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Kellie’s Thanksgiving Table

November 22, 2010

Who: Kellie Daab
Where: Her House in Springsboro, Ohio
How many guests: 12 (set for 22)
What time of year: Thanksgiving 2009
Reason: Thanksgiving celebration with family and friends

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. In addition to stuffing myself with a lot of my favorite food (hello mashed potatoes!), I really enjoy getting to spend time with my family.

Of course, sitting at a beautifully festive table is pretty fabulous too. When Kellie Daab sent us pictures of her Thanksgiving, we knew we wanted to share it with all of you. Check out her festive table setting…

Kellie says:

It was my first time hosting Thanksgiving dinner at my new house so I wanted it to be special. The first dilemma was finding enough place settings for everyone. I actually found a great deal at the grocery store on interchangeable plates for 25 cents each and worked from there.

I found a table cover that worked perfectly and I created the centerpieces and other little details myself. I used pumpkins, leaves, and seed pods to incorporate the natural elements of the season on to my table.

It is a wonder what the simplest of things can add to your table!

The meal was a traditional Thanksgiving meal, complete with turkey and mashed potatoes.

Each member of my family always comes to bring their favorite dish and if there are new guests I try to make sure to include their favorites as well.

Before dinner we all gather around the table and share something we are thankful for and afterwards we feast.

After all the plates are wiped clean, the women search through the Black Friday ads and prepare for the next day of extreme shopping.

Typically, we exchange Black Friday gifts as well.

For example, one year I did survival kits for getting through the next day’s crowded malls.

It may sound cheesy but it’s fun and we get really into it.

For those throwing their first Thanksgiving dinners, I would advise that:

• First, make sure you have enough of everything to do up the holiday right. During this season there are a surprising amount of sales so you never know what kind of deals you will find.
• Second, it’s great to have extra warmers. I know that we ran out of places to keep all our dishes warm last year and renting or even buying warmers would have saved me a lot of stress.
• My last tip would be to prepare in advance. I set my entire table the night before and then use a pop-up table the next day for breakfast and preparation.

Remember, don’t try to do it all. Ask for others to bring dishes or decorative pieces. It’s a day to be thankful, not to be stressed so just enjoy!

 

THANK YOU THANK YOU all of you at Preston Bailey! We are so blessed and thankful!

Happy Turkey Day!

I wanted to take an opportunity today to verbalize just some of the things Hand in Hand Bridal has to be thankful for this year.

I have been so blessed over the years to have the most wonderful clients. Many of whom I now call friend. It’s always wonderful getting to know them, learn their likes and their visions. I am so thankful for loving couples who are excited about their long futures together. I am thankful for all of you!

I have been so blessed to encounter wonderful fellow vendors who have a passion and love for the wedding industry much like myself. They work hard to provide the best service they possibly can to the brides and grooms of Southwest Ohio. We are so blessed to have many talented artists and wonderful people who do top notch work. I am thankful for all of you!

I am incredibly blessed to have family and friends who are so supportive and active in Hand in Hand Bridal. They constantly encourage me to push harder and do things I would not have imagined. It’s because of all of them that the business is where it is today. I am thankful for all of you!

What are you thankful for? Make sure you take the time to tell someone you’re thankful for them. Stop and think of all the ways you have been blessed and be thankful for those things today!

One Starry Night

Since we’ve been on the topic of paper I just had to share this idea that’s been bopping around in my head for years. This design will make a huge bang for a smaller buck.

These are called Moravian Stars. They are typically hung and lit from above. They cast a beautiful glow over the room and would be lovely hanging from a ceiling throughout the reception area.

If you love this idea as much as I think of other ways you can incorporate this into the décor of your day. Here’s a few ideas.

So you can see there’s lots of wonderful ways to take this beautiful and affordable design element and tie it into the rest of your wedding day.

Did you know Moravian Stars are DIY able? Here’s a great site that shows how.

http://www.highhopes.com/3dstar.html

Shoe Appeal Wednesday

I have been such a bad girl lately! My blog neglect is only excusable by the fact that I have been so busy putting together a whole list of events for Dayton and Cincinnati area couples coming up in the next year! Keep your eyes and ears open for more news about these events.

So as an apology for my negligence…. I’m bringing you some very gorgeous shoes! In my book they mostly makes up for it!

So pretty in pink!

And here they are in white!

For $133 from Bridal Allure these are a total steal! Enjoy!

As I Promised!

Here’s a wonderful post full of beautiful images. These invitations are from the beautiful Ceci New York! I am in love!

You must must must see the website. It’s amazing! Click here!

You’re Invited!

Since invitations are those pieces of paper you’ll spend the most time, money, and thought on I thought I would talk a little about this in todays post.

There are so many types of invitations that it could take miles and miles of pictures to give you an idea of how expansive the options are.

I’ll feature a few here… but first let’s talk about invitation etiquette. While etiquette rules have shifted quite a bit over the years, in the area of invitations very little has changed.

Back in the day it was proper etiquette to handwrite every single invitation. By 1922 when Emily Post wrote her very first Etiquette book invitations “whether they are to be engraved or to be written by hand (and their acceptances and regrets)…”

For a little humor… we’ll add Emily Posts original opinions straight from her book written in 1922.

“The invitation to the ceremony is engraved on the front sheet of  white note-paper.  The smartest, at present, is that with a raised margin- or plate mark.  At the top of the sheet the crest (if the family of the bride has the right to use one) is embossed without color.  Otherwise the invitation bears no device.  The engraving may be in script, block, shaded block, or old English.  The invitation to the ceremony should always request “the honour” of your “presence,” and never the “pleasure” of your “company.”  (Honour is spelled in the old-fashioned way, with a “u” instead of “honor.”)

The pretentiousness of it all makes me giggle. Here are a few no nonsense suggestions!

• Write out names in full, including middle names. Omit a middle name if necessary, rather than using an initial.
• It's appropriate to use the British spelling for "honour" and "favour", unless you prefer to use the American spelling of these words.
• Spell out all words, including the hour, the date and the year. Spell out all words in the address, including Street, Road and Avenue. The two exceptions to this rule in an address are Saint (St.) and Mount (Mt.)
• Use Roman numerals in names, rather than "the third" or "3rd."
• For ceremonies taking place in a house of worship, use "request the honour of your presence." Ceremonies taking place in a non-religious setting should say, "request the pleasure of your company."

Bet you didn’t know Hand in Hand Bridal makes custom invitations. Here’s a few papery things we’ve done in the past. Tomorrow I’ll put together a whole post full of eye candy for all of you invitation hungry peeps out there. Here’s just a few to get you started.

If you’re looking for completely handcrafted and customizable invitation made your way with our time. Feel free to contact us. Our clients get great deals on these handcrafted beauties! Enjoy!

Shoe Appeal Wednesday

Oooh oooh ooooh… today’s shoe is so gorgeous you might just have to run out and buy them right now!

These beauties are from Miu Miu and run around $460. Aren’t they gorgeous paired with a great outfit. Wear them with your wedding dress and then… wear them again like this…

Yummy! Very Very yummy! Enjoy!

It’s time to move on… or is it?

Well welcome to November! Normally at this monthly juncture we would be moving on to discuss and entirely different subject. But since October got away from us AND I am completely obsessed I thought I’d spend this next month concentrating more on all things paper. There’s just so much you could do with paper that it really could have it’s own unique blog. Ok… who’s gonna get started on that?

This post has been percolating in my head for a while now. Only because there’s so many creative options and I predict we’re only going to see many many many more.

Today’s lesson class is about escort cards. Let me first give a little background definition slash clarification on this issue.

Q: Isn’t an escort card the same thing as a place card?

A: Umm… almost… but not quite.  A place card is an indication of where one is asked to sit. Place cards are usually on the table in advance to event and before the guests even arrive. The mark the exact seat you would like that guests to sit in.  When using place cards the host of the event must be pro-active in creating a way for guests to quickly and easily find their seats. In large scale events guests are usually checked in by an attendant and told their table number or escorted to their seats. In smaller events such as a wedding a nice sign indicating their table numbers is a wonderful and convenient gesture. These are usually called seating charts.

Seating Charts can be used as a stand alone or along with place cards.

Here’s some ideas for using place cards.

So you get the point I bet. There are so many many ways to make the place cards at your wedding or event fabulous!!!

Now onto the craziness that is escort card tables. I have to say thinking up something grand for these tables is one of my favorite favorite things to do!! Escort cards and their tables are a whole different elephant. These cards are usually placed where the guests can pick them up by themselves and be directed to their table. The escort card trend is a huge one and there are so many wonderful and creative ways to go about using these lovely little pieces of paper.

Here’s some ideas from things I’ve found or saved in my online look book. 

 

So you see the possibilities are as endless as your imagination and your local craft stores product supply. Don’t be afraid to get creative with paper, glue, and stuff you find that you love! It always pays off when you have a perfectly suited and totally personal wedding that reflects you and your honey!

What are your ideas or plans for your wedding escort card table, place cards or seating chart… What kind of paper did you decide to use with it. Send me your great ideas at info@handinhandbridal.com. Who knows you might find your next great idea right here on the blog!

Happy Papering fellow addicts!!!