was really in love with the colour scheme we decided upon, and how the fun element of those colours were brought out in the flowers and décor (i.e. using coloured buttons to decorate).

At the same time I thought the décor looked classy (and the bridesmaid’s looked amazing in their red dresses! ) but unpretentious and warm.

It was actually a surprise to find my dress, as I had my sights set on another. I loved so many dresses I tried on, but it came down to “what could I see myself getting married in” and which dress was “me”.

What made up my mind was the classic silouhette with elements of modernity & fun. I love one shoulder dresses and I felt beautiful in it and the dress sort of embodied me and the spirit of the day.

Wedding Planning: Bliss Event Planning {Dylan List Member}

Floral and Decor: Bliss Event Planning

Photography: Chad and Anastasia Photography

Venue: Four Seasons

Cake: The Lift

Entertainment: Violin & Guitar

DJ: Girl on Wax

You might remember my blog posts Fruit Bars a Healthy Alternative! and Be Merry Dessert Table, well today I’m giving you a few more alternatives to wedding cake!

From candy tables to ice cream bars we’ve seen it all, but I can’t help but love these ideas!

DIY Cupcake Table

Does it get any better than this? Your guests decorate and frost their own cupcakes!

Tart Table

If you love tarts then you’ll love the tutorial on Project Wedding for this DIY tart table. Its simple, easy, and of course you will LOVE making the tarts.

All Cake Table

If you LOVE cake then give your guests a treat by offering a variety of your favorites!

Cheesecake Table

You might remember this cheesecake table from Samantha & Jared’s Real Wedding. Yummy!

Desserts on a Stick Table

From pie to candied apples this dessert table has me craving sweet things this morning!

Having a table full of your favorite desserts on a stick is the perfect alternative to wedding cake!

Photos courtesy of Jen Huang Photography, Project Wedding, Our Labor of Love, Marvelous Things Photography, Our Labor of Love.

When Renaissance Studios Photography sent me this submission I instantly feel in love. This is what the Rocky Mountains are all about! Its the mix of beautiful open fields, lakes, big trees, and old barns that have me falling in love with the Rocky Mountains everyday.

Joana and Aaron were married at the Royal Ambassador in Caledon, Ontario,Canada last September. Their bride and groom portraits are simply stunning and have me wanting more!

Happy Monday!

Photography: Renaissance Studios Photography

Venue: Royal Ambassador

Cinema & Video: Spotstudios

Yes… you read that right! Beet, apple, and Cheddar salad. When eaten raw beets have a pleasant sweetness and crunch like apples. With this recipe it is very important to slice the beet as thin as possible.

Its very easy and ready in minutes. Your guests will love this salad and it has the added benefit of antioxidants!

Beet, Apple & Cheddar Salad

Serves 4

• 8 purple and/or gold medium sized beets
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. kosher salt
• 1 oz. extra-sharp white Cheddar
• 1/3 Sierra Beauty or Braeburn apple, thinly sliced

Vinaigrette

• 2 tbsp. grapeseed oil or grapeseed olive-oil blend
• 4 tsp. hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. apple-cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. diced shallots

1. Combine vinaigrette ingredients. Set aside.

2. Wash beets and apples well, dry. Halve, core, and thinly slice the apple. Peel, trim, and thinly slice the beet.

3. Combine apples, beets, Cheddar, and salad greens to bowl. Dress with the vinaigrette and toss well.

Photo courtesy of Serious Eats.

Stephen and I met at a summer Bible study. At the time, I had recently started going to Peninsula Community Chapel. I ran into a friend’s mom, who told me about the Bible study.

Her son (my friend from high school whom I had not seen in about 4 years) was leading it, so I checked it out. To this day, Stephen remembers what I was wearing the first time he saw me walk into the room. Needless to say, the rest is history!

Describe the proposal.

The proposal was literally a dream come true. It was SO well thought out and planned. At the beginning of January 2010, I went to a Christian conference called Passion for several days. The day after I returned, Stephen and I went geocaching. Geocaching is a modern day “treasure” hunt that uses a GPS or compass to find little containers with different items inside of them called “caches.” These caches are hidden by a geocacher, who posts the coordinates of the cache on a website for other people to use in finding the cache.

Stephen, with the help of family and friends, set up a fake geocache for us to find together that eventually led to the spot where he proposed. Along the way, the family members were strategically hidden with cameras to document the whole thing. It is so cool to look back and see the proposal unfolding.

I wanted our stationary to look handmade, so we handmade them. Imagine that! I wanted our wedding theme to scream DIY. I love details and I love crafting, so it was perfect.

I decided to go with artificial flowers all the way. Our flowers were mostly green and white with subtle accents of an eggplant purple. We also used twine to wrap around the base of the bridesmaids bouquets, as well as the boutonnières.

Being that our wedding theme was rustic, I felt like rose petals were unsuitable for the flower girl to toss. Instead I found some artificial white daises about the size of a quarter. I popped the bud off of the stem and had my flower girl (AND ring bearer! He wanted in on the action too!) toss those instead.

As it turned out, my grandmother’s best friend used to be a florist. She volunteered to help us pick out the flowers and arrange them exactly how I wanted.

What a blessing it was too; we saved so much money. A perk about working with artificial flowers is that they can be reused. I have taken the bouquets apart and made arrangements for our home, as well as a wreath.

I had always dreamed of having a big entourage of friends with me the very first time I put on a beautiful white gown. Once the moment presented itself I realized that this could be a pretty special moment for just me and my mom. I think I tried on a million dresses.

What I liked in my head looked completely different on my body. I became so frustrated the consultant started pulling dresses for me without my approval. The first dress she pulled out when I gave up was the very dress I walked down the aisle in seven months later!

It is so hard to pick one favorite detail from the wedding because my hands were in every detail of design for our wedding. I thoroughly enjoyed the DESIGNING aspect of our wedding. There were countless hours put into making the details come together.

I loved the fellowship shared with close friends and family members as we handmade each Save the Date card, invitation and all of its individual pieces and the thank you notes. That was priceless.

The first dance is a pretty big deal to Stephen’s family. I always thought that my first dance married would be swaying back and forth to a song we both agreed upon, but secretly hoping for something more. To my surprise, Stephen agreed to take dance lessons.

It was incredibly rewarding and fun all at the same time. It was really neat because the dance started off kind of slow and boring-looking, like the swaying most couples do, but then our instructors sped it up and taught us some really sweet moves. We were so nervous before hand because we had never practiced with me in my dress.

When the time came to perform, all of our worries disappeared. We were able to talk, laugh and still dance. Everyone in the room disappeared. It was such a beautiful and priceless moment that I will never ever forget.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?

I have so many favorites. My top two would have to be 1) when the church doors opened and I saw Stephen standing at the end of the aisle waiting for me. Not to sound corny, but it was EVERYTHING I ever imagined it to be. and 2) the look on Stephen’s face when he laid eyes on the corvette I surprised him with to drive off in. I didn’t think I could ever pull off such a big surprise. It worked though!

Photography: Rebekah J. Murray

Church: King’s Way Church, Williamsburg, VA

Reception: Great Wolf Lodge, Williamsburg, VA

Bridal Attair: Maggie Sattero

Cake: Ukrops, Williamsburg, VA

Today I’m inspired by gowns by BHLN and the color combo yellow, gray, and blue. Lately, I have been obsessed with the color gray and I love the color combinations that can be paired with it.

Simple understated details and splashes of colors makes this inspiration board one of my favorites. I love non-traditional bridal jewelry like Bellissima Jewelry Design. Whether it’s chunky or simple jewelry pieces brides wear it has me swooning over their style and wanting more.

photos courtesy of BHLDN via brides.com, Landon Jacob Productions via the knot, Good Wedding Invitation, Invitation Crush, Anastasia Drawing and Dreaming, Lisa Lefkowitz via brides.com, Bellissima Vita Weddings.